City Centre

Burger King confirms April Fool’s dish is real and going on the menu

Whatever next?

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 3rd April 2023

After a weekend of intense speculation, Burger King has revealed that its April Fool’s dish is actually real and is going on its menu from today, Tuesday 4 April 2023.

Initially revealed by the burger chain on April Fool’s day as a wind-up, it’s since been revealed that the Burger King x Doritos mash-up – a juicy chicken strip coated in crushed Doritos tortilla chips with a dusting Chilli Heatwave flavour – is very much going to happen.

Having initially teased fans with the announcement of a Chilli Heatwave chicken fries on 1 April, Burger King sent chicken fries fans to meltdown over whether the new dish was real or not.

Sharing a post to social media on Saturday morning, the brand simply wrote: “The world isn’t ready. ​ Introducing Doritos Chilli Heatwave Chicken Fries”, followed by the flames emoji.

Image: Burger King
Image: Burger King

Know-it-all fans were quick to pile on in the comments, with one person writing: “Probably would’ve been better to announce this on any other day than today.”

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Another person said: “Checks date… hmm. Would actually be pretty good if real though!”

A third wrote: “April 1st of course” whilst a fourth commented: “This would be a pretty mean April fools joke.”

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Now, after causing a frenzy across social media – including the launch of a poll that saw thousands vote on whether the flame-grilling experts should really bring them to life – Burger King has finally confirmed the hot new side is no joke after all.  

Now that the prankster’s holiday is out of the way, Burger King has let on that eagle-eyed fans should’ve known it was being serious as it had been dropping a series of ‘secret hints’ over the past week to confirm the spicy new launch.

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From post-it notes cheekily signed by ‘Burger King’s Chicken Fries’ appearing in Doritos advertising to comments on social media from Burger King and Doritos literally affirming the dish was real, for those looking closely the special’s existence was never in doubt.

Verified

Ignore the date, promise they’re real. Available in portions of 6, 9 or 20!

Featured image – TripAdvisor

City Centre

You can now have a private tour of Manchester Christmas Markets

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

Every year, Manchester Christmas Markets hosts its almost two-month long residency on the frosty streets of our lively city, but now you can enjoy the cute huts with an unbeatable luxury experience.

Travel agency, Viator, who are directly connected to TripAdvisor, have launched a one on one guided tour of Manchester and its stunning Manchester Christmas Markets in all their glory.

This private tour of the festivities occurring in the city will last two hours and for the whole duration of your time, a city host will be on hand to offer undivided attention, catering to your every need.

A makeshift itinerary is already awaiting guests and can be tailored according to the individual taking the tour, everything is catered to your preferences.

Anyone who books onto the tour also receives a complimentary hot chocolate and that’s sweetened the deal for me, I’m sold.

Best sandwich at Manchester Christmas Markets.
How can you go wrong with these incredible options at Manchester Christmas Markets?
The best cheesy things at Manchester Christmas Markets.
You can recreate your very own gigantic cheese pull and your local host can snap a piccie.
Waffle Kart at Manchester Christmas Markets
Scrumptious selection of food available as you venture through Manchester Christmas Markets in style.

There’s also the chance to keep your hands toasty with a free cup of mulled wine or a soft-drink for those who aren’t interested in the warm alcoholic beverage.

Manchester Christmas Markets are a phenomenal day or night-out regardless so this latest personalised opportunity will take your festive fantasies to a whole new level.

This private tour provides a one-of-a-kind exclusive treatment making your stroll down Manchester Cathedral, Exchange Square and Manchester Town Hall that little bit more special.

These tours are a great chance to immerse yourself in one of Manchester’s many selling points as you can choose to focus your time around art and culture, fashion, architecture or our personal favourite – food.

Although the tour doesn’t include the cost for the amount of gifts and presents you’re about to buy while walking round the event, it’s definitely an innovative way to explore everything Manchester has to offer at Christmastime.

This exclusive tour package which highlights the best of Manchester Christmas Markets is definitely a present in itself with tickets costing a hefty sum of £100.

If you want to visit Manchester Christmas Markets while also living the high life with a private tour, ‘Christmas In Manchester: Private Experience With A City Host’ is running all the way until the huts shut shop on 22 December and tickets can be found here.

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Featured Image: The Manc Group

City Centre

A look at Embassy Village as construction on Manchester’s homeless housing project begins

Danny Jones Danny Jones Embassy Village for homeless people in Manchester work started

Work has officially begun on Manchester’s long-rumoured Embassy Village, a new living quarters designed specifically to house the local homeless community.

Set to be the largest purpose-built village of its kind in the UK, the hope is to provide short to medium-term housing for up to 40 rough sleepers in the Greater Manchester area.

Planning permission for the £4 million project proposed by the Embassy Charity was handed down back in 2021 and enabling works have been gradually taking place, with the land now fully prepped for construction to begin.

Officially breaking ground on Tuesday, 19 November, developers and regeneration specialists Peel Waters shared the first images from the site as well as concept artwork for what the district will look like once completed.

The 4.5-acre brownfield site sits beneath 22 railway arches just off the Egerton Street Bridge near Castlefield and the bustling Regent Road which heads towards Salford. Although it was initially said rooms would be made from shipping containers, the units will now be proper purpose-built structures.

Designed to house homeless and vulnerable people living in and around Manchester within individual units, Embassy Village is a joint non-profit venture by both Peel Waters and well-known property company Capital&Centric.

Contractor Vermont Group will be taking on the construction for free, with around 50 organisations offering their services pro bono, including AEW Architects, Planit and Jon Matthews Architects, who helped design the living quarters and wider communal space from the ground up.

Aiming to create a genuinely beneficial community environment, with those staying there able to access green spaces, mini-allotment plots, sports facilities; counselling services, laundry rooms, computer spaces and tonnes more, they’ve come a long way from offering tour bus beds to the homeless.

Residents will also start off on the right path towards getting back on their feet and those staying there will be required to carry out six hours of training per week in things like shopping, cooking, budgeting and other key life skills.

Speaking on the first day of proper construction, Peel Waters‘ director James Whittaker said: “Today’s launch event is an important milestone, marking years of hard work and collaboration to deliver the UK’s first purpose-built community village…”

He went on to thank all of those who have backed the plans so far, including Greater Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham, who has already applauded it as a “fantastic idea.”

With several local organisations either offering their help for free or contribute by donating to the project, the speed at which work can now move is increasing and it is expected that the 24 homes, as well as the central ‘village hall’ space, will be finished within the next 10 months.

The aim is for Embassy Village to be completed in its entirety by the end of 2025 and with more and more businesses being invited to help with the development along the way, the amount of resources and manpower is only looking like it will increase with approximately £1m still needed to fully bring it to life.

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Cooperating with the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, which specialises in helping the homeless through its ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, Embassy are now working on finding long-term funding for the village’s operational costs once it is up and running.

Another key benefactor is The Moulding Foundation, an organisation dedicated to alleviating social inequalities, who donated £3.5m to support the village’s construction.

Co-founder, Jodie Moulding, told Prolific North: “For most people, access to housing, healthcare, and education is a given – but for others, it is a privilege…

“It has taken an unbelievable amount of time, effort, and energy to get to this point, so finally breaking ground is a huge milestone for everyone involved in bringing Embassy Village to life.”

As for Embassy themselves the charity’s director, Sid Williams, added: “Special thanks go to Matt and Jodie Moulding for their financial backing and the teams at Peel Waters, Capital&Centric, the Mayor’s Charity and Manchester City Council for making this happen.”

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Peel Waters (supplied)

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