A family-owned independent cheesemaking business is setting out to buck the usual cheese trends and transform people’s eating and shopping habits.
Butlers Farmhouses Cheeses, the masterminds behind Blacksticks blue cheese, want to snap people out of buying the same cheeses every time they’re in the supermarket.
Instead, they say, you can switch out popular choices like cheddar and feta for blue, which isn’t just for your Christmas cheeseboard.
Cheese toasties, salads, burgers, and even beans on toast all pair perfectly with a good helping of Blacksticks, whether you’re slicing, grating or toasting it.
You might’ve spotted these words – ‘Rules are there to be sliced, grated and toasted’ – around Manchester already – Butlers’ have been loudly spreading the word of Blacksticks all over buses, billboards and beyond.
They say they want to ‘awaken people to new, accessible blue cheese-eating occasions’.
Blacksticks has been spreading the word about blue cheese through huge adverts around Manchester. Credit: Supplied
Matthew Hall, fourth-generation owner at Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses, explains: “More households buy cheese than toilet roll! Yet people buy into the same cheeses on autopilot over and over.
“There is so much joy to be had by injecting mega flavour into more of those cheese-eating moments with speciality British cheeses like Blacksticks.”
The business has conducted research that has found people love eating blue cheese at Christmas but often don’t carry on eating (arguably) the world’s best cheese through the rest of the year.
Matthew said: “Our Christmas sales tell us that people love Blacksticks, so we know that’s not the barrier.
“Finding it relevant, is, and so we want to help cheese lovers discover Blacksticks and make it more accessible to them.”
There’s a whole new range of Blacksticks designed to make blue cheese slot into your everyday cooking, from the Blacksticks Mega Melts which are ideal for melting on top of burgers to the Blacksticks Everyday, which can be easily sliced, grated, and added to just about anything you fancy eating.
As for why they’ve chosen Manchester to launch their campaign, Matthew said: “Not only are we a local business, Mancunians challenge, break the rules and innovate in food, music, arts and culture. There is such a strong sense of identity here, Manchester carves its own path, which is exactly what we see for Blacksticks.”
Blacksticks is available to buy in all major supermarkets including Asda, Booths, Co-op, Morrisons, M&S, Sainsburys, Tesco, Waitrose as well as in independents, delis and for online delivery direct from the dairy to your front door at butlerscheeses.co.uk.
Manchester’s largest outdoor ice rink is returning to the city centre this festive season
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s massive outdoor ice rink has been confirmed for a return to Cathedral Gardens once again this festive season.
Skate Manchester has always been a festive staple of our city centre, and there’s also a flurry of other frozen events and activities planned for 2025 too – including the return of the Scare Skate for Halloween.
Following success in previous years, Scare Skate returns this spooky season, and families, friends, and festive fun seekers visiting the rink this season can expect Halloween-themed music, lighting, and themed props to ignite the fright factor.
After Halloween, the magic continues as the rink transforms into a festive wonderland.
Manchester’s largest outdoor ice rink is returning to the city centre this festive season / Credit: Supplied
Skaters can expect to glide across a gleaming ice path and spin around a dazzling seven-metre Christmas tree taking centre stage in the middle of the rink.
You’ll be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas whatever the weather has in store for our city this year too, as although the rink will be outdoors in the heart of Cathedral Gardens, the ice is fully covered.
The rink will also offer a variety of skate sessions tailored to meet the needs of all visitors, which includes dedicated quiet and toddler sessions designed for a more relaxed environment, along with discounted tickets and weekly events for students.
New this year is the Skate on and Skate off ‘Pit Lane’ available during skating for those needing a break and a hot chocolate or mulled wine, plus a VIP ticket option allowing for a fast-track entry into the rink.
Super early bird tickets are now available to buy / Credit: Supplied
Skate Manchester is also one of the most sustainable events in the UK, thanks to being partially powered by the grid.
“We’re proud to bring one of the top five largest ice rinks in the UK to Manchester once more, as part of our mission to create magical and sustainable winter events that will set the standard for winter attractions globally,” commented Rob Derry, who is the Director at Tamarisk Events, the company that coordinates the event.
“By being partially powered by the grid, Skate Manchester is one of the more environmentally responsible attractions of its kind, allowing visitors to enjoy the magic of skating with a lighter footprint.”
Skate Manchester will be returning to the city on Saturday 25 October and running right up until Sunday 4 January 2026, with super early bird tickets now available to get your hands on, and discounted family tickets and student night tickets also available.
You can find more information and to book tickets here.
Featured Image – Supplied
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12 exciting new openings you NEED to know about at Cheshire Oaks over this past year
Emily Sergeant
Cheshire Oaks is already the UK’s largest designer outlet, but it’s been getting even bigger and better this past year.
Since originally opening back in 1995, the iconic shopping destination has gone from strength to strength over the past 30 years, having been extended on a number occasions to now boast more than 400,000 sq ft of retail space.
With over 4,000 employees and more than 21 million items sold annually across 140 stores and 19 food outlets, it’s safe to say Cheshire Oaks stands as the go-to destination in North West – and if it wasn’t already a shopper’s paradise enough as it is, 12 businesses have either opened their doors or had a refurb at the Designer Outlet within this past year.
If you were thinking of planning a trip to Cheshire Oaks, then now couldn’t be a more ideal time, so let us bring you up to speed on everything you may have missed.
We popped over recently to check out all the new openings.
Nike
There’s not much we need to say about Nike, really.
It’s already a world-famous sportswear brand, and has been a popular presence at Cheshire Oaks for a good number of years now, but late last year in October, the store had itself a show-stopping upsized refit, and is now the largest Nike outlet in the UK, so it’s well worth a visit.
PANGAIA
This is an exciting one, as this is the only Pangaia outlet store in the UK.
Opening its doors at Cheshire Oaks in early November last year, PANGAIA is an ethical clothing and lifestyle brand that designs products for ‘living in’, and prides itself of producing products with smart technology and using as many sustainable materials as possible.
Lindt
Lindt was already a go-to destination for chocolate lovers at Cheshire Oaks, but last summer, it moved to a bigger – and many would say, better – new location at the outlet, and has been satisfying the sweet tooth of thousands of shoppers this year.
The new location has an ice cream window, and was even one of the first few stores to get the limited-edition Dubai Pistachio Chocolate when it first released.
Nike, Joe & The Juice, and Lindt are three of the brands to open new or bigger stores at Cheshire Oaks / Credit: The Manc Group
Joe & the Juice
You may remember that Joe & The Juice opened its doors in Manchester city centre early this year, and it was a huge deal, with juice and Tunacado-loving fans lining the streets to become one of the first to step inside – but before that, the viral brand actually arrived at Cheshire Oaks fist.
Joe & The Juice opened at Cheshire Oaks last August, making it the brand’s first outlet location at the time, and it’s the perfect place to stop off for a bite to eat.
Gail’s
Another viral brand to open its first-ever outlet location at Cheshire Oaks last year was Gail’s Bakery, bringing its artisan bakes into the heart of the shopping experience and providing customers with a comforting place to refuel.
The opening of Gail’s at Cheshire Oaks last October was one of a number of other North West openings, including several in Greater Manchester and Cheshire.
Crocs
Arguably no brand has had a bigger resurgence these past couple of years than Crocs, which is why it was such a big deal that the first dedicated Crocs store to open in the UK since its return to the country was at Cheshire Oaks last summer.
Opening its doors in June 2024, Cheshire Oaks’ Crocs store is the perfect place to hit up if you’re looking for a pair of your own.
Viral bakery chain Gail’s, and English luxury clothing brand Sunspel have also opened doors / Credit: The Manc Group
Barbour
Barbour is a family-owned British heritage brand that was established in the North East of England all the way back in 1894, and since then, has gone on to become a beloved part of the country’s fashion landscape.
So it was only right that Barbour got to move into an even bigger and better store at Cheshire Oaks last summer.
Abercrombie & Fitch
We may have already talked about one brand’s big resurgence, but Abercrombie & Fitch is another global label that’s also been enjoying renewed popularity in recent years – so it only made sense that it would open an outlet location at Cheshire Oaks.
The American fashion brand known for its trendy, collegiate-inspired casualwear and accessories opened last November.
Sunspel
Founded in Nottingham back in 1860, Sunspel is an English luxury clothing brand that’s best known for boxer shorts, t-shirts, and polo shirts, and it opened its first and only outlet location over at Cheshire Oaks last August.
You can also shop inside new Abercrombie & Fitch, ESPA, and Crocs stores / Credit: The Manc Group
ESPA
A staple in spas nationwide, ESPA is a well-loved luxury skincare brand producing products that go beyond the everyday skincare regimen to nourish and nurture your skin – but up until April of this year, you could only ever find the products online or in spas themselves.
That was until ESPA opened its first-ever – and to this day, only – physical store at Cheshire Oaks, and it’s so stunning inside.
Kids Around
Cheshire Oaks isn’t just a Designer Outlet for grown-ups, its a kids’ shopping paradise too.
That’s why Kids Around opened its doors last June with a ‘unique experience’ bringing together the most beautiful high-end children’s fashion collections – with brands such as Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Kenzo Kids, Hugo Boss, and Chloé to choose from.
Chit ‘n’ Chaat
Chit ‘n’ Chaat is an absolute Manchester institution at this point – no arguments there.
The beloved Indian street food restaurant is Manchester born and bred, and already has a number of popular locations in places like Cheadle, Rusholme, Deansgate Square, and most-recently the Trafford Centre, but in case you didn’t know, it also opened a new site at Cheshire Oaks earlier this year in April too.
So if you’re looking for a place to stuff your face before shopping till you drop, then stop off here for a proper Indian feast.
Daisy Jackson -
5th August 2024 
