The resilience of the local food scene is proving triumphant as four out of five of the UK’s best restaurants in 2021 are in the north of England.
The winners from this year’s National Restaurant Awards have been announced last night, and for the first time ever, there are more restaurants and eateries in northern England on the prestigious list than there are in London.
The region has 16 restaurants in the top 40, which is double the number in 2019 – the last time the poll was held.
Thom Hetherington, the chief executive of Northern Restaurant and Bar and a judge for the awards, said the north’s achievement in this year’s standings was “frankly astounding” in a scene that is traditionally so dominated by the capital, and even more so during a brutal year for the hospitality sector thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
— The National Restaurant Awards (@The_NRAs) August 16, 2021
And if it wasn’t brilliant enough that the northern food scene is reigning supreme, the North West, and in particular Greater Manchester, has a lot to shout about too.
Two restaurants in Ancoats made it into the top 50 of the UK’s 100 best restaurants.
Mana – the city’s first Michelin-starred restaurant, which is tipped to earn its second later this year – has made a huge climb from its previous position at 73 to take the 11th spot on the list, and fellow Ancoats neighbourhood restaurant Erst also celebrated a big win by taking 47th place – which it said on social media was “more than we could’ve ever imagined”.
But which restaurant claimed the coveted top spot this year?
Again, it goes to a North West gem just over the border into Lancashire and about 45-minute drive from Manchester.
Double Michelin-starred restaurant Moor Hall Restaurant was named the best in the UK for the second year running.
The revered restaurant in Aughton near Ormskirk is headed up by former L’Enclume executive chef Mark Birchall, who said of the eatery’s win on Twitter last night: “What an incredible achievement. Number 1 again in the National Restaurant Awards.
“Testament to every member of the team [and] I’m truly proud once again – the journey continues.”
— The National Restaurant Awards (@The_NRAs) August 16, 2021
Elsewhere in the top five list, second place went to country pub The Angel at Hetton – a little over an hour from Manchester near Skipton – which also scooped up ‘Gastropub of the Year’, and Cumbria’s L’Enclume made it to fifth place.
Other well-known northern restaurants on the top 100 list include The Cottage in the Woods in Windemere, The Parker’s Arms in Northcote, The White Swan at Fence, Freemasons at Wiswelland, and Lake Road Kitchen in Ambleside.
Sticky Walnut in Chester – which is the first restaurant in Gary Usher’s celebrated Elite Bistros group – placed 62nd.
A special Outstanding Achievement Award was also presented to chef Tom Kerridge – who opened his first Manchester restaurant the Bull & Bear in 2019 – at the awards for his work during the pandemic, after he provided more than 100,000 meals to key workers and vulnerable people in the community.
You can check out the National Restaurant Awards top 100 list in full here.
Featured Image – Moor Hall
Food & Drink
Upcoming Manc food hall House of Social confirms final kitchen ahead of opening
Danny Jones
House of Social, another new food hall in Manchester city centre, has confirmed the latest and last edition ahead of its launch this summer.
The soon-to-open student block and its upcoming culinary offerings will be here before you know, and now, just over a month out from the grand unveiling, the fifth and final foodie resident has been revealed.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s pizza… very pretty-looking pizza.
Courtesy of Dough Religion (DR), a new Manc pizza restaurant, they’ll soon be slinging out stonebaked pies that already have a strong reputation and a very cool backstory in the local area.
Co-conceived by Chef Chris Edwards, who first began his venture during quarantine from the cult lockdown project dubbed ‘The Waltzing Matilda‘ – a floating pizza place serving slices from a cute little canal boat – and Matt Butcher, who created Dough Religion, the brand and idea have grown much bigger.
Teaming up with House of Social’s Jake Atkinson, who is heading up food and drink at the building,
Waltzing Matilda can be found cruising around Greater Manchester, Macclesfield, the Peak Forest Canal, other parts of Cheshire and out into the North West, but now that established, wood-fired spirit Chris set up with his dad, Paul, is being translated into a proper brick-and-mortar venue here in the city centre.
Dough Religion will serve up giant 18-inch pizzas, whole or by the slice, alongside a full lineup of house-made subs, bagels, and a rotating lineup of desserts and bakes.
Those eating at House of Social (HoS) can expect burrata-topped slices, vodka sauce pizza and fried-chicken Caesar hoagies; New York-inspired bakes, showstopping cheesecakes, standout ingredients from the UK and imported from Italy, as well as plenty more.
Its arrival comes after a Mexican and LA street food spot was named as the fourth tenant at HoS.
The House of Social food lineup is looking stacked.
Speaking on the announcement, Edwards said: “This dough’s been years in the making – tested, tweaked, and obsessively perfected. The pizza is a hybrid of Neapolitan softness and New York chew and crisp; we’re focusing on long fermentation and the best flour available to really maximise the dough.
“The boat was magic, but it had its limits. With Dough Religion, we’ve got the space, the kit, and the crew to go all in. This isn’t going to be your traditional pizza place– it’s bold, loud, and built to share.”
With Dough Religion completing things on the kitchen front, House of Social’s hospitality lineup promises plenty of variety and quality. Roll on August, we say.
The team are hoping for it to become a go-to destination for diners throughout Manchester and beyond, with the food hall craze not showing any signs of slowing down. Case and point:
Jet2 and Greggs is offering Mancs the chance to win a luxury holiday for the price of a sausage roll
Thomas Melia
Jet2 has teamed up with Greggs to announce a new competition where you can win a holiday for the price of a sausage roll.
If you didn’t know by now, ‘Nothing beats a Jet2 Holiday’, and as the British budget airline launches its latest collaboration where you can win a holiday for the same price as a sausage roll, we’d say that’s pretty accurate.
Fancy laying down in the scorching heat and baking yourself just like a trusty Greggs sausage roll? Well it’s a good thing these two iconic companies have teamed up then, because now you can do just that.
Jet2 and Greggs are giving away a three-night all-inclusive holiday to Marbella for the same price as everyone’s flaky-pastry favourite priced at £1.30.
In a video shared to social media, internet personalities Charley Marlowe and Luke Hamnett announced this brand-new offer in an extremely on-brand way.
The video sees the pair taking on very different roles, quite literally, as Hamnett dresses as a sausage roll while Marlowe tries her hand as a cabin crew member.
This exclusive campaign sees you in with the chance of winning a three-night all-inclusive holiday to the luxury Spanish destination, staying at Iberostar Selection Marbella Coral Beach from 2 October – 5 October 2025.
Jet2 and Greggs is offering a luxury holiday for the price of a sausage roll / Credit: Laura Barry (via Unsplash) | Greggs
On top of this, you’ll also get a handful of Jet2 and Greggs co-branded goodies sent to your door before take-off, and there may even be a present or two in your hotel room as well.
I think it’s safe to say there certainly will be carbs in Marbs.
Emily Sergeant -
18th August 2021 
