Following the launch of the Herefordshire You Can branding campaign, one of the City’s newest retail outlets has become a destination for a large variety of the county’s home-grown beverages, saying Here you can get some Christmas cheer.

The Visit Herefordshire Centre in King Street, Hereford has obtained its long awaited licence and is now a specialist stockist of a large range of ciders, perries, beers, ales, fruit liqueurs, soft drinks and mixers.  Brands include renowned ciders from award winning suppliers such as Westons, Olivers, Dunkertons, Once Upon a Tree, The Orgasmic Cider Co. and Butfords, some of which also make excellent juices as well as specialist producer Jus.  Locally made beers and ales from Hereford Brewery and Mayfields, sit alongside delicious liqueurs and mixers from British Cassis.

Products can be bought individually or in attractive gift packs, ideal to solve that Christmas gift conundrum. 

The information and gift centre is the perfect window to showcase some of Herefordshire’s excellent produce and supports members of Visit Herefordshire with the opportunity to sell their products in this easily accessible outlet.  Currently the shop is packed full of gift items, art, crafts, cards and wonderful seasonal treats and ideas for presents from Herefordshire.

Anyone wishing to sell their products or become a member of Visit Herefordshire, should contact the Visit Herefordshire office on 01432 268430 or reception@visitherefordshire.co.uk

PRESS RELEASE

HEREFORDSHIRE MAKES ITS MARQUE

The launch of a new Iconic Marque to identify the county of Herefordshire took place at Hampton Court Castle and Gardens in the north of the county on 6 October.

As part of Visit Herefordshire’s Autumn Forum, Sir Ben Gill, chairman, led the momentous event, which was attended by regional press and media and over 150 members of the Visit Herefordshire tourism organisation.

The key to the new logo is the usage of the first four letters of the word HEREfordshire, and then an adaptation of add-on scripts HEREfordshire YOU CAN, VISIT HEREfordshire, LIVE HEREfordshire and so on.

While the look of the marque can be adapted to traverse many trading sectors across industry and tourism, the generic stamp includes the silhouette of a Hereford Bull aligned with the specific font style of the words.

In partnership with Visit Herefordshire and The Herefordshire Business Board, the brand was created by Small Back Room and comprehensively presented by their representative Tim Lewis.

Sir Ben detailed how the innovative marque would be a symbol of individuality, credibility and belonging for all who see and utilise it. It was designed to reflect Herefordshire’s quirky, unique and welcoming nature, and thanked the Herefordshire companies that had stepped forward to be early adopters and carry the logo in their businesses.

Ambassadors of those companies also attended, with examples of how the branding could be used on their products, stationary, websites, packaging etc. They included beverages, bird seed, biscuits, produce and venues.

A visual highlight of the event was the magnificent live Hereford Bull, Albert, supplied by local Leominster farmers, Bowens at Ford Abbey Farm, which greeted all visitors at the front of the castle and sported a branded cover of the new marque.

The Autumn Forum also included presentation of the new Visit Herefordshire tourism website, www.visitherefordshire.co.uk, due to be launched in the coming months, which is not only an essential avenue for visitors to find out about the county, but also an integral vehicle of promotion for Visit Herefordshire members.

A brief overview of the all new 2012 Herefordshire Food Festival and its new location and aspirations was also introduced.

The Iconic Marque was very well received and embraced by all who attended. Anyone wishing to know more about it and how to adopt the logo in their own business should contact Rachel Jones on rejones@herefordshire.gov.uk

Details of the venue can be found at www.hamptoncourt.org.uk

Details of the companies that are early adopters of the marque can be found in the press pack.

Visit Herefordshire is a privately run not for profit organisation and is the official body to offer assistance and advice to tourism businesses in Herefordshire. It supports its members and Herefordshire businesses in generating and promoting events, tourism initiatives, business development and training and is dedicated to putting Herefordshire firmly on the tourism map.

Offices are at The Discover Herefordshire Centre, information centre and shop in King Street Hereford, which displays crafts and works from artisan makers from around Herefordshire. www.visitherefordshire.co.uk

Sir Ben Gill CBE MA (Cantab) lives in Herefordshire and is Chairman of Visit Herefordshire. He was National President of the NFU 1998-2004. Amongst other private business interests including his company Hawkshills Consultancy Ltd, he has been a non-executive director of Countrywide Farmers PLC for seven years, is Chairman of English Apples and Pears Ltd and Chairman of Cawood Scientific, the largest provider of scientific analysis to the agricultural sector. He is a Trustee of the John Innes Foundation, Governor of the John Innes Institute and Chairman of Harrogate International Business School and is a board member of the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership.

Source: MinxMedia Ltd  T: 07713 243869  heidi@mixmedia.co.uk

PRESS RELEASE

Over 140 people attended the annual Flavours of Herefordshire Food Awards, organised by Visit Herefordshire, with at a glittering gala dinner at Hereford Racecourse on 21 October.

The evening was compered by lively seasoned presenter and self-confessed foodie Katie Johnson, along with Sir Ben Gill, Chairman of Visit Herefordshire.

Presentations of personalised display plaques to the commended, highly commended and winners of each of the categories were made by celebrated French Chef Jean Christophe Novelli, himself in possession of 5 AA Rosettes and numerous Michelin Stars. Novelli was also the star attraction at the county’s Food Festival during that same weekend, where he entertained with three daily cookery demonstrations and the judging of several cook-off competitions.

The plaques are a symbol of achievement that the owners can display in their establishments and the awards can also be used for their own business promotion.

This year’s Young Chefs awards were kindly sponsored by Axon Enterprises in partnership with national appliance manufacturer Electrolux, who provided the additional prizes of a days mentoring with Michelin Star chef Glyn Purnell, to be taken at his restaurant Purnells in Birmingham, plus smart branded chefs jackets. Stuart Flint, Sales Director for Electrolux Professional, also judged the categories at Herefordshire College of Technology.

A special new award was given this year to celebrate Herefordshire’s Year in the Orchard project and the 200^th anniversary of Herefordian Thomas Andrew Knight’s book on the culture of Herefordshire apples and pears, Pomona Herefordiensis. The RHS Pomona Award was presented by Lawrence Banks, Vice President of the RHS, who also manages the Hergest Estate and Hergest Croft Gardens in north Herefordshire with his wife, RHS President Elizabeth Banks, to Whitehorn Farm Carey Organic Orchard.

Three more new awards were also presented for Outstanding New Entrant, to A Cook’s Kitchen near Pembridge, an Outstanding Achievement Award went to Oliver’s Cider and Perry and White Haywood Farm received a Food Champion award.

Sir Ben Gill commented “This year’s thirteenth annual Flavours of Herefordshire Food Awards were widely acknowledged as being an exceptional evening from start to finish, with a high quality dinner based on excellent Herefordshire produce.

A significant number of first time entries with a great range of diversity made for a closely fought competition and this bodes well for the future of Herefordshire’s food and drink industry. We are looking to develop the awards scheme further and ideas as to how this can be achieved to the benefit of Herefordshire’s food and drink offer in the county will be welcomed at the Visit Herefordshire offices.”

A full listing of the winning businesses can be seen in a special supplement that is to be circulated within the second edition of the Essence of Herefordshire food magazine, available for free pick-up from foodie businesses around the county and from the Discover Herefordshire Centre in King Street Hereford.

The Flavours of Herefordshire Awards

The Flavours of Herefordshire award scheme recognises quality and excellence in the marketing and use of the local food and drink that

is served and produced here in the County, and how that distinctiveness is promoted to the wider public. From this starting point, the scheme aims

to promote the unique produce of Herefordshire through the development of local products, dishes and recipes, and raising awareness of these products through promotion via marketing literature, websites and the annual Flavours Food Festival. The scheme welcomes all business operators with a dedication to providing a quality eating experience for their customers, from the smallest B&B to the most innovative food producer. The profile of the scheme, now celebrating it’s twelfth year, continues to grow and the Awards themselves are more hotly contested than ever.

The RHS Pomona Award

The Pomona Award has been developed by the RHS in partnership with Herefordshire’s Year in the Orchard committee. The intention is to celebrate the wonders of Herefordshire’s orchard heritage and the genius of Thomas Andrew Knight. For more information on the year, the events and what Thomas Andrew Knight achieved visit www.yearintheorchard.com  Applicants must think creatively about their orchards, such as what happens in them through the year, what is their impact on the wider community and what do they do to enhance the environment? This is to discover more about the orchards of the County to promote and celebrate the best, the most innovative, the most diverse and the most historic

Winners and sponsor details

Wye Valley Brewery is a long established Herefordshire family brewer of renowned ales and beers www.wyevalleybrewery.co.uk

Herefordshire College of Technology provides dedicated and qualification training for young chefs www.hct.ac.uk

Axon Enterprises, one of the UK’s leading wholesalers of catering equipment, has a huge range of quality catering equipment available direct in Herefordshire. Supported by Electrolux, Axon is working with Herefordshire Food Festival to promote quality local food stored displayed, cooked and served on an extensive range of catering equipment. Contact www.willoughby-pr.co.uk or www.axon-enterprises.co.uk

For further information contact:

Heidi Chamberlain Jones, MinxMedia Ltd, M: 07713 243869 heidi@minxmedia.co.uk