You may feel it’s a little too early to be talking about Christmas right now, but it’s that time of year again.
The time of year when all UK supermarkets start releasing their festive food menus.
ASDA, Aldi, Morrisons, Tesco, and more have all made announcements about what festive foods are going to be hitting shelves at their stores across up and down the country in the run up to the big day this year, but it’s an addition to Sainsbury’s Christmas range that’s caught our eye the most – and we know we’re not the only ones excited by it.
Pigs in blankets are an absolute staple of any Christmas food menu, and are quite-rightly raved about by snackers at any chance they get, but Sainsbury’s putting a twist on the classic.
If you’re looking for something a little different to tuck into, then Sainsbury’s pigs in blankets will be hitting stores early next month.
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Taking everything we know and love about the porky treat and combining that with current rise in popularity of the traditional Japanese dish of sushi, Sainsbury’s pigs in “sticky snowy” blankets are wrapped in cranberry sauce, nori seaweed and sushi rice.
They’re then topped with more of the berry condiment and crispy onions.
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It’s that time of year again when all UK supermarkets start releasing their festive food menus / Credit: Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s has more than 300 new festive food and drink products to tempt shoppers this year / Credit: Sainsbury’s
The pigs in blankets sushi will set you back just £3, and are available from November 1.
Another fish dish hitting the shelves as part of Sainsbury’s festive range this year is a crab and lemon mousse starter that’s made of layered crab mouse and lemon mousse, topped with white crab meat.
On top of that, the retailer will also be selling a whole lobster that’s ready to eat for just £12 from December 20.
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Other highlights on the this year’s menu include a pork and cranberry wreath (£6.50), Brussels sprout and parsnip snacking bhajis (£1), maple and marmalade gammon (£15), and mini chocolate log ‘Yule Pups’ (£2.20).
Sainsbury’s has more than 300 new festive food and drink products to tempt shoppers this year.
Featured Image – Sainsbury’s
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Lola Young shares first public statement since cancellations and stepping away from the spotlight
Danny Jones
UK pop star Lola Young has shared her first public statement since cancelling the remainder of her tour and stepping away from the spotlight.
Lola Young, 24, took a break from her still-burgeoning career after numerous concerning incidents on stage, including throwing up and even passing out in the middle of a performance.
The BRIT School graduate announced the unfortunate cancellation of her upcoming shows “for the foreseeable future”, including a gig here in Manchester, at the end of September.
Breaking her silence after the best part of three months, the London-born singer-songwriter took to social media in a fairly brief but heartwarming statement.
As you can see, the time away from the public eye certainly seems to have been beneficial, telling her followers that “it has helped more than you will ever know”.
In addition to embracing ADHD – even labelling her hit song ‘Messy’ as an “ADHD anthem” in multiple anthems – she was also diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder at just 17.
The latter can include symptoms such as psychosis, hallucinations, intense mood swings, bipolar mania, depression and more.
All that being said, we’re glad to hear that she’s on the mend; we saw her back in March, and you could tell from the crowd that she’s already got a very passionate cult following.
Both conditions and their associated obstacles have obviously affected her, but have equally helped influence her music and lyrical material, certainly, too.
Responding in the comments, fellow artist SZA wrote: “Love you, starfire angel. Your music is FULL of longevity and substance! We’re so grateful for you”.
Joining in support, ‘dark pop’ musician Carter James added, “Your wellbeing comes before anything. So excited for your next chapter whenever it arrives!”
We hope she’ll be doing better enough soon to get back on stage when she’s ready.
Nathan Aspinall urges PDPA to improve mental health support within the sport
Danny Jones
Local sports personality Nathan Aspinall has urged the Professional Darts Players Association (PDPA) to provide better mental health support moving forward.
It’s not the first time ‘The Asp’ has called for more awareness and provision when it comes to player welfare and mental wellbeing, specifically, which remains a prevailing societal problem in general.
The Greater Manchester native has opened up about his own struggles many times in the past and has made a public plea for the PDPA to intervene and offer more help.
Speaking at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championships after his opening round victory, the 34-year-old instead chose to focus on more important issues than his strong start.
As you can see, Aspinall began by stating that “the PDPA now need to step in and help these guys because there’s a lot of guys suffering.”
Having long been an champion for male mental health, in particular – supporting the local Healthy Minds practices in his hometown of Stockport, for instance – he’s been one of the outspoken player on the subject for some time.
Noting that there are at least “two or three people” he refused to name, his message was simple: “There’s a lot of fantastic dart players in our sport, but it’ll be a shame to see so many of them go because of mental health”
The 2019 UK Open and 2023 World Matchplay winner has battled with multiple obstacles, including an ocular condition known as bilateral traumatic Brown’s syndrome, as well bursitis, which causes inflammation around key joints.
But it’s not necessarly injuries and the physical side of things that have been his biggest concern.
𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗨𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁
"I really do not care anymore.
"I do everything I can to be a good sportsman and you still get s**t. So you know what? I don't care. Say what you want." pic.twitter.com/mCBjQ6kvyj
One of the biggest and most recurring challenges for him has been ‘dartitis’, which many players within the discipline wrestle with the more their careers progress.
Aspinall has confessed to suffering almost chronic panic attacks due to the mental blocks (also commonly known as ‘the yips’) brought about by the intense pressure of playing on stage/live on TV.
With that in mind, it’s great to see him not only back on form and pulling impressive performance such as his ‘big fish’ finish on Friday night, but continuing to draw more attention to the underlying mental health crisis, especially among men. Well played, Nath.
You can watch his post-match interview in full down below.
Emily Sergeant -
20th October 2021 
