A new drive-thru dessert shop has opened up in Manchester, and it’s already proving popular among those with a sweet tooth.
Your Girl Can Bake – which is based in Higher Ardwick, and brands itself as ‘the UK’s first car dessert dine in’ – is the brainchild of 24-year-old Ikraa Riaz, who has loved baking since she was 10 years old, but had never actually dreamed she would be able to make a living from it.
After graduating from university with biology degree last year, Ikraa first decided to set up an Instagram account to sell her tasty creations – and it went down such a treat that the young entrepreneur has now launched the drive-thru dessert service.
Customers receive a platter of handmade fresh desserts in the comfort of their own vehicle – and Ikraa says people from all over the UK can’t get enough of it.
“We only launched last week but the response has been absolutely amazing,” Ikraa told the MEN.
“We’ve had people driving hundreds of miles to come and try our treats.
“When I was little, I would find any excuse to bake cupcakes and brownies for friends and family, and I would always try and perfect the recipes or get creative.
“When I started uni, I was only baking in my spare time but I knew when I finished my degree that I wanted to get back into it and I always had a desire to own my own business.
“To make a living doing what I love is a dream come true.”
Ikraa runs Your Girl Can Bake with two of her family members and makes all of the sweet treats fresh and by hand every day, allowing customers to book a slot to drive up and tuck in to their heart’s content.
You can order up to 10 dishes, and choose from a menu of sweet and savoury plates.
Your Girl Can Bake is the brainchild of 24-year-old Ikraa Riaz, who has loved baking since she was 10 years old / Credit: Instagram (@yourgirlcanbake)
Think everything from loaded waffles drenched in chocolate, huge bowls of pick n mix, cookie dough topped with a huge selection of chocolate delights, chocolate fondues, brownies, and so much more.
Don’t have a raging sweet tooth? There’s also a number of savoury dishes to try including nachos, samosa chaat, Gulab Jamun, the far-less chocolatey Indian dessert Falooda.
Explaining why she decided to set up the firs-of-its-kind business, Ikraa said: “Sometimes sitting in your car is just much more private and personal because you don’t have people around you like you do in the restaurant.
“I wanted to create a place where you could have that drive in experience but for desserts and sweet treats.”
A long-standing Italian restaurant in Trafford has sadly announced its imminent closure
Danny Jones
Another day, another bit of unfortunate hospitality news, as long-standing Greater Manchester restaurant, Little Italy in Timperley, has announced it is closing permanently very soon.
The Trafford favourite, which has been serving locals for nearly 20 years, has informed regular diners that it will sadly be closing its doors for good, with Little Italy’s final service set for later this month.
Having earned plenty of praise in its time, including being one of the few spots in and around the Altrincham area to have won a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence in 2015, before the borough saw its foodie boom begin.
But fast forward a decade, and the Timperley institution is yet another culinary casualty to be confirmed of late, with Little Italy sharing a tear-jerking statement online.
Sharing the tragic news on social media this Friday (5 Sep), the restaurant wrote: “To all our lovely customers, it is with a heavy heart that we share some news with you all. After over 18 years of serving you all in Timperley, we will be closing our doors later this month.
“This has not been an easy decision. Unfortunately, rising costs and a significant increase in rental [costs] have made it impossible to continue in a sustainable way. As much as we love what we do, the reality is that it has become too difficult to maintain under these circumstances.
“Over the coming weeks, we will continue to cook with love and serve with the same passion as always. We would love to see you all and share one more meal, and raise a glass together.”
Safe to say that the post has been met with an outpouring of condolences and support from natives nearby and those who have travelled to enjoy their food.
Little Italy went on to add that they will detail more about their final week of business as soon as possible.
They can’t be accused of not keeping up with times and not trying to promote via social media either, as they small family-run team – headed up by Sam Cauchi, who bought the site back in 2008 – have always given things a go besides the day-to-day operation of the restaurant.
Being one of many saddened customers to respond underneath the announcement, we couldn’t possibly sum up things better than local Vanessa Nice, who said: “Look at all these amazing comments – you certainly made your mark as a home from home for the residents of Timperley.
“The end of an era will always be sad, but sometimes life and families have to move on.”
As for Cauchi and co., they signed off by simply adding: “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support, kindness and friendship over the years. Timperley has been our home, and you have all been our family.
“Love from all the team at Little Italy.”
It goes without saying that we’re gutted for the gang and our thoughts are with everyone involved at this difficult time. For now, we can only say thank you to the countless Greater Manchester locations that continue to fall foul in the face of the rising pressures industry-wide. Case and point…
Award-winning chippy in Prestwich announces heartbreaking restaurant closure
Daisy Jackson
Chips @ No. 8, a chippy in Prestwich that’s lauded as one of the best in the UK, has announced the sad closure of its restaurant.
The award-winning takeaway made some big moves last year, expanding into the unit next door so that they could comfortable double their space downstairs and add a restaurant upstairs.
The restaurant was a brand-new concept for the much-loved Prestwich chippy, serving a seafood-focused menu that wasn’t necessarily all about the fryer.
But sadly, Chips @ No. 8 has announced that the restaurant element of its business, Loft @ No. 8, has closed for good.
They wrote that the economic climate and the huge amount of choice in Prestwich has left them struggling to fill seats in the chippy restaurant.
The good news is that the fish and chip shop itself remains open for business and thriving, and customers will be able to use the former restaurant space to eat their takeaway in.
The bar downstairs also remains open for business for a cheeky pint or glass of wine while you wait for your order.
The Loft @ No. 8 is closing. Credit: The Manc GroupCurry sauce on a Chips @ No 8 chippy tea. Credit: The Manc Group
In a statement, Chips @ No. 8 said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the closure of Loft.
“With so many great places to eat in Prestwich, and the economic climate being what it is, we have struggled recently to fill enough seats to continue to make it a financially viable side to our business.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support whilst we were open, the team for their efforts, in particular, Craig, the creator of the delicious food that we had on offer up there.
“Chips @ No.8 remains open as normal and going forward, we are opening up the space upstairs for additional casual seating for the takeaway.
“The bar will remain open so you can still enjoy a pint or a glass of wine with your fish & chips, even if it is out of a box! We hope to see you soon!”
Emily Sergeant -
21st September 2021 
