Yahoo News The popular canal side narrowboat café serving up pizza and cakes that's set to appear on Channel 4
A narrowboat-turned-café serving up good quality Neapolitan pizza whilst offering beautiful canal side views is to appear on a new Channel 4 series this week.
Usually found along the Macclesfield Canal between Stockport and Cheshire, The Waltzing Matilda boat has become popular with boaters and walkers alike since first opening to the public in 2021. Run by father-and-son duo Paul and Chris Edwards, the floating café will be found in different locations each weekend.
Serving up wood-fired pizzas, alongside a selection of cakes, hot drinks, and milkshakes, the unique dining experience began life through the pandemic when son Chris, who works as a professional chef, was furloughed.
Taking the lead from his dad, who had spent years living on the boat, the pair came up with the concept as a way of bringing their passions together. Chris previously told the M.E.N: “I’m not really the sort of person to sit around and do nothing. We had been toying with the idea for a while, and we were just sitting on his boat, discussing ideas and we decided on pizza.”
The Waltzing Matilda’s pizzas are made using a custom-made pizza oven homed at one end of the boat, before being served through a hatch on the side of the boat. Utilising nearby seating areas on the towpaths where they moor up, they have established a firm fanbase often attracting queues throughout the day.
The pair, who both have full-time jobs, only operate the boat seasonally and during the weekend, but it also features freshly-roasted coffee and artisan bakes from local bakeries as well as Chris’ sister Rebecca.
Chris and Paul have now attracted the attention of TV executives as their boating business is set to appear on new Channel 4 daytime series Narrow Escapes from today (April 29).
The 20-part series follows the lives of people who have swapped their homes for a life on the water - from ‘bobbing businesses to continuous cruisers’. It aims to divulge into the realities of canal life - from following the rules and costs of owning a narrow boat to throwing parties and making new friends.
Speaking about the show, Gill Brown, commissioning editor for Channel 4, said: “Narrow Escapes is a joyful and inspiring series capturing the diverse characters living on our canals and showcasing the unique perks and quirks of narrow boat living, as well as revelling in the magnificent scenery and nature in the UK.”
Posting about their involvement in the series, Paul and Chris wrote on social media: “We are so excited to announce that we’ll be featuring in ‘Narrow Escapes’, a new TV show following the lives of people from all walks of life, as they travel, live and work from narrowboats, across the waterways of the UK!
“The first episode will air on Channel 4 on Monday 29th April and the show will go out on weekdays at 4pm! For those who can’t wait for more - the first full week will also be streaming immediately online. The adverts are currently showing on channel 4 now! We can’t wait for you to see what we’ve been up to!”
The news was met with excitement from the pair’s followers. One person posted: "So excited for everyone to see the magic that happens Behind The Scenes on the Waltzing Matilda!" Another said: "Looking forward to seeing you on the screen soon!”
Narrow Escapes will air on Channel 4 throughout the week at 4pm, with the series also available to watch via the channel’s On Demand service here. To find out where The Waltzing Matilda will next be mooring up, you can keep track of them on social media here.
