Chefs at Play Returns Offering Young Cooks the Chance to Create a Signature Product for Foodservice

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Chefs at Play Returns Offering Young Cooks the Chance to Create a Signature Product for Foodservice

2017 Winner Wendy Lo to Return as Judge

ARYZTA Food Solutions UK’s Chefs at Play competition returns this spring, offering young chefs aged 18-23 the tantalising opportunity to put their name to a signature product created specifically for the UK foodservice market.

Launching on 5th March 2018, working and aspiring chefs are invited to submit a recipe for an innovative new ‘sweet on-the-go’ creation. Chefs have one of five base products – sourced from ARYZTA Food Solutions UK’s semi-prepared range, including laminated dough sheets and sweet tartelette cases – from which to build their recipe. They will also be called upon to justify why it is right to go into full scale production. New for 2018, chefs will also have their pick of 10 stunning garnish products from ARYZTA sub-brand Bouquet Garni to add a final flourish.

To enter, all chefs need to do is visit: www.aryztafoodsolutions.co.uk/chefs-at-play/ and complete the online entry with recipe, method, ingredients and 50 words on why their dish is innovative and what inspired it.

Four finalists will then be chosen to bring their entries to life in a live cook off at ARYZTA Food Solutions UK’s headquarters in London’s Covent Garden in May. From there, one winner will be chosen and their creation seen for the very first time on ARYZTA Food Solutions UK’s stand at June’s Taste of London festival. The winning chef will also be in attendance and get to work alongside the company’s Chef Ambassador and head Chefs at Play judge, James Tanner.

Joining James on the judging panel will be 2017 winner Wendy Lo, former student and protégée of ‘Masterchef: The Professionals’ winner, and City of Glasgow College chef lecturer, Gary MacLean. She wowed judges with her stunning ‘Taste of Spring’ – a sweet tartelette case, filled with honey blossom mousse, topped with elderflower and strawberry jelly and lemon curd, garnished with fresh strawberries, blueberries and pistachio nuts.

The signature creation is set to be launched nationally by ARYZTA Food Solutions UK this spring.

Wendy has now graduated and is currently working full time as a demi pastry chef at Glasgow’s luxury Dakota Hotel. She credits the competition with helping her progress in the industry, with her new employers offering continuous support and encouragement to keep improving.

Wendy commented: “I’m really excited to return to this competition, and to jump the fence from competitor to judge, joining James, is a real honour. My advice to young chefs thinking about the product they want to create is; have fun with it, choose something you enjoy eating yourself and think long and hard about seasonality – how it will affect the decisions you make.

“Working with James and the ARYZTA chefs at Taste of London was simply amazing – it was a really fantastic experience from start to finish, I can’t recommend it highly enough.”

ARYZTA UK’s Head of Marketing Paul Whitely said of the launch: “Last year’s standard was very high and with the addition of the Bouquet Garni products, we’re very excited to see what recipes budding young chefs can come up with.

“Food-to-Go is showing no sign of slowing down with the market set to reach a value of £20.7bn* this year, so the competition is definitely addressing a category with huge potential.”

Young chefs are urged to express their creative minds and get their entries in by visiting www.aryztafoodsolutions.co.uk/chefs-at-play/ today.

ARYZTA Food Solutions is a UK foodservice specialist – parent to a family of brands to meet the needs of modern hospitality. Sub-brands include: high-end frozen patisserie and viennoiserie brand, Coup de pates; essential ingredients and ready meal solutions from everyday bakery brand, La

Carte; gourmet Swiss bakery brand, Hiestand; American sweet bakery brand, Otis Spunkmeyer and inspirational ingredients and garnishes from Bouquet Garni. ARYZTA Food Solutions UK also supplies beverage concepts from ProJuice.

Non-invasive thermometry system, Celsius, set to be demonstrated at FOODex 2018

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Non-invasive thermometry system, Celsius, set to be demonstrated at FOODex 2018

Cerulean will be showcasing their accurate and sustainable equipment this April, in front of 30,000 attendees at the Birmingham NEC.

The UK show for processing, packaging and logistics is expected to be particularly well attended this year, possibly due to the current Food Standards Agency (FSA) investigation of meat cutting premises and cold stores taking place. This investigation has resulted in businesses reviewing their processes and aiming to upgrade to the safest and most accurate equipment currently available.

Celsius measures the average temperature of foodstuffs in the range -30°C to +30°C and displays and logs these readings for the operator. The process is user-friendly – simply load the sample, close the door and automatic reading function delivers results on a visual display panel within seconds. A temperature log can be recalled for full traceability of measurements. Results are automatically sent to a SQL database (Cerulean’s C-Dass software) for analysis with no physical data trail, eliminating any human error.

The non-destructive nature of Celsius also eliminates the need to remove packaging. It can only be beneficial for companies to show they are taking steps in reducing wastage, especially considering the statistics from the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) released in January 2018, showing food waste in the UK has increased by 4.4 per cent.

Speaking about the appeal of the show, Dan Dixon, Event Director, said: “Foodex presents the best opportunity to discover the latest innovations, technologies and talented individuals working to improve the sector, challenging new thinking and ensuring high-quality, safe products are available for consumers to purchase.”

Cerulean will not only be exhibiting at FOODex but will also have a fully operational Celsius Midi on the stand along with C-Dass, to simulate running and capturing data in real-time.

Mark McMahon, Cerulean Area Sales Manager said, “We are delighted to be demonstrating the capabilities of Celsius at the UK’s premier trade event for food processing, packaging and logistics. Our tried and tested equipment is already improving the sustainability footprint of manufacturers across the country and we understand it is more critical than ever for UK businesses to obtain accurate and reliable data. We are excited to support the shows aims of improving traceability, consumer trust and transforming industry productivity”.

Celsius demonstrations will be taking place at Stand Z249, Hall 3a, on the hour every hour, from Monday 16 – Wednesday 18 April 2018.

Portfolio careers are on the rise

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Portfolio careers are on the rise

Research undertaken by Jonathan Lee Contract Recruitment suggests that while those earlier in their career still opt for permanent roles, a greater number of more experienced specialists are opting for contract work where they have greater flexibility in work content and can build a career portfolio of interesting projects and roles.

With the demand for skilled engineers growing year-on-year, some 265,000 engineering employees will need to be recruited by 2024, according to a study by Engineering UK, which also indicates that we are currently falling short of this by 69,000 per year.

Jon Blaze, Head of Recruitment Operations at Jonathan Lee Contract Recruitment explains: “The annual shortfall of engineers and skilled graduates is proving challenging. Our research echoes the widely held belief in industry that workforce mobility and easier skills transfer will be key platforms for addressing skill gaps and shortages in the future.

“While the majority of over 50s in contract roles (89%) choose to work on this basis, the next largest group is 30-39-year olds (57%) who cite pay (63%), more interesting work (55%) and career advancement (45%) as key reasons for opting for contracting rather than permanent roles.

“For engineering contractors, our survey reveals that the primary benefits of contracting include more flexibility, being able to focus on the work instead of office politics and the fact that they can go into any organisation and use their experience to make a difference within a relatively short space of time. Their can help to bring clarity to decision making and steer the strategic direction of a business.

“The dynamic and fast-changing engineering landscape makes the flexibility of working with contractors especially attractive as companies have an immediate need to plan for uncertainty, adapt to new technologies and deal with fast-changing market realities including big data, connectivity and Industry 4.0.”

In its latest budget, the Government announced that it will be backing STEM education and training to combat the skills deficit. This proposal alongside the industrial strategy, where four industry sectors: life sciences, artificial intelligence, construction and automotive have been identified to help drive the UK to be more competitive outside of Europe on the global stage.

With an increased emphasis on the UK’s manufacturing capabilities, a flexible and adaptable workforce is going to become increasingly important and it is not surprising that so-called portfolio careers are becoming increasingly attractive to candidates and delivering benefits to employers.

Blaze continues: “Looking ahead, we predict that big data will shift the existing contracting paradigm. While the current contracting workforce have valuable skill-sets that are still necessary, they do not have the data engineering skill-sets to enable Industry 4.0.

“Demand in this space is likely to see the increasing participation of younger engineers. We anticipate considerable growth in the engagement of contractors in the 20-30 age bracket over the next decade who possess these new, distinct skill-sets. However, their lack of experience will see the need to marry their new skills with those more traditional skill-sets to harness and exploit useful data, .

“Whether a position should be filled by a contractor is now an essential part of the recruitment decision surrounding hard-to-find skills. Partnering with a specialist contract finder can help give confidence around flexible options, particularly when it comes to understanding and navigating relevant legislative requirements.

“Ultimately, the employment landscape is changing and with careful planning companies must compete for and harness the skills they need from both permanent and contract roles to build the team they need to secure long-term success.”

Country Range Student Chef Challenge Champions Announced

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

City of Glasgow College Crowned Country Range Student Chef Challenge Champions

Following an enthralling final played under the watchful eye of a live exhibition audience at Hotelympia on Wednesday 7^th March, City of Glasgow College fought off fierce competition from nine other colleges to scoop the prestigious Country Range Student Chef Challenge crown.

Under the tutelage of lecturer Robbie Phillips, the winning team, which consists of Erin Sweeney, Jordan McKenzie and Lee Christie, came out on top in a highly-competitive final.

London’s Westminster Kingsway College and Northern Ireland’s South Eastern Regional College took the runner up places on the day finishing 2^ndand 3^rd respectively.

Winning team member Erin Sweeney, said:

“We still can’t quite believe that we’ve won but we’re completely and utterly over the moon. While it’s been incredibly tough, it’s literally been the best experience of my life.”

Emma Holden, Organiser of the Country Range Student Chef Challenge, said:

“A huge congratulations to the City of Glasgow College team on winning this year’s hotly-contested competition. Not only did Erin, Jordan and Lee show they could handle the pressure of cooking in front of a live exhibition audience but their dishes were incredible and wowed the judges when it came to taste.”

Winner of the Aviko Great British Breakfast Revealed

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Winner of the Aviko Great British Breakfast Revealed

Following a search for the nation’s best breakfast dish, Aviko has crowned Bar Dos Hermanos as the winner of the Great British Breakfast competition.

To enter the Great British Breakfast Competition, chefs, caterers and operators were encouraged to share what it is that makes their breakfast great for a chance to win £500 and a month’s supply of Aviko Hash Browns and Aviko Hash Brown Bites.

Situated in Leicester, Bar Dos Hermanos has been awarded the title of ‘Great British Breakfast’ for its Classic English Breakfast which allows customers to build their own breakfast.

Andy Hussain, owner of Bar Dos Hermanos comments:

“At Bar Dos Hermanos we offer our breakfast and brunch menus at the weekends and wanted to create a bespoke offering that would excite our customers and give them a reason to celebrate. We are delighted that our breakfast has been recognised and we think it is the opportunity for personalisation that makes it stand out. ”

“Our customers can build every element of their breakfast – even down to whether they would like smoked or unsmoked bacon and which sausages they would prefer. The choices don’t end there as they can select from fried, poached or scrambled eggs and three accompaniments including black pudding, griddled tomatoes, hash browns, beans, sautéed flat cap mushrooms or sautéed new potatoes to complete their breakfast.”

Attached to Bar Dos Hermanos is the Salvador Deli where a faster pace is required and the use of Aviko Hash Browns helps to achieve this.

Andy explains:

“Breakfast may be an occasion at Bar Dos Hermanos, but at Salvador Deli speed is essential. Our customers are gearing up for their day ahead and are looking for a high quality breakfast to keep them fuelled. Working with Aviko enables us to serve perfect hash browns every time in just a matter of minutes”.

Building on last year’s successful search, the competition forms part of Aviko’s Great British Breakfast campaign to highlight the importance of the breakfast and brunch to operators.

Mohammed Essa, Commercial Director UK and Ireland, Aviko, explains:

“With breakfast fastly becoming our most innovative market we wanted to celebrate the best and recognise the great work chefs and caterers are doing. Congratulations to Bar Dos Hermanos for winning the ‘Great British Breakfast’ with an entry that shows the profitability of providing consumers with the opportunity to pick their own breakfast items.”

“Customisation is a key trend that operators can make the most of for breakfasts, especially as our own research shows that 78% of consumers would like to see more breakfast customisation available when dining out-of-home^.”

To provide inspiration, Aviko has developed a selection of new recipes using the Golden Hash Browns and Hash Brown Bites to help chefs deliver a twist to breakfast menus. The options include Spanish Baked Eggs and Chorizo, a Breakfast Bruschetta, American pancakes with a hash brown, bacon and sausage, as well as a breakfast pizza. These can all be viewed at: http://www.aviko.co.uk/recipes.

Mohammed continues:

“Our recipes showcase how chefs and caterers can use the versatility of hash browns to tap into a host of global trends. With 70% of consumers stating Hash Browns are an essential part of any breakfast, there is no better time for operators to create innovative menus with this breakfast staple^.”

Having supplied the foodservice industry for over 50 years, Aviko has a range of breakfast boosting items including the ultimate breakfast side, Aviko Hash Browns – which are larger than average for better plate fill – as well as Hash Brown Bites for both dine-in and on-the-go menus. The range also includes the innovative Bubble & Squeak Rounds and the new Sweet Potato Diced which offers real point of difference when served with a breakfast staple such as eggs.

ˆ Aviko/Toluna 2017

For more product information on Aviko’s extensive range call 0800 633 5611 or visit www.aviko.co.uk

For everything Aviko visit: www.twitter.com/avikouk

McCain Make Marketing Design Easy

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

McCain Make Marketing Design Easy

McCain Foodservice is launching a range of creative marketing support to help operators stand out from competitors and maximise profits around key dates and menu events.

From printed flyer and poster creation, to emails and social media posts, McCain has created a range of impactful designs and interchangeable graphics to meet the stylistic needs of different operators, enabling them to create and market their own events and menu theme days, including Mothering Sunday and Easter.

Jo Holborn explains why it’s so important: “These templates can help operators create a standout marketing campaign within minutes, for free, maximising the most profitable events in the calendar by grabbing the attention of customers and encouraging them to plan visits.

“Our research shows that in a highly competitive trading environment professional marketing content can provide a vital edge, helping operators to stand out from the crowd and attract customers, but many just don’t have the time or resource to create it. In addition, with many consumers now searching online to choose their dining destination they can no longer rely on a board outside the pub or a poster, they need to be discoverable.”

This is backed up by research from OpenTable which shows that the two things diners are most likely to do before dining are making reservations (88%) and finding a restaurant online (87%).

Lee Byers, Food Operations Manager at McManus Pubs, emphasises the importance of effective marketing, saying: “These marketing support materials are so useful. Big calendar occasions, such as Mother’s Day, offer a chance to increase profits but also a massive opportunity to get your business in front of a new audience. However, there is so much competition for that custom that if you’re not pro-active and you don’t promote these occasions properly, you’ve got no chance.

“Once you’ve got your marketing materials in place the most important thing is to plan how to get it out there. We promote well ahead of the date and make sure social posts go when people are most likely to see them. As a general rule of thumb we’re already promoting the next big occasion the day before the current one has even taken place.”

To download a range of on-trend marketing design templates just visit http://www.mccainfoodservice.co.uk/marketing-design-made-easy/

A few reasons to become a member of BFFF

To find out more about becoming a member call 01400 283 095 or email the team

Join BFFF

Member profile on BFFF website

Free BFFF Member List

Free listing in the annual Member Directory

Access to latest industry news and information

Weekly newsletter, press and media opportunities

Press and media opportunities

Marketing, sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities

Networking via opportunities at BFFF events

Free market data provided by Circana and World Panel

Access to industry specialists

Expert guidance from Technical and Health & Safety teams

Access to Primary Authority schemes and assured advice

H&S Audit Service/Advice

Free access to HR and legal guidance and advice line

Training and Education

Member Benefits

Exclusive Partnership deals on key products and services:

BFFF energy deals and rates
Vypr member deals and introduction
Defib Plus deals
Company Shop – membership
Mentor – MHE training health check

Exclusive access to networking opportunities and events:

Meet the Buyer events (retail & foodservice)
Annual Business Conference with networking dinner
Specialist H&S and Technical Conferences
Special interest groups (packaging, frozen food temperatures)
Annual Lunch
Awards Night

Become a member

Sponsorship Packages

We offer a range of sponsorship opportunities to BFFF members across our events throughout the year, with flexible packages that can be tailored to suit your business objectives.

Need a comment from the BFFF?

The voice of the frozen food industry
Representing over 340 businesses in the frozen food industry
Available out of hours

Contact the BFFF PR Team

what our members say...

Helen Atkinson

Wakefield Council

“What an amazing piece of work and indicative of how BFFF respond to the concerns of their members and make an impact on the whole industry sector.”

See Full Quote
Paul Duncalf

Sysco

“You guys really ‘Do The Right Thing’ for the good of the industry”

See Full Quote
Co-CEO Dries Talpe

Darta

“The BFFF awards night is becoming an “appointment not to miss” on our calendar and we again enjoyed it immensely together with lots of well-known people from our industry. The…

See Full Quote
Lewis Kain

Kantar Worldpanel

“The Business Conference was an excellent day that was very well organised and allowed so many likeminded individuals in the room to learn so much more around the Frozen industry….

See Full Quote
Gail Hodson - Technical Director

Lakeside Food Group Ltd

“This Not For EU labelling situation alarmed us and quickly became a major worry to our business. These are times when you really rely on some support and from previous…

See Full Quote
Domenic Granelli - Financial Controller

Meadow Vale Foods Limited

“We had a few questions with respect to the new EPR waste packaging legislative changes. I know some of my colleagues have been assisted by BFFF in the past so…

See Full Quote
Dave Griffiths, General Manager

Newberry International Produce Ltd

“I am writing to express my heartfelt gratitude for the outstanding event you organised. I have only worked in this sector for the past nineteen months coming from twenty-five years…

See Full Quote
Liam, Commerical Director

Place UK Ltd

“The BFFF 2024 Conference was compelling and thought provoking, with a many relevant and interesting topics covered at great pace and some depth by excellent speakers – will certainly attend…

See Full Quote
Peter Bambury

Roswel Spedition GMBH

“Thank you and the team for rushing around so brilliantly before, during and after the conference. It was pleasure to be part of the conference.”

See Full Quote
Alexandre Alves De Mattos

Seara

“The event was great, in my opinion. Not only it was very well organised, but the venue and the catering were excellent too. Furthermore, the content of the presentations was…

See Full Quote