Morrisons has relaunched a new initiative at hundreds of its cafes across the UK encouraging people to discreetly ‘ask for Henry’.
The supermarket has reintroduced its free meals initiative, allowing customers can use a discreet code in its cafe in exchange for free food.
Designed to help people in need no matter their age or circumstance, anyone can come into the cafe and enjoy a scran of Heinz baked beans and a jacket potato with salad on the house – no questions asked.
Customers will be able to ‘ask for Henry’ in Morrisons cafés across Manchester, including:
Morrisons Openshaw, Ashton Old Road
Morrisons Failsworth, Poplar Street
Morrisons Whitefield, Stanley Road
Morrisons Eccles, Irwell Place
Morrisons Swinton, Swinton Hall Road
Free meals are available all day long from April 24 to May 7, and they are open to anyone who needs them.
The ‘ask for Henry’ initiative was first launched in 2022 in partnership with Heinz, taking a leaf out of its philanthropist founder Henry J. Heinz who would regularly make food with his mum to share amongst their community.
All staff at Morrison’s cafe have been fully trained on the initiative, so whether you ask “is Henry here”, “Henry”, “can I have a Henry”, “can I ask for Henry” or another derivative they will know what you mean.
Jojo De Noronha, President Northern Europe at Heinz said: “Last October we launched the ‘Ask for Henry’ initiative for the first time and were blown away by the response. And that’s why we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to bring back the initiative again, available from April 24.
“We would really encourage anyone who feels they may need or want a hot, hearty meal to take us up on this offer – it’s open to absolutely everyone, and there is plenty to go around. Whilst we know it doesn’t fix the problem, we’d love to be able to help as many people as we can in this two-week period in our own small way.”
Sian Whittle, Category Director for Food Service at Morrisons, added: “Our customers were very grateful for the ‘Ask for Henry’ initiative last year and as they continue to face financial pressures we’re pleased to be renewing our partnership with Heinz. For the next two weeks we’re bringing back our free jacket potato topped with Beanz offer in our cafés nationwide .”
Featured image – Flickr
Eats
Lively Irish pub Nancy Spains set to open in Manchester for the first time
Daisy Jackson
An Irish bar famed for its live music is heading up to Manchester for the first time, and is promising £2.50 pints to lure us in.
Nancy Spains will be venturing out of London for the first time promising to bring the ‘ultimate traditional Irish pub experience’ to the Northern Quarter.
If you were to ask what the hottest trend in hospitality is right now the answer would, apparently, be Guinness. We’re drowning in the stuff.
This latest opening is more about Murphy’s, another Irish stout, than Guinness (they actually won’t serve Guinness at all) but the craic will be much the same.
Nancy Spains is actually set to open almost directly opposite the aforementioned Salmon of Knowledge, taking over the former Corner Boy unit on Stevenson Square in the heart of Manchester.
To celebrate its opening, the pub will be serving its first 5000 pints of Murphy’s for just £2.50, so that it can show off the atmosphere that’s established it as ‘one of London’s favourite pubs’.
They’re promising an array of Irish whiskeys behind the bar, live music performances, and a lively late-night setting.
Nancy Spains was set up by three brothers who travelled all over their home county of rural Kerry researching Irish pubs, before launching two venues down in London.
They want it to balance a traditional pub with the vibrancy of the city.
Peter O’Halloran, co-founder of Nancy Spains commented, “We’re so excited to be launching in Manchester, bringing Nancy Spains to the heart of the Northern Quarter.
“After the success of our two venues in London, it was only right to bring Nancy Spains’ infectious spirit and Irish pride to Manchester. Slainte!”
Nancy Spains will open its first Manchester pub on Saturday 15 March at 21 Hilton Street.
Lucky Mama’s – The Italian restaurant serving pasta in a dough bowl and ‘pregnant’ pizzas
Daisy Jackson
Lucky Mama’s is a local sensation, thanks to its slightly whacky but delicious Italian creations like pasta served in a bowl made of pizza dough and its latest offering, a ‘pregnant’ pizza.
What on Earth is a pregnant pizza, you ask? Firstly we should stress this is a nickname we’ve bestowed upon the dish, rather than Lucky Mama’s chosen branding.
But essentially it’s a helping of fresh pasta that’s folded into the bubble crust of the pizza, like a half-calzone.
Lucky Mama’s started life when founders Mamadou Dhiam and Gaby Santos set up a trailer in their backyard in Eccles in the depths of lockdown.
But thanks to a formidably loyal following that’s spread the word of Lucky Mama’s far and wide, it now has two pretty pink restaurants in Greater Manchester.
Back in 2022, they threw open the doors to their Chorlton restaurant, before returning back to home turf for spot number two in Monton in 2024.
The recipes are fresh and pretty authentically Italian up until the last step, when they throw a curveball by loading their pasta into unconventional vessels.
‘Pregnant’ pizzas at Lucky Mama’sTraditional Roman pizzasLucky Mama’s pink restaurant in Chorlton
Their pasta pizza bowls are what they’re best known for and they fly out of the kitchen – this is where pizza dough is placed around a metal bowl before being baked in an oven.
Then it’s piled high with freshly made pasta, with popular flavours like cacio e pepe, mushroom alfredo, and rasta pasta.
Pasta is available in a regular ceramic bowl too.
You’ll find Lucky Mama’s at 565 Barlow Moor Road in Chorlton; and 217 Monton Road in Eccles.
Georgina Pellant -
25th April 2023 
