Restaurant Örme in Urmston has reopened under new leadership, with a refreshed identity focused on sharing dishes rather than its previous tasting menus. The Church Street venue, which closed in February this year after its continued operation was deemed 'unfeasible', is now led by chef Jack Fields and wine director Rachel Roberts.
The pair, two of the restaurant's three founders, decided to take the business on themselves after original co-owner Tom Wilson stepped away. They initially thought they could not continue, but ultimately chose to give it another go, seeing it as an opportunity to revamp Örme's concept.
A 'big call' to change the menu
“It was a very big call for us to decide to change things,” Jack told the Manchester Evening News. “We didn’t really know what to expect or how it would go down. It was a hard one to predict because people had come to know what to expect from us.”
Jack explained that he had been looking for other jobs before the decision to stay on. “We had trouble selling the property, what we were being offered was a bit of an insult to all of the hard work we had put in,” he said. “It felt wrong to just give it away under those circumstances, so we ultimately came to the decision to stay on but to change things for us and for our customers.”
Rachel added that the nine-course tasting menu was not the most suitable for families. “It wasn’t something that was intentional but we maybe weren’t as approachable for those with children before. With the shift in the menu, that’s something we’ve been able to tweak now as well,” she said.
New menu and drinks
Örme's current menu features dishes such as cider cured seabream, Creedy Carver duck breast, and sweet and sour sticky beetroot, alongside crispy lamb shoulder scrumpet, pea and basil tarte, and roasted king scallops in a chicken and buttermilk sauce. Dishes range in price from £5 to £28, and a feasting menu remains available at £60 per person.
Popular highlights so far include the fresh catch of the day, smoked trout hashbrowns, and the smoked Lancashire cheddar muffin with dill pickle ketchup. Rachel has curated a drinks menu with a small choice of cocktails and mocktails, including the Blueberry Margarita, a Peach Mar-Tea-Ni and the Manchester Spritzer featuring raspberry Manchester gin and Vimto.
Community focus and Michelin recognition
“We want to be that real community place where people can come together, make memories, and enjoy a nice meal,” Jack said. “We’ve tried to be more affordable for people, we know everybody has less money so spending is down.”
Rachel described the revamped Örme as “a refined version” of the original. “The core identity is still there - it’s high-quality produce, good food, good wine, good times. But we’ve taken it to another level, we’ve made it more approachable,” she said.
The pair noted that business has been steady since reopening and that they are keen to share the message that they are back open. Restaurant Örme is located at 18 Church Rd, Urmston, Manchester M41 9DX.
