Known for his breakout role in hit TV series Bad Education, Layton Williams is a British actor who was born and bred in the market town of Bury, Greater Manchester. Although he made the move to London when he was 11, to pursue his acting career, he makes frequent trips back to his hometown to see his family. With a memory around every corner, Williams gives us a rundown of his favourite places to go for bite, a quick coffee – and even somewhere to hit the dance floor.
Eat
‘One of my favourite places is a café called Automatic. In the daytime you can go for a coffee and chill, and maybe whip out your laptop and work. In the evening they do cocktails and it becomes more like a restaurant, somewhere you’d have an intimate dinner or a cute catch-up with a friend. I used to take my mum out for a meal there, back in the day – they serve up buddha bowls, vegan burgers and a variety of pizzas.’
Drink
‘For an oat milk latte, I like to head to Bloom Coffee Co. It’s got an Australian kind of vibe to it, and has a few bits and bobs to eat as well, like avo on toast (which is definitely not something you could get in Bury back in the day). The windows overlook the town’s church and square, so it’s a good space to watch the world go by and do some people-watching.’
Do
‘The award-winning Bury Market has around 200 stores and is well worth a wander. My step-mum used to have a stall there that sold baby wear; I used to help her out when I was younger. And if you’re a veggie or vegan like myself, go and find the stall that sells plant-based black pudding. Bury was actually the place where black pudding was invented, which is kind of gross.’
See
‘I recently realised there’s a gay bar in Bury: it’s called The House of Bridget. I went there on Christmas Eve for the first time. There were drag queens dressed as Mrs Claus, Scooter was playing and there was a whole mix of people, including many queers, queens, gays, theys, thems. It was really nice for me to be at home but also surrounded by my community for the first time ever. I would definitely recommend a trip there to see some drag shows.’
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