A popular Thai restaurant called Giggling Squid is opening its doors in Manchester next year, bringing Thai-style tapas, curries, salads and cocktailswith it.
Popular restaurant chain Giggling Squid first originated in Brighton under the name Mai Ped Ped Ped before rebranding when it opened its second restaurant in Hove.
Now, 41 sites later, it has revealed plans to open its first northern restaurant in Manchester’s Spinningfields district over on Hardman Square.
The new Thai restaurant will open opposite The Ivy in a vacant Spinningfields unit at some point in the new year.
It will serve a selection of Thai dishes, ranging from the likes of Phuket mussels in a red curry broth to Samui zingy prawns, Betel beef on sugar cane skewers, salt and pepper squid and chicken satay.
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Whoever wrote the menu here is clearly fond of an adjective, as elsewhere you’ll find the likes of ‘delicious’ Thai chicken wings, ‘yummy’ duck spring rolls and ‘big flavour’ mushroom larb.
You’ll also find Thai staples like Paneang curry, pad Thai and lamb shank massaman on the menu, which is split into seven sections – starters, from the land, from the water, stir fry, curry, noodles and sides, and rice.
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Founded by couple Andrew and Pranee Laurillard, the restaurant has grown significantly from its early beginnings in a fisherman’s cottage in Brighton.
That cottage, once the couple’s home, is still the base of their restaurant today – with diners down south able to book in to enjoy dinner in the same space where the concept was conceived.
The initial concept was to cook ‘simple, rustic, fresh Thai food’ and create a menu that ‘people could eat like they do at home’, say the couple, explaining that ‘in Thailand, mealtimes are all about lots of dishes that everyone shares’.
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Whilst they acknowledge that the menu has ‘moved on a bit now’, the pair state that some of those original dishes are still guest favourites today.
To date, Giggling Squid has restaurants across the country – all located in various towns across the south of England. The new Manchester site will be its first proper northern opening, joining fellow Thai newcomer Rosa’s Thai Cafe and longstanding Thai favourite Thaikhun in the glittering business district.
To find out more and keep up to date with any new developments, make sure to follow the Giggling Squid on social media here. Check out the restaurant’s website and menu here.
Feature image – Giggling Squid
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Government sets up taskforce to deliver ‘urgent action’ on maternity care in England
Emily Sergeant
A taskforce aiming to deliver ‘urgent action’ on maternity care in England has been set up by the Government.
The new Maternity and Neonatal taskforce – which is chaired by the Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting – will tackle ‘deep-rooted inequalities’ and deliver urgent action on the recommendations of the independent national investigation into maternity and neonatal services in England.
This means that women, babies, and families will receive safer and higher-quality care from the NHS in the long run.
According to the Government, the expert panel includes families, senior NHS leaders, royal colleges, campaigners, academics, and third sector representatives.
The Government has set up a taskforce to deliver ‘urgent action’ on maternity care / Credit: Jimmy Conover (via Unsplash)
As part of the selection process, the Government has been working closely with harmed and bereaved families to ensure their personal experiences were reflected, and those who have been chosen collectively have the clinical expertise, lived experience, and sector know-how to deliver the changes so desperately needed for families.
Starting next week, the Secretary of State will chair regular roundtables with the new taskforce – with the first priority to agree its Terms of Reference.
The taskforce will also address recent developments in maternity and neonatal care, including recommendations from the Thirlwall Inquiry, and the independent review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
📢 National maternity and neonatal investigation to be launched
Too many families have suffered preventable harm.
The investigation will urgently look at services with specific issues and the entire maternity system, making sure each family receives safe and compassionate care. pic.twitter.com/J8XkwGM9dN
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) June 23, 2025
The taskforce will also be supported by a wider range of experts – as part of ‘expert reference groups’ – that the Government says will bring ‘a broader range’ of perspectives.
“Every woman and baby deserve safe, compassionate care during pregnancy and birth, and the very best start in life,” commented Duncan Burton, who is the Chief Nursing Officer for England.
“Although NHS maternity and neonatal teams work incredibly hard to support women and families every day, we know there is more we must urgently do to improve care and experience.
“I look forward to working with members of the taskforce to improve safety and deliver the best possible outcomes and experience for women, babies, families, and colleagues working in these services.”
Featured Image – Credit: Aditya Romansa (via Unsplash)
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Manchester Piccadilly is closing AGAIN for more improvement works this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Piccadilly is set to close again for more improvement works this weekend.
In case you hadn’t heard, Manchester Piccadilly train station was closed for nine days back in mid-February while a ‘once-in-a-generation upgrade’ was carried out – with very few train services running in or out of the station in the process, and as you’d expect, widespread disruption caused for those travelling around the region.
But thankfully, after many journeys were impacted for those travelling to and from major destinations like Manchester Airport, and on the West Coast Mainline, the station was back up and running at the end of February, with passengers thanked for their patience in the meantime.
Network Rail invested £7.9m into the major upgrade, with the main points of action being to improve tracks, points, and signalling systems on the southern approach to Manchester Piccadilly station.
At the time it was announced that the station had reopened, passengers were alerted to further minor closures in the future, and one of those closures is set to take place this weekend.
🗓️ On 1 & 22 March, we’ll complete follow-up work following our £7.9m track upgrade at Manchester Piccadilly.
🛤️ Morning journeys will be disrupted on those days, with rail replacement buses in operation to keep you moving.
This Sunday (22 March), routine follow-up work will take place to secure the new railway foundation stone through a process called tamping, and this will impact trains until 1pm, so passengers are advised to check online ahead of time if planning to travel.
These upgrades are said to help deliver ‘smoother, more reliable’ journeys for passengers in the future, but during this time, trains from the south and east will not run into Manchester Piccadilly.
All station facilities at Manchester Piccadilly will remain open on the day, including the ticket office, Passenger Assist lounge, toilets, and retail outlets, and Metrolink trams will continue to stop at the station too.
Northern has confirmed that it will continue to run a reduced timetable on services to Liverpool Lime Street, Blackpool North, and Chester.
Georgina Pellant -
7th December 2021 
