Popular Manchester sandwich spot Mira,best known for its saucy Neapolitan cuzzetiello sandwiches, has opened a new location in the Northern Quarter today.
But the ragu-topped cuzzetiello on which it built its name is out – and so, conveniently, is the name.
In its place, the newly revamped sandwich spot Must Be Micky’s is serving a new menu focusing on freshly baked foccacia sandwiches – a substantial, if sometimes overlooked, feature of the old Mira offering.
These come stuffed with house-made fillings like roasted cauliflower with red pepper sauce, Italian salami and black pepper mayo, and mustard pickled pears with Swiss cheese, all encased within pillow-soft foccacia loaves sourced from the newly opened Half Dozen Other bakery in Manchester’s Green Quarter.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Now available from its new kitchen in Ply as well as at The Picturedrome in Macclesfield, further sandwich choices include the vegan-friendly Cauli Cartel (roast cauliflower, smashed avocado, red pepper sauce, toasted cashews, pickled red onion, lettuce and lime zest menu), and the Trumo, a chunky crisp buttie with black pepper mayo, olive tapenade, Italian salami, truffle oil and Fior di Latte mozzarella.
Elsewhere on the menu you’ll find crispy smashed roastie-style potatoes topped with the likes of vegan cashew pesto and butter flavoured with chilli and lime.
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Washed down with refreshing house-made sodas in flavours like cream, cherry vanilla, lemon, and lime and pineapple, the new menu sees the team behind original sandwich hit Mira refine their offering after three years slinging butties to the good people of Manchester.
Serving in Ply from 11.30am-4pm, the team will provide a lunchtime service Tuesday to Sunday from their new home just off Stevenson Square. You can also find them serving the new menu up in Macclesfield at The Picturedrome.
Owners Mike Swain and Rhea Nickson first landed on the sandwich scene in 2021 with a pop-up at Ancoats pub The Crown and Kettle, and Mira’s Genovese stew and meatball-stuffed hollowed-out subs became a near-overnight hit.
Since then, they’ve gone on to host a string of successful pop-ups at the likes of Ancoats General Store and, more recently, the Cloudwater pub The Sadler’s Cat, as well as running a popular kitchen at The Picturedrome in Macclesfield.
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Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Whilst their sarnies are top-notch, things haven’t always been easy going. Earlier this year, owners saw their NOMA pop-up sprayed with hot sauce ‘like a Formula 1 driver celebrating a Grand Prix win’ after vandals broke in and trashed it in February.
But now, it looks like things are once again on the up as Mira becomes Must Be Micky’s and debuts what is, frankly, a stunning new sandwich menu set to give other established dealers of things in bread a good run for their money.
To keep up to date with all things Must Be Micky’s make sure to follow them on Instagram here.
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This Manchester suburb has just been named one of the UK’s ‘happiest’ places to live in 2024
Thomas Melia
An annual poll has named the Manchester suburb of Didsbury spot among 70 locations said to be the ‘happiest’ places to live in the UK.
Greater Manchester has got lots to say for itself, especially with its diverse and unique cultural landscapes, as well as various vibrant communities, so it comes as no surprise that one of our beautiful suburbs has been voted in a list of the UK’s happiest places to live for this year.
The survey included submissions from 5,000 people and there’s a lot of love being shown to the neighbouring areas of Yorkshire like Doncaster, Bingley, and Harrogate – the lattermost placed in second in the entire country.
But, ranking 62nd out of a possible 70 places, the distinct and vibrant area of Didsbury has been noticed by Furniturebox as one of the ‘happiest’ places to live in the UK.
Credit: The Manc Group
The results took into consideration good state schools, affordable housing, as well as accessibility to pubs, bars, restaurants, independent shops, retailers and more.
With multiple parks, walking destinations, and top-notch travel links with Bee Network trams and buses easily taking you back into the city centre and out to other boroughs, East, West and Didsbury Village all remain some of the most sought-after areas in the region.
There’s a whole host of indie retailers to enjoy, especially on the likes of the main high street and Burton Road, which effectively serves as its own cultural district, home to vintage clothing shops like Steranko, tailored styling opticians Fox Brothers and much more.
Burton Rd also boasts countless fantastic food and drink spots like The Great Kathmandu, SANTÉ, Volta and Proove Pizza, just to name a few; we’ve spent plenty of time just on this stretch of Didsbury alone.
If you’ve spent even a little time in Dids, you’ll know there’s plenty going on and it’s certainly one our happiest places in all of Greater Manchester and therefore the UK.
You can also enjoy the famous ‘Didsbury Dozen’ right on your doorstep.
Elsewhere, and somewhat unsurprisingly, Shakespeare’s ever-romanticised hometown of Stratford-Upon-Avon once again reigned supreme at the top of this list.
That being said, it’s refreshing to see that these locations weren’t entirely related to wealth and similar factors, the survey took affordability into careful consideration.
Cheshire was destined for success with its cracking views and grand properties, as the North West county made waves for the region managing to place in fifth position, holding up against Falmouth in Cornwall which placed in sixth.
Although not nabbing that all-important top spot, Didsbury is carrying the flag for 0161 and showing what all know to be true: Northerners do it best.
A Greater Manchester town could be set to get a train station for the first time in 60 years
Emily Sergeant
It’s been a whopping six decades, but the residents of one local town could soon be able to hop on a train out of there.
That’s because a planning application for a brand-new £32 million station in Golborne – which would connect the Greater Manchester town, in the Wigan borough, to the rail network for the first time in more than 60 years – has been submitted to Wigan Council, meaning connectivity is finally one step closer to becoming reality.
In case you didn’t know, Golborne currently has no direct bus, train, or tram services to Manchester, and Leigh is the biggest town in England without a rail station, while the wider area is the largest and most-populous area in Greater Manchester not connected to the rail network.
The milestone aims to boost access to jobs and opportunities for people in the town and the wider Wigan borough.
NEWS: Greater Manchester on track with plan for first new rail station in over 20 years. 🚉
✅ 90%+ public consultation support for Golborne station in Wigan ✅ Planning application in to @WiganCouncil ✅ Local area improvements and walking and cycling links
According to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the Golborne station scheme forms part of a wider ambition to bring eight commuter lines into the Bee Network by 2028 – of which “significant investment” has been put into.
The application includes plans for a new accessible two-platform rail station, including step-free access throughout with a footbridge across the tracks and lifts to both platforms, a new hourly service between Wigan and Manchester Victoria, and onwards to Stalybridge, an improved town centre car park, and also new walking and cycling links to the town centre.
The submitting of the proposals comes after nearly 3,000 people had their say on the station earlier this year, with more than 90% of respondents supporting the plans.
A CGI of what the proposed new Golborne station could look like, if plans are approved / Credit: TfGM
If the plans are approved by Wigan Council, work on the site should begin in 2026, according to TfGM, with the new station scheduled to open in 2027.
Mayor Andy Burnham called the submitting of the proposals a “transformative step” for the region.
“It has taken a huge effort to get us to this point,” he explained. “But we have finally reached a major milestone on the journey to reconnect Golborne to the rail network for the first time in over 60 years.
“The proposal is based on extremely sound evidence and huge progress has been made with a planning application being submitted and overwhelming support from local residents.”
Georgina Pellant -
25th July 2023 
