Edinburgh and Lothians restaurants, pubs, cafes and other establishments that sell food for consumption on-premises are being urged to sign up to the UK Government’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme.
Businesses who use the scheme will offer a 50% reduction, up to a maximum of £10 per person, to all diners who eat or drink-in throughout August.
The scheme is open to businesses across the UK and can be used all day, Monday to Wednesday in August.
Customers do not need a voucher as participating establishments will just remove the discount from their bill. Businesses simply reclaim the discounted amount through an online service, supported by HMRC.
The scheme is aimed at protecting jobs in the hospitality industry and is in addition to the reduction in VAT from 20% to 5% for tourism and hospitality businesses.
Businesses who sign up to the scheme will receive a window sticker and will be able to use promotional items such as posters and logos for social media.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“During lockdown the hospitality industry has been one of the hardest industries due to necessary closures.
“This scheme can give the industry a real boost during August to help businesses get back on their feet again.
“The hospitality and catering industry supports a huge number of jobs in Edinburgh and the Lothians which rely on the sector doing well.
“I encourage businesses across Edinburgh and the Lothians sign up to this scheme to attract more custom at the beginning of the week throughout August.”
As pubs with beer gardens begin to throw open their doors again today, spare a thought for Leith’s Alhambra Bar. Faced with a double whammy of Covid-19 restrictions and ongoing tram works, the traditional boozer is facing a fight for it’s very survival:
CAMRA’s Cheers for Choice campaign calls on pub companies to allow landlords to sell local beers from small and independent breweries.
Every pub across Scotland should be allowed to stock and sell beer and cider from small, local and independent brewers and cider producers, to help them recover post lockdown.
That’s the message from CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, as they launch their new ‘Cheers for Choice’ campaign this week.
As pubs prepare for reopening next month, CAMRA’s members across Scotland are signing petitions to pub company bosses urging them to allow all landlords to stock local brews.
Current beer ties mean that most pub tenants are restricted in what they can sell in their pubs and are often banned from putting on the products they know their customers want to drink.
The campaign wants pub companies’ beer tie arrangements to be relaxed as pubs reopen following the coronavirus lockdown, so that all parts of the industry can pull together and support each other.
A recent survey of 21,000 beer drinkers and pub goers across the UK carried out by CAMRA found that 68% of people are less likely to go to a pub if it isn’t selling local and independent beer and cider.
MSPs are also being urged to support the Tied Pubs Bill being put forward in the Scottish Parliament by Labour MSP Neil Bibby. The legislation would give tied pub tenants protections in law, including a right to be able to sell guest beers in their pubs.
Commenting, CAMRA Director for Scotland Sarah Crawford said:“Relaxing restrictions for tied pub tenants is the right thing to do – making sure all parts of the industry, no matter how small, are supported in the recovery from COVID-19 and are able to thrive in the weeks and months ahead.
“Allowing small and independent brewers and cider producers are able to sell into all pubs will also improve consumer choice and allow pub goers to support local brewing businesses.
“It also makes business sense, with 68% of pub-goers saying they would be less likely to go back to a pub if it doesn’t have a range of brews from small and independent producers.
“That’s why we are encouraging pub companies to relax restrictions on what beers can be sold when pubs reopen, as well as urging all MSPs to vote in favour of the Tied Pubs Bill later in the year so all landlords can have a legal right to serve guest beers from local and independent breweries.”
Labour MSP for the West of Scotland Neil Bibby MSP said:“I agree with CAMRA that restrictions on tied pubs should be relaxed to help brewers into the sector and allow more consumer choice for pub-goers.
“This is a critical time for pubs and brewers in Scotland. They need all the help they can get. One way the Scottish Parliament can help is through tied pub reform. It’s time to stop the big PubCos extracting profits from Scotland and support Scottish publicans who want to invest in their businesses and provide more choice to customers.”
AN AMBITIOUS new restaurant that launched just weeks before lockdown has come back from the brink – after its owner was told it was too new to qualify for grants and the furlough scheme.
Pier Brasserie, the £100K transformation of the former Prezzo site, within Newhaven’s prime former Fishmarket building, launched with much excitement and anticipation in February.
Within weeks it became clear that the spread of Covid-19 was set to devastate the sector along with the dreams of owner Mark Patonyi, one of city’s most esteemed restaurant managers, previously front of house at Martin Wishart’s The Honours, Manager of Martin Wishart at Loch Lomond and general manager of Steak Restaurant at Picardy Place.
Now, Mark, 36, alongside head chef and friend Vladimir Garcik and a team of two, has opened a take away offering, enabling foodies to sample high-quality bistro dishes while taking in the views of Newhaven lighthouse and the bridges, from the harbour.
The father of one, who moved to the UK from Hungary in 2007, said: “It may sound cliché, but 2020 has been an unbelievable rollercoaster of emotions.
“From the highs of our amazing opening – and those initial few weeks which saw us packed out – everything came crashing down.
“It looked like we would never be able to recover – and it has been heart-breaking that we can’t even offer our team the small comfort of furlough, as we’re so new we didn’t receive our PAYE reference number until after the 19 March cut-off date.
“We’re still doing everything we can to appeal that, as it just feels so unfair. As a new business we’ve not had any chance of building up cash reserves.
“Up until a few weeks ago it didn’t seem feasible that we could launch a take-away offering, but it got to the point I couldn’t sit around and wait for my fate any longer.”
He has subsequently launched a carefully selected menu utilising the best local and Scottish produce, including seafood landed in the harbour and meat from Donald Russell butchers. Included in the menu will be ciabattas, fish and chips, burgers, salads and desserts – as well as few options available each day for children.
Mark added: “The menu is an honest reflection of the food we were serving in the restaurant prior to lockdown – and easily enjoyed outside or at home.
“We’ve put in place all safety precautions too and had the team practice everything rigorously to ensure we can do this in the safest possible way. It gives us a chance to safely gear up to a potential part-opening in weeks, depending on how guidelines change.
“I also want to give a huge thanks to those that have offered kind messages during lockdown, knowing the situation we’re in.”
Ahead of the February launch Mark had been at the heart of the £100,000+ transformation of the site, project managing each process to ensure they meet his exceptionally high standards – as well as hand-picking a 15-strong team.
For more information about Pier Brasserie or to get first sight of the new menu when it launches, visit: https://www.pierbrasserie.com/ or follow us on Facebook @pierbrasserie and Instagram @pierbrasserie
To help keep pupils engaged with food education during lockdown, Food and Drink Federation (FDF) Scotland challenged young people across Scotland to design an innovative street food dish that they and their families would love.
Morrisons has launched a new Lean Meat Box – to help would-be gym goers continue to stay in shape, eat good quality and healthy protein, and keep kitchens stocked up during lockdown.
Your favourite signature Original Glazed doughnuts will be available for UK nationwide delivery* with the launch of its latest additions: Krispy Kreme Celebrations – an indulgent doughnut decorating kit, and Say It With Krispy Kreme, a hand-piped half dozen, personalised with a message of your choice.
Krispy Kreme is inviting people across the nation to get creative with their signature original glazed doughnuts. From 22nd June, Krispy Kreme fans can begin placing orders to treat themselves or send the perfect gift to loved ones.
The arrival of the Krispy Kreme Creations kit allows fans to indulge their fantasies of becoming a doughnut chef while Say It With Krispy Kreme adds a personal touch when gifting to a loved one whether you want to customize with a name or meaningful message.
From birthdays to baby showers, anniversaries to make-shift graduations, with a personalised hand-piped box of Original Glazed doughnuts, whatever you want to say, say it with Krispy Kreme.
The launch of UK nationwide delivery with the Krispy Kreme Creation kits and hand-piped half dozens means doughnut lovers across the country can now order signature Original Glazed doughnuts straight to their door by contactless delivery.
Thanks to the expansion of the doughnut brand’s delivery service, you can now enjoy the infamous Original Glazed from the comfort of home and garden.
Krispy Kreme’s beautiful bespoke hand-piped half dozens are the perfect gift for friends and family. Right now more than ever, everyone deserves a little treat and what better way to put a smile on someone’s face and tell a loved one you’re missing them with the gift of sweet treats.
Complete with everything you need to make the doughnut of your dreams, the Krispy Kreme Creations kit, comes with four Original Glazed doughnuts, chocolatey and caramel icings and a selection of indulgent toppings including cookie crumb, lotus biscoff biscuit crumb, chocolate & honeycomb pieces and white chocolate, the perfect activity for a joy-filled afternoon.
To celebrate the launch of UK nationwide delivery, one lucky customer who places either a Say It With Krispy Kreme or Krispy Kreme Creations order on the 22nd June for a kit of hand-piped half dozen, will win free doughnuts for a year.
Following the prize draw on Tuesday 23rd June, the winner will receive a pre-loaded gift card as part of their doughnut delivery**.
Krispy Kreme Creations kits will be on sale for £14.95 and Say It With Krispy Kreme hand-piped half dozen boxes will be on sale for £10.95. Both available from 22nd June with a £3.95 delivery fee; with first delivery day available from 30th June.
*£3 offer is the only supermarket meal deal to include premium sandwiches*
*Deal also includes options for vegans, Free From, sushi, freshly made sandwiches and hot rolls*
Morrisons is to become the only retailer to sell premium sandwiches as part of its lunchtime meal deal.
‘The Best’ range which is priced at £2.75 individually will now be included in the £3 meal deal. The new selection will include; ‘The Best’ New York Deli Grab Bag; ‘The Best’ Ham Hock and Egg Sandwich; ‘The Best’ Chicken and Bacon Sandwich and a Morrisons Chicken Caesar Triple Wrap.
Uniquely it includes baguettes, freshly made in-store sandwiches and hot rolls. Vegan options and even triple sandwiches and wraps are also included. Morrisons customers can enjoy an array of options including:
Freshly baked and hand filled baguettes and rolls
Salad boxes freshly prepared in store daily
A selection of Meat, Fish or Veggie sushi boxes
Hot Bacon or Sausage sandwiches
In the near future customers will also be able to create a salad box from the Morrisons salad bar, with everything from pasta salads, hard boiled eggs and falafel to onion bhajis, BBQ jackfruit and coleslaw.
Snacks include a jumbo vegetable samosa or succulent king prawns with a sweet chilli dip and for those with a sweet tooth – rocky road or caramel flapjacks.
Finally to wash it all down, there’s a wide range of drinks including Innocent Green Smoothies and Costa Coffee Lattes.
Morrisons £3 Meal Deal Selection:
MAINS
Sandwiches and Wraps – including triple sandwiches and wraps and vegan and gluten free options as well as Morrisons ‘The Best’ range of sandwiches
Baguettes and Rolls – Freshly baked and hand-filled daily
Salad Boxes – Freshly prepared in store daily
Hot Rolls – Bacon and Sausage Sandwiches
Pasta Pots – selection of pasta pots including loaded chicken and tuna and sweetcorn
Medium Salad Box – Create your own salad box from Morrisons in store salad bar
SNACKS
Crisps
Fruit pots
Yogurts
Flapjacks
Protein pots
Sushi Snack Packs
Selected Pastries
DRINKS
Fizzy drinks including 500ml Coca-cola
Water
Fresh juice
Hot Drinks from Morrisons in store coffee machine
Morrisons meal deal is available in all stores nationwide.
Mimi’s Bakehouse is offering its customers a fresh way to support homelessness charity Cyrenians with its ‘pay it forward’ scheme, delivering cakes and sweet treats for at-risk communities across Edinburgh.
Cyrenians, a Scottish charity tackling the causes and consequences of homelessness, has adapted many of its service as part of its response to COVID19.
Their Community Cook School, which provided classes to those at-risk or with experience of homelessness, is now a production kitchen cooking 5000 nutritious ready meals a week, delivering to communities across Edinburgh: from those suffering the injustice of food poverty, to frontline workers separated from their families.
Mimi’s Bakehouse is now offering their customers the opportunity to ‘pay it forward’ by purchasing a box of handcrafted cakes for donation to Cyrenians to include in their food deliveries.
Ashley Harley from Mimi’s Bakehouse said: “We were keen to work with Cyrenians as they are providing an invaluable service to our local community during this particularly difficult time and nothing spreads joy more than boxes of cake.
“We are very lucky to have a wonderful customer base that donated over 500 boxes of cake to the NHS during peak lockdown and we hope to continue supporting others as best we can going forward.”
Ewan Aitken, CEO, said: “It’s been staggering and humbling to see the way that communities across Scotland have come together during an exceptionally difficult time, and we’re incredibly grateful for this generous show of support from Mimi’s Bakehouse.
“It’s absolutely wonderful to be able to include these high-end products in our deliveries, letting people know how valued they are – I would like to extend a thank you from myself and from everyone at Cyrenians to Mimi’s Bakehouse, and to their customers in advance, for their compassion and generosity.”
