food and drink – Page 86 – The NEN

Morrisons introduces NHS Hour

Many NHS workers have said that they are struggling to buy the products they need at the beginning or the end of their shift, as supermarkets have seen unprecedented demand.

So we’re responding by introducing an NHS hour at all our stores at the beginning of every day, Monday to Saturday, so NHS workers can shop for groceries for themselves and their families.

This will be from 7am to 8am and a Morrisons colleague will be on the door to let staff with an NHS badge in.

Our new opening hours for all our other customers are 8am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday. On Sundays we’ll be open as usual.

We promise to play our part in feeding the nation – it’s more than our job.

David Potts,

Chief Executive, Morrisons

Another update from Sainbury’s

A further update from Sainsbury’s Chief Executive Mike Coupe:

We are continuing to work around the clock to feed the nation in these challenging times.

Many of you have written to me in the past 24 hours to tell me that you like the idea of priority shopping for NHS workers and for elderly and disabled customers, but that these should be at different times.

We have therefore decided to allow NHS and social care workers to shop in our supermarkets for half an hour before they open each day. So anyone with NHS ID will be able to shop from 07.30-08.00 every day from Monday to Saturday.

We’re delighted to be able to offer priority shopping to all the hard-working NHS staff across the country who are working so hard to keep us all safe and well.

In addition to this, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, all our supermarkets will dedicate 08.00-09.00 to serving elderly customers, disabled customers and carers.

Many of you have also asked me about priority online delivery slots for elderly, disabled and vulnerable customers.

We have been able to identify a number of customers as elderly and vulnerable based on the information they have given us previously. These details would include date of birth and if you have ever used our vulnerable customer helpline. For all of these customers, we will email you today (Sunday) with information on when slots will become available.

If you do not receive an email and you consider yourself to be vulnerable, please visit our Groceries Online website on Monday for information on how to contact us.

We are also working as quickly as possible on an option for people to register themselves as disabled and vulnerable on their online shopping accounts.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to get in touch with me and share your feedback – it’s because of you that we are making these changes and we will continue to listen, learn and adapt during this uncertain time.

Best wishes

Mike

Update from Sainsbury’s Chief Executive Mike Coupe

I wanted to write to you again to update you on the steps we are taking to make sure everyone has access to food and essential items. I’m also sharing more information about how we are supporting our colleagues in these challenging times and how you can help.

An increasing number of you have told me that you’re not always able to get the items that you need when you need them. We are working with our suppliers to get even more stock of essential items and we are adding warehouse capacity on a daily basis.

You will have seen that we put restrictions in place this week to ensure that more products are on shelf for longer.

From Monday 23rd March, we are consolidating our opening hours and all our supermarkets will be open from 8am to 8pm, Monday-Saturday, including those with an Argos store. Sunday opening, Sainsbury’s Local and petrol station opening times will stay the same.

This means we can focus our store colleagues’ time on keeping shelves stocked and serving our customers well during the times that most of you are already shopping.

Last Thursday, we set aside an hour for elderly and vulnerable shoppers in our supermarkets. Many of you have told me how much you appreciated this and that you would like this to become a regular event. Some of you also said we should extend this to members of our hardworking NHS and Social Care workers. And we will be doing just that.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, all our supermarkets will dedicate 8am – 9am to serving elderly, disabled and vulnerable customers, as well as NHS and Social Care workers.

They will just need to show us their pass or ID when they visit. Some of you fed back that you couldn’t find what you wanted during that hour, so we will try our best to have essential items on shelf for these customers.

We will be working to keep our shelves well stocked and would encourage customers to arrive throughout the hour to prevent queues forming and to help everyone keep a safe distance.

Hundreds of you have written to me to thank our amazing colleagues who are working around the clock to serve our customers. A number of you have also shared your concerns for the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues.

I want you to know that we are doing all we can to support everyone who works in our business.

We have committed to paying all colleagues who are unwell or need to self-isolate for the full period of fourteen days. We have also committed to paying vulnerable and elderly colleagues in full if the government decides they should isolate for 12 weeks.

We hope this will go some way to helping our teams through this uncertain time and we are looking at other ways to thank our colleagues for their extraordinary efforts.

To keep our colleagues safe, I need to ask again for your help. Please do your best to stand one metre away from colleagues in our stores where you can. And we would prefer you to pay with card rather than cash at our tills.

Please also treat our colleagues and other customers with kindness and respect. These are unprecedented circumstances and our colleagues are being asked to come to work every day while so many others are being asked to stay at home.

We all need them to keep coming to work to feed the nation – a small thank you goes a really long way.

I hope you will join us in looking out for each other and the communities that we serve.

Best wishes

Mike

Co-op to donate to donate £1.5m worth of food to FareShare

Convenience retailer Co-op has announced that from next week, it will be donating £1.5 million worth of food to FareShare, in a show of co-operation to help boost stocks, support local communities and those citizens who are struggling amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

FareShare – the UK’s largest hunger fighting charity – supports over 11,000 charities and community groups, including food banks and Co-op has pledged £1.5 million of essential food products which will be split amongst FareShare’s 23 regional centres, and then supplied to a network of local community groups across the country.

Food banks have seen a significant drop in donations as the Coronavirus takes hold, but it is in these times of national crisis that they remain a lifeline for those who rely on the donations to feed their families. Demand is only set to grow as the number of people who unexpectedly find themselves out of work increases.

Jo Whitfield, CEO, Co-op Food, said: “The Co-op has a critical role to play in supporting our members, customers and colleagues, as well as the local communities that our stores sit at the heart of.

“Food banks have never been more important, so it makes sense that we provide support to help FareShare keep people fed and watered during this unprecedented time.

“Co-op already supports around 1,500 local community groups with our national food redistribution programme, Food Share, and we know that they are finding it tough at the moment, so I’m really pleased and proud we can provide FareShare directly with the essential products they need to help our communities.

“It’s a great example of us all cooperating and pulling together to help those most in need and I would ask everybody if they can, to contribute to a food bank near to them. Every tin, jar or carton makes a difference.”

Lindsay Boswell, CEO FareShare, said “At this time of huge uncertainty, we all need to pull together to help those most vulnerable and most affected by the issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“The very generous support of £1.5 million worth of food from the Co-op will enable the FareShare network to maintain a continued vital food supply line into our charities over a prolonged period of ten weeks, providing great reassurance that there will be a baseload of food provided to the 11,000 charities and community groups that FareShare and our partners support every week across the UK.”

Co-op have also announced today they will be prioritising more vulnerable customers and those who care for them, during the hours of 8am to 9am Monday – Saturday /10am to 11am on Sundays. As a local convenience retailer, Co-op is uniquely positioned to serve these customers.

Jo Whitfield, CEO, Co-op Food said: “I would like to thank our customers for their ongoing support as we all pull together during these unprecedented times.

“We won’t close our Co-op to other customers during this hour, but I would ask for their understanding as we prioritise the needs of our most vulnerable customers and the amazing people who look after and care for them.”

Earlier this week the Co-op also announced measures to combat holiday hunger in pupils caused by unplanned school closures. 6,500 students across 25 Co-op Academy Schools who currently have free school meals, will be given a £20 voucher for every week that schools remain shut.

Consumers asked to shop considerately

As increasing numbers of supermarkets and shops try to deal with the challenge of replenishing shelves in time to meet demand, the Scottish Government has asked consumers to shop considerately – in particular to ensure those in the frontline of dealing with COVID-19 are able to get the supplies they need.

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said: “Ensuring that we all have access to food and other essentials is key to our safety and wellbeing in these unprecedented times.

“I want to thank everyone working to produce food, distribute it and sell it in shops and supermarkets for all their efforts to keep products on the shelves.

“For the past week I have been in close contact with Scotland’s national retailers, who confirmed that they have sufficient stocks to provide enough food and other essentials for everyone.

“The issue is that, currently, demand is so high that products cannot be replenished on shelves in time, which is creating a perception of food shortages. This is a false picture though, and pressure on the supply could be greatly eased if shoppers buy just what they need rather than stockpiling. So I am calling on consumers to please shop considerately.

“In particular I would ask people to think about the needs and interests of our frontline and key workers who cannot get to the shops as often as the rest of us and who are shopping at unsocial hours.

“Please also consider helping those who can’t get to the shops themselves, especially elderly and vulnerable neighbours, family and friends who are being asked to restrict their social contact. And consider supporting local businesses and smaller retailers in the community by giving them your custom as well.

“I also want to assure consumers that the Scottish Government is continually working with the food and drink industry and liaising closely with local government and other governments across the UK to ensure that fresh food and supplies remain available across all of Scotland.

We have already acted to enable local authorities to relax restrictions on delivery hours, delivery driver work patterns, and shop opening times to help supermarkets and shops remain stocked and allow shoppers more opportunity to access supplies out of normal business hours. We remain committed to doing all we can to keep the shelves stocked – the public has a pivotal role to play in helping us do that.”

Eight food items you never knew you could freeze

Overdone the panic buying? Experts from NetVoucherCodes.co.uk have revealed eight of the more surprising food items that can be safely frozen and eaten at a later date.

Eggs, chocolate and even cooked pasta have been named in a list of surprising foods which can be frozen.

Penny-pinching gurus from NetVoucherCodes.co.uk is advising of eiight of the lesser-known food items that can be safely stored in a freezer, to help households save money and cut down on food wastage.

By storing food at below zero degrees the conditions are frozen, preserving the food as potentially harmful molecules enter a dormant state.

Most foods will last at least three months in the freezer, so you can defrost and eat at a later date.

But it’s important that once food is defrosted it isn’t then refrozen, as this can lead to illnesses.

A spokesperson from NetVoucherCodes.co.uk said: “Food waste costs Brits a lot of money, plus, it’s really bad for the environment. By learning some of the surprising things you can freeze you’re helping save the world and your bank account – what’s not to love?

“Freezers can become messy quickly, so try and freeze food as flat as possible, and get rid of any excess packaging to help keep some order.”

This is NetVoucherCodes.co.uk’s list of eight surprising food items you can freeze:

1. Eggs

The shell of eggs can’t be frozen, but everything else can. Crack the eggs into a muffin tray, then place these into the freezer. Once fully frozen they can be transferred into a plastic container, creating even more space.

2. Cheese

This can be frozen as a full block, or if you mainly use it grated, you can grate the block and freeze it, meaning you can grab handfuls of cheese as and when you need it. Anything from mozzarella to parmesan can cope with being put in the freezer, but be warned, cottage cheese may react badly.

3. Milk

Frozen milk should be thawed before it is used and be sure to give it a big shake before you pour it to ensure all the solids and liquids have been fully mixed. Milk will also expand when it’s frozen, so don’t put it in a tight container.

4. Bread

This should be frozen when fresh otherwise it will still be a bit stale once defrosted. You can freeze it as a full loaf, or in individual slices if this is easier. You can then leave your bread to thaw naturally or pop it straight into the toaster.

5. Chocolate

Chocolate doesn’t contain much water which means that it won’t change as much as other items when frozen and defrosted. Put the chocolate in the fridge for a few hours before placing it into the freezer as this will help bring the temperature down slowly, reducing the risk of the flavour or appearance changing.

6/7. Rice and Pasta

It’s impossible to make the right amount of pasta or rice, but next time instead of throwing the excess away, you can freeze it. Place it onto a flat baking tray and into the freezer. Once fully frozen you can then transfer them into a different container. Simply pour hot water over the rice or pasta to defrost and recook.

8. Yogurt

Fro-yo is an increasingly popular dessert which you can enjoy at home too. Some yoghurts can be affected by the freezing process, so it’s important to try freezing a small amount before to ensure the taste isn’t affected dramatically.

Fabio’s up for sale

Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has brought to the market Fabio’s, a very successful family owned Italian restaurant that has been trading since 1998.

The restaurant has long been recognised for its great menu, relaxed surroundings and unpretentious attitude.

The restaurant is situated in the residential area of Corstorphine on Glasgow Road, one of the main thoroughfares into Edinburgh City Centre and only three miles away from Edinburgh airport which attracts millions of tourists each year. Fabio’s is a staple of the local community and is popular with residents and visitors alike.

This presents a unique opportunity to purchase an established and profitable restaurant business. The property can accommodate 70 and would suit an owner operator or couple. However, it would also be a great addition to an existing portfolio.

The business has been owned by the Crolla Family for 22 years and they are now selling the lease to retire.

Pietro Crolla Jr commented: “Dad and his brother are still cooking in the kitchen in their 70s and have been in the restaurant trade since the 1960’s in Edinburgh and had quite a few restaurants over the years.

“It has been a pleasure to serve the local community, but it is time for a well-deserved retirement.”

Tony Spence, Business Agent at Christie & Co, is handling the sale. He said: “The market remains interesting with uncertainty beginning to fade out which has created an increased appetite for well performing businesses within the city.

“We expect this appetite to remain with operators keen to expand their portfolios within the casual dining sector.”

Fabio’s is offered for sale on a leasehold basis, with an asking price of offers in the region of £150,000.

Supermarkets pledge to work together to feed the country

The UK government is temporarily relaxing elements of competition law as part of a package of measures to allow supermarkets to work together to feed the nation.

The move allows retailers to share data with each other on stock levels, cooperate to keep shops open, or share distribution depots and delivery vans. It would also allow retailers to pool staff with one another to help meet demand.

The Environment Secretary George Eustice confirmed elements of the law would be temporarily waived in a meeting this afternoon with chief executives from the UK’s leading supermarkets and food industry representatives.

The government has also temporarily relaxed rules around drivers’ hours, so retailers can deliver more food to stores, and is waiving the 5p plastic bag charge for online purchases to speed up deliveries.

The support for supermarkets comes as the government and retailers continue to urge people to shop considerately and look out for their friends, family and neighbours.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said: “We’ve listened to the powerful arguments of our leading supermarkets and will do whatever it takes to help them feed the nation.

“By relaxing elements of competition laws temporarily, our retailers can work together on their contingency plans and share the resources they need with each other during these unprecedented circumstances.

“We welcome the measures supermarkets are already taking to keep shelves stocked and supply chains resilient, and will continue to support them with their response to coronavirus.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: “In these extraordinary and challenging times it is important that we remove barriers to our supermarkets working together to serve customers, particularly those who are elderly, ill or vulnerable in all parts of the UK.

“The temporary relaxation of competition law for the food sector will allow supermarkets to cooperate with each other to keep their shops staffed, their shelves stocked, and the nation fed.

“I am clear that we will continue to do whatever it takes to support business through this extremely difficult period.”

Andrew Opie, Director of Food & Sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said: “We welcome this important decision by the government to give retailers greater flexibility to work together to tackle the challenges posed by coronavirus.

“Retailers have been working hard to ensure shelves are stocked and this is an exceptional step taken by government to help retailers and their suppliers cope with problems that might be caused by widescale absences across the supply chain.

“This is a short term measure, in the spirit of working together, and will allow retailers to agree common specifications for products to bolster food production, and co-ordinate certain operations to ensure customers anywhere in the UK have access to the essential items they need.”

Legislation will be laid shortly to amend elements of the Competition Act 1998, which prevents certain types of anti-competitive behaviour. It can be relaxed in exceptional circumstances.

This will be a specific, temporary relaxation to enable retailers to work together for the sole purpose of feeding the nation during these unprecedented circumstances. It will not allow any activity that does not meet this requirement.

The announcement comes as the government confirmed yesterday it would temporarily relax drivers’ hours rules to allow supermarket delivery drivers to meet the increased demand for home deliveries.

The change to GB drivers’ hours rules, which will come into effect today (Friday 20 March), will mean delivery drivers are able to work slightly longer hours – helping supermarkets offer additional delivery slots, which is particularly important for vulnerable people and those staying at home during the COVID-19 outbreak. It will also provide extra capacity if drivers are unwell.

The move comes after the Government temporarily relaxed the EU drivers’ hours rules for store deliveries, helping move food and other essentials more quickly so that shelves can be stocked-up.

Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps said: “We know supermarkets have seen unprecedented demand in light of COVID-19. We’re relaxing the GB drivers’ hours rules so that supermarkets can complete more home deliveries – which is especially important for vulnerable people at this time.

“But driver welfare is of course key and we will be working closely with employers to make sure the safety of their drivers and other people on the road is protected.”

On his call with retailers today, the Environment Secretary also confirmed the government will temporarily relax the single-use carrier bag charge for online deliveries in England, to speed up deliveries and minimise any cross-contamination from reusing crates. This will come into force on Saturday 21 March. The charge remains in-place for in-store purchases.

This follows a series of measures the government has introduced to support the food industry’s response to coronavirus, including working with local authorities to extend the hours that deliveries can be made to supermarkets to ensure stores are replenished quickly and extending drivers’ hours to speed up deliveries.

The UK’s food supply chain remains resilient and the Environment Secretary continues to meet regularly with representatives of the food industry to ensure people can get the food and groceries they need.

New community takeaway service from Royston Wardieburn

The community centre has been organising a community lunch in the centre on a Thursday for the last month as part of a new initiative to promote our classes and groups.

Unfortunately, we have had to cancel all our adult education groups and classes in the centre including our Thursday activities and sit down lunch. We will, however, be providing a take away service on Wednesday and Thursdays between 12 and 2 for the next few weeks.

The freshly cooked food will be served in take-away containers and can be heated up at home or frozen for future use. We have already paid for this food, so there will be no charge.

To protect yourself and others, please wash your hands carefully on entering the building and minimise your contact with others.

For people who are unable to pick up the food (ie over 70’s, people with health conditions, families with sick children and people who are self-isolating) we will be offering a limited delivery service.

If there’s anyone you know who would benefit from this service, please ask them to get in touch (email lynn.mccabe@ea.edin.sch.uk or phone the centre on 552 5700) and we will do what we can to help.

A meeting of local organisations to co-ordinate support across North Edinburgh will be taking place at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre at 2.30pm this afternoon and we hope to pull together an information sheet containing information on what services are available locally.

Keep an eye on local facebook pages for future updates.

Auld Reekie is hooked!

New ‘Sea for Yourself’ campaign unveils Brits’ cooking habits at home, raising awareness of seafood caught in UK waters including sole, crab, monkfish, mussels, and herring
Study reveals more than half (55%) of Edinburgh residents surveyed are planning to eat more healthily this spring – with seafood high on the menu
More than a third of Edinburgh locals (34%) would incorporate even more fish into their diet if they felt more confident cooking it, with 64% people calling out seafood’s health benefits as the main reason for wanting to

New research has revealed that four times as many Edinburgh residents (23%) think seafood such as hake, mackerel, and trout is better to eat than avocados to get fit and healthy.

Edinburghers are picking fish, fruit, and wholegrain carbs as the top health foods to help them prepare for exercise and training, over wellness favourites like protein shakes (5%) and avocados (5%).

The study of 4,000 adults for the ‘Sea for Yourself’ campaign, an initiative supported by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Non-Departmental Public Body Seafish, highlights the foods we are cooking at home, and their attitudes towards exercising and healthy eating. The findings come as British Olympian, Denise Lewis OBE, backs seafood caught in UK waters as an important part of a well-balanced diet.

Packed full of protein, omega-3 fats and essential vitamins and minerals such as phosphorus, selenium, iodine and certain B vitamins, as well as zinc in shellfish, and vitamin D in oily fish, the health benefits of eating seafood are widely acknowledged, and more than half of the UK (52%) are already cooking salmon and tuna dishes at least once a week.

However, 34% of locals admit they would integrate more fish into their diets if they felt more confident cooking it, with 64% people calling out seafood’s health benefits as the main reason for wanting to.

Delicious, easy-to-cook species such as monkfish, mussels, and lemon sole are sometimes overlooked for our nation’s favourites but provide a great alternative to mix up a healthy diet and help Brits out of a recipe rut.

Denise Lewis OBE, British gold-medal Olympian, said: “As a former Olympian, I’ve always been committed to maintaining a healthy diet so I can live life to the full and stay fit enough to race around with my kids.

“Twenty years on from winning gold at the Sydney 2000, seafood continues to be my favourite source of protein and healthy fats, and I love the variety it allows me. Whether I’m concentrating on my training regime or whipping up a tasty meal like grilled brown trout with spinach for my family, testing out a simple yet delicious new seafood recipe is my go-to cooking choice.”

Juliette Kellow, Consultant Nutritionist at Seafish, added: “Most of us are familiar with nutrition advice that encourages us to eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables for optimal health, and it’s the same when it comes to seafood.

“Many varieties of fish provide a range of B vitamins, including vitamins B3, B6 and B12, all of which help fight fatigue for those of us always on the go.

“Incorporating new fish like herring, coley or hake, and shellfish like crab and mussels into your diet is smart as they provide a great source of protein and allow you to make the most of all the health benefits seafood offers.

“Whether you’re going through a busy period or have an active lifestyle, you don’t have to be an Olympian to enjoy the wealth of health benefits seafood has to offer.”

Edinburgh’s top 5 food sources for training and exercise
1	Fruit	30%
2	Wholegrain carbs such as brown bread, rice and pasta	30%
3	Fish and shellfish	23%
4	Cruciferous vegetables such as kale, broccoli, and cabbage	32%
5	Eggs	15%

For more information about the health benefits of fish or to discover new recipes to try at home, visit fishisthedish.co.uk.