I was working on the Christmas market again today in Albert Square. It was teeming with people and…read moreI was so busy I only had 10 mins to get some quick lunch before I had to be back behind the stall. Luckily in these moments I can rely on Bowlers for fast, unfussy comfort food. Where else in central Manchester can you get a bowl of soup, a sandwich and choice of tea of coffee for just £2.95? I defy you to find such a good deal! I plumped for just a jacket potato with cheese and salad which was only £2.90, and tasted oven-baked. I've heard the fish and chips here are pretty good too, at just £3.75. The staff in here are very friendly and the decor itself feels very cosy - a great place to sit and people watch.

Cheap and cheerful greasy spoon…read more I had the full English and it wasn't top notch but it was satisfactory and hit the spot. £4.75 for the full English and drink or £5.30 if you're getting black pudding too, my preferred option. The service was decent and I'm enjoying the view of the town hall and central library. Loads of lunch options available too.

Is this the best pie I've ever had? Probably…read more The crust is not too thick and delightfully flavoured. The beef and blue cheese filling was fabulous, rich with the cheese and gravy perfectly melding together. At £3.25, great value too. Also it made my bag smell incredible.

After a fair amount of Twitter stalking and taking note of the numerous awards they're winning, I…read moreeventually got myself down to LOTP to check it out for myself. First impressions were of a really cool place to hangout (seating for about 20), with an atmosphere and decor that wouldn't be out of place in the Northern Quarter or Didsbury. I got chatting to the girl behind the counter who was very knowledgable of their product range and after myself umming, arrhing and probably over thinking it went for their pie of the week - the pulled chicken balti pie. At £3 for a pie that you'd definitely need to share it was super tasty from first to last bite (lots of meat, good range of veg and a lovely crusty pie case) and good value along with it. I can't wait to go back and try their standard range of pies, see what their next pie of the week is and even give the Stockport pie a go - basically posh meat and potato! Stockport needs more places like LOTP - here's hoping it's the first of many to arrive on the scene.

Subway in Stockport is located on Warren Street near Sainsburys. They serve freshly made sandwiches…read moreof any kind. Ther is so much to choose from. You can pick from their main menu or you can create your own with any fillings you wish. The bread is baked fresh in store every day, and the ingredients for the sandwiches are freshly prepared. It can be quite expensive for just a sandwich, but they do have regular deals on and the sub of the day is £1.99 for a 6 one. The shop can be a bit grubby and the staff aren't great, they seem to rush you too much. But apart from that it is a good place to grab a quick snack.

Subway Stockport is a small branch in the town centre, opposite Sainsbury's. My experience was…read morepretty good, despite being busy, the staff still seemed friendly and served me rather quickly, as well as changing their gloves (I didn't even need to ask) before handling my order, as it was gluten-free. The store is run by JH Ogden Limited who seemed to do a decent branch of running the store, it did appear to be pretty clean. My sandwich was okay, I've found Subway to be a little hit and miss, with the bread sometimes tasting much drier than usual, it was a little on the dry side but it was okay. For some reason, my sandwich didn't seem to come out as hot as normal, it still was a good attempt though. My next visit to the store was much less pleasant, where service was slow and the staff member tried to over-charge me, despite explaining my drink should be free due to completing the survey, he wasn't aware of the promotion which has been ongoing for some-time and it took another staff member to come over to fix the issue. My sandwich also was poor quality and dry, mainly down to the sandwich artist putting all the toppings on one side and he did seem to take it out of the toasting machine earlier, so it wasn't fully toasted or hot. 2*

Amazing. That's all that needs to be said for this place. Cute little Pantry located in Harwood…read morethat serves up everything you need for lunch, from tasty soups and filling sandwiches, to the best pasty around! Used to be the favourite haunt for me and my siblings when we lived closer however unfortunately now I can't make it as often, only once a week.. I always get Meat & Potato Pasties, occasionally one as a Pasty Barm and they normally don't last the drive home. They girls behind the counter are a good laugh as well and always lively and full of beans! If you have room they have a great selection of bakery treats and cakes. This time it was a flying visit as I was in a mad rush but photos will be posted on next visit (likely to be very soon!)

Now that the Olive Garden Café is no more, the Blue Moon Café remains the only other all-vegetarian…read morechoice in Sheffield city centre I know of. But that's not a bad thing because they offer excellent food, very generous portions, and delightful desserts. The only drawback with this lovely place is that it doesn't offer enough seating to accommodate all the people who want to eat there during lunch hours. You might want to check out their website (http://bluemooncafe.thebigmenu.co.uk/ ) for more information and opening times, but I'd rather you go and try them for real, they're an institution and offer an exquisite experience to your palate.

Nice vegan cafe in Sheffield - they have free wireless and lots of appealing options for food and…read moredrink. The main meals are around £6.50 I think which isn't bad given they come with rice and salad. It's not fancy but it is hearty and healthy and a great place for lunch.

We recently moved to the area and have always bought our sandwiches on our dinner instead of…read morebringing our own, so was delighted to see a sandwich shop across the road. The hot sandwiches (bacon, egg etc) arent the best i've tasted but aren't bad by any means. The cold sandwiches however are delicious, they use bread made in store which is best to be bought in the morning. The staff are very friendly and are always seen to be having a laugh with the customers.

By far the best cafe in Middleton. Freshly made food made just how you like it. And the coffee's…read moreare to die for. They have recently started selling smoothies, cherry and mango is my favourite. Highly recommend this cafe!!!

I called at Substation today for the second time since it opened, it opened around the same time as…read moreSubway did in Middleton, of course taking off the name "Subway" to make "Substation" and the logo of course takes off the London Underground logo, which once again likes into the name of it being a "Subway" The menu here is quite big, they sell mainly breakfasts, sandwiches and jacket potatoes. This was my second visit to the store as I said, firstly when I called in, just after it was opened I was pleased with the service and satisifed with my gluten free sandwich, albeit the food quality wasn't fantastic it was okay, just okay. The bread used I am told is from a bakery, although it is typical prepacked gluten free bread when they do have it in. This is pretty much an average local cafe, not a typicla restauraunt, with metal tables and quite cheap feelings around it, such as the menu simply just being laminated paper, and the salt and pepper pots etc being on a cental table rather than on each and every table, you order at the counter also. My second visit, I ordered a jacket potato with tuna crunch and cheese, of course with salt, pepper and butter and I was quite upset with the quality, the quantity of the toppings was very poor, and even the quality of them was as well, my potato just tasted bland, it was dry and I had to leave some of it because of that, which was a shame because I was hungry and I hate seeing food go to waste, but because of the awful, dry taste I just couldn't stomach it. My friend ordered a bacon and egg sandwich after being told they were out of turkey, and the only chicken they had was Teryaki Chicken, which didn't look very nice, even the waitress had to look at it twice to be able to work out what it is, it simply looked thick and disgusting. My friend later went on to complain about the quality of both her bacon and the eggs, and mentioned the only good thing was the bread, of course this is expected coming from a bakery, but surely there is no point having good bread without good fillings too? The overall service wasn't fantastic either, and the food was quite cheap but sadly due to the overall feel inside, for example the floor level is uneven and slight cheapness in the decor in some areas (albeit in some they have made it look nice on a budget), while also considering the poor standard of food, I sadly feel Substation lacks any feel of originality, with the name being unoriginal and taking off something else and the food standing out but for all the wrong reasons, hence deserving a single one star rating. UPDATE: After this visit, I decided to come back again to try them out again, giving Substation another chance having an issue in the past with food quality, and sadly I was once again upset with the quality of my food. I ordered a jacket potato with tuna crunch and cheese filling, and I found the quality of it all to be quite poor, with a very low amount of toppings on my potato, which in all tasted really dry and a little hard, and it really wasn't too enjoyable which was a real shame.

Parched Tea Bar- one Tea - Mad Pundit's Impression…read more Well it was a good day for a jaunt to the famous Arndale shopping centre in Manchester and in search of that elusive tea Mecca I came across a quirky Tea bar in the food market area called Parched, and was intrigued, and decided to investigate. I introduced myself as a trainee wannabe pundit interested in sampling some of the goodies especially the teas and was suitable impressed and the tea was good the best in The Arndale, so they tell me explained Marcy Hazell, the proprietor. In the conversation which ensued, I learned a lot about tea and also Parched Tea Bar. England as we know is the home of tea and whenever I am abroad in Germany or Spain and gasping for a cuppa, they just don't seem to have the tea magic that us Brits enjoy. Parched was tea heaven. Marcy explained that she entered the world of exotic teas as the coffee market was saturated and Manchester really did lack any type of specialized tea shop, as she wittily put it, Parched was putting the tea back into the communitea After careful research she now vends over 60 varieties of teas and tisanes (which are herb and flower drinks). I tried some licorice tea which was novel and very refreshing, and as we chatted more I opted for the Fairtrade tea which is the favourite beverage served Japanese green tea was also popular and one of the teas that I found quite interesting was chrysanthemum flower tea But its not just about tea Marcy quipped and went on to explain the diverse range of products on offer, ranging from scones and New Yorker bagels made with gherkin, mayo and pastrami; to Milkshakes made with fresh fruit; carrot cake; to Elvis toasties; to homemade ginger ale all in all a hearty selection of healthy refreshments and snacks. The cream tea/afternoon tea is a customer's favourite and reasonably priced at £3.25. To be honest it's rare to find somewhere that does a cream tea in Manchester, but that's another story. Marcy enjoys a good solid clientele from all walks of life and age groups. The service is personal and friendly and she knows many of her customers by name and tipple, whether they be business men popping out for a tea break, or students testing out the different exotic blends, or OAP's and families who want to sit down and relax after a bit of heavy shopping and chat over a hearty brew. Who said shopping was boring Parched Tea Bar is open from 9-6pm Monday to Saturday and from 11am-5pm on a Sunday

This is a wonderful pace. Great selection, easy to get to and ideal for young, old and families…read morealike! Reasonable prices too!