Grand Tour of Northumberland - Exclusive Hampers

Pride of Northumbria has been selected to provide luxury picnic hampers for an exclusive Northumbrian charity event, the first of it's kind in the region.

GToN is a group of activities based in Northumberland, UK. The organisation exists to raise money for Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team. Registered Charity 511313.

There are currently two active events - The Grand Tour of Northumberland 2008, and the Kielder 4x4 Safari. Coming soon - two further events - RIDE! - a cross country mountain bike competition, and Grand Tour COAST - a coastal tour taking in the best of Northumberland’s outstanding coast line.

A ticket for The Grand Tour is your pass to a day of outstanding luxury, or would make a great gift for that someone special. Cost per vehicle is £250.00 - this includes all activities and a luxury hamper for two. Additional hamper place settings are £25.00 per person, and children's place settings are £12.50 each. See www.gton.co.uk for more information.

Solo Beauty and Pride of Northumbria working together in Wansbeck

Solo Beauty therapy has taken Spa Hampers to a new level. Margaret Merrilees proprietor of Solo Beauty has recently launched a new Bespoke Aromatherapy Product in the form of a Luxury Spa Hamper, ranging from £50 to £150 (exclusive of postage). Each hamper will include a one hour consultation during which Maragaret will recommend the essential oils most therapeutic for each client’s skin and health requirements. Top of the range hampers will also include locally made essential oil candles, soap and to wrap you in pure luxury, a top of the range bath robe with matching comfy slippers.

All these wonderful gifts have been carefully chosen to provide you with a very personal treat. Solo Beauty has also chosen an expert in the hamper business to launch this luxurious treat. Rebecca de’Wessington owner of Pride of Northumbria, will exclusively be displaying these wonderful products in her retail outlet located on Front Street, Newbiggin by the Sea.

Please forward all enquiries to rebecca@prideofnorthumbria.com. All questions will be forwarded on to Solo Beauty who will respond directly to you.

November 2007 - a tasty evening was enjoyed by all!

A SPECIAL TASTING EVENT took place on Tuesday 16th October Pride of Northumbria, Newbiggin. This exclusive FREE tasting session allowed guests to sample hand made chocolates from Cocoa Perfect and sumptuous hand made puddings by Proof of the Pudding. This event was the first in a series of gourmet tasting evenings, designed to allow you to sample the best regional food and drink products, and find out more about our exclusive range of gifts and luxury hampers. The next event will be in January, and will feature Northumberland Cheese Co and some very special accompaniments.

May 2007: UKTV FOOD HERO
Pride of Northumbria was nominated for a UKTV Food Hero Award and made it to the final 10 for the entire North East of England. We're really pleased to have got that far, and wish the eventual winners the best of luck!

May 2007: Transmission with T-Mobile Hampers
Channel 4 recently commissioned a set of exclusive hampers for the Transmission with T-Mobile show broadcast on 11th May, hosted by Steve Jones and Lauren Laverne. The hampers, created specially by us for the performers and presenters, including Rufus Wainwright, featured some mouthwatering products, and we hope the stars will spread the word about the amazing food and drink we have in the region!

May 2007: Goodies at Alnwick Garden
Pride of Northumbria attended the launch event for Made in Northumberland - an organisation set up to promote the best aspects of what the region has to offer. We were asked to design and supply 150 gourmet goody bags, containing rich fruit cake, hand made chocolates, spicy home made chutney, Northumberland nettle cheese, and literature about Made in Northumberland. This exciting new venture will help the region's best producers and suppliers reach their audience more effectively. Watch this space!

April 2007: Shop of the Month in Exclusive
Pride of Northumbria's Newbiggin by the Sea shop was recently chosen as Shop of the Month in Exclusive Magazine. Terry Laybourne, the celebrated regional chef, chose us as the place to go in his popular column which recommends the region's best places to visit for the finest food and drink available.

Gourmet Reader's Food Digest
Food meets Art in Newbiggin - a piece about regeneration in newbiggin - opened at the right time - setting example for the village - first UK offshore sculpture.

The article, and others will soon be available for download from this web site.

Business Networking in Wansbeck
Recent events attended include the launch of the new Wansbeck Business Directory, where Rebecca de'Wessington had the chance to network with some of the region's sharpest business minds, including Sir John Hall, who established the Metro Centre 21 years ago.

April 2007: Journal's Culture Magazine
An article entitled New Beginnings by the Sea was published in the April edition of the Journal's Culture Magazine, which featured the artists and products in our Newbiggin shop. The double page feature told readers of the relationship between the Pride of Northumbria shop in the village, and the recently formed Newbiggin Arts Forum, and the way that Pride of Northumbria is encouraging artists in the village - new and established - to put their work in front of an audience, alongside the rest of the regional produce available. This has proved to be very successful, and the shop now stocks a very wide range of original artworks, photography and sculpture - all from the local ats community.

New Products in store
We're pleased to announce the very welcome addition of Doddington Dairy ice cream to our range of products. Available in Vanilla, Strawberry, Raspberry, Chainbridge Honey, Ginger and Chocolate flavours. Tubs priced at £1.25 each. Also new in store is Horribly Healthy Muesli - it's delicious and good for you! We're also very excited to be offering a great range of Northern Heritage videos and books in the near future. More details as they come in...

Above: the new Pride of Northumbria shop in Newbiggin For further views click for FRONT SHOP or BACK SHOP panoramas

December 2006: Open for a taste of Northumbria

Regional gourmet hamper provider Pride of Northumbria took a step in a new direction this week with the opening of its first shop. The business, established last year, provides luxury hampers using carefully selected food, drink and arts from some of the region’s finest producers.

Now, with the newly opened retail outlet in Newbiggin by the Sea, the business is set to be one of the best advocates of quality regional food and drink. The shop, officially opened on 9th December by Bernard Bloodworth, General Manager of Linden Hall Hotel, stocks a wide range of quality produce, from Northumberland Cheese Company cheeses, to fresh Craster kippers, Ross’s Gourmet Pickles, Jenkins and Hustwit award winning cakes, Chain Bridge honey, and hand-made chocolates.

Proprietor Rebecca de’Wessington, a resident of Newbiggin by the Sea, wants the shop to be a beacon of excellence for regional food, drink, arts and crafts.

“The North East of England has some of the best regional produce in the UK, and we’ve got so much to be proud of here. I want to celebrate all that’s best about the region, and provide a true taste of Northumbria.”, says Rebecca. “And it’s an opportunity to promote so many local businesses. I’m also promoting the work of artists in the North East of England, whose work is displayed, including original paintings, photography and ceramics.”

In the first few days of opening, the shop has already proved popular and has made a very positive impact in the village – as customers can browse through the produce and artworks, with comfortable seating and refreshments available.

There are also plans for special food tasting events, and Rebecca sees this as an exciting opportunity to introduce the tastes of Northumbria to a new audience who may not have discovered what there is in the region.

The shop is at 51 Front Street, Newbiggin by the Sea. Telephone 01670 813273, or email Rebecca@prideofnorthumbria.com. Hampers are also available to order securely online at www.prideofnorthumbria.com.

November 2006: Charity Hamper Giveaway

The top of the range luxury Alnwick Hamper has been donated by Pride of Northumbrian and its wonderful suppliers for The Charity Ball in aid of , 'Just for Kids' sponsored by metro radio. The prize hamper on display in Fenwicks Food Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne until the end of December.

October 2006: Fenwicks select Pride of Northumbria as Hamper Provider

A special range of Pride of Northumbria Hampers will be available in Fenwicks Food Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, from November 2006. The selection of hampers range in price from the Northumbrian Taster at £30.00 to the ultimate Alnwick Hamper at £500.00. The range features the very best from the region's food and drink produce, and is an exciting new venture for Pride of Northumbria and Fenwicks, whose Food Hall is synonymous with the best quality food and drink.

White Tea now available in Pride of Northumbria Hampers

A new local company, Honeybush and Butterbum Ltd. is now one of the region's best tea providers, and their product - a special blend of White Tea, is available in Pride of Northumbria Hampers from this month. White tea is made from young tea leaves that are picked shortly before the buds have opened. The result is a pale tea with a delicate flavour - and studies show that the drinking of white tea has numerous health benefits.

September 2006 - Pride of Northumbria Shop opening November 2006

August 20th 2006: Linden Hall Weekend a Bigge Success!

Pride of Northumbria's Gourmet Picnic Hampers were enjoyed by over 300 VIP and celebrity guests at Linden Hall's prestigious Bigge Weekend - a charity concert organised by The Children's Hope Foundation.

Headline acts Ronan Keating, Journey South and Peter Grant entertained a crowd of thousands, and the VIPs were treated to a champagne reception, followed by an very special menu of Northumbrian food and drink, including New Barns' Award Winning Pork Terrine, fresh Northumbrian ham and beef, oak smoked Craster Salmon, and a selection of Connoisseur Northumbrian Cheeses.

The menu, developed by Rebecca de'Wessington in collaboration with some of the regions finest food producers, was a great success, and Linden Hall are already working with Pride of Northumbria on a follow-up event at which the gourmet hampers will once more feature - more details when they're available!

Pride of Northumbria's Happy First
Anniversary (August 2006)

The first year of a new business can be fraught with problems, but Rebecca de'Wessington is delighted to report that the hamper company she set up in July 2005, Pride of Northumbria, has exceeded her expectations and looks like being a permanent feature of the North East Food and Drink industry.

Rebecca has notched up several successes during the past year. These have included a very rewarding first Christmas, being featured in a promotional DVD by the Northumberland Strategic Partnership to illustrate how it used its funding to support entrepreneurs like Rebecca, winning an Eve Award for her considerable networking skills, and being selected to supply gift hampers to Alnwick Castle and Kielder Castle gift shops. In particular both Longhirst Hall and Linden Hall have embraced the welcome gifts that Rebecca provides for their guests.

She is currently in talks about opening a dedicated retail outlet in her adopted hometown of Newbiggin-by-the-Sea in mid-Northumberland. " I'm thrilled by the prospect," she said.
Rebecca has also been actively involved in setting up a food distribution service in Amble, further up the coast, with Fourways Food, part of Amble Development Trust. The aim is to help food producers in north Northumberland get their produce into local shops by providing them with reliable transport; also communal refrigeration and storage facilities should they require them.

Coming up for Pride of Northumbria is a large order for 300 luxury hampers containing quality North East produce, for two concerts in August at Macdonald Linden Hall, Golf and Country Club, Longhorsley, near Morpeth. The menu starter is two slices of Craster oak-smoked salmon, followed by Northumberland Cheese, cured beef and ham from Broom Mill, JR Jam caramelised onion chutney, JR Jam spiced pepper chutney, Mason and Graham mixed spice nuts, and the New Barns Terrine consisting of rare-breed pork, free-range chicken breast, brandy, pistachio nuts, apricots and fresh herbs. Thomson's the Baker's will provide Newcastle Broon Ale cobs. The sweet course will be a Jenkins and Hustwit celebration cake, all in a baker's wicker hamper with accompanying salad and refreshments provided by Linden Hall.

The first concert, on August 19, will be given by Julian Lloyd Webber and the English Philharmonic Orchestra. The star of the second concert will be Ronan Keating. The concerts have been organised by the Children's Hope Foundation.

Rebecca de'Wessington acknowledges the support she has received during her first year in business from members of Northumbria Larder, the regional food group, and other food producers and business support organisations in the North East. " They have been very generous to me and together we are promoting the quality of locally-produced food in the region. "

June 2006

6th June 2006: Rebecca wins Eve Networking for Profit Award 2006

Pride of Northumbria's Rebecca de'Wessington attended the 2006 Eve Awards after being shortlisted, and came away with the top award in the Networking for Profit category.

’Eve’ is a project facilitated by Business Link for Northumberland and is designed to respond to the needs being expressed by women entrepreneurs, offering advice and assistance from a dedicated team of female advisers and partner organisations. 

Launched in 2002, ’Eve’ provides a networking opportunity for women whether they have just started in business or established with experiences to share. The award won by Pride of Northumbria recognises the company's success at establishing and maintaining strong partnerships across the region with the best producers and businesses.

Fourways Foods and Pride of Northumbria - open for business

Pride of Northumbria is now trading direct to the public from the brand new Fourways Foods outlet in Amble Northumberland. Situated on the quayside, the building was the former Amble Lifeboat House, and now stocks a wide range of quality local produce, as well as the Pride of Northumbria Hampers.

Open to the public weekdays and Sundays, you can call in and browse, have a coffee and find out a little bit more about what Pride of Northumbria can do for you - call Rebecca de'Wessington if you'd like to make an appointment about something specific, or just pop in and see for yourself.

Diabetic Hamper now available

Pride of Northumbria began to supply hampers to those with special dietary requirements last month, with a range of diabetic hampers. Although still difficult to source at this stage, we feel that the provision of quality foods for those with specific dietary requirements is something very important. We will endeavour to source and supply the finest food and drink produce for those with such requirements, and promote the work of producers who recognise this need.

New Networking Opportunities

Pride of Northumbria is now part of NECC (North East Chamber of Commerce) and we welcome other NECC members ot contact us and discuss how we can help you at special NECC Member rates. For more information on this organisation visit http://www.ne-cc.com/.

May 2006

Wedding Gift Hamper

The perfect gift for the happy couple, parents of the bride or groom, or indeed any of the matrimonial party. Quality wicker hamper with leather straps containing Two miniature bottles of Lindisfarne Mead, One Gift Box of Lindisfarne Mint Fudge, Two half slices of Jenkins and Hustwit Award Winning Rich Fruit Cake, One Miniature Preserve from J R Jams, One Miniature Bottle Sloe Crafts Raspberry Vodka, One jar of Mason and Graham Spiced Nuts and One Pride of Northumbria Pillar Candle.

£41.00 (Price includes postage, packing and hand written gift card) ORDER

Pride of Northumbria featured on NE Life web site

This month sees a range of features, one of which is an article about the success of Pride of Northumbria - read it in full at http://www.n-e-life.com/forbusiness/article2.php?id=78952

Picnic Hampers for the perfect Summer event...

Pride of Northumbria offers the ultimate in luxury picnic hampers. With a menu that would tempt the most discerning palate, we are sure that our perfect picnic baskets offer you the opportunity to make a Summer event extra special, from a day at the races or cricket, to an open air concert or outing. If you're one of the 600+ VIPs attending Linden Hall's outdoor concerts on 19th and 20th August, you'll be able to tell us what you think, because you'll be getting one!

Coming soon - Pride of Northumbria's new Amble Outlet

March 2006

This months sees the introduction of Northumbrian Drinks Gift Boxes. Our two bottle sets feature the full range of Lindisfarne wines, as well as Lindisfarne Mead and Alnwick Rum. Delivered in a quality wooden box with luxury shredded craft paper packing.

Also new for March is a range of very special Wedding Hampers, suitable for bride and groom, parents of the happy couple, or in special colour co-ordinated Anniversary packaging for Silver, Ruby and Golden Wedding Celebrations.

Pride of Northumbria will also be featured this month in the March Issue of In Touch Magazine, as a featured innovative business.

January 2006

Pride of Northumbria is now featured in a special promotional DVD produced by Northumberland Strategic Partnership to highlight the success of the Single Regeneration Budget funding, which has allowed many local projects and businesses to start up successfully - including ours! The DVD, called "1999 - 2006 A Celebration", is available from Northumberland Strategic Partnership.

Our first Christmas was a huge success - thanks to everyone who ordered! Hampers were sent to all parts of the UK, and as far away as Sweden, and even Australia. Thank you for your feedback - it was lovely to hear so many messages of delight and support from lucky hamper recipients, and we hope you all enjoyed them! Keep an eye open for new hamper ideas throughout 2006, and even more exciting products from the North East of England's finest regional food and drink producers.

We're delighted too that Pride of Northumbria features in this month's Living North Wedding Special - our Lindisfarne Hamper was selected as one of a range of perfect gifts for a very special wedding day - we can't help but agree with them!

New for 2006 - The Valentine's Gift Hamper

Containing a selection of extra-special treats, this gift hampers has been carefully chosen to help you show how much you love a special person in your life. Lovingly packed in a quality wicker presentation tray, this selection contains quality hand-made chocolates, shortbread, strawberries and champagne preserve, raspberry vodka and a sumptuous hand decorated Valentine's Cake. We strongly recommend that you pre-order to avoid disappointment! Click here for full details and ordering

December 2005

Pride of Northumbria wishes all its customers and suppliers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Keep visiting this site - new ranges will be available throughout the year for those special occasions, big and small - and we'd also welcome your feedback and suggestions - please feel free to get in touch and let us know what you think!

• This month sees the launch of the first Northumbrian Hand-made Chocolate provided by Dee and Richard from the Battlesteads Hotel in Wark. Pride of Northumbria has the honour of being the very first to distribute this wonderful hand-made chocolate to its customers in some of our extra-special hampers. We wish them all the very best for the future!
  
  
• Pride of Northumbria features in the ‘Living North’ Magazine amongst the 150 outlets for Regional food. Look out in January 2006, for more about the Pride of Northumbria Selection, as an ideal wedding gift for all the family.
  
  
• Despite a busy month, with hampers being delivered throughout the UK and Europe, Pride of Northumbria begins its preparation for the exciting introduction of the Valentine Hamper, a great alternative to the usual chocolates and flowers. More details will follow in January, 2006

November 2005

• Pride of Northumbria hits the front page of the Business Journal and celebrates the success of the Linden Hall contract together with the service which supports all regional producers, craftsmen and artists under one umbrella. 'Rebecca's Pride of Northumbria Hampers Go Down a Treat' (The Journal, November 2005) [read full story]
  
  
• Also, in the Journal this month, Pride of Northumbria donates a large gift hamper as a major prize for a competition, and again gives background on the luxury and quality hamper service the company provides.
  
  
• Finally, this month Pride of Northumbria reaches further than ever before in the worldwide market with its first sale to Australia!

October 2005

October has seen the preparation for Christmas and continued development of our range. This month the Kielder and Priory hamper were introduced to accommodate the wine and cheese, together with a golden collection of sumptuous sweet treats.

September 2005

• Pride of Northumbria won a major contract within the first two months of trading with one of the most prestigious hotels in Northumberland. It will provide 600 VIP two-person picnic hampers for two prestigious open air concerts to be held in the grounds of Linden Hall Hotel, featuring the English Symphony Orchestra and Julian Lloyd Webber, and Ronan Keating. These hampers will provide a cornucopia of delicious food and drink including fresh bread, meats, cheeses from all over Northumbria, together with quality local wines and beverages.
  
  
• Pride of Northumbria took part in the first Alnwick Food Festival and was welcomed by all. This was its first introduction to the public who were delighted that a large regional selection was available on their doorstep. They were particularly interested in the bespoke hamper service which allowed them to choose their favourite local products. The Grand Raffle Prize was out top-of-the-range Alnwick Hamper - someone must have been very glad to have bought a ticket, winning over £400 worth of finest regional food and drink!