A roast dinner is held dear to the hearts of many Mancs – but is the cost of living crisis posing a threat to our Sunday tradition?
The quintessentially British meal that is a roast dinner marks a time to gather your nearest and dearest around the table to enjoy one of the heartiest meals you’ll probably have, but according to the findings from a new survey, a quarter of people now say they are less likely to prepare one at the end of the week due to costs.
Some 26% claim they are less likely to spend the time cheffing up a roast on a Sunday, according to BBC Good Food’s annual survey.
The annual survey, which polled 2,005 adults and 1,007 children, has revealed that continuing rising energy costs appear to be influencing kitchen habits – with 23% of cooks saying they use the oven and hob less, and 21% increasingly turning to the microwave.
Nearly a fifth (19%) say they are choosing ingredients that are faster to cook, or looking for recipes that are speedier to prepare, and 20% are no longer baking as many cakes or biscuits.
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A quarter of people now say they are less likely to prepare a roast dinner at the end of the week / Credit: The Firehouse MCR | The Refuge
And, sadly, 18% say they will probably not use their oven at all in response to the crisis.
When it comes to the actual food shopping habits that the UK public predict they’ll have to adopt over the coming months, 20% say they will specifically look for yellow “reduced” stickers on food when shopping, while 28% plan meals in advance, and 23% of people say batch cooking is their key to trying to cut costs.
Other indulgences are also apparently taking a hit too – with a third (34%) saying they have stopped buying takeaways all together, and 31% are eating out less often.
An annual survey has revealed rising energy costs are influencing kitchen habits / Credit: Alex Lam (via Unsplash)
“These findings reveal the extent to which rising food prices and energy costs have impacted on the way the nation eats in a relatively short space of time,” explained Christine Hayes – the Editor of BBC Good Food.
“Traditional cooking methods, the oven and the hob, are being switched off in favour of appliances that use less energy.
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“And shopping baskets and mealtimes at home are looking very different.”
Home Bargains has announced a special two-day closure of all UK stores
Emily Sergeant
Home Bargains has, once again, announced it’ll be closing all its UK stores on both Boxing Day and New Year’s Day this year.
And it’s to make sure staff get a ‘well deserved break’.
After what has been yet another busy year for the retail industry, many workers have been left feeling like they could do with a little extra time off, which is why Home Bargains is following on with what has become a now-annual tradition by shutting up shop on two bank holidays.
All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day & New Years Day.
Announcing the move in a post on social media, the discount retailer confirmed: “All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day and New Years Day. We would like to thank all our colleagues for how hard you have worked this past year, and want you to relax and enjoy the Christmas break with your loved ones.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time the retailer has kept its doors shut on bank holidays.
Many shoppers will recall it has made the same decision to give hardworking staff a break every year since 2019.
Explaining a little more about the decision taken to close all its stores, Home Bargains said: “As a family-run business, we know the importance of being together at Christmas with those we care about most, now more than ever.
“This is our way of saying thank you to our colleagues for their continued hard work and dedication.”
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Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week
Emily Sergeant
Who says breakfast has to end at 11am?
In news that’s set to be music to the ears of breakfast lovers in Manchester, Greggs is giving them exactly what they want.
We all know that brunch is a ‘thing’ by now, so now it’s time for brinner to make a name for itself instead, as Greggs has teamed up with Heinz to bring its much-loved breakfast menu back for tea time, kicking off from 4pm onwards.
The move comes as a new survey has found that the majority of Mancs (69%) admit to enjoying eating breakfast food in the evening, saying it’s ‘convenient and comforting’ – even ranking breakfast as a ‘more important’ meal than tea, as well (38% vs 36%).
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week / Credit: Greggs (Supplied)
Greggs says it has ‘lost count’ of the amount of customers that have tried to order breakfast items after the usual cut-off time, especially in Greater Manchester.
But luckily for those breakfast-loving Mancs, they can finally get their favourite breakfast and sauce pairing long after the morning rush is over next… but only at two Greggs branches, and only for a very limited time.
On Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October, the Heinz x Greggs Brinner collab will be available at Greggs St Mary’s Gate and Greggs Oxford Road, from 4-7pm only.
“We’ve lost count of the number of customers who have tried their luck ordering breakfast after 11am, so when Heinz came to us with the idea of making Brinner a reality, it felt like the perfect excuse to give the people what they want,” explained Zoe Harris, who is the Customer Director at Greggs.
“And let’s be honest, a Greggs Bacon Roll just wouldn’t be the same without a squeeze of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.”
Emily Sergeant -
23rd September 2022 
