Warburtons and Morrisons have teamed up to give away thousands of free crumpets to anyone who ‘asks for Ellen’ this Easter holidays.
After first introducing the initiative to huge success back in July of last year during the school summer holidays, Bolton-born bakery Warburtons has decided to join forces with supermarket chain Morrisons once again to relaunch the ‘Ask for Ellen’ initiative this Easter, and serve up a whopping 100,000 crumpets for free.
It means that anyone and everyone who ‘asks for Ellen’ at one of the 395 Morrisons Cafes across the UK will be given toasted crumpets with butter and jam, completely for free with “no questions asked”.
The offer will be available all day every day of the Easter holidays, while stock lasts.
Warburtons and Morrisons are giving 100,000 free crumpets across the UK this Easter (Credit: Morrisons)
With 300,000 portions of free crumpets having already been provided as part of the much-needed scheme, and even more set to be given away over these next couple of weeks too, the ‘Ask for Ellen’ initiative aims to help “alleviate holiday hunger“.
ADVERTISEMENT
This comes after research revealed that over six million families notice an increase in their weekly shopping bill during school holidays.
This is the kind of retail and high-street news we like to hear.
ADVERTISEMENT
It also works to ease the additional financial strain often put on parents, carers, and guardians when children are not at school.
This latest ‘Ask for Ellen’ giveaway, which is running UK-wide from Monday, 25 March to Sunday, 14 April, comes as stark new research was commissioned by The Warburtons Foundation, and polled 2,000 parents of school-aged children.
The study detailed that over six million British families notice an increase in their weekly shopping bill during school holidays, with an overwhelming 82% of parents stating they have to spend more on snacks to “keep up with the demand” from their children too.
ADVERTISEMENT
Research also highlighted that, on average, children ask their parents for a snack three times a day during the school holidays and because of this, more than a third (35%) have to go shopping more often to keep their children satisfied.
When taking into account the ongoing cost of living crisis as well, initiatives like this are so crucial.
Anyone and everyone who ‘asks for Ellen’ will get free toasted crumpets with butter and jam. (Credit: Warburtons)
“With families continuing to feel the financial pinch as we head into the Easter break, we’re looking forward to providing a little support for those who might need it,” commented Jonathan Warburton, who is the Chairman of Warburtons,as the ‘Ask for Ellen’ initiative relaunches from Monday.
“We are expecting to serve a further 100,000 free portions of crumpets to families up and down the country as part of the scheme this Easter holiday too.”
ADVERTISEMENT
As well as running the ‘Ask for Ellen’ initiative, Morrisons is also continuing to provide its ‘Kids Eat Free’ promotion all day, every day, throughout the Easter holidays too, meaning families can get a free kids meal when purchasing an adult meal that costs £4.50 or more.
To get your free Warburtons crumpets this Easter, all you’ll need to do is head down to your nearest Morrisons Cafe and ‘ask for Ellen’.
Featured Images — Warburtons
Trending
The cheapest Christmas Markets in the world for mulled wine have been revealed
Daisy Jackson
The most affordable Christmas Markets for drinking mulled wine have been revealed – and Manchester is nowhere in sight.
With Christmas markets across Europe preparing to welcome millions of visitors, festive fans looking to enjoy a warming cup of glühwein without breaking the bank might want to take note of the latest findings.
Festive experts at Christmas Tree World have analysed mulled wine prices at Christmas markets around the world to discover where visitors can enjoy the seasonal favourite for less.
Topping the rankings is Brussels’ Winter Wonders, where mulled wine is available for as little as £2.14 – about a third of the price of a mulled wine at the Manchester Christmas Markets.
Cologne Cathedral Christmas Markets and Strasbourg’s Christkindelsmärik share second place, with starting prices of just £2.56.
Other European favourites also feature prominently in the rankings. Budapest’s Christmas Market at the Basilica takes fourth place, with mulled wine costing £3.19, while Prague’s Old Town Square Christmas Market comes in sixth at £3.55.
Germany makes another strong appearance, with Dresden’s Striezelmarkt and Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt (which handily just launched new direct flights from Manchester) both offering mulled wine for £3.85.
Meanwhile, Vienna’s Christmas World rounds off the European entries in ninth place, with prices starting at £4.28.
For those planning a festive adventure further afield, Tokyo’s Christmas Market also makes the top five, with mulled wine costing £3.22.
However, not every destination offers such a bargain. Across the Atlantic, New York City’s Winter Village takes the title of the most expensive market in the study, with mulled wine costing a rather less festive £11.74. Chicago’s Christkindlmarket isn’t far behind, charging £8.80.
Manchester Christmas Markets start on Friday 6 November – we’ll see how our prices stack up then.
Sir Ian McKellen pays emotional tribute to long-time friend and fellow northern actor Sir Patrick Stewart
Emily Sergeant
Sir Ian McKellen has paid an emotional tribute to his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Patrick Stewart, following his death.
Sir Patrick Stewart – who was born and bred in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, and is best-known for his theatre work alongside an illustrious 60-year screen career, taking on prominent roles in franchises such as Star Trek and X-Men – sadly passed away at the age of 86, with his death being announced publicly yesterday evening (29 October).
And now, his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Ian McKellen, has paid tribute.
Sir Patrick and Sir Ian shared the stage together countless times over their decades-long careers, but also famously starred alongside each other in the X-Men franchise, and subsequent Marvel movies, as Charles Xavier/Professor X and Magneto.
The tribute, shared across Sir Ian’s social media platforms, reads: “Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.
“We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren’t in the same productions.
“My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in ‘Star Trek’. “But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”
“Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did, for not just his devoted Trekkies, but film and theatre audiences who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes (‘X-Men’ of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway.
“America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin.
“But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire.”
Emily Sergeant -
21st March 2024 
