It’s true that no one loves a pie quite like us Northerners, but it seems there’s a Southerner giving us a run for our money.
Reckon you’ve got an appetite for pies?
Well, whatever you think about the size of your stomach when it comes to pastry chomping, the likelihood is that it isn’t as large as that of Max Stanford.
Amateur competitive eater Max – who is known as Max vs Food online and is currently ranked number two in the British Eating League – recently took on a pie and mash challenge and scoffed down 18 pies, as well as seven large helpings of mash and liquor, all in less than 45 minutes.
Yes, as mad as it sounds, he managed to defeat this 8,000 calorie beast in under an hour.
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Max Stanford
The London-native completed the challenge at well-known traditional pie and mash eatery Manzes in Peckham and successfully consumed a five kilogram plate that was said to be “the size of a toddler” in just three quarters of an hour.
Speaking to LADbible about tackling the challenge, Max said: “I ate 18 traditional beef pies and seven portions of mash and liquor weighting a total of 5kg/11lb from Manze’s Pie and Mash shop in Peckham, which I finished in 43 minutes.
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“It was definitely one of the hardest and biggest food challenges I have ever done.”
He’s managed to complete a wide range of challenges in the past, but nothing compares to this one.
He continued: “I could think of nothing better than pie, mash and liquor. I’ve always gone to the Manzes pie and mash shop throughout my childhood with my Dad.”
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Taking to social media to congratulate “incredibly nice guy” Max on successfully completing the challenge, Manzes Pie and Mash said: “We welcomed Max into our Peckham shop. [He] has grown up eating pie and mash and he wanted to challenge himself – well boy did he do that,
“18 pies, [seven] mash and a load of liquor in under 45 minutes – he awaits a challenger.”
They also wished him “good luck” with the competitive eating and admitted that he is “smashing it”.
You can watch Max conquer the 8,000 calories on YouTube here:
We’re full from just watching that.
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After successfully managing to pull off this monster of a challenge, we think Max deserves an honorary Northerner title for this one, right? He could relocate to Wigan anytime.
Nice one, mate.
You can keep up to date with Max Stanford’s latest eating challenges on Instagram and YouTube.
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The Boots recycling scheme where you can get £5 off every shop
Thomas Melia
UK high street retailer and healthcare shop Boots has launched an innovative recycling scheme that entitles customers to £5 off their future shopping trips.
If you’re still struggling to come up with a New Year’s resolution, why not try a spot of recycling and earn some money off your next cosmetics shop while you’re at it?
Started in 2020, the Boots Recycling Scheme allows Advantage Card holders the opportunity to get money while also being more conscious about how we recycle our used health and beauty products.
Their third-party app, Recycle at Boots, uses a ‘Scan2Recycle‘ system where users can upload items from various beauty brands by taking a picture of the empty packaging before identifying its form.
This scheme takes items that can’t usually be recycled at home, such as lotion pumps, toothpaste tubes, lipstick, mascaras, travel minis, make-up palettes and more.
Once you have five items approved, head over to your nearest participating Boots store, drop off your empties and scan the QR code on the deposit box.
After you’ve followed all these steps, a voucher will appear entitling you to 500 Advantage Points when you spend £10 in-store at your nearest location, and not only do you have £5 worth of points with your name on it, you’re also an eco-warrior.
There’s even a dedicated section of the app to recycling empty medicine and vitamin blister packs, which gives customers 100 Advantage Points when they spend £5 in-store.
Brilliant.
Credit: Publicity pictures (supplied)
Items dropped into these deposit boxes are taken to MyGroup, a recycling and waste management service which works around the clock to help divert waste from landfill.
These empties will be washed and traditionally recycled into a material called MyBoard, a construction board material most similar to plywood, with lots of different uses.
Nearest Boots locations in Manchester running the Recycle at Boots scheme:
Manchester Market Street – 32 Market Street, M1 1PL
Salford Regent Park – Regents Park, M5 3TP
Manchester Didsbury – 736-740 Wilmslow Road, M20 2DW
The Trafford Centre – 10 Peel Avenue, M17 8BD
Trafford Retail Park – Neary Way, M41 7FN
If you’re up for getting money off your next Boots splurge while also helping recycle cosmetics containers and more, you can download the Recycle at Boots app and find your nearest HERE.
Tesco reveals what the UK’s most popular meal deal was in 2025
Emily Sergeant
Tesco has revealed what the UK’s most popular meal deal combination was in 2025, and some newbies have taken the top spots.
We all know meal deals are a classic lunch option for hungry office workers and for those looking for something quick to grab on the go, and it’s fair to say Tesco’s is one of the most popular on the market – but which combination was the most popular over the past 12 months? Which meal deal was the most commonly-picked from supermarket shelves in 2025?
Well, after last year saw a change in both the main and snack categories, this time around they have stayed the same and it’s actually the drink option where we see a change.
For the second year running, the Tesco Chicken Club Sandwich was the most popular choice of main, while the Tesco Egg Protein Pot took the top snack title.
Tesco has revealed what the UK’s most popular meal deal was in 2025 / Credit: The Manc Group
It’s time, however, to wave goodbye to the Coca-Cola (500ml) bottle, which has taken the title of the nation’s favourite meal deal drink for the past three years now, and say hello to the nation’s new favourite drink… a can of Red Bull.
When it comes to the North West’s favourite combo, the snack and drink choices remain the same to the rest of the UK’s, but the main is slightly different, as we favour a Tesco Just Ham Sandwich instead.
As always, the meal deal statistics for 2025 were revealed as part of Tesco’s annual ‘Clubcard Unpacked’ series, which is basically like ‘Spotify Wrapped’ but for Clubcard customers, giving loyalty card members a unique insight into what they shopped for and how much they saved over the last year.
The series also gives Clubcard holders the chance to find out what their personal favourite meal deal combination was in 2025, and see how that compares to the rest of the nation.
You’ll just need to open your Tesco Clubcard app on your mobile to find out, or you can head to the Tesco website here and login to your account.
Results are available now for a limited time only.
As well as getting to find out their own most-bought meal deal items, this year’s video also shows Clubcard members further insights into how they shopped at Tesco last year – from their most frequently-purchased products, to how many points they saved and spent.
Emily Sergeant -
24th September 2020 
