To do so, we believe in providing incredible value without compromise and for this years 2012 Clothes Show Live, we’re introducing our Price Promise where we will match beat the price of any combined private coach-hire and ticket prices for your group – whether social, student or school.

The TicketAndTravel.com Price Promise

Our price promise is to match or beat any written quotes for vehicle hire and tickets for the group.
All our vehicle are comfortable, executive vehicles with on-board toilets.

We can help with groups of any size

If you would like to take a group of 10 or more people to the show, then call 01273 25 24 88 or use the form below to get in touch.

Or if you are thinking about organising a group trip, why not get in touch and see if we can help you.

The post TicketAndTravel.com introduces Price Promise for Clothes Show Live 2012 appeared first on Ticket and Travel.

Our educational programme is a complete package designed to make it easier for schools, colleges and university groups to get the shows they love; by making it stress-free and easy.

We are proudly organising coach trips for university groups, schools and fashion students to Clothes Show Live; the essential trip for  all those interested in or currently working in the fabulous world of fashion and design, as you can explore fabrics, designs, accessories, hair and beauty – the whole package. So you will get a greater understanding of how all the elements fit together to get ‘the look’.

Easy, stress-free group trips

With single local pick up points we’ll get you there quicker and greener – cutting traffic from lots of individual car journeys. Our luxury coach travel with facilities on board will give you fast-track drop off right outside the venue (no cold trains and trudging from the nearest station), then we’ll be waiting to pick you up before returning you home safely. You can rest assured our coaches will only take students and teachers in your party – no other public travellers. You will have the chance to meet and make friends, share ideas and fuel your imagination!

Useful key points

• Convenient pickup points for the group
• Door-to-door service
• Exclusive online booking page for thegroup
• Exclusive discounts
• Safe travel for the whole party
• Fast-track entry into the show
• Educational programme to aide your coursework and curriculum
• Dedicated point of contact at ticketandtravel.com
• Tickets issued on coach so no danger of losing them beforehand

Any questions, please email us: info@ticketandtravel.com or call 01273 25 24 88

About Clothes Show Live

With over 500 brands, celebrity guests and live music this is the place to be be!

The show brings a host of new names, designs and ideas, as well as interactive zones where you can bring your course work alive. The Student Zone has Student Fashion Seminars, Q&A sessions, as well as looking at working practices in the job world such as Ethical production.

This is the event of the fashion year that you just can’t afford to miss.

Call us today on 01273 25 24 21

The post A great day out for Fashion, Beauty and Design students! appeared first on Ticket and Travel.

Attendees were able to observe techniques and sample treats from hundreds of exhibitors, demonstrators and special guests, including the Queen and King of baking Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood.

Mary Berry & Paul Hollywood: special guests at The Cake and Bake Show

From Chocolatiers to sugar craft as well as live demonstrations of all manner of baking skills, it inspired old and new generations of budding bakers.

Kirsty North from Brighton, Sussex said “I was so pleased I came today – I can’t wait to get back to my kitchen to try out my new recipes.”  Commenting on her visit to this well attended event Kirsty continued “I bought my tickets online from ticketandtravel.com and it was so easy. I was picked up from near my home and dropped off right outside Earls Court – no waiting around for drafty trains and tubes. The coach was really comfortable and it gave me a chance to talk to other enthusiastic bakers and share our ideas. By the end of the day we were all saying we should be on the next season of Great British Bake Off.”

Other areas of interest at the Cake and Bake show included Wedding Cake showroom, Tea Room Garden, Marketplace, Kids Kitchen, The Bakery as well as master classes and book signings.

This is a must for anyone interested in cakes and baking, and the next Cake and Bake Show will be even bigger with more areas and exhibitors to watch and learn from.

If you missed the chance to go this time, please note the next Cake and Bake Show will be in Manchester 5-7th April 2013  and again in London in September 2013. You can buy your discounted tickets and luxury coach travel from ticketandtravel.com.

Find us on Facebook at: http://facebook.com/ticketandtravel

Find us on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/ticketandtravel

The post Raising interest for ticketandtravel.com at The Cake and Bake Show appeared first on Ticket and Travel.

We were up at Earls Court in London on Saturday and Sunday (22/23 September) at the first ever Cake and Bake Show and what a day.

The show had completely sold out on both days and through our ticket and travel package to the show we were able to secure our tickets for the show.

Set in Brompton Hall at Earl’s Court in London, the show was filled with cake and baking enthusiasts, cakes and fantastic cake making accessories and bread making products.

Notable appearances were made by Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood of The Great British Bake Off.

The perfect place to be with other like-minded people

Following on from the success of this launch event, the organisers are pleased to announce that The Cake & Bake Show will be in coming to Manchester from 5th-7th April 2013

If you would like to keep up-to-date with details or to request a trip, please fill out our form below.

The post The essential day out for Cake lovers and makers appeared first on Ticket and Travel.

Great Britain has some of the greatest breweries not just in Europe but in the world.

It is one of the oldest and widely enjoyed national traditions by us Brits and with the Great British Beer Festival coming in August, we have been in touch with some of the greatest local breweries in Britain to ask them 10 questions to find out more about themselves and what makes them unique.

Irving & Co Brewers

Based in Portsmouth, Hampshire, Irving & Co Brewers produces an award winning collection of beer including the Invincible Premium cask ale, Frigate Golden Bitter, Type 42 Best Bitter and Admiral Classic Stout. As well as a collection of interesting and commemorative beers of local history, including the “Pompey Glory” celebrating Portsmouth FC’s record appearance at the FA Cup Final 2010.

Ten quick interview questions with Malcom Irving

Please tell us a little about yourself

I’m a 40 year old Scot from Stranraer in Galloway, I’ve pretty much wanted to be a brewer since the job came up in a careers survey at school, I did a degree in brewing and distilling at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, which is the most famous brewing school in the UK and one of the best in the world. After leaving I spent a year in a Micro-brewery in the North -East of England before moving to George Gale and Co at Horndean. I held a number of positions at Gales.

How did you get started and what sparked the idea?

Gales was taken over in November 2005 by Fullers of Chiswick and closed down by them at the end of March 2006, I was offered a job up in London but didn’t really fancy it after looking around the industry decided to strike out on my own with financial backing from family and friends

What makes your beer unique?

My beer is relatively old fashioned in micro-brewery terms and is more related to the beers from some of the older regionals in that its a little bit sweeter in flavour and I use almost exclusively English hops, apart from Styrian Goldings (which if an old fashioned company like Timothy Taylors can use I have no problem claiming them as a traditional variety)

How do you go about naming your beers?

All my beers have a Naval or nautical style name, simple one word names nothing rude or “funny” and nothing to “olde”

What changes would you like to see in the industry?

I would love to see the pub co’s offer more genuinely free of tie deals to tenants, the larger breweries Fullers, Marstons, Wells and Youngs, Greene King offer free of tie to a proportion of tenants specifically to promote local (20-30 mile radius) brewers,….both I’m afraid are fairly unlikely!

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve found since launching?

If I’m in the right mood I surprisingly can really enjoy a day out doing sales, you always meet someone to have a chat with, whether that person buys beer or not is less relevant if you enjoy their company, its also quite surprising how few grumpy landlords are out there when you turn up doing sales.
Its also surprising no matter how often you brew you don’t get bored with it day in day out.

What’s a typical day for you?

There is no typical day as I do several different jobs, I usually brew twice a week (occasionally once or 3 times) those days start at 6am and end pretty much at 6pm its a fairly physical job so I’m pretty exhausted after the second or third brew of the week. If i’m racking (filling casks) I start at 6 or 7am but usually have time for an afternoon of sales or trade visits or sorting out the multitude of tasks it takes to run a small business. I try and get one day in trade each week but that often falls by the wayside.

What future plans for the business can you share with us?

We have a number of plans for the next year or two, we have just bought a second delivery van and another 100 casks. We are planning to put in a new mezzanine level above the mash tun with a new grist case and mash mixer. Other plans include a new spent grains removal system and another fermenting vessel.

If you could drink beer with three people (dead or alive), who would it be?

My dad died fairly recently so I’d love to sit and have a few more beers with him and his best mate who passed away 17 years ago and never got a chance to taste my beers. Not really sure about anyone famous maybe the cyclist Mark Cavendish.

And finally, If you could travel to anywhere in the world right now (mainly to drink beer) where would it be and why?

I had a great time in Brussels a few years back so would like to go back there.

For more details on Irving Brewers & Co:

Please visit their website: http://www.irvingbrewers.co.uk/

Also connect with them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/7007345107/

The post Britain’s Local Breweries: Irving & Co Brewers appeared first on Ticket and Travel.

Here at ticketandtravel.com, we have a big sweet tooth and a particular love of all things Cake! and with the Cake and Bake show coming at the end of the summer, we wanted to get in touch with some of Britain’s best cake stores, sugarcraft and cake workshops to find out more about the people that run them and their business.

Little Penguin Creations

We start in Southampton with Little Penguin Creations, a new exciting cake business and workshop run by Amy.

Ten quick interview questions with Amy

Please tell us a little about yourself

I’m a 25 year old full-time nurse who loves baking and had the crazy notion of setting up a business in my spare time!!

How did you get started and what sparked the idea?

I’ve always made cakes for friends and family and last August, at my friend’s birthday party, a number of guests said “you really should do this professionally” – I’d heard that a number of times before but this time I thought “OK, maybe I will – who wants to place my first paid order?” and I took an order for one of their mum’s birthday cakes there and then!

What was the first cake you ever made?

I honestly can’t remember as I’ve been baking since I was so young! My mum would probably know! My first paid order for the business was a kitten on a round cake that looked like a ball of string!

What’s the strangest cake / request you’ve had to make for a customer

My strangest request was actually for one of my non-edible products! At Little Penguin Creations, we also make gifts, including ‘nappy cakes’ (rolled up nappies in tiers to look like a cake, ‘decorated’ with dummies, sock ‘flowers’ etc.!) – I was asked to make one which was half ‘baby boy’ and half ’90s rave’! It turned out it was for a baby shower that was also a 30th birthday/last few months of freedom party!

What’s the biggest changes you’ve seen in the industry since starting your business?

I’ve seen a lot of businesses making cupcakes spring up out of nowhere!

Whats a typical day for you?

There isn’t such thing as a typical day for me!! As a nurse, I work shifts, including nights and my business has to fit in around that! My most recent busy cake day was before we had a show at the Hampshire and Isle Of Wight Air Ambulance Summer Fair and I baked and decorated 400 cupcakes in a day, on my own, with a bad back!!

How do you get your inspiration for your cake designs?

Sometimes I look online for inspiration, sometimes in some of the many cake books I have at home but mostly I try and use my imagination to envisage what aspects of the customer’s requests would look best on a cake and how!

What future plans for the business can you share with us?

My fiance and I are actually emigrating to New Zealand next year so we will be taking the business with us over there and hopefully seeing what the industry is like over there!

For fun, what is your favourite type of cake/bread to bake

I do enjoy making cupcakes as I like piping and the choices you have for decoration…. but my favourite cakes to decorate are character cakes as I love being creative and can really get stuck into the decorating with them!

And finally, If you could have eat cake with three people (dead or alive), who would it be and why?

I would eat cake with….. Marguerite Patten as she is a legend and my mum has a very old basics cookbook of hers that I loved baking from when growing up; Eric Lanlard as I’d love to see what he thought of my cakes; and my friend Karen, purely because she is a woman who really appreciates good cake!!

For more details on Little Penguin Creations:

Please visit their website: http://www.littlepenguincreations.com/

Also connect with them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LittlePenguinCreations

The post Slice of Britain: Little Penguin Creations – Southampton appeared first on Ticket and Travel.

Great Britain has some of the greatest breweries not just in Europe but in the world.

It is one of the oldest and widely enjoyed national traditions by us Brits and with the Great British Beer Festival coming in August, we have been in touch with some of the greatest local breweries in Britain to ask them 10 questions to find out more about themselves and what makes them unique.

Amber Ales

Based in Amber Valley, Derbyshire, Amber Ales is “always challenging and some say audacious in style”. They are not afraid to push the boundaries in the ale world and have been highly praised for it, for example the Chocolate Orange Stout (Bitter chocolate and orange in a glass!) winning several Champion Beer of Britain and CAMRA awards.

As well as this, Amber ales brew some delicious award winning classics such as the Derbyshire Gold, Original Stout and Imperial IPA.

Ten quick interview questions with Peter Housnell

Please tell us a little about yourself

Pete Hounsell, Brewer and Director of Amber Ales for the last six years. My first commercial brew was during two weeks paternity leave from my previous job, hence my second son has “occupation of Father: Brewer” proudly on his birth certificate.

How did you get started and what sparked the idea?

As a long-time home brewer and chemical engineer with a background in the paper industry I came to a point where I wanted out of the rat-race of commuting, sitting in front of a desk all day etc. Putting those elements together I started looking at opening a brewery in about 2003, eventually commencing 2006.

What makes your beer unique?

I like to push the boundaries a little, and often brew with different ingredients (e.g. orange, jasmine flowers, chillis…) to produce beers that are ‘classic with a twist’. Not completely off the rails (usually) but often different enough to be interesting.

How do you go about naming your beers?

I usually base the names around the style or a description so people have an idea of what they are getting, such as Chocolate Orange Stout and Derbyshire Gold, although we do have a number of beers with a local theme such as Barnes Wallis IPA (he was born in Ripley) and Revolution Ale (Pentrich had the last revolution in England in 1817). Since we are located between Ripley and Pentrich is made sense!

What changes would you like to see in the industry?

The beer tax that kills us all every month. I recently visited Germany and on a brewery tour asked how much beer tax they paid. The answer: 7 Euro on a 100litre cask at 4.8%. In the UK that would be nearly £47 even at the small brewer’s reduced rate. That’s just robbery.

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve found since launching?

Surprised and pleased how open minded people are about new flavours in their beer. From big hairy bikers loving our strawberry beer (re-fermented in cask, it has a great flavour but inevitably isn’t very clear) to lots of people enjoying our Jasmine IPA at the Talbot Taphouse (our brewery tap in Ripley), or more extreme beers like Imperial Chocolate Orange: it’s great to see an appetite out there!

What’s a typical day for you?

The great thing is there is no typical day – except usually rushing round madly as there’s too much to do! I like to do my own deliveries locally to keep in touch with our customers so I might be out in the van, or brewing more beer or just generally catching up on the dreaded admin.

What future plans for the business can you share with us?

We want to push on with the experimental side and get out the great new beers I’ve got ideas for: but you can’t forget the core range that pays the bills!

If you could drink beer with three people (dead or alive), who would it be?

Brian Cox for the physics and philosophy, Malcolm Gladwell for his shrewdly entertaining observations and Niccolo Machiavelli to see if he really was like that

And finally, If you could travel to anywhere in the world right now (mainly to drink beer) where would it be and why?

Boston, USA for its great beer in a city with loads to do and see, most of which you can walk to.

For more details on Amber Ales:

Please visit their website: http://www.amberales.co.uk/

Also connect with them on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/amberales and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/86696385960/

The post Britain’s Local Breweries: Amber Ales appeared first on Ticket and Travel.

Great Britain has some of the greatest breweries not just in Europe but in the world.

It is one of the oldest and widely enjoyed national traditions by us Brits and with the Great British Beer Festival coming in August, we have been in touch with some of the greatest local breweries in Britain to ask them 10 questions to find out more about themselves and what makes them unique.

Box Steam Brewery

Based in Holt, Wiltshire, Box Steam Brewery is a CAMRA and SIBA multi-award winning brewery crafting ales including the Golden Bolt, Tunnel Vision and many more.

For our interview we received answers from four important members of the Box Steam brewery family, to give a thorough account of their brewery. Including; Ruth Shepherd (Sales Manager), Tom Downes (Head Brewer), Kevin Newbould (National Accounts Manager) and Andrew Roberts (Managing Director).

Ten quick interview questions with Box Steam Brewery

Please tell us a little about yourself

Box Steam is a family operated, regional brewery, located in Holt, Wiltshire. Brewing began on a farm near the infamous Box Tunnel in 2004, and over the last 6 years we have grown from a 10 barrel to a 50 barrel brewery. We sell cask and bottled beers mainly to trade, although have a growing loyal following from both local members of the public and those further afield.
We have two pubs, the Cross Guns at Avoncliff and The Inn at Freshford, both located a few miles outside Bradford-on-Avon

How did you get started and what sparked the idea?

Box Steam Brewery was originally set up by two local businessmen, who soon began supplying the majority of their beer to our first pub, The Cross Guns at Avoncliffe. Due to demand, brewing quickly escalated to full-time, and subsequently, the business was offered to the Roberts family as a going concern

What makes your beer unique?

Our strap-line “Engineered By Hand” I think says it all. We pride ourselves on creatingbeers of quality and distinction and use only the best ingredients. Our new brew-house has been purpose-built affording us the added luxury of milling our own malted barley, ensuring the freshest grain possible is used in the brewing. We are also currently trialling a new US strain of yeast, the first UK brewery to do so, with our 5.2% American style IPA, Derail Ale!

How do you go about naming your beers?

Box Tunnel, close to our original location was the work of the great 19th Century engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, whose influence is still very evident in this part of the world. We take our inspiration from his amazing and varied career

What changes would you like to see in the industry?

A change to the way beer duty is managed would be hugely beneficial to the Industry. Tax on beer has gone up over 40% since 2008 – the highest in Europe, and still rising. Minimum pricing on alcohol in supermarkets would also have a dramatic effect, encouraging drinkers to return to their local where drinking can be monitored by responsible landlords. Busier pubs mean busier breweries!

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve found since launching?

I think the recognition for craft brewers and continued resurgence of real ale – consumers are much more demanding in their tastes these days and not content with run of the mill bitters. Drinkers have become a lot more knowledgeable about ale and are keen to learn more about how we work as brewers

What’s a typical day for you?

7.45am – Boilers on, prep equipment
8am – Warm up Mash Tun
8.15am – Mash in
8.30am – Weigh hops
9.30am – Sparge mash and run-off copper
12 –2pm Boil / hop additions to copper
2pm – Run off to Fermentation Vessels
3.30 – Rinse and flush through plant
4pm – Quality control moment!

What future plans for the business can you share with us?

World domination!

If you could drink beer with three people (dead or alive), who would it be?

H G Wells
Michael Palin
Michelle Pfeiffer

And finally, If you could travel to anywhere in the world right now (mainly to drink beer) where would it be and why?

The West Coast of America – Portland, Oregon has 34 breweries in the city alone – known as the micro-brewery capital of the world, with an incredible transport system, which is mostly FREE! California and San Francisco are not to be missed either

For more details on Box Steam Brewery:

Please visit their website: www.boxsteambrewery.co.uk

Also connect with them on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/boxsteam

The post Britain’s Local Breweries: Box Steam Brewery appeared first on Ticket and Travel.

Great Britain has some of the greatest breweries not just in Europe but in the world.

It is one of the oldest and widely enjoyed national traditions by us Brits and with the Great British Beer Festival coming in August, we have been in touch with some of the greatest local breweries in Britain to ask them 10 questions to find out more about themselves and what makes them unique.

Stroud Brewery

We start with Greg Pilley the founder of Stroud Brewery, based in Stroud, Gloucestershire.

Stroud Brewery makes an award winning collection of beers using locally made organic ingredients, including their highly popular “Budding Pale Ale”, many organic and vegan beers, as well some very interesting ales such as the “Pedersen Pale Ale” which is “a pale ale bursting with tropical fruit and a sherbert tang.” crikey!

Ten quick interview questions with Greg Pilley

Please tell us a little about yourself

I have a background in ecology and conscious of our impact on the world. I am a passionate supporter of ‘the local’ and work to support community enterprise.

How did you get started and what sparked the idea?

I have long been a homebrewer, I travelled for 5 years researching the alcoholic beverages of Africa, moved to Stroud and wanted to start my own business. One day chatting with a friend we agreed it would be great to have a brewery in Stroud, and from that moment I was possessed!

What makes your beer unique?

Most beers are unique, but they have also got to be great, in taste and consistency. We have 3 core beers (Budding (4.5%), Tom Long (3.8%) and Stroud Organic Ale (4%) which all have their dedicated followers.

How do you go about naming your beers?

We celebrate local people and events.

For example the Tom Long Amber Bitter, is named after a mythical highwayman who was hung at Tom Longs Post on Minchinhampton Common, near Stroud.

What changes would you like to see in the industry?

We would like to see the duty escalator stopped as we pay more duty than any other country in Europe. I would like to see preferential duty for draft beer drunk in pubs with higher duty on packaged beer (bottles and cans).

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve found since launching?

How much I love running a business!

What’s a typical day for you?

Lots of E-mails! Phone a few pubs, run into town to pay in cash or pick up stuff from the builders merchants, organising events, working with our designer to make new produt labels, make bank payments, serve beer from our bar and the list could go on!

What future plans for the business can you share with us?

We just want to do more of what we are already doing: brew and sell great beers!

If you could drink beer with three people (dead or alive), who would it be?

Every year I go away with 3 good friends, walking or on our bikes. No agenda, with our bivy bags and we will stop for a ‘half’ in every pub we come to and always try anything different. It is real quality time – rare with a young family.

And finally, If you could travel to anywhere in the world right now (mainly to drink beer) where would it be and why?

My family really wants to do a one off trip – not sure where, but I fancy Venezuela (Andes, Amazon, praries and the carribean coast) but if I were to travel to drink beer, I think I would like to visit the USA and experience their micro-brew revolution and some extreme brewing!

For more details on Stroud Brewery:

Please visit their website: http://www.stroudbrewery.co.uk/

Also connect with them on Twitter: http://twitter.com/StroudBrewery and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stroud-Brewery/108463161603

The post Britain’s Local Breweries: Stroud Brewery appeared first on Ticket and Travel.

Teaming up with Marks & Spencer and Gordon Ramsey, Simon Cowell is producing a new talent show for foodies. Good Glorious Food will be a nationwide search to find Britain’s best home-cooked dishes, with the winner scooping up a cash prize of £20,000 and will be sold at Marks & Spencer.

Announced in a timely fashion with the recent Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Simon Cowell is tapping into the party spirit of the British, in the classic which brings us all together, food.

We’re tapping into the Jubilee spirit with a Best of British theme. It’s open to all ages – from a granny with Cornish pasties to a youngster who has the ultimate recipe for jellied eels. We’re looking for characters too – with the ‘likeability factor.

It’s no secret that Simon Cowell just loves fish and chips, so much that fresh from a 25-day break in the Carribean, Simon stopped off at upmarket chippy Kerbisher & Malt for a modest cod and plaice supper.

Simon isn’t the only high profile celebrity who likes a good ol’ modest much. Multimillionaire footballer David Beckham is a fan of the simple pie and mash.

We can’t wait to see Food Glorious Food.

Whilst Simon may not always get it right (Red & Black), we’re guilty of being hooked on Britain’s Got Talent and the X-Factor on Saturdays in front of the tv with a pizza – but somehow I get the feeling that with Food Glorious Food, we’ll be craving so much more than a pizza.

The post The Eggs Factor: Simon Cowell launches food TV contest Food Glorious Food appeared first on Ticket and Travel.