As a fellow baker, I am always very critical. Not much to…read morecriticise here! From the moment we walked in and saw the fabulous photography on the wall to the minute we left with £15 worth of cakes I was a happy bunny. The lady who served us (a character all by herself!) was very helpful and packaged our cakes nicely so we got them (all) home in one piece. We over indulged in the white ganache tarts, caramel death by chocolate, a selection of chunky chocolate topped chocolate muffins, and a shortbread heart amongst some others. For my particular taste the ganache was slightly too runny, but i had a spoon so it was all good. The chunky chocolate topped muffins were varied from chunks of toblerone, crunchies, white choc etc. and were very tasty and moist, like proper chocolate cake should be, The shortbread was super - perfectly baked with a good amount of jam sandwiched in the middle. There wasn't much bread left on sale but it was about 3pm so we decided to go to the Barbakan.....

I've been to pollen for take out pastries, coffee, and adore their sourdough, but I've never…read moreactually sat down to eat anything more than pastry ... until I did. whenever I've passed this branch, its always been busy, people queued outside on weekends, all tables full inside and outside, and generally busy, so I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to get sat down when I went. It was a Sunday morning, and I could only get there long after opening due to my transport arrangements so I was worried ... but thankfully I was easily able to get a table to sit down and eat .. I'm lucky most of the people of Manchester don't wake up early on a Sunday. So it was a little quiet but inside was almost full when I got there ... which was nice. It was a decent day and I was kinda close to the window so could see the marina and all the people exercising and walking their dogs and it's with sitting and just chill. So with sitting and eating, I wanted to get something good. it always looked amazing when I was waiting for my drink to take out, but I'm always one to have eggs Benedict whenever I can, so I figured I might as well try theirs ... and it did not disappoint. It came with ham hock, 2 eggs, brown butter, hollandaise, and crispy kale on their own sourdough. Im not usually one to have kale ... but they made it amazing. I finished every last bit and wanted more ... it was hands down, one of the best eggs Benedict I have ever had. To accompany the eggs benny, I also went for a coffee, as you do, and an orange juice, which was so nice. Hands down will always recommend people to go to pollen, if not for their sourdough and coffee and pastries to go, but also to sit and eat. Love this place

This place is quite popular! There was a long line (or queue) but it went pretty quickly. I was…read morehappy they had an iced black, since I prefer ice coffees. There is a homemade Yuzu drink that I'd love to try next time. Outside has a few more seats than inside. They can run out of food, so I'd make sure you get here on the early side if you want food. It's a pretty casual spot and loudness level depends on the crowd. The food tastes very good!

One of the reasons why I gained so much weight is because of the sweets, and carbs! Yes, it's true,…read moreI have to admit. I'm a carbaholic! Places like Ho's Bakery doesn't help because they have fabulous Asian pastries. My friend Marvin brought me here, and we bought major carbs for our trip back to the U.S. Small bakery shop, old fashion, but best egg custard in Manchester,

Roll up to Ho's Bakery in Chinatown for good quality Chinese buns to take out. There's another one…read morein Manchester and one in Leeds - is Ho soon to take the country by storm? Maybe. One bun at a time. This little bakery tucked into an old arched building has nothing but freshly baked goodies (a few savoury snacks too like pasties) and for that we love them. I've never tried the bubble tea myself but friends have raved about it - they have all different flavours so it is definitely on my to do list. But I can tell you that their cakes with cream, fresh fruit, things like that are so so delicious. The prices, whilst steeper than a donut in Greggs, are still pretty good for what you are getting so don't let this put you off.

Didsbury is definitely swarming with great local, independent businesses. This little bakery is not…read morein the business of making bread but in the business of feeding you good food and good coffee so that you can get on with your day appropriately. The sandwiches are made fresh with good salad and meats, the pasties and bakes are good, the coffee is Illy (possibly the best coffee brand out there). I haven't tried the sit-down, full-english offering yet but there are punters enjoying it every day of the week and it looks well good. Prices are very reasonable too, the place is clean, service is great...basically a typical British bakery that does it right!!

The Burton Road bakery is an excellent choice for breakfast or lunch. Although it isn't as stylish…read moreas it's neighbours Volta and Folk the food is so good it's definitely worth a visit. I ordered the vegetarian breakfast which was one of the best I've had in a while. The quality of the ingredients was high and I liked the fact that they included potato cakes and veggie black pudding. The place itself gets very busy so you do have to wait a while for your food. They have outdoor seating if the weather is good. The bakery also do sandwiches and amazing cakes. Can't wait for my next visit

Barbakan is an excellent deli, with some astonishingly low prices (a large and sumptuous looking…read morepork pie was less than £3). There's lots to look at and a nice outdoor eating area where on Saturday morning they were cooking up several varieties of sausage, plus lamb burger. I had a delicious bratwurst and was particularly delighted by the wide range of condiments. Excited already for my next visit!

Fresh bagels w cream cheese and gherkins Norlander rye bread…read morewith caraway seeds Margarita olive bread Sunblush tomatoes Creamy Goats cheese Gooey Taleggio Pecorrino Kalamata olives Seranno ham Smoked salmon Potato salad Fresh coffee & Traditional Polish cheesecake In a word: YuMMMMMMMy.

I keep spotting these guys at various markets around Manchester. All the bread I've bought from…read morethem has been excellent quality. Prices are not cheap but not too painful. A large loaf of sourdough was about £2.40 and lasted a good while (also it was delicious). I believe they're based in Longford Park or Hulme or both, and if you spot them there/anywhere else I recommend you buy something!

On first inspection this quintessentially British sandwich bar with its fixtures and fittings that…read moresalute the 70's, you might get the impression of it being just that.. they type of place you can pick up something lack luster to fill the hole in your grumbly tum! Oh how wrong you are... If you are one of the many frequent users of Sale Metro station right next door, or are waiting for a bus while watching a jawdroppingly gorgeous commuter walk past... you should pop in and get your lunch or any other snack-time need dealt with here! The large selection of sandwich fillings are made fresh by the devoted staff daily and will be built into the butty of your dreams in two shakes of a lambs tale. The service and butty's like your mother makes are definitely not devoid of taste! As you become totally enamoured while munching on your purchase, you can even ignore the bad grammar in its name above the door.... but who am I to notice something like that when you find a butty you can always trust in!