It's been a year since MasterChef contestant Chris Hale graced our screens with his outlandish food and banter. 

And as the plates are getting heated again for a new series of the show, Mr Hale describes what life has been like since making it to the quarter-finals of the popular BBC cooking contest. 
"I really enjoyed the challenge of being on the show. 
"I love cooking and creating recipes so having a platform to showcase these on was phenomenal." 

And Mr Hale's creations were well received with his Indian Sushi going viral online as well as his chocolate soil dessert proving popular amongst foodies nationwide. 
The father-of-two said: "It was a whirlwind being on the show and one of the best experiences of my life.
"It's always hard being knocked out as you can't help but want to learn more, keep cooking and win.

"But the experience was so positive and it inspired me to do more with my cooking."
Mr Hale, 30, from Sandal in Wakefield, made the most of his TV fame and immersed himself into the catering world, working freelance as a chef across Europe. 
Not one to rest on his laurels, the trained sports scientist and altitude trainer, also collaborated with fellow MasterChef contestants.

Mr Hale said: "A few of us from the show kept in touch, so I arranged for us to take over a few restaurants together, creating our own menu. 
"And they helped to cater for my wedding last summer at Unity Works." 
Business quickly boomed for the Yorkshire-based entrepreneur and he set up his company Pop Up North. 

He said: "At Pop Up North we provide pop up restaurants, private dining, buffets and events catering all with a fine dining twist.
"I've also been invited to host cookery demos, private workshops and judge cooking contests.

"I've gone from being a self-taught home cook to now judging trained professional chefs, it's pretty amazing really. 
"What an incredible year for my family and I. 
"And this coming year is set to be even better and busier." 
Mr Hale is also looking forward to blogging at mamamei.co.uk (his wife's family, food and health blog) about the new series which starts tonight. 
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He said: "It's daunting being a contestant on reality TV but with hard work and determination it can be a great way to showcase your skills to millions of people.
"Although I am glad this year to just relax and enjoy the show from the comfort of my own home with my family." 
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MasterChef is back tonight, BBC One, 8pm. 
For more on Mr Hale and Pop Up North, go to: Pop-upnorth.co.uk
Follow him and his reactions on the new show live on twitter @AllHaleChris and Facebook.com/popupnorthfood 

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One of Chris Hale's DIY 'dinner at home' recipes: 

Chickpea, tomato & spinach curry (serves 2)
Ingredients:
1 onion - 2 garlic cloves, chopped
3cm/1¼ in piece ginger - 3 ripe tomatoes
1 tsp ground cumin - 2 tsp ground coriander
1 head of broccoli - 400g can chickpeas, drained
200g spinach leaves - 1 lemon
1 tin chopped tomatoes - 100g rice
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Method (prep):
Put the onion, garlic, ginger and tomatoes in a food processor or blender and whizz to a purée.
Heat oil in a large pan. Add the spices, fry for a few secs and add purée. Bubble together for 2 mins, then add the chopped tomatoes and broccoli and cook for 4 mins. Stir in chickpeas and spinach, squeeze over lemon.
Cook the rice according to the packet instructions.

Two female film-makers set up their own filming and promotions company after receiving international acclaim for their work.

Daria Nitsche, 34, and Sophie Mei Lan, 28, are best friends as well as co-owners of Evoke Media Group.

Evoke’s production guru Ms Nitsche, who is based in Sheffield but hails from Germany, trained In film and media and has since worked for the likes of NetFlix, Wrigley’s and large feature films.
Mrs Mei Lan, who is from Sheffield but based in Wakefield, focuses on researching, interviewing and PR, using her skills as a multi-award-winning journalist to create dynamic campaigns and corporate videos for their clients.

She said: “It made perfect sense for Daria and I to create a business together as we compliment one another’s skills.
“We’re really passionate about using films and technology to help promote our clients.
“We work with a large pool of people and many are surprised to see a woman behind the camera as well as in front. But we’re very proud of the fact that we offer top-quality packages and we just happen to be women in technology.”
The pair has recently added another string to their bow by offering a range of filming, blogging and PR workshops for people wanting to learn basic skills for themselves.
Ms Nitsche, who has an MA in film, said: “A lot of businesses want to produce content in house but they don’t have the basic skills to do so.
“So we provide training sessions for staff to get to grips with the basics of film-making and also blogging.”

Ms Nitsche and Mrs Mei Lan are particularly passionate about inspiring more females in to film-making and other technology based businesses.

A one-woman-band

Mrs Mei Lan said: “During my time working as a broadcast journalist at the BBC I discovered how important it was for me to be able to work a camera and editing software as well as being able to present and report. 
“Before I met Daria, I was a one-woman-band which was great as it made me flexible. But it was so much easier working as a team utilising both our strengths.
“Not everyone takes us seriously at first but we like to surprise people with the professional work we produce.”

The future for Evoke

And it’s not all just corporate and social media videos, the multi-award-winning duo also deliver workshops for people and businesses who want to get to grips with filming, editing, content writing, PR and social media marketing.
Ms Nitsche said: “Our workshops are a great introduction to people wanting to make their own content.
“We do one-to-one training and group events so they’re ideal for a company of any size.”
Ms Nitche and Mrs Mei Lan are also known for their ground-breaking current affairs content.
They have won awards for their coverage of human trafficking scandals, NHS campaigns and their coverage of mental health issues.
Mrs Mei Lan said: “Our heart is in documentary-making (radio/TV/Film) showcasing issues we’re so passionate about and are in need of exposure.
“We hope to use some of the money we make from Evoke to fund equipment and time for us to break more barriers on issues that are important.”

For more information, go to: evokemedigroup.co.uk
Or follow them on twitter @EvokeMG and facebook.com/EvokeMediaGroup

Daria Nitsche fact-file 
- Born in Munich, Germany 
- Ms Nitsche now lives in Sheffield, South Yorkshire after studying for her MA there
- As well as editing films for the likes of NetFlix, she works on feature films, documentaries and commercials. 

Sophie Mei Lan fact-file
- Born and Bred in Sheffield, South Yorkshire where she met Ms Nitsche
- She now lives in Wakefield with her chef husband and two kids
- Mrs Mei Lan is a trained journalist and has worked for the likes of BBC News, Channel 4 News, ITV News and The Observer and The Guardian
- She is also a professional Blogger, Bellydancer and Dance teacher (You can find her on MamaMei.co.uk and BellydanceBySophieMei.com)

Evoke’s fact-file 
- Launched in Sheffield and Manchester in 2011 (Originally as Verita Magazine)
- Funding from O2 Think Big, UnLTD and Go Think Big 
- Awards won: Amnesty International Media Award, Hearing Unheard Voices Award (UK Youth) at St James’ Palace and NCTJ (National Council for Training of Journalists) Awards for excellence 2014 & 2015
- Shortlisted Awards: IRN Commercial Radio Award an Guardian Student Media Awards 

How redundancy can be “a blessing disguise”

A top marketing director who was made redundant after 20 years in industry, said that it was a "blessing in disguise."

Marketeer Richard Michie, from Gleadless, Sheffield, said that his redundancy became a launch pad for his own marketing business which is now celebrating its first birthday.
Mr Michie who runs the Marketing Optimist, said: "Whilst redundancy can be daunting, it can also be a brilliant opportunity to achieve your dreams.
"I’d always wanted to run my own business, but the timing was never right. I wanted to control my own destiny and spend more time with my family, so using my marketing skills to help other businesses grow made a lot of sense."

And the father-of-five has had astronomical success in the past year, working with over 35 businesses to provide them with "the marketing department they don't have."
Mr Michie puts his success down to finding a gap in the market.

He said: "SME businesses know that they need marketing to generate sales but they just don’t have the time or knowledge to do it themselves, they’re too busy running their business. They need to be lean so using me as their marketing department means that they utilise my skills when they most need help without the cost of hiring someone full-time."
Mr Michie offers marketing strategy, search engine optimisation, web design, social media management and email marketing.

He said: "I'm amazed how quickly my business has grown throughout the region and it's going from strength to strength.
"I've never been happier." 

To find out more about the Marketing Optimist, go to www.marketingoptimist.co.uk
Follow the Marketing Optimist on Twitter @MarketOptimist, Facebook @MarketingOptimist and LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-marketing-optimist

CONTACT SOPHIE HALE AT EVOKE MEDIA GROUP ON: SOPHIE_MEI@HOTMAIL.CO.UK OR CALL: 07828613061

A top coach who helps partners of accountancy firms achieve freedom has published a book called The Highly Profitable Accountant. 

Author Rudi Jansen, Head Coach at Accoa, shares some of his exclusive tips from his book which has more positive reviews than any others in the field. 

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6U8xhqqy7U

Link to extract from book: http://accoa.co.uk/25-profit-wasting-tasks-accountants-need-to-stop-doing/

Top Accountant’s coach pens book to help partners achieve business freedom

In The Highly Profitable Accountant, Rudi Jansen lays out a step-by-step guide where you will learn:

* The Profitable Practice Model that gives you at least 50%+ Net Profit
* How to build your A+ team so you can focus on growing your practice
* Master delegation with the Who-What-When Triangle
* Outsourcing and how to make it work for you
* Three simple systems to reduce your lock-up within 60 days
* How to get up to 16 referrals a week
* And much more!

A top coach, who specialises in helping managing partners of accountancy practices, has shared his secrets in a new book.
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Internationally trained business coach Rudi Jansen, who qualified as a chartered accountant, wants to show practice owners how to reduce lock-up, make more time for themselves and increase their net profit percentage to at least 50%.
Mr Jansen runs successful coaching company Accoa which helps partners implement the right systems and processes that will help their practices grow exponentially.

His book, The Highly Profitable Accountant, promises to help accountants to “take control of their practice, make more money and get their life back.”

Mr Jansen, who hails from South Africa where he qualified as an accountant, said: “I went into accountancy to achieve my dream of freedom.

“By freedom I mean I wanted more time and money so I could excel in all areas of my life.”

But Mr Jansen quickly realised that he had very little time, of which he craved, as he was so engulfed in his accountancy work.

He said: “Money has a nasty habit. The more I made, the more I spent. And freedom still felt out of my reach.”
Mr Jansen decided to travel the world, to pursue his dream, and to learn from the best business coaches in different industries.

By doing this, he began to develop his own theoretical business model, which became the launching pad for Accoa.
Mr Jansen said: “I started Accoa to help business owners achieve business freedom.”
“As a result, I ended up coaching over 220 small-to-medium sized businesses and I helped them to flourish through implementing the core systems and processes a business needs to grow.”
His results were phenomenal and in 2012, Mr Jansen decided to focus his coaching company purely on helping accountancy practices.

“This meant that Accoa was perfectly aligned with my vast range of experience in both practice and commerce.”
Mr Jansen hopes to share his expertise with as many managing partners as possible, to help them achieve freedom from the day-to-day running of their practices.

In order to do this he is a regular speaker at high-profile events within the accountancy sector and runs his own series of free monthly training webinars.

Mr Jansen’s new book The Highly Profitable Accountant, demonstrates his tried and tested models which he has refined throughout his years coaching other accountancy practices.
The Highly Profitable Accountant is currently selling on Amazon for £14.99 however Mr Jansen has a limited supply to give away for free as part of a promotion. If you would like to order a free copy while stocks last please go to[http://www.thehighlyprofitableaccountant.co.uk
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To find out more about Accoa go to: www.accoa.co.uk<http://www.accoa.co.uk/>

MasterChefs unite for a decadent pop-up restaurant in Wakefield 

Two finalists from a TV cooking contest have joined together to pop-up a restaurant in West Yorkshire. Chris Hale and Katie Stabler from this year's BBC's MasterChef are preparing to treat the paying public with a decadence inspired menu.

Think seafood, Champagne, strawberries and hand-made chocolate truffles. Mr Hale from Sandal, who has launched Pop Up North since starting in the popular TV show, said:
​"Our last pop-up was a sell-out success. We served up a taster menu of fresh pasta inspired dishes.
"Each menu we deliver is different and exciting. And this latest pop-up is all about indulgence."
​
The Decadence Pop-Up takes place on Saturday July 23 at Nuffield Health Wakefield from 7.30pm. 

Tickets are available by going to: https://billetto.co.uk/en/events/pop-up-north-presents-decadence

Or for more information, email: chrishale99@hotmail.co.uk