The Moorcock Inn at Norland gastropub to close after 'wild ride'
Yorkshire gastropub the Moorcock Inn at Norland is to close in January 2023 after five years of trading.
In a statement co-owner Aimee Turford said that though running the pub had been a "wild ride" the team had decided to shut the business.
The Moorcock Inn was launched by Turford, who oversees front of house, and Alisdair Brooke-Taylor, a former sous chef at Michelin-starred De Wulf restaurant in Belgium, who also makes all the ceramics for the restaurant and bar.
Since launch it has received glowing reviews from the national critics, with the Sunday Times' Marina O'Loughlin dubbing it ‘a foodie's Narnia' and is recommended in the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2022.
But in a post, Turford said the closure had been ‘inevitable' after a difficult two years. "In honesty, we have barely caught our breath the last two years, and now costs in every area spiral, recession looms, there is the prospect of supply issues, the world is an unstable place right now. Frankly, it's just no time to be running a small business like ours.
"Although, it's far from all about this. We do not own the building and this has led to some significant difficulties at times. There are some personal reasons too, for both Alisdair and myself that lead to this decision being inevitable."
Turford said the team have no plans to try and open another pub, adding: "A shinier building, or a different location, or investors. It could make something similar, but not equal."
She added: "We cannot know what is next for The Moorcock, but we are grateful to have been a little piece of its history. Love or loathe us, we suspect this incarnation will be remembered for a while. And we will never forget this little pub on this windy hill. With its wild weather, warm people and those sunsets. Which gave a lot and took a lot. In a way that things in life can sometimes."
The team are planning to run several events this year, details of which will be announced soon.
Picture: Google Maps
