Marks & Spencer, Bella Italia, and Yard & Coop are among some of the places giving kids free meals this half term.
Now that schools across Greater Manchester are out for the Easter break, and especially amid the growing cost of living crisis that’s continuing to make its impact felt on many families, plenty supermarkets, chain restaurants, and pub groups across the UK are offering kids the chance to eat a hearty meal out for free.
If you’re looking to treat the kids to a meal, but are keen to keep things on the cheaper side and save a few pennies, then thankfully, eating out just got a whole lot easier.
Here’s everything you need to know.
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Supermarkets
M&S Café
When you spend over £5 in the M&S Café this half term, kids can get a meal deal – which normally costs around £3.95, and includes either a sandwich, toastie, pizza or pasta, and a snack, fruit, and a drink – completely for free.
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One free children’s meal per transaction, and the offer runs through to 22 April.
Morrisons Café
From 3pm every day at every Morrisons Café across the UK, you can get a meal from the kids menu for free with any one adult meal at a value of £4.50 or over, and the offer applies to anyone under 16 years of age.
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There’s also a feed the family for £10 running over Easter too.
ASDA Café
Similarly to Morrisons, ASDA Café is offering kids the chance to eat for free every day from 3pm, with both hot meals and a cold selection including in the bargain deal.
Schools across Greater Manchester are out for Easter half term / Credit: Asda CorporateA selection of meal deals at discounted prices mean eating out just got a whole lot easier / Credit: Farmhouse Inns
Restaurants
Bella Italia
Children can eat for £1 with any adult main meal at Bella Italia this Easter.
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Running every day except Saturdays, the Piccolo menu is aimed at children aged two to six years, with the Grande for seven to 11-year-olds, and some of the dishes include meatballs, bolognese, carbonara and pizza, with the deal also including three courses and a fruit water.
The offer is running until 24 April.
Hungry Horse Pubs
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, which is why Hungry Horse Pubs – which has a number of branches in Greater Manchester – is offering kids the chance to eat breakfast for free with every paying adult.
The offer is available from 8am – 12pm daily.
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Farmhouse Inns
Available every weekday up until 22 April, two kids per paying adult can eat for just £1 each at local branches of Farmhouse Inns this Easter, and they can choose from the small breakfasts, any kids meal or junior carvery, and then relax in the dedicated family areas.
Table Table, Beefeaters & Brewers Fair
Ensuring no one goes hungry this Easter, each Table Table, Beefeaters & Brewers Fair branch across Greater Manchester is offering a free breakfast for every child with a paying adult.
You can choose as much as you like from the cooked and Continental selections, including bacon, sausages, eggs, hash browns and more, alongside baked pastries, cereal, fresh fruit, and chilled juices and unlimited tea or coffee to accompany.
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Sizzling Pub & Grill
There’s a whole host of Sizzling Pub & Grill restaurants across Greater Manchester and the north west that are offering kids the chance to eat for just £1 with every adult main meal between 3pm-7pm on weekdays.
Plenty supermarkets, chain restaurants, and pub groups are offering deals / Credit: Bella Italia
Families get the chance to save money on hearty meals out this Easter half term / Credit: Yard & Coop | Brewers Fayre
Yard & Coop
The Northern Quarter’s home of buttermilk fried chicken is offering a kids eat free deal this Easter, which offers one selected free kids meal with every adult main, and has a menu including the likes of Nugz – boneless fried chicken – and the veggie option of Not Chicken Nugz or vegan chicken.
The offer is running noon to 7:30pm on weekdays up until 22 April.
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YO! Sushi
Japanese street food and sushi favourite YO! is letting children under 10 eat for free this half term between 3:30pm and 5:30pm on Monday – Thursday when an adult spends at least £10, with the offer including a main, a side, and a drink from the Kids Meal Deal menu, and a dessert can be added for £1.50.
This offer is running right through until 26 May.
The Real Greek
With a popular branch in the Corn Exchange in Manchester city centre, and a new restaurant having recently opened in the Trafford Centre too, kids can eat for free at The Real Greek on Sundays this Easter when adults spend over £10
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Children under 12 get to choose a kids meal, a drink, and an ice cream or sorbet.
Dunelm Cafe-Pausa
Dunelm Cafe-Pausa is offering kids the chance to a free mini main meal this Easter half term, along with two snacks and a drink for every £4 spent in the cafe.
The offer is running until 24 April.
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Featured Image – Morrisons
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UK’s best and worst parcel delivery companies named following new research
Emily Sergeant
Some eye-opening new research has revealed the best and worst parcel delivery companies in the UK ahead of Christmas.
With the festive season fast approaching and many already in the process of Christmas shopping, Citizens Advice has released its annual parcel league tables, ranking the UK’s five major delivery companies in order from best to worst based on their overall performance.
From chasing missing parcels, and battling arduous complaints systems, to even having accessibility requests ignored, Citizens Advice found through its latest research that more than a third (37%) faced issues with their most recent delivery – which works out to roughly around 15 million people, a new record.
The research – which was carried out in a ‘snapshot’ one-month period – reveals that the rate of parcel problems remains at the highest levels seen in half a decade.
Now in its fifth year, the charity’s league table looks at the top five delivery companies by parcel volume and measures their performance against criteria to determine who is the best.
The criteria each company is measured against includes customer service, delivery problems, and how well they meet accessibility needs, such as people needing louder knocking or longer to answer the door.
This year’s parcel league table shows Royal Mail scored the highest with 3.25 out of five stars overall, while Yodel slips to the bottom with just two out of five stars.
UK’s top 5 parcel delivery companies
Royal Mail – 3.25 out of 5 stars
Amazon Logistics – 3 out of 5 stars
DPD – 2.5 out of 5 stars
Evri – 2.5 out of 5 stars
Yodel – 2 out of 5 stars
Citizens Advice found through its new research that accessibility was the worst performing area overall, and this is despite Ofcom’s new condition requiring firms to give disabled consumers the opportunity to report their accessibility needs.
There was also customer service failures, with almost half (47%) of the people who had a problem with their initial delivery going on to have further issues trying to resolve the problem.
Research found that the most common problems customers faced with their last delivery include the driver leaving before they had time to get to the door (29%), their parcel being left in an insecure location (24%), and parcels arriving late (24%).
The UK’s best and worst parcel delivery companies have been named / Credit: Evri (Press Picture)
“Ofcom has passed the parcel of responsibility for long enough,” commented Dame Clare Moriarty, who is the Chief Executive of Citizens Advice.
“We’ve been doing the work of the regulator for five years now by holding parcel companies to account and speaking up for consumers who are bearing the brunt of persistently poor service.
“Our league table has tracked parcel problems from warehouse to doorstep. We continue to see millions of people chasing lost parcels, having their accessibility needs ignored and hitting a brick wall when they try to complain.
“The question now is whether the regulator will take tougher action to improve the parcel market once and for all.”
Featured Image – Amazon (Press Picture)
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Tesco unveils Britain’s favourite Christmas meal deal – is yours on here?
Thomas Melia
Supermarket giant Tesco has announced brand-new data revealing Britain’s favourite Christmas meal deals.
But has yours made the cut?
Of course, Christmas is famed for its food, especially the Christmas dinner, but nowadays, the days leading up to the big day have also become filled with foodie feasts, and nothing proves this more than the popularity of the Christmas meal deal – something which Tesco, arguably, knows how to do better than anyone else.
Tesco has been actively tracking the nation’s everyday eating trends all year long, and now that the festive season’s here, shoppers favourite Christmas meal deals have been announced.
It seems meal deal lovers are eager to get into the Christmas spirit, with the best-selling main being the Tesco Turkey and Trimmings Sandwich.
Tesco has unveiled Britain’s favourite festive meal deal / Credit: Tesco plc | The Manc Group
This roast dinner-inspiredbutty has been purchased over 2.5 million times between October and December 2024, and it was so popular, in fact, that it was chosen almost three times as often as this year’s runner up – Tesco Jingle Brie Sandwich.
To pair with this much-loved sandwich is the classic Mccoy’s Flame Grilled Steak Crisps, which are championing the snack category overtaking last year’s champion, Egg Protein Pot, which finished third this year.
And if you’re wondering what beverage Brits are pairing with their lunchtime combinations, it’s none other than Coca-Cola 500ml.
This will come as no surprise to any avid meal deal fans, as this drink has worn the crown as the nation’s favourite drink, not just during Christmas but the whole of 2024 itself.
Tesco top 10 festive meal deal mains (October – December 2024)
1.
Tesco Turkey & Trimmings Sandwich
2.
Tesco Jingle Brie Sandwich
3.
Tesco Yuletide Half ‘N’ Half Sandwich
4.
Tesco Christmas Wrapped Up
5.
Tesco Festive Chicken & Trimmings Sub
6.
Tesco Ho-Ho-Hog Wrap
7.
The Gym Kitchen Chicken Bacon & Stuffing Sandwich
8.
Tesco Cracking Currywurst Sub
9.
Tesco Finest Festive Chicken & Bacon with Gravy Mayonnaise Dip
“Turkey isn’t just for the big day, our customers love bringing festive flavours to their lunchtimes even as early as October,” commented Sarah Bryer, who is the Product Development Manager for Tesco Meal Deal.
“With the crowd-pleasing Turkey and Trimmings Sandwich back again, this year’s line-up of Meal Deal mains has something to suit both traditionalists and those looking for something new with the addition of our Honey Ham, Red Leicester and Festive Chutney Sandwich, Finest Brie and Bacon Brioche Bagel, and Tesco Plant Chef Festive Feast Wrap.“