If you’re looking to get stuck into something a little different to kick off October Half Term, then this cookery school in Didsbury has got you covered.
Food Sorcery is hosting its “foodiest weekend ever” this Saturday and Sunday.
If you’re unfamiliar with what Food Sorcery is all about, then down at the school, they host a range of classes – run by a team of professional chefs, all with their own specialist areas of expertise – to give you the opportunity to learn how to create your own restaurant-quality food from scratch at home.
Under the guidance of Food Sorcery’s professionals, you can try your hand at a whole host of cuisines, with everything from Japanese and Sri Lankan, to Thai, Italian and French on the menu.
All classes there are designed to be just as fun as they are informative.
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But what exactly makes this Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 October the cookery school’s “foodiest weekend ever” then? Well, that’s because its playing host to Food Sorcery’s most diverse set of classes yet, with the broadest range of ingredients than ever before.
If you were to travel to all the destinations from around the world that are on this weekend’s cooking agenda, then it would tally up to being over 25,000 miles – not bad for two days in the kitchen, right?
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The jam-packed culinary weekend starts on Saturday in Korea, then visiting Peru with Japanese influences, before going onto a proper Gastropub Sunday lunch in the UK and finally finishing off in the Gujarati region of India to close the weekend.
All you’ll need to do is pick your favourite and join in.
Fancy it then? Here’s just taster of the classes you can stick your name down for.
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Korean Cookery Class
Saturday 23 October
1pm – 4pm | £85
Korean food is some of the healthiest on earth, with an emphasis on vegetables, meats cooked simply and without much oil. It looks beautiful and and is perfect for tasty suppers, so this class offers a mixture of demonstration and hands-on cookery to help you prepare a selection of authentic dishes.
Did you know that Peru has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan itself? This has lead to a fusion of Japanese traditions and Peruvian ingredients, known as Nikkei cuisine – a delicious combination which has influenced chefs everywhere.
This cookery class led by chef Jan Cron brings many of the special cooking techniques to your plate, an explosion of delicate flavours to create something wonderful.
If you love Japanese food and would like to try something new, then this is the class for you.
A gastropub is a hybrid pub, bar, and restaurant, and during this cookery class, you’ll not only take advantage of the chef’s skills showing you how to make pub classics, but also Food Sorcery’s extensive bar and fantastic wine list.
‘Cooking Together’ evenings are the perfect blend of meal out and cookery class – “sociable foodie fun”.
Gujarati vegetarian cuisine originates from Western India and is typically served as a thali – which literally means ‘full plate of food’ – so the dishes cooked during this class are all vegetarian, and simultaneously and distinctively sweet, salty, and spicy.
Chef Nina will introduce curries that many will not have tried before, as well as variations of the firm favourites like dhals and chapatis – be prepared to try something different.
GastroPub Cooking Together & Indian Gujariti / Credit: Food Sorcery
If you’re keen to keep on going, then the fun doesn’t just stop at the weekend as there’s a handful of other classes carrying on throughout half term week too.
Here’s just a few more to get stuck into.
Tastes of Thailand Cookery Class
Thursday 28 October
7pm – 10pm | £85
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Thai cuisine is one of the tastiest foods on the planet, if you ask us – It’s fresh, healthy and potentially mind-blowingly spicy.
At this cookery class – which is a combination of hands-on cooking and demonstration – authentic ingredients are readily available, and the professional chef will explain where and how to source them as you explore the amazing flavours that can be achieved using traditional techniques.
Middle Eastern cuisine is quite-rightly now getting the adoration it deserves, so at this class, you can be inspired with the history and flavours of wonderful dishes, from fabulous falafel that can be used as part of a mezze platter, a light lunch, or a starter to perfect pillowy pilaf that can be the centre piece of a feast and varied with different flavours throughout the year.
‘Cooking Together’ evenings are the perfect blend of meal out and cookery class – “sociable foodie fun”.
Influential indie veterans The Wedding Present to embark on 40th anniversary tour
Danny Jones
Influential indie band The Wedding Present are about to begin a big live tour across the UK for their 40th anniversary, and one stop is right here in Manchester.
As boundary-pushing veterans of the genre for the best part of four decades, The Wedding Present have always been one of the most pioneering auteurs of the Northern music scene, and nothing has changed even after all this time.
The Leeds-formed icons are a favourite not only of ours but even more so among our friends over at The Hoot, and with an artistic legacy as strong as Yorkshire’s, that’s saying something.
David Lewis Gedge’s long-standing project rather quietly announced its major retrospective series of live shows back in June – so quiet, in fact, that we missed it until now – but as they gear up for a handful of very special dates, we’d urge Manc gig-goers to give themselves a Wedding Present.
Gedge and co. will be coming to the O2 Ritz in Manchester for just the second show of merely half a dozen confirmed for The Wedding Present 40th Anniversary Tour, having played the venue many times.
In fact, even after visits featuring live configurations over the years, the current lineup played the Ritz as recently as May 2023; the show was met with strong reviews pretty much across the board, and it seemed to signal somewhat of a falling back in love with the crowds of the North.
For anyone unaware of the self-styled ‘semi-legendary band’ (their PR’s words, not ours), The Wedding Present are probably in similar territory to fellow underdogs and Manc natives, James, when it comes to the amount of music they’ve put out over the years, inspiring generations of those who came after.
You might assume we’d name one of their most famous tracks, ‘George Best’, as our favourite, for rather obvious reasons – but you’d be wrong: it doesn’t get much better than ‘Dreamworld’, if you ask us.
Their rich back catalogue encompasses not only so many different eras but also sounds, styles and various other eccentricities; so much so that their multi-genre-spanning music has even produced its own musical.
But before we dive any deeper down into the rabbit hole, let’s get back on track.
Set to play Manchester on Friday, 10 October, The Wedding Present will be kicking off the tour in Bristol at the start of next month.
There are other dates in the likes of Sheffield, Liverpool, Chester, Holmfirth, Buxton, Newcastle and more, but only a few are officially part of the anniversary tour.
Tickets are live as we speak, so if you fancy going along to see them, you can grab yours HERE.
A unique Manchester attraction is offering FREE entry to anyone who shares its ‘birthday’ month
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most unique attractions is offering free entry for two weeks to celebrate its first birthday.
But there’s a catch… free entry is only granted to people born in one specific month.
Museum of Illusions – which is is one of the largest and fastest-growing private museum chains – is celebrating the first birthday of its debut UK attraction in Manchester this September by giving away free tickets to anyone who shares its birthday month.
Since opening on Market Street in 2024, Museum of Illusions has welcomed more than 200,000 visitors through its doors to experience the dozens of mind-bending illusions and interactive exhibits inside, and has quickly established itself as one of the city’s top attractions in what is a very competitive market.
Manchester’s Museum of Illusions is celebrating its first birthday / Credit: Supplied
Loved by locals and tourists alike, the museum blends fun and education for visitors of all ages, and is fully-accessible too, ensuring everyone can enjoy the fun.
Manchester‘s Museum of Illusions is not only the first in the UK, but it’s also the second-largest in Europe, just behind Copenhagen – so yes, it’s a pretty big deal.
To mark the milestone and celebrate its first anniversary, visitors born in September can enjoy free entry to the museum from Monday 22 September through to Friday 3rd October (excluding weekends).
All they need to do to access this offer is show a valid ID when they arrive.
The museum will also be dressed for the occasion too, adding a birthday touch to its already-captivating mix of optical illusions and immersive exhibits.
“Manchester has truly embraced the Museum of Illusions, and we’re so grateful for all the support we’ve had in our first year,” commented Steve Buchan, who is the General Manager at the Museum of Illusions in Manchester.
The unique attraction is offering free entry to anyone who shares its birthday month / Credit: Supplied
“Welcoming over 200,000 visitors in just 12 months has been incredible.
“Free tickets to anyone celebrating their birthday in September feels like the perfect way to give something back. It’s our way of saying thank you for the incredible support, and of course, to invite even more people to experience the fun, curiosity, and wonder the museum brings.”
Is your birthday in September? You can visit the Museum of Illusions in Manchester anytime from Monday 22 September – Friday 3rd October (excluding weekends).
Emily Sergeant -
21st October 2021 
