Beers for ears! Egham beer festival raising funds for tinnitus charity

Real ale fans will be flocking to Egham United Services Club on the weekend of 3 to 5 November not only to enjoy the real ales on offer, but to show their valuable backing and support for those who are suffering from tinnitus.

Tinnitus is an extremely debilitating condition in which people hear noises in their head and/or ears but which have no external source. There is currently no cure. 

Tinnitus impacts some affects around 10,500 adults in the borough of Runnymede alone, and one in seven nationwide. That's over 7.6 million people in the United Kingdom, alone.

Bob Inman, who his Egham United Services Club’s Social Secretary and organiser of the beer festival said: “We’re supporting the British Tinnitus Association at the suggestion of one of our committee members whose son suffers with tinnitus.”

The Beer Festival will run from Thursday 3 to Saturday 5 November, running from 10:00am until late each evening at Egham United Services Club, 111 Spring Rise, Egham TW20 9PE.

Bob went on to say: “We'll be offering a wide and eclectic range of harder-to-find ales alongside with a range of hand-picked ciders & perries, we will have a BBQ with real steak burgers, plus pies, curries and chips. We’ll also have great live music on Friday and Saturday evenings, too.”

He went on to say: “It's our 38th beer festival since we started in 2008 and we have held three every year since, apart from during lockdown, of coursed. During those 14 years we have presented cheques totalling in excess of £25,000 to a variety of good causes and we’re delighted to be raising funds this year for the BTA. 

"We have a loyal following from local real ale drinkers, plus as many regulars from much further afield from  places such as Sheffield, Sunderland, Bolton, Peterborough, Shrewsbury, Norwich and Swindon and I hope all will put their hands in their pockets to make a donation!”

The BTA’s Fundraising and Supporter Engagement Manager Sabiya Hussain commented, “We’re thrilled Egham United Services Club have chosen to raise funds for the British Tinnitus Association. 

"We really do appreciate the time and hard work that goes into running events like these. We hope everyone attending will have a great time and I'd like to say huge thanks to them for supporting the tinnitus community and the work we do. “

More details of the festival can be found at www.eghambeerfestival.co.uk or email fundraising@tinnitus.org.uk if you would like to host your own fundraising event.

(Image courtesy of Gerd Altmann and Pixabay)

Make Soup, not waste! Love pumpkins this year!

It's believed a horrifying 22 million pumpkins will go to waste this year in the UK alone.

And That's Food and Drink is backing the campaign by UK Environmental charity UKHarvest to stop food waste this Halloween.

Join their first ever “Pass the Pumpkin” Challenge at UKHarvest this month to encourage people to cook and not just carve their pumpkins this year.

Last year it was estimated a shocking 41% of pumpkins bought ended up in the bin, uneaten.

It is expected a horrifying 22 million pumpkins will go to waste this year

But it doesn't have to be like this. Because this Halloween you can help reduce this scary number.

UKHarvest have come up with a simple and fun plan to gather your friends with a pumpkin and follow their instructional video @UKHarvest on Instagram or via the link below. 

We want you to video the following messages loud and clear and share them as a story with the #passthepumpkin and @UKHarvest before cooking up something orange and delicious.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CjnMsK8INU3/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

We are encouraging everyone to:

“Make Soup NOT Waste”

“Cook it DON’T Carve it

“Save our seeds!”

“Boil it DON’T spoil it!”

“Mash it DON’T Smash it!”

“Don’t be shy, make pumpkin pie!”

“Support UKHarvest this Winter”

“Together we can end food waste!”

Pumpkins are cheap, nutritious and all different varieties are grown across the UK. This campaign aims to make people think twice about their food waste, and we reckon some hot pumpkin soup is just what we all need this Winter.

UKHarvest uses its fleet of refrigerated vans to collect surplus food from across the supply chain to feed those who need it most. Please show support by sharing the “Pass the Pumpkin” Challenge or text your support with a simple £5 donation to help us rescue more pumpkins to feed those who need it most. Text PUMPKIN to 70580. For more information and pumpkin recipes please visit www.ukharvest.org.

(The image used in this post is courtesy of RitaE and Pixabay) 

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Jones the grocer express opens in dubai media city

Jones the Grocer, the UAE’s favourite café and gourmet grocer marks its 28th store opening this month with a Jones the Grocer Express, its gourmet quick food concept, in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Media City, Dubai.

Based within the lobby of the hotel with its own direct access and in the heart of Dubai’s Media City, Jones the Grocer Express is an eight-minute walk from Arenco DIC metro station. 

The new Jones the Grocer Express store will cater to over 20,000 media and technology professionals and is the ideal venue to grab a tasty bite or a fantastic flat white.

For those looking to dine-in, rather than grab and go, there are 17 indoor seats, with shaded outdoor seating coming soon. There is free Wi-Fi, accessible parking and plug points so tech heads can plug-in their devices and get to work whilst comfortably munching on a delightful gourmet sandwich or salad.

A barista will pour Jones’ signature roast coffee, leaf teas, hot chocolate as well as smoothies and fresh juices. Hearty and hot dishes include the spicy rooster burger and brilliant cheese toasties. There are fresh salads, wraps and sandwiches such as the Roast Chicken and Asian Chili Jam Ciabatta.  For those looking for something a tad sweet there are freshly baked pastries, cookies and muffins on display.

Specially selected retail includes nibbles such as roasted luxury nuts, crisps, biscuits, chocolates and lots more to satisfy the lunchtime munchies!

Jones the Grocer Express is open daily from 7am – 7pm, 7 days of the week. For more information, visit jonesthegrocer.com or call +971 52 527 1750.

For more information about Jones the Grocer, visit www.jonesthegrocer.com.

Duo Launch Yorkshire Spirit Brand Inspired by Brontë Heritage

A new Yorkshire spirits brand inspired by the world-famous literature of the Brontë sisters has launched
this month.

Brontë Drinks is a range of small batch spirits crafted to produce a vibrant, crisp, individual taste within a collection of gin, rum and vodkas.

Created by two West Yorkshire entrepreneurs Nigel Pickles and Andy Walker as a “pandemic passion project”, the duo purchased The Brontë Liqueur Company from its Harrogate founder, Sir James Aykroyd, and using the liqueur's base recipe of blackberry, sloes, honey and jasmine, beginning to  experiment with new flavour combinations in a range of spirits.

Haworth-based Nigel Pickles said: “We do have a passion for and appreciation of a good spirit and when the opportunity came along to purchase the heritage-based Brontë liqueur brand and stock, we saw a real opportunity to use it as a base for developing a wider range of alcoholic drinks.

“We've been working with our Yorkshire distiller and experimenting with flavours including citrus, heathers and rich botanicals to create a rich, smooth and dry gin, alongside a vanilla and nutmeg infused rum and a wild berry-based vodka. Each batch is enhanced by Haworth's own spring water.”

He added: “Authenticity is key to our range and that transfers right through to our product names which, we feel are a great reflection of Yorkshire dialect and our humour! Once we cracked the name of our “Where's Tha Bin gin,” there was no stopping us!”

Brontë Drinks' “Where's Tha Bin” gin sits alongside “Ey Up Cocker” vodka and “Ee Bah Gum” rum and are being sold into local pubs, bars, specialist retailers and direct to customers online. 

With a planned roll out into major multiples during 2023, the duo is already working on an additional range of after dinner chocolates and locally made fudge, which are also based on the original Brontë Liqueur recipe.

Co-director Andy added: “While we know there are many spirits adorning the retail aisles and online markets, we feel there is a gap for a range of spirits which celebrate the landscape and the culture of Haworth where the very essence of its rugged beauty and native ingredients filter through into a very pure, premium quality product. 

“While Brontë Drinks offers a new range of spirits to the craft drink scene, we hope the quality, the heritage and the directness of our approach will be just the tonic for gin, vodka and rum drinkers across the region and beyond.”

For more details on the brand and the range on offer visit http://brontedrinks.co.uk

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Surrey Business, Mandira's Kitchen Competes for Spot on Aldi's Shelves in new TV series

Surrey business owner Mandira Sarkar, will appear on Channel 4's 'Aldi's Next Big Thing' on Thursday 20th October.

Mandira owns and runs Mandira's Kitchen, which produces artisan Indian freezer meals. She was picked from hundreds of applicants competing for a life changing contract to stock Aldi stores nationwide. 

Hosted by Anita Rani, of Countryfile and BBC Radio 4 and Chris Bavin, of Britain's Best Home Cook and Eat Well for Less, the six-part series sees suppliers compete in categories like dinners, baked goods, treats and store cupboard essentials.

Products are presented to Julie Ashfield, who is Aldi UKs MD of buying, who deliberates on factors like price, packaging, shopper demand, and the ability to scale up, before whittling contestants down to only two.

The finalists are then given a month to deal with any feedback, before presenting improved products to Julie who decides which product will appear as a Specialbuy in over 970 Aldi branches throughout the UK.

Mandira, who launched the business as a supper club in her kitchen and now employs 16 women, says: “Food is a very emotive thing and we cook all our meals with a lot of love. Everything is made from scratch, with fresh ingredients. There are absolutely no cans or jars.

“I think it's high time people in the UK are able to easily enjoy authentic Indian food at home, and a contract with Aldi would help us realise this ambition.”

The multi-category competition is part of Aldi's ongoing commitment to use locally sourced products. Aldi has pledged to prioritise home-grown suppliers as it works towards spending an additional £3.5 billion a year with British businesses by the end of 2025.

To find out if Mandira made it on to Aldi's shelves watch Aldi's Next Big Thing on Channel 4, every Thursday at 8pm until 24th November.

You can already purchase meals from Mandira, including authentic ice cream for UK-wide delivery at her website https://www.mandiraskitchen.com.

Readers will be please to learn that Mandira and her staff already have Christmas covered for you. There are special festive foods, gift vouchers, Christmas gifts and tableware.

They can also cater for events, too, so please do get in touch with them.

 

 

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