Whether you’re ‘into’ Valentine’s or not, I think we can all agree these Love Hearts donuts from Siop Shop are pretty damn excellent.
Not one to play by the rules, the TIb street donut shop has bucked the mushy romantic trend in favour of a bit of playful wit and produced these Love Hearts sweet-inspired treats instead – perfect for couples (and singles) with a sense of humour.
For many, the fruit-flavoured, tablet-shaped sweets were a childhood fixture – and their inscriptions, which featured cheesy messages like ‘Love Bug’, ‘Kiss Me’ and ‘Only You’, are forever fixed in our minds.
Perhaps you even tried to give a crush a sweet once, you know, as a ‘subtle’ hint.
Image: Siop Shop
Well, this year the bakers at Siop Shop have decided to flip the script – taking the nostalgic favourite and bringing it firmly into 2022 with “crude, off-color sentiments” like ‘kiss off’, ‘u stink’ and, our personal favourite, ‘prize pig’.
There’s also some solid nods to another childhood favourite, The Simpsons (although let’s be real, we still love this show as adults) with one sassy inscription echoing Bart’s famously belligerent catchphrase, ‘eat my shorts’.
Filled with Diplomat chocolate crème, the prices haven’t been revealed yet but you won’t have to wait long to find out as the tongue-in-cheek goodies are set to go live for pre-order next week.
Image: Siop Shop
Available in sets of four, you can treat yourself, a mate, or your Valentine (if you’ve got one) to a box of some of the best donuts in town. And, just for fun, you’ll get a limited edition Ralph sticker to go with it.
Forget flowers, forget chocolates, this is where it’s at this year. Nothing says Valentine’s like a box of ‘U stink’ donuts.
They’ll go live for pre-order from 10am on the Siop web shop as of Tuesday 1 February for pick up on the day itself.
We recommend getting in quick, as there’s already been a huge amount of interest since the post went live on Instagram yesterday.
Sharing them online in a post that’s already amassed over 1,500 likes, the donut shop quipped, “Valentine’s day is no joke!”
They added, “We’ll have other suitably themed doughnuts the weekend leading up and on the day but not these ones. Preorder 10AM Tuesday the 1st over at siopshop.co”.
For vegans who are wondering, we asked – and yes, there will be some suitable for you (but not these ones). All is still to be revealed as to further specials, so keep your eyes on Siop’s Instagram for further updates.
The UK’s best kebab is coming to Manchester as legendary shawarma bar announces Deansgate site
Clementine Hall
A brand-new shawarma bar is set to open its doors in Manchester this summer.
If you’re ever across the Pennines over in sunny Leeds, then you will have most likely heard of SQEW – a modern Lebanese-inspired eatery that has established itself as a cult-favourite amongst locals.
And it’s not just those Yorkshire folk who think it’s great, SQEW has recently been scooping up the accolades including most recently, Deliveroo’s Best Kebab of 2025.
The rumour mill has been turning for quite some time now but luckily for us they are in fact true, SQEW will be bringing its bold, elevated take on the kebab to 75 Deansgate, taking over the former Rola Wala site.
Images: The Manc Group
From humble beginnings to national recognition, SQEW was founded in 2015 by passionate chef and founder Mitch Renshaw, who wanted to give the often-overlooked kebab the love it truly deserves.
What began as a single idea serving slow-cooked meats and house-made sauces quickly boomed into a local sensation, eventually landing a permanent home in 2021 on Leeds’ Boar Lane.
Customers can expect a menu rooted in Lebanese flavours with a modern twist, all served with good old fashioned northern hospitality.
Image: The Manc Group
Speaking about the expansion, Mitch Renshaw, Owner and Founder of SQEW, said: “Were absolutely thrilled to announce our move over the pennies. We’ve been searching for the perfect site since 2023, and when we came across 75 Deansgate we jumped at it. We have a few surprises up our sleeves for Manchester and can’t wait to reveal more.
Having spent the last few weeks in Manchester, I’m brimming ear to ear, the people, the culture, the operators, we just can’t wait to be part of it.”
The new site will feature an all-day shawarma bar concept with seating, takeaway, and delivery options – so you can get your SQEW fix however way you want it.
We’ll keep you updated with more details in the coming weeks, but you keep an eye on SQEW’s socials for more sneak peeks.
Levi’s are the latest fashion brand to launch an Oasis collection
Danny Jones
In case you missed it amid the tidal wave of merch currently flooding our feeds and shops everywhere, global fashion brand Levi’s has become the latest label to launch an Oasis collection.
With the Live ’25 world tour now officially underway, it feels like not only are Oasis back on top, but that there’s a large-scale Britpop revival happening here in the UK and overseas.
In terms of fashion, the 1990s and early 2000s style has been steadily making its way into contemporary culture once again in recent years, but with seemingly every big name trying to hop on the marketing machine that is the Oasis reunion bandwagon, you can’t move for crossover.
Be they official collaborations like the one with Manchester City, adidas Originals; American fashion brand Abercrombie & Fitch bashing out merch, or a local t-shirt maker on Bury Market, that famous logo is absolutely everywhere – cue Levi’s latest launch:
Releasing just five or five main pieces (not including individual item variations), Levi’s Oasis gear has been kept pretty straightforward, simply relying on a less is more philosophy and the quality that the denim specialists are renowned for.
Nevertheless, there is an undeniably 90s feel to the approach.
As well as the standard Oasis band tee design, available in the brand’s main red, white and blue colour, as well as black, white and light blue – the Manchester City influences never stray too far, after all – there are a couple of other types of tee.
However, while we’re sure plenty of people might have a penchant for the parka, the undeniable star of the show for us is the Type II Trucker Jacket with the group’s name and ‘Live Forever’ stitched on the breast pocket.
Still, at £170, these sure-to-be collectors’ items don’t come cheap, and that’s not even the most expensive in the Levi’s x Oasis collection. Regardless, if you fancy treating yourself, you can find them here in Manchester and at the likes of The Trafford Centre.
Any of it pique your interest?
Don’t worry if not because, as mentioned, there is absolutely tonnes of Oasis clobber at various different price points all over the place at the minute.
Georgina Pellant -
28th January 2022 
