Head chef Connor Black will also leave Stock Exchange Hotel Restaurant
The celebrated chef Tom Kerridge is leaving The Bull & Bear.
In a short and sweet statement released today, Kerridge, who also runs the one Michelin-starred The Coach and two Michelin-starred The Hand and Flowers in Marlow, has announced: “Gary [Neville] and I have jointly agreed to end our partnership at The Bull & Bear within the Stock Exchange Hotel in Manchester and will part ways on the 31st December 2022.”
The Stock Exchange Hotel on Norfolk Street is owned by Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs and hotelier Winston Zahra and also features Schofield’s Bar spinoff, Sterling. It’s unclear at this point as to what will replace The Bull & Bear.
Bye bye to the bull and bear
The statement from Kerridge corresponds with an awkward video posted on the Stock Exchange Hotel’s Instagram. In the video, Neville and Kerridge attempt to explain their reasons further with Neville describing the end of the partnership as “quite a unique situation.”
In the video, Neville suggests that although Tom has provided “world-class food” the needs of the hotel often “scream against” the F&B operation. The video finishes abruptly with Kerridge talking about the difficulties of the pandemic.
The full statement itself sheds further light on the situation:
"Gary and I have jointly agreed to end our partnership at The Bull & Bear within the Stock Exchange Hotel in Manchester and will part ways on the 31st December 2022. It follows a three-year successful partnership with GG Hospitality which has seen the hotel go from strength to strength with consistently high occupancy rates.
We feel the need to concentrate on our Marlow and London sites and this allows us to look at further opportunities within these areas, therefore we have mutually decided to part ways.
We would like to thank all our guests for the amazing support they have given us, and all staff have been offered roles elsewhere within the business and Head Chef Connor Black is returning to Australia where he worked for several years. We wish GG Hospitality and The Stock Exchange all the success in the future.”
Grin and bear it
The announcement will be disappointing news for the Manchester food scene. The Bull & Bear was one of the openings of the year when it launched in 2019. It has since received glowing reviews from near and far.
Outgoing Head Chef Connor Black is also notable for being named Head Chef at the ripe old age of 25. Inevitably making everyone else consider their own lives and achievements.
We, along with everyone else no doubt, are intrigued to see who and what takes up the space in the new year.
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