Competition Time?

This Post was written by Lynn from Lynn's Cooking Blog.

Do you want me to tell you about some of the e-mails that I’m getting?

I got one on the 22nd Sept, and I’ve been wondering what to do with it. Here’s the deal…………an online agency, which conducts web site campaigns with bloggers (that’s me) has contacted me about a competition that they’re running. Good prize of £100 of groceries, easy as pie questions. But to enter, you’ll have to register with their site, and, I suspect, you’d start getting e-mails from ’specially selected companies’. I know a lot of sites have these competitions, but I personally view them as a cheap way of of marketing, and of gaining a lot of e-mail addresses for their clients to then spam with. Also, I think that a newspaper would charge them for advertising space, but they get cheap (actually it would probably be ‘free’ ) advertising space on a bloggers website. I don’t think that I’m particularly media savvy, but I feel that these companies are taking the piss, to some extent.

So, if any of these companies want to PAY me for advertising their competitions, and can assure me that anyone who registers for it will not be spammed for all eternity, then I’ll reconsider.

British Food Fortnight challenge (...and competition)

This Post was written by ANTONIA from FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!

I am very excited (...and somewhat nervous) to announce that I am hosting my first ever blogging event! I hope you will consider joining me by entering a dish that celebrates the very best of British food.The 20th September sees the start of British Food Fortnight. This event, now in its seventh year, is a celebration of the fantastically diverse range of foods produced in Britain. It is also the largest volunteer movement educating children about food. Much maligned in the past by our European neighbours, Great Britain is today a nation of top-quality produce and exciting food: we should be proud of this!

British Food Fortnight offers a great excuse to remind ourselves of the pleasure of eating quality seasonal, local produce.

Not only do I think we have some of the best produce around, I also think that Britain has a wealth of wonderful national dishes. From Lancashire hot pot and Welsh rarebit to Sussex pond pudding and apple crumble, our culinary heritage is rich in delectable goodies. The challenge for British Food Fortnight is to create a thoroughly British dish from (where possible), locally-sourced ingredients. I very much hope you will consider taking part, even if you have never entered a blogging event before. Everyone is welcome!You can cook absolutely anything - sweet or savoury, starter, main course, pudding, sweets, cakes, jams, chutneys. All are encouraged! The only stipulation is that the recipe must be something which is typically British. If you can find out a bit about the origin of the dish, then do share the details if you have time.

As far as possible, please use British produce to create your dish. Obviously this is not practical for every ingredient but meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables should be British and preferably locally-sourced.Whilst this event is obviously rather geared towards British-based bloggers, anyone is welcome to join in. If you do not live in Britain, use produce local to you but please come up with a traditionally British dish.

If the thought of a spot of thoroughly British cookery wasn't enough to get the creative juices flowing, I am also offering a prize for one lucky participant. All entrants names will be put in the hat and a winner picked at random. The winner will receive a copy of Marguerite Patten's 'Century of British Cooking'; a fascinating guide to the history of British food packed with interesting and nostalgic recipes.

I really hope you will join me in this celebration of the best of British!Here are the guidelines..

1. Please post your thoroughly British dish during British food fortnight - 20th September to the 5th October.

2. In your post, please include a link back to me and also to the British Food Fortnight website.

3. You are encouraged to use the British Food Fortnight logo in your post, but this is not essential.

4. Once you have posted your dish, please email me by Sunday, 5th October at abitofafoodie [at] gmail [dot] com with the following information -

-Your name

-The name of your blog

-Your blog's URL

-The name of your dish

-A link to your post of the dish

-Please attach a photograph of your dish

For full details of the event, please follow this link to my blog.

Passionate Cooks Wanted - UK

This Post was written by Holler from Tinned Tomatoes






















Are you a talented cook who is looking for that big break? Are you fiercely proud of your county and want to see it go all the way? Do you want to learn from some of the country’s finest chefs?

If the answer to these three questions is yes – then read on!

ITV Productions is looking for contestants to take part in a brand new, day-time cookery series called Taste the Nation. If you have a passion for food and want to represent your county in a national cookery knock-out, then this is the show for you.

But it gets better, you will be mentored and masterclassed by one of the Nation’s finest celebrity chefs and your cookery skills will be pushed to their max. You will also be judged by some of the country’s fiercest critics so this show is not for the faint hearted!

You can be an amateur or professional – but have one thing in common your talents in the kitchen could impress a celebrity chef.

We will be filming the series from November 2008 to February 2009. If you are not the one then perhaps you might come into contact with just the sort of people we want to find!

Please register your details on our phone line 09011 986 986 or email tastethenation@itv.com clearly stating your name, county and daytime contact number.




Terms and Conditions

You must be 16 years or older to apply. Calls cost 10p per call from BT landlines. Calls from other networks may be higher and from mobiles will be considerably more. Callers must be 16 or over. Lines close on Thursday 20th November 2008 at midday. Calls made after closing time won’t be counted, but may still be charged. We cannot guarantee that all applicants will be called back. Terms & conditions at itv.com/terms.

Hosts required for DMBLGIT

Would you like to host a round of Does My Blog Look Good In This? Email me at arb AT andys-scribblings DOT co DOT uk.

Host required for this month urgently! And for October, November and December.

My cmputer has just recovered from a crash where all my contacts and host details were stored; so if you were previously in the list sorry but we are starting again! And if you asked to host now is the time to ask again!

Cheers

Andrew