Archive for June, 2010
Nottingham Food Festival 2010
Celebrity chefs on the menu for NOTTINGHAM FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVAL 2010
A host of top celebrity chefs are preparing to cook up a storm as part of the second annual Nottingham Food and Drink Festival.
The full line-up for the event, which takes place 23-26 September and includes a Celebrity Chef Theatre in Old Market Square, has been officially unveiled and includes well known names from Italy, India and the Caribbean.
The festival will be opened by Gino D’Acampo, the Italian chef and winner of the ITV 2009 series I’m A Celebrity…Get Me out of Here!, whilst the hugely popular TV personality and Ready Steady Cook presenter Ainsley Harriott will bring proceedings to a close on the Sunday.
Visitors and foodie fans will also be able to pick up tips from Caribbean soul food star Momma Cherri on the Friday, as well as Michelin-starred chefs and Great British Menu representatives Atul Kochhar on Saturday and Sat Bains on Thursday.
As well as the famous faces in the Celebrity Chef’s Theatre, the festival will also be dishing up live cook-offs, chef demonstrations, events in city centre venues and a host of delectable tasting areas courtesy of local restaurants, bars and eateries, as well as a special food and drink market featuring some of Nottingham’s finest local suppliers.
Other highlights include a Ready Steady Cook style challenge, where members of the armed forces will be partnered with chefs from venues in the city to take part in a series of cook-offs in aid of the Help for Heroes charity. Local sports stars will also be competing at similar events during the four day festival, with a third of the money raised from ticket sales for each of the challenges going to a charity of the winner’s choice.
The Nottingham Food and Drink Festival launched in 2009, with chefs such as James Martin and Simon Rimmer helping to attract around 18,000 visitors from across the country and it’s hoped that this year’s line-up will increase visitor numbers further.
The festival is organised by We Are Nottingham, which sees licensees in the city centre working together and contributing funds towards projects to give visitors the best possible experience when visiting the city.
As well as the Food and Drink Festival, the organisation has worked together on a number of other initiatives, including the taxi marshal scheme and the hugely successful street pastor project.
The festival is also funded by the Greater Nottingham Partnership and supported by Experience Nottinghamshire.
Sylvia Manser, chief executive of We Are Nottingham commented: “We’re delighted to bring the Food and Drink Festival back for a second year. The licensees have been working hard to ensure that 2010’s event will be even bigger and better.
“We have a fantastic mix of celebrity chefs and local talent who will be serving up some great cooking ideas for cookery aficionados, those looking to expand their culinary skills and families. Nottingham has one of the widest selections of cuisines available in the country, so it’s only right that we celebrate it and encourage people in the city to sample some of the food that’s available on their doorstep.”
Online booking for the Nottingham Food & Drink Festival opens on Monday 5th July at www.wearenottingham.co.uk/foodanddrink where you’ll also be able to check out the city’s restaurant and bar scene and find out more details about the full festival programme.
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Feeling hungry? Why not view the best restaurants in Nottingham.
Hunt for City’s Best Customer Experience
Nottingham’s Best Bar None Awards Scheme, which recognises venues in the city that provide a safe environment for customers to enjoy a night out, is now asking city residents and visitors to select the venues which offer the best experience to their customers.
All of the venues that have applied for the scheme have been assessed and are now eligible to win awards, including some for “Best Customer Experience”, voted for by the public on the scheme’s website, www.nottinghambbn.co.uk.
Best Bar None was developed by Police in Manchester to help improve safety and management standards of venues. Licensees work together with the Best Bar None assessors to ensure they have the necessary standards and procedures in place to offer the best possible environment for their customers, from safety to customer service. There are currently over 80 cities running Best Bar None schemes in the UK.
This year, nearly 60 venues applied for the Nottingham scheme, run by We Are Nottingham, the Business Improvement District incorporating all of the city’s licensed businesses. 51 of the applicants achieved the standards and are in the process of being notified that they have been accredited.
Nottingham’s Best Bar None is supported by NBAC and Nottingham City Council, who provided the expert assessors that visited the venues to score them according to the pre-agreed set of criteria.
It has also received funding from We Are Nottingham, international drinks company Diageo and the Home Office, through the Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership.
The accredited venues are now eligible to win a number of awards, and customers are able to vote to decide which pub, bar, restaurant and club provides the best customer experience. Trent FM are supporting the Best Customer Experience voting stage by promoting it to their listeners.
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, said: “I am delighted at the high level of interest in the scheme this year by the licensees in the city. 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.”
Voting is now open and closes on the 1st August, with the winners announced at a glitzy awards bash at the Council House on the 19th August, hosted by Twiggy and Emma from Trent FM’s Breakfast Show.
Purple Flag status for Nottingham City Centre
Nottingham has been officially recognised as one of the best places to go for great night out in Britain.
Nottingham has been successful in its bid to gain Purple Flag Status for its late night offering and is among one of the first places in Britain to be recognised for the strides they have made in becoming safer, cleaner and more pleasant places to be after dark.
Developed by the Association of Town Centre Management (ATCM), the Purple Flag scheme has been set up to establish national standards and raise the image of Britain’s town centres at night. It recognises great entertainment and hospitality areas at night and provides the opportunity for successful centres to present themselves in their true colours and in a positive light to town centre users and operators, residents, tourists and visitors.
The application was a collaborative effort between Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire Police, Nottingham Businesses Against Crime, Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership and We Are Nottingham, which is the Business Improvement District (BID) for the leisure businesses in the city, as well as other city centre partners.
Nottingham has been working hard to improve its night time experience after recognising problems in the city centre and this is an acknowledgment of the positive steps they have made to work out these issues.
Nottingham city centre was assessed on a range of criteria including attractiveness and appeal, cleanliness, personal safety, arts and cultural offer, how welcoming it is, as well as the strength of partnership working. A team of experts carried out the judging process and explored, examined and experienced the nightlife of the centre.
Cllr Jon Collins, Leader of Nottingham City Council, said: “Nottingham is proud to be one of the first UK locations to have Purple Flag status and thanks go to all the teams for their ongoing commitment to partnership working in the city centre.
“Nottingham has always been a 24-hour city and we have worked hard with our partners to offer a wide programme of night time events complements the regular night life in the city’s theatres, cinemas, restaurants, clubs, and bars.
“We have put in place a holistic approach to managing the city’s night life and we are pleased that the judges were impressed by the way the city centre is managed. All the services are linked together with strong leadership and everyone taking responsibility for the success and safety of the whole evening.”
The benefits of achieving Purple Flag Status include:
- A raised profile & Improved public image
- Wider patronage with more families and older people
- Lower crime and anti-social behaviour
- Successful mixed-use economy long term
Jon Collins of CGA and Chair of the Purple Flag judging panel said “the panel is delighted to be awarding Nottingham City Centre a purple flag. Nottingham has worked extremely hard over many years to improve their evening economy and change the perception of ten city. Purple Flag will further improve its public image to encourage more and diverse people into the city at night.
“The Assessors and Panel were impressed by particular strengths, including Doorwatch, Street Pastors, good signage, refurbishment of the public realm, BID management of the city centre and the excellent partnership work between businesses and agencies.”
Superintendent Helen Chamberlain, from Nottingham City Police, said: “Our number one priority is to ensure the safety of everyone who comes into Nottingham and we recognise the importance of providing high visibility policing across the city centre to offer people that reassurance when they are out and about.
“Police officers, along with our partners from Community Protection, take a robust approach to antisocial and alcohol-related behaviour and will deliberately intervene early to prevent problems arising.
”The awarding of the Purple Flag is testament to the efforts of everyone involved in making Nottingham city centre a safer place for all.”
Sylvia Manser, Chief Executive of We Are Nottingham, said: “This is a real achievement for the city that recognises how hard all of the different agencies have worked together to deliver a brilliant and varied experience at night.”
Simon Litherland, Managing Director of Diageo GB who are headline sponsors of the Purple Flag scheme, said, “It’s an unavoidable fact that sadly some people are put off from going out in their town centres by the actions of a few who behave antisocially. Tackling this antisocial behaviour and creating a safer, more enjoyable night-time environment for everyone is crucial and we believe the best way to do this is through a variety of local partners working together – exactly the approach encouraged and recognised by Purple Flag. That’s why we’re delighted to be supporting Purple Flag for the next three years. With our support we hope more areas will be motivated to follow in the footsteps of Nottingham, which is a fantastic example of just how much can be achieved by working in this way.”
Nottingham is entitled to fly the Purple Flag for two years from 16th June 2010. During the next two years Nottingham will be expected to continue to broaden the night time offer, with further improvements to the facilities and services available.
The inspection report will be discussed at the Night Time Economy Partnership Group (NTEPG), where all the partnership organisations in the city meet to discuss the strategy for the night time economy, so the recommendations can be used in the next action plan.
Hunter’s at the Olde Red Lion Welcome Scott Grimsley Back
Chris and Paul at the Olde Red Lion are pleased to be welcoming back Scott Grimsley who returns to Hunters Restaurant to compliment Adam Cyz who joined the team when Scott left to further his culinary expertise last year. Both Scott and Adam have a wealth of experience including the Butchers Arms at Priors Hardwick, Fawsley Hall, Narrow Boat, Weedon, Church Restaurant Northampton and The Griffin Specialist Fish Restaurant, Higham Ferrers both Chefs having originally graduated from Northampton’s own Moulton College. With a passion for food and the support of Chris and Paul in enabling them to use only the best ingredients, this new collaboration is sure to continue the reputation for fabulous cuisine and attention to detail already associated with this dining venue.
With Summer upon us the Olde Red Lion Team offers you an opportunity to use the skills of their chefs who can cater for any special occasion. Whether it be celebration dining at Hunters Restaurant to include Weddings, Birthdays, Anniversaries, Intimate Dinners or Chef Hire Services to produce Fine Dining Meals within your own home, all packages are bespoke to your requirements.
With a FREE Chauffeur Home Service for Diners, make sure you save their web site to your favourites as there is so much going on, including a Sponsored Bungee Jump on Saturday 26th June in aid of Help for Heroes (jumpers still required) and their Annual Beer Festival in July featuring The Hound Dogs Rockabilly/Rock n Roll Show, not to be missed!
For amazing food, great passion and energetic fun be sure to visit The Olde Red Lion, Kislingbury some time soon.
Oundle Mill Awarded 2 AA Rosettes
Just over a year after opening Oundle Mill is delighted to be awarded 2 rosettes by the AA, and is one of only 5 restaurants in Northamptonshire to have achieved this accolade.
The long established and well respected AA Rosette scheme recognises successful cooking at different levels across the UK. Success or failure in achieving Rosettes is based on one or more visits by an AA inspector to a hotel or restaurant.
In the words of The AA 2 rosettes are awarded to:
‘Excellent restaurants that aim for and achieve higher standards and better consistency. A greater precision is apparent in the cooking, and there will be obvious attention to the selection of quality ingredients. Around 40% of restaurants/hotels within our AA Restaurant Guide have Two Rosettes.
Head Chef and Manager Jeremy Medley commented ‘We are delighted to receive such a prestigious award. Oundle Mill is a fabulous building in a beautiful setting with a passionate and dedicated team and we are all excited about the future.’
Oundle Mill, Barnwell Road, Oundle, Northamptonshire, PE8 5PB.
Click here to view the menus and photos of the stunning award winning venue – Oundle Mill.
PR – The Curry Lounge Launch New Healthier Menu
LOW CALORIE CURRY, BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT!
NEW HEALTHY MENU FROM THE CURRY LOUNGE REVEALED
The Curry Lounge in Nottingham is launching its much awaited new menu on June 7, 2010, following its mission to cut-back on calories, in order to offer a much healthier dining experience when eating out.
Over recent years, consumers have shown greater interest in what food they eat; whether it’s organic, locally sourced, gluten-free or low in cholesterol, and have become far more health conscious as a result – hence the Curry Lounge’s extensive research, testing and year long development of its new healthy menu.
Indian food is well known for being high in calories and saturated fats, but the chefs at the restaurant, led by owner Arfan Razak, have taken a completely different approach to the way they cook their cuisine, opting for more traditional dishes.
Techniques have been adapted, with more ingredients being marinated for longer, followed by being steamed, chargrilled, tandoor-cooked or stir-fried. There’s also been a big shift towards tempering spices for longer periods, as well as removing saturated fats and using the ingredients’ own natural oils in meats and fish, so that there’s no need to add any additional oil, ghee or butter.
The low calorie results from the Curry Lounge’s dishes have been phenomenal. The chefs have switched to cholesterol-free vegetable and olive oil, and they’ve reduced the amount they use by an impressive 40 per cent.
Calorie values have been revealed at the back of the menu for all of the dishes, but diners that choose the dishes nearer the top of each section will be safe in the knowledge that they’re automatically opting for a dish with lower calories compared to the ones below.
There is also a brand new ‘healthy options’ page where diners can choose from six meals (that include a main dish, rice, salad and raita) that have a total average calorie count of only 665 calories.
A secret trial was held last week amongst customers who didn’t necessarily realise they were eating their favourite Indian dishes but with reduced calories. Feedback was excellent, as each diner felt there were increased depths of flavours, and lighter and fresh new dishes. And as a few said they noticed some dishes weren’t as spicy, Raz and his team have been tweaking the heat levels since to get the menu absolutely perfect.
“We’re really excited about our tasty new, healthier menu!” said Raz. “The lamb dishes, such as the Chef’s Korma (654 kcal) and Bhuna (755 kcal) are where we’ve had the most success in reducing the number of calories, as each are cooked with almost zero oil and use more water to keep the meat moist and ensure there’s still plenty of flavour.
“Natural oils from aromatic spices, curry leaves and specially sourced herbs from India are also used, as well as cuts of meat that are trimmed of all fat, slow-braised and some are even served on the bone.”
Other heavily reduced calorie dishes that are particularly worthy of note are the Mahi Makhni sea bass (286 kcal) and Murgh Chettinand Balti chicken (717kcal).
“It’s important to consider people’s request for healthier options when they dine in your restaurant,” added Raz. “So, by using even more traditional cooking techniques and reducing the oil and calorie content across all of our dishes, we’ve come up with a balanced menu that we’re really proud of.”
To Celebrate Raz and the team at the Curry Lounge are offering a special offer on the new menu – so why not view the menu and enjoy a great deal!
