Rochdale's new 'hospitality powerhouse' built on the spirit of co-operation

Rochdale’s evolving food and drink scene just got a whole lot more exciting, with the recent launch of The Lancashire Hospitality Co-operation, a collection of award winning food and drink venues in Rochdale.

Spearheaded by local businessman Ben Boothman, the newly formed Lancashire Hospitality Co-operation encompasses popular local venues such as The Flying Horse Hotel, Bombay Brew and The Baum in Rochdale Town Centre, The Red Lion Inn in Whitworth, the Hare on the Hill in Littleborough and the Crown and Shuttle in Firgrove, into ‘one incredible hospitality powerhouse’. Each of these well loved venues has returned postlockdown with a new brand and a totally new direction.

Ben commented: "At the start of the year when we carved out our dream of bringing together all of our incredible venues and future projects under one company we couldn’t imagine the challenges we were about to face as a nation and a trade. But they say adversity is preparation for greatness. And greatness is just the start of our ambition.

"Keeping fiercely to our Northern roots, we aspire to uphold the traditional values of co-operation between all of our businesses. Individually each of them are exceptional in their field. Together, they are sensational." The company brings together some big local names from the hospitality industry.

Ben added: "We’ve managed to assemble an astonishing team drawing from the immense talent within the businesses and recruiting big names from the industry to create a formidable roster of individuals who will help steer the company in a brave new direction".

One of the talented individuals at the forefront of the new company is popular local chef Tom McNeeney. After building a name for himself at his family run pub, The Oxford, Tom has joined Lancashire Hospitality Co as Business Development Manager and one of the directors. Within just two months, Tom has already helped to bring huge, positive changes to each venue.

Tom commented: "As much as lockdown was a truly awful time for our industry, it gave us a rare opportunity to look at what we really want from our businesses, what we wanted to offer the town and how we could change things we do for the better. No one in this trade has ever had quite so much time to plan, to think, to breathe.

"We’ve used it as an opportunity to completely reinvent some of our venues, The Baum has been reborn as a place where finally the food is as iconic as the beer selection. To make those changes without lockdown would have taken months, if not years. In Bombay Brew we had the opportunity to really fine tune the fantastic work we’d already started and come back post lockdown slicker, bolder and better than ever.

"It’s just the start of our ambitions for the town centre but the changes have been so well received we’re excited to see what the future holds."