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Swansong for The Swan Inn
Marco Pierre White's Aughton restaurant closes with 20 job losses
HE stuck his name and his neck on the line with it, now Marco Pierre White at The Swan Inn has shut up shop, making 20 staff redundant
The posh pub/restaurant in Aughton, which opened just under two years ago, has been sold by holding company Sanguine Hospitality to the Mitchell & Butler managed pub chain.
It finally closed its doors yesterday after honouring Christmas bookings.
Marco Pierre White
by Stephanie de LengSanguine said it wanted to concentrate its efforts on city centre operations, such as the Hotel Indigo in Liverpool, after presumably taking stock of its stock, rather than its stock cubes.
“We felt that the Swan would fit in better with M&B,” a spokesman said.
Marco, the so-called enfant terrible of British cuisine, attained three Michelin stars at one time and The Swan was his first venture in the North. “The future of eating out is affordable glamour," he told Liverpool Confidential at the launch in February 2010. “This marks a new chapter in my career, I've lost my northern roots.”
Mitchell & Butler's opened 53 new sites last year, bought the Ha Ha chain and owns a large chunk of Mersey pubs including the Philharmonic, News of the sale, in December, is said to have come as a shock to staff who are understood to have been taking bookings until next June.
Sanguine Chairman Simon Matthews-Williams said: “We hope to relocate many of our staff members to new roles within our existing and forthcoming North West properties, but the law dictates we must begin the process of consultation and redundancy now.”
This week's closure follows that of another celebrity chef and a recently redundant suburban venture: Aiden Byrne at The Collingwood, in West Kirby.
Sources told Liverpool Confidential that Byrne wished to consolidate his efforts and culinary skills in the kitchen of the already successful Church Green in Lymm.
The Swan will reopen as a pub in three months time. From Sanguine to anodyne, who can possibly know?
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13 comments so far, continue the conversation, write a comment.
Latest Rants
I will visit this place once the management and staff have got their act in order.
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I do a nice Risotto. Cheap.
It wasn't good enough. Ordinary grub done to an ordinary standard...
I agree. I can't think what Marco Pierre White is thinking, putting his name and his reputation to average places like this and the one in Chester and the likes of Bernard Matthews turkeys
My friends and I had a lovely lunch there a few months ago, and as their special deal, it was very good and we intended to return.
The Swan was good upmarket pub food. Just OK. There were some quality staff who knew how to cook but the menu was just too ordinary & expensive and nothing you would bring your friends back to. Would have been better allowing more imaginative food.
I agree with DR, the food was just ok and not what I expected from MPW. It's a shame that people are losing jobs though.
It's a shame that another pub is going over to Mitchells and Butler
It's fine as a popping out for something when you can't be bothered cooking ... and very pleasant. I'm not sure what went wrong as the place was always pretty busy. Prices were too expensive for the standard of the food though. Very sorry to hear about the job losses, and another chain pub to avoid.
Same problems as The Collingwood: over-extending the reach of the main man, not improving tatty exteriors, style of interiors at odds with food and ambitions, culture clash between pubs for bawling baldies and wag-ettes and a restaurant for quiet digestion and appreciation.
Aiden Byrne is meant to be opening in city centre in march I have heard.
Not surprised to hear about the Collingwood, having eaten at the Church Green on a number of occasions (only once being decent), I made my views clear to Aiden Byrne by way of a couple of polite emails. What I received back was condescending and bordering on rude, implying I knew very little and gave the impression of a man with an out of control ego. Having visited the last time in December 2010, I can only say that the service was amateur, the food offering basic and overpriced...the whole experience sadly depressing. Wit regard to the last email....yes, he was also suppoesed to be opening in Prestbury a couple of years ago as well. My one peice od advice I would give AB is to stick with one restaarant and perhaps you might have a chance of sustaining a decent level of quality...unfortunately I don't think he'll heed my advice...he seems to think he's a "brand"!!!
The guy is full of himself!! he can cook ill give him that but for god sake he needsa reality check!!!
We had lunch here on Christmas Eve the food was fantastic but the service let the Swan down massively. We had eaten here before and again the service was left wanting.