One of Manchester’s best-loved pasta spots has changed its name following a legal trademarking dispute with a Scottish restaurant.
Popular Manchester pasta kitchen Sugo has been embroiled in a legal challenge with a restaurant of the same name in Glasgow, leading it to change its name.
Whilst Sugo in Glasgow only opened at the end of 2019, it has still managed to secure the trademark for the name – leaving Manchester bosses with no choice but to rebrand despite their restaurant group having been established for much longer.
Sharing the news on Instagram this morning, the Manchester restaurants account posted that from hereon out it would be known not as Sugo, but as Sud – which translates to ‘South’ in Italian:
Owners wrote: “Same us, same mission, same pasta kitchen. From today our new name will be Sud Pasta.
“We’re aware that we can’t stop any speculation, however, all we’ll say is that our home is in the kitchen, not the boardroom.
“We love our new name. We love what it stands for. We love our ‘A Southern Italian Pasta Kitchen’
“By the way, Sud means ‘south’ in Italian. More importantly, we’ve got a brand new menu format starting in March. The Sud pasta Spring menu.
“Love, light and appreciation. Michael and Alex.”
First opened in 2015 in Altrincham, Sugo Pasta Kitchen has long been a favourite amongst the city’s pasta lovers. In fact, the furore for its strozzapreti and orecchiette is so intense that its fans are even known, affectionately, by owners as their ‘Sugo Army’.
However, it appears that even its ranks of pasta-munching soldiers have been unable to save the Southern Italian pasta kitchen from a rebrand eight years on from its first opening.
Commenting on the post, one follower wrote: “What’s the betting that we’ll still be calling it Sugo for years to come. Manchester institutions tend to retain their name… I still refer to Manchester Central as GMEX!”
Another person said: “As long as House Sud (sugo) tastes the same you could be called Nasty Pasta for all I care. Love the new name. #forzasud“
A third added: “Is it going to now be called “House Sud” like panicking here.”
It seems that the name conflict first came to light in 2019, after customers at the Glasgow restaurant mistakenly purchased vouchers for Sugo in Manchester, thinking that the two were connected.
In a Facebook post shared on 10 December 2019, Sugo shared a post in relation to this addressing their ‘brothers and sisters in Glasgow’:
The restaurant wrote at the time: “Beautiful people, epic city. Way too many of you peeps are landing on our website, looking at our menu, buying our vouchers and mistaking us for Sugo Pasta – unfortunately for you folk it isn’t us!
“We launched in Manchester back in 2015 so if you’re ever south of the border in our city come and check us out! The crazy thing here is your boys (the guys behind Paesano Pizza) are trying to sue us for using our own name, crazy world we live in eh!”
In a now-deleted post entitled ‘We’ve got beef’, the Glasgow restaurant responded – claiming that they had offered a ‘compromise’ to Manchester Sugo, offering them the chance to keep the name if they agreed to not open any further locations.
The post also claimed that Manchester Sugo had opened their Ancoats branch after the agreement was made, a claim that is disputed by the Manchester restauranteurs.
The Manchester restaurant owners were also accused of failing to respond to legal correspondence, to which owners responded by revealing that they had been sent a letter asking them to remove their signage, hand over their website, and withdraw their own trademark application amongst other things.
By contrast, the most recent post from the Manchester restaurant seems very tame by comparison, although the comment from owners that ‘our home is in the kitchen, not the boardroom’ seems to speak volumes.
The Manc has approached Sud, formerly Sugo Pasta Kitchen, owner Mike De Martis for comment.
Feature image – Google Maps
News
Chester Zoo’s viral new snow leopard cub ventures outside for the first time
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo’s adorable baby snow leopard who went viral last week could very well be about to go viral again.
That’s because new footage of it venturing outside for the first time have been released.
After arriving to first-time parents Nubra and Yashin, who are both three-years-old, last month (10 June 2025), keepers at Chester Zoo said mum and cub had mostly spent their time quietly tucked away in a cosy den, away from the eyes of the onlooking public – but now, it’s time for the little one to see what the outside world is all about.
Now, at seven-weeks old, the cub has gained in strength and confidence, and experts expected that it could venture outside at ‘any moment’.
Zookeepers are still yet to confirm the sex of the cub, and will be able to do soon once it has undergone its first health check-up with the vets.
We can also expect to hear one the little one’s name is very soon too.
If you’re unfamiliar with snow leopards, they are classed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and it’s believed there are as few as 4,000 now remaining in the wild.
Nicknamed the ‘ghosts of the mountains’, these elusive – but adorable – big cats are found in the rugged, remote regions of Central Asia and the Himalayas – but sadly, despite being known for living in desolate, harsh environments, they continue to face threats from habitat loss, climate change, poaching, and retaliatory killings by farmers.
Chester Zoo’s viral new snow leopard cub ventures outside for the first time / Credit: Chester Zoo
The cub’s birth follows the opening of Chester Zoo’s Himalayan habitat in May 2024, which is a vast, rocky environment that authentically recreates the mountainous terrain of Central Asia.
“This is the first snow leopard cub to be born at Chester Zoo,” commented Dave Hall, who is the Team Manager of carnivores at Chester Zoo, last week when the adorable hidden den cam footage was first released to the public.
“It’s a truly historic moment and a real cause for celebration – not just for our teams here, but also for the future of this magnificent species globally.”
Although it’s still early days, carnivore experts at the zoo say Nubra is showing ‘excellent maternal instincts’ by nursing her new arrival every few hours and always keeping close by.
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
News
Rochdale man, 20, found guilty of assaulting police officers and the public at Manchester Airport
Emily Sergeant
A man from Rochdale has been found guilty of assaulting a man and two female police officers at Manchester Airport last year.
20-year-old Mohammed Fahir Amaaz has been convicted of common assault and two counts of actual bodily harm following a four-week trial at Liverpool Crown Court in relation to a high-profile incident that took place at Manchester Airport on 23 July 2024.
The first attack on the member of public – of which extensive footage of was shared with the court over the course of the trail – took place in a largely public area of the Airport, but despite claims made to the contrary, Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) investigation found no evidence of any ‘prior threatening’ or ‘unacceptable behaviour’ by the victim aimed towards Amaaz or his family.
Three GMP officers – one male and two female – responded to the initial assault, and as they proceeded to detain and arrest Amaaz at the Terminal 2 car park pay station for assault, they suffered a number of injuries – such as concussion, a broken nose, and bruising and swelling.
CCTV played to the jury during the trail showed Amaaz throwing 10 punches, two ‘elbow strikes’, and one kick in what was described as a ‘prolonged and violent’ attack.
This conviction follows a thorough investigation of all available footage to understand the full context to the incident.
Our officers have been supported throughout and continue to be supported.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) July 30, 2025
An investigation, led by a team from GMP’s Serious Crime Division, was subsequently launched following the incident.
Police were said to have worked ‘diligently and expediently’ through all the moving footage, including CCTV and body worn camera recordings, complemented by the testimonies of witnesses to the incident, which allowed them to present a clear and accurate picture of the facts of the events to the jury.
A jury convicted Amaaz of assaults on the two female officers, but a decision is still inconclusive regarding the incident with the male police officer.
GMP now says it will be working with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in support of a re-trial for these inconclusive counts.
A CCTV image of the brawl in action / Credit: CPS
“Whilst assaults on police officers are sadly not uncommon, such attacks can never be justified,” commented Sir Stephen Watson, who is the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, following the trial.
“Our officers are decent people who routinely place themselves in harm’s way to protect the public, and they deserve our respect and support.
“I am particularly grateful to those many members of the public who have contacted the force in order to pass on their best wishes to the officers affected.”
Georgina Pellant -
13th February 2023 
