News

Popular London bakery Gail’s to open string of North West cafes next year

The bakery group already has strong ties with Manchester, having run its sister wholesale bakery The Bread Factory in Openshaw since 2017.

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 6th December 2022

Popular craft bakery Gail’s has hinted at plans to open a string of new cafes in the North West next year.

The group, which already has a large number of bakery-cafes in the south of England, has announced it will open its first North West site in Wilmslow in early 2023.

Bosses have also said that ‘further locations in the North West’ will be announced in the new year, adding that all the new bakeries will serve GAIL’s artisan sourdough breads, pastries, sandwiches, and cakes alongside its specialty House Blend coffee.

The news also seems to potentially confirm speculation that the brand is planning a move into Manchester after The Manc shared news of potential plans for a Gail”s opening in the city centre in October.

Having already seen planning documents that suggest the chain is planning to take over the former White Stuff unit on King Street, it now appears that more news on that opening will be coming in 2023 – although it’s hard to say if it will be the first Manchester site to be announced.

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Read more: Famous London bakery Gail’s tipped to open in Manchester

The bakery group already has strong ties with Manchester, having run its sister wholesale bakery The Bread Factory in Openshaw since 2017.

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Formed in the early 1990s by namesake Gail Mejia, Gail’s began when its eponymous founder decided to bring together the best bakers in London to create bakes for the capitals top chefs and restaurants.

Today, is known more as a customer-facing cafe and bakery whilst The Bread Factory continues the original wholesale legacy – supplying high quality, artisan breads to some of the region’s top local restaurants.

Gail’s first cafe opened on Hampstead High Street in 2005, and now the brand has 79 in neighbourhoods in and around London, Oxford, Brighton and more.

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Turning back the clock on industrialised baking practices and moving to bake bread as it used to be baked: by hand, using quality ingredients and time-worn artisanal methods, Gail’s soon established a name for itself and has come a long way since those early days.

Still, the stuff that matters – the ethos, the suppliers, the skill and a handful of tried-and-tested sourdough starter cultures – hasn’t changed.

Read more: A traditional cafe serving retro favouties has opened on the third floor of Affleck’s

A champion for sustainability, the bakery also prides itself on minimising food waste by carefully setting aside any leftover food and donating it to a selection of local charities in each eatery’s neighbourhood

To find out more about Gail’s, head over to its website here and follow the bakery on Instagram here.

Feature image – Gail’s

News

‘Sad news’ – the world’s only Vagina Museum has been forced to close

Daisy Jackson 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.

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“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.”

You can make a donation to The Vagina Museum here.

Featured image: The Vagina Museum / Angus Young

News

Gary Neville addresses ‘clumsy like’ on Tweet about Mason Greenwood 

Daisy Jackson 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
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.”

Neville has now addressed his ‘clumsy like’. 

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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

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