Recipe: Spicy Chorizo Soup

A zingy, spicy soup that’s full of flavour

This recipe is a personal favourite of mine and makes enough to cover a couple of working lunches through the week or you can always freeze any extra for later use. The chorizo and the curry powder really give this soup a good kick while it maintains bundles of flavour.

Ginger Sky Update - March

It’s been a while since I’ve given an update on how things are going here at Ginger Sky so I’m going to do just that now. Last time I updated you I’d just been to Spring Fair International and the plan from there was to review all the brochures and information I’d picked up at the NEC.

 

Since then I have drawn up a shortlist of the products I am going to order. This was no small task given the size of the event at Spring Fair. I met loads of great suppliers with loads of great products to offer, so choosing which ones to focus on did take a lot of consideration. I have now settled on a good mix of products that compliment each other and fit the mission statement of Ginger Sky which is to provide fun, quirky and unique kitchenware and gadgets. I’ll be ordering my selected products over the next couple of weeks so stick around to find out what I’ll be stocking come launch day.

Mentoring the Next Generation

I’ve been fortunate during my time working for Esteem in Hull in that they have given me great opportunities and fantastic support while setting up Ginger Sky Ltd. One of these opportunities is sharing my experiences with the next generation of entrepreneurs through Young Enterprise.

Young Enterprise are a business and enterprise charity helping over 200,000 young people every year in the UK. Their mission is to “inspire and equip young people to learn and succeed through enterprise.” By focussing on learning by doing Young Enterprise are able to offer an alternative method of preparing the UK’s youth for the world of business.

 

Is Cloud Storage the Answer?

If, like me, you are forever emailing documents backwards and forwards, carrying around flash drives or just lugging your laptop everywhere, then you may be entitled to ask, is there a better way? In this week's blog entry I am going to look at Cloud storage, and whether this is a viable alternative.

The Challenge
I like to get second opinions on many of my ideas and a fresh pair of eyes on a document never hurts. To do this at the moment I email my minions with the documents, they suggest changes and email me back. This normally goes on 2-3 times at least before I am happy with the outcome. Another solution is to physically hand over my flash drive to them and then the same pattern occurs, much to-ing and fro-ing before I'm happy with the finished article. Both of these tend to get messy, clog up my inbox or require plenty of legwork. They are also both very time-intensive which, when you're running your own business, is not something you look for in a process.

A Bespoke Kitchen with Some Useful Gadgets

The kitchen is the heart of your home and the best place for the family to get together, eat and chat about their days. The kitchen is not just the place to cook but also a place for the children to spend time with their parents. By creating a bespoke kitchen that’s tailored to your family you can enjoy precious moments together.

Recipe: Sweet Roast Pork Chops

 Homely and sweet roast pork chops with parsnips and apples

This is a great dish, easy to make and so warming in the winter months. The honey and apples give a sweet flavour to the homely roast pork and parsnips. A great alternative to a Sunday roast this can be on your plate within an hour.

Our Day at Spring Fair International

All this week at the NEC in Birmingham is Spring Fair International and yesterday I went along to see what all the fuss was about. Dragging a friend along with me and sporting our new Ginger Sky fleeces, the aim was to meet in person many of the suppliers we’ve been in touch with over the last few months. It was also a chance to get our hands on some of the products we want to stock.

The first thing that struck us was just how big this event is, spread over 20 large halls at the NEC, there was no way we could fit it all in in one day. For the purposes of Ginger Sky we focussed on the Kitchen, Dining & Housewares and Contemporary Gift & Home halls. Having said that, I couldn’t resist a little peak at the Christmas Gifts and Children’s Gifts, Toys and Gadgets sections too.

One of the suppliers that I had been in touch with before the fair was Cubic Uk. I’ve been interested in stocking a brand called Fred and Friends from the very start of this journey and Cubic UK are the exclusive UK distributor. Meeting them in person re-affirmed they are the type of company I wanted to work with, so friendly and welcoming. Being able to get my hands on their products, understand how they work, how they are packed and to talk through their new ranges was also invaluable. This experience with Cubic UK was repeated with other suppliers I had been in touch with previously, such as