Introducing the New 'Sandridge Barton' Collection - First Wine to Be Released Wins Master Medal at the Global Sparkling Masters 2023

Top English wine producer, Sandridge Barton, is pleased and delighted to unveil its highly anticipated premium range, under the 'Sandridge Barton' label. Known for its commitment to producing exceptional English wines, Sandridge Barton, the home of Sharpham Wine, has introduced the first wines under the label of its new location near Stoke Gabriel, which is in South Devon. 

The first wine in the collection to be released, Sandridge Barton 'Blanc de Noir', was recently recognised as one of the best Sparkling wines in the whole world at the Global Sparkling Masters 2023 after being awarded a Master Medal. 

An award which is only given to wines which are an outstanding example of its type, showing impeccable winemaking. It must demonstrate a wonderful texture, a perfect balance and a broad range of delicious, persistent flavours to the panel of expert judges, including Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers.

Duncan Schwab, CEO and Head Winemaker at Sandridge Barton, said: “This bottling run is part of our Sandridge Barton range, for wines we firmly believe are truly unique. 

"Sandridge Barton 'Blanc de Noir' is the first to be released and is made with Pinot Noir fruit harvested in 2020 from our vineyards overlooking the river Dart in South Devon. It's a cracking wine and we are extremely proud to receive a Master Medal and are delighted to introduce it to our range of English wines, which has now grown to over 15 wines.”

At this competition, judges sought out the very best Sparkling wines that were on the market, judging them blind with no knowledge as to their origin. The contest was open to any sparkling or semi-sparkling wine made anywhere in the whole world. 

The judges tasted 230 entries from 14 different countries, with seven master medalists in total, including three from Champagne, two from Asti, one from California and one from Sandridge Barton in Devon.

Sandridge Barton 'Blanc de Noir' is priced at £45. Of a golden colour, inviting rich nose with good autolysis, clean fresh fruit with a lime, gooseberry and raspberry palate and ripe balanced finish. 

This is not the only success for Sandridge Barton this month, the WineGB Awards results were announced last week and the Devon-based winery was awarded seven medals, including a Gold medal for the Sandridge Barton Pinot Noir 2020, four silvers and two bronze medals, too.

Over the course of the summer, Sandridge Barton will add three more wines to its 'Sandridge Barton' label range. A Bacchus, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, all of which are still wines will join the 'Blanc de Noir'. Bottles will vary in price and will be available to buy from Sandridge Barton, from their cellar door and through their website. 

With over 40 years of producing award-winning English wines, previously under the Sharpham Wine brand, Sandridge Barton has continued to be at the forefront of crafting exceptional wines that embody the unique marriage of climate, soil and grape varieties in this region of England.

The Global Sparkling Masters took place in London on 10 May. It is one of the 27 Global Wine Masters competitions taking place in 2023, run by industry-leading publication the drinks business.

For more information please visit sandridgebarton.com or to stay up to date like/follow Sandridge Barton Wines on Facebook, Sandridge_Barton on Instagram and @SharphamWines on Twitter.

Double Dutch Secures £4m Funding to massively boost business growth

Double Dutch, the outstanding producers of award-winning premium mixers and tonics, has announced the completion of its latest funding round, securing a £4m investment. The news comes after the female-founded brand grew distribution by a stunning 63% in the last year alone. 

As the market player with the fastest volume growth in the category, the premium drinks brand has completed this latest round of funding to grow the brand in the UK, strengthen its sales team and drive growth in export, with a primary focus on its secondary home market, Benelux, the UAE, and planning entry to the APAC region.

As part of its mission to double the expectations of mixers, Double Dutch has now secured the backing of over 40 F&B and hospitality industry investors, including the likes of the Heineken - De Carvalho Family. 

The new funding is part of plans to ready the drinks brand for its next stage of growth, where Double Dutch will be using a proportion of the £4m funding secured towards strengthening the brand in its UK domestic market to further build brand awareness. 

Innovation continues to be a key focus of the brand, with new trending mixer flavours planned over the next two years to meet consumers' tastes. The brand also plans to expand the drinking occasions for Double Dutch consumers, expanding into new adult soft drink categories, and supported with a social-first strategy and integrated marketing campaigns to ensure the brand remains first-to-market with innovative new product development. 

The investment will be used to drive deeper distribution in the on and off-trade, including new markets, with the UAE pinpointed as a key target for its all-year-round no/low opportunity. 

The rapid growth has also led the inspiring drinks brand to expand the Double Dutch team across sales and HR, both in the UK and within in export markets. The appointment of an HR manager brings with it a new global recruitment strategy.   

To cement its position in the UAE region, Double Dutch has appointed Benita Bohsali as its Head of International Growth, who has previously supported businesses including MMI, Red Bull and Heineken. 

In her new role, Bohsali will be responsible for strategic and commercial planning, with a focus on the key cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi to increase on and off-trade listings and drive overall growth for the brand. 

Raissa & Joyce de Haas, co-founders of Double Dutch, said: “We're really delighted with the continued support from our investor partners and we are really looking forward to them being a part of the next stage of our exciting journey. We're super proud to now be one of the fastest-growing mixer brands and can't wait to see our further growth in the UK, Benelux and beyond.” 

Ewan Venters, CEO at Hauser & Wirth and Investment Director at Double Dutch, added: “Watching Double Dutch grow into one of the most dynamic businesses in the drinks industry today has been a real pleasure. 

"Their stratospheric rise in the world of mixers has been through incredible hard work, a robust strategy and an unwavering vision to shake up the mixer market. As their Investor Director, it's been really exciting to help shape the next stage of business acceleration with the planned impact of this fundraise on their growth ambitions. This brand is one to watch.”

Double Dutch is now stocked in over 45 countries around the globe, including as the exclusive tonic for Soho House, worldwide.

The Double Dutch drinks take inspiration from the world of natural flavours, with unique, bold and sometimes unexpected flavour pairings, are always produced employing only high quality ingredients and have absolutely zero artificial flavouring, colours or preservatives whatsoever. 

All the products are naturally vegan and are also gluten free, and as part of the twin founders' mission to do business the right way, the brand is proudly Carbon Neutral and is pursuing B-corp status.  

The full range of Double Dutch flavours are available via the Double Dutch website or Amazon, with a select range of the brand's mixers available at Waitrose or Ocado and Tesco.

To stock Double Dutch, email sales@doubledutchdrinks.com  

www.doubledutchdrinks.com 

Aldi faces down council in ice cream wars

What’s even better, customers can secure a £5 voucher to purchase their own ice-cream, simply by emailing freealdiicecream@clarioncomms.co.uk. (T&C comply)

Aldi is offering free ice-cream outside its Brocklebank Road store on Friday 16th June, following the news that Greenwich Council will be banning ice-cream vans in the borough during the summer months.

Pictured: Aldi giveaway ice creams outside the store in Greenwich.  Leading budget supermarket Aldi has come to the rescue for people in a London Borough where ice cream vans have been banned, by simply handing out free frozen desserts.  

Greenwich Council shocked local residents when it published a list of streets across Greenwich and Woolwich town centres where ice cream vans could be prohibited from trading during the summer months.

But Aldi stepped in to counter this ban help and offered Londoners the cool treats as the warm weather continues, even going so far as offering shoppers the chance to win free ice cream.  

Visitors to the Greenwich store on Brocklebank Road could be lucky enough to scoop up to 23 ice creams with a £5 voucher.

Even better, UK Aldi shoppers will be in with a chance to bag some free ice-cream, simply by emailing freealdiicecream@clarioncomms.co.uk to secure a £5 voucher.

The decision to ban ice-cream vans, which was announced by Greenwich Council this week, was met with a frosty reception by Greenwich residents. Thankfully, Aldi has moved in to save the day with the offer of an abundance of ice cool treats for free from its Brocklebank Road store.

With Aldi prices starting from just 21p per ice-lolly, lucky winners will be able to scoop  up to 23 ice-creams with their free voucher. All customers need do is send an email to this to email address: freealdiicecream@clarioncomms.co.uk along with their name and address.

Julie Ashfield, who is the Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK, said: “We’d like to reassure ice-cream fans, not just in Greenwich, but across the nation, that they can still enjoy a delicious summertime treat as we head into another weekend of heatwave weather!”

Customers can use their voucher to try Aldi’s extensive range of delicious ice-creams, which includes shopper favourites such as the Gianni’s Caramelised Biscuit Chocsticks (£2.49, 3 pack), Gianni’s Strawberry & Vanilla Ice Blitz (£1.15, 6 pack) and Gianni’s Mini Whirlz (£1.99, 8 pack).

Aldi’s ice-cream range is available in store and via Click & Collect now.

www.facebook.com/AldiUK   

www.twitter.com/AldiUK   

www.instagram.com/AldiUk   

Full T&Cs apply, visit: https://www.aldi.co.uk/free-ice-creams

Aldi is switching to colourless, greener, milktops in all its 990 UK stores

Following last year's successful trial, Aldi, the UK’s fourth largest supermarket, is introducing the easier to recycle caps on all its milk lines in a bid to further boost the recyclability of the bottles.

Partnering with several suppliers, the new milk caps have started to appear in stores this week onward.

The roll out will mean a further 200 tonnes of High-Density Polythene (rHDPE) in the bottle tops can be reused to create new milk bottles.  

Customers will still be able to distinguish the milk type via the labels, which will remain red, green or blue depending on the fat content of the milk it contains.

Luke Emery, Aldi's Plastics and Packaging Director said: “At Aldi we are constantly reviewing ways to become a more sustainable supermarket and cut down on single-use plastic. That means working closely with all our suppliers to find solutions that will make a real difference.

“Improving the recyclability of packaging on an everyday product like milk has been well received by our customers, who are increasingly aware of products being environmentally friendly.”

Aldi brings out a real Wimbledon Winner with the return of Baileys Extra Thick Strawberry Cream

Back by popular customer demand, the limited-edition Baileys Extra Thick Strawberry Cream (£2.19) has returned exclusively to Aldi stores ahead of the Wimbledon season. And Aldi shoppers can bag this treat now.

Following its great success last year, the supermarket predicts it will sell enough of the cream to fill around 10 swimming pools!

Made with 100% yummy British cream, it’s deliciously rich and indulgently thick which makes it a perfect doubles partner with Aldi’s Specially Selected Strawberries (£2.85, 400g). And with strawberries expected to be bigger and sweeter than previous years due to the cooler spring weather, Aldi's shoppers will be in for the ultimate treat when paired with this decedent summer topping.

For those who want something even sweeter, why not try pairing it with Aldi’s Dessert Menu Strawberry Cheesecake (£0.85, 400g) for an overload of creamy strawberry delight?

The launch comes as Aldi serves up its first ever Swing Ball Championships, which is open and free to book during 3rd – 7th July.

Baileys Extra Thick Strawberry Cream is available in Aldi stores now, while stocks last, of course!

Kings Cross Commuters to team up with Sainsbury and Comic Relief

Sainsbury’s ‘DINspiration’ pop-up launches 26 and 27 June in London Kings Cross, giving busy workers dinner inspiration by offering grab-and-go meal kits.

This pop-up follows research by Sainsbury’s revealing a massive 74% of commuters think about what they'll be having for dinner on their homeward commute.

For a mere 50p, commuters can purchase a complete meal kit inspired by Sainsbury’s Inspired to Cook range, with all the proceeds being donated to Comic Relief.

Sainsbury's is donating 50p to Comic Relief for every Inspired to Cook product sold until 11th July.

Research by Sainsbury’s has revealed that deciding what to cook for dinner is high on the agenda for commuters, with 74% saying they think about their evening mealtime on their journey home.

Mid-week dinners seem to be missing variety due to this on-the-go attitude, with 63% of Brits admitting they struggle to come up with healthy meal options for dinner, citing lack of inspiration as the key reason behind this issue (32%).

Over a quarter (27%) of us confirmed they we'd vary our meals more often if it was quick and easy to do, with an additional 25% saying we'd like to introduce healthy recipes and variety into mealtimes. Over 50% of Brits confirmed we cook between one and four dishes on repeat each month.

Sainsbury’s is serving up a dose of ‘DINspiration’ and helping to solve this commuter's dilemma with a new two-day pop-up in London’s Kings Cross, offering commuters a flavourful, healthful grab-and-go meal kit for two, containing ingredients from its Inspired to Cook range, alongside fresh ingredients and recipes needed to cook the meals at home.

Peckish commuters can pick up a meal kit for a mere 50p, with all proceeds donated directly to Comic Relief. The amount raised from these sales highlights a wider initiative by Sainsbury’s, in which the retailer will donate 50p for every product sold from its Inspired to Cook range in store and online from now until 11th July.

This forms part of Sainsbury's Nourish the Nation programme with Comic Relief which aims to tackle food poverty now and in the future. Overall, it's hoped this six-week drive, which launched on 31st May, will contribute at least £3million to the programme this summer.

The DINspiration pop-up will be available to commuters outside London Kings Cross station on 26 and 27 June from 5pm to 7pm. The kits will contain complete ingredients for recipes such as Teriyaki Stir Fry and Harissa Chicken Traybake, helping busy commuters find inspiration for their dinners in a convenient, nutritious, and time-effective way.

Ruth Cranston, who is Sainsbury’s Director of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability said: “With so many people lacking dinner inspiration, we hope our pop-up adds a bit of flavour to commuters' mealtimes. 

"Our Inspired to Cook range is designed to inspire our customers’ food choices, helping them to cook fresh, nutritional meals with ease. And now, with Sainsbury's donating 50p from every Inspired To Cook product sold until 11th July, this popular range not only tastes good, but does good too. All funds raised will go to our long-standing charity partner Comic Relief as part of our Nourish the Nation initiative, which seeks to prevent people falling into food poverty now and in the future."

Working in partnership with Comic Relief, Sainsbury’s Nourish the Nation programme supports organisations such as Feeding Britain and The Bread and Butter Thing in their work to help alleviate food poverty in communities across the country.

www.sainsbury.com.

Baking Yesteryear

Baking Yesteryear is a baking cookery book written by baking enthusiast and TikTok and YouTube star B. Dylan Hollis. 

It covers interesting baking recipes from throughout the 20th century

If you'd like to know what baking recipes that your grandparents and great-grandparents made and have a go at baking them for yourself, then this book is for you. 

In it B. Dylan Hollis highlights some of the most unique baking treats of yesteryear.

Take a trip back in time on a delicious jaunt through the 100 years of the 20th century as Dylan shows you how to bake vintage treats, many of them long-forgotten baking gems.

With Dylan's quirky humour and baking gusto, you'll find yourself baking savoury and sweet forgotten treats. 

Over the years Bermudian Dylan has baked hundreds of recipes from scores of antique cookbooks and recipe booklets and official government publications.

He has selected the top of these recipes for this bakebook, with top recipes from each decade.

However, there are some recipes included that might not have stood the test (or taste?) of time as they are said to be spectacularly dreadful! But why not give these a try, too? You can't say you weren't warned!

A few of Dylan's favourites are:

- 1900s Cornflake Macaroons

- 1910s ANZAC Biscuits

- 1930s Peanut Butter Bread

- 1940s Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake

- 1950s Tomato Soup Cake

- 1970s Potato Chip Cookies

It's available on pre-order from Amazon.co.uk in hardback at £17.60.

FPA issues guidance on packaging claiming to be ‘plastic-free’

The Foodservice Packaging Association (FPA) has issued key guidance to address the claims made by producers of ‘plastic-free’ packaging.

In response to the big increase in foodservice packaging claiming to be plastic-free, linked with the confusion and misunderstanding surrounding the validity of plastic-free packaging claims, the FPA has published a list of requirements to help inform packaging buyers conducting due diligence prior to  purchase.

“Our members, foodservice retailers and the general public need clarity”, says Martin Kersh, Executive Director at the FPA (pictured.) 

He went on to say: “FPA members need to know what evidence they should be looking for to validate packaging, while foodservice retailers must be confident they're making buying decisions based on evidence that's valid in the UK.

“Having board-based packaging that can hold hot fluids, sauces and oils in safety, without some form of plastic lining or coating, is a huge attraction for retailers”, Kersh continues. “However, while plastic-free packs don’t contain the polyethylene (PE) or PLA most often used to make packs effective, many do use other plastics, like acrylic, as part of what's known as a dispersion coating. As such, there are packs that claim to be plastic-free, when they're not."

There is much confusion regarding the certification used to evidence claims of ‘plastic-free’ and symbols used to demonstrate conformity. Some certificates are produced by organisations that aren't  recognised by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) – and there are other symbols which are totally fictitious and are a total and clear breach of the Competition & Markets Authority Green Claims Code.

The FPA guidance for plastic-free packaging is summarised below:

1. Plastic-free must mean 100% plastic-free – with no intentionally added plastic present – either in the principal substrate or within the lining/coating.

2. The finished pack (not only the material it consists of) must be independently tested and certified to be 100% plastic-free by a certification body recognised by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

3. The testing must identify the presence of any plastic, and not just those plastics that might be present in the packaging the ‘plastic-free’ pack is seeking to replace.

4. Certification issued by a country outside the UK does not necessarily validate a claim made in the UK. The due diligence for packaging being marketed in the UK needs to ensure the evidence/certification is accredited by UKAS.

5. The only symbols shown must be those of the UKAS-accredited certifying body, accompanied by a license number.

“The guidance for plastic-free packaging falls into the same category as that required for all other claims regarding the origin and credentials of the certifying body”, adds Kersh. “All our members are required to operate their businesses in accordance with the FPA Code of Practice, which expressly forbids the use of any unsubstantiated claims”.

A full copy of the FPA guidance can be viewed at the FBA website. Businesses seeking certification can visit the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) website to source accredited organisations. UKAS is appointed by government to assess and accredit organisations providing certification and testing facilities.

https://foodservicepackaging.org.uk

Spanish dining proving a hit with Waitrose shoppers

With the warmer, summer weather hitting the UK it seems that living the Mediterranean lifestyle is proving popular, with Waitrose reporting an increase in demand for Spanish dining. 

Spanish tapas is also a top pick during the heatwave, with #SpanishTapas gaining 10.4 million views on TikTok and 57k views in only the last 30 days. On Waitrose.com searches for ‘Spanish tortilla’, ‘patatas bravas’, and ‘manchego’ are up 82%, 20% and 50% respectively. 

Said Jane Whitehead, who is the Waitrose deli buyer: “As soon as the temperatures begin to rise we see many of our customers heading straight to our deli section to create the perfect tapas style dinner, or ‘picky tea’ as some people like to call it. 

"95% of the range on our deli counters are exclusive to us, with flavoured hams and olives proving especially popular at the moment as our customers create tapas boards for their alfresco dining experience.”

Sales of gazpacho have also risen by a staggering 146% in the last week alone as more and more of opt for lighter and more refreshing lunches. Paella is also on many menus with searches on Waitrose.com for their Chicken & Chorizo Paella recipe up by an impressive 89% over the last month, and sales of their paella rice are also up by 16% compared against last year.  

Jamie Matthewson, their head of wine buying, recommends the Loved & Found Treixadura as the perfect paella pairing, with its floral aromas and citrus notes matching perfectly with the rich chorizo flavours.

Why might this be happening? That's Food and Drink can think of two explanations. People wish to recreate their Spanish holiday meals at home. And others are aware that due to the fact that Spain is much warmer than Britain all year round, Spanish cuisine is more suited to being eaten during warmer weather.

Lidl is extending Prevented Ocean Plastic™ to its water bottle packaging

From next month, July, Lidl's San Celestino Italian sparkling mineral water bottles will incorporate the ocean bound plastic.

The permanent change will prevent the equivalent of nearly 4 million plastic water bottles from entering the ocean annually.

Also Lidl's changing all milk caps from coloured to clear, further boosting their recyclability.

Lidl GB has announced it will be incorporating Prevented Ocean Plastic™ into its water bottle and is the first UK supermarket to make this change.

Appearing in store throughout July, Lidl’s 1 litre San Celestino Italian Sparkling Mineral Water bottles will contain a minimum of 30% Prevented Ocean Plastic™,  plastic which would otherwise have ended up in the ocean.

With 12 million bottles of the everyday item sold annually, this initiative is expected to save nearly 100 tonnes of plastic from entering our oceans annually, per year, equivalent to almost 4 million plastic water bottles.

The move builds on Aldi's previous efforts in being green. Lidl has been leading the way since 2020, when it became the first UK supermarket to introduce food packaging using Prevented Ocean Plastic™. 

Since then, it's been rolled out across a range of Lidl’s own-brand fresh fish, breaded poultry, sausage and fresh fruit products, meaning Aldi's already prevented the equivalent of in excess of 15 million plastic water bottles from entering the ocean.

Doubling down on their commitments, Lidl is also taking steps to improve the recyclability of its plastic. Last year, the discounter transitioned its semi-skimmed fresh milk with supplier Müller over to clear caps from coloured.

Over the next two months, in partnership with both Müller and Cornish Farm, it's transitioning its entire milk range to clear caps.

The rollout of colourless milk caps this year will support industry wide retention of 4000 tonnes of bottle top material to be used again within the food sector.

Shyam Unarket, who is the Head of Responsible Sourcing and Ethical Trade at Lidl GB, said:  “Ocean plastic pollution is a pressing environmental concern, it is expected that by 2050 there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish. 

"As pioneers of integrating ocean bound plastic into our packaging in 2020, we have been consistently building and improving on our efforts since, and are proud to now extend Prevented Ocean Plastic™ into water bottles. Through this latest product development, we hope to inspire wider efforts across the industry.”

Prevented Ocean Plastic™ packaging, supplied and developed in conjunction with Bantam Materials, is made from discarded water bottles found in Southeast Asia within 30 miles of a coastline or major waterway that feeds into the ocean. This waste is then sorted and processed before being used in packaging. The entire process is fully traceable with a robust documented chain of accountability.

https://www.aldi.co.uk