Business

Good Times Café Instagram: @goodtimesuk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodtimescafeuk “Give me a good sharp knife and a good sharp cheese and I’m a happy man.” – George R.R. Martin Who are Good Times? Next up in Pulse’s ‘Street Food Sensations’ series are the 2022 ‘MK Street Food of the Year’ winners, Good Times Café. Good Times serve up an array of cheese-based products and a vast selection of hot drinks and local, handmade treats. Specialising in gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, barista-brewed coffee and home bakes, their delicious creations are all served with a smile from their retro pistachio-green, classic Citroen HY Van. I have been lucky enough to sample plenty of the offerings from Good Times Café over the last few years. What's On the Menu... During the Olney Great Taste Food and Drink Fair, I opted for their Roast Beef Special. This consisted of a toasted sandwich filled with roast beef,..

The Rub BBQ Instagram: @therub_bbq Website: https://www.therubbbq.co.uk/ “A recipe has no soul; you as the cook must bring soul to the recipe” – Thomas Keller. The Rub BBQ is a Milton Keynes street food institution. It was founded due to the owner’s love for wood-smoked meats (especially ribs) and authentic American-inspired BBQ sauces. The inspiration he took from Stateside led him to create his own BBQ dry rub and so ‘The Rub BBQ’ was born! All The Rub’s rubs (!), marinades and sauces are made from scratch; the ingredients are often wood-smoked to create their own unique depth of flavour and are locally sourced, where possible and, if you weren’t already sold, The Rub is a family run business. I have tasted many of the delights from The Rub BBQ over the past few years, from ‘The Rib Tickler’ – half a rack of British pork baby-back ribs, smoked over..

You better hurry because Father's Day is fast approaching! We here at MK Pulse know that Milton Keynes is a truly vibrant city – it is host to a plethora of fantastic independent businesses, shops and sellers. From delicious meals, drinks and discounted experiences, this year's local Father's Day offers are not to be missed. We’ll walk you through some of the best deals, ensuring that your Dad has a Father's Day to remember! Experiences The Shack MK Home to all things BBQ, the Shack MK is a fantastic Father’s Day find; hosting a variety of day-classes, treat the special man in your life to lessons in over-the-fire cooking. Check out the Shack MK’s future classes here: https://buyabbq.com/collections/bbq-class. Alternatively, you could always pick up some grill-based goodies from their shop! Find out more on their website https://buyabbq.com/ D Pizza Guy Hosting a variety of pop-up supper clubs in the Hanslope..

TFA Marketing has built a solid reputation from its base in the old Wolverton carriage works, with a strong emphasis on listening to their clients and keeping branding in-house. People have always been at the heart of TFA, the multi-award winning branding and creative marketing agency based in Milton Keynes. Managing director Darren Isaac has built a thriving agency which currently has a 28-strong team of professionals who boast an extensive range of skills and experience.  The agency’s divisions cover many individual services including brand, strategy, marketing, creative, advertising, web, digital and video. This wealth of experience and skills mean each client can ‘pick and mix’ what services they want and, through working together they can deliver the agency’s pledge: Building better brands. “It is so important to listen to the client. Each will have different ideas so, rather than acting like a bull in a china shop, we can..

If you weren’t already aware, National Doughnut Week is an annual event that aims to raise funds for The Children’s Trust. National Doughnut Week 2023 spans 20th–28th May this year, and what better way to raise awareness of the day than to look at some of the wholly (or, should I say, *holey*) delicious local doughnut sellers we have in and around Milton Keynes. Amazing Grains of Olney First up is a place that I, quite frankly, want to keep secret because it’s just such a hidden gem. Amazing Grains of Olney are a small bakery based in Olney, Buckinghamshire who specialise in producing ‘real’ bread and baked products using traditional methods; they only use flour (mainly from Shipton Mill), water, yeast and salt. Their bread contains no additives or processing aids and they give their baked..

Get ready for an experience like no other! Join us on Sunday 3rd September at Bradwell Abbey for a street feast hosted by Sophie etc., Toybox and MK City Discovery Centre. Sophie’s Street Feast will bring together an eclectic and exciting mix of local street food vendors, offering an array of delicious dishes inspired by cuisines from around the world, with something for everyone to enjoy. Proceeds from the event will support some of Milton Keynes’ fabulous small charities including Toybox, St Marks Meals and Girl Pack MK.    Sophie Neal, blogger for Sophie etc. says: “Having worked closely with Toybox over the past nine months, I have seen the value of the work they do for street children around the world. St Mark’s Meals and Girl Pack share their values and support the community a little closer to home, so they made a natural partnership for this event. Milton..

Great Gelato Last week I took a trip to one of my Stony Stratford favourites, Great Gelato. Until the end of January, they are offering a ‘BOGOF’ offer on their thick, traditional original Italian hot chocolates. We got 2 giant cups of what I can only describe as the very BEST hot chocolate I’ve ever had in the UK for £3.50 in total: an absolute steal! If you fancy something different, every week Great Gelato have a whole host of different options including: daily specials, gelato, cookies, brownies, pizza slices and more. All their products are freshly made on site, every day. T’s and C’s: Both Hot Chocolates must be the same flavour and exclude extras. This offer is not valid on Signature or Seasonal Hot Chocolates or Hot Chocolate Combos. Website: https://www.greatgelato.com/ Hustle Gin Local luxury award-winning gin company Hustle Gin is currently offering amazing New Year discounts across their..

itsu has finally landed in Milton Keynes, having celebrated the opening of their first location in Buckinghamshire last Wednesday. The Asian-inspired, healthy fast-food restaurant brand opened inside Centre:MK in Milton Keynes at 11am on Wednesday 14th December. The healthy haven of fast, nutritious, beautiful food will offer local residents and businesses alike a delicious range of hot & cold dishes to takeaway, dine in with their friends or be delivered to local offices as a fresh meal option. “We’re looking forward to opening our first branch in Buckinghamshire while creating new career opportunities for locals on the lead-up to Christmas. Our new location nearby to John Lewis will be the perfect stop-off for those looking for a nutritious & affordable meal to keep them feeling healthy and happy throughout the festive shopping period.” - Neil Miller, Chief Customer Officer. itsu’s ‘steamed not fried’ philosophy sees their menu including hot noodle..

If you haven’t already heard of ‘The Gamechanger Kitchen’ in Giffard Park, I’d be surprised. This gem of a café has recently undergone a fairly substantial expansion – and for good reason; TGK was crowned as the ‘Best Coffee Business/Café’ at the prestigious MK Food and Leisure Awards this year. I am lucky enough to live just a stone’s throw away from this incredible café which means I have seen first-hand the huge transformation it has gone through over the past year. A little bit on the owner, Alessandra: having been forced out of a 9-5 job in 2018 and ending up working the odd shift in her father’s coffee shop, Alessandra’s passion for health-conscious but tasty food and drink started to take off. Taking over the café inside ‘Fitness First’ in November 2019 seemed like a great move, until..

Taking place on 24 March 2022 at Stadium MK, the Milton Keynes Business Achievement Awards present an exciting opportunity for businesses to reflect on their highlights and share their successes with the Milton Keynes business community. The theme for the 2022 awards is ‘MK – Leading the UK’s Green Recovery – Survive, Revive & Thrive’ but the entry categories go far and beyond that central topic: Environmental Sustainability – sponsored by: Mazars Charity of the Year – sponsored by: PJ Care Design & Creativity – sponsorship available Culture & Arts – sponsorship available Technology Business – sponsored by: Integral Powertrain New Business – sponsored by MK:U and Cranfield University Customer Service – sponsorship available Leisure & Entertainment – sponsorship available Professional Services – sponsored by: dbfb Business Impact in the Community – sponsorship available Small & Medium Business – sponsorship available Entrepreneur of the Year – sponsored by: MacIntyre Hudson..

Local people are being invited to take advantage of a Will writing service this October as the Willen Hospice Will Month returns. The charity has teamed up with solicitors and Will Writing Professionals to make this service available for anyone who would like to create a new Will or change an existing one. Throughout the whole of October, they are offering to write Wills in return for a donation to the Hospice. People have the choice to complete their Will in the comfort of their own homes by using the fast and simple online service, or by booking a face-to-face appointment. Lynn O’Gorman, Head of Development at Willen Hospice, said: “It’s never too early to write your Will, and if it’s been a task on your to-do list, Will Month gives you the perfect opportunity to tick it off. Your donation, no matter how big or small, makes a real..

Prologis DIRFT Zero Carbon Tour. Join us on the next stop of the Zero Carbon Tour in Northamptonshire sharing the net zero message with the local business community.  The #ZeroCarbonTour is headed to Prologis DIRFT in Northamptonshire as they make their way through the UK to COP26 in Glasgow in November, sharing the net zero message with the business community. Join them and their hosts, Prologis as we accelerate the UN-backed Race to Zero as part of the UK's #TogetherForOurPlanet campaign. Shaping a brighter future is not something any one organisation can achieve alone. It requires collaborative and decisive action that will create a future of unprecedented business opportunities – finding new growth and talent, lowering costs and building greater resilience. On the day, you’ll see the UK's first 100% electric coach, affectionately named the ‘Carbon Battle Bus’, find out more about the UN-backed Race to Zero and Together For..

For Square Media Solutions, success is about nurturing and developing a long-term relationship with its clients. Collaboration, says managing director Matthew Rigby-White, is key. That is why the company is so excited about a new partnership it has forged with Pulse Group Media, publisher of the lifestyle MK Pulse and NN Pulse magazines and of Business Times and Business MK, the leading business newspapers in Northamptonshire, Milton Keynes, North Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire. The link-up will see Square Media bring its expertise in web design and functionality to upgrade the websites of the area’s leading publications in their field, bringing them closer to their customers as they evolve to meet the changing demands and needs of their customers. And Pulse Group Media will deliver Square Media’s message to its total readership of more than 200,000. “We have the digital capability and expertise and Pulse Group Media has fantastic reach and reputation,”..

This month’s article is about ways you can find and secure new customers for little to no spend. What’s not to like about that? What many people don’t realise is that the old payment model for software has completely changed so there is plenty of software available that doesn’t have to cost you a penny. SaaS and how it has changed the way we pay for software Largely, gone are the days when you paid for a software license. It came in a nice box with a manual and you owned it forever. Most software developers now prefer a cloud-based Software as a Service, or SaaS, model meaning you pay for the software monthly or annually and what you pay is based on the features you choose and how many people use it. The downsides to this are that you never really own it, the costs can change at any..

Destination Milton Keynes (DMK), the official visitor and tourism information provider for the city, is offering all businesses within the retail, leisure, hospitality, arts and culture sectors a free listing on their recently re-launched website. The visitor economy has been the hardest hit sector during the COVID pandemic with some businesses being shut for over a year. Yet pre-pandemic the visitor economy was worth more than £230 million to the Milton Keynes area, so it is vitally important that it gets back up and running as soon as it is safe to do so. In an effort to help the recovery of this sector, DMK is offering all businesses looking to increase footfall from visitors a free listing on its new website. Businesses can simply head to the website, upload their details and an image to create their own free listing...