The Sunday Times’ expert judges curate the list each year by assessing a wide range of factors, from schools, air quality, transport and broadband speeds, to culture, green spaces and the health of the high street.
They look for improving towns, villages or city centres, for attractive, well-designed homes, and locations bursting with community spirit.
The Times Best Places to Live 2021
Whether you’re a first-time buyer, looking to raise a family, or want to get out of the city and into the countryside, where are the best places to live in the UK this year?https://t.co/fIX7G4hDVO
— The Times and The Sunday Times (@thetimes) March 26, 2021
When it comes to Altrincham in 2021, the judges were particularly keen on the area’s schools – with the girls’ grammar being named the North West state secondary school of the decade by The Sunday Times Parent Power guide, and the boys’ grammar landed second place – and the convenient tram route into central Manchester was also noted as a highlight, along with its open spaces such as Stamford Park, the River Bollin, and the National Trust’s Dunham Massey.
The Everyman cinema, “neat specialist shops” such as Batch Bottlestore and the Idaho interiors shop, as well as restaurants such as Sugo Pasta Kitchen, were also all mentioned.
Most of all though, the judges were impressed with the town’s iconic market and food hall – which has been responsible for the regeneration of the town centre that was once described the “worst high street in Britain” – and heaped praise on the way it has remained at the heart of life in the area, despite prolonged closures and challenging circumstances amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Helen Davies – Property Editor at The Times and Sunday Times – said this year’s guide has never been more important, as the pandemic has taught us how much we rely on our homes and communities and has lead many to reassess our priorities on where we really want to live.
“Our focus for this year has been community, countryside and convenience,” Helen said.
“It hasn’t been a year for big cities or small villages. Instead, it is small towns that have shone – big enough to have everything you need within walking distance and small enough for everyone to feel connected.
“Altrincham was chosen as our regional winner this year as it has everything you want in a suburb: parks, excellent transport links and top-class schools.”
She continued: “The inspirational market and food hall that transformed the town centre from the worst in Britain to a favourite destination have continued to show their value, even during the pandemic”.
Steve Ford – Altrincham Property Expert from Purplebricks, who has been in estate agency for 37 years – added that the town has always been an “extremely popular hotspot.”
“The tram gets you to the centre of Manchester in about 20 minutes whilst you still enjoy the leafy suburbs on the edge of the Cheshire countryside,” he said.
“Altrincham town centre is enjoying a huge investment and resurgence.
“The announcements this week around the proposed improvements to the Stamford Quarter further illustrate how the town centre is truly returning to a bustling market town”.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CM7IftaHETg/
Alongside Altrincham, the seven other North West locations listed in the guide were Manchester – particularly the area around Manchester Piccadilly station, with Ancoats, Chorlton, Didsbury and Levenshulme also getting a shoutout – Saddleworth in Oldham, Knutsford and Bollington in Cheshire, Liverpool, and Kirkby Lonsdale, and Arnside and Silverdale, all in Cumbria.
Taking the top spot for the best place to live in the UK in 2021 is the small market town of Stroud in Gloucestershire.
You can read the full list on The Sunday Times website here.
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A sneak peek at the first pour: Greater Manchester celebrates the return of Boddingtons
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester has every reason to drink and jubilate this Friday and toast the perfect excuse for an early dart as the first fresh pours in a new chapter for Boddingtons beer have been sunk.
And by’eck if ain’t still bloody gorgeous.
That’s right, in case you didn’t hear the latest news about ‘Cream of Manchester’, we can now officially and ever-so gladly confirm that Boddingtons Bitter is properly back on draught in the region.
With the iconic cask ale making a glorious return decades on from its glory days in the 1990s, the new and improved Boddies beer is flowing from the taps – just in time for the weekend, no less.
Yes, with local brewery and pub chain J.W. Lees taking over the manufacturing and distribution, leaving the Budweiser Group to take over the licensing, the updated recipe Boddingtons – which clocks in at a 4.0% ABV – is about to be rolled out across the 10 boroughs.
Better yet, with five native pubs having already reinstalled honey yellow and black pumps, and with Lees looking to deliver it to the ale-loving masses across the North West, this could be the biggest Manc comeback since, well, those two lads from Burnage…
Speaking of: we were invited along to Founder’s Hall on Albert Square (formerly Duttons and now home to every one of the brand’s beers, not to mention serving as a tribute to John Lees himself), for a special ceremony to celebrate the inaugural public pints of Boddies being poured.
Let’s just say we were honoured to be part of the grand resurrection.
Obviously, there have been some holdouts hanging onto the classic Mancunian brew, and we certainly had fun trying to track them down over the past couple of years, but we’re just glad we don’t have to do as much work to find one now.
Managing Director of JW Lees, William Lees-Jones, said on the relaunch: “When I joined JW Lees in 1994, Boddingtons was ‘The Cream of Manchester’ and we were in awe of their position in leading the cask beer revolution.
“We’re proud to bring it back home, starting with Founder’s Hall, and we’re planning to restore Boddington’s as one of the UK’s leading premium cask beers, particularly here in the North West.” Well said, sir.
Available from Founder’s Hall, The Black Friar in Salford, Stables Tavern; Sams Chop House, The Circus Tavern, Oxford Road Tap, Piccadilly Tap and Victoria Tap from today, as well as Corbières and Stockport pubs like The Crown and The White Lion, we can’t wait to see Boddingtons take over the nation.
In the meantime, why not look back at the storied history behind one of our finest exports?
Subway launches make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ across UK
Emily Sergeant
Subway is finally launching its viral make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ at all its restaurants in the UK.
That’s right – you can now walk into any Greater Manchester Subway and order a jacket potato instead of a sandwich, and you get to choose exactly what goes on top of it.
Britain has always been a nation of ‘jacket fanatics’, with almost half of Brits claiming the spud to be a British cultural icon, but according to new research by Subway, it’s been found that nearly a quarter (23%) of us have argued with family and friends over how to prepare or serve one.
So it’s fair to say that, yes, us Brits do love ourselves a jacket potato, and this is why ‘Spudway’ is launching nationwide.
The UK-wide rollout of Spudway comes after it was trailed in select sites earlier this year, and then proved so popular that the trail was extended to include more locations.
Now, those fluffy jacket potatoes are available everywhere.
You can choose topping options like the simple Cheese & Beans or Tuna Mayo, or you can opt for Subway specialities like Meatball Marinara, and Chicken Tikka, but the beauty of Spudaway is it’s all fully customisable.
This means you can pick, quite simply, from whatever you fancy at the protein and salad counters, and finish it with your choice of Subway’s wide selection of signature sauces.
“The nation’s love of Jacket Potatoes is unparalleled,” commented Cathy Goodwin, who is the Interim Director of Culinary & Innovation Subway EMEA.
Subway has finally launched its make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ all across the UK / Credit: Subway
“The enthusiasm we’ve seen on social media and the strong demand from our guests throughout the trial made it clear that Spudway deserved a permanent place on our menu.
“Made with British potatoes, Irish salted butter, a double portion of cheese, and fully customisable with any of our many toppings, Spudway is the perfect freshly-made, high-quality lunch choice.”
Spudway jacket potatoes are freshly baked in-store daily and can be enjoyed on their own, or as part of a meal deal – which includes a spud, drink, plus crisps or a cookie.
Emily Sergeant -
29th March 2021 
