AManchester restaurant has been named amongst the best in the UK just a few months after opening its doors.
Higher Ground restaurant, which comes from the same team behind Ancoats wine bar Flawd, was ranked in the UK’s top 100 restaurants at last night’s prestigious National Restaurant Awards.
The swanky eatery headed up by chef Joseph Otway was listed as number 51 out of 100 restaurants at the annual event, which is sponsored by Estrella Damm.
Judges praised its “impeccable sourcing and creative cooking”, describing the new restaurant as a “modern and thoughtful Manchester bistro.”
Manchester’s only Michelin-starred restaurant Mana, meanwhile, ranked twenty points below at number 71 this year – moving up seven points from its 2022 placement.
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Inside Higher Ground. / Image: The Manc Eats
Jane’s Farm pig shoulder ragu, Cinderwood Market Garden mustards, Marfana potatoes with smoked butter at Higher Ground. / Image: The Manc Eats
Other local eateries to be featured in this year’s list include popular pub The Parkers Arms in nearby Lancashire, which was awarded Gastropub of the Year and ranked at number 12 out of 100 in this year’s list.
Higher Ground was first launched as a four-week pop-up back in February 2020, but closed when Covid struck and the country went into lockdown.
This February, the bistro made its return after securing a new permanent home in Chinatown’s Faulkner House.
The brainchild of chef Joseph Otway, front of house pro Richard Cossins and wine expert Daniel Craig Martin, dishes here change on a daily basis depending on the season and showcase organic produce grown on the team’s Cinderwood Market Garden in neighbouring Cheshire.
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Mackerel, salted gooseberry, and elderflower at Higher Ground. / Image: The Manc Eats
Coal-smoked onions, Cumbrian goats curd, yeast Fosters Mill wholewheat rolls and Lancashire butter at Higher Ground. / Image: The Manc Eats
Its wine list centers around small-scale, low intervention winemakers from around the European continent, whilst dishes put a focus on small-scale agriculture and small herd, whole carcass cookery.
With either a tasting menu or a la carte option to choose from, seating options span traditional dining tables and stools overlooking the open kitchen and charcoal oven.
Locally, Higher Ground is becoming famous for its ever changing daily pasta dish; hand rolled in the open kitchen every service, the super-value Chef’s Choice menu where the decision is in the hands of Joseph and his team, for just £35 at lunch and £45 at dinner.
Speaking on the win, the Higher Ground team said: “What a night. Incredibly proud of the Team who we are lucky enough to work with.
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“Congratulations to all of the other teams involved last night – the future is very exciting indeed!”
The Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards is Restaurant by BigHospitality’s annual countdown of the top 100 restaurants in the UK.
More than 200 industry experts have voted for their best restaurant experiences over the past 18 months across the British Isles, taking into consideration not only the food, but the staff, atmosphere, music, design and price.
The academy of voters is made up of chefs, restaurateurs, food writers and critics and other food experts and gastronomes.
Featured image – The Manc Eats
Eats
First look inside Social Osteria, Stockport’s buzzy new Italian restaurant
Lydia Mastrolonardo
That’s right Stopfordians – we’re gaining yet another brand new addition to our town’s blooming food and drink scene, as Social Osteria opens its doors at Weir Mill.
It’s safe to say we’re in good hands, with the geniuses behind The Social Trattoria, named best Trattoria at the Italian Awards UK 2025, being the ones to bring this new taste of Italy to South Manchester.
Just because we are no longer experiencing the weather to match an Italian summer, doesn’t mean we can’t continue eating like we’re there.
Social Osteria can now be found overlooking the River Mersey, as a beautiful 2,000 sq ft space within the buzzing new canalside development, fully equipped with the classic exposed red brickwork, vaulted ceilings and even the restored original kiln.
As you approach the restaurant, you are greeted by a sunken courtyard and riverside seating, making for the perfect alfresco dining spot, when the warmer weather finally rolls back around.
With the meaning of Osteria being an Italian tavern, for locals to gather and enjoy each other’s company, good wine and honest, flavourful food – the team have stayed true to the name. You can expect dim, ambient lighting, an open kitchen, fresh small plates, flavourful 48-hour pizzas, and traditional pasta.
Vibrant dishes at Social Osteria in Stockport. Credit: The Manc Group
This glamorous new restaurant is promising a spectacular menu, from cacio e pepe butter beans to guanciale topped pizzas and their very own slow-cooked beef shin and pork shoulder paccheri ragu, you know we’re in the right place.
With Italian food running in the family, the team’s cooking practices are rooted in traditional methods, passed down through the generations and then presented to us, with the freshest of ingredients.
It suits Capital&Centric, who’ve taken the same approach to Weir Mill itself – embracing the character of the historic mill whilst transforming it into a vibrant community, for generations to come.
Inside Social Osteria at Weir Mill. Credit: The Manc Group
Set below Stockport’s iconic viaduct, the £60m neighbourhood is now home to 253 apartments alongside bustling cafés, wine bars and stunning restaurants akin to Social Osteria, accompanied by plenty of outdoor seating, green spaces, and riverside viewpoints.
Where Osteria Social now calls home is part of Stockport’s £1 billion Town Centre West masterplan, adding to the town’s growing reputation as one of the best locations to live in the UK.
Social Osteria will officially open Thursday 22 October, at Weir Mill. Be sure to book your tables early as we fear this one might get a little booked up.
Traitors star and comedian Joe Lycett is putting cash behind the bar at two Manchester pubs
Daisy Jackson
Comedian Joe Lycett is putting money behind the bar at two Manchester pubs this week, as he continues to encourage people to get out and support their local boozers.
The TV favourite – who is also currently one of the stars on The Traitors – announced the news as he bid farewell to his fictional TV pub The Lycett Arms.
On the show, he said: “There are 45,000 pubs in the UK – go and give them some love.”
Joe Lycett then proceeded to list 30 brilliant pubs up and down the country, including two in Manchester, and announced that the drinks are on him this week.
He told audiences: “[This] Friday I’ll be putting a little bit of money behind the bar in all the pubs you’ve just seen. I hope you can have a drink on me.”
The pubs he picked out in Manchester are the iconic old boozer The Peveril of the Peak, and the excellent pub and comedy venue The Old Monkey.
The Peveril of the Peak on Great Bridgewater Street is a real icon in the city centre, with its green tiled exterior and its cosy interiors.
Until recently, it was run by legendary local landlady Nancy Swanick, who died in July at the age of 96.
The Peveril of the Peak pub in ManchesterInside The Pev
Commenting on Joe Lycett’s post about his pub offer, they wrote: “You are all more than welcome at The Pev. Give me a shout and I will sort you out with a pie, Joe.”
The Old Monkey, meanwhile, is famed for its comedy nights run by Trapdoor Comedy Club, and for its open mic sessions, as well as award-winning beers.
The Portland Street pub has also very kindly agreed to match Joe Lycett’s donation, which means double the budget for pints for Mancs.
Georgina Pellant -
13th June 2023 
