Greater Manchester’s original Detroit pizza spot, Corner Slice, is opening a second site in the centre of Manchester.
The popular Failsworth pizzeria, which was the first to bring its Motor city-inspired rectangular pizzas to Manchester after a ‘light bulb’ moment during lockdown, has now confirmed plans to open a second site in the heart of the city this February.
Image: Corner Slice MCR
Serving deep pan pizza with traditional Italian toppings and a curly cheese crust, the new site will open first as a dark kitchen – giving city dwellers a chance to try East Manchester’s original Detroit-inspired pizza slices at home for the very first time.
And if it all goes well, owners Frank Brashaw and Danny Broadbent say they also plan to open a permanent shop in the city too.
The pair told The Manc, “We’re opening a dark kitchen to expand our delivery radius in February, and if it goes as well as we hope we will be looking for a permanent shop in the centre”.
ADVERTISEMENT
Image: Corner Slice MCRImage: Corner Slice MCR
Corner Slice is known for its saucy, fluffy deep-pan squares, which come topped with the likes of Italian sausage, smoked garlic chicken, pepperoni, nduja, ‘hot honey’, banana peppers and a signature house cheese blend.
Traditionally topped with tomato sauce and Wisconsin brick cheese that goes all the way to the edges, the base of the Detroit-inspired pies is fluffy and similar in texture to focaccia.
ADVERTISEMENT
The pizzeria also has some great veggie and vegan options, as well as making all of its pies available with vegan cheese, ‘crispy walls and all’.
Think square pies loaded with the likes of Korean Cauli, Portocini (a mix of portobello and porcini), a simple ‘Red Top’ with just cheese and red sauce, or regularly changing specials.
This months? A vegan special loaded with vegan sausage, piquillo peppers, pickled raisins and harrissa roasted broccolli.
ADVERTISEMENT
Even better, if you can’t decide you can opt for a ‘half and half’ pie – combining two choices in one.
Image: Corner Slice MCR
Elsewhere on the menu, you’ll find complementary sides like fried chicken and waffle fries alongside homemade sauces including chilli’d honey, garlic and herb and BBQ ranch.
Corner Slice also offers a small but carefully curated selection of beers, wines and soft drinks to enjoy with its food.
Despite being right out on the edge of town. the tiny Failsworth pizza shop has made quite a considerable name for itself.
Its owners shared the news about the move in a social media post asking for new talented pizza chefs to join their team of self-described Detroit pizza peddlers.
ADVERTISEMENT
Image: Corner Slice MCR
The job advert read:
“BIG CITY LIFE.
“We’ve heard your cries and are expanding our radius to town and beyond, by opening a second kitchen in the city centre.
“We’re looking for a few keen pizza peddlers to join us in slinging out Detroit pies to the good people of Manchester.”
The news has created considerable excitement amongst its fans, who were quick to share their enthusiasm for its arrival in Manchester city centre.
ADVERTISEMENT
One wrote, “OMG!! 2022 is my year!!!!!!!!”
Another added, “This is sick -bout time.”
A third said, “Best news ever !!! Best pizza” whilst another follower agreed, saying “Totally agree!! Absolutely great news!! We love your pizza in the city centre!!”
The official opening date for the new kitchen is yet to be confirmed. To keep up to date with developments, make sure to follow Corner Slice on Instagram here.
If you’re interested in working for Corner Slice, you can send your CV to the team at [email protected].
Rio Ferdinand is stepping away from TNT Sports after more than a decade
Danny Jones
Manchester United legend and ex-England international Rio Ferdinand has announced he will be stepping away from TNT Sports, leaving more than a decade with the broadcaster.
Ferdinand has spent the best part of the last 10 years serving as a leading pundit and analyst, as well as hosting his own ‘Rio Meets’ online series – the interview format of which has been replicated on his YouTube channel.
However, after having been one of their main anchors both under the BT Sport and even more so since the inception of the rebranded TNT Sports Football umbrella, the 46-year-old has confirmed he has now quit their regular coverage following the Champions League final this weekend.
In a lengthy statement on social media, the ex-Man United defender, who also played for Leeds, West Ham, Bournemouth and QPR, described it as a “difficult decision.”
Taking time to thank the network for their “tremendous support” over the years, especially those “behind the scenes, whose work often goes unseen but has been essential to our success.”
The talented centre-back retired in May 2015 after more than 500 appearances and 81 national team caps, making an almost immediate switch into punditry and remaining a household name.
Rio has also remained a popular figure at Old Trafford and, indeed, across various parts of Manchester since leaving United in 2014.
For instance, his self-titled Foundation has carried out some truly transformational local outreach across various boroughs, as it has back in his home city of London.
Responding to the news, TNT Sports said nothing more than “Thanks for everything, Rio”; meanwhile, fellow former Red, Danny Simpson (who retired last year and also works as a pundit/presenter for MUTV) added: “You’re going to be missed, bro. Every time you’re on, you give us all the mad insight.”
However, he has promised he will remain in the media industry, continuing to work under the Rio Ferdinand Presents digital brand and pursuing “other business interests”.
With his ‘Rio Reacts’ and ‘Vibe with FIVE’ series regularly raking in millions of views, he might not be on the box during European nights but you’ll still be seeing plenty of him.
Rare bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in more than 30 years
Emily Sergeant
It’s time to say a big hello, as rare bat-eared foxes have now arrived at Chester Zoo.
The two sisters, named Maasai and Malindi, have been welcomed by conservationists after travelling more than 500 miles from a zoo in Paris, and they are the first mammals of their kind to come to Chester Zoo in more than 30 years.
First images show the pair exploring their home in the zoo’s new Heart of Africa habitat – which officially opened to the public back in March, and is the largest zoo development ever undertaken in the UK, spanning more than 22.5 acres in size.
The adorable – but rather unique-looking – bat-eared fox is named after its distinctive oversized ears and is native to the open savannahs and arid grasslands of eastern and southern Africa.
They live for around 13 years on average, and their characteristically large ears help regulate their body temperature and enhance their incredible hearing, allowing them to prey like detect insects moving underground.
The species faces increasing threats in the wild, largely due to the loss of their habitat caused by agriculture, human encroachment, and hunting.
This is why Chester Zoo has long been at the forefront of protecting African wildlife.
Its teams’ have been supporting everything from the safe translocation of northern giraffes to protected national parks in Uganda, to developing cutting-edge AI trail cameras to protect giant pangolins from illegal trafficking in recent years.
Bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in 30 years / Credit: Chester Zoo
“It’s incredibly exciting to welcome bat-eared foxes back to Chester Zoo after a 30-year hiatus,” commented David White, who is the Twilight Team Manager at Chester Zoo.
“Both Maasai and Malindi are settling in well so far, spending much of their time exploring their expansive home and getting to know their new housemates – a family of twelve Cape porcupines. These two species would often come across one another in the wild, so we’ve recreated this right here at Chester.
“In time, we hope to introduce one of the two sisters to a male fox, with the hope that we can contribute to the European conservation breeding programme, helping to ensure there’s a healthy, genetically diverse back-up population in human care.
Georgina Pellant -
10th January 2022 
