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
Deliveroo is set for a multi-billion dollar buyout from a takeaway rival
Danny Jones
UK takeaway service Deliveroo is set for a massive takeover by a fellow delivery business rival, said to be worth several billion.
The British multinational is known nationwide, occupying one of the biggest market shares alongside competitors Just Eat and Uber Eats, but now the takeaway delivery service is set to be swallowed up by an even bigger brand based in the US.
As reported on Tuesday, 6 May, American delivery firm DoorDash – the biggest of its kind in the States – looks set to complete an estimated £2.9 billion buyout, which will see Deliveroo folded into their growing global portfolio.
This massive deal will see the company’s presence in more than 40 countries further consolidated, already serving somewhere in the region of 50 million customers every month.
US meal delivery firm DoorDash will buy British rival Deliveroo for $3.85 billion. The acquisition will help DoorDash grow its market share in Europe and compete against Just Eat and Uber Eats. Read more: https://t.co/x4dSgRp8Flpic.twitter.com/oeE44CjMYN
According to the likes of Reuters, Bloomberg and BBC, DoorDash is offering 180p per share, which is a 44% increase on Deliveroo’s share price from the point when initial takeover talks were made public in April 2025.
Founded by chief executive Will Shu back in 2013, Deliveroo is now considered one of the big three in the food delivery industry’s UK scene, but is set to get much bigger under the DoorDash umbrella.
As for DoorDash, CEO and co-founder Tony Xu went on to add: “Coming together with teams that have similar visions and values accelerates our work to achieve that mission. Deliveroo is just such a team and one that I have long admired.
“Like DoorDash, Deliveroo is obsessively focused on their customers – consumers, merchants, and riders. They work day in and day out to improve their consumer value proposition, bring new services to local businesses, and offer flexibility and support to riders.”
Acclaimed restaurant staffed by prison inmates announces sad closure
Daisy Jackson
The Clink, an acclaimed restaurant where the food is prepared and served by prison inmates, has announced its devastating closure.
The charity behind the restaurant, which is attached to HMP Styal, has confirmed that it will close for good on 31 July 2025.
The Clink is famed for the training and experience it provides inmates, helping them to get a head start into the hospitality industry when their sentence ends.
It’s also achieved plenty of acclaim as a restaurant in its own right, consistently being rated as the best restaurant in Wilmslow and voted Cheshire Restaurant of the Year in 2024.
Over the years, hundreds of students have earned qualifications including City & Guilds NVQs in Food and Beverage Service, Professional Cookery and Food Hygiene.
The Clink restaurant in Styal is closing
But The Clink has now announced that it will be closing this summer due to ‘a number of factors’, including costs and participant numbers.
Donna-Marie Edmonds, Chief Executive of The Clink Charity, said: “The decision not to renew our contract at HMP Styal has been made with an incredibly heavy heart.
“The Clink Charity’s mission is to reduce re-offending and we have been doing this at Styal, producing outstanding results for over a decade.
“Although the restaurant will officially close this summer, our partnership at Styal will be remembered not only for its landmark training outcomes, but as a beacon of hope, where women have sought refuge and rehabilitation.”
As one of those students put it: “If it wasn’t for my journey at The Clink, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”
The Manc -
22nd November 2022 
