Shopping

After recently visiting Brussels, home to a plethora of Belgian chocolate shops, on returning home my chocoholic tendencies were in a state of deprivation until I heard on the grapevine of a new chocolate shop having opened in Didsbury. Reassuringly bucking the trend of vendors shutting up shop to sell online, the owner of Cocoacobana found her website so popular that she decided to open up a ‘real’ store.

Selling a saliva-inducing selection of handmade white, milk and dark chocolates, it is chocolate-lovers heaven, with all items beautifully wrapped, making them look almost too good to eat. Only almost though!

With late night opening on Thursday’s until 21:00 I have no excuse not to nip down and get my chocolate fix (naturally justifying it as being for Christmas or birthday presents!). I’m particularly partial to the orange flavoured chocolates, but there are also more adventurous options to try such as basil flavoured truffles, all out on display making it very hard to resist!

I had heard about Unicorn long before I had either seen or visited the store, and given that everything I had heard had been so positive, decided that I needed to take a trip there myself. The name ‘Unicorn’ doesn’t provide much in the way of clues as to what may lie within…….it’s a shop selling wholesome and organic produce!

The first thing that hit me was the smell; immediately on entering there was the most delicious aroma emanating from the store. I’m not able to liken it to any particularly food, just a lovely blend of flavours that made the shop itself seem good enough to eat. Be warned though – it’s very popular and can get a little hectic. Last time I visited it opened at 11:00 – I arrived at 11:05 and already the car park was full, with people queuing down the road to get in.

Once in store though, it’s one of those places that makes food shopping an enjoyable experience rather than a chore. It may not be as large as a supermarket, but the fact that they provide trolleys gives some indication of the quantity and selection of food on offer. As well as the fresh but pre-packed food from nuts and bread to cereals and fruit, they also have a deli counter filled with fresh tasty snacks proving that it’s possible to be healthy and have food that tastes good…..who would have thought it was possible!

One of my favourite open spaces in Manchester has to be St Ann’s Square which is situated between Deansgate and Market Street, two of the cities busiest shopping streets.  I love this area due to its varied use. One week it will be an open space open to buskers and street performers, and then it will be used for various types of markets including book stalls, food fairs, craft and gift markets. The weekend I passed through quite recently they were holding a Moroccan fair. It regularly changes and there is normally something fantastic to buy.

Another favourite of mine are the surrounding buildings. This is a largely untouched area with amazing Victorian facades. Also spotted was a selection of blue plaques and one in particular caught my attention. This was of Robert Owen who was the founder of the Co-operative movement.

At the far end is St Ann’s church which will celebrate its 300 anniversary this year which is definitely worth a look after a restoration is complete this summer.

At the open end you have the amazing Royal Exchange theatre with its spaceship looking theatre space and then directly opposite you have the amazing Barton Arcade which reminds me of a Victorian greenhouse. This area really does have the best of the cities architecture in such a small space.

Somehow it’s taken me a couple of months to actually make it to BonBon, despite it being pretty-much my dream venue. Luckily for me its original ‘pop-up’ status has been extended thanks to unanimous approval from Manchester’s chocolate afficionados, and it’s immediately clear that there’s nothing here not to love.

The tiny Victorian shop unit has been kitted out entirely in off-black, with glittering glass accessories, to perfectly compliment the seductive qualities of the chocolate. With just two two-person tables its owners are taking a gamble that the eager punters it turns away will return, but the aroma that hits as soon as you open the door virtually guarantees that. 

Beautifully 50s-styled chief chocolate mistress Joey offers a choice of plain, mocha, orange and salted caramel pure hot chocolates, forcing a seemingly impossible decision which luckily I can help you with. The salted caramel is a revelation, neither obviously salty nor overly sweet, and undeniably worth its £ 3.50 price-tag.

Hand-made truffles and the finest bought-in chocolate bars are available to buy, and BonBon also offers the chance to make your own at its regular workshops. With new beer shop Beermoth and whisky outlet The Whisky Jar having just opened around the corner the Northern Quarter is taking firm strides into connoisseurship territory, and – on the evidence of BonBon – it suits it.

What’s now known as Manchester’s Northern Quarter was traditionally home to its garment district, so it’s fitting that the area’s become a Mecca for quirky-clothes shoppers of both sexes. These days the district’s brimming over with vintage outlets but, for me, one of the first takes some beating: bold and breezy Pop Boutique on Oldham Street.

Like the best high street stores Pop has a distinctive and reliable house style; so if you’re after wearable, fun classics from the 60s to the 80s you can rest assured it’s worth diving into its dress, knitwear and separates rails. Unlike many less-established competitors Pop won’t waste your time with garments that look worn, or are just plain old rather than vintage, and if the fabric’s great but the style needs updating they’ll create a whole new dress, pinafore or skirt from it.

Most excitingly for me, Pop’s one of the few vintage shops in the city with a (sadly shrinking) dedicated homeware section, stocking spike-legged coffee tables and far-out 60s glassware and the kitsch-est of 70s kitchenware. The shop also has extensive menswear and accessories sections and there’s even an in-store barber, should you suddenly need some quiffage to go with your new 501s.