Call Centres - Always a topic for hot debate here in the UK with so many large high st names outsourcing their call centre operations overseas.
Some companies make a big feature of their 'UK call centres' in marketing.
Here at Fabulous Photo Gifts, we try to get the calls before the office answer machine cuts in but if you do get a 'leave a message' then please do just that.
If we haven't answered, its usually because we're in the workshop - busy as elves!
One of our good friends sent this little selection of other call centre bloopers - we've hidden the names of the companies to protect the innocent.... (however none of them are ours!!)...
Customer: 'I've been ringing 0800 2100 for two days and can't get through to enquiries, can you help?'.
Operator: 'Where did you get that number from, sir?'.
Customer: 'It was on the door to the Travel Centre'.
Operator: 'Sir, they are our opening hours'.
................................................
Caller: 'Can you give me the telephone number for Jack?'
Operator: 'I'm sorry, sir, I don't understand who you are talking about'.
Caller: 'On page 1, section 5, of the user guide it clearly states that I need to unplug the fax machine from the AC wall socket and telephone Jack before cleaning. Now, can you give me the number for Jack?'
Operator: 'I think you mean the telephone point on the wall'.
...............................................
Caller: 'Does your European Breakdown Policy cover me when I am travelling in Australia?'
Operator: ' Doesn't the product name give you a clue?'
...............................................
Caller (enquiring about legal requirements while travelling in France):
'If I register my car in France, do I have to change the steering wheel to the other side of the car?'
...............................................
Caller: 'I'd like the number of the Argoed Fish Bar in Cardiff please'.
Operator: 'I'm sorry, there's no listing. Is the spelling correct?'
Caller: 'Well, it used to be called the Bargoed Fish Bar but the 'B' fell off'.
...............................................
Then there was the caller who asked for a knitwear company in Woven.
Operator: 'Woven? Are you sure?'
Caller: 'Yes. That's what it says on the label; Woven in Scotland '.
...............................................
On another occasion, a man making heavy breathing sounds from a phone box told a worried operator:
'I haven't got a pen, so I'm steaming up the window to write the number on'.
...............................................
If you do want our contact details - click here.
A little flavour of what's in store...
Gifts & Giveaways
Fine chocolate offers and vouchers....latest offer
Blogging tutorials
Easy tips to make your blog, twitter or tumblr accounts look good....see example
Social networking tips
Published articles by me on networking and social tools....see example
Art & Photography
Licenced images by Mandy Collins....read more
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
February's customer feedback welcomed
When you keep earning such high praise from your customers and many of them come back for more, you know you're doing something right.
So it's especially pleasing to be able to highlight just a few of the glowing customer reviews of our photo gift service from orders delivered during February...
"My order was delivered yesterday and I am very happy with it.
Many Thanks - L."
"Just a quick email to say Thank you for sending us the second Cup which you had printed by mistake.
My wife loved the cup as part of her birthday present off our 2 year old daughter, but to have a second one enabled me to have a new cup at work with my daughter on!
It was a very nice jester by yourselves and I will recommend your company to anybody looking to have gifts made in this fashion.
Thank you very much. Kind Regards - JC"
"Thanks very much for the quick service. The jigsaw was much appreciated by
the recipient - K"
"Wow - the mats just arrived and they are indeed fabulous! Thank you so much. So fast and such a good result too. The tray has just arrived and done the circuit of the office and everybody is asking for your website details. I think you
may be about to be swamped with tray orders! - D."
Thank you to all our customers that took the time to write to us and express their delight at receiving their orders. (quite un-bidden we might add!).
If you'd like your next personalised photo gift order to be hand printed and optimised by experts in digital manipulation where care and attention to detail is everything, then isn't it time you used Fabulous Photo Gifts? - just like our customers above did and probably will do so again in the future.
So it's especially pleasing to be able to highlight just a few of the glowing customer reviews of our photo gift service from orders delivered during February...
"My order was delivered yesterday and I am very happy with it.
Many Thanks - L."
"Just a quick email to say Thank you for sending us the second Cup which you had printed by mistake.
My wife loved the cup as part of her birthday present off our 2 year old daughter, but to have a second one enabled me to have a new cup at work with my daughter on!
It was a very nice jester by yourselves and I will recommend your company to anybody looking to have gifts made in this fashion.
Thank you very much. Kind Regards - JC"
"Thanks very much for the quick service. The jigsaw was much appreciated by
the recipient - K"
"Wow - the mats just arrived and they are indeed fabulous! Thank you so much. So fast and such a good result too. The tray has just arrived and done the circuit of the office and everybody is asking for your website details. I think you
may be about to be swamped with tray orders! - D."
Thank you to all our customers that took the time to write to us and express their delight at receiving their orders. (quite un-bidden we might add!).
If you'd like your next personalised photo gift order to be hand printed and optimised by experts in digital manipulation where care and attention to detail is everything, then isn't it time you used Fabulous Photo Gifts? - just like our customers above did and probably will do so again in the future.
Monday, February 18, 2008
The things kids say
Kids! They look great on our range of photo gifts but can they drop you in it when they open their mouths! Luckily, when you or the grandparents are showing off the little (or large) angels, their thankfully only smiling (usually) and not talking.....
1. A nursery school pupil told his teacher he'd found a cat, but it
was dead.
'How do you know that the cat was dead?' she asked her pupil.
'Because I pissed in its ear and it didn't move,' answered the child
innocently.
'You did WHAT?' the teacher exclaimed in surprise.
'You know,' explained the boy, 'I leaned over and went 'Pssst' and it
didn't move'
2. A small boy is sent to bed by his father.
Five minutes later.....'Da-ad....'
'What?'
'I'm thirsty. Can you bring a drink of water?'
'No, You had your chance. Lights out.'
Five minutes later: 'Da-aaaad.....'
'WHAT?'
'I'm THIRSTY. Can I have a drink of water??'
' I told you NO! If you ask again, I'll have to smack you!!'
Five minutes later......'Daaaa-aaaad.....'
'WHAT!'
'When you come in to smack me, can you bring a drink of water?'
3. An exasperated mother, whose son was always getting into mischief,
finally asked him 'How do you expect to get into Heaven?'
The boy thought it over and said, 'Well, I'll run in and out and in
and out and keep slamming the door until St. Peter says, 'For Heaven's
sake, Dylan, come in or stay out!''
4. One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm a mother was
tucking her son into bed. She was about to turn off the light when he
asked with a tremor in his voice, 'Mummy, will you sleep with me
tonight?'
The mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug.
'I can't dear,' she said. 'I have to sleep in Daddy's room.'
A long silence was broken at last by his shaky little voice:
'The big sissy.'
5. It was that time, during the Sunday morning service, for the
children's sermon.
All the children were invited to come forward.
One little girl was wearing a particularly pretty dress and, as she sat
down, the minister leaned over and said, 'That is a very pretty dress.
Is it your Easter Dress?'
The little girl replied, directly into the minister's clip-on
microphone, 'Yes, and my Mum says it's a bitch to iron.'
6. When I was six months pregnant with my third child, my three year
old came into the room when I was just getting ready to get into the
shower.
She said, 'Mummy, you are getting fat!'
I replied, 'Yes, honey, remember Mummy has a baby growing in her
tummy.'
'I know,' she replied, but what's growing in your bum?'
7. A little boy was doing his math homework.
He said to himself, 'Two plus five, that son of a bitch is seven.
Three plus six, that son of a bitch is nine....'
His mother heard what he was saying and gasped, 'What are you doing?'
The little boy answered, 'I'm doing my math homework, Mum.'
'And this is how your teacher taught you to do it?' the mother asked
'Yes,' he answered.
Infuriated, the mother asked the teacher the next day, 'What are you
teaching my son in math?'
The teacher replied, 'Right now, we are learning addition.'
The mother asked, 'And are you teaching them to say two plus two, that
son of a bitch is four?'
After the teacher stopped laughing, she answered, 'What I taught them
was, two plus two, THE SUM OF WHICH, is four.'
8. One day the first grade teacher was reading the story of Chicken
Little to her class. She came to the part of the story where Chicken
Little tried to warn the farmer. She read, '.... and so Chicken Little
went up to the farmer and said, 'The sky is falling, the sky is
falling!'
The teacher paused then asked the class, 'And what do you think that
farmer said?'
One little girl raised her hand and said, 'I think he said:
'Holy Shit! A talking chicken!''
The teacher was unable to teach for the next 10 minutes.
9. A certain little girl, when asked her name, would reply, I'm Mr.
Sugarbrown's daughter.'
Her mother told her this was wrong, she must say, 'I'm Jane
Sugarbrown.'
The Vicar spoke to her in Sunday School, and said, 'Aren't you Mr.
Sugarbrown's daughter?'
She replied, 'I thought I was, but mother says I'm not.'
10. A little girl asked her mother, 'Can I go outside and play
with the boys?'
Her mother replied, 'No, you can't play with the boys, they're
too rough.'
The little girl thought about it for a few moments and asked,
If I can find a smooth one, can I play with him?'
So you have been warned! And if your children have put their foot in it and dropped you in it even deeper, then a small token of apology in the shape of a personalised photo gift is sure to put a smile back on the faces of those affected very quickly indeed!
Click here to get yourself out of trouble now and get your personalised photo gift order underway.
1. A nursery school pupil told his teacher he'd found a cat, but it
was dead.
'How do you know that the cat was dead?' she asked her pupil.
'Because I pissed in its ear and it didn't move,' answered the child
innocently.
'You did WHAT?' the teacher exclaimed in surprise.
'You know,' explained the boy, 'I leaned over and went 'Pssst' and it
didn't move'
2. A small boy is sent to bed by his father.
Five minutes later.....'Da-ad....'
'What?'
'I'm thirsty. Can you bring a drink of water?'
'No, You had your chance. Lights out.'
Five minutes later: 'Da-aaaad.....'
'WHAT?'
'I'm THIRSTY. Can I have a drink of water??'
' I told you NO! If you ask again, I'll have to smack you!!'
Five minutes later......'Daaaa-aaaad.....'
'WHAT!'
'When you come in to smack me, can you bring a drink of water?'
3. An exasperated mother, whose son was always getting into mischief,
finally asked him 'How do you expect to get into Heaven?'
The boy thought it over and said, 'Well, I'll run in and out and in
and out and keep slamming the door until St. Peter says, 'For Heaven's
sake, Dylan, come in or stay out!''
4. One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm a mother was
tucking her son into bed. She was about to turn off the light when he
asked with a tremor in his voice, 'Mummy, will you sleep with me
tonight?'
The mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug.
'I can't dear,' she said. 'I have to sleep in Daddy's room.'
A long silence was broken at last by his shaky little voice:
'The big sissy.'
5. It was that time, during the Sunday morning service, for the
children's sermon.
All the children were invited to come forward.
One little girl was wearing a particularly pretty dress and, as she sat
down, the minister leaned over and said, 'That is a very pretty dress.
Is it your Easter Dress?'
The little girl replied, directly into the minister's clip-on
microphone, 'Yes, and my Mum says it's a bitch to iron.'
6. When I was six months pregnant with my third child, my three year
old came into the room when I was just getting ready to get into the
shower.
She said, 'Mummy, you are getting fat!'
I replied, 'Yes, honey, remember Mummy has a baby growing in her
tummy.'
'I know,' she replied, but what's growing in your bum?'
7. A little boy was doing his math homework.
He said to himself, 'Two plus five, that son of a bitch is seven.
Three plus six, that son of a bitch is nine....'
His mother heard what he was saying and gasped, 'What are you doing?'
The little boy answered, 'I'm doing my math homework, Mum.'
'And this is how your teacher taught you to do it?' the mother asked
'Yes,' he answered.
Infuriated, the mother asked the teacher the next day, 'What are you
teaching my son in math?'
The teacher replied, 'Right now, we are learning addition.'
The mother asked, 'And are you teaching them to say two plus two, that
son of a bitch is four?'
After the teacher stopped laughing, she answered, 'What I taught them
was, two plus two, THE SUM OF WHICH, is four.'
8. One day the first grade teacher was reading the story of Chicken
Little to her class. She came to the part of the story where Chicken
Little tried to warn the farmer. She read, '.... and so Chicken Little
went up to the farmer and said, 'The sky is falling, the sky is
falling!'
The teacher paused then asked the class, 'And what do you think that
farmer said?'
One little girl raised her hand and said, 'I think he said:
'Holy Shit! A talking chicken!''
The teacher was unable to teach for the next 10 minutes.
9. A certain little girl, when asked her name, would reply, I'm Mr.
Sugarbrown's daughter.'
Her mother told her this was wrong, she must say, 'I'm Jane
Sugarbrown.'
The Vicar spoke to her in Sunday School, and said, 'Aren't you Mr.
Sugarbrown's daughter?'
She replied, 'I thought I was, but mother says I'm not.'
10. A little girl asked her mother, 'Can I go outside and play
with the boys?'
Her mother replied, 'No, you can't play with the boys, they're
too rough.'
The little girl thought about it for a few moments and asked,
If I can find a smooth one, can I play with him?'
So you have been warned! And if your children have put their foot in it and dropped you in it even deeper, then a small token of apology in the shape of a personalised photo gift is sure to put a smile back on the faces of those affected very quickly indeed!
Click here to get yourself out of trouble now and get your personalised photo gift order underway.
Real Cash in the Attic with a loft conversion
Loft conversions - Convert your loft into a usable room - perhaps a spare bedroom with ensuite, perhaps a playroom for the kids, perhaps a home cinema room? whatever you decide, one of the things that's probably put you off is the fact that many modern homes are built with trussed rafters.
Recently when I was putting the xmas decorations away for another year, when i pushed open the loft hatch, i remember thinking 'there's no way you could convert the loft with all those trusses criss-crossing the loft space like a load of emlarged timber W's'.
They support the roof differently to a conventional roof where large beams on pillars support the weight.
This used to spell the end of a loft conversion but not anymore. New methods mean you can now safely have a trussed loft converted into a fully usable room.
This is just one of the features of a new online home improvement quote website I came across that offers instant online loft conversion quotes.
You type in your house dimensions, select the shape and style of the present loft - trussed or conventional and it will give you a 'ball park figure' for how much it will cost to convert your loft without a saleman having to call.
It's a great online service and if you're looking into the possibility of getting your loft converted, then it's a great place to start.
Click here to visit the loft space quoter now and try it for yourself.
Recently when I was putting the xmas decorations away for another year, when i pushed open the loft hatch, i remember thinking 'there's no way you could convert the loft with all those trusses criss-crossing the loft space like a load of emlarged timber W's'.
They support the roof differently to a conventional roof where large beams on pillars support the weight.
This used to spell the end of a loft conversion but not anymore. New methods mean you can now safely have a trussed loft converted into a fully usable room.
This is just one of the features of a new online home improvement quote website I came across that offers instant online loft conversion quotes.
You type in your house dimensions, select the shape and style of the present loft - trussed or conventional and it will give you a 'ball park figure' for how much it will cost to convert your loft without a saleman having to call.
It's a great online service and if you're looking into the possibility of getting your loft converted, then it's a great place to start.
Click here to visit the loft space quoter now and try it for yourself.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Just In Time for Mother's Day
Phew! and just in time for Mother's Day, Fabulous Photo Gifts have just added two brand new photo gift ideas that you can personalise with your own photographs online.
Firstly, say hello to our cute n' cuddly Teddy Bear who wears a personalised photo T-Shirt.
This fluffy little chap measures 25cm tall and the printed t-shirt is removable!
Sure to be a big hit with the kids, but we all have a soft spot for Teddy don't we?
Secondly, a little photo gift idea for those of you who like a tipple.
Our fabulous Bottle T-Shirts can be personalised with your photo and fit all standard wine bottles. A perfect idea and at £4.99 an great way to dress a bottle for someone.
What's more, they also come with a FREE little suction cup hanger so that once the bottle's empty, you can hang the t-shirt on any smooth surface / car window etc. It's not very often you get two gifts for the price of none - especially under a fiver!
If you've not visited Fabulous Photo Gifts in a while, then now's the perfect time to start getting all those gift giving occasions throughout the year sorted in one quick, easy online session.
Firstly, say hello to our cute n' cuddly Teddy Bear who wears a personalised photo T-Shirt.
This fluffy little chap measures 25cm tall and the printed t-shirt is removable!
Sure to be a big hit with the kids, but we all have a soft spot for Teddy don't we?
Secondly, a little photo gift idea for those of you who like a tipple.
Our fabulous Bottle T-Shirts can be personalised with your photo and fit all standard wine bottles. A perfect idea and at £4.99 an great way to dress a bottle for someone.
What's more, they also come with a FREE little suction cup hanger so that once the bottle's empty, you can hang the t-shirt on any smooth surface / car window etc. It's not very often you get two gifts for the price of none - especially under a fiver!
If you've not visited Fabulous Photo Gifts in a while, then now's the perfect time to start getting all those gift giving occasions throughout the year sorted in one quick, easy online session.
Fabulous Photo Gifts local community competition
As regular readers will know, the Fabulous Photo Gifts webmaster is also responsible for another online creation - All Things Local - our local community magazine.
As part of our continuing commitment to that local community, we are also running a small competition in Issue 5 (currently being distributed and online to read and view now).
Our 'Fabulous' competion will give one lucky reader the chance to win a pair of personalised photo mugs.
To read more, click here to view the current issue (5) page we appear on:
http://www.allthingslocal.co.uk/images/issue5/page04.pdf
Full page files are in PDF format.
As part of our continuing commitment to that local community, we are also running a small competition in Issue 5 (currently being distributed and online to read and view now).
Our 'Fabulous' competion will give one lucky reader the chance to win a pair of personalised photo mugs.
To read more, click here to view the current issue (5) page we appear on:
http://www.allthingslocal.co.uk/images/issue5/page04.pdf
Full page files are in PDF format.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Digital SLR Photography Magazine review of Fabulous Photo Gifts
The following excert is taken from Digital SLR Photography – Review – March 2008 edition:
Home Improvements
Transform your home by having your favourite images made into unique photo gifts and make them the talking point of your home!
You've taken lots of pictures that your proud of, including a few prized moments you've shown off to friends and family. The jewel in the crown is now transforming them into something a little more different – a photo gift that has that truly personal touch.
Don't let your photos stagnate, unseen on your hard disk! Whether you're looking for a special photo gift for Mother's Day, Father's Day, a birthday or anniversary, this month's Home Improvements may well provide the inspiration that you're looking for!
What Digital SLR Photography had to say about Fabulous Photo Gifts:
Fabulous Photo Gifts
Contact: 0845 003 4118
www.fabulousphotogifts.co.uk
Prices: Jigsaw: From £7.99 (15 pieces) to £47.99 (2000 pieces)
Chopping board: £16.99
Post and packing: £1.49
Turnaround time: 5-7 working days
Comments: Both the jigsaw (30 piece wooden) and the chopping board (rectangular) were made from good quality materials and the print quality is excellent. The jigsaw is thick and the pieces well cut. The chopping block is made from shatter-proof glass with rubber feet for grip.
Verdict: Fun gifts that are well priced and good quality too.:
To read more customer reviews, click here.
Home Improvements
Transform your home by having your favourite images made into unique photo gifts and make them the talking point of your home!
You've taken lots of pictures that your proud of, including a few prized moments you've shown off to friends and family. The jewel in the crown is now transforming them into something a little more different – a photo gift that has that truly personal touch.
Don't let your photos stagnate, unseen on your hard disk! Whether you're looking for a special photo gift for Mother's Day, Father's Day, a birthday or anniversary, this month's Home Improvements may well provide the inspiration that you're looking for!
What Digital SLR Photography had to say about Fabulous Photo Gifts:
Fabulous Photo Gifts
Contact: 0845 003 4118
www.fabulousphotogifts.co.uk
Prices: Jigsaw: From £7.99 (15 pieces) to £47.99 (2000 pieces)
Chopping board: £16.99
Post and packing: £1.49
Turnaround time: 5-7 working days
Comments: Both the jigsaw (30 piece wooden) and the chopping board (rectangular) were made from good quality materials and the print quality is excellent. The jigsaw is thick and the pieces well cut. The chopping block is made from shatter-proof glass with rubber feet for grip.
Verdict: Fun gifts that are well priced and good quality too.:
To read more customer reviews, click here.
Friday, February 08, 2008
New advert will appeal to business community
Fabulous Photo Gifts is very pleased to announce that we have joined forces with respected business publication - Midlands Careers and Business Mail - and now feature in their PR and Marketing section.
As our Photo Gift business expands, we are attracting more enquiries and orders from businesses who see the potential of using personalised jigsaws and other gift ideas as part of a marketing campaign, brand awareness or promotional use.
In particular, our personalised placemats and coasters are very appealing to the hotel, restaurant and cafe trades, with our great bulk prices on small repeat amounts.
We also work closely with several professional photographers who were keen to expand their range of products without the set up costs of producing such items themselves.
They're also reassured by Mandy's (proprietor of Fabulous Photo Gifts) credentials as an award winning digital photographer in her own right and the hand printing of every photo gift.
Please contact us for more information if you would like to explore the possibility of using personalised photo gifts in your next campaign or want to find out more about our professional photographer rates.
As our Photo Gift business expands, we are attracting more enquiries and orders from businesses who see the potential of using personalised jigsaws and other gift ideas as part of a marketing campaign, brand awareness or promotional use.
In particular, our personalised placemats and coasters are very appealing to the hotel, restaurant and cafe trades, with our great bulk prices on small repeat amounts.
We also work closely with several professional photographers who were keen to expand their range of products without the set up costs of producing such items themselves.
They're also reassured by Mandy's (proprietor of Fabulous Photo Gifts) credentials as an award winning digital photographer in her own right and the hand printing of every photo gift.
Please contact us for more information if you would like to explore the possibility of using personalised photo gifts in your next campaign or want to find out more about our professional photographer rates.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Personalised Glass Wall Clocks now available
Our new photo gift Glass Wall Clocks have just gone live on the photo gift shop page at Fabulous Photo Gifts (.co.uk).Measuring 31cm in diameter and featuring a textured glass face that gives a shimmering appearance to your photograph (which is printed on the under-side of the clock face).
The glass is safety toughened too and comes complete and ready to hang on the wall (fixings and 1 AA battery not included).
Competitively priced, our fantastic wall clocks are also available to buy from our bulk price lists for 1off, 10+ and 50+ price breaks.
The personalised photo gift Glass Wall Clock - another great photo gift idea from those very nice people at Fabulous Photo Gifts.
Click here to read more about our new Glass Wall Clocks and to order online. Normal delivery is just 5 to 7 days.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Pancake Day arrives... and guess what?
Pancake Day arrives... and guess what?Yep! It's that time of year when kitchens will look like combat zones as parents struggle to keep up with the demands for more pancakes – where do kids put them????
Anyway, this year, Mandy pulled a master stroke. As well as having my two children for tea (great) and other friends round (possibly) she's managed to get out of pancake duty by taking eldest daughter to NEC for the day to visit the craft and artists spring fair.
So your's truly will be swapping pc for frying pan as I try valiantly to keep up with demand.
And while we're on the subject of Shrove Tuesday, I thought the whole point was to use up the last bits of leftovers prior to fasting? So how come I've got to stop at the shop on the way home for flour, eggs, golden syrup and of course the Jif lemon????
Flipping heck! Now where's Delia's recipe??????
Why not get your fun pancake tossing disasters immortalised on a photo jigsaw to surprise someone with when it's their birthday?
Monday, February 04, 2008
Fabulous Photo Gifts on new UK business directory
National Business Information is an independent site offering the latest news and press releases from businesses in the UK.
The site also profiles the top ten companies under key industry topics like National Training, National recruitment, Banking and finance, High St Retail and Fright etc.
The website is the idea of Midlands Careers & Business Mail Editor - Laurence Bryant.
Fabulous Photo Gifts are pleased to be invited to take part in this new key business directory service and have been listed under the High St Retail section where they hope to bring their services to the attention of the business community and promote photo gifts as a true marketing medium, following several successful orders and enquiries already this year.
Click here to visit the National Business Information website.
The site also profiles the top ten companies under key industry topics like National Training, National recruitment, Banking and finance, High St Retail and Fright etc.
The website is the idea of Midlands Careers & Business Mail Editor - Laurence Bryant.
Fabulous Photo Gifts are pleased to be invited to take part in this new key business directory service and have been listed under the High St Retail section where they hope to bring their services to the attention of the business community and promote photo gifts as a true marketing medium, following several successful orders and enquiries already this year.
Click here to visit the National Business Information website.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe
Sticky Toffee Pudding - a real winter warmer when it's cold outside.Community magazine All Things Local which serves Kilburn and Belper areas in Derbyshire is distributed free every 2 months. Amongst its regular features is a seasonal recipe page.
Issue 5 - Feb/Mar 08 carries this winter warming recipe for Sticky Toffee Pudding from chef Neil McCready of Vanilla Dining Room, Belper, is sure to please pudding lovers everywhere....
Ingredients
For the date puree/mash….
170g stoned, dried dates
5g/teaspoon Bi-carb of soda
Enough cold water to cover
And the rest…..
55g butter (& extra to grease your tin)
17g caster sugar
255g self-raising flour (sieved)
5g/teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg, beaten
For the toffee sauce….
300ml double cream
100g muscavado sugar
100g soft Demerara sugar
75g butter, diced
1 drop vanilla extract (optional)
Equipment
Grease proof paper
A small loaf tin or 10” standard spring form tin.
Food mixer with a paddle attachment or if doing by hand a large mixing bowl & rubber spatula.
Masher/food processer/liquidiser.
Method
1.First, in a small saucepan place the dates, water & bi-carb and bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes. (If the water is drying out just add a little more so that the water is just barely covering the dates). Remove from the heat and either mash or blitz the dates to a rough puree (water ‘n’ all) leave in the pan to cool slightly but not completely.
2.Pre-heat your oven to Gas 3/190°
3. Now grease your tin with melted butter using clean fingers or a pastry brush and then quickly push enough greaseproof paper in to line the tin, the butter will anchor the paper in shape, place in the fridge for 5-10mins to re-set the butter.
4.In a food mixer or by hand, cream the butter & sugar together until pale and fluffy, then beat in the egg until incorporated. Add a 1/3 of the flour to the mix with a 1/3 of the date mash/puree and repeat this twice more until all the flour and all the date mash/puree is incorporated into the mix. Finally add the baking powder and pour the mixture into your tin, it should come ½ way to ¾ up the tin but don’t worry, it will rise during cooking. Place the tin, uncovered in the middle of your pre-heated oven for 35-40mins or until a skewer or spoon handle comes out clean when poked in the middle of the cake.
5.While your cake is cooking make the sauce, place the sugar(s), cream & vanilla into a wide saucepan and cook on a medium to high heat, whisking often to help the sugar(s) dissolve into the cream. Once the sugar(s) are dissolved and the sauce is smooth remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter a piece at a time until all is gone and you have a glossy sauce. (Don’t be tempted to whisk in anymore at one time as sauce cannot incorporate to much fat at once and will turn greasy)
6.Remove the cake when cooked and either serve immediately with the sauce and maybe some custard, ice-cream or just the sauce alone. The cake will keep up to 10 days in an airtight container and the sauce will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
When re-heating simply scoop a spoonful of cold sauce (which will now resemble fudge) on top of a slice of the pudding and heat in the micro wave for 50-60 seconds, that’s all it needs and it will taste as fresh as when it came out of the oven, enjoy!
You'll find all the recipes and more from the previous/current issue of All Things Local by visiting their website - click here.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Adding Digg, Del.ici.ous and other Social Bookmarking to Blogger - reprise
Adding social bookmarking links like Digg and Del.ici.ous etc to your blog.
I've written several posts that have covered Social Bookmarking and the importance of it in any online campaign. Where ever possible, I've documented the scripting and steps to add such functions as Socializer, Digg and Del.ici.ous bookmarking links to individual blog posts.
I've also covered other SEO areas like RSS Feeds and the correct syntax for these so that your RSS Feed will validate with the largest possible audience.
So I thought it was time I pooled the key social bookmarking articles I've written into one easy recap with links to the most popular and viewed articles I've written:
Adding Socializer to Blogger Blog template:
After struggling to get the code exactly right to create a social bookmarking link using Socializer on my Google Blog, I thought others might appreciate a copy of how I did it and the code I used.
Despite coming across a number of helpful Blog entries, I still struggled. Hopefully, my own aid below will help you out.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
Adding a Tag or Label Cloud to Blogger templates:
Have you used tags on your posts? If you have then you can add a really neat widget called a Tag Cloud.
Tag Clouds display your post tags with the more popular a tag, the bigger it appears. So not only is it an instant identifier of your most popular tags (articles), it can also be used to quickly identify a topic and go straight to all the articles that include that topic (or tag).
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
How to add Facebook social bookmarking icons to your Blogger articles and the script required:
I was determined to discover how to achieve this, given the popularity explosion over Facebook. Testament to this is the fact that the BBC now add a similar bookmarking function on all their online news stories.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
Adding Digg and Del.ici.ous bookmarking links:
Webmasters and SEO’s will have to adopt social book marking techniques like Blogs and RSS feeds, building up networks of followers on the likes of Digg and Del.ici.ous to get their content syndicated as much as possible. Some useful hints and the code for adding Digg and Del.ici.ous buttons and links to the bottom of your blog articles.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
Improving your RSS Feeds validation:
Improve your RSS Validation when putting new 'items' into your feed:
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
Improving your RSS Feeds validation – part 2 – RSS xml header and footer syntax/script
How to correctly script your RSS Feed so that it validates across as many readers as possible, here's part 2 as promised.
In Part 1, we looked at the correct syntax for each individual item. Today we look at the 'header' and 'footer' script to complete your RSS .xml file.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
Hopefully, the articles above will help you not only improve your blogs social bookmarking and your RSS feeds validation, but like me, you'll also hopefully learn a bit more about the workings of your Blogger template at the same time.
Remember! Always make a back up of your Blogger template (including expanding widgets) or RSS Feed before making any changes. That way, if you get any of the programming wrong, you won't have lost anything.
Please remember to leave a comment if you found these tips helpful or informative, and don't forget you can subscribe to our RSS Feed to get up to the minute updates on all new articles published here. Click here to subscribe
I've written several posts that have covered Social Bookmarking and the importance of it in any online campaign. Where ever possible, I've documented the scripting and steps to add such functions as Socializer, Digg and Del.ici.ous bookmarking links to individual blog posts.
I've also covered other SEO areas like RSS Feeds and the correct syntax for these so that your RSS Feed will validate with the largest possible audience.
So I thought it was time I pooled the key social bookmarking articles I've written into one easy recap with links to the most popular and viewed articles I've written:
Adding Socializer to Blogger Blog template:
After struggling to get the code exactly right to create a social bookmarking link using Socializer on my Google Blog, I thought others might appreciate a copy of how I did it and the code I used.
Despite coming across a number of helpful Blog entries, I still struggled. Hopefully, my own aid below will help you out.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
Adding a Tag or Label Cloud to Blogger templates:
Have you used tags on your posts? If you have then you can add a really neat widget called a Tag Cloud.
Tag Clouds display your post tags with the more popular a tag, the bigger it appears. So not only is it an instant identifier of your most popular tags (articles), it can also be used to quickly identify a topic and go straight to all the articles that include that topic (or tag).
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
How to add Facebook social bookmarking icons to your Blogger articles and the script required:
I was determined to discover how to achieve this, given the popularity explosion over Facebook. Testament to this is the fact that the BBC now add a similar bookmarking function on all their online news stories.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
Adding Digg and Del.ici.ous bookmarking links:
Webmasters and SEO’s will have to adopt social book marking techniques like Blogs and RSS feeds, building up networks of followers on the likes of Digg and Del.ici.ous to get their content syndicated as much as possible. Some useful hints and the code for adding Digg and Del.ici.ous buttons and links to the bottom of your blog articles.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
Improving your RSS Feeds validation:
Improve your RSS Validation when putting new 'items' into your feed:
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
Improving your RSS Feeds validation – part 2 – RSS xml header and footer syntax/script
How to correctly script your RSS Feed so that it validates across as many readers as possible, here's part 2 as promised.
In Part 1, we looked at the correct syntax for each individual item. Today we look at the 'header' and 'footer' script to complete your RSS .xml file.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
Hopefully, the articles above will help you not only improve your blogs social bookmarking and your RSS feeds validation, but like me, you'll also hopefully learn a bit more about the workings of your Blogger template at the same time.
Remember! Always make a back up of your Blogger template (including expanding widgets) or RSS Feed before making any changes. That way, if you get any of the programming wrong, you won't have lost anything.
Please remember to leave a comment if you found these tips helpful or informative, and don't forget you can subscribe to our RSS Feed to get up to the minute updates on all new articles published here. Click here to subscribe
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