A.fine dining Turkish and Mediterranean restaurant in Royton, Oldham, has won big at this year’s British Kebab Awards.
Istanblue Royton took home the gong for the Best Fine Dining Restaurant at a glitzy awards ceremony held in London on Tuesday night.
Impressively, it was the only restaurant in the north to be acknowledged with a win at the London-dominated event.
Sharing the news to social media, the restaurant was flooded with congratulations from a host of loyal customers.
Image: Istanblue Royton
One customer wrote: “Well done, love your food you really do deserve it x”
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Another said: “Brilliant, so well deserved. Our favourite restaurant x
A third added: “Nice one well done love your food”
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The annual awards ceremony is the only one of its kind to recognise the British kebab industry, which supports 200,000 jobs up and down the country spanning restaurants, suppliers and the wider food industry.
The ceremony, now in its tenth year, celebrated the £2.8 billion contributions the kebab industry brings to the British economy every year.
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Every day, more than 1.5 million kebabs are sold across Britain.
Image: Istanblue Royton Image: Istanblue Royton
The British Kebab Awards, sponsored by Just Eat, were held in the ballroom at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel, with an audience of over 1,200 guests including more than 150 MPs and Lords.
Guests were treated to a cocktail reception with a three-course Anatolian-style meal.
Winners took to the stage triumphing in 18 categories, including Chef of the Year, Kebab Van of the Year, Just Eat Best Delivery and eight regional awards for recognising the best kebab restaurants across the UK.
Image: Istanblue Royton
Thousands of members of the public voted for the 180 finalists to face the judges who included Labour MP Carolyn Harris; Conservative MP David Warburton; James O’Brien of LBC, Adil Ray; and Cobra Beer aSales Director, Samson Sohail.
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Andrew Kenny, Managing Director of Just Eat UK, said: “It’s been an honour for Just Eat to support the British Kebab Awards for the past decade; the event is always a highlight of our year.
“After an undeniably difficult period for the hospitality sector, there’s never been a better time to recognise the resilient and hard-working individuals across the kebab industry, who are making an invaluable contribution to both their local community and the UK economy.
“Huge congratulations to all the winners and finalists on their incredible achievement.”
Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, speaker of the House of Commons, Nadhim Zahawi MP, Secretary of the State for Education, David Lammy MP, Shadow Foreign Secretary, Lord Karan Bilimoria, President of CBI, Kate Nicholls, CEO of UK Hospitality, Andrew Kenny, Managing Director of Just Eat, Paul Scully, the Business minister attended and addressed the event.
Man City fan jailed after causing £10k damage to a police vehicle following Champions League victory
Emily Sergeant
A Manchester City fan has been jailed for his part in large-scale disorder following the club’s Champions League victory.
The court heard how, following Manchester City’s Champions League Final win over Inter Milan in Istanbul in Turkey on Saturday 10 June 2023, jubilant fans flocked to the streets of Manchester city centre for late-night celebrations.
The large influx of fans in high spirits prompted a police response to ‘ensure public safety’ and ‘prevent any public disorder’, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
However, the disorder did begin to escalate despite police presence.
A number of fans, including 22-year-old Leon Blackett, scaled a police vehicle and proceeded to jump up and down on it, which subsequently caused more than £10,000 worth of damage, and resulted in the vehicle having to be written off.
#JAILED | Leon Blackett (14/01/2003) of Craigmore Avenue, has been been handed a three-month jail term for causing £10k worth of damage to a police vehicle following the club's Champions League win in 2023, along with 41 months for other offences.
Following the disorder, an investigation was launched by GMP’s City Centre policing, with officers obtaining social media and CCTV footage that helped them to identify those responsible.
Blackett admitted to the offence, after he was arrested on Thursday 19 October 2023.
Following admitting to the offence, Blackett was sentenced to 44 months in prison – a three-month jail term for this football-related offence, along with 41 months for possession of a bladed article and a domestic related communications offence.
He has also been given a seven-year Football Banning Order, commencing on the day Blackett received his sentence.
“The actions by Blackett in the wake of Manchester City’s historic Champions League Final victory were completely unacceptable,” commented PC Matt Ford, from GMP’s Specialist Operations Planning Unit.
“This is a timely reminder to those who commit crimes while following the football in another country, we will seek prosecutions for unacceptable behaviour.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Stevie Wonder to play landmark Manchester gig as part of UK tour this year
Thomas Melia
Living legend Stevie Wonder is heading on a UK tour and stopping off in Manchester for the first time in 15 years.
Manchester has been blessed by the music gods yet again, and this time, it comes in the form of funk pioneer Stevie Wonder.
The 74-year-old musician will be bringing his extraordinary grand piano, exceptional live band, and, of course, his groovy tunes like ‘Superstition’, ‘Isn’t She Lovely’, and ‘I Just Called To Say I Love You’ to our city later this year.
Wonder last visited Manchester in 2010, gracing the AO Arena with his presence, but now he’s visiting Manchester’s newest live music entertainment venue, Co-op Live.
Stevie Wonder will be visiting Co-op Live in Manchester this year / Publicity Picture (via Supplied)
The American-Ghanaian icon has an undisputed legacy.
He became the youngest solo artist ever to top the Billboard Hot 100 with his 1963 single ‘Fingertips’ at age 13, and has also won the prestigious Album of the Year category at the Grammys three times, as well as taking home 25 awards in total throughout his career.
His 1976 project Songs in the Key of Life was also featured in Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums at number six by esteemed critics and the public alike – a claim that not many have to their name.
With this 2025 UK tour titled ‘Love, Light & Song’, the Michigan native will be heading to two arenas, Manchester and Birmingham, and taking on various festival performances along the way – including Lytham Festival.
The crowds will be roaring when Stevie Wonder takes to the stage, and rightly so, as this artist has racked up almost 300 weeks in the UK Top 40, with an impressive 39 singles featuring on our charts throughout his career.
He’s an undeniable force, and this show in Manchester is set to be monumental, so ‘Don’t You Worry ’bout a Thing’, as you’ll be in for a night of jazz, funk, soul, and everything in between.
Georgina Pellant -
3rd March 2022 
