Fruit For The Office

Fruit Cakes

2012-01-27T15:59:00.000Z

It’s Friday. So if there was ever a day when you deserved abit of cake, today would be that day. We’ve trawled the web to find some of the the mostspectacular baked offerings, but being Fruit For The Office – only cakes shapedlike fruits are allowed.

Here's what we found.

Watermelon anyone? The the sugar content in a slice of this is probably going to be a bit higher than your average slice of watermelon!

Thanks to a certain talking yellow sponge, they has been a boom in pineapple shaped cakes!

This beautifully round orange offering sits on a chocolate base. Delicious

A delicate bite sized miniature strawberry sponge

We don't know who Hannah Banana is, but we do know that she's a very lucky girl

This is a perfectly crafted pear cake

Another one for the dainty dolls out there we discovered these very cute apple cake pops. Down the hatch in one!

Unfortunately we can only offer you the real thing in your office fruit delivery. We're working on cakes though.

Picture credits 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Happy Burns Night

2012-01-25T12:06:00.001Z

So what’s it all about then? Burns Night is the celebrationof the life of the old Scottish bard Robert Burns. Burns was born on the 25^thJanuary 1759 and went on to write some of Scotland’s most famous poems. Ifyou found yourself singing along to Auld Lang Syne on New Years Eve a fewweeks ago, you have Robert Burns to thank as he wrote the song/poem along withmany others

Now that you know what you’re celebrating here’s a deliciousFruit For The Office recipe for the Scottish fruity pud. Cranachan! Perfect forrounding off a Burns Night celebration.

Ingredients

Fruit For The Office Raspberries 450g

Course Oatmeal 6tbsps

Double Cream 150ml

Runny Honey 2 tsp

Whiskey (optional) 2 tbsp

Fresh Mint

Toast the oats in a dry frying pan, tossing regularly as to not burn them. When they are golden brown take them out of the pan and leave to cool.

In the mean time, take the cream and whisk until thick. Then stir in the honey and optional whisky. Take most of the toasted oatmeal and gently fold into the cream.

In another bowl, place most of the raspberries then roughly crush using a fork. Just crush them enough to release some of the juice, but still leave some texture.

Then let the layering begin!

Take a glass, and start off with a layer of crushed raspberries, followed by a layer of the cream and oat mix. Continue this pattern until you have filled the glass.

Finish off with a layer of cream then garnish with a sprinkle of toasted oats a whole raspberry and a sprig of mint.

Dig in!

Picture credit 1

The Big Fruit Mix Up

2012-01-23T10:44:00.000Z

There are a lot of different fruits out there – so from timeto time it’s understandable that we all get a little bit mixed up with what’swhat. So many of them look pretty much the same, taste relatively similar andhave reasonably repetitive names. So it’s no surprise that we've all got a little bit confused at one time or another.

Luckily the team at Fruit For The Office are highly knowledgeablein the field of fruit so they can answer any questions you may have when you’reputting together your fruit delivery.

But for now we’ve put together a list of the most confusingculprits to help you on the way to fruit recognition.

Blueberries - Blackberries

They're both delicious, both purpley bluish in colour and have both been hailed as 'superfruits' so no wonder we get them mixed up. Here's how to tell the difference - small and whole, it’s a blueberry. Slightly bigger and made of little nodules, it’s a blackberry.

Blackberries Blueberries

Nectarines – Peaches –Apricot

Now these fruits often get people in a muddle. They allbelong to the same family and are so similar that it’s easy to get confused. Ina nutshell, here’s how to the tell the difference. If it’s smooth, it’s anectarine. If it’s fuzzy and yellowy-red, it’s a peach. If it’s small fuzzy andyellowish, it’s an apricot

Nectarine Peach

Apricots

Clementines –Tangerines

If you've been struggling to tell your clems from yourtanges here’s how you do it. Clementines are seedless, hard to peel and have a shinyskin. Tangerines on the other hand have seeds, a matt lose skin and taste quitetangy.

Clementine Tangerines

Gandini Jugglers

2012-01-17T11:08:00.000Z

Providing the freshest fruit to offices across the country is something that we do on a daily basis. However from time to time a request comes in for something a little bit different.

The Gandini Jugglers are a consortium of performers who createand produce juggling acts that will shake up everything thought you knew aboutjuggling! They draw on theatre and dance to put togethermagical, spell binding performances that leave their audiences simply speechless. Sean Gandini choreographs their performances drawing on inspiration from colour and high fashion catwalk shows such as Alexander McQueen.

We’ve been proudly supplying them with boxes of apples touse in their acts for years. This dynamic juggling team are back in town to takepart in the London Mime Festival. Their current show, entitled Smashed seesthem juggling apples ones again.

But Smashed is about much more than eye catching juggling, the piece has political, social undertones with the women in the show having to deal with being somewhat objectified by the men. The Gandini Jugglers successfully manage to take something usually seen as light hearted (juggling) and use it to address more serious topics. Throughout the show, the team juggle many different objects and it ends with them purposefully smashing a lot of crockery!

You can catch Sean Gandini and the Gandini Jugglers (andour apples!) on BBC 1 News at 6pm tonight (Tuesday 17^th).

If you want to see them live they will be performing in London from 18-21 January, book online HERE.However you need to move quickly as they are selling fast!

www.gandinijuggling.com

Friday 13th: Fruit Superstitions

2012-01-13T08:05:00.000Z

It’s Friday the 13th! The Holy Grail of days for all those superstitious souls out there. We’ve put together a list of fruit related superstitions to whet your whistle as you jump over cracks, avoid ladders, and beware of black cats!

Apples – Apples have been associated with dark goings on from the dawn of time - think Adam, Eve and a mischievous snake. One superstition is that if you leave a single apple on the tree after harvest, a death will occur in the following spring.

Peaches – There is a Chinese belief that peaches bring good luck and keep away evil – so you may want to carry some in your bag on a day like today.

Bananas – These bendy fruits are considered to be extremely lucky in the Caribbean. If you discover a Y-shaped mark once the banana has been cut from the stalk then your wish will come true! Fishermen on the other hand consider bananas to be extremely unlucky fruits with many blaming them for boat accidents, on board illnesses or poor fishing harvests. Needless to say bananas have been banned from many a voyage.

Oranges – Oranges are another fruit that are considered to be lucky, especially amongst young lovers. Lovers who give oranges to one and other are thought to be drawn closer together. Brides should also carry orange blossom in their bouquet to bring good luck to their marriage.

Cherries – In Switzerland it is believe that the very first cherry from the tree should be given to a woman who has recently given birth. This will mean the cherry tree will provide a bountiful harvest. In Japan it is also believed that the cherry tree brings good luck.

Lemons – Now this is an odd one. If a woman wants to test the longevity of a love affair she must take some lemon peel, place it under her armpit all day. In the evening she must remove it and rub it along the post of her bed. If her lover is good, he will appear that night bringing two lemons, if not – he will not turn up at all.

Blackberries – As tasty as they are, these fruits are associated with EVIL as it is believed that the devil cursed the blackberry bush when he got tangled in it after being thrown out of heaven. Eat a blackberry at your peril!

Fruit Ice

2012-01-11T11:07:00.000Z

Whether you callthem ice poles (London), tip-tops (Birmingham) or fruit ices. When is comes tosummer, we all want to get our hands on some frozen fruity water to help coolus down.

However, for afarm in Florida, it seems the fruit ices have arrived early. Despite beingknown as the Sunshine State, temperatures dropped to below zero last week, leavingfarmers with a frosty welcome in the morning.

The trees in theorange grove were dripping with icicles.

Whilst thestrawberries were covered in a shiny coat of solid ice.

Not even theflowers got a lucky escape with this one seemingly perfectly preserved in ablock of ice.

Luckily, the cold snap that the farm experience in December seemed to prepare the fruit for colder weather. They were able to salvage much of the oranges by spraying them with water to keep the temperature from dropping below 0 degrees.

Picture credits

1, 2 and 3

Fruit Detox

2012-01-09T16:37:00.002Z

Sometimes, if you've had a heavy weekend, a bad week or a hardcore month a detox is the best thing for you. We’re nottalking faddy diets here; we’re talking simple additions to your diet that canremove nasty toxins leaving you ready to face the goodies in your fridge once again.

When embarking on a detox, it's best to go au natural, there's no point swapping old chemicals for new so fruit is one of the best things to use to detox those toxins - here are some of the most effective.

Lemons – This fruit is the king of the detox. Lemonshave antibacterial qualities that will cleanse the mouth and throat, removeexcess mucus. The acid in the lemons works to dissolve toxins throughout thebody

Apples – These classic fruits are great for gettingyour digestive system going, so try eating an apple just before lunch

Grapefruit – These tangy fruits reduce bad cholesterol,help to keep arteries clean and

Pineapple – This acidic fruit is another really good onefor detoxing. It contains an enzyme called bromelain which can cleanse thecolon..

Green tea – Although it’s not a fruit green tea is thebest thing to drink when planning a detox. It will keep you hydrated, cuts downon your caffeine intake and also contains cleansing antioxidants

You can puttogether a tailor made order with Fruit For The Office. Fruit For The Officealso supply a selection of soft drinks and teas.

We're Mingling With The Stars!

2012-01-06T12:16:00.000Z

Well our fruit is anyway.

Fruit For The Office are proud to supply Celebrity BigBrother with our delicious fresh fruit. Each week for the duration of the show,we’ll be supplying CBB with a big box of fruit to keep the team happy, healthyand motivated as they deliver another addictive edition to our living rooms.

If you'd like a taste of what the stars are munching, why not sign up for your own fruit delivery. And remember, until 31st January you can use the discount code NEWYEAR to get 50%* off your first order.

Enjoy the show!

*50% discount can be used for the Fresh Range only and excludes upgrades. Free delivery only available to corporate address within Greater London. Offices outside of this area will incur an additional delivery charge. Discount valid until 31^st January 2012.

50% Off Your First Order

2012-01-04T08:05:00.000Z

Get 50% off your New Years Resolutions with the Fruit For The Office discount code - NEWYEAR

Over the weekend, millions of people across the country made thevow to get healthy, get fit and lose some weight. And whilst the intentions aregood, we know that it can be difficult to know how and where to begin.

We say, start slow and start small. A full blown lifestyleoverhaul on the first of January can be very hard to maintain longer than a fewweeks (or days!). A few gradual changes made throughout the month will be mucheasier to stick to and will hopefully last the whole year.

Adding more fruit to your diet can be a simple way to embarkon a healthier lifestyle. Replacing the usual fatty, sugary snacks that you eatat your desk with fruit will make you healthier, and help you to lose weight. Itwill also give you more energy and increase your productivity at work (greatnews if you’re other resolutions include getting a promotion!)

That’s why we’ve put together the discount code NEWYEAR for anyone wanting to sign upto Fruit For The Office throughout January.

This will give all new customers 50% off of their firstorder with us*. The code will be valid until the end of January. So wheneveryou’re ready to take the plunge this month and embark on a healthy eating plan,we’ll be here.

Pass the word around the office and get your colleagues onboard. You can use the discount codeonline or over the phone so feel free to give us a call to discuss what’s rightfor your office or team.

Happy New Year!

0800 019 4037

info@fruitfortheoffice.co.uk

www.fruitfortheoffice.co.uk

*50% discount can be used for the Fresh Rangeonly and excludes upgrades. Free delivery only available to corporate address withinGreater London. Offices outside of this area will incur an additional deliverycharge. Discount valid until 31^st January2012.

Leftovers

2011-12-23T12:40:00.000Z

I know it’s seems odd to talk leftovers before Christmasday, but on this occasion we’re talking Fruit For The Office leftovers. Chances are there may be a few bits and bobs rolling aroundin your office fruit bowl at the end of the day as everyone opts for chocciesover apples. So scoop up the remaining fruit, take it home and get creative. These goodies will also make great last minute Christmas presents too!

Clove Oranges

Grab an orange, grab some cloves and begin to push them intothe orange, be as organised or as random with the pattern as you wish.

These are great for decorating the home; left at roomtemperature they will release a beautiful aroma.

Apples Slices

This works for any type of apple and they can be strung upinto garlands once finished

Core the apples
Slice them into 1cm thick slices so the core hole is in the centre
Soak in lemon juice then pat dry and brush with a little allspice
Bake them in he oven on the lowest setting for around 5 hours
Flip them every hour

Orange Slices

These will make lovely fragrant decorations for the tree

Cut oranges into slices around 1cm thick
Bake in the oven on a tray at the lowest temperature setting for around 4 hours
Flip them every hour
Take them out when they are almost completely dry
Poke a hole in the top, thread some string through and hang them on your tree

Sugared Nuts

This recipe works for any kind of nut – so if there are anyfloating around from your last fruit delivery this is the thing to do with them.The recipe works per 100g of nuts

100g almonds, pecans or walnuts etc.
2 medium egg whites
1bs soft brown sugar
1tsp of all spice

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl, places onto a bakingsheet (preferable non stick) and cook on 200C for 5 minutes.

Merry Christmas!

Picture Credits

1 2 3 4

Top 10 Women's Shoe Designers

2011-12-15T08:05:00.000Z

‘I did not have threethousand pairs of shoes, I had one thousand and sixty.’
Imelda Marcos

Agood pair of shoes changes everything. They can transform an outfit from officeworker to party princess. They can make you walk tall, feel proud (and even helpto disguise those few extra pounds!). Here we take a look at some of the mostdelectable designs from the top 10 shoe designers. From courts, tosandals, wedges and platforms we've represented them all (we've even included apair of flats!). Is there anyone that we’ve missed out?

1. Christian Louboutin

The ones with the red sole, Christian Louboutins are the most coveted shoe on the market today. Flashes of red send fashionistas hearts a flutter as they dream of owning a pair of trademark platform courts. These particular offerings are a classic court stiletto with a lush leather bow at the back for added glamour.

2. Yves Saint Laurent

Yves Saint Laurent isanother classic shoe designer with a tell tale trademark. The sculpted,slightly curved heal seen on this classic YSL pump is a feature look for thisdesigner.

3. Jimmy Choo

The Malyasian borndesigner, Jimmy Choo was propelled into the hearts of women when a certainCarrie Bradshaw made them the must have shoe of the late nineties. As she andthe 'Sex And The City' girls teetered around New York in delicate Jimmy Choos, they soonbecame one of the first ‘it shoes’ to hit the market.

4. Charlotte Olympia

Relatively new on the shoe scene, Charlotte Olympia launched her namesake brand in 2007. The London based designer takes inspiration from old school glamour, femininity and pays meticulous attention to detail. Each shoe is hand crafted in

Italy

using beautiful, elegant materials. This shoe, called the Orient Express, exudes glamour from every angle.

5. Chloe

Chloe were the very first bigfashion house to create a ready-to-wear collection. Prior to this, all of theluxury fashion houses in Parishad only made couture – made to measure – pieces. Chloe shoes have featuredsome iconic designs in the past few years. A major one being a gold metallictrim around block heel – a trend which was replicated by everyone from Kurt Geigerto Primark.

6. Manolo Blahnik

Manolo Blahnik - named after Spanish founder Manuel "Manolo" Blahnik Rodríguez - is another brandfamed by the SATC ladies. This shoe in particular had a staring role in thefirst SATC film when Big aptly proposes to Carrie with the ‘Something Blue’shoe at the end of the film.

7. Gina

Gina is another London based shoe brand.The company was founded by Mehmet Kurdash in 1954 and named after his favouriteactress, Gina Lollobrigida. The company was created with an emphasis on eleganceand glamour, something that still stands today. When it comes to blingy, gem encrusted shoesGina holds the monopoly. Unsurprisingly they tend to rank pretty high on the averagebride-to-be’s wish lists.

8. Irregular Choice

Irregular Choice is the Brighton based shoe company that stomped onto the scenein 1999 creating their own rules when it came to shoe design. The very firstshoe that designer Dan Sullivan created was inspired by the Japanese split toelook. The Japanese theme is something that the company regularly come back to intheir designs. Irregular Choice shoesare more than just footwear, they are a statement.

9. Kurt Geiger

When the bank balancewon’t quite stretch to a pair of designer heels, Kurt Geiger is always there tokeep you on trend and in the black with a well made, fashionable, affordableheal. The brand started out with its first shop in Bond Street in 1963 and today has becomea stable concession in luxury departments stores such as House Of Fraser,Fenwicks and Selfridges.

10. Russell and Bromley

And for those who preferflats, we have Russell and Bromley. They were crowned the king of the brogueswhen they adorned the feet of tomboy Queen Alexa Chung. The newest range ofandrogynous footwear to be designed by the brand are these gorgeous, leatherloafers.

And a special mention for........Cheryl Cole

Finally, this brand new designer didn't quite make the top10 as she’s only just unveiled her first range of footwear. However, we had togive a special mention to the gorgeous Cheryl Cole who has teamed up with StylistPick to create a range of affordable on trend shoes. Each pair has a cool name thatperfectly describes the shoes unique attitude (the one pictured is called ‘Glam Slam Disco Ball’). Keep up thegood work Ms. Cole!

Picture Credits

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Christmas Presents!

2011-12-13T08:05:00.000Z

Laurent Perrier Basket - £99.99

It’s time to thinkChristmas gifts for people in your office, clients, employees....... the list goes on

Buying gifts for people thatyou only have a working relationship with can be pretty difficult. Thetemptation is always there to buy a gift voucher or a one of the manytraditional Christmas hampers that are on the shelves around Christmas time.

But let’s be honest, weknow that if we give someone a traditional Christmas hamper this year, half ofthe preserves will probably stay in their cupboard until Christmas 2012. Fresh fruit, on the otherhand, always goes down a treat and is something that your recipients willprobably need after over indulging through the festive season.

Moet and Chandon Basket - £79.99

Fruit For The Office havea selection of fruitbaskets that will make deliciously fresh Christmas gifts this year. All of our baskets come in a lovely sea grass basket that can be kept and reused long after the contents have been munched.

Just like our regular service, we also offer a tailor made option for the hampers, allowing you to put together a personalised selection of fruits to make the ideal gift. And if you want to give it a traditional edge, we can include dried fruits and nuts.

Bespoke Basket - Price on request

We can arrange for yourgift to be send straight to your recipient and will even include a personalmessage. Hard work done, time to putyour feet up and have a mince pie.

Would You Like Fruit With That?

2011-12-07T14:57:00.001Z

Obesity rates are rising fast, we all know that. Today,Cancer Research released a report suggesting that 40% of cancers could be prevented by having a gooddiet. So it’s seems that there has never been a better time to try to encouragepeople to eat better.

Today, ministers are being urged to introduce a new law thatwill force fast food shops to include fruit and water in all meal deals.

The high street meal deal is something that we’ve all come accustomedto over the years. It’s a quick fix lunch that usually contains a sandwich, adrink and a snack - usually in the form of crisps or chocolate!

Health experts feel that fruit and water should be a compulsory option in all meal deals. This should help healthier options to be promotedas heavily as junk food therefore encouraging people to make the right decisions fortheir health.

We have to say that we agree! We champion anyone thatencourages people to eat more fruit and veg. Whether it's a smart employer whoorganises a regular fruit delivery for their staff, or a blogger who comes upwith delicious fruit recipes, we like to see everyone do their part.

Roelof Louw: Pyramid of Oranges

2011-12-05T11:43:00.001Z

The ‘Soul City(Pyramid of Oranges)’ was first created in 1967 by South African artist RoelofLouw.

This eye-catchingpiece of art has now been recreated for a museum in Leedsas it revisits sculpture from the 60’s and 70’s. The exhibition entitled ‘United Enemies: The Problem of Sculpture in Britain in the1960s and 1970s’, uses a recreation of Louw’s orange pyramid as its centrepiece.

Once againthe piece has been created using over 6,000 locally sourced oranges andvisitors are encourage to help themselves to an orange if they wish.

We can onlyassume they heard about our fabulous fruit wall at the Square Meal event and decided tohave a go at something similar!

Theexhibitions can be seen at the Henry Moore Gallery in Leedsuntil March 2011

13 Days of Christmas (Party Prep)

2011-11-30T08:05:00.000Z

How long does it take you to get ready for theoffice Christmas party? 2 hours? 3? Half a day? Try 335 hours. Yep you heardright, according to a survey commissioned by the Clothes Show Live, some womentake up to 335 hours – that’s over 13 whole days – to get ready for the officeChristmas party.

Unconvinced? Take a look at the breakdown andyou may well change your mind.

Activity	Hours
Shopping for an outfit Finding the perfect dress can be a painstakingly long task.	72
Shopping for accessories Think how many times you’ve nipped out in your lunch break.	48
Looking for inspiration in magazines You can easily rack up 10 hours flicking through fashion mags.	10
Getting in shape Many women begin tucking into the office fruit delivery in a bid to get fit at the beginning of November if not before.	96
Beautifying This includes going for facials, manicures, pedicures etc.	23
Hair styling This covers dying, cutting, blow drying and styling.	12
Getting advice from friends From chit chat in the office kitchen to full blown style consultations – it all adds up.	63
Makeup Women take time to perfect the ideal party look.	6
Waxing No pain, no gain.	1
Exfoliating, moisturising and tanning Important final touches to achieve the overall preened look.	2
Final amendments There are always a few last minute adjustments and additions.	2
Total	335

It is thought that womenspend more time getting ready for the Christmas party than they ever would fora gathering with family or friends. This is because at the office Christmasparty they get the chance to show off their style to their colleagues in a waythat they normally can’t.

Even so, 13 days seems alittle excessive if I do say so myself.

LimeLight

2011-11-25T17:29:00.001Z

Last week the Fruit For The Office had a glittering feature in thebusiness section of the Evening Standard newspaper. The team at EveningStandard caught up with the company owner Daniel Ox (that's him in the picture!) over at Fruit HQ to findout the story of how the company all began.

Dan was interviewed by business journalist Ralph Miller who regularly writes articles for the paper on entrepreneurs in Greater London. The piece revisits the history of thecompany and the story of the Ox family’s involvement in the fruit and veg trade.

It certainly makes for an interesting read, so if you missed thepaper last week, you can catch up online HERE.

Thanksgiving Fruit Gobble

2011-11-23T11:07:00.001Z

Tomorrow, Americans across the land will be celebratingThanksgiving. They will be dusting off their turkey baster and preparing tocook up a feast no doubt full of sweet, sugary fatty delicious goodies. Mmmmmm.

In an attempt for find a healthy offering for a Thanksgiving celebration, we stumbled across this cool Fruit Gobbler.

If you’re not celebrating Thanksgiving this year, you canpretty much do the same thing for Christmas.

We’ve fiddled with the recipe slightly to make it even morefruit friendly, however you can find the original HERE.

To create the FFTOFruit Gobbler, here is what you will need

Pear – for the head
Melon – for the body
Raisins – for the eyes
Grapes – for tail feathers
Cheese cubes – for the beak and tail feathers
Slice green and red apples – for the side feathers and feet
Wooden skewers and toothpicks – for attaching

Directions

Start off by cutting a slice from the side of the melon to create a steady base for it to stand
Take the pear and attach it to the front of the melon using a section of a skewer
Attach the raisins and cheese with sections of toothpick to form the eyes and mouth. Use a slice of red apple to make the classic turkey gobble
Create some tail feathers by alternating cheese cubes and grapes along skewers. Place these across the back of the melon body as pictured
For the side feathers attached slices of red and green apple to the side of the body
Create some feet using some slices of red apple

Stand back, admire your work, then let the masses indulge!

Happy Thanksgiving from FFTO

The 'King' Of Fruits

2011-11-21T15:04:00.001Z

I use the word ‘king’very loosely here. Across South East Asia, thereexists a peculiar fruit called the Durian which goes by the largely inappropriatenickname ‘King Of Fruits.’ The Durianis a large round fruit with a thick green spiky outer husk cocooning a softyellow flesh inside.

I bet you’re imaging something sweet, rich, full of flavourand oozing with an aroma that would make you want to eat more and more.Something regal, fit for a queen. Something delicious.

Well let me stop you right there, for the King Of Fruits isnone of the above. In fact, the King Of Fruits is something that is regularly bannedfrom hotels across Asia and would no doubt bebanned from your office fruit delivery too. Not sounding so regal anymore isit?

The Durian fruit has such a repugnant smell, that you canfind yourself slapped with a fine just for allowing it cross the threshold of ahotel in Malaysia, Thailand or Indonesia. Odour comparisons forthis majestic offering have included vomit, gym socks, sewage and rotten onions.We assume the ‘King’ part of the nickname comes from the look of the fruit asit surely can not be for the smell!

Many people say that once you tuck into the flesh, itactually tastes delicious. I for one could not get past the smell so never didquite make it to the delicious part. I think I’ll just take their word for it.

Have a Heart to Heart With a Kiwi

2011-11-17T12:00:00.001Z

Here on the FFTO blog,we’ve looked into many superfruits or ‘hiddengems’ as we like to callthem. This week we stumbled across another one.

We’ve always thoughtthat kiwi’s were special, but it turns out that the luminous green fruits havemore to offer than delicious flesh that is joyfully devoured with a spoon. Kiwisare the latest fruit to join the superfruit club due to their heart relatedbenefits, so are definitely something that should be added to your regular fruit delivery.

In a recent study in

Taiwan,

13 men and 30 women took part in anexperiment to test the health benefits of eating kiwis. Each of theparticipants had high cholesterol and were instructed to eat 2 kiwis every dayfor 8 weeks.

Blood tests were takenat the beginning and the end of the experiment and scientists found thefollowing results in the subjects.

· There was an increase in good cholesterol

· There was a decrease in bad cholesterol

· There was a boost in vitamin C and E levels

Another study in

Norway

found that eating kiwis regularlycould help to improve the health of your heart. Scientists found that eating2-3 kiwis a day lowered triglyceride (bad fatty acids) levels by 15%

Kiwis also containlutein which is a brilliant antioxidant and is thought to help lower bloodpressure – something that we all need if we want to maintain a healthy heart.

Obviously eating acouple of kiwis isn’t going to cure all heart related ails, however along withexercise and a good diet, they may help to prevent them in the future.

Are you working in the healthiest industry?

2011-11-15T10:18:00.001Z

Since the birth of Fruit For The Office, we’ve always servedclients from a wide range of industry backgrounds. Our fruit is enjoyed byeveryone from shop workers to office workers, teachers and tech guys.

But we wanted to see which industry (if any) was more behindthe Office Fruit cause than others. So, over at Fruit HQ we decidedto look into our top 300 customersto find out exactly that.

We discovered that a whopping 24% of all orders came from clients in the creative industry.

The 300 clients came from 19different industries all together including banking, non-profit and retail.Clients in the creative industry order 4times the average amount ofour fruit than clients from the other top industries.

If you’ve read our blogbefore, you’ll know how passionate we are about fruit and we really believe inall the benefits that providing office fruit can have. We spoke to one of ourFruit Ambassadors to see how our fruit benefitted them.

The Office Manager of Media Equals says ‘Our team looks forward to ourdelivery of fresh, chilled fruit for the office every Monday morning. Theyoffer an extremely reliable and prompt service. We have changed our habitssince getting our Fruit For The Office delivery and we are happier andhealthier getting at least one of our 5 a day!’

Fruit for the Office deliveries also help to reduce theamount of sugary snacks that staff members consume. Sugary snacks often lead toa sugar crash and a noted slump in office productivity. Looking afteremployees’ health and well being is a benefit to employers as it can help toreduce sick days and improve over all motivation.

People in thecreative industry have clearly cottoned on to this, and are treating theirworkers to a regular supply of delicious fresh fruit from Fruit for the Office.

Notes

The 300 customers used for this study are the top grossing regular customers who have ordered fruit from Fruit for the Office in the last two weeks.
Clients in the creative industry include media companies, advertising companies, communication companies and publishing companies.

FFTO Blogger Of The Week: Only Nature: Foodporn!

2011-11-11T08:05:00.000Z

It’s that time of the week again. Once more we’ve beentrawling the web to find a brand new Fruit For The Office Blogger Of The Week.This week, we stumbled across a blog by Kok-Loong Wong.

Kok-Loong began cooking at around the age of 10 and for thepast 3 years has been documenting his tasty stories on the blog Only Nature:Foodporn! (a bit naughty I know!). His aim is to cook delicious meals that ‘satisfy not only out taste buds and our stomachs but also our eyes and imagination’

Many of his recipes draw on Malaysian/Asian inspirations andhis recipes marry flavours together that many people would never think of.Kok-Loong also takes some classic food combinations and puts his very own, oftenfruity, spin on them.

One of his recipes is a Satsuma Marmalade Cake made with his very own home madesatsuma marmalade. The cake is topped with a delicious dark chocolate andmarmalade icing topping. Two ingredients which Kok-Loong says compliment eachother really well.

Kok-Loong also recently teamed Roast Pork Belly with Mango Relish (pictured above) – another match that seems to be made in heaven. Sounds likea defiantly tasty twist on the classic pork and apple combo.

Congratulations Kok-Loong Wong!

LimeLight

2011-11-09T08:05:00.000Z

Fruit For The Office have been featured on a great websiteonce again. 30 Days of Food and Drink is a month long celebration of all goodthings to eat and drink. Hosted by the National Magazine Company – the peoplethat bring you Cosmopolitan, Zest and Prima- 30 Days Of Food is back with abang this November.

This year FFTO are getting involved by giving away 10 Fresh10 boxes with deluxe berry upgrades. Visit the website and enter yourdetails if you fancy a chance of winning.

Stuck In A Frut?

2011-11-08T14:00:00.001Z

We’ve all found ourselves in a frut – or fruit-rut – beforewere we end up eating the same fruits, day after day after day. This robotic likemunching may be great for our 5 a day, but what about our taste buds?

By the time it gets to Thursday, the thought of facinganother apple, banana and satsuma at your desk is enough to make anyone reachfor the biscuit tin. So we thought that we’d suggest some fruit alternatives tohelp you to get out of your FRUT onceand for all.

Figs – This fruitregularly crops up in recipe books baked with goats cheese and param ham.However, the humble fig will always be a sweet treat first. Fresh figs, eatenwhole with the skin on, contain an explosion of texture and flavour.

Eric Hunt

Minneola – Thiscitrus offering is a cross between a grapefruit and a tangerine and is namedafter the Floridatown where it was born.

Amanda 44

Redcurrants –These small ruby red gems are an understated berry, and just like figs they areoften cooked. However, redcurrants are great eaten just as they come and are arich source of iron and vitamin C.

Lukas Riebling

Physallis – This tangytreats can be a welcome option for those who find grapes a little too sweet.They’re very pretty too.

Nicole-Koehler

Star fruit –Another sweet yet tart option, these fruits can be eaten whole, including theskin so are ideal for eating at your desk.

Fibonacci

The next time you’re puttingtogether your fruit delivery order, try to mix it up a little bit so that everyonearound you can dig themselves out of their FRUT!

New Fruit On The Block

2011-11-04T13:14:00.000Z

We've covered a few interesting fruit discoveries over the recent weeks. We’ve seencotton candy flavoured grapes and mammoth oversized satsumas, aptly namesSATSUMOS! This week another fruity hybrid has been released – the Grapple.

As you’veprobably guessed, the Grapple is cross between a grape and an apple. The Washington based company state on their website that youget the ‘sweet distinctive flavor of Concordgrapes combined with the crispness of a fresh, juicy Washington Extra Fancy apple.’

However unlike the other fruits that we’vecovered, the grapple is not the result of a cross pollination made in heaven.Instead this fruity marriage has been somewhat forced. The Grapple is createdby soaking either a

Fiji

or Gala apple in complex liquid solution that includes concentrated grape flavouring andwater.

The company insists that the process doesno cause the apple to take on any extra sugar or calories, nor is it ‘genetically altered any way.’

The company feel that combining twofruits in one will help to encourage people to eat more fresh produce. Hmmmm, personally,I think I prefer my apples and grapes straight up.

Confused Fruits

2011-11-01T12:41:00.000Z

Don’t worry, we’re not announcing a new range of icky fruitsoups. We’re merely using the picture to highlight the purpose of this blogpost. Today, we’re looking at confused fruits. Now this may seem like a ridiculousquestion, but I will ask it anyway. Do you know the difference between a fruitand a vegetable?

Just in case you don’t, here is a littledefinition. A vegetable is the edible part of a plant, usually the root, leaf orstem and is always seedless. A fruit on the other hand is a structure createdby the plant that holds the seeds.

However despite the definition being pretty clear, occasionally we get a few fruit sailors that jumpship and join the vegetable army. The classic tomato is first and often the onlything that springs to mind when we think of fruits that like to act asvegetables. However, in actual fact there are many, many more. Here are a few others to add to your list.

Avocado Pear –The clue is in the name really. Avocados are technically classed as fruitshowever they sit better when treated as vegetables…….particularly in a crayfishand avocado sandwich mmmmmmm.

Ackee – This is atraditional Jamaican fruit that is always served as a vegetable and goesparticularly well with fish.

Beans – As beansand peas are defiantly the seeds of the plant, they should always beclassed as a fruit.

Pumpkins &Squashes – These winter favourites are very big fruits indeed, however I’mhappy for them to act as vegetables. I don’t fancy pumpkin soup for dessert!

Chillies - All chillies and peppers are actually fruits (the clue's in the seeds this time) including deadly hot varieties such as jalapeños and scotch bonnets.

Misery Index

2011-10-24T12:33:00.001+01:00

New figureshave been released that show that the nation is officially miserable. Themisery index is a sum of the unemployment rate and the inflation rate. As youcan imagine the total is pretty high, so we as a nation are more miserable thanwe have ever been since 1992.

So maybeit’s time to turn to the little things to help cheer us up, like birds singing,blue skies, smiles and laughter and fruit. Yes fruit. Believe it or not, eatingfruit has been proven to make people feel happier. We’ve probably all felt thatslightly uplifted feeling after munching on some of nature’s sweets. Thatfeeling isn’t just you giving yourself a pat on the back for eating somethinghealthy. It turns out that there is actually a bundle of science, chemicals andcompounds behind the whole thing.

Bananas

These yellow beauties are packed full of a mixture of chemicals that help your body toproduce serotonin. That’s the stuff that makes us feel happy

Oranges

We all know thatthey are full to the brim with vitamin C which is great for preventing thosepesky winter colds that are just around the corner. What you may not have knownis that vitamin C actually produces endorphins – the happy hormone that’s alsoreleased when we eat chocolate. Othergreat sources of vitamin C are blackcurrants, kiwi’s and red chilli peppers.

Strawberries

I - like most people - get excitedat the very thought of strawberries, but it turns out that there is actuallysome science behind it. The red colour of the fruit is cause by a couple of chemicalsanthocyanin and pelargonidin which help to elevate our mood. They are alsoanother great source of vitamin C which means more endorphins.

Cherries

Another fruit thatmakes me happy – when you think of cherries, you think of summer time! Cherries also contain anthocyanin which leaves you feeling lifted. Remember the laxative effect though, eat too many and you really will be miserable!

Nuts

Nuts are a greatsource of protein and many also contain selenium. This mineral has been provento have a positive effect on our mood. Brazil nuts are the greatest naturalsource of selenium – so eat up.

Instead of reaching for the old comforts foodfavs i.e. chocolate and carbs to help combatthe inevitable misery we are all facing – maybe munching on some fruits andnuts will give you the same boost you’re looking for.

If you’re an employee and you’ve noticedthat office has been looking a bit down in the dumps recently, there has neverbeen a better time to invest in a weekly delivery of fruit for the office.

Let’s show this misery index who’s boss!

LimeLight

2011-10-19T17:36:00.000+01:00

SheerLuxe is a great website promoting all things luxurious and fancy. So of course, we at Fruit For The Office are delighted to be included in their online directory and in their SheerLuxe Shopping Awards.

We were also very happy bunnies when we spotted this blog post dedicated to us! Read the full post HERE.

Banana Drama!

2011-10-17T15:27:00.000+01:00

We stumbled across these incredible pictures in the Metronewspaper this morning, and just had to share them with our Fruit Ambassadors.

Keisuke Yamada is an electrician based in Japan whoindulges in a bit banana sculpting in his spare time! Before he indulges in his fruitsnack, he carves a famous face into it and then posts a picture online.

He’s developed such a cult online following that peoplefrequently send in requests of what he should carve next.

If only he were based in the UK. We’d love to send him a box of bananas and see what he could come up with.

If you have secret passion for carving fruit or veg, give usa shout and send us some pictures!

FFTO Blogger Of The Week - Life Of A Cupcake Baker

2011-10-14T15:26:00.003+01:00

We’re sticking with the chocolate theme for this week's annoucmentof Blogger Of The Week . This week we were captivated by Kat’s blog who introduces usto the Life Of A Cupcake Baker.

Her most recent post was a delicious sounding recipe forchocolate chilli cupcakes. A spicy twist on a cupcake classic that sounds just perfect for National Chocolate Week.

But don’t worry; we’ve not totally abandoned ourfruity roots. Kat also had an array of fruit based cupcakes that we absolutely loved.

Our personal favourite is her Banana Daiquiri Cupcakes.Cake, fruit and booze – you can’t go wrong with that!

National Chocolate Week

2011-10-13T13:43:00.000+01:00

You all know that we are completely passionate about fruit,however over at Fruit Towers we can’t resist abit of chocolate too. And believe it or not, the boys are actually worse thanthe girls! So when we found out that it was National Chocolate Week, we knew wehad to let our fellow Fruit Ambassadors know that now is the time to indulge!

National Chocolate Week runs from the 10– 16 Octoberthis year and is a big fat celebration of everyone’s favourite sweet treat. Theteam hold events and tasting sessions all over the country where chocolatelovers can indulge in their not so secret obsession.

We thought we’d take this opportunity to remind you of a fewof classic chocolate fruit combos to help you combine your fruit box with yourchocolate fix.

Banana split –Take a banana, split it, drizzle on chocolate and cream. Couldn’t be simpler.

Good ol’ ChocolateFondue – Melt the chocolate, grab some fruit and dip. Delicious

Chocolate coveredberries – Whether strawberries raspberries or even cherries are your thing –this desert is easy to make and hard to resist.

Pear and DarkChocolate – check out last week’s blogger of the week if you want someinspiration.

Have a good chocolate week!

We’re Winners (we’ve always known that, but now it’s official!)

2011-10-10T14:11:00.000+01:00

Fruit For The Office came up trumps at the Havering BusinessAwards over the weekend. We won the award for Innovation at the prestigiousceremony hosted by Jon Culshaw.

We were crowned the winners due to our excellent use oftechnology. Now I know you may be thinking ‘howmuch technology do you need to deliver fruit?’ but the fact of the matteris, without it we wouldn’t be able to provide the excellent customer servicethat our customers receive every day.

When it comes to business at Fruit HQ, we communicate through a custom built onlinesystem that we can all update to let everyone in the team know what’s going on.* So for example, when the price of strawberries changes due to availability theteam in the markets can update the team in the office in just a few clicks.

So next time you call up and speak to some at Fruit HQ about your office fruit delivery,remember that it’s our awarding winning innovative system that keeps our team soknowledgeable. And a natural love of fruit, of course.

*When it comes to gossip, we communicate over a cuppa.

Fruit Pill to Stop us Going Grey

2011-10-06T10:51:00.000+01:00

This week the news has been full of stories of a new miraclefruit based pill that claims to prevent hair from going grey. The powerhouse ofcosmetics that is L’Oreal, are the ones behind the pill.

They state that the pill it is the kind of supplement thatyou would take daily throughout your whole life. Ideally, you would start taking it before youstart going grey and continue taking it to prevent ever going grey.

Here’s comes the science bit. The pill is made from acompound derived from an undisclosed fruit. This compound acts like an enzymenaturally found in the body that works to prevent a process called oxidativestress which causes hair to go grey.

Unfortunately, these pills won’t be on the market for atleast another 4 years. So until then, keep on eating fruit – if only L’Orealwould disclose exactly what fruit it is……..

And the winner is.......

2011-10-04T11:00:00.000+01:00

Hello Fruit Ambassadors,

Lauren Hynes is the lucky winner of our 'Win Fruit For Your Office For a Whole Year' competition. Thank you to everyone who entered - we were overwhelmed by the response. It seems clear that there are loads of fruit lovers out there, so if you want to get you hands on one of our delicious fruit boxes we're offering you 50% off your first order.

And remember - Fruit For The Office will not make you sign a contract so if you feel like ordering a one off box of fruit. Take advantage of the discount code!

FFTO Blogger of the Week - Yummy Choo Eats

2011-09-30T07:30:00.000+01:00

We stumbled across another fabulous blog this week.Selina’s blog Yummy Choo Eats is a collection of really homely dishes. Herincredible recipes are not fancy dinner party show off dishes (however for therecord, if I were served any of these at a dinner party, I would be a veryhappy bunny). Selina’s recipes are about being comfortable in your kitchen andfollowing your instincts.

Selina also seems to use one of my favourite styles ofcooking. That’s the ‘lets just see what I’ve got in the cupboard and putsomething magical together’ style.

What stole the show for us over at Fruit HQ was her recipefor a pear, dark chocolate and hazelnut crumble – served with custard ofcourse.

5 Days To Go!

2011-09-28T15:44:00.006+01:00

In just 5 days we will be announcing the winner of our 'Win Office Fruit For a Whole Year' competition.

The competition closes this Friday the 30th September and the winner will be announced on the 3rd. October.

Keep an eye on your inbox.

Good luck!

Events, Fruit Walls, and Blow Up Bananas

2011-09-26T12:56:00.000+01:00

We have had an incredibly busy couple of weeks over at FruitHQ. We’ve attended two trade shows, built a fruit wall, and given out over 4000apples!

We started of with the Office* Show over at Earls Court on the 15^thand 16^th of September. We had a great day out and met someincredible PAs, Office Managers, and Facilities Managers and were able tointroduce them to the idea of having fruit delivered to their offices. Thanksto everyone who stopped by for a chat. Here’s a picture of the team hanging outat the stand - check out the blow up banana in the corner!

We then went onto the Square Meal show over at the OldBillingsgate Market which was held on 21^st and 22^nd ofSeptember. We had a huge stand at this show, so we decided to build a wall offruit. This 5 metre wall held hundreds of actual oranges – it took us overan hour to fill it but we think it was worth it!

We met some great events organisers at Square Mealand gave out even more apples. We even had to dismantle the fruit wall so thatwe could make sure that everyone at the event got one of their 5 a day. Wemanaged to do it in a somewhat artistic way though. Go FFTO!

Can't Live Without?

2011-09-12T17:00:00.002+01:00

The big question of the week is, what is the one thing that you couldn't live without? The London Science Museumrecently did a survey of 3000 visitors asking them to name the one thing that they just couldn’t live without. Some of the findings were truly shocking, for exampleFacbook ranked 8 places higher than a shower. Now, I don’t know about you buthaving a shower is far more important to me than updating my status!

One thing that were very happy to hear is that good old freshfruit ranked in at number 21. In a seaof technological advancements and gadgets - hair straigteners at 24 and airconditioning at 38 – fresh produce is still pretty high up in the public's conscience when it comes to things that they couldn’t live without.

If your boss needs a little convincing that a fresh fruitdelivery will be well and truly welcomed in the office, maybe this survey cando the trick!

Take a look at the top 50.

1. Sunshine 2. Internetconnection 3. Cleandrinking water 4. Fridge 5. Facebook 6. NHS 7. Cooker 8. Email 9. Flushing toilet 10. Mobilephone / smartphone 11. Tea andCoffee 12. Washingmachine 13. Shower 14. Centralheating 15. Painkillers 16. Freshvegetables 17. Vacuum Cleaner 18. Kettle 19. Sofa 20. Shoes 21. Fresh fruit22. Google 23. Car 24. Hair straighteners 25. Publictransport 26. Laptop 27. Chocolate 28. DVDPlayer 29. Wristwatch 30. Make-up 31. Flat screen TV 32. Weddingring33. Tumble dryer 34. Bottledwater 35. Ebay 36. Bicycle 37. Ipod 38. Air conditioning 39. Disposablenappies 40. Lightbulbs 41. Spell-check 42. Sat Nav 43. Push-up bra 44. Nintendo Wii 45. iPad 46. GymMembership 47. Season ticket to your football club 48. Freezer 49. Xbox 50. Twitter

Free Strawberries!

2011-09-09T17:16:00.000+01:00

FFTO at the 2010 Thames Festival

Some of you may remember that last year we had a stall at the Thames Festival selling British strawberries and cream.

Well, it’s that time of year again so on Saturday 10^th September (tomorrow!), we will be setting up shop on Southwark Bridge and selling our bounty to festival goers.

Once again we’d like to invite all of our existing customers down to say hello and pick up a free portion of strawberries and cream.

Just find us on Southwark Bridge, tell us your company name AND the name of the account holder and we’ll give you some on the house.

Hope to see you there!

FFTO Team

Back to School

2011-09-06T10:32:00.000+01:00

Over at FFTO HQ we still get that September ‘back to school feeling’ even though it’s been more than a few years since any of us actually went to school. We reckon that we feel that way because we’re all still young at heart.

So when September arrives, the craving for fresh, crisp, lunchbox worthy apples it too much for us to bear. We thought we’d take a look at some of the more favoured varieties.

Granny Smith – These crunchy emerald coloured apples have a distinctive sour taste that makes them a little unpopular with the kids.

Braburn – The braburn is juicy crisp and sturdy enough to handle being bashed around in your lunchbox.

Pink Lady – If there was ever a fruit that was made for the girlies, this is it. They look pretty in pink, and are shiney, and sweet – just like us girls.

Golden Delicious – A light sweet apple, but beware, these apples bruise like a peach. No one wants bruised fruit for tuck.

Toffee Apple – For the days when nature’s sweets are not enough, you can’t beat a toffee apple. Sticky sweetness, one of your five a day AND make your class(work)mates jealous – perfect!

Candy Grapes

2011-09-01T11:15:00.005+01:00

We’ve seen the rise of over sized fruits, odd coloured veg (does everyone remember purple potatoes?) and fruits that look like one thing yet taste like another. Sainsbury’s, however have gone one step further by launching a fruit that has the natural taste of something not quite so natural.

Cotton Candy grapes were developed in California – of course – and stem from the Lambrusca family. According to Sainsbury’s, they have ‘a distinctive but extremely sweet flavour and surprising taste of candy floss.’

They’ve been marketed as a great tool for getting children to try fruit, and perfect for adults who want to try something new.

We’re always up for something new in the FFTO office, if you fancy trying them they are currently being sold in 35 stores across the country for £3.00 a punnet. Or if regular ole grapes are your thing, opt for a deluxe berry upgrade with your next office fruit delivery.

Fruit For The Office Gets Charitable

2011-08-30T11:40:00.008+01:00

The FFTO Team are always willing to help out for a good cause, so when we got a call from Empire Cinema in Leicester Square asking us to help them raise some cash for Cancer Research, we were all ears.

Empire Cinemas were planning to raise money for the charity by having a 'Rise Of Planet of The Apes' promotional day. That’s were we came in. They wanted to give all of the viewers a free banana to encourage them to donate to the good cause, and of course, we were more than happy to help.

We pitched up in Leicester Square last week with a truck load of bananas – both edible and blow up – and began to unload.

We grabbed a table outside one of the movie screens and set up shop, so to speak. The table was laid with individual bags each containing a banana for cinema goers to help themselves to. And help themselves they did!

As well as grabbing a free banana, cinema goers donated generously on the day, allowing Empire Cinema in Leicester Square to raise some well needed cash for Cancer Research.

FFTO Blogger of the Week – All That I'm Eating

2011-08-26T12:49:00.005+01:00

All That I’m Eating is a great blog written by someone who clearly champions fruit and veg. Past posts have included highlights from her vegetable patch, asparagus and hollandaise sauce adventures, a gooseberry fool recipe and even tales of a watermelon cocktail.

We loved the blog and images on foraging for fruit – it reminded us that that fruit doesn’t always come straight from the office fruit box!

And who knew there were purple French beans in the world!

Great blog, brilliant writing, lovely recipes.

Blackberries: Hidden Gems

2011-08-22T12:02:00.004+01:00

Every week it seems that a new fruit is being hailed a ‘superfruit’ due to its exceptional nutritional values. We reckon that all fruits are pretty super so prefer to refer to these fruits as ‘hidden gems’

When it comes to eating fruit, we often get stuck in a rut, eating the same apple banana and pear each week. So it’s great when one of these hidden gems comes to light and encourages everyone to try something different.

This week’s hidden gem is the blackberry. Scientists have discovered blackberries contain twice as much Vitamin C as blueberries and way more than oranges which are usually the first point of call for a Vitamin C boost.

Blackberries are also packed full of fibre and rich in tannins which help the body to heal itself. They contain lutein which helps to protect the eyes and helps to prevents UV damage. Also, a handful of blackberries will give you nearly half of you RDA of manganese which helps to keep bones strong.

Blackberries make the perfect office fruit snack as you can leave them on your desk and munch on them throughout the day. Their sweet flavour should also help to steer you away from sugary snacks.

British blackberries are in season right now, so now is the time to get some these hidden gems added to your fruit delivery. They’ll do wonders for your health!

FFTO Blogger of the Week – Cookie's Cakes and Bakes

2011-08-19T11:01:00.004+01:00

This week’s winner is a fabulous blogger called Nicola. Her Cookie’s Cakes and Bakes blog has only been going for a few weeks but has already grabbed our attention over at Fruit HQ

Each blog post is made up of easy to follow step by step instructions and edible photography that makes you want to get your spatula out.

In the past few weeks her recipes have included Strawberry and Cream Cupcakes a Banana, Coconut and Passion Fruit Loaf Cake and our personal favourite Chocolate Orange Brownies.

Nicola has clearly proved herself to be a fruity blogger so she more than deserves the Fruit For The Office seal of approval.

Thanks Nicola!

Vote For Us!

2011-08-17T10:00:00.002+01:00

As you know, we were listed on the Sheer Luxe directory recently. They’ve just begun their 2nd annual online shopping awards and we’d love it if you could vote for us!

Just follow this link to cast your votes on who you think the best online retailers are. Sheer Luxe Shopping Awards

You can find Fruit For The Office in the Food and Drink category, under Best for Food Gifts & Hampers Online. You don’t have to cast a vote for every category, just the ones that count to you (i.e US!).

Thank you!

Win A Box Of Fruit Every Week For A YEAR!

2011-08-16T11:22:00.003+01:00

So, just in case you needed convincing of how brilliant the prize we are offering is, we’ve put together a calendar showing you just how you can benefit from your prize each and every month.

January – This is quite often the tightest month of the year. With your free fruit box your 5 a day is sorted meaning you can save more pennies for the January sales.
February - When it’s cold, people tend to eat less fruit (the allure of a steaming bag of chips is just too much) so having a box on our desk will surely encourage you to eat more.
March – Make your mother happy on Mother’s Day by telling her how much fruit you’ve been eating.
April – April Fools Day – with all of those banana skins at your disposal I’m sure no one will blame you for pulling the odd prank or two.
May – After the first bank holiday weekend of the year, you’ll probably be in need of some extra nutrition.
June – Ditch the faddy diets and forget the fatty snacks. Snack on fruit all day to help the pounds melt away.
July – Celebrate 4th July by putting together a fruit flag
August – Got some fruit let in the box at the end of the week? Take it home and make fruit kebabs for the bbq.
September – Back to school (work) stick an apple on the teacher’s (boss’s) desk to get in their good books.
October – Stick some apples in a bowl full of water and get the whole office apple bobbing.
November – Take a few of those apples, cover them in toffee and indulge around the bonfire.
December – Satsumas, satsumas, satsumas. There’s nothing like a satsuma to get you in the mood for Christmas.

It's time to ENTER!

FFTO Blogger of the Week – The Feel Good Food Book

2011-08-12T15:11:00.006+01:00

The very first Fruit For The Office Blogger of Week has been found! The Feel Good Food Book written by Katy Riddle gives us insights to her culinary adventures that leave you itching to get in the kitchen. What really struck cord with us over at Fruit HQ was the recipe for chocolate banana loaf. If you’ve got any bananas left over in your office fruit box at the end of the week – this is the perfect thing to do with them. Take a look HERE

Our only question is, seeing as it looks just like a loaf bread – is it ok eat a slice for breakfast?

Blogger Of The Week

2011-08-09T11:18:00.002+01:00

And the search for the very first Fruit For The Office Blogger Of The Week is on!

At Fruit For The Office was have always been a big fan of foodie blogs and well-being blogs. We love reading delicious recipes and picking up tips that will keep us healthy and happy.

So we’ve decided that every Friday we will give a special shout out to a blogger who has made our week with a particular post or recipe (it basically gives us license to read mouth watering recipes all day and call it work!).

If you’ve got a blog feel free to drop us a line to make sure that we’re keeping an eye on all of your fabulous posts.

There are no particular criteria - obviously we all about championing fruit and well being at work – but most of all we are looking for entertaining informative blog posts that make use want to read on.

Check back here on Friday to see who our very first blogger of the week is!

Anyone for a Satsumo?

2011-08-05T15:19:00.003+01:00

Yes, you read it right and no, it wasn’t a typo. Satsumos are the hottest thing to hit the fruit market since white strawberries!

The satsumo is the satsuma’s big fat cousin and are they are rolling their way down a high street near you. The beefy variety originates from Japan (the clue is in the name) and are apparently sweet, juicy and easy to peel.

The satsumo is the size of a small grapefruit and is the love child of a Japanese Kiyomi, and a Ponkan which is a large Chinese mandarin.

Whilst we don’t have any satsumo’s on the menu yet, if oversized fruit is you thing – grab one of our banana’s. We’ve been told that they’re bigger than your average!

Do You Share?

2011-08-04T12:52:00.004+01:00

When it comes to sharing in the office everyone has a completely different etiquette. We’ve put together three different types of sharers that we think dwell in every office. Which one are you?

The Over Sharer: The one buys a packet of biscuits and shares them round the WHOLE office. The rest of the office firstly feel obliged to say yes, and then feel satisfied with the buttery goodness, but are generally left feeling guilty as they realise that they don’t even know the Over Sharer’s name.

The Never Sharer: The person that hides their food in their draw, never offers to make a cup of tea and is the first one to grab their loot from the office fruit box.

The Surprise Sharer: This person is the wild card, they always buy the best biccies (Belgium chocolate of course!) but you never know if they’re going to offer one or not. As they bring out the office snacks, place them tentatively on their desk, the whole office waits with baited breath to see if they are going to share. They’ve got the power and they know it.

So when it comes to your office fruit delivery, individual packs of chopped fruit are just the ticket for satisfying every one in the office. The Over Sharer will inevitably give away her last piece of kiwi. The Never Sharer can confidently scoff the lot – guilt free, and the Surprise sharer, well; you just never know what’s going to happen with that one.

Win Fruit For Your Office For a Whole Year!

2011-08-01T14:10:00.003+01:00

Wouldn’t a box of fruit have made this Monday morning a little easier? How about a free box of fruit? ‘Even better!’ I hear you say. Well that's what we thought, which is why we are launching a competition to win free fruit for a year.

The lucky winner will receive one of our FRESH 10 boxes delivered to their office every week for a whole year.That’s around 780 bananas, 520 apples, 260 pears and a whole load of satsumas, nectarines and peaches!

Entering is really easy, just follow this link www.fruitfortheoffice.co.uk/comp and enter your name and email address.

Good luck!

Thank you to the following sites you are supporting our competition by telling their readers about it!

http://www.theprizefinder.com

http://www.competitionstoday.co.uk

http://competitiononline.net

http://www.UKwins.co.uk

http://www.win-free-stuff.co.uk

LimeLight

2011-07-29T10:38:00.006+01:00

It's been a good week for us over at Fruit HQ, not only were we listed on the SheerLuxe directory but we were also given a mention on the Ellie's Essence blog. Ellie is a blogger who writes about food, nutrition, health and beauty. She has a load of great tips on how to stay in shape, eat well and look good so we are delighted that she has recommended Fruit For The Office!

LimeLight

2011-07-27T10:24:00.002+01:00

The uber exclusive SheerLuxe have included us in their directory. SheerLuxe is an online directory and weekly newsletter dedicated to telling their subscribers about the most fabulous things on offer across the web. And now that includes us!

We’re also running, an exclusive discount code with SheerLuxe to offer their readers 50% off of their first order. If you want access to the code you’ll have to register with SheerLuxe, then you can enjoy 50% off your first order too!

Hung-over?

2011-07-25T11:21:00.002+01:00

Monday mornings in the office can be pretty hairy, at the best of times, never mind if you’re hung-over. Whilst for some people a fry up is the only thing that will do, many more will churn at the thought of it.

Contrary to popular belief high fat or sugary foods are not the best things to eat when you’re hung-over and need to function as normal. The sensible thing to do when you've gone a little too hard the night before is to raid the fruit basket.

Fruit juices are great at restoring energy and replacing lost nutrients. It is also thought that they speed up the process of getting rid of toxins (that’s booze to you and me).

The king of the fruits when it comes to hang over cures is the banana. Alcohol removes the body of potassium, and luckily for us bananas are exceptionally high in the stuff. Potassium controls the balance of fluids in our bodies, it also aids nerve and muscle function so is pretty essential if you want to get back to normal as quick as possible.

So if it’s the morning after the night before, and you get the feeling your staff may have had a particularly hard night, the Box O’ Bananas may be just the thing.

Fruit Gets Fashionable

2011-07-22T10:49:00.006+01:00

In the fickle world of fashion, it seems that fruit has finally been given its moment to shine. This summer has seen the high street blossom with a variety of fruity prints blazoned across dresses, skirts, tops, and accessories. Carmen Miranda would be pleased!

But don’t be fooled into thinking that this trend is just for the ladies, the men are getting involved too. Check out these uber cool fruity booties!

Even if you may not be a fan of fruity fashion, think of it like this. What better way is there to remind you to grab a piece of fruit from your office fruit box than having it all over your t-shirt or dangling from your ears?

Fruit Hydration

2011-07-19T11:06:00.003+01:00

The verdict on how much water we should be drinking has been u-turned so many times I don’t think any of us actually have a clue anymore.

First squash and tea didn’t count, then they did, then tap water was great, but we were told never to refill our plastic bottles. We’ve been told that water can fix every ailment from headaches to bad skin – but drink too much, and it could kill you.

Over at Fruit HQ, like most of the nation we were left totally confused.com; however there was a saving grace that came from working in the fruit industry. Fruit is very high in water content. In fact fruits are made up of mostly water so as you’re getting one of your 5 a day you’re actually keeping yourself hydrated too. Take a look at how much water is packed into one of our FRESH boxes

Fruit	% Water Content
Banana	76%
Green/Red Apple	84%
Pear	86%
Satsuma	86%
Nectarine	87%
Peach	89%

So if you’re sitting at your desk trying to work out whether 6 pints is the same as 2.5 litres (it’s not by the way) just reach for a peach!

National Cherry Day

2011-07-15T13:25:00.006+01:00

National Cherry Day is upon us. On the 16^th July we are all urged to go out and eat as many British cherries as possible. So in celebration of this day we’ve put together some fun cherry facts!

Wild cherries contain a very small amount of cyanide, not enough to do you any harm, but enough to remind us that they are not push overs!
Cherries are a symbol of fertility!
Cherry blossom trees – part of the cherry family are considered to be extremely lucky in Japan
Cherries have a very short harvesting season, in the UK they are usually out in July only.
Cherries really do come in pairs – how cute!
Cherry coke was the first fruity variation of the popular drink. This was followed by lime, orange and raspberry however the cherry variety still remains the favourite.
Cherries are natural laxative – so you may not want to eat too many this weekend!

If you know any cherry facts that I've missed (I'm sure there are loads) then leave a comment to let me know.

LimeLight

2011-07-13T15:29:00.006+01:00

Over at Fruit HQ we heard about this nifty thing called the iPhone 5 Experiment. A plucky young man called Rob from Coventry has decided to camp outside the Apple Store in Covent Garden for as long as possible whilst waiting to purchase an iPhone 5. The only catch is that he can not spend a penny, so will be relying on hand outs from companies and the general public for EVERYTHING. Oh yeah, he's also on a mission to make his stay as luxurious as possible so I'm guessing they'll be no standard sleeping bag and tent for this man. I'm expecting to see blow up beds, electric blankets and barbecues.

As we’re also based in Covent Garden, we couldn’t bear the thought of someone on our patch begin fruitless. So we’ve pledged to help him out by dropping off some of our expertly picked fruit. So if you're in Covent Garden around September time, look out for him - you never know, he might even split a banana with you!

Good luck Rob!

Drinks for the Office

2011-07-11T11:59:00.005+01:00

We always talk about how great fruit is for office snacking, which is true. But we haven’t touched on another favourite for a while. Office drinking!

Now when we say drinking, we don’t necessarily mean alcohol (it is Monday morning after all), there are plenty of easy things you can do with your office fruit supply to create interesting drinks.

Hot Water with Lemon

Popping a few slices of fresh lemon in some hot water is a great way to wake up the digestive system first thing in the morning. Many have used it as a weight loss tool; we just think it’s tasty – especially with a bit of honey in.

Fruity Fizzy Water

Crush a few berries in the bottom of a glass and top with some sparking water for a tasty refreshing treat. Or if it’s time for a celebration top with some sparkling wine for what we like to call the ‘Fruit for the Office Bellini!’

Soomthie Time

Get the boss to treat the team to a Smoothie Maker Fruit Basket. Promise to supply him/her with a fresh smoothie every morning and I'm sure you'll be on to a winner!

Pimms

We couldn’t have a post about office fruit drinks without mentioning the ultimate fruity tipple. Our rule is that when it comes to Pimms, anything goes. Chuck in whatever fruit you’ve got left over at the end of the week and enjoy!

LimeLight

2011-07-08T13:26:00.004+01:00

The press are loving us once again. This time it was the turn of London based The Wharf newspaper to show their appreciation for Fruit for the Office.

Our fruit was praised for being 'excellent quality' and hailed as a way to help office workers to 'kick the treats' for a few days.

You can find a bigger readable version here http://twitpic.com/5myupa

Glad you like it Wharf!

Cheats Guide to Getting 5 a Day

2011-07-06T15:10:00.006+01:00

We all know we should be eating 5 portions of fruit and veg a day but it can be pretty difficult at times. That’s why we’ve put together this cheats guide to getting your 5 a day. Following some of these tips will make it not only easier, but also much more fun to source and consume some fruit and veg.

Fruit Juice – This little trick is old news, but so effective. Just one 150ml glass of fresh juice a day counts to one of your 5 a day.

Beans on Toast – This meal time favourite actually counts towards your 5 a day, as do any other type of pulses (beans and lentils).

Frozen Grapes – These beauties make tasty alternatives to ice cubes for your summer drinks. They’re also a brilliant low calorie snack and have even been hailed as the dieters answer to ice-cream!

Pasta Sauce – That quick fix dinner of pasta could be better for you than you think. A good pasta sauce that is low in salt can count as one of your 5 a day.

Fondue it – Cheese or chocolate, whatever you fancy. Before you know it you’ll have eaten a bumper portion of fruit or veg (and cheese or chocolate too, but you can’t be good all of the time!).

Happy 4th July!

2011-07-04T11:00:00.003+01:00

Now we know the 4^th of July is an American celebration, but over at Fruit HQ we’ve never been ones to turn down the opportunity to have a party – especially an office party. So if you feel your colleagues could do with livening up this Monday morning, why not present them with this 4^th July spread!

To Munch

PB&J - You can’t get more American than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (that’s jam to me and you). Leave the brown bread at the door and get stuck into a soft loaf of white. Slap a layer of jam on one slice, a load of peanut butter on the other, and you’re good to go.

FRUIT FLAG - As much as we’d like to, we can’t claim this one as an original idea, but when we saw it we feel in love. You’ll need to route through your office fruit and find some strawberries, bananas and blueberries or blackberries for this culinary masterpiece

For the full recipe and step by step instructions visit http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/fruit-flag-686767/

To Slurp

Fusion cuisine is all the rage nowadays, so to show there are no hard feelings, the perfect thing to serve with an all American dish on Independence Day is a Great British classic - PIMMS!

A perfect start to the week we think!

LimeLight

2011-06-29T13:37:00.007+01:00

The good people over at the Good Fruit Guide have highlighted us as their preferred office fruit delivery service.

They love Fruit for the Office as our Tailor Made range gives out customers the option to put together their own selection of fruit. Which is only right and fair, a fruit dictatorship is not the way, we are all for a fruit democracy.

Here's what they had to say about us http://goodfruitguide.co.uk/fruit-while-you-work

Fruit and Nuts - The ideal snack

2011-06-24T17:25:00.007+01:00

It's official, snacking on fruity and nuts is a great way to stay slim. Delicious and good for you, what more could you ask for? A recent study by a very clever Harvard professor has shown that an extra daily helping of foods which were high in fibre (nuts, fruit, and yoghurt) where a good way of maintaining your weight.

There have been tonnes of reports in the past that have suggested that eating high quantities of fruits and nuts was a bad idea for those trying to lose weight. It was claimed that the sugar/fat content would lead to a major dieting fail.

But it turns out they were wrong! So indulge in your fruit delivery when it arrives and fingers crossed, the person in charge will have ordered a helping of nuts too!

We're finally in the limelight - how do you like those apples, Simon Cowell?!

2011-04-18T23:36:00.005+01:00

We always knew that one of us in the office would finally taste the glorious sweet tang of the limelight, we went to every audition, every casting call, even scaled the walls of Amanda Holden’s mansion to beg her for our spot on the judging panel (because let’s face it, if the Hoff can judge talent…) and our day has finally come! I’m sure you’re wondering who by now just so you can bask in their glow, plead for an autograph or steal some of our hair but the more I write, the more me and the others want to cry into our award ceremony gowns – we’ll need them one day! – and point over to the corner of the office at the box of our London-famous fruit.

Yes, ladies and gentleman, that’s right! The fruit you’re munching on at your desk right this second has been sent to ITV to be munched upon by the Britain’s Got Talent team! Yessir, that same fruit you’re holding in your hands is also being eaten by the Hoff, Amanda and Michael so if you think about this from a different (and slightly more optimistic) perspective, you’re eating food from a company that provides to celebrities so – technically - you yourself are a celebrity as well!

So the next time you’re munching on that apple, or devouring those grapes, stand up and say “Jeeves! Bring me my champagne, it would taste so delectable with this fine assortment of fruit that has been delivered directly to me!” You’re bound to get a few looks and you’ll probably disrupt your office and have your boss to answer to but who cares, it’s good to feel like a diva once in a while!

Oh, and to all those out there who haven’t yet tasted the sweet, sweet taste of fame (and bananas) if you find our link on the Britian’s Got Talent website, you get 50% off your first order! Now doesn’t it feel good to be privileged?!

Mayor's Thames Festival Update!

2010-12-06T20:19:00.005Z

Just over 2 months ago, we were enjoying the last of the beautiful British summertime, the only way we at the Office know how, by selling our lusciously lip-smacking strawberries combined with our gorgeously goopy cream in the world-famous combination!

That’s right, we were at the Mayor’s Thames Festival soaking up the amazing end-of-summer atmosphere and hopefully you were there too, ogling not only the beautiful sunshine and scenery of the festival but also our glamorous fruit-fiends, including the surprisingly hard-working Dan Ox (considering it was a weekend, and all!)

Not only was it a great day for culture, food and crafts, the whole festival gave off an amazing message of ethical guidelines, healthy eating, fair-trade and animal welfare – which made us feel a lot less guilty after tucking into a bowlful of cream (and maybe a few strawberries!) and also some of the deliciously decadent treats we indulged in during our travels around the festival!

Overall, it was a brilliant weekend and we really hope some of our clients came down and got their free helping of strawberries and cream! Hopefully we’ll be taking part again next year and we have to thank everyone again for such an amazing weekend with an equally amazing message!

JDRF's September 12th charity run update!

2010-11-01T18:07:00.005Z

On the 16^th July, I was enthusiastically promoting the first of two JDRF charity walks/runs that were taking place over September and November. As mentioned before, all money raised was going to an amazingly worthy cause as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation raise so much money to help support those affected and, of course, find a cure for type 1 diabetes.

So, backtracking to Sunday 12^th September, the London Walk/Run to Cure Diabetes went ahead without a hitch and we navigated around the beautiful Regent’s Park to deliver tasty, energizing fruit gifts for all those participating!

A whopping 750 people turned up to take part, either by walking or running to raise money, and that figure doesn’t count the amazing amount of people that came along to offer amazing support (and maybe the odd heckle!) Everyone had beaming smiles on their faces - despite it being an early Sunday morning - because as luck would have it, the sun was on our side and made it an even better day!

Overall, the day was an amazing success and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is set to have raised an astounding £120,000!

All of us here at Fruit for the Office are so proud to have supported and been part of such a spirit-raising day and to contribute to an incredible event for an equally incredible cause!

Miniclip, Teenage Cancer Trust and a few massive mountains!

2010-09-17T17:08:00.003+01:00

If you or your children have ever heard of Runescape, Club Penguin, Free Realms or are just really into online casual games, you should be completely aware of Miniclip.com. Miniclip is one of the internet’s leading free browser-based gaming websites, is well-known all over the web as one of the best boredom busters and has even recently expanded their games to the Android and iPod markets.

However, instead of marketing (and playing) Fragger behind their desks, 10 Miniclip employees stood up and decided that they needed to raise money for a worthy cause: Teenage Cancer Trust.

Every day in the UK, six young people aged between 13 and 24 are diagnosed with cancer and cancers in young people can be some of the most aggressive as their bodies are going through a huge period of development. Despite this fact, because only 0.5% of cancers occur in young people, they are all too often misdiagnosed for too long which rapidly decreases a young person’s chance of survival leading to the loss of life at such an early age. A specialist teenage cancer unit costs between £500,000 and £3,500,000 to build and equip and as TCT does not receive government funding, donations are relied upon to help support, treat and continue giving good news to unfortunate young people.

To help raise money for such an admirable charity, these Miniclip employees set themselves a challenge to climb and travel between the tallest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales over a continuous 24 hour period, walking approximately 25 miles, climbing 10,000 feet and covering a distance of 450 miles between mountains.

We at Fruit for the Office made a well-deserved contribution to the TCT for such a compassionate charity and an amazing feat of endurance made by the Miniclip team.

So a big well done to those 10 Miniclip employees who completed their unbelievable challenge just a few weeks ago and raised an incredible amount of money for Teenage Cancer Trust! (Maybe a few days of rest and Monster Truck Nitro are in order?)

The Mayor's Thames Festival, Strawberries and Cream and the Amazing Never-Ending Bullet Points

2010-08-12T00:41:00.003+01:00

As the end of the summer draws ever closer, whilst many mourn the sun’s disappearance for another year and try and catch every last ray before the famous British winter, the more optimistic of us celebrate the beauty of the rare British summer by heading down to The Mayor’s Thames Festival!

The Mayor’s Thames Festival celebrates the end of the summer with two days of:

Food Markets
Fireworks
Live music
Photography masterclasses
Free creative youth workshops run by BBC Blast
Korean culture demonstrations including comedy dance troupes and taekwondo
Feasts by the river
Film and animation viewings and workshops
Archaeological walks
Energetic carnivals
Circus Troupes
And so much more…

Amongst all these amazing events, nestles the Fruit for the Office team! That’s right, for the 3^rd year in a row at the Thames Festival, our lovely fruit fiends will be selling the last of summer’s sweetest, ripest strawberries teamed with the softest, velvety cream for both days, all day long!

Our strawberry and cream fruit fiends will be located on Southwark Bridge for the whole of the festival and as a special treat for our loyal customers, if you have a little chat with us and tell us your company name and account contact, you’ll get a free helping of London’s favourite fruit-dairy combo!

If you want more information about The Mayor’s Thames Festival to make sure you can get there to see our happy faces, visit http://www.thamesfestival.org/

Hope to see you there and we’ll be waiting with our customer’s freebies!

Charity Run #3, Fruit Fiends and the Final Destination!

2010-08-04T11:17:00.000+01:00

And finally, after keeping all you fruit fiends in suspense, it’s the announcement of the final stop on our London Charity Run Tour! The Moor Park 10k and Junior Fun Run is the final stop on our banana giveaway tour!

Another deserving recipient, the Moor Park 10k and Junior Fun Run is all in aid of the Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre – a first-of-it’s-kind centre that was opened in 1993, offering full support, info, counselling, therapies and other services to those affected by cancer. The centre itself receives around 15,000 requests for help from those affected by cancer every year and although the centre is partially funded by the NHS, half of it’s running costs (approx £560,000!) have to be funded by donations. All money raised from these runs will be donated to the Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre, to help fund the centre’s costs so that it can continue providing invaluable help to cancer sufferers.

The run will take place at Merchant Taylors’ School on Sunday 26^th September 2010 and registrations to run are still open, costing £13 for the £10k race and £8 for the Junior Fun Runs! Running in any of the races will be a great experience whilst also providing priceless donations to the Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre. Also, the day will be full of fun entertainment, so even if you don’t want to run or are just watching someone run, you can pay just £2 and come for the fun fair, bouncy castles, face-painting, refreshments, games, competitions, entertainment, complimentary therapies and much more!

The Fruit for the Office’s beautiful assistants will be there to provide free bananas to all runners as healthy, tasty energy boosts so that you can all keep going so come and say hiya to us and who knows, we might even sneak you more bananas just for being friendly fruit fiends!

Good luck to all those running and, of course, we’ll keep all of you out there in cyberspace updated on how the run goes!

For more information:

http://www.moorpark10k.org.uk/index.html

http://www.ljmc.org/

More bananas, Charity run #2 and a bit of déjà-vu!

2010-07-27T17:46:00.000+01:00

Beep beep! The vintage Fruit for the Office van has added its second destination to the London charity run tour! So if you want to be fed bananas by our beautiful fruit personnel, want to do a rewarding run for charity or you’re just a gorilla in desperate need of toning and a spot of light dinner then head on down to Greenwich Park!

On Saturday 2^nd October in Greenwich Park, Fruit for the Office will be handing out well-deserved bananas to all those running to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation! If you feel like you’re having serious déjà-vu right now it’s because although this run is in a different park on a different day, it’s still for JDRF, the same charity as our first stop!

JDRF are such a deserving charity, in need of as much funding as possible, so we figured, heck, let’s give out double the bananas! This event will start at the Greenwich Park bandstand and the professionally-timed 10km run will start at 10:30am and the 6km walk at 11:00am. All runners and walkers will receive bananas, a t-shirt and a well-deserved lunch from 12 till 2pm whilst live music, entertainment, circus skills workshops and free face-painting will be going on throughout the day!

Registration for both the run and the walk are still well and truly open, so if you want to raise money to help fight diabetes and think you can raise at least £100 in sponsorship, then make sure you apply right away! (There are also prizes for those who raise the most sponsorship money!)

We’ll keep you updated with how the day goes in October and wish the best of luck to all those who participate!

Bananas, Charity Run #1 and a sly Mario reference!

2010-07-16T11:03:00.000+01:00

Our official slogan here at Fruit for the Office is “Be Fruitful” but our second unofficial slogan lately seems to be “If there’s a charity run, we’ll be there with a handful of bananas”.

Some people don’t understand why we choose bananas as our ‘signature’ charity run fruit. It was an obvious choice for one of our first sponsored charity events, the ‘Gorilla Run’ because we all know the textbook primate theory: Primate + Banana = Happy Primate! (And this theory is clear because surely if Donkey Kong had a been given a banana or two, Mario would have been finished a lot sooner the first time) But what we were hearing from our Gorilla-impersonating friends was that the banana was a perfect energy boost after that huge run and a healthy, natural and figure-friendly alternative to energy drinks!

So we’ve taken this idea running and faster than you can say ‘Potassium-enriched herbaceous plant’ we’re taking our bananas on a 3-stop charity run tour of London and our first stop is the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk/Run on Sunday 12^th September in Regent’s Park! Registrations are still open for single runners or teams to raise money in a 5km walk or run and also a shorter walk for those with children! The JDRF are a charity raising money to help fund research to cure Type 1 diabetes and we’re very proud to be supporting such a deserving charity!

We’ll keep you updated on how this event goes and we’ll reveal the next two stops on our banana-based charity run tour in the next few weeks!

Prostate Cancer Charity Marketing Industry Triathlon 2010

2010-07-09T23:01:00.003+01:00

On Friday 2nd July, Fruit for the Office donated 3 classic fruit baskets as prizes for the “Prostate Cancer Charity Marketing Industry Triathlon 2010”.

This is an annual event, held at Eton College Rowing Centre at Dorney Lake, Windsor and we definitely have to give a massive well done to every single person that took their own time to participate in such a physically demanding event to raise money for such a deserving charity!

The “Prostate Cancer Charity Marketing Industry Triathlon 2010” events included:

1500m swim
10k run
40k bike ride
2 team relay events

With this event being for such a good cause and with such a prime focus on getting fit and healthy, Fruit for the Office were more than happy to donate fruit baskets as healthy prizes for the competitors!

We really hope to be involved in next year’s event as this was such a huge success in not only raising money for the charity but also raising awareness for prostate cancer.

A final well done to everyone involved and we hope to see you all next year!

Breakfast for the Office!

2010-06-25T15:09:00.002+01:00

Although the name “Fruit for the Office” might make our company’s products seem clear enough, not every office wants just fruit. Think about every day in your office, when do you ever have a day without a cup of tea, coffee or even hot chocolate to see you through your seemingly never-ending working hours?

Our Fruit for the Office boffins came up with a simple solution to keep all our customers happy: provide Twining, PG Tips and Tetley teabags, Nescafe coffees and Cadbury’s drinking chocolate to keep our healthy, happy customers even happier with a nice brew!

But now summer’s coming and to keep you even healthier, cooler and fruitier, we also stock Highland Spring still and sparkling water, Tropicana fruit juices and freshly squeezed fruit juices – keeping every employee in your office hydrated, healthy and happy to work!

However, the FFTO boffins completely outdid themselves when they realised that busy office workers need to not only be full of tasty fruit but also filling breakfasts and lunches! An increasing number of office employees are working earlier and earlier and we all know that people work much more efficiently when they’ve had a satisfying breakfast which is why we now supply crumpets, Hovis bread, eggs, bread rolls, single and double cream and skimmed, semi-skimmed and whole milk.

Now all your employees will not only be full of our high quality, luxury fruit but also office day essentials, keeping everybody happy and working to the highest standard throughout the day!

We Lurve the Cake!

2009-12-17T15:14:00.006Z

We generally promote all things healthy here at Fruit for the Office so when it comes to things like biscuits and cake, we turn our heads in disgust... ok maybe not all the time! It is Christmas!

But when we had a birthday at Fruit for the Office this month we of course had to oblige by ordering a very special birthday cake. We can only say that we were truly amazed when the cake arrived. Thank you Helen at Sweetness and Delight - what an amazing job you done!

Have you ever seen a more incredible cake. We didn't actually want to eat it!

Gorilla Run 2009 Photos Update!

2009-10-01T09:02:00.005+01:00

Just a few of the photographs from a fantastic day.

Congratulations to all of the runners and sponsors who raised awareness of the Gorilla Orgainisation and collected thousands of pounds this year at the Gorilla Run 2009.

Bring on the Gorilla Run 2010!

BANANAS TAKING OVER THE OFFICE!

BANANAS FOR RUNNERS!

GORILLA WARM UP

PARAMEDIC GORILLA

CHEEKY GORILLAS

DRUMMING GORILLAS!

Feast on the Bridge Update

2009-09-14T13:01:00.005+01:00

Saturday saw beautiful sunny weather and a team from Fruit for the Office once again selling fresh strawberries & cream along with freshly chopped fruit on a stall at the Thames Food Festival on Southwark Bridge.

The event itself is known as the Feast On The Bridge and is a celebration of local produce and fine foods from across the South East amongst learning experiences such as butter churning and the Sacred Mayonnaise Ritual.

In between selling fruit we were mostly seen scoffing produce from other suppliers who were in close proximity, such as Cocoa Loco Chocolate stall - delicious marshmallows dipped in strawberry chocolate! Oh dear.....the diet had definitely gone out of the window on Saturday. And also the cider stall was next door, which led to a few of our team becoming fairly intoxicated as they day ran on...ahem..Jon..coff..

Next year should prove to be another extremely enjoyable event and we encourage anyone who has never been to visit with friends and family for a guaranteed great time.

THAMES FOOD FESTIVAL LONDON 2009

2009-09-08T10:19:00.004+01:00

One of the Thames Festival's major commissions sees Southwark Bridge transformed by a team of artists led by Clare Patey into a magical feasting environment with banqueting tables, activities for all and the chance to sample food from some of the UKs best sustainable producers. Visitors to the bridge can try churning butter and foraging for food along the Thames; you can tread grapes at the Festival Wine Bar, bob for apples, carve pumpkins, share seeds and help create a 6-metre long cake - the Beast on the Bridge.

Feast on the Bridge has been concieved as a spectacular communal 'harvest supper' that aims to reconnect an urban public with the growing cycle and to encourage people to reclaim a public space, share a meal and conversation. Work has been taking place behind the scenes since early April with people from across London growing mobile edible gardens to bring to the Feast, to cook, share and exhibit. Cakes are being baked, tea-pots collected, guitars tuned and bunting sewn - come along and join Fruit for the Office for freshly chopped fruit and strawberries and cream on the bridge!

• 1.22pm Sacred Mayonnaise Ritual - Low Tide
• 3.30pm Communal Mayonnaise-making
• 7.35pm Sacred Mayonnaise Ritual - High Tide
• 2, 4 & 6pm Butter-churning
• 2, 3, 4 & 5pm Story-telling
• 5pm Slicing of the cake - Beast on the Bridge
• 3, 5 & 7pm Treading of the grapes

SEE YOU THERE!

Vote For Us in the 02 X Awards

2009-08-26T17:57:00.004+01:00

It's voting time for the O2 X Awards 2009. They're 02's way of giving entrepreneurs the credit they deserve for working their socks off and turning their idea into a thriving small business!

This year, there are three categories. The first, O2 X Young Entrepreneur of the Year, is being chosen by a panel of experts. The other two, ShortList's male and Grazia's female O2 X Entrepreneurs of the Year, are open for voting now.

Fruit for the Office are in the Shortlist's male Entrepreneur Award for the SOuth East category and we're asking all of our clients to help support us by placing their votes online.

We believe we qualify for this years award because:

1. We were the Worlds original Office Fruit Delivery company starting out in 1998 and copied the world over.

2. We are a family business that has been in the fruit industry over 100 years!

3. We keep over 500 businesses and their employees healthy every single day.

4. We provide superior quality fruit to all of our clients, far better than any supermarket.

5. We take pride in friendly family service and exceptional quality and reflect this across our service and products.

02 will announce the results in October 2009. So show us your support and get voting!

FOR SOUTH EAST CATEGORY VOTE HERE!

Last Chance to Win!

2009-07-01T15:19:00.003+01:00

Its the final day of our WIN FRUIT FOR A YEAR competition.

Make sure you get your entries in before 6pm tonight!

*****WIN A BLENDER*****

The Gorillas are Coming!!

2009-06-23T11:54:00.004+01:00

This is not your average FUN RUN… it’s the GREAT GORILLA RUN!

London’s best all-costume CHARITY RUN… 1,000 people, all dressed as gorillas and going ape for a day.

Express your furry side while saving an endangered species from extinction.

SATURDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 2009

“This is the most fun event for conservation going on anywhere in the world” Bill Oddie 2008

Since the first Great Gorilla Run in 2003, thousands of people have donned their gorilla suits and walked, run or jogged the 7km City of London route that takes in sights such as Tower Bridge and The Tate Modern.

If you like dressing up and helping save endangered creatures from extinction, this is the charity fun run for you.

By doing the Great Gorilla Run, you’ll be playing a crucial role in helping save the remaining 700 mountain gorillas left in the wild.

The gorilla run team will provide you with great support in the lead-up to the run to ensure you reach your fundraising target and are in shape for the race.

And on the day, you’ll feel like a star as the crowds cheer you on every step of the way.

Here’s 3 reasons for running 7km in a gorilla suit:

Experience the unique buzz of going ape for the day
Help save one of the world’s critically endangered species
Get to keep a gorilla suit to wear anytime you want

Fruit for the Office support the Gorilla run every year. Some of our team take part in the run itself and we have a handy van full of free bananas to keep the gorillas energy levels up, after the race.

So take part this year and come see us for a tasty banana! http://www.greatgorillas.org/london

Royal Mail Feature

2009-04-14T11:24:00.003+01:00

The guys at Royal Mail have used us for a business case study on their website and have also featured us in a National advertising campaign - which is always nice!

Take a look at our feature on their website here:

Fruit for the Office

You can also view and download information on business ideas, marketing, business support and much more interesting information on this area of the site too.

If your interested in featuring Fruit for the Office for your website or publication, please get in touch - we're more than happy to help! info@fruitfortheoffice.co.uk

We're featured on Square Meal

2009-04-08T14:17:00.002+01:00

Fruit for the Office are now features on the Square Meal website and also within their office deliveries magazine.

Square Meal is an independent guide to restaurants, bars and venues in London and the UK. You can check opening hours, locations and book your restaurants online if you want!

Check it out: Fruit for the Office in square meal

Video killed the radio star!

2009-04-04T14:38:00.002+01:00

Take a look at the latest video from Fruit for the Office!

You can see interviews with some of our customers about the benefits of fruit in the office and also interviews with our suppliers at New Covent Garden Market, where our production facility is based.

Tweet Tweet....Twitters in the house

2009-02-17T20:17:00.004Z

So we're over MySpace now and checking our Facebook pages every hour of the day, but along has come Twitter...

A brand new web application to burn up more of our productivity time in the office!

So what is it? Well its very similar to Facebooks' Status updates only that's all it is. Quite literally. A user can post 'tweets' about what they are doing at that very moment in time, and 'followers' can then see those tweets within their profile pages, thus following their Twitter friends.

It's cute and as we're not the type to miss out on the new social technology, we have joined twitter too! Powered by the company I-Phone, we will update, or atleast try to keep you randomly amused most days, with Fruit for the Office 'Tweets'.

You can follow us here: Office Fruit on Twitter

Free Massage for FFTO Clients - Yes please!

2009-02-10T17:33:00.003Z

Fruit for the Office would like to introduce one of our partner’s energiseYou. energiseYou provides dynamic employee wellbeing services to companies UK wide.

energiseYou would like to offer you a free 20 minute energising massage for you & 2 of your Directors! Terms & conditions apply for the free massage trial.

energiseYou On-Site Chair Massage is a fully clothed massage while seated in a specially designed chair. The massage practitioner focuses on the head, neck, shoulders, back, arms and hands. The massage can be adapted for 10, 15, 20 or 30 minute sessions and leaves the employee feeling energised.

To book your 3 complimentary energising massage sessions or for more information on all the energiseYou employee wellbeing services contact them on 0870 167 7771 or visit our website www.energiseyou.com

This offer is exclusive to all Fruit for the office customers! Enjoy...

We Like Sheerluxe!

2009-01-28T18:11:00.002Z

Everyday new fashion boutiques, jewellers, beauty and lingerie brands, delis, home and lifestyle stores are launching online and where better to find out about them, their product ranges, collections and brands, than a site dedicated to the finest in online shopping.

SheerLuxe.com was set up in 2006. In a society full of time poor consumers, and with an increasing number of luxury brands and stylish boutiques now selling online, there was a need to bring the two groups together efficiently. In contrast to the mass market, the luxury market is relatively fragmented, with many small retailers struggling for awareness. Whilst plenty of newspapers and magazines focus on shopping, they aren't a complete and up to date entity, nor do they focus solely on online shopping. If there isn't an article on organic food shopping or the latest must-have tote in the current issue of the magazine you happen to be reading, then where do you look for inspiration...

SheerLuxe.com is a definitive and interactive guide to online shopping helping consumers find fine, fashionable, stylish and luxurious brands, products and designer goods available to purchase online.

SheerLuxe.com contains a directory of over 1,500 retailers as well as regularly updated advice, news and views on the latest and most desirable luxury fashion and lifestyle products, brands and goods available to purchase online. There's the opportunity to add comments and reviews to each of our shop listings so you can share your recommendations and experiences with other like-minded individuals.

New Years Resolution? Eat More Fruit!

2008-12-30T12:18:00.005Z

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to one and All.

We hope that you all enjoyed your Christmas Holidays and are looking forward to the New Year celebrations on Wednesday!

For those of you that are still enjoying these 'in between days' at home or are just simply not feelin too good, we hope that January 5th isn't to much of a drag.

Dont forget you can beat the New Year colds by eating fresh fruit. Fruit will assist your immune system and keep your bodies' Vitamin and Mineral levels stocked up to beat the worst of the colds. It can also releave those hang-overs quickly too!

We are busy working away at new web developments, new products and some great new features for next year, so keep checking back for more info on some exciting events we are planning.

Meantime why not enter our Win A Smoothie Maker Competition Here>

You could win fruit for your office for a whole year or a smoothie maker for yourself!

Christmas presents….?..Already..?

2008-11-02T15:31:00.007Z

It’s coming close to that time or year again. The cheesy Christmas tracks are starting to be played on the radio and the more ‘organised’ (..or annoying, however you look at it) of us have already stocked up on every required present.. But sometimes it’s hard to think of good gift idea. Something original, different from last year, that will actually make a real impression…but wait…we might just have the solution.

Our tasty, colourful fruit baskets this year include Pink Champagne, Teddy Bears, and even a Smoothie Maker & Fruit Basket. We have discounts on bulk orders and guarantee our baskets will create a Christmas stir!

So if your stuck for an idea, or just want to treat a colleague or client to a tasty fresh fruit basket check out the full range here >

FFTO is in the Top 50 Online Food Websites!

2008-10-25T16:07:00.008+01:00

The Independent have voted www.fruitfortheOffice.co.uk as number 13 in the best food shops online feature!

This is a great accolaide for us at FFTO as we dedicate alot iof time and attention to developing and perfecting our technology. Our site offerds many functions such as;

Full product range including Tailor Made Ordering, and fruit baskets
Secure Online Ordering
Regular Delivery Set-up (Monday - Friday)

See more here:

Independent Best Food Shops Online