IT has been the usual whirl of dinners and demos, street food craft tipple and live music and the final weekend of Manchester Food and Drink Festival shows no sign of letting up.
Street food in the new Cathedral Hub has been particularly despite mixed weather. The current line-up covers the globe: Cyprus Kouzina (traditional island food); Proove (wood-fired pizzas); Vive La Crepe (pancakes French style), Love is Churros (served from vintage horsebox); Chaat Cart (South Indian snacks);Senor Paella (Spanish rice classics); Golden Nugget (small bites); Grandad’s Sausages (gourmet bangers); Parmogeddon (chicken parmo specialists); Backs Deli (Mexican); Thanks a Latte (coffee and Danish pastries); Baratxuri (Basque barbecue).
Crowning glory on Saturday, October 5 looks like being Ramsbottom’s Baratxuri barbecuing half a whole lamb, ready for teatime. Look out too for sea bass, pork ribs, steak, lamb belly, chorizo and wood-fired veg from their firepit (main picture). This isn’t any old BBQ – head chef Rachel Stockley was last year’s Manchester Food and Drink Awards Chef of the Year.
Gorton Monastery will host this year’s awards at a Gala Dinner on Monday, October 7. It’s a splendid line-up of finalists this year and Taste of Manchester www.tasteofmanchester.com will be the first to bring you the result.
Quite a challenge for judges (supported by a public vote, now closed). Just look below at the six brilliant chefs contesting Chef of the Year – Adam Reid (The French), Sam Buckley (Where The Light Gets In), Simon Martin (Mana), Omar Rodriguez (Umezushi), Miquel Villacrossa (Tast Catala) and Aiden Byrne (restaurant MCR).
The six shared a kitchen, cooking a course each, at Tast Catala this week in a special MFDF collab Best in Town Dinner that raised over £12,000 for Action Against Hunger.
Another great chef cooks at the Hub on its final day (Sunday, October 6). Tom Kerridge will be producing a taste of things to come from his hotly anticipated Manchester restaurant within Stock Exchange Hotel, due to open in November.
His MFDF Dining Dome debut in Cathedral Gardens on Sunday, October 6, comprises a special four-course Sunday lunch style meal with specially paired drinks for the occasion. And as a special bonus he’ll be creating the meal for two sittings. All sold out – chase you friends in case they have a spare of this hot ticket.
For the full line up of free music at The City Life stage in the beer tent visit this link. Special mentions for these class acts, The Happy Soul, The Be Positives, The Cassettes, Whoever and the Somethings (pictured above). To help the party swing also check out the, Camden Beer Truck, Cider bar, Montann English Wine Bar and the JJ Whitley Cocktail Garden.
If you want to explore the tipples of your choice more closely why not book An Evening of Rum Decadence with Diablesse (The Dining Dome, Fri Oct 4, 6.30pm, £20 via foodanddrinkfestival.com) or The MFDF Wine and Fizz Festival (Manchester Cathedral, Friday and Saturday, Fri-Sat, Oct 4 and 5, various times (£15 per session via foodanddrinkfestival.com).
Or maybe you just want to hone your cookery technique? Then Saturday Skills Kitchen – (The Dining Dome, Sat Oct 5, free) is for you. 1pm, it’s a Pastry Workshop with Lee Wakeham from H.M. Pasties in Droylsden; 2pm, a Pasta Masterclass with Maurizio Cecco from Salvi’s; 3pm, Chocolate workshop with Masterchef finalist David Crichton
For further information on all events visit the Festival website. Or follow @MFDF19 on Twitter, @MFDF2019 on Instagram or check out the Manchester Food and Drink Festival Facebook page. The print brochure is available across Greater Manchester.
