Ice cream-loving shoppers have spotted that Aldi has added two new tasty flavours to its popular mochi range.
In case you didn’t know, the leading budget supermarket chain started selling the Japanese-inspired sweet treats last May after they skyrocketed in popularity and had captured the attention of more than 500 million viewers from across the globe on the video sharing platform TikTok since the beginning of 2021.
Mochi is a traditional Japanese rice cake made with “mochigome”, which is a short-grain glutinous rice, and they’re made by pounding the rice into a paste and then moulding it into the desired shape.
Traditionally, mochi balls are made during a Japanese ceremony called Mochitsuki.
When they first launched in stores and online, Aldi originally started out by selling three fruity flavours – tropical, mango and coconut.
ADVERTISEMENT
But fans of delicacy will know that the mochi brand Aldi stocks, Wao Mochi, has a website filled with a wide range of other flavours too, including vanilla, mango, chocolate, matcha tea, lemon yuzu, and pistachio – but two of the fan-favourites flavours have to be caramel and cheesecake, which is why Aldi has decided to start selling them too.
The two new flavours have already been spotted in Aldi stores by eagle-eyed shoppers.
ADVERTISEMENT
Popular food blogger New Foods UK was one of the first to spot the two new flavours in store and take to Facebook and Instagram to share the news that they now being stocked, with thousands of others sharing their excitement and seeming keen to head to their nearest Aldi in the hopes of grabbing a few boxes.
It was not revealed which particular Aldi branch the new flavours were spotted in.
Thanks to the elevated social media popularity and demand for the moon-shaped desserts since the turn of the new year in 2021, mochi is known for being notoriously difficult for people in the UK to get their hands on and boxes always sell out quick.
ADVERTISEMENT
Some mochi brands have even reported that sales increased by a whopping 2,000% since January 2021 alone.
Although unconfirmed at this point, if the previous flavours Aldi stocks are anything to go by, the Wao Mochi Caramel and Wao Mochi Cheesecake flavours should come in boxes of six, and will set you back just £3.49.
If you’re planning on heading to ALDI to grab a fresh box of these sweet, summery treats, then you can check opening times for your local branch here.
Northern is hiring hundreds of new train drivers and conductors with ‘no previous experience’ needed
Emily Sergeant
Northern has just launched another massive recruitment drive, and is looking to hire hundreds of new train drivers and conductors.
The best bit? You don’t even need any previous rail experience to apply.
The train operator says it is looking to recruit as many as 300 drivers and conductors across right the north of England this year – with the new recruits all set to form part of the team that is responsible for running the over 2,500 services Northern provides to more that 500 stations throughout the region each day.
Northern says both its driver and conductor roles “require no previous rail industry experience”, as full paid-for training will be provided at its academies in Manchester and Leeds.
The company wants to welcome 108 new train drivers and 198 conductors in 2024.
Northern is hiring hundreds of new train drivers and conductors across the region / Credit: Northern
The train driver roles – which will be advertised in the coming months in Manchester, as well as other nearby locations like Blackburn, Blackpool, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, and more – come with a starting salary of £23,000 a year, which eventually rises to £54,500 after completing a 64-week training course.
The conductor roles, on the other hand – many of which will also be advertised in Manchester too – come with starting salaries of £22,000 that rise to £29,000 on completion of 16-weeks of training.
Northern says its 2024 recruitment drive is part of a “normal and ongoing recruitment process” across the region, and comes as a handful of its other team members retire, earn promotion, or move on to the next stage of their career.
No previous rail experience is required for the roles / Credit: Northern
“We have a range of rewarding roles for anyone who wants to become part of a dedicated team,” commented Tricia Williams, who is the Chief Operating Officer at Northern, as the recruitment drive launched this week.
“We are looking for customer-focused people with excellent communication skills, who thrive in a dynamic environment and may not have considered a career in rail before. We want our workforce to reflect the communities we serve, and we’re proud to include people from all walks of life in our team, from military veterans and ex-police officers, to former office workers, and stay-at-home parents.”
Ms Williams said the rail operator will be recruiting all throughout 2024, and is encouraging hopeful candidates to register for job alerts on the Northern website so they don’t miss out.
You can find out more information and apply for roles here.
Featured Image – Northern
Trending
Aldi’s viral sell-out BBQ pizza oven is back in UK stores this week
Emily Sergeant
Aldi has announced that its viral BBQ pizza oven that absolutely flies off the shelves every time it goes on sale is coming back to UK stores.
And it’s just in time for the temperatures to soar this spring and summer.
Known and loved by shoppers nationwide for “delivering delicious restaurant-style pizzas” at a fraction of the price, the BBQ Pizza Oven first went on sale in Aldi stores back in 2022, and has been in high-demand from pizza lovers to return ever since.
Described as being “practical and compact”, the oven sits atop of your regular barbecue and is compatible with both gas or charcoal grills.
Aldi’s viral sell-out BBQ pizza oven is back in UK stores this week / Credit: Aldi | Amirali Mirhashemian (via Unsplash)
Thanks to featuring both a high-quality ceramic pizza stone and an integrated thermometer, this means anyone, from the self-professed pizza professionals right through to the cooking rookies, can chef-up a 12-inch pizza in just 10 minutes flat.
Aldi says shoppers can even “save themselves some serious dough” too, as this spring and summer essential is on sale for 55% less than an equivalent product at Dunelm, so there’ll be no need to part with that extra £49.
Aldi’s BBQ Pizza Oven will only set you back £39.99 when it goes on sale this week.
You can chef-up a 12-inch pizza in just 10 minutes flat / Credit: Aldi
Available from this Thursday (21 March), and landing in the classic ‘Specialbuys’ middle aisle section of Aldis across the UK, shoppers looking to feast on hearty pizza while the sun shines will need to be quick if they want to get their hands on one though, as it’s expected to sell out fast, just as it has done in previous years.
And, as is the case with all Specialbuys, “once they’re gone, they’re gone”.
If the BBQ Pizza Oven sounds like a pizza you (pun very-much intended… regrettably), then you can find the opening times of your nearest store on the Aldi website here.