Macclesfield: The Picturedrome organisers to open Cheshire pub
By Alex Greensmith
11th May 2022 | Local News
The people behind The Picturedrome in Macclesfield want to open Britain's best pub.
The Picturedrome's parent company Market Operations have bought a pub in Cheshire.
The Nags Head in Tarporley, will reopen this year, featuring talented Macclesfield chefs and bringing 30 new jobs.
The stunning Grade-II listed pub, which seats 180 inside and 120 outside, aims to be a pub like no other.
Macclesfield chef Alex Coppenhall, who has been at The Picturedrome vendor Tender Cow for two years, will lead the kitchen team at this new venture.
"It is fantastic, we couldn't be happier with the wealth of knowledge that is going to be put into this pub," said the Macclesfield resident.
"We are going to be offering a whole breadth of pub food, with vendors you know and love. It is not just Tender Cow. Honest Crust is going to be there, Picos Tacos is going to be there.
"It is going to hopefully be the best pub in the UK.
"This pub will help spread more awareness of what we do, including The Picturedrome, and our aim to serve regional, fresh food and drink."
The new pub will not affect any off the pre-existing operations of The Picturedrome.
Ex-King's pupil and Macclesfield homeowner Matthew Walsh will also spearhead The Nags Head to success.
"Everything that we've been pushing towards over the past two years in terms of rearing our own meat, getting closer to our food source, really connecting with our farmers and producers, it is all going to come out in the pub", he said.
"It is an extension of what we are all working towards. There will be some of the experience of the dishes we have on at The Picturedrome, but reimagined for a pub-style menu.
"It is going to be even heavier focussed on where we get our produce from. We're going to an area that is surrounded by farm after farm. We're going to those farms and working directly with them, so there will be a much heavier focus on quality."
The pub will have six food vendors, all working towards one goal. It is a 29 mile drive from Macclesfield, and aims to open in mid-summer.
There will be opportunities for people at The Picturedrome to transfer to the new pub, with the possibility of promotions for hard-working staff.
"There are some great pubs in the north west, but our vibe is going to be completely different with all the knowledge and skillsets we can pool from, a wealth of skills that we've got in a huge market", added Matt.
"As well as being a pub, it is going to be different from our pre-existing places as we'll be open for breakfast. I couldn't tell you another pub in the country that properly opens for breakfast.
"These markets have become at the centre of the community in the areas that they are in [Altrincham, Manchester, Macclesfield], and we are hoping it is going to be exactly the same here.
"Local, family-orianteed with a heavy focus on quality."
The locals of Tarporley, Haughton and Bunbury will be the first to experience The Nags Head when it opens in the summer, but it aims to be a go-to destination to boost the whole economy of Cheshire.
Having breathed new life into old buildings across the North West, celebrating the spirit of independence, Market Operations had always wanted to expand their rejuvenation empire into a pub, and feel the perfect time is now.
"The issue for us is to try and not repeat ourselves. And now that we have opened three operations, we wanted to do something that was related but tangential," said Market Operations Co-Founder Nick Johnson.
"The problem is that there are loads of people copying what we're doing. Tony Wilson always used to say to me 'If you can see a bandwagon, you've missed it.'
"I think we had an appetite to try and take a slightly different direction and one with great richness and possibilities.
"From raising cattle and growing our own herbs. We've talked about a possibility of doing glamping on the field. And the bottom line is, everybody loves a great pub, and this is a quintessential English pub that we want to give a twist to.
"I call it twisted traditions, we are taking a tradition and spicing it up. Mixing it and making it our own.
"There are some great pubs around the country and we've got a single ambition - to make this the best pub in the country. It make take three years, it might take five yearsto, but we've got the foundations to build something which reinforces everything we have achieved to date.
"There's four fireplaces so when the winter comes you'll be able to snuggle up to a roaring fire, and enjoy great local food and drink.
"It is a beautiful pub which is listed, so it has got more qualities than we need. Great beer, great wine list, amazing food and roaring fires waiting for you to sit down, hunker up and hygge up."
Jake Atkinson, General Manager of The Picturedrome added: "It is going to be a neighbourly, family pub, We want it to be a comfortable area for the locals of Tarporley, and further beyond."
"We'll have lots of events, outdoor day festivals, live fire cooking at our outside BBQ area. We'll have a barn which will be open air and have a pizza oven in there. It will be a great place to spend your weekend with the family."
Macclesfield Nub News will take a trip to West Cheshire when the pub opens in a few months.
The Nags Head, which closed in December 2019, is located on Long Lane, Haughton, Moss, Tarporley, CW6 9RN.
For those in Macclesfield who want to work at the new pub, there will be a job fair open at the end of the month. More info here.
See Also: 'We are committed to Macclesfield': The ethos of The Picturedrome
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