Flamingos can only eat with their heads upside down. There is no requirement to read this week’s news upside down. But it might help.

Good news

This week’s good news is that on Friday you can get a free smoothie in the Daily Telegraph. That’s right. Free. Completely free. None of this collect-the-tokens-write-a-random-amount-cheque-and-badger-the-postman-til-it-arrives nonsense. Just buy yourself a copy of the Telegraph this Friday (26th June), exchange torn out coupon for your free smoothie in Tesco and enjoy a free helping of 2 of your 5-a-day on us until Sunday. What’s more, there’s also a 50p off coupon any of our little bottles in Tesco and that’s valid until next Friday. Now that’s what I call good news.

Strawberry chat

What with summer solstice on Sunday, Wimbledon on Monday and Glastonbury set to be boiling this weekend*, summer is officially here and that can only mean one thing – strawberry time. Whether you dust your berries with black pepper or sugar, or douse them in cream or a splash of balsamic vinegar, it's important to get the best tasting fruit to start with. So here’s some top tips from our berry buyer, Dan, to get the most out of your berries whilst ogling Roddick’s latest moves:

Dan’s top tips
• Colour is key. Berries need to be red the whole way round. Any white tips/shoulders on the fruit means it’s slightly under ripe and will probably taste a bit sour.
• Size is not important. In Spain, you can get strawberries as big as your fist and they still taste as sweet as those tiny little ones. Go for vibrant red wherever possible.
• Keep them refrigerated but don’t eat them chilled. The flavour intensifies as they warm up. So get them out 20 minutes or so before you want to eat them.

Long Distance Nick

Do you live on the coast? Know of any potters, surfboard makers or fiddle polishers who work nearby? Well, if you do, here’s your chance to make them famous. Our friend Nick is spending the next 3 months cycling 5000 miles or so clockwise round the coast of Britain, making little films all about the artisan types who live and work there. Seeing as it’s just Nick, his bike and his camera, (plus a few pairs of pants) he’s keen for any recommendations you might have on where to go, who to meet and so on. So if you know of any nice places to stay (with or without a tent), interesting craftsmen, good cafes or free hot showers along the way, then post your suggestions here . Nick will be popping into Fruit Towers in August (on a detour to see Wilco play) so we’ll update you on his cycling tales/saddle sore then. In the meantime you can follow his progress here.

And finally...

*fingers crossed

This week’s news is a bit like Russell Crowe's character from 'A Beautiful Mind', playing an international spy in another movie. Inquisitive, nutty and a little bit recycled.

Nutty balls ready…

According to HR experts, getting away from your desk and having a little break every hour significantly enhances productivity levels. And if you happen to be looking to up your hazelnut chocolate quota and break a world record whilst constructively skiving, then so much the better. Last Thursday afternoon, 6 people here did just that when they attempted to break the world record for eating as many Ferrero Rocher as possible in a minute. Fraggle was methodical in her approach, Mav all encompassing in his but in the end it was Richard who reigned triumphant. Unfortunately, someone forgot to ask the World Record people along to adjudicate. But on the upside, productivity levels soared due to the post-record-break sugar rush. Click here to see more.

Gangster wrap

Here at innocent, we know that gangsters spend most of their days sitting about, doing pretty much nothing but admiring their worldly possessions. And that's what the Recycle Now campaign at WRAP* is encouraging all of us to do. Well, sort of. They've reminded us that recycling doesn't just involve collecting an array of cereal boxes to make Tracy Island off Thunderbirds or amassing enough dog hair around the house to knit yourself a lovely hat (it happens). Recycling also involves just wasting less. Do more by doing less. 'Lets Waste Less' is the theme for this year’s Recycle Week which is taking place between 22nd - 28th June. So why not make like a gangster and do less, capiche?

Have you seen the green?

Kiwis, apples and limes is the most recent addition to our innocent family and as well as being banana-free and green as you like, it’s also fast becoming a permanent fixture on our ‘favourite recipes of all time’ list. But seeing as that list is rather long (and somewhat biased) we’re keen to know what you think of this recipe, whether you’ve tried it yet or not. All you need to do is answer a couple of very short questions here and maybe win yourself one of 5 multi-coloured boxes of smoothies for your trouble.

And finally...

Big well done to Natalie, Adam and Nia who won last week's camping competition. Remember, always pitch your tent on the leeward side of a west facing slope on Wednesdays.

And finally finally...

This week’s news contains the latest in vending technology, innovative veg and some cats in a cafe. A saucer of milk to go. No sprinkles, please.

Summer’s here

Our new summer seasonal veg pot - spicy chermoula with aubergine, yoghurt and fresh spinach - hits the shops this week. It’s a pretty clever recipe because as fast as it warms you up, it cools you down again. No new fangled technology or free-pass-to-the-plunge-pool involved though. It’s all down to the yoghurt and chermoula (a blend of spices, guaranteed to give a little kick to whatever you add it to). We’re giving away 3 boxes of this new recipe along with a mini camping cookery kit, so you can dine outside your tent in proper al fresco style this summer. To bag yourself a set, just click here.

Decisions, decisions

December. Seems a long way off right now but it’s a month when important decisions get made. Aside from the old turkey or festive omelette debate and deciding whether to buy Phil hair straighteners again, it’s also when the next climate change summit will be held in Copenhagen. World leaders will be gathered to make potentially massive decisions about the future of our planet (how much to reduce emissions, offset carbon and so on). The forward thinking folk at Friends of the Earth have started a petition to urge them to do the right thing by all of us and our climate and you can contribute right here. Meantime, if you’re still stuck on what to buy Phil, get some inspiration here.

Vend away

A few weeks ago, we showed you some egg vending machines – a true feat of technology, given the ones we’re used to have a knack of getting stuck on E7: Toffee Crisps. Turns out you can now get pretty much anything you want from such glass fronted wonders - umbrellas, fish bait, loo roll, even a deep crust Hawaiian with extra pineapple. Not that this was what Charlie H and Helen ordered when they came across a pizza vending machine in France. Being as it was the artisan model and all that. If you happen to pass any unusual vending machines on your travels, drop us a line and pic to hello@innocentdrinks.co.uk (especially if it happens to do a full fry up, complete with very milky tea).

And finally...

Happy Birthday, Gemini. The sun and moon are perfectly aligned to give lost love a second try, a discarded vase in a skip is valuable and luck calls at 6pm sharp. Everyone else - it’s not your birthday yet so instead of vague predictions, here’s this week’s news to read after the crossword.

Back on the telly

Depending on when you’re reading this, options for teatime viewing tonight are a toss up between Home & Away and Derek Acorah (or if you’re reading this on Thursday, May Contain Nuts and Biggest Loser). Sandwiched in between ghost hunting, Summer Bay scandal and your fish finger bruschetta, will be our new advert. In case you’re not sure, it’ll be the one in the park with a meandering smoothie, some birdsong and a disappearing strawberry. Not that we’re ruining the ending or anything - more whetting your appetite in a faux trailer sort of way. If you can’t wait til tonight to watch it or have your advanced ikebana class instead, then just click here for a sneak preview.

A little film

After today, we promise to stop banging on about our AGM (till next year at any rate). But before we stop yapping on, we wanted to show you a little film that Fit Jim made of the day. For the record, Fit Jim is not his real name* but it’s what the ladies of FT call him, and as well as being rather dashing, he’s also very good at capturing ‘the moment’ on camera. You can see the cracking job, he did of recording our AGM right here (though as he’s a modest sort of chap, unfortunately there are no close ups of Jim. That’s the next film we’re commissioning).

Man of the Year

Last Tuesday, Philippe from our French office donned the latest in casual chic and nipped off work early to collect Marketing Magazine's "Marketing Man of the Year" award at a swanky do in Paris. This prize is awarded annually to the person who has made the most impact with a brand and Philippe fended off some stiff competition from Orangina and Nintendo to bag the coveted title. After thanking his team and his mum in his acceptance speech, Philippe promised to buy a new blazer for future public appearances, quaffed some bubbles and spent the remainder of the evening trying to figure out where his new title ‘MMOTY’ was going to go on his business cards.

And finally...

*it’s Jamie Hotface.