Where has this year gone? It seems that it has gone by with a flash or in my case spent at food shows across the country.

It has been amazing what has happened this year and things that I never had expected and this is all thanks to people like you supporting us.

The food shows have been very busy this year and we have had some amazing top chefs using Cotswold Gold on stage and to name but a few,  Martin Blunos, Raymond Blanc, Hugh F-W, Jamie Oliver, James Martin and Jean Christophe Novelli. Due to Raymond Blanc using it on his series on BBC2, Raymond Blancs Kitchen Secrets he has now started using it in his cooking school at le Manoir Aux Quatre Saisons.

Production has now moved on from when it all first started and Cotswold Gold is creeping ever closer to being carbon neutral and has become now a whopping 99% waste free. This is by recycling everything we have from the waste seed being used for cattle feed, cardboard boxes being shredded to be used as packing through to the use of waste oil being made in to fuel to run the delivery car. This has all helped to make Cotswold Gold a more friendly company for the environment.

It has been flat out for a few months with the lead up to Christmas and so there was no time to write a blog, but to fill you in Cotswold Gold was nominated as part of the future 50 companies to watch within the UK and was also selected as the judges top 10 as well. Other than the pride and PR that came with this award All the winners were taken to the red bull racing factory where they build the F1 car and also to be spoken to by a few of the top athletes that are looking to get gold next year at the Olympics. The other awards in the last few months was Best Food Producer in Gloucestershire betting some stiff opposition that have been around a lot longer than us. The judges said this was down to the hard work and determination that has gone in to the business and has already started to move and and help shape the market.

The new product launch of Cotswold Gold infused with White Truffle has really given a WOW factor to our product range. This product has the health benefits of the Rapeseed Oil whilst letting the flavour of the white truffles shine through. This is normally found in Olive Oil but i think the two products complement each other very well and is a must try. With some great PR in the main papers as well as some of the much loved magazines this has helped this product fly of the shelf. By bringing the online order aspect to the website this has made all our product range more readily available around the UK.

So looking to the start of 2012, there are already some exciting prospects for Cotswold Gold with two new products being brought out for the summer salad season which taste amazing and also opening up new business opportunities over in Japan and Barbados and watch this space for more..!

From Everyone at Cotswold Gold we would like to wish you a Very Happy Christmas and New Year and we look forward to moving Cotswold Gold forward with your help and support.

With the dry weather that we have had this year brought the harvest earlier and what we feared to be a poor year. This was not the case and we are delighted how the fields have held up to very little rain. This is down to the heavy heavy clay that we have on the farm that holds water better than lighter land.  We finished this years harvest earlier than any other in the last 40 years which is down to the boys on the farm working hard and good dry weather. The boys on the farm did work 43hrs with only 2hrs sleep as we knew the weather was going to break, this shows that harvest is not for the light hearted.

Now that harvest is over it does not stop there. We have to drill the crops for the following year. We do this by working the land to make a good seed bed and then drilling the crops shortly followed by rolls that comprease the soil back around the seed. This is a very important time as with out this there will be no crop to harvest next year.

We are very proud to announce that we have been nominated for the Furute 50 companies to watch this year we will find out later this month if we got there. Keep an eye out on? http://realbusiness.co.uk/news/future-50-shortlisted-companies-announced for the results.

Another final that Cotswold Gold has got to is for the ?Gloucester food and farming awards. We will be attending the dinner on the 21st of September and will keep you informed on how it goes.

We have finally done it. After so many months of saying online sales are coming it is finally hear. Check out www.cotswoldgold.co.uk/shop/ We have the whole range online with the larger sizes of infusions that are not in the shops. Online sales have started well and I look forward to them continuing up untilChristmas and beyond. Yes sorry it is coming!!!

The show season is really about to kick in to action this weekend. Follow us on http://twitter.com/#!/CotswoldGold and http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Cotswold-Gold/337055348768 for free ticket give aways and also any new information about them. Watch the home page as well http://www.cotswoldgold.co.uk/ for all the up and coming shows near you.

We hope everyone has enjoyed as much of summer as you can and we look forward to seeing you all soon. There is a new product in test phase and its worth keeping an eye out for.

With the long period of no rain we were worried that the harvest this year would be down. Shows what we know! This year has been one of the best we have ever had. It does not really add up. The rapeseed harvers has been and gone in the blink of an eye and we hope that the rain will hold off for a little longer.

Harvest is the manic time of year with all hands on deck to bring the crops in.

In the photo is our combine that cuts the crop and seperates it from the rest of the stork.

This crop is the rapeseed, this stickly plant produces a  jet black seed that is taken back to the farm for crushing to make the extra virgin cold pressed rapeseed oil for all to enjoy.

Martin Blunos one of only 14, 2 star michelin chef’s in the world wanted to come round and see how we produced the oil that he uses in his restrant. Martin and his side kick Lance came over and we showed them the whole process from cutting all thr way through to the oil going in to the bottle. “It was great to show a chef of such class how I produced the oil and to hear his thoughts on what he had expected, which was a much larger set than the one 1 use.’ Martin has used Cotswold Gold and many of the food shows that we attend and also uses it in his restrant in Cardiff.

We have added shops to our stockist range so look out on the where to buy pag for more details. http://www.cotswoldgold.co.uk/stockist.html

The website is being updated at the moment and will have all of the infsuions for sale in larger bottles and for the same price as you can buy them at a show just with P&P at cost on top.

A few new product will be coming out between now and Christmas so keep an eye out for them they relly are worth a try.

With three weeks off between shows and then the manic season then continuing all the way up to Christmas it is time to build stocks and make sure there is enough of everything for shops/shows and the online sales.

There will be more photos of the wheat harvest soon and a walk through by photos of how we produce the oil from field to bottle.

So much has gone on in the last few weeks it is hard to know where to start. Cotswold Gold has gone from strength to strength winning awards and new customers.

Last month saw more shows than there were days and to top it all off over the 6 days starting the 14^th – 19^th  Cotswold Gold was in three places. We started with the BBC Good Food Show which was amazing the amount of quality under one roof. On the first day we had James Martin up on stage using the oil for mayo and cook. GOD DID THAT HELP!! We also had James Knight-Pacheco on the demo stand winner of Master Chef. The other shows that were on were the Cheltenham Food Festival and the Three Counties Show.

The Three Counties was only a brief appearance on the Friday in the Bear Pit Competition. This was a bit like the dragons den pitching the business and showing it was sustainable for the future. Charlie was up against stiff competition and was up first. After a good grilling and then having to listen to the others he thought it was close but Cotswold Gold was announced the winner. This came with a £1000 prize and some business support for a year.  

Another final that was close but we were piped to the post was for the Heart of England Diamond Awards both for the business and the garlic infused oil. It was good for the business to be chosen for the finals as there were so many amazing foods that were entered.

Cotswold Gold is in the final of the Cotswold Life Food and Drink Awards which is tonight so fingers crossed next time this is written it says winner.

Completely out of the blue on Friday on Simon Mayo drivetime BBC2 Nigel Barden cooked up a storm for him using rapeseed oil. After explaining to the radio team about the health benefits of rapeseed oil he then announced LIVE that he had used Cotswold Gold Dill on the salad to give it the WOW factor. You can listen again from 1.16hr on

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0123x43/Simon_Mayo_Drivetime_30_06_2011/

Charlie was invited back to Stowe School to talk to the business students and some of his old teachers that taught him through his time there. “It was great going back and to be able to talk from the other side of the desks, I hope that it helped bring things out that they may not have been interested in before as I remember being in there shoes and thinking when will I ever need this. The answer is everyday. 

The shows continue and watch out on the home page for when we are next in your area. Twitter and Facebook for the free ticket give aways and news on the Michelin stared Chef coming to the farm in the next three weeks.

The hard work is being put in to bring the online sales back in house so that we can offer you a better price and help supply you with Cotswold Gold for all your cooking habits.

Spring has now arrived and let’s hope that we have not seen the last of the sun and it continues in to the Summer. As I am sure you have seen on your drive around the countryside the fields are turning yellow. This brings with it a lot of finger pointing regarding the cores of hay fever for both humans and horse and also asthma.

BUT IS IT TO BLAME??

It is unlikely as rapeseed is 99.9% pollinated by bees and other insects therefore relying on pollination to happen without the use of wind unlike other plants. The plant itself has a strong distinctive smell which is a bit like marmite, you ether love it or your hate it. The reason for the sniffles and running noses is the time of year. From the Spring and leading in to the Summer is when the other species release their pollen and use the wind for pollination along with insects. These are plants and trees, with one for worst offenders being willows.

We are looking to see if rapeseed oil will help with hay fever in the same way as local honey does as it gives you pollen so your body can help build up a defence system for it. We will let you know the findings.

Why are there more Yellow Flowers than 10 years ago?

This is probably the most commonly asked question at shows. The reason for this is Britain as a whole has been more focused on sustainable farming and rapeseed is a part of a rotation that works in conjunction with the soil and the following years wheat. When rapeseed was first introduced it was subsidised by the EU. After being grown across the country and the rest of the world it found its own place in the world market as it could be used in a wide range of things, the EU withdrew its funding. At this point farmers saw that it had a good potential as a break crop to split crops that take all the nurturance out of the soil. This break crop allowed the soil to have a rest this also helped reduce the amount of sprays and fertiliser as it helps prevent pests and diseases getting established.

On the farm Cotswold Gold operate a Wheat, Rape Wheat, Beans rotation this helps us be sustainable and work with our soil. At the end of the day we have to look after the soil as it is our form of business and livelihood. Some areas in the world do not operate such sustainable rotations and have created dust bowel farming. This is the main reason for the increasing yellow flowers that stretch across our landscape. A thing of beauty or an eye sour that is for you do decided but it is grown in England and all I can recommend is try the oil and you will understand why on my farm we grow it bottle it and make it in to Cotswold Gold Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil.

A day spent with one of the top chefs in the world

The new series of Raymond Blanc’s Kitchen Secrets has now started every Monday night at 8.30pm BBC2. He has been putting together some amazing recipes and has been using rapeseed oil a lot in his cooking. On the 4th April they will be showing his visit to Cotswold Gold and the day that he had with us. For us this was an unforgettable day to have one of the top chefs in the world coming to the factory to see what we do and how we do it. When he left he wrote a great blog about his day so please have a look at what he had to say. http://www.caterersearch.com/blogs/raymond-blanc-le-blog/2010/10/rapeseed-oil.html. This day was such a laugh and he really is as nice as he looks on TV.

We have increased our stockist list so for new shops near you have a look at our stockist list.

Keep an eye out on our list of shows on our home page for places to come and see us and have a taste of the new flavours.

Please try the new recipes on the website and any feedback you have please let me know. If you have a recipes you would like to share i would be more than happy to put it up on the website for you.

With the season of shows about to be in full flow join us on twitter and facebook for free tickets to these event but watch out they go fast. I hope to see you all soon.

We would like to thank everyone that has helped or been a part of Cotswold Gold Ltd in the last few month. We have moved from the kitchen table, to overloading and snapping in half the dinning room table and now in our final resting spot in out factory on the farm.

The first year has taught us a lot and we have met some amazing people that with out going down this route we would have never met. Not least Raymond Blanc, one of the nicest men i have ever met and we are very much looking forward to next month when we hope to be on TV. (Photos to follow.)

The Christmas Season was the start of our new range of infused oils. We have brought out 8 different flavours to excite the taste buds and bring food to life. They are natural flavours so taste like the real thing. The different flavours are Garlic, Chilli, Rosemary, Dill, Smoked, Basil, Lemon and Cumin. These are not for sale on line yet but if you are interested please feel free to drop me an email on charlie@cotswoldgold.co.uk and i would be happy to help.

The snow came down and brought our season to an end a few days early as we had half a meter in the end so no cars were moving anywhere. I hope that you all were not to effaced and had a good Christmas and New Year.

At the end of last year we put a case of 500mls as a prise in The Food Magazine, i am delighted to inform you that LINDA DUNGATE  was the winner and will be receiving the oil Next week. We are just getting everything set before we head back on the road for the shows and trying to get a few more shops. We wish you a very happy 2011 and hope that you will continue to enjoy our products.

Please feel free to email any feed back as it is always good to hear.

We are very please do announce that we have just won two awards this week.

The Business Awards 2010 Entrepreneurs of the Year

and

Universities SW Enterprise, Young Entrepreneurs of the year 2010

Lorry picking up the award

Below if part of the RAC’s news bulletin:

“We are delighted to report that on 16 November the RAC won both awards at the regional business plan competition (USWEA) competing against the likes of Bath University, University of Bristol, University of Exeter, UWE, Plymouth University, University of Gloucestershire and Bath Spa University.

Charlie Beldam and Lawrence Millett-Satow with their idea for Cotswold Gold won Best Alumni/Staff Business Plan.  Charlie and Lawrence both graduated from the RAC in 2009 after studying Agricultural Land Management.  Cotswold Gold produce a high quality rapeseed oil which can be used for culinary use.  They plan to use their £5000 prize money to buy a labelling machine, as to date all the bottles have been labelled by hand.  They have also received an offer of mentoring support.”

We are delighted that we have been recognised for these awards. We feel that these awards represent a year that we have worked very heard at to make Cotswold Gold where it is today.

The Snow has now fallen and Christmas is around the corner so why not try our new infusion range in shops and at our shows. We are selling them in packs of 3 and 6 and are happy to take orders by phone or by email.

After a good harvest we have been working hard to get next years crop in the ground. This is always at the mercy of the weather.

This year we have managed do reduce our carbon foot print by direct drilling all the rape. This helps to reduce the amount of fuel that we have to use to work the land. This has not been possible in the last few years due to the wet summers that have made soil compaction a big problem.

With the wet and warm weather that has followed the rape is now growing and has established well. This is very important to prevent pigeons damage. If there is a good covering of the soil then the pigeons wont land and so will move on and eat something else or someone else’s rape…!!!

With the work on the farm coming to an end we are now flat out in to shows. Watch out on our twitter or facebook page for free ticket giveaways, in the Lead up to Christmas, They have already started.

Cotswold Gold has made it out to Afgan. This photo shows CG on patrol manning the gun.

It was used for everything from cooking the spam, lubing a machine gun and frying some soldiers in the sun. (just shows how versatile Rapeseed oil is)

The last big news for us is last week we had Raymond Blanc at the farm.  Read what he had to say on his day with Cotswold Gold: See the link below:

http://www.caterersearch.com/blogs/raymond-blanc-le-blog/2010/10/rapeseed-oil.html

Join us on facebook and twitter for the up to date info on where we are and what we are up to.

Martin Blunos using Cotswold Gold at Oxford Foodies Festival

cotswold gold being used by The Black Pig Chef

 Last weekend we were at Oxford Foodies Festival and a few of the chefs used our oil in the main demo area. This helped sales and was great to see big names like the Iron Chef using it and saying go out and buy it.

I hope that we can add some more faces after Abergavenny Food Festival in two weekends time.