How to Make The Perfect Hot Chocolate for Chocolate Week 2022

Chocolate Week 2022 is finally here and, if you're anything like us, you've probably been counting the days until its arrival since, well, this time last year!

Running from Monday October 17th, Chocolate Week 2022 does exactly what it says on the tin - it's a week all about celebrating (i.e. consuming lots of) chocolate. And while the vast majority of us have a favourite chocolate bar/treat/dessert, this year we want to turn the spotlight on one of the chocolate canon's unsung heroes - hot chocolate.

Believed to have been created around 2,500 - 3,000 years ago by the Maya, today, it is the UK's third most popular hot drink behind, of course, tea and coffee. But although hot chocolate is the hot drink of choice for more than one in ten of us, most of us rarely - if ever - make one from scratch.

If you fancy giving it a go this Chocolate Week, here's how to go about it.

Hot chocolate royale

Why make a standard hot chocolate when you can go deluxe and pile it high with marshmallows?

Ingredients

To make two mugs, you will need:

• 300ml milk

• 71ml double cream

• 50g chopped chocolate

• Mini marshmallows

All you need to do is pour the milk, double cream and chopped chocolate into a pan, then bring it gently to the boil, whisking until smooth. Serve immediately and top with mini marshmallows and a little grated chocolate.

Gingerbread hot chocolate

Gingerbread and autumn go hand-in-hand, so what better time to try this fragrant and warming version of a classic hot chocolate?

Ingredients

To make two mugs, you will need:

• 300ml milk

• 100ml double cream

• 1 tsp dark brown soft sugar

• 1 orange, zested

• pinch of ground ginger

• pinch of ground cinnamon

• 2 cloves

• 4 drops of vanilla extract

• 100g dark chocolate, chopped

• whipped cream

• 2 mini gingerbread biscuits, crushed

Begin by stirring the milk, cream, sugar, orange zest and spices together in a saucepan, then bring to a simmer over a low heat. Remove from the heat and pour through a sieve into a jug, discarding the clove and orange zest. Pour the milk back into the pan and stir in the vanilla and chocolate until the chocolate has melted and is smooth, returning the pan to a low heat to warm through, if necessary.

Then, simply pour into a heatproof mug, top with whipped cream, add the crushed gingerbread biscuits and serve.

Vegan hot chocolate

Hot chocolate is an equal opportunities treat and we believe EVERYONE should be able to enjoy it, so here's how to make it if your diet is exclusively plant-based.

Ingredients

To make two mugs, you will need:

• 500ml oat milk

• 100g vegan dark chocolate, finely chopped, plus a grating to serve

• 1 small cinnamon stick

• 2 bruised cardamom pods

• ½ tbsp maple syrup

• vegan marshmallows

Heat all the ingredients - apart from the marshmallows - in a small pan over a low heat and stir frequently until the chocolate melts. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods, then divide the hot chocolate between two mugs and top with the marshmallows and an extra grating of chocolate.

Boozy mint hot chocolate

A hot chocolate nightcap? Don't mind if we do…

Ingredients

To make two mugs, you will need:

• 100ml double cream

• 2 tsp icing sugar

• few drops peppermint extract

• 300ml whole milk

• 100g dark chocolate , chopped

• 50ml crème de menthe

• dark chocolate curls or sprinkles

First, whip the cream in a small bowl, then stir in the icing sugar and a few drops of peppermint extract, then place in the fridge.

Next, pour the milk into a saucepan and heat gently until simmering, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat, then add the chocolate and stir until it has completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Return to the heat until warm then add the crème de menthe and pour into two mugs. Top with some of the whipped mint cream and chocolate curls or sprinkles and serve.

HotChocolate2U!

Even though we guarantee you'll love all these recipes, sometimes you just don't have the energy for DIY and if that's the case this Chocolate Week, you can always contact your nearest Cafe2U van instead.

Not only do we do a range of hot chocolates that will make your taste buds tingle, we'll even deliver them straight to your door! Get in touch here.

Coffee and Recycling: How Cafe2U is Making a Difference in 2022

Taking place from October 17th - 22nd, National Recycling Week 2022 is Recycle Now's flagship event which sees governments, waste management companies, retailers, organisations and the media coming together to encourage the public to recycle as much as possible.

Managed by climate action group WRAP, Recycle Now is a charity that works across the globe to promote recycling, re-use, sustainability and waste minimisation, to great effect; National Recycling Week 2021 resulted in 82% of people saying they'd changed their behaviour as a result of its content.

How sustainable is the coffee industry?

The short answer is: it's hard to know for sure. Coffee is big business on an international scale, involving growers, roasters, importers, packagers, retailers, baristas and more. As a result, working out the impact on every inch of land used to grow coffee plants or the carbon footprint of every journey involved in transporting coffee worldwide is nigh on impossible.

The good news is that sustainable coffee itself (i.e. coffee that is certified as organic, fair trade or Rainforest Alliance as it has been sustainably grown and marketed to meet various social, environmental and economic standards) is becoming more prominent as more consumers actively seek it out.

How can we all make the coffee industry even more sustainable?

There are several ways. These include:

Recycling coffee grounds

Normally, used coffee grounds are thrown in the bin, where they end up as landfill or in an incinerator. But did you know they can be recycled?

That's right, you can give your latte a second life by using used coffee grounds to:

• repel insects. Simply put the used grounds in a bowl outside and burn them like incense. The grounds are very potent and will drive pests away in no time.

• make fertiliser. Sprinkling used grounds - which are packed with key nutrients - on the soil surrounding your plants will encourage them to grow quicker.

• help compost heaps. By adding some used grounds to your compost heap, you'll improve its structure and attract worms, which speed up the process by turning food scraps into compost.

• eliminate smells. A handful of used coffee grounds in your fridge will absorb food odours and ensure your meals taste like they should.

• clean your pans. A couple of spoonfuls of used coffee grounds are abrasive enough to clean the dirtiest of pans - just apply the grounds to a cloth and get scrubbing! Remember to check a small area of the pan first to make sure the grounds don't stain the surface though.

At Cafe2U, we let customers take our used grounds away for free during our annual Green Coffee Fortnight and we've also launched an innovative coffee grounds recycling initiative which sees waste coffee grounds being recycled into biofuel pellets to power biomass boilers, significantly reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.

Using reusable or compostable cups

By switching to reusable coffee cups, you'll help reduce plastic waste.

Most disposable coffee cups are thrown away and end up in landfill because they have a thin plastic lining which makes them difficult to process for recycling. Reusable coffee cups, on the other hand, will last for years if properly cared for. Even when they reach the end of their lifecycle, most can then be recycled and some are even made of recycled materials. 

We do our bit by periodically giving away our reusable cups for free with certain purchases and we've set up a recycling scheme for customers who still use disposable cups. We also offer compostable cups which can be composted or recycled, reducing waste and ensuring fewer items are sent to landfill.

Avoiding plastic straws

Like disposable coffee cups, plastic straws can't be reused and usually end up in landfill. By using recyclable paper straws, you can play your part in reducing the amount that literally ends up going up in smoke.

At Cafe2U, we're replacing plastic straws with biodegradable paper alternatives to reduce the company's carbon footprint as we speak!

Having your coffee delivered emission-free

If you get your coffee delivered to your home or workplace, make sure you use a company that only uses electric vehicles - like us! 

Yep, we were the first mobile coffee company in the world to introduce a fleet of all-electric, totally emissions-free coffee vans. By changing the fleet to electric power, we estimate we'll save a whopping 12,672g of CO2 per year.

Do your bit for Recycling Week 2022

While all these ideas are good news for the environment, they will only be successful if people adopt them, so why not support our efforts and help us reduce our carbon footprint by picking up a reusable or compostable cup next time you visit your local Cafe2U van and, if you could use some, take some of our used grounds away with you. You'll be helping us help the planet!

Find your nearest Cafe2U van here.

How to Bake Like a Pro

As a cursory glance at the viewing figures for Channel 4's Great British Bake Off will attest, people in the UK love a bit of baking.

With National Baking Week 2022 taking place from October 14th - 20th and a few more weeks of GBBO still to go, now is the perfect opportunity to improve your home baking skills with our handy how-to guide.

What is National Baking Week?

Launched in 2007 by a group of baking brands, National Baking Week encourages people of all skill levels to get in their kitchens and start baking!

While the ultimate goal is to make a tasty treat, there are plenty of other reasons to get your apron on, with baking well known for getting the creative juices flowing and positively stimulating the senses, both of which are great for boosting mental wellbeing. Baking also has meditative qualities, making it the perfect activity to help you unwind at the end of a busy day or over the weekend.

And if your baking skills aren't quite up to scratch, don't let that stop you. Just follow these hints and tips and you'll be a kitchen master in no time!

Stay positive

Confidence plays a key role in baking so try to approach every recipe with a positive mental attitude. Of course the odds of you creating a culinary masterpiece every time are against you but so what? Slightly undercooked cakes and biscuits with icing that hasn't properly set are still going to get eaten.

Practice makes perfect, so leave your doubts at the door and get cracking!

Stick to the recipe

Recipes are there for a reason - they tell you exactly how to make the thing you want to eat - so stick religiously to them, especially if it's your first attempt. Cutting corners by not weighing or measuring ingredients properly or adding extra ingredients on a whim is asking for trouble.

Wait until you're making consistently delicious bakes before you start tweaking the recipe!

Be patient

If the recipe requires the use of a mixer, it can be tempting to stick it on a high speed to hurry things along. This, however, is a bad idea - all that will happen is strands of your mixture will end up all over the sides of the bowl, reducing the amount you have to work with. Instead, keep things slow and steady; this has the added benefit of allowing more air into your mix, which will make the finished product lighter and fluffier.

Waste not, want not

Got some mixture left in your bowl? Go get it! Plastic spatulas are perfect for scraping out every last drop and when you've gone to the effort of making a dough or mixture, you should try to incorporate as much as possible.

Pick the right bowl

Just like sticking rigidly to a recipe, it's important to use the correct type of bowl when baking, so get to know your options. The last thing you want is to realise mid-bake that the bowl you've chosen is too small to fit all your ingredients or too big to sit on top of a saucepan without the bottom touching the boiling water inside it!

Pay attention

Don't get distracted when baking. Watching, listening, smelling and touching are the keys to success!

Cafe2U goes great with a bake!

Whatever you'll be baking this National Baking Week, it's guaranteed to taste even better when paired with one of our coffees. 
Contact your nearest Cafe2U van here and we'll bring some of our top quality blends straight to your door!

The Importance of Franchisee Wellbeing

Taking place from October 10th - 14th, National Working Life Week 2022 is designed to give employers and employees the chance to focus on wellbeing at work and the importance of a healthy work-life balance. 

It's no secret that although running a franchise can be extremely satisfying, it’s also hard work, which can be tiring and pressurised at times. As a result, taking care of their own wellbeing can sometimes get pushed down franchisees' 'to-do' lists. So how can we try to make sure this doesn't happen?

Become familiar with the warning signs

Everyone gets warning signs when they need to slow down or take a break. Physically, the signs often include headaches, aching joints or not sleeping well. Emotionally, they might present themselves as low moods, mood swings or feeling demotivated or constantly on edge.

It’s important to be aware of what your indicators are so that you can do something about them. You can’t eradicate every source of pressure so instead of feeling stressed about things over which you have no control, try to focus your energy on things you can.

Take time off

Nobody can - nor should they attempt to - work constantly, so taking time away from running your franchise is vitally important. As well as being good for your mental health, making time to do things you enjoy often enables you to get a clearer perspective on issues within your franchise too.

Sleep, eat and exercise

It can be easy to fall into unhealthy habits when running a franchise, especially in the early days, and failing to get enough sleep, eat well or exercise are among the most common. 

If you find yourself skipping meals, working through your breaks or replying to emails late in the evening when you could be relaxing or doing some exercise, it's time to reassess your habits and work-life balance. While these things may happen from time to time, it's important not to let them become your usual way of working or you increase your risk of suffering burnout.

Be realistic

As a franchisee, you will naturally want to give your clients the best service possible. But there's a fine line between wanting to accommodate customers and over-promising, with the latter often resulting in you having to sacrifice your wellbeing in order to deliver. 

If you find yourself regularly over-committing, it's time to question whether you're taking too much on. And remember the old mantra 'It's better to under-promise and over-deliver.'

How Cafe2U looks after its franchisees

At Cafe2U, looking after our people is of paramount importance, which is why we provide all our franchisees with all the training and ongoing support they need. By ensuring our expert advice and experience is always available to them, it makes it easier for them to deal with any issues that may arise and increases the likelihood of their wellbeing being suitably catered for.

We let our franchisees know that we're right behind them and happy to provide assistance, whether it's practical or emotional. We're always here if they need a chat or some moral support.

Furthermore, becoming a franchisee gives people the opportunity to take control of their work destiny by giving them the autonomy to make their own decisions on a huge variety of issues, including where, when and for how long they work each week, giving them a flexible job that fits in with their lifestyle and improves their work-life balance, which improves their mental health.

If you're interested in investing in a Cafe2U franchise, click here for more information.

Get Ready For The World's Biggest Coffee Morning 2022

It's nearly that time of year again, when coffee and charity bring people together to help fight cancer and enjoy some good food and coffee while they're at it.

We're talking, of course, about The World's Biggest Coffee Morning 2022, Macmillan Cancer Support's incredibly worthwhile fundraising event that helps raise money for people living with cancer. 

If you're interested in taking part, here's how to do so.

When is the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning 2022?

Although you can host an event whenever you like, this year's event officially takes place this Friday, September 30th.

How Do I Take Part?

Taking part is easy. Simply sign up here and, in return, you'll receive a free Coffee Morning fundraising kit that includes everything you need to play host - or hostess - such as bunting, balloons, a table cloth, collection box and more (a plastic-free version of the kit is also available).

All you have to do after that is choose a date and location for your coffee morning, send out some invitations and stock up on coffee, other hot drinks and tasty treats that you can sell to your guests. You can host your event anywhere you like but at home, on your driveway (weather permitting!) or in a room at a local village hall are traditionally the most popular options.

Then, once your event is over, simply collect all the donations you've raised by selling food and drink to your nearest and dearest and send them to Macmillan.

Why take Part?

As a charity that relies on donations, taking part in The World's Biggest Coffee Morning helps raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support and allows it to provide care and support to people affected by cancer.

All the money raised goes to Macmillan, meaning your donations could pay for vital telephone services, cancer information booklets, mindfulness sessions for patients or to train a person affected by cancer to become a Cancer Support Course facilitator.

Last year's Coffee Morning raised more than £11m, so the bar's been set pretty high for 2022!

Cafe2U - Happy to Help

If you're hosting an event and would like one of our friendly and highly-trained mobile baristas to make your guests' drinks, why not book one of our vans to come and handle the coffee duties for you?

As well as top-quality coffee, they'll even provide additional hot and cold drinks and a range of food and snacks!

You can find your nearest Cafe2U van here.

How To Promote Happiness In The Workplace: Featuring Coffee!

In the UK, working 40 hours per week is a common practice and with so much of our time being spent at work, it's important that we're happy while we're there.

For employers, this means doing everything they can to keep morale among their employees as high as possible, as having happy workers leads to more creativity and productivity in the workplace. With every worker having different wants and needs, however, this is easier said than done. 

Fortunately, September 19th-25th is International Happiness at Work Week 2022, a week-long event designed to spread happiness among employees the world over. So what are some of the most effective ways to improve morale among employees? We take a look.

Prioritise work-life balance

Employees’ work-life balance plays a big role in their happiness at work. By allowing people greater balance and flexibility between their work commitments and their family and personal lives, they will be less stressed and much happier.

To improve the work-life balance of their employees, employers can:

• Offer flexible working options and allow workers to work remotely where appropriate.

• Encourage them to take breaks and disconnect.

• Conduct regular reviews of employees’ workloads to ensure they're not trying to do too much at once.

• Increase support options for parents.

Build a positive work environment

Positive work environments constantly come up as one of the most desirable factors for workers so building a positive work environment that excites employees will make them happy to come to work and less likely to quit.

The keys to building a positive work environment are transparency and open dialogue as these ensure employees can discuss anything, preventing issues from being bottled up and negative feelings from thriving. They also stop employees from feeling the need to compete with each other and instead increase the likelihood of them encouraging and uplifting each other.

Setting aside time for workplace safety training, helps employees understand how the company functions and makes sure nobody is made to feel marginalised.

Another easy way to make the workplace a positive environment is to smile more! Smiling is a sign of positivity and one of the easiest ways to convey happiness and positive energy. And, of course, happiness is contagious, so smiling will make others happier too.

Reward hard work and celebrate successes

Employees feel happy when they receive praise for their hard work and their efforts are recognised, so make time to reward noteworthy achievements by:

• Taking employees out for a meal or to take part in activities like bowling, either after work or during working hours.

• Encouraging managers to hand out positive feedback.

• Bringing treats into the office.

However, acknowledging an employee's hard work or achievement doesn't have to be a grand gesture. One of the simplest and most gratefully-received rewards is a simple 'thank you'. Saying 'thank you' can go a long way - something employers often forget.

Ultimately, recognising employees for their efforts plays a significant role in how employees perceive their workplace and how they feel about their work.

Get them some coffee!

As well as being scientifically proven to increase wellbeing, brighten your mood and make you feel happier, coffee also helps build work relationships by giving employees the perfect opportunity to interact with each other over a coffee break, creating a happier work environment in the process.

Coffee is also high in antioxidants which are good for your body and help reduce the risk of a host of ailments including cancer, strokes and diabetes.

Why not have great coffee delivered to your work?

Whatever you do during International Happiness at Work Week 2022, ensuring there is plenty of coffee to go around your employees and colleagues is an excellent way to kick things off. At Cafe2U, our mobile cafes are available to bring our top quality coffees to offices all over the UK and you can find your nearest one here.

Financing Your Franchise

As regular readers of our blog will know, joining the franchising industry remains a good financial option despite the cost-of-living crisis. But there's no getting away from the fact that some people who want to become franchisees simply can't afford to do so right now.

If you fall into that category, what options are available to you? We take a fresh look.

Angel investors

A term originally used to describe the wealthy patrons that funded Broadway shows, today angel investors provide capital across almost every industry. Put simply, they are wealthy people looking to invest in businesses that will earn them a profit.

Angel investors could invest anything from £1 up to hundreds of thousands - or even higher - so there's a good chance that there's one looking to invest the sort of amount you're after, whatever the figure.

To secure funding from professional angel investors, you'll need a solid business plan and an intricate knowledge of your business that you can explain in simple terms to someone who may have no prior knowledge of the franchising industry. Of course, you'll also need to be comfortable and confident discussing the numbers - how much investment you're hoping for, what your predicted turnover is and how that translates to profitability.

Fortunately, preparing a solid business plan is relatively straightforward when the business is a demonstrably profitable franchise with an already-established reputation but don't be fooled - preparation is key as you'll need to impress any potential investors, who might also be considering investing in numerous other businesses.

If you're interested in becoming a franchisee and think an angel investor would help you achieve your dream, you can find out more information here.

Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding provides a platform for anyone to pitch an idea and anyone to invest in it.

Although successful pitches may result in a handful of investors investing large sums, most typically see several investors contributing a relatively small amount. For example, in America, a new smoothie company recently raised more than $1mil with approximately 5,000 investors all investing around $100 each.

Anyone interested in crowdfunding should remember that if the campaign fails to meet a minimum investment, all funds are returned to investors, so would-be franchisees need a plan to market their fundraising campaign as heavily as possible.

If this sounds like a route you're interested in exploring, check out Shopify's list of the 10 best crowdfunding websites here.

Friends and family

Quite possibly the oldest, easiest and most reliable method of securing funding for a franchise opportunity is turning to the bank of mum and dad, so if you have family and friends with enough savings to help you get your franchise off the ground, don't hesitate to ask them. 

The worst case scenario is they say no. But if they can afford to help out and are looking for an investment opportunity, the fact that they know and, hopefully, believe in you could help you raise the capital you need quicker than you imagined.

Cafe2U - the franchise for you

If you're interested in investing in a Cafe2U franchise, click here for more information. We can assist in arranging finance and your personal investment can be as low as £15,000 subject to status.

Best Days Out For Coffee Lovers for the August 22 Bank Holiday Weekend

Most bank holiday guides encourage people to head to a beach, theme park or site of historical interest, and while all these are all fine suggestions, they're not necessarily how a coffee aficionado really wants to spend their long weekend.

Fortunately, the UK is home to a large number of roasteries that allow visitors to go behind the scenes of their operations with tours, cupping sessions, workshops and more. Naturally the top-notch on-site cafes are well worth a visit too!

If this sounds like your cup of tea coffee, read on for some of our top roasteries to visit this August 2022 bank holiday weekend.

92 Degrees

If you take a trip to Merseyside this bank holiday, a visit to 92 Degrees should be high on your to-do list.

The incredible smell of straight-from-the-drum coffee coming from 92 Degrees' roastery/coffee shop draws in coffee lovers, intrigued tourists and members of the local community every day. Make a bee line for the on-site brew bar to sink the popular house blend or sample the latest single origin releases at one of the regular cupping sessions.

Although 92 now has five branches across the UK, its story began in Liverpool so that's the venue we think you should prioritise visiting.

92 Degrees, 11 Summers Rd, Liverpool. L3 4BL.

Roost Coffee and Roastery

This North Yorkshire-based, family run business sits within a Grade II-listed carriage house alongside several other artisanal food and drink producers in Malton, aka the food capital of the north, overlooking some truly breathtaking hills and valleys. And trust us, it's every bit as good as it sounds.

Offering a huge selection of single-origin beans and freshly roasted coffees, which can be sampled as espresso or pourover on one of its super comfortable leather sofas while the roaster gets to work in the background, Roost is the definition of 'a feast for the senses'.

Roost Coffee and Roastery, Unit 6, Talbot Yard, Yorkersgate, Malton, North Yorkshire. YO17 7FT.

UE Coffee Roasters

For an out-of-the-ordinary roastery experience, make tracks to UE on the Cotswolds/Oxfordshire border where you can watch the team bronze beans on a traditional wood-fired roaster, learn more about the process by booking a class at the in-house training school or take part in one of their regular events.

You can also just stop by for a browse and brew at the UE coffee lab, of course. Coinciding your trip for when one of their pizza nights or latte-art throwdowns is on is also highly recommended!

UE Coffee Roasters, 11a - 11b Windrush Industrial Park, Linkwood Road, Witney, Oxfordshire. OX29 7HA.

Williams & Johnson

Of course, there's excellent coffee to be had over the border too and our Scottish friends will be pleased to hear that Edinburgh's Williams & Johnson is well worth a visit.

An artisanal roastery-cafe hybrid, W&J's offers a warm welcome to customers interested in watching the proprietors roasting and preparing carefully chosen beans to produce delicious, single-origin coffees which can either be enjoyed in the stunning setting of the roastery itself or taken away for a walk by the Water of Leith river.

Williams & Johnson, 1 Customs Wharf, Edinburgh. EH6 6AL. 

Enjoy your bank holiday!

Whatever you decide to do this bank holiday weekend, we hope you have a great time. If you can't make it as far as a roastery, you can contact your local Cafe2U mobile barista to have some top-quality coffee delivered to your home right here instead.

Best Summer Drinks: Iced Coffee

Iced coffee season is here again and for those of us that crave a cooling caffeine fix, the good news doesn't stop there.

As the drink has become increasingly popular, more and more recipes and flavour combinations have sprung up - from refreshing mint to indulgent chocolate and hazelnut and everything in between - meaning there's never been a better time to be an iced coffee lover.

If you fancy making your own this summer, here are our best iced coffee recipes for 2022.

Basic iced coffee recipe

Before we dive head-first into extra ingredients and flavours, we need a simple iced coffee recipe that will form the basis of all the subsequent recipes.

To make a classic iced coffee, simply brew a cup of espresso coffee, pour it into a tall glass filled with ice and give it a stir. Voila - one simple, tasty iced coffee!

Milk, cream or any of your favourite syrups can be added once the coffee has chilled but if you have sugar in your brew, it's important to add it to the coffee before pouring it over the ice as sugar doesn't dissolve properly in cold liquids.

Strawberry iced coffee

Because nothing says 'summer' like strawberries!

Ingredients

To make one strawberry iced coffee, you will need:

• one cup espresso, cooled

• one scoop vanilla ice cream

• one scoop strawberry ice cream

• whipped cream

• 22ml strawberry syrup

• two small strawberries

Simply put both scoops of ice cream in a tall glass, then pour over the coffee. Add a spoonful of whipped cream on top, then pour over the syrup and garnish with the strawberries. Find a quiet spot in the garden and enjoy!

Chocolate and hazelnut iced coffee

One of the most popular iced coffees on the planet, this rich, creamy treat goes down almost too easily.

Ingredients

To make one chocolate and hazelnut iced coffee, you will need:

• one cup espresso, cooled

• one tub Nutella

• whipped cream

• good quality dark chocolate

Melt 1 ½ tbsp of Nutella in a pan, then pour into a tall glass filled with ice cubes. Fill the glass almost to the brim with coffee, stir, then add a good dollop of the cream. Use a grater to shave a generous amount of chocolate on top of the cream and serve.

Mint iced coffee

Zingy and refreshing, mint iced coffee gives a great early morning kick on hot days.

Ingredients

To make one mint iced coffee, you will need:

• one cup espresso, cooled

• 2 1/2 tablespoons mint syrup

• fresh mint leaves 

Pour the syrup into a tall glass filled with ice cubes, then add the coffee. Stir, garnish with the mint leaves and prepare to be blown away!

Boozy coconut rum iced coffee

As evening comes around, what better way to relax than with an iced coffee with a kick? 

Ingredients

To make one boozy coconut rum iced coffee, you will need:

• one tbsp coconut syrup

• two shots of rum

• one shot of espresso

• 150ml coconut milk

Fill a tall glass with ice cubes, then add the syrup. Slowly pour in the coconut milk, followed by the rum and espresso. Put your feet up and watch the sunset.

Cafe2U’s cool summer range

At Cafe2U, we love iced coffee every bit as much as we adore hot coffee. To find out what limited edition drinks are being served by your local Cafe2U mobile barista, contact them about their summer range here.

How to Create and Host the Perfect Afternoon Tea Party

There are few things more quintessentially English than enjoying a post-lunch treat with a hot drink so it's no wonder the nation is currently counting down the days until National Afternoon Tea Week 2022.

Taking place every second full week in August - from the 8th to the 14th this year - National Afternoon Tea Week celebrates and promotes afternoon tea by encouraging cafes, restaurants and hotels to offer discounts and special offers to entice as many punters as possible to join in the fun.

But that doesn't mean a good afternoon tea can't be enjoyed at home. In fact, if you can't make it to your favourite eatery to get involved with National Afternoon Tea Week 2022, it would be downright rude - bordering on treasonous - not to make something to mark the occasion from the comfort of your kitchen. While you're at it, why not invite some friends over for an afternoon tea party? Here's how to throw one fit for a king without breaking the bank.

The basics

Afternoon tea is a twee affair so you're going to need a tiered cake stand to use as a centrepiece, alongside a teapot, teacups, cutlery and at least one cake slicer for serving, plus a patterned tablecloth, napkins and lace doilies.

If you don't have any of the above, fear not because charity shops are a goldmine for inexpensive chinaware and homeware, so head into town and get bargain hunting!

Arrival drinks

Preparation is key so make sure milk and sugar are already set on the table so your guests can have a brew asap. Obviously you'll want to serve traditional English breakfast tea but offer a few more exotic options to add variety to your soirée - Earl Grey, fruit, chai and camomile are all worth considering.

With another heatwave predicted for the coming days, serving iced tea or coffee to help keep your guests refreshed is another good idea. So long as nobody's driving, you could add a dash of your favourite booze to the recipes too. Pimm's goes great with iced tea while any coffee liqueur will give an iced coffee a cheeky kick. 

Food

Classic afternoon teas comprise a tier of sandwiches, a tier of cakes, a tier of scones.

Sandwiches

If you're making your own, prepare the fillings in advance, then assemble just before your guests arrive to prevent your sandwiches becoming soggy. 

Pick whatever fillings take your fancy but remember to factor in any vegetarian or vegan guests before you buy your ingredients. As a general rule of thumb, egg and cress, ham and mustard and smoked salmon and avocado are guaranteed crowd-pleasers. Just remember to cut them into triangles before serving!

Cakes

Small portions are key when it comes to afternoon tea, so bake a generous amount of little cakes and add some pretty decorations before serving. 

There are plenty of ideas and recipes available online but for something special that's not too tricky to make, why not give these lemon and lavender fondant fancies a go?

Lemon and lavender fondant fancies

To make 16 fondant fancies, you will need: 

• 175g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

• 250g caster sugar

• 3 large eggs

• 100g full-fat natural yoghurt

• 275g plain flour

• 1 ½ tsp baking powder

For the butter icing, you will need: 

• 1 tsp dried lavender, plus a little to decorate

• 100g butter

• 100g icing sugar

• the zest of 1 lemon, plus a little to decorate

For the fondant icing, you will need:

• 8 tbsp apricot jam, sieved and heated in the microwave until runny

• 1kg pack fondant icing sugar

• yellow and purple food colouring

First, heat your oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3, then grease and line a 20cm square tin with parchment paper. Put the butter, sugar, eggs, yoghurt, flour and baking powder into a large bowl and beat until smooth, then pour into the cake tin and smooth the top. Bake for 45 mins until risen and golden, then leave to cool for 10 mins in the tin. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Next, grind the lavender to a powder with a pestle and mortar. To make the butter icing, beat the butter and icing sugar together until pale and fluffy, then divide the mixture into 2 bowls. Add the lemon zest to one batch and the lavender to the other, then mix each to combine. Transfer the icings to 2 piping bags.

When the sponge has completely cooled, remove the top to give yourself a flat surface. Flip the cake over so the flattest side becomes the top. Carefully trim off the edges, then cut the sponge into 16 squares. Brush the top and sides of each sponge square with a little jam. Pipe a small dome of butter icing onto each sponge, 8 with lavender icing and 8 with lemon. Chill the cakes in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Sieve the fondant icing sugar into a large bowl, then add enough water to make a thick but pourable icing. Spoon a little into a piping bag to use later. Divide the remaining icing into 2 bowls and dye one batch yellow and the other purple.

Remove the sponges from the fridge and transfer to a wire rack. Spoon a little icing over each sponge (purple for lavender, yellow for lemon). Use a small palette knife to spread the icing down the sides of the sponge to completely cover each one. Leave to set for 30 mins, then cover the cakes with a second layer of icing to give a smooth surface. Drizzle the white icing over the cakes and decorate with a little lemon zest and lavender buds. Leave to set for 1 hr at room temperature before serving.

Scones

Let's face it, scones are what most people think of us when they hear 'afternoon tea', so here's how to make 8 delicious fruit scones.

First of all, you will need:

• 350g self-raising flour, plus more for dusting

• ¼ tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 85g butter, cut into cubes

• 3 tbsp caster sugar

• 175ml milk

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• squeeze of lemon juice

• 100g sultanas

• beaten egg to glaze

• jam and clotted cream, to serve

Begin by heating your oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Tip the flour into a large bowl with the salt and baking powder, then mix. Add the butter, then rub in with your fingers until the mix looks like fine crumbs. Stir in the sugar.

Next, pour the milk into a jug and heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds until warm. Add the vanilla and lemon juice, then set aside for a moment. Put a baking sheet in the oven.

Make a well in the dry mix, then add the liquid and sultanas and combine quickly with a cutlery knife. Dust a little flour onto the work surface and tip the dough out. Dredge the dough and your hands with a little more flour, then fold the dough over 2-3 times until it’s smoother, then pat into a round about 4cm deep.

Take a 5cm cutter and dip it into some flour. Plunge into the dough, then repeat until you have four scones. You may need to press what’s left of the dough back into a round to cut out another four.

Brush the tops with beaten egg, then carefully place onto the hot baking tray and bake for 10 mins until risen and golden on the top. Eat warm, with as much jam and clotted cream as you can handle!

Afternoon teas taste better with Cafe2U!

We may be better known for our premium coffee but we also do a great line in teas. Whatever you're serving for National Afternoon Tea Week 2022, your nearest Cafe2U van is never far away and always happy to deliver anything you need direct to your door. Contact your local van here.

Top Summer Desserts to go with a Coffee

As we all know, strawberries and cream is as synonymous with British summer time as barbecues, bustling beer gardens and, to some, having anything else for pudding between July and October is tantamount to treason.

But tradition be damned! With an almost endless number of desserts to choose between - and a coffee waiting to be enjoyed as soon as the dessert course is over - we've been wondering: 

a) which other summer puddings are as enjoyable as strawberries and cream on a hot day

and

b) which of them go best with coffee? 

The answer, of course, is those that have coffee in them! These are a few of our favourite recipes.

Coffee ice cream

The chilly yin to strawberry and cream's cool yang, coffee ice cream is easy to make and perfect when the sun's out. Pair it with your favourite coffee for an incredible hot and cold contrast.

Ingredients

To make one litre of coffee ice cream, you will need: 

• 300ml double cream

• 175g condensed milk

• 2 tbsp instant espresso powder

• 2 tbsp coffee liqueur

To make, simply whisk all the ingredients together until soft peaks form and the mixture becomes caffè-latte-coloured. Then pour into an airtight container, freeze overnight and you're done. Told you it was easy!

Coffee panna cotta

Delicate, smooth and simultaneously sweet and bitter, coffee panna cotta is among the best possible ways to end a meal, especially when there's a hot cup of coffee ready to enjoy with it.

Ingredients

To make six coffee panna cottas, you will need:

• 250ml strong coffee

• 60g caster sugar

• 6 titanium-strength gelatine leaves

• 300ml milk

• 300ml thickened cream

• 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

• 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules

• 100g dark chocolate, finely chopped

• 30g unsalted butter, chopped

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

• Crushed amaretti biscuits, to serve

To make the coffee jelly layer, place the coffee and 25g sugar in a saucepan over a low heat and stir constantly for two minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. 

Next, soak two gelatine leaves in cold water for five minutes, then squeeze the excess water from the gelatine. Whisk the leaves into the hot coffee mixture and divide among 6 x 180ml ramekins or glasses and chill for one hour or until set.

To make the panna cotta layer, place the milk, 250ml of cream and the vanilla seeds and pod in a saucepan. Stir in the instant coffee and the remaining sugar, then place the pan over a medium-low heat and bring to just below the boil.

Meanwhile, soak the remaining gelatine leaves in cold water for five minutes, then squeeze out the excess water. Remove the cream mixture from the heat and whisk in the leaves. Discard the vanilla pod and chill the cream mixture for 30 minutes or until room temperature.

Lightly scratch the surface of each coffee jelly layer with a fork. Strain the cream mixture into a jug, then divide among the ramekins/glasses and chill for four hours or until completely set.

Finally, when ready to serve, make the hot chocolate sauce by placing the chocolate, butter, remaining 50ml of cream, 60ml of water and a pinch of salt in a saucepan over a low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for three minutes or until smooth. Finish by stirring through the maple syrup.

Dip the base of each ramekin/glass in boiling water for three seconds to release the panna cotta, then turn out onto serving plates. Drizzle with chocolate sauce and scatter with crushed amaretti. Serve immediately.

Tiramisu

No list of best desserts would be complete without this simple Italian classic, which simply demands to be devoured alongside a fresh cup of coffee. Despite being a dessert, tiramisu is just as delicious at lunchtime, mid-afternoon or, well, any time, really.

Ingredients

To make six tiramisus, you will need:

• 400ml double cream

• 250g mascarpone

• 75ml marsala

• 5 tbsp golden caster sugar

• 300ml coffee

• 175g sponge fingers

• 25g dark chocolate

• 2tsp cocoa powder

First, put the double cream, mascarpone, marsala and golden caster sugar in a large bowl, then whisk until completely combined and the mixture has the consistency of thickly whipped cream.

Next, pour the coffee into a shallow dish and dip in a few of the sponge fingers at a time, turning for a few seconds until nicely soaked, but not soggy. Layer these in a dish until you’ve used half the sponge fingers, then pour half the cream mixture over the top.

Using the coarse side of a grater, grate over most of the dark chocolate. Then repeat the layers, using up all the coffee and finishing with another layer of cream. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge overnight

To serve, dust with the cocoa powder and grate over the remainder of the chocolate. 

Enjoy summer with Cafe2U

There are plenty more desserts that go great with coffee so why not head for the kitchen and get experimenting? If you need some top quality coffee delivered to your door to enjoy with your tasty creations, you can contact your nearest Cafe2U van here.

How to Create the Perfect Picnic

Summertime and al fresco dining go hand-in-hand so, if you're the sort of person that enjoys eating outdoors, you'll be delighted to hear that National Picnic Month takes place from July 1st - 31st. 

A celebration of grabbing a blanket, friends, family, food and drink and heading to your nearest open space, picnics are the perfect way to enjoy lunch, while away a lazy afternoon or unwind after work. And with a whole month's worth of opportunities officially ahead of us, the time to start planning your perfect picnic is right now! Here's how to do it.

Food and drink

The most important part of any picnic is, of course, the food and drink, and the trick with both is to keep things simple. Sandwiches, pork pies, sausage rolls and flapjacks are all picnic staples because they're small, simple and tasty but you can take whatever you fancy. This article from Sainsbury's has lots of great recipe ideas if you fancy making your food instead of buying it.

When it comes to drinks, it's a good idea to take both hot and cold options. Water, fruit squash and lemonade are all safe bets, while coffee, tea and hot chocolate can be easily made ahead of time and kept warm in thermoses. 

Alternatively, if you want fresh, barista-quality coffee at your picnic, get in touch with your nearest Cafe2U van here and let us bring some straight to your blanket!

Transport food in jars

Utilising sturdy Mason jars to keep your food in will prevent spillages and make moving food between cars and blankets a doddle. Salads, sides, condiments and even desserts all work brilliantly.

Don't forget a chopping board

Especially useful when kids are present, chopping boards always come in handy on picnics, both for cutting food into smaller portions and for using as a serving tray. Just remember to also pack wipes or paper towels so you can clean it afterwards.

Take utensils

Sounds obvious but many a good picnic has been spoiled by a lack of forks or spoons, so remember to take plenty of everything, including napkins. To stop anything ending up on the ground, a vase or milk bottle makes a handy utensil holder.

Pick a good spot

Each to their own, of course, but anywhere green, scenic and with natural shade that's also not too close to traffic is ideal. If you're picnicking with children, make sure there's plenty of open space for them to play in too.

Check the weather forecast

Nothing ruins a picnic like a sudden downpour so check the weather forecast before setting a date. If there's only one day you and your friends/family are free and the forecast looks wet, pack umbrellas, parasols or even a tent or two and you'll still be able to have fun.

Pack a good blanket

It's not a picnic without a blanket and while any will do, try and find one that provides cushioning, is easy to clean, waterproof and can be machine washed in case of any major spillages.

Take some pillows

Chuck a few throw pillows in the boot of your car et voila - comfy and easily transportable seating for you and your friends.

Clean up when you're finished

Nobody likes litter - or litterers - so take a couple of bin bags with you, chuck all your rubbish in them before you leave and place them in public bins or take them with you to dispose of when you get home.

No coffee, no picnic!

We've been looking forward to National Picnic Month 2022 for a while now and we expect we'll be making plenty of trips to parks and fields across the UK over the coming weeks. Contact us here if you'd like us to take care of your picnic's coffee requirements - we can't wait to see you all!

Gift Guide for Coffee-Loving Dads for Father's Day 2022

Dads are notorious for just buying themselves whatever they want, making it nigh on impossible to surprise them with a gift they'll actually like. 

But fear not because if one thing's almost certain, it's that your dad loves coffee and, if that is indeed the case, he'll be delighted to receive any of the coffee-related gifts we've rounded up below.

Great Wave of Coffee t-shirt

Based on the famous 19th century Japanese woodblock print by artist Hokusai, this cool and comfortable black cotton t-shirt will be your dad's new favourite item of clothing.

Perfect for wearing around the house or out and about, the design is timeless and the message is clear - I need coffee!

Coffee ice tray

If your dad likes iced coffee, he'll love this funky and functional coffee ice tray. 

Never again will he need to use traditional ice cubes to cool his drink - with this coffee ice tray, he'll have his own dedicated tray he can fill with coffee to make 'coffee cubes', ensuring his cups never get watered down when the ice cubes melt.

Reusable coffee cup

With environmental awareness at an all-time high, there's really no excuse for anyone to still be using disposable cups in 2022. Some people, though, are creatures of habit and if your dad's one of them, it's time to get him on-board with sustainable coffee receptacles.

There are loads to choose from but our favourite is this one from Circular & Co. Made from recycled coffee cups, it's not only incredibly sustainable but also extremely robust, with a leakproof design and several colour options. It's even dishwasher safe!

Espresso machine

If you decide to really push the boat out this year, nothing will excite a coffee loving dad more than a shiny new espresso machine.

As these aren't the cheapest items on this list, you'll need to choose your model carefully and we recommend this Dualit 3-in-1 Coffee Machine for its versatility. It allows for many options in terms of the coffee you can use (grounds, pods, capsules etc), so it's suitable for every household; it also looks great, doesn't take up much room and is built to last. And it comes with a handy milk frothing wand!

Prepaid Cafe2U Card

If your dad is a regular Cafe2U customer, make his next few visits free by picking him up one of our prepaid gift cards. If you pre-pay for five coffees, you'll get the sixth one free!

Get in touch with your nearest Cafe2U barista here.

Happy Father's Day from Cafe2U!

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, we hope you all have a great day. Our Cafe2U vans will be on the road as usual to help you celebrate if you're out and about.

Why Cafe2U Is The Green Option For Franchisees

Launched in 2017, Clean Air Day is an annual event designed to focus public and political attention on the UK's air pollution problem. Most of us don't realise the severity of the issue but air pollution is the biggest environmental threat to health the country faces, with between 28,000 and 36,000 deaths attributable to long-term exposure every year.

Fortunately, the good people at environmental charity Global Action Plan are here to raise awareness of the issue among the general public by encouraging everyone from NHS trusts, schools and local authorities to businesses, government departments and community groups to organise their own events and help get the country talking about the extent of the problem and what we can do to combat it.

As a mobile coffee franchise with a fleet of nearly 100 vans, you might think our business would be responsible for more than its fair share of air pollution. However, that couldn't be further from the truth.

We know how important it is to the planet - not to mention consumers and potential franchisees - to be an environmentally-friendly company and that's why we're on a mission to become the first carbon neutral coffee company in the UK. Here are just a few of the ways we're going about it.

Electric vans

We recently replaced the diesel generators in our fleet of vehicles with lithium-ion batteries, immediately reducing our emissions from in-van generators to zero. Then we went one step further and launched an all-new fleet of 100% emission-free electric vehicles. By switching from petrol powered to electric vans, we expect to massively reduce our CO² emissions over the coming years.

Furthermore, our electric vans have minimal moving parts and more effective brakes, so fewer replacement parts need manufacturing, reducing our greenhouse gas emissions even further.

Recycling

We offer our customers the opportunity to recycle their paper cups to slow the rate at which new disposable cups are produced, as well as a coffee grounds recycling initiative to counteract the 1.8 million tonnes of carbon emissions which are generated by the 500,000 tonnes of coffee waste disposed of in the UK every year.

The initiative sees waste coffee grounds being recycled into biofuel pellets to power biomass boilers, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping keep the air cleaner.

Going digital

These days, we're almost completely paper-free at Cafe2U.

All files at head office have been digitised and we've done away with traditional loyalty cards and physical pamphlets in favour of an app which allows our customers to receive news, offers and updates digitally instead, massively reducing the amount of paper we use and helping keep more trees in the ground where they help remove pollutants such as carbon dioxide (CO²) from the atmosphere.

Help us make a difference

It's great news that so many organisations are doing everything they can to combat air pollution and become as green as possible and we all owe the organisers of Clean Air Day 2022 a huge debt of gratitude for raising awareness of the issue.

However, it's clear that a lot more work still needs to be done if we're to eradicate the problem of unclean air in the UK once and for all and we need everybody pulling in the same direction if we're ever going to make it happen.

If you're interested in investing in a clean, green franchise like Cafe2U, click here for more information.

For more information on Clean Air Day, click here.

Delicious Cupcake Recipes for National Cupcake Day 2022

With National Cupcake Day, what you see is what you get. There's no fundraising involved and no need to hang any bunting, just an invitation to enjoy a cupcake or two, alone or with friends, at home or in a cafe. So long as you're eating and enjoying all things cupcake, you're doing it right.

Of course, there's a whole lot of fun to be had baking cupcakes too and if you're the kind of person who prefers to make things instead of buy them, you're in luck because we've rounded up some cracking cupcake recipes for you to try at home.

Vanilla cupcakes

Simple, sweet and satisfying, these tasty treats are a surefire winner. 

Ingredients

To make 12 vanilla cupcakes, you will need:

• 110g softened butter

• 110g golden caster sugar

• 2 large eggs

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

• 110g self-raising flour

For the buttercream, you will need:

• 150g softened butter

• 300g icing sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 3 tbsp milk

Begin by heating your oven to 180C/160c fan/gas 4 and fill a 12 cupcake tray with cases. Next, use an electric whisk to beat 110g softened butter and 110g golden caster sugar together until fluffy, then whisk in the eggs one at a time.

Add ½ tsp vanilla extract, 110g self-raising flour and a pinch of salt, whisk until combined, then spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases. Bake for 15 mins until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

To make the buttercream, whisk 150g softened butter until soft then add 300g icing sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Starting off slowly, whisk until smooth, then beat in 3 tbsp milk. Spoon or pipe onto the cooled cupcakes to finish.

Strawberry cupcakes

Colourful and fresh, these little beauties won't last long around kids! Or adults, for that matter…

Ingredients

To make 12 strawberry cupcakes, you will need:

• 175g self-raising flour

• 115g caster sugar

• 2 eggs

• 100g Greek yoghurt

• 115g butter, melted and cooled slightly

• 100g strawberries, finely chopped

For the icing, you will need:

• 300g icing sugar, sifted

• 150g butter, softened

• 2tbsp milk

• 1tsp vanilla extract

• pink food colouring

• 6 strawberries, halved, or 12 small whole strawberries

Heat your oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake cases. Mix the flour and sugar together in a large bowl, then whisk together the eggs, yoghurt and melted butter in a large jug. Gradually mix the wet ingredients into the dry until you have a smooth batter, then fold in the strawberries.

Next, fill the prepared cases so they are about three-fourths full. Bake for 25-30 mins, or until golden and a skewer inserted into the middles comes out clean, then leave to cool.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the icing. First, beat the sugar and butter together until smooth, then add the milk, vanilla and a little pink food colouring and beat until the icing is pale pink. Spoon the icing into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, then pipe in swirls onto the cooled cupcakes. Decorate each with a strawberry half or small strawberry, then serve.

Coffee cupcakes

Our favourites. Of course!

Ingredients

To make 18 coffee cupcakes, you will need:

• 140g golden caster sugar

• 140g butter, softened

• 3 large eggs

• 140g self-raising flour

• 2 tbsp instant espresso mixed with 1 tbsp water

• chocolate-coated coffee beans, to decorate

For the icing, you will need:

• 200g butter, softened

• 200g icing sugar

• 2 tsp instant espresso mixed with 1 tbsp water

• 50g plain chocolate, melted

Start by heating your oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3, then line 18 holes in 2 bun tins with fairy cake cases. Beat the sugar and butter until light and creamy, then beat in the eggs, one by one, adding 1 tbsp flour at the same time. Beat in the rest of the flour along with the espresso. Spoon into the cake cases and bake for 17 mins, swapping the trays after 12 mins, then leave to cool on a wire rack.

To make the icing, beat the butter until pale, then gradually beat in the icing sugar, followed by the espresso and the melted chocolate. When the cakes are completely cool, swirl the icing generously on top and decorate with the coffee beans.

Salted caramel cupcakes

The UK's love-affair with salted caramel is still going strong and with these indulgent cupcakes, it's not hard to see why.

Ingredients

To make 12 salted caramel cupcakes, you will need:

• 100g softened salted butter

• 100g golden caster sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 100g self-raising flour

• 1 tbsp milk

• 6 tsp caramel sauce

For the icing, you will need: 

• 75g soft salted butter

• 150g icing sugar

• 200g caramel sauce

• sea salt flakes

First, heat your oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4, then line a 12-hole cake tin with paper cases.

Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, along with the vanilla extract, then mix in the flour until just combined. Finally, stir in the milk until the batter falls off the beaters.

Next, divide the mixture between the cases, leaving about 2 tbsp batter in the bowl. Add a pinch of salt to the caramel sauce, then add ½ tsp to the tops of each cupcake. Use a teaspoon to cover the caramel sauce with the remaining batter. Bake for 15-20 mins until springy and golden, then leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, make the icing. Beat the butter and half the icing sugar together, then tip in the remaining icing sugar and whisk until pale and fluffy. Stir in half the caramel sauce, then spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a star nozzle. Pipe swirls of icing on top of the cooled cupcakes. 

To finish, stir a pinch of salt into the remaining caramel sauce, then drizzle over the icing and sprinkle a small pinch of sea salt over each.

Cafe2U - the perfect accompaniment to National Cupcake Day

Whichever cupcakes take your fancy, one thing's for sure - they'll taste even better with a cup of coffee. Get in touch with your nearest Cafe2U van here and let us deliver some of our top quality drinks to your door while there are still some cupcakes left to have with it!

Tips For Boosting Your Franchise in Q3 and Q4 2022

In the franchising industry, it's important to be aware of the financial year. Made up of four quarters, the financial year is a period of 12 months that enables both franchisors and franchisees to calculate their budgets, profits and losses and compare their results to previous years to ascertain whether or not the business is performing as well as expected.

The financial year also allows franchisees to evaluate their success in greater detail by enabling them to compare their results quarterly, instead of across a whole year. This means that, if necessary, they can tweak their business offering to help increase profits and/or hit targets before the end of a particular quarter.

With this financial year's third quarter (Q3) starting on July 1st, what should you do if your franchise could do with a shot in the arm heading into it? Here are our top tips.

Keep things new and exciting

One of the benefits of becoming a franchisee is being able to use the franchisor's already-established name to attract customers. However, those customers are likely to become bored if your product offering stays exactly the same every day, so it's important to add new items to your menu to complement your perennial best-sellers every so often to keep regular customers interested and attract new business.

Keep an eye out for opportunities like the August Bank Holiday, Halloween and Bonfire Night and offer products themed around them when the time comes. 

At Cafe2U, we celebrated the Platinum Jubilee by adding some new items to our menus that were fit for a Queen, including the Eton Mess Milkshake, Cucumber & Mint Iced Tea and the English Toffee Iced Latte. Thankfully, our customers loved them!

Make sure you're environmentally-friendly

For many customers in 2022, eco-friendliness has become a necessity, with a significant number refusing to do business with companies that aren't overtly sustainable. 

If your franchise needs to drive extra footfall between now and the end of the year, review your marketing material and online presence to ensure you're making customers aware of just how sustainable your business is.

At Cafe2U, some of the green initiatives our franchisees can shout about include:

• our reusable or compostable cups

• our paper cup and coffee grounds recycling schemes

• our fully digitised, paper-free head office

• our sustainable and ethical partners and suppliers, and

• our fleet of emission-free, fully electric vehicles

Hit the road

If you need to increase the profitability of your franchise, it's a good idea to get off the beaten track every once in a while.

Every Cafe2U franchisee has an exclusive territory in which to operate but, no matter how well they know the area, untapped opportunities can often be found within it. If there's a good-sized park or sports field in your vicinity, find out if any upcoming events are taking place there - funfairs, charity events and performances by local bands or amateur dramatics groups will all provide you with an excellent opportunity to make new customers.

And don't forget to let people know where you'll be and when. Social media sites like Facebook and Instagram are great for getting a message out; you could also have pamphlets and flyers made up for some more traditional advertising.

Treat your customers kindly

Not for no reason is the phrase 'the customer is always right' still prevalent in the business world!

If you need to sell more of your product, one of the first things to review is your approach to customer service. Every person who visits you should be made to feel appreciated - after all, there are plenty of other places they could spend their money. Make sure you greet every customer, make eye contact, engage in small talk, go the extra mile to make sure they're happy with their order and generally treat them like royalty. Where possible, offer them a loyalty card to increase your chances of repeat business from them too.

Remember, people are much more likely to tell their friends and family about a bad experience than they are about a good one, so keeping your regular customers happy and making your new ones feel important is paramount. Doing this will give your franchise the boost it needs.

Take advantage of your franchisor's experience

If you need a helping hand, your franchisor is always there to help and offer advice and support, so don't be afraid to ask for help if your numbers aren't where you'd like them to be.  

Franchising opportunities with Cafe2U

There's never a bad time to join the franchising industry and at Cafe2U, all our franchisees receive all the training and support they need to make their business a success. If you're interested in investing in a Cafe2U franchise, click here for more information.

Celebrating National Biscuit Day 2022

Unless you've been living underground, you'll be aware that a hugely important and patriotic event to honour one of the finest, most respected and internationally beloved British institutions ever is taking place in just a few days' time.

We're talking, of course, about National Biscuit Day.

That's right, May 29th is National Biscuit Day. A time to reflect. To bow down in awe at the altar of these delectable delights. To buy - or bake - as many guilt-free biscuits as you like.

We're also aware that another important occasion is taking place over the next week or so, as Her Majesty the Queen celebrates 70 years on the throne with the Platinum Jubilee. In honour of both events, and because we know that she definitely has a sweet-tooth, we've taken it upon ourselves to rank what we imagine would be the Queen's favourite biscuits to enjoy with a coffee.

The best biscuits to have with a coffee (if you're the Queen)

5. Custard Creams

Due to the importance of upholding her image, there are certain things the Queen can't be seen to enjoy and, due to the mess it would make if she spilled it, one of those things is custard.

Patient, reliable, uplifting and good for any occasion, Custard Creams and Her Majesty have a lot in common. We're convinced she'd find room for them on her biscuit menu more often than not.

4. Chocolate Hobnobs

One of the UK's most popular biscuits, Hobnobs are knobbly, dense and oaty, which means they're an excellent choice for people who like to dunk their biscuits in their coffee. What could be better? Covering them in chocolate, of course!

Yes, while classic Hobnobs may be a little unrefined for the Queen's royal palate, Chocolate Hobnobs are a whole different story. It's easy to imagine Her Majesty settling down to enjoy a hot brew accompanied by a whole plate of them and savouring every indulgent bite in preparation for a busy evening entertaining foreign dignitaries.

3. Jaffa Cakes

Their spongy consistency may make them impossible to repeatedly dunk into a hot drink, but the orange to chocolate to biscuit/cake ratio is absolutely perfect and the chocolate is exactly dark enough to bring out the best in a top quality cup of coffee. After a long morning spent waving at strangers, a light but filling Jaffa Cake is the perfect snack to assuage Her Majesty's hunger without spoiling her lunch.

And yes, we know they're not technically biscuits and blah blah blah. The fact is they're the best of both worlds: cake-like but biscuit-shaped. On this occasion, we're claiming them for Queen, country and Team Biscuit.

2. Chocolate Fingers

As a notorious chocoholic, eating Chocolate Fingers is probably always high on Queen Elizabeth II's 'to-do' list.

Their beauty is how easy they are to eat, both literally and figuratively - they're small enough that HRH could eat several in one sitting without feeling overfull and so moreish that even if she was full, she'd probably still find room for a few more. The fact that they're sleek and easy to munch on the go means they'd also be the perfect treat for Her Majesty to pop in her handbag so she has a quick snack available at all times.

1. Milk Chocolate Digestives

Over the years, HRH has become extremely adept at hiding her boredom. A parade here, a speech there, it's all in a day's work for Her Majesty, which is why you never see her yawning or losing her concentration while on official business. Behind closed doors, however, it's impossible to imagine her standing for a boring biscuit with her afternoon coffee.

Enter the Milk Chocolate Digestive.

Where plain Digestives are boring, Milk Chocolate Digestives are fit for a fit Queen. Are they tasty? Chocolatey? Dunkable? Moreish? Light but filling? Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.

Quite simply, Milk Chocolate Digestives are the royal standard of biscuits and, as such, you can guarantee they're never out of stock in the royal biscuit jar.

Why not enjoy a Cafe2U coffee this National Biscuit Day?

If, like the Queen, you'll be eating a biscuit or two this Sunday, we have the coffee to pair them with. Find your nearest Cafe2U van here and let us deliver it direct to your door, then let us know if you agree or disagree with our royal biscuit selections - or have any other suggestions - on our social media channels.

Sustainability and the Coffee Industry

Taking place once a year, National Vegetarian Week encourages the public to switch to a vegetarian diet for a week in order to reduce carbon emissions, protect endangered wildlife and increase awareness of the benefits and pleasures of a meat-free lifestyle.

As our beloved coffee beans are already vegetarian-friendly, you might be wondering what this has to do with Cafe2U. What you might not be aware of are the steps we've taken to reduce our impact on the environment so, inspired by National Vegetarian Week, we've decided to round-up some of the ways in which we've made our business as sustainable as possible.

Offering customers sustainable products

To help alleviate the problem of disposable coffee cups, we offer our customers reusable Keep Cups. It is estimated that over 600 billion disposable cups are used and discarded to landfill globally every year. By using long-lasting cups which are made from durable, environmentally friendly materials, we're helping reduce the number of paper cups being used by the coffee industry.

We've also stopped using disposable paper cups altogether and replaced them with fully compostable cups instead. As well as requiring less carbon to produce, compostable cups reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and don't produce toxins when they break down, significantly reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. We've replaced all our plastic straws with biodegradable paper alternatives too.

Recycling

As well as offering a paper cup recycling scheme for customers who still use disposable cups, we've also launched a coffee grounds recycling initiative to counteract the 1.8 million tonnes of carbon emissions which are generated by the 500,000 tonnes of coffee waste disposed of in the UK every year. The initiative sees waste coffee grounds being recycled into bio-fuel pellets to power bio-mass boilers, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Going digital

In the last few years, we started doing away with paper. All files at head office have now been completely digitised and we've done away with traditional loyalty cards and physical pamphlets in favour of an app which allows our customers to receive news, offers and updates digitally instead, massively reducing the amount of paper we use.

Our partners and suppliers

We recently switched to an ethical and sustainable sandwich manufacturer to increase the range of products available to our customers. Real Wrap Co is the first food-to-go manufacturer in the world to achieve certified carbon negative status, meaning it removes more carbon from the atmosphere than it generates. It does this by supplying sandwiches in sustainable packaging which is plastic-free, 100% recyclable and sends zero waste to landfill.

We also have a long-standing partnership with a multi-certified ethical coffee roaster which uses traditional harvesting methods and cultivates long term relationships with its producers, buying from them year after year and paying sustainable prices significantly higher than the Fair Trade minimum.

Our vans

The most important sustainable change we've made in the last few years has been to our fleet of nearly 100 vans. First, we replaced their diesel generators with lithium-ion batteries, immediately reducing our emissions from in-van generators to zero. 

Then, in August 2021, we launched an all-new fleet of emission-free electric vehicles. By switching from petrol powered to electric vans, we expect to reduce our CO² emissions by a staggering 12,672g CO²/km per annum over time.

In addition to boasting zero emissions, the new vehicles are also silent, helping to combat noise pollution, and feature fewer moving parts and more effective brakes, meaning fewer replacement parts need manufacturing, reducing greenhouse gas emissions further still.

What plans do you have?

We're always looking for new ways to reduce our carbon footprint so we think National Vegetarian Week is a great idea and one we're firmly behind. If you're planning to go meat-free this week or have any other great sustainable ideas, let us know on our social media channels!

Best Coffee Cocktails

If you're the sort of superstitious person who won't walk under a ladder or open an umbrella indoors, the realisation that Friday the 13th 2022 is only a matter of hours away will probably have you trembling with fear. But on this occasion at least, there's no need to worry, because this Friday isn't just Friday the 13th… it's also World Cocktail Day!

A global celebration of the most fabulous and flamboyant of all drinks, World Cocktail Day takes place on May 13th every year to commemorate the publication date of the first definition of a cocktail way back in 1806.

In honour of this momentous day, we've picked out our top five coffee cocktail recipes for you to try at home. But first, some advice!

1) The key to good coffee cocktails is the coffee, so take the time to brew the best, richest coffee you can.

2) The following recipes are all extremely tasty but, in larger doses, caffeine + alcohol = headache, so please drink in moderation!

Black Russian

An all-time classic, Black Russians taste like fancy desserts and are guaranteed to give you an energy boost. Perfect as an after dinner drink, they're also incredibly simple to make. Okay, the recipe calls for coffee liqueur rather than actual coffee but let's not cut our delicious nose off to spite our face.

Ingredients

To make a Black Russian, you will need:

• 50ml vodka

• 25ml coffee liqueur

• ice

• 1 maraschino cherry

Just pour the vodka and coffee liqueur into a tumbler filled with ice and stir until well chilled, then add the cherry and serve.

Kentucky Whipped Coffee

Much as we enjoy an Irish coffee, this southern-fried variant is sweeter, smoother and enhances the coffee flavour, making it the perfect cocktail for true, moustache-twirling coffee aficionados.

Ingredients

To make a Kentucky Whipped Coffee, you will need:

• 4 tsp sugar

• 50ml bourbon

• 1 cup of fresh espresso coffee

• Double cream

Place the sugar and bourbon in a mug, then stir until thoroughly combined. Fill the mug with the coffee, then pour on a good dollop of cream via the back of a spoon to finish.

Dark Mint Dream Cocktail

For a refreshing twist on the coffee cocktail, this minty little number is chilled, indulgent and a dream come true for fans of iced coffee.

Ingredients

To make a Dark Mint Dream Cocktail, you will need:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup water

• 9 large mint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish

• 1 1/2 fl oz white rum

• 1 fl oz espresso

• 1 fl oz heavy cream

• 3/4 fl oz mint simple syrup

• 1 fl oz club soda

• Whipped cream, for garnish

Start by making a syrup. Put the sugar, water and 5 mint leaves in a saucepan over a medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and cover. Leave it to steep for 20 mins, then remove the mint leaves and allow to cool completely.

Next, place the 4 remaining mint leaves in a cocktail shaker and gently mash with a wooden spoon (or muddler, if you have one). Add the rum, espresso, cream and syrup, fill with ice and shake well. Pour straight into a cocktail glass filled with ice. Top with club soda, then garnish with whipped cream and the sprig of mint.

Café Royal

This low-alcohol drink is richer but less sweet than most other coffee-based cocktails, making it the perfect option for lazy afternoons spent in the garden.

Ingredients

To make a Café Royal, you will need:

• 15ml coffee liqueur

• 1 cup of fresh espresso coffee

• Whipped cream

• Cocoa powder

First, warm a coffee mug by filling it with boiling hot water. Leave it to sit for a few minutes, then pour the water out. Pour in the coffee liqueur and fill to within one inch of the top of the mug with the coffee. Top with the whipped cream and dust with cocoa powder.

Espresso Martini

No list of coffee-based cocktails would be complete without this British-born showstopper. First appearing in Soho in the '80s, Espresso Martinis are now so popular that London hosts an annual five-day festival to celebrate them!  

Ingredients

To make an Espresso Martini, you will need:

• 50g golden caster sugar

• ice

• 50ml vodka

• 25ml freshly brewed espresso coffee

• 25ml coffee liqueur

• 2 coffee beans

Begin by making a simple sugar syrup - put the caster sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat, pour in 25ml water, stir and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Meanwhile, put a martini glass in the fridge to chill

As soon as the syrup is cool, pour ½ tbsp into a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice, the vodka, coffee liqueur and espresso. Shake until the cocktail shaker feels cold in your hands, then strain into the chilled glass and garnish with the coffee beans.

Let Cafe2U come to your rescue this Friday 13th

At Cafe2U, the only thing that scares us is you running out of coffee, so our baristas will be out and about on the roads as normal on World Cocktail Day. If you're trying one of our recipes but need some top quality coffee to do it justice, contact your nearest Cafe2U van here and we'll deliver some right to your doorstep.

How to Get Involved with National Doughnut Week 2022

For those of us with a sweet tooth, choosing between sugary treats has arguably never been harder. Cookies, brownies, blondies, cakes, biscuits, chocolates, ice cream - where do you start?

In the doughnut section, of course!

That's right, tempting as all the other options may be, nothing beats a good doughnut. Whether sprinkled with sugar or covered with confectionery, doughnuts come in all shapes, sizes and flavours. And if you love doughnuts like we do, you're in luck because May 7th-15th is officially National Doughnut Week!

What is National Doughnut Week?

National Doughnut Week takes place every year and sees schools and businesses selling doughnuts to raise funds for The Children's Trust, the UK's leading charity for children with brain injury.

Taking part couldn't be simpler - anyone interested just needs to fill in an online form (available here) and you'll receive a goodie bag to help you prepare and promote your efforts. After that, you just need to make (or buy) plenty of doughnuts, sell them and send the proceeds to The Children's Trust.

What is The Children's Trust?

The Children's Trust runs a range of specialist care, education and therapy services for children and young people across the UK, including:

• Residential rehabilitation for children with an acquired brain injury

• Therapy-led support in the community for children with an acquired brain injury

• Special education for pupils with learning difficulties

• Transitional care for children who are technology dependent

• Palliative care

The Trust has helped countless families since its inception in 1984 and currently supports more than 1,200 children. As a charity, its incredible work is made possible by the support of the public and, with 100% of the funds raised during National Doughnut Week going straight into its pocket, every doughnut sold goes towards helping a truly fantastic cause.

How to make your own doughnuts

If you're planning to make your own doughnuts to sell, plenty of recipes are available online but here are a couple of our favourites - one for deep frying and one for baking.

Sugared doughnuts

Sweet, sugary and easy to eat on the go, these baked delights are impossible to resist.

Ingredients

To make 20 small doughnuts, you will need:

• 250g plain flour

• 1/2 x 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast

• 50g golden caster sugar, plus 50g extra

• 2 egg yolks

• 150ml milk, warmed

• 50g butter, melted, plus 2oz vegetable or sunflower oil, for shaping

Start by putting the flour, yeast, sugar and a 1⁄2 tsp of salt into a large bowl, mix, then make a well in the middle. Beat the egg yolks, milk and melted butter together, tip into the well, then bring together with a cutlery knife. Leave to stand for 10 mins, until the dough begins to firm.

Next, oil your work surface and your hands, then knead the dough for about 5 mins until it is smooth and springy. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for about 2 hrs or until doubled in size.

Knead the dough again, then shape into small balls and place on baking sheets, leaving plenty of space between each one. Cover again, then leave for 1 hr until risen. 

Finally, heat your oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5 and bake the balls for 12-15 mins until risen. Melt 50g butter in a pan and put 50g sugar into a large bowl. Let the doughnuts cool for a few mins, then brush with butter, roll in sugar and serve warm.

Jam doughnuts

Soft and oozing with jam, these light doughnuts are perfect for sharing.

Ingredients

To make approx 20 doughnuts, you will need: 

• 500g strong white bread flour

• 60g golden caster sugar

• 15g fresh yeast, crumbled

• 4 eggs

• ½ lemon, zested

• 2 tsp fine sea salt

• 125g softened unsalted butter

• 2 litres sunflower oil, for deep-frying

• caster sugar, for tossing

• 300g jam for filling

Put 150g water and all the dough ingredients except the butter into the bowl of a mixer with a beater paddle. Mix on a medium speed for 8 mins then leave to rest for 1 min. Set the mixer to medium speed and slowly add the butter to the dough – about 25g at a time. Once it's all incorporated, mix on high speed for 5 mins until the dough is smooth and stretchy.

Cover the bowl with cling film and leave somewhere warm until the dough has doubled in size. Leaving the dough in the bowl, knock the air out of it, then re-cover and leave in the fridge overnight.

Remove the dough from the fridge and cut into 50g pieces. Roll each piece into tight bun shapes and place them on a floured baking tray, leaving plenty of room between each one. Cover with cling film and leave for 4 hrs. Fill your deep-fat fryer or heavy-based saucepan halfway with oil and heat it to 180C.

When the oil is heated, carefully slide the doughnuts into it using a floured pastry scraper. Do 2-3 per batch, depending on the size of your fryer or pan. Fry for 2 mins each side until golden brown, then remove from the fryer and place them on kitchen paper. Remember to keep checking the oil temperature - if it's too high, the doughnuts will burn; if it's too low they'll become greasy.

Once fried, toss each doughnut in a bowl of caster sugar while still warm. Then make a hole with a small knife in the crease of each one, anywhere around the white line between the fried top and bottom. Fill a piping bag with your favourite kind of jam (or custard!) and pipe into the doughnut until nicely swollen – about 1 tbsp per doughnut. Serve warm.

The best doughnuts to have with coffee

All this talk of doughnuts has got us thinking - which doughnuts go best with coffee? Obviously we had to find out! Here are our top three doughnuts to enjoy with a fresh brew.

3. Sainsbury's apple and raspberry jam doughnuts

Yep, sometimes you can't see the wood for the trees and if you refuse to go anywhere but specialist doughnut shops for your favourite snacks, you're definitely missing a trick.

These soft, lightly sugar-coated treats have the perfect ratio of jam to dough, ensuring you get plenty of the delicious jam with every bite. They go brilliantly with a cappuccino for a mid-morning pick-me-up and you can get five for £1!

2. Anything from Doboy Donuts

Sometimes you just want something simple and classic with your afternoon coffee. Sometimes, however, you want a massive glazed doughnut that's filled with cream and piled high with chocolate.

With a menu that changes each week, Doboy eschews subtlety in favour of banoffee pie doughnuts covered in whipped cream, Biscoff doughnuts stuffed with Biscoff cream and topped with vanilla fudge or bright pink Jammy Dodger doughnuts that have a whole Jammy Dodger sitting on top.

Probably not the place to go if you're on a diet but if it's a special doughnut you're after, look no further.

1. Krispy Kreme's original glazed doughnut

Grabbing a coffee and a doughnut for breakfast is as American as apple pie so it's no surprise that Krispy Kreme knows a thing or two about it.

These no-frills doughnuts are simply perfect. Light, flavourful, not too dense, not too chewy, seriously tasty and somehow made even better when paired with a flat white coffee. If you've never tried one, trust us, now is the time.

Happy Doughnut Week!

While doughnuts will obviously be the stars of the show over the coming week, there's a reason coffee and doughnuts are such a beloved combo. If you'd like one of our trained baristas to bring you - or your customers - a coffee while you man your doughnut stall, you can get in touch with your nearest Cafe2U van here.