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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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
Manchester’s huge £365m Co-op Live arena reveals new opening date
Daisy Jackson
The Co-op Live arena has confirmed its new opening date, with the doors to the enormous £365m music venue opening next year.
The huge new venue for Manchester is backed by Harry Styles, and will have the world’s largest floor space of any indoor arena when it opens.
Its total capacity will be 23,500 gig-goers, with an innovative music-first design as well as 32 bars, restaurants, and lounges around the site.
The Co-op Live arena is now to set to open in April 2024, a slightly later date than its previously planned opening at the end of this year.
The shape of the enormous structure has taken shape in the north of the city, close to Manchester City‘s home ground at the Etihad Stadium.
Co-op Live is the first of its kind to be built with concert acoustics as a priority.
The smart bowl at Co-op Live arena. Credit: SuppliedThe Co-op Live’s atrium. Credit: Supplied
Not only will gig-goers experience state-of-the-art acoustics, there’ll be nothing to detract from the visual spectacles on stage either – the bowl will feature no corporate branding, and soundproof black curtains will be used in the suites that line the edges of level two.
A spokesperson for the venue said: “This morning I am happy to reveal that Co-op Live will be opening our doors to fans in April 2024.
“It’s huge kudos to BAM, and the dozens of local subcontractors working on the project, that we are well within our original timeframe and on-budget given the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, supply chain shortages, and an energy crisis.
“We’re proud to be on the home stretch to delivering Co-op Live and we can’t wait to invite fans in to experience the biggest and most sustainable arena in the UK.”
Manchester cafe Idle Hands mobbed by huge swarm of bees who took over outdoor tables
Daisy Jackson
One of the Northern Quarter’s most popular cafes had an unusual issue on Saturday afternoon, when tens of thousands of bees paid a visit.
It seems the swarm of bees had got wind of Idle Hands’ legendary pies and took over one of the venue’s outdoor tables.
The cafe had to call in a local beekeeper after the busy insects rendered their outside space too risky for customers to use.
Incredible photos captured by local photographer Andrew Stuart and shared by the cafe show a jaw-dropping mass of the insects congregating beneath a table.
The cafe, on the corner of Dale Street and Tariff Street, was saved by the Manchester Honey Company, who humanely scooped them away to safety.
Idle Hands wrote on Instagram: “So, fun day at the shop today, with thousands of bees moving home and deciding to drop in on our shop and cluster under one of our tables (now forever to be known as the bee table) whilst on their journey.
“Massive thanks to @manchesterhoneycompany for coming and safely taking them away to a far more suitable home. And to @andrewstuart1 for capturing the event so well!”
They had previously posted on their stories: “Erm, anyone know what we do about this??? Swarm of thousands out of nowhere.”
Manchester Honey Company said: “This swarm landed @idlehandscoffee in Manchester and was collected by @manchesterhoneycompany. The bees were so friendly and calm and we were so well looked after by the friendly staff.
“The bees were collected from under a table and put in the hive. The queen was in the hive so the rest of the bees followed her in.”
The incident with Idle Hands is far from the first time that swarms of bees have caused disruption in the city centre.
Georgina Pellant -
18th November 2021 
