Tom Kerridge to close the Bull and Bear restaurant at Gary Neville's Manchester hotel

Tom Kerridge is to close his Bull and Bear restaurant at Manchester’s Stock Exchange hotel at the end of this year.

The chef partnered with the hotel’s owners, GG Hospitality’s Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville, and hotelier Winston Zahra, to open the restaurant in 2019.

However, the chef and Neville have jointly agreed to end their partnership on 31 December.

In a video on Neville’s LinkedIn page, the former footballer said he had enjoyed “every single minute” of the partnership but that the needs of the hotel and restaurant had become “slightly disconnected”.

Kerridge said the restaurant was unable to open seven days a week despite the hotel being a full-time operation.

He added that the closure would allow him to focus his attention on his restaurants in London and Marlow.

Kerridge said in a statement: “We feel the need to concentrate on our Marlow and London sites and this allows us to look at further opportunities within these areas, therefore we have mutually decided to part ways.

“We would like to thank all our guests for the amazing support they have given us, and all staff have been offered roles elsewhere within the business and head chef Connor Black is returning to Australia where he worked for several years.

“We wish GG Hospitality and the Stock Exchange all the success in the future.”

More details of the new restaurant that will replace the Bull and Bear will be released next week.

Kerridge’s wider restaurant portfolio includes the two-Michelin-starred Hand and Flowers pub and the Michelin-starred Coach pub, both in Marlow, and Kerridge’s Bar and Grill at the Corinthia hotel in London.

The chef added: “For Manchester, it’s goodbye for now.”