NEWS FROM GROWING UP MILK

GROWING UP MILK LAUNCHES UK'S

 FIRST VITAMIN D DAY 

Vitamin D Day to shine spotlight on vitamin D

LONDON (26 MARCH, 2013) At the dawn of British summertime 2013, growingupmilkinfo.com launches the UK's first Vitamin D Day (31 March) to raise awareness about the importance of the vitamin for toddler development.

The first day of British summertime marks the start of when the sun is at the right angle for our bodies to make vitamin D. This period from April to September is vital as it is the only time Brits can receive vitamin D from the sun. Experts agree that the limited sunshine in the UK does not always give toddlers the opportunity to get all the vitamin D they need, which is why they recommend that toddlers have vitamin D rich diets and take supplements to help support their growth and development.

With a recent survey highlighting that the majority of UK mums (91%)i don't know the recommended dietary intake of vitamin D for toddlers, Vitamin D Day has been created to address misconceptions, and educate the nation's parents, about the role of diet in providing the essential vitamin.

Health expert and ITV's This Morning regular, Dr Chris Steele, who is backing Vitamin D Day, stressed the importance of dietary intake of vitamin D for toddlers. He said: "Many parents are confused about how much vitamin D is needed for the normal growth of toddler bones and teeth.

He added: "The lack of vitamin D in toddler diets is a growing health concern and we need to ensure that our toddlers are getting the best from their diets. Presently, the average British toddler is only getting 27% of their daily vitamin D RNIii which is a major concern as the sun cannot be relied upon alone to fulfil a toddler's vitamin D needs."

Leading weather intelligence company Metra Weather expects that the first months of this summertime will not be much better than the washout summer of 2012, with warm summer temperatures not expected until May and another dull and wet July iii.

Growingupmilkinfo.com nutritionist, Dr Leanne Olivier, commented: "With the unpredictable weather, toddlers in the UK are considered vulnerable to low-levels of vitamin D.

"And it's harder to get vitamin D from the sun north of Birmingham with toddlers in the cities of Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds and Sheffield indexing higher for low levels of the vitamin. This also applies to toddlers who have darker skin or cover up for cultural reasons, with this in mind it is imperative that a toddlers' vitamin D intake is supplemented through diet."

Vitamin D Day aims to educate Brits on the food sources, like oily fish, liver and eggs, as well as food and milks fortified with vitamin D, such as fortified breakfast cereals and Growing Up Milk, to help supplement vitamin D levels in our little ones' diets.

A range of activities will be taking place in the lead up to the awareness day such as vitamin D cooking classes with mums, recipes from toddler chef Fiona Faulkner, and a vitamin D Q&A video with Dr Chris Steele, which will feature on the newly developed Growing Up Milk Info website.

For information on healthy ways to help your toddler top-up their daily vitamin D intake, download free toddler meal planners, or get advice from health experts, visit growingupmilkinfo.com.

NEWS FROM HIGHER LIVING

THAT’S WHAT MAKES YOU BREW-TIFUL

One Direction told: Break glass in an emergency...for tea!

One Direction have been given a special secret weapon for their up-coming sell-out Manchester gigs as the clean-living boys shun booze once again – and demanded TEA instead.

The low-maintenance lads – who drank peppermint tea at last month's Brits – have told organisers that the only thing they want in their dressing room is a plentiful supply of tea bags.

And to stop the thirsty boys running out, one of Britain's last remaining organic tea blenders Higher Living has created a special tea dispensing device to be placed back stage… only in an emergency.

A source close to the band said; "The lads and their management team have specifically asked to keep their dressing room low-key before the shows and requested tea in there rather than booze."

Higher Living has filled the boys' dressing room with a mountain of organic peppermint tea bags for Friday and Saturday's gigs – but if they get through the lot, as a last resort they can smash the emergency glass.

The ‘One Way Or Another’ hit singers appear to have an insatiable appetite for British tea with band members admitting that they take it on tour when abroad. Tea fanatic Louis Tomlinson even recently revealed a steaming hot cup of tea tattooed on his arm which is believed to be in reference to the One Direction song Little Things, which features the line: 'You can’t go to bed without a cup of tea / Maybe that’s the reason that you talk in your sleep.'

Premium organic tea maker Higher Living is described as the Rolls Royce of teas and is one of the last remaining tea blenders in Britain.

A Higher Living spokesman said: "Many professional singers drink tea before gigs to warm-up and repair vocal chords plus peppermint’s menthol qualities also help clear the airways. The lads are so committed to their fans that they don’t want anything to spoil the show and won’t leave anything to chance. We hope the emergency tea kits will give them peace of mind to perform their best set yet!”

One Direction aren’t the only singers who enjoy a good brew with other global superstars such as Noel Gallagher, Madonna and even Tinie Tempah admitting their love for Britain’s national drink.

NEWS FROM MIELE

Cooking Up A Steam

Miele launches the world's first calorie-neutral restaurant

Imagine a restaurant where you can dine on the finest food, created by an award-winning chef, and leave having burnt off every calorie consumed in the sitting…

Yesterday, in celebration of its steam-cooking appliances, Miele launched the world's first calorie-neutral restaurant; Steam.  Open for one day only in Covent Garden, the pop-up eatery saw diners enjoy healthy, steamed food without compromising on taste, or their waist.

'Calorie-neutral' doesn't mean just be nibbling on lettuce leaves and sipping water. Miele teamed up with the award-winning Head Chef at The Boundary, Frederick Forster, to ensure that each and every foodie at this exclusive dining experience was served a meal that oozed with flavour.

The interactive quality of Steam is what gave the restaurant its calorie-neutral status. Whilst dining, customers participated in a number of activities, to ensure they offset their calorie footprint. From taking part in an exercise class, to completing dining workouts whilst sitting on vibrating seatpads in order to increase calorie burn, 'steamees' certainly experienced a dining extravaganza like no other.

Dominic Worsley, Marketing Director at Miele comments: "We are very excited about the launch of Steam. This is something that has never been done before, so we can't wait to hear what people think. If the restaurant proves a success, we'd love to roll them out across the country."

Talking about the restaurant, National Chef of the Year Frederick Forster adds: "To show that healthy food can be tasty too, all of the dishes I have created for the restaurant were cooked using Miele steam ovens. Cooking with steam preserves all natural flavours, vitamins, colour and texture, and there is no need to add oils or fats to your food, making it healthier than food cooked using other methods."

So, what was served up? Dishes for the day included scallop and chorizo brochette with cucumber and ginger dressing; beef fillet with beansprout salad; quail egg cocotte with mushroom and leek fondue; and prawn stuffed lemon sole with herb butter sauce. Diners even enjoyed a dessert, as Frederick served up a tasty banana cake with confit pineapple and crème chantilly.

As a supporter of The Haven, Miele raised money for the UK breast cancer charity at the restaurant launch.

Steam was open on Wednesday, 13^th March at 5 – 7 Grape Street, Covent Garden, with four 90-minute seatings commencing at 12:00, 12:30, 18:30 and 19:00. 

NEWS FROM DOINGSOMETHING.CO.UK

"EYE" DO

Dating site DoingSomething.co.uk is giving 500 of London’s most adventurous singletons

the chance to date like never before. Fun activities on the EDF Energy London Eye will include life drawing, petting bunnies, and even the chance to take part in a mock wedding at 435ft

The 'Wheel of Date' takes place on 28th February when DoingSomething.co.uk will be transforming 30 London Eye capsules into different dating experiences. Now the site reveals three more of the capsules that are bound to give people something to talk about on a date! 

Hackney City Farm will give singletons the opportunity to experience farming in the heart of the city will be bringing cute bunny rabbits for guests to pet whilst they enjoy the amazing views over London.

In the 'wedding' capsule, Reverend Duncan Pritchard will provide a heavenly ceremony for singletons to get hitched and exchange vows within moments of meeting, even providing the wedding attire, ring and a photographer for the happy occasion. Although the legally binding aspect is nil, the dressing up box of 80’s style meringue bridesmaids dresses is 100% real.

And finally, revealed today, singletons who find themselves in Shoreditch's ‘The Book Club’ will be studying the human form at a life drawing class. Of course, it will all be done in the best possible taste...

In addition to the mock-wedding, petting and life drawing capsule, other capsules on the wheel will be filled with quirky and cool activities showcasing the best London has to offer. DoingSomething.co.uk reached out to Time Out to co-curate the event. Expect to see not one but two kinds of karaoke, including KaraUke with a ukulele backing band, Future Cinema transforming capsules into Rick’s bar from Casablanca, a silent disco, table football, musical bingo and many more.

DoingSomething.co.uk CEO Matt Janes comments: "DoingSomething.co.uk is all about taking the awkwardness out of dating and having fun. And the Wheel of Date is a world first. Your capsule is allocated at random so you could be singing karaoke, playing table football or doing musical bingo. It’s a must do night for London’s most interesting and adventurous single folk...”

Notes to editors:

For more information please contact Bethany Pearson or Katie-Jo Flynn at 020 7693 6999 or email doingsomething@frankpr.it

Tickets are priced from ￡29 each, and include membership to the site and free entry to the after-party at London's Old Vic Tunnels and are available online at https://www.doingsomething.co.uk/wheel-of-date

DoingSomething.co.uk "Wheel of Date"

WHEN: 8.30 pm, Thursday 28^th February 2013

WHERE:EDF Energy London Eye, South Bank

INFO:doingsomething@frankpr.it

TICKETS:Available at https://www.doingsomething.co.uk/wheel-of-date

A SNAPSHOT OF THE DATING EXPERIENCES IN THE CAPSULES:

●       Future Cinema will be transforming capsules to create an immersive cinematic experience

●       Cafe Kick will help daters get to know each other better over a light spot of table football at 435ft - the perfect ice breaker

●       The legendary club night Guilty Pleasures are creating miniature clubbing capsules Silent Disco UK will be hosting the ultimate dance-off in the air

●      Lucky Voice will provide microphones and London inspired playlists for their karaoke capsule, while the Karauke capsule gives wannabes the chance to sing with their very own Ukulele backing band

●      The Comedy Store will be hosting stand up gigs in their capsules, giving daters the chance to laugh off those first date jitters

●      Other capsules will house the best in cabaret and alternative nightlife, with The Black Cat Cabaret and Musical Bingo with Jess Indeedy to name but two.

●      Hip Shoreditch hang outs The Book Club and Queen of Hoxton are both getting involved with Life Drawing and Origami classes respectively.

ABOUT DOINGSOMETHING.CO.UK

DoingSomething.co.uk is taking London by storm since launching a year ago with 15,000 singletons having signed up already. Described by Grazia Magazine as ‘the latest way to date’ their tagline is ‘Dating’s more fun when you’re DoingSomething’. The only dating site to focus on what you actually do on a date, they’re hell bent on taking the awkward out of dating. The site suggests quirky and interesting things to do on dates.

Where other sites promise love, DoingSomething promises ping-pong. Or riding a Boris Bike. Or looking at some art. And if love happens while you’re distracted, so much the better It must work because they’ve already seen their first marriage and the first DoingSomething baby is due this April.

They’re expanding to other key UK cities including Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh then Internationally. The Wheel of Date is their first major event and they plan for it to become a regular fixture in the dating calendar.

NEWS FROM HOTELS.COM

Brits off for a Vatication

As Pope Benedict XVI announces his resignation,

Hotels.com reports search increases to Rome up 81%

Following yesterday's announcement that after almost eight years Pope Benedict XVI will become the first Pope in nearly 600 years to step down from the post, Hotels.com reports search increases to Rome were up 81%* as Roman Catholics across the country look to make the pilgrimage to say farewell to His Holiness.

Kate Hopcraft of Hotels.com said, “After yesterday's dramatic announcement it appears that the nation wants to set off for a Vatication to catch a final glimpse of Pope Benedict in his few remaining days as the head of the Catholic Church."

* Search increases up 81% on 11^th February 2013, compared to the same date last year

For more information please contact:

Jennifer Murdoch or Bethany Pearson at Frank PR on 020 7693 6999 or email hotels.com@frankpr.it

Or Laura Watts, lwatts@expedia.com 020 7019 2761