Following the announcement that the Bull and Bear restaurant inside The Stock Exchange is closing after Christmas, it has been revealed that the Schofield brothers will be taking over the space.
Bury-born brothers Daniel and Joe, both highly regarded in the bar world, are the duo behind award-winning Manchester bars Schofield’s Bar, Atomeca and Sterling.
The latter recently opened inside the basement bank vault of Gary Neville’s Stock Exchange Hotel. Now it has been revealed that they will be taking over the upstairs restaurant space, formerly home to Tom Kerridge’s Bull and Bear restaurant.
In what will be the group’s first restaurant venture, diners are being promised a ‘British brasserie with touches of elegance from continental Europe, all served with homely and comforting flavours from the UK.’
Image: The Stock Exchange Hotel
Image: The Bull and Bear
Working with Head Chef Joshua Reed-Cooper, who has formerly cheffed alongside Simon Rogan at The French, Sam Buckley at Where The Light Gets In, and Simon Martin at Mana, the new restaurant will serve a menu of traditional British dishes.
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All created using local British produce, expect comforting classics prepared with flair alongside a range of exquisite cocktails and other quality drinks.
Speaking on the new venture, Joe Schofield said of the grouo’s first venture into the world of restaurants: “We aim to create one of the best restaurants in the North of England, right here at Stock Exchange Hotel which is a natural next step in our hospitality career.
“Using the core pillars of our brands, we will transform the former Trading Floor into a space destined for food and drink lovers, whilst providing an expectation-exceeding experience for the residents of the hotel.”
Gary Neville, Owner of Stock Exchange Hotel, added: “Our aim at Stock Exchange Hotel is to create a destination venue in the heart of Manchester city centre.
Image: The Bull and Bear
Image; Schofield’s Bar
“Since meeting the group two years ago our vision, values, and brands have aligned, and we are delighted they have chosen Stock Exchange Hotel to open their first restaurant concept.
“The restaurant will add another dimension to the diverse offering at the hotel and we are looking forward to working with Joe, Daniel, James, Joshua and the team on this new venture.”
The new restaurant will open in February, and a name for the eatery is yet to be revealed. To keep up with further developments make sure to follow the Stock Exchange Hotel on Instagram here.
Feature image – The Stock Exchange Hotel
City Centre
A free snooker fan zone has popped up in Manchester for the 2026 Tour Championship
Danny Jones
We’re sure plenty of you are well aware that this year’s WST Sportsbet.io Tour Championship is happening in Manchester right now, but what many of you may not know is that a completely free snooker fan zone has opened up as part of it.
You don’t need a ticket for any of the actual matches to watch them on the big screen or even play one of your own.
However, it isn’t just the buzz inside the match room itself that the World Snooker Tour has brought on its return to the city centre – even the supporter hub outside is well worth a visit.
Based over at Manchester Central on the Exchange side of the building, while the games themselves are taking place in the main rooms, the foyer and surrounding areas have been turned into a fan park.
Perfect for anyone looking for a fun way to spend an afternoon or, indeed, a full day this week – not to mention an ideal activity for kids this coming Easter bank holiday weekend – if you’re a fan of the sport, you’d be a fool not to at least pop your head in.
Running until this Sunday, 5 April, when the tournament itself finishes, snooker lovers have access not only to a bar area with multiple big screens and food and drink, but also numerous free tables for them to play on.
In fact, you quickly turn a few frames into some proper practice if you’re so inclined, as there’s even on-site coaching to be made the most of.
As you can see, people of all ages have already turned up in their droves to soak up the atmosphere.
Once again, the competition is being broadcast live and free-to-air on Channel 5 if you’re happy to watch the games at home, but we don’t need to tell you what makes sitting in a room with a bunch of fellow fans and getting excited together so enjoyable.
If you visit the Manchester Central convention centre before the end of the week, you can even have a go at playing on a proper king-sized snooker table for the full pro-feel experience.
For anyone who wants to grab actual tickets for the matches as well, you can find them HERE.
Fairfield Social Club has been voted the Best Comedy Venue in the North
Danny Jones
Let’s toast another feather in Greater Manchester’s cultural cap as local arts venue, bar and hangout, Fairfield Social Club (FSC), has been named the Best Comedy Venue in the North.
That’s according to the much-revered annual Chortle Awards, the 2026 edition of which has named Fairfield not just one of the best in our specific city or region, but currently the benchmark for any live comedy spot located in the top half of the country.
And that’s not all: they actually took home another award this year, because why just win one when you can take home two?
For starters, congratulations are in order, and we couldn’t be prouder of our grassroots Manc venues continuing to set the bar; now let’s get into exactly what they won and why…
In addition to taking home the accolade for leading their field when it comes to hosting live comics and more, having quickly built up a strong reputation in the industry beyond just the North West, FSC also claimed a second gong, thanks to ‘CroppaChoppa’s Slumber Party‘.
The resident stand-up and sleepover games format show, which has been based over at the Green Quarter complex for some time now, just won Best New Comedy Format for the second year running.
Reacting to the consecutive awards, founder Charlotte Cropper said: “We are so thrilled to have won Best Comedy Format two years in a row! Lying our sleepover bag down at Fairfield Social Club is our favourite thing to do every month.
“Who knew a sleepover show with a misogynistic teddy bear mascot would become the best night of our lives?”
This, of course, is just one of many regular comedy-centric events happening throughout the FSC calendar – and you really should going along if you haven’t before.
Speaking on an incredible year all-round, Fairfield Social Club’s GM and live bookings manager, Jessie Perillo, added: “We’ve spent the last year building a comedy programme we’re really proud of; it’s one that supports emerging talent while also attracting some of the biggest names touring right now.
“To have both the venue and the shows recognised nationally is a dream and as a comedy lover myself, I couldn’t be happier!
“We’ve got some incredible new shows lined up over the next few months that we can’t wait to announce, and launching ‘A Lovely Weekend’ is just the beginning of what’s to come.”
Congrats again and well done to all those involved in helping keep Manchester-based humour and live arts on the comedy map; we can’t wait to see what else in store for 2026. Speaking of…
Georgina Pellant -
16th November 2022 
