A-kin x Stray: A Supper by Candlelight

BRITs Week begins in suitably atmospheric style, as Stray teams up with A-kin for a one-night, candlelit supper club inside the main hall at Mackie Mayor (it’s usually closed Mondays, so you’ll have the whole dramatic room to yourself).

Taking place on 23 February, the collaboration will see just 50 guests for an intimate evening of food, drink and music, designed to set the tone for a week that celebrates Manchester’s place at the heart of British music culture.

At the centre of the night is a five-course tasting menu curated and delivered by A-kin, the acclaimed supper club series known for weaving storytelling into every plate. Each course draws inspiration from a different community that has shaped modern Britain, celebrating the cultural threads that make up the country’s identity through bold flavours and considered technique.

Guests will be welcomed with a glass of Moët and canapés before moving through a menu that features beetroot-cured salmon with sauerkraut, cream cheese and pickled mustard seeds, and fuul madamas, Sudanese fava beans with tomato, lemon, parsley, cumin and feta, served with milk bread. A saltfish Scotch egg arrives with Hennessy plantain and fiery Scotch bonnet ketchup, while a snap pea and pear salad comes with white soy and sesame.

For the main course, roasted duck is paired with an orange Hennessy sauce, fried morning glory and chicken fat rice, before horchata ice cream with macerated strawberries and almond dust rounds things off. Vegetarian and vegan alternatives are available throughout, including callaloo and ackee in place of the Scotch egg, and a celeriac steak with celeriac purée and Hennessy sauce as the main.

Drinks will be delivered by the wizards at Stray in collaboration with Hennessy, while the evening’s soundtrack is curated by Sham Steele, creating an intimate, evocative backdrop that bridges food and music in one sitting.

Tickets are priced at £65 per person, including all five courses and a welcome glass. With capacity capped at 50 guests, this is a genuinely intimate affair and booking early is advised.