Scrap everything we told you last week, there’s been a change of plan.
Following guidance from Manchester City Council, the Manchester Food and Drink Festival has now been delayed by a week to fall in line with the national mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II. As a mark of respect, the council has ceased events and entertainment on public squares during this time.
The Festival Hub opening schedule is now as follows:
Thursday 22nd September - Sunday 25th September
Thursday 29th September - Sunday 2nd October. The Hub will be closed Monday - Wednesday as usual.
The MFDF Curry Club has also been postponed and will be rescheduled as soon as possible.
The MFDF Wine Fest will now be taking place on 7-8th October just after the Festival at New Century.
The Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards Dinner will go ahead on the 26th September at Escape to Freight Island as planned.
Here’s the NEW full programme:
AT THE FESTIVAL HUB, Cathedral Gardens
The Manchester Beer Bar x Joseph Holt
Open 12noon - 11pm.
Thursday 22nd September - Sunday 25th September
Thursday 29th September - Sunday 2nd October
Manchester’s biggest bar is back, this time with the ‘Unmistakably Northern’ brewery and powerhouse Joseph Holt as the official lager partner, who will be brewing a special 25th Anniversary beer and ale especially for the festival.
The Manchester Beer bar will also be serving 25 of Manchester’s best breweries, to celebrate 25 years of the festival, as well as our vibrant, unique craft beer scene. Breweries on site include Brightside Brewery, First Chop, Burton Road Brewery and Thirst Class Brewery.
MFDF Street Food Village
The Festival Hub’s epic village of street food vendors is also back, serving food from all over the world right in the heart of the city.
Thursday 22nd - Sunday 25th September
●Oh My Glaze - Bring their special brand of signature burgers to festival-goers.
●Il Forno - Manchester’s very own mobile pizza van with its woodfired oven and Italian classic recipes
●Super Bao - Light and fluffy bao buns served with love, style and lip smacking fillings
●House of Habesha - Authentic Eritrean & Ethiopian soul food, that combines health, culture & heavenly flavours in all their dishes.
●Cyprus Kouzina - The very best in regional producers of Greek Cypriot street food
●Hip Hop Chip Shop - serving up uber cool twists of the classic Northern chippy tea
●Meksikan - Handcrafted tacos pieced together with mind blowing Mexican flavours at the heart
●Mi & Pho - Award-winning Vietnamese food made with high-quality, fresh ingredients
●Heavenly Indian - Delicious, authentic, Indian street food.
●Cafe Cannoli - The original sweet Sicilian street food traders .
●Guzzle - Vintage caravan with a retro espresso machine serving hot drinks and ice cream
Thursday 29th - Sunday 2nd October
●Senor Paella - Traditional Spanish paella
●I Knead Pizza - Neapolitan, wood fired pizzas made with freshly made dough and locally sourced ingredients
●What’s Your Beef - Locally and ethically sourced grass fed beef burgers.
●Parmogeddon - Taking a classic North East treat, and finishing them off with loads of epic twists
●Herbivorous - 100% vegan comfort food
●Bab K - Authentic Korean prepared using fresh, local ingredients
●Mama Sue’s - Epic unique dogs with a whole boatload of delicious toppings.
●Cha Cha Churros - Amazing, delicious vegan churros
●Spoon Desserts - Crepes and waffles with an array of sweet toppings
MASTERCLASS KITCHEN AT THE HUB
●Octopus Cookbook Confidential
Saturday 24th September, Festival Hub Kitchen
Top chefs and industry experts will share their tips, ideas and knowledge in cookery demos, conversations and debate discussions. The full lineup and schedule are as follows…
12.30PM - Pip Payne and Nicky Corbishley: Tips, ideas and hacks for putting dinner on the table every night without breaking the bank
1.30PM - Joe Woodhouse, Josh Katz & David Bez: Providing veggie recipe inspiration as well as sharing top reasons why we should all be incorporating more vegetables into our diet
2.30PM - Edd Kimber and Rahul Mandal: Discussing their love of puddings from childhood to becoming professionals, as well as sharing solutions for any baking mishaps at home
3.30PM - School of Wok’s Jeremy Pang will be giving a demo from his latest book and introducing his super simple Wok Clock cooking technique
4.30PM - Kate Humble & Lia Leendertz: TV presenter, writer and author of her debut cookbook just this year, Kate Humble will be talking about Home Cooked and eating with the seasons with author of the bestselling annual, The Almanac, Lia Leendertz
6.00PM - Jaega Wise vs Joel Harrison in conversation with Neil Ridley: Author of Wild Brews, Jaega Wise, will be in friendly debate with Joel Harrison and Neil Ridley, authors of multiple drinks books.
●MFDF Cookery School at the MFDF Masterclass Kitchen
Sunday 25th September and Sunday 2nd October
Come and join a selection of local chefs and expert producers as they share their tips in the Manchester Masterclass Kitchen. Join the likes of Tampopo and Ancoats Coffee as they share some of their secrets and knowledge.
●The Leftovers Kitchen with Recycle for Greater Manchester
Saturday 1st October, Festival Hub Kitchen
This year, MFDF are teaming up with Recycle for Greater Manchester and Open Kitchen MCR to host ‘The Leftover Kitchen’ - a full-day event surrounding demonstrations on how to ditch excess food waste and cook amazing meals with leftovers from the fridge.
MFDF ARTISAN MARKET
Festival Hub, Cathedral Gardens
Open 12noon - 11pm. Thursday 22nd September - Sunday 25th September
Thursday 29th September - Sunday 2nd October
This free-to-enter, independent shopping experience is back with some of the best independent food and drink businesses within the North West.
Split across two weekends you can expect….
●Dghnt MCR - Artisan brioche doughnuts made fresh every single day
●Paradiso Authentic Italian - Freshly made, authentic Italian desserts
●The Flat Baker - Combining a taste of Brazil with the traditional classics of baking, The Flat Baker produces delicious artisan breads and pastries
●DevilDog Sauces - Small batch chilli sauces and seasonings made in Greater MCR
●Prodjuice Juicery - Cold pressed raw juices for health
●Gourmet Jay - Award winning rolls, pies and pastries
●Two Lasses - Made-from-scratch British rum and rum liqueurs
●Small Farmers Coffee - Jamaican Blue Coffee dealers
●The Doughnuteers - Handcrafted delicious doughnuts
●Global Nomad - Internationally inspired artisan sauces, spices & preserves
●Ancoats Distillery - Luxury craft gins, rums, vodka and ales created and beautifully packaged down the road in Ancoats
●The Chocolate Cafe - Popular Ramsbottom dessert spot, serving hand-crafted chocolates
●Prendi il Biscotti - Authentic, artisan Italian biscuits and sweet treats handmade in Saddleworth
●World Famous Hot Sauce - Small batch all natural, gluten free and vegan hot sauce
●Root2Ginger - Health-restoring, alcohol-free ginger drinks.
●Prestwich Gin - Award-winning local small batch craft gin
Festival Fire Pit, Cathedral Gardens
Thursday 22nd September - Sunday 25th September
& Thursday 29th - Sunday 2nd October
The first ever Festival Fire Pit will take place over both long weekends to create the ultimate British barbie. Sponsored by Weber, one of the world’s leading barbecue specialists, the Festival Fire Pit will invite some of the region’s best loved chefs to cook over fire including Caroline Martins, founder of the Sao Paolo project, Francisco Martinez from Fazenda and Robert Owen Brown.
Coffee Rave with Factory Coffee Friday 30th 12-3pm
MFDF Coffee Shop of the Year nominee, Factory Coffee, will be serving the ultimate pick-me-up with their viral ‘Coffee Rave’. Head on down to the Festival Hub from 12-3pm to enjoy a FREE coffee from one of Manchester’s ever growing coffee brands. As well as free espressos and flat whites, Factory Coffee have teamed up with the Rogue Artisan ice cream to offer festival go-ers an exclusive opportunity to try their incredible affogatos, all for free, whilst local DJ will be spinning the decks for the perfect soundtrack for your afternoon boost.
OUTSIDE THE HUB… The Festival Fringe
A fantastic programme of events is taking place across the city too showcasing some of Manchester’s most exciting restaurants, bars, cafes and chefs. Highlights from the Festival Fringe are below. For the full programme, details and T&Cs please CLICK HERE.
●Wine Fest New Century, Friday October 7th - Saturday October 8th
The stunning New Century will host Wine Fest over two days and will proudly showcase some of the finest wine retailers in Greater Manchester. The likes of Its Alive, Sip, Supper, Grape to Grain, Cork of the North, Italy Abroad, UkiYO Republic and Isca Wines, will all be peddling their plonks in this incredible setting.
Tickets can be purchased from the MFDF website and are £15 per person.
●Unicorn Grocery Saturday 24th September
Chorlton vegan icons Unicorn Grocery are celebrating 26 years of providing M21 and beyond with delicious, wholesome food. Expect free food from the wonderful and local Tibetan Kitchen – Authentic Tibetan Food, music by the Genre Bending Brass outfit, Twisted Tubes and general good Unicorn vibes.
●Eat Well MCR Harvest Festival 17th - 18th September, Platt Fields
This year, Eat Well MCR’s Harvest Festival will be bringing together an array of incredible hospitality people known for their commitment to seasonal eating. The festival will take place at Platt Field Market Garden to celebrate a variety of Autumnal produce alongside lovely food, drink, music and amazing vibes all round.
●£25 for 25 years OfferTo celebrate 25 years, Manchester’s brilliant restaurant community has put together a host of special menus to showcase what they do at a special price. This year all restaurants taking part will provide a stunning meal and drink offer for £25 pp. Venues taking part this year include the likes of…
●District - The Thai barbecue cookery experts over at District have a fantastic offering of 3x New Wave Thai dishes for £25pp.
●Embankment Kitchen - Vibrant brasserie and bar Embankment Kitchen have curated ‘A Taste of Embankment’ for 2 offer, which includes a host of dishes from the seasonal menu. Food can be enjoyed with x2 of their wine cocktails, all for £25pp.
●Mi&Pho - Northenden’s Award-winning Vietnamese restaurant is offering any 2 starters and any 2 mains for £25pp.
●20 Stories - Enjoy dinner with a view at 20 Stories Manchester, who are offering a 3 course meal and glass of wine for £25pp.
●Harvey Nichols - Antipasti fanatics should head over to the Deli Bar @ Harvey Nichols, where they can enjoy a stunning charcuterie board, accompanied by two glasses of white, red or rose wine for £25pp
Please head to the MFDF website for details on all offers.
●Eat Well MCR Fundraising Banquet
Wednesday 30th November, Hello Oriental, 7.30PM- 10.30PM
Nonprofit and social enterprise Eat Well MCR are back this year with another exciting fundraising feast as part of the 2022 Manchester Food and Drink Festival. The fundraising banquet, hosted by uber cool underground Chinese market hall Hello Oriental, will showcase Manchester’s best East Asian and Southeast Asian food producers.
The line-up gearing up to celebrate the very best of Asian cuisine in the region includes:
Hosts Hello Oriental offer uncensored East Asian street food across three floors. Comprising a restaurant, bar, cafe, bakery, events space and fully-stocked supermarket, it recently received a rave review in The Times, with celebrated critic Marina O’Loughlin calling it a ‘northern powerhouse… grungy, futuristic and fun’.
Neon Tiger - A new urban drinking and dining space serving rural Thai barbeque snacks and small plates. Neon Tiger will curate a gin-based cocktail especially for the event using Manchester Gin.
Rice Over Everything - Burmese-born home cook May Kyi Noo is best known for her range of incredible chilli oils that focus on complex flavours, not just heat.
New Wave Ramen - Nominated for Best Food Trader at this year’s Manchester Food and Drink Awards for their umami-rich ramen bowls served up at Mackie Mayor food hall.
Tampopo - One of the OG’s to bring East Asian street food to Manchester, Tampopo have been delighting customers for 25 years with their vibrant, authentic flavours, with influencers stretching from Yangon to Kuala Lumpur.
WowYauChow - Not your standard Chinese, Henry Yau’s WowYauChow sets its sights on impeccable Chinese street food combined with British Chinese favourites.
Diners can expect platters of sushi and sashimi, next-level dim sum, fresh and zingy salads, umami-rich ramen, fiery aromatic curries and platters of fragrant rice, followed by a selection of desserts.
Tickets are £70 pp and are currently available to purchase. All proceeds from the sale of the tickets will help provide meals to people in need across Greater Manchester.
Get your tickets here.
MFDF Awards
Don’t forget to vote for your favourite food heroes in the MFDF Awards via the MFDF website. The event is sponsored by Bruntwood and is taking place at Escape to Freight Island on 26th September.