Monday 27 February 2023
That's Food and Drink: Sandford Orchards Launch Limited Edition Coronatio...
That's Food and Drink: Sandford Orchards Launch Limited Edition Coronatio...: Top, award-winning cider maker, Sandford Orchards, is thrilled to launch Limited Edition Coronation Devon Red Cider. It's a celebration ...
That's Food and Drink: A Box of Genuine, Handmade Flapjacks Is the Best T...
That's Food and Drink: A Box of Genuine, Handmade Flapjacks Is the Best T...: Mother's Day is very nearly upon us and it's time to spoil those motherly figures in our lives with fabulous, delectable gluten free...
Monday 20 February 2023
That's Food and Drink: A very special gin
That's Food and Drink: A very special gin: A new and limited release, this gin was envisioned by cheffe Anne-Sophie Pic alongside her executive sommelière Paz Levinson, in special col...
That's Food and Drink: St Piran's Day 2023 five Recipes to Celebrate Corn...
That's Food and Drink: St Piran's Day 2023 five Recipes to Celebrate Corn...: Every year on March 5th, the Cornish community celebrate St Piran, who is one of the patron saints of Cornwall. Proud manufacturers of Corni...
That's Food and Drink: Introducing: Egg Royale
That's Food and Drink: Introducing: Egg Royale: This has got to be the most indulgent ‘adult chocolate egg’ for Easter 2023. Introducing the Egg Royale for Easter 2023, a chocolate egg lik...
That's Food and Drink: "A love letter to India" The Colonel Saab story
That's Food and Drink: "A love letter to India" The Colonel Saab story: Multi-award-winning, luxurious Indian restaurant, Colonel Saab was launched in the very heart of London by Roop Partap Choudhary, who meticu...
Friday 17 February 2023
That's Food and Drink: Recas. A wine treat for the women in your life
That's Food and Drink: Recas. A wine treat for the women in your life: Mum. Aunty. Grandma. Wife. No matter what you call her, Mother's Day is the one time of the year you show the strongest woman in your li...
That's Food and Drink: Food Drink Devon Shines a Light on County's Food a...
That's Food and Drink: Food Drink Devon Shines a Light on County's Food a...: (As a proud Plymothian, or Janner, my wife vigorously approves of this message!) Championing quality, sustainability and provenance, Food Dr...
That's Food and Drink: New Limited Edition Fudge Sauces from Artisan Conf...
That's Food and Drink: New Limited Edition Fudge Sauces from Artisan Conf...: The wonderful folks over at Fudge Kitchen have launched two very special new limited edition liquid fudge sauces in Sherbet Lemon and Butter...
Monday 13 February 2023
That's Food and Drink: Galentine's Day: Chocolate and Sweets Are the Most...
That's Food and Drink: Galentine's Day: Chocolate and Sweets Are the Most...: Celebrating female friendship has become a phenomenon according to gifting website DrawNames which has seen a 55% growth in friendship gifti...
Saturday 4 February 2023
That's Food and Drink: Oggs for Eggs
That's Food and Drink: Oggs for Eggs: We owe an apology to those wonderful folks over at Oggs. The publication of this post was delayed by the dreaded COVID. If you are lucky, yo...
Wednesday 1 February 2023
That's Food and Drink: Valentine's Day: A Love Story That's Incomplete Wi...
That's Food and Drink: Valentine's Day: A Love Story That's Incomplete Wi...: February is the month that slowly chases away the winter blues as delicate shades of Spring rise through the frost covered grass and the win...
That's Food and Drink: Room for rum lovers on Valentine's Day with Hattie...
That's Food and Drink: Room for rum lovers on Valentine's Day with Hattie...: B Corp certified Hattiers Rum is offering the ideal perfect gifts for rum lovers this Valentine's Day. With exceptional International Wi...
Tuesday 31 January 2023
That's Food and Drink: Super 8 Beers. They are super and superior
That's Food and Drink: Super 8 Beers. They are super and superior: Super 8 Beers are super and superior. They brew a wide range of beers but, and this is a fairly unique point, all of their beers are at the ...
Tuesday 17 January 2023
That's Food and Drink: Alternative Burns Night courtesy of Spearhead Whisky
That's Food and Drink: Alternative Burns Night courtesy of Spearhead Whisky: Loch Lomond Distillery's Spearhead single grain Scotch whisky is paying tribute to Rabbie Burns by organising the Spearhead Alternative ...
That's Food and Drink: Share the Love This Valentine's Day With Devon Ham...
That's Food and Drink: Share the Love This Valentine's Day With Devon Ham...: For those you cherish, or even if you need a little self-love, for this Valentine's Day order a hamper from Devon Hampers nicely filled ...
Monday 16 January 2023
That's Food and Drink: Asda's Baby Event is back
That's Food and Drink: Asda's Baby Event is back: Asda’s unmissable Baby Event is back in stores and online, offering massive discounts on over 100 essential items including groceries and to...
Tesco reports good Christmas trading
"We’ve delivered a strong market share performance in the UK and ROI, Booker has continued to grow strongly despite a particularly tough catering backdrop and our Central European business has delivered its highest sales growth for many years.
I’m, of course, extremely proud of the way Tesco has stepped forward to help customers dealing with tough times this Christmas. By delivering relentlessly on the strategic priorities we set out 18 months ago, we have made sure customers know they will benefit from great value and quality in every part of their basket, however they choose to shop with us.
"It has been a huge team effort and I want to thank every colleague across the business for their hard work. I'd also like to thank everyone who generously supported our Winter Food Collection, which has contributed to a record 39m meals donated by Tesco and our customers so far this year.
"We go into the new calendar year with good momentum and I am confident we can continue to maintain our competitiveness and deliver a strong performance relative to the market despite the challenging conditions ahead.”
That's Food and Drink: Guild of Fine Food Launches Fantastic New Great Ta...
That's Food and Drink: Guild of Fine Food Launches Fantastic New Great Ta...: To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Great Taste, the Guild of Fine Food is offering 50 micro producers the opportunity to put one new produ...
Thursday 12 January 2023
That's Food and Drink: Athletic Brewing Company. Where alcohol-free does ...
That's Food and Drink: Athletic Brewing Company. Where alcohol-free does ...: If you are thinking of taking part in Dry January but are concerned not about missing out on the alcohol but on the tastes of what you would...
That's Food and Drink: Get 2023 of to a fine start with Bone Idyll's Rums...
That's Food and Drink: Get 2023 of to a fine start with Bone Idyll's Rums...: Connoisseurs of fine rums can enjoy the debut collection, featuring Botanical and Aged Rum varieties. Bone Idyll's rums are a hassle-fre...
Wednesday 11 January 2023
New Fully Voice Controlled Smartphone brings hope to the UK’s 5.6 million Elderly struggling to use mainstream Mobile Phones
.png)
RealSAM Phone is the third product to be released from the RealThing Ai team, which has partnered with the RNIB and O2 to develop accessible smartphones for blind and partially sighted people since 2018.
Incorporating RealThing Ai’s ground-breaking technology, that's backed by the Australian Government, RealSAM Phone is operated by simple voice controls. Users simply tap a large area on the phone’s screen and use their voice to ask RealSAM to make a call, send a text or use one of the many built-in personal assistant features designed to make life easier. These include a magnifier that can read handwriting or printed text out loud.
UK Country Manager for RealThing Ai, Louise Humphreys, said, “With the Christmas season giving many families the first opportunity in three years to come together, we’ve seen a leap in enquiries from loved ones seeking a solution to stay in touch with their parents and grandparents.
Often contacting us having already explored other options, we’ve been told of relatives struggling to operate mobile phones with small buttons, to install apps or use menus on a touchscreen. We believe there is a need for an alternative phone in the market that’s easy to use, with less features, and that can be operated just by using your voice. We hope that with the launch of RealSAM Phone we can deliver on this need and help many families to stay connected this winter’’.
Who can RealSAM Phone help?
RealSAM Phone is designed for anyone who finds it easier to operate a smartphone by voice. Based on voice technology that has been used by blind and partially sighted people in the UK, US and Australia over 4 years, this may include people experiencing sight loss, physical barriers such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and arthritis, or memory impairments, such as dementia. RealSAM Phone can also connect to hearing aids, using Bluetooth to stream the phone’s audio directly.
How is RealThing Ai different from other Voice Control services?
RealThing Ai is a global business specialising in developing conversational Ai technology. RealThing’s solution is unique in that it can multi-task. For example, if a customer is using a RealSAM Phone to check the weather and a call arrives, they will be alerted to answer the call and returned to the weather at the end of the call.
RealThing Ai’s ability to manage complex interactions means it performs particularly well when voice is the only way to operate a technology.
What features does RealSAM Phone have?
RealSAM Phone is unique from other mainstream smartphones in that it has no on-screen apps, or buttons, so users simply tap the screen and talk to access its features. New features and apps are developed based on customer feedback and updated on to the phone automatically.
The features currently available on RealSAM that can be used by voice include:
- Making and receiving calls
- Sending and receiving messages
- Alerting contacts that you need assistance
- Turning on the inbuilt video magnifier
- Adding contacts to your address book
- Getting help from the Be My Eyes Service
- Setting reminders
- Finding out the time
- Checking the weather.
What handset is RealSAM Phone available on?
RealSAM Phone is based on a customised Samsung Galaxy A04 handset installed with the RealThing Ai voice software. The Samsung Galaxy A04 is an Android 12 device featuring a 50MP main camera for exceptional image clarity, 32GB of storage, and a 5000 mAh battery for up to 54 hours talk time (4). RealSAM Phone comes with a 24-month warranty and unlimited software upgrades.
What customer support is available?
RealThing Ai offers all customers ongoing and unlimited business hours telephone support from its UK based customer support team. This includes help with adding contacts and connecting the phone to wifi. Customers can also log in to the RealSAM web portal to manage the phone’s contacts remotely.
How much does it cost?
RealSAM Phone can be bought unlocked and SIM free for GBP £499 (excl. VAT) or on a 36-month contract including unlimited UK calls, texts and 1GB data on the O2 network for GBP £19.99 a month. RealSAM Phone is included in the RNIB Technology Grant Scheme (5), offering eligible customers up to GBP £350 off the cost of purchasing. VAT exemptions may apply for people with a disability.
RealThing Ai also offers a no quibble 60 day returns policy allowing users to try RealSAM Phone for an extended period while deciding if it’s right for them.
How do I find out more?
For more information call the RealThing Ai Customer Service team on 01733 514612 or visit the RealSAM UK website here https://realsam.co.uk.
Tuesday 10 January 2023
That's Food and Drink: New Limited Edition Bonne Maman Crêpe Pans
That's Food and Drink: New Limited Edition Bonne Maman Crêpe Pans: Leading conserve specialist, Bonne Maman is launching a limited very special edition crêpe pans ahead of Shrove Tuesday. Produced in partner...
Monday 9 January 2023
That's Food and Drink: Celebrate Veganuary in style with Jimmy's Iced Coffee
That's Food and Drink: Celebrate Veganuary in style with Jimmy's Iced Coffee: My wife and I love Jimmy's Iced Coffee. There's nothing like a nice drink of Jimmy's Iced Coffee at no matter what time of the ...
Lidl's Christmas offerings attracted over 1.3m extra customers
In a bid to get the best Christmas products without bigger prices, shoppers switched £62.8m spend to Lidl GB – almost triple that of Christmas ‘21. This contributed to a rise of +24.5% in overall sales Year on Year and witnessed Lidl celebrate its busiest ever day of trading in 28 years on Friday 23rd December. (That's Christmas believes that was the day we bought the veg, the stollen and the extra mince pies?)
Families filling their fridges and food cupboards with produce from Lidl GB were also able to benefit from some of the lowest prices on the market, with a Christmas dinner costing a very reasonable £2.75 per head. As people turned to the discounter for seasonal staples, its ‘Pick of the Week’ Christmas veg returned at a very tempting 19p each, with sales jumping by over a third (37%) Year On Year. (YOY)
Festive treats also topped shopping lists with Lidl’s Deluxe 24 Month Matured Christmas Pudding sales increasing by 185% YoY. Fuelled by the Negroni Sbagliato trend which went viral online, the retailer helped households enjoy almost 7 million glasses of prosecco. Traditional Christmas classics remained popular with 1.7m glasses of Lidl mulled wine served, and sales of its premium Deluxe own-label cheese range increased by nearly 30%.
Ryan McDonnell, the CEO at Lidl GB, said: “Every week of the year we are seeing more customers coming through our doors, switching spend to Lidl from the traditional supermarkets. We know they switch to us to make savings, but then they stay with us when they realise that they’re not having to compromise on quality, and this Christmas was no exception.
“Our strategy - great quality products offered at low prices - has remained the same since we first opened our doors over 28 years ago. But that is only because it’s as relevant now as it ever has been. It is working because we are seeing big switching gains with over £63m of spend moving to us in the four weeks to the 25th of December. We only see this momentum continuing in 2023.”
As people looked to get into the festive spirit, many turned to the discounter to decorate their homes, with sales of Christmas lights and decorations up 85% and 71% respectively. It was also the season for giving, with over 1.8 million rolls of wrapping paper sold, equating to over 6,000 miles, the distance from London to the North Pole and back again.
Lidl shoppers also showed their generosity by way of the supermarket’s initiatives supporting the wider community, with over 60,000 new and unopened toys and games being donated to families in need over Christmas through its Lidl Bear Toy Bank.
Following its pledge to make its largest community food donation ever, the equivalent of 1 million meals were donated through surplus food donations. On Christmas Eve alone, the retailer donated approximately 150,000 meals to those who were in need.
McDonnell went on to say: “As we head into another new year, we’re laser focused on strengthening our infrastructure across the country. As we continue with the expansion of our distribution centres in Belvedere and Bridgend, we’re set to open our biggest ever warehouse in Luton later this year.
"This doubles down on our efforts of giving more communities access to our unrivalled quality-value combination, something that’s particularly important as families continue to tighten their belts in the current climate.”
That's Food and Drink: Asda Reveals Two New Vegan Ranges for 2023
That's Food and Drink: Asda Reveals Two New Vegan Ranges for 2023: That's right! Asda has launched not one but two new vegan ranges in time for Veganuary 2023! Whether you’re a seasoned vegan or just loo...
That's Food and Drink: Asda reminds us of its café meal deals for kids an...
That's Food and Drink: Asda reminds us of its café meal deals for kids an...: Asda has announced its very popular and successful ‘Kids Eat for £1’ and ‘Winter Warmers’ deal for pensioners will be extended into 2023 to ...
That's Food and Drink: Zoe vows to go vegan
That's Food and Drink: Zoe vows to go vegan: Zoe Clifton and Jenna Robinson seemed like a match made in heaven on Channel 4’s Married at First Sight. That was until committed carnivore ...
That's Food and Drink: Frankie & Benny's go big this Veganuary with three...
That's Food and Drink: Frankie & Benny's go big this Veganuary with three...: Three Vegan Icons. One innovative restaurant! Top Italian American restaurateurs Frankie & Benny’s has announced its biggest partnership...
Saturday 7 January 2023
That's Food and Drink: New heart-shaped jar of Fresh chilli jam tastiness...
That's Food and Drink: New heart-shaped jar of Fresh chilli jam tastiness...: This month (ideally placed for Veganuary) Tracklements has launched it's all-new Heart-Shaped Jar of award-winning Fresh Chilli Jam whic...
That's Food and Drink: Almost 9 million people are planning to take a mon...
That's Food and Drink: Almost 9 million people are planning to take a mon...: • One in seven (17%) UK adults – estimated as 8.8 million people - plan to go alco-hol-free for 31 days in January, with three in 10 looking...
Aldi delivered its best ever Christmas with sales during December topping £1.4 billion for the first time ever
Aldi's sales growth reflects an increased demand for Aldi’s award-winning products, throughout the period, with sales topping £1.4 billion in December for the first time.
Fresh meat sales also saw strong growth too with fresh poultry and pork options both up over 28%, with sales of alternative roasting joints like its Specially Selected Decorative Gammon proving especially popular, in addition to Aldi’s traditional turkey options.
And customers treated themselves to award-winning desserts too, with Aldi seeing sales of chilled desserts and fresh cheeses jump by almost 30% and 50% respectively.
Meanwhile, snacks like crisps and nuts were up over 40% as the World Cup coincided with the run up to Christmas for the first time.
Giles Hurley, CEO of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “This year, Christmas was all about family and football as people came together to celebrate in a way we’ve not enjoyed for years. I’m immensely proud of our amazing colleagues who once again went above and beyond to deliver an amazing Christmas for our customers.
“As the UK’s cheapest supermarket, we were able to help shoppers enjoy the Christmas they deserved and provide them with the highest quality products at the most affordable prices.
“As we head into a new year, our promise to customers is they'll always get the UK’s lowest prices at Aldi, no matter what.”
Aldi was named Christmas Retailer of the Year at the industry-renowned Quality Food Awards. The awards, which celebrate the best in retail food, also saw Aldi claim top prize for no fewer than 48 products, including having the best mince pies and the best pigs in blankets.
Together, customers bought in excess of 48 million mince pies, 38 million pigs-in-blankets and over 1,700 tonnes of sprouts in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
Meanwhile, Aldi continued its year-round partnership with Neighbourly by donating thousands of meals on Christmas and New Year’s Eve to local charities, food banks and community groups across the country, in addition to its £250,000 Emergency Winter Foodbank Fund.
That's Food and Drink: Aldi launches new vegan 'cheese' offering for Vega...
That's Food and Drink: Aldi launches new vegan 'cheese' offering for Vega...: Arriving specially for Veganuary, supermarket Aldi has launched its biggest ever vegan ‘cheese’ range – starting from a very nifty £1.49. Fr...
Friday 6 January 2023
That's Food and Drink: Fill up for less: Morrisons helps customers at the...
That's Food and Drink: Fill up for less: Morrisons helps customers at the...: Fill up for less: Morrisons helps customers at the pumps with fuel offer - 5p off per litre after spending £35 in store - - Deal running fr...
That's Food and Drink: Foodspring
That's Food and Drink: Foodspring: Foodspring produces some absolutely stunning supplements with some pretty nifty twists. For example, what about their clear whey in deliciou...
That's Food and Drink: Tesco is keeping low prices low, with over a thous...
That's Food and Drink: Tesco is keeping low prices low, with over a thous...: Tesco has announced a new price lock on over a thousand products, which will run until Easter 2023. The price lock underlines Tesco’s unwave...
That's Food and Drink: Morrisons kickstarts the year with price cuts on S...
That's Food and Drink: Morrisons kickstarts the year with price cuts on S...: Morrisons is cutting 130 prices across its entry level products to help customers’ money go further throughout the January squeeze. The cuts...
That's Food and Drink: What to do after dry January? Vidrate has the answ...
That's Food and Drink: What to do after dry January? Vidrate has the answ...: 9 million people are estimated to be participating in Dry January this year, and the first night out on the town back after 4 weeks alcohol ...
50 Simple Money Saving Tips to Get Your New Year Off To A Positive Start
As the cost-of-living crisis worsens, many of us are beginning the new year seeking out ways to save money on their normal day to day living costs.
Holly Andrews, Managing Director at KIS Finance has been looking at the 50 best money saving tips that are really quick and simple but offer genuine ways to cut your expenditure without impacting on your lifestyle.
Holly says: “The new year is the ideal time to shake up our spending habits and look for ways to streamline our expenditure, but most money saving tips mean having to cut back and give up things that you like.
"However here at KIS Finance we have looked into the 50 simplest ways you can use to save money with little effort but with some really great potential rewards.
"If you try our easy to follow tips you can significantly reduce your expenditure without reducing your enjoyment of life.”
Our guide gives some great practical advice on:
Saving money when using your car by:
Using fuel price comparison sites
Avoiding premium fuels
Driving for efficiency
Regularly checking your tyre pressures
Reducing the weight of your vehicle
Spending less on your Electricity and Gas by:
Using a comparison site
Insulating your home cheaply
Turning off individual radiators
Running your washing machine on a low
temperature cycle
Buying a shower timer
Only boiling the amount of water that you need to
Paying less for your holidays by:
Traveling outside of the most popular times
Being flexible over your destination
Avoiding expensive mobile phone data charges
Enjoy the local cuisine
Making your food budget go further by:
Shopping in the evenings
Shopping online
Going to the supermarket alone
Using Apps to avoid food waste
Enjoying takeaways for less by:
Going for collection instead of delivery
Look for cashback deals
Not ordering on a Friday or Saturday
Not just throwing away junk mail
Considering supermarket alternatives
Getting a better deal with your bank by:
Switching bank accounts
Making better use of your credit cards by:
Setting up a direct debit
Consolidating your credit cards
Removing your payment details from shopping
websites
Saving money on your loans and mortgages by:
Consolidating loans
Comparing fixed rate mortgage offers
Cost effective mobile phones and internet by:
Cancelling your landline if no longer needed
Only paying for what you need
Saving money on entertainment by:
Utilising voucher schemes
Looking for free days out
Investing in a Kids Pass
Spending less on travel costs by:
Buying a family and friends rail card (Or other appropriate rail cards)
Reducing your tax liabilities by:
Checking your tax code
Utilising any employee benefits
Reviewing your Council Tax
Getting a better deal on your insurance by:
Using a comparison site
Taking out home care cover
Only paying for the cover you need
Increasing your policy excess
Installing additional security to your home
Not overestimating your mileage for car
insurance
Getting a black box insurance policy
Saving money on your direct debits and subscriptions by:
Auditing your direct debits and standing orders
Checking recurring payments
Reviewing subscriptions
Streamlining your streaming services
Full details on all of these simple, but highly effective money saving tips can be found in their full report at: https://www.kisbridgingloans.co.uk/consumer-guides/50-top-money-saving-tips-to-get-your-new-year-off-to-a-positive-start
Wednesday 4 January 2023
That's Food and Drink: Ginsters serve up slices of meat-free pastry tasti...
That's Food and Drink: Ginsters serve up slices of meat-free pastry tasti...: Two iconic British flavours, new Cauliflower Cheese and, back by popular demand, Creamy Garlic Mushroom With 7.2m million of us Brits now fo...
That's Food and Drink: Love is in the Air at Mandira's Kitchen for Valent...
That's Food and Drink: Love is in the Air at Mandira's Kitchen for Valent...: Evenings are still dark and there is nothing more romantic than a cosy night in! What is unromantic is spending all your time in the kitchen...
Thursday 29 December 2022
Christmas fly-tippers are being targeted
“Most urban fringe areas suffer from ongoing fly-tipping”, explains Partnership Manager Jim Bradley, “with many assuming there’s nothing that can be done to stop persistent offenders emptying their rubbish along quiet country lanes in the hills. We decided enough was enough and started putting cameras up to catch these polluters.”
By securing funding, signage and licenses for cameras to monitor hot spots, the Partnership has been working in conjunction with local authorities to monitor and deter fly-tipping.
Local residents have welcomed signage from Belfast Hills Partnership discouraging fly-tipping. They have been co-operative and supportive of the measures being taken by the charity to address this ongoing issue.
BHP Wildlife Connections Officer Noel Rice highlights the effectiveness of the signage, “Residents who bear the brunt of this anti-social behaviour have told us the presence of signage, whilst not eliminating fly-tipping, has definitely reduced the amount of incidents.”
Unfortunately, the Christmas season often coincides with an increase in fly-tipping around the hills. With Christmas decorations coming down and the New Year approaching a lot of people may have generated increased waste in their homes.
BHP would like to remind residents to keep the hills tidy and free from waste by disposing of it properly. If not collected by a reliable person your rubbish could end up being dumped and you could be held liable for it.
BHP would like to remind people to explore their options when discarding unwanted items. Local Councils can offer a free bulky waste collection service for larger items like furniture and some electrical appliances. Items that are still in good condition can be donated for future use to charity shops. Platforms such as Freecycle can link you up with local people who might be interested in what you no longer want.
BHP Manager Jim Bradley had this to say: “Everyone always focuses on recycling but re-using things are just as important. Before you part with something consider whether it's at the end of its life or if you or someone else can breathe some new life into it. Putting in that extra bit of thought and care means our hills stay free pf rubbish.”
If you see illegal dumping this festive season remember that you can report it to the local authorities who can take appropriate action. By working together communities can send a strong message that fly-tipping will not be tolerated at any time of the year.
New Year ecards from Hope Springs water charity
There are a dozen cards in the series. The charity is expecting its supporters and visitors to their website to send New Year greetings.
The main target of the new ecards are those who forgot to send Christmas cards to their friends, colleagues and loved ones. Sending a new year eCard will help to ensure they did not miss our sending greeting during the holiday season.
The newly released eCard includes four, targeted at people who do not celebrate Christmas or new year, but wish to participate in the season’s festivities. It simply says seasons or winter greetings. Users of Hope Spring’s charity eCard platform can start sending the new eCards from 29th of December.
Spokesperson for the charity, Seun Olonade said “we had a strong take up of our Christmas eCards. Buoyed by that, we launch our new year and winter greeting range”. Hope Spring charity eCard platform, has been one of the organisation’s most reliable fundraisers.
Seun Olonade added “we do not expect new year ecards to be as successful as our Christmas eCards, but any additional donation generated by this new set of eCards, will help us achieve some of the projects we plan for next year”.
Hope Spring uses funds it raises from ecards and events it organises to fund clean water projects in Africa. Their clean water projects include boreholes and well construction. They plan to complete four borehole projects in 2023.
You can find out more information about Hope Spring from their website and social media pages.
Cold weather hints for the Twelve Days of Christmas and beyond
“On frosty cold mornings, many drivers will wake up extra early to boost the heating in their car. Whilst this won't really consume a significant amount of extra fuel, it can actually shorten the life of your engine.
“After having your vehicle in the cold overnight and then warming it up, this can cause extra fuel can go into the combustion chamber, which can leak onto your cylinder walls.
Too much fuel on your cylinder walls can dissolve the oil that keeps the cylinders lubricated, leading to damage to vital components.
“Instead of leaving your car to heat first thing in the morning, it’s advised you keep the vehicle warm overnight, taking the strain off the vehicle and making your mornings less stressful.”
Below, Select’s Graham Conway shares five things drivers can do the night before to make icy cold mornings that bit more bearable.
Park your car in an insulated garage
Whilst not everyone has the luxury of a garage, for those that do, make the most of it!
Keeping your vehicle in an insulated space overnight will keep the vehicle from reaching freezing temperatures. Even if the garage is not insulated, your car will stay warmer than it will out in the open.
An alternative method of insulation is a car cover blanket. Whilst it not only will from scratches caused by bikes, bins, or treacherous weather conditions, it will also reduce the chance of windows frosting over.
Heated blankets
Again, if you are lucky enough to have a garage, place some heated blankets across the interior of the vehicle the night before.
A cheap electric blanket (costing around £14) costs about 3p an hour to run, equalling around £1.37 if used for seven hours a day.
With this in mind, placing blankets across the seats will help produce heat inside the vehicle and minimise the defrosting in the morning.
You can also buy electric blankets that actually plug straight into your car’s cigarette lighter terminal, to keep you toasty until your car warms up.
Use the recirculation button
Whilst people can assume the recirculation button is only used the circulate cold air around the vehicle, it can also help to circulate hot air too.
The air recirculation button works by cutting off the outside air to the inside of the car, helping to recirculate air inside your vehicle.
This effectively will be a catalyst for the hot air circulating around the vehicle when the car’s heater is on, helping to heat it quicker.
Invest in heated car seat covers
You can actually buy heated covers for your seats. They include a thermostat that, like how any thermostat would work, will heat the seat to an ideal temperature before then turning off.
When the seat begins to cool down, it will then restart. These are pretty cost-effective accessories to have, as well as protecting your sets from any dirty hands, accidental spills, crumbs, stains, dirt etc.
Stock up on hand warming packets
Especially for those with children, stock up on hand warmers that are completely self-efficient and will keep hands warm during the drive.
You can activate your hand warming packets around 10-15 minutes before getting into the vehicle and place them on the seats before the kids get in.
Whilst slightly heating the car interior, they will more importantly keep children's little hands warm during the cold journey.
Saturday 24 December 2022
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
We would like to wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and joyous New Year.
We would like to offer our sincere thanks to everyone who has helped us by providing us with information and also provided us with samples of foods, drinks, gifts, etc for our team to try, test out and review.
Without all of you, we would not be able to publish our sites and we are genuinely grateful to all of you, readers, companies, Public Relations specialists, etc.
That's Christmas will soon be going into its period of semi-hibernation until the Christmas 2023 season starts up during the latter part of next year, 2023. However, if we find a story of intertest to fans of Christmas before then, we will publish those stories, so please do keep popping back to That's Christmas to check for such stories.
However, after a brief Christmas break, That's Food and Drink will continue to bring you the latest food and drink news plus recipes for you to try out.
Please do keep an eye out for the That's Christmas Veganuary feature when, throughout the month of January, we will be covering the latest vegetarian and vegan meals, ingredients, drinks and recipes.
Once again, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!
Friday 23 December 2022
Tropical Sun Ready-to-Eat Jackfruit Range Exclusive to Asda
Whether preparing fresh or tinned jackfruit, the process can be long and manually intensive, making it impractical for those who are short of time or not good with cooking from scratch.
But fear not, faster food fans, the UK’s top World Food brand Tropical Sun has teamed with Asda to offer its customers two ready-to-eat jackfruit products that will delight anyone looking for a plant-based ‘pulled meat’ experience.
Tropical Sun’s BBQ and Tex Mex Pulled Jackfruit hit the shelves of the Asda World Food aisles on the late last month, just in time for ‘Veganuary.’
The 400g tins will retail at £2.49 (check in store) and are the perfect base for a quick and easy plant-based meal. Stuff the BBQ jackfruit into a lightly toasted brioche bun, top with salad and serve with chunky chips for the ultimate ‘pulled pork’ experience. Load a tortilla wrap with the Tex Mex jackfruit, rice, black beans and guacamole for a burrito that goes beyond!
Vas Sideras, Tropical Sun’s Supermarket Lead said of the jackfruit products: “We’ve seen a soaring demand for plant-based foods in recent years and these ready-to-eat products build off the success of our Jackfruit in Brine and Jackfruit in Water products which are amongst the most popular foods in our entire range.”
That's Christmas would like to point out that Tropical Sun ready-to-eat tinned jackfruit products will, in our experience, make an alternative to the usual nut roasts for the vegan Christmas dinner.
It's Christmas and your car's frozen! Here's expert advice on what to do and what not to do!
And who doesn’t hate the chore of de-icing our car windscreen? But for many, what's even worse is finding out that your car door is frozen shut.
Sometimes the door handle is frozen, sometimes the rubber door seal is frosted shut to the body of the vehicle, and other times the ice is holding the metal of the door to another part of the car.
Whichever frozen car part you’re dealing with, the one thing you should not do is to try and pull the door open.
Graham Conway, the Managing Director at Select Car Leasing, is sharing some solutions on how to safely unfreeze a car door, saving you from an unwanted, broken car door handle.
Try the door on the other side
“The quickest and easiest option is to carefully try another door on the vehicle. The problem could be that one side of the vehicle was exposed to more shade, and the other exposed to more sunlight, making the other side less likely to be frozen.
“If you can get in another way, start the engine and get the fans going, blowing heat out. The warm air inside the car will help thaw the frozen door. If you’re in a rush to get going, climb over to the driver's seat if you can do so, but only start driving once it’s safe to do so, which includes having properly defrosted windows.”
Push the door
“Instead of trying to pull the door open with force, give the door a firm shove instead. This might be enough to crack any ice that’s holding the door and keeping it forced shut. Put your hand flat on the door and lean against it, but don't give it a sudden slam.
“This is much better than trying to pull the door open, as pulling with too much force can pull off the handle, damage the inside mechanisms of the door, or damage the rubber door seal.”
Scrape off ice
“If the handle seems to be the only part of the vehicle that’s stuck, scrape off the ice on the handle with a scraper and this should hopefully sort out the problem.
“If there’s ice all around the door and holding the door stuck, then slowly remove and scrape as much ice and the edges as possible. Once this is done, push the door in to try and crack the remaining ice and then pull.”
Hot water
“Pouring some hot, but never boiling, water around the affected area can help the ice that’s causing the jam to melt. However, this is a short-term solution, as once it cools it will freeze over the existing ice, potentially making the problem even worse.
“Make sure the water isn’t too hot, certainly as I say, certainly not boiling, and once you’ve got the door open be sure to dry down any wet surfaces to avoid more ice forming as you drive along.
De-icer
“Whilst bottles of chemical de-icer are usually sold as a way to clear windscreens, it can also help with a stuck door or lock.
“The chemicals will be able to break down the ice that’s stopping the door from opening, whether it’s a stuck handle, stuck bodywork or a tsuck rubber seal.”
How to stop it from freezing
“Unfortunately, aside from uprooting and moving to warmer climes, the cold can’t be stopped, but there are ways to stop your car door from freezing. The easiest way is to park your car somewhere sheltered such as a garage or carport. If that’s not an option that's available, a car cover can provide enough protection to stop your car icing up.”
If you would like to use this content, please credit Select Car Leasing using this link:
That's Christmas would like to thank Select Car Leasing for their invaluable assistance in putting this blog post feature together.
https://www.selectcarleasing.co.uk.
(Image courtesy of Arek Socha and Pixabay)
Forgotten a Christmas present? Go digital!
Many firms offer electronic gift cards including those listed here:-
The Gift Card Centre
https://www.thegiftcardcentre.co.uk
Amazon
One4All
https://www.one4all.com/gift-cards-online.html
High Street Vouchers
https://www.highstreetvouchers.com
Gift Cards
Asda
The White Company
https://www.thewhitecompany.com/uk/gift-cards
Tesco
https://www.tescogiftcards.com
Argos, Sainsbury's, Habitat
https://www.argos.co.uk/help/gift-cars
Boots
https://www.boots.com/gift/gift-cards
John Lewis/Waitrose
Waterstones
https://www.waterstonesgiftcards.com
(Image courtesy of Photo Mix and Pixabay)
Healthcare over Christmas
1) Remember to use the 111 number. It is a 24 hour service. Or use 999 in a case of genuine emergency.
2) Make sure you have plenty of painkillers in.
3) Have a good supply of throat sweets, etc in.
4) Have Lemsips or similar in your medicine cabinet. Plus some honey.
5) Make sure you have an adequate supply of plasters, bandages, etc.
6) Have you got any support bandages in stock? If not, get some as they will be very useful if someone pulls a muscle, develops a rheumatism flare-up, etc.
7) Make sure you have a stock of liquid antiseptics, cream antiseptics, etc. Including something you can gargle with.
8) If you have pets make sure you have the emergency vet number available. Also, make sure that you have sufficient pet medications, etc, in stock.
9) Take extra care. For example, please try to avoid doing any DIY if you can.
10) Make sure you have all prescription medicines that you will require.
(Image courtesy of Steve Buissinne and Pixabay)
That's Food and Drink: Shocking food price rises are concern for millions...
That's Food and Drink: Shocking food price rises are concern for millions...: The consumer protection body Which? has issued a statement on the increasing food and drink prices. Sue Davies, who is the Which? Head of Fo...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)