Would You Offer a Five Year Old Coke? Hungry Jack’s Does.

- Alex Prichard 3 Comments

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A rant follows. Be prepared.

Soooooo … a few weeks ago we headed off to a sixth birthday party at Hungry Jack’s. The children spent an hour or so racing around the play equipment and sneaking loads of the sweet treats the party host had laid on, before lining up to order their lunch.

There they were – these little people – almost all of whom were five and six years old. After choosing their food they were offered a choice of … Coke, Diet Coke, two more fizzy drinks (I think it was Fanta and some kind of lemonade) and finally water.

You read that right – the first thing the children were offered was Coke. Coca Cola. Chock full of caffeine and sugar. And colouring. Diet Coke. Still caffeine and colouring. (And, depending on your position, artificial sweeteners).

I absolutely understand that some of my opinions about food can be a little … um … shall we say? … militant. So I thought I’d canvass opinions from parents at another six year old’s birthday party a week later.

But guess what? When it comes to giving a five or six year old Coke, it would appear I’m not that mother. OK – my sample size was small and most definitely not random but no one thought it was appropriate. NO ONE.

I called Hungry Jack’s out about this on Facebook. The response was swift and asked me to send in my feedback through the website. I was impressed at the rapid response and did so.

And then I got the response.

It opened with platitudes thanking me for providing feedback and giving the company the opportunity to improve.

And then …

The drinks you were offered for your child at the birthday party you attended at <redacted>, 
are the standard offerings for our birthday parties. 

Water is of course offered as a healthier choice for the children, as we understand 
that not all parents like their children to consume soft drink. 

For your future information, you can also request juice as an alternative, but this 
comes with an additional charge. 

I will pass your comments onto our Marketing Team, and I thank you for your feedback.

Of course, I’ve heard nothing from the marketing team.

I get that a child’s birthday party is a fun time, full of sweets and treats – including chocolate with its share of caffeine. I have no problem allowing my son to eat all sorts of stuff that would never make an appearance on the dinner table at home. I’d actually be (kind of) OK if Hungry Jack’s beverage options were Fanta, lemonade and water.

But Coke? That’s where I get ticked off.

Not only is caffeine is chemically addictive, Coke is laden with sugar. Given that 1 in 4 children in Australia is clinically overweight* just maybe Hungry Jack’s has a corporate responsibility to not serve small children addictive, sugar laden fizzy pop.

Or maybe not. Maybe I am that mother, after all.

*2011-2012  Australian Bureau of Statistics Australian Health Survey

 

Tilbrook Estate Cellar Door

- Alex Prichard 1 Comment

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date of visit: Saturday 18 June 2016

Ahhhhhh, group buying. Something that can be a brilliant way of getting you out of the house and doing stuff … or just a brilliant way of parting you and your money.

I have a rough rule that I don’t buy another voucher til the previous one is used. There is a bit of flexibility there but generally I find it’s a good way of ensuring I actually use them and thus not wasting the money.

We’ve headed to a couple of cellar doors using vouchers and they’ve all worked out well. Tilbrook Estate was the first voucher I’ve purchased where the food included was more substantial than a cheese plate. For our $29 we were to receive a wine tasting (Tilbrook Estate normally charges $5 a head for this), an entree platter and one pizza. And a bottle of Red Sofa wine to take home. Considering the wine retails just under $20 you’re ahead on this kind of deal before you even turn up.

Booking was all done over email (which I love!) and James – owner and winemaker – was very clear about how to get to the winery which was particularly useful due to some roadworks around Lobethal. The cellar door is in Lobethal’s Old Woollen Mill so it’s not pretty, there’s no bucolic view over the vines – instead, you feel like you are in a winery’s engine room. The tasting area is tiny – so booking in through a voucher deal is ideal – and the tables for eating are surrounded by fermenters and winery equipment.

We arrived just as the couple before us was finishing their tasting which was perfect timing. The line up is typical Adelaide Hills varieties – things like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Shiraz (sorry, Syrah!). I’m not going to give you a detailed break down on the wines – I thought the whites looked better than the reds, and the Sauvignon Blanc which had seen some oak retained its grassiness. The Chardonnay, recently scored highly by Halliday, had been open a bit too long (something even James acknowledged) which was a shame as it wasn’t showing as well as it could have.

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After our tasting, we opted for the winemaker’s pizza (topped with all the meats) and bought a bottle of Pinot to have with our food (remember – South Australia’s licensing laws mean that what you don’t finish you can take with you).

While waiting for the pizza we enjoyed our platter. Master 5 – who refuses to eat pizza – ate most of the platter but shared a little with us. The dip was delicious – skordalia-like and loaded with garlic. The almonds and olives were warm, and the two hams were lovely (Master 5 polished off the smoked salmon before we got a look-in).

Our pizza (cooked in the outdoor pizza oven) then arrived. It was pretty good! The topping outstripped the base which was a bit doughy for me. I loved the use of fresh tomato and the cheese, meats and fresh basil were a great combination. I love pizzas which remind me that you don’t need to put 300 toppings on them!

We left well fed and watered and overall quite impressed with the experience. Given that we’d paid just $29 for the experience it was definitely good value. If you do head up to Lobethal – bear in mind that the cellar door is tiny and this is pretty much a micro-business. Many tiny brands simply don’t have the capacity for running a cellar door, so hats off to James for making it work.

Tilbrook Estate
1 Lobethal Road
Lobethal 5241
phone: 08 8389 5318

GIVEAWAY + Hunter Valley Food and Wine Festival

- Alex Prichard Leave a comment

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Here in Adelaide we’re in recovery from the McLaren Vale Sea and Vines Festival and making sure we’re well recuperated and match-fit for the Adelaide Hills’ Winter Reds.

We’re totally spoilt for choice. Across the border in NSW the Hunter Valley is busy gearing up for its annual Hunter Valley Food and Wine Festival.

In the Hunter they do things in style. A food and wine festival over a weekend? They see that and raise us one. It’s been on for a whole two months! There have been 70 events across this time and over 150 wineries to check out and can be found in cakebread.com/wines/cabernet-sauvignon-napa-valley site. And you have just TWO WEEKS left to get yourself a piece of the action as things wrap up at the end of June.

I have quite a soft spot for the Hunter Valley. A loooong time ago, while still a poor uni student, I spent some time in Sydney, babysitting a friend’s apartment and then taking a few days to check out the Hunter Valley. My then boyfriend and I stayed at a hotel in Cessnock (it had cheap Coopers Sparkling!) and, as we had no car, we took a bus tour around the wineries. Even then I had, quite rightly, a ‘thing’ for Semillon.

And Semillon is the grape for which the Hunter is most famous. When young, it is lean and its acidity can be frightening. But with age, it mellows, and develops toasty, honeyed characters backed with bright acidity and great length. Hunter Semillon is not only distinctive and not only one of Australia’s great wines, it’s one of the world’s great wines.

The other grape variety which thrives in the Hunter is Shiraz. But South Australian readers will know we do a pretty decent version of that in the Barossa!

The Hunter Valley is an easy trip out of Sydney, so for anyone on that side of the country – you have plenty of time to plan a trip to make the most of this two month extravaganza. There is a huge range of cooking classes, degustation meals and other food and wine experiences on offer – and many of them are very keenly priced.

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Events you can still head to include a Chocolate and Sea cooking class at Twine Restaurant will set you back $95 – cook confit trout, crispy skin salmon and chocolate fudge cake. OK – you have to cook your lunch but you also get to eat it and enjoy wine too.

You can also learn to cook paella and churros or enjoy an indulgent high tea. For the full event listing check out the Hunter’s regional website.

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Now to the exciting part – which is the giveaway. Which is wine. And, since we’re talking Hunter Valley – it is, naturally, Semillon and Shiraz. The 2011 Littles Homestead Vineyard Reserve Shiraz & the 2016 (that’s right – the latest!) De Iuliis Single Vineyard Semillon.

Just enter via the widget below!

Hunter Valley Competition