FRIED chicken takeaways seem to be the next big thing as far as fast food in East Lancashire is concerned. They vary from the good to the bad and in some cases the ugly.

Some aren’t particularly inventive when it comes to their branding.

A big dancing cartoon chicken appears on the signage of so many — so when you spot a menu with a different look, it can stand out.

The Chicken Hut has moved away from the dancing chicken and instead has opted for a chicken wearing shades and giving the thumbs-up.

I don’t know about you, but I find it almost impossible to resist a chicken in sunglasses giving me the thumbs-up so I picked up the phone and ordered.

I didn’t really fancy fried chicken after a recent bad experience, so I ordered a mixed grill kebab in a naan and half-an-hour later it was delivered.

It was huge, with all the ingredients that would make a dietician wince.

And while the kebab meat was not the best, the chicken and steak was in proper sized chunks and tasted as though they had meant to cook it that way.

The salad was of usual kebab shop standard (why do they bother?) and a portion of fries was passable.

So while I can’t vouch for the quality of their fried chicken, I agree with the shades-wearing chuck on the menu with a thumbs up.