When it comes to Sunday roasts, everyone likes theirs done in a particular way – normally however their mum cooks it.
Sometimes this leads to weird and wonderful combos. Sweetcorn, baby corn, mashed potatoes AND roasties (served together) all count as crimes against the roast in our book, as does adding ketchup and mayo.
Thankfully, there’s none of that to be found at Manchester restaurant Hawksmoor – one of the only London brands to launch in Manchester during the 2010s and successfully stay the test of time.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Housed in the former Victorian Courthouse on Deansgate, the steakhouse manages to be chic, glamorous and entirely unpretentious all at once, which is – we assume – how it’s become such a hit with Mancs where other London openings have, sometimes brutally, failed.
Whilst it’s pretty hard to beat the way your mum does it, I think it’s fair to say that Hawksmoor’s roast is a pretty strong contender for the best in the city. Even better, they won’t ask you to help with the washing up.
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Designed to share, roasts here can be split between two or three people – with starters, mains, sides and puddings all included and priced from just £50.
Mains choices include perfectly-pink cuts of bone-in prime rib, chateaubriand and sirloin, as well as Dartmouth lobster with garlic butter, whilst sides span the likes of creamed spinach, macaroni cheese, grilled bone marrow, carrots, roasties, cabbage and – or course — giant Yorkshire puddings.
We’re talking Yorkshire puddings bigger than your face, crispy beef fat roasties, unlimited jugs of bone marrow gravy, and an oozing skillet of cauliflower cheese made with a four-cheese blend of Ogleshield, mozzarella, Stichelton and ‘good Cheddar’.
When we visit, we’re also treated to half a dozen Vietnamese oysters to start – topped with soy sauce, micro coriander and a crispy onion that just adds the perfect amount of crunch to the otherwise firm-yet-slippery molluscs.
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Vietnamese oysters with crispy onion and micro coriander. / Image The Manc Eats
An Amaro Correcto and a Silver Bullet cocktail. / Image: The Manc Eats
The passionfruit pavlova and the Ambassador’s Reception. / Image: The Manc Eats
And for pudding? A tart passionfruit pavlova, featuring the most perfectly round meringue I’ve ever seen, and the famous ‘Ambassador’s Reception’, which nods to a nostalgic childhood favourite that Hawksmoor isn’t, for legal reasons, allowed to name.
Of course, being a steak house, the wine list here is excellent too – helped along by the fact that one of the co-founder’s mothers just happens to be a wine critic for The Guardian.
Frankly, you really can’t go wrong here. From the food, to the friendly service, to the bar offering, it’s not hard to see why this Manchester restaurant is the undisputed king of the Sunday roast – and then some.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
City Centre
Football fan handed ban and hefty fines for ‘tragedy chanting’ during Man United v Liverpool match
Emily Sergeant
A football fan has been handed a football banning order and some hefty fines for ‘tragedy chanting’ at Old Trafford last month.
Michael Avery, from Manchester, was in attendance at Manchester United‘s home ground last month as the Red Devils took on fierce local rivals Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter final on Sunday 17 March, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
But due to his actions at the hotly-anticipated match, the 49-year-old has now been “successfully convicted”.
His convictions come after GMP’s Specialist Operational football investigation team carried out enquiries following obtaining video footage of a man in the home section of the Old Trafford crowd making gestures – which was also widely-shared on social media.
#UPDATE | Michael Bernard Avery (06/11/1979) has today been given a three-year Football Banning Order and a total £1,205 fine after he pleaded guilty to tragedy chanting at Old Trafford when Manchester United hosted Liverpool last month.
Avery was subsequently charged with Section 4a of the Public Order Act 1986, and this was in addition to arrests and charges made to other supporters relating to pyrotechnics.
Avery pleaded guilty to the offence yesterday (Monday 22 April) at Salford Magistrates Court, and for this, received a three-year Football Banning Order (FBO) alongside costs of £85, a victim surcharge of £320, and a fine of £800, which was reduced due to an early guilty plea.
GMP says it’s keen to continue taking “proactive action” against football supporters who take part in behaviour of this type of behaviour.
A football fan has been banned and fined for ‘tragedy chanting’ during a Man United v Liverpool match / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Reflecting on the case, following Avery being convicted earlier this week, Chief Inspector Jamie Collins, from GMP’s Specialist Operations Branch, commented: “Following the understandable concern raised online following the video being shared of Avery’s actions, we undertook an investigation into this to ensure justice was brought.
“We are continuing to take a proactive action against those engaged in this type of behaviour that is intent on causing distress to victims and supporters impacted by terrible football tragedies of the past.
“Any kind of gesture or comments in relation to tragedy chanting will not be tolerated and is totally unacceptable.”
Featured Image – GMP
City Centre
Sacha Lord hails Manchester restaurant for serving up ‘the best Sunday roast’ he’s had ‘in ages’
Danny Jones
Parklife and Warehouse Project co-founder Sacha Lord has hailed a Manchester Sunday roast as ‘the best he’s had in ages’ and he’s by no means the only one showing it some love.
Manchester’s Night Time Economy Adviser has been heavily involved in supporting the Manc hospitality sector of late, especially post-pandemic, bigging up local food spots all over Greater Manchester and even footing the bill on occasion.
Sacha has given his seal of approval to many spots in and around the city centre over the last 12 months but if there’s one suggestion we always take seriously it’s about a proper good Sunday roast.
Posting this weekend, the entrepreneur and recently published author was full of praise for Kala over on King Street, crediting their “great food and superb staff”, as well as labelling it simply “the best Sunday roast I’ve had in ages.” Big words.
Really like Kala_Manchester treated mum earlier in the year lovely food, good service and excellent value.
Sacha Lord calls Kala ‘the best roast he’s had in ages’ — and lots of people are in agreement.
Social media was quick to follow Lord’s lead in flooding the comments with praise for the beloved Manchester bistro. One person wrote, “best food, service and general vibe in all”, urging owner Gary Usher to “keep fighting the fight” and another simply added: “one of my very favourite restaurants”.
Usher, chef-owner of the Kala, Hispi in Didsbury and the Elite Bistros group across the North West, replied to Sacha, saying: “Was our total pleasure to have you with us mate thank you so much for supporting us and it really does mean a lot to everyone”.
Sacha Lord‘s post also encouraged lots of others online to share their positive stories and recommendations for other excellent restaurants in and around the region. The wholesome content we just love to see.
It’s worked too, as not only have we started noting down tonnes of new spots we’ve never heard of before but it’s also made us want to go back to Kala pronto – come on, how insane do these Sunday roasts look?
Mouth-watering stuff.Their lamb rump special sold out in less than a couple of hours earlier this month. Credit: Kala Bistro (via Instagram)
Kala’s had a lot of props from food critics as well, with Jay Rayner summing things up succinctly in his Observer column as far back as 2019 by headlining it: ‘Quietly feeds you well’. If this place is still a secret to anyone, it might be one of the worst-kept in the city.
Well in, Gary – and if you’ve not tried their Sunday roast already, you can now take ours and Sacha’s word for it. Where’s your favourite roast in Greater Manchester?
You can see our full list of the best Sunday roasts in Manchester down below:
Georgina Pellant -
1st June 2022 
