In recent years, gin has become really popular with more varieties popping up and more choices of tonic water to complement them. Throughout October, Forever Manchester is holding Caketober – a month-long celebration combining fancy dress and cakes. Forever Manchester is a charity which raises money to support community activities in Greater Manchester. As part of the celebrations, they have sent me a secret ingredient to use as part of a bake; 50ml of Hoxton Gin!
Happy Chocolate Week! There’s no better time to eat chocolate than now, not that you actually need an excuse to eat chocolate. I like discovering local brands and was happy when Beech’s Fine Chocolates contacted me asking if I wanted to try out their chocolates. Based in Preston, Lancashire, they have been making chocolate since 1920. I try a selection they have sent me for review.*
With a lot of places doing Christmas showcases, it was refreshingly nice to see Pizza Express do a showcase on their Autumn menu. I know people may be sad to see the end of Summer, but Autumn has some of the best seasonal and festive foods! I was eager to see what Pizza Express would come up with to incorporate this and welcome Autumn into the year! There are several branches of Pizza Express within Greater Manchester with 6 in the city centre alone. On this occasion, I visited the Corn Exchange branch.*
Be At One is a cocktail bar and can be found hidden away on Deansgate as part of the redone Barton Arcade. Although I’m not one for celebrating Christmas earlier, a lot of restaurants and bars are starting to take Christmas bookings. I was invited to a Christmas Showcase which showcases not just Be At One’s cocktail masterclass, but also other partners one could utilise coming up to the Christmas Season.*
Grabbing lunch on the go can be an arduous task when you forget to meal plan properly or in this case if I’m travelling. Trying to decide what you want quickly and then waiting in the long queue takes time out of what is normally a precious 30 min to an hour for relaxation away from the stresses of the job. When Meal Pal approached me with a no-nonsense approach to getting lunch, I tried it out just before hopping on a long train journey.*
What I love about living in Manchester is the fact you have a mixture of fine dining and independent cafes in one city. The Northern Quarter is particularly home to the latter, housing small businesses in Afflecks Palace as well as niche shops and cafes. One such is Nibble, a small cafe located on Oldham Street run by the lovely Lauren Irlam, who has previously managed Northern Quarter’s famous Teacup and the Railway Kitchen and Bar. This is her first venture and the cafe is born from her love of good quality food without the fuss. I take my friend and fellow blogger, Lacey, to the cafe to explore one sunny Manchester day!*
