Shadia Al Hili is urging a woman passing by her Altrincham Market stall to sample the food on offer.
But there’s a problem.
The woman appears more confused than interested by what’s on sale.
Shadia tries again, this time in Arabic.
“Honestly, it’s authentic ful madamous – give it a go.”
The woman frowns. Real ful madamous doesn’t exist ready-made outside her homeland – never mind the UK. This doesn’t seem right.
She gazes at the pot on the table, sniffs, piles up a spoonful, and raises it to her lips.
There’s a pause.
All of a sudden, she urgently beckons her husband over to the stall. They stand together tasting samples for some time, before the woman turns to Shadia, places a palm on her shoulder and looks her right in the eye.
“Thank you for doing this,” she says.
All those endless hours in the kitchen suddenly seemed worthwhile. Shadia felt she might just be the right person to introduce ful madamous to the British market after all.
Ful madamous – a dish of cooked fava beans served with a stash of aromatic spices, olive oil, garlic and a touch of chilli heat – is not just a favourite for Middle Eastern families; it’s an essential part of their staple diet. It tastes like home.
Shadia, a mother of two and entrepreneur from Salford, is the first woman to popularise the magnificent, healthy cuisine in the western hemisphere. And it’s making a big impact.
This is how she did it…
“We’re putting ful madamous on the map”
The fact that ful madamous has never quite made it onto British soil as a supermarket snack seems bizarre for two reasons.
Firstly, it’s one of the oldest foods in the world – having been a staple of the eastern diet for more than five thousand years.
Second, it offers pretty much everything the body and mind needs to fire on all cylinders.
Packed with healthy carbs, protein and vitamins, it’s what Shadia refers to as a “little bowl of heaven” – and Shadia is selling it for just £2.95 a pop.
Ful madamous- translated as “mashed beans” in English – is nothing short of a superfood, tasting like a thicker, fuller version of hummus although with 75% less calories.
Among its incredible health benefits is the also the presence of levodopa – a dopamine precursor and chemical proven to fight Parkinson’s disease.
“We’re trying to put madamous on the map,” explains Shadia, who set up her ful madamous brand Cuzena in 2017.
“It has so many benefits for people, it offers a real insight into Middle Eastern culture, and it’s perfect as a meal or snack.
“The fact that you couldn’t just buy it off the shelves seems mad to me. It’s one of the tastiest, healthiest foods in the world!
“I’ve always had a bit of an entrepreneurial mind-set, but when I closed the fridge one day after realising my family hadn’t made ful madamous, I thought – ‘Why can’t you just buy this in supermarkets?’.
“It wouldn’t leave me, and I decided to give it a real go.
“I’ve been very passionate about making it happen ever since.”
“They have hummus now”
Raised by Middle Eastern parents – who’d moved to Salford in the 1950s – Shadia is convinced her dad is looking down on her right now and laughing at the fact she’s introducing a nation to a food that’s reigned humble but supreme in the east for centuries.
“He’d find it bizarre, but I think he would be very proud” laughs Shadia.
“I remember my mum coming home and excitedly telling my dad – ‘You won’t believe it, they have hummus in the shops now.’”
“It was a big thing then. But nowadays, hummus is everywhere. That’s the plan for ful madamous.”
Shadia calls ful madamous the “cousin” of hummus, but this concoction differs in the fact it can be eaten hot or cold. It’s also earned privileged status as ‘SYN FREE’ at Slimming World whilst fitting in a veggie or vegan diet.
So why, until now, has ful madamous evaded British buyers?
“I think for many years, people didn’t enjoy the earthy colours of dark food,” Shadia explains.
“I certainly think the stars have aligned for us to introduce our bean ranges with the growth of plant-based eating.
“I think a lot of people believe the best beans are grown elsewhere. But we’ve actually had excellent beans growing here since the iron age.”
Not that that made it any easier to make ful madamous, of course.
Shadia had to go through more than 1,000 tests until she found a blend that really hit the spot. But two years ago, she successfully completed the soft launch of Cuzena – which is now available both in Manchester and nationwide.
There are currently three flavours for sale – garlic & coriander, fiery chili, and caramelised onion – with plans in the pipeline to expand the range in 2020.
“ I think the perception of Middle Eastern food is that it’s really complicated and contains all sorts of things like rose petal water” Shadia tell us.
“The fact is – it’s humble food with magnificent flavour and Cuzena plans to show how thoroughly simple and thoroughly modern the food is. I’m just so glad more people are beginning to discover what it’s like.”
“True happiness must be shared”
Nobody had heard of Cuzena a few months ago. Barely anyone knew what ful madamous was, either.
Yet, Shadia’s Middle Eastern dish is now available at Wholefoods, As Nature Intended, Bents Garden Centre, Unicorn, Ancoats General Store, Sale General Store, two city centre SPARs (Princess St and Oxford Rd), Booths supermarket and Selfridges.
Cuzena is also enjoying distribution from Cotswold Fair and The Health Store.
“It’s been a busy few months, but I’m so glad people are discovering it,” says Shadia.
“At Cuzena, we respect the Middle Eastern tradition to share from ‘one plate’ – we only make food that you can share.
“That’s our attitude: True happiness must be shared…”
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025
Emily Sergeant
Rochdale has officially been named Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2025.
Taking over the reins from Bolton – which held the title in 2024 – and following in the footsteps of Stockport before that, which held the title in 2023, and even hosted a massive ‘Town of Culture Weekender’ festival with 50+ free events to celebrate and bring its title year to a close, it’s now the turn of the north-eastern Greater Manchester borough of Rochdale.
Rochdale’s year will build on the town’s already-rich cultural history and international reputation as the home of the co-operative movement.
More than 35 arts organisations will be bringing together an ambitious programme of festivals, exhibitions, events, and performances throughout the year.
Unfamiliar with what the ‘Greater Manchester Town of Culture’ title is all about? It’s an accolade that’s handed out every year to different boroughs across the region.
Bury was the inaugural title-holder 2020 and held onto it in 2021 too due to the COVID pandemic, before being followed by Stalybridge in 2022, Stockport in 2023, and of course, Bolton in the year just gone.
The title celebrates Greater Manchester’s culture and heritage.
As well as getting a new title to shout about, it also sees the towns given a grant from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) culture fund to help develop a programme of cultural events and activities throughout the year.
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025 / Credit: The Manc Group | Rochdale Council
In Rochdale’s case, you can expect the ‘very best local talent’, as this year is promising to put ‘people power’ centre stage, with residents helping to plan, develop, and deliver a lineup of creative activities, alongside a number of major events.
This includes the popular free days out for families, an exciting new urban arts festival, two different food and drink festivals, a lantern parade, the Ignite Fire Festival, a Pride parade, and so much more.
You can also expect live music performances, a new people’s gallery, and even some major international collaborations that are yet to be announced.
Rochdale is taking over the reins from Bolton, which held the title in 2024 / Credit: Rochdale Council
“Rochdale is a place with a rich cultural history, so it is great to name it Greater Manchester’s town of culture as it’s town hall and town centre enter a new era,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as the borough was crowned this week.
“Rochdale submitted a fantastic bid for this which, was incredibly exciting and ambitious, while being firmly rooted in its local talent and deep history.
“We are definitely going to see the very best of what Rochdale has to offer over the next 12 months and people will come from far and wide to see it.”
Featured Image – Rochdale Council
News
The Lowry Theatre undergoes revamp following Biffa Award grant
Danny Jones
The Lowry in Salford Quays has had a bit of TLC with one of its biggest theatre spaces undergoing a pretty significant refurb this past month.
Following a well-deserved grant distributed via the Biffa Award, a multi-million-pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through community and environmental projects across the UK, the legendary local theatre received nearly £75k last year.
As a result, all 440 seats and various other aspects of The Lowry‘s Quays Theatre have now been renovated and refurbished.
The short story is, she looks more gorgeous than ever – see for yourself:
Being initially handed over in March 2024, The Lowry was awarded a total of £74,816 to reupholster seating in the venue’s Quays Theatre with new padding and fabric.
After almost 25 years of constant use as one of the most popular theatres in the North, the seats in the Quays Theatre were much in need of a refurb, and with work completed in December, Lowry visitors can now enjoy watching the venue’s wide range of theatre, dance, comedy and drama in comfort.
The work was actually carried out between July and December, with seats being carefully removed in batches and reupholstered off-site.
This was made possible due to the Biffa Award’s most recent ‘Cultural Facilities’ theme, which aims to improve recreation, interest and education, drawing funds from the UK government’s wider Landfill Communities Fund.
The old fabric and padding were disposed of sustainably, with lots of it being repurposed where possible to minimise waste and all the new materials used meet current guidance for safety and quality.
The Lowry’s Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Development, Gwen Oakden, said of the long overdue update:“It is so important that our audiences are able to enjoy our world-class performing arts programme in a comfortable and welcoming space.
“For many visitors to the Quays Theatre, this is their first experience of live performance – often to see a family show or as part of a school trip. We really want it to be the best experience possible, and for them to begin a lifelong relationship with Lowry.
“As a registered charity, without the generous support of this Biffa Award, for which we’re hugely grateful, we couldn’t have carried out this important work for our audiences.
As we head into our 25th Anniversary year, we are delighted to be able to welcome audiences and visitors can enjoy the beautiful and revived Quays Theatre.”
As for the Biffa side of things, Grants Manager Rachel Maidment added: “We are delighted to have supported The Lowry in refurbishing the Quays Theatre seating, ensuring audiences can continue to enjoy performances in comfort.
“Through Biffa’s Cultural Facilities theme, we fund projects that provide engaging and inspiring spaces for communities. The Lowry is a key cultural venue, and we’re proud that our funding, made possible through the government Fund, has helped enhance the experience for visitors for years to come.”
Like most Mancs, we love The Lowry, so here’s to hosting countless more theatregoers in the most comfortable seats possible for generations to come.
We’ve been to some brilliant performances around here of late.
The Manc -
6th February 2020 
