It’s true that no one loves a pie quite like us Northerners, but it seems there’s a Southerner giving us a run for our money.
Reckon you’ve got an appetite for pies?
Well, whatever you think about the size of your stomach when it comes to pastry chomping, the likelihood is that it isn’t as large as that of Max Stanford.
Amateur competitive eater Max – who is known as Max vs Food online and is currently ranked number two in the British Eating League – recently took on a pie and mash challenge and scoffed down 18 pies, as well as seven large helpings of mash and liquor, all in less than 45 minutes.
Yes, as mad as it sounds, he managed to defeat this 8,000 calorie beast in under an hour.
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Max Stanford
The London-native completed the challenge at well-known traditional pie and mash eatery Manzes in Peckham and successfully consumed a five kilogram plate that was said to be “the size of a toddler” in just three quarters of an hour.
Speaking to LADbible about tackling the challenge, Max said: “I ate 18 traditional beef pies and seven portions of mash and liquor weighting a total of 5kg/11lb from Manze’s Pie and Mash shop in Peckham, which I finished in 43 minutes.
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“It was definitely one of the hardest and biggest food challenges I have ever done.”
He’s managed to complete a wide range of challenges in the past, but nothing compares to this one.
He continued: “I could think of nothing better than pie, mash and liquor. I’ve always gone to the Manzes pie and mash shop throughout my childhood with my Dad.”
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Taking to social media to congratulate “incredibly nice guy” Max on successfully completing the challenge, Manzes Pie and Mash said: “We welcomed Max into our Peckham shop. [He] has grown up eating pie and mash and he wanted to challenge himself – well boy did he do that,
“18 pies, [seven] mash and a load of liquor in under 45 minutes – he awaits a challenger.”
They also wished him “good luck” with the competitive eating and admitted that he is “smashing it”.
You can watch Max conquer the 8,000 calories on YouTube here:
We’re full from just watching that.
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After successfully managing to pull off this monster of a challenge, we think Max deserves an honorary Northerner title for this one, right? He could relocate to Wigan anytime.
Nice one, mate.
You can keep up to date with Max Stanford’s latest eating challenges on Instagram and YouTube.
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Hello Oriental opens new ‘seriously affordable’ Asian food hall at the Trafford Centre
Emily Sergeant
Manchester gem Hello Oriental is finally opening its new Asian food hall at the Trafford Centre this weekend.
The renowned East Asian street food hub has already taken Manchester city centre by storm since opening its original venue at Circle Square, just off Oxford Road, back in February 2022, and been has receiving rave reviews ever since – with critics notably calling the experience “a lot of fun” and “seriously affordable”.
But now, the Manchester-founded brand has chosen the Trafford Centre as the first UK shopping centre location to bring its trademark street food dining concept to.
There’ll be more than 100 delicious dishes for customers to choose from when the new site opens in the Upper Orient this Saturday.
Hello Oriental has opened a new Asian food hall at the Trafford Centre / Credit: The Manc Group
Hello Oriental owners and childhood best friends, Ricky Yip and Azim Kourah, say they have selected some of the most popular dishes from the Manchester city centre site’s extensive menu for the new Trafford Centre restaurant.
This means diners at the Trafford Centre can enjoy traditional dishes from across East Asia – including a wide range of Dim Sum, hearty main dishes like Taiwanese pork belly with rice, traditional favourites like beef Ho fun, and loads of different Cantonese roast meats.
There’ll also be a wide selection of street food available, like Korean fried chicken, loaded katsu chicken fries, and three varieties of sticky chicken wings.
There’s also plenty for the little Mancs to tuck into too, as there’ll be a full kid’s menu available at the new Trafford Centre site, with options for both those with “adventurous” junior palates, to those who prefer “more familiar” tastes.
“We’re so excited to open in the Trafford Centre and give shoppers the chance to try our dishes from across East Asia,” commented co-owner, Ricky Yip, ahead of the new opening.
“Many of the dishes on the menu were enjoyed by Azim and I growing up, cooked by my family, or served in family restaurants, and it’s wonderful to see other families come to Hello Oriental to enjoy these flavours.”
Hello Oriental will be opening at the Trafford Centre this Saturday (1 February), with thousands of prizes to give away to celebrate Lunar New Year.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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A coffee shop in Manchester is giving away hundreds of FREE croissants today
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of croissants are being handed out for free today from a coffee shop in Manchester for a special reason.
In case you didn’t know, today (Thursday 30 January) is National Croissant Day, and apparently, Manchester is a city of serious pastry lovers, as the Cross Street branch of national coffee shop chain, Pret A Manger, is actually the top-selling Pret pastry shop in the whole of the UK – with the Chocolate Croissant, in particular, reigning supreme as the customer favourite.
Pret customers are said to devour around 17 million pastries a year, with the humble croissant being the most popular pick.
So, to celebrate Manchester’s love of sweet flaky pastries, and to mark National Croissant Day itself, Pret will be handing out a whopping 300 croissants for completely free of charge from its store on Cross Street, in the heart of the city centre.
A coffee shop in Manchester is giving away hundreds of free croissants today / Credit: PICRYL
You can claim one of the 300 free croissants with any coffee purchase today, but it’s only while stocks last, so you’ll need to be quick.
There’s three different croissants to choose from – the All Butter, Chocolate, or Almond Croissant.
“At Pret, we pride ourselves on serving our customers pastries freshly baked that same day,” commented Anna Tebbs, who is the UK Head of Food at Pret, ahead of the big giveaway.
“With around 17 million pastries sold each year, it’s clear our customers can’t get enough of these flaky favourites, so we’re thrilled to celebrate National Croissant Day by giving back to croissant fans with a special treat.
They’re only available for one day from Pret on Cross Street / Credit: Supplied
“Whether it’s a classic All Butter or a rich Croissant Almond, there’s a pastry for every taste, and a day like this is all about enjoying them to the fullest.”
To get your hands on a buttery flaky croissant to start your day, all you’ll need to do is visit the Cross Street Pret shop today, the earlier the better to be sure there’s still some left, and order any barista-made coffee drink, then you’ll get to pick which type of croissant you’d like to take away with you.
Emily Sergeant -
24th September 2020 
