,

Danielle and Sofie to reopen OSMA and introduce Boutikk in Manchester’s Northern Quarter

Loyal readers will recognise I rarely publish new openings-on-the-horizon stories, but in one special case (I’m salivating already) I’ll make an exception, to trumpet the return of OSMA this autumn. It has been almost two years since the acclaimed restaurant abandoned its site on Bury New Road.

To get there entailed a bit of a trek from Prestwich Metrolink, but chef patron Danielle Heron’s food made it all worth while – among the best in the region, testimony to a culinary voyage that involved working at three Michelin star destinations L’Enclume in Cartmel and Maaemo in Oslo.

Danielle’s partner Sofie Stoermann-Naess is Norwegian and the Scandinavian vibe (OSMA is a portmanteau of Oslo and Manchester) will inform the pair’s new Northern Quarter home inside the One Port Street apartment block… and Boutikk, a city centre grocer and provisions shop, next door to the restaurant. Manchester is so short of premium provision stores, so this adds to the excitement.

Provenance always played a big part in OSMA’s success. Guests at Mark II can expect fresh seafood, local meats, seasonal vegetable dishes and the return of some of OSMA’s most-loved dishes. Their sharing Sunday roast will also make a welcome return.

 

While former Bury Grammar pupil Dani oversees the food offering, Fie will lead the front-of-house experience, as well as Boutikk. A first-of-its-kind concept for the area, Boutikk will offer seasonally sourced vegetables, dairy, fruit and a fresh meat and fish counter, where chefs will be on hand to advise customers on product selection, recipes and cooking techniques. The store will also feature freshly baked Scandinavian-style bread, all inspired by the food culture and shopping traditions of Sofie’s native Oslo.

OSMA, which originally launched in 2020, was listed within the Michelin Guide within a year of opening, leading to Danielle to take part in both Masterchef: The Professionals, and Great British Menu where she reached the finals in both shows. Of the opening, Dani and Fie say: “We’re so delighted to be reopening OSMA, we’ve missed it every day and to be bringing the restaurant back into such a vibrant part of the city centre is beyond exciting. We will miss our community in Prestwich but we’re only a couple of miles down the road. “Bringing a shop like Boutikk to Manchester has been a dream for such a long time – we feel that there is a need and a want for this kind of produce in the city centre so when it became apparent that we could create something alongside OSMA we jumped at the chance.”

/by
,

A decade of daiquiris downed! Happy big birthday, Manchester Rum Festival

CHEERS to a great anniversary coming up on Saturday, July 4, celebrating one of the great gifts from the Americas. And I don’t mean “Freedom 250’ in Washington DC, a tribute to the overblown Trump masquerading as a significant US Independence Day. Altogether merrier, this side of the Pond, is a boozy jamboree marking a decade of Manchester Rum Festival. And its founder Dave Marsland, has pulled out all the stops for this daylong tasting in the iconic New Century Hall. 

Speech, speech, ‘President Dave! “Rum isn’t just a drink, the spirit has helped shape empires, fuelled pirate legends and rewritten global trade forever. It’s a liquid time capsule steeped in centuries of adventure, rebellion and power. Born in the sugar plantations of the Caribbean, rum became the heartbeat of sailors, merchants and even navies, earning a legendary status that still echoes through global history today. 

“We are so proud that our wonderful city can be part of the story with the annual festival – it has truly become a world class event attracting brands from every corner of the planet. This year should be epic, the best yet, with over 40 brands, 100 rums, showcasing just how versatile this incredible spirit really is.”

I am glad to have been on that rum journey most years. Lost count of daiquiris downed. Good to see the festival continues to surprise. The 2026 edition welcomes an exciting wave of first-time exhibitors, with new arrivals representing destinations including Japan, Belize and Mauritius.

Returning favourites will once again feature prominently throughout the festival, with much-loved names including Chairman’s Reserve of Saint Lucia, Pusser’s Rum, Gosling’s of Bermuda, Clément from Martinique and Jamaica’s Hampden Estate all set to appear.

Stand-outs include festival newcomers Windrush 1027 Classic Rum and the Rolling Stones’ own riff on the spirit, Crossfire Hurricane Rum.   

The first is “a refined tribute to the journey that shaped a new era of British culture. Blends distilled in Jamaica and Dominica from the finest sugarcane molasses and aged in oak barrels, this golden spirit can be sipped neat, over ice, or be mixed into classic cocktails. A rum that remembers, and reimagines.”

The Empire Windrush and its 1,027 passengers sailed from Trinidad, Jamaica, Tampico and Bermuda to Britain in 1948. 20 years later the Stones unleashed Jumpin’ Jack Flash, its first line reading “I was born in a cross-fire hurricane.” Over half a century later they have a new album out, but will it pack the punch of this 80 proof blend of rums from Jamaica, Barbados and the Dominican Republic?

The spirit was created in collaboration with Ian Burrell (above). I recall one interviewing the legendary rum ambassador to name his faves. His diplomatic reply: “My three favourite rums are the one in my glass, the next one, and a free one. There are so many great rums out there it would be impossible to narrow it down to a few brands. Plus some rums work better in a particular situation than others.’  

Best rum cocktail, Ian? “Has to be the Daiquiri. Rum, lime and sugar. Simple. The rum trinity. But I regularly drink Burrell Daiquiris – 2 parts lightly aged rum, 1 part fresh lime juice, 0.5 parts Blue Agave nectar, 3 dashes of Angostura Orange Bitters and a twist of orange peel.’ 

Of course the cocktail offering is one of the great delights of every Manchester Rum Festival. Once again MONIN will take over the cocktail bar, presenting four rum-focused serves created in collaboration with venues from across Manchester, offering visitors a fresh way to experience the spirit. Fellow fesival partners Carib Lager will be on hand to provide chilled palate cleansers. Ballast? Sanka’s Caribbean Kitchen are making their debut. Music? DJ Dom returns with a danceable soundtrack of Soca and Reggae.

Rum Ramble seminars are back

The Rum Ramble seminar series will return with four sessions, taking place inside the New Century Hall Lecture Theatre and offering visitors a deeper dive into the stories, craft and culture behind some of the world’s most exciting rum producers. Designed for enthusiasts and curious newcomers alike, the sessions will explore everything from naval heritage and global rum traditions to flavour innovation and cocktail culture, led by respected voices from across the industry.

This year’s line-up includes Let’s Go Banana’s: Explore the South Pacific with Cargo Cult Rum, hosted by Sydney Rum Distillery CEO Steve Magarry, alongside From the Docks to the Bottle: Mr Fogg’s True Navy Rum Explained with Planteray Rum ambassador Paul McFadyen. 

Guests can also discover unexpected rum-making regions during Rum Without Borders: A Global Discovery of Unexpected Origins, hosted by Marcos “Rum Interest” Pilavakis and Robert “Robban” Sandqvist, before closing the day with Cocktails: They’re a Rum Old Thing, a session led by MONIN beverage expert Nate Booker exploring rum’s versatility in modern cocktails. 

Manchester Rum Week 2026

Also, returning for the second year to support the city’s amazing bars, Manchester Rum Weekwill take place in the run up to the festival from Monday, June 29 to Sunday, July 5 2026, showcasing the very best rum cocktails across Greater Manchester. Some of the city’s top bars will be offering exclusive cocktails, special offers and bespoke menus, all created by Manchester’s talented bartending community. Venues already confirmed include Exhibition, Turtle Bay, Blinker, Posie, 10 Tib Lane and MDNT – with more still to be announced.

And there’s an extra party, too…

Ticket holders for Manchester Rum festival 2026 will also get access to the official Manchester Rum Festival birthday party this year, hosted at The Morris, which promises to be bags of fun for those that love rum.

Grab your ticket now

Tickets are on sale via DesignMyNight, with General Admission priced at £25 and Rum Ramble seminar sessions available for £10 per person (both excluding booking fees). A full list of exhibitors is available here.

/by
,

How Vilnius paints the town pink, while I try to scrub beetroot out of my chinos

Summer – time for chilled soup? Not same old Gazpacho or Vichyssoise, mind. Both of which I can at least pronounce. Unlike Šaltibarščiai, Lithuania’s legendary ‘Pink Soup’, whose annual festival drew a record 176,000 visitors to the capital Vilnius the other weekend. I wish I could have joined them. Maybe next year. Meanwhile I’m making my own. Simple recipe later.

Basically it’s a Borsch, the bright hue coming from its beetroot base. Other Baltic and Slavic states boast their own takes on such a refreshing chilled potage. The Poles call it Barszcz or Chlodnik, the Russians Svekolnik (the Ukrainians don’t).

Borscht, the hot variety I conjure up through the year, benefits from a rich meat stock, whereas Šaltibarščiai folds diced beetroot, spring onions and cucumber into Kefir, that fermented milk drInk created by lactic acid bacteria and yeasts that thrive at room temperature. Yes, it’s probiotic and good for your gut.

Ever since I witnessed the great Jonathan Meades – in one of his Magnetic North BBC documentaries – visit the Hill of 100,000 Crosses in the north of Lithuania, a  pilgrimage site and symbol of resistance against Russian occupation. I’ve been hooked on its history. The country’s pagan heritage, too. Known as “Europe’s last pagan kingdom,” Lithuania was the last nation in Europe to officially convert to Christianity in 1387.

Surprisingly Vilnius offers a riot of ‘wedding cake’ Baroque churches, which every late May play second fiddle to a mass of folk in bright pink costume slurping ice-cold soup

This year around 35,000 visitors from abroad were able to participate in the Pink Parade held on water, the signature costume competition, a giant four-storey tall pink slide, and culinary interpretations spread throughout the city. The sheer scale was reflected in 355 mapped locations offering šaltibarščiai-themed food, activities and events, culminating in the Best Pink Soup Costume Contest. The ‘traditional egg topping’ is on my garb bucket list.

Food trucks stationed around the White Bridge epicentre of the Pink Soup Festiavl used more than 4 tonnes of kefir, which was the main ingredient for almost 6.5 tonnes of šaltibarščiai devoured across the weekend. 

Nearly 16,000 people dressed in pink took part in the 10.5 km IKI Pink Soup Walking Competition across the city alongside more than 600 pets. Later, participants exchanged their steps for almost 50,000 fruits, and other ingredients used to make Lithuania’s iconic cold soup, including 4,000 cucumbers, 2,000 beets, and 4,000 bundles of dill.

• The 2027 edition of Vilnius Pink Soup Fest, the fifth, will take place on May 28–30, returning to its traditional last-weekend-of-May slot, and symbolising the beginning of summer season in Lithuania.

How to make Lithuanian Šaltibarščiai

first of all I consulted my Baltic food bible, Amber and Rye (Murdoch Books, £25) by Zuza Zak.She refines the recipe by creating an add-on fermented beetroot elixir, which I might use another time but had no patience to wait the five days it would take to bubble up. So here’s a simpler take on this classic dish that I Googled…

It supposedly serves four, but is ample for six. Spoiler alert: be careful with your colourful beet dicing. I splattered my chinos.

Ingredients

1kg kefir

200g beets, boiled or marinated

200g fresh cucumbers

six spring onions chopped

a pinch of fresh dill

2 eggs

salt, to taste

For serving

400g potatoes, boiled

dill, chopped, to taste

Method

Finely chop the vegetables and dill. Mix them all in a large bowl. Pour the kefir over the vegetables, flavour with salt according to taste, mix and let stand for several minutes (the longer the mixed vegetables stand, the tastier it will turn out).

Pour the soup into bowls, cut the boiled egg in pieces into the bowls. The cold soup is served with dill-speckled hot boiled potatoes on the side.

 

/by
©2021-23 Copyright Neil Sowerby unless otherwise indicated. All right reserved.