Several independent businesses based here in Greater Manchester have heaped praise on their local community, and urged people to support local this Christmas.
There are some brilliant indies that specialise in ‘little luxuries’ operating out of Oldham, selling gifts and treats including soaps, soaks, candles and more.
Some of the scents are even inspired by the countryside in the area, like Dove Stones reservoir and the grassiness of the Saddleworth Moors.
If you’re looking to spend your hard-earned money within the local economy, there are loads of independents here to support.
Oldham school friends Reece Best and Joe Hendshaw founded Bave, through which they make luxury bath soaks geared towards all genders.
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The Old Cobblers in Saddleworth
Reece said he noticed that pampering products like his tend to be geared to a female audience, and says: “Products have been marketed a certain way for so long and people have a perception that floral is female, peppery, minty or musky is male, when actually it’s just a nice smell. So we do it for everyone, it doesn’t have a gender.”
The pair first started experimenting with formulas in the spare room of Reece’s mum’s house during lockdown and officially launched Bave in August 2020.
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Their signature products include orange and eucalyptus which creates a dense foam that cushions tired limbs, while the sage and peppermint packs a menthol punch that would deftly see off a cold.
“We’re part of a blossoming community and the next big businesses are going to be local,” says Reece.
“There’s a resurgence of the smaller independents and you get a better product and service with them. Mainstream brands have to appeal to the masses but when you’re small scale and local you can talk to people and come up with wacky ideas that wouldn’t necessarily fly with bigger organisations.”
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Bave products can be found at the Old Cobblers in Greenfield and Authentic in Uppermill, as well as their online shop.
Apotheco
Husband and wife team Nicola and Jonathon Bennett own Homaroma, a brand they resurrected with a shop on Shaw Road in 2018 from what his aunt started 30 years ago.
They now have 200 regular clients for their candles including department stores in the UK and online shoppers in the US, but pride themselves on supporting the local economy.
Nicola says: “We have always been about buying things as local as possible – nothing is imported.”
The Homaroma range includes £2 bath blocks, £3.50 bath bombs and £10 candles in various scents, like clove-tinged winter favourite Opulence.
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“One of the biggest fragrance companies in the world is down the road in Bury; the wax is made in Chorley,” she continues. “We don’t skimp on the ingredients and [if we get it cheaper] we pass that saving on to our local retail customers.
“Oldham is a look-after-your-own type place and we shop at little places too because you’ve got to support your local town.”
Scents of Saddleworth
Paying homage to the area in a more literal way is fellow candle maker Scents of Saddleworth whose range invokes the crisp air of Dove Stone reservoir and the sharp grassiness of the moors.
Owner Jodie Lewis wanted to create scents that would reflect not only where she lived but unearth happy memories for people buying them, like a candle that smells like Wimberry Pie and another that is reminiscent of the polished pews of Heights Church in Delph, where Jodie married.
“A scent usually takes you somewhere, to a memory, and people have appreciated that the scents do represent, and are inspired by, things from around here,” she says. “So as much as we’ve enjoyed making them, it’s been something for the community, because to have an end product that we think people around here like is nice.”
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Jodie has teamed up with Pallet at Donkeystone Brewery and Station Brew in Greenfield to stock her range, priced at around £14.
Soapmaker Anna Fieldhouse has done the same with her brand Apotheco, which is sold at Weaver and Wild in Uppermill. She credits the success of her brand, which is also stocked in shops in London, with the encouragement she got from her teachers at Saddleworth School and being invited by Oldham Council to take part in its Oldham Made pop-up last year, which boosted her sales.
“There’s a lot of history and tradition here but it’s also really diverse and the [indie scene] is growing,” says Anna, who launched her business two years ago.
“Oldham has always been quite good for artists, makers and musicians and I think it’s because there’s a lot of resources put into it, like I go to a life-drawing class at the library, my school was great for art, the council actively supports local business – I just think it’s great for designers.”
Anna’s soaps, which feature softening butters, cleansing clays and essential oils like patchouli and lavender, can be bought individually for around the £6 mark or as a set with a stoneware dish made by a local ceramicist.
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“It’s nice cause we’re helping each other,” she adds. “They’re a bit of a luxury but they’re high-quality and a little bit special – around Christmas I sell so much because people do like to give it as a gift. And if we all support each other it improves the local economy.”
Featured image: Supplied
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You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Manchester’s Deansgate
Daisy Jackson
There’s a brand-new menu of smokehouse-style BBQ dishes being served up on a sunny terrace on Deansgate.
Motley, the neighbourhood bar and restaurant on the corner of John Dalton Street, has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen.
That means they’ve got a whole load of new dishes, slow-cooked over hickory wood, that are bringing a taste of a Deep South BBQ to Manchester city centre.
The smokehouse-style meats are all seasoned in-house and cooked for hours, for a perfect fall-off-the-bone experience.
It might be an authentic American smokehouse menu, but it’s firmly British too, with most products locally sourced.
You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Deansgate / Credit: The Manc Group
Motley are calling on local suppliers like Althams Butchers (established since 1856) for their meat, plus greengrocers R Noone and Son, and Cheshire Farm for their real dairy ice cream.
Signature dishes on the new menu at Motley include slow smoked brisket, seasoned in Motley’s signature rub before being slow-smoked for more than eight hours.
There’s also a beef short rib with a chimichurri sauce, and a pork belly strip that’s seasoned with sage and onion and finished with a panko breadcrumb crust.
And for the veggies, there’s a vegan smoked veg kebab with courgette, mushrooms, bell pepper, sweet corn and red onion drizzled with homemade BBQ sauce.
Motley has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen / Credit: The Manc Group
Prices across the board start from just £16, served with beef dripping fries, rainbow slaw, pickles and homemade beef gravy.
As for small plates, you can expect short rib bonbons, homemade corn bread, spicy chicken wings, bang bang cauliflower, mac and cheese, and frickles.
House favourites like steak, vegetable hash, salads, and burgers will remain on the Motley menu.
Victor Gonzalez, food and beverage manager at Motley, said: “Our new signature smoked dishes are all crafted and seasoned in-house then slow cooked for hours over hickory wood to create rich and smoky melt-in-your mouth flavours.
“From our slow-smoked brisket to our home-made sides, everything has been carefully crafted to bring an authentic taste of the deep south to Manchester and we can’t wait for guests to try it.”
Motley can be found at 2 John Dalton Street on the corner of Deansgate in the city centre.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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Coffee Rules: The Greek-born cafe that’s gone on to become a beloved Greater Manchester brand
Danny Jones
It’s rare that you find a place in an already saturated food and drink scene like Greater Manchester’s that genuinely comes across like a local community cornerstone, but that’s exactly what we got when we visited Coffee Rules in Salford.
We went for a brew, one of those viral iced coffee we’ve seen on socials, and maybe a nice bite to eat – but we left with much more and the impression that these lot are onto something big.
Opened in Arta back in their home country (also up in the northwest, by the way), they’ve never struggled to get queues out the door, and it’s no different here. This one is run by two siblings, 23-year-old Thomas and his younger brother Marios, 30, who have been smashing it since 2023.
Since launching their growing UK brand in the likes of The Meadows neighbourhood – one of two they have in the city of Salford alone, the other being Swinton – they’ve brought the lines with them. With authentic Greek food and drink like this, it’s not hard to see why.
They’ve now expanded to more than eight sites total, including one still keeping their own local reputation alive over in Athens, and this looks to be just the beginning.
Having not only spread across the ten boroughs but further out into the region with their Liverpool locations as well as a Yorkshire stronghold up in Sheffield, there’s more to come from Coffee Rules, both in terms of premises and their plans to take on the rest of the brunch game and beyond.
Suburban Mancs may have already seen the regular midday and weekend crowds that pack out their Chorlton venue, the Rusholme one is often filled with fresh-faced uni students in need of their caffeine fix, and it’s an increasingly similar story for those based in Bolton.
Or maybe you’re one of the many people based in Manchester city centre, who nip to their quiet, tucked-away corner of Ancoats for a fresh bake or even to have your eye caught by some of their merch with that modern mythological-inspired logo.
Whichever one happens to be closest to you, you’ll have the same satisfying experience, from sipping on speciality coffee and the scran, to the service and all-around atmosphere.
They’re also about to start hosting board game nights over at their Salford site, where they’ll be making the most of their large terrace with plenty of seating, which also has the added bonus of a retracted pergola – perfect for sunny days or simply sheltering from the Manc rain.
One thing we also noticed was just how many locals not only popped in throughout our time there, but the sheer number that had chosen to start their day at this particular spot.
There’s a regular Greek crowd, of course, but there’s also the native Salfordian and those currently residing in and around the up-and-coming area, who were pulling up in the large car park and taking a pew, or even those just looking for quick and top-quality grab-and-go stuff.
In fact, it’s one of the quickest venues we’ve seen fill up that fast in a hot, Med minute.
Speaking of, whether it be one of their superb Spanish lattes, or the equally sweet, sultry and viral ‘Freddo Cappuccino’, or their traditional spanakopita, not to mention their many Mediterranean pastry variations, there’s a big call for pretty much everything on the menu.
We could go on at length in listing what impressed us about just this one Coffee Rules branch, and we’ve made many trips to their Chorlton one in the past already, but it’s probably best that we just urge you to give it a try sometime soon. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed.
This is one of the fastest-growing franchises in the UK, and it’s no wonder they keep pulling in plaudits and invites to bigger and better industry within the industry as time goes on events over the past few years.
Oh, and one more thing, there’s plenty of savoury stuff that you’ll likely fall in love with, but we highly reccommend ordering the red velvet. Wow…
Daisy Jackson -
24th November 2022 
