Summer is right around the corner, and the mark the start of the sunny season, McDonald’s is adding a whole host of new items to its menu.
Launching in two separate waves across June and July, with the first menu set to be launched this week, not only will fast food fans soon be able to feast on the Cypriot favourite that is halloumi fries at their local Maccies, but there’ll also be four new burgers, and a brand-new Italian-inspired McFlurry flavour too.
The ‘Taste of Italy’ menu will land in McDonald’s stores across the UK on Wednesday 8 June, and it’s set to include two burgers – the Italian Stack, and the Crispy Chicken Italiano.
The Italian Stack consists of two beef patties, topped with crispy onions, mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, crunchy lettuce, toasted tomato and a rich cheesy sauce on a warm herb bun, and the Crispy Chicken Italiano is made up of a crispy chicken fillet on a ciabatta style bun with basil pesto sauce, mozzarella, tomato, red onion, and lettuce.
Mozzarella dippers are also back once again as the go-to side order, but in what is a new addition for 2022, a tiramisu-flavoured McFlurry will be making its debut to really top off your Italian feast.
The second menu wave, the ‘Taste of Spain and Cyprus’, is then set to hit McDonald’s restaurants across the UK from Wednesday 27 July.
It will include two additional new burgers, a delicious cheesy side dish, and a refreshing citrus soft drink.
Four new burgers, sides, desserts, and drinks are arriving at McDonald’s UK just in time for the summer / Credit: Flickr
The Spicy Spanish Stack burger will be made up of two beef patties on a paprika bun, topped off with a spicy tomato sauce, red onion, lettuce, and chilli cheddar, while the Chicken Fiesta burger will have a crispy chicken fillet on a paprika bun, accompanied by Chorizo, chilli cheddar, spicy tomato sauce, red onion, and lettuce.
The new menu will also welcome a bold and refreshing berry and citrus flavoured soft drink, which’ll be named the Spanish Fruit Punch.
But it’s the Halloumi Fries that are already grabbing the headlines.
Fast food rivals Burger King have been selling the cheesy delights for quite some time now, but from 27 July, McDonald’s is adding halloumi fries to the menu and each serving will include four soft halloumi sticks lightly coated in batter, served with a rich tomato sauce.
Sadly though, all good things must come to an end, and to make room for all of these exciting new items, McDonald’s has confirmed that some products will sadly be dropped from the menu this week.
This means that from 8 June, the Grand Big Mac and McSpicy chicken burger, and Flake McFlurry will no longer be available.
Pep Guardiola aims not-so-subtle dig at ‘destructive’ FIFA Club World Cup
Danny Jones
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is the latest to voice his concerns surrounding the ongoing 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, delivering a not-so-subtle dig at the competition.
Ahead of Man City‘s round of 16 match against Al Hilal in this year’s Club World Cup, of which they won all their group stage games, the Catalan head coach has once again come out to criticise the increasingly congested fixture calendar.
His comments come after former Liverpool manager and now Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull, Jürgen Klopp, labelled the current off-season summer run of matches “the worst idea ever.”
Somewhat echoing his statement – or at the very least aligning with it (albeit indirectly) – Pep Guardiola gave his two cents also, claiming that the now extended, 32-team tournament could “destroy” his squad and their fortunes in the next campaign.
Clearly, Pep is far from the biggest of fan of the recently refreshed format, even despite having won the thing on four occasions in the past – the most recent being with Manchester City back in 2023.
Reflecting on what impact he fears the Club World Cup may have on his team next season, Guardiola said: “I try not to think about it, otherwise I will be so anxious. We will rest [for as much time as] the Premier League allows us to.
“And game by game, month by month, we will see. And maybe in November, December, January, ask me, Pep. I may say: ‘So listen, we are a disaster. We are exhausted. The World Cup destroyed us.’ I don’t know, but it’s the first time in our [lives] that that’s happened [a 32-team CWC]. So we will see…”
Unpredictable weather in the United States, where the action is being hosted, has also been the subject of outrage in some cases, with Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca stating, “It’s a joke! It’s not football”, after a major storm delay mid-game pushed meant that one of their games took five hours to finish.
The 54-year-old also insisted that those who were against the tweaked concept “fought a lot” here in England, in UEFA meetings and so on, as was the case with the revision of the new layout of the Champions League, but to no avail.
Jurgen Klopp: "NBA player earns a lot of money & has 4 months of rest per year. Van Dijk didn't even have that in his entire career. Tournaments such as the Club World Cup cannot take place at the expense of players" [Die Welt]
Regarding Klopp, who set this latest chain of criticism, he claims that whoever wins the 2025 Club World Cup is ultimately “pointless” and will be “the worst winner of all time because they’ll have played all summer and then gone straight back into the league.”
In his eyes, the decisions are being made by people who have “never been involved” with the pressure of day-to-day life in professional football and the physical toll of multiple competitions, in particular.
As for who might win the 2025 CWC, it could very well be Man City for a second time, as the Blues are the only team remaining that has a 100% win ratio this year, having most recently thrashed Juventus 5-2 in their last game.
Nevertheless, it seems that the stance of Klopp, Guardiola, Maresca and more is pretty plain: this particular tournament will go down in the record books for the wrong reasons, and they won’t be happy until the format is revisited.
Do you agree with Pep and co. on the Club World Cup controversy?
Featured Images — Man City (screenshot via YouTube)
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Burger King is giving away FREE vegan burgers to meat lovers to prove how ‘tasty’ they are
Emily Sergeant
Reckon you could swap out meat for a vegan alternative?
Now we know there’ll be droves of meat-lovers who read that question with their noses turned up, immediately dismissing the possibility that it would ever be something they’d consider… but what if we told you it was free?
That’s right – Burger King has announced that for the next week or so, it’ll be delivering its delicious Vegan Royale burgers to meat-loving customers for free, all with the aim of giving them a chance to experience just how tasty and satisfying plant-based foods can be, and prove that they won’t miss out by giving it a go.
The Vegan Royale is Burger King’s take on its legendary Chicken Royale burger, and sees a crispy vegan patty – that’s meant to be an alternative to chicken – topped with iceberg lettuce, vegan mayo, and crowned with a toasted sesame seed bun.
Burger King is giving away free vegan burgers to meat lovers to prove how ‘tasty’ they are / Credit: Burger King UK
The fast food chain‘s campaign is in partnership with The Vegetarian Butcher, and comes as shocking new research has revealed that more than 40% of meat eaters admit to having never tasted a plant-based burger.
On the other hand, that same research also found that the UK appears to eb embracing plant-based foods more than ever, as nearly 60% of the population say that are open to trying it.
67% of those who once thought plant-based food wasn’t for them say a great meat alternative burger was what changed their mind – so maybe this is what the Vegan Royale can be for you, if you’re willing to give it a chance.
So, to give hungry customers a taste of what the fuss is all about, Burger King will be offering anyone who orders on UberEats or Just Eat, with a minimum spend of £20, a Vegan Royale burger for free of charge along with the rest of their order.
Emily Sergeant -
6th June 2022 
