All British Baker articles in June 2007

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  • News

    viewpoint

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    Wheat prices are very volatile at the moment and the impact on this industry should not be underestimated (pg 4). A few months ago bread prices going over the £1 mark made headlines in many of the national newspapers. Last week I wrote about a range of Sainsbury’s in-store speciality ...

  • News

    Real value

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    Two of my biggest French influences have run themselves into mountainsides in helicopters," laments 37-year-old Alastair Gourlay of The Real Patisserie, signalling the treacherous trappings of top-flight bakery. Gourlay is of course talking about Lionel Poilâne of renowned bakery Poilâne and Delice de France’s Philippe Signolet. "I was shocked both ...

  • News

    Packaging watch

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    Leading names in the baking industry are the latest to sign up to the government-backed Courtauld Commitment, which is an action plan designed to reduce the amount of wasted packaging.WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) has announced that the new signatories include Duchy Originals and Premier Foods.They have pledged to ...

  • News

    Struggling Inter Link hopes to ’wrap up a sale soon’

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    Troubled cake company Inter Link Foods is showing potential buyers around its premises, including Irish food company McCambridge, "at least one other trade buyer" and financial buyers, chairman Jeremy Hamer said this week.McCambridge, which already owns Queen of Hearts, Hussey’s Bakery and West of England Bakeries, was furthest advanced in ...

  • News

    Let’s seek a united front

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    When I came into the baking industry in 1959, one of the things that struck me immediately was the great friendliness, camaraderie and willingness to help one another in this industry.We all readily recognise the significance and importance of investing in new equipment, new product development and a new range ...

  • News

    Fortification: will it hit trade?

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    The industry is ­divided over whether ­mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid will hit international trade.The Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate and Confectionery Association (BCCCA) said it feared that mandatory forti­fication of flour with folic acid would have a negative impact. The BCCCA said it was concerned that consumers may choose ...

  • News

    Flour price hike looms

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    A significant price rise on flour is being tipped as "inevitable" as rising wheat prices on the world market hit the baking industry.The rise could be £40 per tonne on breadmaking wheat, industry sources suggest, which could lead to bread price increases of up to 10p per 800g loaf.National Association ...

  • News

    Flamboyant fruit flans

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    This is a light flan made from a pastry case and filled with a diplomat cream, flavoured with rum and topped with fresh fruit. It is easy and quick to make, has great visual appeal and sells very well in the summer months. It is the perfect light dessert ...

  • News

    Longmynd snaps up Smiths Flour Mills in low-key deal

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    Smiths Flour Mills has been ­acquired by the investment ­vehicle behind ingredients supplier Edme.Longmynd Industrials bought Smiths from Vision Capital earlier this month in a low-key deal. Longmynd is run by entrepreneurs David Thompson and Edward Whitley, and also owns Anglia Maltings Group, the parent company of Edme, with different ...

  • News

    Julian Hunt, communications director, Food and Drink Federation (FDF)

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    Thanks to EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou for providing the inspiration for this column. That’s because when he launched the European Commission’s new strategy for tackling the health issues related to poor diet and low levels of physical activity, Kyprianou laid down an interesting challenge to our industry."What consumers eat ...

  • News

    College gets creative with cars

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    In the latest bid to attract bakery students, Sheffield-based Castle College has undergone an exercise in creative publicity.Picking up on the media attention surrounding a TV advert, in which a Skoda Fabia is created out of cake, bakery students went in their whites to the launch of the real Fabia ...

  • News

    Rate hikes a ’wake-up call’

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    Rising interest rates are a blessing in disguise for bakery businesses, according to Plimsoll’s latest research into the UK bakery market.With more than a quarter of bakery companies in more debt than ever, rising rates could act as a useful "wake-up call", said David Pattison, ­senior analyst at Plimsoll.Many bakeries ...

  • News

    Briefs

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    n The Flour Advisory Bureau is working with HGCA on an updated education website and programme - The Grain Chain - which will be launched in September. It will feature interactive information in line with the curriculum for key stages two and three, with topics including healthy eating, growing food ...

  • News

    BIE board meets to discuss plans for next year’s show

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    The Baking Industry Exhibition (BIE) board of patrons has held its inaugural meeting.Andrew Reed, chairman of the board, told patrons representing both exhibitor and visitor sectors about plans for the show, which will take place on 6-9 April 2008.Reed, representing organisers William Reed, said more than 63% of space had ...

  • News

    Floods cause chaos around the country

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    This week’s extreme weather and severe flooding has caused chaos for bakers, millers and distributors around England and Wales.Production at Maple Leaf UK’s Rotherham bakery ground to a halt on Tuesday, as the electricity went down on its industrial estate.Guy Hall, deputy managing director, told British Baker the building was ...

  • News

    JUNE - October Highlights in the coming months include the CCFRA’s fault-solving course for basic bakery products and the Kingston & District Master Bakers Association meeting

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    June 30 Italian breads, one-day courseLocation: Cann Mills, DorsetContact, tel: 01722 341 447email: info@panary.co.ukJuly2 - 4 Residential Breadmaking courseLocation: Cann Mills, DorsetContact, tel: 01722 341 447email: info@panary.co.uk5 Wheat Variety - Visual IdentificationLocation: CCFRA, Chipping CampdenContact, tel: 01386 842104 (The Training Department)7 - 8 Baking with English Wheat, two-day courseLocation: Bread ...

  • News

    All glitter and gold

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    The Master of the Worshipful Company of Bakers, Anthony Greenwood, welcomed more than 180 guests to a Charity Ladies Banquet at London’s Goldsmiths Hall on 14 June.The beautiful gold on display for the event was complemented by 360 individually lit candles set in chandeliers. The charity for the evening was ...

  • News

    Scots manufacturer adopts traffic lights

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    Baker Paterson Arran has ­announced that it is the first Scottish food manufacturer to adopt the FSA’s front-of-pack traffic light signposting scheme.This comes with the launch of Bronte Organic, a range of orangutan-friendly cookies, which were first unveiled at the opening of Whole Foods Market in Kensington, London, earlier this ...

  • News

    International activity

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    Food from Britain (FFB) France recently held an annual two-day event in Paris for UK food producers, including bakers.One of the most significant points to come out of the seminar, according to Martine Foulloy at the FFB French office, was that French consumers were increasingly interested in buying "very ...

  • News

    ABF to build biofuel plant with partners

    2007-06-29T00:00:00Z

    Associated British Foods has ­announced that it is to build a £200m biofuel plant in the UK with BP and DuPont, a move which will make ABF the major producer of biofuel in the UK.ABF and BP will each hold 45% of the joint venture and science company DuPont will ...