Battered butties and curried Easter bunnies on offer at Preston chippies!

But in Preston two sizzling chippies are out to add a little bit of crunch to the humble barm cake.

At one, in Holme Slack, the big seller right now is a deep-fried battered chip and gravy butty. Staff at the Wee Chippy can’t roll them out fast enough.

And less than two miles away in Ribbleton the dish this weekend is the “Easter curry bunny” - also a deep-fried battered bread roll filled with spicy chicken or beef.

“Whatever it sounds like, a battered barm cake can be a thing of delight,” said John Clarkson who has been creating bizarre snacks at his Mister Eaters chip shop in Longridge Road for years. “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”

Battered barm cakes are not a new-fangled idea - John says he has been serving them in various forms for 20 years. But they have suddenly caught on across the country with variations popping up in Leeds, Hartlepool and Blackrod near Bolton. One chippy in Tenerife has even joined in the craze.

Tina Hughes, owner of the Wee Chippy on Holme Slack Lane, says her battered chip barms can come with a filling of mushy peas, curry sauce or cheese, if gravy doesn’t do it for you.

“We can even do battered deep-fried pies if that’s what customers want,” she said. “The chip barms are going down a treat. Customers love them.”

And up the road John added: “I’m well known for my novelty items on the menu and I’ve taken the battered barm a step further. We hollow out the barm cake and then fill it with homemade curry before battering and frying them. They’re our curry bunnies for Easter.”