Whilst for some January means resolutions, diets, and a fresh opportunity to bring vision boards to life, for others it heralds the arrival ofnew dining deals, restaurant discounts and free food.
As often happens at the start of the year Manchester’s restaurants are dishing out discounts, with a range of set menus, 50% off and 2-4-1 deals all suddenly in abundance.
But one Northern Quarter spot is going even further, by handing out £2 pints, free chicken wings, and desserts to its customers in the know throughout January.
Known for its towering dirty burgers and fried chicken plates, served under tongue-in-cheek names like The Dirty Bird and The Massive C*ck, buttermilk fried chicken thighs are very much the order of the day at Yard and Coop.
The restaurant has been a staple on Edge Street for as long as we can remember, and now we have one more reason to visit: as it has just released its very own ‘Yard card’ for 2023, with special offers running every week.
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Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
After kicking off the new year with £2 glasses of prosecco, this week Yard and Coop will be slashing the prices of its pints to £2 each for cardholders.
This month, staff will also be handing out free baskets of Yard and Coop’s signature wings – fried until golden in a secret house crumb, then smothered in homemade sauces like hot honey, Stateside BBQ, buffalo and ranch – as well as giving away some complimentary desserts this month.
Each week of January sees a different offer available at the fried chicken diner, with the £2 pints deal running from 9-14 January. After that, cardholders can enjoy free wings between 16-22 January, and free puddings from 21-31 January.
As well as the introduction of its new black Yard Card this month, Yard and Coop have also rolled out a small but mighty vegan menu for diners of the plant-powered persuasion.
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Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Created in collaboration with the team at Temple of Seitan, it consists of three vegan burger meals and a plate of pickled ‘cheese’ fries topped with salty baconnaise, melted vegan cheese, pickles and crispy and chopped onions.
Burger choices include a fully vegan reimagining of its popular Dirty Birdie BBBQ burger, made with pulled seitan chicken, tangy BBQ sauce, melted vegan cheese, crispy onion rings, seitan fried chicken and jalapeno mayo, as well as the sriracha mayo-slathered Viet’Nom burger with sweet and spicy rice noodles and a crunchy Asian slaw.
Elsewhere, you’ll also find The Bechamelt – described as ‘all kinds of extra’ by the team. Think crispy seitan fried chicken with melted vegan cheese, lettuce and onion, slathered in baconnaise and drenched in Yard and Coop’s secret recipe bechamel cheese sauce, followed by a layer of sweet scotch bonnet chili jam and a crispy onion ring.
Available all month long, to find out more, view the full menu and get your Yard Card for those cheeky freebies and savings, head over to the Yard and Coop website here.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
News
Sara Cox tipped to replace Scott Mills for Eurovision 2026
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester’s very own Sara Cox is reportedly set to replace Scott Mills at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest following his sacking from the BBC.
Mills was axed by the news and entertainment corporation on Monday, 1 April, for ‘misconduct’, which has now been revealed to involve a historic relationship with a boy aged under 16.
While the fallout surrounding Scott Mills is only just beginning, the task of finding his replacement in multiple roles has already begun – though it looks like one may have already been decided.
Now reported by multiple outlets, it appears as though Bolton-born Sara Cox is first in line to pick up Mills’ co-hosting duties for this year’s Eurovision show.
Having already been involved with coverage of the event on multiple ocassions in the past, it now appears that she’ll be in post for the Grand Final too.
As a long-standing radio and TV staple, it only takes a quick look at social media to see how much backing she has already received in the past, with a post from last year reading, “Great to have Sara Cox back commentating on Eurovision“, and others from over a decade ago praising her past presenting.
In fact, it might not end just here either, as many are already calling for her to replace the 53-year-old breakfast show host.
From her days as a Radio 1 favourite to becoming a BBC mainstay across the board, her popularity only seems to have grown over the last decade, especially thanks to her charity fundraising efforts.
While an official announcement is yet to be made, the feeling is that it is all but confirmed for her to take over from Mills as part of the Eurovision commentary team.
As for the now vacant early morning slot on BBC Radio 2, the likes of Claudio Winkleman, Vernon Kay, fellow Manc Nick Grimshaw, the aforementioned Rylan, and several others have all been floated as potential stand-ins/future full-time hosts.
Do you think both should be given to Sara Cox, and if not, who would you like to see replace Scott Mills?
Millions of UK workers to get pay rises from today as National Living and Minimum Wage increases
Emily Sergeant
Millions of workers across the UK are set to begin receiving substantial pay rises from today.
After the Government announced back in November that it would take the recommendations made by the Low Pay Commission, and increase both the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage, those changes have now come into force in a bid to ensure people on lower incomes are ‘properly rewarded’ for their work.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Low Pay Commission, it’s an independent body made up of employers, trade unions, and experts whose role is to advise the Government on the minimum wage.
As mentioned, the rate recommendations introduced today were agreed unanimously by the Commission.
This means that the living wage, for eligible workers who are aged 21 and over, has now risen by 4.1% from today to £12.71 an hour.
For a full-time worker, that means a pay increase of £900 a year.
Millions of workers in the UK are getting pay rises from today / Credit: John Kakuk (via Unsplash) | Pexels
The National Minimum Wage rate for workers aged 18 to 20-year-olds has also increased today by 8.5% to £10.85 an hour, and then for 16 to 17-year-olds, and those on apprenticeships, the rate has increased by 6% to £8 an hour.
“The recommendations we made last autumn sought to balance the need to protect the economy and labour market, whilst providing a real-terms increase for the lowest-paid members of society,” commented Baroness Philippa Stroud, who is Chair of the Low Pay Commission.
“A lot has changed since we gave our advice to the Government last autumn, and we are now beginning to gather evidence for recommendations later this year.
“The current economic uncertainty makes it essential that the Commission hears from those affected by the minimum wage and builds consensus for evidence-based recommendations.
Workers aged 21 and over are now legally entitled to the National Living Wage after the age threshold for the highest rate was lowered from 23 in 2024.
National Minimum Wage rates are available to workers aged 16 upwards.
Georgina Pellant -
10th January 2023 
