Michelin-recommended gastropub The Moorcock has announced its permanent closure in an emotional statement.
The renowned country pub is a popular dining destination for Mancs, located a stone’s throw away in Sowerby Bridge.
As well as making its way into the Michelin Guide, The Moorcock also has a spot in the Top 50 Gastropubs and has received rave reviews from The Times’ Marina O’Loughlin as well as from us here at The Manc.
Despite its global reputation, its owners have announced in an emotional statement that The Moorcock’s days are numbered, The Hoot reports.
Aimee Turford, who runs the business with her partner Alisdair Brooke-Taylor, confirmed that it would cease trading in January next year.
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The Moorcock pub in Sowerby Bridge announced its closure last night.
The decision has been prompted by the end of their five-year lease, as well as the ‘unstable world’ of rising costs, supply issues and ‘looming recession’.
She wrote: “Frankly, it’s just no time to be running a small business like ours.”
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The heartfelt statement, which she said ‘reads like an obituary’, also thanked the hoards of ‘brilliant people’ who have supported The Moorcock every step of the way.
It says: “We feel such a deep affection for what our little place has become. A pub, a really good pub, with walkers and dogs and destination diners and locals and foodie-people, all mixed and mingled in together.
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“This is our little place. Very much a ‘gnarly boozer’ (Mandy Wragg) on the outside, but which just brims with warmth on the inside. Where the flaws and the charm are all sort of mixed up together; inextricable. The antithesis of a shiny veneer with little substance.”
Aimee’s post goes on to stress the amount of effort that goes into every tiny detail in The Moorcock, down to the ingredients created in-house and the drinks list that has ‘something for everyone’.
Food at The Moorcock. Credit: The Hoot
It continues: “We have met so many brilliant people along the way- hundreds of you- who have supported us. Those that visit for food, for company, for the wine list or a few pints.
“Those who bring produce, come along to help with DIY and gardening, our neighbours who will get us out of trouble with anything from loo rolls to change- and more.
“There are those that have picked us up when we were down, especially during the pandemic. It’s been a truly special experience. One that can never be repeated or replaced, at least, not by us.”
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The Moorcock has stated that it has ‘no plans’ to try and recreate the magic of the pub in a new site.
The Moorcock has announced its closure. Credit: The Moorcock
But it is urging people to pay a visit before January to make ‘the rest of our time here a celebration of The Moorcock’.
“Not much in life lasts forever, does it,” their statement says. “But sometimes, knowing when something will end makes it easier to make the most of what’s left. We certainly plan to do just that.”
And it adds: “We cannot know what is next for The Moorcock, but we are grateful to have been a little piece of its history. Love or loathe us, we suspect this incarnation will be remembered for a while. And we will never forget this little pub on this windy hill. With its wild weather, warm people and those sunsets. Which gave a lot and took a lot. In a way that things in life can sometimes.”
Manchester City Council green-light new venue at Medlock Square, with Mamma Mia! The Party to open the immersive space
Danny Jones
The smash-hit ‘Mamma Mia: The Party’ is set to land in Manchester next year as the maiden event of another brand-new space set to open as part of the upcoming Medlock Square development.
Etihad Campus has seen a lot of moving pieces over the past few years, be it the building of Co-op Live, the ongoing expansion of Man City’s home ground, the soon-to-launch hotel attached to the stadium and now Medlock.
But those in control of the land are content with stopping there; this looks to be just the start of a whole new evolution for the East Manchester area, with an as yet untitled new immersive arts, experience and events venue also set to join the new slate of projects.
You see another glimpse of the purpose-built mini arena, of sorts, down below.
With plans having now been approved by the City Council, the ‘immersive’ space will be situated between the Etihad, Co-op Live and Medlock Square itself, holding up to 600 guests per performance.
Currently set to open in late 2027, following the rest of the square’s launch window being fully rolled out, we still don’t know the name of this next addition, but the structure itself will dovetail with the surrounding buildings and areas as part of seasonal activations, live shows and sports screenings, as well as pop-ups, brand collaborations and more.
Looping back, the interactive, multimedia extravaganza that is ‘Mamma Mia! The Party’ will finally be making its Manc debut as part of the 10th anniversary of the all-singing, all-dancing and even all-dining in-demand production.
As per an official press release from the Medlock Square media team, the show will combine “live music, theatre, food and storytelling” and “offer visitors an unforgettable night out.”
The original UK production at The O2 in London has now surpassed more than 1,500 performances, with a total of 700k guests attending these shows in 110 countries across the globe. Safe to say it’s rather popular.
As for Medlock Square and the surrounding Etihad Campus, Manchester City supporters have also been given another look at the soon-to-open, immersive hotel tie-in experience.
With a skywalk, rooftop bar, a new MCFC shop and various other bits set to spill out onto Medlock Square, it all feels like a period of wholesale changes over in the blue half of the city – especially with the football club bidding farewell to their manager Pep Guardiola after more than a decade.
Following the new and improved North Stand being named after him in the first of many tributes, the City Football Group (CFG) are also set to commission a statue in his honour over the coming months.
Meanwhile, Medlock Square is also due to open later this year, although an official completion date has not been confirmed.
You can stay up to date with all the latest on Mamma Mia! The Part’s Manchester shows right HERE.
Not forgetting a brand-new women’s football facility, too, there is so much stuff going on over at the Etihad that it can be hard to keep track, but here’s the latest look at some of the rooms set to feature in the hotel of the same name.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (CGIs via Medlock Square)
Food & Drink
Top Manchester restaurant ‘so chuffed’ after receiving glowing national review
Daisy Jackson
Top Manchester restaurant Skof has received a stunning review from a national critic, with the team saying they are ‘so chuffed’.
The acclaimed NOMA restaurant, headed up by chef Tom Barnes, has rapidly become one of Manchester’s most decorated restaurants.
Not only does it proudly display its first Michelin star – earned in less than a year after opening – but it’s also been named the coveted AA Restaurant of the Year.
And now Skof can add a rave Guardian review to the list too, with critic Grace Dent heaping praise upon the business.
She said that Skof is ‘well worth the hype’, describing it (much like its parent restaurant L’enclume) to be ‘one of those intensely relaxed yet still ferociously fancy restaurants’.
Dent praised ‘hugely scoffable’ snacks like a cheese biscuit topped with broad bean, pike roe and shiso, as well as a lightly set custard with truffle and mushroom dashi (‘a quiche filling on steroids’).
In her Guardian review, she also loved the final course always served at Skof no matter how much the menu changes with the seasons – the tiramisu served from a giant bowl, tableside.
“The final hurrah: that scoop of Tom’s dad’s tiramisu, served from a big bowl,” Grace Dent wrote.
“It’s a clunky, sentimental and, ultimately, glorious end to the meal. Many Michelin-starred restaurants bookend your visit with a gift of seeds, teabags or fancy chocolate, but at Skof they send you on your way with this tiny taste of boozy stodge that’s both incongruous with everything that went before but at the same time is also symbolic of Tom Barnes’ life and everything that went before.”
Grace Dent heaped praise on Skof in a recent Guardian reviewSkof placed 29th in the National Restaurant Awards
The amazing review also said: “Fine dining can at times be truly maddening, and leave diners hungry and hoodwinked, but Skof is proof that this often precarious blend of pacing, staging and portion size can be properly magical.”
She signed off by saying: “Skof is clever and emotional… It’s also well worth the hype, so do try to nab a table, if you can. It’s fancy, yes, but it also fills you up. This is fine dining that even a naysayer would like.”
Skof has said that it’s ‘so chuffed’ to receive the review, which landed in The Guardian on the restaurant’s second birthday.
They wrote: “Our 2nd birthday just got a quite a bit more special with an absolutely amazing review from @gracedent. We’re so chuffed with the write up. Hope the man from the traitors comes down, so we can serve him a crumpet.”
You can read Grace Dent’s full Skof review in The Guardian here.
Daisy Jackson -
31st March 2022 
