I love a spot of camping (only in the summer though, I am a fair weather camper).

Anorak is a style driven company that produce durable outdoor products for camping and the garden. Born from childhood memories of family camping adventures, Laurie Robertson created Anorak after graduating from her masters in Printed Textiles.

What I love is the simplicity of the designs and the bright bold colours The best thing…It’s all designed and manufactured in Britain. How good is that! big round of applause for Anorak .

Well it had to happen at some point didn’t it!

Unless you’ve had your head stuck firmly in the sand for the last year (and to be honest, with the recessionary doom and gloom – who could blame you), then you will probably have seen the “Keep Calm and Carry On” posters that have been floating around the web.

So the story goes, the original posters were issued by the Ministry of Information during World War II for the purposes of propaganda and to boost morale on the Home Front. Lost for a generation, a copy of the poster was found in an auction along with a load of old books. The lucky buyer put the poster up in their house and got so many compliments that they decided to reproduce it. As the crown copyright had passed, it was fair game for anyone and everyone to start producing them which is why the web is littered with some brilliant (and some not so good) reproductions and parodies.

As we’ve been spending some time recently in a screen printing studio, we decided to put our new-found skills to good use and make our own version – and it seemed pretty obvious that Keep Calm and Carry On Britain should be the message.

The posters are lovingly screen printed by hand onto 150gsm, acid free “Canford” paper which is manufactured in England by Daler-Rowney, a British company who have been producing artists materials and ‘Inspiring Creativity Since 1783′.

Our Keep Calm posters are 40cm x 30cm in size and come in a beautiful range of colours to suit any room in your house. Please excuse us for trying to flog you something but…well…there’s a recession on don’tcha know and we need to make a few quid to fund our further travels around Britain

To see the full range or to maybe even buy a poster – keep calm and carry on over to our friends at Ryne Arts Gallery.

“In the spacious and hygienic preparation areas of The Smokehouse, salmon is salted and smoked; bacon, hams and other meats cured and sliced. Elsewhere, the smoke stoves are filled with sweet-smelling chippings of maple and oak which impart the distinctive taste to Cheshire Smokehouse products.”

Doesn’t that just get the old taste buds rolling! I love the thought of the big stoves going on a crisp Winter’s day.

Cheshire Smokehouse is based in Wilmslow in Cheshire, and basically it does what it says on the tin.

As both ‘farm shop’ and national branded producer, The Smokehouse is an oasis of quality and service in a world of blandness and uniformity. What really makes The Smokehouse different is that most of the products you see and eat – even the fantastic smoked nuts! – are made right there on the premises, with all the expertise and attention to detail you’d expect.

The meat is fantastic, I have long been a fan of their smoked bacon which we have virtually every saturday morning with fresh eggs and Barbakan bagels. We recently did a little trip out to the smokehouse to stock up on some meat. The prices are very competitive with the supermarkets and it’s lovely to know that it is all reared and prepared on site. I just have to be really careful that I don’t blow the budget on sticky toffee pudding and other goodies in the Pâtisserie.

So that rounds it up for another year. I know we have be a little sparse for the past few months but the Carry on Britain team have big plans for 2010. So, wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

What I love in winter is when you go for a long lovely walk in the freezing cold and then treat yourself to a plate full of pie and mash afterwards.

To me it doesn’t get any better. Add in some mulled wine at this time of year and a good Xmas movie and I’m happy all night.

I first came across Pieminister pies when a bar (aptly named Pi) in Chorlton, Manchester started selling pie and mash for tea – a choice of three or four pies served with mash, mushy peas and thick gravy. What a brilliant idea!!!

Back in 2002, Jon Simon and Tristan Hogg teamed up to start a pie business, giving the British public what they needed – a good pie made from proper stuff. After months of development Pieminister was born, what followed was a small shop in Bristol and a stall at London Borough market sitting alongside some of the finest food producers in the world.

Pieminister now has a proper pie kitchen filled with chefs and bakers and is stocked in pubs, restaurants and shops all around the UK, they have even been eaten by the Queen.

Each pie is still made by hand only using the finest ingredients sourced from British farmers and all the meat is free range. We like it when the animals are happy!!

Oooh hello. Bet you didn’t expect to see me again.

I know I know, where have I been?

Well as my last post said I took voluntary redundancy from my job and launched my own company, lovelittle. This really has taken up all of my time and energy but I never forgot about Carry On Britain. Anyway, my New Year’s resolution is to devote more time to this blog and from now until Xmas I have a feast of festive inspired posts for you to read.

Ok, let’s start with some Xmas present ideas for those who really have left it till the last minute.

Bellingham Soap Company is run by Allyson Proudfoot from her home in Northumberland. It all began in 1997 when she was living on a little small holding in Bellingham and her goat Lottie was producing more milk than Allyson knew what to do with. After reading up on the internet, Allyson found a recipe for goat’s milk soap. It was a basic “old timers” cold kettle recipe but it was a start. After a long process of trial and error Allyson formulated an olive, palm and coconut base and began scenting it with flowers and herbs from her garden.

Since 1999, Allyson has shown at many craft fairs as well has having her own premises in the Kirkharle Courtyard which has seen her business grow from strength to strength. In 2007, Allyson decided to focus more on the trade side of the business and moved her workshop back to her home where she continues to make her gorgeous soaps today. The soaps are now sold around the country and more recently through the National Trust.

For me, buying such a natural product is a necessity as I suffer from eczema, but it is always wonderful to find new products that I can use. As well as this product being great on your skin, its also great for the environment as Bellingham Soaps only used ethically produced palm oil and all the packaging is recycled and biodegradable.

These soaps are kind in every way

Today is the last day to order before Xmas so get a move on!

Here’s one for the graphic designers out there! Any print designer worth their salt should already be aware of this great paper manufacturer but for those who don’t – a recent postcard popped through the letterbox extolling the virtues of their Britishness so I felt duty-bound to bung it on the blog…

For over 100 years, GFSmith have been trading from their warehousing and manufacturing head quarters in Hull, East Yorkshire as specialty paper merchants. They source and manufacture some of the most interesting, beautiful and also unusual papers for the Graphics and Printing Industries.

Whenever a nice job comes around with a decent budget, one of the first things that designers reach for is the iconic SEA Designed ‘ink splash’ GFSmith swatch book (stolen erm ‘borrowed’ from my last place of work) to pick out some weird and wonderful stocks. Invariably, budgets get cut and the paper choice gets tamed – but hey – us designers can dream, can’t we?

GFSmith cards and papers get used in a multitude of creative ways from simple business cards, to elegant stationery and exquisite invitations. Folders, brochures and annual reports to greetings cards and packaging. Indeed, as they say on the website – wherever there is a need for paper there is a need for GFSmith.

This tradition and innovation from 100 years of experience make GFSmith some of the most unique and respected paper people in the world. As their beautiful union jack emblazoned, red, white and blue triplexed, metallic screenprinted, 350gsm colourplan mailer says…

GFSmith are British
GFSmith are privately owned
GFSmith are independent
GFSmith are 110 years old
GFSmith are unique

Amen to that!

//Geeky paper-fetish gushiness. Done!