Failsworth chippy's new deep-fried rag pudding is a hit

The Village Chippy, located on Ashton Road East, recently introduced deep-fried rag puddings to the menu and customers cannot get enough of it.

Rag pudding is a dish widely considered to be native to Oldham and Rochdale. It consists of a suet pastry filled with beef steak, gravy and onion, traditionally boiled in cheesecloth – which is where the name comes from.

While the local delicacy has been on the shop’s menu for some time, as it is in chippies across the borough, this is the first time they have offered it deep-fried.

Adam Ford, owner of the chip shop, says he only expected to sell “two or three a day,” but the monthly special has “exceeded expectations”.

He said: “We tried it, and we sampled it with all our staff a few times, and everyone absolutely loved it. We've sold hundreds of them in the space of two and a half days.

“I built up a stock in my freezers, and I expected to do that in the first week or so, and they all went in the first two days. So yesterday, I was driving off to pick up more.”

As The Oldham Times spoke to Mr Ford, he was in the process of loading 40 puddings into the fryer.

He explained that deep-frying rag puddings is quite a labour-intensive process, meaning they cannot be cooked to order, but are instead cooked in batches and kept in the cabinet. They use Jackson’s rag puddings, a Rochdale-based company.

(Image: The Village Chippy)

Mr Ford said that, even though the deep-fried fried rag-pudding has only been on the menu since October 1, several customers have already been back multiple times just for the rag-pudding.

At the same time, the 28-year-old said that not everyone has been enthusiastic about the new menu item.

He added: “We absolutely learned that it's a very 50/50 split, that people might be thinking that we're ruining a classic. People are very protective over their Oldham heritage and rag food.”

Mr Ford said that he is not sure whether the rag pudding will be a permanent menu item, but it has certainly been a “real hit so far”.

He said: “[Monthly specials] quite often are a good hit to start with, and then obviously when people have had them a few times, and towards the end of the month – that's why I don't want to judge anything just yet.”

The Village Chippy introduced the deep-fried rag pudding after being approached by Uber Eats and Manchester’s Finest to come up with a monthly special as part of a promotion.

They will be on the menu until October 31.

They cost £3.40 when purchased at the shop and are slightly more expensive when ordered via Uber Eats.