Eats

These north west gastropubs have just been named as some of the top 50 in the UK

Pubs worth travelling for...

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 23rd January 2024

The UK’s Top 50 Gastropubs have been named, and there’s a great showing for the north west – including a reborn boozer right in the heart of Ancoats.

The Edinburgh Castle shot into the prestigious list for the first time, landing at an impressive 24th place.

The city centre pub wasn’t the only one on our doorstep to make the Estrella Damm UK Top 50 Gastropubs list either – The Pack Horse, just outside Greater Manchester in Hayfield, also snuck into the top 20 this year.

Last year’s top-placed pub, The Parkers Arms in Newton-in-Bowland, managed to stay in the top 10 gastropubs in the UK, ranking seventh.

The Parkers Arms is famed for its pies and its idyllic setting, and was the host venue for last night’s awards.

Also representing the north west was Freemasons at Wiswell, and The White Swan at Fence.

Over in Yorkshire, The Star Inn in Harome, previously shuttered by a devastating fire but reopened for about a year now, was awarded the eighth spot in the list.

And despite being open for less than a year, Gary Usher’s Cheshire pub The White Horse made it into the top 100 list.

Gary Usher's The White Horse made the Top 100 Gastropubs list. Credit: The Manc Group
Gary Usher’s The White Horse made the Top 100 Gastropubs list. Credit: The Manc Group
Gary Usher's The White Horse made the Top 100 Gastropubs list. Credit: The Manc Group
Gary Usher’s The White Horse made the Top 100 Gastropubs list. Credit: The Manc Group

Upon receiving the award news, The Edinburgh Castle wrote: “Not only were we delighted to be included in the @top50gastropubs but to have come away as number 24 in the UK is a huge accomplishment.

“Thank you to all our wonderful guests, our dedicated team and of course @top50gastropubs for including us. We can’t wait for the year ahead! Now, we celebrate…”

The Pack Horse Hayfield shared: “Well, there it is! Our 3rd year in the @top50gastropubs, our 2nd year in a row in the top 20!

“What an honour and a privilege it is to be among our peers, voted for by the industry, it will always be humbling and surreal.

“Massive thanks to the brilliant @theparkersarms for hosting against all the challenges they faced today, and a huge congratulations to @unrulypig on returning to the top. It is so deserved.”

The Edinburgh Castle has ranked highlight in the Top 50 Gastropubs list. Credit: The Manc Group
The Edinburgh Castle has ranked highlight in the Top 50 Gastropubs list. Credit: The Manc Group

The Parkers Arms said: “Delighted to place no 7 in the UK which places us number 1 in Lancashire on the @top50gastropubs list. Thank you to all that voted for us.”

And The White Horse, who placed 68th, said: “What an honour this is! So so proud and to be up there with some amazing other pubs! What a fantastic start to 2024.”

Ed Bedington, editor of the Morning Advertiser, the pub industry’s main publication and the founders of the awards, said: “Pubs are a beloved institution and part of the UK’s culture, and this list of the most astounding and impressive food pubs in the country is wonderful to see.

“Pubs serve so many roles to so many people, and for operators like the Unruly Pig and all of our list, to be able to offer amazing food and wonderful experiences, up there with some of the best in fine dining, is brilliant to see.”

The full list of the Estrella Damm UK Top 50 Gastropubs 2024

  1. The Unruly Pig, Woodbridge
  2. The Cornish Arms, Tavistock
  3. The Mariners, Rock
  4. The Fordwich Arms, Canterbury
  5. The Sportsman, Seasalter
  6. The Red Lion & Sun, Highgate, London
  7. Parkers Arms, Newton-in-Bowland
  8. The Star Inn, Harome
  9. Freemasons at Wiswell, Wiswell
  10. The Hand & Flowers, Marlow
  11. Heft, High Newton
  12. The Harwood Arms, Fulham, London
  13. The Angel at Hetton, Hetton
  14. The Rat Inn, Hexham
  15. The Bridge Arms, Canterbury
  16. The Dog at Wingham, Wingham
  17. The Shibden Mill Inn, Halifax
  18. The Gunton Arms, Thorpe Market
  19. The Pack Horse, Hayfield
  20. Pyne Arms, Barnstaple
  21. The Coach, Marlow
  22. The Beehive, White Waltham
  23. The Broad Chare, Newcastle
  24. The Edinburgh Castle, Manchester
  25. The Three Horseshoes, Batcombe
  26. The Baring, Islington, London
  27. The Kentish Hare, Tunbridge Wells
  28. The Pipe & Glass Inn, Beverley
  29. The White Swan at Fence, Fence
  30. The Longs Arms, Bath
  31. The Bull & Last, Islington, London
  32. The Black Bear, Usk
  33. The Dog & Gun Inn, Skelton
  34. The Woolpack, Stroud
  35. The Barrington Boar, Barrington
  36. The Parakeet, Kentish Town, London
  37. The Masons Arms, Knowstone
  38. The Abbey Inn, Byland
  39. The Black Bull, Sedbergh
  40. The Cadogan Arms, Chelsea, London
  41. The Bulls Head, Craswall
  42. The Loch and The Tyne, Windsor
  43. The Guinea Grill, Mayfair, London
  44. The Dew Drop Inn, Hurley
  45. The Killingworth Castle, Wootton
  46. The Canton Arms, Stockwell, London
  47. The Double Red Duke, Clanfield
  48. The Duncombe Arms, Ashbourne
  49. The Scran & Scallie, Edinburgh
  50. The Bull, Charlbury

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Featured image: The Manc GroupTi

Eats

Hotel Chocolat to open viral chocolate Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Hotel Chocolat to open viral chocolate Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester

Hotel Chocolat is set to open a Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester city centre, and it’ll be absolute paradise for chocolate lovers.

The popular chocolate shop, which has stores across the UK selling delicious chocolate bars, boxes and more, is now preparing to branch out in town.

Hotel Chocolat then hit a new level of fame with its Velvetiser, an invention that creates velvety smooth hot drinks at the touch of a button.

They’ve been so popular, Hotel Chocolat is now opening Velvetiser Cafes across the UK – and Manchester is up next.

If it follows in the footsteps of the Meadowhall cafe in Sheffield, visitors will be able to customise their perfect hot chocolate from thousands of combinations.

There are 18 flavours, different milks, and a whole variety of toppings available.

Then you drink can be served hot, over ice, or as a choc shake.

Colourful hoardings for the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe have now appeared on Cross Street, just next door to the new Joe & The Juice.

A planning application has also been lodged with Manchester City Council.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

Drake-backed fried chicken brand Dave’s Hot Chicken is opening in Manchester

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Dave's Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester

The huge LA-based fried chicken brand backed by Drake is heading to Manchester for the very first time this summer.

Dave’s Hot Chicken is set to open in the Printworks this August – the first UK branch outside of London and Birmingham.

The cult chicken brand has said that its new venue will feature an ‘industrial design inspired by Manchester’s rave scene’ (if we had a pound every time a new venue used that design style, we’d be as rich as Drake…).

Dave’s Hot Chicken is famed for its signature Nashville-style hot chicken, which is served in seven different spice levels from No Spice to Reaper.

Expect sliders, tenders, ‘next-level’ top-loaded shakes and slushes.

It’s grown so quickly that in 2021, it caught the eye of none other than rapper Drake, who is a ‘significant investor’ in the brand.

The fried chicken spot will be moving into the large corner unit at Printworks, which has previously been Busaba Thai, and Floripa, with 139 covers.

Dave's Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester
Dave’s Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester

Inside, it will feature towering ceilings, exposed steelwork, and laser lights, claiming to be a ‘full-on sensory trip, where music, light and fried chicken will come together to create a high-voltage experience’.

There will also be custom graffiti inspired by L.A.-based street artists Splatterhaus and Dehm.

Dave’s Hot Chicken still has hour-long queues down in London, several months after opening on Shaftesbury Avenue – next up will be a Birmingham branch in July before Manchester opens later this summer.

And this is just the start of a nationwide expansion.

Jim Attwood, Managing Director of Dave’s Hot Chicken UK, said: “Printworks Manchester is the ideal setting for our next UK site – right at the heart of one of the country’s most exciting cities.

“The new restaurant pays homage to Manchester’s legendary warehouse rave scene, with an industrial-inspired design and bold, high-energy atmosphere to match our signature flavours.

“We can’t wait to bring something fresh to this iconic venue and its vibrant mix of entertainment, food and culture.”

Dave’s Hot Chicken will open at Printworks Manchester on 8 August.

Read more

Featured image: Supplied

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