A Manchester chip shop has reacted with surprise and delight after it was named the second best chippy in the whole of the UK.
The Hip Hop Chip Shop in Ancoats ranked second on the list after The Mayfair Chippy in London as part of a ranking put together by Betting company Betway.
The betting company looked at Google ratings, Instagram hashtags and reviews on TripAdvisor in order to compile its findings, also naming another local chippy, Tony’s in Miles Platting, at number 7.
The new accolade has left owner Jonathan ‘Ozzie’ Oswald surprised but pleased, leadinghim to take to Instagram to respond to the award.
Reflecting on the fact that nearly 10% of UK chippies have recently closed for good, he commented on how nice it was to get recognition for the chip shop’s work, writing: “It is always nice to get any sort of recognition of course. This was a surprise bit of promo. I am proud of how we’ve managed to survive, given the circumstances.”
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Thanking the people “that get out and support us” he went on to say it was his goal to “put out consistent good quality food and organically grow to survive in this extremely unforgiving tough hospitality industry.”
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
The post also good-naturedly questioned the way that the betting company had compiled the data to get their results, with Ozzie writing: “I don’t wanna bite the hand that feeds or piss on my own chips… but my only wee gripe is it’s been done by a betting company that use this as a way to get press.
He continued: “[…] (everyone needs to promote themselves tho 🤷♂️ so no need to get on the high horse)… but if the validity of their methodology to calculate the scores is consistent and stands up to testing and we did indeed come out very nearly on top then we are still doing, at least something right.”
Fans have since piled into the comments to reassure their favourite chippy that they are, in fact, up there with the very best and well deserving of the award, however it has come about.
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Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
One person wrote: “Hip Hop Chip Shop Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everybody”
Another said: “Well deserved!!! You’ve created something truly special here and this is a recognition of all the hard work, etc. Massive respect and hopefully more and more people will come and fall in love with the place like we all have!!”
A third asked: “What do they mean second best?”
A fourth added: “Clearly I have never been to whatever is meant to be better than you, because I can’t imagine anything is.”
A fifth commented: “Only really one list I’m interested Ozzie and that’s my order with my favourite chippy (you)! 😁 congratulations all the same, you graft hard and deserve all the accolades you get”
Having first begun life in its hip-hop boombox trailer, today The Hip Hop Chip Shop also has a permanent location in Ancoats. To see its full menu, click here.
Featured image – The Manc Eats
Eats
Former Lunya site to be taken over by kebab house, five years after closure
Daisy Jackson
The restaurant space that was previously home to Lunya will finally be brought back to life, with a new kebab restaurant moving in.
Lunya, which had a two-storey restaurant and deli on Deansgate in the beautiful Barton Arcade, shut down in 2020.
It was one of the earliest and most high-profile closures caused by the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, with owner Peter Kinsella penning at the time a heartbreaking open letter to then-PM Boris Johnson.
The Lunya site has remained empty for the last five years despite its enviable location in the heart of Manchester – but finally, new signs have gone up and a new operator is swooping in.
The windows now tease the arrival of Great British Doner, touting itself to be ‘the ultimate doner experience’.
The new opening will be selling wraps and boxes stuffed with beef, chicken, halloumi and falafel.
In a statement supplied to Place North West, Andrew Hynes, director at Hynes Illingworth said: “Barton Arcade will be the first UK opening for British Doner with two additional locations also secured in Manchester city centre.
Great British Doner is moving into the old Lunya site on Deansgate
“The business has been established by experienced restaurateur, Mehmet Korkut, previous owner of Café Istanbul and UK franchise owner of heritage brand Sultanahmet Koftecisi.”
There’ve been a lot of changes down this end of Deansgate in the last couple of years, including the openings of Simmons, with the city’s ‘biggest happy hour’, and Mama Roux’s, as well as the departures of Classic Football Shirts within the Barton Arcade.
When it opens, Great British Doner will join the likes of award-winning coffee shop Pot Kettle Black, and independent menswear retailer The R Store in the landmark building.
The viral factory in Oldham that sells £2 Colin the Caterpillar cakes
Thomas Melia
A factory in Oldham has gone viral online after sweet fiends discover they sell ‘Colin the Caterpillar’ cakes for less than half price.
There are some things that just go hand in hand: a brew and a biscuit, peanut butter and jelly and Brits and their crazy obsession with a character chocolate cake from M&S called Colin the Caterpillar.
Since hitting the shelves in 1990, more than 15 million Colin the Caterpillars have made their way from supermarket shop floor to our sweet-treat-awaiting plates.
Who would’ve ever guessed that the home to this cheeky chappy, who M&S have made their unofficial mascot (after Percy Pig, of course), has been crafted and created right here in Oldham?
The utterly delicious Colin the Caterpillar cake which you can get for £2 at Park Cakes.The shelves at Park Cakes are stacked with Colins and Connies.Credit: The Manc Eats
Established in 1937, The Park Cake Bakeries – or just Park Cakes, colloquially – has been serving up this critter-inspired cake for over 30 years, and savvy shoppers have flocked to their factory shop to get their hands on some very sweet savings.
There’s a whole range of cakes on offer at this Oldham dessert factory shop, including slabs, sponges, loaves and even sweet pies too.
Whether you’re a firm believer that the birthday person deserves all of Colin’s white-choc face or you precisely cut it up so everyone gets some, Park Cakes has the solution, selling bags of the character’s chocolatey face so you can have one all to yourself.
The cake isn’t the only thing that leaves a sweet taste in your mouth, as the prices will too. Colin the Caterpillar, who normally retails for just under a tenner, is sold for around £2 at this Oldham factory shop.
It’s always the ones that look unassuming, isn’t it?
Alongside producing one of the most adored cakes in the UK, they’re also responsible for lots more of your favourite supermarket sweet treats, and we’re definitely not complaining.
You can let your sweet tooth go wild in this factory shop as they sell everything from rainbow birthday cakes to sticky toffee puddings.
There’s so much on offer too, how about a giant bag packed to the brim with misshapen golden flapjacks that’ll last you over a week and cost you less than a fiver? Sounds like a plan to me.
If you haven’t had enough of your Easter chocolate fix, why not trek over to Oldham and stock up on even more chocolate and sweet treats? Trust us, there’s plenty to choose from.
Park Cakes factory shop can be found on Ashton Road in Oldham and is open from 10am-4pm, so go and grab yourself a seriously sweet deal before everyone else beats you to it.
Mini Colins, small in size but still packed with all that chocolatey goodness.Flapjacks and cookie dough bites are just some of the wonderful treats you might be able to get hold of.Credit: The Manc
Georgina Pellant -
31st May 2023 
