Programme includes Tom Kerridge, Simon Shaw, Bistrotheque, Sam Buckley and much more (26 September – 7 October 2019
THE 22nd Manchester Food and Drink Festival (MFDF) is nearly upon us and it’s all set to showcase the very best Manchester as to offer in food and drink.
Celebrity Tom Kerridge – who is soon to take up residency in the greatly anticipated Stock Exchange hotel due to open on 15 November 2019 – will be making his MFDF Dining Dome debut on Sunday 6 October with a spectacular Festival Finale event. You can read more about him here.
It comprises a very special four-course Sunday lunch style meal with specially paired drinks for the occasion.
And as an extra special delight he’ll be creating the meal for two sittings. Kerridge holds two Michelin stars at The Hand & Flowers and one Michelin star at The Coach, both in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. He forged a formidable reputation for his quality take on pub grub, using immaculately sourced fresh produce.
Cathedral Gardens in the heart of Manchester will be home to the Dining Dome. Open from 12 noon til 11pm every day of the Festival, it’s completely free and will be home to the amazing choice of street food and drink.
Vegan and vegetarians will be catered for on 29 September with MFDF Vegan Takeover at the Hub.
The celebration of Manchester’s food and drink scene also includes the live cookery theatre, banquets, masterclasses, Curry Collectives, a Communal Feast and a very special Saturday Skills Kitchen, The City Life Stage at The Hub and Rum Decadence.
Sold out events so far include: Evening with Simon Shaw; MFDF Curry Collective with Bundobust, Dishoom, Lily’s and Sanskruti Comfort Food; ‘Sounds’ Good with Adam Rei, The Art of Dining with Aiden Byrne at Manchester Art Gallery; Roots and Future: A Tasting Menu by Francisco Martinez
The organisers hope MFDF continues to be sustainable with further measures to control festival litter.
A change from plastic cups to a deposit scheme at the Festival’s gigantic beer bar is estimated to have reduced overall waste at the event by 40%.
And it has also teamed-up with the national Refill campaign to enable festival goers to fill up free of charge at 500 locations in Manchester in a bid to reduce plastic bottle usage. The campaign intends to make Manchester the country’s most refillable city.
“Having moved to compostable and recyclable food containers a few years ago and now tackling the single use plastic cup issue, in 2019 MFDF aim to create the most sustainable food festival in the UK with more innovative solutions such as reward schemes for use of reusable vessels,” said a festival spokesperson.
Full details of the Festival are available here.
Highlights
Bistrotheque Classique 26 September, The Dining Dome 7.30pm
TICKETS – £45 via foodanddrinkfestival.com
Cultureplex is one of Manchester’s most anticipated 2019 arrivals. It’s a new base for Bistrotheque, which has made its name in East London by serving uncomplicated food and drink delivered with good taste, charm and a dollop of fun.
Chef director Blaine Duffy creates this special Bistrotheque Classique MFDF banquet menu, including arrival cocktails, three courses, a quality wine pairing and digestif. All served alongside pop playing pianist Xavior, sequin-clad satirical weirdos Bourgeois & Maurice and a game of pass the parcel.
Live Cookery Theatre – The Dining Dome – 28 September
The day includes 1.00pm Brian Hughson – Head Chef, 20 Stories; 2.00pm Sam Buckley – Chef/Patron, Where the Light Gets in; 3.00pm – Rachel Stockley – Head Chef, Levanter; 4.00pm Andrew Green – Executive Chef, Mamucium
A Punch Above – How to make the perfect party tipple – The Dining Dome – 28 September 6.30pm
TICKETS – £15, book via foodanddrinkfestival.com
Join Jamie Rowe, JJ Whitley Gin & Vodka Ambassador, will guide you through how to make the perfect party punch with the knowledge of how to balance readily available ingredients and, of course, the JJ Whitley range.
Capacity for 40 people, split into groups of four.
Best in Town Dinner in aid of Action Against Hunger – Tast Catala 1 October 7pm
Tickets – £120, book via againsthunger.uk/Best
Join Action Against Hunger charity as they celebrate the six chefs nominated for MFDF Chef of the Year at an exclusive dinner. Guests will enjoy a six-course bespoke tasting menu created by the region’s most renowned talents: Simon Martin (Mana), Aiden Byrne (restaurant MCR), Sam Buckley (Where The Light Gets In), Miquel Villacrosa (Tast Catala), Omar Rodriguez Marrero (Umezushi) and Adam Reid (Adam Reid at The French).
There’s also the opportunity to bid on some money- can’t-buy foodie experiences, and all proceeds go to humanitarian organisation Action Against Hunger to combat hunger across the globe.
An Evening of Rum Decadence – with Diablesse – The Dining Dome- 5 October 6.30pm
TICKETS – £20, book via foodanddrinkfestival.com
Learn how to taste with your nose and the art of creating your own Diablesse Rum cocktails in this special MFDF masterclass. Tickets include a bespoke cocktail on arrival and a full masterclass including cocktails to drink after.
The MFDF Wine and Fizz Festival – Manchester Cathedral – Friday 4 and Saturday 5 October
TICKETS – £15 per ticket per session via foodanddrinkfestival.com.
Perfect for novices and passionate enthusiasts alike, the event includes light hearted sessions for all. It will be divided into four zones – English Wines, Wines of the World, the Fizz quarter and a Food Matching area providing the perfect accompaniment.
Saturday Skills Kitchen- The Dining Dome 5 October – FREE
1.00pm – Pastry Workshop with Lee Wakeham from H.M. Pasties – H.M. Pasties in Droylsden is one of Manchester’s great culinary success stories with a fascinating back story. Founder Lee’s entire staff consists of ex-prisoners. Staff earn a living wage while they develop cookery and customer service skills, as well as working towards food hygiene qualifications and a possible future in the catering trade.
2.00pm – Pasta Masterclass with Maurizio Cecco from Salvi’s – After more than two decades in Manchester, Neapolitan Maurizio is the city’s unofficial ambassador for all things tasty and Southern Italian.
3.00pm – Chocolate workshop with Masterchef finalist David Crichton – Long haul pilot and bespoke chocolatier. In the Dining Dome he’ll be showing you how he does it and expect a few free samples!
Dine with Tom Kerridge at MFDF – The Dining Dome 6 October 1.00pm and 6.00pm
TICKETS – £75.00 VIA foodanddrinkfestival.com
Chef Tom Kerridge is a busy man this autumn. He has a cookbook and TV series in the pipeline and in November he’s launching a restaurant in the new Stock Exchange Hotel in Manchester. He will be cooking two four-course Sunday lunch meals with specially paired wines in The Dining Dome. It should be one of the Festival highlights.
There’s a whole host of fringe events taking place across Greater Manchester including the Cracking Good Food Pasta Perfecto Cookery Class, Meat the Butcher at Alston Bar and Beef and The Ancoats Taster Walk. There’s also the opportunity with the official festival booking partner, Bookatable to enjoy a special series of one off menus across some of the city’s best restaurants via www.bookatable.co.uk/manchester-food-and-drinkfestival.
