Hotpot and jam roly-poly, Coronation Street star's restaurant provides a warm dose of northern comfort

As Manchester negotiates its way into autumn, many of us head for the great indoors. The warm summer days now feel like a distant memory, but there’s something quite appealing about hunkering down this time of year.

The crunching sound of leaves underfoot, seeking out a cosy pub with a roaring fire and indulging in plenty of comfort food are just some of the standouts of autumn.

And on a particularly dank Manchester night with the rain coming in sideways and the light quickly fading, I found myself diving into something of a hidden - or perhaps - overlooked gem which ticked all the boxes.

READ MORE: The stunning Victorian pub less than an hour away from Manchester named one of the best in the UK

Tucked down Old Bank Street just off of St Ann’s Square you’ll find Annie’s, the restaurant and tea room co-owned by Jennie McAlpine, who has played Fiz Dobbs in Coronation Street since 2001, and her partner Chris Farr. Since opening in 2012 the pair have gone on to win a clutch of awards for the venue including People’s Choice award for best tea room at the Manchester Tourism Awards for its range of Afternoon Teas.

This year’s Traveller's Choice Awards Best of the Best Restaurants, which recognises the reviewers' favourite dining spots of reviewers for 2024 across a variety of categories, also listed Annie’s in the top 10 too.

The listing got me thinking. Over the last ten years the Manchester food scene has come on leaps and bounds, becoming one of the UK’s most enviable. Chefs, restaurateurs and investors are all queuing up to have their slice of the pie.

Manchester picked up a Michelin Star for Mana in Ancoats in 2019 after a very long wait and is increasingly finding itself amongst the top food destinations in the UK.