Have No Fear…Chips, Cheese & Gravy Day Is Here!

Chips, Cheese and Gravy Day – dreamt up by Gef the Mongoose back in 2018 – has gone from a daft winter idea to a full-blown Manx institution.

Today is the day and Gef knows where he will be getting his fix!

Held on the last Monday of January, it’s the island’s unofficial way of saying we survived January, armed with carbs, cheese and lashings of gravy.

Chippy boss Mark Handley says the fryers are already warming up.

‘It’s going to be £6 this year for a portion, and that includes the diner, which is great value. The same down port Erin, chippy as well.’

‘We aren’t doing deliveries.

‘We tried it the first year and had to stop. It was too busy. So we don’t want to upset people with late deliveries. You just have to come to the shop to get it.’

And judging by previous years, you’ll want to time it right. Mark admits the lunchtime rush now borders on controlled chaos.

‘It seems to get busier each year, just looking at what we needed there for the preparation, it’s definitely seemed a bit busier last year.’

So what makes this simple dish worthy of its own day? According to Mark, it’s all about where it’s made.

‘It’s the Manx spuds. It’s the cheese. I’ve had it in England and it never tastes the same. It’s always better on the Isle of Man.’

Alex Parker, who’s worked on and off at The Terrace for the past 10 years, reckons the final flourish is where legends are made or broken.

For him, salt and vinegar are non-negotiable, but even after tasting versions elsewhere, he agrees there’s only one true star.

It’s the Manx cheddar.

Mark, who’s been in the chippy game for decades, knows it’s not for everyone – and that’s exactly the point.

‘Some people don’t like it, some people love it. It’s just the way it is.’

Born as a joke, embraced as a ritual, and now firmly lodged in the Manx calendar, Chips, Cheese and Gravy Day remains peak Gef energy.

Unapologetic, comforting, and proudly local.