After several years of redevelopment, bosses behind the newly-revived legendary 60s gig venue New Century Hall have finally pulled back the curtain on its first phase – a stunning new food hall.
Eventually, the Grade II-listed building will be fully restored, right down to its sprung dance floor, 1960s ‘disco ceiling’ and vintage wood-panelled walls. But these things take time, so whilst developers get the whole place gig ready they’ve decided to crack on with a new food offering for the city.
Here, on the ground floor, the newly opened food hall plays host to six new kitchens, including a new project from Adam Reid, the acclaimed chef behind The French at The Midland.
Reid is here debuting a new butty concept, inspired by childhood trips to his family’s local baker.
Inside New Century food hall in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupInside New Century food hall in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupInside New Century food hall in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Elsewhere, Altrincham Market House favourite Banh Vi has moved in offering its signature plant-based Vietnamese baguettes and nasi goreng, whilst Northern Quarter pizza staple PLY is venturing into the wilder side of things as part of a new collaboration with the planet-saving flour company Wildfarmed.
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Firing everything in a custom-built pizza oven at the helm of New Century’s ground floor, chef Carl Fraenki-Retti has developed his recipe using their biodynamic flour to create a 24-hour slow proved dough which forms the basis of a vibrant menu.
You’ll also find father-and-son duo BaoBros23, winners of the 2021 British Street Food Awards ‘People’s Choice’ winners, slinging out loaded buns, fries and desserts, fresh off the back of their latest pop-up success at Riverhead Brewery Tap in Marsden.
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Inside New Century food hall in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupInside New Century in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupInside New Century food hall in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupInside New Century food hall in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Wilmslow sushi favourites Zumuku Sushi have also moved in, serving its authentic, fresh sushi and other Japanese favourites to the food hall.
Chef Tom Lowe is another new arrival, drawing from the great steakhouses of the UK and Europe and his passion for well-bred, native beef at new opening Tallow.
Working with 28-day-aged beef from local butchers, diners can find a range of high-quality steaks, burgers and sides.
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There are also coffee and grab ‘n’ go concepts from New Century, plus local beers, wines, cocktails, teas, juices and smoothies.
The space itself has been designed by Sheila Bird Studio, with mid century decor inspired by the Grade II listed building’s original 60s features which have been restored and replicated.
The food hall will spill outside onto Sadler’s Yard for al fresco dining, drinking and regular events like the family friendly day on Saturday 24 September.
Atul Bansal, founder of Sheila Bird, said: “I stumbled across this building 10 years ago and had to get inside this space that had been locked away for so many years.
“I spent seven years trying to find people who would help me reignite the building’s soul, and now the building is alive and beating. Interior isn’t about designing something, it’s about giving something a purpose and I am so excited to have helped New Century to be reborn.”
Featured image: The Manc Group
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‘Christmas chaos’ on the cards as Manchester tram drivers vote on staging strike action next month
Emily Sergeant
There could be major disruption to festive travel in Greater Manchester next month, as hundreds of tram drivers are currently voting on whether to strike.
Almost 320 tram drivers are being balloted over working conditions and fears around fatigue.
The drivers – who are members of the union, Unite – all work for KeolisAmey Metrolink Limited at the Warwick Road South and Queens Road depots in Manchester – and they operate trams on all routes in Greater Manchester.
As it stands, the drivers’ shift patterns currently mean they have to work 450 hours over a 12-week period, which results in some having to work 50 hours on, followed by just two days off, then back into another 50-hour work pattern.
Drivers also have fewer rest days compared to all other operational departments, and this is said to be causing safety concerns around fatigue.
‘Christmas chaos’ is on the cards as Manchester tram drivers are currently voting on staging strike action next month / Credit: TfGM
Drivers say they concerned about operating heavy vehicles while exhausted and unable to have proper breaks, but after raising the issue with management, Unite has been told there is ‘no funding available’ to support any ‘meaningful’ improvements to working patterns.
Instead, management has asked drivers to start work earlier – which Unite says is only ‘adding insult to injury’.
The ballot is set to close on 11 November, and if drivers vote in favour of industrial action, strikes could then begin in late November, causing widespread cancellations and delays throughout the region during the busy festive shopping period – particularly coinciding with Manchester’s world-famous Christmas Markets, known for attracting millions of visitors to the city each year.
“Any strike action will cause a great deal of disruption but it is entirely the fault of Metrolink, which is not taking the issue of driver fatigue seriously,” commented Unite Regional Officer, Colin Hayden.
“It is dangerous for fatigued workers to be driving trams and they should not be put in this situation.
“We are demanding that Metrolink and Transport for Greater Manchester work with Unite to find a solution to this problem to avoid industrial action.”
Featured Image – Janus Boye
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A local Manc content creator is looking to set a world record by running around Old Trafford
Danny Jones
A local content creator, who specialises in running/hiking content (and sandwiches), is looking to raise money and potentially set a world record by jogging around Old Trafford.
Oh, and by jogging, we mean running – for a really, REALLY long time…
If you’ve never come across his channel before, let us introduce you to local influencer and videographer Sam Matthew, a.k.a. ‘Peaks and Pubs‘.
Boasting plenty of fans on both Instagram and TikTok within the world of trail running, the outdoors community and beyond, he’s set to toastreaching a very specific achievement by “turning a milestone into a mission” and doing laps around Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United Football Club.
As explained in the video, he’s now surpassed 74,310 followers, i.e. the same capacity of supporters you can fit inside the Theatre of Dreams itself.
We know, it’s distance running and feats of endurance aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but they are a great way of raising money and awareness, not to mention possibly getting yourself in the official Guinness Book of World Records.
Explaining the challenge in the caption of the video, Sam writes: “There’s now enough of you lot following this daft account of mine on here to fill a stadium I’ve adored since I was a little boy. And that genuinely means so much to me.
“So why not celebrate the occasion by punishing my legs and raising money for good causes along the way? Donations are, of course, the aim, but I understand that not everybody is in the position to do that, so any engagement on this post is hugely appreciated.
“I mean it from the bottom of my heart that you lot genuinely make this all happen for me, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I get to do silly stuff like this on a random Wednesday [29 October]. Giving off pure ‘your unemployed friend on a Wednesday’ vibes, but I love it!”
Raising money for the club’s in-house Manchester United Foundation, which has already shown its support for the upcoming ultra-marathon distance event, they are also looking to generate crucial funds with the return of another annual charity event too.
The Foundation does some incredible work all year-round, if you’d rather swap running around Old Trafford for sleeping.
Once again, Sam will be kicking off the serious step-count from approximately 9am this Wednesday (28 Oct), he’s estimating it’ll take him around a whopping nine and a half hours, “with plenty of breaks for food and fluids”, thank god.
As the man behind most of the Bada Bing videos, we expect plenty of butties to fuel the running.
Furthermore, although he’s set to take on the distance solo for the morning, he’s invited as many people who fancy getting involved to come and join him for a lap or two from 12 noon onwards; hopefully, he’ll see the Guinness people popping along to see if he registers a world record while he’s at it, too.
We hope there are a few pints at the pub waiting for you at the end, as always, Sam.
Georgina Pellant -
26th August 2022 
