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Festival of cooking demos, wellness workshops, and more coming to Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet

The F4T Wellness Festival is taking place on Saturday 2 & Sunday 3 July at Cheshire Oaks.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 28th June 2022

A two-day festival full of cooking classes, wellness workshops, and more is coming to Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet this weekend.

The designer outlet has joined forces with Food4Thoughts (F4T) – a nutrition brand co-founded by famed Mancunians Scott Thomas and Eden Thomas – to bring an exclusive wellness weekend to Cheshire, with everything from fitness classes, to live cook-a-longs and workshops led by industry experts across the two days.

Visitors to Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet will also be treated to live entertainment and music by DJ Kieron J, and stars of The Voice, Holly Ellison and Jordan Phillips, as well as receive access to a whole host of exclusive offers too.

You’ll be able to book on to live F4T panel talks from key speakers across the weekend, with local celebrities giving their insight into wellness, healthy eating, and living balanced lifestyles.

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The F4T Wellness Festival is taking place on Saturday 2 & Sunday 3 July at Cheshire Oaks / Credit: Supplied

Hosted by Kate Cocker, sessions will feature guests including Emmerdale and Waterloo Road star Adam Thomas, chef and influencer Steph Elswood, and the founder of Men Should Talk Gareth Palmer – with more names soon to be announced. 

Brands including Lululemon, ASICS, adidas, and Under Armour will also be working alongside the expert F4T team for a jam-packed schedule of fitness classes and workshops across the weekend too, so whether you want to test your limits with a HIIT class by F4T’s Commando Charlie, or find your Zen at Lululemon’s meditation sessions, there’s something for everyone to get involved with.

Read more: Shipping container village at Cheshire Oaks to host live music and street food this summer

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Podcast fans will even be able to enter a competition to secure their spot in the audience of an exclusive live recording of Scott Thomas’ podcast, Learning As I Go.

And that’s not all, as you’ll even get the chance to enter a prize draw worth up to £2,500.

When you enter into the prize draw in the F4T Hub at the Ellesmere Port-based shopping and leisure village, you’ll be in with the chance of winning prizes such as six months of Food4Thoughts membership, £500 to spend at Cheshire Oaks, and a luxe spa experience at the Chester Grosvenor.

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Each entry to the prize draw also gives the option to donate to support Cheshire Oaks’ 2022 charity partner, Flynn’s Port in the Storm – with donations supporting the incredible work that the local mental health crisis café does for those in the community.

“This really is such a special moment for myself and the Food4Thoughts team,” F4T co-founder Scott Thomas said.

“I have visited Cheshire Oaks all my life and to be invited to host our very own F4T Wellness Festival at such a prestigious location really is something else.

The F4T Wellness Festival is taking place on Saturday 2 & Sunday 3 July at Cheshire Oaks / Credit: Supplied

“I’m so happy with the lineup of activations we have confirmed and the brands we have involved for the weekend.

“This is going to be special.”

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Kenny Murray – General Manager at McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Cheshire Oaks – added: “The schedule is packed full with physical and mental workshops, so we can’t wait to see our Centre guests all getting involved over the weekend.”

The F4T Wellness Festival is taking place on Saturday 2 & Sunday 3 July, and you can find more information and book onto free workshops and classes here.

Featured Image – Supplied 

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Adventure golf, escape rooms, 2-for-1 cinema tickets, and more at Printworks this summer holidays

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Adventure golf, escape rooms, and 2-for-1 tickets to catch the newest blockbusters are just some of the things families can be getting up to at Printworks this summer.

With schools across Greater Manchester now out for the summer holidays, the city centre’s landmark entertainment complex is promising “family fun and fantastic food” – with a wide range of activities and offers for parents, carers, and guardians looking for exciting ways to keep the kids occupied to make the most of.

From film buffs, to puzzle masters and tee-off champions, Printworks assures there’s “something for everyone” of all ages to get stuck into over the next six weeks.

The venue’s escape room centre Escape Reality is offering massive 25% off all escape rooms between Monday – Thursday this summer, and you’ll have an hour to tackle a series of puzzles and challenges inside “uber-real” and “movie-inspired” escape rooms to make sure you get out in time and maybe even gain a place on the coveted leaderboard.

You’ll just need to use the discount code ‘HEATWAVE25’ at the checkout when you book online until 31 August to claim a 25% discount.

Escape Reality and Treetop Adventure Golf are ideal places to take the kids while schools are out / Credit: Printworks

For those looking for an “epic adventure” this summer, Treetop Adventure Golf has got an exclusive ‘Family Saver’ deal currently running, and it lets families with at least one child aged 12 or under choose to play a round of 18 holes for just £32, or 36 holes for £50.

The Early Bird deal will also be running every Monday to Friday throughout the summer holidays for those early morning risers, where you can tee off before midday and play two courses for the price of one.

If films are more your thing, then Vue’s ‘Mini Morning’ sessions – which are running every morning in the summer holidays from 10am – give both adults and kids the chance to experience big screen entertainment from just £2.49 per ticket, with a whole host of family-friendly flicks and some of the latest blockbusters ready to watch

2-for-1 cinema tickets are available at Vue all summer long / Credit: Printworks

Not only that, but you can also still make the most of ‘Meerkat Movies’ throughout the summer, and enjoy 2-for-1 film tickets every Tuesday or Wednesday with the Meerkat app by entering your code when booking tickets online, or showing the code to a Vue staff member when buying tickets at the cinema.

Read more: Adults-only ball pit, bingo, drag brunches and more coming to Printworks

If all that action has got you working up a hunger, then there’s plenty of children’s meal deals at different Printworks restaurants to tuck into afterwards.

wagamama and Chiquito are two of the Printworks restaurants offering children’s meal deals this summer / Credit: Printworks

Frankie and Benny’s, Nandos, wagamama, and Chiquito are some of the chains with offers on.

At Frankie and Benny’s, kids can choose a drink, main, side, and dessert from just £6.49, while at Nando’s, there’s a set menu for under 10s for just £5.95, and at wagamama, kids can become part of the koclub and tuck into tasty mini dishes from just £4 each, and at Chiquito, a main, side, dessert, and drink costs just £6.99.

The kids meal deal at O’Neills will only set you back £4.50, and they can pick a classic main meal, a side and a portion of veg, and finally choose a sweet treat to finish.

Find out more about summer at Printworks here.

Featured Image – Printworks

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From furlough to the hall of flame: the Wing Fest champions putting Manchester on the map 

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

This September the world’s biggest wing festival will return to Manchester, bringing together the UK’s best for a two-day event celebrating the humble chicken wing.

Set to serve a whopping 200,000 wings over that 48 hour period, expectations are already high for Wing Fest’s return this Autumn.

As it gears up to make its way back to the city, we take a look at some of the winners from years past to give you an idea of what to expect (and who to make a beeline for).

From established restaurants to pop-up concepts launched on furlough, there’s some real variety to be discovered here amongst the street food stalls – making Wing Fest a must-attend event for foodies that are serious about their chicken. 

Mexican Seoul

First up we spoke with hall of flame multiple award-winners Mexican Seoul, who have taken home a host of 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards in recent years. 

Founded in lockdown after owner Ashley Chipchase found himself on furlough from his job, Mexican Seoul first attended Wing Fest as customers before deciding to give the street food festival a go themselves.

After winning three awards in a row, he made the decision to quit his job and go pro – right there on stage. 

Image: Mexican Seoul
Image: Mexican Seoul

Ashley told The Manc: “After getting furloughed from our jobs we decided to turn a negative into a positive and spent the next 6 months refining our home recipes and trialling different frying methods. 

“We ended up juggling a full time job whilst working street food markets at the weekend and prepping into the early hours of the morning. 

“We’ve been going to Wing Fest as customers since 2016 and it’s always been a goal to compete. We were lucky enough to be invited down and it really gave us a fantastic opportunity to showcase our menu and we are still blown away we picked up awards. 

“When we got invited on stage for three awards it was like a movie. Being recognised for what we do was amazing. They told us to say something on the microphone and we ended up quitting our daytime jobs there and then, on the stage, at Wing Fest.” 

Read more: The world’s biggest chicken wing festival is coming back to Manchester

Image: Mexican Seoul

Inspired to get into street food by fellow Wing Fest trader Wingman’s after discovering them in 2016, he also tells us he drew inspiration for his wings from the LA food truck scene – naming Korean-American chef Roy Choi as a particularly strong influence. 

The signature wings to look out for here at Mexican Seoul are the Gochu-Gang, made spicy with fermented Korean chilli paste then sauced up with added sesame oil, soy sauce and ginger, All made using free range, halal chicken that’s been brined for 24 hours in buttermilk chicken, wings are then double fried to create a signature crispy texture. 

That’s not all he does, though, Ashley also serves a range of different Korean-inspired tacos with special sauces made in house from scratch. 

Read more: Frankie’s has opened a Breville toastie stall inside the Arndale Market

Image: Yard and Coop

Asked how he feels about coming back to Manchester this year, he said: “Each time we visit we notice that the street food scene is growing rapidly… the last time we were there we found an amazing pizza place called Ramona that had one of the best Detroit pizzas we have tried in the UK.  

“We never thought we would be showcasing our food across the UK so it feels like an amazing opportunity be able to bring our Gochu-Gang wings to Manchester.”

Yard and Coop

Alongside Mexican Seoul, we also spoke with local Manchester-based winners Yard and Coop who have been a fixture of the Northern Quarter’s culinary scene since 2015. 

Owners Laura and Carl Morris took home their first Wing Fest award last year, scooping up third place in the Judges’ Choice Buffalo Wing category but tell us they ‘plan on coming back bigger and better this year.’

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Image: Yard and Coop
Image: Yard and Coop

The pair, who tell us they have eaten in ‘just about every fried chicken joint in the UK and a fair few in New York and beyond’ say there are plenty of Americana influences to be found in their food before adding: ‘we will literally deep fry anything’.

They’re not kidding. Tihs Easter just gone, they deep fried a creme egg for a special – something that went down an absolute treat with customers. 

As for what their Wing Fest signature recipes will be this year, they say they’re ‘still testing recipes’ but will definitely ‘bring that extra level’.

They said: “At wing fest as we 24hr brine them then pressure fry so the meat falls off the bone. Then we buttermilk and crumb them with our secret recipe. Each wing has had so much love before it ends up on your plate!” 

“It’s our manor  – we are here to bring the title home where it belongs.” 

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How to get Wing Fest tickets

Taking place this year from 24-25 September, tickets for Wing Fest Manchester 2022 are on sale now.

Combining wings, music, beer and bourbon across a two-day celebration of the best chicken wings the UK has to offer, festival-goers can expect to find over 20 different street food traders, restaurants and BBQ teams on site across the weekend.

To find out more and get your ticket, click here.

Feature image – Wing Fest / Mexican Seoul

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