HARVESTER has launched its biggest plate of food yet – a gut-busting mountain of meat for £50.

The restaurant chain has added the enormous dish to its latest menu and it contains a whopping 3,769 calories.

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Greedy diners can feast on half a rotisserie chicken, a half rack of BBQ ribs, a short of beef rib and a massive cheddar and jalapeño sausage.

The giant plate is finished with a heap of salsa, pink pickled onions, corn bread, chips and coleslaw.

If that’s not enough, food fans can still top it off with a bowl of Harvester’s famous self-service salad bar.

The Ultimate Rib Roundup is described as a ‘sharer’ dinner on the menu and comes with a price tag of £49.99.

Harvester, however, has told customers: “Perfectly grilled, packed with flavour and made for sharing (or keeping all to yourself).”

Brenda Gliddon visited her local branch in Kent with her grown-up son to try the Ultimate Rib Roundup.

She said: “My son can out eat anyone I know but even he left some.” Other Harvester fans have also been eyeing up the new calorific dish as a meal for one.

One wrote on the restaurant chain’s Facebook official page: “I love sharing but I’d rather keep this all to myself!”

Another added: “That’s a single portion!”

Tagging in a pal, third commented: “You’ve got to try this. You might get more than 4 ribs on your plate!”

The Ultimate Rib Roundup is available in all 165 UK branches of Harvester.

It has been added as a new addition to the eatery’s Grills and Combos section of the menu.

Listed as a ‘Supreme Flavour Fan Sharer’, the description reads: “A hearty feast for true grill lovers: half of our succulent rotisserie chicken, a half rack of BBQ glazed ribs, a tender short beef rib and a Cheddar & jalapeño sausage paired with charred corn & black bean salsa and pink pickled onions.

“Served with sage & onion seasoned chips, our new hot honey drizzled corn bread and hot slaw.”

THIS ultra-rare £10 note triggered an intense eBay bidding war – and sold for a whopping £255 – but can you tell what’s wrong?

The note was advertised as having a “rare mint error” that’s related to its printing.

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The £10 is certainly rare, sporting a completely blank side that left bidders baffled.

Sold in September, the tenner attracted a whopping 27 bids from those desperate to get their hands on the bizarre note.

The poster even manage to nab themselves an extra £12.95 just for delivery, all the way from Denmark.

A blank note of this kind is practically impossible to find elsewhere.

From our research, the only other £10 blank note we could find appeared to sell for £156.11 on eBay.

It comes as a rare 50p coin sold for 200 its usual value because it was missing a tiny “mark”.

The King Charles Atlantic Salmon 50p was advertised as having “no privy mark” on eBay.

It later sold for a whopping £102 following 23 bids from eager collectors.

A privy mark is a tiny crown symbol stamped onto some coins on the “heads” or “obverse” side – or on the rim.

In the case of the King Charles Atlantic Salmon 50p, first minted in 2023 in celebration of Charles‘ ascension of the throne, the privy mark is a small Tudor crown.

It can be spotted just behind the King’s head.

How to spot rare coins and banknotes

Rare coins and notes hiding down the back of your sofa could sell for hundreds of pounds.

If you are lucky enough to find a rare £10 note you might be able to sell it for multiple times its face value.

You can spot rare notes by keeping an eye out for the serial numbers.

These numbers can be found on the side with the Monarch’s face, just under the value £10 in the corner of the note.

Also if you have a serial number on your note that is quite quirky you could cash in thousands.

For example, one seller bagged £3,600 after spotting a specific serial number relating to the year Jane Austen was born on one of their notes.

You can check if your notes are worth anything on eBay, just tick “completed and sold items” and filter by the highest value.

It will give you an idea of what people are willing to pay for some notes.

But do bear in mind that yours is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.

This is also the case for coins, you can determine how rare your coin is by looking a the latest scarcity index.

The next step is to take a look at what has been recently sold on eBay.

Experts from Change Checker recommend looking at “sold listings” to be sure that the coin has sold for the specified amount rather than just been listed.

A WINNING Postcode Lottery player bagged an eye-watering £200,000 and lost half a stone.

Alison and Tim Browne, from Breaston, Derbyshire, were gobsmacked when they discovered the lucrative jackpot.

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The couple were one of three households who scooped the windfall in the Postcode Lottery Millionaire Street draw last week.

Mum-of-two Alison said their jackpot has seen her drop half a stone within a week due to lack of sleep.

“But it’s good! You have dreams that you have won lots of money, but then you wake up and think, ‘Damn, it’s a dream’,” she said.

“This is how I felt every night this week when I managed to get to sleep at 3am. Then I woke up and thought, ‘No, it’s not a dream!’

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would win this much.”

Tim admitted he didn’t even enter the competition – but his wife unknowingly had.

He said: “I can’t believe it. I’m just glad she didn’t phone to tell me the amount when I was driving!

“I didn’t even know she was doing People’s Postcode Lottery, to be honest.”

An overjoyed Alison added: “It’s a fantastic feeling and I can’t stop smiling. But we’re going to have a big, big party on the street.

“It’s wonderful. We’ve known George and Paul for over 30 years and we get on really, really well.

“It’s a lovely street, lovely neighbours, and a lovely place to live.

“I don’t know what to think. This is life-changing, it really is.”

The pair are plan to splurge the cash on a lavish holiday to celebrate their 40th anniversary.

And, they will finally be able to tick riding on the iconic Orient Express off their bucket-list.

Tim said: “It means everything. We always wanted to do the train trip across the Rockies in Canada and also the Orient Express.

“There’s lots of trips that we’ve never done and have never been able to do. And now we’ll be able to do them and that’s fantastic.”

Alison, a freelance school music exam coordinator, said: “We’ve been married 43 years now, but our 40-year anniversary fell during lockdown so we weren’t able to celebrate properly. Now we can do that.”

The couple share a son Matthew, who is autistic, and hailed the win for “the security this will bring him”.

Meanwhile, older son James, joked: “I’ll be happy with a pint in Spoons. It’s £6 a pint!”

Tim revealed he also dreams of welcoming a new puppy into the family to keep Pointer Finlay company.

The musician told how a new Gore-Tex waterproof jacket wouldn’t go a miss either.

Alison laughed: “If we get another dog we’ll need a house with a bigger garden.

“My son and daughter-in-law don’t want us to get another dog because they have to look after them if we go away.

“We’re all going away to Wales on holiday together next week so we can celebrate there.”

It comes as another lucky player who scooped a life-changing Postcode Lottery prize refused to believe she had won – until a key sign revealed it was fate.

Meanwhile, another punter doubled their £200,000 Postcode Lottery win by using a clever trick – make sure you don’t miss out.

Jo Deighton from Shoreham, West Sussex, was gobsmacked when she scooped nearly an eye-watering quarter of a million pounds.

Elsewhere, one Brit who bagged a £410,000 jackpot told how no one believed her – not even her husband.

Leyla Eaton’s jaw dropped after discovering she’d scooped the eye-watering prize.

The mum-of-two entered when she was struck by a “strong feeling” a huge windfall was coming her way.

How to play the People’s Postcode Lottery?

For just £12 a month, players can sign up through the official website to have a chance of winning millions of pounds.

Once signed up, players are automatically entered into every draw and prizes are announced every day of each month.

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Tickets play for the Daily Prize, worth £1000 and revealed every single day.

Tickets could also win a jackpot of £30,000 for Saturday and Sunday’s Street Prize draws.

People’s Postcode Lottery also offers a £3million Postcode Millions draw each month – where your ticket plays for a share of the cash prize fund.

Winners are notified by email, text, post, or phone call, depending on the prize they win.

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Jackpot winners are visited by the lottery team in person.

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THERE’S less than a week to go until this year’s Budget, leaving many people wondering what the Government will announce.

The Budget gives an update on the government’s economic plans, which are based on official forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

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It also gives Chancellor Rachel Reeves the chance to update Parliament on the government’s tax and spending plans for the next year.

Labour’s manifesto promise ruled out hikes to VAT, income tax rates and national insurance in line with its pledge to help “working people”.

The Government has so far refused to rule out several big tax changes, including a council tax reform and new pension rules.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer’s warning that the Labour Party’s first Budget in more than a decade “is going to be painful” has left many wondering what could be announced.

Here we take you through what could be in store.

Income tax

Experts suggest that Rachel Reeves could extend the “stealth” freeze on income tax thresholds for another two years.

The personal allowance, which is the amount that people can earn before they need to pay income tax, is frozen until 2028 but the Chancellor could extend it in next week’s Budget.

As worker’s wages rise in line with inflation this could drag thousands of people into higher tax brackets through fiscal drag.

Government sources have said that doing so would not breach Labour’s general election manifesto, which promised not to increase the rate of income tax.

The move could bring in as much as £7billion a year from 2028 onwards.

Capital gains tax

Another rumour is that Labour will make changes to capital gains tax in its Budget.

Capital gains tax is charged on the profit you make when you sell something that has increased in value.

Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out charging capital gains tax for first-time buyers, which is exempt under the current system.

Experts now predict that the rate charged for higher-rate taxpayers selling a second home will remain at 24%.

But the 20% tax when selling shares or other valuable assets such as paintings or furniture could be increased.

This move may not affect basic-rate taxpayers, who currently pay 10pc, although a change to their thresholds has not been ruled out.

The Government may also alter the current threshold at which capital gains tax is due.

At the moment the first £3,000 you make in profit for selling an item that has increased in value is tax-free.

But this threshold has been reduced several times by the previous Conservative government.

First from £12,300 in 2022-23, then to £6,000 in 2023-24.

Inheritance tax

The prime minister and chancellor could make multiple changes to inheritance tax, which currently has several exemptions and reliefs.

Inheritance tax is currently charged at 40% on the property, possessions and money of someone who has died if they are worth more than £325,000.

Fewer than one in 20 estates currently pays death duties as many estates fall below this threshold.

But the tax raises about £7 billion a year for the Government.

There are several exemptions and reliefs which mean you do not need to pay inheritance tax, including gifts or giving to charity.

It is thought that changes to several of these rules are being considered.

For example, gifts which are given less than seven years before you die may be taxed.

There are also exemptions if you leave land or pasture which is used to rear animals or to grow crops through agricultural relief.

It is not yet confirmed what changes will be made in the Budget on 30 October.

Employer national insurance contributions

Experts have suggested that the Chancellor could impose national insurance on employers’ pension contributions in the Budget.

Doing so could raise £15.4 billion, which would help to plug a £40billion funding gap in the public finances.

Employers currently pay national insurance for post workers earning more than £9,100 a year.

The amount they pay is equivalent to 13.8% of the employee’s earnings above this figure.

For an employee earning £30,000 the employer would pay around £2,884.20 in national insurance.

Former pensions minister Sir Steve Webb said that if the government put up the national insurance rate by 1% it could raise an extra £8 billion a year.

But he warns that it could leave millions of workers with lower wages and less generous pensions.

If an employer has to pay more tax then their costs will go up, so they would need to save money elsewhere.

They may do this by giving employees smaller pay rises or by reducing the amount that they pay into employees’ pensions.

Sir Steve said: “Changing national insurance contributions could leave hundreds of thousands of people with a poorer retirement.”

Pensions

The Government has so far failed to rule out changes to the lump sum you can take out of your pension without paying tax.

At the moment retirees can withdraw up to 25% of the total value of their pension tax-free, up to a maximum of £268,275.

But Labour is allegedly considering cutting the tax-free amount to £100,000 in a move which could raise around £2 billion.

It is not yet clear how this would work.

Another option being considered is to charge inheritance tax on pensions.

At present pensions are not considered to be part of your estate when you die, which means that you do not need to pay IHT on them.

But some suggest that Labour could change this in a move which could leave grieving families tens of thousands of pounds worse off.

Stamp duty

Stamp duty land tax is due if you buy a property or a piece of land which is worth more than a certain price in England and Northern Ireland.

In 2022 the rate at which people start to pay it was increased from £125,000 to £250,000 for second-steppers.

Meanwhile, for first-time buyers, it rose from £300,000 to £450,000.

A discounted rate on property purchases of up to £625,000 was also introduced.

But these higher thresholds are only due to last until March 31 2025, after which point they will return to the original levels.

So far Labour has not committed to extending them.

If the higher thresholds are not extended then it could mean first-time buyers are slapped with tax bills which are £15,000 higher than before.

Cash ISAs

Savers have been rushing to open a cash ISA before 30 October to protect themselves from any tax surprises which could be announced in the Budget.

Cash ISAs are a tax-free way to save towards your financial future or invest in the stock market.

Every tax year you can save up to £20,000 in one account or split your allowance across multiple accounts.

The tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April.

You can only pay into one Lifetime ISA in a tax year and the maximum amount you can deposit is £4,000.

There is no limit on how much cash you can stash away over your lifetime.

Meanwhile, savers can be forced to pay tax on their nest eggs if they go over the personal savings allowance.

Basic-rate taxpayers can earn up to £1,000 in interest before they need to pay tax on their savings.

Higher-rate taxpayers can earn up to £500 in interest, while additional-rate taxpayers get no allowance.

But The Resolution Foundation, a think tank, has previously suggested that the government should slash the amount that can be saved into an ISA to £1,000.

They argue that by not having a cap the accounts mostly benefit those with lots of disposable income.

Alcohol duty

It has been reported that the Chancellor is considering increasing alcohol duties in the Budget.

Rachel Reeves has not ruled out pushing up the tax on spirits, beer and wine, which would raise an extra £800 million next year.

Alcohol duty is charged on all drinks which are more than 1.2% ABV strength, either at the point of production or when they are imported.

Usually, alcohol duty rises each year in line with inflation unless the Chancellor chooses to freeze it.

Although inflation is set to hit 2% next year, industry sources have said that alcohol duties could be pushed up to more than 6%.

But higher taxes could mean higher prices, which could deter drinkers and cause them to buy less.

Fuel duty

Drivers could be hit in the pocket if Labour decides to make changes to fuel duty in the Budget.

Fuel duty rates have been frozen since 2011-12.

It was cut by a further 5p in 2022 by the Conservatives in response to soaring fuel prices at the start of the war in Ukraine.

The RAC has predicted that the 5p cut could be scrapped, which could increase the cost of filling up a tank by an average of £3.30.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

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A HIGH street bank is giving away £50 free to customers who move their savings account to it from elsewhere.

The reward is available to any new or existing customer who switches their Individual Savings Account (Isa) from another provider to the bank.

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An Isa is a a type of savings account where you don’t pay tax on any interest earned, and you can save up to £20,000 a year tax-free.

Smaller savings pots don’t usually incur tax, but larger ones can.

For those putting away money for big purchases, like a home deposit, an Isa is worth considering.

The offer from Santander could be withdrawn at any moment – so those eyeing up the extra cash for Christmas should act fast.

Now Santander is offering free cash to those with a nest egg of more than £10,000.

Once the transfer is complete the bank will give customers a £50 e-voucher.

This can be spent at more than 100 restaurants, supermarkets and clothes stores including Argos, B&M and Primark.

Banks often offer incentives to attract new customers, typically for bank accounts, but sometimes for other products like savings accounts too.

Andrew Hagger, personal finance expert at Moneycomms, said: “This is a good incentive – especially for people who may be sitting on some poor performing Isas.”

But it’s important to check that an account is right for you before you switch, instead of moving your money just to get an incentive, and that you’re getting the best rate on offer.

How do I get the deal?

First you need to apply for a Santander Fixed Rate Isa.

You can also upgrade an existing Santander Isa to a Fixed Rate Isa.

Once the account is opened, you must complete a transfer in instruction.

Santander suggests that you do this on the day you open your account or upgrade.

You can do this online or in a branch.

The instruction asks for your non-Santander Isa to be transferred to your new Fixed Rate Isa.

You need to do this within the first 14 days of opening your Isa account.

When you complete the form you will need to ask for a full transfer of your existing non-Santander account, which must have a balance of £10,000 or more.

You must provide an up-to-date email address which the bank can use to email you the code to redeem your e-voucher.

Your account could take up to 30 days to transfer.

You will be sent a code to redeem your e-voucher within 14 days of your transfer completing.

When transferring an ISA you must follow the bank’s correct processes, or you could lose the tax-free status of your cash.

Never withdraw your cash from the account.

Is the Santander deal worth it?

Santander currently has three fixed-rate Isas on offer, with different terms.

A fixed rate means you lock in the interest rate at the start and it won’t change in that time.

Locking away your cash can mean you’re protected if interest rates fall, but you could miss out if they rise.

You may be charged a penalty for withdrawing cash early, or lose the rate of interest, so if you need access to the cash a fix might not be for you.

You need £500 or more to open one of these accounts, though remember you’ll need to pay in £10,000 to get the bonus.

The one-year fixed-rate Isa gives you 4.01% interest on your nest egg.

If you transferred the minimum £10,000 this would give you a return of £33.42 a month, or £401 over the course of a year.

The 18 month fixed-rate Isa has a slightly lower return, at 3.91%.

On a £10,000 nest egg you would get £32.58 in interest each month, or £391 a year.

The two year fixed-rate Isa has the least generous interest rate of all of the accounts.

It has an interest rate of 3.81%, which would give you £31.75 a month, or £381 a year, on a £10,000 balance.

If you want to withdraw money from the account before its fixed-term has ended then you will need to close your account.

A charge equivalent to 120 days’ interest will be applied.

However there are Isas paying better rates of interest.

Virgin Money has the best one-year fixed-rate cash Isa of all banks and building societies.

It offers a return of 4.61% on your nest egg.

If you had £10,000 in savings this would give you £38.42 a month in interest – £5 more than the best Santander account.

Over the course of a year you would earn £461 in interest, £60 more than with the Santander account.

If you take into account the £50 bonus you would still be £10 better off after a year with the Virgin Money account.

Plus there is no minimum amount you need to open this account, which makes it a good option for savers with smaller pots.

Rachel Springall, finance expert at Moneyfactscompare.co.uk, said: “Savers need to be wary of cash sweeteners if the account itself does not offer the best value compared to other similar accounts.

“Santander’s rates are not market leading and there are a plentiful amount of challenger banks offering much higher rates.”

How do I compare rates?

You can find a full list of the best Isa accounts by using a comparison website such as Compare the Market and Moneyfactscompare.co.uk.

These will help you save you time and show you the best rates on offer.

You can also filter your searches by length or account type.

As a rule of thumb, you only want to consider an account that pays more interest than the current level of inflation, which is 1.7%.

It’s also worth checking regularly as rates can change from one day to the next.

It is a good idea to keep some money in an easy-access savings account which you can use in an emergency.

Once you have found an account you like you should contact the bank or building society you want to move to.

You will need to fill out an Isa transfer form to move your account.

Do not withdraw money from one account to pay into another as you will not be able to reinvest it as part of your tax-free allowance again.

It should not take longer than 15 working days to transfer money between cash Isas.

It can take up to 30 days for other types of transfer.

If your transfer takes longer than it should then contact your Isa provider.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

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A MAJOR fashion brand with 100 UK branches has been bought out by a major fashion group.

White Stuff has been snapped up by The Foschini Group (TFG) in a deal believed to be worth around £50million.

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TFG, a South-African fashion group, already owns fashion brands Hobbs, Whistles and Phase Eight.

White Stuff, which was founded in 1985, currently runs 113 stores and 46 concessions inside John Lewis and M&S branches.

No stores will close and no staff will be let go as part of the deal.

The retailer currently employs more than 1,200 people.

George Treves, co-founder of White Stuff, said: “Today marks a significant and emotional milestone for Sean and me.

“We have spent over 40 years building this company from the ground up.

“We have achieved more than we ever dreamed possible, thanks to the incredible dedication of our team, the support of our customers, and the commitment of our suppliers.”

It comes after the founders of White Stuff were said to be exploring a sale of the business earlier this year.

At the time it was understood no stores would be closing as part of any deal.

Last November, bosses also announced plans to open more shops, with several having opened since then.

In April this year, White Stuff reported record revenues of £154.8million, with 85% of revenue coming from online and store sales.

TFG said all colleagues across the business would keep their roles as part of the deal struck today, but that founders George Treves and Sean Thomas would step down.

The acquisition marks TFG’s expansion into the fashion retail market, having bought out Phase Eight in 2015, followed by Whistles then Hobbs.

Justin Hampshire, chief executive officer of TFG London, said: “We are thrilled to welcome the White Stuff team into the TFG London family.

“We have long admired the White Stuff brand which is synonymous with unique detail and exceptional quality.

“The addition of White Stuff to TFG London diversifies and strengthens our existing womenswear portfolio, adding the first lifestyle brand while also bringing a well-established menswear offer and its loyal and resilient customer base.”

He added that White Stuff would be looking to increase its number of stores and concessions across the UK.

White Stuff had been in advanced talks with TFG over a sale of the business for the last couple of days, Sky News reported.

A number of other parties were also believed to be interested in snapping up the retailer.

Today, Jo Jenkins, chief executive officer of White Stuff, said: “We have spent over 40 years building this company from the ground up.

“We have achieved more than we ever dreamed possible, thanks to the incredible dedication of our team, the support of our customers, and the commitment of our suppliers.

“Together, we have built something truly special.”

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

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