Scottish Bakers Newsletter

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

“FOR THE GOOD OF ALL”

FEATURING: NEW DATE FOR ANNUAL CONFERENCE! THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SCOTCH PIE AWARDS IS 20!

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S WELCOME It’s my pleasure, as always, to welcome you to this latest edition of our members newsletter.

Our members are our lifeblood, and everything we do is for the benefit of this wonderful trade which archaeological evidence now shows dates back at least 12,000 years.

In recognition of the importance of our membership our new President, Ronnie Miles, and I are planning an initial tour of Scotland to meet as many of you as we can. We’re currently planning a schedule up to the Christmas break, but we do aim to continue this into the new year and beyond. This is our opportunity to hear directly from our members and to show our support at a local level.

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME It has been a busy and enjoyable start to my Scottish Bakers presidency. I had my first official engagement, representing our association at the Craft Bakers Association AGM and conference. It was a privilege to be able to address their members and to congratulate their new President, Colin Lomax on his inauguration.

Our Training Team is also pressing ahead with recruitment of Modern Apprentices. Training is a positive investment in your workforce, with many clear benefits to your business; to find out more about how our training can help your business, do read the case study featured in this edition, or give us a call.

We’d love to come and chat to you about the apprenticeships we support. And remember, we deliver training at no extra cost to your business.

As we move into the Autumn period here at Scottish Bakers, we enter a busy period of planning for our next round of awards and events.

We look forward to welcoming Colin and his wife to our events over the next couple of years. The CBA conference was a very well organised event with some top-notch speakers. We thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and I would like to thank the CBA for their generous hospitality.

The World Championship Scotch Pie Awards merit a special mention as this year will see us celebrate the 20th year of this fantastic event – a “must-attend” date in any pie-makers calendar. More details will be issued soon so watch out for information coming through about this.

I am also pleased to report on some successful meetings we have had in England. We are hoping we can develop National Food & Drink Training’s reach with a number of levy paying businesses. There has been significant progress in this area, with several positive leads which Alasdair and Scott Anderson are following up.

Wishing you a prosperous season.

Alasdair Smith Chief Executive

I also had the pleasure of chairing my first board meeting at the end of July, where we were all encouraged by the strategic plans that Alasdair is continuing to develop. I have every confidence that these plans with deliver positive change, which our membership will greatly benefit from.

Alasdair and I will be coordinating our diaries to allow us to visit as many members as possible over the coming months, in your local communities. The Bakers House team will be in touch to arrange this, however if you would like to ensure you are included on our tour, please contact Lucy Carpenter at Bakers House (lucy@scottishbakers.org).

I very much look forward to visiting your bakeries and hear first-hand about some of the challenges you face, and how your trade association can help with these.

Ronnie Miles President

If you would like to place an article in the next newsletter please contact lucy@scottishbakers.org

CONTENTS 03 06 07 08 10 11 12 13 14 15

Industry News Upcoming Events Baker Wins Pie Off World Championship Scotch Pie Awards New Members Member News Scottish Bakers 40 Group Past President Pens Autobiography National Food & Drink Training Scottish Bakers Centenary Club

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The Scottish Baker For the Good of All

BOOK YOUR PLACE AT THE SCOTTISH RESOURCES CONFERENCE The UK’s top circular economy event to tackle the most iconic sustainability challenges The plastics plight of Scotland’s oceans, the incoming ban on biodegradable waste to landfill, preventing food and construction waste, and Scotland’s planned deposit return scheme, will all be examined at this year’s Scottish Resources Conference.

The event, delivered by Zero Waste Scotland and partners CIWM and SEPA, and hosted once again by BBC Scotland’s Sally Magnusson, has become a must-attend for professionals in Scotland’s circular economy and resources sector. Innovators, investors, sustainability experts and decision-makers at both local and national level will be in attendance. All parties converge to discuss the challenges, issues, innovations and solutions to creating a waste free Scotland.

Join us in building a circular economy together Follow us @SRCconf #scotres18 www.scottish-resources.com

Innovators, investors, sustainability experts and decision-makers at both local and national level will be in attendance.

One day rate: £199 +VAT Two day rate: £299 +VAT Expert Speakers This industry leading conference brings unrivalled opportunities to hear from over 40 inspirational speakers from across the sector, including: •R oseanna Cunningham MSP, Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform delivering the Ministerial Address • I an Schofield, Own Label & Packaging Manager, Iceland Foods •M ark Shayler, Founder of APE, Founding Partner of the Do Lectures and Greenlabs, Author of Do Disrupt: Change the status quo or become it, STEM Ambassador, and all round champion of enterprise as a way of solving problems of equality, sustainability, and poverty.

• Iain Gulland, Chief Executive, Zero Waste Scotland • Terry A’Hearn, Chief Executive, SEPA • Professor David Wilson MBE, CIWM President • Colin MacBean, Head of Zero Waste, Scottish Government

AB MAURI CONFIRMS THE DOUBLE ACQUISITION OF HOLGRAN AND FLEMING HOWDEN FROM RANK HOVIS MILLING LTD. Two well established businesses with rich heritages and strong reputations AB MAURI UK and Ireland has confirmed the successful acquisition of both Holgran and Fleming Howden from Rank Hovis Milling Ltd. Holgran and Fleming Howden are situated in Gainsborough and Edinburgh respectively.

Holgran is a renowned supplier of malted grains, seeds and blend inclusions. Meanwhile, Fleming Howden sources, manufactures and distributes a wide range of quality bakery ingredients and yeast products.

Andrew Pollard, Managing Director, AB MAURI UK and Ireland commented:

Andrew Pollard, Managing Director, AB MAURI UK & Ireland

“Both businesses are well established with rich heritages and have strong reputations. They are well-run and have highly capable, passionate and dedicated teams of people; principles that align perfectly to the business values of AB MAURI.”

He continued: “In light of these exciting acquisitions, AB MAURI expects to continue developing its existing technical capability and broaden market opportunities alike. Most importantly, AB MAURI will be able to build on its ability to flexibly respond to customers.”

The Scottish Baker For the Good of All

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DIET & HEALTHY WEIGHT PLAN FOR SCOTLAND July saw the publication of the Scottish Government’s Diet & Healthy Weight Plan. The plan contains a number of measures to restrict the promotion and advertising of foods high in fat, sugar and salt.

The plan sets out five outcomes, each supported by a range of actions: • Children have the best start in life – they eat well and have a healthy weight • The food environment supports healthier choices • People have access to effective weight management • Leaders across all sectors promote healthy diet and weight • Diet-related health inequalities are reduced We are more aware than ever of the role the bakery sector plays in helping to look after the health and well-being of our nation.

We know our members have increasingly focused on this issue and as a sector we are looking in greater depth at portion sizes, product formulations and customer education. There has been progress made across the food and drink sector and our members are playing their part and will continue to do so.

But the focus cannot solely be on food and the implementation of restrictions. Evidence shows that physical activity is one of the best things we can do to improve our health. Physical activity is about getting people moving. Daily walking, playing in a park, going to a gym or training with a team – it doesn’t matter how we all get active, it just matters that we do. We want more people to be more active, more often.

1st -

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SCOTLAND FOOD & DRINK FORTNIGHT The annual celebration of the best of food and drink in Scotland, is once again underway.

This year’s campaign has a fresh new look and feel and is themed around the future of Scotland’s food and drink industry. Aligning with the Year of the Young People, it will be championing young talented people and celebrate consumers, entrepreneurs, retailers, caterers, highlighting that everyone has a part to play in ensuring its continued survival and growth.

As part of the fortnight they are asking people to let them know their goal for the Scottish food and drink industry so please share with them on social media using #ScotFoodGoals

So Scottish Bakers cautiously welcomes the Government’s proposals and commits to working in partnership with other key organisations and the Scottish government in providing a package of measures encompassing vital advice and information for families, delivered at the right time and in the right way, about food education, physical activity, sleep, and cooking.

As a sector, we will consider more detailed recommendations when they are published, and we will consider how best our members can work in partnership in others to deliver a healthier Scotland.

The Scottish Baker For the Good of All

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SCOTTISH BAKER OF THE YEAR CUSTOMER PRIZE PRESENTATION Following the announcement of all of our awardwinning bakers, it was time to reward some of the customers who voted in this year’s competition.

We had seven lucky customers win an Apple Watch in our prize draw. It was great to meet some of the customers who support their local baker in our competition. Some of the winners have been loyal customers for years. By coincidence, Gavin Neate, customer of Pinnies & Poppyseeds had recently been working with the bakery to install a customer service system that improves service to disabled customers. Pinnies & Poppyseeds, is the first bakery to use the system which ‘geofences’ the shop and sends them a message when a disabled person is about to enter.

This advanced knowledge prepares the staff with an overview of a condition and top tips on how to interact. It certainly sounds like a fantastic service to improve equal access for disabled customers and it’s fantastic that one of our members is at the forefront of using this new technology.

CRAFT BAKERS ASSOCIATION AGM & CONFERENCE President Ronnie Miles & Chief Executive Alasdair Smith had the pleasure of attending the CBA AGM and Conference in late June.

President Ronnie, took on one of his first official duties, addressing conference delegates at the AGM. The weekend was packed with inspirational speakers and socialising with friends from the baking industry. There was also the inauguration of a new CBA President.

Congratulations to Colin Lomax on becoming President. We look forward to welcoming him to our events and wish him well for his term in office.

President Ronnie Miles was accompanied by his wife, Lady President, Amy and Chief Exceutive Alasdair Smith was accompanied by his wife Louise

Colin Lomax receives the chain of office as President of the CBA

The Scottish Baker For the Good of All

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JUNE 2019

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OUR CONFERENCE DATE IS MOVING! PLEASE SAVE THE DATE! KEY DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 1

SCOTTISH BAKERS & ANNUAL CONFERENCE & AWARDS

FRIDAY 7 & SATURDAY 8TH JUNE 2019 TH

Venue: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow Host: Mich Turner MBE Full programme details and ticket prices to be announced

2

SCOTTISH BAKERS NORTHERN DANCE

SATURDAY 17TH NOVEMBER 2018 Venue: Jurys Hotel, Aberdeen (Formerly Airport Thistle) Full programme details and ticket prices to be announced

3

SCOTTISH BAKERS GLASGOW DANCE

SATURDAY 23RD FEBRUARY 2019 Venue: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow Host: Michelle McManus Full programme details and ticket prices to be announced

The Scottish Baker For the Good of All

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BAKER BEATS BUTCHER IN TENSION-FUELLED BATTLE OF THE PIES A butcher and a baker battled head-to-head in a tension-filled “Battle of the Pies” at the Royal Highland Show at the end of June.

The (oven) gloves were off when past World Scotch Pie Champion Stephen McAllister of the Kandy Bar Bakery, Saltcoats, and current Champion, Alan Pirie of James Pirie & Son Butchers of Newtyle, fought it out in front of a packed audience on the Quality Meat Scotland stand.

Both Alan and Stephen, who have more than 100 years of combined experience in their respective trades, showed the extent of their passion for pie-making during a very lively and entertaining contest.

Stephen McAllister said part of the secret of Kandy Bar pie success was the quality of the ingredients. “We use only the finest ingredients including prime Scotch Beef mince coupled with our own secret selection of rusks, spices and peppers and we make our own Scotch pie shells and lids.”

He added: “Today’s competition was loads of fun but I wanted to win! It was fantastic to entertain the audience and inspire them about quality bakers and butchers and Alan was great fun. Winning was completely amazing and meant the world to me!”

“ We use only the finest ingredients including prime scotch beef mince coupled with our own secret selection of rusks, spices and peppers and we make our own scotch pie shells and lids.”

Stephen McAllister of the Kandy Bar Bakery, Saltcoats

The aim of the “pie-off” was to produce the Scotch Pie (made using either Scotch Beef PGI or Scotch Lamb PGI) which most impressed the audience and competition judge, acclaimed chef Justin Maule of Wild Fig Food.

All photos courtesy of QMS

The Scottish Baker For the Good of All

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THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SCOTCH PIE AWARDS IS 20!

Do you have what it takes to be the 20th World Scotch Pie Champion?

It’s hard to believe almost 20 years have gone by since Alan Stuart started this prestigious competition for butchers and bakers. At the time the outbreak of “mad cow disease” had had a devastating impact, with sales of pies dropping by 40% and other meat savouries by 25%. It was clear to Alan that butchers and bakers needed to come together and restore public confidence and return sales to normal.

The competition has since gone from strength to strength thanks to the support from butchers and bakers not only in Scotland, but now in other parts of the world too!

The 20th World Championship Scotch Pie Awards will launch at the end of this month.

We open for entries on the 28th September 2018. You will be able to enter online at www.worldchampionshipscotchpieawards.org or paper forms will be made available.

Being an award winner can have such a positive impact on your business, giving you something to shout about. But you have to be in it to win it so get your entry in early!

KEY DATES 1

OPEN FOR ENTRIES:

2

FRIDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER 2018

3

JUDGING DAY:

WEDNESDAY 14TH NOVEMBER 2018, Carnegie Conference Centre, Dunfermline

CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES:

WEDNESDAY 31ST OCTOBER 2018

4

AWARDS LUNCH:

TUESDAY 15TH JANUARY 2019,

The Westerwood Hotel, Cumbernauld

The Scottish Baker For the Good of All

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The Scottish Baker For the Good of All

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NEW MEMBER WELCOME We would like to welcome the following new members to the Scottish Bakers family!

Bhaile (Pronounced B-à-l-æ; Gaelic for “Village”) is our New Concept Artisan Bakery and Coffee shop in the heart of Ayr, featuring freshly made, handcrafted Sourdough and Yeasted Bread, Bakes, Sweet and Savoury treats.

There is nothing better than the smell and taste of fresh bread, so unlike most bakeries, who bake at night, at Bhaile we bake throughout the day, ensuring that whenever you come in, be it 9am or 3pm, there will always be something “Just out of the oven” on our shelves!

We love creating new products and exciting flavour combinations; imagination keeps us going and keeps us enthusiastic!

At Bhaile, we focus on high-quality, organic, locally sourced ingredients, to create exquisite products with a delicate touch and a European twist. www.bhaile.co.uk

Freedom Bakery is a Scottish artisan bakery putting a creative twist on baking and a social conscience into our business. We are a social enterprise that believes that people at risk of committing crime can benefit significantly from professional training and employment opportunities.

Freedom Bakery was established in 2015 at HMP Low Moss.

We ran a small bakery within the prison walls, training inmates and wholesaling to cafés and restaurants in Glasgow. In 2016 Freedom made the decision to expand. Almost a year later after a successful Crowdfunder and major investment from Resilient Scotland, we opened a new, purpose-built bakery in Glasgow.

The simplest things are the hardest to achieve. And good bread should be simply flour, water, salt (and sometimes yeast)! We strive for honesty and integrity in our baking. In fact those people in training at Freedom Bakery strive for the very same thing. www.freedombakery.org

BAKERY CLOSURES

Pinnies & Poppy Seeds is a small, artisan bakery located just off Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile. We specialise in creating delicious, handmade shortbread using the best local, Scottish ingredients. Started in 2011, we began selling our buttery treats at Farmer’s Markets.

After a few years, we found our wee shop and have been baking shortbread there since 2013! From our organic flour - which is grown and milled at Mungoswells 15 miles from our shop, to our butter which we get from Graham’s Family Dairy, our shortbread only has the best ingredients!

We searched high and low to find other small producers we think are doing exceptional things and making amazing products. Because of this, every piece of shortbread has a bit of Scotland baked right into it. And we couldn’t be more proud of what we’re making. We think shortbread is the best biscuit around, and we hope you’ll agree that ours is pretty darn tasty! www.pinniesandpoppyseeds.com

We were sad to read announcements from a couple of our members on shop closures. M Corson has taken the difficult decision to cease trading after nearly 140 years, having been unsuccessful in finding a suitable buyer for the business over the last 10 years. Aulds has also recently placed the retail arm of its business into liquidation to allow the company to focus on the growth of its production and wholesale operation. Scottish Bakers will of course provide any support, should it be required.

The Scottish Baker For the Good of All

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MEMBER NEWS

BELLS FOOD GROUP WIN HEALTH & SAFETY AWARD.

Congratulations to Bells Food Group’s Health & Safety Officer, Chris Brannan, and all the team involved with Health & Safety at Bells Food Group Limited.

Bells Food Group Limited has achieved a Silver in the internationally-renowned RoSPA Health and Safety Awards, the longest-running industry awards scheme in the UK. This prestigious award is in recognition of their practices and achievements in helping staff, customers and contractors get home safely at the end of the working day.

NEW ADDITION TO BAKING FAMILY Congratulations to Gemma & Scott Clearie and the rest of the Mimi’s Bakehouse family on the safe arrival of Skye Couper Clearie. She made her debut into the world on the 2nd August. A star baker of the future maybe?!

The award will be presented to Chris during a ceremony at DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central on Thursday, September 13, 2018.

The RoSPA Awards scheme, which receives entries from organisations around the world, recognises achievement in health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement. The RoSPA Awards are the most highly-respected in the health and safety arena, with almost 2,000 entrants every year, and allow organisations to prove excellence in the workplace, demonstrating a commitment to the wellbeing of not only employees but all those who interact with it.

GREAT TASTE AWARDS Well done to all of our members who received a 2018 Great Taste Award. The awards are organised by the Guild of Fine Food and are acknowledged as a benchmark for fine food & drink. Many products from our members were selected to receive a star rating, once again showing the quality produced by the Scottish baking industry. Successful Scottish Bakers members included: Bhaile Bakery, Biggar Flavour, Border Biscuits, Brownings the Bakers, J G Ross (Bakers) Ltd, Kindness Bakery, Maclean’s Highland Bakery, McKenzie Biscuits, Nairn’s Oatcakes, Shortbread House of Edinburgh & Stag Bakeries.

PAST PRESIDENTS GIVEN WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF BAKERS HONOURS Two Scottish Bakers Past Presidents have recently received honours from the Worshipful Company of Bakers in London.

Immediate Past President Craig McPhie became a Liveryman, whilst Past President Alan Stuart (2010-11) was admitted as a Freeman. The award was made to Alan in recognition of his lifetime of service to the baking industry and overall furtherance of the craft of bakery.

The Scottish Baker Raising Champions within the Bakery Sector

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SCOTTISH BAKERS 40 GROUP FIRST TRIPS PLANNED FOR NEW 40 GROUP The Scottish Bakers 40 Group is back in business under the leadership of Chair elect, Murray Barnett, of G. H. Barnett, Cellardyke. We know you will all wish him every success in this role.

Murray is also seeking interested members to help him form the 40 Group Organising Committee. The 40 Group Committee plans and executes the programme of events, visits and other learning opportunities designed to equip the next generation of member business owners and leaders with the skills, attitudes and knowledge needed to drive future productivity, profitability and sector growth.

He has already set dates for the first events in the new 40 Group calendar: • a day trip to Fleming Howden, near Edinburgh, on Thursday 27th September, and • a trip to Ireland, hosted by Andrews Ingredients from 20 – 22 November.

To register for the trip to Fleming Howden, please contact Murray directly by email at: murraybarnett@live.co.uk More details on the Ireland trip will be circulated in due course.

About the 40 Group The 40 Group will: • afford members’ experience in the conduct of meetings and in public speaking • promote interest in trade organisation • encourage the study of management in all its aspects • plan study visits in the UK and beyond to deliver opportunity for technical discussions • further social and business networking among the members.

Developing the capacity of our member businesses to thrive and grow is a core part of our strategic plan, and central to our philosophy. Ensuring that we adequately support the next generation of young business leaders and those new to the trade is also vitally important to ensure the transfer of skills and experience to those responsible for future growth.

Membership of the 40 Group is open to all owners and employees of businesses holding membership of Scottish Bakers, and who are committed to developing their skills, knowledge and ambitions to better develop their leadership, commercial and technical capacities in the bakery trade to support business growth.

Please send your name and contact details to Lucy Carpenter (lucy@scottishbakers.org) at Bakers House, to ensure you receive updates on future 40 Group activities.

The Scottish Baker For the Good of All

SCOTTISH BAKERS PAST PRESIDENT PENS AUTOBIOGRAPHY ‘AN UNLIKELY LAD’ The only person to serve two separate terms as Scottish Bakers President has recently published the first instalment of his autobiography. Past President JG Ross (1989 – 90 & 1993 – 1994) tells us a bit more about why he has decided to document his life…

As the business grew there seemed to be a perception that my Father had started the business and I was the second generation.

My immediate family and some of the grandchildren suggested I should set the record straight and write a book detailing the growth of the business from its inception, purely for future generations.

That is what I started doing a few years ago.

However, since we moved in to our new Bakery at Highclere we conduct regular tours of the facility. Following the tour, I give a brief talk on the history of the company and a question and answer session.

A question often asked is about my life before starting in business.

This prompted me to start my book from my earliest memories, growing up in the village of Daviot or ‘Davit’ as it was called when I was a boy. This means of course that the book is bigger than I first planned, so I have decided it will have to be two books. This first book will take you up to 1987.

I chose the title because I didn’t have a business background and although I always intended having my own business it may well have seemed unlikely to others.

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I never kept a Diary so I am writing purely from memory. It was never my ambition to be a Baker but from an early age I had decided I wanted to be my own boss. I was involved in the baking industry from an early age, purely by chance, so when the time came to set out on my own it made sense to stick to what I knew.

As a company we support a number of charities. We are in the process of setting up the ‘J G Ross Foundation’ and all proceeds from the book will go in to the Foundation, which will be controlled by appointed Trustees who will consider financial requests from local organisations.

J George Ross.

Donations for the purchase of the book are suggested at £10 or more. The books will be available at Highclere and selected J G Ross Shops. You can also order via email by emailing George.Ross@jg-ross.co.uk

“ I chose the title because I didn’t have a business background and although I always intended having my own business it may well have seemed unlikely to others.”

J George Ross, author of ‘An Unlikely Lad’

The Scottish Baker Raising For the Champions Good of Allwithin the Bakery Sector

National Food & Drink Training Developing Skills in the Food & Drink Industry

ARLA FOODS, LOCKERBIE OVERVIEW In early 2016, Arla Foods in Lockerbie identified a need for Dairy Skills qualifications for their cheesemakers. Training was almost entirely on the job and some had never received any training in the technology of cheese-making. However, there were no providers doing Dairy Skills training in Scotland that met their requirements. In cooperation with their Dairy processors a group was set up to identify a provider which could provide the training. Craig Hodgson, Cheese Production Manager at Arla, stated that: “By far the stand out candidate was National Food and Drink Training who impressed from their first presentation.“

SOLUTION National Food & Drink Training (NFDT) worked closely with the management team at Arla to develop a tailored training package that met their needs. The NFDT team took time to visit the site and fully understand the process, products and the people. Good relationships with the candidates were quickly established. NFDT delivered each of the modules using a dairy industry expert.

RESULTS This was the first time that Arla had undertaken a training exercise such as this, however NFDT supported the company throughout and helped them overcome any challenges that occurred. 11 candidates have since achieved Level 2 Food & Drink Operations Dairy Skills. The management team at Arla is now looking at future opportunities for training with a view to rolling the qualification out across the site. A further 10 candidates are to be signed up in August 2018.

If you would like to learn more about how National Food & Drink Training can help your business, contact Scott Anderson, Training & Quality Manager Scott@nfdt.org, 01383 661 555

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The Scottish Baker For the Good of All

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SCOTTISH BAKERS

CENTENARY CLUB A LIFETIME IN THE BAKERY & FOOD INDUSTRY – GEORGE DUNLOP I would like to say thank you to all Scottish Bakery concerns who have ordered from myself for 50 years under the company names of Paxton thereafter Linpac and Allison.

Centenary Club members with President Ronnie Miles and Chief Executive Alasdair Smith

26TH ANNIVERSARY CENTENARY CLUB LUNCH The 26th Anniversary Centenary Club lunch was held at the Huntingtower Hotel, Perth on Wednesday 6th June and was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended.

The lunch was organised by new Convenor Jim Brown, who paid tribute to Fay Somerville, who stood down as Convenor after many years of excellent service. Fay could not attend this year’s lunch but we hope very much to see her at the 2019 event.

The Centenary Club members were delighted to welcome newly elected Scottish Bakers President Ronnie Miles and the relatively new Chief Executive Alasdair Smith to the lunch.

Twenty members and their guests were there, including five Past Presidents. One of the Past Presidents was John Murray, formerly of Bayne’s Family Bakers, who is now resident in retirement in Ireland. John was in Scotland for a short holiday which coincided with the lunch and it was great to meet up with him again.

After lunch, Alasdair gave an interesting presentation on Scottish Bakers. He spoke of three things about the Scottish baking industry that had impressed him greatly since joining Scottish Bakers - Fellowship, Pride and Passion. His presentation had a bit of a twist in that he gave a list of challenges the bakery sector faces which sounded like many of the challenges bakers face today. However Alasdair revealed that he took them from the very first Yearbook of the newly formed Scottish Association of Master Bakers in 1891!

Ronnie followed Alasdair with an excellent presentation on his company, Bells Food Group, including showing two interesting company videos. He spoke about how he got into baking, joining Bells in March 1989 on the basis that he would give it six months and ‘see how it goes’. Since he is still there, it has obviously gone very well indeed! He first knew the association as the SAMB and paid tribute to the help Bells have received over the years, particularly regarding staff training, something he feels is essential for all businesses and which he is very involved in at Bells.

I started the Paxton business in Scotland in May 1968 and was involved in creating plastic products based on listening to bakers requirements on improving handling methods regarding ingredient storage and weighing up of mixes in a progressive manner.

Paxton was the first company to create an alternative to a wooden delivery board in 1970. I established there was requirement to have side wall ventilation as well as in most instances a solid base to eliminate crumb penetration as well as a lattice base for cooling.

We created three depths offering nine variations based on helpful information from many bakers in Scotland.

I actually had a family connection named William Dick Bakers of Kilbirnie and have their handwritten bakery and biscuit recipe book dated 8th January 1859 and also some heirlooms from the bakery about which I did a talk at a centenary club meeting.

I have decided to retire after making many friends in the bakery industry. I will of course enjoy attending the Centenary Club meetings when time permits.

I would like to wish all Scottish bakers the very best for the future.

George Dunlop

CENTENARY CLUB SECTOR 1 Visit to Trinity Hall, Aberdeen

Members of Sector 1 visited the Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen, the home of the Aberdeen Baker Incorporation. They enjoyed a meal and tour of the Hall’s various rooms which is home to many artefacts, paintings and documents dating back to the inception of the Seven Trades in 1587.

Members who attended were given a short history of the Trades by Clive Sangster, and Ian Brown conducted a tour of the Hall which holds many of the documents of the Baker Incorporation. The company particularly enjoyed the photographs of some members, who had joined the Baker Incorporation many years ago when they were just young lads!

The main purpose of the Incorporated Trades today is the payment of Annuities to retired members and to the Widows of members. In recent years fund raising events in the Hall have resulted in many local charities receiving handsome donations and the Baker Incorporation has been very active in this direction.

Clive Sangster, Convenor Sector 1

SCOTTISH BAKER EVENTS 2018/19 EVENT

DATE

VENUE

Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight

1st – 16th September 2018

National Cupcake Week 2018

18th – 24th September 2018

British Food Fortnight 2018

23rd September - 8th October 2018

RBS Food & Drink Conference

28th September 2018

World Championship Scotch Pie Awards Entries Open

28th September 2018

Scottish Resources Conference

3rd -4th October 2018

Irish Association of Master Bakers Conference

12th – 13th October 2018

World Egg Day

13th October 2018

National Baking Week

16th – 22nd October 2018

British Society of Baking Autumn Conference

17th -18th October 2018

World Championship Scotch Pie Awards Entry Closing Date

31st October 2018

World Championship Scotch Pie Awards Judging Day

14th November 2018

Carnegie Conference Centre, Dunfermline

Irish Bakers Benevolent Society Ball

16th November 2018

Shelbourne Hotell, Dublin

Scottish Bakers Northern Dance

17th November 2018

Jurys Hotel, Aberdeen (Formerly Airport Thistle)

World Championship Scotch Pie Awards Awards Lunch

15th January 2019

The Westerwood Hotel, Curmbernauld

Scottish Bakers Glasgow Dance

23rd February 2019

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow

Scottish Baker of the Year Official Launch

6th March 2019 (*provisional date)

Brownings the Bakers, Kilmarnock

Scottish Baker of the Year Customer Voting Period

6th March – 20th March 2019 (*provisional date)

Scottish Baker of the Year Product Judging

10th April 2019 (*provisional date)

Scottish Baker of the Year Business Entry Closing Date

3rd May 2019 (*provisional date)

Scottish Bakers Annual Conference & Awards

7th – 8th June 2019

Gogarburn Conference Centre, Edinburgh

Edinburgh International Conference Centre

Heythrop Park Hotel & Resort, Enstone, Oxfordshire

Carnegie Conference Centre

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow

SCOTTISH BAKERS BAKERS HOUSE, UNIT 2 HALBEATH INTERCHANGE BUSINESS PARK, KINGSEAT ROAD, HALBEATH, DUNFERMLINE, KY11 8RY TEL 01383 661555 WWW.SCOTTISHBAKERS.ORG