Set within an amazing building, local produce is the star at this Bigger Boat Hospitality site and an impressive line-up of beers from local brewery Joseph Holt makes this a top-quality offer.
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Operator Neil Burke tells The Morning Advertiser all about the pub that opened less than a year ago.
Facts ’n’ Stats
Pub name: Horse & Jockey
Address: 9 Chorlton Green, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester M21 9HS
Senior staff: Operator Neil Burke and head chef: Ben Chaplin
Wet:dry split: 50:50 but subject to change
Website: www.horseandjockeypub.co.uk
The pub
The Horse & Jockey is a 350-year-old mock Tudor pub in Chorlton – a foodie, bohemian suburb of Manchester. We acquired it from Joseph Holt Brewery.
The potential of the pub has always been there in the bones of the place but it wasn’t being realised. That’s what an independent operator can give that a larger organisation sometimes can’t. Once we started uncovering what was there, we brought the characterful building back to life and gave it some love.
Bigger Boat Hospitality is built around that idea: taking over venues that have been neglected or fallen behind the times and bringing them back to life in a way that reflects what the local community wants.
The publican
My career has seen me work for Jamie’s Italian, where I progressed from general manager to regional operations manager and opening manager, helping launch sites internationally.
Those experiences shaped how I approach Bigger Boat Hospitality today, creating places with personality, strong teams and a real connection to the local community. We now run two pubs – the Black Friar and the Horse & Jockey – and a coffee shop called Leo + Roobs.
The Horse & Jockey is our latest project, and a really special one. I’d loved the Horse & Jockey for years as a local and used to come in as a customer. It was always a pub with huge potential and real character so I wanted to see it live up to what it could be.
The trade
It’s a country pub in the suburbs – the best of both worlds really. The demographic is mixed with families, dog walkers, couples and groups.
The split between food and drink is around 50:50, though that changes depending on the day. On a sunny afternoon, the drinkers take over the garden and, on Sundays, the kitchen becomes the main event.
We’re a destination venue for the area but we also work hard to support the local independent scene and suppliers. That matters to us and I think it matters to the people who choose to come here.
The team
We have a team of around 40 in total, with around 15 in the kitchen. When we took over from Joseph Holt, we retained staff from the previous operators, retrained them and they’ve absolutely smashed it, which has been brilliant to see.
We look for people who genuinely care about food, drink and making people feel looked after. Skills can be taught, but warmth and energy are much harder to train.
The drinks
On draught, we have Joseph Holt’s full range of bitters, ales and lagers – all Manchester-made and proud. Beyond that, our cocktail list is designed entirely in-house by the current team and changes seasonally so there’s always something new to try. We also run a daily happy hour Monday to Friday to encourage midweek trade.
The food
The food is pub grub with a twist alongside some more elevated classic dishes. We’re conscious of keeping the price point as accessible as possible while still offering more premium dishes for celebrations and occasions.
The menu changes every few days and is printed daily so it reflects what’s good and seasonal at that moment. We work closely with local suppliers and markets, run a fish of the day and offer a daily butcher’s cut, depending on what’s come in.
Currently on the menu are dishes like our char-grilled Kansas chicken breast, which is a take on classic hunter’s chicken, 10oz breaded pork schnitzel with gribiche and fried egg, and the best chicken and pancetta pie you will ever try.
The events
We’ve hosted wine evenings, weddings, private celebrations and seasonal community events. Easter was a stand-out – we ran ‘Easter on the green’ and the whole day had a proper neighbourhood feel to it. It reminded us exactly what a pub like this can mean to the people around it.
Events are hugely valuable commercially but they also root you in the community in a way regular trading can’t. They create emotional connections and lasting memories and that loyalty feeds back into the everyday business.
The future
Expansion is definitely something we’re thinking about and we’d love to find another site that fits the same brief as this one. Though nothing has felt quite right yet, we are on the hunt.
The focus remains on taking pubs that need more love and bringing them up to their full potential for the communities around them and we’d be open to opportunities like those that come our way.
What’s on the menu?
Selected dishes
Classics
• Battered haddock, triple cooked chips, mushy peas, curry sauce - £19
• The Jockey Burger, smoked applewood, house pickles, triple cooked chips - £18
• Char-grilled chicken breast, Kansas City BBQ sauce, ham hock mac & cheese croquette - £19
Mains
• Chicken, leek & pancetta pie, greens, chicken liquor - £20
• Pork schnitzel, fried egg, gribiche, parsley butter - £28
