A town centre cafe which continues to stand strong amid a tumultuous few years has thanked customers for breaking even following 'the toughest March since Covid'.

Clean Plate Kitchen Oldham on Silver Street has earned its stripes in the borough as one of the top spots for homemade cakes and pies.

Readers of The Oldham Times consider its pies, baked by Joan Cartwright from the Old Mill House, to be the best of the best, and found the cafe should have won a Great Taste Award star.

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Meanwhile, the cafe's owner, Collette Hall, was voted one of the borough's most inspirational women for her "selflessness" and "kindness".

Her nomination described the mother as a "hard-working woman" and a "rare example" of a leader "supporting other local businesses".

Not only does Clean Plate Kitchen raise money for charity, but it has an unshakable five-star food hygiene rating, a 4.8-star rating on Google Reviews and an even more impressive five out of five on Tripadvisor.

However, it's no secret the cafe has weathered some storms over the years.

Ms Hall told The Oldham Times in 2021 that the town centre felt like a "ghost town" when life returned to some degree of normality after the pandemic lockdowns.

Then last year, the cafe was forced to close for several weeks as water poured in from its damaged roof and flooded the shop.

After gas works outside the shop dented footfall and an electrical fault closed the cafe again, Ms Hall said the cafe felt "cursed" and running the place felt "like an uphill battle".

She said they were also "struggling to break even" in the cost-of-living crisis, due to "spiralling food and utility costs and decreased footfall and spending". 

Now, however, staff are having a well-earned break for the Easter holidays and Ms Hall has taken the opportunity to thank customers for their loyal support through a particularly tough month which left the till with less than a fiver to spare.

Posting on social media, Ms Hall said: "Thank you for your custom so far this year, there’s no denying that we’ve had one of the toughest March's since Covid, yet you all pulled it out of the bag this week for us and we managed to pay all of our monthly commitments with £4.88 to spare.

"Clean Plate is never going to make us rich but we love what we have and what has been built over time."

She continued: "You are so much more than customers, we’ve shared life’s ups and downs, laughter, tears, tantrums, we’ve seen you become mums, dads, husbands, wives, widows, graduates, business owners.

"We’ve counselled some of our customers through loss and grief and heartbreaks and just when life has gotten too much for some and you’ve done the same for us when we’ve faced hard times.

"And we’ve celebrated the successes and the good times together."

Ms Hall then gave a shout-out to some of her loyal customers, including Lee who went from "painting at Oldham College when we first opened" to opening his "hugely successful" business, Total Spray, and the "amazing" Vicky at British Kitchen who opened her own shop after facing a "world of setbacks".

Meanwhile, she said Caroline's son, Ahmet, has gone from his weekly Tandoori wrap to "spreading his wings" to thrive at university, while Lucinda went from single life to becoming a mum.

Georgia was also highlighted in the post, having gone from a "shy young woman" to "a married woman with the love of her life, Courtney".

Ms Hall said staff at the cafe all felt "heartbreak" when "our lovely Sue lost Alan".

She added: "We watched her grieve and helped her wherever we could to now, she’s blossoming again.

"She’s found a beautiful community within the church and has realised she still deserves to live her life and can still have some happiness."

Her post concluded: "We are still mourning the loss of Bonbons Bakes, the best cake makers ever and all of the other businesses who had to close their doors during these tough times.

"I could go on but I already have waffled on enough.

"Enjoy your Easter, whatever it is you are doing.

"Stay safe and we will see you all in a few weeks."

Got a restaurant you’d like us to review, a business shout-out or another story idea? Email me Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or send me a message on Twitter @Livbridge