Melt Into Each Other’s Arms This Valentine’s Day At The Chocolate Boutique Hotel! January 14, 2010

Looking for somewhere to snuggle up this Valentine’s Day? Why not melt into each other’s arms at the world’s first chocolate themed hotel, where they have a special Valentine’s Day package on the menu.

Here at the chic and unique Chocolate Boutique Hotel in Bournemouth you can treat your loved one to a romantic night of heavenly indulgence followed by a wonderful Belgian chocolate truffle making workshop the next day.

Included in the Valentine’s Day special is a luxurious night for two in a glorious chocolate-themed room, where you’ll be greeted with a cold bottle of bubbly and a cascading chocolate fountain complete with succulent strawberries and luscious marshmallows.

Later you’ll be able to sip deliciously decadent chocolate cocktails such as the Chocolate Martini in the Chocolate Bar with its amazing automated cocktail machine before heading into Bournemouth for a romantic meal or walk along one of the town’s famed beaches.

After breakfast the next day, you and your loved one will be able to take part in top chocolatier Gerry Wilton’s Valentine’s Special Workshop where you will be greeted with a glass of bubbly before learning about the magical history of chocolate.

As well as learning how to make delicious Belgian chocolate truffles by hand from raw ingredients, you’ll also get the chance to pipe a special message to your loved one on a gorgeous chocolate heart.

The Valentine’s Special Package costs £300, which includes one night’s stay for two people, bottle of bubbly, chocolate fountain with dips, two chocolate cocktails, breakfast for two and two places at a Chocolate Delight Valentine’s Special Workshop.

To find out more, ring 01202 556857 or go to www.thechocolateboutiquehotel.co.uk. For information on the Chocolate Delight Belgian chocolate truffle making workshops nationwide, go to www.chocolatedelight.co.uk.

Volupte host The Big V at Ministry of Sound this Valentine’s Day January 8, 2010

The Big V at Ministry of Sound

~ Sunday, 14th February 2010 ~

V is for…Vintage
V is for…Vampires
V is for…Volupte
V is for…Valentine’s
V is for…Vibe
V is for…Verse
V is for…Violence – Let’s Stop It!

On Sunday, February 14th 2010, Volupté heads south of the river to the most famous nightclub in the world – The Ministry of Sound, in a bid to raise money and awareness for the VDay Movement.

Five rooms, bursting to the seams with live entertainment: a full banquet and show in the Main Box, a full live vintage band, swing dance lessons, taxi dancers, spoken word, live guest speakers, DJs, aerial acts to leave you breathless, soul, funk…and much, much more…

“The V-Day movement is growing at a rapid pace throughout the world, in 130 countries from Europe to Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, and all of North America.

“VDay is a charity founded by Eve Ensler (author of “The Vagina Monologues”). VDAY seeks to stop violence against women, and has since become a global movement, having claimed Valentine’s Day as its own.”– www.vday.org

Last year, over £3,000 was raised for VDAY at Volupté’s Voluptuous & Victorious show, which was held at the Café De Paris on Mother’s Day.

Volupte’s Big V will be raising money for the City of Joy in The Congo.

Sexual violence is regarded as the most widespread form of criminality in Congo. In one province alone, local health centres report that an average of 40 women are raped daily.

V-Day and UNICEF, in partnership with Panzi Foundation, are currently building a special facility for the survivors of sexual violence in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. The City of Joy will support women to heal and provide them with opportunities to develop their leadership through programming in group therapy, storytelling, dance, theatre, self-defence, comprehensive sexuality education, ecology and horticulture, and economic empowerment.

There are two types of ticket available for this year’s event:

1)    The Volupté Valentine’s Extravaganza – which includes a 3 course meal accompanied by a full, live cabaret show to entertain you whilst you dine, plus entrance to the club. Enjoy your evening in true Volupté style.
Price: £149.00
(Doors open at 5.30pm till 1am)
Tickets are now available from Volupté – 0207 831 1622

2)    Club Tickets – which will include 5 rooms of mind-blowing entertainment.
Price: £25
(Doors open at 7pm till 1am)
Tickets are now available from Volupté – 207 831 1622 OR Ticketweb – 08444 771 000

Sign up to the special database: www.vdayatministry.co.uk and you will also be given the chance to win 2 free tickets to a Volupté show in January or February 2010. Volupté have hundreds of tickets to give away! Winners will be notified in January. (Terms apply).

LittleMissFoodie Says: What a fantastic event for such a good cause. Vintage and Vampires? I’ll definitely be going to this!

National Vegetarian Week (24 – 30 May 2010) August 19, 2009

National Vegetarian Week 2010 will take place from Monday 24 May to Sunday 30 May.

The Vegetarian Society’s flagship awareness week is a well established event in the British Culinary calendar, a celebration of delicious food and fresh ingredients. Everyone can get involved from market stall holders to caterers; fine diners to picnic goers; school children and even works canteens.

It’s not just about food though, National Vegetarian Week offers great business opportunities through launches, special offers, holding sampling sessions and getting into the media spotlight. Organisations such as schools and libraries can get involved too – with displays, discussions and debates.

National Vegetarian Week 2009 involved artists, a body-painted beauty, celebrity chefs, high street stores and individuals across the UK. To see what they got up to visit www.vegsoc.org/nvw

National Vegetarian Week (NVW) is the annual awareness-raising campaign promoting inspirational vegetarian food and the benefits of a meat-free lifestyle. Now in its eighteenth year, National Vegetarian Week is a great opportunity to look at food and its impact on the environment, animals and health.

Be A Star This Christmas And Save A Tree By Choosing Guilt-Free, Ethical Chocolate Organic Meltdown August 17, 2009

Organic Meltdown

Christmas without a tree? Doesn’t seem right, does it? And neither would a world without trees, which is why Organic Meltdown chocolate is promising to save a tree for every bar it sells.

This Christmas, giving a gift of Organic Meltdown chocolate shows you care…not only about your friend or loved one, but about the planet too.

And you’ll get two bites at making them happy, by handing over a delicious present plus an affordable gift that will last forever in the shape of a tree in a tropical rainforest.

It’s even possible to discover exactly where the tree is that’s been saved.

Organic Meltdown has teamed up with the World Land Trust charity to preserve trees in Ecuadorian forests. Each wrapper of each bar carries a unique number which corresponds to its very own tree, and chocolate-lovers are encouraged to log onto www.organicmeltdown.com and register their number to find out where ‘their’ tree is situated.

Organic Meltdown hopes to save 5 million trees by 2012 – helping to preserve valuable habitats and caring for endangered species.

Available in four mouth-watering flavours, Organic Meltdown chocolate is made using carefully selected Fairtrade ingredients from Ecuador, Madagascar and Peru, and is a premium organic range.

Choose from Swiss dark chocolate with candied orange (58% cocoa), Swiss milk chocolate with hazelnuts and currants (33% cocoa), Swiss dark chocolate (71% cocoa) and Swiss milk chocolate (33% cocoa).

Three flavours (Swiss dark chocolate with candied orange, Swiss milk chocolate with hazelnuts and currants and Swiss dark chocolate) are available in more than 150 Waitrose stores priced £1.99, while chocolate from the full range is available from independent stores, delis and other outlets across the UK.

Visit www.organicmeltdown.com for details.

Brave New Bottles And Miniature Marvels – Father’s Day April 7, 2009

TheDrinkShop.com recommends that the best gifts have a tale to tell. Add a surprise new miniature with a trusty bottle of Dad’s favourite, or be brave with absinthe from Marilyn Manson, a single barrel Tennessee whiskey, or a quadrupled distilled Hebridean speciality. Browse new miniature gift packs, and for the first time, miniatures of spirits, liqueurs and port are available to buy as singles; and speciality beers as handy four-packs.

Minis are also ideal before splashing out on a luxury bottle. Try a mini of designer Roberto Cavalli’s ultra premium vodka for £6.49 before spending on a bottle for £47.44; or a magnum for £99.62.

Father’s Day 21 June is universally the single busiest distance-gifting occasion beyond Christmas. TheDrinkShop.com offers a range of delivery services. There is even an option to order up to three months ahead. Find your favourites and plenty more at www.TheDrinkShop.com the number one online off licence.

Mansinthe
£40.69
Created by shock rocker and absinthe drinker Marilyn Manson, with absinthe expert Markus Lion, this won Gold Medal at the 2008 San Francisco World Spirit Competition. This Swiss natural absinthe was developed over two years and is distilled from vermouth, aniseed, fennel and fine herbs. Naturally, pre-sweetening and artificial colouring is avoided. The label features a watercolour painting by Manson. Bottles with the original limited edition labels are now collectors’ items.
Mansinthe is best enjoyed as a 3cl measure in a large stemmed glass, using a slotted absinthe spoon and sugar cube serve. Slowly drip ice cold water over it to dissolve the cube. Then fill the glass with water to preferred taste.
66.6 percent alcohol by volume. Available from 1 May, it may be reserved in advance.

Knockeen Poteen (moonshine)
From £19.63 to £52.42 for Knockeen Extra Gold Strength, Farmers Strength and Gold Strength.
5cl minatures from £3.90 to £6.50 are available from the end of May.
Knockeen’s range of Irish Poteen has all the best characteristics of old fashioned ‘moonshine’, which is one of the world’s most well known ultra, high-strength smooth spirits. The pure clear white spirit is triple-distilled in County Waterford. For novices, the 60 percent alcohol by volume Farmers Strength style has a smoother delicate flavour and can be sipped neat in moderation, and even with champagne, for a smooth finish with no burn.

Jack Daniels Single Barrel
£39.59, or with pine gift box £46.93
Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey is repeatedly purchased by enthusiasts, as each batch of the charcoal mellowed whiskey is unique. Each single barrel is sampled as it comes of age and a few are set few aside. These are the ones with the smoothest taste and the most intense flavour of varying degrees of toasted oak, caramel and vanilla. Savour the subtle difference imbued by the new American white oak barrels and the intense maturation. The decanter bottle carries the barrel number and bottling date. 45 percent abv.

Bruichladdich X4 eau de vie
£36.79

This is fast being discovered since TheDrinkShop.com first stocked it a few months ago. Considered the drink of Hebridean forefathers, this clear coloured spirit is the the first quadruple distilled pot-still spirit for possibly 300 years. Head distiller Jim McEwanLong had long been intrigued by the age old legend of ‘perilous whisky’ which was first distilled to a strength of around 90 percent alcohol by volume. His new classic is an exceptionally pure unaged spirit, made from malted barley, using the tall, elegant pot stills at the Bruichladdich whisky distillery. This crafted distillation gives it substantial flavour. As featured on TV’s ‘Oz & James Drink To Britain’. 50 pecent abv.

Miniature bottles and gifts
Choose from over 80 miniatures of well known spirits through to brave new choices. Browse Chivas Regal 12 year old, rare 15 year old Pussers Royal Naval Rum or Lajita Mescal. Adding a miniature is an ideal introduction to luxury bottles. Try a miniature of designer Roberto Cavalli’s ultra premium vodka for £6.49 before spending on a bottle for £47.44; or a magnum for £99.62.
An exciting range of new miniature gift packs will also be available [from May].

Speciality beers can also be purchased as a smaller, handy four-pack.

www.TheDrinkShop.com is the no. 1 most visited online off licence for Consumers & Trade and the no. 5 online wine retailer (industry standard sources imrg.org and Hitwise).

Finalist for the second year in the Off Licence News Drinks Retailing Awards 2009

Buy online www.TheDrinkShop.com
UK freephone 0800 169 6760
Telephone +44 (0)1843 570571

*Drink responsibly

Help celebrate National Vegetarian Week (18th-24th May) April 6, 2009

Now in its 17th year, National Vegetarian Week has become one of the best national campaigning week in the events calendar. With over 7% of the UK population now vegetarian/vegan and a further 12% eating less than 1 meat based meal a week there has never been a better time to increase your stores vegetarian and vegan offerings to take advantage of this booming £2.2billion market.

This year National Vegetarian Week is between 18th-24th May and helping to celebrate national Vegetarian Week is industry legends, Beyond the Bean. With all 93 products in the Sweetbird, Zuma and Byron Bay ranges approved by the Vegetarian Society (and 51 Sweetbird products approved by vegan group Viva!), they are the perfect ranges to help you tap into this ever expanding market.

“Many companies like to state that their products are suitable for vegetarians and vegans, but are they? Have they allowed an independent group to scrutinise ingredients and production methods? Have they checked the filling agents to make sure that the process does not use non vegetarian ingredients even if they don’t appear in the final product? Are they only using free range eggs and vegetarian whey? Are they free from GMO’s? These are a few of the questions that we have had to check to ensure that our products meet the exacting standards and quality controls of the Vegetarian Society and Viva!” commented Helen Ostle Brand Manager for Beyond the Bean.

Helen also added “We know that the vast majority of consumers understand and recognise the seedling symbol and actively seek out products that conform to the rigorous standards set out by the Vegetarian Society. We are extremely proud to have been the first coffee ancillary supply company to have our products approved by the Vegetarian Society and Viva!”

For more information about the full range of Vegetarian Society approved products from Beyond the Bean call 44 (0)1179 533522 or visit www.beyondthebean.com

Be A Good Egg April 5, 2009

It’s Easter, the time of year for guilt free chocolate – the perfect excuse to give up on holding back and indulge in some Fairtrade chocolate. With a special Easter egg with champagne truffles, new from Divine, and a Fairtrade Easter egg launched this year by Thorntons, you’re fairly spoilt for choice.

Last year Fairtrade chocolate sales hit almost £27m, an increase in volume of 10% on the previous year. For the farmers this meant a 10% increase in Fairtrade premium to just under $300,000 to spend on community development. That extra income, in addition to the security of the Fairtrade minimum price, has enabled cocoa farmers to continue to invest sustainably in their future through tough economic times.

Let’s start afresh this spring and prove that there’s more than one way to beat an egg. With Waitrose, the Co-operative, M&S, Sainsbury’s and Tesco selling their own-label Fairtrade Easter eggs this year, it’s never been easier to show your support for a fairer way to do business. We can make the global economy fairer, greener and more sustainable simply by picking products that carry the FAIRTRADE Mark this Easter and beyond.

Isidoro de la Rosa the Executive Director of CONACADO cocoa co-operative in the Dominican Republic said: ‘With Fairtrade income we were able to implement a fermentation program to improve the quality of our cocoa and to convert our production to certified organic. This improved our position in the export market. The Fairtrade market is a very important market for the survival of our members’.

Heavenly chocolate from Divine
Divine, the 100% Fairtrade chocolate company co-owned by Kuapa Kokoo co-operative farmers in Ghana, adds to its sumptuous Easter range with a new milk chocolate Easter egg with six hand-finished Marc de Champagne Truffles (£9.99 from Oxfam).

Divine’s established Fairtrade favourites, including the 70% dark chocolate Easter egg with chocolate coated Brazil nuts and their milk chocolate version with mini eggs, are available from Waitrose and Morrisons at £4.99. Check out their posh mini eggs too, available wrapped or in this smart handbag packaging. www.divinechocolateshop.com

Dubble the trouble
Divine’s sister brand Dubble will get the kid’s imagination fired up with its classic magic-themed packaging and the chance to be a ‘Dubble Agent’ and complete MISSION: POSSIBLE – to ‘change the world chunk by chunk’. Check out www.dubble.co.uk for more information. Also from Dubble are speckled mini eggs, ideal for decorating chocolate nests or garden egg hunts along with Traidcraft’s mini eggs.

Sweet Temptations and Chocaid
Sweet Temptations offer you the chance to personalise your Easter egg box – remember to request the chocolate to be Fairtrade! http://sweettemptations.com/cms/

Chocaid’s striking Fairtrade organic globe Easter egg truly has a world outlook, working in partnership with Save the Children. Also try Chocaid’s distinctively packaged Fairtrade truffles, available in orange, mint and vanilla. www.chocaid.com

Thorntons, Green & Blacks, Burnt Sugar and My World
Thorntons launched their new Fairtrade Easter Egg (£6.50) to coincide with this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight and it joins their growing selection of Fairtrade products available at www.thorntons.co.uk

Green & Black’s Fairtrade flavour, Maya Gold, has this stylishly presented Easter egg available at www.greenandblacksdirect.com  
Masters of Fairtrade crumbly fudge, Burnt Sugar, offer up a delicious Fairtrade egg complete with crunchy honeycomb nuggets (made with golden unrefined Fairtrade sugar) in milk chocolate. www.burntsugar.co.uk
My World has this pink Easter egg with a Fairtrade chocolate fairy lolly. A pirate themed version is also available. www.myworldchocolate.co.uk

Traidcraft If you want to spring into Easter with something a little bit different to the traditional egg, Traidcraft’s white chocolate spring lambs come in these adorably quaint sky blue boxes. Spring rabbits and chickens are also available in milk chocolate. www.traidcraftshop.co.uk

The Co-operative
The Co-operative continues its strong support of Fairtrade with a range of Fairtrade chocolate goodies including a sophisticated Belgian chocolate Easter egg with white chocolate swirls and a tray of six truffles, a Fairtrade chocolate ring cake and a Fairtrade hollow chocolate bunny in its own hutch.

Make Mother’s Day Special With A Fairtrade Gift March 16, 2009

 Let your Mum know how much you care this Mother’s Day with the finest Fairtrade gift for her and the guarantee of a fair price and additional Fairtrade premium for people in the developing world behind the pressie.
With over 4,500 products that now carry the FAIRTRADE Mark, there’s plenty of gifts to choose from. New for this Mother’s Day, look for heavenly treats from Divine Chocolate or the softest bed linen and towels made from Fairtrade cotton from MUJI, John Lewis and Liv.
Fairtrade is good news for mums in the developing world too – it means that mothers across Africa, Asia and South America who grow the roses, cocoa, vanilla and other products that make the perfect Fairtrade Mother’s Day gift can provide their families with a better future and enjoy a stronger voice in their communities. Through Fairtrade, farmers earn a fair and stable income, taking away worries of putting food on the family table, and allowing them to look forward towards a brighter future for themselves and their children. What many don’t know is that in addition to a fair price, Fairtrade also empowers women to take an active part in their local economy and work as equals alongside men in often male dominated societies. Fairtrade standards encourage women’s representation on worker Joint Bodies or Fairtrade premium committees, requiring proportional representation wherever possible.

Sylvia Ramirez, a banana farmer from the El Guabo Association of Small Banana Producers in Ecuador said: ‘Fairtrade has given us the space to organise as women – to meet and discuss things. For us and our families, for the community and the environment, this is the future; it is the way forward…. The biggest difference with Fairtrade is that before we never had any money. We had to take out loans. Now we can spend on better education for the kids, on better groceries for the family, better clothes. Our children can go to better schools. We always want to get a better education for them’.

Homeware
A range of luxurious Fairtrade cotton bed linen is available from M&S including their beautiful brand new Garden Rose Bedset with duvet cover and two pillow cases (£25 for single and £45 for a double set). Striking stripy bed linen is also available from MUJI and gorgeous crisp white cotton sheets from LIV. For a touch of sophistication opt for Fairtrade towels by John Lewis, available in Amethyst and Pebble.

If your mum’s a dab hand in the kitchen, put a little thought into your present with Sarah Smith’s range of Fairtrade cotton aprons, oven gloves and tea towels, all of which come in vibrant designs including butterflies, chrysanthemum and spots. www.sarah-smith.co.uk

Chocolate
Nothing says ‘I love you’ like the gift of chocolate. Divine’s dark chocolate hearts are heavenly heart-shaped 70% dark chocolate wrapped in bright red foil. At £2.99 a pack they look a million dollars, but won’t break the bank (gold hearts also available in milk chocolate). Divine is 45% owned by the farmers who grow the cocoa, so buying Divine is as good for development as it is for your taste buds. www.divinechocolate.com

For the irresistible temptation that comes with the choice of chocs in a selection box, give her luxury Belgian Fairtrade Chocolates from Plush. Another mmmmm for mums comes in the range of crumbly fudge from Burnt Sugar. www.burntsugar.co.uk

Tea
If your mum’s always got the pot on the boil, treat her to cuppa a little more special than her usual brew. Hampstead tea’s Fairtrade organic peppermint, royal camomile, lemon valerian and rosehip hibiscus teas add a touch of finesse. Dragonfly’s Fairtrade organic Rooibos tea will help sooth and calm and Fairtrade organic detox China green tea from Qi brings health and vitality.

Cooking
Encourage her culinary creativity with the Fairtrade Everyday Cookbook published by Dorling Kindersley and edited by Sophie Grigson. The compilation of delicious recipes from celebrity supporters and chefs as well as competition winners would be a fantastic accompaniment to the gorgeous range of Fairtrade spices now available. Steenbergs Fairtrade organic cinnamon quills and Suma’s Fairtrade organic whole cloves would make a welcome addition to any spice rack as well as Suma’s Fairtrade organic range including ground ginger, cloves and turmeric.

Jams and preserves
It might be a bit mumsy, but that’s the idea, right? Check out Traidcraft’s range of jams including the deliciously simple Fairtrade organic strawberry jam and marmalade. From M&S, and perfect for Mother’s Day, is the Breakfast Larder gift set which includes Fairtrade strawberry conserve and two egg cups with cosies. Equal Exchange Fairtrade organic clear and orange blossom honey really do taste as good as they sound.

Calling all Families! March 12, 2009

Tell us why you have the UK’s best mum and win a
free Mother’s Day meal for two…

Brewers Fayre restaurants across the UK are inviting you to tell them why your mum is the best mum in the world and are offering the perfect way to thank her with a complimentary meal for two* this Mother’s Day, Sunday 22 March.

The local family favourite restaurant is asking you to put pen to paper and explain what sets your mum apart. Maybe she offers constant support to you and your family whilst juggling a busy job, maybe she volunteers for a local cause or helps someone in need without question or complaint? Perhaps she’s not your mum by birth but has assumed that role to help and guide you. Whatever your reason she deserves to be celebrated!

A spokesperson for Brewers Fayre said: “We know there are many incredible mums out there and we want to recognise and celebrate them on this special day. Every mum deserves to put their feet up and let someone else do the cooking on Mother’s Day. We want to help families all over the region say thank you.”

Entry forms can be found at all Brewers Fayre restaurants and the closing date is Friday 13th March. The winning entries will be announced in store on Saturday 14th March and all winners not present will be notified by phone.

If you aren’t lucky enough to win, you can still treat your mum to a special Mother’s Day lunch or dinner, as Brewers Fayre will be running a three course Sunday Roast set menu for just £11 or two courses for £9, with plenty of delicious dishes to choose from.

Brewers Fayre will be also be launching a new Spring and Summer Menu on 31st March with even more great pub food to choose from.

The new breaded Camembert bites are deliciously creamy and served with fruity chutney they make the perfect starter or sharing plate. Or for a truly seasonal dish, try the mouth-watering Minted Lamb loin, served with a red wine and rosemary sauce and mashed potatoes.

Pub food lovers will not be disappointed with the return of classic favourites including traditional Cottage pie, succulent slow cooked ham hock in parsley sauce, or the hearty liver and onions served in a giant Yorkshire pudding.

To find your local Brewers Fayre restaurant please go to:
http://www.brewersfayre.co.uk/restaurants/

*Meal for 2 includes a 3 course Sunday Roast set meal for £11 and a selected glass of wine.

New Partnership Creates Le Cordon Bleu Henley Food Festival (16th & 17th May 2009) March 12, 2009

The world’s foremost culinary arts school has announced a ground breaking partnership in support of the Henley Food Festival, the Thames Valley’s leading food event. Le Cordon Bleu, who have been training chefs for over 100 years have become the festival’s title sponsor and hence forward the two day event, taking place on the weekend of 16th and 17th May 2009 will be known as Le Cordon Bleu Henley Food Festival.

Le Cordon Bleu Henley Food Festival is a showcase event for some of this country’s finest chefs to demonstrate their skills before a live audience, coupled with the opportunity to sample some of the finest food and drink available in the Thames Valley and beyond. Attractions include a restaurant arena, Caldesi’s Italian Market and of course a host of highly talented chefs. Le Cordon Bleu will have their own marquee where demonstrations by chefs from the cookery school can be seen, a highlight of which will be a demonstration of the art of French pâtisserie.

Over the last century Le Cordon Bleu has evolved from a Parisian cooking school into an international network of culinary arts and hospitality academies. Offering courses to professional and talented amateur chefs from their campuses in London, Paris, Canada, Peru, Mexico, Japan, S. Korea, Thailand and Australia; Le Cordon Bleu believe in the French “Art de Vivre” (The Art of Living Well), a philosophy shared with the Henley Food Festival.

Talking about the partnership, Chef Loïc Malfait, Academic Director for Le Cordon Bleu said, “We have been looking for a festival partner who exhibits the same dedication to quality that we do. Henley Food Festival provides an opportunity to see some of the culinary world’s greatest names performing live; chefs who exhibit great skill, creating sublime food. This is something that we passionately believe in. We hope that a new generation becomes inspired at Henley and that we can play a part in nurturing that talent through our courses, ranging from culinary arts to hospitality management and gastronomic studies.”

Simon Cromack, Chairman of Henley Food Festival was full of praise for Le Cordon Bleu and their philosophy; “Henley Food Festival is all about the art of living well, we are therefore delighted that Le Cordon Bleu have come on board as the title sponsor this year. We hope it is the beginning of a long association.”

Mr. Cromack went on to say, “The combination of Le Cordon Bleu’s dedication to the training of the world’s best chefs with the Festival’s objectives of showcasing the very best food from the Thames Valley is, we believe, a perfect match. It is indicative of the quality of the Henley Food Festival’s proposition that Le Cordon Bleu, a centre of culinary excellence want to join forces and share the title of this event; it is a real indication of the superb weekend we will be putting on over the 16th & 17th May.”

Information about the Le Cordon Bleu Henley Food Festival 2009 can be found at www.henleyfoodfestival.co.uk  

Information about Le Cordon Bleu London can be found at www.lcblondon.com and about Le Cordon Bleu International at www.cordonbleu.edu  

Phill Howard