Brought to us by our lovely Twitter friend @neilphotograffa and his daughter Francesca, this just looked too good to not pass on:

250g strong white flour

250g wholegrain spelt flour

7g dried yeast

320ml warm water (37 degrees, i am kind of precise in these matters) haha 10g sea salt good glug of rapeseed oil (tablespoon-ish)

Method:

semolina for rolling/dusting

mix the flours, yeast, salt and the water in a mixer with a dough hook adding the oil just as it starts coming together for 15mins on slow, or 25mins by hand until dough is smooth and springs back when pressed. Shape into a round, coat with a little oil and prove in a bowl wrapped in a bin liner for an hour in a warm but not hot place until doubled in size.

Once doubled in size, knock the dough back divide into 6 pieces (or 4 if you want big pizza) and shape into rounds a floured board, cover again and leave to rise for 45 mins until doubled in size.

crank the oven up to as hot as you can preferably with a baking stone on the top shelf. Dust surface with semolina and roll pizza dough out nice and thin (i cannot swirl it above my head so i roll it!). Top with a simple sauce made from garlic, good tin toms and tomato puree, and your topping of choice (asparagus, parma ham amd mozzarella is a good seasonal one at the moment, but as in the picture my daughter opts for ham and pineapple EVERY time!)

cook for 10 mins or until the cheese is bubbling, your tummy is rumbling and the pizza is golden and crispy.

Hi,

My attention lately has been drawn towards the food labelling debate and the abuse of fair green land. Both issues are massively important to me, and so this week I have written my blog (and the views are mine, not Sharphams!) discussing the food labelling that we use.

As an advanced and so called developed nation, we as consumers naturally assume that food labelling in the UK is trustworthy and as a green, ethical and well regarded food company, we have to do all that we can to ensure that this trust is deserved. With high profile and easily recognised labels and certifications out there, there really shouldn’t be any issues, should there? Well it appears that some of the labels are not all that they seem on the surface and so I felt it only right that I delve into this a little further.

We currently use the logos for (and are certified with) the Soil Association, Red Tractor Assurance, Vegetarian Society and FSC. Sounds good eh? Well, let’s explore what that really means.....

The Soil Association (www.soilassociation.org) is the oldest and largest organic governing body in the UK. Running since 1946 they currently look after about 80% of the UK organic food market. In an ideal world organic food would also have a small carbon footprint, but currently 56% of organic food sold here is imported. The SA are tackling this by withdrawing their certification on imported foods, if said food cannot feasibly be grown in the UK. The downside is that many large corporations have bought up smaller organic producers and are finding loop holes to exploit, including allowing dairy animals and chickens to be raised in confinement.

The Red Tractor Assurance (www.redtractor.org.uk) standards cover food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection. Over 78,000 farmers and growers are now part of the Red Tractor Assurance chain, as well as leading food supply businesses across the UK making it Britains biggest food label. In a recent study the label's animal welfare practices have led the authors of a 60-page report to advise shoppers to look for schemes which scored higher in their treatment of animals. The damning report gave low scores for areas including pig mutilations with the report recommending the 'prohibition of mutilations of pigs, or at least stringent restrictions on mutilations.' It also stated the label should introduce 'a requirement to use anaesthetic for tail docking’ and a ‘requirement to use teeth grinding instead of teeth clipping’.

The Vegetarian Society logo (www.vegsoc.org) assures consumers that the products bearing its logo are free from animal flesh (meat, fowl, fish or shellfish), meat or bone stock, animal or carcass fats, gelatine, aspic or any other ingredients resulting from animal slaughter. Contain only free range eggs, where eggs are used. Be free from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). There must be no cross contamination with non-vegetarian products during the production process. Be cruelty-free - no animal testing is permitted. Currently over 7000 food products in the UK bear the logo, and it is used by the NHS as part of its food initiative. The issue with claiming to be vegetarian, particularly when eating out, is that the word is often misused. I don’t know how many times I have seen a ‘vegetarian’ dish in a restaurant that contains parmesan cheese ,for example. The Vegetarian Society will certainly have their work cut out over the next few years as the terms "vegetarian" and "vegan" will soon have legal status. UK Food Standards Agency labelling guidelines were adopted in principle by the European Union in 2010, and following a five year period for compliance civil suits may be brought against anyone misusing the terms from 2015. Watch out chefs!

The FSC (Forest Stewardship Council www.fsc-uk.org ) logo is used on product labels to indicate whether products are certified under the FSC system . This system is based on 10 basic criteria that include the environmental, social and economic impacts of the forest industry. Biodiversity is encouraged and the legal and customary rights of indigenous peoples to own, use and manage their lands is recognised. When you see the FSC logo on a label you can buy timber and other wood products, such as paper, with the confidence that you are not contributing to the destruction of the world’s forests. Every year an area half the size of the UK is cleared of natural forests: temperate and tropical, North and South and on every continent.  However, because the principles of the scheme are very general, loopholes can be exploited. For instance, although genetic engineering is not allowed, clear-cutting, use of chemicals (including herbicides) and preservation of old-growth forests are only addressed in a general way, without specific requirement.

So, who do we trust and how do we decide who to work with? If you take each of these certifications on an individual basis, it appears that they may be punching way above their weight – fighting a battle that can never be won - and the exposition of their loopholes is damning. However, I don’t see it that way. I see it as a combination of bodies (in both senses) working towards a better, more sustainable future in food. But there is a long way to go and we will all, I hope, continue to question and critique issues as they happen. I thank the organisations above, and the bodies that govern and critique them for highlighting our recent history of frankly, abhorrent abuse of the land and resources that maintain us, and hope that the recent press comments about food labelling will only increase consumer awareness and help us all towards making educated choices.

Until next time - when I will be featuring a delicious pizza base recipe from a lovely Twitter friend, yum yum.

Leona

Hi,

I don’t know where to start this time as spelt HQ has been seriously buzzing for the last few weeks. Apart from a great trip to Glasgow where I spent time with @Peckhamsdeli (good luck on the opening of the 7th shop by the way guys!) and Wholefoods Market, and back here the farm has been alive with activity. We have 2 new bee colonies, 5 new calves and almost 200 lambs, with Gordon’s (“Raaaamsay” – the Hampshire that we crossed with our little ladies to beef up our yield) children being healthy, bouncy and oh so very big! They are half the size of their mothers already and look quite comedic springing around with their tiny play mates who are probably older than them. I think it is fair to say that the experiment was a success, so watch this space should you be interested in buying whole or half animals from us later in the year.

The Bran Flakes (a very stylish accessory I think you will agree!) have had some amazing press coverage – the Independent, Daily Mail Weekend and the Express S Magazine all raving about them in just the last 8 days. We are now about to place our third order and we haven’t even launched them with Sainsburys yet!

We were all completely stuffed last week when we had a visit from @alexgoochbaker (www.alexgooch.com) who brought us a plethora of delicious spelt cakes, pastries, bread, foccacias, sourdough....the office smelt amazing and we really got stuck in. That guy can really work wonders and was lovely too boot. He delivers through the Hay on Wye and Forest of Dean area and if you are close by then I am massively envious! To try some of your own spelt baking at home the Guardian featured some of our old friend Richard Bertinet’s recipes from his book ‘Pastry’, and he has an amazing recipe for spelt biscuits and pastries, where you can easily replace the wheat flour content with spelt flour http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/apr/22/baking-recipes-richard-bertinet?newsfeed=true

Oh and come and see us and Edd Kimber (www.theboywhobakes.co.uk) at the new addition to the Royal Bath and West Show (30th May – 2nd June www.bathandwest.com ), the Festival of Baking! The area will be awash with great recipe ideas, including spelt bread, spelt cakes and spelt pastry so don’t miss it!

Leona x

Watching the Hairy Bikers Bakeation last night made me REALLY want to make this deliciously simple focaccia recipe again. Give it a go. Oh and Happy National Bread Week!

Ingredients

250g wholegrain spelt flour

250g white spelt flour

10g salt

10g fresh yeast (or 3g instant yeast)

1 ½ cups water, warm

2tsp rosemary, dried

½ cup black olives, pitted

1 tsp olive oil

sea salt

rosemary, fresh

Method:

Pre heat your oven to 220°C. Combine flour, salt, yeast, water and rosemary and mix until the dough forms; knead for 10 minutes until the dough is elastic or blend in a food processor until it forms a ball. Let it rise in a warm place for half an hour. Add the olives and knead. Grease a 24cm pan with olive oil. Let the dough rise for about an hour until double in size, knock back and put into pan. Bake for about 2 min.

Ingredients: Serves 8

250g Sharpham Park Pearled Spelt

6tbs extra virgin olive oil

Approx. 75ml pomegranate molasses

1tsp sumac, or to taste

4 stalks of celery, finely chopped

15g mint, chopped roughly

15g fennel, chopped roughly

20g parsley, chopped roughly

3 eating apples, chopped into small cubes

30g walnuts, chopped

100g dried cranberries

Method:

Put the spelt into a saucepan. Pour over boiling water so that it is a knuckle above the grain. Boil for about 8 minutes, or until cooked.

Add oil, molasses and sumac to the spelt. Stir to combine.

When the spelt is cool, add celery, mint, fennel, parsley, apple, walnuts & dried cranberries and serve!

NB: Sumac is a shrub originating in Turkey, certain varieties of which are cultivated in southern Italy and Sicily. Its fleshy petals and small berries are dried and reduced to a purple powder, which has an acidic taste and is very popular in Middle Eastern cookery. Mixed with water it can be used in the same way as lemon juice.

Hi

I hope that you all had a fab Easter break? It has been a little while since my last entry, which certainly caused a bit of a stir and got lots of people talking and debating the issue of spelt and the wheat free v’s gluten free discussion. The most important thing is that people ARE talking about it and I hope that these discussions continue to provoke and inspire. In the meantime, we will keep on developing delicious Sharpham Park Spelt products and recipes to keep the wheat free among you well fed and satisfied. Talking about recipes, I had the pleasure of meeting Jane from http://www.cookeryatthegrange.co.uk/ last week and she has sent us the most glorious spelt salad recipe which I will follow this entry so that you can all try it.  All recipes are gratefully received, and if I post them on the site then we will send you some goodies in return, so don’t keep those yummy spelt recipes to yourself!

The Food and Drink Expo at the NEC was a huge success. The stand looked amazing (well done our Kate!) and we had a steady flow of people through, made some good contacts and caught up with old friends. The foodie world is a lovely world to work in as most of the time we are all working towards one common goal, which is to bring good food to the market.  Exchanging experiences, contacts and ideas is all a part of that and makes it a very satisfying place to be. It is also lovely when you see other small brands that have grown or get their first big break and you get to share in a little bit of their excitement. http://www.propercorn.com/ is one such brand that we feel in love with and we wish the adorable Cass and Ryan all the best with it. Although, now they have a Waitrose listing we think that they’ll probably do just fine!

The Spelt Bran Flakes are continuing to sell amazingly well (including our first big export shipment!), and we have had a lot of great feedback including comments from Silvena Rowe, Tony Turnbull and Gizzie Erskine about how great they taste and look, and then a comment from a packaging design review website about how we are the one brand that truly deserves to use the Union Jack and how well we have done it! Praise indeed, and Marc, our designer is over the moon! http://www.reachbrands.co.uk/interesting-launches/sharpham-park-british-bran-flakes.html

I am keen to write a comment about the Panorama programme looking at the “Great Apprentice Scandal”. We have employed a few apprentices over the years, and sometimes it has worked out and sometimes it hasn’t. It is always disappointing when things don’t end the way you expect them to – either because they are the wrong person for the role, or the qualification doesn’t suit the candidate, but when it does work out the rewards are great.  It is disgusting that this amazingly innovative programme is being abused, but if you can choose the right employer and the right qualification provider it CAN work and be hugely beneficial to both student and business. I would hate for that programme to put any potential apprentices off as vocational qualifications together with work experience are in high demand. Ask any chef, food producer or manufacturing company. Not all skills can be gained in the classroom alone.

Until next time.....

Leona

Hi,

I hope that you have all had a lovely week in the sunshine. I am going to miss this weekends lovely weather, but I don’t mind as Kate and I will be winging our way to the NEC in our big white van for the Food and Drink Expo. Excited? Very!

I hope that you find my blog entry below interesting - just be warned it could be contentious! All opinions and experiences are entirely my own – there’s no comeback on the rest of the SP team I am afraid. Here goes........

Last night via the beauty of Twitter I was highlighted to a blog entry by http://foodallergyandintolerance.blogspot.co.uk about an error in Jamie Oliver Magazine. The offending article had suggested, alongside some recipes for spelt, that spelt is gluten free and therefore suitable for coeliacs. A bit fat whopping boo boo, make no mistake. However, the response from certain corners was really surprising to me. “This is how all us coeliacs are treated” was one comment, perhaps suggesting that the food world is at war and intentionally out to upset all with this awful disease. I work in the world of spelt. In fact, we ARE the spelt people. We grow it, mill it, make cereals, flour, biscuits, bread, cakes – you name it – with it, and our knowledge since we started doing this back in 2004 has grown tenfold. We hope and pray that this continues, but as far as I am aware no one is out to make others ill or intentionally give incorrect information. Knowledge is coming in thick and fast, and it is up to us to embrace it and work with it and as we learn errors will be made. It is human nature. For example, the lab and food technicians that first tested the gluten level of our spelt in 2005 told us that as it was less than so many parts per million, we could claim that it WAS gluten free. Commence joy and then confusion. A highlight from the Coeliac Society, a second test and a more experienced technician proved that it wasn’t and the lab had given us incorrect information. So you see, the resurgence of spelt in the UK started with confused messages, and we are still now battling to set the record straight.

And that record is hindered by suspicion. As a nation we have been so stuck on eating just one grain for so long, and so when a new one is introduced, we naturally think of it as a strange imposter. In no other nation is wheat consumed for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in between, is rye bread, corn bread or buckwheat looked at with suspicion and distaste. A healthy diet is a varied diet, but with so much conflicting advice it is no wonder people are getting their wires crossed.

In my experience, the grey area occurs when speaking with people who are NOT coeliacs, but perhaps suffer with IBS or wheat intolerance. Those people who, because of the complicated gluten structure within common wheat, find such foods hard to digest and therefore avoid products with gluten in for ease. For example, when we are offerings tastings of our spelt products, and people suggest to us that they can’t eat gluten, my first question is always, “are you a coeliac?” More often than not I am met with a very blank face – “a what?” Question answered! People with coeliac disease (for me an aunt, a close friend, a neighbour....) all know about the disease that they have and what they can and can’t eat. They all know that spelt contains gluten, because their health is at risk if they do not know. I am speaking with firsthand experience of food elimination. Having recently just completed a gruelling 18 months of operations, a stoma and a sub-total colectomy, I am more experienced than most at having to absolutely avoid specific foods, or risk my health, and I know what I can and cannot eat. I make it my business to know, and as food labelling has become much clearer and the choices for people with food limitations – coeliac or otherwise – has grown impressively, I feel that we should celebrate the fact that people now recognise and identify dietary concerns and implications and be grateful that there are people,  like us, that continue research into food groups and their benefits, and continue to develop recipes that are not only suitable but also adventurous and delicious. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t correct, help and guide, but feeling victimised is negative and unhelpful.  We should talk about these things openly and celebrate and support those that want to support us.

Gluten is a complex subject, and one that the medical profession are keen to know more about. The gluten structure in spelt is far more brittle and soluble, as opposed to common wheat gluten and the proteins much shorter. We have worked with Professor John Hunter at Addenbrookes and his patients and together we have compared methane and hydrogen output for IBS sufferers when eating wheat v’s spelt, and the spelt output was much less. We sent our spelt products out to self diagnosed IBS sufferers to see if by swapping all the wheat they usually have in their diet for spelt, what affect it would have and the positive response was overwhelming. For these people spelt can be life changing. Unlike Coeliac disease, IBS is not yet clinically diagnosed, yet just earlier this week I was talking with a clinician and consultant at St Marks who are running UK research into the FODMAP diet for those with IBS, and so hopefully clinical diagnosis is not far away. This is a subject that fascinates me and I have spoken with many people over the years, some who believe that yeast free diets work for them and I all kinds of other weird and wonderful variations, but to me there is one common factor. Wheat gluten. If you don’t have yeast, you don’t have wheat and wheat gluten can be an issue for up to 1 in 7 people in the UK. Therefore for them, avoiding wheat, and eating spelt and other grains is hugely beneficial. This cannot be disputed in my opinion. It is the distinction between this and coeliac disease that is the issue, and one which we must all continue to clarify and correct. Wheat Free isn’t necessarily Gluten Free and the 2 labels, one no less important than the other, should be identified as such and differ.

I don’t discount that we need ambassadors like Jamie to ensure that he gets his facts straight, but it has got us all talking and thinking about it, and for me that can only be a positive.

Phew! Now to pack the van and hit the road.....

Leona

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups whole milk

2/3 cup pearled spelt

2/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large egg yolks

3 tablespoons whipping cream

4 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Method

Combine first 5 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until mixture thickens and spelt is very tender, stirring occasionally, should take about about 1 hour.

Reduce heat to low. Whisk egg yolks and cream in small bowl. Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup spelt mixture; return to same pan and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly (do not boil). Remove from heat. Add chocolate; stir until melted. Stir in orange peel and cardamom. Transfer pudding to bowl; cover and chill until cold. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Hi there,

I hope that you all managed to enjoy the lovely spring sunshine this weekend. Wasn't it just lovely? We met up with some friends and went for dinner at Goodfellows in Shepton Mallet on Saturday night. The owner, Adam Fellows, is an old friend as we used to work together many moons ago at Charlton House, and he certainly didn't disappoint. I had hand dived scallops with cucumber spaghetti and a champagne butter sauce. I am drooling just thinking about it. One of his dessert options was a white chocolate rice pudding and it was so delicious that it got me thinking about making one with pearled spelt, so I did that yesterday and spent most of last night quality testing it. One bowl after the other. The recipe will follow and resistance is futile!

Like me, and most of the rest of the nation, did you watch both the rugby and Kony 2012 this weekend? Well done those boys, it was a great game to watch and real edge of the seat stuff. Kony 2012 I found absolutely riveting. It is complete proof that if used correctly, social media has an enormous power and can change the way people think and behave. Fascinating. And it will be interesting to watch how it unfolds over the coming year. If you haven't watched it, you should. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc

Here at spelt HQ we are starting to get all of our bits together for the 2 shows that we are going to be exhibiting at later this month.

Bath In Fashion runs from 23rd March through to the 1st April and is a true celebration of Fashion with the backdrop of one of our most beautiful cities. We are lucky enough to be able to have a presence there through our sister company, Kilver Court Designer Emporium and it will be our aim to ensure that all the fashionistas are kept spelted up at all times! Our very own Roger will be hosting a talk about his journey from fashion to farming and back again on Tuesday 27th. Tickets are available through the website (bathinfashion.co.uk) and you had better book quick as his talks always fill up quickly.

Food and Drink Expo at the NEC from the 25th - 27th March  is our first chance to really show off the new Bran Flake range to trade, and we have been preparing some fun props to ensure that we are not missed, including a 6 foot high replica bright pink box! We have already had interest from Hong Kong, Dubai and Singapore for this range so if that is anything to go by we we should get a good response at the show from the UK buyers and retailers. I am hoping to have a big announcement about the Bran Flakes too next week. We should hear on Friday, so watch this space....

Bye for now

Leona

Ingredients
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
2 cups Speltotto with a little added corn/potato starch to thicken. Allow to cool. (there are many recipes in our recipe section to choose from, and I find that left overs are perfect for arancini)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups dried Italian-style bread crumbs (spelt bread crumbs with herbs are perfect!)
2 ounces mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Salt

Directions
Pour enough oil in a heavy large saucepan to reach the depth of 3 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F.

Stir the eggs, Speltotto, Parmesan, and 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs in a large bowl to combine. Place the remaining breadcrumbs in a medium bowl. Using about 2 tablespoons of the speltotto mixture for each, form the speltotto mixture into 1 3/4-inch-diameter balls. Insert 1 cube of mozzarella into the center of each ball. Roll the balls in the bread crumbs to coat.

Working in batches, add the rice balls to the hot oil and cook until brown and heated through, turning them as necessary. It should take about 4 minutes. Using a draining spoon, transfer the rice balls to paper towels. Season with salt and serve with salad, tahini and juicy vine tomatoes.

We have had an amazingly busy and exciting week here at spelt HQ, including our annual SALSA audit (Safe and Local Supplier Approval), which we once again passed with flying colours. Hurray! And a huge well done to Kate and the team. Apologies if you thought that I was going to give you some yummy spanish recipe or break into a Latino number....

The big news though, and the one that has got us all jumping around with glee, is that the BRAN FLAKES ARE HERE! We are just so very excited and have tucked into them already. They look fab, and I promise you that they taste even better. They are available to buy after Monday 5th on line and across the nation very soon, but before then you can get exclusive tastings with myself and Alice this weekend at Selfridges Food Hall, Oxford Street and with Claire and Charlotte at the Shop at Kilver Court - the home of Sharpham Park. Be there or......be without the best cereal to hit the UK market in donkeys years!

Now, I really must calm down and talk about far more serious things. Like Spelt Arancini. We had a request for a recipe for arancini using our pearled spelt this week, and so I gave it a try and the recipe will follow. I found it delicious for lunch with salad, pine nuts and humous.

More next week......

Leona

Hi again,

Last week was Valentine's Day of course, and as usual the talk in the office turned to whether we celebrated it or not. Personally, I call it "Hallmark Day". I mean, what a load of old rubbish. If someone has to tell my man to send me a naff card to show me that he loves me then, honestly I would rather not have one. We cooked a lovely meal instead, opened a bottle of something nice and then he did the washing up! That was the best bit. I made a simple and delicious pasta dish using our Handmade Spelt Pasta and a fresh basil pesto with LOADS of parmesan. Mmm mm. It just goes to show that a few well selected ingredients and you can have a simple dish in minutes. I have listed what I used for the pesto below.

As you will hopefully have seen on the website home page, things are really gearing up for the Spelt Bran Flake Launch in 9 sleeps time! I am at Selfridges on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th March offering exclusive tastings and previews so please come by and see me and Alice if you can. We will then be will be sending it out to the world as of Monday 5th. I would love to know what you think of the new look, and will send samples out to 8 people that send me the most interesting or useful comments, so get thinking and typing.

I was going to write something about Shrove Tuesday and Pancakes, but actually, we all know how delicious spelt pancakes are all year round, so I won't bother. But just remember that the batter mix makes the most delicious Yorkshire Puddings too.

Have a great week!

Leona

For the pesto I used:

2 generous handfuls of fresh basil leaves

150g grated parmesan

Garlic infused olive oil, a good drizzle

100g of pine nuts

3 crushed cloves of garlic

A bit of salt and pepper

Grated yellow and green courgettes on top

Hi there! After spending the past 6 years whizzing around our great nation, spreading the good spelt word, I have finally got around to putting finger tip to keyboard and telling you all about my adventures in the Sharpham Park Smart Car. Expect a little bit of fun, a few recipes and hopefully lots of comments back from you!

My name is Leona and I have worked here at Sharpham Park since Roger Saul started the business back in 2005. No one had really heard about spelt then, unlike now, where it has been accepted as alternative grain to wheat and is eaten in kitchens and offices across the nation. I get lots of fab ideas on how to use it in its many forms, including recipes for bread, cakes, biscuits, pastry, risottos and salads - and sometimes more novel ideas too including one lady who insists that the pearled spelt is the best ever window scraper for frosty mornings!

I will keep you posted about exclusive offers and competitions, and you can also find me on Facebook and Twitter (@sharphampark), so don’t miss out.

My big project at the moment is our exciting new product launch that is happening on Monday 5th March, and throughout London starting on the 3rd March. Just 17 more sleeps! I will tell you more about that later though as I don't want to peak too soon, but expect to be impressed.

Of course, I don’t look after this amazing business and organic estate on my own. I have a wonderful team here, who are all as passionate and dedicated as I am. We do have lots of fun though and I am so lucky to have them. It was my right hand man, Charlie’s, birthday on Monday so we indulged in a little treat (see below), not that much excuse is ever really required! He has now upped and left for a back packing trip around India for 18 days the lucky thing, leaving us to work on the big product launch without him. What he doesn’t know is that since he left I have found out that he told me a little porky about the bright pink t-shirts that I wanted for the product launch at Food and Drink Expo at the NEC next month. He told me that they didn’t do them in ‘men’ sizes, and so he would have to go for blue. I agreed at the time, but have since found out that they do men’s in XL in a rather fetching bright cerise pink. So I have ordered him 2!

Well, I’m off now to do some boring financial stuff. I really can’t put it off any longer. Catch you next week,

Leona