food and drink – Page 68 – The NEN

Rediscover your love of dining with the Ivy on the Square

The Ivy on the Square welcomes guests back for a ‘Summer of Love’ with bespoke 1960s themed cocktail menu and new summer dishes

The Ivy on the Square is spreading the love as it celebrates its re-opening with a selection of summertime specials.

Launching ‘The Summer of Love’, evocative of the carefree nature of the 1960s, The Ivy on the Square will be serving refreshing limited-edition mocktails, including Across the Universe (£5.75) featuring fresh mint, lemon and sugar, shaken and topped with chilled Scavi & Ray non-alcoholic prosecco; Free & Easy Spritz (£6.95) which infuses Lyre’s non-alcoholic Italian spritz with pink grapefruit juice, Fever-Tree soda water and Scavi & Ray non-alcoholic prosecco; and the Mai-Tai-Dye (£6.95) mixing Seedlip Grove 42 with Lyre’s non-alcoholic Amaretti, lime and pineapple juice.

For those looking to indulge in The Ivy on the Square’s renowned menu, there will be plenty of refreshing new summer dishes available, including the Garden Pea Risotto (£13.95) served with goat’s cheese, rocket and a baby shoot salad (top), and Côte de Boeuf (£32.95).

An alcoholic cocktail menu will also be available exclusively for those dining outside on the terrace until 10pm, ahead of Scotland’s scheduled move to Tier 2 on 17 May, when cocktails will be able to be enjoyed indoors as well as al fresco.

Chris Greenan, General Manager at The Ivy on the Square added: “We are very excited to be open again, and to be welcoming back our new and returning guests, who we have greatly missed over the last few months.

“Whether you are looking for lunch with friends or dinner with a loved one, there are plenty of delicious options to help you rediscover your love of dining this summer.”

The Ivy on the Square, Edinburgh is now open Monday to Sunday, from 9am. The last indoor booking will be seated at 6.15pm, for guests to depart by 8pm. The brasserie has limited outdoor seating available which will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis.

Fridays confirms reopening of Scottish restaurants

Following the announcement by Nicola Sturgeon earlier this week, Fridays is excited that its fans in Scotland will be able to celebrate the continued easing of lockdown from Monday 26^th April, when its eight Scottish restaurants will reopen for indoor dining across the country.

Fridays has already opened reservations for its Aberdeen Beach, Aberdeen Union Square, Braehead, Edinburgh – Castle St, Edinburgh – Fort Kinnaird, Glasgow – Buchanan St, Glasgow Fort and Silverburn locations, and is encouraging fans to pre-book their slot to avoid missing out.

Favourite Fridays dishes for Scottish fans include Fridays Sesame Chicken Strips tossed in Legendary Glaze, Fridays® Glazed Burger, Full Rack of Ultimate Ribs as well as 28 Day Aged Sirloin Steak*. All of which will be on the menu alongside sharing plates for the whole family as well as an array of appetizers and desserts to choose from.

Robert B. Cook, Fridays CEO, says: “We are beyond delighted to welcome guests back across Scotland to celebrate the easing of lockdown with us. The Fridays team have been counting down the days until they can get back to work and once again welcome guests back through our doors.

“To avoid disappointment we are asking guests to pre-book and to follow the guidelines we have at all restaurants to keep everyone safe and make sure we stay on track for the next stage of lockdown easing.”

For more details regarding the health and safety measures in place, to pre-book, menus and to find out more about the additional 29 Fridays restaurants already open for outdoor dining, please visit the Fridays website – www.tgifridays.co.uk.

Singh 4 Your Supper!

Social Bite launch ‘at home’ boxes with celebrity chef Tony Singh

Homelessness charity, Social Bite, has launched its very first At Home dining box, giving people across the central belt the chance to enjoy delicious, restaurant-quality dishes at home while supporting those who have experienced homelessness.

The Singh 4 Your Supper menu, is in partnership with Scottish celebrity chef and restaurateur, Tony Singh.

The Indian-themed dining box explores a variety of fresh, rich and aromatic flavours and is a delectable feast for two including eight dishes and a selection of sauces.

Priced at just £60, the menu is perfectly portioned for two people, making it ideal for cosy date nights or to enjoy some alfresco dining with friends.

Each box comes with an easy-to-follow preparation, cooking and plating instructions so that you can create great-tasting food from home but food lovers will have to be quick, with only a limited number of boxes available.

Josh Littlejohn MBE, CEO and Co-Founder of Social Bite, said: “It’s been great to work with the incredibly talented Tony Singh to help produce our first ever home dining boxes.

“The menu we’ve created gives people a real taste of India and allows them to enjoy the recommendations of one of the country’s top chefs from the comfort of their own home.

“As the world starts to open back up it’s really important to us that we continue to find new ways for people to support the mission of ending homelessness while also enjoying the easing of restrictions.

“Every box purchased helps us in our mission of providing real jobs, permanent homes and support to help get people back on their feet, as well as the wider mission of ending homelessness.”

Each dish has been lovingly prepared by Tony and the Social Bite team at Social Bite’s Central Kitchen in Livingston.

Chef Tony Singh (above) said: “Social Bite is such an incredible cause so when they asked me to get involved in creating some home dining boxes, it was an easy yes.

“My passion is creating delicious, high-quality food, that can be shared together. But what makes these boxes even more special, is that these will be helping to support Social Bite’s mission of ending homelessness.”

To get your hands on this limited-edition box, you can order online from today – Thursday 22nd April. Boxes can be collected from Social Bite Cafes in Edinburgh and Glasgow city centre, as well as their Central Kitchen in Livingston on the 7th and 8th of May.

The Singh for Your Supper menu includes four main dishes: Kerala King Prawn, Butter Chicken, Aloo Chole and Gulab Jamun for dessert along with four sides: Spiced Fur Fur, Paratha, Jeera Pilau Rice and spiced onions with a selection of sauces; mango, mint, yoghurt and tamarind.

These are all the dishes that Tony would usually cook at home for his family so you can dine like a chef and eat like a Singh!

To order your own home dining box or to find out more information, please visit: shop.social-bite.co.uk/singh

Aldi launches New Scottish Summer Ice Cream Range

Aldi customers are set for a sweet taste of the warmer months ahead following the launch of the supermarket’s delicious range of new ice cream flavours.

There is no need to play flavourites as customers can pick and choose from three refreshing new ice cream creations as part of Aldi’s much-loved Strachan’s range: Peach Melba, Mixed Scottish Berries, and Raspberry Pavlova.

At just £1.99 per litre, each tub takes advantage of the best produce Scotland has to offer and are the perfect treat to cool down with on a warm summer’s day.

Peach Melba is swirled with sweet raspberry and peach pieces; Mixed Berries uses various Scottish berries to create an indulgent fruit compote; and Raspberry Pavlova boasts a smooth dark pink raspberry ripple, as well as crunchy meringue pieces.

On sale now, the new Strachan’s ice cream flavours are 100% Scottish and are made in Scotland using Scottish milk and cream.

If you’re more of a chocolate ice cream fan, then why not try Aldi’s recently launched indulgent Specially Selected Belgian Chocolate ice cream?

Created by Equi’s, who currently offer Specially Selected Double Cream and Madagascan Vanilla and Specially Selected Scottish Isles Sea Salt and Caramel, it is guaranteed to go down a treat with anyone looking for a little indulgence this summer, customers can scoop this up for only £1.99 per 500ml.

Aldi’s new summer flavours are sure to be the ice cream of the crop and are on sale now at all 96 Aldi stores in Scotland.

You can find your nearest Aldi store here.

Aldi currently works with over 90 Scottish suppliers, and after reaching their initial goal of stocking over 450 Scottish products by the end of 2020, the supermarket has now increased this target to stock over 500 locally sourced products in the next two years.

Morrisons supermarket launches first own-brand shampoo bars

– Part of the Nutmeg range, the bars are plastic-free and the packaging is fully recyclable –

– They last for 30 washes and cost £3 each, five times cheaper than similar branded options –

Morrisons has become the first UK supermarket to launch an own-brand range of shampoo and conditioner bars into its permanent haircare range.

The Morrisons bars, which are part of the Nutmeg range, can last up to 30 washes and cost a pocket-friendly £3 – making them five times cheaper than some other branded options available, which can cost over £15.

They are also vegan, 100% plastic-free and packaged in fully recyclable cardboard cartons.

Shampoo bars use less water to manufacture than traditional haircare products and are lighter to transport, so have a smaller carbon footprint than a standard shampoo bottle. An average family can use multiple shampoo and conditioner plastic bottles per month – making the shampoo bars a more eco-friendly option.

Celebrities including Holly Willoughby, Davina McCall, Lily James and Kirsten Scott Thomas are all fans of shampoo bars.

The Nutmeg Shampoo and Conditioner Bars are formulated with a high natural origin content and include ingredients such as Organic Argan Oil, Wheat Germ Oil and Coconut Oil – renowned for their ability to cleanse and nourish, restore damaged hair and tame frizz.

Karena Hung, Health & Beauty Development Manager at Morrisons, said: “Our customers are telling us they want more sustainable options, not only for their groceries, but for their beauty products too.

“We’re excited to launch these new shampoo and conditioner bars under our own brand, so customers can pick them up as easily as they would regular bottles of shampoo and conditioner, with their weekly shop.”

Made in Scotland, Morrisons Nutmeg Shampoo & Conditioner Bars are available in-store now for £3 each.

A number of sustainable healthcare products are available in Morrisons Nutmeg range including organic sustainable sanitary protection, cotton buds in paper boxes, along with wooden nail and bath brushes.

Morrisons to give away half a million free postcards to spread positivity and combat loneliness

Morrisons will be giving away half a million free postcards for children to spread messages of hope this week in a nationwide initiative to help tackle loneliness within communities.

Children of Morrisons colleagues will be colouring postcards and writing messages for the supermarket to distribute to its Doorstep Delivery customers who are continuing to shield while lockdown restrictions are eased.

Morrisons Community Champions will also be working in partnership with local primary schools to give children postcards illustrated with sunflowers and positive messages that they can colour in.

The school children can post their cards to grandparents, neighbours and friends who they may not have seen recently due to lockdown or give them back to Morrisons to distribute to care homes and via its Doorstep Delivery service.

According to recent data from the Office of National Statistics, nearly half (47 percent) of adults in England reported that their wellbeing had been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Further research by Morrisons has revealed that 46 percent of Brits are feeling more isolated and alone than they normally would. Two thirds (67 per cent) said a simple act of kindness could help them feel reconnected with their community and three quarters (77 per cent) said it would positively change their entire outlook for the day.

David Potts, CEO at Morrisons, said: “Although lockdown is easing across the UK we know that many people in the community are still shielding and therefore unable to meet up with family and friends.

“Customers write to me weekly to let me know that Morrisons Doorstep Delivery service has been a lifeline to them and express their gratitude and we wanted to let them know we will continue to be here for them. We hope these messages will put a smile on people’s faces up and down the country.”

Every Morrisons store will receive 1500 postcards to give away locally.

The initiative is the latest from Morrisons which aims to make good things happen and bring hope to the nation.

Last week, Morrisons gave away 25 million sunflower seeds to customers to grow at home and launched its ‘Little Sunshine’ award – to recognise those who have gone above and beyond in their local community throughout the pandemic.

‘Berry’ good news as first Scottish strawberries of the season hit Aldi shelves

Customers won’t face any fruitless trips to Aldi from this weekend as punnets of the first Scottish strawberries hit stores across Scotland today. Aldi is the first retailer to offer punnets of delicious Scottish strawberries to their customers this year.

The first crop of Scottish strawberries to arrive on Aldi’s shelves have been grown by Tim Stockwell at his farm in Fife for Angus Soft Fruits. Berry specialists Angus Soft Fruits supply Aldi stores across Scotland with fresh berries from a select group of 18 growers based across Tayside and Fife, the heart of the traditional Scottish berry growing region.

Aldi, who currently stock over 450 products from 90 Scottish suppliers, aims to increase the number of Scottish products available in its stores to over 500 in the next two years and has been working with Angus Soft Fruits to ensure shelves are fully stocked with their delicious berries for the warmer months ahead.

Tim Stockwell, owner of Barnsmuir Farm in Fife, commented: “I am really glad that we are able to supply Aldi with the first Scottish strawberries again this year.

“The last 12 months certainly haven’t been without their challenges, but it’s great to see that Aldi remains committed to supporting local, quality produce.”

Graham Nicolson, Group Buyer Director, Aldi Scotland, said: “We’re very pleased to be the first supermarket to offer the first Scottish strawberries of the season once again.

“The Scottish strawberry season is always eagerly anticipated by our customers, and we hope that this first crop of strawberries, grown locally in Fife, give them a sweet taste of summer in the months to come.”

Aldi’s stores in Scotland will be stocking the first pick Scottish strawberries from today (Friday 16 April), with availability increasing throughout spring.

You can find your local Aldi here.

Simply The Zest: Morrisons launches pink lemonade doughnuts for summer

Morrisons is brightening everyone’s day by launching another new flavour of its renowned doughnuts, Pink Lemonade. Featuring a delicious blend of raspberry and lemon juice, the filling is the perfect combination of sweet, tangy and refreshing; they really do pack a punch.

The new flavour has already been spotted in stores and shared widely on Instagram. Described as ‘the taste of summer’ and ‘just like pink lemonade’, the new treat is already proving hugely popular and customers can’t wait to get their hands on them.

Pink lemonade is set to be hugely popular this summer, with people having turned to old favourites over the past year. The new doughnuts will be a delicious addition to a nostalgic picnic spread, or maybe just as a snack in front of a great TV series.

Andy Clarke, In-store Bakery Manager at Morrisons said: “We know that our customers have been loving nostalgic flavours, so it made sense to create a classic Pink Lemonade filling for our renowned doughnuts.

“The new treat offers yet another reason to be excited for spring, and a reason to share delicious food with friends and family.”

Morrisons Pink Lemonade doughnuts are available now in 400 stores nationwide, for 50p for a pack of 5.

New research reveals changing consumer habits

Over a third of Britons have tried a local small restaurant or shop for the first time by ordering online during the Coronavirus lockdowns, new research prepared by Public First on behalf of Internet Association (IA) has revealed.

And with 71 percent of small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) surveyed planning to continue selling products online after the end of lockdown, the research highlights how changing consumer habits have opened new revenue streams – both during the pandemic and into the future – for small businesses in the UK.

As non-essential retail in England opened its doors on Monday, the findings – which include new public opinion research and a survey of 250 SMEs in the wholesale, retail and food sectors – show how shopping behaviours have changed during the pandemic and will continue after lockdown eases, as well as highlighting the vital role the internet has played in helping SMEs continue selling products throughout the pandemic.

The extent to which the internet has given SMEs the opportunity to continue selling products throughout the pandemic is clear – with 30 percent offering a delivery function for the first time and 20 percent offering online sales for the first time in order to continue being able to earn revenue while their shops were shut.

The figures also highlight how the public used the internet to try local small shops and restaurants for the first time during the pandemic – as well as detailing the changing behaviour between online and in person shopping that will remain once the lockdown eases this week.

The new research shows:

Nearly half of the public (48%) ordered food or drinks online from local restaurants during coronavirus lockdowns.
36 percent of the public tried a local shop or food outlet for the first time by ordering online during the pandemic, with three quarters (76 percent) of those people now planning on visiting the outlet physically for the first time once restrictions are eased;
More people now plan on taking a blended approach to their shopping habits from next week, with 29 percent now saying they will shop half online, half in person (up from 23 percent saying the same of their habits before the coronavirus pandemic);
This blended approach from consumers is also expected by SMEs. When asked about their pre-pandemic sales, 17 percent said they had a mixture of online and in-store sales. However, a quarter (25 percent) now expect to have a mixture of online and in-store sales once retail reopens next week.

An IA spokesperson said: “This new research shows how the internet has played a vital role during the lockdowns over the last 12 months. Importantly, it also shows how the internet can help drive the UK recovery forward.

“The way people work, shop, and do business may have changed for good – it is clear that the internet sector can help ensure that those changes boost the UK economy, communities, and wider society.

The new research of SMEs also showed:

61 percent of SMEs surveyed said their business would not have been able to survive without using the internet to sell products during the lockdown;
20 percent set up a social media page for the first time, helping firms expand their reach while physical shops had to be closed;
25 percent allowed staff to work from home for the first time.

ALFRES-GO!

MORRISONS launches new picnic boxes for outdoor meet-ups

– The new Family Picnic and Luxury Ploughmans Food Boxes are launching just in time for groups of six to meet outdoors –

– Morrisons also offers an Adult Picnic Platter for Two, available to collect from store –

– The new limited-edition food boxes are available to order online now, and the price includes next day delivery –

As lockdown restrictions begin to ease and sunnier days are ahead, Morrisons has launched two new food boxes and a platter that are perfect for picnics with family and friends.

The Family Picnic Food Box features everything you need to whip up a stellar picnic in no time; from sandwiches, to snacks and drinks. Featuring items such as Morrisons Pork Cocktail Sausages, Morrisons Classic Hummus, Morrisons Brownie Bite Tub and Morrisons Royal Gala Apples, the box includes options for adults and kids alike.

The Luxury Ploughmans Food Box is perfect for a romantic date during the day or an outdoor birthday celebration, with delicious snacks and treats. The box features the likes of The Best Nocerella Olives, Morrisons The Best Marc de Champagne Truffles and The Best Sicilian Lemonade. Customers also have the option to upgrade to include Prosecco or Champagne.

The Family Picnic Food Box is priced at £26 and the Luxury Ploughmans Box at £30 (£35 with Prosecco or £45 with Champagne). Both prices include next day or nominated day delivery.

Finally, Morrisons is also selling an Adult Picnic Platter for Two for just £10. The platter can be pre-ordered and collected from stores across the country and includes hand-prepared scones, quiche lorraine, cherry bakewell and more.

Aidan Buckley, Food Box, Eat Fresh & Food to Order Director at Morrisons said: “We know our customers will be excited to get out into the sun and meet up with friends and family that they haven’t been able to see during lockdown.

“Whether planning a classic picnic or a luxury spread, these two new food boxes offer something for everyone to share and enjoy in the park or back garden.”

Morrisons limited-edition Family Picnic Food Box is available now on the Morrisons food boxes website https://www.morrisons.com/food-boxes/box/Family-Picnic-Box

Morrisons limited-edition Luxury Ploughmans Food Box is available now on the Morrisons food boxes website https://www.morrisons.com/food-boxes/box/The-Luxury-Ploughman-s-Picnic-Box

Morrisons limited-edition Adult Picnic Platter for Two is available now to order on the Morrisons Food to Order website then pick up in store:

https://my.morrisons.com/foodtoorder/product/morrisons-adult-picnic-platter-for-two/111291672

For more information on Morrisons Food Boxes range visit