English takeaway concept set for expansion
A SALFORD couple who have earned a reputation for running the city’s best chip shop are planning to roll out their “English takeaway” concept.
Kate Edwards-Tulloch, a former Lowry Hotel food and drinks manager, and her husband James run Essence in Station Road, Swinton which alongside fish and chips sells gourmet burgers – including venison and wild boar – lamb shanks, mixed grills and “pub classics” such as sausages and mash.
The idea is to expand as a home delivery business with a reputation for English food and gourmet burgers.
Mrs Edwards-Tulloch has a background in hospitality having worked at the Lowry in Salford until 2008 when she joined the City Inn at Piccadilly Place which became a Mint Hotel before being acquired by Hilton.
She said: “I had been thinking for a while, ‘why do people not do this sort of thing [classic English food] but I was busy working my way up in hotels. When Hilton took over I didn’t want to work for a large conglomerate and I thought it was the perfect time.”
They opened with support from her father and James’ chip shop know-how, as his family operated a number of shops. Essence now has an extensive menu although Mrs Edwards-Tulloch admits it took time for customers to appreciate what sort of takeaway it was.
“There were times in the beginning when we thought ‘have we made a massive mistake?’ Because the concept is so different it’s hard to get it into people’s brains. When we introduced a butcher’s sausage we had to force customers to eat it because all they wanted was a jumbo sausage.”
She added: “The long term plan is to open another one or two shops. We’re hoping to open in Liverpool within the next year but that will be purely deliveries. There’ll be no fish and chips, just English takeaway. The plan is to get a warehouse unit we can distribute from.
“As we’ve progressed and changed the way we operate, we think that’s the way forward. We can deliver across a wider range, have more menu items and do it more efficiently.
“If that model works out I would like to come back to Manchester and try one in south Manchester, but the costs in that area are so high we need collateral behind us before we start. If it got to the point where we could open 20 or 30 sites then I’d be happy to take investment. I’d like to take it as far as it can go, there’s no reason why it can’t work on a big scale.”
The business is listed on Just Eat, the takeaway ordering website which floated in April, where it has rave reviews. Just Eat takes a commission of around 16% per order but the site drives around 20 to 30 orders to Essence a night.
