My family and I absolutely adore Heck sausages, they really are farmers’ market quality sausages and they are delicious. So, when I heard that they will be renaming as CHECK for the month of November and joining the fight for men’s health, I just had to write about them. Their divine Chicken Italia sausages will be renamed CHECK with the company hoping to raise up to £25,000 for the Movember Foundation through sales and to encourage thousands of men to pay attention to their health.
This is a cause that is close to the family behind HECK, at the start of 2016 Jamie Keeble, co-founder and eldest son of the family behind HECK found a lump on one of his testicles which was quickly found to be cancerous, “It was only a small lump, about the size of a 5p coin, but I knew it was wrong and went to see my GP straightaway, “ says Jamie. “I’m lucky, I caught my cancer early. But conversations with friends and with nurses and doctors have told me that many guys my age simply aren’t aware of either the fact that testicular cancer is more common in younger than older guys, or that they need to check themselves regularly”.
HECK CEO, and Jamie’s dad, Andrew Keeble says, “Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in younger men. Unfortunately too many men feel something unusual but don’t tell anyone, so we’ve got to make it easier for them to say when they feel something isn’t quite right. Hopefully our packs of CHECK sausages will start some conversations which will raise awareness, and funds and maybe even save some lives.”
Director of Partnerships at Movember UK & Europe Laura Mair says “We’re excited about HECK’s rebrand to CHECK for Movember which will hopefully drive conversations about men’s health in supermarkets nationwide throughout the month. Our goal is to stop men dying too young, and in order to achieve this we need more men aware of the risks that they face and to take action when there’s an issue. HECK has created a really fun way to share this important message, and we encourage all their fans to sign-up to Movember.com and get involved.”
As you all already know, I love a bit of research and HECK has carried out brand new polling research with 2000 participants into the lack of knowledge about testicular cancer. The results are startling:
• 90% of men don’t realise testicular cancer is more likely to affect younger men
• More than eight out of 10 men (82%) find it embarrassing to discuss their testicles with a parent or GP
• Almost one third of Scotsmen (30%) and Northern Irishmen (30%) never check their testicles
• More than one fifth of men in the South-West (21%) would not seek medical help straight away if they felt something unusual on a testicle
· More than one third of men wouldn’t know what to feel for when checking their own testicles… rising to almost half (47%) for respondents in London
· 85% of men in the North-East believe that a lot of men find it embarrassing to discuss their testicles with a parent or GP
· Just four in ten 18-24 year old men would know what to look for, compared with six in ten over-55s
· Less than half of women (46.8%) would know what to feel for when checking their partner’s testicles
· More than 90% of women don’t realize testicular cancer is more likely to affect young men than old
Here at Vivre Le Rêve we love to support companies that are trying to give back, so Vivre Le Rêve HQ will most certainly be stocking up on CHECK’s Chicken Italia sausages throughout Movember. Of course, it helps that they’re delicious!
Now I want share with you my go to sausage recipe in Autumn/Winter, I hope you love it as much as the Lockwood household do. It’s my Italian Sausage and Tortelloni Soup, and it’s just like Mama used to make.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
125g Italian sausage, removed from casings
1 onion, chopped
1 medium rib celery, chopped
425g can white beans, such as cannellini rinsed and drained
425g can of diced tomatoes
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
255g of your favorite refrigerated tortellini
salt and freshly ground black pepper
a dollop of pesto
a handful of your favourite cheese, for serving
Method
Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat.
Add the sausage and cook, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add the onions and celery and continue to cook, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the beans, tomatoes, broth and 4 cups water and increase the heat from medium-high to bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer, adjusting the heat if necessary, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the tortellini and continue to cook until they are tender, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in bowls topped with a spoonful of pesto or kale and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan.
This competition is now closed.
Thank you to all of you that entered, the winner has been contacted directly so be sure to check your inbox!
- This promotion is open to residents of the UK only.
- No purchase necessary.
- By entering the prize draw entrants agree to be bound by any other requirements set out on this page.
- Entry is only available online. No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received, only partially received or delayed for any reason.
- Entries that are incomplete, defaced or damaged will be deemed invalid.
- Entries must not be sent through agencies or third parties. Any such entries will be invalid. No trade or multiple entries.
- No responsibility will be accepted for entries lost, delayed or damaged in transmission.
- Winner’s details will only be publicly announced if permission is granted.
- Competition closes at 12am on 22nd November 2016. Entries received after this time and date will not be entered into the draw.
- The prize is a pack of Heck Chicken Italia Sausages. .
- Prize details are accurate at the time of promotion; the promoter reserves the right to substitute the prize for one of greater or equal value.
- The decision of the promoter in all matters is final and binding.
- The Promoter reserves the right to withdraw the promotion due to circumstances beyond its control. Neither Vivre Le Rêve™ nor any other respective agents involved with this promotion shall be liable for any failure that is caused by something outside its reasonable control. Such circumstances shall include, but are not be limited to, weather conditions, fire, flood, hurricane, strike, industrial dispute, war, hostilities, political unrest, riots, civil commotion, inevitable accidents, supervening legislation or any other circumstances relating to Force Majeure.
