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! read more