Food and Drink iNet (Innovation Network) helps East Midlands producers showcase at Borough Market

The Food and Drink iNet (Innovation Network) is flying the flag for East Midlands produce this week at London’s famous Borough Market.

The organisation is showcasing food and drink produced by 15 firms from across the region in the capital on Thursday, Friday and Saturday July 21st, 22nd and 23rd.

The move is part of a pilot project designed to look at how firms can collaborate by working together to achieve goals that wouldn’t be possible on their own. If successful, it could lead to a more regular presence for East Midlands products at the market in south east London, which specialises in quality food with provenance.

“Borough Market is a world-famous market, renowned for its food and drink stalls, but it’s out of reach for many of the small, artisan producers of the East Midlands for a variety of reasons, such as cost and logistics,” said Food and Drink iNet director, Richard Worrall.

“The Food and Drink iNet is bringing 15 of the region’s producers together to showcase their products on an East Midlands stall to see how a collaborative project can help overcome distribution problems and other challenges that they would face if doing something like this on their own.

“It will give us the chance to look at how they can tap into new markets and hopefully grow their businesses. For the vast majority of the firms, it’s their first taste of selling at Borough Market.”

The team also wants to highlight the unique cultural diversity of food and drink in the East Midlands, and has a selection of producers selling a range of items including ethnic foods, chocolate and smoked products.

The iNet, which is funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), is working with Nottingham-based logistics firm 5PL Limited to look into how a collaborative distribution service could work in the future for small firms wishing to sell at London markets.

Firms taking part in the iNet’s Borough Market project are:

From Leicestershire, beef and lamb producer Blackbrook Traditional Meats, from Coalville, cheese producer Sparkenhoe Red Leicester, from Upton, Indian flat breads firm Apni Roti, from Leicester, and fresh curry sauces firm the Tiffin Food Company, from Leicester .

From Lincolnshire, smoked products company Smith’s Smokery, from Boston, cured meat producer Rectory Reserve, from Horncastle, The Chocolate Pizza Company, from Crowland, cold-pressed rapeseed oil producer Mimosa Market, from Grantham, and Lincolnshire plum bread producer Moden’s, from Spilsby.

From Nottinghamshire, curry sauce and accompaniments producer Ghar Ka Khana, from Nottingham, and Mexican food producer Rico Mexican Kitchen, from Southglade Food Park.

From Derbyshire, smoked products company Redwood Smokery, from Bolsover, and truffles producer Bittersweet Chocolates, from Melbourne.

From Rutland, authentic Thai sauce firm Tuk Tuk, from Stamford.

From Northamptonshire, quirky accompaniments producer The Pickled Village, from Bulwick.

The stall at Borough Market will be manned by an independent individual, with support from Food and Drink iNet advisors and staff from East Midlands business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum.

The Food and Drink iNet is one of four regional iNets developed to link academic and private sector expertise and knowledge with local food and drink business innovation needs.

The Food and Drink iNet 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. It is managed by a consortium, led by the Food and Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham. For more information visit www.eminnovation.org.uk/food

For more information please contact the Food and Drink iNet on info@foodanddrink-inet.org.uk

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

Sherwood Truck and Van supplies IMR Transport with six new Iveco Stralis tractor units

Sherwood Truck and Van, the East Midlands commercial vehicle group, has supplied six Iveco Stralis Active Space trucks to haulage firm IMR Transport.

They are now part of IMR’s 50-strong fleet operating from its base in Coventry Lane, Bramcote, near Nottingham.

IMR owner Ian Robertson said the Iveco Stralis AS440S45TXP was an impressive vehicle but he had also been persuaded by South Normanton-based Sherwood Truck and Van’s service, particularly the four-year Peace of Mind Supreme Repair and Maintenance package.

“We rented an Iveco Stralis Active Space during a busy period last year and the drivers were impressed. It also gave us excellent fuel returns,” said Mr Robertson.

“We have our own workshops but it is easier and far more cost-effective to have our trucks looked after by Sherwood.

“Like anyone with a mixed fleet, we get to know the strengths and weaknesses of the various manufacturers and their dealers very quickly.

“And I have to say we’re happy with Iveco and we’re delighted with the support we’ve had from Sherwood. They understand what running tractors is all about.”

Sherwood’s ‘Peace of Mind’ Repair and Maintenance package offers three levels of cover, ranging from the basic legal requirements of service and inspections, through to the full cover. This includes the legal requirements plus preventative maintenance inspections, clutch and brake wear, repairs arising from material or manufacturing defects, plus 24-hour emergency roadside assistance and recovery.

Sherwood Truck and Van, part of West Bromwich-based Ian Guest Holdings, one of the UK’s largest independently owned commercial vehicle dealers, has branches in Lenton, Nottingham, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, South Normanton near Alfreton, and Highfield Lane, Sheffield.

The group covers an area that includes the West Midlands, North Wales, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and South Yorkshire.

Regional director responsible for the four Sherwood locations, Helen Waterfall, said: “We understand how critical reliability is for our customers. That’s why we work so hard on our repair and maintenance packages. It’s good to know that they are paying off with deals like this from IMR.”

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.

IMR Transport was set up as a one-man operation 17 years ago and is now a thriving haulage business run by Ian Robertson and his wife Lynne. It has 20,000sq ft of warehousing at its Bramcote base and a loyal customer base.

www.sherwoodtruckandvan.com

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

Three Peaks Challenge for the Andy Thomas Foundation

Family and friends of therapist Andy Thomas have raised more than £2,000 for a fund set up in his memory by completing the Three Peaks Challenge.

The money raised for the Andy Thomas Foundation will be used to help the charitable causes that were supported by Andy, who died aged 65 in March.

The eight-strong team completed the challenge, which involved scaling the highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales, in 23 hours and two minutes.

They hope that by the time all the sponsorship comes in they will have raised £2,500 in memory of Andy, from West Bridgford, who died of cancer.

“It was our first major fund-raising event for the Andy Thomas Foundation,” said his wife Liz Thomas. “It was a magnificent effort, and I am very proud of the family and friends who took part. I’d like to thank everyone for their donations which will help us to carry on the good work that Andy felt so passionate about.”

Andy, a yoga teacher and therapist, who lived in Melton Road, loved the natural world, was passionate about spiritual development, dedicated to healing, and flexible in body and mind. He supported a number of charities and was particularly keen on sustainable living.

Before he died he was involved in a project to create a community orchard at a farm at Car Colston, near Bingham, where more than 100 new fruit trees have now been planted. The Andy Thomas Foundation plans to make its first donation to support the farm’s ‘seed to sandwich’ scheme that will educate city youngsters about farming and where food comes from.

The Three Peaks Challenge was organised by business and training consultancy firm the PDW Group, based in Colwick, which is run by Andy’s son Jim and his wife Elan, who both took part in the event, which involved scaling Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon.

They were joined by two of Andy’s other grown-up children, students Sam, 18, and Hannah, 20, as well as friends Alex Gillies-Loach, from Burton Joyce, Josh O'Dwyer, from Wollaton, Liam Malson, from West Bridgford, and Roger Harrison, from Nottingham.

“The journey was not without its complications, with the A595 from Carlisle being closed for the night and all of our legs feeling they had been beaten, but we made it through and are delighted to have raised so much money for the foundation,” said Jim, 42.

The money raised by the Three Peaks Challenge will be added to the approximately £6,000 collected for the Andy Thomas Foundation following Andy’s funeral in March and used to support a number of causes that were close to Andy’s heart.

Donations can be made via www.andythomasfoundation.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

Derbyshire's Croots Farm Shop commended in the Deli of the Year Competition

Croots Farm Shop, near Duffield, has been praised for the way it meets customer requirements and the commitment of its staff.

The shop and café, in Wirksworth Road, has been commended in the Deli of the Year competition after being nominated by customers as part of a national competition.

Judges said Croots was a champion of “deli attitude”, had identified and understood what its customers wanted and that staff knew what they were talking about when it came to food.

The contest is run by Olives Et Al, an artisan food producer in Dorset, and is supported by the Guild of Fine Food and Delicious Magazine. It aims to raise awareness of delis and help owners get feedback from customers.

“Congratulations to Croots,” said organiser Giles Henschel.

“We hope that the team is thrilled to have been nominated by their own customers and commended by the judges.”

Farm shop owner Steve Croot is delighted to be able to add the commendation to a string of recent awards including a haul of gold and silver prizes from a regional Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board event, accolades in the British Pie Awards, and top prizes at the 17th Robin Hood Championship run by the Nottinghamshire Council of Retail Meat Traders.

“It’s good to know that customers appreciate the quality of the service we offer as well as the quality of our products,” he said.

“And it’s gratifying to know that they recognise the knowledge and expertise of our staff, too. We’re very grateful to our customers for the nomination and pleased to have received a commendation in this national award.”

Croots, based at Farnah House Farm, opened its doors three years ago and has gone from strength to strength. As well as the shop and café, it recently opened a plant nursery.

Last year it was a runner-up in the Best UK Independent Food Retailer 2010 category of the Observer Food Monthly Awards. The year before, it was named in The Independent’s top 50 best food shops.

Croots Farm Shop and Kitchen is open Sundays from 10am to 4pm (café until 3.45pm), and from Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm (café until 4.30pm). It is closed on Mondays.

For more information visit www.croots.co.uk

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

Meet the Shire Horse Day at Croots Farm Shop in Derbyshire

Visitors have the chance to find out more about the gentle giants of the horse world when Croots Farm Shop stages a Meet the Shire Horse Day later this month.

The event at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road, near Duffield, takes place on Sunday July 17th.

The farm has been home to Shire horses for around 45 years, and has bred many award-winning animals. Foals born at the farm have moved to countries all over the world.

The event, which runs from 11am to 2pm, features plaiting displays and the chance to talk to Shire horse owner and judge Jim Yates to find out how the horses are cared for. There will also be horse-related activities for children.

“There’s something quite special about Shire horses. Many of our customers love them and often ask questions about them when they come to the shop,” said Steve Croot, who runs Croots Farm Shop. “We thought it would be nice to have a day where visitors can get to know some of the horses and foals that live at the farm and learn more about them.

“Shire horses have been in the family for generations and have lived at Farnah House Farm for decades. Jim is renowned in the world of Shire horses, and has judged at Shire horse shows in many different countries.”

Croots Farm Shop & Kitchen is open Sundays from 10am to 4pm (café until 3.45pm), and from Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm (café until 4.30pm). It is closed on Mondays.

For more information visit www.croots.co.uk

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

Food and Drink iNet (Innovation Network) looks into disappearing beer casks problem

The East Midlands microbrewery industry is feeling the cost, as thousands of pounds worth of beer casks go missing every year. Nationally, the British Beer and Pub Association estimates the problem costs the UK brewing industry £50 million annually.

Now researchers at The University of Nottingham are stepping in to help microbrewers in the region by trying to discover the best way to keep track of the casks after being invited to study the problem by the Food and Drink iNet (Innovation Network).

The university’s Food and Biofuel Innovation Centre has been commissioned by the iNet to team up with the Derbyshire Brewers’ Collective under the iNet’s Collaborate to Innovate project, which brings together academic experts and industry to solve specific challenges in the food sector.

The university will liaise with the collective in a bid to pinpoint the best approaches for tracking devices for the casks and ways of raising awareness about the problem in the hope that it will save the microbrewery industry thousands of pounds in the future.

Breweries are believed to lose up to 10% of casks per year.

“Some casks can be stolen but more than likely they are lost – just left in yards, pubs and units, and not returned to their rightful owners. They could be there for ages,” said John Baldock, chairman of the Derbyshire Brewers’ Collective and a director at Derventio Brewery near Ashbourne.

“If you pay £74 to buy a cask and it gets left in someone’s back yard, you can’t use. It’s dead money. It’s not working for your brewery. A lot of breweries rent casks, but if these casks go missing then we are paying rent per month for casks that we can’t use. The upshot is that there are a lot of disgruntled small brewers who haven’t got their own casks in their own yards. A lot of it is down to the fact that many wholesalers, landlords and draymen just aren’t aware of the cost to a brewery of not returning casks.”

The major breweries barcode their casks to keep track of them. But even then, a proportion goes missing.

The University of Nottingham will be working with the Derbyshire Brewers’ Collective – made up of 16 breweries in the county - to come up with cost-effective ideas to help solve the problem.

Food and Drink iNet director, Richard Worrall, said: “The iNet is committed to bringing academics and businesses together so that they can work collectively to solve common problems. When we heard how much money was being lost as a result of disappearing beer casks we wanted to do something to help find a solution which will benefit the microbrewery industry.”

The commission by the iNet is one of the first pieces of research work gained by the new Food and Biofuel Innovation Centre, based at The University of Nottingham’s Sutton Bonington site. The centre is a combination of three interconnected areas – one for brewing science, one for food processing and one for bioenergy production. Each area has the plant and equipment to carry out research, development and teaching.

“We are hoping to provide a range of solutions that will help microbrewers increase their profitability because the loss of casks, whether they are rented or owned by the microbrewers, does represent a loss of profit,” said Dr Jerry Avis, project manager at the Food and Biofuel Innovation Centre.

“A small brewer has to have roughly five times the number of casks he’s going to fill at any one time. If we can help reduce that ratio it’s a big improvement.”

The Food and Drink iNet, which is funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), is one of four regional iNets developed to link academic and private sector expertise and knowledge with local food and drink business innovation needs.

The Food and Drink iNet 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. It is managed by a consortium, led by the Food and Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham. For more information visit www.eminnovation.org.uk/food

For more information please contact the Food and Drink iNet on info@foodanddrink-inet.org.uk

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