Manchester’s first ever Scottish-Indian restaurant has closed the doors at its Chorlton home, owners have announced.
A fixture in the South Manchester suburb for the past two and a half years, Roti has made quite a name for itself with out-there fusion dishes like Indian-spiced Scotch eggs, haggis pakoras, cheese and onion bhajis, mince and tatties, and curried aloo and chickpea-filled roti ‘chip butty’.
But despite its popularity, bosses revealed today that they have made the decision not to extend their lease in Chorlton and ‘will not be reopening’ their doors.
Breaking the news in a post shared on Roti’s Instagram, the team thanked everyone that had visited and supported their business over the past few years.
An Indian twist on fish and chips. Fresh Panga fried in Roti gram flour batter with fluffy masala potatoes + curried chickpeas ‘mushy peas’. / Image: Roti
Deep-fried Mars Bar in Chana spiced batter with ice cream. / Image: Roti
Adding that Chorlton is a ‘special place’, they hinted that they could be back in the future: writing they will be focusing on their Sale restaurant for now and hope to open a new site ‘when the time is right.’
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Roti opened its second site in Sale’s Stanley Square last summer whilst many eateries were battening down the hatches, so to speak.
Inspired to expand after building up a loyal following of takeaway customers in Chorlton during lockdown, the restaurant – described as ‘not your average Indian joint’ – moved into the newly refurbished Sale shopping precinct in 2021.
Joining hospitality heavy hitters like Rudy’s, Greens, Sugo Pasta Kitchen, alongside fellow Chorlton favourite The Oystercatcher, it arrived in the new foodie neighbourhood with a bang last year to rave reviews.
But now it seems that, like many other small businesses, it’s having to make tough calls to ensure its long-term future.
The full post announcing the Chorlton restaurant’s closure read: “See you again Chorlton… Our time in Chorlton has come to an end for now. We’d like to thank each and everyone one of you who visited and supported us over the past 2.5 years, especially during the harder times.
“We have decided not to extend our lease in Chorlton, focus on Sale during this tough time and look to open a new site when the time is right.
“And who knows… We may return! Take care Chorlton.”
Throughout January, owners will be running a number of dining deals at the Sale site including ‘Tiffins for a tenner’ and a ‘dine and drink for fifteen’ offer. To find out more and book a table in Sale, visit the Roti website here.
‘Sad news’ – the world’s only Vagina Museum has been forced to close
Daisy Jackson
There’s a museum for just about everything these days (we all remember trips to the Stockport Hat Works museum) – but the world’s only space dedicated to vaginas has been forced to close again.
The world-first Vagina Museum announced this week that it’s had to vacate its premises and has once again been left ‘homeless’.
The museum, which welcomed 40,000 visitors in the 10 months it was open, was founded to raise awareness of the gynaecological anatomy and health, erase stigma, and act as a forum for feminism.
Inside, visitors could browse everything from educational materials to art pieces inspired by vaginas and vulvas – including giant tampons decorated in red sequins.
The Vagina Museum said it was ‘disappointed’ that it has been asked to leave its space, adding that it will continue to operate digitally until it finds a new base.
They wrote in a heartfelt statement on social media that they were ‘incredibly proud’ of the museum’s achievements.
Fans of the space queued down the street for its final few days in Bethnal Green, before its eventual closure on Wednesday 1 February.
Their statement said: “Sad news. We’ve received notice to vacate our premises at Bethnal Green by the end of this week. As a property guardianship, we’ve always been aware that we may be asked to leave with very short notice. We’re disappointed that it has come so soon.
“@Enter_theVenue the creative hub with whom we share our space, have also been asked to leave. The Vagina Museum will continue to operate in the digital world as we search for a new home.”
The message continued: “We’re sad about this development, but incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished in the ten months we’ve been at our Bethnal Green premises. We’ve welcomed more than 40,000 visitors through our doors, and received so much love and positive feedback.
“In our time at Bethnal Green, we’ve once again demonstrated just how much the world needs and wants a Vagina Museum.
“Times are, once again, uncertain for us, but we’ve been through this before and risen stronger than ever. With a community like you supporting us, we know we can get through this too.
“We’re actively searching for a new home, and if you know of any vacant spaces (or have one yourself!) please don’t hesitate to reach out. In our home in Bethnal Green, we and ENTER demonstrated that we can transform an empty, unused building into a thriving heart of a community.
“If you don’t have a building, you can still help! Please consider making a donation; a donation of any size makes a huge difference and will help us to weather this storm, just as we’ve weathered storms before.”
The Vagina Museum concluded its thread with: “We’ve made it through a pandemic and a period of temporary homelessness before. With you, together, we can make it through this too.”
Gary Neville addresses ‘clumsy like’ on Tweet about Mason Greenwood 
Daisy Jackson
Gary Neville has said that his liking of a tweet about Mason Greenwood has been ‘misinterpreted’.
The former Manchester United legend and football pundit set off a Twitter storm last night after he ‘liked’ two tweets by Nazir Afzal, and briefly retweeted one.
The tweets in question said that Greenwood was an ‘innocent man’ and added that ‘you are innocent until PROVEN guilty’.
Mason Greenwood had all criminal charges against him dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.
He had faced allegations of rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault, all against the same woman.
The CPS said that Greenwood case had been stopped because of ‘the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light’, adding that there was no longer a ‘realistic prospect of conviction’.
Gary Neville has spoken about his ‘clumsy like’ of a tweet professing Mason Greenwood’s innocence. Credit: Instagram, Gary Neville
Several people noticed that Neville had liked a tweet about Greenwood’s ‘innocence’ and quickly challenged him on it.
One person shared a screenshot and wrote: “You have a massive platform and you’re liking bulls**t like this just because the monster plays for a team you support. you’re disgusting @GNev2.”
He posted: “I liked a tweet relating to the Mason Greenwood news this afternoon from Nazir Afzal. ( the former director of public prosecutions ).
“This like is being misinterpreted. It was a clumsy like as I obviously condemn any violence against women.”
Greenwood issued a short statement yesterday, writing: “I am relieved that this matter is now over and I would like to thank my family, loved ones and friends for their support. There will be no further comment at this time.”
Featured image: Instagram, @garyneville2 / publicity picture
Georgina Pellant -
10th January 2023 
