Food & Drink
Petition to extend Eat Out to Help Out scheme to September has been launched
Good idea?
The Eat Out to Help Out scheme has proved very popular, both with customers and most venues who took part in the offer.
Sadly, it’s set to end next Monday, August 31st, meaning after today there’s only one more day to take advantage of some bargain food and drink.
It’s been estimated that participating establishments have dished out more than 35 million meals since it was launched on August 3rd, from nearly 50,000 different restaurants, bars and cafes.
Mowgli Street Food/Facebook
In case you are unfamiliar with the scheme, it has been available from Mon-Weds throughout August and meant that you could get 50% off your food and soft drink at participating venues, up to a maximum of £10 per head.
According to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, the 35 million figure ‘is equivalent to over half of the UK taking part’, and he now faces calls to extend the scheme, in a bid to help businesses survive.
A petition online has gained more than 5,500 signatures at the time of writing, and is asking the government to extend the scheme until September 30th.
The petition reads: “Extend the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme to September to give restaurants and cafes financial stability prior to a potential second wave of COVID-19 causing local/national lockdowns.
“The government have the power and the responsibility to ensure people are not losing their jobs due to businesses having a weak financial stability.”
It needs 10,000 signatures to get a response from the government, and 100,000 for it to be debated in Parliament.
Finest Media
Kate Nicholls, the chief executive of UKHospitality, told the Mirror: “The scheme has been a huge success for the sector. Our members have been reporting a very-welcome boost in trade when it was needed most.
“The scheme has not just benefited businesses commercially, it appears to have really boosted consumer confidence as well, which is just as important.
“Both of those are very strong arguments for an extension of the scheme.
“It would keep customers excited about going out and give businesses the support they still need. Hospitality sector is still fragile and faces other challenges, but prolonging the Eat Out scheme could help businesses back to stability and enable them to safeguard jobs and livelihoods.”
As the scheme is set to wind down on August 31st, new figures have revealed that pub and restaurant workers are most at risk from redundancy, with 14 million of them furloughed at the start of lockdown.
You can sign the petition here.
Food & Drink
Manchester has a new Indian bottomless brunch with fizz and cocktails like mango mimosas
The Indian bottomless brunch combo we never knew we needed is here
Big news in the foodie world: Mancunians can now feast upon an Indian Delhi brunch with bottomless cocktails and fizz.
The Delhi House Cafe, located in the Corn Exchange, is marking its first birthday this week and, to celebrate, has launched its brand new bottomless brunch offer.
Available every Thursday to Sunday between 12pm and 4pm, guests can choose one starter, one main and then receive ninety glorious minutes of bottomless booze for just £31.95 per person.
On the drinks front, diners will get the choice of fizz, lager or some of Delhi House Cafe’s notoriously impressive cocktails, such as their Spiced Bloody Mary, Mango Mimosa and Rose Sangria.
And their food menu boasts an equally impressive selection: For starters, there is a choice of Dahi Poori; a popular street food snack of puffed puri shells filled with a mint and tamarind yoghurt, A.A.C; a tasty fried avocado and potato dish, and Moong Dall Ladoo; sweet lentil fritters served with radish and a tamarind yoghurt.
And as for mains? Diners will be able to choose from one of five dishes from Delhi House Cafe’s menu, including their famous ‘Not My Burger’; a tandoori chicken tikka naan sandwich served with chips, salad and homemade curry mayo, Creamed Chicken or Achari Paneer Kathi Rolls; rolled in a crispy paratha and served with salad and chips, or the Masala Chicken Scrambled Eggs served with hash browns and a toasted bun.
This epic brunch menu launches TODAY, so make sure to get down to try it out for yourself.
For bookings and more information, visit the Delhi House Cafe website here.
Food & Drink
Recreate the iconic school dinner cake at home with this simple recipe
The best pudding in the world is making a comeback
Remember those really tasty and sugary puddings dished up during school dinners? You know, the one’s you’d get before Jamie Oliver had stuck his nose in?
Well, there’s a new recipe that will enable you to recreate the iconic vanilla sponge cake from the comfort of your own kitchen.
Rekindling those childhood memories, Instagram baker @cakeontherun recently shared her recipe for a vanilla traybake, complete with icing and sprinkles on top.
@cakeontherun / Instagram
The recipe for Laura’s vanilla cake tray bake uses no eggs, so a vegan version can easily be made using dairy-free milk. So, what are the rest of the ingredients?
All you’ll need is 400g self raising flour (or all purpose flour with 1 tsp extra baking powder, or gluten free flour), 250g caster sugar, 200g margarine, 200g vanilla or plain yoghurt, 200ml milk, 2 tsp vanilla essence/extract, 1 tbsp baking powder, a splash of lemon juice, 400g powdered icing sugar, a splash of cold water and sprinkles for the icing.
The method is straight forward, too: Firstly, you’ll need to pre-heat your oven to 180C/350F/ gas mark 4 before creaming the margarine and sugar together in a large bowl. Then, you’ll need to sift in the flour and add all of the other ingredients.
Mix together until combined – though be careful not to over mix! Once this has been done, line a baking dish with parchment paper and bake for thirty minutes (or when the top is golden and the sponge is cooked in the middle.)
@cakeontherun / Instagram
Then, remove the cake from the tin and paper and leave to cool on a wire rack. You can then make the icing sugar by slowly adding water to the powder in a deep bowl. When it’s runny and the cake is cooled, pour over the top and then scatter sprinkles. Then, you can cut into chunks and serve with custard to live out your primary school dream.
Other fun twists you can try is coconut (using coconut milk and desiccated coconut instead of dairy and sprinkles), almond (with almond milk and almond slices) and lemon.
Make sure to follow Laura’s Instagram page for more baking inspiration.
Food & Drink
Manchester kebab joint launches seafood kebab with deep-fried calamari, soft shell crab and octopus
If you’re wanting one of the best kebabs in Manchester, look no further…
BAB, the Northern Quarter gourmet kebab joint after all our hearts, has launched its new menu and as you’d expect, it has some incredible new kebabs up for grabs.
BAB’s August menu boasts a number of new additions to its famous mezze dishes, including a Spinach and Feta Stuffed Flatbread with a feta and mozzarella dip for £6.50, Prawn Saganaki,£7, Octopus Terrine, £8.50, and Moussaka Croquettes filled with spicy minced lamb, aubergine and feta cheese, £6.50.
But, perhaps most excitingly, the new menu has brought with it a seafood version of their massively popular Mixed Kebab.
The new Seafood Mixed Kebab, priced at £15, features deep-fried calamari, soft shell crab and octopus, alongside a staple kebab shop salad, a creamy coriander and lime dressing and BAB’s special sauce.
It joins the OG Mixed Kebab, which comes topped with lamb adana, aleppo chicken and a portion of cheesy chips, all costing £14.50.
Also new on the menu is a vegan King Oyster & Mixed Mushroom Shawarma for £10, Octopus with a butternut squash tarragon puree, priced at £13.50, and a Chickpea Shawarma with huge fried halloumi chips, costing £10.50.
You can still also get BAB’s famous Flat Iron Steak Kebab, their Greek Fries and the always popular Scotch Bonnet Chicken Wings, and they’ve even added a Cookie Skillet (£6) that perfect for sharing, and a Pistachio Frangipani (£5.50) to the desserts.
For bookings, the full menu and more information, visit BAB’s website and official Instagram page.
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