Worshipful Company Of Stationers and Newspaper Makers

At the Master & Wardens meeting on Monday 15th June 2026, the Master, Doug Wills admitted six new Freeman by Redemption.

► James Ward - Vice Principal, Curriculum, Strategy and Policy, Morley College London
► Joshua Hughes - Senior Newsletter Editor, The Telegraph
► Ben Humphrey - Artistic Director
► Joseph Curtis - Health and Safety Advisor, De La Rue
► Sarah Jane Evans MW - Master of Wine: author, consultant, journalist
► Stuart Hall - Group Managing Director, Whitehall Financial Media Ltd

Stories of saloop – and turtle soup.

Saloop, jelly, and turtle soup were all served up at June’s Literary Lunch. Not that these were actually on the menu at the Old Watling – they were all revealed by our speaker, author Peter Ross, as popular dishes for diners in Georgian London.

Prompted through adept questioning by Freeman Georgina Brown, Peter picked out distinctive meals from different times of the Georgian day. Peter told the audience that saloop – a starchy, hot drink made from orchid roots– had once been an early morning staple in the city, especially for poorer people. It disappeared as coffee took its place as a pick-me-up.

Jelly was also widespread. Although highly respectable during the day, jelly had a dubious reputation as an aphrodisiac, and became a popular choice for s*x workers when served up at late night jelly shops. And the sought-after turtle soup, taking six hours to make, starting with a live turtle, could only be purchased by the very well-to-do.

Peter’s lively introduction to Georgian dining held more surprises, including the history of Indian-inspired foods in England. London’s first Indian restaurant is often dated back to 1810, but as far back as 1773, the Norris Street Coffee House was selling curries and pilau rice, and even providing takeaways. Fish fried in flour was introduced by Sephardic Jews in east London, although it wasn’t until later in the 19th century that this was paired with the potato chip – the rest being history...

The well-attended lunch proved a delightful diversion, especially on one of the dull, wet days of mid-June. Peter ended by pointing out that many of the hearty dishes chosen by the lunch guests – including the fried fish and steak pies- would have been very familiar to Georgian Londoners.

An expert on Georgian history, Peter is a former Chief Librarian at London’s Guildhall Library. Copies of Peter’s book ‘Insatiable Appetites’ were also on sale (with a donation to Stationers’ Charity funds)

The Final Countdown: Entries close 5 pm (GMT) today.

Have you submitted your entries yet for the Innovation Excellence Awards 2026?

The ultimate opportunity to gain industry recognition, celebrate success, and showcase your ground-breaking work.

Whether you’re revolutionising business processes, enhancing customer experience, driving innovation in education technology, or leading the way in product design, now is the time to shine.

With categories spanning communications, marketing, start-ups, and more, this is your chance to take centre stage and boost your brand.

Don’t miss out and miss the deadline: https://www.stationers.org/company/engagement-with-our-industries/innovation-excellence-awards-intro

The Judges:

Kate Howell | Linda Drew | Jill Jones | Andy Wilson | Vida Barr-Jones | Debbie Waldron-Hoines | Prof Sally Beken, Fellow IOM3 | Ian Leggett | Matthew Mayes | Ben Finnis

At the Court meeting on the 2nd June 2026 the Master Doug Wills cloathed six new Liveryman. (L-R)

Seated L-R
► Stephen Watson - CEO, ctn group
► Devon Masarati - Retired Head Teacher / Tour Guide
► David Poyser - Podcast host

Standing L-R
► Brett Walwyn - Archive, Library and Conservation
► Christopher Ford - Professor (and also Editor-in-Chief of journal "Defense and Strategic Studies Online")
► Stephen Dieter - Strategic Analyst, Department of National Defence Canada

A perfect summer evening at Stationers’ Hall last night for the Young Stationers’ Garden Party 2026

From reconnecting with familiar faces to meeting plenty of new ones, the garden was filled with great conversations, laughter, live blues music, and the kind of atmosphere that reminds you why this industry community is so special.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate the start of summer — and of course, no Young Stationers’ event would be complete without a cheese straw (or three!)

Already looking forward to the next one.

Judging Criteria: Innovation Excellence Awards 2026

Enter Now! https://www.stationers.org/company/engagement-with-our-industries/innovation-excellence-awards-intro

Entries for the Innovation Excellence Awards will be carefully reviewed by our expert panel based on the following criteria.

Evaluation Criteria:
► How the innovation addresses a current or unmet need in the market.
► Whether the innovation creates a new market.
► How the innovation improves the end user experience.
► What the potential or proven commercial/non-commercial KPIs for success are.
► Business model robustness.
► Strength of customer/marketing testing response and endorsements.
► What the clear points of differentiation are from other products/services in the market.
► What the wider social impact is - diversity and inclusion, sustainability and environmental impact.
►Start-ups will additionally be evaluated on scalability.

Judges will take into consideration supporting materials, including videos (30 seconds minimum, 2 minutes maximum), to assess each submission.

The judging panel is looking for novel ideas and solutions to existing business or customer challenges, accompanied by evidence that the innovation has been, or will be, translated into worthwhile benefits. Concise, well-structured entries are encouraged.

Entries close on 8th June 2026 don’t miss your chance to showcase your excellence!

The Judges:

Kate Howell | Linda Drew | Jill Jones | Andy Wilson | Vida Barr-Jones | Debbie Waldron-Hoines | Prof Sally Beken, Fellow IOM3 | Ian Leggett | Matthew Mayes | Ben Finnis

At the Master & Wardens meeting on Monday 18th May 2026, the Master, Doug Wills admitted eight new Freeman by Redemption.

Standing from L-R
► Richard Alvin - Group Managing Director, Capital Business Media
► Michael Long - Graphic Designer and Art Director (Company Director), Touko LTD
► Jacob Kent-Ledger - Director, Citiprint
► Jonty Levin - Tour Guide

Seated from L-R
► Natalia Yakimiuk - PR Manager, Amazon
► Perrine Faye - Global Head of Editorial, Fastmarkets
► Martha Silcott - CEO, Loopeeze Ltd Trading as FabLittleBag
► Fiona Russell - Future Trainee Solicitor, Gateley Legal