Read It and Eat

“The matter with human beans," the BFG went on, "is that they is absolutely refusing to believe in anything unless they is actually seeing it right in front of their own schnozzles.”
The BFG, Roald Dahl

"Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it..."
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

"'I ate marmalade,'" he said rather proudly. "Bear's like marmalade. And I live in a lifeboat."'
A Bear Called Paddington, Micheal Bond

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”
Harry Potter and The deathly Hallows, J. K. Rowling

"Mr. Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen-houses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the pop-holes."
Animal Farm, George Orwell

"So there are cakes and pillows and colours galore, but underneath this more obvious patchwork quilt are places like a quiet room where you can go and hold someone's hand and not have to say anything."
The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold

“The idea hovered and shimmered delicately, like a soap bubble, and she dared not even look at it directly in case it burst.
The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman

You can dive head first into these wonderful stories while nibbling on a tasty Jackernut. The cafe at Sevenoaks Book Shop will open your eyes and hearts to shelves piled high with books galore, while offering you a pot of tea, a jackernut on a proper cake plate, and a quiet haven to flick through the pages of novel, 
or to read an Enid Blyton tale to your little one, 
or to have a good chinwag with a friend,
or to catch a few moments of peace while you watch the world go by...

...or take pen to paper and write a best seller of your own.

http://www.sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/
01732 452055
@7oaksBookshop

Box Me Baby

I love getting post.

Not bills, no-one like getting those.

But handwritten cards, and parcels.

Yes.

Lovely, big, brown parcels.

I hope Postman Pat ate some of Popeye's spinach before he delivered this package to the Jackernuts kitchen.

A ginormous thank you to the folk at http://www.pimhill.com/
Jackernuts will always have Organic oats.

Schmoozing with Smarta; Jackernuts in the City

Do you now of Smarta? It is a dynamic event group for entrepreneurs to learn about making millions from their businesses. It is full of arty, creative, motivated, driven, suited, booted, work-mad, passion filled people. All thinking outside the box and rolling their idea out to the world.

There was talk about branding that I/Jackernuts was invited to.
There was wine, there was networking, conversing; not in an "lets throw endless business cards at everyone" way but an professional, socialite way, where you seek out those that can and could help, those that you can learn from.

I was invited by a man who has set up his own healthy sweets company called Jealous. Unique flavours for adults, made of good, natural stuff - you can see how these circles go hand in hand with Jackernuts.

The speakers were top notch business men and women.
They included the founders of The Humming Bird Bakery, The Extreme Sports Company and O2 Telefonica.
The talk focused on how to brand your business on a budget, and then followed by a Q&A.

A bowl was being passed round to put your business card into for a chance raffle to win an ipad, I of course, put in a Jackernut, thinking that it would be easier to grab than a business card, unfortunately I went home ipad-less.



Being a hub of technology minded entrepreneurs, there were big screens on the surrounding walls of the live twitter feed #hashtagging the event as it happened. I am pleased to say that a few of my @kat_jackernuts tweets made the big screen and made me squeak with excitement.

My phone doesn't seem to do great zoom in of the picture evidence of this is dubious, but I assure, the big screen was brandishing the jackernuts logo.

 I had bought enough Jackernuts to give all the key speakers and they were all super pleased with them and congratulated me on a unique way of spreading my brand Jackernuts, with this edible business card.

The wine flowed, the people schmoozed, Jackernuts picked up great contacts and advice, and the face of Jackernuts maker, Miss Kat Jones even made a brief "blink and you'll miss it" appearance on the official Smarta video for the site's blog.

Useful Links;
http://www.smarta.com/blog/2013/6/video-bootstrapped-branding-zero-budget-marketing-101-for-creating-raving-fans/

Tour de Kent 2013 Gets Hooked

Just a few of the Jackernuts ready to be given to the riders.
A note of thanks must go out to the other occupants of the Jones household, who had to put up with even more Jackernuts than usual filling every single cupboard, box, shelf, windowsill, pathway, shoe box, vases....the list is endless.

THE SUNNY START.

Oh we were lucky. Have you even heard of a Bank Holiday Weekend in England that doesn't include an brolly. The sun was beaming in the sky, riders and spectators donned sunglasses and shorts, gearing up for the start of the race (although it really wasn't a race, a team effort). There were cheerleaders, flags, reporters, TV crews, raffles, Gillingham FC Horse Mascot, families, friends, and smiles. The riders were let loose on the route after a heart warming speech by Roger Maddams, the Organiser, Jackernuts in their pockets. Adrenaline and excitement for the 3 days ahead.

Jackernuts in hand for the start!

 PIT STOPS; Grab and Go-Jackernut Stations

Coming into Faversham FC

Energy boost with a Jackernut

Official Cycling Shirts to mark the event

Thanks to The White Hart Pub, Sevenoaks.

 There was a much NEEDED stop at The White Hart Pub after the riders tackled River Hill coming from Tonbridge into Sevenoaks. Yes, the route included that mammoth hill, which is an achievement in itself regardless of the whole 3 day event. Well done to all of the rider, they ALL made it and were grateful of pit stop of water, apples and Jackernuts before cruising through Sevenoaks High Street.

.

ENDING ON A HIGH

The race finished at The Blues Bar at Gillingham FC where riders were given medals. There was an amazing After-Party too where riders could relax with a pint, a curry, and pats-on-the-backs by friends and family. The bar was filled with smiling faces, it was completely buzzing with goodness. Never have I experienced such a loving atmosphere in one room where everyone has accomplished the same thing but for their own personal reasons. There were tales of memories flying around, tears shed for absent friends and family but importantly remembered with warmth and love.
There was live music from The Kent Rock Choir, which included Janet Maddams, Roger's wife singing, and the choir lifted everyone onto their feet to Ain't No Mountain High Enough. The raffle was very successful with champagne, signed football shirts and game tickets to be won. Of course there were extra Jackernuts too given to the friends and family of the riders to spread the goodness. The Cheeky Chappy Chocolate Chip Jackernut was a winner with the kids, especially a gorgeous little boy sporting a Spiderman outfit.

A special thanks goes to Roger Maddams and his family who took on organizing such a terrific event. He is an inspiring man full of positivity and love; and raising awareness for important charities. I was truly honoured to be part of such a special event.

Life is precious, treasure the ones you love, and live life to the full.

Useful Links and More Information
www.c-r-y.org.uk
http://www.takeheartmercymission.com/
http://www.tourdekent13.co.uk/
http://www.gillinghamfootballclub.com/news/article/tour-de-kent-event-835408.aspx
http://www.bluesbargills.co.uk/
http://www.rockchoir.com/

Heart-filled Happiness with Tour de Kent 2013

At the beginning of this year I got a lovely email from a chap called Roger Maddams. He had bought, eaten, and loved a Jackernut from Biffo&Spanky Deli in West Malling. He noticed that this tasty jackernut was wrapped in The Sevenoaks Chronicle, and a light bulb went off for him.....which lead to the email.

You see, Mr Maddams was setting up an amazing 3 day cycling event called Tour de Kent 2013 for May to raise money for CRY (Cardiac Arrest in the Young) and Take Heart charities.












Roger thought that Jackernuts would be the perfect fuel for the cyclists over the event; to be given at the start, finish, various pit stops around the route and at the after party. He thought that as the Sevenoaks Chronicle was the wrapping, that Jackernuts was a Kent based company (of which he was correct) and therefore Jackernuts would fit into the local businesses helping at the event. A reals sense of community is what was needed. How could I refuse, I was honoured to provide Jackernuts at the event and all the profits went to Charity.

And so, a new flavour was born into the Jackernut family, especially for Tour de Kent 2013;

the Honey and Apricot Jackernut really was the bee's knees and was loved by all.

Not only did I make a far few for the event (over 1000) but I had extra piles sold in various haunts of Sevenoaks. Williamsons Butchers, The Stag, Beaux Bagels all had red charity tins and piles of these Jackernuts, and a few workplaces such as SLAM and a law firm in London had a stash too. 

The sales of these extra Jackernuts raised over £100 for the Heart Charities. 

Check out the following post for photos of the Tour de Kent 2013.

Links for more information and donations;

http://tourdekent13.co.uk/index.html

http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/

http://www.takeheartmercymission.com/

@tourdekent13

JN Teams up with TI

Despite interning at the super cool Google Campus near Old Street as a fashion intern, I will always wear the metaphorical jackernuts hat and give the speech to anyone that will listen. On the first day, from dishing out the jackernuts facts, I was given the name of a Personal Trainer who might be interested in supplying Jackernuts for his clients.

A few emails here, a few posted samples there, mixed in with a sprinkle of tweets and 

BOOM 

a new sports client on the books with an order of 100 Jackernuts.

Tate Irons is a young, fit, ambitious Personal Trainer and Nutrition Specialist working his motivating magic on the people of the Surrey and London area.

There is definitely no excuse to complain about those extra pounds, that beer belly, the pizza gut, the cake tire and all of the above when you have a man on hand to sculpt you into a god or goddess, well near enough. 

A six-pack beneath your Paul Smith tee is the way to go.

A bikini -ready body to knock all the guys witless, senseless, as you strut on the hot sands in true bond girl style this summer. Halle Berry has competition.

Sick of being average....

....Tate Irons promises to "Achieve Greatness" - why would you turn down that offer? 

Check him out;

http://www.tateironspersonaltraining.com/

emailme@tateironspersonaltraining.com

http://blog.tateironspersonaltraining.com/

@tateirons

This is an excellent partnership for Jackernuts; Promoting great positive energy of two young, fresh businesses that aim to show you a happy, healthy life. 

JN and TI hope to be on the list of famous duos such as;

Fry and Laurie

Ant and Dec

Eric and Ernie

Posh and Becks

Rosie and Jim

Lyle&Scott

Abercrombie&Fitch....Speaking of which, wait with anticipation and look out for the new JN/TI sports merchandise coming soon.....

Rhymes and Reasons

You see the clever thing about jackernuts is that they suit all folk.
Perfectly tasty for the family; for the mummies, the tots, ideal for lunch boxes, for teens to grab along with their ipod as they mooch out the door to the bus top, for dads to munch on the morning commute or between city meetings.

Yet ideal for sporting bods. Think weight trainers, athletes, rowers, runners, teams, fitness fanatics, gym bunnies, jogging groups etc. This is because of that faithful ingredient that stands Jackernuts out from the regular line-up of flapjacks, NUT BUTTERS. This will give you that protein hit, much needed for fueling exercise.
Plus the organic oats are great for endurance.Slow release energy and all that jazz.
There's no sugar high and after slump with these jackernut babies, just goodness to fuel your body all the way to your finish line.
There don't seem to be many sports snacks on the market that don't taste of cardboard. Most are squished full of protein powders, blends and unpronounceable ingredients. It seems bizzare that if you are so fixated on making your body the best, why would you consume something that contains unrecognizable products? If you can't picture something in its natural, untouched state - why would you eat it?

Below is a label of one of these Sports Bars;

GRS-5 Proprietary Protein Blend (Milk Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Milk Protein Isolate, Egg Protein, Soya Protein, Whey Protein Isolate), Chocolate With Sweetener (20%) (Cocoa Mass, Maltitol, Cocoa Butter, Milk Fat, Emulsifier: Soya Lecithin, Vanilla), Hydrolysed Wheat Gluten, Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Humectant (Glycerine), Palm Fat, Isomaltulose, Low Fat Cocoa Powder, Flavouring, Grated Orange Peel (0.5%_, Glucose and Fructose Syrup, Emulsifier: Soya Lecithin, Citric Acid, Salt.From Milk- Isomaltulose is a source of Glucose and Fructose.  

And Here is the label of a Hazelnut Jackernut;

Oats, Hazelnut Butter, Butter, Honey, Raisins, Sugar, Lemon Zest


There is NO whey protein. I thought whey was a chemical or something, it turns out its "cheese". After looking it up on the ever reliable Wikipedia, Whey is "left over when milk coagulates", yummy, that just screams appetising.
It reminds me of that nursery rhyme of Miss Muffett....who eats Curds and Whey, until she has a run in with a spider.

Which would you eat?

Finding Prince Charming

Did you know I have actually met Prince Charles? I'll try to keep this a short anecdote, as much as I love to tell it.
It was while at University. I went to UEA in Norwich and Prince Charles owns some land near campus and was visiting various people to discuss it, or something like that, I don't know really but the point was there was a massive secret/Chinese whispers that the heir to the throne was wondering around the uni. The secret seemed to escape at 7 in the evening. I was coming out of a late Italian seminar to find a small crowd gathering outside one of the visitor buildings.

Ok its getting quite long....basically it was a freezing, December night. Dark. I couldn't feel my ears. Hands numb, but at the possible chance to get a glimpse of Prince Charles I waited.
He was LOVELY.
He spent ages walking along the crowd (we had formed a typically British, orderly queue) and spoke to individuals...one of which was me. I was in complete shock to really hear what he was saying, or to have control of what my mouth was saying. All I could think about was how he was politely looking into my eyes as he spoke to me,
which meant (in my mind that is), that for that moment in time, a member of the Royal family knew that I existed in the world.

I remembered all the china cups and plates emblazoned with the faces of the Royals on their weddings which my grandmother had collected over the years. She displayed them on the landing, hung on the wall in date order.
The next morning I rang my Grandpa to tell him of this encounter. He said it was one of the proudest moments in our family, and he went on to spread the word that his grand-daughter had met Prince Charles to all of his visitors until he slipped away.

Prince Charles has continued to feature in my life, and in the development of Jackernuts, although he has no idea of this at all. Don't worry, I'm not stalking him. I have registered with his charity, The Prince Trust, specifically The Enterprise Programme.

The programme means that if I show a good idea, market research, a lot of product development etc then I might be able to get my jackernut making hands on some investment money which really would go down well. This would mean I could afford to have my little jackernuts manufactured and hit the shelves of bigger store, spreading the love of jackernuts. I have completed a week long business course with the trust, and now I have fortnightly meeting with a mentor who is keeping me on track with finances, new ideas, and general guidance and support during the highs and lows of starting a business. All of this I need, Jackernuts, needs and I truly appreciate it. It is a great charity for people willing to take the risk of starting something new and not going down the 9-5 route of work that Ms Parton sings about.

So Jackernuts may have a helpful Prince, but for the singleton that is myself, I am still looking. Should you be or know a suitable chap that looks like a certain Mr D Gandy, then holla.

Walking, Talking Promotion

Being a slightly creative bod, I quite fancied some merchandise to promote Jackernuts. Blazing my body with Jackernuts logo to get people intrigued and to be a constant of burning the logo in people's brains, I decided against the jackernuts tattoo and opted with a home-made transfer on a t-shirt.

This new tee, I wear at the gym, along with jackernuts promotional events. Conveniently the same day I made this beauty, coincided with the carrying of the Olympic torch through Sevenoaks. I am not one to miss an opportunity...

Jackernuts Sports

Thanks to the tasty nut butters used in jackernuts, they make a great protein fix for sports men and women alike. With the aid of Twitter, I found myself being invite to Rigs Fitness Gym in Birmingham to promote the new version of Jackernuts, creatively called, "Jackernuts Sports".

These jackernuts contain 

NO BUTTER, 

NO SUGAR,

 HIGH PROTEIN up to 18g per bar 

and 

LOW unSAT FAT

So off I went on the train with a suitcase full of 500 jackernuts sports bars to feed the fitness fanatics. I met and circulated with lots of great people. Sam the owner, a young entrepreneur at 22 set up the gym off his own back. Jack McIntosh, contender for Britain's Strongest Man, Greg Sammons captain of Leicester Tigers and many more. Good contacts and great feedback on the new line of Jackernuts.

Little Heroes

I had a small feature in the local paper, Sevenoaks Chronicle about Jackernuts.
I received a lovely phone call because of it.

The head of Fundraising for The Royal London Society of the Blind (RLSB) was on the line. He saw the article and asked if I would create a special charity jackernut to help raise money for their lastest appeal.
Dorton House is a blind school and college in Kent, but the nursery needed a bit of work. The appeal was called Little Heroes, and the money rasied would go towards adapting the nursery so that a greater intake of blind toddlers and tiny children could be accepted to the nursery. My heart melted. Of course Jackernuts would want to help. Dorton House was just around the corner so I would see first hand how much a difference the money would make to the lives of the truly amazing little heroes.

And that is how Tommy Toffee Apple came about. he started life as the first charity Jackernut. I made loads of them. There was a big launch of The Little Heroes Appeal at the large Tesco at Riverhead. Parents of the children at Dorton House came down, the teachers were there, the RSLB chairman and director was there, the Mayor was there. I got to meet the children, play with them, feed them jackernuts. The Jackernuts were to be distributed at hospitals in the Kent and London area, at playgroups, in offices, on the map. The charity made special Little Heroes Jackernut collecting tins to be placed in local shops and cafes for charitable munchers of the Jackernuts. One of the mothers texted me after the launch, saying her little girl was hooked on the tommy toffee apple jackernuts, and she had one after her nap every day. That made me smile.

Sausages with a side of Jackernuts

I have a particular fondness for one of my Jackernut stockist, because it is a peculiar setting. But at Jackernuts HQ, we like to be different, we think out side the box, we use nut butters, and wear odd socks. Therefore, we rave about having Jackernuts sold at the wonderful Williamsons Butchers on London Road Sevenoaks.

Gary the Butcher is a lovely chap. He is an exceptional cook and will give you a spontaneous recipe with your purchase. From his wide repertoire of his in-head cook book, I found myself cooking venison with rosemary and juniper with salted roast butternut squash. Yes, it makes sense to have Jackernuts, a small lovingly home-made product sold in a lovingly attentative place that is fueled around feeding family, feeding those you love; and talking to and laughing with locals, regular customers. That is what Jackernuts wants.

Never lose a bet to Gary; the forfeits are truly embarrassing. "If you lose" he said with a smile, "you come down to the shop at the busiest time, on a Saturday morning, and do 20 press-ups"
I can barely do one press up let alone 20.
But Kat at Jackernuts always keeps her word.

Small Town Girls gets Big Time Contract

It happened. I danced around the office (my bedroom). I spoke to Pim Hill Organic Oat Farm and have them on my side to be the exclusive oat supplier for Jackernuts. All Jackernuts are made with beautiful, glorious, organic oats. Happy and healthy jackernutting.

The oats arrive like a small elephant on the door step. I need to practice more weights at the gym to lift this bad boy.