TGI Friday’s, IKEA, Bella Italia, and Yard & Coop are just some of the places offering kids the chance to eat for £1 or free his Easter holidays.
Now that schools across Greater Manchester are out for the Easter holidays, and with the rising cost of living crisis sadly continuing to make its impact felt on many families, plenty of supermarkets, independent and chain restaurants, and pub groups across the UK are offering kids the chance to eat a hearty meal out for as little as £1.
Some are even offering up children’s meals completely free of charge.
So if you’re looking to treat the kids to a meal, but you’re keen to keep things on the cheaper side and save a few pennies, then thankfully, eating out just got a whole lot easier.
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Supermarkets
Here’s a round-up of all the supermarkets offering dining deals this Easter.
Asda
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Asda has extended its £1 kids’ dining deal at all of its 205 in-store cafes throughout the Easter holidays, and it includes a sandwich, drink, and piece of fruit, as well as other treats like as a jelly pot or a jelly squeeze pouch as an alternative to a pack of crisps.
Morrisons
Morrisons has partnered with Kellogg’s to launch a breakfast club this Easter holidays.
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Running from 3-24 April, both adults and children can choose from a bowl of Cornflakes, Rice Krispies or Coco Pops, with a choice of dairy and non dairy milk, when they order a ‘Kellogg’s breakfast’ before 11am in any of Morrisons’ 397 cafes.
Sainsbury’s
Kids can tuck into a hot meal for just £1 with any adult main throughout Easter at all of its in-store cafes nationwide.
M&S
When adults spend £5 in the M&S Café from any day up to Friday 14 April 2023, little ones can enjoy a main, a snack, and a drink from the ‘Kids’ Munch Menu’ for free.
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Lots of places are offering kids the chance to eat for £1 or free this February half term / Credit: YO! Sushi & Beefeater
Restaurants & Cafes
Ducie Street Warehouse
The restaurant at Ducie Street Warehouse in the heart of Manchester city centre will be offering kids the chance to eat a meal “designed for curious minds” completely free of charge with every adult meal £10 or over every Monday-Thursday over the Easter holidays starting.
The offer is valid for children aged 10 and under, and up to two children.
Yard & Coop
The Northern Quarter’s home of buttermilk fried chicken is offering a ‘kids eat free deal’ this Easter school holidays.
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Available each weekday from 12pm-7:30pm, one selected free kids meal comes with every adult main, and they get to choose from a menu that includes the likes of Nugz, the veggie option of Not Chicken Nugz, or vegan chicken.
IKEA
Everyday from 11am in all IKEA restaurants nationwide, including in Ashton-under-Lyne and Warrington, kids can help themselves to a plate of pasta and tomato sauce with a drink for 95p, or any other children’s meal for £1.50.
There’s lots of chances to save pennies / Credit: Bella Italia
Banyan
Kids can eat for free at Banyan Spinningfields this Easter school holidays when you buy an adult main meal, so it’s perfect for when you want to head out as a family for lunch, or for an evening when you don’t want to spend time cooking.
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The offer is available until 6pm from Monday 3 – Thursday 6 April, and again from Tuesday 11 – Friday 14 April.
Bella Italia
Children can eat for £1 with any adult main meal at Bella Italia this Easter.
Free to claim between 4pm and 6pm from Monday to Thursday, the Piccolo menu is aimed at children aged two to six years, with the Grande for seven to 11-year-olds, and some of the dishes include meatballs, bolognese, carbonara, and pizza.
The deal includes up three courses and a fruit water.
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TGI Friday’s
A family feast is in order down at TGI Fridays throughout the Easter holidays, as new and existing Rewards Members can get themselves a free kids’ meal – with favourites like the Bacon Cheeseburger and Fridays Hotdog on the menu – when they order an adult’s main meal.
Bill’s
Up to two kids per table eat free all day at Bill’s from on weekdays up until Friday 24 February when an adult orders any main dish, so whether it be breakfast, lunch, or dinner, there’s a dish to feed your little one no matter the time of day.
The menu features a range of delicious family favourites – including buttermilk pancakes, mac & cheese, and fish fingers and chips.
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Yard & Coop and The Real Greek are two of the places offering kids dining deals / Credit: Yard & Coop | The Real Greek
YO! Sushi
Japanese street food and sushi favourite YO! is letting children eat for free this Easter holidays each weekday until Friday 14 April with every adult paying at least £10 – with the offer including a main, a side, and a drink from the Kids Meal Deal menu, and a dessert can be added for £1.50.
The Real Greek
With a popular branch in the Corn Exchange in Manchester city centre, and a new restaurant having recently-opened in the Trafford Centre too, The Real Greek is offering one free kids meal for each adult who spends £10 or more when they dine in at their restaurants.
Children under 12 get to choose a kids meal, a drink, and an ice cream or sorbet.
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Dunelm Cafe
Dunelm Cafe is offering kids the chance to grab a free mini main meal this Easter holidays, along with two snacks and a drink for every £4 spent.
The offer is available from 3pm each weekday from Monday to Friday.
Hearty meals are available at all times of the day / Credit: Hungry Horse, Beefeater & Morrisons
Pubs
Hungry Horse
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, which is why Hungry Horse Pubs – which has several branches in Greater Manchester – is offering kids the chance to eat breakfast for free with every paying adult.
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The offer is available from 8am – 12pm every day of the Easter holidays.
Farmhouse Inns
Farmhouse Inns – which has a number of sites across Greater Manchester – is offering its email subscribers the chance to grab two kids’ meals, including the delicious fresh carvery, for £1 each from Monday to Saturday when accompanied by a paying adult.
The offer is available every day while schools.
Kids eat for free at Bills this Easter holidays / Credit: Bills
Table Table, Beefeaters & Brewers Fayre
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Ensuring no one goes hungry this Easter, each Table Table, Beefeaters & Brewers Fayre branch across Greater Manchester is offering a free breakfast for every child with a paying adult.
You can choose as much as you like from the cooked and Continental selections, including bacon, sausages, eggs, hash browns and more, alongside baked pastries, cereal, fresh fruit, and chilled juices and unlimited tea or coffee to accompany.
Sizzling Pub & Grill
There’s a whole host of Sizzling Pub & Grill restaurants across Greater Manchester and the north west that are offering kids the chance to eat for just £1 with every adult main meal.
The offer runs from Monday to Friday between 3pm and 7pm.
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Featured Image – Banyan
Kids & Family
Greater Manchester cinemas to screen family-favourite films for just £2.50 this spring
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester cinemas will be screening family-favourite films, and some new releases, all throughout this upcoming spring holidays.
The best bit? Prices start from a massively-affordable £2.50 a ticket.
With Easter right around the corner, and schools across Greater Manchester set to be on their spring holidays in a couple of weeks time, parents and carers will likely be looking for ways to keep the kids entertained while schools are out.
But now it’s time to take care of those film lovers… and also those keen to plan budget-friendly events that also take into account the classic Manchester April showers.
Cinema chain Vue has announced its lineup of family blockbusters showing at venues across Greater Manchester this spring – including Printworks, Lowry, Bolton, Altrincham, and Bury.
Arriving in time for the school holidays, A Minecraft Movie welcomes fans to their favourite cubic wonderland, while the whole family can instead transport themselves into Disney’s reimagining of the 1937 classic Snow White if they’d prefer.
Also returning to the big screen are childhood classics like Wallace & Gromit: Curse of The Were-Rabbit, 20 years after its original release, and the beloved Babe, to celebrate the film’s 30th anniversary.
Greater Manchester cinemas will be screening family-favourite films for just £2.50 this spring / Credit: Disney | Aardman Animations
And as part of Vue’s ‘Mighty Mornings’ offering, film fans can enjoy pre-releases of family-friendly flicks like Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Moana 2 every day throughout half term, all from just £2.49 per ticket when booked online.
“A trip to Vue this Easter break is the perfect opportunity for families to immerse themselves in the magic of their favourite big screen characters,” commented Rob Lea, who is the Head of Screen Content at Vue UK & Ireland.
“More than just entertainment, it’s a chance for children and parents to switch off, connect, and create lasting memories together.”
Featured Image – Krists Luhaers (via Unsplash)
Kids & Family
A local baby bank is holding a vital fundraiser to stop it from closing for good
Danny Jones
A Greater Manchester baby bank is holding a vital fundraiser in hopes of preventing it from closing for goodimminently.
For anyone unaware, baby banks are crucial organisations run largely by volunteers who help provide supplies to families in local communities, with more than 300 in use across the UK at present.
Through delivering much-needed aid such as clothing, prams, nappies and baby food, right through to direct financial support, they help keep parents and their children in good supply of essentials and much more – hugely important work at any rate, let alone during the winter and a cost of living crisis.
However, the Little Green Sock Project over in Trafford is at risk of permanent closure and was initially given until the new year to raise £200,000.
As seen in this moving video, the baby bank based over in Stretford Mall is in dire need of support and, crucially, the funds for a new premises.
They’ve been deeply moved by how Greater Manchester united in reaching into their pockets and sparing whatever they can to contribute to their fundraising target thus far – and they really are nearly at the finish line, which would mean safety for the genuinely life-saving service.
Fundamentally operated as a non-profit and volunteer-led charity, they naturally don’t have the means to just take over a new space on their own and with the current site set to be demolished very soon, a minimum of £200k is needed to find and fund a new location.
Having amassed over 90% of the amount needed, they’ve already bought themselves extra time, they just need one last push from us.
Urging people to donate what they can and share their fundraiser where possible, as well as welcoming corporate sponsorships should other local businesses wish to back them or get stuck through volunteering days, time is of the essence.
The Little Green Sock Project was only started back in 2022 and has already supported over 1,300 children, redistributing more than £240,000 worth of essential items like clothing, cots, prams, and stair gates to local families, as well as saving 20 tonnes of items from landfills.
It’s no exaggeration to say that they’ve changed and saved lives, both parents and children, and with the often difficult festive period approaching, their work is needed now more than ever.
There are just under a dozen baby banks in all of Greater Manchester, many of which are facing similar pressures. (Credit: Supplied)
Speaking on their efforts and the fundraiser, founder Catherine D’Albertanson said: “We believe that essentials needed for the health and wellbeing of children should not only be for those that can afford them. Our work ensures that no child in our community goes without essentials, but without new premises, we will have no choice but to close.”
Moreover, Little Green Sock Project is the only baby bank in the Trafford area and of the families it serves, 58% are single-parent households already struggling with the cost of raising children, while 29% are fleeing domestic abuse, often leaving their belongings behind to protect their family.
With their circular economy model, they also help reduce waste whilst providing “a trusted link between the families that have items to give, to those that need them the most”, with D’Albertanson adding, “If we lose this charity, we lose a vital safety net for many in our community.”
A service user commented: “It was a truly terrifying time when I was pregnant with my first child. I found myself completely alone, with a baby on the way, wondering how I could possibly provide for my son.
“Then I found Little Green Sock Project, and everything changed. Everything was carefully chosen, colour-coordinated, and presented in such a thoughtful way. It felt so special—like someone truly cared about me and my baby. That feeling is indescribable, especially for someone in my position.
“There are so many people like me with stories like this. It breaks my heart to think that the Little Green Sock Project might have to close its doors. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without your help, and I hope with all my heart that the community comes together to keep this lifeline alive.”
Manchester parents need this much-loved baby bank – let’s not let it fall away on our watch. (Credit: Andy Bate at Royal Foundation)
Every pound donated goes towards helping find the Little Green Sock Project a new home, but people can help contribute in other ways, once again, by spreading the word or getting their hands dirty in person.
Greater Manchester never fails to amaze when it rallies behind causes like this, and we’re sure you won’t let us down this time either. Let’s keep the lights on the lifelines for local families intact.
You can donate now, or to find out other ways to do your bit, click HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
3rd April 2023 
