A new ‘comfort food’ canteen has opened its doors in Manchester, and everything on the menu costs less than a tenner.
Selling classic British favourites like fish and chips, pies and curries, it has tentatively been opened today for its soft launch at the former Granada Studios and Coronation Street studios site by workplace and hospitality company All Work & Social.
Called The Stables, the low-cost canteen has been specially designed to cater to reams of workers set to move into Manchester’s brand new Enterprise City development between Spinningfields and Deansgate.
However, it isn’t just for staff. The Stables will also open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays, meaning that locals can also pop in to enjoy some classic cooking at an affordable price.
All the food on offer here is cooked and served fresh from the kitchen, with lunch dishes priced at £5 and dinners costing no more than £8.
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The Stables has opened inside the former Granada TV Studios in Spinningfields. / Image: Geograph
Lunches will be served from 12.30-2pm daily, with no bookings required and a free soft drink included with your meal, on the house, on Wednesday 3 and Thursday 4 August.
Diners will be treatd to classic chippy tea for £5, consisting of sausages, chips, gravy, cheese, curry sauce, barms and vegetarian options.
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As for dinner, they can choose from two different curries or pies, depending on the day of their visit. Served from 4.30 to 6pm daily, these will be priced at £8 each – drinks not included.
The Stables’ soft launch phase runs from Wednesday 3 to Monday 8 August. Following that, it will open every Tuesday to Thursday to the public for lunch and dinner.
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The casual canteen-style dining experience sees dishes served straight from the kitchen onto trays, whilst drinks on offer come from a well-stocked bar.
Speaking on the new opening, Phil Dove, All Work & Social food and beverage director, said: “We set out to create a casual, canteen-style dining experience and we have truly delivered that with The Stables.
“With all food served on your tray fresh from the kitchen, accompanied by a well-stocked bar, it is the ideal spot for team mates to meet throughout the day to relax and unwind.
“We pride ourselves on our bespoke catering team who are passionate about hospitality and creating an elevated experience.
“We take care to source all our produce locally and we are always sure to recognise the city of Manchester through our menu.”
Feature image – Supplied
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Andy Burnham to begin rolling out new ‘everyday fixes’ for Brits amid cost of living crisis
Emily Sergeant
A series of ‘everyday fixes’ to help combat the rising cost of living crisis are soon to be rolled out nationwide.
Kicking off with two measures today, new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced that he plans to ban retailers from making ‘misleading’ claims to customers about discounts.
The Government says shoppers have ‘increasingly complained’ about outlets artificially inflating prices to give a false sense of value, such as increasing prices only to then immediately advertise ‘discounts’ to make savings look larger than they really are, which goes on to create an uneven playing field for honest competitors.
The Prime Minister also wants to see an end to so-called ‘subscription traps’, where people find it hard to cancel their subscriptions, and contracts are automatically renewed at a higher cost.
Set to come into force in January 2027 and saving people an average of £14 a month for every unwanted subscription, the changes will mean businesses will need to provide clearer up-front information, regular reminders. and a ‘much easier’ exit to contracts.
Andy Burnham to begin rolling out new ‘everyday fixes’ for Brits amid cost of living crisis / Credit: gov.uk | Piotr Cichosz (via Unsplash)
A new 14-day cooling-off period will also be introduced to let consumers cancel after a trial or long-term contract renews.
Certain charitable memberships, like the ones for cultural and heritage organisations for example, will be excluded from the new subscription rules due to the fact they have a unique role in preserving the nation’s history, landscapes, and cultural collections.
The Prime Minister says he is ‘determined’ to use every chance he gets to restore fairness and take pressure off people.
“I know people are sick and tired of rip-off discounts and subscription traps,” Andy Burnham said. “Westminster has got used to telling people that everyday hassles like this are just part of life, but I don’t think that’s right, especially when the cost of living continues to weigh heavily on so many people’s lives.”
He concluded: “These are just two of the everyday fixes we’re going to be rolling out.
“We want to put more money in people’s pockets and give people hope that politics really can work for them and their everyday lives.”
Featured Image – Piotr Cichosz (via Unsplash)
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Bury man jailed for life after being found guilty of murder at New Year’s Eve party
Emily Sergeant
A man has been handed a life sentence following the murder of another man at a New Year’s Eve celebration in Bury.
Antony Junior Murray, aged 25 of Tarn Drive in Bury, appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last week (7 August) where he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 18 years after being found guilty of murder.
It follows the death of 23-year-old Joe Burton on New Year’s Eve last year.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that emergency services were called to reports of a disturbance at an address on Tarn Drive at approximately 11:56pm on New Year’s Eve (31 December 2025), and upon arrival, officers discovered Joe ‘unresponsive’ at the bottom of a staircase with a significant amount of blood around him.
Despite the best efforts of paramedics, Joe was pronounced dead at 12:43am on New Year’s Day (1 January 2026).
A post-mortem examination later confirmed he had died from a single stab wound to the back.
At the scene, Murray initially denied any involvement and claimed he had returned home from a pub to find the victim unresponsive, however officers quickly identified inconsistencies in his account.
Initial enquiries – including phone and location data – showed that Murray had been at the address throughout the evening.
Joe had been in a relationship with Murray’s sister and had been invited to the address earlier that evening, and then further investigation revealed that Murray, Murray’s sister, the victim. and another individual had been at the property together, drinking and setting off fireworks to see in the New Year.
CCTV footage recovered from the scene captured the events leading up to the incident, including the fatal attack, and showed Murray assaulting Joe and placing him in a headlock, before proceeding to stab him in the back.
Following a detailed police investigation, Murray was charged with murder and was subsequently found guilty at court.
“Murray carried out a brutal attack on Joe and then attempted to mislead officers about his involvement,” explained Duncan Thorpe, who was the Senior Investigating Officer on the case.
Georgina Pellant -
3rd August 2022 
