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.
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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.
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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.
Sara Cox tipped to replace Scott Mills for Eurovision 2026
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester’s very own Sara Cox is reportedly set to replace Scott Mills at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest following his sacking from the BBC.
Mills was axed by the news and entertainment corporation on Monday, 1 April, for ‘misconduct’, which has now been revealed to involve a historic relationship with a boy aged under 16.
While the fallout surrounding Scott Mills is only just beginning, the task of finding his replacement in multiple roles has already begun – though it looks like one may have already been decided.
Now reported by multiple outlets, it appears as though Bolton-born Sara Cox is first in line to pick up Mills’ co-hosting duties for this year’s Eurovision show.
Having already been involved with coverage of the event on multiple ocassions in the past, it now appears that she’ll be in post for the Grand Final too.
As a long-standing radio and TV staple, it only takes a quick look at social media to see how much backing she has already received in the past, with a post from last year reading, “Great to have Sara Cox back commentating on Eurovision“, and others from over a decade ago praising her past presenting.
In fact, it might not end just here either, as many are already calling for her to replace the 53-year-old breakfast show host.
From her days as a Radio 1 favourite to becoming a BBC mainstay across the board, her popularity only seems to have grown over the last decade, especially thanks to her charity fundraising efforts.
While an official announcement is yet to be made, the feeling is that it is all but confirmed for her to take over from Mills as part of the Eurovision commentary team.
As for the now vacant early morning slot on BBC Radio 2, the likes of Claudio Winkleman, Vernon Kay, fellow Manc Nick Grimshaw, the aforementioned Rylan, and several others have all been floated as potential stand-ins/future full-time hosts.
Do you think both should be given to Sara Cox, and if not, who would you like to see replace Scott Mills?
Bayern Munich reportedly set to target Phil Foden in the summer transfer window
Danny Jones
European giants Bayern Munich are said to be interested in homegrown Manchester City star, and are interested in signing him this coming transfer window.
And if you believe some of the reports circulating around the Stockport-born footballer, he could very well be looking to leave the Etihad in the summer.
Foden seems to have somewhat fallen out of favour at Man City of late, having been benched in four of the last five games, with his overall minutes having been on a gradual slump over recent months; as a result, some sources are suggesting it’s prompted a potential move away.
As per TEAMtalk, the Bundesliga side is hoping to target the City youth product and England international ahead of next season, with former teammate turned Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany very keen on acquiring his services.
Man City have stepped up efforts to secure Phil Foden's future with talks held during the international break and confidence is now growing that a new deal will be finalised before the end of the season, amid Bayern Munich interest, @TEAMtalk can reveal.https://t.co/ScBP5a3a08
Whether or not having a club and Premier League legend in charge would serve as a sweetener for the attacking midfielder or not, who knows?
According to journalist Graeme Bailey, while the gifted playmaker is said to be “frustrated” with the current situation at Man City, the club are believed to have “stepped up efforts to secure the long-term future of Phil Foden, with fresh talks held during the international break”
Having still managed to chip in with 15 goal contributions so far this campaign – two-thirds of those involvements being goals – the hope is that they can tie him down to a new deal long before the end of the season.
There’s no question about his natural talent and versatility across the forward line; it’s just whether or not he’s happy with his game time under Pep Guardiola, which admittedly has often fluctuated ever since he broke into the first team.
Pep has never made a secret of his love for Phil, either; he’s just not afraid to mix things up and try different things given the squad depth at his disposal and other teams in the division becoming increasingly competitive.
It’s also worth noting that many expect him to be in Thomas Tuchel’s starting lineups for the Three Lions at this year’s World Cup.
At present, Foden’s contract is set to expire at the end of the next term (2026/27), but it’s rumoured that he could soon commit to staying until 2030 on paper.
Now 25, the once up-and-coming youngster/’rising star’ is now a fully-fledged senior professional and serial winner.
With many years still ahead of him, you could argue that this is the perfect time to take on a new challenge, or equally, stay with his beloved Blues and extend their modern dynasty as one of the more experienced and decorated members of the dressing room.
As for whether Kompany can convince him to swap his familiar surroundings for a fresh chapter in Germany, or whether or not another big Champions League-level outfit monitoring the situation could come sniffing, only time will tell.
For now, let’s just hope he has an incredible few weeks over in North America this June and July.
Emily Sergeant -
6th June 2022 
