cake love

Simon came along to our AGM on Saturday, sporting a fetching yellow t shirt and bearing a homemade cake from his wife, Sarah.

Sarah made the cake using our lemon, honey and ginger smoothie. Here she is with a slice of her own handiwork and a rosette which she won for being the 'Best Cake Baker' in her office.

Simon handed over the cake with strict instructions that we share it round everyone on Monday

So here is the evidence of us doing just that.

We'll see if we can get the recipe off Sarah.

For now, thanks to Simon and Sarah for a great bit of cake and for making JT at the back so manically happy.

smoothie art

Big thanks to Rosie (aged nine) for sending us these photos of her homemade smoothie art

We also quite like the blueberry cupcake sculpture in the background too.

She's right talented, that Rosie.

he's snow grouch

Siobhan's friend, Rose, sent us this photo of the snowman her dad built the other week

 

Actually, to be precise, his creation is in fact a snow representation of Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street

 

And if we're going to be incredibly precise, then you should know that Rose's dad is a semi retired nuclear medical physicist and the ski suit is essential to his creative process.
 

make-a-maraca

This is Jake and Heidi.

 

Just like Amy, they decided to have a go at the activity on the back of one of our kids' smoothies and made some smart maracas out of their empty wedges. 

Very generously, they then took their maracas along to a wedding where Designer Kat was bridesmaid and presented her with them to shake on the way down the aisle.

If you've made any of the ideas off our kids' smoothies or have any ideas what our bottles, pots and cartons can be used for once you've finished with them, then please email your suggestions/pictures to  [email protected]

If they end up on pack, then we'll send you a case of smoothies to say thanks.

fruit trolley fundraisers

Pete from Marlow sent us this photo of the new trolley ladies in his office, Amy and Rosie.

 
They spent a day at their dad's office on last week, pushing round their healthy food and drinks trolley to raise money for their school's charity project, Volunteer Uganda.

In total, they raised £230 and everyone at Softcat went home for the weekend, full of fruit and slightly emptier of pocket.

Talk about a fruitful Friday.

freaky faces

Having got the idea off the back of one of our kids' wedges, Amy very kindly sent us these photos of some sandwiches she made at her after school healthy eating club.

 
Unfortunately, she didn't give us the names of her creations, so we've had a go at naming them ourselves (NB headtiliting, squinting and daring to dream/imagine/squinting a lot more are required for these names to work)

 

First up is the wise old gnome king, resplendent with tomato beard, a fetching lettuce mohawk and lambchops to match.

 

Next is the somewhat cheeky but nevertheless charming Cucumber Specs, sporting a foppish basil barnet.

 

This one looks like a dragon. If you tilt your head to the left and squint a bit.

 

Jury is out on this one. A tomato cyclops? A self portrait of the artist, inspired by Picasso's tomato and basil period perhaps? Most definitely freaky.

 

And finally, a bread ghost with a vapour trail of camembert and little lettuce wings.

Incidentally, a recent joke just in:

How do you get a bear to eat cheese?

Camembert

Right.

Back to sandwich faces. 
 

monday madness

Crazy times in Worcester today.
C.r.a.z.y
Thanks to Jack for sending us this photo.

you asked, we listened

Back in April when we launched our first ever banana free recipe - kiwis, apples and limes - we got in touch with everyone who'd ever written, emailed or called to ask us to make a smoothie without bananas and sent them a free voucher to have a bottle on us.

After we'd sent the vouchers out, lots of people then started sending us lovely thank you notes and emails.

'Just a quickie to say thanks for my voucher. I went straight out and bought the banana free smoothie and thinks it's great. So have now sent my hubby out to buy three more cartons...Thanks for listening, Linda x'

'Bin those bananas for good! Even my kid will drink it. We call it 'Kermit-in-a-blender'. Lovely. Thanks, Tracey'

'I am just amazed that mine (and obviously others) emails actually made a difference. Thank you. I can't wait to try it. Kind regards (from a very happy 'Banana Free' customer'), Lizzie W'

'At last - I have been waiting for years, since I asked you to do this and now you've granted me your wish, Many thanks, Sophie R'

'We wanted to say how impressed we were that some real human took the trouble to hand write the card that came with the token. In this world of machinery...it is really refreshing to find somewhere that still values the personal touch. The Cook Family'

We love to hear what you think. After all, one way conversations are pretty rubbish.

So if you ever have something that you want to tell us about the stuff we make or have suggestions on how we can make it better, you can always let us know on our rate and review system.

As my grandma used to say, shy bairns get nowt.

tattoo'll do nicely

Ink. Skin. Needle. It's a pretty big (not to mention painful) commitment.

Maybe you've thought in the past about getting 'Mother' tattooed on your bicep. Or Wendy perhaps. No? Not even a little bit? Don't you just envy those rock stars with their gloriously ink laden bodies?

Well, one rockstar up in Scotland (by name of Martin) has gone and got his very own innocent tattoo.

Here he is on tour with his standard rider.

Now that's what I call rock'n' roll.

(Thanks to Helen for sending us this pic in)

(Posted by Jay)

cake by post

 

Di came along to our AGM the other week and after seeing how partial we all are to a bit of cake, she very kindly sent us some of her Suffolk rusks in the post.

They taste lovely warmed up with some butter and some jam (according to Kat H).

Thanks, Di