Food and drink
NHS workers offered free drink at Starbucks from today

The leading coffee chain will be giving out free drinks to all NHS workers after recent COVID announcement ramps up national workloads again.
With the Prime minister launching a “Omicron booster national mission” earlier this week with the intent of rolling out 1 million booster jabs per day, this consequently means longer hours and a more packed workload for the already overwhelmed NHS.
Read the latest COVID news here: https://gb-today.com/
The exclusive offer comes from the the partnership with NHS charities together and Starbucks to promote and recognise the effort which workers have out in throughout the prolonged pandemic.
The offer coincides with Starbuck’s new and updated Christmas menu including new additions such as Fudge Brownie hot chocolate and a Caramel waffle latte meaning its the perfect time to step away from a boring cappuccino and try some festive themed delights.
Starbucks UK Vice president and general manager Alex Rayner said: Starbucks is committed to strengthening the communities we serve in.”
“As part of our ongoing partnership with NHS Charities Together we wanted to say a huge festive thank you to the NHS staff that live and work in our communities”
Chief executive at NHS Charities Together Ellie Orton OBE stated: “were incredibly grateful for the continued support from Starbucks”
“Winter is always an incredibly challenging time for the NHS – and this is one of the toughest ever – which is why ongoing public support is so important”
Starbucks are also promoting in store fundraising for those who want to show their appreciation for our guardian angels who have helped us through this difficult time.
So if you work for the NHS, get to your local Starbucks and get a well deserved free drink, let your NHS friends know by sharing this with them!
Featured
Supermarkets limit sales of fruit and vegetables

Asda and Morrisons are putting limits on purchases of some fruit and vegetables as supermarkets face shortages of fresh produce.
Asda said it was capping sales of items such as tomatoes, peppers and lettuce at three each per customer.
Morrisons said limits of two on products like cucumbers would be introduced at stores from Tuesday.
Pictures of empty supermarket shelves have been circulating on social media, after shoppers found it hard to get some items in recent days.
The shortages – which are affecting Ireland too – are largely the result of extreme weather in Spain and north Africa, where floods, snow and hail have affected harvests.
During this time of year, a significant proportion of what the UK consumes usually comes from those regions.
The shortages are expected to last “a few weeks” until the UK growing season begins and retailers find alternative sources of supply, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said.
Andrew Opie, director of Food and Sustainability at the trade group, added that supermarkets are “adept at managing supply chain issues” and were working with farmers to ensure the continued supply of fresh produce.
As well as tomatoes, peppers and lettuce, Asda said it was also limiting sales of salad bags, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflowers and raspberry punnets.
“Like other supermarkets, we are experiencing sourcing challenges on some products that are grown in southern Spain and north Africa,” a spokesperson said.
Morrisons said as well that cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and peppers were affected at its shops.
However, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Aldi, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer currently do not have limits in place.
In the winter months the UK imports around 95% of its tomatoes and 90% of its lettuces, most of it from Spain and north Africa, according to the BRC.
Southern Spain has been suffering unusually cold weather and in Morocco crop yields have been affected by floods, while storms have led to ferries being delayed or cancelled.
Meanwhile in the UK and Netherlands, farmers have cut back on their use of greenhouses to grow winter crops due to higher electricity prices.
Have you noticed empty shelves in supermarkets this week?
Best of North East
Doner Kebab Toastie Introduced at Tynemouth Market

Mardi Gras No. 58 have made the ‘Doner Delish’ a permanent addition to their toastie menu.
This mouth-watering meal has been unveiled by a food stall at Tynemouth Market, where it “went down a storm” with customers on its debut weekend at the end of last month. So much so, the husband and wife duo Nicki Thompson and Dean Thompson, have made it a permanent addition to their Tynemouth Market food stall.
The couple set up their Mardi Gras No.58 food stall at the popular market in October last year, specialising in sourdough toasties “with a twist”.
The stall strives to serve up “quirky and modern” toasties like the customer favourite Popeye Pesto, a toastie filled with pesto-coated chicken, spinach and cheese. Or for those who like a kick, there’s also the Buffalo Badboy, made of spicy beef mince with jalapenos and fresh chillies.
Mardi Gras has already taken inspiration from other popular takeaway dishes, with their Pizza Pepperoni toastie sandwiching pizza toppings between two sourdough slices.
Packed with doner meat, crispy red onion, gooey melted cheese, and finished off with garlic and chilli sauce, Nicki and Dean urged people via their Facebook page: “Don’t knock it until you try it!”.
The couple have hinted at toastie fans to “watch this space” for more indulgent inventions from Mardi Gras No. 58 coming soon!
What takeaway delight would you like to see in toastie form next? We’d love to try a take on the Teesside parmo!
Would you try the ‘Doner Delish’?
Featured
Karen’s On Tour: The Rudest Restaurant in The World is about to pop up in Newcastle!

Don’t you dare ask for the manager…
Karen’s On Tour has a simple mission, to be as rude to as many people as possible allover Great Britain. They guarantee the worst service in Europe whilst ensuring that the New York style food is great.
“Once you’re in a Karen’s”, said Ryan Blackburn, Managing Director of Karen’s On Tour, “you’ll not be thinking about strikes, Brexit or electricity costs, you’ll just be wanting to survive!”
The company behind Karen’s Diners currently has multiple stores across Australia, the UK and America, including Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Birmingham (Grand Central)
“Customers would need to expect plenty of sass, great food, and a sprinkle of bad attitude”, said Ryan, ”so don’t expect special treatment as it’s all about Karen, and she won’t be taking any nonsense!
All will be able to have fun and wind the staff up to unleash their full inner Karen potential”.
Newcastle Karen’s can expect a full menu with “In your face” burgers, sweet treats, thick shakes and, of course, the Karen inspired cocktail menu. There is even some Karen’s merch on offer! Vegetarians, vegans & non alcoholics will all be catered for but don’t expect Karen to be happy about it.
The North East Updates team makes it’s first exclusive visit to Karen’s On Tour on Wed 18th January to film some unsuspecting guests! Karen’s on tour opens fully to the public on in Febuary 2023, who will you bring?
Video coming soon to the North East Updates channel! Subscribe here: http://www.youtube.com/@northeastupdates
Don’t miss out on this great food but awful service! Whatever you do, don’t ask for a refund!
Booking essential https://www.karensontour.co.uk
-
Sports1 year ago
Newcastle transfer rumours as January window approaches
-
Best of North East1 year ago
Top 10: Date Ideas In Newcastle
-
News1 year ago
Local mum left with serious injuries after being spiked
-
Sports1 year ago
Rumours: How could Newcastle line-up after the January transfer window?
-
Featured1 year ago
North-East Collection Points For Ukraine Donations
-
Featured1 year ago
Humanitarian aid for Ukraine collection point in Newcastle
-
Sports1 year ago
Favourites to sign for Newcastle in January, according to SkyBet
-
Sports10 months ago
Six potential strikers that would improve Newcastle’s attack