After six years of pop-ups, supper clubs and feeding the community at home during the pandemic, Stretford Canteen has opened the doors to its first-ever bricks-and-mortar site.
Located on Chester Road in Stretford town centre, the new restaurant marks a huge milestone for owners Josephine Sandwith and Dean Taylor, who have waited a long time to see this particular dream come true.
The duo first set up Stretford Canteen in 2016 and quickly developed a name for themselves, drawing on Jo’s upbringing in beloved 70s, 80s and 90s Manchester restaurant Beaujolais and what she had learnt from her parent’s love of Lyonnaise cuisine.
Image: Streford Canteen
Now they have finally opened their very own family venture, which they will operate alongside their eldest daughter Eve (formerly The Creameries, Trove and Duck Soup).
The new cosy 24-seat bistro has an intimate feel complemented by antique French furniture and an original 1920s Parisian bar station, with a pop of colour provided by sky blue retro bar stools.
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Here diners can expect to see the return of Stretford Canteen’s famous supper clubs – this time in time in their very own restaurant – as well as an all-day menu of classic French and European dishes.
From caramelised onion tarte tatin with parsley dressing, radishes with butter, salt and vinaigrette and onglet steak with lentils and salsa verde, there are some tempting options to choose from.
Image: Streford Canteen
Working with local farmers, growers and producers such as The Crafty Cheeseman, Stretford Canteen’s menu boasts a seasonal selection.
The menu is made up of bar snacks, plates, sides and desserts and is set to change regularly with the seasons.
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Dishes are centred around local produce and sustainable values and, as you might expect, there is also a considered wine list featuring wines from across Europe with a specific focus on France.
Speaking on the new opening, Josephine commented: “Finally opening our own bricks-and-mortar site has been nothing short of wonderful.
“We’re so excited to be starting the next chapter of our journey with the amazing community in the heart of Stretford, and the reaction so far has been uplifting. We can’t wait to share more great food, wine and cocktails in our friendly neighbourhood space.”
Feature image – Stretford Canteen
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High School Musical at Lowry, Salford – a night spent reliving our childhood | Review
Amy Williams
What a night spent reliving our childhood.
Now, I don’t want to exaggerate or seem biased, considering this is one of my favourite film trilogies of all time, but this could be the best stage show I’ve seen in a long while.
We all know how High School Musical goes, right? Set at East High, we follow Troy and Gabriella (the star basketball player, and the geeky new girl) who meet over New Year, and then become ‘star-crossed lovers’ when back at school as they’re part of two different ‘cliques’.
The duo mess with the ‘Status Quo’ when they audition for the school musical. But will they stick to what they know? Or become stars of the stage? I’m sure you know the ending.
High School Musical is currently on stage at Lowry, Salford / Credit: Matt Crockett (Supplied)
From the costumes and the characters, to the memorable songs (there’s actually 52 songs in this production, including a mega mix at the end), they’ve kept right to the script of the films – and that’s exactly what we wanted to see.
Of course, the biggest throwback of them all is Kaycee Stroh – who originally featured as Martha Cox in the film trilogy – taking the role as Ms Darbus, and she was just as incredible as we expected her to be. And to see her do the iconic dance in the finale was unbelievable, 13-year-old Amy was screaming.
Also featuring Jason Donovan as Coach Bolton, Tobias Turley as Troy, Leonor Correia as Gabriella, Caitlin Tipping Sharpay, and Luke Bayer as Ryan, it was a proper impressive cast all round.
It’s a night to properly relive your mid-00s childhood / Credit: Matt Crockett (Supplied)
There was crowd interaction right from the off, as they taught the crowd a cheerleading routine to be included later in the show, plus for the finale, they had the lyrics on the big screen too so everyone could sing-along.
If we could go and see this show every single night, we would – it is absolutely brilliant.
Fontaines D.C. announce massive return to Manchester on new European tour
Daisy Jackson
Fontaines D.C. have just announced their biggest headline tour to date, including a massive arena gig here in Manchester.
The wildly popular Irish rock band are set to play a whopping 20 arena shows across Europe and the UK this autumn.
The tour has been announced in celebration of their upcoming fifth studio album, Dopamine Chamber, which is set for release this October.
Fontaines D.C. will hit the road just five days after the album drops, kicking off their European tour in Lisbon on 21 October.
Then they’ll make their way over to the UK, with shows in Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow, Birmingham and London.
Fans in their home country of Ireland are told to stay tuned for live news very soon.
As we speak, Fontaines D.C. are warming up to play one of the country’s biggest festivals, with headline slots at Reading & Leeds Festival.
They’ve already released Marianne, the first single from their new album, and frontman Grian Chatten says of the album: “The album itself is a dopamine chamber. You step inside and we test these different mind- or mood-altering pieces of music on you.”
The new record has been recorded between London, the English countryside, and Palermo, where Chatten recorded vocals in a makeshift booth built from mattresses and cushions.
He said: “There’s a poignant sense of us being on the brink of some other kind of form of humanity, or non-humanity.”
Tickets will go on general sale at 10am on Thursday 3 September, with pre-sale live from 10am on Tuesday 1 September.
You can access tickets for Fontaines D.C. in Manchester HERE.
Fans who pre-order Dopamine Chamber from the official store by 6pm on Monday 31 August will gain access to the UK pre-sale.
Fontaines D.C. UK tour dates in full
Friday 20 November – Liverpool, UK – M&S Bank Arena
Saturday 21 November – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
Sunday 22 November – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
Tuesday 24 November – Leeds, UK – First Direct Bank Arena
Wednesday 25 November – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Georgina Pellant -
25th July 2022 
