Greatest Mancunian Luncher gets Odder

A party was held last week in Odder on Oxford Road.

This was the leaving do for Mr Neil Sowerby of the MEN and City Life who was made redundant last week along with many others. Sleuth was in attendance to shake the hand of the greatest living luncher in the city and welcome him into the wandering troubadour class of freelancers. Neil was joined by wife, Teresa, and daughter, Emily.

The Manchester man of letters decided to celebrate in style with DJ sets from Anna Greenwood of Guilty Pleasures, Ruth Allan of Guilty Lunches and Gary Ryan of Guilty Haircuts. The excellent indie-folk Travelling Man beat combo enlivened us with a tight set of consummate professionalism and unparalleled loudness. As someone said to Sleuth: “It’s all right for them, have you seen the length of their hair they can’t hear a thing?” Sleuth said: “Excuse me?”

The Manchester writing media were out in force. The aforementioned writers Ruth Allan and Gary Ryan were there plus Evening News staffers Dianne Bourne, Simon Donohue, Paul Taylor and Paul Ogden. Ogden takes over the reins at MEN pullout City Life and its subsidiary website.

Other folk along for the ride including freelancers such as Helen Tither, Carmel Thomason, Flic Everett, Eric Jackson, David Sue, Kevin Bourke and Emma Unsworth. Land of PR people included Andy Spinoza, Shelia Bourke, Zoe Vaughan Davies, Peter Burling and Jo Houlcroft. Other guests included Neil Thornton, Rachel Morris, Simon Buckley, Stuart Monty, Matthew Frost and Phil Taylor.

Neil will be retreating to the hills, temporarily, before resuming writing. He lives in Calderdale close to Todmorden. Being so close to nature is important for Neil and he takes a lot from it: not least his haircut which is based on the un-shorn backside of the hardy Herdwick sheep.

Just a final note, restaurateurs and bar owners were in tears when they heard the news of Neil’s fate. They even set up the NDL, the Neil Defence League in defence of extreme lunches. But fear not, Mr Sowerby’s happy foodie proclivities live on. Even as we put this story up, Sleuth hears the man is on his third bottle at Hanging Ditch wine merchants. And in any case the poor souls would still have Confidential to bolster profits.