The protesters lay on the floor beside their children and buggies (Picture: Ed O’Meara)
Protesters from Extinction Rebellion have taken over a Waitrose to stage a mass ‘die-in’.
The climate change rebels lay on the ground pretending to be dead to sound the alarm about the need to protect our planet.
Dozens of them, including parents with their children, filled the aisles as other shoppers tip-toe around them to reach the supermarket shelves.
Comedian Ryan Hand was shopping in the Waitrose in King’s Cross this afternoon and filmed the protesters as he tried to buy a cucumber.
‘Had to carefully navigate through the fruit and veg aisle to get my cucumber like lol,’ he wrote on Twitter.
The climate protesters played dead on the ground (Picture: Ed O’Meara)
Their children joined them in the protest (Picture: Newsflare)
The protesters said the ‘die-in’ represents the ‘death toll that will come from global food shortages’.
They wrote: ‘Our government is failing to act on climate change.
‘And this means it is failing to act to protect us from the threat of food shortages.
‘Right now, everything looks fine. The supermarket shelves are stacked. We have more choice, and more abundance, of exotic world foods, than we could ever imagine.
‘And if the strawberries are sold out, not to worry, there’ll be more on the shelves tomorrow. But this is an illusion, and we need to wake up!’
Shoppers had to tip-toe around them (Picture: Newsflare)
The protesters said they were representing the death of crops (Picture: Newsflare)
It was quite possibly the most spectacular climate stunt to date, a woman has glued her breasts to the road outside the Goldman Sachs offices yesterday.
The eco-protester was spotted by passengers on a bus lying face down with her top up to her neck.
Several police officers surrounded her and put up screens as they began the ‘ungluing’ process.
Extinction Rebellion (XR) demonstrators temporarily blockaded the London Stock Exchange by gluing themselves across entrances to the trading hub in the City of London early on Thursday morning.
Her protest was spotted by passengers on the double decker bus (Picture: Jamie Lorriman)
Police tried to stop the public watching the one-woman protest (Picture: Jamie Lorriman)
They were un-attached before being taken away in police vans, with Scotland Yard saying 26 people had been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespassing.
Elsewhere, five protesters including 83-year-old grandfather Phil Kingston clambered onto the roof of a DLR train at Canary Wharf station in east London, holding signs saying ‘business as usual = death’ and ‘don’t jail the canaries’.
British Transport Police (BTP) used ropes, ladders and harnesses to remove them before confirming five people were arrested on suspicion of obstructing the railway.
Phil Kingston, 83, sits on top of a DLR train as demonstrators block traffic at Canary Wharf Station (Picture: Reuters)
Police take the pensioner away after his protest at Canary Wharf Station (Picture: Reuters)
An XR spokeswoman said Thursday’s targets were selected because ‘the financial industry is responsible for funding climate and ecological destruction and we are calling on them, the companies and the institutions that allow this to happen, to tell the truth’.
Some 1,130 people have been arrested during the protests which started 11 days ago on April 15, while more than 10,000 police officers have been deployed.
The Metropolitan Police said 69 people have been charged.
The action has seen Waterloo Bridge and Oxford Circus blocked, a ‘die-in’ at the Natural History Museum, and activists gluing themselves to objects.
In a statement announcing the end of its action, XR said: ‘We would like to thank Londoners for opening their hearts and demonstrating their willingness to act on that truth.
‘We know we have disrupted your lives. We do not do this lightly. We only do this because this is an emergency.’
If you’re planning tho head to the shops this Monday to do some shopping then you may want to plan ahead, as many shops will have reduced opening hours for the bank holiday.
Here is everything that you need to know about the opening times for Morrisons, Waitrose, Asda and Iceland.
Morrisons
(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Some Morrisons stores will be opening slightly later on bank holiday Monday at 8am, and then closing earlier at 7pm.
They will then return to their usual opening hours from Tuesday 7 May.
You can find out the exact opening times for your local store by using the Morrisons store finder.
Waitrose
(Photo by: Education Images/UIG via Getty Images)
Most Waitrose stores will have reduced opening hours on bank holiday Monday.
Many will be opening from 9am or 10am and then closing at 6pm, while others will be running from 8am-8pm or 10am-4pm depending on the area.
The variety in times means that it’s best to check you local store on the Waitrose branch finder to see when it will be open on the bank holiday.
Asda
(Photo by: Loop Images/UIG via Getty Images)
Most Asda stores will be running with reduced opening hours on bank holiday Monday, but the petrol stations will continue to have their usual opening times.
Many stores will open later at 7.30am or 8am and then close at 8pm, before returning to their normal hours on Tuesday 7 May.
You can find out the exact opening hours for your local supermarket by using the Asda store locator.
Iceland
(Picture: In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images)
Most Iceland supermarkets will be running with their normal opening times on bank holiday Monday.
This means that most of the shops will be open from 7am or 8am and then close at 9pm or 10pm.
You can find out the exact opening hours for your local shop by using the Iceland store finder.
Karla spotted the problem on her confirmation email (Picture SWNS)
We’ve seen some pretty silly supermarket substitutions in our time – remember the mum who got two ‘2’s and a one candle instead of a five?
Karla Tandazo, 28, from Mill Hill East, London, though, had an even bigger shock when she pressed checkout on her delivery.
The supermarket had somehow accidentally ordered 1,404 packs of two Wild Alaskan Keta salmon fillets to her order – costing £4,689.98.
Luckily, American Express notified her of ‘unusual activity’ and she spotted the mistake long before the delivery was due.
Can you imagine trying to get almost 3,000 salmon fillets off your doorstep?
The packs are normally priced at £4.99 but thanks to a 3 for £10 deal, Karla saved over £2,500. She would have been charged £7,005.95, were it not for the deal.
Thinking that she’d made the colossal mistake herself, Karla read and reread her first order to make sure she hadn’t accidentally added 1,404 packs of salmon.
Karla’s order (Picture: KarlaTandazo / SWNS)
The supermarket told Karla that she’d receive a £4,689.98 refund within seven days, and said they were ‘really sorry about the inconvenience this must have caused’ .
‘I was working from home when I made the order,’ she said.
‘You have to imagine, I wasn’t thinking too hard about this – I saw that salmon deal, and thought that sounded nice, so I put them in the basket.
‘Then I got an email from American Express telling me about unusual recent activity, which is when I discovered I’d been charged thousands of pounds.
‘For a moment, I wondered if I’d been so silly and ordered 1,404 salmon packs.
‘After I could see there must have been some kind of system error, I got in touch with Waitrose, who – to be fair – were very helpful and apologetic.
‘Though they did say they’d need to speak to their manager about x, y, and z.
‘I found the whole thing confusing, but pretty funny – I’ve taken to telling my friends.
‘I’d have refused to have taken 3,000 pieces of salmon in at first, and then given them away at the station or something, or even opened up a little shop.’
Talina Llewellyn, 55, was caught putting the bottles into her car (Picture: WALES NEWS SERVICE)
A former civil servant caught stealing £253 worth of luxury champagne from Waitrose has been found guilty of theft.
Talina Llewellyn, 55, loaded her trolley with bottles of Laurent Perrier, Lanson rose champagne and Jackson Estate pinot noir wine while at the store in Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan.
Staff then saw her placing the bottles into the boot of her Lexus car, Swansea Crown Court heard.
Llewellyn had apparently been ‘on the radar’ of staff after earlier visits to the store, and manager Rachel Parsons stood in the foyer for up to 15 minutes watching her in the plant section.
But when Ms Parsons got distracted by a customer, Llewellyn disappeared and was only seen again when loading up her car in the car park.
She claimed she had been getting water from her car (Picture: WALES NEWS SERVICE)
The court heard staff took her into an office inside the store, where they then phoned the police.
Llewellyn, who was a former manager for the Department for Work and Pensions, faced a two-day trial over the theft, which took place on February 5 this year.
She claimed she had gone to her car to get tonic water because she was thirsty – a side effect of the medication she was taking.
The court heard she left her job at the civil service, where she worked for 30 years, after being diagnosed with a brain tumour, for which she is still receiving treatment.
Llewellyn, of Cowbridge, was found guilty of theft at Swansea Crown Court.
Judge Paul Thomas QC fined her £400 and ordered her to pay £2,800 prosecution costs (Picture: Media Wales)
She has a previous police penalty notice for shoplifting from 2013.
Judge Paul Thomas QC fined her £400 and ordered her to pay £2,800 prosecution costs.
He said: ‘You felt you would have a better chance of persuading a jury than a bench of magistrates.’
It’s the talk of the chattering classes in Nottingham
The middle classes of Nottingham are up in arms after discovering that a branch of Waitrose is going to be replaced with Lidl.
The supermarket has deemed that it is unprofitable and is one of seven stores they will be closing across the UK – three of which are going to Lidl.
Residents near the store in Wollaton have spoken of their disappointment.
Local shopper Daphne Simpson said: ‘Three quarters of the people who live here are not Lidl customers.
‘They expect a higher quality product and this is what you get from Waitrose here. Everyone I’ve spoken to is upset about it.’
Ian Hall, added: ‘I’m disappointed. The staff were always friendly and helpful. They’ll talk to you, unlike other supermarkets where they’re trying to rush you out all the time.
The store in Nottingham is one of seven closing across the UK, some of which will be turned into budget brands (Picture: Google Maps)
‘I’ll miss the little things like different types of cheeses. I think it’s going to be a lot more basic with Lidl and that’s the problem.
‘We’ll still keep coming here because we live very close but I don’t think we’ll get the same quality.
‘It could also drop the price of houses because it went up round here when Waitrose came in.’
Last year Lloyds bank discovered Waitrose adds £43,571 to the cost of a house compared to £5,411 for a Lidl.
Upmarket brands have struggled as pressure is applied from discount brands like Lidl and Aldi.
They are now the UK’s fifth and seventh largest grocers.
Author of Consumer: How Shopping Fed the Class System Harry Wallop said snobbery is at play.
People who would normally complain about the opening of a supermarket nearby welcome Waitrose with open arms because they are a ‘badge of a nice middle class area, one in which you are bound to find excellent schools and good coffee shops’.
More than 200 items were taken out of their packaging and it has proved successful (Picture: PA
Waitrose is extending its trial to take products out of their packaging following a positive response in the first store.
The ‘Unpacked’ scheme was tested in Oxford, with a dedicated refill zone with dispensers for products from pasta to wine, as well as the UK’s first supermarket ‘pick and mix’ for frozen fruit, including mango and strawberries.
More than 200 products, from cut flowers, fruit and vegetables to wine, beer, lentils, couscous and seeds, were taken out of their packaging at the Botley Road shop in June as part of efforts to cut waste.
Feedback from shoppers has been overwhelmingly positive and ‘Unpacked’ sales have overtaken those of equivalent products in packaging, Waitrose & Partners said.
Now the retailer has announced it is extending the trial in the store beyond the original end date of August 18, and the refillable concept will be rolled out for testing in three more stores in Cheltenham, Abingdon and Wallingford.
Frozen ‘pick and mix’ fruit at a refill zone in one of the Waitrose stores trialling bring your own box dispensers (Picture: PA)
All three shops will have a dedicated refill zone, with dispensers for dried products such as pasta, the frozen pick and mix, coffee, wine and beer refills, and Ecover detergent and washing-up liquid refillables.
There will also be a wide range of unpacked fruit and veg, although it will change to reflect the season and where the produce comes from.
Two elements of the trial – the veg kitchen which saw staff preparing vegetables for customers and the ‘borrow-a-box’ option for people instead of bringing their own containers – were not as successful.
The scheme included:
160 loose fruit and vegetable products
Frozen mango, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, pineapple and raspberries available as pick and mix
Plastic removed from flowers and plants and replaced with 100% recyclable craft paper
A partnership with Ecover providing an automatic detergent and washing up liquid dispenser
Four wines and four beers available on tap to take home in reusable bottles
Four coffees can be ground to take home in a reusable container
28 products including pasta, rice, grains, couscous, lentils, cereals, dried fruit and seeds available through dispensers
They will be removed from Botley Road by the end of August and not feature in the new stores, which are getting the unpacked makeover as part of already-planned refurbishments this year.
Tor Harris, from Waitrose & Partners, said: ‘The reaction to Waitrose Unpacked has been incredible, with the invaluable feedback from thousands of customers giving us the confidence that they are prepared to change how they shop with us.
‘We are keen to take the ‘Unpacked’ concept forward and these additional tests will help us achieve this as well as understand its commercial viability.
‘Through working with our customers and suppliers we will continue to learn and develop ideas which have the potential to be rolled out more widely.’
Waitrose said it was saving on plastic and packaging as products arrive in the store; for example, through buying in bulk on the refills, receiving the unpacked fruit and veg on reusable trays, and beer coming in kegs rather than individual glass bottles.
A sustainability consultant is carrying out an analysis of the overall impact of the test to give the retailer an accurate picture of carbon, food waste and packaging reduction throughout the supply chain before potentially rolling the scheme out more widely.
Sian Sutherland, co-founder of campaign group A Plastic Planet, said: ‘We are so encouraged to hear that Waitrose have had such a positive reaction from their customers on the ‘Unpacked’ trial.
‘It is no longer acceptable to blame the public for plastic pollution.
‘Brands and retailers simply need to offer their customers a better choice, a new way of shopping that is guilt-free.’
She added that businesses which do not step up to the challenge of selling something different ‘will be the next dinosaurs’.
The angry shopper gave staff a handwritten note explaining why she did not like the bread (Picture: SWNS)
A Waitrose shopper made ‘the most middle class complaint’ ever after moaning that ‘too many seeds’ had ruined the ‘character’ of her luxury bread.
The vexed shopper, said to be in her 50s, stormed to customer services hours after buying a £1.49 Jackson’s Seeded Bloomer in her local store in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, according to an onlooker.
She presented the half-eaten 800g loaf with a handwritten note of complaint that named the bread ‘not as good’ as it was two months ago.
It read: ‘Quantity of seeds has increased over the last 2 months. Character of bread has now changed. Not as good.’
After grumbling to staff for 15 minutes, the disgruntled woman was granted a refund and assured that Waitrose took her grievance seriously.
The makers of the bread insisted there had been no change in the number of seeds (Picture: SWNS)
The witness said: ‘I don’t think you could get a more middle class complaint if you tried. I went in to pick up a parcel at lunchtime and at first didn’t take much notice.
‘But after a few minutes I took a quick look at what was on the counter as I’m usually in and out after a few minutes.
‘I’ve never seen anyone take such a firm view on seeds. The poor customer service worker had to hear the history of her bread buying.’
She added: ‘She had apparently been buying that loaf for years. She really did seem quite upset. I don’t know how long she was there for but she was there when I walked in and was still there 15 minutes later.
‘If a company decides to change its recipe or get a bad batch, it’s just one of those things. I’m quite bemused by the fact she ate half of it just to be sure.
She was concerned that the amount of seeds in her bread had ruined its character (Picture: SWNS)
‘She left after she had reassurance the complaint would be taken seriously and passed on. It couldn’t be a more fitting Waitrose complaint.’
According to the makers of the bread, there has been no change in the number of seeds put in the £1.49 Jackson’s Seeded Bloomer over the past two month.
Jackson’s Marketing Manager Deborah Dyson said: ‘The only change we’ve made to our bread recently is to remove palm oil and this has been at the request of our customers, but this hasn’t affected our bread in the slightest and there’s definitely no more seeds going into our seeded bloomer.
‘Sorry to hear we’ve had an unhappy customer – we do have a white or a brown bloomer she might like to try instead.’
A potential Christmas dessert? (Picture: English Cheesecake Company)
Put Biscoff on anything and it’s pretty much going to bang, but this cheesecake seems to be doing so even more.
Since Waitrose launched their collaboration with the English Cheesecake Company – including a Lotus Biscoff offering – it’s been receiving rave reviews from cake connoisseurs.
The cheesecake in question is described as a ‘Creamy vanilla cheesecake swirled and topped with delicious Lotus Biscoff spread and crumb, on a crunchy digestive biscuit base’.
Certainly not for those without a sweet tooth, but if you’re a fan of speculoos you’ll be hooked.
A pack of two single slices of the cake costs £2.63 (down from £3.29), or you can get a 484g, 6 inch cake in store for £4 (down from £5).
Saving huge pennies on the English Cheesecake Company originals (Picture: English Cheesecake Company)
Since its launch this month, glowing praise for the confection has poured in.
One reviewer said: ‘ I’ve introduced so many people to it that I’m now afraid our local Waitrose will be in constant low supply!
‘Best cheesecake I’ve had in years! Very rich and buttery, biscuit is crunchy and portion is quite generous so you could cut each slice in half and share with more friends (who am I kidding, let them buy their own. If they get to the shelf before me that is!)’
Another claimed, ‘This is what angels must eat in order to be angelic’ and said that ‘the rich biscoff topping atop a sumptuous creamy but not cloying vanilla cheesecake filling, with a buttery and crisp biscuit base is quite simply heaven on a plate.’
Given that the cheapest cheesecake you can get direct from the English Cheesecake Company is £25, it’s also a pretty big bargain.
Vegans and those who aren’t Biscoff lovers needn’t miss out, either, as there are dairy free options and other flavours. These include Sicilian lemon mascarpone, cookies and cream, and chocolate and salted caramel.
To check stockists near you, you can do so online. Better get your skates on, though, as it looks like these might fly off the shelves.
Your vegan Full English awaits (Picture: Waitrose)
Vegans who miss bacon and want an alternative to satisfy old cravings may be interested in facon – fake bacon.
Waitrose has launched its first own-label facon to cater to those on a plant-based diet.
You can now get your hands on smoky streaky slices made from seitan (which is made from gluten, the main protein of wheat).
Waitrose is hoping to encourage non-meat eaters to grab the stuff for a vegan fry-up or a facon sandwich.
The latest addition to the vegan has is said to have a rich earthy flavour and it’s been cured in maple syrup to add a hint of sweetness.
The move from Waitrose & Partners comes after an increase in demand for top-quality vegan products.
Waitrose reported that sales for the overall vegan category are up 35% compared to last year.
And specific searches for vegan bacon on Waitrose.com have seen a 94% increase.
So good news for anyone who’s been looking for it, your reward awaits.
Vegan Laksa Noodles are also part of the new range (Picture: Waitrose)
Other new additions to the vegan range include a mushroom & roasted garlic ravioli.
There will also be three new vegan ready meals: vegetable laksa noodles, Goan vegetable curry and a roasted butternut squash vegetable bowl ‘Gill Sans’.
Simona Cohen-Vida, vegan product developer at Waitrose & Partners said: ‘Making delicious, innovative and great quality vegan products is a huge part of what we do.
‘Our vegan bacon strips have been carefully smoked to get a deep rich flavour and the spices used with the seitan makes them perfect for frying.
‘Try them in a sandwich with lashings of tomato sauce or pop them on top of your favourite vegan burger for the ultimate Friday night feast.’
No more plastic trinkets for Christmas (Picture: Getty)
It might not feel like it but Christmas is just around the corner.
With just over two months to go until the big day, The John Lewis Partnership, which owns both John Lewis and Waitrose, has revealed that its Christmas crackers will no longer feature plastic items.
In a move towards sustainability, the group has announced that the festive trinkets featured within will be made from recyclable paper or metal going forward.
Plastic glitter will also be removed from the material that is used to wrap the crackers – which will be embossed with festive motifs instead – and from the own-brand Christmas gift wrapping by two-thirds across the range.
However, this change won’t come into play until next year, meaning that you can still find plastic toys in the 2019 products.
‘Reducing the amount of single-use plastic in products and packaging is really important to us and our customers,’ said Dan Cooper, the head Christmas buyer at John Lewis.
‘One of the challenges I face as a buyer is that we plan 18 months ahead, so it takes time for changes to become a reality.
‘I’m always searching for new, more sustainable products which will make Christmas sparkle but won’t end up spoiling our environment.’
If you’re keen to make your holidays as green as possible, there are other options to choose from this year.
A popular choice with John Lewis and Waitrose shoppers is the ‘fill your own’ crackers, but why not take things a step further and make your own entirely?
This way you can choose environmentally-friendly materials – just make sure to recycle the packaging after the festivities.
Alternatively, if crafts aren’t your thing, you can buy ‘eco crackers’, filled with hats, snaps, mottos and eco gifts, or get reusable crackers to cut down on waste.
Finn Eaglesome and Joe Hodgkins were kicking a football at a car when the driver took it. They followed him to his house and assaulted him (Picture: Google/Getty)
Teenagers who kicked a football at a Waitrose shopper’s car beat him up when he took their ball away.
Finn Alan McDonald Eaglesome, 18, and Joe Hodgkins, 19, followed Oliver Selby back to his house before punching him and shouting ‘where’s my f****** ball?’, Yeovil Magistrates Court heard.
Prosecutor Lindsey Baker said Mr Selby was in the Waitrose multi-storey car park, in Wells, when he saw them kicking a ball that hit the rear driver’s side door, so he got out and booted it away.
She added: ‘Ten minutes later another football came over from the defendants and landed on the road so the victim picked it up and drove off home with it.
‘Eaglesome, Hodgkins and another male then arrived in a car at the victim’s address and Mr Selby didn’t even have time to walk into his house when Eaglesome walked up to him.
‘He grabbed the victim’s hooded top pushing him backwards saying ‘where’s the f****** ball?’
‘He then climbed over the bonnet of his car, opened the door, removed the football and walked back to his car.
Magistrates told the pair that assaulting somebody over a matter as petty as a football was ‘just ridiculous’ (Picture: Google Maps)
‘Hodgkins grabbed Mr Selby’s collar, raised his fist and punched him to the right side of his face causing him to stumble backwards.’
He was left with cuts and scratch marks to his nose and his cheek was red and tender when police arrived.
Prosecutor Baker said all three males were offered a conditional caution by police and one complied but the two defendants did not.
Eaglesome, from West Pennard, and Hodgkins, from Burnham-on-Sea, both in Somerset, appeared in the dock together and pleaded guilty this week to the 25 April assault.
Eaglesome admitted he followed the victim but said he did not push him hard.
Hodgkins told the court he and Mr Selby had hold of each other, exchanging verbal insults, before be punched him in the face.
Mitigating, solicitor Neil Priest said the pair were remorseful.
Crumpets, seaweed and tahini (used in houmous) were all big this year (Picture: Getty)
Think back to 2018 – a time when Theresa May was still Prime Minister and vegans were still missing out on Greggs sausage rolls.
A lot has changed in the last year, including in the food world.
Waitrose has revealed the biggest food trends of 2019, and predicted what we have to look forward to in 2020.
One of the biggest trends this year according to the Waitrose Food and Drink Report, was Tahini, a paste made from hulled sesame seeds that have been toasted and ground.
It’s used to make houmous and searches for jars of stuff on waitrose.com have increased by more than 700% in the last year.
Next up is noodles. Yes, we know they’ve been around forever but using different types of noodles and incorporating them in different ways has become more popular.
Searches for soba noodles on waitrose.com are up 83%, udon noddles searches are up 50% and sales of egg noddles have risen by 22%.
Another tend was celery juice with sales at Waitrose & Partners increasing by 30% and searches on Pinterest rising by 2,457%.
We can’t get enough of the green stuff (Picture: Getty)
Crumpet sales are up 27% this year and Waitrose says they’ve become posher thanks to chefs like Yotam Ottoleghi and Marcus Wareing adding toppings like lobster, cockle butter, cheddar and Marmite.
Sales of grains like amaranth (a protein-rich, gluten-free grain) are up 20%, while pouches containing a mix of quinoa, chickpea, bulgar wheat and rice are up 36%.
Summer might seem like a distant memory right now but Waitrose adds that the trend in the warmer months was for skewers. Four out of five of the bestselling barbecue meat lines were kebabs.
Another trend was seaweed and seaganism. Kelp, algae, samphire and nori have all been popular, with searches for aonori seaweed up 127% on waitrose.com. The store says seaganism – a vegan diet including sustainable seafood – has also been gaining a folllowing.
Finally, luxury frozen food and vegan ready meals have become more popular as people want delicious food that is quick to eat. Waitrose says vegan ready meals have become so popular, sales have overtaken vegetarian microwave dinners.
Outside food, Waitrose has also seen a move towards eco-friendly cleaning products. Sales of eco household cleaning products at Waitrose & Partners are up 17%, eco laundry sales have risen 40% and eco dishwashing products are up 26%. Even recycled toilet paper is selling 39% more than last year.
For drinks, Waitrose says pink drinks, English orange wine, alcohol-free Negroni, cans over bottles and flavouring your own spirits are the latest trends.
They predict a few things to watch out for in the year to come.
People are enjoying making Middle Eastern food at home (Picture: Getty)
Middle Eastern food at home is set to become more popular, according to the report.
The report says: ‘Many of us have been buying houmous or falafels for some time – and the kebab house holds a place in many Brits’ hearts.
‘But now we’re dabbling with the complex flavours of Middle Eastern cuisine at home as well.’
Sales of ingredients like sumac, baharat and zaatar are increasing. Courses including Middle Eastern Mezze, Moroccan Kitchen and Chicken Shawarma are selling out at the Waitrose Cookery School.
Seacuterie is another prediction for 2020. Described as a ‘reimagining of charcuterie, using seafood instead of meat’, the idea started in Australia.
‘In recent years, we’ve seen UK chefs turning out classic meat-based charcuterie to rival anything produced on the Continent,’ Amber Dalton, editor of The Good Food Guide, says.
‘It makes total sense that they’d look to the sea’s bounty to create intriguing new dishes using time-honoured preserving techniques.’
With under-35s wanting to eat less salt, other ways of adding flavour include hot sauce, chilli or extra black pepper but Waitrose predicts we’ll be using more mint, basil or nutmeg as seasoning.
The report adds: ‘Our love for saltiness remains, though, and innovative dishes are replicating the flavour, from crispy chicken skin and halloumi ice cream to tapenade on toast.
‘We can look forward to less salt, but more saltiness.’
And the final prediction for future trends is a move towards better quality meat or fish while cutting down on the amount we eat.
Views on the animal welfare page on waitrose.com are up 37% and the number of flexitarians continues to rise.
Research by YouGov for Waitrose in August 2019 showed that a third of Brits are eating less meat and fish than two years ago, and 32% plan to reduce their consumption even more over the next two years.
Each year, the John Lewis and Partners Christmas ad signals that mince pies are allowed, and give us just cause to stick our trees up and not be called weirdos.
Excitable Edgar meets a little girl, Ava, who is eagerly preparing for Christmas along with her family and friends, and gets so buzzed for the festivities that he keeps accidentally breathing fire.
As they get ready for the big day, quite a few things end up going wrong as a result of his uncontrollable flamethrowing.
For example, ice-skating is brought to a standstill when Edgar accidentally melts the ice-rink, and a carefully built snowman is reduced to a puddle and the annual dressing of the village Christmas tree ends in disaster once Edgar is involved.
Worried he will ruin the Christmas festivities even further, Edgar shuts himself away. But his best friend Ava dreams up the ideal way to show Edgar how much she cares about him. She presents him with the perfect gift – a delicious Christmas pudding – which ensures he plays a unique role in the spectacular village feast, lighting up Christmas in his own special way.
He’s a bit cuddlier than a real dragon (Picture: John Lewis)
No, we’re not crying. We just have brandy butter in our eyes.
Let’s be real, though, there’s always a commercial element to these things. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without people hitting each other over the head for Black Friday televisions.
Indoor Edgar (Picture: John Lewis)
Outdoor Edgar (Picture: John Lewis)
Edible Edgar (Picture: John Lewis)
John Lewis always bring out a range inspired by their now-iconic adverts, and this year is no different. There’s loads of Edgar merch to choose from.
Some things are available at Waitrose, others from John Lewis, and some from both. Here’s what you can get and where:
We think that Excitable Edgar book might make a great addition to a Christmas Eve box – and you could always leave some of the biscuits or cupcakes for ‘Santa’.
If you don’t fancy spending any money (who does at this expensive time of year), you can still get in on the Edgar fun, too.
Snapchat users can give themselves an Edgar-style makeover or see him getting excited in their own world using a bespoke filter, and an Edgar emoji will be available on Twitter until Christmas Day.
We’re sure you won’t ever stop hearing that REO Speedwagon cover song from now until then as a reminder, either.
As the nation continues to obsess over that adorable baby dragon – no, you’re crying – here’s a reminder of some of Waitrose’s past Christmas ads.
Waitrose ads of Christmases past
In 2018, Waitrose broke with tradition and gave us six short Christmas ads instead of one long one.
The collection of ads was known as the Too Good To Wait campaign and focused on the key role that food plays in the joy of Christmas.
One advert saw a choir pianist play a very speedy version of Jingle Bells to get the performance over and done with so she could get her hands on some tasty looking chocolate and cherry mince pies as soon as possible.
Waitrose also partnered with John Lewis in 2018 – for the first year ever – to deliver another cheeky ad which saw a family fast forward through John Lewis’ 2018 offering, The Boy And The Piano, so that they could enjoy their Waitrose stollen.
Craig Inglis, Customer Director at John Lewis & Partners, said at the time: ‘Frankly, it’s hard to believe our colleagues at Waitrose & Partners would choose a stollen over us but, as a big fan of the chocolate orange combo, I suppose if anything can trump an ad starring Elton John, it’s their amazing stollen – some food IS just too good to wait for.’
In 2017, Waitrose released a black and white Christmas ad which followed a group of people snowed in at a pub for Christmas lunch and placed an emphasis on the importance of community.
This was similar to the community-based theme of their 2016 add, which saw a robin undertaking an epic migratory journey to get back to its winter home and enjoy a mince pie with its companion.
Catch the 2019 John Lewis advert during X Factor Celebrity on Saturday on ITV.
Viewers are going wild for the annual trailer from the department store, which follows last year’s Elton John tribute that was slammed for ultimately being a plug for the singer’s new tour, album, film and, well, him.
This year, however, the John Lewis Christmas advert is once again a true golden moment to look forward to. The 90 second mini movie follows an unfortunate dragon who accidentally torches down a town’s Christmas decorations because the slightest sight or mention of the festive holidays puts his flame-throwing nostrils into action.
John Lewis have been forced to apologise to distraught children and their parents (Picture: John Lewis/Getty)
And just hours after reducing the nation to a delicate mess, John Lewis have shared their condolences to the masses, hoping those affected by the advert have been weeping tears of joy.
When one mother complained her child was sobbing because her ‘distraught’ two-year-old daughter just witnessed what looks like the beast melting Olaf from every tot’s favourite movie Frozen, John Lewis stepped in.
‘Oh no, Emma! Sorry to hear that your little one was unhappy with Edgar, he was only trying to [help] Olaf,’ they tweeted.
‘I’ll have a word with Edgar; I hope he changes his ways, or Elsa he will be sent to the naughty corner!’
Another grown adult couldn’t cope with Edgar finding salvation by a Christmas pudding, so the store pleaded: ‘We wanted to warm your heart and reassure everyone there’s lot’s of friends out there waiting to be found just like our gorgeous #ExcitableEdgar.’
Bastille front man Dan Smith’s cover of Can’t Fight This Feeling is already the firm favourite now to clinch this year’s Christmas number one – unless Robbie Williams and Tyson Fury can stop him.
The John Lewis advert launched online this morning but will make its televised debut this Saturday during X Factor: Celebrity and will pop up again during I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! On Sunday.
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Fans of the feted John Lewis Christmas advert are burning with anticipation to see Excitable Edgar make his TV debut (Picture: John Lewis)
John Lewis has unleashed the latest character in its cast of cuddly animations fronting its Christmas advert campaigns, introducing viewers to a snaggle-toothed dragon named Excitable Edgar in a joint campaign with partner retailer Waitrose that it says is all about ‘the magic of friendship and making our loved ones feel special.’
Dan Smith, singer for Alt-pop band Bastille, helped to provide the music for the 150-second burst of feelgood commercialism that follows a young girl, Ava, preparing for Christmas with her family and friends.
Edgar is one of those friends, but the dragon’s enthusiasm for Christmas causes a burning issue as he struggles to contain his ability to breathe fire in his excitement for the festivities.
The character’s molten outbursts melt a snowman and an ice-rink and put paid to the dressing of the local village Christmas tree, causing Edgar to decide to shut himself away to prevent any more problematic appearances in public.
Fans of arguably the country’s most anticipated advert of the year are looking forward to seeing the sequence make its TV debut tonight, when it will air during ITV’s The X Factor: Celebrity.
For many, the advert is inextricably linked to the Christmas spirit. So what time can you see it? Read on to find out…
When is the John Lewis advert on ITV?
As if X Factor: Celebrity isn’t exciting enough, one of its advert breaks will feature the premiere of Ava and Edgar’s adventures, which means the commercial could screen at any point between 8.20pm and 10.10pm tonight.
Simon Cowell’s franchise is always laden with advert breaks, so it’s hard to predict exactly when the festive supermarket message will flicker onto our screens.
Edgar is winging his way to our screens alongside advert accomplice Ava (Picture: John Lewis)
Another musical institution, the London Contemporary Orchestra, has helped to soundtrack the campaign, which features Dan Smith’s take on Can’t Fight this Feeling, the 1984 power balled by REO Speedwagon that reached number one in four countries.
Smith implied he wouldn’t mind receiving one of the spin-off Edgar toys from a campaign that features Ava presenting her fiery friend with a Christmas pudding.
‘We’ve always had a lot of fun putting a twist on classic songs,’ says Smith. ‘It’s been so good to be a part of this orchestral version of an eighties classic.’
If your excitement levels for the ad are already at Edgar level, you can watch the advert, which is thought to have cost around £7m to produce, online.
Explaining the concept behind the commercial, John Lewis’s Craig Inglis said the brand aimed to devise a ‘funny, heartwarming story’.
‘It started from a spark of an idea – a little dragon’s excitement about Christmas – and became the story of how someone goes the extra mile for their best friend to give just the right gift,’ he added.
The packet was labelled with both Waitrose and Aldi
A couple who bought a packet of roasted vegetables from Waitrose were dismayed to find it was labelled from Aldi.
They ordered the veg on Ocado, and it arrived seemingly fine, with the front of the packet reading as expected.
Its underside told a different story, however, saying it had been ‘specially prepared’ for the budget supermarket.
The husband, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: ‘I was really disappointed. I use Waitrose and Ocado for good reasons – reputation and home delivery.
‘And I pay for the privilege.
‘No disrespect to Aldi or their customers but if I wanted their products I’d go to one of their stores.’
The veg had an Aldi sticker on
The Waitrose vegetables cost £2.
Aldi sell a similar product called Ready to Roast Winter Roast/Mediterranean Roast, which is the same weight but costs just £1.29.
The couple complained to Ocado and told MailOnline they received this in response: ‘Thank you for your email. I am sorry to hear that the Waitrose Mediterranean Roast Vegetables received were packed for Aldi.
‘I have now reported this to the relevant team in order to investigate things further with our supplier. I do apologise for the inconvenience caused and once we have an update we will get back in touch.
‘Please let us know if you have further questions in the meantime and we will be more than happy to help.’
A Waitrose spokesman said: ‘We are sorry that there has been an error with the labelling at our suppliers and we are now looking into this.
‘As with all retailers, we will share suppliers for some of our products.
‘Any price variation will be reflected in the different specification of the product, such as ingredients used.’
Some shoppers have been queuing since the early hours to be the first into the shops on Black Friday. (Picture: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The rush to secure the best Black Friday deals and bargains has begun, with shoppers getting up before dawn and queuing outside certain stores in the early hours to be the first to shop the offers.
Supermarkets including Lidl and Waitrose are offering Black Friday bargains for their customers and with some offers only available in-store, here is when you can go and browse the deals for yourself.
Black Friday opening times for Aldi, Lidl, Waitrose and Co-op
Aldi
Aldi is going to be open as normal today and across the weekend with no special opening hours for Friday 29 November as the supermarket isn’t putting on any specific Black Friday deals.
As with all of their ‘Middle of Lidl’ sales, the products will only be available in store and the supermarket chain are emphasising that: ‘When it’s gone…it’s gone’. They will also be implementing a ‘first-come, first-served’ system in-store and have warned: ‘ticketed queuing may be used.’
Lidl have a range of Black Friday bargains on offer. (Picture: Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)
Lidl Black Friday opening times will vary from shop to shop. To check your local branch’s opening times, you can use their store locator.
Waitrose
Opening times for Waitrose will also vary from branch to branch, but shoppers keen to get the best Black Friday deals from this supermarket should take a look online.
Waitrose offers can also be found online. (Picture: Keith Mayhew/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Waitrose have Black Friday offers available on alcohol from their ‘Cellar’ on their website, with free bottles of champagne being offered to customers that spend at least £125 online in one shop before December 3, 2019.
You can use the Waitrose store locator to check your local branch’s opening times online.
Co-op
Again, opening times for Co-op shops will vary depending on the branch, but Co-Op haven’t advertised any major Black Friday deals this year.
Co-op store opening times will vary depending on the branch. (Picture: REUTERS/Hannah McKay)
You can use Co-Op’s store locator to check your local branch’s opening times online.
Parsnips – the cause of many a fight (Picture: Metro.co.uk)
‘Snitches get stitches.’
That’s what a customer told me when I was a supermarket assistant reporting a theft.
Such is the ludicrousness of being a retail worker.
But it’s character building, we guess?
However wild your standard retail experience may be, it’ll be topped by the horrors of working over Christmas. Spare a thought for those shelving your fave Terry’s Chocolate Orange and festive trimmings, who have to give up their precious holiday time to bear the rage of those who left their Christmas food shop until the last minute.
Some employees of Britain and America’s leading retailers told Metro.co.uk how chaotic the season can truly be.
Here are some of the worst experiences they’ve faced:
‘I once witnessed customers literally fighting over some parsnips in Tesco.’
‘I worked at Tesco and a guy pulled a gun on me when I intervened in a row between him and another customer. My instant reaction was to say “you can’t bring that in here, there are families”. He looked at me, confused, looked at the gun, put it back in his jacket and walked calmly out of the shop. The reason for his anger was that we had people from an old people’s home visiting and they had a photographer. He didn’t want to be in any of the pictures. When he pulled the gun it dawned on me why he was reluctant to be on the pictures.’
‘I worked in Toys R Us during the Christmas that Teletubbies and Tracy Island were the toys to have. People were following the deliveries into the car park in the middle of the night and trying to grab the boxes of toys off the drivers!’
‘When I worked at Tesco we had an announcement over the tannoy on Christmas Eve for customers to watch their trolleys because the store was running out of carrots and sprouts, and other customers were helping themselves to ones already taken.’
‘Co-op. Someone told me to go f*** myself because we’d run out of carrots.’
‘On Christmas Eve: Reducing all the items going out of date and being stalked around the store by this woman and her children who had two or three trollies of reduced stuff. Would not have been so bad but they started bringing items to me to reduce which were not going out of date and getting quite rude when I told them no. They were actually taking everything back to sell in their own shop. Probably at three times the price they paid.’
‘I worked in Toys R Us over Christmas and had one customer try to leave her child with me (I worked on customer service) while she went to Tesco. Or another classic was on Boxing Day when someone returned a toy that wasn’t working and told me that I had ruined her child’s Christmas. I pointed out it wasn’t actually personally my fault!’
‘Worked six years at Sainsbury’s. Every Christmas without fail, there’s a customer 10 minutes before we close on Christmas Eve kicking off because we’ve no turkeys or frozen parsnips etc. Like it’s my personal fault they’ve gone super last minute. And every Christmas we get a customer asking for Sheridan liqueur, and when I say we don’t sell it they always go “you had it last year”. We’ve not sold it for six years.’
‘Working in Morrisons, a man collapsed at Christmas, he was having a heart attack and we cordoned off where he was and called an ambulance. While he was dying on the floor, people complained they couldn’t get to the vegetables they wanted because the dying man was in their way.
‘Five years in a posh supermarket. Christmas Eve, 10 past 6. I was supposed to finish at 5. A posh woman comes up to my till and asks me if we have any more carrots left. Obviously we do not. It was, of course, my own personal fault that we did not have any carrots, despite offering frozen or tinned carrots left. Nothing like leaving Christmas veg shopping til the last possible minute and then yelling at the overworked staff because they did not anticipate your inability to plan.’
‘A child clawed at my fresh tattoo. Never had to hold in so many swear words at once.’
‘Customer asks me for Pellegrino so I send her to the water aisle. It turns out she wanted cans of the lemonade. She comes back to find me and starts shouting at me and tells me to educate myself, I take a deep breath, give her a thumbs up and thank her for the advice. Cow.’
People asking if our Christmas lunch has turkey. We’re a vegetarian/vegan place, even the staff Christmas party and summer barbecues don’t have meat. I like a piece of meat as much as the next man but even I like a nice plant-based meal if it’s done well. And our chefs are brilliant. The worst is when it’s people who come in regularly.
‘People trying to walk out with £1200+ worth of Christmas stuff in their trolleys without paying. They just fill their trolley up and walk out without paying. Happens a lot more often than you’d think but especially over Christmas time.’
‘Working in Tesco on wines and spirits – we ran out of Bucks Fizz on Christmas Eve. I was told by an angry customer that I had “ruined their Christmas” because I suggested they could buy orange juice and bubbly separately. I just got an earful of swearing!’
‘Being punched in the face multiple times over reduced boxes of clementines on Christmas Eve.’
‘I had to call security to a full-on fistfight that had broken out between two families because one had taken a pack of frozen brussels sprouts out of the other’s trolley.’
‘I work at Target. There was a time where a lady had called and asked for a particular game for the Xbox but we explained to her that it was Christmas time and that we aren’t allowed to put a hold on certain items. She said she was on her way but by the time she got there, the game had been purchased by someone else and she was livid, even though we explained to her that was a possibility. We literally had to call the police to get her removed from the store because she wasn’t trying to understand anything we were trying to say.’
‘As far as a positive moment, a woman called about a doll and she had explained to me that she wanted to get it for her granddaughter and that she was coming from a way away and that her granddaughter lives on another state and she doesn’t get to see her often. We only had one so she asked me if I could put it to the side for her. We aren’t supposed to hold items but I felt sorry for her and said I’ll keep it with me. When she arrived she asked for me by name and I made sure she got the doll. She literally gave me a huge hug and said thank you so much and started to cry. I was so shocked that I could make someone feel like that just by doing a kind gesture.’
Do you have a terrible experience working retail that beats these? Get in touch to tell us more by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
