Chicken & Blues’ food truck rolls into town!
We’re excited to finally, and quite literally, get this show on the road! The Chicken & Blues Food Truck has been in development for around 12 months. We purchased a 7-metre Hymer Motorhome which has undergone a full conversion, with a restaurant-quality kitchen and the capacity to bring Mama’s Home Cookin’ to 1000s of guests per day. It was a complex project with no expense spared – every inch has been rebuilt and thought about in great detail. The truck is available to book for a variety of private and public events. We’re already confirmed for legendary local events such as Christchurch Food Festival, Sandpolo, Sandfest, and Southampton Boat Show.
Get in touch with our team if you have any enquiries for 2023 and beyond.. Click HERE.
C&B nominates The Steve Bernard Foundation as Charity of 2023
Press Release – Monday 13th February
C&B is delighted to announce that The Steve Bernard Foundation will be its chosen charity of the year. The foundation was set up in memory of the affectionately named ‘Stevie B’ following his tragic passing in a car accident in November 2005.
Since the foundation was formed in February 2006, it has gone on to raise more than £500,000 for sporting projects based across Dorset. To date, the foundation has supported more than 400 projects covering more than 30 sports and 4 continents.
The foundation, run entirely by volunteers, has offered guidance, financial support and predominantly equipment to a range of good causes, from supporting the AFC Bournemouth Ability Counts Team to potential Olympic athletes of the future; from providing new kit to local boxing clubs to funding outreach projects in Thailand, Uganda and Kenya.
Everything which has been achieved has been guided by Steve’s memory and an incredible passion for sport.
Steve Crawford, C&B: “One of C&B’s core values is to support the local community whenever possible. As a vehicle for this, we have set up the Chicken & Blues Neighbourhood Fund, with all C&B merchandise sales, alongside our annual C&B Live Music event, contributing valuably each year. For 2023, we are delighted to be supporting The Steve Bernard Foundation – a charity that is close to the hearts of many C&B Patrons, and the community as a whole. With the generosity and support of C&B’s fan base, we look forward to working towards a meaningful donation that will be redirected by the foundation to a number of local projects”.
Craig Mathie, The Steve Bernard Foundation:
“We are incredibly proud and thankful to have been selected as Chicken & Blues’ charity of the year for 2023. Over the past 17 years we have supported many thousands of people in their sporting endeavours whilst helping to keep Stevie’s memory alive in the area he called home. The support of inspirational local businesses and their wonderful customers mean that we can continue to be a lifeline for sport across the region. The SBF is run entirely by volunteers meaning that all the funds we receive from C&B will go directly to the projects we support.”
About Stevie B
Stephen John Bernard or ‘Stevie B’ as he was affectionately known by all who loved him, was tragically killed in a car accident on the 2nd November 2005. The crash happened on the A27 near Chichester and also cost two of Steve’s fellow university colleagues their lives.
Steve was loved and respected by all who met him, the sheer number of people who turned up at St Marks Church for the funeral is testament to his character. Steve will forever be remembered by all of those who were lucky enough to meet him and is greatly missed by all.
Steve will be fondly remembered for his love of sport and in particular football, for which he had prestigious talent. He graced football pitches as far away as Ipswich but there are two local clubs which he held particularly close to his heart. The Grange, at Bournemouth Sports Club, was the team with which he flourished as a youngster.
At 16 Steve signed for Christchurch FC following a flurry of offers from around the county. He played some of his best football at Hurn Bridge and he will be greatly missed by all those at the clubs which helped turn him into the fine footballer he undoubtedly was.
Read more about The Steve Bernard Foundation HERE
£2,000 raised for MYTIME Young Carers!
Chicken & Blues is proud to announce that a total of £2,000 was raised in 2022 for our charity partner of the year, MYTIME Young Carers.
Steve Crawford, C&B co-founder: “We’d like to take this opportunity to thank C&B Patrons across the region for supporting us in raising funds for a great local charity. It has been great to work alongside Krista and her team and to learn more about the valuable work the charity undertakes throughout the year. We hope the carers have a fantastic day out!”
Krista Sharp, CEO MYTIME Young Carers: “Thank you to everyone at Chicken & Blues, from the team, to the very generous fans, for helping us raise such a meaningful amount of money for the young carers – £2,000 is enough to send 80 young carers ice skating, which will be a very special ‘Making Memories’ day out.”
MYTIME Young Carers fights for the rights of young carers to ensure they receive the support, opportunities and friendship that every child needs and deserves. Learn more HERE.
Chicken & Blues heads to Christchurch!
Press Release: Wednesday 4th January
Dear C&B Patrons.
Today we are excited to bring you news that we have acquired a fantastic site in Christchurch for Chicken & Blues’ 3rd location in BCP.
Over the years, many hundreds of you have requested that we take Mama’s Home Cookin’ to Christchurch, and we have therefore been on the lookout for the right opportunity. After a few deals fell through last year, we must admit we started to feel that it wasn’t meant to be!
However… we stayed patient, and in October we were offered the brilliant James and White restaurant, just a stone’s throw from the Priory and Quay, right in the heart of what is a beautiful area. We feel fortunate to have found the perfect spot for C&B, and look forward to meeting many old and new faces when we open the doors some time in February.
With the acquisition of James and White Group, we have also taken ownership of James and White restaurant in Boscombe Spa, formerly Reef Encounter. This cool beachside location will become the second home to our café bar concept, Flamingo. Some of you may have heard of it, and we know a few of you have checked it out! Learn more about Flamingo Café Bar here > www.flamingocafes.com
As always, we remain appreciative of your support, and will continue to work hard to refine and improve services to you this year.
Our best,
Josh & Steve
Co-founders
Chicken & Blues
Pic: James and White, Christchurch.
Christmas specials – available ’til Christmas Eve!
We’re delighted to announce that we have not one, but two Christmas Specials this year, and both are available to order from today (24th November) until Christmas Eve!
Mama’s Christmas Wrap: BBQ Chicken, Cranberry Sauce, Sprout Slaw, Sage & Onion Stuffing, Roasted Wedges, and Crispy Bacon, wrapped in a lightly grilled Tortilla.
Cake Shake Seasonal Special: Enjoy a generous slice of Christmas-inspired Ginger Cake, spun with Vanilla Shake – pure indulgence this party season!
Available for dine-in, takeaway, and delivery across Bournemouth and Poole.
Chicken & Blues partners with Foundation Sports and Play
C&B is delighted to announce the start of a formal 12-month partnership with Foundation Sports and Play, an award-winning sports coaching company that delivers high-quality sessions into schools and surrounding communities, to children of all ages and abilities, from a mixture of backgrounds.
Foundation Sports and Plays’ innovative programmes are the grass roots of sport. They base all of their sessions on the structured principles of fun, inclusion and learning, via their very own published curriculum that is delivered through a number of different programs at various locations across Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole.
As part of this partnership, C&B will give a complimentary C&B Juniors Meal to every child that attends the various camps across the next 12 months.
Joshua Simons, C&B: ‘Foundation Sports and Play is a fantastic initiative which brings kids together and focuses on sports, activities, and healthy living. The Chicken & Blues Neighbourhood Fund was set up for the purpose of supporting the community, and as such giving away C&B Juniors Meals to the many hundreds of local kids that will attend, is something we’re proud to support’.
Josh Brown, Foundation Sports and Play: ‘It’s great to join forces with Chicken & Blues with this giveaway, which will no doubt be a welcome gift for many of our local families during this cost of living crisis. Our next camp is in December, and we look forward to welcoming everyone!’
You can book children from 4-13 years old onto holiday camps at the following link: www.foundation-play.com.
Up to 1,000 C&B Juniors meals giveaway this half term
Friday 21st October 2022
Chicken & Blues has announced that it will be giving away up to 1,000 C&B Juniors meals this half term, to support local families in response to the cost of living crisis.
This giveaway is in partnership with the Chicken & Blues Neighbourhood Fund, which was initially set up in the pandemic, and has since become part of C&B’s ongoing commitment to support the community whenever possible.
This giveaway is not reliant on guests purchasing other items on the menu. Simply register at the link, ensure you have an account on the C&B Patrons App, and redeem the gift within the stipulated times. Please see terms and conditions below.
Steve Crawford, C&B co-founder: “The cost of living crisis has been broadly spoken about in the media recently, and is now impacting many of us, especially young families. Myself, my business partners and many of our team members have children, and we know all too well how treating the kids during the half term break can be costly and stressful. As such, we’re delighted to offer up to 1,000 kids a meal on the house, and hope it brings some joy to local families during this tough time”.
How it works:
• Click the ‘register now’ button below and enter your mobile number
• If you’re already a C&B App member, the gift will appear in your App Rewards
• If you’re not a C&B App member, you will be asked to download the C&B App and register an account. The C&B Juniors meal gift will appear in the App Rewards section when you register your account.
• You can redeem the gift by ordering through the C&B App for collection or dine in, or over the counter (speak to a member of C&B’s team on arrival)
Ts&Cs:
You can redeem a C&B Juniors meal between 11am-6pm, any day of the week, from Saturday 22nd October ’til Monday 31st October. C&B Juniors are classified as children who are under 12 years old. One C&B Juniors meal per member, for collection or dine-in. Maximum 2 per family. Shakes not included. Please speak to a member of the C&B team on arrival in either Bournemouth (Winton) or Poole (Ashley Cross) to redeem. See you soon, and love to the family!
Our 9th birthday message + a free gift!
Date: Thursday 15th September 2022.
Dear C&B Patrons,
We write to you today from Bristol, where we have travelled up to meet some new C&B recruits, and have watched with pride as the first orders have been despatched to residents of this great city. We’re excited to be taking Mama’s Home Cookin’ to a new territory!
It’s also our 9th birthday today. We look back to our first day in business, when we opened the doors in 2013 – and are thankful for the support of Patrons across Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole over the years. Whilst we have come a long way together, we feel we’ve only just begun. Let’s see where the next few years takes us!
To celebrate our birthday, and as a show of thanks, we are today launching an online scratch card, where everyone’s a winner. We invite you to play and win one of a number of different prizes, which can be redeemed at C&B until the end of October 2022.
As always, we appreciate your ongoing custom.
Josh & Steve
Joshua Simons & Steve Crawford
Co-founders
Chicken & Blues
P.S. we are currently in the process of signing a deal on a new C&B shop, close to home. Keep your eyes peeled – we’ll be announcing this soon!
Champions lunch with Chris Billam-Smith and Lee Cutler! 🥊🐔
It was great to welcome professional boxers Chris Billam-Smith and Lee Cutler for a ‘Champions Lunch’ at Chicken & Blues Ashley Cross this past week, after a successful show at the Bournemouth International Centre.
Chris won on points against Isaac Chamberlain, whilst Lee won on points against Meshack Mwankemwa. The fights were broadcast on Sky Sports, with C&B’s logo seen on Chris’ fight shorts, and on the back of his trainers’ t-shirts!
Bournemouth boxing is officially on the map…
Congratulations Chris and Lee – you’re doing the town proud – hope you enjoyed your well deserved feast!
From all at C&B.
