A historic Manchester pub that’s been pulling pints in the city for over 160 years has been awarded 2022’s Pub of the Year by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).
Blackjack Brewery-owned pub The Smithfield Market Tavern was awarded the accolade by a public vote, decided by the Manchester CAMRA branches.
The pub had to go through several rounds to get its gong, first entering into a regional competition to select the top 16 pubs. Of those 16, four finalists were chosen before The Smithfield was was announced as the final winner at the end of last week.
The award describes the pub as a ‘fabulous, friendly. traditional, cosy boozer’ with a ‘contemporary feel’.
Image: The Smithfield Tavern
Image: The Smithfield Tavern
It continues: “Outdoor seating for better weathers, live music on Sunday’s, fully accessible bar. Knowledgable, friendly staff and outstanding cellermanship.
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“Ever changing, wide range of cask and craft beers at reasonable prices, from Blackjack and other breweries. Traditional bar and board games. Cosy corners with comfy chairs for a read, a ponder or a natter with friends.”
The Smithfield Market Tavern was taken over as a Blackjack Brewery pub in 2015, but has long been an historic city centre watering hole.
Image: The Smithfield Market Tavern
Situated on the corner of Swan Street and Coop Street, it has been established as a boozer since the mid-1800s, clearly appearing on a map from 1844 as ‘The Smithfield Market Tavern’.
Over the years, its name has changed – with the building operating for a time as The Smithfield Hotel and Bar.
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As the CAMRA award acknowledges, its a great spot for local beer – stocking a range of made in Manchester beers from Blackjack itself alongside other local breweries.
It also hosts DJs on the first Friday of the month and the last Sunday of the month, as well as a monthly quiz night, darts, bar billiards, board games and books.
CAMRA’s National Pub of the Year is the annual competition to find the very best pub in the UK.
CAMRA has been been highlighting the best pubs in the country since 1988, and the competition helps to showcase quality pubs around the UK that are worth seeking out and visiting.
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It’s all about finding the cream of the crop and the best place for you to enjoy a pint of real ale. Some may also have good quality real cider or perry to sample, too.
To find out more about The Smithfield Market Tavern and see its list of beers, visit the Blackjack Brewery website here.
Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Georgina Pellant -
16th May 2022 
