My recipe for December:
Christmas Mincemeat Sultana Muffins
(This is a yummy New Zealand recipe, makes about 12 standard size muffins)
10 oz self raising flour
Half tsp bicarbonate of soda
Half tsp salt
3 oz fine granulated sugar
1 egg
8 fl oz milk
About 12 oz mincemeat
3 fl oz vegetable oil or 3 oz melted butter
3 oz sultanas
Icing sugar for dusting
Prepare muffin tins and preheat oven to 375-400 degrees f (or 190-200 degrees c)
Sift together into a large bowl; flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and sugar
In a separate bowl beat egg with fork, stir in milk, mincemeat and oil/melted butter
Pour all liquid ingredients into dry mixture and stir until just combined, adding the sultanas during final strokes. The batter will be lumpy but no dry flour should be visible. Do not over-stir.
Fill muffin cups three quarters full and bake for 20-25 minutes until tops are lightly browned and spring back when pressed. Allow to cool for easier removal and dust with icing sugar.
Big excitement today- our very first parcels complete with new packaging went out today- a trade order going to Home Store in Galway (thank you Eric!). We have been using our new cartons for about a month but we now have labels to match- so all duvets, all underblankets and all pillows now have White Cloud packaging. Also today we sent 30 coloured wool throws to Robeys in Derbyshire, these have all been stitched and finished with the new blanket stitch machine. As Sue says "we have the technology ... we can do anything now"!
To finish on a personal note, we took two of our boys to see the Royal Tournament at Earls Court on Sunday- it was a really inspiring spectacle and showed off the very best of the best. Our eldest son is destined for the army and I am sure all of us in the audience were left feeling immensely proud to be British and very grateful for all that is done on our behalf. We enjoyed lots of pomp and lots of ceremony and the re-enactment of an incident in Helmand gave a very real impression of the noise, the anxiety and the bravery that goes on every single day. Well done to the organisers for reviving the Tournament, it was last done in 1999 so hopefully the next generation will now have a chance to see what we all saw when we were young ...
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Angus and pet beds, snow, ice and car damage, Inglish as she is spoke, new brochure discussion
This handsome fellow is Angus - he is one of our canine customers, but not content with his own pet bed, he has sneaked upstairs to his "Mum's" bedroom, and as she says, he has even closed his eyes because he knows he shouldn't be on their lovely wool underblanket; by pretending to be asleep he was hoping he wouldn't get spotted...
Freezing cold weather, what seems like perma-frost and such short days- thank goodness we only have 21 days to go before it is the shortest day of the year. Everything is so dark and cold, no wonder so many people get affected by SAD in the far northern hemisphere.
Our own cause for mild depression this morning was caused by a minor but inevitable slide, in the car, straight into the metal cattlegrid gatepost! It was all in the cause of trying to get our youngest son to school, and our middle son off to work, but it didn't go quite to plan. Although our drive looks innocuous for most of the year, it always catches folks out as it becomes a skating rink in ice and snow and has enough tricky bends/hills/corners to please Colin Macrae ... we are planning on leaving the bigger car at the end of the drive tonight and walking on foot between it and the house. Once again it looks like the ante-diluvian Landrover might come out of its annual mothballs and be put back into service.
Having mentioned our youngest son, he came home from school last week with a wonderful anecdote from his tutor, who had overheard this in a shop in Gloucester: (teenage girl speaking to dad) "it's not uuhh, it's wot" !! It has kept us smiling for days ...
Finally, off tomorrow on a trip north of Ludlow to have a rendezvous with Marisa from Tadpole PR - planning on meeting at the Food Centre, ostensibly to discuss our new brochure, but really to sneak in a nice coffee together and then go shopping in the very upmarket "Farm Shop". It is much grander than any other farm shops I know, but once in a while it makes for a very nice visit.
Next blog- a recipe for absolutely delicious Christmas mincemeat muffins ....
Monday, November 22, 2010
Another visit to the vets, pet bed for guinea pigs and Hus & Hem in Ledbury
Well, Monday morning got off to a bad start with an emergency dash to the vets with Bella who is rapidly gaining a bit of a local reputation for badger encounters! Bella is an extremely typical example of a Jack Russell who thinks she is a Great Dane. She is tiny but incredibly wilful and thoroughly disobedient. If she could go off hunting all day, she would and despite having to have her jaw wired up after a badger exploit a year ago, as of today she is now minus an eye tooth and looking a bit less beautiful. This is one of the consequences of having a pair of Jack Russells together- don't ever do it, would be my advice, if asked!
We can now add guinea pigs to our list of happy customers- I don't think we have ever sold anything to guinea pigs before, but a little red pet bed is on its way to a pair of them living up in Scotland and we are looking forward to some family photos ...
Sally and I packed up our wares and had a stall at a local charity event in Ledbury last Thursday. We had a spare half hour before it all started so we mooched around Ledbury and visited a gorgeous Scandanavian shop called Hus & Hem , full of lovely stylish things (Jill, I want that orange blanket, but I have been told by my co-director I can't have it!) and I bought a really endearing little sheep to grace our stall. We had at least two people asking if they could buy him at the Charity Event and I had say absolutely not, I have only just got him myself. Made in Germany, he has a cute quizzical expression and he has now found a special little spot in the office. Perhaps we should consider having some for sale ourselves ....
We can now add guinea pigs to our list of happy customers- I don't think we have ever sold anything to guinea pigs before, but a little red pet bed is on its way to a pair of them living up in Scotland and we are looking forward to some family photos ...
Sally and I packed up our wares and had a stall at a local charity event in Ledbury last Thursday. We had a spare half hour before it all started so we mooched around Ledbury and visited a gorgeous Scandanavian shop called Hus & Hem , full of lovely stylish things (Jill, I want that orange blanket, but I have been told by my co-director I can't have it!) and I bought a really endearing little sheep to grace our stall. We had at least two people asking if they could buy him at the Charity Event and I had say absolutely not, I have only just got him myself. Made in Germany, he has a cute quizzical expression and he has now found a special little spot in the office. Perhaps we should consider having some for sale ourselves ....
Monday, November 15, 2010
Pet Plan Magazine, Blanket Stitch machine and Period Living Competition Winner
We have been absolutely delighted with the response to a mention in the recent Pet Plan magazine offering subscribers 15% discount on our wool pet beds. Even better, some customers have come back and ordered more which all helps keep Sue in gainful employment and goes to show that the British really do love their cats and dogs.
Great excitement at the end of last week- after some considerable searching we have found ourselves a Blanket Stitch sewing machine. After looking near and far, by amazing good luck we found one just outside Ledbury and only 20 minutes away! (Always best to shop locally!) It was delivered on Friday afternoon and has now got a new home. It means we can now do special sizes in the Contemporary Classic blanket range, and also the striped Dream range. Even I, the worst needleworker in the world, am inclined to teach myself as it looks so much fun .. All we have to do now is track down the correct wool yarn to go with the existing natural stitch colour and we can do whatever might be required.
I tackled a Jamie Oliver recipe for Friday evening and came to the conclusion that it was a casualty of his early success and hadn't been "road tested"! it sounded really simple (leg of lamb slow cooked along with a mass of vegetables and a bottle of wine) but the only pan I could find that was big enough to do everything was my jam preserving pan, (but then I remembered it was too big to go in the oven!) It ended up sitting on top of the woodburner, covered with foil which seemed to work!) However, desperate measures were called for because it tasted insipid and bland; in went Puy lentils, a jar of Cranberry sauce, a jar of blackberry jam and things started to improve. Mind you it had already been quite an eventful culinary episode as Olly had to be wrestled and parted from the leg of lamb whilst it was initially defrosting! Never mind, great end result and it was really good to find that it was not in the slightest bit fatty or greasy and the meat was really tender. In essence:
Braise a leg of lamb in a large casserole. Lift it out, braise masses of cut up and cubed vegetables- swede, parsnips, carrots, onions (I also added some small potatoes).
Brown everything and then add the lamb back to the casserole. Pour over a bottle of white wine and throw in some herbs. Add a little water as time goes on, but cook for approximately 5 hours in a slow oven.
Finally, congratulations to Susan Herald who has won a King size Winter Wool Duvet after entering a competition through Period Living Magazine ....
Great excitement at the end of last week- after some considerable searching we have found ourselves a Blanket Stitch sewing machine. After looking near and far, by amazing good luck we found one just outside Ledbury and only 20 minutes away! (Always best to shop locally!) It was delivered on Friday afternoon and has now got a new home. It means we can now do special sizes in the Contemporary Classic blanket range, and also the striped Dream range. Even I, the worst needleworker in the world, am inclined to teach myself as it looks so much fun .. All we have to do now is track down the correct wool yarn to go with the existing natural stitch colour and we can do whatever might be required.
I tackled a Jamie Oliver recipe for Friday evening and came to the conclusion that it was a casualty of his early success and hadn't been "road tested"! it sounded really simple (leg of lamb slow cooked along with a mass of vegetables and a bottle of wine) but the only pan I could find that was big enough to do everything was my jam preserving pan, (but then I remembered it was too big to go in the oven!) It ended up sitting on top of the woodburner, covered with foil which seemed to work!) However, desperate measures were called for because it tasted insipid and bland; in went Puy lentils, a jar of Cranberry sauce, a jar of blackberry jam and things started to improve. Mind you it had already been quite an eventful culinary episode as Olly had to be wrestled and parted from the leg of lamb whilst it was initially defrosting! Never mind, great end result and it was really good to find that it was not in the slightest bit fatty or greasy and the meat was really tender. In essence:
Braise a leg of lamb in a large casserole. Lift it out, braise masses of cut up and cubed vegetables- swede, parsnips, carrots, onions (I also added some small potatoes).
Brown everything and then add the lamb back to the casserole. Pour over a bottle of white wine and throw in some herbs. Add a little water as time goes on, but cook for approximately 5 hours in a slow oven.
Finally, congratulations to Susan Herald who has won a King size Winter Wool Duvet after entering a competition through Period Living Magazine ....
Monday, November 08, 2010
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Hair of the Dog, Flapjacks, Period House magazine, and a happy customer in Oxford
A lovely new high class pet shop is opening soon at 4-8 Highgate High Street in London called "Hair of the Dog". Sophie, we wish you all the very best and thank you for keeping Sue in employment! All of our pet beds are made to order by Sue who remains remarkably tolerant of her house being filled with wool fluff and gingham off cuts ...
Last night I decided to make a tried and trusted Banana Cake for a meeting we held in the office today, but the moral of the story could be "don't let a 15 year old son loose on a recipe book". 2 teaspoons of baking soda mysteriously translated themselves into 2 tablespoons! I should have had my suspicions when it came to washing up the measuring jug and finding soda sediment at the bottom ... naturally it necessitated some urgent rethinking and I resorted to another favourite which always works perfectly:
Flapjack (otherwise called Whole Oat Crunchies by Delia Smith!)
Makes 12 (never enough, I always double the recipe)
4.5 oz porridge oats
3 oz demerara sugar (can use golden caster for less granular result)
4 oz butter (if doubling the recipe I only use 7 oz)
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5 or 190 degrees centigrade
Well grease a large shallow baking tin
Weigh out oats and sugar, place in a mixing bowl and mix together evenly. Gently melt the butter in a saucepan, only just melt it and do not allow to go brown.
Pour the butter into the oats mixture and mix together to blend well.
Fill the baking tin and use a knife to flatten evenly.
Bake on centre shelf of hot oven for 12-15 minutes until a pale gold colour.
Remove the tin from the oven and cut into slices while still warm. Allow to cool in the tin until cold and crisp.
Period House magazine is currently running a competition to win a King Size winter weight White Cloud duvet- part of Kat and Marisa's task in life is to help us find magazines where we fit in well. We trust their judgement 100% and it is really pleasing to find that all their hard work is now beginning to pay off. At the Cheltenham Gift Fair last weekend a number of customers came up to our stand to say they had heard of us, what a lovely name, what a great story behind the business and that they knew about wool staying warm in winter and cool in summer. Hurray, job done girls, you work really hard on our behalf and we really are indebted to you.
This leads me on nicely to a really heartfelt email we received from a special Italian customer in Oxford, for whom we have just made a huge special order pet bed, made specifically to sit along the length of her sofa. It was sent yesterday and it looked wonderful, here is part of the email she wrote at the end of last week:
"I'll tell you something, in praise of your website and company. Just before contacting you about the duvet and ordering from White Cloud, I found exactly the same was being sold for £151 from a big on-line retailer. But it has been like going to a nice shop run by a family to touch and look at the material and ask some kind assistants all the information about the product and then go off to another shop to buy it for less. It didn't seem right".
Last night I decided to make a tried and trusted Banana Cake for a meeting we held in the office today, but the moral of the story could be "don't let a 15 year old son loose on a recipe book". 2 teaspoons of baking soda mysteriously translated themselves into 2 tablespoons! I should have had my suspicions when it came to washing up the measuring jug and finding soda sediment at the bottom ... naturally it necessitated some urgent rethinking and I resorted to another favourite which always works perfectly:
Flapjack (otherwise called Whole Oat Crunchies by Delia Smith!)
Makes 12 (never enough, I always double the recipe)
4.5 oz porridge oats
3 oz demerara sugar (can use golden caster for less granular result)
4 oz butter (if doubling the recipe I only use 7 oz)
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5 or 190 degrees centigrade
Well grease a large shallow baking tin
Weigh out oats and sugar, place in a mixing bowl and mix together evenly. Gently melt the butter in a saucepan, only just melt it and do not allow to go brown.
Pour the butter into the oats mixture and mix together to blend well.
Fill the baking tin and use a knife to flatten evenly.
Bake on centre shelf of hot oven for 12-15 minutes until a pale gold colour.
Remove the tin from the oven and cut into slices while still warm. Allow to cool in the tin until cold and crisp.
Period House magazine is currently running a competition to win a King Size winter weight White Cloud duvet- part of Kat and Marisa's task in life is to help us find magazines where we fit in well. We trust their judgement 100% and it is really pleasing to find that all their hard work is now beginning to pay off. At the Cheltenham Gift Fair last weekend a number of customers came up to our stand to say they had heard of us, what a lovely name, what a great story behind the business and that they knew about wool staying warm in winter and cool in summer. Hurray, job done girls, you work really hard on our behalf and we really are indebted to you.
This leads me on nicely to a really heartfelt email we received from a special Italian customer in Oxford, for whom we have just made a huge special order pet bed, made specifically to sit along the length of her sofa. It was sent yesterday and it looked wonderful, here is part of the email she wrote at the end of last week:
"I'll tell you something, in praise of your website and company. Just before contacting you about the duvet and ordering from White Cloud, I found exactly the same was being sold for £151 from a big on-line retailer. But it has been like going to a nice shop run by a family to touch and look at the material and ask some kind assistants all the information about the product and then go off to another shop to buy it for less. It didn't seem right".
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
New gingham for dog beds, exasperation with big brother and the Cheltenham Christmas Gift Fair
What fun we had on Monday morning! SagePay decided, in its infinite wisdom, that it was going to "upgrade" all of its payment arrangements and we, along with millions of other customers, were left wondering what the hell was going on when we couldn't log in, access payments or reconcile accounts. Our increasing frustration and feelings of bewilderment came to a head when a regular customer wrote, by email, to say she couldn't put through a payment and please could I telephone her. Fortunately we managed to help Natasha but goodness knows how many other customers were deterred by the utter ineptitude of the whole thing. Maybe it's because I have passed the magic 50 milestone, but I feel increasingly at the mercy of larger organisations imposing "stuff"- most of which has not been requested and has been imposed for their "security" and our inconvenience.
More fun and games yesterday when we discovered that Guy's private Barclaycard had been used fraudlently and various unauthorised transactions had gone through. Oh the joys, but in this case, we had to eat humble pie and acknowledge that actually the whole thing was dealt with very well and we were grateful to have been watched over by "big brother" ...
On a much more enjoyable note, we now have gorgeous new French navy/biscuit gingham for our dog bed material and we all think it is exactly what we have been searching for over the last three years. I have bought as much stock as we can afford, because experience tells me that as soon as you like something, it becomes discontinued! Anyway, the very first dog bed to be made with it was for Rosemary in the Isle of Wight who wanted an extra, extra large, so that it would fit inside Hugo's basket and go all the way up the sides. Sue diligently sewed on Sunday and off it went on Monday, looking really fantastic.
Friday and Saturday this week are taken up with the Cheltenham Christmas Gift Fair at the Racecourse- we don't often do Shows these days, so I am looking forward to it, but quite how we are going to transport all the things that are currently sitting waiting to go, remains to be seen.
We have made lots of gorgeous little cellophane wrapped sheep soap gifts and I am hopeful they will be really popular. We love these little soaps and they are now a permanent fixture on our stock list- made with shea butter, almond oil and sheep milk they are very appealing.
More fun and games yesterday when we discovered that Guy's private Barclaycard had been used fraudlently and various unauthorised transactions had gone through. Oh the joys, but in this case, we had to eat humble pie and acknowledge that actually the whole thing was dealt with very well and we were grateful to have been watched over by "big brother" ...
On a much more enjoyable note, we now have gorgeous new French navy/biscuit gingham for our dog bed material and we all think it is exactly what we have been searching for over the last three years. I have bought as much stock as we can afford, because experience tells me that as soon as you like something, it becomes discontinued! Anyway, the very first dog bed to be made with it was for Rosemary in the Isle of Wight who wanted an extra, extra large, so that it would fit inside Hugo's basket and go all the way up the sides. Sue diligently sewed on Sunday and off it went on Monday, looking really fantastic.
Friday and Saturday this week are taken up with the Cheltenham Christmas Gift Fair at the Racecourse- we don't often do Shows these days, so I am looking forward to it, but quite how we are going to transport all the things that are currently sitting waiting to go, remains to be seen.
We have made lots of gorgeous little cellophane wrapped sheep soap gifts and I am hopeful they will be really popular. We love these little soaps and they are now a permanent fixture on our stock list- made with shea butter, almond oil and sheep milk they are very appealing.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Sweet Apple & Ginger Chutney and Sheep Soaps and The Campaign for Wool
Here is a delicious recipe that I first saved from the newspaper whilst we were on holiday this summer- I don't know where it went, but when we came home it was missing. I knew I wanted to use this recipe for this year's Christmas presents, and luckily happened to mention it to a fellow chutney enthusiast! Mrs Musgrave in Ireland duly came to the rescue and photocopied it for me, having seen the same article... having finally managed to make the chutney on Saturday morning, I can definitely confirm it was worth waiting for!
In the words of the recipe "This makes a beautiful peachy-coloured preserve, neither too sweet nor too acid, with a gentle kick from the ginger".
Sweet Apple and Ginger Chutney
Makes a generous 2 pints (I doubled it to make about 10-12 jars)
3lb British dessert apples
1lb onions
4oz crystallised ginger
2 cloves garlic
1.5lb granulated sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 pint vinegar (I used White Wine vinegar)
Peel, core and chop the apples into peanut sized pieces. Chop the onions to the same size. Finely chop the crystallised ginger and mince the garlic.
Place all the ingredients in a large pan and heat gently, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil. Cook until the mixture is so thick that, when you draw a spoon across the bottom of the pan, you can see the base for a full second before the chutney covers it again.
Carefully fill the chutney into hot, clean jars and top with a disc of waxed paper. Cover with lids or clear seals and store in a cool dark place.
Last week was very worthwhile- We have spent quite some time trying to find some Sheep Soaps for Christmas and, at last, on Friday a consignment duly arrived all the way from Austria. We now have a gorgeous big box full of chunky sheep shaped soaps that we can add to our product range in time for Christmas. With a likely price of £3.50 each, we hope they will be a perfect little gift for everyone. Within the next two weeks, Sally and I will be wrapping and packing some to be ready for the Cheltenham Gift Fair which is on 28th and 29th October. We may even wrap them and pack them in wool, which links in nicely to:
Wool Week was very well supported and we were very pleased to be invited to an event in London where we were given a gorgeous pop-up display by the Wool Campaign to help spread the wider word about the benefits of wool. As suppliers of licensed Woolmark products, we are proud to sell the highest quality wool from a particular specialist licensed manufacturer. Sadly this is not the case with many competitive wool products on the market and we were really pleased to have our commitment to genuine quality noticed and acknowledged.
In the words of the recipe "This makes a beautiful peachy-coloured preserve, neither too sweet nor too acid, with a gentle kick from the ginger".
Sweet Apple and Ginger Chutney
Makes a generous 2 pints (I doubled it to make about 10-12 jars)
3lb British dessert apples
1lb onions
4oz crystallised ginger
2 cloves garlic
1.5lb granulated sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 pint vinegar (I used White Wine vinegar)
Peel, core and chop the apples into peanut sized pieces. Chop the onions to the same size. Finely chop the crystallised ginger and mince the garlic.
Place all the ingredients in a large pan and heat gently, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil. Cook until the mixture is so thick that, when you draw a spoon across the bottom of the pan, you can see the base for a full second before the chutney covers it again.
Carefully fill the chutney into hot, clean jars and top with a disc of waxed paper. Cover with lids or clear seals and store in a cool dark place.
Last week was very worthwhile- We have spent quite some time trying to find some Sheep Soaps for Christmas and, at last, on Friday a consignment duly arrived all the way from Austria. We now have a gorgeous big box full of chunky sheep shaped soaps that we can add to our product range in time for Christmas. With a likely price of £3.50 each, we hope they will be a perfect little gift for everyone. Within the next two weeks, Sally and I will be wrapping and packing some to be ready for the Cheltenham Gift Fair which is on 28th and 29th October. We may even wrap them and pack them in wool, which links in nicely to:
Wool Week was very well supported and we were very pleased to be invited to an event in London where we were given a gorgeous pop-up display by the Wool Campaign to help spread the wider word about the benefits of wool. As suppliers of licensed Woolmark products, we are proud to sell the highest quality wool from a particular specialist licensed manufacturer. Sadly this is not the case with many competitive wool products on the market and we were really pleased to have our commitment to genuine quality noticed and acknowledged.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Singing the praises of our local suppliers and why they are so good to use
An absolutely fabulous autumn afternoon, everything looking beautiful and not a cloud in the sky ... Box Clever have just delivered the next consignment of cardboard boxes for us and they make everything so easy that I decided they would be the theme of this particular blog. Box Clever are based in Mitcheldean (The Forest of Dean) and they are endlessly accommodating and helpful. They make all our packaging for us, all bespoke sizes and, in my opinion, even better, they take away all our waste cardboard. Steve and Julie (not forgetting Rob!) make our lives at White Cloud very straight forward and they never let us down. It is what makes using local suppliers so worthwhile.
This is an opportunity to also mention Perpetua Press in Newent- Ed, you are wonderful at interpreting all of our ideas and transforming them into reality. This can be anything from stickers for the Yellow Eyed Penguin Trust, to size labels for cartons, to Pillow Tags for our French customers. We have also been working together on new Cashmere labels for our new White Cloud boxes which are nearly in the pipeline and will be with us by mid November. Ed, the service you offer goes beyond the call of duty- you have even been known to drive to bring us artwork out to us if deadlines are running tight. I think that is what makes for great customer service and we feel extremely fortunate to have such great local businesses to help us.
Sue- you are getting a special mention in dispatches and it is definitely a case of "last but not least". You have coped single-handed with manufacturing an exceptional order of pet beds this weekend for Achica customers and somehow you managed to make about 18 without any fuss at all. Despite running out of material on Friday and then piping cord, between us we managed, and it means we have fulfilled our order book- a tricky thing to do when we didn't know how many we were going to sell! You are an integral part of the business and your Invoice has gone straight to the top of the pile...
This is an opportunity to also mention Perpetua Press in Newent- Ed, you are wonderful at interpreting all of our ideas and transforming them into reality. This can be anything from stickers for the Yellow Eyed Penguin Trust, to size labels for cartons, to Pillow Tags for our French customers. We have also been working together on new Cashmere labels for our new White Cloud boxes which are nearly in the pipeline and will be with us by mid November. Ed, the service you offer goes beyond the call of duty- you have even been known to drive to bring us artwork out to us if deadlines are running tight. I think that is what makes for great customer service and we feel extremely fortunate to have such great local businesses to help us.
Sue- you are getting a special mention in dispatches and it is definitely a case of "last but not least". You have coped single-handed with manufacturing an exceptional order of pet beds this weekend for Achica customers and somehow you managed to make about 18 without any fuss at all. Despite running out of material on Friday and then piping cord, between us we managed, and it means we have fulfilled our order book- a tricky thing to do when we didn't know how many we were going to sell! You are an integral part of the business and your Invoice has gone straight to the top of the pile...
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Period House Competition, Welcome to Sally and Pipers Farm exemplary service for hungry students
Audrey Feltham in Shropshire and Robert Woodcroft in Dunstable are the winners of a competition run by Period House to win 2 single Autumn weight wool duvets- both seem to be delighted to have won; it's always rewarding when deserving people win prizes!
This has been a busy week- we have found a wonderful person called Sally to help us organise gift fairs and shows... in the early days we tried to do everything ourselves, but soon came to realise that it was/is almost impossible to be away from the office and do a good job of running the business. Over the years we have turned down a lot of opportunities to do Christmas gift fairs, but, hallelujah, I think Sally is just the person we need. She loves selling, she loves people and, even better, she doesn't seem to mind considering doing anything. Our first venture together will be The Cheltenham Christmas Gift Fair on 28th/29th October. Two minds are definitely better than one, and already we are talking about doing little Christmas "puddings" with soaps wrapped in wool, tied up with ribbon with White Cloud gift tags... Thank goodness for Sally, she has been worth waiting 5 years to find!
Finally, with our eldest son back at University in cold, dark Newcastle we started to think about resuming food parcels this week. Friends of ours run a wonderful mail order meat business in Devon and we decided to hand the whole problem over to them- the task was to feed 4 seriously hungry, active Army students (sorry Dave, I know you are RAF sponsored). Henrietta had carte blanche to choose what she thought best; we parted with some money and the very next day a food parcel had arrived on the doorstep. You can't ask for better service than that! Highly recommended: www.pipersfarm.co.uk
This has been a busy week- we have found a wonderful person called Sally to help us organise gift fairs and shows... in the early days we tried to do everything ourselves, but soon came to realise that it was/is almost impossible to be away from the office and do a good job of running the business. Over the years we have turned down a lot of opportunities to do Christmas gift fairs, but, hallelujah, I think Sally is just the person we need. She loves selling, she loves people and, even better, she doesn't seem to mind considering doing anything. Our first venture together will be The Cheltenham Christmas Gift Fair on 28th/29th October. Two minds are definitely better than one, and already we are talking about doing little Christmas "puddings" with soaps wrapped in wool, tied up with ribbon with White Cloud gift tags... Thank goodness for Sally, she has been worth waiting 5 years to find!
Finally, with our eldest son back at University in cold, dark Newcastle we started to think about resuming food parcels this week. Friends of ours run a wonderful mail order meat business in Devon and we decided to hand the whole problem over to them- the task was to feed 4 seriously hungry, active Army students (sorry Dave, I know you are RAF sponsored). Henrietta had carte blanche to choose what she thought best; we parted with some money and the very next day a food parcel had arrived on the doorstep. You can't ask for better service than that! Highly recommended: www.pipersfarm.co.uk
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Back to full health after a rigmarole at the Vets
As some of you know, Olly is a gorgeous Siamese cat who was my 50th birthday present, and he joined the household about 2 months ago- he is featuring on this particular blog because ....
On Monday morning he seemed to be spluttering- it wasn't often and it wasn't bad but it seemed as if something had got caught in his throat. Off we trotted to the vets and we all agreed that he needed keeping any eye on and IF there was something that couldn't be got out easily, he would have to go off to Dursley for specialist endoscopy..... £ signs started to flash .... and we would come back on Tuesday.
By Tuesday the spluttering had become coughing, almost as if whatever it was had travelled a bit further down so we booked him in for surgery on Wednesday morning. Later on Tuesday I found a chewed up cockerel feather, just the sort of thing that might have gone down the wrong way. We rolled up for surgery today and all agreed that the spluttering was a bit odd, but perhaps it was better to just have him at the vets for the morning and see what the general consensus of opinion might be. I collected him at lunch time and booked him in for a definite examination Thursday morning, with the unsettling knowledge that if it was complicated, he would have to go for more specialist help.... £ signs again!
Anyway, to cut a long story short, he sat in the kitchen this evening and had a really bad coughing fit, he was pawing at his nose and getting desperate. Chris, our eagle-eyed middle son, spotted a tiny something coming out of his nose- we decided between us we would start to pull gently and eventually out came .... an enormously long piece of grass! As long as about 6" it had got stuck up his nose and down his throat, no wonder the poor cat was struggling- wow, I am overjoyed- it looks like we have saved ourselves hundreds of pounds ! "Great success" as the boys would say (in a Borat accent!). Best of all, we have Olly back to full health and terrorising the household - just what he does best ...
On Monday morning he seemed to be spluttering- it wasn't often and it wasn't bad but it seemed as if something had got caught in his throat. Off we trotted to the vets and we all agreed that he needed keeping any eye on and IF there was something that couldn't be got out easily, he would have to go off to Dursley for specialist endoscopy..... £ signs started to flash .... and we would come back on Tuesday.
By Tuesday the spluttering had become coughing, almost as if whatever it was had travelled a bit further down so we booked him in for surgery on Wednesday morning. Later on Tuesday I found a chewed up cockerel feather, just the sort of thing that might have gone down the wrong way. We rolled up for surgery today and all agreed that the spluttering was a bit odd, but perhaps it was better to just have him at the vets for the morning and see what the general consensus of opinion might be. I collected him at lunch time and booked him in for a definite examination Thursday morning, with the unsettling knowledge that if it was complicated, he would have to go for more specialist help.... £ signs again!
Anyway, to cut a long story short, he sat in the kitchen this evening and had a really bad coughing fit, he was pawing at his nose and getting desperate. Chris, our eagle-eyed middle son, spotted a tiny something coming out of his nose- we decided between us we would start to pull gently and eventually out came .... an enormously long piece of grass! As long as about 6" it had got stuck up his nose and down his throat, no wonder the poor cat was struggling- wow, I am overjoyed- it looks like we have saved ourselves hundreds of pounds ! "Great success" as the boys would say (in a Borat accent!). Best of all, we have Olly back to full health and terrorising the household - just what he does best ...
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Shopping opportunities with Achica, The Lady & Amazon
Lots of things seem to have come to fruition this week; we have been invited to offer products on Achica - this is an American business concept that is launching in the UK. Members sign up and join and are given exclusive access to regular offers from top brand names for a period of 48 hours only. We have suggested a selection of products and these will be made available to members in early October. I recommend signing up, there is nothing to lose and it is free!
We signed off a full page ad in The Lady magazine today- as you probably know, Rachel Johnson (sister of Boris) is the new editor and the magazine has undergone a huge update. It costs a very reasonable £1.80 and is printed weekly. I've always had a soft spot for The Lady, it has wonderful, varied and quirky ads combined with a lovely tempting selection of holiday cottages. The next issue is being sent to subscribers this Saturday and will be on shelves Tuesday 28th. We are offering readers 20% discount on Magniwool and 15% discount on other products. This particular offer will close on 29th October. Signing off the artwork was not without stress; the first time I saw the proposals was this morning and it all had to be agreed by 12.00 as it was going to print the same afternoon! Fortunately the gorgeous Bev was on hand to help deal with the complexities of finding images in the right format because computer wizardry is just not my thing ...
This week has also seen the launch of Magniwool and some other products, especially blankets, on Amazon. White Cloud has a shop of its own and we decided to include lesser known items, such as the dog beds and the lovely skincare presentation boxes. The Intensive Cream, in particular, sells consistently well and it was a great delight to find 72 pots hidden, separated from the rest of their mates, in the store room.
Time to call it a day- yesterday involved driving up to Newcastle and back again! I took our eldest son back to University- he and 3 close friends are all sharing a house this year. Oh the joys of student accommodation... a distinctly grotty terraced house which was definitely not presented to its best advantage. Disgraceful really, given that they have all paid a deposit of £650 already. Never mind; 4 Army/RAF students fronting up to the landlord and the letting agent tomorrow could be interesting, as there is no way these young men will put up with being pushed around ...
We signed off a full page ad in The Lady magazine today- as you probably know, Rachel Johnson (sister of Boris) is the new editor and the magazine has undergone a huge update. It costs a very reasonable £1.80 and is printed weekly. I've always had a soft spot for The Lady, it has wonderful, varied and quirky ads combined with a lovely tempting selection of holiday cottages. The next issue is being sent to subscribers this Saturday and will be on shelves Tuesday 28th. We are offering readers 20% discount on Magniwool and 15% discount on other products. This particular offer will close on 29th October. Signing off the artwork was not without stress; the first time I saw the proposals was this morning and it all had to be agreed by 12.00 as it was going to print the same afternoon! Fortunately the gorgeous Bev was on hand to help deal with the complexities of finding images in the right format because computer wizardry is just not my thing ...
This week has also seen the launch of Magniwool and some other products, especially blankets, on Amazon. White Cloud has a shop of its own and we decided to include lesser known items, such as the dog beds and the lovely skincare presentation boxes. The Intensive Cream, in particular, sells consistently well and it was a great delight to find 72 pots hidden, separated from the rest of their mates, in the store room.
Time to call it a day- yesterday involved driving up to Newcastle and back again! I took our eldest son back to University- he and 3 close friends are all sharing a house this year. Oh the joys of student accommodation... a distinctly grotty terraced house which was definitely not presented to its best advantage. Disgraceful really, given that they have all paid a deposit of £650 already. Never mind; 4 Army/RAF students fronting up to the landlord and the letting agent tomorrow could be interesting, as there is no way these young men will put up with being pushed around ...
Monday, September 20, 2010
Woolly Jumper and the quest for Sheep Soap
Good news and bad news!
First the good news: at the end of last week I picked up a gorgeous hand knitted cardigan- made locally for me by a friend who knits with Gothland wool from a flock of sheep living on May Hill. This particular wool is a soft grey with subtle brown flecks and the brief was a cardigan, not frilly, but quite plain able to be worn with anything. Ann has done a wonderful job and made a classic cardigan with a chunky zip and upright collar with lovely detailing. It has rapidly moved up the stakes to "favourite jumper"- everything else has been relegated! It will be particularly appropriate during National Wool Week 11th-17th October!
The bad news: At the weekend in a local emporium I saw some lovely sheep shaped wool soaps and thought they would make perfect gifts for special customers. Unfortunately afore mentioned emporium was not prepared to divulge where the soaps came from so I am now spending a ridiculous amount of time searching on the internet, to no avail. However, being a determined Leo I am unable to take no for an answer and will continue to look as I think these will make great gifts from us for Christmas and I'd also like to take them to the Cheltenham Gift Fair in October... if anyone has any helpful suggestions, please do let us know ...
First the good news: at the end of last week I picked up a gorgeous hand knitted cardigan- made locally for me by a friend who knits with Gothland wool from a flock of sheep living on May Hill. This particular wool is a soft grey with subtle brown flecks and the brief was a cardigan, not frilly, but quite plain able to be worn with anything. Ann has done a wonderful job and made a classic cardigan with a chunky zip and upright collar with lovely detailing. It has rapidly moved up the stakes to "favourite jumper"- everything else has been relegated! It will be particularly appropriate during National Wool Week 11th-17th October!
The bad news: At the weekend in a local emporium I saw some lovely sheep shaped wool soaps and thought they would make perfect gifts for special customers. Unfortunately afore mentioned emporium was not prepared to divulge where the soaps came from so I am now spending a ridiculous amount of time searching on the internet, to no avail. However, being a determined Leo I am unable to take no for an answer and will continue to look as I think these will make great gifts from us for Christmas and I'd also like to take them to the Cheltenham Gift Fair in October... if anyone has any helpful suggestions, please do let us know ...
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
All in a week's work
Running your own business is never dull! During the past week we have discussed what will provide as give-away gifts at The Deco Affair in London on 14th October. Good thing we decided on small square pouches of wool filled with aromatic sachets as I now realise that 11th-17th October has been designated Wool Week! It will be good to have some representation at an event that will showcase small and special companies to interested designers and decorators.
Last weekend we were invited to supply a cosy wool underblanket and some wool pillows at very short notice to a very special local historic house. There was a meeting of Trustees and one elderly lady refused to stay unless something was done to improve her bed! We suggested what we thought would help and then hand delivered the underblanket and pillows. We all agreed that nothing would be said to the lady in question but it would remain a lovely and unexpected surprise for Saturday evening. It seems it was a huge success and very favourably received. Opportunities to exceed expectation are always worth taking!
Hurray! We have had confirmation from our French trade customers that our products have passed their strict fire testing and it means that from this week, starting with pillows, they will be launched in five of their shops. We have devoted a lot of time to attention and detail; this has included developing small labels in French to be attached to the pillows and we are enjoying seeing this particular relationship come to fruition.
Last weekend we were invited to supply a cosy wool underblanket and some wool pillows at very short notice to a very special local historic house. There was a meeting of Trustees and one elderly lady refused to stay unless something was done to improve her bed! We suggested what we thought would help and then hand delivered the underblanket and pillows. We all agreed that nothing would be said to the lady in question but it would remain a lovely and unexpected surprise for Saturday evening. It seems it was a huge success and very favourably received. Opportunities to exceed expectation are always worth taking!
Hurray! We have had confirmation from our French trade customers that our products have passed their strict fire testing and it means that from this week, starting with pillows, they will be launched in five of their shops. We have devoted a lot of time to attention and detail; this has included developing small labels in French to be attached to the pillows and we are enjoying seeing this particular relationship come to fruition.
Friday, August 27, 2010
A level results, Student Finance rant and thank goodness for a holiday
A great result! Following on from our previous post, we are incredibly relieved to be able to say that our middle son achieved 3 As in his A levels. We got the news the day of my 50th birthday and were sitting in a cafe in Gloucester nervously awaiting a telephone call. When he rang to say what he had got, I have to admit I burst into tears- it was the most enormous relief. Interestingly the boys at his school seem to have done particularly well this year and nearly all of them achieved the results, and therefore the places, that they really wanted.
On the subject of university- we have been experiencing the unique joy that is Student Finance- our eldest son is already at Newcastle University and about to start his second year. Forms were filled in especially early (June) and we thought no more of it. Being a diligent sort of young man he rang to check up last week, only to find that a vital bit of info was missing and nothing had been progressed. I know this sounds like a rant, but how is the "customer" supposed to know there is a problem? It must be reaching the advanced age of 50 but I find myself getting easily infuriated and long for the "good old days" when customer service really did mean exactly that. Anyway, the long and short of it is that Sebastian is now part of the backlog and back at the bottom of the queue... aargh!!!
All in all, a holiday is a very welcome proposition and we are leaving tomorrow for a week together in Cornwall but whether three teenage boys will have got themselves ready in time remains to be seen!
On the subject of university- we have been experiencing the unique joy that is Student Finance- our eldest son is already at Newcastle University and about to start his second year. Forms were filled in especially early (June) and we thought no more of it. Being a diligent sort of young man he rang to check up last week, only to find that a vital bit of info was missing and nothing had been progressed. I know this sounds like a rant, but how is the "customer" supposed to know there is a problem? It must be reaching the advanced age of 50 but I find myself getting easily infuriated and long for the "good old days" when customer service really did mean exactly that. Anyway, the long and short of it is that Sebastian is now part of the backlog and back at the bottom of the queue... aargh!!!
All in all, a holiday is a very welcome proposition and we are leaving tomorrow for a week together in Cornwall but whether three teenage boys will have got themselves ready in time remains to be seen!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Student Specials, Lanolin Gift Box and Family Holidays and most important, A Level Results
With less than 24 hours to go, there is a fair degree of worry in the household as we wait for middle son's A level results... like thousands of other worried parents and students up and down the land, we have been reading lots of newspaper articles describing the 50% cut in places available through clearing, some students probably not getting secured places despite getting the grades needed and the fact that 1991/1992 was a boom baby year. This time tomorrow it will all be done and dusted and at least we will know how to move forward, but at the moment it is a horrible waiting game.
We decided now would be a good opportunity to devise a special Student Offer, so we have come up with a 20% discount on Single Duvets (Autumn, Winter or All Seasons) and also a 20% discount on Merino Underblankets. Purchased together, we will add in a lambswool pillow free of charge. This is something some friends suggested last year and we decided to put a good idea into practise! It is going to have a mention in Bargain Hunter in the Daily Telegraph on August 28th, so if it is something that tempts you, we suggest acting soon and letting us know ...
Our Lanolin Skincare range has had a bit of an update; we have consolidated the gift idea to one Presentation Box, everything all snuggled inside some lambswool, wrapped with ribbon and looking gorgeous- great value for money at £29.50 as it includes something of everything and also postage.
A precious family holiday is almost on the horizon, with three teenage sons it is quite something that they are all still happy to accompany us, so we will be heading off to North Cornwall, the menfolk will all go cycling and I am heading for a beach that I have been told has tropical shells washed ashore- perfect!
We decided now would be a good opportunity to devise a special Student Offer, so we have come up with a 20% discount on Single Duvets (Autumn, Winter or All Seasons) and also a 20% discount on Merino Underblankets. Purchased together, we will add in a lambswool pillow free of charge. This is something some friends suggested last year and we decided to put a good idea into practise! It is going to have a mention in Bargain Hunter in the Daily Telegraph on August 28th, so if it is something that tempts you, we suggest acting soon and letting us know ...
Our Lanolin Skincare range has had a bit of an update; we have consolidated the gift idea to one Presentation Box, everything all snuggled inside some lambswool, wrapped with ribbon and looking gorgeous- great value for money at £29.50 as it includes something of everything and also postage.
A precious family holiday is almost on the horizon, with three teenage sons it is quite something that they are all still happy to accompany us, so we will be heading off to North Cornwall, the menfolk will all go cycling and I am heading for a beach that I have been told has tropical shells washed ashore- perfect!
Monday, August 09, 2010
White currant icecream and Steve McCurry Photography Exhibition
Having had a complete glut of white currants this year, we had divine inspiration and asked a local maker of ice cream if she could turn them into bespoke ice cream for us. She runs Hillbrook Farm in Kempley, selling the most delicious and creamiest of ice creams. It entailed Susan corresponding with the Dutch manufacturers of her ice cream maker because, as she says "they can come up with a recipe for anything" and, lo and behold, yesterday we picked up our first tub of home made ice cream! About 5 lbs fruit has been magically transformed into 11 litres of ice cream and 1 litre of sorbet. A great success; home grown fruit usefully transformed into perenially popular ice cream! I'm thinking next year we might have a go with the gooseberries ...
Last Friday we took our youngest son to Birmingham Art Gallery to see a most fabulous retrospective exhibition for the American photographer Steve McCurry. In 1992 he took an iconic photograph of a young girl in a refugee camp in Afghanistan. It appeared on the front cover of National Geographic to great acclaim and most people instantly recognise it. This stunning exhibition in Birmingham covers his work in war torn countries, ranging from Laos, Cambodia, Pakistan, Afghanistan to Sierra Leone and every single photo has beautiful composition and a story to tell. Accompanying the exhibition is a tv documentary recounting the steps it took to re-find the Afghan school girl and the amount of time it has taken- a five star out of five star show- try and make every effort to see it before it finishes in October. Highly recommended!
What a relief- our little orphan chick has been completely accepted by the neurotic stepmother- she endlessly clucks and fusses but to give her her dues, she has raised a nice little clutch of chicks that are beginning to develop their distinctive Appenzeller top knots and here's hoping we can continue to keep them safe from patrolling foxes.
Last Friday we took our youngest son to Birmingham Art Gallery to see a most fabulous retrospective exhibition for the American photographer Steve McCurry. In 1992 he took an iconic photograph of a young girl in a refugee camp in Afghanistan. It appeared on the front cover of National Geographic to great acclaim and most people instantly recognise it. This stunning exhibition in Birmingham covers his work in war torn countries, ranging from Laos, Cambodia, Pakistan, Afghanistan to Sierra Leone and every single photo has beautiful composition and a story to tell. Accompanying the exhibition is a tv documentary recounting the steps it took to re-find the Afghan school girl and the amount of time it has taken- a five star out of five star show- try and make every effort to see it before it finishes in October. Highly recommended!
What a relief- our little orphan chick has been completely accepted by the neurotic stepmother- she endlessly clucks and fusses but to give her her dues, she has raised a nice little clutch of chicks that are beginning to develop their distinctive Appenzeller top knots and here's hoping we can continue to keep them safe from patrolling foxes.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
R.I.P Little Friesan Hen (and her chicks)
Well, little Friesan hen and her chicks are no more- a fox got into her run last night and killed her and took 3 out of 4 of the chicks. We went outside this morning to find the door of the run on the ground, a few feathers, but not many, and one little chick who had had a miraculous escape. How it had avoided being caught I have no idea and there it was cheeping frantically outside pen number two. Fortunately nasty Appenzeller hen has adopted it as if it was her own, and for that I am relieved. Nasty Appenzeller's temperament was even more feisty than normal this morning and I suspect she had also endured night time trauma as some of her feathers were also on the ground.
Foxes are supreme killers and they will return again and again once they know there is easy prey to be had. Little Friesan hen had been with us for about 4 years- ever since we bought her at Usk Country Show and she was the sole survivor of a particularly devastating fox attack 2 years ago. Such is the cycle of life ...
Foxes are supreme killers and they will return again and again once they know there is easy prey to be had. Little Friesan hen had been with us for about 4 years- ever since we bought her at Usk Country Show and she was the sole survivor of a particularly devastating fox attack 2 years ago. Such is the cycle of life ...
Monday, August 02, 2010
Blog for Dogs (and other pets of course)
Saturday was spent preparing and cutting up more dog bed fleeces- this gargantuan effort usually gets put off as long as possible because we all know how long it takes and what a mess it causes! Step 1- heave and push an enormous 35m roll of wool fleece down from the top store room having rounded up some unwilling helpers- Step 2- move the enormous hall table to outside - Step 3- manoeuvre the 35m roll somewhere near the table so that it can be unrolled and cut. Step 4- do the whole thing again in reverse, but at least there is less of the roll to manhandle! We spent about two and half hours cutting and measuring before we all got fed up and decided enough was enough... Mind you, the dogs thought it was marvellous and even Olly got into the spirit of it all. The woolly fluff goes absolutely everywhere and the big advantage of cutting outside means it gets picked up and used for nesting material ....
Speaking of nesting, one little bantam chick somehow managed to achieve finding its way out of his cage last night and first thing this morning I found it cheeping furiously - how it survived the clutches of a passing buzzard I just don't know. Thank goodness I found it before the dogs did! Bertie is particularly enthusiastic about chicks, all that lovely squeaking and cheeping seems to bring out his worst murderous instincts! Anyway, mother hen kindly rewarded my efforts with a quick peck which did seem a little unfair!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Baby Bantam Bulletin and misleading eco-friendly claims by 50% of hotels and B & Bs
Despite our very best efforts, the little bantam chick mentioned in the last blog post, did not survive- we did our best, but it was not to be. A mother's presence is definitely preferable- we now have a total of 8 thriving little chicks shared between two separate hens and the difference in their characters is fascinating! The Friesan bantam is a natural mother- calm, dependable and a quiet presence. The other hen, a Golden Appenzeller (see photo) is a bit uppity, always fidgeting, slightly on edge and fiercely protective (we have to wear gloves to go anywhere near her!). We just have to wait and see who produces the most well-balanced offspring!
It was interesting to read this week that "half of hotels mislead guests with eco-friendly claims". According to the Green Tourism Business Scheme, more than 50% of hotels, B & Bs and guesthouses use misleading terms such as "locally sourced" to describe goods bought at a nearby supermarket to boost their credentials. Other top claims are "low energy" for using low voltage light bulbs and using "recylclable" instead of "recycled" products. About a year ago we approached a very upmarket premium hotel group and were completely horrified to find that they were prepared to spend no more than £15 on each duvet in their hotel beds. As a chain of hotels advertising luxury and exclusivity, it seemed to us that they were neglecting what guests are most seeking- a comfortable and wonderful nights sleep. Certainly good and restful sleep seems to come pretty near the bottom of the pecking order in terms of priority for many establishments.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Chicks and Cheeps!
With all three of our sons away this week, we are adjusting to a life of Darby and Joan- the massive reduction in the food bill is absolutely wonderful, and so is the break from ceaseless washing of smelly mis-matching socks! Our friesan bantam has hatched four gorgeous little chicks, however the fifth egg was slow to hatch and she decided she couldn't be bothered to wait any longer. We have rescued it and, amazingly, it is trying to hatch but without a mum to give encouraging cheeps... this is a dilemma- if it succeeds against all odds, it will certainly deserve a chance and we just have to hope we can secrete it back under mummy hen tonight without her really noticing she has gained a fifth chick. Strange how a little gap in the family has been replaced by the impending arrival of a small new baby chick!
The latest container arrived safely last week- all safely gathered in and accounted for, and a quick turnaround for most of the stock, as it was largely pillows ordered for a company in the South of France. It has been an exercise in revising our school level French, but rewarding to work with a Company who recognises quality and traditional values over and above cheapness.
There we are, two sorts of "cheaps" and time for me to go and check on the new additions in the chicken population ...
The latest container arrived safely last week- all safely gathered in and accounted for, and a quick turnaround for most of the stock, as it was largely pillows ordered for a company in the South of France. It has been an exercise in revising our school level French, but rewarding to work with a Company who recognises quality and traditional values over and above cheapness.
There we are, two sorts of "cheaps" and time for me to go and check on the new additions in the chicken population ...
Monday, July 12, 2010
Olly, Sheerluxe competition, Tadpole PR and Gooseberry Fool!
Olly's spot! Here he is, now firmly esconced in our lives, family and work. He has all of us exactly where he wants us and we love him dearly. Like all Siamese cats, he is brainy, feisty and naughty. More like little dogs than cats, they are hugely companionable and he never fails to entertain us.We were absolutely delighted that over 6,000 people took part in our recent Sheerluxe competition, news like this is tremendously heartening and bolsters our confidence in our products.
Much of what we do and achieve would not be possible without Marisa and Kat at Tadpole PR; we first made contact a year or so ago and since then they have jostled us along and generally prodded and persuaded. Our meetings generally consist of a rendezvous at The Ludlow Food Centre, half way between where we all live, which gives all of us an excuse to visit the wonderful food shop and pretend to talk business while Kat eats her bacon butties! Seriously, we feel very grateful to have the support and help of two such optimistic, friendly and enthusiastic people. The main focus of this morning's meeting was to show them our new packaging and to discuss the next stage of our new brochure. We expect to have this finished around the end of September and it will reflect the look of our website and include all that we have recently been working on. A long time ago we were advised that a brochure should be renewed every two years to keep it interesting. In other words, just as you think you have got it right, 18 months goes by and it is time to look at it all over again!
Last but by no means least.....
My saintly cousin has made her annual pilgrimage from NZ to come and stay for the summer and thanks to her unstinting efforts with secateurs and protective gloves, we have rediscovered our gooseberry bushes! Absolutely laden with fruit, I decided we would post up one of my favourite recipes:
Gooseberry Fool - serves 4-6
About 450g/1lb of gooseberries, topped and tailed
2 oz unsalted butter
4 tbsp or so of muscavado sugar
Half a pint of single cream or half each single and double
3 egg yolks
Stew the gooseberries gently in the melted butter and sugar in a heavy bottomed pan, turning frequently as the sugar begins to coat and caramelise. Do not allow the berries to overcook. They are cooked when you can crush them with a fork without resistance. Leave to cool.
Scald the cream, then pour over the beaten egg yolks, whisking as you go, before returning the mixture to the pan. Continue to cook and stir or whisk over a gently heat until the custard has thickened. Pay attention at this stage or the mixture will scramble! Fold the fruit into the custard, cool and spoon into glasses or a glass bowl.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Olly news, Summer Newsletter and the many capers of switching bank accounts!
Olly news-
Olly continues to keep us exactly where he wants us; increasingly confident of his surroundings he has taken to chasing Bertie, the mildest mannered Jack Russell there ever was. Great fun and highly amusing! Olly is a huge success- who knows he might be modelling cat beds next- he certainly has the requisite supermodel temperament!
First achievement of the week! 2500 summer newsletters printed, folded, put in envelopes and sent out- neatly but coincidentally timed with the news of a VAT increase! I think the delay in the increase has taken most people by surprise, most businesses were expecting implementation rather sooner than early January. From the beginning we have tried to put in a little bit extra for our existing customers; our belief is that they are responsible for the success of the business and they deserve extra nurturing and rewards.
Second achievement of the week- although not quite accomplished yet; the moving of the bank accounts! As luck would have it, we are right in the middle of switching bank accounts just as we have to send a payment for the next Order to New Zealand. It hasn't been easy for them or us, but by tomorrow, fingers crossed, the dust might have settled and the poor ancient fax machine might have some time off work! It has been quite a dilemma for some time; we knew it would be painful, but it is time for the company to tackle more and we need the help of a designated business advisor. I just hope and pray our local branch of Barclays does not get the chop under some short-sighted cost cutting exercise. Perhaps the new coalition government will help foster a return to old fashioned common sense in all sorts of areas in our lives. Oh joy, the unwelcome arrival of four sets of new debit cards, four sets of new numbers, four sets of online banking numbers- all supposed to be different, that we remember only in our heads and don't commit to paper....
Olly continues to keep us exactly where he wants us; increasingly confident of his surroundings he has taken to chasing Bertie, the mildest mannered Jack Russell there ever was. Great fun and highly amusing! Olly is a huge success- who knows he might be modelling cat beds next- he certainly has the requisite supermodel temperament!
First achievement of the week! 2500 summer newsletters printed, folded, put in envelopes and sent out- neatly but coincidentally timed with the news of a VAT increase! I think the delay in the increase has taken most people by surprise, most businesses were expecting implementation rather sooner than early January. From the beginning we have tried to put in a little bit extra for our existing customers; our belief is that they are responsible for the success of the business and they deserve extra nurturing and rewards.
Second achievement of the week- although not quite accomplished yet; the moving of the bank accounts! As luck would have it, we are right in the middle of switching bank accounts just as we have to send a payment for the next Order to New Zealand. It hasn't been easy for them or us, but by tomorrow, fingers crossed, the dust might have settled and the poor ancient fax machine might have some time off work! It has been quite a dilemma for some time; we knew it would be painful, but it is time for the company to tackle more and we need the help of a designated business advisor. I just hope and pray our local branch of Barclays does not get the chop under some short-sighted cost cutting exercise. Perhaps the new coalition government will help foster a return to old fashioned common sense in all sorts of areas in our lives. Oh joy, the unwelcome arrival of four sets of new debit cards, four sets of new numbers, four sets of online banking numbers- all supposed to be different, that we remember only in our heads and don't commit to paper....
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Olly the Siamese, Pet websites and Frampton Country Show - 12th September
This is the new office cat! Olly arrived in our lives last Friday- all the way from Epsom, he now lives in Gloucestershire and has got all of us firmly where he wants us. The dogs are coping really well with the new upstart and, apart from our lacerated arms and legs, we all love him! Just what a Siamese should be; fearless, naughty and adventurous- he is really great fun- pint sized, he thinks he is bigger than he is and nothing daunts him. Perfect, just the cat I have been looking for ...
On the subject of pets, we have recently had a flurry of activity linking with other pet websites and suggest it is worth taking a look at, amongst others, a particularly good video on the K9 Magazine website http://www.k9magazine.co.uk/ talking about White Cloud wool pet beds. Or take a look at the video below.
Other White Cloud news- we have been delighted by the number of visits to the http://www.sheerluxe.com/competition/157.htm website, it offers the chance of winning a £500 voucher and it is open to anyone to take part.
Just today we have sent an application for a trade stand at Frampton Country Show on September 12th- this is a lovely old fashioned traditional country show in Gloucestershire, with a definite emphasis on dogs, sporting events and rural life. We thoroughly enjoy it and will be going along this year with lots of wool pet beds, wool pillows and lanolin skin creams and if room allows, some lovely warm wool blankets. If you are local to Gloucestershire, please make a day of it and, even better, come and find the White Cloud stand ... http://www.framptoncountryfair.co.uk/ It is the 25th Anniversary Fair this year.
Sunday, June 06, 2010
New photos for the website, White Cloud packaging progress report and the beginning of a trading link in France
At last .... we have found enough spare time to start adding some new photographs to our website!
Like a shop window, a website needs constant attention and constant variation. The tricky thing is maintaining "the look" already achieved, but to keep the content fresh and interesting.
These new photographs will form the basis of our new brochure in the next few months. We pride ourselves on offering a brochure for interested customers; so many companies seem to presume it is something that is no longer necessary and they can save themselves money by not offering one. We totally disagree and feel a brochure is incredibly important; there are still many, many people who do not wish to purchase from a website, they like to sit and study information and, in many cases, it gives a mail order/website company credibility.
Coupled with the new brochure will be our new White Cloud branding- this is a very big step towards establishing White Cloud as a brand of it's own. Within a couple of months we expect all of our duvets, underblankets and pillows to be labelled White Cloud- it has been a long journey, but hopefully a fruitful one! Tackling all of this during times of financial difficulty and recession is a challenge, but we remain confident in all of our products and feel that the time and money spent now, will pay dividends in the future. We hope you, our loyal customers, feel as excited about the "new look" as we do, when it starts to appear.
Our very first shipment to a chain of shops in France leaves New Zealand at the end of this week; we have had to brush up our French considerably and are very excited to be at the beginning of a new link with an entrepreneurial family owned company based in the South of France.
Like a shop window, a website needs constant attention and constant variation. The tricky thing is maintaining "the look" already achieved, but to keep the content fresh and interesting.
These new photographs will form the basis of our new brochure in the next few months. We pride ourselves on offering a brochure for interested customers; so many companies seem to presume it is something that is no longer necessary and they can save themselves money by not offering one. We totally disagree and feel a brochure is incredibly important; there are still many, many people who do not wish to purchase from a website, they like to sit and study information and, in many cases, it gives a mail order/website company credibility.
Coupled with the new brochure will be our new White Cloud branding- this is a very big step towards establishing White Cloud as a brand of it's own. Within a couple of months we expect all of our duvets, underblankets and pillows to be labelled White Cloud- it has been a long journey, but hopefully a fruitful one! Tackling all of this during times of financial difficulty and recession is a challenge, but we remain confident in all of our products and feel that the time and money spent now, will pay dividends in the future. We hope you, our loyal customers, feel as excited about the "new look" as we do, when it starts to appear.
Our very first shipment to a chain of shops in France leaves New Zealand at the end of this week; we have had to brush up our French considerably and are very excited to be at the beginning of a new link with an entrepreneurial family owned company based in the South of France.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Magniwool Competition, May Prize Winners, Summer Newsletter and, last but not least, Price Increase coming soon!
Last week we agreed to run a competition with Sheerluxe.com for one lucky entrant to win a White Cloud Magniwool Underblanket. We are attaching the details to this blog and would recommend having a go, it is open to all visitors to the Sheerluxe website.
http://www.sheerluxe.com/competition/157.htm soft, warm and supremely comfortable these lovely underblankets ("Magicwool" as one customer has called them) dramatically increase the comfort of your bed and the magnets provide natural wellbeing whilst you sleep. These are our biggest selling item and most sales are through word of mouth and personal recommendation.
This morning we chose 6 winners for our May Prize Draw. White Cloud was started in May 2005 and to celebrate the start of our sixth year of trading we decided to give six lucky customers in May a £25 shopping voucher. Everyone likes to know that real people actually do win competitions, so here are the winning names:
Brenda Ellis in Somerset, Mrs Fraser in Hertfordshire, Twin Yen Lee in London, V Cockburn in Shropshire, Ron Bauer in London and Ms F Cornes in Oxfordshire.
We are putting together some details for our Summer Newsletter- this will go out to all our existing customers who opt to stay on a mailing list and the theme will be Improved Health through Better Sleep in Difficult Times and will have an exclusive offer aimed to beat the forthcoming price increase. A combination of a rotten exchange rate, increased purchase costs and the likelihood of an increase in VAT means we will be raising our prices from 1st August- if you are considering purchasing, we strongly recommend you do so very soon. Not only will you benefit from current prices, but you will also join our Mailing List and be included in the Special Offers we do for existing customers only!
http://www.sheerluxe.com/competition/157.htm soft, warm and supremely comfortable these lovely underblankets ("Magicwool" as one customer has called them) dramatically increase the comfort of your bed and the magnets provide natural wellbeing whilst you sleep. These are our biggest selling item and most sales are through word of mouth and personal recommendation.
This morning we chose 6 winners for our May Prize Draw. White Cloud was started in May 2005 and to celebrate the start of our sixth year of trading we decided to give six lucky customers in May a £25 shopping voucher. Everyone likes to know that real people actually do win competitions, so here are the winning names:
Brenda Ellis in Somerset, Mrs Fraser in Hertfordshire, Twin Yen Lee in London, V Cockburn in Shropshire, Ron Bauer in London and Ms F Cornes in Oxfordshire.
We are putting together some details for our Summer Newsletter- this will go out to all our existing customers who opt to stay on a mailing list and the theme will be Improved Health through Better Sleep in Difficult Times and will have an exclusive offer aimed to beat the forthcoming price increase. A combination of a rotten exchange rate, increased purchase costs and the likelihood of an increase in VAT means we will be raising our prices from 1st August- if you are considering purchasing, we strongly recommend you do so very soon. Not only will you benefit from current prices, but you will also join our Mailing List and be included in the Special Offers we do for existing customers only!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Picnic Rugs, hot summer weather and why wool pillows can help allergy sufferers
At long last- hot summer weather! All those long dark winter months seem a far distant memory and we have got a small number of gorgeous colourful picnic sized rugs/throws. Both Summer Stripes and Lime on Lime are now discontinued by our manufacturer in NZ and we will no longer be stocking them. Take a look at our Special Offers page, act quickly and grab yourself a bargain. There are a tiny number of Single and Double sizes also available at bargain prices.
This week we will be putting together our popular Summer Offer- because wool is so effective at helping allergy sufferers, it seems a perfect time of year to make that the general theme for our next Offer. Pillows will be the focus, but small details remain to be agreed!
This week we will be putting together our popular Summer Offer- because wool is so effective at helping allergy sufferers, it seems a perfect time of year to make that the general theme for our next Offer. Pillows will be the focus, but small details remain to be agreed!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Anniversary Month, White Cloud News & life with 3 boys
May is our anniversary month- we started White Cloud in May 2005 and to celebrate we have decided to mark the beginning of our sixth year by giving away six £25 Vouchers to six customers who purchase in May. We have also enjoyed running a Wedding List for two of our customers- it has been fun to do and it is definitely something we would like to do more of in the future-
This past month has seen a lot of preparation work towards our big re-branding project. Within three months we hope to start sending all the duvets out in White Cloud boxes and all of the pillows will also have White Cloud calico presentation bags. Tying this up so that manufacturing and the departure of containers from NZ happens at the same time has been challenging and worrying!
A big photography session is now completed and a selection will be included on the bigger and better website that is currently being incubated. A new brochure will be needed by the end of this year and we will be breaking with our current sized catalogue and choosing a smaller, squarer format which will include all the new photos and include the rebranding. Wow! So much to think about and so much opportunity for things to get overlooked... In between all of this we are discussing how to best present the duvets and they will have contents labels but a fairly small, fairly simple task has become a marathon in terms of design, whether to use our Zapfino font or not and which colours to choose. In many ways the design of the outer box has been the easy bit!
In between we have our three boys all facing big exams; one at the end of his first year at Uni, the second about to do A Levels and leave school and our youngest doing some GCSE papers early. In many ways these hard working boys have had to bring themselves up over the past five years and we are immensely proud of them for managing to do this whilst their Mum and Dad have had to concentrate their time and effort on establishing a business.
This past month has seen a lot of preparation work towards our big re-branding project. Within three months we hope to start sending all the duvets out in White Cloud boxes and all of the pillows will also have White Cloud calico presentation bags. Tying this up so that manufacturing and the departure of containers from NZ happens at the same time has been challenging and worrying!
A big photography session is now completed and a selection will be included on the bigger and better website that is currently being incubated. A new brochure will be needed by the end of this year and we will be breaking with our current sized catalogue and choosing a smaller, squarer format which will include all the new photos and include the rebranding. Wow! So much to think about and so much opportunity for things to get overlooked... In between all of this we are discussing how to best present the duvets and they will have contents labels but a fairly small, fairly simple task has become a marathon in terms of design, whether to use our Zapfino font or not and which colours to choose. In many ways the design of the outer box has been the easy bit!
In between we have our three boys all facing big exams; one at the end of his first year at Uni, the second about to do A Levels and leave school and our youngest doing some GCSE papers early. In many ways these hard working boys have had to bring themselves up over the past five years and we are immensely proud of them for managing to do this whilst their Mum and Dad have had to concentrate their time and effort on establishing a business.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
The Dogs Blog
The pinnacle of celebrity status!
Bella, one of our Jack Russells, has made an appearance in Country Life- she was very flattered to be picked to appear on May 5th, perched on a pile of wool dog beds on the Notebook page. She behaved beautifully, posed perfectly and thinks of herself as the ideal ambassador for these lovely warm hand made dog beds. It was a good thing we started stockpiling Laura Ashley Raspberry Gingham when we did as it is now sadly discontinued but remains the perfect colouring for rural, muddy dogs ....
Naturally Bertie Bodger is rather miffed that he wasn't chosen to play such a starring role, but he has had his own little chance to shine recently and his portrait will soon be added to the http://www.whitecloudtrading.co.uk/ website. Hopefully this will alleviate feelings of jealousy and allow him to have his own brief moment of fame!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Three and half days of intensive product photography has just come to an end, and I think we are all breathing a sigh of relief ... "never work with children or animals" is the old adage, but in our case we couldn't have asked for a more perfect performance from "Sponge Bob" who took to sleeping on her Magniwool cushion with great aplomb and never even stirred!
Deciding on a "look" is always hard for a business, but these things evolve over time and we felt it was time for a complete refresh- the photos that have recently been taken will shortly appear on our website and will also form the basis of our new look brochure. We are fortunate to live in a rural and unspoilt corner of Gloucestershire and it provided the perfect backdrop- the weather could not have been better.
Our last blog mentioned a Fund Raising Curry Lunch for the Army Benevolent Fund and this is an utterly delicious recipe for Lime Mousse - just the thing with Spring in the air! It is a strange method, but stick with it, as it does work and hopefully, as in our family, it will become a firm favourite ...
Put 1/2 cup cold water in a small saucepan and sprinkle over 4 tsp gelatine
Leave for a few minutes to swell. Heat gelatine and water, stirring until dissolved.
Add 1/2 cup fresh lime juice, 1/4 cup white rum (we use Malibu), and 1 cup plain yoghurt.
Using a clean beater, whip 3 egg whites with 1/2 cup sugar until it forms a thick meringue.
Whip 1 cup of cream until soft peaks form.
Fold the cool gelatine mix through the cream, then fold in egg white mixture.
Pour into a large serving dish and garnish with lime zest.
Serves 6-8
Deciding on a "look" is always hard for a business, but these things evolve over time and we felt it was time for a complete refresh- the photos that have recently been taken will shortly appear on our website and will also form the basis of our new look brochure. We are fortunate to live in a rural and unspoilt corner of Gloucestershire and it provided the perfect backdrop- the weather could not have been better.
Our last blog mentioned a Fund Raising Curry Lunch for the Army Benevolent Fund and this is an utterly delicious recipe for Lime Mousse - just the thing with Spring in the air! It is a strange method, but stick with it, as it does work and hopefully, as in our family, it will become a firm favourite ...
Put 1/2 cup cold water in a small saucepan and sprinkle over 4 tsp gelatine
Leave for a few minutes to swell. Heat gelatine and water, stirring until dissolved.
Add 1/2 cup fresh lime juice, 1/4 cup white rum (we use Malibu), and 1 cup plain yoghurt.
Using a clean beater, whip 3 egg whites with 1/2 cup sugar until it forms a thick meringue.
Whip 1 cup of cream until soft peaks form.
Fold the cool gelatine mix through the cream, then fold in egg white mixture.
Pour into a large serving dish and garnish with lime zest.
Serves 6-8
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Easter Holidays!
The White Cloud blog has fallen even further behind, but I'm going to put it down to the gorgeous Spring weather... it seems to have come to an end now, but for the past week or so we have had toads and frogs all over our drive as they emerge for the breeding season. We have had to resort to walking ahead of cars at night with a torch to avoid driving over them all - one evening there were at least 60 making their way towards the pond ...
The Easter weekend was an excuse to take the family on Eurostar to Ghent for three nights- a great success for everyone, even if it did mean taking three endlessly hungry teenage boys to MacDonalds at regular intervals. Interspersed with delicious Belgian chocolate Easter eggs, it was teenage heaven. We all really loved cycling everywhere; how or why we have let cars dominate our towns and cities in the UK is difficult to understand ....
Back to work with renewed vigour; almost our first enquiry on our return was from a customer whose friend had purchased a wool duvet elsewhere and found it contained twigs and all sorts of other impurities. Sadly there are lots of cheap products on the market that just don't bear closer inspection and do nothing whatsoever to advance the wool industry. While I'm on the subject, shall we even mention a well known Australian brand that now sells duvets with a synthetic lining because the cheaper/coarse wool finds it way out of the covering fabric??
This week is finishing off with a fundraising Curry Lunch for the Army Benevolent Fund- a charity close to our hearts and the second time we have tackled something like this. The only proviso is that it has to have a curry theme and it has to be held in April. There's nothing like school holidays to rope in teenage boys to help make Fish Curry and Lime Mousse! Cookery lessons and fund raising all in one- "Job Done" as they might say!
The Easter weekend was an excuse to take the family on Eurostar to Ghent for three nights- a great success for everyone, even if it did mean taking three endlessly hungry teenage boys to MacDonalds at regular intervals. Interspersed with delicious Belgian chocolate Easter eggs, it was teenage heaven. We all really loved cycling everywhere; how or why we have let cars dominate our towns and cities in the UK is difficult to understand ....
Back to work with renewed vigour; almost our first enquiry on our return was from a customer whose friend had purchased a wool duvet elsewhere and found it contained twigs and all sorts of other impurities. Sadly there are lots of cheap products on the market that just don't bear closer inspection and do nothing whatsoever to advance the wool industry. While I'm on the subject, shall we even mention a well known Australian brand that now sells duvets with a synthetic lining because the cheaper/coarse wool finds it way out of the covering fabric??
This week is finishing off with a fundraising Curry Lunch for the Army Benevolent Fund- a charity close to our hearts and the second time we have tackled something like this. The only proviso is that it has to have a curry theme and it has to be held in April. There's nothing like school holidays to rope in teenage boys to help make Fish Curry and Lime Mousse! Cookery lessons and fund raising all in one- "Job Done" as they might say!
Monday, March 22, 2010
The plunging £, Easter eggs and University worries!
Almost two weeks overdue, but never mind!
With our middle son hoping to go to University this September we are getting increasingly anxious about his prospects. He is one of the many thousands who seem to have hit it particularly badly this year; the introduction of A* as an additional grade, a backlog of students from last year and severe funding cuts affecting courses. We are feeling that a year off from the treadmill would be enormously beneficial and would like him to take a deferred entry, but who knows what is round the corner for 2011? No wonder so many youngsters are so anxious and depressed in the UK- their path to further education is littered with exams/modules/more tests along the way. We have to just hope for the best but prepare for the worst and really encourage him to have some fun once school comes to an end in July.
In between we are having to decide whether to take the major step of moving banks for the business- unfortunately it is almost inevitable as we have expansion plans but the prospect of actually making it happen is rather daunting. I think we will wait for Year End and then give it some more thought ... perhaps we will pass the task to Beverley who has now joined us in the office!
Masses and masses of stock arrived at the end of last week from New Zealand- the plunging value of £ is making it very hard for importers like ourselves. We ordered with the thought that this might be our only container this year, but if our expansion plans come to fruition we will be forced to think again. Amongst other thoughts, we are working on new packaging and new branding which will help raise the profile of these products- work in progress as they say!
Finally, wonderful news for Easter- our gorgeous Golden Appenzeller bantams have finally started to lay again- from nothing whatsoever, we are now getting a surfeit of eggs! Good reliable girls, it is a joy to have homegrown eggs once again.
With our middle son hoping to go to University this September we are getting increasingly anxious about his prospects. He is one of the many thousands who seem to have hit it particularly badly this year; the introduction of A* as an additional grade, a backlog of students from last year and severe funding cuts affecting courses. We are feeling that a year off from the treadmill would be enormously beneficial and would like him to take a deferred entry, but who knows what is round the corner for 2011? No wonder so many youngsters are so anxious and depressed in the UK- their path to further education is littered with exams/modules/more tests along the way. We have to just hope for the best but prepare for the worst and really encourage him to have some fun once school comes to an end in July.
In between we are having to decide whether to take the major step of moving banks for the business- unfortunately it is almost inevitable as we have expansion plans but the prospect of actually making it happen is rather daunting. I think we will wait for Year End and then give it some more thought ... perhaps we will pass the task to Beverley who has now joined us in the office!
Masses and masses of stock arrived at the end of last week from New Zealand- the plunging value of £ is making it very hard for importers like ourselves. We ordered with the thought that this might be our only container this year, but if our expansion plans come to fruition we will be forced to think again. Amongst other thoughts, we are working on new packaging and new branding which will help raise the profile of these products- work in progress as they say!
Finally, wonderful news for Easter- our gorgeous Golden Appenzeller bantams have finally started to lay again- from nothing whatsoever, we are now getting a surfeit of eggs! Good reliable girls, it is a joy to have homegrown eggs once again.
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Recipe for March - delicious Banana Cake!
You may have read in the press this week that bananas are the one food purchase that are most likely to end up being thrown away. It seems a sad waste of food that has travelled many miles and for that reason this month's recipe to be shared is:
Banana Cake (this always works and is even better topped with chocolate icing!)
120g butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 and half cups sifted flour (self raising preferable)
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp baking soda mixed with 3 tblsp milk at room temperature
Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and beat. Add the flour and mashed banana and finally the soda in milk mixture. Pour into a greased and floured ring tin and bake at 175 degrees for about 1 hour. Let it cool before covering with chocolate icing.
Optional chocolate icing:
Icing sugar, cocoa
Melt a small amount of butter in a tiny amount of boiling water, stir in icing sugar and cocoa and mix until you have a smooth, spreadable mixture.
This is an absolutely brilliant way of using up bananas- works every time and if the banana skins end up in a compost bin, even better!
This has already been a busy week at White Cloud- gearing up for the arrival of our next container, making up a special 7' square Magniwool underblanket as a special order, and brushing up our French to help bring to fruition a big order for France. Our Spring newsletter is very nearly hot off the press, to be sent to all our existing customers with news of a seasonal offer and some tips for sleeping better ...
Banana Cake (this always works and is even better topped with chocolate icing!)
120g butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 and half cups sifted flour (self raising preferable)
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp baking soda mixed with 3 tblsp milk at room temperature
Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and beat. Add the flour and mashed banana and finally the soda in milk mixture. Pour into a greased and floured ring tin and bake at 175 degrees for about 1 hour. Let it cool before covering with chocolate icing.
Optional chocolate icing:
Icing sugar, cocoa
Melt a small amount of butter in a tiny amount of boiling water, stir in icing sugar and cocoa and mix until you have a smooth, spreadable mixture.
This is an absolutely brilliant way of using up bananas- works every time and if the banana skins end up in a compost bin, even better!
This has already been a busy week at White Cloud- gearing up for the arrival of our next container, making up a special 7' square Magniwool underblanket as a special order, and brushing up our French to help bring to fruition a big order for France. Our Spring newsletter is very nearly hot off the press, to be sent to all our existing customers with news of a seasonal offer and some tips for sleeping better ...
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Spring Newsletter and A Really Good Read !
5 days to go before the official arrival of Spring! More snow and slush this week- but the good news is that the bantams have started laying again and crocuses are appearing under the apple tree. The days are getting longer and, at last, it feels like winter might be coming to an end. Our existing customers will be getting a Spring Newsletter very soon, deliberately illustrated with daffodils. Did you know that Newent (in Gloucestershire) is famous for tiny wild daffodils? Whole fields used to be carpeted with them and they were picked and sent to London by train in days gone by. Sadly we no longer have the railway and sadly there are far fewer daffodils, but West Gloucestershire is still famous for them and they can still be found in undisturbed woodlands and where farmers have kept to traditional farming methods.
"He'll be Ok" - this wonderful book is subtitled "Growing Gorgeous Boys into Good Men". As a mum of three teenage boys, I am recommending this encouraging and reassuring book to all of us who have boys. ... written by Celia Lashlie and published by Harper Collins, Celia spent many years working in the New Zealand prison service, and saw what can happen when boys make wrong choices. As a single parent she pondered on how best to guide her adolescent son safely to adulthood, and this book is the result of her research and discoveries.
It tells us, as mothers, how to learn to step back and appreciate that boys really are different to us and that they need to learn to be men during their teenage years. It deserves to be on every family bookshelf- go on, order it from your local bookshop and, even better, tell all your friends about it as well.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Improved Sleep - we can help you!
Today's blog has an "Improved Sleep" theme- it is something that most of us are searching for, but few manage to achieve. After 6 years of being in the business of providing deliciously warm and cosy bedding, we would like to share with you our five top tips:
- Keep your bedroom cool - have a window open if necessary
- Maintain a particular routine and try to be in bed at a regular time
- Make time to read- few people can get to sleep straightaway- it is a great way of reducing stress
- Try to avoid leaving lights on- even low level lighting will severely affect the ability to sleep well
- Choose the best bedding you can afford- you will have years of comfort and you will soon forget the initial cost- and in fact you will be pleased you made the investment. Life is often full of regrets for those things we didn't buy, rather than those we did ...
Finally, an extract from a recent customer who lives in deepest darkest Scotland and who bought a "Queenstown" duvet a couple of weeks ago:
"I was concerned it might not be cosy enough for the recent cold weather but last night the temperature went down to -4% but we were warm as toast and have even slept more soundly than before"
Monday, February 08, 2010
"Wool runs on grass" - an environmentally friendly choice
For this week's Blog we thought we would share some environmental facts about the wool industry-
- It takes almost 6kg of oil to produce 1kg of Nylon, but under 1kg of oil to produce 1kg of wool
- Significantly less energy is required in the production of wool products, compared to manmade fibre products. This ensures carbon dioxide emissions are kept very low. Therefore the increased usage of wool can positively reduce the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
- Wool has a natural UV protection factor of 30+ - this is much higher than most synthetics and cotton.
- Wool can last for many hundreds of years without losing its resilience or structure- did you know that wool fibres can be bent 20,000 times before breaking?
Just a few interesting facts that we have assembled for your enjoyment in the past week! All this just goes to show that by purchasing wool , eg a wool duvet (one of ours naturally!) it will both last and benefit the environment. Also, you will sleep well, safe in the knowledge you have made a good investment ......
Sunday, January 31, 2010
A tea time treat from New Zealand - recipe 1
A recipe all the way from New Zealand - a favourite that Karen passed to me when we lived in New Plymouth. Absolutely delicious and just the thing for freezing winter weather! Fabulously calorific .... and the first in a future series of shared special recipes
Karen's Ginger Oaty Crunch
150g butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
3/4 cup of brown sugar
3/4 cup dessicated coconut
1 and half cups rolled oats
3/4 cup flour (wholemeal is more healthy!)
1 and half teaspoons baking powder
1 and half teaspoons ground ginger
Ginger Icing:
4 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons icing sugar
4 teaspoons golden syrup
2 teaspoons ground ginger
Preheat the oven to 180 c. Melt the butter, golden syrup and brown sugar. Remove from the heat. Mix in a bowl the coconut, rolled oats, flour, baking powder and ginger. Stir into the saucepan and mix thoroughly. Press into a greased tin 20 x 30 cm. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Mark into squares whilst still warm. To make the ginger icing: Melt all the ingredients together and beat. Pour over the cold biscuit base. Makes about 12 large or 24 small squares.
* * * * * * *
White Cloud news; take a look at the beginning of a new look website; Wool Pillows have had a makeover first and by this time next week we hope the Wool duvets page will also look crisp, clean and smarter. Don't forget, we also have a Winter 15% discount on Magniwool Underblankets ....
Karen's Ginger Oaty Crunch
150g butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
3/4 cup of brown sugar
3/4 cup dessicated coconut
1 and half cups rolled oats
3/4 cup flour (wholemeal is more healthy!)
1 and half teaspoons baking powder
1 and half teaspoons ground ginger
Ginger Icing:
4 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons icing sugar
4 teaspoons golden syrup
2 teaspoons ground ginger
Preheat the oven to 180 c. Melt the butter, golden syrup and brown sugar. Remove from the heat. Mix in a bowl the coconut, rolled oats, flour, baking powder and ginger. Stir into the saucepan and mix thoroughly. Press into a greased tin 20 x 30 cm. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Mark into squares whilst still warm. To make the ginger icing: Melt all the ingredients together and beat. Pour over the cold biscuit base. Makes about 12 large or 24 small squares.
* * * * * * *
White Cloud news; take a look at the beginning of a new look website; Wool Pillows have had a makeover first and by this time next week we hope the Wool duvets page will also look crisp, clean and smarter. Don't forget, we also have a Winter 15% discount on Magniwool Underblankets ....
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Pounds for Penguins!
Regular readers of the White Cloud blog will be delighted to know that over £350 was donated to the Yellow Eyed Penguin Trust during 2009. Take a look at www.yellow-eyedpenguin.org.nz for a lot more detail, but the Yellow Eyed Penguin is unique to New Zealand, not only that, it is a land based penguin which makes it different from most other penguins. It inhabits the coastal forests of southern New Zealand, an area where many of the White Cloud products are manufactured. In 1990/1991 this little bird was perhaps the rarest penguin in the world with only 150 pairs left because of land based predators. Their future is still uncertain but "every little bit helps" and we donate £1 every time a pillow is sold. Please keep buying lovely White Cloud wool pillows!
Don't forget to take a look at our Special Offers- a selection of wool blankets and a few sheepskins, even some duvet covers. These are genuine bargains; the result of a recent annual stocktake.
We are considering an enormous re-brand this year- almost six years on and we feel established and confident enough to tackle a significant rebrand which will bring all of our products into a cohesive White Cloud Range- this will involve new packaging for almost everything and will start with an updated website. From small beginnings this has grown to be a brand with big potential and we aim to continue to specialise in New Zealand made products. New Zealand has an enviable reputation for quality and ingenuity; something we want the White Cloud range to reflect. Maybe you know of some special products that we haven't yet considered? We'd love to hear from you ....
Don't forget to take a look at our Special Offers- a selection of wool blankets and a few sheepskins, even some duvet covers. These are genuine bargains; the result of a recent annual stocktake.
We are considering an enormous re-brand this year- almost six years on and we feel established and confident enough to tackle a significant rebrand which will bring all of our products into a cohesive White Cloud Range- this will involve new packaging for almost everything and will start with an updated website. From small beginnings this has grown to be a brand with big potential and we aim to continue to specialise in New Zealand made products. New Zealand has an enviable reputation for quality and ingenuity; something we want the White Cloud range to reflect. Maybe you know of some special products that we haven't yet considered? We'd love to hear from you ....
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Woolly Winter Warmth and unusual transport arrangments!
Take a moment to look at our Winter Seasonal Offer on the White Cloud website- a 15% discount on Magniwool Underblankets. A gorgeous thick warm wool underblanket is our number one top suggestion for this time of year; it warms your bed, it keeps you cosy and it cuts down on electric heating bills- all that and improved energy and wellbeing at the same time!
Running a business in a rural part of Gloucestershire was less than idyllic last week! The snow just didn't go away and then when it started to go to slush, even the ancient family Landrover was slipping and sliding... nevertheless we were very pleased that we managed to send every single Order/parcel out on time. Our exceptional Parcelforce driver, Matt, truly put duty first and managed to rendezvous with us every day, without fail.
A recent stocktake has given us an opportunity of selling at a discounted price, a limited selection of lovely warm wool blankets that have been used in photo shoots or come back from Shows/Events- a genuine chance to grab a bargain.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
January 2010 - the first blog of the year
Welcome to the first blog of 2010. We aim to be much more diligent with the blog this year, it is something our customers seem to like so we will be aiming for a tone that is light hearted, informative and fun to read.
Everyone has been affected by the arctic weather- despite being up a half-mile rural private lane we didn't let the snow hamper delivery arrangements ... see the attached photo depicting our unconventional method of transporting parcels! It involved a bumpy drive to rendezvous with Parcelforce at the end of the road ...
News for 2010: We would like to do much more with the New Zealand Skincare Range- from March we will have deliveries of more stock and will be creating a new Gift Box containing a selection of lovely essential skincreams- all for £19.50. The Gift Box for Christmas proved an unexpected hit- we wrapped the parcels like "Christmas Puddings" in wool and sent out almost 80!
Also arriving in March will be Yoga Sheepskins- specially made for us in New Zealand, these are much bigger than conventional sheepskins, a denser wool and will be in the region of £75 - £85. The initial order is for 15, so if this interests you, please do let us know and we will reserve one for you.
Do take a look at our Winter Warmth Clearance Page- following the annual stocktake, this is a unique chance to grab yourself a bargain! Be quick, once sold, gone forever ...
With our very best wishes for 2010 -
Caroline
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