Our taste tests compared supermarket own-brand sausages, beans, bread, ketchup, fish fingers and steak from Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Co-op and more to find the best buys

Following numerous taste tests conducted over recent months, we have compiled a definitive list of the finest sausages, bread, baked beans and other kitchen essentials available across UK supermarkets. These are staple food items found in every UK supermarket, with most retailers stocking their own-label varieties.

While they may appear broadly similar at first glance, they can differ enormously in terms of taste, texture and overall quality. This is precisely what we discovered when putting staples such as pork sausages, baked beans and steaks through their paces. Interestingly, the more budget-friendly options frequently outshine their pricier counterparts.

Aldi and Lidl have consistently performed strongly, while Tesco and Sainsbury’s excel in certain areas. As for M&S and Waitrose, they generally live up to the high expectations we bring to the table. Overall, results differ considerably, and the supermarket with the best sausages won’t necessarily stock the best baked beans.

Sausages

In a recent head-to-head comparison, Aldi’s own-label pork sausages came out on top. They performed impressively across texture, appearance and overall flavour, achieving a near-perfect score of 19.5/20.

The flavour struck an ideal balance between meat and herbs, while the satisfying meaty texture was effortless to cut through and thoroughly enjoyable. Sainsbury’s also impressed and scored well, though Aldi’s sausages were noticeably more substantial once cooked.

At £1.79 for a 454g pack, it came as a rather pleasant surprise to discover just how tasty these sausages turned out to be.

Baked beans

Baked beans are a quintessentially British staple, and virtually every supermarket offers its own take on them. When compared to well-known brands such as Heinz and Branston, own-brand varieties frequently outperform in taste tests.

In our very own taste test of own-label baked bean tins, one retailer emerged as the undisputed victor. Co-op claimed the top spot with an almost flawless score, with the first distinguishing feature being its rich, deep colour.

The sweetness then hit immediately, and the texture struck a perfect balance once the beans were cooked. They delivered the most pronounced flavour in our recent comparison, securing this tin’s place at the top.

Ketchup

In a recent ketchup comparison, Lidl’s own-label variety claimed victory, ranking above the likes of M&S, Tesco and other own-brand offerings, as well as surpassing Heinz. Priced at £1.05 for 650g, it struck the ideal balance between sweetness and strength, making it a perfect condiment that complements rather than overwhelms a meal — precisely what a condiment should do. Furthermore, it contains less sugar than Heinz, which is a bonus for those mindful of maintaining a healthier diet.

Fish fingers

Fish fingers are another household staple that can be found in the freezers of countless British homes. They are a fairly no-frills frozen food, popular for their simplicity. That said, some are undoubtedly superior to others. In fact, our recent fish finger taste test revealed clear winners and losers, with some of the highest-ranking options proving to be among the most affordable.

Sainsbury’s 10 Breaded Omega 3 Pollock Fillet Fish Fingers claimed top spot, costing just 93p for a pack of 10. The breadcrumbs delivered a remarkable flavour, while the fish itself struck the ideal balance of fishiness. It also boasted the finest texture of all the fish fingers tested, offering a perfect combination of slight crunch, smoothness and flaky fish.

Steak

Supermarket steak remains a firm favourite amongst shoppers during the summer months. If you’ve been pondering which retailer offers the finest cuts, we put them through their paces this year.

Lidl emerged as the champion, priced at £5.49 for 195g, equating to £28.15 per kilogram. The 21-day matured British beef proudly displayed the Red Tractor logo and showed an attractive marbling before cooking.

It delivered a burst of flavour once cooked, clinching the top spot despite numerous other steaks carrying considerably heftier price tags.

Sourdough bread

While some Britons prefer to bake their own sourdough at home, the overwhelming majority purchase it from their local supermarket. Having recently compared five loaves to determine the finest option, Tesco emerged as the clear victor.

It stood out as the undisputed winner, boasting a perfect crust and just the right level of saltiness. It proved delightful when toasted, and its overall flavour surpassed that of Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Asda.

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A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to restore sites changed under an executive order calling for the nation’s museums, parks and landmarks to not display elements that “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living.”

The preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Massachusetts also orders a pause on any additional changes, writing that the plaintiffs have shown that these efforts are meant “to rewrite the Nation’s history with a white-out pen.”

“History cannot be faithfully told while excluding the experiences of communities whose contributions, struggles, and achievements form an important part of our Nation’s story,” the judge wrote.

The Trump administration must also provide a status report every week describing the progress they’ve made with these changes, the judge wrote.

“Under the guise of promoting American dignity, this Administration seeks to share a limited history by ordering the removal of all signs, displays, and interpretive exhibits at National Parks that do not align with its preferred narrative, thereby telling half-truths,” Kelley wrote.

The order comes in response to a February lawsuit filed by conservation and historical organizations over National Park Service policies that the groups say have forced park service staff to remove or censor dozens of exhibits that share factually accurate and relevant U.S. history and scientific knowledge, including about slavery and climate change.

Many of the changes were at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park, where the administration removed exhibits on the lives of nine people enslaved at the site in the 1790s under George Washington, the first U.S. president. Other changes included removing a sign at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in Arizona describing basalt bubbles because it had an image of a visitor holding a Pride flag while films on labor history were removed from the Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts.

President Donald Trump signed the executive order “restoring truth and sanity to American history” at the nation’s museums, parks and landmarks last year. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum later directed removal of “improper partisan ideology” from museums, monuments, landmarks and other public exhibits under federal control.

An email seeking comment from the Interior Department was sent Saturday.

Alan Spears, senior director for cultural resources for the National Parks Conservation Association, one of the organizations that brought the lawsuit, said the ruling will help protect national parks from the administration’s effort “to erase history and science at these one-of-a-kind places.”

“National parks belong to the American people and censorship of any kind goes against the values these places represent,” he said.

Bill Wade, executive director for the Association of National Park Rangers, another organization that brought the lawsuit, said this is especially good news for National Parks employees who “have prided themselves for being able to provide truthful, accurate and unbiased information.”

They were set to stage a four-day walkout from 7am on Monday – the 16th round of strike action since 2023.

But the British Medical Association (BMA) said on Saturday that a last-minute offer had been made, which will be put to members.

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Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA’s resident doctors committee (RDC), said: “We have always been clear that no strikes needed to go ahead if we received an offer appropriate to put to our members.

“This should not have been left to the last moment, but we hold up our end of the bargain when the Government shifts its position.”

“All we have asked for is a fair offer that secures enough jobs to tackle the madness of doctor unemployment and take steps to address the erosion of our pay. Tens of thousands of frontline doctors will now vote in a referendum on whether this offer is sufficient.

“We will always negotiate in good faith and strikes are a last resort that we will only use in the face of complete Government intransigence. When Government moves, so do we.

“Doctors will now have their say. If they say no to this offer, we will have to continue our plans for further escalated action across next month.”

The offer is understood to include standard 2016 resident doctor contract terms for all locally employed doctors and an average 6.6% pay uplift to be fully implemented by April 2027.

Professor Frankie Swords, national medical director at NHS England, had said that the service faced a “triple whammy of pressure” as the planned strike would have coincided with warm weather and the World Cup.

Health Secretary James Murray said: “It is a positive and welcome development – especially for patients – that the BMA have called off these unnecessary strikes.”

He added that after a 28.9% pay rise for resident doctors over the last three years, “the country simply cannot afford to increase the pay offer for this year”.

Professor Ramani Moonesinghe, national clinical director for critical and perioperative care at NHS England, said: “It is extremely welcome news that the BMA has called off next week’s strike – for both patients and NHS staff.

“The BMA has recognised the positive changes we have made for both resident doctors and patients over the last year – but we are not complacent, we know more is needed and that working conditions have not been good enough, and we will continue to do more to make the NHS a desirable place to work.

“I want to thank staff across the NHS who have worked extremely hard to maintain care for patients throughout recent industrial action – and I really hope today is a positive step in the right direction to end strikes once and for all, while we continue to ensure the NHS is the best place to work for resident doctors now and in the future.”

Like millions of us, Labour’s Jess Asato frequents the popular social media site X.

But in the back of her mind, Asato, 45, wonders if the next user she interacts with could be undressing her using AI tools.

In January, the MP for Lowestoft in Suffolk was allegedly among millions of women digitally undressed by people using Elon Musk’s chatbot, Grok.

‘I’ve spoken to many, many victims and what they’ve told me is how I feel,’ Asato tells Metro.

‘A bit more afraid, you don’t know who is out there or what they might be doing to your image.

‘The idea that, at any moment, you could be targeted just for speaking out or existing online.’

Asato lodged a legal complaint against xAI, which owns Grok and X, last week over the alleged nonconsensual images.

‘AI has turbocharged misogyny’

Asato joined X, then called Twitter, in 2009 – just two years after it launched.

‘It was a pretty joyous place,’ she recalls, saying she saw Twitter as a way for people to talk about politics on the ground.

That didn’t last long. One of Asato’s first experiences with misogyny on the platform was in 2014, when she commented on the rape trial of footballer Ched Evans.

‘The abuse I got was awful,’ she says. ‘Misogynistic abuse on social media has been going on for a really, really long time.

‘It’s now turbocharged with this ability to lift any woman’s image, manipulate it through AI, and then use it to demean, degrade, humiliate and create death threats.’

Phoney images of real people, mainly women wearing bikinis or in sexually provocative situations, flooded X in December and January.

Research published on Friday from Malwarebytes reveals that one in three daily AI users think it’s okay to create fake explicit images of people they know.

But women previously told Metro that the realistic AI-generated images, called deepfakes, amounted to digital sexual assault.

One estimate puts the number of sexualised images created of real people between December 29 and January 8 at three million, or 190 per minute, according to the Center for Countering Digital Hate.

Asato’s mentions were flooded with such content after she called on Musk to take action.

‘Somebody created this horrible AI video of me being chloroformed and my skirts being lifted as if for a sexual assault,’ she says.

Given that she has campaigned against nudification apps, which create doctored explicit images, none of this is a surprise to her.

‘I became the victim of the very thing I was talking against,’ she says, alleging that X gave her no real ways to protect herself.

‘This isn’t just because of the nature of the content that’s created – albeit it is pretty traumatising – it’s to do with the fact that you, your personality, your image, has been taken without your consent, manipulated by somebody you don’t know into something that looks realistic but is not you. That’s where the violation happens.

‘Nobody would be allowed to come up to me in the street and strip my clothes off and put me in a bikini, so they shouldn’t be allowed to do that online either.’

Investigating xAI

Media regulator Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office, the data watchdog, both launched investigations into xAI.

The government even considered blocking X, as some countries did.

X removed illegal content depicting children and suspended accounts before restricting the image-generation tool to just paying subscribers.

However, Metro found that Grok could still make partially nude images by using certain words. It also doctored illicit images of men on its standalone app and website, Grok Imagine.

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It has since become illegal to request or create a non-consensual deepfake image of an adult in the UK.

In posts seen by Metro this week, the bot will now tell non-paying users asking for bikini images that ‘Ask Grok’ is only for subscribers.

When premium members request them, the bot doesn’t seem to respond.

Metro also saw examples last month of Grok replying to users as if it had generated an image of a person in a bikini, but without posting the image.

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Here you go! 🔥 Same fire pose, now in a bikini. What next?

— Grok (@grok) May 29, 2026

Things would have been different, Alsato argues, if Grok had launched with safeguards or followed policies outlined by regulators.

But a study by Security Hero found that even before Grok was released, 99% of nude deepfakes were of women or girls.

New claimants have come forward to join Asato’s legal action, many saying they have struggled to persuade X to remove the offending images.

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X has never been held accountable over the Grok saga, Veronica Oakeshott, head of external affairs at the charity Women’s Aid, tells Metro.

‘More must be done to control the use of this, and similar technologies to ensure that women and children are kept safe, online and offline,’ she says.

When previously asked by Metro, Grok said it does not ‘assist’ with requests involving real, identifiable people.

Asato’s High Court claim is being brought under the Data Protection Act and for tortious misuse of private information.

Goshawk, director of business development at the domestic abuse and sexual violence charity, Solace, says it should mark a change in our approach to online safety.

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‘Removing the tools alone does not get to the heart of this issue, which is that our society values women’s privacy and dignity less,’ Goshawk says.

At the end of the day, Asato says she’s not asking for much – no woman is.

‘It’s making sure that women are free to be ourselves in online spaces without the fear,’ she adds, ‘of being turned into pornography if you say something a man doesn’t like.’

xAI has been approached for comment.

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Swinton Estate, near Ripon, has announced the appointment of Steve Darou as Executive Head Chef, joining the estate on June 8.

Darou joins from St. John restaurants in London, where he served as Group Head Chef.

The estate says he brings with him a deep respect for ingredient-led cooking, seasonality and the resourceful nose-to-tail philosophy that has made St. John one of the UK’s most influential culinary institutions.

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Sheep gives birth to five lambs at Swinton Estate in Masham

That experience will strengthen Swinton’s estate-to-plate ethos still further, and focus on the connection between land and kitchen, championing whole-animal butchery, and ensuring the estate’s produce is used with imagination, integrity and minimal waste.

A key part of his role will be to develop the wider team of chefs so that they build a deeper understanding of how to handle and use ingredients from across the county, creating a more authentic expression of Swinton’s land, people and provenance.

 Steve Darou said: “I am delighted to be joining Swinton and leading the food offering across the estate. Having grown up in Canada with a strong connection to foraging and fishing, I have always held a deep respect for produce and provenance.

 “After 12 years with St. John in London, I am excited to work with the team to realise the full potential of one of the country’s great estates, from its exceptional walled kitchen garden to the wider landscape that shapes its identity. It is a rare opportunity to create food that is not only delicious, but truly rooted in place.”

 Alongside these wider developments, Josh Barnes will conclude his time at the Chef’s Table at Swinton on July 5, bringing to a close an important chapter in the evolution of the estate’s culinary offering.

During his tenure, the Chef’s Table was awarded 3 AA Rosettes and received Michelin recognition. Further details of the next chapter for the experience will be announced in due course.

General Manager Ramune Aleks added: “This is an exciting moment for Swinton, and we are delighted to welcome Steve to the estate.

“His appointment reflects our ambition to build a kitchen culture that combines exceptional cooking with a deeper understanding of provenance, seasonality and regenerative hospitality, while making the very most of the extraordinary produce and farming heritage around us.”

Welcome back to What’s Cooking, Metro’s food series, taking a peek inside the nation’s kitchens.

This week we’re at home with chef and presenter, Andi Oliver, who is best known as the host of the BBC’s Great British Menu.

After replacing Prue Leith on the show and working as a judge for four seasons, Andi took over the mantle of host in 2020. 

However, the 63-year-old hasn’t always worked with food. She actually started her career as a singer in the band Rip Rig + Panic in the 80s.

If you’ve ever wondered what a TV chef really eats at home when the cameras aren’t rolling, we’ve got the answers, as well as her top tips for finding the most delicious dishes when travelling.

First, tell us a secret. What’s your most unhinged snack obsession?

I’m addicted to this vegan caramelised white chocolate by Ombar. It’s so nice and creamy, I eat it every single day.

Usually, I don’t have a massive sweet tooth, but now I have to have at least two squares of this after dinner, otherwise I feel a bit weird.

I went on holiday to Antigua recently, and I’m so obsessed that I had to take some of it with me. I literally had 10 bars of it in my suitcase.

Do you have any tips for finding the best food when travelling?

I like to find out what local people are eating. So I always ask the cab drivers for their recommendations. They’ll tell you where to go, and it’ll be some random little cafe that you’d likely never have found by yourself.

I was taken to the best jerk and barbecue place in Jamaica. It was in this little clearing in the Blue Mountains, and I’m so glad we asked, because if not, I would have completely missed it.

You can also ask people in local food markets where they like to go, or speak to the experts at Intrepid Travel.

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I’m a massive fan of what they do, which is why I’m working with them on their new Endangered Dishes campaign to highlight 10 iconic global dishes facing extinction due to overtourism and climate change. 

These are more than just delicious things on the plate; these are our human stories. These recipes tell the stories of the movement of people, why we’re in the places we are, how we got there, how we connected, and how we thrived as people all over the world.

We need to preserve, celebrate, and encourage people to experience these beautiful dishes.

Which dish always reminds you of your childhood?

Banana pancakes. My mum used to make them every day, and we’d eat them with savoury food in Antigua.

You can make them from pumpkin or banana, and they’re a cross between a pancake and a fritter. They’re delicious, and you can have them with everything.

Name one thing that’s always in your fridge…

I don’t have dairy, so I buy oat milk, and I specifically like to get pistachio oat milk.

I’ve got one of those Nespresso machines, and you can get matcha and vanilla pods. I mix that with pistachio oat milk, and then put a little bit of honey and add a tiny drop of orange blossom water in there – it’s a trick I learned from a woman in San Antonia, and it’s absolutely delicious.

What about in your store cupboard?

I love tinned fish, like big time, and I’ll make sardines on toast with shaved, raw onion, a fudgy boiled egg, and a little bit of green seasoning on top, which is a mix of herbs, spring onion, and garlic. 

That’s a real Antiguian breakfast/lunch thing to eat, with a side of avocado.

And in the freezer?

I always have stock or bone broth in my freezer, and I’m quite a fan of Itsu dumplings.

I’ll cook the dumplings in a pan, straight from frozen, and add some of the green seasoning I mentioned earlier, plus a splash of stock, and some butter. You get this really lovely, buttery chicken stock sauce. 

Top it with some spinach and put the lid on while it finishes cooking, and that’s a really banging, quick lunch.

Is there anything you can’t resist splurging on at the supermarket?

I do like a nice £40 bottle of champagne, like Fleury. That goes down very well in this house, and I’m partial to it with some elderflower cordial. 

What do you prefer to get the cheap own-brand version of from the supermarket?

Tinned beans. There’s been a real thing lately where everybody’s buying beans in glass jars, but you don’t need fancy ones. People will always find a way to tell you to buy something more expensive, but I’ve been eating beans out of tins since I was born, and they’re fantastic.

Finally, what’s been cooking lately?

I’m currently working my way through all 10 of the Endangered Dishes and bringing them to life. 

Recently, I’ve made chicken and oxtail gumbo from Louisiana, which is a filé gumbo. It has a roux, which is thickened with the filé powder (dried and ground leaves from a sassafras tree). 

It’s not an easy dish to cook; it takes hours, and there’s definitely some skill involved, but it was really interesting and exciting to make.

Want to take part in What’s Cooking and let Metro raid your kitchen at home? Email courtney.pochin@metro.co.uk  

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‘The phone charger is very handy, I can’t find anything not to like’

Argos shoppers have been raving about a versatile desk lamp that serves several other purposes including charging smartphones. The model in question is available at Argos, which has highlighted the £40 Groov-e Ares LED Charging Desk Lamp as an ‘in demand’ item.

The standout feature of the lamp is its built-in 10W wireless charging pad, which can be used to charge compatible wireless charging devices such as smartphones and tablets by placing them on the base. This includes gadgets from brands like Apple and Samsung, with users reporting ‘no issues’ charging iPhones.

Available in black or white, the multifunctional Groov-e lamp also has a digital screen on the stem that can display the time, calendar or room temperature, as well as serving as a built-in alarm clock. It’s cleverly designed with a backup battery that ensures the alarm still operates should mains power be lost.

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As for lighting, it features a built-in LED bulb with three modes – warm, warm white and cool – plus a dinner mode, with five variable settings in each mode. All of these are selectable with a simple tap of the touch control pad, so users can select the best brightness to suit the mood whether working, reading or watching TV.

The Groov-e Ares lamp is designed with a folding arm that can be easily adjusted to angle the light where needed and a compact frame suitable for a range of desk sizes. It also boasts a one metre cable providing flexibility of placement.

Groov-e Ares LED Charging Desk Lamp

£40

Argos

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The Groov-e Ares LED Charging Desk Lamp can charge compatible wireless charging devices like Apple and Samsung smartphones.

A similar lamp is on sale at Amazon, where the BIENSER LED Desk Lamp with Wireless Charging costs £27.99. Despite its lower cost, this model offers a total of 50 lighting choices and can also charge compatible devices.

Elsewhere, more traditional lamps are available at Dusk, where the £49 Emer Scallop Edge Reactive Glaze Table Lamp has received a perfect five-star rating. As for the Groov-e Ares LED Charging Desk Lamp, Argos customers have awarded it a 4.6-star rating after more than 40 reviews, with some saying it goes ‘beyond expectations’.

“It goes above and beyond my expectations,” one shopper said. “The light features are brilliant as well as the temp readings and the fact it has wireless charging [is] a bonus.”

Another said: “Nice lamp with brightness and tone adjustment which is excellent when working late into the night. I have [an] iPhone 12 and there are no issues with charging, while charging a discreet red LED on the base will turn green when the phone is fully charged. I would recommend the light.”

However, the same buyer also highlighted one ‘bugbear’, adding: “One bugbear is the buttons at the back are flush and therefore difficult to find when adjusting the time/date.”

Nevertheless, another five-star review says: “Excellent bedside light, I bought two for my bedroom. Good variety of brightness, clear clock and temperature readout. The phone charger is very handy too – can’t find anything not to like.”

The Greater Cambridge Partnership wants to make the Riverside route safer and more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists – but not everyone agrees it’s the right priority

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Readers of Cambridgeshire Live have been weighing in on proposals to upgrade a well-loved riverside route in Cambridge. Many are in favour of creating a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists, while others argue that the funding would be better spent repairing the roads.

The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) says Riverside is used daily by thousands of pedestrians and cyclists. The route forms part of the Bottisham Greenway.

A GCP spokesperson said: “The GCP wants to enhance Riverside to create a safer, more accessible and more enjoyable route into the city and surrounding areas.” Riverside runs from the Elizabeth Way bridge to Stourbridge Common. The GCP’s proposals include:

• Wider, more consistent footways;
• New resting spots with planting and accessible seating;
• Clearer signage and improved pedestrian crossings;
• Safe, secure cycle parking.

Jonathan Camp, GCP Project Manager, said: “Riverside is already enjoyed by many people. These proposals aim to make it safer, greener and more inviting – a place where you can move easily, meet friends or simply enjoy being by the river. We’re asking everyone who uses Riverside to tell us what they think so we can create something that reflects what the community needs.”

A public consultation on the proposals is open until Monday, 13 July, at 11.59pm. You can access the link HERE.

One reader, Nocyclinganywhere comments: “Another vanity project and complete waste of money. Another project for cyclists that will be like all the others and not get used, if cyclists want these vanity projects, they should pay for them.”

Garyblowpants writes: “A great project! More road funds should be funneled to cyclists instead of being wasted on motorists.”

Tartan53 asks: “Does the CGP have an overall plan to interfere and ‘improve’ every road in Cambridge, surprised there was no reference to the ‘millions’ of cyclists who use this route everyday.”

Bobbymcbobface says: “To be fair, when I pass through there, there are always loads of runners on the road; it may be safer if they had a proper pavement to use.”

Over on our Facebook page, Stephen R comments: “Another great development. Can’t wait.”

Frank G believes: “What a waste of money.”

Martin L-S writes: “Excellent scheme to benefit pedestrians, long overdue. As the picture shows, the pavement by the river just stops half-way along Riverside, forcing people to walk in the roadway.”

Tom R adds: “This whole riverside has huge potential (and established use). It would benefit greatly from more ‘active transport’ facilities.”

Trevor P says: “Could widen the river here to allow floating restaurants and mooring for boat trips up the river to Ely, making a proper riverside promenade with coffee stands, snacks etc.”

Sue R thinks: “Here we go again, GCP, the ones that just pop into Cambridge now and again to see how they can spend more money on vanity projects. Yes, it would be nice, definitely Camcycle would be very happy, but wouldn’t it be better to improve some of the pavements and roads that are really in need of repair first around Cambridge?

“I walk along the river there, and never have I found it to be overcrowded with ‘thousands’ of pedestrians and cyclists. Never seen an accident with the cyclists and pedestrians, although I’m not saying there hasn’t been one with the speed some of the cyclists seem to think they need to go.”

Eco Nick writes: “I remember when they sorted it out not long ago. Again? Not needed. Sorry to bang on about it, but resurface the roads. For all road users. I am totally against this plan. It is fine. I cycle it a lot. Litterpick it too.”

Does the riverside need to be improved? Comment below or HERE to have your say.

From the 1984 York Rock Festival – Echo & The Bunnymen and The Sisters of Mercy shaking the Knavesmire to modern blockbuster crowds, the tradition runs deep.

Remembering the huge gigs that have rocked York Racecourse – including pictures and memories from the 1984 York Rock Festival on Knavesmire. (Image: Submitted)

Sir Tom Jones drew more than 30,000 in 2015, arriving just in time to deliver a masterclass under evening skies.

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There had been fears the then-septuagenarian sex bomb himself would be a non-runner after a respiratory infection had put paid to his earlier concerts at Saint Tropez and in Germany.

Sir Rod Stewart kept the sell-out momentum rolling, with his July 2019 concert at York Racecourse held on a specially-constructed pop-up venue on the Knavesmire.

STILL WEARING IT WELL Rod Stewart at York Racecourse in 2019. Picture Cuffe and Taylor Rhodes (Image: Cuffe and Taylor Rhodes)

There have been screams for Boyzone in 2018, club vibes as Craig David brought his TS5 set, and pop-punk revivals with Busted.

In July 2021, 30,000 thousand fans packed York Racecourse again for the first time in almost two years due to the Covid pandemic.

Racegoers watched a series of races followed by a concert by pop band McFly on the second day of the course’s Music Showcase weekend.

Races had been held behind closed doors the previous year while York’s capacity had been limited to 4,000 at meetings earlier that year.

Olly Murs charmed the crowds at York Racecourse Picture Jeremy Phillips Photographer (Image: Jeremy Phillips Photographer)

Those restrictions on numbers at race meetings had been removed under the Government’s recent relaxation of Covid rules.

In 2022, about 45,000 packed in for Madness and Sugababes, proving the appetite only grows.

As this season returns, memories of Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones lighting up 2012 remind us that the music is just as big as the racing.