The Stop at the Hollies on the A5 near Cannock claims to be quite possibly the oldest truck stop in the country. We take a look around.
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00:00We've got your knife and fork somewhere as well, cheers, thank you.
00:12So we're at Holly's The Stub where obviously you can see we've got a medium sized breakfast,
00:18I mean this is a medium, I mean that's a good amount for a medium but I guess that's what
00:22you want if you're a truck driver.
00:24We're just going to get some cutlery and give the food a try, we'll talk to some of the
00:28managers today as well, some of the staff members.
00:30Thank you a lot.
00:32Would you like a cup of tea or coffee?
00:33Oh, can I have a coffee please if you don't mind?
00:35Yeah, cheers.
00:36Coffee as well.
00:37So yeah, we're going to give the food a try, it looks brilliant.
00:40It's changed a bit since most people remember it as Grease and Littles, which are what the
00:46photos behind us are showing, some of the history behind the building.
00:49So yeah, we've had a look around, it's quite a services style station but it's kept the
00:57old classic sort of truck stop feel.
00:59So yeah, it provides a lot of the services that a truck, that a service is, or a motorway
01:03service is, but it does keep the same sort of feel as what Grease and Littles that we
01:07used to love and remember would be.
01:09So let's give one of those sausages a try, which we've been told are the best.
01:17So yeah, looks pretty good, pretty good cook, good crispy undercarriage on that as well.
01:27That's really good, really good.
01:29I'm not really sort of a breakfast, full English breakfast sort of guy, but I think now we
01:33can turn it down.
01:34Let's try the mushroom, the one that they argue we're the most hated part of an English
01:37breakfast.
01:42That's that in the bottom.
01:43I'm a bit of a mushroom fan anyway, so you can't judge on that one.
01:48And obviously the collard too, let's try a bit of bacon.
01:52Right.
01:56So good.
02:00Thank you very much.
02:01There you go, sugar.
02:02Thank you very much.
02:03Thank you very much.
02:04Yeah, so here with David and Mike, if you just want to introduce yourselves to the people
02:08watching.
02:09So I'm David Greenwood, I'm the truck stop manager for the Hollies.
02:13Mike, Mike Hewson, head of estate development for Circus Energy.
02:17Fantastic.
02:19Obviously, like formally known, obviously the Wilding Man, he used to be called.
02:31So we are owned by Circus, so the site was acquired in October 2021.
02:39And we've basically invested approximately a million pounds so far in updating it, doing
02:46various things from country works outside, we've got a brand new kitchen that obviously
02:51the guys obviously didn't know about.
02:53We've just installed a 48-storey building outside for additional works.
02:58We've concreted the grounds, we've improved the CCTV, we've improved the security.
03:03So we've also developed the inside, we've redecorated the cafe, we've got a 100-seat
03:09indoor cafe, as well as obviously the shop and other promotional items inside.
03:15And the main bit really, from the Circus point of view and the Hollies point of view,
03:20is to offer the drivers all of the available facilities in one place.
03:25So typically on a driver's journey, they can come here on a taco stop or the overnight
03:29stop, and they can basically park up here, nice and safe and secure as Dave said.
03:35They can get food and beverage here from our restaurants and we've also got a bar here.
03:39They can have a little flutter on the gaming machines, they can have the truck washed outside,
03:44they can do the laundry and the laundrette.
03:46So they've got everything in one place for them.
03:48Absolutely, so obviously you can see the history there.
03:51Everyone seems to know it.
03:52I mean, just talk a little bit about the history obviously with Greasy Lils.
03:55So, I don't know if you can see behind us, obviously this is a photograph from when we
03:59obviously bought and bought Greasy Lils.
04:02So the drivers would come in.
04:04The building itself obviously dates back from 1864 when it was just a farmhouse,
04:10then it was expanded and expanded.
04:12So what we've now got, let's say, are cafe facilities for up to 100 to sit on the side.
04:18When it was Greasy Lils, people used to be, this was open 24-7.
04:22People would come there after a night out, club night.
04:26This girl would go in from Wolverhampton, just off the M6, so it was a handy stop.
04:31And people, as you say, affectionately know it as Greasy Lils, but we've still got people
04:35who used to come here when they were in their sort of 20s and they're now in their 70s.
04:41Still having the same things.
04:43We serve breakfast from 6 o'clock in the morning right the way through to 9 o'clock at night.
04:48And that's what they enjoy.
04:50And it was quite important as well that when we acquired this Hollies truck stop
04:55that we gave it its own brand and we gave it its own identity that belonged to Surtas.
05:00So we rebranded it with Stop, so the Stop at the Hollies by Surtas Energy.
05:05And as part of our strategy and vision, we wanted to acquire more truck stops
05:10and also replicate that brand and that name throughout the UK.
05:13Fantastic. Obviously we've got a lot of motorway services around here,
05:16but this one sort of feels a bit more unique, doesn't it?
05:19It's got that sort of motorway services feel to it, but it also feels like a real truck stop.
05:25Yeah, I'm actually from a motorway service area background.
05:28And the main point of difference is we don't have any brands here
05:32or any QSRs, quick service restaurants.
05:35It's all genuine, authentic food.
05:37And that's what the drivers like.
05:39They love coming in for a big hearty breakfast or maybe something a bit more healthy.
05:43You've got all different lunch options on the menu
05:46and we've got a decent evening meal offer with specials every day.
05:50So I'm not quite sure what today's special is.
05:52It could be a chicken tikka or a chilli con carne or something like that.
05:57But the drivers absolutely love it.
05:59That's fantastic. And obviously the community loves it as well.
06:01You only get non-lorry drivers coming down just to eat in here.
06:05Absolutely. So throughout the day, as I say, the drivers will start their duty at 6 o'clock when we open.
06:11They might stop for breakfast.
06:13And then you've got all the local community coming here for their lunches, meals.
06:17And then again, from 4 o'clock onwards, the drivers will start parking up.
06:21You'll have 240 vehicles parked overnight.
06:25But throughout the day, throughout the night, they could be eating anything
06:29from mega belly buster breakfasts to what Mike said,
06:33we readily do curries, homemade pies, different dishes.
06:38It's what they enjoy. It's what they like.
06:40Absolutely. So I'm going to ask, what's the most popular food?
06:43We sell literally 84% of the food that we sell is a form of a breakfast.
06:47We will literally sell belly buster breakfast 6 o'clock in the morning or 9 o'clock at night.
06:54It's what they enjoy.
06:55And the staff will accommodate that.
06:57We've got a great team here in the kitchen working hard.
07:00And it's so much that, you know, an omelette or a full fry up,
07:04they'll try and help them all day long with that.
07:07And of course, they can do takeaways while they're eating in.
07:09That's brilliant.
07:10So it's a bit of a flex having a belly buster breakfast.
07:12Everyone seems to need a belly buster breakfast, don't they?
07:14What's included in the belly buster?
07:16We get everything.
07:17So you've literally got everything from your eggs, your bacon, your black pudding.
07:21You've got your fried toast, your toast, beans, hash browns.
07:25Talking a real belly buster.
07:27On a belly buster, you also get a bowl of chips.
07:32I think I'd definitely struggle, you know.
07:34Yeah, 100%.
07:35You say you might struggle.
07:36We have the influencer, Leah Schultz here.
07:39She did five of them.
07:41Five belly busters in five minutes.
07:43Yeah, a whole lot.
07:45One belly buster per minute?
07:46My days, you've got to be a crowd here for that.
07:49To be fair, that's exactly what you want, though, isn't it?
07:51If you're driving on the road, you know, you're driving your HGV on the road all day long.
07:54Some of the drivers, they're basically on the road for, you know, 10, 12 hours, not anything.
07:59And all they want to come here is basically park up safely, make sure they're getting a good night's rest,
08:04but also get a nice shower and a decent feed inside them.
08:07And that's why I love this place.
08:09So what other services are here?
08:10So you've got the cafe here, you've got a little bit of games, a beer shop.
08:13Well, Surtos is the largest diesel distributor in the UK.
08:17So we have a 24-hour bunker site.
08:19You can get diesel at any time, 24 hours a day.
08:22We've obviously got the on-site laundrette.
08:24Any driver who pays for parking gets a free shower.
08:28We've got 15 bedrooms upstairs, so there's hotel facilities as well.
08:32100-seater car.
08:33We've got the outside, obviously we've got the trunk wash.
08:36What's unique as well is about our HGV refueling station, or bunkers as we call them.
08:42Not only have we got our own fuel card by the fuel cards team at Surtos,
08:48we've also got FuelTap, so you can basically play on your phone
08:51and it auto-generates a new PIN number every 20 seconds for the security element.
08:56And we've gone another step further.
08:58As well as diesel, Dave mentions, and AdBlue,
09:01we also sell HVO as well, Hydro-Treated Vegetable Oil.
09:05Given the 90% carbon reduction in offering fleets and drivers
09:10the opportunity to help to decarbonise their fleet as well.
09:14Fantastic, obviously all that and on top of a fantastic team as well by the seas, isn't it?
09:17Yeah, absolutely.
09:18We're always looking, you know, the way that we've developed the site,
09:21especially the shop, we went from about 30 or 40 items to about 500.
09:25And it's all through what the drivers have asked for.
09:28But we're trying to future-proof it, so you'll be able to see outside,
09:31we've got 48 solar panels, reducing energy that we've just done
09:35to a company that we own in St. Chico.
09:37We're also planning EHUV, so hookups for the electric vehicles if they come in.
09:43So it's a bit different, but a bit of the same from what the oil and grease laws was to what?
09:48Absolutely, yeah. We've had some big key industry events here as well.
09:52We've had the Roads Minister down here, promoting various things.
09:56We've had the Road Holders Association here.
09:59We've had the Transport Focus Group here.
10:01So a lot of industry bodies have come here.
10:03They recognise the history behind it and also the change over the years.
10:07It's how history develops, isn't it?
10:09Absolutely.
10:10But we also like to do a lot for the charities.
10:12So we also have Ethan's Journey, so it's one of the local charities.
10:16We have a truck show twice a year, obviously Ethan's Journey and others.
10:20So that's what we're always looking for, any opportunity.
10:24Absolutely fantastic. Well, we're going to have a look around.
10:26We're going to have a look around, see what people are looking for.
10:28Absolutely, yeah. Perfect. Thank you very much for talking to us.
10:30No, thank you very much.
10:31So I'm here with Liam and Jesse. You're both from Manchester, is it?
10:34You said you came down from Scotland this morning, is that right?
10:36Yeah.
10:37So I mean, like, recent laws, you know, the stuff, you heard it before.
10:41It's basically regular stuff, yeah?
10:42Regular, yeah.
10:43Fantastic. So what have you got? You have a pie and chips?
10:45Yeah, yeah, chicken burger and chips.
10:47I'll be going for the healthier option, haven't I?
10:49Yeah.
10:50So I mean, it's a bit renowned, this one amongst the old truck drivers, isn't it?
10:55Quite popular.
10:56It's quite popular at our company, yeah.
10:58Fantastic. How long have you been coming here for?
11:00This isn't your first time, is it?
11:01No, I've been coming here, I think, 25, 30 years.
11:0425, 30 years. It's changed since then, hasn't it?
11:06Yeah, yeah, definitely. Yeah, for the better.
11:08For the better, yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:10I mean, I explain it that way because it sort of, like, looks like a services,
11:13but it feels like a truck stop, doesn't it?
11:15It feels like a proper truck stop.
11:17It's a lot better than what I'm used to.
11:18Yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:19Why did you choose to come here instead of the service, instead of the other services?
11:22Proper food.
11:23Proper food.
11:24Yeah, fantastic. Is that pretty much why everybody else, I can imagine that's why everybody else comes down here?
11:27Yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:28Do you use the rooms much, like, are the rooms any good?
11:30No, no, I've never used them.
11:32It's good having the option, I suppose, in the cleaning facilities as well.
11:36So what do the staff like? Do the staff treat you well?
11:38Yeah, yeah, yeah, they're lovely.
11:39They throw you a few extra chips and food and all that stuff like that?
11:41Well, she brought me an extra gravy, though, so...
11:44Ah, that's nice of them. Yeah, yeah, that's nice of them.
11:46No, perfect.
11:47So where are you off to now, then?
11:48Cheltenham.
11:49Cheltenham?
11:50Yeah.
11:51Some distance, that is, isn't it? Some distance.
11:52Yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:53So these are, like, these are perfect for you guys, then, isn't it?
11:54Yeah.
11:55Once they start developing more of them, would you start going to them?
11:57Yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:58I used to use the one at Holyhead as well.
12:00Yeah, yeah, yeah.
12:01Yeah, that one's alright, that one's nice.
12:02Like I say, he said he's got plans to bring a few more in over the coming years, so...
12:06That's what he needs. That's what he needs, yeah.
12:09Plenty of spaces, just so that they get filled up quick, these places.
12:13Yeah, yeah, yeah.
12:14What are the services like when you go out?
12:16Because services, I can imagine regular services, they get...
12:18They're not big enough anymore.
12:20Yeah.
12:21So...
12:22No.
12:23No, they don't know.
12:24Parking spaces here, I don't know how many holds, but...
12:27It's about four or five times the size of services, so...
12:30Yeah, yeah, yeah.
12:31Do you get, like, the utilities that you get here as well as the other ones, or, like...
12:34They're not very good on services, because they don't get cleaned up anymore.
12:37Yeah.
12:38So...
12:39So these more, like, smaller, local-based ones, sort of, better off for you?
12:42Yeah, yeah, yeah.
12:43Cleaner, anyway.
12:44Yeah.
12:45That's for sure.
12:46That's fantastic. Well, thank you very much, man.
12:50So, now, obviously, we've just come out of the stop, which a lot of people remember as Greasy Lils back in the day.
12:56So, yeah, we had the medium breakfast.
12:58It was absolutely...
12:59It was pretty good.
13:00It was pretty good.
13:01It's definitely what I remember when I came here when I was ten years old, so, so many years ago.
13:05I'd probably say, because it was a medium breakfast, so I came from Balling Trimmings,
13:09I'd probably say that the mushrooms probably needed a bit more...
13:12A bit more on the old cooker.
13:14But, to be fair, it's the worst part of the...
13:16Everybody knows the mushrooms are probably the worst part of the Fuddingwich, anyway, so...
13:20You know, we could be in them, really.
13:22But, yeah, we were talking to the staff members and the managers.
13:24They all absolutely love the place.
13:25I mean, like, this is a real community.
13:27It's a real community, well-known hub.
13:29A lot of people come here, not just truck drivers.
13:31Community members come here for breakfasts, too.
13:33But, yeah, they provide a lot of services to the truckers.
13:36The truckers know it.
13:37They know it well.
13:38We tell folks that some people have just come down from Scotland, and they stop here specifically
13:42because they prefer this local one to, obviously, the big...
13:46The big regular services.
13:47We've got a trucker behind us making a lot of noise.
13:49So, yeah, they remember the...
13:50They prefer this one.
13:51All of the people on our team know about this one.
13:53They come down here as well.
13:54So, yeah, if you do remember, obviously, greasy lulz, definitely stop by the stop to get breakfast
14:02and say hi to the team.