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Quality Food Awards Booker own
BOOKER PRODUCTS SHINE AT QUALITY FOOD AWARDS
The outstanding quality of Booker’s own brand products has been recognised at this year’s Quality Food Awards.
The quality of Booker’s range of own brand products has been recognised once again at this year’s prestigious Quality Food Awards which recognise and reward the fi nest food and drink products on sale in the UK.
The Quality Food Awards are renowned in the industry for their rigorous and stringent judging process. The awards are judged by a variety of food experts who bring their knowledge to the process, making winning an award a great achievement.
Booker products collected fi ve winners awards as well as two highly commended awards, while the Chef’s Larder Belgian Style Waffl es won the Cakes & Desserts category and was shortlisted for the ultimate Foodservice Product of the Year Award.
Also among the winners was Crunch Extra Mature Cheddar which came out top in the Dairy / Non-Dairy category for the second consecutive year while Blackgate Signature Pork & Three Chilli Sausages claimed the hotly contested and highly coveted Meat category award.
Chef’s Larder Premium Super Skinny Gourmet Julienne Fries won the Meal Accompaniments award and Chef’s Larder Premium Sourdough Pizza Pucks emerged victorious in the Savoury - Pizza, Pies & Pasty category. Booker Catering Sales Director Simon King said: “The Quality Food Awards are highly respected thanks to their very rigorous judging process so to win fi ve awards and a highly commended is a powerful endorsement of our fantastic own brand products.”
as well as two highly commended awards, while the Chef’s Larder Belgian Style Waffl es won the for the ultimate Foodservice Product of the Year
WINNERS:
l Chef’s Larder Belgian Style Waffl es (Cakes & Chef’s Larder Belgian Style Waffl es (Cakes &
Desserts) l Crunch Extra Mature Cheddar (Dairy / Non-Dairy) l Chef’s Larder Premium Super Skinny Gourmet
Julienne Fries (Meal Accompaniments) l Blackgate Signature Pork & Three Chilli Sausages (Meat) l Chef’s Larder Premium Sourdough Pizza Pucks (Savoury - Pizza, Pies & Pasty)
COMMENDED:
l Chef’s Larder Ready To Serve Devon Custard (Dairy / Non-Dairy)
INBRIEF
ALLERGY LABELLING CONSULTATION
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has launched a consultation to gather views from businesses and consumers on precautionary allergen labelling (PAL) and information.
The online survey will cover topics including: the provision of precautionary allergen information to consumers; improving guidance and advice for businesses on how and when to use the labelling; ensuring compliance with regulations; and standardising risk-analysis for allergen crosscontamination.
The responses will help inform the FSA’s next steps in making a workable system for businesses to put into practice that consumers understand and trust.
The FSA said: “We know that precautionary allergen labels such as ‘may contain’ can be problematic and in order to understand how we can improve the use of PAL, we need to hear from you.” The consultation will be open until 14 March 2022.
a workable system for
The FSA said: “We
UNIQUELY WELSH. IT’S IN THE TASTE.
There is lamb and then there is Welsh Lamb. Natural, versatile and packed with outstanding flavour gained from centuries of traditional farming practices. Tasty, sweet and delicious; this is lamb as it should be.
Our farmers tend and care for the land using traditional practices that have been passed down the generations which is why the ingredients of Welsh Lamb are: grass, rainwater and a whole lot of pride. The wild weather and rugged terrain don’t lend hemselves to producing many types of food, but Wales’ green hills and abundant rainfall create the perfect environment for producing delicious and natural Welsh Lamb.
Choose quality. Choose Welsh Lamb.
Scan here for recipe:
Herb crusted pulled Welsh Lamb shoulder hcctrade.com
INDUSTRYNEWS
NEWS, ACHIEVEMENTS AND OPINIONS FROM ACROSS THE INDUSTRY
CUSTOMERS ‘TURNING TO WINE AND SPIRITS’
A new report says British on-trade customers bought more wine and spirits during lockdown, but less beer, a trend that has continued after the re-opening of hospitality.
Sales of wines and spirits grew signifi cantly in 2020 due to lockdowns, a trend that has been refl ected in the on-trade in 2021 after the reopening of hospitality. categories accounting for 33% of total alcohol sales.
Over the same period, spirits’ share of the market grew by 2% to 26%.
That’s one of the major fi ndings of the new British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) 2021 Statistical Handbook.
During the lockdowns of 2020, wine’s share of the total alcoholic drinks market grew by 2%.
What that means is that British consumers bought as much wine as beer with both The shift in drinking habits, says the BBPA, was the enforced closure of pubs, but these newly learned shopper habits are having an impact through 2021 and represent an important opportunity for caterers to respond to the growing demands for wines and spirits.
‘ONE IN THREE’ CHOOSING LOW OR NO ALCOHOL
UK drinkers are increasingly choosing low and no alcohol products all year round and not just for Dry January, according to the fourth annual online study by drinks watchdog The Portman Group, carried out in December.
Carried out by YouGov, the report found that almost one in three (32%) UK drinkers now ‘semiregularly’ consume low and no alcohol products compared to one in four (25%) in 2020. A fi fth (20%) of those who have tried low and no alcohol say they are more likely to drink these products now compared to a year ago, almost double the number saying this in last year’s survey (11%).
The most popular reason given is ‘being able to drive home from social events’ (33% of respondents) while healthier consumption concerns were cited by 22% of consumers. Some 12% said they alternate between low/no products and regular strength alcohol to moderate their overall consumption.
INBRIEF
RATES RELIEF IN WALES
Welsh Finance Minister Rebecca Evans has announced that Welsh hospitality business are eligible for 50% business rates relief for 2022-23.
The news was announced alongside the Welsh government’s three-year Budget and is funded by a £116m package which it is hoped will support more than 85,000 properties in total.
Another £35m has been allocated to allow for the freezing of the nondomestic rates multiplier for 2022-23, which means that there will be no increase in the amount of rates businesses are paying during the period.
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