EVERY Five Guys has a sign on the wall that says: “Today’s potatoes are from . . .”
Somewhere local.
That makes me happy.
Because not only does it mean the chips will be fresh and tasty, it’s a reminder that you’re backing British farming.
Helping to put food on the table for someone else.
It’s the same with some cars.
If you buy a Mini Cooper or a Toyota Corolla or a Nissan Qashqai or a Nissan Juke, you get a tasty motor first and foremost.
But you also support tens of thousands of people who work in the British car industry.
So everyone wins.
The next “Made in Britain” motor coming our way is the radically- improved Nissan Leaf.
Now a proper long-distance family motor that happens to be electric.
Rather than a fugly eco car with phish range.
Let’s just say the original Leaf was a rubbish getaway car. You’d be better off on foot.
This new one has the option of a 270-mile battery or a 375-mile battery.
So you might need to charge it once a fortnight. The smooth body and flat belly help it slice through the air.
Steering wheel paddles adjust the levels of braking regen to add more electrons on the go.
After trying a prototype, I am pleased to say Leaf 3.0 drives nicely too.
Smooth, quiet, sophisticated, fast when you want to go fast, relaxed when you don’t.
The new multi-link rear axle, compared to the old torsion-beam set-up, really improves ride and handling.
It’s actually shorter than the old car, with a smaller turning circle, so it’s easier to park and manoeuvre in town.
Yet the cabin is bigger. There’s room for a rear-facing child seat in the back. There wasn’t before.
The boot is bigger and more useful with luggage dividers from a Qashqai.
Up front, that slick twin-screen dash has built-in Google for maps, music and more.
Bose headrest speakers direct satnav and calls to the driver’s lugholes. So they don’t spoil the song for everyone else.
The big glass roof, with thermal protection, dims in sections. And actually increases headroom.
There’s lots of charging ports for devices and drink holders for your Five Guys milkshakes. Like I said, proper family car.
Other observations. The 3D rear lights. I like them. Two upright bars and three horizontal bars.
That’s because ‘two’ and ‘three’ in Japanese sound like ‘Ni’ and ‘San’.
That’s also why Nissan’s legendary race cars wear the number 23.
Let’s hope there’s a sporty Leaf NISMO further down the line because I’m told there’s room for a rear e-motor to make it 4WD.
For now, though, we applaud Sunderland for giving us a practical electric car we would be proud to own.
It just needs a badge that says it’s home-grown.
AN emotional foundling on Long Lost Family was stunned after learning a shocking family secret.
A foundling is a child whom is abandoned at birth with no obvious trace or connection to a set of birth parents.
Lisa Dyke, 55, was left in another baby’s pram in Christchurch, Hampshire.
Although raised by loving adoptive parents, she had lingering questions about her origins.
However, Lisa was left stunned by what was ultimately revealed to her.
Lisa’s parents had three other children – all full siblings to her.
In fact, she is the third-born child – and the only one to be left.
Lisa has an older brother and sister, Tim and Jen, as well as younger sister Lynn.
She told host Davina McCall: “I’m trying to process it.
“I feel like I’ve gone from having nobody to now having three full siblings. All very similar ages. “
Unfortunately, both of Lisa’s birth parents had already passed away.
Taking to X, one viewer penned: “Goodness, how does anybody try and process that, I’ve no idea.”
Another wrote: “It must be so hard to find out that after you were left another baby came along.”
A third shared: “Lisa’s story has broken me. I am a dry husk after all the tears.”
While a fourth remarked: “Wow thats such a big revelation for bith Lisa and her siblings.”
It’s not the first time the ITV show has featured heartbreaking stories.
A previous Born Without Trace instalment followed the story of Thomas Yeo.
‘Baby Elsa’, named after the protagonist in Frozen, was found in sub-zero temperatures in Newham, east London.
She was believed to be less than an hour old when she was discovered by a dog walker, wrapped in a towel inside a reusable shopping bag with her umbilical cord still attached.
The Metropolitan Police suspect Elsa was born after a ‘concealed pregnancy’ – where a woman does not tell health professionals she is expecting.
DNA tests have since revealed Elsa has two siblings – a brother and a sister, who were abandoned in 2017 and 2019 respectively, within miles of where she was found.
The other babies, Harry and Roman, were discovered wrapped in blankets. They have both been adopted.
The parents of the three children are yet to be identified
At East London Family Court last week, Judge Carol Atkinson ruled the biological link between ‘Elsa’ and the other two children could be reported.
It was deemed of “great public interest” due to babies rarely being abandoned in modern Britain.
The trio are among five cases of children being abandoned at birth within the last four years in England and Wales.
In 2020, a baby was discovered in Hackney, east London, and another was found in Birmingham in 2021. Both of their mothers were tracked down several months later.
Having submitted his DNA to a database, the team found a first cousin, Martina, in Ireland.
But in a shock twist, it transpired that Martina, like Thomas, was also a foundling.
The two cousins met but ultimately continued their searches separately.
Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace airs on ITV1 and ITVX.
LOVE Island viewers have slammed the ‘most sex-obsessed Islander’ after she made a shocking claim.
Fairly-new bombshell Yasmin, 24, revealed to some of the Islanders, including Harry and Dejon, that a man had never given her an orgasm before – which came amid another very shocking claim.
The London-based beauty also confessed that she has only ever slept with two men before, despite speaking about sex frequently with guys in the villa.
Many fans have now slammed Yasmin’s claims on the grounds that she talks about sex a lot.
“Unsure how Yasmin goes on about all this sexual stuff so much but says she’s only slept with 2 people…” said one person.
A second added: “Yasmin can’t hold a conversation without mentioning sex but has only slept with two guys?? i’ve seen it all.”
“Not in a million years has Yasmin slept with 2 men. She’s the horniest person that’s ever set foot in this villa, wow,” penned a third.
While a fourth slammed: “Yasmin has made her whole personality sex like does it hurt you to not talk about it ???”
“Yasmin making up the orgasm lies for MORE male attention??” speculated a fifth.
But some viewers defended Yasmin and slammed those “coming for her” because she’s “confident enough to talk about sex”.
One person on X said: “Why is everyone coming for Yasmin? Cause she’s confident enough to talk about sex?
“Grow up man, you lot fantasise about this shit but when it’s happening you all hide behind your duvets?”
Earlier this week, Yasmin offered to have a threesome with Dejon.
“Would you ever have a threesome with me and Toni?” she asked the hunk who is currently coupled up with Meg.
Then, in Wednesday night’s instalment, Yasmin spoke to Harry on the terrace when things got very flirty.
She spoke about being “bent over” and he said she was “undressing” him with her eyes.
Departures:
“listening to yasmin and harry is PAINFUL,” said one person on X as the conversation played out.
“This Harry & Yasmin chat is actually cringe. I do not know who’s worse,” added a second.
“Omfg I’m going to sick. This chat between Harry and Yasmin is so gross. WHY ARE THEY SO DAMN HORNY. DOES NO ONE CARE ABOUT DIGITAL FOOTPRINT ANYMORE,” penned a third.
While a fourth said: “You know what, Harry & Yasmin belong together cos they’re both lustful creatures.”
Yasmin entered the villa just mere days ago and has caused a massive stir ever since.
From London, Yasmin works in commercial banking and describes herself as the “CEO of flirting”.
FOOTBALLER Kieran Trippier has confirmed his marriage is over for good.
The Newcastle United player broke his silence on the split after The Sun revealed his new mystery woman.
Kieran, 34, partied with Geordie Shore’s Chloe Ferry, 29, at Ibiza nightclub Ushuaia last week, with exclusive pictures showing him with his arm around the reality star.
Writing on Instagram tonight, Kieran asked for privacy on the matter.
He said: “Myself and Charlotte separated over a year ago.
“I have not commented previously as it is a private matter and we want to protect our children.
“We ask the media to respect our privacy in the same way.”
His marriage crisis began in May last year when video footage showed him lifting up blonde call centre worker Frankie Carmichael, 27, in Newcastle karaoke bar Cosy Joes.
Then in May this year, the Magpies ace was also photographed with another blonde woman on a night out in Newcastle.
His estranged wife Charlotte, 36, was sent a video of Kieran and the woman by another female who spotted them together.
Insiders told us that Charlotte is taking “legal advice” over their marriage.
