Happy 140th birthday, Ben Shaws!

Ben Shaws, the soft drinks manufacturer who brought the distinctive taste of Dandelion and Burdock – amongst others - to the people of the UK, is 140 years old this year.

To celebrate this landmark, the company has embarked on a tour of the country’s county shows where not only will visitors get a chance to sample the flavours of Cloudy Lemonade, Bitter Shandy, Cream Soda and the famous Dandelion and Burdock, but to vote on which one is their favourite. 

What’s more, back in the days when the Miss World competition was a global phenomenon, Yorkshire had its very own version – Miss Ben Shaws. Each year a girl who was seen to embody all the qualities of Ben Shaws – fun, sparkling personality, plenty of fizz! – was crowned the winner each year and given a free crate of Ben Shaws soft drinks every month for the year of her reign.  The title was much sought after and hundreds of girls entered every year.

Now, as Ben Shaws celebrates 140 years of business, the firm is to pay homage to the old days by looking to crown a number of contemporary Miss Ben Shaws. “Each and every one of our new Miss Ben Shaws will be given a year’s supply of our soft drinks each,” added Sundeep.  “We’ve had tremendous support from the fans of Ben Shaws over the years and we want them to come and celebrate this landmark birthday with us.”

The company was founded in 1871 by Ben Shaw himself, who used the family shire horses Bonny, Blossom, Cherry and Dick to deliver his soft drinks via horse and cart.  In later years the firm used what became known as the Ben Shaws “pop van” and the drinks came in glass bottles that when returned were a popular way for children to earn pocket money.  And for a shilling an hour, Ben Shaw’s grandchildren would watch the bottles coming off the production line, checking for specks of dirt, making sure very bottle was perfect.

“We’re very excited about it all,” said a spokesman.  “140 years is a long time to be in business and it’s great to see that the original four flavours are as popular as ever.  It’s a brand that has stood the test of time and is as popular now as it was all those years ago.”

As part of Ben Shaws’ birthday celebrations, they can be found at:
Eccleston County Fair 16-17July

Southport Air Show  23-24 July

For more information, visit either www.benshawsdrinks.co.uk or www.facebook.com/benshaws

FACTFILE:

Ben Shaws® was started in 1871 in Huddersfield by Ben Shaw himself, beginning by bottling and selling natural mineral water from the Pennine Hills.  Ben Shaw then expanded into making soft drinks in his own, purpose-built factory, and distributed his drinks to various shops in the Yorkshire area via horse and cart, using his family’s Shire horses Bonny, Blossom, Cherry and Dick.  In later years the firm used what became known as the Ben Shaws “pop van”. 

The drinks came in glass bottles that when returned were a popular way for children to earn pocket money.  And for a shilling an hour, Ben Shaw’s grandchildren would watch the bottles coming off the production line, checking for specks of dirt.  Every bottle had to be perfect.

Those descendents followed him into the business, and in 1959 the company became the first in Europe to invest in the can – the very latest in soft drinks technology.

The name Ben Shaws is synonymous with premium quality, and the Ben Shaws’ range of soft drinks comprises the well-loved Dandelion and Burdock, Cloudy Lemonade, Bitter Shandy and Cream Soda

Cott Beverages purchased Ben Shaws in 2005 and has upheld its pledge to maintain the company’s standards and reputation.

(EDITOR: Still tastes just as good!)

That's Green: Noted Powys restaurant and hotel earns green award...

That's Green: Noted Powys restaurant and hotel earns green award...: "Britain’s smallest town and popular tourist destination for UK family holidays, Llanwrtyd Wells, famous for its bog snorkelling and man vers..."

Domino's offer an extra-special good deal from today

To celebrate its new Domino’s Stuffed Crust(TM), Domino's has announced two social platform initiatives to spread the word – a location-based offer integrated with Facebook® Deals and internet-based treasure hunt, Domino’s Stuffed Crust Quest.

The Facebook Deals promotion starts today, Thursday (June 23, 2011) and offers a free garlic pizza bread when Facebook users check in to any UK Domino’s store and order a Domino’s Stuffed Crust. To claim, customers need to present the check in screen on their mobile to the order taker. By checking in with their Facebook account, pizza lovers can publish it back to Facebook and share it with friends.

For treasure hunters, Domino’s Stuffed Crust Quest will launch later this week. The interactive quest challenges Domino’s fans to follow clues around the internet during a limited time period to collect a series of letters. The letters will spell out a secret code redeemable for tasty Domino’s Stuffed Crust bounty. The quest has been integrated with Domino’s Facebook Page, where the first clue will be released over the next several days via a special status update.

Simon Wallis, who has the enviable job of sales and marketing director at Domino’s, said: “We’re delighted to announce the integration with Facebook Deals and Domino’s Stuffed Crust Quest to generate additional buzz across social platforms and encourage pizza lovers to get onboard with our new product. We know that our Facebook fans love to interact with us and hope these activities will really help to whet their appetite for our new Domino’s Stuffed Crust.”

Domino’s Stuffed Crust features mozzarella cheese with a hint of garlic and herbs in Domino’s famous fresh dough. Domino’s Stuffed Crust is now available on all medium and large pizzas in stores across the UK.

Get yourself a tasty deal by checking in via Facebook or start treasure hunting with Domino’s Stuffed Crust Quest at www.facebook.com/DominosPizza.

Violet liquer to be a hit this year

Gorgeous to look at as well as to taste, The Bitter Truth Crѐme de Violette is made from wild violet blossoms that grow in the Alps which are then added to the finest grain spirit. The Bitter Truth Violet Liqueur captures the delicate elegant flavours of this fragile flower in a very impressive way and it is just as happy to be sipped over ice or mixed up in classic cocktails such as The Aviation or the Violet Julep. To taste it is slightly sweet and flowery however the violet aroma is very unobtrusive and all natural.

 Liqueurs date back centuries and are historical descendants of herbal medicines, primarily prepared by monks. Liqueurs were made in Europe as early as the 13th century when medical scientists brought the knowhow of distillation with them from the crusades. The consumption of liqueurs was later required at all treaty signings during the Middle Ages.

The Bitter Truth liqueurs are prepared by infusing only the best natural ingredients like fruits, flowers and spices in either water or alcohol (maceration), and adding sugar. With an ABV of 22% they have a lower alcohol content than spirits.

The lovely luminous colour is derived from the delicate flowers from which it is made and which provides its hint of sweetness with a top floral note. With The Bitter Truth Violet Liqueur it is possible to mix classic cocktails like The Aviation and The Blue Moon and including ingredients as listed in the original recipes dating back to early twentieth century times, but it’s also equally good in more modern concoctions such as the Violet Fizz.

How to make a Violet Julep:

50ml Barcelo Gran Platinum Rum
20ml The Bitter Truth Violet Liqueur
20ml Lime juice
10ml Sugar syrup
Mint leaves

Muddle mint with rum, add other ingredients (except Violet Liqueur), ice and stir. Float with violet liqueur and garnish with mint leaves.

Available from Harvey Nichols nationwide and www.thedrinkshop.com prices from £20.82 for 500ml bottle, 22%abv.

Hot spring means bumper crop for wild fruit jam makers

Jam-makers are excited after an expert predicted what could be the best ever year for wild fruit and berry harvests in the UK.

Leading foraging expert Chris Bax said the warmest spring on record has filled the nation's trees and bushes with blossom, which points to a bumper fruit harvest.

Wild raspberries and strawberries are already starting to show and there are good signs of a fantastic blackthorn crop; meanwhile, commercially grown strawberries are already 150 per cent up and grape harvests set to create new records.

All of which is music to the ears of the nation’s jam-makers. Once considered the preserve of older generations, it's enjoying a renaissance thanks to celebrity jam-makers like Kate Moss and Zoe Ball who have helped jam jars sales double in the last 12 months.

Mr Bax, who runs Taste The Wild and is an advisor to British cooker manufacturer Stoves, said: “We’ve had optimum growing conditions with a harsh, cold winter and a spring with little frost and the warmest ever temperatures – a perfect climatic event for our nation’s wild fruit and berries.

“I expect the country to be laden with fruit, and with wild species such hawthorn and wild cherry in abundance, it’s great news if you want to make your own jam with free fruit.”

To capitalise on the bumper fruit harvest and the appetite for jam-making, Stoves has commissioned Mr Bax to produce an iPhone app showing how to collect free wild fruit and berries with recipes for home-made jam.

The ‘Wild Jam Maker’ app lists fruits and berries growing wild in the UK and recipes include Sea Buckthorn Jam and Wild Cherry Jam. The free app can be downloaded from the Apple App store.

Jane Rylands, Stoves’ brand manager, said: “Jam-making is very much in vogue at the moment and with such a bumper crop of fruit this year, our free app will help Britain’s jam-makers find new and interesting recipes using ingredients direct from the land.”

Free fruit is bursting not just from the great British countryside, but also in our towns and cities too – you can pick rowan, blackberry and cherry plum in urban areas.

The world’s biggest jam festival – the WI Stoves Real Jam Festival – will take place in October this year. Last year’s event attracted more than 500 entries from men, women and children across the

For more information on Stoves follow @StovesUK on Twitter and www.facebook.com/StovesUK

FACTFILE:
Founded in 1920, Stoves is one of the UK’s best loved cooking brands. It is also one of the only major kitchen appliance brands still committed to manufacturing in the UK with 100% of its freestanding cookers, built-in ovens and hobs and range cookers assembled at its Merseyside headquarters. All products are designed and built in the UK specifically with British cooks in mind. Visit www.stoves.co.uk to view the full product range.

(EDITOR: When foraging for fruits always ensure you are legally entitled to do so. For example, it's best not to encroach on private land, without the permission of the owner)

Bio-Synergy goes Skinny Mouse

Bio-Synergy would like to introduce the newest product in the Skinny range. The lowest calorie and healthy dessert on the market, Bio-Synergy Skinny Mousse.

The new guilt free indulgence Bio-Synergy Skinny Mousse will hit the chillers in the Dairy aisle at the start of July. This low calorie dessert is enhanced with chromium which contains naturally occurring amino acids which helps suppress your sugar cravings.

Bio-Synergy Skinny Mousse comes in two delicious flavours Chocolate less than 80k/cals and Caramel less than 50k/cals , both of which are low in, fat, sugar and carbohydrate. This mouth wateringly tasty treat can be eaten every day without feeling like you need to hit the gym for a week!

Each delicious mousse is an excellent complement to any meal, as well as after a workout or as a low calorie snack. Perfect to fit into a healthy eating regime.

By the way, Bio-Synergy Skinny Mousse will launch with a promotion with Gossip Girl Season 5 to win an exclusive trip to New York.

Well known for Bio-Synergy Skinny Water that has come out top in countless surveys carried out by national media – it was voted number one in a ‘no diet, diet’ test for News of the World’s Fabulous magazine, and scored nine out of ten in a weight loss poll for the Daily Mirror. In addition, it has been voted top product by Women’s Fitness and Slim at Home magazine.

Make sure your strawberries are Good Natured!

Did you know about 27,000 kilos of strawberries are eaten during the Wimbledon Tennis Championships every year?

The Wimbledon Tennis Grand Slam Tournament has become almost as well known for the strawberries as for the tennis.

Here at Good Natured they have been very busy preparing their pesticide residue free Succulent Strawberries (grown as Mother Nature intended) using an environmentally friendly production system to keep the produce healthy and free of bugs, like greenfly and aphids, which spoil the fruit . Their Succulent Strawberries taste delicious whether you’re at Wimbledon on centre court or in your home.

Strawberries feature in some of Britain’s favourite summer dishes from Eton Mess, Trifle, and Pimm’s to, of course, strawberries and cream. Tempted, yet? Their strawberries are available nationwide in selected ASDA and Morrisons stores, and you'll also find them in Tescos in Scotland, in their funky and fully recyclable, biodegradable and compostable punnets.

If you’re after hints and tips on how to recycle, build a compost heap, and even start your own worm farm, find out more at http://eco.goodnaturedfruit.co.uk

For more good news about Good Natured Fruit please visit: www.goodnaturedfruit.co.uk
For information about recycling and their packaging visit http://eco.goodnaturedfruit.co.uk
Follow them @Good_Natured on Twitter and Good-Natured on Facebook.