Month: July 2013

Competition time! Win Pieminister summer goodies

Can you believe it? It’s been one year since Goodtrippers launched!

To help celebrate our first  birthday, our lovely friends at gourmet pie-makers pieminister have given us a bunch of fantastic summer goodies to give to you (yes, the joy of giving is our birthday present!). One winner will receive a box of 12 award-winning pieminister pies, plus extra goodies including a pieminister T-shirt and frisbee – just what you need for a great British picnic.

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The winner can select a dozen pies from a mouth-watering list including: Kate & Sidney, Pietanic, Wild Shroom, Peahock, Deerstalker, Chicken of Aragon, Heidi Pie and many more… All of pieminister’s pies are made with responsibly-sourced meat and fish (outdoor-bred pork and venison, MSC-approved fish, and free range chicken – the only national pie brand to use solely free range British chicken in their recipes). Their vegetarian pies are approved by The Vegetarian Society. Pieminister is committed to reducing its carbon footprint in its kitchens, shops and vans – which is why we love them at Goodtrippers!

To be in with a chance of winning the pieminister selection box and summer goodies…piem-1709

  1. Visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/goodtrippers
  2. ‘Like‘ the Goodtrippers main page…
  3. …and, ‘Share‘ the pieminister competition post, including our review of pieminister’s Stokes Croft eaterie in Bristol

 

UPDATE: All entries must be received before 5pm (BST) on Thursday 15th August 2013. One person will be selected at random and contacted through Facebook within 5 working days to confirm their postal address for prize delivery.

If you miss out on winning you can sample the pieminister menu at shops, delis, pubs and festivals around the UK. Read our review of the newest pieminister dining space at Stokes Croft in Bristol: Pieminister’s new Stokes Croft diner, Bristol

Good Luck!

Terms and conditions (please read before entering):

  • One entry per person
  • One ‘entry’ counts as one individual clicking ‘Like’ on the Goodtrippers main page, plus clicking ‘Share’ on the pieminister competition post – uncompleted entries will not be eligible
  • All entries must be received before 5pm (BST), Thursday 15th August 2013
  • Competition open to residents of the UK and the Republic of Ireland only
  • Employees (and their immediate families) of pieminister and Goodtrippers are excluded from entering this competition
  • One winning entrant will be picked at random – judges’ decision is final
  • No part of the prize is exchangeable for cash or any other prize
  • It will be assumed all entrants will have read and accepted the competition terms and conditions

 

 

 

Pieminister’s new Stokes Croft diner, Bristol

Goodtrippers samples the gourmet pie maestros’ newest eaterie in central Bristol

Pieminister Stokes Croft outsideBristolian foodies have somewhere new to add to their ‘must visit’ list this summer – the latest edition to pieminister‘s expanding empire, the Stokes Croft dining space. With a company ethos focused on ethical and local produce, and sustainable practice, pieminister ticks all the boxes for us at Goodtrippers!

Opened on the site of pieminister’s original premises (where it all started 10 years ago), Stokes Croft serves quality pies and West Country cider until 11pm every day. The dining space (the old kitchens) is all exposed brickwork, polished concrete and neon signs – with the addition of a piano for some live entertainment (yes, we did resist the urge to tinkle the ivories).

Food – award-winning pies and ethical sourcing

The menu is nice and simple: Choose a pie for £4.20 (from a lucky 13 fun-sounding list including Matador Pie and Kate & Sidney); add mash or minty mushy pieas for £1.50; a topping for 30p (grated cheese, gravy or crispy shallots); or take the lot for ‘The Mothership’ meal deal for £7.95. You can grab a quick snack of a Mr Porky sausage roll (outdoor reared British pork) or Mr Hot (with added chilli and spices).

Goodtrippers tried a Freeranger Pie – lovely chunks of free range British chicken (pieminister is the only national pie brand to use only free range British chicken) offset by salty ham hock topped with West Country Cheddar. We also had the MSC-approved Pietanic Fish Pie – nice big pieces of mixed fish and prawns in a lovely creamy sauce.

Don’t be put off if you’re vegetarian – the menu may be, naturally, meat-heavy but vegetarians have more than the one token Pieminister Stokes Croft (inside)veggie option. Choose from the Heidi Pie (Somerset goat’s cheese, red onion, sweet potato, spinach); Wild Shroom Pie (wild mushrooms, asparagus, white wine, cream); or The Big Cheese Pie (West Country Cheddar, garlic cream cheese, buttered onions).

If you’ve still room for pudding, try a Bristolbocker Glory made with ice-creams from nearby Bath’s Marshfield Farm.

Drinks – local and well-crafted

The bar is well-stocked with local West Country ciders (naturally) and local craft beers. And you don’t have to wait until 6pm to try Bristol’s own 6 O’Clock Gin. However, if you’re there first thing in the morning (Stoke’s Croft opens at 10am), boost your mid-morning with a coffee from Bristol’s Extract Coffee Roasters. Tea comes from House of Bath.

Where to find

Pieminister, 24 Stokes Croft, Bristol BS1 3PR (open Mon-Sat 10am-11pm; Sun 11am-11pm). T: 0117 9423322

If you can’t visit the new Stokes Croft dining space, there are plenty of shops, pubs, markets and delis where you can eat pieminister’s sustainable, ethical pies – here are just a few (visit www.pieminister.co.uk/eat-at/shops for the full list):

London: Pieminister, 24 Leather Lane, London EC1N 7TS (open Mon-Fri 11am-9pm; Sat-Sun 12-5pm)

Manchester: Pieminister, 53 Church Street, Manchester M4 1PD (open Mon-Sat 11am-8pm; Sun 12-5pm)

Oxford: Pieminister, 56-58 The Covered Market, Oxford OX1 3DX (open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 11am-4pm)

‘Good’ credentials:

  • Use ethical and responsibly-sourced ingrediants (British meats including free range chicken, outdoor-reared pork and venison, MSC-approved fish)
  • Only national pie brand to use free range British chicken in all their chicken recipes
  • Vegetarian pies are approved by The Vegetarian Society
  • Work fairly with farmers and producers as local as possible to their kitchens to reduce food miles
  • Committed to reducing their carbon footprint – the cardboard cartons used are sourced from sustainable forest and are fully compostable and recyclable)

 

Want to win a selection box of yummy pieminister pies? We’ve teamed up with pieminister to offer one lucky winner a box of 12 award-winning pies, plus summer picnic goodies – see our competition details here

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Eco-friendly lodging at Switzerland’s Whitepod

Guest blogger Andrew Lisa takes to the slopes at this Swiss eco resort

Skier in front of MatterhornSwitzerland’s Whitepod resort is not only located in a pristine, pollution-free section of the Alps, but it works hard to keep it that way. Combining the charm of a childhood camping trip with the amenities of a luxury hotel, Whitepod’s eco-friendly strategy boasts a surprisingly low environmental impact. Their ecological policy is the blueprint for their goal of being a model to sustainable tourism.

I don’t know about you, but I prefer to explore the Alps without ruining them.

Switzerland is a beautiful, majestic destination — especially the mountain region. Whitepod offers a glimpse of life camping in the mountain wilderness without actually having to camp in the mountain wilderness. A slew of impressive amenities provide creature comforts to a resort that blends into — and protects — the surrounding environment.

Accommodation

Available in both summer and winter, each guest or group of guests reserves a pod, which is a globe-shaped structure that looks like a giant golfball anchored to a wooden platform. They are decorated and stocked with local art and furniture, and offer astounding views of the Alps. They feature fully-fitted bathrooms, wood-burning stoves, and a king-size bed in all variations, from single size to family unit.

FoodSwiss flag

No need to bring tinned goods like you would on an ordinary camping trip: all meals are provided on site. Cuisine described as “traditional yet refined” can be found at the Les Cerniers restaurant, which offers spit-roasted barbecue, daily specials, and authentic mountain fare.

Activities

You’ll run out of holiday before you run out of things to do at Whitepod. Many of my favourite activities, both indoor and outdoor, are included with the cost of your pod. You can also take a wellness or survival course, enjoy the Japanese bath and sauna, or explore the Alps with a day of hiking or mountain biking.

Recommended for… The environmentally conscious; nearly every aspect of Whitepod is geared toward sustainable tourism. And for those that love the snow-capped mountains.

Beware that… Due to their environmental policies, there are no motorized vehicles to carry your luggage, which means you’ll have to lug it up to your pod yourself. Also, there is no wi-fi in your individual pod.

‘Good’ credentials:

  • Conservation of energy and resources – pods are heated by wooden stoves and lit by oil lamps; water usage is limited
  • Local, sustainable materials and fuels are used where possible
  • Bedding is organic
  • Pods are designed to blend into the natural surroundings
  • Whitepod works to educate guests on responsible environmental practices

For more information including prices and booking at Whitepod, Les Giettes, Switzerland, visit www.whitepod.com

About the author: Andrew Lisa is a freelance writer living in Los Angeles. He writes about European travel and profiles business leaders such as Steve Wynn.

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Elephant Valley Project needs your help!

The Elephant Valley Project and ELIE (the Elephant Livelihood Initiative Environment), in Mondulkiri, Cambodia, has launched an urgent fundraising appeal to help secure the future of three of its much-loved resident elephants.

elephants at Elephant Valley ProjectEasy Rider, Gee Nowl and Milot are rescue elephants who have been living a restful and happy life in the wild environs of the Elephant Valley sanctuary. They were originally loaned to the project on a short-term basis by their owner but ended up staying for four years. Now their owner has decided the project must purchase the elephants to keep them for good, or they face an uncertain future (the EVP helps domestic elephants who have been forced to live an unnatural lifestyle working on the land or in the tourism industry).

The elephants cost a huge $22,000 EACH to purchase but buying them outright will ensure they live out their days in the sanctuary. It will also free up three more ‘rental’ spaces for other domesticated elephants in need of respite. The owner has given EVP a deadline of the end of the year to buy the elephants, so the race to raise the funds is on!

Donate now and secure their future

You can help secure a happy future for Easy, Gee Nowl and Milot – beautiful, gentle creatures – by visiting the EVP fundraising pages to read the story of each elephant and DONATE NOW! (Please note, there is a fundraising page for each elephant, but we recommend you give equally to all three and show your support for such a brilliant project!).

Donate for EASY RIDER / Donate for GEE NOWL / Donate for MILOTElephant at Elephant Valley Project

Goodtrippers visited the Elephant Valley Project back in January 2011 – it even inspired us to start Goodtrippers! – so we know from personal experience what a great project this is, and what wonderful animals Easy Rider, Gee Nowl and Milot are. The EVP is urging everyone who has visited the project, or anyone who loves animals, to help raise funds by either donating individually, organising a sponsored event, even running a ‘Drink to get TRUNK’ evening at their local pub – they are currently pulling together a fundraising pack with ideas on how you can help get friends, family, workmates and neighbours involved in raising the cash. Email eliefundraising@gmail.com for more information.

To read more about the work of ELIE and the Elephant Valley Project, plus pictures and stories of the elephants themselves, visit www.elephantvalleyproject.org.

Read the Goodtrippers review of our week volunteering on the Elephant Valley Project here.

Elephants at Elephant Valley Project