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.
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).
Blue Peter is launching a FREE book club for kids at Manchester’s Central Library
Emily Sergeant
Blue Peter is launching a book club for kids right here in Manchester later this month, and it’s free for everyone to get involved with.
Book-loving mini Mancs are in for a real treat in a couple of weeks time, as the iconic BBC children’s TV series is partnering with Manchester Libraries and The Reading Agency for an exciting new project called ‘Blue Peter Book Club Live’.
Officially kicking off at the Central Library in the heart of Manchester city centre next Saturday (18 May) Blue Peter Book Club Live is set to be a “fun-filled event” that’s open to all.
It's official! The Blue Peter Book Club is launching live from Manchester Central Library. 💙
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) May 8, 2024
Not only will kids get to discover a whole host of “brilliant books” and “celebrate the joy and adventure of reading” with guest authors Eve Ainsworth, and the Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho, but there’ll also be the chance to meet Blue Peter presenters Abby, Joel, and Shini, along with Henry the Blue Peter Dog, at the free event too.
CBeebies presenters George Webster and Gyasi Sheppi will also be there to take families on some “enchanting escapades” with magical story time sessions.
Creative crafts, masses of books, and the opportunity to meet some classic book characters like Alice, the Mad Hatter, Willy Wonka, Peter Pan, and more, are also set to make the library “come to life”.
Blue Peter is launching a free book club for kids in Manchester / Credit: BBC & The Reading Agency
The Blue Peter Book Club ‘Badge Trail’ also launches on the day too, and it challenges children to discover special Blue Peter badges on display in 12 different cultural venues across Manchester – with a bonus badge in the Blue Peter Garden in Salford, and some exciting prizes up for grabs.
Beyond the launch event, a series of ‘Book Hunt events will also be coming to “unexpected settings” in Manchester’s parks and open spaces throughout the summer too, and schools across the Greater Manchester region can also join in with Blue Peter Book Club Live by using activity packs and reading resources developed by The Reading Agency to create a “nationwide celebration”.
Ahead of the event next weekend, Councillor John Hacking, who is the Executive Member for Skills Employment and Leisure at Manchester City Council, has called Blue Peter’s new book club a “magnificent initiative”.
Blue Peter Book Club Live will kick-off with a launch event at Manchester Central Library / Credit: Ricardo (via Flickr)
“We are thrilled to be hosting this exciting book event alongside our partners in the iconic Central Library,” Cllr Hacking commented.
“The book club is a magnificent initiative to inspire a love of reading and creativity to get our children engaged and excited by books, and this launch event is one that families with young children will not want to miss.”
Find out more about Blue Peter Book Club Live on the BBC website here.
Featured Image – gov.uk (via Flickr)
Manchester
‘Manc Mark’ drug dealer caught with £2k worth of drugs up his bum
Daisy Jackson
A drug dealer who nicknamed himself ‘Manc Mark’ has been jailed after being caught with £2000-worth of substances hidden up his bum.
Liam Smith, of Brynorme Road in Manchester was found in possession of heroin and crack cocaine which he’d ‘concealed in his buttocks’.
Police made the discovery on a raid of a property in Northwich in Cheshire on Friday 26 January.
Smith, aka Manc Mark, has now been sentenced to four years in jail after admitting to dealing drugs.
The 36-year-old appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday 3 May.
He’d previously pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.
The court heard that the Northwich Proactive Policing Team had forced entry into an address on Brackley Lane after a suspected drug dealer was seen entering the property.
There they found Smith, searched him, and found the drugs he’d attempted to hide.
He was arrested, then a warrant was conducted at his home in Manchester where ‘a large quantity of designer clothing’ was seized.
Following the sentencing, Police Constable Matt Uren, of Northwich Proactive Policing Unit, said: “Northwich Proactive Policing Team are dedicated to disrupting the drug supply network and this is another example of how we are continually pursuing those intent on making money out of other people’s misery.
“Smith’s conviction is the result of a long-running investigation involving detectives here at Northwich, with the support of colleagues from the Op Impact and Op Apollo teams.
“Intel has suggested that ‘Manc Mark’ had been an active county lines dealer in the Northwich area for a significant period of time, and I have no doubt that his conviction will have a really positive impact on the community.
“While Smith is now behind bars, our campaign against drug dealers is ongoing and we’re committed to doing all we can to can to stop drug activity on the streets of Northwich and make Cheshire a hostile place for criminals.
“You too can help us by reporting drug dealing in your area to police, every bit of information helps us to gather intelligence and close in on those dealing in illegal drugs.”