After just two years spent serving inventive British plates to the good people of Stockport, popular restaurant The Moor has announced it can no longer afford to continue to operate.
In a shock closure announcement posted to the restaurant’s website, owners said The Moor would not be reopening its doors again and reflected on the challenging events of the past two years, writing: ‘this is not the time to be running a small independent business.’
In the now-deleted statement, chef James Hulme wrote: “This is tough to write, we have taken the decision to close our doors. The last two years have been crazy, we set out with the intention to offer some of the North West’s best produce at a reasonable price.
Image: The Moor Image: The Moor
“We did everything to make this happen but ultimately, for a restaurant that wanted to be as sustainable as possible – from making charcoal, utilising every piece of the animal or fish, having close to zero waste and working with small independents – we believe that moving forward, as a business, this simply isn’t sustainable.”
The comments made by Hulme echo those recently made by the team at acclaimed West Yorkshire gastropub The Moorcock, which has a similar concept and has just announced it will be breakng its lease next year.
He had previously worked as a chef at the famous D&D London restaurant Quaglino’s, as well as under Aiden Byrne when he opened the group’s first Manchester restaurant 20 Stories in 2018.
Citing rising food costs as a partial factor in the decision, he continued: “We do not want to compromise on what we serve by buying in cheaper mass produced food served with horrendous mark ups.
“These aren’t the only reasons, there are some personal factors too that have led to this decision.
“We wish to thank every single customer (even the couple that left a bad review) for coming and supporting us through this journey. In February 2020 we thought Brexit was the biggest hurdle we would face, how wrong we were….but so many of you have helped either through your custom and support or even putting an apron on when we were short staffed!
“Finally to the staff, thank you so much, I dreaded telling you all the news but you were awesome and very understanding. The Moor won’t be back but please, support local, support independent and most of all appreciate the value, quality and time that indies put into what they do.”
Whilst TripAdvisor reports are not always the most reliable, a quick glance at The Moor’s page shows the eatery did not receive one negative review during the past two years with most diners rating it excellent or very good (we confess that we couldn’t find the bad review Hulme alluded to in his farewell statement).
Critics that made it over in the midst of the past two years’ lockdowns were equally ebullient, praising the restaurants’ inventive, flavour-led menu and use of quality produce.
Jason Manford has final word on ‘naughty’ rule that sparked unexpected Village Hotel experience
Danny Jones
Local comedian Jason Manford has shared “the last I’ll say on the matter between The People vs The Village Hotel”, after expressing his disappointment over a rule that saw him have a somewhat unexpected experience at one of their locations.
The Salford-born and Stockport-based stand-up was forced to share his room with another individual at The Village in Bournemouth after being told the hotel was fully booked.
Manford‘s room had essentially been resold, which led him to stay in a double with his friend and colleague; however, as explained in multiple videos, not everyone was fortunate enough to secure a last-minute solution.
Still, on the upside, at least they didn’t have to share a bed…
As detailed in the first of three posts seen above, Manford and co. arrived at the hotel late (as is typically the case with any touring comedian, especially a headliner) following his gig at the Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre on Sunday, 29 June.
The 44-year-old is currently on his ‘A Manford All Seasons’ tour, which saw a flurry of new dates added back in November, and got underway back in February.
Although he assured that the staff did their job and were “lovely” through the whole ordeal, he reiterated that he found the little-known rule “very naughty” and “not on”.
He also mentioned that a doctor who arrived shortly after them at the hotel reception, sadly, had to be turned away from the Bournemouth branch.
Manford went on to add that the hotel manager did apologise for the situation, but as he notes in the clips, the worry is that it could cause even bigger dilemmas if it were a wedding, someone with kids, “or a million different situations that you could have been in which are much more serious than [his].”
Essentially, the duo were just lucky they turned up when they did and said as much.
Despite noting that he’d heard of airlines opting for similar policies in the past, he confessed he’d never come across such a rule in more than “25 years of touring” as a comic.
Echoing his frustration, surprise and concern, musician Georgina Jackson said in the comments: “That is so bad! As a touring lone female musician who uses hotels a lot, what are we expected to do? But the fact is… they don’t really care…
“Thanks for highlighting it, as they might actually start caring when the bookings drop off! And, I imagine the hotel/town was busy with your audience!! How blinking ironic!!”
The hotel group has since asked the Salfordian funny man to take the very public complaints down, but Manford has refused despite them requesting quite “politely”, insisting that he believes more people need to know about obscure and largely unknown rules like these.
You can see the most recent and final statement on the whole Jason Manford-Village Hotel situation in full down below.
Featured Images — University of Salford (via Flickr)/Jason Manford (screenshot via Facebook)
News
New immersive Race Across the World Experience comes to Manchester this summer
Thomas Melia
Hit BBC TV show Race Across the World is launching an interactive experience in Manchester this summer, inspired by the series.
After five original series and two celebrity spin-offs, it was only a matter of time before the huge TV show materialised into ‘Race Across the World: The Experience’.
Just like the real programme, you will be sent on a mission across the heart of the city centre where you will have to complete tasks and reach various checkpoints to be crowned champion.
The missions will see players visiting Manchester hotspots, lesser known locations, renowned pubs, and distinctive landmarks across three hours.
Teams will rely on our trusty Bee Network as they take a trip on our vibrant yellow trams and buses to get around the city as they make their way to each puzzle and activity.
At each puzzle destination, participants will complete a challenge to guide them to their next location, all of which is pre-planned and spread across a five kilometre city-wide voyage.
For Mancs and anyone further afield, ‘Race Across the World: The Experience’ offers a whole new way to explore Manchester and gives you the chance to see some of the city’s best hidden gems, even if you are on a time limit.
This sounds like a great idea for friends and family alike, and based off the amount of times we’ve had to sprint down to Platform 14 at Manchester Piccadilly, I think us Mancs were born for this challenge.
In true Race Across the World style, the team who manages to finish not just with the fastest time but with the most budget remaining too, will be the ultimate victor.
Cast of BBC’s Race Across the World / Credit: BBC / Studio Lambert
Tom Rymer, Founder of CityDays, said: “Following an outstanding debut month in London that has thrilled fans of the show, both old and new, we are bringing the Race Across The World Experience to Manchester.
“New puzzles, new characters, new decisions and new discoveries, all coming soon over three new thrilling legs. Manchester, are you ready for your race?”
A launch date for ‘Race Across the World: The Experience’ is yet to be released but eager entrants can sign up to the official waitlist and find out even more information HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
6th April 2022 
