3 - 2022 | Chalmers News PR

Evening celebrates business success

Posted on March 27, 2022March 27, 2022 by admin

Ladies First Professional Business Development Network Awards, Tracey McAtamney — The winners of the Ladies First professional Development Business Awards 2022. Photos by Dy Holmes of Spaces and Faces Photography.

INSPIRATIONAL achievers from Coventry and Warwickshire were among those celebrated at the fourth Ladies First Network Business Awards.

More than 300 people assembled at Coombe Abbey on Thursday (March 24^th) for the glittering awards ceremony, hosted by BBC radio presenter Sandra Godley.

Ladies First Professional Development Network Business Awards. Tracey McAtamney — Inspirational Young Achievers, twins Stacey and Tracey William from Coventry perform

Winners were revealed across 30 categories ranging from Rising Stars, Young Achievers and Excellence Education through to Woman of Achievement,, Woman of Courage, Advocate for Women and Lifetime Achievement.

They were selected from more than 270 nominations across the UK by a panel of 18 judges at a special event in Coventry last month.

St Basils works with young people aged 16-25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, to enable them to find and keep a home, grow their confidence, develop their skills and increase opportunities. Established in Birmingham, the charity now has 42 accommodation projects across the West Midlands, including Leamington, Coventry, Solihull, Sandwell, Walsall, Bromsgrove, Redditch and Kidderminster. Further information about St Basils can be found at: https://stbasils.org.uk/ Established in 2016, award-winning charity Suited For Success helps unemployed men and women in Warwickshire and the West Midlands prepare for a job interview by providing free coaching, employment preparation skills and interview clothing. Further information about Suited For Success can be found at: https://www.suitedforsuccess.co.uk/ — Lord Mayor of Coventry John McNicholas with Ladies First Professional Women’s Network leader Tracey McAtamney.

The awards marked a return to a live event following the pandemic, while also raising £4,000 for two West Midlands charities, St Basils and Suited For Success through an auction and raffle.

Special guests included The Lord Mayor of Coventry, Councillor John McNicholas & Lady Mayoress Dr June McNicholas; Nurse May Parsons – the nurse who gave the first ever covid injection in Coventry and former member of The Drifters, Roy Hemmings.

Key Note speakers were Louise Oliver, President of The British Association of Women Entrepreneurs and Nicola Smyth, owner of Nicola Smyth Hair Salons and last year’s Business Woman of the Year.

Awards organiser and Ladies First Network Leader, Tracey McAtamney from Balsall Common, said after the event: “I am absolutely buzzing from such an uplifting evening, celebrating the achievements of women, men and talented young ladies from the age of 10, whilst also raising funds for our Charities Suited for Success & St Basils.

“I was delighted in particular to acknowledge the wonderful work of unsung community hero’s, Christine Eade and Sarah Laughton from The Pod Café and John Coote & AJ Evans from Coventry Comfort Carers Homeless Outreach Project – these people support those suffering from mental health issues and homelessness on a daily basis.”

fourth Ladies First Professional Development Network Business Awards., Tracey McAtamney — Kelsey and William Seymour of St Maur in Alcester, receive one of their awards on the night.

The winners:

Digital Star

Jacqueline Leake – V A Services, Nuneaton

Jacqueline said: “I am still on a high, and proudly telling anyone and everyone. It has given a real boost to my confidence that the judges recognised how my business has developed and my passion for learning and finding the best digital solutions for myself and my clients to grow their businesses.”

New Business of the Year

William & Kelsey Seymour – St Maur, Alcester

William and Kelsey said: “We are very proud of the achievements we have had so far with our drink St Maur, but these awards from Ladies First are special for us because they are for the business behind the brand, and highlight the real people involved rather than just the product itself.”

Man of the Year

Dan Smyth Humphriss – Nicola Smyth, Leamington

Dan said: “It was a complete surprise to be nominated and then to pick up the award too. I feel very honoured to Win Man of Year!”

Achieves for the Community

Christine Eade & Sarah Laughton – The POD Café, Coventry

Excellence in Education

Suneta Bagri – Teach well, Toolkit, Coventry

Suneta said: “My work is not just a job to me. My work is inextricably linked to my love for education, the doors it opens and the opportunities it provides. My work is service. Making a difference to others is my purpose. So to receive an award for Excellence in Education is up there as one of my proudest achievements to date.”

Special Award

John Coote & his partner AJ Evans for their work with Coventry Comfort Carers Homeless Outreach Project.

John said: “To win the award for Achievements in the community was a real shock and a true honour. We do what we do for the people of our city and further afield, not for any recognition but to know we are helping those most in need.”

Achieves in Business (Employee)

Corrine Seaborne – Alsters Kelley, Coventry

Corrine said: “I felt truly overwhelmed and humbled to receive this award. The ladder I have climbed at Alsters Kelley from secretary to associate has not been easy but it has been extremely rewarding,helping clients during the difficult times in their lives and supporting colleagues to achieve their ambitions.”

Achieves for Charity

Nicola Hepburn – The Centaurus Trust, Wootton Wawen

Nicola said: “I am so thrilled to have received this award for The Centaurus Trust and Equine Learning Centre CIC. It is so wonderful for our teams to be recognized for their hard work and dedication. This award also recognizes the achievements of our wonderful participants who inspire us all every day.”

Family Business Husband and Wife

Kelsey & William Seymour – St Maur, Alcester

William said: “For Kelsey and I St Maur can be traced back to our wedding day, so for us to be recognised and win the Husband and Wife Award means a lot to us personally. I’m really enjoying the business and I consider myself so fortunate to have married an entrepreneurial lady.”

Excellence In Marketing Award

Vicki Bravington – Shakespeare Media, Stratford-upon-Avon

Vicki said: “The last two years have been a challenge for everyone so to come out the other side stronger than ever and to be recognized among so many inspirational women makes this the proudest moment of my career so far. A massive thanks must also go to my amazing team. We look forward to continuing our journey and to many more successes in the future.”

Going Above & Beyond For Charity Award

Rachel Ollerenshaw, Warwick – of Molly Ollys

Rachel said: “I was completely shocked to receive this award, but I’m very thankful to Ladies First. We don’t try to go above and beyond – we just know that we can make a difference by making the dark days brighter.”

STEM Award

Helen Routledge – Totem Learning, Coventry

She said: “I am so thankful to Ladies First for this amazing award. To be recognised for the work we do at Totem Learning, to bring learning to life, is an honour.”

Inspirational Young Achiever

Twins Stacey & Tracey William,13, from Coventry

Twins Alice & Hattie Mogan,10, from Coventry

Ananya Prajapati, 11,of Ananya Artistry

Ananya said: “This award will give me the confidence to continue my journey as a calligraphy artist and pursue my passion for my own business. This event has been a life changing experience for me.”

Service Provider of the Year

Geraldine Davies – Senior Care Support, Solihull

Achieves Through Networking
Sharon Louca – Women’s Business Networking Limited, Tamworth

Advocate for Women

The Verinos – All Female Band, Leicester

Excellence in Health & Wellbeing

Asha Bezron – Inspired to Change, Balsall Common

Woman of Achievement

Suzanne Reid Barreiro de Silva – Unique Venues, Birmingham

Inspirational Woman

Fay Goodman – Goodmedia, Birmingham

Business Entrepreneur

Amy Davies – Madame Caci Lounge & Store & Stove, Balsall Common

Young Business Entrepreneur (Under 30)

Lauren Coombes – Pitch and Party Limited, Balsall Common

Businesswoman of The Year

Olivia Mikhail – Kew Little Pigs, Amersham

Michelle Kirkham – of International Automotive Components Group

Family Business of the Year

Jayne Chambers – Haigs Hotel & McKees Restaurant, Balsall Common

Unique Business

Olivia Mikhail – Kew Little Pigs, Amersham

Sandra Godley, awards — Sandra Godley is surprised with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Music by her daughter Francesca

Successful Career from Home

Lindsay Gillespie – Pawsome Pooches, Balsall Common

Lifetime Achievement Award:

Gillian and Ruth Bridges – J Roberts SPV, Sutton Coldfield

Sandra Godley, from Coventry – for lifetime achievement in Music

Sandra said: “This was a total shock. Thank you to Tracey and The Ladies First team. I will treasure it forever.”

Venue Award

Coombe Abbey, Coventry

Young Achievers

Charlotte Durham – apprenticeship with Pertemps

Lily Wildman, from Kenilworth – Wild Beauty

Sathvika Krishnam, from Coventry – Studying Biology at Oxford University (STEM/Environmental Award)

Ella Freeman – Studying Engineering at Loughborough University (STEM)

Woman of Courage

Andrea Rainsford – SEO Angel, Tamworth

International Award

Emily Coldwell – Online Toolbox, New Zealand

More about the charities benefitting

St Basils works with young people aged 16-25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, to enable them to find and keep a home, grow their confidence, develop their skills and increase opportunities.

Established in Birmingham, the charity now has 42 accommodation projects across the West Midlands, including Leamington, Coventry, Solihull, Sandwell, Walsall, Bromsgrove, Redditch and Kidderminster.

Further information about St Basils can be found here

Established in 2016, award-winning charity Suited For Success helps unemployed men and women in Warwickshire and the West Midlands prepare for a job interview by providing free coaching, employment preparation skills and interview clothing.

Further information about Suited For Success can be found here

Amateur sailor prepares for Atlantic adventure after two-year delay due to pandemic

Posted on March 24, 2022March 24, 2022 by admin

A Leamington woman is preparing for the adventure of a lifetime as a crew member on the Clipper 2019-20 Round the World Yacht Race – two years after she was originally due to set sail.

Marie O’Riley will join a 20-strong crew for the final ‘Atlantic Homecoming’ leg from Bermuda on June 19th, via New York back to the UK, arriving in London for race finish Saturday July 30th.

Marie, 56, was due to sail across the Atlantic in the summer of 2020 until plans were suddenly halted by the Coronavirus. But this week, after two years being moored up in the Philippines, the 11 modern racing yachts were able to restart the race.

The Clipper Race was first established in 1996 by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. Described as the “toughest endurance challenge on the planet, it is the only event of its type that enables non-professionals from every walk of life, regardless of previous sailing experience, to see Mother Nature in her raw and powerful glory as they compete through some of the most hostile conditions on the planet.”

Marie said: “I was visiting family in Liverpool in August 2017 and saw the start of the 2017-18 race. I started following it daily online and after a couple of months I decided I’d love to give it a go. I applied and was offered a place so have spent the money for our new kitchen on a sailing adventure instead”.

Like almost half the people who sign up for the race, Marie had never sailed before. She spent two years completing comprehensive training in all aspects of racing a 70-foot racing yacht including overcoming her fear of heights to ascent the 90-foot mast. All participants must be able to undertake any of the tasks on board, with crews split into two watches, racing around the clock, day and night.

Each team has a professional Skipper and First Mate. The rest of the crew are amateurs with a third of the crew on each team sailing 40,000 nautical miles around the world while the rest join for one or two legs.

Marie O'Riley, Round the World Yacht Race, Leamington — The race start in London September 2019

Covid-19 put all Marie’s work as a freelance Business Development Consultant on hold. As a result, she worked part-time for Stratford-based care agency Welcombe Care as a Community Care Assistant for 18 months.

Marie said: “When I was younger, I used to do cycle touring and the experience of lightweight camping has stood me in good stead for living onboard a racing yacht. Conditions are very basic with only two toilets, no showers and hot bunking – where you buddy up with a crew member from the other watch and you sleep while they are on watch and vice versa.”

She added: “I’m really looking forward to joining my team Dare To Lead, however the world is a very different place from when I signed up for the race in January 2018.

“I’ve barely left Warwickshire for the last two years and I wonder how I’ll cope being away from my family for seven weeks. Spurring me on when times get tough is knowing that I’m doing it to raise money for UNICEF UK, the Charity partner for the race. Now more than ever they need help to support the world’s most vulnerable children especially with the current situation in Ukraine.”

For further Clipper Race details visit here

Donations to UNICEF UK can be made via here

From aristocracy to mixology for Earl of Yarmouth

Posted on March 23, 2022March 23, 2022 by admin

A WARWICKSHIRE aristocrat has learned the art of mixology to launch cocktail making master classes using his own brand of elderflower liqueur.

The Earl of Yarmouth, William Seymour, is creating a stir among customers with his St Maur virtual experience which includes the brand’s own take on the appropriately named English Martini, made with gin and fresh rosemary.

St Maur, Earl of Yarmouth, cocktail making masterclasses, Alcester — The Earl of Yarmouth, the mixologist.

Described as ‘a little drop of England’s heart,’ St Maur Elderflower Liqueur has already earned its proud producers, William and his wife Kelsey four prestigious industry awards, including most recently, The Las Vegas Global Spirits Gold Award.

The Earl and Countess of Yarmouth who count among their ancestors Henry VIII’s wife Jane Seymour, established the business in lockdown after first producing the drink uniquely for guests on their wedding day.

William, 28, is the eldest son of the Marquess of Hertford, and grew up at Ragley Hall, his family’s seat since the 18^th century. But St Maur signals an exciting new direction for the Earl who is driven by his vision to build not just a livelihood, but a ‘new legacy’ to be proud of for his two sons.

Now the self-taught mixologist is embracing his new skills and is looking forward to passing on his knowledge and passion to others.

St Maur, Earl of Yarmouth, cocktail making masterclasses, Alcester

He said: “I’ve been enjoying cocktails for most of my adult life. Except, of course, until recently I’ve been on the other side of the bar ordering them! Now that position is switched, and I can’t find myself regretting the move at all.

“It’s a bit like food. If you’re a foodie, which I am, then learn to cook, explore what you like and share what you produce with those you love to be with. Same applies to cocktails. Whilst with food I have had some training, with cocktails I’m mostly self-taught.

He added: “Since we’ve been marketing St Maur, learning more about the skill and art of making cocktails has been a logical choice and it makes sense for us to bring that expertise in-house. I was the first to step up to the shaker for that!

“When you do get more involved you really get to appreciate the expertise and creativity of some professional mixologists who are out there. There was also a worldwide pandemic going on when we brought St Maur to market, with lockdown in full effect, so we were limited in the extent we could bring a professional mixologist on board, and so a hobby became part of my job.

“I am not a scientist nor a natural chemist, so learning has come to me via taste and personally feeling and trying what works and does not.”

From the recipe for the liqueur, to the designs on the label, and the name itself, St Maur brings together 1,000 years of heritage and family.

Indeed, provenance is core to the brand’s success. The map co-ordinates on the logo lead to Ladies Wood and an elder grove in the ancient Ragley Woodlands, now cared for by Earl of Yarmouth Estates. Here and in the hedgerows at their family farm in Alcester, in early summer, you’ll find the elderflowers being feverishly harvested by friends and family members.

There’s also a red-legged partridge on the bottle, a bird successfully introduced to England in the 19th century by an ancestor Francis Seymour, the 5th Marquess, and now the brand’s mascot.

St Maur is a contemporary liqueur made to be versatile, built around the same components needed to make a cocktail – a base spirit, a sweet and sour element, flavour and look. It can be enjoyed with all kinds of cocktails, and long drinks, in a simple fizz with soda, tonic or ginger ale, ‘royale’ with champagne, on the rocks, or on its own.

St Maur’s English Martini. See below for recipe.

William added: “When you have your own award-winning liqueur, you want to see exactly how far it can take you. That started a couple of years ago now for me with St Maur, and the answer: still happily exploring and a long way to go!”

Other recommendations for cocktails and ways to drink St Maur include Fire and Ice; St Maur and Soda; Hugo St Maur; The Laughing Cavalier; Pink Moon; St Maur Soixante Quinze; Royal Mistress; Dandy Partridge; St Valentine’s Sour; The Earls’ Martini and The Can Do Cocktail which was specially created in association with Riding For The Disabled Association.

“ ‘Can Do’ sums up the spirit of the RDA and captures our ethos at Drink St Maur as well,” said William.

To view St Maur’s cocktail recipe suggestions visit here

Further information about St Maur or to enquire about the virtual cocktail master classes, visit here

ENGLISH MARTINI RECIPE

Cocktail recipe ingredients

St Maur 25 ml

Dry gin 50ml

Fresh sprig of rosemary

This is the ideal recipe for an English English Martini.

Two measures (50ml) of gin, one measure (25ml) St Maur Elderflower Liqueur, a sprig of fresh rosemary. The ratio 2:1 of gin to St Maur can be adjusted to taste depending on how you like your Martini, sweet to dry.

You may see recipes for English Martini which suggest other elderflower liqueurs, but if you want your English Martini to be English, you can’t get more English than St Maur, from the Heart of England. The hero in the cocktail is the elderflower, and St Maur has a generous elderflower nose and flavour.

Choice of gin is a matter of personal taste. We recommend choosing an uncomplicated gin, so as not to detract from St Maur’s plentiful elderflower. Anno gin from Kent works well for us.

Glass Type: Martini glass.

Ice Type: Ice cubes for the shaker.

Method: Call us old fashioned, but we think a good Martini should be shaken, not stirred. We recommend a Parisian shaker (to minimise ice breakage and dilution of the Martini).

Rosemary has a pungent and strong essence, so use a small pinched sprig of fresh rosemary. Muddle the rosemary at the bottom of the shaker, then fill up the shaker with ice cubes. Add the gin and St Maur, and shake. Strain into an ice cold Martini glass, decorate, and serve.

Garnish: Garnish for appearance and decoration, rather than to add to the mix, so don’t go putting olives in this drink. In the image we have used a rosemary flower.

Leamington Business Awards – winners announced

Posted on March 21, 2022 by admin

Leamington Business Awards,Jonathan Smith,Matt Western MP, Talk Business UK — The winners of the Leamington Business Awards 2021. Photo by John Cleary.

CELEBRATING success was the theme of the seventh Leamington Business Awards which returned to a live event for the first time in three years.

Eleven winners were finally unveiled on Friday after being chosen from more than 180 nominations.

The ceremony, hosted by DJ – and Leamingtonian – Kirsty Leahy, took place at 1 Mill Street following a meal at The Drawing Board. It marked the completion of two stages of the Awards which earlier recognised COVID Business Resilience, Business Pivoting and Lockdown Heroes of 2020/21.

More than £1,000 was also raised through a raffle on the night which is being divided between the three finalists in the South Warwickshire Charity of the Year category – Molly Ollys, Safeline and Brunswick Hub.

Established in 2014 and now organised by Jonathan Smith, of Talk Business UK, the LBAs champion and celebrate the work of local businesses, individuals and organisations.

Jonathan said: “More so than ever, the judges were inspired by the resilience and ingenuity local businesses have shown in dealing with the pandemic and coming out the other side stronger and even more determined.

“It was a delight to read all the entries and learn so much more about the local individuals and their businesses and how they adapted and developed and used the challenges of the past two years to develop themselves, their people and their services.

“With businesses and organisations concentrating on getting their businesses and teams back up to speed, we decided to postpone the planned awards deadlines into 2022 and host the awards presentation in March. This was definitely the right decision as the volume and quality of entries we received for this year’s awards blew us away.”

The winners were chosen by a panel of five judges, including Roger Scott of Lloyds Bank and Sarah Windrum the Chair or the CWLEP and announced at a dinner and awards ceremony at The Drawing Board and 1 Mill Street in Leamington, on Friday, (March 18^th). Each winner received a bespoke award designed by 3D design student, Ollie Hill from Warwickshire College.

Guest of honour Matt Western MP, gave a short speech in which he also acknowledged the war in Ukraine.

He said: “It’s very difficult for me not to think and talk about Ukraine. And I want to say to those businesses and organisations who have made things happen in the last few weeks, thank you, because Leamington has done some special things, including everything that’s been going on at the Polish Mission and elsewhere. I think about what it would be like for that sort of atrocity to come and destroy our town and appreciate more than ever just how precious it is. And it’s precious because of people like you.

“I had a niece who was in Kyiv right up until a couple of days before the Russian invasion. What we have – our lives, our relationships and our community, are so very important and that’s why I’m so grateful we can have events like this again so we can all share in the recognition of the special people in our community.”

He went on to add: “All the finalists here tonight are great examples of the wonderful businesses we have in Leamington district and I’m very passionate about keeping our towns together. Without our town centres, without those areas where people come together – for the contact, for the trade, to consume, and share ideas and opportunities, we have nothing so they’re so important to our psyche and our prosperity as well.”

Brunswick Hub receive the South Warwickshire Charity of the Year Award from Matt Western MP. Photo by John Cleary.

WINNERS:

Outstanding achievement (Sponsored by the Leamington Courier)

Winner: Vogue International

Judges’ comments: “Vogue and Liz have committed to the town for over three decades and played a crucial part in the fabric of Leamington on a local and global stage. Vogue, shows significant international achievement in their industry over an extended period of time along with contribution to local charity.

Leamington Business Awards, Matt Western MP, 1Mill Street, Jonathan Smith — Aubrey Allen receives Employer of the Year Award. Photo by John Cleary.

Employer of the Year (Sponsored by Leap People Solutions)

Winner: Aubrey Allen

Judges’ comments: “Aubrey Allen are clearly a business that take care of their team, have strong values that they live by every day, and they support their team on their own paths to success and greatness through the awards they have picked up.

New Business of the Year (Sponsored by Lodders Solicitors LLP)

Winner: Caremark Warwick

Judges’ comments: “Caremark has set up the business in a challenging sector during the pandemic, showing strong growth and employment and providing a valuable service to the local community.”

Business and the Community Award (Sponsored by BID Leamington)

Winner: Make Good Grow

Judges’ comments: “Make Good Grow are looking at business and community in a totally new, more innovative way, creating connections between the needs of charities and the expert providers of these services and skills.”

Independent Business of the Year (Sponsored by HB&O)

Winner: Modern Homes

Judges’ comments: “Loved the Covid hero competition as well as their business resilience and agility over the last two years. Great story about finding a new supplier on Zoom!”

Customer Service Excellence Award (Sponsored by The Box Factory)

Winner: WDC Art Section

Judges’ comments: “Impressive year on year improvement in customer feedback, strong focus on training and implementation of a creative range of ways to provide good service and measure feedback. The team will often be a visitor’s first interaction in our town and it is crucial for the wider business economy that their welcome is warm to keep people coming back!”

South Warwickshire Freelancer of the Year (Sponsored by Beyond The Book)

Winner: Washington Levi Music

Creative Business of the Year (Sponsored by Fresh Seed)

Winner: Motionhouse

Judges’ comments: “Bringing dance to the masses for over 30 years using the latest technologies and gymnastic skills makes the choice of Motionhouse as Creative Business of the Year a simple one.

Innovation of the Year (Sponsored by Glued)

Winner: Nimbus Maps

Leamington Business Awards, Jonathan Smith, 1 Mill Street — Nimbus Maps receives the Innovation of the Year Award. Photo by John Cleary.

South Warwickshire Charity of the Year

Winner: Brunswick Hub

Business of Year (Sponsored by ActionCOACH)

Winner: Motionhouse

Judges’ comments: “They have made an enormous impact on Leamington, the region and around the world. From the award applications, Motionhouse has done the most for the region, as well as putting Leamington on the map.”

The previous winners of the first phase of the awards were:

Business Resilience Award:
WINNER: CJ’s Events, Warwick
This award went to a business that has demonstrated determination and resilience throughout the pandemic and tackled challenges head-on.

Business Pivot Award:

WINNER: Heartbreak Productions, Leamington
This category was open to any business that could demonstrate how they have ‘pivoted’ their product or service during the pandemic.

Lockdown Hero Award:
WINNER: Baabzi Takeaway, Warwick
This award recognised the Leamington business that has gone ‘above and beyond’ during 2020. The business may have provided products to vulnerable groups free of charge, offered their services pro-bono to struggling local businesses or individuals, or spread positivity during challenging times.

The sky’s the limit for Leamington chef following Alexander McQueen scoop

Posted on March 20, 2022March 20, 2022 by admin

Bramble Dining, Richard Bramble, fine dining, Leamington

A Leamington chef who walked away from commercial kitchens to launch his private dining business in lockdown, is celebrating his latest collaboration – with an international luxury clothing brand.

Bramble Dining was approached by Alexander McQueen fashion house to create a bespoke range of canapes and cocktails for the official launch of their much-anticipated ‘London Skies’-inspired SS22 collection last month.

Richard Bramble was tasked with creating the culinary artworks to complement McQueens’s ethereal Spring/Summer range, launched in their flagship store in Old Bond Street.

Bramble Dining enlisted the help of Liquid Spirit Events from The Cotswolds to provide bespoke cocktails and mocktails for the event to accompany the canapes.

Liquid Spirit Events in The Cotswolds worked with Bramble Dining to provide the drinks at the launch event

And Richard’s sweet and savoury recipes, which were perfected over several weeks, will now also be replicated at Alexander McQueen launch events and fashion shows by chefs across the globe, including Europe, China and the US.

Richard said: “You can imagine our excitement when we were contacted by Alexander McQueen. They asked us to create canapes and cocktails to match the colours of the sky and the London skyline.

“Obviously we are extremely proud to be working with a company of this calibre. It is a huge boost to our independent business to have such world-renowned companies that want to collaborate with us.”

He added: “As a chef it is a huge privilege that my canape creations are being replicated around the world by other chefs for each launch event this Spring and Summer. It has been a fabulous opportunity for us to showcase Bramble Dining, where we are already breaking through as a new catering company in London.”

Bramble Dining, Richard Bramble, fine dining, Leamington — Richard Bramble at work

The new SS22 Collection, overseen by Creative Director Sarah Burton, is being unveiled on runways across the world and is inspired by storm chasing, romanticising the often grey and unpredictable London weather.

Summoning the changing skies, the British designer has showcased a range of gowns as well as dramatic coats and blazers, which seemingly dance in the wind. More information can be found here

Visit Bramble Dining here