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Northern pub bosses issue scathing joint statement ahead of ‘imminent’ Tier 3 restrictions

Holts, Hydes, Lees, Robinsons and Thwaites have joined together to fight back against closures.

The Manc The Manc - 19th October 2020
Unsplash / Louis Hansel

Bosses of a number of leading breweries and pub operators in Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire have issued a joint statement ahead of “imminent” Tier 3 restrictions across in the region.

The Managing Directors of Holts, Hydes, Lees, Robinsons and Thwaites have joined together to issue a statement echoing Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham’s firm stance that no further restrictions should be imposed on the region without necessary financial support, particularly with relation to the hospitality industry.

The joint statement comes amid “ongoing” back-and-forth discussions with local leaders, MPs, and central government over the past week surrounding the prospect of Greater Manchester entering Tier 3 restrictions under the government’s new three tier coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions scheme.

This follows the placing of the county of Lancashire into Tier 3 last Friday.

It also follows Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s live address to the nation during last Friday’s press conference where he warned that he may “need to intervene” in Greater Manchester if an agreement is not met.

Mr Johnson stated that the situation is “grave” and “worsening by the day”.

Given that hospitality is the industry which has arguably been subject the most change throughout the pandemic, with the uncertainly only set to continue, pub bosses have now issued a statement arguing that statistics prove that most cases of COVID-19 are transmitted in people’s homes, care homes, educational settings, and hospitals, rather than pubs.

It also adds that hospitality businesses have been going great lengths to adhere to government guidelines since being given the green light to reopen back in July.

They have stated that “shutting our pubs would be a deliberate political act of wilful economic destruction”.

The full statement reads:

“Our breweries and pubs have been an integral part of Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire and the North West’s communities for hundreds of years – we are on the ground – we are not running our pubs in a theoretical intellectual and political bubble 200 miles away in Westminster.

The current government policy to single out pubs for closure in Tier 3 with inadequate support is a national disgrace. It is clear, and the statistics show, that transmission of the coronavirus is happening in education, care homes, hospitals and the home. Already we have been trading with severe restrictions since 31st July in Greater Manchester but we feel that the government is now going too far and we stand by the stance that Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, is taking that our pubs cannot be closed down in the manner proposed with Tier 3 restrictions and only very limited compensation.

The government is not able to produce any evidence that pubs or the hospitality sector is a significant factor in coronavirus transmission – because there is none.

Since the start of July, our 860 pubs in Manchester and around the North West of England and North Wales, have had not one case where they have been contacted by Track and Trace as a result of linked virus cases in one of our pubs. Our pubs have had between 8-10 million visits since re-opening in July – we are aware informally of only 15-20 individuals who have been in touch with their pub in the days after visiting to say that they have contracted the virus. This equates to 0.25 people per 100,000 visits of pubgoers who might have or more likely did not contract the virus on a visit to a pub.

Pubs are being victimised and made a scapegoat in a desperate political effort to be seen to do something – even though it is obvious it will not work as the real problem lies elsewhere. Victimising pubs for closure will destroy people’s businesses and employment, take away the homes of landlords and their families and cause community misery and financial ruin in the North of England and Wales.

Shutting our pubs would be a deliberate political act of wilful economic destruction, visited upon the North for no gain. Our pubs have already been made COVID-secure and are safe and ready to play their part in their communities through the winter – Northerners should not agree that their economies, employment and communities are deliberately devastated by this government’s action.”

Richard Kershaw, Chief Executive Officer – Joseph Holt of Manchester

Adam Mayers, Managing Director – Hydes of Manchester

William Lees-Jones, Managing Director – JW Lees of Manchester

Oliver & William Robinson, Joint Managing Directors – Frederic Robinson of Stockport

Richard Bailey, Chief Executive – Thwaites of Blackburn

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For the latest information, guidance and support during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the UK, please do refer to official sources at gov.uk/coronavirus.

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A sneak peek at the first pour: Greater Manchester celebrates the return of Boddingtons

Danny Jones Danny Jones Boddingtons is back on tap draught in Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester has every reason to drink and jubilate this Friday and toast the perfect excuse for an early dart as the first fresh pours in a new chapter for Boddingtons beer have been sunk.

And by’eck if ain’t still bloody gorgeous.

That’s right, in case you didn’t hear the latest news about ‘Cream of Manchester’, we can now officially and ever-so gladly confirm that Boddingtons Bitter is properly back on draught in the region.

With the iconic cask ale making a glorious return decades on from its glory days in the 1990s, the new and improved Boddies beer is flowing from the taps – just in time for the weekend, no less.

Yes, with local brewery and pub chain J.W. Lees taking over the manufacturing and distribution, leaving the Budweiser Group to take over the licensing, the updated recipe Boddingtons – which clocks in at a 4.0% ABV – is about to be rolled out across the 10 boroughs.

Better yet, with five native pubs having already reinstalled honey yellow and black pumps, and with Lees looking to deliver it to the ale-loving masses across the North West, this could be the biggest Manc comeback since, well, those two lads from Burnage…

Speaking of: we were invited along to Founder’s Hall on Albert Square (formerly Duttons and now home to every one of the brand’s beers, not to mention serving as a tribute to John Lees himself), for a special ceremony to celebrate the inaugural public pints of Boddies being poured.

Let’s just say we were honoured to be part of the grand resurrection.

Obviously, there have been some holdouts hanging onto the classic Mancunian brew, and we certainly had fun trying to track them down over the past couple of years, but we’re just glad we don’t have to do as much work to find one now.

The lost art of Boddingtons, and which pubs still serve The Cream of Manchester

Managing Director of JW Lees, William Lees-Jones, said on the relaunch: “When I joined JW Lees in 1994, Boddingtons was ‘The Cream of Manchester’ and we were in awe of their position in leading the cask beer revolution.

“We’re proud to bring it back home, starting with Founder’s Hall, and we’re planning to restore Boddington’s as one of the UK’s leading premium cask beers, particularly here in the North West.” Well said, sir.

Available from Founder’s Hall, The Black Friar in Salford, Stables Tavern; Sams Chop House, The Circus Tavern, Oxford Road Tap, Piccadilly Tap and Victoria Tap from today, as well as Corbières and Stockport pubs like The Crown and The White Lion, we can’t wait to see Boddingtons take over the nation.

In the meantime, why not look back at the storied history behind one of our finest exports?

@the.manc The history behind the cream of Manchester #themanc #manchester #boddingtons ♬ Powerful gangster and manly(1070054) – Patricia

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Featured Images — The Manc Group/The Manc Eats

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Subway launches make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ across UK

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Spudway

Subway is finally launching its viral make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ at all its restaurants in the UK.

That’s right – you can now walk into any Greater Manchester Subway and order a jacket potato instead of a sandwich, and you get to choose exactly what goes on top of it.

Britain has always been a nation of ‘jacket fanatics’, with almost half of Brits claiming the spud to be a British cultural icon, but according to new research by Subway, it’s been found that nearly a quarter (23%) of us have argued with family and friends over how to prepare or serve one.

So it’s fair to say that, yes, us Brits do love ourselves a jacket potato, and this is why ‘Spudway’ is launching nationwide.

The UK-wide rollout of Spudway comes after it was trailed in select sites earlier this year, and then proved so popular that the trail was extended to include more locations.

Now, those fluffy jacket potatoes are available everywhere.

You can choose topping options like the simple Cheese & Beans or Tuna Mayo, or you can opt for Subway specialities like Meatball Marinara, and Chicken Tikka, but the beauty of Spudaway is it’s all fully customisable.

This means you can pick, quite simply, from whatever you fancy at the protein and salad counters, and finish it with your choice of Subway’s wide selection of signature sauces.

“The nation’s love of Jacket Potatoes is unparalleled,” commented Cathy Goodwin, who is the Interim Director of Culinary & Innovation Subway EMEA.

Spudway
Subway has finally launched its make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ all across the UK / Credit: Subway

“The enthusiasm we’ve seen on social media and the strong demand from our guests throughout the trial made it clear that Spudway deserved a permanent place on our menu.

“Made with British potatoes, Irish salted butter, a double portion of cheese, and fully customisable with any of our many toppings, Spudway is the perfect freshly-made, high-quality lunch choice.”

Spudway jacket potatoes are freshly baked in-store daily and can be enjoyed on their own, or as part of a meal deal – which includes a spud, drink, plus crisps or a cookie.

Read more:

You can tuck into them at your local Subway now.

Featured Image – Subway

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