Inside The Great Northern Market
Amy Tomkinson, Group Executive Chef at Airport Retail Enterprises on the launch and success of Manchester Airport’s foodie hub
Great Northern Market brings the energy and creativity of the North’s street-food scene to Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2. The 470 seat food hall opened in February this year and is the airport’s largest venue, with six open kitchens that showcase an incredible line-up of local brands and international flavours.
Behind this culinary creation is Airport Retail Enterprises (ARE), a privately owned and family-run airport food and beverage specialist. Leading the charge is Amy Tomkinson, Group Executive Chef, whose vision is direct: "We wanted to build something that felt like a true food market you’d actually choose to visit in the city centre."
Amy brings a hands-on pedigree to the challenge of feeding thousands of travellers daily. "I’ve been classically French-trained since I was 15," she reflects. "I opened a 600 seat restaurant in Dubai Marina back in 2015 alongside Simon Rimmer, worked through rapid expansions with Mission Mars and Albert's Schloss, and owned and operated my own pub group with six sites."
Joining ARE in 2024, Amy assembled a trusted team whom she credits for all of the success Great Northern Market has enjoyed so far. "My Senior Head Chef is Jordan, who I’ve had an eight year working partnership with," she notes. "He manages the day-to-day operations and food execution across the board. Then we have Stephen Green, our Sous Chef, along with Senior Sous Chefs Liam Avaton and Benedict Elliot, and our Operations Manager Scott Williams; we have a team that knows how to execute under pressure."
In May, Amy and her team made the operational decision to serve a full menu service across all six kitchens from 3:00 AM to 9:00 PM. "Diners can now order a freshly made pizza or a buttermilk fried chicken burger whenever they want one. That's been a really positive thing that we've implemented," Amy comments.
Great Northern Market puts the North at the centre of its identity and worked with visual artist and muralist Marcus Method to create the new space. Amy describes: “Marcus Method created all of the murals on the wall, which gives the space a lot of colour and identity. The lighting and the Gooey counter with the fluorescent light really pop. Customers sit there all day watching the operation in action. The open kitchen layout allows passengers to watch chefs stretch dough, fry chicken and plate dishes.”
Amy and her team also place great emphasis on working with local suppliers. She comments: "We work directly with key local and regional suppliers who share our commitment to quality. That includes Lake Speciality Foods from the Lake District, Gooey right here from Manchester for our sweet counter, Fiddlers for our crisps, Harry’s Pantry for our pie shop supplies, and Oliver Kay, who were originally Bolton-based, for our fresh produce."
Even with the market running at full capacity, the team are not standing still. "We are constantly looking at how to refine the offer," Amy reveals. "We are constantly reviewing trends and menus and looking to incorporate healthier options for travellers.”
As Manchester Airport celebrates completing its £1.3bn transformation, the Great Northern Market was a part of this, bringing the North’s street food straight to Terminal 2.
The Best of Great Northern Market
What are hungry travellers ordering before take-off? Amy shares the most popular dishes.
Nashville Hot House - The Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders are most popular, with a side of Loaded Salt and Pepper Fries.
La Casita - The Habanero Chicken Burrito. Our suppliers are from a company called Massafina, which flies ingredients over from its factory in Mexico.
Kouzina - Kouzina’s Halloumi fries are incredibly popular (especially with our team), often paired with a Lamb Kofta Souvlaki. This is the only place in the airport offering a lamb kebab.
Black Iron Grill - The GNM Smash Burger. We use a homemade burger sauce, American cheese with homemade dill pickles and shredded lettuce.
Palms Café - Satay Chicken Pad Thai is a dish that's got bags and bags of flavour. The homemade peanut puree elevates the dish to the next level.
Napoli Street Pizza - It has to be the Margherita Pizza. We use a 55% hydrated dough, and make around 350 dough balls a day and sell thousands.
Gooey - Milk Chocolate Cookies and the Kinder Doughnut.
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