A pub located at the heart of Chester Zoo has picked up a huge Tripadvisor award after it was ranked in the top 10% of restaurants worldwide.
The Oakfield at Chester Zoo – which only opened doors two years ago – has been handed an esteemed 2020 Travellers’ Choice Award by the world’s largest travel website Tripadvisor, which is based on customer feedback submitted by users.
This accolade follows the loving refurbishment of the Grade II listed house, which was once home to the zoo’s founder George Mottershead, into the pub.
George and his family moved to The Oakfield in 1931 to begin building what is now the UK’s most visited zoo.
A pioneer of his time, George lived out his dream to create the world’s first ‘zoo without bars’, which would forever change the way that exotic animals are cared for.
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From a family home, a tea room, an aquarium and now a contemporary British pub that celebrates the zoo’s rich heritage, visitors can to The Oakfield can relax in the Mottershead’s former library, or enjoy a meal in the rooms which were once part of the family home.
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Speaking on the announcement of the award, Simon Lockhart – Chester Zoo’s Food and Beverage General Manager – said: “The Oakfield has only been open for two years, so to gain such a major accolade in this short space of time is a brilliant achievement, and what makes this award all the more special to us is that it’s based entirely on real opinions and genuine, honest feedback from our guests.
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“The Tripadvisor team analyses thousands of reviews and ratings from travellers everywhere before handing out this honour – that’s why it means such an awful lot.
“I’m so proud of the team’s hard work and dedication to make our pub such an exceptional place for our guests. The Oakfield has retained the original details of the house to give it a real ‘home from home’ feeling, with precious family photos showing what the zoo was like at the very beginning. Rooted in history, it’s the real centrepiece of the zoo, where guests relax outside on the terrace and admire the beautiful grounds, or cosy up in front of the fire and enjoy the best freshly-prepared, locally-sourced food.
“The award has really given us a boost during what is a really challenging time for the zoo.
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“The pandemic, and our long period of closure, has pushed our wonderful charity to the brink, but we’re so glad to have again been able to open our doors and continue to provide our guests with a fantastic dining experience with a difference.”
The Oakfield
A trip to The Oakfield is worth more than just grabbing a pint and a bite to eat too.
Did you know that all of the revenue generated by The Oakfield supports the Chester Zoo’s crucial conservation work to protect endangered species from extinction?
It’s also a vital source of income for the charity zoo in its ongoing battle to protect its future.
The Oakfield is also taking part in the #EatOutToHelpOut scheme every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday throughout the remainder of August and you can get up to 50% discount on food or non-alcoholic drinks as many times as you like.
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Whilst walk-ins may be able to be accommodated, it’s always advised to make a reservation in advance of your visit to avoid disappointment.
All bookings can be made and more information / menus can be found via The Oakfield’s website here.
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Manchester City finally release special Year of the Horse collection for Lunar celebrations
Danny Jones
Manchester City have officially launched their new ‘Year of the Horse’ kit, along with several other items in their latest lifestyle range.
The collection, which has been released as part of the Lunar New Year Celebrations, was leaked online in late 2025 before being officially teased earlier this year, but now Man City have fully unveiled the limited edition clothing items.
It follows the commercial success of their previous Chinese New Year-inspired kits and wider fashion lines over the last few seasons.
For anyone not up to speed on their Zodiac calendar knowledge, 2026 is officially (you guessed it) the year of the horse, hence this choice for the new ‘Capsule Collection’.
“Set in earthy, neutral tones, the limited-edition Year of the Horse Capsule Collection captures both the stillness of vintage Chinese portraiture and the motion of a team in full stride.”
Revolving around a grey and almost beige colour palette, the full drop includes a new pre-match ‘Anthem’ jacket, a dark graphic design tee, a baseball cap, as well as a soft horse plushie.
The focal point, however, is obviously the jersey itself – though it remains to be confirmed whether or not the special seasonal strip will be worn in any games this campaign as other one-off/special limited edition shirts have been in the past.
The price points range from £15 for the soft toy to £90 for the adult shirt, with the aforementioned Puma KING Anthem zip-up jacket already available in six colours.
What do you make of the latest lifestyle collection, Blues?
Somewhat fittingly, the Year of the Horse and other items finally debuted on the same day that their local rivals across the other side of town, Manchester United, released some new threads of their own: the second Adidas x The Stone Roses collection.
As for this years Lunar celebrations, the official plans for here in Manchester city centre have now been revealed. You can find out more down below.
Manchester United officially launch second Adidas fashion collab with The Stone Roses
Danny Jones
After several weeks of teasers, the latest fashion collab between Adidas, Manchester United and The Stone Roses has officially revealed.
We have no doubt this one will be lapped up just as quickly as the first.
Following images of the new Stone Roses x Man United kit and the focal point of this new collection being leaked online earlier this month, the second drop by Adidas has now been unveiled in full.
Releasing another stylistic video to the tune of the legendary Manc band’s famous anthem, ‘I Wanna Be Adored’, players both past and present from the men’s and women’s team star in the launch video.
As you can see, not only did the players get involved with the shoot as expected, but the clip also includes a snippet of archive footage featuring a young Ian Brown in a short but profound talking head.
The Stone Roses frontman, and indeed other members of the band, have never made their love of United a secret – none more so than the late, great Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield – and the supporters have also shared plenty of it back.
Be it through ‘This Is The One’ being chosen by Gary Neville as the official walk-out song at Old Trafford and various chants sung to Stone Roses tunes, to the previous collab back in February 2024, the two iconic cultural brands pretty much go hand in hand.
Besides the next multi-coloured paint-splashed shirt, which leaked first, as well as a new bucket hat (again, very era appropriate), there are scarves, a graphic design t-shirt, two sets of shorts and even two different pairs of shoes.
Images of the white Stone Roses trainers also popped up in leaks across various Man United fan accounts on social media, but few had seen the black ZX 600 Adidas trainers until now.
What do you make of the latest batch of lifestyle fashion from the club?
Meanwhile, with just days left in the transfer window, it remains to be seen whether new interim manager Michael Carrick will be rewarded for his first two wins against the top two in the league with any reinforcements before the end of January – but there are some rumblings…
Emily Sergeant -
18th August 2020 
