With decorations already hanging in our restaurants, it’s fair to say that Christmas is well on its way. (Just 31 sleeps until Christmas Day by the way!).

Not only is it a time for us to bring back the Campaign for No Turkey and ask Nando’s fans to show their dedication to chicken this Christmas, but it’s also time to gift that someone who can’t go a day without a touch of PERi-PERi.

We have loads of Nando’s gifts available that would fit perfectly under the Christmas tree, but here are just a few of our favourites for a bit of inspiration.

And guess what? It wouldn’t be a Nando’s Christmas without us giving you the chance to win something special, so we’ve got five extra hot oven glove gift sets up for grabs.

To try your luck at winning, get creative and add your Nando’s take to the chorus of the well-known Jingle Bells song and the best one (basically the one which makes us do the biggest festive LOL) will win!

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way. Oh what fun it is to ride on a one horse open sleigh

Good luck!

- competition now closed –

The ultimate Christmas gifts for the ultimate Nando’s fan

Grow your own PERi-PERi chillis:

Ideal for those green-fingered friends and family members, give them their own African Bird’s Eye Chilli Seeds and planter to bring some Nando’s signature spice into their home. Available in Boots, RSP £14.00

For heat seekers:

This novelty oven glove will prevent cooks overheating this Christmas and the Extra Extra hot PERi-PERi sauce and rub will help them cook up a storm in the kitchen. Available in Boots, RSP £12.50.

To sizzle as well as sparkle:

For those who want to make a hot impression on their guests this Christmas, the chilli sizzler gift pack includes a cast iron sizzler, basting brush and Sweet & Sticky marinade to create a mouth-watering combination of chilli and chicken. Available in Tesco, RSP £15.00.

For the head chef

Give this Nando’s apron to aspiring chefs on Christmas day and they’re guaranteed to run straight to the kitchen and whip up your favourite Nando’s meal. There’s also some Medium marinade to get them started. Available in Tesco, RSP of £12.00.

And, as an added bonus, you don’t even have to fight the crowds as you’ll find a selection of the Nando’s Christmas gifts are also available on our website and from other retailer websites too.

T&C’s – Competition closes midday 30th November 2011. Five winners will be notified by email shortly after where they will be posted one extra hot oven glove gift set on confirmation of address.

What could be better than an evening out sampling the unique taste of Nando’s succulent PERi PERi chicken I hear you ask?

Well what if it was lovingly cooked, plated and served by your favourite rugby stars? That’s exactly what happened at Nando’s Gloucester Quays!!

Thirteen players from Gloucester Rugby Team including Lesley Vainikolo, Freddie Burns, Dave Lewis, Olly Morgan and Dan Murphy took time out of their busy training schedule to raise money for Acorns Hospice and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, by working in the restaurant.

It was a really busy night with lots of Gloucester Rugby and Nando’s fans coming together to see their local heroes perform in a slightly different environment to a Saturday afternoon (more chicken and chips and less rucks and mauls than they’re used to!)

All in all it was a fantastic evening, loads of fun and to top it all off, we managed to raise the awareness and a nice tidy sum, for the two charities – just don’t expect to see any of our Nandoca’s turning out for the Gloucester first team anytime soon!!

After weeks of Barci dance dares and playing the game of chance, it’s time to pack up the cards and head back home . . .

Over the past few weeks we’ve been hanging out with lots of lovely students at Fresher’s Fairs around the country, playing our Taste Your Cards Right game to win lots of Nando’s goodies. And, boy have we had fun!

With cards ranging from Lemon and Herb to Extra Hot (and the odd Barci Joker thrown in too), it was a game that would make Sir Brucie himself proud. We gave away free Nando’s meals to those lucky winners that got right to the end of the cards and even those who lady luck managed to defeat were rewarded for their effort with a free half-chicken at their local Nando’s. Plus, the fateful Barci Joker card provided the laughs, with random dares dished out to those unlucky enough to find it along the way.

So, it seems that the Taste Your Cards Right game went down a treat, Barci dances and all! We can’t wait until next years Fresher’s Fairs!

On Tuesday, we supported our friends at EA Sports as they held the very first Celebrity Gaming Club to celebrate the launch of the new FIFA 12 game.

Things got pretty heated as celebs including Olly Murs and Aston from JLS battled it out on the game pods, showing their competitive sides and trying to out do one another with their fancy moves. Whilst Flawless and Twist and Pulse showed that their dance routines weren’t the only thing they had been practicing.

All that frantic button pressing must have made for hungry work so we kept everyone going with chicken wings and wraps – those gamers sure can eat! The live DJ kept the pace going as the celebs kept gaming right into the night.

Some of EA’s notorious fans were also there including Anton Ferdinand and Shaun Wright-Phillips, who were spotted showing the crowd that they are just as good on the FIFA 12 pitch as when they are playing for QPR, nice work!

Win your own copy of FiFA 12!

Don’t worry, it’s not only celebs that can get to enjoy the gaming fun – we’ve got our hands on two copies of the new exclusive FIFA 12 game to give away to two lucky winners.

For your chance to win, just answer the below question by leaving us a comment below and remember, be honest – the one that impresses us the most will win, so what are you waiting for?

If you could play FIFA 12 with anybody in the world, who would it be and why?
Good luck everyone!
- – -
Competition Terms and Conditions: Competition closes on Thursday 6th October at midnight. The two winners will be notified via email on Friday 7th October by 12pm. Prize comprises of one FIFA 12 game per winner. All entrants must be over 18.

Nando’s support of grass-roots skateboarding celebrated its fifth year on Saturday with the much-loved Nando’s xPERimental Skate Jam taking place at London’s BaySixty6, drawing in over 600 young skaters for a day of chicken-fuelled fun.

The event is now firmly fixed on the UK skateboarding calendar as a ‘must-go-to’ and is now the country’s biggest designated U16 skateboarding event. Wow! As we heard someone say on the day;“Awesome skateboarding and free Nando’s – what could beat it? BDE, BEST DAY EVER!”.

Skate legend Bullit Williamson and former UK Skate Champion Rodney Clarke taught over 60 next-generation skate kids in the morning free teaching session. 3D screenings of ‘Unbeleafable” and “Biebel’s World” provided a big wow for the crowds, but there’s obviously nothing like the real thing, with amazing Vert and Street skating and comps ruling the day. Kids of all ages and levels were getting involved and this was serious skateboard progression, or Poultry In Motion as some would say!

A selection of awesome sponsors helped us rock the day; Girl, Chocolate, Adidas, Lakai, Fourstar, BluePrint, Element, Independent, Spitfire, Plan B & Royal all supported big-time with Pro-riders and a ton of freebies for everyone. We even made our own limited edition Nando’s xPERimental skateboards that were given out as recognition for demonstrating heart and soul through skating. The day culminated in every kids’ intro to skateboarding’s version of the Mosh Pit – the famous Nando’s Throw Out. Chaos ensued (check out the video) and it topped off what was surely the best xPERimental yet.

We were joined on the day by Punk legend, former Jam (fancy that at a Jam!) singer and Mod-Father Paul Weller and his son and we made so much noise that it was heard all the way over in the Houses of Parliament. David Cameron visited BaySixty6 the day after xPERimental to see what all the fuss was about and in the spirit of xPERimental, the mighty Bullit gave the DC’s son a free lesson. Who knows? Next-generation politicians on skateboards – the sky’s the limit with Nando’s xPERimental. See you next year, we can’t wait!

Here’s a few pics and a video to give you a flavour of the day. (Big thanks to Harry Garcia for shooting it)

Last week the Nando’s team got to hang out with our friends from South Africa – some of the amazing artists whose work is on display in our restaurants.

Do you remember a few months ago we asked them to create some fresh new masterpieces for our menus? Well, to give five incredibly talented artists some inspiration, we invited them to come over to England for their very own Nando’s mini break – giving them a special guided tour of London, seeing all of the top sites and taking in some of the amazing art on display across the capital.

It was the first time over here in London for three of the artists, so they were really excited and happy to be over here. For each of them though, we think that checking out our restaurants and admiring some of their own work hanging on walls over here was a particular highlight. It certainly is for us, on a daily basis.

We had a great few days giving the artists the full Nando’s family treatment and we hope they had fun. One of them told us that he has had so many ‘wow’ moments looking at all the sights across London he can’t count them. All of the artists said that the artwork they’ve seen here has inspired them to want to create more works in their own country . . . so keep your eyes peeled next year for new menu covers – we’ll be unveiling them in March!

We’ll keep you updated on how they’re coming along, but in the meantime have a look here and check out some snaps from our days together spent talking about art, South Africa, Nando’s and the magic of London (as well as the weather!).

Last week we opened the doors to our newest restaurant – Nando’s Westfield Stratford City. She’s a real beauty and our biggest yet in the UK, accommodating up to 260 Nando’s fans at a time and ideal for its location in Europe’s largest urban shopping centre.

As you’ll know by now, every single one of our restaurants is unique and we invest lots of time and energy into making them amazing places to eat. Nando’s Westfield Stratford City is no exception, with an African and Portuguese inspired decor complete with a beautiful hand woven textured ceiling supported by carved timber columns. And, as with all of our restaurants, it’s decorated with vibrant African artwork that extends to the mosaic finished flooring. You really do have to see it to believe it.

So, as promised, here are a few photos from launch day last week (just before we opened), when the whole of the Westfield shopping centre itself opened its doors with an extra-special guest performance by Nicole Scherzinger. It’s fair to say that there were a lot of very excited people in one place that day and we had a great time meeting up and serving them their favourite Nando’s.

PS: Lots of you asked us whether Nando’s Westfield Stratford City served halal chicken. This restaurant doesn’t, but Nando’s Stratford just a few minutes away does. If ever you want to check to see if a particular restaurant serves halal chicken, then make sure you visit the relevant page on our website where it will always clearly say so.

We’re getting pretty excited here at Nando’s HQ as it’s nearly that time of year again when we grab our boards and head on down to the skate park . . .

Already established as one of the hottest events on the skateboarding calendar, Nando’s xPERimental Skate Jam returns for the fifth year running on Saturday 24th September at Baysixty6. We can’t wait for you to get stuck in, learn some fierce new tricks and meet up with all your skateboard-lovin’ Nando’s fans.

This year is set to be a jam-packed day again with beginners and skilled boarders alike having fun on the ramps and battling it out for the top spot. So, if you’ve never skateboarded before or you’re the next Tony Hawk or [insert name of who you think is the best skateboarder in the world right now], join us at London’s Baysixty6 skate park for a day of tricks, competitions and (of course) a tasty ramp-side Nando’s BBQ.

And that’s not it. We’re looking forward to a 3D screening of action videos by the amazing UNBELEIFABLE and BIEBELS WORLD and throughout the day there will be a chance to take home some amazing prizes, including exclusive t-shirts, signed decks and trainers from the likes of Girl, Lakai, Royal, 4Star, Chocolate, Adidas Skateboarding, Element, Blueprint, Plan B, Independent, Spitfire & Habitat Clothing.

Still haven’t decided whether to join us or can’t make it down? You might just want to check out the video of the Nando’s xPERimental Skate Jam from last year or have a peek over here.

This week we opened the doors to our very first Dublin city centre restaurant on Mary Street, much to the delight of our Irish fans.

Fifteen Barci’s flew in for the occasion and took to the streets of Dublin to spread some PERi PERi love and news of the opening even reached as far as New Zealand, with one very special Nando’s fan taking time out before the opening of the Rugby World Cup to tweet his support.

Irish player Rob Kearney tweeted, “Hope everyone enjoyed the opening of Nando’s on Mary Street in the city centre. Looking forward to a trip in when I’m back home”. We can’t wait to see you either Rob and wish you the best of luck on Sunday when you take on USA in your first game!

Check out the photos of the restaurant below and over on Facebook (Isn’t she beautiful ?!). And, if you you’re in the neighborhood, make sure you head on over to Mary Street and enjoy your favourite Nando’s, Dublin style.

On Wednesday London’s Soho Square was home to our first ever GigNic. What’s a GigNic we hear you ask? Well it’s our twist on a picnic and gig combo…

T4’s Jameela Jamil hosted our GigNic stage where the London crowds enjoyed an afternoon of intimate acoustic sets from the UK’s fresh new musical talent. Josh Osho kicked off the first set of acts with his amazing hit ‘Redemption days’ and we all loved Sinead Harnetts stunning vocals – dubbed by Wiley to be the next big thing! By lunch the crowds were flocking for the hip-hop beats from Rizzle Kicks and SBTV favorite Angel.

Things got a bit crazy, so we took a little break where the crowd and musical acts re-fuelled at our Nando’s cart and AfroMagic impressed us all with his magical card tricks. Sinead tried her luck with the giant Jenga before Maverick Sabre set the tone for the early evening sessions with his amazing vocals.

The ingenious Alex Clare wowed the crowds and the evening was rounded up by electro-pop band the Special K’s (now these guys were awesome singers and absolutely hilarious!) not to mention hot new girl band Excuse Me Miss.

Check out our Facebook page for even more photos – there was so much going on we got a bit snap-happy! Massive thanks to all the acts who performed and everyone who came down! We just need to know one thing, how do you feel about another GigNic? Let us know where you want to see the next one!