This summer, Manchester sourdough specialist Pollen will open its second cafe in the city.
Featuringa unique ‘glass gallery’ wall, diners at the new eatery will be able to watch Pollen’s talented pastry chefs at work as they tuck into a seasonally-changing menu of breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes.
Adding to its already-popular waterside location at Cotton Field Wharf at Islington Marina, which first opened in 2018, the new cafe and kitchen at Kampus will serve a varied menu alongside pastries, cakes, speciality baked goods and its much-loved range of sourdough bread.
Located opposite Manchester’s Gay Village, it will move into the new city centre garden neighbourhood this June – opening its doors on Thursday 9.
Video: Pollen Bakery
As well as offering diners a front-row seat to all the kitchen action, the new cafe will also be significantly bigger than the Ancoats site.
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It will open from Wednesday to Sunday, with plenty of seating both indoors and out, with an al fresco area overlooking the green foliage of the Kampus garden, joining a growing foodie community that includes the likes of Cloudwater, Levanter, and Nell’s Pizza.
First launched in 2016, Pollen was one of the first bakeries in the city to offer up a range of sourdough and viennoiserie – regularly drawing huge early-morning queues as Mancs clamoured to get their hands on popular treats like cruffins and loaves of 28-hour sourdough.
Founded by Hannah Calvert and Chris Kelly, who both share a love of great bread bordering on a (healthy) obsession, over the years Pollen has become something of a stalwart of the city’s baking scene – leading the way for a number of other new openings in kind, such as Trove, Batard and Longbois.
Grilled cheese with Ogleshield, Cheddar, Fior de Latte and 24 Month Comté. Grilled with @pluckypickle Miso Kimchi and hot sauce or Nduja & Salami on Pollen’s 28 Hour Sour. Image / Pollen
Vegan pistachio and strawberry tart. / Image: Pollen
Lucky Charm Cruffin • Cereal Milk Crème Diplomat topped with Milk Clusters & a Lucky Charm. / Image: Pollen
After spending time in France, they were inspired by the general availability of top-class fresh bread and pastry products and how they form a part of daily culture.
So, after trying their hand at making artisan sourdough in their home kitchen using the San Franciscan approach to bread-making, they quickly became hooked and began baking for friends and colleagues.
Soon, they decided to take the plunge, expand the business and invest every penny they had into making a go of their own bakery.
“We had the passion, the drive and the eye for detail and quality to be able to bring something new, exciting and needed to the city centre” says Hannah.
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“We put our heart and souls into everything we do and are always pushing forward to give our customers and the city the best offering possible.”
The Pollen Bakery team, pictured at the 2021 Manchester Food and Drink Awards
Chris added: “Our second location in Kampus forms part of our evolution and growth. After drastically running out of space at our Ancoats bakery, the new location re-homes our pastry team in a dedicated pastry kitchen behind a glass gallery so you can see all the action taking place throughout the day and the masters at work.
“We will still serve the full range as usual at the Marina, but the new kitchen will allow us so much more creative freedom.
“With a bigger café space, we’re creating a brand new, modern, refined menu which will change with the seasons and showcasing the best produce available at the time.
“We’re working with some fantastic suppliers and can’t wait to show you a taste of what we’re working on.”
Pollen will join a raft of other like-minded independent businesses at Kampus, including new arrivals Madre’s Mexican Taqueria, Great North Pie Company, Beeswing Wine Bar, Cloudwater beer hall and a General Store.
Feature image – Pollen
News
Onlookers ‘in tears’ after tiny duckling rescued from storm drain in beauty spot
Daisy Jackson
The RSPCA has shared a heartwarming video of a reunion between a tiny duckling and his mum, after the baby bird fell into a storm drain.
The charity, with the help of staff in the nearby Grandpa Greene’s Luxury Ice Cream Parlour, managed to fish the tiny bird out of the storm drain in a painstaking two-hour-long operation.
Miraculously, the duckling was unharmed, and his mum was waiting nearby on the canal in Saddleworth ready to be reunited with her baby.
The RSPCA has now thanked the staff member who helped rescue the duckling, and issued a warning to the public to keep dogs on a lead when near wildlife, believing the poor bird was chased by a dog before falling down the five-feet-high grid.
The rescue operation too place in Diggle last Wednesday 9 April, with Animal Rescue Officer Lee Ferrans taking on the ‘long and painstaking’ process of tempting the duckling into a net.
Lee said: “I wasn’t able to lift the grid so the only thing I could do was push an extendable pole straight down and try to catch the duckling in a net. There wasn’t a lot of room for manoeuvre and the net kept catching on all the debris.
“Just when I thought I’d been successful, the duckling kept disappearing into a drain on one side and then popping out again. A member of staff from Grandpa Greene’s had just finished her shift and came across to the other side of the canal to help me. I unscrewed the top of the pole with the net and held it down on one side of the drain while she used another section to gently encourage the bird to go into the net.
“It was quite a long and painstaking rescue but we eventually managed to bring the little one back up safely after more than two hours.”
The pair then placed the duckling into a cardboard box before heading further up the canal to reunite them with their mother and six sibling ducklings.
The adult duck ‘instantly recognised’ the chirping and swam straight towards it.
Lee added: “A little crowd had gathered and as the family were reunited people were shedding tears. It was a really lovely moment to see them all back together.
“I’d especially like to thank the member of staff from Grandpa Greene’s who offered an extra pair of hands – I couldn’t have done it without her – and to all the people in the area who stopped and were concerned.
“Storm drains can be a bit of a menace for ducklings, especially at this time of the year when there are babies around, and this brood was only a few days old.”
Man jailed for throwing acid in the face of a 16-year-old boy
Daisy Jackson
A man has been thrown behind bars for eight years and two months after throwing a corrosive substance over a 16-year-old boy, leaving him with serious injuries.
When Gilson Martins of Ashton Street, Rochdale, was arrested, he was found to be in possession of acid, being kept in a bottle of hair dye.
He pleaded guilty to robbery, possession of a corrosive substance, and witness intimidation, and was also sentenced for unrelated drugs offences in 2022.
On 24 March 2024, Martins plotted the attack on his 16-year-old victim, even demonstrating to another man how effective the acid would be by using it on a piece of paper.
The victim was then lured to an address in the Woodley area by an accomplice, where he was confronted by Martins.
When an altercation broke out, a corrosive substance was thrown over the teen.
He was taken to hospital with serious injuries which required intensive treatment at a specialist burns unit, with several more procedures taking place since.
When a man spoke to police about the acid attack, Martins attended his home and threatened to ‘stab him, throw acid on him, and carve his name’ into him.
#JAILED| A man has been jailed following an acid attack on a 16-year-old boy in Stockport last year.
Gilson Martins (06/12/01) was arrested by armed police following the attack, and was discovered with an acid-filled bottle of hair dye.
The man in question barricaded himself in his bedroom while Martins knifed the door, fleeing shortly before police arrived.
He was arrested by armed officers on 10 April this year, where he was found with a bottle of hair dye.
Detective Constable Heather Parke, from GMP’s Stockport district, said: “The effects of attacks involving corrosive substances are well-known, and can result in severe, life-changing injuries or even death.
“Using them in attacks is utterly vile and I am glad Martins is now behind bars for his vicious assault. His victim received injuries from which he is still suffering, and has already received numerous treatments.
“We have zero tolerance for these sort of crimes, and we put considerable resources into ensuring that Martins was arrested, charged, and sentenced. He now has a long time to think about his actions inside a prison cell.”