A famed fish and chip shop has opened its doors in Stockport and proved an instant hit with diners.
Mother Hubbard’s, a historic Yorkshire chippy that opened its first branch more than 50 years ago, opened its new branch in Wellington Road North, just outside the town centre, on Saturday.
Queues formed outside the building, many of them enticed by the 50% off opening day offer and it’s already proving a hit with foodies.
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One customer, Val Boonham, was 133rd in the queue at one point, but took to social media, saying it was ‘well worth the wait’.
“I went in, it was heaving,” she said. “It opened at 11am I went in at 12.05 I was 133 in the queue. The fish was so tasty and chunky, not had a fish so tasty for years, well worth the wait.”
The new chippy is on the site of the former Hope Inn pub in Heaton Norris.
Mother Hubbard’s is now open in Stockport -Credit:MEN
Founded in Bradford in 1972, the purpose-built restaurant was opened by Bernard Youens and Jean Alexander, better known as Coronation Street’s Stan and Hilda Ogden. The restaurant, on Ingleby Road, cost £92,000 to fit out, with a portion of fish and chips costing just 45p at the time.
One site in Bradford became three, and then more sites began popping up in Batley, Keighley, Huddersfield and Halifax, before venturing over the Pennines with a branch in Oldham around seven years ago. And the expansion didn’t stop there, with sites now also in Salford, Bolton and Cheetham Hill.
The franchise is also known for attracting queues down the street with customers waiting from early doors and hundreds of servings handed out. It’s partly down to its opening offer of half prices meals or chippy teas for just 45p, just like when Stan and Hilda cut the ribbon back in 1972.
On the menu at the new Stockport branch, diners – who can eat in or takeaway – can expect classics like regular fish and chips for £8.75, special fish and chips for £10.45, and super jumbo portions for £16.95.
Fish and chips served up at Mother Hubbard’s -Credit:Manchester Evening News
Other items on the menu include chippy staples like cheese and onion pie with the option of gravy and chips (£4.25), as well as meat and potato pie and steak pie. There’s also options such as Peri Peri and a Keema Pasty.
Specials include chicken nuggets (£3.45), hot wings (£3.95), battered sausage (£2.45) and scallops (£1.25), alongside a jacket potatoes, sandwiches, wraps, salads, and butties like the fish butty special (£9.95). There’s all the usual accompaniments too like curry sauce, gravy and mushy peas on offer from £1.25, plus a savers menu.
Speaking about the new opening, Mother Hubbard’s head chef Chris Farnell, who looks after new openings for the popular fish and chip shop, said: “Our product is very good, we’ve got a wide variety of dishes to chose from, it’s not just a fish and chip shop, and there’s a lot of places to eat in the shop and we don’t charge extra to takeaway.”
The chippy will be open from 11am daily and last orders will be at 10.30pm. It also delivers via Just Eat and Uber Eats.