Shoppers have been left stunned after a mysterious tin of value ‘Boris beans’ was photographed in Tesco by an eagle-eyed customer.
Spotted on the shelves of a Tesco Express, the basic beans come in ‘austerity sauce’ with ‘misery guaranteed’.
On the back, a label warns buyers ‘do not buy this product’ as it is ‘unfit for human consumption’.
The tin also pointedly suggests that people should consider donating money to food poverty charities the Trussel Trust, Independent Food Aid Network, End Child Food Poverty, The British Red Cross, and Feeding Britain instead.
Elsewhere, letters beneath the tin’s barcode read ‘Build Back Better’ in a nod to the Conservative’s post-Covid slogan, unveiled in a series of bizarre videos by Boris Johnson in October last year.
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One such video saw him say ‘mmm’ and unwrap a portion of fish and chips before declaring ‘build back batter’.
A second video showed Johnson spreading butter on toast, before looking at the camera to say: “build back butter”.
At first glance, the tin looks just like the old Tesco Value products – discontinued in 2012 as part of a rebrand to the Everyday Value range sold in stores today.
It nods to recent comments made by Environment Secretary George Eustice last week advising those struggling to pay their bills to switch to value brands, and appears to have been created in protest at the spiralling cost of living crisis currently gripping the country.
There is some speculation online that the ‘Birmingham Banksy’ street artist Foka Wolf could be behind the design, but the artist, whilst describing the cans as “brilliant”, confirmed to The Manc that it is not his work.
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Image: Twitter
Jess Tilley, who discovered the beans in Tesco Express on Queens Road, Brighton, said: “I had popped into Tesco Friday afternoon on my way home to grab a few items when I noticed the tin on the shelf.
“I had a closer look and was surprised to see that it was an artistic protest – no doubt over recent comments from the Conservative minister saying that those who cannot afford food should eat ‘value range’.”
Feature image – Twitter
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Home Bargains has announced a special two-day closure of all UK stores
Emily Sergeant
Home Bargains has, once again, announced it’ll be closing all its UK stores on both Boxing Day and New Year’s Day this year.
And it’s to make sure staff get a ‘well deserved break’.
After what has been yet another busy year for the retail industry, many workers have been left feeling like they could do with a little extra time off, which is why Home Bargains is following on with what has become a now-annual tradition by shutting up shop on two bank holidays.
All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day & New Years Day.
Announcing the move in a post on social media, the discount retailer confirmed: “All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day and New Years Day. We would like to thank all our colleagues for how hard you have worked this past year, and want you to relax and enjoy the Christmas break with your loved ones.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time the retailer has kept its doors shut on bank holidays.
Many shoppers will recall it has made the same decision to give hardworking staff a break every year since 2019.
Explaining a little more about the decision taken to close all its stores, Home Bargains said: “As a family-run business, we know the importance of being together at Christmas with those we care about most, now more than ever.
“This is our way of saying thank you to our colleagues for their continued hard work and dedication.”
Featured Image – Geograph
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Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week
Emily Sergeant
Who says breakfast has to end at 11am?
In news that’s set to be music to the ears of breakfast lovers in Manchester, Greggs is giving them exactly what they want.
We all know that brunch is a ‘thing’ by now, so now it’s time for brinner to make a name for itself instead, as Greggs has teamed up with Heinz to bring its much-loved breakfast menu back for tea time, kicking off from 4pm onwards.
The move comes as a new survey has found that the majority of Mancs (69%) admit to enjoying eating breakfast food in the evening, saying it’s ‘convenient and comforting’ – even ranking breakfast as a ‘more important’ meal than tea, as well (38% vs 36%).
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week / Credit: Greggs (Supplied)
Greggs says it has ‘lost count’ of the amount of customers that have tried to order breakfast items after the usual cut-off time, especially in Greater Manchester.
But luckily for those breakfast-loving Mancs, they can finally get their favourite breakfast and sauce pairing long after the morning rush is over next… but only at two Greggs branches, and only for a very limited time.
On Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October, the Heinz x Greggs Brinner collab will be available at Greggs St Mary’s Gate and Greggs Oxford Road, from 4-7pm only.
“We’ve lost count of the number of customers who have tried their luck ordering breakfast after 11am, so when Heinz came to us with the idea of making Brinner a reality, it felt like the perfect excuse to give the people what they want,” explained Zoe Harris, who is the Customer Director at Greggs.
“And let’s be honest, a Greggs Bacon Roll just wouldn’t be the same without a squeeze of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.”