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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Two North West cities named among the ‘noisiest’ in the UK – including Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A new analysis has revealed a list of the noisiest cities in the UK, and two Greater Manchester locations are in the top five.
From blaring sirens and car horns, to house parties, barking dogs, and loud neighbours, escaping the noise of a city can feel almost impossible – even in your own home.
No matter whether you live in the hustle and bustle, or you’re out in the sleepier suburbs, noise can keep you up at night, disturb your peace, and lead to frustration. But just how loud are Greater Manchester’s cities compared to the rest of the UK? In a bid to get to the bottom of it, Alpine Hearing Protection has done some research to compile a top 10 list.
And both Salford and Manchester have found themselves not just within the top 10, but within the top five… and to make matters worse, Salford has actually claimed the number one spot.
The reason Salford has found itself at the top of the list, according to the research, is because it sits at the intersection of several major transport and urban hubs, with major motorways running through or around the city including the M60, M61, and M62.
Major rail routes also run through the city – including via Salford Crescent – which sees 16 million passengers every year, and also leads to Manchester Airport.
Top 10 noisiest cities in the UK
Salford
Portsmouth
Manchester
Southampton
London
Leeds
Stoke-on-Trent
Wakefield
Newcastle upon Tyne
Bradford
Parts of Salford are also very built-up, making pockets of the city noisy – especially in the concentrated centre where traffic, construction, nightlife and commercial activity get loud.
And of course, like any growing city, construction noises have been noted as ‘particularly bothersome’ for residents where major developments are springing up.
Manchester is third on the list of noisiest cities, due to many of the same reasons as Salford.
But the difference being that Mancunians are noted as one of the many reasons why the city is so loud – with residents making 5,301 noise complaints across Manchester between January 2024 and January 2025, and Hulme identified the loudest area with 304 complaints.
As well all know, Manchester is also home to many universities, which brings an active nightlife scene to the region, especially in the city centre, and in recent FOI data, it was revealed that the University of Manchester saw 2,049 noise complaints in the last five years.
Motorists warned of common winter driving habit that could land them with annoying fines
Emily Sergeant
With the temperatures drastically dropping now as we head into winter, motorists are being warned against a common driving habit.
On a wintry morning when the windscreens are frozen and your hands are equally as frozen too, it’s pretty common for drivers to start the engine, turn the heater right up, and remain stationary for several minutes to warm the car up before setting off on their journey… but did you know that doing this could see you, inadvertently, fall foul of the law?
That’s right – as ridiculous as it sounds, leaving your car engine running ‘unnecessarily’ while parked on a public road is illegal.
And to make matters worse, the rules on ‘engine idling’, as it’s known, apply regardless of whether the driver is using the heating, waiting for someone, or simply sitting in the vehicle.
Known as a stationary idling offence, Rule 123 of the Highway Code states that drivers must not leave a vehicle’s engine running unnecessarily while it is stationary on a public road, and according to the rule, a fixed penalty of up to £80 can be issued, right there and then.
Motorists are being warned of a common winter driving habit that could land them with annoying fines / Credit: PickPik | Wikimedia Commons
Fines will only be handed out if a motorist is stopped by a police officer who asks them to switch the engine off, and they fail to comply.
“However tempting it might be to sit in a vehicle with the engine running and the heater on to warm up, we strongly advice against it,” commented RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis.
“As well as polluting the air and wasting fuel, drivers who leave their engines idling unnecessarily on a public road also risk an on-the-spot fine of £80. On cold mornings, the best approach is to clear any ice or snow properly and ensure windows are fully de-misted before setting off, then get on your way and let the car warm you up.”
There are some exceptions to the rule, however, as keeping the engine running is permitted in certain circumstances.
This includes when a vehicle is stationary because of traffic conditions, when the engine needs to run so a mechanical fault can be investigated, or if certain work is being carried out on the side of the road.
Emily Sergeant -
9th November 2023 
