Greene King is about to stage their biggest giveaway yet across the next week, with the pub group and brewery set to hand out 100,000 free pints across the nation, but only on one condition involving Manchester and the weather.
We know how that sentence doesn’t usually fill people with confidence but, honestly, we’ve never felt more confident in our lives.
The weather might be looking up now spring has sprung but it’s still Manchester we’re talking about and we could help Brits get their hands on a total of 100k free pints if it rains in the city centre next Monday, 25 March and they’ll be having Peter Crouch and giant pint glass along to help adjudicate.
Rain and Manchester go hand in hand — the pints are on us, don’t you worry.
Keep an eye on the skies from Monday and once the first drop of rain hits our rain drop detector in Manchester we’ll be giving away 100,000 free pints #ItRainsWePour ☔️🍻 https://t.co/ws7FG2rBUm
Yes, in their latest marketing stunt, Greene King will be placing a massive glass in the city centre and if, by some stroke of other-worldly misfortune, no rain is left in it by the end of the day then people all over the country can enjoy a complimentary bev from one of their 2,700 locations across the UK.
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If this is this ends up being the one day we don’t get rain after being bullied by it most of the year, we’re going to be absolutely fuming.
Setting the big pint pot up in Great Northern Warehouse on the corner of Deansgate and Peter Street (picture as big as Crouchy himself), the chain of boozers are sticking to one rule: ‘When it rains, we pour’.
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The glass itself will serve as the official ‘Rain Drop Detector’ and since March 2023 was the rainiest in 40 years, as well as Manchester being considered Britain’s wettest city according to a survey of the general public — with one in five understandably dubbing us ‘Rainchester’ — this should be a walk in the park.
You can see the full terms and conditions of the giveaway HERE but the rules are pretty simple: once the trigger point on Rain Drop Detector lights up and a sufficient amount of rainfall is deemed to have landed on Manchester, Greene King will give away free pints for the following 24 hours.
These pints can obviously only be claimed within the pubs’ usual trading times and customers must say the magic phrase, ‘It rains, we pour’, to get their hands on one, but other than that it’s pretty simple. There’s even going to be a livestream and regular updates on socials for everyone to tune into.
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Once the drinking window is open, it isn’t just in Manchester that the river of free drinks will flow: people all over the nation will be able to walk into a GK pub and enjoy any one of the following pints at no charge — or a soft drink alternative, of course:
Hazy Day Hazy IPA
Level Head Session IPA
Flint Eye Hopped Lager
Icebreaker Pale Ale
Abbot Ale
Greene King IPA
Ruddles Best
Old Speckled Hen & Old Golden Hen
Don’t worry, Brits — rain is just what we do. We won’t let you down (crosses everything).
Featured Images — Greene King/Great Northern/The Manc Eats
Food & Drink
A massive vegan street food festival is back in Manchester later this month
Emily Sergeant
Giving Veganuary a go this year?
We know the end of the month can often bring a bit of food boredom and a lack of plant-based inspiration along with it, but luckily, Manchester’s very-own GRUB has got you covered, because for the tenth year running now, the legendary GRUB ExtraVEGANza is returning for the final weekend of the month.
GRUB – the street food market and social hub just outside the city centre – is known for hosting a jam-packed lineup of events all throughout the year, and the annual ExtraVEGANza is one of its best-loved each time it rolls around.
The popular venue will become a wall-to-wall vegan street food festival full of independent plant-based food traders.
On top of the venue’s weekly ‘Plant Powered Sundays’ vegan street food takeover days, the now-annual GRUB ExtraVEGANza is a celebration of all things plant-based food and drink.
Running from Friday 24 – Sunday 26 January this year, at 2025’s edition of the ExtraVEGANza, you can expect there to be plenty vegan treats from some of GRUB’s usual plant-based food traders, as well as loads more.
A full list of traders is set to be announced soon, so you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled.
A massive vegan street food festival is returning to Manchester later this month / Credit: GRUB
Wholesome Junkies, Desert Island Dumplings, Nina’s Taco Truck, Seitan’s Kebab, and Munchie Mummy’s Vegan Bakery are just some of the popular traders who have appeared at the festival in previous year, so this may give you some clues as to who to expect in 2025.
That’s not all either, as on top of food, there’ll also a 100% vegan bar offering wine, cocktails, spirits, mulled wine, soft drinks, and a wide range of beers from all the best local vegan-friendly breweries across Greater Manchester and the North West.
Basically, whether you’re a vegan newbie, a plant-based pro, or just looking to cut back on your animal product consumption where possible, you’ll probably want to get yourself down to GRUB, as there’s something for everyone.
Find out more about GRUB’s ExtraVEGANza 2025 and get booking your place here.
Featured Image – GRUB
Food & Drink
Tesco reveals what the UK’s most popular meal deal was in 2024
Emily Sergeant
Tesco has officially revealed what the UK’s most popular meal deal combination was in 2024, and some newbies have taken the top spots.
We all know meal deals are a classic lunch option for hungry office workers and for those looking for something quick to grab on the go, and it’s fair to say Tesco’s is one of the most popular on the market – but which combination was the most popular over the past 12 months? Which meal deal was the most commonly-picked from supermarket shelves in 2024?
Well, after two years of the same three options claiming the top spots on each of the main, snack, and drinks list, we have some new picks topping the charts.
Tesco has revealed what the UK’s most popular meal deal was in 2024 / Credit: The Manc Group
For the past two years, the Tesco Sausage Bacon & Egg Triple, and the McCoy’s Flame Grilled Steak ‘Grab Bag’ Crisps have come out on top as the most popular main and snack, but for 2024, the supermarket retailer has revealed that the nation’s favourite meal deal combination was the Tesco Chicken Club Sandwich for main, and the Tesco Egg Protein Pot as the snack.
Once again, Coca-Cola (500ml) took the title as the nation’s favourite meal deal drink, just as it has done in both 2022 and 2023.
The meal deal statistics for 2024 were revealed as part of Tesco’s annual ‘Clubcard Unpacked’ series, which is basically like ‘Spotify Wrapped’, but for Clubcard customers.
It gives the supermarket’s loyalty card members a unique insight into what they shopped for and how much they saved over the last year.
The meal deal statistics for 2024 were revealed as part of Tesco’s annual ‘Clubcard Unpacked’ series / Credit: Tesco
The series also gives Clubcard holders the chance to find out what their personal favourite meal deal combination was in 2024, and see how that compares to the rest of the nation.
You’ll just need to open your Tesco Clubcard app on your mobile to find out, or you can head to the Tesco website here and login to your account.
Results are available from today (6 January) for a limited time only.
As well as getting to find out their own most-bought meal deal items, this year’s video also shows Clubcard members further insights into how they shopped at Tesco last year – from their most frequently-purchased products, to how many points they saved and spent.
Danny Jones -
21st March 2024 
