A northern grandma whose fry-up takeaway went viral after Leeds lad Danny Malin of Rate My Takeaway fame visited her house in lockdown has now branched out to open her very own cafe.
Malin helped Bolton grandma Marion Love gain notoriety online after posting a hilarious video of himself eating a full English breakfast at a put-up table on the pavement outside her house during the height of lockdown.
As a result of the Leeds-based foodie's video, people started travelling from far and wide to sample her food - leading her little DIY cheffing operation to become a full-blown business within a matter of weeks.
The famous full English breakfast at Grandma's Kitchen. / Image: Grandma's Kitchen
Now, she's just opened her first cafe - the aptly named Grandma's Kitchen - over in Farnworth.
Serving up her famous full English breakfast, the bistro-style cafe also offers a range of other popular breakfast favourites like eggs benedict and breakfast burritos, as well as lunches like Italian sandwiches and a Korean brioche bun with chicken.
The 50-year-old had first started cooking her dishes from home for takeaway only during lockdown, inspired after seeing some success on her Instagram food blog - first started in 2017.
The veggie breakfast brioche at Grandma's Kitchen. / Image: Grandma's Kitche
Having begun by sharing recipes for meals, it was during the height of the pandemic -when many restaurants and bars were either closed or forced to offer takeaway only - that she decided to start selling her food from home.
Making the trip over from Leeds, Malin set up his now-infamous portable table outside her front door to ensure his fry-up was as hot as can be. After giving her a rave review, he then proceeded to polish off some of her homemade cookies for dessert.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7YM7iYtFRY
As a result of the video, Marion said that she received thousands of messages of support as well as gaining loads of new followers and customers.
Her cafe in Farnworth has been in the works since 2019, but its construction was delayed due to the pandemic. Now, it is open at last.
It's fantastic news for our city as Leeds has been crowned one of the best cities in the UK for foodies.
It's news that we've been pretty certain of for some time, but it's still nice to be recognised isn't it?
It comes from a new study carried out by credit card brand Aqua who analysed 30 major UK cities across a range of dining and social media metrics, including cuisine variety, restaurant availability, meal affordability, Michelin recognition and TikTok hashtag volumes.
Coming in at number on was, of course, London.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
With 47 cuisines, 22.5 restaurants per 10,000 residents and 81 Michelin-starred establishments, the capital unsurprisingly continues to dominate the UK’s culinary scene.
But in at number two was our glorious city of Leeds, supported by the highest restaurant density in the study, with 38.5 establishments per 10,000 people, and strong affordability compared with cities in the south.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
We will absolutely take that.
Other northern spots to feature on the list include Sheffield and Bradford in sixth and eighth place.
The top ten UK cities for foodies are:
London
Leeds
Nottingham
Edinburgh
Wolverhampton / Leicester
Sheffield
Birmingham / Glasgow
Bradford / Swansea
Preston
Milton Keynes
Here in Leeds we've got so many fabulous food spots, with new openings cropping up every month it's hard to keep track.
From the multi award-winning Bavette Bistro in Horsforth to the highly acclaimed indie Bundobust that started off in Leeds - you certainly won't find yourself hungry or at a loss for somewhere to eat here.
Sheffield amongst nine areas to be long listed for UK City of Culture 2029
Clementine Hall
It's big news for Sheffield as the city has officially been long listed to become the UK City of Culture in 2029.
It’s one of just nine places across the country to make the cut, alongside the likes of Blackpool, Portsmouth and Wrexham.
Winning the title could bring huge investment to Sheffield, thousands of visitors, and a massive spotlight on everything that makes our city special - and let’s be honest, Sheffield’s got plenty to shout about.
From music and film to art and grassroots creativity, culture runs right through this city, and it would be a huge achievement to receive this title.
So, what happens now? Each arena will now receive £60,000 to develop a full application with the aim to build a vibrant cultural programme by 2028.
The nine confirmed long listed locations are: Blackpool, Inverness-Highland, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Swindon and Wrexham.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: "For far too long, opportunity has not been shared equally across the country. The UK City of Culture and new UK Town of Culture competitions recognise the enormous contributions made by communities all over the UK who are all part of the story of who we are as a nation.
"I look forward to seeing what the nine long listed places have in store as they progress in the competition. I also urge any towns thinking about entering the UK Town of Culture competition to seize this opportunity and get involved. It’s a chance to show the country what makes them unique and shine a spotlight on their cultural offer, enriching the lives of local people."
Go on Sheffield, we're rooting for you big time. We can't think of a city more worthy.
Georgina Pellant -
8th June 2022 
