Settle in – there’s something quite special coming to supermarket shelves this month.
Nuggets filled with hot cheese.
Now, how good does that sound?
Lactalis UK & Ireland has announced the imminent release of these dairy-stuffed, breadcrumb-covered snacks as part of their Seriously brand – and they’ll be available from Ocado and Waitrose from July 7.
Costing just £2 initially (an introductory offer), these beauties come six to a pack – and each one is filled to the brim with thick, flavourful cheddar.
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After July 28, they’ll set you back three quid.
Lactalis UK & Ireland group marketing and category director Heloise Le Norcy-Trott told The Grocer: “With Seriously performing well in the market, we wanted to continue to build on this success by introducing another exciting hot cheese product.”
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Apparently other retailers are set to get them in due course, too.
So, pubs open on July 4. Cheesy Nuggets arrive on July 7.
That’s going to be a very good week.
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A former Manchester City player has been sworn in as the new president of Georgia
Danny Jones
The country of Georgia is currently wrapped up more than 30 days of civil unrest and in the midst of it all is their new President, who also happens to be a former Manchester City player.
Yes, having been sworn into office on Sunday, 29 December, ex-Man City forward Mikheil Kavelashvili is now the President of the Eastern European nation, though the role is more of a ceremonial head of state.
Kavelashvili, now 53, only spent a fairly short spell at the club between 1996 and 1997, which was also their first year in the old First Division (now known as the Championship) after being relegated from the Premier League.
Kavelashvili is one of just four Georgian players to ever represent City, including Georgi Kinladze, Murtaz Shelia and Kakhaber Tskhadadze.
The former Man City man was appointed the President of Georgia last week.
The striker only made 28 appearances for the Blues in total, netting just three goals, but one of those did come against United in the Manchester derby towards the latter end of the 95/96 season. Fast forward about 30 years and now he’s a political figurehead.
All that being said, his appointment hasn’t exactly been a welcome one and for many, he isn’t even considered a legitimate choice for the job.
Serious protests over problematic politics
Kavelashvili is a former MP as well as a retired professional footballer but, as you can see in the video above, the ex-Man City player isn’t seen as a proper politician by a good chunk of the Georgian population.
As mentioned, the Prime Minister and the ruling party hold most of the real power given that its constitution is that of a parliamentary republic with separation between the two leading roles.
Kavelashvili was selected by said ruling party, Georgian Dream, but the decision has been boycotted by the four main opposition groups and the vast majority of the nation. Not only is he seen as an insufficiently qualified pick but allegations of election fraud and ‘EU-turning’ have sparked outrage.
Oddly enough, he’s not even the first former Man City player to turn his hand to politics, as one-time left-winger and forward George Weah was also elected the President of Liberia back in 2017, before ultimately conceding power as a much less popular figure than he started by November 2023.
What is it about Man City and politics?
George Weah (former) president of Liberia, and now, Mikheil Kavelashvili, president of Georgia.
With New Year’s morning marking 34 consecutive days of protests, the people claim Georgian Dream rigged the parliamentary elections and are trying to distance themselves from the West.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze also announced that Georgia’s application to the European Union would be delayed by another four years, meaning it won’t be until 2028 that negotiations with the continental governing body can even begin, despite being stated as a goal of their revised constitution since 2017.
As per Reuters, Kobakhidze claims that EU membership could damage Georgia’s economy but the overwhelming consensus and concern among the Caucasus is that the far-right associated party are looking to strengthen ties with Russia, who still control about 20% of Georgian territory.
Protests, both peaceful and violent, continue to rage on across Georgia and by whatever strange butterfly effect, a larger forgotten former Man City player who scored just a handful of goals in one has found himself the president at the heart of it all.
Perhaps this particular demonstration in the capital of Tbilisi sums up the general sentiment towards him:
People are holding up red cards for Mikheil Kavelashvili, former football player, who Georgian Dream now inaugurates as president. pic.twitter.com/G7poS9FIik
Featured Images — Channel 4 (screenshot via YouTube)
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Neil Young pulls out of ‘corporate controlled’ Glastonbury Festival
Danny Jones
Music icon Neil Young has pulled out of Glastonbury Festival 2025 after claiming it has lost its identity and is now under “corporate” control.
The 79-year-old singer-songwriter, widely considered one of the greatest and most influential to have ever lived, was due to play the festival as one of the legends named on this year’s lineup.
However, despite lots of excitement around the veteran being given the nod over others from what has largely been seen as a pop-leaning pool (at least according to the detractors) in recent years, Young has now decided to drop out of the festival.
Neil Young’s latest ‘NYA Times Contrarian’ post explains the decision to drop out of Glastonbury.Neil Young in 2023 Credit: Screenshot (via Neil Young website)/Per Ole Hagen (via Flickr)
“The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all-time favourite outdoor gigs”, it reads. “We were told that BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in.”
For context, the BBC has been partnered with Glasto since way back in 1997 and Neil Young has already headlined the festival back in 2009, so this shouldn’t exactly come as a surprise.
“It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being. Thanks for coming to us the last time!”, he continues. “We will not be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be.”
The message concludes with him hoping to catch fans at other venues and a simple “LOVE Neil – Be well”, but the tenor of the somewhat abrupt update is that the ever-opinionated and long-celebrated protest song-writer clearly believes the BBC‘s influence over the festival has now grown too strong.
Known not only as ‘Shakey’ and the ‘Godfather of Grunge’ but as one of the pioneering anti-establishment figures of a generation, the Canadian was previously in the headlines for demanding Spotify remove his music after taking issue with Joe Rogan’s anti-vax messaging on his show.
All that to say, the solo artist co-founding member of supergroup, Buffalo Springfield, is no stranger to taking on big business and companies if he feels he has good reason. Meanwhile, Rod Stewart will be performing in the coveted ‘Legends’ headliner slot at teatime on Sunday, 29 June.
Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts are looking set for a European tour this summer but if he’s taking on corporations and concerts under umbrella control, it seems unlikely we’ll see him at too many festivals or the likes of Co-op Live.
The better question is: do you agree – has Glastonbury Festival become too corporate and sanitised, or do you think it still upholds the same core values it had when it first popped up on Worthy Farm in 1970?
The Manc -
30th June 2020 
