If you’ve been searching for the perfect Christmas present for a high-maintenance friend then look no further. The Hospitality Action online auction is now live, with lovely gift ideas from luxury hampers to the ultimate dining experience just a click of the mouse away.
The auction closes at 2pm on Friday 4th December, so you have just five days to get your hands on your prize. All proceeds raised go directly towards those in need of your support, so make sure you bid generously.
Visit www.hospitalityactionauction.org.uk, and get bidding!
There is good news for cash strapped shoppers in the lead up to Christmas as supermarkets continue their price wars. According to today’s Sun newspaper, Asda is leading the way with a festive feast meal deal that will feed six adults for just £11! There are also some sparkling offers available on Champagne with Morrisons and Waitrose cutting prices by half on selected bottles!
Although we are not quite convinced about a £5 turkey, we can certainly see that with Christmas being such an expensive time of year discounts on the whole can only be a good thing for customers.
For us here at William Murray, there is nothing quite like a glass or two of champagne to celebrate in style – so we will be rushing out to make the most of the bargain bubbly! Bottoms up everyone!
The Daily Express reported today that high levels of salt added to everyday foods are killing up to 40,000 Britons a year. A report published today says that many consumers are unable to calculate their levels due to some labels that say “sodium” instead of “salt”.
The good news in all of this is that experts have commented that cutting our intake of salt by just one teaspoon per day could be all it takes to dramatically reduce health risks such as high blood pressure and strokes.
Today Tesco will welcome Sugardrop – a new tomato that, according to today’s Express ‘tastes as sweet as a peach’.
Developed in line with changing tastes, the Sugardrop is a hybrid of two tomatoes, and may be the answer to many parents’ prayers – a tomato that appeals to the tastes of their children.
Ashleigh McWilliams, Tesco’s tomato buyer said: ‘As tomatoes are so healthy we’re hoping that the added sweetness of the Sugardrop will also appeal to children who might otherwise turn their noses up at them.’
Both Karen and Anita are delighted to have been offered the opportunity to act as mentors for Women 1st – a hospitality networking organisation for women.
Women make up 60% of the sectors workforce yet it is a surprise that only 6% of hospitality company directors are women – surely this leaves the industry with a massive skills shortage? Women’s 1st aims to support women through mentoring programmes, networking events and career development schemes.
With Anita supporting the committee with marketing advice as well as enrolling as a mentor, the team at William Murray are looking forward to hearing lots more in the future about this exciting new initiative.
Today’s Daily Mail reports on a new device named the CrustaStun – a new, more humane way to kill crustaceans prior to cooking. The CrustaStun uses an electric current to stun and painlessly kill shellfish, knocking a large crustacean unconscious in less than 0.3 seconds.
To cook a lobster, it is usually dropped in a pan of boiling water, emitting a shrieking sound and taking several minutes to die. Some say that the sound is caused by the release of gases under the shell, whilst others believe it is the lobsters experiencing pain. I want to know how either side of the pain debate can be confident of their answer, without being able to ask the poor lobster?! I guess you can only imagine, shriek or no shriek, being dumped in a pan of boiling water cannot be pleasant even for the hard-shelled creatures.
Bring on the CrustaStun I say, so we can enjoy some tasty lobster minus some of the guilt!
The William Murray girls headed to Clapham on Friday evening to say a fond farewell to the lovely Lauren, who is heading back to her native Australia at the end of the month. It is fair to say there were a few sore heads come Saturday morning as we made the most of the fabulous 2 for 1 cocktail’s on offer at Rinky Dinks!
With so much focus on healthy eating and how obesity is affecting the nation, it was a surprise to hear that our daily calorie guidelines may be wrong. The draft findings of the government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition has revealed that they may be as much as 16% too LOW! This is down to new methodology showing that adults use more energy then previously agreed.
Although a spokesman for the FSA has stated that their advice remains unchanged, it is thought that if the draft proposals are accepted in a 14-week scientific consultation, the recommended calorie intake could change. Sounds like a good excuse for that extra biscuit to us!
We were shocked to read this morning that the latest “recession-busting” trick for manufacturers to squeeze extra pennies out of us is to reduce the size of their products yet keep their prices the same.
The Sun reports that, for example, a ten pack of Coors Light beer was £8.09 in May. Now, although a ten pack costs the same, the cans are 275ml instead of the 300ml they used to be.
Manufacturers strongly deny any wrong-doing, but we think blaming the recession is a pretty poor excuse for ultimately cheating their customers.
The eyes at William Murray lit up when Judith opened the biscuit cupboard and pulled out a packet of Boasters – a nice big cookie would keep us going for another hour at least.
But alas, it appears that the manufacturers have been stingy with the edible content and overly generous with the wrapping.
Shame on you McVities!
