Scottish Bakers Newsletter April 2021

THE SCOTTISH BAKER April 2021

Special Year Book edition featuring a look back at 2020 – a year like no other!

THE SCOTTISH BAKER

WELCOME

LINDA HILL

President

Welcome to this edition of the Scottish Baker coming to you as we enter our 130th year serving the Scottish Bakery Trade.

As we begin our transition from winter to spring we are also beginning our transition out of the severe restrictions that have been in place for us all since the turn of the new year.

It was the 13 March last year when our first COVID-related e-update was sent to members, advising of the cancellation of our 2020 Annual Conference and Scottish Baker of the Year Awards. Three days later we issued the first of our updates on emerging advice, guidance and restrictions which continued daily until the early summer when we were able to settle into a weekly cycle that continues today.

Throughout this last year, our members have shown the most incredible resilience, determination and innovation to keep producing the freshly baked bread, savouries and sweet delicacies our customers all love so much.

And I am also impressed with how hard businesses have worked to preserve the jobs and livelihoods of those who work with us every day. When restrictions finally ease, we will depend on our workforce more than ever to recover from these dark days.

Finally, it falls on me to advise that for the first time in our 130 year history we will not be publishing a yearbook – we’ve simply not had the wonderful occasions to come together to celebrate as we normally would that would fill the pages. Instead, we will use the pages that follow to reflect on our year of challenges and successes, despite the odds.

As always, my thanks go out to the Bakers House team who continue to support members and deliver valuable apprenticeship training under challenging conditions.

I am keeping everything crossed that we will be able to host our conference in September of this year and so we will be keeping a close eye on emerging advice regarding large gatherings: it would be so good to see everyone in person again!

Best wishes, until we can meet again!

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ALASDAIR SMITH CEO

It is my pleasure to introduce this first edition of the Scottish Baker of 2021 – a year during which we must all have high hopes for a dramatic improvement in our personal and professional lives.

CONTENTS

As I write this, the COVID vaccination programme is running well, with all over 50s scheduled to have been vaccinated by mid-April. Health data also appears to show the vaccine is perfectly safe as well as effective in preventing illness and reducing the severity of symptoms. We must all hope that this means the darkest of days of this dreadful pandemic are behind us.

We will continue to speak on behalf of members to all stakeholders, including the Scottish Government, as we have done throughout the last year. Our voice has informed and influenced policy decisions, and the advice and guidance that has emerged over the months.

Your continued membership of Scottish Bakers gives us credibility and gravitas at the highest possible level and my thanks go to you all for your commitment and support.

The biggest impact on the association continues to be on our training team. In early 2020 we were looking forward to our best year for apprentice registrations. It is to the enormous credit of the training team that, despite the harsh conditions, we have continued to support businesses and apprentices wherever circumstances allow.

We are optimistic about the coming year and again I would ask all members to look carefully at whether there is scope to support apprenticeships in your business over the coming months. Please do contact us for more details about what we can support and the financial assistance available.

Finally, my thanks go out to the entire team at Scottish Bakers and our President and Board who have supported me so well over these difficult months.

I know we will all be happy to see the end of these terrible restrictions and to a time – hopefully later this year – when our great Scottish Bakers Family can once more come together to celebrate.

Industry News

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Scotland Food & Drink Academy

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In Memoriam

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A Look Back at 2020

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Scotch Pies Most searched for pie in UK 12 Member News

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Training News

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THE SCOTTISH BAKER

INDUSTRY NEWS

DEPOSIT RETURN SCHEME Launch date to be reviewed

In early February new information was made available on the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) which was due to launch in Scotland in July 2022. On 8 March the minister for rural affairs and the natural environment, Ben Macpherson, stated to the Scottish parliament that this date will now be reviewed.

The information made available in February pertained to the process for retailers who wish to be exempt from collecting empty single-use drinks containers when the scheme eventually launches. Any delay to the scheme could bring it in line with the implementation in the rest of the UK in 2023.

In the meantime, we continue to work with stakeholders in the Scottish Government and Zero Waste Scotland to seek more detailed guidance which we will bring to members as soon as this is available.

Exemptions information issued in February - Proximity to an ‘alternative return point’ where another retail premises agrees to take back your containers. We will continue to work with key stakeholders to develop a process for retailers to connect with and get agreement on container take-back from alternative return points.

- Food safety/hygiene, where taking back containers means that you would be unable to meet food safety/hygiene standards. We were successful in our lobbying to ensure this route to exemption was included.

WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH STAKEHOLDERS IN THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT AND ZERO WASTE SCOTLAND TO SEEK MORE DETAILED GUIDANCE...”

‘GREENING YOUR BUSINESS’ Scotland Food & Drink has launched ‘Greening Your Business’, a practical toolkit for Scottish food and drink businesses to reduce their carbon footprint while still improving their bottom line.

Within the toolkit, businesses can find small changes to get started, long term ideas for making processes more efficient, sign posting for funding and one-to-one advice, and guidance on new legislation.

ss By wasting le te food, you was less money in throw n away an d drink is in g to ount of food year, a ccord A huge am n tonn es a rom alm ost 1 millio this cam e f Scotl an d – on e - third of fa c turer s s. Well over recen t f igure ide, food manu ever y year.

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MORE INFORMATION

Cutting food waste: five easy pieces

U s e you r in f lu e n ce A n o t h e r way to re d u ce fo o d wa s te i n S co t l a n d i s to u s e yo u r b u y i n g p owe r a n d g e t t h e m e s s a g e o u t t h e re – b o th u p s t rea m a n d d ow n s t rea m : > As k s u p p l i e rs a b o u t t h e i r fo o d wa s te re d u c t i o n p l a n s a n d co l l a b o ra te o n i m p rove m e n t s .

D e p e n d i n g o n t h e s i ze o f yo u r b u s i n e s s a n d w h a t yo u d o, a ny o r a l l o f t h e s e p o i n t s co u l d h ave a p l a ce i n yo u r ow n b u s i n e s s :

> S p rea d t h e wo rd a c ro s s yo u r n e two rks . > M ea s u re a n d m o n i to r yo u r p e r fo rm a n ce o n re d u c i n g fo o d wa s te a n d u s e f i g u re s a n d exa m p l e s i n yo u r co m m u n i c a t i o n s .

1 . Co l l e c t d a t a o n yo u r wa s te . Fi n d ways to m ea s u re o r we i g h h ow m u ch fo o d i s b e i n g wa s te d o r l o s t – i t co u l d b e a s s i m p l e a s a b u cke t a n d s c a l e s , o r yo u m ay wa n t to u s e m o re s o p h i s t i c a te d a u to m a te d m e t h o d s .

> Ed u c a te yo u r c u s to m e rs .

T h e re’s m u ch m o re a b o u t i n f l u e n c i n g i n o u r s e c t i o n o n ‘ Te l l yo u r e nv i ro n m e n t a l s to r y ’

2 . As k h ow t h i n g s co u l d b e d o n e d i f fe re n t l y. Fo r exa m p l e , co u l d b u y i n g p re -p re pa re d i n g re d i e n t s ( l i ke ve g e t a b l e s ) re d u ce wa s te a n d /o r a d d re s s q u a l i ty co n t ro l i s s u e s i n l a te r p ro ce s s e s? Wo u l d m a ki n g s q u a re b i s c u i t s i n s tea d o f c i rcl e s s ave o n d o u g h?

3 . Tra i n yo u r s t a f f. T h ey m ay n o t b e o p e ra t i n g m a ch i n e r y o p t i m a l l y o r u s i n g i t to i t s f u l l p o te n t i a l .

4 . Lo o k fo r va l u e i n l e f tove rs . S o m e t i m e s wa s te i s u n avo i d a b l e b u t yo u m ay b e a b l e to re -u s e i t . B ro ke n b i s c u i t s c a n b e a d d e d to t h e i n g re d i e n t s fo r o t h e r ba tch e s , exce s s co o ki n g fa t s o r s to cks c a n a d d f l avo u r to o t h e r re c i p e s , a n d s o o n .

5 . R e m e m b e r t h e p owe r o f g e tt i n g p e o p l e i n a ro o m . T h e b e s t i d ea s o n re d u c i n g o r re -u s i n g fo o d wa s te m ay co m e f ro m co nve rs a t i o n s w i t h s t a f f, s u p p l i e rs o r re s ea rch e rs , o r n e two rki n g w i t h o t h e r b u s i n e s s e s . Yo u c a n i n f l u e n ce t h e s e b u s i n e s s e s a s we l l a s l ea rn f ro m t h e m .

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To find out how ‘Greening Your Business’ could help your business go to https://foodanddrink.scot/resources/ toolkits/greening-your-business/ Greening Your Busines

A practical guide for food

and drink SMEs

s

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Maximise the softness and freshness of your bread and rolls

New from Fleming Howden – the latest in Bakery Ingredient Technology brought to you in easy to use formats. Everyone wants their breads and rolls to keep soft and fresh for as long as possible. In an ideal world consumers would buy these products fresh every day, but the reality is that the modern customer may only shop once a week and has the expectation that their breads and rolls will remain soft, fresh and mould free for that length of time.

We present to you three solutions to help you guarantee that softness and freshness

Extra Fresh FE This is an enzyme based softening system for ferments.

Enzymes are found everywhere in nature and we have created a blend which slow down the effects of staling in fermented products to the extent that after 7 days your products can still taste and feel like freshly baked.

The addition of Extra Fresh FE does not even have to be declared on a product label. Extrafresh FE is used at between 1 and 2% flour weight.

DS Stafresh This is a distilled hydrated Monoglyceride softener declared on a label as E471. It comes in a paste format and is the most effective short term crumb softener available. The DS stands for Double Strength so the addition of just 1% on flour weight will give excellent results.

Vita Diem This is a Fermented Wheat Flour which when added to yeast raised doughs extends the mould free shelf life of the baked products. Declared on a label as Fermented Wheat Flour this product is a natural alternative to Calcium Propionate the most commonly used antimould agent which although effective gives a smell and taste to breads and requires a label declaration of E282. Vita Diem is added at between 0.5 and 1% of flour weight.

All of the above products can be combined to suit the needs of your products and customer base. Fleming Howden can give free expert advice and assist with sampling and trialling of recipes to get the results that you need. Call or email now for free product samples and advice from the experts in this field.

Call: 0131 333 6666 fleminghowden.co.uk

Wholesale • BI Technology • Manufacturing • Logistics

THE SCOTTISH BAKER

INDUSTRY NEWS

SCOTLAND FOOD & DRINK PARTNERSHIP LAUNCHES THE ACADEMY TO DRIVE SECTOR GROWTH January saw the launch of a new and unique training initiative to help businesses targeting growth, after the industry was one of the hardest hit by COVID-19 and Brexit. The initiative was launched by the The Scotland Food & Drink Partnership, in which Scottish Bakers is an active member.

It is the first major investment from Scotland Food & Drink Partnership’s £5m Recovery Plan and is supported by The Scottish Government, and will run for two and a half years, aiming to support over 200 Scottish businesses. The creation of a unique supplier development programme has been high on the agenda for the Partnership since launching its Home Advantage strategy in 2018 and is also integral to its Ambition 2030 plan.

Open to food and drink businesses of all sizes and disciplines, The Academy is a series of three programmes being rolled out to support businesses sell themselves, build their brands, thrive, and compete. It is being delivered by the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership and food and drink consultants and training experts Levercliff Associates.

The training programmes include Seeding Growth, Accelerating Growth and Commercial Excellence and each have been designed to support companies at various stages of their growth ambitions. Seeding Growth, which starts in May 2021, is aimed at companies whose primary focus is on maximising their local markets and beginning to move to broader Scottish and UK markets.

Accelerating Growth is aimed at established businesses targeting advancement in the UK market and will start in the summer. The final course, Commercial Excellence, is an

SCOTLAND BRINGS SO MUCH TO THE TABLE

advanced programme in building excellence in sales and negotiation for established highly ambitious businesses and sales leaders.

Applications for the Seeding Growth programme closed on 7 March, however Accelerating Growth is open until the 4 April and the Commercial Excellence programme closes for applications of the 2 May. Lucy Husband, Market Development and Business Engagement Director at Scotland Food & Drink, said: “Food and Drink businesses in Scotland have faced an extraordinarily difficult year and many have had to put their growth ambitions on hold to deal with the everyday challenges to continue trading.

“But while we don’t know how long we’ll be facing the existing challenges of Covid-19 restrictions and Brexit, food and drink businesses need to focus on growth if the sector is going to successfully recover.

“The significant investment into The Academy means that we will be able to support over 200 businesses over the next two and half years, providing them with the practical tools for growth and success. It also aims to bring a renewed sense of positivity for businesses when it comes to growing their brand and will deliver real change that’s rooted in the here and now.”

Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism, added: “The Academy is one of the most significant pieces of work to come out of the Food & Drink Recovery Plan launched late last year. It will help to build a sustainable and resilient supply chain ready to trade in UK and International

February saw the launch of a new campaign by the Scottish Government and Scotland Food & Drink Partnership. It was launched by none other than Great British Bake Off winner, Peter Sawkins.

The Scottish food and drink sector has, however, confronted change and uncertainty in recent months, and all parts of the supply chain have been affected. That’s why the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership has created the On The Table campaign; to get the Scottish food and drink industry back on the front foot and encourage more Scottish produce back on our tables.

Scotland is blessed with a diverse and extensive larder. We’re proud of the fact that we produce some of the highest quality food and drink anywhere in the world. Our produce is celebrated and enjoyed right across the globe, and it’s grown right here, on our doorstep.

We’re delighted to support this campaign as a member of the partnership by highlighting and sharing the incredible range of produce.

This will not only have a positive effect on livelihoods and local communities but, most importantly, it will help Scotland’s food and drink industry thrive.

markets. Scotland is home to much of the world’s greatest produce and we must do all we can to protect and promote it.

“I know that the last year has been particularly difficult with Brexit and COVID each taking their toll on many businesses.

It might feel difficult to invest time and resource right now but the Academy will provide the tools to future fit their businesses and tackle the challenges that lie ahead.

I would encourage businesses to get in touch with Scotland Food & Drink and get involved in the Academy and continue to make the industry one of the true success stories of Scotland’s economy.”

The Academy is open to all food and drink businesses in Scotland, members of Scotland Food & Drink as well as members of Scotland Food & Drink Partnership will receive a special discount.

MORE INFORMATION To find out more about The Academy and how to apply for any of the programmes, please visit: www.foodanddrink.scot/the-academy/

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THE SCOTTISH BAKER

IN MEMORIAM

MURDOCH MCQUEEN ALLAN & KENNETH GAVIN MCGHEE MURDOCH MCQUEEN ALLAN Sadly, in early January we were informed of the death of our member Murdoch McQueen Allan of Murdoch Allan Bakers.

Murdoch was born in Aberdeen to James and Janet Allan on the 25th April 1951. Murdoch’s father Jimmy Allan worked as a baker for Forbes Simmers Bakery in Hatton for 45 years, Murdoch was to follow in his father’s footsteps. He started his apprenticeship at 15, learning all aspects on how to be a good baker. Murdoch made great friendships at the bakery and was a very well liked young man.

After serving his time as a baker he decided to continue his career as a baker but in the Merchant Navy. He spent most of his time on the Union Castle, travelling the world.

Murdoch then came back to Scotland, working for many bakeries but mainly for Millers of New Deer. Whilst working in the bakeries around the Northeast Murdoch made many friends and was an extremely well respected baker.

In 1991 he opened his own bakery alongside his wife Caroline, and sons Paul and Neil, in Cross Street Fraserburgh. Renowned for their late night opening for butteries and pies on a Friday night. Bingo wasn’t the same if you hadn’t been into Murdoch Allans for your butteries on your way home, or a pie after a night out. Murdoch worked at Cross Street nightshift building up the business. A very hardworking man often working more than 12 hour shifts. He was a master at all parts of the bakery. The business grew with the purchase of Robbs Bakery in Strichen and then taking over the Simmers of Hatton site in 2002.

Murdoch was also a devoted father in law to Lorna and Katrina, Granda to Danielle, Philippa, Glenn and Jenny. He will be missed by many.

KENNETH GAVIN MCGHEE It is with great sadness that the Directors of The McGhee Group announce the death of Kenneth Gavin McGhee on 14 February 2021.

Kenneth was the son of Gavin and brother to Stuart, cousin of Gordon and Ian. Kenneth was 58 and had been enjoying his retirement out in Spain for the last two years.

Kenneth started as an apprentice bakery engineer with Melvin and Gillespie and enjoyed four years working with them, working on many varied projects not confined to the bakery world including refurbishing the Glasgow subway and renewing the Weir on the River Clyde.

He then joined the family business after stints at Chalmers and Carricks of Newcastle and progressed through the ranks of the bakery before concentrating on the retail arm of the business as retail director.

Kenneth left McGhees in 1997 to pursue his own path and owned Chardons in Ingram Street and Ken & Co in West George Street, Glasgow.

Kenneth leaves behind his wife Jackie and is survived by his children Barry and Kimberley.

We extend our sincere condolences to the McGhee family.

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THE SCOTTISH BAKER

LOOKING BACK AT 2020

A LOOK BACK AT 2020 – A YEAR LIKE NO OTHER! JANUARY World Championship Scotch Pie Awards In January we kicked off our year in usual style with the 21st World Championship Scotch Pie Awards, which saw butcher James Pirie & Son lift the iconic World Champion trophy for the second time.

In 21 years of the competition, only three other pie makers can lay claim to ‘doing the double.’

We awarded over 100 prizes to award winning pie makers across the country.

New Members We welcomed three new members to the association in the first month of the year – Saltire Coconuts (Calvin’s Free From Foods), Pastel and Brow Packaging.

FEBRUARY Scottish Baker of the Year Launch As we entered February we were getting set for the annual launch of the Scottish Baker of the Year competition. As is tradition we headed north to the previous year’s winner, Harry Gow Bakery in Inverness. We were delighted that Mich Turner MBE joined us and most of our sponsors who, despite the adverse weather conditions, managed to make the trip.

There was much excitement at the bakery, where teams of local school children gathered to take part in a baking challenge.

It was a rather sticky affair but bags of fun!

Glasgow Presidential Dance Who’d have thought the 2020 Glasgow Presidential Dance would be our last social event for a while. Our new compere Edward Reid made sure it was a fun evening full of laughs, singing and dancing!

New Members We were delighted to welcome four new members in February. Gilmartins Bakery, Kenmore Bakery, Verona Eco and American Pan UK, who were also excited to sponsor the Scottish Baker of the Year competition for the first time.

Remembering Those We Lost Unfortunately, there was also sad news in February as we lost two members. Colin Laing of Murrays Bakers and Margaret Kindness of Kindness Bakers.

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MARCH New Members The Newport Bakery joined the association in March, as did associate member AAK. Happy to have them join the Scottish Bakers family.

Coronavirus Starts to Take Hold At the beginning of March more and more details of the coronavirus were starting to emerge.

On the 13 March we cancelled the annual conference and Scottish Baker of the Year Awards.

As we entered the first lockdown on the 24 March, we were determined to be there for our members providing the most up to date guidance and advice. A week prior to the lockdown, we had already begun daily email updates for members on the situation as it progressed. Members were forced to adapt and many began offering collection and delivery services to their local communities.

THE SCOTTISH BAKER

LOOKING BACK AT 2020

APRIL #StillBaking We were so heartened to hear of what our members were doing in their local communities across Scotland that we decided to spotlight these on our social media and to press under our #StillBaking campaign hashtag.

We shared positive news stories from Maclean’s Highland Bakery, JG Ross, Mimi’s Bakehouse, Argo’s Bakery, Fisher & Donaldson, Express Bakery, Gilmartin’s Bakery, The Kandy Bar Bakery and Harry Gow. One particular highlight was the effort the team at Goodfellow and Steven had gone to for a local boy with additional support needs. He was missing his routine of a visit to the bakery for his favourite empire biscuit. The ultimate demonstration of the important role bakers play at the heart of their communities.

MAY Online Ordering Takes Off In May we continued to share the abundance of positive member stories that we were hearing about. A particular highlight was a case study on J B Christie in Airdrie who had set up an online ordering system.

At the end of a full weeks trading, the online shop’s takings almost matched the takings of JB Christie’s two shops pre COVID-19 and takings on one day at least exceeded normal high street shop levels by approximately 20%.

JUNE Operational Guide to Best Practice Published June saw the publication of our Operational Guide to Best Practice for bakeries. This online publication aimed to help bakers “Plan, Prepare and Pilot” their approach to restarting or increasing production and retail operations in a way that ensures they are doing everything possible to limit the spread of Coronavirus, at a time when lockdown restrictions were starting to ease.

The Virtual World As everyone was starting to familiarise themselves with virtual meeting software, we at Bakers House were no different. We took the opportunity to arrange virtual members meetings and the first of these took place in May. We also held our first ever virtual Annual General Meeting presided over by President Ronnie Miles.

At the AGM Ian McGhee of McGhee’s Bakery was elected Vice President Elect.

Remembering Those We Lost In May we heard of the passing of Archie Cameron after a long illness. Archie was Bakery Manager of United Central Bakeries in Aberdeen until 1997 and then The Aberdeen Buttery Company from 1997 until his retirement in 2003.

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THE SCOTTISH BAKER

LOOKING BACK AT 2020

JULY Scottish Baker of the Year Customer Choice Awards Mich Turner joined us online to surprise our winners in the four categories of the Customer Choice Awards. It was fantastic to have some happy news to share with the winners after what had been a challenging time.

AUGUST Scottish Bakers Benevolent Fund With the impact of COVID on people’s livelihoods we took the opportunity to remind people of the Scottish Bakers Benevolent Fund which was established in 1898, to help individuals through challenging circumstances. A comprehensive guide and details of how to apply were added to our website and it was promoted with a press release and on our social media.

New Member A new associate member joined us, Zehnder Clean Air Solutions

Training Takes Off Again After a period of closure as a result of the lockdown, the National Food & Drink Training Team recommenced engagement with employers on the delivery of apprenticeships Reopening of Restaurants and Bars We welcomed the news in July that restaurants and bars would reopen as part of an easing of restrictions in place at that time. It was a much needed boost to bakers who supply the hospitality sector; British Baker The July edition of British Baker magazine included a fantastic feature section on Scottish Bakers, including an interview with CEO Alasdair Smith.

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SEPTEMBER Scotland Food & Drink Fortnight September started with Scotland Food & Drink Fortnight, where the theme was “Local Legends”. We reminded everyone of some of the Local Baking Legends in our Scottish Bakers Family. If you missed it, check out our Instagram and Facebook posts!

Changes to COVID Restrictions Unfortunately September saw a return to more stringent coronavirus restrictions which included a curfew for hospitality businesses.

New Members We were delighted that Genius Foods re-joined the association in September.

Bakers House Team The impact of the pandemic did not escape Scottish Bakers. We found ourselves in the difficult position of having to make changes to the team at Bakers House. Sadly this meant that Emir Blaiej left us in September.

Remembering Those We Lost In August we were hit by the very sad news that father and son Grant & Sandy Milne of Fisher & Donaldson in Cupar, passed away within days of one another. Both were well known in the Scottish bakery industry.

THE SCOTTISH BAKER

LOOKING BACK AT 2020

OCTOBER New President for Scottish Bakers The big news in October was that Linda Hill of Murrays Bakers took over as Scottish Bakers President. Linda was due to have her official inauguration at our annual conference but coronavirus had thrown a spanner in the works. Whilst President Ronnie Miles had stayed on longer, and no end to the Covid restrictions in sight, it was felt the time was right for Linda to take over with the support of newly elected Vice President Ian McGhee.

Scott Anderson Becomes Deacon of Incorporation of Glasgow Bakers As well as Scottish Bakers having a new President, the Incorporation of Glasgow Bakers also had a new Deacon in our very own Training & Quality Manager, Scott Anderson.

NOVEMBER Milly Hay Awarded British Empire Medal for Services to Charity In November we heard that Milly Hay, wife of Past President Ian Hay OBE had been awarded the British Empire Medal in The Queen’s Birthday Honours List, for her many years of charitable work.

‘Whatever the Tier, We’re Still Here’ On the 20th November eleven local authority areas in west and central Scotland moved from Covid alert level 3 to level 4 (the highest level). In support of the bakery trade we issued a press release that emphasised the role of local bakers who, throughout the crisis, have adapted their working practises and business models to continue to support their communities with freshly baked goodies.

Food & Drink Recovery Plan A joint industry and government plan was announced with the aim of aiding recovery from coronavirus and impacts of Brexit.

We called on the Scottish Government to go even further on supporting skills and training in the food sector to allow our sector to deliver sustainable growth long into the future.

DECEMBER Will There be a Scotch Pie World Champion of Champions?

As we approached the end of the year, it was clear that we wouldn’t be able to judge a World Scotch Pie Championship under the Covid restrictions. Instead we launched the idea of a Champion of Champions award.

Unfortunately, we had to pause our plans for a Covid safe judging in January.

Welcomes news of Apprentice Funding There was welcome news as Skills Development Scotland (SDS) confirmed that employers who take on an apprentice could access increased financial support.

Susan Whyte Leaves Scottish Bakers We were sad to say goodbye to another member of staff due to the pandemic.

Susan Whyte who had been with Scottish Bakers for over 20 years, left by mutual agreement in December. Thank you to all members who wrote messages to Susan which were given to her in a professionally bound book. President Linda Hill also presented Susan with flowers and a gift on behalf of the board of directors, thanking her for her loyal service.

New Members In this month we welcomed another new member to the Scottish Bakers Family.

Vegan bakery - Vegan Bay Baker.

#TrainingTuesdays With our National Food & Drink Training getting back up and running we started our #TrainingTuesdays posts across our social media. It’s been a fantastic way to shine a spotlight on all the companies investing in training and modern apprenticeships for the staff, as well as the hard working candidates working to achieve their qualifications whilst working in a pandemic.

We applaud all of their efforts!

New Members In October we welcomed another associate member – MCI Electronics!

Remembering Those We Lost Sadly we were notified of the passing of John B Bell of Bells Food Group and Mary Matheson in December. John Bell died at home on the evening of the 28th December 2020 aged 71.

Mary Matheson, the wife of the late Past President Donald Matheson, passed away on 21 December, aged 97 years.

Donald Matheson became President in 1993, though he sadly passed away before he completed his term in office.

The family business, Matheson’s Bakers, was sold and continues trading today as Cromarty Bakery.

New Members We were delighted to end the year with another new member to the association – Del’s Rolls

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THE SCOTTISH BAKER

SCOTCH PIES MOST SEARCHED FOR PIE IN UK

THE UK’S FAVOURITE PIE REVEALED AND SCOTLAND SHOULD BE PROUD! For the UK’s 2021 National Pie Week (1st-7th March), the team at Eat Great Meat delved into the pies that the UK is most interested in online. They compiled data on people searching for pie types, takeaways and recipes to reveal the most popular pies across the UK over the past year.

And we are delighted to confirm that the iconic Scotch Pie is the most searched for pie in England, Wales and of course Scotland!

The research found that: The Scotch pie is the favourite pie in England, Wales and Scotland for National Pie Week.

Northern Ireland’s favourite is banoffee pie.

Vegan pie takes second spot, followed by vegetarian cottage pie according to the number of Google searches for different pie types, takeaways and recipes.

Mash is the favourite pie-side across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while Bovril is Scotland’s favourite accompaniment.

Vegan/vegetarian pie fillings now account for 35% of all UK pie searches.

Vegan pie is the majority’s choice in London (14.9% of searches), Birmingham (13.2%) and Sheffield (10.5%).

The findings were arrived at following analysis, over a year, of UK searches for different pies in Google Keywords and Trends.

The results determined that Scotch Pies are

the UK’s favourite, followed by vegan pie and vegetarian cottage pie.

The Scotch Pie received 385,497 searches or 16.9% of total searches for pie across the UK over the past 12 months. Originating in Scotland, this pie traditionally contains mutton but commonly contains beef, particularly when sold across England. Typically, the Scotch Pie is sold at football games with a cup of Bovril - and is a firm fan favourite.

With the launch of the first vegan scotch pie last year and the annual World Championship Scotch Pie Awards, organised by Scottish Bakers, set to continue in 2021, this classic pie should continue to rise in popularity.

Chief Executive, Alasdair Smith, said, “This result comes as absolutely no surprise to us at Scottish Bakers. We have long known that this iconic Scottish superstar pie has a worldwide following but to have its premier position confirmed is proof of the UK’s love for tradition and quality baking. We would urge anyone based in Scotland who has searched for a Scotch Pie recently to pop down to their local baker or butcher and ask to try one for themselves, they are always in stock freshly made each day. If you live elsewhere in the UK, why not ask in your local shops if they would consider adding them to their product range, we promise you a real treat.”

CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS POSTPONED It will come as no surprise that we had to postpone our Champion of Champions competition following the First Minister’s announcement of a Level 4 Stay at Home order in December. We hope that restrictions will lift to a point where we can carry out a Covid safe judging in the not-too-distant future, so keep an eye on our social media for any updates.

PO S T PONED! 2021

WINNER 2021

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RUNNER UP 2021

THE SCOTTISH BAKER

MEMBER NEWS

SCOTTISH FREE FROM BUSINESS SUPPORTS FOOD BANKS Edinburgh based Scottish Bakers member Calvin’s Free From Foods has been donating to food banks since they started production last year. Company owner Sabine Klaus-Carter says she always intended that donating product in this way has been part of her vision for the business.

Sabine was inspired to start her branded food business after son Calvin was diagnosed with multiple severe allergies in 2016 when he was just a toddler. Back then, he could only eat 3 safe foods, and this experience showed Sabine how much of a struggle it can be to make a varied, interesting and healthy diet for someone with food allergies. Sabine says: “I feel for everyone who struggles to eat regularly and healthily, whether that is because of financial, health or allergy related reasons. After seeing the recent images on

social media of the meagre Government food parcels supplied to financially disadvantaged families, I felt it was more important than ever for food businesses like mine to step up and do whatever we can to help. Covid and lockdown is making it hard for all us at the moment, but as a parent myself, the thought that on top of that some families are unable to find decent food for their children simply breaks my heart.”

Over the course of the last 12 months, Sabine has identified a suitable UK allergen-free baked goods producer with whom she has signed a manufacturing agreement which gives her access to allergen-free manufacturing facilities. This will allow her to scale up production as she enters the ‘go to market’ phase of business growth.

Owner Sabine Klaus-Carter

HIGHLAND BAKERY HARRY GOW RAISES THOUSANDS FOR POLIO CHARITY In the last issue of the newsletter, we reported on the launch of a charity cupcake from Harry Gow to raise money for Polio Plus.

Staff and customers of the bakery raised an impressive £5,000 – with the donation rising to £15,000 thanks to a funding boost from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Sales of a special, purple-flowered vanilla cupcake at the bakery raised £4,300, with the Rotary Club raising an additional £700.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has matched and doubled the local total, with all proceeds donated to charity Polio Plus, which Harry Gow is supporting in association with Inverness Rotary Club. Well done to all involved!

David Gow of Harry Gow (right) and Alan Nelson of Inverness Rotary Club celebrate the donation to Polio Plus.

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THE SCOTTISH BAKER

MEMBER NEWS

JG ROSS LAUNCH NEW SHOP IN BANCHORY It is 18 months since JG Ross purchased a new shop on Banchory’s high street. Due to an existing lease they were only able to get access in January. After this extraordinary wait, refurbishments got under way in the shop and the grand opening was on the 4 March. We are sure the JG Ross team’s patience will pay off and the new shop will be a great success!

New JG Ross Banchory shop

WELCOME TO NEW MEMBER

BETH BROWNINGS BAKERY CELEBRATES 20 YEARS! It’s been a time of milestones for award winning Beth Brownings Bakery in recent months. In December they celebrated 20 years in business which is a fantastic achievement. This was closely followed by their Stevenston shop celebrating its first anniversary. If this wasn’t enough they have now expanded with two new shops in Kilmaurs and Kilmarnock. Truly amazing that they have achieved all of this whilst working through the pandemic. Congratulations to all of the team at Beth Brownings Bakery!

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MIMI’S BAKEHOUSE OPENS NEW SHOP Residents of Edinburgh’s Comely Bank can now enjoy sweet treats from Mimi’s Bakehouse as they opened a new shop in February. They have big plans for the space, which is in popular area of the city and can’t wait to begin their refurbishment.

We were delighted to welcome Del’s Rolls as a new member of the Scottish Bakers family in December last year.

Del’s Rolls is based in Prestwick and provides wholesale products to hospitality and local businesses, as well as having two retail shops. We have also recently welcomed new member the Phoenix Bakehouse, an artisan bakery and café in Inverbervie near Montrose.

THE SCOTTISH BAKER

TRAINING NEWS

NATIONAL FOOD & DRINK TRAINING NEWS We would like to applaud our training team who are continuing to work through lockdown restrictions, training apprenticeship candidates who will undoubtedly aid recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

is no mean feat considering current conditions, so we would like to thank those businesses who are continuing to support their employees through their training at such a challenging time.

The team across the UK is currently working at around 60% of their normal capacity, which

We have signed up 26 new apprenticeship candidates in Scotland and England since

December, including Mathiesons (more details on this page), new member Del’s Rolls, The Little Bakery in South Queensferry and Newcastle’s Pink Lane Bakery.

Please do get in touch with us if you want to explore training for your employees.

NFDT’S PAT FINNIGAN ACHIEVES HIS ASSESSOR QUALIFICATION. Congratulations to Training Advisor Pat Finnigan who recently gained his assessor qualification.

Sally Barrie Mathiesons HR Manager with NFDT’s Jim McCormack

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME BEGINS AT MATHIESONS BAKERY Mathiesons Bakery Ltd approached NFDT with a view to creating a programme to aid the development of department team leaders in managing and developing their colleagues; they understood the manufacturing process and were looking to improve areas of their skills away from the day to day production.

Sally Barrie, Mathiesons HR Manager, was instrumental in getting the programme set up along with the site departmental managers and new-to-post Training & Development co-ordinator, Karen Hunter. All are fully behind the programmes and have developed site specific learning on the whole business for their employees.

Mathiesons pride themselves on employee engagement, development and fair working and see this programme as a fantastic step towards staff development, retention and reward.

Pat joined our team in January 2020 with 40 years experience of working in the food industry, at all levels, from operations to management in both production and retail environments.

He said, “I am so proud to achieve this qualification and would like to thank everyone at Scottish Bakers and Frances Nolan at Drumbeat for the support and guidance given over the last 12 months”.

The current programme of work now has two groups of learners totalling 14 staff who are all undertaking Modern Apprenticeships in Food & Drink Operations at SCQF level 6.

There is also a pipeline of future MA learners in Bakery Skills at SCQF level 6.

Good luck to all involved in the programme.

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