With Halloween finally over and done with, it’s time to start thinking about Christmas. Whilst many might already be debating whether it’s too early to put up their tree, there’s one thing we can all agree that it’s never too soon to start thinking about: food.
The festive shopping season has finally arrived in full, and with it there are some spectacular Christmas treats out now on the shelves.
None is more spectacular this year, though, than Selfridge’s giant 8kg beast of a panettone – created exclusively for the department store by the Perbellini family in Verona, who have been baking incredible Italian recipes for 130 years.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
The huge Italian Christmas cake, an Italian type of sweet bread originally hailing from Milan, is the biggest you can buy on the market this year.
It serves a whopping 100 people and has been designed to celebrate the return of big Christmas parties, after two years of relative isolation.
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Priced at £300, every penny goes to support the young people’s homeless charity Centrepoint to fund housing and support for those who find themselves with nowhere else to go here in the UK.
Handmade by the Perbellini family in Verona, the panettone has been made using a recipe that is exclusive to Selfridges.
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Pierluigi Perbellini, head pastry chef, said: “Since the 1700s, panettones have been a traditional staple on every Italian table at Christmas.
“Our panettone is made extra-special by the ingredients we use, from our 55-year-old mother dough to the bourbon vanilla beans all the way from Madagascar. It really stands out from the crowd, and will be the centre of any feast.”
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Last year sales of panettone were up 41% on 2020, as the sweet Italian bread soared in popularity, overtaking both Christmas cake and Christmas pudding.
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In 2021, Selfridges sold 75% more panettone than Christmas puddings, and 200% more than Christmas cake, so it seemed like a no-brainer to create this beast of a fruit cake for parties in 2022.
Read more:Manchester to ‘remember the fallen’ with ceremony and parade this Remembrance Sunday
Andrew Bird, Head of Food at Selfridges, said: “Our 8kg panettone is the ultimate centrepiece for a festive party or get together.
“Inspired by our Christmas theme, Season’s Feastings, and the power of food in bringing people together, especially at Christmas, we wanted to create something to be shared and enjoyed by many, with the added benefit “
The giant panettone, alongside Selfridges’ other varieties, is available to view and purchase at the Manchester Exchange Square store from now until Christmas. It can also be ordered online here.
Feature image – Supplied
News
Oasis finally confirm ‘private ballot’ ticket information for reunion tour
Daisy Jackson
Oasis have just announced more information about how tickets will be sold through a ‘private ballot’ for their extra reunion tour dates.
The group added two additional shows at Wembley Stadium after their initial 17 gigs across London, Manchester, Dublin, Edinburgh and Cardiff generated huge demand and sold out in a day.
Oasis and Ticketmaster came under fire though for the use of dynamic pricing, which saw ticket prices shoot up by hundreds of pounds by the time people made it through the online queues.
For these additional reunion tour dates at Wembley, ticket sales will look a little different.
They’ll be using a ‘private ballot’, which will give first dibs to those who missed out on the first ticket sale.
You’ll only be invited to register for the sale if you signed into your Ticketmaster account on Saturday 31 August, and joined a queue for a specific show.
And you’ll only receive an invitation if you DIDN’T manage to bag tickets the first time round.
THEN you’ll be able to register for the actual ballot, which still doesn’t guarantee you a ticket but does at least get you into a (hopefully less lengthy) queue.
“Invitations to enter the private ballot will be sent overnight tonight (Saturday) to eligible fans we have been able to identify.
“If you signed into your Ticketmaster UK account on Saturday, 31st August, and were able to join a queue for a specific show, but didn’t get a ticket-then you may be eligible to take part and will receive an email on how to register for the ballot.
“Keep an eye on the inbox associated with your Ticketmaster account, and don’t forget to check your junkmail.
“Once successfully registered, you will be entered into the ballot for a code for access to the final Wembley on sale.
“Due to the demand for the shows and to avoid last week’s long queues, codes will be strictly limited. Entry to the ballot does not guarantee you will receive a code.
“The ballot is only open to invited fans. You must register with the email to which your invitation was sent and which is registered with your Ticketmaster account.
“All other entries will be discounted. If you do not receive an email then unfortunately you will not be eligible for the ballot.
“You will be automatically discounted from the ballot, even if you go through the registration process.”
Featured image: Simon Emmett
News
Manchester Airport named UK’s worst in annual Which? survey for third year running
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has officially been declared the worst airport in the UK, according to a new survey by Which?… yet again.
The summer travel season may be drawing to a close now, with hundreds of flights having taken off and landed in our region over the last couple of months, but for any Greater Manchester holidaymakers who are still yet to jet off, an annual ranking by consumer choice group Which? has proved to be pretty grim reading.
That’s because several terminals at the UK’s third largest airport have found themselves at the bottom of the list in Which? latest findings.
Manchester Airport has hit back at the survey and defended itself, saying its own passenger surveys suggest people are “much more positive” about the airport, adding that it was “proud to give people in all parts of the North easy and affordable access to nearly 200 different destinations across the world”.
For its annual survey, Which? spoke to nearly 7,000 passengers to gather feedback about their experiences of flying from UK airports over the last 12 months, and asked them to score the airports across 11 categories.
Manchester Airport has been named the worst in the UK for the third year running / Credit: The Manc Group
Some of these categories including seating, staff, toilets, and of course, the queues we all dread at check in, bag drop, passport control, and security.
And just like in both 2022 and again in 2023, it was Manchester Airport Terminal 3 that ranked right at the bottom, receiving the lowest customer satisfaction score of 37%.
Manchester Terminal 1 ranked one place above that with a score of 40%, while Manchester Terminal 2 was a little further up the the list with a score of 51%, and just saw Luton Airport, London Stansted, and Belfast International Airport sandwiched in between it.
According to Which?, some of the complaints it received about Manchester Airport from passengers who responded to the survey this year was that older people struggled with long walks due to travelators being broken since 2021, difficulties with finding a seat, and “horrendous” queues with people apparently being “corralled like cattle”.
As mentioned though, Manchester Airport has slammed Which?’s findings in a formal statement.
The UK’s third largest airport has hit back at the survey results and defended itself / Credit:
Describing the survey as “disappointing to see”, Manchester Airport’s statement reads: “We understand not every experience is perfect and want all passengers to feel able to raise their concerns directly with us. That is why we speak to them on a daily basis, surveying hundreds of people a month to get in-the-moment feedback from a full range of perspectives.
“That is in stark contrast to Which?, which conducted a tiny and unrepresentative survey of its members six months ago, asking them to recollect airport experiences that could have been as far back in time as April 2023.
“Which? fully understands that its readers form a narrow group of passengers whose views cannot in any way be taken to represent those of the travelling public at large, but chooses to promote its survey findings as if they do.”
Manchester Airport says it’s disappointing see Which? “chase cheap headlines” with its “sensational and over-simplified characterisation of airports” and the different roles they play, adding: “To make matters worse, it has printed inaccurate statements about our facilities and security waiting times that paint a more negative picture than reality.