Lunch in the City: Pies and Ice Cream

This is my second “Lunch in the city” post, and could even become a regular feature as I explore the eateries on Manchester on my lunch breaks! This one is a bit of a cheat as it didn’t all happen on one day (pies and ice cream would be a very naughty lunch indeed), but I thought one food porn post a week would be enough so combined them!

First up, there is a is a recent addition to Manchester’s Northern Quarter – the Pieminister shop on Church Street, and of course that means that me and my colleagues all wanted to try it out. So this week, despite the warm weather, I paid a visit.

I chose to eat in rather than take out, and loved the simple, functional décor, which was very suited to a pie and mash concept. The menu is pretty exciting, with pies filled with a range of meat and veggie fillings complete with quirky names, and a choice of appropriate sides including mash and mushy peas. On this occasion I chose a Moo pie (beef steak, cracked black pepper & real ale) and mash, and it was really very tasty. I was pretty full afterwards though as there was plenty of thick pastry, and I think peas would have been a better choice than the mash (although it was tasty) for a lunch. My companions also confirmed that it was far better than the other pie offerings in the area. So although it may not end up being one of my regular haunts (for health reasons) it gets a big thumbs up from me!

Then, on a completely different day, I strolled over to Piccadilly Gardens where I was excited to see the Manchester Picnic on again. I called in last year and loved the concept, so I’m glad it’s been revived this year. However I was pretty sad that I’d already eaten my home-made lunch and had no reason to try out any of the exciting foodie stalls – and the smells were seriously delicious!

What I did do is try out the ice cream from the Ginger’s Comfort Emporium van. I’ve seen and heard so much about Ginger’s, but hadn’t yet had the pleasure. Briefly tempted by the exciting sounding pink peppercorn and rhubarb sorbet, I ended up going for the much less healthy salted caramel and peanut butter ice cream – and it was immense! I am so into peanut butter flavours at the moment, and this was like a giant scoop of heaven! Not cheap at £2.50 a cone, but a great treat!

Stand by for more Manchester lunchtime adventures coming soon….