No half measures at this rising Star

Oldham Works _ the Chronicle’s campaign to boost Oldham

SUCH has been the success story of the Morning Star Restaurant and Inn, the management team has taken on a new challenge.

The business in Grains Road, Shaw, was named pub of the year in the JW Lees and Co (Brewers) awards at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester.

Now the team behind the success has put together a business plan for the Halfway House in Rochdale Road, Royton.

Refurbishment work is well under way and once the redecoration is complete the Morning Star team hopes to create at atmosphere similar to that which has transformed the J W Lees house into one of the most popular eateries in the borough.

It is impossible to get a seat in the 50-cover restaurant without a prior booking on Fridays and Saturdays.

In fact, restaurant manager Dave Nield, a former Cunard Line waiter, recommends booking for all meal times at the seven-days-a-week inn.

The whole of the lounge has been transformed into a restaurant in the makeover of the former pub.

The new look cost around £75,000, most of the investment going on state-of-the-art kitchen facilities.

This is where head chef Tim Perrin, originally from Newhey and back in this country after 10 years running his own business in New Zealand, creates the dishes which have captured the imagination of the dining public.

He works closely with his colleague, chef Charlotte Bloom, from Stratford upon Avon.

The whole of the pub’s management team works on the food list, the set menu being changed quarterly and the a la carte specials being changed weekly.

Two years ago, the Morning Star was a run-down pub, on its last legs.

The new team saw the potential of the rambling building, which has resurrected trade in the former tap room, now a light and airy space where people who don’t want to eat can sample the atmosphere of a traditional pub.

But is the restaurant that has turned around the business and the team hopes that this brand of magic will rub off on the Halfway House