Diggle-based ice cream company Grandpa Greene’s has opened a new cafe in Uppermill, Saddleworth, transforming the site of an old public toilet into a charming little bistro.
The new cafe and restaurant at King George V Playing Fields is the second location for the team behind Diggle’s popular ice cream parlour, famed for its indulgent desserts, cakes, hot chocolates, and other sweet treats.
After officially opening on Father’s Day weekend, the new cafe can be found at the edge of the park serving up its famous luxury ice creams as well a range of hearty sandwiches, cakes, and hot and cold drinks.
A long time coming, the new opening had several objections at its planning stage which means that alcohol is currently being served inside the cafe only with food.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
On the menu at the new cafe, you’ll find a range of breakfast sandwiches served until 11.45am followed by freshly baked baguettes.
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Filling choices include breakfast favourites like egg, bacon and sausage (with veggie bacon and sausages also available), followed by hearty lunch options like salt and pepper chicken and Italian meats.
Further baguette choices include the La Caprese with mozzarella, tomato and pesto, and the New York Deli with pastrami, Emmental cheese and mustard mayonnaise.
Customers at Uppermill can also choose to build their own sandwiches, starting with the base before adding a filling, cheese and veg.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Sandwich prices start from £4.50 at breakfast, with half baguettes priced from £4 starting at lunchtime.
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As for Grandpa Greene’s famous ice creams, these can be enjoyed in a variety of different formats with chocolate and sprinkle cones available alongside regular cones and tubs.
Ice cream flavours currently on offer at the new cafe include Bubblegum, Mint Choc Chip, Lotus Biscoff, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Strawberry, Cookies and Cream, and a vegan-friendly Passionfruit and Mango sorbet.
Prices for edible tubs and regular cones start at £3, rising to £3.50 for Grandpa Greene’s sprinkle and chocolate-coated versions.
Commenting on the new opening, the Grandpa Greene’s team said: “The opening of our new Uppermill location is finally here and the wait is well and truly over!! This has been very long in the making & highly anticipated, we cannot wait for you all to see!
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“Our team have worked so hard over the past few weeks to make the opening perfect and we couldn’t be more proud! We hope to have all your support on our new opening and that you like it just as much as we do!
“We’ve always wanted to open up a second location, being in such a beautiful location, this really is what we’ve dreamt of and so much more!”
Featured image – Supplied
Feature
‘If only he was here’: Peter Hook reflects on Ian Curtis as Joy Division join Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Danny Jones
We were lucky enough to play a part in a bit of music history (albeit only a small one) this week, as we had the privilege of chatting with the one and only Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order, as the pair were finally admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
A long overdue bit of recognition, if you ask, but a momentous day nonetheless.
Chatting with Hooky and a long-time friend, collaborator, and beloved Manchester-based DJ, Graeme Park, in the aftermath of being named in the ‘Class of 2026’, he was visibly moved and honoured by the announcement. Here’s what he had to say…
Joking from the off by repeating Graeme’s initial question, “How does it feel?” (an absolute tap-in, that one), the 70-year-old bassist and co-founder of both iconic Greater Manchester groups admitted that they “had a couple of false starts”, to put it mildly, but went on to add: “we can only thank our fans.”
Confessing there has been somewhat of a mixed reaction about “what it means” to them and/or in the industry these days, he made it clear that on a personal level, it’s still a huge moment.
Put simply, he said: “Without the fans, we’d all be nothing.”
He also went on to praise the sort of no-nonsense, DIY and unapologetic approach of the Manc music scene, quipping: “You know, what would Simon Cowell have said about Ian Curtis, Bez, Shaun [Ryder] – Ian Brown, for god’s sake?!”
Acknowledging that while no one was necessarily an “accomplished singer” (often the case when you start early and just pursue a passion), his caveat was that “they had heart and soul” and “they embody something deep within us all that has lasted and will continue to last.”
Noting a de facto ‘Renaissance’ that a few names have enjoyed – especially following the passing of certain notable figures – he believes, rather, that they never went anywhere and that Northern crowds and beyond have helped those songs stretch to three, four, even five different generations.”
He’s not wrong: they’ve never stopped connecting with audiences, and they NEVER will.
Once more, it was an absolute joy (again, pardon the pun) to chat with Peter and Parky, who clearly haven’t lost their love for each other, nor this business – even after all these decades.
Congratulations to both bands, Hooky, Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, Gillian Gilbert, Tom Chapman, Phil Cunningham, as well as every session musician who’s ever played these tunes and kept them alive.
Last but not least: forever and always, rest in peace, Ian Curtis.
Inside Soho House Manchester as rooftop pool finally opens
Daisy Jackson
Soho House Manchester finally opened its doors to members late last year – but there’s still more to come.
The exclusive members’ club, which costs from £2,400 per year to access, faced several years’ worth of unavoidable delays as it transformed the old Granada Studios.
And even now that members can finally visit the space for networking, dinner and drinks, events, and working, Soho House isn’t actually finished.
Instead, the hotly-anticipated venue is opening in phases – the latest of which is that beautiful rooftop pool, with views overlooking the city from the top of the former television studio.
New images taken inside Soho House Manchester show several of the completed spaces, from lounges with beautiful natural light flooding through skylights, to stylish candlelit dining rooms, to gorgeous bedrooms.
In keeping with the building’s history, the Soho House design team have stuck with a premium mid-century interior, including terrazzo flooring and warm wood details, muted green and orange colour palettes, and chrome furniture.
Have a look inside Soho House Manchester:
Soho House Manchester is now open. Credit: SuppliedBeautiful interiors. Credit: SuppliedA bar space. Credit: Edvina BruzasRestaurant spaces. Credit: Edvina BruzasDetails of Soho House Manchester. Credit: Edvina BruzasMid-century details at Soho House Manchester. Credit: Edvina BruzasInside Soho House in Manchester. Credit: Edvinas BruzasNew spaces are still opening. Credit: Edvinas BruzasThere are 22 bedrooms inside. Credit: Harry Crowder
There are now 22 beautiful bedrooms up on the sixth floor, exclusively available to Soho House Members, which carry on the 1950s heritage design.
As the build continues, members will soon have access to a Soho Health Club with a gym, reformer Pilates studio, smoothie bar, and infrared sauna and steam room.
Every Soho House has a strict no-photos policy to protect to privacy of members – which means unless you fancy forking out £333.33 a month, you might never see inside it beyond the club’s official photography.
Georgina Pellant -
21st June 2023 
