Greggs has launched its long-awaited 2023 Christmas menu today, and the Festive Bake is back again in all its glory.
After teasing the arrival on social media all this week, the UK’s most-popular high street bakery chain has officially unveiled its festive food and drink offering for the 2023 season, and there’s a few brand-new goodies joining the return of some undeniable fan-favourites.
And of course, nothing spells Christmas at Greggs quite like the Festive Bake, right?
The chain’s classic crumb-coated pastry filled with chicken, sage and onion stuffing, and sweetcure bacon in a creamy sage and cranberry sauce goes down an absolute treat each year, and is a serious fan-favourite, so it’s no surprise it’s made a comeback for 2023.
Other returning Greggs festive favourites this year include the Christmas Lunch Baguette, which is a freshly-baked baguette “jam-packed full of festive flavours”, and the accompanying Christmas Lunch Soup, which combines “all the best bits of Christmas in a light lunch”.
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Unfortunately for vegans, or anyone looking to cut back on their meat consumption, the Vegan Festive Bake sadly doesn’t look to have made a comeback this year.
But a brand-new plant-based pastry has joined the party instead.
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Greggs has unveiled its Christmas food and drink menu for 2023 / Credit: Greggs
The new vegan offering comes in the form of the Spicy Veg Curry Bake, which is packed with a mix of chickpeas, onions, sweetcorn, pepper, parsnip, and rice, all mixed up in a curry sauce with added chillies infused for extra spice.
A Vegan Turkey-Free Baguette, which is the “classic Boxing Day turkey sandwich but made vegan”, has also made its way onto this year’s menu.
When it comes to sweet treats, the fan-favourite Christmas classic Mince Pies are back, as is to always be expected, but that’s not all that’s on offer to satisfy those seasonal sugar cravings, as there’s also a new Chocolate Orange Muffin this year too.
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Just as it sounds, this is a rich chocolate orange-flavour muffin filled with orange pieces and a chocolate orange saucy centre, and topped off with a chocolate orange segment.
There’s Festive Bakes, vegan ‘Boxing Day baguettes’, and so much more / Credit: Greggs
And then the hot drinks offering this year includes an Orange Mocha and Orange Hot Chocolate to compliment that muffin, among other new and expected returning favourites such as the Mint Mocha and Mint Hot Chocolate, and the popular Salted Caramel Latte.
All drinks are topped with whipped cream, and come with a range of festive sauces and toppings.
The full 2023 Greggs Christmas menu is now available to tuck into from any of the bakery’s 2,406 branches all across the UK.
Featured Image – Greggs
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Manchester has been named one of the most ‘affordable’ cities in the UK – this is why
Emily Sergeant
A list of the top 10 most affordable cities in the UK has been revealed, and Manchester has made the cut for one very specific reason.
On a bit of a budget? Aren’t we all.
The cost of living crisis has been raging on for quite a few years now, and unfortunately, despite how much we all wish for it to, it doesn’t appear to be slowing down – with prices for everyday items, especially typical fridge and cupboard stables, shooting up by the day, even though supermarkets are showing efforts to prevent it.
And it’s the noticeable price increases in groceries that led delivery insurance provider, Street Cover, to uncover which UK cities don’t strain your food shopping budgets too much just yet.
As it was found that food and non-alcoholic drinks inflation reached 1.3% this past summer, a new study has revealed that Sheffield is officially the most affordable city in the UK, with several other northern locations on the list.
Manchester has been named one of the most ‘affordable’ cities in the UK / Credit: MCC | Aldi
The study compared the 2026 Grocery Index for the largest UK cities with the UK average, as well as available 2025 Grocery Indices, to track the changes in food affordability.
The cities are ranked by the index difference from the national average – which is 67.3 – but the report also uses direct monetary values for a grocery basket to provide some additional context too.
Manchester took sixth place on the list, with an average grocery basket price of £23.08, while some of the other northern cities in the top 10, besides Sheffield at number one, include Liverpool, Leeds, and Newcastle.
Top 10 Most Affordable UK Cities For Groceries
Sheffield
Milton Keynes
Liverpool
Reading
Newcastle
Manchester
Leeds
Bristol
Cardiff
Southampton
As the only other North West city in the top 10, Liverpool may have come in third place overall, but the study found that the grocery bill here is the smallest in terms of actual monetary numbers – with it setting shoppers back £22.08 for a regular supermarket basket, which is a whole £1 cheaper than in Manchester.
“Data shows households in the North East of England have the lowest average food spend in the country, around 11% below the UK average, while Yorkshire sits 6.6% below,” Al Taylor, who is the Head of Street Cover, commented on the study’s findings.
“Sheffield’s position at the top reflects lower property costs for retailers, less competition from premium chains, and a supermarket landscape dominated by value-led options.
“The practical implication for household budgets is significant – the difference between budget and premium shopping can easily be £1,000 or more per year for a family, which can be spent on other things or saved for future plans.”
Featured Image – Aldi
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Mancs wanted to take part in a new series of the ‘hardest quiz show on TV’
Emily Sergeant
Call yourself a clever clogs? The BBC is currently looking for contestants to take part in what is widely considered the hardest quiz show on TV.
That’s right – Only Connect is back for another series on BBC Two.
Presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell and first broadcast all the way back in 2008, Only Connect takes TV quizzing to the next level, as it sees two teams compete against each other by finding connections between seemingly unrelated clues.
In this quiz show – which viewers have dubbed one of the most challenging there is – knowledge only takes you so far, as the ability to think laterally is also deemed ‘vitally important’.
A casting call for the upcoming 2027 series has been shared on the BBC website, with people from Greater Manchester encouraged to apply.
Mancs wanted to take part in a new series of the ‘hardest quiz show on TV’ / Credit: BBC
The casting call reads: “The popular BBC Two quiz show presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell returns for a new series in 2027.
“Only Connect is seeking teams of three players OR single applicants or teams of two looking for like-minded teammates to pool their combined wits to solve fiendish conundrums and vexing puzzles.
“This is the quiz series where, as in life itself, knowledge will only take you so far: patience and lateral thinking are also vital. It’s all about making connections between things which may appear, at first glance, not to be connected at all.”
Reckon you’ve got what it takes then? Applications are now open, and all applicants must be aged 18 or over and a resident in the UK or Channel Islands.
Emily Sergeant -
9th November 2023 
