Manchester

The Michelin-trained chef running Manchester’s one-man pizza pop-up

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 30th June 2022

Track brewery’s taproom has just welcomed the return of Rise pizza pop-up – a one-man flatbread operation that’s got us all excited again about (probably) one of the most over-saturated areas of the takeaway market.

Sam Astley-Dean is a Michelin-trained chef. He’s worked at top London restaurants Chez Bruce and Elystan Street and 5-star luxury hotels Claridge’s and The Chester Grosvenor, and now he’s here to cure our pizza fatigue.

Image: The Manc Eats

After years spent cooking in high-end kitchens, he’s switched his chef whites for jeans and a tshirt as he applies his skills to his new project, Rise – the one-man pizza pop-up that’s been quietly blowing the minds of beer lovers at taprooms and pubs across Greater Manchester.

Founded on the principles of natural, organic and ethical produce, Rise has only been going for a year – but Sam’s already making his mark on local foodies with various pop-ups in Salford Quays, Stockport, Levenshulme and more.

This month, he’s back at Track every Friday and Saturday between the hours of 3-9pm (or from 12pm on Saturdays) slinging out a choice of six different sourdough pizzas – or Pi’s, as he likes to call them.

Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats

Read more: A new monthly travelling food festival is coming to Greater Manchester

Choices include the Cacio e Pepe, taking the classic cheese and pepper pasta dish and popping it on a pi with an added dash of fresh lemon, and the bright green OGB (Organic Garlic Butter) topped with slow-roasted garlic, parsley, lemon, mozzarella, parmesan and lemon.

Elsewhere, you’ll find The Rebel, combining organic tomatoes with pepperoni, fior di latte and parmesan, and the Do Ya?, a simple and delicious combination of just four ingredients – tomatoes, spicy Calabrian sausage paste, mascarpone and parmesan.

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Sam also does a classic margarita, which is made with burrata, and a vegan version with organic tomato, plant-based mozzarisella and prosociano.

Feature image – The Manc Group

Manchester

Full list of road closures set to be in place as Manchester Day 2025 takes over the city

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Manchester Day is back for 2025 this weekend, and the full list of road closures set to be in place has been confirmed.

Now that schools are officially out across Greater Manchester, and the summer holidays are well and truly here, the hugely-popular Manchester Day is making a return once again this Saturday 26 July, and as always, it’s set to be ‘the day summer officially starts’ in the city centre – with a massive celebration of ‘all things Mancunian’ on the cards.

The theme of this year’s annual event is music, and it’s inspired by Manchester’s spectacular summer of sound, spearheaded by Oasis Live ’25 that recently concluded at Heaton Park.

The day will be packed full of free events and activities to get involved with.

Manchester Day is back with a ‘mammoth day’ of music-themed free fun / Credit: Manchester City Council

As always, activities will be taking place right across the city centre – from St Ann’s Square to Cathedral Gardens, and everywhere in between.

Organisers say there will be plenty of chances throughout the day for visitors, both young and old, to get stuck in, try their hand at making music and maybe even uncover a hidden musical talent they didn’t know they had.

But of course, in order for the all the fun to go ahead as safely as possible, and as tends to be the case for events like these, Manchester City Council says it will need to make some temporary road closures to facilitate it.

The full list of road closures has now been confirmed by the Council, and there’s some major city centre thoroughfares set to be out of action.

Here’s everything you need to know.

A number of road closures and parking suspensions will be in place / Credit: Manchester City Council

Manchester Day 2025 – Road Closures

Saturday 26 July 

From 6am to 10​pm, Manchester City Council has confirmed that the following roads will be closed:

  • Deansgate (Victoria Street to John Dalton Street)
  • St Ann Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
  • Cross Street (Corporation Street to New Market Street)
  • St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
  • Market Street (Cross Street to Exchange Street)
  • Exchange Street (St Mary’s Gate to St Ann’s Square)
  • Cateaton Street (Deansgate to Exchange Square)
  • Victoria Street (Deansgate to Cathedral Approach)
  • Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street)
  • Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square)

From 10am to 2pm:

  • Deansgate (John Dalton Street to St John Street)
  • Peter Street (St James Street to Deansgate)
  • Mount Street (Windmill Street to Albert Square)
  • Central Street (Southmill Street to Mount Street)
Manchester Day is back with a ‘mammoth day’ of music-themed FREE fun

All accessible bays, bus lanes, and taxi ranks within the closed areas will also be suspended during from 9pm on Friday 25 July to 9pm on Saturday 26 July.

The parking suspensions set to be in place are:

  • Deansgate (Victoria Street to St John Street) 
  • Peter Street (St James Street to Deansgate) 
  • Mount Street (Windmill Street to Albert Square)
  • Central Street (Southmill Street to Mount Street) 
  • Southmill Street (Windmill Street to Jackson’s Row)
  • Museum Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
  • George Street (Princess Street to Dickinson Street)
  • Victoria Street (Deansgate to Cathedral Approach)
  • St Ann Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
  • Cross Street (Corporation Street to New Market Street)
  • Cateaton Street (Deansgate to Exchange Square)
  • Market Street (Cross Street to St Mary’s Gate)
  • St Mary’s Gate (Market Street to Deansgate)
  • John Dalton Street (Cross Street to Deansgate)
  • King Street (Cross Street to Spring Gardens)
  • St James’s Square (King Street to South King Street)
  • St Mary’s Street (Southgate to Deansgate)
  • Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square)
  • Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street)
  • Southgate (King Street West to St Mary’s Street)

On the day, full traffic diversion signage will be in place across all areas affected by road closures, and the Council says it will do its best to ‘minimise’ their duration.

Manchester Day 2025 is taking over the city centre on Saturday 26 July, and will be kicking off at midday right through to 5pm.

Read more:

Check out everything you need to know ahead of the event here.

Featured Image – Manchester City Council

Manchester

Inside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson A hot choc shake from Hotel Chocolat

Hotel Chocolat has today opened the doors to its first Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester, serving up shakes, hot chocolates, sundaes, and loads more.

Part cafe, part retail space, inside you’ll find everything from molten chocolate fountains to a full range of chocolate boxes, bars and hot chocolate powders.

The popular chocolatier has stores up and down the UK selling its ethically-sourced sweet treats, hitting a new level of fame with its Velvetiser, an invention that creates velvety smooth hot drinks at the touch of a button.

They’ve been so popular, Hotel Chocolat is now opening Velvetiser Cafes across the UK – and Manchester is next.

There are exclusive-to-Manchester-sundaes in store, each one inspired by their most popular chocolates, like a Billionaire’s Shortbread and an Eton Mess.

You can also grab yourself a hot choc shake, with loads of flavours, milks and toppings to choose from.

Hotel Chocolat's new Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Hotel Chocolat’s new Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
The chocolate boxes at Hotel Chocolat
The chocolate boxes at Hotel Chocolat
Inside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Inside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Mix-and-match hot chocolate selection boxes
Mix-and-match hot chocolate selection boxes
Inside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Inside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Exclusive-to-Manchester ice cream sundaes
Exclusive-to-Manchester ice cream sundaes
Croissant with a molten chocolate pot
Croissant with a molten chocolate pot
Inside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Inside the Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Inside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Inside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester

The Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe also has pastries, which you can order with a side of melted chocolate for dipping and drizzling.

As part of the experience inside, there’s a wall of hot chocolate sachets, which you can mix and match to build your own selection box.

And all along the way there’ll be samples, and loads to learn about the chocolate industry.

The Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe has officially opened its doors today on Cross Street in Manchester city centre, just next to the new Joe & The Juice.

Read more

Featured image: The Manc Group

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