Food & Drink
This tap room on a farm with pizza, beer and incredible views of Greater Manchester is a must visit
Pizza, beer and pigs
A countryside farm has opened up on weekends to offer pizza, beer and gorgeous views of Greater Manchester.
Located on top of a hill in Rossendale, Farm Tap at Kiln Clough Farm, Helmshore, has now reopened its doors for the summer months.
The Farm Tap is run by brothers Barney and Josh Vines out of a barn on the site of their family’s working farm. They initially came up with the idea after they hosted a beer festival on the site back in 2016 – here, they decided to launch their own brewery and, thus, Northern Whisper was born.
Northern Whisper
The brothers went on to open beer tap bars in locations across Greater Manchester and Lancashire – Ramsbottom, Rawtenstall and Colne – but because of lockdown restrictions they have not yet been able to open.
But with Farm Tap having acres of outdoor space, the brothers have been able to reopen following the easing of restrictions in April.
Barney, thirty-two, said on the venue: “It is just great to be back open again.
Northern Whisper
“It’s our family farm, and my brother Josh and I organised a beer festival in 2016 which did brilliantly and that’s how the idea for our own brewery came about.”
Barney pointed out that, as well as stunning views, guests at Farm Tap will also be able to enjoy the presence of farmyard animals, too.
He said: “At certain times of the year you’ll see animals from the tap, but it’s a working farm not a petting zoo.
“We have a number of rare breeds here, and our pig barn is further down the lane. For people who are walking up here it’s not uncommon to see the pigs basking in the sun.”
Northern Whisper
All beers, which are priced at a very reasonable £4 a pint, are the brewery’s own, including core favourites like Chinwag IPA, Chatterbox APA and Oppenchops golden ale.
The beers are all named after some good Northern terms for banter, with Barney noting: “We liked the idea of names which could be associated with hearsay and rumours – Rossendale can be rife for small talk and rumours!”
The pizzas on site, alternatively, are priced between £9.95 to £10.95 with toppings including a classic margarita and ham and mushroom as well as their own slightly more adventurous concoctions, ‘meaty monster’ and ‘spicy monster combos.’
Farm Tap doesn’t take bookings, so it’s simply a case of turning up and finding a seat outside at the sprawling farm and admiring the stunning views of Greater Manchester all around.
For directions and more information, you can visit their website 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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