Author / Stuart Mills

by Stuart Mills

Thatchers Cider becomes the Official Cider Partner of The O2

From February visitors to the world-famous The O2 arena will be able to purchase award-winning ciders from Thatchers for the first time. The news comes as the Somerset cider maker is announced as the Official Cider Partner of The O2 in a deal brokered by AEG Global Partnerships.

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With the iconic entertainment venue recording its strongest ever year for ticket sales in 2023 selling over 2.5 million tickets, Thatchers will be bringing its much-loved range of ciders on a category exclusive arrangement to each of the main arena bars. 

The world’s busiest arena, The O2 will be hosting over 200 shows and concerts in 2024 building on its stellar year in 2023, including performances such as Take That, Girls Aloud, Country to Country, and Michael McIntyre. Its hospitality offering is an integral part of visitor experience.

Thatchers has a range of much loved and best-selling premium cider brands. Available on draught will be its flagship Gold, together with its fruit flavoured Apple & Blackcurrant and Blood Orange ciders.

Thatchers Cider is celebrating its 120-year anniversary in 2024. And with ciders that continue to shake up the market, the family run, independent business has recorded its highest ever share of the cider market in 2023. 1

The British cider maker has added more volume to draught cider than any other producer in the last 12 months, with Thatchers Gold having the highest rate of sale of any draught cider in UK Managed and Free trade outlets. 2

Martin Thatcher, fourth generation cider maker comments, “We’re excited beyond words to be serving our ciders at The O2. This world-famous venue plays host to global acts and events, with fans travelling from across the UK and Europe to enjoy the very best entertainment. It’s therefore fitting that the very best cider is now available in the bars for customers to enjoy, adding to their experience of memorable hospitality at The O2.”

Visitors to The O2 can expect to see the new, iconic, Thatchers Balloon Bar at the venue on selected occasions during the year, as well as out-of-home media and digital activation.

Martin continues, “We share a commitment with The O2 for a greener future, and in particular their values of driving change to make more sustainable choices. We believe that meaningful, sustainable practices, such as using 100% renewable electricity  to make our cider, are part and parcel of being a responsible drinks producer.”  

Laura Dignan, Director, Partnership Sales at AEG Europe says: “Thatchers is one of the UK’s most popular ciders, and with this new partnership we are bringing a world-class cider into a world-class venue. Their new Balloon Bar activation offers another way for people to engage with the brand, playing a role in achieving our shared goal of elevating fans experiences to the best they can be. Thatchers, The O2 and AEG Global Partnerships share common values that we’re certain will make the partnership a success.”

This partnership was forged between Thatchers and AEG Global Partnerships, which oversees sponsorships across AEG’s global portfolio of assets, including The O2, and sits behind some of the most iconic brand partnerships in the entertainment industry.

by Stuart Mills

SHEPHERD NEAME’S SPRING PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION 2024

Independent family brewer and pub company Shepherd Neame is launching the third in its series of popular photographic competitions.

Following the success of its first photography contest in 2022, an Autumn/Winter competition was held last year, and it is today launching one for Spring 2024, with fantastic prizes to be won.

To celebrate its current Charity of the Year partnership with FareShare, which fights hunger and food waste, there will be extra marks available for pictures which incorporate food – spring lambs tucking into some breakfast, blue tits picking berries or maybe a tasty treat for your dog while out on a walk.

One winner will receive the top prize of a £150 Shepherd Neame gift card and there will also be four runners-up, each receiving a £25 gift card.

From almost 100 entries submitted for the last competition, the winning image chosen was a fox at Stodmarsh Nature Reserve near Canterbury, taken by Ollie Boughton from Folkestone, securing him the top prize.

Corporate Communications Manager, Kathryn Tye, said: “We were delighted by the fantastic response to our first two photography competitions, and really enjoyed seeing all the excellent and creative entries. We can’t wait to kick off 2024 with more uplifting images.” 

Capture your perfect spring moment and send it to [email protected] with a couple of lines explaining where the photo was taken and any other background information. If there is a Shepherd Neame link, bonus points may also be awarded!

You can enter up to three images by the closing date of Sunday, March 31.

The winning images will also go on show in Shepherd Neame’s brewery reception in Court Street, Faversham.

To find out about Shepherd Neame’s Charity of the Year partnership with FareShare click here: https://www.shepherdneame.co.uk/news/shepherd-neame-announces-new-charity-year-partner

Visit https://snea.me/Terms for full terms and conditions.

by Stuart Mills

Iconic beachside pub gets a refreshed look and delicious new menu

It’s a coastal icon, set right on Kingsdown beach, and now Shepherd Neame’s Zetland Arms has a fresh new look for a new year. 

The pub has undergone a stylish external redecoration in blue and white tones in keeping with its seaside setting, and has a delicious new menu inspired by its location too.

The changes are all thanks to the arrival of new licensee Chris Hicks six months ago, whose goal has been to make the pub a destination in its own right.

Chris, who, with his wife Alex, also owns The Rose, a hotel, bar and restaurant, and The Blue Pelican, a townhouse with Japanese-inspired dining, both in nearby Deal, wants everyone to feel welcome at the picturesque pub, which looks out on beach huts and lapping waves.

“It is a lovely pub,” he said. “I love the informality of this place. It feels like a pub institution, as everyone knows it, and it is here to serve the community. I feel very strongly about that – I want everyone to feel welcome here.”

He added: “People do come for its location, of course, but I want to make sure that the ambience of the building, and what we have to offer, make it somewhere you want to come, regardless of the view and whatever the weather.”

On top of the full internal refurbishment which he carried out in time for the summer, he now offers a menu throughout the day, beginning with Climpson & Sons coffee, Swedish breakfast buns and sausage rolls, followed by a fish-led menu including mussels with leeks, Kent cider and shallots which has won rave reviews. Other popular main dishes include The Zetland burger, Crown Prince pumpkin gnocchi, sage butter and roasted hazelnuts and beer-battered fish and chips. Customers can also enjoy a range of bar snacks and kids’ meals, and a delicious range of puddings. These include poached pear, fondant and ice cream; dark chocolate mousse, sea salt walnut and maple shortbread and almond tart with preserved orange and lemon curd. 

The informal nature of the pub has been enhanced with the introduction of a piano, which has been used for several recent impromptu singalongs. There are more music events coming up, including a Ceilidh, as well as a monthly pub quiz. 

Chris, who with his team, makes sure the open fire in the bar area is lit at all times during the winter months, added: “Our redecoration hopefully demonstrates our love for the pub, enhancing all its unique features and making it a warm, cosy environment for people to simply drop in for a drink while out on a dog walk or gather as a group for a meal.   

Manager Paul Claydon, who previously ran the Black Douglas coffee house in Deal, and has been friends with Chris for some years, said: “Kingsdown is a beautiful place throughout the year and we wanted to make The Zetland a place people think to come to, even when they’re not necessarily coming to hang on the beach. We have concentrated on the ambience inside and it feels fantastic.”

The menu is available all day, from noon to 8pm. When the weather is warmer, customers can also eat in the newly refurbished enclosed courtyard garden to the rear. There will also be a beach menu offering light bites and snacks for those dining on the many picnic tables at the front of the pub, which boast spectacular sea views. On a clear day, you can even It’s a coastal icon, set right on Kingsdown beach, and now Shepherd Neame’s Zetland Arms has a fresh new look for the new year.

The pub has undergone a stylish external redecoration in blue and white tones in keeping with its seaside setting, and has a delicious new menu inspired by its location too.

by Stuart Mills

NATIONAL PUB & BAR AWARDS 2024 OPEN FOR ENTRY

Entries are now open for the 2024 National Pub & Bar Awards, as the annual event returns to celebrate on-trade champions across the country.

The awards will once again be crowning the best venues within 94 counties across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, showcasing the UK’s finest pubs and bars on a national scale.

Operators can enter venues online at nationalpubandbarawards.co.uk. If you’re a multiple operator, there is no limit to the amount of sites you can enter. 

All of the 94 County Winners, announced at the end of March, will be invited to the National Pub & Bar Awards Grand Final, which will take place in London on Wednesday 26 June.

The closing date for entries is Friday 22 March. Enter online at nationalpubandbarawards.co.uk.