Manchester Food and Drink Festival reveals full 25th anniversary programme of exciting food and drink events

The Manchester Food and Drink Festival (MFDF) is taking place between 15th – 26th September and the epic programme of events has been unveiled to celebrate the festival’s 25th anniversary.

MFDF will take place at Cathedral Gardens which will be home to The Festival Hub – the free to enter, pop up food and drink village which will be open from Thursday 15th – Sunday 18th, and then again from Thursday 22nd – Sunday 25th September. Festival fans can expect a huge Manchester beer bar, an incredible host of street food, an artisan food market, and live music.

The Manchester Beer Bar will be sponsored by Mancunian brewery Joseph Holt who will be brewing a special 25th anniversary beer to celebrate the festival’s big birthday. They’ll also be serving a handpicked selection of beers from 25 of Manchester’s best breweries.

The Festival Masterclass Kitchen will host some local talent as well as chefs and foodies from further afield, who will be coming together to share their tips, ideas and knowledge on various panels. The line-up includes renowned food journalist and author Felicity Cloake, who will chair a number of panels with guests including Kate Humble, Lia Leendertz and Edd Kimber.

A host of eclectic street food will include Bab K, Herbivorous and Hip Hop Chip Shop while The Festival Firepit, sponsored by Weber, will see some of the region’s best loved chefs cooking over fire for a first-time festival feast.  Chefs hosting the BBQ on Cathedral Gardens include Caroline Martins, founder of the Sao Paolo project, Robert Owen Brown and Francisco Martinez from Fazenda.

Other highlights include the return of the smash-hit Curry Club where Dishoom, The Little Sri Lankan, Aunty Jis, Nila’s Burmese Kitchen and Lily’s are just a few of the traders that will collaborate on a feast inspired by the cuisines of India, Burma and Sri Lanka.

There’ll also be a big focus on budget cooking and how to spruce up any leftover food to get the most of your ingredients with Recycle for Greater Manchester.

Away from the Hub the feast continues with activity programmed in restaurants and bars across the city including the £25 for 25 years menu extravaganza.

Here’s the full programme highlights for MFDF 2022

AT THE FESTIVAL HUB…

The Manchester Beer Bar x Joseph Holt Open 12noon – 11pm. 

The ‘Unmistakably Northern’ brewery Joseph Holt – the official lager partner –  will be brewing a special 25th Anniversary beer and ale especially for the festival. The Manchester Beer bar will also be serving 25 of Manchester’s best breweries, to celebrate 25 years of the festival, including Brightside Brewery, First Chop, Burton Road Brewery and Thirst Class Brewery.

MFDF Street Food Village

From big juicy burgers to woodfired pizzas, and also Spanish, Cypriot, Italian and Ethiopian cuisines, MFDF is showcasing dishes from all over the world this year…

Thursday 15th – Sunday 19th September

• Grandad sausages – brilliant bangers made in Bury by the ultimate sausage aficionados – expect the best and most decadent dogs around
• Senor Paella – traditional and delicious Spanish paella
• I Knead Pizza – Neapolitan, wood fired pizzas made with freshly made dough and locally sourced ingredients
• What’s Your Beef – serving their locally and ethically sourced grass-fed beef burgers.
• Oh My Glaze – bringing wraps, wings & halloumi to the celebrations
• 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
• Cha Cha Churros – Amazing, delicious vegan churros
• Spoon Desserts – Crepes and waffles with an array of sweet toppings

Thursday 22nd – Sunday 25th September

• The Spinn – The Gatley-based indie restaurant & bar will be bringing their amazing trademark burgers to the festival
• 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, that 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 once more brings their famous cannoli to the Hub.
• Guzzle – Vintage caravan with a retro espresso machine serving hot drinks and ice cream for all tastes

MASTERCLASS KITCHEN AT THE HUB

 The Leftovers Kitchen with Recycle for Greater Manchester Saturday 17th September

 ‘The Leftover Kitchen’ is a full-day event surrounding demonstrations on how to ditch excess food waste and cook amazing meals with leftovers.

Octopus Cookbook Confidential Saturday 24th September

In collaboration with Octopus Books, top chefs and industry experts will share their tips, ideas and knowledge in cookery demos, conversations and debate discussions.

12.30PM – Pip Payne and Nicky Corbishley: Tips, ideas and hacks for putting dinner on the table without breaking the bank

1.30PM – Joe Woodhouse, Josh Katz & David Bez provide veggie recipe inspiration, as well as sharing top reasons why we should all be incorporating more vegetables into our diet

2.30PM – Edd Kimber and Rahul Mandal: Former Great British Bake-off winners discuss their love of puddings, becoming baking professionals, and sharing solutions for any baking mishaps at home

3.30PM – 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 – TV presenter, writer and author of a debut cookbook 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 – Author of Wild Brews, Jaega Wise, will be in friendly debate with Joel Harrison and Neil Ridley, authors of multiple drinks books.

Sunday 18th and Sunday 25th September

Join a selection of local chefs and expert producers including Tampopo and Ancoats Coffee as they share their tips in the Manchester Masterclass Kitchen.

MFDF ARTISAN MARKET, Festival Hub, Cathedral Gardens
Thursday 15th – 18th September & Thursday 22nd – 25th September Open midday – 7pm

Split across two weekends you can expect….

• Dghnt MCR – Serving fresh artisan brioche doughnuts
• Paradiso Authentic Italian – Italian desserts including their famous Tiramisu
• The Flat Baker – delicious artisan breads and pastries with a taste of Brazil
• DevilDog Sauces – Small batch chilli sauces and seasonings made in Greater MCR
• Prodjuice Juicery – Cold pressed raw juices
• Gourmet Jay – Award winning rolls, pies and pastries
• Two Lasses – British rum and rum liqueurs
• 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
• The Chocolate Cafe – serving hand-crafted chocolate made with the finest Colombian cocoa and very best British ingredients
• Prendi il Biscotti – 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.

Coffee Rave with Factory Coffee Friday 16th, 12-3pm
Enjoy a FREE coffee from one of Manchester’s ever growing coffee brands.  As well as free espressos and flat whites, Factory Coffee have teamed up with Rogue Artisan ice cream to offer free affogatos, to a sountrack supplied by a local DJ.

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. Click HERE for the full programme, details and T&Cs please visit .

Highlights from the Festival Fringe include:

Eat Well MCR Fundraising Banquet Tuesday 20th September, Hello Oriental, 7.30PM- 10.30PM

Hosted by underground Chinese market hall Hello Oriental, showcasing Manchester’s best East Asian and Southeast Asian food producers. Hosts Hello Oriental will be joined by new urban drinking and dining space Neon Tiger, Burmese-born home cook May Kyi Noo’s Rice Over Everything, Mackie Mayor’s New Wave Ramen, WowYauChow’s British Chinese favourites and Tampopo with their vibrant, authentic flavours, with influencers stretching from Yangon to Kuala Lumpur.

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 here. All proceeds from the sale of the tickets will help provide meals to people in need across Greater Manchester.

Wine Fest New Century, Friday 16th – Saturday 17th September

This year’s Wine Fest will be the first event to take place at the iconic New Century in Manchester’s NOMA district. The finest wine retailers in Greater Manchester including Its Alive, Sip, Supper, Grape to Grain, Cork of the North, Italy Abroad, UkiYO Republic and Isca Wines, will proudly showcase their plonks over two days. Tickets can be purchased from the MFDF website and are £15 per person.

Harvey Nichols ‘Taste on Two’ Thursday 15th September
The ultimate foodie feast takes place on the Second Floor of Harvey Nichols for tasting stations, drinks masterclasses, food workshops, live demonstrations, and samples.

Unicorn Grocery
Chorlton’s vegan icons are celebrating 26 years of providing M21 and beyond with delicious, wholesome food. This worker co-operative is rooted in trading in a more ethical and sustainable way than the mainstream supermarkets while keeping prices competitive – they don’t have shareholders knocking on their door asking for dividends.

Eat Well MCR Harvest Festival 17th – 18th September, Platt Fields Market Garden

This festival will brin together an array of incredible hospitality people known for their commitment to seasonal eating to celebrate a variety of Autumnal produce alongside lovely food, drink, and music.

£25 for 25 years Offer
Manchester’s brilliant restaurant community has put together a host of special menus to showcase what they do at a special price. 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 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.

MFDF Awards

Don’t forget to vote for your favourite food heroes in the MFDF Awards via the MFDF website. The event is sponsored by Bruntwood and is taking place at Escape to Freight Island on 26th September.

The best way to keep up to date with the full programme of events is to download the MFDF app on IOS or Android where food fans can view and book all the events, takeovers, masterclasses and more.

For more information, visit Manchester Food and Drink Festival’s website or follow @mcrfoodfest on instagram and Twitter.