If the thought of doing multiple dashes to the supermarket for all the many trimmings you need for Christmas is bringing you out in a cold sweat, it might be time to look elsewhere.
Shopping locally, and from a marketplace, can save you time and money as well as massively cutting down on your food waste.
And markets in Greater Manchester don’t get much better than Tommyfield Market, a historic space right in the heart of Oldham.
The vast number of traders based here can sort you out with everything from your meat to fruit and veg to your smoked salmon for Christmas Day breakfast – and even kit you out with a hamper that takes all the hard work out of the day.
Right in the centre of Tommyfield Market is the aptly-named Meat in the Middle, where a steady stream of customers wait patiently for butcher Nikki Fairchild.
Nikki is on a mission to save people money this Christmas. She says: “Every year we do a capon, which is an extremely large chicken and cheaper than a turkey, saving about a tenner.
“They’re very popular with large families because they can feed seven or eight with leftovers.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Nikki has been part of Tommyfield Market since the stall was known as Ashworth’s Butchers – there’s been a meat trader in this spot since 1974.
“It’s just the name that’s changed,” she says. “We still sell the same good products; we always sell local, English, fresh. And we try to keep the costs down – if it comes to us cheaper, that saving goes to the customer. If we can do a deal, we will do it.”
She’s also a big believer in the market’s commitment to selling products that are not just affordable but good value too.
ADVERTISEMENT
Nikki says: “[Shopping here] is cheaper than going to the supermarket and you get a lot more for your money – not just meat, but for anything. It’s a friendly place and it’s reasonable. And there’s a really good atmosphere at Christmas, it’s bustling.”
Next door is Hen House, run by Kelly Bentley, who’s already busy taking orders for their cooked Christmas hampers.
Each hamper, priced between £40 and £100 (and feeding between two-four or 10-12 people) features kilos upon kilos of meat, as well as sauces and pigs in blankets.
Kelly says: “We cook them so people don’t have to cook themselves – it takes the pressure off Christmas Day cause all you end up doing is staying in the kitchen.
“It gives back family time because some only get Christmas Day off, so you can spend it with your kids and playing with toys, you don’t have to worry about the food burning or cooking all night.”
The Hen House started selling its hampers about five years ago and demand has previously caused such ‘bedlam’ that this year the range has been narrowed down so staff can cope.
Kelly started as a Saturday girl at 14 and worked her way up to manager before buying the business.
She thinks demand will be greater than ever because of the high costs of energy bills.
She says: “[We’re] thinking it’s going to be busier this year because of the cost of gas and electricity – the thinking being that people not only don’t have to make it, they don’t have to pay the bill for cooking it too.”
So onto the trimmings, and you want to head to Shaz Dar at Taylor Produce.
ADVERTISEMENT
This institution of Tommyfield Market has been selling fruit and veg for 30 years, including all the usual Christmas trimmings – potatoes, parsnips, carrots etc – as well as catering to an array of cultures and celebrations year-round.
Shaz says: “We’ve got the whole [range] here but Oldham is very multicultural, so we cater to Polish, Pakistani, African [diets] with things like cassava, mooli, yams and chillies.”
He thinks people budgeting more tightly this year might benefit from buying their vegetables loose so as not to overspend or waste food.
“At supermarkets everything is pre-packaged and sold in bags. We do loose stuff so you use what you need that day and that really helps customers.
“We have handpicked fresh produce every day and at a reasonable price, we’re very competitive and keep our prices as low as possible.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Outside the main hall, Mark Crossley has been selling fish from his unit for 35 years and has seen people experiment with their main courses on 25 December. But he thinks this year might be different, with customers spending more cautiously.
“Over the years customers have looked for an alternative Christmas dinner and fish has become an alternative. We’re a diverse town with a widespread customer [base] so families want something else, it’s not just about traditional turkey or a sit-down dinner, it might be salmon, or a buffet,” he explains.
“But it might be different this year with the cost of living. People are [already] diversifying and having cheaper fish: maybe not salmon, maybe red fish [instead]. Products are dearer than they have been and it’s a different time for all of us.
“But in the run-up to Christmas we’ll be here for them and we’ll have plenty of fish products.”
Featured image: Supplied
Sponsored
A huge free careers festival geared towards young creatives is coming to Manchester this week
Daisy Jackson
The Catch22 TikTok Creative Academy and Factory International are hosting a careers festival in Manchester this week, designed to empower young creatives.
The huge free event on Thursday 3 April will take over Aviva Studios, offering everything from speed mentoring to CV clinics to expert talks.
Attendees will be able to have a free headshot taken, meet employers and like-minded creatives, and generally get a feel for how to build a career in the creative industry.
The Career Festival will boost Manchester’s creative future by supporting the next generation of creators, investing in their skills and confidence.
It’s all geared towards young people aged between 16 and 24 who face challenges in finding sustainable careers within the creative industries.
On the day, attendees will be able to receive one-on-one career advice from top industry professionals in speed mentoring sessions, learning from experts in marketing, media, production and more.
They’ll also be able to network with organisations, training providers and employers including Crew gal, Walk the Plank, and Gate Films.
Expert talks will give advice on how to break into the industry, while a CV clinic will help to hone CVs into a stand-out that’ll get a foot straight in the door, along with free headshot portraits.
The Catch22 TikTok Creative Academy and Factory International careers festival. Credit: Mark Crayden Photography
And the whole time attendees will be surrounded by other creatives, building a network that could launch them towards their next big opportunity.
The TikTok Creative Academy, delivered by Catch22 and funded by TikTok, is a free employment program designed to provide vital support to young people aged 16-24 seeking to enter the creative industries.
It’s been specifically targeted towards young people who experience barriers to employment, whether that’s because of challenges like mental health and limited educational attainment, or involvement with the criminal justice system.
The programme itself has a free employment course, offers targeted supports, and opens the door to the industry, fostering networking and career development.
The Catch22 TikTok Creative Academy and Factory International careers festival. Credit: Supplied
It also offers practical skills development and emphasises creative abilities to help young people thrive.
Quote from TikTok Creative Academy Senior Service Manager, Hilda Dotsey: “At Catch22, we are acutely aware of the challenges that young creatives face when it comes to finding sustainable employment in the creative industries and we are about to mark the 1000th person supported into work, training or further education through TikTok Creative Academy.
“With lack of industry insight and experience cited as one of the key barriers to quality creative careers, it is fantastic to be partnering with Factory International once more.
“This event, which celebrates our third year of delivering the programme, will open up pathways for Manchester youth, linking up the next generation of creative talent with industry experts and Manchester’s top creative voices.”
The Catch22 TikTok Creative Academy and Factory International: Career Festival will take place at Aviva Studios from 1pm to 4pm on Thursday 3 April.
You can find out more about Catch22 and the services available HERE.
Inside The Black Friar as Salford pub unveils incredible floral display
Daisy Jackson
Spring has really sprung in Salford – legendary pub The Black Friar has just revealed a sensational makeover, with gigantic flowers sprawled across its frontage and a new seasonal menu to go with it.
The historic pub is celebrating the changing of the seasons with both a striking floral installation and a menu that celebrates spring and Salford in equal measure.
Most Mancs will by now have spotted the 4,000 flower-strong installation that now adorns the front of The Black Friar, with bright pink, yellow and purple flowers spilling from a gigantic pink tap.
And all those florals continue inside, with the pub’s Tavern – previously a cosy winter hideaway – now filled with trailing blooms and woodland installations, just off their award-winning garden.
Cheshire-based artist Kelly Louise Chapman is the woman behind this sensational transformation of the much-loved gastropub.
As for the pub’s kitchen, they’ve crafted a new very seasonal and very British menu, with plenty of nods to Black Friar’s Salford roots.
There are dishes like a Boddingtons braised ox cheek (the pub still proudly displays its Boddingtons sign outside), aged beef tartare, butternut squash and ricotta tortellini, and pan-roasted cod fillet.
Spring small plates at The Black Friar pubDelicious spring drinksInside The Tavern at The Black Friar
A popular item from the Valentine’s Day menu – the Cornish crab vol-au-vent – will be sticking around on the spring menu, along with an enhanced grill section that includes a lamb Barnsley chop cooked over coals.
Then for desserts, you’ll be spoilt with a banoffee knickerbocker glory, and passionfruit panna cotta.
And for drinks (because this is a pub, after all), The Black Friar has put together a range of seasonal drinks like a rose sangria sharer, and non-alcoholic sodas like kaffir lime and coconut.
Ben Chaplin, head chef at The Black Friar, said: “This new menu is all about celebrating the best of spring produce.
“We’ve carefully crafted each dish to highlight fresh, seasonal ingredients and bold flavours, adding new depth to our offerings while still delivering the comfort that will always be associated with The Black Friar.
“My top recommendation and personal favourite dish is the Slow-Cooked Boddingtons Braised Ox Cheek.”
Neil Burke, owner of The Black Friar, commented: “We wanted to bring a taste of spring to The Black Friar, inside and out. This floral installation will transform the space and bring sunshine and smiles, whatever the weather!
“My top recommendation on the new menu is the Cumbrian Spiced Lamb Scotch Egg. It’s EXCEPTIONAL.”
To find out more about The Black Friar and to book a table, visit HERE.