Quality Street has been a festive favourite in households across the UK since 1936.
But for the first time ever in the brand’s 85-year history, a new chocolate is being added to the iconic selection tins and pick n mix stations just in time for Christmas.
The new ‘Crème Caramel Crisp’ – which will only be available in participating John Lewis stores – has an indulgent crème caramel flavour, which is perfectly -complemented by crispy biscuit pieces and coated in milk and white chocolate.
Not only is it the first new addition to the collection, it’s also the first Quality Street sweet to feature white chocolate.
As the much-loved Quality Street pick n mix stations return to John Lewis stores across the UK again in 2021 following a year-off due to the COVID pandemic, chocolate lovers will be able to create their own bespoke collection of favourites from the 12 delicious sweets in this year’s assortment, or personalise their own collector’s tin – which has been specially produced for John Lewis.
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Customers also have the option of refilling previous John Lewis Quality Street tins if they prefer.
The new Crème Caramel Crisp will be available to try from 17 John Lewis stores across the UK.
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Cat Mews – Brand Manager at Quality Street – said: “We know how much people missed our pick and mix stations at John Lewis last year, so we are delighted to announce that they are back for 2021. It’s a landmark year for Quality Street as the brand turns 85, and we’re celebrating our return to John Lewis with an exclusive new sweet and a beautifully designed collector’s tin that shoppers can personalise with a name of their choice.
“Best of all, you can tailor the contents exactly to your liking, whether that means nothing but purple ones, a tin full of toffees or a feast of fruit crèmes.
“With all this, plus the delicious new Crème Caramel Crisp sweet to try, we think this year’s Quality Street pick and mix stations will be a bigger hit than ever.”
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Lisa Cherry – Christmas Buyer at John Lewis – added: “Launching the first ever Quality Street sweet featuring white chocolate is so exciting and we can’t wait to hear what our customers think of this new and exclusive flavour.
“It’s just one of the ways we are hoping to make more magical moments for our customers this Christmas.”
The pick n mix station at John Lewis’s flagship Oxford Street store has already opened, and other participating stores – including two right here in Greater Manchester – are set to follow suit from the end of this month.
John Lewis stores at the Trafford Centre and in Cheadle will both be taking part.
The full list of other participating stores are – Peter Jones London, Cribbs Causeway Bristol, Brent Cross, Cheadle, Nottingham, High Wycombe, Bluewater, Leicester, Milton Keynes, Liverpool, Cambridge, Newcastle, Stratford, Edinburgh, and Cardiff.
Featured Image – Quality Street / John Lewis
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Hello Oriental opens new ‘seriously affordable’ Asian food hall at the Trafford Centre
Emily Sergeant
Manchester gem Hello Oriental is finally opening its new Asian food hall at the Trafford Centre this weekend.
The renowned East Asian street food hub has already taken Manchester city centre by storm since opening its original venue at Circle Square, just off Oxford Road, back in February 2022, and been has receiving rave reviews ever since – with critics notably calling the experience “a lot of fun” and “seriously affordable”.
But now, the Manchester-founded brand has chosen the Trafford Centre as the first UK shopping centre location to bring its trademark street food dining concept to.
There’ll be more than 100 delicious dishes for customers to choose from when the new site opens in the Upper Orient this Saturday.
Hello Oriental owners and childhood best friends, Ricky Yip and Azim Kourah, say they have selected some of the most popular dishes from the Manchester city centre site’s extensive menu for the new Trafford Centre restaurant.
This means diners at the Trafford Centre can enjoy traditional dishes from across East Asia – including a wide range of Dim Sum, hearty main dishes like Taiwanese pork belly with rice, traditional favourites like beef Ho fun, and loads of different Cantonese roast meats.
There’ll also be a wide selection of street food available, like Korean fried chicken, loaded katsu chicken fries, and three varieties of sticky chicken wings.
There’s also plenty for the little Mancs to tuck into too, as there’ll be a full kid’s menu available at the new Trafford Centre site, with options for both those with “adventurous” junior palates, to those who prefer “more familiar” tastes.
“We’re so excited to open in the Trafford Centre and give shoppers the chance to try our dishes from across East Asia,” commented co-owner, Ricky Yip, ahead of the new opening.
“Many of the dishes on the menu were enjoyed by Azim and I growing up, cooked by my family, or served in family restaurants, and it’s wonderful to see other families come to Hello Oriental to enjoy these flavours.”
Hello Oriental will be opening at the Trafford Centre this Saturday (1 February), with thousands of prizes to give away to celebrate Lunar New Year.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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A coffee shop in Manchester is giving away hundreds of FREE croissants today
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of croissants are being handed out for free today from a coffee shop in Manchester for a special reason.
In case you didn’t know, today (Thursday 30 January) is National Croissant Day, and apparently, Manchester is a city of serious pastry lovers, as the Cross Street branch of national coffee shop chain, Pret A Manger, is actually the top-selling Pret pastry shop in the whole of the UK – with the Chocolate Croissant, in particular, reigning supreme as the customer favourite.
Pret customers are said to devour around 17 million pastries a year, with the humble croissant being the most popular pick.
So, to celebrate Manchester’s love of sweet flaky pastries, and to mark National Croissant Day itself, Pret will be handing out a whopping 300 croissants for completely free of charge from its store on Cross Street, in the heart of the city centre.
A coffee shop in Manchester is giving away hundreds of free croissants today / Credit: PICRYL
You can claim one of the 300 free croissants with any coffee purchase today, but it’s only while stocks last, so you’ll need to be quick.
There’s three different croissants to choose from – the All Butter, Chocolate, or Almond Croissant.
“At Pret, we pride ourselves on serving our customers pastries freshly baked that same day,” commented Anna Tebbs, who is the UK Head of Food at Pret, ahead of the big giveaway.
“With around 17 million pastries sold each year, it’s clear our customers can’t get enough of these flaky favourites, so we’re thrilled to celebrate National Croissant Day by giving back to croissant fans with a special treat.
They’re only available for one day from Pret on Cross Street / Credit: Supplied
“Whether it’s a classic All Butter or a rich Croissant Almond, there’s a pastry for every taste, and a day like this is all about enjoying them to the fullest.”
To get your hands on a buttery flaky croissant to start your day, all you’ll need to do is visit the Cross Street Pret shop today, the earlier the better to be sure there’s still some left, and order any barista-made coffee drink, then you’ll get to pick which type of croissant you’d like to take away with you.