Snack brand Salty Dog launches new popcorn products

Salty Dog popcorn

Cool snack brand Salty Dog has unveiled two new popcorn products as the appetite for popcorn snacks continues to rise.

The Salty Dog popcorn comes in two flavours – sea salt and sweet & salty - and has been designed for both retail and hospitality.

With eye-catching packaging and fitting neatly into vending machines, the popcorn is vegan friendly and already has listings with wholesalers around the country. It’s perfect for pubs, bars, cafés and food-to-go venues, as well as ideal for retailers and independent stores.

The popcorn is the latest new snack to emerge from the Salty Dog stable and follows Darling Corn, which has also recently been unveiled in bright new packaging. The roasted corn kernels are available in three different flavours in 18g size – sea salt, smoked and barbecue – and three different flavours in 40g pack size – sea salt, barbecue and jalapeño.

Offering a good source of fibre, low in calories, free from any of the common allergens, and licensed by Coeliac UK as being gluten free, the roasted corn kernels are part of the Darling Spuds brand of Salty Dog.

Judy Willis, who runs Salty Dog and Darling Spuds with husband Dave Willis, said: “The appetite for tasty premium snacks remains high and we are delighted to unveil our new Salty Dog popcorn products, which follow the recent repackaging of our Darling Corn snacks.

“Popcorn is one of the grocery sector’s fastest growing product and the popcorn market is said to have doubled in value since 2013.”

Launched in 2003, Salty Dog is well known for its cool crisps, nibbly nuts and other snacks. Sister brand Darling Spuds followed in 2010, with hand-cooked crisps and roasted corn kernels.

Recommended retail price for the new popcorn is £1 per pack and for the corn is £1 for the 40g packs and 50p for the 18g packs.

Both ranges are available from Chiltern Snacks - telephone 01494 776006 or visit www.chilternsnacks.co.uk

For more information visit www.saltydog-grrr.com or www.darlingspuds.co.uk

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

Frozen food distributor Central Foods gains key industry accreditation

Alison and Gordon Lauder of Central Foods

Frozen food distributor Central Foods has been awarded the BRC Standard for Agents and Brokers. 

The Northamptonshire-based company, which supplies a wide range of frozen food to wholesalers and caterers across the UK and for export, worked closely with its suppliers to achieve the accreditation.

BRC Global Standards is a leading safety and quality certification programme, used by more than 23,000 certificated suppliers in 123 countries. The Standard for Agents and Brokers gives essential certification for companies that provide purchase, importation or product distribution services in the food and packaging supply chain.

Central Foods managing director Gordon Lauder said: “This Global Standard is designed to reflect best practice on product safety, quality and operations, and it is great news that it has been awarded to Central Foods. It’s a ringing endorsement of the standards provided by the company and clients. 

“In essence, it reinforces confidence in the quality and safety of the food supplied by the company to our many customers throughout the UK and for export. As a frozen food distributor, we place great emphasis on quality and provenance.”

Central Foods, which is based at Collingtree near Northampton, supplies more than 220 independent wholesalers, as well as larger national and regional wholesalers. It also supplies to foodservice caterers across the entire foodservice industry, including pubs, hotels, restaurants, staff canteens, schools, hospitals, coffee shops, football grounds and universities.

Offering a one-stop shop to the foodservice sector, it sources products from around the world and the UK, supplying more than 400 different lines, ranging from meat, bakery items and canapés through to buffet products, desserts and puddings.

Central Foods has been regularly named in the annual Grant Thornton Northamptonshire Ltd report which highlights the growth of the top 100 privately owned businesses in Northamptonshire, and was ranked as one of the 200 fastest growing companies in the East Midlands in the 2015 Grant Thornton and CBI report, the most recent available, which highlighted growing organisations. 

The company is marking its 21^st anniversary in 2017.

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

Gruntled Pork Crackling snack launched by Salty Dog Brands

A new premium pork crackling snack has been added to the Salty Dog and Darling Spuds stable, with the launch of Gruntled Pork Crackling.

Available in three flavours, Cornish Sea Salt, Habanero and English Mustard, the snack is aimed at pubs, bars, hotels, cafés and other hospitality outlets, as well as delis, farm shops and other retailers and has already been snapped up by fine food and drink retailer Booths.

The pork crackling is double cooked, so it is lighter and easier to eat than traditional pork scratchings, and the brand is entirely gluten and MSG-free across all flavours. It is currently available in 40g bags.

The Gruntled brand has been created by Dave Willis, who co-founded cool crisps, nibbly nuts and gourmet popcorn brand Salty Dog in 2003 and feisty flavoured crisps and toasted corn kernels brand Darling Spuds in 2010 along with wife Judy. 

His latest venture brings a new range of snacks to the market, but with the pedigree of the Salty Dog and Darling Spuds brand behind him.

“The alternative snacks market continues to grow, with flavour and indulgence two of the key drivers of consumer demand, and the new Gruntled brand has bags of both,” said Dave. “Pork scratchings have always been a guilty pleasure of mine, so I thought to myself “why be guilty? What can we change?”. 

“Now I am exceedingly proud to introduce Gruntled to an unsuspecting world! We’ve taken the finest pork, cooked it twice, which makes it lighter and less tooth breaking than traditional scratchings. We’ve then seasoned it with completely natural flavours, making sure that there’s nothing unsavoury like gluten or MSG inside.”

Gruntled Pork Crackling is available from Chiltern Snacks - telephone 01494 776006 or visit www.chilternsnacks.co.uk. Minimum order is usually £60, but for retailers a special introductory offer of three cases – one of each flavour and each containing 20 packs - for the price of two is available until 30^th June 2016. A case of mixed flavours is also available for a limited period.

Gruntled snacks are being offered in display cases of 20 bags, or the same display case of 20 with a loose clip strip inside, or in larger volumes for bigger operators.

The RRP for 40g bags is 90p. Visit www.getgruntled.co.uk for more details.

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

Launch of luxury top loader hot dog roll for caterers by bakery specialist Butt Foods Ltd

A new premium hot dog roll has been launched by Butt Foods Ltd to help caterers take advantage of one of the fastest-growing menu trends in the UK.

The seven inch luxury, top-sliced roll is aimed at restaurants, pub chains and event caterers who offer gourmet sausages as hot dogs.

According to a Horizons Menurama survey in the summer, hot dogs have become one of the most popular items on the menu and are now in the top 20 most frequently listed main course dishes, edging out scampi and chips from its top 20 placing.

The hospitality consultancy revealed that hot dogs, with a gourmet twist, are now featured on 85% more menus than they were last year.

The egg-glazed hot dog roll developed by bakery specialist Butt Foods is baked individually rather than batch baked, which means there’s no join mark, and each roll is quick frozen to retain freshness.

Simply thaw and serve the fully baked item…adding gourmet sausages and toppings to create a first-class meal.

“The toploader hot dog roll has been developed to help caterers take advantage of the growing trend towards ‘haute dogs’, which are proving to be a popular choice for consumers,” said Butt Foods Ltd managing director David Williams.

“A number of national chains now include gourmet hot dogs on their menus, and our new hot dog roll provides the perfect bread for the job. They are ideal for gourmet event caterers who are looking to make the most of their offer, as well as restaurants, pub chains and other hospitality outlets.”

Available in two flavours, classic and brioche, the big softy toploader hot dog roll is one of a range of bakery products, including naan breads, flat breads and fruit breads, supplied by Butt Foods.

Based in Nottingham, the firm was established in 1990 and now bakes up to 60 million products per year for European foodservice and manufacturing markets.

For more information visit www.buttfoods.co.uk

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

Plans unveiled for new social venue in Loughborough

Leicestershire-based independent pub group The Orange Tree has unveiled plans for its latest venue at the site of the former Newshouse in Bedford Square, Loughborough.

The team plans to rename the late-night bar, and hopes to create a nightspot which will boost the local area and bring something unique to the social life of Loughborough.

The proposals include adding a leafy roof-top terrace, introducing the feeling of more height to the ground floor by extending windows on the front of the property, and creating an area on the first floor which has a cosy feel.

They also plan to reinstate original features such as fire places and old oak beams, as well as reclaimed panelling.

Plans have just been submitted to Charnwood Borough Council for the scheme, which is expected to cost more than £¼ million.

“We opened The Orange Tree in Loughborough in 1998, and as an independent operator with strong roots in the town, we are aiming to put together a special ambience that enhances the current night life of Loughborough,” said Gareth Smith, managing director of The Orange Tree Group.

“We’ve worked hard to put together proposals which we hope will be well received. We are planning to create three different areas in the venue, which will include dancing downstairs, chilled and relaxed, cosy house-type rooms upstairs and a leafy roof terrace.

“We will be using a mix of modern and old materials to give an intimate, yet striking style.

“We’ve noticed a lot of fantastic bars cropping up in and around London and they have a style that’s reminiscent of the speakeasy bars of the American ‘20s, but they offer both great cocktails and fun dancing, and this has been really inspirational to us when trying to create this bar.

“The idea is that the bar will be a late-night venue, opening a certain number of nights a week. If all goes well, we hope to be open by November 2012.”

Gareth is involved with the Loughborough Retail Initiative in the Wards End area, and hopes that this new unique offer will help to keep the area alive and popular.

The three-storey building was previously a nightspot, and before that a newsagents. It’s planned that it will be given a new name, as well as a new image.

“We are aiming to appeal to an eclectic mix of people who take pleasure from our quirky style and décor, and people who enjoy a high-quality drinks offer and service,” added Gareth.

The existing ground-floor layout is likely to remain, but will be opened up slightly to create more space. Cosy booths are due to be added, with a DJ and dancing area to the back of the room.

The group opened The Orange Tree in Loughborough in 1998, a year after launching The Orange Tree in Leicester. This was followed by the O Bar in Leicester in 2001. The group’s Orange Tree in Nottingham opened in October 2003, followed by The Lansdowne in Leicester in December 2004. Last year it took over and refurbished The Basement in Leicester – its first late-night venue.

The independent pub group was founded by Ben Hings and Gareth Smith in October 1997.

www.orangetree.co.uk

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