LONDON, Tuesday 5th July 2011, Chelsea and England star Ashley Cole has teamed-up with American rapper Jay-Z to open a new restaurant and bar in Central London next year.

NVA Entertainment Group (NVA) brokered a multi-million pound deal that will see Cole and Jay-Z work together on a number of new ventures. ‘The 40/40 London’ will be the first project of the partnership.

(L-R > Chris Nathaniel, Ashley Cole, Jay Z, Desiree Perez (Jay Z Partner), Paul Boadi and Simon Wright (Operations))

The management team will be appointing a top chef to deliver a modern American themed menu for the restaurant/bar that will feature top DJ’s and A-list artists. A short-list of three potential sites is now under consideration with a final decision on location expected in August.

The 40/40 London will give first option on jobs to talented, long-term unemployed young people. Each month a percentage of profits from the project will go to local youth charities for music and sport projects in deprived communities.

The grand opening party to be held next year will be similar to the 40/40 openings thrown by Jay Z in New York, Las Vegas and Atlantic City and will be attended by a host of stars from music, sport and entertainment. NVA are in talks with UK broadcasters over exclusive TV opportunities.

Alongside his thriving music business Roc Nation and Rocawear clothing range Jay-Z is a huge sports fan – he attended Wimbledon last week and co-owns NBA basketball team New Jersey Nets. He runs a chain of successful 40/40 clubs in five US cities.

NVA has a high profile track-record in sport and entertainment working with the likes of John Terry, Robinho, Usain Bolt and Antonio Valencia.

Jay-Z said; “London is one of the most vibrant and exciting cities in the world and the perfect location for our new venue. I’m excited about working with Ashley and NVA Entertainment Group on a range of new projects and The 40/40 London is going to be the hottest place in town.”

Cole said; “I am delighted to be working with Jay Z I have grown up listening to his music and now to be doing business with him is amazing and the projects we do will be delivering much needed funds back into sport and music on a local community level as well as helping talented young people get back to work.”

40/40 Partner Juan Perez said; “The partnership of Ashley and Jay Z along with our entire 40/40 Club team is the ideal fit for bringing our brand to London.  The 40/40 Club is not only a brand, but a lifestyle that suits the nightlife and sports world and that makes it a perfect fit for London.”

NVA Holdings Executives Chris Nathaniel and Paul Boadi said “We have done some exciting deals and worked with some World class names but this collaboration of Ashley Cole and Jay Z has to be one of the most exciting and it makes the nine months of negotiations worth it and we look forward to an amazing launch for the first project and have started work on two other projects that the two will be collaborating on covering the film and fashion areas”

About NVA Entertainment Group

NVA Entertainment Group is part of the NVA Holdings group of companies and its a multi faceted Sports, Music, Film and Fashion management company looking after high profile and new emerging talent.

For more info www.nvaentgroup.com and follow on twitter @the4040London

About The 40/40 Club

The 40/40 Club, located at 6 West 25th Street, is an all American sports bar and nightclub owned by hip-hop mogul Jay-Z and partners Desiree and Juan Perez.  The 40/40 Club is the premiere sports bar and lounge in New York City, hosting some of the most memorable events and parties over the past 9 years.

The world’s first amphibious ice cream van set sail down the River Thames yesterday ahead of a UK tour.

The vessel reaches a top speed of five knots and chimes Rod Stewart’s classic ‘We Are Sailing’ as it ploughs through the waves.

The  ‘HMS Flake 99’ was specially commissioned by Fredericks, makers of Cadbury’s ice cream to mark National Ice Cream Week (30th May – 5th June).

The vehicle brought a smile to commuters’ faces as it passed Battersea Power Station, Westminster Bridge and the London Eye.

After a nationwide tour of Britain’s beaches, there are plans to take the vehicle across the English Channel and on to the canals of Venice next year.

Early morning strollers and boating enthusiasts enjoyed scoops by the surf in Blackpool on Monday when the customised craft completed a successful, secret maiden voyage.

The vehicle will now commence a tour of UK beaches – visiting thousands of sun seekers on Britain’s beaches as the staycation boom continues.

A growing number of councils ban vans from housing estates, parks and outside schools because of concerns about noise pollution. Others have created ice cream selling ­“exclusion zones” in town ­centres, hiked the cost of a van operator’s licence and limited how long vans can sound their chimes.

She’s captained by ice cream mad David Mounfield, a stand-up comedian from Brighton, who was chosen after winning an online competition.

Jenny Bostock, Consumer Marketing Manager for Fredericks in Skelmersdale, Lancashire comments: ” If you can’t make it to your local beach to see our van, you can always pick up a pack of four from your local supermarket. We are now considering taking the remarkable vehicle across the Channel and onto the canals of Venice to champion Britain’s beaches and give our continental cousins the ultimate taste of the British summertime.”

For more information, visit www.cadburyicecreamland.com

Become a Fan Of The Van on Facebook

Press Information and Pictures from Taylor Herring PR +(44) 208 206 5151

A new London ice cream parlour is serving up a breast milk ice cream alongside a range of unusual new flavours.

The ice-cold breast milk concoction, dubbed the Baby Gaga, will be available from tomorrow (Friday 25^th February) to ice-cream lovers at the Icecreamists restaurant in Covent Garden.

Victoria Hiley, 35, from London donated a total of 30 fluid ounces of breast milk to the restaurant after seeing an advert on the internet. Offering money to potential suppliers on the Mumsnet forum the advert attracted a further 14 ladies to come forward and offer their services.

In her day job Victoria works with women who have problems breast feeding their babies. She believes that if adults realise how tasty breast milk actually is, new mothers will be more willing to breast feed their own new-borns.

Victoria Hiley said “I saw the advert on Mumsnet forum. What could be more natural than fresh, free-range mother’s milk in an ice cream? And for me it’s a recession beater too – what’s the harm in using my assets for a bit of extra cash? I tried the product for the first time today – it’s very nice it really melts in the mouth. I teach women how to get started on breast feeding their babies. There’s very little support for women and every little helps. I’m passionate about the good that breast feeding does for babies.”

Each donor receives £15 for every ten ounces of milk extracted by breast pumps. And to maintain the highest standards, health checks for the lactating women are the same used by hospitals to screen blood donors.

The Baby Gaga recipe blends breast milk with Madagascan vanilla pods and lemon zest, which is then freshly churned into ice cream.

The ‘Icecreamists’ parlour has been designed to a burlesque theme of decadence reinventing sorbets and gelatos in a unique manner with presentation that involve syringes, flames and liquid nitrogen.

Founder, Matt O’Connor, 44 from Hampshire is confident his take on the miracle of motherhood – priced at a cool £14 – will go down a treat with the paying public.

Matt O’ Connor said “The Baby Gaga tastes creamy and rich. No-one’s done anything interesting with ice cream in the last hundred years. We’ve came up with a method of infusing ice-cream with breast milk. We wanted to completely reinvent it. And by using breast milk we’ve definitely given it a one hundred percent makeover. It’s just one of a dozen radical new flavours we’ve invented. We want to change the way people think about ice cream. If it’s good enough for our children it’s good enough for the rest of us. Some people will hear about it and go, yuck – but actually it’s pure, organic, free-range and totally natural. I had a Baby Gaga just this morning and I feel great.”

The store opening follows the success of the Iceceamists installation at Selfridges in 2010. A second, larger outlet will open in the Piazza in Covent Garden in late May.

Matt O’Connor and Victoria Hiley are available for interview.

Press Contact: katy.buckle@taylorherring.com +44 208) 206 5151

Following a competitive pitch Taylor Herring has joined Sainsbury’s roster of PR agencies.

We have a new brief to promote the tenth year of the supermarket’s involvement with Comic Relief, the agency will be raising awareness of the partnership and promoting exclusive merchandise.

Speaking to PR Week Mark Rigby, director of comms for Sainsbury’s, said: ‘We continue to invest in our business across all categories. The appointment of this roster of agencies is an important element of our commitment to ensure our customers understand the value and quality of our offering, as well as the values that make us differing as a retailer.’

Taylor Herring’s work in the consumer brand sector includes TKMaxx, Cadbury’s, Del Monte and Tyrrells crisps.

Competition was fierce, but the British public made up their minds; securing a massive 47% of the votes, Rhossili was the clear winner, followed by Tresco in the Isles of Scilly (19%) and Blackpool and Margate (both on 10%).

Defying stiff competition from resorts packed to the gills with everything from rollercoasters to candy floss, Rhossili represents a more idyllic beach holiday. Bearing the might of the Atlantic swells, shipwrecks dot the bay which now play host to great surf for boarders. It also has the most essential of ingredients; three miles of golden sands expanding into the horizon.

The poll, fronted by TV personality Jeff Brazier, attracted over 7,700 votes across a three week period.

The winner was one of 24 shortlisted beaches from eight regions across the UK, nominated by panelists including David Else Lead Author of Lonely Planet, Frank Barrett Travel Editor of the Mail on Sunday and wildlife expert and TV presenter Bill Oddie.

Already hailed by The Independent as the “British supermodel of beaches” and listed in The Sunday Times 25 Best Beaches in the World, Rhossili has been described by poets such as Dylan Thomas for its beauty. Cosseted by challenging limestone cliffs, the rocky landscape belies the peaceful and idyllic Bay lying below; a curving beach backed with sand dunes. There are two tidal islands called Worm’s Head and Burry Holms, both only accessible at low tide. The Bay is also dotted with shipwrecks including the Helvetia which ran aground in 1887. Prehistoric remains belonging to Stone Age and Iron Age man can also be found behind the beach on Rhossili Down. The Bay is famed for having some of the country’s most stunning sunsets, and it’s no surprise that The National Trust maintains a visitor centre at Rhossili. The Bay is located on the Gower Peninsula – the first beauty spot in the UK to receive Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) status back in 1956. Gower hugely contributes to the tourism economy in Swansea Bay. In 2008/2009 tourism generated over £300million for the local economy.

Frank Barrett, Travel Editor of The Mail on Sunday says: “The Gower Coast is arguably the finest seaside place anywhere in the world – Rhossili is perfection within perfection: a long wide flat beach washed by glorious waves.”

David Taylor, Deputy Managing Director of Fredericks Dairies comments: “It’s fantastic to see the great British public getting behind the campaign with over 7,700 votes cast. It just goes to show how treasured our beaches are and congratulations to Rhossili Bay for coming out on top. ”

Cllr Richard Lewis, Lord Mayor of Swansea and a Ward Member for Gower, said: “The views at Rhossili are among the best in the world and this award is the latest in a long line of accolades for the beauty spot.”

Notes to Editors:

Fredericks Dairies is a business forged by pioneers – the company developed the Mars Bar Ice Cream in 1988, reinvented the iconic Cadbury 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.

Press Contact: Taylor Herring PR 0208 206 5151

According to research by the company, vanilla is still the UK’s No.1 favourite flavour with 9 out of ten Brits opting for the traditional taste.

It’s hoped that the unusual Fish and Chips creation will raise awareness of the bountiful choices available in the market.

The ice cream will be sampled on Friday 4th June at George’s Fish & Chip shop, 329 Portobello Road, London – renowned for being Jamie Oliver, Julien Macdonald and Chelsea FC’s favourite chippie!

An homage to our favourite national dish, the ice cream will be ‘a taste of the British seaside in a lick’. The unique recipe has been specially created to include Creamed Cod Fillet ice cream in Vanilla & Pepper Batter. Accompanied by Potato Ice Cream Chips made with Maris Piper potatoes and served with Salt & Vinegar seasoning & Lemon Wedges, on a bed of newspaper.

In the UK, ice cream sales are worth £1.3 billion with the top (non vanilla) flavours being in order of preference – Chocolate, Strawberry and Caramel. Londoners spend the most on ice cream whilst those in the North East spend the least. In fact, we eat enough ice cream as a nation to fill over 5,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools each year and that’s before National Ice Cream Week has kicked in (starts today Tuesday 1st June 2010.)

Fish & Chips Ice Cream will join the portfolio of other distinctive flavours produced by Fredericks which include Lyle’s Golden Syrup Sponge, Cadbury Crunchie Blast, Vimto and Barratt Refreshers. Last year the company won Best Ice Cream in the World for its Antonio Federici Pistacchio Gelato (International Ice Cream Consortium Awards 2009/10).

National Ice Cream Week is a celebration of the taste of the British summer. To further enhance the celebrations, the Best of British beaches will be honoured in the first Cadbury Flake 99 Best Beach Awards. From Blackpool to Bournemouth and Southport to Southwold, the British public has been voting for their favourite seaside, with the winning beach announced next week.

Jenny Bostock, Consumer Marketing Manager for Fredericks Dairies comments: “Britain has long been a nation of ice cream lovers and with a rise in UK holiday bookings this year, we think that National Ice Cream Week is the perfect way to kick off the summer holiday season. The unique Fish & Chip flavour may sound like a surprising combination, but it tastes delicious and will certainly raise a smile with our customers.”

To celebrate National Ice Cream Week, here are some interesting facts you might not know about ice cream:

• In the last 12 months Fredericks produced 17million kg’s of ice cream mix, 53million ice cream cones, 16million Cadbury Flake 99 cones

• It takes an average of 50 licks to finish off a single scoop ice cream cone

• The first evidence of ice cream comes from China during the Tang period. King Shang used to have a frozen dish made for him out of buffalo milk, flour and camphor

• Ice cream first arrived in Europe in Italy in the 13th Century

• Ice cream sundaes are so called because they used to be sold on a Sunday as a way of getting around a law which made it illegal to sell flavored ice cream on the Sabbath

• The ice cream cone was first mentioned in Mrs Marshall’s Cookery Book in 1888

• Brits eat an average of 9 litres each of ice cream every year

• Whenever ice cream sales rise, so do shark attacks!

• Over £100 million worth of ice cream is sold from UK ice cream vans every year

• As a teenager, Barack Obama used to work in an ice cream shop

• Surveys have shown that men are more likely to choose ice cream as a dessert than women

• Research has also shown that eating ice cream can actually make you feel better as it affects parts of the brain associated with good feelings. No wonder you can’t help smiling when eating ice cream!

• Fredericks is now the number 2 ice cream manufacturer in the UK after Walls, and the largest independently owned

The Cadbury Flake 99 Great British Beach Awards will give the public a chance to vote for their favourite seaside destination, resulting in it being crowned the champion. From Blackpool to Brighton, nominated beaches from eight regions across the UK will go head to head in a battle to out-shine their ‘piers’ for the ice cool gong.

Fronted by TV personality Jeff Brazier, the shortlisted nominations for the South East, South West, East Coast, North West, Scotland, North East, Wales and Northern Ireland have been compiled by a panel of experts, all well versed in what makes a British seaside resort standout; panelists include David Else Lead Author of Lonely Planet, Frank Barrett, the Travel Editor of the Mail on Sunday, wildlife expert and TV presenter Bill Oddie, British entertainer Lionel Blair and Kevin Cook, the Chairman of the British Surfing Association.

Voting opens today and closes on Wednesday 26th May. The winner will be announced on Monday 7th June. To vote CLICK HERE

David Else, Lead Author, Lonely Planet said: “As lead author of the Lonely Planet guide to Great Britain, I’ve travelled the length and breadth of the country, and had the pleasure of visiting many lovely beaches. The final shortlist reflects the charm and variety of Britain’s coastline, and I hope people have as much fun voting for their favourites as I had selecting my nominations.”

Jeff Brazier added: “I’m thrilled to be involved in the Cadbury Flake 99 Great British Beach Awards. It’s a fun, family initiative which will get people thinking about the fantastic beaches Britain has to offer. I’ve got some great memories from my time spent in British seaside resorts, and I regularly take my boys to the coast. There are some real hidden gems along the British coastline and I can’t wait to see which one gets the crown.”

David Taylor, Deputy Managing Director of Fredericks Dairies comments: “Beautiful beaches are a staple of our Great British heritage and we are proud to be honouring them. There is no better place to enjoy your ice cream than on a sunny, sandy seaside on the British coastline!”

The shortlisted nominations are:

South East
Margate, Kent
Brighton, Sussex
Lepe beach, Hampshire

South West
Porthcurno, Cornwall
Bournemouth, Dorset
Tresco, The Isles of Scilly

East Coast
Southwold, Suffolk
Holkholm, Norfolk
Brancaster, North Norfolk

North West
Blackpool, Lancashire
Southport, Merseyside
Lytham, Lancashire

Scotland
Luskentyre, Isle of Harris
Traigh Mhor, Barra
Camusdarach, nr Arisaig, Inverness

North East
Whitby, Yorkshire
Bamburgh, Northumberland
Beadnell Bay, Northumberland

Wales
Rhossili Beach, Swansea
Oxwich Bay, Gower
Barafundle Beach, Pembrokeshire

Northern Ireland
Portrush Whiterocks Beach, County Antrim
Benone Beach, Limavady, County Derry
Tyrella Beach, Downpatrick, County Down

Press Contact: Taylor Herring PR +44 208 206 5151

Fun with food must be trending – nearly 27,000 views of our Cadbury Flake 99 ice cream viral in the last 4 days