Luke Evans Bakery in Derbyshire waves goodbye to long-standing employee

Loyal Luke Evans Bakery employee Phil Tomlinson has retired from the Derbyshire bakery after 47 years with the company.

General manager Phil, known to his colleagues and customers as Sam, joined the business as a Saturday boy at the age of 13 – earning £1 a day.

He has worked for a number of generations of the Luke Evans family, starting with the fourth generation, Joe Evans, who was at the helm in 1965.

Now 60, Phil has decided to retire from the Riddings-based bakery and said: “As far as I’m concerned, I have been good for Luke Evans and Luke Evans has been good for me. I have enjoyed it – it’s been fantastic.”

Phil, who lives at South Normanton with his wife Denise, a mobile hairdresser, has no concrete plans for his retirement, but hopes to spend more time with his two-year-old granddaughter Laila and has promised to help his daughter Rachael convert her new house in Somercotes.

David Yates, managing director of Luke Evans Bakery, said: “Phil, or Sam as we call him, has been a tremendously loyal colleague to us all, and we wish him all the best in retirement. He’s seen lots of changes since he joined us in 1965 and met many customers, who I am sure will join me in congratulating him on his long service and in wishing him well for the future.”

Phil’s retirement has sparked a number of changes to the management team at Luke Evans Bakery, which was founded in 1804 and supplies bread and cakes across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire.

Mark Dance, who joined Luke Evans as a van lad in 1987 before becoming a driver, becomes transport manager.

Craig Storer, who has been at Luke Evans since the age of 16 in 1991, becomes sales manager for the bakery. He previously worked as a driver and then joined the despatch team.

The new despatch manager is Simon Orme, who joined the company in 1989 as a van lad at the age of 16. He went on to become a driver, before moving to pastures new, and then returning 15 years ago when he joined the despatch team.

“I’d like to congratulate Mark, Craig and Simon, who between them have worked for Luke Evans Bakery for many years - all starting as van lads,” said David Yates. “I have great confidence in the new management team and it’s great to be able to promote from internally - especially as they have grown with the business.”

Phil swapped his six-day a week paper round in Leabrooks which earnt him 15 shillings a week for his £1 a day Saturday job at Luke Evans Bakery when he was 13.

After leaving school he became a van lad at the age of 15, before later working in despatch. He especially enjoyed his time in sales, he said.

“When I first started we delivered to shops but also door to door. We used to pull up on various housing estates in places like Somercotes and Riddings – just like a mobile shop,” said Phil, who was given the nickname of Sam by colleagues when he was a teenager and it’s stuck throughout his working life.

Luke Evans Bakery sells direct to the public from its shop in Greenhill Lane, Riddings, and also supplies around 300 trade and wholesale customers across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire, including shops, cafes, schools, delis and Pride Park - the home of Derby County Football Club.

Fully trained craft bakers operate 24 hours a day turning out breads, cakes and savoury products from farmhouse loaves and bread rolls to fresh cream éclairs and iced buns.

For more information visit www.lukeevans.co.uk

Issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Shortlist announced for the 2012 Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards

The Food and Drink Forum, organisers of the 2012 Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards have unveiled the names of the shortlisted candidates in the running to receive an accolade.

The candidates include businesses and universities around the East Midlands.

The winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony at Athena in Leicester on November 15th, hosted by comedian Ian Moore.

Food and Drink iNet director Richard Worrall said: “We had a record number of entries this year to the Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards, which reflects the exciting research, development and business growth going on in the East Midlands food and drink sector.

“We are looking forward to hosting the awards ceremony, which has become one of the highlights of the calendar for the industry in the region. I am sure it will be inspirational to hear about the very different forms that innovation can take.”

This year there are four categories in the Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards – with the overall winner being named Campden BRI Innovation Champion 2012.

The shortlisted nominations are as follows:

The Clegg Food Projects Ltd Most Innovative Business Growth Award

• Dovedale Foods Ltd, St John Street, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, with a production unit at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham. The firm has been shortlisted for its creation of Agile Manufacturing (a term applied to an organisation that has created the processes, tools, and training to enable it to respond quickly to customer needs and market changes while still controlling costs and quality) to support the scaling up of manufacture of Dovedale's Sauces for Choice brand, with capacity to offer short-run production to other local small enterprises struggling with the capacity requirements of larger contract manufacturers.

• Original Recipes, Boythorpe Business Park, Dock Walk, Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The firm has used an old recipe and given it a modern twist to create Granny Mary’s Finest Potted Beef, and has used the same ethos to drive the company’s project growth by getting chosen as one of the final 18 in the new BBC3 series Be Your Own Boss. This gives the firm the opportunity to broaden contacts and experience, enabling the maximisation of marketing and promotion of the business in a relatively short period of time.

  • The Bottle Kicking Cider Company, Hallaton, Market Harborough, Leicestershire. The company has been shortlisted for the conversion of metallised bags, previously used in the wine industry, to enable creation of a draught real cider that fulfils the CAMRA criteria, that can be stored and used from the bag whilst keeping the airtight vacuum to prevent spoilage and improve shelf life.

The Nottingham Trent University Most Innovative New Product Development Award

• Moonshine Drinks Ltd, Fairview Court, West Bridgford, Nottingham. The enterprise has developed a revolutionary home brew system to create quality real ales by simply adding tap water into the unique laminated bag to achieve ABV of 4%+.

• The Gourmet Spice Company, Kettering Road, Weldon, Northamptonshire. The firm has been shortlisted for challenging traditional flavour delivery techniques to create flavour combinations that are both innovative and exciting. This has enabled Gourmet Spice to develop products that deliver multi-sensory experiences.

• Xcel Milk Nutrition Ltd, Coton Road, Walton on Trent, Derbyshire. The company has been shortlisted for the development of a unique fresh milk-based post-exercise drink, after working with sports nutrition experts and applying existing research in sports recovery.

Most Innovative Positive Impact Award

• Deli Continental Ltd, Pintail Close, Victoria Business Park, Netherfield, Nottingham. This project focused on achieving the very best nutritional values in Deli Continental’s pizza bases, initially with salt reduction, whilst ensuring the authenticity of their artisan production methods. Collaboration with the University of Nottingham has resulted in a product that has already raised interest with local county council schools.

• Lindhurst Innovation Engineers, Midland Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. Founded on anaerobic digestion, the H2AD technology that Lindhurst has developed in collaboration with the University of Nottingham and Arla Foods is based around a microbial food cell that allows bacteria in food waste to digest quicker and produce a hydrogen rich biogas.

• Nutbrook Brewery, Hallam Way, West Hallam, Derbyshire. The company has invested in a wind turbine and some solar panels to create electricity for the brewery and to reduce controllable costs whilst having a positive impact on the environment and the firm’s carbon footprint. Nutbrook Brewery hopes to also inspire other small businesses to follow suit and embrace the benefits of environmental responsibility.

Most Innovative Collaboration Award

• Biopolymer Solutions Ltd, Sutton Bonington Campus of the University of Nottingham, near Loughborough, Leicestershire. Research at the University of Nottingham discovered that the properties of xanthan gum could be changed by extrusion cooking. Collaboration between the University of Nottingham and Biopolymer Solutions has enabled funding to support the ongoing trials into the range of applications of the new material, hydraxan, which reduces issues of poor xanthan dispersion.

• Just Egg Ltd, Hilltop Road, Hamilton Industrial Park, Leicester. By working in collaboration with the University of Leicester, with support from the Food and Drink iNet, Just Egg has been exploring a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable way of disposing of the firm’s egg shell waste. The company is now well on its way to using the egg shells in the reformulation of plastic to make recycled packaging to protect their egg-based products.

• The University of Northampton and the University of Nottingham. This collaboration of the Universities of Northampton and Nottingham with Stichelton Dairy in north Nottinghamshire focused on the aroma development and influence of secondary microflora in blue cheese production to enable an understanding of the variants that can influence the consistency of cheese production.

Tickets are now on sale for the ceremony to present the Innovation Awards, which are being held for the fifth year, and which recognise and reward the brightest ideas in the East Midlands’ food and drink sector.

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 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.

For more information about the iNet visit www.foodanddrink-inet.org.uk Tickets for the Innovation Awards cost £69.50 plus vat per person, with discounts for members of the Food and Drink Forum, and are available by contacting the events team on 0115 9758810.

Some sponsoring, table hosting and exhibiting opportunities are still available for the event. Contact the events team for details.

www.foodanddrink-inet.org.uk

Issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Food service distributor Holdsworth relocates to larger premises

Food service distributor Holdsworth is relocating its Northampton depot to larger premises in Wilstead, Bedford, as part of its on-going expansion plans.

The company, which delivers wholesale food to caterers across the UK, is moving its Northampton operation to a 26,300 sq ft site featuring a warehouse and cold store facility in Kenneth Way, Wilstead Industrial Park, on October 1st.

The move takes the company closer to its customer base and will provide the business with room for additional expansion.

Founded in 1969 by Chairman Michael Holdsworth, the family-owned, privately run company employs more than 270 members of staff across seven depots in Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Northamptonshire, Worcestershire and Powys.

It stocks around 5,000 lines which are supplied wholesale to pubs, restaurants, cafes, hotels, schools and other catering outlets.

Managing Director John Marriott said: “The relocation from Northampton to Bedford has been prompted by expansion, and we are delighted to be moving into a bespoke unit which was built only four years ago and which is perfect for a growing company such as ours.

“This takes us nearer to our customer base, with fast links to the M1 and the A1, and we will be looking to expand our business in the Bedford area.”

Existing staff are being supported in making the move to the new premises. The move has also created some new vacancies which have been filled by people from the local area.

Situated at unit 31 on the gated industrial park, Holdsworth’s new facility includes cold storage, warehouse space, with three dock level loading doors, offices, a yard and car parking.

Holdsworth is currently marketing for sale its premises in St James Mill Road, Northampton, which the company bought in 2000, and which includes 8,625 sq ft of buildings, plus a yard.

In recent years Holdsworth has completed an investment of more than £1 million on a new freezer and dry goods store at its Evesham depot and taken delivery of 40 new multi-temperature vehicles.

A further £1 million was invested in a new 15,000 sq ft unit in Derbyshire to cater for the company’s growing range of chilled, frozen and ambient goods which now includes a comprehensive range of fresh meat, prepared by the company’s team of skilled butchers.

A member of the British Frozen Food Federation, Holdsworth has its head office at Tideswell in Derbyshire.

Further information about the company can be found at www.holdsworth-foods.co.uk

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

Catering and Hospitality Expo for the East Midlands food and drink sector

Organisers of a trade show dedicated to the East Midlands food and drink sector say they have been bowled over by the enthusiasm of the region’s food and drink industry.

Catering and Hospitality Expo is taking place in Nottingham for the first time on September 19th and 20th.

Aimed at introducing those in the hospitality trade to new suppliers, the event is targeted at trade visitors only and is expected to feature more than 90 exhibitors.

The organisers of the event, Consortium of Events and Tourism Limited, have teamed up with regional business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum, who have helped recruit exhibitors from across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Rutland and Northamptonshire to the regional section of the show and also as general exhibitors.

“There’s been a real spark in Nottingham,” said a spokesman for the Consortium of Events and Tourism Limited. “There’s a real buzz that we haven’t seen for a while.

“We have been bowled over by the enthusiasm from local suppliers. Last time we had this much excitement was the first ever event in Blackpool, which saw over 4,000 attendees and we see no reason why Nottingham can’t exceed this. Nottingham has excelled itself and we are really looking forward to the show.

“It shows that despite the recession and tough times, hospitality is still alive and kicking in Nottingham.”

The two-day event at Nottingham Racecourse, Colwick, is expected to appeal to those who run restaurants, cafés, bars, pubs, clubs, guest houses, hotels and other hospitality and catering outlets, as well as large organisations that run canteens and provide food for staff and visitors.

It is the perfect chance for those in the catering and hospitality trade to source new ideas, products and suppliers, said Fiona Anderson, managing director of The Food and Drink Forum.

The Food and Drink Forum, which is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, and operates across the East Midlands, is managing the area that showcases regional products.

Catering and Hospitality Expo has been held at various venues around the UK over a number of years, and has attracted thousands of trade visitors from across the country, but this is the first time that it has been held in Nottingham.

Exhibitors are expected to include local and national companies, food service providers, catering companies, equipment suppliers, restaurants, hotels, hospitality organisations, top chefs, industry services and manufacturers and producers wanting to sell into the catering and hospitality sector.

Entry to the event is free for those in the food and drink industry.

Collections will be taken for the Children’s Air Ambulance.

www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk

Issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Tickets on sale for 2012 Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards

Tickets have now gone on sale for the 2012 Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards ceremony which is regarded as one of the highlights of the food and drink sector calendar in the East Midlands.

Comedian Ian Moore will be hosting this year’s ceremony, which takes place at Athena in Leicester on November 15th.

Ian, pictured, who has toured with the likes of Jack Dee and Lee Evans, made such an impact in the sell-out Britcom show at Montreal’s Just For Laughs that he was invited to headline the festival's finale.

The Innovation Awards, which are being held for the fifth year, recognise and reward the brightest ideas in the East Midlands’ food and drink sector.

Judges are now going through the award entries, with the short-listed companies and organisations expected to be announced soon.

“Over the past few years our Innovation Awards have shone the spotlight on some excellent work in the food and drink sector in the region in terms of innovation,” said Food and Drink iNet director Richard Worrall. “Innovation is a key building block to growth. We are looking forward to hearing about details of some of the latest projects, and to sharing them with the sector at the Innovation Awards ceremony in November.

“The evening is also the perfect chance to network and catch up with colleagues from across the East Midlands.”

There are four award categories this year – the Clegg Food Projects Ltd Business Growth Award, the Nottingham Trent University New Product Development Award, the Positive Impact Award, and the Collaboration Award, with the overall winner crowned the Campden BRI Innovation Champion 2012.

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 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.

For more information about the iNet visit www.foodanddrink-inet.org.uk

Tickets for the Innovation Awards cost £69.50 plus vat per person, with discounts for members of the Food and Drink Forum, and are available by contacting the events team on 0115 9758810.

Some sponsoring, table hosting and exhibiting opportunities are available for the event. Contact the events team for details.

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

Special wedding cake created by Luke Evans Bakery

Derbyshire bakery Luke Evans has designed and created its biggest wedding cake so far this year… for managing director David Yates and operations director Helen Waterfall.

The couple chose a five-tier cake as the centrepiece of their wedding reception after tying the knot at Shirland Church, near Alfreton.

The fruit cakes were decorated with a completely different intricate design on each tier by the team at Luke Evans Bakery, in Riddings, which has been baking bread and cakes for more than 200 years.

Real avalanche roses in white were placed in between the tiers.

“We were absolutely thrilled by the wedding cake,” said Helen. “Our team did a great job. They’d been feeding the cake brandy for the past four months and it was beautiful.”

The five-tier cake was the largest created by Luke Evans Bakery this year, which makes an average of four wedding cakes a month.

David and Helen, who live in Shirland, had their reception at Morley Hayes Hotel, near Derby, surrounded by family and friends after marrying on August 24th.

Luke Evans Bakery sells direct to the public from its shop in Greenhill Lane, Riddings, and also supplies around 300 trade and wholesale customers across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire, including shops, cafes, schools, delis and Pride Park - the home of Derby County Football Club.

Fully trained craft bakers operate 24 hours a day turning out breads, cakes and savoury products from farmhouse loaves and bread rolls to fresh cream éclairs and iced buns.

The bakery has been providing wedding cakes to happy couples across Derbyshire for decades.

For more information visit www.lukeevans.co.uk

Photo courtesy of Martyn Dudley Studio, Ripley.

Issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Anila’s Authentic Sauces gains Selfridges listing

Premium curry sauce producer Anila’s Authentic Sauces has won a listing in the food hall at Selfridges.

The London store is taking six curry sauces, four pickles and three chutneys from the Anila’s range.

Anila Vaghela, who runs Anila’s Authentic Sauces and is celebrating 20 years in the business during 2012, is taking part in sampling sessions at Selfridges on September 6th and 12th as a Great Taste Award winner.

She said: “I am very pleased that Anila’s Authentic Sauces has gained a place on the shelves at Selfridges with a selection of products – giving our loyal customers another place to buy from.”

Since 2005, Anila’s has won Great Taste Awards for a number of products, including its Goan Green Curry Sauce, the Spicy Mild Curry Sauce and the Spicy Korma Curry Sauce.

Most recently the firm’s Hot Mango Pickle struck gold in the 2012 Great Taste Awards by winning a gold star rating.

Regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of the fine food industry, it was the 12th Great Taste Award won by Anila’s Authentic Sauces, which is based in Walton, Surrey, with a production unit in Hounslow.

The news about Selfridges comes as Anila’s Fruity Mild Curry Sauce was short-listed in Cook Vegetarian magazine’s Veggie Awards.

Anila’s produces eight concentrated curry sauces, which are free from artificial colours, additives and preservatives, are sugar, dairy and gluten free, contain no onion or garlic, and are suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

The firm also produces a wide range of chutneys, pickles and dips which are made with single fruits and vegetables, and natural ingredients.

This year Anila’s launched a new Spicy Indian Salsa to mark 20 years since Anila sold her first curry sauce at a local fair in Surrey.

Anila’s Authentic Sauces supplies hundreds of outlets that include speciality food halls, garden centres, delis, farm shops, gift shops and also health stores.

The firm also sells direct to the public at farmers’ markets and at food shows and festivals as well as online via www.anilassauces.com

Products are on sale at places like Harrods, Selfridges, John Lewis Oxford Street and Bluewater, Chatsworth Farm Shop, and Booths in Penrith and Manchester.

Visit www.anilassauces.com for more information.

Issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk