Food & Drink

Marks & Spencer launches a Percy Pig twist on an ice lolly classic

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 12th July 2022

Marks & Spencer has launched new miniature ice lollies that are a Percy Pig twist on a British summertime favourite.

The supermarket has created Percy Pig Mini Curly Tails, which look an awful lot like the ever-popular Twisters.

The new snacks, launched a few weeks ago, feature a twirl of strawberry ice lolly and Percy Pig flavoured ice cream.

M&S’s famous mascot apparently tastes of a fruity mix of raspberry, strawberry, cherry and grape, The Hoot reports.

Percy Pig mini curly tails. Credit: Instagram, @newfoodsuk

The Mini Curly Tails lollies have landed just in time for the heatwave that’s set to scorch much of the UK this weekend.

ADVERTISEMENT

M&S said: “FEELING HOT HOT HOT!? Percy Pig to the rescue with his new Mini Curly Tails! 🤭 Made with Percy Pig™ flavoured ice cream and a strawberry fruit ice swirl, they’re perfect for this week’s warm weather!!”

The lollies are inspired by the original Percy Pig sweets, which M&S sells 16 million packets of every year – the equivalent of 10 Percy Pig sweets every second.

ADVERTISEMENT

Several people have pointed out the similarities to another popular ice lolly, with one saying: “Look identical to the Walls Twister.”

Read more: Where to find the best frozen cocktails in Manchester this summer

But most just can’t wait to get their hands on them, saying: “omg we need to get these I don’t make the rules.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Model Danielle Lloyd said: “I need to try these!!!!”

Since M&S started treating Percy Pig as a brand and a character, he’s got married (Penny), travelled the world, and had piglets – with new product launches at every stage.

Meagan Hempenstall, Percy Pig brand marketing manager at M&S, said: “He is the most famous M&S brand and has a very loyal following.

“That is especially true since we brought Percy to life on social media last year. Percy has long had an organic following on social media, but last year we launched his official Instagram account, and he made his debut on TikTok.”

The Percy Pig Mini Curly Tails ice lollies are in M&S stores now.

Featured image: The Hoot

Food & Drink

The tiny Lake District village that’s home to FOUR Michelin Stars – one of which is surprisingly affordable

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Rogan & Co in Cartmel

Cartmel has long made a place for itself on the map with its food scene, which spans everything from its world-famous Sticky Toffee Pudding shop, all the way up to its three-Michelin star restaurant L’Enclume, widely considered to be the best restaurant in the UK.

For such a tiny dot on the map, just on the edges of the Lake District, they cram in an awful lot of gastronomy, and boast four Michelin Stars on a single street.

This is the home of some of the best produce – whether that’s a mallard or a marrow – on the planet, and a lot of that reputation is thanks to chef Simon Rogan’s enterprise.

The Cartmel Valley is the home of Our Farm, where produce for his group of restaurants is carefully grown and harvested before being prepared and served to diners. The level of care that is taken at every single step of the process is outstanding.

And while L’Enclume is many people’s first thought when they hear ‘Michelin’, especially here up north, there’s a more modest and accessible little sister restaurant just next door, which acts as an incubator for all those shiny accolades.

Rogan & Co has a Michelin star of its own making, and chefs who have passed through its doors include Tom Barnes, who is now chef patron of Skof, his very own Michelin star restaurant in Manchester city centre.

The village of Cartmel
The village of Cartmel
The village of Cartmel
The village of Cartmel. Credit: The Manc Group

One of the best things about Rogan & Co is that it acts as a gateway introduction for the magic of L’Enclume (which is a big treat for most people at £265 per person for the tasting menu).

You’re still eating the same great produce, and experiencing the same level of service, just in a more laid-back, neighbourhood restaurant setting.

And you don’t have to go the whole hog – there’s a set lunch menu where you can get three courses for just £49.

The restaurants that fall within Simon Rogan’s group are always proudly local, and never shy of shouting out their suppliers.

But this hits its stride in a really special way twice a year, when Rogan & Co celebrates Local Heroes week and crafts special menus to show off local artisans, craftspeople, growers and suppliers.

Inside Rogan & Co
Inside Rogan & Co
The Local Heroes menu at Rogan & Co
The Local Heroes menu
The cheddar scone snacks
The cheddar scone snacks
Credit: The Manc Group

Dining here during Local Heroes Week means that your menu will highlight where everything is sourced, and I don’t just mean the veggies on your plate. I also mean the plate.

Each menu lists the people who have been integral in its creation – Northern Wine filling your glass, Lake District Farmers supplying the beef, Winter Tarn on the butter.

Rogan & Co also shouts out its chefs and floor staff, even crediting Beth and Kayleigh for ‘the tunes’ (and the music is local – they were playing a playlist inspired by Kendal Calling headliners through the years).

So onto that menu – it begins with a dinky cheddar scone made with cheese from Torpenhow Cheese Company just down the road, sliced in half then sandwiched back together with a pickled allium cream.

It’s like no scone I’ve ever tasted before, and yet the ritual of eating it (pulling apart the two halves, spreading the cream evenly, admiring the little shower of crumbs that falls down) feels so familiar and comforting.

Then comes a tangle of brassicas offset by some tangy preserves made by ‘The Pickle Prince’ (that’s Liam, the head chef at Our Farm).

Brassicas
The main dish at Rogan & Co Local Heroes week
Cartmel Valley Game mallard
Rogan & Co parkerhouse rolls
Parkerhouse rolls

I always find bread to be one of the highlights of any tasting menu – will it be a tiny sourdough loaf, or a fluffy brioche roll?

Here, it’s a neat row of glossy buns inspired by a Parkerhouse roll, made fresh in the village bakery and glazed in Our Farm honey. They’re springy and sticky to the touch and are quickly demolished via a few pats of butter.

I expected a reduced set lunch menu to be on the simpler side, but the main course still consists of an impressive number of elements.

ADVERTISEMENT
Rogan & Co Romney's mint cake
Romney’s mint cake
Local Heroes dessert at Rogan & Co
Damsons and caramelised rice pudding

There’s the leg of a Cartmel Valley Game mallard, its skin audibly crispy, a tiny copper saucepan of shepherd’s pie on the side, along with a snarl of leeks and a wedge of soft celeriac. I’m absolutely delighted with all of it.

And for pudding, damsons sourced from nearby Witherslack are cooked all the way down to a tangy jam, layered into a caramelised rice pudding and then topped with ice cream and homemade toffee popcorn.

To cap things off, there’s a Romney’s mint cake – imagine if an After Eight and a fudge took a tumble in the sheets and produced a top-class after-dinner treat. That.

Pound for pound, Rogan & Co has to be one of the best-value Michelin experiences in the country. So get in the car immediately and head up to Cartmel.

This year’s Local Heroes Week is taking place between 4 and 8 November, but it’ll be back again twice next year.

Read more

Featured image: The Manc Group

Food & Drink

Manchester Christmas Markets 2025 prices for beer, mulled wine, bratwurst and more

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Manchester Christmas Markets 2025 prices for food and drink

Here it comes – the Manchester Christmas Markets are back for 2025, and we’re sure you’re all wondering, ‘Okay, but what’s it gonna cost me?’.

We’ve been running around the markets this morning checking out all the prices on things this year.

From pints of beer to mugs of mulled wine to glasses of prosecco, there’s loads on offer for drinking, and it doesn’t cost the same at every corner of the Manchester Christmas Markets.

We’ve also scoped out the cost of a bratwurst this year, because it just wouldn’t be Christmas without forking out £8 for a sausage, would it?

This year, your hot drinks will be served out of the newly designed Manchester Christmas Markets mugs, which are decorated with toy town illustrations of the city.

Remember, you’ll need to pay a deposit on these, which is £3.50 this year – you get it back when you return your mug to the bar, or you can keep the mug as a keepsake for that price.

So without further ado, here are the prices at the Manchester Christmas Markets for 2025.

Average food and drink prices at the MCR Christmas Markets 2025

  • Mulled wine – £5.50
  • Beer – £6.50 a pint
  • Prosecco – £7
  • Hot chocolate – £4.50
  • Bratwurst – £8

Albert Square

Manchester Christmas Markets 2025 prices for beer, mulled wine, bratwurst and more
Credit: The Manc Eats

Blitzen’s Brigade (a fire engine that’s been converted into a bar)

  • Reinbeer – £6.50 for a pint, £13 for a stein
  • Brew-dolph IPA – £6.50 for a pint, £13 for a stein
  • Cider – £6.50 for a pint, £13 for a stein
  • Prosecco – £7
  • Hot chocolate – £4
  • Hot Vimto – £3
  • Mulled wine – £5.50 / £6 – add a shot for £3 / £4
  • Spirit and mixers – £7 single, £9 double for standard spirits (add £1 for premium)
  • Baileys – £5.50
  • Eggnog – £8

Deposits on glasses here are £2 for a pint glass, £6.50 for a stein, and £3.50 for a mug

Mr Crumble

  • Build-your-own crumble – £8 regular, £12 large

Bratwurst King

  • German bratwurst – £8
  • Smoked sausage – £8
  • Cheese sausage – £8
  • Halal hot dog – £9
  • Currywurst – £9
  • German gluhwein – £6
  • Krombacher lager – £6 a pint, £3 a half pint
  • Soft drinks – £2

Unnamed bar

  • Cocktails – £11
  • Prosecco – £6.50
  • Kir Royale and Cointreau Royale – £8
  • Sparkling sangria and Negroni spritz – £10
  • Homemade mulled wine – £6.50 for a small, £8.50 large
  • Boozy hot chocolates – £8.50
  • Hot chocolate – £4.50 (deluxe flavours £5.50)
  • Christmas cream soda – £5.50
  • Tea – £2.50
  • Soft drinks – £3

St Ann’s Square

North Star Bar

  • Gins – £7
  • Rums – £7
  • Mixers – £2
  • Cocktails – £7.50
  • Wine – £7.50 / £6.50
  • Prosecco – £6.50
  • Kids cocktails – £3
  • Beers – £6.50 / £4

Bratwurst

  • 1/2 metre bratwurst – £9
  • Big Dutch chips – £5

C&C

  • Hot chocolate – £5.50
  • Coffee – from £3.80
  • Affogato – £6.50 for classic, £8.50 for pistachio, £10 for Amaretto or Baileys
  • Chocolate shot from the chocolate tap – £4.50

Main bar

  • Extra large grilled sausage – £7
  • Flaming cocktails – £8.50
  • Slushy cocktails – £9
  • White wine – £7
  • Hot chocolate – £4, or £6.50 for specials

New Cathedral Street

The Witch House

  • German bratwurst – £8
  • Smoked sausage – £8
  • Cheese sausage – £8
  • Beef chili frankfurter – £8
  • Currywurst – £9.50

Bar3

  • They don’t list prices on any signage, so you’ll have to ask the staff (or try and barter…)

Exchange Square

Main wooden bar

  • German bratwurst – £8
  • Smoked sausage – £8
  • Cheese sausage – £8
  • Christmas punch £6
  • Gluhwein – £6
  • Krombacher lager – £6 a pint, £3 a half-pint
  • Soft drinks – £2

The Mill Exchange

  • Homemade mulled wine (various flavours) – £6.50 small, £8.50 large
  • Cocktails – £11
  • Prosecco – £6.50
  • Kir Royale and Cointreau Royale – £8
  • Sparkling sangria and Negroni spritz – £10
  • Boozy hot chocolates – £8.50
  • Hot chocolate – £4.50 (deluxe flavours £5.50)
  • Christmas cream soda – £5.50
  • Tea – £2.50
  • Soft drinks – £3

Market Street

Macaroons

  • Coffee – from £3.50
  • Loaded hot chocolate – £5 (original / white / caramel / Biscoff)

Piccadilly Gardens

Manchester Christmas Markets 2025 prices for beer, mulled wine, bratwurst and more
Manchester Christmas Markets 2025 prices for beer, mulled wine, bratwurst and more. (Credit: The Manc Group)

Christmas Alley Bar

  • Mulled wine – £5.50 (or £8.50 with a shot of rum, whiskey, brandy or gin)
  • Caramel rum, bramble gin, toffee cider – £8
  • Cocktails – £9.50
  • Prosecco – £6.50
  • Wine – £5 small, £7 medium £8.50 large
  • Lager – £6.50 pint, £4 half pint
  • Guinness – £7 pint, £4 half pint
  • Spirits – £6.50 single, £9.50 double
  • Soft drinks – £3.50

Manchester Winter Ale House

  • Local craft and cask beers – £6 pint (5% abv and under), £7 pint (over 5% abv and Guinness)
  • Manchester’s famous hot blobs – £6 a glass
  • Gluhwein – £5.50, or £8 with a shot of alcohol
  • Hot Vimto cocktails – £6 per glass, £9 for a double
  • Wine – £7 small, £8.50 large
  • Snowballs – £6 glass, £9 with a shot
  • Cheeky Vimto – £7 glass, £10 with a shot
  • Strawberry daiquiri or passionfruit martini – £7 glass
  • Big baby Guinness – £8 a glass

Brook’s Mill

  • Gin & Tonic – £6.50 single, £8.50 double
  • Mulled wine – £6
  • Hot spiced cider, hot caramel run and other winter warmers – £6.50
  • Processo – £7, or £8.50 with a dash of fruity gin

Mamma Mia!

ADVERTISEMENT
  • Prosecco – £7
  • Peroni – £6.50 pint, £3.50 half pint
  • Mulled wine – £6, or £8 with a shot of Amaretto or rum
  • Bellini – £8
  • Wine – £6

Blitzen’s Bar

  • Hot chocolate – £5, or £8 with a shot of alcohol
  • Coffee – From £4, or £7 with a shot of alcohol
  • Mulled wine – £5.50 small, £7.50 large, plus £4 for whisky, rum or brandy
  • Prosecco – £7, plus £2 for liqueur
  • Lagers, beers and ciders – £6.50 or £7 a pint, £3.50 or £3.75 for half
  • Wine – £7
  • Baileys – £4.50
  • Soft drinks – £2

Tipsy Wheels

  • Cocktails – £9.50
  • Lager, cider and Guinness – £6.50 a pint, £13 a stein
  • Prosecco – £7
  • Spirits – £7 single or £9 double for standard (plus £1 for premium)
  • Hot chocolate – £4.50
  • Mulled wine – £5.50 or £6.50, plus £3 for Baileys, Disaronno or brandy

Windmill Bar

  • Lager, wheat beer and cherry beer – £6.50
  • Cider – £5.50
  • Mulled wine – £5.50, plus £3 for a shot
  • Mulled cider – £5.50
  • Hot whisky – £6.50
  • Hot chocolate – £3.50, plus £3 for a shot
  • Soft drinks – £2.50

King Bratwurst

  • German bratwurst – £8
  • Smoked sausage – £8
  • Cheese sausage – £8
  • Halal hot dog – £9
  • Currywurst – £9

Bar Humbug

ADVERTISEMENT
  • Spirit and mixer – £7 single, £9 double
  • Mulled wine – £5.50 regular, £6.50 large (plus £3/£4 for a spirit)
  • Hot cocktails – £9
  • Coffee – £4
  • Hot chocolate – £4.50 (plus £3.50/£4 for a spirit)
  • Prosecco – £7, or £9 for an Aperol Spritzmas

Off Piste Bar

  • Lager, ale, cider – £6.50
  • Wine – £6
  • Prosecco – £7, £8.50 with gin
  • Mulled wine and cider – £5.50 small, £6.50 large
  • Italian vin brule with Disaronno – £8
  • Nordic glogg with brandy – £8
  • Canadian mulled with whiskey – £8.50
  • French vin chaud with cognac – £8.50
  • Hot cocktails – £9
  • Soft drinks – £2.50

Cathedral Gardens

Main wooden bar

  • Standard hot drinks – £4
  • Liqueur coffees – £7
  • Christmas cocktails – £9
  • Baileys, Brand or Amaretto hot chocolate – £8
  • G&T – £7
  • Sparkling prosecco – £8.50

The Globe Bar

  • Pints of draught beers and cider – £6.50
  • Steins – £13
  • Prosecco – £7
  • Winter gin prosecco – £8.50
  • Cocktails – £9.50
  • Mulled wine – £5.50/6.50
  • Spiced rum punch £9
  • Mulled spiced gin – £9
  • Hot vimto – £3
  • Single spirit and mixer – £7 (£8 premium)
  • Doubles – £9 (£10)
  • Baileys – £5.50
  • Soft drinks – £2.50

Read more

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group

More Food & Drink

Marco Pierre White says Forbici in Manchester is the best pizza he's ever had

Eats

Marco Pierre White praises Manchester restaurant serving ‘the best pizza’ he’s EVER had

Carluccio's 25% off food when you ask for bill in Italian

Eats

You can get 25% off your bill when eating out at this well-known Italian restaurant with a secret code

Boroughs

Greater Manchester restaurants are adding an extra £1 to bills to help fight homelessness this Christmas

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches