Manchester Craft and Design Centre

Manchester Craft and Design Centre is a Victorian market building in the Northern Quarter that has been home to independent designers and makers for over 40 years. Across 20 working studios, you'll find handmade jewellery, ceramics, textiles, glass, prints, accessories and homeware, all made and sold by the artists themselves. The building's glass roof floods the space with light, and the whole place has a genuinely creative atmosphere that's quite different from a standard shopping trip.

As well as browsing and buying, there's a regular exhibitions programme showcasing regional, national and international craft talent, and all exhibitions are free to visit. Workshops run regularly in the ground-floor Space2, so it's worth checking what's coming up if you fancy getting hands-on. Many of the studio makers also offer commissions, so if you're after something truly one-off, this is a good place to ask.

Fred's Cafe is on site and well worth a visit in its own right. It's an English-style café with a northern sensibility, serving coffee and breakfast snacks from 10am and lunch from 12pm, using fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Fred's is open Tuesday to Saturday and on the second Sunday of each month.

The centre is open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5.30pm, and on the second Sunday of each month from 11am to 5pm. There is a wheelchair-accessible entrance, making it straightforward to visit with a pushchair. It suits families who enjoy a bit of culture alongside their weekend, and it's a particularly good spot for finding a genuinely unique gift.