Greater Manchester has dominated the North West category in the list of finalists for this year’s British Takeaway Awards.
We’ve arguably relied on takeaway services more than ever over this past year, and now thousands of takeaways from right across the country have been narrowed down to just five independent businesses in each of the 12 regional categories.
And when it comes to the North West category, three food businesses in the borough of Stockport have been named as fan-favourites following a public vote.
Takeaways in Liverpool and Warrington have also been shortlisted.
Who’s made the cut then?
ADVERTISEMENT
Sitting proudly on the list of finalists at the 2021 edition of “the Oscars of the takeaway world” – which aims to celebrate Britain’s best local takeaways and the people behind them – is Gatley- based restaurant The Spinn, which is headed up by Emmerdale Star Adam Thomas, and is loved by the region’s foodies thanks to its extensive menu of burgers, wraps, small plates and brunch offering.
You may remember that the restaurant hit headlines late last year when it poked fun the government with a three-tier ‘Boris Burger’ and paid to have it advertised on local billboards.
ADVERTISEMENT
Stockport takeaways have dominated the list of North West finalists / Credit: The Spinn | LAPD Food
Also listed as a North West finalist is LAPD Food – a delivery-only joint that sells burgers, pizzas and fried chicken, and delivers it to hungry residents across Stockport in a head turning American-style police car.
Rounding out the top three Stockport takeaways in the North West section of the finals is the Bun & Bones Club in Hazel Grove, which specialises in everything from burgers and wings, to loaded fries, a wide range of sides, and even the stand-out foodie favourite ‘Mancake’ – which is two beef patties, American cheese, smoked streaky bacon and maple syrup on top of two fluffy American pancakes.
Bun & Bones Club in Hazel Grove has also made the list of finalists / Credit: Bun & Bones Club
Speaking on the shortlist of finalists for this year’s British Takeaway Awards, Andrew Kenny – Managing Director of Just Eat – said: “We’re thrilled to be back with the British Takeaway Awards for the sixth year running.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Each year we’re amazed by the standard of entries and this year is no different, with a huge range of restaurants up for the awards, from family run takeaways to small chains.
“Celebrating the fantastic takeaways across the UK is particularly important this year after many turned to their local restaurants for a lift throughout the lockdowns [so] the UK has been voting in force to give back to their local takeaway heroes and we can’t wait to honour the winners at the awards ceremony in September.”
___
The British Takeaway Awards 2021 will take place in September, with a £1,000 prize for each regional winner, and a whopping £5,000 for the business crowned the ‘Best Takeaway in Britain’.
Inside Plere, Chorlton’s sunniest new bar with great wines and tinned fish
Daisy Jackson
Chorlton’s sunniest street has a new addition, with the arrival of wine bar and small plates restaurant Plere.
The new opening comes from couple Lee and Fiona, who’ve taken up a unit on Beech Road that’s been vacant for a few years and turned into a beautiful, light-flooded neighbourhood venue.
Plere takes its name from the Latin term ‘to fulfill’, and that’s exactly what this new spot has been doing ever since its arrival last month.
Plere’s menu is made up of easy small plates, including charcuterie and cheese plates, Portuguese tinned fish, and hummus, all served with quality bread from Holy Grain.
There’s a decent selection of craft beer too, including their own lager on draught in collaboration with Cloudwater, and tonnes of different wines available by the glass.
Inside Plere in ChorltonThe sunny terrace at Plere
There pavement terrace is a proper little sun-trap too, so it’s perfect for enjoying a pint or two in the Manchester sun.
With DJs spinning vinyls until late across the weekend and a solid team on the bar, this is a new opening you should get behind.
On launch weekend, Lee and Fiona wrote: “We are completely overwhelmed by all the lovely comments and amazing responses from you all on our opening weekend.
“Thank you so much for making us feel so welcome, we look forward to seeing you soon.”
The cosy Peak District pub serving a pick’n’mix sausage and mash menu
Daisy Jackson
There’s a Peak District pub that’s turned one of Britain’s most beloved comfort foods into a full-on pick’n’mix.
Tucked away in the postcard-perfect village of Castleton, Ye Olde Nags Head is serving up a fully customisable menu of sausage and mash dishes.
We’re talking near-endless combinations of proper pub grub.
You start by choosing your sausages from a daily rotating selection (not a sentence you hear every day, but we’re into it).
Expect classics like Cumberland alongside more adventurous options like venison and mustard, or even wild boar and orange, plus a veggie sausage daily.
Then it’s onto the mash – you can go for flavours like cheese and onion, wholegrain mustard, or even black pudding mash.
Classic cumberland, mustard mash, and mushroom sauceVeggie sausage with cheese and onion mash and classic gravyTucking in
To finish? A choice of rich, hearty gravies and sauces to bring it all together, whether that’s a classic onion gravy, a peppercorn sauce, or a creamy wild mushroom sauce.
And if that wasn’t enough, you can even upgrade your bangers and mash pick’n’mix by having it all served inside a giant Yorkshire pudding.
Ye Olde Nags Head is a historic 17th-century pub, with a roaring fire in every room and cosy bedrooms upstairs.
Inside Ye Olde Nags Head pub in the Peak DistrictYe Olde Nags Head pub is near Mam Tor
It’s one of those flagstone-floored, beamed-ceilinged, mismatched-furniture type pubs that welcomes everyone in every state, whether you’re caked in mud from a hike or popping in on a coach tour.
Another of the pub’s specialties is the Derbyshire Breakfast, a hearty plate of sausage, smoked bacon, black pudding, free range egg, grilled tomatoes, field mushrooms, baked beans and fried bread.
The pub also offers takeaway breakfast butties, so you can use it for both a pre-hike stop and a post-hike pint.
Given it’s just minutes from the ever-popular Mam Tor hike, this is one pub you’ll definitely want to add to your next Peak District day out itinerary.
Emily Sergeant -
28th May 2021 
