Most of your favourite Pubs & Restaurants are STILL OPEN
Pasta, Arancini and Aperol at Sicilian NQ – substantial? Yes!
Restaurants and pubs can remain open in the city – let’s make that clear. Pubs and bars can operate as restaurants by serving alcohol alongside a “substantial meal.” But what does a ‘substantial’ meal constitute?
Unfortunately, as is the case since the start, nobody really knows. The government have not published clear guidelines or instructions as to what this means – so you can expect the businesses of Greater Manchester to take this and run with it.
One interesting bit of law that popped up when Liverpool went into Tier 3 is the 1965 case of Timmis v Millman. The story goes that respondents Millman and Yarnold had been discovered in a hotel bar at 11.30pm consuming light ale and stout outside of permitted hours (but within the supper hour extension of the time).
Justices found the sandwiches the pair were eating ‘were so substantial, and assisted by the pickles and beetroot so as to justify that it was a table meal and not a mere snack from the bar’.
The Elvis Sandwich at The Bay Horse – VERY substantial indeed
So expect your favourite bars and pubs to offer up a ‘substantial’ food offering for you when you arrive. And the best thing to note is that once you’ve had your ‘meal’ you can then drink as much as you like. So not as inconvenient as first thought.
Deliveries & Takeaways
You can now get Bunny Jackson’s Wings at home!!
Just like in lockdown, many independent businesses will shift their focus more towards offering deliveries and DIY Kits – so you can still have your favourite dishes but from the comfort of your own home.
With a lot of these delivery services, you can get some great deals, such as Paella and a Bottle of Wine for 2 for £30 at La Bandera, and you’d be surprised at who offers it now too. Most of the city’s independent bars and restaurants have something to offer, so head on over to your favourite delivery service (probably Deliveroo or Uber Eats) and check out our list of favourites below…
10 Of Our Favourite DIY Food Kits, Takeouts & Cocktail Deliveries
Gyms will still be OPEN too!
Gyms are set to remain open under Gtr Mcr’s Tier 3 rules
After that fella in Liverpool and then the subsequent opening of gyms throughout Lancashire, it’s certain that gyms in Greater Manchester will continue to remain open.
This means that you can still support your local PT’s and gym operators whilst also staying healthy – both in your body and more importantly – your mind.
Write to your MP
‘King of the North’
We don’t usually like to get political here at Finest but one of the biggest issues surrounding Tier 3 is that it is a government imposed lockdown that is based on inaccurate science with NOT ENOUGH financial support for the people in and affected by the hospitality sector.
The tireless efforts of Andy Burnham and local leaders in trying to secure 80% of workers wages was shunned by the government, leaving thousands of people facing “a winter of hardship.”
As a collective group I’m sure that many of you would like to take to the streets in protest, but until that becomes the ONLY option, it’s an idea to write to your local MP – if enough people do it – they’ll have to sit and take notice of us. Well, that’s the idea anyway.
You might be able to get that reservation now…
Keep an eye open for those lucrative Mana slots!
As more people decide to stay in and scoff a Pot Noodle in front of the telly instead of heading out to eat, that means that bookings are being cancelled left, right and centre. This (obviously) isn’t good news, but it may have an unexpected benefit of ensuring that you can finally get that table that you’ve wanted to book for so long.
So if you’ve been struggling to get that table at Mana, or want a proper Sunday blow-out at Hawksmoor but they’ve been booked up – Tier 3 may just be the time when you can slip in and take advantage of some of the cancellations and fill in the gaps.
The ARTS cannot be stopped!
Le Gateau Chocolat presents: Duckie @ HOME in December
Since the government imposed lockdown in March, the arts hae suffered BADLY in the UK, not just from a severe lack of support but also ridicule – as seen with the ‘Cyber First’ advert last week. Well, recent weeks have seen the arts start to open up again, with events, gigs, theatre and more popping up around the city – all socially distanced and COVID safe.
This MUST and WILL continue, so don’t be deterred by Tier 3 – get yourself out and about and get enjoying live events once again. HOME are continuing their packed events calendar, as will the city’s other arts and theatre venues – it’s certainly a ‘business as usual’ attitude and we love it.
Christmas ISN’T Cancelled
Winter Island at Escape to Freight Island // Christmas ISN’T cancelled – I promise!
I’ve been saying this for a while now, and you should try and recite it to yourself for a couple of minutes every morning to get you in the festive mood. Either that or listen to Last Christmas on repeat. Christmas isn’t cancelled – it just can’t be.
Okay, so the Christmas Markets have been cancelled this year but there’s still set to be some fantastic Christmas events on which are socially distanced, COVID safe and Tier 3 compliant. The biggest must surely be Escape to Freight Island’s Winter Island – which looks set to be a massive Christmas wonderland full of drinks, food, entertainment and even a chance to try curling!
Shops are still OPEN
Hoyden Clothing // Afflecks
The one thing that sticks out about the lockdown in March is just the amount of random rubbish I ended up buying off the internet. With shops closed I think we all went a bit mad, seeking some retail therapy and looking forward to the package arriving on the doorstep.
Well, Tier 3 doesn’t have the same restrictions as the lockdown – not yet anyway – so shops and supermarkets can remain open. Now would be a great time to spend some money at your local independent retailers and shops instead of giving Jeff Bezos more of your money.
