We all knew the hospitality industry was being hit hard by rising costs across the board along with staff shortages, but it still comes as a shock when it results in closures. This week Manchester’s diners have been reeling by the shock closure of not one, but two of its most well thought of establishments, DISTRICT and The Creameries in Chorlton.
This week’s newsletter from DISTRICT was ominously titled ‘THE END’.
We’ve always been huge fans of District, and we’re not the only ones. District scored a place in the Michelin Guide and earned a visit from Sunday Times critic Marina O’Loughlin who described it as “Thai but not as we know it.” She wrote about her ‘remarkable meal’ as ‘jaw-dropping’ with ‘not a single missed step, not an off-note or moment of tedium.’
However, the Oldham Street venue ruffled a few feathers when it opened in May 2021. Some felt that its self-styled offering of ‘progressive barbecue cookery and liquid intelligence inspired by a future Bangkok’ was uncompromising due to its singular offering of a no-choice £100 tasting menu. To replicate and even elevate dishes from Thailand and Laos (where chef owner Ben Humphreys’ wife hails from) District was not able to cater for vegetarians or vegans.
Chef Ben and his talented team relented a little in the following November by offering a great value set lunch menu on Thursday-Saturday of three dishes with rice for £20 per person. Back in July, they relented even further by allowing customers to order dishes from its tasting menu individually to create their own District experience - or just pop in for a couple of dishes with cocktails.
In the end, it looks like these compromises weren’t enough to save District, which many regarded as one of the best restaurants in Manchester. Of course, this gives no clue as to whether they are shutting up their New Wave Thai BBQ restaurant forever, or whether District have some kind of metamorphosis up their sleeve. We reached out to their PR to find out, but they weren’t ready to give anything away just yet. Their last service will be on 1st October.
Over in Chorlton, locals were shocked to find a note plastered to the firmly closed door of The Creameries and a ‘restaurant to let’ sign attached to the building. The link to their website is now invalid.
The former neighbourhood venue opened in April 2018 on the back of a successful crowdfunding effort. It was initially a partnership between chef Mary Ellen Mctague, baker Sophie Yeoman and interior designer Soo Wilkinson who converted the former Edwardian dairy on Wilbraham Road.
The initial offering specialised in freshly baked bread, the best British and Irish cheeses, locally sourced lunch and chalkboard supper menus, and interesting natural wines and beers.
Eventually Soo and Sophie moved in other directions and Mary Ellen ploughed valiantly on though the pandemic setting up Eat Well MCR, a collective of Manchester-based chefs and hospitality professionals working to provide meals to children and families experiencing homelessness, women taking refuge in sheltered accommodation, parents of long-term sick children, foodbanks and schools supporting families experiencing food poverty.
At the tail end of 2021 she announced there was to be a significant change of direction for the business in order to survive. Rather than an occasion restaurant offering tasting menus, The Creameries transformed into a more accessible ‘friendly neighbourhood bar.’
The venue’s name was updated to Campagna at The Creameries and experienced head chef Mike Thomas from roving supper club Umbra Food was appointed to create dishes inspired by Southern Italy using fresh, seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. Ultimately, the odds were stacked against them, even in a thriving suburb like Chorlton.
Fortunately, Mary Ellen has a number of exciting projects in the pipeline including a new role at the Treehouse Hotel when it opens the former Ramada Renaissance site on Deansgate in 2023. She will curate the ground floor restaurant menu based on seasonality and sustainability as well as overseeing the banqueting and catering side of the operation.
In the meantime, if funds allow, please continue to show support for your favourite venues in Manchester.