Wednesday, 28 September 2011

Come along for a bit of lunch!

What On Earth will be making an appearance at lunch! this week. We won’t just be visiting – we will be exhibiting too. Wooo. This is exciting because lunch! is the UK’s only dedicated food-to-go trade show, so it is certainly a great exhibition to be at.


Now in its fourth year, lunch! will be held at Old Billingsgate, London, on 29-30 September 2011.  We were at Old Billingsgate earlier today to set up the stand and we think it looks great - although I guess we would say that, wouldn't we!  What made it better was that the sun was shining and from Old Billingsgate the views are incredible.  We looked out on to the Thames and were mesmerised by the stunning vista and the sunshine bouncing off the water.  We could have been anywhere in the world.  We even took a photo to prove it!




What On Earth will be on stand F608 so come along and find us.  We will have a wide range of products on the stand, including our own delicious organic pizzas and organic cheesecakes.  We have also kitted the stand out with lots of Simply Nectar - a range of award winning GMO free fruit juices and nectars.  We have taken every flavour along so anyone visiting can have a try.  Other items on the stand include some tasty Italian, organic chocolate, which we supply on behalf of GO*DO, and some Harrogate Water that we distribute. 


lunch! is firmly established as the premier event for the out of home food industry and has garnered a reputation for helping businesses to do business. We better get our business hats on then!  If you are looking to do business or simply want to give our food and drinks a try please do come along and see us.  We look forward to seeing you there.

Peace, love and lunch! pizza.

What On Earth

Monday, 26 September 2011

Green trophy hat-trick for What On Earth

We always like to shout about our environmentally friendly working practices. We’re extremely proud of them so we of course like to tell you all about how hard we work to lower our carbon footprint. Our shouting has obviously paid off because now we have been awarded for our ethical ways. Yay!

A few months ago What On Earth entered the Wandsworth Green Business Awards, which are run by Wandsworth Council.  We registered for the awards in the hope that our environmentally friendly work may get recognised. It’s a good job we entered because it did get recognised! In fact, it got recognised three times.



The Wandsworth Green Business Awards were launched to reward those businesses that do their bit to reduce their carbon footprint and help the environment. The judges of the awards look for particularly outstanding examples of commitment and innovation that have a real impact and may help influence other businesses in the future.



We at What On Earth felt we were right for the awards so we entered and last week we won three trophies at the award ceremony. We didn’t win the categories but we came runner up and for that we are very proud. The three categories we won trophies for were:

  • Best or most original waste/recycling project
  • Experienced Greener
  • Overall Green Business Champion

We will continue working hard to do our bit for the environment and we hope we can encourage you to do the same. Every little thing you can do will help, and you don’t need to win a trophy to know that you are helping the world.

Peace, love and environmentally friendly pizza.

What On Earth

Friday, 23 September 2011

Fancy a spot of dessert? Try some of our brand new treats

We like desserts.   No, no, we adore desserts!  Cakes, cheesecakes, puddings, whatever – you name it, we love it. I'm sure you know this by now as we are always munching cakes in the office... you just have to be quick!


In fact, we love desserts so much that we decided we didn’t make enough of them so it was about time that we put our pudding making expertise into action. We put our heads together and came up with some brand new desserts to add to the range. Just thinking about them makes me lick my lips. They are delicious – but then I guess we would say that!

The six organic desserts contain some real tummy warming treats for the colder months so it’s a good job we’ve launched them. The new range includes some family favourites – Apple & Blackberry Crumble, Lemon Sponge Pudding and a tangy Plum Panna Cotta. There are also some comforting winter warmers – Sticky Toffee Pudding and Bread & Butter Pudding, plus the ultimate luxury for all chocolate lovers – the truly decadent, Baked Chocolate Cheesecake.


Lemon Sponge Pudding



Plum Panna Cotta

The new desserts are handmade at our family run, Soil Association-certified patisserie in Somerset. The team there have been making desserts for more than 20 years so they really know their stuff. All What On Earth’s desserts, including our award winning cheesecakes, are made in Somerset. That’s because Somerset is known for its fantastic dairy products and is a place where the sun shines brighter, the grass grows greener and the cows moo louder.



Credit: Federico Stevanin http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Our six desserts are available through Abel & Cole – an online, organic retailer. It’s a great site – you should take a look at it now: www.abelandcole.co.uk. We actually sell lots of products through the site, including our organic pizzas, organic coconut milk and now a massive 11, yes 11, different desserts. To see the new products please visit: http://www.abelandcole.co.uk/chilled-food/desserts-puddings.


Peace, love, pizza and desserts.
 
What On Earth

Monday, 12 September 2011

13 years young

As we sat in the office at the end of the day last Friday, the date suddenly dawned on us. It hadn’t hit us at the beginning of the day. Oh no. It was gone 5pm when the date suddenly had an impact on us. Apparently it didn’t matter that we had been looking at it and writing it down all day long. Nobody had twigged its meaning. The company owners hadn’t even picked up on it! That’s obviously a sign of all the What On Earth staff working their socks off all day long. That’s what we do all the time. Honestly!

What was so important about the date though?? Well.........it was our birthday. WAHOOOOO!!


Set off the fireworks in celebration!

That’s right, What On Earth has turned 13...unlucky for some! Can we get a round of applause please? [Insert clapping sound here]

When we realised, we pulled everyone together for some birthday fun.  We were all in the mood to party and that is what we did.  Even Action Man joined in with the celebrations!







Today, we baked some mini birthday cakes to enjoy.  Plus, it's National Cupcake Week so it was a double celebration!



We invite you to raise your glasses and make a toast to What On Earth.  Or, put some big birthday pants on and give us a little birthday dance!



Also, please salute the owners of What On Earth who are still at the helm of the company – Jeremy Jaffe and Rolf de Polla. They may have inherited a few more worry lines and even lost their hair over the past few years but I’m sure they’ve loved their time here really.  I spoke to them about it all last Friday. They seemed thrilled that it was the 13th anniversary – once they had finally clocked the date that is! They had a laugh about some of the good times and then Jeremy ended the conversation with the following:

“I can’t believe I’ve had to put up with you for all these years.”

He was joking of course… we hope!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WHAT ON EARTH.

We will accept presents if you want to send them! Also, if you have any suggestions about how we should celebrate just let us know. We’d love to hear them.

Peace, love and lots of birthday pizza.

What On Earth.

Friday, 9 September 2011

Organic aubergine meze - give it a whirl

If you're after a healthy, vegetarian meal or want some tips on the best way to make healthy vegetarian food then look no further.  You have come to the right place.  Our talented head chef, Sergei, can tell you all about it.  He knows his stuff you see.  That's why we put him in charge of our kitchen!  In fact, he knows so much about making healthy vegetarian food that he has been telling a journalist all about it.

The dish is so good that it will suit both the carnivores and herbivores of the world. As it is so delicious and easy to make we didn't want you missing out on it. We have therefore featured Sergei's recipe and advice below. Check it out and let us know if you make it. We'd love to see photos and hear how it went.



Sergei in the flesh!

Sergei says: "It is often thought that all vegetarian dishes are healthy but that isn't necessarily the case as the ingredients themselves and the cooking methods all have an impact upon the final meal. One way of ensuring the food is healthy and full of flavour is by opting for organic ingredients. The mere fact that they have no preservatives, additives, pesticides or GMOs impacting upon the goodness of the food makes them a healthy option. Also, when cooking in oil, vegetarians should use unrefined sunflower oil as it is a healthier option than olive oil. Finally, to ensure full flavour vegetarians should consider trying different varieties of particular ingredients - for example, red or orange bell peppers carry more flavour than other colours of pepper."

An excellent vegetarian dish that is healthy and easy to make is a delicious Organic Aubergine Meze.



And here's one he made earlier

Organic Aubergine Meze

- 2 aubergines, chopped in 1 inch squares
- 1 can of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
- 2 red or orange bell peppers (because these colours carry more flavour) roasted, peeled then diced
- One garlic clove, diced
- Small bunch of coriander, chopped
- Salt and black pepper

Roast the aubergines till brown (200C). Lightly oil the skin on the peppers and place them in the hot oven, bake until skin turns brownish. Remove the peppers, place them in the bowl and cover with cling film (this will help to peel the skin), leave to cool. Put chopped tomatoes in the pot (big enough to fit all the rest of the ingredients later), bring them to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add roasted aubergines, peeled and roughly diced peppers, chopped garlic and coriander to the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer the whole lot for a minute or two.

Once cooked, vegetarians can serve with cous cous or artisan bread. Alternatively, they could also go for some blanched broccoli. They can cook the broccoli for two minutes in boiling water, toss it in any type of cold pressed oil and add some seasoning.
Remember to let us know if you make it.  We look forward to seeing all the pictures.

Peace, love and pizza....and vegetarian recipes.

What On Earth.