Free Christmas giveaway at Morisons

Morrisons is spreading the festive spirit this Christmas by giving away carrots at all its stores to ensure Father Christmas’s reindeer are well fed to help deliver presents in time for Christmas day.

The star of the Morrisons Christmas ad, Farmer Christmas, has hand-delivered over 29 tonnes of wonky carrots on his glowing, festive tractor for children to pick up free of charge, ready to leave out on for Santa's reindeers on Christmas Eve. 

Customers can collect their free carrot on the 22nd and 23rd December whilst stocks last.  

British wonky carrots that are oversized or misshapen but still absolutely delicious, will be available in all 498 stores for customers to pick-up from a Morrisons Community Champion. 

The move hopes to encourage families to choose wonky veg more often to reduce waste as this produce would have otherwise been discarded.

Carrot sales soar during the festive season, increasing by 130% during the week before Christmas compared to previous weeks, showing the Norse tradition of leaving food and drink out for Father Christmas and his reindeer is still as popular as ever.

Andy Todd, Senior Carrot Buyer at Morrisons, said: “Christmas is a magical time of year and we want to help our customers celebrate in any way we can. Our delicious Wonky carrots are hugely popular as they help our British farmers reduce waste and are a cheaper alternative for customers. We only hope the reindeer enjoy them as much as our customers do!” 

To help spread festive cheer, Morrisons will also be offering free Mince Pies and Christmas Cake to all customers that come into its cafés on 19 December, giving them an additional treat to enjoy with their hot and cold drink. 

For more information on delivery offers from Morrisons, visit: www.morrisons.com.

Early data from Productsup reveals commerce plans for holiday season

Ad spend down, the metaverse out, and sustainable shopping thriving in new data from P2C leader.

Productsup, the leading P2C data management platform, has released early data from its 2023 Business growth report, offering insights on commerce plans for the upcoming holiday season. 

The data, collected from a Coleman Parkes survey of 755 senior decision-makers from 16 countries, highlights the following key trends:

Decreasing ad spend, and playing it safe: Only 24% of businesses expect to increase overall ad spend, and the few advertising dollars they do have are going toward more traditional platforms. For instance, only 21% of businesses plan to increase ad spend on Snapchat or TikTok, and 25% won't advertise via VR and AR formats. However, this may prevent businesses from reaching certain key market segments. With less companies buying up ad space, there's more room for brands to stand out to consumers.

Businesses avoiding the metaverse: Only 9% of businesses believe the option to buy products online, offline, or in the metaverse has the greatest influence in making consumers choose them over a competitor. However, data shows that businesses could benefit from using the metaverse to connect with younger buyers. Over 50% of Gen Z shoppers are interested in a metaverse that serves them in the real world, with faster purchases and returns.

Sustainable products in high demand: Despite the economic downturn, 49% of businesses recorded increased demand for sustainable products. In response, 55% plan to increase sustainability details in their product information. Emphasising sustainability credentials on labels and listings can help meet consumer expectations, as 34% of consumers say that brands and retailers make sustainability information too difficult to find.

Product information top priority: This holiday season, high-quality product information is the highest priority compared to other marketing tactics. 59% of businesses plan to add more detailed product information to their campaigns. Businesses are now more aware of the impact of poor product information, with 62% fearing it creates negative online experiences, up 72% from December 2021.

Marcel Hollarbach, Chief Innovation Officer at Productsup, commented: "As businesses navigate the economic downturn, many are decreasing ad spend and shying away from the metaverse. But this cautious approach may prevent them from reaching key market segments. We encourage businesses to be bold and use product information to create targeted shopping experiences for today's consumers this holiday season and beyond.”

The full report, which contains a wealth of information into enterprise plans for the year across a range of industries and geographies, will be released in full early next year.

https://www.productsup.com.

As snow adds to strike woes, ParcelHero warns of increasing home delivery delays

Home delivery expert ParcelHero says snow and ice have compounded delays to many retailers’ deliveries. Strikes and a shortage of seasonal workers were already causing increased backlogs. It’s urging shoppers to check retailers’ last order dates using its enhanced Christmas deadlines tool.

Snow, ice and fog are adding to the Christmas chaos in some delivery networks. The home delivery expert ParcelHero says the Arctic weather couldn’t have come at a worse time. Delays were already growing because of strikes, a shortage of seasonal workers post-Brexit and global disruption caused by Covid problems in China.

Says ParcelHero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks M.I.L.T.: "Snow is the last thing the UK’s traditional postal service and courier networks needed. Even before Arctic conditions hit the UK, deliveries were backing up. Retailers and individuals have all been switching to couriers to avoid the impact of industrial action in the traditional postal network, and this unexpected extra volume of parcels has taken some networks by surprise.

"It’s not only strikes that are impacting deliveries, there’s also a shortage of warehouse operatives and delivery drivers, because many seasonal workers left the UK post-Brexit. Several UK courier networks have had to take steps to keep parcels moving as retailers abandon traditional mail services. One major courier has stopped all next-day deliveries in some areas.

"The traditional mail strike has also impacted many retailers. Bookworms should note Waterstones’ final online order date of 21 December quoted last week has now moved to 19 December. Other stores, like Currys, have ditched their traditional mail option entirely, in favour of courier services, because of the impact of the strikes. Even so, it's managed to maintain its final order dates of 22 December for small goods and 21 December for larger goods. It says orders will arrive before Christmas if its next-day delivery option is chosen."

He went on to say: "Other stores are also busy rowing back on their final order dates. Superdry had an ambitious last order date of 23 December that it's now sensibly moved back to 20 December and House of Fraser, Harvey Nicks and Cath Kidston have all pulled their final order dates back by at least one day.

"With all the Christmas confusion, ParcelHero has re-launched our popular Christmas tool in the nick of time. You can now discover retailers’ final online order dates in time for Christmas, find out the last mailing dates for presents to UK and international destinations, and see handy packaging and Customs clearance hacks to help ensure gifts reach their destinations in time. To check the easy-to-use retailers’ final order and final mailing dates tool."

Check that out here: https://www.parcelhero.com/events/christmas-gifts-delivery

Perfect Christmas Drinks for Every Occasion from Hattiers Rum

Served neat, over ice or to create deliciously evocative festive cocktails perfect for the party season, the UK's first B Corp certified rum, Hattiers' three premium aged rums also make wonderful gifts and stocking fillers.  

Specialising in sourcing finste blended aged rums from around the globe, which they sustainably blend in Devon, their unique rums include Egremont Premium Reserve Rum, Eminence Blended Aged White Rum and Resolute Navy Strength Rum.  

Not only do Hattiers' rums taste exquisite, with six awards from the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) to prove it, they're also sustainable, plastic free and committed to carbon neutrality, too.

The ultimate Christmas gift for the rum connoisseurs in your life, premium sipping rum Egremont Premium Reserve Rum, is a blend of four cask aged rums hand picked from across the Caribbean and Central America and gently paired with pure soft spring water from the hills of Dartmoor.  

Filtered by layer upon layer of ancient granite, Dartmoor spring water balances the alcoholic strength of the base rums to a more accessible level and produces a long and creamy finish.  A fragrant, medium bodied rum that's complex yet accessible, Egremont is perfect in Hattiers' original Hot Hattiers and The King's Hat Christmas cocktails.  £42.00, 40% ABV, 70 cl.

With a fruity but not sweet taste, gentle nutty pineapple aftertaste and long cream finish, Eminence Blended Aged White Rum is the perfect gift for cocktail loving family, friends or colleagues.  Divine served with mixers too, Eminence is crafted using cask rums from Barbados, Australia, Trinidad and Jamaica and is smooth, light-medium bodied with a great depth of flavour and character.  With light and attractive soft fruit notes and a vanilla pod, creamy fudge and ripe pineapple aroma, it has been carefully carbon filtered to remove the colour while maintaining the impact of the barrel.  £37.50, 42% ABV, 70cl.

Guaranteed to pack some punch and sure to make Christmas parties go off with a bang, Hattiers Rums' 

Resolute Navy Strength Rum is a blended aged navy strength rum, made using rums from Barbados, Australia, Guyana and Jamaica.  With a toasted brown sugar and charred oak aroma followed by warm banana, on the palate it has an intensity of fruit with pineapple, apple, banana, mango and a buttery pastry taste with darker notes of liquorice which linger.  Wafts of coal smoke drift in on the finish, with a dominance of banana cream.  £56.00, 54.5% ABV, 70cl.

Treat party guests to an exquisite Christmas inspired Hot Hattiers or The King's Hat, or both, at your next festive celebration.  

Hot Hattiers:

Combining sweet cider with sugar, spice and all things nice, Hot Hattiers is a delicious winter warmer that makes all that wind and rain worthwhile.  So, embrace the season, close the curtains, light a fire and invite friends and loved ones around for Christmas carols, mince pies and hot rum and cider.  After all, Hot Hattiers is best enjoyed shared!

Ingredients

70ml Hattiers Egremont Premium Reserve Rum

500 ml sweet cider 

100g Demerara Sugar

One apple - finely sliced

Two allspice berries

Dash of vanilla essence

Three drops of Angostura Bitters

Method

Combine all of the ingredients and mix well in a large saucepan.

Warm gently over a medium heat, stirring occasionally and being careful not to boil.

Use a sieve or strainer to pour the mixture into a glass and serve hot.

The King's Hat:

Ingredients

25ml Hattiers Egremont Premium Reserve Rum

25ml The King's Ginger

25ml Dry Vermouth

25ml Fresh Lemon Juice

15ml Sugar Syrup (also known as simple syrup or gomme)

Unwaxed Orange

Method

Build all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.

Shake vigorously.

Strain into a pre-chilled coupe glass.

Garnish with a twist of orange.#

Hattiers Rum is available from hattiers.com as well as Waitrose & Partners, Harvey Nichols, Master of Malt, Fortnum & Mason, The Whisky Exchange, Enotria & Coe, Drink Finder and Daylesford Organic. 

For further information about Hattiers Rum please visit www.hattiers.com or like and follow Hattiers Rum on Instagram: hattiers_rum and Facebook: HattiersRum.  

Is Christmas dinner healthy? Experts breakdown what parts of the festive dinner is good for you

Brits celebrating Christmas with the traditional Chirstmas Day feast are being advised on what parts of Christmas Dinner is good for them with red wine and roast potatoes both getting the thumbs up.

Fitness experts at Goal Getters by MuscleFood.com have looked at a classic Christmas dinner and ranked the different parts from most to least healthy.

Vitamin B, Potassium and carotenoids are just some of the nutrients that can be found in roast potatoes, turkey and carrots.

Unfortunately not all parts of our Christmas dinner are healthy including pigs in blankets and stuffing, but that doesn’t mean they don’t belong on our plate.

Ashleigh Tosh from Goal Getters by MuscleFood.com  said: “We’re all about encouraging realistic eating habits and Christmas is a time where you shouldn’t worry about tracking your calories.

“We think people who are trying to reach their fitness goals, whether that’s losing weight or toning up, will find comfort in knowing that your entire Christmas dinner isn’t actually that bad for you.

“Turkey for example is high in protein and also supplies us with those all important B vitamins. Wine lovers will also be glad to know that popping open a bottle of red wine can help regulate cholesterol levels and keep the heart healthy.”

Christmas Dinner breakdown:

Meat

Most of us opt for turkey on Christmas Day as our meat of choice and the good news is this is actually richer in protein than chicken or beef. Turkey and chicken also provide us with important B vitamins which help turn our food into energy.

Roasties

Although it depends on how they are made, roasties tend to be good for you as their high levels of fibre can improve indigestion. Roast potatoes are also really high in potassium which is important as this is a nutrient which our body doesn’t naturally produce. In fact, potatoes actually contain more potassium than a banana.

Brussel sprouts

Love them or hate them, Brussel sprouts are high in nutritional value and definitely worth having on your plate at Christmas. They are high in antioxidants which can protect us from chronic diseases and they contain a compound that helps to block enzymes known to advance cancer growth. Be warned though, they can make you a little gassy.

Carrots

Carrots are high in carotenoids which is a compound found in plants and is known to help the immune system and the ageing process.

Red wine

In moderation, red wine is believed to help regulate cholesterol levels and keep the heart healthy thanks to the antioxidants it contains.

Gravy

Gravy may not be the healthiest part of your Christmas menu but it’s also not as bad as we think. Gravy is traditionally made from the juices that meats release when being cooked. Making gravy this way means your sauce is likely to be high in fats and salt. Most of us these days tend to use gravy stock instead which is a great way to reduce the amount of fat and salt in the sauce.

Stuffing

Stuffing is a combination of things like breadcrumbs, onions and herbs and unfortunately it’s not the healthiest part of our Christmas dinner but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it. If you are interested in a healthier version then consider making your stuffing the vegetarian way using more dry fruits and nuts.

If you prefer a store bought powder then just remember that these tend to be high in salt so you definitely won’t need to add your own.

Pigs in blankets

Pigs in blankets are arguably the nation's favourite part of a Christmas dinner but unfortunately this combination of red meat is heavily processed meaning it falls to the bottom of the list.

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That's Food and Drink: Cove Passion Liqueur for Your Valentine

That's Food and Drink: Cove Passion Liqueur for Your Valentine: This Valentine's Day, celebrate the love in your life with Devon Cove's Passion Liqueur. Unique and delicate, Passion Liqueur is mad...

Let Wickhams do the Wine Work for you this Christmas

With their specially curated Classic Christmas Day Selection, let multi award-winning independent wine merchant Wickhams do the work for you this Festive season. 

Six bottles of wine expertly selected to complement each stage of your Christmas Day festivities, from a morning fizz, right through to a Sauternes to sip with your pud. And all for £99, saving £17.00 on the RRP. 

The Classic Christmas Day Selection, £99

Paul Langier Champagne Brut NV (12.5% ABV)

Sancerre `les Longues Fins` Dom. Andre Neveu (ABV 12.5%) 

Domaine de Rochebin Mâcon-Villages Blanc 2020, Burgundy (ABV 12.5%) 

Château Le Haut-Médoc de Haut-Bages Libéral Haut-Médoc 2015, Bordeaux (ABV 13%) 

Château Gachon, Montagne-Saint-Émilion (ABV 13%) 

Chateau Les Mingets 2018 Sauternes (37.5 cl / ABV 13.5%)

The Classic Christmas Day Selection would make a wonderful gift for the gracious hosts in your lives. Gift messages can be easily added at checkout. Available from www.wickhamwine.co.uk.

Order by 20th December for Christmas Delivery. 

Festive Fizz

Nothing says Christmas like the pop of some delicious, chilled fizz. With a wide range including Champagne, Cremant, Prosecco and English Sparkling Wine, Wickhams has sparkling wine to suit both palate and pocket. 

AR Lenoble Champagne "Blanc de Blancs"

£45.00 Single Bottle, £40.50 Any 6 Mix

75cl ABV: 12.5%

A fine French Champagne. On the nose the first impression is floral, followed by rich aromas of white fruit. Buttery and round on the palate, with a very long lasting finish.

Paul Langier Champagne 

£24.99 Single Bottle, £22.99 Any 6 Mix

75cl ABV: 12.5%

An elegant dry Champagne. It is lovely and light with flavours of apple and citrus fruits. There are hints of brioche and lots of bubbles.

Langham Rosé Brut 2017 English Sparkling Wine

£33.00 Single Bottle, £29.70 Any 6 Mix

75cl ABV: 12%

This pink fizz has aromas of pink petals, pastry and strawberries which are followed by a bright, refreshing palette. There is a fine mousse with notes of strawberries & cream, sour cherry & pink lady apple with an integrated citrus acidity. 

Filare Italia Prosecco Extra Dry DOC

£12.50  Single Bottle, £11.25 Any 6 Mix

75cl ABV: 11%

Straw yellow with golden reflections, fine and persistent bubbles. The nose is expressed with notes of pear and apple, accompanied by hints of acacia flowers. On the palate it is fresh and pleasantly harmonious.

https://www.wickhamwine.co.uk.