#LunchOnMitchells

After a long, enjoyable (and even sometimes sunny) summer, it is finally time for the children of Inverurie and Aberdeenshire to go back to school - and to celebrate, we are going to run a fun, little competition for them to win some #LunchOnMitchells.

We know some parents will be looking forward to getting some peace and quiet, but we must admit, we are looking forward to welcoming our lunch customers back, and seeing some new and familiar faces!

In the Dairy Tearoom, we do an exclusive sit in or takeaway 'school kids special' for £2 – where there's always a bowl of chips with cheese or gravy and a can of juice, or a bowl of salad and a can of juice available for school kids.

Additionally, there will be another daily special depending on the day’s menu (eg macaroni, chicken nuggets, pie, pizza or sausage roll) and a can of juice for £2 and at the deli counter in the shop, we also do a popular lunch offer of a takeaway 'Homemade Soup and Quiche' or 'Homemade Soup and Sandwich' for just £2!

And if you're not quite full enough or if you need some dessert to wash down your lunch, we also have lots of delicious fruit and ice cream available in the Grocery Shop.

COMPETITION

To celebrate the kids going back to school, we are running a competition for them to win some #LunchOnMitchells.

All you have do to, whether you're a parent or pupil, is post photos of either your first day at school or your first day back at school on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #LunchOnMitchells - and you could win some free vouchers and get your (yes, you guessed it) lunch on Mitchells!

If you're a parent or an older pupil, why not join in the fun and upload your old pictures of your first day back at school? If you win, you can treat your son, daugher, niece or nephew to school lunch and gain some brownie points in the family!

We will give away 5 x £2 vouchers as a prize - which could be lunch for a week for one person, or the winner could even use them to treat their friends to lunch at 'The Dairy'.

The competition will run until Friday 23rd August and the winner will be chosen at random by the Mitchells Dairy team.

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Celebrate Ice Cream Month at Mitchells

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month, so since it’s official, what better month to dig into your favourite flavours at Mitchells Dairy!

Even though it’s an American tradition, we don’t think anyone will mind that we’re going to celebrate ice cream throughout the month of July - do you?

Made using Aberdeenshire grown ingredients in partnership with Rizza's of Huntly, Mitchells ice cream is available in 3 delicious flavours – Luxury Dairy, Crannachan and Blueberries & Cream.

Our hugely popular Blueberries & Cream ice cream is made using Castleton Farm Shop’s delicious blueberries, and incidentally, we have been selected by Castleton Farm Shop as their supplier of the month for July!

If you can’t choose between the flavours (we can't blame you...) we are currently running a competition on Facebook where you can win all three!

All you have to do is log onto the Mitchells Dairy Facebook page and guess how many red, white and blue balloons were on display in our window to celebrate Inverurie4u’s Independent Retailers Day.

Although our current range is Luxury Dairy, Crannachan and Blueberries & Cream, we did recently experiment in the kitchen at home with something a little more unusual.

After we got chatting to Fi Bird at Taste of Grampian, we made some sea lettuce ice cream from her book The Forager's Kitchen!

Now, we’re not sure whether it will ever become a Mitchells flavour, but if it proves popular, you just never know...

Have you ever tried any other unusual ice cream flavours? If so, what’s your favourite? Let us know by commenting on this post below, or by getting in touch on Facebook or Twitter.

And if you would like to stock Mitchells ice cream or find out more, please phone 01467 621 389.

 

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Inverurie4u Independent Retailers Day

In Inverurie, we are immensely proud of the range of independent shops and businesses still on our high streets, so, inspired by Independent Retailer Month, the members of Inverurie4u are holding a showcase late night shopping event to help people 'open their eyes to Inverurie'.

Taking place on Thursday 4 July, Inverurie4u Independent Retailers Day will highlight the important role that local, independent retailers play in Inverurie and help make people aware of how buying locally can boost our local economy.

To tie in with Independence Day in America, member businesses will decorate their shop windows in red, white and blue, helping you to identify the shops and businesses who work together to promote Inverurie as a great destination to shop, dine and spend time.

Local Olympian, swimmer Hannah Miley, will open the event in the town square, just outside our shop at 4pm, and there will be lots of family fun going on, including a treasure hunt around the town and live music from local music groups.

Here at Mitchells Dairy, we will have a 'guess how many balloons are in the window' competition and the Shop and Tearoom will both be open until 8pm.

There will also be tastings to sample in the shop including some delicious products at the Downies Fish counter, and in the Tearoom we are sticking with the Independence Day theme and selling hot dogs and thick shakes (made, of course, with yummy Mitchells ice cream) as well as snacks, home bakes, tea and coffees to revive you during all the fun!

What a great way to kick start the school holidays (well, the children will only have one more day of school after this!) with a bit of fun at Inverurie’s inaugural Independent Retailers Day.

Come along and open YOUR eyes to Inverurie - there really is something for everyone here!

If you want to find out more about Inverurie4u Independent Retailers Day, you can like Inverurie4u on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

And remember - you can pick up an Inverurie4u I LOVE LOCAL card in any participating business to claim your exclusive offers. Check out the Inverurie4u website for more information. 

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Get Served by Mitchells Dairy this Wimbledon

Fans flocked to SW19 yesterday for the first day of Wimbledon, but at Mitchells Dairy, we're more excited by a fortnight of strawberries and cream than serves and challenges!

So, if you aren't lucky enough to have centre court tickets, or aren't willing to queue for hours for ground passes, you haven't missed the chance to watch Wimbledon in style.

You can cheer on Andy Murray from the comfort of your own home, with some tasty treats that will make you feel like you're supporting him from the stands!

We have locally grown strawberries and raspberries from Barra Berries, which will of course be absolutely perfect served with Mitchells cream or ice cream.

Once you have devoured those, you can then move on to some Berry Scrumptious Strawberry and Cream chocolate, washed down with Cairn O’Mohr Sparkling Scottish Strawberry wine.

For those of you too busy watching the action to cook, we can even help you stack up on some scrumptious, but simple meals for dinnertime.

There is plenty to choose from the Mitchells deli counter, including cooked hams, cheese, homemade quiche and pate, as well as a whole host of crisps, snacks, wines and beers from our Grocery Shop. 

So, if you're looking for some delicious Wimbledon-inspired treats this summer, make sure you're served by Mitchells!

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Father's Day Favourites at Mitchells

With Father's Day just around the corner, why not get your dad an extra-special gift this year from Mitchells Dairy?

There’s so much to choose from at Mitchells; we have a fantastic selection of cheeses and chutneys, as well as beers, wines and whiskies which are certain to go down well with your dad.

If these don’t take your fancy, why not take a look at our special hampers on our Hamper Store? If our fathers are anything to go by, the Beers and Snacks Hamper is sure to be a firm favourite with all the dads out there.

For just £48, you will get a hamper crammed full with daddy's favourites, including Tyrrells Crisps, Mackies of Scotland Crisps, Deeside Brewery Beer, Innis & Gunn Oak Aged, and of course, good old Tunnocks Teacakes.

If this doesn't whet your appetite, we can make up hampers to your individual requirements. Just be sure to let us know all your dad’s favourites and we’ll do our best to include them.

If your old man is a little fussy, you are still struggling to find the perfect gift, why not let him choose his own? Mitchells' gift vouchers can be purchased, allowing your dad to browse and make his own selection.

We know the date is fast approaching, but don't worry - if you don't have time to pop into store, phone us on 01467 621389 or visit us online and we can then arrange to courier to mainland UK addresses.

We hope we have helped give you some ideas for Fathers Day, and we hope you all have a wonderful day shared with the most special man in your life.

Remember everyone - think gift, think Mitchells.

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What a Delicious Taste of Grampian

We would like to say a huge Mitchells Dairy thank you to all our wonderful customers and friends who stopped by to see us last Saturday at Taste of Grampian, the one-day food and drink festival.

Taste of Grampian is always a fantastic day out, and this year's event, which took place at the Thainstone Centre in good old Inverurie, was certainly no different.

Our stand was situated just underneath the clock in the main concourse, and although it was incredibly busy, we were able to keep everyone happy with samples of Mitchells milk, our handmade oatcakes, and of course, our delicious Mitchells ice cream.

We managed to have a look around and see celebrity chefs Simon Rimmer, Nick Nairn and Lady Claire MacDonald doing demos, as well as get the chance to sample the wide range of high quality food and drink products from Grampian.

Don't get us wrong, we know more than most how good the produce and producers in Aberdeenshire are - but Taste of Grampian just showcases how lucky we really are.

While we were having a look around, we also got a chance to read a new publication, Aberdeenshire Larder, which launched at the event. Aberdeenshire Larder is part of The List series of food and drink publications, featuring places to eat and where to buy the best produce from the region.

Mitchells has a listing in the publication, and if you want to have a read and find more of the best food and drink in Aberdeenshire, they are available for free from our shop and tearoom.

You can see some of our pictures from the day below, including one of Judy and the aforementioned Mr. Rimmer, who happened to tweet us afterwards saying 'it's always a treat coming to Grampian!'.

It is indeed Simon, it is indeed!

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Why Mitchells Dairy Help our Heroes

Last month, we threw our weight behind the Help for Heroes Colossal Cake Sale and we are delighted to say that, thanks to the generosity of our customers, we raised £153.07 for the charity.

Following that terrific effort, we were once again delighted to support Help for Heroes at last weekend's Cocktails, Clothes and Cakes event at Meldrum House Country Hotel and Golf Course.

Set amidst beautiful countryside just a few short miles from Aberdeen, The 4 Gold Star Meldrum is one of Scotland's finest luxury hotels - and fortunately for everyone in attendance, the sun shone throughout.

It was a lovely afternoon with fashion shows by local businesses, a fantastic cocktail reception and afternoon tea, and the event raised well in excess of £3300 for Help for Heroes, which is a magnificent effort by everyone involved.

Help for Heroes do some amazing work for our wounded soldiers and their families, and we wanted to let you know why Mitchells Dairy support this thoroughly deserving charity.

As well as other friend and family connections with the forces, Judy's step-aunt, Louise Bennet, has three sons who are currently serving, or have previously been in the Royal Marines, and she sends thousands of buns to British troops in Afghanistan.

Louise has dispatched around 68,000 buns, and currently sends out 450 per week to 12 addresses; 11 in Afghanistan and one to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Five of the current dispatches go to 2 SCOTS, who are in various areas of Afghanistan. 

You can read more about 'Louby Lou’s Buns of Mass Production', the nickname given to them by Terry Wogan after she sent him a batch when he did the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show, in this article in The Daily Mail.

You can also watch Louise talking about her 'Buns of Mass Production' on STV's The Hour, with Darius Campbell and Michelle McManus below.

It is through Louise that we got to hear of Help for Heroes, and since then, Judy's dad and step mum have held two garden parties in recent years to fundraise, which has raised over £15,000 for the charity.

So, to cut a long story short, this is why we jumped at the chance to be part of Meldrum House’s event and take part in the Help for Heroes Colossal Cake Sale!

We would love to hear your stories about why you support Help for Heroes, or indeed, why you support any particular charity. As usual, you can let us know on this blog post, or on Facebook or Twitter.

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