Throughout the calendar year Jellybean shows its support for various deserving causes – Hospitality Action’s Lunch Box Day being our most recent fundraiser. On Friday 23^rd October we joined many a business in the hospitality and foodservice sector to raise money for the charity. Supporting all those who work or have worked within the industry in the UK and find themselves in crisis, we stuffed our faces, dug deep in our pockets – and snapped some selfies!

For Hospitality Action’s first ever Lunch Box Day, the charity asked participants to donate the money they would have spent on lunch that day. Thankfully the beans were lucky enough to be treated to a range of goodies all kindly supplied by Jellybean MD, Fiona! Subway sandwiches, crisps, fruit, cookies and cake (any excuse for a good cause) were all on the menu. A group #SandwichSelfie later and we were all tucking in.

Hospitality Action is one of the charities Jellybean is proud to actively support and its first ever Lunch Box Day was a great way in which everyone could get involved to help raise some money for a fantastic cause. Here’s to next year’s!

Jellybean Creative is a leading foodservice marketing agency and communications agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, food and drink pr, digital and foodservice design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

To have one of your best friends getting married is exciting enough, to have them getting married in Spain…AMAZING! Valencia to be precise. So what else is there to do than to take four days off and fly out three days before the wedding to enjoy some sun, sea, cocktails and tapas.

Having never been to Valencia before, I didn’t know what to expect, but when I got there, I quickly decided it was one of the most beautiful places that I’d ever been to. The sandy beach went on for miles and as with all good beaches, a walk along the beach promenade allowed me to venture into the many different cocktail bars to test the local frozen margaritas.

The wedding was set in the Spanish mountains, the view was spectacular, the venue beautiful and overall it was a very happy and emotional day for everyone involved. Not to mention hot, it was a scorching 35 degrees!

To round off an already fantastic day, the Valencian food was incredible. After an assortment of stunning looking canapés to start with, I was able to sit down with friends and devour Mediterranean prawns in a spicy  garlic sauce, followed by a gin sorbet. Now I’m not a huge gin fan, but it was the perfect palate cleanser and was a very much needed refreshment in that heat! Pork in a rich red wine sauce came shortly after, but it was the dessert that topped it for me. Torrijas, a typical Spanish pudding. This is very similar to our bread and butter pudding, but soaked in wine and honey – to say that my appetite was satisfied is an understatement.

All in all, I had a fantastic time and I will definitely be going back to Valencia to explore more of the fine food,  the cocktail bars…and the culture of course!

Jellybean Creative is a leading food service agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

A pint of Guinness, a side of tobacco onions and non-existent portion control. That was my lunch for three days running. Well, maybe not the tobacco onions every day, but the stout and hefty portions, well they’re in fact understatements!

I arrived on the Tuesday just in time for lunch. The bite of the cool summer air (10 degrees lower than England’s I might add!) instilled in me quite the appetite, so on to The Wildfowler Inn, in County Down, I went.

An early morning flight on an ‘Eat’ bacon roll and orange juice was just not enough to sate my hunger. As I sat eagerly awaiting my pub lunch I treated myself to my first ever pint of Guinness. They say you can’t beat Ireland and its Guinness – how right they are. The velvety black mass with its creamy white top is a wonder to behold.

The wow moments continued for me at The Wildfowler Inn, as soon after arriving, in front of me was a meal fit for a King. Two handfuls of fries, two handfuls of tobacco onions, and a ten ounce beef burger smothered in cheddar. You’ll see from the picture, it needed a trough! Soaked in beer, the beef burger paired with the crunchy tobacco onions and relish proved a delight. Someone should have warned me though, a pint of the black stuff is a meal in itself and it’s safe to say my eyes were bigger than my belly in this instance. Still, what I managed was wondrous.

Heading off in a food-induced coma I retreated to my cottage nestled in the green fields, mentally preparing for my next meal.

Wednesday came and I was fortunate to be given a longer break before a food coma enveloped me once more. It was the day of my cousin’s wedding and a hog roast awaited us in the evening. Served in a bun with a hefty spoonful of apple sauce the bun and its filling covered half my plate. But that wasn’t enough for these hearty Northern Irish caterers. Then came the potatoes (yes, I did pronounce this with a high pitched voice), sweet chilli noodles (questionable choice), salad and pasta. Not one to stand on ceremony, I scooped the lot on to my plate. Then very proudly devoured the lot. And I’d learned my lesson by day two and had my Guinness well in advance of the meal!

The dessert spoiled us even more: a trio of gooey chocolate sponge, strawberry cheesecake and honeycomb ice cream and miniature cone. My mouth’s watering all over again.

In true party style we washed these down with a strawberry daiquiri and saved the Guinness for later.

Sore heads and swollen bellies greeted us in the morning. A stroll around Belfast city centre in the fresh breeze was on the cards. But we all know what some exercise and fresh air can do…hunger pangs.

So, in the early hours of the afternoon we stopped off at The Fountain Bar and Restaurant. True to its roots, the building was plastered with Guinness wraps, signs, wind breakers and awning.

Scanning the menu I couldn’t help but notice our lovely client, Moy Park Foodservice’s ‘Chicken Teddies™’, succulent chicken breast perfectly shaped to look like a teddy bear. Naturally my three year old cousin opted straight for that.

I on the other hand opted for a lighter snack and went for the Chicken and Bacon Caesar Wrap – forgetting the lack of portion control I was in shock when I received what can only be described as two bricks of Chicken Caesar goodness. The tobacco fries made a welcome appearance on the plate as well. But alas, the hearty meal was too hearty for this English girl, and a lot was left on the plate! (Apologies to the chef!)

Heading to the airport later that day with a very heavy belly, although everything told me not to, I had to round off the mini-break with a final half pint of Guinness.

I can still feel the bubbles and taste the creamy smoothness now.

Northern Ireland, I’ll be back! (I just need a little rest-bite to recover from my culinary tour)

If you  fancy a taste of Ireland you can find out more here.

Jellybean Creative is a leading food service agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

(The following blog contains ‘west country’ slang for which the author apologises and translation has been dutifully offered….)

Although I am now living the Surrey life, I was born between the rolling hills and roaring sea in the deepest depths of the West Country. I am well and truly a Janner (a Plymouthian for those not familiar with the term).  Although a proud Plymouthian, during my 24 or so years there I probably didn’t live West Country life to the fullest. Sure, I couldn’t walk past a pasty shop without the smell drawing me in, but when I visit home now I am well and truly a grockle (holiday-maker) and keen to try everything my beloved home-town is known for.

My latest adventure involved, amongst other things, a cream tea in Cornwall (thoroughly betraying my Devonian roots by having jam first, then cream – it’s the only way), and attending a pirate festival. This was more by chance than choice, but we were entertained by a pirate choir singing witpot (nonsense) sea shanty’s – were those lyrics really ‘Hey ho, chicken on a raft’?

It was a particularly warm weekend in Plymouth so as the day rested into dimpsy (twilight), we wandered down to the harbour in need of some refreshment and decided upon Stable Pizza, a chain of restaurants specialising in pizza, pies and cider. We were, on this occasion, solely there for a gurt big pint of thee best zider (hopefully translation isn’t needed here). To my shame, traditional cider is never a drink I have frequented, always leaning more towards Plymouth’s other famous beverage, Plymouth Gin (which is world class). So what better way to be initiated into proper cider than trying one of Stable Pizza’s tasting platters – a half a pint of five chosen local ciders. I am keen to point out this was shared, not solely for me. The five ciders we sampled were:

• Sandford Old Kirton – Quite dry and strong – I could only manage a little bit!
• Pubeck Dorset Draft – This was lovely and crisp, quite light to drink.
• Gert Lush – Definitely the most ‘west country’ cider I tasted – still, tangy, and quite a strong taste!
• Sandford shakey Bride – Quite sweet and apple-y…yum!
• West Country Perry – Technically not a Cider as it’s made with pears, but definitely my favourite.

Although I may have brought shame on my roots for thinking some of the ciders a bit too strong in taste, it was great to be able to try so many different types. We may not have been there for the food, but we couldn’t resist ordering some garlic bread to soak up all that cider. If the delicious garlicy goodness on a sourdough base was anything to go by, trying some more of their food is a must.

They may be mainly based in the West Country at the moment, but don’t be surprised if you see a Stable Pizza near you soon. With openings lined up for Southampton and Winchester, it’s time to bring the best cider (and pies and pizza) to the rest of the country. Plus with a menu that focuses on locally sourced food for each restaurant, you’d be maze as a brush (silly) not to try it!

Find out more about Stable Pizza at Stable Pizza or follow them on Twitter @_TheStable

Jellybean Creative is a leading foodservice marketing and communications agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

As your average skinny jeaned teenager, I have many a time, indulged in a “Cheeky Nandos”. Satisfying food at a manageable price range was once enough. Alas, whilst my skinny jeaned comrades crave mango & lime ¼ chicken with spicy rice and creamy mash and garlic bread and chips and the odd dab of coleslaw, I am now blind. I am blind to the taste of all that is not Wahaca.

My father, raving about a new Mexican restaurant in Southbank dragged us (my mum and I) through rainy London on the eve of my science exam. Upon arrival I was immediately charmed by the general aesthetic of the restaurant and under a grudge and a soggy raincoat, I took a seat on a bench facing the kitchen. Spicy food intimidates me so I opted for a “British steak, the Mexican way”. What arrived in front of me was a beast of a steak, lovingly smothered in cheese, accompanied by green rice and a bean salad. Such a simple description seems devastatingly patronising to what was the best meal of my young years. Oozing with gratitude to the bull that died for this steak, I imagined that he was the strongest in the field, a friend to all, a social lighthouse of cow society. I finished the meal in eight minutes flat and was left gazing into the kitchen. Watching the chefs prepare meals that weren’t for me, speaking angry Spanish, at one with the unnecessarily large fires on which they cooked the best food in the world, I planned at least thirteen birthday meals into the future.

Whilst I will always enjoy a “Cheeky Nandos”, my enjoyment of most cuisines will never be the same after the taste sensation that is Wahaca and the finishing touch of a complimentary packet of chilli seeds I received with the bill. I am changed for life by what I would call “a food epiphany”. I’m a girl obsessed, rendered somewhat insane. Pork Pibil or Chicken Tinga, I’d wager that Wahaca provides planet earth with a strong reason against an apocalypse.

Jellybean Creative is a leading foodservice marketing and communications agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Here at Jellybean we love to push the boundaries when it comes to food photography, and it’s great when our clients feel the same. This joined up thinking between ourselves and McCormick allowed us to experience the pleasure of working with a fantastic photographer, Nick Carman.

We’re currently working on an exciting NPD launch for McCormick Food Solutions and our client, the lovely Al, was very keen to collaborate with Nick after seeing his work on the recent KFC burrito campaign. It’s clear to see that the images in this particular campaign are really stand-out and are a fresh approach for the brand. With this in mind, we were of course eager to work alongside Nick on creating stand-out visuals for our own campaign.

With much careful planning by our very own Julie (or Juliebean as we like to call her) the shoot, which was held at Nick’s Highgate studio, was a great success – achieving more shots than we had originally anticipated, all of which look fantastic.
A big thank you to Nick and his team for all their hard work pre, during and post shoot.  It’s lovely to collaborate with a team who share your enthusiasm and passion for the brand and really take the time to understand and explore the brief.

Hang on, I know what you’re thinking, “where are these amazing photographic creations?!” Well we can’t share them with you just yet, but keep an eye on our Instagram for them in the future.

Jellybean Creative is a leading foodservice pr agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

What was your favourite subject at school?
Drama.

What was your best subject as school?
Spanish (might have something to do with the fact that it’s my first language ;)).

What was your first-ever job?
Paper round.

What was your worst ever job?
Paper round – I didn’t like the 7am starts.

What was the first music single you bought?
Spice Girls album.

What is the most entrepreneurial thing you have ever done?
Lending my brother money from my pocket money and asking for double back (he was so desperate to buy a computer game that he actually agreed!)

What is your motto in life?
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

If you were allowed one dream perk what would it be?
To fly.

What’s your favourite movie and why?
Dirty Dancing – it’s a classic love story.

If you could pick a celebrity to join the agency who would it be and why?
Ed Sheeran – he could sing for us all day.

What luxury would you have on your desert island?
Never ending tap of Margarita.

What animal best reflects your personality and why?
Hmm I’d say an owl as I’m most lively at night.

If you could be anybody in the world (alive or dead) who would you be and why?
Beyonce – I’d love to be able to sing like that.

Jellybean Creative is a leading foodservice marketing and foodservice design agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

What was your favourite subject at school?
Maths.

What was your best subject at school?
PE.

What was your first-ever job?
Waitress in a pub.

What was your worst ever job?
Working in a factory screwing plastic tops onto bottles of floor cleaner. Spillages were not acceptable.

What was the first music single you bought?
Peter Andre – Mysterious Girl.

What is the most entrepreneurial thing you have ever done?
Held a jumble sale in our garage. It was quite the village event! I must have made at least £2.50 that day.

What is your motto in life?
Regret nothing, live for everything.

If you were allowed one dream perk what would it be?
A roof-top garden to work from in the office with mojitos on tap.

What’s your favourite movie and why?
This is 40 – HILARIOUS.

If you could pick a celebrity to join the agency who would it be and why?
James Cordon – he would bring constant laughs to the office.

What luxury would you have on your desert island?
My iPad (and Wifi of course)

What animal best reflects your personality and why?
Dolphin – I love the sea and I am very sociable!

If you could be anybody in the world (alive or dead) who would you be and why?
Kirsty or Phil so I could nose around other people’s houses.

Jellybean Creative is a leading foodservice marketing and foodservice pr agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.