UK large home appliance brand Beko has secured a sponsorship deal with Sky Sports that will support the brand's four-year global Premium partnership with FC Barcelona.
The campaign will include TV and digital advertising, a dedicated Beko hub on Sky Sports and a nationwide competition where the lucky winner will receive a VIP trip for two to watch the first El Classico match of the season between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The competition will run via the Beko branded hub at www.skysports.com/beko and fans are asked to create their ultimate FC Barcelona team choosing their 11 favourite players. The hub will also give users access to product information and brand news and is expected to attract a following of around 18,000 people.
Managing director of Beko plc UK and Ireland Teresa Arbuckle said: "Football has been a core part of Beko's marketing strategy and this new partnership with Sky Sports is sure to build awareness of our Premium partnership with FC Barcelona."
The company will premier its new TV ad during the half-time break of the El Classico match and it will then be shown eight more times after the match in prime-time slots to further highlight Beko's partnerships with both FC Barcelona and Sky Sports.
Arbuckle added: "El Classico is a hugely popular fixture with UK football fans and we are confident that our latest activity will drive desirability of the Beko brand among our target consumers."
The best Kitchen Manager can make the back of the house run as smooth as chocolate silk pudding. If you want to be that person, you’ll need to be sharp in more than just knife skills. As the name suggests, Kitchen Managers are responsible for managing every aspect of the kitchens that prepare food for hungry diners every night of the week.
This involves handling everything from labor management to vendor relations. As the Kitchen Manager, you oversee a staff of Waiters, Chefs, Dishwashers and other employees, training new ones when necessary and finding replacements if someone calls in sick. You calculate food costs and budget for the month’s menu accordingly. You also take inventory, check incoming food shipments for quality and make sure everything your restaurant serves is fresh and handled in a sanitary way.
Managing all of these elements is a juggling act, and you’ll need effective communication skills to make sure nothing drops. Not to mention that kitchens get hectic during peak hours, so you’ll need everything set before the rush sets in.
But despite your best plans, something will go wrong. So a cool head and ability to think on your feet is essential for when problems arise or messages get mixed. You will also use your speaking ability to motivate staff to push through the busy spells and finish the night’s cleanup in a timely fashion.
Because restaurants are busiest on Friday and Saturday nights, expect to be hard at work when your friends are out on the town. If your feet hurt, it’s not from dancing. It’s because your job keeps you on your toes. But know that your exciting profession beats a standard 9-to-5 any day.
Better Bathrooms has scooped the Fast Growing Business award in the North West Business Masters Awards.
Accepting the award, founder and CEO Colin Stephens, pictured, pledged more expansion as he accepted the award, which was sponsored by marketing and communications agency Influential.
Stephens also praised the support of the Business Growth Fund, which invested £10m of growth capital in the company in 2013, enabling it to open new showrooms.
He added: “I am so excited we have won this award as it shows how much the business has achieved over the past 13 years and how the company has grown. I am proud of the entire team, our achievements to date, and our constant ambition generates the motivation to reach greater accomplishments.”
Classic Kitchens has raised thousands of pounds for Acorns Children’s Hospice, after holding an open day to celebrate the launch of its new showroom in Redditch.
The company raised £1,000 from a charity raffle on the day, and doubled the amount to donate £2,000 to the hospice.
The day also included an official opening from Mayor of Redditch Pat Witherspoon, entertainment including a magician, and cooking demos from Siemens.
The showroom offers displays of Classic Kitchens' own collection, alongside Mereway Kitchens’ Cucina Colore, English Revival and Complete Kitchen ranges, as well as bathrooms from Mereway and Trend Interiors.
Director Gareth Davies said: “Valued customers from the last 20 years and many new ones joined us for a great day and the response to our new displays was exceedingly positive. We have generated a substantial number of genuine enquiries, marking a new beginning for our Redditch business.”
Geberit has revealed free goodies are up for grabs at its sanitary systems training days for installers.
Each trainee who attends the training will receive a Geberit Duofix framing system and flush plate – worth more than £250 – to take away with them and practice their new skills on.
The training, which will take place at Geberit's refurbished academies in Warwick and Dublin, offers the opportunity for installers to gain experience of fitting Geberit’s products.
To book a place on any of the following training days, email training.gb@geberit.com or call 0800 0778 365:
Warwick on 11th March, 18th March, 9th September, 23rd September, 7th October, 21st October
Dublin on 26th March, 14th May, 16th September and 26th November
The next challenge takes teams to Balmain, Sydney and Australia’s pub capital, for the ultimate Aussie Pub Crawl. Colin and Pete will be doing the crawling, while the teams will be doing the cooking.
The day begins with a sad announcement, as Vicky explains that Celine is in hospital, and they need to withdraw from the competition. The other teams bid Vicky a tearful goodbye, and then it is on to the next challenge.
Colin and Pete explain that the teams will be cooking a pub lunch for them and the Balmain locals. The ten teams are split between five pubs around Balmain. Their guests will be actual paying customers who will pay what they think the meal is worth. Whichever team raises the most money will be the People’s Choice, and safe from the next two eliminations. Pete and Colin will decide the two worst performing dishes, which will put their chefs straight into a Sudden Death Cook Off.
Teams are given fifteen minutes to source their ingredients at Coles. Robert takes the opportunity to relax by riding the trolleys, Rose is far from relaxed and screams like a strangled chicken at her little chick Josh to ‘get the chicken!!!’.
Back in the kitchens, teams have one and a half hours to prepare their dishes.
Drasko is overcome with the experience of stepping into a commercial kitchen, and needs a few moments to collect himself. He acquaints himself with all the commercial sized appliances, and almost takes some selfies to capture the moment.
Shaz and Jac are preparing Chargrilled Lamb with Roast Vegetable and Feta Salad. They explain that if they do not pull this off, they expect to be banned from every pub when they return to Mt Isa. On tasting, the Judges say it looks inviting, and it is clear they have given it lots of thought, as it is a very well put together dish. Colin says that he would happily pay for the meal, and Pete says they have nailed it, and claims it is his dish of the day.
In the same kitchen, Dave and Rob are cooking Butter Chicken with Saffron Rice and Flatbread. Still slightly stinging from being criticized for being too pedestrian with their meals, they hope this dish will prove they can take risks.
On tasting, the Judges think it is grossly missing salt, and the flavor of the sauce has not penetrated into the chicken. Colin says it is an ordinary dish, and points out that it is the third time that he has given them the lecture. Three times and you’re out as far as Colin is concerned. The guests agree that it is nothing to rave about, with one guest claiming she has eaten better. Ouch! Seems like the boys’ ‘shake and bake’ catch cry was more ‘shake and flake’ this time around.
Spice Girls Debra A and Eva B are making Fish and Sweet Potato Chips and Chilli Mayonnaise. The Judges do not like their cubed chips. They find them tricky to eat and soggy. However, they find the fish moist and tasty, and the mayonnaise packs a great punch.
In the same kitchen, Robert and Lynzey are preparing a Tex Mex meal of Spicy Beef Fajitas with Jalapeno Pico de Gallo – translation - Mexican salsa. The Judges think it is no fiesta in the mouth, and the anticipated Mexican flavours are not coming through. Colin says it lacks spice and is not exciting and does not deliver. The guests agree, and are disappointed that it is not what they expected from the menu.
Ash and Camilla are creating an upmarket steak and chips with Pittsburgh Rare with French Fries, Mushy Peas and Café de Paris Butter. When some of the steaks are returned for being too rare, Ash struggles to understand what part of Rare on the menu the guests did not understand. The Judges think the steak is cooked perfectly, the butter is a surprising accompaniment. Colin thinks it is a real winner, but wonders how the patrons will appreciate it.
Across the bench, Rose and Josh are preparing Stuffed Chicken Breast with Chilli Breadcrumbs and Polenta Chips. It is their take on the classic chicken parmigiana. The chicken is not cooking as quickly as they would like, and Josh observes that a good vet could bring it back to life. Their stuffed chicken is rapidly stuffing up their chances of pulling off a great dish. Teetotaler Rose is so distressed that it is driving her to drink - she thinks having a scotch might help the situation, so luckily she is in a pub. They manage to get the chicken cooked on the pan, and on tasting the Judges think the dish works well – the chicken is moist, the flavours are great, and overall it is moreish.
Kool Kat and Understated Andre are making Snapper with Carrot Puree, Duck Fat Potatoes and Tomato Salsa. Understated Andre loses his cool with the fish skinning and scaling. After Kool Kat manages to calm him down, he decides to cook it with the skin on. On tasting, the Judges find the fish cooked to perfection.
On the other side of the kitchen, Carol and Adam are cooking Pink Ling En Papillote with Green Beans and Hazelnut Crumb – it is the fancy schmancy term for ‘fish in a bag’. Their meal is very intricate and they struggle during service. The Judges find the dish colourful, but feel it needs more liquid in the bag, even though the fish is just cooked.
Drasko and Bianca are preparing Mexican Pork Ribs with White Beans and Pickled Onions. On tasting, the Judges love the combination of flavours – sweet, char, pickle and the kick from the beans. They think it will be a crowd favourite, with Colin saying it is his kind of dish, and brands it his dish of the day. At the end of the cook, modest Drasko claims it was chaos, but he still enjoyed himself, he can still see himself cooking for the rest of his life and he still wants to be a chef. Glad he cleared that up for the audience, and glad there is still an ‘I’ in Bianca.
On the other side of the bench, Emma and Jane are making Kangaroo Fillet with Cauliflower Puree and Red Wine Jus. Twenty minutes into service, they still have not managed to produce a single plate of food. Their diners are waiting… and waiting,.. and waiting. The pub crawl has slowed down to become a complete pub stop. When it finally arrives front of house, the Judges think the kangaroo is cooked beautifully, but overall it is a beige dish and holds nothing to excite them.
Time for the verdict. The People’s Choice goes to Jac and Shaz for their lamb. Shaz becomes so emotional at the thought that she will not be banned from any pubs on her return to Mt Isa, that she begins to cry.
Pete and Colin nominate Rob and Dave’s Curry and Robert and Lynzey’s Fajitas as the two worst dishes of the day. Emma and Jane have dodged a major bullet, and Sudden Death will see a cook off between Southern Style and Far North Queensland cooking.
The plumbing contractors market is forecast to grow by 6% this year and could be worth £17.1bn by the end of 2019, according to a new report by AMA Research.
The ‘Plumbing Contractors Market Report - UK 2015-2019 Analysis’ estimates that the market achieved a value of £14.7bn last year, having reaped the benefits from improved business confidence and construction activity, which increased sharply.
It said indications for 2015 were 'positive', with opportunities for growth in the new housing sector, which AMA Research director Keith Taylor said was “being driven by rising prices, increased mortgage lending, as well as a growing uptake of the government’s ‘Help to Buy’ programme”.
The company said: “It is likely that as the economy improves and consumer confidence grows, an increasing number of consumers will begin to focus on higher value, big ticket projects such as kitchens and bathrooms.”
To buy the full report visit www.amaresearch.co.uk or call 01242 235724.
In a very emotional elimination, best friends deliver fantastic dishes as they face off against each other in MKR’s Kitchen Headquarters.
Having forged a strong friendship since the start of the competition, it was a bittersweet win for WA’s Eva and Debra tonight as they sent their Queensland friends Sheri and Emilie home with a four-point win.
The night started with the teams affectionately calling “I miss you” to one another from their respective kitchens.
Deb said: “Today is a tough day because we're versus Sheri and Emilie. However, it's a competition and we need to put our friendship aside for that $250,000 we’re here for.”
Eva and Debra were back to their organised best, a tactic which they employed in their redemption round instant restaurant with great success earning them the highest score in MKR history.
The battle of the entrees was a tight one with Emile and Sheri’s beef carpaccio with truffle mayonnaise earning great feedback from the judges.
Guest judge Karen Martini said: “The beef is beautifully seasoned. The beetroots have a lovely sweetness to them that works really well with that delicious beef flavour.” With Liz Egan adding: “They’ve done so well. The perfect seasoning.”
Eva and Debra’s entrée of steamed mussels with lemongrass, ginger and chilli was also a hit with the judges. Karen says it’s “the type of food you get excited about.”
The main prep time sees both teams into stress overload with Emilie trying to cook pasta while making all of her individual desserts as well. Meanwhile, the observing teams are concerned when Sheri dumps all of her prawns into a cold pan to cook.
The resulting prawn linguine is not the conquest they are hoping it to be when served to the judges. Colin Fassnidge laments his prawns are undercooked.
“There’s two parts to this dish, the pasta and the sauce,” says Pete Evans. “And I don’t think they’ve cooked them together. The flavour itself is there, but it’s not wowing us.”
Manu Feildel agrees saying: “It’s not a bad dish; it just hasn’t hit the high we’re after.”
Meanwhile, mum’s chicken curry served by their foes attracts some glowing critiques with both Karen and Liz keen to meet mum!
Dessert becomes a cliff-hanger when Sheri and Emilie’s cherry crostata with ginger cream clearly out rates Eva and Debra’s steamed banana cake with salted caramel.
“It’s simple but they’ve done it beautifully. Every element works beautifully together and I think they’ve done a really good job,” says Liz of the crostata. Pete adds: “It’s confident cooking and the fact they managed to make so many of these individually, that’s a big task in itself. “
The final score was 45 to 41.
While disappointed to be out of the competition, Emilie said they gained so much more than they expected throughout the competition. “We may be leaving tonight but we’re not walking away with nothing; we have friendships to walk away with.”
In the next People's Choice challenge, the remaining teams embark on a pub crawl with a difference.
Plans to increase the national minimum wage by 3% and apprentices' pay by 20% from October this year are likely to cost retailers hundreds of millions.
The Government announced today that the minimum wage would increase to £6.70 per hour from 1st October – the biggest rise since 2008 – while apprentices' pay will go up 57p an hour to £3.30.
Prime Minister David Cameron said the changes, which will affect an estimated 1.4m workers in the UK, “will mean more financial security for Britain's families and a better future for our country”.
However, John Walding from the Forum of Private Business said there were concerns that the pay increases could “lead to problems”, particularly for the group's retail members.
“The biggest single cost for our members last year was staff costs as businesses prepare for the added cost of pensions auto-enrolment and look to retain staff as the economy grows,” he said.
“Without support to counterbalance this increase it may deter many small retailers to invest in training and recruitment.”
British Retail Consortium director general Helen Dickinson said the trade association had “some concerns” about the Government's approach to the apprenticeship rate, which was the largest ever rise in the National Minimum Wage for apprentices.
“The retail industry employs almost 20% of the UK’s apprentices and while our research shows that use of the apprenticeship rate is not widespread in the retail industry, the low pay commission’s independence and recommendations are as important to workers as they are to business,” Dickinson said.
Bathroom manufacturer Be Modern has launched the new 2015 brochure for its Atlanta bathroom furniture collection, which features a handless door option for the first time.
The brochure features four new handleless modular ranges, available in white gloss and three wood gain effect finishes, while the sanitaryware collection includes Faro, a new affordable range.
It also includes the Atlanta classic collection, featuring panel designed doors, available in four matt finishes.
To view the brochure, visit http://atlantabathrooms.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Atlanta-Brochure.pdf
International Decorative Surfaces – IDS – has raised over £8,800 for Macmillan Cancer Support after holding a charity auction and raffle as part of its annual conference.
Prizes auctioned off at the end of the two-day conference at the Imperial War Museum in Manchester included a signed Mark Cavendish cycling shirt, a TV, a golf day at Woburn Abbey, and stays in holiday properties in Dubai, Majorca and Turkey. The raffle included experience days, an iPad and a Fortnum and Mason hamper.
The funds are in addition to more than £461,000 raised for the charity by IDS’ parent company Saint-Gobain through its ‘Together’ initiative. Since launching in 2002, the scheme has raised £2.3m.
IDS MD John Bagshaw said: “I thank everyone who took part in the auction, whether it was by donating a prize or bidding on the night. We all have an opportunity to make a difference and this provided us with a fantastic start to our fundraising in 2015 and we have many more events planned throughout the year.”
Teams travel from the city to the country to compete in the next team challenge, ‘Farmers' Feast’. It is time for the teams to give back to the Coles farmers and their families who provide for the show and the nation.
In walk twelve farmers carrying twelve crates containing twelve different types of produce. Each team is to choose one of the crates, and this will be the star ingredient of their dish. Teams are to prepare two platters each in ninety minutes, with six teams to prepare savoury dishes, and six to prepare sweet. The Farmers will choose their favourite dish of the day, and Colin and Pete will choose the two worst dishes, which will put their chefs straight into Sudden Death.
The teams race for the crates, and a few misunderstandings ensue. The Spice Girls and Drasko and Bianca are fighting it out over the chilli crate. They maturely settle the matter through a game of scissors, paper, rock, which Drasko and Bianca win.
Rose and Josh are cooking Roast Beetroot Fettuccine with Caramelised Pears and Blue Cheese. The heat of the outdoors affects their pasta, and the dough keeps breaking. On tasting, the Judges think the pasta let the whole dish down.
Celine and Vicky decide to show their culinary versatility by cooking Greek style - Marinated Lamb Cutlet with Mediterranean Couscous. On tasting the Judges think the flavours all work well together, with one of the farmers claiming it is ‘magnificent’.
Drasko and Bianca are preparing Nan’s Burmese Chilli Prawn Curry. Drasko says that it was Bianca who introduced him to the world of chilli. What a shame she could not also have introduced him to the world of modesty. On tasting, the Judges think it is delicious and dances on the tongue, the amount of heat from the chilli is perfect.
Spice Girls Eva A and Debra B are cooking Smoked Beef with Asian Noodle Salad. They use the unusual technique of smoking whole beef in a steamer over a wok before placing it in the oven. The technique does not work, and the beef overcooks.
The Judges find the beef dry, and overall the dish is lacking love. The Farmers think it is tasty, but not memorable.
Kool Kat and Understated Andre are making Pork and Mushroom Cabbage Rolls with Mushroom Sauce. Kool Kat loses her cool and loses the plot with the mushroom sauce, which she describes has taken on the consistency of mushroom river water. At the end of the challenge she apologises to Andre for being a Psycho. She also needs to apologise to the nation. On tasting, the Judges admit that they have truly celebrated the mushroom, and the sauce brings the whole dish together.
Carol and Adam are showcasing salmon with Baked Salmon with Ruby Grapefruit Salad. Adam takes on the ginormous task of filleting and pin boning ginormous salmon, but the hard work pays off, with the Judges finding the salmon moist and delicious.
Jac and Shaz score citrus and are cooking Spiced Orange Cakes with Citrus Syrup. The Judges find it to be a well thought out dish, and both say ‘wow’ on tasting. The farmers find it moist and citrusy and are equally wowed.
Sheri and Emilie are making Mixed Berry Wagon Wheels. Things are not coming together, and it appears that the passive girls may actually be fighting. On tasting, the Judges think they have missed the brief, and the berries have been missed from their dish altogether. The farmers agree that it needs more berries, and overall think it is plain.
Dessert Queen Jane and Emma are preparing Layered Hazelnut Cake with Frangelico Cream. The Judges think they have highlighted the nuts well, and while the cake is dry on the outside, it is moist and delicious on the inside.
Robert and Lynzey are making Upside Down Peach Cobbler with Peach Schnapps Custard. Disaster strikes when the cake is not cooking quickly enough. This affects their presentation, which can only be described as beyond rustic. On tasting, the Judges think the peaches needed to be more pronounced and chunky, but overall it is a pleasant dish.
Will and Steve are working on Riesling Poached Rhubarb with Ginger Biscuits. They are having trouble making the biscuits with the heat drying out the mixture. They manage to come up with a solution, and on tasting the Judges love everything about the dessert.
Rob and Dave are making Apple Amandine with Apple Sabayon. With nothing really going wrong during their cook, the Judges think the sabayon is pleasant, but the apple caramel is bitter.
Time for the results. The Farmers have voted Will and Steve’s rhubarb dessert the best, with Pete saying it was his favourite dessert of the day.
Colin and Pete declare Debra and Eva and Sheri and Emilie the worst performing dishes of the day. Sheri and Emilie even get a ‘there is no I in team’ talk from Colin. With the proof not being in Sheri and Emilie’s pudding, nor in Debra and Eva’s noodles, these two girl teams are going straight into Sudden Death, where one team will be eliminated.
The two unhappiest camper teams from the camping challenge, Celine and Vicky and Annie and Lloyd, battle it out in the first Sudden Death Cook Off for 2015.
Both teams claim to be cooking with a theme of love. Vicky and Celine are cooking Greek food from the heart. High school sweethearts Annie and Lloyd are cooking the things that they love.
The challenge is a three course meal to be Judged by Manu and Pete, with Guy Grossi, Karen Martini, Liz Egan and Colin Fassnidge.
The MKR clock ticks over and entrée must be served in one and a half hours. Celine and Vicky are creating Lemon and Garlic Prawns Skewers with Chilli Mayonnaise.
Annie and Lloyd are creating Grilled Squid with Fennel and Pomegranate Salad. As entrée is the first meal to be served, Annie and Lloyd make the logical decision to both work on dessert.
Annie has been nominated as head chef, which she interprets as a supervisory role, while Lloyd runs around like a headless chicken. For the majority of the ninety minutes, Annie stands at the stove stirring the ice cream whilst stirring Lloyd into a panicked frenzy. These high school sweet hearts are quickly becoming high school sweat hearts in the kitchen. They are not working as a team, and it is more than obvious they did not study home economics together at school.
Meanwhile, Celine and Vicky get a ticking off from headmaster Pete, when Celine adds sweet chilli sauce to her mayonnaise. Apparently this is a big My Kitchen Rules no no, but it also begs the question as to why it is in the pantry in the first place.
Back in Mystic Hollow, with dessert finally out of the way, Annie and Lloyd decide to finally start on their entrée... no wait... main? They start marinating their salmon for main!?! Finally with only fifteen minutes remaining, they decide to start their entrée. In his stress, Lloyd puts the squid tubes straight onto the skillet without any oil. They quickly take on the consistency of tire tubes.
At blind tasting, the Judges find Vicky and Celine’s prawns cooked inconsistently. They agree that it is an ok dish, but it is not a wow dish. Pete asks, ‘where is the excitement?’. The Judges find Annie and Lloyd’s squid a let down, the majority of it is not cooked, but they think the salad is a winner. Colin refuses to eat the dish calling it a carcrash. Pete says it has the makings of a great dish, but the stress came out on the plate. The guest teams agree that the squid is a disaster.
After spending time back of house for the blind tasting, the teams are back in front for main. Vicky and Celine are preparing Beef Moussaka with Greek Salad. They had hoped to have the moussakas assembled during entrée time, but they ran out of time. Halfway through assembly, they run out of bechamel sauce, and Vicky has to make another batch, which puts them further behind.
Annie and Lloyd are preparing Miso Salmon with Tempura Mushroom. After marinating the salmon during entrée prep, Lloyd now spends a significant amount of time wiping the excess marinade off the salmon.
Annie spends most of the hour making avocado puree. After stirring for an hour and a half through entrée prep, and now one hour through main, she has the most highly toned triceps in the competition. She moves onto the batter, which she completely ruins, and Lloyd takes over while also keeping an eye on the salmon.
At the blind tasting the Judges think Annie and Lloyd’s salmon is perfect. Colin says their three elements are done well, and compared to their entrée it is as though another team has stepped into their kitchen. The guest teams agree, and would even like another plate each of the food.
As for the Moussaka, the Judges are disappointed that the potato is undercooked. Manu is surprised that it is not a lamb Moussaka, as that would have had more flavor. The guests agree that it is disappointing and undercooked and needed about ten more minutes in the oven.
Back in the kitchen, the teams have thirty minutes to serve dessert. Celine and Vicky are making Rosewater Rizogalo - a greek rice pudding. Annie and Lloyd are making Chocolate Pudding with Salted Caramel Icecream. After spending their entire entrée prep making the ice cream, Annie now decides to abandon it because it has not set, and instead turns it into a custard. As for the Chocolate Puddings, well they have not even started on them as yet.
Meanwhile, Vicky makes the catastrophic mistake of leaving the rosewater out of the rosewater rizogalo. She realizes this after she has served the dessert into the glasses. She proceeds to pour them all back into the pot, adds the rosewater and then serves again.
Back on the other side of the wall, Annie makes the profound comment that she ‘feels like she’s just waiting for the puddings to cook’. Probably because she is just waiting for the puddings to cook. The puddings do not cook in time. They have only one minute left. Manu screams ‘put something on the plate!’. They pull them out of the oven and shove them on the plate. When the horn blows, they look down at their dessert, and know that it resembles hot garbage.
At the blind tasting the Judges think the Rizogalo lacks flavor and is too sweet. They think it needs something on the side. The guest teams agree that it needs something extra – maybe some tangy citrus sorbet to cut through the sweetness?
The Judges think that Annie and Lloyd’s dessert flavors are good, but looking at the plate they see heartache. Pete says they are bad time managers. The guests agree that the flavours are good, and if it had cooked, it would have been a top pudding.
Time for the scores, Celine and Vicky scored from Colin 4, Guy 5, Liz 5, Karen 5, Manu 4, Pete 4 – for a grand total score of 27/60. Annie and Lloyd scored from Colin 3, Guy 4, Liz 4, Karen 4, Manu 4 and Pete 3 – for a grand total score of 22/60.
With those scores it appears both teams deserved to be in the first Sudden Death Cook Off, but unfortunately for Annie and Lloyd, they performed the worst and are eliminated from the competition. They bid a sad farewell to the other teams, and Annie says that it is the end of the road for ‘Pinkie and the brain’. Not sure out of the two of them which is which, but after that performance, Annie will probably not be getting that ring anytime soon.
Bi-annual trade show ISH in Frankfurt, Germany comes to a close today after five days of innovative bathroom design. In our second round-up of the show, we look at the products showcased by Teuco, Zucchetti. Kos and Toto.
Teuco: pinstripe bathtub and natural hues
Bathroom company Teuco unveiled a limited edition bathtub with pinstripes at the show – the Accademia Gessato. Made from Teuco's patented solid surface material Duralight, the bathtub is one of the products from the new Autoritratti collection, designed by Carlo Colombo.
Teuco also unveiled its extended range of Duralight colours including Ivory, Lunar Grey, White Pastel, Grey Whisper and Sand. The company said the textured hues, all in natural shades, are 'in keeping with the latest bathroom design trends, which are increasingly focusing on alternative solutions to the total white look'.
Zucchetti. Kos: new mixers and showerhead collections
Among Zucchetti. Kos' products at the show were its latest mixers' collection, HIM by Zucchetti; an expanded range of Pan Style mixers; and Shower Plus showerheads.
HIM by Zucchetti design by Ludovica+Roberto Palomba – featuring a compact, streamlined flat spout with cascade jet, and the Zucchetti patented concealed cartridge.
Pan Style by Zucchetti design by Ludovica+Roberto Palomba – classic cylindrical type of single lever mixer; comes in a two-colour version: a chrome spout teamed with white body, or gold-finish spout with body in black.
Shower Plus by Zucchetti – a new collection of 'big-impact' showerheads, featuring hi-tech functions, including various types of water jets.
Toto: New CF collection and Neorest freestanding tub
Less than a year since launching its Clean Future – CF – toilet, Japanese bathroom manufacturer Toto has created a series of products to complement the model, including washbasins in two different sizes, either with or without half-pedestals, and the CF Washlet, which fits on the toilet pan and features Tornado Flush, Cefiontect glaze, and a rimless toilet bowl.
The company also unveiled its updated Neorest product range, which now includes a freestanding bath. Made from durable materials, the tub has a removable pillow, is available with armrests on request and has a covered drain.
Retailer Better Bathrooms and decorative radiator manufacturer Zehnder Group have got into the fundraising spirit for Red Nose Day.
Staff from Better Bathrooms have raised more than £500 by buying noses, wearing red clothes and ‘making their faces funny’ for money.
In addition, the company held a Red Nose Day Curry Competition, where staff brought in their best homemade curry and the winner scooped a paid day off work. Bowls of the curries were also sold at lunchtime for £1.
The Zehnder Group, which has the Zehnder and Bisque brands, also marked the day by holding a Bake Off, in which radiator-shaped creations were judged by the company's very own in-house ‘Mary Berry’ and ‘Paul Hollywood’ combo for the Best Tasting and Best Looking. The winners were the sausage roll Bisque Quill and the Zehnder Clean Air Solutions Unit cake.
Among Zucchetti. Kos' products at the show were its latest mixers' collection, HIM by Zucchetti; an expanded range of Pan Style mixers; and Shower Plus showerheads.
Less than a year since launching its Clean Future – CF – toilet, Japanese bathroom manufacturer Toto has created a series of products to complement the model, including washbasins in two different sizes, either with or without half-pedestals, and the CF Washlet, which fits on the toilet pan and features Tornado Flush, Cefiontect glaze, and a rimless toilet bowl.
In addition, the company held a Red Nose Day Curry Competition, where staff brought in their best homemade curry and the winner scooped a paid day off work. Bowls of the curries were also sold at lunchtime for £1.