The Isle of Man is celebrating its beloved Chips, Cheese and Gravy Day today (Monday, January 27), an annual event dedicated to the ultimate comfort food.

Held on the last Monday of January, this mouthwatering tradition shines a spotlight on the cherished dish of chips made from Manx potatoes, topped with grated Manx Cheddar and rich beef gravy.

Often compared to Canada’s poutine, this Manx creation, dubbed as the ‘unofficial national dish’, has become a firm favourite at takeaways across the island.

Chips, Cheese and Gravy Day was first established in 2018 by Gef the Mongoose, Media Isle of Man’s online magazine, to honour the dish’s iconic status. Since then, the celebration has grown in popularity, with many local eateries joining in by offering special discounts.

Among the participating venues is The Terrace Chippy, where the dish is available for just £5.50.

The Handley family, who run The Terrace, the Islander and the Port Erin Chippy, have been in the fish-and-chip game since 1981.

With nearly 44 years under their belt, owner Mark Handley says chips cheese and gravy wasn’t always the crowd-pleaser it is today.

‘You never seen it at all in the first decade of doing it, then all of a sudden we’ve seen it developing,’ he said.

‘We used to grate our own cheese, then we had to buy it grated because we couldn’t keep up.’

‘It’s really grown more popular the last 10-15 years.’

In 2025, Mark now says Chips, Cheese and Gravy Day is ‘like Christmas Day!’.

Speaking to Isle of Man Today, he added: ‘It’ll be packed now until around 2pm and then from about 3.30pm it will be non stop until about 10pm tonight.

‘Its £5.50 today and the same price in the diner as well, which is great value.

‘You’ll either love it or hate it, but you should try it!’

Pick up a copy of the Isle of Man Examiner (in shops tomorrow) to see our behind the scenes feature on how chips, cheese and gravy is prepared.