One of Manchester’s most popular outdoor bars and restaurants has announced that bookings are now live ahead of reopening next month.
Following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s unveiling of the government’s roadmap to lift England’s current national lockdown – which has seen all hospitality businesses shut, with the exception of takeaway services, for the duration – beloved city centre hangout The Oast House has revealed that it will be reopening to the public once again on Monday 12th April.
As per government restrictions however, the venue will only be reopening for outdoor hospitality on this date.
But as many Mancunians and visitors to the city will likely tell you, The Oast House‘s outdoor space is undeniably the best bit.
Given that it boasts one of the largest outdoor dining and entertainment areas in the city centre, many are known to flock to The Oast House to bask in the sunshine with a drink and a bite to eat during the warmer months, but that usual hustle and bustle has sadly been more subdued over the last year amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as, like the majority of Manchester’s hospitality establishments, the ever-popular Spinnigfields sun trap has been subjected to several temporary closures and ongoing COVID-safety restrictions.
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With a national goal to lift all limits on social contact before 21st June, at the earliest, though, business looks set to resume as normal before the best of the season is out.
The Oast House
The Oast House will be operating under ‘the rule of six’ once it reopens next month.
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Launching its online booking system for 12th April onwards, and providing customers with important details about the reopening, The Oast House said: “We welcome groups of up to six people to book in our outdoor courtyard.
“We kindly ask you to follow all current guidelines and as such groups may not split across multiple tables.
“To share the love and make it fair for all, bookings will be allocated a two-hour time slot and will be limited to one booking per group per day”.
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Visitors keen to pre-book a table are also advised bythat not all of the outdoor courtyard area is covered and it’s therefore best to bring an umbrella along with you to avoid getting caught out in the classic Manchester April showers, and for those looking to turn up on the day, The Oast House has confirmed that: “We have reserved a number of tables for people without bookings which will be available on the day on a first come, first served basis”.
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The reopening of The Oast House’s indoor premises are also planned from 17th May, and after this date, outdoor bookings will not be taken.
Group bookings of seven or more are also set to resume from 21st June.
You can find more information and book your table for 12th April onwards via The Oast House website here.
Food & Drink
The cosy Peak District pub serving a pick’n’mix sausage and mash menu
Daisy Jackson
There’s a Peak District pub that’s turned one of Britain’s most beloved comfort foods into a full-on pick’n’mix.
Tucked away in the postcard-perfect village of Castleton, Ye Olde Nags Head is serving up a fully customisable menu of sausage and mash dishes.
We’re talking near-endless combinations of proper pub grub.
You start by choosing your sausages from a daily rotating selection (not a sentence you hear every day, but we’re into it).
Expect classics like Cumberland alongside more adventurous options like venison and mustard, or even wild boar and orange, plus a veggie sausage daily.
Then it’s onto the mash – you can go for flavours like cheese and onion, wholegrain mustard, or even black pudding mash.
Classic cumberland, mustard mash, and mushroom sauceVeggie sausage with cheese and onion mash and classic gravyTucking in
To finish? A choice of rich, hearty gravies and sauces to bring it all together, whether that’s a classic onion gravy, a peppercorn sauce, or a creamy wild mushroom sauce.
And if that wasn’t enough, you can even upgrade your bangers and mash pick’n’mix by having it all served inside a giant Yorkshire pudding.
Ye Olde Nags Head is a historic 17th-century pub, with a roaring fire in every room and cosy bedrooms upstairs.
Inside Ye Olde Nags Head pub in the Peak DistrictYe Olde Nags Head pub is near Mam Tor
It’s one of those flagstone-floored, beamed-ceilinged, mismatched-furniture type pubs that welcomes everyone in every state, whether you’re caked in mud from a hike or popping in on a coach tour.
Another of the pub’s specialties is the Derbyshire Breakfast, a hearty plate of sausage, smoked bacon, black pudding, free range egg, grilled tomatoes, field mushrooms, baked beans and fried bread.
The pub also offers takeaway breakfast butties, so you can use it for both a pre-hike stop and a post-hike pint.
Given it’s just minutes from the ever-popular Mam Tor hike, this is one pub you’ll definitely want to add to your next Peak District day out itinerary.
The hillside farm in the Peak District making its own ice cream
Daisy Jackson
Did you know there’s a 300-year-old farm in the Peak District serving up some of the freshest ice cream you’ll ever taste? And yes, you can meet the cows that made it while you’re there.
Welcome to Hope Valley Ice Cream, a family-run gem where things are kept refreshingly simple: happy cows, proper farming, and seriously good ice cream.
Set in the heart of the Peak District countryside, this place is about as wholesome as it gets.
The ice cream is made on-site in the farmhouse, literally just metres from where the dairy herd are out grazing.
You can watch the animals, wander around the farm, and then tuck into a scoop or three perched on a milk pail stool, or a picnic bench (or even a decorative tractor).
Hope Valley Ice Cream has some amazing seasonal ice creams, like lemon curd, elderflower, and blackberry, alongside all the classics and a rather delicious tiramisu.
You can grab a cone, sit down with a coffee (again, made with milk from the nearby cows), or go all in with a freshly-made waffle if you’re feeling fancy.
Takeaway tubs from Hope Valley Ice CreamYou can get a mini pail of ice creamMeet the newborn calves at Hope Valley Ice CreamTuck into your ice cream on a milk pail stoolHope Valley Ice Cream
And if you’re the type who really loves ice cream? You can actually order a full pail of it, with four huge scoops plus whipped cream and sauce.
The farm itself is run by the Marsden family, who’ve been working this land for generations. It shows in everything – they’ve created a place that feels genuinely welcoming, not just another tourist stop.
Beyond the ice cream, you’ve got plenty of reasons to stick around. There are calves (including the newest tiny arrivals), plus donkeys and pigs to say hello to.
Whether you’re heading out on a hike or just fancy a drive into the Peaks, this is one pitstop that’s absolutely worth it – and honestly, it’s worth the trip on its own.
Emily Sergeant -
1st March 2021 
