There’s a bakery in Greater Manchesterselling doner kebab pies and we just had to let you know about it.
Whilst some still say we do things differently here in Manchester, let’s be honest, when it comes to pies we simply follow where Wigan leads. These kebab pies? Case and point.
Created by local bakery Whittles pies, the kebab pie differs from the famous ‘Wigan kebab’ (aka a pie barm) in that it is a kebab in a pie, not a pie in a ‘kebab.’
Confused yet? Stay with us.
Whittles doner kebab pie is stuffed with kebab meat, sweetcorn relish and chilli / Image: Well Good Blog
Filled with all of your favourite takeaway bits inside a strong shortcrust pastry casing, the Wigan doner kebab pie is stuffed with kebab meat, sweetcorn relish and chilli and can be enjoyed either hot or cold, depending on your preference.
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Setting you back £1.80 per pie, they’ve become quite legendary in Wigan – with some even rating Whittles as the best place to get pies in the area.
If the kebab pie isn’t for you though, there are plenty more pies to choose from: including more traditional fare like a meat and potato pie; mince steak pie; chunky steak pie; chicken and mushroom pie and a ‘medium meat’ pie, that had us confused for ages until we realised they were just medium in size. Doh.
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The bakery has recently increased its prices, but the whole menu is still an absolute steal here with all of its pies priced between £1 and £1.80 each / Image: Whittles Pies
The bakery has recently increased its prices, but the whole menu is still an absolute steal here with all of its pies priced between £1 and £1.80 each. It also offers a selection of patties for just 75p, plus sausage rolls (£1.10) and pastys (£1.70).
Wigan is the undisputed pie capital of the world, but even here Whittle’s pies are considered to be extraordinary – and that says it all, we reckon.
If the kebab pie isn’t for you though, there are plenty more pastry delights to choose from / Image: Whittles Pies
There is a whole host of local, independent pie shops in Wigan that give the big dogs a run for their money – and Whittles seems to be very much up there, alongside the likes of The Rolling Pin, Muffin Man, Dawsons, and Galloways.
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Whilst we’ve seen some great pies coming out of Manchester lately, including this amazing sausage roll steak and ale pie hybrid, we have to say that we think Whittle’s doner kebab pie might just have to take the crown this time.
Check the menu out on Whittle’s Facebook page here. You’ll find Whittles Pies at the rear of 1 Tunstall Lane, Pemberton.
Manchester rent is now ‘41% more expensive than five years ago, according to a recent study
Danny Jones
Yes, that’s right, as per some of the latest data on leased housing in central Manchester, it’s now approximately 41% more expensive to rent here than it was half a decade ago.
If you’ve lived in and around the city centre for long enough, chances are that you’ve already been feeling that difference, especially of late.
The ongoing cost-of-living crisis roughly began in 2021, following the economy and the world essentially opening back up after multiple lockdowns, so it’s little surprise that new research has shown affordability when it comes to renting has been on a slump ever since, too.
As well as the price of seemingly most things in everyday life going up post-pandemic, the average rental rate for even just a one-bedroom flat/apartment has jumped up significantly between 2020 and 2025.
Even some ‘available’ housing in town is being hampered by claddin (Credit: Valienne via WikiCommons)
That’s according to the numbers crunched by credit card experts, Zable, anyway.
Not only did their recent report cite the rent prices going up even before the cost of living crisis – essentially following the outset of the Covid-19 outbreak – but if their figures, the rate of inflation and the unwaveringly high demand for housing are anything to go by, this trajectory is likely to continue in 2026.
As of February this year, around one in three UK households is now a single-person occupancy, which already comes with its challenges (the Manchester City Council tax discount being a thin lifeline for countless), not to mention energy bills and the cost of groceries continuing on an upwards trend.
Put in the simplest and most reductive terms, it’s now almost £300 dearer for most people to live on their own than it was back in 2020, and besides Liverpool clocking in as second on the list of increasingly expensive cities to live (a 42.12% increase), Manchester came in third.
You can see the full table down below:
Rank
City
% increase – 2020-2025
Difference from 2020 to 2025 in £
Average rental cost for a 1 bed 2025
1
Newport
47.39%
£2,611
£8,121
2
Liverpool
42.12%
£2,290
£7,727
3
Manchester
41.00%
£3,364
£11,569
4
Edinburgh
40.28%
£4,620
£16,090
5
Leicester
39.93%
£2,391
£8,379
6
Wolverhampton
39.22%
£2,049
£7,273
7
Nottingham
39.07%
£2,400
£8,543
8
Glasgow
38.02%
£2,679
£9,725
9
Colchester
37.63%
£2,617
£9,572
10
Cardiff
37.06%
£2,828
Average rental cost for a 1-bed 2025
Another fear is that with lots of people finding it hard to manage living in other major cities like London, even those moving to Manchester are also having an impact on how available affordable housing is here.
That’s why schemes such as the new ‘social rent’ development over in Wythenshawe are so important to the current generations of renters, with the possibility of owning your own property in the future becoming increasingly difficult for so many.
It’s also worth noting that Manchester ranked fourth among the British locations where the cost of living is said to have increased the most over the past five years, with the average difference in annual spend growing by an estimated 22.84%.
1,500 miles of roadworks lifted to help ease congestion for drivers this bank holiday weekend
Emily Sergeant
1,500 miles of roadworks have now been lifted across the UK.
With half term well underway already, and now millions of drivers set to hit the road over the next five days as Easter bank holiday weekend arrives, giving Brits two extra days off, National Highways has now confirmed that, as of today (Thursday 2 April), around 1,500 miles of roadworks have been lifted nationwide.
Roads are expected to be ‘especially’ busy tomorrow in particular (Good Friday), National Highways predicts, as this is the day people are most likely to head on a spring getaway.
So, in a bid to help ease congestion for drivers up and down the motorways, roadworks have been removed up until Bank Holiday Monday (6 April).
“By keeping 98% of routes clear, we’re supporting the wider economy where it matters most to tourism, freight, and local businesses,” National Highways said in a statement.
1,500 miles of roadworks have been lifted to help ease congestion for drivers this bank holiday weekend / Credit: pxfuel
The decision to lift the roadworks comes as a new national survey revealed a total of 71,254 breakdowns were recorded in spring (March–May) last year, compared with 56,702 in 2022.
It also showed that more than one in two (53%) UK drivers have broken down on a motorway or major A-road in their lifetime, highlighting how common the experience is for both drivers and passengers, and why it’s important to take relevant safety precautions from all sides.
29% of drivers think their breakdown could have been prevented with simple vehicle safety checks, but 17% admit to rarely or never conducting these.
National Highways echoes the statement that most of these incidents could be avoided through ‘quick and basic’ checks, and is urging drivers heading away this bank holiday weekend to familiarise themselves with how to do these before hitting the roads, so they can reach their destinations safely, saving costs and reducing delays for all road users in the process.
“Millions of people will be hitting the roads over Easter, and we want everyone to have a safe and smooth journey,” commented Colin Stevenson, who is the Road Safety Information Lead at National Highways.
“A few simple checks can help to prevent many of the breakdowns we see each year and help drivers avoid unexpected delays, cost and stress.
Georgina Pellant -
5th October 2021 
