A couple of chefs in Manchester have created a Christmas kebab menu with pigs in blanket-loaded fries – and we are a little bit obsessed.
From festive loaded fries to kebabs stuffed with the likes of pulled turkey, cranberry hot sauce, and fried sprouts, this might be the most indulgent Christmas street food menu we’ve come across yet.
Created by the team behind Kong’s Chicken Shop and Meat and Three, the menu reimagines the classic takeaway favourite for the festive season with four different filled kebab options.
Chipotle orange and cumin pulled pork Christmas kebab with pickled red cabbage, tomato and cucumber, lettuce, garlic sauce, homemade chilli sauce and spiced pickled gherkins (£13) / Image: The Manc Group
Think pulled turkey with spicy cranberry sauce and fried sprouts (£13), chipotle orange and cumin pulled pork (£13), mulled wine braised beef brisket (£14), or slow-cooked mushrooms and fennel (£13) – all rolled in pillowy, soft naan bread.
All come served with extra pickled red cabbage, tomato and cucumber salad, lettuce, garlic sauce, homemade chilli sauce, and spiced pickled gherkins for those authentic late-night takeaway feels.
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But that’s not all – there’s also a handful of loaded fries options to choose from. Opt for classic fries loaded with pigs in blankets, baconnaise, and cranberry hot sauce, or go down the Canadian route with Kong’s Christmas poutine, which comes loaded with mozzarella, mulled wine gravy, and more sprouts.
Pigs in blankets loaded fries with bacconaise and cranberry hot sauce (£5) / Image: The Manc GroupThe Clubhouse Christmas bar is selling festive cocktails like ‘Santa Baby’ and ‘Life’s a Grinch’ to help to wash down your kebabs / Image: The Manc Group
The poutine standardly comes as vegetarian or vegan (vegan mozzarella cheese is available on request), but for those meat-eaters that want to add on a few cheeky extras, you can also include pulled turkey and pigs in blankets for £2 apiece.
Available from today throughout the season from a pop-up kitchen on Spinningfields square, the menu has been created as part of the crazy cocktail bar Clubhouse’s Christmas takeover – which sees the team also bring karaoke huts, a curling lane, and a live music stage to the edge of Deansgate.
Elsewhere, you’ll find festive cocktails like ‘Santa Baby’ (pink gin, triple sec, sour, sugar and cranberry) and ‘Life’s A Grinch’ (kiwi, sour, sugar and coconut) to wash your kebab down, available from the square’s neighbouring bar – run by the Clubhouse team.
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On top of all this, down at Spinningfields square, there are also karaoke huts offering drinks service and an infinite number of songs, duelling pianos taking requests from 7pm on the weekends, and a curling lane to get stuck into.
We’ve heard some rumours about a grinch causing mischief in the evenings too – but that’s not been confirmed yet.
Feature image – The Manc Group
Manchester
Middleton to receive a cinema and Metrolink as part of regeneration plans
Thomas Melia
Greater Manchester town Middleton is about to undergo a huge facelift thanks to a new regeneration project, including a new cinema and Metrolink tram station.
Middleton is one of many bustling communities that make up the borough of Rochdale, and with these new plans, the town might receive a fair few new visitors who want to know what it’s all about.
The Greater Manchester town is undergoing a huge transformation with regeneration plans confirming that Middleton will receive a brand new cinema complex along with an extended Metrolink line as part of the Bee Network expansion covering this area.
This is all thanks to Middleton teaming up with the Mayor to launch the Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC), which pushes forward regeneration plans for the town and future ideas.
Middleton Shopping Centre right in the heart of the town centre.Middleton Town Centre bustling as the markets take place.Credit: Steven Haslington (via Geograph)/@Rept0n1x (via Flickr)
The MDC considers lots of aspects of the town and even aims to create new homes and improve surrounding public spaces.
Middleton regeneration plans have been floated previously, but complications arose due to a lack of land and available funding, which ultimately brought these foundations to a halt.
Now it seems the green light has been lifted and Middleton is about to get a whole new facelift, which will not only improve the town economically but aesthetically too, along with the wider Rochdale region.
For many Middletonians, the idea of a cinema may have felt like a distant memory, with their last big screen location shutting down just over a decade ago.
This all-new high street regeneration will not only bring an array of shopping favourites back to the town centre but also the long-awaited return of a local cinema. Most importantly, the plans also include a slate of new housing, with an estimated 300 apartments set to be created in one building alone.
Early CGIs of the proposed Middleton regeneration plans.Grade II-listed Warwick Mill looks set to be turned into flats.Credit: Publicity Picture (supplied)
This all falls in line with the ‘Atom Valley scheme‘, which has been commissioned in order to generate over 20,000 job opportunities for people in Bury, Oldham and Rochdale.
The scheme also mentions how it aims to bring a combined economic boost of around £1 billion to these previously mentioned areas.
Rochdale Borough Council leader, Neil Emmott, said: “The development of 1.2 million square metres of employment space around the junction 19 area will help to generate 20,000 high-quality jobs and bring a £1 billion economic boost.”
Featured Image — Publicity Pictures (supplied via Rochdale Borough Council)
Manchester
Loyle Carner announces THREE massive Manchester gigs to follow Glastonbury headline slot
Daisy Jackson
Loyle Carner will perform three huge gigs in Manchester as part of a newly-announced UK tour, chasing his headline Glastonbury slot.
The groundbreaking British artist will be heading to the O2 Victoria Warehouse later this year alongside shows in cities including London, Glasgow, Newcastle and Birmingham.
Loyle Carner has also confirmed today that a brand new album is on the way – hopefully! is set for release on 20 June.
It’ll give fans a week to listen and love his new music before he headlines The Other Stage at Glastonbury festival on 27 June.
He’s already released two surprise new songs – ‘all i need / in my mind’, as his new chapter sees him explore fatherhood, childhood and alternative music.
Loyle Carner has sung, produced and ‘accidentally’ formed a band for this latest release, which includes audio clips of his son.
Loyle Carner first emerged in 2013 with his A Little Late EP, followed by his debut album Yesterday’s Gone in 2017, with plenty more releases in the years since.
He’s been shortlisted TWICE for the Mercury Prize and has scored BRIT and NME Award nominations too, as well as 1.1 BILLION streams.
You’ll recognise his face from campaigns with global brands like YSL, New Balance, and Nike, not to mention his sold-out shows including Alexandra Palace, Wembley Arena and the Royal Albert Hall in his beloved London hometown alone.
Loyle Carner will perform at the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester on 23, 24, and 24 November 2025.
Tickets will go on sale at 9am on Friday 2 May – you can get tickets HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
18th November 2021 
