Latest Industry News
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Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010, (5:11 pm)
BHAJI MAN SAYS HOME COOKED CARRY CAN SPICE UP OUR LOVE LIFE
The 75-year-old entrepreneur they call the Bhaji Man is convinced a home-cooked curry is the perfect recipe for romance.And the man who started his business cooking onion bhajis for neighbours in his Norfolk village is launching four new spice kits with the slogan “let’s cook at home.”
Don Lear, who moved to England from Sri Lanka with £7 in his pocket 51 years ago, hopes amateur chefs will turn down takeaways and introduce his kits to the kitchen with his new chicken korma, Thai green and Thai red curry and Goan pork vindaloo boxed spice and herb kits.
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Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010, (1:43 pm)
ECO GUIDE LISTS SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD
“The fragile marine ecosystems of the Coral Triangle are under increasing threat because fish are being taken out of the seas faster than they can be replenished”, says Dr Geoffrey Muldoon of WWF’s Coral Triangle Program.
The new ‘Singapore Seafood Guide’ produced by WWF helps concerned seafood consumers and corporations make more informed and sustainable seafood consumption choices.
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Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010, (7:13 am)
SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD MASTER CLASS WITH COLIN BUSSEY
Colin is a member of Master Chefs of Great Britain and now with over 30 years’ valuable industry experience runs his own consultancy business offering professional advice and support to his clients.
One such client is Loch Fyne Oysters Limited and his work with them is at the forefront of sustainable seafood, now more important than ever to environmentally astute caterers and gourmands alike.
A true master, Colin’s work history has been split between kitchen and speciality food supply. He was Executive Chef for P & O’s ‘Oriana’ cruise liner and also Executive Head Chef at world-famous Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire.
Friday, 12th March at Cafe Spice Namaste
Programme:
10am- Tea and coffee on arrival
10.30am – Master Chef Demonstration begins
12:30pm – Q & A
1pm – 3-course gourmet lunch with wine at Cafe Spice Namaste
2:30pm – End of sessionTickets are £125 per person including refreshments and lunch. To make a booking, contact Binay Aryal at binay@cafespice.co.uk
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Monday, March 1st, 2010, (11:00 am)
MORRISONS WIN GLOBAL WINE EDUCATOR OF YEAR AWARD
Morrisons have become the first UK company to win the Riedel Trophy for the WSET Educator of the Year.
The award celebrates those companies or individuals who have made a significant contribution to WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) courses and qualifications.
WSET courses form part of the Morrisons Academy and judges praised Morrisons for “…the approach of the Morrisons team to WSET programs, which form part of the Morrisons Wine Adviser course. It was clear that Morrisons view well-educated staff as an integral part of delivering top quality customer service, which is second to none.”
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Monday, March 1st, 2010, (8:01 am)
MARKS & SPENCER LAUNCHES PROGRAMME TO BE WORLD’S MOST SUSTAINABLE RETAILER BY 2015
Marks & Spencer (M&S) announces a programme to be the world’s most sustainable retailer by 20151, launching 80 major new commitments under M&S’ eco and ethical plan, Plan A.
The new commitments will mean all M&S products become ‘Plan A products’ with at least one sustainable quality, enable our 2,000 suppliers to adopt Plan A best practice and encourage M&S customers and employees to live ‘greener’ lifestyles. They include:
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Monday, March 1st, 2010, (7:00 am)
FIREFLY LAUNCHES NEW VARIANT
Following a nationwide competition to design their next drink, Firefly Tonics, the producers of 100% natural energy drinks has launched the winning ‘Britannia’ design exclusively with top London retailer, Selfridges.Britannia, the truly British recipe designed by Nottinghamshire girl Holly Siddons, will be available to consumers from 15th February 2010 and will roll out thereafter across other retail stores nationwide in March.
Made from a delicious combination of fruits from Holly’s local area including Bramley apples, blackberries and raspberry, Britannia is the fifth flavour to be joining the 100% natural range of energy drinks.
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Monday, March 1st, 2010, (12:03 am)
REGIONAL FOOD GROUP PROMOTES RESTAURANT HYGIENE
The Regional Food Group for Yorkshire and Humber (RFG) has been working with its members to improve their ‘Scores on the Doors’ rating.
Scores on the Doors is a scheme devised by the Food Standards Agency, to promote food safety, give consumers information to help them choose food outlets with the highest standards, and help businesses to improve hygiene standards.
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Friday, February 26th, 2010, (3:00 pm)
WAGAMAMA LAUNCHES IPHONE APP
iphone users with a taste for the pan-asian flavours of wagamama can now order their favourite food on the move, from today, thanks to the launch of the restaurant chain’s new iphone application. the company is the first restaurant chain in the uk to launch its own iphone app, which is free to download from the itunes app store.
Wagamama is known for embracing new technology, and the innovative app mirrors the super-fast ordering system wagamama customers are used to when dining in their restaurants. hungry iphone users can use the app to locate their nearest branch of wagamama and browse the menu to place their order, their selection is then transmitted straight through to the kitchen, in a similar way to the wireless hand-held devices used by wagamama restaurant staff.
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Friday, February 26th, 2010, (2:34 pm)
HOTELYMPIA ANNOUNCES INNOVATION AWARD FINALISTS
Hotelympia has announced the following products as finalists of the inaugural Hotelympia Innovation Awards. They will be showcased on plasma screens throughout the Innovation Lounges to an audience of over 40,000 – An ideal starting point for any visitor wanting a ‘snap shot’ of what’s hot at Hotelympia! -
Friday, February 26th, 2010, (2:02 pm)
GOURMET DELICACIES NOW AVAILABLE IN FREEFROM FORMAT
Lucky taster-judges for the chocolate and sweet snack category of the 2010 FreeFrom Food Awards got to taste over 50 deliciously freefrom chocolate and sweet goodies a week ago for the 2010 awards.
Entries ran from ultra healthy Biscru’s raw crushed apple and date ‘biscuits’ (just crushed fruits), Conscious Foods’ finger millet biscuits with cinnamon or Village Bakery’s Brazil, cashew nut and sunflower seed bars to BoojaBooja’s wickedly rich (but totally dairy-free) ginger wine, champagne and around midnight expresso truffles and Orinoco Coco’s chilli and ginger spice bars.
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Friday, February 26th, 2010, (1:00 pm)
ERIN O’CONNOR PROMOTES HOVIS FASHION SANDWICH
As always promoting healthy eating amongst models is a priority, and for 2010, Hovis 100% British Wheat will be teaming up with the fashion industry to keep the models looking and feeling good.Supermodel Erin O’Connor who founded The Model Sanctuary, an oasis for models away from the catwalk, is supporting the trend and has worked with Hovis to devise a ‘British Fashion Wheat’ sandwich using bread made from flour milled from 100% British Wheat which will be on offer to models at the secret location.
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Friday, February 26th, 2010, (1:00 pm)
HALEWOOD LAUNCHES FOUR NEW SPIRITS
Leading independent drinks manufacturer and distributor, Halewood International, is expanding its alcoholic drinks portfolio with the launch of four new products to further strengthen their position in the spirits category.
Don Cruzado Tequila, Di Cassini Sambuca, Ponticelli and Peach Amore are the latest additions to the Halewood portfolio that will seek to capitalise on growing subsections of the UK spirits market.
Don Cruzado Tequila, a full bodied Mexican Tequila that is made with the hearts from ripe agaves is being launched to compliment the existing Halewood Portfolio and to take a share of the growing Tequila market worth £60m, and is available now.
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Friday, February 26th, 2010, (12:16 pm)
ORGANIC TRADE BOARD LAUNCHES NEW CONSUMER WEBSITE
The Organic Trade Board is to launch a new consumer website, www.whyiloveorganic.co.uk, aimed at providing clear advice for consumers on the benefits of organic products.
The new website will form an anchor for a UK based PR campaign and will become the destination site for both organic supporters and interested consumers. In addition, social media activity with Facebook and Twitter will continually update members on news from the organic industry.
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Friday, February 26th, 2010, (9:09 am)
BRITS REACH FOR HEINZ IN BIG FREEZE
Record-breaking soup sales announced by Heinz today reveal that 57.3(1) million cans were sold in January 2010 – working out at approximately one can for everyone in the UK.
The family favourite brand launched its ‘IT HAS TO BE HEINZ’ campaign back in October 2009 – it’s biggest in five years. The £5million multi-product campaign includes TV and radio advertising supported by national in-store marketing and cross-category promotional activities, all of which continue to gain momentum into 2010, with the TV advertising back on air this month. The results since the launch have seen a 21.3% increase in sales of Heinz Soup, Beans and Sauces compared with last year.(2) -
Thursday, February 25th, 2010, (5:54 pm)
BRANDED MICROWAVE SINGLE SERVE SWEET POTATO LAUNCHED IN TESCO
Following on from the popular branded sweet potato called Carolina Sun is a single-serve pack focusing on convenience and naturalness.A solo Carolina Sun sweet potato contained in a microwaveable film pack allows the potato to steam – so the moisture is retained and the flesh does not dry out.
This method of cooking also produces a perfectly even effect.
The product requires no washing or preparation prior to cooking, it is microwaved for approximately 4 minutes – so it is pitched at the time poor convenience or snacking customer whether in the office or at home.
RSP 69p available in Tesco stores nationwide.
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Thursday, February 25th, 2010, (5:32 pm)
YORKSHIRE RHUBARB JOINS EUROPE’S PROTECTED FOOD ELITE
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn today praised rhubarb producers from Yorkshire whose vegetable has joined the ranks of Champagne and Parma Ham on a list of Europe’s specially-protected food and drink.
Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb has been awarded Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status by the European Commission’s Protected Food Name scheme after being recommended by Defra.
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Thursday, February 25th, 2010, (11:05 am)
MUMSNET GENERATION CHOOSES HOB NOBS AS FAVOURITE BISCUITS
The nation’s political leaders should have chosen their favourite biscuit more carefully if they wanted to connect with voters – according to a survey conducted by Tate & Lyle with Mumsnet members to coincide with Fairtrade Fortnight.
It reveals that the biscuit most likely to secure the nation’s votes as favourite is none of those selected by leaders but…the Hob Nob[1]. Chocolate digestives and shortbread fingers come second and third respectively.
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Thursday, February 25th, 2010, (9:00 am)
SCIENTIFIC SKILLS RECRUITMENT IN FOOD SECTOR SET TO GROW IN 2010
Although the UK science labour market had a tough 2009, shedding both permanent and contract staff, the food sector has been resilient to the consumer downturn and saw an increase in the requirement for skilled scientists.
The majority of respondents in this sector found it no harder in 2009 than 2008 to recruit staff, in fact compared to the scientific sector as a whole, Food companies found it much easier to recruit.
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Thursday, February 25th, 2010, (7:00 am)
COCKBURNS PROMOTES 18 HOUR SLOW ROAST LAMB FOR EASTER
At the FDIN we predict a major resurgence of slow roasting. Called Daube, from the squat looking tight-lidded dishes the French used to braise food amongst the embers, Cockburns the port people, are now promoting a slow cooked dish accompanied by … you guessed it … port. Sounds good though.The recipe for this tender, 18 hour slow-cooked lamb was created by Steve Bulmer, head chef at Brook Hall Cookery School.
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Wednesday, February 24th, 2010, (11:00 am)
ALARA WHOLEFOODS COMMENDED IN SUSTAINABLE CITY AWARDS
Alara Wholefoods, one of the UK’s largest muesli producers and the first organic cereal company in the world, was again rewarded for their sterling work as a pioneering sustainable business when on the 18th February their director Katrina Smith collected two highly commended awards in the categories of Responsible Waste Management and Environmental Management in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises at The Sustainable City Awards 2010. -
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010, (11:00 am)
GREEN TEA BENEFITS YOU CAN PHYSICALLY SEE!
Today, The Sun is reporting that scientists in Hong Kong have found that green tea, renowned for it’s health boosting antioxidants, may also help to fight eye diseases such as glaucoma.
Up until now, it was unknown whether the catechins the tea contains ever left the stomach however the new study shows that indeed they do work their way into the lens, retina and eye tissue.
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Wednesday, February 24th, 2010, (11:00 am)
SCOTTISH RESTAURANT AWARDS
The stars of Scotland’s restaurant scene have battled it out to take home a culinary Oscar from the third annual Scottish Restaurant Awards in association with the country’s top online reservation and review site 5pm.co.uk.
Hosted by food critic & broadcaster Tam Cowan at Edinburgh’s Corn Exchange, the Scottish Restaurant Awards were set up to celebrate the outstanding creativity, customer service and top quality dining on offer throughout Scotland.
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Wednesday, February 24th, 2010, (7:00 am)
ASSESSORS WTIH HOSPITALITY EXPERIENCE SOUGHT FOR CONFERENCE VISITS
Individuals with a background in the hospitality sector are now being recruited by The Mystery Dining Company (TMDC) for a series of exclusive paid-for assignments.
The move comes as the firm, which specialises in analysing the customer experience to give operators feedback on how they can improve performance, launches a new assessment programme designed to give an in-depth overview of corporate event management.
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Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010, (9:11 pm)
MICHELIN RESTAURANT OFFERS BEERS MATCHED TO EVERY DISH
Speciality beers is a growing sector and now Kinloch Lodge on the Isle of Skye, owned by bestselling cookery writer Claire Macdonald, is championing the offer of ‘beer flights’ on its recently Michelin-Starred menu.Sixteen beers have been selected for the list, and fifteen of these are from Scotland.
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Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010, (9:01 pm)
MORRISONS SUPPORTS FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT
Morrisons recognises the importance and benefits of selling Fairtrade and as such has expanded the range of Fairtrade products available in its stores. By selling Fairtrade products it helps to ensure improved working conditions, sustainability, and fair terms for farmers and workers in developing countries.
Morrisons is one of the only retailers to introduce Fairtrade Ice cream, in two delicious flavours; Fairtrade Arabica Coffee and Fairtrade Madagascan Vanilla are now available in stores*.
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Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010, (1:00 pm)
SIMPKINS TRAVEL SWEETS ADDS FAIRTRADE PRODUCT
Sheffield-based Simpkins, the UK’s original and only travel sweets manufacturer, has added new flavours to its Fairtrade range: Forest Fruit; Orange, Lemon & Grapefruit; Mixed Mint; and Mixed Fruit.The company has been producing its range of 175g Fairtrade travel sweets for just over a year. The tins retail for £1.99 and are available in nationwide Oxfam stores, independent retailers and Simpkins’ online shop www.traditionalsweets.com.
The sweets are made using sugar from the Kasinthula Cane growers (KCG) sugar-cane co-operative in Southern Malawi. Based in one of Southern Africa’s poorest countries, the smallholder’s project is a lifeline to 282 of the region’s farmers. KCG was Fairtrade certified in 2002, allowing it to supply companies in the UK, Europe and US.
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Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010, (11:11 am)
NEW PORK LABELLING CODE OF PRACTICE UNVEILED BY DEFRA
There is light at the end of the tunnel for confused consumers as a new labelling code of practice is introduced for the country of origin for pork and pork products.
Major supermarkets have endorsed the voluntary code which aims to give clear and unambiguous information about country of origin on packs of pork, bacon and ham.
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Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010, (9:00 am)
WESTERN EUROPE’S DRINKS VOLUMES REMAIN STATIC
Canadean’s recently published Quarterly Beverage Tracker points to a marginal improvement in the prospects for commercial beverage consumption volumes in 2010. Canadean consultants anticipate that the West European beverage market will see the smallest of contractions in 2010; this compares to the 0.4% decline seen in 2009.
According to Canadean, the mood on the ground remains subdued, with industry confidence levels in most markets remaining uncertain or deteriorating, with the exception of just Austria, Finland, Italy, the UK and perhaps surprisingly Greece. (more…)
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Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010, (7:00 am)
FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT … SALES REACH DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH
The global economic downturn made 2009 an incredibly tough year for the world’s poor seeking a fair deal for their produce, the Fairtrade Foundation will tell stakeholders at a evening reception today in London to mark the launch of Fairtrade Fortnight 2010 (22 February – 7 March 2010).The global economic turndown has been felt worst in developing countries, where an estimated 50-90 million more people were thrown into extreme poverty in 2009, according to UN Millennium Development Goal figures. Meanwhile, here in the UK, just over 7 in 10 people told YouGov that they cut back on their personal budgets in some way as a result of the recession, such as eating out less.
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Monday, February 22nd, 2010, (6:27 pm)
HOVIS SWITCHES TO 100% UK WHEAT
UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Mr Hilary Benn MP, yesterday visited Premier Foods in High Wycombe as part of his regional visit to the South East. Mr Benn was given a tour of the bakery development plant at the Premier Foods office to learn more about the change Hovis has made to its wheat sourcing.
This January, Britain’s most famous baker, Hovis, made a milestone change to its entire product range baked in Great Britain by switching over to flour milled from 100% British wheat. Hovis is the first major British bread brand to make such a change across its entire product range.
This is important news for the British farming industry as the change represents a massive investment with over 600 farmers across Great Britain now growing one of the world’s premium Red wheats exclusively for Hovis.In an initiative designed to secure the world’s highest quality wheat, as locally as possible, Hovis spent the last five years working with British farmers intensively trialing alternative options, thus ensuring the British public can continue to enjoy great tasting bread, happy in the knowledge that they are supporting British farmers.
