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Sloe season has arrived!
 If you are fan of all things sloe like me, then October will be your favourite month of the year. Not only are we launching our Yorkshire made Sloe Sherry this month, but Team Demijohn will be heading for the hedgerows again in a couple of weeks time to help pick the precious sloe  berries for our delicious, seasonal traditional British Sloe Gin 24%. Read more below. To celebrate Sloe Season, and the fact we have just been shortlisted for two awards at the Scottish Retail Awards 2010 at the end of this month, we thought we would run a little competition to win a £40 Gift Voucher to spend in anyway you like at Demijohn. Simply click here to enter and follow the competition instructions.
Also in this letter:
Dates for your Diary. Find out where we will be coming to next. more below.....
Personalised Corporate Gifts. Did you know we can personalise your corporate gifts with company names or logos? More below....
Demijohn News - September 2010
Our News:
 While the weather may be a bit unpredictable, and boy that was proved during the York Food & Drink Festival recently, there is at least one positive thought available at this time of year, our Sloe Gin is in stock and definitely at its best after almost 12 months of maturing. However, this year we have introduced a new liqueur made from sloe berries, Sloe Sherry. Nothing in my mind has so far been able to better our traditional British Sloe Gin, however, our new Sloe Sherry is certainly going to challenge your taste buds and is well worth a try! Produced for us by Julia Medforth in Malton, North Yorkshire, this drink started out as a  simple experiment and has been developed into something of a gastronomic delight. At the York Food & Drink Festival we witnessed Chef Phil Leverington from Fresh Catering use it successfully in both lamb and duck dishes. Its strength of flavour is its heart and allows it to balance well with strong flavoured red meats to make excellent gravies and sauces. If you have any recipes you would like to share, please do send them in and we will credit them to you! However there is another problem brewing. In order to ensure a plentiful supply of sloe gin, since 2007 we have closed up shop for a day each year in mid October to help gather the precious sloe berries for  our producers. 2010 is set to be another tricky year as much of England has a meagre crop of sloe, but after having just completed the all important sloe recce last week, I can safely say this is going to be a good year for sloe here in Scotland as the berries are nearly ripe on the Blackthorn and that means the annual Team Demijohn pickathon is about to commence! This year we are off to Galloway on 17th October to pick, so it will be wellies and gloves on, pack the picnic lunch (including our new Sporting Box of course) and see if we can break our 2007 record of 150 lbs in 4 hours of furious picking. Let's hope the sun shines and we will let you know how it goes.
Personalised Corporate Gifts
 Did you know that we can personalise our range of products to make them unique to your company and used as inspirational Corporate Gifts for your Staff and work colleagues? Your company name and a short message could be added quickly and  for FREE! However, if you would like a permanent mark such as a logo or text added to you order, we offer an engraving service which can be applied to any of our glass or wood products for a small price. Contact us now to discuss an order and obtain a quote.
Dates for your Diary
 Tomorrow I head to Aberdeenshire in the North East of Scotland for our first charitable Christmas fair of the year, The Sale at the Coo in aid of Children 1st. It is special not just because it marks the start of a dizzy and exhausting array of events up and down the country, but it is held in the enchanting grounds of Aboyne Castle, in the old bull's house, aka Coo Cathedral! (Coo is a Scottish word for cow!). Even if you were to buy nothing, this building is worth a look and is testament to a time when money was less tight and passions ran high. Here is a summary of our event dates for your diary up to Christmas:
- The Sale at the Coo, Aboyne Castle, Aboyne: from Wed 6th to Thur 7th Oct
- BBC Good Food Show, Glasgow: Stand D120 from Fri 22nd to Sun 24th Oct
- Camp Hill Christmas Fair, Kirklington, N. Yorks: Mon 1st & Tue 2nd Nov
- Castle Howard Christmas Fair, N. York: Thur 4th and Fri 5th Nov
- Chuffs Christmas Extravaganza at Oxenfoord Castle, Dalkeith: 9 to 11 Nov
- Country Living Fair, SECC Glasgow: Stand G50 from Thur 18th to Sun 21st Nov
- BBC Good Food Show, Birmingham: Stand C75 from Wed 24th to Sun 28th Nov
- Kibble Palace Christmas Fair, Botanical Gardens, Glasgow: 1st & 2nd Dec
Product News
 Despite us heading towards winter, and our sloe gin being a more appropriate thought, half my brain is actually thinking about fresh olive oil. Soon the new olive oil harvest will be ready for sampling, and what a foodie treat that is. The Villa Montalbano Estate in Tuscany for example will begin its first harvest at the start of November and with luck we will have some of their really fresh extra virgin olive oil for you to try in the shops in mid to late November. This year we are hoping to bring in a new oil to the shelves also, but don't worry, we will let you know when they are in!
Coming Soon: A couple of new whiskies for those really relaxing moments during the festive season!
Staff News
We have had some success in our recruiting campaign in York and can now welcome to our ranks Timothy Fox. Hollie has been grooming him carefully and although the L plates are still on, Tim has settled in well. We are however still looking for more recruits for all shops as we head into our busiest time of year, including the right person to fill a Full Time Managers position in York. Interested persons should follow the details on our Join us page in order to apply.
Good luck with entering the competition and remember to order you Sloe Gin or new Sloe Sherry early as there will never be enough to satisfy demand!
Angus Ferguson
Managing Director
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