Book now: Our Top 10 Countdown to the Manchester Food and Drink Festival
JUST a few weeks to the 21st Manchester Food and Drink Festival and it really is time you got you booked in for some of the sumptuous events on offer this year. Tickets for most events at the futuristic new Dining Dome at the Albert Square Hub can be sourced through the Festival website. Here’s a taster of our Top Ten Events you’d be mad to miss, starting with a G&T snifter or two – always a ToM essential…
1 Gin Festival at Upper Campfield Market Three days of juniper-infused heaven , curated by the effervescent Gin Lounge, inside an iconic Victorian market hall – it doesn’t get much better than this, gin fans. Attendees can sip their way around the festival, trying spectacular gins, enjoying gin cocktails and learning about the botanical spirit at this brand-new festival dedicated to the nation’s favourite tipple.
There are four sessions across the three days. Tickets to these sessions include entry to the festival, a programme, a commemorative glass, gin sampling from dozens of distilleries, plus entry to gin masterclasses. All the gins sampled will be available to buy from the festival shop. Exhibitors at the MFDF Gin Fest include Bathtub Gin, Lakes Gin, Unicorn Tears Gin Liqueur and Whittaker’s London Dry Gin – with many more to be announced.
Upper Campfield Market, Barton St, Manchester M3 4NN. Fri Sep 28-Sun Sep 30. Early bird tickets are first come first served and cost £22.50 or 2 for £40 for the 3-hour session on Friday and for the 4-hour sessions on Saturday and Sunday cost £25, or 2 for £45. Taster Tickets cost £15 and allow access to the festival for two hours (available for daytime sessions only). Tickets are on sale here. All ticket prices are exclusive of booking fee. Sessions: Fri Sep 28, 6pm-9pm; Sat Sep 29, 12pm-4pm and 5pm-9pm; Sun Sep 30, 12pm-4pm.
2 Big Indie Wine Fest After a fabulous debut in Manchester Hall’s grand, Grade II listed surrounds last year, Festival fave the Big Indie Wine Fest will be returning for an extra special, bigger-than-ever event with an extra session added for a three-day tasting extravaganza, suitable for wine buffs and novices alike. Expect a stunning breadth of wines from around the globe from merchants such as Commanderie Bordeaux, Cordoniu and Veeno.
Manchester Hall, 36 Bridge Street. Fri 5 Oct-Sun 7 Oct. Sessions: Fri 6pm-9pm; Sat 2pm-5pm and 6pm-9pm; Sun 2pm-5pm. £15, book via www.foodanddrinkfestival.com
3 The Loft Sessions – Creating exceptional drinks experiences The Loft only opened in March but Pernod Ricard UK’s multi-purpose event/bar space has made a huge impression. For MFDF they are running a series of masterclasses and blending sessions promoting three of their key brands – Kahlua, Campo Viejo wines and Chivas Regal Whisky. There are two sessions devoted to each drink daily, so you are spoilt for choice.
Craft Your Own Whisky with Chivas Regal: Learn how to blend a bespoke 200ml bottle of whisky.
Enrol in a Kahlua Cocktail Masterclass: Be the friend that makes that killer Espresso Martini.
The Campo Viejo Light Sensory Experience: An evening designed to stimulate even your sixth sense.
The timings for these daily sessions are:Kahlua Cocktail Masterclass (£10) 5pm-5.30pm and 8pm-8.30pm; Campo Viejo Sensory Activation (£10) 3.30pm-4pm and 7pm-7.30pm; The Blend (£15) 2pm-3pm and 5.30pm-4.30pm.
The Loft, 13 Quay Street, Manchester, M3 3HN. Fri Sep 28-Sun Sep 30 and Thu 4 Oct 4-Sun Oct 7. £10-£15 a session. For enquiries and to book visit http://www.theloftmanchester.com or email [email protected]
4 Jasmine Hemsley and Trove Supper Club Wellness goddess, lifestyle guru, founder of Hemsley + Hemsley, Jasmine is coming up for a special collaboration with MFDF and the award-winning artisans of Trove Bakery to create an Ayurvedic menu inspired by Jasmine’s latest book East by West. It will all be paired with Trove’s natural wine collection.
The Dining Dome, Festival Hub, Albert Square. Sat Sep 29. 7.30pm. £50, book via www.foodanddrinkfestival.com
5 Hatch Pop-up Supper Club Hatch, the new pop-up food, drink and retail destination on Oxford Road and a selection of its fantastic street food traders will be taking over the Dining Dome for the evening staging a special Hatch Supper Club. Each course will be provided by one of their top notch, home-grown and independent street food heroes: Firebird Hope, Cooking with Mama Z, Woks Cluckin, Well Hung and Tarricrii. The menu will be paired with beers from Öl – Hatch’s on site nano brewery and topped off with coffees and desserts from Takk, the artisan coffee house also situated at Hatch.
The Dining Dome, Festival Hub, Albert Square. Thu Oct 4. 7.30pm. £50, book via www.foodanddrinkfestival.com
6 Fiona Beckett – Six wines that shaped my career Wine guru Fiona will be showcasing the key bottles in her life in The Dining Dome. Best known for her regular Saturday column in The Guardian, she lso writes for National Geographic Travel Food magazine, is restaurant critic for Decanter, while also publishing her own website. How did she reach this eminence? Expect some answers from this biographical journey across her 25 years in the profession.
The Dining Dome, Festival Hub, Albert Square. Sat Oct 6. 6.30pm. £25, inc all six wines,book via www.foodanddrinkfestival.com
7 The Rabbit Pop Up Dinner with Seven Bro7hers Rabbit head chef John Granaghan has joined forces with Seven Bro7hers Brewery to bring his Asian-inspired fine dining experience to the MFDF Dome. The evening will be a unique opportunity to experience an exclusive pairing menu curated especially for the night – the Rabbit’s intense flavours, combined with Seven Bro7hers Brewery’s expertly brewed hops. Set menu includes a four beer pairing.
The Dining Dome, Festival Hub, Albert Square. Mon Oct 1. 7.30pm. £55, book via www.foodanddrinkfestival.com
8 Caviar and Champagne Tasting with Randall & Aubin’s Ed Baines Bridge Street’s fabulous Randall & Aubin team up with The Gourmet Caviar House to present a rare gastro opportunity. Guests will be guided through the restaurant’s house Champagnes, partnered by some of the most exquisite caviars around, in the expert hands of R&A founder Ed Baines and ambassadors from the Gourmet Caviar House.
The Dining Dome, Festival Hub, Albert Square. Tue Oct 2. 7.30pm. £25, book via www.foodanddrinkfestival.com
9 Spanish Feast by Lunya, Baratxuri and Evuna The city’s spectacular Spanish restaurant scene is celebrated by this extraordinary food fiesta as three of its finest collaborate to showcase that country’s regional cuisines – from Catalunya to Basque country and beyond. A glorious evening of authentic, artisan ingredients and stunning wines from Barton Arcade Catalan deli/eaterie Lunya, Ramsbottom’s Basque pintxos experts Baratxuri, Altrincham tapas kings Porta and Evuna, Spanish wine and food specialists on Deansgate, in the Northern Quarter and Knutsford.
The Dining Dome, Festival Hub, Albert Square. Fri Oct 5. 7.30pm. £55, book via www.foodanddrinkfestival.com
10 Vegan Beers and Bites with Brooklyn Brewery Cult beers, fabulous street food providers and comedy – sounds like the perfect recipe for a great night in most people’s books. Add to this an ethical slant and you’ve got yourself an evening of food, fun and debate, too. New York’s Brooklyn Brewery has led the field in highlighting how the food and drink industry can decrease its environmental impact. On the night the likes of Bundobust and Wholesome Junkies will be among those providing three courses of delicious, ethically sourced vegan produce matched by a range of Brooklyn beers, while comedian/electronic musician Fat Roland will be entertaining the crowd. All proceeds will go to Festival charity Action Against Hunger.
The Dining Dome, Festival Hub, Albert Square. Sun Oct 7. 7.30pm. £30, book via www.foodanddrinkfestival.com