Eats

Family-run tapas restaurant shames customers who stole decorations – and then brought them back

'No that’s ridiculous'

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 17th December 2024

A family-run restaurant in Whitefield publicly shamed a couple who stole new decorations from them… and it worked, with the stolen items being promptly returned.

Campo Blanco, a popular tapas joint in the Bury suburb, threatened to call ‘Santa’ over the petty theft.

Owned and operated by high school sweethearts Aaron and Faye Cummins, the charming local spot opened back in 2018 and has been a firm favourite in Whitefield ever since.

But it’s not just their tapas menu that’s caught the attention of locals – now apparently it’s their new table decorations.

Campo Blanco shared CCTV footage of a couple who dined there recently pocketing lamps off their table.

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The customer in question quietly reaches across her dinner, picks up the pretty gold lamp, turns it off, and shoves it into her coat pocket.

The restaurant shared the video online and pleaded for them to return the lamps by Christmas Eve.

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They then said they’d be telling Santa – ‘and by Santa, we mean the police’.

Campo Blanco wrote: “We love our new table lights too. We actually can’t get them anymore as they’ve stopped making them so please bring them back. Also, they aren’t yours!

“You have until Christmas Eve to return them with no questions asked.

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“If not, we will tell Santa to put you on the naughty list. And by Santa, we mean The Police. Cheers. Merry Christmas.”

They later shared an update with a video of the second lamp being stolen, which said the police have been in touch but Campo Blanco doesn’t want to ‘waste their limited time over this’.

When asked why they haven’t shared the thieves’ faces, they wrote: “We wouldn’t do that. We’re not willing to ruin someone’s Christmas over 2 Table lights.”

One person replied to their post saying: “You’re joking. No that’s ridiculous.”

Another user commented: “You wouldn’t believe the amount of people that think this is perfectly ok to do. Makes me so annoyed! Theft is theft!!!”

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Someone else wrote: “Can’t have anything these days. Disgustinggggg.”

But last night Campo Blanco finally had some good news to share with its customers (who were ‘heavily invested’ in the saga) – the lamps have been returned.

The restaurant shared: “Never have we been more surprised and excited. Thank you for returning them! It’s been an emotional journey but we can finally draw a line under it and carry serving Tapas.

“We’ll leave you with Kate’s reaction to the Third and Final Part of our Saga #LampGate #ReturnOfTheLamp – before you ask, no, we won’t show their face.”

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Featured image: Instagram, @campoblanco

Eats

The best BYOB restaurants in Greater Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones BYOB places in Greater Manchester

Besides the flood of January deals happening in Greater Manchester right now, another way of saving money this month whilst still treating yourself to a nice meal or two is BYOB restaurants.

Look, January can be tough, we all know that – you’re not quite over the festive lay-off, it’s cold, you’re often wet and you still skint from Christmas – so if you can find a way to eat out without spending a bomb then it can certainly help give you a little boost and something to look forward to during these dark days.

‘Bring your own booze’ gaffs feel a little bit like a thing of the past these days but some of our fondest foodie memories are going to a local curry house with a plastic bag of our favourite beers and not seeing our parents pull the usual face of fear when looking down at the bill.

That being said, you can still find a few here and there, so we’ve rounded up some BYOB restaurants in and around Manchester that we’ve tried first-hand or had vouched for by our fellow foodie friends.

Five of the best BYOB spots in Greater Manchester

1. Yara – Chorlton, Altrincham and Cheadle

First up on the list of the lovely Yara, a family-run Lebanese and Syrian restaurant with sites in Chorlton, Cheadle and over in Altrincham, where their original venue first opened back in 2008.

Fast forward to now and they’ve built somewhat of an empire not only here in Greater Manchester but with two more locations nearby in Cheshire (Alderley Edge and Stockton Heath) but they all have two things in common: fantastic food and a BYOB policy.

Best-known for dishes like their baba ganoush, stuffed vine leaves, mixed kebabs, tabbouleh, lahembajeen and more, we’re rather big fans of this stunning 15-year stalwart.

2. Zena Restaurant – West Didsbury

Credit: Zena Restaurant (via Facebook)

From one champion of Levantine cuisine to another, Zena Restaurant down the road in Didsbury has stood as a much-loved Middle Eastern for a few years now and it’s also another one of the last BYOB hold-outs.

Priding itself on keeping alive not only one of the tastiest but oldest and healthiest food cultures in the world, Zena brings together a menu pulling influences from Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Jordan and more without yanking too hard on the purse strings – especially when you can bring your booze.

You’ll find many of the same staples as Yara serves up along with other popular items such as bouraks, maklubieh, fattoush, as well as stunning regional desserts like zena halwa, muhalabieh and baklava.

3. Double Zero – Chorlton

Is it the best pizza in Manchester? The debate it still raging among the slice experts but it’s certainly in the conversation and the name has never been bigger now since they opened up a second site.

Launching at Spring Gardens back in March 2024, Double Zero is delighting foodies all the same just as we knew it would with their traditional and truly fantastic wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas.

This one does come with a caveat as we’re afraid it’s still only their OG site in Chorlton that does BYOB, but hey, it’s a lovely suburb well worth spending you’re free time in and just a short tram ride from the city centre.

4. Mughli Charcoal Pit – Curry Mile

mughli curry mile
mughli manchester
Credit: The Manc Group

We’ll confess that our penultimate pick is a bit of an exclusive one as this technically only applies to students but we couldn’t do a BYOB restaurants round up for Manchester without mentioning the mighty Mughli Charcoal Pit.

Similar to Double Zero, this one is up there in the conversation when it comes to the best places on Wilmslow Road over in Rusholme, a.k.a ‘The Curry Mile’. We don’t even have a standout when it comes their food, just order whatever and you’ll be blown away no matter what you get.

Better yet, for those of you who are fortunate enough to still be at uni and making the most of them savings, you can get added discount as well as BYOB so long as you show a valid student ID. Lucky sods.

5. Cafe East – Oldham

Last but not least is Cafe East, which only recently came on to our radar thanks to word of mouth but one that has seemingly been a go-to in OL1 for a hot minute, regardless of the BYOB bonus.

Opened back in 2021 by Oldham native Kamran Ghafoor, the Indian restaurant, breakfast and brunch spot sits proudly at the top of Yorkshire Street in the shadow of the Parish Church. Even the grand front door gives you a hint that this is much more than a local curry house.

Famed for its Ramadan buffets, authentic Punjabi food and even their breakfast and lunch offerings which cater to an even wider customer base throughout the week, it’s one of Oldham‘s culinary gems by all accounts and we intend to do some extensive research for ourselves very soon.

Honourable mention

One last nod…

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Hawksmoor – Deansgate

We couldn’t look past Hawksmoor’s own BYOB offer that although limited is still worth shouting about.

Mondays at the stunning steak restaurant sat on the corner of Spinningfields and the main Deansgate strip are your opportunity to save on what would typically be a fairly substantial bill by bringing your own bottle of wine.

The ‘corkage’ is just a fiver and it’s a great way of being able to experience their incredible food without having worry too much about how much you’re spending one booze.

Credit: Hawksmoor

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Featured Images — The Manc Group

Eats

Award-winning pub from the team behind Mackie Mayor and Alty Market announces gutting closure

Danny Jones Danny Jones The Nags Head pub in Haughton closed for good

Sad news from down the road in Cheshire as The Nag’s Head over in Haughton has sadly announced it has closed this week.

The much-loved pub and bistro, adored by its Tarporley regulars and visiting Greater Manchester locals alike, not to mention acclaimed by reviewers who helped it garner multiple awards, confirmed the unfortunate news on Wednesday, 15 January.

Reopened back in 2022 following a slate of renovations, the impressive country-style pub is operated by the same creative culinary team, Tender Cow, who famously run Mackie Mayor, Altrincham Market and nearby Macclesfield Picturedrome.

However, despite each of their fantastic food halls flying high, The Nag’s Head has simply run out of road amidst the ongoing economic struggles facing so many businesses and, much to the “heartbreak” of its loyal customer base, they have now closed their doors for the final time.

Sharing a lengthy and emotional post explaining their reasons, the Nag wrote: “We’re sorry. We gave it our best shot but, sadly, we have to announce the closure of The Nag’s Head.

“We’ve spent the last 3 years since we bought the pub trying to craft it into a thriving, beautiful place with a proud national reputation at the heart of a local community.”

In addition to being selected for OpenTable’s Diners’ Choice and the Travellers’ Choice award by Tripadvisor; a nod from The Good Food Guide, as well as being named the ‘Food Hero of the Year’ for 2024 by Cheshire Life, they’ve earned accolades for everything from beer to their in-house bakery.

“Truth is the current economic woes fuelled by government policy are against us”, they continued.

Citing the previous Tory leadership as having dealt “cruel blows” on the entire hospitality sector and the new Labour administration for having then “unrepentantly beaten the nails into our coffin when we can least afford it”, there is a palpable sense of disappointment and frustration in the statement.

The same goes for those comments too, with many describing the closure as “gutting” and expressing their sorrow for the dedicated team, as well as their gratitude “for what you [they] done and tried”.

One person dubbed it “one of the best pubs going”; another added: “This is so so so sad! You’ve created such a brilliant business and the kids loved it too! Like all business owners, we are all crippled and sadly it no longer makes business sense to continue to struggle in this society.”

Addressing co-owner Jenny Thompson directly, a third said: Jen, I am so, so sorry. I know how hard it is. It’s terrible that creative people like you are forced into this by a government that just doesn’t care.

“I know what you are going through and it must be so difficult having your dreams crushed. At least you’ve tried with all your heart and it’s a brave decision, but you can’t work as hard as you do for little or no reward. People just don’t realise.”

Boasting a large produce-driven garden, it really was as idyllic as it gets.

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Although many North West pubs, bars and restaurants have closed due to the strain being put on the industry as a whole, not everyone goes into as much detail as MBEs Jenny and her partner, Nick Johnson, who laid bare the stark reality of what is seeing many contemporaries shut up shop.

“National insurance hikes for employers, further increases in the minimum wage – totalling 37% over the last 3 years, the reduction of business rates relief – up by 35%.

“Add to that inherited interest rates – 300% up, utility costs – 300% up, cost of ingredients 200% up – you don’t have to be a maths genius to work it out”, they explained.

They also recognised that people are understandably prioritising the essentials over luxuries like eating out given the ongoing cost of living crisis, reiterating, “How can anyone possibly grow and invest as the government expects (as we have done continually for the last decade) in this climate?”

The duo signed off by thanking their loyal customer base for the years of patronage and all of The Nag’s Head staff have they have been “forced to let go” now they have officially closed for all their support on “this journey cut short.”

“Alty Market, Mackie Mayor and Picturedome live on and if you miss us, you can find our soul and our spirit there. For now, it’s goodbye from the Nag’s Head.” We sincerely hope this isn’t forever and wish everyone who helped make this beloved boozer and bistro as brilliant as it was all the best.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Nags Head (via Instagram)

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