Over in Mottram, there’s a caravan cafe on top of a hill serving up some absolutely belting Full English fry-ups with stunning views to match.
Called Bee’s Coffee Pot, it has slowly been growing as a favourite amongst locals since 2020 when co-owners Natalie and Toni Bagley decided to convert their old caravan, formerly used to take Toni to horse shows, into a kitchen.
First opened on October 23, 2020, right in the midst of the Covid pandemic, its middle-of-nowhere location on their family farm was perfect for attracting those enjoying the outdoors at a time when it was incredibly difficult to do much inside.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Nearly three years on, its following continues to grow – with foodies travelling from all over to sample their famous loaded fry-ups and breakfast baps.
The cafe is named after Toni, who had been a model in London prior to the pandemic appearing in campaigns for the likes of Burberry and Hugo Boss. Taking her childhood nickname Bee, given to her whilst at nursery, it’s even cuter than we first thought.
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The pair decided to open after a long period of furlough, with Natalie keen to throw in the towel and try something new after over 20 years working in pharmaceutical medicine.
At first, it was slow going – taking them seven months to pull in enough money to become VAT registered. But over time, the women created a community of customers – and even found themselves inundated with letters and gifts as those struggling through the pandemic shared appreciation for the peace that a trip to Bee’s gave them.
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Bee’s Coffee Pot might’ve only made £1 in its first week but as time has gone on its fanbase has grown massively.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
This is the kind of place where the staff are on first-name terms with every customer, and people keep coming back again and again. They have hosted birthday parties, hen parties and anniversaries, and were even named Tameside Takeaway Cafe of the Year in 2022.
A real family affair, Natalie’s oldest daughter Paige bakes the cakes, whilst her other teenage daughters Halle and Laurie also help out where they can. Even eight-year-old son Darby does his bit, collecting the farm’s fresh eggs to be cooked up as part of Bee’s charming fry-ups inside the caravan’s kitchen.
On the menu, you’ll find breakfast staples including a Full English with local butchers’ meat, eggs, tomatoes, black pudding, beans, toast and mushrooms, alongside classic breakfast baps stuffed with egg, bacon and sausage.
Elsewhere, there’s plenty more to get stuck into ranging from loaded fries topped with chicken, cheese and sriracha mayo, to crispy chicken burgers, daily-changing soups, toasties, hot dogs with crispy onions, and halloumi fries served with a sweet chilli mayo.
There is also a selection of mouthwatering cakes and cookies on offer – all baked by the family’s eldest daughter.
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Think cookies stuffed with ice cream and cream, Lotus Biscoff, mini eggs, Kinder Bueno, Maltesers, double chocolate and more, plus extra sweet treats like brookies and triple chocolate brownies, carrot cake and Bavarian slices.
A wonderful way to wile away a Saturday morning, head over on a clear day to enjoy views across Tameside from what feels like the top of the world.
Featured image – The Manc Eats
Eats
Manchester’s own egg butty shop Egg & Co opens on Deansgate – right near rival Eggslut
Daisy Jackson
Manchester-born Egg & Co has hatched a new opening for us, launching their first restaurant and takeaway on Deansgate.
It’s a familiar name to a lot of us already thanks to their recent residencies at Ancoats General Store, Stretford Foodhall, and Kargo in Salford.
But now it’s time for Egg & Co to crack open the doors to their first bricks and mortar, stand-alone site.
From here, you’ll be able to grab their unbeatable breakfast sandwiches, where soft scrambled egg is piled into warm brioche buns.
There are a dozen or so breakfast butties on the menu here (yes, they do all feature egg), with other fillings ranging from beef patties to turkey bacon to caramelised onion.
Manchester’s own egg butty shop Egg & Co opens on Deansgate / Credit: The Manc Group
And there’s more – sides here include truffle hash browns, curly fries, and chicken bites, with whisperings that banana pudding might be making the menu before too long.
And new for this location are the drinks – coffees, fruit juices, matcha, and a full fridge of soft drinks.
The space itself opens this week on Deansgate and is a clear homage to eggs in general.
From the butter yellow frontage to the yolk-bright tiles inside, along with egg-shaped table numbers and oval cut-outs for the bins, it’s like sitting inside an actual egg.
Even the self-service menu board is housed inside a giant egg structure.
You’ll be able to grab unbeatable breakfast sandwiches / Credit: The Manc Group
Egg & Co will open on the same street and within a few minutes’ walk of Eggslut, the cult London takeaway that took its first foray into Manchester earlier this year.
But Egg & Co’s menu significantly undercuts Eggslut’s, and it was founded right here in Manchester – we’ll leave it up to you where to spend your money.
A taste of ‘Dam in the heart of NQ: a first look at Manchester’s first Dutch fry house
Danny Jones
A brand-new Amsterdam-inspired chip shop has opened up on the backstreets of the Northern Quarter, and we have a feeling you’re going to love this one.
Complete with burgers, beer, a whole brunch menu, plenty of cheese and sauce, there may be a lot of calories coming your way, but just imagine how hard this is going to slap on a night out.
Smaak opened up somewhat quietly at the end of April, just in time for a maiden long weekend of Manc punters over the early May bank holiday, and the reviews have got off to a great start.
Yes, the central crux of a ‘Het Friethuis’, or fry house, is the fries, but trust us, this is much more than a chippy; Smaak is not only the first of its kind in Manchester, but we think it’s nailed on to become NQ’s next big thing.
Either that, or at the very least, a cult favourite among those who know their schooners from their steins.
Why? Well, besides preaching to the choir when it comes to chips – let’s face it, we Northerners aren’t just converted, we’re practically dipped in the frying oil at this point – the full food lineup is a condensed but satisfying selection full of big hitters.
Let’s begin with the brunch: it features everything from classic Dutch pancakes and topped Belgian waffles, to breakfast buns, and rostis served up until 3pm; we’re off to a great start.
Then there’s an all-day smattering of bar snacks, including various loaded fries like truffle mayo and parmesan, classic Belgian trimmings, or even the ‘Oorlog’ option with peanut sauce, house mayo and raw onion, to ‘bitterballen’, which are basically breaded and deep-fried stewy meatballs.
But then you peruse the rest of the menu to see not only wonderful beers that taste like they’re flowing directly from casks in the Netherlands, but a trio of traditional burgers (yes, even a fish one) and seven seriously enticing cocktails and desserts, each with a little twist from the region.
It’s also worth noting that A LOT of time and attention goes into this operation, from shipping over a fryer straight from ‘The Dam’, to double-cooking, making all of their sauces in-house, usually freshly-sourced Cheshire potatoes, and the best quality thick-cut bacon, just to name a very small few impressive details.
Some of these recipes literally took more than a year to perfect – and that’s just when it comes to sauces, no exaggeration…
The whole concept was developed with help from renowned chef Kate Austen, who has worked with Gordon Ramsay and even appeared on the BBC’s Great British Menu, becoming the first woman to ever win the competition. So yeah, there’s some proper pedigree behind this one, too.
Put simply, you’ve heard of farm table – well, these guys are really committing to that ethos, too, only their slogan is more like “from farm to fryer”, and it shows in the results.
Overall, they’ve just got a really good product to offer here, with a more casual cafe-style set-up on the first floor, the cool pour-your-own beer option, as well as plenty of scope for private hire with the big space downstairs. Located on Back Turner Street in NQ, Smaak is well worth a visit.
Georgina Pellant -
19th April 2023 
