Wednesday 12 August 2015

After many months of preparation, Somerset House was a hive of activity on the 7th July when the Lakeland Christmas preview took place for the media. The day was kicked off with a presentation by Matthew Canwell, Lakeland’s Buying Director who chatted through key kitchenware trends for 2015 hi-lighting huge sales of spiralisers and the massive increase in sales of juicers, noting that healthy eating is only going one way and that is up. Matthew was joined by a surprise guest in the form of Heston Blumenthal who came along to launch the latest innovation from Sage by Heston Blumenthal – The Fast Slow Pro, which is a combination of a pressure and slow cooker which takes the guesswork out of cooking and ensures tasty, perfectly cooked results every time.

 
In the centre of the main room there was a gorgeous display of seasonal hampers set in a woodland scene, and this year Lakeland has put even more effort into producing some really tailored hampers from New You to Rise and Shine and one especially for the men in our lives. The rest of the room was dedicated to demos which included cold coffee, healthy eating and the ever popular Gerard Baker, the pickling and preserving expert who was a huge hit because of his vast knowledge and enthusiasm.
 
The spectacular gravity defying cakes certainly caught the eye of many, and Lakeland customers will be able to produce their own spectacular show stoppers from the end of October when the supports arrive in store. The bistro area was hugely popular serving bubbles in bubbles and lots of tasty treats that will be available from the end of August.
Eyes all turned in the afternoon when Davina McCall arrived for a photocall following the announcement of her partnership with Lakeland, she’s always been a fan and is a keen cook with her own book on eliminating sugar from your diet in 5 weeks. She looked stunning and even more glowing in the flesh, so she is living proof that eating well helps you look good, the Lakeland team loved chatting with her and she had many selfies and team shots taken with everyone.
 
 
Despite the glorious sunshine outside it was all Christmas lights and gifts inside with a huge array of gifts for every member of the family and some sensational decs to create a truly spectacular Christmas grotto at home this year.