You might have seen the deeply disturbing news that a US scientist has claimed that putting salt in your tea makes for the ‘perfect brew’ — but we’ve all seen the kind of barbaric things Americans do to the good stuff.
However, if there’s one thing we pride ourselves on here in Greater Manchester it’s being open-minded, so we didn’t want to just go ahead and condemn them right from the off.
With that in mind, we decided to give the latest US trend — backed by so-called ‘science’, might we add — a go and made a cup of tea before proceeding to butcher it with salt for some reason.
Here’s our review. Let’s just say it’s a short one.
Make that a big, fat, honking NO. We can’t think of anyone less qualified to judge a ‘good’ cup of tea than a US scientist who’s clearly never had a proper brew in their life.
Yes, believe it or not, putting SALT doesn’t make a cup of tea any better and while opinions in the office ranged from everything between “just tastes like a cup of tea” (from someone who rarely drinks tea, by the way” and “now all I can taste is the sugar” to “absolutely disgusting”.
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If we were to take a general consensus from The Manc employees’ reactions, Amy probably summed it up at the end there: “Take that away from me”.
For those of you wondering what the logic is behind this whole monstrosity, Professor Michelle Francl who works in the chemistry department at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania recently claimed that putting salt in tea blocks the receptor which makes tea taste bitter, especially when it has been stewed.
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Not only that, she even had this nonsense published in a book, citing old Chinese manuscripts from the 18th century in her research. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop the official US Embassy in London from issuing a statement by way of an apology and assuring they never intended to cause a diplomatic incident.
While we've got you, we need a conversation about what constitutes a biscuit.
We tried everything from the recommended pinch of salt to pretending it was sugar and putting a teaspoon in, but the only thing that stayed the same was our contempt for the end product. But we were genuinely surprised how just a bit of salt completely took away almost all of the tea flavour. Science init.
In summation, we’re going to ahead and declare salt in tea absolute heresy and anyone who says otherwise should be taken to court and stand trial for crimes against the tea-drinking world.
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Sorry, Michelle, we’re sure you’re a nice lady (though you’re skating on thin ice) but you’re simply wrong. This is advice for people who don’t like tea as it seems to take away the taste of the leaves full stop, so as Dean quite rightly put it, what’s the point?
Sweeten your tea if you need to, millions of Brits do it every day and everyone likes it a certain way, but we’ll throw hands with anyone who backs putting salt in tea, American or otherwise. You can keep this horror to yourself as well.
Featured Image — The Manc Group/Ivan Calderon (via Unsplash)
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Rio Ferdinand is stepping away from TNT Sports after more than a decade
Danny Jones
Manchester United legend and ex-England international Rio Ferdinand has announced he will be stepping away from TNT Sports, leaving more than a decade with the broadcaster.
Ferdinand has spent the best part of the last 10 years serving as a leading pundit and analyst, as well as hosting his own ‘Rio Meets’ online series – the interview format of which has been replicated on his YouTube channel.
However, after having been one of their main anchors both under the BT Sport and even more so since the inception of the rebranded TNT Sports Football umbrella, the 46-year-old has confirmed he has now quit their regular coverage following the Champions League final this weekend.
In a lengthy statement on social media, the ex-Man United defender, who also played for Leeds, West Ham, Bournemouth and QPR, described it as a “difficult decision.”
Taking time to thank the network for their “tremendous support” over the years, especially those “behind the scenes, whose work often goes unseen but has been essential to our success.”
The talented centre-back retired in May 2015 after more than 500 appearances and 81 national team caps, making an almost immediate switch into punditry and remaining a household name.
Rio has also remained a popular figure at Old Trafford and, indeed, across various parts of Manchester since leaving United in 2014.
For instance, his self-titled Foundation has carried out some truly transformational local outreach across various boroughs, as it has back in his home city of London.
Responding to the news, TNT Sports said nothing more than “Thanks for everything, Rio”; meanwhile, fellow former Red, Danny Simpson (who retired last year and also works as a pundit/presenter for MUTV) added: “You’re going to be missed, bro. Every time you’re on, you give us all the mad insight.”
However, he has promised he will remain in the media industry, continuing to work under the Rio Ferdinand Presents digital brand and pursuing “other business interests”.
With his ‘Rio Reacts’ and ‘Vibe with FIVE’ series regularly raking in millions of views, he might not be on the box during European nights but you’ll still be seeing plenty of him.
Rare bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in more than 30 years
Emily Sergeant
It’s time to say a big hello, as rare bat-eared foxes have now arrived at Chester Zoo.
The two sisters, named Maasai and Malindi, have been welcomed by conservationists after travelling more than 500 miles from a zoo in Paris, and they are the first mammals of their kind to come to Chester Zoo in more than 30 years.
First images show the pair exploring their home in the zoo’s new Heart of Africa habitat – which officially opened to the public back in March, and is the largest zoo development ever undertaken in the UK, spanning more than 22.5 acres in size.
The adorable – but rather unique-looking – bat-eared fox is named after its distinctive oversized ears and is native to the open savannahs and arid grasslands of eastern and southern Africa.
They live for around 13 years on average, and their characteristically large ears help regulate their body temperature and enhance their incredible hearing, allowing them to prey like detect insects moving underground.
The species faces increasing threats in the wild, largely due to the loss of their habitat caused by agriculture, human encroachment, and hunting.
This is why Chester Zoo has long been at the forefront of protecting African wildlife.
Its teams’ have been supporting everything from the safe translocation of northern giraffes to protected national parks in Uganda, to developing cutting-edge AI trail cameras to protect giant pangolins from illegal trafficking in recent years.
Bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in 30 years / Credit: Chester Zoo
“It’s incredibly exciting to welcome bat-eared foxes back to Chester Zoo after a 30-year hiatus,” commented David White, who is the Twilight Team Manager at Chester Zoo.
“Both Maasai and Malindi are settling in well so far, spending much of their time exploring their expansive home and getting to know their new housemates – a family of twelve Cape porcupines. These two species would often come across one another in the wild, so we’ve recreated this right here at Chester.
“In time, we hope to introduce one of the two sisters to a male fox, with the hope that we can contribute to the European conservation breeding programme, helping to ensure there’s a healthy, genetically diverse back-up population in human care.
Danny Jones -
25th January 2024 
