Is Britain going Vegetarian? New report says we are

It’s official, roast beef loving Brits are starting to shun Sunday roasts, the British banger and milk on their cereal for plant-based swaps, a survey from Alpro reveals.

The power of plant-based eating is a fast-growing trend. In fact, four out of 10 of us are eating more vegetables, fruits and plant-based foods than we were a year ago. And six out of 10 of us are eating more of these types of foods than we were five years ago.

People of all age groups are fuelling this trend, although it is younger consumers – those aged between 18 and 30 – who are looking to change their diets and turn to alternative eating regimes in the greatest numbers.

In fact, the independent survey commissioned by Alpro revealed that more than half of 18 to 30 year olds surveyed have added more vegetables, fruits and plant-based foods into their diets in the last year alone, pointing to a major change in the UK’s dietary habits for generations. Meanwhile, of all those surveyed, one in five admitted they ate meat and dairy-based foods merely ‘out of habit’.

Plant-based eating conjures up images of a strict vegan diet, but enjoying the benefits of more plant-based choices doesn’t mean becoming a full-time vegan or vegetarian. It’s about reshaping what’s on the plate by making a few simple swaps, while still treating yourself to your favourite meat or dairy products every now or then.

While many of us are already eating more vegetables, fruits and plant-based foods for health reasons, a growing section of society is also becoming concerned over the affects that the production of meat and diary-based foods has on the environment. For example, it takes more than 2,400 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat, while it takes 2,000 gallons of water to produce one gallon of milk.

In contrast, plant-based crops and foods, meanwhile, are much more water efficient, with an average of 25 gallons of water needed to produce one pound of food.

Despite more and more people becoming more commonly aware of such facts, it appears there is still a lack of knowledge in some quarters about the effect that the production of meat and dairy products has on the world around us.

Six out of 10 people are still unaware that plant-based foods offer the most environmentally sustainable option for food production. Even so, four out of 10 of us are already determined to cut down on the amount of meat and dairy currently in our diets.

Alpro has a range of delicious and healthy plant-based products that help you feel uplifted and enlightened. That’s because, all of Alpro’s milks, drinks, yogurts, desserts and creams are made from soya beans, almonds or hazelnuts

New Alpro Almond milk and new Alpro Hazelnut drink do not contain soya and are created using a simple blend of nuts and spring water.

www.alpro.com/uk

Otto Pizza announces New Seasonal Toppings Menu

The UK’s only cornmeal crust pizza restaurant – situated in Notting Hill – announces the seasonal changes to its menu.

The brainchild of self-confessed slackers Tom and Rich, who discovered the recipe whilst on a GAP year road-trip through Portland in a camper van called Otto, cornmeal provides a much sturdier, more filling base for pizza crust – which can then be piled generously with toppings.

Otto is also famous for using unusual ingredients – often pairing vegetables with more traditional pizza favourites, making the restaurant a popular choice for vegetarians.

Pizza topping combos making an appearance this Spring include:

Spinach and Artichoke

Cauliflower Cheese

Leek and Bacon

Red Lentil Kofte

Leek and Potato

Otto’s pizzas are sold by the slice – or as a 6 slice taster platter. The chef also makes a base without gluten.

In addition to the new toppings on the menu, Otto also serves a daily special, details of which can be found on twitter @ottopizzauk.

Otto pizzas can be taken away and enjoyed at home or restaurant diners can pair pizza with one of Otto’s selection of American craft beers or a glass of New World wine.

Sainsbury's Exceeds 165,000 Orders A Week To Become UK's Second Largest Online Food Retailer

Sainsbury's has reported its online grocery orders are exceeding 165,000 a week, resulting in a yearly turnover of over £750m positioning the retailer second in the UK market.

The 20 per cent year on year rise in orders a week, makes Sainsbury's the fastest growing online grocery business and has been driven by industry leading customer service. This was demonstrated by a new Ipsos Mori study on online customer service, commissioned by Sainsbury's, which showed Sainsbury's industry-leading position across the key service measures of:

- Quality of products
- Availability of delivery slots
- Customer service from the delivery person
- Speed of placing an order
- Contact centre staff

Accessed via www.Sainsburys.co.uk, groceries are hand-picked by colleagues in nearby Sainsbury's stores, reducing the distances drivers travel to customers' homes and therefore food miles. The company's 3,000 delivery drivers also have dedicated training with a sharp focus on customer service.

Jon Rudoe, Director of Online, Sainsbury's said: "Thousands of new customers are choosing Sainsburys.co.uk each week because it's simple to use and like our stores, people are assured of the service they'll receive.

"We're proud of our successes so far, but it doesn't stop here, we've got ambitious growth targets which we'll reach by continuing to deliver the best possible experience for our loyal and new customers."

In addition to groceries, Sainsbury's also has a fast-growing general merchandise site including home and garden, appliances, technology, toys, games and sports and leisure products, as well as a new entertainment site.

Growing numbers of shoppers are also taking advantage of Sainsbury's market leading Click & Collect service. Sainsbury's offers the largest number of Click & Collect points, now available in over 900 supermarkets and convenience stores, allowing customers to place general merchandise orders online by 2pm for next day delivery from the store of their choice.

General merchandise online now offers more than 10,000 products, spanning everything from cookware to entertainment. Top brands including Apple, Le Creuset and Sony can all be purchased online.

FACTFILE:

Quality of products

1st - Sainsbury's 2nd - Asda Joint 3rd - Ocado Joint 3rd - Tesco

Availability of delivery slots

1st - Sainsbury's 2nd - Tesco 3rd - Asda 4th - Ocado

Customer service from the delivery person

1st - Sainsbury's 2nd - Tesco 3rd - Asda 4th - Ocado

Speed of placing an order

1st - Sainsbury's 2nd- Tesco 3rd- Asda 4th- Ocado

Contact centre staff

1st - Sainsbury's 2nd - Asda 3rd - Tesco 4th - Ocado

Ipsos Mori - 1912 online interviews were conducted by Ipsos MORI between 14 February 2012 - 21 February 2012 with a sample of GB online grocery customers aged 16+. Sainsbury's supplied a sample of 912 of its customers and 1,000 were customers of other supermarkets sourced through online panels including Tesco: N=400, Asda: N=400 and Ocado: N=200.

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Get Your Hands on £10,000 with the YAZOO Shake Squad

YAZOO has launched a Facebook competition offering fans of the milkshake brand a chance to enter and win one of eight weekly cash giveaways of £250 and a grand prize of £10,000. The winners of the weekly cash giveaways will all receive their cash in time to shake up their weekend!

Entrants are encouraged to upload a photograph of their own Shake Squad style pose which will be voted for by other Facebook users in order to win. To find out more visit www.facebook.com/yazoo or follow @TheShakeSquad on Twitter.

The new competition supports YAZOO’s new TV ad, ‘What A Difference A Shake Makes’, which is running from Monday across a number of terrestrial and digital TV channels for three weeks and features ‘The Shake Squad’.

The Shake Squad is a crack 1970’s style undercover cop team, hell bent on bringing fun to the nation’s streets. As a sworn enemy of anything mundane, they’ll stop at nothing to get a laugh and to brighten up someone’s day, just like a bottle of YAZOO can do. They’re ready to give Britain a real shake up - which in today’s serious world is exactly what it needs.

With a campaign slogan of ‘What A Difference A Shake Makes’ the new campaign highlights the lift YAZOO gives you when you need it most, a treat for that afternoon lull, a handy snack on-the-go, or a thirst quenching accompaniment with sandwiches at lunch time.

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Hotel Chocolat To Give Away 190,000 Prizes This Easter!

Luxury British chocolatier and cocoa grower, Hotel Chocolat, is launching its biggest and most exciting promotion yet with 190,000 prizes to be given away in stores across the UK, from 12th March to Easter Sunday.

Customers will be given an exclusive Room Key inviting them to check-in and collect their prize from the nearest Hotel Chocolat store. Every Room Key will win a prize, which also allows customers to enter the Prize Draw – to win an all-expenses-paid, dream holiday to The Hotel Chocolat on the stunning Caribbean island of Saint Lucia.

Prizes on offer range from irresistibly cute, bite-sized Egglets, through to Hotel Chocolat’s signature Extra Thick Eggs and the magnificently large Ostrich Eggs – the company’s flagship Easter egg that regularly stuns people into silence!

What’s more, 70 chocolate lovers will win what could be their ultimate dream come true, a year’s supply of chocolates. Customers can also enter the exciting giveaway online at Hotel Chocolat’s Facebook page facebook.com/hotelchocolat and find their nearest store online at www.hotelchocolat.co.uk/stores

Shaken Udder Celebrates The Best Of British

This summer the country will be swept along on a wave of patriotism, thanks to the Jubilee, the Olympics, the European Football Championships and of course Wimbledon. To show its true colours Shaken Udder has re-designed its milk churn bottles to feature the Union Jack, bunting and its funky cow has even been crowned!

Shaken Udder’s Strawberry Stash milkshake is made with all natural ingredients including creamy, whole, British milk and real strawberries – what sums up Britain in summer better than strawberries and cream?

Co-founder of Shaken Udder Jodie Farran explains: “With all the excitement this summer we thought we should celebrate being a British milkshake. All our shakes use only the best-quality, fresh, British milk and only the very finest natural ingredients, like real strawberries, Belgian chocolate pieces, and the real vanilla beans that you can see in the shake”

Now available in Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsbury's nationwide.

How it all began…
Jodie and Howie met at agricultural university in 2003, both sharing a passion for fab food, groovy tunes and the great outdoors. With buoyant post-grad enthusiasm, the pair made plans to start their own business, but weren't quite sure what that might be. Then, whilst dancing away at V festival, Howie had a sudden craving for a fabulous, thick, fresh chocolate and banana milkshake.

He closed his eyes visualised a rather funky cow, loads of fresh fruit, great chunks of chocolate and lashing of fresh milk. So in 2004, Shaken udder milkshakes was born as a top-notch event based brand, bringing fresh, tasty and healthy milkshakes to festival goers across the country.

The pair travelled far and wide to all the major music events (what a hardship) and served up 1000s of fresh creamy thick shakes. On tour, Shaken Udder's loyal fan base grew. Seeking them out at each event, people started asking where they could get there milkshake fix 365 days of the year.

In search of a place for their funky cow brand, Howie and Jodie took a long, hard look at the retail shelves and were thoroughly disappointed with what they found. Marvellous milk was being ruined with ingredients like modified maize starch, butter milk powders, e-numbers, artificial flavours and, what's more, they tasted like plastic fruit glue! So that was it, the pair decided to give milk what it deserved and create Britain’s best milkshake….

Gorenje Introduces Built-In Coffee Machine

Gorenje, the Slovenian manufacturer famed for its creative and inspirational appliances, presents the latest addition to its product portfolio; the CFA9100E built-in coffee machine.

As our focus becomes ever more centred on the home, and we strive to create our dream property, many of us are on the lookout for special products to help us achieve this. For this reason additional appliances, such as a built-in coffee machine, are of real interest.

Gorenje's new built-in coffee machine is the perfect choice for those who want restaurant quality coffee and hot drinks in the comfort of their own home. Its sleek and glamorous stainless steel design provides a true feeling of luxury, while it also boasts a selection of practical features that prioritise ease of use and produce excellent results.

The Gorenje coffee machine lets the consumer create coffee in a variety of strengths and sizes, to ensure they can have their perfect cup! These settings can then be stored in the coffee machine's memory for future use. Furthermore, the Autocappuccino function creates a delicious cappuccino with just one touch of a button, while allowing the consumer to set the level of milk according to their personal preferences.

Cleaning the coffee machine is also a breeze - one press of the 'clean' button starts an antibacterial programme which will treat the milk dispenser and inner suction tubes. The appliance also performs a self-clean of the dispensing nozzles every time it is turned on or off, removing coffee residue and preventing clogging.

Bill Miller, Gorenje's Sales and Marketing Director, says: "Gorenje is expanding its product range with the inclusion of a very stylish built-in coffee machine, which would look at home in even the most lavish kitchens. Appliances such as these provide a feeling of attainable luxury and make an everyday task seem much more exciting - they are also ideal for using when you have visitors or guests to your home."

Key features and benefits of the Gorenje CFA9100E built-in coffee machine:

Stainless steel built-in automatic coffee machine
Consumer can adjust the fineness of the coffee grind to one of nine different levels
Milk frothing function for creating lattes, hot chocolates and other beverages
Autocappuccino function creates perfect cappuccino at the touch of a button
Self-cleaning function automatically cleans nozzles whenever machine is turned on or off, removing coffee residue and preventing clogging
Clean function gives milk dispenser and suction tubes an antibacterial treatment
Ability to programme personalised coffee setting
LCD display with touch buttons for ease of use
Automatic lighting of spot and drip tray for visibility when machine is in use
Choice of three espresso shot sizes: single, medium and double
Allows two cups to be prepared simultaneously
Removable milk container for storage in the fridge when not in use
Internal bean dispenser
Descaling programme to remove limescale build-up
1.8 litre removable water tank
Hot water only setting
Maximum noise level: 60 dB(A)
15 bar pressure
Free two year parts and labour guarantee
Dimensions: H x W X D: 455 x 595 x 405mm
The CFA9100E retails for approximately £1175

For further information about Gorenje's new CFA9100E built-in coffee machine, please call Gorenje on 0208 247 3980 or visit the website at www.gorenje.co.uk to find your nearest stockist.

Where On Earth Can You Find A Green Cake For Saint Patrick's Day?

Zaza' Gelato, a traditional Italian ice cream boutique, is preparing a fully green Saint Patrick's Day cake. The cake is made with green ice cream, themed to the special day.

The two Zaza shops in London are famous for their colourful ice cream cakes and, on the occasion of Saint Patrick, they will be preparing a special recipe. Zaza' staff will prepare 2 new ice cream flavours: Strong Mint and Green Tea and they will be available together with Kiwi and Pistachio: a fully green ice cream range.

Zaza already counts over 60 flavours but keeps researching and experimenting with new recipes every month. It is a constant effort to find new and interesting combinations and make all the gelato foodies in London very happy.

Ivan Borriello, CEO of the London-based company, says: "Saint Patrick's Day marks the beginning of the spring and it is a very special day. We loved the idea of preparing something special to our fellows Londoners. Foodies Saint Patrick's needs to be a little special!"

Zaza ice cream and ice cream cakes can be found at Zaza' Gelato shops in London, Canary Wharf (Canada Place) and Sheperds Bush (First Floor at Westfield). They can also be ordered online at www.ZazaGelato.com or vial email at London@ZazaGelato.com Prices start from £2.5 for Ice Cream Cones/Cups and £20 for Ice Cream Cakes.