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.
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.
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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).
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.
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
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Three men jailed after armed robbery in Trafford left teenage boy with ‘serious injuries’
Emily Sergeant
Three men have been jailed after an armed robbery and stabbing left in Trafford left a teenage boy with ‘serious injuries’.
The incident in question occurred shortly after 3am on Sunday 27 November 2022, when a 15-year-old boy – the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons – was at a cash machine on Upper Chorlton Road, in Trafford, and he noticed a black BMW drive past him, before making a U-turn and pulling up on the other side of the road.
As the boy set off on his scooter, the vehicle sped past him and cut him off.
Before he knew it, three men jumped out of the car and then proceeded to rob him at knifepoint – during which the boy was stabbed twice, and £120 was taken from him, before the offenders made off.
The 15-year-old was rushed to hospital, where he was required to undergo emergency surgery before being stabilised.
Police described the incident as an ‘unprovoked attack on a young boy’.
Following a thorough Greater Manchester Police (GMP) investigation, led by DC Marie-Louise Knight of Trafford CID, the offenders were identified as Callum Henson and Harry Jackson, both from Manchester, and Bailey Mann from Northampton.
Henson was sentenced to five years and six months for robbery and Section 20 assault, and Jackson was sentenced to four years and 10 months for Section 18 assault, while Mann was sentenced to three years in a young offenders institute for robbery, due to being under 18 years of age.
Speaking following the sentencing of the three men, DC Knight said: “I am grateful that [Henson, Jackson, and Mann] have now faced justice for their actions, not only for ourselves from an investigation side, but also for the victim and his family who were left shaken following this incident.
“These sentencings show that we will not tolerate this type of violent crime.
“Knife crime has no place on our streets, and we will do all that we can to make sure offenders are punished, and our communities are safe.”
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Bolton man, 22, jailed after his ‘dangerous driving’ kills motorbike rider just days before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
A man from Bolton has been sentenced to more than a decade in jail after causing death by dangerous driving.
Cormac Sale, 22-years-old of Ina Avenue in Bolton, has been sentenced at Bolton Crown Court after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving following a collision between a car and motorbike in Horwich, which saw another young man lose his life just days before Christmas (Saturday 14 December 2024).
At around 9:40pm that evening, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called out to an incident on Chorley Old Road in Bolton.
When they arrived, they found that a Skoda Fabia – belonging to Sale – had collided with a motorbike. Spencer Rothwell-Poole, also 22 and from Horwich, was riding the motorbike at the time and sadly died at the scene.
Following Sale’s arrest at the scene, further testing was conducted and he was found to be almost 10 times over the legal limit for ketamine whilst driving when the incident occurred.
Investigations by GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit led to ‘significant evidence’ being obtained of Sale ‘driving erratically’ throughout the evening, as spotted by multiple other drivers and CCTV footage, and he was also driving on the opposite side of the road when the collision took place.
Sale has been sentenced to 10 years and eight months in prison, as well as being banned from driving for 12 years.
“This sentencing reflects the devastating consequences of choosing to drive recklessly and whilst under the influence,” commented Detective Constable James Maskrey, who is GMP’s Roads Police Lead Investigator.
“Nothing can undo the loss suffered by Spencer’s family, but it is our hope that this outcome offers some measure of justice.
“When someone gets behind the wheel under the influence of ketamine, they have no control of their own judgement or body, and even a moment where drivers are dissociated or unaware on the road can be fatal.
“This case is a stark reminder that dangerous driving destroys lives, and I want to reassure the public that our officers remain absolutely committed to tackling dangerous driving and removing those who pose a risk to our roads.”
Georgina Pellant -
5th May 2022 
