Lancashire Food & Drink round-up: Stormzy, Aldi Nando’s, hot cross buns, and Preston = Butter Pie?

Let’s start off sporty - this week, Preston North End sadly crashed out of the FA Cup with a 3-0 loss against Aston Villa at Deepdale, prompting Guardian sportswriter Jonathan Liew, who visited Preston for the tie, to compare both North End and Preston on the whole to a butter pie.

“It’s cheap. It’s hearty. It’s unpretentious,” wrote Liew about the humble butter pie. “It exists to be consumed and then immediately forgotten. It is – with deepest apologies – the very embodiment of Preston North End in comestible form.”

Away from the simple pleasures of butter pies on the terraces, renowned chef Nigel Haworth revealed that he is set to host a unique new series of events at a Lancashire restaurant entitled Forgotten Fish, which will be an exploration of seasonal and sustainable seafood across the UK.

Set to take place at The Three Fishes in Mitton, this five-part series will celebrate the freshest seasonal and sustainable seafood offerings from different coastal regions of the UK. The six-course menus will also focus on rediscovering lesser-known and often overlooked fish and shellfish, offering guests an unforgettable culinary experience.

Speaking of fish, we also headed down to Yorkshire Fisheries - well-reputed as Blackpool’s best chippy - to try it for ourselves, and safe to say that the grub went down well…

In national news, Stormzy has revealed what he gets in his McDonald’s meal, enabling fans to order his set menu, with McDonald’s launching a collaboration with the British rapper, giving us a glimpse into what he likes to chow down on after gigs. I also went out to try it for myself and I’ll just say that one aspect of it was particularly disappointing…

Elsewhere in Maccies world, the fast food chain went all ‘blockified’ to celebrate the launch of a new film, announcing a brand new Movie Meal. Celebrating the new A Minecraft Movie, McDonald’s is now selling a brand new Minecraft Movie Meal in restaurants nationwide - complete with (supposedly adult-targeted) toys.

Now on to two things we Brits love: garlic bread and Nando’s. Aldi have released products pertaining to both in the form of their returning garlic bread flavoured crisps, which have proved so popular that not even I have been able to get my paws on them for a food review, and their price-busting Rooster’s range inspired by Nando’s.

Finally, with Easter fast approaching, I did a taste test of some of the wackiest hot cross bun flavours I’ve ever encountered - I sampled everything from banoffee and Nutella to white chocolate & raspberry and rhubarb & custard. Some were definitely better than others, but I’ll leave it to you to find out which won out in the end…