The 18th-century building is going back to its roots
Renown chef Joe Mcleod has taken over Giuseppe’s Italian restaurant in Edgeworth – and has big plans
A top chef has announced he will be turning a former Italian restaurant in Greater Manchester into a gastropub offering a new ‘culinary experience’.
Earlier this month, the owners of Giuseppe’;s Italian in Edgeworth, Bolton announced they were handing over the venue to a new outfit, who would be bringing a ‘whole new level of excellence and innovation’.
At the time, the owners of the Bolton Road eatery – which had been going for eight years – said they were ‘pleased to hand the baton over to such amazing talent’ to spend more time with their family.
The 18th Century building, originally home to Olives Bistro and Antonello’s, will now be the location for The Spread Eagle by Mcleod 9 – the newest venture from local chef Joe Mcleod.
It takes its name from another previous incarnation of the site, serving as the Spread Eagle from the 1800s to the late 1990s.
Joe Mcleod and the new Spread Eagle team
Joe previously served as head chef at Ryan Giggs’ co-owned George’s Dining Room and Bar, which earned an AA Rosette. He has also worked at esteemed venues including Stanley House Hotel in Blackburn and the Michelin-starred Northcote Manor and Manor House in Castle Coombe.
Joe has also run his own Mcleod 9 private dining experience, which included a pop-up residency at the Spring Cottage restaurant in Rivington, Lancashire.
In transforming the Edgeworth venue, Joe says he wants to elevate it into a destination gastropub serving local and guest cask ales, an esteemed wine list and an exciting food menu spanning across ‘morsels’, a la carte and five course tasting menus.
The gastropub will serve up five-course tasting menus, offering ‘culinary excellence’
The dishes served in some of Joe’s previous tasting menus have included wild mushroom ragu with salt baked celeriac puree, and a sticky soy glazed confident pork belly with a pig leg lollipop. There has also been truffle bread and butter pudding for starters, and glazed treacle toffee cake for dessert.
Speaking about his plans, Joe said: “We are really excited to bring something totally inclusive to the community that people will value, taking the pub back to its Spread Eagle roots and focussing on providing fantastic food and drink in an environment where everyone feels welcome is really important.
“This is a fantastic village, set in incredible countryside, so we want walkers with or without dogs to feel welcome to call in for a coffee mid-walk or a drink and something to eat afterwards.
Chef Joe said he is determined to provide ‘fantastic food and drink in an environment where everyone feels welcome’
“We love the idea of our neighbours in the community coming and spending an evening with us to wind down with friends after work and enjoying some morsels from the bar. Equally we also want to become a destination for those that want to sample something truly special with our tasting or a la carte menus.
“Our focus on service, quality and environment will, we hope, bring this fantastic local pub firmly back into the heart of the communities of Turton, Edgworth and surrounding areas.”
Following a short period of refurbishment, Joe and the McLeod 9 team will proudly reopen as The Spread Eagle by McLeod 9 on July 9. It will initially be open Wednesday to Sunday from 12pm. More information here.
The Spread Eagle by McLeod 9 is on 10 Bolton Road, Bolton, BL7 0DS.