'In what has been an extremely tough time, we have all had to make the right commercial decisions'

Former MasterChef winner Simon Wood announced that Wood Chester, located inside Hotel Indigo on Grosvenor Road which opened 12 months ago would not reopen following closure due to coronavirus restrictions.

Saying it 'no longer fits' into the adaptions staff have had to make in the wake of the pandemic, and its new casual operation is not in keeping with the luxurious hotel.

He said: "We have made the decision to change the focus of what we offer at Wood and in Manchester we are adapting to cope with the changes forced on us by the COVID-19 pandemic whilst also refining the dining experience to offer our guests the very best of my food.

"This means that we are stripping the menus back to focus only on my five, seven and ten course tasting menus alongside a three course, fixed price A Taste of WOOD menu.

"This has meant that the restaurant in Chester doesn’t quite fit into this plan anymore. The operating restrictions have meant that a different, more casual offering is more suited to the hotel and that as we take our brand in the opposite direction we have taken the decision to step away from Hotel Indigo in Chester."

Simon added: "It has been a great experience, we loved getting to know the city and working with the team at Castlebridge who own and manage the hotel - but in what has been an extremely tough time, we have all had to make the right commercial decisions.”

He has however revealed that Wood Manchester will be reopening from Friday July 10 along with a new menu.

Speaking to About Manchester, he said: “Being in lock-down has given me the opportunity to reflect on the WOOD Manchester journey so far, revisit my vision for accessible fine dining, and my commitment to the city I love. I’ve been spending time developing new dishes and making plans to enhance the current offering.

“When we reopen WOOD Manchester, I’ll be launching a new menu format in keeping with my vision for the restaurant and the style of food that I want to present to our guests. Sadly, this does mean that we will be saying goodbye to some WOOD Manchester classics, but I am excited by what we are going to be offering to diners.”