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
Family behind Salvi’s launch new concept, weeks after iconic restaurant closure
Daisy Jackson
Just weeks after the closure of its iconic, 16-year-old Italian restaurant in the Corn Exchange, the family behind Salvi’s have revealed a brand-new concept.
And this time, the reins are being handed over to the next generation.
Salvi’s founder Maurizio Cecco has helped to shape Amò, but it’s all the brainchild of his daughter, Sienna.
Sienna will run the business out of a unit up on Deansgate Mews, serving fresh pasta dishes, pizza sandwiches, tubs of tiramisu, and two-for-£10 spritzes.
The deli aspect of the original Salvi’s has been carried over to Amò too – you’ll find shelves almost to the ceiling filled with Italian pasta, wine, olive oils, pistachio spreads, and more.
Sienna has grown up in restaurants, with her parents launching Salvi’s when she was just two years old.
She said she wants the space to be a livelier, fresher version of the Italian restaurant that has been so loved by Mancs for so many years.
Sienna outside AmòFresh pasta dishesInside Amò by Salvi’sTheir viral frozen crema di caffeLemon granitaInside Amò by Salvi’sTiramisu pots
Amò, which is Neapolitan slang for ‘my love’, will have loads of fresh Italian dishes, including arancini, gnocchi, and hearty pasta plates.
At lunchtimes, guests can order from a £10 lunch menu, with dishes changing daily depending on the best produce the kitchen can get – it could be a pizza sandwich with proscuitto and tomato, a spicy pasta, or a gnocchi bake, always served with your choice of soft drink.
With its position on Deansgate Mews, Amò basks in the sunshine at lunchtimes.
And while it’s definitely a different concept to the original Salvi’s, Amò looks set to carry the family’s Italian food legacy into its next generation.
Manchester announces its first-ever Pride Fringe event with community celebrations all over the city
Emily Sergeant
Manchester is getting ready for a city-wide Pride celebration this month.
Of course, we all know Manchester Village Pride will be returning for 2026 over the August bank holiday weekend, but aside from the official festivities around the Village, an extensive new Pride Fringe event has been announced – with a programme featuring everything from a film festival and shopping events, to live performances, family-friendly celebrations, and more.
Alongside comedy, club nights, exhibitions, and walking tours, venues across Manchester will also come together for a month-long celebration.
You can expect an exciting mix of LGBTQIA+ arts, culture, live entertainment, family events, food, drink and shopping experiences, giving visitors even more reasons to make a weekend – or even a week – of it.
Many of these events will be raising vital funds for local LGBT charities, and on top of that, the city’s hotels will also be joining in the celebrations with dedicated Pride packages, parties, free gifts, and discounts this month.
Manchester has announced its first-ever Pride Fringe event with community celebrations all over the city / Credit: Jason Lock Photography (Supplied)
Pride Fringe will be led by the return of the week-long SCENE Festival.
Back for its third year and kicking off from Thursday 20 August, SCENE will be bringing together some of the biggest names in TV, film, and queer culture for eight days of screenings, panels, live comedy, parties and premieres across 10 Manchester venues – and this year, it’s the festival’s most star-studded programme to date.
Some of the other highlights on the programme include a selection of Pride-themed walking tours and guided trails.
At the forefront of this is a a guided walking tour led by local playwright and tour guide, Chris Hoyle of What’s The Story?, exploring the stories that have shaped Manchester’s LGBTQ+ community.
From Victorian drag balls and the birth of Canal Street, to the Campaign for Homosexual Equality and the city’s iconic Pride Parade, the tour uncovers the people, places, and moments that have helped make Manchester one of the world’s leading LGBTQ+ cities.
Manchester Arndale and Afflecks will also be hosting their own Pride-themed shopping events and workshops, while Aviva Studios, The Refuge, Freight Island, Kampus, and Fairfield Social Club are among the dozen independent venues throwing their own parties.
Families can also head to places like Manchester Central Library and Great Northern Warehouse for storytimes, craft sessions, entertainment, and other child-friendly events.
Georgina Pellant -
18th November 2021 
