There’s no question that one of the things we’ve missed most during lockdown is dining out.
Sitting in my favourite restaurants with friends whilst eating, drinking and putting the world to rights – surrounded by the gentle hustle and bustle of others doing the exact same thing – is something I cannot wait to do again (not to mention the utter joy at the thought of having someone do the washing up).
However, right at the very beginning ‘of all this’, our hospitality friends were dealt a huge blow and were left with no option other than to innovate at the speed of knots or close altogether. There were a few places that reacted in a flash and began to launch ‘At Home Kits’.
Pretty much straight off the starting line were the guys over at Six By Nico.
The Spring Gardens restaurant is still a relatively new addition to Manchester – having found success in Edinburgh and Glasgow with their rotating six-course tasting menus.
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Six By Nico went down an absolute storm from the minute it opened just off King Street and quickly amassed a fiercely loyal customer base, so when the venue launched the ‘Home by Nico’ concept – it was no surprise it sold out immediately.
I remember ordering the Mexican menu right at the start of lockdown and it was like trying to get festival tickets; poised with both phones and a laptop hoping we’d get through and secure a slot (which we did and it was delicious).
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As the lockdown has dragged on, Six By Nico have fine-tuned their offering and launched Home-X – which is described as a ‘mission to deliver you food, drink and lifestyle experiences that can be brought to life and enjoyed, in the comfort of your own home.’
The offering includes The Cheese Club, Green Haus and Chateau-X – and I’ve been lucky enough to try their Surf and Turf Chateau-X April edition a little early.
It’s no exaggeration to say this was something really special.
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Each part of the meal was already prepared and it was just a case of cooking it. The recipe/instructions were super easy to follow and before we knew it – we were sat down with the most perfectly cooked Chateaubriand, topped with juicy king prawns, beef fat carrots, the most divine nduja spiced new season potatoes, and a fantastically velvety Cote du Rhone.
There was something genuinely different about this to other ‘At Home’ kits I’ve tried before. It felt like the real deal – as if we were having a real restaurant experience at home (so, the guys over at Six by Nico have really nailed it there!).
The absolute knock out though, was the dessert. The Chocolate and Orange fondant was just sheer indulgence and everything you’d want from a sweet treat: Oozy, gloriously silky and just bloody delicious.
I would highly recommend you treating yourself to a Home-X when you can. It’s ridiculously good value and gives you just a glimmer of ‘normal-ness’ in an otherwise strange time.
Yes, things are slowly going back to normal. But luxury home delivery like this will surely continue beyond lockdown. I, for one, could definitely see this being the perfect dinner solution when you just want to stay in.
Check out all the kits available through the Home-X website here.
News
TfGM apologises after two weeks of major tram disruption across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Trams have finally resumed running in Greater Manchester following two weeks of major disruption across the Metrolink network.
Tram services have resumed across the Altrincham, Eccles, and Trafford Park lines this morning (Monday 2 November) following the completion of major track replacement work between Trafford Bar and Deansgate-Castlefield, while maintenance and renewal work also took place on the Eccles line and in the city centre during the planned closure.
Engineers replaced around 4km of track on what is said to be one of the ‘busiest and most complex’ sections of the Metrolink network.
The new track will allow further speed restrictions to be lifted, as according to TfGM, around 100,000 journeys are already benefiting from journey time improvements delivered through previous phases of work every day.
It all forms part of the next phase of the ongoing £150m investment into Greater Manchester’s tram network in a bid to make it ‘safer’ and ‘more resilient and reliable’ for years to come.
✅ This morning, tram services have resumed on the Altrincham, East Didsbury, Eccles, Manchester Airport and Trafford Park lines.
We thank customers for their patience and understanding while these works took place.
↪️ A small service change remains in place through the city centre until the end of service on Wednesday 4 November.
Until then, trams on the Bury – Altrincham, and Victoria – Manchester Airport lines will divert via Exchange Square. Customers may need to change trams to reach Shudehill or Market Street.
👉 Find out more: https://t.co/Vm08ZEDUq4
With services now back up and running, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has issued a statement apologising for disruption.
Ian Davies, who is the Network Director for Metrolink at TfGM, commented: “This was an essential piece of engineering work on one of the busiest parts of our tram network and will help keep services safe, reliable and fit for the future.
“We’re sorry for the disruption and I’d like to thank passengers, residents, and businesses for their patience while we got on with the job.
“The upgrades mean customers will benefit from smoother journeys and allow us to lift further speed restrictions on this section of the network. It will help speed up our journeys and improve reliability for everyone who uses our network.
“Completing work of this scale on time is a significant achievement and I’d like to thank everyone involved for getting it done safely and efficiently.”
Featured Image – TfGM
News
Only two arrested after day of ‘peaceful’ protests in Manchester city centre over the weekend
Emily Sergeant
Only two arrests were made following a day of far-right protests and counter demonstrations in Manchester city centre over the weekend.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the day passed ‘peacefully’, with smaller numbers of people arriving than expected.
‘Significant’ police resources were in place throughout the day (Saturday 31 October) in order to safely facilitate the demonstrations – which saw an estimated 400 protestors and counter protestors gather around the Albert Square area of the city centre.
The police say they ‘attempted’ to work closely with organisers to ensure people could protest safely, all while wider disruption was kept to a minimum.
Increased ‘stop and search’ powers under Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 were put in place in the city centre to help keep the public safe, but the vast majority of people both sides caused no issues for officers.
Only two people were arrested, but they were later released without charge.
One man was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, and one male counter-protester was arrested on suspicion of robbery following an incident unrelated to the events.
“Our policing operation was designed to balance the right to peaceful protest with the need to keep the city centre safe and moving for everyone else,” commented Assistant Chief Constable, Mark Dexter.
“We also have had to ensure our plans were flexible and resilient so that any ‘flash protests’ in other areas of the city could be dealt with quickly, to minimise disruption and risks to safety in our communities. This plan continues into the remainder of the evening.
“As a result of extensive preparation and the work of officers and partner agencies throughout the day, both groups of demonstrators were able to exercise their rights safely, and we saw no significant disorder.”
Anna Gledson -
24th March 2021 
