THE “Lancashire Mafia”, led by top chef Paul Heathcote, will be taking over Manchester International Festival next week when visitors will be treated to the best of Lancastrian food and drink.

Blackburn-based brewers Thwaites will be supplying their celebrated Wainwrights Ale to Festival Square’s three bars.

The brewery will also be producing a special MIF Festival Ale for the Square and selected pubs around Manchester city centre during the event.

Heathcote and his team will be creating inventive dishes from locally-sourced produce, including Rice Krispie fish fingers, beer-can chicken and Goosnargh duck, alongside ‘More Than a Ploughmans’ platters with home-made rhubarb, pork and black pudding pie. Other delicacies range from griddled burgers to sushi platters. Top North West chefs will manning the griddle for limited edition slots.

Festival Square takes over Manchester’s Albert Square for 18 days during MIF13. New this year is an outside stage which will host free entertainment twice daily, ranging from local bluegrass bands to gypsy jazz.

Picnic benches and deckchairs will set the summer scene on the square, while planters will be filled with herbs and edible flowers to reflect the work of The Biospheric Project in Salford.

The Festival’s managing mirector, East Lancashire-born Christine Cort, who lives in the Ribble Valley, said: “I’m from Lancashire, I’m very proud that MIF has teamed up with fantastic local suppliers, Paul Heathcote and Thwaites, showcasing the best in Lancashire hospitality to visitors from around the world.”

Festival Square will also host award-winning UK street traders, handpicked by Richard Johnson of British Street Food. Traders.

These will include Greedy Bassetts, specialising in Whitby fish and seafood dishes, authentic Asian street food from Hungry Gecko, Italian street food from Gurmetti, and ice cream for grown-ups from Ginger’s Comfort Emporium. Fentimans will be supplying their range of soft drinks, brewed in Stockport.

Families visiting the square can step inside a miniature performance space housed within a shipping container, as Belgian artist Inne Goris presents Daydream, a beautiful free musical installation for children aged three and over.

Pavilion Theatre hosts gigs by artists including Neneh Cherry and RocketNumberNine, M O N E Y and Delphic, while Jamal Edwards and SB.TV presents takes over the Pavilion Theatre for seven nights.

DJ Rob da Bank explores the A-Z of Manchester over four nights, each taking in a different decade from the 1980s to the present, with music accompanied by visuals from Manchester photographer Kevin Cummins.

Manchester-based DJ and author Dave Haslam returns to the festival to present a series of interviews with a selection of the artists performing at MIF13 in an intimate In Conversation series.

Every night throughout MIF13, some of the best UK DJs will also be playing in the Festival Pavilion for free, including Will Tramp, Justine Alderman, Disco Mums, Gregling, Dialog, Dave Haslam, and Andrea Trout.

Manchester International Festival opens on Thursday and runs until July 21, presenting new work across the spectrum of performing arts, visual arts and popular culture.

  • For full details of all the festival events and tickets, visit www. mif.co.uk