Three Greater Manchester restaurants have made it onto a list of the top 10 Sunday roasts in the UK, and one city centre business came in first place – proving once and for all that no one does a gravy dinner quite like us.
The Bull and Bear in Manchester’s Stock Exchange Hotel was awarded the gong by reviewers Rate Good Roasts, topping the list of 10 and even beating London’s 12:51 restaurant – run by Great British Menu winner James Cochran – to the top spot.
Sharing the news to their social media pages over the weekend, the restaurant, which features a menu created by chef Tom Kerridge (the man behind the only pub in the UK with two Michelin stars), said they were feeling “pretty proud” and thanked the team behind the scenes that had helped make it happen.
Celebrity chef patron Tom Kerridge pictured inside The Bull and Bear
The dry-aged Hereford sirloin of beef roast dinner
Credit: The Bull and Bear
Tom Kerridge also took to his own personal Twitter to share his pride in Isobel, Connor and the team, adding that it was “great to see them getting recognition for all the incredible work they do.”
The restaurant’s set Sunday roast menu, priced at £39.50 for two courses or three for £46.50, currently features indulgent mains like salted aged pork belly, dry-aged Hereford sirloin of beef, and confit autumn mushroom tart.
ADVERTISEMENT
Each dish comes with its own selected sides, with additional add ons like crushed black pepper swede, buttered sprout tops, and cauliflower cheese all available for no extra cost.
Puddings, meanwhile, feature the likes of chocolate orange choux with hazelnut, Baileys ice cream and salted caramel sauce, “lemon meringue pie” with blackcurrant sorbet, and a cheese plate of truffled Baron Bigod, quince tart and truffle honey.
ADVERTISEMENT
So proud of Isobel, @connorgblack and the team at @bullandbearmcr for coming top of a new survey of the best Sunday roasts across the UK Raising hands
Two other Greater Manchester restaurants also made it into the top 10 list this year, with The Bank in Delph featured at number six and Ancoats’ Edinburgh Castle ranking just behind at number seven.
Further afield, the north west performed very well overall with further high performing local entries including The Wheatsheaf Inn in Brigsteer, Cumbria and Crosby’s Mustard and Co.
Ten different elements are considered when rating each restaurant, with that then converted into a percentage overall. As you can see, the Bull and Bear did extraordinarily well with a whopping 95% rating over all.
ADVERTISEMENT
The only thing that saw them marked down was the price of the roast, but as we know you get what you pay for. – and value is arguably subjective when it comes to eating good quality, well-sourced food.
To see the full Bull and Bear roast menu click here. When the news was shared the restaurant said they still had a few spaces left for this Sunday, but we expect you’ll want to move fast.
No trams to run on three major Greater Manchester lines this Easter bank holiday weekend
Emily Sergeant
People are being urged to ‘plan ahead’ as no trams are set to run on three major Greater Manchester Metrolink lines this weekend.
As part of a continuing £150 million investment in the Metrolink network across the region, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has announced that more than 1km of track will be replaced on the Altrincham line, and work will also take place between Trafford Bar and Deansgate-Castlefield to prepare for full track replacement later in the year.
As a result, there will be no trams on the Altrincham, Eccles, and Trafford Park lines this Easter bank holiday weekend all day from Friday 3 to Monday 6 April.
On top of these line closures, there is also set to be disruption across other parts of the network too, as on the East Didsbury and Manchester Airport lines, trams will run to Firswood only, and services on the Rochdale line will terminate at Exchange Square.
To keep people moving over the four-day weekend, replacement buses will run between all the affected stops, TfGM has confirmed.
Anyone using a replacement bus, however, will still need a valid Metrolink ticket or a one-day Bee bus ticket to travel, and customers will be able to use all existing options to buy these, as they will not be able to buy a ticket or pay for the fare on the replacement buses themselves.
No trams will be running on three major Greater Manchester lines this Easter bank holiday weekend / Credit: TfGM
Replacement buses are said to be calling at ‘all affected stops’ along the lines, so customers are being told not to worry about that.
Speaking ahead of the improvement works being carried out this weekend, Ian Davies, who is the Network Director for Metrolink at TfGM, said: “The first main upgrades of the year get under way over the Easter weekend, as our £150m programme to improve our network continues.
“We’ll be doing everything we can to minimise disruption to passengers while we carry out this essential work to ensure our tram network remains reliable, resilient and safe for years to come.”
TfGM has assured that staff will be out and on-hand across the network this weekend, but is urging anyone travelling to plan for their journeys ahead of time to make sure they go as smoothly as possible.
Looking ahead to the rest of the month, no trams will run between Piccadilly Gardens and Ashton-under-Lyne on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April while the track is repaired, and a further weekend closure for track repairs on the Ashton line will take place on Saturday 25 April and Sunday 26 April.
Find out more and plan ahead on the Bee Network’s dedicated webpage here.
Featured Image – Janus Boye
News
Three men arrested after ‘shocking’ Salford pub fight leaves victim in life-threatening condition
Emily Sergeant
Three men have been arrested as police continue to appeal following a ‘shocking’ incident in Salford over the weekend.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that, at around 2:51am yesterday (Sunday 29 March), officers were called to reports of an assault at a pub on Liverpool Road in Irlam, where it’s understood that an incident involving several males took place.
Police quickly attended the scene, and one male was rushed to hospital.
The man sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment, where he’s said to remain in a life-threatening condition.
While officers are working ‘at speed’ on their investigation to establish the full circumstances of this incident, a scene is currently in place, and road closures are affecting the immediate area.
At this time, it has been confirmed that three men – all in their 20s – have been arrested on suspicion of Section 18 assault, and they remain in custody for further questioning while GMP renews its public appeal for information.
“This is a shocking incident and our thoughts are firmly with the victim and his family during this extremely difficult time,” commented Detective Chief Inspector Helen Bagnall, from GMP’s Salford district. “We are working at pace and remain absolutely committed to identifying everyone involved and bringing those responsible to justice.
“Three arrests have been made in connection with this incident, and we are continuing to appeal for further information.
“Officers remain committed to understand the full circumstances and are urging anyone with information to come forward to support our investigation.”
Can you help? A dedicated online Major Incident Public Portal has been set up, and information, CCTV, dashcam, doorbell, and phone images and footage can be submitted here, or you can also contact police on 101, quoting log 256 of 29/03/26.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Georgina Pellant -
4th January 2022 
