WEEKLY DIGEST

J & FJ Baker & Co Ltd, a tannery in Colyton, Devon - a great slideshow of images with the owner, Andrew Par, outlining the process used to transform hides to leather. (BBC)

'Why it's still valuable to have an economy built on manufacturing' - according to Tyler Brûlé (FT)

Image of J & FJ Baker & Co Ltd by Paul Glendell for the BBC

FOCUS ON BIRMINGHAM : JAGUAR LAND ROVER SAVED

Birmingham has received a sizeable amount of column inches over the last couple of weeks, mostly spurred by the Cameron chat. A good consequence of this has been the focus on manufacturing in the area, epitomised by this story from the BBC.

The future of Jaguar Land Rover's Solihull plant had never been in doubt, according to Gerard Coyne, regional secretary of Unite, due to it being the 'ancestral home' of the car maker.

Workers at the plant were clearly relieved. 'It's better than good. It's far more than we could have expected and I am gobsmacked,' said (the brilliantly named) Mick Jones, a paint shop worker from Erdington, Birmingham.

We enjoyed reading the comments from other workers here too.

LOCAL REAL ALE KEG BOOM

Meanwhile, in the Midlands, Kammac, the only manufacturer of giant 100 litre casks is reporting brisk business. Due to small real ale breweries popping up all over the land, demand is the highest it has been for some time.

Speaking on the local BBC news, (what M&I presume is) a spokesman for Kammac said, 'any publican who is not selling a local real ale could be missing out on a real business winner here.'

According to the BBC report almost 2,500 British pubs closed last year, at the rate of 39 a week.

However, brewers are reporting positive results: a 17% increase in turnover last year and a 4% increase in production during the recession.

Can the UK's real ale boom mirror the craft beer revolution in the US? We sincerely hope so.