Leading supermarket giant ASDA has announced that it will be trialling a new vegan butcher counter at some of its stores in the UK.
Starting the trial exclusively at its Watford Store, before potentially expanding to other locations across the country, the six-month trial period will offer a wide range of vegan products such as facon (vegetarian bacon), bean burgers, and meat-free meatballs.
With pricing starting at 75p, the counter – named ‘Veelicious’ – will also serve a range of meat-free alternatives such as mock lamb and vegan ‘black pudding’, as well as a small selection of vegan cheeses, ready-to-eat meal kits and vegan staples, such as chutneys and base cooking sauces.
The idea has been brought to life following a partnership between ASDA and vegan concept creator Kbox Global.
The move comes after the chain also announced last September that it would be introducing new aisles dedicated to vegan foods at hundreds of stores up and down the UK, with a number opening up right here in Greater Manchester.
It’s looking like the new counter will be in place in Watford from next week and is coinciding with ‘Veganuary’.
Did you hear! @Asda has announced it will trial a VEGAN BUTCHER concept at its Watford store next week ? The ‘Veelicious’ counter will offer a selection of products such as facon, bean burgers, meat-free meatballs and black pudding! How cool is that!#Veganuary2021pic.twitter.com/4UVgkBuJ90
In addition to the one-store vegan butcher trial, this Veganuary – a concept which encourages people to follow a vegan lifestyle and plant-based diet for the month of January – ASDA has also added 22 new meat-free alternatives to its plant-based range too.
Speaking on the launch of the Veelicious trial, Preyash Thakrar – Chief Strategy Officer at ASDA – said: “The demand for vegan products is on the rise and we have seen a surge in people seeking out ways to easily enjoy a plant-based lifestyle.
“We recognised the importance of helping our customers with their Veganuary journey, which includes partnering with Kbox to trial Veelicious in our Watford store.
“Across our product range, we offer many options for vegans and flexitarians, such as meat-free alternatives and vegan cheeses, ensuring that our customers don’t have to compromise on quality, taste or value when following a plant-based lifestyle [but] “Veelicious will be a ‘test and learn’ trial to help us understand what resonates with customers to enable us to enhance our plant-based proposition.”
ASDA
So, what do you think then?
It all depends on how the trial goes as to whether we can expect to benefit from this UK-first service in the future, but would you like to see a vegan butcher counter come to an Asda in Greater Manchester?
Keep your eyes peeled and see what happens.
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Manchester City dedicate derby win to late and beloved boxing blue, Ricky Hatton
Danny Jones
Manchester City players past and present, club members and fans alike have paid tribute to the late, great boxer, Ricky Hatton MBE, following his shock passing this weekend, honouring him with a fitting derby day win.
Safe to say there’ll be a blue moon all over Greater Manchester this week.
The tragic news about Ricky Hattonwas sadly announced just hours before the 197th Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, 14 September, with the entire ground observing a ‘minute of appreciation’ before kick-off.
Manager Pep Guardiola looked visibly emotional when the camera panned to him applauding his memory in the crowd, and there were plenty of other tributes to ‘The Pride Hyde’ spotted both the home and away ends, with several famous City faces taking to social media after full-time to share their own.
Our pre match display funded as ever by you the fans. We’re planning a Ricky Hatton tribute for Burnley. pic.twitter.com/l67gyyjSTK
Perhaps one of the most moving tributes came from Guardiola himself, who has always immersed himself in local Manc culture beyond just football, so it was no surprise he felt the sorrow in the stands.
Speaking to the media in his post-match duties, the Catalan coach and former athlete himself said: “I’ve been here for ten years, [seen/heard] a lot of minute [silences/applauses], and I don’t remember one so, so intense like today.
“I want to say thank you so much to the Man United fans because they behaved and applauded. I know he was a World Champion in boxing. It was a special, special moment. There are no words that can contain the pain that the family can feel right now for this loss, but we are close.
“I know how much of an incredible Man City fan [he was]. He lived the bad moments and the good moments in the last 10/15 years. I know for the fans how close he was [held]. The moment of applause was unbelievable.
“It was an experience I will always remember because I felt in every applause of every person in the stadium the gratitude for what he has done professionally and being a massive, massive City fan.”
Once again, he wasn’t the only familiar sports personality, blue or otherwise, who made it known how much he was admired by those in and around the region of Greater Manchester.
Both Manchester United legend Roy Keane and ex-Man City defender Micah Richards joined the Sky Sports panel in discussing his legacy as a local sporting icon.
Rest in peace to a legend and a mental health hero.
Everyone involved paid tribute to Ricky Hatton as City claimed the win over United.
Such a sad day for combat sports. Sad day for Great Britain. Sad day for Manchester. I remember as a young boy staying up late to watch his legendary career. The original people’s champion, one of us. Rest in peace Ricky Hatton 💔 pic.twitter.com/2phiyCEneM
Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshot)/SamboD (via Flickr)/Man City via (X)
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Warrington-born Adolescence star Owen Cooper becomes youngest ever male Emmy winner
Emily Sergeant
Owen Cooper has made history.
The Warrington-born actor who burst onto the scene as a newcomer in the Netflix smash-hit drama series Adolescence, starring alongside other big names like Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty, and Ashley Walters, has become the youngest winner ever in any male acting category at last nights Emmy Awards 2025.
He took home the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series.
Youngest Emmy winner ever in any male acting category.
At just 15 years old, Cooper beat out his fellow co-star Ashley Walters for the award, as well as other renowned actors like Javier Bardem, Peter Sarsgaard, and Rob Delaney.
Adolescence, if you haven’t had a chance to watch it yet, is a four-part limited series about a 13-year-old boy who is accused of murdering one of his classmates – with each episode remarkably being filmed in one unflinching and continuous shot.
The truly gripping story unfolds in real time as the main characters search for answers in the wake of a shocking tragedy.
Who is actually responsible? Why did it happen? And could it have been prevented?
Adolescence gained universal critical acclaim when it debuted on Netflix earlier this year / Credit: Netflix
Cooper was a complete screen newcomer starring as the young boy Eddie Miller, accused of murder, and the show tells the story of how a family’s world is turned upside because of it.
Taking to the stage to accept his award last night, Cooper – who began taking weekly acting lessons with The Drama Mob here in Manchester – said: “[The win] is just so surreal. Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple years back, I didn’t expect to be even in the United States, never mind [at The Emmys].
“So I think tonight proves that if you listen and you focus and you step out your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life.”
Elsewhere on the night, Adolescence cleaned up as a whole.
Co-creator and star of the show, Stephen Graham, took home the Best Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series award, as well as a Writing award alongside co-writer Jack Thorne, while Erin Doherty claimed the Best Supporting Actress accolade in the same category, and director Philip Barantini won the Best Director award.
Emily Sergeant -
6th January 2021 
