Oldham

The Oldham institution where you can buy EVERYTHING, visit a tiny pub and eat the best butter chicken curry

Tommyfield Market is an underrated gem.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 3rd January 2023

There are some places in Greater Manchester that have become such deep-rooted institutions you often forget how remarkable they truly are. 

Take, for example, Tommyfield Market. 

This market hall has been part of Oldham, in some shape or form, since way back in the 18th century, when the land was owned by a Thomas Whittaker. 

Over the years, it’s bounced back from terrible fires, moved location a few times, and seen hundreds of brilliant local traders come and go. 

It’s got a brilliant history – I mean, did you know that Tommyfield Market was home to the first fish and chip shop? – but its present day is quite amazing too. 

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There are 107 stalls here, and when we say you can buy just about anything, we mean it. 

Credit: The Manc Group

Traders here peddle everything from clothes to jewellery to furniture to retro sweets to handbags to candles, all under one roof. 

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This is a place where you can do your full food shop while supporting local businesses, from the meat sold by Bentley’s Butchers and Meat in the Middle to the fruit and veg from Taylors. 

You can pick up beautiful soaps from Nuage 9, buy beautiful blooms and homewares from local florist Blooming Dale’s, and even get a new oven or washing machine.

Then there’s the incredible food being sold and cooked here. 

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Credit: The Manc Group

You’ll never visit without finding locals huddled round proper mugs of tea at Deelites Cafe, or tucking in to homemade treats at Mum’s Kitchen. 

One of the bigger units at Tommyfield Market is occupied by Levers Chippy, serving incredible fish and chips and the sort of gravy that coats every millimetre of your dinner. 

The traditional food continues at The Greenroom Cafe, where you can get a meat and potato pie just like the ones your nan used to make – we’re talking the sort of pastry with tiny cracks in the surface, and tonnes of mushy peas on the side. 

Local bakery Oskas sells proper, proper oven-bottom muffins for the best sandwich you’ll ever make, as well as pies and cakes.

Levers Fish & Chips at Tommyfield Market. Credit: The Manc Group

Cafe da Preta will transport you straight to Portugal with its menu of traditional dishes, and then there’s Lucknow Junction, where we found – and I kid you not – the best butter chicken of our lives. 

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This little Indian gem has curries and snacks galore, as well as traditional breakfasts like stuffed parathas and kathi rolls. 

And then when you’re all shopped out, you can kick back with a pint at Cob & Coal, a micro pub with a renowned selection of real ciders as well as ales, German lagers, and – at this time of year – mulled wine.

Tommyfield Markets is a meeting place, a shopping place, and a place for local business to thrive. 

You can visit between 9am and 5.15pm, Monday to Saturday.

Featured image: The Manc Group

Oldham

Diggle Lock – the canal-side Saddleworth cafe serving a world-class brunch

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Brunch spread at Diggle Lock in Saddleworth

Diggle Lock is a hidden gem – hidden, that is, in the same way that a lot of things in Saddleworth are hidden.

It’s a bit of a faff to reach from public transport, concealed in an ancient stone building, and often visited by walkers following routes along the canal. 

But much like Grandpa Greene’s ice cream parlour (its neighbours a bit further down the canal), this place has earned itself a reputation for serving some of the best food in the region. 

Its selling points include its stunning setting within an old textile mill in the village of Diggle, where the bare form of its past (concrete floor, stone walls, huge ceilings) are softened with Persian rugs scattered everywhere, fairy lights, and plants hung from the ceiling.

When Jamie Collins opened Diggle Lock back in 2019, they actually had the extension space tacked on the back of the mill. 

But when Wooly Knit decided to move of their huge industrial unit, Diggle Lock expanded, increasing their capacity into triple figures… right before Covid hit. 

Thankfully, the business pivoted and turned its newer space into a shop, hooking locals up with all those things we were squabbling over in those days – eggs, pasta, flour – plus locally-made products like soaps, sauces, and even chocolate. 

The DLFC club sandwich at Diggle Lock in Saddleworth
The DLFC club sandwich at Diggle Lock in Saddleworth
French toast at Diggle Lock in Saddleworth
French toast at Diggle Lock in Saddleworth
Halloumi fries at Hash browns at Diggle Lock in Saddleworth
Halloumi fries at Diggle Lock in Saddleworth

The retail space remains today, still selling fresh bread and zero-waste refills, but it’s joined by cosy corners of leather seating and plenty of space for diners to tuck in to brunches and lunches. 

And the brunches here are world-class. 

Their French Toast is almost cuboid, it’s so large. A doorstop of brioche is drenched in white chocolate sauce, vanilla mascarpone, macerated berries, caramelised chocolate crumble, slithered almonds, and pure joy. 

There’s their best-selling ‘DLFC’ club sandwich, which sees fried chicken (their own homemade original recipe), bacon, garlic mayo, lettuce and tomato served in pillow-soft white bread. 

Jamie Collins and Samedi Kirkbride
Jamie Collins and Samedi Kirkbride
Diggle Lock in Saddleworth
Diggle Lock in Saddleworth
Hash browns at Diggle Lock in Saddleworth
Hash browns at Diggle Lock in Saddleworth
Diggle Lock in Saddleworth
Diggle Lock in Saddleworth
Diggle Lock in Saddleworth
Diggle Lock in Saddleworth

Sides include homemade hash browns, crisp on the outside with a satisfying mosaic of potato on the inside, and crispy halloumi fries topped with pink pickled onions. 

There’s a full vegan menu, there are eggs anyway you could want them, proper English breakfasts, and more of those massive sandwiches. 

Its clientele is vastly varied – there’s a lot of local tourism from walkers (because what city-centre dweller doesn’t love an escape to the Saddleworth countryside?), a good handful of regulars, and even a bit of international tourism (including a New Yorker who told Diggle Lock that their pancakes are the closest they’ve had to those back home). 

The knitting group who used to meet here when it was Wooly Knit still come by, to chat and create clothes over a glass of wine. 

Diggle Lock’s even found fame thanks to competitive eater and YouTuber Beard Meets Food, who decided to take on an entire tray of their French toast (that’s 3.5kg of the stuff and a 30-minute time frame). 

The video racked up almost three million views – so naturally, that French toast challenge is now on the menu. 

This is a world-class brunch served in a world-class corner of northern countryside. 

With rain absolutely lashing down outside and a sandwich in front of you so big you could wear it like a pair of wedges, it’s a cosy hideaway and a proper Oldham treasure. 

Don’t miss it.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Oldham

The Failsworth and Oldham-based walking group that’s proving to be a lifeline for hundreds of Mancs

Danny Jones Danny Jones Greater Manchester walking groups

We feel lucky to live in a world where people are being more proactive when it comes to taking care of their mental health as well as looking after others, so when we came across a Greater Manchester walking group doing just that, we couldn’t help but spotlight them.

The Failsworth and Oldham Walking and Unity Group has only been going for around three months or so but it has already become a regular and important pastime for hundreds of Mancs in the local area and beyond the borough.

Set up by Bradley Robinson in the hope of helping people suffering from mental health and addiction issues, as well as those who simply struggle to socialise, the group has taken off and has gone on to become a real community in a relatively short space of time.

Working with volunteers at the local church, Macedonia URC, and setting up walks all around Failsworth, Oldham, Greater Manchester and nearby ramblers routes, the group isn’t just giving its members an enjoyable outlet through which they can spend time with others, it’s proving to be a real lifeline.

Failsworth walking group
Brad Robinson
Credit: Failsworth and Oldham Walking and Unity Group (via Instagram)

Going from strength to strength with each venture out — ranging from strolls around local parks to walks and hikes around Saddleworth‘s Dovestone Reservoir, Todmorden’s Gaddings Dam, days out in Blackpool and more — the group has evolved into something much more than just Brad’s baby: it’s now everyone’s, just as it was intended to be.

In fact, even whilst their inspirational founder was out of action with a broken ankle in recent weeks, their dedicated volunteers took it upon themselves to arrange various walks for nearly 700 Failsworth and Oldham Walking and Unity Group members and made sure to bring Brad along in his wheelchair too.

Since part of the goal from that beginning has been to give back, the group has now become a proper brand with clothing and merchandise funded through donations, as well as further spreading the word through leaflets and their social media pages. Better still, all the money raised goes straight back into the community.

People from all ages and backgrounds come together for what is not only just a highlight in their week but a regular bit of exercise they can rely on for both their mental and physical health. We can’t think of many better causes to get behind.

macedonia church failsworth
canal walks manchester
waterfalls greater manchester
It’s a real family-friendly affair.

Reflecting on the huge impact the group has had on their life, one member said that after going through “the toughest few months” of their life, the walking group helped show them who their ‘real friends’ were.

“Failsworth and Oldham Walking and Unity Group has helped me so much I’ve met so many new friends/family and I couldn’t imagine my life without any of you. This group needs to be recognised more because the unity it is bringing is beautiful.

“It’s kept me happy and clean and the feeling I get after checking on the group each day and connecting with people who understand — nothing comes close”.

Genuinely, even in reading just some of the stories people have shared in this active and crucially open forum, we’ve been full of emotion and welled up on more than one occasion — especially watching Brad reflect on how far it’s come. Be it a problem with alcohol, depression, grief or otherwise, this group is playing a key role in people’s recovery and rebuilding confidence.

is failsworth in oldham
failsworth community groups
Founder Bradley
best views in greater manchester

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It always fills our hearts and brings us joy to see people banding together and helping one another during their most difficult times, and to provide such a worthwhile service in a group setting like this doesn’t just happen like that, it takes graft.

Bradley and every single person involved in the Failsworth and Oldham Walking and Unity Group should be immensely proud of what they’ve already built and we have every faith it will continue to get bigger and better in the years to come.

The group has also set up a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for more club trips, activities and outreach which you can donate to HERE.

With the ongoing cost of living crisis compounding obstacles for people all across the country, highlighting the importance of mental health is more crucial than ever, with the UK government also outlining new steps to prevent what remains one of Britain’s biggest problems.

‘Major’ new strategy to prevent suicides nationwide announced by Government

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — Failsworth and Oldham Walking and Unity Group

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