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Product Junkie

Product Junkie

Monthly Archives: February 2013

NFU Opinion: Forge better relationships between chefs and producers to help keep produce British

28 Thursday Feb 2013

Posted by Lisa Jenkins in Opinion

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Sarah Dawson,
chair of the NFU Horticulture Board talks to Caterer and Hotelkeeper
about the NFU Campaign: Make it British, Make it Local, Make it Happen!

Sarah Petitt 2.jpgThe
NFU talks to 4,000 growers producing nine million tonnes of more than
300 different types of fruit and vegetables – so there’s undoubtedly an
exciting array of home grown produce available to chefs and caterers in
the UK. Like me, the majority of British growers produce to world
leading farm assurance standards, guaranteeing stringent traceability,
hygiene, quality and care, which are easily recognised by the Red
Tractor logo on pack.

However, the horticulture industry in the
UK faces an uncertain future as growers try to juggle the impacts of
increasingly diverse weather conditions, the increasing pressure from
imports and the risks of unsustainable business practices that are
passed down the supply chain by some buyers.

As a result, some
well-loved British produce, including cucumbers, tomatoes, salad onions
and mushrooms have been labelled as endangered, due to a fall in home
production at a time when consumer demand is increasing. Growers aren’t
seeing the returns they need to give them the financial confidence to
invest.

How have we ended up here? Well, in response to the
growth of the major supermarkets over the past decade, UK growers and
intermediaries have understandably intensified their focus on the retail
market. However, this focus has perhaps been at the expense of
developing links with other customers at home and abroad.

Chefs
and caterers spend £10b on food in the UK and that represents a great
opportunity for growers to tap into an expanding home market and – in
doing so – spread some of the risk we experience by focusing so heavily
on the supermarkets.

Furthermore, by developing relationships
with chefs and the food service sector, I believe there is great
potential to displace some of the produce we currently import by
encouraging growers to plant more of the exotic, niche ingredients that
chefs want to use.

We need to forge closer relationships with
chefs and food service buyers, and by working with chefs’ organisations
we hope to improve that.

So make it Make it British, Make it Local, Make it Happen!

Cheftools announce the arrival of the Pacojet 2

27 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by Lisa Jenkins in Equipment

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The first new model of chef’s favourite the Pacojet has been launched today to coincide with the company’s 25th anniversary year.

The Pacojet 2 includes some new features, many of which have been introduced at the request of, and with help from, distinguished chefs around the world.

Pacojet2_2.jpgWhat’s new: Swiss-made brushless motor with a 5-year warranty; upgraded software to prevent overfilling beakers; optional air pressure mode with automatic de-pressurisation and more precise decimal portion control.

The new machine is equipped with a new colour graphic display with intuitive icons and an automatic cleaning cycle.

Bonus:  The new machine is complete with a complimentary Pacojet recipe book contributed by top chefs in 40 different countries.

The Pacojet Ambassador for the UK, Tom Kerridge of the Hand & Flowers in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, said of the new machine: “We have found the Pacojet 2 to be highly efficient and the manufacturer has clearly taken on board suggestions for improvement.

“The new engine is more powerful, quicker and quieter. In fact, since we ‘pacotise’ about 40 times a day in the kitchen, there now pervades an air of calmness and control!”

Kara rolls out deli range

26 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by Lisa Jenkins in bakery

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Kara, the food service brand of Fletchers Group of Bakeries, has launched a range of four new deli rolls with distinctive flavours and toppings in response to market trends.

The Rustic is a soft malted grain deli roll with malted wheat, oats and barley, topped with a malted grain mix. The Classic is a soft white deli roll dusted with semolina while The Italian is a soft white roll with Italian herbs and seasonings throughout. Finally, The Quattro is a soft white deli roll topped with a mix of four seeds – brown linseed, golden linseed, poppy seed, and millet.

The Delicious Range.JPGBritish consumers eat over 11.5 billion sandwiches a year, 35% of which are bought through sandwich and coffee shops. 8% of consumers will pay more for a sandwich that is made in front of them.

Kara is the foodservice brand of Fletchers Group of Bakeries supplying frozen bakery goods to the Foodservice market within the UK, Ireland and Export.

Falksalt flavoured salt flakes from Cyprus

26 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by Lisa Jenkins in condiments

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600g citron cutout .pngSalt processor Salinity has launched a range of premium naturally flavoured salt flakes from Cyprus under the Falksalt brand. 

Harvested using a unique system which creates large pyramid shaped delicate crystals.  These crystals are flavoured during the formation which allows the salt to carry flavour throughout each crystal.

The initial range includes; fruity Lemon and smoke, as well as a striking black crystal flake, which offers wide ranging visual usage.  

Falksalt is exhibiting at IFE13 from the 17 – 20 March and is inviting caterers to visit for free samples.

For more information on suppliers contact Luke Hodgson 01992 447095.

The Bonzer Zip Zester

26 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by Lisa Jenkins in Equipment

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The Bonzer Zip Zester is the latest culinary accessory from the kitchen equipment specialists, Mitchell & Cooper.

The Zip Zester, winner of the 2012 American NRA Kitchen Innovation Award, is designed to zest citrus fruits quickly, easily and with minimal mess.

The design allows the delicate removal of zest, preserving the natural oils within the skin which carry all the flavour and ensuring that none of the bitter pith is removed with it.

Four detachable blades include: The Little Twist Blade – creates a thin ribbon; The Big Twist Blade; The Macroblade – to make the most of the flavoursome oils in the zest of the fruit and the The Microblade – for really fine, flaky zests for dressings, jams and desserts.

www.mitchellcooper.comZip Zester.jpg

Classic Cuisine’s new range of vegetarian meals

26 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by Lisa Jenkins in Vegetarian

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Classic Cuisine has launched a new range of vegetarian meals for the food service industry.

This year’s range includes a smokey bostin bean rosti which contains spicy Mediterranean vegetables and a bean sauce sandwiched between smoked cheese and spring onion rostis; a roast root vegetable and rarebit tart – filled with spiced plum chutney, creamy smoked cheddar and beer sauce topped with roasted mixed root vegetables, and a light, fluffy twice baked cheddar cheese and chive soufflé.Roast Root Vegetable and Rarebit Tart.JPG

The Office of National Statistics suggests that three in five adults now eat meat-free food and that there are approximately 1.8 million people being identified as vegetarians. According to the Vegetarian Society vegetarians account for nearly two and a half billion pounds worth of food eaten outside of the home each year, at restaurants, cafes and workplace canteens.

So, vegetarian food for thought……

Tetley kiosks on trial at Moto Services

26 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by Lisa Jenkins in Beverages

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Tetley has introduced a neTetley Kiosk 1 Low.jpgw self-service kiosk concept into two Moto Service areas, as part of a three-month trial.

The kiosks utilise the latest Tetley branding, bold colours and an eye-catching design to attract consumers looking for a comforting cuppa.

Containing everything needed to make the perfect cup of tea, including the option of fresh milk, the kiosks currently offer individually enveloped, standard Tetley, Tetley Earl Grey and Tetley Green Tea & Lemon.

There are two kiosks currently on trial with MOTO service stations; one in Reading East on the M4 and one in Whoolley Edge on the M1. 

The tea is served in a fully branded, Tetley ‘On-the-Go’ cup, perfect for a personalised take-away hot beverage.”

www.tetleyforcaterers.co.uk

CSM and the doughnut lovers’ dream doughnut

26 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by Lisa Jenkins in Snacks

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CSM claims to have achieved the impossible with their new Readi-Bake Reduced Fat Doughnut.

A unique combination of baking techniques allows CSM to mimic the frying process and use healthier sunflower oil to give this product the taste of a fried doughnut but the nutritional levels of a baked one – with, they say “no compromise in taste”.

Reduced Fat Doughnut - Sugar.jpgThe Readi-Bake Reduced Fat Doughnut is available in two varieties, a cocoa iced ring and a sugared ring, and they come with single-serve doughnut bags to help communicate the dual benefits of more taste, and less fat.

www.csmglobal.com/uk

Cherizena launch new cider apple flavour coffee

26 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by Lisa Jenkins in Beverages

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Coffee specialist Cherizena is launching a new cider apple flavoured coffee to perk up the drinks menus in cafés, pubs, restaurants and hotels.Cherizena cider apple flavour coffee.jpg

Flavour profile:  Fresh and fruity with the sweet aroma of juicy apple with a punchy apple tang.

Available from the end of February 2013 – ready for a spring launch and available in a range of pack sizes as beans, ground, regular or decaffeinated.

For more information visit www.cherizena.co.uk

Fifty Shades of success for Brighton tea shop Metrodeco

25 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by Lisa Jenkins in Uncategorized

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metro-deco.jpg

Fifty Shades of Grey, the global best-selling novel, has given an unexpected boost to a British tea shop.

Metrodeco, in Brighton, says online sales of its ‘Shades of Grey’ black tea, have more than quadrupled since the racy novel was released in August 2011.

Accounts just completed by the tea business show it sold more of the earl grey blend in 2012 than in the three previous years put together. 108% higher than in 2011 and 243% higher than in 2010.

Metrodeco’s co-founder Helen Taggart said she first noticed a sharp rise in enquiries about the product only a few weeks after the E.L James bestseller was published.

“Our Shades of Grey blend has been on sale since 2009 and it was never our leading product,” said co-owner Helen Taggart.
“Then along came Fifty Shades of Grey and our earl grey became an overnight best-seller – just like the novel. We’ve even had orders from overseas.

“I’d like to say the novel piggy-backed on the success of our tea – but, to be honest, it’s definitely the other way round. People seem to have found our tea online when searching for information about the book. We’re now thinking of bringing out a tea called ‘X Factor’ to see if it has the same effect on sales.”

www.metro-deco.com

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