FREE £175 + 7% savings, Vax code, diesel reclaim, 12 easy Xmas savers, Brit Gas voucher fail, £138 Boots No7 £41

Plus.. Cut £100s off boiler cover, 2.85% savings, free Spotify Premium, energy direct debit help

                                                           

07 December 2022 | View in browser

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THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL New. Three banks pay newbies a FREE £175+, up to 7% interest & more 12 easy Christmas MoneySavers Cut boiler cover costs by £100s Do ads for Audi, BMW etc diesel claims stack up? 2.85% easy-access savings Code gets Vax for £100 (worth £400) Cheap kids' prepaid cards Unfair energy direct debit? Consider variable bills British Gas, SSE, Scot Power worst for £66/month prepay voucher issues Tesco shakes up Clubcard offers £138 of Boots No7 skincare for £41 Martin's podcast: Turn £800 into £5,500, Help to Save, regifting Free Pizza Hut buffet via O2 & Virgin Media Tell us who's best to haggle with 'I saved £700 on home insurance AND got more cover' 3 months' FREE Spotify Premium This week's best buys, including '£2.40/month' 4GB Sim, '£12.91/month' fibre broadband, 4.9% loans Is it OK to get my friend something for Christmas that's on sale? BEST BUYS & TOOLS MSE Cheap Mobile Finder Credit Club including free credit report 0% balance transfers Compare broadband deals MSE Car Insurance Compare+ Best bank accounts Top savings accounts Credit cards for bad credit Credit Card Eligibility Calculator Loans Eligibility Calculator Mortgage comparison Compare travel money Cheap Energy Club, with Pick Me A Tariff Best Sim-only deals

New. Three banks pay newbies a FREE £175+, up to a huge 7% savings interest, and more Martin: If cash feels tight, make a bank pay you... switch, and perks can now be worth all-in up to £500 We're in a sweet spot for banking deals, with new switchers being able to grab £200 - the most seen since 2017 - in time to help cover the post-Christmas bills. Plus in the last couple of weeks, deals have improved with substantially boosted interest on linked savings. If you've got the money saved to max out on all the available offers, you can earn over £500 for the first year. So unless your current bank makes you smile, why not ditch, switch and earn? Switching is mostly easy and hassle-free according to 81% of people in the last Twitter poll I did on it. - You need to pass a not-too-harsh credit check. - You do it via the bank's 7 working-day switch service then... - The old account will be closed & any payments to it auto-forwarded. - Standing orders and direct debits will be moved for you.  FREE BANK SWITCH BONUSES Full eligibility info & options in Best bank accounts HSBC Advance* - Min pay-in: Just put £1,500 in once (you can then withdraw if you need to) - Service: 31% 'great' - Full HSBC eligibility info & review Top for UPFRONT CASH  FREE £200, 5% regular saver & 3% easy-access account. The clear winner on cash upfront, and a decent combination of linked savings (ie, you need to have the bank account to get them). - Up to £250/mth in a 5% 1yr fix regular saver. - Up to £10,000 in its 3% easy-access account (open market top is 2.85%), though the interest is reduced in any month you make withdrawals. See a trick for non-HSBC customers to get this. Switch now & £200 likely paid by... early Jan. First Direct 1st Account* - Min pay-in: Just put £1,000 in once (you can then withdraw if you need to) - Service: 88% 'great' - Full First Direct eligibility info & review Top for SERVICE & INTEREST RATE FREE £175, 0% overdraft, plus a massive 7% linked regular saver. First Direct has been near-top of every customer service poll we've ever run, and it offers by far the best service of the banks that currently pay you to switch. Plus its linked regular saver is untouchable. - Up to £300/mth in its 7% 1yr fix regular saver. - Many customers get an ongoing 0% overdraft on up to £250. Switch now & £175 likely paid by... mid Jan. Halifax Reward - Min pay-in: £1,500/mth (equiv £20,700 salary) - Service: 49% 'great' - Full Halifax eligibility info & review Top for REWARDS FREE £175, poss £60 cashback & 4.5% regular saver. Decent ongoing perks make it a good option especially for those who won't be saving, though it has a few hoops to jump through to get them... - On top of the monthly pay-in, you must stay in credit, spend £500/mth on the debit card or keep £5,000 in the no-interest account. Then each month you get £5 cashback or a Vue cinema ticket or 2 Rakuten movie rents or 3 digital magazines (you pick one to last a year). - Up to £250/mth at 4.5% in its 1yr fix regular saver, though anyone can get this - you don't need to have its bank account. Switch now & £175 likely paid by... Christmas. - Our 'switch time' estimates include 10 days for the switch to complete. - Service ratings are from our July poll of 9,000 people. - Full info in our Best bank accounts guide. Got savings? Which of these is your winner? All the linked savings rates offered by these banks beat the best equivalent accounts in the open market. If you've a couple of hundred quid to save each month, and don't need access to it, First Direct pays most; if you've a lump sum too, HSBC wins (though see the trick so anyone can access HSBC's 3% savings). Comparing is quite tough but hopefully this little table will give a bit of direction. HSBC First Direct  Halifax Free cash £200 £175 £175 Regular saver (maxed out) £81 over 1yr (£250/mth at 5%) £135 over 1yr (£300/mth at 7%) £73 over 1yr (£250/mth at 4.5%) Easy-access savings (on £10,000) £300/yr In HSBC's 3% savings account Not applicable Though £285 in top 2.85% open market savings Not applicable  Though £285 in top 2.85% open market savings So the maximum total income with HSBC is a whopping £581 in the first year, and on that simple basis it's the winner. Yet that's arguably oversimplistic (skip this bit if you don't like complexity)... A better MoneySaving analysis is the 'opportunity gain' - how much you can make compared to the best equivalent available without switching bank (in the top 4.5% regular savings and 2.85% easy access). On that basis HSBC's gain is about £223 in year one, whereas First Direct is £237 (if you use the top easy-access savings), though a tad of that is because you can save more each month in its regular saver. Halifax too has a case if you add in the possible cashback rewards available. As it's much of a muchness, focus on when you want the money and how much you value the convenience of it being all in one place. With regular savers, you'll need to move it after a year All three banks' regular savers are fixed for a year, and don't allow withdrawals. At the end of the year, they are moved into a bog-standard naff-interest savings account. So note that date down and ensure you move your savings elsewhere when you get to that point (and then you'll usually be able to open another regular saver). PS: If you're thinking "he's only gone & under-calculated the interest in the regular savers", see why regular saver interest's less than you think. Use a second 'no-switch' account to grab 1% spending cashback too (worth £100s for some) Grab HSBC or First Direct (or others) as your main account, then couple with the app-only Chase account*, then use its debit card for normal daily spending to earn 1% cashback on it (it generally excludes bills, investments and major purchases such as cars) for a year. This is easy to use as a secondary account, as there is NO need to switch to it, and no hard credit check, so applying doesn't impact your creditworthiness. The same debit card is also top for spending abroad and you get access to its linked 2.1% interest on up to £250,000 savings. I didn't say do it with Halifax too, as to get its 'Rewards' you need to spend £500/mth on its debit card (though if you spend far more, you could use Chase for the excess). PS: This week new bank Kroo* launched its own app-only, no-need-to-switch, no-hard-credit-check current account which pays a decent but not table-topping 2% AER variable interest on up to £85,000. And like Chase, it's a top card for spending abroad, though there's no cashback. I mention it to ensure you know we've looked at it, though it's not troubling the best buys yet. Can you switch multiple times to make lots of free cash? (Spoiler: yes) It's a simple concept. Move an existing current account to a bank that pays you to switch, jump through the necessary hoops and wait until you get the freebie, then move again to another bank that pays. Or, if you're happy with your existing account, you can open a second 'burner' account that you just use for switching. We know of people (and there are a few in MSE Towers) who over the years have made over a grand doing this. Though you have to monitor the impact on your credit file. Lots of help in Can you make £1,000s by repeatedly switching bank? Warning. Overdrafts are danger debt. If you dip or dive into yours, try for free cash & 0% interest  For the last few years the vast majority of banks have charged a typical 40% interest on overdrafts - double a typical high street credit card. So while many assume "credit cards bad, debit cards good", if you're overdrawn it's debit cards that are the real debt danger. That means for those regularly overdrawn, or even if you just dip in a few times a year, your priority should be to stop it & get rid of it. You CAN switch when overdrawn, but... there are no guarantees the new bank will match your existing overdraft - or even offer you an overdraft at all. Yet most banks now have overdraft eligibility checkers, which will indicate before applying whether you'll likely qualify. Some, including both of those below, also indicate how much overdraft you'll likely get... Usually owe less than £500ish? Get free cash & a 0% overdraft. First Direct* offers new switchers £175, and many get a £250 0% overdraft. So if you had a £425 overdraft, the £175 pays some off and the rest is interest-free - a massive saving. (Use its eligibility calc to see if you qualify.) In fact, because of the free cash, it's worth doing this compared to Nationwide below even if you're, say, up to £500 overdrawn. Though for the amount of your overdraft above £250, you pay 40%, like elsewhere. A year's potentially bigger 0% overdraft. Nationwide FlexDirect can offer a far bigger 0% overdraft, though the limit depends on your credit history (use its eligibility calc to see if you qualify). However, it's only 0% for a year - then it's the standard 40% like most providers. So ensure you clear the debt within that time. As it doesn't give free cash at the moment (it pulled its offer recently) this will only add up for much larger overdrafts. Full Nationwide eligibility info & review. Do a 0% money transfer. These are best for larger overdrafts that you want to sort in one go. Or, if you've a decent credit score (which would mean you'd get accepted for both products), you could do it in conjunction with shifting to First Direct for the first £425 or so of the overdraft.   With one of these specialist cards, you ask it to do a 'money transfer' into your bank account, so it pays cash in, and you owe it instead - at 0% for up to 18 months (for a fee). Be careful though - you need to do it right. Our Money transfers guide takes you through it, including top deals. It's not just about making it cheaper though - here are a few crucial overdraft tips to help (more in our Cut overdraft costs guide): - Aim to repay a fixed monthly amount. Eg, if £500 overdrawn, 'paying' £100 means aiming to be £400 overdrawn at month end. A budget helps. - Consider moving direct debits to just before payday. The idea is you're overdrawn for less time, so costs are lower. - Got savings? Use 'em to clear it. See Repay debt with savings? - Can you reclaim past bank charges? See bank charge reclaiming. - Struggling with all debt? Get free help from Citizens Advice, National Debtline or StepChange. It can make a huge difference.

 

 

DON'T believe the fake 'Martin Lewis' or 'MSE' ads Lots of scam ads litter social media and even newspaper websites - some of these lie that we or Martin promote Bitcoin, binary trading etc. See Fake ads warning.

 

 

 

12 easy Christmas planning MoneySavers Gifts, spending, sending parcels, plus gift vouchers, charity, bargains & more The countdown to Christmas has begun. It's less than 20 days away, a time of joy, fun and festivities for many, and stress and shenanigans for others (in Martin's Cancel Christmas? poll, about 30% would if they could). So we want to try to ease the path as much as we can, with these 12 tips to cut costs and save time... Ending this week. Free or charity letters from Santa. The big fella has his elves stationed everywhere to help him reply to all the little people who write to him. Two of those to note are... - Until Friday, there are hordes of elves stationed at Royal Mail, so post a letter by then and Santa will reply at no cost. - Until Thursday, for a suggested £8 donation, the NSPCC elves will send a personalised letter and the money helps less fortunate children - a nice bit of karma. Need to deliver a gift...? If you're buying it, it's almost always cheaper to have an item delivered straight from the retailer, but if you want to send one yourself, our Cheap parcel delivery guide shows how to cut costs. Uncover Amazon Warehouse's big bargains. Hunt down big discounts from the firm's little-known discount outlet using our new Amazon Warehouse Discount Finder tool. Related: Local eBay deals finder | 40+ online shopping hacks. Free Christmas gift cheques & free photo card. If money's tight, why not give time instead? Our printable Christmas gift cheques let you pledge to do something nice (or naughty) such as brekkie in bed, cleaning a car, their favourite massage. What you give is only limited by your imagination. Related: Bag a totally free photo card. 20 free (or very cheap) ways to add Christmas magic for kids. MSE Jenny's Christmas magic for kids blog helps you create lasting memories for little money. Charity gift catalogues mean real impact for Christmas giving. It could be buying vaccines, mosquito nets, or shelter for a vulnerable family. But our charity gifts catalogue guide shows how to give a gift (or possibly all your gifts) perhaps more in line with the original Christmas spirit - far better than tat. (And tell people you're donating, not giving.) Switch online supermarket for a day to save at Christmas - for example, £15 off £60 for Sainsbury's newbies. If you're buying Christmas food online, supermarkets and delivery services offer tasty offers to entice new customers, which we've rounded up in our grocery codes guide. Related: Book your Christmas delivery slots now. The Christmas Deals Predictor. For eight years we've carefully tracked the timing and quality of big firms' Christmas discounts. We've poured that knowledge into our Christmas Deals Predictor to help you pounce when what you need is cheapest, with discounts expected at M&S, John Lewis and Ikea in the coming weeks. Volunteer to help those less fortunate. Find out how to do good at Christmas by donating your time or money. The DemoHoHotivator shows how little sacrifices can create big savings. Forgo your daily coffee in December and you could have an extra £50 in the festive kitty. Try The DemoHoHotivator. Track Santa as he delivers presents. The big fella has quite the journey on Christmas Eve, and a nifty free Santa tracker lets you watch his progress from the North Pole to Northampton (and elsewhere too). Beware gift vouchers... If the firm goes bust, they're often worthless. Plus many have expiry dates. So think carefully about the solvency of the firm, and how quickly they'll be used, before you do it. If in doubt, cash is safer and more flexible. PS: Is it time to ban unnecessary Christmas presents? Do see Martin's now (in)famous Ban unnecessary Christmas gifts blog, which includes an updated video of the original which went hugely viral with over 17 million views and 300,000+ shares.

 

Do the ads for diesel-drivers' claims against Audi, BMW, Mercedes & more stack up? World Cup breaks are swamped with ads for redress schemes for diesel claims. Tempted? We've full diesel claim pros & cons. New. Top 2.85% 'easy-access' savings. Rates have continued to crawl up in recent weeks. Coventry Building Society's 2.85% AER account is the new top payer BUT you're limited to 6 penalty-free withdrawals a year. Want unlimited withdrawals? App-only Tandem's 2.55% AER* comes out top. Big name: Nationwide's 2.5% AER* is a rare big name among the best buys, though it only allows 3 penalty-free withdrawals a year. Full info & options in Top savings. 10,000 Vax codes: Pay £100 for normally £400 or £160 cordless vacuums. MSE Blagged. Valid on two models - one is currently £400 at Vax (cheapest we can find elsewhere is £200), the other, £160 at Vax (cheapest we can find elsewhere is £150). Vax code New. 1 year GoHenry kids' spending card £2.94 (normally £36). MSE Blagged. The big-name kids' prepaid card GoHenry* lets them spend, but keeps you in control. It normally costs £2.99/month, but go via this link, enter code AFFMSE15 and top up £10+ and newbies get six months free and £15 credit, equivalent to the monthly cost for most of the next six (all barring £2.94). Free card: Alternatively HyperJar* is totally free, with roughly similar features, though you can't use it at ATMs. Full info's in Top prepaid cards for kids. Energy bills crisis - more key updates...  Fed up with too high fixed direct debits? Can you switch to variable? First use our Direct debit calc to see if yours is fair. If it isn't and they won't play ball, consider switching to variable direct debit where you pay based on what you use each month (not the same as the costly 'pay on receipt of bills'). British Gas, SSE, Scottish Power worst for not sending £66/month prepay voucher - MSE survey. 31% of British Gas prepay customers who replied said they still hadn't got their vouchers. See our full unsent government prepay vouchers survey results - we'll be sending these to the Government and Ofgem to urge for action. Reminders: How much do Christmas lights cost to run? | Jan energy rises for some | Martin: 20% rise due in April Key energy help: 60+ energy saving tips | Heat the human not the home | Help if struggling Tesco shakes up Clubcard voucher offers for 4 million - check if you're part of it. If so, you'll now get more frequent, more tailored coupons. See Tesco Clubcard shake-up. £138 of Boots No7 skincare for £41. Boots has put its 'Ultimate Skincare Collection' 10-piece set on offer again. It's normally £85, though its contents are worth £138 if bought separately. No7 skincare How 45 to 70-year-olds can turn £800 into £5,500, Help to Save, regifting & £10 Baileys. Listen to the latest The Martin Lewis Podcast.

 

 

BLAGGED FOR MSE - £100 Vax vacuums codes 10,000 available - 1 year GoHenry card for £2.94 (normally £36) Ends Sat 31 Dec	DID YOU MISS? - How much do Christmas lights cost to run? - £10 for one litre of Baileys is back - Are you due a share of £80m in Premium Bonds prizes? - Will your home qualify for free or cheap energy efficiency work? - Energy prices to rise for some in January

 

 

New. Boiler cover - how to brrrr...ing the cost down by £100s You needn't just stick with your energy firm's cover - take advantage of the competition The fear of losing heat or hot water is powerful as we run into winter. Many energy suppliers use this to upsell you costly boiler and home heating cover. Yet don't feel you must link your boiler cover and energy provider - they can be separate, and standalone deals are often far cheaper. Our revamped Cheap boiler cover guide has full info to help you insulate your wallet, though here's a warm-up... 1. What you need in a policy. Decide what exactly you want covered: is it just your boiler, or extras such as pipes or even plumbing? Don't buy it if you rent as it's a landlord's responsibility to carry out repairs. ALL our top picks below meet our minimum cover levels, which include: An annual boiler service. Most policies require an annual boiler service (costing £60 to £90) or they won't pay out, so getting a plan including these is usually cost-effective. Services are normally carried out March to September.  Boiler replacement or a contribution towards a new one if it's beyond economical repair (and under 7 years old). The ability to claim 30 days after the policy start date. Provided the fault wasn't there when you took cover out. 2. Top-pick cheap boiler cover. Many of you told us you want a simple choice, so we've tried to do that here, but to be blunt we're listing firms new to us, so we've combed through forum feedback and review sites to ensure what's said is decent (if not always stellar). As we don't have better data than that yet, please do feed back. Now for brief best buys, with more in boiler cover. There's no single cheapest, so check with a few firms, for your circumstances... Cheap cover with high excess. The level of excess - how much you pay towards every claim - has a huge impact. The more reliable your boiler, the more you can hedge towards a higher excess. For dirt-cheap prices, YourRepair* has a high £120-per-claim excess and costs just £1.80/month (so £21.60/year) for its basic boiler-only policy. This rises to £5.50/month for its Home policy*, which also includes pipes, radiators, plumbing and home electricals. Yet the more you cover, the more you may need to call it, and the excess is for EACH CALL-OUT. It may work best combined with self-insuring, where you put cash aside each month in case repairs are needed. Cheap cover with lower excess. Lower the excess from £120 to £95 per claim and the cost of YourRepair (Boiler)* quadruples to £8/month (the rise isn't as high for policies with wider coverage). So also check Ovo's Corgi HomePlan (Essentials)* which, with a lower £60 excess, until next week is reduced to £7.50/month for six months, then £15/month for the rest of the year - so an average £11.25/month. Wide-ranging cover - including plumbing, home electrics and more. In addition to boiler, these also cover drains, toilets, plumbing and home electrics, so you won't need to rely on a range of tradespeople's availability to fix a problem (though boiler firms can have delays). At £120 excess, YourRepair (Home Plus)* is £6.80/month, at £95 excess £14/month, at £60 excess £19/month. Hometree (Your Home)* is £19.95/month with a £95 excess, BUT you can claim a £40 Amazon voucher - factor that in and it's £16.62/month.  Do be aware: many providers hike prices after the first year, so be prepared to switch or haggle then.  3. For more choice and options, use a comparison site. If you want to go granular, for a range of excesses & features (for example, with or without an annual service), or if the firms above don't cover your particular boiler, use uSwitch*, MoneySupermarket* or Gocompare. Ensure you know what you're getting though (for example, check against our min cover levels). 4. Understand your rights. YourRepair offers service policies, which are largely unregulated, but it has voluntarily signed up to the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman for complaints. There's little protection if it goes bust, though if you pay monthly that's less of an issue. Corgi and Hometree offer insurance policies, so you can escalate complaints to the Financial Ombudsman in the event of problems (though the annual service itself isn't covered). More in How's boiler cover regulated?

 

Ends Fri. Free Pizza Hut Monday to Friday lunchtime buffet for O2/Virgin Media Priority members. Not in Northern Ireland. See Pizza Hut lunch. Who's best to haggle with? Sky, BT, the AA or others? Please vote... Each year we try to gauge success rates, so whether you've got cheaper prices, extra goods (or nowt), please let us know in our call centre haggling poll. 'I saved £700 on my home insurance AND got more cover.' Our success of the week comes from Mick, who emailed: "Many thanks for your recent note on home insurance - I saved £700 as a result. Our renewal premium was £1,109. We got better coverage for £410 using a comparison site, a saving of two-thirds." If we've helped you save money (on this, or anything else), please send us your MoneySaving successes. 3 months' FREE Spotify Premium (normally £9.99/month). It's back - newbies-only, listen ad-free, offline and on mobile, on demand too. Though be ready to pay £9.99/month if you don't cancel before it ends. Not a newbie? Cut costs with our Spotify MoneySavers, including how to get 3 months for £9.99.

 

 

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS 0% balance transfers Longest 0%: Sainsbury's Bank (check eligibility / apply*) - up to 34 months 0%, 2.88% or 3.88% fee (21.9% rep APR interest) No-fee 0%: Sainsbury's Bank (check eligibility / apply*) - up to 19 months 0%, no or 1% fee (21.9% rep APR) or NatWest - 22 months 0% if you're a NatWest/RBS customer (21.9% rep APR) Best bank accounts £200 to switch + 3% savings: HSBC £175 to switch + TOP service: First Direct Top savings accounts Top easy access: Coventry Building Society 2.85%, min £1  Top one-year fix: SmartSave Bank 4.32%, min £10,000 Car insurance Try our new Car Insurance Compare+ tool Cheap loans Cheapest for £5,000 to £7,499: AIB (NI) (apply), 5.6% rep APR interest Cheapest £7.5k to £15k: M&S Bank (check eligibility / apply*) and HSBC (apply), both 4.9% rep APR   Broadband top picks Fibre (30Mb+): Shell Energy '£12.91/month' Fast fibre (55Mb+): Shell Energy '£14.16/month' On universal credit or similar? Check discounted social tariffs Cheap Sims 4GB to 9GB data: Lycamobile, '£2.40/month' for 4GB 10GB+ data: iD Mobile, '£4.25/month' for 15GB

 

THIS WEEK'S POLL Have you haggled with Sky, BT, the AA or any others this year? Did you succeed? It can result in big savings - on anything from digital TV and broadband, to breakdown cover and car insurance. Each year we try to gauge the success rates of those who have done it. So whether you've got cheaper prices, extra goods or better deals, please let us know how successful you've been in this week's poll. Half of you have already done all or most of your Christmas shopping. With the big day fast approaching, 50% of the 5,800 of you who voted in last week's poll said your shopping's finished or nearly finished, with just over one third saying they did some of their shopping during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. However, twice as many men (27%) than women (13%) are yet to start their shopping at all. See full Christmas shopping poll results.

 

 

MSE NEWS - Top story: Disability payment delays before Christmas leave many waiting for their money - Asda loyalty scheme users complain of 'missing' cash rewards and points spent miles away from their homes - HSBC to shut 114 branches next year - full list and alternatives - First Direct doubles interest on regular saver to 7% - how to get the new rate

 

 

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Is it OK to get my friend something for Christmas that's on sale? My friend and I always get each other a Christmas gift, which we spend a mutually agreed £30 on. This year I've found something worth £30 that would make a great gift for them, but it's on sale so I'd be spending less. Should I keep the money I'd save for myself or buy them something extra so I've spent the agreed amount? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Is it OK to get my friend a sale item for Christmas? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma

 

 

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 7 DEC ONWARDS) Wed 7 Dec - Co-presenting Good Morning Britain, ITV, from 6am Wed 7 Dec - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, 1pm Tue 13 Dec - This Morning, phone-in, ITV, 10.20am MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (SUBJECT TBC) Tue 13 Dec - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Mid-morning with Jeremy Sallis, from 10.45am

 

FISH AND CHIPS, CORNISH PASTIES AND... BUTTER PIE! TO WHAT FOODS WOULD YOU GIVE HERITAGE STATUS? That's all for this week, but before we go... after UNESCO granted cultural heritage status to the French baguette, we wanted to know which foods you'd say have contributed to UK culture. We saw support for classics such as fish and chips, cream teas, Yorkshire puddings and Cornish pasties, as well as some more niche suggestions - for example, Lancashire's butter pie. Yet most intriguing was the salmon and tomato sandwich, nominated because it was the UK's first mass-produced, pre-packed sandwich flavour. Tell us which foods you'd give cultural recognition to in our Twitter conversation. We hope you save some money, stay safe, The MSE team

 

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