Yoga book by Nottingham author raises money for African children

Nottingham yoga expert Andy Thomas is helping to raise money for children in Kenya with his latest book Yoga. How and Why it Works.

Proceeds from Andy’s book will go to the Calvary Zion Children's Home in Mombassa, which is building a new, more comfortable home for abandoned or orphaned youngsters.

Andy, 64, is the founder of the Nottinghamshire-based Shanti Yoga School, which has trained dozens of yoga teachers since it was launched six years ago and now runs courses in West Bridgford and Colwick. From yoga, Andy has condensed or distilled the full movement method of therapy which is also taught.

The therapist has written three previous books, Message in the Body, Deep Yoga and Deep Yoga, Deep Healing, which have so far helped to raise nearly £2,000 for the Kenyan children’s home.

His fourth book Yoga. How and Why it Works is a detailed examination of the reason for the effectiveness of yoga as a system of physical, mental and spiritual cultivation.

“Yoga. How and Why it Works is ideal for the serious yoga practitioner, the serious interested student and the teacher,” said Andy, who lives in West Bridgford and who has also used the Full Movement Method as a basis for treating thousands of patients for muscle and joint pain, including international sportsmen and women, musicians, and actors, as well as accident victims.

“I am really pleased that sales of my new book will continue to help orphaned and abandoned kids living at the children’s home in Mombassa.”

Yoga. How and Why it Works is published by Arima Publishing and is available from Amazon priced £9.95.

Visit http://www.shantiyogaschool.com/

Sales shoot up for pie maker after Food and Drink iNet innovation support grant

Online sales shot up by 600% in just one week after a Nottinghamshire pie maker received a grant from the Food and Drink iNet to revamp its website.


Lime Tree Pantry experienced a massive leap in the number of customers buying its pies during the first week following the website redesign.

Sales went up from a typical £333 per week to more than £2,331 in the first seven days.

“We are absolutely delighted with our new website made possible with a grant from the Food and Drink iNet,” said managing director of Ollerton-based Lime Tree Pantry Damien Toms.

The revamp was carried out by Voice Brand Design, of Leicester, who was called in to help ensure that Lime Tree Pantry’s online store achieved its sales targets.

Damien said: “Voice Brand Design have opened our eyes to what using a professional marketing agency can do for sales. It has delivered on all our objectives and I am confident that the site will continue to smash targets and help us to reach new customers.”

David Wallace, Innovation Director at East Midlands Development Agency (emda), which funds the iNet, said: “I am delighted that Lime Tree Pantry’s profits have soared thanks to the Innovation Support Grant from our Food and Drink iNet. Their success demonstrates that businesses in the food and drink sector within the East Midlands are at the forefront of the development and implementation of new and exciting ideas. This is why emda believes that it is so important to support and promote innovation in the region through the iNet. I hope that other businesses within the sector will be inspired by their achievement.”

Lime Tree Pantry received a £5,967 Innovation Support Grant from the Food and Drink iNet, which the firm match-funded, to improve its customer relationship management.

The company, which was founded in 1991 and produces more than 10,000 fruit and savoury pies each week, opted to give its website a major overhaul to encourage traffic visiting the site to place more orders.

Results from launch week have been a staggering success, added Damien.

Voice Brand Design creative director Tim Harrison said: “We are proud to have helped Lime Tree Pantry with transforming their existing website into a mouth-watering online experience. It showcases the craftsmanship of the products housed in an elegant design, which reflects their brand values.

“We have taken what was a failing sales channel and transformed it into a modern, user friendly and successful website Lime Tree is now proud to promote and customers expect to experience. The results, in increased sales, are speaking for themselves.”

Around £250,000 in Innovation Support Grants has been allocated to around 50 food and drink firms across the East Midlands by the Food and Drink iNet since the iNet was launched in 2008. The iNet hopes to have more funding allocated as part of a new contract next year, said Peter Maycock, Food and Drink iNet project director.

“Innovation Support Grants are designed to make a real difference to a company’s prospects, and I am delighted to hear about the success of Lime Tree Pantry’s innovation,” said Peter Maycock.

The Food and Drink iNet is aiming to foster innovation in the region’s food and drink sector by encouraging businesses to turn new ideas into new business through the development of new technologies and products. It’s also hoping to stimulate new processes, services and ways of working in the industry to help boost the sector.

Funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda), the Food and Drink iNet is managed by a consortium, led by the Food & Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham.

Firms wanting more information should contact the Food and Drink iNet on 0845 521 2066 or visit www.foodanddrink-inet.org.uk

For information about support for innovation that is available in the East Midlands, visit www.eminnovation.org.uk

Croots Farm Shop & Kitchen named in 50 best food shops

Derbyshire farm shop Croots has been named in The Independent’s top 50 best food shops.

The farm shop in Wirksworth Road, Duffield, received the rating in a special feature in the national newspaper focusing on some of the finest food shops in the UK.

The judging panel included the founder of the Real Food Festival, the editors of Great British Food magazine, www.foodtripper.com and www.channel4.com/food, and the food director of Olive and Good Food magazine.

One of the judges said: “Croots is more than a shop, it’s a destination. It’s the perfect place to buy everything you need for a special dinner and literally cook from plot to plate.”

Croots Farm Shop & Kitchen owner Steve Croot said: “We were tickled pink to see Croots mentioned as one of the top 50 best food shops in the UK. It’s great to get such high profile recognition.”

Croots was launched in June 2008 and is a passionate supporter of local producers, selling items from around 35 regional suppliers, as well as speciality products from further afield. It produces its own sausages at its in-house butchery department, has a well-stocked cheese and deli counter, and bakes its own scones on the premises.

It also has its own range of locally brewed ales. Visit www.croots.co.uk

British Sugar plc shares recipe for success at Food and Drink iNet visit

British Sugar plc is throwing open its doors to fellow regional businesses as part of a series of factory visits organised by the Food and Drink iNet.

Representatives from food and drink companies across the East Midlands are attending the Newark factory visit on January 28th 2010.

It is one of three being organised across the region by the Food and Drink iNet to highlight best practice ways of working. The aim of the visits is to encourage more efficient and effective production across the East Midlands food and drink sector.

Aimed at food and drink manufacturers and academics linked to the food industry, the visits have been designed to illustrate how firms can keep ahead of their competition.

The series began with a visit to Molson Coors Brewery, Burton-upon-Trent, in October and continues with a visit to Rolls-Royce in Derby on February 4th.

”Companies can learn a lot from each other, and we are delighted that British Sugar plc is hosting this visit and sharing some of its best practice ideas,” said Peter Maycock, Food and Drink iNet director. “Interest from fellow East Midlands companies wanting to attend these visits organised by the Food and Drink iNet has been high, and I’m sure those who go on the British Sugar plc visit to Newark will benefit from seeing at first hand the tools and techniques used by the business.”

The British Sugar plc visit will give companies the opportunity to see how the firm stays at the top through resource efficiency, lean manufacturing, problem solving, coaching and cultural changes in production practices, added Peter.

Bob Howe, Newark British Sugar plc factory manager, said: “The Newark factory aims to be the best performing factory in the British Sugar group, and has a long history stretching back to 1921. We are delighted to be hosting this visit organised by the Food and Drink iNet, so that we can show fellow businesses in the region how the factory has developed and progressed, and how we are continuing the success story.”

British Sugar plc is the leading supplier of sugar to the UK market, supplying more than half of the country’s sugar requirement. The Newark factory is one of four processing units that extract sugar from homegrown sugar beet. It supplies 200,000 tonnes of sugar to food and drink manufacturers in the UK and Europe.

David Wallace, Innovation Director of East Midlands Development Agency (emda) which funds the Food and Drink iNet, said: “These factory visits aim to promote best practice to managers of other regional food and drink businesses who want to develop their own companies. We recognise the importance of people coming together to share expertise and knowledge, it is one of the reasons why the iNets were established, and I am sure that the people who go on these visits will all learn something new that they can apply in their own businesses.”

The Food and Drink iNet aims to foster innovation in the region’s food and drink sector by encouraging businesses to turn new ideas into new business through the development of new technologies and products. It also hopes to stimulate new processes, services and ways of working in the industry to help boost the sector.

Funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda), the Food and Drink iNet is managed by a consortium, led by The Food and Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent University, The University of Lincoln, and The University of Nottingham.

The visit has proved popular and places are currently fully booked, but to go on the reserve list, contact 01664 420066 or david.walklate@fpfaraday.com

For more information about the Food and Drink iNet visit www.foodanddrink-inet.org.uk

Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards winners announced

Nottingham Trent University’s School of Science and Technology has been crowned the Food and Drink iNet Innovation Champion 2009 for the development of an exciting new material for food and drink packaging.


Experts at the university successfully solved the problem of leaching in bottles and have taken the technology a step further to add antimicrobial properties which kill or lessen micro-organisms.

During a gala dinner and awards ceremony at Athena in Leicester, the university’s School of Science and Technology was presented with The Food and Drink Forum Innovation Champion 2009 award by TV presenter, writer and foodie Hardeep Singh Kohli.

The judges said of the project: “This has the potential to revolutionise the packaging industry and represents a big shift in thinking.”

A number of other awards were also presented during the evening, which attracted 150 representatives from across the East Midlands food and drink sector and was designed to celebrate the uptake and implementation of innovation in the industry in the region.

The winner of the University of Lincoln National Centre for Food Manufacturing Award for Most Innovative SME Food and Drink Manufacturer went to Thornbridge Brewery, Ashford in the Water, Derbyshire. The producer of high quality craft beers launched in 2005 in a ten barrel brewery, and has just opened a new 30 barrel brewery and bottling line after demand outstripped supply.

Judges said: “It is good to see an SME using state-of-the-art technology. We applaud the proactive approach of the brewery’s business drive.”

The winner of the Campden BRI Award for Most Innovative Business across the Food and Drink Supply Chain was presented to Eistechnik, Loughborough, Leicestershire, for the development and advancement of eutectic refrigeration units for trucks, which are more environmentally friendly and less noisy than traditional transport refrigeration methods.

Judges said: “The adaptation of ‘forgotten’ technology ticks all the right innovation and environmental boxes to make this a worthy winner.”

- The CenFRA Award for Most Innovative Research Project was presented to Nottingham Trent University, School of Science and Technology for adapting existing technology to create an innovative solution to solve leaching problems in bottles, and for taking the technology a step further by adding antimicrobial properties which kill or lessen micro-organisms. This project also went on to win The Food and Drink Forum Innovation Champion 2009 award.

Judges said: “After providing a real evidence of need, this research offers a solution that has the potential to transform the packaging industry.”

The Food Processing Faraday Award for Most Innovative Large Food and Drink Manufacturer went to Marshalls (part of the Produce World Group), Butterwick, Boston, for the development of a sweeter tasting broccoli, known as bellaverde® and launched in July 2009, created in conjunction with Seminis, the largest developer, grower and marketer of fruit and vegetable seeds.

Judges said: “Lots of determination and effort has been shown to create a new breed of broccoli to be grown in the UK, rather than import one.”

The Nottingham Trent University Award for Most Innovative Business in the Wider Food Sector was presented to Mem Saab, for the establishment of their own tandoori and Indian cuisine skills centre to train chefs for their five tandoori restaurants in the Midlands, including the latest addition to the group, High Cross Restaurant in Leicester. The group has Mem Saab restaurants in Leicester, Northampton, Leamington Spa and Banbury, and trades under the name of City Buffet, Friar Lane, Nottingham.

Judges said: “This represents a proactive approach in addressing a skills shortage problem.”

Peter Maycock, Project Director for the Food and Drink iNet, said: “The Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards have once again shown the high standard of research and enterprise that is being undertaken in the food and drink sector in the East Midlands. We have been delighted to see the exciting range of innovation, and congratulate all the winners.”

The Food and Drink iNet is aiming to foster innovation in the region’s food and drink sector by encouraging businesses to turn new ideas into new business through the development of new technologies and products. It’s also hoping to stimulate new processes, services and ways of working in the industry to help boost the sector.

Funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda), the Food and Drink iNet is managed by a consortium, led by the Food & Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham.

David Wallace, Innovation Director at East Midlands Development Agency (emda), said: “This year we have seen innovation in areas as diverse as the development of antimicrobial agents to kill micro-organisms in bottles, to more environmentally-friendly refrigeration systems - and even the creation of a new form of broccoli.

“These awards demonstrate that businesses in the food and drink sector in the East Midlands are at the forefront of the development and implementation of new and exciting ideas. This is why we believe that it is so important to support and promote innovation in the region through the iNet. I hope that other entrepreneurs in the industry will be inspired by the tremendous achievements of all of the winners and nominees.”

Spice up Christmas and New Year festivities with Anila’s curry sauces and accompaniments

Stocking up with store cupboard essentials from the Anila’s curry sauce and accompaniments range will take the heat out of Christmas culinary stress.


The versatile jars of Anila’s curry sauce will not only provide a delicious way of using up Christmas meat leftovers, they’re also perfect for livening up party dips.

And Anila’s chutneys, pickles and dips are a top addition to a Christmas or New Year buffet, and will brighten up any cold meat or cheese selections.

“Christmas and New Year catering can be hard work, but there are lots of ways to make it easier, and being prepared with a range of tasty store cupboard essentials is one way,” explains Anila Vaghela, who founded the family-run business of Anila’s Authentic Sauces in 1997.

“Anila’s curry sauces and accompaniments are terrifically versatile, and can play a great starring role in a wide range of different meals and snacks during the festive period when food and drink tend to be the focus of many families’ celebrations.”

Anila’s curry sauces are the ideal store cupboard essential to stock up on before the festive season, as they’re suitable for vegetarians and vegans, as well as being sugar-free, gluten-free and dairy-free. They also don’t contain onions or garlic.

Perfect for anyone with specific allergies or intolerances, they’re just the product for hosts who could find themselves catering for unexpected, or expected, guests with differing dietary needs!

Anila’s has a range of eight curry sauces, based on traditional Indian recipes. They have won ten Great Taste Awards, and earlier this year Anila’s Spicy Korma Curry Sauce scooped a Free From Food Award.

Anila suggests using one of her sauces not just as the base of a tasty Boxing Day curry, but as a quick and easy party dip by adding a dollop of curry sauce to crème fraiche, yoghurt or mayonnaise.

Anila’s distinctive and delicious range of 16 different mouth-watering ‘handmade’ chutneys, pickles and dips are made with single fruits and vegetables, and team up perfectly with a variety of dishes, snacks, meats and cheeses. They’re a great addition to light buffets and salads during the festive season.

Based in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, Anila’s also has a unit in West London.

Anila’s products are available from www.anilassauces.com or at the 28 farmers’ markets across the south listed on the website, as well as in John Lewis Oxford Street and John Lewis Bluewater. They are also sold in top quality gourmet stores, such as Harrods and Selfridges, plus hundreds of other outlets, including Wholefoods, Planet Organic, delis, health food stores, garden centres and gift shops.

For more information visit www.anilassauces.com

Evening openings for Colston Bassett Store and Garden Cafe

Award-winning Colston Bassett Store and Garden Café is opening a new chapter in its life following the closure of the Post Office last year by welcoming customers and diners during the evening.


The gourmet food and drink store and café restaurant will be throwing open its doors until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays from November 20th. It will also be introducing twice-weekly wine tasting evenings at the same time to introduce customers to its collection of around 80 different wines.

“It’s been a while coming, but we are delighted that we can now offer diners the chance to experience our popular café restaurant in the evenings,” said Martin Lindsay, who runs Colston Basssett Store with wife Jan. “As the entrance to the café restaurant is via the shop we’ve decided to keep the store open too until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays and offer wine tasting sessions at the same time.”

The couple believe opening their café restaurant in the evening two nights a week will fill a gap in the market and cater for the growing trend of ‘early evening eating’.

“Since we opened the café in 2007 it’s become very popular during the day, and it’s partly down to customer demand and partly because we have now lost the Post Office at the store and we need to do all we can to make the business as viable as possible that we have decided to open in the evenings,” said Martin.

“The closing time of 10pm has been chosen to reduce any disturbance to residents, but also to make the most of the modern trend of early evening eating. We’re on the commuter route into the Vale of Belvoir, are fully licensed and we can also accommodate disabled customers, including those in powered wheelchairs.”

Wine tastings will also be on offer every Friday and Saturday evening from November 20th to give customers the chance to try before they buy and discover exciting new wines.

“We want to offer our customers the chance to try new wines and to discover wines that suit particular dishes or meats,” said Martin.

Martin and Jan expanded and renovated the building, which dates from the 17th century, to create a chic deli offering cheeses, meats, wines, beers, breads and a variety of other specialist and local products, which they opened in 2004. It has since expanded its range to include gifts, cards, homewares and jewellery.

In 2006, it was voted the best village shop in the East Midlands by a top team of foodies, including Heston Blumenthal, Henrietta Green and Nick Nairn. The shop was given the accolade in the BMW 1 Series Good Food Ride book which highlights the best places to eat, shop and visit in the UK if you’re a foodie fan.

Martin and Jan opened their stylish Garden Café in 2007 as a result of customer demand.

News from Nottingham's Regional and Speciality Food and Drink Market

Nottingham’s Regional and Speciality Food and Drink Market will be taking a new position in the Old Market Square this month and running for longer during December as part of the Christmas festivities.

The monthly market, which features around 30 stalls selling a range of regional produce, will temporarily relocate to the area in the Old Market Square at the bottom of King Street and alongside the fountains during November and December.

Run by East Midlands Fine Foods in conjunction with Nottingham City Council, the market is held on the third Friday and Saturday of each month.

This month’s market, to be staged on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st November, will sit alongside other festive events in the Old Market Square. The market will run for five days in December, from 18th to 22nd December to give shoppers extra time to buy their festive food from local producers.

“The Regional and Speciality Food and Drink Market has become a firm favourite in the Old Market Square each month, and we’re delighted to be a key part of the programme of events running there over the festive period,” said Jo Murphy, of East Midlands Fine Foods.

“Shoppers can find us in the area near the Brian Clough statue running up towards Debenhams and alongside the fountains for November’s market and for the extended December market, which will run for five days.

“The market is an ideal place to stock up on good quality regional food and drink, and to source foodie gifts for Christmas.”

The market was launched in April 2007 and has been held every month since, attracting between 30 and 40 producers and suppliers from across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland.

Chance to win a month's supply of Organic Meltdown chocolate

Here's a tempting offer...the generous folk at Organic Meltdown chocolate are running a competition to win a month's supply of delicious chocolate.

You can find out more by clicking here http://www.theculinaryguide.co.uk/promotions/promotions.htm

Don't forget, Organic Meltdown represents the perfect excuse to eat chocolate, since every bar saves a tree!

Find these tasty bars in Waitrose, Ocado or independent stores.

Visit http://www.organicmeltdown.com/ for more information.

Croots' sausage named in Channel 4 food's Top Ten Sausages for Bonfire Night

Congratulations to Perfect 10 PR client Croots, whose Buck in the Park sausage designed by a customer, has been named in Channel 4's Top Ten Sausages for Bonfire Night. What a sizzler! Don't forget the sausage festival at Croots in Wirksworth Road, Duffield, on Saturday November 7th.

http://www.channel4.com/food/features/top-10s/top-10-best-sausages-for-bonfire-night-09-11-05_p_7.html

http://www.croots.co.uk/

Green shoots in the construction industry, reports BSP Consulting

Green shoots are appearing in the construction industry with renewed interest in house building, according to award-winning East Midlands civil and structural engineering company BSP Consulting.

The firm is reporting an increase in inquiries from landowners looking to make their sites ‘oven ready’ for building after demand for development sites has started to rise.

BSP, with offices in Nottingham, Derby and Leicester, has gained technical permissions for roads and drainage for a site on the outskirts of Wrexham which has recently been sold by the client to a major house builder.

BSP has now begun a similar process for a site near Glasgow, and is dealing with an increase in site appraisal requests.

“Getting a site ‘oven ready’ for developers by gaining the necessary permissions for infrastructure like drainage and roads makes a site more attractive and more valuable, and at BSP we’ve noticed a significant increase in inquiries for site appraisals,” said BSP Consulting director Martin Breakwell.

“It’s a definite sign that there is renewed interest in house building, which for some time now has been a very depressed market. Site owners who get technical permissions for infrastructure for their land are in a stronger position when it comes to selling their sites, which has been evidenced by the sale of the site that BSP worked on near Wrexham.”

BSP, which was recently named Consultant of the Year 2009 at the East Midlands Property Dinner, provides a comprehensive range of consultancy services to all sectors of the construction community, from architects, project managers and contractors to developers and estate agents. Based in the East Midlands, the firm has contracts across the UK, and is currently working on a wide variety of projects from regeneration schemes to retirement projects.

BSP employs almost 40 people across its three offices in the East Midlands – at Oxford Street, Nottingham, Pride Park, Derby, and De Montfort Street, Leicester.

Charity evening returns to Colston Bassett Store

A village store which has raised thousands of pounds for different charities over the past few years by staging accessory evenings will hold its fifth event on Wednesday.

Colston Bassett Store is running a ‘girls’ night out’ on November 11th from 7.30pm to 9.30pm to raise money for Sckin, the Nottingham-based Karen Clifford Skin Cancer Charity.

The charity, set up by family and friends of Karen, with help from medical professionals at the Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, aims to raise awareness of skin cancer and provide funds to treat sufferers of the condition.

Colston Bassett Store’s event will feature a host of stalls selling a wide range of accessories and gifts, including jewellery, bags, chocolates, table decorations, beauty treatments and other treats.

“We love hosting our ‘girls’ night out’ because it is a bit of light relief and everyone always seems to have a great evening,” said Jan Lindsay, who runs Colston Bassett Store with husband Martin.

“It’s the chance to pick up unusual items not available on the High Street, and to raise cash for charity at the same time.”

Last year’s charity ‘girls’ night out’ raised more than £1,000 for WaterAid and attracted 120 guests.

Tickets are £7.50, which includes a glass of sparkling wine and are available from the store in Church Gate, Colston Bassett.

Design-a-sausage competition winners announced at Croots Farm Shop

Two new sausages designed by customers have gone on sale at Croots Farm Shop & Kitchen this week as part of National Sausage Week.


Buck in the Park – a venison sausage marinated in stout with garlic and redcurrants – and Ketchup Sausage – a pork-based banger flavoured with red sauce - were chosen as the winners in a design-a-sausage competition run by Croots Farm Shop during British Food Fortnight, which ran from September 19th to October 4th.

Customer Mary Smith, from Holbrook, created the Buck in the Park flavour, while four-year-old Berty Jackson, from Belper, was chosen as the winner in the children’s competition for his idea of combining pork and ketchup to make his ideal banger.

“We had some fantastic flavours suggested, with almost 50 entries in our design-a-sausage competition,” said Steve Croot, who runs Croots Farm Shop at Wirksworth Road, Duffield. “Customers were really imaginative with their ideas.”

The winning sausages are taking centre stage during National Sausage Week, which runs from November 2nd to 8th. Croots will also be staging a Sausage Festival on Saturday November 7th where a number of its sausages will be available for sampling and tasting.

The farm shop has become renowned for its bangers, which are made on the premises by Croots’ in-house butchers using free range pork from Packington Pork, near Burton-upon-Trent. The shop sold more than 20,000 lbs of sausages in its first year after opening in June 2008.

It now has a range of around 30 different flavours, although not all are on sale at the same time. Earlier this year it won a gold star Great Taste Award for its black pudding sausage at the ‘Oscars’ of the food industry.

Mary, pictured, won a £25 Croots voucher, while Berty picked up a £25 Toys R Us voucher.