A Bolton mum is said to have been left “traumatised” after a microwave poaching hack backfired and she’s vowed never to eat an egg again.
25-year-old Chantelle Conway was left with horrific facial burns after her attempt to poach an egg in the microwave went wrong and left screaming in agony.
Using the same tried-and-tested method she’s “always” done to poach eggs, Chantelle boiled the kettle and filled a cup before cracking a raw egg into the water and putting it in the microwave for ten seconds – but when she then put a cold spoon into the boiling water to remove the poached egg, the reaction sent the piping hot water shooting straight into her face as she stood over the cup.
Chantelle claims that she has been poaching eggs in the microwave for the last two years before it went wrong earlier this month.
She was so rocked by the incident that she was convinced she’d “burnt her face off”.
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“I’ve always done poached eggs that way because it was just a quicker and easier way of doing them,” said Chantelle, from Farnworth in Bolton.
“When I took it out of the microwave, I put a metal spoon in to turn the egg and check if it was cooked but as soon as the spoon touched the water it shot out.
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“It wasn’t the egg that blew up [as] that landed on my kitchen side, it was the water that went everywhere – all over my face and neck and I’m sure it even hit the ceiling because there’s a mark above where I was standing.
“It was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my life.”
Chantelle claims that she has been poaching eggs in the microwave for the last two years / Credit: Flickr
Describing the pain as feeling like “someone had a blowtorch on my face constantly”, Chantelle said she was “really lucky” that she managed to shut her eyes in time and wasn’t blinded, but admits that here eyelids were “badly burnt”.
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Chantelle was at home with her 18-month-old daughter and was on FaceTime with her cousin Stephanie at the time of the horrific accident, who listened in horror to Chantelle’s screams as the water scalded her face.
Relaying the traumatic incident, Stephanie said: “We FaceTime every day and she puts the phone on the tea and sugar pots while she makes a brew [but] all of a sudden I saw lots of stuff flying up in the air and she was screaming and couldn’t even talk to tell me what had happened so I thought the kettle had blown up in her face.
“I was in Manchester at the time [so I was] too far away to nip round.
“I just felt helpless and was panicking trying to call someone nearby to go help her.”
“I’ll never have an egg again because I’m so traumatised.” / Credit: Kennedy News & Media
After her partner Mark came home to take her to A&E at Royal Bolton Hospital, Chantelle revealed that hospital staff said her quick reaction of continuously pouring cold water over her face meant she was very lucky to have not sustained third-degree burns.
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Following the life-changing incident, Chantelle has shared photos of her excruciating facial burns to warn others against the ‘hack’ – which she has seen people doing on TikTok – and also shared her burn recovery experience to raise awareness and warn others on the social media platform.
“I do take full responsibility for what happened,” Chantelle admits.
“It was silly of me to do it and I just want more people to know what can happen so it doesn’t happen to anyone else.
“I’ll never have an egg again because I’m so traumatised.”
Featured Image – Kennedy News and Media
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Major pop star crowns humble rice and three cafe as ‘Jewel of Manchester’ ahead of sold-out gig
Thomas Melia
A beloved city centre takeaway has been given the title of ‘Jewel of Manchester’ by chart-topping UK singer Sam Smith.
Known for hits like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ and more recently ‘Unholy’, UK pop-ballad act Sam Smith also likes to drop a food review every once in a while.
Currently on the road with a run of shows in Manchester and London for their ‘To Be Free’ live shows, Sam Smith is stopping off at some of our city’s much-loved spots.
On their food-reviewing account titled ‘Sam Served’, where they adopt the aptly-fitting nickname ‘Ham Smith’, Sam has visited restaurants across the globe – and most recently turned their attention to Manchester’s own This & That.
Smith decided to pop in and grab a cheeky rice and three from long-standing backstreet food business This & That, and it certainly went down a treat.
After sampling their amazing selection of meat, vegetable and vegan curries, the musician crowned this family-run Indian takeaway a ‘Jewel of Manchester’.
The hitmaker described this Northern Quarter Indian eatery as ‘Everything food should be’ and definitely enjoyed all the curries on offer ‘leaving belly and heart full’.
This & That prides itself on affordable and comforting food with its ‘Rice and Three Curries’ starting from just £6 – not bad for a city centre foodie spot.
Sam has racked up an impressive 490k followers via their ‘Sam Served’ profile, with famous faces like Lily Allen, Denise Welch and CMAT all wanting to know the superstar’s foodie thoughts.
After enjoying a curry or three, Sam Smith also made sure to feed their soul to by venturing down to Afflecks and getting lost in the music at Mars Tapes.
Recognised as one of the UK’s only cassette and tape shops, Mars Tapes lets you flick through their crates of physical media and even preview tracks before you buy with its dedicated listening areas.
It’s safe to say that Smith has ‘Latched’ onto Manchester’s independent business scene and we’re here for it.
The London-born artist has just released their latest album Hazel Eyes and is currently amid a UK residency tour with two dates in Manchester’s Albert Hall and eight shows set for London Coliseum.
You can now have a private sleepover amongst all the history inside Manchester Museum
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Museum is now offering one lucky family the chance to have a sleepover with Stan the Tyrannosaurus rex.
For the first time in Manchester Museum’s history, one lucky family will be given the chance to experience an incredible night at the museum.
This unique opportunity is being offered as part of a prize draw, allowing visitors to find out what happens once the sun goes down inside the Fossils and Dinosaurs gallery – in the company of Stan, the famous Tyrannosaurus rex, of course.
The Fossils and Dinosaurs gallery is one of the most iconic spaces within Manchester Museum.
Having opened to the public all the way back in 1888, it’s part of the museum’s original building designed by celebrated Alfred Waterhouse, who also designed Manchester Town Hall and London’s Natural History Museum.
Not only will the lucky winning family enjoy an overnight stay in the gallery, but they’ll also be treated to a guided torchlight tour of the galleries after the Museum has closed, as well as other fun activities and a film screening too before bed.
You can now have a private sleepover inside Manchester Museum / Credit: The Manc Group
“We can’t be completely sure what happens when the sun goes down in our Fossils and Dinosaurs gallery, because nobody has ever spent the night in there before, but we can only imagine the kind of fun that can be had with Stan the T. rex and his friends,” said Dean Whiteside, Head of Commercial and Operations at Manchester Museum.
“This is a chance to be a part of museum history and enjoy the kind of once-in-a-lifetime experience you can’t usually buy.
“At the same time, Manchester Museum is a charity so, by getting behind this initiative, you’ll be helping to support vital work that impacts the lives of people across Greater Manchester and beyond.”
Fancy it then? You can enter the prize draw by buying a ticket for £5 from the Manchester Museum Shop, with each ticket counting as one entry and the winner set to be chosen at random from all valid entries.
The prize draw is now open and closes on Monday 28 September 2026.
Emily Sergeant -
13th July 2021 
