Pub that turned away Oasis scoops accolade

A STOCKPORT pub has been named the first pub of the year for 2026 by our sister paper the Manchester Evening News.

- BY ADAM MAIDMENT

The Elizabethan pub is grand in name and pretty grand in appearance too, with a hefty history behind it.

The Stockport pub, on Heaton Moor Road, is known for its warm and relaxed atmosphere.

Its menu features a range of freshly-prepared and seasonal dishes, stemming across pub classics - like cheese and onion pie and fish and chips - as well as its popular Smokey Chilli Non Carne and Crispy Fried Spiced Chicken Thighs.

Sunday Roasts, meanwhile, span across the likes of roast beef and lentil, almond and butternut squash Wellington, and include all the trimming, as well as bottomless gravy and unlimited Yorkshire puddings (yes, really).

General manager Nikki Collins, who joined the pub nine months ago, tells us how she's been welcomed with open arms into the local community and how the historic pub has had a varied past — including turning away two very notorious Manchester music legends.

HOW did you get into the pub industry in the first place?