ANCOATS continues its quiet march to being the city’s foodie quarter par excellence. Latest addition fills a genuine gap – a weekly source of quality fresh produce.
Until now the only quality food outlet has been Ancoats General Store on Great Ancoats. Now it is about to be joined by the Ancoats Food Assembly, latest in a nationwide collection of independent “online farmer’s markets” – Helen Taylor’s description is the easiest way to get you head around the movement.
Helen hopes to have the Ancoats branch up and running by early September with over a dozen food suppliers on board. Each week customers, who have signed up to the Assembly will be able to order online and collect their goodies (and meet their passionate producers) each Thursday between 5pm and 7pm at the Seven Bro7hers Beerhouse at 33 Blossom Street M4 5AF overlooking Cutting Room Square.
Helen, above, runs her own catering and preserves business, Moveable Feasts out of Chorlton, so why focus on Ancoats? “You are spoiled for choice in food buying in Chorlton; not so on the northern fringe of the city centre,” she tells ToM.
“Ancoats is going to really boom in the next couple of years. We can reach out to a lot of people living around there and across in the Northern Quarter. Even folk working in the city centre buying food on the way home.
“So far, we're in discussions with farmers of organic salad greens & veg, organic potatoes, free-range eggs (lots of varieties!), free-range pork & chicken, beef & venison, Cheshire cheese, home-made pickles and fermented products, and a local dairy farmer who makes delicious ice cream, too.”
Helen was also wary of opening an Assembly too close to the already thriving one in Stretford. Check out our report on South Manchester Food Assembly. It gives you an idea of how it all works in practice.
Its weekly assembly point is the lovely Stretford Sip Club indie bar – a theme developing here? “Bars are convivial gathering places and the brothers are brewing their own beer, which makes then akin to our food producers,” says Helen.
Join the Ancoats Assembly mailing list and keep informed as producers come on board here.