Despite being prominently visited by Mohammed Ali in 1974, there is no denying that over the years, Stretford Mall lost its charm.
But, thanks to efforts from Trafford Council, Bruntwood Works, and local business entrepreneurs, Stretford Mall has surpassed its past glory with a delightful food hall surrounded by innovative local businesses, including The Hive.
Despite only being open two days before the national lockdown in March, and now operating as take-away only, The Hive is perhaps the centrepiece of a blossoming ‘Stretford Strip’.
As well as already offering breakfast every morning, a roast dinner every Sunday, and a delicious array of innovative meals all day long, The Hive’s menu is still improving.
The Hive, Stretford
The recent launch of the Healthy Hive branch of their menu adds another layer of deliciousness to this business, with offerings such as curried mushrooms and vegan hotdogs.
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Co-Owner Chris Herbert said: “We had all this time during lockdown, so we have basically opened a COVID restaurant bar.
“Every single thing down to the smallest detail is a COVID friendly bar because we have known nothing else.”
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Over 11 thousand people have been through their doors since July, and they boast zero cases of Coronavirus related to the business, despite taking every single person’s temperature and track and trace personal details, instead of the general one person per group rule.
The key for these business owners was providing a local but cool atmosphere that enabled people to have a night out that they could safely walk home from, and despite COVID, this goal has not changed.
Chris said: “It’s only going to get better. COVID and what’s happened and lockdown, it’s just an obstacle that Stretford is going to get over, this isn’t going to kill Stretford off. It’s only going to make Stretford stronger.
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“The ‘local’ is going to thrive again.”
The Stretford FoodHall has also become a symbol of the change in Stretford, providing a constant turnover of delicious independent vendors, and this year even providing christmas trees that can be delivered to your door.
Stretford Food Hall
‘A Convenient Store’, located inside the Hall, are already open for pre-orders of locally sourced Christmas trees, alongside grocery deliveries that arrive at your door in two hours.
The Food Hall also collected food and household items during lockdown for charity, and recently on facebook they announced that they were widening the organizations they were donating to.
The current resident vendors are Herbivorous and Dim Sum Su, which offer delicious vegan meals and dim sum, among other things.
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Hannah, supervisor on the retail side of the FoodHall said: “It has been an absolute pro for the community, we have loads of regulars that constantly come in and it is gorgeous seeing the same faces, especially through COVID.”
The Foodhall also ensures that it uses local vendors for its produce, in order to inject profits back into the community, something desperately needed during these COVID times.
Whilst definitive prospective plans for Stretford are uncertain because of the pandemic, it is clear that the future is bright for this blossoming area.
Eats
‘Manchester’s best lunch deal’ that’s only available for two hours a day
Daisy Jackson
There’s a cafe in the centre of Manchester that’s had queues all the way down the street thanks to its incredible value lunch deal.
Although it’s been in Spring Gardens for two years now, Meridian has remained one of Manchester’s best-kept secrets online, thanks to its decision to stay totally off social media until recently.
That hasn’t stopped the queues though, and they’re all here for the same thing – a loaded £5.80 lunch box.
Tucked away just off Market Street, Meridian is an unassuming cafe operated by founder Dan.
It’s much more than a coffee shop, with a menu of Asian fusion dishes served in the cafe, as well as for grab-and-go lunches.
The lunch boxes start from just £5.80, which gets you a box absolutely packed to the brim with delicious Chinese and South East Asian items.
You start off with a base of either egg rice fried, chips, or noodles; then lash on a sauce like Malaysian curry, Thai sweet chilli, or satay.
Meridian in ManchesterThe Meridian lunch boxes in Manchester
As for the toppings, there’s a massive list including popcorn salt n chilli chicken, Japanese gyozas, roasted pork ribs, tofu bites, and crispy spicy beef.
Plans officially submitted for ‘vibrant’ new food hall in Wythenshawe
Emily Sergeant
Are you feeling hungry? Good, because a new food hall is on the horizon.
That’s right – plans to transform Wythenshawe Civic have taken another exciting leap forward this week, as Manchester City Council and placemaker Muse have submitted a planning application to bring a brand-new food hall to the town.
Set to be housed within the three units next to the former Peacocks store – which has now been demolished – the new food hall will become a ‘vibrant’ destination for independent and local food vendors to attract people with ‘delicious and diverse’ offerings.
Developers also hope the new food hall will keep the suburban Manchester town’s centre ‘bustling’ throughout the day and into the evening.
The announcement that the new food hall is in the works comes as part of the already-announced plans for Wythenshawe Civic – with work to soon begin on everything from the public realm, and outside space, to the vacant office space above the existing Iceland-store, which will also be transformed into modern new workspace to support local start-ups and bring new jobs into the town centre.
Developers also recently submitted three separate applications to create 422 new affordable homes for social rent across three locations in the town centre.
“Listening to local people over the last year and more, we know that Wythenshawe residents want more from their town centre – more things to do, opportunities to spend time in Civic and night time attractions that give the area a lift and attract visitors,” commented Cllr Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council.
“This is the drive behind the Culture Hub. A place for local people with an interest in the arts to take part in creative activities, see a show or enjoy the cinema space – right in the heart of their community.
“This is another exciting chapter in the transformation of Wythenshawe Town Centre.”
Joel Chandler, who is the Senior Development Manager at Muse, added that developers are ‘moving at pace’ with plans to give the town centre the ‘regeneration it deserves’.
“The food hall will be a hive for a range of local outlets and will provide new spaces for the community to spend time in and give the town’s nighttime economy a major boost.”
Gemma Bradley -
16th November 2020 
