Dear Sirs,

Re: The Old Wellington, Manchester.

This is certainly not the direction I envisaged for my first 'proper' blog however I can't keep this gem to myself any longer! This is a review of The Old Wellington in Manchester.

An unusually situated little place tucked in behind the Arndale Centre and just metres from Manchester's gorgeous cathedral not only does this place offer wonderful food, a fabulous atmosphere and faultless staff, it also provides a healthy dose of fascinating history to boot.

Emerging from the Arndale Centre, it's easy to overlook the Old Wellington at first, eyes probably drawn to Urbis, Selfridges or Harvey Nicks. Even if the little place does catch your eye, it may be written off as just another city centre boozer full of football fans supping up before heading to the match. Indeed, our first few visits to the place owed much to the fact that the front facing garden is a trap for late afternoon sun more than anything else. The downstairs bar evokes memories of stables and coaching inns which at first conjures up images of gimmickry or cost cutting however delve a little deeper into this establishment's history and all becomes clear!

Manchester City fans fuelling up before facing Southampton FC last Sunday.

 Now part of the Nicholson's collection of establishments this Scheduled Ancient Monument is a Grade II Listed, half timbered public house with a colourful past.

Views of the Old Wellington from the Cathedral end offer more clues. 

 In 1554 the building became a draper's shop (having been built in 1552) and was owned by the Byrom family.

The third storey of the building was added in the 17th Century and in 1692 the building's most famous inhabitant, John Byrom was born. John went on the invent an early form of shorthand whilst the building's activities began to diversify from being a family home above a ground floor shop.

In 1830 the building became a licensed Public House (hooray!) known as the Vintner's Arms and later Kenyon Vaults. Around 1865 the ground floor became known as The Wellington Inn whilst the upper floors were used by the makers of mathematical and optical instruments.


The building was damaged in the 1996 Manchester bombing and cost over £500,000 to repair. As part of the City's redevelopment after the bombing it was decided that the pub (along with it's neighbour Sinclair's Oyster Bar) should be dismantled piece by piece and rebuilt 300 metres further towards the Cathedral where it now resides.


Now the upper two storeys of this historical building are a beautifully lit and atmospheric restaurant serving unfussy and tasty food. The interior of the building is steeped in history and you can't help but look through those leaded panes and wonder who else looked through those same windows 400 years ago.

The restaurant is decked out with simple dark wood tables and mismatched chairs with elegant and unfussy table settings.






Now onto tastier heights...the food! For Coach, one of the more difficult decisions on a Sunday!

The Old Wellington offers a slightly reduced menu on a Sunday but it is still extensive. The specials last Sunday included a Lamb Shank Pie and the waiter also informed us that they could provide a lamb shank as part of a Sunday Roast at no extra charge.

The weather last Sunday was typically wet and miserable for an English August Sunday so Coach and I were in search of some comfort food. After ordering two ice cold pints of Peroni (served in those gorgeous tall glasses) Coach and I considered the menu and plumped for the following!







Tiger prawns and chorizo marinated with chilli and garlic, pan fried and served in a puff pastry case with a tomato dressing (£4.95).

Coach could barely wait for me to take the necessary photo's before diving in and the plate was clean in no time!









I went for the deep-fried Brie (it was a rainy Sunday OK!) in a rosemary and garlic crumb served with a caramelised onion chutney (£4.75)

Mmmmmm, deep fried cheese!I would have preferred a less sweet chutney to cut through the richness of the cheese however the portion size was fabulous.








Onto the mains! Coach went for the grilled Seabass fillets on crushed baby new potatoes with buttered asparagus, spinach and peas with a tomato dressing (£11.45)

In the name of comfort food, I opted for the award-winning Gloucester Old Spot Sausages with creamy mashed potatoes and a caramelised onion gravy (£7.95).

 In hindsight I should have read the menu properly and ordered a side of seasonal green veg (£2.75) as the meal felt a bit lacking without any greens however gorgeously thick gravy and fabulous sausages. I loved the presentation too, stylish for 'pub grub' but not too contrived. To go with our mains, I had a great glass of South African Chenin Blanc and Coach ordered another pint.

When it came to dessert, only Coach was lucky enough to have room! He ordered the warm chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream although our waiter did have the foresight to bring an extra spoon (all in the name of food reviews you understand!).

The waiting staff were attentive but not too much, drinks and food arrived promptly and at the perfect temperature (ice cold beers, piping hot food) and tap water was provided on request. Although everything we requested arrived promptly we never felt rushed or hurried and the tone was perfect for a relaxed Sunday lunch.

Our bill totalled less than £50 which considering the amount we had felt we had eaten and drunk and the quality of the food and the service we felt was really good value.

So, if you're in the Manchester area and tire of the crowds in town, why not head up to The Old Wellington for a cosy piece of history and a fantastic value lunch.

Yours faithfully,

The Crafty Lawyer

Launching My First 'Class' Action

Dear Sirs,

Re: A New Venture


I am a Solicitor Advocate currently living in Manchester with a passion for craft, food and photography. Over the past eighteen months my addiction, sorry passion, for all things creative has become an increasingly important part of my life.

Although as a lawyer you do need to be 'creative' at times, I find that cooking, photography and different types of craft help me to relax and to exercise a completely different area of my brain. It also provides handy investment opportunities in the form of cookbooks, fat quarters and camera lenses!

I moved to Manchester a year ago as my (frankly amazing) boyfriend (hereafter referred to as Coach) was offered a fantastic job opportunity. I grew up in Sussex, went to Uni in Bournemouth and Coach and I were living in a sea front apartment in Poole before we moved 'oop North.'

As a way of establishing a new network of friends, I attended various classes and events with the hope of meeting like-minded locals. Whilst I did meet some lovely people, I never imagined that joining Twitter  would provide me with the opportunity to connect with the fellow craft addicts with whom I craved to connect!

I am now happily surrounded by so many people who share my passions and hobbies whether it be craft, cooking or photography. Many of these awe inspiring individuals have their own blogs and I can spend many happy hours marvelling over their work, picking up hints and tips and generally being all round entertained.

If I can provide a blog that is half as entertaining as those whom I now hero worship, I mean admire, I'll be a very happy bunny indeed.

Using this blog as my vehicle, I hope to provide my Mum/Readers with craft and photography tutorials, recipes and cooking advice, book and shop reviews as well as using this as platform to show off those whose work I admire and am occasionally granted the privilege of owning.

Many people have set up fantastic ways for bloggers and twitter users to connect and interact. I take part in craft swaps and on-line cookery challenges and hope that tales of my exploits will prove entertaining.

I am really excited about this new venture. Although it seems much more daunting that running a multi-party litigation I will be working hard to ensure this too is a 'class' action.

Any hints/tips/(constructive) criticism gratefully received!

Yours faithfully,

The Crafty Lawyer