We’ve all experienced it. Gone to a disappointing BBQ where there were no welcome drinks, blackened burgers easily mistaken for coal and baps soggier than the British weather…

Thankfully we’re here to make sure, come rain or shine, that your BBQ’s are the best on the block! Be warned, intoxicated passers-by might want an invite!

Rock your grill with our top 5 sure-fire ways to organise and host the best BBQ ever…

1. Imagine being welcomed into a party where there was a fancy drinks station covering options from water to punch and another table filled with mouth-watering dips, crisps, crackers and only the best crudities… sounds dreamy. Having a drinks and nibbles station is the way to go in making a great first impression. Plus, it helps ease the pressure off having to slave away on the barbie straight away.

2. Sleep on it! Create out of this world flavours by marinating your fan favourite meats and veggies then leaving them to soak in the night before = winner.(As long as you don’t burn them of course!). Tease and tantalise your guests taste buds with adventurous spice blends. We’ve got a few in our cookbook, have you had a thumb through yet?

3. Finishing touches… compliment fiery, sweet and smoky barbecue flavours with sensationally seasoned salads and side dishes. These can be prepared in advance and assembled at the last minute to give you the ultimate title of being The Host with the Most!

4. Have the element of surprise by wowing your guests with sweet treats. Ever tried flame grilled pineapple kebabs? Delicious! How about a hot banana Sunday? The possibilities are endless…

5. Mood maker… set the feel of your event and say no to awkward silences by playing fun background music, it’s a brilliant ice breaker. Remember atmosphere is everything!

Bonus tip from our Grill Master Richard Holden:

“Use the lid and master the art of grilling vs. roasting on your barbecue. Closing the lid will surround your food with heat and cook it quicker than on an open grill. Start foods over the heat to achieve those gorgeous caramelisation marks before moving to an area of roasting heat to cook through thoroughly. I always use a digital thermometer to check my food is safely cooked before serving to guests and my golden rule is “75 – Stayin’ Alive!” The core of your food should be 75c in order that it’s safe to eat.”

Now you’re on the road to becoming a barbecue master! Interested in having an expert Richard Holden show you a thing or two? Feel free to ask our team or click here…

Happy hosting from thestudio, you’ll most likely catch us basking on our roof terraces!

Sir Winston Churchill, Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardener all have something in common, can you guess what it is? If you answered a love of Whisky you’d have scored 10 points! Whether it’s a sweet bourbon or a classy Old Fashioned, this golden coloured liquid has been the favoured choice of many fabulous minds and talents throughout time. So, let’s raise a toast in celebration of World Whisky Day!

Whisky Wonders…

Considered a staple in the bartending world, this delicious drink has quite a few stories to tell, here’s a couple of our favourite facts about whisky you might not have known:

1. Renowned for its distilling talents and the home of the humble Scotch, Scotland has more than 20 million casks of this marvellous malt! Talk about a life time’s supply.
2. The term for whisky in Gaelic is “uisge beathe”, meaning water of life.
3. Whiskey or whisky? Surprisingly both are correct!
4. Say whisky! Funnily enough instead of cheese, some Latin American countries shout out Whisky when posing for photos.

Whisky business…

Other than today being World Whisky Day, we have another reason for you to be grinning from ear to ear. If we’ve had the pleasure of inviting you through our doors, you might have noticed we love taster sessions! Quarterly we host menu tastings for fellow foodies to come and give welcomed opinions on the lunches we serve, but today, we’re talking whisky and this September thestudiobirmingham welcomes Midlands Whisky Festival!

Palate pleaser…

Aromatic, sweet, heathery or smoky tones… With so many varieties to tantalise your taste buds, there’s destined to be a beautiful blend that’ll charm even the most reluctant taste testers!

Midlands Whisky Festival aims to do just that, perfect for seasoned dram drinkers and those looking for an indulgent introduction into the whisky world, this event is the perfect opportunity to get to grips with all things whisky. Join in for the love of whisky or simply out of curiosity, find out more by clicking here.

Cheers…
However you choose to celebrate, we hope you have a fantastic weekend and hope to see you soon!

General Data Protection Regulation Policy – Protecting your Privacy

We value your privacy, that’s why we’re committed to protecting your data. With GDPR coming into force on the 25th May, we’re happy to explain the who’s, what’s, whys and how’s of the personal data we collect, store and share.

This Policy explains in more detail the kind of personal data we might collect about you. We also explain how we’ll use the data it and keep it safe.

Who…
The Studio is privately owned and currently operating in the UK. Our head office is based in Birmingham. We have venues for meetings and events in the city centre of Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow.

What…
Personal data is any information that can be used to identify you as an individual (like your name, address, email and the company you work for). We collect information about yourself when you:
– Enquire about our services
– Fill in enquiry forms
– Respond in feedback forms
– Engage with us on Social Media
We also track our website activity through smart tool Google Analytics and have CCTV throughout our venues.

Why…
Here’s a few reasons why we’d collect your personal data:
– Account management (to make booking with us a breeze, we store your personal data for ease. This will be kept as long as is reasonable in the managing of your account)
– Service requirements (special dietary information)
– Security reasons (CCTV)

How…
We always have your best interest at heart, it’s one of the reasons our mission statement is customer first! This ethos runs throughout thestudio’s philosophy, even when it comes to handling your personal information. We will only ever use the information provided by yourself to improve our services with you in mind, ensuring the best experience possible at our venues.

Information we may use:
– Feedback responses
– Specific delegate information (disabilities/special diets)
– Account details

We will ALWAYS get in touch before ever using anything disclosed to us privately for use on our website site or other online sites we have a presence on.

Keep in touch…
With GDPR in action, if you’d like to receive exclusive information about our venues and the events, stay in touch and opt into our mail.

Marketing…
Consent is everything. Stay up to date with our exclusive offers and unique events by opting into our mailing service. Don’t miss out as we won’t be able to contact you about our brilliant deals if you’re not part of our mailing service.
You can unsubscribe by opting out.

Accessing your information…
Like to know what personal information we’ve kept? No problem. You have a right to access a copy of the information we hold about you, if you’d like to know please put your application in writing.

Let’s keep your data accurate and up to date!

Please email us at hrmanager@thestudio.co.uk or call us on 0800 028 6694 if there is anything you want to change.

You can apply to have your data deleted. Please note we reserve the right to keep your data if we are legally obliged to do so, or to fulfil our contractual obligations to you.

How to contact us…
Email us at: hrmanager@thestudio.co.uk
Write to us at: The Data Protection Officer, The Studio, 7 Cannon Street, Birmingham, B2 5EP
If we cannot action your request for any reason, we will let you know why.

We value your privacy, that’s why we’re committed to protecting your data. With GDPR now in force, we’re happy to explain the who’s, what’s, whys and how’s of the personal data we collect, store and share.

Who…

The Studio Venue Company is privately owned and currently operating in the UK. Our head office is based in Birmingham. We have venues for meetings and events in the city centre of Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow.

What…

Personal data is any information that can be used to identify you as an individual (like your name, address, email and the company you work for). We collect information about yourself when you:
– Enquire about our services
– Fill in enquiry forms
– Respond in feedback forms
– Engage with us on Social Media
We also track our website activity through smart tool Google Analytics and have CCTV throughout our venues.

Why…

Here’s a few reasons why we’d collect your personal data:
– Account management (to make booking with us a breeze, we store your personal data for ease. This will be kept as long as is reasonable in the managing of your account)
– Service requirements (special dietary information)
– Security reasons (CCTV)

How…

We always have your best interest at heart, it’s one of the reasons our mission statement is customer first! This ethos runs throughout thestudio’s philosophy, even when it comes to handling your personal information. We will only ever use the information provided by yourself to improve our services with you in mind, ensuring the best experience possible at our venues.

Information we may use:

– Feedback responses
– Specific delegate information (disabilities/special diets)
– Account details

We will ALWAYS get in touch before ever using anything disclosed to us privately for use on our website site or other online sites we have a presence on.

Keep in touch…

With GDPR in action, if you’d like to receive exclusive information about our venues and the events, stay in touch and opt into our mail.

Marketing…

Consent is everything. Stay up to date with our exclusive offers and unique events by opting into our mailing service. Don’t miss out as we won’t be able to contact you about our brilliant deals if you’re not part of our mailing service.

Join thestudio family by clicking here.

You can unsubscribe by opting out.

Accessing your information…

Like to know what personal information we’ve kept? No problem. You have a right to access a copy of the information we hold about you, if you’d like to know please put your application in writing.
Let’s keep your data accurate and up to date! Please contact us or  call us on 0800 028 6694 if there is anything you want to change.

You can apply to have your data deleted. Please note we reserve the right to keep your data if we are legally obliged to do so, or to fulfil our contractual obligations to you.

Contacting us…

If you’d like to get in touch, you can write to us at:
The Studio
7 Cannon Street
Birmingham
B2 5EP
Contact us here
Or call us on: 0800 028 6694

It’s heating up at thestudio this May as we’ve got some exciting news to share! Our cookbook BALANCE has arrived in all of our venues and is rammed with over 60 healthy recipes!
The book fits perfectly with our food philosophy, an affordable but beautiful book that has been created in response to the amount times we have heard “lunch was delicious” can you ask the chef for the recipe!

But here’s a few things you might not have known about our little book of BALANCE

Not for profit…

That’s right, this little number is a not for profit book! All the proceeds go directly to supporting the Nutrition & Diet Resource UK a not for profit organisation for patient centred care working in the public and private sector. It really is all about the food and promoting healthy balanced diets!

Daily dine…

If you’ve attended, are going to attend or actually are at thestudio this very moment, chances are you’ll be lunching on one of the recipes from “Balance”! With over 60 fresh, exciting and inspired dishes that have all appeared on our menus at some point, you won’t be short of combinations to choose from. Aside from an undeniably delicious afternoon break, it’s serves as the perfect time to show guests what thestudio’s made of!

Swapsies…

Things are better when everyone can enjoy them, that’s why on a lot of our recipes, whether it’s for ethical or health reasons, we’ve highlighted ingredients within the recipes that can swapped to suit your dietary needs. Balance has a section dedicated to adapting to special diets from veganism to gluten free… we’ve got a dish for you!

Hats off to the chef…

Compliments were driving force behind the whole idea, each location chef has been involved in the creation of the book, thestudio thought it would be great to give something back to the guests who love their food, offering up the opportunity to impress their friends and family with some tasty dishes. All of this whilst contributing to the bigger picture.

Nutrition is the key …

All the recipes have been analysed by Nutritics software, so you can be assured (if you can stick to just one portion!) of the energy, fat, carbohydrate, protein and salt content in each dish.

We’d love to hear about your favourite foodie experience at our venues, tweet @studiovenues your favourite dishes and remember, if you’d like to find out more, we’re just a fork call away