On a crisp evening on the 30th January, the Jamaica High Commission in London was the venue of choice for the launch of an exciting new range of products from Marshall & Brown.

In the presence of His Excellency Seth George Ramocan, CD, High Commissioner for Jamaica, the Honourable Attorney General of Jamaica, Marlene Malahoo Forte, QC, JP, MP, and Deputy High Commissioner for Jamaica Mrs Angela Rose Howell, guests were treated not only to an evening of delights for the eyes, ears and tastebuds, but to the wonderful story of the creation of the Marshall & Brown brand.

Developed by Dr Carlton Brown, a 1st generation British-Jamaican with a love of Caribbean food and his wife Marvely, the inspiration for this premium range of authentic Jamaican foods and beverages came from his ninety-five year old mother and late mother in law, who were both excellent cooks.

After hearing from Dr Brown, and Laurence Jones, the European Regional Manager for JAMPRO, as well as H.E. George Ramocan and an impromtu message from the Attorney General, the attendees were treated to a range of beautiful savoury and dessert canapes created using Marshall & Brown products, including coconut and chilli prawns, ackee and saltfish on sweet potato cakes, and a selection of their amazing rum cakes and chocolates.

The rum cakes are the most moist, light and fluffy cakes that The Phoenix Newspaper office has ever seen, and they went within minutes of them getting to the break room. Absolutely divine.

H.E. Seth George Ramocan said in his opening remarks, “Dr Brown has an insatiable love for Jamaica, and especially in its food! Marshall & Brown has been able to take it from intial engagement with JAMPRO and the High Commission to this launch in a short time. “I implore you to share this brand far and wide.”

It was wonderful to see not only Dr Brown and his wife at the launch, but that his 95 year old mother was also able to attend, and even got up to dance as the music took her!

“I am feeling overwhelmingly proud and happy that this is a product range than spans generations. We also want to see this range in Jamaica, not just created there and exported!” said The Honourable Attorney General of Jamaica, Marlene Malahoo Forte.

Remember the name, Marshall and Brown, Purveyors of Fine Jamaican Fayre, you’ll be missing out if you don’t!

2018 will likely be known as the year that veganism turned mainstream as more shoppers continue to adopt vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian diets.

Waitrose & Partners Fish'less'fingers are made from breaded seaweed tofu, with a crispy coating and subtle fish flavour.

When paired with the Waitrose 1 White Sourdough and the new Vegan Tartar Sauce, the Fish'less'fingers make for the perfect comfort sandwich. Made from silken tofu, gherkins, capers, lemon and parsley - the own brand tartare sauce is perfectly 'creamy', vegan-friendly and another first-to-market.

The appetite for vegan food continues to grow with Waitrose & Partners reporting that sales of its new vegan party food range are up 20% since its launch in October.

Chloe Graves, Chilled Vegan & Vegetarian Buyer at Waitrose & Partners says, “After the successful launch of our new vegan and vegetarian range in October 2018 we've been working to see what other interesting dishes and products we can add to the range. The Fish'less'fingers are a great vegan alternative to a much-loved food which we hope our customers will love.'

Acclaimed Muir of Ord bakery and café, Bad Girl Bakery, has expanded into Inverness city centre by Eastgate Shopping Centre with the launch of the Cake & Coffee Caravan.

The Cake & Coffee Caravan will serve coffees and hot chocolates alongside a range of the bakery's cakes and gourmet doughnuts in Falcon Square. The selection will change daily to make the most of seasonal ingredients and unusual flavour combinations but flavours like crème brûlée doughnuts; cherry cheesecake brownies; vanilla caramel fudge cupcakes filled with caramel and topped with Orkney Fudge; and apple cinnamon doughnuts; all sold out within a few hours of opening on the days when the caravan was tested.

Jeni Hardie, owner of Bad Girl Bakery said:

“The response to the trial weekend of the Cake & Coffee Caravan has been phenomenal. We sold out around 400 cakes by lunchtime each day so we know there's an appetite for our produce in Inverness! We're really enjoying meeting fellow cake fans and are looking forward to a busy few months.”

The sleek, retro-style aluminium caravan was built to order and will be based in Falcon Square from 10am to 5pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays into the spring.

Bad Girl Bakery opened its bakery and café in Muir of Ord in 2017 and has since built a reputation for its outstanding cakes and customer service. In October, the bakery won the Business Growth category in the Highlands & Islands Food & Drink Awards.

Believe the hype because it is here. Fridays all-new meat-free vegan burger – one of the most talked about burgers in the USA last year – has landed in the UK.

The burger answers the prayers of those on a vegetarian, vegan or flexitarian diet – or simply wanting to cut down on the meat – as it tastes every bit as juicy and flavoursome as the real thing.

Why? Because this is no normal vegan burger. It even ‘bleeds’ like the real thing. But there is nothing to worry about, as this is thanks to beetroot juice. As well as beetroot, the burger is made from coconut oil, mushrooms, herbs, plant proteins, and spices, and is flame-grilled to perfection by Fridays chefs before being served in a 100% vegan bun with lettuce, onion and tomato, as well as a side salad or fries

It also comes at a pretty tasty price – just £10.99 – making it healthier for the wallet too! The burger launches on 7 January, making it the perfect meal for those giving Veganuary a go. It’s addition to the menu now means vegan guests can dive into and enjoy what Fridays is famous for – the juiciest burgers in town. And we challenge anyone to see if they can tell the difference between the meat-free burger and the real thing. Yes, it’s that good!

Terry McDowell, TGI Fridays’ Head Chef said: “Fridays flame-grilled, hand-crafted burgers are one of the most popular dishes on our menu and now everyone can enjoy their legendary taste, whether they are vegan, vegetarian, trying to cut down on meat, or anything in between! We launched our vegan burger in the States last year and have been inundated with messages asking if we planned to bring it to the UK. So, it is here by popular demand!

“We’ve put a lot of research and effort into ensuring we offer the best vegan burger in town, as well as one that comes with a 100% vegan bun. With high protein, zero cholesterol – yet all the flavour of a real burger and with a succulent and satisfying meaty ‘bite’ – the question is, why wouldn’t you give it a go?”

It’s not just the meat free burger Fridays offers – check out the menu online for a whole host of other delicious vegan-friendly dishes.

Award-winning, fine dining Indian restaurant, Pushkar, is taking on the vegan diet (Veganuary) for this month only.

On through to January 31, there will be a limited edition vegan menu, bringing an exciting fresh and flavoursome interpretation to veganism with Head Chef at the multi-award winning eatery on Birmingham’s famed Broad Street, Vindod Singh creating a Veganuary menu inspired from his childhood to prove how tasty vegan food can be.

Veganuary has become the latest trend for those who were looking to bring in the New Year with a detox, as supermarkets have revealed an increase in demand for meat and dairy free food.

Celebrities such as five-time Formula 1 champion, Lewis Hamilton and pop singer, Ariana Grande have both converted to the vegan life style as the trend ever grows.

Pushkar are bringing this new trend to the fine dining market, promoting its nutritional benefits.

Several studies have reported that vegan dietstend to provide more fibre, antioxidants and beneficial plant compounds.

They also appear to be richer in potassium, magnesium, folate and vitamins A, C and E.

Creative Director at Pushkar, Rai Singh, said: "As the New Year approaches, opportunities arise to better yourself and get healthy. By taking part in Veganuary, you will notice the health benefits straight away. Give it a go and see the results!"

The John Lewis Partnership has announced a three-year trial with the Small Robot Company to test its revolutionary farmbots at the company's farm in Leckford, Hampshire. The Leckford Estate, which grows produce for Waitrose & Partners including mushrooms, rapeseed, apples and many other products, will see three small robots - Tom, Dick and Harry - learn and test their state-of-the-art farming technology on a one-hectare wheat field.

The field trial will start with a prototype Tom robot, which is fitted with cameras and will get the lay of the land by gathering topographical data. Weighing just ten kilos, the robot is able to move autonomously to obtain a pin-point accurate, plant-by-plant view of the wheat field, leading to higher efficiency.

Through this data collection, the Small Robot Company will develop its machine learning in a variety of scenarios, such as differentiating between weeds and terrain, while building new prototype machines in the process. The trial will also provide the John Lewis Partnership's Room Y innovation team with valuable insight to support innovation at Leckford, and inform how robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) could be used further in other areas of the business.

With farming costs rising by almost 8 per cent year on year, this new technology could help relieve some of the pressure and costs within the agriculture sector, improving yields, reducing the use of chemicals and helping to apply big data in agricultural practices to drive efficiency. This type of innovation has the potential to increase revenues by up to 40 per cent and lowering costs by as much as 60 per cent.

Field robotics: how small robots will evolve to help British farming

The data gathered by the prototype Tom robot will be used to develop an AI system called Wilma, which will eventually guide the three robots to farm autonomously. The trial at the Leckord Estate and other farms will be used to create and test prototype versions of Dick, the precision weeding robot, and Harry, the digital planting robot. Dick will use machine vision to differentiate between weeds and crops, thereby enabling it to kill weeds with lasers. Harry will accurately punch-plant seeds individually in the ground at a uniform depth, creating a plant level map showing the exact location of each seed.

In addition to increased precision, efficiency and productivity, the small robots are expected to deliver considerable environmental benefits. As the robots are much lighter than traditional farming tractors, they reduce the damage caused to soil by current farming practices. The small robots will also be able to take care of every single plant on an individual basis, giving them the perfect level of nutrients and support, with no waste.

Andrew Hoad, Partner & Head of the Leckford Estate, says:

“We are very excited to trial Tom, Dick and Harry at the Leckford Estate. The Waitrose & Partners farm has a long history in producing a wide variety of high quality crops. We work hard to farm in harmony with the environment and our vision for sustainable farming is aligned to what the Small Robot Company is trying to achieve.

“This new technology could be revolutionary for British farming. It is not designed to replace human labour but instead boost productivity and increase accuracy, freeing up the agricultural workforce to focus on other important tasks. We want to be at the forefront of this, and ensure we leave our soils and environment in great shape for future generations.”

Sam Watson Jones, co-founder of Small Robot Company and a fourth generation Shropshire farmer, says:

“We're positively thrilled to have the John Lewis Partnership and Waitrose & Partners farm on board to help us develop our robots. Together, we will be working to reimagine food production. We're on the cusp of a fourth agricultural revolution, taking farming into the digital age: and with British ideas and British technology at the helm. Our Tom, Dick and Harry robots will completely transform what's possible on the farm. We will be able to use gardening tactics such as companion planting, but for broadacre crops. Different crops could be planted alongside each other in the same field, and harvested at different times. It's the ultimate sustainable farming model.”