This year’s Manchester Food and Drink Festival will see a newly improved Festival Hub pop up on Albert Square for the duration of MFDF.
The centrepiece of this will be the Dining Dome – a great big spherical, foodie palace and the location for a host of specially curated banquets, supper clubs and food parties.
It’s a chance to dine ‘under the stars’ of Manchester and in the shadow of the Town Hall as nine incredible, one-off Festival banquets are presented by MFDF and some of their most exciting partners yet…
‘Battle Royale’ Secret Supper Club from Cottonopolis
Thursday 27th & Friday 28th September
Cottonopolis’ Secret Supper Club events are gaining national acclaim for taking immersive dining experiences to the next level. This spectacular two-night MFDF version is to be the brand’s most ambitious yet with the Dining Dome transformed by the Visual Architects into a specially curated dining production of Battle Royale.
Based around the Japanese cult film Battle Royale, released in 2000 and a precursor to Hunger Games, it’s billed as ’80 contestants, six courses, one survivor’. Expect head chef Joe Grant’s food to be equally spectacular.
Jasmine Hemsley & Trove Supper Club
29th September
Wellness goddess, lifestyle guru, and founder of Hemsley + Hemsley, Jasmine is heading to Manchester for a special collaboration with MFDF and the award-winning artisans of Trove Bakery to create an Ayurvedic menu inspired by Jasmine’s latest book East by West.
It’s a match made in heaven – Trove’s focus on making food from scratch by hand and with a central focus on organic ingredients and locally sourced produce will meet Jasmine’s home-cooked and mindful approach. And it will all be paired with Trove’s natural wine collection which will be available to buy on the night. Each guest will be given a copy of Jasmine’s new book to take away with them too.
The Rabbit in the Moon Pop Up Dinner with Seven Bro7hers
Monday 1st October
Rabbit head chef John Granaghan has joined forces with Seven Bro7hers Brewery to bring his Asian inspired fine dining experience to the MFDF Dome. The evening will be a unique opportunity to experience an exclusive pairing menu curated especially for the night – the Rabbit’s intense flavours, combined with Seven Bro7hers Brewery’s expertly brewed hops. This extra special set menu includes four beer pairing.
Caviar and Champagne Tasting with Randall & Aubin
Tuesday 2nd October
Bridge Street’s fabulous Randall and Aubin team up with The Gourmet Caviar House to present a rare gastro opportunity. Guests will be given a glass of Randall & Aubin’s house champagne and will then have an opportunity to sample a range of the most exquisite caviars around. A fine evening is in store!
‘A Trip to Brazil’ with Fazenda’s Francisco Martinez
Wednesday 3rd October
Fazenda’s exec chef, Francisco Martinez – formerly at the five-time winner of Best Restaurant in the World, El Bulli – has designed a one-off menu exclusively for MFDF. Guests can expect an avant-garde dining experience that showcases Brazilian food at its best – an eight-course menu paired with four wines from Brazilian producer Miolo.
Expect dishes rich in colour, flavour and emotion – a fully immersive and sensory dining experience is promised. What’s more profits will be donated to Action Against Hunger.
Hatch Pop-up Supper Club
Thursday 4th October
Hatch, the new pop-up food, drink and retail destination on Oxford Road and a selection of its fantastic street food traders past and present will be taking over the Dining Dome for the evening and staging a special Hatch Supper Club.
Each course will be provided by one of their top notch, home-grown and independent street food heroes making for a fabulous and eclectic feast. The menu will include courses by indie icons Well Hung (serving up Ox cheek and pearl barley) Firebird Hope (serving up Hawaiian Poke for the evening), Wok’s Cluckin (cooking Nyonya Curry Laksa), Mamma Z (with their Filipino special Bicol Express) and T’arricrii (bringing traditional Sicilian Cannolo to the table).
Each course will be paired with beers from Öl – Hatch’s on site nano brewery or natural wines from Love and Labour and the whole experience will be topped off with the very best coffee from Takk, the artisan coffee house at Hatch.
Spanish Feast by Lunya, Baratxuri, Evuna and Porta
Friday 5th October
The city’s spectacular Spanish restaurant scene is celebrated by this extraordinary food fiesta as four of its finest collaborate to showcase that country’s regional cuisines via a 6 course banquet – from Catalunya to Basque country and beyond.
A glorious evening of authentic, artisan ingredients brought to you by Catalan deli/eaterie Lunya, Ramsbottom’s Basque pintxos experts Baratxuri and MFDF award nominees Porta in Altrincham. The feast will be matched with fabulous Spanish wines from the Deansgate Spanish wine and food specialist Evuna.
Fiona Beckett – Six Wines That Shaped my Career
Saturday 6th October
A real treat for wine lovers. Fiona Beckett is an award-winning food and drink journalist, author and web publisher with over 25 years’ experience of writing for the UK’s top newspapers and magazines. She is currently wine columnist for The Guardian and National Geographic Travel Food magazine and restaurant critic for Decanter, while also publishing her own website-a busy woman indeed.
But she has agreed to take time out of her schedule to come and share her incredible knowledge and experience at a very special wine tasting. Fiona will be guiding guests through the six wines that shaped her career in this fascinating insight into the story of wine via the life of one of the country’s most revered experts.
An Ethical Vegan Evening with Brooklyn Brewery
Sunday 7th October
Cult beers, fabulous street food providers and comedy – sounds like the perfect recipe for a great night in most people’s books. Add to this an ethical slant and you’ve got yourself an evening of food, fun and debate too. New York’s Brooklyn Brewery has led the field in highlighting how the food and drink industry can decrease its environmental impact.
On the night the likes of Bundobust and Wholesome junkies will be amongst those providing delicious, ethically sourced vegan produce, whilst comedian Fat Roland will be entertaining the crowd and Brooklyn beers will flow.
All proceeds will go to Festival Charity, Action Against Hunger.
