Fred’s Café

Don’t all rush at once, because this smashing little place is virtually a one-man show. Housed in a former 19th-century market hall (now the Manchester Craft & Design Centre), it brings a lively sensibility to a short list of favourite regional scran made with top ingredients. Behind the jokey references to ‘sarnies’, ‘proper’ honey-roasted ham and homemade ‘red’ or ‘brown’ sauce, there is solid skill – as you might expect from the former head chef at Adam Reid at The French. Sausage rolls, Scotch eggs, crispy hash browns and custardy Manchester tarts are baked daily, while an excellent ‘Northern rarebit' topped with Lancashire cheese and English mustard and finished with local beer, Henderson’s Relish and fresh chives is an outright winner.