I know that you've heard it 1000 times before, but hospitality is having a rougher time than a soufflé in a wind tunnel at the moment.  A cocktail of factors has created the perfect storm of expensive operations due to rising costs, and also customers have less disposable income than in years gone by, hence they eat out less or spend less when they do.  If guests skip that digestif after pudding, or indeed the pudding itself, that's a tenner or so less spent per person which amounts to many thousands less over the year for restaurants.  It's a pinch which is more than felt and has led to profitability being lower than it's ever been for venues, often even if they are busy.

As a result we've seen a series of closures in and around the city during the last 12 months.  Some big hitting long term fixtures such as TNQ, Hard Rock Café, and the lovely Pep Guardiola-backed Tast.  If those guys are struggling to balance the books or prop up places until things improve, then it shows how rough things are for others, and venues can only be bankrolled by external incomes for so long before their accountants pull the plug.  So fast forward to this year, and Orme in Urmston announced that due to said matters, the business is up for sale and hence will sadly close at some point.

Shamefully, we are 100% guilty of not visiting Orme until now.  You know how it goes; when a place is only a 20 minute drive away you fully intend to visit, but ironically never do because it's an easy trip to make anytime.  The reservation calendar gets filled up with places further afield via car or in the city centre via taxi, and the ones in between get forgotten.  That’s' our limp excuse anyway.

So, when the news of Orme's pending sale dropped, citing the above factors, it kicked us in the backside to actually book.  Shame on us for taking so long.  We popped in the car on a cold, wet supposedly Spring Thursday night and found a packed dining room; a far cry from a restaurant which is struggling to put bums on seats; the true barometer of a venue's success.

You get a choice of menu; either the good old a la carte which lets you retain complete control of your experience, or the tasting menu which as you'll already know is a set menu format with the kitchen taking charge, sending you what they consider to be their highlights.  Being consummate pros, we chose the latter option and were rewarded for the more than reasonable £70 per person which it costs.

Snacks were headlined with a lovely single bite tartare which sang with its balance and sturdiness.  Next was a set custard, topped with slices of ham. The dish would have eaten better had the ham been pre-sliced into smaller pieces which were edible with the provided spoon rather than our hands, but it was still a delicious precursor for the following plates.

Orme's bread started the proper courses, and it was simply superlative.  Baked in house and served with smoked marmite butter, and also a crab mousse.  We've eaten about 30 'bread course' offerings at restaurants this year, and this sat in our top 5 breads of 2026 to date, easily.

BBQ Mushroom followed on its kintsugi repaired plate, delivering a massive umami hit with a pop of bite from a scattering of hazelnut.  Strong work.  Brixham Day Boat, aka fish of the day, was hake.  It's arguably my favourite fish, and this was cooked nicely with properly textured skin and an aerated cauli and roasted onion sauce which more than did the fish justice.  Another small garnish could have lifted the presentation a notch, but we had no complaints in the ultimately important taste department.

The table was then served a couple of serious looking handmade sabres, which were an indicator that the main course was en route.  Ribeye of Cumbrian Pork was cooked on point, as I'd already come to expect by this stage, enhanced with a stunning carrot and strong saucing.  The uber seasonal ramson chimichurri was blinding, and would proudly sit alongside any protein.

We sat and took a breather following the main course, and whilst not Orme's fault one bit, there was a table of 4 who chose to spend their evening in a cosy restaurant gossiping about everything and everyone, not realising just how much their voices carried. I could probably steal the ringleader's identity based on how much I now know about her (don’t worry I won’t). Whilst Orme isn't a library and whispering isn’t needed, remember you're in a small space.

Luckily I wasn’t driving so treated myself to Orme's wine flight.  You could tell pretty quickly into service that Orme treat their wine seriously, and the wine service was some of the best that we've had in recent months, including at some Starred level places.  Every glass was superb quality with nothing being overly predictable or samey, aka it was interesting. A factor that somehow, many somms overlook.  The wonderful Ellie delivered the juice knowledge and back stories expertly well, and her natural charm shone brightly.

Baron Bigod was an optional cheese course (£11) which was well worth the slightly splurgy addition even on a Thursday night.  We loved the no doubt accidental shape that the skin made upon being melted, sat atop a roasted apple and marjoram cake and a swirl of honey for a classic flavour combo.  We loved the confidence in this dish, and even added a glass of Port too.  And why not?

Sheep's Yoghurt Sorbet, seemingly a lowly pre dessert, was one of the table favourites of the whole evening.  Blood Orange and Stem Ginger mousse packed a sherberty tingle which freshened the mouth like a charm.  Superb.

And to end, Orme's Lemon Parfait with Rhubarb and Rosemary was simple yet effective pastry, akin to what you see in places which can't warrant a specific pastry section these days but still want pull off something a bit boujee.  A ball of lovely tart parfait, decorated with all manner of crumb, tuile and dots.  And let's be honest, it looked rather nice too didn’t it?  A suitably enjoyable ending to our equally as solid experience.

Now clearly I have no clue what the future holds for Orme once it sells, as you can't foresee who will buy it or what their intentions will be once the keys are secured.   Nor do I know what the team currently running Orme will go on to do, but I truly hope that see them again once the Orme story ends.  Chefs Jack Fields and Tom Wilson should be hugely proud of what's been built here, and it easy see why Orme has become a burb favourite since launch, and 100% why Michelin chose to do something fairly rare; to adorn a Mcr burb venue with an Assiette listing! 

That packed dining room doesn’t lie, and it's just a tragedy that it no longer guarantees a success story in terms of balancing the books.  Operators literally cannot do any more than fill a dining room via a quality product, which in an industry where giving your guests a great experience is literally the name of said game, it's a sad reminder of how difficult things continue to be for all things hospitality.  Call in and see the team at Orme whilst you still can, just as we should have done sooner.