Unicorn Grocery

Name: Unicorn Grocery
Address: 89 Albany Road, Manchester, M210BN, GB
Telephone: +441618610010
Price range: ££
Rating: 4.8

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Unicorn Grocery

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Named ‘Best Food Retailer’ at the 2017 BBC Food & Farming Awards, we offer our Manchester customer ba We hope you enjoy it too.
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Unicorn was established in 1996 by a small group of people committed to social change, who had a vision for the kind of place they wanted to shop in themselves. A place where a really wide range of wholesome, tasty food, sourced with care, would be sold at affordable prices. A shop owned and run by motivated worker-owners following a shared social and environmental agenda. A friendly, diverse and welcoming space that would act as a hub in the community. Although we’ve grown a lot since then, those things remain true today. We’re proud to have proved that a worker-owned business with values can compete with national chains and provide a genuine alternative to the supermarket, and we’re now more or less the size of one. Co-op members still aim to run the kind of shop they love shopping in.

02/11/2026

Check out our latest PRICE CHECK! :)

31/10/2026

Good Stuff - Faith In Nature 🍊

Faith in Nature have been with us since we opened, and they have a lovely backstory. Back in 1974, founder Rivka took her interest in the natural world, pawned her jewellery, bought her first ingredients, gathered seaweed from a Scottish beach – and the rest is history!

Today, Faith are still based nearby in Radcliffe, and they are the first company to officially appoint Nature to their board.

Look out for the pink apple tags on the shelves for suppliers we are particularly proud to trade with 🍎

30/10/2026

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FOLKS!
Celebrate with PUMPKIN FUDGE treats!
We've also got loads of carving pumpkins available :)
🎃👻🎃💀🎃

28/10/2026

Let's celebrate CAULIFLOWERS!!! Beautiful & bountiful right now :)

27/10/2026

Veg News 27th October 🎃

Last Thursday was our annual squash tasting, an exciting day for the Unicorn team, who got to try 18 varieties of squash, all roasted to perfection. Each variety had something different to offer in terms of flavour and texture, as well as ideas for the sorts of dishes they’d work best in.

All the squash were sliced and roasted in their skins, which can save a lot of work peeling. Most varieties have edible skin, which can add its own flavour and texture. Black Futsu had a slightly smoky flavour (and no, it wasn’t burnt!). You might prefer to remove the skin for dishes such as risotto or curry, while for desserts you can simply scrape the flesh away from the skin. Turban, Green Acorn and Patty Pan squash had less desirable skins for eating, unless you’re particularly keen on a bit of extra roughage!

None of the squash disappointed, but here are four varieties that stood out, with a few more detailed tasting notes.

Green Pumpkin

Sweet and chestnut-like in flavour, with a texture reminiscent of potato. Delicious simply roasted, but also worth trying in desserts such as pumpkin pie or pumpkin fudge.

Delicata

Super-sweet, rich and buttery, with a moist texture that still has a little bite. Where it roasted against the pan, it developed lovely caramel notes. Delicata went down particularly well with the team. Its rich flavour would pair well with something to cut through it, such as warming spices, chilli or sharper flavours.

Blue Ballet

Smooth in texture, but firmer and drier than some other varieties, with a balanced squash flavour that isn’t too sweet. Some tasters picked up hints of peanut butter in there. Try cutting it into 2.5cm cubes and adding it to anything from risotto to South or East Asian curries and Caribbean stews.

Carnival

A more recent addition to our line-up. Moist, nutty and subtly sweet, with a deep, complex savoury flavour. Like other acorn-type squashes, such as Green Acorn, Table Gold and Celebration, it has a little more texture. It would make a lovely side dish for a roast dinner with gravy, or served with tomato sauce and crisp-fried firm or soft polenta.

Our squash tasting wouldn’t be the same without such a fantastic and diverse range to try. We’re really grateful to the teams at Strawberry Fields in Lincolnshire and Kindling Farm in Merseyside for growing such a wonderful selection for us all to enjoy!

25/10/2026

Veg and Dumpling Stew

An easy, rich and warming veg stew topped with dumplings. Perfect for these chillier evenings! Adjust the veg based on the season. Adapted from Serves 4

Ingredients

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

450 g potatoes

400 g squash peeled and cubed

1 onion cubed

2 cloves garlic minced

2 bay leaves

80 ml red w**e

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 litre veg stock

A big handful cavolo nero or other greens chopped

1 tin cannellini beans

For the dumplings

150 g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sage

1 tsp smoked paprika

75 g veg suet

100 ml cold water approx

Instructions

Over medium heat, saute the veg (except the greens) in olive oil, with bay leaves and salt & pepper. When it starts to caramelize, add the w**e. After 2-3 min, add the tomato puree and stock. Simmer ~20 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the flour, baking powder, sage, paprika and 1 tsp salt. Add the veg suet to get a crumbly texture, then cold water just until the dough comes together. Form 12 dumplings and set aside.

Stir into the stew the greens and beans (with juice). Bring to boil, arrange dumplings on top (add more stock if needed) and simmer ~20 minutes until dumplings puff up and all veg is tender. Enjoy!

23/10/2026

New Zero-Waste Malted Sourdough from Holy Grain Bakery 🍞

Holy Grain have launched a hearty new Wednesday loaf with an ingenious zero-waste story behind it. To use up unsold loaves, the bakery team cube, rebake, and porridge unsold bread, folding it back into fresh sourdough alongside rye and malted wheat flakes.

While making a loaf out of old bread might sound a bit unusual, it is genuinely delicious. We are loving it!

Deeply savoury with a lovely malted depth, it makes a wonderfully wholesome loaf. Look out for it on Wednesday mornings!

22/10/2026

New stuff on the shop floor!

We’ve got a fantastic batch of new store cupboard additions in this week, with some lovely products and the ethical producers and inspiring stories behind them.

Here’s what’s new:

🥜 True Origin Roasted Garlic & Herb Cashews: Whole-roasted cashews with a savoury garlic and herb coating. True Origin works directly with smallholder producer groups across Africa, supporting farming communities with fair trade and more secure incomes.

🍚 Ibis Rice Lime & Pepper Bean & Rice Angles: Crispy, punchy rice snacks from Cambodia. Ibis Rice pays local organic farmers a premium to grow without chemical inputs or forest clearing, helping protect rainforest habitats and endangered wildlife.

🌶️ Rift Valley Farms Hot Chilli Sauce Shatta: A fiery Palestinian chilli sauce, perfect for adding a kick to stews, grains and dipping bowls. Sourced directly from Palestinian farming communities, it supports local livelihoods and celebrates traditional flavours.

🍫 Vivani 100%+ Superior Dark Raspberry Chocolate: Rich, intense 100% cacao organic dark chocolate with tart raspberry pieces. Vivani works with fair-trade organic cocoa cooperatives in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador.

🍞 Bread Matters Organic Sourdough Starter: Ideal for autumn baking projects! From Andrew Whitley, co-founder of the Real Bread Campaign, who has long championed additive-free baking and sustainable grain supply chains.

You’ll also find Delight Natural Medjoul Dates, featured in our last e-newsletter (sign-up link to the newsletter is below 👀), on the New Product Display.

Pop in and have a look next time you’re in the shop!

https://www.unicorn-grocery.coop/contact-us/?utm_source=Unicorn%20Grocery&utm_campaign=1fa9eedf33-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_11_23_02_07_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a71b08bb2f-1fa9eedf33-352950620&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAb21jcAVG8MtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mAnNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzU2NzA2NzM0MzM1MjQyNwABpzIGAE4JYQpSc7fterGDHtX2jS2w6Vubpd-Akt9x2w0-2kLXI4MJt-ZFMW_X_aem_pqhUMcdzVHmOEXrtElVO9A

21/10/2026

30 Years of Global Solidarity ✊

Next time you’re in the shop, keep an eye out for our new Solidarity Fund display board! Illustrated by Paper Rhino it maps out the grassroots projects and movements we are proud to stand alongside both locally and around globally.

Worldwide, grassroots movements are organising for equity, economic democracy, food sovereignty, and climate justice. Unicorn operates within an unjust and extractive economy, and our Solidarity Fund acts as a reparative measure that scales up alongside our wage bill and co-op growth. Today, that means redistributing over £100,000 a year to grassroots partners doing vital work. Have a look at the map on your next shop to see where that support goes!

20/10/2026

Veg News 20th October

After a wonderful weekend celebrating apples, we would now like to spotlight another golden toptree fruit, the magnificent pear. This week ours are coming from Carey Organics in Herefordshire and Sweet Apple Orchards in Sussex. This summer's heat and drought were extremely challenging for the orchards we work with, but the crop is tasting fantastic, thanks to the sugar content of the pears, which comes as a result of the slow growing and ripening conditions.

This week we have three different varieties, the gorgeous golden Comice pear, the Beurre Hardy and the Beurre Superfin and the classic Conference pear with its pink-hued skin.

Pears work just as well on their own as a snack or dessert. You can get inventive too and add them to a salad with some chicory or radicchio, walnuts and a nice dijon dressing. The sweetness of the fruit helps to balance the bold, bitterness of the leaves, contrasting wonderfully.

We also have some delicious seasonal fruits available this week from the other side of the channel: Spanish Rojo Brillante persimmons (aka kaki fruit), French feijoa and the last week of the Osteen mangoes to name just a few.

Address

89 Albany Road
Manchester
M210BN

Telephone

+441618610010

Website

http://www.unicorn-grocery.coop/

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