Tues 18th Nov, Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London

Country Range’s Hat-trick of Summer Desserts

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Country Range’s Hat-trick of Summer Desserts

Due to the success of its winter desserts range in pubs, restaurants, cafes and hotels up and down the country, leading Student Chef Challenge sponsor Country Range has further enhanced its sweet offering with the launch of three brand new frozen summer desserts – Strawberry & Prosecco Charlotte, Tutti Frutti Charlotte and a St. Clements Pudding.

With the profit sector more frequently looking to the seasons for inspiration when deciding their menus, these three on-trend desserts are available to outlets exclusively through the Country Range Group network of independent wholesalers – www.countryrange.co.uk/where-to-buy/.

Summer Trinity

Strawberry & Prosecco Charlotte – Fine décor sponge with strawberry compote and white chocolate truffle mousse layered with sponge laced with prosecco. Topped with strawberry mousse and garnished with strawberries and white chocolate shavings. Simply defrost overnight or for 8 hours in the refrigerator. Pre-portioned into 14 slices.

Tutti Frutti Charlotte – A fine charlotte of a sugar decor sponge with apricot compote, white chocolate and passion fruit truffle. Combined with a salad of fruits: pear, pineapple, kiwi, peach and blueberries; fruit glazed. Simply defrost overnight or for 8 hours in the refrigerator. Pre-portioned into 12 slices.

St. Clements Pudding – Sweet citrus lemon pudding baked with mandarins and a citrus lemon sauce. Packaged in 12 individual slices which can be microwaved from frozen in just 90 seconds.

Martin Ward, Country Range Group Trading Director, said:

“We’re delighted to be launching a new trio of summer desserts just in time for the busy alfresco season that we feel can provide a unique selling point to menus across the land. I don’t think the team has ever been quite as excited about a product launch, as the three new lines look sublime and when it comes to taste and flavour, they really are out of this world. With Prosecco a core trend in the UK, especially during summer, I have a suspicion that the Strawberry & Prosecco Charlotte is definitely a product to watch this summer.”

About Country Range

With more than 25 years of heritage servicing the UK’s innovative foodservice sector, Country Range is the leading independent foodservice brand and now offers over 850 products, all developed exclusively for professional caterers. Covering grocery, chilled, frozen and non-food, Country Range is widely recognised by caterers as a trusted and reliable brand delivering consistent quality and value for money without compromising on taste and flavour. The brand is developed and produced by the Country Range Group and is distributed exclusively by the 13 independent wholesalers that make up the Group.

Country Range Student Chef Challenge

The brand is lead sponsor of the prestigious Country Range Student Chef Challenge and is committed to working with the Craft Guild of Chefs, colleges and lecturers to provide a platform for the next generation of chefs. An eagerly anticipated fixture on the catering industry’s calendar, the Country Range Student Chef Challenge 2016/17 competition final featuring eight colleges from around the UK took place on the 15th March in the Live Theatre of ScotHot, Scotland’s biggest food, drink and hospitality show, and was won by the team from Ayrshire College. For more info visit – www.countryrangestudentchef.co.uk.

Contact Details

Website: www.countryrange.co.uk

Twitter/Instagram: @countryrangeuk

Social Supermarket Calls For Local Partners

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Social Supermarket Calls For Local Partners

Community Shop, the UK’s first social supermarket chain, has recently opened its fourth store in Grimsby.

Community Shop Grimsby provides its members with access to high quality surplus food from the manufacturing supply chain, at hugely discounted prices.

The social enterprise, which was founded by the UK’s largest redistributor of surplus stock, Company Shop in 2013, has had a transformational impact on the communities it serves.

Open to individuals living in areas of deprivation and in receipt of welfare support, Community Shop Grimsby supports its members to stretch their family budgets and kick start positive change in their own lives.

The social, economic and environmental benefits achieved by Community Shop are not possible without the support of food businesses donating their surplus stock. So, the store is looking for more local partners, retailers and manufactures wanting to do something positive with their surpluses.

Helen Lane takes the lead in CHEP UK and Ireland

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Helen Lane takes the lead in CHEP UK and Ireland

CHEP, the global supply chain solutions company, has recently appointed Helen Lane as Vice President, Northern Europe. In her new role, she will lead CHEP’s UK and Ireland business in providing customers more ways to optimise every stage of their supply chains. She replaced Rod Francis who has moved to the CHEP Africa, India and Middle East business.

Helen joined CHEP in 2003 and has held various roles in Finance, European Key Accounts, National Account Management and Logistics Services. She was promoted to the role of Director, Retail and Asset Management in 2012 where she led with distinction, building strong alliances with the UK’s largest retailers.

Commenting on her appointment, Helen stated: “I’m extremely excited and proud to lead CHEP UK and Ireland towards our vision of becoming our customer’s easiest choice of partner. CHEP is a great business but I believe that we can be an even greater one by becoming even more fanatical about our customers. We want to be easy to choose because CHEP ‘just works’ and through the value that we add, we will help our customers deliver on their promises”

Mike Pooley, President CHEP EMEA commented: “CHEP is a unique and highly successful business but to stay at the forefront of our industry we have to keep moving forward; Helen’s appointment to Vice President is key to that. Helen has a proven track record in developing innovative and customer-led ways of delivering excellent service. I am confident that with her leadership, the team will increasingly seek out new and better ways to serve our customers and collaborate to deliver solutions that help drive efficiency, cost savings, and sustainability in their supply chains.”

Helen holds a Degree in English and French Literature from Leeds University, she lives in Manchester with her husband and two young daughters, Elizabeth and Nancy.

Food waste report is ‘wake-up call’ for next Government

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

ADBA: Food waste report is ‘wake-up call’ for next Government

The Anaerobic Digestion & Bioresources Association (ADBA) has joined the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee in calling food waste levels in England a ‘scandal’ and described the Committee’s final report into the costs of food waste in England as a ‘wake-up call’ for the next Government.

The report, published this week, examines what Committee Chair Neil Parish has called the ‘grotesque economic, environmental and social costs’ of food waste in England, estimated at over £10bn a year excluding the disposal costs to Local Authorities. The report makes a series of recommendations on how food waste levels could be reduced and explicitly recognises the role that AD plays in recycling inedible food waste into low-carbon heat and power, green transport fuel, and organic biofertiliser, helping to recover valuable resources from food waste and meet the UK’s decarbonisation targets. The report states that AD is the best treatment option for food waste that cannot be avoided or redistributed for human or animal consumption.

ADBA submitted written evidence to the inquiry and its Chief Executive Charlotte Morton gave evidence directly to the Committee in February. The trade body has consistently called for mandatory separate food waste collections across England as a matter of urgency and for the Environment Agency (EA) to enforce the waste hierarchy to ensure that the value locked up in food waste can be recovered.

ADBA is also calling on all political parties to use their manifestos for the upcoming general election to address the urgent problem of food waste and commit to introducing mandatory food waste collections in England, as all the devolved governments have already done.

London, United Kingdom – Thursday 08 December 2016, ADBA – National Conference.

Ms Morton said:

“This report is a yet another voice pushing food waste up the political agenda and is a real wake-up call for the next Government. The levels of food waste we’re currently seeing in England are a scandal – not only does food waste cost the average household £470 a year (£700 for those with children) plus disposal costs, which we pay for in our council tax bills, it also has a huge environmental impact both in terms of the wasted resources that have gone into producing food that is not eaten and the greenhouse gas emissions emitted from landfill sites.

“England’s record in recycling food waste is shameful when compared to the devolved nations and other European nations. The UK Government needs to show national leadership in addressing this issue as a matter of urgency by legislating to roll out mandatory food waste collections for both households and businesses. This would both reduce food waste and its related carbon emissions and ensure that all unavoidable and inedible food waste can be recycled through anaerobic digestion, as the EFRA Committee’s report recommends.

 “We agree with the report that the incoming government also needs to work with the EA to enforce the waste hierarchy, and in our view it’s essential that the EA is given the resources and staff to be able to do so effectively.

“We were delighted that the Committee took the time to visit Bio Collectors’ AD plant in Mitcham as part of their inquiry to see first-hand how AD turns food waste into valuable resources that we as a country absolutely need to build a truly circular economy.”

Other recommendations made by the Committee include a national food waste target, greater participation in the voluntary Courtauld Agreement, mandatory reporting of food waste data by large food businesses, and mandatory separation of food waste by food businesses and retailers. ADBA supports each of these recommendations.

ADBA will set out its key manifesto asks for the AD industry within the next few days ahead of the upcoming general election, with its call for mandatory food waste collections in England a key part of this.

BRC7 symposium: top non-conformances

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

BRC7 symposium: top non-conformances

It has been said that ‘Mistakes have the power to turn you into something better than you were before.’ Looking back at the top non–conformances of 2014 and 2015 against BRC Global Food Standard version 7, it has been found that a lot of them arise around site standards. If we can learn from the past we have the potential to overcome issues in the future.

A Campden BRI seminar (see www.campdenbri.co.uk/brc-compliance.php), to be held on 4 July, will provide an excellent insight into the common non–conformances that occur in relation to BRC issue 7 and discuss areas of improvements within food and beverage manufacturing sites.

Information on the main non conformances will cover:

  • Building and equipment
  • Chemical and physical control procedures
  • Cleaning – cleanliness of premises and equipment
  • Establishing correct cleaning plans

The presentations will include:

  • an overview of top non–conformances by BRC
  • how to implement good controls
  • vulnerabilities and maintenance of hygiene systems
  • expected standards in plant fabric and tools
  • how to engage personnel to ensure that standards are upheld.

For more information on the event, contact Daphne Davies on +44(0)1386 842040 (daphne.davies@campdenbri.co.uk)

Contact:

Karen.jones@campdenbri.co.uk +44(0)1386 842204

Campden BRI (www.campdenbri.co.uk) provides technical, legislative and scientific support and research to the food and drinks industry worldwide – with a comprehensive “farm to fork” range of services covering agri-food production, analysis and testing, processing and manufacturing, safety, training and technical information services. Members and clients benefit from industry-leading facilities for analysis, product and process development, and sensory and consumer studies, which include a specialist brewing and wine division.

 

 

 

 

Businessman Reaches North Pole as Queens Award ‘Double’ News broke

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Businessman Reaches North Pole as Queens Award ‘Double’ News broke

Finally reaching the North Pole as news broke of a Queen’s Award double honour, CEO and Co-Founder of Oakland International, Dean Attwell, said he was exhausted but elated, thanking everyone for their support, good wishes and generous donations during his North Pole trek in aid of Cancer Research UK.

Walking for up to 10 hours a day in freezing conditions, Dean and the Super Combined Team reached the North Pole on the evening of Thursday 20th April after displaying amazing grit and determination not to be deterred by the massive open water lead which they encountered, just 2 miles short of the North Pole, and with no visible way around it.

Said Dean: “We had been skiing for upwards of 15 hours already so we camped for a few hours to get some rest, eat and then on for our last push of the day and another 10 hours of skiing, which paid off after we found a way around the lead, there we were, all exhausted but finally at our goal, standing at the North Pole; this has had to be the most strenuous thing I’ve done.

“I am immensely grateful to everyone for supporting me and for their generosity and pledges of support, and very proud to have the news of our double Queen’s Award for Enterprise break as we prepared to return home.

“My sincere thanks to the Polar Explorers Expedition team and to our guides who kept us going right up to the last minute when things got tough; it’s been a tremendous privilege and one experience I will never forget.”

You can still donate and support Dean and Cancer Research UK via Dean’s JustGiving page: (www.justgiving.com/fundraising/NorthPoleDean) or you can send a cheque made payable to: Cancer Research UK c/o Jane Thompson, Oakland International, Seafield Lane, Beoley, Redditch B98 9DB.

XPO Logistics wins contract with Premier Foods

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

XPO Logistics wins contract with Premier Foods to manage integrated supply chain solutions

XPO Logistics has won a long-term contract with British food manufacturer Premier Foods, the company behind well-known household names such as Mr. Kipling, Oxo, Bisto and Ambrosia. The contract covers inbound transport, warehousing and outbound distribution to customers throughout the UK and Ireland.

Premier Foods will move its multi-site warehousing operations to a single XPO-managed national distribution centre in Tamworth, Staffordshire. XPO expects to manage throughput of

approximately two million pallets per year at the dedicated centre, which has the capacity for 80,000 pallets and will be fully operational from mid-2018 following a phased transition programme.

The 650,000 square feet site will employ an estimated 170 workers and be equipped with XPO’s state-of-the-art warehouse management system. Transport services will be handled with a bespoke distribution fleet of approximately 70 vehicles and 200 trailers. XPO will customise its transport management software to ensure that Premier Foods achieves optimal fleet utilisation at all times.

XPO Logistics’ Chris Hyde, business unit director–supply chain in the UK, said: “This is an exciting and significant win for us. Our work with Premier Foods will be supported by the scale and flexibility of our operations in the UK, allowing us to provide a fully integrated and seamless solution to Premier Foods throughout their network.”

Premier Foods’ Paul Thompson, operations director, said: “The team at XPO Logistics have demonstrated the capabilities to deliver a cutting-edge solution based on extensive experience and the kind of scale we require. This strategic integration will be very important in helping us service our customers more effectively. We’re delighted to begin working together, and we look forward to building a long-term relationship with XPO.”

Gluten-free pizza bases from Central Foods

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Gluten-free pizza bases from Central Foods stretch 250 times higher than Tower of Pisa

As demand for gluten-free products soars, frozen food distributor Central Foods has revealed that if all the 12-inch gluten-free pizza bases it sold in the last year were laid end-to-end it would measure 250 times the height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The Northamptonshire-based company, which supplies foodservice outlets across the UK and abroad, reports a growing demand for free-from, vegetarian and vegan items.

And with Coeliac Awareness Week 2017 approaching in May, the firm has been reviewing its most popular gluten-free items.

“Coeliac UK estimates that there are now over 1.3 million Britons or 3% of British adults following a gluten-free diet. In addition, 8.58 million, or 13%, are avoiding gluten in their diet, so it’s hardly surprising that we are seeing an increase in demand for gluten-free items from foodservice operators such as pubs, restaurants, hotels, coffee shops and other outlets,” said Gordon Lauder, MD of frozen food distributor Central Foods.

“We are proud to have been supplying the catering industry with frozen, ready-prepared, sweet and savoury gluten-free products since 2009, and to have worked with Coeliac UK to raise awareness about the issue in the industry.

“The gluten-free range that we offer is extensive, including meat products, pizza bases and wraps, cakes, slices and tarts, macarons and desserts. Demand has been growing across the gluten-free range, but it’s noticeable that the gluten-free pizza bases are particularly popular and we’ve sold the equivalent of 250 times the height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, if we were to lay them end to end.

“While many foodservice operators already include gluten-free items that are suitable for coeliacs on their menus, Coeliac Awareness Week, from 8th to 14th May, is the chance for them to offer additional gluten-free items – perhaps as specials or extra dishes. It’s also the chance for operators to consider joining the Gluten Freevolution – a new campaign being launched by Coeliac UK.”

Central Foods, which is based at Collingtree near Northampton, supplies more than 220 independent wholesalers, as well as larger national and regional wholesalers. It also supplies to foodservice caterers across the entire foodservice industry, including pubs, hotels, restaurants, staff canteens, schools, hospitals, coffee shops, football grounds and universities.

Offering a one-stop shop to the foodservice sector, it sources products from around the world and the UK, supplying more than 400 different lines, ranging from meat, bakery items and canapés through to buffet products, desserts and puddings.

For more information visit www.centralfoods.co.uk