Altrincham Market House: Things to Do in Manchester
A Community Revitalised…
The revival of the Altrincham Market is nothing short of remarkable. From 1290 (yes, 1290!) the market had been at the centre of community life in Altrincham. Throughout the centuries, the market would have been where townsfolk gathered to buy goods, make a living, and spend time in the company of their neighbours.
And yet, the second half of the 20th century brought a period of stagnation. With the fortunes of the town on the downturn and the population size decreasing year over year, the historic market was being run by the council with little love or care. In fact, around a decade ago, Altrincham was voted as having the worse high street in Britain.
So, what has changed?
Well, Nick Johnson came onto the scene. Nick was a property developer and saw something in Altrincham that others failed to spot. In 2013, he won the contract to run the market and quickly set about changing the face of it and in turn Altrincham.
Listen to Nick’s fascinating account of how he came to the project in the excellent documentary below.
Nick gave the Victorian building a makeover. Cleaning it from top to bottom and restoring some features that had been neglected. He then got to work contacting some of the area’s best, local food vendors.
Nick did the same in Manchester city centre with the Mackie Mayor food hall, the big sister of Altrincham Market House. We previously wrote about Mackie Mayor here.
Food and Drink at Altrincham Market House
Since it reopened in 2014, locals and visitors have filled the food hall week after week, and it should come as no surprise – the food on offer is second to none!
Market House is home to 10 indie food stalls, including Honest Crust, Wolfhouse Kitchen, Tender Cow, Jack in the Box, Reserve Wines, Great North Pie Co., Sam Joseph, and Market House Coffee.
Jack in the Box is an award-winning producer of real ale and cider that operate across the Mackie Mayor and Altrincham Market Houe locations. Serving tasty beers from the Blackjack Brewing Co. and other guest breweries, Jack in the Box is the perfect place to catch up with a friend while enjoying a locally-produced brew.
Meanwhile, Honest Crust serves up magnificent sourdough pizzas cooked in a tiled oven imported from Italy. While there is now a wealth of options for great pizza in Manchester, Honest Crust has proved themselves to be stalwarts of the scene. If you fancy eating a perfectly cooked pizza in an atmospheric setting, look no further than Honest Crust at Altrincham Market House.
Looking to eat some traditional northern fare while in the Manchester area? You can’t go wrong with the Great North Pie Co. at the Alty. Having started in a residential kitchen, the Great North Pie Co. has bloomed into one of England’s best producers of pies, having amassed several awards and nominations along the way. Cold day out? There’s no better English comfort food than a serving of pie and mash!
Shops and Events at Altrincham Market
A big part of Altrincham market’s success story is in how the market has really brought a fresh buzz to the town. In fact, Altrincham was recently voted as one of the best places to live in the UK and the market has surely played a part in that.
Throughout the week, you can buy food from local food suppliers, including award-winning butchers, greengrocers, bakers, and fishmongers.
Additionally, there are other regular stalls selling clothes, hand-crafted jewellery, furniture, and much else besides.
Each weekend, Altrincham Market has a different theme, providing locals and visitors alike with plenty of variety throughout the year. Themes include craft and design, vintage, and food (similarly, focused themes apply to the days of the week too) – head to Altrincham Market’s Facebook page for the latest events listings.
Getting to Altrincham Market
Located eight miles outside of Manchester, the Altrincham Market is well connected and easily accessible.
The fastest and most convenient way to get from Manchester city centre to Altrincham is by tram. Altrincham is on the Metrolink’s A and B. The journey from Manchester city centre will take around 30 minutes.
If you prefer to take the bus from Manchester city centre, the 16, 41, 108, 263, and 264 services all head to Altrincham. The journey will take you around an hour.
Trains are also fairly regular, with departures taking place each hour from Manchester Piccadilly on the Mid Cheshire line.
Finally, if you are driving, the journey should take no more than 30 minutes.
When is Altrincham Market Open
The Altrincham Market House (Food Hall) is open Tuesday – Saturday 9 am – 10 pm, and Sunday 9 am – 6 pm.
Alty Market (Outdoor Market Section) is open from 8 am to 4 pm on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. 8 am to 3 pm on Thursday. 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday.
This brings an end to our short guide on Altrincham Market House. If you have any questions or queries, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
A Manchester food institution. This and That cafe.
One of our favourite places to visit in Manchester’s Northern Quarter is the This and That cafe. This and That has been a Manchester institution since it opened in 1984. Not only does it serve some of the city’s best curry dishes. It also epitomises the entrepreneur spirit of Manchester. Telling the story of South Asian immigrants introducing their flavours to us Mancunians.
A hidden gem in the Northern Quarter
This and That is hidden. It lies up a dark and dingy backstreet that looks like it’s been derelict for decades. Ironically this street is called soap street. There’s a small sign outside the restaurant that tells you you’re in the right place but apart from that, nothing.
The restaurant opened in 1984 and became famous for serving rice and three. Basically a big helping of pilau rice and 3 different curries
At the time the area was mostly used by the cloth trade which was heavily run by Pakistani immigrants. It made sense to open a restaurant nearby to feed the hungry workers. It didn’t take long for word to get out and soon enough the locals were eager to try the new flavours.
A bit of this and some of that
Indian and Pakistani food wasn’t well known in the 80’s like it is today. Most English customers used to just point at the dishes and say “I’ll have a bit of this, and some of that.” Hence the restaurant is called the This and That cafe.
In 2016 the restaurant received a bit of a makeover. The seating was extended to cope with the lunchtime crowds. Owner Ismail Mallu still works behind the counter dishing out the home made curries everyday.
If you’d like to explore Manchester and find places like This and That, book a food tour with us today. www.manchesterbites.com
Manchester food tours. The Eccles Cake.
On our Manchester food tours we love showing off home grown Manchester food creations. The Eccles cake is perfect for a snack or even as a desert. So here’s the story of one of our favourite Manchester foods.
What is an Eccles Cake?
An eccles cake is a small butter pastry cake filled with currants and some spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves are commonly used. It’s more of a pastry than a cake but we call it a cake. The Eccles cake will often be covered in sugar for that extra sweet taste. Traditionally in Eccles they would be eaten with a few slices of Lancashire cheese. They go well together you should try it.
The history of the Eccles cake
People have been scoffing down eccles cakes since the 1600’s. The cakes are named after the town Eccles which is about 2 miles west of Manchester city centre.
It is believed that they were made to celebrate St Mary’s day. The church of St Mary in Eccles used to hold large festivals in those times. They were called the Eccles Wakes and it was here that the Eccles cake was born.
The cakes became so popular that during the Puritan years (where basically fun was illegal) they were banned. Oliver Cromwell even brought in an act of parliament threatening imprisonment for anyone seen eating an Eccles cake.
The cake that need a health and safety warning
In more recent years the Eccles cake has come to fame for causing a rise in home kitchen fires. The Lancashire fire brigade had to warn the public not to microwave them. The sugar topping was exploding in the microwaves and causing kitchens to burn down.
One of the most famous producers of the cakes are Real Lancashire Eccles Cakes. They make the cakes here in Manchester and ship them all over the world. You can find their cakes in most supermarkets in Manchester.
Manchesterbites food tours are the best tours to explore Manchester and it’s food. If you’d like to book a tour go to www.manchesterbites.com/tours
What to do in Manchester? Visit Old Trafford.
We get asked a lot What to do in Manchester? Well obviously our food tour. That goes without saying. But what else? Well you can’t come all the way to Manchester without going and having a look at Old Trafford.
The Theatre of Dreams is home to the world’s most famous sports team. Manchester United have been playing their home games here since 1910. The stadium is easy to get to. You can hop on the metro from town and get off at Old Trafford. It’s then a 5 minute walk past the cricket ground (the other Old Trafford).
Manchester United is the thing that we are most famous for in Manchester. The club are the most successful English team having won 20 league titles. Despite having a barren spell (by their standards) of late, millions of people still tune in to watch their games. The lucky 70,000 or so get to watch live here at Old Trafford.
How you can visit Old Trafford.
If you aren’t lucky enough to get a match ticket you can still visit the stadium for a tour. The 2 hour experience takes you into the bowels of this huge stadium. You’ll learn the history of the club from your guide who is normally a matchday steward. These guys know everything there is to know about United and are great fun to have a chat with.
You’ll get a chance to explore the museum which houses some fascinating items. And of course no visit would be complete without visiting the famous trophy room. If you’re lucky enough you might be able to sit in the dugout and have your photo taken. There’s always something going on at Old Trafford even in the close season. Take your camera you never know who you might meet.
If you have a larger group you can have a private tour. You can find out more here.
What to do in Manchester? Manchesterbites food tours.
If you’re looking for the best things to do in Manchester, try our food tours. We take small groups on tours around the city. Taking in hidden food gems along the way. Lear the story of Manchester through the eyes of the people that make it tick. You can find out more at www.manchesterbites.com
Mother of the Sea. How Manchester saved Sushi.
We like talking about Manchester inventions and those Mancunians that have changed the world. Here’s a story of a Manchester food hero that dates back to the early 1900’s. This might just change the way you think about sushi.
In 1901 Kathleen Drew Baker was born in Leigh. She spent her childhood learning about horticulture and gained a scholarship to study at the University of Manchester. She graduated in 1922 and began working as a lecturer at the university.
It was during her time as a lecturer and researcher that she made a crucial discovery. This discovery wasn’t really to effect the food community in Manchester. But it would make a huge difference to life in Japan. Kathleen Drew Baker had discovered a way to farm seaweed. In particular the type of seaweed that is used in sushi.
Nori seaweed cultivation had almost stopped in 1950’s Japan. Due to harsh monsoons and lack of seeds in Nori the Japanese were at a loss for how to farm it. Drew Baker had discovered that seashells could act as a host environment to allow the seaweed to grow.
Mother of the Sea
Once her work was shared to scientists in Japan they immediately got to work farming Nori.
Kathleen Drew Baker never visited Japan and sadly died in 1957. She had no idea how important her findings were to a country she had never even seen.
Today Japan still celebrates Kathleen. On April 14th there is a Drew festival to celebrate her life. She is affectionately known as “The Mother of the Sea.” In Uto Kumamoto there is a statue dedicated to her memory.
So next time you are enjoying sushi you can remember Kathleen. Another food hero of Manchester.
Our Manchester food tours are a great way to explore Manchester. If you’d like to learn more go to www.manchesterbites.com
A Manchester Food Tour in the Northern Quarter
A Manchester food tour in the Northern Quarter is the perfect way to explore this great city. But what is the Northern Quarter, and what makes it so good for a food tour?
Manchester’s Northern Quarter sits in the middle of Piccadilly and Ancoats. In recent years it has become the city’s trendiest area. A wealth of bars and restaurants have taken over. What was once a forgotten part of Manchester is now a must-visit.
The Northern Quarter is the creative heart of Manchester, and it offers dining experiences and activities suitable for all budgets. But more than the range of choices on offer or the wallet-friendly restaurants and pubs, the atmosphere of the Northern Quarter is what makes it so special.
As you explore this historic district, a sense of tradition and community spirit is always there.
If you’re interested in getting to know this area for yourself, why not join Manchester Bites for our Canals to Canapes Walking Food Tour in the Northern Quarter?
The Story of Manchester’s Northern Quarter
As with so many stories from Manchester’s past, we must begin with the Industrial Revolution, which was spearheaded in Manchester. The city’s first cotton mill was opened in 1783 in what would later become known as the Northern Quarter.
By 1853 this area had 108 mills and was a major hub of activity – the area was right bang in the centre of the industrialisation of Britain, a process that would, in time, affect the entire world.
People lived within very close proximity to each other. Freidrich Engels painted a bleak picture of the area, describing it as “dirty, old and tumble-down” in his work The condition of the working class in England. But for all its squalor, the area was hugely significant.
Manchester at this time was the engine room of the British Empire, and it was the working people of Manchester and similar industrial towns that kept everything in motion.
During Victorian times, the area became a popular entertainment spot. Tib Street was famous for its pet shops, and people would stroll up and down the road looking at all the animals on display.
The shops of the Northern Quarter would stay open late into the night, and with time the area came to be regarded as a bohemian centre.
In this cultural landscape, the Northern Quarter also gained a reputation for being a hotbed of political activity.
Manchester has long had a reputation for fighting for social justice and the Northern Quarter was the perfect place for preachers, workers, and political activists to make speeches to sympathetic (and occasionally hostile) crowds.
We strongly recommend checking out the People’s History Museum for anyone interested in Manchester’s political history.
The Decline Of The Northern Quarter
It was in the 90’s that the council devised the name Northern Quarter. Creative industries were encouraged to the In the wake of the senseless destruction of WWI, many of Manchester’s industries started to collapse.
Then after WW2, Manchester’s priorities had to be concentrated on rebuilding parts of the town destroyed by bombing and the Northern Quarter was largely neglected.
For much of the 20th century, the area’s story was economic decline. The factories and shops were closed to be replaced by cheap housing. And yet, the rough-and-ready charm of the place was what would eventually guarantee its revival and renovation.
In the 1990s, the Manchester music scene brought newfound attention to many of the neighbourhoods in Manchester that needed some love. And none benefited quite like the Northern Quarter. Suddenly the area was brimful with clubs, trendy boutiques, record shops, and cheap cafes.
The multicultural nature of the area would also lead to the opening of several restaurants specialising in international foods, such as the legendary This & That Cafe, which does some of the best curries in the whole city to this very day.
What Makes The Northern Quarter So Good For A Food Tour?
In the 90s, the local council devised the name Northern Quarter. Creative industries were encouraged to the area. Design businesses, architects, and start-ups made the Northern Quarter their home. The district recaptured some of that bohemian charm that had defined it during the Victorian period.
With such industries came great cafes and restaurants. What had been a quiet, forgotten part of Manchester was re-born.
The Northern quarter now has a plethora of food businesses to choose from. Asian, American, African, or old-fashioned, no-frills British food is all within a short stroll, and much more besides.
The buildings have been relatively untouched since the 18th century. So much so that the Northern Quarter is often used as the backdrop for films and tv series.
When you walk the streets of the Northern Quarter, you really get a sense of Manchester’s distinctive character; the architecture, eateries, cultural spaces, and, most importantly, people provide continuity, a connection to the area’s earliest days.
This mixture of the old and new makes the Northern Quarter the perfect place to enjoy an unforgettable Manchester food tour.
If you have any questions concerning our tours or services, please feel free to get in touch.
