![]() In charge of the bar at Porky Pig is Mark Davis, a man who oozes authority, and as soon as he looms into vision the lads soon pipe down.īlackpool-born Mark, 52, now lives in London and has a business running festivals. Reporter Dianne tries to remember what people have ordered on their Yorkshire pudding wraps (Image: Manchester Evening News) Summoning all my teenage barmaid experience of "grinning and bearing it" with lairy beer men, I tell them that yes the glasses are "fake" (plastic), and that no, they don't need to prove it by smashing them over their head - as one starts to suggest. Now, I've had plenty of insults in my time but being accused of having a fake bottom really does take the biscuit. One decides it's very funny to bang on about them being "fake glasses" and continues to tell me that they're "fake, fake like your bottom". Well, that is until I move down to the bar side of the stall and get to experience the great British public under the influence of alcohol.Ī group of inebriated "lads" approach clutching a load of beer cups to ask for their refund (It's a £1.50 refundable deposit for the beer cups and £3 for the gluhwein mugs, something you have to remind EVERY customer when they look at you ashen-faced at the price of the drinks). "Do I get to eat a free wrap?" Is obviously the first thing that pops into my mind (yes, is the answer - one a day for all workers).Īnd my second is: "Do you get a lot of rude customers?"ĭianne enjoying the banter with food customers at Porky Pig (Image: Manchester Evening News) She's tasked with training up newcomers like myself and takes my temperature (as everyone has to do here for Covid safety each morning) and gives me a thorough briefing on how everything works and what I can expect, before asking if I have any questions. Mum-of-one Robyn Cannon, 25, from Openshaw, has been working with Porky Pig for the past three years now, and knows just what to expect over the next six weeks of Christmas Markets' madness. One thing I definitely didn't require was the two layers of thermals I thought I'd need given the outdoor location - because once in the cabin I'm surrounded by heat at every turn with the ovens in the back, the heat lamps at the front and the grills at the back that sizzle the wraps together. Reporter Dianne Bourne (centre) joins the team at Porky Pigs for the day to see what it's like on the hectic Christmas Markets stall (Image: Manchester Evening News) ![]() They're expecting over 1,000 customers over the course of the Saturday I head along, and will be cooking up some 600 giant sausages that will become the battered pigs in blankets - not to mention the full roasted pig that looms large at the front of the stall ready to be shredded up for pulled pork.Įddie says "welcome to hell" with a mischievous grin as he hands me my Porky Pig jumper and woolly hat - and I start to wonder what I've let myself in for as I gear up for my health and safety training with the team. ![]() It has been a real Manchester success story for Porky Pig - Cheetham Hill-raised Eddie started out his street food business working a pitch outside Manchester United as an 18-year-old, before his punt on a stall at the Christmas Markets five years ago turned the Yorkshire pudding wrap business into a runaway word-of-mouth success. While the markets don't officially open to the public until 10am each day it's an early start at the stall for Porky Pig's owner Eddie Osman, 44, and his partner Lucy Berry, 34, with prep for the day ahead from 8am. The jovial team at Porky Pig let me jump on board for the day at Exchange Square which is becoming one of the busiest hotspots of this year's Markets offering. READ MORE : Map of Manchester Christmas Markets and guide to all the locations Yes, I've gone behind the scenes at Manchester Christmas Markets ' busiest stall Porky Pig on a crowded, sunny, Saturday to see just what it's like serving up hot wraps and pints of beer to the thousands of people flocking to the event for its big return this year. While I try to remember what mix of stuffing, carrots (not peas) gravy and pulled pork one customer has requested in their Yorkshire pudding wrap, I'm also preparing the next wrap with giant deep-fried sausages and mashed potato (no gravy) and apple sauce an eager punter is waiting for. ![]() ![]() There's a queue of around 100 hungry people snaking down Exchange Square, and I'm feeling the pressure to get a bit faster at wrapping a pile of meat, veg and gravy into a giant Yorkshire pudding. ![]()
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