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Manchester Food and Drink Festival reveal 2022 awards shortlists as voting opens

Winners will be announced at the MFDF Gala Dinner and Awards on 26 September

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 28th July 2022

The Manchester Food and Drink Festival (MFDF) has just announced the shortlists for its 2022 Awards as it opens up voting to the Manchester public.

This years’ shortlists have been chosen by a judging panel of local food critics and feature a total of 113 nominees split across 16 categories, including a newly-created award designed to recognise great service.

Following a slight change of format caused by the pandemic, this year, winners will once again be decided by the public and MFDF judging panel.

With voting open from now until 16 September, the city’s food and drinks fans are being invited to vote for their favourites over on the MFDF website.

Image: Supplied

This year’s MFDF shortlisted venues are as follows:

PLANT-BASED OFFERING OF THE YEAR

Four Side Pizza

Herbivorous 

Otto Vegan Empire

Ruyi Chorlton

Sanskruti

The Walled Garden

Wholesome Junkies

INDEPENDENT DRINKS PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

Bundobust Brewery

Cloudwater

Hip Pop

Into the Gathering Dusk

Stockport Gin

Steep Soda

Track Brewing


INDEPENDENT FOOD PRODUCER OF THE YEAR 

Polyspore

Dormouse Chocolates

Great North Pie Co

Holy Grain

Long Boi’s Bakehouse

Yellowhammer

La Choquette

FOODIE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE YEAR 

Ancoats

Chapel Street, Salford 

Monton

Prestwich

Ramsbottom

Sale

Stockport 

COFFEE SHOP OF THE YEAR 

Cafe Sanjuan

Factory Coffee

Grind and Tamp

Grapefruit

Just Between Friends

Station South

Pollen

FOOD TRADER OF THE YEAR

Burgerism

House of Habesha

The Little Sri Lankan

Lovingly Artisan

Mira

New Wave Ramen

Pico’s Tacos

AFFORDABLE EATS VENUE OF THE YEAR

Aunty Ji’s

Bahn Mi Co Ba

Cafe Sanjuan

Levenshulme Bakery

Go Falafel

Mama Flo’s

Salt & Pepper MCR

POP UP OR PROJECT OF THE YEAR

Platt Fields Market Garden

Sao Paulo Project

Suppher

Eat Well MCR Spring Festival

Bungalow at Kampus

Heart and Parcel

Foodie Friday

PUB OR BEER BAR OF THE YEAR

Bridge Beers, Staylbridge

Heaton Hops

House of Hops

The Kings Arms

Nordie

Track Taproom

Station Hop

BAR OF THE YEAR

Blinker Bar

Flawd

Henry C

Ramona

Schofield’s Bar

Speak in Code

10 Tib Lane

NEIGHBOURHOOD VENUE OF THE YEAR 

Baratuxi Bar

Bar San Juan

The Easy Fish Co.

Nilas Burmese Kitchen

Ornella’s Kitchen

Osma

The Perfect Match

FOOD AND DRINK RETAILER OF THE YEAR

Ad Hoc

Chorlton Cheesemongers

Hello Oriental

Coopers Lets Fress Deli

Le Social

Out of the Blue

Wandering Palate

GREAT SERVICE AWARD

Sponsored by Manchester Evening News

Bull & Bear

Dishoom

Hawksmoor

Flawd

Schofield’s Bar

This year, winners will be announced at the MFDF Gala Dinner and Awards sponsored by Bruntwood and taking place at Escape to Freight Island on 26 September. 

Read more: The family-run Prestwich bagel shop with queues out the door

Some categories will be decided entirely by public vote and some made up from the public votes alongside a mystery shopping visit from members of the judging panel.

The Independent Drinks Producer of the Year and the Independent Food Producer of the Year Awards will also be judged by a panel taste test.

Read more: Inside Platzki, the city-centre Polish restaurant with an ever-evolving menu

Alexa Stratton-Powell, Director of MFDF said: “This is an incredible list of brilliant businesses that we are proud to celebrate. As we look forward to our 25th year it’s all about the talent that has shaped this last quarter century and made the city’s  food scene the world-class destination that it is today. Please get involved, vote for your favourites and visit the amazing venues on the shortlist for yourselves!”

Charlotte Wild, Head of Retail & Leisure at Bruntwood commented: “We’re proud to become headline sponsor for these important awards. Manchester’s hospitality scene is phenomenal and the industry is absolutely central to our vision of creating thriving cities. We’re excited to celebrate 25 years of the Manchester Food and Drink Festival this Autumn, alongside all the talented nominees and winners at the Awards on 26th September. Congratulations to all those shortlisted!”   

To cast your votes, visit the MFDF website here.

Feature image – MFDF

News

All military personnel can travel for FREE on Manchester’s public transport this weekend

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant A Metrolink tram in Manchester city centre

All military personnel will be allowed to travel for free across Greater Manchester’s public transport system this weekend.

In case you hadn’t heard, this Saturday 28 June is Armed Forces Day.

Armed Forces Day sees Brits celebrate those who are currently serving troops, their families, serving reservists, veterans, and cadets, and Manchester will also be paying tribute to the hundreds who have ‘fearlessly served’ with day of commemorations in the city centre on Saturday.

Mancunians are expected to line the streets as a parade made up of armed forces personnel, veterans, and cadets will begin a procession that will proudly march through the centre of Manchester, starting in St Peter’s Square at 11:30am. 

You can also expect an afternoon of live performances by the lively Lancashire Army Artillery Band, alongside music hosted by BBC Radio DJ, Michelle Dignan, up until 4pm. 

Historic military displays, and stalls from organisations including the NHS, Royal British Legion, and Manchester City Council’s own Armed Forces Covenant, will also be in attendance, as well giving visitors the chance to explore an engaging display of military vehicles, uniforms, artefacts, and personal stories that span the rich legacy of the British armed forces inside a pop-up Military Museum tent.

This year’s Armed Forces Day is also particularly-special because it marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE Day) which happened on 8 May, and the upcoming Victory over Japan (VJ Day) on 15 August.

All military personnel can travel for free on Manchester’s public transport this weekend / Credit: GMP | Bee Network

And so, in order to honour what an important weekend it is for hundreds in our region, the Bee Network has announced that all military personnel will be allowed to travel for free.

Free travel will be permitted on all Bee Network bus and tram services on both Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June for any members of the Regular and Reserve Services carrying their MOD90 card, veterans who carry their Veterans’ badge or Veterans’ rail card, and cadets travelling in uniform.

“The Armed Forces community makes an invaluable contribution to our society, and we’re showing our appreciation with free travel on Bee Network buses and trams across Greater Manchester this weekend,” commented Danny Vaughan, who is the Chief Network Officer at Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).

The free travel is part of TfGM’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant – a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly.

Read more:

“It’s a special weekend and one we’re proud to get behind,” Danny concluded.

Featured Image – Janus Boye

News

Stockport paedophile jailed after ‘grooming, exploiting, and coercing’ teenage girls in early 2000s

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Christopher Oates

A prolific paedophile has been sentenced after admitting to ‘grooming, exploiting, and coercing’ teenage girls in the early 2000s.

Christopher Oates, from Stockport, has been brought to justice this week after he subjected vulnerable girls to what Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has referred to as a ‘campaign’ of violence and sexual abuse 20 years ago.

The court heard how the 45-year-old groomed one of the survivors from when she was just 14 years old, by providing her with a false sense of security, paying her compliments, and pretending to be her boyfriend, all before he proceeded to ply her with drugs, gifts, and affection, and using the trust and control he gained to persuade her to start sex work on the streets of Manchester.

When the teenage victim began to doubt his intentions and asked to go home, Oates dragged her down an alleyway, violently attacked her, and threatened her with a gun, stating: ‘You do as I say, you’re mine now,’ commanding her to go to her ‘spot’.

It was this incident that prompted the teenager to confide in her mother and support services, and from here, found the strength to move forward with her life, while still courageously supporting the police investigation.

From this investigation, detectives were then able to identify a second teenage victim, a 17-year-old, who Oates also coerced into sex work.

The two victims recall Oates taking them to a designated spot in central Manchester at least once a week to carry out sex acts in cars for money.

Oates would supply both victims with cocaine and alcohol, and even pressured them to take crack cocaine and heroin, aiming to build an addiction and increase their dependency on him.

In April 2024, Oates pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent images of children, taking indecent images of children, and attempting to engage a child in sexual communication, as well as pleading to the production of cannabis and two counts of possessing an identity document with improper intent.

After being remanded into custody, on 5 September 2024, Oates was postal charged with possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, three counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13-15 years old, and two counts causing / inciting a child aged 13-17 years to prostitution.

A paedophile from Stockport has been jailed after ‘grooming, exploiting, and coercing’ teenage girls in the early 2000s / Credit: GMP

In March earlier this year on the fourth day of his trial, Oates admitted to the offences, and this week (25 June 2025), he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for all his crimes.

“I would like to commend the two women at the centre of this case for the strength they demonstrated throughout our investigation and subsequent legal proceedings,” commented Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Eleanor Humphreys, from GMP’s CSE Major Investigations Team, as Oates was sentenced this week.

“It has been an arduous process for them to relieve the horrific abuse, and I am so grateful they placed their trust and confidence in our team to pursue justice.

“Their resilience and determination were the driving force behind reaching today’s outcome, where a dangerous man begins serving a lengthy sentence behind bars, far away from causing any more harm or misery.

Read more:

“Despite Oates’s cowardly attempts to evade facing justice, the evidence we uncovered was overwhelming, and his crimes finally caught up with him.

“I hope this brings these survivors a sense of closure after all these years.”

Featured Image – GMP

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