Emily Norton

It’s beginning to look a… bit like Christmas. Mad Friday was not quite as mad as usual in Lincoln.

The city centre streets, traditionally packed with festive merriment as the last weekend before Christmas begins, looked more like a low-key Friday night.

Usually crowded streets had been noticeably thinned out amid fears of the Omicron variant of coronavirus on Friday, December 17.

The walk up the High Street was a quiet one to begin with. | Photo: John Aron

| Photo: John Aron

Photographer John Aron visited the High Street at peak time, between 10pm and 11.30pm

Some Christmas parties and groups of revellers remained, determined to enjoy a festive drink – their custom appreciated by hospitality businesses hit once again by waves of cancellations.

Things began to feel a little more Christmassy once through the Stonebow. | Photo: John Aron

| Photo: John Aron for The Lincolnite

| Photo: John Aron for The Lincolnite

| Photo: John Aron for The Lincolnite

| Photo: John Aron for The Lincolnite

| Photo: John Aron for The Lincolnite

One section of the High Street, north of the Stonebow, was a little livelier. Happy party-goers smiled for the camera in glittering outfits, and our photographer was treated to a greeting from Santa himself.

Santa dropped in to enjoy the celebrations in Lincoln | Photo: John Aron

| Photo: John Aron for The Lincolnite

| Photo: John Aron for The Lincolnite

| Photo: John Aron

| Photo: John Aron for The Lincolnite

| Photo: John Aron for The Lincolnite

| Photo: John Aron for The Lincolnite

| Photo: John Aron

| Photo: John Aron

| Photo: John Aron

| Photo: John Aron

| Photo: John Aron

| Photo: John Aron

Lincolnshire Police officers also patrolled the city centre as merriment threatened to swell into indecency.

| Photo: John Aron for The Lincolnite

| Photo: John Aron

| Photo: John Aron

| Photo: John Aron

| Photo: John Aron

Mockingbird Streetfood has taken flight in Grimsby as the UK’s first vendor to specialise in both chicken and mock-chicken.

The business, launching on Wednesday, December 15 at Dock Beers will serve up real and vegan versions of classic chicken fast food.

Its container kitchen is permanently pitched at the King Edward Street brewery.

Director and co-owner of Mockingbird, Martyn Davies, has joined forces with two of Docks Beers’ owners, Shaz Shadan and Will Douglas, to set-up the new venture, bringing with him ten years’ experience as an Operations Director at some of the UK’s best known restaurant brands.

He said: “Mockingbird is based on a simple concept; ‘Vegan or Bird, you decide’. We place as much if not more emphasis on our handmade seitan ‘mock’ dishes as the real chicken.

The bird is the word! Chicken tenders are sure to be a favourite for customers. | Photo: Mockingbird

“Initially we aimed for a 50/50 split between meat-alternative and chicken dishes, but we have replaced animal products wherever we can with alternative ingredients. Vegan choices now outweigh chicken on our menu because 100% of our side dishes – including loaded fries, mac and cheese, and desserts – are vegan.

“This is not at the expense of taste. Our customers will be blown away by how good the food is. Our USP is Mockingbird’s secret seitan recipe which we use to make our own ‘mock’ chicken pieces and wraps, not forgetting high our quality chicken which is sourced from a leading grain fed chicken farm less than 40 miles away.”

Grill chef Katie Harper. | Photo: Mockingbird

Since opening in 2018, Docks Beers has been credited with introducing a variety of streetfood to North East Lincolnshire by bringing in some of the UK’s best pop up vendors at weekends, but the brewers now open 7 days a week need a permanent offering and one that is not affected by adverse weather.

Shaz Shadan added: “Mockingbird’s shipping container is bomb proof and the new commercial kitchen is state of the art. I want to extend our thanks to local commercial kitchen installers Sylvester Keal who have grafted tirelessly to deliver a brilliant end product, especially Ash Ramsey and Ben Keal. This really is a gamechanger, not just for Docks Beers, but for the area.

Many of the menu’s side dishes are also vegan friendly. | Photo: Mockingbird

“Grimsby has no vegan streetfood or high end chicken offering so Mockingbird fills not one gap in the market, but two. Personally I’m excited because being a vegan myself I know all too well the lack of local fast food options for people like me.

“We will be serving not just Docks Beers eat-in customers and Docks Academy event goers, but we also welcome walk-up and click and collect customers. We also anticipate launching delivery services in January 2022, if not sooner.”

Mockingbird’s food will be served Wednesday to Sunday midday to 9pm, with coffee and cakes being served in the mornings from 9am. You can try it by visiting Docks Beers or by ordering click and collect from the website here.