News

Escape to Freight Island’s huge Kantina food and drink festival returns next month

Top chef collaborations, special supper clubs and a bar takeover from Soho House await...

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 5th May 2022

A huge food and drink festival is returning to Escape to Freight Island next month, as the massive food hall brings back its Katina celebrations for 2022.

Bringing together esteemed guest chefs from across the country, special supper clubs, and an exclusive Soho House cocktail bar, Katina will give foodies from Manchester a chance to immerse themselves in the country’s wider scene.

Taking place across the second weekend in June, Kantina will bring guest chefs, restaurants, and bars together from London, Sheffield, Manchester, and Birmingham to pair up with Escape to Freight Island’s existing traders for a host of special collaborations.

Image: Escape to Freight Island

Luke French, head chef and owner at the acclaimed 3 AA Rosettes and Michelin Guide 2021 recommended JÖRO in Sheffield, will host a very special and limited supper club over the weekend – combining local produce with Asian influences and pushing culinary boundaries.

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Representing Manchester, Pippa Middlehurst (aka Pippy Eats of South East Asian noodle and dumpling fame) will return for a second collaboration with family-run Vietnamese restaurant Mi & Pho, whilst Mary-Ellen McTague (Eatwell MCR, The Creameries in Chorlton) teams up with Sheffield’s Bench founders, Ronnie Aronica and Jack Wakelin.

Over at Birmingham chef Brad Carter’s One Star Döner Bar, the Michelin-starred chef will partner with the equally talented Cornerstone founder Tom Brown and renowned indie food consultant, Lap-fai Lee.

Image: Escape to Freight Island

Budgie Montoya of Sarap in London will bring his Filipino flair as he partners up with Lucky Foot, ETFI’s brand-new deep-fried and charcoal-grilled chicken trader, whilst elsewhere an event called ‘Sous Do Ray’s’ will see sous chefs from some of the most celebrated restaurants in the country deliver their own take on Voodoo Ray’s pizzas.

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Madre’s upscaled tacos will partner with AngloThai’s co founder and head chef John Chantarasak, whilst Carnival, the new grill concept to overtake Baratxuri, will be headed up by award-winning chef, butcher, restauranteur and food critic Richard Turner (ex-Hawksmoor).

Read more: Bundobust launches limited edition specials menu with Liverpool favourite Maray

And for sweet tooths, a selection from Happy Endings, famous for their ice cream sandwiches, will be available alongside offerings from Gooey and Batard.

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Elsewhere, there’ll be free-flowing beer from the Pomona Island taproom and fermented delights from a special natural wine bar hosted by Bench director Jack Wakelin.

In true Escape to Freight Island style, the venue will also host a vibrant roster of accompanying entertainment, from live performances to DJs and more throughout the weekend.

Image: Kantina

How to get tickets

Read more: National oil shortage forces Manchester restaurant to axe over HALF of its menu

Taking place from 10 to 12 June, Kantina 2022 is free entry.

For one weekend only, guests at Escape to Freight Island will get to have one-off and unique dishes from these amazing chefs’ collaborations.  www.kantinaweekender.com.

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Kantina will be hosted at Escape to Freight Island on Friday 10 June (from 4pm until 1am), Saturday 11 June (from 12pm until 1am) and Sunday 12 June (from 12pm until 9pm).

Free table reservation and more information is available on the Katina website here: 

Feature image – Escape To Freight Island

News

Army ‘on standby’ as UK prepares for more postal, rail, lecturer and nurses strikes in December

Danny Jones Danny Jones December strikes army to help NHS industrial action

The armed forces are said to be “on standby” to help fill various roles ahead of a new raft of strikes across health, education and postal sectors this month.

Royal Mail workers, university lecturers and sixth-form college staff are committed to walking out over pay disputes on Wednesday, 30 November as various organised strikes persist across the country.

Countless employees from various industries who feel they are underappreciated and underpaid are set to join the ongoing rail strikes, as well as the thousands of nurses expected to follow suit on the picket line throughout December.

Now, as per the interim chief executive of NHS Providers Saffron Cordery, given the strikes’ proximity to Christmas, roping in the British military now seems likely. Dr Emma Runswick of the British Medical Association said there is there a simple way to put an end to mass industrial action: pay people fairly.

Speaking to Sky News on Thursday morning, Cordery confirmed that while the army is waiting in the wings to help fill relevant NHS roles, “the reality is if the army or other armed forces step in it will very much be at the margins rather than going out and driving ambulances”.

It remains unclear whether army personnel will be needed to combat the impending labour shortage across other industries. Regardless, the Communication Workers Union are going ahead will a series of strikes in December.

Having formally called on Royal Mail employees to join the national demonstrations for strike action on the following days:

  • Friday, 9 December
  • Sunday, 11 December
  • Wednesday, 14 December
  • Thursday, 15 December
  • Friday, 23 December
  • Saturday, 24 December

As for rail workers, RMT Assistant General Secretary Eddie Dempsey shared a similar sentiment, assuring that while the train drivers and the transport sector, in general, are standing firm, negotiations with Network Rail and other operators continue this week.

In addition to RMT members across 14 rail companies striking on 13-14 and 16-17 December, as well as 3-4 and 6-7 January, the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) said that staff working onboard and station roles will take action against Avanti West Coast on 13, 14, 16 and 17 December.

On top of the cost of living and energy crises, Christmas 2022 looks set to be a difficult one.

Read more:

Meanwhile, the National Education Union (NEU) which represents 77 sixth-form colleges in England are also striking over pay, stating that in real terms, teachers have suffered a pay cut of around 20% since 2010.

Furthermore, the University and College Union (UCU) already held a 48-hour strike last week and is now set to hold another 24-hour walkout among university staff. As well as organising a large rally in London, union members across at least 150 different institutions will be joining the December strikes.

It’s going to be an interesting end to the year and it remains to be seen what, if any measures the government will take to curb what has been described as the greatest period of industrial action since the 1980s.

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

Featured Image — Communication Workers Union/Royal College of Nursing/Wikimedia Commons

News

Look around brand new Coronation Street set as ITV unveils Weatherfield Precinct

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

The Coronation Street set has had a massive expansion, with a new Weatherfield Precinct unveiled today.

The location has often been name-checked in the popular soap, but for the first time, cast members will be able to film scenes there.

The set won’t hit our screens until 13 January – but The Manc headed down for a little sneak peek.

The two-storey Weatherfield Precinct set is built around a children’s play park, with a row of shops carefully constructed by the Coronation Street set designers.

There’s everything from a charity shop to a Chinese takeaway to a dessert bar.

Above the shops sits a row of maisonettes with a balcony running in front.

Credit: The Manc Group

There’s incredible attention to detail throughout, from the litter on the floor (which includes a packet of a fictitious crisp brand) to the fake sausage rolls in the bakery windows to the washing lines nailed to the walls.

Everything has been deliberately weathered and aged, so it looks like it’s been there for decades rather than carefully built in 2022.

The new Weatherfield Precinct set was unveiled today by members of the cast including Jack P Shepherd, Sally Dynevor, Antony Cotton, Jimmi Harkishin, Daniel Brocklebank, Channique Sterling-Brown, Elle Mulvaney, Tanisha Gorey, James Craven and Colson Smith.

Weatherfield Precinct being unveiled by Coronation Street cast
Coronation Street cast opening Weatherfield Precinct. Credit: ITV Plc

It’s been added as an extension to the existing iconic set, which spans 7.7 acres near MediaCityUK.

Producer Iain MacLeod said: “Hats off to our design and construction teams who have conjured a totally convincing new precinct for our drama! They took their inspiration from Salford’s many real-world, late 20th century shopping areas and what they have created is a brilliant, characterful space to tell a diverse range of stories.

“Expect to see teens hanging out at the dessert shop, families enjoying the play area and, after dark, a rogues’ gallery, up to shady business in the ginnels. I am really excited by the arrival on screen of this much
discussed but never seen corner of the Weatherfield universe.”

Head of design Rosie Mullins explained the process: “Back in 2013 Coronation Street moved into its new home at Media City. With this move came exciting potential to continue to develop and expand our Weatherfield Community onsite.

“The first expansion came in the form of Victoria Street and Weatherfield Police Station builds back in 2018.

“In February 2021 I set about the first pencil drawings for a very exciting new exterior build – Weatherfield Precinct. We have often heard about this precinct and although we have filmed over the years at a range of shopping locations, we had never established our own Weatherfield Precinct.

“It had always intrigued me – what would it look like and who would we find there? The opportunity to bring to life a colourful and grittier area of Weatherfield was so exciting!

“Weatherfield Precinct was inspired by the 1960s shopping precincts that we see across many areas of the UK. In designing this the team gathered hundreds of images with a particular focus given to those in our local Manchester and Salford area. I wanted there to be aspects of the Precinct that people from all walks of life identify with and recognise. I wanted it to reflect how communities develop but aspects of them can also feel like stepping back in time.

“In this Precinct we find an array of businesses, a playground, residential flats, a small ginnel, Weatherfield community hub and a very colourful community recycling centre.

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“Working with Iain on what the writing team needs from the Precinct has meant that we have managed to pack so much into this new set! I cannot wait to see the arrival onscreen of Sweety Nuff dessert & milkshake shop, Gregory Pope Foundation Charity Shop, Rutlands bakery, Pound Outlet and Bargainanza Pawnbrokers.

“The most incredible part of this has been watching this build rise from a small car park with a mass of ugly steel, concrete and timber to the beautifully constructed, characterful 1960s 2 storey precinct that we see today.

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“This build has been one of the most enjoyable builds that we have undertaken and showcases the many behind the scenes talents that the programme has to offer. I am incredibly proud of the detail, the quality of the build and for what it offers for future storytelling for the show. I am also so very proud of how it was brought to life by our in-house talented Design Team.”

Featured image: The Manc Grop

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