Lifestyle News

Double Dutch, the producers of award-winning premium mixers and tonics, has announced the completion of its latest funding round, securing £4m investment. The news comes after the female-founded brand grew distribution by 63% in the last year alone. 

As the market player with the fastest volume growth in category, the premium drinks brand has completed this latest round of funding to grow the brand in the UK, strengthen its sales team and drive growth in export, with a primary focus on its secondary home market, Benelux, the UAE, and planning entry to the APAC region. As part of its mission to double the expectations of mixers, Double Dutch has now secured the backing of more than 40 F&B and hospitality industry investors, including the likes of the Heineken - De Carvalho Family. 

Barratt and David Wilson Homes has donated £1,500 to Gears of Goodwill, which helps to tackle homelessness head on and helps less fortunate individuals in Derbyshire to get their lives back.

Gears of Goodwill was set up by a group of likeminded individuals nine years ago, and is run part-time by volunteers. It operates a street kitchen on Liversage Street in Derby city centre every week, to provide hot drinks, hot meals, sleeping bags, clothing and, most importantly, a friendly face to talk to for hundreds of beneficiaries.

Naksha Recipe Kits has taken its first stride into the UK by securing stardust listings of its delicious and beautifully designed recipe kits at Whole Foods Market, Harrods and John Lewis.

Naksha's UK-made range include both savoury and sweet (baking) dishes, encouraging users to discover and cook off-the-beaten-track cuisines in their own kitchens. First launched by Nisha Ramisetty and her husband Sam Williams in Dubai in 2020, Naksha quickly gained traction by winning the prestigious Spinneys and Waitrose Local Business Incubator and has been listed in Spinneys and Waitrose stores in the UAE ever since.

Dom Pérignon, the renowned Champagne House, announced today that it is partnering with Liquid Icons (the fine wine research and content production company founded by the late, great Gérard Basset OBE MW MS and his friend Lewis Chester DipWSET) and the Gérard Basset Foundation to launch a new Dom Pérignon Golden Vines MW Scholarship.

The Dom Pérignon Golden Vines MW Scholarship Winner will undertake an intensive, paid training program for 4 weeks at Dom Pérignon, in which time they will work closely with the winemaking team, attaining skills and knowledge which will aid them both with the MW studies and with their future career progression. The Scholarship will fund the winner to undertake the MW Certification.

The Caribbean island of Nevis has announced the return of the famous Nevis Mango Festival, a popular event drawing attention from both international and local audiences.

Taking place from 30 June – 2 July 2023, the Festival gives visitors the opportunity to learn about and savour the flavours of 44 varieties of mangos that are grown on the island with visitors expecting fun, engaging and educational experiences throughout, including a mango cook-off, a mango eating competition, and a mango hunt. There are also tours of local farms, tastings of different varieties of mangos, and opportunities to purchase fresh mangos and mango products.

Known as the Spice Isle of the Caribbean, the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) has launched a culinary partnership with renowned Chef Alexander Smalls to raise its profile as a leading culinary destination. The partnership will involve a Master Class with local chefs, recipe development showcasing Grenada’s spices and cacao, a Tastemaker event featuring celebrity and influential chefs, a Fireside Chat with Grenada’s leaders in food security, agriculture and sustainability, and the Spice Replanting Program.  

IFCO, the world's leading provider of Reusable Packaging Containers (RPCs) is expanding its support for FareShare and The Felix Project, two of the leading food redistribution charities in the UK. The overriding goal of the three-way partnership is to make it easier, faster and cost neutral for producers, suppliers and retailers to donate their surplus food to the charitable organisations, while at the same time ensuring that FareShare and The Felix Project can deliver healthy fresh food to people in need more safely and efficiently.

Since Abdirahman Kahin moved to the United States, he has never stopped dreaming. Born in Somalia and raised in Djibouti, he immigrated to the United States in 1996.

Kahin worked for a media company before he discovered his passion was in food service. He opened his first restaurant in 2010 in Minneapolis to bring a taste of Africa to the Midwest. Customers can order Somali steak sandwiches and curry goat, among other options.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, spoke to food manufacturers today (23 May) about the cost of food in the UK.    

The Chancellor highlighted the widespread concern among the British public about the current level of food prices and their impact on household budgets, particularly for the most vulnerable. He listened to the views of manufacturers about the causes of food inflation, reiterated the support announced by the Prime Minister last week for the UK food sector, and agreed that food manufacturers would continue to engage with senior government ministers about potential measures that government and industry can take to ease the pressure on consumers.   

Cocoba, the Kent-based chocolate company renowned for producing irresistible chocolate and hot chocolate gifts, has launched a range of quintessentially British chocolate bars.

Inspired by British desserts the Cocoba “Best of British Chocolate Bars”, all priced at £4.50 individually or in a pack at £18, make a superb addition to any summer picnic. “The Best of British Chocolate Bar Selection,” made from the highest-quality Belgian chocolate, include something for everyone from sticky toffee pudding, apple crumble, Eaton mess and lemon meringue flavours.

The South West's food, drink and hospitality sector is currently operating in the toughest environment for many years, yet powerful feelings of pride and determination were the overriding emotions at the 2023 Food Reader Awards which took place on Monday 15th May.

The event was a huge success and received a much-needed shot of positivity for the industry at this difficult time.  Attendees were resolute in their belief that, while the year ahead looks to be difficult (as a result of food and fuel prices and a recruitment crisis), pulling together is the best way for independent businesses to survive.

Heidi Kühn walked through her first minefield, in Dragalić, Croatia, in 2000. Workers there asked her blood type in case she stepped on a land mine.

“That was such a defining moment,” Kühn said. “I was with a friend and we looked at each other in the eye and we were like, ‘What have we gotten ourselves into?’ And they suited me up.” Kühn, a California native, has earned international recognition for Roots of Peace, the non-profit she founded in 1997 that transforms heavily mined areas into sustainable farmland. Or as Kühn puts it, she’s turning mines to vines.

Christopher Dawson, founder of authentic Japanese and organic fine foods brands Clearspring, was awarded the prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award at the Natural & Organic Innovation Awards. The awards ceremony took place on April 16th, after day one of the Natural & Organic Products Europe show at Excel, London.

Established in 1957 with root in hospitality, the Miramar Group has then expanded its portfolio to include stylish hotels and serviced apartments, property rental, food and beverage, and travel services both in Hong Kong and in Mainland China. Over the years, Miramar Group has become a leading industry player and a renowned brand in Hong Kong, with its fashionable design hotels and restaurants that loved and frequented by many locals.

Introducing Sriracha Chilli and original Mac N'cheese, Pots of Oozy, Gooey Pasta Deliciousness from Kabuto Listed Nationwide by Tesco.

Stir up the store cupboard with brand new Kabuto Mac n'Cheese pasta pots. Bursting onto the shelves this spring at Tesco includes scorching Sriracha Chilli and creamy, oozy original variations to tantalise the tastebuds and take you on a fun, fusion flavour journey - rolling out in Tesco stores now. The first ever pasta meals from Kabuto, (normally known for 'posh pot noodles') are easy peasy cheesy pots of goodness, perfect for Mac n'Cheese obsessives and busy people who want a quick meal packed to the brim with taste.

An Israeli company announced that it has developed a 3D printed grouper fish fillet from stem cells, which are then processed via bioprinting technology into a fish-like shape.

Stakeholder Foods, in conjunction with Umami Meats, has created a method of 3D bioprinting your very own ‘fresh’ fish, which, it says, mimics the taste and texture of natural fish and will be ready for cooking immediately. According to the company, new product could hit the supermarket shelves later this year.