A super spicy wing eating contest is returning to our city by popular demand this year, and you can now put your name down to take part.
Big fan of wings? Consider yourself somewhat of a chicken wing connoisseur? Fancy uniting with thousands of other wing lovers at the world’s biggest chicken wing festival in just a couple of months? Well, you’re in luck – Wing Fest is returning to a popular Greater Manchester location this September, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.
Wing Fest 2022 is set to bring together the UK’s very-best to serve up a whopping 200,000 wings over a two-day period.
In what is always one of the biggest events in the calendar for the region’s foodies, Wing Fest 2022 will this year taking place at The Trafford Centre on Saturday 24 – Sunday 25 September, and here you’ll find 20 different street food traders, restaurants, BBQ teams, and pop-ups from across the country serving up their signature bites, as well as the UK’s finest chicken experts showcasing their culinary skills in a bid to be crowned the ‘Wing King or Queen’.
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There’ll also be bars selling different bourbons and beers, axe-throwing stations, fairground rides, and live music and DJs to set the party atmosphere across the weekend.
But the festival itself is not the only thing making a comeback – what is Wing Fest without an eating challenge?
Wing Fest 2022 is set to bring together the UK’s very-best chicken experts and wing lovers / Credit: Wing Fest UK
If you really claim to be a true wing aficionado, and reckon you can handle the heat, then you’ll probably want to consider taking part in the event’s popular wing eating competitions, which take place on both days of the festival.
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The Lava Wing Challenge – which is this year hosted by Food Review Club and hot sauce legends Clifton Chili Club – sees brave and hungry individuals compete against one another on the main stage to see who can eat the most, and festival organisers proudly say it “causes carnage every year”.
It’s also considered to be “the hottest wing eating challenge in the UK”.
But just how hot are the Lava Wings then? Well, Clifton Chilli Club brews and strengthens the infamous Lava Sauce over a 12-month period and use 15 years of chilli-growing experience to deliver this world-beating, and apparently quite tasty, liquid of fire.
The rules for the eating challenges are simple.
The Lava Wing Challenge sees brave and hungry people compete on the main stage to see who can eat the most / Credit: Wing Fest UK
All you’ll need to do is eat eight Lava Wings as quickly as possible, with the bones sufficiently cleaned, and then you have to wait and feel the burn of the spicy sauce for two minutes, with the first person to complete the two minutes being crowned the winner.
While you can’t drink any milk or water during the challenge, and will need to wait until after, all participants will be provided with safety equipment.
And remember – do not touch your eyes.
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Those taking part in the challenge this year will be up against the two-time champion of the Manchester Wing Fest Lava Wing Competition, Andrew McJimpsey aka The Dizzy Scot, who has confirmed he will be back for more in 2022, and he’s already calling the event the “highlight of [his] year”.
Offering some tips for those looking to take him on, Andrew said: “I think that goes without saying that you have to love wings – but in addition, you have to love the burn. The wings themselves are unbelievably hot.
“Think of the hottest thing you have ever tried and times it by 100 and you’re still not even close to how hot they are.
It’s considered to be “the hottest wing eating challenge in the UK” / Credit: Wing Fest UK
“My secret is something you can’t teach.
“When my body says “give up” my mind says, “this is where winners are made” and when the mind says, “give up”, my heart says “this is where champions are made.”
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“As I always say, “you may take my tastebuds, but you will never take my freedom.”
Keen to give it a go then? To get involved in the Wing Fest 2022 Manchester Lava Wings Challenge, you’ll just need to grab a ticket for the festival and then sign up on the day at the event to enter the challenge.
There’s a coffee subscription service that supports independent Manchester cafes
Daisy Jackson
A raft of Manchester’s very best coffee shops are listed on a subscription service with a difference, supporting independents across the city.
Coffee Club can save caffeine fiends up to £350 a year on their barista-made drinks through discounts at thousands of cafes.
As well as its 25% discounts, the creators of the app are also about to host a massive giveaway of totally free coffee for Mancs.
A van will be driven around the city centre on 5 and 6 October – anyone who snaps it and scans the QR code will be able to claim a free drink from any Black Sheep Coffee locations in Manchester.
The Coffee Club van will be driven around Manchester offering free coffee. Credit: Supplied
The freebies will be on a first-come, first-served basis on both Wednesday 5 and Thursday 6 October – a perfect way to power through to the end of the week.
A giant Coffee Club-branded coffee cup will also be placed in a mystery location in Manchester.
Anyone who snaps a photo of the cup and shares it with the hashtag #sipandsavemcr, also following @wearecoffeeclub on Instagram, will be in with a chance of winning £500 worth of coffee vouchers.
Even if you miss out on the giveaways, Coffee Club can get you big savings on your coffee order.
There are 75 independent businesses around Manchester that are listed on the app, including Ditto Coffee, Foundation Coffee, Bold Street Coffee, Alvarium, Rollers Café, Home Café and Mustard, as well as big-name coffee chains such as Caffe Nero.
You can get 25% off coffee, seven days a week – and the subscription is just £2.99 a month, with a free 30-day trial.
A new NYC-style pizza bar is opening in Warrington’s Time Square
The Manc
A new New York-style pizza bar is opening next month in Warrington’s very own £142 million Time Square development.
Called Parlour, it will serve up its NYC-style pizzas by the slice and as huge 22-inch pies from 11.30am every day.
As well as time-honoured favourites like margarita and pepperoni, Parlour’s pizza options will also a range of specials including a bee-themed pizza with chilli honey and a ‘controversial’ option with a Dr Pepper BBQ sauce.
Elsewhere, look out for The Controversial (tomato, mozzarella, pineapple and roast ham finished with rocket, parmesan and a Dr Pepper sauce), the Club Med (tomato, feta, spiced chicken, red onion) and the Vegan Deluxe (tomato, vegan’duja, courgette ribbons, Roquito pepper pearls, red onion, evoo and vegan parmesan.)
The handcrafted pizzas will be complemented by an eclectic menu of small plates ranging from tater tots and sticky sausages to mac n’ cheese alongside a range of delicious salads and healthy options.
As for drinks, Parlour will stock a range of independently-brewed craft beers and cocktails.
Think craft beers from Manchester favourite Shindigger as well as Liverpool’s Love Lane Brewery and specialty cocktails celebrating a host of locally-made spirits.
You’ll also find classics like the espresso martini and mojito served alongside twists on favourites like the spiced Pornstar, watermelon and black pepper margarita and the Bridge Street zombie, which consists of three rums, balanced with pineapple, orange, guava, passionfruit and lime finished with a drizzle of absinthe.
Elsewhere, weekly ‘Bloody Mary Sundays’ will see Parlour working with the Warrington Market and sourcing different ingredients to create a different Bloody Mary each week.
Elsewhere, look out for The Controversial (tomato, mozzarella, pineapple, and roast ham, finished with rocket, parmesan and a Dr Pepper bbq sauce; Club Med – Tomato sauce, feta, spiced chicken, tomato, red onion and Vegan Deluxe – Tomato sauce, vegan’duja, courgette ribbons, Roquito pepper pearls, red onion, evoo and vegan parmesan.
James Wrigley, Director of Parlour Bar + Eatery, said “It’s not long now until we open our doors and welcome the Warrington community to Parlour.
“We think it will perfectly complement everything that’s going on at Time Square, adding another layer of buzz to an already thriving destination. We’ve been working hard to ensure that we’ve got the food and drink right – it’s a real labour of love and we can’t wait for guests to come and enjoy it.”
Parlour will open its doors on 7 October at Time Square in Warrington.
Emily Sergeant -
29th April 2022 
