Iceland has sent one of its most beloved products a whopping 110,000 feet into space as a way to celebrate the supermarket’s 50th birthday.
The humble chicken nugget has been on quite the journey.
As bizarre as it sounds, the chicken nugget took around one hour and 45 minutes to reach 110,000 feet above the earth – which is “around 880,000 Iceland Chicken Nuggets high” – and was launched into the stratosphere from a location close to Iceland’s head office in Deeside, North Wales, as a way of uniquely marking series of huge milestones for the supermarket.
According to Iceland, the lucky nugget “left behind grey skies, COVID 19, Brexit and Piers Morgan to shoot through the troposphere to the stratosphere”.
There it was able to “enjoy momentary peace, clearer skies, spacecraft and possible sightings of the world’s highest flying birds such as the Rüppell’s Vulture and the Common Crane”, and apparently it was quite an appropriate journey for the frozen food retailer’s popular product as the nugget “would have felt right at home in the stratosphere in freezing temperatures of around – 60°C”.
ADVERTISEMENT
Having reached its peak height, the chicken nugget – which is believed to be the first ever chicken nugget to make it to space – then rocketed back down to earth at 200 miles per hour, until its parachute launched 19km above ground level for a safe landing.
We promise we’re not kidding you here, this really did happen.
ADVERTISEMENT
Why exactly did Iceland do this then?
Well, it was crowned king of the family favourite as sales of its own-brand breaded chicken products soared at the supermarket, and this also follows “a hugely successful year”, where it was named the fastest growing high street supermarket in the UK.
Chicken nuggets have remained a staple in the frozen aisle throughout Iceland’s 50-year history, selling more than 10 million Chicken Nuggets, Chunks and Strips last week alone.
ADVERTISEMENT
Andrew Staniland – Trading Director at Iceland – said: “2020 is a huge year for us as we celebrate our 50th birthday, and we wanted to find ways to mark the occasion, just like anyone celebrating a birthday in lockdown. What better way to show that our products are out of this world than by sending one of our customer favourites into space.
“We’ve all changed the way we shop in recent months and frozen food has never been so popular.
“We’re looking forward to continuing to celebrate our 50th year with customers and thanking them for their support.”
Iceland managed to pull this off by partnering with Sent into Space – a team of experts in the field of stratospheric exploration – to create the perfect vessel for the nugget to travel in.
Yet another unbelievable story 2020 has brought us.
Trending
‘Hairy men’ needed to play soldiers in returning major fantasy TV series
Thomas Melia
A huge TV series has issued an urgent casting call for, very specifically, ‘hairy men’ to play soldiers.
The exact show hasn’t been named in the casting call, but it’s definitely a major returning fantasy, and is reportedly House of the Dragon, the hit Game of Thrones spin-off.
This big on demand show is set to start filming in just two months’ time, meaning anyone considering shouldn’t wait to apply.
There are a list of key characteristics candidates should have if hoping for this role, including a great work ethic and a professional attitude, something all Mancs like to think we have.
The job description states that no prior acting experience is required, one of the only other things you need to be good at is waking up early (well that’s me out).
Most importantly, headhunters are looking for individuals to take on that have one big factor in common… lots of hair.
On the official website where you can submit your headshots and photos, you will find a mood board filled with ranging hairstyles that fit the desired look the show is going for.
Most of the pictures on the site range from long curly locks to big bushy beards – it’s a shame Santa will be back in the North Pole by now.
All candidates must have grown-out hair, ‘overgrown scruff to longer beards’, this means no short, back and sides, or any ‘modern fades’ as stated by the casting team.
If the rumours are true and this turns out to be a shoot for House Of The Dragon, it would be great to see even more Northern talent feature in this show.
It wasn’t too long ago that fans and Mancs alike realised that actor Olivia Cooke, who plays Lady Alicent Hightower, was a local lass herself, born not too far away in Oldham.
One final and important note is that anyone who is likely to apply must make sure they’re 18+ and have a right to work in the UK.
Filming will take place across North Wales and the South East from March onwards, with rate of pay roughly £140-£300+ per day (depending on hours worked).
To apply for a chance to feature in the returning major fantasy series, you can do so by visiting the site HERE.
Greater Manchester set to be battered by ‘impactful’ heavy rain and wind this week
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester is set to be battered by some heavy rain and wind this week, according to the Met Office.
While things have seemed surprisingly more settled for the time of year over the last week or so, with clearer skies and chilly winter mornings being fairly commonplace, all that will change very soon, as the Met Office has forecasted that the UK is set to be battered by some ‘impactful’ heavy rain and strong winds as the week goes on.
Low pressure systems will bring a more ‘unsettled’ spell of weather, with a severe weather warning for wind issued for certain parts of the UK.
Today is expected to be filled with grey skies and light rain here in Greater Manchester, with cloud covering much of the rest of the country, and other outbreaks of rain elsewhere, whereas on Wednesday, the focus of rain will shift to southern England instead.
The weather looks set to turn more unsettled during the forthcoming week 🌧️ 🌬️
Thursday is where it’s set to take the biggest downturn though, as a front bringing heavy rain moves eastwards through the day, and it’s us here in North West England that are expected to see the highest accumulations too, with 20-30mm could falling over the hills, and some hill snow even possible over the Scottish mountains too.
A deep area of low pressure will also have ‘deepened rapidly’ by Thursday, bringing ‘strengthening winds’ to western parts of the UK along with it overnight, followed by more heavy rainfall.
Greater Manchester is set to be battered by ‘impactful’ heavy rain and wind this week / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
“A very deep area of low pressure will bring a very unsettled, potentially disruptive, spell of weather to the UK through Friday and into Saturday,” explained Chris Almond, who is the Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist.
“Winds will begin to strengthen on Thursday night, with the peak gusts forecast through Friday in Northern Ireland and western Scotland. The wind will also be accompanied by heavy rain bringing some unpleasant conditions to end the week.
“We have issued a Yellow weather warning for wind, and with several days before the impactful weather, the forecast details are likely to be fine-tuned during the week, so stay tuned to your local forecast and keep up to date with Met Office warnings.”