Legendary burger restaurant Almost Famous has said it’s ‘so grateful’ after it received a huge outpouring of support from customers following a vulnerable post.
The restaurant had said that one of its most beautiful locations was ‘struggling’, and they feared they would have to say goodbye to it for good.
In a heartfelt statement shared online and addressed to people living in south Manchester suburbs, Almost Famous shared a ‘mini cry for help, not a beg’ to help its Withington restaurant keep the doors open.
And just one day later, the burger joint confirmed that the people of Withington ‘pulled through’.
Customers were waiting outside the restaurant before the doors were even open on Wednesday night.
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With just one incredibly honest post, Almost Famous went ‘from an empty restaurant to fully packed’.
They’ve since said that they are ‘so overwhelmed at the support, adding: “I’m not crying it’s the hay fever.”
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Inside Almost Famous in Withington. Credit: The Manc Group
Almost Famous also wrote: “OMG Manchester, this is what makes us special and beautiful, a city that takes care of its own and feels like a giant family. So overwhelmed at the support.
“We love you all so much and you know we are there for you like you are for us.”
Almost Famous opened last year inside a beautiful Grade II-listed building in Withington, which had previously (very briefly) been The Libertine pub.
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Inside, it serves the huge burgers the brand is famed for across the UK, and now also has pool tables, big screens for the Euros, and plenty of food and drink offers.
Their initial post said: “Calling all people of Withington, Chorlton, Fallowfield, Didsbury, South Manchester and beyond! This is a mini cry for help, not a beg. Almost Famous Withington is struggling, it’s the most beautiful of our sites, and we adore it. But we need your love and support to keep its doors open.
“Opening in the suburbs hasn’t been like anything we’ve done before, and while we’re rockin it on Deliveroo, there’s just not enough people coming through to experience the magic in the restaurant. We get it, times are tough for everyone, so we’ve been offering 50% off burgers all the time to give our baby a much-needed boost.
Burgers at Almost Famous in Withington. Credit: The Manc Group
“Withington is the coolest place with an incredible community vibe, and we’re proud to be part of it. It would be heartbreaking to say goodbye, so come down, show some love, grab a half-price burger and have a good time.”
Almost Famous later wrote: “Our hearts are full, we’re so grateful, OMG Manchester, this is what makes us special and beautiful, a city that takes care of its own and feels like a giant family.
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“So overwhelmed at the support. From an empty restaurant to fully packed tonight this is mental and amazing. We love you all so much and you know we are there for you like you are for us.
“We’ll be back at it from midday tomorrow with half price burgers all day. We’re also going to extend our half price birthday burger sale for another month, so you can get 50% off your favs all through June
“We know times are tough for everyone at the moment and we just want to make people happy and make burgers!! Thanks for letting us do this and spreading the word – let’s keep it going and save Withington.”
The cosy Peak District pub serving a pick’n’mix sausage and mash menu
Daisy Jackson
There’s a Peak District pub that’s turned one of Britain’s most beloved comfort foods into a full-on pick’n’mix.
Tucked away in the postcard-perfect village of Castleton, Ye Olde Nags Head is serving up a fully customisable menu of sausage and mash dishes.
We’re talking near-endless combinations of proper pub grub.
You start by choosing your sausages from a daily rotating selection (not a sentence you hear every day, but we’re into it).
Expect classics like Cumberland alongside more adventurous options like venison and mustard, or even wild boar and orange, plus a veggie sausage daily.
Then it’s onto the mash – you can go for flavours like cheese and onion, wholegrain mustard, or even black pudding mash.
Classic cumberland, mustard mash, and mushroom sauceVeggie sausage with cheese and onion mash and classic gravyTucking in
To finish? A choice of rich, hearty gravies and sauces to bring it all together, whether that’s a classic onion gravy, a peppercorn sauce, or a creamy wild mushroom sauce.
And if that wasn’t enough, you can even upgrade your bangers and mash pick’n’mix by having it all served inside a giant Yorkshire pudding.
Ye Olde Nags Head is a historic 17th-century pub, with a roaring fire in every room and cosy bedrooms upstairs.
Inside Ye Olde Nags Head pub in the Peak DistrictYe Olde Nags Head pub is near Mam Tor
It’s one of those flagstone-floored, beamed-ceilinged, mismatched-furniture type pubs that welcomes everyone in every state, whether you’re caked in mud from a hike or popping in on a coach tour.
Another of the pub’s specialties is the Derbyshire Breakfast, a hearty plate of sausage, smoked bacon, black pudding, free range egg, grilled tomatoes, field mushrooms, baked beans and fried bread.
The pub also offers takeaway breakfast butties, so you can use it for both a pre-hike stop and a post-hike pint.
Given it’s just minutes from the ever-popular Mam Tor hike, this is one pub you’ll definitely want to add to your next Peak District day out itinerary.
The hillside farm in the Peak District making its own ice cream
Daisy Jackson
Did you know there’s a 300-year-old farm in the Peak District serving up some of the freshest ice cream you’ll ever taste? And yes, you can meet the cows that made it while you’re there.
Welcome to Hope Valley Ice Cream, a family-run gem where things are kept refreshingly simple: happy cows, proper farming, and seriously good ice cream.
Set in the heart of the Peak District countryside, this place is about as wholesome as it gets.
The ice cream is made on-site in the farmhouse, literally just metres from where the dairy herd are out grazing.
You can watch the animals, wander around the farm, and then tuck into a scoop or three perched on a milk pail stool, or a picnic bench (or even a decorative tractor).
Hope Valley Ice Cream has some amazing seasonal ice creams, like lemon curd, elderflower, and blackberry, alongside all the classics and a rather delicious tiramisu.
You can grab a cone, sit down with a coffee (again, made with milk from the nearby cows), or go all in with a freshly-made waffle if you’re feeling fancy.
Takeaway tubs from Hope Valley Ice CreamYou can get a mini pail of ice creamMeet the newborn calves at Hope Valley Ice CreamTuck into your ice cream on a milk pail stoolHope Valley Ice Cream
And if you’re the type who really loves ice cream? You can actually order a full pail of it, with four huge scoops plus whipped cream and sauce.
The farm itself is run by the Marsden family, who’ve been working this land for generations. It shows in everything – they’ve created a place that feels genuinely welcoming, not just another tourist stop.
Beyond the ice cream, you’ve got plenty of reasons to stick around. There are calves (including the newest tiny arrivals), plus donkeys and pigs to say hello to.
Whether you’re heading out on a hike or just fancy a drive into the Peaks, this is one pitstop that’s absolutely worth it – and honestly, it’s worth the trip on its own.
Daisy Jackson -
31st May 2024 
