AMERICAN EXPRESS NAMES COMMUNITY STADIUM

American Express has signed a multi-year naming rights agreement for the new, state-of-the-art Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club stadium at Village Way, Brighton.

The venue will be known as the ‘American Express Community Stadium’ when it opens in summer 2011 under the agreement with The Community Stadium Limited, a subsidiary of the Brighton and Hove Albion Group.

As well as being the long-awaited new home for the Albion, the 22,500 capacity American Express Community Stadium, has attracted huge interest from fans, the public and the Brighton & Hove business community who eagerly anticipate the project’s completion next year.

In addition to outstanding sporting facilities, the stadium will be used to promote community engagement in the local area, by enabling young people and adults to learn new skills and gain qualifications which will be of long-term benefit to the local community and economy. To this end, the stadium will run an on-going series of innovative learning initiatives and social inclusion programmes, many of which will be delivered via Brighton & Hove Albion’s much respected Albion in the Community programme.

Michael Edwards, Senior Vice President, at American Express, comments: “We are delighted to be part of this collaboration with the Club on what will undoubtedly be a major destination for Brighton & Hove. As the City’s largest private-sector employer, this partnership underscores our long term commitment to the area and builds upon our thirty-year heritage of supporting local community initiatives”.

Tony Bloom, Chairman of Brighton & Hove Albion added: “This is a landmark deal. We are very proud of our new stadium and to have such a prestigious global brand prepared to put its name to it shows just how good it is. American Express is committed to the local community and is the perfect partner for us. I would like to thank them for their support.”

This latest partnership forms part of American Express’ ongoing good citizenship programme in the Brighton & Hove community. The Company runs a wide and diverse range of philanthropic initiatives in Sussex, encouraging involvement from its large employee base in the region. In addition to its sponsorship of the Brighton Festival, the Brighton Marathon and the Stonewall Walk, the Company funds a number of local charities via the Sussex Community Foundation Grants Scheme.

The American Express Community Stadium will house the important charitable arm of BHAFC known as Albion in the Community and provide many opportunities to extend the work of the charity in areas of education, skills training, health and social inclusion.

Construction of the stadium commenced in December 2008 and is due for completion at the end of May 2011, ready for the start of the 2011/12 Football League Season. The project is costing £93 million and is being finished to an extremely high specification which, once complete, will rival many facilities in the Premier League.

SUSSEX FOOD AWARDS VOTING OPENS!!

New Minister of State for Agriculture and Food, Jim Paice MP, helped kick off public voting for the Sussex Food & Drink Awards 2010/11 at the South of England Show at sussexfoodawards.biz

The awards are all about supporting local farmers and producers and the businesses which sell and promote their produce in the local market place. Awards categories this year are: Sussex Farmer of the Year (sponsored by Knill James); Sussex Food Producer of the Year (sponsored by Musgrave Retail Partners); Sussex Drink Producer of the Year (sponsored by Natural PR); Best Sussex Food/Farm Shop (sponsored by Mayo Wynne Baxter); Sussex Butcher of the Year (sponsored by Leonards and Natural Farms); Best Sussex Eating Experience (sponsored by A Taste of Sussex); Sussex Young Chef of the Year (sponsored by Blue Spark Organisation with City College Brighton & Hove); and Best Sussex Farmers Market, sponsored by the Lewes brewers Harveys.

Chairman of the Judges, Clive Beddall OBE, said: “Our eight categories acknowledge every aspect of the agri-food chain: from farmers through to retailers and foodservice outlets. The Awards continue to grow in popularity, with over 9000 people voting for 300 local businesses last year. For 2010 we are introducing a new and easy-to-use online voting website at http://www.sussexfoodawards.biz/”

Voting is open until 1st October 2010 and the awards are presented at the 'Sussex foodie event of the year' - the awards dinner, held at the East Sussex National Golf Resort & Spa in January 2011.

At the launch, over 80 VIPS enjoyed a delicious Sussex breakfast, while the Minister debated topics affecting the food and farming industry with William Goodwin, a Sussex dairy farmer and the South of England Agricultural Society’s Vice Chairman; Clive Beddall OBE, media commentator and Chairman of the Sussex Food & Drink Awards; and William White, NFU South East Regional Director.

Local nursery school children, dressed as bees to raise awareness of the plight of the honey bee, helped kick off awards voting at the official launch of the South of England Show.

FOODIE NEWS IN BRIGHTON & HOVE

The first Brighton & Hove online restaurant search engine
proudrestaurants.com
has been launched featuring some of the best restaurants in the city.

Founder of Proud Restaurants, Csaba Toth, said: “The system we have created is entirely new and very easy to use, based on the Facebook model – allowing people to view restaurants’ personalities and search for the dishes they feel like eating in seconds - something that has never been possible before anywhere in the world.

“We already have over 30 top restaurants on the site and 1000 dishes to search through and diners can also book online direct with the restaurants if they like.”

Also, tickets are selling fast for the first ever Hove Champagne Festival on 4th and 5th June - book your tickets at www.hovechampagnefestival.com

Thousands of foodies, wine lovers and celebrities are expected to descend on the Regency splendour of Hove Lawns, and there will be over 50 champagnes to try with delicious food from local restaurants Sevendials, Sam's and Riddle & Finns, as well as music and luxury shopping.

Organised by Go Ahead Events, which manages the London Toast Festivals, it is certainly the first of its kind in the South East, possibly the UK.

A standard entry ticket is £12 and tickets for the VIP enclosure are £35. You can book tickets and find out more at www.hovechampagnefestival.com

CHAMPAGNE FESTIVAL IN SUSSEX!

Ticket sales have opened this week for the first Champagne Festival in South East England - coming to Hove Lawns on June 4th and 5th - and everyone around here is getting very excited!

Thousands of foodies, wine lovers and celebrities are expected to descend on the Regency splendour of Hove Lawns, and there will be over 50 champagnes to try with delicious food and luxury shopping.

Organised by Go Ahead Events, which manages the London Toast Festivals, it is certainly the first of its kind in the South East, possibly the UK.

A standard entry ticket is £12 and tickets for the VIP enclosure are £35. You can book tickets and find out more at www.hovechampagnefestival.com

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVE BRIGHTON EATS

We recently launched the Brighton & Hove Foodie Awards, celebrating the best restaurants, food pubs, cafés and food shops and over 500 people in the city have already voted!

The Foodies will be open for voting until September, when the winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony during the September food festival.

“Brighton & Hove’s food offer is something to enjoy and to be really proud of today -and we have created the Foodies to give the very best food businesses in our city the opportunity to be applauded by the public,” said Paula Seager, Managing Director of Natural PR, which also runs the Sussex Food & Drink Awards and specialises in food PR.

Latest7 magazine and Juice FM will be promoting the awards scheme over the next six months, through Andrew Kay’s food column and Andrea Fox’s Friday morning show, including a monthly update of who is in the lead in each category.

Everyone can vote once per category and voting is online at: www.brightonfoodawards.com

BRIGHTON IN SPRING IS A TASTY OPTION

The Brighton & Hove Food and Drink Festival team is holding the first ever spring harvest food festival fortnight - from 11 to 21 March – with a fantastic line up of events offering something for everyone.

It kicks off with the Sussex Beer & Cider Festival from 11 – 13 March, run by CAMRA in Hove Town Hall, offering a taste of 200 ales and ciders made in the UK, including many of our local brews. The big Sussex Market will open on 13-14 March in New Road and will offer some of the best local produce – both raw and ready to eat.

There will also be some fantastic firsts for Brighton – the Whisky Festival, at the Hilton Brighton Metropole on 20 March; the Chocolate Festival in New Road on 20 and 21 March; and the Brighton Eco Veggie Fayre at Hove Town Hall on 20 March.

Other scrummy treats include the Open House Dining, with local homes opening their doors to serve up great food to complete strangers; a local Sunday service from Brighton & Hove Buses will take Brightonians to good food pubs between Brighton and Eastbourne; and there is a huge programme of events at great local restaurants.

The September festival is hugely popular and attracted over 100,000 people last year, so festival organisers decided to build on that and make the most of all the seasons throughout the year, as Brighton has so much to offer food lovers.

Said Paula Seager of Natural PR: "You could eat a great meal in a different outlet every single day of the year and frankly not enough people know about it!"

"In fact, for that reason, we will be launching the first Brighton & Hove Foodie Awards on 11 March, inviting local people and visitors to the city to vote for their favourite restaurants, food pubs, cafés and food shops – everyone has one vote per category, so after 11 March, go to www.brightonfoodawards.com"

A mouth watering programme of other events is still being put together, but already includes a Terre a Tandoori Night at Terre a Terre in East Street on 15 March and a Hotel du vin Wine Night on 18 March.

Stay tuned to www.brightonfoodfestival.co.uk to find out about all our events.

Calendar of Events: March 2010
Thursday 11 - Sunday 21 March : Open House Dining
Thursday 11 March : Sussex Beer Festival, Hove Town Hall
Thursday 11 March : Introduction to Permaculture, 2 day course @ Stanmer Park
Friday 12 March : Sussex Beer Festival, Hove Town Hall
Saturday 13 March : Sussex Beer Festival, Hove Town Hall
Saturday 13 March : Big Sussex Market, New Road, Brighton
Saturday 13 March : Nick & Franco’s Deli Pasta Eating Competition, Brighton Place
Saturday 13 March : A Taste of Bubbly, The Oriental, Oriental Place, Brighton
Sunday 14 March : Big Sussex Market, New Road, Brighton
Sunday 14 March : The Sussex Tour Bus Pub Trail, venues between Brighton & Eastbourne
Monday 15 March : Terre á Terre ‘Balti Towers’ Night, Terre á Terre, East St, Brighton
Tuesday 16 March : The Chilli Pickle Masterclass, Meeting House Lane, Brighton
Tuesday 16 March : New Steine Bistro Supper Club, New Steine Hotel, Brighton
Tuesday 16 March : The Foragers Feast, The Foragers pub, Stirling Place, Hove
Tuesday 16 March : Sabai Thai Night, Princes Place (off North St), Brighton
Wednesday 17 March : Churchill Square Farmer’s Market & Live Food Show, Brighton
Wednesday 17 March : ‘the restaurant at drakes’ Burgundy Wine Dinner, Brighton
Thursday 18 March : Hotel du Vin Wine Night, Ship Street, Brighton
Friday 19 March : Chocolate Dinner, TABLE, Jubilee Square, Brighton
Saturday 20 March : Brighton Eco Veggie Fair, Hove Town Hall
Saturday 20 March : The Whisky Festival, Hilton Brighton Metropole, Brighton
Saturday 20 March : Brighton Chocolate Festival, New Road, Brighton
Sunday 21 March : Brighton Chocolate Festival, New Road, Brighton
Sunday 21 March : The Sussex Tour Bus Pub Trail, venues between Brighton & Eastbourne

GORDON RAMSAY IN SUSSEX

Not an F word was heard in Sussex recently when Gordon Ramsay shot his New Year TV episode of the F Word with cheesemakers at the High Weald Dairy on Tremains Farm in Horsted Keynes.

Mark and Sarah Hardy, owners of the High Weald Dairy – the leading Sussex cheese-makers, who hand-make a large range of award-winning cheeses – hosted Gordon Ramsay and showed him how to make Halloumi cheese for the programme, which focuses on ‘Greeks versus Moroccans’.

While he was there, Ramsay tasted some of the High Weald classic cheeses, including Saint Giles and Tremains Cheddar and he particularly liked the Smoked Duddleswell. He also signed a copy of World Kitchen, his latest cookery book, for the Hardys saying: ‘A big thank you for teaching me to make the perfect Halloumi’.

“Gordon got the hang of it in no time and seemed to enjoy the process of making Halloumi, which is one of the quickest cheeses to make, being prepared in just four to five hours,” said Mark Hardy, High Weald Dairy’s Master Cheesemaker, who appears in the programme.

Filming went on for four hours and many cups of tea were consumed while Ramsay performed before the cameras. However, Sarah Hardy commented that he had a gentle air and declared him to be “a very charming man – not at all the persona we all think we know and love to hate on TV!”

The High Weald Dairy makes cheeses with organic cow milk from its own farm, as well as goat and sheep milk and has won more awards than you can shake a stick at in the last year. Most recently, it won two golds at the 2009 British Cheese Awards for its organic cow milk Ashdown Foresters and Brother Michael cheeses. Just two weeks later in October, its Saint Giles, a semi-soft organic cow milk cheese with an edible orange rind, won Best English Cheese and Best British Cheese and was placed 5th in the World at this year’s World Cheese Awards.

To find out more, see www.highwealddairy.co.uk. Gordon Ramsay’s F Word will be shown at 9pm on 29th December on Channel 4.