Tag: Christmas

Festivi-teas at Dobbies

With the most wonderful time of the year just around the corner, get into the seasonal spirit and enjoy Dobbies’ Christmas Afternoon Tea.

Dobbies has decked the Edinburgh store out in festive decorations, and has everything customers could dream of do Christmas their way. From real and faux trees and wreaths, to decorations in a variety of dazzling winter themes, plus gifts, festive food and stocking fillers.

Dobbies’ Christmas Afternoon Tea includes a selection of seasonal finger sandwiches, mini cakes, sweet slices and mince pies. Freshly-made festive scones with jam and clotted cream will also be served, perfectly paired with a pot of tea or coffee. For added sparkle, there’s the opportunity to upgrade with a bottle of Prosecco.

Also available for little ones is Dobbies’ Children’s Christmas Afternoon Tea. Freshly-made sandwiches, delicious festive treats, a selection of healthy snacks and fruit juice means the whole family can enjoy a seasonal treat.

Sarah Murray, Partnership and Events Manager at Dobbies said: “Christmas at our Edinburgh store is a magical time of the year and we can’t wait to welcome customers in to enjoy all that we have to offer. We’re not your average garden centre.

“Our restaurant is the perfect spot for a festive bite to eat after a busy day shopping at the Edinburgh store. The Christmas Afternoon Tea is a lovely way for customers to enjoy our fantastic selection of baked goods, leaving them feeling festive.”

Dobbies’ Edinburgh Christmas Afternoon Tea experience is available for a limited time throughout November and December. Prices start from £13.50 per adult and £7.50 per child and booking is essential.

To book your experience or for more information visit:

https://www.dobbies.com/events

Morrisons launches The Best Orange & Gingerbread Gin Liquer Snow Dome – and it glows!

– At a fraction of the price of other retailers, the festive bottle will add a touch of sparkle this Christmas –

– The ideal stocking filler for the gin lover in your life –

– Press the button and let the bottle light up! –

Morrisons has launched The Best Orange & Gingerbread Gin Liqueur Snow Dome; a glittering tipple that is perfect for enjoying this Christmas. At just £15, the bottle costs a fraction of the price of high street alternatives and is now available in stores, soon to go online.

The new gin liqueur offers delicately spiced flavours of ginger and cinnamon topped with orange notes. Simply mix with your favourite tonic, or to add a festive touch to classic gin cocktails such as a French 75, a Negroni or a citrussy Gin Fizz.

The eye-catching bottle features a beautiful festive scene with added sparkle, making for a beautiful addition to the Christmas drinks trolley or as a gift for discerning drinks lovers. What’s more, switching a button on the bottom of the bottle will make it light up; offering a Christmas decoration that will last for years to come.

Morrisons The Best Orange & Gingerbread Gin Liqueur (70cl) is available in stores and online now for £15. ABV 20%.

Letters: RNIB gets set for Santa

Dear Editor,

With the festive season nearly upon us, Santa and his elves are already busy getting everything prepared to make sure every child has a magical Christmas.

As always, Santa is expecting to receive millions of letters from children all over the world with asks of what they’d like to receive in their stockings on Christmas Day.

To make sure that every child can read his reply, Santa has teamed up with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to make his letters available in accessible formats, including braille, audio and large print, for children who have a vision impairment.

Last year, the elves sent 1,465 letters from Santa to blind and partially sighted children across the UK, helping them experience the same magic of Christmas as sighted children.

If you know a child who has a vision impairment and who would love to receive a letter from Santa, please send their Christmas letter to: Santa Claus, RNIB, Northminster House, Northminster, Peterborough, PE1 1YN.

Santa has also gone digital! Email santa@rnib.org.uk by Wednesday 22 December for an email response with a large print attachment.

Letters can also be requested through RNIB’s website at www.rnib.org.uk/santa.

On behalf of Santa, his elves and all at RNIB, we wish you a Merry Christmas!

David Clarke

Director of Services, Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)

Merry Crustmas from Morrisons!

Customers’ hopes of a white Christmas have been answered this week as Morrisons launches its new festive pizza range – including a Chocolate Gingerbread pizza (£2.89) hand-topped with snow-shaped marshmallows to create a mini snow scene.

The decadent toppings make for the ultimate dessert pizza, with salted toffee sauce, milk chocolate chips, mini white mallows, double chocolate chunk cookie dough and six mini gingerbread men. A luxurious choice for sweet pizza lovers and perfect for sharing with friends and family.

Available from Morrisons in-store pizza counters, the pizza is part of a new limited-edition range for customers to enjoy in the run up to Christmas. 

New festive flavours include The Caramelised Biscuit pizza (£2.89) which has been created with biscuit and pizza fans in mind. The 10-inch pizza base is coated with a generous serving of caramelised biscuit spread and topped with white chocolate chips and caramelised biscuits.

And for those who can’t wait until the 25th for their Christmas dinner, the Pigs in Blankets pizza (£3.89) is topped with classic Pigs in Blankets, chicken and cranberry sauce – on a 14-inch stonebaked base with tomato sauce and cheese. The ultimate way to enjoy these festive favourites ahead of the big day.

Mark Pearson, Buying Manager at Morrisons, said: “Our customers love Christmas and they love pizza. So we challenged our foodmakers to come up with three festive flavours to spread some Christmas cheer amongst customers and get everyone excited for the festive season.” 

The new Christmas pizzas will be available at pizza counters in Morrisons stores across the country. The Pigs in Blankets and Chocolate Gingerbread pizzas are available until Friday 24th December, priced at £3.89 for Pigs in Blankets & £2.89 for Chocolate Gingerbread Pizza.

The Caramelised Biscuit pizza will be available from Monday 15thNovember until Sunday 28thNovember, priced at £2.89. 

For more information visit www.morrisons.co.uk. 

Morrisons is crowned Best Supermarket Mince Pie in Good Housekeeping’s Christmas Awards

Morrisons The Best Deep Filled All-Butter Mince Pies have been crowned the Best Supermarket Mince Pie in Good Housekeeping’s annual Christmas food review. 

Morrisons scored more points than any other supermarket – including M&S – to take the coveted title of Best Supermarket Mince Pie and was placed higher than luxury offerings from Harvey Nichols and Prestat as well as brand-favourite Mr Kipling.

Morrisons also saw off competition from Abel & Cole mince pies, priced at £6.15 for six – more than three times the price of the Morrisons treat. 

The Morrisons pies cost £2 for a pack of six – less than 35p per pie. Customers can also buy two packs for £3 resulting in an even better bargain of 25p per pie.

All the mince pies were blind tasted by a panel of experts at Good Housekeeping. The judges scored the Morrisons pies 77/100, the highest of any supermarket tested and commented that:

“The chunky filling is made up of apple, vanilla, mixed spice and orange oil, which creates a marmalade-esque appeal. Add to that a warming touch of alcohol, sweet pastry and festive star-shaped lid, and we can see why Morrisons scored so highly with our testers.”

From the Morrisons test kitchen, to zoom meetings and back to the test kitchen, Morrisons team of expert foodmakers have spent months developing the recipe to create the perfect product customers will love this Christmas.

Gareth Colling, Mince Pie Developer at Morrisons, said: “We know our customers love a classic mince pie and this year we’ve developed our recipe to include just the right balance of tangy mincemeat versus sweet shortcrust pastry.

“We’re thrilled to have been named the Best Supermarket Mince Pie by Good Housekeeping and look forward to our customers enjoying them throughout the festive season.”

Morrisons also topped the flavoured smoked salmon category with The Best Smoked Salmon with Orange Oil (scoring 79/100) and was named a runner up for Meat-Free Mains with its The Best Vegan Vegetable Wellington (scoring 78/100).

Morrisons The Best Deep Filled All-Butter Mince Pies are available in stores nationwide and online now for £2.00, or 2 packs for £3.00. 

To buy online please visit:

https://groceries.morrisons.com/products/morrisons-the-best-deep-filled-mince-pies-427212011

Morrisons cut up to 50% off toys for Christmas

– Morrisons has cut the price of a range of toys until the end of October –

– Parents can save as much as £55 on some of this season’s must-have presents –

– Morrisons hopes the deals will help more customers get their hands on much-wanted gifts for Christmas –

Morrisons has launched a mega sale on toys in store, to help customers prepare for Christmas. The supermarket has cut up to 50% off products from popular household brands including Disney Princess, Lego, Peppa Pig and Mario Kart.

Morrisons customers will also be able to get their hands on a LOL Surprise Mega Remix Set – tipped to be one of this season’s hottest gifts – for just £75, 50% off the RRP and much cheaper than available elsewhere. 

The majority of the deals, which also include a Peppa Pig Playhouse that has been reduced from £110 to £55 and Lego sets for £17.50, will be available until the 2nd November.

Unlike other supermarket toy sales, the deals will be available to all customers, without the need to sign up to any loyalty schemes. 

With less than three months to go until the big day, Morrisons hopes that the deals will help customers who want to get presents sorted early.

David Catton, Toys Buyer at Morrisons, said: “At Morrisons, our shelves are fully stocked with Christmas gifts. We want to help customers bag a bargain and get the Christmas shopping sorted early so they can focus on spending quality time with friends and family during the festive season.” 

Morrisons toy deals are available in selected Morrisons stores now while stocks last.

For more information visit: https://groceries.morrisons.com. 

Highlight deals in Morrisons Toy Sale:

ProductRetail pricePromo priceEnd date
DISNEY PRINCESS CASTLE£60.00£36.0002/11/21
PEPPA PIG PLAYHOUSE£110.00£55.0002/11/21
MARIO KART REMOTE CONTROL RACER£50.00£34.0002/11/21
LEGO CLASSIC CREATIVE TRANSPARENT BRICKS£35.00£17.5002/11/21
LOL DANCE MACHINE SURPRISE£40.00£28.0002/11/21
NICKELODEON SLIMY FUN KIT£11.50£9.2002/11/21
DISNEY PRINCESS STYLING HEAD£25.00£15.0002/11/21
MICRO MACHINES SUPER VAN CITY£60.00£36.0002/11/21
METAL MACHINES GORILLA RAMPAGE£60.00£30.0019/10/21
LOL SURPRISE OMG REMIX SET£150.00£75.0019/10/21

Christmas is back with a bang as St James Quarter announces the arrival of Bar Hütte’s festive experience

Edinburgh’s Christmas is back with a bang as St James Quarter announces the arrival of Bar Hütte’s festive experience that is set to take shape from Monday 8th November, offering a unique take on ‘Alpine Après Ski’.

Proving popular in other cities across the UK, the pop-up concept provides private holiday style chalets for shoppers to get cosy with friends and indulge in festive speciality cocktails, whilst taking part in Christmas karaoke.

Located at St James Square, customers can also enjoy live music sessions whilst sipping on a hot gin or spiced mulled wine and tucking into mince pies until Sunday 2nd January.

Inspired by previous trips to Courchevel, Zermatt and Tignes, Bar Hütte have created the look and atmosphere of traditional Alpine ski resorts. Furnished with a warm, festive décor, the super-snug ski hüttes are the perfect place to accommodate wintertime get-togethers, a post-Christmas shopping ‘pick-me-up’ or date nights with a difference.

Each private, bookable hütte includes a karaoke set-up so you and the blast out Mariah, Wham or Kylie to your hearts content.

Nick Peel, Managing Director at St James Quarter, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Bar Hütte to St James Quarter as part of our Christmas offering. With it being our first Christmas, we’re excited to join our customers in getting into the festive spirit and what better than mulled wine and karaoke to help us do that.

“These Alpine Après Ski’ inspired huts are the perfect way to create our very own winter wonderland here at The Quarter and we can’t wait for everyone to enjoy them.”

To experience a ‘Cosy Karaoke Hütte’ for up to eight people for 1 hour 45 minutes, each hut requires a non-refundable booking fee of £60. This includes Christmas karaoke as well as a complimentary welcome ‘Bombardino’ – a warm drink made up of hot rum and eggnog topped with whipped cream & cinnamon.

Bar Hütte also has a VIP area that can cater for up to 20 people for two hours for £150. This includes hire of the space, Christmas karaoke, a welcome glass of prosecco and a Bombardino for all guests on arrival.

For more details and to book tickets visit: https://www.barhutte.co.uk/ or get more information on Instagram and Facebook.

Morrisons to recruit 3,000 extra colleagues this Christmas

– £10 per hour starting salary* – 

– Full training provided – 

– Permanent and temporary opportunities available –

– Roles in distribution centres and manufacturing sites nationwide –

Morrisons is looking to recruit 3,000 new colleagues ahead of the festive season in order to meet increased demand at Christmas.  

This year’s holiday season is anticipated to be even busier than usual as customers try to make up for last year’s restricted celebrations and hold multiple gatherings with their friends and family.

To help prepare, Morrisons is looking to recruit colleagues for its distribution centres and manufacturing sites across the country.  The roles available range from warehouse and production operatives, to pickers and packers as well as other skilled roles such as fork lift truck drivers.  Full training will be provided for all positions and so no prior experience is required.

Morrisons has also joined the Kickstart scheme meaning it welcomes applications from 16-24 year olds who are receiving universal credit.

Earlier this year, Morrisons became the first UK supermarket to guarantee pay of at least £10 per hour* and colleagues also benefit from a 10% staff discount as well as flexible hours and shift patterns to suit.

Clare Grainger, Morrisons People Director, said: “Customers have told us that they want to make up for last year’s low-key festive season and so we are working hard to make sure that our shelves are stocked with everything they need to help them celebrate. 

“We are looking for 3,000 Christmas helpers to come and join our busy, fast-moving and exciting team on a temporary or permanent basis and help make good things happen this Christmas.”

Anyone wishing to apply should visit www.morrisons.jobs or call 0345 6116111

Christmas waste in numbers

300,000 tonnes of waste chucked out this week

The staggering amount of waste generated at Christmas can be finally revealed, with a total of 302,913 tonnes of waste being dumped this week alone across the UK, as bins are filled to the brim.

“Even with a slightly toned-down Christmas this year, we all know how full the bins get after Christmas – it’s now clear the huge environmental impact all this waste has.

“The numbers are simply astonishing – 2,000 tonnes of uneaten cheese chucked out for example”, explains Charlotte Green from recycling firm TradeWaste.co.uk

The online survey carried out by TradeWaste.co.uk asked 4,500 people about the contents of their Christmas bins – the results are remarkable, with food waste and food packaging creating the most waste this year.

“People seem to have taken to eating well this year, with lockdowns and all the doom and gloom – it seems comfort eating has become a national institution, however nearly 5,000 tonnes of half-eaten mince pies where thrown out – seems a terrible shame to me!”, adds Green.

Christmas food lovers (and haters) chucked out this year:

  • 141,525 tonnes of food packaging
  • 50,544 tonnes of leftover Christmas dinners
  • 24,600 tonnes of glass drink bottles
  • 7,500 tonnes of drink cans
  • 4,800 tonnes of leftover mince pies
  • 2,000 tonnes of cheese

It is not only leftover food waste which is filling the nations bins – wrapping paper, cards, decorations. Of course Christmas trees are all being thrown out this week – all 12,000 tonnes of them.

Luckily much of the waste created at Christmas can be recycled with trees being shredded into chippings, cards being munched for paper and some wrapping paper can be recycled too.

The interesting one is Christmas lights – these should not be put in a general waste bin, instead they need to be taken to a local authority waste site and put in the small electricals skip where they can be processed.

Seasonal goods we are chucking out this week include:

  • 30,000 tonnes of Christmas cards
  • 17,444 tonnes of Christmas wrapping paper
  • 12,500 tonnes of Christmas decorations
  • 12,000 tonnes of Christmas trees
  • 68,488 miles of broken Christmas lights

“It’s really difficult to reduce waste at Christmas, but we can all do our bit. It’s really important to split up all the waste you have and put it in the correct bin – some need to be processed differently – like broken Christmas lights.

“I just want to know who is chucking out all the mince pies, seems such a travesty!” concluded TradeWaste.co.uk‘s Charlotte Green.