Ready to roll….Derbyshire MP visits Luke Evans Bakery following investment

MP Nigel Mills visits Luke Evans Bakery in Derbyshire

East Midlands bakery Luke Evans has invested £75,000 in new equipment which will allow it to produce up to 9,000 bread rolls per hour.

The new machine gives the Derbyshire family run bakery an extra 50% capacity for roll making and has been purchased in response to increased demand.

Amber Valley MP Nigel Mills recently toured the bakery at Riddings, near Alfreton, to find out more about one of the oldest family run bakeries in the country and to meet some of the 50-strong workforce at Luke Evans, which was founded more than 200 years ago.

Managing director David Yates said: “We gave him a full tour of the bakery, where he was able to talk to the bakers, and see what was involved. We were busy with the bread production, and he watched and asked questions about the various different processes and types of breads the bakers were making.

“It gave us the chance to highlight our latest investment – an Oddy Novatek roll plant which has replaced the Original Oddy we first purchased 22 years ago. The machines, manufactured just outside Leeds, are known in the industry for their incredible strength and durability, and even though it’s 22 years old, I have had numerous customers trying to buy my retired machine. 

“The new equipment is very similar in its design to the original one, but has been upgraded from a two-pocket to a three-pocket machine. This gives us the capacity to produce up to 9,000 bread rolls per hour. The other big advantage is that this new machine will mould all sizes of finger rolls which gives us greater consistency and is less labour intensive. Previously we hand rolled all of our finger rolls. 

“I’m also pleased to be able to buy British, as there is very little bakery machinery still manufactured in the UK.”

Luke Evans sells direct to the public from its shop in Greenhill Lane, Riddings, as well as supplying around 300 trade and wholesale customers across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire, including shops, cafés, schools, and delis. 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 company, founded in 1804 by Henry Evans who named it after his brother Luke, has also recently appointed a new management structure. 

“We are very excited because we have been able to promote largely from our own team,” said Operations Director, Helen Yates. “Jon Booth, our new bakery manager and Paul Booth, our new night shift assistant manager, have both been with us since joining our delivery team straight from school. Phil Knowles has remained in the role of bakery night shift manager and Nick Woodcock, our only external recruit, brings fresh ideas from his previous role at Morrisons, to his new role as assistant manager.” 

A forward-thinking business, while still being loyal to its 200-year-old heritage, the team is passionate about supporting the future of the craft-baking industry.

Luke Evans Bakery operations director Helen Yates has been involved, along with other craft and plant bakeries across the country, in developing Trailblazer Apprenticeships for the bakery industry alongside the National Skills Academy for Food & Drink.

Speaking of his visit, Conservative MP Nigel Mills said: “I was delighted to recently visit Luke Evans at their base in Riddings to meet the team and see the various production stages of their high quality handmade products. Family run businesses like this are the heart of our economy, and Luke Evans is a great example of a fantastic local employer. Having seen their new machinery and tasted their outstanding products, I have no doubt they will continue to thrive and develop.’’

During the course of the visit, David and Helen Yates discussed with him their views on supporting local and small businesses, and how they encourage customers and stockists alike to support local producers.

“We were very pleased to host a visit from our MP Nigel Mills, as it gave us the chance to demonstrate what goes on at one of the region’s oldest family run craft bakeries in the East Midlands at a time when Luke Evans is continuing to invest and develop,” added David Yates.

For more information, visit www.lukeevans.co.uk

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

East Midlands family butcher takes England’s best sirloin steak crown

Family butcher Owen Taylor & Sons Ltd has been named as the producer of the best sirloin steak in England. 

The company, based at Leabrooks near Alfreton, triumphed at the EBLEX Quality Standard Mark Excellence Awards 2015. 

Richard Taylor, managing director at Owen Taylor & Sons Ltd, said: “This is a magnificent moment for us and our customers. We know we produce some of the finest steaks around, which come from quality animals from assured farms. Our sirloin steaks are well-matured and deliver fantastic flavour – and they are now officially the best in the country! 

“Not only is this great news for Owen Taylor & Sons Ltd, it is also great news for our customers too. Our customers who buy from our shop know they are getting the best sirloin steak in England, and our catering customers, such as restaurants and hotels, can be confident that they are serving their customers with a top steak.” 

The awards are the latest in a long line of accolades presented to Owen Taylor & Sons Ltd, based at Leabrooks, near Alfreton. The company, butchers since 1922, supplies retail and catering customers across the East Midlands, along with many of the region’s top restaurants and hotels, including Harts Restaurant, the Michelin-starred Restaurant Sat Bains and the award-winning Morley Hayes hotel and restaurant in Derbyshire. 

The vast majority of its beef, pork and lamb is sourced from farms in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, with additional livestock sourced from neighbouring areas such as Staffordshire, South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Rutland to satisfy customer demand.  

The company has a number of titles to its name, but being hailed as the producer of the best sirloin steak in England is a huge accolade, said Richard Taylor, the grandson of the founder of the business. 

“These awards are a fantastic recognition of the hard work and dedication that goes into producing our meat; from the farmers to our on-site team of butchers and bakers. We constantly strive to create the very best products for all our customers to enjoy and are delighted to be able to prove that this is the case – not just locally but nationwide too,” he added. 

The ‘Larder Trim Sirloin Steak’ from Owen Taylor & Sons was one of nine shortlisted products in the ‘Best Sirloin Steak’ competition, picked after two tense rounds of judging. Three finalists from each of the competition’s three categories – Independent Butcher, Multiple Retailer and Foodservice Operator – were then invited to a special awards ceremony in London when the category winners – and the Overall Winner were unveiled. 

After winning the ‘Independent Butcher Category’, Owen Taylor & Sons Ltd went on to be crowned ‘Overall Champion’ and purveyor of England’s Best Sirloin Steak. 

Owen Taylor & Sons Ltd also claimed the category winner title in the ‘Added Value Steaks’ section of the ‘England’s Best Innovative Steak’ competition with a ‘Denver Fire Steak’. Furthermore, their ‘12-Inch Steak and Stilton Pie’ was highly commended in the foodservice category of ‘England’s Best Steak Pie’. 

Competition organiser and foodservice project manager for EBLEX, Hugh Judd, said: “Often described as the ‘king of steaks’ the sirloin is a prime cut that has wonderful taste and texture. But there is a lot riding on both the butchery techniques and quality of the animal to produce the very best examples. Owen Taylor & Sons Ltd has the ideal processes in place and go to extraordinary lengths to get their sirloin steaks right each time. That is why they were chosen as Champions.”

For more details visit www.owentaylor.co.uk

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

New oven and prover as Luke Evans Bakery in Derbyshire continues to invest for the future

Derbyshire’s Luke Evans Bakery has invested £36,000 in new equipment as part of its on-going modernisation programme.

In a deal with Manchester-based, commercial bakery supplier Tom Chandley, a new 24-tray electric deck oven and a separate multi-rack proving unit have been installed at Luke Evans Bakery’s base in Riddings, near Alfreton.

The oven, which has the capacity to bake more than 260 standard loaves in about 40 minutes, sits alongside a similar oven installed five years ago and replaces another Tom Chandley Oven first installed in 1981.

Proprietor David Yates said: “The new oven and prover were bought as a package from Tom Chandley’s, with the provers being built on site by a company called Proven Limited.

“We are delighted to trade with a company like Tom Chandley, both by investing in our own country’s manufacturing industry, and by trading with a company with a rich pedigree in the bakery industry. Tom Chandley has been producing bakery ovens for more than 60 years.

“The increased capacity of the new provers, and the efficiencies gained by using more technically advanced ovens with improved insulation, will enable us to produce a more consistent product with a more even bake, to help us to demonstrate to our consumers the increasing advantages of buying traditional bakery products from their local craft baker.

“Obviously it is important for craft bakers like Luke Evans Bakery, which concentrates on craft baking, to strive for greater efficiency by improving products and productivity. This will enable us to share the advantages of these improvements with our stockists and our consumers.”

The acquisition of the bakery equipment follows investment in the office-based side of the business earlier in the year.

Set up in 1804, Luke Evans Bakery can call on eight generations of Evans family baking experience. Mr Yates’ daughter Sarah, 19, joined the business last year.

While proud of its heritage, Luke Evans is also embracing the future with a new website, online marketing tools and a bakery management software package together with the supporting hardware to drive it.

Luke Evans Bakery employs 50 staff and 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.

Craft bakers work a shift pattern across 24 hours at its base in Green Hill Lane, Riddings, producing breads, cakes and savoury products. They also produce custom-made cakes for weddings, anniversaries and other special occasions.

Earlier this year, Mr Yates became a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Bakers, one of the oldest guilds in the City of London.

The Company of Bakers has more than 350 members and many are master bakers or work in allied trades. It provides scholarships and prizes for young people in the baking industry and is committed to upholding the traditions and history of baking.

www.lukeevans.co.uk

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

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

Nottingham-based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Sherwood Truck & Van reveals employees of the quarter

Commercial vehicle group Sherwood Truck & Van Ltd has named its latest employees of the quarter from its branches across the East Midlands, South Yorkshire and Staffordshire.

Dawn Bradshaw, dealership administrator at the company’s Sheffield site, Jez Moxon, workshop controller in Nottingham, Stoke-based parts salesman Kevin Merry, and finance administrator, marketing executive and PA to the managing director, Vicki Bird, based in Blackwell, near Alfreton, are each £100 better off thanks to the incentive scheme.

“It’s always a real pleasure to reward staff for their hard work and commitment,” said Helen Waterfall, managing director of Sherwood Truck & Van, which is based at Blackwell, near Alfreton, Derbyshire, and has branches at Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, at Lenton, Nottingham, and in Highfield Lane, Sheffield.

“Their efforts will ensure we maintain our competitive edge and continue to offer the best possible service for customers across all our sites.”

Sherwood is a leading supplier of new and used commercial vehicles, established in 1978. The company also maintains, services and repairs commercial vehicles across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire and most of Cheshire.

It is now best known as a dealership for Iveco trucks and vans – the second largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in Europe.

Sherwood prides itself on its service pedigree with a stock holding of more than 15,000 lines, a fully equipped accident repair centre and 24-hour roadside support.

www.sherwoodtruckandvan.com

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