insideKENT Magazine Issue 146 - June 2024 | Page 197

NEWS insideSTORY cont ..
BIRD & BLEND TEA CO . OPENS FIRST STORE IN CANTERBURY
Spreading its tea mixology innovation further across the UK ’ s local high streets , independent tea company Bird & Blend Tea Co . Has arrived in Canterbury with a tea-licious bang . The 18th retail store to open since its UK high street launch in 2013 , the Canterbury store , which has created at least six new jobs , will offer a fun , interactive in-store experience , mixing award-winning tea-based drinks .
Visitors can expect to find inventive flavours such as Birthday Cake , Blue Raspberry and Chocolate Digestives , alongside firm favourites Builders Breakfast Brew and Earl Grey Crème as well as a brand new limited edition flavour , created exclusively for Canterbury : Cup & Chaucer .
Commenting on the May opening , Mike Turner , co-founder and managing director of Bird & Blend Tea Co ., said : “ Customer experience is at the heart of everything we do . Alongside the fast growth of the digital side of our business , we ’ re proudly continuing to invest in local high streets too . We see our stores as not just retail spaces , but as community hubs where customers can come to make connections with one another and our team and enjoy interacting with our teas . For us , there will always be a place for magical in-person experiences and we ’ re delighted to be arriving in Canterbury .”
ROYAL SEAL OF APPROVAL FOR SHEPHERD NEAME
STARS ANNOUNCED FOR COME WHAT MAY
Celebrity brothers , AJ and Curtis Pritchard ( Strictly Come Dancing , Dancing with the Stars , Love Island ) have been announced as the headliners of the UK tour of Come What May , a star-studded tribute to Moulin Rouge and other musicals .
Promising a night of pure entertainment , and joined by a cast of West End performers , the show , which features all the favourite hits from the iconic movie-musical including Come What May , Your Song and Diamonds Are a Girl ’ s Best Friend , alongside timeless hits from other modern movie musicals , will be on stage at Orchard West theatre on 20 October .
Independent family brewer and pub company Shepherd Neame has been granted use of the Royal Warrant by His Majesty King Charles III .
King Charles III first granted a Royal Warrant , which are awarded to companies who have regularly supplied goods or services for a minimum of five consecutive years to the royal household , to the Faversham-based brewer in 1998 in his former role as the Prince of Wales for Grant ’ s Morella Cherry Brandy . The drink dates back to 1774 and was originally produced by Thomas Grant and Sons in Dover before moving to Maidstone where it lasted until the 1950s . Shepherd Neame bought the liqueur in 1988 .
In 2014 , the Prince of Wales gave permission for the Royal Warrant to be used on bottles of Shepherd Neame ’ s Spitfire Amber Ale . Named after the legendary Supermarine Spitfire , the Kentish ale was first brewed in 1990 to commemorate the Battle of Britain which was fought in the skies above Kent 50 years earlier .
Shepherd Neame chief executive Jonathan Neame , said : “ We have a long association with the royal family and are incredibly proud to be among the first UK businesses to be awarded a Royal Warrant by His Majesty King Charles III . As Britain ’ s oldest brewer , we take great pride in preserving the traditions of our long brewing heritage , creating quality products using the finest locally sourced ingredients , so it is wonderful to have our efforts recognised with this special honour .” www . insidekent . co . uk • 197