The Norwegian short film documentary (KEPAZA - 3 days to London Fashion Week) will be premiered at Hôtel Gray d'Albion, theatre, Cannes May 20, 2019. This is a collaboration with the world of film International festival.

The Norwegian short film documentary (KEPAZA - 3 days to London Fashion Week) will be premiered at Hôtel Gray d'Albion, theatre, Cannes May 20, 2019. This is a collaboration with the world of film International festival.

There is nothing better for the soul than sitting around a table enjoying good food, good wine and great company. So, with that soul enriching idea in mind, I organised a dinner party for my friends with an array of freshly prepared and healthy dishes provided by the lovely folks at GoNutritionUK.

My friends and I totally enjoyed all the dishes, as you can see!!

I received 6 meals from the Cutting Meals Hamper

The Cutting Meals Hamper is designed to make dieting easy. All the meals are low in fats, carbohydrate and packed with quality protein. The perfect selection of meals to help you keep trim and lean with less than 300 calories. All ready to eat after a busy day at work.

Here are the dishes we received...

1. Chicken Katsu with Pickled Ginger Greens: This Japanese dish is a flavour sensation, with tender chicken fillet in a lemon herb crumb covered in a tangy katsu sauce, complemented with fresh veg, all finished with chopped coriander and sliced red chilli. Served with pickled ginger greens- Suitable for freezing.

2. Yakitori Beef with Wilted Asian Greens: This Asian inspired dish uses only the finest rump steak, marinated in a sticky glaze and paired with fresh veg along, topped with coriander, spring onions, sesame seeds, and a soy and ginger dressing. Served with wilted Asian greens- Suitable for freezing.

3. Piri Piri Pulled Chicken with Fresh Seasonal Salad: Slow cooked chicken breast is marinated in a spicy piri piri marinade and mixed with fresh baby spinach leaves, spring onion and chilli, all finished with a tangy mango drizzle, grated cheddar and a squeeze of lime, on a bed of fresh seasonal salad- Not Suitable for freezing.

4. BBQ Pulled Pork with Mango Slaw: Succulent BBQ pulled pork is paired with a refreshing mango slaw and complement with sweet corn and pomegranate, topped with a dusting of chopped coriander-Not Suitable for freezing

5. Chicken & Chorizo Bake with Mediterranean Vegetables & Goats Cheese: This cheesy Spanish dish is a taste sensation, with diced chicken and chorizo in a herby tomato sauce, accompanied with courgettes, aubergines and peppers, and topped with creamy goats cheese- Suitable for freezing.

6. Tandoori Salmon with Kale & Mint Salad: Succulent salmon marinated in a tandoori glaze is complemented with fresh kale and cherry tomatoes, all finished with fresh mint and pomegranate seeds- Not Suitable for freezing.

We found every meal to be super healthy and tasty. I would have loved to add some potatoes or rice, because I found the meals to be very meaty. But it was all still very tasty and enjoyable.

My friends loved the pulled pork and devoured that dish with such delight.

The most enjoyable meals, for me, was the Yakitori Beef with Wilted Asian Greens, Tandoori Salmon with Kale & Mint Salad and the Piri Piri Pulled Chicken with Fresh Seasonal Salad.

At first glance it was difficult to know if the food was to be eaten hot or cold and if it could be frozen and eaten the next day. I also initially could not find and the instructions, on the packaging but luckily, I did find it later. So, I contacted the company to find out. They gave me a list of the meals that could be frozen and told me that all the meals can be heated up before eating. (See the instructions in list of meals received).

The only problem with the heating up was, as you will hear in the video, was that some of the meals especially the pulled pork included mango slaw which was not in a separate container so it had to be scooped out then the meat heated and added back to the dish.

If I had to give a score for the company, food and the overall experience I would give it a 10/10 because nothing beats good, yummy healthy food and great friends.

Planning your own spontaneous diner party? do visit www.gonutrition.com and have a look at their Meal Hampers.

Follow them on twitter/Insta @GoNutritionUK

By Deborah St. Louis 

Over the last few months, CEO of Fashions Finest, Deborah St Louis, has been working closely with the ladies at The Branding Initiative. It was a pleasure to finally get to meet her in person when we were both invited to #BeInspired at Bentley Birmingham for an evening of luxury cars and fashion for Female Entrepreneurs.

Bentley Birmingham are leading the way amongst the luxury car industry in realising that the female empowerment movement represents women, globally, not only fighting for places on corporate boards but also in carving their own nichés as entrepreneurial superstars! And let me tell you, at the Bentley Birmingham ladies event, organised by Chameli Chowdhury, we met a fair few female entrepreneurs that are, for want of a better phrase, kicking ass!

Upon arrival, we were greeted with a chilled glass of Ruinart champagne. The scene was set with pop up areas dedicated to fashion, jewels, art and a showcase of NSPCC Childline, Bentley’s choice of sponsored charity. Bentley aim with this event was to “combine inspirational names from the worlds of luxury style and fashion” and they didn’t disappoint!

With only 20 Bentley dealerships across the UK and 4 of them managed by Sytner, Bentley Birmingham is switched on to what it means to use affiliate, attraction and digital marketing to increase exposure to the brand and broaden their client base. Marketing towards women is a smart move. Connecting luxury cars to other luxury items like fashion and jewels is an even smarter move! I mean, what other luxury car brand is so in tune with women in business that they showcase luxury shoes and handbags to match the car?!

Meet “Purple Rain”, the stunning Bentley that comes with bespoke hand made shoes designed and crafted by Kate Spence. Kate designed for and managed the Jimmy Choo brand for seven years before establishing her own luxury couture footwear brand for women in 2012.

Deborah St. Louis was especially keen to listen to the keynote from catwalk designer Alice Temperley of Temperley London, Deborah’s connections to London Fashion Week with Fashions Finest being the second largest off schedule event organiser for LFW.

Throughout the summer Bentley Birmingham are exploring what inspires people and how that inspiration becomes a luxury item and creating something exquisite that perfectly balances form and function. Female entrepreneurs are the perfect target market to add huge value to that. What inspires us? What drives us? We’ll be interested to see what Bentley Birmingham come up with. What we would love to see is a catwalk show, showcasing up and coming designers, mixing new innovation traditional luxury. With more events lined up like that of #BeInspired, we have no doubt that this is going to be an interesting summer for Bentley!

Deborah St Louis and Melanie Jones were delighted to meet Jenny Lee Holt at the event, a huge supporter of The Branding Initiative and fellow female entrepreneur and Director of Spectrum Telecoms. Together we browsed the cars, fashion and diamonds. Luxury bespoke jeweller S.P Green of Birmingham showcased some stunning pieces at the event and we had our beady eyes on a beautiful diamond and sapphire piece – blue and white to match our logo of course! What better way to spend a Friday evening?!

Deborah St Louis and the ladies at The Branding Initiative would like to express huge thanks to Bentley Birmingham for the invitation. We look forward to working with you more over the coming months.

For more information about Bentley cars, please contact Chris Gretton.

For more information on The Branding Initiative, our services or our programs, please contact us here.

Written by KellyAnn Schiavo - Co-founder of The Branding Initiative, Women in Business Ambassador & Blogger