NEWS FROM MAGGI

RECESSION HAS BROUGHT THE FAMILY TOGETHER AT DINNERTIME

As cooking budgets decrease, the importance of families eating together increases

35% of families eat together MORE often than they did five years ago according to new research from Maggi®. Despite food budgets often being squeezed in tough economic times, 66% of parents surveyed think that eating together is the best way to catch up. Testament to this, 68% of the UK families surveyed eat together at least five times a week.

Of those families who reported eating dinner together more often since the recession, 16% say that it’s due to cutting down on dining out, and 13% find it more cost effective to eat together at dinnertime. However, of those parents who admit that the recession has caused their family to eat together less, 38% attributed working longer hours to make ends meet.

The study of over 1,000 UK parents also looked at which regions in the UK eat as a family unit the most regularly and revealed that Welsh families topped the list with 43% sitting down together for dinner every day, whereas only a mere 22% of those in the North East eat as a family every night

Maggi also asked parents across the UK how to save money on family dinners. Top tips given included batch cooking and buying more economical cuts of meat.  Using cheaper cuts doesn’t affect the taste of the meal, for example, the delicious new Maggi Fresh Ideas ™ Beef & Ale Casserole uses casserole meat, while the Chicken & Leek Potato Bake works best with chicken thighs.

 UK MUMS’ TOP RECESSION-BUSTING COOKING TIPS:

1. Cook something that everyone will enjoy to ensure you’re not making more than one type of meal an evening
2.  Batch cook and use leftovers – try and make little changes to ensure that the family don’t get bored e.g. Chilli Con Carne for two nights, one night with rice and one with a jacket potato
3. For older children, make individual portions of family meals that can be frozen if necessary, so that they can eat when they get in from after school activities etc.
4. Plan ahead by making a list of the week’s meals and sticking to it
5. Don’t shop on an empty stomach!
6. Search for the best deals in supermarkets – head to the shop later in the evening to make the most of special offers
7. Bulk up meat dishes with vegetables
8. Change from your weekly to monthly shop to encourage families to eat all food
9. Use more economical  cuts of meat e.g. Chicken thighs or drumsticks and beef casserole steak
10. Buy vegetables in season

 Maggi Home Economist, Cath Edwards, states “It’s great to see the UK embracing family mealtimes with the realisation that it doesn’t need to cost a lot to get everyone round the table. Making the most of family mealtimes and following simple cost-saving tips can ensure that parents save money whilst bringing everyone together over a delicious meal. Cooking with a tighter budget needn’t mean that meals become boring, buy seasonal veggies and alternate your cuts of meat to keep the family satisfied.” 

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For more information contact Bethany Pearson and Jennifer Murdoch at Frank PR on 0207 7693 6999 or email Maggi@frankpr.it

About Maggi

Founded by Swiss entrepreneur Julius Maggi, Maggi®, now a Nestlé brand, has been the master of flavours, herbs and spices for over 120 years.

The original company was born in 1872 in Switzerland, when Julius Maggi took over his father's mill. Maggi quickly became a pioneer of industrial food production, aiming at improving the nutritional intake of worker families. We were the first to bring protein-rich and vegetable based meals to the market, followed by ready-made soup in 1886 which was based on the popular vegetable meals. The Maggi brand merged with Nestlé in 1947.

Maggi launched in the UK in 2011 with the So Juicy® range which has sold over 20 million packs since launch*. The range provides mum’s with a way of cooking tender, juicy meat the whole family will enjoy. The seasoning adds delicious flavour to the meat whilst it cooks in its own juices in the special cooking bag. The ‘So’ range was extended in February 2012 with the launch of Maggi So Crispy, which gives chicken a delicious crispy coating without the need for oil or frying.

Maggi Fresh Ideas range is available in the following new flavours:

o    Roasted Apple & Sage Pork

o    Beef & Ale Casserole

o    Cheesy Chicken & Leek Potato Bake

o    Lincolnshire Sausage Casserole

For easy, tasty meal ideas visit www.maggi.co.uk

 Maggi is listed in all major retailers.

The Maggi Fresh Ideas range contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. In addition, they meet UK Government Responsibility Deal Salt Targets; when prepared, the final recipes have been developed to provide a balanced meal also containing at least one portion of vegetables.

Sample size: 1,005 UK parents with children under 16

The research was carried out in October 2012 by Census Wide.

*IRI unit sales data January 2011- 6^th October 2012

NEWS FROM GET TAXI

GETTAXI SPEEDS AHEAD WITH FREE TAXI BOOKING WEBSITE FOR SMBs

November 2012, GetTaxi, the free black cab-ordering app, has launched its new website, www.gettaxi.co.uk, allowing those without a smartphone to use the pioneering taxi-ordering service that has been facilitating thousands of taxi rides each day. It is the only black cab-ordering app of its kind to branch out into website booking and is also available on the iPhone, BlackBerry and Android platforms.

The newly enhanced portal includes a sleek and seamless design that allows the customer to book taxis at the click of a button, whilst businesses can set up and manage GetTaxi accounts with ease. The new features include:

·         Instant Online Booking – book your black cab at the click of a button no matter where you are in the world

·         Business Account Management – small to medium businesses are able to open an account and easily manage all their taxi rides, expenses and accounting by simply entering their credit card details

Shahar Waiser, Founder and CEO of GetTaxi comments: “We are very excited about the launch of our new website. With GetTaxi being an international business, designing the new website was very much a global effort to ensure the right experience is delivered across all the relevant audiences. Our high quality service already available on the smartphone platform is now available to anyone and everyone at the click of a button.”

GetTaxi gives people a quick and easy way to order a taxi from its website or their BlackBerry, Android or iPhone. GetTaxi’s drivers are equipped with a dedicated “plug-and-ride” driver unit, which allows them to instantly join GetTaxi and start earning money.

With GetTaxi already servicing the UK, Israel, Russia and imminent plans to launch in New York made possible by a recent $20 million investment (bringing the total investment in the company $30 million to date), the taxi service is poised for global domination.

GetTaxi is focused on creating the best possible taxi experience for its clientele with the combination of intuitive app and web interface, worldwide presence and exceptional service.

For more information or to book a black cab visit www.gettaxi.co.uk

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For more information please contact Alexia Scherer or Sophie Tyler Frank PR – 020 7693 6999 / gettaxi@frankpr.it

Notes to editors:

 Notes to editors:

About GetTaxi Service

The GetTaxi revolution began in February 2010. Their mission was simple – to wow passengers and drivers alike by giving them a more reliable, user-friendly and safe way to travel around their cities.

Today, GetTaxi is a global virtual taxi grid across three continents with game-changing technology and an unbelievable customer experience that takes transportation to lofty new heights. GetTaxi has motored through some of the world’s biggest metropolises, including London, Moscow, and Tel Aviv, picked up over 2,500 taxi drivers, and gained $30 million in funding along the way. Already, at peak times, someone, somewhere, is taking a GetTaxi ride every second.

But, GetTaxi is only just getting started. The tank is still full of gas! The GetTaxi revolution is set to come to all major cities in the United States, with many more countries on the horizon.

NEWS FROM FOXY BINGO

ARG-Y BARGY! GB OLYMPIANS PROVE BIGGER HIT WITH THE LADIES THAN TOWIE STAR

Eight single male celebrities launched Foxy Bingo’s ‘Bingo Dating’ last night – with Team GB Olympians continuing their winning streak, but this time with the ladies!  With 24 real-life women rating the famous faces, it can be revealed this morning that the sporting stars trumped the TV talent, securing the most dates overall.

The unique dating concept brought together reality TV’s finest – pitting The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE) star’s James Argent (Arg) and Charlie King, Made in Chelsea’s Sam Cussins and Geordie Shore’s Gaz against each other in their quest for love.

Sadly for TOWIE’s Arg, real-life mirrored the show as he had the least luck with the ladies with only four out of the 24 daters saying he ticked their bingo boxes. It was actually the sporting stars who hit the jackpot with 21 out of the 24 daters asking to see Team GB’s canoeist Richard Hounslow again.  Close behind was the hunky 400m athlete Jack Green and musician Romeo who lived up to his name with 18 daters wanting to be his Juliet.   

The male daters who took part (in order of their popularity at last night’s event) are as follows:

1.       Richard Hounslow – British canoeist who won silver at London 2012 – 21 out of 24

2.       Jack Green – Hunky Team GB athlete who specialises in the 400m  - 19 out of 24

3.       Romeo – English rapper who found fame in the ‘So Solid Crew’ – 18 out of 24

4.       Gaz Beadle – ‘Geordie Shore’ heart-breaker - 16 out of 24

5.    Lucien Laviscount – Dishy ‘Waterloo Road’ actor who featured on last year’s ‘Celeb Big Brother’ - 15 out of 24

6.       Charlie King – ‘TOWIE’ cutie who’s looking for ‘the one’ - 13 out of 24

7.       Sam Cussins – The latest heartthrob to hit our screens in ‘Made in Chelsea’-  10 out of 24

8.       James Argent – ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ star who’s recently taken to a dating site in his quest for love – 4 out of 24

Richard Hounslow said, “I won silver at the Olympics but now I’ve hit the jackpot at Foxy Bingo Dating! The biggest problem will be how I’ll squeeze 21 dates into my schedule, maybe I can get one of the reality TV lads to take some off my hands.”

Foxy said, “Arg shouldn’t be too hard on himself, four potential dates is better than none!”

Bingo Dating saw the male celeb daters partnered with the females via a random bingo ball generator. The couples then had three minutes to impress before moving onto the next date. If either of the daters wanted to see each other again, they marked them on their Foxy Bingo Dating card.

Foxy Bingo is the most popular online bingo site in the UK with over one million players on the site.

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For more information please contact Sophie Tyler or Alexia Scherer on

020 7693 6999 or email foxy@frankpr.it

Notes to editors:

About Foxy Bingo:

Foxy Bingo launched in 2005 and is now one of the biggest names in UK bingo with more than 40 game rooms to play in.  Our cards start from just 1p and we give away a whopping £1,000,000 in guaranteed jackpots every month.  Join Foxy Bingo today and get a special 200% matched sign up bonus.

The Foxy Bingo brand is owned by bwin.party digital entertainment plc, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 250 Index. Regulated and licensed in multiple territories including Gibraltar, Alderney, France, Denmark and Italy, bwin.party has around 3,100 employees in offices worldwide.

NEWS FROM HOTELS.COM

Bed jumping and mini-bar raiding – Brits’ hotel rituals revealed

A study into Brits’ most popular hotel rituals by Hotels.com reveals that 19% of men check out adult TV channels as one of their top priorities arriving in their hotel room whereas 29% of women look at the toiletries on offer.

The most common ritual by both men and women alike is taking in the view, which 51% of Brits said they do on arriving in their hotel room. The next most popular hotel ritual is making full use of the hotel facilities including trying out any gyms, pools and spas that may be on offer. Jumping on the bed was another of the things that 15% of travellers do, whilst one in ten (10%) also raids the mini bar to check what’s on offer.

Hotel rituals split according to gender:

Activity	Brits	Men	Women
Taking in the view	51%	47%	54%
Making full use of hotel facilities	46%	40%	50%
Looking for toiletries	21%	10%	29%
Checking out (adult) TV channels	17%	19%	15%
Jumping on bed	15%	13%	16%
Checking  mini bar is well stocked	10%	8%	11%
Using hotel loo	10%	8%	10%

The Hotels.com survey also examined what  gives people the special ‘holiday feeling’ and revealed that almost half of travellers (48%) get this buzz when they first board the plane, while 43% experience the joy upon entering their hotel room and 38% when they pack their bags before leaving for their holiday.

Kate Hopcraft from Hotels.com said: “It appears that men and women have very different priorities when it comes to their hotel rituals, with men preferring to see the ‘full’ selection of TV channels and women more likely to check out the toiletries on offer. Despite a couple of questionable hotel rituals it’s clear that the top priority for Brits is checking out their surroundings, with the majority rushing to take in the view on offer when entering their hotel room.”

For more information please contact:

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

Alternatively contact Kate Hopcraft, khopcraft@hotels.com, 020 7019 2165 or Laura Watts, lwatts@expedia.com, 020 7019 2761

About Hotels.com

Hotels.com is a leading online accommodation booking website with almost 155,000 properties around the world, ranging from international chains and all-inclusive resorts to local favourites and bed & breakfasts, together with all the information needed to book the perfect stay. Hotels.com benefits from one of the largest hotel contracting teams in the industry, negotiating the best rates for its customers, and offers frequent sales, special deals and promotions. Regular customer e-newsletters provide exclusive offers and advance warning of up-coming sales. There are more than 6.5 million reviews on the site from users who have actually stayed in the hotels to ensure customers can make an informed choice when booking. Through its industry-leading loyalty programme Welcome Rewards, customers can earn a free night for every 10 nights stayed at more than 85,000 hotels. Under its Price Match Guarantee, if a customer can find the same deal for less on a prepaid hotel, Hotels.com will refund the difference. Travellers can book online or by contacting one of the multilingual call centres. Special apps for mobile phones and tablets can also be downloaded at www.hotels.com/deals/mobile enabling customers to book on the go with access to 20,000 last minute deals. For the last nine years, Hotels.com has published an award-winning twice-yearly review of international hotel room price trends called the Hotels.com Hotel Price Index which is now produced in 30 individual country editions. Follow Hotels.com on Facebook at facebook.com/Hotels.comUK, on Twitter at @HotelsdotcomUK and YouTube at www.youtube.com/HotelsEU. Hotels.com is part of Expedia Inc., the largest online travel company in the world with an extensive portfolio that includes some of the world's best-known brands.

Notes to Editors

The research was carried out in August 2012 by Censuswide.

Sample: 1,406 UK Adults