The big day is literally just around the corner and while we’re looking forward to unwrapping our presents and diving face-first into a mountain of food, there’s one festive foodie gift we can’t stop thinking about: Stockport County’s Christmas dinner in a cup.
Yes, the mother of all Sunday roasts is probably the best meal of the year but do you know the next best thing? A portable one that you can take with you to the game.
For the uninitiated, a couple of years ago Stockport County had the ingenious idea to level up matchday scran by swapping out the humble chips and gravy, Rollover hotdog or a simple pie to serve up an absolutely stuffed-to-bursting cup of the Christmas dinner with a bunch of trimmings.
No Yorkshire pudding just but we’re sure they’re working on it; maybe they can use that as the cup next time? Nevermind – check how good this looks:
The festive period is upon us which can only mean one thing… @StockportCounty's Christmas dinner in a cup is BACK. 😍
As you can see, beyond just getting a bit of meat and carbs with some moisture (the bare minimum you want to consume inside the stadium), the Hatters are serving a fair few of your five a day, lovely roasted turkey, pigs in blankets and even stuffing to top off their festive special.
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Since debuting back in 2022, the idea has been a rousing success and even those who might have raised an eyebrow at a mini portable roast, selling out pretty much every week during the previous holiday season too.
Now back for just the third year running, they’ve had 12 whole months to perfect the recipe and while the product may be even better this December, it will still only set you back just £4.50.
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Absolutely unreal value for money, as we’re sure the Footy Scran admin would agree, especially given the cost of living these days.
Head Chef John Rose, who served us up a healthy tray of them in 2023 and the year prior, even managed to rope in right-back Macauley Southam-Hales to serve the first few portions up to the staff and players earlier this month.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOL9QQw2Mb4&t=7s
At this point, County are becoming just as synonymous with the Christmas dinner in a cup as they are hats…
‘Macca’, now the second longest-serving player behind goalkeeper Ben Hinchliffe, was understandably impressed with John’s no-spill cooking skills and given that this mobile meal delivers pretty much every food group a growing boy needs, we’re fairly sure he’s allowed this one the diet sheet.
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Once again, this PCD (Portable Christmas Dinner) costs less than a fiver and is much healthier, both in portion size and actual nutritional value, than you’ll find at virtually any other football ground in Greater Manchester.
Available exclusively at the County Courtyard fan zone at Edgeley Park throughout the festive period, plenty of fans have already been lining their stomach with the Christmas dinner in a cup and with two home games left – counting the New Year’s Day fixture – you’ve still got chance to grab one.
adidas and JD are giving away FREE Nell’s pizza with a Manchester Marathon medal
Daisy Jackson
Manchester Marathon finishers will be able to reward themselves with free Nell’s pizza this weekend, thanks to a collaboration with adidas and JD.
The sportswear giants will be teaming up with one of the city’s top pizza spots to hand out the ultimate post-race reward at Kampus this Sunday.
It’s all to celebrate the launch of the new adidas EVO SL ATRs, a shoe that’s built with running miles in mind.
And there’ll be a chance to grab an exclusive t-shirt too, and have your official marathon finish time branded on-site.
adidas and JD are giving away FREE Nell’s pizza with a Manchester Marathon medal / Credit: Supplied
As well as a free slice of Nell’s famous New York-style pizza and a drink, Manchester Marathon finishers will be able to enter into a range of giveaways, with prizes including the EVO SL ART, adidas merch, and range of other prizes.
And you’ll be recovering with a slice in hand and a live DJ keeping the post-race energy high
All you need to do is show your Manchester Marathon medal at Nell’s at Kampus, to grab your free slice, and check out adidas and JD’s latest drop.
Friends and family are encouraged to join too – after all, all runners know a marathon isn’t possible without that support crew.
There are also a bunch of giveaways and more to look forward to / Credit: Supplied
Pizza slices will be handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis, so make sure your sprint to Nell’s is your fastest yet.
Thankfully, the adidas EVO SL’s are built for speed…
adidas x JD x Nell’s – Manchester Marathon event
Taking place on Sunday 19 April, from 12pm to 8pm
Free pizza slice and a drink when you show your Manchester Marathon medal (while stocks last)
Exclusive merch and great prize giveaways from adidas and JD
Plus photo moments, live DJs, and more
Find it at The Bungalow, Kampus, M1 3GL (next to Nell’s)
Sacha Lord set to back local hospitality again with money behind the bar of one Greater Manchester pub
Danny Jones
Local figure Sacha Lord is once again looking to help support Greater Manchester’s food and drink scene once again this spring by putting a total of £2.5k behind the bar of one lucky pub.
Well, let’s be honest, we’re about to be the real lucky ones.
It’s far from the first time that the Night Time Economy Advisor has done this, having previously put sizeable sums towards shared tabs on a few ocassions over the last few years.
Lining up his next handout for this coming early May bank holiday (perfect timing), it’s going to be a super and potentially very sloppy Sunday…
Tell me your favourite pub in Greater Manchester.
Bank Holiday Sunday 3rd May, I’ll be turning up and putting £2500 behind the bar.
Sharing the video above online earlier this week, the 54-year-old simply wrote, “Tell me your favourite pub in Greater Manchester. Bank Holiday Sunday, 3rd May, I’ll be turning up and putting £2500 behind the bar.”
The message is as straightforward as ever: “Support your local pub.”
Now obviously, the fact that people can reply with their go-to boozers and help influence the decision is one thing – something that has certainly always created an attraction each time he’s done this – but it’s also just a good way of marketing these watering holes to begin with.
Whether or not someone’s favourite public house tucked away in one of the 10 boroughs, or their bar of choice here in Manchester city centre, ends up being selected or not, it’s obviously great publicity having their names plastered on a notable social media account.
This is especially so when you see how much the post itself ends up being reshared and the overall exposure Lord ultimately lends them via creating such a big crowd discussion.
Here’s hoping we get proper beer garden weather over that long weekend.
It’s also worth noting that the further support stunts like this have helped garner support for other regional businesses – in particular, indies that are battling the cost of living crisis and so many other challenges within the sector – has proved crucial for some places to stay open to begin with.
A good example is the Thirsty Korean, who teamed up with the Altrincham-born entrepreneur to cover hundreds of bills back in 2023, and has now been able to expand into a larger venue down the road from their original Chorlton location.
The obstacles facing the hospitality industry remain varied and numerous, but gestures like this can go a long way to helping prop up those who need it.
Danny Jones -
19th December 2024 
