Baker Butt Foods wins SOHO Coffee Co. listing for sourdough naans

SOHO Coffee Co. Pulled Pork & Red
Pickles Naan- made from Butt Foods sourdough naan

Specialist baker Butt Foods has gained a contract to supply its tasty innovative sourdough naans to independent coffee shop chain SOHO Coffee Co.

The ethical coffee shop company, which has 40 branches, has created a range of delicious applications for the four-inch Baked Earth sourdough naans, which have just been unveiled on the group’s new Autumn menu.

Handmade in SOHO’s own kitchens using the Baked Earth naans, the menu items include chicken fajita naan, chickpea masala and paneer naan, and pulled pork and red pickles naan.

Nottingham-based Butt Foods launched the sourdough naans earlier this year in response to trends for premium and new wave Indian food dining experiences. Following a study of the Indian restaurant sector, the firm highlighted that the sector is moving away from traditional curries into a world of new flavours, snacks and small plates, different presentation and extended meal occasions – and created a special sourdough naan which would be just right for this exciting new trend.

The Baked Earth artisan sourdough recipe naan benefits from a live cultured sourdough with a long fermentation process to improve flavour and texture – creating a naan bread that’s bubbly, soft and suitable for a range of meal applications throughout the day and ideal for both the Indian restaurant world and the foodservice sector in general, with its current demand for street food-style dishes.

The company, which has been baking naan breads for more than 25 years and also produces a range of other breads, commissioned celebrity chef and former BBC Food Personality of the Year Cyrus Todiwala OBE to develop a number of uses for the naans to illustrate the flexibility of the flat breads.

He created a range of innovative dishes for all times of the day – from breakfast and brunch through to tapas small plate dishes - for the sourdough naans.

David Williams, commercial director of family owned Butt Foods, said: “We are thrilled and proud that SOHO Coffee Co., with its tremendous reputation for serving innovative, on-trend delicious food and drink, has selected the Baked Earth sourdough naans for its new menu.

“The dishes that have been created for the menu are exactly the type of applications we had in mind when we developed the sourdough naan – items that would be simple and convenient for chefs to create, and incredibly appealing and tasty for customers of cafés, pubs, bars, restaurants and other foodservice outlets.”

Penny Manuel, Managing Director of SOHO said: “We love it when our suppliers develop innovative products like these – the great pairing of the sourdough texture and flavour with what we all know as traditional naan complements each other perfectly and allows us to develop an exciting range of fillings, offering our customers something deliciously different, whilst being a true reflection of SOHO’s artisan roots.”

The Baked Earth naans, which come in four-inch and six-inch sizes, are available through frozen food distributor Central Foods. Videos of the dishes created by Cyrus Todiwala are available in Chef’s Corner at www.buttfoods.co.uk.

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Celebrity chef Cyrus Todiwala creates serving suggestions for Butt Foods’ new artisan sourdough recipe naan

Cyrus Todiwala

Specialist baker Butt Foods has launched a new naan bread that’s lighter and more bubbly than ever before in response to trends for premium and new wave Indian food dining experiences.

The Baked Earth artisan sourdough recipe naan benefits from a live cultured sourdough with a long fermentation process to improve flavour and texture – creating a naan bread that’s bubbly, soft and suitable for a range of meal applications throughout the day.

The company commissioned celebrity chef and former BBC Food Personality of the Year Cyrus Todiwala OBE to develop a range of uses for the artisan sourdough recipe naans to illustrate the flexibility of the flat breads. He has created a selection of serving suggestions for the naans that show the real versatility of the product which go far beyond the traditional side-of-plate application and which highlight just how many options chefs have to be creative with this new concept in naan breads.

“Naan is brilliant – it’s such a versatile bread. Just use your imagination and the world lies at your feet,” said Cyrus, who has a broad portfolio of restaurants, running Café Spice Namaste, Mr Todiwala’s Kitchen at Heathrow T5, Assado London and The Park Café.

Available in 6 inch and 4 inch sizes, the new naans are perfect for restaurants, hotels, bars and other food service operators, such as street food vendors, that are committed to serving up top quality naan breads, as well as the growing number of new wave contemporary Indian eateries that are offering dining options from breakfast through to evening. 

As a result of its special composition, the Baked Earth artisan sourdough recipe naans can be topped, filled, folded and wrapped, and the serving suggestions created by Cyrus include hand-held ‘sliders’, pizza-style topped naans, foldovers and wraps, and cover meal occasions including breakfast and brunch, snacks and main meals. 

Ideas include Bombay-style minced beef burritos, Indian-style roasted vegetable pizzas and Jungli chicken wraps.

Videos of the dishes created by Cyrus and filmed in the development kitchen of his Café Spice Namaste restaurant in London are available to watch for free on the Butt Foods website in Chef’s Corner. 

Butt Foods has been baking naan breads for more than 25 years, having introduced authentic frozen naan to the foodservice market in 1991. Its latest naan is a light and bubbly Indian bread baked with yoghurt, with toasted kalonji and cumin seeds adding a nutty flavour, made from the company’s unique recipe.

It has been developed in response to its research into the changing UK Indian restaurant scene, which shows the increase in exciting new wave eateries that offer various degrees of all-day dining, depending on location, with menus to suit. 

“New Indian food is moving away from traditional curries into a world of new flavours, snacks and small plates, different presentation and extended meal occasions. We’re very pleased to be launching our Baked Earth artisan sourdough recipe naans, which are really something very special and which have been created to provide restaurants and other eateries with a tasty naan bread that’s both versatile and flexible,” said managing director of Nottingham-based Butt Foods David Williams.

“Our market research has shown a new wave of Indian restaurants bringing exciting new flavours and formats, and we believe our range of Artisan sourdough recipe naans are perfect for these outlets which are providing an alternative experience for diners.

“We were delighted when, in independent research, our product outscored the leading foodservice competitor on taste and texture.” 

The artisan sourdough recipe naan is made from a natural process that takes up to ten days from starter through to mother dough, mature dough and then final dough. No raising agents mean a more natural product and better flavour, with pure butter ghee adding colour and taste.

The Baked Earth artisan sourdough recipe naans are available frozen through Central Foods.

Cyrus, the 2014 BBC Food Personality of the Year, was born and brought up in Bombay. In his bastion Cafe Spice Namaste, Cyrus is known for his refined, elegantly spiced and sophisticated cooking. He has cooked for royalty, presidents and international celebrities and is often invited to be a guest chef at food festivals and hotels from Dubai to Durban, and all across the United Kingdom.

For more information about Butt Foods, to see its latest trend reports or the videos featuring menu ideas created by Cyrus, visit www.buttfoods.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Baker Butt Foods named a finalist in Nottingham Post Business Awards 2016

David Williams of Butt Foods

Specialist baker Butt Foods has been selected as a finalist in the Nottingham Post Business Awards 2016.

The Nottingham-based business, which was founded in 1990 and supplies a range of naan breads, flatbreads and sub rolls to the food service sector across the UK, has been shortlisted in the Small Business of the Year category.

The family owned bakery, which prides itself on keeping abreast of trends and developing new products to satisfy consumer demand in a fast-paced industry, supplies hand-finished frozen sweet and savoury products.

Butt Foods managing director David Williams said: “The whole team at Butt Foods is absolutely thrilled that the company has been named as a finalist in the 2016 Nottingham Post Business Awards. Our recent surge in success at the bakery has been down to teamwork, and each and every member of staff can take credit for playing a role in getting us this far in the awards process.

“The list of names of the other shortlisted organisations is very impressive, which illustrates just how many great companies there are working in and around Nottingham. We wish them all the best and are looking forward to meeting them at the final in May.”

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Nottingham at the East Midlands Conference Centre on 11^th May 2016.

For more information about Butt Foods, visit www.buttfoods.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR http://www.perfect10pr.co.uk  

Bread trends revealed by Luke Evans Bakery during National Bread Week

A snapshot survey by one of the oldest family bakers in the East Midlands, Luke Evans Bakery, has revealed a growing appetite for seeded and wholemeal loaves.

Figures released by the Derbyshire bakery during National Bread Week, which runs from April 16th to 22nd, show a rising popularity for these types of bread.

The bakery, which was founded in 1804, sells 36 different lines of unwrapped and unsliced bread. Some 15 of these are seeded and wholemeal.

“Five years ago, sales of our seeded and wholemeal loaves represented about 26% of our loaf sales,” said David Yates, managing director at Riddings-based Luke Evans Bakery. “That’s now gone up to 29%, showing that they are continuing to rise in popularity.

“It’s all down to an increasing awareness about healthy eating. Multi-seeded bread has low GI (Glycaemic Index), which is a measure of the effect foods have on blood sugar levels. Those with a low GI ranking make you feel full for longer because they cause a slow, steady rise in blood sugar levels.”

Luke Evans Bakery supplies around 300 trade and wholesale customers across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire, including shops, schools, delis and Pride Park - the home of Derby County Football Club.

It also has a shop at Greenhill Lane, Riddings.

“Bread has been part of our staple diet for thousands of years,” said David Yates. “Over the last 20 years there has been a big shift in the type of bread being eaten, and our latest figures, which we’ve compiled for National Bread Week, show that interest in the seeded and wholemeal types is still rising.”

Luke Evans Bakery was founded more than 200 years ago by Henry Evans, who named the business after his son. Today it is a modern company with a team of fully trained craft bakers operating 24 hours a day turning out breads, cakes and savoury products.

www.lukeevans.co.uk

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Winners announced in the Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards 2011

A pioneering method to detect fake whisky through the bottle using space technology has been crowned the Food and Drink iNet Innovation Champion 2011.

Developed by The University of Leicester Space Research Centre, the technology was described by the judges as ‘a fascinating project that has huge potential for the food and drink sector’.

“Since news of the research was released earlier this year it has created interest around the world. Not only does it have great potential for fighting the war against counterfeit whisky, wine and other liquids, it also has the potential to transfer to other areas such as airport security,” they said. “It is wonderful to see such ground-breaking research being carried out in the East Midlands which will have such important implications for the food and drink sector.”

As well as receiving the Campden BRI-sponsored Innovation Champion 2011 award, The University of Leicester team, who developed the technology in association with university spin-out company Perpetuity Group, had earlier in the evening also been awarded the title of Most Innovative Research Project.

The accolade for Most Innovative Food and Drink Business went to Nottingham bakery manufacturer Butt Foods, for the way it had shown application and drive by introducing innovative business practices that had achieved 40% sales growth in six months.

The judges said: “The company has demonstrated innovative business practices by giving back to their customers. It has become an example to others of how innovation can impact on business performance.”

Lincolnshire company Libaeration, from Butterwick near Boston, was given the title of Most Innovative Business Supplying into the Food and Drink Sector for the development of the world’s first alcoholic foam. The foam, which is used to enhance coffee, desserts, cocktails and other drinks, is expected to have a wide impact on the bar, catering and hospitality trades as well as drink manufacturers and packaging manufacturers.

The judges said: “This is a new product that has tremendous export potential. It could be huge, as there’s potential for the technology to be applied to other products too.”

The awards were presented by TV presenter, writer and food critic Jay Rayner in front of around 100 guests from across the East Midlands and beyond at a ceremony at Nottingham Conference Centre, Burton Street, Nottingham.

Organised by the Food and Drink iNet, the Innovation Awards aimed to recognise and reward the most exciting ways that businesses and organisations had introduced innovation.

“This is the fourth year we have held the Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards and once again we have had a really exciting batch of winners,” said Food and Drink iNet director Richard Worrall.

“This demonstrates the world-beating innovations in the food and drink sector that are being developed in the East Midlands. The shortlisted candidates have shown that innovation takes many different forms, and I hope it inspires others to think about ways that innovation could be introduced into their own organisations.”

Part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Food and Drink iNet co-ordinates innovation support for businesses, universities and individuals working in the food and drink sector in the East Midlands. It has developed an effective network to encourage the collaboration of academic expertise and knowledge, and local food and drink business innovation needs.

It aims to build on the tradition of innovation in the food and drink industry in the region by helping to create opportunities to develop knowledge and skills, and to help research, develop and implement new products, markets, services and processes.

The Food and Drink iNet is managed by a consortium, led by The Food and Drink Forum and including Quotec Ltd (formerly Food Processing Faraday), Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham. It is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, with advisors covering the East Midlands region.

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City of London Honour for Luke Evans Bakery's David Yates

Derbyshire baker David Yates has become a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Bakers, one of the oldest guilds in the City of London.

Mr Yates, proprietor of Luke Evans Bakery based in Riddings, near Alfreton, was admitted to the livery during the company’s July Court meeting at its headquarters in Harp Lane, just 200 yards from London’s Tower Bridge, right in the heart of the City.

He said: “I feel very privileged to have been accepted as a liveryman in this distinguished and ancient London livery, and shall endeavour to do my utmost to embrace and respect all the wonderful traditions and customs of the company, and to offer my support in any way that the Master, Clerk and the Court see fit.

“The sense of history is immense, in an institution that can trace its origins back over 800 years, yet at the same time the Worshipful Company of Bakers is at the forefront of promoting education within the bakery industry, as well as supporting many other charitable activities.

“I first became a freeman of the Worshipful Company of Bakers last year, and then proceeded to become a Freeman of the City of London which in turn entitles you to become a full liveryman of your chosen livery company.“

The Company of Bakers has more than 350 members and many are master bakers or work in allied trades. It is one of the oldest City of London liveries, or trade guilds, with records showing bakers making payments to Henry II as early as 1155.

Today, in a bid to promote education, the company provides scholarships and prizes for young people in the baking industry and is committed to upholding the traditions and history of baking.

Mr Yates was in fine company, when he was admitted as a liveryman, alongside City of London solicitor Polly Joseph, whose father Rex Joseph is a past master of the company.

Luke Evans Bakery supplies around 300 wholesale and trade customers in Derbyshire, East Staffordshire, and Nottinghamshire including shops, schools and delis, as well as Pride Park – the home of Derby County.

Set up in 1804 the bakery can call on eight generations of Evans family baking experience. Mr Yates’ daughter Sarah, 19, joined the business last year. Craft bakers work a shift pattern across 24 hours a day at its base in Green Hill Lane, Riddings, producing breads, cakes and savoury products.

www.lukeevans.co.uk

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