Village with Corrie legend’s tearooms and award-winning farm shop just off the M56

Nestled just off the main Altrincham Road into Wilmslow, not far from the M56, are the villages of Morley and Morley Green. They may be tiny on the map, but they drawn in the crowds to visit some of the quirky businesses at their heart. Not least a village tearooms that has queues out the door on weekends for its fresh baked cakes – as well as a bit of showbiz sparkle too.

For Morley’s Tearooms is run by the wife of Coronation Street[1] legend Simon Gregson. Simon, who famously plays Corrie’s Steve McDonald, is regularly to be found either helping out wife Emma at the cafe, or popping by for a slice of cake or quiche himself. Simon and Emma also live in the area and know just what a beautiful part of Cheshire[3] it is to be.

Simon and Emma at Morley Tearooms (Image: Manchester Evening News)

Emma says of Morley Green: “It’s a lovely place because we’re in the countryside, but only five minutes away from the motorway in one direction, and five minutes from Wilmslow in the other so you get the best of both worlds.

“In the heart of the village there’s a brilliant social club where we’ve had family parties, and there’s always a lovely floral display on the village green.” Emma realised her lifelong dream to open a cafe here in 2022. She took over the tearooms that had been long established at Morley’s Nurseries, the neighbouring garden centre.

She bakes all of her own cakes, getting up at 5am every morning to ensure there’s a full range for customers. And her cakes – the likes of Victoria Sponge, lemon drizzle, toffee and chocolate for GBP3.75 a slice – have been a huge hit with customers. So much so she’s now eyeing a second site in Cheshire to cope with demand.

She says: “I’ve seen somewhere that would make a great second site, but it’s just an idea at this stage.

Emma has become famous for her cakes – Victoria sponge and scones pictured here (Image: Manchester Evening News)

“I get up to bake at 5am every morning, seven days a week, because I just love baking. It’s tiring, but as long as I still love it I’ll never stop.” Emma says she’s aware plenty of visitors hope to catch a glimpse of her famous hubby when they head to her tearooms.

She says: “He’s had a big storyline at the moment so is very busy at work, but he does come in whenever he can. “We do get a lot of Corrie fans coming in and I always like to have a chat with them. One even brought me a Rovers Return teapot as a gift – we’ve now put that on display, it’s so lovely.”

When the cafe first opened, Simon spoke of how proud he was of Emma for following her dream. He told the MEN: “It’s amazing what Emma has done already here, I’m so proud. People are queuing out of the door for her cakes.

Simon is so proud of wife Emma (Image: Manchester Evening News)

“There’s a group of ladies here who want to nominate her for an award for her cakes, and people are now coming in asking if they can buy whole Victoria sponges they’re that popular.

If I’m not at work I like to pop in for a sandwich as it’s better than making one at home.” Simon has long known Emma’s skills in the kitchen. He said: “Her cooking is amazing, I mean it was like wow, it’s always been next level.

I got to be chief taster at the start for the cakes too, I think she’s a feeder,” he jokes. The couple live locally with their three boys and love it in the area. Emma said: “It’s just a beautiful part of the world.”

The village nurseries

Flowers in bloom at Morley’s Nurseries (Image: MEN)

Emma’s tearooms sits on the long-established Morley’s Nurseries site, which is a popular spot for gardening fans.

They offer a range of potted plants and flowers. And at this time of year they’re famous for their gorgeous hanging baskets, priced from GBP14. The nurseries are open seven days a week from 10am to 4pm.

The award-winning farm shop

Inside the popular Cheshire Smokehouse (Image: MEN)

Just along the lanes from Morley’s Tearooms and Nurseries, at the heart of Morley Green you’ll find the Cheshire Smokehouse.

It has long been known for its dazzling array of fresh local produce, and is regularly shortlisted for awards including the most recent at the Farm Shop and Deli Retailer Awards. The Cheshire Smokehouse describes itself as an ‘oasis of quality and taste in a world of uniformity and blandness’ on its website and has been a mainstay of Wilmslow[4] life for the past 30 years. Walking inside you’ll find a real foodie treasure trove.

Although the much-loved cafe on the site never reopened following the forced closure through the pandemic. The owners at the Cheshire[5] farm shop won planning permission last year to upgrade the premises with a whole new cafe on the site, boasting views across the farmland, although work has not yet begun on the changes.

Lots of fresh produce inside Cheshire Smokehouse (Image: MEN)

When it does open, there will also be improved facilities for their food production – the smokehouse is central to the operation where salmon is smoked and meats and cheeses are cured on site. The farm shop serves an array of locally-sourced produce, including fresh fruit and veg, a full butchery, deli, wine shop and freshly-baked bread and pastries that are all baked in-house and sold Tuesday to Saturday.

The venue does not currently open on Sundays. It has been run by Darren Ward and his family in Morley Green for almost 30 years. When they initially announced their redevelopment plans they said: “Unfortunately our current site faces some challenges, and to address these, we’re planning some changes to our site layout and buildings.

“As part of these new proposals, we plan to refresh the shop, bring back a fully accessible cafe, and create a new food production building.

Sustainability is also at the heart of our new plans, from solar panels and cycle facilities to creating a new, fully landscaped car park area with tree planting and green space.”

References

1. ^ Coronation Street (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
2. ^ Corrie legend teases return as he helps launch Cheshire beauty salon (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
3. ^ Cheshire (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
4. ^ Wilmslow (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
5. ^ Cheshire (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)