Iceland is giving away free roast dinners all week to help people in need as Random Acts of Kindness Day approaches on Friday.
The budget supermarket chain has partnered with The Food Warehouse and Aunt Bessie’s to give away free roast dinners to customers, both in-store and online, from Monday 13 to Friday 17 February – and kicked off its week of generosity right here in Manchester.
Lucky customers at an Iceland store in Prestwich, Greater Manchester were some of the first to be randomly selected to win the bundle.
Chelsea Burgess, 30 years old, said: “It’s nice to know that people were looking out for us today. It was totally unexpected, we only popped out for a few bits!”.
June Burrows, 52 years old, said: “It was such a nice surprise! This’ll make a lovely meal for me and the kids – I can’t wait!”.
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Jamilah Choudhary, 57 years old, said: “This’ll put a smile on all my family’s faces today – thank you, Iceland!”
Jack Ford, 29 years old, said: “I just popped out for my lunch, so this has been such an amazing surprise. It’s brought a smile to my face today.”
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Kevin and Cara Crowther, 39 years old, said: “We’re absolutely made up that we were selected for such a lovely prize. Thank you, Iceland!”
Customers who go to purchase the £12.00 Aunt Bessie’s roast bundle at either the tills or online checkout could be randomly selected to get it for free.
Stores all over the country have been given permission to give away roasts at random to local customers, with staff using their knowledge of people coming into the store to decide who needs it most.
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All customers need to do is head to the checkout with the Aunt Bessie’s deal bundle, which includes one tender meat joint and three sides or desserts, to be in with the chance of getting it for free.
Customers who purchase the Aunt Bessie’s deal online this week are also in with a chance of a freebie, and will find out on Random Acts of Kindness Day if they are receiving the money back as a refund.
An Iceland Spokesperson said: “Random Acts of Kindness Day is such a great way to celebrate our communities, but we want to extend our ‘random roasts of kindness’ for a little longer than one day.
“We are proud of the fantastic store staff who really know our customers best; it makes sense to leave the giveaways to them. We hope this puts a smile across a lot of faces.”
The initiative has been put in place after research revealed that over half (53%) of Brits plan on either reducing the number of hot dinners they eat or cutting them out completely due to the cost of living.
TV nutritionist, Dale Pinnock, recently partnered with Iceland as part of the supermarket’s mission to Save Hot Dinners, revealing the science behind eating a hot meal and the importance they have to everyday lives.
Research has revealed that over 46% of Brits said they were planning on cutting out one to three hot meals for a week.
Dale said: “Hot dinners are fundamental to a healthier life for a number of key reasons. For example, many nutrients become much more available to the body once cooked, whereas cold food slows digestion down which can cause gut-related problems and can have a negative impact on your immune system during colder months.
“Very cold foods can send shock waves throughout the nervous system so during colder months our bodies prefer the food we eat to be warm, which is a great way to elevate core body temperature and keep warm.”
Major pop star crowns humble rice and three cafe as ‘Jewel of Manchester’ ahead of sold-out gig
Thomas Melia
A beloved city centre takeaway has been given the title of ‘Jewel of Manchester’ by chart-topping UK singer Sam Smith.
Known for hits like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ and more recently ‘Unholy’, UK pop-ballad act Sam Smith also likes to drop a food review every once in a while.
Currently on the road with a run of shows in Manchester and London for their ‘To Be Free’ live shows, Sam Smith is stopping off at some of our city’s much-loved spots.
On their food-reviewing account titled ‘Sam Served’, where they adopt the aptly-fitting nickname ‘Ham Smith’, Sam has visited restaurants across the globe – and most recently turned their attention to Manchester’s own This & That.
Smith decided to pop in and grab a cheeky rice and three from long-standing backstreet food business This & That, and it certainly went down a treat.
After sampling their amazing selection of meat, vegetable and vegan curries, the musician crowned this family-run Indian takeaway a ‘Jewel of Manchester’.
The hitmaker described this Northern Quarter Indian eatery as ‘Everything food should be’ and definitely enjoyed all the curries on offer ‘leaving belly and heart full’.
This & That prides itself on affordable and comforting food with its ‘Rice and Three Curries’ starting from just £6 – not bad for a city centre foodie spot.
Sam has racked up an impressive 490k followers via their ‘Sam Served’ profile, with famous faces like Lily Allen, Denise Welch and CMAT all wanting to know the superstar’s foodie thoughts.
After enjoying a curry or three, Sam Smith also made sure to feed their soul to by venturing down to Afflecks and getting lost in the music at Mars Tapes.
Recognised as one of the UK’s only cassette and tape shops, Mars Tapes lets you flick through their crates of physical media and even preview tracks before you buy with its dedicated listening areas.
It’s safe to say that Smith has ‘Latched’ onto Manchester’s independent business scene and we’re here for it.
The London-born artist has just released their latest album Hazel Eyes and is currently amid a UK residency tour with two dates in Manchester’s Albert Hall and eight shows set for London Coliseum.
24-hour bus services are now running across all Greater Manchester boroughs
Emily Sergeant
24-hour bus services are now running across all boroughs in Greater Manchester.
You may remember that back in March, it was announced that every borough of Greater Manchester was set to get a night bus service in what is hoped to be a ‘boost’ to the night-time economy… and now it’s official, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has launched those 24-hour buses this month, along with a series of other measures.
Oldham, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford now join the rest of Greater Manchester in having 24-hour bus services, meaning every part of the region will have a night bus operating Thursday through to Sunday.
It’s expected that these new services will help around 625,400 people working in the night-time economy across Greater Manchester, as well as those out enjoying the region’s nightlife, TfGM has said.
The routes which will run around the clock from Thursday until Sunday are:
50 (Salford – Manchester)
216 (Tameside – Manchester)
263 (Trafford – Manchester)
192 (Stockport – Manchester)
83 (Oldham – Manchester)
All Greater Manchester boroughs now have 24-hour bus services / Credit: TfGM
They launch alongside the most significant service changes to the Bee Network since the completion of bus franchising last year – including other new bus routes, and more frequent services across Greater Manchester.
“We want everyone to be able to enjoy everything Greater Manchester offers, without the worry of how to get there and get home,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor, Bev Craig.
“By growing the Bee Network, we’re making it easier than ever for people to use the bus, day and night.
“Our night buses are already providing a lifeline to some of the hundreds of thousands of people who are growing our night-time economy and working in essential public services.”
“Whether people are heading home from a night at the theatre or starting the early shift at a hospital, they can now get on board the night bus as a safe and affordable way to travel.”
Further improvements will delivered from January 2027, and a full breakdown by borough can be found on the Bee Network website here.
Georgina Pellant -
14th February 2023 
