2012 Review: What A Year

Hi, and welcome to my review of 2012, it has been a big year for many things including for us here at Ginger Sky. Here’s our look back over the past 12 months and some it’s highlights.

I hope you all enjoy my review and indeed enjoyed 2012. Over the course of tomorrow on Twitter I will be counting down the top 3 most read blog entries and recipes form the Ginger Sky blog.

Here’s wishing you all a happy New Year and prosperous 2013.

Recipe: Christmas Special – Turkey Leftovers

Great ideas for your excess Christmas turkey

If you’re anything like me you will have grown up with nothing but turkey sandwiches everyday between Christmas and New Year. In recent years this has started to stretch to turkey curry and other recipes. Here are a few ideas for what you can do to mix things up a bit in the days after Christmas.

Turkey Tortillas, Turkey Omelette, Crispy Turkey Potato Cakes.

Merry Christmas Everyone

It's Christmas Eve tomorrow (in case you'd forgotten) and with this time of year comes reflection and thanks. Next week I will be reviewing 2012, looking back on some of the highlights of the past 12 months, but before that I want to say a few thank yous.

First and foremost I want to thank everyone who has read my blog, followed me on twitter or otherwise taken an interest in Ginger Sky. I hope to be able to repay you all in 2013 by launching the website and offering some great kitchen goodies at great prices. In the meantime please keep in touch for updates and of course our tasty recipes.

Recipe: Chickpea and Chorizo Soup

Another winter warmer with an added bit of spice

This is a lovely tasting soup blending together some great flavours that satisfy the taste buds as well as warming you right through. Takes around an hour from start to finish and is really worth the wait.

Marketing

This week I'm hijacking my own blog to do a little research into my marketing and how effective the different types are.

Ginger Sky has been in my head for over a year now since the first seeds of the idea were sown. Since then I have been growing the roots of the company, making sure that everything is in place to sprout and grow in 2013. One of the biggest tasks facing any entrepreneur is getting the idea out of their own head and into others.

Recipe: Chicken Noodle Stir-Fry

A quick, easy and tasty stir-fry that is great when you’re in a hurry.

This is a great dish which you can throw all sorts of ingredients in, fantastic when you have bits and pieces left in the cupboard. The recipe below is the standard version but you can bulk it out with bean sprouts, green beans or most other type of fresh or frozen veg, it also works with a variety of meats as an alternative to chicken.  

Christmas is Coming

Christmas is a little over 2 weeks away, I hope you are all suitable excited, I know I am. I love this time of year and try to take in as many festivals as I can, last week I was at the Winter BBC Good Food Show, York’s Christmas market and today have been to the Festival of Christmas in Beverley. With a couple of weeks left I’m still hoping to get to Leeds, Sheffield and, of course, Hull.

Recipe: Spaghetti Bolognaise (With a Twist)

Traditional spaghetti bolognaise with a bit of a twist

Spaghetti bolognaise is a nice and straight forward recipe and is the staple of many a home across the UK (well I know it is in mine at least). As I've made it so many times I like to experiment by adding new flavours and new ingredients. This recipe doesn't deviate too much from the standard bolognaise but does add tons of flavour.

BBC Good Food Show

This week the winter edition of the BBC Good Food Show was on in Birmingham and I had a ticket for the Friday.

It is this type of event that helped get me into the innovative and unique world of the kitchen that then led to starting up with Ginger Sky. I love seeing creative people put their take on classic dishes and creating new and wonderful flavours. This year Gino Di Campo was my favourite, his passion for what he does is infectious and really brings the flavours to life. Special mention also has to go to The Brownie Bar UK (http://www.browniebar.co.uk), visited their stall and have got to say their brownies are fantastic.

Me meeting Gino

Recipe: Tomato and Lentil Soup

Simple, tasty and warming on those cold winter nights

This soup is really filling and is great for a pick me up on the cold dark evenings through the winter. For that extra warmth and flavour you could try a drop or two of tabasco sauce just before blending/serving.

Delivery of First Products

Great news! This week Ginger Sky received delivery of our first stock. Thanks to the guys at Molecule-R there are now some great products ready and waiting for the website and will be available on launch day.

The Cocktail R-Evolution by Molecule-r
- part of Ginger Sky's launch products

When I started out with Ginger Sky I had a particular vision in mind for the types of products I wanted to offer. The Molecule-R product lines stood out from the start as being interesting, unique and adding that extra dimension to the kitchen experience. That is why I have focussed a lot of my attention over the past couple of weeks in securing a range of their products for the Ginger Sky website.

Recipe: Five-Spice Chicken Wings

 Delicious chicken wings, great as part of a main or part of a party

This chicken wing recipe is really simple to put together and tastes great either with rice or a bed of salad. If I’m throwing a party I like to put the wings in a bowl and sprinkle some chopped spring onions and red chilli over them.

GEW: Review

Global Entrepreneurship Week is over for another year and what a week it was. Loads of great events, not just here in the UK, but all over the world, and loads of great advice being passed on. There is still time for you to leave your feedback on the week here http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GEW2012

 

Sharing my experiences with you all has really helped me see how far I have gone on my journey already with Ginger Sky. Reflecting on past challenges and how I have overcome them has given me a new perspective on current and future challenges. Knowing that I have achieved so much in a short period gives me even greater confidence to make a success out of Ginger Sky. I hope you can take as much away from this week as I have been able to and that you have been inspired to embark on your own enterprising journey.

GEW: Interview with Owl & Pussycat Creative

If you're thinking of starting your own company I hope that this week has helped you gain an insight into what it takes. As you know, Ginger Sky is still in the setting up phase so I wanted to end the week with a different perspective. I got together with my friends at Owl & Pussycat Creative, a growing business based in Hull, and asked them a few questions about their experiences.

So, what is Owl & Pussycat Creative all about / what do you sell?

Owl & Pussycat Creative was born out of a mutual love for both great design and original prints on t-shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags and other garments. Taking some money and plenty of honey we decided to sail our pea green boat into setting up our very own design and printing studio – in order to bring our designs to the masses... well…a few individuals with a passion for great tees at least!

GEW: Thursday

I want to start today with a big thank you to my employers, Esteem (@TheExchangeHull) They have been really supportive through my quest to establish my own business and as much as I have been working on Ginger Sky in my spare time, being with Esteem it has given me a great contact network within the business community of Hull.

While setting up the company I’ve been working full time, putting less pressure on Ginger Sky finances but putting more pressure on my time and resources. This has created challenges, such as finding storage facilities. I required one which would be able to take deliveries for me whilst I am at work and that I could access out of hours, especially when I start trading. Another challenge this has created is how I’m going to handle customer contact in the early days of the business.

Recipe: Spicy Moroccan Lamb

 A real tasty dish that utilises some great Moroccan flavours that brings the lamb to life.

This dish takes minutes to prepare and 2 hours to cook making it the perfect dinner party main. Prepare it before your guests arrive, stick it in the oven and you can concentrate on entertaining your friends. Like a lot of people I had a tagine in the kitchen but didn’t get as much use out of it as I liked, that was until this dish came along.

GEW: Wednesday

We’re half way through Global Entrepreneurship week, time is just flying by at the moment! I hope there is something you’re able to take away with you, whether it be from this blog or from many of the great events at www.gew.org.uk .

Today I have been looking into alternative marketing channels I can utilise for Ginger Sky. Traditionally the theory behind marketing is that the more you spend the more customers you’ll reach and more opportunities you can create. However, with the rise of social media networks it has become easier and more cost effective to market your potential customer base (although keep in mind that you still want to target your marketing effectively and tailor it to your specific audience).

GEW: Tuesday

So, the arrival of my first lot of stock is imminent, and I have to say that I am getting a little excited, beacuase the order is full of amazing things like this….




The Cuisine R-Evolution Kit

The next task of the day is to work out with my web designer (@GetExtra) how these are going to look on the website. Being an online retailer it's important to remember that the website is the shop window and needs to look just right. I had to do my research and do some digging around before I found a designer who not only understood what I wanted for my website but also who shared my passion for creating something fun and unique. I found Get Extra who have been brilliant and, now that I've got some promotional material, can really make progress towards the finished site.

GEW: Monday

My first lot of stock is in the UK! Okay, so it has to make its way from the East Midlands to Hull, but it is in the country. I’ve ordered from Molecule-R, which is based in Canada, and as this is my first import it is taking time to complete the paperwork and red tape for HMRC. It is now only a matter of hours before I get my hands on the first set of amazing products.

The Siphon R-Evolution Kit by Molecule-R

While I’m waiting for this to be delivered I have been working on developing some of my own ideas. My vision for Ginger Sky is to stock the most unique quirky products currently on the market along with some of my own designs. With that in mind I have been fine-tuning my blueprint for the first of my ideas and have been looking for companies who can help me produce a prototype – if you have any ideas or know about who/what I can make use of to help me produce some products using plastics please let me know via the comments section.

GEW: A Week in the Life of a Startup Entrepreneur

Welcome to my blog for those of you reading this for Global Entrepreneurship Week. I thought I’d use this blog entry to give you a bit of background and a bit about why I’m doing this. 

First of all, I’m currently in the process of setting up my own retail business called Ginger Sky Ltd. This business is focussing on kitchenware, particularly the fun, quirky and unique (if you have any ideas for things you would like me to sell/things you may have struggled to buy elsewhere, please let me know via the comments section). The official launch of Ginger Sky is set for Easter 2013 so I’m spending the next couple of months getting everything ready, adding the finishing touches to the website and finding out all about my products. For more background into me and Ginger Sky check out earlier blog entries and the About Me page.

Exciting Week Ahead

Before I get onto what I have planned for the week ahead I want to mention some things that have happened this week, just to keep you up to date with how things are going.

This week has seen the arrival into the country of Ginger Sky’s first stock delivery. Unfortunately this has not arrived here at Ginger Sky Towers just yet as it is awaiting customs clearance before it can be forwarded to me, but it is only a matter of time. That gets me onto the main activity I’ve been doing this week, sorting out paperwork. The first was the invoicing with my suppliers, with them being based in Canada the only way to do this was via email, but with time differences it also meant this process was stretched out. As with all of these things, a bit of perseverance managed to sort it.

Recipe: Sweet and Sour Pork

  A quick and easy taste of China, beats a takeaway any day

I love this dish, it’s so simple to make and not only tastes better than the takeaway version but it’s so much cheaper as well (and, in my experience, almost as quick). I do like my Chinese food and this is a staple in my cooking rotation and, while my preference is to do this with pork, the same recipe can be followed with chicken as well.

It's All About The Wednesdays

Everything is so up and down at the moment, after the disappointing announcement last week, I have made so much progress this week but I can also see difficult weeks ahead.

I’ll start with a quick reminder about last week. It was with a tinge of sadness that last week I announced that my original plan to start trading in November was not going to happen. Following a meeting with the web designers it became clear that for the type of site I wanted it was going to take more time. Now, the earliest that this is going to be available is January, my own fault for wanting something different and special. However, this does not mean that I have stopped the hard work and in fact this week has seen some of the biggest strides so far in making my vision happen.

Recipe: Roasted Pumpkin Risotto

 A rich risotto that's full of flavour, a great alternative to pumpkin soup after Halloween

I don't like throwing away perfectly good food so I'm always on the lookout for things to make with my pumpkins after the festivities have finished but often get tired of having soup. This recipe mixes it up a little and as it only uses half the pumpkin, you don't have to ruin the nice carving you've made. Out of season you can substitute butternut squash for the pumpkin, it takes about 1 medium sized squash and the rest of the recipe is the same.

Down, But Far From Being Out

So if you follow our twitter (@gingerskyltd) you’ll have seen me break the news this week that Ginger Sky is not going to be trading in time for Christmas. I had been hoping to start in November which would have given me enough time for the Christmas rush but unfortunately that is not going to happen now. While it would have been great to start with the holiday period this is not the end of the world, just one more challenge that I have to overcome.

After such a positive post last week and a lot of hard work this week it is slightly disappointing to have to break the news. I mentioned last week that I had visited a suitable storage site, this week I reserved a unit and next week I’m going to meet with them to get my hands on the keys. This is a huge weight off my mind as this had been proving to be a problem area for me but with this now looking like it should be sorted I was feeling confident of getting Ginger Sky up and running asap, and then came Wednesday.

Recipe: Patatas Bravas

A great authentic Spanish tapas dish

This is great when teamed with other tapas dishes to create a tasty Spanish-themed spread. The sauce alone is yummy and can also be used over things like pork, calamari or even Spanish omlettes. If I’m just making this for myself I like to make it with shredded pork or a simple chicken breast.

Still Playing Catch Up

So after last week where, unfortunately, I didn’t make much progress, this week I have. I’ve solved many of the issues from my entry a couple of weeks ago and am well on my way to solving some others too. All being well I’m still hoping to go live and start trading in the next month or two so not too far away from my original plan.

Let’s start with the biggie shall we? Well, I think I may have finally cracked the storage problem. Went to see a place this morning and, although it’s smaller than many of the others I’ve looked at, it’s within my budget (ish) and is big enough to get started. The plan was always to start small anyway and to grow steadily and within my own means so this is a great place to start. An hour or so after I left the place they emailed to say one of their units is coming free from mid-week this week and Ginger Sky is now on the list to reserve it, just need to work out the finer details.

Recipe: Leek and Ginger Soup

 Traditional leek and potato with a twist, perfect to keep you warm on cold winter nights

I love my soups and am always on the lookout for new flavours to try. This one adds a bit of a kick to the traditional leek and potato recipe and really does warm you through just when you need it. As a lunchtime idea, you can heat this up in the morning and take it in a flask to work as a lovely warm alternative, just be prepared for the jealous looks from your colleagues. 

Helpful Cooking Tips for Those Starting Out

If you follow us on twitter (@GingerSkyLtd) you know I’ve been ill for most of last week, and if you don’t follow us on twitter, why not? You should J. Anyway, because of this there hasn’t been much progress here at Ginger Sky. I’m looking to catch up this week and next so hopefully have some exciting news to bring you in the coming weeks. But this gave me a dilemma, as I haven’t been able to do much what can I blog about? Well, I’ve got together with a couple of local chefs I know and have put together some top tips for beginner cooks.

I love my food, but for a long time I relied on others to do the cooking, although I wasn’t afraid of throwing some inspiring recipes and ideas their way. Over the last couple of years I’ve slowly begun to cook for myself but still would not profess to be any kind of expert. Having just learned to be a bit more adventurous I thought I’d share some of the tips and advice I’ve found really useful.

Recipe: Minced Beef Chilli

 Perfect to use for tacos or just to spice up your minced beef

This is one of my personal faves (although to be fair I do have a lot of faves). I often make it when I have friends round and just stick it in a bowl on the table with tacos, Mexican rice, guacamole, sour cream and anything else I have in the cupboard.

A Challenging Week

This past week has been fraught with challenges, it’s been one hurdle after another and has been a real struggle to make progress. Fortunately I had a weekend away at the end of it to de-stress and re-focus ready to tackle the challenges head on this week.

The biggest issue recently, and one that you’re probably sick of hearing about (I know I’m getting sick of writing about it), is storage. A couple of weeks ago I thought I had this sorted but a miscalculation on my part meant a facility I thought was within budget was actually well over, so I was back to the drawing board. This past week I’ve roped a friend into helping give a fresh perspective to see if they can help find something suitable and affordable. This delay is really holding me back at the minute as without storage I’m unable to order any stock which in turn means that even if the website was ready I wouldn’t be able to launch.

Hopefully, after a nice refreshing weekend and a helpful hand or two, I’ll be on top of this challenge by the end of this week.

Recipe: Simple Tomato Pasta

A classic tomato sauce that works with most pasta,

a good base to add other flavours

I often make this one to have as a working lunch. It takes literally minutes to make so I can make it in the morning and take to work or even the night before and so long as it's sealed and refrigerated it will last a good couple of days.

Oh, So Busy

This week has been another manic one in the life of Ginger Sky. The closer we get to launching the website the busier things get, and still got so much to do. Having views like this from the bottom of my street every morning really helps.

In this past week I've contacted suppliers and storage facilities to keep in touch and arrange meetings. I've researched and decided on the logistics of how to ship items to customers and have sourced packaging and postage solutions. And that's just the Ginger Sky part of the week, I've also attended a hen party, a celebratory evening for Building Schools for the Future in Hull and a gala, as well as my regular zumba sessions. Needless to say I am a little worn out. One of the things that took longer than it should have was preparing the first recipe for the site, starting making it and my camera broke, urh! Managed to borrow one so I could finish the dish, hope you find it tasty if you try it.

Recipe: Ginger-Lime Crispy Chicken

A quick and easy recipe to add a bit of spice to your chicken

Ingredients:

A thumb size piece of fresh Ginger (well I had to on my first recipe)

The juice of 1 lime

2 Teaspoons of curry powder

4 Spring (or salad) onions

6 - 8 Chicken thighs (on the bone and with skin on)

Salt and pepper

Serves 3-4

 

The Story So Far...

As mentioned in my previous entry, Ginger Sky has been in my thoughts for almost a year so I thought I'd give a bit of a background as to what I've done so far. Think of it as a "Previously, on Ginger Sky" part of the blog.

After I had decided I wanted to run a fun and quirky kitchenware retailer my first hurdle was deciding how I was going to run it, did I want bricks and mortar or a virtual store? Originally my intention was to run a bricks and mortar store from Hessle. I'd even picked out the unit I wanted to rent and had designed the front of the store and everything, unfortunately due to funds falling through I had to abandon the idea. I now had to rely on my own funds and as such could no longer afford a rented unit, so it was decided for me, I was to become an online retailer.

Welcome to the Ginger Sky Blog

I wanted to start with a bit about who I am and what Ginger Sky is about, as well as what I'm going to be doing on this blog.

So, first of all a little bit about myself, well my name is Sarah and I'm originally from Newcastle but my various jobs have taken me around the country and at the moment I am living in East Yorks. My career background has mainly been in retail, project management and procurement in various different fields but that's the boring bits so I'll move on quickly.