Weekender: Hatch is home of new foodie pioneers
Manchester’s new retail and leisure pop-up destination ‘Hatch’ is now up and running with five foodie pioneers serving up diverse tastes from all over the world.
Located under the Mancunian Way on Oxford Road and part of Circle Square, Hatch is a place for innovative concepts to be brought to life. The line-up will continually evolve and kicking off proceedings are five incredible independent operators.
Included is The Blue Caribou Canteen, the British Street Food Awards finalist, which serves up authentic poutine – a dish from the Canadian province of Quebec.
Co-founder Graham Gartside-Bernier said: “Having travelled around the UK doing events, Hatch offered the perfect spot for us to hone our craft and let people know who we are before we look for a more permanent location in Manchester city centre.”
There is also Eat & Sweet, the family-run Jamaican takeaway was founded in 2010 in Burnage and now has a permanent location on Church Street in the Northern Quarter. It serves up affordable and authentic Caribbean food.
Founders Andrew and Marion Ricketts first heard of Hatch after serving food at a Bruntwood event.
Marion said: “It’s great to set up a space in such an accessible location near the universities and it gives us a further opportunity to showcase our food. We have seen sustainable growth over the past five years due to the quality of Andrew’s cooking and word of mouth and we’re really looking forward to the next few months at Hatch.”
El Marchador Tacos is already well-known on the vegan scene. El Marchador Tacos are experts in gluten free, plant-based Mexican-goodness.
Ben Walker, founder, said: “I started the business nine months ago doing festivals and was looking for a more permanent location. I saw the designs for Hatch and thought it looked really exciting, especially with the other independent brands who were on board.
“The whole way of eating in this country is changing and people want to be able to try different things. Places like Hatch offer that – it’s a new community in this area of the city and I’m pleased to be part of it.”
Then there is Takk, a Northern Quarter favourite, a two-storey artisan espresso bar.
Co-founder Philip Hannaway said: “We’re really pleased with how we’ve been received on Oxford Road and are excited about the opportunities to bring artisan coffee to Hatch.
“The design of our spaces is really important to us, so it’s great to see people using the space to work, socialise and take time out from the bustle of Oxford Road.”
The quintet of outlets is completed by The Öl Brewery Bar, a Scandinavian concept nano brewery and keg bar, Öl, a new concept from the Takk team in collaboration with Byrne the Cake Brewery. Set over two floors, it’s a craft beer haven underneath the Mancunian Way.
Head brewer Dave Foulger said: “It’s been really exciting to launch this new concept and developing what we think is one of the best craft beer offers in the city. We hope that with the nano brewery in the bar we are doing something a little different in this part of town. And we’ll soon be offering our own house brews on tap, which are tasting great.”
Property company, Bruntwood, began the transformation of the area in October 2017 and is set to continue the project with plans to increase in size to 35 outlets by summer 2018.
