Alice Lorenzato-Lloyd
Alice Lorenzato-Lloyd covers the food scene with an emphasis on how places to eat and drink fit into the wider life of the city. She writes about restaurants, bars and street food as part of a broader lifestyle brief, connecting new openings and food trends to neighbourhood change, local businesses and everyday routines.
City dining and casual food spots
Alice’s food coverage centres on accessible dining, from street food takeovers to casual restaurants and bars.
She has written about a Mexi-Cali summer takeover in the Northern Quarter serving birria tacos, Texas toast and margaritas with tortilla hats, focusing on the specific dishes, the atmosphere and the seasonal angle of the event. She frequently highlights pizza, tacos and other comfort foods, picking out details like distinctive toppings or playful presentation to give a clear picture of what a venue offers.
Her pieces tend to emphasise how a spot works for relaxed visits with friends or family, with opening hours, booking details and practical information woven into the description of the food.
Food, drink and live events
Many of Alice’s articles combine food and drink with events, showing how hospitality venues slot into sport and culture moments. She has produced guides to where to watch major rugby tournaments in the city, describing pubs and venues in terms of their screens, atmosphere and the food and drink available alongside the matches.
Her writing in these pieces links menus and drinks lists to the overall experience, positioning food as part of a day or night out rather than the sole focus. This approach recurs across her work, where she treats special menus, pop-ups and themed offerings as part of a wider calendar of things to do.
Hospitality business pressures and city change
Alongside restaurant and bar coverage, Alice reports on the pressures facing hospitality and other local businesses. She has written about recent closures across the city, citing research that shows a significant proportion of businesses worry they could be next and setting out threats such as supply chain delays and rising energy and food costs. Her coverage examines how economic conditions affect independent venues as well as larger operators, and she connects these issues to what residents see on the high street.
In articles on city-centre spaces such as Piccadilly Gardens, she reports on plans to add more planting, events and attractions, showing how public realm changes could support a more vibrant environment for nearby businesses, including food and drink operators.
Food within community and lifestyle reporting
Alice’s work often situates food within community and lifestyle stories, especially around charity and seasonal initiatives.
She has written about a local charity opening a pop-up shelter at Christmas to provide hot meals, spare clothes and medical care for people experiencing homelessness, drawing attention to the role of food in support services. Her articles on airport changes and city infrastructure incorporate hospitality details such as new bars and dining options alongside transport improvements. Across these pieces she treats food as one element of how people move through and enjoy the city, rather than an isolated subject.
Role and background
Alice is editor at Secret Manchester, overseeing lifestyle coverage with food as a core strand of her work. She has extensive experience writing for city-focused titles within the same network, previously contributing to other regional “Secret” sites as a writer.
On her professional profiles she describes herself as a writer and a food fanatic, underlining a personal interest in eating out and exploring new places that aligns with her beat.
4 more food journalists.
Adam Maidment
Adam Maidment is a senior What's On and LGBTQ+ reporter whose food and leisure coverage is built around immersive, first-person reporting and concrete detail. He works at the Manchester Evening News, focusing on new restaurant and bar openings, regular food reviews, gig and event coverage, and issues affecting LGBTQ+ people. He treats restaurants, pubs, bars and experiences as stories about place, people and community, explaining what makes a venue different and how it fits into the local dining scene. His pieces cover pricing, service, atmosphere, crowds and concept, and he is willing to be critical when gimmicks undermine the experience. He writes character-led pub profiles, works shifts, joins treasure hunts and attends major cultural events, inviting readers to follow what he does and use his straightforward assessments to decide where to eat, drink and spend time.
Aly Walansky
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Amy Clarke
Amy Clarke stands out for turning food trends, sustainability and rising costs into practical guidance. She writes about changing tastes, new ingredients, formats and dining habits, as well as budget-friendly sustainable eating, nutrition, food shopping and the pressures extreme weather places on small food businesses. Her work includes forward-looking trend round-ups, advice on eating sustainably on a budget, cheaper alternatives to expensive superfoods and a report on how ice cream vans manage heat, logistics and profitability. She works as a multimedia reporter for News Shopper Series, with past work published in Sutton & Croydon Guardian, Yahoo News UK and The Conversation. Clarke combines reported features with clear explainers, expert voices and step-by-step advice. She uses plain language, specific examples and practical tips to show what food changes mean for readers and businesses.
Barra Best
Barra Best combines daily weather reporting with environmental documentaries for the BBC. He is a senior weather presenter, reporter and documentary maker, working across television, radio and online. His beat is weather and climate, including storms, heatwaves, record temperatures, changing seasons and their effects on communities, travel, agriculture, transport, outdoor work and food. He also covers biodiversity, wildlife, coastlines, rural communities and outdoor life. His programmes include Walk the Line, Weather Watchers, Coast Lives, Barra on the Foyle, Barra on the Bann, Barra’s Return of the Wild and Barra’s Wild Days Out. His reporting uses data, charts and clear explanations to connect science with daily life. He presents on location, interviews contributors and follows environmental stories over extended filming. He also hosts live events, panels, charity broadcasts and educational projects.