Greater Manchester’s original Detroit pizza spot, Corner Slice, is opening a second site in the centre of Manchester.
The popular Failsworth pizzeria, which was the first to bring its Motor city-inspired rectangular pizzas to Manchester after a ‘light bulb’ moment during lockdown, has now confirmed plans to open a second site in the heart of the city this February.
Image: Corner Slice MCR
Serving deep pan pizza with traditional Italian toppings and a curly cheese crust, the new site will open first as a dark kitchen – giving city dwellers a chance to try East Manchester’s original Detroit-inspired pizza slices at home for the very first time.
And if it all goes well, owners Frank Brashaw and Danny Broadbent say they also plan to open a permanent shop in the city too.
The pair told The Manc, “We’re opening a dark kitchen to expand our delivery radius in February, and if it goes as well as we hope we will be looking for a permanent shop in the centre”.
Image: Corner Slice MCRImage: Corner Slice MCR
Corner Slice is known for its saucy, fluffy deep-pan squares, which come topped with the likes of Italian sausage, smoked garlic chicken, pepperoni, nduja, ‘hot honey’, banana peppers and a signature house cheese blend.
Traditionally topped with tomato sauce and Wisconsin brick cheese that goes all the way to the edges, the base of the Detroit-inspired pies is fluffy and similar in texture to focaccia.
The pizzeria also has some great veggie and vegan options, as well as making all of its pies available with vegan cheese, ‘crispy walls and all’.
Think square pies loaded with the likes of Korean Cauli, Portocini (a mix of portobello and porcini), a simple ‘Red Top’ with just cheese and red sauce, or regularly changing specials.
This months? A vegan special loaded with vegan sausage, piquillo peppers, pickled raisins and harrissa roasted broccolli.
Even better, if you can’t decide you can opt for a ‘half and half’ pie – combining two choices in one.
Image: Corner Slice MCR
Elsewhere on the menu, you’ll find complementary sides like fried chicken and waffle fries alongside homemade sauces including chilli’d honey, garlic and herb and BBQ ranch.
Corner Slice also offers a small but carefully curated selection of beers, wines and soft drinks to enjoy with its food.
Despite being right out on the edge of town. the tiny Failsworth pizza shop has made quite a considerable name for itself.
Its owners shared the news about the move in a social media post asking for new talented pizza chefs to join their team of self-described Detroit pizza peddlers.
Image: Corner Slice MCR
The job advert read:
“BIG CITY LIFE.
“We’ve heard your cries and are expanding our radius to town and beyond, by opening a second kitchen in the city centre.
“We’re looking for a few keen pizza peddlers to join us in slinging out Detroit pies to the good people of Manchester.”
The news has created considerable excitement amongst its fans, who were quick to share their enthusiasm for its arrival in Manchester city centre.
One wrote, “OMG!! 2022 is my year!!!!!!!!”
Another added, “This is sick -bout time.”
A third said, “Best news ever !!! Best pizza” whilst another follower agreed, saying “Totally agree!! Absolutely great news!! We love your pizza in the city centre!!”
The official opening date for the new kitchen is yet to be confirmed. To keep up to date with developments, make sure to follow Corner Slice on Instagram here.
If you’re interested in working for Corner Slice, you can send your CV to the team at cornerslicemcr@gmail.com.
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 -
10th January 2022 
