A total of 500 free meals are set to be handed out to people in Manchester city centre this week to help combat Blue Monday and the old January blues.
If there’s one thing that always cheers us up, it’s free food.
The brand-new food-to-go brand Good Eats, from the same people behind YO! Sushi, is announcing itself to Manchester locals with an irresistible offer that’ll make sure you remember their name.
Popping up over at their own Good Eats kiosk in the Tesco Express on Market Street, they’ll be handing out free customisable deli trays every day from Monday, 15 January until Friday and all you have to do to grab one is simply turn up and say the right phrase. Easy as.
Credit: Good Eats (supplied)
With their customisable deli trays usually priced at £7.95 each being handed out for free, the new delivery and click-and-collect service is giving away nearly £4,000 of free food to us Mancs.
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From crispy chicken karaage tossed in a spicy Korean sauce with a side of sweet potato wedges and crunchy Asian slaw, veggie-friendly Moroccan ‘No ‘Meat’balls’ in a rich tomato sauce with Persian salad and customer favourite mac ‘n’ cheese on the side, they aren’t skimp on the selection or serving sizes.
Giving out 100 free meals per day throughout the week of Blue Monday from 11am until 5pm, you simply need to turn up at the kiosk and quote the code ‘DELITRAYTODAY‘ to secure some free scran.
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We’re feeling a bit more cheered up already.
100 free meals up for grabs per day from Manchester’s Tesco Express store on Market Street.
And the good news doesn’t stop there either. Good Eats will be extending the joy with some brilliant ongoing savings. Tesco Clubcard holders in Manchester will also be able to make the most of their new Good Eats kiosk with exclusive Meal Deals.
Customers can choose from any breakfast main and hot drink for just £2.95 every morning, including nourishing berry porridge or a naughty full English wrap, but things get even better at lunchtime when you can get a bowl, salad or wrap with a side and drink for a £5.95. Absolute bargain.
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Favourites include the flavour-packed peri-peri chicken bowl, smokey harissa chicken wrap, Persian salad and many, many more.
It goes without saying that once the word gets out, these free meals are going to be snapped up fast, but luckily you’ve got five whole days to try and get your hands on some and Good Eats has plenty of other offers running throughout January.
Free food is always a nice pick me up but here are some other resources in case you’re struggling at any point this month:
Iconic ice cream cafe Grandpa Greene’s to ‘completely demolish’ canalside location, revealing big new plans
Daisy Jackson
Grandpa Greene’s fans have just one month left to visit the ice cream company’s iconic canalside cafe, with the team announcing its imminent closure – but not for too long.
The family-run business has huge plans for the site, announcing that it will be ‘completely demolishing’ the Diggle cafe to redevelop it into a new space.
This ice cream brand is one of the North West’s favourite food producers, creating dozens of ice cream flavours to serve from their parlours, as well as indulgent treats like pancakes, afternoon teas, hot chocolates, and milkshakes.
The location that most people think of when they think of Grandpa Greene’s is their spot right on the canal in Diggle, but after more than 20 years, it’s time to give the site some TLC.
Grandpa Greene’s has operated from here since 2005, when Carole Scholes opened an ice cream ‘shed’.
Now, they want to turn it into ‘the ultimate hospitality destination’, with reclaimed Cheshire brickwork, huge windows, and a vaulted roof, making the most of the scenic surrounds.
Rick Scholes, managing director at Grandpa Greene’s Luxury Ice Cream, said: “In 2005, my mum, Carole, opened a small canalside ice cream shed in Diggle after bringing my grandfather’s original family ice cream recipes back to life. None of us could ever have imagined where that journey would lead.
Grandpa Greene’s existing canalside location in Diggle will closeThe family-run business has grand plans for the siteCredit: The Manc Group
“Over the last 21 years, Grandpa Greene’s has grown organically thanks to the incredible support of our customers, our team and the local community. It’s amazing to think that what started as a small canalside ice cream shed will soon become the ultimate hospitality destination.
“This redevelopment represents the biggest investment in the history of our Diggle site and our commitment to securing the future of Grandpa Greene’s for many years to come.
“While we’re preserving everything that has made this place so special, we’re creating a fantastic new space that can be enjoyed all year round including one of the biggest milestones for the site… indoor toilets!
“We close our Diggle site this September to begin this exciting new chapter and look forward to welcoming guests back in December.
“On behalf of my family, thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last 21 years. We can’t wait to welcome you back and share the next chapter of the Grandpa Greene’s story.”
All Brewers Fayre and Beefeater locations across the UK are closing down
Danny Jones
It looks to be the end for not one but two of Britain’s best-known and long-running restaurant franchises, as Brewers Fayre and Beefeaters will be closing down all of their locations.
Dating back to the mid-1970s, there will soon be none left anywhere in the country
The pair of recognisable chains, owned by parent company Whitbread PLC – who also own Premier Inn, hence why they usually come as a joint package – have nearly 200 sites across the UK, but they are already in the process of a wholesale shutdown.
News of the impending closures first began circulating back in April, but now the process is said to be fully underway, with multiple Greater Manchester names on the chopping block.
A real shame all brewers fayres are closing down. As a member they’ve sent me a last free main. So enjoying a mixed grill pic.twitter.com/EIHMZ7LCvv
— Daniel Turner⚽️ 🏟️ 1️⃣1️⃣5️⃣8️⃣ (@puffpuff65) August 4, 2026
With roughly 3,800 staff set to be made unemployed as part of the major restructuring by Whitbread, the job cuts will see approximately 12% of their workforce laid off from a total of around 30,000.
One local duo due to face the music is the soon-to-close Stable Gate in Denton and Wheatlea Park in Wigan – both of which are Brewers Fayre branches.
89 of the brand’s boozers have been given until early September (some dates may vary) to shut up shop and hold not just their last orders, but their final dinner service full stop.
The rest of the venues closing next month are Beefeater pubs, including the Heaton Park one in Crumpsall, The Quay House at Salford Quays, and the Whitgate Inn over Oldham way.
As for others nearby, Macclesfield’s Springwood Park is also set to close.
The older of the two British mainstays is Beefeater, which was founded by Whitbread back in 1974 when they opened their first pub, The Halfway House, down in Enfield.
Brewers debuted up North in ’79, with a maiden watering hole called The Farmers Arms in Preston, before going on to open several locations around Lancashire and eventually nationwide.
Most of you will likely have visited or at the very least passed one of those food and drink spots in your time, and while they may be more associated with hotels and service stations these days, they still served as regular haunts for plenty of people who will no doubt be gutted to see them go.
Speaking of services, another big name is expanding further into the North West.
Danny Jones -
15th January 2024 
