Disclaimer: This isn’t your ordinary company away weekend. At Liquid, we do things a little differently.

The ‘quaint’ island of Jersey was the destination of this year’s Liquid Away Weekend which saw the Birmingham team pack a bag and hop on an early morning plane.

For a lot of us, a trip to Jersey was a new adventure. The weekend was a chance to see colleagues based there, share new experiences together and continue to bond as a team.

We soon realised the island’s fascinating heritage and production of dairy; Jersey has considerable historical relevance and economic strength. For an island that is just five miles long and nine miles wide – it certainly packs a punch.

A taste of dairy heaven…

First on the agenda was a visit to Jersey Dairy where we heard about the current market and scale of demand across the globe with products reaching as far as Hong Kong. Like most businesses today, Jersey Dairy has had to become innovative in its thinking, from developing sustainable packaging to forming new retail partnerships and diversifying its product offer, the company is undertaking a number of measures to ensure it is fit for the future.

After donning some lovely hair nets during the factory tour and eating far too much ice cream, we made our way back to the hotel to get ready for the next activity.

RIB ridin’ the waves to Carteret, France

When the boats pulled into St Catherine’s Bay, a few jaws dropped. Having never heard of or seen a RIB boat before, they went beyond the expectation of Popeye’s steam boat! We travelled in style across the English Channel, visiting Les Écréhous and later arrived in Carteret for dinner.

It was quite surreal that we were suddenly in France, on a beach, enjoying the glorious sunshine. We glided back across the Channel and as the sun was setting, the driver spotted a pod of wild dolphins. The waters were calm, and we all fell silent as we admired these enigmatic creatures. A perfect end to a wonderful evening.

Forager for a day

The second day consisted of foraging on the beach in Gorey. Who knew that oysters grow for up to four years? That’s one of many facts that our endearing tour guide told us as we walked the oyster nets on the seafront.

Oysters are like marmite – you either love or hate them. Having not tried oysters before, some of us had no idea what to expect. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The sun was blazing, the champagne flowing, and it was lovely to share an experience like this with the team outside of the work environment. As a company who lives and breathes foodie PR and its provenance, it was great to be on the other side of it and enjoy it as the customer.

Our last day on the island consisted of visiting a classic herd farm (some of the best-looking cows we’ve ever seen!) followed by a glorious three-course lunch at The Atlantic Hotel. On top of this, we then visited the North part of the island to see where Jersey Royals are grown and learnt why they are so unique.

To say we are lucky is an understatement. Not many people can say they go away with their company and experience what we have. Last year, we visited Bordeaux – the wine capital of Europe. Three chateau tasting tours and a Michelin-star restaurant were going to be hard to beat but it’s fair to say that Liquid goes above and beyond every year!