After just two years spent serving inventive British plates to the good people of Stockport, popular restaurant The Moor has announced it can no longer afford to continue to operate.
In a shock closure announcement posted to the restaurant’s website, owners said The Moor would not be reopening its doors again and reflected on the challenging events of the past two years, writing: ‘this is not the time to be running a small independent business.’
In the now-deleted statement, chef James Hulme wrote: “This is tough to write, we have taken the decision to close our doors. The last two years have been crazy, we set out with the intention to offer some of the North West’s best produce at a reasonable price.
Image: The Moor Image: The Moor
“We did everything to make this happen but ultimately, for a restaurant that wanted to be as sustainable as possible – from making charcoal, utilising every piece of the animal or fish, having close to zero waste and working with small independents – we believe that moving forward, as a business, this simply isn’t sustainable.”
The comments made by Hulme echo those recently made by the team at acclaimed West Yorkshire gastropub The Moorcock, which has a similar concept and has just announced it will be breakng its lease next year.
He had previously worked as a chef at the famous D&D London restaurant Quaglino’s, as well as under Aiden Byrne when he opened the group’s first Manchester restaurant 20 Stories in 2018.
Citing rising food costs as a partial factor in the decision, he continued: “We do not want to compromise on what we serve by buying in cheaper mass produced food served with horrendous mark ups.
“These aren’t the only reasons, there are some personal factors too that have led to this decision.
“We wish to thank every single customer (even the couple that left a bad review) for coming and supporting us through this journey. In February 2020 we thought Brexit was the biggest hurdle we would face, how wrong we were….but so many of you have helped either through your custom and support or even putting an apron on when we were short staffed!
“Finally to the staff, thank you so much, I dreaded telling you all the news but you were awesome and very understanding. The Moor won’t be back but please, support local, support independent and most of all appreciate the value, quality and time that indies put into what they do.”
Whilst TripAdvisor reports are not always the most reliable, a quick glance at The Moor’s page shows the eatery did not receive one negative review during the past two years with most diners rating it excellent or very good (we confess that we couldn’t find the bad review Hulme alluded to in his farewell statement).
Critics that made it over in the midst of the past two years’ lockdowns were equally ebullient, praising the restaurants’ inventive, flavour-led menu and use of quality produce.
New data reveals a third of Brits admit to secretly sneaking off work early on a Friday
Emily Sergeant
Surprising new data has revealed that a third of Brits admits to secretly sneaking off work early on a Friday.
After a long and tiring week, most of us would love the chance to clock off work a little earlier than usual on a Friday, but for a lot of workers, this isn’t always a possibility – and for some, they even have to work longer at the end of the week to make sure everything has been finished off and tied up before the weekend arrives.
But since there has been a noticeable rise in remote working and working from home, a new survey has revealed that working attitudes have changed.
Virgin Media has released new broadband data that reveals a drop in traffic on Friday afternoons during the summer months – with as much as an 8% dip between 3-5pm compared to the winter, as remote workers clock off early.
A third of Brits admit to secretly sneaking off work early on a Friday / Credit: Glenn Carstens-Peters | Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)
The Friday traffic drop-off comes from Virgin Media’s broadband network analysis, which it says is a ‘reliable indicator’ of the connectivity habits of the British public.
Alongside the network data, Virgin Media also asked Brits about their work policies and working habits ij a bid to fully understand the trend.
Nearly a third (30%) of Brits say they have a formal early Friday finish in place during the summer, but despite almost half of UK adults (48%) saying they’re not authorised to finish early on a Friday, 32% have admitted to regularly logging off with or without official permission.
Surprising new data has revealed Brits’ working habits / Credit: Chuttersnap (via Unsplash)
Many Brits have also confessed to working ‘on the move’ on a Friday afternoon too.
15% admitted to having worked from the train station as the weekend creeps nearer, as well as 14% from the park, 10% from the pub, and many as 30% of 18-24-year-olds worked from the car while travelling for the weekend.
“Our network traffic analysis is revealing changing workplace habits in real time as the nation takes advantage of long summer Fridays,” commented Jeanie York, who is the Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2.
“We’re continuing to boost our fixed and mobile networks so whether Brits are working from their local park, or finishing their work at home, we’re ready to keep them connected.”
Featured Image – Israel Andrade (via Unsplash)
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Tiny Manchester pub brilliantly condemns ‘alarming rise’ in hate speech
Daisy Jackson
A micropub in Manchester city centre has spoken out about an ‘alarming rise’ in hate speech.
The Victoria Tap, a tiny little boozer at Manchester Victoria train station, strongly condemned any racist, homophobic or sexist conversations taking place in its venue.
The pub said ‘there is absolutely no room for it’ within its walls.
In a statement – which has been met with praise from customers and followers – they added that anyone bringing hate speech to the pub ‘can let the door kick you on the way out’.
The Victoria Tap wrote: “We’ve noticed an alarming rise in racist, homophobic and sexist slurs/comments/conversations lately and we just want to say that there is absolutely no room for it here.
“This is a safe space for everyone.
“If you, or someone in your group, want to disturb this philosophy, you can let the door kick you on the way out.”
The Victoria Tap has brilliantly condemned ‘alarming rise’ in hate speech
Praising their statement, one person wrote: “Great to read this. There is NO place for this. All public spaces should be welcoming.”
Another said: “Pubs should be welcoming environments for people of all walks of life. There’s no room for misogyny, racism or discrimination of any kind. Those who espouse those thoughts need a good hard look in the mirror.”
Someone else commented: “That’s how I see the Vic Tap. Great place for a safe quiet pint. Keep up the great work guys as it’s a fantastic venue.”
The Victoria Tap opened at Manchester Victoria back in 2023, completely transforming a space that was previously a bin store.
As well as its cosy interior, it has a small beer garden which overlooks the tram tracks in and out of the train station.
It’s operated by the same team behind the Piccadilly Tap and the even newer Oxford Tap.
We know exactly where we’ll be heading for our next pint now. Good work, Victoria Tap.
Georgina Pellant -
6th April 2022 
