News in brief

2nd December 2009, 11:20am

Keeping you updated with news you may have missed...

50% off Christmas lunch at Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh restaurant in Camden, London, is offering diners a 50% off Christmas lunch menu to enjoy before the season is up. Guests will be presented with a choice of two menus for £25 a head; a set menu and a vegetarian set menu. For starters there will be dishes such as steamed prawn & garlic chive dumplings, duck spring roll, hoisin sauce and for vegetarians sweet potao tempura inside out sushi roll and green mango & star fruit salad with red nahm jim. And for mains will be red chicken curry with straw mushrooms & Thai basil. Desserts will feature green tea brule and white chocolate ice cream.

M&B appoints new chairman

Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) has appointed Simon Laffin as its new chairman. Laffin will be succeeding Drummond Hall, who earlier indicated his intention to retire. Laffin commented on his new role: "We are moving swiftly and decisively to protect the interests of all shareholders and to maintain a sharp focus on operations." Drummond commented: "Simon was one of the shortlisted candidates for the chairmanship and I am delighted that he is taking over, confident that he will work tirelessly for all our shareholder." The company has also decided that Richard McGuire should step down from his position as a director of M&B, appointed by Piedmont Inc.

Graduate from Specialised Chef's Programme wins scholarship

Nigel Didcock, executive chef at the Granite Club in Ontario, Canada, and a former student of The Bournemouth and Poole College, has awarded a scholarship to a graduate from the Specialised Chef's Programme run at The College. Five graduates battled it out in a 'Master Chef' style challenge after facing interviews with Didcock, also president of the Club Des Amis, Ashton Root, sous chef at The Granite Club and David Boland, senior lecturer at The College. The winner, David Legget from Bridport, won the 'club des amis scholarship' to commence in March 2010. Didcock commented: "We were extremely impressed with David's confidence in the kitchen and look forward to him joining our team in 2010."

Sales hike at Irn Bru maker

AG Barr, the maker of the Irn Bru fizzy drink, has reported that its sales have increased by 25% so far this year, according to reports. The company said its sales were boosted by the Rubican range of drinks which it bought last year. The company said: "Economic conditions continue to be challenging and the soft drinks sector is highly competitive, however we remain confident of delivering our plans for the full year." The company also makes Tizer, D'N'B and Rock Star brands.

Hovis bread backs British farmers 

Premier Foods has announced that its Hovis bread brand will be backing British farmers and moving to flour milled from 100% British wheat across its entire range. Due to launch in early 2010, the move, which represents a multi-million pound investment, comes as part of the brand's continuing 'renaissance' which began with its award-winning Go On Lad advertising campaign and packaging rebrand in September last year. NFU president Peter Kendall said: "It is fantastic news that Hovis will be committing to source 100% of its wheat from Britain from next year. This shows real commitment to UK farming and its skill, professionalism and reliability, by a well known and respected UK company."

Top hotels have cut their prices, says Hotels.com

Top hotels have cut their prices, which means that the price difference between a three-star hotel and a four-star is less than it has been for years, according to accommodation site Hotels.com. The average cost of upgrading from a mid-range to a top-class hotel is as low as £2 per night in Oslo, just £7 in Barcelona and £3 in Madrid and Mexico City. Alison Couper, director at Hotels.com, explained: "We would counsel travellers to shop around and not to think that, just because a hotel has three stars over the door they will save money – in many cases four star rooms can be cheaper than three-star hotels, and the cost of an upgrade might be much lower than you think."

Coca Cola launches safe driving campaign across 8,000 bars

Coca Cola Britain is launching a campaign across over 8,000 bars nationwide to reward drivers who choose not to drink on a night out over the festive period. Those who don't drink will be rewarded with a "buy one, get one free" Coca Cola or Diet Coke over Christmas. The Designated Driver scheme is part of Coca Cola Great Britian's pledge to promote the positive role that soft drinks can play as credible alternatives to alcohol. The initiative will run from 1 December to 2 January 2010. Marketing director Cathryn Sleight said: "This is our way of saying thank you to those drivers who are sensible over Christmas and encourage them to be responsible when they get in their car at the end of the night."

Beer with 32% alcohol launches

A Scottish brewery has launched what is said to be the world's strongest beer – with a 32% alcohol content, reported The BBC. Managing director James Watt said a limited supply of Tactical Nuclear Penguin would be sold for £30 each. He said: "This beer is about pushing the boundaries, it is about taking innovation in beer to a whole new level." A warning on the label stated: "This is an extremely strong beer, it should be enjoyed in small servings and with an air of aristocratic nonchalance. In exactly the same manner that you would enjoy a fine whisky." The beer was launched by BrewDog of Fraserburgh.

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Chris Young

03 December 2009 at 4:48pm

Considering that using British wheat was a key motivation behind launching the Chorleywood Bread [sic] Process project in the 1950's, it's taken them long enough. Well done, though. Now lets see how long it takes them to phase out the artificial additives, unlabelled processing aids, palm oil etc. and start making loaves according to the Real Bread Campaign's basic definition.

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