The owners of a popular Manchester pop-up have announced a new monthly supper club that will be taking place at a former cotton mill in Stockport.
Malanie Tillekeratne and Michael Hooper began The Little Sri Lankan during the pandemic in 2020 as a delivery service in Levenshulme where people could enjoy their authentic Sri Lankan cuisine at home.
A love for their dishes, like prawn vadai and beef buns, led to being invited to take part in a series of pop-up events, festival appearances, private events and supper clubs across the city-borough. But last month, Malanie and Michael said they had been forced to cancel a number of events due to a difficult trading period.
The pair, who have been nominated for Trader of the Year at the Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards for the last two years in a row, posted in December that some events last year had been forced to be cancelled as they had not been deemed to be ‘financially viable’.
The couple said it had been ‘really disheartening’ for them as they had tried to make their business a success. However, the pair have now revealed the exciting news that they are launching a new monthly supper club in Stockport.
The Little Sri Lankan
(Image: The Little Sri Lankan)
Set to run each month, with the first due to take place on Thursday, February 27, the event will consist of four courses and a welcome drink and will take place at the early 19th-century Miru Mill. Located in the heart of Stockport old town on Lavender Brow, the co-working space regularly hosts events, like makers markets, throughout the year.
Malanie and Michael said they were first invited into the former Chuchgate Mill by owners Incu, who also run clothing brand emiko, and were amazed by its potential. Speaking to the M.E.N, they said they hoped the new monthly event would help them build up their loyal following even further.
“We have decided to do a monthly supper club residency at Miru Mill in Stockport because we think if we are in one place more frequently, we would gain more of a following,” the pair explained. “It will be held on a Thursday every month with the menu changing every two months.
The Little Sri Lankan has become known for its authentic and freshly-made Sri Lankan-inspired food
(Image: The Little Sri Lankan)
“We will be using local and seasonal produce where possible from the fantastic businesses we work with, who are based in Stockport and Manchester. “
The pair said they are also looking forward to embedding themselves into the area of Stockport – which they described as having a lovely independent spirit – but they will continue to be hosting other pop-up’s and supper clubs elsewhere too.
“We absolutely love Stockport and the independent businesses there,” they added. “We feel it is the place for us to grow in 2025 and we can see growth happening and that everyone wants it to grow.
Miru Mill is a former cotton mill dating back to the early 19th-century
(Image: Miru Mill)
“We will carry on doing supper clubs at other venues throughout the year but we just wanted something a bit more consistent and we couldn’t turn this opportunity down.”
“We feel it is the place for us to grow in 2025 and we can see growth happening and that everyone wants it to grow!”
The Little Sri Lankan’s monthly supper club at Miru Mill (SK1 1YW) will take place once a month. The first event, on February 27, will consist of four courses and a welcome drink for £45pp and can be booked here. They will also be hosting a pop-up supper club at Cafe Abloc, in Altrincham, on February 22.