What’s special about today?
Sundays are the king of lie ins, but why’s this Sunday like no other? Well, it’s a perfect day to talk food as it’s World Hunger Day! Nutrition, inspiration and education take the biscuit when it comes to creating a solution, click here to see how you can compel change.
A helping ladle…
Even though we are in the 21st century, hunger is still a massive issue. Whether you’re thinking international or locally we can all help be part of a solution. thestudio loves the cities it calls home and naturally, we’re always looking for ways to connect with our local community. So, for the past month in Birmingham, we’ve been teaming up with Let’s Feed Brum to help make a difference!
As self-confessed foodies, we appreciate delicious, nutritious, fresh, locally sourced food. We love a
delicious dish, and what better than to share it with others? That’s why at the end of the day, thestudio helps Let’s Feed Brum support the homeless by “providing food, drink, essential supplies and friendship” to those living on our streets. Whether you’re an organisation or an individual with some spare time on their hands, find out how you can support your local brummies here.
Proof is in the pudding…
Everything is easier when you’re a team player! We appreciate the difficulties of today’s modern world but with a bit of elbow grease and shared dreams we can work together to make a better future for everyone. Big things always have small beginnings. 🙂
Guess why thestudio’s so excited?
Homer Simpson “eat your heart out” introducing National Doughnut week! Go nuts for doughnuts from the 6th May – 13th May. Kicking off on our fabulous Commercial Director: Julian Kettleborough’s birthday, National Doughnut Week isn’t just a time where it’s socially acceptable to have jam on your face. It’s a brilliant opportunity to raise funds for The Children’s Trust!
For every doughnut you decide to devour you’ll have the chance to donate as little or as much as you can for the UK’s leading charity for children with brain injuries. If you fancied spreading the love of sugar dusted rings, find out more here. Good vibes all round 🙂
Now that’s a doughnut!
Did you know the largest doughnut weighed a whopping 1.7 tons! It was jelly filled and stretched to 16ft wide!
What’s your flavour?
thestudio team are self-confessed foodies, check out our fave flavours and see if you match up with anyone in the team!
Dawn: “Jam donuts, we used to get them as a treat from Firkins when we were little because our Auntie worked in there.”
Jyoti: “Rings iced with sprinkles reminds me of my childhood! I love jam doughnuts dusted with icing sugar and maple syrup ones… YUM!”
Pedro: “1 with sugar sprinkled on top and maybe a jam filling…Because it’s sweet!”
Katie: “Sugar ring 😉 Classic!”
Why’s thestudio undoing their belt buckle?
If you were to answer: “one too many Easter eggs”, you wouldn’t be completely wrong… This indulgent bank holiday accompanied with tons of guilt free chocolate, had something even more to offer, a culinary adventure. Introducing the biggest, baddest, fullest vegan festival around!
If you managed to venture out last weekend, Viva Vegan put on a show stopper of an event. Filling three venues in Birmingham City centre, including ourselves, the festival showcased the vegan way of life. Everything from products, live cooking demonstrations, talks and most importantly a huge variety of tantalising foods. Serving up vegan Indian, Mexican and Italian dishes!
No vegan diet… No vegan powers!
If your only exposure to veganism has been though the film Scott Pilgrim vs the world, you might think vegans: a. have super human powers b. they “partake not in the meat, nor the breastmilk, nor the ovum, of any creature with a face” and c. they attend vegan academy. Safe to say only one of these are true! Veganism in a nutshell is a lifestyle choice where individuals don’t eat or use animal products. Sound difficult? Viva Vegan managed to enlighten the masses that with a few small changes, being vegan is a piece of cake! And yes vegan cakes are delicious, chocolate being our favourite.
At thestudio we love the idea of a communal society, that’s why our non-meat lunch buffet options are all wheat, gluten and dairy free! Lunch is better when we all sit together. Check out what our day package includes…
Feel like you’ve missed out? Luckily Viva Vegan are touring the country! Click here for more dates and info.
Fuel your curiosity studiogoers 🙂
Christmas is undoubtedly the ultimate season of giving. It’s a time where even the most cold hearted of characters are sprung to life with a sprinkle of Christmas spirit. The sight of people scattering, frantically buying and wrapping presents comes with the season, but here at thestudio we recognise the most precious gift you can give someone is your time.
On the twelfth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
12 Drummers Drumming
Eleven Pipers Piping
Ten Lords a Leaping
Nine Ladies Dancing
Eight Maids a Milking
Seven Swans a Swimming
Six Geese a Laying
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
Your wish list may not be as long as this but did you know it’s less than 12 days to Christmas! With not long to go, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to wrap up 2016 with our quarterly team meeting.
We value team bonding and the effort everyone makes to attend thestudio forum is phenomenal, Gillian even flew in from Glasgow! Our forums present a space where our tight knit team can freely discuss ways to develop in 2017, pledging to continually support each other across departments all whilst enjoying a cheeky glass of mulled wine and the odd mince pie.
Home Alone…
This year we opted to stay within our venue. Being firm believers that a change of scenery can truly inspire you, we transformed the Atrium into a Lapland wonderland filled with the usual suspects (Christmas tree, fairy lights) but with a few extra surprises!
Here at thestudio we like to think of ourselves as being game changers. We place you, our valuable guest, at the heart of everything we do. This being said, in today’s day and age an undeniable spotlight has been firmly placed on what we put on our plates.
Sustainable, less travelled, super food , gluten free, diary free and vegan are all words we hear more and more and are becoming a more prominent factor when our customers are choosing their venues for meetings, training and events. So with this in mind and the fact that we love food! … what we’re about to announce should come as no surprise!
We have only just gone and done it! We have achieved a Bronze Food For Life Catering Mark!
Why’s this something to shout about?
Well… this means all your food is freshly prepared to the highest of standards by using seasonal vegetables, ‘red tractor’ meat and eggs from free range hens. Did we mention there’s no place for additives or trans fats in our food? We meet the government guidelines for food and nutrition!
Now that’s something to shout about!
Our daily menu created by our chefs and complying to the awards standards always offer our delegates; a hot meat or fish dish, a hot vegetarian dish, which is always gluten and dairy free, hot side dishes, salads and super food of the day, with a little sweet treat of something to finish
If you’d like to see what storms our in-house chefs are capable of cooking up, check out our menu page! *warning salivation imminent*
We all can relate to the importance of a get together, be it family or friends. But for a lot of organisations, including ourselves, we see the value in getting our studio team together. So last Wednesday, we did just that! With a handful of new studio family members and a new venue on the ever brightening horizon, our quarterly round up couldn’t have been timed better! Check out what we got up to…
To kick off the session the team were presented with all things studio from none other than our delightful directors. Could you have guessed we’re forecasted to have had a whopping 137,000 customers by the end of this year! Now that’s a big number!
Let’s face it, self-introductions are always a bit awkward, especially if you’re new. So it was time to call in the big guns… an ice breaker to the rescue! Partnered randomly with someone we may have not worked with directly, we were left to our own devices to find out 3 interesting facts about each other. From missing bones to filming the Duke of Edinburgh, these ‘on behalf of’ introductions were both insightful and hilarious!
Keeping the team amused and engaged after a hard days’ work was high on the cards. With a studio themed pop quiz distributed and the fire of friendly competition raging in our bellies, we had an all-out battle to see who knew the most about our past, present and future! Team Mixed Bag took the title of studio encyclopaedia, closely followed by Just here for the Pizza.
As the night drew to a close, there was only one thing that could solidify our bond further: pizza. So it was off to Zizzi’s in the Mailbox (who have a deliciously diverse menu!).
Suffering from summer time sadness and wishing you too were on holidays? The weather might not be great but here’s a few things we think could brighten up your day, especially if you’re paying us a visit!
Don’t forget the sun tan lotion…
Being the number one topic of all our gripes and groans, the British weather is renowned for its ups and downs. This being said, when the sun decides to have his hat on, it’s important for us to make the most it! There’s nothing better than soaking in the sun and what a better place to do it on than our roof garden in Birmingham or terraces in Manchester and Leeds!
A toast to summer…
Is there any better way to celebrate the summer than with a tempting glass of prosecco or a soothingly cool luxury ice cream? Being firm believers of treating yourself, especially when it comes to food, our summer offer is one not to miss and available across all our venues. Check out our latest offers if you’d love an all-inclusive rate!
Where art thou Pikachu…
Pokemon Go has literally taken society by storm, all generations have come together to pursue childhood dreams of becoming a Pokemaster! Or they’re just curious… But for those who have a new found addiction to pokeballs, did you know thestudiobirmingham is sat right next to a plaque dedicated to William Shakespeare which doubles up as a Pokestop! Now you can top up both your coffee and stash of revives on your break. Happy days. (more…)
Mahatma Gandhi once said “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”
Though we may not like to admit it we all know the benefits of keeping active and eating correctly. Whilst many live the active life we’re so aware of many of us hide our guilty faces in a smoke screen of business or deliberately bury our heads behind computer screens, far too often we fall into a black hole of excuses and reasons to not go for that run, walk or swim. Fortunately a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to mean cutting all your much loved confectioneries; it’s more about being mindful. That being said, we have listed the top 5 things which could be the beginnings of a healthier mind and body.
1.Make a stand…
It may sound and even look a bit odd however the benefits of standing whilst working far outweigh the cons, so put on a brave face and anchor those heels to the floor. With the majority of the populous working in modern factories (offices) and commuting to and from work, we know this isn’t the best combination for hitting that all important daily step count.
2.Fight off temptation…
Don’t be fooled by the snake charmer, it’s true that at times your own thoughts can be your own worst enemy, especially when hunger pains take over! Surrounding yourself with healthy snacks will not only assist in keeping those hunger pangs at bay but will support your blood sugar levels. You’ll be as ripe and ready to go as your trusty fruit pot. (Don’t feel guilty about the odd chocolate though, after all, a momentary indulgence is a thing of beauty!)
3.Let’s get physical…
As hunter gatherers, physical movement was essential to survival, now it seems movement is a thing of the stone ages! It’s hard after a long day’s work to find motivation or even inspiration to do something out of the good ol’ comfort zone. Biting the bullet and having a session at a gym, where you may feel overtly self-conscious about your overall fitness levels may not always be the best solution to a healthier life. Why not invest in a step counter or take on a charity challenge? Don’t forget, being physical and getting enough sleep are both core ingredients to your wellbeing!
4.From horse power to human power…
For those brave enough to face the British weather head on, saddling up for what we loosely call summer could be a fun, revitalizing and a super healthy choice to make. With the trend of cycling becoming increasingly popular It’s not uncommon to see colorfully clad cyclists heading to work all year round. Cycling will help you have an energetic start to the day! Plus we have heard wearing Lycra can feel strangely liberating, naming no names…
5.Water works…
Making up around 60% of our body, water is not only important to help our body clear out toxins but hydration helps to Kung Fu combat that pesky heavy eye lidded monster called fatigue. So if you want to feel refreshed, grab a glass of water and if water just isn’t your thing why not try adding cordial. Some water must be better than no water, right?
Like a squirrel who stored nuts for the winter, remember all those little efforts you make all add up. You don’t have to wait for a new year to make some changes; there is no better time to start than the present. Good luck on the new ventures and healthier-ish lifestyles. We encourage you to hop, skip or jump to your next meeting even if it’s only from New Street to thestudio!
If we’ve had the privilege of hosting your event, you’ll have noticed our strong customer orientation from the onset! With this in mind, here at the studio, we believe everyone’s role within our business is important, whether it’s picking up the phone or your first steps through our doors, we appreciate everyone has an impact on our customer’s journey.
thestudio team Assemble!
A gathering made up of our all three of our venues (Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds) thestudio undertook their final quarterly meeting of the year! As t’is the season to be jolly and give gifts, the evening kicked off with the ultimate Christmas convention: Secret Santa. Gathered around the large open space that doubles up as our business lounge, the atrium is everything a sparkle with all things Christmas. Adorned with fairy lights and a jazzily dressed tree, it was the perfect setting for the team to dish out the prezzies!
After the initial festivities it was time to get down to the nitty gritty with thestudio forum meeting. Sounding a lot more daunting than it is, this little get together acted as a roundup of the year just gone and upcoming plans for the near future. With a mulled wine or cider to hand, all departments had their chance to present and discuss next year’s business ambitions then it was off to Stable Pizza for pizza, pies and cider… a promising start to the end of year indulgence!
Christmas is a time where people are naturally drawn to one another and is the perfect season to rebuild bridges once burnt, in the hope of a more unified future… Wishing you all a very merry Christmas from thestudio team!
