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

Cherry on the cake for specialist baker Butt Foods on winning award

David Williams of Butt Foods and David Ratcliffe of Brakes

A quarter of a century of supplying a leading food wholesaler with bread has been topped for specialist baker Butt Foods after the company was awarded the title of Desserts and Bakery Supplier of the Year at the Brakes Supplier Conference.

The Nottingham-based company, which supplies flatbread, naans, sub rolls and other speciality breads to the food service sector, received the award from Brakes Group for a range of reasons, including 100% level of supply, stock and logistics innovation, market leading insight and new product development, as well as being praised for having a helpful team.

“Pardon the pun, but it really was the cherry on the cake to receive the award from Brakes, a wholesale company that we have had links with for almost the entire history of Butt Foods and who source from more than 2,000 suppliers,” said Butt Foods managing director David Williams.

“Our company was founded in 1990, and the following year began supplying naan breads to Brakes – dealing with the original founding Brake family. The business relationship has continued since then, as both companies have developed, and we are thrilled to have been named the Desserts and Bakery Supplier of the Year at the Brakes Supplier Conference.”

Family owned Butt Foods, which prides itself on keeping abreast of trends and developing new products to satisfy consumer demand in a fast-paced industry, produces hand-finished frozen sweet and savoury bakery items, used by a range of outlets from restaurants and hotels to pubs and cafés.  

Brakes is the UK’s biggest food distributor, and also supplies to Ireland, France and Sweden. The group sources and supplies a range of more than 50,000 fresh, ambient, chilled and frozen foods, including more than 4,000 own-brand products and a wide range of non-foods.

Butt Foods is one of more than 2,000 suppliers from around the world that the group deals with.

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

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

Butt Foods’ office manager Kelly Beard an award finalist

Kelly Beard of Butt Foods

The office manager of specialist baker Butt Foods, Kelly Beard, has been shortlisted as a finalist in the manufacturing category of the Nottingham Post Women in Business Awards 2016.

Kelly, who has been with Butt Foods since joining as an administrative assistant 15 years ago, will join other finalists at a glittering ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nottingham on 23^rd November.

"Our independent judging panel had a tremendous task of shortlisting the finalists, so truly well done,” said Richard Edwards, Nottingham Post events and exhibitions co-ordinator.

The whole team at Butt Foods is delighted to learn of Kelly’s success, said MD David Williams.

“Kelly works at the heart of the business, and is regarded as a lynchpin for the company. She’s risen to all the challenges that have come our way, supporting her colleagues as best she can through the more difficult times in the past, as well as during the good times, and we are very proud that she’s been named as a finalist in these awards,” he added.

Kelly said: “I was very surprised and humbled to have been shortlisted in the Women in Business Awards, but delighted to have been given the chance to highlight the opportunities available for women in the manufacturing sector which is still a male-dominated sector.

“I’m proud of our products, proud of our dedicated and talented workforce and proud to be shortlisted, and I see this nomination and shortlisting very much as an endorsement of the whole team at Butt Foods.”

The Nottingham-based company produces a range of flatbreads, naans, sub rolls and other bakery products for the UK’s food service sector, available through Central Foods. Earlier this year the company was shortlisted in the Nottingham Post Business Awards.

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

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

Leading role for Butt Foods in food and drink sector productivity report

East Midlands-based bakery Butt Foods has played a key role in a major project designed to help plug the skills gap facing the food and drink sector.

The Nottingham company joined the likes of big brands Mars and Premier Foods to take part in the project carried out by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) and the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink.

The food and drink sector has a strong record on productivity growth, outstripping overall UK productivity and many global competitors. But food and drink manufacturing is facing skills gaps in key technical and scientific areas, and an ageing workforce, with 130,000 new employees needed by 2024. 

Now food and drink business leaders, including Butt Foods managing director David Williams, have come together to take steps to ensure that productivity gains are sustained and they can recruit and retain the next generation of food engineers, scientists and leaders.  

They have pinpointed a number of priorities, including increasing the quantity and quality of apprenticeships, improving engagement with schools and the collaboration between the sector and higher and further education, and showcasing the exciting career opportunities on offer in the industry.

Butt Foods managing director David Williams said: “The food and drink sector is a stimulating and interesting sector to work in, and, as a company, Butt Foods was honoured to play a role in this project which is helping to ensure that productivity in the industry is boosted. I have worked over the last six months with FDF president Dame Fiona Kendrick and the panel representing smaller companies and identifying what is holding them back from being more productive.

“I worked alongside organisations like Nestlé, Mars, Premier Foods, Mondelez and apetito to share our experiences of improving efficiency through cultural changes and suggested ways in which the skills gap could be plugged.

“Food and drink manufacturing productivity grew by 11% over the last five years compared to 0.5% for the whole economy, but food and drink manufacturing is facing a talent shortage with over a third of its workforce due to retire by 2024 and insufficient skilled candidates to fill these roles.”

Butt Foods is based at Lenton Industrial Estate, Nottingham, and supplies a range of naans, flatbreads, sub rolls and other speciality breads to the food service sector. The firm, which recently celebrated its 25^th year in business, increased its turnover from £1.6m in 2012 to £4.5m last year, as well as doubling its staff during the same period to about 65 people.As a result of the collaboration, the Food and Drink Federation has released a report, Unlocking Talent -  The Key to Driving Food and Drink Productivity, and has developed a three to five-year plan for business-led action to deliver a real step change in skills and talent within the UK food and drink manufacturing sector.

FDF will work in partnership with Government, the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink, the National Centre for Universities and Business, the Careers and Enterprise Company and other partners to deliver the action plan with industry.

For more information visit http://www.buttfoods.co.uk

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

Milestone celebration for Nottingham bakery Butt Foods

Left to right, Mazhar Butt, Abdul Jabbar Khan and David Williams

Specialist baker Butt Foods has marked 25 years in business with a celebration for staff, as well as the launch of a new brand.

The Nottingham-based business, which supplies a range of naan breads, flatbreads and sub rolls to the food service sector across the UK, has unveiled a new Baked Earth brand. It has also launched a new website which offers serving ideas for chefs and a special section for operators to subscribe to which will give insights into the latest bakery and food trends.

Butt Foods was founded by Mazhar Butt, who opened one of Nottingham’s first Asian restaurants in the 1970s. The idea for a bakery came after a customer failed to show up to collect a special order of naan breads and the young Mazhar found himself with more freshly-baked naan than he knew what to do with.

After wrapping them and putting them on the counter of his shop, they sold ‘like hot cakes’ and the next day customers were back for more after hearing just how good the naan were. 

More than 25 years later and having introduced authentic frozen naan to the foodservice market in 1991, Butt Foods is now one of the largest naan bread suppliers in Europe and also produces a range of other speciality breads from its modern bakery at The Midway on Lenton Industrial Estate. 

To mark the milestone, Mazhar Butt and his senior team hosted a party for staff at the Mogal-E-Azam restaurant in Nottingham, where Mazhar thanked the team and paid tribute to those who had helped him with investment in the early days of the business.

Managing director David Williams, who joined Butt Foods in January 1991, just after it launched, said: “It was a great evening and the chance to reflect on how Butt Foods has grown from small beginnings into one of the UK’s premier suppliers of flatbreads and other bakery products.

“The company owes much to the loyalty and skills of our team, and it was very fitting that Butt Foods’ 25^th birthday should be celebrated with a party for employees. We’re also delighted to unveil our latest brand of craft-baked flatbreads, Baked Earth, which are pretty special, and our new website which offers hints and tips on ways to use our breads, as well as an area for chefs to subscribe to for free and where they will receive key information about trends in the food service sector.”

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

Among the guests at the 25^th birthday celebrations was production manager Abdul Jabbar Khan – the longest serving employee after David Williams - who joined the business in 1992. Many other members of the team have been with the company for several years too, added David.

Each employee was given an engraved pen as a gift to mark the occasion.

For more information about Butt Foods, 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  

Bakery specialist Butt Foods reaps the benefits of being more environmentally friendly

Bakery specialist Butt Foods Ltd has cut its landfill waste by two thirds, significantly reduced its food miles and introduced energy-saving measures at its Nottingham bakery.

Three years ago the company, which produces a range of bakery products for the UK and European foodservice and manufacturing markets, began looking at ways of reducing its carbon footprint.

After implementing a series of changes, the company – and its customers – are now reaping the benefits.

The move has saved the company £5,000 a year in landfill waste costs alone, cut the number of lorry journeys made in the past two years to deliver naan breads by 58, and has allowed the firm to become more competitive, more efficient and more environmentally friendly, said managing director David Williams.

“We are really proud that we’ve been able to reduce our environmental impact,” he said. “Not only is this good news for our carbon footprint and the environment in general, it’s also good news for our customers because we are operating more efficiently.”

He was inspired to look into ways of reducing waste partly by his son Harrison, now ten.

“He would come home from school and tell me to separate our home waste and behave responsibly as far as the environment is concerned, and when I looked around I realised there was more we could do at our manufacturing unit,” added David.

Butt Foods, which bakes a range of products, including naan breads, flat breads, top loader hot dog rolls, sub rolls, canapé bases and fruit breads, introduced a number of measures to reduce waste and become more efficient. This included:

•  Creating different waste collection points in the bakery and training staff to separate for recycling
• Asking suppliers to alter the way they packaged ingredients by putting them in recyclable containers
• Redesigning the firm’s own packaging to increase the number of items that could fit onto each pallet

The firm, which was established in 1990, and now bakes up to 60 million products per year at its manufacturing unit in The Midway, Lenton Industrial Estate, Nottingham, also installed environmentally friendly compressors onto its blast freezer, which has led to a drop in the amount of electricity the company uses. 

“We blast freeze our products immediately after baking to maintain freshness, and by installing the latest units and replacing older, less efficient, technology we have been able to reduce the energy use of the equipment by 44%,” added David.

The business has cut the amount it sends to landfill from three skips to one skip per week.

Over the past two years, on one line alone, Butt Foods has significantly reduced the number of lorry load deliveries as a result of more efficient packaging and packing on each pallet. Figures show it has been able to send out 1,500 fewer pallets of naan breads, which has resulted in 58 fewer lorry loads, even though overall sales of naan breads have risen 30% in the last three years.

“Not only has it reduced food miles and saved on transport and fuel costs, there have also been associated savings, such as boxes being smaller, using less tape and polythene in bags, and of course there has been less space required for storage here and at our customers’ premises, which is harder to define,” said David.

“Our experience is an illustration of what can be achieved when a company sets out to make itself more environmentally friendly and less wasteful. I am very pleased that the whole team at Butt Foods got behind our efforts. They should be justifiably proud of the results, which show that it’s virtually always possible to become more efficient without compromising on quality or customer service.

“We are also grateful to our ingredients suppliers and to refrigeration engineers Transcool (UK) Ltd who helped us achieve our aims.”

Now the company is switching its attention to making its products more healthy by turning the spotlight on reformulation.

For more information visit www.buttfoods.co.uk

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

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.

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

Bakery innovator Butt Foods launches first tiger panini breads at Lunch! 2010

A new range of panini breads with real bite is being launched by bakery innovator Butt Foods Ltd at contemporary food trade show Lunch! 2010.

The tiger paninis, which come in three flavours, are believed to be the first tiger paninis created for the food service market.

The three products in the range – tiger panini, chilli tiger panini and Italian style tiger panini – are being unveiled for the first time to trade customers at the show, which runs from 30th September to 1st October at Old Billingsgate, London.

Aimed at sandwich manufacturers, cafés and coffee shops, pub chains, retail bakers, in-store restaurants and food service wholesalers, they have been designed to meet the increasing demands from customers for interesting snacks and alternative panini breads.

At the same time, Butt Foods is also unveiling sliced versions of its popular Big Softy range of sub rolls, which went on sale earlier this year and which have seen tremendous growth. Baked in foot-long moulds and also available in 8 inch sizes, the sub roll is available in five flavours - plain white, plain brown, semolina topped white, honey and oats topped brown, and cheese and herb topped white.

“We are excited to be launching our new tiger panini bread range at Lunch! 2010,” said Butt Foods sales and marketing director David Williams.

“It is estimated that there are around 52 million paninis sold every year in UK coffee shops alone. Add the number sold in sandwich shops and pubs, and it’s possible that more than 75 million paninis are served up every year.

“This market is forecast to grow 30% between 2009 and 2012, so we see tremendous potential for Butt Foods’ new tiger panini range, which brings an exciting twist to the panini breads currently available for the food service market. Not only does the tiger panini look distinctive when compared to traditional plain panini breads, we have created a range that can be used for different eating occasions.

“Both tiger breads and paninis have proven appeal with customers, so by combining the two we believe we have a product that should go down really well. ”

The three flavours available are:


• Tiger panini – with rice flour crust

• Chilli tiger panini - chilli and paprika crust, and known as ‘the tiger with bite!’

• Italian style tiger - Italian hard cheese and herb crust


Tiger bread originates from The Netherlands, and was introduced to the UK around 2005. Tiger bread, tiger loaf or Dutch crunch is made with a pattern baked into the top created by painting rice paste onto the surface of the dough before baking. The paste dries and cracks during baking, creating a two-colour effect similar to a tiger's markings. The rice paste crust also gives the bread a distinctive flavour – creating a tasty product with a crusty exterior that’s soft inside.

Butt Foods’ new tiger paninis are pre-sliced for efficiency, are frozen and are conveniently packed in re-sealable bags of eight. As well as being suitable for panini machines, they can also be filled and reheated in an oven in just 6 minutes.

Based in Nottingham, Butt Foods produces up to 60 million products a year to food service and other sectors.

Visit http://www.buttfoods.co.uk/

Nottingham bread manufacturer Butt Foods launches new sub roll range after support from the Food and Drink iNet

A Nottingham bread manufacturer celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2010 has launched a new range of products after receiving support from the Food and Drink iNet.


Butt Foods Ltd received support worth £3,800 from the iNet to develop five flavours in its new Big Softy sub roll range. This also enabled the firm to develop interactive marketing materials to support the sale of the Big Softy sub rolls into the food service, sandwich manufacturer, and retail markets.

The range has been such a success that the firm is poised to launch Big Softy sub rolls in sliced versions at London contemporary food trade exhibition Lunch! 2010 at the end of September.

“The Big Softy sub rolls have been a great success from day one of their launch – our sales have shown 50% quarter on quarter growth,” said Butt Foods sales and marketing director David Williams.

“As bakery innovators, we are always looking to lead the way and be up there with any trend, and there is currently a huge demand from universities, colleges, hospitals, leisure centres, cafés and other similar outlets for sub rolls.

“The Food and Drink iNet support helped us to develop five flavours of the Big Softy and also gave us assistance with interactive marketing, which means we can add downloadable recipes and information to our website that will give our customers ideas about how they can use the sub rolls. The Food and Drink iNet has been a big help to us as we open the latest chapter in the life of Butt Foods, which is this year marking its 20th anniversary.”

Butt Foods, which is based in Nottingham, received £3,800 worth of Innovation, Advice and Guidance support from the iNet. The company matched this support with its own investment.

The iNet helps food and drink firms engage expertise from academia, research institutions and specialist business advice for innovation projects to develop new ideas, new products, new processes and to help companies grow. 50% of the equivalent cash value of the support must be contributed by the company.

Funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and 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. One of four iNets, it strives to develop 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 & Drink Forum and including 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.

For more information visit www.eminnovation.org.uk/food

Founded in 1990 by Mazhar Butt, Butt Foods Ltd produces a wide range of speciality bakery products for food service, retail and catering. It bakes up to 60 million products every year at its purpose-built manufacturing unit.

The business has brought a number of firsts to the table, including flat breads and bread bowls. Its latest innovation, the Big Softy, is available in plain white, plain brown, semolina topped white, honey and oats topped brown, and cheese and herb topped white. Baked in foot-long moulds or as 8 inch sub rolls, the range is available nationally through distributors.

National distribution network for bakery innovators Butt Foods Ltd

Bakery innovators Butt Foods Ltd now has a national distribution network that runs from Land’s End to John O’Groats.


The Nottingham-based company, which produces a range of different bakery products including its new Big Softy sub roll range, Breadies bread bowls and Mazhar ethnic breads, has joined forces with a number of distribution wholesalers.

The final links in the chain were added after Butt Foods Ltd reported big success at this year’s Food and Drink Expo.

“We had a great Food and Drink Expo 2010, with tremendous interest in our existing products and also in our ability to innovate and create new products for the market,” said Ray Belcher, sales executive at Butt Foods Ltd.

“Demand for our new Big Softy sub roll range has grown at an extremely fast pace, reflecting the popularity of soft sub rolls with consumers. It’s shown 50% quarter on quarter growth. We are delighted that the Big Softy sub roll range and our other products are now available to virtually all food service operators, wherever they are in the UK.”

Butt Foods Ltd, which distributes through a national network of wholesale distributors to many thousands of pubs, sandwich bars, cafés, universities and other outlets, offers its Big Softy sub roll range in boxes of 30, with each box containing six bags of five fully-baked, frozen sub rolls to cater for operators of all sizes.

Baked in foot-long moulds and also available in 8 inch sizes, the Big Softy sub roll is available in five flavours - plain white, plain brown, semolina topped white, honey and oats topped brown, and cheese and herb topped white.

Major distributors of Butts Foods products are: JJ Foodservice, Hopwells Foodservice, Castell Howell Foods, Windsor Foodservice Ltd, Lomond Foods, Pioneer Foodservice, Hunts Foodservice, Phillip Dennis Foodservice, Lynas Foodservice, Ewood Foods, Holdsworth Foods, Reids Foodservice Ltd and Leacroft Foodservice Ltd.

Butt Foods Ltd was founded in 1990 and has won a number of awards for its products, including one at IFE07 (the International Food and Drink Event) and a Home Grown Cereals Authority Enterprise Award for its bread bowl in 2005.

For more information visit http://www.buttfoods.co.uk/