As a millennial (judge all you want) I do fit the stereotype of loving a bit of avocado on toast, but a trip to an English-style cafe tucked away in the Northern Quarter can sure change your mind. Do not underestimate the classic British staples because you’ll find comfort and deliciousness from simple yet satisfying ingredients, and Manchester cafe Fred’s certainly does that.
Located inside Manchester Craft and Design Centre on Oak Street, Fred’s describes itself as “an English-style café with a northern accent and appetite”. Run by Freddie, who used to be Head Chef at Adam Reid at The French, he has now opened his own cafe taking simple, locally sourced, seasonal ingredients and turning them into lunch dishes, snacks, baked goods, sweet treats, comfort food and some surprisingly chef-y items, along with cups, mugs, pints and bottles of things you’d expect from a classic cafe that is not mucking about.
On the menu at Fred’s you’ll find classic British breakfast bites like The Breakfast Bun consisting of an oven bottom muffin, sausage patty, Lancashire cheese, Eden valley smoked bacon, crispy hash brown and a fried egg, with your choice of homemade red or brown sauce. Wash it all down with a brew and you’re onto a winner.
For lunch you can enjoy much-loved (and moreish) sandwiches like BLT, egg and cress and the “Plough-Person’s” Cheese; crumbly Lancashire cheese from The Crafty Cheese Man, crisp gem lettuce, tomato, pickled cucumbers and English mustard mayo, served on Thatcher’s Bakery white tin loaf. Fred’s also serves toasties and a tasty Northern take on a the classic Welsh rarebit – toasted white tin loaf, topped with Lancashire cheese and English mustard, finished with local beer, Henderson’s Relish, fresh chives and chive oil.
And the snacks are not to be side-lined. One dish on Fred’s man that has got Manchester talking is their Scotch egg – with a gorgeously gooey and golden runny yolk and served with homemade brown sauce, it has the supermarket ones wanting to hide under the picnic blanket. Other savoury snacks to feast on include Fred’s very own sausage rolls with buttery, flaky pastry and mustard as well as gloriously crispy hash browns, both served with your choice of sauce.
After something sweet? You’ll also find homemade cakes and cookies that go perfect with a cuppa or coffee.
So whether you’re browsing the talented makers inside Manchester Craft and Design Centre and fancy a break or just have a hankering for some proper British and high quality grub, then make a beeline towards Fred’s. The kettle is on.
📍 Fred’s, Manchester Craft and Design Centre, 7 Oak St, Manchester, M4 5JD.