Over three quarters of British businesses still unaware of Plastic Packaging Tax

This story is for mainly aimed at our friends in the food and drink industry. 

With mere hours to go until its implementation, waste management and recycling experts Veolia state that 77% of British retail and manufacturing businesses are still completely unaware of the new Plastic Packaging Tax.

Research conducted by Veolia, examined the views of British-based senior decision makers across retail and manufacturing businesses on the upcoming Plastic Packaging Tax. 

The tax places a £200 per tonne levy on producers or importers of plastic packaging if they fail to include at least 30% recycled content and will come into force tomorrow,  1 April 2022.

The survey reveals that only a fifth (22%) of the manufacturing and retail businesses asked had already started using recycled content in their packaging. 

To reach the UK’s Net Zero goals, many more businesses must reduce their reliance on new or virgin materials. 

Most British retail and manufacturing businesses also support an escalator in percentage of recycled content threshold (63%) and cost charge (50%) as an incentive to use recycled content.

Veolia Northern Europe Zone Senior Executive Vice President, Gavin Graveson, said: “The UK’s Plastic Packaging Tax is the right way to start getting businesses to push sustainability up the agenda, but it really must go further. 

"A tax escalator would make choosing to incorporate recycled content in packaging economically and environmentally preferable to the use of virgin materials.

“Not only could the UK save up to 2.89 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually if all plastic packaging included 30% recycled content, it would also bring about incentives for investment in domestic infrastructure which could make the UK a world leader in plastics recycling.”

The British retail and manufacturing businesses who had made changes to their plastic packaging reported:

Two thirds (66%) have reduced the amount of unnecessary or avoidable plastic packaging

Over half (58%) now use recycled content

54% have changed the packaging design to make it more recyclable

39% have chosen alternative materials to plastic for their packaging

Working from three specialist sites in London, Essex and the Midlands, Veolia operates a full process to recycle plastic materials from homes and businesses, and turn them back into plastic pellets ready to be used to manufacture new plastic items. 

This can process over 100 different grades of plastic from consumer, commercial and industrial sources, and pass these materials back into the supply chain for further reuse. 

Backing the operations is the support team that can ensure compliance with the complex legislation involved in the reprocessing of these materials, and Veolia’s own Sustainable Packaging Academy.

Worldwide, it's Veolia's aim to recycle 610,000 tonnes of plastic waste annually within two years. That's equivalent to 16,944 million 4 pint milk bottles.

Incidentally, Veolia is part of the international cross value chain Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), currently made up of nearly thirty member companies, and this has committed over $1.0 billion to develop large scale solutions that will minimise and manage plastic waste and promote solutions for used plastics.

Food and drink manufacturers and retailers who need to investigate how this law will potentially impact on their business can learn more here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-need-to-register-for-plastic-packaging-tax and here https://www.veolia.com/en/solution/plastics-recycling-major-environmental-issue.

(Image courtesy of  adnovak and Pixabay)

Salcombe Brewery Co. Re-Launches Brewery Tours

The Salcombe Brewery Co. is "thrilled" to announce they are re-launching their highly popular brewery tours and are keen to once again to share their knowledge and award-winning beers with visitors. 

Brewery tour bookings and vouchers cost £20 and can be nought at www.salcombebrewery.com.

Head Brewer, Sam Beaman, said: “Brewery tours have always been a strong highlight for us. We really love showing visitors around our site, sharing our brewing expertise and knowledge and giving them an insight into our beers at not to mention the  extended tasting sessions!

"COVID restrictions meant we weren't able to run these for almost two years. We are really thrilled and pleased that we can now re-launch our tours and welcome visitors both old and new."

The tours which are 90 minutes in duration are to take place from April 2022. Visitors will get a welcome in the taproom, which includes a glass of beer. 

After this you'll tour the brewhouse and have an opportunity to question the experts on any beer-related topics. 

The tour ends back in the taproom, where you'll enjoy a flight of Salcombe beers. Brewery tours cost £20 and can be bought online at www.salcombebrewery.com. 

Brewery tour vouchers can also be purchased for £20. These are valid for one year and can be used to book tours within that period. All brewery tours must be booked in advance.

Salcombe Brewery's range of beers is available nationally in pubs and hospitality venues, plus as various retail outlets and online from www.salcombebrewery.com. For further information on Salcombe Brewery Co. please visit www.salcombebrewery.com follow Salcombe Brewery Co. on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  

You'll find the brewery at 

Estuary View

Ledstone

Kingsbridge 

TQ7 4BL

Customers want more green retailers

According to a Mood Media survey, 67% of shoppers say it's important the brands they shop at are committed to being greener and environmentally friendly. 

Almost the same number, 66%, agree stores where they shop need to be environmentally friendly. Consumers aged between 35 and 44 feel especially strongly about brands and shops sharing their sustainability values.

While the COVID pandemic and successive lockdowns put a hold on green issues and sustainability, it's again top of brand agendas. 

When it comes to in-store sustainability in the retail industry, including food retailers, there's a clear sense shoppers feel unimpressed by the pace of change as they pay close attention to the sustainability initiatives of the retailers they engage with on a day-to-day basis.

“Our role is to help brands create an emotional experience with their customers. This includes evaluating and setting up solutions and processes to support them in reducing the environmental impact of their points of sale and to assess how to improve their efficiency and optimise their technological solutions,” says Jonathan Wharrad, VP Global Retail Brand Experience at Mood Media.

“Finally, it’s about supporting them through the life cycle of their technical solutions. All of this is to ensure the best in-store experience for their customers.”

Mood Media is working with Design Conformity to advise retailers on how to reduce their carbon footprints and implement greener retail designs.

Adam Hamilton-Fletcher, who is the MD at Design Conformity added: “At Design Conformity we’ve been championing carbon assessment for a number of years, but recently we’ve seen a genuine change in the industry. 

"Europe's leading the way and pushing their companies to provide accurate, verified carbon efficacy data which they can report to customers and shareholders. 

"We're working with global brands, retailers and interior specialists such as Mood Media to provide Life Cycle and Carbon Assessment to ISO standards, so companies can report improvements. In the past, sustainability was a ‘nice to have.’ Now carbon is becoming a currency.” 

Partnerships with quality manufacturers, including Bose, Samsung and LG, allow Mood to ensure components are chosen carefully and last longer, reducing the environmental impact of having to replace equipment. Furthermore the company has developed Mood HarmonyTM, a point-of-sale content management platform designed with energy efficiency in mind, using fewer than 10 watts of power with few in-person updates necessary.

When equipment does need to be replaced, a further partnership with CHG ensures it can be recycled, further reducing the installation’s impact.

“For retail to recover, stores cannot ignore consumers and their desire to reward companies going beyond words on sustainability and taking effective action,” concludes Jonathan Wharrad.

For more information on sustainability in retail, download Mood Media’s White Paper: https://moodmedia.com/gb/resources-gb/sustainability-in-retail/

Speaking from a personal point of view the major chain coffee shop that my wife and I prefer is a greener and more sustainable and uses rain water for toilet flushing. 

It's one of the Eco Pod premises that Costa is rolling out over the country.

This is what Costa says about them:-

"A special frame made from sustainably sourced FSC timber, which replaces the typical steel frame and so reduces each building’s carbon footprint

"Super-insulation, which keeps the stores warm in winter and cool in summer

"Intelligent positioning of the buildings, designed to make the most of the sun’s heat and so reduce the amount of energy needed to keep them warm and rooftop solar panels."

https://www.costa.co.uk/behind-the-beans/planet/reducing-our-footprint

(Image courtesy of knight07/Pixabay) 

Rock Rose Premium Scottish Gin

Rock Rose Premium Scottish Gin has created a masterpiece, well, a series of four different but equally brilliant masterpieces, with their excellent Seasons Collection.

When I opened the box I found myself humming Vivaldi's Four Seasons, because the Rock Rose Premium Scottish Gin Four Seasons collection features four gins called Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

Let's start my review with Spring. the scent of the gin, or the bouquet, if you'd rather be technical, evokes fresh meadows, newly opened flowers and Spring sunshine.

The flavour is nice and crisp and the finish is both smooth and very long. I don't always take my gin with tonic, but I found that a bottle of high quality Indian Tonic Water brought the tastes of the Scottish botanicals out very nicely.

But then we move on to Summer. This is different again. Smooth, but with a refreshingly nice edge to it. There are citrus notes that come bubbling to the surface, but not overly so, as the experts at Rock Rose Premium Scottish Gin have managed to balance the citrus notes with the botanicals. This is for long, iced drinks on the lawn or in the conservatory. Delicious!

Now we find ourselves moving into the next season which is Autumn. Or Fall if you are in America. The original name used in Britain before Autumn became popular. But I digress.

This is ideal for the Autumn. A great gin for those of us determined to squeeze the last bit of warmth from the Autumnal sunshine. It's a more robust gin which has a satisfying warming bite to it, with a smattering of Autumn berries. Gently spiced. I think I detected a slight hint of pepper? 

I think this would make a great base for some wonderful cocktails after you have harvested the last of your garden's fruits. Haven't got a garden? No matter. Rock Rose Premium Scottish Gin's Autumn Gin is probably all you need!

And now we reach the last season, Rock Rose Premium Scottish Gin's Winter. Wow! What a belter of a gin! 

Taste the juniper berries! The tasting notes describe it as an "earthy" gin and I can't argue with that. It's evocative of walks through muddy paths, drizzly misty days, of being sat in your conservatory and watching the snowflakes whirl and dance down whilst you drink your Rock Rose Winter gin. I like this with a premium ginger ale, which makes a perfect Christmas season drink. 

To learn more and to order your gins please visit https://www.dunnetbaydistillers.co.uk.

Wickedly Welsh Chocolate and Bryn the Dragon Egg

One of the best things to come out of Wales are dragons and chocolate from the Wickedly Welsh Chocolate Company.

Combine the two and you have Bryn The Dragon Egg!

Crack open the very substantial chocolate egg and you will find a very cute sleeping Welsh Dragon. 

"He is a very handsome Y Ddraig Gymreig!" said my wife, who is a fluent Welsh speaker.

Here is the story as told by the Wickedly Welsh Chocolate Company:-

They have been entrusted with the last real life Dragons Egg which, for millennia, was kept has buried deep in a Welsh hillside hidden from the world until now. 

The artisan chocolatiers at the Wickedly Welsh Chocolate Company have employed their considerable skills to have lovingly and carefully exact chocolate replicas of this uniquely Welsh treasurer.

You can carefully break open the egg and free baby dragon. And before you ask, yes, it's very edible hand made using delicious white chocolate. But you'll see from my photograph that Bryn looks golden? This is because Bryn is carefully and lovingly brushed with an attractive golden shimmer. (Sorry about the quality of the picture, but I'm a writer not a photographer!) 

What is inside Bryn? A very tasty salted caramel truffle. Yum! 

Incidentally the top section of the egg is very easy to crack open (but do it carefully!) and to reveal Bryn.

The side of the egg which houses Bryn is smaller but also much heavier than 'normal' non-Dragon Easter eggs. Well, that's obviously because it's a Dragon's egg! The weight is a very respectable 180g (minimum) and will make a great Easter treat for any chocolate lover and Welsh Dragon lover, no matter what their age or sex.

Bryn's adoption fee is a very reasonable £8.99. To add to the excitement Bryn comes in a box that is either green, yellow or purple. But Bryn will choose the colour for you, so it'll come as a pleasant surprise. 

To order please click on this link:- https://www.wickedlywelsh.co.uk/products/bryn-the-dragon-easter-egg

Incidentally Wickedly Welsh Chocolate is based in Haverfordwest, which is where some of my Welsh ancestors came from.

Mother and Daughter Food Workshop

Would you like to take your mother to a food  workshop with one of the world's leading experts in Italian cooking?

This would make a stunning Mothering Sunday/Mother's Day gift to both you and your mother, helping you to bond over some fresh pasta that you and your mother have just learned to cook.

Mother and Daughter Workshop

£297.00

This Is A 1-2-1 Class

La Pasta Fresca – Fresh Pasta & Sauce Making:

You decide on what pasta you and your mother wish to to learn to make! 

This is a Special Offer to readers of That's Food and Drink for a personalised class at £297.

10% of the profit will be going to help Ukraine refugees #cookforukraine project

Alessandra was born and raised in Sicily to a very large family of artisans.

She worked as a social worker and project manager for many years before re-focussing in 2014 to become a cook, host and events organiser.

Alessandra then trained as a professional Pasta Maker in Italy, Padua and Bologna, before launching her own pasta venture.

After several years selling out delicious food experiences and workshops both in London, Italy and Lisbon, she is now also sharing her knowledge through e-learning courses and virtual online classes with The Pasta Studio, as well as providing consultancy for restaurants around the globe.

To learn more please visit 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamalessandralauria/

Website: https://www.alessandralauria.com/

Teachable: https://the-pastastudio.teachable.com/

Say oats? No. Say Flahavan’s!

If you like oats, you will absolutely love Flahavan’s Oats.

The Flahavan family have been milling oats in  Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford for well over 200 years. And in that time they have, of course, become experts in selecting the best oats and have developed methods of milling that are second to none.

They source all of the oats they mill from their own local area of Ireland, South East Ireland, where the land has a special micro-climate with the perfect balance of sunshine and gentle rainfall that helps grow highest quality and tasty oats that Flahavan's use to produce their world beating oats.

My late mother always insisted that, when I did her shopping for her that I only buy Flahavan's Oats which, knowing how good they are, I was more than happy to oblige. 

What is available? They produce a wide range of oats including Progress Oatlets/Rolled Oats, Quick Oats, Jumbo Oats, Pinhead/Steel Cut Oats.

Want to make good, old fashioned porridge, that people of my grandfather's generation only had with salt and not sugar? Want some oats to use in your cooking and baking? Do you have a hankering for some real, tasty porridge, but know that as the bus to work leaves from the stop just round the corner in under 15 minutes? Then Flahavan's Quick Oats are ready in the microwave within two minutes!

I love the speed and ease of cooking of their Irish Quick Oats, plus they sell them in very handy packs of eight sachets. These are available in original flavour, red berry flavour and my favourite, apple and cinnamon flavour. Delicious! 

To learn about all of the different varieties of oats that are available you can go to https://www.flahavans.co.uk.

Oat lovers in the USA can visit https://www.flahavans.com, consumers in Ireland can visit https://www.flahavans.ie. 

You can buy direct from Flahavan's or they are stocked by major retailers.

You'll also find a range of delightful recipes both sweet and savoury.   

And they have recently introduced some oat drinks, too!

Hilltop Natural Energy

You will probably have heard of Hilltop Honey, which, in my opinion, is one of the best exports from Powys, Wales. My personal favourite is their organic blossom variety.

However, it's quite possible that you might not have heard of Hilltop Energy, another great product from Hilltop Honey.

You probably know an occasion when you are feeling low on energy. Perhaps you are running to get your stamina back up, or to help you drop a bit of extra weight. Or working in a professional gym or a home gym?

Either way, you'll know what happens when you suddenly feel a rather nasty energy drop. Hilltop Energy Gels are here for you.

You can take a great tasting gel sachet before, during or after exercise which is guaranteed to give you an energy boost of between 20 to 30 minutes, right when you need it.

The gel sachets are 99.2% real Hilltop Honey and 0.8% sea salt to help make certain your sodium levels are kept at optimum. 

You can have plain flavoured or Blueberry flavoured, which has a slightly different formula, 95.2% real Hilltop Honey, 4% Blueberry juice concentrate and 0.8% sea salt. 

There's also strawberry flavour available, which is 97.7% real Hilltop Honey, Strawberry juice contrate, 1.5% and 0.8% sea salt. 

To learn more visit https://hilltop-energy.com you can buy direct from Hilltop. 12 x30g gel packs cost £12, or you can buy a 6 x 30g taster pack at £9.

To find out about Hilltop Honey, please visit https://lovehilltop.com.

Tequila Rose

What is Tequila Rose? It's that interestingly shaped bottle that you'll see on the shelf behind the bartenders at any Wetherspoon pub and other establishments that are known for their decent range of cocktails.

So, what exactly is Tequila Rose? Tequila Rose is the first and original strawberry cream liqueur which was launched a couple of decades ago.

For many years the only cream liqueurs available combined Irish whiskey with cream. And those are great drinks, but what if there was something else combing cream with a different alcohol base? But what?

Then someone thought: "What would happen if we combined cream with a different type of spirit? What would happen if we combined cream, strawberries and tequila?"

They worked on the recipe for a while until they were able to produce the perfected recipe which is called Tequila Rose. And a legend was born.

What does it taste like? Strawberries, cream and a hint of fire added by the fine quality tequila that they use.

How can it be served? By itself, or with ice, which is my preference, to be honest. Or you can use it as the basis for a wide range of very sophisticated tasting cocktails. 

These are some cocktails that the makers of Tequila Rose recommend:-

Desert Rose

2 oz Tequila Rose

1 oz Irish Cream Liqueur

0.5 oz Grenadine

HOW TO MIX

Add Tequila Rose, Irish cream liqueur, and ice to a blender

Blend until smooth

Pour into a glass

Top with grenadine

Strawberry Bananarita

0.5 oz Tequila Rose

1 oz Tequila

1.5 oz Orange Liqueur

Fresh Lime Juice

1 Banana

4 Strawberries

HOW TO MIX

Add ice, banana, strawberries, Tequila Rose, tequila, orange liqueur, and fresh lime juice into a blender

Blend until smooth

Pour into a sugar rimmed margarita glass

Garnish with a fresh strawberry and a banana slice

Or what about using Tequila Rose in your cooking?

Tequila Rose Cake

0.5 oz Tequila Rose

1 oz Tequila

1.5 oz Orange Liqueur

Fresh Lime Juice

1 Banana

4 Strawberries

HOW TO MIX

Add ice, banana, strawberries, Tequila Rose, tequila, orange liqueur, and fresh lime juice into a blender

Blend until smooth

Pour into a sugar rimmed margarita glass

Garnish with a fresh strawberry and a banana slice

You can learn more about mixing Tequila Rose cocktails and dishes, including ice lollies, that you can create here:-

https://tequilarose.com/cocktails.

No matter how you take yours, you are going to absolutely love it. Though it is best served chilled.

Where can you buy Tequila Rose? All good wine and spirit merchants, via Amazon, at Morrisons, Sainsbury's and other retailers at about £12 a bottle. 

Bullards Coastal Gin

I admit that I had not previously heard of Bullards Norwich gin distillery. Even though they have been carefully crafting gins since 1837. Which means that Bullards have been producing highest quality gins for 185 years. Which is a just a shade away from 200 years.

My wife and I are drinking a bottle of Bullards Coastal Gin. 

The first thing my wife noticed was the bottle. She said "That looks just like sea glass!" which greatly impressed her. 

I think this is a deliberate concept by Bullards and it does add to the general coastal ambiance of the gin. After all, what's not to like about something that brings back memories of smoothed, lustrous sea glass found on the beach during a family holiday?

It was my intention when we opened the bottle to try some of the cocktails that Bullards suggested. 

Such as:-

St. Clements

50ml Bullards Coastal Gin⁠

30ml Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice⁠

10ml Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice⁠

Indian Tonic Water⁠

Lemon and Mint to Garnish⁠

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the gin, orange, and lemon juice. Shake well.⁠

In a tall glass, add ice and half the tonic water. Strain the mix into the glass and top up with the rest of the tonic.⁠

Garnish with a twist of lemon and a sprig of mint and enjoy!

or 

Salty Dog

50ml Coastal Gin

100ml Fresh Grapefruit Juice

Coarse Salt

Lemon or Lime Wedge to Garnish

Rim a double rocks glass with salt: Rub a lemon or lime wedge around the rim, then roll it in a shallow dish of coarse salt.

Fill a rocks glass or tumbler with crushed ice and add the gin and juice. Stir well to combine. Garnish with a lemon or lime wedge if desired.

However, my wife will not be making any Bullards Coastal Gin cocktails. Because, as she said, "you are not putting anything in my gin! You can make a cocktail if you want, but I prefer my Bullards Coastal Gin neat! And without ice, too, thank you!" And that was me told!

Since my wife caught COVID her sense of smell and taste has been greatly impaired and one of the things she lost was her ability to taste her favourite gins. Which was a great pity because my wife was famed for her gin cocktails. Her Gin and Orange Cocktail is famed throughout several counties. The ingredients are simple, yet potentially devastating for the unwary. Two parts gin and one part orange juice is her recipe. 

The bottle does look like sea glass and the taste of the gin is exquisite. It's as smooth as a very calm sea. It is carefully handcrafted with special botanical ingredients that are foraged on the coast of Norfolk. 

This is what Bullards has to say about this gin: "Inspired by the Norfolk coastline, Coastal gin has a delicate, salty influence complemented by bright citrus flavours. Refreshing hand foraged sea purslane, marsh samphire, sea aster and the rich woodiness of Douglas fir dance on your palate and bring a sense of the seaside."

When I tasted it I wasn't sure if it was my imagination but I did think I detected a little hint of saltiness in it. But after several more tastes (a man has to be dedicated to his job!) I realised that the saltiness that I tasted was not my imagination, that Bullards Coastal Gin really does have a delightful salty tang to it. 

There are also hints of pine and other gentle, pervasive flavours that reminded me of holidays on the coast when I was a child.

Bullards are not only keen on producing some of the best gins that you are ever likely to taste, they are also keen on helping to be good stewards of the environment, too.

The gin costs £40 a bottle but for £35 you can receive an eco-friendly refill pack that you can refill your bottle with. How do you dispose of the refill pack? Just pop it into the post free of charge and Bullards will take care of that for you.

Bullards also produce other gins such as London Dry Gin, Old Tom Gin and Strawberry & Black Pepper Gin. Over time I dare say my wife and I will be trying those other gins, too! Although I think that I'll be favouring the idea of Strawberry & Black Pepper, as that sounds like an ideal combination to me.

You can order your Bullards gins direct at https://bullardsspirits.co.uk/product-category/gins. 

However, they also sell special glass and barware, hampers, gift cards and mixers ideally suited to your Bullards Gins.