This Manchester pub is serving a pay-as-you-feel Sunday roast

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A pub in Manchester is going above and beyond for its locals, giving back to its community by serving up pay-as-you-feel roast dinners every month.

Specifically designed to be a safe space for the community, The Old Abbey Taphouse in Hulme brings together chefs in its community to cook up delicious meals from scratch on the last Sunday of the month.

Neighbours are invited to come, eat and pay only what they can afford in return (be that a little or a lot), with giant Sunday roasts served from 7pm until the kitchen runs out.

Past community feasts have included a choice of honey mustard silverside beef top joint, chicken supreme, cauliflower cheese pie, or homemade vegan sausage roll.

Trimmings, meanwhile, span the likes of beef dripping potatoes, tenderstem broccoli, honey roast rainbow carrots, boiled cabbage, giant fluffy Yorkshire puddings, and apricot and walnut stuffing.

Image: The Old Abbey Taphouse
Image: The Old Abbey Taphouse

All of Old Abbey Taphouse’s meals are made from scratch with love by community catering company Heart & Soul, which is comprised of chefs in the local community all wanting to give something back.

Its community cooking first began at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic with what was called ‘Taphouse TV dinners’.

This service – a collaboration between The  Old Abbey Taphouse, Geeks for Social Change, ACORN, and Gaskell Garden Project– started off as a free or pay-as-you-feel meal service for residents, with a suggested donation of £2 per meal.

During the pandemic, the Taphouse TV Dinners campaign saw the pub deliver nearly 3,000 two-course dinners to people who were struggling in the local community.

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Since then, the pub has reopened and started to offer the popular meal service as a sit-down event in partnership with Heart and Soul kitchen.

Image: The Old Abbey Taphouse
Image: The Old Abbey Taphouse

Last year, The Old Abbey Taphouse was named the Community Pub of the Year by the Trafford & Hulme CAMRA branch.

The flagship venue of STEAM Hubs and Pubs C.I.C (Community Interest Company), it regularly runs club nights, live music gigs and pub quizzes as well as hosting community feasts.

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Feature image – The Old Abbey Taphouse