Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food - Issue 164

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pizzapasta and Italian food magazine

Issue 164 November 2014 www.papa.org.uk

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pizzapasta AND ITALIAN FOOD

Editor telephone e-mail

Clare Benfield 01291 636336 clare@jandmgroup.co.uk

Advertising telephone e-mail

Andrew Emery 01291 636334 andrew@jandmgroup.co.uk

Production telephone e-mail

Jayson Berry 01291 636339 jayson@jandmgroup.co.uk

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Welcome After a trip to the Campania region of Italy, we report on the production of two famous Italian cuisine essentials – real buffalo mozzarella cheese, and tomatoes. We also cast our eye over some developments in pizza packaging, olive oil and ice cream and desserts.

With plenty of news and rumour in terms of potential mergers and acquisitions now on the horizon for the Italian restaurant scene, this month is also an important one for the industry at large in terms of the annual Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Industry Awards (now celebrating their 25th year). Turn to page 16 to find out who has been short-listed.

The Pizza Chef of the Year regional heats have now also taken place (turn to page 20 to find out the latest).

We would like to thank all who took part in, sponsored, and helped judge, the awards this year, and we look forward to catching up with many of you at the celebratory awards night dinner to be held on Thursday, 13 November 2014 at the Lancaster London Hotel in London.

CLARE BENFIELD EDITOR clare@jandmgroup.co.uk

01291 636333 membership@papa.org.uk

J & M Group, Association House, 18c Moor Street, Chepstow, NP16 5DB. Opinions expressed in Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food magazine are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of J&M Group, Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food magazine or The Pizza & Pasta Association. No responsibility is accepted for the opinions of contributors. Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food is published by J&M group Ltd. and supports The Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food Association. It is circulated to managers, executives, buyers, retailers and traders in the pizza and pasta business. © J&M Group Ltd. 2012

Contents NEWS

ARTICLES

4 “Open rearing” operation proposed in response to maltreatment of buffaloes.

34 The making of mozzarella – how traditional mozzarella cheese is produced.

5 Change of ownership likely for some of Britain’s most wekk-known restaurants.

6 Papa John’s franchisee opens two stores in two months.

38 New food labelling regulations for the catering industry – December’s new regulations.

8 Premium heritage Italian beer widens UK availability.

50 How SMS can work for your business – getting a marketing edge via texting.

PAPA

52 Tomato processing – the canning of Italy’s tomato crop.

16 Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Awards 2014.

20 Pizza Chef of the Year 2014.

PROFILES

FEATURES

56 Gelato Village – premium Italian ice cream in Leicester.

24 Ice cream and desserts – ideas and suggestions for your dessert menu.

40 Pizza packaging – developments and new product launches.

46 Essential olive oil – an overview of what makes this important ingredient so special.

58 Pizza My World – Primeware Ceramics’ Heather Brooks.

REGULARS 59 New products.

60 Index of PAPA registered suppliers.

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news Pizza Rossa kicks off Kickstarter Campaign On the verge of expansion, London’s bythe-slice pizza concept Pizza Rossa has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the next stage of its development.

Pizza Rossa raised capital through crowdfunding, breaking the European record for a start up in 2013. The first outlet opened as a long-term pop-up in June 2014 at Leadenhall Market in the City of London, and two more venues are already scheduled to open in the Autumn.

Kickstarter.com promotes rewardbased campaigns and brings together project creators and backers, where a funding goal and deadline is set. People who like a project pledge money to make it happen. Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing – projects must reach their funding goals to receive any money. To date, an impressive 44 percent of all projects have reached their funding goals, and since Kickstarter.com launched in 2009, seven million people have pledged $1billion, funding 70,000 creative projects.

Pizza Rossa is using the Kickstarter platform to buy a bike, a cart and an additional oven with the objective to increase capacity for corporate deliveries.

Corrado Accardi, founder and managing director of Pizza Rossa, said:“If things go spectacularly well with the campaign, we would even consider opening another pop-up in a railway station in London.”

Rewards designed exclusively for Kickstarter members include Pizza Rossa branded merchandise, pizza making experience at the large Leadenhall market shop and an at-home masterclass experience in pizza making with Pizza Rossa’s head chef.

Pizza al taglio – by the square slice – is inspired by the street food vendors in Italy, where it’s regarded as a complete meal, providing a balance of protein, vegetables and carbs. In London, Pizza Rossa recreates that artisanal feel in every slice (the dough is proven for up to 24 hours, making it highly digestible, with less yeast and salt than other pizza, with no added sugar or preservatives, and the toppings use high quality ingredients from Italy as well as local fresh produce from the UK).

The Kickstarter campaign went live at http://kck.st/1yx5ztw

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“Open Rearing” operation proposed in response to maltreatment of buffaloes In the wake of an investigation carried out by the animal welfare charity, Four Paws, into the cruel maltreatment of newly-born, male buffaloes, as well as neglect of some adult buffaloes in Italy’s buffalo mozzarellaproducing region of Campania, that is at odds with the premium product that has come to be prized and enjoyed, not least in the UK, the Consorzio di Tutela della Mozzarella di Bufala Campana has announced that it is proposing what it calls an “Open Rearing” operation.

Disturbing images of the cruel treatment of young, male buffaloes emerged after the charity visited some 50 farms to find out more about the conditions in which they live at farms it is alleged supply milk to mozzarella makers supplying some of Britain’s most wellknown supermarkets (most supermarkets have said that they are confident that their suppliers maintain high animal welfare standards at all times, with Marks & Spencer pointing out that they do not take mozzarella from the suppliers implicated).

Since the male calves do not produce milk, as in other sectors of the dairy business, they are considered to be an unwanted byproduct. The market and demand for buffalo meat, is, as yet, a small one so it is uneconomic for farmers to keep them. However, instead of being taken to abattoirs for humane dispatch as should be the case, the Four Paws investigation discovered that young, two or three-day old males calves were being left to starve, kept in squalid conditions with no access to food and water and their mothers, or simply being dispatched by means of a hammer to the head. Dead and dying animals were also left out in the open.

As a result of the same investigation, the farms visited were also criticised by the

investigators for not providing the right conditions for their adult animals, including restricted grazing, no access to mud baths (buffalo have thicker skin and fewer sweat glands than cows, so need access to cooling water) and a lack of basic shelter from the sun. Other problems the industry has faced in recent times include the accusation that toxic matter from illegal landfills has contaminated the water supplies to farms, and therefore the resultant cheese produced.

In a statement, the buffalo mozzarella consortium’s managing director, Antonio Lucisano said: “The subject of the maltreatment of animals is not regulated by the rules of DOP. However, at the Consorzio, we intend to intervene forcefully nonetheless, beginning with the use of our Ethical Code where it should become apparent that this cruel practice has been adopted by breeders who are also part of the Consorzio. In such cases, we will propose to the Department that those responsible be expelled with immediate effect.

“We have asked General Sergio Costa, commander of the Forestry Guards in the Campania region, an institution with which we have had the opportunity to collaborate, with particularly positive results, in the past, to set up an ‘Open Rearing’ operation with the precise objective of carrying out controls on the methods used within breeding farms who are members of the Consorzio. The Forestry Guards have immediately confirmed their participation so our inspectors will consequently have access to the structures and we are organising inviting those responsible within the LAV (anti-vivisection league), who have the merit of bringing these horrible episodes to light.”

Galbani® take mozzarella to the max!

Fresh and milky in flavour, the new Galbani® Mozzarella Maxi is extremely versatile, giving everyone from pubs and bars to casual dining outlets and restaurants the opportunity to create a multitude of Italian dishes using larger pieces of mozzarella, with ease, say its creators.

Available in a convenient 250g cylindrical format Mozzarella Maxi is perfect for slicing, making it ideal for use in salads and sandwiches where consistent portion control is key. The beauty of slicing the mozzarella fresh means chefs have complete control over the thickness of the slice, and can adjust accordingly depending on the dish they are preparing, say the brand.

The smooth, creamy taste of mozzarella perfectly complements a whole host of

other flavours, making it a staple ingredient for iconic Italian dishes, such as Caprese.

Alternative formats from the Galbani line-up include Mozzarella Balls, Mozzarella Cucina and Mozzarella Cubetti (specifically developed for use on pizza).

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news

Change of ownership likely for some of Britain’s most well-known restaurants Entrepreneur, Hugh Osmond, has now acquired the restaurant chain, Strada, and its 43 Strada restaurants from Tragus Group through his investment vehicle Sun Capital in a £37 million pounds deal (Tragus is also the owner of the Café Rouge and Bella Italia chains, and has now undertaken some financial restructuring in the wake of this deal in order to focus on its other interests).

It was Hugh Osmond who coled the stock market flotation of Pizza Express back in 1993 before he later went on to found several pub chains. In a statement, he said that Sun Capital had "big plans to invest in the business and expand it".

The Italian restaurant chain, Prezzo, has also recently confirmed that it has received approaches from the private equity firms Advent and TPG, with the company suggesting that the

buyers had indicated that any offer is unlikely to value the business at more than 135p a share (around £316 million).

Prezzo, which operates almost 200 branches across the UK, confirmed to the Telegraph recently that it had hired bankers at corporate finance boutique Altium to advise on the process.

At the same time, however, the Kaye family are separately believed to have held talks with private equity firms to gauge interest for a bid for Aim-listed Prezzo as well as Ask and Zizzi (all of which were originally founded by family members). If successful, this would re-unite the brands this restaurant family founded, at the same time creating a casual dining chain with almost 500 restaurants nationwide, it is estimated, in a potential £500 million deal.

Philip Kaye, the head of the Kaye family, owns a 44% stake in

Prezzo, which his nephew, Jonathan, now runs. It was Philip Kaye who founded Zizzi and ASK (the latter being named after his sons - Adam and Sam Kaye - both of whom sit on Prezzo’s board).

Currently, through a number of its investment companies, the Kaye family own and control 58% of the Prezzo chain, which industry observers believe has a market

value in the region of £328 million.

In July of this year, the privateequity-backed Gondola Holdings reportedly made in the region of £900m selling the Pizza Express chain to China's Hony Capital. And Gondola, it is now thought, are also hoping to go on and sell Ask and Zizzi (two businesses estimated to be worth in excess of £200 million).

Pizza Hut Restaurants million pound investment in Scotland Pizza Hut Restaurants has undertaken an investment of more than £1.7 million into its Scottish estate, creating 35 new jobs.

The investment has been made across a number of key sites in Scotland and forms the next phase of Pizza Hut Restaurants’ UK-wide reimaging programme, say the company.

The first opening took place at Hamilton Palace Retail Park in August, followed by Glasgow and Inverness, and the Huts will set the benchmark in restaurant design and hospitality standards for the casual dining industry, say the brand.

All of Pizza Hut Restaurants’ famous icons – including the Ice Cream Factory, Salad Station and Buffet – have been put centre stage as part of a new, interactive design, showcasing the fresh food and vibrant atmosphere. A first for the brand, an all-new bar area serving draught Budweiser beer

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will now be available at selected restaurants.

In addition to the Ice Cream Factory, a central preparation station will offer a range of desserts including warm cookie dough, a waffle machine, speciality drinks, and a selfservice soft drinks hub allowing guests to refill drinks at their leisure. And a brand new menu includes the introduction of ribs,

wings and fries, to appeal to a wide range of customer tastes.

The redesigned restaurants offer guests a more open and inviting dining space, and also benefit from enhanced lighting schemes and bolder external facades, signalling the new dining experience. At the Silverburn Shopping Centre in Glasgow, the restaurant chain has also acquired an additional

600 square feet, meaning an increase of 40 covers.

Pizza Hut Restaurants MD, Jens Hofma said: “Our first Scottish restaurant opened in Edinburgh in 1981, and today we have more than 30 Huts in the country so our estate has grown enormously. Hamilton, Glasgow and Inverness are some of our most popular restaurants and hugely important for our business, so we wanted our loyal guests in these areas to be among the first to enjoy this exciting new Pizza Hut Restaurants experience.”

The latest stage of investment is part of a broader £60 million refurbishment and restructuring programme of the business, secured through private equity investment from Rutland Partners in late 2012.

Fourteen Huts in Scotland will have been transformed with a new look and feel by the end of 2014, including restaurants in Edinburgh, Stirling and Ayr.

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news

Edmond Shipway appointed on San Carlo Restaurants’ UK roll out The multi-disciplinary construction consultancy, Edmond Shipway, have been appointed on two significant restaurant projects for San Carlo Restaurants, Harnbury Holdings.

They have been appointed as the construction, design and management co-ordinator for San Carlo Cicchetti in London’s Covent Garden and the San Carlo Fumo Restaurant in Manchester.

The project value of the San Carlo Cicchetti restaurant in Covent Garden is in excess of £1.5 million and works will include a ground and basement fit-out in a building that was formerly PJ’s bar and grill. The ground floor will contain the restaurant area with bar facilities and the basement will comprise of store rooms, staff room, kitchen and rest rooms.

The San Carlo Fumo Restaurant project in Manchester is within the new One St Peter’s Square office building which

Edmond Shipway has also recently completed a San Carlo Bottega restaurant with Selfridges, Manchester.

forms part of the civic space for the redeveloped St Peter’s Square on which Edmond Shipway are also appointed as CDM Coordinator via Manchester City Council. Works will include the fit out of a new Fumo restaurant on the ground and mezzanine first floor.

New Essential Guide to Italian Wines 2015 launched The new Essential Guide to Italian Wines 2015 by Daniele Cernilli - a top Italian wine critic, aka “Doctor Wine” - launched in October in Italy and was officially presented on 11 October at Montecatini Terme (Tuscany) as part of the yearly Food and Book Festival (www.foodandbook.it).

Published by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, and retailing at €22, the guide is fresh, new and exciting, claim its publishers.

Offering a different approach to wine listing and evaluating, it focuses on producers’ reputations, wine value, price/quality ratio and tipicality. With only 871 wines listed and described almost in ‘twitter’ style, it has an easy, approachable working guide, making it ideal as a quick reference for trade professionals whilst also providing the consumer with a captivating snapshot on the Italian wine world.

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Shortly after the launch, the ‘shining stars’ from the guide, around 50 producers, began a tour of Europe to present and taste their awarded wines, starting with London on Monday 27 October. The tasting took place at the Millennium Copthorne Tara Hotel in Kensington with trade professionals and the media in attendance.

Works on both have presented various challenges. At One St Peter’s Square the works have had to be closely coordinated with Carillion who are carrying out the main building works to ensure ease of access and minimum disruption. The Cicchetti in Covent Garden has involved dealing with

existing risks such as structural works and old services and well as closely liaising with adjoining tenants.

Edmond Shipway’s project safety team has developed ‘Designing for safe use’ guidance for their restaurant clients that ensures the safety of customers is addressed from the earliest stages of design.

Ken Latham, Manchester director of Edmond Shipway commented:“Over the last two years we have seen a significant pick up in the number of retail and restaurant projects we have been appointed on. We were delighted to be approached to provide the CDM Coordination services for the San Carlo brand.

We have developed a great relationship with the client and project team and are looking forward to the successful delivery of future projects with Harnbury Holdings.’’

Papa John’s franchisee opens two stores in two months Papa John’s has announced that franchisee Steve Mullarkey has opened two new stores in two months.

Expansion is on the menu as in addition to the new outlets Preston and Chester -Steve Mullarkey also runs Warrington and has signed up to open a further two more Papa John’s with the help of the company’s franchisee incentive deal.

“I chose to join Papa John’s as a franchisee earlier this year, as it was very simply better than the competition. The product’s freshness, quality and value for money is a recipe for success. In addition, Papa John’s is an exciting company and committed to growth. The head office staff’s enthusiasm for the future is impressive, they really believe this company is going places and I have to agree,” said Steve Mullarkey.

“Preston and Chester have only been open a couple of weeks but they have exceeded all expectations. We ran some special promotions and our Chester outlet is really already popular with students. We are based under the

halls of residence and so the walk in trade has been exceptionally high. Preston is also in a great location, but it is attracting families and even with my catering background I have been amazed at the amount of business so far!

“The franchisee incentive deals Papa John’s offered, have enabled me to commit to opening a total of five stores and I have already started viewing locations for my next Papa John’s which will open in January. However, my plans don’t end there! I am hungry for success and aim to open between 10 to 15 Papa John’s over the next five years, all of which will be based in the North West, so watch this space!”

Papa John’s is currently offering incentives to new franchisees for stores opening in Wales, The Midlands, North East, The North West and Scotland, including a royalty break for a specified period for stores opening before the end of 2014. The company say that they will also supply deals on equipment, plus marketing spend for the store opening launch (these deals are only available for 2014 and are limited).

November 2014

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The Ice Cream Alliance is the only membership trade association for the Ice Cream Industry in the UK. As the organisers of the only annual Ice Cream Expo in the UK, the show attracts companies and visitors from across the world looking to take a scoop of the ÂŁ1bn UK market. If you're looking to exhibit or visit for new products, suppliers, inspiration or a new business venture, don't miss out in attending this exhibition. The Ice Cream Expo takes place at the Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate from the 17th -19th February 2015.

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news

Premium heritage Italian beer widens UK availability

Vapiano stage own ‘Olympics’ September saw the Vapiano Olympics being organised by restaurant manager Alex Poynter with the dual aim of driving standards further and building on teamwork amongst some 200 staff across its three London restaurants.

The event involved daily and weekly challenges for individual staff members and also for the entire staff of each restaurant, including using fresh ingredients in the recipes to produce great tasting pizza, pasta and salads to Vapiano standards as part of a team with marks awarded for taste and presentation, The Olympics also tested each and every Vapiano team in their recipe knowledge as well as ensuring the exacting recipe standards are consistently delivered accurately and quickly. Amongst the other challenges, there was a pizza dough tossing and best latte art (drawing with milk foam in coffee) challenge. Additionally, a Vapiano fan, selected by Twitter, was asked to review each restaurant individually with points awarded to the restaurant which receives the best review.

Vapiano staff members were asked to create their own recipes, with the opportunity to have their exclusive recipe feature on the specials menu across the three London restaurants, and a prize on offer for the winning restaurant to be shared amongst its staff.

The competition was judged by Vapiano’s UK and US managing director, Phil Sermon, and other senior management.

Alex Poynter, organiser and manager at Vapiano in Bankside, said: “We have excellent staff at our restaurants and the Olympics is a fun way for each of them to participate in an activity that will benefit them individually as well as Vapiano in the UK.”

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Having signed an exclusive on-trade distribution agreement in the UK with C&C Group’s Tennent Caledonian Breweries, the Italian craft beer brand, Menabrea, is in the midst of greater promotion of its products in Scotland, where various promotional events outlining the pairing of this beer, aperitivistyle, with food have already been held and with further plans to now raise awareness of the brand in the rest of the UK and Ireland too.

The agreement includes Menabrea Bionda pale lager in draught and packaged formats and Menabrea Ambrata (an Italian amber beer which will be distributed in 330ml bottles), and C&C Group’s marketing director, Paul Condron, feels that the brand has very good fit with increasing consumer interest in provenance and authenticity.

The beer started out in 1846, and boasts a long, family-run heritage and connection with the Piedmont region of Italy, and in particular the town of Biella where the brewery is located, and a cow’s milk cheese called Sbirro – made using the beer itself – is also produced.

Franco Thedy (managing director of Menbrea, and the fifth generation of the family to be involved in running the company) was recently in the UK, helping to further promote and strengthen the UK’s growing connection with a premium beer that up until now has been predominantly associated with the stylish bars of Milan and Turin, and where it already has a strong connect with food.

The town of Biella itself, points out Franco Thedy is a textile town, associated with soft water coming from the Alps with a light mineral content, and the beer is produced on a big scale but still with an artisan approach to its production (including a two week fermentation and four week maturation).

“We were presented with the opportunity

Menabrea’s Franco Thedy has been in the UK, helping to promote his family’s craft beer.

to create a new style of consumption here,” Franco Thedy explained, in talking about the drive to encourage Italian, aperitivo-style combining of craft beer with food after work, for example, in Scotland.“We were approached

by C&C Group, owners of Tennent Caledonian, who are a great partner, because they are brewers and know about brewing. They know the product and how to produce.”

In Italy, the new style of beer consumption (ie. ‘not just with pizza’), is a relatively new development, reports Franco Thedy, and now there is a good opportunity to promote the same style of eating and drinking abroad.

The promotion began two to three months’ ago and was finalised a month ago, with the holding of aperitivi-style events and use of braded glassware, posters, and recipe ideas primarily in Scotland but soon to be in England too. The beer brand and cheese will also be present, and available for tasting, at this year’s 25th Pizza Pasta and Italian Food Awards to be held in London on 13 November 2014.

Lactalis brands celebrate gold Lactalis Foodservice is celebrating after achieving significant success at the ‘International Cheese Awards 2014’ with its key brands Galbani®, Président®, Lubborn and Seriously® Strong, all of which were recognised with a ‘Gold Award’ at this year’s event.

Over 200 judges sampled a recordbreaking number of entries (almost 4,500) from across 26 countries - selecting only the very best as winners.

Janice Findlay, marketing manager for Lactalis Foodservice commented: “We hear great things about our range of cheese brands on a daily basis, largely from the work we do with chefs across the industry, however

for them to be acknowledged at the world’s biggest and best cheese awards is a fantastic achievement and one of which we are all extremely proud.”

Known for its low moisture content, which makes it the perfect cheese for chefs when grilling or baking, the gold award-winning, say the firm, Galbani® Mozzarella Cucina 400g Block’ offers an authentic tasting mozzarella that diners have come to know and love.

In addition to five Gold Awards, Lactalis achieved silvers with Président Light Brie 200g and Président Société Roquefort 150g and two bronze awards with Reduced Fat Somerset Brie 2.35Kg and Somerset Brie 2.35Kg as well as three Highly Commendeds.

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news Lynx Purchasing sends price warning over changing menu trends

Secrets of crowdfunding at lunch!

The recent lunch! show held at the Business Design Centre in London saw pizza business entrepreneur, Corrado Accardi, give a talk about his experiences of raising funds for his pizza by the slice business concept – Pizza Rossa – which he described as a “high speed, high quality” pizza product.

Having originally come from a construction industry background, he wanted to explore other business opportunities, having identified a gap in the market for pizza by the slice. However, despite having attended a pizza making training course and having got experience working in a pizza by the slice business, he found that investors and banks were not going to initially support him in a business in which he had no track record so he had to put his idea on hold for a while.

Then, after studying for an MBA, he moved towards a greater interest in finance, entering his idea into various business awards and competitions which helped to raise interest and which ultimately led him to look at crowdfunding – a mechanism where small, medium and large investors – can pledge money and invest via the internet as a source of funding for his own business idea. In the event, he broke the European record for a business start-up realised through crowd-funding, raising £440,000 in 17 days from 119 investors, opening their first shop this year.

In offering insight into how to get the best from crowd-funding, Corrado Accardi explained how, at the start, it was best to identify a few potential investors ahead of the start so that they could ensure the funds were raised steadily in order to attract, then maintain, attention over a period of days.

One of the main reasons investors backed his product, said Corrado Accardi, was because it was an innovative one, not currently been done, and centring around pizza prepared and cooked in a centralised facility prior to being distributed and reheated at the retailing outlet. At the same time, given pizza’s popularity and appeal, crowd-funding offered a way for the pizza outlet’s customers to take an interest in the success of ‘their’ business.

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The boom in the popularity of dishes such as pulled pork is moving the goalposts for operators when it comes to effective menu planning, the buying specialist Lynx Purchasing is warning.

The growing consumer appetite for US-style hot dogs and BBQ dishes such as ribs and pulled pork has largely flattened out the seasonal peaks and troughs that used to be seen in pork prices, reports the company’s newly-published Autumn/Winter 2014 edition of the Lynx Purchasing Market Forecast.

“We’re definitely now seeing what you might call the ‘pork belly effect’ extend to other cuts,” says Lynx managing director John Pinder.

“Where pork belly was once a very cost effective option for dishes such as stews and pies, once gastropubs, and then national pub and restaurant groups, moved it centre-plate the price inevitably increased.

“We’re now seeing a similar effect on pork shoulder, which is an ideal cut for slow cooking.

With pulled pork now appearing not simply on the menu in specialist BBQ restaurants, but in many mainstream restaurants and pubs, demand for pork shoulder is high all year around.”

Lynx’s report, based on exclusive insights from its suppliers, tallies with the most recent Menurama data from industry analyst Horizons, which reported that hot dogs appeared on 86% more menus in June 2014 than a year previously, with pork ribs the second biggest riser with an increase of 15%.

“Pork still represents very good value for caterers,” says John Pinder,“but the reality is that the price is going to remain at a steady level all year round rather than see the seasonal

variations that clever operators have been able to take advantage of in the past. The one exception, inevitably, is demand for streaky bacon in the run-up to Christmas, which as ever is going to push up the price as we get closer to December.”

The Market Forecast also sounds a warning note on turkey prices, which took a seasonal upturn earlier than expected at the start of September.“We’re keeping a close eye on pricing trends as our customers plan their Christmas menus,” says John Pinder.“Most suppliers won’t have their birds fully ready for market for a few more weeks, so the picture on turkey prices won’t be totally clear until midNovember, although we’re already negotiating prices for some of our customers who are placing large orders for their Christmas menus.”

There is more positive news on seasonal produce after mild weather across the UK and Europe this year.

“Generally availability is good, quality of produce high and value for money excellent, while the stronger pound following the ‘no’ vote in the Scottish referendum will make produce imports from Europe better value. Operators should be planning their menus around seasonal fruit and veg wherever possible across the autumn and into the Christmas trading period.

“The Russian ban on imports of food and drink products from the UK will also potentially benefit operators. We’re talking to some of our specialist suppliers, and there are likely to be some bargains on offer on products such as smoked salmon and premium cheeses such as cheddar and stilton, that were previously earmarked for the oligarchs.”

Campden BRI seminar to address food labelling questions The new EU Regulation on the Provision of Food Information to Consumers is here and Campden BRI’s annual Food Labelling seminar (visit www.campdenbri.co.uk/food-informationseminar.php) will take place on 2 December, with only 11 days remaining until the deadline for all food and drink manufacturers to comply with the new rules.

There has been a great deal said and discussed about the new legislation but, as event director Helen Arrowsmith points out, there are still questions that need answering.

“What does compliance look like in different sectors? What will the enforcement position be once the FIC Regulation applies? What is the latest situation with implementing steps and national provisions?” asks Helen Arrowsmith.

“The seminar will provide the answers to these questions, and many more, through a varied programme with leading experts.

Delegates will have the opportunity to discuss

their specific food information legislation enquiries with Campden BRI Food Law Advisors.”

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 agrifood production, analysis and testing, processing and manufacturing, safety, training and technical information services. Members and clients can benefit from the organisation’s industry-leading facilities for analysis, product and process development, and sensory and consumer studies, which also include a specialist brewing and wine division.

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news

UK restaurants missing out on £5.6 billion extra revenue per year?

A recent study claims that restaurants in the UK need to embrace the mobile age more so as to meet changing consumer expectations and positively impact their bottom lines.

Velocity (www.paywithvelocity.com) - a company developing a mobile app with the aim of transforming the dining experience – revealed the results of their UK-wide survey (commissioned by Berland) on the changing nature of consumer dining behaviours. Not only do consumers now demand faster and more efficient services, the study also suggests that restaurants are not meeting this expectation and missing out on a potential £5.6 billion additional revenue per year with technologies presenting an opportunity to drive increased turnover.

“New technology is increasingly empowering consumers to take control, enhancing our experiences with immediate gratification. We are already seeing this in the transport, hotel and home entertainment sectors with the likes of Uber, AirBnB and Netflix, but these advances aren’t happening in a meaningful way in the UK dining sector yet,”

said Alex Macdonald, co-founder at Velocity.

“These technological advances have the potential to transform the dining sector resulting in quicker bill payment, personalised service and increased customer loyalty & sales, a rare win-win for both consumers and restaurants.”

In particular, the study found that the average person in the UK wastes more than a month of their lives ‘waiting for the bill’.

Consumers typically wait an average of 11 minutes for the bill in the UK, report Velocity, and so meaning that certain apps could therefore help increase your table turnover and sales by some 14%.

In addition, the survey revealed that 43% of consumers say they would eat out more often with a restaurant payment app, and of these, 50% of consumers would eat out at least once more every week. Currently only two in 10 consumers use restaurant loyalty apps, Velocity found, but 64% of consumers would use restaurant loyalty schemes if they were all in one app Other findings included 76% of customers

finding slow and inefficient service a turn off when dining out, nearly equal to rude staff (77%) and more influential than receiving a wrong order (48%) or an incorrect bill (46%).

Three out of four people are also reportedly irritated by waiting too long to pay the bill, with 59% of respondents placed more emphasis on a quick and efficient service when dining out for lunch, over the variety of food (49%) and ambience (23%). Over half (57%) of consumers surveyed agreed that having a system that allows them to pay easily is important, such as a mobile one click payment system.

With consumers waiting an average of 11 minutes for the bill in the UK, using apps, such as Velocity, to reduce the time customers spend waiting for the bill can potentially increase restaurants’ table turnover and sales by 14%, claim the firm (in an industry that turns over around £40billion a year, according to a Market Insight Food and Drink report for the UK restaurant industry, this equates to a potential £5.6 billion in additional revenue, calculate Velocity).

CQS launches new Zinilunch range Continental Quattro Stagioni (CQS) has launched Zinilunch which they describe as a fast, practical and convenient way to prepare top quality pasta dishes with much greater profitability and flexibility than standardised ready meals – in partnership with Zini, a leading Milan-based pasta manufacturer.

It comprises 13 of pasta shapes, from the well-known spaghetti and penne to the more unusual, regional varieties such as Orecchiette and Garganelli. These can be used as the base for pasta salad dishes or combined on the spot with a ready-made IQF grain pasta sauce from the Le Salse Zini collection. Thanks to their small pack size the sauces can be prepared in a matter of seconds in a saucepan, microwave or bain-marie.

Their revolutionary granular

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shape makes the 11 sauces in the Le Salse Zini range – which includes Bolognese, Pesto, Carbonara, Amatriciana and Arrabbiata - easy to divide into portions, therefore eliminating wastage. The sauces can also be combined with each other and completed using additional ingredients to create new recipes, offering even greater flexibility.

As well as being the ideal choice for restaurants during busy periods when large quantities of various pasta dishes often need to be prepared quickly, Zinilunch is perfect for cafes, restaurant chain franchises, coffee bars and kiosks and take away outlets, as preparation of the products within the range does not require the presence of a dedicated on site chef.

The Zinilunch range of pastas comprises – Penne,

Farfalle, Maccheroni, Mezze penne, Fusilli, Garganelli all’uovo, Trofie, Orecchiette, Mezzelune allo speck, Tortellini al manzo brasato, Fagottini al prosciutto crudo, Tortelloni Verdi ricotta e spinaci.

Le Salse Zini range of sauces includes – Ragu alla Bolognese, Pomodoro e basilico, Arrabbiata, Parmigiana, Carbonara, Mediterranea, Amatriciana, Pesto, Ragu di mare, Crema ai formaggi and Crema ai funghi.

Sandro Bevilacqua, Vice Chairman of Continental Quattro Stagioni explains:

“Italian food remains hugely popular in the UK, along with all things Italian in fact.

Consumers enjoy experimenting with different concepts whether they be truly traditional, authentic Italian flavours, dishes or cooking techniques that are new to the UK or brand new innovations that have even only recently been adopted in Italy itself.

This new Zini range is quick and easy to prepare and enables profitable and tasty pasta dishes to be created without compromising quality.”

November 2014

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appointments

Dawn Farm Foods chief elected president of IBEC Larry Murrin, chief executive of Dawn Farm Foods, has been elected president of the Irish Business and Employers’ Confederation (IBEC), the national voice of business in Ireland and is the first person from the Irish food industry to hold the position.

Dawn Farms, which also wholly owns the Northampton-based cooked ingredients company TMI Foods, is one of one of the leading fully cooked and fermented meat ingredient companies in Europe serving an extensive range of blue chip customers in the foodservice

and food manufacturing sectors.

Larry Murrin is a former chairman of IBEC's Food and Drink Industry Ireland, and has been a member of Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, since its inception. At his inaugural address as IBEC president, he called on the government to continue to ensure a positive policy environment for the growth of the food sector.

Speaking at the annual president's dinner in Dublin, attended by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Larry Murrin said: "One of the silver linings of recent tough

Lincat appoints new finance director Lincat, a UK-based manufacturer of commercial catering equipment, has appointed Jonathan Dove as finance director designate to succeed Terry Storey who will retire in December.

Jonathan Dove qualified as a chartered accountant with Grant Thornton, after graduating with a law degree from the University of Birmingham and has held senior finance roles in manufacturing groups, including Merck Chemicals Ltd and Schenck Process UK Ltd. Lincat’s MD, Nick McDonald, said:“I’m delighted to welcome Jonathan to the company and I’m sure he will be a great support for our management team. Not only will he analyse and present the financial results across Lincat, Q90 and FriFri, but he will also help steer the business and ensure that we continue to meet our ambitious growth targets.”

Jonathan Dove added:“I feel privileged to be joining Lincat with its strong heritage and an excellent reputation in the industry it serves. The company is enjoying excellent results and strong growth, and I am excited to have the opportunity to work with the management team to help it continue this success into the future.”

Lincat’s new finance director – Jonathan Dove.

www.papa.org.uk

Dawn Farm Foods’ CEO, Larry Murrin, has become president of IBEC.

providing a wide range of direct services to its 7,500 member companies.

SHORTS

Red is the new ‘green’ The Warwickshire-based pallet pool operator, LPR, has launched its new White Book – a global environmental initiative to deliver even greater sustainability across the food and drink supply chain – with a company-wide ‘Red Day’ held in September. After unveiling the LPR White Book for World Environment Day in June, LPR invited all of its employees across 11 countries to submit suggestions for how to cement its corporate social responsibility commitments at an international ‘Red Day’. On the day, LPR’s employees planted more than 100 trees across its international network, as well as holding cake sales and hosting quizzes for charity.

Five Cateys for Compass Compass Group UK & Ireland was the biggest winner at the prestigious Foodservice Cateys held on 10 October 2014.

Accolades received included Business & Industry Caterer of the Year for Restaurant Associates, Chef of the Year for Nick Vadis, Procurement Team of the Year, the CSR Award and, finally, Rapport won the Front of House Team of the Year showcasing their team at Tower 42. In their second year, the coveted Foodservice Catey Awards celebrate achievement in all aspects of the foodservice industry.

New commercial director for Glanbia Cheese Glanbia Cheese has appointed David Giles as its new commercial director.

David Giles will report to Paul Vernon (Glanbia Cheese’s CEO), and the appointment is effective immediately. He will be responsible for the development and implementation of the company’s overall sales, marketing and business development strategy for the sales of cheese and whey products.

Joining Glanbia Cheese after two years at Tulip where he was responsible for business management of the Tesco account, prior to that David Giles

times is that the food sector has emerged from the shadows and is at last being recognised for the contribution it makes to our economy. While conscious of my role as representing all of Irish business, one of my goals in office will be to push for continued investment by the state to ensure a positive policy environment to allow my “home” sector reach its full potential.”

As the national voice of business in Ireland, IBEC represents the interests of business throughout the republic,

spent several years in various commercial roles with Milk Link.

Glanbia Cheese’s Paul Vernon commented:“David brings extensive experience of both the retail and dairy sector.”

David Giles is Glanbia Cheese’s new commercial director.

Italian company appoints UK distribution partner The Italian manufacturer, Enex - recognised as a leader in the design and manufacture of packaged CO2 refrigeration equipment - has appointed Green Cooling as their UK distribution partner. Enex’s management feel that the specialist approach of Green Cooling, which is geared towards providing highly efficient refrigeration systems, with a low environmental impact, fits perfectly with the Enex range of CO2 equipment.

Restaurants warned of time limit for claims Lawyers Moore Blatch, who specialise in supporting businesses that were mis-sold interest rate hedging protection - the business world equivalent of PPI mis-selling - is urging up to 10,000 businesses that the time limit for pursuing a claim against their bank is running out. The issue particularly affects restaurants as they were often sold these products alongside their business borrowing. Moore Blatch is warning that there is a six year cut off for most claims and, as the peak of mis-selling by banks and other financial institutions took place up to 2008/ 2009, then time is now running out to make a claim (and according to the Financial Conduct Authority, around 10,332 cases are still awaiting resolution).

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news New launch offers Mediterranean beach life Spiaggia (‘beach’ in Italian), a brand new Italian restaurant and bar, has opened in Fulham Broadway, London, centring on a passion for all things Italian so as to create a chilled-out urban beach-themed retreat in the heart of the capital, say its creators.

Visitors stepping into this uberchic space are instantly put in mind of the Italian Riviera courtesy of a sunny Mediterranean palette of warm yellows and cool aquas set against lime-washed tongue-andgroove and painted timber, punctuated with tongue-in-cheek flourishes like sunloungers and vintage arcade games. Retro-cool neon signs invite you to ‘Dive in’ and ‘Relax’ (in Italian, of course), and downstairs in the chilled out basement bar – or ‘lower deck’, accessed by an intriguing hidden entrance – you can do just that, with daybeds to lounge on while you sip deliciously decadent beachthemed cocktails and enjoy a casual game of backgammon.

The menu on offer in the ground floor 50-seat restaurant has been created by Mish Haddad, who has drawn inspiration from his experiences living and working in Italy. It was there he discovered the delights of piadinas, thin Italian flatbreads with a variety of delicious fillings. Combinations include Salami Napoli, Mozzarella and San Marzano tomatoes and Provolone cheese and roasted peppers with Borlotti bean and chilli mash. Those with a sweet tooth will love the Bella Donna, featuring Nutella, banana and Baileys.

In keeping with the casual vibe, the piattini (Italian tapas) are also on offer. Choose from the tempting likes of arancini, salmon carpaccio seared tuna and pollo pops – crunchy chicken nuggets stuffed with cheese, a Spiagga original. In addition, there is a fresh selection of innovative salads, authentic pasta dishes and spiedini (skewers from the robata grill) in various creative incarnations, including vegetarian options, as well as an irresistible collection of Italian desserts.

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Benier launches next generation pizza oven Benier UK, one of the largest suppliers of pizza ovens to the foodservice and specialist pizzeria markets, has launched the P600 range from Sveba Dahlen, described by the company as “the next generation of pizza ovens” (factory tests having shown 35% energy savings over both Sveba Dahlen and competitor ovens while producing a better quality end product, claim the company).

“We took a completely novel approach to the design of the P600,” said sales manager, Steven Lamb.“For a start we employed the services of a former car design engineer from Volvo who was given carte blanche to design the pizza oven of the future. Prior to our launch in the UK, the new oven went on field trials in Sweden where almost 100 were sold in the first few weeks. Some operators reported energy reduction in excess of 50%.”

Key attributes of the P600 include the fact that it is 1.47m wide and 720 cm deep, and the new insulation means that the walls are thinner making the baking chamber larger and overall size of the oven smaller than conventional pizza ovens. It is available in one, two and three decks (each deck is capable of handling six 35cm diameter pizzas).

It is very well insulated and comes with double tempered glass and twin temperature sensors to keep the heat in place and ensure an even temperature throughout the entire oven.

This results in both lower energy costs and better results. The superior insulating properties also mean that the oven door does not have to be opened over and over in order to move the pizzas around before they are ready, say the firm. Furthermore, the heat-reflecting surface of the glass helps to keep the workplace cooler.

The door handles are a new design also, sandblasted to prevent heat conduction, so they remain cool when opening the doors. The baking temperature is set using the smart panel, with any drop in the required setting adjusted with an automatic turbo function, resulting in faster baking pizza with no need for turning the product during baking, say Benier.

The oven rests on a substantial structure with sturdy legs, while also being easy to move using the lockable wheels and making cleaning, servicing and other work easier. There are two robust, pull-out shelves with bowls under the oven that can work as stands and allow easy access to products such as spices and oils “The decision to employ a car designer to develop the P600 as opposed to a traditional oven designer has been vindicated and has certainly put us on the road to success,” added Steven Lamb.

The new P600 from Sveba Dahlen.

Hospitality Show to return Registration is now live for The Hospitality Show 2015 as the UK’s largest tradeshow in its calendar year returns to the second city to celebrate the very best of British hospitality.

New products, new exhibitors, new ideas and a new business focus will all be ushered in when the Birmingham NEC opens its doors from 19-21 January for three days of insight and inspiration.

Toby Wand, managing director at organisers, Fresh Montgomery, commented: “We’re tremendously excited to welcome people from all corners of the UK to our doors, to yet again to help kick start the business year into life. In 2015 our core focus is around the best of British – a launch pad for everything new and great in British hospitality.”

Visitors can go to www.hospitalityshow.co.uk and register now for a free ticket to the show.

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PAPA Awards 2014 Short-list This year the Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Industry Awards celebrate their 25th anniversary and continue to provide a great opportunity to put your business in the spotlight.

All nominations have been received and judged for this year’s awards and the winners will be announced on the night of 13th November 2014, when the annual gala dinner will be held at the Lancaster London Hotel, to reward and celebrate the continuing success and innovation of the UK’s pizza, pasta and Italian food business.

The short-list for each is published on the following pages.

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Overall Supermarket Section Sponsor

Overall Independent Section Sponsor Official beer sponsor November 2014

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papa awards 2014 short-list

The PAPA Industry Award There is no short-list published for this award but people from across the industry have been nominated and considered.

PIZZA RESTAURANT PLATINUM AND GOLD AWARDS La Favorita, Edinburgh La Piazza, Thornbury Battlefield, Glasgow Pizzeria Venezia, Rushden Bella Napoli, Glasgow Tony Macaroni, Braehead Riva, Bothwell, Glasgow The Stable, Bristol Il Forno, Liverpool

PIZZA RESTAURANT CHAIN AWARD All Pizza chain restaurants are considered for this award – there is no short-list published.

THE ITALIAN RESTAURANT PLATINUM AND GOLD AWARDS Divino Enoteca, Edinburgh Amodo Mio, Falkirk Tamburino, Yeovil La Locanda, Gisburn The Italian Club Fish, Liverpool Little Italy, Soho, London Nonna’s Kitchen, Panton Street, London Trattoria Domenico, Huddersfield Farrell’s, Nailsea

ITALIAN RESTAURANT CHAIN AWARD All Italian food chain restaurants are considered for this award – there is no short-list published

and/or take-aways. Primarily (or often entirely) focused on the lunchtime market in city centre locations, the following entries stood out so much for the work they do to bring Pizza and Pasta to a new market that a new award has been created.

Those short-listed are: Pizza Rossa, Leadenhall Market My Pasta Bar, Fleet Street Slice Pizza, Manchester Elior UK, Pizza Foundry concept udges.

JUST EAT INDEPENDENT PIZZA DELIVERY STORE AWARD Short-list: Pizzaface, Brighton La Favorita, Edinburgh Red Tomato Pizza, Doncaster Romeo’s Takeaway, Derry Village Pizza, London Yammo, Bath Florentino’s, Gainsborough

PIZZA DELIVERY CHAIN AWARD All chain delivery operators are considered for this award and the following have been short-listed: Papa John’s Domino’s Firezza Ltd Pizza Hut

FROZEN PIZZA MULTIPLE RETAILER AWARD There is no short-list published for this award as all retailers are considered

CONVENIENCE STORE PIZZA RETAILER AWARD There is no short-list published for this award as all convenience retailers are considered

CHEESE

LUNCHTIME INNOVATION AWARD This year, a number of entries have been received that show an innovative twist on the traditional pizza and Italian food restaurants

www.papa.org.uk

CHILLED PIZZA MULTIPLE RETAILER AWARD There is no short-list published for this award as all retailers are considered

PAPA MARKETING AWARD The short-list for this award is as follows: Divino Enoteca marketing campaign ASK Italian – ‘Respect the Pasta’ campaign Spar – ‘There for You’ campaign Papa John’s – Official Pizza Partner of the Football League campaign Goodfella’s – Brand relaunch Prezzo – Becoming 200 campaign

PASTA RETAILER AWARD There is no short-list published for this award as all retailers are considered.

NEW PRODUCT/INGREDIENT AWARD This award is divided into two categories – Retail and Foodservice The short-list for the Foodservice award is as follows: Brakes – woodfired pizza bases 10” Beacon Foods – Tomato marshmallow smoke ketchup Leathams - Roquito® Tri-colour chilli peppers Snowbird Foods – mini beef burgers Bradburys Cheese – Edam and cumin cheese mix Pasta King – Quorn korma sauce for pasta The short-list for the Retail award is as follows: Donatantonio – Lupetta N’duja paste Taste of Sicily – nut free vegetarian pesto Basilicò Taste of Sicily – Nut free vegetarian Pesto Pumadò Italia Formaggi – Divo Parmagiano Reggiano P.D.O

MANUFACTURED PIZZA PRODUCT AWARD Once again this very popular award has received a great many entries. the judges have elected to split the award into three categories: Everyday, Indulgent and innovative.

Everyday Category short-list: Morrisons Thin Meat Feast Morrisons Restaurant Sweet Chilli Chicken Asda Chosen By You stuffed crust meat feast Aldi – Takeaway stonebaked BBQ chicken pizza Co-operative – Thin and Crispy feta, olive and chargrilled vegetable pizza Toscana Sourdough Pizza Company – margherita with pesto pizza Indulgent Category Short-list: Waitrose Menu Pizza Range – Spicy Caribbean salami Tesco Finest chorizo and manchego pizza Iceland – Ultra Thin wood fired pulled pork and sweet onions Co-operative – Truly Irresistible coppa, gorgonzola and fig Aldi – Specially Selected Italian mozzarella and pesto Asda – Chosen By You garlic double decker Innovative Category Short-list Waitrose – Ultra Thin and Crispy Range – cherry tomato, asparagus and pesto Morrisons – Take-away garlic chicken Iceland – Hot Dog stuffed crust cheesy dog pizza Curry Dave – Indian flatbread pizza range Co-operative – Thin and Crispy Habanero heat meat

MANUFACTURED PASTA PRODUCT AWARD This award is split into three categories – retail (ambient and chilled) and foodservice Retail (ambient) Short-list Donatantonio – Lupetta Tortiglioni Tesco Finest Fusilli Lunghi col Buco Tesco high protein fusilli pasta Aldi Specially Selected tagliatelle Retail (chilled) Short-list Co-operative Truly Irresistible slow cooked beef cannelloni Morrisons Bolognese Tortelloni Waitrose pea and pancetta ravioli Dell’Ugo wild mushroom and truffle ravioli Tesco Pasta Pot Italian fresh spinach and ricotta tortelloni with Italian tomato and basil sauce Foodservice Short-list Pasta and Pasta – Sardinian ravioli filled with potato, pecorino and truffles Pasta and Pasta – Triangoli filled with goats cheese and pear Rondanini – Zizzole pasta

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Congratulations to the Pizza & Pasta Association on the 25th Anniversary of the PAPA Awards!!!

From Pizza Plus Foodservice Chris Smith : 07887 736 419 Office : 01772 610 415 chris@pizzaplusfs.co.uk

2014 Dress code: Black tie Bar opens: 19.15pm Dinner called 19.40pm

Reserve your place for ring r a t S a great party night out with music, singing and dancing until 2am

At the The Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food Industry Awards Dinner Lancaster London Hotel, Hyde Park On Thursday 13th November 2014

Draw in aid of

from: Featuring timeless hits n Pickett, Luther lso Wi , wn Bro Aretha Franklin, James rry die Floyd, Edwin Starr, Ba Vandross, Sam & Dave, Ed rtha Ma n, nso Jacksons, George Be White, The Four Tops, The The er, nd Wo ol & the Gang, Stevie Reeves, The Emotions, Ko more.

Pointer Sisters and many year: ional soul train show of the It’s all aboard the sensat ing, am ste . . s. gin ady Sixties ori embarking from soul’s he ’s ne ryo eve .via . present day. non-stop, through to the cs. ssi cla e nc Eighties da favourite Seventies and

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PIZZA CHEF of the year 2014

Grand Final Whitworth Brothers Vivo Italian Style Pizza Flour Category

Paolo Crolla, Paolo's Italian

Tomasz Kuba, Il Forno

The PAPA tour bus has completed its annual voyage around the British Isles in search of the finest pizza chefs the UK has to offer. This year, as the PAPA Awards celebrate their 25th anniversary, the Pizza Chef of the Year Competition has stepped up, too.

For the first time, a blind tasting of a Margherita style pizza has been included in the competition and it has been a very hotly contested category. Sponsored by Whitworth Bros Vivo Italian Style Pizza Flour, the base texture was an integral aspect of judging.

Overall taste and visual impression made up the scoring sheet and we have some great pizzas to judge on Thursday 13 November.

This year the Grand Final itself will be a bigger spectacle with a Pizza Art competition and a State of the Market presentation from PAPA Director, Jim Winship. Starting at 12 noon, Jim Winship will unearth the latest market data, insight and analysis to invited media. PAPA magazine readers are also welcome to attend this free event. Audience members at the Grand Final will also be treated to tasting samples of the pizzas made, too. The finalists in each category are:

Luigi Marchetti , Yammo!

Rob Tucker & Cesare Marinaro, Pizzeria Venezia

Marco Fuso, Franco Manca Restaurant

Tulip Supertops Category Willian Garcia, Amaretto Ristorante

Giuseppe Ferraro, La Piazza

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Farhettin Ordu, Milano Restaurant

Toni Allen, The Wood Fired Pizza Company

Ryan McNab, Coopers Kitchen

Ignazio Di Cataloo, SubXpress Pizza

November 2014

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papa industry awards 2014

Bel UK Boursin Cuisine Pizza Chef of the Year

Darren Smith, Battlefields Restaurant

Roberto Galici, Nonna's Kitchen

Rob Tucker & Cesare Marinaro, Pizzeria Venezia

Toni Allen, The Wood Fired Pizza Company

Dominique Gill, Stateside Foods

Andrew Briggs, The Stable

Beacon Foods Candy Garlic Clove Category Philip McIntyre, Amaretto Ristorante

Martino Cusumano, The Italian Club

www.papa.org.uk

Connor Jones, Portobello Restaurant

Majid Rostami , Romeo’s

Ashley Smetham, Planters Restaurant

Gennaro Nespoli, Fratelli Bufala Restaurant

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papa industry awards 2014

Sponsored by FRUMENTA ITALIAN '00' PIZZA FLOURS.

In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the PAPA Awards and in recognition of the ingenuity of Britain’s pizza makers, this year’s PAPA Awards will see a new competition – The Pizza Art Competition.

What’s happened?

In the last issue we brought you news of the Pizza Art Competition and you responded in a range of ways. We’ve had everything from Hunger Games to a full on Art installation comprising an entire pizzeria. All the entries were posted on our Facebook page and after hundreds of votes were cast, counted and verified, five winners were invited to the Grand Final.

They are:

Pizza O'clock (by Alison Lawton) How the winner will be selected

Digging for Victory (by Alex Keggan) Bob Marley (by Darius Hayati)

Angelina Jolie (by Roberto Galici) 22

pizzapasta AND ITALIAN FOOD

The Persistence of Pizza (by Paul Duncan)

The judges will be looking at the aesthetic aspects of the pizza only – the visual art. Some entries will be best represented cooked and some uncooked so a taste test will not form part of the judging. The entrants will be required to reproduce their artworks live at the Grand Final. They will be displayed at the Pizza Chef of the Year Grand Final.

Entries will be judged by our panel of experts, led by celebrity chef Aldo Zilli.

Aldo is an award-winning celebrity chef and restaurateur who specialises in Italian, vegetarian and seafood cuisine.

Also on the panel will be Domenico Crolla, arguably the foremost Pizza Artist in the UK. The winner will receive the plaudits, a trophy and a cheque for £500.

View all the entrants Photos of entries were posted to our Facebook page for the public vote. While that vote is now closed and we have our five finalists, you can still view the full gallery. Clicking “like” now won’t change things but we’d love to know which your favourite is anyway.

November 2014

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desserts

Ice&cream

desserts

The ice cream business is buoyant, thanks in no small part to warmer, sunnier weather this year in the UK during spring and summer. In turn, this is translating into more new product launches and a greater variety of choice for operators and their customers.

Business is booming Companies from across the world are already looking to take a bite from Britain's booming ice cream market according to organisers of the Ice Cream Expo 2015. The UK market is estimated to be worth more than £1bn and has been forecasted to continue expanding for at least the next five years.

A good spring and summer has seen ice cream sales soar across the UK with many businesses expecting the best sales figures in 10 years. The strength of the market is providing a major draw to companies large and small, many of whom will be using the industry's major event of the year - the Ice Cream Expo 2015 to showcase their products and services.

Zelica Carr, chief executive officer of the ICA (Ice Cream Alliance) which organises the Expo, commented: "We have a growing number of new exhibitors attending and early indications are that there is also strong interest from international companies looking to invest or supply the UK industry.

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"They can see that there are many opportunities for them both directly in the supply of ice cream products and ingredients but also in supporting services such as refrigeration, uniforms, cleaning materials, insurance and fixtures and fittings for their parlours, shops and ice cream vans."

The Expo is the largest of its kind in the UK and is the only exhibition dedicated solely to the ice cream industry.

"People come to the Expo to buy and the 2014 event generated substantial business for exhibitors with visitor numbers up by 23%. With the industry enjoying such a successful season, there will be even more opportunities for new suppliers to win business,” added Zelica Carr. "Ice cream makers are constantly looking for new flavours and ways to innovate as well as needing a range of ancillary services."

The three day Ice Cream Expo will be held on February 17-19 2015 at the Yorkshire Event Centre, Harrogate (more information can be found at www.ice-cream.co.uk).

Keeping up with demand The wholesale ice cream manufacturer, Suncream Dairies, reports that it has now officially opened its new £900,000 factory extension. Completion of the year-long redevelopment project will ensure that the company is in prime position to meet the increasing demand for its awardwinning foodservice ice creams and sorbets, which include the Gelato Gold, Mellow Gold and Summertime brands. Production recently peaked at 75,000 litres per day.

The new development at the company’s Staffordshire site includes major extensions to the dairy, cold store and warehouse, additional offices and staff training facilities, and a new product development and test kitchen, and the warehouse now has space for an additional 1,000 pallets, while the dairy has

benefitted from an extra 50,000 litres of liquid ice cream storage.

Suncream has also invested significantly in new equipment including an automatic ice cream filler capable of filling 2,000 tubs an hour. Five additional ‘ageing’ vats, which contain between 8,000 and 11,000 litres each, have also been installed to complement the six already in use.

Launched in 1967 by Domenico Manfredi, Suncream has become a significant manufacturer for the foodservice sector; customers include pubs, restaurants, cafes, leisure operators, contract caterers, schools and care homes.

Third generation Rebecca Manfredi, who has been managing director for 15 years, now heads up the family-run business which has a £5m annual turnover and employs up to 60 November 2014

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desserts people during peak summer production. Seventeen new jobs were created as a direct result of the new factory development.

“The expansion project represented a major investment for us but ultimately the new facilities and equipment will mean a faster and more efficient service for our customers while also allowing for future expansion of the business,” said Rebecca Manfredi.“We’re delighted that everything was completed on time and to budget, and we’re confident that we’re now better equipped than ever to meet the increasing demand for our award-winning products.”

Authentic moments The premium ice cream maker and brand, Haagen-Dazs, have observed that these days their consumers – particularly the youth and ABC1 segments – want to know more about the origins of the food products they eat, and believes that its brand heritage and premium nature give it the necessary credentials to deliver in this regard.

For example, when nVision research (base – 2,000 -5000 online respondents aged 16+ in the UK) was carried out for them in 2012, three out of ten people surveyed agreed strongly with the statement , “when I buy food, I often look for products that have authentic origins in culture, tradition or place”. In fact, across all demographic categories surveyed, more people agreed with this statement than when the survey was carried out before, two years ago. In addition, the surveyed people wanted to know more about the sources and origins of products that they buy, and again the figures were up compared to the survey two years ago.

“Haagen-Dazs are the creators of real, luxury ice cream,” says Nicole Sorensen, Haagen-Dazs’ brand manager.“All of our ice creams start with real fresh milk and cream, free-range egg yolks and sugar. We use zero artificial ingredients, zero stabilisers, no vegetable fat and as little air as possible.”

Their product is, in fact, just as Rueben Mattus, Haagen-Dazs’ creator, intended, say the

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company.

Therefore, the brand’s aim, and focus of its marketing and the communication of its product proposition, centres around communicating the fact that only a luxury ice cream can deliver a sense of ‘intense, intimate indulgence worthy of real moments’, say the firm. Via a differentiated product made from real, high quality ingredients, they can engender real emotion and re-connect with consumers to deliver what they term a ‘grownup sharing occasion’. And in turn, for operators, this translates into serving and retailing opportunities, feel Haagen-Dazs.

This year, they launched a new campaign, rooted in the ‘luxury occasions’ category driver. Their vanilla ice cream features just five ingredients – real milk and cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla, and in their promotion they use the message ‘love doesn’t need many ingredients, nor do we’. Similarly, with their Strawberries & Cream ice cream, the promotional message was ‘attraction can’t be faked, neither can our strawberries’. Taking this approach a step further, the brand goes on to assert that ‘it’s not ice cream, it’s Haagen-Dazs’, echoing the fact that the original founder created an ice cream so special, he didn’t call it ice cream, but simply Belgian Chocolate Haagen-Dazs.

When it comes to the popularity of current flavours, Haagen-Dazs’s Nicole Sorensen singles out their salted caramel flavour for mention. This flavour has become an increasingly popular choice in the UK market.

Salted caramel taps into the interest in sweet/salty

combinations, according to Mintel’s Ice Cream and Desserts – UK report of June 2014. The same report reveals that while just a fifth of UK adults have tried sweet and savoury ice cream, almost two in five have not, but would be interested in doing so, showing that the trend still has growth potential.

Haagen-Dazs launched its sweet-savoury flavour, Salted Caramel, last year and has received a positive consumer response (it is now the fifth bestselling flavour them, say the company, and still in growth).

Homemade “Ice cream is an excellent profit generator for operators throughout the industry,” says Scott Duncan, sales director at Carpigiani UK Ltd (www.carpigiani.co.uk).

“One thing that remains imperative yet often challenging to operators, however, is the best way to stand out from competitors providing a similar offering. With change in seasons quickly taking effect, now is the best time to re-evaluate your offering. Why not consider homemade or self-serve ice cream

rather than simply looking at new variants of readymade ice cream?

“By demonstrating thought and creativity when it comes to an ice cream menu, customers are not only more likely to visit a restaurant in the first place, but operators can consider a premium pricing strategy for their offering, further enhancing profit opportunities.”

Carpigiani says that it currently offers a range of solutions to meet individual restaurant requirements. If real gelato is key, then its compact Carpigiani Labo 8/12E features a range of innovative user-friendly benefits, automatic consistency control and simple to use functions to create up to 17 litres of finished mix per hour. Ideal for those looking to add an artisanal feel to a menu, say the company, the Labo 8/12E allows the operator to create virtually any flavour imaginable in a short time and on a minimal footprint. With Christmas approaching, the Labo 8/12E also lets the chef’s creativity run wild by making festive flavours such as mince pie, Christmas pudding or even a spiced winter fruits sorbet.

If soft-serve ice cream is more of interest, the new XVL range from Carpigiani has been designed to be suitable for both front and back of house service. It features the latest express technology, a robust, floorstanding design and a choice of single or twin hoppers for multiple flavour combinations.

In time for Christmas As we approach the busiest time of the year for all caterers, attracting customers and increasing spend per head becomes a vital part of making the most of the potential offered

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desserts

by the holiday season, and to aid caterers at this busy time, the ice cream producer, New Forest Ice Cream (www.newforesticecream.com), is offering a trio of quality festive ice cream and sorbet flavours.

Demonstrating that the popular treat isn’t just the preserve of the summer months, the festive range includes a fruity mince pie ice cream, a spiced mulled wine sorbet and an indulgent champagne sorbet (perfect as a standalone dessert, each of the flavours can equally complement other desserts on a traditional Christmas menu, say New Forest).

The Mince Pie Ice Cream is made using a blend of brandy ice cream, interspersed with pieces of real shortcake pastry and mincemeat pieces, giving a warming winter feel combined with the indulgent taste of the fresh double cream. It is available in 4.5ltr catering tubs The Mulled Wine Sorbet is made using real mulled wine and produced in a traditional way, using a gluten and nut-free recipe. It is suitable for vegetarians and available in 2ltr catering tubs.

Their Champagne Sorbet has been designed as a show stopping treat for the festive season and could be used as an amuse bouche to help get a restaurant party off to a sparkling start, suggest New Forest. Made using real champagne, it is available in 2ltr catering tubs.

“Christmas is a period of celebration, indulgence and general festivities, providing caterers with the ideal opportunity to maximise sales and provide a stand out offering.

With this in mind, carefully

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developing a themed Christmas menu is essential to demonstrating an establishment’s commitment to quality year round,” advises Christina Veal, a director at New Forest Ice Cream.

The company currently has an ever-expanding assortment of over 40 flavours split of ice cream, as well as a wide selection of sorbets, ideal for the lighter appetite, as well as vibrant range of pre-wrapped children’s goods, aimed at giving caterers everything they need to offer a full and varied dessert menu.

The dessert challenge One of the challenges for restaurants and food service operators, feel sector supplier

CQS, is to strike a balance on their dessert menus between the often-ordered traditional favourites and the more unusual specials that may just appeal to someone who doesn’t usually eat a pudding.

“We work very closely with our food service clients through samplings and tastings to help them make the right decision about which products to buy, and we work with five dessert suppliers who between them help us to help our customers create the optimum dessert menu,” says Continental Quattro Stagioni’s Sandro Bevilaqua.

“It is important to us to work with people who are passionate about their produce and who want to help us bring authentic Italian food to our UK based customers whilst providing guidance on the best way to serve these products.

“For example, traditional Italian Gelato is usually served slightly warmer so that it doesn’t freeze the taste buds, ensuring that diners can savour the fresh natural ingredients. It is the correct preparation and presentation of a dessert can make all the difference.”

Thus, CQS work with artisan producers such as Joe Delucci’s who produce a huge range of

RECIPE IDEA - Panna Cotta with Citrus Jelly Ingredients Serves 12-14 1litre Galbani Panna Cotta Mix For the citrus jelly 60ml cold water 7g unflavoured gelatine powder 420ml orange juice Juice of 6 limes Juice of half a large lemon 1 tablespoon Limoncello 42g to 56g Caster sugar Preparation Bring the water, orange juice, lime, lemon juice and sugar just barely to a simmer over a medium heat. Remove from heat when sugar is dissolved and add the Limoncello. Then add the gelatine, and whisk to combine until gelatine is dissolved. Strain the liquid and divide the cool jelly mixture evenly between pre-chilled panna cotta dessert glasses. Cover and leave to chill for about four hours.

gelatos – the most popular flavours being traditional vanilla, hazelnut and toffee (with the exception of the Parmesan and Tiramisu Ice Creams, all are gluten-free and vegetarian).

“With regard to the Parmesan Ice Cream, this is a fantastic way to add Parmesan flavour to any cold dish but is particularly delicious served as part of the cheeseboard with tomato and basil,” enthuses Sandro Bevilaqua.

“It should be served in a small ramekin - just one scoop.

Although it looks like ice cream the taste is amazing as it just tastes like Parmesan cheese, and is a light caramel colour with a creamy texture.

“By adding an ingredient like this to a more traditional cheeseboard, for example, you are giving customers the best of both worlds – the chance to try something new but also to enjoy other more traditional flavours.”

Other, dessert-related ingredients CQS supply can also help a busy chef speed up the process of creating delicious desserts. For example, they stock Panna Cotta which comes in 1 litre cartons and can be used as the basis for other desserts such as Panna Cotta with Citrus Jelly.

To further help busy chefs have access to easy to use quality products that not only make their lives easier but that will guarantee customer satisfaction, CQS say that they work with the supplier, Vittles, who have been producing hand-made desserts for nineteen years (their Banoffee Pie being the most popular dessert, report CQS, with its sweet pastry case filled with a rich caramel made in the traditional way of boiling condensed milk topped with bananas and ice cream).

As well as the more traditional portioned options, Vittles also produce a range of individual puddings that give chefs a great chance to present a dessert with a really great wow factor, including individual Fruits of the Forest cheesecake, a Trio of Chocolate (three layers of dark, white and milk fresh cream chocolate mousse set on a rum moistened sponge and dusted with cocoa powder), and the unusually named Chocolate Junkyard (a rich Belgian

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desserts chocolate mousse on a chocolate sponge base decorated with chocolate sweets and shavings).

For those looking for a change from some of the more ubiquitous Italian desserts that are available, there is CQS’s new range of versatile Sicilian desserts that can be served at the end of a meal with coffee, or as an alternative Italian themed Afternoon Tea treat, suggest the company.

“Traditional Sicilian desserts are made for special occasions or to celebrate a religious feast. All pastries, cakes and cookies are associated with traditions going back a long time ago with links to religious rituals, superstitions and folklore,” explains Sandro Bevilaqua.

“Aragostine is an Italian speciality featuring flaky pastry in the shape of a lobster tail with a cream filling and dusted with icing sugar. It is available with fillings of Hazelnut chocolate, lemon, white chocolate or pistachio.

“Cannoli originated in Sicily and is an essential part of Sicilian cuisine originally prepared at the beginning of spring in time for weddings. Comprising a tubeshaped shell of fried pastry dough with a cream filling and dusted with icing sugar, they are available with fillings of hazelnut chocolate, lemon, white chocolate or pistachio.”

Other Italian-themed desserts from CQS include Barchette (a boat-shaped, shortbread pastry with a cream filling topped with crushed hazelnut available with fillings of hazelnut chocolate and white chocolate) and a range from their supplier, Pasticceria Torino, a traditional Italian supplier and family firm based in Turin which has been making desserts for over twenty years using recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation.

“Their puddings offer a restaurant owner the chance to add a little extra Italian inspired personality to their dessert menus with a combination of unusual names and delicious flavours,” says Sandro Bevilaqua.

“The range includes Pinolata – Torta Della Nonna (Grandmother’s Cake) - layers of shortcrust pastry filled with

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RECIPE IDEA - Mascarpone Cream Chocolate Mousse FOR THE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE Ingredients 100g dark chocolate 75g caster sugar 2 tbsp brandy 50g pasteurised whole egg 250g Galbani® Mascarpone Method 1. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a sauce pan with simmering water and allow to melt before removing from the heat.

2. Add the sugar, brandy and eggs and beat for 5 minutes or until the outside of the bowl is cool to tepid.

3. Combine the mascarpone with the rest of the ingredients 4. Divide into glasses/cups and set aside in the fridge FOR THE MASCARPONE CREAM Ingredients 80g pasteurised egg yolk, 250g Galbani® Mascarpone 2 small cups of espresso coffee, 2 tbsp Marsala liqueur 50ml whipping cream, 30g caster sugar

“Once the dessert menu has been developed and the presentation of each dish has been agreed with all of the kitchen and serving staff, restaurant owners just need to spend a little time thinking about how it is marketed to customers,” advises Sandro Bevilaqua.

“There is a really fine line between immediately presenting a dessert menu as soon as plates have been cleared and leaving it so long that customers think they have been forgotten or simply ask for the bill. Prominent specials boards can help but many restaurants use these only for starters and main courses – creating a range of desserts specials that are visible at the time of ordering may help persuade a customer to leave room for a pudding.”

Method 1. Beat the egg and sugar in a large bowl until thick and pale 2. Add the mascarpone and mix until combined 3. Add the coffee, Marsala wine and cream combine all the ingredients until smooth.

4. Place in glasses/cups set aside in fridge For the Cioccolata calda Ingredients 500ml whole milk, 20g corn starch , 20g caster sugar 20g cocoa powder, 120g dark chocolate (70%) Method 1. Place the milk in a saucepan and dissolve the starch and the cocoa powder making sure there are no lumps, and continue to stir on a low heat.

2. In the meantime melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan with simmering water. When the milk is almost at boiling point add the melted chocolate and whisk until fully incorporated.

3. Pour into a cup and serve.

maraschino flavoured patisserie cream and decorated with pine nuts dusted with icing sugar – and Cannoli Siciliani, pastry roll filled with sweetened ricotta cheese and dipped in chocolate pieces topped with fruit.

“Their Foresta Nera (black forest) features two layers of cocoa sponge cake soaked with rum and filled with zabaglione cream decorated with flaky chocolate and dusted with icing sugar and their Amaretto Torta

features layers of Amaretto liqueur soaked sponge filled with cream, decorated with crushed macaroons, topped with Chantilly cream and whole Amaretti.”

Earlier this year, CQS introduced a new frozen dessert from Artesina – a Ricotta Cheese and Pear cake – featuring double layers of almond biscuits and hazelnuts, ricotta based Chantilly cream with pears in syrup and artistically decorated with icing sugar.

Increasing sophistication “With consumer tastes becoming increasingly sophisticated, the market has seen a real appetite for new products and innovative flavour combinations,” confirms Marja Lawrence, operations manager at Funnybones Foodservice (www.funnybones.co.uk).

“We are witnessing a trend for traditional desserts with a contemporary twist and working closely with our in-house development chef, we have recently launched a new range of traditional cheesecakes that have been brought up to date in order to tempt both young and old.

“These unique recipes offer fantastic flavour and texture, and can be served alone or with a choice of accompaniments such as ice-cream, cream or mascarpone. Pre-portioned (x 14 servings) for convenience, they

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Funnybones’ new Cherry Amaretti Cheesecake.

offer the ideal opportunity to tempt diners to enjoy a ‘little of what they fancy’ and can be defrosted and ready to serve in as little as 1h 30mins (at an ambient temperature) – or 24 hours in the fridge.

“Our new Cherry Amaretti Cheesecake is a truly indulgent and ‘grown-up’ dessert, combining creamy baked vanilla cheesecake with delicious cherry and crushed Amaretti biscuit. Salted Caramel and Sticky Toffee Sponge Cheesecake are also set to be popular, and will appeal to those looking to satisfy their sweet tooth with something a little different.”

Gluten-free delights With the demand for gluten-free products continuing to increase, Funnybones Foodservice have also launched a range of sweet treats to help operators offer gluten-free alternatives that deliver on both quality and taste, say the firm.

The range includes the new Triple Layer Carrot Cake that is made with a mix of pineapple, carrots and coconut with a combination of mixed spices.

This modern take on an old classic is also generously filled with smooth cream cheese frosting and finished with nibbed hazelnuts.

Made to a recipe developed exclusively by Funnybones, restaurants and casual dining outlets can offer a delicious gluten-free cake that tastes as good as it looks, feel the company. Frozen for convenience, 14 pre-portioned slices also make for accurate portion control.

For those catering to

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Funnybones’ new Chocolate Brownies - for eat-in or take-out. chocolate lovers, Funnybones’ new Chocolate Brownies means they are sure to be a hit with all customers, and not just those going gluten-free, claim the company. Delicately baked, these gooey brownies are infused with rich dark and milk chocolate pieces to create a full-bodied flavour. Topped off with chunks of dark chocolate they offer an eat-in or take-away treat option.

Available in 36 pre-portioned slices, simply dust with a little icing sugar for an attractive finish and serve as a morning/afternoon pick-me-up, suggest Funnybones, or warm through for a decedent dessert.

Serve with cream, ice-cream, custard – or even more chocolate!

Helping hand The pastry manufacturer, Pidy, has announced the launch of a brand new sweet and neutral short pastry range, just in time for Christmas. Pidy have been creating a wide variety of pastry products for over 63 years and their latest range of ready to fill pastries is named hard fonçage an alternative short, crisp and delicately thin pastry and available in two varieties (sweet and neutral).

This new pastry forms the start of a new era in Pidy’s range so as to provide regular shapes which have a lighter appeal and provide a higher filling to pastry ratio allowing chefs more room for delicious fillings, say the company. The sweet and neutral flavours of pastry also enable eateries to create a wide variety of desert and savoury canapés.

“Research over the last few years has led us to believe that our customers are seeking new ways in which to present their pastry offering with lighter shape, composition and texture alternatives,” commented Robert Whittle general manager at Pidy UK. “Our new sweet and neutral fonçage pastries are our lightest yet, the light pastry makes the canapés crisper and they also allow more room for sweet and savoury fillings. They are in demand with chefs and caterers as the need for thin and healthy pastry continues to grow.”

The sweet range works well with festive dessert fillings such as chocolate fondant or mincemeat topped with meringue to create a tasty mince meringue pie, suggest Pidy, and will hold its crispness even when filled with hot desserts like crème brulee, claim the company. Other serving and filling suggestions include mini

Pidy’s latest range of readymade sweet pastry cases can help save time. cheesecakes, crème anglaise, fruity and zesty lemon tarts, the possibilities really are endless.

“Both product ranges save time whilst ensuring quality is maintained especially around the hectic Christmas period.

Even with thinner pastry the new range still remains moisture resistant allowing caterers to prepare the canapés well in advance, perfect for any busy kitchen,” adds Paul Eason business development chef at Pidy.

“We always look at various food trends and listen to customer feedback when it comes to developing our products or expanding our range. Improving the filling to pastry ratio of our products was one of the key changes our customers wanted to see. Now we are excited to launch our newest short pastry range just in time for the festive season.

According to the National Restaurant Association, miniature and bite size products were on the top trends list for 2014 and our latest range is ideal for creating some delicious bite sized seasonal canapés.”

With Almondy cakes being traditionally enjoyed as a standalone slice, caterers can easily add value, say the company – along with a higher mark-up – by serving them as a sundae alongside ice cream, which remains one of the UK’s favourite desserts according to the latest Horizons’ Menurama report. The new serving suggestions have been developed to capture the imagination of children and adults alike – Toblerone Sundae, Daim Sundae, Daim Kids Sundae and Peanut and Caramel Sundae – and are available to view on Almondy’s web site (www.almondy.com/en), helping operators tap into the growing demand for confectionary inspired desserts.

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More chocolate required?

The UK has proven itself a nation of chocolate lovers with 66% of consumers wanting restaurants to offer more chocolate varieties, while a staggering 70% of 18-34-yearolds – an important age group for out-of-home spending – are happy to pay more for their favourite chocolate dessert. Dare not to have a chocolate treat on menus and 30% of people may choose not to order a dessert altogether!

The independent research (Consumer Toluna research - 350 consumers surveyed/August 2014), commissioned by Callebaut – makers of the finest Belgian chocolate – explored the nation’s chocolate eating habits, as well as the trends that will be shaping menus over the coming months.

Working with Menurama, Callebaut also pinpointed the nation’s favourite chocolate desserts – with chocolate brownie the clear number one followed by cheesecake, cake, pudding and ice cream (Menurama menu research

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across 115 leading OOH menus/August 2014) and revealed the average price of a chocolate dessert is £4.38, commanding an 11% premium over non-chocolate dishes.

When it comes to menus, the average number of chocolate desserts is only two, whereas 75% of people would like to see three or even four cocoa based desserts!

“The clear message coming through from this research is that caterers should be offering more chocolate desserts. We are a nation of chocolate lovers and people clearly want more options,” says Robert Harrison, sales director for Callebaut.

“Caterers are missing out not only on sales but are actually limiting the profit potential of their dessert menu by not including chocolate. There is a real ‘disconnect’ between what many consumers want and what’s being provided. Caterers who are able to gear up for this demand will reap

the benefits in terms of increased turnover – in fact one of the findings was that 60% of people would be more likely to order afternoon tea if it included chocolate cake and treats, opening up a real opportunity for restaurants, hotels, cafés and tea rooms.”

The research marks the launch of Callebaut’s new “For The Love of Chocolate” campaign which has been developed to guide caterers through their chocolate choices and ensure dessert menus remain profitable by giving customers exactly what they want. The chocolate haven – www.fortheloveofchoc.com – includes a handy infographic featuring the key research findings, as well as on-trend recipes and helpful videos. 2015 will also see Callebaut give two caterers (one caterer under 22 years of age and one over 22 years) the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to Ghana to see where it all begins.

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The making of

mozzarella “Mozzarella” is the word that has now been in use for some five centuries to describe the fresh spun cheese specifically made from buffalo milk in the southern Campania region of Italy. Such is the popularity and widespread use of this cheese these days in Italian cuisine worldwide, that the word mozzarella has actually come to be used in a generic fashion for very different products somewhat removed from the traditional product itself. Here, after a visit to Campania, we explain what constitutes real mozzarella and outline how it is made.

Educational campaigns In conjunction with another essential Italian ingredient – San Marzano tomatoes from Agro Sarnese-Nocerino – a campaign is now in progress to better communicate, if not reclaim, the true identity of mozzarella in terms of its nature and production, for there are plenty of cheese products loosely termed ‘mozzarella’ and that are used in all sorts of food applications, but that in actual fact are not an accurate representation of the original product.

As such, there is a danger that the mozzarella-consuming public at large and food industry itself are at risk of losing touch with the heritage and true characteristics of this important Italian product – something which organisations such as the

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Consorzio for the protection of buffalo mozzarella Campana PDO are keen to prevent. Similar is also taking place with the equally important San Marzano tomato – another complementary Italian staple ingredient - which in recent times has been at risk of being equally misunderstood and misrepresented.

Both products are associated with, and inherent to, the Campania region due to their links with the particular terroir and culture there, and not least the rich, fertile soils provided by Mount Vesuvius. Indeed, these two PDO (protected designation of origin) ingredients have come to typify and strongly represent a ‘Made in Italy’ theme in international markets, well known as essential, authentic aspects to the Mediterranean diet.

Therefore, it is vital to their future success and continuation that their heritage and characteristics are more fully appreciated, understood and not abused.

The product Mozzarella di Bufala Campana is a fresh, spun cheese, made from fresh buffalo’s milk which is characterised by being a very savoury and digestible milk, rich in proteins and minerals. Its production is confined to a particular set of areas in Italy – Campania, Lazio, Apulia and Molise – which is why it can be designated as a PDO (protected designation of origin) product.

A large part of the production is sold and consumed mainly in Italy but 25% is exported. More than 60% of the volume destined for export is acquired by the

United States of America (20%), France (19%), Germany (12%), United Kingdom (7%) and Switzerland (5%). Thanks to the artisan nature of the production, the sales channels are mainly the traditional retail outlets (26%), direct sales (25%) whilst there is a growing Ho.Re.Ca. sector (12%)

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mozzarella and wholesale distribution which stands at 32%.

The word mozzarella itself comes from the Italian verb mozzare, which means “to cut off”.

This is what happens to the cheese when it is being made – the spun cheese is hand-cut by it being skilfully compressed and separated between forefinger and thumb.

The start of mozzarella production began when buffaloes were first introduced to Italy, the most likely theory being that it was the Norman kings around the year 1000 who first set up buffalo farms in southern Italy, having moved in buffaloes from Sicily where they had been originally introduced by the Arabs. Initially used as work animals due to their sturdiness, it was not long before they became valued for the high quality of their milk.

Mozzarella comes in different shapes and textures, but is mostly known in its typical, ball shape of up to 800g in weight, as well as other manufactured forms such as bocconcini (‘little snacks’) ciliegine (‘little cherries’), perlini (‘little pearls’) ovoline (little eggs), nodini (‘small knots’) and trecce (‘braids’ - up to 3kg in weight). It can also be supplied in a smoked format – affumicata. It is the only cheese typically stored and supplied in liquid, in which it is maintained and transported at a temperature of around 5oC. To be sure that you are using and consuming authentic mozzarella, its packaging must display the Mozzarella di Bufala Campana and the PDO (DOP – Denominazione di Origine Protetta, which it received in 1996) trademarks, the latter which refers to its region and specific area of production which mean that its characteristics only relate to that specific geographic area.

PDO products are made according to a set of traditional codified rules and regulations within the framework set out by the European Commission, and they are monitored accordingly to make sure that producers are complying with the correct production methods. These rules and regulations cover everything from production techniques to labelling and marketing

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Italian cheese market in the UK According to www.uktradeinfo.com in 2013, the UK imported 29,672 tons of Italian cheese compared to 27,716 tons in 2012 and 26,360 tons in 2011 (an increase of 12.56% in the 20112012 period).

The UK has been a significant importer of cheeses in the past year – 463,271 tons were imported from European Union countries and 5,764 tons from non-EU countries.

The 2013 market total value of these imports is estimated to be 1.45 billion pounds, an increase compared to 2012 which had a total value amount of 1.31 billion pounds and a change of 14.38% over the three years from 2011 to 2013.

In 2013, the market value of Italian cheeses imported into the UK was 151 million pounds (144 million pounds in 2012) representing an increase of 4.95%. Also in 2013, the importation into the UK of fresh Italian cheeses, including mozzarella, was worth 38 billion pounds (in 2012 it was 32 billion pounds). In 2013, a total of 11,273 tons of fresh cheese were imported into the UK from Italy (10,035 in 2012), indicating how important this product is to both countries.

It is thought that this “sprint-sales” trend of Italian cheese in the UK market is likely to continue, and meaning that it will soon be competing with other major export markets such as France, Ireland and Germany.

Plaited mozzarella (trecce).

requirements. Only products that meet the requirements can then go on to be validated with the PDO designation and be distinguished by the PDO label.

The Consorzio di Tutela della Mozzarella di Bufala Campana was founded in 1981 and represents more than 300 enterprizes, and is the only organisation appointed by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture to protect, survey and promote this particular cheese. As such, it will carry out routine inspections at production facilities and retail outlets. At the same time, it can provide technical assistance to

producers and breeders and helps in informing consumers at home and abroad about this product.

If the mozzarella cheese is not to be eaten immediately, it is usually left in the water in which it is packaged and supplied, and stored in the fridge. However, prior to consumption, to enjoy the mozzarella at its best, it must be removed from its liquid and allowed to come up to room temperature for the full flavour to develop. This is because the rise in temperature allows the fats in the cheese to start melting, releasing the flavours.

Buffalo milk Due to its long presence in the Campania region of Italy, what has now become known as the Italian water-buffalo (or Mediterranean Italian Buffalo), the breed has not been affected by any other races of buffalo and as such is a rare example of genetic purity (something which contributes further towards the specific characteristics of the cheese in terms of its geographic origins).

The population of buffaloes in

this region is not more than 1% of the total buffalo population in the world, with the vast majority in other countries being used for other purposes. In Italy, 300,000 heads of buffalo are raised in around 2,000 farms, creating the basis for a dairy production which, every year, generates a turnover of around 300 million Euros and 500 million Euros at retail level, report the Consorzio.

A typical buffalo weighs around 1100lbs and usually bears one calf at a time with a gestation period of around 10 months and a lactation period lasting 270 days. They are fed on various silages, fodder, mineral and vitamin supplements, and it is the special know-how and skill in this aspect which helps to promote a high content of fat in the milk via the presence of polyunsaturated acids.

Buffalo milk is a very rich, precious milk that has a 9-10% fat content (compared to 3-5% for cow milk), and in mozzarella production, 100% fresh milk is used within a maximum of 60 hours after the first milking (the evening and morning’s milk yield being mixed).

Production As stated, the name “mozzarella” comes from the Italian word mozza (cut) or mozzare (the verb to cut), which refers to the final phase of the cheese-making process when the curd is cut into specific shapes of a certain size.

Raw buffalo milk from the morning and afternoon milkings can be used to start the mozzarella production process straight away, or it can be refrigerated and stored in large vats, as is typically the case at large, industrial dairies. Usually the milk is also filtered at this early stage so as to remove any large particles that might be present, or potentially contaminate, the milk.

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mozzarella Acidity level Right from the start of production, it is very important to have an idea about the acidity level of the milk, a property which is measured and monitored during production via the taking and testing of samples – right from milking to the stretching phase - as its level will affect the quality and nature of the eventual cheese produced.

It is the right amount of acidity that will enable the milk to coagulate (thicken) well; the level of acidity and temperature of the milk affecting the effectiveness of the addition of the rennet in terms of its coagulating effect. It also important in the production process to enrich the milk so as to make a cheese that also offers all the desired characteristics of taste and flavour etc.

If the curd mix does not attain the right acidity level, it may not be possible to then stretch the cheese well at a later stage.

Therefore, it is the correct acidity, and its monitoring, which eventually permits the necessary chemical-structural alterations to take place to facilitate the allimportant stretching phase in the making of mozzarella cheese according to the pasta filata method demanded for true buffalo mozzarella.

Pasta filata is an Italian term for “spun paste,” or drawn-curd cheese. It is called spun paste because the strands of cheese are stretched and spun into a mound of product (after the curds have been successfully drawn and spun, the end result is generally a malleable white cheese).

The whey At this stage, a natural whey culture (preserved from the day’s

previous production) that has been left to acidify at a temperature of 30 to 40oC for some time is added to the milk.

This reserved whey is typically put into large, covered steel containers to prevent contamination and ideally maintained at a constant temperature, in preparation for the next day’s production.

This whey normally has a pH of around 4.5, but both the acidity of the whey and the milk it is to be added to need to be monitored, and is all part of the skill of the cheese-making process. To assist in the process and compensate for fluctuations in the milk, other things can be added at this stage to help with the process, such as industrial lactic acid bacteria, citric acid, lactic acid or acetic acid, that will also all impact upon the eventual taste and aroma of the product itself.

Rennet When it is decided that the milk mixture is ready to be coagulated – a key decision-making point – it is heated up to between 36 and 39oC, and the rennet is added.

Rennet can be of animal (farm produced from the abomasum of young animals) or plant origin, and is a mixture of various enzymes, each of which has a specific effect on the nature of the chemical make-up of the milk, and in particular its fats and proteins.

Typically, the milk/rennet is heated up and manually stirred with a long wooden tool in large, stainless steel vats. In the industrial setting, gas allows the direct heating via the production of steam, but in smaller, more traditional dairies, tin plated

copper, or even wooden, vats and wood as a fuel could well be in use.

Coagulation leads to the generation of curds in the liquid suspension, meaning that the original milk has now gone from a liquid to a gel state. In the production of mozzarella, it is at this stage that the cutting of the curd is carried out in two phases due to the fact that it is a soft cheese.

Initially, the curd is cut into large, block sections. Then, after five minutes or so, it is cut again into smaller, granule type pieces that will give rise to the eventual cheese. At this stage, is possible to get a feel for how much cheese will eventually be produced, and judge whether or not the mixture has been sufficiently well stirred and cut to create a good potential yield of curds, and therefore cheese.

Maturation After cutting, most of the whey liquid is removed, leaving behind the curd in a smaller amount of liquid that is heated up again so that the curd can be maintained at a temperature of around 36C. Various chemical reactions – such as the production of lactic acid

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which soaks up the calcium content - take place during this ‘resting’ and mixing phase that result in imparting the flexibility, stretchiness and smoothness to the texture of the cheese.

Further monitoring of the pH of the curd (which drops during maturation) can be monitored to signify when it’s time for the curd to be stretched, or a small sample can be taken from the mixture and tested by placing it in hot water and seeing if it can be stretched to an unbroken length (unbroken strands of over a metre are considered to suggest that the curds are ready to be stretched).

Stretching and cutting Stretching can be carried out manually, or by machine, and is another critical phase in the production of mozzarella in that its progress needs to be keenly observed. The texture of ‘cheese’ starts to look shiny and homogenous when complete.

Manual stretching is carried out by stirring the cheese and adding the right amount of water. The cheese is collected around the wooden stirring ladle in a homogeneous mass, any further whey coming out of the mixture being removed.

Now the cheese curd can be cut into the desired sections and shaped, either via mechanical means in molds, or by hand.

Needless to say, on traditional, smaller dairy farms, hand shaping predominates, whereas a combination of the two can be seen in industrial scale dairies.

Mechanised shaping, however, means that distinct portions and sizes of mozzarella balls can be created in a more consistent manner.

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legislation

New food labelling regulations for the catering industry New food labelling and nutritional claims regulations for both food manufacturers and, for the first time, the catering industry, come into force on 13 December 2014. Here, nutrition and health consultant, Liz Tucker explains more.

Liz Tucker Liz Tucker is a nutrition and health consultant promoting better health by encouraging healthier lifestyle and diet options. She works closely within the food and health industry, striving to improve or develop healthier products for the consumer or customise for specific markets such as free from and sports nutrition. She also has extensive experience in food and nutritional labelling and provides a nutritional analysis service for both food producers and the catering industry.

Over the years, Liz Tucker has developed a strong media profile, writing for a wide range of magazines and newspapers and appearing regularly on television and radio. Her books include The Good Health Guide, Understanding Food Intolerances, Why No Weight Loss and When You Want to Say Yes but Your Body Says No published by Harper Collins. Her latest book - Calorie Counter - came out in February.

Liz Tucker is also a regular speaker at shows and conferences and has long standing experience in nutrition and health PR and marketing, and she has an academic career, her most recent paper being on obesity and coeliac disease.

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Standardisation The new regulations change existing legislation on food labelling - designed to standardise nutrition information on processed or composite foods across the EU. This will also include new legislation for both prepackaged and unpacked foods including those sold in restaurants.

For food producers who have grown up with the 1996 food labelling regulations they will find little change, just the odd tweaks here and there to comply with the new EU 1169/2011 regulations due to come into force this winter.

However, for many involved in the food industry, the new food regulations will have a huge impact on the way they present their wares as it is something they have never had to consider before.

Previously, anyone involved in the sale of unpacked food had been largely exempt from any food labelling regulations.

Now the law makes it clear that “any food intended for supply to the final consumer or to mass caterers shall be accompanied by food information in accordance with this Regulation”.

If you think your individual restaurant is too small to be included in “mass caterer”, then

think again as the regulations clearly define this as “any establishment including a vehicle or a fixed or mobile stall such as restaurants, canteens, schools, hospitals and catering enterprises”.

This means that anyone in the catering and hospitality industry - no matter how small will need to take notice.

Although previsions have been made to exclude charity and community retail such as local, WI and church fetes, basically if you sell food for profit you will need to comply.

Transparency The general principle of food law is about telling the truth about your products so that the consumer can make informed choices about what they choose to eat. As with the previous regulations, the responsibility lies with the food business operator. However, this has been widened to include everyone in the food chain so everyone involved will have to ensure they pass accurate mandatory information on until it reaches the consumer.

The mandatory information required is commonly and obviously referred to as the A-L list. Unpackaged food at the point of retail has only one mandatory requirement on this list regarding the displaying of

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legislation allergy information. However, even if the food is eventually sold unpacked, full mandatory particulars need to be supplied right the way through the food chain so that retailers can provide sufficient information on the food they sell if required.

This means the caterer at final point of sale will need to make sure they are provided with documents containing the relevant mandatory food on all the foods they buy in from producers and wholesalers.

It is also important to clarify the definition of packed and unpacked food before deciding what level of labelling is needed.

Unpacked food is obviously open food for sale such as in a restaurant, but it also includes food packed at the customer’s request, or pre-packed for direct sale. If the food is prepared, packed and sold on the same site this could be included in the unpacked definition but if prepacked and delivered to various sites this then becomes packed and full labelling is required.

If you sell pre-packed food in your establishment they must be labelled correctly and Trading Standards have made it clear that ignorance is not an excuse. This means a level of responsibility for someone else’s product, so you will need to get the company to provide you with the documentation needed to confirm compliancy.

Unpacked food sold directly to the customer - such as off the menu - have only one specific mandatory requirement to display allergy information. In the past allergy information has been voluntary and this has led to a variety of methods, anything from over labelling (such as putting may contain nuts on everything) to promoting free from status.

Allergy information The new regulations standardise allergy information and makes it mandatory to all those selling and serving food.

14 foods are listed as allergens in Annex II of the regulations and these are the only ones you need to worry about. The focus is on what is in the ingredients, it does not include cross contamination

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issues so no “may contains.”

On pre-packed food, allergens need to be highlighted in the ingredients list or in the absence of, preceded with the word “contains.” For unpacked food, allergy information can be supplied “on the menu, on chalk boards, tickets, or provided verbally by an appropriate member of staff as well as in other formats made available to the consumer. It must be clear and conspicuous, not hidden away, easily visible, and legible.

Although this will involve a bit of extra work, it is achievable although I have my concerns about the benefit of verbal communication as this involves people remembering specific information and there is no written proof of what was actually said and if it was heard correctly.

How you chose to display is down to what suits your establishment but the regulations do make it clear that “it is no longer enough to say that they do not know whether or not a food contains an allergen and deny any knowledge, nor is it enough to say that all their foods may contain allergens.”

It is only the 14 listed that need to be highlighted, but this means you need to consider ingredients that contain an allergen under a different name.

In this case the allergen needs to be stated or highlighted in brackets next to the food so for example Tofu (soya). However the EFSA take the view that it will not be necessary for “milk” to follow the reference to cheese because “although milk does not form part of the name of the food (cheese), it is a product that is well known to be made from milk”. So there are exemptions, but from a consumer point of view a consistency to state all allergens is a much better option.

been fully enforceable since the end of 2012.

As with other laws, the overall principle is not to mislead. Food products should be accountable for the nutritional information and the claims it makes through description, appearance, pictorial images or comparison.

These apply to all labelling and advertising material produce on their products including leaflets and website entries. The scope is extremely wide to include any beneficial transactions and it also covers brand names or trademarks.

These regulate the use of nutritional and health terms including very simple well used words and phrases. There is a specific list of approved nutritional claims that can be used and an online list of health claims. If it is not on either list it cannot be used.

Many companies may not think they need to follow these regulations as they make no specific claims. However, many non-specific words or phrases are classed as health claims.

These include good for you, healthy, nutritious, superfood and makes you feel good.

General statements like this cannot be made unless they are backed up by a specific approved health claim. One of the most well used words “energy” used to be acceptable just because the product was high in calories or carbohydrates. So many products now refer to themselves as being an energy bar or drink and under these regulations they will have to justify scientifically why, as the calorific profile is no longer an option.

Your local trading standards officer is the main enforcer, but they are concerned about a last minute rush as their numbers are limited. Many TS offices are now also charging for their services - around £60 an hour or getting companies to sign up to on-going costly agreements.

A nutrition regulation advisor can help you compile a file of evidence and check list to enable your company to comply with the changes ahead.

Claims regulations If you are new to regulation 1169/2011 then you may also be unaware of the current health and nutritional claims regulations (EFSA 1924/2006) which run alongside the new labelling regulations and have

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packaging

Pizza packaging

London Bio Packaging’s compostable pizza box.

Making pizza packaging functional and recyclable, as well as able to keep pizza hot during delivery, remain the key challenges faced by those who supply the sector with its packaging.

Pizza box evolution Many might see pizza boxes as just ordinary cardboard boxes.

Many probably never given them a second thought, but these days, there’s a lot more to the humble pizza box than first meets the eye.

Pizza boxes shouldn’t be seen as just cardboard boxes and slung in the bin. Pizza boxes have evolved and developed, feel packaging firm, London Bio Packaging (www.LondonBioPackaging.com).

They now not only transport your pizza safely and keep it hot, but they can also be planet-friendly too. They can be utilised to say something about your restaurant – namely that you are proactively working to use fewer natural resources, produce less waste, and minimise your impact on the environment.

It took quite a few decades to get from the initial pizza packaging to the box we have today, observe London Bio Packaging. In the 1940s, for example, if you wanted pizza-togo, it meant carrying your pizza on a cardboard base, in a paper bag (not great for stacking or keeping your pizza warm till you got home). The 1950s saw the arrival of the first dedicated pizza box an improvement, but the thin paperboard was no match for all the steam, note the company.

And so, after a bit of tweaking, came the modern pizza box. Made of corrugated fibreboard, it’s light, strong, flat pack, absorbent and insulating - testament to the expression “simple is best”, but that wasn’t the end of the pizza box’s journey. There have been many 40

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innovations since - from additional ventilation channels and heat retention sheets, to built-in condiment holders and little plastic tripods that stop your cheese sticking to the box lid.

However, feel London Bio Packaging, the real progress lies in all the advances towards sustainability.

Greening your pizza boxes Today it’s widely accepted that our behaviour has to change if we intend to look after future generations. Few now doubt the link between greenhouse gases and climate change, and when it comes to using resources, we know that finite fuels such as oil are running out and that activities such as deforestation harm biodiversity and indigenous peoples.

In fact, sustainability is now such a recognised and embraced concept, customers expect businesses to act sustainably, point out London Bio Packaging.

And to meet these expectations, restaurants, caterers and food stands are taking a closer look at their packaging – including their pizza boxes.

It was the reality of the environmental challenge – and the colossal amount of food packaging that gets thrown away – that got London Bio Pakaging’s founder, Marcus Hill, thinking. He wanted to do something to help all those food businesses that were looking to become more sustainable, and so London Bio Packaging came about in 2005 with the aim of providing ecofriendly alternatives to regular

food packaging. Needless to say, the company soon found that pizza boxes were no exception, and that just like all our packaging, they too needed to minimise their impact on the environment.

Recycling potential When it came to pizza boxes, the first thing the company looked at was where they come from and the materials they use.

Subsequently, all their boxes are made from recycled paperboard with a minimum of 66% recycled content, and also meaning that businesses using their pizza boxes can tell their customers that the pizza boxes they use are conserving resources.

Next, they considered what happens to the pizza boxes after use. If they just get sent to landfill, they get buried under lots of rubbish and have no access to air – so no access to oxygen. And when paperboard breaks down without oxygen, it emits methane – a greenhouse gas that’s 34 times more potent than carbon dioxide (in other words, 34 times more effective at trapping heat!). So to help businesses, and their customers, divert their pizza boxes from landfill, all London Bio Packaging’s pizza boxes are recyclable and compostable.

When the pizza boxes are sent for recycling, they are first baled and then mixed with water to make a pulp. Any inks, glue or contaminants are removed and once clean, the pulp is turned into new cardboard packaging.

However, sometimes recycling can be tricky. If pizza boxes are soaked with cheese, grease or oil, for example, it’s hard to separate the paper fibres from the oil during the pulping process.

Therefore, encouraging your customers to tear off the oily part of the box before recycling is one solution, feel London Bio Packaging, but their solution to this problem is composting.

Composting As well as being recyclable, all their pizza boxes are 100% compostable and have been independently certified to the industry compostability standard EN 13432, say the company. This is ideal if your food waste is collected separately from your general waste for composting (the pizza boxes can simply go with your food waste to a commercial composting plant and, within 12 weeks, they will have been turned into compost).

And for those post-pizza fingers, London Bio Packaging also offer recyclable serviettes made from 100% recycled paper, as well

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packaging as compostable condiment pots (unlike your typical plastic pots made from oil, these are made of bio-plastic, created from corn).

And when it comes to takeaway chips, they suggest using sugarcane containers as opposed to polystyrene ones. Sugarcane containers are made from the waste material that’s left over when syrup is extracted from sugarcane. This waste material is pressed and moulded into packaging, which – because it’s plant-based - is breathable too, also helping to prevent soggy chips!

Marketing tool The UK paper-based packaging manufacturer Smurfit Kappa, says that it is focusing its attention on turning the ubiquitous ‘doggy bag’ in to a bespoke marketing tool for the eat-in food service sector.

Whilst being one of the world’s most well-known producers of paper-based packaging, Smurfit Kappa also has a reputation for innovation and consumer insight. “‘Doggy-Bags’ are hardly a new concept, however, turning a basic commodity into a hard-selling marketing tool , using Smurfit Kappa’s innovative design and printing skills , is now becoming a reality,” explains Rachel Thompson, Smurfit Kappa’s UK market manager for food service packaging.

“We all know how uncomfortable customers can feel about asking for a carry-out container for the food they have paid for but can’t consume at the table. Now we can turn a negative into a positive consumer experience. It is said that on average a loyal customer is worth up to ten times as much as their

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first purchase, and it takes 12 positive experiences to make up for one negative experience.

“Creating a flat pack box that can be printed on both sides, inside and out, Smurfit Kappa has produced a marketing tool that can carry QR codes to link to online promotions, vouchers for repeat purchases, adverts for alternative meal suggestions, upselling and testing opportunities for brand new lines and menu teasers.

“By moving away from a plain brown pack to a branded, colourful container, food service brands can develop new premium offerings in line with their brand promise. The packs can be used as place settings that can be utilised at the end of the meal, as carry to table trays for self-service and buffet selections, even as menu’s or child-friendly games."

Corrugated packaging has moved a long way from the brown cases that we are all used to seeing at the end of the supermarket aisle, report Smurfit Kappa, who produce full colour, high-definition packs using preprinted papers, barrier coatings that protect and preserve cooked foods, microwaveable finishes and multi-coloured packs colour matched to maintain corporate and brand identities.

Rachel Thompson adds: “Innovation comes in many forms, but packaging can only be truly innovative if it helps brand owners sell more of their products, making the dining experience, friendlier, and overall a happier encounter. Making sure you engage with your customers is more than having an active twitter account or a facebook page. If they leave with a smile on their face and a carry-out pack in their

hands, they’re a highly visible recommendation for your brand."

Moisture management Many dough-based foods need to be consumed hot, and not least pizza. In fact, in the delivery arena, it is imperative that pizza reaches the consumer without losing its warmth. Chain restaurants are diligent with regard to this matter, advertising the fact that the food they serve and deliver is served hot. Indeed, many arrange campaigns where they advertise the serving of hot foodstuffs.

Therefore, such packaged foods must be fresh and hot in order to satisfy consumer satisfaction, also creating an edge for the pizza delivery company in today’s competitive environment.

However, most packaged and ready to eat hot foods soon lose their temperature, and with the cooling down of the packages a certain build-up of moisture begins to take place on the food itself. This problem of moisturising creates problems such as loss of visual quality and loss of taste. To troubleshoot this problem,

Consumers prefer paper A recent Yougov poll claims that over half of the UK’s consumers visiting their local supermarket or food retailer would prefer their groceries and fresh produce packaged in paper-based material, reveals new research commissioned by the Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI).

Of the 2,289 people surveyed in a nationwide poll conducted by YouGov (poll sample of 2,289 adults taken by YouGov on 28th-29th May 2014 in an online survey - the figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults aged 18+), 57% of respondents preferred their grocery and food packaging in paper-based material, while 31% expressed no preference and 8% opted for plastic containers.

Support from consumers came from all cross-sections of society, according to the findings from YouGov. London scored the highest approval rating regionally with 62% in the capital favouring paperbased material for grocery packaging.

Consumers were also asked assuming that all other aspects of a product, such as price and quality, were equal how likely would they be to buy a product from a retailer using paper-based containers compared to plastic containers. 46% of respondents were more likely or much more likely to purchase an item if the packaging was paperbased, compared to 47% who said it would make no difference, while just 3% were less likely.

CPI’s director of packaging affairs, Andy Barnetson, hailed this latest poll as further evidence that corrugated is meeting the modern requirements of many consumers and retailers for convenient, attractive and sustainable grocery and food packaging.

“The findings of the YouGov poll indicate that paper and corrugated remain the most popular form of packaging for consumers in the UK. However, the corrugated industry must keep building on this significant public support by continuing to put the consumer at the centre of everything it does,” he said.

Corrugated already protects, is colour-printable, merchandisable and the most recycled packaging medium. New digital printing equipment from a number of suppliers allows corrugated to align with other personalised packaging formats, enabling the industry to become even more effective at engaging consumers.

“Its flat surface is ready-made for exploiting digital platforms such as Smartphone apps, Quick Response (QR) and Augmented Reality (AR) codes, meeting consumers’ growing appetite for instant access to product and dietary information.

“The YouGov poll suggests that paper-based packaging materials have a positive influence on consumers’ purchasing decisions with 46% respondents preferring to buy a product from a retailer using paper-based containers. Corrugated’s evolution into a key marketing component and the latest advances in digital print technology are set to make it even more attractive for shoppers and brand owners.”

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packaging delivery times are constantly being shortened, but this alone does not solve the problem, feel Drago, the Turkish creators of a new de-humidifying product (Yeatz Warmer-Pad). Boring holes on the packages of foods may solve the problem of moisture build-up, but this technique often isn’t feasible because it also prevents the food from being kept warm as it should be.

Even if the water vapour in the package can be kept away from the pizza and the package by the technique of elevating the pizza base within the package, concentrated vapour builds up on the top side of the package and water continues to dribble on the food, point out Drago (www.drago.com.tr).

Various containers have been developed to overcome this problem. Some of these packages contain an absorbant filled space, but these small ‘rooms’ are relatively small to the package, losing their ability to hold moisture as much as desired, feel Drago. In addition, these products tend to also have multi-layers, and so producing packages for each service creates a big expenditure problem. It’s also the very fact that these packages contain multi-part sections that makes it harder for the producers to manufacture them. The problem of application of such packages also adds to the fact that these advanced containers create a volume problem for the product, add Drago.

“Foodstuff can go bad for different reasons - microbiological, biochemical, physical - but with the effect of moisture build-up, the foodstuff can lose its allimportant appealing aroma and structural integrity,” explains Drago’s Dogu Pabuccuoglu.

“Certain ‘thermo’, heat retaining boxes are used outside of the package when delivering hot foodstuffs to consumers. However, these foodstuffs become polluted by the effect of their own vapour, creating a non-healthy atmosphere and also softening the product in the process, which is why we set about devising our own solution to the problem.”

Solution to an age old problem?

Thus, claim Drago, if the same packages were to utilise their

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business at Dragons’ Den Turkey and with the investment of Yalçın Ayaydın, Gamze Cizreli, Nevzat Aydın and A. Manas, Drago was founded. With the support of the partners major progress in branding and product diversification has now been achieved (Yeatz® De-Humidifying Pad brand was followed by the development and patent protection of Yeatz® De-Icing Fluid and Yeatz® Anti-Bacterial Pad).

Yeatz Warmer-Pad inside the pizza box itself, they could overcome the aforementioned problems, as it works by sucking in all the water vapour and moisturising effects of the hot food, enabling the food to be kept more fresh and warm for longer periods of time. The water vapour created while the food is being delivered is absorbed by Yeatz Warmer-Pad so that the moisture concentrated within the package is never allowed to go free inside the package itself, explain the company.

Due to the moisture reaction with the Yeatz Warmer-Pad, it is therefore possible to reach warmth levels up to 90°C on certain products, and the compromising of different types of food odour can be prevented, even if two different types of food are present in the same container, claim the device’s inventors, meaning that food products such as pizza can be kept and delivered in this manner, warm, fresh and crispy until it reaches the consumer.

Drago’s Warmer-pad solution needs to be used in accordance with provisos to have the optimum efficiency. It should be used right after removing it from its vacuum-wrapped package, and placed in the pizza box so as to block the holes in the box to have the optimum efficiency (it is not essential to block the holes, but

without holes the product’s efficiency will increase, say Drago).

It is best to use a Warmer-Pad that complies with the box size for maximum efficiency, advise the company. As the Warmer-pad is a product of nanotechnology (the manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale where at least one dimension is sized from 1 to 100 nanometres), say Drago, it is not harmful for human health. The Warmer-Pads are made from a non-woven exterior with an interior containing natural, mineral-based granules, and are manufactured in a sterile environment by fully automated machines in a factory with ISO9001 and ISO22000 certification. In essence, a WarmerPad can be thought of as containing an activated natural mineral mixture. It consists of three stages of production of mixtures of mineral, activation and then at the production line between the insertion and finally its packaging in non-woven fabric.

Only one Warmer-Pad can be used only for one application with 10 to 20 supplied in one pack, and it is an environment-friendly product, claim the firm.

The company’s creation goes back to the production of dehumidifying heating pads by Göksel Mumcu’s company, Terkanon. He presented his

Re-design Crosta & Mollica report that their ‘Ready to Top’ Pizza Crust with a fresh tomato sauce has been relaunched with a brand new box design and contemporary colourful graphic, designed to bring to life the company’s Altogether Italian brand proposition and visual identity.

The simple clean box design and newly adapted logo will ensure attractive on-shelf visibility and stand out appeal, feel the company.

The redesign by Figment, which includes a specially created web site - cmkitchen.net - has also been supported by a proactive PR and marketing campaign to help enhance brand engagement and leverage commercial opportunities.

“The brand redesign certainly grabs the imagination of our customers with an invitation to become a pizza connoisseur and experiment with exciting toppings,” said Crosta & Mollica founder, James Orr.“We had been trying for a long time to import

Crosta and Mollica’s woodfired ready to top pizza base is made with natural yeast and very slowly proved to develop a fuller flavour before the rested dough is stretched and shaped and then prepared in a wood-fired oven.

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packaging

Part of Huhtamaki’s Taste range has been designed to accommodate pizza. the right product to meet growing consumer demand within the grocery sector in terms of great quality and provenance. In Italy, it is all about the importance of the dough whereas in the UK it’s all about the topping.

“Our product ensures retailers are getting a quality and authentic product whilst allowing consumers the freedom to experiment with their favourite toppings, and at the same time bring a taste of Italy into their own homes. Up until the launch of our pizza bases, there has never been anything really authentic of equivalent in UK supermarkets.”

Huhtamaki has recently created a complete takeaway solution range for operators, called ‘Taste’ which comprises a choice of different style food containers, giving caterers versatile products to suit a variety of popular menu choices – from sandwiches and wraps, to salads, sushi and pizza.

Suitable for both hot and chilled foods, the Taste range of lightweight takeaway packaging includes hot sandwich packs, food to go boxes and pizza boxes – ideal for outlets which offer customers a comprehensive menu, or for those with a more simplistic food offering, suggest the company.

Manufactured from paperboard with a PET lining, a Boston’s Upper Crust Pizza in the US is the latest to adopt Ecovention LLC’s “pizza box of the 21st century” GreenBox™.

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selection of takeaway favourites can be presented to customers in these stylish serving containers and customers can conveniently eat straight from the box whilst on the move, and with leak-proof webbed corners, they can rest assured that they will not be left wearing their meal! Huhtamaki’s Taste food to go boxes are available in small, medium and large sizes; operators can also choose to order containers with or without a window and vents.

Also made from paperboard with a PET lining are the Taste pizza boxes, available in quarter, half and full sizes. All feature window and vents so the contents within can be clearly presented to customers. Cool to the touch, the packaging is designed to keep the product inside hotter for longer without making the item uncomfortable to hold.

The Taste range is also available in kraft brown and customised printing is optional for those who require it to tie in with corporate branding and to enhance their presentation and look.

All products in the Taste range are made in the Blackburn factory and complement the existing products already manufactured

by Huhtamaki to provide operators with a complete takeaway food and drink packaging solution, point out the firm (www.foodservice. huhtamaki.co.uk).

New York-based, EcoventionLLC, reports that Upper Crust Pizzeria, an award-winning pizza restaurant located in Boston, MA is now carrying its multifunctional, eco-friendly GreenBox™, using the environmentally-friendly packaging in all six of their greater Boston area locations.

Ecovention’s GreenBox™ –

dubbed “the pizza box of the 21st century” by Fox News – is made from 100% recyclable material. A complete redesign of the industry-standard pizza box, the top of the GreenBox™ breaks down into four plates, while the bottom easily folds into a convenient storage container for leftovers. Through this innovative design, the need for disposable plates, plastic wrap and aluminum foil is eliminated, creating an ecofriendly solution to the waste produced by the pizza industry.

“We are excited to be delivering a pizza box that is not

only eco-friendly, but adds convenience to our customers’ lives,” said Shawn Shenefield, operations manager for Upper Crust Pizzeria.

Ecovention LLC, headquartered in New York, NY, is an innovator in the environmentally friendly food packaging industry. The company provides design, licensing, manufacturing, subcontract management and logistics and says that it is dedicated to improving outmoded, out-dated and wasteful food packaging (greenboxny.com).

Ready meal packaging A leading European manufacturer of plastic packaging for the food industry, Faerch Plast (www.faerchplast.com) has recently supplied eye-catching dual colour CPET trays in sage and cream to Greencore for the re-launch of Tesco’s core Italian ready meal range.

Greencore challenged Faerch Plast to give its existing trays a more authentic and appealing format for the new and improved premium ready meals, which include beef lasagne, spaghetti Bolognese, meatball pasta and sausage pasta, with minimal changes to pack designs or sizes.

Jenna Cree, development manager for Greencore Warrington commented:“Faerch Plast already supplies two dual colour trays in black and terracotta, and black and silver for the Tesco Finest range.

This striking new sage and cream colour combination meets Tesco’s criteria perfectly and offers a high quality finish that really does make the Italian range stand out on shelf. It provided the makeover required with minimal changes to pack size or basic design which was a major benefit as it meant we didn’t need to alter any of the equipment at our plant in Warrington.”

Vicki Parker, key account manager at Faerch Plast added:“Getting the right intensity of colour for both the sage green outer surface and cream inside was not an easy task but after a lot of hard work by our CPET and extrusion experts we achieved a dual colour tray that both Greencore and Tesco were happy with.

“Our state-of-the-art production technology and modern, efficient extrusion capabilities enabled us to develop the innovative dual colour CPET trays which are already proving popular amongst customers. This completely different packaging format separates ranges on the supermarket shelf, whilst the eye-catching colour combinations help inspire and direct consumers to the products they are looking for or wish to try.”

FaerchPlast also offers dual colour trays in red and black, blue and black, blue and white and purple and black, with new combinations currently in development. The company’s wide range of CPET trays feature dual oven-ability and a wide temperature tolerance from -4F (-20oC) degrees to 430F (220oC) degrees, for freezer-to-oven or microwave convenience (CPET eliminates negative effects on food flavour and aroma, giving consumers well-protected, more versatile and better tasting meals).

Since it was established in 1969, Faerch Plast has made high quality plastics packaging products, supplying major blue chip customers in the ready meal, fresh meat, cold foods and snacks and ambient food sectors with a wide range of containers and trays produced from PS, CPET, APET, PP, MAPET® II and AMPET®.

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Credit: Image courtesy of Avlaki olive oil.

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Essential olive oil Appreciation of olive oil is slowly gathering momentum in the UK, and it is increasingly to be found served as condiment in its own right to be enjoyed alongside speciality breads or as a salad dressing, or indeed as an accompaniment to main dishes.

A functional food Olive oil is a key part of the Mediterranean diet – a major food trend that has come to be widely regarded. In particular, olive oil is held in high esteem in terms of its health benefits and high nutritional content, being made from fruit in a mechanical process.

Extra virgin olive oil is the primary source of fat in this diet, but is a functional food in terms of high level of mono

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unsaturated fatty acids and oleic acids it contains (the latter which features chemicals responsible for the taste and aroma profile of olive oil, as well as its health-enhancing properties). Indeed, based on these influences, many Italian olive oils have now been certified and regulated under EU regulations, being labelled by the term DOP and IGP, and only capable of being produced in certain, specific regions.

The more bitter an olive oil, the more polyphenols it contains, which is not necessarily a bad thing, as bitterness can be a good quality, but it needs to be in balance with other aspects. The tasting and appreciation of olive oil relies heavily on a sense of smell and the nose, something which to a large extent has been forgotten these days, with man having a developed a keener sense of

vision and sight than smell over the millennia.

Flavours of almond, grass, bitterness, spiciness, sweetness and Lupetta Extra Virgin Olive Oil is available in a 250ml bottle from ÂŁ2.99 or in cases of 12 bottles for ÂŁ32.99.

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olive oil tomato are used to define and characterise Italian olive oils, which are distinctive in their own right to experienced tasters due to the various environmental (climate and growing region), technological (production methods) and olive variety (types grown) which impact upon the eventual taste of the oil.

A predominance of almonds and sweetness can be found in light Italian olive oils with grassiness predominating in medium fruity oils, and tomato prevailing in stronger, intense olive oils. As a result, oils are generally recommended to be paired with similar types of food – light oils with light tasting food that does not have any over-powering flavours, and likewise, stronger flavoured oils with stronger flavours of food.

Lupetta Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for example, is sourced from a long established Italian oil producer, who has been producing and packing oils for over 60 years in the beautiful town of Spoleto in Umbria, and is a mix of 50% Sicilian extra

virgin olive oil and 50% Puglian extra virgin olive oil giving it a delicious balance of grassy, fruity notes followed by a hint of pepperiness.

“With Lupetta we are trying to offer an excellent tasting and versatile extra virgin oil which is priced sensibly so people can use it frequently for dipping as well as dressings and cooking,” says Lupetta’s CEO, Simon Bell.

Italy has some 350 types of olives, with many light olive oils coming from regions such as Liguria and stronger oils from regions where sunshine is experienced for longer during the year (Sicily, Sardinia for example), but there seems to be no hard and fast rules here, as a good light oil could also be found in a certain part of Sicily and a strong one in from a certain part of Liguria.

The term ‘cold press’ has been, and is still used, by many, but is a bit of a misnomer these days, as most oils are produced via a centrifugal process, meaning that the cold press term is no longer applicable, yet it lingers on in the minds of

many and is often misleadingly still used to satisfy buyers of an oil’s quality of production.

Better understanding required The popularity of Italian produce shows no sign of abating and as a result olive oil has perhaps almost become one of those ubiquitous ingredients in British cuisine.

The danger is, though, feels Continental Quattro Stagioni’s (CQS) vice-chairman, Sandro Bevilacqua, that the product becomes commoditised with little thought given to the quality, variety and the very different and specific uses of oil.

“We work very closely with our food service clients through samplings and tastings to help them make the right decision about which products to buy.

We give them guidance about how to use the different olive oils that we supply and also recipe ideas,” explains Sandro Bevilacqua.

“It is important to us to work with people who are passionate about their produce and who

want to help us bring authentic Italian food to our UK-based customers whilst providing guidance on the best way to serve these products.

“As such, we work with Colavita, whose oil producing origins began in the hilltop village of Sant’Elia a Pianisi, located in the Molise region of Italy using a stone mill for crushing homegrown olives used to produce fine extra virgin olive oil.”

In fact, feel CQS, there is a lot of confusion about olive oil and what the difference between them is.

“Extra virgin olive oil is the highest grade for olive oil – the best you can buy. It means that the virgin oil produced from the mechanical pressing described previously may be called ‘extra’ if it has less than 1% free oleic acid, and if it exhibits superior taste, colour and aroma. Thus, the ‘extra’ in extra virgin olive oil means ‘premium’ or simply, ‘the best’,” Sandro Bevilaqua continues.

“Ordinary ‘olive oil’ is actually a blended oil product. Olive oil

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olive oil producers start with low quality virgin olive oils. For these oils to be fit for consumption, they must be refined using mechanical, thermal and/or chemical processes. The resulting refined olive oil is largely colourless and tasteless, and before the resulting product can be sold as ‘olive oil’, the producer blends into the refined olive oil a percentage of quality virgin olive oil to provide colour and taste. “‘Light’ or ‘mild’ olive oil is a variation on ordinary olive oil.

Producers of this product use a highly refined olive oil, and add less quality virgin oil than that typically used to blend olive oil.

The only thing ‘light’ about light olive oil is the taste and colour, as it has the same caloric and fat content as other oils.”

Taste and texture Many chefs prefer olive oil to other vegetable oils for reasons of taste and nutrition, note CQS. Taste is the most obvious difference between olive oil and the commercially popular vegetable oils such as corn, soybean and canola oils. These oils are tasteless fats.

“You would not want to eat a piece of bread dipped in vegetable oil; for the same basic reason, many chefs refrain from adding tasteless fat to the foods they prepare. When you cook with oil, get the most flavour and texture you can,” advises Sandro Bevilacqua.

“Olive oil, especially extra virgin olive oil, adds a flavour and textural dimension lacking in other oils, making it a suitable substitute for butter and margarine in almost any recipe. In fact, more and more restaurants are serving extra virgin olive oil, both plain or flavoured with salt and pepper, as an alternative to butter for bread.”

Flavoured oils CQS also stock a range of Colavita flavoured oils which help to add an extra dimension to the meals and dishes that can be prepared.

For example, their Colavita Basilolio–Flavoured Extra Virgin Olive Oil is an infusion of fragrant and flavourful basil

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D.O.P./P.D.O. Olive Oil World is the Europe-wide promotion programme of the European Union’s olive oils, and it has developed a UK campaign to help promote awareness of the benefits and meaning of D.O.P. Extra Virgin Olive Oils.

D.O.P./P.D.O. (Denominazione d’Origine Protetta/Protected Designation of Origin) is defined by the European Union and is connected with the specific geographical area that defines the quality, taste and other singular characteristics of the Olive Oil. D.O.P. Olive Oil can be recognised by the D.O.P. symbol which is important as it denotes the quality and authenticity of the product. It also helps promote agricultural products and foods that have special value because of the way or place in which they are produced. essence which provides an herbaceous note to base Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil itself. Perfect alone as an enticing dipping sauce, suggest CQS, Colavita Basilolio also complements seafood, vegetables, soups, and sauces or try it with a Crabmeat salad with seafood dressing.

CQS’s Colavita Garlicolio is an infusion of fragrant garlic essence provides a flavourful note to Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Perfect as an enticing dipping sauce for bread, Colavita Garlicolio also complements meat, vegetable, potato, pasta, and risotto dishes.

Colavita Pepperolio is infused with red chili peppers to offer a fiery flavour to impart a bold, spicy flair to marinades, soups, and recipes that call for sautéing or grilling, suggest CQS (www.continentalfood.co.uk).

Colavita Limonolio features ripe olives and fresh lemons that have been pressed together to a create a flavoured

olive oil inspired by the fragrant lemon groves of Italy’s Mediterranean coast. Colavita Limonolio’s bright, zesty lemon flavour helps at adds zing to salads, sautés, marinades, chicken, and fish dishes.

Colavita Truffolio is a truffleflavoured extra virgin olive oil, and this oil boasts an infusion of Italy's treasured truffle, say CQS. It can be drizzled into pasta and risotto dishes to let the truffle's characteristic aroma and rich, earthy flavour shine.

Truffle flavoured extra virgin olive oil can also be used to add dimension to mushroom dishes and sauces.

Authenticity As well as flavour, and taste, the authenticity of olive oil is increasingly important to chefs and consumers alike, with many olive oil products in fact being blends of various types sourced from more than one country.

This is one reason why organisations such as Campden BRI were recently chosen by the Rural Payments Agency to carry out chemical testing to ensure the authenticity of olive oil being imported into the UK. Following this appointment, in May of this year Campden BRI was invited by the University of Jaén to participate in a knowledge sharing visit to the main olive oil producing region of Spain in Andalucia to spend a week visiting some of Spain’s largest olive farms and pressing plants to deepen their understanding of olive oil production and to share knowledge and build links with eminent academics from the university.

Jaen’s 60 million olive trees produce 20% of the world’s olive oil, earning the city the title “world capital of olive oil”.

Due to the economic importance of the olive industry to both the Jaén region and Spain, Jaen University has developed a world-class centre of expertise in olive oil.

Julian South, head of chemistry and biochemistry at Campden BRI said: “We were honoured to be invited to the University of Jaén. While we are active in the authenticity

testing of olive oil, the detailed knowledge we can learn from Jaen’s experts regarding the agronomic, sensory, analytical and production aspects of olive oil will be extremely valuable when discussing the challenges faced by the industry. This visit is just the beginning of our relationship with the University of Jaén and I look forward to working more closely with them in future.”

An Italian favourite arrives in UK RH Amar (www.rhamar.com), a leading UK-based fine food importer and distributor, reports that it has now added Monini, the No. 1 brand of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Italy (according to independent research company, Quantitative Analysis, September 2013) to its portfolio of fine foods. Under the terms of the agreement, RH Amar will exclusively represent Monini to key retail, convenience, independent and foodservice accounts in the UK, and feel that this brand of olive oil will prove popular with Italian restaurants.

Monini is investing heavily in the UK market, and given its popularity in Italy, is able to offer strong, authentic credentials. RH Amar says that it will be executing a substantial media campaign to ensure a serious and sustained UK presence for Monini.

“RH Amar demonstrated an unmatched level of knowledge and experience of the UK olive oil retail environment. It delivered a compelling, insightled strategy with a heavyweight team of sales, marketing and distribution professionals under the one roof to fulfill it. We’re delighted to be working with RH Amar, and have full confidence in them to deliver our sales objectives for the UK market,” said Luca Conti, export manager for Monini.

Founded in 1920 in Spoleto, Italy, the company is 100% owned by the Monini family with Zefferino Monini personally selecting, tasting and approving each olive oil variant produced to ensure taste integrity.

RH Amar is offering three high quality Monini olive oil

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olive oil variants, in sizes from 250ml to three litres. Monini Extra Virgin Olive Oil is made from olives picked at the right maturation grade and is ideal for use in homemade salad dressings, drizzling over pasta dishes or as a dip for bread, suggest the company.

Monini Mild and Light Olive Oil which has a very gentle and mild taste and is perfect for all types of frying, roasting and baking, whereas Monini Olive Oil is versatile and suitable for all types of cooking, including sautéing, grilling and roasting.

“We see substantial opportunity for Monini’s quality olive oil portfolio. Extra virgin olive oil is the powerhouse of the olive oil category contributing 43% of all value growth in olive oil (according to IRI Major Multiples 52 w.e.

04.01.14),” said Samantha Higgins, senior brand manager at RH Amar.

“As a business we have worked hard to develop robust category solutions and Monini fortifies our oils category proposition. As a distributor we offer retailers a single point of purchase, streamlined business

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processes and the ability to better co-ordinate on category products and promotions.”

RH Amar is a leading UKbased importer and distributor of ambient fine food and a pioneer in the food industry since its inception in 1945.

Today RH Amar supplies more than 40 fine food brands covering a dozen ambient categories across both retail and foodservice, including to major supermarkets, cash and carries, wholesale groups, cash and carries, restaurants and independent retailers.

The company represents some of the UK’s best-loved food brands, including Cirio, Del Monte, Crespo, Kikkoman, Sacla’, Starbucks and Mary Berry’s, and has its own brand of fine food ingredients – COOKS&CO – sourced from producers who are focused on delivering foods of exceptional flavour and quality.

A third generation family business, the company is now run by founder Raoul Amar’s grandson Rob as managing director, who has recently been joined by his brother James, in the role of brand manager.

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papa benefits

How SMS can work for your business When communicating with customers, SMS (short message service) is unrivalled in terms of effectiveness, open rates and response rates. If your business has never used SMS before, now is the time to begin.

Textlocal, a UK-based SMS platform have partnered with the Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food Association to offer members reduced rates on SMS messaging, as well as various other benefits. Here, we outline a little bit more about how you can use SMS effectively, who Textlocal are, and what the member benefits will be.

Widespread You don’t need to do too much research to see how much impact mobile is having on the life of the modern consumer just step out of your front door and take a look around. On the street, train, or bus you’ll see people are glued to their phones.

Textlocal’s own recent white paper series has been tracking ‘Mobile Customer Experience’, and in a survey of 2000 customers (and 330 businesses) cited text as the primary use on mobile handsets.

It also revealed that the type of message customers want to receive most from businesses is a text-based appointment reminder/confirmation, closely followed by offers discounts and promotions.

• 97.5% of text messages are read within five seconds of being received.

• 50% of respondents will go on to make a purchase.

• Average response rates of 37% put other marketing channels to shame.

• 85% of businesses are embracing mobile, with 2540% of budget shifting toward mobile in 2014.

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Communicating with your customers Here are a few of the ways that you can use Textlocal’s online platform to communicate with your customers.

• Send out booking confirmations, or reminders, directly to a mobile phone (as 97.5% of messages are read within five seconds of being received, so you can be confident that your message will be seen).

• Send out promotions and special offers. If business is quiet, send out a message to your opt-in customers informing them of a flash offer. You will see business improve much faster than if you sent out an offer in email.

• Send out attachments. You can attach menus, price lists, pictures or videos to your messages at no extra cost. This technique often makes messages a lot more content rich and engaging.

• Send out vouchers and loyalty cards that can be stored on a handset. This saves production costs, and as everyone always has

their mobile phone on them, there is more of a chance a customer can redeem.

Best practice is key in determining the success of your SMS campaign. From the timing of sends to giving your customers the option to optout of messages, you need to ensure that the processes you are following are best suited to your customer base. Here are a few tips…

Call to action Ensure that the reason for the text is made clear. You want the recipient to act on your text, so tell them what they need to do to benefit from the information they have been sent.

Time Pick the time you decide to text your customers carefully. If you want to generate an action or response then make sure you leave your customers enough time during the day to do so. You can also use the Textlocal scheduler to prepare your messages for sending in advance.

Keep it short A single SMS message consists of 160 characters. For the most cost-effective campaign you need to choose your words carefully. Get to the point straight away, the benefit or reward to the recipient should be clear.

Avoid repetition Make sure you manage your database properly, and avoid texting the same mobile marketing messages to the same people consecutively.

Keep your communication fresh and engaging.

Cleanse your database It can be costly to continue sending messages to old numbers. Be sure to regularly check and delete the numbers that can't be reached to save time and money. Three strikes and you're out is a good principle.

Track your progress Make sure you measure how effective your mobile marketing campaign has been so you can improve it further next time. How many November 2014

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papa benefits responses did you get? What was your return on investment? Try texting different offers, at various times of the day, days of the week, or target different groups of customers, to find which works best for you.

Respect the opt-out mechanism Include a simple opt-out option regularly in your texts. Always ensure you make it clear to your customers that they can stop receiving messages from you at any time.

Grow your audience with the opt-in rule Use an SMS keyword (e.g. text PIZZA to 60777 to receive the latest news and offers from your local takeaway) to grow an opt-in list of customers that choose to receive your SMS alerts. Print this everywhere and you will easily grow an opt-in list of followers. SMS marketing can be intrusive if sent to somebody who hasn't given their permission. Protect the reputation of your organisation by ensuring all recipients have allowed you to communicate with them.

Target your texts Make sure that the recipient is going to be interested in what you have to offer. There would be no logic in texting a football team a 2 for 1 offer on nail varnish.

Personalise your texts Use our mail merge feature and insert names, appointment times or other details into your messages for that extra special

message. You can also brand your text by setting the Sender Name on the SMS message as your company name for maximum impact.

Textlocal Textlocal is a completely pay as you go service – there are no contracts or sign up fees, and if you sign up to Textlocal as a PAPA member, you will receive these extra benefits: • 50 free text credits – so you can send out some test messages, and even carry out a small campaign.

• Special purchase rate of just 4p per Text Credit (a saving of nearly 1p per message) – bundles start at £4.00 for 100 texts.

To find out more about how Textlocal can help your business, and to sign up for a free account, visit - http://www.textlocal.com/papa

• No monthly fees, contracts or commitment – pay as you go service, and your test credits never expire.

• Free Keyword on 60777 for three months - this means you can build up a database of contacts if you have not got many mobile numbers already, or just add to your existing database.

• Free Surveys & Forms for three months – this functionality allows you to gather feedback from your customers in an easy to manage way. The online platform collates results for you too so you can analyse any feedback with ease.

• Free dedicated account manager – they can help you with any queries you have when using the platform, offer you demonstrations to get you started, and even help send out your SMS campaigns for you.

E.ON promise to beat your renewal Quote or give you £100 At E.ON, we want to give you the most competitive energy quote we can. That’s why we’ll beat any initial renewal quote you have and if we can’t, we’ll give you £100.

You just need to be on a tariff or energy contract with another energy supplier‡, and be in your renewal window.

Fixed really does mean fixed* Our current fixed price plans for 1, 2 or 3 years help you control your business energy costs and with us, fixed really does mean fixed. We won’t change prices for our small business customers† part way through a plan, even if our costs increase – so there won’t be any surprises.

Contact our Partnership support team on: 0330 400 1147 Mention that you are a “PAPA” member to discover more benefits from E.ON’s partnership with “PAPA” Terms and conditions apply, see below: Terms and conditions ‡ We’ll beat your renewal offer or we’ll give you £100 We’ll aim to beat the forecast annual cost of any 1, 2 or 3 year fixed electricity or gas initialrenewal offer, based on your annual consumption which you provide to us. Where we decide not to offer a lower priced plan, we’ll pay £100 per fuel, per site. The promotion is open to new and existing customers who are small or medium enterprises and excludes any other promotion offered by a competing supplier, eg cashback. Your energy tariff or fixed price contract must be in the renewal window. If we can’t beat the price you tell us and you would like to claim the £100 promotion we’ll need to see the competing initial renewal offer either in writing or by email issued by your existing supplier. The contract start date must be within 120 days of the date on the renewal letter or email. We’ll review our offer and the competing offer from your existing supplier using information you provide to us such as your annual consumption as well as any additional costs or charges you will pay in the competing offer over the contract period, e.g. distribution/transportation, VAT, Climate Change Levy (CCL) or CCL equivalent charge and government environmental charges or costs. If the competing offer is for a two or three year term, we’ll use the same annual consumption for each year. We’ll keep the promotion open until 2 December 2014, however, we may withdraw this promotion at any time before this date due to unforeseen circumstances eg if more customers take up this offer than we expect. The promotion is available to small and medium enterprises (E.ON Energy Solutions Ltd.) with less than 20 non-half hourly electricity or non-daily metered gas sites who use less than 1,000,000kWh of electricity or 1,500,000kWh of gas per year. The promotion does not apply to existing customers of, or quotes obtained through our Corporates business (E.ON UK PLC). Alternative offers through third party intermediaries are not eligible for this promotion.

Any offer of a contract is subject to a credit check. If we can’t beat the renewal offer then we will send a £100 cheque made out to the business name within 28 days, following receipt of the written/email offer and of our declining to beat the offer from your existing supplier. * Excluding changes to VAT, Green Deal, CCL or CCL Equivalent Charge which will be applied at the applicable rate. † Available to microbusiness customers with less than 49 sites and with non-half hourly electricity metering. Microbusinesses are defined as business customers who: · consume less than 100,000kWh of electricity a year, or · use less than 293,000kWh of gas each year, or · have fewer than ten employees (or their full-time equivalent) and an annual turnover of less than €2m.

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Tomato processing In the absence of the wide variety and food application of tomatoes now grown in Italy, Italian cuisine would be without one of its most famous, and essential, of all ingredients. After visiting the Foggia and Campania regions (where tomatoes are respectively predominantly grown and processed) during this year’s tomato harvesting and canning time, Pizza Pasta & Italian Food magazine found out more about Italy’s tomato processing industry.

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tomatoes ‘Made in Italy’ At the start of September – during the tomato harvesting period - ANICAV (the Naplesbased body of tomato processors - Associazione Nazionale Industriali Conserve Alimentari Vegetali) hosted, in collaboration with ICE-Agency, an incoming delegation of journalists and food bloggers from Russia, the UK and France, as part of a promotional project seeking to boost consumption of peeled tomatoes – understandably viewed by many as a standard-bearer, if not a stalwart, of Italian cuisine. This event provided an opportunity to get to know more about the entire production chain, "from farm to fork”.

Few would argue that the tomato is not an essential part of the ‘Made in Italy’ tag line, and not least the Italians themselves.

According to ANICAV, in a nationally representative survey, half the country (47.8%) felt that tomatoes are not only an essential ingredient, but complementary to the preparation of some of the most famous ‘Made in Italy’ dishes – not least pizza and pasta dishes. A fifth (21.8%) believe that tomatoes are a natural ingredient, 21.3% say they are practical and quick, and 18.7% believe they are an important Italian product.

ANICAV Founded in Naples in 1945, ANICAV is an initiative set up by a grouping of industries in Italy’s vegetable and preserving sector.

It is seen as representing all processed products in this sector, but notably processed tomatoes.

The organisation represents 110 companies located in 11 regions and 18 provinces with a major presence in the tomato producing areas of central and southern Italy and a particular concentration in the provinces of Salerno and Naples. In practice, this means that ANICAV represents four out of five Italian tomato processing companies, two out of three privately-owned Italian companies in the tomato processing sector and three out of four pulses processing companies (and meaning that they can in effect claim to represent ‘one out of two of all

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Two Neapolitan classic dishes that are reliant on tomatoes – pizza and ragú Napoletano.

processed tomatoes and pulses in Italy’ and ‘one out of four tomatoes in Europe’).

105 of ANICAV’s affiliated companies represent 50% of all processed tomatoes in Italy and more 50% of Italian preserved pulses. This equates to a workforce of 12,000 full-time people and 22,000 seasonal workers, and a turnover in 2013 of some three billion euros (approximately 60% of the domestic turnover of Italy’s preserved vegetables sector).

Facts and figures In 2013, in the region of 33 million tonnes of tomatoes were processed in the world (a reduction of 2% on the 2012 level). The main producing countries are, in order of greatest amount produced, the USA (California), Italy, China, Turkey and Spain.

Therefore, as the second largest producer after California, Italy represents 12.5% of the world’s production, and 54% of the processed tomatoes in the European Union. In 2013, over 60% of Italian production was exported to Europe (in particular Germany, France and UK). In 2013, 53% of Italy’s total tomato production constituted passata,

17% peeled tomatoes, 25% chopped tomatoes, 3% cherry tomatoes (preserved) and 2% tomato concentrate.

According to ANICAV figures, the 2013/14 harvest will have ended with the processing of just over four million tonnes of raw material across the whole of Italy, and representing a 14% drop on the previous harvest. The centresouth of the country produced the most tomatoes this season (53.50%, or 2.180 thousand tonnes). This season 55,836 hectares of land in Italy was allotted to tomato growing for the processing industry, a decrease of about 10% on the previous year according to ANICAV. It is the centre-south area of Italy that is responsible for providing 80% of tomatoes for the processing industry, harvested mechanically with selfpropelled/towed machinery. The rest (20%) is harvested by hand because this tends to involve the harvesting of special varieties – such as San Marzano, DOC varieties or cherry tomatoes - that are regulated by specific rules connected to their premium nature and that would mean that they could be damaged by mechanical harvest. In addition, it may be that the growing conditions of the tomatoes – gravel in the soil – means that mechanical harvest is not suitable. At the time of harvesting, a pre-selection takes to remove green, broken, spoiled tomatoes, or ones having impurities.

In 2013, 50% of the processed tomatoes in the Centre-South constituted peeled tomatoes,

34% chopped tomatoes, 12% passata, 2% cherry tomatoes and 2% concentrate. In particular in 2013, 55% of the tomato production in Campania region was peeled tomatoes, 32% chopped tomatoes, 10% passata, 2% cherry tomatoes and 1% concentrate, indicating how important the Campania and Salerno/Naples provinces are to this sector.

According to ANICAV’s figures, it would seem that the overall total consumption of processed tomatoes is in decline in Italy (in 2010, there were sales of 392,225,231kg of tomatoes, whereas sales were 375,465,576kg in 2013). However, whereas there had been a decrease in the sales of peeled tomatoes in Italy from 2010 to 2013 (the volume share down from 18.9% to 16.6% in 2013), the consumption of passata in Italy over the same period of time was up (49.6% in 2010 to 53.1% in 2013), perhaps indicating that consumers increasingly prefer a more convenient, ready-made product requiring even less preparation than its peeled tomato counterpart. These patterns of consumption were also reflected in the value of sales, with passata showing an increase in the value of sales and the sales of peeled tomatoes showing a decrease in value over the 2010/13 period.

San Marzano tomatoes The total production of all types of tomatoes in Italy has decreased - 2,576,000 tonnes in 2010, compared to 2,186,400 tonnes in 2013, reported ANICAV. 807,000 tonnes of whole peeled tomatoes were processed in 2010, 710,600 tonnes in 2013.

3,892 tonnes of San Marzano DOP tomatoes were processed in 2010 and 3,794 tonnes in 2013 (however, in 2011 and 2012, production of San Marzano tomatoes in Italy was 5,970 tonnes and 7,063 tonnes respectively).

Needless to say, it is factors such as weather, worldwide demand and competition from other tomato-growing countries such as China and the USA, as well as what types of tomato crops farmers decide to grow, which affect the annual yield and

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tomatoes sales figures (this year, for example, in early September unusually heavy rain meant that it was too wet to harvest for several days, in turn meaning that the truck drivers hired by the tomato farmers had no harvest to transport, and the canning factories no tomatoes to process).

The San Marzano tomato from the Agro-Sarnese DOP is seen as the “king of tomatoes” due to its particular shape, colour, smell, taste, goodness and health benefits, as well as its versatility and simplicity. A product rich in organoleptic properties, it is currently grown in some 41 municipalities in the provinces of Salerno, Naples and Avellino.

It was given its PDO (protected designation of origin) status in 1996, and is now enjoying a period of revival and unprecedented positive appeal thanks to its successful protection and promotion by its Consortium that has enabled this variety to combat and overcome the threat of disease that at one stage threatened the future of this highly valued product.

At the same time, extra care and attention is now having to be taken when it comes to the labelling and export of this product to ensure that it is not subject to fraudulent activity in overseas markets. And so, as with other commodities such as olive oil, it is increasingly checked and protected to ensure its authenticity.

Production ANICAV, in conjunction with the Technical Co-ordination Committee of Producers Associations Centre-South Italy, say that they have been instrumental in preparing the procedural guidelines for integrated production of tomatoes for the processing industry so that the industry’s tomato farmers and technicians can adhere to an approach of integrated production.

These industry bodies feel that the setting of such guidelines assist with the control of the tomatoes as they enter the processing channel, meaning that all aspects of processing can be carried out in such a way that leads to the best production that enhances quality, as well as

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respects the environment.

Integrated production, point out ANICAV, has regard to high quality production where priority is given to eco-friendly growing techniques, reducing the use of chemical products in order to increase the safety of the environment and of health.

Foggia is the region where many tomatoes are grown and harvested before they are transported by road to the processing factories located in the Salerno province of Campania. Whole peeled tomatoes are obtained from the growing and subsequent processing of elongated varieties, such as Roma, and so-called ‘plum-shaped’ types. Such tomatoes – as well as the prized San Marzano variety - are also grown in the southern tomatoprocessing areas of Campania in

the provinces of Naples and Salerno.

During harvest time, truckloads of tomatoes can be seen on the roads of southern Italy, making their way to the processing factories. Or, if there has been a break in the usually sunny weather, the stationary, empty trucks and their drivers can be seen waiting at the roadsides for calls from farmers to go and collect the latest harvest.

Upon arrival at the processing factory – such as La Dorea in Angri (www.ladoria.it) or Calispa in Castel San Giorgio (www.calispa.it), the family-run firm behind the Nobile brand they usually undergo two washings in large tanks of water to remove any excess earth, leaves and grit before they are transferred to a moving selecting shelf which enables workers to see and remove any over-ripe or under-ripe tomatoes, or tomatoes that are not considered to be up to scratch.

Then the tomatoes are heated up to a temperature of 90oC so that the peel can be easily

removed from the pulp (this can be done manually or automatically via machine). The skins are squeezed to remove juice that can be used to contain the plum tomatoes in the cans, and make up the can’s correct product weight. Once again there is a visual inspection of the tomatoes on a moving conveyor line so that any sun-standard (small, broken, discoloured, or damaged from the peeling process) tomatoes or traces of peel can be removed by hand.

It is not unusual for successive generations of women from the nearby town to work in the same job, passing on their skills and knowledge gained from generations of families having been connected to, and working in, the tomato processing sector.

At this stage of processing, you might also notice that the older, more experienced tomato checkers are stationed at the end of the conveyor, close to where the tomatoes are about to move onwards to the next stage of processing – canning – whereas the younger ones are further down the checking line, indicating that more experienced eyes are relied upon for the final visual product quality check before canning.

ANICAV report that in the majority of companies, the initial selection of tomatoes is carried out by the use of a refined optic grader that automatically discards all the tomatoes that do not match the prerequisites programmed into the machine.

Having left the visual and manual checking stage, the tomatoes are put into tins by hand in their sauce and vacuum sealed (the air removed) with the application of a hermeticallysealed closure so that their freshness and taste will be preserved. Now in the tin, they are heated up and pasteurised/sterilised (at a temperature of 97oC for 70 minutes) - a way to ensure that any remaining micro-organisms are destroyed, and that would otherwise cause the tomatoes to deteriorate over time.

Now the sealed, pasteurised tins of tomatoes – typically supplied in 300g, 500g and 1kg formats - pass along a further conveyor system to be labelled

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tomatoes

and packed into boxes, and then stacked on to pallets for distribution.

Quality control procedures involving on-site chemical anaylsis, are used to make sure that the finished product matches the Italian national regulatory standards required Good tomatoes In identifying what helps towards ensuring a high quality of canned tomato product, ANICAV quote an expert in the field, Carlo Leoni, who is in charge of quality control for an experimental facility located in Parma.

“The processing of tomatoes aimed at obtaining a good quality product (not only for peeled tomatoes) starts from paying constant attention to a very important parameter – the acidity of the tomatoes, given by the pH,” says Carlo Leoni.

A good level of acidity reads from 4.0 to 4.3, so that the high temperatures used on the production line can be avoided as the acidity level itself has a preserving function. Reducing the temperature of the processing means retaining the organoleptic and biochemical features of the tomato, so the more the product is processed using lower temperatures, the better it will be. This is why, as with all agricultural products, the process starts from the field.

At the same time, points out Carlo Leoni, it is important to consider the sweetness of the tomatoes, for sweetness calms too much acidity in a balance that ultimately affects the final taste of the canned product.

Tomato processers will measure and monitor what is known as

www.papa.org.uk

the Brix level, which gives an idea of the sweetness level alongside the pH level of acidity that has been recorded. Good quality tomatoes are ones that have a Brix level comparable to tomato puree or fruit juice.

Thus, successful tomato processing can be monitored by via taking note of various physical-chemical attributes.

However, right from the start, it is important to make sure that the quality of the harvested tomatoes is good (they need to be ripe and red – especially the part under the skin – contain plenty of juice/‘sauce’, and have a reasonable content of cellulose with no rottenness).

Formats Processed tomatoes are now canned and bought in a variety of formats that offer various advantages depending on eventual use. Peeled tomatoes can be bought whole or chopped, for example, with many people preferring chopped tomatoes because they are ready to be used straight away.

Peeled tomatoes are divided into three merchandise categories. Extruded chopped tomatoes are obtained from tomatoes that are squeezed and peeled at the same time and from pulp, coming from tomatoes that have been peeled earlier.

Chopped and pulp tomatoes derive from peeled tomatoes with neither seeds or liquid suspension, and ‘cubed’, sliced tomatoes – which are proving popular of late – are derived from different angles of cutting the tomatoes.

The same standards required for tomatoes to be peeled are

Premium San Marzanino tomatoes – ‘mini’ San Marzanos – are popular with deli’s and top end Italian restaurants, and command a price premium.

required for tomatoes that processed in pulp, paying particular attention to tomatoes having very few seeds. Pulp is made from plump, peeled tomatoes by cutting an squeezing them through quite big holes, according to their size and the kind of pressing. The products obtained this way can be sold as pulp, chopped, cubed, sliced etc.

Tomatoes used for juice need to have low concentration of cellulose, otherwise the liquid and pulp separate, whereas tomatoes used in puree need a reasonable amount of solid substance so that there is less

water to get rid of in processing.

Companies are not bound by any kind of regulation relating to quantity, say ANICAV – a reason why companies only take into account the target demand (ie. the purchaser’s and customer’s demand). Also, point out ANICAV, the quality standard of puree is the percentage expressed in minimum dried rest (by using the abbreviation ‘rsm’, it is what remains after the water trace or volatile substance has been removed), it can be between a minimum of 12% and a maximum of 55%, giving rise to a great variety of products in this category.

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profile

Gelato

Village

Nestled in the cultural centre of a city renowned for its significant historical links dating back as far as the Domesday Book, business partners Daniele Taverna and Antonio De Vecchi designed and launched Gelato Village - an exciting new venture that will bring delicious, homemade gelato and sorbetto to the people of Leicester – having had the benefit of attending Carpigiani’s Gelato University.

Niche concept With a real passion for quality, local independent businesses and having identified a niche in the market, the concept for Gelato Village came from Antonio de Vecchi’s experience gained on the Carpigiani Gelato University course.

“Daniele and I had been toying with the idea of setting up our own gelato parlour for a while. Researching the different options available, it soon became clear that as the market leaders in artisan equipment, Carpigiani could help us to reach our goal of providing an outstanding and diverse range of frozen treats,” recalls Antonio De Vecchi.

“Right from the outset, we knew that it would be a big mistake to compromise on quality at any stage, least of all in the making of the gelato and sorbetto itself. Enrolling on to the Carpigiani Gelato University course, I knew I would be provided with a useful reference point and much of the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to implement the business model.”

Shortly after attending the course, Antonio and Daniele were introduced to their dedicated sales manager, who, in conjunction with top designer, Lorenzo Rosa and building contractors V.S. Builders and NJS Electrics, each hand-picked by Daniele, were able to assist in the formulation of a detailed business plan, ideas on specific equipment requirements and even shop fit and designs needs.

“Since the very beginning, the service we 56

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have received from Carpigiani UK has been second to none,” says Antonio De Vecchi.

“Supporting us through each step, the team’s experience, dedication, commitment to quality and their knowledge of equipment has really shone through. We were lucky enough to find an ideal spot right in the heart of the city at the end of 2013 and that’s when the hard work really began.

Equipment “Having secured the site, the Carpigiani team was on hand once again, working with our various contractors to assist with the design and fit of the entire parlour. Everything from the counter and service area, display cabinets and cupboards, customer seating and tables and of course the artisan gelato production equipment was all taken care of by the team from Carpigiani,” says Antonio de Vecchi.

When it came to the production equipment, Antonio and Daniele settled on the latest Carpigiani Maestro HE Batch Freezer, a Pastomaster 60 RTL pasteurising machine and a Carpigiani Turbomix blender.

“With the success of the business built around the quality, consistency and variety of gelato and sorbetto we produce, it was essential for us to have the right equipment,” Antonio De Vecchi continues.

“The Maestro HE, for example, is an outstanding piece of kit, capable of both freezing for gelato and heating for chocolate sauces and custards in one, simple to use appliance. The unit offers us complete versatility at all times. In addition, the Maestro is easy to use and is able to quickly produce large batches or flavour runs in a short period of time, something that is essential to us, especially during busy periods.”

Having fitted out the parlour, installed the equipment and finalised the branding, Daniele and Antonio sought the assistance November 2014

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profile of one of Carpigiani’s leading development chefs from Italy, Cristian Bonofiglioli, to help create a unique offering that would immediately become a big hit with customers locally and from further afield.

Special flavours “The location of Gelato Village in the heart of Leicester city centre not only benefits us in terms of customer flow but also in terms of the availability of locally sourced produce from the numerous daily markets located nearby,” says Antonio De Vecchi.

“With this almost endless supply of delicious ingredients we were keen to make the most of the opportunity and bring in one of the top development chefs within the Carpigiani Group. Cristian worked tirelessly in the days leading up to the grand opening to help train our team in everything from the perfect base mix to some of the more unusual flavour combinations we could become renowned for. He even helped us to create a special limited edition Richard III flavour to celebrate the rich history and links to the city.”

With the guidance and assistance provided by the team at Carpigiani UK, Daniele and Antonio were able to open Gelato Village on time and to a well-received audience of customers.

“While Carpigiani UK and our dedicated

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team of contractors were taking care of our every need, we were able to concentrate on marketing and publicising our venture. Since opening at the end of August 2014 we have had some fantastic feedback from our customers, many of which are prepared to travel a long way, just for the taste of our real homemade gelato. We are grateful for all the help and support the team at Carpigiani have been able to provide and we look forward to working with them further in the future,” concludes Antonio De Vecchi.

To find out more about Gelato Village, visit www.gelatovillage.co.uk.

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pizza my world

Pizza My World Heather Brooks is sales director at Primeware. She joined the company in 2008 with a directive to make Primeware better known for its quality display products for food counters. Coming from a strong sales and operating background in the catering industry having spent over 15 years at Equip Line selling heavy duty equipment including BOFI pizza ovens, prior to that Heather spent seven years in contract catering management at Sutcliffe Catering as an area catering manager in the South East. Primeware works collaboratively with distributors in over 20 countries servicing a diverse range of customers from Italian restaurants to butchers, independent hotels to restaurants, schools to sports stadia, and even the military.

7.00am Before setting off for the office I have a quick check of my emails. We have a number of overseas distributors and suppliers, not all of whom operate on UK time, and so this gives me a good opportunity to deal with any important messages that have come in overnight before I go to Primeware’s head office in Chiswick. The drive gives me time to catch up with colleagues, return a few voicemail messages and plan for the day ahead.

8am - 8.30am traffic permitting!

After putting the kettle on there is a chance to have another quick check through my emails before getting started on my schedule for the day. My first job of the day is to check on some samples that arrived yesterday whilst I was out on a sales appointment. I love it when samples and new products arrive - I am always looking for the next new product or ways of adapting an existing product to improve it.

We are quite often asked to develop special items for customers whether it’s a new shape dish, just a different colour or even a new material! Today’s arrival is one of our existing plates but with some very subtle colour changes. This item has been turned around in just a couple of weeks and I will drop it off later to the customer, Jacksons in Chessington.

9.00am A couple of members of my sales team have also stopped by the office to pick up samples and this gives us the opportunity to have a quick unscheduled catch-up in relation to projects that they have been working on and for them to give me some feedback on how 58

pizzapasta AND ITALIAN FOOD

10.00am Adnan arrives, coffee is served and we get talking, selecting and ordering products. With the modern emphasis on ‘theatre style’ front of house cooking more and more thought is going into the selection of tableware and crockery. For the next two hours Adnan and I go through various options – form, function, colour and size – until he is happy with his selection.

12.30pm A chance to grab a bite to eat and check up on emails.

our new range of ‘Hot Tiles’ is being received by the market.

9.30am I have a customer, Adnan, visiting shortly from a restaurant called Abu Zaad in Shepherd’s Bush, so I need to make sure the showroom looks its best. He is coming in to see our ‘like porcelain’ Quality Melamine products with a view to switching over to these in place of his current range of ceramics. The Primeware product range has been designed specifically to place presentation at the forefront of the dining experience yet helping reduce costs by its long life and durability - something that Quality Melamine does very well.

Our showroom displays our full product range and although some customers just pop in, most arrange an appointment, which ensures we have enough time to spend time with them to discuss their requirements.

1.00pm I need to plan what to deliver to Bocca Di Lupo, an upmarket Italian restaurant who are also interested in looking at our virtually unbreakable Quality Melamine. They want me to let them trial a selection of products from our range that closely matches the type of crockery they are currently using to see how it performs. They would like to try and use/wash/break them to see how they fare in their own restaurant environment – it’s critical for them to see how the products last and the standard of finish before and after they have been through several days of service! I love these tests because the product sells itself. I make my selection and head off to the restaurant.

4.00pm I arrive back at the office, having made the drop at Bocca Di Lupo, in time to pick up some literature for our Flexepan product launch in Ireland tomorrow. We are launching our new silicone, unbreakable Flexepan there and after a last catch up on emails I head home to prepare myself for the early morning flight to Dublin.

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New products

A cut above the rest!

Professional cutting devices for pizzas, cakes and more SYNO Cutting Tools provide swift, clean and even cuts for all your baked goods, enhancing efficiency for kitchens, bakeries and takeaway outlets. They can also be used for pizzas, tarts, fruit cakes, crêpes and flatbreads.

The range of semi- and fully-automatic cutting devices couldn’t be easier to use. Settings can be configured in a breeze, and blades that stay sharp are guaranteed to cut cleanly through each item without leftover residues and they come with auto self-cleaning.

SYNO Cutting Tools have been developed by the Swiss company EPS Europe AG/Ltd and are produced in Germany. All devices are DEKRA-

www.papa.org.uk

approved and distributed via their international distribution partners (initial delivery is scheduled for early 2015).

SYNO leverage internationally patented cutting technology and premium materials for exceptionally durable products which require minimal maintenance (call 00 41 79 340 44 72, or visit www.syno-cutting-tools.com).

NEW colour coded Food Check thermometers The Food Check thermometer is designed specifically for the busy food and catering professional, who wishes to purchase an economically priced digital food thermometer. It will measure the temperature quickly and accurately and is ideal for monitoring cooked and chilled foods as part of HACCP and health and safety procedures.

The extended temperature range (-49.9 to 299.9 °C) of the Food Check thermometer covers a wide range of kitchen temperature measurement applications, including fryer and dishwasher cycles. With a

resolution of 0.1 °C, the Food Check has a combined thermometer and probe “system” accuracy of better than 0.5°C. Housed in a robust ABS case that includes the 'Biomaster' additive to minimise bacterial growth, the Food Check is available in five new food safe colours - blue, green, red, white and yellow - ideal for different food types it helps reduce the risk of cross-contamination in food preparation areas, and features a large, easy to read, LCD display with open circuit and low battery indication (call 01903 202151 or visit www.etiltd.com).

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index registered suppliers Cater-Bake UK South Boundary Road, Knowsley Industrial Park, Merseyside, Liverpool L33 7RR Contact: Mark Hutchings Tel: 0151 548 5818 Fax: 0151 548 5835 www.cater-bake.co.uk sales@cater-bake.co.uk The following businesses are members of The Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Association (PAPA) and subject to its rules and guidelines. While the Association cannot guarantee the products and services supplied by those listed, it does believe that those listed are reputable and is confident in recommending them.

The Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Association, Association House, 18c Moor Street, Chepstow NP16 5DB Telephone: 01291 636335 or email kevin@jandmgroup.co.uk REGISTERED SUPPLIERS 999 Pizza Toppings (UK) Ltd. Unit 6, Teakcroft, Fairview Industrial Park, Marsh Way, Rainham, Essex RM13 8UH Contact: Homayoun Aminnia Tel: 01708 558885 Fax: 01708 555022 sales@999pizzatoppings.com Allied Mills Ltd. Sunblest Flour Mill, Port of Tilbury, Tilbury, Essex RM18 7JR Contact: Chris Brown Tel: 01375 363100 Fax: 01375 363199 chris.brown@allied-mills.co.uk www.allied-mills-semolina.co.uk Bakkavor Pizza Forward Drive, Christchurch Avenue, Harrow, Middlesex, HA3 8NT Contact: Soum Ghosal Tel: 0208 4242666 Fax: 0208 4200606 soum.ghosal@bakkavor.co.uk www.bakkavor.co.uk

Bel UK Ltd Suite 1, 2nd Floor, 160 London Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 1BT Contact: Cedric Blanpied Tel: 0333 900 2020 Fax: 01732 467596 cblanpied@groupe-bel.com www.bel-uk.co.uk Benier UK 56 Alston Drive, Bradwell, Abbey, Milton Keynes MK13 9HB Contact: David Marsh Tel: 01908 312333 Fax: 01908 311481 www.benier.co.uk sales@benier.co.uk C.Carnevale Ltd Carnevale House, Blundell St, London N7 9BN Contact: Mr C Carnevale Tel: 0207 607 8777 Fax: 0207 607 8774

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Chefsrange Unit 3&4 Turnpike Close, Lutterworth, Leicestershire LE17 4YB Contact: Tim Charlton Tel: 01455 559969 Fax: 01455 559979 tim@euro-catering.co.uk www.chefsrange.co.uk

Continental Quattro Stagioni 8 - 33 Royal Elizabeth Yard, Kirkliston, West Lothian EH29 9EN Contact: Mr Paolo Veneroni Tel: 0131 3191919 Fax: 0131 3315566 p.veneroni@continental-wine.co.uk www.continental-food.co.uk

Cooktek c/o MCS Technical Products Ltd MCS Technical Products, Building 2, Westmead Industrial Estate, Westmead Drive, Swindon, Wiltshire SN5 7YT Contact: Steve Snow Tel: 01793 538308 Fax: 01793 522324 sales@mcstechproducts.co.uk www.mcstechproducts.co.uk

Dawn Farm Foods Ltd. Lodge Way, Lodge Farm Industrial Estate, Northampton NN5 7US Contact: Ian Ritchie Tel: 01604 583421 Fax: 01604 587392 iritchie@dawnfarmfoods.co.uk www.dawnfarms.ie

Eurilait Ltd Leighton Lane Industrial Estate, Leighton Lane, Evercreech BA4 6LQ Contact: Paul Bates Tel: 01749 838100 Fax: 01749 831247 paulbates@eurilait co.uk www.eurilait.co.uk Freiberger UK Ltd Broadgate House, Westlode Street, Spalding, Lincolnshire PE11 2AF Contact: Richard Harrow Tel: 01775 767655 01775 767656 richard.harrow@freibergerukltd.co.uk General Mills UK Ltd. Harman House, 1 George Street, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 1QQ Tel: 01895 201246 Fax: 01895 201101 www.generalmills.co.uk Glanbia Cheese Ltd 4 Royal Mews, Gadbrook Park, Rudheath, Northwich, Cheshire CW9 7UD Contact: John O’Brien Tel: 01606 810900 Fax: 01606 48680 johnobrien@glanbiacheese.co.uk

Granarolo UK Ltd. 23 Church Street, Rushden, Northamptonshire NN10 9YU Contact: Anthony Bosco Tel: 0843 1781450 anthony.bosco@granarolo.co.uk www.granarolo.co.uk Greencore Grocery Barlby Road, Selby, North Yorkshire YO8 5BJ Contact: Jennie Stone Tel: 01757 269000 Fax: 01757 701916 jennie.stone@greencore.com www.greencore.com ICB Group c/o Isleworth Office, 650 London Road, Isleworth, London TW7 4ES Contact: Craig Kitchen Tel: 0208 326 1046 Fax: 0208 560 7044 craig.kitchen@icbgroupuk.com www.icbgroupuk.com

BY APPOINTMENT TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN FINE FOOD INGREDIENT IMPORTERS AND DISTRIBUTORS DONATANTONIO LIMITED BOREHAMWOOD

Donatantonio Ltd. Lupa House, York Way, Borehamwood, Herts WD6 1PX Contact: Simon Bell Tel: 0208 2362222 Fax: 0208 2362288 www.donatantonio.com sbell@donatantonio.com

Integer 167 Heywood Road, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 1LB Contact: Geoff Whittle Tel: 0161 7987307 Fax: 0161 7733151 geoff@integeruk.com www.integeruk.com

JDM Food Group Ltd. Monument Road, Bicker, Boston, Lincolnshire PE20 3DJ Contact: Darren Bevan Tel: 01775 822389 darren.bevan@jdmfoodgroup.co.uk www.jdmfoodgroup.co.uk Jestic Units 3+4, Dana Industrial Estate, Transfesa Road, Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6UU Tel: 0845 5048050 Fax: 0845 5048051 Email: info@jestic.net www.jestic.co.uk Just-Eat.co.uk Ltd. Imperial Place (IP4), Maxwell Road, Borehamwood WD6 1JN Contact: Lucy Milne Tel: 0208 7362001 Email: Lucy.Milne@just-eat.co.uk www.just-eat.co.uk

Kiren Foods Unit 3 Small Bridge Industrial Park Riverside Drive, Rochdale Lancashire OL16 2SH Contact: Mr Nazir Mackmood Tel:01706 526732 Fax: 01706 869749 nazir@kirenfoods.com La Tua Pasta Ltd. 52 Gorst Road, London NW10 6LD Contact: Francesco Boggian Tel: 0208 961 8022 Fax: 0208 965 6006 info@latuapasta.com www.latuapasta.com Lands’ End Corporate & Teamwear Lands’ End Way, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6US Contact: Neel Raura Tel: 01572 758062 neel.raura@landsend.co.uk www.landsend-teamwear.co.uk Leathams PLC 227-255, Ilderton Road, London, SE15 1NS Contact: Mr James Faulkner Tel 0207 6354026 / Fax 0207 6354017 ingredients.sales@leathams.co.uk www.leathams.com Maranaforni Di Marana F. Via Turbina 98, Verona, 37139 Italy Contact: Eleni Olivieri Tel: 0039 0456704503 Fax: 0039 0457156118 elena.commerciale@maranaforni.it

Martin Mathew & Co 50 St Andrew Street, Hertford, Hertfordshire SG14 1JA Contact: Mr M.J. Donnelly Tel: 01992 641641 Fax: 01992 641333 matthewdonnelly@martinmathew.co.uk www.martinmathew.co.uk

Meadow Cheese Co. Limited Hazel Park, Dymock Road, Ledbury, Herefordshire HR8 2JQ Contact: Robert Kennedy Tel: 01531 631300 / Fax: 01531 631300 robert.kennedy@meadowcheese.co.uk www.meadowcheese.co.uk

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index registered suppliers Med Food Wholesale Ltd. 9 Bethune Road, Park Royal, London NW10 6NJ Contact: Jean Marc Nehme Tel: 0208 965 6528 / Fax: 0208 961 1359 j-marc@medfoodwholesale.com www.medfoodwholesale.com Minster Fine Foods Ltd. Park View House, 16 South Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9LT Contact: Ellyot Doyle Tel: 01778 394333 / Fax: 01778 394111 ellyot@minsterfinefoods.co.uk www.minsterfinefoods.co.uk Montana Bakery Limited Blackthorne Road, Poyle Industrial Estate, Colnbrook, Berkshire SL3 0AP Contact: Jonathan Mellows Tel: 01753 760 800 / Fax: 01753 760 801 jonathan@montana.bakeries.co.uk Pasta King (UK) Ltd Plantation House, Milber Trading Estate, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 4SG Contact: Lesley Treeby Tel: 0800 458 7898 / Fax: 01626 334481 www.pastaking.co.uk lt@pastaking.co.uk Pathos Continental Foods Ltd. Connect House, 21A Willow Lane, Mitcham, Surrey CR4 4NA Contact: Kiriakos Miniotis Tel: 0208 274 3369 enquiries@pathosolives.co.uk www.pathosolives.co.uk

Pizza Plus Foodservice Light Industrial Estate, Liverpool Road, Walmer Bridge, Preston PR4 5HY Tel: 01772 610415 Fax: 01772 617610 Contact: Chris Smith chris@pizzaplusfs.co.uk Portal Foods Ltd. Unit 14 Somerville Court, Banbury Business Park, Adderbury, Banbury, Oxfordshire OX17 3SN Contact: John Mullen Tel: 0844 9674797 jmullen@portalfoods.co.uk

Stateside Foods Ltd 31 – 34 Great Bank Road, Wingate Industrial Park, Westhoughton, Bolton BL5 3XU Contact: Ian Kent Tel: 01942 841200 / Fax: 01942 841201 sales@stateside-foods.co.uk www.stateside-foods.co.uk

Sorrento Express Ltd. Unit 10 Southall Business Park, 142 Johnson Street, Southall, Middlesex UB2 5FD Contact: Alfonso Amitrano Tel: 0208 843 4990 sales@sorrentoexpress.com www.sorrentoexpress.com

Taste of Sicily Ltd. Unit 2 Lismirrane Industrial Estate, Elstree Road, Elstree, Hertfordshire WD6 3EE Contact: Carlo Diforti Tel: 0208 953 5453 Fax: 0208 953 1453 info@tasteofsicily.co.uk www.tasteofsicily.co.uk

Southern Salads Limited Units 1 & 2 Cannon Bridge, Cannon Lane Tonbridge, Kent TN1 9RP Contact: Mr Ray Boakes Tel: 01732 362444 Fax: 01732 361919 ray@southernsalads.co.uk www.southernsalads.com

Technomic Inc Knowledge Center, 300 S Riverside Plaza Suite 1200, Chicago, Illinois, IL60606 USA Contact: Patrick Noone pnoone@technomic.com Tel: (01) 205 991 1234 Fax: (01) 205 980 3770 www.technomic.com The Cardinal Group The Station, Great Chesterford, Saffron Walden, Essex CB10 1NY Contact: Kerinda Ibbotson Tel: 0845 680 1796 group.sales@thecardinalgroup.co.uk www.thecardinalgroup.co.uk

The Cheese Warehouse Ltd. Waymills Industrial Estate, Whitchurch, Shropshire SY13 1TT Contact: Richard Thorpe Tel: 01948 666060 richard@thecheesewarehouse.co.uk www.thecheesewarehouse.co.uk The Fresh Olive Company 74 Long Drive, Greenford, Middlesex UB6 8LZ Contact: Ali Kirk Tel: 0208 838 9629 / Fax: 0208 813 2986 ali@fresholive.com www.fresholive.com TICCO Foods Ltd. Unit B2Y, Skyway 14, Calder Way, Colnbrook, Slough SL3 0BQ Contact: Emma Hallam Tel: 07779 167474 Fax: 01753 689813 emmahallam@ticco.co.uk

Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Limited Cottingham Way, Thrapston, Kettering, Northamptonshire NN14 3EP Contact: Sophie Whitaker Tel: 01832 737210 / Fax: 01832 734433 sales@whitcoltd.com Whitworth Bros Limited Victoria Mills, Wellingborough Northants NN8 2DT Contact: Alan Ribakovs Tel: 01933 441000 Fax: 01933 222523 enquiries@whitworthbros.ltd.uk

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index of products BEVERAGES Beer Carnevale Ltd. Coffee Carnevale Ltd. Mineral Water Carnevale Ltd. Soft Drinks Carnevale Ltd. Wine, Spirits & Liqueurs Carnevale Ltd. Sorrento Express Ltd.

BREAD, CAKES & DESSERTS Bread Rolls & Wraps TICCO Foods Ltd. Cakes & Confectionery TICCO Foods Ltd. Desserts TICCO Foods Ltd. Ice Cream General Mills UK Ltd.

CHEESE, DAIRY & EGGS Cheese 999 Pizza Toppings (UK) Ltd. Bel UK Ltd. Carnevale Ltd. Donatantonio Ltd. Eurilait Ltd. Glanbia Cheese Ltd. Granarolo UK Ltd. Leathams PLC Meadow Cheese Co. Ltd. Sorrento Express Ltd. Stateside Foods Ltd. The Cheese Warehouse Eggs Leathams PLC Mozzarella Carnevale Ltd. Eurilait Ltd. Glanbia Cheese Ltd. Granarolo UK Ltd. Pathos Continental Foods Ltd. The Cheese Warehouse Parmesan Eurilait Ltd. Granarolo UK Ltd. Pathos Continental Foods Ltd.

DELIVERY & PACKAGING

Italian Fruit & Vegetables (in cans) Pathos Continental Foods Ltd.

Minster Fine Foods Ltd. Pathos Continental Foods Ltd. TICCO Foods Ltd. Pancetta Carnevale Ltd. Minster Fine Foods Ltd.

Dough Preparation Equipment Cater-Bake (UK)

Olives Donatantonio Ltd. Leathams PLC Med Food Wholesale Ltd. Pathos Continental Foods Ltd. Taste of Sicily Ltd. The Fresh Olive Company

Pizza Accessories Pizza Plus Foodservice

Salad Southern Salads

Salami Carnevale Ltd. Minster Fine Foods Ltd.

Pizza Making Systems & Equipment Benier (UK) Ltd. Cater-Bake (UK) Chefsrange Cooktek (MCS Technical Products) Jestic Maranaforni Di Marana F. Pizza Direct UK

INSURANCE

OILS & VINEGARS

ICB Group

Balsamic Vinegar Pathos Continental Foods Ltd.

Heated Pizza Delivery Bag Systems Cooktek (MCS Technical Products)

DOUGH & PIZZA EQUIPMENT

Pizza Ovens Benier (UK) Ltd. Cater-Bake (UK) Chefsrange Jestic Maranaforni Di Marana F. PD Catering Internatonal Pizza Plus Foodservice

FISH & SEAFOOD Other Fish & Seafood Leathams PLC

FLOUR & BAKERY Concentrates Allied Mills Durum Semolina Allied Mills Carnevale Ltd. Flour Allied Mills Carnevale Ltd. Sorrento Express Ltd. Whitworth Bros. Limited Icings Allied Mills Improvers Allied Mills Premixes (Bread & Cakes)| Allied Mills

CLOTHING AND WORKWEAR

FOOD WHOLESALERS

Lands’ End Corporate & Teamwear

Continental Quattro Stagioni Ltd. Leathams PLC Stateside Foods Ltd. TICCO Foods Ltd.

COMPUTING SOLUTIONS Computer Delivery Management Systems Integer Computers Computers/Software Integer Computers Online Ordering Solutions Integer Computers Just-Eat.co.uk Ltd.

FRUIT & VEGETABLES Chargrilled Vegetables Carnevale Ltd. Martin Mathew & Co. Ltd. Pathos Continental Foods Ltd. Taste of Sicily Ltd. The Fresh Olive Company

KITCHEN & SERVING EQUIPMENT Bakery Ovens Cater-Bake (UK) Chefsrange Drinks Systems Carnevale Ltd. Chargrills Chefsrange Displays Chefsrange Food Safety & Hygiene Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd Fryers Chefsrange Jestic Griddles Chefsrange Jestic Holding Ovens Jestic Preparation Counters Chefsrange Refrigeration Chefsrange General Mills UK Ltd. Servicing & Spares Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd. Serving Pasta King (UK) Ltd.

Pepperoni Carnevale Ltd. Dawn Farm Foods Minster Fine Foods Ltd.

Olive Oil Donatantonio Ltd. Leathams PLC Martin Mathew & Co. Ltd. Med Food Wholesale Ltd. Pathos Continental Foods Ltd.

PASTA, POLENTA, GNOCCHI & RICE Gnocchi La Tua Pasta Ltd. Pasta (Dry) Carnevale Ltd. Donatantonio Ltd. Leathams PLC La Tua Pasta Ltd. Minster Fine Foods Ltd. Pasta (Fresh) La Tua Pasta Ltd. Med Food Wholesale Ltd. Pathos Continental Foods Ltd. Ticco Foods Ltd. Rice Pathos Continental Foods Ltd.

PIZZA DOUGH, BASES & CRUSTS Dough Balls Kiren Foods Montana Bakery Pizza Plus Foodservice

Pizza Bases & Crusts Kiren Foods Montana Bakery Pizza Plus Foodservice Stateside Foods Ltd.

PIZZA TOPPINGS Fish Carnevale Ltd. Martin Mathew & Co. Ltd. Fruit & Vegetables Carnevale Ltd. JDM Food Group Ltd. Meat 999 Pizza Toppings (UK) Ltd. Carnevale Ltd. Dawn Farm Foods Minster Fine Foods Ltd. Pizza Plus Foodservice Stateside Foods Ltd. Pizza Sauces Donatantonio Ltd. Pizza Plus Foodservice Portal Foods Ltd. Stateside Foods Ltd.

READY PREPARED Prepared Pasta Meals Bakkavor Pizza Freiberger UK Ltd. Pasta King (UK) Ltd.

Pasta Sauces Greencore Grocery Leathams PLC Martin Mathew & Co. Ltd. Pasta King (UK) Ltd. The Fresh Pasta Company Ltd Pesto Greencore Grocery Taste of Sicily Ltd. Pizza Sauces Greencore Grocery Leathams PLC Portal Foods Ltd. Stocks Greencore Grocery

SPECIALIST FOOD CONSULTANCY & MARKET RESEARCH Retail The Cardinal Group Specialist Food Consultancy Technomic Inc Market Reasearch Technomic Inc Training Publications The Cardinal Group

TOMATOES

Prepared Pizza (Chilled) Bakkavor Pizza Stateside Foods Ltd.

Canned Tomatoes Donatantonio Ltd. Martin Mathew & Co. Ltd.

Prepared Pizza (Frozen) Freiberger UK Ltd. Pizza Plus Foodservice Stateside Foods Ltd. TICCO Foods Ltd.

Fresh Tomatoes Southern Salads Passata Donatantonio Ltd. Martin Mathew & Co. Ltd.

SOUPS, SAUCES, STOCKS & DRESSINGS

SunBlush© Tomatoes Leathams PLC

Chutneys, Relishes & Sauces Greencore Grocery JDM Food Group Ltd. Garlic Spreads & Mixes Stateside Foods Ltd.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes Carnevale Ltd. Donatantonio Ltd. Leathams PLC Martin Mathew & Co. Ltd. Taste of Sicily Ltd.

Mayonnaise & Other Dressings Greencore Grocery

Tomato Products Pathos Continental Foods Ltd.

MEAT Bacon Dawn Farm Foods Leathams PLC Minster Fine Foods Ltd.

The Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Association is the trade body representing the UK pizza, pasta and Italian Food Association. The Association is given direction by a Management Committee comprising:

Beef Leathams PLC Chicken & Other Poultry Leathams PLC Ham Carnevale Ltd. Dawn Farm Foods Leathams PLC Minster Fine Foods Ltd. Stateside Foods Ltd. TICCO Foods Ltd. Italian Meat & Sausages Dawn Farm Foods Donatantonio Ltd.

Ian Kent, Stateside

Richard Harrow , Freiberger

Alan Ribakovs, Whitworths

Cedric Blanpied, Bel UK

Geoff Parsons, Basilico

Ian Ritchie, Dawn Farm Foods

Richard Burgham, Pizza Hut

Maurice Abboudi, Consultant

Andrew Gallagher, Papa John

Matt Simpkin, Just Eat

John O’Brien, Glanbia Cheese

(* Primary members of the committee – others generally attend as substitutes when primary members are unable to attend meetings)

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