THE Las Vegas Strip and London’s Oxford Street make up some of the most iconic high streets in the world — and now joining their ranks is Stockport Road, dubbed ‘the UK’s unhealthiest street’.
Armed with just £30, we headed to the three-mile stretch of high street, fittingly sandwiched by two McDonald’s restaurants, to see exactly how many calories we could consume – here’s how we got on.
This fast-food haven in Manchester features an incredible 44 takeaways, 32 pubs, 11 sweet shops, five off-licences and four vape outlets – all located on the doorstep of one of Britain’s largest cities.
A short walk down the winding road will take you on a food journey across the globe, with visitors flanked by Italian pizzas, Turkish kebabs, American cheeseburgers and Indian curries galore.
On the other end of the scale, greasy-fingered residents and financially flourishing restaurant owners alike bemoaned the area’s distinct lack of gyms and sports facilities.
All things considered, it’s really no surprise that boffins at The Independent Pharmacy have dubbed Stockport Road ‘the unhealthiest high street’ in the UK.
So, with our stomachs rumbling and under the guise of eating in the name of science, we went to the takeaway hot spot with a measly £30 budget to see how far we could make it stretch.
In order to see just how much we managed to eat, we used Chat-GPT to work out calorie averages for the food we ate.
It used similar menu items from national chains to give an estimate for all the food we ate. Of course, the exact calorie amounts will vary based on portion size and ingredients, and our figures can only be approximate.
As soon as we started making our way down the tarmac, it became abundantly clear why the street was called the UK’s unhealthiest.
Visitors are immediately met with garish shop fronts, delivery posters and stick-out signs that cover every bit of spare wall along the road.
Once you look past the FORTY-FOUR takeaways, you’re still inundated with a plethora of vape shops.
And I love a pub as much as the next person, but it seems downright daft to have 32 bars in the area.
But once your bellies are full and you’ve puffed a vape to your heart’s content, there are just two gyms in the area to burn off those calories.
And I can’t say I saw many people queuing up outside or waiting for their turn to use the treadmill.
One shop owner’s confession left me truly baffled as we wandered the high street.
The man, who asked to remain anonymous, told us he was losing weight – despite his customers piling on the pounds.
He told The Sun: “It’s funny, I make all this food all day and I don’t get big.
“Of course, it looks nice but you know, you get used to seeing it all the time.
“I think I am smaller than when I first started… I don’t eat the food!
As we spoke with some long-term residents, they joked that some forms of takeaway were even considered “healthy” in the area.
Arden University mentor Joey Kulbat, 31, said: “I have been coming here for years and I’ve now moved nearby as the area is starting to change.
“There’s what I call the hipster quarter here now, with the old train station converted into a bar and we had a bike festival the other week.
“My mates moved in nearby not long after university, and I love a shawarma.
“It’s one of my favourite foods and one of the healthier options around here.”
John Dupre, 47, a town planner by trade, believes the problem of unhealthy takeaways is a public health issue.
John told The Sun: “The health concerns around takeaways are a public health issue with regard to the labelling of food.
“The supermarkets are good with the traffic light system, but there is nothing like that for takeaways presently, as it’s not so easy to implement.
“Numbers-wise, it could be a town planning issue, but I am all for regulation if it leads to healthier, happier people. That’s what we all want.
“The Government needs to look at the salt, sugar and fat content of foods.”
Stockport Road is either food heaven or food hell, depending on your outlook.
Most locals, though, are simply sensible and weigh up all their options.
When we arrived, we started our day at the staple of all good high streets, opting for the inimitable greasy spoon.
And it was in the Friend Café that we stumbled across our first bargain of the day – the Mega Breakfast.
Friend Café – The Mega Breakfast – £8.90
The first stop on the unhealthy food tour did not disappoint – and the low prices really saved our bacon.
We opted for the Mega Breakfast, which was valued at just two pounds more than the small variety.
My plate was filled with two bacon rashers, three sausages, two poached eggs, a ramakin of beans, two slices of toast, black pudding, one hash brown, half a tomato and a generous portion of mushrooms.
While I may have scoffed at the accompanying portion of salad, I was hugely grateful for the free cup of tea on the side.
It was a breakfast fit for a king – and the plate full was estimated to be around 1,350 calories, well over half my daily calorie allowance.
One belt loop adjustment later, and we were ready to roll onto the next restaurant, sending us across the continent.
Chacha’s – 12inch Margherita Pizza – £5
There aren’t many times I would opt for a large Margherita pizza while still reeling from a mega full English – but needs must.
It was off to Chacha’s for a taste of Italy… and Turkey… and India – in fact, it served pretty much all the best varieties of takeaway food.
But we were particularly drawn in by the garish, brightly coloured shop front and the promise of a large pizza for a fiver.
We were seated for as little as five minutes before our bubbly, cheesy feast was placed down in front of us.
And while it may not have tasted exactly as the good people of Naples would have wanted, it was a pretty solid effort.
So, with all the garlic and herb dip scraped clean from the tub, we decided it was time to tackle something a bit meatier.
Texas Wings on Fire – Smash burger meal – £4.99
It was a quick hop across The Pond – or indeed the cobbled street – to reach our next destination, Texas Wings on Fire.
And it was difficult to decide which bargain meal to go for, but we landed on the £4.99 smash burger – a deal we were told was a limited-time offer.
The abundance of options – which included wraps and chicken tenders – put fast food giants McDonald’s and KFC to shame.
Customers are treated to dinner and a dhow at the counter, with the burger being prepared before their very eyes.
As well as an expertly crafted smash burger, the offer also includes a mountain of chips and a drink of your choosing.
Having gulped down my king-sized breakfast and pizza, I was unsure whether there would be room for the next feast.
But after the fluffy bun and melt-in-the-mouth meat touched my lips, I couldn’t help but finish the whole thing.
It was washed down with a delicious can of Fanta – securing about another 1,150 calories for the day based on that portion.
Once we thanked the chef, we left the restaurant – with less of a spring in our step – and decided to take on our final savoury course.
It was time to tackle the tikka.
Osman’s – Chicken masala – £7
It was in the deceptively named Osman’s Pizza and Grill that we found one of the best curries on the high street.
We managed to avoid the lunchtime rush and were first in line to sample the spicy chicken tikka masala.
There was a huge variety of curries at my disposal, as well as options to have naan and roti on the side.
Sadly, having eaten my weight in takeaway food, I was forced to opt for the basic option – but the extras all looked delicious.
In true fast-food fashion, we were served the meal on a disposable plate, but that certainly didn’t stop me from putting a huge dent in the meal.
Before we had sat down, we spoke with a couple of builders who had stopped for lunch.
In between mouthfuls of their curries, they hailed the spot as a “hidden gem” on their high street.
So, with our curry consumed, according to our estimates, we had added another 1,200 calories to our total – and I felt like I could barely stand.
But, luckily, there is always room for dessert.
Destiny Desserts – Cake and Ice Cream – £6.50
Last on our unhealthy food trip – but certainly not least – was Destiny Desserts.
And the stars had well and truly aligned when I spotted an array of mouth-watering slices of cake behind the counter.
After an in-depth conversation with the shopkeeper, I was persuaded to go for the aptly named Rainbow Cake.
I was also reliably informed the cake would taste even better with a side of Bubblegum Ice Cream – so I willingly obliged.
Several mouthfuls of cake and some much-deserved brain freeze later, I was able to vouch for her recommendation.
Combined together, the goodies also helped us rack up another 1,000 calories.
The sweet treats rounded off an outrageously indulgent day – but how much did we spend? And how many calories did we consume in total?
The total round-up
After a couple of hours – and some tactical belt-loosening – I estimated I had consumed around about seven THOUSAND calories.
To put that number in context, men are recommended to consume roughly 2,500 calories per DAY.
It means I had chowed down on almost three days’ worth of grub in about three hours – and felt like I had only walked about three yards!
And, more importantly, I didn’t need to break the bank on my journey.
I spent just over £30 for the day – despite eating enough food for a family of four.
It’s safe to say I’ll be on my way to visit the gym for three days’ worth of exercise.