For those who’ve been watching I’m A Celebrity on ITV, it’s fair to say this season has already had some serious ups and downs – not least the controversial decision of producers to book former Health Secretary Matt Hancock (and for the princely sum of £400k, no less).
One group particularly affected by the start of the show included the Covid Bereaved Families For Justice, who have gone to great lengths to make their disapproval known in recent weeks; including flying a banner over the camp reading: “Covid bereaved say Get Out of Here!”
But amongst the criticism and controversy, there have been some light-hearted moments too – as we saw on Sunday night when campmate and Lionness legend Jill Scott’s Wythenshawe cafe got a namecheck during the ‘Partners in Grime’ trial.
As campmates were quizzed on details of others in the group, Jill was up first. Showered in a swarm of bugs that dropped onto her head, Ant and Dec then asked her how many haircuts Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner had a week.
Image: Boxx2Boxx
Image: Boxx2Boxx
Up next, Jill was asked to place her headphones over her ears whilst Owen was asked the name of her coffee shop, to which he correctly replied “Boxx2Boxx”.
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It’s not the first time that the cafe’s name has come up on the show, with Jill previously apologising for making everyone hungry after revealing to campmates that she had opened a coffee shop with her fiancee Shelly Unitt during the lockdown.
Read more:The highest-paid I’m A Celebrity contestants, in order – and it’s not who you’re expecting
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She told her ITV co-stars that she sells bacon sandwiches, paninis and cakes at her Greater Manchester coffee shop, alongside other items.
In a confessional, Owen Warner later told viewers to imagine going to a coffee shop and seeing the Lionness serving you a coffee – leading viewers eager to pay the shop a visit.
A quick look at the coffee shop’s Instagram shows that the customers are very much behind Jill’s jungle expedition, with posts encouraging fans to vote for her amassing tens of thousands of likes.
Scroll down further, though, and you’ll spy wholesome-looking pictures of cake, pumpkin spice lattes, smores cookies, bacon muffins, Biscoff and gold bar pies and plenty more.
Based at 375 Palatine Road, Northenden, Wythenshawe, the store takes its name in reference to Jill’s position as a box-to-box midfielder and receives regular visits from footballers.
Writing on the Boxx2Boxx website, Jill explained: “I’ve always loved coffee, travelling around with football, and it started to get to the point where if I had a bad coffee to start the day I would have a bad day so coffee has become very important in my life.”
She added: “It just all happened so quickly. Even now, I have to pinch myself, like as if we have our own coffee shop! I called it Boxx 2 Boxx because of the box-to-box midfield, I thought we could entice some of the players down.”
This summer the Lioness also hosted a Coffee Club podcast on BBC Radio 5 Live, offering an intimate glimpse into women’s football with all chats held over a good cup of coffee.
Feature image – The Manc Group
Food & Drink
Didsbury favourite Rustik has confirmed its will sadly be closing this month
Danny Jones
West Didsbury favourite Rustik has sadly announced it will be closing for food after a decade at the end of this month.
The beloved Burton cafe and bar has been a staple of the tight-knit foodie neighbourhood since 2015, but now the independent Irish eatery has confirmed that the business will be shutting down permanently in less than a fortnight.
Confirmed on Wednesday afternoon, 17 September, the casual Manc restaurant and hangout informed their loyal followers of the unfortunate news.
Unsurprisingly, their social media has been awash with condolences, collective sadness and support for the local institution.
Posting across all of their accounts, Rustik wrote: “After an unforgettable 10 years on Burton Road, the time has come to close our doors. It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come — never in a million years did we imagine Rustik would grow into what it became.
“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to every single one of you who walked through our doors and supported us along the way. We poured everything we had — our time, our energy, our lives into making Rustik a space for everyone. And what a ride it’s been.
“From the chaotic, beautiful brunch shifts to late nights dancing on tables to ‘Wagon Wheel’, pushing through the challenges of COVID and helping our community with meals during hard times— we’ve done it all, together.
“To our amazing staff, past and present: thank you for your hard work, your dedication, and the love you brought every single day. You helped build something truly special, and we’ll never be able to thank you enough.
“To the incredible musicians who filled our space with life — keep doing what you do. The noise complaints? 100% worth the unforgettable nights.”
The team go on to detail that the official closing date is Tuesday, 30 September, reiterating that it is “business running as usual until then” and urging fans to “come down, grab your last Rustik fix, and raise a glass with us one final time.”
Signing off with an emotional farewell, they add: “Lastly, a message close to our hearts: please support your local cafes, bars, and independents. Hospitality is tough right now, and they need your support more than ever.
“Thank you for the most incredible decade of our lives. It’s over and out from us.”
It goes without saying that we’re gutted to see Rustik go and know how much it meant not only to the Burton Road community, but also to the Didsbury community, Chorlton and many other Greater Manchester natives.
A ‘saucy’ new Korean fried chicken restaurant is opening in the Gay Village
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new Korean fried chicken restaurant and cocktail bar is set to open on Canal Street this week.
CLUK is promising some big deals and amazing giveaways to celebrate its launch in Manchester, including free food and prize draws.
The newcomer in the heart of the city will specialise in Korean-style crispy fried chicken, but also warming ramen bowls, and salt & pepper classics.
Signature dishes will include Korean cheese-powder fried chicken, and Cheese Volcano Chicken.
CLUK will also serve dishes like kimchi cheese loaded fries, salt & pepper chicken, and huge sharing platters.
You can customise your Korean fried chicken order by size, choosing between wings and boneless and picking a flavour out of honey garlic, sweet and spicy, honey mustard, and honey and sour.
They promise it’ll all be ‘saucy, crunchy, and seriously addictive’.
That’s all washed down with ice-cold beers and creative cocktails, like martinis, spritzes and sours.
CLUK is now open in the Gay Village in ManchesterA spread of CLUK dishesInside CLUK ManchesterFried chicken with Korean cheese powderInside CLUK Manchester
The CLUK team are hoping to create a fun late-night dining option for this buzzing corner of the city centre.
To celebrate its launch on Thursday 18 September, CLUK have announced a whole heap of promotions.
This includes free chicken bao for the first 50 guests to visit during the first five days.
Over the two week launch period, visitors can spin the wheel whenever you spend £12 – spend £24 and spin twice.
And there are big prizes available – the top prize is a £100 gift card or £50 cash, with other prizes including free drinks, food and a £3 voucher as a consolation prize.
Plus, anyone who buys a gift card and tops it up with £100 will receive a free beer or cider.
When those two weeks are up, CLUK will run a £1,000 prize draw.
The Manc -
22nd November 2022 
