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I recently broke one of my own self-imposed rules by accepting an invitation to the VIP opening night of Zizzi’s new Piccadilly restaurant. My stance on ‘freebies’ is that i’m happy to go to places i’d be likely to visit anyway, something I can’t honestly say about Zizzi who appear to epitomise everything I dislike about chains. In fact, I …

It’s not everyday you get given a car and petrol for the day to go and visit some of the best restaurants and food producers in the region. But that’s what happened after I was contacted on behalf of Europcar and asked to take part in their #BritainsBestBites campaign which aims to promote great local producers. Britain’s Best Bites is …

As an adventurous eater and somebody obsessed with trying new things I’m probably not the intended target of Wagamama’s latest campaign. The ‘Way of Wagamama’ is designed to encourage people to try something new and a bit different rather than ordering the same dishes all the time. Still, when I was invited to a special press event hosted by Channel …

After attending EP 01 & 02 of Friday Food Fight but missing EP03 I was determined to make it to EP 04 last week, despite the fact I already had plans for the evening. The great thing about the event is you can come and go as you please, stay as long as you like and eat as much or …

I’ve spent a lot of time at Bolton Market’s new Lifestyle Hall since it opened in January. Admittedly most of it has been at the brilliant micro-bar ‘Great Ale, Year Round‘. During almost every visit I’ve encountered the larger than life character that is Alain Job. Alain runs ‘Nkono’, a stall serving authentic African food and he’s not afraid to …

I like beef and love puddings (both the sweet and savoury kind), so when I heard of a new restaurant in Manchester named ‘Beef & Pudding’ I was naturally excited. You can imagine my disappointment then when I learned that rather than being due to a menu consisting of only beef and pudding dishes the name is actually a reference …

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a ‘secret supper club’ by Bonnie, owner of Yang Sing. I didn’t know at the time but later learned it was the first event organised by the ‘Manchester’s Finest’ website who worked with the China Town Association. Bonnie wasn’t joking when she called it a secret, I was only told: “Rendezvous …

My first thought upon hearing of the Drunken Butcher’s Roast Dinner Masterclass was; “but I already know how to make good roasts”. I am rather proud of my roast dinner skills but in the end couldn’t resist attending anyway. I like Iain and it sounded like a fun way to spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon. He certainly knows …

Having enjoyed the first Friday Food Fight so much I couldn’t wait to return the following week  to eat my way through a completely new line up. This time everything ran smoothly from the start and with no power problems we walked straight in. The venue was just as impressive as I remembered and there was already a great buzz …

Certain names just belong together; Romeo & Juliet, Lennon & McCartney or Batman & Robin for example. The latest addition to that list is Mughli & Clyde after not only the highlight of my year so far but quite possibly one of my favourite ever nights out. I try not to set my expectations too high for fear of disappointment, …

I hate reality TV; one of my proudest claims is the fact i’ve genuinely never seen a single episode of X-Factor, Britain’s Got Talent or any of those bloody dancing shows. There is one exception though, i’m a sucker for food shows. I watch pretty much all of them; from traditional recipe shows to food documentaries and yes, even reality …

It’s a few years ago now, but I’ve spent many Friday nights in warehouse like buildings with DJs playing dance music. Back then it was all about the music but yesterday at the inaugural Friday Food Night I got that same buzz I used to from clubbing only this time it was all about the food. I’d been looking forward …

Although my favourite cuisine changes on a fairly regular basis (it’s probably Japanese at the moment), Mexican is never far from the top. It’s definitely the style of food I cook most often at home. So I couldn’t help get excited when I heard about the Mexican Fiesta Night at The Farmers Arms. Arriving on a typically cold Bolton night I …

Waking up in a Macclesfield hotel with a slight hangover after a fantastic night – but perhaps one too many glasses of wine – at ‘The Lord Clyde‘, there was only one thing on my mind; A breakfast burrito. Specifically a Luck Lust Liquor & Burn breakfast burrito. So you can imagine my horror when I learned that they no longer serve …

In hindsight, attending a ‘Pit Masterclass’ and preview of new meatastic BBQ joint ‘Red’s True Barbecue‘ wasn’t ideal preparation for a supper club called ‘Around the World in 8ish Steaks’ just a few hours later. But sometimes life presents these unfortunate schedule clashes, where a normal person may have chosen one or the other, I went for option C – eat …