Coin is bringing a taste of the region’s top restaurants to the beautiful market town of Hebden Bridge

With the likes of Erst and Flawd right here on our doorstep, some might wonder why they should make the half hour journey out to Hebden for more natural wine and small plates. To those people we say, you can never have too much of a good thing. 

With its higgledy-piggledy stone mill houses, surrounding woodland, hidden waterfalls and treasure-trove charity shops, Hebden Bridge is a popular attraction all of its own for those wanting to venture beyond the city. Coin is simply the cherry on top.  

Opened by Chloe Greenwood and Oliver Lawson at the end of 2021, it sits in the impressive shell of a former Lloyd’s bank, its interior all exposed brick and massive period windows, dark walls and chunky wooden tables. 

After years at esteemed places like The Moorcock Inn at Norland, Mana and El Gato Negro, the pair made the decision to venture out on their own, inspired in part by the way things had changed during the pandemic. 

Whilst Chloe had ‘the best summer ever’ driving around with deliveries and having barbecues at Norland, Oliver was ‘crazy busy’ feeding fish and chips to the masses whilst opening three new sites for a seafood restaurant group.

As a result, a moment of Covid-induced existentialism led them to pursue a dream that had been hovering around in the background for years, where they could build something for themselves and produce something excellent without working every hour God sent. 

Now, alongside Head Chef Alex Shaw (formerly of 10 Tib Lane and early small plates-adopter Volta), at Coin they offer a list of great natural wines with European-style plates that showcase quality produce first and foremost.

Working with very limited equipment (we’re talking two induction hobs, a meat slicer and a fryer), the small plates here are ever-changing and pleasingly simple 

Think freshly shucked Cumbrae oysters dressed in coriander oil, pickled jalapenos and parsley, or a richly comforting nduja and octopus stew, not a showy garnish in sight. 

But it’s Chloe and Oliver’s passion for cutting meat and cheese to order that really sits at the heart of the menu, a move Oliver says was partly inspired by his time working with El Gato and Canto chef Simon Shaw.

“Simon always used to cut, at the original site anyway, always used to do his meat plates to order, it was always done out in the dining room and that kind of thing, so I always really [liked that].”

Everything is sourced exclusively from small-scale producers. Meat is brought over by the pallet from Italy whilst a mix of cheeses, ranging from traditional french and English to the occasional Italian or Spanish specimen, are all bought locally.

“We always have a hard cheese, we always have a goats cheese, we always have a washed rind cheese, we always have a blue, so there’s always like, similar styles, there’s always five cheeses and then we kind of mess it around,” they tell us. 

“The meat plate doesn’t change as much because we just, we’re really happy with the products that are on there, so that’s kind of more a staple.”

There’s generally a smoky and fatty finocchiona or salami molinari, a copa, a ‘really good’ naturally-cured speck and a rare breed mortadella, all sliced on site to order,. 

They also tend to do some whipped sobrassada or nduja, served straight on the bread with just a drizzle of honey, that ‘seems to be a bit of a winner.’

Quality is key, and it shines through on the plate. The focus on sourcing things well, they say, comes largely from their time up at Norland, which changed their perception of dining with its small plates concept and emphasis on ethical sourcing, rare breeds and traditional techniques. 

Drinks wise, there is a strong list of craft beers ranging from Barcelona to Belgium to Cheltenham, with a minimum of six draught taps on at once. 

Cocktails come in the form of a shortlist of ice-cold batched classics: vodka martinis, negronis, sweet manhattans and a summer rum punch. 

By their own admission, though, Coin has become more of a wine bar than they had necessarily planned on it being. 

Describing wine as their “shared biggest passion,” they say that they have both worked as sommeliers, Chloe most recently at lauded gastropub The Moorcock, Oliver at Mana for a brief stint when it got its Michelin star before leaving for “obvious reasons”.

Still, whilst they share a deep understanding of wine, Oliver, who has generally held more management and operational roles, says Chloe “definitely has a better understanding of natural wine than I do so that’s definitely her department, 100%”.

She tells us she has handpicked the entire list and that there isn’t a bottle on it she hasn’t tried.

“I won’t list a wine that I’ve not tasted, just to make sure that I’m not buying a case of wine that I actually hate and then passing that on to a customer..

She’s also says she’s not really a fan of the “natty, funky, hazy wild, you know, really acidic, really crazy wines”, so if that’s what you’re looking for you probably won’t find it on her list.

“Because of where we are, it’s not very often that people are coming in looking for that kind of thing so we’re easing them in with like things that maybe taste a little bit more conventional but have a natural ethos.

“My list is obviously my taste but I try to make it as varied as possible, my tastes are quite varied so I don’t think that it’s a problem.”

“When you encounter a new wine list and like producers that you’ve never heard of before, you still learn a lot because it’s not like regular wine where you can be like ‘it’s this grape, this region, so it’s going to be ilke this’.

“Because we work with natural wine, it’s always a learning situation I think for anyone, even for people who know a lot about natural wine.”

Opening up in Hebden Bridge was not their first choice, but they say it has actually worked out for the best. 

With neighbourhood eateries on the rise, and a mix of locals and tourists with money to spend, they aren’t short of bookings. 

Chloe’s dad also grew up in the town, so holds a sentimental connection to the place too. 

“I love Hebden Bridge, my dad’s from Hebden Bridge,” she tells us. 

“I grew up in Greetland, just a little bit away, but we used to come here, my dad’s from here so he used to take us on walks around the town and tell us all the stuff he got up to when he was a kid and stuff.

“It’s nice to be here because it feels like we actually have a bit of a connection to it.” 

Originally they had looked at a space opposite one of Oliver’s work’s restaurants in the suburb of Headingley, but lost out on it to established operator Fika North, who would go on to open Bottle Chock – a natural wine shop, bar and deli where you can refill your bottles on tap.

Read more: Inside Gooey’s new bakery and cafe as it prepares to open in Northern Quarter

“We were going to do a very similar concept to what they did there,” they tell us, “kind of like this but with a bit less food.” 

“We ended up doing more than we thought we would originally, we’re happy with it now, it works, so [we’ve] kind of settled into it.” 

“i think it worked out for the best.”

To find out more about Coin and book a table, visit its social media pages here,,The restaurant also has an upcoming supper club with Manchester brewery Track, date pending.

Feature image – Lucas Smith Photography / Flickr

Manchester’s Princess Street is a veritable treasure trove of underrated and overlooked restaurants, not least hidden Greek taverna Bouzouki By Night.

It might appear no more than a takeaway stand from the street, but venture underground and you’ll discover a huge Meditteranean restaurant complete with checkered tablecloths, colourful fairy lights and expansive landscapes of the Aegean Sea.

When we visit, owner Photis Nasaris is perched on a chair outside smoking a cigarette, an ashtray and half-empty coffee cup balanced on what, we assume, is his car bonnet.

We’ve come for some traditional Greek wraps, in search of a quick and cheap lunchtime fix. Little did we know we’d find a huge restaurant underneath to transport us to sunnier climes.

A fixture here for over thirty years, during the day students and office workers flock to Bouzouki’s Little Greek shopfront for warm spinach and filo pastries, sweet baklava, affordable souvlaki and gyros.

Stuffed with your choice of pork, chicken, halloumi, kofta or falafel, plus chips, salad, hummus, tzatziki and chilli sauce, they’re quite the lunchtime steal at £5.30 a pop – and filling too.

But come nightfall it’s a different story altogether, as the name not so subtly suggests. Locals in the know head down every Friday and Saturday for a taste of Bouzouki’s signature spanakopites, dolmathes (stuffed meat vine leaves) and mousaka, and a spot of post-dinner dancing.

On Fridays and Saturdays Bouzouki also serves a special Greek meze banquet packed with hot pitta, greek salad, houmous, tzatziki, halloumi, chicken skewers, kofta, rice, spanakopita, stifado and more.

Meat dishes can also be replaced for vegetarian options like garlic mushroom, chickpea stew, veg moussaka and stuffed tomato feta, so there is something on offer for everyone.

Bouzouki also carries a wide selection of dry, fruity Greek wines, perfect for getting you in the party mood.

Once diners are done with their meal, the fun really starts. Everyone is invited to get up and join the “big fat Greek good time” on the restaurant’s makeshift dancefloor, with plenty of singing and silliness carrying on late into the night.

Read more: This Manchester bar is doing a Spanish bottomless brunch with paella and endless sangria

Whether you simply fancy a good knees-up, or are hankering after some tasty Greek classics, Bouzouki is worth a look-in. To find out more and book a table, visit the restaurant’s website here.

Feature image – The Manc Eats

In April calorie labelling on menus became a legal requirement for restaurant groups employing over 250 staff in the UK, but now the government could be looking to drop them altogether.

Under the orders of the Treasury, government ministers have ordered an official review of its anti-obesity strategy. As a result, menu calorie counts could now be scrapped as part of a ‘drive to cut red tape’, reports The Guardian.

First introduced on April 6, new rules currently require larger hospitality businesses to display calorie counts ‘clearly and prominently’ along with the statement ‘adults need around 2000kcal a day’.

But now a new review, described by Whitehall sources as “deregulatory  in focus”, could see the policy ditched entirely, meaning many cafes, takeaways and restaurants thart have invested in printing new menus will now likely find them redundant.

When calorie labelling came into force, it was widely criticised by eating disorder charities, restauranteurs, chefs and food critics alike.

Then Public Health Minister Jo Churchill, said at the time: “Our aim is to make it as easy as possible for people to make healthier food choices for themselves and their families, both in restaurants and at home. That is why we want to make sure everyone has access to accurate information about the food and drink we order.

“These measures form an important building block in our strategy to support and encourage people in achieving and maintaining a healthier weight.”

Masterchef winner Simon Wood, who has a restaurant on First Street, appeared on TV the morning the legislation was introduced to speak out against it.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, the Oldham-based chef said that although the rules didn’t currently apply to him, he wouldn’t consider following suit unless forced.

He told viewers: “Sometimes given the current situation with hospitality and the supply chain things aren’t there, you have to adapt your menu on the fly, what are you going to do? Rewrite it every day? 

“What if things don’t turn up? What if you’re making a sauce and you need four bottles of wine but you’ve only got two?

This should also include reviewing measures like calorie labelling on menus, which add significant costs fuelling food price inflation and can also impact mental health and well being – online or on request would be better https://t.co/20tsDFjpBb

“What if someone adds too much salt, sodium, things like that that aren’t considered in calories, I think there’s a bigger approach to what people should be looking at than just a number.”

A week later, Manchester restaurant Dishoom made headlines for scribbling calories off its menu at a customer’s request. Soon after, it added a calorie free option.

Many others have since followed suit, suggesting the move to ditch calorie labelling could prove popular with business owners.

Read more: ‘Until I’m forced to do it, I wouldn’t’ says Simon Wood as calorie counts added to UK menus

However, the review may also look to ditch the 2018 sugar tax, a measure hailed by experts for helping to make soft drinks less unhealthy.

It is also likely to reverse bans on displaying sugary products at checkouts and multi-buy deals, as well as scrap restrictions on advertising before the 9pm watershed.

Health officials are said to be ‘aghast’ at the idea that the new Prime Minister could potentially scrap the new anti-obesity strategies, which were agreed upon and approved by parliament just this year.

The Obesity Health Alliance, a grouping of 50 health charities and medical organisations, has described it as “a kick in the teeth”.

“We are deeply concerned. It would be reckless to waste government and business time and money rowing back on these obesity policies, which are evidence-based and already in law. These policies are popular with the public, who want it to be easier to make healthier choices,” Katharine Jenner, the alliance’s director, told The Guardian.

Read more: Manchester restaurant Dishoom scribbles calories off menu at customer’s request

There has also been criticism of the move from within the Conservative party, with one Tory peer telling the paper: “Improving the nation’s health is one of the best ways we can increase productivity and workforce capacity and thereby drive growth. So I would be very surprised by any decisions that actually strive to make the UK less healthy.”

Liz Truss said in a recent newspaper interview: “Those taxes are over.

“Talking about whether or not somebody should buy a two-for-one offer? No. There is definitely enough of that.”

She added Brits “don’t want the government telling them what to eat”.

The people's voice of Greater Manchester.
Our aim? To make sure you’re in the know, entertained and educated on what’s happened, or what’s happening, in our great city.

39 Princess Street, M2 4FN [email protected]

Copyright © 2022 The Manc The Manc is a trademark of The Manc Creative Ltd