Posted on 5th July 2013 by New College Group

Where Can I Find Food From Home in Manchester…?

One of the things new students really seem to miss when they leave home to start an English language course is their favourite dishes cooked up in the family home. Of course it isn’t uncommon for students to be a little unused to the kitchen (i.e. they can barely make toast(!) but even if you are a talented cook, sourcing the varieties of food you’re used to at home can be tricky in a new country.

The great thing about Manchester though is that literally every stomach is catered for! From cafes to restaurants to food stores, you can’t fail to find a favourite spot just a short journey from your front door.

Halal Restaurants and Butchers

In Manchester we’re incredibly lucky to have such a diverse international community and as a result, you don’t have to look far to find restaurants serving cuisine from all over the world! If you like trying new dishes, then Manchester is certainly a very gastronomical city and we have whole districts that are known for their restaurants and grocery stores.

One such example is Wilmslow Road, Rusholme, or ‘the curry mile’ as it is commonly known because of its fantastic array of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi restaurants. Wilmslow Road is just a 10 minute bus ride from the city centre (get on the 42, 43, 142 or 143 from Piccadilly Gardens, which is practically opposite New College Manchester). As Wilmslow Road is quite long, it might be worth checking exactly where to get off with the driver!

Equally a taxi will only take around 5 minutes from the city centre, just allow a little more time if you’re travelling during rush hour on a week day (4-7pm) as the city centre can get very busy and waiting in traffic can push taxi fares up. Of course many of the restaurants on Wilmslow Road are Halal but there’s also a great selection of Halal butchers too.

Midway Meat Store

42-44 Wilmslow Road
Rusholme
Manchester

While Rusholme is great for Halal produce, look out for Halal establishments all over the city too as there’s many throughout the city centre (some only a 5 minute walk from NCM).

Cafe Issano

Manchester Arndale Market
High Street
Manchester city centre

Zouk Tea Bar and Grill

Chester Street (off Oxford Road)
Manchester
M1 5QS

Where Can I Purchase Food From Home?

There’s nothing that banishes homesickness better than a dish from your family kitchen and aside from Manchester’s fantastic Halal restaurants and butchers, sometimes you just want to cook up something wholly authentic in your own kitchen (a little tip: making a huge pot of tasty food is great for impressing new found friends!).

Mainstream supermarkets have now become fantastic places to pick up specialist products and brands from all over the world, with Tesco in particular having great sections dedicated to Polish, Middle Eastern and Caribbean cuisine to name a few. For cheap rice, pulses, spices, bread and vegetables there’s some fantastic stores in Manchester (again, there’s many in Rusholme) and we had to include the following stores as they’ve received such fantastic reviews from loyal customers.

Worldwide Foods

410 Great Western Street
Rusholme
Manchester
M14 4AH

Middle East Mini Market

235-237 Wilmslow Road
Rusholme
Manchester

We hope that’s whet your appetite and eased any worries you may have had about finding delicious homely cuisine in Manchester. Of course our friendly team will also be able to point you in the right direction when you arrive, so please just ask!