Indie bakehouse Batard is opening a new cafe inside SEESAW on Princess Street, giving fans of their artisanal bakes something new to look forward to.
A project born out of lockdown after Batard co-founder Lewis Loughman left his head baker position at doughnut and cookie brand Gooey, the newcomer bakery has made some serious waves this year.
First opening as a pop-up at Withington Public Hall Institute before transitioning into a wholesale business, Lewis and co-owner Dorothy Jaffa have spent the past few months supplying the likes of Osma Kitchen Bar, Edinburgh Castle, Foundation Coffee House, Takk, and Bernie’s Grocery Store with their ‘proper good’ bread and bakes.
Inside the new cafe space inside SEESAW that Batard will be taking over later this month / Image: Adrian Brenner
But now, come the end of September, they’ll be taking up a new permanent residency inside SEESAW – a fresh coworking space that’s recently been opened by the team behind Takk in the Northern Quarter and Ancoats new ‘part-time’ wine bar and shop, Kerb.
Serving up the bakes they’ve become known for using flour freshly milled on-site, as well as a food menu focused on local produce and seasonality, they’ll be bringing back some all-time favourite bakes as well as introducing a new breakfast and lunch menu.
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Fans of Batard’s notorious steak bakes will be pleased to hear these will be making a return, alongside some new dishes like a ‘fish butty’ comprised of house-made Hokkaido milk loaf, beer-battered haddock, tartar sauce and iceberg lettuce.
There are also some plans to add a selection of pies to the offering here further down the line.
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Baker Lewis Loughman pictured with a tray of his infamous steak bakes / Image: Adam Pester
The new menu will consist of breakfast and lunch items using the best produce Manchester has to offer – and each dish will be created using a product baked freshly on-site, with Batard showcasing their baking skills through creations like Hokkaido milk loaves, babka, and sourdough batards.
All menu ingredients will be sourced locally, with Batard working with independent suppliers including Littlewoods butchers, The Crafty Cheese Man, and Cinderwood (a new one-acre market garden in Cheshire focused on growing food for flavour, founded by organic grower Michael Fitzsimmons and Higher Ground chef Joseph Otway).
Coffee will be served by SEESAW’s baristas using beans from local roastery Swansong, with natural wine, local beer and cocktails to follow.
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Inside the new cafe space inside SEESAW that Batard will be taking over later this month / Image: Adrian Brenner
Speaking on the new opening plans, Philip Hannaway, Managing Director at SEESAW said:
“We’re really excited to welcome Batard into SEESAW. As a fellow startup they share our love of the creative and doing things differently. We couldn’t think of a better addition to our SEESAW cafe offer and we look forward to our members, as well as the public, enjoying what we have to offer between us.”
To keep up with new developments ahead of Batard’s opening, make sure to follow them on Instagram here.
You’ll find their new cafe inside SEESAW at 86 Princess St, Manchester M1 6NG. The opening date is still TBC.
Sharing an official update online, the RFL wrote: “Wane, who has led England since February 2020, has taken time to reflect on the programme and believes the timing is right for new leadership to guide the team into the next phase, including the upcoming World Cup.
“During his tenure, Wane oversaw memorable series victories over Tonga in 2023 and a star-studded Samoa a year later, as well as a semi-final in the World Cup. He finishes with 14 wins from 19 matches.”
Crediting him as one of “a very small elite number of coaches to have won the full suite of domestic club honours and achieved World Club Championship success”, hailing his experience and longevity both as a player and as a coach.
As for Wane himself, he said: “It has been the honour of my life to coach England Rugby League over the last six years, but after careful reflection, I believe the time is right to step aside and allow the programme to move forward into its next chapter.
England are on the lookout for a new coach heading into the World Cup after being swept in the Ashes.
Coach Shaun Wane has reportedly resigned from the post after a disappointing 3-0 whitewash against Australia last year.
The 61-year-old ex-pro goes on to add, “The privilege of leading my country in a World Cup, an Ashes Series on home soil and securing victories over Tonga and Samoa will live long in the memory.
“I’m incredibly grateful to all the players, coaches and staff I’ve worked alongside during that time; their commitment and professionalism made those moments possible. I wish everyone involved with England Rugby League the best going forward and for the World Cup later this year.”
According to the latest reports online, St Helens boss Paul Rowley is now said to be the favourite to take over in the interim.
The 2026 Rugby League World Cup is still months away (scheduled to take place in October and November), but the governing body will want to get the new setup and coaching in place as soon as possible to prepare for the tournament.
Greater Manchester town named as one of country’s worst at fixing potholes
Emily Sergeant
A town in Greater Manchester has been named one of the worst in the country at managing roads and fixing potholes.
For the first time ever, drivers across England can now see how well their local highway authority is tackling potholes on their roads thanks to a new traffic light rating system published by the Government this weekend.
The new ratings grade local highway authorities as red, amber, or green.
The ratings – which have presented on a new interactive map – are based on current road condition and how effectively local authorities are spending the Government’s record £7.3 billion funding to fix potholes and investing in long-term measures to maintain roads.
The Government funding is meant to allow local authorities to repair potholes ‘effectively’ and move away from short-term repairs that work out to be more expensive – with these fixes meaning more money in drivers’ pockets, as the average repair bill from hitting potholes is said to be around £320.
We’ve launched a Red, Amber, Green rating system, so you can see how well your local highway authority (LHA) is fixing your local roads.
🟢 Green = best practice, long-term preventative plans 🟠 Amber = on the way, but room to improve 🔴 Red = support in place to raise… pic.twitter.com/gRwkEx5kdm
The condition of local roads, how much local authorities are spending on road repairs, and whether they are following best practice in maintaining highways are all key areas taken into account when deciding on an area’s rating.
Those that scored ‘green’, like Manchester, were able to demonstrate they are following best practice, while also maintaining good road conditions and investing significantly into improving local roads, and those that scored ‘amber’ – which the majority of Greater Manchester came under showed that there was room for improvement in individual areas.
However, one Greater Manchester town did not fare well at all, and ended up with an ‘red’ rating… and that town was Bolton.
The colour-coded map showing each local authority’s pothole rating / Credit: OS / Crown Copyright (via gov.uk)
Those local authorities that are rated ‘red’, like Bolton, are not yet meeting the expected standards in one or several areas measured, according to the Government, such as the current state of the roads, their plans for preventing potholes, or investment into maintaining their local roads more widely.
“For too long, drivers have paid the price because our roads were left to deteriorate,” commented Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander.
“We’ve put our money where our mouth is, increasing the funding for local highway authorities with £7.3 billion to fix roads and given them the long-term certainty they have been asking for.
“Now it’s over to them to spend the money wisely, and for the first time, we are making sure the public can see how well councils are doing in delivering the improvements they want to see in their local area.”
Georgina Pellant -
1st September 2021 
