In what is a combination that virtually no one asked for, Walkers has decided to launch Christmas pudding-flavoured crisps.
And, as you’d probably expect, public reaction to the release has been mixed.
We all know the legendary crisp manufacturers are certainly no strangers to bringing out some weird and wonderful concoctions and collaborations – with Marmite, spicy tomato ketchup, chicken tikka masala, fish and chips, and steak and ale pie being just some of the foods turned into crisp form by the company over the years.
The company is also known to have brought out quite a few other inventive, and occasionally bizarre, festive flavours in the past too, including Brussels sprouts, glazed ham, and turkey and stuffing.
But while other limited-edition Walkers flavours have been known to see shoppers flocking to their nearest supermarket to stock up before they sell out, somehow, we don’t think that’ll be the case this time round.
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Walkers has launched new Christmas Pudding-flavoured crisps / Credit: The Manc Group | Pikist
Three new festive flavours of Walkers’ original crisps have been launched ready for Christmas this year, and, in true middle aisle style, you can currently get your hands on multipacks of them for £1.65 on ‘Specialbuys’ offer from your nearest Aldi.
The Pigs in Blankets, and Festive Turkey varieties seem to have suitably satisfied crisp connoisseurs, but the same definitely can’t be said for the Christmas Pudding flavour, as many are already turning their noses up at it, and a few are questioning what Walkers is playing at by even considering the flavour in the first place.
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Some shoppers on social media have been crying “hell no”, and one crisp fan has even aptly asked “Is someone taking the p**s?”.
After the news of the new crisps dropped on all the usual food-spotting blogs and Instagram pages, such as @NewFoodsUK, @UKnewestfoods, @bigdaddybsfoods, and UK’s Latest Bargains, reactions to the Christmas Pudding flavour in particular started coming in thick and fast.
“Hell NO,” one person in the comments addressing the Christmas Pudding flavour directly, while another wrote: “Christmas pudding is disgusting… why would they make crisps with that taste?”, and a third questioned: “Christmas pudding? Is someone taking the p**s?”.
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A few others admitted they are currently “unsure how I feel” about the flavour, and will probably need to try them out before giving their verdict rather than jumping to conclusions.
Not everyone was displeased though, as one pleasantly-surprised shopper wrote in reaction on Instagram: “I tried the Christmas pudding ones today just to be curious, and honestly they are nice – they taste of Carmel and cinnamon.”
“They’re actually kinda good,” another concluded.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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Chanel has finally teased details of its Manchester fashion show – including when you can watch it
Daisy Jackson
In case you’d somehow not noticed, Chanel is heading to Manchester this week – and the fashion house has finally teased a few details.
The world’s most iconic designer brand has remained tight-lipped on the plans for its Metiers d’Art show, despite beginning construction on a massive structure in the heart of the Northern Quarter.
Chanel is set to bring high-fashion models and famous faces to Thomas Street, with reports suggesting all the five-star hotels in Manchester have been booked out.
Over the weekend, the brand finally publicly acknowledged the location for its fashion show for the first time.
They posted a teaser on their Instagram stories, including details of where people will be able to watch the show after the event.
Chanel shared a collage poster on Instagram that includes a Suffragette march, Hacienda stripes and ravers, and Kevin Cummins’ iconic photograph of Joy Division. So far, so Manc.
The poster reads: “Chanel 2023/24. Métiers D’Art show. Manchester MCR.”
Chanel then appeared to confirm that the show will be recorded and published live to the public the following day.
They added: “The film of the show will be revealed on Friday, December 8th at 9am Manchester time, 10am Paris time.”
Chanel’s post promoting its Metiers D’Art show in Manchester
Excitement is seriously starting to build now, with the huge overhead canopy along Thomas Street taking shape.
The road through the Northern Quarter will be closed for an entire month for the event and the construction around it, with the show itself taking place on Thursday 7 December.
It’s thought the show will have a ‘significant’ positive impact on the city’s night time economy too, with Sacha Lord writing: “Not only will Manchester be globally showcased this week, but the knock on effect on the night time economy will be significant.
“Most hotels booked out and many restaurants at max capacity already, creating many extra hours for staff.”
Previous settings for the Chanel Métiers D’Art fashion show have included a pontoon moored in Shanghai’s Huangpu river and a lavish banquet setting in a Parisian palace.
Chanel always chooses cities that are linked to its history, then themes the show around that, so Manchester’s cotton trade history is likely to feature heavily.
Pep Guardiola takes dig at Mikel Arteta after Man City players rage over refereeing mistake
Danny Jones
Pep Guardiola aimed a surprise jibe at his former assistant coach turned Arsenal manager following Manchester City’s frustrating draw against Spurs, joking that he wouldn’t make a “Mikel Arteta comment” after a huge refereeing blunder over the weekend.
The Man City head coach was one of many left visibly incensed by referee Simon Hooper’s on-field decision this past Sunday after the Premier League official blew a very late whistle whilst Jack Grealish was through on goal to pull the game back for a foul despite having already waved play on.
With the foul being committed against Erling Haaland, who got up almost immediately and earned the home side the advantage, the Norwegian number nine was left utterly furious when he turned to hear Hooper’s whistle blow after he had gotten back up and the pass to Grealish had already been made.
With Mateo Kovačić, Rúben Dias and Haaland all surrounding the ref, the lattermost being pictured swearing and physically pulling his hair out as his manager looked equally fuming and confused on the touchline, the Catalan coach decided to dig at a famous Arteta clip in his post-match interview.
You can watch the clip of Arteta that Pep is referring to HERE.
The 52-year-old was referencing a well-known video of Arteta in which he labelled VAR awarding a penalty to Newcastle against the Gunners last season “embarrassing” and “a disgrace”, which has gone on to become a widely-used meme online.
Ushering the reporter to move to the “next question” and resisting the urge to express his own anger, he simply explained that he couldn’t understand how the ref came to his decision.
Speaking to BBC Sport Manchester, he went on to admit, “Sometimes I lose my mind about the referees” but added that they are simply “always making mistakes” and that he’s sure “everyone enjoyed the game”. The neutrals, for sure — less so amongst Blues.
One of those who clearly couldn’t let it go after the fact was City’s star striker, who took to social media and reposted a clip of the sequence of play in real-time along with a simple one-word caption: “Wtf”.
Although the footage itself has now been pulled down from the site, both this along with the reaction from Haaland and his teammates on the pitch could result in charges from the FA for failure to control the players.
Answering once again after being asked about the social media post from the media, Guardiola said it was perfectly understandable for him to be disappointed with the circumstances and might have been sent off if he continued to remonstrate after full-time, adding, “Even the referee, if he played for Man City today, he would be disappointed for sure”.
You can watch Pep’s post-match press conference in full down below:
Emily Sergeant -
20th October 2023 
