Turkey hanging kebabs, and pies topped with pigs in blankets are just some of the dishes on The Botanist’s new winter menu.
The Botanist may have been known for its imaginative food and drink creations for quite some time now, its new winter menu for 2023 is something else – with everything from indulgent sharing boards, oozy Camembert bread loaves, and mouthwatering twists on Christmas classics on the lineup to choose from.
Described as being “comfort food to indulge in as the winter chill creeps in”, The Botanist‘s new limited-edition seasonal menu has been expertly-crafted by the chain’s in-house chefs, with diners told to expect every dish to have been “created lovingly” from scratch.
So, what’s on the lineup for the festive season then?
The Botanist has launched its festive food and drink menu for the winter season / Credit: Supplied
Well for starters, there’s a whole melted camembert baked inside a sourdough loaf, with sweet onion marmalade and served with crispy garlic croutons to dip in.
For those feeling a little indecisive, there’s a new ‘Hot Board’ that comes with tater tot poutine, Cumberland scotch eggs, halloumi fries, salt and pepper chicken wings, and chicken katsu bites, as well as a vegan version with bang bang cauliflower, giant couscous, houmous with roasted chickpeas, vegan meatballs in marinara sauce, and crispy mushrooms.
But, of course, it wouldn’t be The Botanist without those famous hanging kebabs, right?
And thankfully, there’s a new seasonal special to get stuck into this year – with orange and cranberry glazed turkey, stuffing, and pigs in blankets, served with all the trimmings and a pot of gravy to drizzle down the kebab.
There’s turkey hanging kebabs, pies topped with pigs in blankets, and more / Credit: Supplied
Another showstopping main dish available right up until Christmas is the turkey ‘pie of the day’, which is topped with a giant pig in blanket, and served with mashed potato, cranberry sauce, crispy sage, and lashings of gravy on the side.
There’s also a new prawn linguine, a spicy coconut sweet potato pie, a sweet potato and goat’s cheese tart, butternut squash soup, chicken and liver brandy pate, and even a tear-and-share garlic fougasse bread.
Those with a sweet tooth haven’t been forgotten either, as the restaurant’s signature cookie dough has had a seasonal update too to create a new S’mores option that’s topped with toasted marshmallows and chocolate brownie chunks, and finished off with a biscuit crumb.
There’s also a Salted Caramel Pretzel version too that comes with a sticky and sweet butterscotch sauce, and lots of salted pretzel pieces.
“This time of year is all about celebration and enjoying good food with loved ones,” explained James Scott, who is the Executive Chef at The Botanist.
“With this menu we wanted to showcase a modern take on feel-good comfort food with festive flavours, offering our diners a seasonal update to the signature dishes they’ve come to know and love when visiting our restaurants.”
The Botanist’s new winter menu is now available to indulge in at all Greater Manchester locations, with dishes starting from £7.25 for starters, £13.95 for mains, and £5.25 for desserts.
Featured Image – Supplied
Food & Drink
Lively Irish pub Nancy Spains set to open in Manchester for the first time
Daisy Jackson
An Irish bar famed for its live music is heading up to Manchester for the first time, and is promising £2.50 pints to lure us in.
Nancy Spains will be venturing out of London for the first time promising to bring the ‘ultimate traditional Irish pub experience’ to the Northern Quarter.
If you were to ask what the hottest trend in hospitality is right now the answer would, apparently, be Guinness. We’re drowning in the stuff.
This latest opening is more about Murphy’s, another Irish stout, than Guinness (they actually won’t serve Guinness at all) but the craic will be much the same.
Nancy Spains is actually set to open almost directly opposite the aforementioned Salmon of Knowledge, taking over the former Corner Boy unit on Stevenson Square in the heart of Manchester.
To celebrate its opening, the pub will be serving its first 5000 pints of Murphy’s for just £2.50, so that it can show off the atmosphere that’s established it as ‘one of London’s favourite pubs’.
They’re promising an array of Irish whiskeys behind the bar, live music performances, and a lively late-night setting.
Nancy Spains was set up by three brothers who travelled all over their home county of rural Kerry researching Irish pubs, before launching two venues down in London.
They want it to balance a traditional pub with the vibrancy of the city.
Peter O’Halloran, co-founder of Nancy Spains commented, “We’re so excited to be launching in Manchester, bringing Nancy Spains to the heart of the Northern Quarter.
“After the success of our two venues in London, it was only right to bring Nancy Spains’ infectious spirit and Irish pride to Manchester. Slainte!”
Nancy Spains will open its first Manchester pub on Saturday 15 March at 21 Hilton Street.
Lucky Mama’s – The Italian restaurant serving pasta in a dough bowl and ‘pregnant’ pizzas
Daisy Jackson
Lucky Mama’s is a local sensation, thanks to its slightly whacky but delicious Italian creations like pasta served in a bowl made of pizza dough and its latest offering, a ‘pregnant’ pizza.
What on Earth is a pregnant pizza, you ask? Firstly we should stress this is a nickname we’ve bestowed upon the dish, rather than Lucky Mama’s chosen branding.
But essentially it’s a helping of fresh pasta that’s folded into the bubble crust of the pizza, like a half-calzone.
Lucky Mama’s started life when founders Mamadou Dhiam and Gaby Santos set up a trailer in their backyard in Eccles in the depths of lockdown.
But thanks to a formidably loyal following that’s spread the word of Lucky Mama’s far and wide, it now has two pretty pink restaurants in Greater Manchester.
Back in 2022, they threw open the doors to their Chorlton restaurant, before returning back to home turf for spot number two in Monton in 2024.
The recipes are fresh and pretty authentically Italian up until the last step, when they throw a curveball by loading their pasta into unconventional vessels.
‘Pregnant’ pizzas at Lucky Mama’sTraditional Roman pizzasLucky Mama’s pink restaurant in Chorlton
Their pasta pizza bowls are what they’re best known for and they fly out of the kitchen – this is where pizza dough is placed around a metal bowl before being baked in an oven.
Then it’s piled high with freshly made pasta, with popular flavours like cacio e pepe, mushroom alfredo, and rasta pasta.
Pasta is available in a regular ceramic bowl too.
You’ll find Lucky Mama’s at 565 Barlow Moor Road in Chorlton; and 217 Monton Road in Eccles.
Emily Sergeant -
27th November 2023 
