You can’t move for vegan cafes in Northern Quarter nowadays. They’re ten a penny.
But twenty years ago, anyone embracing an animal-free diet would be hard-pushed to find a meal that wasn’t a sad-looking salad haphazardly thrown together by an exasperated chef.
Back in the nineties, even half-decent vegan food was in desperately short supply across Manchester.
But there was one exception: A tranquil little snack bar tucked away off the beaten track down Turner Street.
When ‘Earth’ officially opened as part of the Manchester Buddhist Centre in 1997, it was one of the first cafes of its kind.
Whilst other local eateries were cocooned in the waft of fried meats and cigarette smoke, Earth was preoccupied with showcasing how delicious – and beneficial – fruit and veg-based lunches could actually be.
Half a dozen years before doctors were officially rattling off advice about getting your ‘Five Fruit & Veg A Day’, Earth was providing its patrons with next-level nutrition with top-notch taste.
There’s no denying that this cosy NQ bistro was something of a trailblazer in healthy eating hospitality. And that’s what makes its demise even more dismaying.
Despite the stature, recognition and popularity Earth acquired over the subsequent two decades, its owners announced last week that its doors would never open again.
Earth Cafe is gone for good.
Speaking to The Manc, Vidyapala, Communications Manager at the Buddhist Centre, said it was a ‘financial decision.’
“Patrica and her son have been running the cafe for the last decade; but they just didn’t think it was feasible to reopen again given the reduction in people coming in,” he revealed.
“It was once a place where you could get great vegan food you couldn’t get elsewhere.
“But vegetarian and vegan cafes have become more ubiquitous now; the competition is so much higher. I suspect that has come into the mix and played a role in the closure.”
Losing Earth Cafe is a big blow for Manchester, which has seen many of its most beloved institutions permanently shutter-up due to the current economic climate.
But the eatery was also invaluable in how it functioned as something of a gateway for the Buddhist Centre.
Those intrigued by the prospect of learning more about Buddhism and spirituality would often visit Earth first to ease themselves in, before moving further into the venue once they’d had a bite to eat.
“It’s been quite interesting, when people found out it was closing, one of the impressions I got was that it was part of the experience of the Buddhist Centre,” Vidyapala explains.
“Some of the people who came down to the centre were interested in Buddhism but were perhaps a bit intimidated at actually going into the Centre.
“The cafe helped to ease them in almost. People would come to the cafe and then check out the centre upstairs.”
The future for the cafe space, where owners once plated up wholesome piles of healthy food alongside coffee and juice, is uncertain.
Vidyapala says there may be plans later down the line to do something else, but for the time being, the loss is a little too raw.
Attention is mostly focused on the Buddhist Centre itself – which has found a way to continue operating despite the lockdown measures imposed for a great portion of 2020.
“It’s been tough for us,” Vidyapala admits.
“But we are starting to run more in-person classes slowly, just on Tuesdays for the time being, and the numbers have to be very limited because of social distancing.
“We’ve got an online programme of meditation and web-based classes which we’ve been running over the past few months.
“We’re a big, busy centre, still. We’re always seeing people getting involved at all different levels; some who’ve been coming for donkey’s years and others who are dipping their toe in and coming to the occasional class.
“It’s quite a big community. All sorts of people come down.”
Whilst Earth Cafe – an old access point for Buddhist Centre visitors – might be gone; Vidyapala wants people to know that the Centre itself remains one of the most welcoming locations in the Northern Quarter – with a friendly community to match.
“Everyone’s welcome to come to the Buddhist Centre – you don’t have to be a Buddhist,” Vidyapala assures us.
“You can look around our bookshop. You can ask questions to our receptionists about Buddhism, meditation and how these things can change your life.
“Anybody and everybody is welcome.”
2020 has kept Manchester on tenterhooks; creating stress and concern beyond the likes of which many have never felt before.
But at the Buddhist Centre, the queasy racket of COVID melts into barely-audible background noise.
Taking a step inside takes you a million miles away from the world outdoors.
Attending classes and making donations all make a huge difference to the survival of the centre. You can discover more about ways to help online.
Feature
Review | Snow Patrol roll back the years at Co-op Live for a mini-Manc’s first gig
Danny Jones
This weekend we enjoyed a new kind of live music experience: rediscovering the joy of listening to a childhood favourite by watching it through the eyes of the next generation – that was how we witnessed a fully-fledged arena return to Manchester for Snow Patrol at Co-op Live.
And it was special for lots of reasons.
Taking a little one to their first gig is something you’ll never forget and sharing a new-found connection with a band that you loved when you were their age is one of those magical things about music that we’re eternally grateful for.
You might assume the Snow Patrol crowd one skews a little older for the most part but we were pleased to see there were more than a few kids and teenagers donning tour tees, looking wide-eyed at the sheer size of the Co-op Live arena, and singing the words back better than Gary Lightbody at times.
Sees the sign: ‘Race you there!’ (Credit: Audio North)
Yes, the Belfast-born frontman made a few mistakes on the night, but it did add a rather laid-back quality to what many acts might have found a daunting performance: playing a sell-out night to around 23,500 fans inside the enormous state-of-the-art venue.
But, obviously, there wasn’t even a whiff of nerves from these lads.
You don’t get to have been around for this long and become as successful as they are without being able to relax on stage and lean into those idiosyncratic perfections that feel more like private moments shared between the artist and the crowd.
The young lad sat watching it with us certainly got a kick out of it and though we might not have been able to cover his ears in time to censor some light but ever-charming swear words (it always sounds better in Irish, don’t you think?), it made for some nice banter between him and the crowd.
Big props must go to Johnny McDaid on the keys too, who besides having written for the likes of Ed Sheeran, Robbie Williams, Alicia Keys, Biffy Clyro and countless others over the years, also managed to impress by playing the majority of this entire tour after having trapped his hand in a train door. OUCH.
Credit: The Manc Group
Not only was that little interlude up there with one of the most applause-worthy parts of the entire show, but we were always pretty blown away by what we saw, as we all as what we heard.
Be it watching a digital tree come to life, shed its leaves and then fall as petal confetti, two sheer semi-opaque paper-thin screens swirl to create the album cover art for their latest album, or kicking the gig off with ‘Take Back The City’ as a multicoloured skyline appeared behind them, it was all pretty incredible.
We even got to hear a personal favourite of ours, ‘Set Fire To The Third Bar’, complete with a virtual performance from the voice that truly makes the song: Martha Wainwright.
It was in moments like this when we turned to see a 10-year-old’s face not quite sure of what it was seeing but an open-mouthed expression confirming they were finding it as stunning as we were.
We thoroughly enjoyed going through the back catalogue and working our way right up to plenty of the songs from The Forest Is The Path – which Gary himself firmly believes is their best work yet when we interviewed him – but it was as visually stunning as it was to the gorgeous sonically.
Both proved to be a brilliant way to see the contemporary rock, indie and alternative veterans, but there’s something about giving them a stage as big as this that reminds you of just how much they deserve it.
Up there with one of the prettiest gig snapshots in our memory.Not quite a hologram but very cool nonetheless.The production levels are always top-tier at Co-op Live but the Snow Patrol set was much more impressive than we expected.
Last but not least, thanks to Co-op Live not just for having but for creating a little boy’s memory that he’ll never forget.
Flashbacks: The timelapse of the Trafford Centre construction that’s gone viral
Danny Jones
The Trafford Centre might look like some decadent Roman emperor’s palace or as if it was plucked from the heart of Ancient Grecian city, but as anyone old enough to remember it’s opening and/or construction will tell you, it seems strange to think its not even been around for three decades yet.
As Greater Manchester’s and one of the North West’s most famous shopping centres full stop, the iconic attraction first began being built back in 1996, when John Major was Prime Minister, Manchester United were still Premier League champions, Britpop was at its peak and George Michael was number one.
It’s fair to say that a lot has changed since then and although Oasis might be back come 2025, The Trafford Centre and surrounding area are pretty unrecgonisable compared to nearly 30 years ago.
All told, it took approximately 27 months to erect the neo-classical epicentre of all things shopping, leisure, food and fanciness – and here’s what the process looked like:
With the initial 14 million sq ft shopping centre being completed in September 1998 following approximately 810 days of work, The Trafford Centre debuted to the Manc public and beyond.
It took more than 3,000 builders to bring the 60 hectare site to life at the peak of construction and since then the plot has only grown bigger, bolder and more ambitious over time.
Present day, it has everything from cinema screens and a mini Legoland to a Sea Life location, multiple bowling alleys and countless other forms of entertainment beyond just rows of shops and restaurants – hence why it remains busy pretty much year-round.
Back then, British celebrities, popular local names of note, politicians, dignitaries and prominent figures from the retail industry got to visit as part of exclusive preview events in the days before its launch date.
You can see the spectacle and fascination surrounding the official opening event here:
Seems surreal watching this today but the construction of the Trafford Centre was a huge moment not just for 0161 but all of the North.
But of course, the entire complex itself has seen multiple extensions over the years, including massive developments such as Barton Square and The Great Hall.
At the outset, it cost more than £600 million to build The Trafford Centre; the major renovations mentioned above which took place in 2008 cost another £100m and the Trafford Palazzo revamp around a decade later came in at around £75m.
There has and always will be lots of money put behind this intruguing monument to modern consumerism, and big brands will continue to flock to open units within the huge expanse whenever they can: some of the most recent being Archie’s, Flying Tiger, Sephora, Tiffany, Gymshark and more.
We’ll admit the aesthetic still makes us double-take from time to time (though not as much as confused Londoners visiting for the first time), but it’s not like this part of the world hasn’t boasted plenty of other curiosities in the past…
The Manc -
9th September 2020 
