Oldham chef Simon Wood is close to securing a site for WOOD, his first solo restaurant

MasterChef champion Simon Wood has revealed preliminary plans for his first solo restaurant.

The Oldham-based chef - who won TV’s most esteemed cookery competition in 2015 - has been eyeing up a number of sites across Manchester over the last year, and is now close to securing a site on Jack Rosenthal Street in First Street.

The fledgling neighbourhood – built on top of the old Gaythorn Gas Works to the south-west of the city centre - has become a hive of cultural activity and a bolthole for the city’s arts community ever since the launch of the £25m HOME arts complex, with a lively food and drink scene emerging in its wake.

The likes of Gas Works Brewbar, Laundrette, Indian Tiffin Room and Liquor Store have all opened there in the past year, with Wood’s eponymous fine-dining restaurant promising to add a more refined touch to the current offering.

170201 Home Manchester 5
First Street HOME

Since his win, the former IT manager and dad of four has worked as the executive chef for his hometown football club, Oldham Athletic, recently launching ‘The Boardroom by Simon Wood’, as well as penning his debut cookbook At Home with Simon Wood – Fine Dining Made Simple.

He said: “For me Manchester is the best city in the country; it’s friendly, vibrant, busy and has incredible night life complemented by some great restaurants… I was instantly attracted to First Street and see this very much as the next go-to place in an already vibrant and exciting city.”

Subject to licensing, WOOD will open on Jack Rosenthal Street later this year. For more information visit woodmanchester.com.