Trust us, we’ve not gone mad here… Aldi has now started selling pigs in blankets-flavoured ice cream just in time for Christmas.
Since when was April Fool’s Day in December?
First Walkers shocked the nation a couple of weeks back with its unlikely festive concoction of crisps that taste like Christmas pudding, and now Aldi has decided to take it one step further and give that bizarreness a run for its money, as the budget supermarket’s just announced that you can now get your hands on a new seasonal ice cream at stores across the UK
New ice cream? Sure, it may be winter, but supermarkets stocking ice cream doesn’t sound too odd, does it? Oh, that’s because we forget to mention it’s pigs in blankets-flavoured ice cream.
We all know pigs in blankets are an absolute festive food staple, and are a must-have accompaniment to any classic Christmas dinner for most Brits, yet despite the fact virtually no one – if anyone at all – has ever asked for them to be turned into a chilled dessert, Aldi‘s gone ahead and done it anyway.
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Aldi is now selling pigs in blankets-flavoured ice cream / Credit: Aldi UK (via Yorvale)
Anyone who finds themselves in the freezer aisle of their nearest Aldi store this week will be able to spot Yorvale’s limited-edition Pigs in Blankets Ice Cream on the shelves.
It comes after the Yorkshire-based company’s quirky combination featured on the Channel 4 show, Aldi’s Christmas Secrets, earlier this week, and won the owners a “life-changing contract” after impressing Aldi’s Managing Director of Buying, Julie Ashfield, and Aldi’s Communications Director, Richard Thornton,
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Just as you’d expect, the unique smooth and savoury-sweet ice cream is pork-flavoured, and is laced with a salted smoked maple syrup.
And it’ll only set you back £2.49 for a 500ml tub too, if you fancy it.
The unusual festive concoction will set you back just £2.49 a tub from your local Aldi store / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
“We knew it had to be unusual,” admitted Yorvale co-founder Lesley Buxton, who has been in dairy farming for more than 30 years, “So we set about looking at typical Christmas flavours that might work in ice cream.
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“We experimented with different flavour profiles, including Brussels Sprouts, bacon and chestnut, Port-soaked cranberries and blue cheese, blue cheese and smoky bacon, and even a Christmas spiced ‘Cuthbert’ the carrot cake, but we finally landed on Pigs in Blankets.”
Julie says they decided to go with Pigs in Blankets Ice Cream out of all the options as it was “by far the best” and the “most festive-tasting of them all.”
Featured Image – Aldi UK (via Yorvale)
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Two North West cities named among the ‘noisiest’ in the UK – including Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A new analysis has revealed a list of the noisiest cities in the UK, and two Greater Manchester locations are in the top five.
From blaring sirens and car horns, to house parties, barking dogs, and loud neighbours, escaping the noise of a city can feel almost impossible – even in your own home.
No matter whether you live in the hustle and bustle, or you’re out in the sleepier suburbs, noise can keep you up at night, disturb your peace, and lead to frustration. But just how loud are Greater Manchester’s cities compared to the rest of the UK? In a bid to get to the bottom of it, Alpine Hearing Protection has done some research to compile a top 10 list.
And both Salford and Manchester have found themselves not just within the top 10, but within the top five… and to make matters worse, Salford has actually claimed the number one spot.
The reason Salford has found itself at the top of the list, according to the research, is because it sits at the intersection of several major transport and urban hubs, with major motorways running through or around the city including the M60, M61, and M62.
Major rail routes also run through the city – including via Salford Crescent – which sees 16 million passengers every year, and also leads to Manchester Airport.
Top 10 noisiest cities in the UK
Salford
Portsmouth
Manchester
Southampton
London
Leeds
Stoke-on-Trent
Wakefield
Newcastle upon Tyne
Bradford
Parts of Salford are also very built-up, making pockets of the city noisy – especially in the concentrated centre where traffic, construction, nightlife and commercial activity get loud.
And of course, like any growing city, construction noises have been noted as ‘particularly bothersome’ for residents where major developments are springing up.
Manchester is third on the list of noisiest cities, due to many of the same reasons as Salford.
But the difference being that Mancunians are noted as one of the many reasons why the city is so loud – with residents making 5,301 noise complaints across Manchester between January 2024 and January 2025, and Hulme identified the loudest area with 304 complaints.
As well all know, Manchester is also home to many universities, which brings an active nightlife scene to the region, especially in the city centre, and in recent FOI data, it was revealed that the University of Manchester saw 2,049 noise complaints in the last five years.
Motorists warned of common winter driving habit that could land them with annoying fines
Emily Sergeant
With the temperatures drastically dropping now as we head into winter, motorists are being warned against a common driving habit.
On a wintry morning when the windscreens are frozen and your hands are equally as frozen too, it’s pretty common for drivers to start the engine, turn the heater right up, and remain stationary for several minutes to warm the car up before setting off on their journey… but did you know that doing this could see you, inadvertently, fall foul of the law?
That’s right – as ridiculous as it sounds, leaving your car engine running ‘unnecessarily’ while parked on a public road is illegal.
And to make matters worse, the rules on ‘engine idling’, as it’s known, apply regardless of whether the driver is using the heating, waiting for someone, or simply sitting in the vehicle.
Known as a stationary idling offence, Rule 123 of the Highway Code states that drivers must not leave a vehicle’s engine running unnecessarily while it is stationary on a public road, and according to the rule, a fixed penalty of up to £80 can be issued, right there and then.
Motorists are being warned of a common winter driving habit that could land them with annoying fines / Credit: PickPik | Wikimedia Commons
Fines will only be handed out if a motorist is stopped by a police officer who asks them to switch the engine off, and they fail to comply.
“However tempting it might be to sit in a vehicle with the engine running and the heater on to warm up, we strongly advice against it,” commented RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis.
“As well as polluting the air and wasting fuel, drivers who leave their engines idling unnecessarily on a public road also risk an on-the-spot fine of £80. On cold mornings, the best approach is to clear any ice or snow properly and ensure windows are fully de-misted before setting off, then get on your way and let the car warm you up.”
There are some exceptions to the rule, however, as keeping the engine running is permitted in certain circumstances.
This includes when a vehicle is stationary because of traffic conditions, when the engine needs to run so a mechanical fault can be investigated, or if certain work is being carried out on the side of the road.
Emily Sergeant -
20th December 2023 
