This weekend is the armageddon of all weekends for Manchester. Not only will Manchester United and Manchester City be going against each other to win the FA Cup in Wembley, a host of mega-stars will be right here in the city to perform in front of thousands of devoted fans.
This evening, there’s the Arctic Monkeys at Emirates Old Trafford, Elton John at the AO Arena (Saturday night’s alright, as he says) and Coldplay at the Etihad both tonight and tomorrow (no Chris Martin song references for Sunday).
For me, living in Old Trafford right by the cricket ground, I am resigned to the fact that I will be enjoying the dulcet tones of Alex Turner over the weekend. While I’m no diehard fan of the band, I can appreciate that there are certainly worse options when it comes to free balcony entertainment.
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However, I’ve also decided to pretty much write my weekend off. I’m not being a party-pooper: it’s great for the city that we can have as many events all going on at the same time, but I’m just not a fan of being squished onto a sweaty, cramped out tram or hanging out in a sweaty, cramped out bar. Those days are long behind me, I’m afraid.
I was lucky enough to be able to see Elton John on the first of his three nights here in Manchester this week and the tram ride home on Wednesday night was enough to make me feel like a sad little sardine in a tin. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like at 11pm on Saturday when revellers from all three gigs, football fans and everyone else will be trying to hop on board - especially with train strikes taking place.
But, that’s all part of the experience and I’m sure everyone heading to any of the gigs or planning to enjoy the match will have a truly memorable time. But, for me, Manchester’s busy schedule is forcing me into having some well-earned downtime.
I’ll get to read a book, tidy up the flat, watch some more Married at First Sight Australia (don’t judge me, I'm already judging myself enough) and soak up some of the sunshine from the comfort of my own home if the weather is nice. And, for that, I thank you Chris Martin.
In today’s Unwind, we’ll be exploring everything from chicken wings to lush villages. So get comfy on the sofa (or deck chair, if you're feeling like the weather warrants such an occasion) and let's begin.
Winging it
There are some things I cannot understand the appeal of: Ed Sheeran, Ms Brown’s Boys and hot food are just three of them.
Luckily for me, when the idea of getting a reporter to try the 'Hotter than the Sun' wing challenge came about, the opportunity fell in the hands of Rami Mwabma and Ben Ashurst.
Held at Bunny Jackson's in Manchester city centre, the challenge involves eating ten wings in ten minutes. If you manage to eat your way to the end, you not only get the satisfaction of knowing you can stand the heat, but you also get a t-shirt to show off to anyone who cares.
With Ben getting the chicken wings and Rami taking to cauliflower wings, the challenge started off with high hopes. “The first two bites were deceiving as I found myself handling it much better than expected - my mouth was on fire but that is normal for me,” Rami, who says he has a high tolerance to heat, explained.
“This raised a false sense of confidence, as by the third bite I realised how mistaken I was. The build up of heat is gradual and it started on the right side of my brain, with what can only be described as a light migraine.
“After that my body started to itch - it felt like a million ants were biting every inch of me.”
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is as much as I’m going to tease as the rest of the experience is truly worth reading for yourself. See if the dream team managed to ‘wing’ their way to victory here.
‘A quaint feel to it’
With this weekend looking set to be a scorcher and Manchester expected to be ‘chaos’, you might be thinking like me and looking for a way to avoid the city centre altogether.
Well, as if by magic, reporter Thomas George has looked at a remote and idyllic village tucked away within Greater Manchester that could just be the perfect place to escape to for a few hours.
Tucked away in a picturesque valley between Bury and Ramsbottom, the village of Summerseat is surrounded by ‘lush green countryside’ and home to around a couple of thousand people.
While it is now a well-sought place for homeowners - with the average cost of a house selling for more than £265,000 - it wasn’t always the case and residents say a lot has changed to make the former cotton-spinning village the way it is today.
"When I first moved in, it wasn't a fashionable place to live,” Karen Nolan, who has called Summerseat home since 1975, told Tom. “The river used to be a different colour every day because of the pollution.
"Now it's a really pretty place to live. It has a quaint feel to it and everyone is lovely and friendly. It's great for the motorway, even with all the traffic."
Find out more about Summerseat here.
'It's rare to come across Asian women fronting businesses'
Locals in Oldham have been raving about the Wonderlust bakery for the last couple of years, and it seems like the rest of us have finally now caught up with the hype - which is a little crazy considering the exterior’s bright pink walls are really difficult to ignore…
Located down a residential street just outside of the town centre, the bakery and brunch spot sees people travel hundreds of miles to visit to feast on a delectable range of bakes, English breakfasts and special treats including a chocolate cake named and inspired by 'Matilda'.
Starting as a cake takeaway hatch just after Covid, Wonderlust has turned into a full operation serving dine-in customers as well. Started by owner Saarah Chowdry, those pink walls I mentioned earlier play part of a wider mural that pays homage to her family’s heritage.
Painted in vivid red and green colours of the Bangladeshi flag, the image shows women sewing and dancing, while in the background, people work in rice fields and make their way to work in textile factories. It pays homage to her mum and late father’s journey from Bangadesh.
"My mum is from central Bangladesh whereas my dad was from a tribal community,” Saarah explains to What’s On editor Jenna Campbell. “He came over in the 1980s, while my mum came over in the 1970s.
"They came to Shaw originally, before moving to Oldham to start their textiles business, which my mum continues to run today. She's been a great help in setting up the business, I do front-of-house while she does the finances.
"My mum is a massive inspiration to me, it's rare to come across Asian women fronting businesses. And especially after being widowed, most people would curl up and not want to carry on, but she hasn't given up."
And it’s no surprise that she hasn’t wanted to give up when you see the cakes and dishes Wonderlust has on offer - including the likes of stuffed doughnuts, Nutella cookies and tiramisu brownie stacks.
You can read more on Wonderlust right here.
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