Greater Manchester Police is appealing for help to find a 14-year-old girl from Gorton who has been missing since Sunday.
Mineh Onomake left her home on May 23 and has not been seen by her family since.
She was last spotted wearing black jogging bottoms, a black hoody with white writing across the chest, a red puffer jacket with a black hood, and black and white Jordan 11 trainers.
The teenager apparently ‘rarely misses school’ but has not been seen now for four days.
Superintendent Helen Critchley, of GMP’s City of Manchester division, said the force are ‘extremely worried’ about Mineh’s whereabouts.
Anyone with information is asked to contact PC Helen McNeill on 07584 224 903 or PC Dave Frame on 07393781595.
Manchester
‘Rooted in India, made in Manchester’ – Punjabee Deli has big designs on the local food scene
Danny Jones
Launching a few months ago, this recently opened Indian deli, cafe, eatery and hangout concept is still in its infancy, but the brains behind this are not the new kids on the block here in Manchester: welcome to Punjabee.
Founded by Sapna Kumar, a familiar face on market stalls across Greater Manchester and across the North West, not to mention the owner of the well-known dessert brandVanilli’s, she’s one of the biggest characters you’ll ever meet.
And, you know what? Sometimes you have to be. This second-generation Indian-Mancunian is a would-be mother to many, as she considers lots of her loyal customers part of her extended family.
And now it’s time to put herself first for once. As she puts it, she’s no longer content just serving up everything for everyone else on a platter for free. Now she’s “ready to spice things up.”
No stranger to a soundbyte or a pithy tagline of her own – after all, she’s been working in this business for well over a decade now – the food speaks for itself, and as well for the vision of this place as she does.
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Quite literally putting the bee in Punjabi (you’ve got to admire pun-game like that), this local-born mum of three and extremely dedicated indie trader is as much tied to her Manc soul as she is to herIndian heritage, and she’s all about bringing a ‘home to the plate’ approach.
Remember that scene in Ratatouille where the food critic eats that simple dish, and it takes him right back to his childhood and that feeling of being back in your kitchen/living room? That’s precisely the feeling she’s going for. In fact, we’d argue she’s already achieving it.
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Many of her relatively small but equally hard-working crew are not only young people looking to get experience, but also existing hospitality staff who were left out of a job due to the ongoing cost of living crisis and obstacles facing the entirefood and drink sector.
But in the matter of just a few weeks, they’ve been trained up to help make authentic butter chicken, daals and pasandas that people take home for a truly hearty tea, samosas, pakoras, bhajis, Punjabi pasties, all of which are gradually drawing in more and more regulars each week, and so much more.
The mixed Indian snack selection alone is great value for money, and their stuffed lunch wrap for just a fiver is one of the best deals you’ll find anywhere in town on your dinner hour.
In fact, all the well-packed portions aren’t just well-presented in pristine air-tight packaging; they’re also super filling and satisfying, from the wide variety of homemade curries to the fruity lassis canned in-house. Everything is made in the prep kitchen around the corner, before being fridged next door.
You can tell how much experience this outfit has when it comes to catering and scaling up operations, as Sapna is also the baker behind Vanilli’s spin-off,Cake Bar Co., which she started during the pandemic on top of her other projects simply out of boredom.
The girl seemingly doesn’t sit still for even a second, at least not when she’s running these entrepreneurial arms, anyway.
Credit: The Manc Group
Her plans for thedeli and currently daytime-only eatery serve as yet more proof; the team are looking to deck out the space even further, with a bigger cabinet of wooden shelves to turn their already charming deli corner into an even fuller shop.
And then there’s a larger room downstairs of what used to be an old hairdresser’s: she’s keeping coy on that front for now, but let’s just say there’s a great bit of space to work with.
One thing we really appreciate is her acknowledging that going out for a meal, a drink, or even just a coffee is more expensive than ever.
With that in mind, she’s taken her mum’s sage advice and is keeping prices as low as possible, with the likes of the cheap bites at noon, chai for just £1 or totally FREE from 11:30am-2:30pm – an offer that is already starting to draw in steady crowds of meeting up even for a chinwag.
The stylish and colourful nook with bench-seating, cushions, coffee tables, decorated shelving and traditional jaali-style windows that simultaneously transports you elsewhere while making you feel like you’ve been invited into her front room for a brew and a bite to eat.
Let’s be honest, there are few better feelings than that kind of welcome.
Speaking to The Manc, she can never resist a good bit of wordplay, telling us: “We’re putting the chai [tea], back in community” – of which, like everything else, is all made completely in-house, by the way.
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Whilst trying to restore that sense of kindness and compassion that she fears might be slowly slipping away, she also says she’s not scared of mixing up the market anymore, both literally and figuratively.
Once a mainstay of the Ancoats Makers’ Market among many others, not to mention the vendor we know to boast two stalls at Stockport’s monthlyFoodie Friday event, she started with a love for baking and made it into a successful passion project.
Now she’s turned making small little pots of curry for her peers on artisan stalls and farmers’ markets into her next venture, and she no longer feels like she’s here to compete: “I am the competition”, she says, “and I’m ready to stir the pot.”
You’d be forgiven for getting slight Heisenberg vibes for a second there, but trust, if you pop intoPunjabee and meet this vibrant, funny and extremely driven woman in person, you’ll see for yourself that she’s all about positivity, moving forward and maximising good vibes.
She’s even looking into karaoke and supper clubs, as well as extending the opening hours on Friday evenings, on top of already being open seven days a week.
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Whether you’re stopping by for a cup of chai or taking out, you won’t be disappointed.
She still remembers playing ‘kerby’ out on the streets of Manchester and people gathering to eat their favourite scran, the sense of occasion people felt when paying a trip to the old Italian-style patisserie that they eventually took over.
Something that really stuck with us was this overarching idea that “through food we come together”, and she’s absolutely right.
We can’t wait to see how this place grows over the next year, and we sincerely recommend you come along to Radium Street and give it a try.
Lastly, we’ll sign off by telling you one final thing: translated into English, Sapna means ‘dream’, and this lady sure is thinking big.
Beloved sitcom Dinnerladies to return after 25 years with new stage show in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
One of the most beloved sitcoms of all time is set to return after 25 years, but this time it’s coming to the stage in Manchester.
More than a quarter of a century after it was first screened on BBC One, a brand-new stage adaptation of Dinnerladies is planned for 2027, and it’ll feature a storyline inspired by the episodes and characters from the iconic original TV sitcom.
Making its premiere at Manchester Opera House in January, the new show is the first piece of the late Victoria Wood’s work to be commissioned by her Estate.
Adapted by Beth and Emma Kilcoyne, and directed by double Olivier-award winner Sean Foley, after debuting here Manchester, the production will then tour major theatres across the UK until August – with star Les Dennis as maintenance man Stan, and further casting to be announced soon.
Originally created, written by, and starring Bury comedy legend Victoria Wood, Dinnerladies ran for two acclaimed series and 16 episodes between 1998 and 2000, winning widespread critical plaudits and a devoted audience thanks to its warmth, wit, and brilliantly observed characters.
Dinnerladies is returning after 25 years with a new stage show in Manchester / Credit: BBC
Set in the canteen of fictional Manchester factory, HWD Components, the show followed the lives, friendships, and workplace dramas of the staff and regulars who gathered there every day.
Now, audiences will be reunited with the dinnerladies once again, as all the much-loved characters that made the show such a huge British comedy classic will feature in the play – including Bren, Tony, Dolly, Anita, Jean, Twinkle, and Philippa.
No matter whether you’re revisiting an old favourite or discovering it for the first time, the new Dinnerladies show is set to serve up a hilarious night out packed with heart, nostalgia, and plenty of surprises.
Dinnerladies will take to the stage at Manchester Opera House on 29 January 2027 and run right through to 6 February 2027 – with tickets going on sale this Friday (3 July).
The Manc -
27th May 2021 
