Manchester

Manchester baker creates amazing ‘kiss off’ Love Hearts donut specials for Valentine’s

Forget flowers, forget chocolates, nothing says Valentine's like a box of 'U stink' donuts.

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 28th January 2022

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’.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT
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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

Feature image – Siop Shop

Manchester

Graeme Park thanks fans for ‘valued support’ and launches fundraiser in memory of late son

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Graeme Park has thanked fans for their “valued support” following the devastating passing of his teenage son last week.

The former Hacienda legend and his family have also set up a fundraiser in his memory.

The DJ took to social media last week to share the heartbreaking news that his “true warrior” son Oliver had passed away at the age of 18 after a year-long battle with a rare cancer.

In a tribute to the late teenager, Graeme described his son as a “kind, loving, and beautiful soul” who “fought so hard until the very end” but was sadly taken “far too soon” when he “had so much more love to offer to this world”.

Graeme’s initial post drew in thousands of messages of love and support from the Greater Manchester music and entertainment community and beyond, as well as from famous name including from Vernon Kay, Sacha Lord, and DJ Paulette.

He asked fans to “bear with me” and confirmed that he will not be performing DJ sets or appearing on the radio for the time being.

Graeme with his wife Jen and twins Oliver and Ben / Credit: Graeme Park (via Instagram)

Now, a week after sharing the news of Oliver’s passing, Graeme, his wife Jen, and son Ben have taken the time to thank everyone for their “wonderful and valued support” – adding that the family is “heartbroken” to have lost a son, grandson, nephew, cousin and friend.

“Your messages and kind words have been well received and have offered us all some much needed strength and hope at what has been a very difficult time,” Graeme continued.

“Friends, colleagues, fans, followers and complete strangers have all been in touch in person, via phone, email and social media offering support and more, and it really has been heartwarming to read all the messages and to listen to everyone who’s called.

“Apologies if I’ve not responded to everyone, but rest assured we all really do appreciate the sentiment.

“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

Oliver and Ben / Credit: Graeme Park (via JustGiving)

Graeme also confirmed that, after lots of discussion following so many reaching out and asking if there’s anything they can do to help, the family has decided to set up a JustGiving page in Oliver’s memory to help raise “much needed funds and awareness” for Sarcoma UK.

Sarcoma UK is a national charity that funds vital research, offers support for anyone affected by sarcoma cancer, and campaigns for better treatments.

“After complaining of leg pain over a long period, Oliver was eventually diagnosed as having a malignant nerve sheath tumour that was a type of sarcoma, hence our decision to help Sarcoma UK,” Graeme explained.

Sarcoma is a type of cancer that develops in the bone and soft tissue. It is difficult to diagnose and one of the hardest to treat – “but by donating in memory of Oliver, you can help change this.”

“Your donation will help researchers find answers, keep the specialist Support Line open, and raise awareness to improve treatment and standards of care,” Graeme concluded, “Your donations go so far in helping the sarcoma community.”

Over 200 people have already donated to the JustGiving fundraiser, with the total now at £6,900 and counting by the minute.

Read more:

If you’d like to support, help, or donate in memory of Oliver, you can do so here.

Featured Image – Graeme Park

Manchester

Three Little Words and Seven Brothers Brewery are moving into Kampus this summer

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

This week, Manchester’s waterside neighbourhood Kampus has revealed that two of Manchester’s best-loved indie drinks producers will be moving in over the summer.

Manchester Gin’s bar and distillery Three Little Words will be taking over the infamous bungalow, whilst Ancoats’ favourite Seven Brothers Brewery will temporarily move into the neighbourhood’s red-brick Minshull Warehouse – previously tipped to house a new taproom from Cloudwater.

This summer, the brewery – first founded in Salford nine years ago by the McAvoy brothers – will open the doors to the warehouse serving up their popular family beers alongside a few Kampus specials.

With seating inside and out, once the warmer nights arrive drinkers can once again enjoy the Manchester neighbourhood’s canalside beer garden.

Image: Three Little Words
Image: Seven Brothers

Set to open officially from the long Easter weekend, for the first time tables and chairs will be nestled throughout the giant tree ferns and palms, with visitors able to sample the delights of the impressive foodie community – including Nell’s, Pollen, Great North Pie, The Beeswing wine bar and Yum Cha.

Elsewhere, in the Bungalow popular local gin distillers and cocktail pros Three Little Words will serve up a sleek cocktail menu – all made up from their portfolio of multi-award-winning spirits from The Spirit of Manchester Distillery.

First opened in 2019 by Seb & Jen Heeley-Wiggins, the founders of Manchester Gin, luxurious cocktail bar Three Little Words has since won awards for its signature menu of innovative cocktails.

Both will kick-start on Friday 7 April, with an Easter Weekender of booze, beats and eats in store – with Nell’s Pizza also joined by guest DJs throughout the weekend.

The season is a major moment for Kampus, the first year when the neighbourhood will have a full force of eclectic independent operators fully trading.

More names are set to join too. Red Light will lift the curtain on the insta-friendly Little David Street LGTBQ+ cocktail den, with the opening date to be revealed in the coming weeks, whilst taqueria and mezcaleria Madre is currently fitting out its space ready to bring its take on Mexican goodness to Manchester.

Read more: Rio Ferdinand is helping change young lives with community programmes in Oldham and Salford

Seb Heeley-Wiggins, Master Distiller & Co-Owner The Spirit of Manchester Distillery & Three Little Words, said: “We’ve got such a loyal following and we’ve been on the hunt for a spot where people could enjoy our cocktails in a beautiful outdoor setting … spritzes in the sunshine. 

“Kampus absolutely fits that bill and will be an incredible summer posting for our team. We’ll be bringing our signature menu as well as some seasonal creations unique to Kampus.

“There’s so much going at the neighbourhood that we’ll be in good company. We’ve already got celebrations planned throughout the summer months, where we’ll be collaborating with incredible brands and creatives, and we’ve got a big surprise in store for next month. We just need a long, hot summer now.”

Read more: Police are working to bring ‘murder mastermind’ John Belfield back to Manchester after drugs arrest abroad

Keith McAvoy, CEO for Seven Brothers, said: “We’ve been big fans of Kampus for a while so we jumped at the chance to put on a summer-long party and create a new beerhouse here. The historic setting is stunning and we know we’ll create, hands down, the best beer garden in Manchester.

“We’re a family run business, born here in Greater Manchester. Our Kampus run is a fitting celebration for how far the brewery has come with the incredible support of every person who’s ever enjoyed a SEVEN BRO7HERS pint.

“We’ll be in good company with our brilliant independent neighbours and encourage everyone to come spend summer with us.”

Seven Brothers will be open Thursday to Sunday every week all summer, whilst Three Little Words will open Wednesday to Sunday.

Featured image – Kampus

More Manchester

City Centre

The fried chicken bottomless brunch with an epic ‘carb-fest’ chip butty

City Centre

The team behind Gooey has launched a new pasta concept on Peter Street

Manchester

Lidl’s iconic trainers have been spotted back in Manchester stores

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches