Food & Drink
The discontinued retro crisps that need to be brought back
You don’t get crisps like these anymore…
While us Brits take our love of crisps very seriously, far too many iconic variations have been quietly disappearing from the shelves over the years.
Walkers recently sent the country into a frenzy with the relaunch of its prawn cocktail flavoured Wotsits but, sadly, other crisp variations have failed to stand the test of time.
One Reddit user recently decided to ask the British public which crisps they miss the most and, let’s just say, it was a real nostalgia hit. Here are some of the most missed crisps from over the years…
Walkers
Wotsits Wafflers
Who remembers these? Wotsits Wafflers featured the same corn puff texture as your standard Wotsits, but were instead shaped like waffles and covered in a tasty bacon dusting.
Wafflers eventually became part of the Smiths range in 2013, but were sadly discontinued just two years later in 2015.
Walkers
BBQ Rib flavoured Walkers
These came up a lot – Walkers’ BBQ Rib flavour was a massive hit across the country, mainly because they tasted uncannily alike to an actual BBQ rib, a real feat in the world of crisp flavours.
For reasons unbeknown to most of us, however, Walkers quietly discontinued the flavour a couple of years back. And, while it was recently resurrected for the Walkers Flavours of the Decades collection, it just didn’t hit the same as it did back in the day.
Amazon
KP Beef Crisps
Remarkably, KP (the brand known best for its peanuts) sold beef flavoured crisps once upon a time and, according to one Redditor, ‘no other beef crisps have ever tasted anywhere near as beefy’.
Not much is known about the KP crisps, though the company did own Brannigans crisps, whose entire production line was discontinued in 2020 as a result of declining sales.
Smiths
Ready Salted Chipsticks
Once upon a time, the iconic salt and vinegar flavoured Chipsticks we all know and love once came in a ready salted flavour, complete with a very disorientating red and white striped packet.
Countless petitions have been set up to see the return of the blander flavour since it was discontinued a couple of years back, with a spokesperson for Walkers saying: “It’s great to see so much love for one of our old school Chipsticks flavours… We can’t promise they’re coming back, I’m afraid.”
Walkers
Lamb and Mint flavoured Walkers
Much like the BBQ Rib flavour, Walkers’ roast lamb and mint flavour was elite and on a whole new crisp flavour level.
Much like it’s BBQ Rib cousin, however, the roast lamb flavour was discontinued some years ago and hasn’t seen the light of day since. It’s an unfair world.
Smiths
Cheese Flavoured Moments
Cheese Flavoured Moments were a huge hit back in the day and were definitely one of the more unique crisp options on the shelves.
While they were discontinued some years ago, however, Walkers recently revealed plans to bring them back, with a spokesperson telling Leicestershire Live: “It’s great to see so much love for our old favourites, Cheese Moments. While we can’t promise a comeback at this stage, our teams certainly share the petitioners’ enthusiasm for this classic flavour!”
Walkers
Blue Monster Munch
Yep, pickled onion flavoured Monster Munch with the ability to turn the eaters’ tongue blue. Very chaotic and wonderfully ’00s.
However, the blue Monster Munch wasn’t to be, and it was discontinued after a short period (probably because pickled onions aren’t blue). As you can imagine, there haven’t been overwhelming calls for the return of this flavour with Brits instead settling with the non-colour changing alternative.
Doritos
Doritos 3D
Okay, not everybody wants to see the return of Doritos 3D, but they’re got a fair few mentions and are definitely a cultural phenomenon in their own right.
They originally debuted in 1998 and were discontinued just a few years in the early 2000s because, as it turns out, people prefer their tortilla chips to be 2D. Though they did come with some mint flavours, including jalapeño cheddar, nacho cheese and zesty ranch.
Burton’s
Burton’s Fish n Chips
Now this is a real blast from the past – the iconic Burton’s salt and vinegar flavoured Fish n Chips crips were a snack staple throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
They were sadly discontinued over ten years ago, but rumour has it you can still get your hands on some in selected stores across the country after a vigorous rebranding campaign in 2014. Hallelujah!
Jacob’s
Branston Pickle Mini Cheddars
While Jacob’s Mini Cheddars are in a whole league of their own, the Branston Pickle flavour catapulted them to whole new levels.
For reasons unbeknown to us, Jacob’s discontinued the flavour, along with the equally as tasty ham and spring onion flavours, too. (Though if you look hard enough online, some Branston Pickle flavoured bags are still knocking about).
Food & Drink
Italiana Fifty Five’s new winter menu features pasta so fresh it’s made in front of you
So, so good!
Italiana Fifty Five, the popular Italian spot with locations in the city centre and Didsbury, has launched a brand new winter menu and it’s a must-try for pasta fans.
They’re serious about fresh pasta, and in the front window of their Wilmslow Road restaurant you can see chefs prepare various types of pasta on traditional equipment.
This includes everything from rigatoni cylinders to squiggly ribbons of reginette.
Manchester’s Finest Group
New additions to the menu include a carbonara, made to the traditional recipe with egg and parmesan, as well as a fresh ravioli with spinach and sage.
You’ll also find an eight-hour cooked beef shin ragù with pappardelle, and an oven-baked vodka sauce dish, complete with crispy bits on top.
Other new additions to the menu include a cappellacci di burrata, served in a meaty Tuscan sauce, and a mushroom-heavy reginette dish.
Manchester’s Finest Group
There’s a couple of autumnal-leaning starters too, including bruschetta topped with stracciatella di bufala, and some Sicilian-style arancini too.
The new menu is available at all sites, however you’ll only find the fresh homemade pasta in the Didsbury branch. Get yourself booked in HERE.
Italiana Fifty Five have extended their August 50% off deal on their a la carte menu, so you can now grab a bargain until Sunday September 15th.
This means dishes like their trofie with pesto, lobster ravioli and their famous linguine pecorino, served flambéed at the table from a giant wheel of cheese are still half price.
The a la carte menu is available all day, every day, and takes in a breadth of Italian classics, antipasti and pasta dishes, pizza, cuts from the grill and desserts.
Manchester’s Finest Group
You’ll be able to kick off with dishes like mozzarella fritta, calamari and capesante gratinate – seared scallops finished with parmesan cheese under the grill.
It will also, of course, include perhaps its most famous dish – the linguine pecorino, which is flambéed tableside in a huge wheel of aged pecorino cheese.
For pushing the boat out, there’s also a sharing slab of chateaubriand steak, carved at the table and served with parmesan baby roast potatoes and a cherry tomato and parmesan salad.
Manchester’s Finest Group
Then you can finish up with homemade desserts, like a panna cotta, pistachio cannoli or a classic tiramisu.
The offer is available at all three Italiana Fifty Five sites – Liverpool Rd, Great Northern and Didsbury Village.
Get booked in HERE.
Food & Drink
Popeyes opening new drive-thru in Manchester tomorrow with FREE chicken
It’s the second Popeyes to open in Manchester
Louisiana-style fried chicken chain Popeyes has announced plans to open more restaurants this year, including a second site in Greater Manchester – which opens tomorrow, Friday April 26th.
The chain opened its 33rd UK site in Piccadilly Gardens in October last year, which proved an instant hit with visitors forming queues along the street and around the corner just to sample its classic Southern fried chicken.
Regular customers have learned to take early lunches to avoid the rush as it fills up with hungry people every day.
Now its new drive-thru, located on Bury New Road, is opening tomorrow, Friday April 26th, with both the doors and lanes officially opening from 11am.
Greater Manchester and the North West’s first drive-thru location, the restaurant will mark the brand’s 11th opening in 2024 and 47th site in the UK.
And of course, they’re giving away FREE chicken on opening day, with the first three people queuing both on-foot and in cars winning free Chicken Sandwiches for a whole year.
As well as that, the first 25 customers in both queues will also be rewarded with a free Chicken Sandwich and exclusive Popeyes merchandise.
You’ll have to get there early if you want to be one of the first three, however, as fans queued for more than 16 hours when the Piccadilly Gardens site opened last year.
And from Saturday, April 27th, you’ll also be able to grab breakfast at the new restaurant.
The ‘Brekkie’ menu features British Breakfast classics with a New Orleans twist, like the Big Cajun Breakfast Roll, Cajun Hash Browns and Nutella-topped buttermilk biscuits.
Breakfast will be available until 11am every day, and will even include a Bacon Roll Meal for just £1.99, which includes a Bacon Roll, a Hash Brown and a drink.
For those who have not yet had the pleasure of sampling Popeyes’ crunchy flavoursome goodness, its menu features classic offerings like the Chicken Sandwich, with signature 12-hour marinated chicken and original Southern biscuits and gravy.
Additionally, a variety of side dishes like mac & cheese, mash with Cajun gravy, and original biscuits will be served, alongside milkshakes in various flavours including vanilla, chocolate, mocha, and specialities like Oreo, Lotus Biscoff, and strawberry cheesecake.
What’s more, fans across the UK can now start their day with a Cajun twist – with Popeyes Breakfast Menu now available nationwide.
Tom Crowley, Popeyes UK Chief Executive Officer, commented: “Following the success of our Manchester Piccadilly restaurant, we are thrilled to bring our newest Popeyes to Bury New Road, marking our third restaurant in the North West.
“Our new restaurant will also be a Drive-Thru, meaning customers in Greater Manchester can enjoy our Famous Louisiana Chicken by dining in, via the Drive Thru lane, or by ordering online for kerbside collection.
“Our most recent openings have been some of the biggest to date, not just in the UK but for Popeyes globally, and we’re confident that Bury New Road will be just as popular.”
If you fancy winning free Chicken Sandwiches for a year, but don’t have time to queue up outside the new restaurant, then keep your eyes peeled on our Instagram tomorrow, Friday April 26th, as we’re going to be running a competition where you can win just that!
T&Cs: Offer entitles the holder to 3 free Chicken Sandwiches per week for 52 weeks. The 12 months starts on receipt of the email containing the first 3 links. Available in any Popeyes Louisiana Chicken UK restaurant, only on our Classic or Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Non transferable, not valid in conjunction with any other offer. Offer is redeemable only when you order online for collection through our website. Over 18s only.
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