NOTTINGHAM FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVAL RETURNS WITH CELEB CHEF EXTRAVAGANZA

The Nottingham Food and Drink Festival is back for 2010. September 23-26 will see a line-up of celebrity chefs, live cook-offs, demonstrations and tasting areas in the Market Square, as well as a host of special events at bars and restaurants across the city.

Italian chef Gino D’Acampo, TV personality Ainsley Harriott, Caribbean soul food star Momma Cherri and Great British Menu representatives Atul Kochhar and Sat Bains will all be performing.

Festival organiser We Are Nottingham has teamed up with National Bartender Magazine to offer two readers the chance to win a pair of VIP tickets to see Momma Cherri on Friday 24 September and a ‘meet and greet’ with the Caribbean chef.

For your chance to win, send an email marked ‘bartender giveaway’, with your name and telephone number to info@wearenottingham.co.uk, or post your details to We Are Nottingham, Office Suite, Days Hotel, Wollaton Street, Nottingham, NG1 5FW by 17 September 2010.

To find out information about the festival or book tickets, go to http://www.wearenottingham.co.uk/foodfestival.php

Terms & conditions

1. Competition entries by email will not be accepted after 00.01am on 18 September 2010, or by post after 17 September 2010.

2. VIP tickets for the celebrity chef shows will be time and date specific.

3. No cash alternative is available for any of the prizes.

4. The ‘meet and greet’ will last for approximately 5 minutes, allowing time for questions and photographs. Details of the ‘meet and greet’, including the chef involved are subject to alteration.

5. The winner will be chosen at random from all entries received.

Nottingham’s Best Bar None Winners Announced

The winners of Nottingham’s Best Bar None scheme this year were announced at a black tie ceremony at the City Council House on the 19th August.

Squares, the Nottingham Ice Centre, Gatecrasher and the Toby Carvery in Wollaton won Best Pub, Bar, Club and Restaurant respectively in the Best Bar None Judge’s Choice awards. Squares, a Tattershall Castle Group premises, also scooped the coveted Overall Best Bar None award for their exemplary policies and procedures.

Nottingham residents also made their voices heard, with nearly 2,000 people voting for their favourite accredited venues online. Their winners were The Pit & Pendulum, The Rescue Rooms, Rock City and Bistro Live.

55 of the city’s bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants applied this year, and were assessed by teams from Nottingham Businesses Against Crime (NBAC), the City Council Licensing department and other representatives from the licensed trade.

The 75 assessment criteria included whether a venue had adequate crime reduction measures in place, policies to deal with things like drunkenness, refusal of entry and venue capacity, and the scope of its staff training.

51 venues passed the assessment to become Best Bar None accredited venues, and these made up the shortlist that Nottingham’s public voted their winners from.

The 3 highest scoring bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants also had their scoring notes anonymously scrutinised by a panel of expert judges from Rushcliffe Borough Council, the British Beer and Pub Association and Diageo to decide the “Best Bar None” winner in each category.

Leader of Nottingham City Council, Councillor Jon Collins, said: “I am pleased to see that so many of our city centre venues have taken part in the Best Bar None scheme, which helps to reassure people going out for a drink in Nottingham about the venues they are visiting.

“Many venues have demonstrated some extremely good management practices that go above and beyond the legal requirements of their licence, which helps to promote a safe, comfortable environment for visitors to our city.”

Sylvia Manser, Chief Executive of We Are Nottingham, organisers of this year’s scheme, said: “Best Bar None is a great way for the businesses to work in partnership with the authorities to help make the city centre a better place for everyone to visit at night.

“Many of the award categories this year were very tight, which is a testament to the high level of regard the city’s licensees pay to their customers’ safety and overall experience.”

A full list of Best Bar None accredited venues can be found online at www.nottinghambbn.co.uk.

Ty Nant announces Ryder Cup 2010 contest to win a ‘Bottle of Water a Day for over a Year’

Consumers are being invited to ‘Ty off’ with Ty Nant Natural Mineral Water, which is celebrating being selected as the exclusive water for The 2010 Ryder Cup with a competition to win a bottle of water a day for over a year.

One winner will be selected via a web-based competition through the Welsh water company’s website http://www.tynant.com/main.aspx?pID=25-0 and will win 15 cases (360 bottles) of Ty Nant’s 500ml PET bottles.

The choice of Ty Nant as the exclusive water is fitting as this is the first time The Ryder Cup has ever been staged in Wales. For information about the Ryder Cup www.tynant.com/main.aspx?pID=66-0

Ty Nant is known not only in Wales but throughout the world. Frequently in the public gaze, the water brand has come to notice for its prestigious associations including the Stella Artois Tennis Championships, The Brits and Masters Tennis as well as for appearances in films such as James Bond film Die Another Day, both Bridget Jones films, The Italian Job, plus television shows including Friends, The Apprentice and The F Word.

The Celtic Manor Resort near Newport will host this premier golfing competition, ensuring that players and guests are refreshed and hydrated with one of the finest drinks Wales has to offer. Fittingly, given the red v. blue team colours, Ty Nant Natural Mineral Water is available in the famous cobalt blue glass bottles and in crimson red glass, both of which will be served in hospitality and dining areas whilst Ty Nant’s ‘ice like’ PET bottles will provide on-the-go hydration for the golfers and spectators on the golf course as well as being the focus for the competition.

Ty Nant, sourced in Bethania, Ceredigion, was selected because it is an internationally renowned Welsh brand that enjoys a reputation for the highest quality water. Ty Nant also offers impressive environmental and ethical credentials having achieved ISO 14001 and soil association accreditation, whilst also working with the Pink Ribbon Foundation to raise funds for breast cancer charities.

Nick Taylor, General Manager Director at Ty Nant, said: “The Ryder Cup is the largest event ever to have come to Wales and as one of Wales’ top international brands, we are immensely proud to be part of what is amongst the most popular spectator sporting events in the world. Water is of course essential to good health and hydration and our competition will remind people that a daily supply of water is recommended for maximum performance whether on or off the golf links. Ty Nant is a by-word for style and well-being.”

Ty Nant is a member of British Bottled Water Producers www.britishbottledwater.org which exists to promote the benefits of UK-sourced waters.

Martin Miller’s Gin launches the Classics Challenge

Martin Miller’s Gin is championing all things classic this Autumn and is challenging UK bartenders to do the same – offering iconic Vespa scooters as an incentive.

The Martin Miller’s Classics Challenge is to reignite the consumer passion for simpler drinks such as the Vesper, which do not rely on an abundance of obscure ingredients but instead let the drinker enjoy the core flavours in a pure and uncluttered form.

With heritage and elegant flavours, cocktails like the Vesper have stood the test of time, so the Martin Miller’s Classics Challenge is hoping to incentivise bars to sell more Martin Miller’s Vespers or other classic cocktails – most likely already on their Classics Menus anyway – to today’s customers. Every week until Christmas Eve, the participating bars that sell the most Martin Miller’s to do so will
be given keys and all the bartenders with keys at the end of the promotion will be invited to a VIP reception in their region. At each regional reception, one of the keys will fit a classic Vespa scooter –
meaning bar staff around the UK will literally drive off with a fantastic prize.

Comments Mike Pulvertaft, brand manager at Martin Miller’s Gin: “This challenge has already run to great success in several states in the US, where consumers were extremely receptive to the idea of classic cocktails; some bars saw a sales uplift of over 10% purely on word of mouth. We expect a good success rate in the UK too – and look forward to helping our customers promote some of the classiest, simplest older cocktails to the contemporary consumer.”

Martin Miller’s Gin is perfectly suited to classic cocktails such as the Vesper. Using only the 10 classic gin botanicals , Martin Miller’s is then blended using Icelandic spring water, arguably the purest and softest water on earth. The result is a soft, sweet mouth feel that is uniquely Martin Miller’s, providing a premium positioning that offers potential high profit margins to on-trade customers.

For further information on how to order Martin Miller’s Gin, contact Mike Pulvertaft on 07884 498 494, or email: mike@martinmillersgin.com.

Mixed views on Government’s proposal to introduce minimum pricing on alcohol

Last week David Cameron backed councils across the country in their plans to implement a minimum price for alcohol. However, new data from YouGov SixthSense reveals that the public are undecided in their support for the proposal, which includes a law that each unit of alcohol must cost at least 50p.

47% of UK adults are against the move which national and local Governments alike consider a major step toward curbing underage drinking and anti-social behavior. 40% of respondents registered support for the proposal, suggesting that the public are split over whether this measure would actually work in tackling binge drinking.

76% of UK adults also admit that a minimum price for alcohol would make no difference to the amount of alcohol that they drink and 45% of respondents who go to the pub on a regular basis would rather buy alcohol in the supermarket and drink it at home because of the cost.

David Cameron believes that current alcohol prices encourage a culture of ‘loading up’ on cheap alcohol before a night on the town even begins, fueling acts of anti-social behaviour. 62% of men aged 16-24 and 55% of women aged 16-24 admit that they ‘like getting drunk’, fueling the concerns of the Government about young people and binge drinking.

Anthony Wells, Associate Director of YouGov’s Political and Social Research team commented, “With the public split over Cameron’s proposal, it will be interesting to see whether this develops into a major issue for the Coalition Government to deal with.”

llanllyr Source – the only British spring water available in a can

llanllyr SOURCE, the multi award winning natural spring water is now available in a 100% recyclable aluminium can!

With its never ending life cycle (typically a recycled can is back on the shelf in its new form within 6 weeks), using aluminium packaging as opposed to plastic bottles offers many green benefits, not least reduced energy consumption, no landfill requirements and minimal waste. Plus, according to experts the CO2 emitted in the transport of 330ml cans is 49% less per litre than that for 500ml plastic bottles.

“The concept of ‘water in a can’ has been borne out of a need to find a viable out of home solution that was consistent with the company’s environmental principles. Explains Patrick Gee, sales and marketing director of Llanllyr Water Company. “Although we have to use them where only plastic is allowed in for example spas and gyms, we just could not see that plastic bottles are consistent with our environmental principles so we looked for alternative options. llanllyr SOURCE in a can is convenient for drinking on the move, is easy to stack in chiller cabinets and vending machines and is meeting the growing consumer demand for a healthy alternative to sugary drinks” says Patrick who also believes that in having both sparkling and still water in a can llanllyr SOURCE is the only brand with that offer.

For many operators, there is an increased focus on using seasonal and organic ingredients, UK suppliers, and above all that all sources are entirely sustainable. “Attitudes to drinking water are no different. With an award winning water in llanllyr SOURCE right here at home there is in fact no need to import any water from overseas. Our focus has always been on recyclable environmental issues and therefore the market’s sharpened attention to them has been warmly welcomed. We want buyers to know they can enjoy the exceptionally good, fresh, soft taste of llanllyr SOURCE knowing they have ticked all the boxes in terms of sustainability. But now they can not only drink llanllyr SOURCE in a bottle in a restaurant or hotel but on the go and at home in a recyclable can.”

llanllyr SOURCE was the first UK bottled water to be drawn from beneath certified organic fields in west Wales, a totally sustainable source that has been used for drinking water for more than 800 years. The water is 100% natural and bottled at source without the addition of any flavourings or preservatives.

Now available in 330ml aluminium cans as well as the 750ml and 330ml glass bottles, choose from gently carbonated or still llanllyr SOURCE.

For further information, please call 01570 470788 or visit www.llanllyrwater.com

Visa Europe releases best practice guidelines to help hotels protect customer data

Visa Europe, Europe’s leading payment system, today launched the first whitepaper aimed at helping the hospitality industry safeguard customer data. ‘Hospitality Breaches on the Rise’ offers insight on how cyber-criminals target hotels, and guidance on how data can be protected to help businesses comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

Research by Trustwave, a Visa Qualified Forensics Investigator (QFI), found that 38% of all card compromise incident investigations in 2009 occurred in the hospitality industry – highlighting the need for hotels to protect their payment systems.

Hotels can have more complex payment systems than other retail businesses, making it harder for them to achieve PCI DSS compliance. Compared with some retailers who may have only one point-of-sale, customer card data is stored and retrieved at multiple pay terminals within hotels, such as the reservation desk, restaurant, bar, or for room service, internet access and online bookings.

Visa Europe and Trustwave, in consultation with leading hotels, has developed a series of recommendations to help hoteliers and franchises lower the risk of security breaches:

· Change vendor-supplied defaults for passwords or other security information for Hotel Management Systems (HMS) and Point of Sale (POS) payment systems. The HMS is the central and core component in which cardholder data is stored, processed and transmitted to perform authorisation and settlement across other payment terminals in the network
· NULL sessions (unauthenticated connections to a Windows computer) should be disabled. This is the number one method for hackers to gain information on passwords, groups, services and users
· Install and maintain a firewall to protect data. HMS and POS payment systems should not be directly accessible via the Internet; inbound traffic should be blocked and outbound services should be filtered
· Assign a unique ID to each person with computer access and implement a dual-factor authentication method for remote system access via the Internet. This will mitigate unauthorised access into HMS and POS payment systems
· Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data to track and monitor anomalies and suspicious attack activity

Stanley Skoglund, Senior Vice President Payment System Risk at Visa Europe said, “Cardholder data held by hotels is a potentially lucrative hub of information for fraudsters who view the hospitality sector as an easy target. By understanding the nature of security threats and the preventive measures that can be taken, hotels can reduce the risk of compromise. Hotels make up a large proportion of data compromises and Visa Europe is keen to work alongside the industry on initiatives like this white paper, to help increase awareness, to help strengthen defences, and reinforce consumer trust.”

Visa is introducing a range of guidelines for retailers including advice on emerging technologies such as data encryption and tokenisation, which help secure card data when it is either being moved or stored and make it simpler to achieve PCI DSS compliance.

For more information for Visa’s PCI DSS compliance guidelines and Visa’s Hospitality Breaches on the Rise whitepaper click here and look under Vulnerability Guidance

ARGYLL ARMS GOES THROUGH THE LENS FOR DRINKAWARE

Drinkaware got ‘snap happy’ at a central London pub and a night club recently to capture images to help promote the responsible drinking message.

The alcohol awareness charity staged a photo shoot at the 268 year old Argyll Arms* in Oxford Circus, part of the Nicholson’s chain of historical pubs owned by Mitchells & Butlers.. The night club session was held at the Grace Bar, Restaurant and Lounge in nearby Great Windmill Street in Soho.

The pictures will form part of a new image library to be used on the Drinkaware website and in press releases and publications. This was one of a series of photo shoot staged by the charity in the past two months at various locations including pubs, bars, homes and a suburban park. These will represent both positive and negative experiences when drinking alcohol to help strengthen the Drinkaware brand and reinforce the charity’s messages about the effects of alcohol misuse.

Chris Sorek, Chief Executive of Drinkaware, says:

“A picture paints a thousand words and an image can resonate with someone more than the written or spoken word. The new Drinkaware image library will be invaluable in helping us communicate to consumers about making the right choices about alcohol and avoiding the harm caused by alcohol misuse.

“Pubs and clubs are really popular places for friends to socialise and we wanted to make sure our images captured that. We’d like to thank the Argyll Arms and Grace night club for allowing us to use their premises for our photo shoots. This is an excellent example of how in-kind support from the industry helps Drinkaware to spread the message about responsible drinking.”

Drinkaware (www.drinkaware.co.uk) provides consumers with information to make informed decisions about the effects of alcohol on their lives and lifestyles.

Amazon stocks Otley Brewery products

South Wales-based Otley Brewing Company has been selected to become the only real ale supplier to be stocked by Amazon.

Amazon.co.uk launched its new grocery division earlier this month (Thursday 8 July) which stocks 22,000 food and drink products from brands such as Proctor & Gamble, Kraft, Nestle, Uncle Ben’s, Kenco and Walkers.

The independent, family-run business was approached by the giant internet retailer to stock its best-selling product, Real Beer Box which has experienced a boost in sales since Christmas last year through www.realbeerbox.com. Otley will also sell individual bottles of its beers through the site.

The Otley Brewing company has trebled in size since it was established in Pontypridd in 2005. Managing director Nick Otley, said: “To be stocked on Amazon’s new grocery site is great news for Otley and is testament to the hard work we’ve put into building up a brand.

“We brew and source the highest quality beers, ales and ciders and we’re very excited to be seeing our products being stocked nationally through Amazon.”

Established in 2005 in South Wales, Otley is an award-winning, family-run business with a modern, simple approach to brewing.

To Sky or not to Sky, that WAS the question.

By Tony Holman of Crown Awnings

In my younger days I was a main player in the building of our country’s nuclear deterrent (Trident) and I was reasonably well known throughout the hallowed halls of the MOD.  I would like to think this fame was due to my intellect, debating skills and wit but in reality and being a keen fan of the Sex Pistols it was probably more likely to be my 18 inch green Mohican hair style intermingled in a sea of grey suits. One day whilst on walkabout the conservative Minister of Defence at the time put his hand on my shoulder and said, You know what son. “If you are not a communist at 20 you have got no heart, and if your still a communist at 30 you’ve got no brain” and you know what? He was right on both counts.

The moral of this little story is that if you did not have an EU scoured foreign satellite system for the 2009-2010 season then you had no heart and if you still have none for the 2010-2011 season then you have no brain, and here’s why.

Life is full of opportunity and regret and when the high courts in London referred the FAPL Vs Foreign Satellite dealer’s and users to Europe then this opened up a window of real opportunity for those of us with a heart.

That window of opportunity was to run an EU system such as German or Italian alongside British Sky as both these systems show the all important 3.00pm kick off. They compliment BSyB and if run in conjunction would give wall to wall sport and you would enjoy an enforced amnesty for a limited period of time.  This window existed because it would in my opinion be impossible to prosecute anyone using a European System until after the court case which was at the time expected to take place sometime between October 2009 and October 2010.

The commonly held belief then (and it still stands today) is that the European Court will conclude that due to poorly written EU law a “loophole” had been created that allowed the use of EU sourced foreign cards in UK pubs, but that loophole is now firmly closed and the practice must stop with immediate effect.
This may of course be complete rubbish and the Europeans found the practice to be illegal from the off in which case all bets are off and the perpetrators of the heinous crime are going to hell in a hand cart and that bridge needs to be crossed if this happens.

This degree of uncertainty is the reason why the use of foreign systems in the UK is not as prevalent as it could be and it’s certainly not a route that should be taken by the risk adverse or those of a nervous disposition. It was at best complimentary to Sky and at worst an illegal activity.

My personal involvement in foreign satellite commenced in public on the 24th June 2008 which is the date that The honourable Mr Justice Kitchen referred the issue to Europe. From that point on it became a commercial decision and not a legal one as to whether to go down the EU foreign route or not. I wrote to every multiple operator and pubco and indeed everyone I knew and told them so. I also told them that it was a window of opportunity and time dependent and they needed to act fast and gain first mover advantage if they were to benefit from the opportunity.

I also told anyone who would listen as far back as June 2008 NOT to sign up for an extended subscription package or buy any EU systems AFTER October 2009. This was as far as I was concerned the cut off date for the window of opportunity as a decision could be announced any time shortly thereafter, and that decision would always prevent the continued use of foreign systems commercially.

October 2009 was the agreement I had with others in the industry and it was commonly regarded as the safe bet. The reason for this is that none of us have a crystal ball and as stated it is the common belief that you will not be able to use foreign satellite after the hearing as at best it will be deemed to be illegal from that point on. At worst it could always have been illegal and prosecutions could start retrospectively so get the hell out while you can and if sport is good for you then sign up to Sky.

The risk to those users who continue to screen foreign satellite is that it’s due in court any time now and if you have signed up for a year or even two or worse still have paid up front then the card dealer in all probability will be sunning himself on some far away beach with his ill gotten gains. If you are on subscription then my advice would be to stop the mandate now and tell them to come and talk it out. Sign up to Sky and let the MPS go after the low hanging fruit who still openly flaunt the law, you got away with it so get out whilst the goings good and your integrity intact.

I exited the business as promised in October 2009 as I wanted to play fair but many others did not as the greed and easy money took control of their senses. It’s true the case has not yet been heard but that is more luck than judgement and anyone currently using or worse still depending on EU scoured systems has a very short shelf life and need to rapidly reconsider their position.

For those using foreign satellite systems scoured from outside the EU, that’s another story altogether. Without wishing to offend you deserve to be horsewhipped but as that’s no longer allowed then the prospect of sharing a prison cell with the gay chapter of the hells angels is defiantly on the cards for you my boy. Your children will put in the care of a catholic priest and your partner will be hanging around street corners providing “favours” for gentlemen and here’s why.

The entire legal defence meandering its way through the ECJ is based on the freedom of movement of goods within the EU. A past associate of mine argued that Albania is pretty close to the EU so it must be OK for him to sell them. I explained that he was pretty close to having breasts but it did not make him a woman! It just made him fat, stupid, deceitful and greedy.

Anyone selling commercially or using commercially NON –EU systems is without question breaking the law and sooner or later you will get caught. If this is you then throw it out now and call your supplier and demand your money back. This is not a case of me turning from poacher to gamekeeper it’s a case of simple common sense. Albania and for those of you who are geographically challenged is NOT in the EU neither is North Africa and they never have been. You are not protected from prosecution and any sharp suited fast talking salesman telling you different is simply having your pants down and preparing you for your inevitable visit to the aforementioned gay bikers love shack. if you are daft enough to take it then there are plenty of shady dealers out there willing to give it and I have it on good authority that it apparently makes your eyes water.

There is also another category of user out there even more stupid than then those geographically challenged felons awaiting a good rogering from their new biker friends and that is those who have purchased streaming devices or cloned cards and these people are committing a very serious criminal offence.

Cloning and streaming is theft yet I have heard of national pubcos promoting the latter which is stupid beyond belief. As the old adage goes “if something sounds too good to be true it probably is” and again it’s a case of greed from both the supplier and user who both pay less and make more. Both are thieves and both have no defence. WHEN caught you have no place to hide. You cannot act dumb and stupid because that is already a given and you will go to jail for a very long time.

During my time promoting the use of EU scoured satellite I always explained that SKY offer an incredible service and it’s not a matter of what it costs as that’s irrelevant and the simple question is does it offer my business value for money? . If for example Sky contributes double its cost to your margin or if your business is predominantly sports orientated then why on earth are you putting two fingers up at the golden goose? KEEP SKY and during the window of opportunity which is now well and truly closed you should have complimented it with an EU system.

I have lost count of the number of people who used to phone me and say my system (costing £2,500 PA) has gone down and they have lost £10,000 today. Well I am sorry that you are such an ignoramus that you want to jeopardise what is obviously a very good business for the sake of a few quid. Why on earth did you take out sky and what planet did you say you are from again?

As a final note and even if you are for example the cleanest of the clean Sky Italia supplier or user. There is no such thing as a legal commercial sky Italia card in the UK (or indeed any other non UK country of origin). Every single one of them out there is registered to a domestic address in Italy using a false name and a dubiously acquired national insurance number. That card is then shipped to the UK for onward sale to be used commercially, possibly by you?

The reason you sometimes experience viewing difficulty is that on average there are 7 links in the chain between the clandestine manor in which this domestic card was obtained and it reaching your pub. Whilst some or these links may be “Honest John” trying to make a living others could be fairly sinister organised crime. Money passes from you the user all along this chain and if some organisation does not pass it down to the next level then you and get turned off. That’s the top and bottom of it. “You pay your money and you take your chance” and hopefully you stay out of jail.

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