A famous bartender who’s served everyone from HRH the Queen to The Beckham’s has opened a new bar in Stockport.
The brainchild of former Britain’s Got Talent ‘bar wizard’ Neil Garner, its cocktail list features some intriguing concoctions – including a section dedicated to the great town of Stockport.
From the rum-heavy 192 (which promises to ‘hit you like a bus’) to Blossoms and the Queens of Cale Green, there are plenty of fun nods to Garner’s hometown, as well as classic favourites like frozen margaritas, tiki concoctions and summer punches.
Called Cherry Jam, it has opened on Mealhouse Brow inside a former software superstore that Garner often visited with his brother as a child.
Cherry Jam
Even back then, on afternoons spent poring through new video games for his Amiga, Garner says he thought it was a special place “with loads of personality.”
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Launched during lockdown, Garner says it was “pretty much paid for” from the money they made on Cherry Jam’s hit DIY cocktail delivery service.
Inside, the venue is split into two key areas: Bar Cherry, which is open to the public, and The Jam, which is available for private hire parties of up to 30 guests.
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Graffiti art walls, disco balls, street art and neons provide a cool and relaxed aesthetic, whilst a mixture of pop, disco, soul and funk plays over the stereo.
As well as serving up a range of great cocktails, guests can also expect to find a collection of drinks and flavours from Neil’s travels around the world – including some lovely craft beers in pretty cans.
Cherry Jam’s team also create some home-grown and foraged gin infusions which are well worth checking out.
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After years spent living abroad and setting up various successful venues in London, the former bartender to the stars has already impressed Simon Cowell. Now, he wants to win over his fellow stopfordians.
Speaking on the new opening, Garner said: “I’ve been coming to Stockport market for as long as I can remember. I used to love coming down every Saturday with my Mum, who sadly isn’t with us anymore.
Cherry Jam
“There’s so much positive change afoot, and real energy in the air. It’s great to be a part of it.
Stockport born and bred, he has competed in competitions as a professional flair bartender and was once crowned World Bartending Champion.
Garner then started his very own cocktail company – the Bar Wizards – who were runners-up on the first series of Britain’s Got Talent.
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He later went on to open a bar in Littleborough with his friend and partner Neil Lowry, but this has since closed – with the pair remaining good friends to this day.
“Stockport has always been in Manchester’s shadow, however with Manchester getting bigger and rents going up, it makes Stockport a natural place for independent bars and restaurants to come and set up,” he said.
“It’s only ten minutes from Manchester, and it has a real personality and vibe of its own. It’s an icon in its own right, and without the constraints of big rents and overheads, it genuinely gives independents a platform to set up and follow their dream and passions.
“I want to take the very best of what I’ve learnt in over 100 countries around the world, and bring it home in Cherry Jam.”
Cherry Jam is open Thursday to Sunday and can be found at 4 Mealhouse Brow, SK1 1JP.
Food & Drink
‘Theatrical’ rotisserie chicken restaurant to open just off King Street
Daisy Jackson
A new ‘bold and theatrical’ restaurant with dishes cooked over fire and a full-scale rotisserie is opening in Manchester later this year.
Plans have been revealed for The Counter, a 62-cover new restaurant inside a new building on John Dalton Street.
When it launches, The Counter will offer all-day dining, from breakfast flatbreads to rotisserie-led feasting, large sharing plates and nostalgic desserts like a knickerbocker glory.
It comes from Open Restaurant Group, a hospitality collective led by restaurateurs Sam and Emma Morgan alongside Executive Chef Andrew Sheridan.
Set to launch in September, The Counter hopes to be a ‘bold, theatrical and unmistakably Mancunian’ destination for long lunches, late-night dinners, and cocktails.
The 1,700 sq metre space, designed by the Open Restaurant Group, will feature polished concrete, aged brass, leather finishes and dramatic lighting.
At the centre of the restaurant will be towering four-metre elm trees, plus curved booth seating and a brass wine display.
There’ll be space for between six to eight guests at a chef’s counter, plus room for 20 more customers out on the terrace outside.
The restaurant will also feature dedicated meat and fish dry-ageing cabinets alongside a full-scale rotisserie, showcasing traditional rotisserie chicken, large joints of meat, whole cuts, seasonal game, slow-roasted fish and changing produce-led specials cooked over fire.
The Counter is opening in Manchester this autumn
The rotisserie will also be the star of The Counter’s Sunday lunch experience.
The team behind the restaurant want it to be an ‘ambitious, design-led restaurant that genuinely feels built for Manchester’s creative community’.
Sam Morgan said: “Manchester is one of the greatest cities in the world for music, creativity and culture. We wanted to create a restaurant that genuinely reflects that energy.
“The Counter is about atmosphere as much as food. It’s glamorous but still grounded. High quality but relaxed. Somewhere people can come three times a week, whether that’s for breakfast, drinks, dinner or a long Sunday lunch. We want this to feel like a restaurant Manchester can really own.”
Executive Chef Andrew Sheridan added: “The food at The Counter is all about cooking the things we genuinely love eating.
“We want guests to order naturally, share everything, stay longer and enjoy the experience. It’s ingredient-led, produce-led and chef-led, but most importantly it’s fun.”
The Counter Manchester will officially open in September 2026.
Authentic pizza restaurant Proloco to open inside luxury Manchester apartment building
Lydia Mastrolonardo
A new modern pizza restaurant is coming to town – say hello to Proloco.
Opening inside One Port Street in the city centre, Proloco is set to have a seasonal menu and a weekly rotating selection of sharing plates, gelato made in-house daily, and pizzas crafted with ingredients from local suppliers across the North West, as well as the best quality tomatoes and oil imported from Italy – naturally. Have we said all of your buzz words yet?
Sharing a chef with Honest Crust Sourdough Pizza too, it’s guaranteed to be good.
Priding themselves on fantastic food, unfussy drinks, outstanding hospitality, and a love for music – which is at the heart of everything – Proloco will be a welcomed addition to the city.
Some of the seasonal dishes currently available include succulent grilled lamb chops with anchoïade, salt-baked beetroot with ricotta and dill, and radicchio agrodolce with stracciatella.
CGIs of Proloco, set to open in Manchester city centre / Credit: Supplied
The main event – being their selection of 18-inch pizzas, of course – includes one with porchetta, whipped potato, and fennel pie, charred seasonal greens with anchovy pie and a tomato butter pie with marjoram.
Finally, the question on everyone’s lips – the drinks list. You can expect honest wines, locally sourced quality beer, aperitivi, and the star of the show, their £7 Negronis. No, we can’t wait either.
“Proloco is about cooking food I genuinely love with the best people and produce around me,” commented co-founder, Richard Carver. “I want it to feel effortless – warm, a little bit fun, and always worth coming back to.”
Georgina Pellant -
26th May 2021 
