An oast house, as everyone with the internet and a search engine knows, is a building in which hops are dried for the brewing process. The Oast House in Spinningfields, Manchester, is now a place in which to dry, feed and water people after they have been rained on.
Nestled among the glacial shimmering of the financial district’s glass and steel superstructures, this quaint throwback is a much more natural affair – brick, stone and wood all come together to create a homely and pleasantly comforting building.
The Oast House has a nicely realised outside area in which to enjoy the summer sunshine, but for the other 51 weeks of the year, you’ll want to be inside unless you’re gasping for a fag. Rustic furnishings, and touches like the sheepskin seen here, lend a warming feel to the interior, and the food, while from a modern menu, arrives on equally unprepossessing serving ware.
For groups who need a little team-building, The Oast House offers an ale-tasting course to educate your palate in the finer points of beer. That beats paint-balling in my book.
