The manufacturers of the classic ‘Nice’ biscuit have taken to social media this week to confirm the correct pronunciation and you might be shocked by it.
Or maybe you won’t be?
It’s definitely a 50/50 on the pronunciations typically used by Brits – it’s either ‘nice’ or ‘niece’ – and the rules of the English language often mean that people tend to lean more towards the former option over the latter. Unfortunately though, if ‘nice’ is the option you tend to go with, you’ve been pronouncing it wrong you’re whole life.
That’s not us saying that by the way, don’t shoot the messenger, it’s Arnott’s Biscuits – one of the original manufacturers of Nice biscuits – that have confirmed it.
Taking to Twitter this week to respond to a fan who questioned the pronunciation of the coconut-flavoured classic biscuit, Arnott’s Biscuits said: “Nice biscuits were named after the city in the South of France and pronounced the same as that city.”
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“They have been part of the Arnott’s range since 1922.”
Hi Bruno, thank you for your query. Nice biscuits were named after the city in the South of France and pronounced the same as that city. They have been part of the Arnott's range since 1922.
It has officially been confirmed, once and for all, that it’s pronounced as ‘niece’.
It is still slightly disputed though, because a quick Google search will tell you that an early 1929 advertisement for the biscuits the used phrase – “delightful as the town after which they are named” – which thus indicated that the manufacturers intended the public to associate the biscuit with the French town, but it’s still uncertain as to whether or not they had actually intended that to be pronunciation.
Now, in actual reality, you can pronounce it however you like, we’re not going to stop you.
We can imagine it’ll be pretty hard to begin pronouncing it in a completely different way than what you always have done previously if you were on team ‘nice’, but at least it’s good to know if nothing else, right?
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Manchester has been named one of the ‘friendliest’ cities in the UK
Emily Sergeant
A new study has crowned Manchester as one of the ‘friendliest’ cities in the UK.
With reviews playing a huge part in the success of small businesses – especially in the hospitality and tourism sector – business insurance expert MoneySuperMarket has analysed more than 100,000 reviews of customer-facing businesses in over 100 cities worldwide to discover where the UK’s ‘friendliest’ places are.
Their new research reveals which cities nationwide attract the highest number of reviews that particularly highlight friendly staff and excellent customer service in their venues and attractions.
For each city, the reviews were analysed for mentions of friendly staff and excellent service.
Cities were then ranked by the percentage of reviews containing these markers – with the highest percentage earning the top spot for friendly customer service.
Manchester came in at a very respectable ninth place in the whole of the UK, with just over 50% of reviews mentioning friendly staff and service.
Other northern cities in the top 10 include Leeds at number six and Liverpool at number two, while looking at the global rankings, the UK dominates for friendliness – with four cities making the top 10, more than any other country in the world.
According to MoneySupermarket, the even spread of cities across the UK suggests that excelling in customer service is a national trait, rather than a local one.
European cities make up seven of the top 10 spots, suggesting that hospitality and friendly service are deeply embedded in the continent’s culture.
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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Bolton man sets Guinness World Record for most fish fingers eaten in a minute
Emily Sergeant
A man from Bolton has set a very unique world record.
Nathan Davies, from Westhoughton in Bolton, is on a roll – first he won £98,000 on ITV‘s hit gameshow The 1% Club, and now he’s a world record holder.
After telling the show’s host, Lee Mack, that he wanted to break a world record, the 32-year-old has followed through on the promise he made on national television by claiming the title for the most fish fingers eaten in one minute.
The dad-of-two managed to scoff down 15 fish fingers in 60 seconds.
A man from Bolton man has set the Guinness World Record for the most fish fingers eaten in a minute / Credit: Guinness World Record
Nathan chose fish fingers as they’re a staple in his household thanks to his two young boys, and after first testing how quickly he could eat four of them, he decided to go for the official Guinness World Record attempt.
“I decided fish fingers was achievable given that I’ve got a few less formal eating records, so it’s up my street,” Nathan explained of his world record attempt.
Despite his impressive effort though, Nathan admits he was still a little gutted about how many he managed to chow down in the allotted time, adding: “I think I could have done more if I had let them cool down longer, but just happy to have the record.”
Nathan says it’s a ‘bit strange’ to have an official Guinness World Record for eating fish fingers, of all things, but he is ‘very proud’ of it all the same.
Emily Sergeant -
25th June 2020 
