Owners of Salford’s pink teapot cafe The Travelling Teapot have hit out at the local council as they revealed they are on the hunt for a new site.
Owners of The Travelling Teapot, a pale pink 1970s caravan known as Betsy to her friends, told The Manc that they were looking outside Salford for a new location and expanding the cafe’s horizons across the north west.
Revealing that they were ‘gutted’ to be leaving their home patch, owners hit out at Salford council as they said bosses had been unhelpful in helping them find somewhere to pitch up closer to home.
Bosses at the teapot cafe said: “We’ve got to make a decision by August whether to continue or close the business as we’ve been trying so hard to get a new pitch with better footfall but not had any success.
“We are gutted but we just can’t find anywhere to trade. Salford council won’t help so we are going to have to spread our wings.”
Image: The Manc Group
Image: The Manc Group
The teapot cafe on wheels is the only one of its kind in the whole of the UK, according to owners Maria and Vicky.
Serving up delicious homemade cakes and other sweet treats like cookies and triple chocolate brownies, there’s also an extensive menu of hot and cold drinks with hot chocolates, locally-roasted coffees and piping hot cups of tea.
The cafe has been a fixture at Buille Hill Park, Salford, since opening at the start of February
Getting the project off the ground, owners say, took fifteen months, so by the time they were ready to start serving from their magical teapot cafe they were beyond excited.
However, six months down the line, whilst Betsy and her owners have plenty of fans they maintain that the footfall at their current site is not high enough to continue trading there and the time has come to move on.
Speaking exclusively to The Manc, owners revealed that whilst it had always been their dream to trade in Salford they ‘did not know or expect’ to run into so many problems with finding a site to trade from.
They said: “Being born and bred in Salford we naively thought that a new, independent business would be welcomed.
“We paid £800 for a Salford Council street trading license in November 2022 to trade at Buile Hill Park fireworks event. The council pushed it through on the proviso we could use it to trade on the streets thereafter.
“We had to pick a location (following their guidelines) and we were under the impression when this happened we were good to go. Nine months later we still haven’t had permission to trade on the streets.
“We have a park license which we use for Buile Hill Park {…] but the footfall is just not enough so have been looking for locations for places with more footfall.
“We have applied for so many locations within the guidelines. The locations have either been turned down, emails not answered, passed to management committees, asked to contact other people within the council etc.”
Image: The Travelling Teapot
Image: The Manc Group
Owners told The Manc that they had applied for locations around The Lowry only to be told that the council didn’t own the land, contrary to information on the land registry, and generally said that despite sending numerous emails they often did not get a response.
It appears from correspondence seen by The Manc that owners were told there were ‘too many coffee shops in the area’ and they weren’t taking on any more.
“We did persist and ask if we could go on a waiting list until one became available,” owners added, “but apparently there isn’t a waiting list or criteria.”
They also allege that new businesses have since been given licenses to trade in areas they have been refused.
Sharing the news of their departure from Buile Hill on Instagram, bosses wrote: “Please share. The UK’s only giant teapot on wheels is looking for a new home. We can bring a breathe of fresh air to your location. DM for info.
“Permanent pitch wanted. DM for info. Looking around the Northwest for a new permanent location. The UK’s only giant teapot on wheels. Fabulous drinks and cake menu. Breathe new life to your venue, eye catching, crowd pulling and unique. All enquiries considered.
Owners also said how sad they were to leave the park in the comments section, writing: “Awww we are so sad. We will be there a couple more times. The people we have met and all our customers have all been amazing!
“You’ve all been so loyal and kind, which honestly wish we could stay, unfortunately the park is just too quiet. Wherever we end up we will hope to see you again.”
A spokesperson for Salford City Council said: “We are disappointed that the owner feels this way. Salford City Council has provided extensive support over the last eight months including enabling the business to trade at the 2022 Bonfire Night celebrations attended by 15,000 people, trade at the two day We Invented the Weekend festival in June 2023 at Salford Quays and listing the business as a recommended street trader to help community event organisers find suitable food vendors for their event.
“Our business team also facilitated an introduction to the Kargo food hall team at The Quayside Shopping Mall and we understand discussions about trading there are ongoing.
“The owner continues to trade at Buile Hill Park and has expressed an interest in moving to another park location which would need to be one without an existing community café. We have not asked the business to relocate.
“Salford City Council does not provide a location finding service for any business but does respond to any request to use council owned land and we are happy to continue working with the owner as we have done over the past eight months. However if a business is seeking to trade on a privately owned site then it is for the business owner to negotiate directly with the private landowner.”
Featured image – The Manc Group
Eats
A new coffee shop by a familiar Manc influencer with an ‘Oasis-inspired’ name is opening in town
Danny Jones
We’re never short of cafés here in Manchester, especially in the city centre, and there are a fair few great ones in the Northern Quarter alone, but this new coffee shop from a famous local influencer is one to keep an eye on – especially as it’s a bit of an Oasis pun.
‘What’s the story?’, we hear you ask: Morning Glory, that’s what.
That’s right, NQ’s latest coffee spot is not only a fun little nod to the Britpop classic but a little bit of innuendo by an equally cheeky chappy and familiar content creator, Zack Hipps.
With the Oasis puns and double-entendre boxes ticked off, it already ticks a couple of boxes, but there are still plenty more reasons to think this will be a success.
Morning Glory is opening in the Northern Quarter at the end of the month. (Credit: Morning Glory)
To start with, the jokes don’t stop as sandwich lovers will be glad to hear that there will be ‘Glory Holes’ on the menu…
Calm down, it’s not that kind of gaff. These are bagels that are sliced, stuffed with whipped cream, brushed with garlic butter, before being rebaked to golden perfection and finished with a drizzle of honey thyme. That admittedly does sound rather naughty.
Bagels are the main foodstuff on the menu, with a lineup of stacked fillings such as grilled peach with goat’s cheese and chilli jam; roast chicken thigh with smoked garlic mayo, iceberg lettuce and red onion and a ‘next-level’ ham and cheese stack.
Oh yeah, and it’s not only a coffee shop but promises to be a great and affordable spot for grab-and-go joe, specifically, too.
Morning Glory will be helping kickstart Manc mornings in the best way: with a banging coffee and bagel brekkie deal for just £5, making it perfect for those early risers and rushes to the commuter trams – OR, indeed, the ideal hangover cure after a night out in the city.
Apart from the obvious Manchester music reference, the coffee bar is a fitting honey-yellow.The bagels are looking big and beautiful.The diagonal floor stripes are a nod to The Hacienda nightclub. (Credit: Supplied)
Now, with the space itself spanning just 50sqm and featuring just 12 seats, not to mention fast, value-for-money food and drink, everyone can admit this isn’t necessarily the spot to sit for hours chatting with your mates over a brew.
Although Zack describes the room as “casual, cosy and full of personality” and “proper good vibes”, assuring quality at all times, they also state it is about “no faff” and the menu is made for being on the move, which is absolutely fine with us.
For instance, indie suppliers Kyoto Matcha will be chipping in with drinks and local bakery Vainllis over in Ancoats will be delivering a fresh twist on the Manchester tart, both of which are easy to order takeout and enjoy on the go.
Best of all, to mark the launch, the first 100 people through the doors on from 8am on opening Saturday, 30 August. August will not only bag a free drink, but three lucky customers will be randomly chosen to win a golden ticket, entitling them to free coffee every single day for A WHOLE YEAR.
Speaking on the impending opening just weeks after Oasis left the city, Hipps says, “Morning Glory Coffee is my love letter to Manchester. We’ve grafted for months building the space, and it’s mad to think we’re finally opening the doors.
“It’s a warm, welcoming spot with proper Manc charm, and I’m buzzing to be working alongside some of my favourite local makers. Manchester’s got one of the best food scenes in the country, and we can’t wait to shine a light on all the incredible talent out there, whilst fuelling up Manc’s one brew at a time.”
See you in the queue on Oldham Street come launch day for great coffee, Oasis in the headphones and hopefully some rare but glorious Manchester morning sun.
Manchester tapas spot Maricarmen is opening a second site
Danny Jones
Affordable Manchester tapas spot Maricarmen has announced they are opening a second site in town, doubling their centre presence.
Maricarmen launched on Great Ancoats Street back in June 2023 and quickly became a firm Manc favourite, famous for their £3.50 dishes
When it comes to their small plate approach, they serve up some of the best tapas in Manchester, and even the shopfront seats at their popular roadside location are regularly full regardless of passing traffic.
However, if there’s ever been one gripe we’ve had with the place, it’s that the outdoor area isn’t the most peaceful, even if it is a stunning suntrap on a warm day – that’s where the new restaurant comes in.
Maricarmen is launching its second site very soon.(Credit: Supplied/The Manc Eats)
We’ve been semi-regular visitors of Maricarmen ever since it started out life as a pop-up spot just around from Cutting Room Square, and they’ve gained speed and reputation ever since.
Known not only for authentic, value-for-money tapas, but welcoming plenty of punters for a simple drink as one of the best places for a sangria in central Manchester, they’ve managed to stay relatively just not just when the weather is bright but throughout most seasons.
Set to take over the ex-63 Degrees on High Street in the Northern Quarter, they’ll be opening the next branch of Maricarmen as early as next month.
While the Ancoats restaurant is known for the aforementioned roving ‘El Tableo’ style of service inspired by southern Spain, the newest location will be slightly different; they are remaining tight-lipped on details, however, only revealing lighter colours and Alicante beach influences with alfresco eating.
All we’ll say for now is bring on the pintxos, pints, patatas bravas and pretty much anything we had for their first birthday celebrations.
Created by Marian Diaz and Jose Nunez, who previously owned a tapas restaurant in Madrid, La Porcineria, which was sadly curtailed by Covid.
On the bright side, Manchester has been the greatest beneficiary of their fresh start, and we can’t wait to see what venue number two delivers.
Co-founder, Diaz, said of the new opening: “Maricarmen is about compassion, hard work, strength, reinvention, opening our minds & hearts and connecting with people. It’s more than just food, for us, it is the beautiful moment when we see our customers and our coworkers smile because they are here.”
She went on to add, “To us, Manchester signifies the ability to reinvent and grow. The people here support you without expecting anything in return. It’s really beautiful. I have never felt this before in my life. […] We’ve built up such a loyal customer base of locals – many have become dear friends.
“And to be in a position to open a second site within two years and share our love of good food and great times with Manchester’s Northern Quarter is quite unbelievable.”
Maricarmen NQ is scheduled to open its doors in the very first week of September, so you really don’t have that long wait and/try to snatch a table.
Be sure to follow them on socials too, not only for more announcements and updates but because it’ll give you an even better flavour of the vibes over there.
Georgina Pellant -
13th July 2023 
