The festival was delayed due to national mourning of Queen Elizabeth II and will now take place 22nd September – 2nd October.
THE 25th Manchester Food and Drink Festival (MFDF) – delayed by a week out of respect for the national mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II – is set to start on Thursday, September 22 and run until Sunday, October 2.
The Awards Gala Dinner takes place on September 26 at the Escape to Freight Island.
The free-to-enter Festival Hub will be held in the Cathedral Gardens. The hub will be open on Thursday September 22, Sunday September 25 and Thursday September 29-Sunday October 2. The hub will be closed Monday and Wednesday (as usual).
The changes meant the MFDF Curry Club has been cancelled.
The MFDF Wine Fest will now be taking place on 7-8th October at New Century – just after the festival.
Your guide to the City’s tastiest festival
THE FESTIVAL HUB
The Manchester Beer Bar x Joseph Holt Festival Hub, Cathedral Gardens – Open 12noon – 11pm.
Thursday 22nd September – Sunday 25th September
Thursday 29th September – Sunday 2nd October
Northern’ brewery and powerhouse Joseph Holt, founded in 1849 will be brewing a special 25th anniversary beer and ale especially for the festival. It has 127 pubs across the North-West UK region. The bar will also be serving beers from 25 of Manchester’s breweries. They include Brightside Brewery, First Chop, Burton Road Brewery and Thirst Class Brewery.
MFDF Street Food Village
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, which 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 Sicilian Street food trader brings their famous cannoli to The Hub.
Guzzle – Vintage caravan with a retro espresso machine serving hot drinks and ice cream for all tastes.
Thursday 29th – Sunday 2nd October
Senor Paella – Traditional, delicious Spanish paella from the people that do it the best!
I Knead Pizza – Neapolitan, wood fired pizzas made with freshly made dough and locally sourced ingredients.
What’s Your Beef – Serving their famous locally and ethically sourced grass-fed beef burgers.
Parmogeddon – Taking “Parmos”, a classic Northern Eastern treat, and finishing them off with loads of epic twists>
Herbivorous – 100% vegan comfort food from the best in the city.
Bab K – Authentic Korean prepared using fresh, local ingredients.
Mama Sue’s – Epic unique dogs with a whole boatload of delicious toppings.
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 with top chefs and industry experts.
Saturday 24th September, Festival Hub Kitchen
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 all the veggie recipe inspiration you could hope for, as well as sharing top reasons why we should all be incorporating more vegetables into our diet
2.30PM – Edd Kimber and Rahul Mandal: Discuss their love of puddings from childhood to becoming professionals, as well as sharing solutions for any baking mishaps at home
3.30PM – Jeremy Pang: 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: Closing off the day, 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. Join the likes of Tampopo and Ancoats Coffee as they share some of their secrets and knowledge.
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 12noon – 11pm.
Thursday 22nd September – Sunday 25th September
Thursday 29th September – Sunday 2nd October
Split across two weekends you can expect….
Dghnt MCR – Serving artisan brioche doughnuts made fresh every single day.
Paradiso Authentic Italian – Freshly made, authentic Italian desserts including their famous Tiramisu…. Bellissimo!
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 right here in Greater MCR.
Prodjuice Juicery – Cold pressed raw juices – juices for health.
Gourmet Jay – Award winning rolls, pies and pastries.
Two Lasses – Made-from-scratch British rum and rum liqueurs crafted and conceived by two Northern lasses.
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 chocolate made with the finest Colombian cocoa and very best British ingredients.
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 from local legend Elliot Eastwick.
Root2Ginger – Health-restoring, alcohol-free ginger drinks.
Prestwich Gin – Award-winning local small batch craft gin
Festival Fire Pit – Festival Hub, Cathedral Gardens
Thursday 22nd September – Sunday 25th September
Thursday 29th – Sunday 2nd October
The first ever Festival Fire Pit will create the ultimate British barbie. Come and see some of the region’s best loved chefs cook over fire for a massive festival feast. Look out for 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’.
Caffeine lovers should head on down to the Festival Hub from 12-3pm to enjoy a FREE coffee from one of Manchester’s ever growing coffee brands. Enjoy an espresso or flat white or in partnership with Rogue Artisan ice cream, a chance to try their affogatos, all for free, whilst a local DJ spins the decks.
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 visit https://foodanddrinkfestival.com/events/main-programme/.
Wine Fest
New Century, Friday October 7th – Saturday October 8th
The first event to take place at the recently revamped iconic New Century in Manchester’s NOMA district.
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 authentic food by Tibetan Kitchen and music by music by the Genre Bending Brass outfit, Twisted Tubes.
Eat Well MCR Harvest Festival – Platt Fields
17th – 18th September
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 celebrate a variety of Autumnal produce alongside lovely food, drink, music and amazing vibes all round.
£25 for 25 years Offer
To 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:
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.
The Festival Fundraising banquet with Eatwell MCR will now take place on 30th November.
Eat Well MCR Fundraising Banquet – Hello Oriental
Wednesday 30th November 7.30PM- 10.30PM
Non-profit and social enterprise Eat Well MCR fundraiser will be hosted by underground Chinese market hall Hello Oriental, showcasing Manchester’s best East Asian and Southeast Asian food producers. The line-up includes:
Hello Oriental – The Hosts celebrate East Asian 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 go towards providing 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 here. The event takes place at Escape to Freight Island on Monday September 26th.}
Follow MFDF on Insta @mcrfoodfest
Twitter @McrFoodFest
