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.
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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.
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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.
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Some mochi brands have even reported that sales increased by a whopping 2,000% since January 2021 alone.
Aldi has added caramel and cheesecake flavours to its Wao Mochi range / Credit: Wao Mochi
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.
Channel 4 is looking for Mancs who think they can survive the apocalypse for a new TV series
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Have you always wanted to see how long you’d last in an apocalypse?
Well now’s your chance, as Apocalypse is potentially coming back to Channel 4 for a second series, with producers having put out a nationwide casting call for contestants willing to take part.
The casting call simply reads: “Do you think you have what it takes to survive the end of the world?”
Described as a dystopian series designed to test the creativity, resourcefulness, and resilience of our nation, Apocalypse sees players are pushed out of their comfort zones and put to the ultimate test.
In the series, ordinary people are tasked with surviving for 28 days in an abandoned city – used previously only for the military to practice urban warfare – with no food, running water, electricity or heat.
Produced by The Garden – which is part of ITV Studios – for Channel 4, the show’s creators are now calling on Mancs and people up and down the country with the ‘courage and ingenuity’ to compete, to get in touch and apply for the potential second series.
Does your mate always bang on after watching a post-apocalyptic film that they would’ve done things differently? Or is the news at the moment freaking you out and you want to give the end of the world a bit of a practice run? Either way, sign up, test that plan you’ve built in your head, and see if you’ve really got what it takes.
Applications are now open, and all you need to do is fill in a short application form and one of the production team will get back to you if they would like to proceed. Come on, let’s prove what Mancs are made of.
Hundreds of katsu curries are being given out for FREE in Manchester this week
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of katsu curries are being dished up and given out for free in Manchester this week, but only for certain people.
And those lucky people will be students.
That’s right… a new semester is upon us, and thousands of freshers and returning students are descending on the city and Manchester‘s many universities for another year. But the life of a student isn’t exactly the cheapest sometimes, especially for those who haven’t had to live on a budget before moving out or into halls.
But to make things a little easier, Tampopo has announced it’ll be serving hundreds of one of its most popular dishes for free this week.
Tampopo is celebrating National Katsu Curry Day in the most delicious way possible, by giving away 700 Katsu Curries with rice for free, exclusively to freshers and students this Sunday (27 September).
Whether you’re brand new to the city, settling back into uni life, or you’re simply in need of a katsu fix, students can head to their nearest participating Tampopo and tuck into a hearty meal without needing to spend a penny.
100 katsu curries will be available each from 12-2pm at both Tampopo restaurants in Manchester city centre – which are on Albert Square, and in the Corn Exchange – or if you head over to the Trafford Centre, both the Tampopo there and the East Street sites are taking part.
“[Our] Katsu Curry has long been one of our most-loved dishes, so National Katsu Curry Day felt like the perfect excuse to give students a proper welcome to the new academic year,” Tampopo said in a statement.
So, are you feeling hungry then? The offer is exclusively available for takeaway only to freshers and students with a valid student ID, which they must present on collection.
100 portions are available at each participating location, and just one free katsu curry with rice will be available per person.
Emily Sergeant -
15th March 2022 
