Costa has unveiled its festive food and drink menu for 2023, and it’s absolutely packed full of indulgent goodies to get you properly get you in the Christmas spirit.
The popular coffee shop chain is known and loved for its limited-edition seasonal menus each year, and now, with the countdown to the big day officially on, Costa has given fans what they’ve been waiting for as it’s unveiled its festive food and drink offering for 2023 – with a whole host of brand-new treats, as well as some returning fan favourites on the lineup.
This year, the star of the show this year has to be the Sticky Toffee Latte, which is inspired by the nation’s favourite pudding and turns it into a winter-warming drink.
Also available as an iced version, the Sticky Toffee Latte features a yummy sticky toffee-flavoured sauce, topped with Light Whip, drizzled with even more sauce, and finished with a sprinkling of bronze shimmery angel-like dusting.
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Costa has unveiled its Christmas food and drink menu for 2023 / Credit: Costa
Also new to the festive drinks offering this year is the Roasted Hazel Latte and Roasted Hazel Hot Chocolate, which are both made with flavourful roasted hazelnut syrup, topped with Light Whip, and completed with a beautiful bronzed shimmer and mini gold stars.
Other festive drinks on the menu this year include the comebacks of the much-loved Black Forest Hot Chocolate, and the Gingerbread & Cream Latte, which are both Costa classics at this point, and are set to be on the menu a little earlier than the rest to usher in the seasonal spirit.
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The Terry’s Chocolate Orange Hot Chocolate is also making a return by popular demand.
The coffee shop chain is known and loved for its limited-edition seasonal menus each year / Credit: Costa
If you fancy tucking into a hearty festive feast to go along with your limited-edition drinks, then this year’s new food range includes the Pigs and Blankets Toastie, which features succulent pork sausage and maple cured bacon, with caramelised onion chutney, all in tempting garlic, onion and sage crumbed cheese-topped bread, and the Honey Roast Ham and Wensleydale Ciabatta with British Honey roast ham and Wensleydale cheese, mature Cheddar and honey, and béchamel sauce, all packed into a cranberry ciabatta.
For a quick snack lunch, there’s also Melton Mowbray Pork Pies, and a new festive-themed Sausage Roll – which has seasoned pork sausage meat, pulled pork, and divine Bramley apples in an all-butter puff pastry, topped with a wonderful festive pastry star.
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And then, back for another year is the Brie Bacon and Cranberry Panini, the Brie and Cranberry Toastie, the Turkey and Trimmings Toastie, and the Turkey Feast Sandwich.
For the plant-based and vegan customers, there’s a new Vegan Turkey and Trimmings Toastie made up of vegan turkey with stuffing, yummy cranberry sauce, vegan mayonnaise, vegan gravy, all in toasted white bread.
There’s sticky toffee pudding lattes, pigs in blankets toasties, and loads of returning festive favourites / Credit: Costa
For those with a sweet tooth, there’s some new indulgent cakes and biscuits too, including the Belgian Chocolate Ganache Cake, the Sticky Toffee Loaf Cake, the Christmas Cake Slice – which is suitable for vegans – and to finish off, the Polar Bear Gingerbread Biscuit and Christmas Tree Shortcake Biscuit.
Of course, there’s a bunch of returning treats too, such as the Terry’s Chocolate Orange Muffin, and the Gingerbread Muffin, to accompany your drinks, as well as the White Chocolate Trillionaire’s Slice, and the Crispy Festive Wreath.
On top of that, both the All Butter Mince Pie, and the Gluten-Free Vegan Mince Tarts, are back for another year too.
The 2023 Christmas menu will be available at all Costa branches and Costa self-serve machines nationwide, and will begin its roll-out from Thursday 2 November.
Featured Image – Costa
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Michael Carrick confirmed as new interim head coach of Manchester United
Danny Jones
It’s official: Man United have announced Michael Carrick as their new head coach, at least for now, and it has been confirmed he will be in post for the Manchester derby this weekend.
Quite the baptism of fire.
Yes, only a week on from his predecessor, Ruben Amorim, being sacked by the club, and after just two games with Darren Fletcher as caretaker manager, Michael Carrick is the new interim United boss for the remainder of the season.
While it is believed that this is only a temporary appointment – with INEOS said to be continuing their search for a full-time replacement – should things go well, it wouldn’t be the first time an interim has stayed on to get the top job.
Having been pictured arriving at the Carrington training complex on Tuesday morning, 13 January, it quickly went from Carrick being considered a frontrunner alongside former interim turned full-time manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær, to odds-on favourite and then all but confirmed very quickly.
The 44-year-old highly-regarded Man United midfielder, who has already served both as an assistant coach and as an interim for three games following Solskjær’s exit back in 2021.
In the time since then, not only did he go on to enjoy a mildly successful stint at Middlesbrough FC for two and a half years, which ended last June after he failed to secure a playoff spot.
Despite not gaining promotion or winning any silverware, he was often praised for his style of football and has followed the so-called ‘United Way’ in giving youth a chance.
Speaking in his first official statement, Carrick said: “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honour. I know what it takes to succeed here; my focus is now on helping the players to reach the standards that we expect at this incredible club, which we know this group is more than capable of producing.”
“I have worked with a number of the players already and have obviously continued to watch the team closely in recent years; I have total belief in their talents, dedication and ability to be successful here.
“There’s still a lot to fight for this season, we are ready to pull everyone together and give the fans the performances that their loyal support deserves.”
As for his predecessor and old teammate, Fletcher was reportedly offered a role as part of his coaching staff, but has stated his preference to drop back down to look after the under-18s squad.
🚨 | Darren Fletcher was offered a place in Michael Carrick's #mufc coaching staff, but he declined as he wants to continue working with the U18s. [@lauriewhitwell] https://t.co/7hIuKyyiRJ
Following United‘s exit from the FA Cup against Brighton, Carrick will now be in charge of just 17 games for the remainder of the 2025/26 campaign, which will be their shortest on record since before WWI.
With the Red Devils currently sitting in seventh place and just a few points off the top four (having spurned multiple opportunities to leapfrog other contenders in recent weeks), financially, they simply cannot afford to spend another year without European football.
That being said, Carrick’s first two games in charge will be against a resurgent Man City and fellow title rivals Arsenal before the end of the month.
As if the prospect of another newly reshuffled backroom wasn’t already interesting enough, another club icon and England legend has also expressed his interest in becoming part of it.
Jason Wilcox, director of football (who has come under plenty of scrutiny over the past week), went on to add: “Michael is an excellent coach and knows exactly what it takes to win at Manchester United.
“He is ready to lead our talented and determined group of players for the remainder of the season as we continue to build the club towards regular and sustained success.”
It has also been confirmed that Steve Holland, ex-Boro colleague Jonathan Woodgate, Travis Binnion, Craig Mawson, as well as only recently retired United defender Jonny Evans, will all join his team.
You can watch Michael Carrick’s first full interview as interim head coach down below.
Featured Images — Matt Janzer (via WikiCommons)/MUFC/Sky Sports (screenshot via YouTube)
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Manc-born and bred rugby star Raffi Quirke is leaving Sale Sharks
Danny Jones
Manchester-born and bred rugby union star Raffi Quirke is leaving his boyhood club, Sale Sharks, this season.
The end of an era, but the beginning of a big new chapter for the youngster.
Still just 24, Raffi Quirke from Chorlton has been with Sale since he was a kid, coming through the youth system at Broughton Park before making his proper Sharks debut back in February 2021.
Just a few short years later, and Quirke – the number nine who became Sharks Academy graduate number 333 – has gone on to become a promising first team squad member with a bright future ahead of him. However, the next part of his career won’t be at the CorpAcq Stadium.
Since playing his first senior game as a 19-year-old, he’s gone on to make 31 starts from 80 appearances for the club, as well as earning a couple of caps for England.
Despite being more of an option off the bench during the current campaign, Quirke has shown great resilience in bouncing back from numerous injuries, including everything from a broken jaw and broken wrist to ruptured ligaments, among other problems.
Speaking about his pending departure, Raffi said: “This has been the hardest decision of my life so far because Sale is the club that I grew up supporting and dreaming of playing for.
“Playing here since I was 15 has been an amazing experience and a privilege that has shaped me as a player and a person, and I will be forever grateful to Alex [Sanderson], the owners, the coaches, the players and the supporters for truly believing in me.
“It goes without saying that I will give everything I have for the rest of the season to bring success to Sale.” He has also gone on to share a lengthier farewell statement.
"This has been the hardest decision of my life so far…"
Put simply, the still-developing scrum-half wants to search out new opportunities, adding: “I feel, for my rugby and personal development, that my story just needs a new challenge and a new setting.”
As for Sanderson, the Director of Rugby commented, “I’ve really enjoyed working with Raffi, and as a homegrown player who grew up supporting the club, we all would have loved for him to continue his career with us.
“He feels like he wants to try a new environment and a new challenge, and we respect his decision. He’ll leave with our blessing and thanks for everything that he’s given to the club while he’s been here.”
Emily Sergeant -
27th October 2023 
