A Bolton grandma who rose to fame selling home-cooked meals during the 2020 lockdown has now opened her very own cafe.
Marion Love’s business was born in the midst of the Covid pandemic, when she began cooking and baking a variety of dishes to sell from her home in Farnworth.
The fifty-year-old’s culinary offerings proved to be a huge hit amongst the local community, and she was catapulted to nationwide stardom after YouTube channel Rate My Takeaway sampled her famed English breakfast.
Following the video, Marion was inundated with orders, with people driving from as far as Newcastle to try out her home cooking.
Grandma’s Kitchen / Facebook
Grandma’s Kitchen / Facebook
And with Marion’s home cooking continuing to go from strength to strength even in the wake of the pandemic, she has now taken the plunge with the opening of her very first cafe, appropriately named Grandma’s Kitchen.
The bistro-style cafe offers a variety of breakfast, lunch and bakery options, with the breakfast menu including the likes of eggs Benedict, Marion’s famous full English breakfast and even the more experimental breakfast burritos.
On the lunch menu, guests will be able to find dishes of all cuisines, from the Italian sandwich, the Korean brioche bun with chicken and the Cajun chicken rice bowl.
Also on the menu is a selection of Marion’s famous baked goods, including cakes and cupcakes suitable for an array of occasions.
Grandma’s Kitchen / Facebook
Grandma’s Kitchen / Facebook
Speaking to The Bolton News about her latest venture, Marion said: “Our first day was hectic, none of us had breakfast or lunch, and we’d been up since 6 o’clock in the morning.
“I’m mostly cooking at the back so I don’t get to see everyone as much but when I popped my head round I saw so many people here, that I think we will need more tables.
“It’s been amazing though, and now we just need to adjust to everything and see how it goes.”
Grandma’s Cafe is open Monday-Friday from 7am-3pm, and Saturday-Sunday from 9am-2pm. Make sure to give the cafe a follow on Facebook and Instagram to stay posted with menu news and updates.
Pub chain Wetherspoons has announced it is hosting a 12-day celebration of all things ale — with pints costing as little as £2.15, starting this week.
The chain’s Real Ale Festival runs from Wednesday March 22nd to Sunday April 2nd, just in time for beer garden season. Exact prices will depend on where you live but the average cost is still expected to be below £3.
A range of 30 ales will be included in the deal, which is part of the pub chain’s real ale festival, from citrusy IPAs to deep dark rubies, available at extremely tempting prices across all of its pubs.
Some of those beers – 24 in total – will also have been brewed especially for the Wetherspoons event. Vegan and gluten free beers will also be on sale as part of the festival collection. Included in the selection of tipples will be offerings from leading British breweries as well as brewers in countries such as Switzerland, USA and Belgium.
Tim Hill / Flickr
Wetherspoon operations director, Martin Geoghegan said: “The festival is a great celebration of real ale. It will allow our pubs to showcase a selection of superb beers over a 12-day period, at great value for money prices.
“It will also give our customers the opportunity to enjoy a number of beers which have not previously been served in the pub, including those from overseas.”
The annual festival arrives as Spoons prices have risen by around 7.5 percent and a number of its venues have been put up for sale. Despite this, boss Tim Martin said that he remains ‘cautiously optimistic’ about the brand’s future.
Zouk is bringing back its epic bottomless buffet, available throughout the whole of Ramadan, consisting of their best-loved dishes — including a whole stuffed lamb.
Every evening starting from Thursday March 23rd, the colossal all-you-can-eat buffet will be open for everyone to feast on — the perfect way for families to celebrate Iftar and break their fast.
Guests will be greeted with a gift of stuffed dates on arrival plus fruit chaat, dates and water on the table. Once seated, customers can go up to the buffet and enjoy the daily selection of food which will include salads, starters, curries, lamb raan and a selection of accompaniments.
Zouk have created two sittings this year, so the Ramadan buffet is available for a longer period of time each evening — with a rotating menu in case you want to come back for more.
Manchester’s Finest GroupManchester’s Finest Group
There will be one sitting at Iftar with a second sitting an hour earlier or later, depending on BST. All you have to do is simply select the time that best suits you and your fellow diners when booking.
The Ramadan buffet is £25 per person for adults, £12.50 per child (under 12s) and free for children under five. Throughout the month, Zouk will also be supporting a number of local charities by donating both meals and money to help with the homelessness crisis across Manchester.
While walk-ins are welcome, it is advised to make a reservation to avoid disappointment. Get booked in here.
Manchester’s Finest GroupManchester’s Finest Group
A food hall in Manchester has been named as the best in the UK for its ‘exceptional’ food.
Mackie Mayor, based in the Northern Quarter, beat competition from London, Liverpool and Sheffield as it was voted best in the whole of the UK. Two other Greater Manchester food halls also made it to the top 10; Altrincham Market House and Society food hall, coming in fourth and eighth respectively.
Mackie Mayor scooped the top spot and was praised for the ‘exceptional’ food from its many food and drink operators, while second place went to Italian-inspired concept Eataly in London.
The news was announced by global travel site Big 7 Travel and hospitality specialists Enjoy Travel, who teamed up to find the best food halls in the UK. Venues were ranked on several factors including range of cuisines, selection of vendors, unique and special events and overall atmosphere.
@makiemayor / Instagram
Mackie Mayor food hall is located inside an 1858 Grade II-listed market building that was once Smithfield Market Hall. The site reopened as Mackie Mayor following a huge refurbishment in 2017.
The Swan Street plot was given a total revamp by the same team behind Altrincham Market — led by Nick Johnson — after lying empty for years. The team behind both food halls also run the Picturedrome food hall in Macclesfield.
Featuring a range of food and drink operators, all under its huge glass roof, Mackie Mayor holds the capacity for almost 500 people. The current line-up of vendors includes Tender Cow, Eagle Street Coffee, Honest Crust, Pico’s, New Wave Ramen, Mumma’s, Chilli B and BlackJack Brewtap.
@altymarket / Instagram
Taking top position above Eataly in London and Cutlery Works in Sheffield, the description for Mackie Mayor said it was ‘crammed full of top-notch food and drink vendors’ and one of Manchester’s ‘most popular spots’.
It added: “Honest Crust serves exceptional seasonal sourdough pizzas, FIN Fish Bar is beloved for its sustainable day-boat fish cooked whole over a chargrill and Baohouse serves up the steamiest little Taiwanese buns. At Tender Cow, punters can tuck into lesser-known cuts of beef from some of the best producers and farms in Britain. Groups of 10 or more people can book a table too.”
The other Manchester food hall making the top ten was Society, located in the long-vacated bar site next to Bridgewater Hall on Barbirolli Square, serving up a range of street food, craft beers and cocktails.
Current traders at the food hall include Chaat Cart, Yoki Social Table and Vocation brewery.