Welcome to the Manchester Friends of the Earth Real Food Guide! You may be wondering exactly what this is, so we thought we’d give you a brief introduction here.

Explore the Guide

Cafe in Street

Learn More

Red Apple Sliced

Our Recipes

Hands baking

What is real food?

By Real Food, we mean food that is produced and/or sold in ways that benefit (or minimise harm to) the environment. We explain five main ways in which food can be planet-friendly: being plant-based, produced in accordance with Fairtrade standards, grown locally, avoiding single-use plastics and minimising food waste.

Food in Jars

Where can I find real food?

We list outlets in and around Greater Manchester where you can buy Real Food. These fall into seven different categories: cafes, restaurants, shops, markets, takeaways, caterers and box schemes.

Firstly, to be listed in our Directory, an outlet must be located either in or just outside Greater Manchester. (If someone living on the boundary of Greater Manchester would consider it as local, that counts as a good enough reason – we include shops in Glossop, for instance.)

Secondly, it must operate on a reasonably small scale. We have included a few chains of a limited size, but when a business has expanded to half a dozen premises we think it can attract enough custom without our help. We’d like to think we’re doing something to get planet-friendly startups off the ground!

Finally, it needs to meet at least one of a list of criteria (organic, vegan, vegan-friendly, Fairtrade, local, plastic-free and waste-buster). You can find out what we mean by these definitions.

If we have omitted a business that you think ought to be included in the Guide, please do not hesitate to contact us at office@manchesterfoe.org.uk with details of the business.

Covid-19

Women shopping in mask

The Covid-19 outbreak has affected the operations of many of the businesses listed in this guide. We provide an update on the current situation.

How to can I find out more?

Explore the cafes, restaurants, shops and services and see our recipes for ideas of delicious real food meals.

Why is real food important?

Fairtrade

Woman picking fruit

Growing Your Own

Man gardening

Local Food

Local Market

Plant-based Diet

Vegan Food

Reducing Food Waste

Harvested Carrotts

Reducing Plastic Waste

Oranges in Reusable Bag