American pop star Lizzo caused huge excitement over the weekend amongst Manchester foodies after posting a video of herself enthusing over goodies from Manchester bakery Gooey.
Whilst most locals can already attest to the joys of this lockdown sugar dealer turned full-blown bakery cafe, this weekend the word went global as the pop singer shared a video of herself raving about their treats with her 30+ million followers.
The artist, who was in Manchester on Saturday night to perform a show as part of her UK tour, posted a video to her Instagram channel announcing: “I’ve got the bag”.
Revealing the signature Gooey takeaway box, the About Damn Time and Good as Hell star held up her order to the camera: a box of Gooey’s crispy hash browns and a chunky tofu sandwich from the Northern Quarter cafe.
Captioning the video ‘Manchester got the good good,’ in the video Lizzo said: “This is why I love the UK because they’re hash browns are…ooof.”
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She then went on to say that UK hash browns were always “top tier, always crispy, never gloopy, always salty” before combining them into her sando to make it extra chunky.
Fans were quick to comment on the post, as well as Gooey who comented: “OMFG LIZZO THANK YOU ❤️”.
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One person said: “IM SORRY LIZZO ?!?! This is where I work. Why was I not rostered on today.”
Another joked: “Lizzo go Piccadilly gardens for a stroll x”
A third said: “Imagine just strolling round Manchester and Lizzo rocks up.”
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Gooey has gone from success to success in the past few years, and this endorsement from Lizzo is just the latest in a string of high points for the bakery team.
Tentatively launching the same month the country plunged into lockdown, no one knew just how much its salty-sweet treats would shape the course of our isolation.
Beginning life as a small pop-up in borrowed space, its bakers soon became Manchester’s go-to sugar dealers as the business pivoted into home delivery.
Two and a half years later, it’s already becoming a go-to in the city centre: drawing in big names like Guardian food critic Jay Rayner, and now Lizzo.
The hash browns at Gooey. / Image: The Manc Eats
Inside the Northern Quarter cafe. / Image: The Manc Eats
A Kewpie egg mayo sandwich on toasted Japanese Shokupan bread, a plump whole egg running through its middle, is a modest showstopper, as is a vegan-friendly wild mushroom toast on toasted chia brioche, smeared with a generous helping of roasted black garlic cashew cream.
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Other menu highlights include the char sui bbq glazed baby back rib sesame sub, panko-fried chicken katsu brioche, and the hefty bricks of ‘side portion’ halloumi, which come slathered in a (pleasantly spicy) chilli jam.
A full coffee menu is also available, alongside a list of fresh, cold-pressed juices in orange (carrot, ginger and orange), or green (cucumber, kale, pear and grape),
If that’s not doing it for you, you’ll also find ‘fancy schmancy’ iced strawberry, vanilla and matcha lattes, a caramelised white chocolate mocha, and cold-brewed green and white tea with added coconut, pineapple and hibiscus on the drinks menu.
As for those who like life’s simpler pleasures, rest assured you can also get a proper builder’s brew here.
Prices start from £3.20 for a Yorkshire breakfast tea and £4 for slabs of toasted brioche loaf served with a pot of seasonal jam.
Feature image – Lizzo TikTok
Manchester
Major ‘plan ahead’ warning issued before Manchester’s busiest day of the year so far
Emily Sergeant
A major ‘plan ahead’ warning for the weekend has been issued ahead of what is set to be Manchester’s busiest day of the year so far.
Heading into the city centre this weekend? Yeah… you and everyone else by the sounds of it, as Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is encouraging people to plan their journeys ahead of a ‘Super Sunday’ that sees the return of the Manchester Marathon, while Manchester City also take on rivals Arsenal at the Etihad.
More than 40,000 runners and countless supporters will arrive in Greater Manchester for the marathon on Sunday 19 April.
Runners will set off from the Trafford Arch, near Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium from 8:55am until 11:30am, with the 26.2 mile route covering areas such as Deansgate, Stretford, Sale, Chorlton, and Altrincham, before finishing outside the University of Manchester (UoM) on Oxford Road.
A major ‘plan ahead’ warning has been issued ahead of Manchester’s busiest day of the year so far / Credit: Janus Boye | Supplied
These are likely to cause congestion and delays in the affected areas, TfGM has confirmed, and there will be ‘widespread’ bus diversions.
Elsewhere in the city, Manchester City’s Premier League clash with fellow title-chasers Arsenal kicks off at 4:30pm – with 55,000 fans set to be making their way to the match.
Due to both of these major events taking place on the same day, Bee Network trams and dedicated matchday buses are being touted as the best ways to get around.
👟 Running shoes at the ready… As it’s the @Marathon_MCR on Sunday 19 April.
📣 Going to the race to cheer a runner on? The Altrincham, Timperely, Brooklands and Sale tram stops will be the busiest throughout the day.
It’s predicted that the Altrincham and East Didsbury lines will be ‘very busy’ on the day, and people may have to wait to board a tram so should allow at least 30-minutes extra time for travel, with the quickest way to pay being the contactless ‘tap and go’ payments, where fares are, of course, capped and automatically calculated based on the number of zones you travel through.
Those travelling by bus over the weekend should do so at quieter times where possible, and are advised to check the Bee Network travel alerts hub for any diversions on their route.
Match day buses will still run, but fans should expect some route changes due to the marathon road closures.
People are being ‘strongly advised’ by TfGM not to drive – but for those that need to, using a park and ride site and continuing the journey by tram is a ‘quick and easy’ way to travel into the city centre, and is also free with a valid Metrolink ticket.
Further information for runners, spectators, and match-goers, as well as those making other journeys on Sunday, can be found on the dedicated Bee Network webpage here.
Featured Image – Manchester Marathon
Manchester
Michael Carrick brands Lisandro Martinez’s red card as ‘one of the worst’ decisions he’s ever seen
Danny Jones
Michael Carrick has dubbed the red card shown to Lisando Martinez on Monday night “one of the worst I’ve seen”.
In case you missed it, Martinez’s sending off proved to be the decisive moment in Manchester United’s sour defeat to old rivals Leeds.
Despite pulling one back through another Bruno Fernandes assist and another Casemiro header from a set-piece, Man United went on to lose 2-1 in what was Leeds’ first win at Old Trafford since 1981.
A night to remember for the Whites and one that Reds, equally and ironically, won’t soon forget either, with the Argentinian being dismissed for what the referees deemed ‘violent conduct’. For those who haven’t seen it, here’s the incident in question:
While there is a noticeable grabbing of the hair, Carrick and many others are understandably questioning the perceived ‘force’ that influenced Paul Tierney’s final ruling.
Put simply, many have put it down to whether or not it’s a hair pull/grab and how much of a tug the opponent felt.
Yorkshire-born striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin said in an interview after the whistle: “I don’t make the rules. I told the referee that my hair was pulled.”
Clearly, Carrick is far from the only one who thinks it was a “shocking” call from the officials, either.
Several pundits argued that it was “harsh” to send off ‘Licha’, with even old foes like former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher stating live on Sky Sports’ MNF analysis of the game: “I think everybody in the game is looking at that and thinking, ‘Oh, come on. That is not a red card. Behave yourself!
As the current interim Man United boss – on whom it remains to be seen whether or not he will get the job full-time – he was left visibly frustrated in his own post-match pressers, highlighting that there were other moments in the game that the referees missed or simply overlooked.
The Stretford finally saw their interim head coach make his emotions plain to see.
Fans online have cited other recent examples, such as Man City’s Antoine Semenyo having his hair pulled against Fulham just a couple of months ago, which went unpunished, as well as David Brooks getting away with only a booking for something similar on Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella back in January.
The general consensus in the stands on the night at Old Trafford, on social media in the aftermath, and indeed throughout the Premier League, is that supporters simply want more consistency when it comes to stuff like this.
Rule books change and get more complicated all the time; that’s just football, but if that is the way it will continue going, arbitrators like the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) have to uphold their own standards.
Now slapped with a three-match ban, Martinez had only just returned to the fold but will now be missing once again. Another absentee whose presence was clearly missed on the night was midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, though United fans will at least be relieved to hear his injury is nothing serious.
And that’s not the only positive update regarding the homegrown young star, either…
Georgina Pellant -
13th March 2023 
