Marcus Rashford challenges chef Tom Kerridge to create £10 Christmas menu for people in need
As part of his ongoing work with FareShare, Marcus Rashford has challenged two-Michelin star chef Tom Kerridge to create a special £10 menu for people in need this year.
Marcus Rashford has not been shy in the past when it comes to speaking up about his childhood in Wythenshawe, which often saw him and his mum relying on the local food bank even at Christmas time – and now it’s prompted him to create a £10 Christmas menu.
The Manchester United player, who received an MBE for his work battling food poverty in England, said that his family “relied on the local food bank for our Christmas dinner” and is making it his mission this year to ensure even those using food vouchers will be able to enjoy something special.
Enter two-Michelin star chef Tom Kerridge, who has created a special £10 menu for people in need this year – devising two healthy festive recipes that can feed six people across two days, on a sum that is relatively affordable for impoverished families.
In response, Tom has come up with two dishes: a tasty turkey roll with stuffing and traybake veggies, and a Boxing Day potato and carrot hash with fried eggs to use up any leftovers.
Tom Kerridge’s tasty turkey roll with stuffing and traybake veggies recipe can feed six people for under £10 / Image: Full Time Meals
According to FareShare, 2.3 million children went to bed hungry in the UK in November 2021 – a heartbreaking statistic that has inspired Rashford and Kerridge to ‘step up’ their Full Time Meals campaign over the Christmas period.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Christmas has a great ability to bring family together and I want as many children as possible to wake up on Christmas morning happy and without the stress of wondering where their next meal is coming from,” said Rashford to the BBC.
“I want families in communities like mine to look forward to creating something special in the kitchen together and making memories.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The chef has also created a Boxing Day potato and carrot hash with fried eggs to help use up any leftovers. Both meals can be made for a total of £10 / Image: Full Time Meals
Tom Kerridge added that Christmas ‘can be such a hard time for many families’, saying both he and Rashford wanted ‘to create something that might help bring a little bit of cheer to those who are finding it difficult’- for just £10.
“I want to see people cooking together over Christmas,” he added.
A spokesperson for FareShare told the BBC that parents in the UK were ‘being forced to choose between keeping their children warm or putting food on the table’ this year.
“Christmas is meant to be a time of warmth, good food, and laughter, [but] for families facing food poverty this winter, the reality couldn’t be more different”.
Rashford and Kerridge have been working together since April 2021 on the Full Time Meals campaign and have so far created 52 delicious family recipes as part of its 12-month long programme.
All simple and easy to follow, with an emphasis on limited equipment and inclusion of store cupboard goods with a longer shelf life, each recipe features a QR code linking through to the Full Time Instagram page where users can access short-form tutorial videos hosted by Tom, Marcus and a selection of celebrity guests and families.
Feature image – Full Time Meals
News
Manchester United agree record streaming deal for new Amazon documentary TV series
Danny Jones
Manchester United have officially agreed a record sporting TV deal for a brand-new documentary TV series on the Amazon Prime Video streaming service.
That’s right, Man United are getting the All Or Nothing treatment.
With the Red Devils finishing the 2025/26 season much stronger than they started it, they’re now set to invite a film crew into the dressing room and the newly refurbished Carrington training complex for the upcoming campaign.
Although there have been many United documentaries over the years, everything from big budget and smaller indie projects to fan-made, this new show looks set to give a more exclusive present day peak behind the curtain of the club’s modern-day set-up than ever before.
While it remains unclear whether or not this past term’s exploits – be it the drama of the Ruben Amorim era, or the upturn under Michael Carrick – are set to be included, as the official announcement teases, the Amazon series will provide behind-the-scenes MUFC throughout the 26/27 term.
There was an opportunity to accept this kind of coverage shortly after INEOS invested in the business, but Amorim put a rather public kibosh on the offer to preserve the backroom’s privacy and prevent any unnecessary intrusion.
Understandably, a lot of people agree with the decision, especially given the team was not just in another state of flux but at a crucial turning point under their then-new boss.
Taking a more old-school manager approach, it may have been seen as a sensible step, but it wouldn’t have mattered either way, as the Portuguese head coach (who now looks set to join AC Milan) was eventually sacked after just over a year in charge.
Nevertheless, many supporters are still reticent about the prospect of lifting the lid on an organisation that has famously seen plenty of turbulence. The fan base will just be hoping for a season to remember for the right reasons while the cameras are running for a reportedly record
Really not a fan of this – I wonder what someone like Carrick thinks of this? Additional scrutiny and pressure in his first full season as Head Coach.
The two most recent Premier League champions, Arsenal and Man City, have both seen seasons of Amazon’s now well-known docuseries before going on to win landmark titles, so perhaps it could be a good omen; who knows?
Conversely, Sunderland – who were infamously selected as one of the first subjects of this all-access kind of series – arguably ended up putting more unnecessary spotlight on their struggles.
As for those under the All Or Nothing umbrella, Spurs, Juventus and even the German international have also served as examples of how the big payout may not always be worth the bad press, with all three having gone through plenty of trials and tribulations in and around the respective versions airing.
Let’s just say that, reportedly ‘record’ sums or not, this could still go one way or the other…
While it’s still unclear as to the actual figure Manchester United will be taking home as part of the package with Amazon, this is yet another example of the steady Americanisation of association football, starting with the NFL and ice hockey before now drawing even wider audiences to the beautiful game.
Luxury steam train dining experiences are back running through Greater Manchester this summer
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester’s heritage railway is back hosting one of the most unique fine dining experiences in the region this summer.
It’s no secret that East Lancashire Railway is known and loved for its immersive events that give rail enthusiasts and curious Mancs the chance to step back in time by hopping on one of the historic Pullman-style carriages and ride a steam train through the picturesque Greater Manchester countryside.
Wizards, Thomas the Tank Engine, dinosaurs, and Peppa Pig-themed train rides are just a few of the events that have been entertaining families in the region over the last few years.
But for the grown-ups, how does getting the chance to tuck into a four-course luxury meal sound?
East Lancashire Railway’s ‘Red Rose Diners’ are back this summer / Credit: ELR
That’s right, the Red Rose Diners are here to stay this summer.
Described as being ‘the ultimate first class foodie experience’, ELR’s Red Rose Diners are unlike any other fine dining affair on offer in our region, as passengers are not only treated to a proper fancy feast while they’re aboard, but also to polished panelling, luxurious seating, and crisp linens too.
Running on selected Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays throughout the summer months, the experience starts with a glass of fizz and then stretches over an almost three-hour train journey through the picturesque Irwell Valley.
It includes a four-course dinner with complimentary sparkling wine, followed by tea or coffee and after-dinner chocolates.
They’re described as being the ultimate first class foodie experience / Credit: ELR
Each party has their own personal waiter tending to them throughout the course of the evening, so you can fully relax knowing every aspect of your experience will be catered for to the highest of standards.
Fine dining not really your thing though? Don’t worry, as ELR has a handful of other special experiences in the calendar for the summer as well – including Afternoon Teas, Lancastrian Lunches, and even wine tasting and comedy nights, so there’s something for everyone.
Georgina Pellant -
13th December 2021 
