Today is National Fish & Chip Day 2021, and four chippies in Greater Manchester have been ranked among the Top 50 in the entire country.
Fry Magazine – which publishes an annual list of the best places in Britain to grab a chippy tea – has last month released its official rankings for 2021.
A quartet of local cafes have made the prestigious list, which is arranged in alphabetical order.
The magazine performed a series of unannounced mystery dining visits throughout the year, marking shops and mobile units on over 40 aspects including food quality, customer service, social media presence and COVID-safe practices.
Outlets were also assessed on the “flakiness of the fish, the crispness of the chips and the crunch of the batter, alongside value for money.” and Fry editors said that despite the challenging conditions of the past year, entrants “didn’t let standards slip” – with the quality benchmark said to be the highest in the awards’ history.
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The Greater Manchester venues named on the list were as follows.
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Chips @ No.8
Prestwich
Chips @ No 8 / Image: Facebook
First up was Chips @ No 8 – a cafe made famous for having a 20ft mural of The Fall frontman Mark E. Smith painted on the side of its building.
But despite the artistic flourish on the exterior of the chippy, it’s always been the grub that truly keeps customers coming back.
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Owners stated in a Facebook post: “There are more than 10,500 fish and chip shops in the UK and our little chippy down a side street in P-Town has been listed in the Top 50!!!
“This is a prestigious list and we’re incredibly proud to have made it.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported us, everyone who has queued on a Friday.”
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Sykes
Pendlebury
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Sykes / Image: Facebook
Sykes is one of the most popular chippies in Salford – finishing top of a ‘Best Chippies’ poll voted on by MEN readers in 2020.
It’s a venue that’s no stranger to acclaim, so it was unsurprising to see the beloved Pendlebury fry house make Britain’s Top 50, but nonetheless, the owners reacted to the news with delight.
“With thousands of entries Sykes is proud to be named one of the UK’s top 50 fish and chip takeaways,” read a statement on social media.
“This is a prestigious award and the competition was high.
“We would like to thank all our loyal and supportive customers and those who have queued on our busy teas aswell as the wonderful team we have working with us.
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“Really great to see other amazing Manchester fish and chip shops making the list.”
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The Little Chippy
Tyldesley
The Little Chippy / Image: Facebook
Also making the Top 50 was the humbly-named Little Chippy in Tyldesley – a cafe that whips up tasty portions that defy its diminutive name and stature.
Based on Elliott Street, the cafe reels in five-star reviews on a regular basis – and owners said being named on the Fry Magazine list was a “great honour.”
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“To make it onto the top 50 Chippy’s in the U.K. with our 1st entry in the awards is fantastic!” they stated.
“So glad to see so many other Manchester based chippy’s to make the list.
“We couldn’t do it without our dedicated team of staff and all our lovely customers who have stuck with us over this last 12 months.”
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The Fish At Goose Green
Wigan
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The Fish At Goose Green / Image: Facebook
Last but certainly not least was The Fish At Goose Green – the Wigan takeaway with slick branding and a deliciously expansive menu featuring pies, seafood and chicken as well the classic fish & chips.
Owners welcomed the “fantastic news” after a “hard year”.
They stated: “We are extremely proud of our staff and are thankful for the continued support from all of our customers.
“I think there’s only one thing left to say… who’s up for a Chippy tea?”
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You can view the full list of Fry Magazine’s Top 50 chippies online here.
Eats
Bolton butchers wins ‘best burger in Britain’ at national craft butchery awards
Danny Jones
A butchers in Bolton can now lay claim to the title of ‘best burger in Britain’, at least according to an annual nationwide craft butchery awards ceremony.
Pies, comedy, arguably the best ‘kebabs’ in the world and now burgers – Bolton really is a Northerner’s dream, isn’t it?
Taking home not just one but two Diamond awards in two different categories at the 2025 Smithfield Awards where the best of British butchery is put on show each year, Fraser’s Butchers in the suburb of Great Lever got the top nod from the top dogs in the world of meat and more.
Already beloved by locals and multi-award-winning by various regional and national bodies, it doesn’t come as that much of a surprise but Boltonians are nonetheless buzzing for their go-to butchers.
Proud as pork—I mean, punch* (Credit: Supplied)
As mentioned, it wasn’t actually just one particular type of patty that Fraser’s were praised for: the butchers, which has been open since 2003 and is famed for its fresh farm produce, won two prestigious national awards for its ‘Mega Burger’ as well as their Minted Lamb and Halloumi Kebab.
The highly-celebrated Bolton brand’s Diamond double was announced at the Butchers’ Hall in London back at the end of February, beating out nine other artisan butchers from across the UK to be crowned top of their class.
Organised by the Q Guild of Butchers, the awards which have run for more than three decades judge the UK’s finest craft butchery products including sausages, bacon, burgers, steak, game products, BBQ products and more.
Winning in both the Burger and BBQ categories, respectively – in what is widely recognised as the meat trade’s most high-profile and challenging product evaluation – it’s a big accolade in the butchery world.
Fraser’s is the most highly-rated butchers in Bolton.You’re looking at the best burger in Britain.Credit: Fraser’s Butchers (via Facebook)
Products are awarded a Bronze, Silver or Gold award by a panel of independent judges, with all Gold products in each category then pitched against each for the category champion Diamond Award.
Scoring full marks from the Q Guild representatives, Fraser’s popular Minted Lamb and Halloumi Kebab was described by judges as a simply “excellent product.”
As for the ‘Mega Burger’ itself, it scored an impressive 67 points out of a possible 70, with judges noting that it “looks and feels premium and has a lovely blend of flavour.” But the props don’t stop there either.
The butcher also made the final shortlist in the Hot Eating Pie category with its Roast Chicken and Gravy Pie and its Meat and Potato Pie, the Bacon category with its Home-Cured Streaky Bacon; the Al Fresco Dining category with its Pork Pie and the Best Butchers Steak category for its Black Garlic Ribeye – with all five receiving Gold award status.
Fraser’s was also awarded silver status for its Traditional Pork Sausage. Basically, they’re bloody good.
Andy Hull from Fraser’s said: “The ethos of our shop is quality. We start with good quality meat and our butchers work together to make a fantastic quality product whatever it is we do. The Mega Burger is definitely our bestselling burger and we’re very proud of it.
Our Minted Lamb and Halloumi Kebab is another product where we start with good quality ingredients. It’s testament to the BBQ products that we make as we sell them all year round including Christmas week and we never take them out of the counter!
People travel from all over the NW and Greater Manchester to shop with us because they know they’ll get excellent quality meat.”
Gordon Wallace from Q Guild added: “The standard of entries this year was as high as ever, making Fraser’s achievement even more impressive. Being crowned best in class in two categories, along with securing five additional Gold awards, is a fantastic accomplishment.”
Be right back, we’re just making a quick trip to 272 Rishton Lane…
Over the last decade-plus, Grind has expanded right across London with 14 cafes, coffee shops and coffee trucks, as well as its own coffee roastery, but hasn’t yet ventured up north.
It’s also known for its at-home sustainable coffee products, including pods, is a growing presence in retail spaces, and is served on board British Airway flights, stocking Soho House, and collaborating with the likes of Baileys and BrewDog.
They’ll bring their extensive menu of speciality-grade coffee, seasonal food and cocktails to town, for everything from takeaway coffees to bottomless brunches.
Grind was founded back in 2011 when David Abrahamovitch turned his father’s old mobile phone store in Shoreditch into the first Grind cafe.
David says he has family connections to Manchester and has long been looking for the right site for Grind to expand here – then along came St Michael’s.
David Abrahamovitch, Grind founder and CEO said: “We’ve always said that if we were to do a big site outside of London, the first place we would go would be Manchester.
“My wife is Mancunian and her whole family live in Manchester, so I’ve spent a lot of time there over the years and I’ve always thought that a Grind would work well.
Grind is heading to Manchester for the first time. Credit: SuppliedGrind is heading to Manchester for the first time. Credit: Supplied
“We’ve looked at various locations over the years, but thanks to Gary (Neville) and the team at Relentless we think we’ve finally found the perfect home for Grind in St Michaels, in the heart of Manchester. We cannot wait to get open in the summer!”
Gary Neville, Director at Relentless Developments said: “The ambition for St Michael’s was to create a landmark that will become an economic driver for Manchester and bring together major names in a world-class, sustainable development.
“Attracting brands like Grind who have yet to set foot outside the capital is a massive achievement and testament to how hard we’ve been working to deliver our vision for the scheme and city as a whole.”
Grind will open this summer at St Michael’s in Manchester.
Emily Sergeant -
4th June 2021 
