The Manchester Picnic Hub

Oh, ever-optimistic Manchester. I love how you'll boldly hold a picnic in the middle of August despite the clouds looking increasingly angry and the breeze getting somewhat nippier these past few weeks. But this isn't just any picnic. This is The Manchester Picnic. Let the rain wash over us, for we are Mancs, we always carry a cagoule. It's actually been illegal not to do so since the Gallagher brothers first came to power.

Imagine my surprise when I turned towards The Triangle and saw our very own Manchester Wheel and the surrounding Wellington and Sinclair's pubs bustling with multicoloured bunting, noise, rides and... *backs away suspiciously* CHILDREN?!? Then I actually walked INTO the shopping centre itself and was greeted with the ambient, if a little lounge/bar-esque sounds of a jazz pianist doing a few pleasant cover songs while people sat at makeshift wooden benches and on picnic rugs indoors. Marvellous, really. There was action all over the city from Castlefield to Cathedral Gardens (and even a Twitnic organised via Twitter on the Sunday in Spinningfields), but perhaps the most impressive spot was Piccadilly Gardens.

It was like a festival without the bands. Stall upon stall of food, the air thick with Bratwurst (which I was paranoid about having cling to my hair as I was off out later that evening, then again I was en route to meet the film buff, he loves a good sausage), and so many cuisines to choose from. Healthy soups, burgers, wraps... I wandered through, eyes gorging on the visual deliciousness, and stopped upon the Hey Little Cupcake stall. I'm such a girl. To be fair, I've been stalking these guys fervently since their ad for their pop-up shop in Spinningfields right next to Pure Gym (talk about location location location, that's GENIUS) and I have it on good authority that the selection of cupcakes I chose to take to the film buff's Blog Birthday went down a treat the following day. I'll be over to their new shop later this week to check out the treats for myself.

In the meantime, long live this fab new Mancunian piece of local flavour. Ensure you're in town for the next Manchester Picnic, and hey, it certainly bridges the gap between those wintery Food and Drink festivals!

The Manchester Picnic is back!

So, a few times in the year, Piccadilly Gardens becomes a nice place to be. The huge bonus is that it's currently sunny - extra points for Manchester!

The Manchester Picnic is an array of food stalls and local vendors, some of which will change over the 3 days, and a range of entertainment. Today, the vendors included Castro, El Kantina, Martins Bakery, and Nandos (what?) - others that I don't remember the name of were a Tibetan van, Thai food and very popular sushi offerings. Everything smelt amazing, the smoke was flying, and it was busy busy busy.

I went for El Kantina today; the service was slower than I could personally bear, with only one woman actually serving and the other just standing and smiling, but we got there eventually. And what did we get to? Pig Candy. And yes, this was my lunch.

Pig Candy consisted of 2 small pancakes, topped with candied bacon and cinnamon dust, with a side of cheese sauce. I'm all for mixing salty and sweet, and this combination bought my American days flooding back. It's not for the faint hearted - I have a sweet tooth, but I'm desperately craving something salty now!

Treats for the office consisted of a brownie and two smartie & choc chip cookies from Martins, who seem to trade frequently at The Lowry food market, and who I would buy again from in a heartbeat. The brownie was an instant hit, squidgy and sticky to the roof of your mouth, and the cookies have a real depth of flavour. At 3 for £3, it's not to be sniffed at!

I'm planning on visiting again this weekend in order to soak up the atmosphere while Manchester is on form!

Excellent Service Very cheap too! Thank you Manchester Office Cleaners.