Pesto’s Perfect Trees!

Carrie and Big. Bert and Ernie. Cookies and milk. Some things just work better together, and without a tree Christmas just doesn’t work. The festive aroma, the decorating ritual and above all, presents underneath are part of what make Christmas, er, Christmassy!

Now, with there only being one days left till the big day itself, we’d hedge our bets that some of you are still scrambling to find the time to even choose a tree, never mind get it dressed up in time for Christmas morning. This is where we’re on hand to help! Here are Pesto’s top five tips for choosing the perfect tree!

1. Size does matter. If, like most of us, every inch of living space matters the last thing you want is a monster Redwood Christmas tree eating up your lounge. If you’re struggling to squeeze in a Tesco pot-plant, steer clear of lavish big trees, however tempting! Pick the perfect space for your tree and measure it before going shopping to save yourself a world of hassle later in the day.

2. Age also matters. A recent Facebook post from a most unlucky festive relative served as an excellent reminder that choosing where you buy your tree is every bit, if not more important than the tree. The relative in question splashed out a rather decadent £75 at her local farm shop only for the tree to wilt and die within ten days. Finding out whether your local tree stockist buys in their stock weekly or if it’s one big delivery will allow you to gauge how ago the tree was cut and judge whether it’s likely to be a duffer by Christmas morning.

3. Hate hoovering? The Norway Spruce might not be the tree for you…Some trees emit that gorgeous festive aroma, others retain their needles long after they’ve adopted that delightful shade of brown. For best needle retention the Noble Fir might be best for your household, while the Norway Fir really captures that festive scent.

4. Shape matters. As most Christmas trees in commercial shops have already been stuffed into nets, it makes it nigh on impossible to guess whether the tree in question has a classic Christmas tree shape, or is in fact a Side-Show Bob bonsai nightmare. Short of ripping the net off in-store (and possibly being removed from said shop) all you can do is try to find a small platform from which to gaze down the top of the tree to assess how even the branches are. Or you could try grabbing a tree from a local seller, who tend not to net their stock.

5. Fake it. If all of the above just seems too strenuous for arguably the most time-consuming month of the year, pop into John Lewis and buy a fake. Buying a fake does have its upsides; no messy pine needles, no faffing with nets, no watering around hundreds of potential fire hazards and best of all you can shove it in the attic and drag it out next year saving you time and money in the long run. All that aside, fake trees are rather naff, and it might just take you all year to find one that looks anywhere near as pretty as a genuine festive fir.

Struggling for a last minute stocking filler? Pop into Pesto today and pick up a gift voucher!

Keep up with us on Facebook and Twitter for more frequent updates.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Bradshaw

http://goo.gl/xu0Cp

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway_Spruce

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_and_Ernie

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai

Interview: Victoria Jones

This week we’re catching up with Pesto’s Vicky Jones, who along with a passion for cocktails (a common theme among the Pesto team…) enjoys a bit of Ryan Giggs, Keith Lemon and, er the Royal Family!

How long have you been part of the Pesto team?

Altogether – nearly three years. I was based at Pesto Trafford Centre for two years and I’ve been at Pesto Deansgate for almost a year now.

What is the best thing about working for Pesto?

The team! I have so much fun at work every day because of the people I work with. Everybody knows each other by name and face; instead of being just an employee you’re a person.

What is your favourite Pesto dish and drink?

My favourite Pesto dish changes depending on my cravings! I’m pregnant so it really affects what I eat. When I recommend a dish I always suggest the king prawns in white wine. Its great! My drink choice would have to be a Cosmopolitan, though I must confess all the cocktails here at Deansgate are to die for!

What’s the funniest thing to have happened to you in the restaurant?

I didn’t find it very amusing but the rest of the staff did; I was walking up to a table to take an order, but tripped up on my way. I tried to pretend nothing had happened and the customers were lovely and didn’t say anything but I turned around and the staff were in hysterics. Later the customers were talking to one of the team and it turned out they found it funny too. Rather embarrassing!

Which three celebrities (dead and alive) would you invite to dinner at Pesto?


The Queen – I love the Royal Family and I hear she’s quite funny! Ryan Giggs, just because I love him and finally Keith Lemon (Leigh Francis) from Celebrity Juice as he is hilarious.

What inspired you to become a manager?

I kind of fell into it really. After moving back from Australia I started working in a pub and I continued to move up from there. It’s the perfect job for me as its very flexible and I get to talk a lot – one of my favourite past-times.

After a meal at Pesto, what’s the best thing to do in Manchester?

I would suggest the theatre as there are always great shows on, then a couple of cocktails at Pesto!

What was the last show you went to and how was it?

I saw Sister Act at the theatre recently; the show itself was great, really funny, but it was nothing like the film, which was a little unexpected.

What does the next year at Pesto hold for you?

Hopefully a really busy year; I want to learn all aspects of the business, that’s my aim!

Harry Potter: The End of and Era

Following a decade of Pigwidgeon, Quidditch and general wizardry, the Harry Potter film series is coming to an end.

Thousands of Harry Potter enthusiasts from across the globe braved the typically wet British weather and camped out in Trafalgar Square for several days in anticipation of Thursday's world premier of the final instalment in the franchise. 

Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley in the multi-billion pound series arrived first on the red carpet, and described the experience as “emotional” and as his favourite moment from his time in the films.

The final film, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two' makes its UK cinema debut on July 15th, and at Pesto you can turn your cinema trip into an entire day of spells and sorcery with Butterbeer and face-painting!

To mark the occasion we've created our very own Butterbeer drink consisting of butterscotch syrup, cream soda and hair of Hippogriff* topped with cream and for our adult diners we have a special alcoholic version with butterscotch Schnapps, Havana rum and essence of Boggart** for just £5.

We'll also be offering free Harry Potter themed face-painting for kids and adults with every Butterbeer purchase - and one free kids Butterbeer when you show us your Harry Potter cinema stub!

Times and locations of the events are underneath the official (and stunning!) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows trailer vid from Warner. 

Photographs and video footage of the event will be posted to Facebook so you don't even have to worry about packing your camera! If you're not already a Pesto fan, click here to like or if you're more partial to the odd tweet, click here to follow us on Twitter.

So gather up muggles and squibs, grab some galleon from the gringotts and treat the whole family to a magic day out!

 Friday 15th July 

Pesto Deansgate

Face-painting from 3pm - 5pm

Butterbeer served all week!

Saturday 16th July

Pesto Trafford Centre

Face-painting from 3pm - 5pm

Butterbeer served all week!

* we made this up
** and this