Many of us have returned to our ordinary work routines now, meaning we’re having to adapt to some unfamiliarly early starts.
We rely on coffee to carry us through the morning commute at the crack of dawn, but now life is slowly returning to “normal”, there’s no time to create those Instagram-worthy iced coffees that kept you ticking over during long days in lockdown.
Thankfully, there are several coffee companies that provide delicious ice-cold coffee to sip on-the-go – offering you the perfect way to kickstart your morning in the hot weather.
A classic iced coffee company is Jimmy’s: An independent, family-owned brand with an awesome range of ready-to-drink iced coffees who are proud to use only ethically sourced ingredients, Rainforest Alliance Certified Arabica coffee and 100% recyclable packaging.
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Jimmy’s boast a huge range of drinks, from canned double shot flat whites to their classic original blend cartoned ice coffee. For the dairy free and vegans amongst us, there’s also a new oat flat white which has an aromatic vanilla flavour whilst still packing in a caffeine boost!
There’s even sparkling soda in a glass bottle, Jimmy’s Coffee Cola, which can substitute as a different kind of an early morning pick-up.
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Jimmy’s iced coffees are extremely accessible and affordable, stocked in most large supermarkets and available online.
Fresh, female-led and feisty, Bottleshot Brew is the brand to support if you want to taste authentic, New Orleans-inspired cold brew coffee in a can.
A premium, ethically-minded company committed to producing high-quality alternative to hot coffee, Bottleshot put each can through an 18-hour extraction process to ensure it contains intense flavour.
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Currently, they have two cans of coffee available: the Black 100% Arabica beans and the Oat Milk – both of which are packed with two shots of espresso.
All their drinks are 100% plant based with no added sugar and are served in some of the best coffee shops around the world – as well as on the high-street in major retailers.
Minor Figures have four types of Nitro Cold Brew vegan coffees:
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Black — Cascading coffee. Mocha — Cascading coffee, Oat Milk and cocoa. Latte — Cascading coffee and Oat Milk. Chai Latte — Cascading Chai Latte, spiced tea + Oat Milk.
Their packaging is extremely on-brand, too – giving commuters a cracking option for an eco-friendly can of coffee.
Now here’s something a little different for those still WFH but have had a surge in their workload: Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate from Union Coffee.
Arriving in packaging reminiscent of boxed wine; this hand roasted cold coffee is poured via a tap!
It can be served over ice, blended with milk, or even shaken into an espresso martini.
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The three-litre box has 40 servings of pure, strong coffee so this is definitely going to keep your eyes open for the days scheduled Zoom calls…
You can purchase a box on their website. Once opened, it ca be kept in the fridge for up to four weeks.
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This Manchester hotel has a Bonfire Night ‘escape’ package for pets to help keep them calm
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most luxurious hotels is transforming into the ultimate pet refuge again over the firework season.
Bonfire Night is loved across the UK for the spectacular firework displays and all the festive-themed activities that go along with it, but the November annual event isn’t so fun for our four-legged friends, as fireworks can be frightening to pets due to loud bangs, flashing lights, and the unpleasant strong smell of spent explosives.
With multiple bangs occurring from numerous displays too, pets are rarely able to pinpoint where the booming explosions are coming from, only making it more terrifying for them.
This is why, after becoming a huge success following its launch last year, Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in the heart of the city centre has brought back its special ‘Bonfire Night Escape’ escape package, turning the already pet-friendly hotel into a firework-free sanctuary.
The hotel‘s year-round ‘PAWfect Stay’ package includes any dog staying at no extra cost, plus a pet tuckbox, a guide to the best dog-friendly places in the city, and a toy waiting for them in the room, but this fireworks season, pet owners will also get a luxury hamper including Pet Remedy’s ‘Party Season Survival Kit’
The kit comes together with a range of fast-acting products to help immediately in stressful situations such as fireworks, and includes calming spray, a plug diffuser, and some calming wipes too.
On top of that, dog owners can also take advantage of the hotel’s Music Concierge service, which allows guests to request a record player and vinyls to be placed in the room ahead of check in – with lots of classical and relaxing music records available to distract anxious pets from the noise of Bonfire Night celebrations.
Kimpton Clocktower Hotel has a Bonfire Night ‘escape’ package to help keep pets calm / Credit: Elisha Terada (via Unsplash)
The award-winning The Refuge Bar and Restaurant inside the hotel also offers a menu of carefully-curated dog treats throughout the week, as well as doggy Sunday roasts all Sunday.
David Lockhart, who is the General Manager at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, said he likes to think of the hotel as a “home-away-from-home for our guests”.
“Our top priority is making sure everyone is feeling safe and comfortable,” he added. “We can’t wait to welcome our November guests and help them care for their four-legged family members, giving them everything they need.”
The Bonfire Night Escape package at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is available to book from Friday 1 November, subject to availability, and you can request the package via the hotel concierge or by emailing [email protected] to book.
Scissor Sisters confirm reunion after more than a decade ahead of massive Manchester gig
Danny Jones
Still a firm cult favourite from the 2000s, Scissor Sisters are officially back and are bringing a special reunion tour to Manchester and the UK and Ireland at large.
The American outfit were one of the biggest and most well-known pop groups on this side of the Atlantic during their heyday, notching three BRIT Awards and two number-one albums.
Starting out in New York, like many bands in an oversaturated music market, they ended up proving to be much more popular here in Britain than they ever did in the US, not to mention becoming real icons among the LGBTQ+ community.
And now, over a decade later, the Scissor Sisters are set to repay the likes of Manchester, Leeds, London and more with a series of comeback shows, including one at Co-op Live arena – a gig which the venue has already teased earlier this week.
Confirming the reunion on social media on Thursday, 10 October, the band said: “Exciting news, for the first time in over a decade, we will come together again, live next May across the UK and Ireland.
“And for the first time ever, our debut album Scissor Sisters will be performed in full in celebration of its 20th anniversary – alongside all the other Scissor hits from along the way… See you very soon. Jake, Babydaddy, Del.”
Long-time fans were quick to notice that there was no mention of fellow founding member Ana Matronic nor former drummer Randy Real; the band themselves told BBC that the current lineup following their indefinite hiatus is by no means a way of replacing anyone but does give them a chance “to get some people on stage and ask some friends to do fun things.”
Frontman Shears’ 2023 Cabaret co-star, Rebecca Lucy Taylor, was also teased with a possible appearance on the Scissor Sisters reunion tour. Either way, they’ve promised a “little bit of chaos, anarchy” and an “‘anything can happen’ energy again.”
It’s been 12 whole years since we last saw them out on the road, so it’s only fitting that they give us a dozen UK/IE dates, starting at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena before bringing the comeback party down the home stretch in Dublin.
Scissor Sisters are set to stun the Manchester crowd with their Co-op Live debut on Wednesday, 21 May 2025, with special guest support from Alison Goldfrapp of the iconic electronic music duo, and we truly really can’t wait to roll back the years with them.
Pre-sale goes live on Wednesday, 6 November at 10am which you can access via their website and general admission tickets will be available from the same time the following Friday, 8 November.
We can’t wait to hear all the favourites – ‘Filthy/Gorgeous’, ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancin”, ‘Take Your Mama’ and more – but, until then, the announcements coming out of Manchester’s biggest new music venue just don’t stop…
Jess Walmsley -
14th July 2020 
