Crowdfund British manufacturing

29/01/2015 by 2 Comments
simonmiddleton

The master of crowd funding. Simon Middleton of Shackleton.

With traditional streams of funding for small businesses and start-ups having all but dried up, entrepreneurs are looking for alternatives to get their projects off the ground. Crowdfunding has become a bit of a business buzz-word, when it comes to raising revenue, but does the concept really work?

The short answer is YES! Where the banks are failing, ‘real’ people are seeing the potential in innovative business ideas and putting their money where their mouths are. The basic premise is that anyone with a business idea, invention or innovation can open a account on one of the many crowd funding websites and then pledge rewards for a certain level of investment. These pledges are usually pre-orders of the product they are trying to fund. If, after a set amount of time the entrepreneur reaches their anticipated level of funding then they receive that amount. However, if they fail to achieve the requested level of funding then they receive nothing. Simple.

A great by-product of Crowdfunding is that is tests a products potential market. However, success is not just down to how great the product is. There is also a great deal of reliance on how well those behind it are able to promote their funding campaign. Arguably this is a pretty good litmus test of a businesses potential to succeed long term.

So what does this mean for British manufacturing? Well, we have had contact with many British manufacturing businesses that have gone down the crowd funding route, some successfully and some not. The masters of crowd funding at the moment seem to be Shacklton who have just completed their 2nd round of money raising. First they succeeded in raising nearly £50,000 bring their British made banjos to market and most recently they raised over£33,000 for their Ernest Shacklton themed clothing label.  Other British manufacturing businesses to benefit from crowd funding include; Michelle Reece of Fire Faerie Designs who raised £4,000 for her handmade jewellery business and Dereks who raised £2,500 in order bring their unique backpack designs to market.

playpress

Playpress are looking for funding now!

One business currently trying to raise funding is Playpress. They have designed a creative play toy they intend on making in the UK. If you want to fund them click here.

For those that have a business idea then crowd funding might just be the route to enable your dreams to become a reality. You are going to have to get out there and do some serious promotion… like anything, nobody is just going to give you the money. And if you want to help some good old entrepreneurship, while also getting your hand of some fantastically innovative products, then take a look through some of the crowdfunding websites and get investing.

Please let us know about your experiences with crowdfunding in the comments below.

Filed Under: British Manufacturing News, Uncategorized

Announcing the British Family Fayre 2015

20/01/2015 by 5 Comments

BTE82QMIgAEgScqIt has been touch and go as to whether we would do the British Family Fayre for another year. Each year the event takes up so much of our family life (and the time of Lincoln West who help us for free).  It is incredibly stressful getting 6o+ manufacturers and farmers from around the country and 1000’s of visitors to congregate in one place for the day. That being said we are doing it again but with some major changes… hopefully for the better.

The British Family Fayre will not be taking place in our home town of Westerham this year. This is the biggest change, and perhaps the saddest. Why is this? Well, let’s just say that there will be certain officials  in the town that will not share our sadness.

However, the historic Chatham Dockyard has come to our rescue and we have negotiated that they host us as part of their Salute the the 1940’s, an event which already attracts over 10,000 people each year. We hope the manufacturers that support us will reach a far wider audience through this platform, while also offering them a few more sales too.

The second change is that the British Family Fayre will now be over 2 days in September. Many of those that have exhibited with us have specifically asked for us to extend the number of days we ran the event over. This will indeed add a new and exiting dimension to the event.

What has not changed is the fact this is still a celebration of UK manufacturing and farming and that the event is still not-for-profit set up entirely to help and promote British industry.

For more information please visit www.britishfamilyfayre.co.uk.

See you in September!

– James & Emily Bradshaw (& the team at Lincoln West)

P.s. I would like to thank Henry Warde, his family and his team at Squerryes for hosting us over the last 2 years. We are forever indebted for their support. Oh!… and please try their Sparkling wine.. it’s rather good!

Filed Under: Activities, Uncategorized

Place egg-based pun here… Creme Egg has changed forever

15/01/2015 by 11 Comments

US food giant Kraft bought British institution Cadbury in a hostile takeover in January 2010 for $11Billion, following much public outcry and various campaigns to save it. Soon after the deal was struck much of the production was moved to Eastern Europe making 400 people redundant despite promises at the time to save British jobs. These actions (by the famed makers of plastic cheese and ‘what the Americans’ call chocolate) delivered a further blow for UK manufacturing and, dare I say, Britain’s economic heritage.

Now there are revelations that the recipe for a long held British favourite has changed forever. Yes, the humble Creme egg is losing it’s Dairy Milk shell in favour of plain old milk chocolate.  There is perhaps a small mercy that the gloop in the middle (whatever that stuff is) is going to remain unchanged.

Of course in the grand scheme of things this small change to the choccy on an overly sweet treat is at best a minor betrayal by the current owners of Cadbury, especially given their history with the brand. However, the Cadbury story does need to serve as a warning of what can happen when a much loved British institution is taken into foreign hands. We cannot rely on those overseas business owners to have any real sympathy with their new employees or the brands place in our collective consciousness.

In the interest of balance, foreign ownership has proven to be beneficial for British brands. Take Tata’s takeover of Jaguar Landrover for instance. A company now employing more people in the UK than ever before and has gone from strength to strength under their control. That being said if other more convenient or economical options rise can we trust them to support Britain?

This post is not supposed to be a rant against foreign ownership of once mighty UK businesses, although it might come across as such. It is more a warning that if we do sell our brands to foreign owners we cannot then expect those owners to operate under the sale same duty of care for us. The profit and loss sheet is likely to lead decisions over community, heritage and  tradition.

Ok, so there is a bit of a leap to suggest that the current Creme Egg-gate is symptomatic of UK brands falling into foreign hands but  I would like to final word to be by a very talented lady that has summed up the thoughts of the nation in song….

Filed Under: British Manufacturing News, Uncategorized

Not Brown and Out… a saucy review

07/01/2015 by 12 Comments

Those that follow our blog know that we are not afraid to tackle the BIG issues. For our first blog of the year we are going to be talking sauce! Not just any sauce, but the brown variety.

Today the papers have announced that sales of brown sauce are taking a dramatic decline (about 19%). For over 100 years the unlikely mix of dates, tamarind and vinegar has graced the tables of greasy spoons across the nation. Although, it has never managed to take off anywhere else in the world.

HP, perhaps the nations favourite, sauce was created in 1895 by Nottingham grocer Frederick Gibson Garton, who claimed it was being served at the Houses of Parliament. However, the recipe has far more ancient roots dating back to the Romans when it was served as an accompaniment to oysters.

Neither HP nor their nearest rival Daddies Sauce are produced in the UK any longer. Both now being imported from Holland. If you are, like us, a lover of a dollop of Brown sauce on your bacon sarnie then you may be glad to hear that there are British made brands which are far superior. We have tried some of them, so here are our findings:

f6ce197bf01798f69317968860d0b4b9.image.276x240Great British Sauce: Proper Brown 
GB sauce are firm favourites with not just because the launched at the British Family Fayre 2013 but because everything in their increasing range of sauces is FANTASTIC, and their brown sauce is no exception. Subtly spiced and with a very natural flavour they use only the very best ingredients… and it shows. They are quickly winning over foodie fans across the nation.

They are currently stocked in Sainsburys and a 330g bottle will set you back £2.00.

brown-sauce

Stokes: Brown Sauce
Some people love Stokes sauces but I personally struggle with a weird ‘plasticity’ that exists across all of their range, including the chutneys. It is hard to describe but I am simply not a big fan.  Their brown sauce suffers worst of all from this odd ‘mouth feel’, in my opinion. I would love to be more positive, and would love to hear your differing opinions, but I just do not like it.

That being said Stokes sauces are really popular and very widely stocked. A 320g bottle of Stokes brown is priced £3.10.

forces saucesForces Sauces: Brigadier Brown
The major USP for this sauce is that fact that it supports those that have formally served in the British Armed Forces with their profits.  A truly great cause. However, what is the sauce like? Well, pretty darn good actually. The one thing I would say about this sauce is that it is really spicy! This is great on occasion but sometimes it is a little too much for me. If you like a fiery sauce then this is the one to get.

We bought ours from Waitrose but I know that other supermarkets also stock it. At £3.80 for a 500ml bottle it is rather expensive too.

 

 108Wilkin & Sons: ‘Tiptree’ Brown Sauce
The Tiptree Brown sauce is sweeter than the others on this list and sweeter even than HP. That being said it is still a really great sauce that has a very natural flavour. One more thing is that the Tiptree comes out a little thinner than I like personally but that does not stop it being a regular on our breakfast table.

Wilkin & Sons stock in various supermarkets including Waitrose and costs £2.00 for 310g.

 

There, you have it. A quick review of just some of the Brown sauces still made in the UK. If you have tried any others please do let us know in the comments section below.

– James

Filed Under: Reviews

Christmas Crackers. Handmade V British made

20/12/2014 by Leave a Comment

Cracker sweatshop… I mean production line!

Before I begin this post, if you bought The Telegraph today you might have notice a rather substantial article about our efforts for a handmade Christmas. You can find an image here>>>

Back to the blog….

The snap of Christmas crackers is the signal, in households across the land, that your festive feast has begun. Out come the fragile tissue paper hats, some of the corniest jokes known to man and the obligatory pair of nail clippers. The festivities would not be the same without them. Our efforts to hand make our Christmas this year simply had to include the crackers. In fact they are surprisingly easy to make and actually a lot of fun for the whole family. But be warned – you need plenty of time!

Your basic cracker is made using a single sheet of A4 card. This card is then cut using a template (which you can find here) using a sharp craft knife. The cutting out really is the time consuming bit as it is so fiddly. You simply fold the cracker body into the correct shape and fill with your treats.

2 of the 8 crackers we made

With our internals we remained as traditional as we could. I made some tissue paper hats, wrote some cheesy jokes (provided by our Twitter followers), added charades for some after dinner amusements and I made personalised leather key rings for our prizes. The only thing missing is the snap. I will advise our guests that they must produce their own manual bang as they pull them.

Decorating the crackers was a real family event. Lots of glue and glitter got us all feeling really Christmassy. I really do recommend that you give making crackers a try.

Because we had all of the supplies already this addition to Christmas cost us absolutely nothing.

The British made Cracker

We know that not everyone will have the patience for this but you will be relieved to find our that you can still buy British made crackers. Simply Crackers are based in Nottingham and produce a wide range of crackers for every occasion. They even have a bespoke service and sell their own cracker kits.

Simply Crackers can be found here>>>

– James

 

 

 

Filed Under: Handmade Christmas 2014, Uncategorized

Find your local turkey farm with this simple tool!

15/12/2014 by Leave a Comment

turkey.gifWe know it is important to buy local, especially at Christmas, but it is often hard to locate suppliers. If you have yet to order your turkey then perhaps you could use the handy tool provided by the NFU to help you find your nearest turkey farm and buy direct.

Find your local turkey farm here>>>

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

The British Family Christmas Gift Guide 2014

15/12/2014 by Leave a Comment

Our Christmas Gift Guide last year was really popular and we are now being constantly pestered to provide offer our guide for 2014. With just 2 weeks lest until to big day here are some suggestions for British made gifts your family will love you for!

City-of-Zombies-Box-Front21City of Zombies

Voted by the Independent as one of the best educational toys for Christmas 2014 City of Zombies is a board game for ages 5 and up. These guys came to our British Family Fayre this year and the never before have I seen kids so engaged in maths.

Available online £29.99 here>>>  

 

Maypole-original-side-SMALL-425x425

Sockmine Roys Boys

Socks are a dads festive favourite  and there is no excuse to not buy British. The Roys Boys range of socks from Sockmine are subtly mismatched and available in a rainbow of colours.

Available online from £8.00 here>>>

 

 

CARBONCANS-BLK_GLD-45-500x500Angle & Curve Carboncans Headphones

We love British made electronics and this latest offering from Angle & Curve is no exception. These fabulously designed headphones are a winner for the music aficionado in your life.

Available online priced £119.99 here>>>

 

 

EDITION-SCOTLAND-TARTAN-BLK1_largeEdition Scotland Tartan Scarf

Edition Scotland make their scarves  from the softest Scottish spun cashmere, knitted and hand finished in the Scottish Borders. Perfect for keeping Grandad warm this winter!

Available online priced from £159.00 here>>>

 

 

katie-jane-scented-candle-tumbler-glass-signature-range-98-p[ekm]160x90[ekm]Katie Jane Scented Candles

Hand made just down the road from us in Kent these scented candles are sure to be a hit with Mum this Christmas. Available in a range of scents to suit any mood.

Available online priced from £15.00 here>>> 

174b9bf5bf68e9735f4aba1688083d56Twinkle Bespoke Play Tent

Creative play is hugely important to small children and these play tents would be a great gift for any small child… but the best bit…. they can be totally personalised!

Available online priced from £100.00 here>>>

 

 

IMG_6822_mediumMolly and Monty Baby Grow

Looking for a gift for a new born this Christmas then look no further. Molly and Monty produce a great range of British made baby clothes.

Available online priced from £13.00 here>>>

 

 

141jr_purple_black_purple-2_custom_largeEttinger Stirling Wallet

This British bank note inspired wallet is a real touch of luxury for someone that has been a very good boy this year. And by owning this they will be in very good company. Ettinger supply to Prince Charles himself no less.

Available online priced £194.00 here>>>

 

 

3CpAnPAJV2WWCxMVokt6HrnDZ9cFire Faerie Necklace

Fire Faerie Designs produce a vast range of glass jewellery all handmade in Norwich.  If you are stuck for a gift idea for the mother-in-law then you cannot go wrong here.

Item show is available online priced £55.00 here>>>

 

 

rainbow-30L-trug-riddleRainbow Trugs Rainbow Riddle

As the name suggests these garden riddles come in as many colours as you can imagine. Made from durable plastic this is a British made trug that converts to a garden riddle. A great gift for those that are green fingered.

Available online from £24.99 here>>> 

 

 

2-505-cake-monster-game-1432-standardOrchard Toys Cake Monster Game

Orchard toys are an annual festive favourite in our house. This Cake Monster game combines education and fun perfectly and Lucan loves it.

Available online priced £9.50 here>>>

 

 

If you have suggestions for great British made gifts please comment below.

– Emily

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Home Made Christmas Smoked Salmon

08/12/2014 by 2 Comments

Smoked salmon is now a festive favourite, especially if it is home-smoked. Many people are scared of having a go at smoking at home but it is actually far easier that you would imagine.

Mrs B recently bought a whole side of British farmed salmon from Waitrose for the bargain price of £12. Over the course of this weekend it was cured and passed through my homemade moker (a metal bin). The result is, I think, my best attempt at smoked salmon yet. However, best of all it has taken a £12 side of salmon and turned it into a £60 side of smoked salmon ready to accompany cream cheese and MrsB’s home made bagels on Christmas morning.

I have posted about the smoking process before on our blog (here) so will not go into that again but I do recommend that you give it a go! But, if you do want to buy some of the best smoked fish try some that has been smoked using the traditional method.

The roots of traditional fish smoking in the UK stretch back into pre-histrory when it was a method essential to the preservation of fish as much as a means of adding flavour. The oldest smokehouses currently operating in the UK were built over 200 years ago and, thankfully, many now enjoy listed building protection today. Ensuring their continued preservation, if not their operation. Traditional Smoking requires a purpose built building in which sawdust is slowly burnt. The skill in operating a traditional smokehouse is in controlling the temperature, flow of smoke and rate of burn of the sawdust at the bottom of the smokehouse.

fish3Mechanical -v- traditional smoking

The majority of smoked fish you will see in the supermarkets will be mechanically produced. Indeed, there is nothing inherently wrong with this method but some would say that the best smoked fish is still produced the old fashioned way. Mechanical smoking kilns were developed in the early part of the 19th century as a means of producing a more efficient smoke. Mechanical kilns are merely electrically heated and  utilises a much smaller amount of smoke in their process. Traditional smokehouses use vast billowing rooms full of smoke and develop a natural tar to the actual walls of the building. This tar will have been been built up over centuries and actually adds to the flavour of the final product. Indeed, I have used my homemade smoker for about 4 years and it too has developed a layer of tar which, I have noticed, has make the intensity of the things I have produced far stronger.

Where to buy Traditional Smoked Fish

Most  traditional smokehouses are now located in Grimsby. In fact Grimsby Traditional Smoked Cod and Haddock are now protected by a PGI (Protected Geographical Indicator) meaning only fish cured in the traditional process can be called Grimsby Traditional Smoked Fish.

To find your local Traditional Smokehouse see the maps below:

– James

 

Filed Under: Recipes, Uncategorized

A tour of McLaren factory with Lucas Pro Tools

02/12/2014 by 6 Comments

mclarenThanks to Lucas Pro Tools I had the very rare opportunity to have a VIP tour of the McLaren factory and see first hand what it takes to build some of the countries most iconic vehicles. The event was held to introduce Lucas’s entry in to the British made tool market with their launch of a brand new paint Brush. I was generously given a sample at the event so will write a review post on the merits of this £60 paint brush very shortly.

What strikes you as the round the corner towards the main entrance of the McLaren factory is the stunning beauty of the building itself. The Norman Foster designed building is truly breath taking. Externally it bears a passingly likeness to the ancient Chinese yin-yang symbol inscribed, unexpectedly, in the Surrey landscape. Inside it is utterly unlike any preconceived ideas I had of an automotive factory. No sparks fly from mono-armed robots (in fact there are not robots at all) and no grease blackened machinery line the the factory floor. It is actually more reminiscent of a NASA facility or science lab than a factory at all. The steel and glass internals interspersed with long gloss white corridors are ultra-modern and strangely calming. The only hint that I was in a car factory at all was a slight smell of hot greased steel in certain areas of the building.

We started our tour with the trophy cabinet. By all accounts the largest single collection of trophies in the world line a wide corridor, prominently placed so that staff have to pass it each day to reach the dinning hall. The trophies, from the 1930’s onwards, mark some of motor racings greatest achievements. Underneath the rows and rows of cabinets are just a small selection of some of the most recent F1 cars responsible for adding to their collection of silverware. I am not a huge F1 aficionado but even I could not help but be impressed by the quality and beauty of these engineering masterpieces. Each one subtlety different. Advancing and improving year on year. Seeing the cars lined up in date order was like seeing the direct evolution of motor racing over the last 40 years. To my eye the most visually appealing cars were from the mid to late 80’s but I am sure that is a matter of personal preference.

The-roof-of-the-McLaren-Production-Centre-collects-rainwater-and-is-designed-to-integrate-photovoltaic-panels-in-the-futureNext we moved on to the factory floor itself. Here I was able to see the current production lines of the limited edition P1 (costing upwards of £800,000) and the comparatively modest  650s (starting from £300,000). Each vehicle is designed and spec’ed to the owners specification. This is evidenced by the sheer number of colours the cars on the production line display. By all accounts the most popular colour being orange.

The tour continued now to the F1 development pods. Even at 6-7pm there were still small numbers of people working away. One team dismantling gear box and another working on getting a vintage car driven by Senna back in working order after over 10 years of inactivity. These guys are working with engineering of such high tolerance that even holding certain parts on your hand for too long can mean that they heated to the point that they no longer fit. This really is precision engineering at the cutting edge of technology.

My tour concluded with a look at some of the oldest vehicles in the collection. Further evidence of how far F1 motor racing and McLaren themselves have pushed automotive technology.

celineterry_1399023242_140I am very thankful to Lucas Pro Tools for the opportunity to see this example British manufacturing, British engineering, British design and British architecture at it’s very best. A real privilege.

– James

 

Here is a quick video about the event… for once I managed to avoid the camera! 😉

Filed Under: Uncategorized

International buyers choose to Buy British online

25/11/2014 by 7 Comments

chartNew research recently conducted by PayPal suggests that buying British is becoming an international obsession. According to the survey of 17,500 adults across 22 markets, the UK is the third most popular destination for online shoppers globally. The most popular territory for online shoppers is the US, followed by China.

China also seems to be fuelling much of the international transactions with the most popular items being clothing and beauty products. 45% of Chinese consumers have bought clothing, footwear or accessories from an international shop in the last 12 months. 38% have bought cosmetics or beauty products, and 31pc have purchased consumer electronics, including mobile phones, computers and tablets from international sellers.

It would seem sound advice for more UK firms, especially those in the fashion and beauty industries, to take advantage of China’s buying power.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized
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