The extravagance of Alice in Wonderland is coming to Six By Nico on Deansgate; explore a world of curiosity and adventure through their creative six-course menu, Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
For the next phase of popular city centre restaurant’s latest series of six-course tasting menu, which changes each and every month, the chefs over at Nico have followed up their previous ‘Street Food’ selection with something truly magical.
It’s a showcase of food fantasy, fusing first-class fine dining with storytelling that Lewis Carroll would approve of. You can take your tastebuds on this culinary exploration for a limited time only, cooking this limited menu between 15 January and 25 February.
Here’s what you can expect.
Six By Nico has fast become a Manchester favourite. (Credit: The Manc Group)
The trip down the rabbit hole begins by expertly combining mushroom tea, smoked bacon jam, truffle parmesan royale, pickled walnut and a Keen’s cheddar scone.
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This is followed by the aptly named ‘The White Rabbit’ featuring a rabbit, chicken and date ballotine, beef fat roasted carrot, tarragon pesto, rabbit Bolognese and carrot ketchup. Fitting and delicious.
For course three, guests will enjoy ‘Paint the Roses Red’: a charming combination of sweet and savoury consists of a goats’ cheese mousseline, baby beetroot, garden radish, kalamata olive soil and red apple caramel.
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Course four, ‘Eat Me, Drink Me’, is by name by nature. Roasted black pollock is the star of the show, accompanied by a miso glaze, bonito emulsion, white turnip puree, pickled Tokyo turnip and Dashi broth.
Six By Nico’s Mad Hatter menu did not disappoint. (Credit: The Manc Eats)
Course five is fit for a queen… ‘Off with Its Head!’ Pork belly is paired with choucroute, apple gel, pig head croquette, cauliflower and sauce charcuterie.
If you are looking to go the extra mile the roasted scallop with black pudding, pickled celeriac and lovage emulsion is an optional add-on (£9).
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To finish we go to a sweet showstopper named after the lady herself. ‘The Queen of Hearts’ is naturally shaped as a glossy red heart where a white chocolate mousse is joined by red velvet cake, raspberries and pecan brittle.
As beatiful in taste as it is in appearance.
We’re not going to show you all of them — that would ruin the surprise…
Delectable and affordable, the menu is priced at £39, which will no doubt have you smiling like a Cheshire cat. You can also indulge in an expertly selected wine and specialist drinks pairing for an additional £30.
As mentioned, this ever-evolving restaurant concept changes its menu every six weeks, with dishes inspired by places, memories or imagination, so if this spread sounds up your street, get in while you can and keep your eyes peeled for whatever they come up with next.
Alice famously said, “I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it” — we sincerely advise you to take this recommendation on board.
Thanks to Terminal 2’s major upgrade, now holidays really do start at Manchester Airport
Danny Jones
It’s a phrase that’s almost as old as air travel itself, but luckily, Manchester Airport are well and truly getting your holidays started early, courtesy of the new and improved Terminal 2.
T2‘s massive upgrade technically finished in 2025, but with other bits debuting already this year and even more to come in 2026, Manchester’s biggest terminal is a more fully-fledged travel hub than ever.
Complete everything from the essentials and a healthy supply of food and drink, to lots of luxuries and plenty of ways to unwind and kill time between both before and after flights, you can feel extra smug about getting to the airport early.
As part of their latest ‘Terminal Explorer’ campaign, we recently paid a visit to see just how much fun we could get up to in and around T2. Spoilers: quite a lot.
With a little help from their wayfinding screens dotted around the various areas, from the World Duty Free section and ever-growing internal shopping district, to all the bars and restaurants that have opened since the big refurb, we took ourselves on a very fun day out.
And that was without even having an actual holiday booked to look forward to, so just imagine how good it must feel to top all this off with a real trip away.
In fact, you don’t even need to think that hard about it; roughly 80% of all passengers heading in and out of Manchester Airport now come through T2, and with the experience improving all the time, they’re seeing a serious uptick in visitors and their time spent enjoying some leisure before their getaway.
From additions like the LEGO store to keep the kids entertained, as well as numerous places to grab a brew, a bite, or even your first adult beverage of the holiday, it’s up to you how you choose to explore – they’ve just given you plenty of options.
There’s no bigger testament to the latest hospitality offerings in Terminal 2 than the recently opened Great Northern Market, which brings a rather big taste of the Mackie Mayor vibe to Manchester Airport.
A VERY comfortable place to wind down any wait times before you fly.
You’ll be blown away by the amount of choice on offer in here – we certainly were – and, of course, the multi-vendor culinary destination epicentre is just one of many fantastic food and drink offerings now boasted by the T2 ‘2.0.’
For instance, we could happily spend most of the time before our next hypothetical flight just chilling in the super stylish Fever-Tree Bar, which includes a wonderful range of breakfast and light bites, charcuterie boards, small plates, sandwiches and so on – plus a cocktail menu perfect for any occasion.
Put simply, you’ve now been given all the tools and means to turn downtime of almost any duration into an excuse to explore Manchester Airport at its best; in fact, scratch that: it’s an opportunity to go for a wander and make the most of it – and it’s one you don’t want to waste.
Whether it’s stocking up pre-flight or kicking back with your first drink of many, don’t just be another person sitting watching the departures board, be a terminal explorer.
Sensory-friendly Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week
Emily Sergeant
This week marks the start of Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
Approximately 15-20% of the population has a neurological difference, according to the most recent statistics, and Neurodiversity Celebration Week (16-20 March 2026) highlighting the importance of championing, raising awareness of, and accommodating neurodiverse people.
And Printworks is marking the occasion in its own special way, with a series of new initiatives designed to create a more ‘inclusive’ and ‘sensory-friendly’ environment.
You may already know that the popular indoor entertainment complex in the heart of Manchester city centre is home to more than a dozen bars, restaurants, and leisure activities – including one of the largest IMAX screens on the continent – and Europe’s largest digital ceiling too, of course, but this week’s experience is unlike anything the venue has welcomed before.
Throughout the week, Printworks will be transforming its digital ceiling with calming Northern Lights and constellations which have been specifically designed to create a relaxed, sensory-friendly atmosphere for visitors with additional sensory needs.
Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week / Credit: Supplied
As part of a long-term commitment to accessibility and inclusivity, Printworks is also introducing a weekly sensory-friendly hour every Sunday too, where lighting throughout the venue will be dimmed, and music and SFX volumes reduced for a reduced-stimulus environment.
200 free sensory packs – which can be collected at Vue cinema – with a pair of ear defenders and sensory-friendly toys, designed to support visitors who may benefit from sensory tools while enjoying the venue, are also on offer throughout the course of the week.
On top of this, there’s also a range of autism-friendly cinema screenings taking place on the last Sunday of every month at 10:30am.
An additional autism-friendly screening will be taking place with a showing of Hoppers this Sunday 22 March at 10:30am, with tickets now available from Vue’s website.
“Neurodiversity Celebration Week is an important time for brands and venues to recognise and support the diverse ways visitors and audiences experience the world,” commented Dan Davis, who is the General Manager at Printworks.
Harry Quick -
15th January 2024 
