Alternative Christmas dinners to try in Manchester – bring on the giant pigs in blankets
- Written by Louise Rhind-Tutt
- Last updated 4 years ago
- City of Manchester, Food & Drink
We all love a Christmas dinner, but there’s so much more to enjoy in Manchester than just the traditional roast.
Christmas toasties and burritos, turkey curry, sprout bhajis and huge amounts of melting cheese, for starters.
We’ve already recommended some of the best Christmas burgers about town and all the new food and drink at the Christmas Markets (including deep-fried pigs in blankets – oh yes). Here’s everything else you should try this Christmas.
3kg of baked French cheese at Mamucium
This Christmas you can feast on 3kg of baked French cheese at Mamucium, along with festive fruit and nut loaf, pigs in blankets tossed in honey and mustard, clementine spiced cranberry sauce, award-winning W H Frost crispy home-cured pancetta, hand-made salted butter and candied pecans.
The Cheesemas Fest is designed to share between 10-12 (or as a challenge for 1-2), priced £59.95. It’s available daily, but must be booked 24 hours in advance, until 2nd January. There’s also a smaller baked Camembert, suitable for four, available daily priced £29.95 – no booking required, but subject to availability.
Slow-cooked turkey raan at Dishoom
Christmas at Dishoom is all about family style feasting, with a variety of dishes placed on the table for guests to help themselves – there’s a veggie option or a meat one, both £42.
On the meat menu, whole turkey leg is prepared in the traditional Indian raan style, cooked slowly over a day until meltingly tender, served with Bombay-style potatoes, masala winter greens and spiced cranberry chutney. The veggie menu includes puffed puris with spiced chickpea curry, and jackfruit biriyani.
Pigs in blankets burrito at Barburrito
Barburrito‘s brand new special Christmas burrito is stuffed with pigs in blankets in a spicy gravy, served with cranberry salsa and a spicy gravy dipping pot to dip.
It’s £7.99 from their Manchester stores, and you can also add more pigs in blankets in a pot as a side dish.
Pie Hard Christmas pizza at Crazy Pedro’s
Pie Hard, just like the film it takes its name from, is an action thriller of a pizza. It’s certainly a festive pizza like no other.
It’s made with custard, mozzarella cheese, mince pie, whiskey cream and cranberry sauce. Yes, you read that right. Pie Hard is available now as a full pizza (£16) or by the slice daily at Crazy Pedro’s NQ and Bridge Street.
Sprout bhajis at Bundobust
Deep-fried with onion, broccoli, fennel and chilli and served up with Desi-style cranberry chutney, every year Bundobust transforms the festive veg into our favourite seasonal snack. This year, sprout bhajis are also central to Bundobust’s first Christmas sandwich: a sprout bhaji patty.
As well as the famous bhajis, Bundobust’s Christmas menu includes a festive curry of winter vegetables in a warming, cinnamon and star anise-spiced tomato and coconut curry sauce. They’re vegan, too.
Christmas wellington stuffed with pigs in blankets at Lowry Hotel
The five-star hotel has put a festive twist on a traditional beef Wellington, incorporating a full Christmas dinner with all the trimmings into a pastry Wellington.
The unique Wellington contains a roulade of Cheshire turkey, cranberry stuffing, pigs in blankets and free-range duck breast, rolled in a sage pancake and all butter puff pastry. It’s £50 for two people and is available every Wednesday apart from Christmas Day.
Sprout tempura with truffle at Shoryu
Shoryu is offering three courses (starter, ramen dish and dessert) for £24 this Christmas, until 26th December.
Starters include Brussels sprout tempura with truffle oil and curry powder dipping salt, with mains of ganso tonkotsu ramen with spicy miso sauce, tender broccoli and garlic mayo or the miso wafu chicken served with kikurage mushrooms, nori seaweed, spring onion and ginger.
Christmas toastie at Northern Soul
Available in their restaurants and on the Christmas Markets, the Crimbo toasted cheese sandwich from Northern Soul has become a Manchester Christmas staple.
The toastie sees their melted three-cheese blend ooze into thick slices of roast turkey, drizzled in gravy and cranberry sauce and a good old wodge of stuffing. It’s topped off with a pig in blanket round speared through the top. £7.
Pig in blanket hotdog at All Star Lanes
All Star Lanes are doing a huge pig in blanket hotdog this Christmas, with Cumberland sausage, crispy bacon, red onion and cranberry relish, crispy onions, mustard mayo, Brie cheese sauce, and tater tots.
It’s on the festive menu which is two courses for £19. And there’s a dairy-free festive sundae for pudding, too.
Turkey taquitos at Wahaca
Wahaca at the Corn Exchange is offering a Mexican feast to share, starting with festive guacamole and chips, for £25 a head.
As well as turkey and stuffing taquitos, there’s buttermilk chicken tacos, prawn cocktail tostada, duck croquetas, slow-cooked beef brisket tacos and crispy cauliflower bites. Pudding includes mince pie empanadas with brandy butter ice cream.
Gunpowder chicken and fizz to share at Mowgli
Over in the Corn Exchange, Mowgli’s Christmas menu is all about sharing. Lunch options (£18.50 based on two charing) include fenugreek fries, Himalayan cheese toast and tiffin boxes.
In the evenings (£29.95), there’s a glass of fizz, too, along with extra dishes including puff rice with crisp gram threads, peanuts and spiced sweet and sour dressing, gunpowder chicken and homemade ice cream cones.
Giant pig in blanket at Solita
If you think pigs in blankets are the best bit of a Christmas dinner – and they are – then cut straight to the chase with Solita’s porky Christmas special.
The giant pig in blanket hot dog comes with turkey gravy, chestnut stuffing and cranberry sauce, and costs £12.90.
Turkey Milanese at Gaucho
Steakhouse Gaucho are doing a set three-course Christmas menu for £65, with all mains coming with seasonal sides including spiced pumpkin mash, pigs in blankets, heritage carrots with chimichurri, roast potatoes and peppercorn sauce.
There’s steak, of course, but you can also opt for crisp turkey Milanese topped with a with fried egg and red cabbage ketchup.
Mezze and kebabs at Kai
Turkish restaurant Kai on Deansgate has a special seasonal menu. There’s a selection of hot and cold mezze dishes to share, including cinnamon fishcakes, sea bass and pomegranate, and Aleppo squid, with prices starting from £20.
Mains include chicken or lamb shish grills, adana kebabs, lamb chops and pide – like Turkish pizza.
Indian roasts at Zouk
Forget the turkey – you could go for a whole lamb at Zouk. Made in traditional Baluchi style and stuffed with seasoned rice, it’s served with roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables and spicy gravy. 24 hours notice is required.
Smaller roasts include a whole chicken (50 mins wait time) or leg of lamb (must be pre-ordered two hours in advance), both slowly cooked over hot flames and served with roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables and spicy gravy.
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