The Independent
Snail, leather or tea - what flavour crisp will Heston cook up?
By Cahal Milmo and Laura Jones; Wednesday, 18 June 2008
As the chef whose reputation has been built on his ability to confuse and tantalise tastebuds with such confections as crab ice cream and leather purée, Heston Blumenthal would be naturally drawn to a company that depends upon the strange alchemy of suffusing fried potato with the chemical essence of prawn cocktail, ketchup or roast chicken.
But when that company is Walkers Snack Foods Limited, which as part of the Pepsico conglomerate helped generate global profits of £2.8bn last year from the sale of sugary drinks and starchy nibbles, a collaboration between the high priest of molecular gastronomy and an enterprise that sells 11 million packets of crisps in Britain every day takes on a different flavour.
Walkers confirmed yesterday that it is working on a project with Blumenthal, the British cheerleader for melding science with food. The Leicester-based company, which markets 41 different flavours of crisp ranging from ready salted to lamb with Moroccan spices, said details will be announced in the coming weeks but denied reports that the chef is working with it on a “healthy eating” initiative.
The chef’s Fat Duck restaurant in the Berkshire village of Bray is regularly listed as one of the world’s top three restaurants and has been awarded three Michelin stars.
Blumenthal initially eschewed the commercial tie-ups and television deals that have swelled the incomes other food celebrities but more recently he has increased his public profile – and bank balance – with a number of deals, including a TV makeover for a branch of the Little Chef motorway café chain for which he is being paid £330,000. He is already known for his obsession with fried potatoes after using his BBC2 cookery show, In Search of Perfection, to develop a “triple-cooked chip”.
The chef has previously worked with Firmenich, based in Geneva, which is one of the world’s biggest flavourings producers and has isolated 10,000 separate perfumes and tastes. Its clients include Walkers. A source at the British company insisted that this was not the reason for its link with the chef but described the joint venture with Blumenthal as, “big and new and exciting”.
“Heston is working with us,” said a company spokesman, “but there is nothing more we can say until we are ready to go public with the details.”
The alliance between culinary genius and an industrial crisp maker sparked immediate speculation that Blumenthal, 42, will be putting his name to a new line of snacks developed in the same kitchen-cum-laboratory he has used to perfect hundreds of agenda-setting recipes, such as caviar and white chocolate soufflé, with the help of centrifuges, vacuum jars and soda fountains.
Walkers’ frontman for its television adverts is the football pundit Gary Lineker who has been joined by a cast of celebrities including the singer Charlotte Church and the chef Gordon Ramsay. The company also said that it did not expect Blumenthal to replace Lineker as its advertising frontman when the former Leicester City and England striker’s contract expires in 2010.
Walkers faces stiff competition in Britain’s £1.3bn-a-year crisps market, which has returned to steady growth after sales dipped in the late 1990s amid concerns about fat and salt levels. It launched a Sensations range with a variety of exotic flavours to counter the success of “premium” brands such as Kettle Chips.
The 5-minute Interview: Tim Burgess, Singer-songwriter
‘When I took drugs I’d always share them, and people took advantage’
By Laura Jones; Tuesday, 24 June 2008
Tim Burgess, 41, is lead singer of the British band The Charlatans. Originally from Salford, he now lives in Hollywood and London. The band will perform at this year’s V Festival.
If I weren’t talking to you right now I’d be …
Probably watching television in my flat in Shoreditch. I like morning TV and those programmes like Cash In The Attic that tell you what to buy.
A phrase I use too often …
“No way!”
I wish people would take more notice of …
The words I’m singing and the music I’m playing. It’s the last thing some people pick up on and the songs really do come from my heart, mind and soul.
The most surprising thing to happen to me was …
Moving to LA I suppose. When you first come to the US you have to decide between New York and Los Angeles. Up to the age of 26 I loved New York. Then my mind changed and I went over to the other side. I love the weather here and the people. It’s multicultural and I find more inspiration to write here. It’s something to do with the light.
A common misperception of me is …
That I’m a people-pleaser. That comes from the period when I took drugs; I would always share them and I think a lot of people took advantage of that.
I am not a politician but …
I do love Barack Obama. I can’t vote over here but my wife votes for the Peace and Freedom party.
I’m good at …
First meetings and talking to people.
I’m very bad at …
Saying no – maybe I am a bit of a people-pleaser [laughs]. No, but seriously, I have a bit of an addictive personality and I do find it hard to say no sometimes.
The ideal night out is …
Some sort of party with my London friends – most of whom are musicians. The best birthday party I ever had was with those guys.
In weak moments I …
Probably send someone a text, but only when I feel really weak. I know a lot of people feel insecure when they’re not the centre of attention or are alone in a bar or something. I’m happy to be alone and I’m not talking about moments like that but, in times of real weakness, I’ll pick up the phone.
You know me as a singer-songwriter but in truer life I’d have been …
A leader of men, a pioneer – probably a frontman.
The best age to be is …
I enjoyed 19 but I also enjoyed 31, so either of those is good, though life really begins at 40.
In a nutshell, my philosophy is …
To keep things changing but keep things simple.
http://www.independent.co.uk/student/gap-year/gap-year-off-into-the-unknown-890710.html
Gap year: off into the unknown
High-profile tragedies have made parents wary, but well-planned gap years are worth the risk
By Laura Jones; Monday, 11 August 2008
When I left Manchester for a year in Paris, my mum stood at the airport and cried. I don’t think she worried too much while I was gone – just the standard maternal anxiety. I did, however, have a horse riding accident, a (minor) car crash and on several occasions found myself followed by Parisian men. And the French capital is hardly the most exotic or dangerous of places.
Yet the recent high-profile deaths of young people abroad have placed gap year danger at the top of the agenda. Meredith Kercher was killed in Perugia, Italy last November, in disturbing and still unravelling circumstances. And Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Perez, both 23, were recently stabbed to death in London – all three were studying at foreign universities. April’s bus crash in Ecuador killed four gappers and their tour guide, while the deaths of British teenagers Scarlett Keeling in Goa and, more recently, Cara Marie Burke in Brazil have done little to ease fears.
Safety concerns
So should we be more worried about safety on gap years or sabbatical trips? Are students or youngsters themselves thinking twice before going away now? Or does sensational news sell, while gap years remain essential for an authentic world view?
Sarah Holmes, 23, recently spent a year in South America as part of her Hispanics and history degree, and is well aware of the risks we sometimes take abroad.
When she told her parents she’d done a bungee jump in Peru they were “far from pleased, especially as safety standards are much lower than at home”. Equally, when she cycled along the world’s most dangerous road in Bolivia, where a young man recently died and for which you need extra insurance in case your body has to be flown home, she was again aware of the possibility of a lethal drop to her death.
“It is awful when you hear about these tragedies,” she admits. “But you must remember that millions travel every year and these horror stories are so rare. In Rio, for example, you may get pick pocketed but it’s unlikely you’re going to die. And, after all, people get mugged on a daily basis in London or Barcelona.”
Holmes says you also have to remember that you stand out as a foreigner and therefore you could be an easy target, probably carrying cash or a camera. “But you simply have to be aware of this; the risks of a gap year don’t outweigh the benefits in my opinion.”
The cases that dominate the news do not supply strong enough reasons to avoid gap years or study abroad since they are a tiny minority; horrific for those involved and shocking to those who take an interest in international affairs, but far from a regular occurrence. It is important to embrace issues of cultural sensitivity and remain aware of your surroundings.
“Bear in mind, you may have to adjust your behaviour and dress or act differently. For instance ignoring a guy in England if he approached you would be exceptionally rude but in Argentina guys can get the wrong idea if you even speak to them,”says Holmes.
Chris Ash at Global Vision International (GVI) agrees that there are various cultural differences to note depending on the country. In India, midriff baring can be a problem (although not if you’re wearing a sari) and in some indigenous tribes, tattoos can symbolise violence. Thankfully, companies like gapyear.com and GVI offer all manner of health and safety advice from scorpions to snakes and diving disasters.
Tom Griffiths, founder of gapyear.com, advises you to get online or purchase a guide and get clued up. He is conscious of the parental desire to protect one’s offspring but assures us there is no reason to be overwhelmed or worried. “Nowadays there is a well-trodden backpacker route and close to two million 18-30 year-olds take it annually,” he says. “Statistics from 2001 indicated that it was safer to take a gap year than to go to university.”
Griffiths says it is important to make sure you have travel and medical insurance, and the correct jabs. But he is keen to emphasise how much of a positive difference a gap year can make to your life: “We are part of a global economy and we need to understand that and be part of it.”
My story: Why I chose not to go to uni
Laura Jones talks to those who took the road less travelled and are happy with the outcome; Tuesday, 12 August 2008
‘The gap year really helped’
Victoria Parr, 20, took a last minute gap year after disappointing A-level results. She volunteered with CSV – Community Service Volunteers– the UK’s largest volunteering and training organisation for a year before heading to Chichester University to do a degree in social work.
“I knew I wasn’t going to do exceptionally well in my A-levels as my AS results hadn’t been great. I had previously thought about doing a nursing diploma but I decided I wanted to do social work and needed to go to university for that. So I decided to take a gap year and get some relevant experience. I spent the year with CSV, volunteering in the UK and helping children with disabilities.
It is not a nine-to-five day when you volunteer. Obviously, you go to the child’s house which means you spend at least two hours a day with a child and then you could spend the afternoon writing up the case in the records. But some days I’d spend six hours with the child in question.
I’m now at Chichester University doing a BA in social work. The gap year really helped. Apart from helping me get into uni in the first place, it will also give me an advantage in the jobs market. For instance, this year, I’ve been able to work with adults who have disabilities, which I couldn’t have done if I hadn’t volunteered with children last year. It is all going towards my career after university.”
‘I know 100 per cent that I did the right thing’
Gary Atkinson, 25, has a job in TV post-production with the London agency Rushes. He says you don’t have to go to uni to be a high flyer. “After my A-levels, I decided university wasn’t for me, even though I got two As and two Bs. I had a clear idea of what I wanted to do and a degree wasn’t necessary for my career path.
So I came to London. I took an entry-level job which I did for 10 months. Then an opportunity came up for a booking department post, the first rung on the ladder within a small company. After a year I was promoted to junior producer and at 21, to producer. Then I got a job freelancing at Rushes, one of the best established companies in London, and after two months they offered me a permanent contract.
The only way not going to university has affected me is that I have had some funny experiences at work – being the boss of people older than me for example. Perhaps you get promoted faster with a degree but I think companies also respond well to a good attitude and hard work. I know 100 per cent that I did the right thing.”
‘University appealed to me but it’s an awful lot of money’
Matthew Carter, 22, is a Royal Marine. He did a public services course for two years at college before entering a vigorous training scheme for the marines. In October he will spend six months serving in Afghanistan.
“You can go into the marines as early as 16, but I did two years at college on a public services course beforehand, which really opened my eyes to being in the services. My dad had always wanted me to be in the marines but I thought about it for a long time, and went to speak to the careers office before making a decision.
You have to do an entrance exam and academic and medical tests, and if you pass these then you progress to your Potential Royal Marines Course (PRMC) – a three day course which, if you pass, then leads to a basic 32-week training.
The idea of university appealed to me but it’s an awful lot of money. I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve done. It does take a lot longer in the marines to reach a good level of pay. Even compared to traffic wardens, we get paid less – which is crazy really, as we’re lads fighting for the country. I guess people choose it more for the lifestyle than the money though.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/meet-the-new-age-travellers-1773309.html
Meet the new age travellers
Gappers used to be 18, in search of freedom. These days, says Laura Jones, they’re graduates looking for skills
Monday, 17 August 2009
When I graduated this time last year, I hadn’t really thought about a gap year. The climate seemed perfect to start the ascent of those slippery job-ladder rungs. Lehman, Fannie and Freddie were still functioning and, ironically, I had landed a reporting job at a niche financial magazine in London.
But within two weeks, the financial world had tumbled down. Crunch time really came with the six-month review, when I was told I wouldn’t be getting the promised pay rise for another one or two years.
Searching unsuccessfully for another job grew tiring. Options were limited in terms of roles available but, conversely, my expectations had grown, and I wasn’t willing to just take something for the sake of it.
The perfect time, then, to travel, learn another language and figure out what to do with my life. So I packed my rucksack and took off for a post-university gap year.
And it seems I’m not alone. A new trend is emerging among graduates. Gone are the days of weighty parental warnings about getting straight into any old office job. Nowadays, graduates are taking advantage of the current climate to gain skills, volunteer or add to their repertoire of languages.
Even the Government has acknowledged the benefits of gap years for graduates. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, in partnership with gap-year organisation Raleigh International, recently announced that it is to fund some 500 university-leavers to go on projects as far afield as India and Costa Rica.
The scheme responds to the context of an increasingly tough job market for recent graduates. Furthermore, the skills developed on these projects are valued in the workplace, thus improving volunteers’ employability.
Graduates, employers, gap-year organisations and the Government all seem to agree that the life and business experience gained from a volunteer project is unbeatable.
Victoria Arkell, 23, graduated a year ago with a degree in French and German from Nottingham University. She is just finishing a gap year, which included volunteering in Tanzania, travelling around South America, as well as interning in London and being a ski host in Meribel, France.
She is soon to start as a business analyst in London with Gü, the luxury pudding company, and says the skills she developed on her post-university gap year helped her to land the job – and will continue to benefit her in the future.
“This year has dramatically improved my CV and shown that I am versatile and independent,” she says. “I gained people skills and specific customer-relations skills from my ski season, and my language skills have improved considerably – in Swahili and Spanish.”
Neil Finnie, marketing and partners manager at Global Vision International (GVI) has certainly noticed British graduates in the 21-to-23-year-old bracket flocking to the company’s projects in the past three to six months. The company has now launched long- and short-term internships to cope with the demand of graduates looking to get more tangible benefits from their time overseas.
“We have new BTECs in leadership, biological survey techniques, safari field-guide courses, Padi [diving] qualifications and Tefl courses,” says Finnie.
He adds that many employers see graduates who look good on paper, but find they lack life and leadership skills. These are the benefits that GVI volunteers get with a more structured programme: they help the community, put in time, energy and money, and, in turn, get enhanced abilities.
Bruce Haxton, operations director at i-to-i, the volunteer travel company, agrees. “I’ve had a lot of feedback from employers expressing how positive they feel trips like ours are in terms of skills and personal development,” he says.
“Business leaders have been saying that those who have volunteered and experienced life have a lot more to offer. They know more about themselves and others, and it stands to reason that they would make better employees.”
Around a quarter of those travelling with i-to-i from the UK are recent graduates, and Haxton expects this to increase in the next two or three months, as university leavers decide what they want to do in the short term, and take time out to travel and volunteer.
Even Prospects, the official graduate careers website, says: “If you want to take time out, see the world and learn new skills, a gap year is the perfect way to round off university life.”
I’m now travelling through South America and, having so far spent time in Buenos Aires and Rosario, Argentina, have met many others on similar journeys. I’m writing and photographing, and took a month-long Spanish course in Buenos Aires in the hope that adding another language to my repertoire will help with job opportunities.
I’m unsure how future employers will perceive the fact that I simply quit my job and left Britain. But I hope that I will come across as someone who knew what she wanted and pursued it.