Well-loved canal side narrowboat café announces return date after appearing on TV show

A beloved canal side narrowboat café famous for its freshly-made pizzas and cakes has announced the date it will open up for the summer.

Since opening three years ago, The Waltzing Matilda boat has become a popular spot for food and drink whilst offering up beautiful views of the Macclesfield Canal. Appearing in different locations each weekend, the boat will usually be found alongside the canal between Stockport and Cheshire.

The floating café, which is run by father-and-son duo Paul and Chris Edwards, recently appeared on Channel 4’s Narrow Escapes - which follows the lives of those who have swapped their homes for a life on the water. The 20-part daytime series has been a hit with viewers since it began last month.

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For the first time since the show began airing on television, The Waltzing Matilda will begin its summer season serving up its wood-fired pizzas and freshly-baked goods on Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2.

Announcing their reopening plans, the duo posted on social media: “Just a quick announcement with some exciting news. We’ve been overwhelmed with the amazing response from our last announcement and following our appearance on @channel4 narrow escapes program.”

However, due to the nature of their business, they have not yet been able to reveal a location for where the café will be based on their opening weekend but said that details will be revealed in the near future and demand is expected to be high.

Adding to the post on The Waltzing Matilda page, the pair wrote: “The location is being planned as we speak, we will open bookings once we find the perfect spot, bookings will be taken through our website, bookings will be highly, highly advised for this weekend as we expect it will be busy!”

Alongside their pizzas, the café will serve baked treats from Prestwich-based Weenie Bakes as well as hot drinks from Cheshire’s Kickback Coffee Roasters. The Waltzing Matilda started life during the pandemic after dad Paul, who spent years living on the boat, decided on the concept of creating a pizza oven on the boat with son Chris.

After being cooked via the custom-made pizza oven, which is homed at one end of the boat, the pizzas are served through a hatch with customers utilising nearby seating areas alongside towpaths where the boat is moored up.

In response to the social media post, customers eager to visit the café could hardly contain their excitement. One person responded: “Yesssss, we’ve been waiting for this!!" Another added: "will definitely have to do this.”

You can follow The Waltzing Matilda on Instagram for more details on where and when they will be located throughout the summer.