McDonald’s has brought back the £1.99 Happy Meal to feed hungry kids and help families keep costs low this summer.
It doesn’t seem that long ago since you could walk into your nearest Maccies and grab your little ones an iconic Happy Meal box for less than £2, does it?
Sadly now though, as the rising cost of living crisis continues to make its impact felt for millions of families across the UK, you’re looking at parting ways with close to £3.49 for the fast food meal and toy instead.
The good news is, with schools across Leeds and the rest of the country set to break up for six full weeks from this week, that £3.49 price has been slashed for the summer, and is now available to make the most of.
That’s right – from now right up until next Wednesday (31 July), the £1.99 Happy Meal is back, and all you’ll need to do to get your hands on one is download and order via the McDonald’s app.
Offering parents, carers, and guardians an up to 40% reduction on the average price of the Happy Meal, the popular fast food retailer says it wants its limited-time offer to “bring smiles to the faces of families across the country this summer”.
McDonald’s has brought £1.99 Happy Meals back for a limited time only this summer / Credit: Rawpixel | Pexels
App users will be eligible for one £1.99 Happy Meal per day.
Kids can choose from either Chicken McNuggets, Fish Fingers, or Veggie Dippers for their main, and then pair that with a side of either and Apple and Grape bag or a Carrot Bag, before picking from a handful of drinks options including water, milk, or a Fruit Shoot.
And what’s a Happy Meal without a toy, right?
Well, for the current Happy Meal – which is now available, and runs up until 27 August – McDonald’s has partnered with ILLUMINATION Pictures especially to celebrate the highly-anticipated release of Despicable Me 4 to offer a Minions-themed box and toy and activities selection.
£1.99 Happy Meals are available to order on the McDonald’s App at all branches across the UK up until Wednesday 31 July.
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
The Swine That Dines announces the official opening date of its brand new restaurant
Clementine Hall
Much-loved Leeds Bistro The Swine Bistro, formerly known as The Swine That Dines, has moved to a bigger space in Headingley.
Although it’s gone through a few name changes over the years since launching as The Greedy Pig cafe in 2012, this independent spot has long been a firm favourite for Leeds locals for some time now.
Run by chef couple Jo and Stu Myers, they’ve been operating out of North Street where it’s all about cooking seasonal produce simply and with an added ‘little bit of sunshine’.
But now Swine Bistro has moved up over to Headingley, taking up a unit previously occupied by Jam hairdressers on Otley Road.
Image: Supplied
And the time has finally come for them to open their doors, as they announce their first service will take place on Friday 4 April with bookings open from today, Thursday 20 March.
The Myers will be welcoming head chef Kirsty Cheetham, who won Observer Food Monthly’s Best Sunday Lunch award in 2018 and 2022 when she ran The Queen o’t owd Thatch in South Milford, Leeds.
The expanded space in the restaurant has allowed the team to curate a bigger wine list which will include natural wines from Wayward Wines and Latitude Wines as well as local beers from Ilkley Brewery and Horsforth Brewery.
Image: Supplied
The team remains passionate about locally sourced ingredients and has partnered with a variety of Yorkshire suppliers including R&J Yorkshire for its fresh meat, Tarbetts fishmonger, cheese from George & Joseph cheesemongers and beans from micro roaster, Chipp Coffee Co.
Jo Myers, co-owner of the Swine Bistro said: “It’s taken a huge amount of time and effort to realise our dream to revamp what was previously a hairdresser into a fully functioning kitchen and restaurant. It’s been a wild ride but we’re excited, and slightly nervous, to finally open our doors.
“We love the vibe in Headingley and the time out has allowed us to have fun with our menu as well as take part in lots of essential taste testing of ingredients and drinks from our brilliant local suppliers. We can’t wait to welcome guests into our new restaurant!”
Emily Sergeant -
23rd July 2024 
