Topic: Free Recipe Book!!!!!

[SheminsCurryPaste]

Hi Everyone,

www.shemins.co.uk/recipes
My name is Jamie. My mum an I have just started our own business, making and selling our fresh curry paste. We are have a free recipe book that we would love you to try. It can be found at www.shemins.co.uk/recipes - try them out and let me know what you think!! Long live the curry! 

[Peripatetic Phil]

Well done Jamie, both on your initiative in coming up with a new curry paste, and on the excellent recipes (beautifully illustrated) in your free PDF recipe book : you and your Mum deserve to succeed !

** Phil.

[Graeme]

SPAM should be removed.
Nothing free about this.

[Peripatetic Phil]

SPAM should be removed.  Nothing free about this.

The recipe book is free, exactly as claimed in the original posting, Graeme : what leads you to believe otherwise ?  I have just downloaded it for a second time, just to be certain that nothing has changed.

** Phil.

[Graeme]

Hi Phil,
I thought it to be an advert to sell a product.
You have to buy the Curry Paste to use in the free book.

Like selling the holes from polo mints, useless :-)

I am sorry if i am wrong. Its just the way i see it.
Found this...
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=8549.0

[Naga]

...I thought it to be an advert to sell a product...

Me too.

In recent weeks we have seen samsauceykitchen punting non-BIR recipes from her YouTube channel on this site, and now we have a commercial operation punting it's curry paste "with an East African influence". Where does it stop? Does the site owner just allow unlimited and unsolicited commercial advertising disguised as free recipes to clog up the site?

I don't want to be picky, but I think it's spam.

[Peripatetic Phil]

I don't want to be picky, but I think it's spam.

I strongly disagree (inthe present case).  Have either of you downloaded and read the recipe book ?  It is extremely well done, and beautifully illustrated, and while the recipes (quite obviously) call for Shemin's curry paste, there is nothing to stop anyone from substituting their own curry paste, or alternative ingredients, or whatever.   If Jamie & Shemin have the confidence to offer their recipe book for nothing, in the hopes that it will increase sales of their curry paste, I say "Good luck" to them : we are being offered something for nothing, and we have nothing to lose by downloading the recipe book and trying the recipes, with or without Shemin's curry paste : that is our choice, and ours alone.

My EUR 0,02 (while we still have a Euro !).
** Phil.

[Naga]

You're entitled to disagree, Phil. No-one's going to argue about that - certainly not me. I'm not really sure why you're coming across so strongly in this matter, but hey, ho...

I have nothing against the OC (or his mum), but recipes using curry paste are 10-a-penny on the internet and, having downloaded the pdf (yes, I did, actually!), I see nothing special about the recipes, nor do I see any particular BIR influence in any of them.

My position is that it is blatant product placement and advertising. If the site owner thinks that's OK, then no problem. I'm certainly not going to fall out with anyone over such a trivial subject, nor let it ruin my day. Life goes on...

[Peripatetic Phil]

Sorry if I seemed to go OTT : my initial reaction was that Jamie and his mum deserved credit for their initiative, and I was extremely saddened to see Graeme write

SPAM should be removed.  Nothing free about this.

both because Graeme described it (very unfairly, IMHO) as "spam" but more because he claimed that there was "nothing free about this", when there clearly was : a well-produced recipe e-book.  Julian, of C2Go fame, sells his e-book, yet seems to attract only praise; Jamie and Shemin are giving theirs away, yet seem to attract only criticism.  Jamie posted in the correct thread ("Curry Website Links"), was completely open about his and his mum's aims, and (IMHO, at least) deserves credit for his initiative.

** Phil.

[chewytikka]

Phil
I can see why you empathise with this type of marketing, I remember you doing
a similar plug, a while ago.
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=7745.msg67627#msg67627

I think this is very mild, compared to curry2gos blatant marketing strategy using cR0.co.uk
and not contributing a single non-marketed post.