Manchester’s tiniest tapas bar is taking over Chorlton Green
Diners can expect to find tried-and-tested tapas favourites, alongside lesser-known dishes adapted from family recipes passed down through generations.
Manchester’s tiniest tapas eatery has just revealed plans to take over the kitchen at Chorlton Green over the Jubilee weekend.
Abeja chef Ana Villegas will bemoving into the charming independent wine and cocktail bar, run by local couple David and Lucy, for four days – cooking up a southern Spanish menu, with a focus on fine Andalucian produce.
A biochemist for the past twenty years, she first launched Abjea in 2019 ahead of the pandemic – starting life from a tiny unit hidden underneath the Mancunian Way.
This was Ana’s first foray into the world of hospitality – not that you’d be able to tell – and whilst she no longer has her unit at Hatch, she’s continued to do pop-ups around the city every now and then whilst she looks for a new home.
Image: Supplied
Now, she’s bringing Abeja to the Chorlton Green for a limited time only – giving fans a chance to sample some of their favourite dishes once again when she pops up in the south Manchester suburb this June.
Starting from 2 June, fans will be able to tuck into gorgeous sharing platters of painstakingly-sourced Spanish cheese and charcuterie from chef Ana Villegas’ hometown, alongside special nibbles like piquillo pepper hummus canapes and olives.
On the tapas menu, meanwhile, diners will find blistered padron peppers sat alongside handmade serrano ham and spinach and cheese croquettes, as well as Olla Gitana – a special stew you must try that comes from Ana’s hometown of Granada.
Image: Supplied
Other must-tries include her classic Spanish tortilla, which comes served with aioli and piquillo peppers, and the Pincho Maruno – a dish of marinated Iberico pork skewers, served with padron and piquillo peppers.
Elsewhere, you’ll find the tapas staple patatas bravas with customisable add-ons like chorizo and fried eggs, alongside grilled, juicy shell-on prawns and crisp, lightly battered calamari.
As for dessert (if you’ve got room), think freshly-fried churros served with a chocolate dipping sauce. The perfect way to finish off an afternoon or evening of indulgence, if you ask us.
Alongside Chorlton Green’s great selection of drinks, Abeja will also be serving up glasses and jugs of classic sangria to help locals celebrate this Bank Holiday with a Spanish twist.
The southern Spanish kitchen became hugely popular during its time at indie food and drink village Hatch, where it carved out a niche for itself as the tiniest tapas bar in the city.
With room for just 15 covers at a time, its fans would all squish in to devour plates of charcuterie and cheese, as well as Ana’s more unusual dishes – like aubergine fries served with molasses.
When the team announced plans to close their Hatch site in January this year, they wrote on social media that it had been ‘an incredible journey […] despite opening a few months before Covid’.
Having begun the business with zero experience in the hospitality industry (Villegas left a career as a research scientist to open Abeja), it was with heavy hearts that they decided it was time to move on from Hatch.
However, they also hinted towards plans for a new site all of their own, adding “this is far from the end for Abeja – we are moving on to bigger and better things… We will be announcing some very exciting news about a new, independent venue very soon!”
More information on the new opening is yet to be released, but in the meantime, Abeja fans should make sure to go and enjoy Ana’s inventive cooking over in Chorlton.
You can find Abeja at the Chorlton Green between 12-9pm from Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5 June.
Feature image – Supplied
News
All military personnel can travel for FREE on Manchester’s public transport this weekend
Emily Sergeant
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.
Manchester will be marking Armed Forces Day 2025 this weekend with a 'poignant' military parade through the city centre. 🎖🥁
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.
To mark Armed Forces Day, we're offering free travel this weekend (28-29 June) for military personnel and veterans across bus and tram services in Greater Manchester.
“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.
“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
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.
#JAILED | Paedophile sentenced to 13 years for abusing teenage girls and committing a catalogue of crimes uncovered by detectives pic.twitter.com/yFKNtFmy6Z
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) June 26, 2025
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.
Georgina Pellant -
26th May 2022 
