Easter is almost upon us and Manchester’s restaurants and bars have very much risen to the occasion with some brilliant-looking Easter foodie specials.
From sweet Scotch Eggs that take the pub classic to a whole other level, to deep-fried Creme Eggs, hot cross bun fried chicken French toast, a hot cross bagel and even a hot cross cocktail, there are some banging Easter treats kicking around Manchester this weekend.
Keep reading to discover where to get your sweet fix.
Black Milk, Biscoff Scotch Egg
Image: The Manc Eats
Manchester dessert cafe Black Milk Cereal has created these amazing sweet scotch eggs for Easter.
Swapping out sausage meat for Lotus Biscoff, these genius little treats give the seasonal Cadbury mainstay quite the glow up – in the most Northern fashion possible.
Comprised of Lotus Biscoff cake mix, white chocolate, and a Cadbury’s Creme Egg with its glossy signature runny ‘yolk’ intact, the ultra-indulgent delight is topped off with a Biscoff crumb to give it that out-of-the-pub-fridge look we all secretly crave.
Available from Black Milk’s Northern Quarter site from now right up to Easter, the sweet Scotch Eggs can be enjoyed to eat in or takeaway from £5.95.
Bread Flower is getting in on the Easter action with this hot cross bun-bagel hybrid.
Think a cardamom and cinnamon raisin bagel, topped with the classic cross and finished with an apricot glaze, and served with a marmalade schmear.
Find a limited number available on the Bread Flower counter at Ducie Street Warehouse this weekend.
Grandpa Greene’s, Easter Egg Hot Chocolate
Image: Grandpa Greene’s
The popular canalside ice cream parlour and cafe in Diggle, Saddleworth, has teamed up with beloved local chocolatier Slattery’s to give the people what they want.
This year, they’ve updated their original hot chocolate recipe and it now comes with a full Slattery Easter egg, marshmallows, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and mini eggs.
Find it at their Oldham site throughout the month.
Manchester bakery Siop Shop is churning out these fried hot cross donuts in honour of the Easter weekend.
Available from now until Easter Sunday at the Tib Street cafe, in previous years they’ve simply iced the cross on but this year the team has gone the whole hog.
DGHNT, Hot Cross Donuts
Artisan donut baker Sulin Baldwin has created these cardamoom creme-filled hot cross donuts for the Easter weekend.
Covered in a milk chocolate glaze and vanilla drizzle, inside they’re simply bursting with pastry cream.
Available for delivery in Altrincham and Sale, or collection from the Northern Quarter, drop her a message on Instagram to place your order.
Gooey, Easter box
Image: Gooey
Gooey has created a special Easter box which will be available from its Ducie Street Warehouse kiosk over the long weekend.
Featuring a carrot cake cookie, chocolate-glazed Easter donut filled with white chocolate mousse and passion fruit jam, red velvet cookie cake and dulce de leche-glazed cruller, this looks like one of their best yet.
A Cadbury creme egg, battered and deep fried, served with vanilla ice cream and a dusting of sugar icing, these bad boys will be given away for free on Good Friday to the first 100 through the door.
The kitchen is also making its ‘Hot Cross Fried Chicky’, combining its tender buttermilk fried chicken with a crispy, streaky bacon cross, maple syrup glaze and sweet cinnamon buttered apples, piled into a vanilla custard french toast-fried hot cross bun.
Ciaooo x Black Milk, Easter chocolate pizza
Image: Ciaooo Pizza MCR
Swan Street pizzeria Ciaoo has teamed up with its Oldham Street neighbours Black Milk Cereal to create this ultimate Easter dessert.
A chocolate pizza loaded with pieces of Kinder Bueno, Kinder Maxi, Nutella, Kinder Surprise and Black Milk’s own homemade Kinderella sauce.
Alex’s Bakery, Easter Egg Cake
Image: Supplied
Famed for its buttercream cupcakes and loaded chocolate brownies, Alex’s Bakery, has launched a Mini Egg Easter Cake for the weekend.
Lovingly created with vanilla sponge, strawberry jam, buttercream and packed with over 100 Mini Eggs, it’s the perfect treat to share with family and friends over a coffee catch up this Easter.
In honour of the Easter weekend, swanky Northern Quarter cocktail bar Mecanica has announced a limited edition ‘Hot Cross Bun’ cocktail.
Featuring Cinnamon Butter washed Bourbon, Pedro Ximénez and Orange Bitters, this is a drink not to be missed.
Fress, Creme Egg Freakshake
Image: Fress
If you want to get your freak on this Easter, Fress has got you covered with a special Creme Egg Freakshake.
Loaded with the ever-popular Cadbury’s favourite, it’s available at the Northern Quarter site for a limited time only.
Dormouse Chocolates, Eggs on Toast Bar
Image: Supplied
Award-winning Manchester chocolatier Dormouse Chocolates has created an ‘Eggs on Toast Bar’ ready for the weekend.
Comprised of a bread and butter milk chocolate topped with a white chocolate fried “egg” – it offers a tasty take on a breakfast classic and the perfect alternative to a traditional Easter egg.
View the chocolatier’s full Easter selection here.
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025
Emily Sergeant
Rochdale has officially been named Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2025.
Taking over the reins from Bolton – which held the title in 2024 – and following in the footsteps of Stockport before that, which held the title in 2023, and even hosted a massive ‘Town of Culture Weekender’ festival with 50+ free events to celebrate and bring its title year to a close, it’s now the turn of the north-eastern Greater Manchester borough of Rochdale.
Rochdale’s year will build on the town’s already-rich cultural history and international reputation as the home of the co-operative movement.
More than 35 arts organisations will be bringing together an ambitious programme of festivals, exhibitions, events, and performances throughout the year.
Unfamiliar with what the ‘Greater Manchester Town of Culture’ title is all about? It’s an accolade that’s handed out every year to different boroughs across the region.
Bury was the inaugural title-holder 2020 and held onto it in 2021 too due to the COVID pandemic, before being followed by Stalybridge in 2022, Stockport in 2023, and of course, Bolton in the year just gone.
The title celebrates Greater Manchester’s culture and heritage.
As well as getting a new title to shout about, it also sees the towns given a grant from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) culture fund to help develop a programme of cultural events and activities throughout the year.
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025 / Credit: The Manc Group | Rochdale Council
In Rochdale’s case, you can expect the ‘very best local talent’, as this year is promising to put ‘people power’ centre stage, with residents helping to plan, develop, and deliver a lineup of creative activities, alongside a number of major events.
This includes the popular free days out for families, an exciting new urban arts festival, two different food and drink festivals, a lantern parade, the Ignite Fire Festival, a Pride parade, and so much more.
You can also expect live music performances, a new people’s gallery, and even some major international collaborations that are yet to be announced.
Rochdale is taking over the reins from Bolton, which held the title in 2024 / Credit: Rochdale Council
“Rochdale is a place with a rich cultural history, so it is great to name it Greater Manchester’s town of culture as it’s town hall and town centre enter a new era,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as the borough was crowned this week.
“Rochdale submitted a fantastic bid for this which, was incredibly exciting and ambitious, while being firmly rooted in its local talent and deep history.
“We are definitely going to see the very best of what Rochdale has to offer over the next 12 months and people will come from far and wide to see it.”
Featured Image – Rochdale Council
News
The Lowry Theatre undergoes revamp following Biffa Award grant
Danny Jones
The Lowry in Salford Quays has had a bit of TLC with one of its biggest theatre spaces undergoing a pretty significant refurb this past month.
Following a well-deserved grant distributed via the Biffa Award, a multi-million-pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through community and environmental projects across the UK, the legendary local theatre received nearly £75k last year.
As a result, all 440 seats and various other aspects of The Lowry‘s Quays Theatre have now been renovated and refurbished.
The short story is, she looks more gorgeous than ever – see for yourself:
Being initially handed over in March 2024, The Lowry was awarded a total of £74,816 to reupholster seating in the venue’s Quays Theatre with new padding and fabric.
After almost 25 years of constant use as one of the most popular theatres in the North, the seats in the Quays Theatre were much in need of a refurb, and with work completed in December, Lowry visitors can now enjoy watching the venue’s wide range of theatre, dance, comedy and drama in comfort.
The work was actually carried out between July and December, with seats being carefully removed in batches and reupholstered off-site.
This was made possible due to the Biffa Award’s most recent ‘Cultural Facilities’ theme, which aims to improve recreation, interest and education, drawing funds from the UK government’s wider Landfill Communities Fund.
The old fabric and padding were disposed of sustainably, with lots of it being repurposed where possible to minimise waste and all the new materials used meet current guidance for safety and quality.
The Lowry’s Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Development, Gwen Oakden, said of the long overdue update:“It is so important that our audiences are able to enjoy our world-class performing arts programme in a comfortable and welcoming space.
“For many visitors to the Quays Theatre, this is their first experience of live performance – often to see a family show or as part of a school trip. We really want it to be the best experience possible, and for them to begin a lifelong relationship with Lowry.
“As a registered charity, without the generous support of this Biffa Award, for which we’re hugely grateful, we couldn’t have carried out this important work for our audiences.
As we head into our 25th Anniversary year, we are delighted to be able to welcome audiences and visitors can enjoy the beautiful and revived Quays Theatre.”
As for the Biffa side of things, Grants Manager Rachel Maidment added: “We are delighted to have supported The Lowry in refurbishing the Quays Theatre seating, ensuring audiences can continue to enjoy performances in comfort.
“Through Biffa’s Cultural Facilities theme, we fund projects that provide engaging and inspiring spaces for communities. The Lowry is a key cultural venue, and we’re proud that our funding, made possible through the government Fund, has helped enhance the experience for visitors for years to come.”
Like most Mancs, we love The Lowry, so here’s to hosting countless more theatregoers in the most comfortable seats possible for generations to come.
We’ve been to some brilliant performances around here of late.
Georgina Pellant -
12th April 2022 
