Where to fulfil your doughnut desires in Manchester

Since launching in 1991, National Doughnut Week (12th – 19th May) has raised a total of £906,046, including £392,655 for The Children’s Trust, the UK’s leading charity for children with brain injury and neurodisability.

From charitable churros and creative kronuts to Brazilian chocolate raindrops and even vegan doughnut burgers, here’s where to get your fix in Manchester. Not that you need an excuse.

Chocolate y churros at Lunya

Catalan restaurant, bar and deli Lunya is taking part in National Doughnut Week by pledging to donate 20p from every churros sold to The Children’s Trust. Churros are Spanish doughnuts that are piped directly into hot oil and fried, rather than shaped into a ring like the classic doughnut. Lunya serves up traditional Catalan chocolate y churros, straight from the streets of Barcelona. Their homemade churros are sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and served with a delicious, thick hot chocolate sauce – perfect for dunking.

VISIT

Kronuts at Alberts Schloss

Originally created by chef Dominique Ansel in New York, the croissant-doughnut hybrid (cronut) caught everyone’s imaginations and spawned a succession of homages. The Alberts Schloss take on the sweet pastry is an utter delight, freshly baked in-house with a range of tempting flavours including chocolate gateaux and salted caramel with popcorn. This week, to tie-in with royal wedding fever, try the Eton mess: a golden sugar kronut with strawberry jam, vanilla cream, glazed strawberries, meringue kisses and fresh mint. Or the Royal wedding cake kronut, with golden sugar, lemon curd, elderflower buttercream, candied lemon and edible flowers, encompasses the official flavours of the wedding cake.

VISIT

Mango lassi doughnuts at Siop Shop

This Welsh doughnut shop in the Northern Quarter offers melt-in-your-mouth doughnuts made on-site by Blawd bakery including inventive flavours such as apple crumble, maple pecan glaze, cherry bakewell and strawberries and cream. For National Doughnut Week there are rhubarb, vanilla and raspberry fills all week long, or try their mango lassi edition –  a special collaboration with indian street food specialists Bundobust. This unique cardamom doughnut sandwich with an Alphonso mango cream is glazed and topped with candied fennel seeds, and all proceeds go to The Children’s Trust.

VISIT

Afternoon tea doughnuts at Home Sweet Home

The Great Northern branch of Home Sweet Home offers an afternoon tea with a difference. As well as a selection of loose leaf teas or coffees and a tier of mini open bagels with maple cured BLT and smoked salmon, there is also a tier of fresh churros. The warm Spanish style doughnuts are dusted with cinnamon sugar and Dreamcheese frosting and served with warm Nutella dip and fresh strawberries.

VISIT

Chocolate raindrop doughnuts at Cabana

Bolinhos de Chuva, a dessert popular in Brazil and Portugal, are delicious deep-fried doughnuts. Head to the Corn Exchange for Cabana’s version, a portion of cute little fried doughballs stuffed with oozing Nutella. The name apparently refers to the raindrop shape the batter makes when it hits the oil, and to the idea that a rainy day is the perfect time to make the dish. Ideal for Manchester most days, then.

VISIT

Bite-sized timbits at Tim Hortons

The popular restaurant chain, which has branches in Altrincham, Bury, Sale and Warrington, opened its first English drive thru on Bury New Road before Christmas to huge queues, and has recently opened a branch on Oxford Road. There are plenty of doughnuts to try, including strawberry, vanilla dip and apple fritter. Don’t miss the signature timbits – bite-sized doughnuts which come in a variety of flavours from Canadian maple and chocolate dip to Boston cream.

VISIT

Doughnut burgers at Red’s True Barbecue

If you love a sweet and savoury combination, check out the now classic doughnut burger at Red’s True Barbecue. It’s consists of a beef patty (or two, if you choose to double up), melted cheese, smoked peppered bacon, crispy onions and dirty sauce, all between two sweet glazed doughnuts, and it’s served with frickles (deep-fried pickles).

VISIT

Vegan doughnut burgers at V-REV

V-REV is the home of innovative vegan junk food in Manchester, and their ‘donut have a cow, man’ burger is a classic in the making. Think two beefy patties made in-house out of seitan and soy, vegan cheez and baecon, crispy fried onions and bbq sauce sandwiched between two sweet doughnut buns.

VISIT