Guardian food critic Jay Rayner has been in Salford checking out the (relatively) newly-reopened Black Friar pub, brought back to life in spectacular fashion following two decades of closure.
A glowing review, published this weekend, showers the pub with praise – with Rayner ultimately concluding that he’d be ‘rather chuffed’ if the Black Friar was his local.
With former 20 Stories chef Ben Chaplin at the helm, when it first threw open its doors this summer the Black Friar initially offered two menus – a ‘pub classics’ menu and a selection of more ‘fancy’ restaurant dishes.
However, rather conveniently, the day of Rayner’s visit also happens to be the day the team decided to merge them into one, leaving him to comment: “don’t therefore expect the food to be confined to essence of British pub.”
“What you now get is a hybrid. There are pies and terrines and fish and chips from the boozer side of the ledger, and altogether grander things involving truffles and champagne from the fat-walleted end.”
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He does still take a good-natured swipe at some of the prices, mind.
That ‘fat-walleted’ comment, a reference in part to the residents above “working at the very cutting edge of modern media communications, or whatever it is the denizens of these tidy apartments do”, leads him to describe a few dish prices as either ‘brave’ or ‘enthusiastic’.
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Still, for the most part, he’s on-side, stating: “When I get on to those prices some of you may wish to start curling your noses like the Catherine Tate characters Janice and Ray while shouting, “And this! In Salford! The dirty robbing bastards.”
“Get it out of your system now. […] What matters is that the cooking is big and bullish and, for the most part, on point.”
He heaps praise on the pub’s daily rotation of pies, proclaiming: “the pie liberationists will be pleased to know that it is very much a single item, clad from top to toe in crumbly, flaky puff.
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“Pie purists will agree that if you can’t throw it across a room with one hand, it’s not a pie. This is a pie.”
Adding ‘obviously sipping gravy should be a thing’, a fact we couldn’t possibly agree with any more enthusiastically, despite his enjoyment he can’t help but point out that a similar creation in London’s The Windmill in Mayfair still comes in at a pound cheaper.
“As Janice and Ray might point out, we really are on the edge of a dual carriageway in Salford,” he quips.
Elsewhere, he waxes lyrical about a charming plate of ‘big fat scallops’ and a boar and pheasant terrine served with warm brioche and chutney, stating: “If you’re going to pay £10 for a terrine, you want it to look like this.”
All in all, it seems the visit is a hit, with Rayner proclaiming, “This is serious cookery: both profoundly beautiful and profoundly eatable.”
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He’s got great things to say about the dessert menu, which he notes features all the ‘much-loved usual suspects’, calling a beautifully made bitter orange parfait ‘a gift to marmalade lovers everywhere’.
Read more: The stunning reservoir walk near Manchester with giant ‘plugholes’
His only real critique, in truth, is for a dish of turbot with smoked ell choucroute, champagne velouté and caviar -described as “a brave £32.”
But even this, he concedes, is a ‘very good dish indeed fighting to get out from underneath all this overkill’ – adding that a spoonful of caviar is ‘more symbol of northwestern largesse than vital ingredient’.
The Black Friar is remarkably chuffed to have had the esteemed critic down for a visit, sharing the review to its Facebook page with the caption: “The Blackfriar has made the pages of The Guardian and we couldn’t be prouder.
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“Thanks to Jay Rayner for paying us a visit and a big thanks to our team and customers. Without their hard work and support over the last 20 weeks what we have achieved wouldn’t have been possible. We love you all.”
Feature image – The Black Friar
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BBC issues statement after UK forecast shows ‘hurricane force winds’ up to 14,000mph
Daisy Jackson
The BBC has issued a statement after alarming people across the UK with a weather forecast of hurricane force winds and temperatures of up to 400°C.
Mancs woke up this morning stunned to see predicted wind speeds of up to 14,000mph.
The alarming weather report hit the BBC Weather app today while Hurricane Milton batters Florida across the pond.
One person shared on X: “I guess we need to batten down the hatches with 26,898 mph winds today.”
Another asked: “Why isn’t this forecast making the news? 14,712mph wind sounds dangerous to me!! I’m going back to bed.”
But now the BBC has rushed to reassure people not to be ‘alarmed’ at the prospect of the entire island blowing away.
BBC presenter and meteorologist Simon King shared: “Oops, don’t be alarmed by some of our @bbcweather app data this morning.
— Barefoot Spooky Bartender 👣💀🍹 (@barefoottiki) October 10, 2024
“Be assured there won’t be 14408mph winds, hurricane force winds or overnight temperatures of 404°C.
“It is being looked at and hopefully sorted asap.”
BBC Weather shared: “You may have noticed some data issues on our app and website. We are working hard to fix it quickly. Sorry – please bear with us.
“In the meantime here are Thursday’s weather headlines: -Colder, clearer air moving in -Rain and drizzle in south -Blustery showers near east coast”
And national treasure Carol Kirkwood said live on air: “We are having a technical glitch at the moment. It’s showing wind speeds far too fast, in fact, hurricane strength and that is not the case at all.
“Please don’t be alarmed. We are aware of it and on it.”
At the time of writing, the BBC Weather forecast service is still predicting hurricane force winds for the UK. Eek.
New 44-storey skyscraper proposed that could change one of Manchester’s most famous views
Emily Sergeant
Plans for a massive new 44-storey residential skyscraper in the heart of the city centre have been revealed.
But does this mean it could change one Manchester‘s most famous views?
Located on what has been referred to as a “prominent site” adjacent to Deansgate train station and Deansgate-Castlefield tram stop at Whitworth Street West, these dramatic proposals would see the development of 364 apartments set over 44 storeys – with more 7,750 sq ft of active space on the ground, first, and second floor levels.
Developers Glenbrook say the building has been designed to “respond to the city’s heritage”, most-notably through its three-storey arched terracotta colonnade at street level.
Well-lit new green spaces, the enhancing of existing pedestrian routes, and seamless integration with the surrounding communities, all form part of the landscaping proposals for the bold new project.
“As a Manchester-based developer, we are excited about the prospect of embarking on a landmark development in the heart of our city, admitted Daniel Roberts, who is the Development Director at Glenbrook, as the proposals were unveiled this week.
“Whitworth Street West is undergoing a period of revitalisation, and Glenbrook are incredibly proud to be playing such an integral part in its future.”
A public consultation on the plans has now been launched, and will be live up until 28 October, as well as a dedicated in-person event, where representatives from Glenbrook and the design team will be on hand to answer questions and gather feedback, scheduled to take place at HOME MCR on First Street from 3:30-7:30pm on 15 October.
Residents, businesses, and interested stakeholders will have the opportunity to view the plans in detail, and provide their thoughts on the proposals.
According to developers, the feedback gathered during the consultation will play a key role in shaping the final planning application – which will be submitted to the Manchester City Council in the coming months, and ultimately ensure the development meets the needs of the community.