It’s been the subject of fierce debate for many years, but what exactly is a bread roll stuffed with chips inside actually called?
Is it a chip cob, a chip barm, a chip roll, a chip sandwich, or something else entirely?
There’s plenty of different regional names for the delicacy, but today – on what is National Fish & Chip Day 2020 – Britain has spoken, and for the firs time, the correct name for this legendary culinary delight can be revealed.
Bosses at takeaway delivery app Foodhub have been scratching their heads like the rest of the country over the delicious dilemma, so to put an end to the arguments, they surveyed the nation to find out the answer to the question that all food fans have been discussing, debating and fighting about for ages.
After much deliberation and a painstaking count of the votes, Foodhub has officially declared the king of takeaway snacks as the ‘Chip Butty’.
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According to the 2,000 takeaway fans surveyed by Foodhub in August this year, asking the hotly-debated question of chippy connoisseurs everywhere from John O’Groats to Lands End, a resounding 58% of the nation – four times more than any other option – say that chips served in a bread roll should be called a Chip Butty.
That sounds like a win for us Northerners, right?
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Dissecting the results further, Wil Chung – spokesperson for Foodhub – said: “For years, people have argued that it should be called either a chip roll, chip cob, chip barm or a myriad of other titles, but Britain has spoken, and we finally have an overwhelming consensus from the majority of the nation – it is, officially called a Chip Butty.
“The second most popular title for the Chip Butty is chip roll, with 11% of the vote. In third place is chip sandwich, with 6% of the vote, followed by a chip bap (5.75%), chip barm (4.85%) and chip cob (4%).
“There were also regional differences in opinion on this iconic water cooler debate, as you’d expect. For instance – in the North-west there was very little in it between Chip Butty and Chip Barm, Chip Butty winning the vote by just 2%. In London, while Chip Butty was favourite, Chip Roll was also up there with more than 1 in 5 people opting for that choice, and in the East Midlands around Leicester and Nottingham, while Chip Butty took the most votes, chip cob was a close second with almost 3 in every 10 people opting for that title.”
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One other thing that is certain, Britain is still very much in love with the classic fish and chips, but across the regions though, there are again some differences in how we like to eat it.
Salt and Vinegar is the overwhelming choice when choosing toppings for the nation’s favourite meal. In the North West, mushy peas (57%) and gravy (24%) feature highly on fish and chips fans must-haves agenda, in London, mayonnaise (25%) and curry sauce (24%) are the big condiment choice.
The nation is also split about how best to eat fish and chips, with 33% saying they prefer to eat it from the paper and 35% saying they’d rather eat it from a plate. Some 44% of us eat our fish and chips with a traditional knife and fork, though almost one in five of us like to eat it with an iconic chippy-style wooden fork.
When it comes to fish itself, a medium sized, lightly battered cod fillet with a medium-sized portion of chunky chips is overwhelmingly the nation’s favourite.
Whatever way, it all tastes like a Friday to us – enjoy your National Fish & Chips Day, Manchester.
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Manchester City Council green-light new venue at Medlock Square, with Mamma Mia! The Party to open the immersive space
Danny Jones
The smash-hit ‘Mamma Mia: The Party’ is set to land in Manchester next year as the maiden event of another brand-new space set to open as part of the upcoming Medlock Square development.
Etihad Campus has seen a lot of moving pieces over the past few years, be it the building of Co-op Live, the ongoing expansion of Man City’s home ground, the soon-to-launch hotel attached to the stadium and now Medlock.
But those in control of the land are content with stopping there; this looks to be just the start of a whole new evolution for the East Manchester area, with an as yet untitled new immersive arts, experience and events venue also set to join the new slate of projects.
You see another glimpse of the purpose-built mini arena, of sorts, down below.
With plans having now been approved by the City Council, the ‘immersive’ space will be situated between the Etihad, Co-op Live and Medlock Square itself, holding up to 600 guests per performance.
Currently set to open in late 2027, following the rest of the square’s launch window being fully rolled out, we still don’t know the name of this next addition, but the structure itself will dovetail with the surrounding buildings and areas as part of seasonal activations, live shows and sports screenings, as well as pop-ups, brand collaborations and more.
Looping back, the interactive, multimedia extravaganza that is ‘Mamma Mia! The Party’ will finally be making its Manc debut as part of the 10th anniversary of the all-singing, all-dancing and even all-dining in-demand production.
As per an official press release from the Medlock Square media team, the show will combine “live music, theatre, food and storytelling” and “offer visitors an unforgettable night out.”
The original UK production at The O2 in London has now surpassed more than 1,500 performances, with a total of 700k guests attending these shows in 110 countries across the globe. Safe to say it’s rather popular.
As for Medlock Square and the surrounding Etihad Campus, Manchester City supporters have also been given another look at the soon-to-open, immersive hotel tie-in experience.
With a skywalk, rooftop bar, a new MCFC shop and various other bits set to spill out onto Medlock Square, it all feels like a period of wholesale changes over in the blue half of the city – especially with the football club bidding farewell to their manager Pep Guardiola after more than a decade.
Following the new and improved North Stand being named after him in the first of many tributes, the City Football Group (CFG) are also set to commission a statue in his honour over the coming months.
Meanwhile, Medlock Square is also due to open later this year, although an official completion date has not been confirmed.
You can stay up to date with all the latest on Mamma Mia! The Part’s Manchester shows right HERE.
Not forgetting a brand-new women’s football facility, too, there is so much stuff going on over at the Etihad that it can be hard to keep track, but here’s the latest look at some of the rooms set to feature in the hotel of the same name.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (CGIs via Medlock Square)
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Manchester City sign Beth Mead as European champion Lioness completes major transfer move to WSL title rivals
Danny Jones
In a major move for recently crowned champions Manchester City, two-time Euros winner Beth Mead has completed a switch from title Women’s Super League (WSL) rivals Arsenal.
This one is sure to cause quite the stir, especially given the players that have been transferred between them in the past.
Announcing the signing on Friday, 12 June, Man City Women confirmed the done deal in a social media post that also revealed she will don the number seven shirt.
With City having finally won the first title in over a decade earlier this year – only their second in the modern era – the England Women’s star and WSL heavyweight didn’t mince her words on arrival, telling the club and its fans: “I’m here to win.”
The 31-year-old from Whitby spent the best part of nine years at Arsenal, during which time she has also gone on to become one of the most prolific Lionesses under Sarina Wiegman.
Boasting not only 81 national team caps to her name, but also having scored 40 times in his career thus far (her assists included, guaranteeing at least a goal contribution every other game, on average), she’s been one of the most dangerous female forwards in Europe for some time now.
Speaking in a club statement, she said: “City have always played beautiful football, but I think this season they’ve been very cutthroat in front of goal, [found] different ways of scoring, different ways of creating goalscoring opportunities.
“I think that’s been the difference: they’ve found ways to score and win games when it’s been cagey, or whether it’s felt easy and you become complacent. I think that’s been the difference this season for City winning.”
Having already linked up with fellow England star Alex Greenwood upon making her first appearance at Man City’s brand new women’s football facility, she went on to add: “I’ve played with a lot of the players in the team, I’ve watched a lot of players in the team over the years and in the season gone [by], and I think that’s what created a lot of excitement.
They’ve aimed to set a new industry standard for the women’s game.
Penning a first MCWFC contract this week, she has signed a deal until the summer of 2029; both she and City supporters will no doubt be hoping she can add at least one more piece of silverware by the end of the 2026/27 campaign.
With head coach Andrée Jeglertz now looking to mount a title defence over at the Etihad Campus, and the Women’s World Cup in Brazil getting underway this time next year, Mead will obviously be looking to hit the ground running ahead of her first season in sky blue.
There is undoubtedly an element of curiosity to see who will have the better overall performance this upcoming term between her and national teammate Chloe Kelly, with the latter ex-City player having left the club for the red side of north London instead.
Speaking of cities split into two halves, football-wise, elsewhere in transfer news, Manchester United have also been linked to a new attacker of their own – it remains to be seen how strong the interest is going both ways…