From the kiln to the kitchen: Asda stocks sensational 30-hours smoked Scottish salmon

Young’s Seafood has secured a contract to supply a new Extra Special Blackthorn Dry-Cured Smoked Salmon product to over 450 Asda stores across the UK this festive season.

Established in 1805, over 200 years ago, Young’s Seafood is the UK’s largest specialist seafood brand, and the Extra Special Blackthorn Dry-Cured Smoked Salmon is one of its most decadent launches to date.

The Extra Special, superior grade salmon is hand cured with Ayr-based Blackthorn sea salt flakes, and then undergoes a special 30-hour smoking process. This is more than double the usual smoking time, for a deeper, richer flavour, making the salmon a seasonal sensation not to be missed.

Senior Development Manager at Youngs Seafood, Paul Terris, said: “We've enjoyed a longstanding partnership with Asda and are delighted to bring this exclusive Extra Special product to festive feasts all across the UK this Christmas.

“We're very proud of our Scottish heritage and at our picturesque smokehouse in the far Northeast of Scotland, our smoked salmon experts have spent many months perfecting the production process.

“Our salmon is hand cured with Blackthorn sea salt flakes made in the world’s only working graduation thorn tower in Ayr, using methods that are patient, gentle and sustainable. We're thrilled and delighted to bring this truly Scottish salmon product exclusively to Asda stores across the UK.”

When asked about the dedicated production process, Kenny Noble, who's been a master smoker for over ten years explained, “these kilns really are magic in lots of ways, the smoke adds flavour and helps preserve the salmon”.

Salmon selection

The salmon is hand-selected for its size and condition. All superior grade, global gap accredited, and between 3 and 4kg to ensure the optimum slice size of the end product.

Curing process

Blackthorn salt is manufactured on the west coast of Scotland. Clean and unrefined, the taste of blackthorn salt is sweet, with a mouth-watering tang. The salt crystals are hand-sprinkled over the salmon and left to cure for 12 hours.

Smoking

The cured salmon is hung and smoked in traditional brick kilns. The three woods were selected as trees and shrubs that grow around the famous salmon fishing rivers of Scotland, Alder, Heather, and Sweetgale. The salmon is gently smoked for a total of 30 hours, creating a beautifully deep and complex smoke profile – and the kilns are manned 24 hours a day, all year round.

Slicing and Packing

Once smoked and rested, the salmon is cut into chunky slices. By cutting it this way, it allows people to appreciate the buttery texture of the salmon, which is achieved by the long, slow smoking.

Ashley Connolly, Local Buying Manager at Asda, added: “At Asda, we work alongside some wonderful local suppliers to create innovative, affordable, and delicious products for shoppers to enjoy.

“We are delighted to have such a strong relationship with Youngs, and our customers always love the Extra Special Smoked Salmon products, especially at this time of the year. The Blackthorn Dry-Cured Smoked Salmon will be a fantastic addition to our Extra Special Christmas range in the lead up to the festive season.”

Asda’s Extra Special Blackthorn Dry-Cured Smoked Salmon (£4 from 15th December) is available to purchase in-store and online now at www.asda.com.

Asda reaffirms commitment to UK armed forces

The Asda supermarket company has reaffirmed its support for the UK’s military personnel after again signing the Armed Forces Covenant.

The supermarket, which first signed the covenant back in 2014, will continue to guarantee interviews for ex-servicemen and women who meet the minimum criteria for a role, provide leave for reservists’ training, support cadet training as well as supporting employment opportunities for service spouses and partners.

Asda has already hired over 1,000 new colleagues from the armed forces service leaver community this year and signed the covenant at its High Wycombe store. Air Marshall Sir Richard Knighton, Deputy Commander Capability, Royal Air Force signed on behalf of the Armed Forces, while Helen Selby, General Counsel & Company Secretary and former veteran, signed on behalf of Asda.

Sir Rich Knighton said: “Asda recognises the valuable skills and qualities of ex-Serving military personnel that are easily transferable to many sectors, including that of retail. Offering a wide-range of opportunities, whether IT and technology or logistics and planning, Asda’s re-signing of the Military Covenant highlights their continued commitment to supporting those Veterans and Reservists that have served our nation.”

Helen Selby, said: “Veterans bring a host of unique skills and experience that are vitally important to businesses such as ours. We are proud to continue our support for armed forces and help ex-personnel back into work and civilian life.”

The announcement comes a few weeks after Veterans into Logistics received a funding boost of £40,000 from Asda, that will enable the charity to train 10 armed forces veterans into new careers as HGV Drivers.

The charity has a two-year established partnership with Asda Logistics Services who support their mission of preventing homelessness and unemployment in the veteran community.

This significant donation from Asda will help to provide training and mentoring for the veterans to pass their HGV licences, resulting in new driving careers.

Asda was recently recognised for its efforts to employ former armed forces personnel when it was once again given the silver award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.

The supermarket also hosted a veteran Employment & Networking event in early November which saw over 100 attendees from the service leaver community and local businesses in Leeds.

Shoppers go wild for Asda's 5 Scrummy Mince Pie Inspired Cookies

Whilst the Great British Bake off ended last month, the baking innovation doesn’t end there, and as Christmas fast approaches, Asda shoppers are raving about a new festive favourite, Mince Pie Inspired Cookies.

Since hitting the shelves, Asda’s five ‘scrummy’ Mince Pie inspired cookies have taken centre stage on social media, with countless likes and comments and many users tagging their friends in excitement. Commenting on a picture of the cookies, one Facebook user said: “These are amazing, I’ve had a few packs now!!,” whilst another asked a friend - “👀👀 can we go asda ❤️’

One Instagram user shared an image with the caption: “Yessss Asda these are tasty! First off they’re about the size of my head 😆 which I’m here for 🙌🏼. The texture and flavours are great too- super soft in the middle with a slight crunch around the edge with plenty of fruit and perfect amount of spice. Pretty darn tasty. Plus I got 6 in a pack when [it] was only meant to be 5 🙌🏼🥳 winning!!”

Available in Asda’s Bakery aisle for just £1.20, or two for £2.00, the delicious Mince Pie Inspired Cookies contain sultanas and raisins and are flavoured with mixed spice and orange zest, making them the for the whole family over the festive period.

An Asda spokesperson said: “We wanted to bring the mince pie flavour to the younger shopper, and we know that these shoppers love cookies. We therefore decided to create a Christmas hybrid that everyone, of all ages, would love!”

The mince pie treats don’t stop there either, with mince pies available to pick up in store too. Asda is currently giving customers the chance to buy any two packs of Asda’s Extra Special Mince Pies for £3.50 – making a saving of £1.

Be sure to hit Asda’s bakery aisle soon to try these viral cookies for yourselves shop in store.

Tesco donates lorry full of toys to Salvation Army’s Christmas Present Appeal

The Salvation Army’s annual Christmas Present Appeal received a welcome fillip from Tesco this week with a heart-warming donation of 3,500 toys. 

The Appeal provides toys to families whose children would otherwise not receive a gift at Christmas.

Last year, the Christmas Present Appeal provided gifts to over 96,000 children. Salvation Army Citadels have supported families at Christmas for a great many years. Practical support for those in need has been an integral part of the work of the Salvation Army throughout its long history.

Tesco’s lorry of toys was delivered to the Salvation Army’s distribution centre in Wollaston and from there they will travel to every corner of the UK where local Salvation Army corps will get them to the families who need them.

The donation was made up of pallets of family favourites such as Peppa Pig playsets, Lego sets, jigsaw puzzles, Hot Wheels Motor Makers Kitz, Paw Patrol sets, Teamsterz Monster Moverz, Cry Babies dolls and Rainbocorns.

Ally Rose Category Director at Tesco said: “More than ever at Christmas, we want to support our communities and those who might be struggling, especially families who may be finding it hard to afford presents for their children this year.

 “We hope our support for the Salvation Army’s Christmas Present Appeal will make Christmas Day a little easier for hard-pressed families across the UK.”

Lt Col Dean Pallant of The Salvation Army said: “We're delighted to be partnering with Tesco this Christmas and thank them for their generous donation of toys. This year, faced with spiralling inflation and the soaring cost of living, more people in crisis are turning to The Salvation Army for help.

 “Donations like these from Tesco provide a beacon of light to vulnerable families on the brink and help us bring joy to many children at Christmas.”

In addition to the donation to the Salvation Army’s Christmas Present Appeal, generous Tesco customers have been dropping thousands of toys into their local participating stores which community groups will pass on to families who need them.

Incidentally you can make donations or volunteer to help in local Salvation Army charity shops. You can learn about these here https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/charity-shops.

Up to half price toy sale launched by Tesco just before Christmas

Parents and grandparents who are seeking out last minute toy bargains in the run up to Christmas please read on.

Because Tesco has launched its last ‘up to half price’ toy sale with reductions from between 10% to 50% for Clubcard members.

Nearly 400 of Tesco’s regular toy stock will feature among the stunning bargains in the Clubcard Prices sale which runs for over a fortnight 

Hghlights of the sale include: 

Up to half price on Teamsterz toys 

Up to 40% on Barbie toys 

Up to half price on Paw Patrol toys 

Lego toys 40% off selected items 

Individual toy picks in the sale include:                                                      

Lego Minecraft Bunny Down from £30 to £18

Paw Patrol Diecast Police Rescue Playset Down from £26 to £13

Cocomelon Boo Boo JJ Doll Down from £43 to £32

Travel Barbie Down from £28 to £16.50

Marvin’s Magic Hat Down from £24 to £9.50

Said Tesco Toy Category Manager Anne Borrett: “With only two shopping weekends left before the big day we know many parents are still be looking for toy bargains for their kids. 

“Besides centre-piece main present toys there'll be plenty of those all important stocking fillers, too.

“The great news is we have offers on almost half the toys in our stores, including top brands like Lego, Barbie, Paw Patrol, X-Shot, and Fisher Price with something for kids of all ages.” 

Other branded discounts include: Funko up to 20%off; X-Shot up to 40% off; Games up to 30%; Cocomelon up to 25% off; Bluey up to 20%; 5 Surprise Mini Brands, up to 50% off. 

The Tesco toy sale ends on December 28. Visit www.tesco.com.

Water Charity Hope Springs Water announces Business Christmas eCards

Hope Spring eCards, a charity fundraising ecard platform based in Herefordshire, has announced the launch of its business charity Christmas ecards. 

Hope Spring eCards' offering is expanded beyond its traditional target audience, primarily made up of individuals who support and back the charity, with the addition of a new set of eCards designed specifically for small and medium-sized businesses.

Small businesses and organisations choosing to offer Christmas greetings digitally rather than via paper-based cards will benefit notably from the new ecards release. Actually, this is also helpful during the current postal strikes.

Seun Olonade, a social media volunteer with Hope Spring eCards, announced the release of the new ecards, saying: "Last year, we were approached by half a dozen companies with requests to make donations to Hope Spring by sending charity Christmas ecards instead of traditional paper cards. Their requests couldn't be granted because our site was made for individuals.

"I'm very pleased and glad to say we will be able to accommodate such organisations this year," Ms. Olonade, who was speaking from the charity's office in Hereford's Castle Green, added.

"Small and medium-sized businesses and other organisations can now use our platform thanks to the changes we made."

The new cards included in the business Christmas eCards were created specifically for small enterprises. To give businesses a variety of options, the available cards are also supplemented by an additional twenty ecards from the Hope Spring catalogue.

Hope Spring's business Christmas charity ecard collection is now available for ordering on the Hope Spring eCards website.

More information about these new fundraising efforts can be found on their social media pages and website. You can find out more information about the projects they use the fund raised at about Hope Spring water page.

To order your individual or business charity eCards please visit http://www.hopespring.org.uk.

Christmas parcel woes for you or your business? There are 10 alternative delivery firms

Parcel2Go, the leading provider of delivery and courier services in the UK, has made a list of 10 alternative couriers to Royal Mail for customers who need to send parcels this Christmas.

As the demand for online shopping and home delivery increases in the pre-Christmas period, customers are facing severe challenges due to Royal Mail strikes causing delays in delivery. Parcel2Go partners with many reputable courier companies to offer competitive rates and fast delivery times for shipping in the UK and internationally. (That's Christmas have seen mail and parcels delayed by up to two months as a result of the strike.

However, customers can send a parcel up until 22nd December for pre-Christmas delivery using an express courier service. Delivery options include next-day delivery, same-day courier services, and international shipping, too.

Parcel2Go also offers a range of convenient services, like the ability to track parcels in real-time, easy online booking and ecommerce integrations for small and medium businesses.

"We understand reliability and speed are key factors for our customers when sending out parcels," said Ashley Taylor, who is the Head of Commercial at Parcel2Go.

Ashley went on to say: "That's why we've provided a list of 10 alternative couriers to Royal Mail to provide useful information and options for our customers, along with our top five tips to give your parcel the best chance of being delivered successfully this Christmas."

To learn more about the available options and to compare prices and delivery times, visit the Parcel2Go website or read our article ‘10 Alternatives to Royal Mail this Christmas’.

Article: https://www.parcel2go.com/content-hub/alternatives-to-royal-mail

Luxurious Christmas presents for people you care about from Lusso

Made using100% pure Egyptian cotton for a luxurious feel and finish, the range offers hotel or spa-grade quality and warmth, with timeless designs to complement classic or contemporary interiors. 

They are available in pearl white with gold detailing, the collection includes face cloths, bath towels, and bath sheets with a plush thickness of 650gsm for indulgent softness and absorbency, as well as a pure cotton bathmat with a lavish weight of 1125gsm for maximum comfort.

That's Christmas believe this collection will make excellent Chirstmas gifts for individuals and couples who know and appreciate luxury and quality.

Wayne Spriggs, the Lusso CEO says: “As we continue to expand our range of luxury fixtures, fittings, and homeware, we're really excited to launch our very first collection of Egyptian cotton linens and robes, which are an essential addition to any opulent bathroom space. 

"As with all of our products, every piece in the newly launched range is also immaculately finished, and made using the finest materials, allowing our customers to create a luxury hotel experience at home.”

The range also features touchable soft unisex robes, which come in a classic shape and various sizes to upgrade your bathing experience. With a shawl collar, long sleeves, neat waist tie and deep pockets, the high-quality robes are the ideal garment to cocoon yourself in and relax after a long, hot bath or shower. 

Every piece in the collection is also finished to the highest standard, and proudly boasts the Lusso logo – synonymous with bathing luxury, immaculately embroidered in golden thread.

Visit lusso.com for the new collections including many new collections including marble accessories, striking radiators, vanities, and stunning freestanding baths. 

Bath towels:-

https://www.lussostone.com/living-c207/bath-towels-and-robes-c224/varese-egyptian-cotton-towels-p6220

Bath robes:-

https://www.lussostone.com/accessories-c16/varese-egyptian-cotton-luxury-unisex-bath-robes-all-sizes-p5110

Masons of Yorkshire Launch a Truly Indulgent Chocolate Vodka, the Most Festive Flavour Yet from the UkKs Most Awarded Distillery

Masons of Yorkshire began distilling Great British Vodka in October 2021. They began with Espresso, Classic and Citrus, and they now have the the most richly awarded range in the UK this year, winning three Great Taste Awards, three Global Vodka Masters Golds, one International Spirits Gold, one International Spirits Double Gold, and the highest accolade at the International Spirits challenge, The  highly prestigious Challenge Trophy.

Now Chocolate Vodka  is joining this esteemed company's range and it is the newest flavour to join an ever-expanding portfolio of premium spirits.

Expertly crafted, distilled extra slowly and with the utmost care, the team uses roasted cocoa nibs in the creation of a decadent, creamy, velvety vodka, with an extra depth and richness of chocolatey flavour unmatched in any other chocolate spirit. 

And what's more the Distillery is celebrating a recent certification that its operations are now Carbon Neutral, which brings a sustainable twist to your drinking and gifting options this year.

Perfectly served neat over ice, with a few cocoa nibs as a garnish, Masons of Yorkshire Chocolate Vodka is the perfect sipping vodka for after dinner or to be enjoyed all evening for those with a sweeter tooth. 

For Christmas season dinner party guests, serve in a Masons Mocha Espresso Martini, a Vespresso Martini or an After Eight Martini, set to impress and inject the evening with a luxe vibe where guests 'can't believe the host has made this at home'. What could be more festive and indulgent than a Martini under the mistletoe?

Masons of Yorkshire Co-Founder Cathy Mason says: “This Christmas is all going to be about enjoying luxury at home, and we created Chocolate Vodka to be the ultimate indulgence: it's so good, it can be enjoyed neat, over ice, or even with a dash of Caramel Syrup for the ultimate toast and celebration. To have branched out into the world of Great British Vodka has been a joy for us as more and more discover the versatility of this delicious spirit, we look forward to experimenting with different flavours in 2023.”

For an extra special Christmassy twist and to gift the vodka lovers in your life, the bottle can also be personalised.

Masons of Yorkshire Chocolate Vodka is available from https://www.masonsofyorkshire.com/collections/vodka, from £29.80 for 70cl. 40% ABV.

Just make sure to keep it away from Rudolph as we don't want his nose too red, do we?

Seabloom seafood for Christmas vegan feasts and more

If you are a vegetarian or a vegan, possibly you might not be feeling like a nutloaf or a nutroast this Christmas. Perhaps you don't want some of the excellent meat alternatives because they remind you too much of meat? 

Or maybe you are a pescatarian who is wanting the taste of seafood but not be wanting to actually eat fish this Christmas?

If you are in one of the above groups, be of good cheer because Seabloom produce 100% plant-based seafood alternatives that all taste absolutely delicious.

But why do they taste so wonderfully "fishy" that my wife said: "Are you sure that this isn't real tuna fish?" when we were trying Tuna Free Flakes?

I said: "Yes, I'm absolutely certain! There is no fish involved in the production of these flakes!"

So, how does Seabloom do it? The secret is the use of pure Organic Scottish seaweed by Seabloom. They point out that their products are nutritious, utterly delicious and sustainable, their 100% plant-based seafood serves up all the health benefits of fish, but with no fish involved!

A spokesman said: "Organic Scottish seaweed is key to our recipe, meaning Seabloom has a bona fide superfood on board. So try some tasty goodness that’s really great for you and the oceans we all rely on."

There are several different flavours available: Naked, Lemon or Olive oil.

So, what to do for Christmas dinner?

On their website there are a wide variety of recipes including some nifty mains including Vegan ‘Tuna-Free’ Buddha Bowl, Crispy Vegan ‘Tuna-Free’ Potato Skins or Vegan ‘Tuna-Free’ Maki Rolls, Vegan ‘Tuna-Free’ Zesty Spaghetti, Vegan ‘Tuna-Free’ Salad Niçoise.

These will make good starters for your Christmas feast or would make great main causes for the vegans who'll be gathering with you for Christmas.

The flakes also make absolutely delicious tuna free sandwiches with some tasty vegan mayo, so please remember Seabloom tuna free flakes are not just for Christmas!

Check out the range and learn more and follow their recipes here https://www.seabloomfood.com.

Incidentally they are a great source of vegan iodine, gluten-free and are not made with soya.

Available from Ocado and Dunns Food and Drink.