Sat on the corner of Deansgate and King Street in the heart of the city centre, Manchester’s Veggie Pret first opened its doors back in 2018, and proved to be a popular new addition right from the off – but it’s now the end of the road for the solely vegetarian and vegan restaurant, as the brand has decided to call time on its final stores.
The sandwich chain began opening its dedicated Veggie branches to cater for growing public demand at the time after it trialled the format eight years ago.
Pret A Manger has announced it is closing its final Veggie Pret outlets / Credit: Pret A Manger
Although all regular Pret branches across the UK serve a decent selection of vegetarian and vegan options, the offerings at Veggie Prets are known to be much greater – especially when it comes to plant-based food.
ADVERTISEMENT
At one point, Pret had 10 Veggie outlets on high streets nationwide, and had even been planning to convert the majority of the Eat stores it had acquired in 2019 to Veggie Prets too, according to Retail Gazette.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic got in the way of the company’s plans and forced it to “reevaluate”.
ADVERTISEMENT
Manchester’s Veggie Pret on Deansgate convert over to a regular Pret branch / Credit: Pret A Manger
With the chain explaining that because its other stores offer meat-free options, it did not need the standalone sites, Pret began shuttering a number of its Veggie Prets in late 2022, and then more again in 2023, until there were only three branches still standing in 2024.
Not final closing dates have been confirmed, as far as we’re aware, but the final two Veggie Prets in London, and the one here in Manchester, are expected to be converted over in due course.
Speaking on the decision to close the four final Veggie Prets, a spokesperson for the company said that “every Pret is a Veggie Pret”, as one in three of the main meals it now sells at all regular branches is either vegetarian or vegan, and there’s new additions to the menu being added all the time.
The spokesperson then assured customers that the company plans offering an “even broader selection” of vegetarian and vegan options in all Prets going forward.
Featured Image – Pret A Manger (via Facebook)
Trending
Liam Gallagher says he turned down an offer to be on The Celebrity Traitors… and the reason why is baffling
Emily Sergeant
Liam Gallagher says he turned down an offer to be on The Celebrity Traitors… but the reason why is not what you’d expect.
It’d be easy enough to imagine the Oasis frontman saying no to a trip to the castle due to work commitments, or maybe because he’s just wanting to rest up ahead the massive Oasis Live ’27 tour next year, but surprisingly (or maybe unsurprisingly… this is Liam Gallagher we’re talking about, after all) that isn’t the case.
If you’ve never seen The Celebrity Traitors before, it’s a spinoff of the wildly popular main series, The Traitors, and it sees famous faces take part in the ultimate test of deceit and betrayal.
Some of the celebrities taking part this series include Richard E Grant, Miranda Hart, James Blunt, Maya Jama, James Acaster, and more as part of a stacked lineup.
A stacked lineup that Liam Gallagher would undeniably have been a very entertaining part of, but despite this, the rockstar has revealed that not only did he receive an offer to appear on the show, he actually turned it down.
@starshapedcarab I’ve been asked it’s not my thing I’m not a celebrity
Answering a fan’s comment on Twitter this week, Liam confirmed that he had received an offer but it wasn’t really his ‘thing’.
The tweet in question declared: “They should put Liam [Gallagher] on Celebrity Traitors”, to which Gallagher replied: “I’ve been asked [but] it’s not my thing.”
After offering up reason of it not being his ‘thing’ as to why he turned the show down, he then followed up with a slightly more baffling explanation too: “I’m not a celebrity,” he concluded.
We can only assume the denial of celebrity status is due to the fact that Liam doesn’t like the word, and not because he doesn’t consider himself to be famous, as coming off the back of the globally successful Oasis Live ’25 tour and ahead of the upcoming Oasis Live ’27, the band arguably couldn’t be more of a household name.
Many of the comments in response to Liam’s declaration point out that he could be a contestant on the normal BBC series instead, if he doesn’t consider himself a ‘celebrity’. Others also made sure to note that he appeared on an episode of Channel 4’s Celebrity Gogglebox, so he didn’t appear to have an issue with the word then.
So, will LG ever change his mind then? Only time will tell.
Featured Image – BBC & Joshua Halling
Trending
Tesco officially unveils Christmas Meal Deal menu for 2026 and confirms launch date
Emily Sergeant
Tesco has officially unveiled its Christmas Meal Deal menu for 2026, and has revealed when it’ll be arriving in stores.
Spooky season may not have even arrived yet, but it won’t be long before the most wonderful time of the year is here and most of the UK’s major supermarkets have already started stocking their shelves with Christmas food, drink, and gifts galore.
Tesco has now unveiled all the sandwiches and snacks forming part of its iconic lunchtime meal deal selection.
10 new seasonal mains and sides have been launched this year, as well as some classics and returning fan favourites too.
The retailer says its food on-the-go experts have worked hard to bring a variety of festive flavours and great-quality ingredients together this year, with something on offer to cater to all tastes and preferences.
Tesco officially unveils Christmas Meal Deal menu for 2026 / Credit: Tesco
Available in stores and online from next week, with Tesco Clubcard members paying just £3.80 or £5.50 to upgrade to a Premium Meal Deal, some of the all-new main options you can choose from in 2026’s festive lineup include the Fully Loaded Chicken, Stuffing, Braised Red Cabbage & Cranberry Sauce Sandwich, the Christmas Triple Sandwich, and the Pork Meatball Wrap with smoky sage and onion mayonnaise.
Other returning favourites include the Brie and Cranberry Sandwich, the Currywurst Sausage Sub, and the absolute classic Turkey & Trimmings Sandwich.
For veggies and vegans, there’s a new Tesco Plant Chef Christmas Veg Fest Wrap, and for those who follow a gluten free diet, you can grab the Gluten Free Festive Chicken & Trimmings sandwich.
When it comes to snacks to accompany those mains, the festive Mini Pork Pies and Pig in Blanket Sausage Rolls are returning to the lineup this year, alongside some new additions like the Pretzels with Salted Caramel Soft Cheese Dip, and Mini Cheese Twists.
Emily Sergeant -
9th February 2024 
