Thistly Cross becomes latest Scottish Supplier to arrive on Scotmid shelves

An East Lothian-based cider producer is celebrating after winning a competition to have its Scottish Fruits Cider made available for customers at 179 Scotmid stores across Scotland from Wednesday, 27th April.

Founded in 2008, Thistly Cross is the second of five Scottish businesses to win the Scotmid Scottish Favourites competition. The competition was launched by the convenience retailer to champion local producers and further demonstrates its commitment to Scottish sourcing.

This promotional listing, which will run for three weeks, will help Thistly Cross to extend its reach and brand awareness. The move reflects the retailer’s ongoing ambition to helping small businesses thrive and grow. 

Peter Stuart, Founder of Thistly Cross, said: “The promotional listing with Scotmid means a lot to us and our business. This partnership will open the door to new audiences and provide us with the opportunity to sell our product to customers directly in store.

“Our small and passionate team strive to be at the forefront of the growing craft cider movement and we’re grateful for this platform to shout about the great taste of Scottish craft cider. We value Scotmid’s commitment to supporting independent retailers like us and are proud to be offering our authentic Scottish Fruits Cider to their customers.”

Scotmid and Scotland Food & Drink received more than 50 entries from local businesses, which were each judged by a panel of experts.

Kirsty Carnegy, Head of Local Sourcing at Scotmid, said: “We are always looking for new ways to diversify and grow our Scottish product portfolio and were absolutely thrilled with the high quality of entries that we have received for the Scottish Favourites competition.

“Scotland truly has some of the best food and drink in the world and the calibre of local producers is continuing to grow year on year. Made with hand-picked strawberries, elderflowers and blackcurrants, this cider is Scottish to the core. We can’t wait to hear how much our customers love this delicious, locally produced product – massive congratulations to Thistly Cross!”

Thistly Cross is located on the east coast of Scotland and handcrafts its ciders in small batches using real fruit, slow fermented and long matured.

Aldi’s Supermarket Sweep is coming to Edinburgh

Aldi Scotland’s hugely popular Supermarket Sweep has returned for another year and customers in Edinburgh have the chance to raise as much money as possible for a local foodbank of their choosing.  

Guaranteed to be the most fun anyone can have while doing the weekly shop, Edinburgh residents have the opportunity to pick up their favourite items from Aldi’s store in the Hermiston Gait Retail Park.  

Launched in 2016, Aldi’s Supermarket Sweep gives shoppers the chance to do a five-minute trolley dash and take home all the Aldi favourites they can grab in that time, with Aldi donating the cash value of the trolley to a local foodbank.

The lucky shopper also has a chance to double this cash donation and take home a SpecialBuy item of their choice* if they successfully find a hidden inflatable in-store. 

Edinburgh residents can apply for the Supermarket Sweep from Monday 2nd to Sunday 8th May. 

Richard Holloway, Regional Managing Director for Scotland, said: “The Supermarket Sweep is an event in the Aldi calendar that we all look forward to. We are so pleased to be bringing the initiative back for another year and offer one lucky Edinburgh resident the chance to have a shopping experience like no other.  

“Foodbanks across Scotland have worked tirelessly over the last two years to help those who need their services the most. Last year we donated almost £9,000 to foodbanks through Supermarket Sweep and we want to build on this in 2022. 

“From St Andrews to Inverness and Cumnock to Dundee, our Supermarket Sweeps will be taking place across the country. Not only are they a fun way to raise as much money as we can for local foodbanks, but they also give our loyal customers the opportunity to stock up on their favourite Aldi products.” 

Shoppers will be asked to nominate their chosen foodbank when applying to take part. Entrants must be over 18 years old to take part, and alcohol products are not included in the sweep.  

Entry is free and customers can apply in-store or by emailing:

 supermarketsweep@aldi.co.uk.

Entrants must be available to take part in the sweep after stores close at 10pm on their chosen date.  

Starts today: Aldi Spring Beer Festival

The 26th in-store festival brings together eleven of Scotland’s best breweries 

Aldi has revealed the line-up for its 26th Scottish Beer Festival, which will showcase 25 craft beers from eleven breweries across the country, including several retail exclusives.  

Kicking off in-store today, Thursday 28th April, the festival will take place across all of Aldi’s 101 Scottish stores in a deal worth over £86,000 to the breweries involved, with prices starting at just £1.49.  

Aldi’s Scottish Beer Festival is known for celebrating the vast range of beers, lagers and ales brewed across all corners of Scotland. This spring’s festival will give customers the chance to try everything from tropical pilsners to spicy sour ales and vanilla porters to crisp IPAs. 

As part of the in-store activation, Aldi shoppers will have the chance to try a range of award-winning craft beers from Aberdeen-based Fierce Beer, which was recently crowned Scottish Brewery of the Year at the 2021 Scottish Beer Awards.  

The multi-award-winning brewery took home 11 medals for its unique concoctions and will feature five of its brews in Aldi’s festival line-up. Its gold medal-winning Café Racer Coffee & Vanilla Porter, which is fuelled with locally roasted Sumatran espresso coffee and Madagascan Vanilla, is just one of the brewery’s quirky beers that customers can enjoy at everyday Aldi prices.  

This spring’s line-up will also feature Edinburgh-based Stewart Brewing’s Ka Pai South Pacific Pale Ale. The light-bodied brew, which balances notes of passion fruit, mango, and lychee, will be stocked as an exclusive to Aldi Scotland. The popular beer also took home a gold award at the 2021 Scottish Beer Awards for Best Pale Ale.  

Peterhead-based Brew Toon Beers will also be included in Aldi’s Spring festival. Customers have the chance to try the brewery’s J’Ale Riot Red Ale, which has a strong caramel and biscuit nose with a hoppy full-strength punch, and their Pineapple Pils Tropical Pilsner, a blend of crisp malts combined with fresh pineapples and tropical hops. 

Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland, said: “Our Scottish Beer Festivals always prove popular with our customers.

“The craft beer industry continues to thrive in Scotland, and I am proud that the relationships we have built with local breweries over the years mean our customers can enjoy a variety of unique brews at everyday amazing Aldi prices. There really is something for everyone to enjoy.” 

Celebrating the 10th year of Scottish Beer Festivals, products will be available in store from 28 April. Visit aldi.co.uk/scottishbeerfestival to find out more.

You can find you nearest Aldi here.  

Innovative Bon Accord drinks arrive in Morrisons’ Edinburgh stores

 

Edinburgh shoppers with a thirst for unique Scots drinks can now get a taste of the innovative Bon Accord brand in Morrisons after the company signed a new deal to supply their unique, naturally sweetened range to Morrisons supermarkets. 

100% naturally sweetened with real fruit juice and organic coconut nectar, Bon Accord contains no refined sugar or artificial sweeteners, making them the only soft drinks company to use this innovative, natural way of sweetening their drinks.  

Perfect for the health-conscious and environmentally-aware consumer, they’re sold in recyclable glass bottles, enhancing the company’s natural green credentials. 

Bon Accord co-founder Karen Knowles said: “We’re delighted that now even more customers will have the opportunity to buy our fizzy drinks.

“Our whole ethos is to inject a bit more joy into juice and that’s why we are committed to creating products that are not only tasty and good value but also a healthier option for our customers.

“With our 100% sweet by nature range, we’re aiming to help health-focused consumers take small steps to reduce refined sugar in their diet and feel good about fizz.” 

Bosses at the family-owned firm have also had a bit of fun compiling their own tasting notes, suggesting how the sparkling drinks can best accompany food. Forget a robust red – anyone for blue cheese with Rhubarb Soda? 

Five delicious varieties from the Bon Accord family will be available to buy in Morrisons across Edinburgh

  • Rhubarb Soda – 750ml bottle: Crisp and refreshing, with real rhubarb flavour, it’s a bestseller for a reason.  
  • Cloudy Lemonade – 750ml bottle: Tangy and tart with a zesty zin, exactly how lemonade should taste. This Cloudy Lemonade has all the hallmarks of a classic drink.  
  • Ginger Beer – 750ml bottle: Made with real ginger for a flavour that gently tingles and builds without overwhelming. 

    Rhubarb Soda and Ginger Beer will also be available to purchase in a handy 4 x 275ml pack. 

    Angus Bell, Senior Local Buying Manager, Scotland comments, “We are excited to introduce Bon Accord into 10 Morrisons stores in the East of Scotland as part of our Local Foodmakers programme.  

    “Many will remember the iconic Bon Accord delivery lorries and I’m sure that the reinvented, healthier and naturally sweetened range will be a big hit with our local customers. Morrisons’ Local Foodmakers programme searches for local food and drink makers of known and locally loved products and we have started working with over 100 new local suppliers through the programme, supporting local communities and economies.”

    Originally established in 1903 by the current founder’s great-great-grandfather in Arbroath Bon Accord delivered soft drinks to communities all over Scotland for over 100 years on their iconic lorries. Reimagined – and refreshed – in 2016, Bon Accord Soft Drinks is still a family-owned and run business, but times have changed and with a new generation at the helm, they are championing a new and exciting approach to pop.  

    For further information please visit www.bonaccordsoftdrinks.com 

QUIDS IN: Morrisons customers can pick up Sunday lunch for less than a fiver ahead of Mother’s Day

– Morrisons offers a whole chicken, potatoes and two packs of veg for just £4.76 – Offer available in-store and online until Sunday 27th March to celebrate Mother’s Day

Morrisons is helping customers celebrate Mother’s Day by offering all the ingredients for a Sunday roast dinner for under a fiver. 

From today, customers will be able to pick up a whole chicken for £2.99, a pack of The Best Potatoes for 99p and two packs of vegetables for 39p each – bringing the total cost of the meal to just £4.76. 

Available across Morrisons Market Street, the products are all from British farms and usually retail up to a combined price of £6.98, saving customers over a third on their shopping bill.

Rebecca Halliday, Senior Seasonal Event Manager at Morrisons, says, “We know this is an important day to celebrate mums and everything they do. At under a fiver, we hope this offer means more people can afford to treat mum to a special roast this Mother’s Day.”

Morrisons Feed the Family for a Fiver Roast Dinner Deal is available in all 497 stores and online now. 

Morrisons will also be offering a ‘Pocket Money Menu’ in its cafes this week – a menu created by kids to include mums’ favourites such as tea, coffee, toasted teacakes and crumpets for just 99p, offering some of the best value on the high-street. 

Morrisons launch Pocket Money Menu for kids to treat Mum on Mother’s Day

Morrisons has revealed a new ‘Pocket Money Menu’ in all of our cafés to allow kids to treat their mums on their special day this year.

No need to worry about burnt toast in bed, every item on our ‘Pocket Money Menu’ is 99p or less meaning kids can treat their mum to a meal out without breaking the piggy bank. 

The menu has been inspired by our youngest shoppers and includes mums’ favourites including tea, coffee, toasted teacakes and crumpets for just 99p. Plus, Morrisons famous doughnuts are also on the menu for just 35p, so kids will be able to enjoy one too. 

According to RoosterMoney, the average pocket money for 4-10 year olds is £4.12 per week*, making the new pocket friendly café menu affordable for little shoppers to spoil their mum. 

Ali Lyons, Head of Café at Morrisons, says, “Mums are always finding ways to brighten our day. We hope that our 99p Pocket Money Menu will help sons and daughters to show mum their appreciation and spend some quality time together.”

We’ve also brought back our ‘Feed the Family’ offer for just £10 in our cafés nationwide this week – just in time for Mother’s Day.

Adults can choose from a range of café favourites including hand-battered fish and chips, lasagne, jacket potatoes and burgers as well as drinks such as soft drinks or coffee. For the kids, the offer includes smaller portions of chicken nuggets or macaroni cheese along with drinks such as Tropicana or milk. Children will also receive a piece of fruit alongside their main meals. 

Tea and coffee will remain at just 99p, making them one of the cheapest places to pick up a hot drink on the high street.

For more information and to find a local Morrisons café, please visit: https://my.morrisons.com/storefinder/

Hop To It: Morrisons Easter Egg range launches in stores

Range includes four new luxury Easter eggs including a free-from choccy orange, cute Leo the Lion Cub and ‘Egg’ on Toast –

– Chocolate donuts are already causing a storm on social media –

New hot cross bun flavours this year include Blondie, Apple & Cinnamon and Chocolate Orange –

Morrisons customers can get extra egg-cited this week as its new Easter range has now landed in stores. 

New products in the range include four luxury easter eggs: 

·         The Best Chocolate Collection Dark Egg – an indulgent rich Belgian dark, chocolate, with a creamy milk and white chocolate marbling

·         The Best Chocolate Collection Raspberry and Belgian White Egg – a creamy Belgian white chocolate, studded with tangy freeze-dried raspberry pieces

·         The Best Chocolate Collection Milk Egg – luxurious and smooth Belgian milk chocolate decorated with blue, red and white speckles

·         The Best Chocolate Collection Free From Seville Orange Choccy Egg – a chocolate orange egg, hand dipped in crunchy cocoa nibs with rich Belgian dark chocolate and Seville orange truffles, deliciously vegan and free-from gluten, wheat, egg and milk.

Morrisons has also been working to reduce plastic across its own-brand range and all of The Best Eggs this year will be completely plastic free. 

Morrisons will also be offering a chocolate ‘Egg on Toast’ and adorable Leo the Lion Cub, a toffee flavoured white and milk chocolate with dark chocolate decorations, which will be a ROAR-ing hit with families with kids. 

In addition, Morrisons has launched the UK’s first hollow Donut. It is toffee-flavoured and comes in with two toppings, white chocolate & pink drizzle or white chocolate & crispy pearls.

The new donuts are already causing a stir on social media with a post by @helenjtea amassing over 4,500 likes and comments from fans including “insane”, “Wow they look incredible” and “omg I actually thought this was a donut”. 

From this week, Morrisons customers will be able to pick up hot cross buns in four new flavours – BlondieApple & CinnamonChocolate Orange and a fun savoury option Cheese & Jalapeño.

Customer favourites Extra Fruity and Lemon Drizzle will also be back on shelves for a second year.

Sarah Newton, Senior Product Developer at Morrisons, said: “We’re proud of this year’s Easter range, it features delicious treats our customers know and love plus some fun new flavours for the whole family to enjoy – all without breaking the bank.”

Morrisons Easter range is available in stores nationwide now with selected products available online. 

For more information visit: 

https://groceries.morrisons.com/browse/easter-confectionery-186013 

Morrisons introduces rentable boxes at salad bars to remove single-use plastic

Morrisons is introducing new ‘rentable’ boxes on its Salad Bar in four trial stores to allow customers to lunch more sustainably. It has also removed plastic cutlery from all stores.

The Refill a Box scheme is the first of its kind to be trialled by a UK supermarket. Each ‘rentable’ box will replace Morrisons large salad box and is made from fully recyclable polypropylene. The boxes are designed to be used 400 times to prevent disposable plastic containers from being used.

To use the new boxes, customers must first download the CauliBox app[1], register, tap on ‘scan to take a box’ and insert their card details. Customers can then scan the QR code on the Salad Bar point-of-sale, collect an empty box from a Salad Bar colleague, fill it with salad products, then pay at the till as normal.

Boxes should be returned to the Refill a Box drop-off point at the Salad Bar when customers next visit and the QR code scanned again.

They will be thoroughly machine washed and sanitised, before being returned to the pick-up point for another use. A £5 deposit is held whilst customers use the box, which is refunded when the box is returned within seven days.

Lorraine Wheeler, Environmental Packaging Manager at Morrisons, said: “Thousands of customers visit our Salad Bars every week – and this is increasing as people go back out to work.

“Until now we’ve stocked recyclable single-use plastic containers, but we think customers will be ready to swap to this reusable box – as it’s so simple to use. We hope to roll it out to more stores this year.”

Reducing the amount of single-use plastic in stores is a top concern for Morrisons customers. Morrisons has committed to a 50 per cent reduction across its own brand primary plastic packaging by 2025. 

Since 2017 Morrisons has reduced its own brand plastic packaging by over 8,000 tonnes a year and replaced another 7,000 tonnes so that it is fully recyclable.

The move to refillable boxes is the latest initiative from Morrisons to remove plastic packaging from its stores and follows other commitments. 

Morrisons introduced a refillable container scheme for its customers at its butcher and fishmonger counters in 2018 and was the first supermarket to introduce paper carrier bags at checkouts in 2019. Morrisons is also the only UK supermarket to own its own recycling plant in Fife which will reprocess hard-to-recycle soft plastic.

For more information, please visit: https://www.morrisons-corporate.com/morrisons-sustainability/planet/plastics/.

Morrisons marks International Women’s Day by celebrating local women and donating to local community groups across the UK

Morrisons is marking International Women’s Day 2022 with a host of activity aimed at supporting women including donations of sanitary products, celebrations of local women and a relaunch of our ‘Package for Sandy’ initiative which addresses period poverty.

In addition to activities in our stores, sites and surrounding communities, we are also supporting The Prince’s Trust with its #ChangeAGirlsLife campaign as well as celebrating women in our business.

Until March 9th, for every Morrisons or TOTM sanitary protection product a customer buys, Morrisons will donate another pack to a local food bank or community group to help tackle the issue of period poverty. The products included in the campaign include tampons, towels, panty liners and menstrual cups.

To further support the cause, we are also reminding customers of our ‘Package for Sandy’ initiative where customers in need can go to any Morrisons customer service desk and ask for a package for ‘Sandy’ or a ‘period product pack’. The customer will then be given a free discreet envelope with sanitary products and no questions asked. The package is made up of a brown paper bag with two single sanitary towels.

Throughout March, the Community Champions in all of our 497 stores will be recognising and celebrating local women in the community who go above and beyond every day to help make a difference.

Rebecca Singleton, Community Director at Morrisons, said: “International Women’s Day is a key moment in the Morrisons calendar and throughout March we are planning a host of initiatives and events to help celebrate it.

“We hope this will help to tackle the issue of period poverty, recognising the outstanding achievements of the women in the communities that we support and thanking and celebrating women in our stores and sites across the country.”

Our colleagues are also attending and speaking at events held by The Prince’s Trust as part of its #ChangeAGirlsLife campaign.

Customers can find their local store at: https://my.morrisons.com/storefinder/

Sanitary protection products included in the ‘You buy one, we give one’ promotion:

ProductPrice 
M ULTRA TOWEL NIGHT TIME WINGS 10’S£0.65 
M ULTRA TOWEL SUPER WINGS 12’S£0.65 
MORRISONS 10 SUSTAINABLE NIGHT TOWEL X12£2.50
MORRISONS 14 SUSTAINABLE DAY TOWEL X12£2.50
MORRISONS 20 SUSTAINABLE TAMPONS X12£2.50
MORRISONS 32 SUSTAINABLE PANT LINERS X6£2.00
MORRISONS APPLICATOR TAMPONS 20’S£0.95
MORRISONS APPLICATOR TAMPONS REGULAR 20’S£0.95
MORRISONS COMFORT LINERS 20 LONG£1.55
MORRISONS COMFORT LINERS 24S£1.55
MORRISONS COMFORT PADS EXTRA 10’S£1.55
MORRISONS COMFORT PADS EXTRA PLUS 8’S£1.55
MORRISONS COMFORT PADS NORMAL 12’S£1.55
MORRISONS FOLD & WRAP PANTY LINERS 20’S£0.95
MORRISONS INCONTINENCE PADS 10 MALE£3.00
MORRISONS LARGE PANTY LINERS 28’S£0.95
MORRISONS MAXI DAYTIME TOWELS 24S£0.85
MORRISONS MAXI NIGHT COMFORT PADS 6PK£1.55
MORRISONS MAXI TOWELS NIGHT TIME 12’S£0.85
MORRISONS NON APPLICATOR TAMPONS REGULAR 16’S£0.75
MORRISONS NON APPLICATOR TAMPONS SUPER 16’S£0.75
MORRISONS NON APPLICATOR TAMPONS SUPER PLUS 16’S£0.75
MORRISONS NORMAL PANTY LINERS 30’S£0.95
MORRISONS PANTY LINERS 22 EXTRA LONG£0.95
MORRISONS PROTECTIVE UNDERWEAR LARGE 10’S£6.00
MORRISONS PROTECTIVE UNDERWEAR MEDIUM 12’S£6.00
MORRISONS SAVERS 10 MAXI TOWELS£0.40
MORRISONS SAVERS 12 INCONTINENCE PADS£1.35
MORRISONS SAVERS 30 PANTY LINERS£0.40
MORRISONS SUPER PANTS 12 LARGE£8.00
MORRISONS SUPER PANTS 12 MEDIUM£8.00
MORRISONS ULTRA TOWEL REGULAR WINGS 14’S£0.65
MORRISONS ULTRA TOWELS 9 CONFIDENT NIGHT£0.65
MORRISONS ULTRA TOWELS REGULAR 16’S£0.65
TOTM ORGANIC COTTON APPLICATOR TAMPONS REGULAR 16s£3.20
TOTM ORGANIC COTTON APPLICATOR TAMPONS SUPER 14s£3.20
TOTM ORGANIC COTTON MEDIUM FLOW PADS 10s£3.30
TOTM ORGANIC COTTON SUPER FLOW PADS 10s£3.30
TOTM REUSABLE MENSTRUAL CUP SIZE 2£18.00

Morrisons to offer free coffee pod recycling scheme

  • Scheme turns used aluminium and plastic pods into new products such as beverage cans and furniture
  • 1.2bn beverage pods bought in the UK in 2021, up 32% compared to pre-pandemic levels

Morrisons has become the first supermarket to offer its customers a way to recycle coffee pods through a partnership with the recycling scheme Podback.

Over the coming weeks, Morrisons customers will be able to pick up free Podback Collect+recycling bags from its customer service desks.**

The Podback bags can be filled with used coffee pods at home, then taken to one of 6,500 Collect+ delivered by Yodel drop off points around the UK***. All postage back to Podback is free of charge.

Through the Podback scheme, used aluminium pods are turned into aluminium ingots for new products – such as beverage cans, and used plastic coffee pods are turned into other plastic items – such as furniture. The used coffee grounds also go through anaerobic digestion – to produce a combination of biogas and soil improver.

Podback is the first coffee pod recycling scheme of its kind in the UK, and was set up by Nestle and Jacobs Douwe Egberts UK. Current participating brands include Nespresso, Tassimo, L’OR, Nescafé Dolce Gusto, Starbucks by Nespresso, Starbucks by Nescafé Dolce Gusto, Cru Kafe, Artisan Coffee Co, Allpress Espresso, Colonna Coffee and Café Palmieri by Jomad Coffee.

Sales of coffee pods have increased by 32% from pre-pandemic levels, as more people have worked from home. It is estimated that 1.2bn pods were bought in the UK in 2021, making Podback even more important as an easier route for customers to recycle their pods*.  

Rick Hindley, Executive Director at Podback, said: “Podback provides consumers all over the UK with an easy way to recycle their coffee pods, no matter what brand they are buying.

“Morrisons is the first supermarket to become a supporter of the Podback scheme, as well as provide bags in store. This is a great step forward and progress towards ensuring recycling coffee pods becomes second nature. Our goal is to ensure every pod enjoyed is recycled and working with retailers, like Morrisons, is crucial to ensuring the scheme is convenient and simple.

“We welcome other retailers to join to make it even easier for consumers to recycle pods in the future.

Lorraine Wheeler, Environmental Packaging Manager at Morrisons, said: “Many of our customers want to brew fresh coffee at home using a coffee pod. But to date, coffee pod recycling has been confusing for consumers, with several different schemes by multiple brands. Podback offers an easy, simple scheme for all of our customers.” 

The partnership with Podback is part of a wide ranging waste reduction initiative. Since 2017 Morrisons has reduced its own brand plastic packaging in its 497 stores by over 8,000 tonnes a year and was the first supermarket to ditch plastic ‘bags for life’ in favour of paper bags, to use traditional paper bags for loose fruit and vegetables instead of plastic, and to introduce a refillable container service on its fish, meat and deli counters to reduce single-use packaging.

The move marks a key step for Podback, which recently made its recycling bags available online via Coffee Supplies Direct.

For further information please visit www.morrisons.com or www.podback.org.