A former primary school teacher has opened a new family-run bakery in Altrincham, taking over the old Warrens Bakery space.
Building on the success of his lockdown bread delivery business initially launched from a home-based micro bakery, ex-teacher Matt Townley and his partner Suze, herself a former solicitor, have just made the full-time move into hospitality.
Called MOST, the new bakery is very much a family affair – with their eight-year-old daughter even heading up the gingerbread section (when she’s not in school, that is).
It opened this weekend in the heart of the Trafford market town, celebrating by giving away 100 free brownies, free gingerbreads for the kids and £1 cupcakes to locals.
At MOST, customers can get their hands on eight different types of slow-fermented bread, classic and savoury croissants, pain au chocolat, cruffins, a selection of cakes, tarts, cookies, choux pastries and brownies.
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MOST Bakery in Altrincham / Credit: The Manc Group
And that’s not all.
Alongside the sweet treats will be brews from Kickback Coffee, wines from Reserve Wines, as well as deli items like cheese, butter, smoked salmon and kimchi, all sourced from local suppliers.
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Playing into the family angle, they’ll also be hosting breadmaking classes for children and adults to take together over the coming months.
Classes will launch with ‘Bread & Beer’, teaching guests to make bread using spent grains from a nearby brewery.
MOST Bakery in Altrincham / Credit: The Manc Group
MOST Bakery in Altrincham / Credit: The Manc Group
Speaking on the new opening, Matt Townley said: “There’s often a local bakery at the heart of every town and we want to create a warm and friendly community hub for the people of Altrincham, while serving amazing freshly baked bread, pastries and other treats.”
MOST is open Tues – Fri 8am – 4pm, Sat 9am – 5pm, and can be found at 3-5 Cross Street, Altrincham.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
News
‘Unsettled week’ of wind, rain, and snow could greet Mancs into the new year
Thomas Melia
A mix of weather conditions could be expected to hit the north across the new year weekend – including wind, rain, and snow.
As Greater Manchester prepares to enter 2025, it looks like we’ll be bringing our usual moody weather along with us too, as starting today and running right through until the end of this week, Mancs can expect some not-so-pleasant conditions to accompany this party season.
The Met Office has described this period as ‘an unsettled week’.
While forecasters are encouraging people to keep checking for further weather updates where possible, thankfully, this turbulent spell of weather is only predicted to stick around until Thursday (2 January) – with no warnings issued for this Friday (3 January) or the weekend so far.
As we move from 2024 to 2025 the week ahead will involve plenty of rain, wind and some snow
If you have any plans over the New Year/Hogmanay period then check out all the important weather details below ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/qllOnV0cDX
In a video shared to the Met Office’s X account, the visual shows that the most severe cases of wet and windy conditions look like on New Year’s Day itself (Wednesday 1 January), where there is even some snow forecasted for certain areas.
“Almost the entire UK is covered by at least one weather warning during the coming week,” warned Andy Page, who is the Chief Forecaster at the Met Office.
He continued: “With lots of celebrations and people on the move over the coming days, we are urging everyone to keep checking the forecast so they can update their plans.”
Picturesque Greater Manchester railway granted £1.3m to restore historic viaduct
Emily Sergeant
One of Greater Manchester’s most picturesque railways has been given substantial funding to restore a historic viaduct along the line.
As part of the Government‘s wider Plan for Change, the Bury-based heritage railway, East Lancashire Railway (ELR), has been awarded more than £1.3 million in grants to carry out urgent repair work to the Higher Woodhill Viaduct – which is on the edge of Burrs Country Park, in the heart of the stunning Irwell Valley.
Repairs to the historic viaduct, which goes past the site of the former Higher Woodhill Mill, were last carried out all the way back in 1932.
But now, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has granted the funding for restoration through its ‘Community Ownership Fund’, alongside three local authorities from Bury, Rochdale, and the nearby Rossendale in Lancashire, all putting in a further £276,000 in match funding.
We’re supporting local treasures across the UK with vital funding
— Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Gov (@mhclg) December 23, 2024
Important supporters of the railway, such as members of the public and local businesses, have also added a few thousand pounds more to the project.
While inspections to the structure and safety of the viaduct are carried out on a regular basis, ELR assures, it was flagged earlier in 2024 that long-term repairs would be required to allow for the “continued level of use” of steam and heritage diesel trains along the line.
Speaking on the funding being granted, Mike Kelly, who is the Chairman of East Lancashire Railway, commented: “This is a major investment for the future and a massive vote of confidence for our dedicated volunteers and staff to help secure the railway’s infrastructure for years to come.
“Now with this fantastic news, we are able to continue running our award-winning events and services without disruption for future generations to enjoy, thanks to the generosity and support of the East Lancashire Railway Trust, our local community partners and supporters, as well as local and national politicians.”
Essential maintenance works are due to start next year in the spring.
Georgina Pellant -
24th June 2022 
