Manchester

Inside Medlock Canteen – a brand new restaurant for Manchester inspired by American diners and Parisian bistros

It'll have its own rotisserie chicken oven and you can take your roast bird home in a bag.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 25th March 2024

One of the year’s most exciting restaurant openings is officially ready to open in Manchester, with Medlock Canteen now fully kitted-out at Deansgate Square.

The restaurant comes from the team behind Madre (the Mexican restaurant at Kampus) and Belzan (one of Liverpool’s top restaurants).

And when it officially opens on 29 March, diners will be spoiled with bottomless coffee, a rotisserie chicken oven, and ‘strong sandwiches’.

Oh, did we mention they’ll also be offering 50% off for the restaurant’s soft launch period?

Medlock Canteen is taking its inspiration from eateries on opposite sides of the pond – the laid-back and accessible style of American diners and the hospitality of Parisian bistros.

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There’ll be an all-day menu served alongside those bottomless coffees, with guest welcome to sit as long as they like.

You can expect breakfasts ranging from classic Full Englishes to duck-egg hash to ‘millennial eggs’ (smashed avo and poached eggs).

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There’ll be familiar brunch dishes like oats, pancakes, and breakfast sandwiches, plus French inspired dishes like a crab and gruyere omelette, with several brekkies available to take away.

Fresh baguettes stuffed with rotisserie chicken straight out of the oven
Fresh baguettes stuffed with rotisserie chicken straight out of the oven
Medlock Canteen will have bottomless coffee - and excellent espresso martinis
Medlock Canteen will have bottomless coffee – and excellent espresso martinis
Leeks and peas at Medlock Canteen
Leeks and peas at Medlock Canteen
Steaks at Medlock Canteen, which are cooked over coals. Credit: The Manc Group
Steaks at Medlock Canteen, which are cooked over coals. Credit: The Manc Group

Then at lunch, chef patron Sam Grainger is promising a ‘strong sandwich game’ – we’re talking roast beef sandwich with caramelised onions, gruyere and jus; turkey schnitzel with mozzarella and marinara; and a grilled cheese with three different cheeses and pickles.

And in the evenings, it’s all about steaks and fish of the day, as well as that rotisserie chicken oven.

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Believed to be the only restaurant rotisserie oven in Manchester, Medlock Canteen will be serving chicken baguettes with chicken mayo, butterhead lettuce and jus at lunchtimes, and half- or whole-chicken with a choice of sides all day.

You can even pick up a chicken in a bag to take home with you.

Owner Chris Edwards said: “Picture your typical canteen; a spot where everyone and anyone can gather.

“On one table you have a group of friends catching up over dinner, two colleagues are sitting at the bar enjoying a post work drink, a worker pops in for a coffee before their night shift and a couple swing by for dessert en route home from dinner.

“We want people to come as they are, use the space as their own and eat and drink as they desire.”

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Owain Williams added: “Medlock Canteen is inspired by American diners and French bistros. In these venues, everyone is always welcome for unfussy, traditional, everyday faire.

“The British equivalent of these spaces has always been the pub but the community bond created by these spaces has become collateral damage in the UK’s reframed relationship with the pub.

“We still want the community, the accessibility and the prices, but it needs to exist in a different atmosphere suitable for the city dwellers of Manchester.”

Medlock Canteen will be opening on 29 March at 5 Owen Street at Deansgate Square (near Kitten and Salvi’s).

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Manchester

Manchester ranked among the worst UK cities for throwing away food at Christmas

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A new survey has ranked Manchester among the worst cities in the UK when it comes to throwing away leftover food at Christmas.

If there’s one thing we know for certain, it’s that a lot of food gets consumed during Christmas time, but unfortunately, what then comes along with that, is a lot of food getting thrown away too – with a new study revealing that British families are expected to bin nearly £300 million worth of festive food this year alone.

And sadly, Manchester has been named one of the top festive food waste hotspots.

Ahead of the festive season, leading electricals retailer, AO.com, is on a mission to help Brits cut back on their food waste, as 54% of Mancs have admitted to chucking out leftovers.

The survey found that, on average, a British family spends £136 on their Christmas food shopping, but 11% of that goes to waste.

This equates to a whopping £292,822,360 in Christmas food waste in total this year.

With almost 78% of survey respondents saying they would prefer to have their meals at home during the Christmas period, rather than dining out, the research uncovered that a quarter of Brits often throw away their Brussels sprouts, while one in 10 even admitted to binning everyone’s festive favourite, pigs in blankets.

Manchester has ranked among the worst UK cities for throwing away food at Christmas / Credit: Freepik | Flickr

Other northern cities ranking alongside Manchester in the not-so-coveted list of highest festive food waste offenders include Newcastle and Sheffield.

The capitals of London, Edinburgh, and Belfast also feature.

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The news that Manchester has been named a festive food waste capital comes after a shocking study, also by AO, revealed back in August that Mancs throw away more than £1,000 of ‘freezable’ food every year too.

Featured Image – gpointstudio (via Freepik)

Manchester

The UK’s much-loved ‘day rave’ with Vicky and Jon McClure returns to Manchester for New Year’s Eve

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

One of the UK’s most popular new club events and pioneering ‘day rave’ is returning to Manchester this New Year’s, featuring founders Jon and Vicky McClure, as well as some very special guests.

The Line of Duty star and Reverend and the Makers frontman started the parent-friendly event back in January of this year as an alternative day out for those looking to have a party and still manage an early bedtime. Since then it’s gone on to become a real phenomenon and is only getting bigger.

With Vicky swapping UK dramas and crime thrillers for the discotheque and ‘Big Jon’ switching lanes from his usual rock, indie and alternative roots to favour timeless dance tracks to still get people up on their feet, Day Fever has gone down a storm all over the country.

With their first year coming towards a close, they now look set for arguably their biggest day rave to date as Day Fever will be hosting a special New Year’s Eve for their final hurrah of 2024 right here in Manchester city centre – and no, you don’t need to be able to stay up until midnight.

The two McClures – unrelated, by the way, they just share a name and a fantastic taste in music – and the rest of their crew will be partying between 3-8pm for a much more tame and friendlier night (day) out, commanding the decks alongside some other special guests.

Not only does this alternative way to party promise a more responsible curfew, meaning clubbers don’t have to worry about missing the last train home but it’s also geared towards over 30s whilst still being super inclusive.

This day-time clubbing event is designed to reminisce on the old days and all those dance-filled memories of evenings spent out on the tiles, just minus the late-night finish – and hopefully the hangover but that’s down to you really, isn’t it?

In their words: ‘There’s no dress code, no egos—just pure positivity’; there’s nothing we love to hear more than the sweet relief of not having to get dolled up for a big night when we just can’t be bothered.

With New Century Hall hosting the Day Fever once again for their first-ever NYE party here in Manchester, along with two other events being held simultaneously in Edinburgh and Birmingham, you can get all your partying done way with plenty of time to get cosy in bed before the calendar turns over.

Just in time to watch Jools Holland’s famous Annual Hootenanny, as they put it.

Jon McClure and Vicky’s co-star, Martin Compston
Vicky McClure leading the dance routines

This is guaranteed to be an evening to remember for everyone in attendance, especially when you’re joined by stars of stage and screen who will be powering you through with some proper dance bangers as they have done all year long.

The New Year’s Eve party isn’t just the last dance of the year either, it’s also effectively the prequel to next year’s raft of shows as Day Fever has already announced more than a dozen big dates in January and February.

This batch of 2025 dates sees the gang taking on lots of other cities, including North West neighbours Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds and Hull over in Yorkshire, two Newcastle shows and plenty more.

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So, if you’re feeling those clubbing blues, that pesky seasonal affective disorder or just still not booked up for NYE 2024, why not make the most of this day-time opportunity?

Tickets for both the New Year’s Eve and the rest of their 2025 events are available on the official Day Fever website HERE.

Oh yeah, and help get Rev to Christmas number one – it’s for a good cause and they deserve it!

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Publicity Picture via Supplied

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