Bella Italia, IKEA, and Yard & Coop are just some of the places offering kids the chance to eat for £1 or free this half term.
With schools across Greater Manchester set to break up for half term at the end of this week, and with many families understandably wanting to keep costs low where possible, plenty of supermarkets, independent and chain restaurants, and pub groups across the UK are offering kids the chance to eat a hearty meal out for as little as £1.
Some are even offering up children’s meals completely free of charge, meaning you really don’t have to break the bank.
So if you’re looking to treat the kids to a meal, but you’re keen to keep things on the cheaper side and save a few pennies, then thankfully, eating out just got a whole lot easier.
Kids eat for £1 or free in Greater Manchester this half term / Credit: Las Iguanas | Yard & Coop
Asda
Asda’s £1 kids meal deal is available all year round, including this half term, and it includes a hot meal or sandwich, drink, and piece of fruit, as well as other treats like as a jelly pot or a jelly squeeze pouch as an alternative to a pack of crisps.
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Morrisons
When you spend £5 or more on an adult’s meal at a Morrisons cafe at any point in the year, not just during the school holidays, you’ll also get a free kids’ meal for those under 16 years old. Children can either build their own breakfast or main meal, and they’ll get a drink included too.
IKEA
If you’re heading to IKEA, you can claim a kids’ meal for just 95p once your shopping is done. Children can choose from pasta with tomato sauce, a soft drink, and piece of fruit for 95p, or upgrade to sausage and mash, or the store’s famous meatballs for £2.50.
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Yard & Coop
The Northern Quarter’s home of buttermilk fried chicken is back offering its popular ‘kids eat free deal’ this half term. Available each weekday from 12pm-6pm, one free kids meal comes with every adult main meal, and children can choose a main, dessert, and cordial drink of their own.
Frankie and Benny’s
A free kids’ meal – including a main, two sides, a drink, and dessert – is available with any adult main meal at Frankie & Benny’s this half term, which could save you on average around £6.80 and only having to pay about £13 in total.
Bella Italia
Order one adult main from Monday 16 February to Friday 20 February, and you’ll get a free three-course kids’ meal as well.
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Bill’s
Up to two kids per table eat free all day at Bill’s from on weekdays this half term when an adult orders any main, so whether it be breakfast, lunch, or dinner, there’s a dish to feed your little one no matter the time of day.
Las Iguanas
Kids eat free all year round when you download the Las Iguanas app, not just this half term, and they can choose from quesadillas, coconut curry, guacamole, and plenty more.
Banana Tree
At Banana Tree, you can get a free kids’ meal when you buy any adult meal this upcoming half term week, with options including ramen, katsu, chicken nuggets, crispy chicken, and sweetcorn fritters on the menu to choose from.
Yo! Sushi
When you spend just £10 at Yo! Sushi this half term, children aged 12 or younger will get a bento box for free, which includes edamame, maki, mixed veggie rice with chicken or prawns and a drink, or little sushi fans can also roll their own if you upgrade to the mini bento box for £1.45.
Featured Image – Frankie & Benny’s
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The Sopranos stars finally visit much-loved Manchester sandwich inspired by the show
Danny Jones
In what feels like an inevitable story in the making for a long time now, members of The Sopranos cast have finally visited the popular Manchester sandwich spot inspired by the show, Bada Bing.
We know were biased, but we believe there’s an argument to be made that the beloved Manc butty shop has perhaps an even more fervent cult following than die-hard viewers of the hit American TV drama.
In case you somehow still don’t know the connection, Bada Bing is named after the strip club where several of the main characters work and spend a lot of their time.
Having returned to Manchester city centre back in 2024 after a successful first stint, they’ve been busier than ever, and that famous local name seems to have spread further than ever, including all the way over to the States, where actors from the original show caught wind and have now made the pilgrimage.
You might wonder why they didn’t name it after the butchers and deli, Satriale’s, or maybe even Artie Bucco’s oft-featured restaurant, Vesuvio. Both seem pretty ideal, right?
But let’s be honest, Bada Bing just has a better ring to it; there’s no denying that.
Either way, when series stars Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa came over to Manchester last week for a live edition of their podcast (which has just wrapped a limited UK tour) at the O2 Apollo.
But whilst they were here, they also made sure to visit a lunchtime joint that we’re sure Tony, Paulie, Christoper, Silvio and all of The Sopranos regulars would approve of.
While they didn’t quite perch out on the stoop with an espresso and a cigar, they did pose with co-owner Sam Gormally for a quick photo op outside the door.
Oh, and we don’t even need to confirm whether or not they liked the heroes – we just know they did.
‘Chris’ Moltisanti himself, Imperioli, also hopped on social media to share another key moment from his visit to the region:
Writing on their TikTok post, the Babd Bing boys dubbed it a “full circle moment” and reiterated that they still “can’t believe this just happened.
To be honest, we’ve barely got over it ourselves, and we’re just very big fans of the place.
We simply cannot imagine how surreal that day must have been for the whole team and everyone involved, and we hope we get a fun new special toasting the pair’s appearance sometime soon.
Featured Images — Bada Bing/Michael Imperioli (via Instagram)
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Grammy-winning hardcore band Turnstile perform ‘exceptional’ cover of a Stone Roses classic
Danny Jones
In a cover version we never knew we needed, multiple Grammy award-winning hardcore band Turnstile have taken social media timelines by storm with a cover of a true British rock classic by The Stone Roses.
Described as everything from “pretty damn brilliant” and “exceptional” by CLASH Magazine to “one of the best triplej covers ever”, it’s fair to say they smashed it with this one.
This one was always likely to go down well with us Mancs, but you never know how possessive people are going to be with iconic tunes treasured not just by regions but entire eras like this.
Without further ado, please enjoy Turnstile’s cover of ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ by The Stone Roses:
Lost track of how many times we’ve watched this now.
Truly excellent.
Not only did they manage to capture the ambient atmosphere of that legendary intro, but they managed to tow the thin paint-splattered line between simply trying to imitate the original and making it their own.
There’s something about frontman Brendan Yates’ vocals that suits this particular cover so very well right from the off.
We’re, of course, not saying that he sounds like Ian Brown in any way, but his range and top notes, in particular, seemed to fit almost perfectly.
Pair that with a contemporary rock band helping rejuvenate their particular guitar-driven genre, and those raw, driving D-beat-centric drums, and you’ve got a winning combo.
As you can see, the majority of the internet seems to agree with us…
.@TURNSTILEHC step into the @triplej studio to recover their take on The Stone Roses' debut album opener 'I Wanna Be Adored'.
The bulk of social media didn’t just hail the reimagining as one that did Brown, John Squire, Reni and the late, great Mani justice, but perhaps one of the greatest that the popular Australian radio station, YouTube channel and Spotify playlisters have seen in a long time.
In fact, in Audio North‘s humble opinion, we’d go so far as to say this is the best we’ve heard in the platform since their native Royel Otis’ delightful duo of The Cranberries and Sophie Ellis-Bextor covers.
Safe to say it’s been an incredible year for Turnstile, who mopped up all manner of accolades in 2025 and were even nominated for International Group at the BRITs here in Manchester this past weekend. They might not have won that one, but they get all the plaudits from us for their song selection alone.
What did you make of it? Better still, do you have a favourite triplej ‘Like a Version’? Actually, no – scrap that: is there a better cover of a Manc artist‘s track that you can think of?
Emily Sergeant -
9th February 2026 
