Chester ★ 4.4
Chester, an hour south-west of Manchester by direct train. Gary Usher's Sticky Walnut is the city's bistro flagship; Covino runs the wine room next door.
More food day trips in Manchester
Prestwich ★ 4.3
Prestwich, three miles north of Manchester. The Bury New Road strip has reinvented itself around Cuckoo natural-wine bar and a row of small independent kitchens.
Hayfield ★ 4.4
Hayfield in the Peak District, forty-five minutes from Manchester. Luke Payne runs The Pack Horse on Market Street, gastropub feeding hillwalkers and locals.
Stockport ★ 4.7
Stockport, fifteen minutes south of Manchester by train. Sam Buckley's Where The Light Gets In holds a Michelin Green Star; Cantaloupe is Bib Gourmand.
Bury ★ 4.5
Bury, seven miles north of Manchester by Metrolink. Famous for the Bury Market black pudding stand, run by the Bury Black Pudding Company since 1865, alive.
Eccles ★ 4.0
Eccles in Salford, four miles west of Manchester. James Birch sold the first commercial Eccles cake here in 1793 at Vicarage Road; pastry survived to today.