The Manchester decorator turned biscuit maker whose fans include The Hairy Bikers
Mark Bedford counts Si King of The Hairy Bikers, Masterchef finalist Simon Wood and Great British Bake-Off champion Giuseppe Dell’Anno amongst his fans
Nosing around the stalls at Manchester Food and Drink Festival’s artisan market a few weeks back, we met Mark Bedford – a painter and decorator turned baker with a lifelong passion for Italian biscuits.
Not just a dab hand with a paintbrush, after touring Italy’s railways as a child with his train driver dad and family Mark fell in love with the country’s sweet and boozy, sometimes soft, sometimes crunchy treats.
Whilst his parents enjoyed an espresso at different stops along their route, he himself found comfort in sampling different biscuits from each region. So, he told us, began a decades-long obsession.
He later went on to train in art and sculpture in London, and in the years since he’s kept busy recreating those nostalgic childhood morsels: baking up limoncello, amaretto, orange and cherry-infused almond biscuits into the shapes of flowers, stars and homely-looking little dumplings.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
To the great pleasure of those around him, they’ve been readily available at home and often given out as presents to family and friends for years. That is until his wife suggested that he take things one step further and start selling his treats to the public.
ADVERTISEMENT
One market event later, with his insightful wife smiling at his side, he soon realised that he had a hit on his hands. To his surprise, they sold out in under two hours – so Mark went home and spent the rest of the night baking more for the following day.
He named his company Prendi Il Biscotto, which translates, rather amusingly, to “take the biscuit”. An appropriately tongue-in-cheek idiom, considering he hasn’t a hint of Italian heritage in him – as far as he knows, anyway.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ossa dei Morti’, ‘Bones of the Dead’. / Image: Supplied
Cherry cannoli finished with dark chocolate drops. / Image: Supplied
He’s gone on to appear at a number of markets and food festivals, including Bolton’s behemoth event – widely considered the biggest and best in the North West. It was there he met one-half of The Hairy Biker’s, Si King, who he now counts as a fan after he found him polishing off a box of biscuits by the stage.
Needless to say, he was quick to send him home with his own box, which lead Si to post a glowing review online encouraging his followers to try them for themselves.
Alongside Si of The Hairy Biker’s fame, Mark also counts Masterchef winner and fellow Oldham lad Simon Wood and Great British Bake-Off champion Giuseppe Dell’Anno as fans of his biscuits.
As well as baking at home for markets and home delivery, he also stocks a number of venues in and around Greater Manchester including the newly-opened Prestwich Italian Nonna’s, and at other sites in Marsden, Slaithwaite and Royton.
He’s also in talks with a Manchester city centre venue about supplying his biscuits in town soon, too.
All his biscuits are made using authentic ingredients where possible, such as Amalfi limoncello imported from Rome, and are developed from recipes collected from different regions of Italy.
Inspired not just to create an authentic taste but also the entire experience he had when first sampling the biscuits, the business really is a labour of love – and it looks like he’s going places.
A brand-new Oxfam Vintage store is opening in Manchester – with a treasure hunt to celebrate
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new charity shop showcasing curated vintage clothing is opening in the Northern Quarter this month.
The new concept store comes from Oxfam, promising a more ‘design-led’ approach to pre-loved fashion.
Shoppers will be able to browse hand-picked, quality vintage pieces when the new Oxfam Vintage opens at the end of March.
The new Northern Quarter charity shop will transform the existing Oxfam Originals unit on Oldham Street.
It will feature UK-made fixtures, recycled materials, and large-scale installations using archival Oxfam magazine covers and festival artwork.
To celebrate the launch of Oxfam Vintage, they’ll be hosting a city-wide treasure hunt this weekend.
Giant ‘50% off Oxfam Vintage’ shopping tags will be hidden all over town, inside other Oxfam shops.
Anyone who finds one will be able to redeem the discount in-store once it launches on Friday 27 March.
Matt Burgess-Evans, Head of Store Development at Oxfam, said: “Oxfam Vintage represents a step change in how we present vintage fashion within our retail portfolio.
CGI of how Oxfam Vintage will look
“It was important that the design of the space reflected the approach to the product — creating an environment that supports a more curated offer and highlights the quality and longevity of vintage clothing.
“By presenting pieces in a considered way, the concept encourages customers to see vintage not just as thrift, but as fashion with lasting value.”
Oxfam Vintage opens on Friday 27 March, with the city-wide treasure hunt happening on Saturday 20 March.
Oasis are back…in surreal new Britpop comedy ‘The Battle’ at the Opera House Manchester
Clementine Hall
The greatest pop rivalry of all time has been turned into a quick-witted, razor-sharp comedy.
And do you know what? It’s a proper laugh.
Oasis vs Blur, north vs south… it really is a tale as old as time, and one that symbolised a divided nation back in 1995.
This new play, written by past record industry bod John Niven, explores the testosterone-fuelled tantrums that came after the decision to release Blur’s Country House singlealongside Oasis’ Roll With It.
Image: Supplied (Helen Murray)
We’re plunged into backstage Britpop bickering right at the very start at none other than the Brit Awards, which is quite apt for a Manchester audience who have just witnessed the city hosting the awards for the first time.
From the offset, Paddy Stafford and George Usher who played Noel and Liam Gallagher, proved themselves as standout performances.
The physical mannerisms, the vocal nuances, they both had it down to an absolute T and looked exceptional in parkas, might I add.
Images: Supplied (Helen Murray)
By portraying such icons, in Manchester no less, you’re opening yourself up to a lot of criticism but their performances, which could’ve been perceived as awkward impressions, were the highlight of the evening.
The first act explores the rivalry between the two bands in depth, featuring countless slinging matches that are peppered with quick-witted remarks and plenty of swearing.
The between-scenes animations by John O’Connor portray radio DJs stoking the hysteria with the latest gossip, which is a nice way to keep the audience in check with whats going on amidst the chaos.
Image: Supplied (Helen Murray)
But it’s in the second act when things start to get really, really weird – and equally as fun.
I’m not going to spoil it for you, because that’s the whole point.
But what I will say is if you’re going for an Oasis singalong then you’re not going to get it, but you may want to brush up on your Take That lyrics.
The Battle is on at the Opera House Manchester until Saturday 21 March and you can get your tickets here.
Georgina Pellant -
24th October 2022 
