News

A new restaurant selling all things Mac and Cheese has opened in Manchester

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 19th April 2022

A new restaurant selling all things macaroni and cheese has opened in Manchester and we can’t stop drooling over the menu.

Describing themselves as ‘comfort food dealers’, new gourmet kitchen Mac & Co specialise in all things macaroni and cheese with a host of different flavours and toppings to choose from.

Selling nine different styles of the oozy, gooey nostalgia classic, you’ll find them right in the heart of Manchester city centre with a store based inside the Arndale shopping centre.

Mac choices include a hot and creamy buffalo blue cheese mac made with Frank’s hot sauce and a BBQ pulled pork mac with lashings of smoky sauce.

Image: Mac & Co

Further meaty choices include macs loaded with chicken and chorizo, crispy bacon or crispy chilli chicken tenders respectively, all served with an addictive, crunchy house-made crispy onion topping designed to be sprinkled on top for added texture and general moreishness.

ADVERTISEMENT

Read more: Manchester’s favourite slab shack is opening a new restaurant

Elsewhere, you’ll find veggie-friendly options stuffed with red or green pesto and buffalo mozzarella (an absolute must for creating that stringy cheese pull), roasted mushroom and truffle oil mac, and a signature three-cheese house mac topped with shavings of nutty Grana Padano and fresh parsley.

ADVERTISEMENT
Image: Mac & Co

All pasta dishes here are made with a secret béchamel sauce using a closely-guarded three-cheese recipe that the chefs are keep very close to their chest.

Inspired by the owners travels to New York City, the restaurant has just opened in Manchester and is available to enjoy sitting in or as a takeaway order via Deliveroo.

It has multiple sites in London in locations including Fulham, Wimbledon, Tower Bridge, Lavender Hill, Chelsea, Angel and Islington, and now it’s branching out into the north – opening its first site outside of the capital right here in Manchester.

ADVERTISEMENT
Image: Mac & Co

Read more: All the new Greater Manchester restaurants added to Deliveroo this April 2022

Alongside its popular mac and cheese dishes, you can also order sides like fries, a simple salad or chicken tenders, alongside a range of soft drinks.

To see the full menu, you can. visit Mac & Co’s Deliveroo order page here.

Feature image – Mac & Co

News

Co-op Live boss resigns just days before venue’s official opening

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Gary is outta here.

The boss of Co-op Live, Manchester’s enormous, ground-breaking new arena, has resigned from his position just days before the venue is set to open.

The enormous music-first arena has been taking shape beside the Etihad Stadium for several years, and was due to welcome its first official audiences this week, but has been hit with last-minute challenges.

And now Co-op Live‘s boss Gary Roden has quit the mammoth project, with the news of his resignation announced late Thursday evening.

Oak View Group, which Co-op Live is part of, said in a statement that they would like to ‘thank Gary for his help bringing the UK’s newest arena to live entertainment fans’.

Stepping into his shoes as interim general manager will be Rebecca Kane Burton, who previously ran the U.K.’s highest-grossing venue, London’s The O2 arena.

Gary has previously come under fire for saying that some grassroots music venues ‘poorly run’ – a statement that OVG has now distanced itself from.

A separate statement said that ‘neither Co-op Live nor Oak View Group share the sentiment expressed by former Co-op Live General Manager Gary Roden regarding the grassroots industry’.

It continued: “As OVG Chairman and CEO Tim Leiweke has repeatedly stated, Co-op Live remains committed to grassroots music in Manchester and beyond, including teaming up with Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham on the Artist of the Month campaign, and as a founding partner of Beyond The Music.

“Co-op Live also donates over £1m a year to the Co-op Foundation to support communities and empower young people to take social action through its new Young Gamechangers fund.

“Oak View Group and Co-op Live remain happy to meet with grassroots organisations once the venue is fully operational.”

Co-op Live boss Gary Roden speaking at the launch of Co-op Live just days before he resigned. Credit: The Manc Group
Co-op Live boss Gary Roden speaking at the launch of Co-op Live just days before he resigned. Credit: The Manc Group
Inside Co-op Live in Manchester
Inside Co-op Live in Manchester

The news of the venue’s boss stepping down comes at a time when all eyes are on Co-op Live, the opening of which has been delayed.

The Co-op Live’s opening event – two nights with Bolton comic legend Peter Kay – was pushed back due to ‘power supply issues’.

The venue did host a test event with Rick Astley last weekend, but even that faced difficulties, with thousands of tickets cancelled to reduce capacity just hours before showtime.

It’s now set to officially open this Saturday 27 April with a performance by rock group The Black Keys.

The full statement from OVG about Gary’s resignation said: “Gary Roden has decided to resign. We’d like to thank Gary for his help bringing the UK’s newest arena to live entertainment fans and wish him the best for the future.

“Rebecca Kane Burton has been named Interim GM, effective today. Rebecca is a seasoned veteran of venue management and live entertainment in the UK having served as VP/GM of The O2 from 2012-2016 and CEO of LW Theatres from 2016-2021.

“We are focused on opening Co-op Live.”

Read more

Featured image: The Manc Group

News

Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A warning has been issued to tailgaters and motorway middle lane hoggers urging them to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style.

Do you find yourself guilty of two of the biggest driving sins from time to time?

Well, according to the latest figures released by National Highways, one in three motorists have admitted to middle lane hogging in their lives, while one in four have committed acts of tailgating on some of the UK’s fastest roads.

These shocking survey findings – which were released back in early March as the Government-owned road management company launched a new campaign – showed that lane hogging was among the behaviours that are most likely to cause motorists and passengers to feel ‘frustrated’, and tailgating was most likely to cause feelings of unease, stress, and anxiety.

Nearly a third (32%) of drivers admitted to lane hogging ‘at least occasionally’ while driving on England’s motorways and major A roads, according to the survey – which polled 2,500 adults between the ages of 16-75.

On top of this, almost seven in ten adults in England (67%) said close following or tailgating is a ‘serious problem’ on these types of roads, but nearly a quarter (23%) admitted to doing it from time to time.

Tut-tut.

Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers have been warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style (Credit: IPTC/Ronald Hudson)

It’s these very statistics which have led National Highways to issue an urgent warning that calls on these motorists to “carefully consider” their driving habits, as “little changes can change everything”.

Lane hogging and tailgating both fall under the offence of ‘careless driving’ in England, with the country’s police forces having the power to hand out on-the-spot fines of £100 and three penalty points to those who commit such offences.

“Middle lane hogging and tailgating are far more than mere annoyances for drivers,” warned RAC road safety spokesperson, Rod Dennis, adding that these actions “put everyone on the roads at risk.”

He continued in his reaction to the release of the latest National Highways figures: “Closely following another motorist could easily result in a serious collision should the driver ahead need to brake sharply for any reason, so the fact nearly one in four drivers admitted to doing so on some of England’s fastest and busiest roads is frightening”.

Mr Dennis said he understands that offenders “might find these habits hard to kick”, but that’s why the urgent calls for motorists to make changes are “so important”.

“By understanding that how we choose to drive affects others, we can each make a real difference to the safety of our roads,” he concluded.

Read more:

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

Featured Images – AA

More News

Co-op Live Manchester guide important info

Audio

A guide to the brand-new Co-op Live Arena: drinks prices, how to get there, capacity and more

Bolton

Paddy McGuinness admits he thinks Bolton is ‘still in Lancashire’ not Greater Manchester

BBC Radio 2 presenter Zoe Ball with her beloved mum Julia Peckham. Credit: Instagram @thezoeball

News

Zoe Ball announces death of her ‘dear mama’ just weeks after cancer diagnosis

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches