A new Mediterranean and Middle Eastern vegan kitchen is opening above Stockport boozer Crown and Conspirator in Bramhall this month.
Brought to the area by vegan chef James Laving, the new venture will be called OTTO Vegan Empire – a nod to James’s role in former pop-up The Ottö-Men, the mezze street food favourite seen at the likes of Grub, Manchester International Festival’s festival hub and, most recently, Stretford Food Hall.
Dishes are all inspired by James’s travels through the Meditteranean and the Middle East, with some recipes – he confesses – having been ‘mithered’ directly from local elders he’s hassled along the way.
The concept has been created in collaboration with Cheshire Pub Co., and will be ‘the first of many sites’, said Managing Director Matt Parker, with the pub group seeking to expand the new Otto concept across the North West over the next few years.
The new ‘Sexy Pie’ – baklava pastry, wrapped around eight different roasted confit vegetables and super grains. / Image: OTTO Vegan Empire / The Cheshire Pub Co.
In a concerted move away from the vegan junk food trend popular in Manchester, dishes will instead take inspiration from the Ottoman Empire and celebrate salads, rice, legumes and grains alongside Arabic breads like Khbouz and Manakish, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Dishes will span long-standing favourites like the Otto mezze with Khobez bread and the kitchen’s famous five falafel, alongside the likes of Adriatic-style tomato stew, ‘Sexy Pie’ – baklava pastry stuffed with eight roasted, confit vegetables and super grains – and Otto Veggie Kofta.
Elsewhere, diners will find’ black and wada Hummus’ – a Lebanese variation with toasted black sesame and black garlic, topped with wada batter crunchies and coriander – and a specially-chosen selection of vegan wines.
The special spice blend, Ras el Hanout, made the OTTO way with Damask rose petals. / Image: OTTO Vegan Empire
In a Facebook post announcing the move, chef James said: “Our Otto menu showcases a groovy and modern take on the traditional.
“I’ve lost count of how many patient elders I have mithered for their homegrown recipes during my travels through the streets and homes of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern villages.
“Otto will offer a cornucopia of flavour, texture and good times to the village of Bramhall. Sustainable, seasonable and locally sourced will be at the heart of everything we do.”
Due to open at the pub from Wednesday 27 April, to find out more and book check out OTTO Vegan Empire’s Instagram here and visit the pub’s website here.
News
Drinks prices for Manchester Oasis gigs announced – and you’ll be pleasantly surprised
Daisy Jackson
The prices of drinks at Heaton Park for the five huge Manchester Oasis shows have been released in advance.
With the Gallagher brothers reuniting on stage in their hometown for the first time this weekend (and then again next week), it’s a huge moment for our city.
Those lucky enough to snag tickets have already forked out a small fortune to witness this moment in history (still scarred from the dynamic pricing debacle).
And most of us were probably bracing to spend another small fortune on beers at the Oasis Manchester gigs.
But you might be pleasantly surprised at the drinks prices up at Heaton Park for Oasis Live ’25.
It’s now been confirmed that pints of lager and cider will be just £6.50.
Before you turn your nose up, remember that pints at our two arenas – the AO Arena and Co-op Live are now sitting around the £9 mark.
Prices for other drinks, like wine and spirits, we’ll have to wait until Friday to see.
Heaton Park will also be the home of the ‘largest beer garden’ and the longest bars in the city for the Oasis reunion.
With a major heatwave predicted for the first shows, fans are being encouraged to stay hydrated (on WATER, not beer, please).
Ticket-holders will be allowed to bring a sealed bottle of water up to 500ml in with you, but it must be collapsible plastic.
Solid plastic and metal containers will be rejected on safety grounds.
There’s a free water point on site where you can fill up your bottles again.
Oasis will perform at Heaton Park in Manchester on 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20 July.
Dates announced as resident doctors prepare to stage strikes this month
Emily Sergeant
Resident doctors in England have voted to stage strike action over pay, and the dates for the industrial action have now been confirmed.
The British Medical Association (BMA) says doctors have ‘spoken clearly’ after the results of a vote published today revealed that 90% of resident doctors have voted in favour of a potential return to industrial action.
It comes after the ballot – which ran from 27 May until 7 July – saw a turnout of 55% members, with almost 30,000 (29,741) votes cast.
26,766 of those votes endorsed the use of strike action as part of efforts to restore pay, while just under 3,000 voted against it.
The result means that resident doctors have now secured a fresh mandate to stage industrial action when they choose from now until January 2026.
BMA resident doctors committee co-chairs, Melissa Ryan and Ross Nieuwoudt, said that, while no doctor took the possibility of striking lightly, a clear majority of members felt that they had ‘no other choice’ given the ongoing failures to restore pay.
They added that Health Secretary Wes Streeting has the power to ‘make the right decision’ on pay, and urged the Government to return to negotiations ‘as soon as possible’.
It’s now been confirmed that resident doctors will stage a full walk out from 7am on Friday 25 July until 7am on Wednesday 30 July.
These upcoming strikes come after resident doctors – formerly known as junior doctors, until 2024 – in England participated in an unprecedented 11 rounds of strike action after negotiations with the previous Conservative Government over restoring pay repeatedly stalled.
“Doctors have spoken and spoken clearly – they won’t accept that they are worth a fifth less than they were in 2008,” the committee co-chairs said. “Our pay may have declined but our will to fight remains strong.
“Doctors don’t take industrial action lightly, but they know it is preferable to watching their profession wither away.
“The next move is the Government’s – will it repeat the mistakes of its predecessor? Or will it do the right thing and negotiate a path to full pay restoration and the restoration of doctors’ confidence in our profession’s future?”
Georgina Pellant -
25th April 2022 
