Two of the most frequented and beloved bars in Stockport, Doctor Feelgood and The Glass Spider, have sadly announced they are shutting down.
Establishing themselves as local institutions in just a few short years, they join the growing list of businesses going bust across Greater Manchester and the country in general, as businesses face increasing obstacles during a turbulent time for the UK economy.
Confirming the news of the immediate closures on social media, owner Joseph Patten expressed his “extreme sadness” at how things have transpired, but that he is thankful for “all the fond memories and wonderful customers” who made them the popular pubs they were.
Patten explained that the decision came down to a simple matter of “rising costs and the lack of people going out spending” as they were, with so many owners in the hospitality sector, especially, being forced to close their doors down to surging energy bills alone.
Credit: Dr Feelgood and Glass Spider (via Facebook)
Informing patrons on Facebook of Dr Feelgood’s closure via local forum ‘What’s On Stockport’, Joe wrote an emotional message, saying, “It was my absolute dream to bring Live music back to the market place. And I’ve had a blast doing so.
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“We had some absolutely insane artists perform here over the last year and a half, from Miles Kane to You Me At Six, Clint Boon and recently The Twang sold out. Not to mention all the insane Halloween parties.
“Doctor Feelgood [opened in 2021] was born from a mixture of lockdown and watching The Dirt on repeat on Netflix and a desire to bring a venue that plays Rock music through and through… I’m sad we won’t be able to carry on bringing you all these crazy gigs and good times, but it’s been one hell of a blast!”
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He went on to thank the customers for their loyalty even “through difficult times”, as well as his team and the “amazing manager Aaron”, adding: “I couldn’t be more proud of what we have achieved in such a short amount of time.” Then came his second announcement just an hour later.
Once again taking to Facebook, the actor-turned-bar owner informed fans of The Glass Spider — located just across the market square from Dr Feelgood — that the bar which started out as “the sequel to The Cracked Actor”, his first of four openings in Stockport, would sadly be following suit.
Joe went on to say that he opened the second site in 2020 when he “had a spring in [his] step and all the energy in the world”, but that he sadly doesn’t have that anymore and “if the climate was a little different” he would try again.
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Just as with Feelgoods, punters in the comments have said they are “gutted” and “absolutely heartbroken” to see the two go.
For now, he says “the right thing to do is to pass this lovely unit on to someone else” and while Dr Feelgood and Glass Spider might be closing down, he will continue to run “The Cracked Actor where it all began”, as well as his relatively new gaming bar Glitch, in the hopes that downsizing will see them survive.
Rest in peace to two of the best bars in Stockport, you will be missed and we wish Joe and his team all the best with his remaining and future ventures.
Featured Image — Dr Feelgood/The Glass Spider (via Facebook)
Eats
You can now go on a wine tour around Manchester city centre
Daisy Jackson
We’ve had pub crawls, lockdown gin tin walks – and now there’s an organised wine tour you can do around Manchester.
A new series of events, simply titled Manchester Wine Tours, will whisk guests around town sampling some of the city’s very best bars and pubs.
The leisurely three-hour tours will showcase the best places to buy and drink wine around our city, with plenty of plonk to drink on the way round.
Launched by local food and drink writer and WSET-qualified wine expert Kelly Bishop, the Manchester Wine Tours will feature Manchester bars, restaurants, pubs and wine shops specially chosen by Kelly.
She’ll be picking places with an interesting range of bottles, and that are true local favourites.
These ‘posh pub crawls’ will give people the chance to try something new, learn a little about wine, and discover a new favourite boozer.
And Kelly is promising to keep them accessible to everyone from total wine beginners to long-term enthusiasts.
Each tour will cost £75 per person and will include a guided tour around Manchester city centre, six small glasses of wine and a series of wine-matched snacks at four different places.
Along the way, Kelly will also be on hand to point out local points of interest and things you might not already know about the city.
Kelly Bishop will lead the wine tours around Manchester. Credit: Debbie EllisEach Manchester Wine Tour will feature different bars and include snacks. Credit: Debbie EllisManchester Wine Tours will launch in October. Credit: Debbie Ellis
On this wine tasting ‘with legs’, guests will have the opportunity to learn about wine in a relaxed, fun, sociable and informal way.
Kelly Bishop said: “I started Manchester Wine Tours to celebrate the incredible wine offering in Manchester. Manchester is known for great restaurants and bars selling nationally celebrated craft beer and cocktails, but there is a really impressive wine scene here too.
“I’m passionate about wine and am really excited to share my knowledge and enthusiasm with locals and tourists alike.
“I want to show people that although this might be classed as a ‘high-end activity’ with really good quality wine and matching snacks, wine tasting definitely doesn’t have to be snobby or stuffy. I want it to appeal to anyone over 18 who is interested in wine and introduce them to some of my favourite wine spots in Manchester.”
Tours will start in October 2023 with the first events on Sunday 22 and Sunday 29 October (3pm-6pm). From November onwards, tours will be every Wednesday evening (7pm-10pm) and Sunday afternoon (3pm-6pm).
There will also be four special Christmas tours on 10, 13, 17 and 20 December. These are £100pp and will feature extra special wines and festive snacks.
Manchester City’s Matheus Nunes rolls back the years and goes to work at Flat Baker in Ancoats
Danny Jones
Manchester City star Matheus Nunes has already impressed many during his short time at the Etihad so far, but he impressed a few more this weekend not with his skills on the pitch but in the kitchen after moonlighting at a popular Manchester bakery, The Flat Baker in Ancoats.
The recent Man City signing might only have the one assist to his name during his time as a Blue thus far, but he’s served up more than a baker’s dozen to local Manc residents thanks to a quick shift as a pastry chef this past weekend.
However, it was by no means his first time in the kitchen, as Nunes revealed that he used to work in a bakery during the earlier days of his footballing career.
Getting put to work on one of The Flat Baker‘s bestsellers, their unbelievably addictive pastel de natas — trust us, they’re utterly sinful these things — the bakery’s owners Débora and her husband, also called Matheus, got the City star back up to speed. You can see the full video here:
Matheus Nunes surprised a fair few locals after popping up at this beloved Manc bakery.
That being said, as you can see, the 25-year-old midfielder was a bit of a dab hand after a few goes at it; the fact he not only had prior experience but also shares the same heritage as the bakery’s founders no doubt helped.
Born in Brazil but raised in Portugal — two places where these unmistakable sweet treats are most famous — Nunes explained how he, his mother and English step-father moved to Europe for “a better life” and to help his chances of becoming a footballer.
The former Wolves player went on to explain how he “failed a lot in school” and eventually his mum gave him a choice: “give up football or school, in order to start working”.
Starting out in his godfather’s bakery, he went on to spend a fair bit of time making bread and pastries and even appeared in a similar video back in Portugal after signing for Sporting Lisbon.
Naturally, the trio did eventually touch on football a little bit, with Nunes discussing what it’s like to play under Pep Guardiola and how nice it’s been to arrive at a club where there are plenty of Portuguese-speaking players like Ederson, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and others.
Débora also joked about how he has fared getting used to ‘Rainchester’ and he was polite enough to smile it off and simply reiterated that playing for City was oppurtunity he culdn’t pass up.
So, if things don’t work out in the Premier League, he can always swap the sky blue shirt of city for a lovely chef’s apron and help out over at The Flat Baker.
Danny Jones -
4th April 2023 
