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The Ultimate Jacket Care Guide
By FEAST Editorial Team
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By FEAST Editorial Team
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How to improve your Food Hygiene Rating
By FEAST Editorial Team
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An excellent food hygiene rating ensures your eating establishment or food service maintains a good reputation and is held in high regard by customers. It also means that you are doing things correctly and don’t have to worry about carrying out any extra work to improve your rating after an inspection.
It’s worth noting that your food hygiene rating is visible for the public to see; all they need to do is search the database to find your business, and from this rating they can decide whether or not they want to eat what you prepare.
If you have an inspection coming up in the diary or simply want to ensure your food hygiene rating is the very best it can be – which really should be the main reason for wanting to improve it – this guide should give you some helpful pointers:
Understand what is assessed during an inspection
There are three main areas that an inspector will consider to determine your rating:
How hygienically the food is handled.
The condition of the premises.
How food safety is managed in your workplace.
Therefore, these are the three main areas to focus your attention on when it comes to improving your food hygiene rating.
How hygienically the food is handled
When it comes to this measure, you should be looking to improve the following:
Personal hygiene of staff – This means ensuring staff are wearing protective clothing such as hair nets, aprons and disposable gloves and also that jewellery is removed when handling food, as well as ensuring cuts and open wounds are covered using blue plasters and work clothing is kept clean and in good order.
Ensuring contamination at food stations is minimised – This means raw meat must be prepared separately to other foods and also that only specific equipment is used. Nuts must be stored out of the way to reduce the risk of allergic reaction and the right cleaning protocols are in place to ensure workstations are kept to a high standard of hygiene.
Food is stored appropriately – This means ensuring foods are stored at the correct temperatures and are sealed as needed. It also applies to the reheating of food and ensuring it is thoroughly hot and the right temperature.
The condition of the premises
Your workplace must be:
clean
in good repair throughout
have adequate lighting and ventilation
be structure proof against the entry of pests.
Check these carefully to ensure it meets the high standard required. Take some time to thoroughly check your premises for signs of damage that require repair and look for areas that may be regularly missed when cleaning is carried out.
How food safety is managed
All protocols in your workplace must be correctly documented so that you can prove you are carrying out the right standard of care.
You will need to provide evidence that you understand food safety hazards and how to prevent these. This means understanding which foods require regular checks, knowing what these are and having a system in place to document that these checks have been carried out.
You must also be able to provide proof that staff have undergone the correct food hygiene training and that they understand how to prepare and handle food. Consider having staff complete a Level 2 Award in Food Safety Certificate, which you can keep record of to prove that they are trained as necessary.
Take your food hygiene rating seriously as it is a score that could make or break your food business. Ensure you h
ave all of the above in order and that you can provide evidence of your high standards when asked. Good luck!
No tagsThe Pennines
By FEAST Editorial Team
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For the adventurous type, whether they are walkers or cyclists. Heading to the North of England could make the perfect adventure. The North Pennies can be a great escape for anyone looking to remove themselves from city life and focus on their own wellbeing. The Pennies had gained its title,
Area of Outstanding Beauty in 1988 as it is one of the greatest landscapes in the UK. so if you haven’t already been – you’re really missing out.
What makes the pennies worth visiting?
Whether you’re a hiker or a cyclist, there will never be a dull moment in the Pennines. There are stunning views that this site provides, you will be constantly pushing yourself to find the most breath-taking spots – even though this could prove to be difficult as the entire area is magnificent.
The North Pennines can be challenging at times, but that seems to be the main reason why so many people go and keep returning, to achieve personal goals. The place has heather moors, peatlands, dales, upland rivers, meadows and woodland areas, meaning you have plenty to explore when you get there.
Together with Leisure Lakes Bikes, we’re going to plan your entire journey. So, grab your mountain bike or pick up your hiking boots and make your way to this stunning part of the country to create everlasting memories…
Where to begin
One of the great routes in the Pennines is the Wear & Rockhope Valleys, as it has a bit of everything to explore. May that be the Burnhope Reservoir to Lintzgarth Arch. This beautiful site, will encourage you to push yourself to complete the trail.
You could begin at Durham Dales Centre in Stanhope, so if you’re planning on staying for the night you might want to book a hotel close by where you can relax after the long ride. The Durham Dales Centre is complete with a gift shop, craft shop and tea room, providing the opportunity to have a warm drink before you set off on your adventure.
Starting your Journey
When you’ve grabbed your bike and ready to head off, leave the centre and follow the A689 towards Stanhope Town Hall. Try not to be tempted by the Stanhope Fish and Ships shop as you need to stay focused.
Continue along this road and you will eventually come to a bridge that you need to cross. Keep going in the direction you’re currently in, before taking your third right and follow the road upwards. You will then pass Greenfoot Hotel and Greenhead Farm before eventually reaching Rockhope. If you need to have a break in Rockhope, The Rockhope inn would be a great place to stop, it has an outdoor seating area so you can grab some refreshments.
Once you pass St John’s Church, continue on where you will then reach the town centre. From here take your second left, following the main road channelling the Rockhope Burn river where you will come to Allenheads. Once you’ve hit Allenheads, a recommended stock off point would be the Allenheads Inn as it is a popular destination for cyclists and hikers alike.
When you come into Allenheads, take a right and stay on the B6295 road and you will be in Cowshill. If you plan on staying in the Cowshill, the only place where you can stay is the Cowshill Hotel. They welcome cyclists who stop by for a well-deserved break. After the hotel, follow the road downwards where you will come to the A689 road and remain on this road until you come to Ireshopeburn.
Once you’re there, you will then pass St John’s and Daddry Shield. Be sure to stay on Pleasant Road and not divert onto any other routes. This area is full of pubs and cafes, including Chatterbox Café, The Golden Lion and The Blue Bell Inn. You will then reach Brotherlee, where you need to remain on the road that you’re currently on and then you’ll eventually pass Horsley Hall, which is a country hotel. Continue to follow this road and you will reach a bridge crossing the River Wear. Turn right
onto the B6S78 here and you will be back in Stanhope.
To finish your journey, take a right and head back towards the Durham Dales Centre and Relax.
How long does the route take?
The distance it takes to complete the route is 24.36 miles. If you’re cycle at 10mph you should complete this in 2 hours, 26 minutes. For those who are a quicker, 13mph would complete the route in 1 hour, 52 minutes.
If you cycled at 19mph, you will complete the route in 1 hour and 16 minutes. 22mph would complete the route in 1 hour and 6 minutes.
Challenges
There are hills that can be a test for some cyclists and depending on the weather conditions, these can become even more challenging. We’ve listed these in advance to give you an idea on what you will be facing.
The Brandon Walls and Hill top is 1570ft and will take 2 miles to complete
Rookhope Head is 1745ft and will only take 0.75 miles
Burtree Fell is 1836 and will take up 1.8 miles of the journey.
Source:
http://www.explorenorthpennines.org.uk/
http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=42072
http://www.northpennines.org.uk/
The rising pop-up food industry
By FEAST Editorial Team
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There been more events being hosted across the food and beverage industry than ever before, with the Eventbrite finding that the number of food and drinks events being hosted on it platforms has increased, year by year.
Eventbrite has analysed over 40,000 of the events and has also found that the pop-up dining experience was the fastest growing trend – recording 82% growth.
One of the UK’s leading LPG supplier Flogas discusses how the food industry has come away from the brick and mortar establishments…
Why has the pop-up food become popular
Eventbrite conducted a survey to over 2,000 people who have attended a pop-up dining experience, to shed light on why the events have proven so attractive to the public.
It revealed that 75 per cent of pop-up event attendees believe that it’s worth paying more money in order to experience a unique way of dining. Around 50% of respondents also said that they would be happy to pay more for a meal from the exact same menu at a pop up event where the chef interaction is involved as opposed to one served in restaurant.
So the question is, what is important to those that attend pop-up event? 84% of the survey, said it was the unique menu and theme. This was also followed by events held at memorable location 76% , and the occasion being a one of kind experience 74%.
Chef Melissa King, who is the creator of Co+Lab the pop-up, believes that creating unique event works both ways when I comes to the pop-up industry. Melissa explained: “There are so many chefs out there — they have their restaurants, their day jobs, but they’re looking for something more. That’s what the pop-up culture offers them. They are able to take over someone’s space for only a few hours and convert it into their own identity. It’s not just about the food, it’s about creating a memorable experience for the guests.”
The increasing popularity of street food.
It isn’t just the pop-up food events that have been rising in popularity – street food has also enjoyed golden period too. Statistics from UN-FOA claim that street food is now eaten by an estimate of 2.5 billion people worldwide and Streetfood.org.uk gained 2,800 members with over 7,000 units serving food across the UK as of 2015.
A new industry to the scene in the UK, street food has proven to be popular as the produced availabilities are usually inexpensive, provides a nutritious source that is based on traditional knowledge and often follows the seasonality of farm production.
Setting up a store doesn’t need a big budget either, with general guidelines suggested by The Hub detailing that a small second hand catering trailer or market stall could be acquired for under £5,000. The Nationwide Association produced a report that stated that fully equipped market stall can be bought for around £3,000 and a food truck for an estimate £10,000.
Charlies Morse himself was a street vendor and was keen to point out to Produce Business UK: “Street food as a trend is certainly growing, although it’s still not at the same level as in New York. I think it will die off a little as a trend and then become a normal, everyday offer. A lot of office workers go to street food stalls to buy their lunch and eat something healthy, cheap and different. There are so many trends within food but it works when you consider that people are money conscious and like variety.”
Sources:
http://www.fao.org/3/a-i2474e.pdf
http://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/street-food-business/
http://www.changemakers.com/sites/default/files/the_street_food_revolution_document_final_1_0.pdf
No tagsThe Amazons
By FEAST Editorial Team
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SHARE DYNAMIC NEW VIDEO FOR ‘ULTRAVIOLET’
WATCH HERE ON YOUTUBE / ON FACEBOOK
Taken from their Top 10 self-titled debut album – SOLD OUT headline tour follows in October
NEW UK DATES ADDED FEBRUARY 2018
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The Most Fashionable Ways to Decorate Your Bedroom in 2017
By FEAST Editorial Team
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Although we’re halfway through the year, there’s no reason why we all can’t give our bedrooms a little makeover to make them on-trend for 2017.
Whilst bedrooms can all too often turn into a mere sleeping space, there are plenty of great designs that include striking textures, bold colours and even luxurious furniture like super king size beds that can all give us a much more stylish place to rest.
Even the smallest bedroom can be turned into a bright and charming space with a few clever touches. This chic boho bedroom makes full use of on-trend fabrics like colourful kilim in the soft furnishings that are wonderfully offset by metallic lampshades and the always-fashionable clean white walls.
And although the bed in this blog post is relatively modest, it’s easy to see how even a super king size bed from a company like Bedstar could be implemented into this design scheme for the ultimate in comfort and style.
Many interior designers flock to Paris to hunt down the latest styles. And this charming Parisian apartment features a bedroom that achieves the perfect balance between refined grandeur and homely comfort.
With ample use of bright white soft furnishings in the bedspread and curtains, and with on-trend items like tiling and unusual colour tones like aquamarine and teal, it provides further evidence that even our bedrooms can provide some surprising style choices.
When it comes to finding inspiration for your on-trend bedroom, it seems that many home decor experts are taking cues from Morocco. With plenty of rustic terracotta touches, careworn metallic motifs and lots of bright and African-themed patterns, it’s a great way to add a touch of warmth and colour for the summer months.
In addition to this is the fact that every summer bedroom should introduce a touch of floral charm. Whether that means adding some succulent plants like aloe vera, or even just introducing some floral motifs in your soft furnishings, it’s a failsafe way to make your bedroom feel much more light and airy.
And if that sounds a little extreme, then take heart in the fact that Scandinavian interior trends are looking to be having another successful year. So whether that means using plenty of tealights to illuminate your room for the ultimate in ‘hygge’ style, or even introducing a few extra cushions to your super king size bed for added comfort, it shows that there are plenty of ways to achieve an on-trend bedroom this year.
Bedstardecorate
Wedding Season is in Full Swing
By FEAST Editorial Team
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With Wedding season in full swing, a number of brides to be will be looking at what is on offer while planning their big day. With the Dress being seen as the most iconic and important part of a bride’s Wedding Day, finding just the right one that is comfortable, flattering and beautiful is a difficult task. However, when a bride finds the perfect dress, all other details can seem to slot perfectly in to place.
Look Glamorous with an Amazing Short Wedding Dress
Looking for a wedding dress for a petite body frame? Truth be told, searching for the right bridal dress for any body shape or size is always a daunting task. For a short bride things are even tougher because the reduced length of the dress curtails creativity in design. However, when properly done by an experienced designer, a short wedding dress can dazzle and stand out from the general bridal party wear.
Considerations in Short Wedding Dress
When shopping for short dress ideas you must be wary of any design that will not emphasize your legs. Remember your legs are an invaluable asset and while a voluminous bridal gown might look great you will get lost in there. The idea is to find a dress that accentuates your figure and reduces the focus on your height. Anything calf length will make your legs short while a dress with a dropped waist which will make your legs seem non-existent.
The perfect wedding dresses for petite brides should create an illusion of a long torso. There are so many styles you can borrow from runway shows. It is easy to customize such ideas to get an ideal dress that will stand out. Among the popular styles you will find featured on the resourceful weddingforward.com are:
- Sheath dresses: The tried and true sheath has always been a great choice for the petite bride and you can never go wrong with it. Its straight-cut silhouette will give you a much desired statuesque look to help you stand out.
- Amazing lace: Lace wedding dresses never go out of fashion and there are so manyvariations to choose from. They always work perfectly in combination with embellishments.
- Empire waist: This is the perfect idea to elongate your waist. Dresses that with an empire waist will add to your height.
- A-line wedding gown: This is a no-brainer and your wedding dress designer will tell you so. These gowns come in various styles but A-line is the most important feature which not only makes you look glamorous but also turns away the eye from your height.
- Sweetheart wedding dresses: Just because you are looking for a short bridal dress doesn’t mean you should compromise on the aesthetics. Look bright in a sweetheart wedding dress and no one will be focusing on your height.
There are so many incredible short wedding dresses from renowned designers including David’s Bridals, Alberta Ferreti, Jenny Packham, Jim Hjelm, ReemAcra, Rivini and Temperley Bridal. Go on and check these designs to get inspired.
bridebride to bewedding seasonThe UK’s Attitudes to Nutrition Laid Bare
By FEAST Editorial Team
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The UK is getting a bit of a reputation when it comes to nutrition – and not a good one. The NHS website, no less, carries an article under the headline ‘Britain: the fat man of Europe’ which points out the fact that the UK now has the highest level of obesity in Western Europe.
That obesity level has more than trebled in the last 30 years, with about a quarter of adults classed as obese and experts predicting that this could rise to more than half of the population by 2050.
With this crisis in mind, our attitudes towards food, nutrition and our lifestyle are crucial. If we’re ever to remove the unwanted tag of being the ‘fat man of Europe’ then we need to understand how we view all of these things – and set about improving our position.
A study from sports nutrition firm Fysiqal has delved into these very issues, with a survey to uncover the nation’s ‘nutritional values’. It has found that we’re certainly not happy with the state of play. Indeed, 70 per cent of people in Cardiff say they are unhappy with their weight – one of a number of cities where the majority of the population are unhappy with the numbers they see on their scales.
Indeed, women seem least happy with their waistline – with 59 per cent saying they are unhappy with their weight. That’s in sharp contrast with men, with 39 per cent of males saying they’re not satisfied with their weight.
Almost half of the population – 46.1 per cent – say they have tried a fad diet at least once in a bid to shed a few pounds – while 23.7 per cent of men and 21.4 per cent of women exercise at least once a day.
The figures paint a picture of a confused nation. Many of us are not happy with our personal weight – just as the nation is surely unhappy to have a reputation for obesity. We’ve tried diets but need to do more to adopt the right healthy lifestyle required to deliver the bodies we want.
Is there a solution to turn all of this around? If there is, it needs to be embraced sooner rather than later…
Brought to you by Fysiqal Nutrition
Manchester Artist Amy Coney Painting Live with Auction for We Love MCR Emergency Fund
By FEAST Editorial Team
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This Sunday, as part of their double disco takeover at Gorilla, Manchester’s Bad Fun resident artist Amy Coney will be performing a live painting in honor of Manchester following the harrowing events that took place this week and in a continued push by the artist to bring the wider community together to make a meaningful difference.
From 12noon Amy will be painting alongside brunchers at Disco Brunch with Bad Fun Bank Holiday! The painting, which will feature Tony Walsh’s poem ‘This Is The Place’, will then go to auction, with all proceeds going to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund and Forever Manchester after this weeks’ heartbreak. These two funds then representing initiatives which Amy is very passionate about.
The art auction will be open to all individuals and businesses and, with the opportunity to procure some truly wonderful art whilst also simultaneously having a charitable impact within the local community, it is hoped that the bidder turnout will be considerable. For those interested, the Ebay auction will be live on social channels from Sunday afternoon (upon completion of the painting) until Sunday 4th June for all who want to get involved – The bidding will be starting at £100 and this is your chance to own an iconic piece of Manchester Artwork and really give something back to the community and, indeed, support the increasingly emerging artistic culture coming out of Manchester itself.
The Bad Fun and Gorilla team will be doing what they can to raise funds and spirits – Disco and donation boxes will be around all day and night for anyone that wants to make a contribution, and optimism is rife for an event which can be remembered as both one of enjoyment and also of unity.
Following that the painting will be on display at Bad Fun Bank Holiday Takeover – Free Entry for all.
Amy Coney commented: “Come lets lift this city ❤”
No tagsCDM Regulations and Risk to Exhibitors
By FEAST Editorial Team
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In early 2016, the Health and Safety Executive confirmed its decision to enforce the 2015 Construction Design and Management Regulations (CDM) in the context of temporary construction at exhibitions and events in addition to traditional construction site activity. Consequently, “space only” exhibition stands, commissioned by exhibitors, must now comply with this additional piece of health and safety legislation and, as an exhibitor, you have an additional statutory responsibility over the project.
What CDM means
The CDM legislation effectively does two things – it lays out a number of statutory roles required to manage a piece of construction – in this case, your exhibition stand – and it emphasises a number of typical construction related hazards that should be managed.
- The statutory roles include you as a “Client” and describe a number of processes that you are directly responsible for, including the written appointment of competent contractors (unless you are willing to fulfil the technical roles yourself and accept the responsibilities).
- The technical roles include “Principal Designer” and “Principal Contractor”, each having prescriptive duties linked to the management of health and safety during the planning and on-site phases of the construction project respectively. Some of these responsibilities include the drawing up of specific legally required documents, providing safety briefings to on-site personnel and the management of subcontractors.
Essentially, CDM means that exhibitors now have a more specific role to play in the management of their exhibition stand builds and breakdowns and more than ever need to be assured that their assigned contractors are competent and reliable.
Case law has shown that in extreme cases “Clients” under CDM (so, yourself as the exhibitor) have faced prosecution, substantial fines and even the potential for imprisonment where there has been an accident on-site and they have failed to assign Principal roles to a competent contractor, therefore retaining all CDM responsibilities themselves by default.
Industry Response
Response to CDM in the exhibition industry has been mixed. Some contractor businesses have taken it very seriously and have equipped themselves with robust processes to protect themselves and their exhibitor clients. Some have continued as before with processes little changed and may present a higher risk to exhibitors.
Benefits of choosing Quadrant2Design and the Prestige System
Quadrant2Design is among one of those contractors that took CDM seriously from the outset, with regard to the exhibition stands they create in their modular stand building solution – The Prestige Events System.
At the time of writing, I have worked with the business for 18 months and have helped it to produce a robust response to CDM and to develop its existing safety processes to the point of achieving the coveted CHAS accreditation.
CHAS is a UK recognised safety scheme for contractors whereby safety processes, documentation and records are scrutinised by qualified third party assessors against a national benchmark – it is a detailed process and goes way beyond the rudimentary checks that some trade associations may undertake.
Quadrant2Design is now able to advise its exhibitor clients of their specific duties under CDM and walk them through these, and it is extremely competent at managing its own responsibilities as laid out in the HSE’s sector specific guidance.
In addition to this, the inherent ease with which the Prestige Events System is put together – its light-weight components and the almost tool-free assembly – reassures many of Quadrant2Design’s clients of the reduced health and safety risks relating to the CDM construction project.
So, for example, even large and complex custom-designed exhibition stands, built with the Prestige Events System, require no power tools (no drilling, sawing or cutting) And no dust, fumes or potentially hazardous processes are involved – making builds essentially ‘clean-process’.
Additionally, Prestige stands are light and compact for transport, requiring smaller vehicles and no, potentially hazardous, forklift movements within the exhibition hall.
Even tall Prestige structures are light in weight yet stable (when built correctly) and therefore represent significantly less risk than some of the heavier structures you see within exhibition halls.
CDMConstruction Design and Management RegulationsQuadrant2design
