Costa has introduced some interesting new additions to its food offering to welcome in the new year, and you can even get 50% off this month.
Fans of the coffee shop chain will know Costa for its beloved and wide-ranging drinks menu that often changes as the seasons go by, but don’t go counting out its food selection just yet, especially as there are some tasty new additions to try out.
The sandwich that everyone seems to be talking about? That would be the new ‘Beanz & Cheese Toasie’.
Costa has teamed up with Heinz to combine two classic snacks – beans on toast, and cheese on toast – to give toastie lovers the exclusive ‘Beanz & Cheese Toastie’. Packed full of Heinz Baked Beans and mature cheddar cheese, this new menu stand-out delivers “the ultimate comforting toastie delight”.
And there’s even more on offer for vegans too, or those giving Veganuary a go.
ADVERTISEMENT
In addition to the best-selling ‘Vegan Smoky Ham & Cheeze Toastie’ added to the menu last year, Costa has also introduced a new ‘Vegan BBQ Chick’n Panini’ with Vegan Chick’n, Texan-style BBQ sauce, roasted peppers and spinach in a stone-baked sourdough panini, and there’s also a twist on the classic sausage roll with the new ‘Vegan Roasted Butternut Squash Pastry Roll’ that’s filled with roasted butternut squash and red onion in a vegan puff pastry with a pumpkin and sunflower seed topping.
If it’s breakfast you’re after, there’s also a new ‘Veggie Breakfast Box’.
ADVERTISEMENT
It includes a Quorn sausage, Heinz Baked Beans, roasted mushrooms, free range scrambled egg, spinach and topped with mature cheddar cheese, but if you’re not into veggie sausages, there’s the new ‘Ultimate Breakfast Wrap’ that’s made with free-range egg, Cumberland sausage and beechwood smoked bacon, topped with Heinz tomato ketchup in a tortilla wrap.
Costa CoffeeCosta CoffeeCosta Coffee
Costa hasn’t neglected those with a sweet tooth either.
The new sweet treats added to the menu this month include the mouthwatering ‘Caramel Munchies Muffin’, which is a melt-in-your-mouth caramel muffin made with chocolate chunks and biscuit balls, filled with a delightful chocolate caramel sauce, and topped with caramel icing and a Munchies chocolate.
ADVERTISEMENT
There’s also a ‘Vegan Jamaican Ginger Loaf Cake’, as well as a ‘Strawberry Vegan Croissant’.
And in another twist, there’s also the new ‘Vegan Pick ‘n’ Mix’, which includes cola bottles, orange gummy bears, fried eggs, hearts and a mini Costa Coffee cup jelly.
2021 is already off to a better start than we were expecting.
It’s our 50th Birthday this year! To celebrate 50 years of Costa, we’re taking 50% off all food items Monday to Wednesday 🎁🎉🎉🎁
If all that wasn’t as impressive enough as it is, if you’re looking to save a few pennies this month, then Costa customers can get also get a whopping 50% off all items from the food menu this month.
The deal has been introduced to celebrate the chain’s 50th birthday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Available each Monday – Wednesday throughout January, the deal runs until Wednesday 3rd February and you can order either via Mobile Order for collection, or grab it to takeaway from stores across the country.
You can find the full menu via the Costa website here.
Trending
Andy Burnham’s favourite Manchester pub, restaurant, neighbourhood and Sunday roast
Daisy Jackson
Andy Burnham’s favourite pub, restaurant, neighbourhood, and Sunday roast have been revealed – and the man’s got taste.
Old footage of now-PM Andy Burnham chatting to content creator Isaac Likes has been doing the rounds again, and while the interview dates back to before Andy left us and headed down to the big smoke, his Manchester recommendations still stand.
From his go-to neighbourhood and favourite pub to where he heads for a Sunday roast, and even the song he likes to play when he gets behind the decks, Burnham gave us a glimpse into his ideal Manchester day.
First up, there’s the Northern Quarter, which Burnham reckons has to be his favourite neighbourhood in the city.
He said: “Got to be the Northern Quarter. It’s the place where it’s all happening.”
When it comes to food, he singled out Firehouse, sitting on the edge of the Northern Quarter, as one of his favourite places to eat. He also gave a shoutout to its sister venue Ramona, where he’s been known to get behind the decks.
Andy said: “On the edge of the Northern Quarter, Firehouse is a place I love to go. Ramona Pizza, I’ve DJ’d there – if the mayor DJs there it’s gotta be alright.”
For a proper pint, Burnham’s choice is a little more traditional, saying his favourite pub is the ‘proper old school’ Peveril of the Peak.
The beautiful tiled pub was recently named the best in the UK, just days before its legendary landlady Nancy passed away.
When Sunday rolls around, Burnham said he has a couple of options up his sleeve. The Wharf in Castlefield gets a mention, as does Edinburgh Castle up in Ancoats.
The Peveril of the Peak pub in ManchesterThe Edinburgh CastleFirehouseSome of Andy Burnham’s favourite places in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
He said: “We love our gravy, we drink it by the pint in Manchester.”
Of course, no conversation with Burnham about Manchester would be complete without talking music.
Asked to name the best Manchester band of all time, he offered a few contenders – The Smiths, New Order, and, ultimately, The Stone Roses.
“The band I think are quintessentially Manchester is The Stone Roses. That was peak Manchester,” he said.
Manchester romcom Finding Emily is currently one of the best-reviewed films of 2026 so far
Emily Sergeant
A new romcom that is set, was filmed in, and actually romanticises Manchester is soon to be released overseas.
If you haven’t had the chance to see Finding Emily for yourself yet, the film is set in Manchester at the fictional Manchester City University and tells the story of a lovesick musician, played by Spike Fearn, who meets his dream girl named Emily on a night out.
Sadly though, he ends up with the wrong phone number for Emily, and so teams up with a driven psychology student, played by Angourie Rice, in a bid to find her.
Together, the unlikely duo spark a hilarious campus-wide frenzy that tests their own hearts and ambitions along the way.
The film – which is directed by Alicia MacDonald, based on a screenplay by Rachel Hirons, and produced by Working Title Films – is filled with notable local locations dotted throughout, from Manchester Central Library and Piccadilly Records, to Canal Street, the Northern Quarter, and even the Emmeline Pankhurst statue in St Peter’s Square featured for all to see.
Oh, and not to mention, if you keep your eyes peeled when watching the trailer, you can even see a small clip of Stockport band Blossoms playing a gig in there too.
Finding Emily was released here in the UK back in May, and received overwhelmingly positive reviews from fans and critics, including by The Manc Group team when we were lucky enough to see it at the Manchester premiere.
And ahead of its international release this week (Friday 26 August), those reviews have remained as glowing as ever.
In fact, over on major film review platform Rotten Tomatoes, the film stands at 95% on the ‘tomatometer’, meaning it’s one of the highest-rated romcoms of the decade so far.
That also makes it one of the best-reviewed movies of the entire year, in addition to its record score for the genre itself, as only two other films released in 2026 have retained scores higher than it – thrilling Hong Kong action film, The Furious, with a score of 98%, and the uniquely hilarious Olivia Wilde directed and starring, The Invite, with a score of 97%.
Unfortunately, box office projections for Finding Emily are pretty low for the weekend over in the US, as it has to contend with continuing big-hitters like Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey.
But it says a lot that this fun-filled original romcom set in our incredible city is more critically acclaimed than those two blockbusters based on existing IP.
Critics say Finding Emily ‘makes a tried-and-true formula feel brand new’, and to us, that’s about as good as you can get.
Finding Emily is no longer in UK cinemas, so if you would like to check it out, you can currently buy or rent the film on Amazon Prime UK, the Sky Store, or the Virgin Media Store.
Emily Sergeant -
6th January 2021 
