This year, Her Majesty the Queen, Elizabeth II, became the first British Monarch ever to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee. This marks an incredible 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth. Whether you’re a Royalist or not, you must admit, that’s quite a shift and the Queen’s seven decades of devotion to public service deserves a toast or two.
To celebrate this unprecedented anniversary, special events are taking place over a four-day bank holiday weekend from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June. Here’s a roundup of some of the Jubilee food and drink celebrations taking place across Greater Manchester.
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The Queen’s Jubilee Trail will see ten stunning floral installations located across the city centre on King Street, St Ann’s Square, New Cathedral Street, Manchester Arndale and more. Additional venues and areas across the city centre including Printworks, Stock Exchange Hotel, Albert Schloss, Dakota Hotels, First Street, Great Northern Warehouse, Hyatt Manchester, One Piccadilly Gardens, The Refuge, Science & Industry Museum and The Oast House will also come into bloom as part of The Manchester Flower Show fringe.
Exchange Square will be Flower Show Square home to the show’s main stage featuring entertainment, talks and live music. Delicious food will be available from Maray and Hello Oriental, with a percentage of sales supporting local charity, Eat Well MCR. There will also be a Harvey Nichols x Manchester Gin Bar on New Cathedral Street with a specially curated menu of cocktails featuring special drinks The Spirit of Manchester Distillery.
The Manchester Flower Show Cocktail Trail offers floral inspired cocktails at some of the city’s best bars and restaurants including Franco Manca, Grand Pacific, Kala Bistro, Miller & Carter, Starbucks, Tast Catala and Urban Playground. To find out more click here.
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To celebrate the Queens Jubilee, The Alan is inviting all people called Elizabeth to dine for free in the hotels design-led restaurant from Thursday 2 – Sunday 5 June, all you have to do is quote ‘Elizabeth’ upon booking and bring your ID along with you. T&Cs apply.
The hotel is also running a competition, due to go live on their Instagram page this week, for you to nominate someone you know called Elizabeth who you feel deserves to be treated like a QUEEN for the day – they’ll receive a complimentary overnight stay at The Alan plus dinner and drinks over bank holiday weekend.
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Shoryu Ramen Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Set Menu
The Japanese have a great deal of respect for the royal family – their own monarchy dates back at least 1,500 years, making it the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world. With this in mind, the authentic Japanese restaurant, Shoryu Ramen has announced the launch of a Jubilee feast with themed cocktails.
The limited-edition three course set menu is available from 16 May until 5 June, priced at £27 per person including a lavender gin & tonic or alcohol-free Seedlip & tonic, both served with Merchant’s Heart tonic and a Queen’s Platinum Jubilee decoration.
Starters include a soft fluffy BBQ Pork Bun or the vegetarian pumpkin croquette bun. Guests then get to choose between the signature Shoryu Ganso Tonkotsu, a rich 12-hour pork broth ramen, or the vegan white natural ramen with tonyu soy milk, tofu, kikurage mushrooms, bamboo shoots nori and broccoli.
For dessert, two scoops of Shoryu’s incredible ice cream are included with a range of flavours including matcha, chocolate miso, salted caramel miso, yuzu and black sesame.
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British themed Garden Party at 20 Stories
Celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee at Manchester’s highest restaurant and bar 20 Stories where the stunning roof terrace will play host to a ‘right royal’ British party on Thursday 2nd June.
From 2pm - 4pm there will be live music from the resident DJ and a quintessentially British Afternoon Tea served alongside stunning views of Manchester on the 19th floor of No.1 Spinningfields.The afternoon tea includes a selection of sandwiches, signature cakes and desserts, including a Pornstar martini cheesecake and cherry, pistachio & tonka bean Jaffa cake.
Guests can also enjoy drinks and dishes from the 20 Stories Terrace Menu. Tables can be booked via this link.
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Four day festival weekender at Ducie Street Warehouse
Expect a jam-packed programme of events as part of ‘Scandalous Affair’ which will take place from Wednesday 1st until Sunday 5th June 2022. The free to enter long weekender will see live performances, from cabaret to drag queens, and the finest DJs gracing the venue – both inside the warehouse-chic venue and the beautiful South-facing terrace. Alongside this entertainment, the space will be full of delicious food, highlights include the ultimate BBQ experience on the terrace which will be available until sundown.
Ducie Street Warehouse will present its famous big disco brunch on Saturday 4th June with bottomless cocktails and Moët & Chandon champagne. Drag queens will be dressed up in royal attire alongside The Nialist and Fat Britney on sound-track duty from 11am until 4pm when the party moves to the lounge and terrace until 1am to present Supernature Disco – with text request line DJs on from 9pm.
Closing off the weekender will be the ‘Recharge & Reset’ Sunday brunch menu alongside the warehouse’s Sunday with Sides menu, featuring all the classic roasts, trimmings and the warehouse’s menu dedicated to cauliflower cheese.
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Jubilee Carvery Throne at Bramley Farm, Altrincham
The Bramley Farm team in Altrincham, part of the dining and carvery brand Farmhouse Inns, has commissioned a royal throne made from classic carvery ingredients. The carvery throne was created by renowned food artist Nathan Wyburn, who uses a range of non-traditional items such as household goods and foodstuffs to create stunning works of art, such as a portrait of HRH Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall back in 2018.
The throne, consisting of Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes and vegetables, was commissioned by Bramley Farm General Managers Juilanne Martin and Donna Piling, to mark the upcoming Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Farmhouse Inns will also be temporarily rebranding to Ma’amhouse Inns over the four-day bank holiday weekend, with a brand-new royal banner added to the exterior of the pub.
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Jubilee Celebrations at The Bird at Birtle
Patriotic local chef Andrew Nutter loves a royal celebration (or any celebration to be fair) so he’s inviting customers to his Rochdale gastro pub to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee in style on Friday 3rd June.The venue will be open 12pm until 6pm with live music, local artists and children’s entertainment and they’ll also be streaming the live footage from London.
The team will be serving a variety of small and large tapas-style plates, ranging from £7.50 to £12.50. These include Welsh rarebit crostini and classic prawn cocktail as well as fish & chips and a strawberries and cream cheesecake. Call now to book a table on 01706 540 500.
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Imperial Afternoon Tea at Dhoom Dhaam
For the Queens Jubilee celebrations Didsbury’s Indian restaurant Dhoom Dhaam will serving their take on afternoon tea between 3rd until 12th June. Veggie and non-veggie options will be available, and the multi-layered treat includes chicken or veg kathi roll, sev puri, pani puri shots, halwa, and the super sweet gulab jamun. To drink, guests can choose between two mocktails, cocktails or glasses of Prosecco. The limited-edition afternoon tea costs £29.95 for two people. Book HERE.
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Dirty Jubilee Drag Queen afternoon tea at Yard and Coop
The Northern Quarter fried chicken specialists will be hosting a special one-off Royal affair on Friday 3rd June 12-2pm with a triple layered fried chicken afternoon tea with cocktails (£25pp).
On tier one you’ll find a big ol’ bowl of fries loaded with their famous cheese sauce, buttermilk fried chicken + crispy smoked bacon. Smothered in spicy bee’s knees, Dr Pepper BBQ + blue cheese.
Tier two sees buffalo ranch + Stateside BBQ buttermilk fried chicken wings, crispy hand cut onion rings, ‘not chicken’ talgani nugz + their classic creamy mac n’ cheese. The dessert tier includes Kinder Bueno cookie pie, dulce de leche sea salt brownie, marshmallows + fresh strawberries with drizzly choccy sauce. Plus – a cocktail of your choice is included!
Your fave local Drag Queens are joining in with this special event, bedecked in their finest Crown Jewels – so expect a fabulous Royal Variety Performance to shake the house down. BOOK NOW
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Cider Fête, Family Fridays and Disco Bingo Jubilee weekend at GRUB
Between 1st June - 4th June 2022, GRUB will host an array of alternative events to celebrate the Jubilee Bank Holiday. This includes a two-day Red Bank Cider Fête in partnership with Hogan’s Cider with a range of over 45 fine ciders and perries from the best producers in the UK. Tickets can be found HERE and include entry to the event, access to the full range of ciders and perries including all the bars and guest taps and branded glass to take home.
A British themed edition of their free Family Fridays on 3rd June combines crafting, kids film screenings, outdoor play activities, seed planting and our indoor kids playroom (GRUBlets).There will also be grub and booze for the parents to enjoy. For more event information and to get tickets, click HERE.
There will also be a special edition of their sell out Disco Bingo event – their take on musical bingo where they combine all your favourite bangers with classic bingo hall vibes. - Britpop Bingo will be a Jubilee special edition on 4th June where we celebrate the kings and queens of UK 90’s indie. Standard tickets include entry and a house drink on arrival, whilst bottomless tickets include 90 minutes of bottomless drinks.
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Jubilee weekend specials at Gusto
Italian restaurant and bar Gusto, who have sites including Didsbury, Deansgate and Alderley Edge, has developed two new specials in honour of Queen Elizabeth II; a cocktail and a pudding fit for a queen. Available from Thursday 2nd June to Monday 6th June, those celebrating the jubilee can enjoy The Crown crafted by Irene, a floor supervisor at Gusto Manchester. It has been inspired by two of the most classic British beverages, gin and tea. This cocktail is a blend of Beefeater Gin, Lanique Rose Liqueur, berry & cherry purée, lemon and cranberry juice, garnished with a raspberry dust crown.
Queen of Hearts is an Italian twist on an Eton mess, devised by Gusto Cookridge’s Head Chef Jay. The dessert combines the finest British seasonal fruits with indulgent Italian ingredients. Vanilla custard topped with rhubarb compote, crushed meringue, mascarpone, raspberries, and sweetened dough fingers, garnished with raspberry dust.
To book your jubilee visit, head to gustorestaurants.uk.com
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Five days of disco and discounts at Nell’s NY Pizza and bar at Kampus
Starting on Wednesday 1st June, MCR based DJ collective Me Gusta will be bringing the tunes and live percussion from 7pm until late. Calling All Queens on Thursday 2nd June for a drag karaoke, bingo and quiz extravaganza - hosted by Miss Blair & Lill with Girls Night Out DJ Monopoly Phonic on the decks and performances from YOU. 7pm - late.
On Friday Meme Gold will be kicking off Happy Hour from 4pm until 8pm, with £5 cocktails and pizza deals. Followed by a live set from Superlative and Karis Jade, bringing their modern trap-inspired beats and hip-hop flavour. Princess Anna then takes us into the evening, spinning from 8:30pm until late.
Saturday sees Fat Camp taking over the decks as Fat Britney and DJ Klitbait will be bringing high camp, high diva and high disco - from 7pm until midnight. Then things calm down on Sunday when you’re invited to celebrate the longest reigning Queen in history by painting her in a pop art style; add in your own splash of colour and make it a memorable event. Mark the occasion with 50% off food and drinks at Nell's New York Pizza!
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image credit: Jody Hartley
Not So Secret Garden at Altrincham’s Stamford Quarter
Taking place on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th June, the Not So Secret Garden will be home to a celebratory garden party with a whole host of activities, food and drink, entertainment and family fun spanning along George Street. Street party style tables and seating will give visitors a place to sit, eat, drink and enjoy the festivities with the family.
Free to attend kids’ workshops on the Saturday include a Create a Crown workshop and Plant a Tree for the Jubilee. Live swing and jazz music performances include The Rip Roaring Success followed by Not So Secret Garden’s resident bar Stutter and Twitch presenting the 7.45s.
Sunday’s schedule comprises swing band The Easy Riders as well as performers on roller skates roving around the Stamford Quarter. Stutter and Twitch will be serving their delicious hot dogs, afternoon tea and strawberries and cream as well as craft beer, Pimm’s and speciality coffee.
Boozy ice cream from A Few Scoops will also be available for the whole weekend, with delicious hand-made sweet treats from Sally’s Dream Cakes available on Sunday.
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The Black Friar, Salford, presents A Royal Affair to Remember.
Celebrate Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee weekend and the bank holiday on 2nd-4th June for a very special High G&Tea. Available 12-5pm each day for just £29pp, gustes will be welcomed with an arrival cocktail by @didsbury_gin.
The festive feast includes sophisticated light bites using the best of British ingredients – Burford brown egg and mayonnaise, Coronation chicken, Scottish smoked salmon, brown shrimp and Lancashire cheese with Boddington’s onion chutney.
Freshly baked patisserie and decadent cakes are also part of the offering along with fruit and plain scones with home made strawberry jam and clotted cream.
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Stretford Community Fete
A jubilee celebration will be taking place outside Stretford Mall and in the grounds of St Matthew’s Church from 12pm-6pm on Thursday 2nd June. A free and fun day out for all the family, there’ll be a Jubilee craft area where children and parents can create a very special Stretford Platinum Jubilee Patchwork Wall Hanging. There’ll also be children’s activities as well as crafting, including den building, tool skills and bush craft.
Local community groups and traders will be popping up at King Street Square.The Play Cafe will serve drinks from a community bar and street food traders will be serving up a feast of flavours. St Matthew’s will be transformed into a village fete with jubilee themed bunting, a tombola, a coconut shy, hook-a-duck stand and dominos. Sustainable hay bales and pallets will be laid out for visitors to sit on.
The whole family is welcome to join in all the fun of fete and of course, best Jubilee outfits are encouraged.