Greggs sausage rolls have been spotted peeking out of bags and pockets in Primark window displays up and down the country, leaving some people wondering what the hell the retailer is up to.
Now, all has been revealed after it emerged yesterday that the fast-fashion chain is teaming up with none other than high street bakery Greggs for a first-of-its-kind collaboration.
Yes, believe it or not, the two appear to be releasing a fashion collection inspired by Greggs’ most popular baked goods. Sausage roll hoodies, steak bake t-shirts and maybe even a tuna crunch baguette could soon become must-have fashion items (we jest, but who knows).
In 2022, we can say with some confidence that weirder things have already happened. Satire is definitely dead, though.
The high street bakery’s fashion collection will go on sale at 60 stores up and down the country, including at several Primark stores in Manchester.
Due to launch to the public from 19 February, it is set to feature 11 different items including hoodies featuring the Greggs logo and a message reading “It’s a pastry thing” printed down one arm.
The company’s social media team teased the news out on Twitter, sharing a promo video online for what was referred to as a “freshly baked collab”.
The bakery chain also announced it would be opening its biggest ever Greggs cafe inside Primark’s flagship store in Birmingham on 12 February.
The imaginatively named ‘Tasty by Greggs’ will seat 130 covers and offer all its usual customer favourites such as sausage rolls, steak bakes, pizza slices and a selection of sweet treats.
A boutique pop-up showcasing the new clothing designs will also launch separately in Soho, London, on 17 and 18 February.
okay so either i’m having hunger hallucinations, or there is an actual @GreggsOfficial sausage roll in the window of Primark in Newcastle??? pic.twitter.com/WZKJhH3sZq
Visits here, however, will be strictly by invitation only – perhaps due to the fact that London is the only city in the UK that prefers Pret to Greggs, according to very important research conducted by Monzo.
Responses to the news online have been mixed, with some people very excited and others claiming they thought it must be a wind-up.
One said, “I am ashamed about my enthusiasm for this.”
Another wrote, “Is it April 1st?”
Whilst a third added, “If there’s Greggins I’ll be pissed! Won’t be better than the original though.”
If there’s Greggins I’ll be pissed! Won’t be better than the original though 💙🧡 pic.twitter.com/UFG7SwEVfm
The appetite for Greggs in the UK is, apparently, insatiable with the high street bakery brand achieving cult status amongst groups of all ages.
A nail artist Leeds achieved viral fame last year after creating her own Greggs-inspired nail art, complete with a tiny hanging sausage roll, whilst others have flocked to Twitter to share their own Greggs creations.
One user shared a pair of logo-emblazoned ‘Greggins’, another a set of Greggs-related band tees.
Suffice to say, creating Greggs merch is not a new idea – just up until now, it’s mostly been a DIY activity. We guess it’s just a pastry thing.
Manchester crowned one of the world’s best cities for music lovers
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been crowned one of the world’s best cities for music lovers, even beating out New York along the way.
If there’s one thing Manchester is known and loved for over anything else, it’s music.
From Oasis and Joy Division, to Happy Mondays, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, The 1975, and even more modern-day acts, there’s no end to the amount of talented artists this city has produced or been home to over the years, all contributing to Manchester being one of the most prestigious music cities there is.
The city’s live music scene has always been thriving, and that continues right through to this very day, as you’ll see big-name musicians including Manchester as a destination in their UK tour schedules more often than not.
This summer is all set to be a sensational celebration of sound, as not only is an immersive art trail, Music for the Senses, taking over the city from this week, but this year’s annual Manchester Day will be music-themed too, marking one of the biggest years for Manchester music in a long time.
Manchester has been named one of the best cities in the world for music lovers / Credit: Manchester City Council | Eldhose Kuryian (via Unsplash)
Oh, and there’s also the small matter of Oasis reforming for a UK tour, including a run of gigs at Heaton Park this month.
So it’s no surprise that Manchester has been named one of the best cities in the world for music lovers, especially as the IFPI Global Music Report has revealed that the UK has the third largest music market globally – with the music industry’s contribution to the UK economy being £6.7 billion on average.
Taking this recent report into consideration, the experts over at SeatPick have collated data to uncover the best UK cities for music lovers, analysing factors such as the number of concerts, homegrown talents, music businesses, and the total number of music venues, to reveal each city’s overall music score out of 10.
Coming in at second place with a music scene score of 8.97/10 is Manchester.
2025 is all set to be a sensational summer of sound in our city / Credit: Supplied
“Manchester remains one of the UK’s most iconic music cities and with 1,204 concerts between 2025-2026, 116 live music venues, and 380 homegrown acts, the city’s live music offering is as strong as ever,” SeatPick said of its findings.
“2025 is shaping up to be a historic year for Manchester, with Oasis reuniting for the first time in over a decade, with a massive comeback show at Heaton Park – the very spot where they played their last hometown gig in 2009.”
While Manchester may have missed out on the UK’s top spot, with that title going to London, in the global rankings, our city has claimed an impressive sixth place, beating out New York’s influential music scene.
Liverpool and Leeds are two of the other northern cities in the UK’s top 10, taking fifth and sixth place respectively.
“Cities which have a larger number of music businesses are key in creating the perfect city for music fans, as this impacts the city’s cultural, economic, and social vibrancy,” explained Gilad Zilberman, who is the CEO of SeatPick.
“A thriving music scene within a city means it can provide more artistic expression, support a wider range of genres, and enrich the cultural landscape, as well as attracting creative talent.”
Featured Image – Alex Bracken (via Unsplash)
News
Jason Manford has final word on ‘naughty’ rule that sparked unexpected Village Hotel experience
Danny Jones
Local comedian Jason Manford has shared “the last I’ll say on the matter between The People vs The Village Hotel”, after expressing his disappointment over a rule that saw him have a somewhat unexpected experience at one of their locations.
The Salford-born and Stockport-based stand-up was forced to share his room with another individual at The Village in Bournemouth after being told the hotel was fully booked.
Manford‘s room had essentially been resold, which led him to stay in a double with his friend and colleague; however, as explained in multiple videos, not everyone was fortunate enough to secure a last-minute solution.
Still, on the upside, at least they didn’t have to share a bed…
As detailed in the first of three posts seen above, Manford and co. arrived at the hotel late (as is typically the case with any touring comedian, especially a headliner) following his gig at the Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre on Sunday, 29 June.
The 44-year-old is currently on his ‘A Manford All Seasons’ tour, which saw a flurry of new dates added back in November, and got underway back in February.
Although he assured that the staff did their job and were “lovely” through the whole ordeal, he reiterated that he found the little-known rule “very naughty” and “not on”.
He also mentioned that a doctor who arrived shortly after them at the hotel reception, sadly, had to be turned away from the Bournemouth branch.
Manford went on to add that the hotel manager did apologise for the situation, but as he notes in the clips, the worry is that it could cause even bigger dilemmas if it were a wedding, someone with kids, “or a million different situations that you could have been in which are much more serious than [his].”
Essentially, the duo were just lucky they turned up when they did and said as much.
Despite noting that he’d heard of airlines opting for similar policies in the past, he confessed he’d never come across such a rule in more than “25 years of touring” as a comic.
Echoing his frustration, surprise and concern, musician Georgina Jackson said in the comments: “That is so bad! As a touring lone female musician who uses hotels a lot, what are we expected to do? But the fact is… they don’t really care…
“Thanks for highlighting it, as they might actually start caring when the bookings drop off! And, I imagine the hotel/town was busy with your audience!! How blinking ironic!!”
The hotel group has since asked the Salfordian funny man to take the very public complaints down, but Manford has refused despite them requesting quite “politely”, insisting that he believes more people need to know about obscure and largely unknown rules like these.
You can see the most recent and final statement on the whole Jason Manford-Village Hotel situation in full down below.
Georgina Pellant -
9th February 2022 
