LONDON; 8th February 2009: UK streets battle it out to be crowned Britain’s Best Street in the Google Street View Awards.

Google have today announced the launch of the Google Street View Awards, a celebration of Britain’s best-loved streets as voted for by the public in a nationwide poll.

The awards, for Britain’s Most Picturesque Street, Best Foodie Street and Best Fashion Street, have been created in anticipation of further imagery being added to Google’s revolutionary Street View tool, which currently allows users to view and navigate 360 degree street-level imagery in 25 British towns, including many of those nominated for the Street View Awards. Later this year, Street View will be rolled out to cover additional streets from around the UK.

Shortlisted nominations for each of the award categories have been compiled by a panel of experts from the worlds of food, fashion and travel including VisitBritain, TV personalities Julia Bradbury (Countryfile), Jeff Banks (The Clothes Show) and Brix Smith Start (Gok’s Fashion Fix), leading journalists Jo Elvin (Editor, Glamour) and Nicholas Lander (Restaurant Correspondent, Financial Times) and authors David Else (Editor of The Lonely Planet Guide to Great Britain) and Richard Harden (Co-Editor, Harden’s Restaurant Guide). The experts were asked to nominate streets that fulfilled a pre-set criteria for each category. Their nominated streets highlight a series of British treasures ranging from famous tourist attractions such as London’s King’s Road, Royal Crescent in Bath and The Shambles in York to hidden avenues and courtyards such as Gold Hill in Shaftesbury and Pen Cei in Aberaeron, Wales.

Voting opens from today, and closes on Sunday 28th February. The winners will be announced in March. To vote, go to www.maps.google.co.uk/beststreets

Britain’s Best Foodie Street

The winning street should offer a unique mix of mouth-watering options which could include fine dining, cafés, market stalls and delicatessens, all covering a diverse mix of food types and price points.

1. Wilmslow Road, Manchester

2. Hope Street, Liverpool

3. South Embankment, Dartmouth

4. Whiteladies Road, Bristol

5. Charlotte Street, London

6. Stockbridge High Street, Hampshire

7. Call Lane, Leeds

8. Fossgate, York

9. High Street, Southwold, Suffolk

10. High Street, Cley next the Sea, Norfolk

11. Broad Street, Birmingham

12. Belgrave Road, Leicester

13. Byres Road, Glasgow

14. The Shore, Edinburgh

15. Osborne Road, Jesmond, Newcastle

16. Haven Hill, Craster

17. Cross Street, Abergavenny

18. High Street, Conwy

19. Botanic Avenue, Belfast

20. Howard Street, Belfast

Richard Harden, Co-Editor of Harden’s Restaurant Guides said: “It’s great to have an award that stresses the variety of attractions you can find on the foodie front, across the the UK. The nominations are so multi-various though, that the final verdict is certainly going to be a tricky one.”

 Britain’s Best Fashion Street

The winning street should offer an eclectic mix of boutique and high street, designer and high street for all clothing tastes and ages. The winning street should satisfy both bargain-hunters and label-lovers.

 1. Mathew Street, Liverpool

2. New Cathedral Street, Manchester

3. Milsom Street, Bath

4. Regent Street, Clifton Village, Bristol

5. Kings Road, London

6. Westbourne Grove, London

7. Stonegate, York

8. Briggate, Leeds

9. Rose Crescent, Cambridge

10. Gentleman’s Walk, Norwich

11. Corporation Street, Birmingham

12. Bridlesmith Gate, Nottingham

13. Ruthven Lane, Glasgow

14. Buchanan Street, Glasgow

15. Northumberland Street, Newcastle

16. High Bridge Street, Newcastle

17. Queen’s Street, Cardiff

18. St Mary’s Street, Cardiff

19. Victoria Street, Belfast

20. Lisburn Road, Belfast

Fashion designer Jeff Banks commented: “The final shortlist for Britain’s Best Fashion Street is a testament to the strength and diversity of the UK’s high streets. From the exclusive stores across London to the hip independent boutiques in Bristol’s Clifton Village Britain boasts an outstanding range of shops to suit all tastes and budgets.”

Britain’s Most Picturesque Street

The winning street should be uniquely British and visually charming. It could be vibrant, full of character, diverse, walker-friendly or architecturally interesting.

1. Gold Hill, Shaftesbury, Dorset

2. Royal Crescent, Bath

3. Chipping Campden High Street, Gloucestershire

4. Brunswick Square, Brighton and Hove

5. The Shambles, York

6. Grey Street, Newcastle

7. Pen Cei, Aberaeron

8. Main Street, Tobermory, Isle of Mull

9. New College Lane, Oxford

10. Broad Street, Ludlow

David Else, Lead Author of The Lonely Planet Guide to Great Britain, said: “As the lead author of the Lonely Planet Guide to Great Britain, I’ve travelled the length and breadth of the country, and seen many of these streets firsthand. The final shortlist reflects the wonderful variety of architecture in Britain, and I hope people have as much fun voting for their favourites as I had visiting them.”

The winning three streets will be crowned “Britain’s Best Street 2010” in each relevant category. Google will work with the winning streets to create a bespoke Google Street View tour, created to highlight the key retailers and points of interest, allowing the world to find out more about the nation’s final choices.

Competition is expected to be fierce as streets from all over Britain battle it out for the coveted awards. Is London’s Kings Road the undisputed home of fashion or will it be upstaged by Manchester’s trendy New Cathedral Street? Will Leeds’ food emporium, Call Lane, be crowned the most mouth-watering, with its diverse range of eateries, or will the nation’s love of curry challenge it with Birmingham’s Broad Street?

Sandie Dawe, Chief Executive, VisitBritain said: “We are really pleased to be involved in this exciting project which will honour streets across the UK and help raise the profile of Britain internationally in an innovative way. The campaign received high levels of participation from overseas which raises the level of engagement with Britain.”

Ed Parsons, Geospatial Technologist for Google said: “We want to celebrate the beauty and culture of Britain and are really excited about the first ever Google Street View Awards. The awards will showcase some of Britain’s Best Streets across the UK and we hope people will get involved and vote online for their favourite.”

LONDON, 16 November 2009: London’s iconic skyline has been transformed into an edible healthy landscape using no fewer than 26 different types of fruit and vegetables ranging from green beans to the exotic citrus fruit kumquats.

 The image, commissioned by TV channel Good Food from the world renowned photographer Carl Warner and devised by Taylor Herring PR, compliments the channel’s strapline of ‘we have fun with food’. It sees Big Ben’s face transformed through slices of lemon while an edible version of The Houses of Parliament is created with a mix of asparagus, green and runner beans subtly mixed with baby sweetcorn to depict the intricate stonework of the political landmark.

The finished artwork took Carl Warner and his team of five model makers three weeks to craft, construct and compile. Challenges they faced included how to keep the fresh and highly perishable fruit and vegetables looking their best for the final image and which types of produce would compliment the grandeur of the iconic buildings.

Other high profile London landmarks that have been given the food makeover include The London Eye which has green beans as spokes and its pods carefully crafted out of baby plum tomatoes and the Gherkin building which has been cunningly manufactured from two types of melon and embedded with green beans to highlight the infamous spiralling glass frames.

Additional fruit and vegetables used in the London skyline image include a leek and kumquat studded with cloves to depict The Monument and a cucumber with baby courgettes and a carrot teamed with a monkey nut and almond to transform Nelson’s Column into a never before edible treat.

One of London’s most popular tourist attractions St Paul’s Cathedral, has been given a modern day food makeover, with the spire being created from roundels of carrot, yellow and green courgette and baby leeks. The famous dome designed by Christopher Wren in the 17th century, has been transformed through the use of a melon, while the impressive columns have been crafted out of baby sweetcorn.

Roopa Gulati Good Food channel head says: “This is a stunning image which has quite literally transformed the London skyline through good food proving that fun with food in a creative and light-hearted way is the way forward”.

Other London landmarks which have been transformed in the image include Tower Bridge with its pineapple piers, celery and shredded wheat towers and the Tower of London which is comprised of a selection of breadsticks and spelt crackers while the intricate brickwork has been constructed from mini shredded wheat.

The Embankment is depicted through panini encrusted walls, punctuated by the iconic Thameside lampposts which are constructed by onions wrapped in vanilla pods for the lamps, asparagus for the posts and mackerel for the ornate fish plinths.

Exclusive video footage of renowned food photographer Carl Warner making the image can be seen online at www.goodfoodchannel.co.uk

For more information contact Taylor Herring PR on 0208 206 5151

About Good Food
Good Food features all the biggest names in food, including Jamie Oliver, Gary Rhodes, James Martin, Rachel Allen, and The Hairy Bikers. Appealing to both the expert cook to someone who just wants to have fun with food, Good Food delivers exciting originations such as Family Supercooks, Aaron Craze’s Rude Boy Food and Market Kitchen, alongside exclusive titles from overseas such as Bill’s Holiday and 4 Ingredients. Where to find Good Food: Sky channel 249 and Virgin TV channel 260.

Channel 4’s champion chef, writer and campaigner for local organic food, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, returns with a brand new installment of the River Cottage series, River Cottage Autumn, which is available exclusively through 4DVD on Monday 16th November 2009.

Released on the same day is the River Cottage Collection Box Set which boasts an impressive 10 DVDs from across seven series. In River Cottage Autumn, Hugh returns to harvest the best that autumn has to offer from the sea and the land and from forest to kitchen garden, cooking and eating everything he finds, from root vegetables and fruits to wild game and fish.

This special River Cottage Collection Box Set is a delightful feast and follows Hugh on his wonderful culinary journey as he showcases the very principles he stands for; self-sufficiency, food integrity and the consumption of local, seasonal produce.

For review and competition copies please contact Taylor Herring PR 0208 206 5151

Kids cook up a storm in the kitchen

I Can Cook at Christmas is the first DVD available from the exciting new CBeebies series that gets pre-school children in to the kitchen and cooking up a storm. With a selection of specially tailored simple recipes, top cookery tips and the chance to get a bit messy, the series celebrates a hands-on approach to cooking in the festive fun period. I Can Cook at Christmas is released exclusively on Monday 23rd November courtesy of 4DVD.

Children will be fascinated as they learn how to grow and cook the food they eat, and discover the magic of the full cycle of food. From the field to the fork, children will learn to connect what’s on their plate everyday with the world surrounding them. Hosted by newcomer Katy Ashworth, I Can Cook welcomes five children into the kitchen to create a host of delicious meals.

In this special DVD, it’s that exciting time of year for children – Christmas! Enjoy the exclusive 20 minute festive themed episode where Katy and friends make Turkey and Ham Bake and crunchy Christmas cookies.

Also on the DVD are three episodes where the children can enjoy popping peppers, sprinkle seasoning and squish squash as they explore where ingredients come from and how foods are made as well as learning some simple kitchen and cookery skills. They will be making dishes such as Magic Mini-Fishcakes, Carrot and Courgette Muffins and Strawberry Meringue Ice Cream – a treat for all the family.

Children can also join in a sing-along with Katy as she chooses two of her favourite songs. Plus take an enchanting trip to the I Can Cook garden, where everyone is having fun planting and watering fruit and vegetables.

I Can Cook broadcasts on CBeebies in October 2009. I Can Cook is produced by Initial, an Endemol Company. Executive Producers are Christopher Pilkington (Initial) and Sarah Colclough (BBC). The Series Producer is Driana Jones. The show is co-devised by Sally Brown, Kate Morris and Initial, an Endemol Company.

DVD Details
Release date: Monday 23rd November 2009
RRP: £12.99
Running time: TBC
Format: 1 Disc
Cert: U
Cat No: 6867441031291

For further information, interview requests, review discs, competition requests and images please contact Taylor Herring PR 0208 206 5151

Notes To Editors:
Sally Brown
Sally Brown founded The Purple Kitchen Company in 2000 after 16 years working for large corporations and establishing marketing and PR departments at companies such as Courtaulds plc and The World Gold Council. Brought up in a family with a catering and cooking background, Sally has always had a passion for food. While bringing up her own children, Sally realised that there was a generation of children whose parents were not passing on basic life-skills related to cooking and nutrition. This inspired her to set up The Purple Kitchen with her partner Kate Morris. The Purple Kitchen cookery classes ensure that children aged from two to four approach cooking with no fear of failure. Using innovative techniques, the lessons give the children a sense of achievement that empowers them to feel confident about the ingredients and their cooking skills. Sally’s expertise in this area is proved in the up-coming Autumn 2009 Cbeebies TV Series I Can Cook of which Sally is a co-deviser. Married with two teenage daughters – who started cooking when just 18 months old – Sally spends her free time in the kitchen where she likes to ‘stir things up’ and create new recipes – including a cake for her dog’s birthday which was made from grated carrot, peanut butter with a cream cheese topping.

Kate Morris
Kate Morris is a trained teacher with a B. Ed. (Hons) in Home Economics and Textiles. After teaching in London for two years, Kate decided to move into journalism. Proving to be an extremely successful career change, she spent over 15-years writing for national newspapers and national consumer women’s interest publications. After moving to Buckinghamshire with her two young children, Kate became increasingly passionate about the need for young children to be engaged in understanding about and cooking food. She joined Sally Brown at The Purple Kitchen in 2003 to do just this. The Purple Kitchen delivers cookery courses to pre-schoolers by introducing food and nutrition education in a fun and innovative way to children as young as two. Kate’s expertise in this area is proved in the up-coming Autumn 2009 Cbeebies TV series I Can Cook of which Kate is co-deviser. Married with teenage children – who love to read recipe books and help test recipes – Kate is completing her MSc in Food Policy at City University, London. Kate spends any free time she has running to keep fit.

LONDON; 22nd October 2009; Taylor Herring’s 007 lolly has helped Del Monte top the latest Kaizo Advocacy Index published today in Food and Drink technology magazine.

The Kaizo Advocacy Index is a biannual study that measures the online reputation of 20 brands across Food, Software, Airline and Mobile sectors. The study examines independent links on four Google search engine tools – Web, News, Groups and Blogs, as well as posts on Twitter and Facebook Groups. Content is assigned a positive (Promoter), neutral (Passive) or negative (Detractor) sentiment score and an index is created by subtracting the percentage of Promoters from the percentage of Detractors.

Del Monte, Virgin Atlantic, T-Mobile and Symbian led their individual sectors with scores of 45%, 33%, 7% and 13% respectively. The worst performing brands across each sector were Heinz (8%), Ryanair (-62%), O2 (-20%) and Microsoft (-9%).

Del Monte demonstrates that brands using creative methods to engage with consumers and promote positive online conversations can quickly find themselves ahead of the competition.

The brand increased its score by a massive 54% to knock Virgin Atlantic off top spot after previously coming bottom of the previous Kaizo Index conducted at the start of the year in which Del Monte recorded the lowest score of all the food brands (-9%).

The turnaround is largely due to the launch of a low calorie frozen dessert in the shape of James Bond actor Daniel Craig’s torso after over 1,000 women voted him to be the celebrity they would most like to lick. The campaign provoked comments such as “Ooooh yum” after over 1,000 women voted him to be the celebrity they would most like to lick.

Press Launch: 6.30pm, Thursday 17th September at Selfridges, Oxford Street. 

A new conceptual ice cream installation at Selfridges offers visitors the coolest and creamiest fix.

• Date: Open till 1 November 2009
• Location: Selfridges’ Ultralounge (lower ground floor, Oxford Street)
• Master of Cool Innovation: Matt O’Connor, entrepreneur and provocateur

A subversive new ice cream brand, The Icecreamists, will launch at Selfridges’ flagship Oxford Street store this week with a subterranean “God Save The Cream” themed ice cream and entertainment installation in the store’s Ultralounge on the lower ground floor.

The Icecreamists is the ultimate ice cream boutique, offering an array of ‘vice creams’ and guilty pleasures including molecular cryogenic cocktails served at -196C, a Sex Pistol ice cream, artisan ice cream flavours from around the world, pure frozen yogurts and sorbettos; all freshly prepared every morning by a master mixologist.

The Icecreamists is a new concept in ice cream, offering visitors the coolest breakfast on earth, lunchtime licks, afternoon cream tease and an après shopping fix. The decadent installation will also feature live in-house band Jimi Love and The Icecreamists, DJs, dancers and catwalk shows.

The Icecreamists plan to liberate Londoners from what they describe as ‘ordinary ice cream’ – ice cream made with vegetable fat and fake chocolate. As part of the ‘Say No To Ordinary Ice Cream’ Campaign The Icecreamists will run an ice cream amnesty offering shoppers the opportunity to swap their shop bought ice creams for real, freshly made boutique ice cream made that morning in the Selfridges boutique.

Ice cream is the world’s greatest socialising agent. Here are just a few of the things the boutique will be offering:

• Cryogenic Cocktails made with liquid nitrogen and served at your table, including The Icecreamists signature ice cream cocktail, the ‘God Save the Cream’ – a ‘reverse flambé’ served at a blistering -196 degrees

• An exciting menu of sweet and savoury ice creams including The Gordon’s Glory – a 21st century reimagining of the knickerbockerglory and The Sex Pistol - a natural stimulant ice cream served in a glass accompanied by a shot of absinthe in a pink water pistol.

•  The Sundae Lunch, fresh pea sorbet with a hint of mint, beef bouillon and horseradish sorbet with a Yorkshire Pudding crisp and an apple and blackberry crumble gelato.

• The Chocolate Volcano – their exclusive eye-wateringly calorific ‘Diet Destroyer’. This promiscuous little number has led to one-night-stands, life-long romances, affairs and even marriage proposals. So breathtakingly outrageous and immoral it could be banned under the Obscenity Laws. Submit to X-rated molten Belgian chocolate sauce poured onto a mountain of Ecuadorean Dark Chocolate Ice Cream and served with fresh seasonal fruit.

• Artisan ice creams exclusively designed by Italy’s acclaimed gelato master Roberto Lobrano using authentic ingredients from around the world. Gourmet flavours include Tahitian Vanilla, Venezuelan Chocolate, Argentinian Dulce De Leche and North African Spiced Cinnamon.

Matt O’Connor, founder of The Icecreamists, says, “If you thought you knew ice cream, think again. The Icecreamists will liberate the world from ordinary ice cream with our range of exclusive freshly made ice creams and cryogenic cocktails. Chocolate has grown up in recent years, but ice cream has suffered from a poverty of imagination. We hope to change this with the biggest revolution in ice cream since it was first invented.”

Boutique Ice Creams

* Argentinian Dulce De Leche (La Salamandra brand)
* Asian Spiced Ginger
* English Brown Bread
* Gianduia Torino with Chocolate & Hazelnuts
* Hazelnut from Piedmont
* Italian Espresso
* North African Spiced Cinnamon with Sweet Tea
* Pistacchio from Bronte
* Rosewater
* Seasonal Berry Sorbetto with Fortified Wine
* Sorrento Lemon Sorbetto
* Swiss White Chocolate
* Tahitian Vanilla
* Traditional Milk Chocolate
* Twisted Toffee Apple
* Venezuelan Chocolate

Roberto Lobrano

Roberto has been whipping up mouth-watering gelato since he was 11 years old and since then has risen through the ranks of gelati creators to become one of Italy’s top artisans. He has won many awards for his creations including the prestigious Golden Merlin for his Basil Gelato. When not creating ice creams fit for royalty, he spends his time lecturing at the Carpigiani Gelato University near Bologna.

Matt O’Connor

Matt O’Connor is a man who eats, sleeps and breathes ice cream. He has over 20 years experience working with some of ice cream’s biggest brands. Matt relishes a challenge and changing the way we think about frozen deserts is something which comes naturally to him!

About Selfridges

Selfridges is 100 years old in 2009. The actual birthday was on 15 March but the main centenary celebrations are taking place throughout the summer.

• The Ultralounge is in the lower ground floor of Selfridges’ Oxford Street store. It was launched as a dedicated events space in February 2006. Since then it has featured events celebrating Punk; a Brian Eno video arts installation entitled Luminous, a celebration of Surrealism in collaboration with the V&A. Since 2007, the Ultralounge has been showing more art exhibitions including Lattice, an installation by sculptor Conrad Shawcross commissioned by the store; a show called Exactitudes by Dutch artists Air Versus and Ellie Uyttenbroek; or Kay Saatchi’s Anticipation – an exhibition featuring an edit of the work from the most talented emerging artists living in Britain today. All these exhibitions generated a lot of critical and public interest.

• Selfridges: the business was founded by American entrepreneur Gordon Selfridge in 1909 and run by him until he retired in 1940 and took on the role of President. Gordon Selfridge died in 1947. Four years later the business was sold to Lewis’ of Liverpool for £3.4 million.

• In 1965 Charles Clore’s British Shoe Corporation won control of Selfridges in a take-over for £63 million. New developments included the opening of Miss Selfridge.

• In 1998 the company was de-merged from the Sears Group and floated on the London Stock Exchange.

• In 2003 Galen Weston purchased Selfridges. He and his wife Hilary are closely involved with the development and growth of the company and their daughter Alannah is Creative Director.

• In the year ending 31 January 2008, Selfridges’ sales rose by 10 per cent to £655 million and profit grew by 30 per cent to £84.1 million.

• Galen Weston is Chairman of Selfridges and, in January 2004, Allan Leighton was appointed Deputy Chairman.

• Paul Kelly became Chief Executive of Selfridges in February 2004. Before that, Paul was Managing Director of Brown Thomas in Dublin for ten years. He has worked with the Weston family for over 20 years.

• Galen Weston is Chairman of the premier luxury goods company which, as well as Selfridges, includes Holt Renfrew in Canada and Brown Thomas in Ireland.

Check www.selfridges.com for more information.

For further information and images, please contact: Taylor Herring PR – 0208 206 5151

LONDON, Monday 17th August: Londoners can get set for an ice cream fix with a difference this Autumn as The Icecreamists unveil their first creation – a green and white ice cream cocktail dubbed The Sex Pistol.

The Sex Pistol contains ginkgo biloba, arginine and guarana and served with a shot of La Fee Absinthe. And consuming The Sex Pistol comes with a warning – it will lead to enhanced blood flow and increased energy levels and thus customers are limited to just one serving per person.

Matt O’Connor, founder of The Icecreamists says; “This is the perfect après shopping treat. Just one Sex Pistol will leave you feeling energised and confident – but please, don’t pester the staff!”

The Sex Pistol costs £11.99 and is available to customers aged 18 and over.

The Icecreamists, an innovative and subversive pop up ice cream installation, launches on 10 September in The Ultralounge at Selfridges and is open daily until 1 November. www.theicecreamists.com

The subterranean boutique will offer “God Save The Cream” themed ice cream and entertainment from live in-house band Jimi Love and The Icecreamists, as well as DJs, dancers and catwalk shows.

An array of vice creams and guilty pleasures will be served including molecular cryogenic cocktails, artisan ice cream flavours from around the world, pure frozen yogurts and sorbettos; all freshly prepared every morning by a master mixologist and designed by gelato master Roberto Lobrano.

The Sex Pistol is but a taste of the exciting and unusual ice cream flavours that will be available for the delectation of visitors.

For more information please contact: kat.taylor@taylorherring.com

• Seven out of ten Britons turn to feel-good food to combat the effects of the credit crunch
• 57% of shoppers admit to putting on weight by comfort eating their way through the recession
• Fish & Chips and Beans on Toast are the meals of choice for the cost conscious

LONDON, Monday 22 June 2009: Traditional favourite Bangers and Mash has been voted the most popular comfort food for cash-strapped Brits trying to cheer themselves up during the financial downturn in a new study which finds that despite rising food prices and the increased cost of living, many people are opting to ‘eat themselves happy’.

The survey, commissioned by new TV channel Good Food, quizzed more than 3,000 British adults about their current eating habits compared with the same time last year. The research shows that while UK shoppers are feeling the pinch in their pockets they are turning to comfort food in an effort to treat themselves while keeping costs as low as possible. Hearty feel-good dish Bangers and Mash is the clear favourite with 16% of respondents rating it their top dish. Its ability to make people happy and its connection with childhood memories are the reasons why it claimed the top spot.

The comprehensive survey also discovered that further traditional comfort fare such as Fish and Chips (15%) and Beans on Toast (10%) are the next most popular dishes of choice. The findings are born out by recently released trading figures from Heinz, which revealed a 21 per cent jump in sales of its Baked Beans in the UK.

The findings suggest that for many, cocoa cravings may peak at a time of crisis, which explains why Chocolate Cake features in the top five credit crunch comfort list with 8% of the votes. Italian dishes Lasagne (7%) and Spaghetti Bolognese are also proving firm favourites along with Shepherd’s Pie. Other must-have dishes include sticky desserts of Treacle Sponge and Custard (5%) and moreish Fruit Crumble and Custard (5%), with the top ten completed by Macaroni Cheese.

The top ten credit crunch comfort foods are:

1. Bangers and Mash (16%)
2. Fish and Chips (15%)
3. Baked Beans on toast (10%)
4. Chocolate cake (8%)
5. Lasagne (7%)
6. Spaghetti Bolognese (5%)
7. Treacle Sponge and Custard (5%)
8. Fruit Crumble and Custard (5%)
9. Shepherd’s Pie (5%)
10. Macaroni Cheese (4%)

Exciting new recipes for these dishes can be found online at: www.goodfoodchannel.co.uk as well as Market Kitchen’s mouthwatering Food For a Fiver recipes

As a result of a rise in comfort eating, British waistlines are also expanding. Three quarters of consumers (77%) admit that they have upped their food intake since the recession began, while four in ten reveal that they have put on an average of six pounds in the last six months. Healthy eating has also been cast aside by a third of shoppers (33%) who say that despite rising costs, food is proving to be their only comfort.

The findings also reveal the main reason why Britons are turning to comfort food is because they feel it is one of the few ways to treat themselves. Eating habits are also changing with 38% of respondents reporting that they prefer to socialise at home with their friends over home-cooked meals in favour of being in the pub (22%) or eating out at restaurants (19%).

Richard Kingsbury Good Food channel head says: “It’s heartening to know that even if people can’t afford to go out they are still having fun with good food and the friends they’ve invited round. Food programmes have played a part in giving people the confidence and creativity to have a go at cooking for friends whether it be Bangers and Mash or Thai Green Curry.”

Celebrity chef Brian Turner says: “At a time when we are getting less for more when we buy food, comfort deserts such as Chocolate Cake, Fruit Crumble and Custard and Treacle Sponge with Custard are helping to put a smile back on our faces. It’s feel-good food for Britain at its best.”

As the recession continues to hit shoppers hard; their attitude to food is also changing with 39% saying they are more budget conscious than they were 12 months ago, while a further 21% also say they hate to see food go to waste.

With the average Briton now spending an extra £35 a month more on groceries than the same time last year, previously considered essentials are now being thought of as luxuries. Steak fares the worst with 52% of shoppers deciding not to buy it, while fruit juice (28%) and pastries (24%) are also being left behind on supermarket shelves.

Celebrity chef Brian Turner is available for interview on Monday 22nd June 2009.

For more information contact Taylor Herring PR on 020 8206 5151

LONDON. Thursday 18th July 2009. Chocolate lovers at Ascot’s Ladies Day were today treated to a nibble of a custom-made, edible Cadbury Flake 99 hat.

Stunning model Freya Berry (29) wowed fashion conscious crowds in a 4ft creation that was produced to celebrate the anniversary of the Flake 99 ice cream brand.

Judy Bentinck, an expert milliner trained by HRH the Queen’s entourage, took over 6 weeks, working day and night to create the striking piece.

The process involved intricately layering coloured mesh to create the cone and adding creamy satin for the ice cream. The Chocolate curls effect was achieved by using material that had previously been part of one of the Queen Mother’s hats. Racing fans could sample real chocolate flake pieces embedded in the hat itself.

The giant ice cream hat was specially commissioned for the high profile event by Fredericks Ice Cream, the UK’s largest independent ice cream company, who reinvented the iconic Flake 99 brand ten years ago.

Judy Bentinck commented “I’ve really enjoyed the creative challenge, the hat really is very unique and there is no doubt it is certainly a statement head piece. A must for ice cream fans”

Jacqueline Walters, Marketing Manager at Fredericks Ice Cream added; “We wanted to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Britain’s most iconic ice cream in style.”

Fredericks Ice Cream is a business forged by pioneers – the company developed the Mars Bar Ice Cream in 1988, reinvented the iconic Flake 99 in 1999 and created the World’s first wobbly lolly in 2007 with Jelly Babies. In 2008 the company was named the Most Innovative Ice Cream company in the World and received The Grocer award for the Top Launch in Ice Cream.

For more information contact Taylor Herring PR 0208 206 5151.

James Bond star Daniel Craig is Britain’s Coolest Smoothie, according to research. Over 1,000 women from across the country were asked to rate a list of British male celebrities using the following criteria - dashing good looks, charm, smooth appeal and confidence. Craig, 41, beat off stiff competition from a number of famous hunks including Jude Law, Hugh Grant and Tom Jones.

The research was commissioned by Del Monte Superfruit Smoothies who has produced a Daniel Craig replica lolly, created by a team of artists who recreated Daniel Craig’s iconic Casino Royale scene, in which he emerges from the sea in his trunks.

Craig, who is best known for playing tough action smoothie James Bond, has starred opposite some of Hollywood’s most beautiful leading ladies including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Kidman and Olga Kurylenko. Sometimes a little frosty about his private life, Daniel Craig is a true gent, who never kisses and tells. His dapper good looks saw him named Britain’s Best Dressed Man by GQ in both 2007 and 2008; and now he can add the ultimate accolade – that in a poll of British women Craig is literally the coolest smoothie!

The top three is dominated by big screen hunks with Jude Law scooping second place and Hugh Grant taking third. Welsh hunks Steve Jones and Tom Jones take fourth and fifth places, while Scottish film star Ewan McGregor comes in sixth. Davids Cameron, Beckham and Tennant take positions seven, eight and nine, while the top ten is completed by silver fox Philip Schofield.

The Del Monte Coolest Smoothies are:

1. Daniel Craig (75%)

2. Jude Law (69%)

3. Hugh Grant (44%)

4. Steve Jones (38%)

5. Tom Jones (31%)

6. Ewan McGregor (30%)

7. David Cameron (25%)

8. David Beckham (14%)

9. David Tennant (12%)

10. Philip Schofield (9%)

Matt O’Connor, from Del Monte Superfruit Smoothies said; “Daniel Craig topped our poll of Britain’s coolest celebrities and thanks to our Del Monte lolly replica he is officially immortalised as super smooth and licensed to chill.”

The Daniel Craig lollies were commissioned to launch the new Del Monte Superfruit Smoothie, a refreshing blend of blueberries, pomegranate and cranberries, and are part of the Del Monte range of guilt-free iced refreshment which contain the finest fruits and juices. The smoothies come in at under 100 calories each and are a tasty way to enjoy an ice cool treat whilst looking after your waistline. The special Daniel Craig smoothie lollies are being distributed during the first ever National Ice Cream Week (1st - 7th June 2009) a week of ice cream-related shenanigans to celebrate the nation’s favourite summer food.

For more information contact Taylor Herring PR 0208 206 5151