Food Culture and Events

The Portico Library is one of Manchester’s oldest cultural centres, where people from all over the North West and beyond come together to explore the history that has made the city what it is today. The Portico Kitchen applies that same enthusiasm and curiosity to food writing and culture, bringing culinary history to life in the most tangible and tasty ways.

In the past, we have worked with Manchester University’s American Studies department to tell the history of American food, serving succotash and traditional beef chilli, slow cooked for eight hours, to compliment a talk by Dr. J. Michelle Coghlan.

Dave Winnard of Discover the Wild took us through the story of gin and the various wild botanicals found around Manchester that can be used to infuse the spirit, with tasters paired with seasonal canapes.

Our 2023 events programme is more exciting than ever, beginning in March with ‘On Greens: An edible history of plant based eating’. This summer, an exhibition on intercultural food encounters, cultivation, and consumption will launch in the Portico’s gallery, with local and international artists reflecting on how cooking and dining are represented in the Library’s historic books.

Details for these events and our full programme are available via the links to the right and there are many more projects to be announced, from blog posts to book talks to publications. Be sure to check in here regularly and follow the Library on social media through the buttons below.