Wine suppliers from across the UK met at Arkell's last week when Arkell Vintners held a wine tasting for customers at its Kingsdown premises in Swindon.
More than 150 customers, more than ever before, came to try a selection of the finest wines from across the world.
According to Sales Director, Nick Arkell: "Wine tastings are always an excellent opportunity to offer our customers a taste of the new range of wines and the time to discuss them with our team. Over the years we have found that our wine tastings are becoming more popular and it was wonderful to see so many customers take an active interest in the wines they are buying."
Vineyards in France, Australia, California, New Zealand, South Africa and even Hungary were represented and Tetbury's famous shop The House of Cheese supplied a wide range of cheeses designed to compliment the wines.
Arkell Vintners was opened in July 1962 and Nick Arkell took over in July 1992, bringing with him an extensive wine industry knowledge. Today the Vintners carries over 1000 different wines, a far cry from the beginning in 1962 when the business offered just 30 different wines.
Once or twice each year Nick Arkell visits vineyards across the world and earlier this year he took a trip to South Africa to taste a variety of wines from established businesses there.
"Visiting vineyards is a really good opportunity to see how the wine is made so I can give expert advice to our customers," he says. "Some of the wines I tasted whilst in the country are very good indeed and I was able to add to our South African range."
Arkell's Vintners are well known and respected within the local restaurant trade, but Nick is finding that there are an increasing number of private customers buying from Arkell's Vintners.
"Good wine doesn't have to be expensive, and many excellent wines are found in supermarkets. But with every bottle of wine we sell, we give our customers the opportunity to learn a little more about what they are buying.
Brewery Celebrates Mayor's Year
James Arkell presents the engraved decanter to Mayor, Stan Pajak (r)
Arkell's was delighted to welcome Mayor Stan Pajak and his wife Dawn yesterday, when they were invited to tour the brewery and join some of the staff and Arkell's family for lunch.
"We know how hard the mayor's job can be," said managing director at the brewery, James Arkell. "And as he enters his final few weeks of office, as one of Swindon's oldest businesses this is our way of saying thank you for all the hours of work he has put in to supporting and promoting our great town of Swindon over the last year."
Mr and Mrs Pajak were given a guided tour of the brewery by Chairman Peter Arkell and head brewer Don Bracher, meeting some of the brewery's longest-serving employees, many of whose families have worked at the brewery for generations.
Arkell's Brewery also presented Mayor Pajak with an engraved glass decanter as a memento of his visit, and a bouquet of flowers to Mrs Pajak.
The mayor gave a short speech of thanks in which he said he had been lucky enough to be mayor during an especially exciting year, which had included the Queen's Jubilee. But it was just as important to him that he had been privileged enough to meet a wide range of people from all walks of life across Swindon, which he would never forget."
Bunny Explosion at the Brewer's Arms
The Brewer's Arms Rabbits!
Just in time for Easter, The Brewer's Arms at Wanborough is facing a bunny explosion as 51 baby rabbits have been born.
New landlady at the Arkell's-owned pub, Vonda Osbourne, is hoping that they have finished breeding as she's fast running out of room in their rabbit run!
"We've already given away ten rabbits to good homes, but we've still got 41 hopping about, some only two week's old. They're really gorgeous to look at and are all different colours but as they get bigger we'll have to find homes for them or build a bigger run."
It all started just as Vonda and her partner Darrell arrived to take over at The Brewer's about eight week's ago.
"The two buck rabbits managed to get into the female's run and before we knew it, we had a lot of broody ladies on our hands. I don't mind at all because I think they're gorgeous, but they're eating us out of vegetables quicker than our customers."
The rabbits aren't the only new additions to the famous Brewer's Arms menagerie. Vonda has also given a new home to three budgies, two cockatiels and a golden pheasant, donated by Dorothy Nicholls who lives in Stratton.
"She felt that she couldn't give her animals the time they deserved as she's getting a little frail these days," explained Vonda. "So we were happy to take them in and give them a comfortable home. They certainly won't be lonely with all our customers making a fuss of them."
Vonda is happy to give the baby bunnies away to good home in return for a donation to cover food for her remaining rabbits.
"And we've also made sure that the gate between the bucks and the females rabbits is securely locked," she joked.
More about The Brewer's Arms...
Duke and Princess Go Head to Head for Charity
Rival football teams from The Duke of Edinburgh on Cricklade Road and The Princess on Beatrice Street are pitting age against youth for charity next week when the Duke of Edinburgh Veterans go head to head against The Princess Rookies.
According to landlady at Arkell's pub The Duke of Edinburgh, Jane Westmorland: "It all started as a joke a few weeks back. Our boys, who are all over forty and some of whom probably smoke and drink far more than is good for them, decided to show the young lads at The Princess how a real football match should be played.
Within days the younger lads at The Princess had accepted the challenge and the football pitch at The Crosslink Stadium on Ermine Street near Arkell's Brewery was booked for 10.30 on Easter Saturday April 19th.
Although The Princess Rookies have age on their side, The Duke of Edinburgh has a secret weapon, in the form of former professional Aston Villa player and fellow Arkell's landlord Phil King, who runs The Dolphin pub on Rodbourne Road.
"With Phil on our team and the rest of the lads a pretty hefty bunch, I reckon we'll win hands down," predicts Jane.
But the real winner will be local charity The Prospect Foundation which will benefit from all the money raised during the football match, and at the evening event at The Duke of Edinburgh where local skiffle band Ode and the B-Bops will be playing from 7.30pm in the evening.
For more information contact Jane Westmoreland at The Duke of Edinburgh on 01793 525760.
More about The Duke of Edinburgh...
Graham Puts Away Over One Million Pints of Beer!
Arkell's head cellerman, Graham Bridgman (r) with head brewer, Don Bracher
Arkell's Head Cellarman, Graham Bridgman, is celebrating twenty years at Arkell's this month and reckons that since starting at the brewery he's filled casks with over one million pints of beer.
Graham (39), who lives near the Brewery in Stratton with his wife and two children, joined the brewery when he was 19 year's old, having spent two years in Jessops clothing shop at the top of Regent Street in Swindon, now shut down.
"My mum worked at the bottling store in the brewery and she always enjoyed her work, so when a job came up I quickly applied for it," he says.
After spending time in the bottle store, he moved to the Cask Wash, then into the Cellar and was promoted to Head Cellarman when his boss retired. He is now in control of all cask beer going to trade customers.
"I really enjoy my work," he says. "It's like having a big family, and although the paperwork is heavier than it was, the casks have got smaller and the work less physical. We no longer have to fill 54 gallon hogsheads or 36 gallon barrels, most of them are nine gallon these days."
During celebrations to mark his 20th anniversary at the brewery earlier this week, Graham was awarded a watch and his wife, Yolanda, was presented with a bouquet of flowers.
Managing director at Arkell's Brewery, James Arkell, said: "As far as our customers are concerned, Graham has one of the most important jobs at the brewery - getting beer into barrels ready for drinking. And as he's only a 'baby' at 39, we reckon we'll get another few million pints out of him yet!"
'Baptism of Fire' at The Angel!
Simon & Tania outside The Angel
After only a week behind the bar at The Angel in Purton, Simon and Tania Burrows found themselves cooking breakfast for fifty en route for Cheltenham Races!
"Fifty race-goers, drinking more than fifty pints of beer and stout and fifty full English breakfasts, all in the space of an hour!", said chef Simon. "It's enough to put you off bacon for life!"
But a week or so later and things have calmed down for Simon and Tania and the family is settling into to village life.
"Our two children Sophie aged 10 and Cameron aged 6 have moved to Purton school, just behind the pub," said Tania "And we're really looking forward to getting involved in village life. We've got the biggest car park in Purton and want to put it to good use - perhaps running car boot sales in the Summer."
Simon and Tania moved from Cirencester, where they had been running Arkell's pub 'The Golden Cross' in Black Jack Street as managers.
"We were keen to get our own pub and were delighted when James Arkell offered us The Angel," said Simon.
And even their party of 50-strong horseracing enthusiasts in the first week hasn't put them off, although Tania says she'll get extra help behind the bar if they book next year: "I think I underestimated how much racegoers can drink in a short space of time. Next year we'll be prepared!"
More about the Angel...
New Kitchen WLTM Chef For Delicious Lasting Relationship
Simon Collins (left) and Stephen Thomas (right), flambeeing in their new kitchen!
Although The Bolingbroke Hotel at Hook is celebrating the building of enlarged kitchen facilities there's just one small problem - it can't find a chef to cook in them.
According to landlord Simon Collins: " Since we took over at The Bolingbroke when Arkell's bought it 18 months ago we've got busier and busier and last year we started to advertise for a chef to work with our head chef Stephen Thomas."
A year later despite advertising in the local press and the job centre Simon can't find the chef he needs to expand the team."
He points out that this is a Swindon-wide problem and there are other landlords and restaurateurs in the same boat as him.
"I drive around Swindon and see blackboards outside pubs and restaurants all asking for the same person: a bright and enthusiastic chef to join their team. That's what we need but we haven't been lucky enough to recruit them yet."
"We cook really fresh food from scratch for every customer and need someone with some experience to help us maintain our high standards."
Since moving into the 8-bedroomed Bolingbroke Hotel Simon and his partner Hailey Finch have seen a sharp rise in the number of customers.
"We can currently cook a maximum of fifty restaurant meals a night, but with an extra chef in our expanded kitchen we could increase our capacity," added Simon
Managing director at Arkell's Brewery, James Arkell, said: "There does seem to be a shortage of catering staff in Swindon at the moment. What we need is a Jamie Oliver-style cookery school in the area to bring on the next generation of chefs. However, Simon is hiding his own light under a bushell as he's an accomplished chef in his own right. But I also understand that he wants to spend less time in the kitchen and get closer to his customers."
Meanwhile, Simon and Stephen are taking advantage of their spacious new kitchen area.
"We're making the most of our bigger working area, which is great, but an extra pair of hands in the kitchen would be the icing on the cake!"
More about the Bolingbroke...
'Adopt A Local' is Runaway Success
Ray Taylor at The Globe Inn signing his 'Adoption Papers'!
The 'Adopt a Local' scheme, launched by www.pubs2000.com, has been a runaway success for two Arkell's pubs in Gloucestershire.
The Tavern at Kemble near Cirencester has been inundated with reporters and TV crews wanting to talk to 90-year old Arthur Ayres who has been drinking at his local for over 50 years. At The Globe Inn in Gloucester two locals have been adopted: Pete Rafferty and Ray Taylor.
The pioneering scheme asks people to sponsor a local by paying £20 a year. For this fee they receive a newsletter about their chosen regular, packed with updates such as how they are doing in their skittle league as well as a certificate a signed photograph of their adoptee and a beer mat.
As well as attracting TV, radio and press, Globe pub landlord, John Baldwin, has been interviewed about the scheme by Radio Melbourne in Australia, which is considering going one stage further by adopting the pub itself.
"The interest in this scheme is absolutely amazing," he said.
John Ellard, who runs www.pubs2000.com from Upper Rissington near Cheltenham, says his scheme is aimed at American tourists and anyone who cares about the survival of rural pubs and the image of old-timers propping up the bars.
From the £20 fee, £5 goes to a society for sick and retired licensees, £5 goes behind the bar for the adoptee, £5 goes towards printing and design costs at pubs2000 and £5 goes to the website itself.
Managing director at Arkell's Brewery, James Arkell, said: "This is a terrific idea which strikes at the very heart of our pub heritage. The best pubs always have a regular who appears to be glued to the bar stool, or chair near the fire, during opening time. They have their own beer glass, which has it's own hook or place on the shelf, and if anyone else tries to use it, they'll probably get a chilly welcome the next time they venture inside."
Arthur Ayres at The Tavern is delighted at the scheme: "My drink is Arkell's 3Bs - it's like my medicine and keeps me going. I come to The Tavern to socialise and enjoy the daily banter. I still play for the skittles team and have yet to meet a better player. In fact, I think I am the oldest skittles player around!"
