Tuesday 10 January 2012

NEWS FROM COW AND GATE


Never mind the Bucket List, here’s the Potty List – a tongue in cheek guide to 36 things toddlers should have crayoned off a must-do list....by the time they are toilet trained.

The list was inspired by suggestions from parents nationwide and endorsed by experts, including nutritionist Amanda Ursell, psychologist Dr Richard Woolfson and trends forecaster Sean Pillot de Chenecey. The list comprises 36 activities for your ‘Little One-der’ – one for each month of their toddler years.

It forms part of the Little One-ders’ Toddler Census[1], commissioned by Growingupmilkinfo.com, and has been designed to celebrate the extraordinary growth and development Little One-ders go through from one to three years.

By no means exhaustive, it does however pinpoint some wonderful experiences for toddlers, from the fun to the fundamental.

Child psychologist Dr Richard Woolfson says: “As your toddler turns one and becomes a Little One-der their extraordinary growth over the next couple of years will amaze you. Toddlerhood is about learning, about development and about progress – it's also about pushing the boundaries a little.

“A growing child needs to be loved and to be happy, but fun activities play an essential part during the toddler years too, as now is the time they will master many of the skills that will set them up for life. Making a mud pie or jumping in a puddle has never been so important!"

The 36 must-do activities that make up ‘The Potty List’ are:

1. Made a mud pie

2. Baked a cake

3. Finger painted

4. Sung loudly in public

5. Climbed a big hill

6. Picked fruit

7. Danced with no inhibitions

8. Made sandcastles on the beach

9. Been chased by a monster

10.Jumped in a puddle so hard the water went in mummy’s shoe too

11. Belly-flopped

12. Fed the ducks

13. Blown bubbles

14. Had a teddy bear’s picnic

15. Chosen a favourite book

16. Ridden on the top of double-decker bus

17. Visited a museum

18. Been on a train ride

19. Fed an animal

20. Grown cress in the shape of your name

21. Worn pants on your head

22. Ridden the tea-cups at the fair

23. Flown a paper aeroplane

24. Poo’ed in the bath

25. Stayed the night away from home

26. Ridden on daddy’s shoulders

27. Scribbled somewhere you shouldn’t

28. Cleaned your own teeth

29. Answered the phone

30. Mastered a party piece

31. Had a ‘first love’

32. Bought something in a shop

33. Set your sights on a future career (pirate, fairy or builder, perhaps?)

34. Told a fib

35. Made up an inappropriate nickname for someone

36. Broken something valuable

However, in order to achieve the demands of The Potty List, toddlers require lots of energy.

Growingupmilkinfo.com nutritionist, Leanne Olivier, adds: “During this phase of amazing growth and development, relative to their size, toddlers’ energy needs are nearly three times greater than an adult’s. They require more than four times the amount of iron and vitamin C, plus about three times the calcium, zinc and vitamin A.

“Their stomachs are a lot smaller than ours, so they need to eat small amounts of foods often to give them energy and nutrients throughout the day, so they can make mud pies and climb hills.

“This means that they need three small meals with regular snacks in between to meet their very specific energy needs and each meal and snack needs to be balanced and nutrient-packed.”

It’s also why the UK Departments of Health recommend that children are given a supplement of vitamins A, C and D from the age of one-to-five2, to help support even a healthy balanced diet. Research by Growingupmilkinfo.com[2] surprisingly found eight out of 10 parents were not aware of this advice.

Growing Up Milk is made from cows' milk but it is enriched with key nutrients that toddlers need like vitamins A, C and D, iron and calcium. Giving your Little One-der two 150ml beakers of Growing Up Milk each day is an easy way to help provide them with the extra nutrients they need, as part of a healthy balanced diet.


Thursday 5 January 2012

NEWS FROM PIZZAEXPRESS

MORE ON TOP, LESS ON THE BOTTOM!
New style Leggera pizzas make the American Hot permissible for weight watchers


PizzaExpress, the first to offer a deliciously skinny 500 calorie pizza, continues to transform lighter options on the high street with the launch of its new style Leggera.

Bringing indulgent ingredients back on the menu for calorie-conscious diners, the new Leggera pizzas are characterised by a new lighter, crispier dough base, allowing space for previously off-limit toppings including pepperoni and goats cheese, while remaining under 500 calories.

Leggera fans will now be able to enjoy PizzaExpress favourites without troubling the waistline. The new American Leggera, which has all the punchiness of its classic cousin, is topped with pepperoni, light mozzarella and tomato, with the new American Hot Leggera offering a welcome twist on this, getting its kick from a dosing of jalapeno peppers. The Padana Leggera, topped with goats cheese, spinach, red caramelised onions and garlic oil, is another new addition that is heavy on taste and light on the conscience.


Model and Leggera fan Jodie Kidd, who has been eating at PizzaExpress ever since she started modelling, comments: “I love the classic Padana pizza – I adore goats cheese and with the spinach and caramelised red onions it’s a winning combination. How PizzaExpress has managed to put all that flavour onto a pizza with just 500 calories amazes me!”

Nutritionist Juliette Kellow comments: "Weight-conscious diners who want to cut down on calories but not on taste will love the new style Leggera range. They're the perfect balance of more on top, less on the bottom! And it's great to see that it's still possible to order an American Hot pizza, even if you're managing your weight".

All Leggera pizzas are inspired by a classic fresella bread from Naples – an Italian bread with a hole in the middle - where the dough at the centre of the pizza is replaced by a fresh salad of rocket and ricotta salata cheese.

The new style Leggera pizzas are available from 10th January 2012 in all PizzaExpress restaurants across the UK.

ENDS

For more information please contact Alex Whitelaw at PizzaExpress at alex.whitelaw@pizzaexpress.com or 01895 263146 / 07766 368187





Notes to Editor

The Leggera Range

• Six New Style Leggera Pizzas

Each Leggera pizza is 500 calories, at least 30% lighter in calories compared to the average of PizzaExpress’ standard pizzas, and between 4.5g and 8g in saturated fat. However, because each pizza is handmade to order by our pizza chefs, there is always room for a little variation.

American Leggera – pepperoni, light mozzarella, tomato.
American Hot Leggera – pepperoni with a choice of hot green, roquito or jalapeno peppers.
Gustosa Leggera, which is Italian for tasty – prosciutto cotto ham, light mozzarella, Portobello mushrooms, yellow peppers, thyme.
Padana Leggera – goats cheese, spinach, red and caramelised onions, garlic oil.
Pollo ad Astra Leggera – chicken, light mozzarella, sweet peppadew peppers, Cajun spices, red onions, garlic oil.
Pomodoro Pesto Leggera – marinated Santos tomatoes, fresh basil, pesto, light mozzarella, garlic oil.

• Leggera Wine

A glass of Leggera wine is the perfect complement to a Leggera pizza – together they add up to just 600 calories. PizzaExpress is the first restaurant on the high street to develop a wine that is both lower in calories and alcohol, while really delivering on taste. Specially blended for PizzaExpress, Leggera wines contain 25% fewer calories and 25% less sugar and alcohol than an average wine from its wine list. The secret behind their reduced calories and alcohol content lies in the early harvesting of the grapes, while sugar levels are still low.

• Two Leggera wines are available. The Leggera Sangiovese (9.5% ABV) and the Leggera Pinot Bianco (9% ABV).

Weight Watchers Pro Points

• American Leggera, 13 Weight Watchers Pro Points
American Hot Leggera, 13 Weight Watchers Pro Points
Gustosa Leggera, 11 Weight Watchers Pro Points
Padana Leggera, 14 Weight Watchers Pro Points
Pollo ad Astra Leggera, 12 Weight Watchers Pro Points
Pomodoro Pesto Leggera, 13 Weight Watchers Pro Points

PizzaExpress and its commitment to healthy eating

• PizzaExpress is commitment to providing handmade, delicious pizza using top notch ingredients. The restaurant group has signed up to the Government’s Responsibility Deal and is constantly working hard behind the scenes to make its menu as healthy as possible without compromising on taste. The introduction of the Leggera range in 2009, and its evolution is a key part of this work.

• In 2009 Which?, the independent consumer advice magazine, conducted a report, testing the nutritional content of pizzas from leading UK restaurant chains. The report found PizzaExpress pizzas to be the lowest in fat and calories and the best for taste.

NEWS FROM HARD ROCK

SHOW SOME SUPPORT FOR THE BOSS

Hard Rock announces its global search for the next big name in rock with a slot on the Hard Rock Calling 2012 bill alongside Bruce Springsteen

Hard Rock are offering a once in a lifetime opportunity for one band to support the legendary Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at 2012’s Hard Rock Calling. Coined Hard Rock Rising the global battle of the bands competition will see local bands from all corners of the planet rocking it out to win the prestigious slot alongside The Boss and some of music’s finest performers.

Taking place from 13th-15th July Hard Rock Calling is now one of the UK’s, and the world’s, premier festivals. Housed in London’s iconic Hyde Park, the annual event has seen headlining performances from acts including The Killers, Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder and Aerosmith. For the fourth year running the event has played host to one lucky band plucked from obscurity and thrust into the limelight alongside some of the industry’s biggest names.

Hard Rock, in a partnership with online music services company ReverbNation, will host an open registration for bands from Friday, 6th January through Tuesday, 17th January 2012. The combination of Hard Rock’s iconic brand and ReverbNation’s extensive network of over 1.8 million artists around the world, will give great undiscovered bands an international stage to jumpstart their careers.

“Hard Rock believes it is critical to support emerging artists and discover new musical talent through the Hard Rock Rising program,” said John Galloway, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Hard Rock International. “We are confident our partnership with ReverbNation will help us secure world-class talent that we can showcase to the international music community at this year’s Hard Rock Calling festival.”

“Hard Rock is a worldwide icon of music, the perfect brand to provide this opportunity to deserving artists,” added Mike Doernberg, ReverbNation CEO and Co-founder. “From day one here at Reverb, we’ve been all about the artist and opportunities like Hard Rock Rising extend that mission exponentially.”

To register future UK rock stars bands can visit the London, Manchester and Edinburgh Hard Rock Cafe Facebook pages. Following open registration, fans decide who moves on to the live performance phase of the program and can vote on any Hard Rock’s Facebook page by downloading free tracks from bands of their choice. For full rules and a list of participating locations visit www.hardrock.com. Once fans have chosen their favorites Hard Rock Cafes around the world will host live battles will take place. Followed by a fan picked top 10 and then a panel of celebrities and industry professionals picking the first, second and third places.

The winner will not only win the place on the bill alongside Springsteen, but also the ultimate rockstar treatment during their time staying in London throughout the festival. Second and third place bands will receive $5,000 and $2,500, respectively, in ReverbNation PROMOTE IT credits, a revolutionary tool that creates targeted, highly effective Facebook advertising campaigns for musicians and venues promoting songs, Facebook pages and concerts.

-ENDS -
For more information please contact Ourhai Turkhan or David Wade at Frank PR on 0207 693 6999 / hardrock@frankpr.it
Notes to editors:

After fans choose their favorites, participating Hard Rock Cafe locations around the world will host a series of live competitions featuring these local bands. One winner will be selected from each location by the other participating bands. These local winners will be narrowed down to the top ten bands worldwide via fan voting on participating Hard Rock Facebook fan pages. Finally a panel of celebrity judges and music industry professionals will select the top three winners.


Hard Rock Calling, an iconic festival now in its seventh consecutive year, has established itself as one of the UK’s premier outdoor music events. The 2012 festival will take place from Friday, July, 13 to Sunday, July 15 in London’s Hyde Park. Headliners for the festival will include Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, who will take the Main Stage for their second Hard Rock Calling performance. Hard Rock Calling 2012’s performers will join a long line of rock ‘n’ roll greats who have taken the stage at this iconic festival including: Aerosmith, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, The Who, Pearl Jam, Peter Gabriel, The Killers, The Police, Rod Stewart and Bon Jovi. Hard Rock Calling, produced by Live Nation and presented by Hard Rock International, is a unique and historic musical event with a main stage, second stage, renowned bands, on-site Hard Rock Cafe, as well as a variety of additional attractions. For further information on the 2012 artist lineup and ticket details, visit www.hardrockcalling.co.uk.

Visit www.hardrock.com for details on event dates and times, and head to a Hard Rock Cafe location in your city to watch your favorite local bands battle for the opportunity of a lifetime!

About ReverbNation
ReverbNation provides over 1.8 million artists, managers, labels, venues, festivals/events and other music industry professionals with powerful, easy-to-use technology to promote and prosper online. Their array of distribution and promotional solutions provide the hands-on tools and actionable insights that allow them to reach their goals in an increasingly complex music industry. The company operates worldwide with customers on every continent. Over 30 million visitors come to reverbnation.com every month. For more information, visit ReverbNation.com and follow ReverbNation on Twitter: www.twitter.com/reverbnation.

About Hard Rock International
With a total of 174 venues in 53 countries, including 137 cafes and 15 Hotels/Casinos, Hard Rock International is one of the world's most globally recognized brands. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world's greatest collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed at its locations around the globe. Hard Rock is also known for its collectible fashion and music-related merchandise, Hard Rock Live performance venues and an award-winning website. In addition to the two flagship Seminole Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood, Fla., Hard Rock Hotels/Casinos are located in Las Vegas, Biloxi, Orlando, Chicago, San Diego, Pattaya, Bali, Macau, Penang, Singapore and Punta Cana. Additional hotel and casino projects have been announced including Panama Megapolis, scheduled to open in 2012; Cancun and Vallarta scheduled to open in 2012; and Riviera Maya, Hungary, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, scheduled to open in 2013. Hard Rock International is owned by Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment, Inc. For further details on Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos, visit www.hardrockhotels.com. For more information on Hard Rock International, visit www.hardrock.com.

NEWS FROM SODASTREAM

SODASTREAM IS FIZZING OFF THE SHELVES

SodaStream proves a festive hit with retailers

SodaStream, the sparkling drinks maker, has become one of the UK’s best-selling products this Christmas 2011.

The brand saw its Christmas sales rocket across its key retailers, as shoppers raced to buy their SodaStream in time for Christmas. The fun and entertaining nature of SodaStream has no doubt made it a gifting hit with people of all ages. Consumers appreciate the key benefits of convenience and cost-savings, and the recent trend towards do-it-yourself appliances has provided additional sales momentum.

General merchandise retailer Argos was blown away by the success it has had amongst its customers. With the number of SodaStream sales up by 380% year on year, the product was one of Argos’ top Christmas gift purchases.

Yvonne Stinson, Homewares Trading Manager at Argos, said: “We started selling Sodastream in 2004, and 2011 has by far been our biggest yet for sales. More functional kitchen items such as turkey roasters and carving sets typically sell very well at Argos in the run up to the festivities, but this year SodaStream was on a huge number of Christmas wish lists.”

And it’s not just Argos who witnessed record sales; SodaStream did extremely well across supermarket retailers. Sales continued to exceed expectations in Asda, which has led to a large increase in distribution for the New Year.

Online supermarket Ocado reported excellent sales, as did key department store John Lewis. Selfridges, who stocked SodaStream for the first time in 2011, proclaimed that it was one of its key Christmas sellers.

A spokesperson for Ocado, commented: “Sales of SodaStream have done extremely well this Christmas. It’s been one of our most popular items with sales up 95% year on year. The fun nature of the product has no doubt contributed to its success – and it’s a present that’s perfect for all the family.”

Chris Gardener, Buying Manager for Cookshop at Selfridges, also commented: “Sodastream has revamped machines with a stylish appeal and in tune with the Selfridges eco-credentials. For those of our customers who like their drinks with added fizz, they are perfect.”

Fiona Hope, Managing Director for SodaStream UK says: “SodaStream has sold phenomenally well this year, with many stores selling out entirely. Having invested heavily in TV advertising all year, it’s now clear SodaStream is really becoming a ‘must-have’ in many thousands of kitchens up and down the country. Customers are impressed with both the modern styling of the range of drinksmakers as well as its power to rid homes of loads of wasteful plastic-bottles.”

2012 sees the launch of several new SodaStream flavours including a Clear Plus range with added health benefits, as well as its Naturals range and a tastier than even Cola flavour.

In addition to this SodaStream is proud to be a supporting partner of Climate Week this March. Becoming a partner was an obvious choice for SodaStream, who offers a solution to reduce single-use plastic bottles.

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For more information or imagery, please contact Frank PR on 0207 693 6999 / getbusywiththefizzy@frankpr.it

More information can be found at: www.sodastream.co.uk

Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/sodastreamuk or come and follow us on Twitter @sodastreamuk

Notes to Editors:

About SodaStream:
SodaStream manufactures home beverage carbonation systems, which enable consumers to easily transform ordinary tap water instantly into carbonated soft drinks and sparkling water. Soda makers offer a highly differentiated and innovative solution to consumers of bottled and canned carbonated soft drinks and sparkling water. Our products are environmentally friendly, cost effective, promote health and wellness, and are customizable and fun to use. In addition, our products offer convenience by eliminating the need to carry bottles home from the supermarket, to store bottles at home or to regularly dispose of empty bottles. Our products are available at more than 50,000 retail stores in 42 countries around the world. There is also no need for electricity, as when you buy your SodaStream drinks maker, a full CO2 gas cylinder is included under licence, entitling you to use the cylinder with your SodaStream. When the gas in the cylinder is used up, you exchange the empty cylinder for a full one, paying only the cost of the gas refill.
• SodaStream is available at John Lewis, Selfridges, Argos, Asda, Tesco supermarkets, Bestbuy, Sainsbury’s, Harvey Nichols, Lakeland, Robert Dyas, Comet, Currys Megastores, selected House of Fraser and other forward thinking retailers.
• SodaStream drinksmakers enable consumers to transform tap water into fizzy drinks in seconds, eliminating the need for bottled fizzy water and bottled soft drinks
• Each SodaStream reusable carbonating bottle is estimated to save the environment from an estimated 2000 bottles and cans each year
• SodaStream now offers a range of over 40 different flavours, including sugar-free, energy, isotonic, Naturals, mixers as well as fruit flavours and colas. A great alternative to pre-mixed drinks
• Each of the single 500ml bottles of Sodastream concentrate produces 12 litres of soft drink and each of these can replace 24 500ml PET bottles
• The drinksmakers retail from £49.99 and flavours from £3.29 making SodaStream the smart way to consume soft drinks.

About Argos:
Argos is the UK’s leading Multi-Channel retailer and provides a highly successful and unique offer of choice and convenience. It sells general merchandise and products for the home from over 750 stores throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland, online, over the telephone and TV. In the financial year to February 2011, Argos sales were £4.2 billion and it employed some 33,000 people across the business.

Argos serves over 130 million customers a year through its stores. On average, 17 million UK households, or around two thirds of the population, have an Argos catalogue at home at any time. Argos’ internet site, www.argos.co.uk, is one of the most visited high street retail websites and Argos continues to be the second largest internet retailer in the UK, with 400m website visits each year. Argos is part of Home Retail Group, the UK’s leading home and general merchandise retailer.
Home Retail Group has been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard which certifies that we have genuinely reduced our carbon footprint. We call our responsible approach ‘the basis of good business’. Find out more at: www.thebasisofgoodbusiness.com

About Ocado:
Ocado (www.ocado.com) was established in 2000, started trading in 2002 and is now one of Britain’s leading online supermarkets. Ocado operates a centralised distribution model which means that it does not rely upon a network of stores from which to service customers – orders are fulfilled at a unique, high-automated Customer Fulfilment Centre in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, before being loaded onto delivery vans making local routes, or transported by HGV to vans stationed at a network of regional UK distribution spokes. Ocado delivers over 21,000 product lines including Waitrose goods and a growing Ocado own-label range. Last October it was named World E-tailer of the Year at the prestigious World Retail Awards and, earlier this year, won Consumer Initiative of the Year at the Grocer Gold Awards for its popular mobile commerce platform.

NEWS FROM PREMIER INN

CHRISTMAS GIFTS REUNITED
PREMIER INN RE-UNITES GUESTS WITH THEIR LOST CHRISTMAS PRESENTS

Five One Direction dolls, The Only Way is Essex box set and a pair of Eurostar tickets are just some of the weird and wonderful Christmas presents that were left behind in rooms at Premier Inn, Britain’s biggest hotel chain, this festive season.

Premier Inn’s Gifts Reunited Service will go live on 4th January 2012 at www.facebook.com/premierinn. Guests will be able to comment on the wall if they have lost any items and Premier Inn will do their upmost to reunite people with their long lost presents.

Gifts already listed on the site include:
• 3x novelty reindeer ties found at Cardiff North Premier Inn
• 1x iPhone 4S found at Manchester Central Premier Inn
• 1x TOWIE DVD box set series 1 & 2 found at Stratford Upon Avon Central Premier Inn
• 2x Eurostar tickets found at London Kings Cross Premier Inn
• 5x One Direction dolls found at Glasgow City Centre (George Square) Premier Inn
• 1x Cliff Richard 2012 calendar found at Birmingham Central East Premier Inn

Claire Haigh, spokeswoman for Premier Inn says, “We’re always willing to go the extra mile to ensure that our guests are well cared for, and following on from the success of this service last year, we’ve decided to re-launch it and do our upmost to get lost presents back their rightful owners.”

In the conventions of lost property offices everywhere, anyone trying to claim a lost present via Premier Inn’s Gifts Reunited service will have to prove ownership before they can be reunited.

Go to premierinn.com for further details.

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For further information, please email Hannah Calder-Bundy or Sara Lincoln on
premierinn@frankpr.it



About the Premier Inn Gifts Reunited Service:
• The Gifts Reunited Service will run from 3rd January 2012 for two weeks on Premier Inn’s Facebook page
• Premier Inn will reply back to consumers from 4th – 17th January 2012 via the comments section on facebook
• After 17th January 2012, guests will need to contact the Premier Inn Customer Contact Centre who will help them with their request
• If a gift is truly lost we recommend that guests claim on their personal insurance


Notes to editors:

Award-winning Premier Inn is the UK’s biggest hotel brand with over 600 budget hotels and more than 46,000 rooms across the UK and Ireland. Premier Inn bedrooms feature en-suite bathrooms, TV with Freeview, and WiFi internet access. All Premier Inns feature a bar and restaurant; situated inside the hotel or adjacent, offering a wide range of food choices.

Premier Inn is open in Dubai and India. On a domestic front, Premier Inn aims to be the largest provider of budget hotels in London (within the M25) by 2012.

Premier Inn is currently offering rooms for just £29 (restrictions apply). Visit www.premierinn.com for full terms and conditions.

Premier Inn supports WaterAid, the international charity whose mission is to overcome poverty by enabling the world's poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education. To date Premier Inn has raised £1m for the charity.