TikTok craze of ‘vodka pasta’ sees Heinz and Absolut Vodka collab on new ‘Pasta alla Vodka’ sauce
The dish has since become one of the trendiest recipes on TikTok and Instagram, leading Heinz to pull themselves into gear and create their own version of the popular sauce.
In a partnership we didn't even know we needed, the two brands have come together to create the ultimate jar of Pasta alla Vodka sauce.
Spicy vodka pasta has long been a favourite with Italian food lovers, but the dish has been experiencing something of a moment in the spotlight ever since supermodel Gigi Hadid shared her own viral recipe on social media.
The dish has since become one of the trendiest recipes on TikTok and Instagram, leading Heinz to pull themselves into gear and create their own version of the popular sauce.
After hiking the price of its cream of tomato soup by 79% at the start of the year, Heinz was firmly in our bad books - but a new collaboration with Absolut Vodka might just be about to turn all of that around, reports The Manc.
Despite its over 150-year history of creating world-renowned tomato-based products, Heinz has admitted to being ‘ridiculously late’ to the tomato-based pasta sauce game.
Now, though, that is all set to change as the brand releases its own version of the much-loved recipe to the masses, in jar-form, through the creation of Heinz x Absolut Tomato Vodka Pasta Sauce.
Calling it 'a match made in pasta heaven,' according to a press release the vodka in the sauce 'unlocks the flavours and intensifies the aroma' of the rich and creamy tomato, basil and cheese concoction.
During the cooking process, most of the alcohol from the vodka is reduced, boosting the volatile flavour compounds already present in the tomatoes and creating a rich texture that perfectly balances the creamy, cheese notes with the rich tomato and fragrant basil.
Speaking on the new release, Caio Fontenele, Heinz New Ventures Director, said: “While it may have taken over 150 years of tomato expertise to launch our first Heinz pasta sauce, we’re determined to continue innovating and delighting consumers with delicious flavours, at the speed of social media trends.
“We are thrilled with the partnership between these two centenary brands, bringing the first tomato vodka pasta sauce to major UK supermarkets. The iconic combination of Heinz’s high-quality tomato sauces and Absolut’s premium vodka is set to offer fans the ultimate pasta alla vodka experience. And the result is absolutely delicious!”
Of the launch, Leanne Banks, Marketing Director, Pernod Ricard UK, added: “It’s only natural that we’d partner with Heinz on this ultimate collaboration between two iconic brands, with two iconic bottles.
"As the UK’s no.1 premium vodka, Absolut was Born to Mix, whether that’s in delicious drinks or fun food combinations and Heinz x Absolut Tomato Vodka Pasta Sauce is a match made in heaven. Now fans of our brand can enjoy Absolut in an entirely new and innovative way, Pasta alla Vodka style.”
A limited number of the Heinz x Absolut Tomato Vodka Pasta sauce jars will be available at Waitrose from mid-April for £2.50 for a 350g jar.
However, if you don’t want to miss out, you can pre-order one of a limited run of the special sauce from Heinz’s direct-to-consumer website, www.heinztohome.co.uk, to get your hands on a jar ahead of its official supermarket launch.
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Popular holiday company launches new ‘Beckham Clause’ for feuding families
A popular package holiday company has launched a new ‘Beckham Clause’ to help protect feuding families.
It's official… family fallouts are now holiday-proof, thanks to a new ‘Beckham Clause’ that’s been launched by a Manchester-based travel company On The Beach in the wake of the ongoing – and at this point, inescapable – Beckham family feud.
In case you need bringing up to speed, then allow us to (briefly) sum up the Beckham family drama for you as best as possible.
Basically, at the centre of this discourse the eldest Beckham child, Brooklyn, his wife Nicola Peltz, and primarily his mum Victoria, although as the months have gone on, it appears there’s no member of the Beckham family that isn’t somewhat involved (okay, maybe not Harper… well at least not publicly, anyway).
Image: Natalya Zaritskaya (via Unsplash)
Earlier this month, it was reported that Brooklyn had become estranged from his family, and had told his parents to contact him only through lawyers.
And then yesterday, of course, Brooklyn publicly spoke out about the accusations on his Instagram Stories for the first time ever… and all hell broke loose in the celebrity news world.
On the Beach’s new clause – officially titled the Family Fallout Refund, and already nicknamed the ‘Beckham Clause’ by bosses – aims to give holidaymakers peace of mind that no matter how messy things get at home, their getaway won’t suffer, as it applies to family holidays where one member suddenly drops out due to a feud, argument, or full-blown emotional meltdown.
Under the new policy, if a family member pulls out before departure, their share of the hotel booking will be refunded rather than leaving the rest of the group to foot the bill.
Family fallouts aren’t just limited to celebrities, every year hundreds of holiday bookings need amending due to feuds, On The Beach said, which is why it’s chosen to launch the new refund scheme.
“We love family holidays, but we’re also very aware that family fallouts cam hamper plans,” explained Zoe Harris, who is the Chief Customer Officer at On the Beach.
“The ‘Beckham Clause’ is there for those moments when someone decides they’d rather cool off at home than by the pool.
“Our new perk means that if a family feud takes place and one person drops out, the rest of the group can still head off, relax, and enjoy the holiday they were looking forward to.”
The Family Fallout Refund is available on family holidays with five or more people, and needs to be claimed at least 60 days before departure.
It applies to new and existing bookings departing on or before 31 August 2026.
The Franco Manca ‘pizza run’ explained – here’s how you can get a free pizza
Danny Jones
If you’ve been wondering why you’re seeing a lot of free pizza lately, we’re here to explain the current Franco Manca pizza ‘run trend’.
And yes, we were the foolish ones enough to have not quizzed any of our jogging chums until now, meaning we’ve missed out on more money and free pizza. Sigh.
Nevermind, though, because at least we spotted it before the end of the month (this being Franco Manca’s main January deal), and we dare say that now you’ve heard about it, you’ll see plenty others popping up on social media with their free slices.
That’s right, it may be a very thin slice with a very long and thin slice, but that is as much of a pizza slice outline as we needed to qualify for the current deal.
Yes, we’re aware that the actual pepperonis on ours are more square than most – listen, we did our best, and we’ve certainly seen people pulling off better overall shaped pizzas than us; that’s part of the fun/and or challenge.
For instance, we didn’t mean for our picture to come out with one long crust running down either…
So, how does it work, you ask? Well, it’s quite simple, to be fair. All you have to do is run a pizza-shaped route (any pizza shape works, by the way), map your route on the likes of Strava or Apple Fitness, etc., then show your creation at your nearest and claim a quid off for every kilometre you run.
As advertised on the ‘Map My Pizza Run’ page on their website, the aim isn’t about putting pressure or hitting a strict target; you simply get rewarded the longer you go.
Here’s a handy example from a local running content creator for you:
There are some stipulations, such as not being used in conjunction with any other offer, one pizza map being valid per person, and the route has to have been run in January. You can find the full terms and conditions HERE.
Oh, and technically, you can do it however you like: run, walk, cycle – you name it. Other than that, we’ve pretty much given you all the info you need to know, so go and get yourself some free pizza.
The Hoot -
24th March 2023 
