Free porridge and hot drink at N.I. supermarket cafes

The initiative is open to all ages and will run until March 20 daily from 8am to 12pm. The partnership with Quaker will allow customers to enjoy a free bowl of porridge along with a cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate, to warm up from the UK’s cold winter weather.

The new free breakfast initiative is now one of four that are live in Asda Café’s, alongside the popular Kids Eat for £1 which has served over 3.1 million meals since its launch in June 2022 and will continue support families are across the school holidays.

The £1 Winter Warmers initiative for the over-60s is available until the end of February offering soup, a roll and a hot drink with over 350,000 served UK-wide since November. The retailer also offers local community groups the ‘community cuppa’ which offers community groups a warm and free place to meet with a free hot drink.

The move comes as Asda’s latest Income Tracker reveals that despite improvements, disposable income remains firmly down on the values witnessed prior to the cost-of-living crisis. Compared to the peak of £246 in Q1 2021, UK-wide disposable income has fallen by 9.1 per cent.

Already shoppers have taken to social media (Facebook) to praise the initiative, calling it a 'brilliant idea'. One wrote on Facebook: "Well done Asda. It's a great idea. A lot of people will be very grateful.

Kris Comerford, Asda’s Chief Commercial Officer said: “We know that at this time of year, customers feel an additional strain on household budgets, especially with the colder weather.

"Building on our successful collaboration with Quaker in 2023, we’re partnering with the brand once again to demonstrate our support for customers and help to alleviate some of the pressures they face through rising living costs.

"In addition to our popular Kids eat for £1 and the over 60s Winter Warmers £1 Soup and Roll café meals, all our customers can now enjoy a free bowl of porridge and hot drink in over 205 Asda cafes†. By bringing back the initiative in 2024 we hope it will prove to be impactful across the winter months for those who need it most.”

For more information on the Quaker donations in partnership with Magic Breakfast and FareShare can visit www.quaker.co.uk/ShareTheWarmth

Asda Cafés in Northern Ireland are in Asda stores at Antrim, Portadown, Coleraine, Enniskillen and Strabane.