Welsh bakery Clam's Handmade Cakes is very proud of its award-winning whisky cake, but its plans for wide distribution have been stymied by clipboard-wielding officials, who have declared the confection so high in alcohol that it cannot be sold by shops unless they have a licence. But the story has made Clam's the talk of its home town, Crickhowell, and everyone is keen to try a slice. Rumours that local police are planning to make cake-driving a criminal offence are mere speculation.

l Organic bakery

Oct 7, 1955: Sainsbury's ends home deliveries

The words right are not those of a religious zealot. Neither are they transcribed from a holy book. They are, in fact, the Dr's prescribed cure for zits.

Whoever said that people who write in to newspapers have too much time on their hands? We found this letter sent in to the Jamaica Gleaner (never let it be said we're not thorough), and we don't know whether we should weep or be impressed. You decide...

"At the time the police agreed to let it go ahead, there were fewer than 100 people signed up. Now there's more than 1,200 and, unsurprisingly, the police aren't too happy about it."

The Scottish Association of Master Bakers (SAMB) conference, from 24-27 May, saw George Stevenson, MD of of Mathiesons of Falkirk, with 32 shops and mall cafés, and a growing wholesale business, take over as new president.

Combis, the multi-purpose workhorses of the oven world, can be used to roast, steam or bake food. When used in combination, the various heating methods within each oven speed up the cooking process, maximising efficiency and saving time.

As summer is almost upon us - or at least as much of a summer as Britain normally gets - most of us like to have a barbecue in the garden when the opportunity strikes, and salad is nowhere to be seen in shops by Sunday afternoon. But does this hot weather affect the sales of hot savoury food? Do consumers, who are out shopping in a busy high street on a hot summer's day, choose to grab a pasty-on-the-go, or a sandwich?

Where do you go for the taste of authentic Parisian artisanal bread? Middlesex would not be many people's number-two destination on this front. But in Upminster, you will find a self-proclaimed sourdough "mini revolution" under way. (Any sightings of Frenchmen roaming the countryside wielding their baguettes in an aggressive manner are purely coincidental.)

Italy is renowned worldwide for its gastronomy and that gastronomy is part of our history, culture and tradition," says Davide Nardini, vice-president of the Council for the Province of Ferrara. "Here in Italy, food is an expression of our cultural heritage," adds Carlo Alberto Roncarati, president of the Chamber of Commerce. "Each area has its own history and intrinsic character. You can see that even in our bread and, if you don't protect it, you lose your identity, you lose what sets you apart."

For bakery owners, buying a new vehicle to transport perishable goods can be an expensive business, particularly when looking for specialist vehicles such as refrigerated vans. Many fledgling firms opt for used vehicles when attempting to build up a small business or start-up on a tight budget. Most will be aware of the used commercial van dealerships. But there is an alternative option that offers a wide variety of vehicles and potential to unearth a bargain - the auction.

Where the Telegraph article does fall down is in its failure to recognise that UK bakers have already mastered the art of making large-volumed, fine-structured and soft-eating wholemeal bread products; but then I doubt that there were any bakers in the audience for the talk to make this practical observation.

When eating bread, most of us probably don't think about the empty space in it, but rather whether we like its texture and flavour. Yet both of these are driven by bubbles. This is because one of the key aims when mixing is to ensure that air is trapped in the dough and, for sandwich and toast bread, we want the air to be evenly dispersed.

Bubbles could be the answer to encouraging more children to eat sandwiches made out of healthier brown bread, proclaimed The Daily Telegraph in a recent article (tinyurl.com/5oxs96). In it, the article suggested that there is a basic problem encouraging people to eat more brown bread because of its inferior texture to white bread.

Making plaques, rolls loaves, pastries and decorating cakes - all against the clock - is challenging enough in a real working environment.

A new flavour has been added to Extreme Beverages' Bigberry drinks range. Bigberry Raspberry and Mango Smoothie is made from 28 pressed raspberries, six chunks of mango, five slices of banana, one pressed apple and two freshly squeezed oranges. The smoothies are made from 100% fruit and contain no additives, preservatives, artificial colours, or added sugar.

Smoothie company Love Smoothies has added a gourmet menu of four smoothies - Black Fruity, Popeye's Pick Me Up, Beat the Bluesli and Son of a Peach - to its range.

Burton Foods has added a healthier snack option to its Bertolli range. Made using Bertolli oil and inspired by Italian flavours, Bertolli Baked Bites will be available in Sea Salt & Black Pepper, Sweet Chilli and Red Pepper, and Italian Cheese and Red Onion varieties. "In a short space of time, the Bertolli savoury nibbles range has become a major brand in the category and achieved over 5% market share in the savoury nibbles segment," said Jaspal Chada, Burton Foods' marketing director. "Three-quarters of UK adults snack on the go, creating over five billion occasions for Bertolli Baked Bites to be consumed."

Ulrick & Short has launched a clean-label alternative to ready-to-use egg- and milk-based glazes, in its Eziglaze range. 'Ready to use' Eziglaze has been developed in response to market demands for more natural ingredient alternatives, as well as an increasing awareness of people with allergies. It was developed with the help of the microbiology faculty at Leeds Metropolitan University. The glaze doesn't need to be chilled and contains no chemicals or artificial components, yet still has a minimum shelf-life of three months. The product has also been designed to match the viscosity of egg and milk, providing a realistic and easy-to-use alternative, says the firm.

Hell Pizza, has launched gluten-free pizza bases in the UK, following their success in New Zealand. The launch of the bases coincided with Coeliac UK's 'Food Without Fear' week. In the UK, around one in 100 people suffer from coeliac disease, caused by gluten intolerance.

Planglow has launched Natural Collection, a new range of 100% biodegradable packaging. The bio packaging has been designed in neutral earthy colours, so that it can accompany any existing brand logos or colours.

Ryvita has added a new snack to its range for the more health-conscious consumer. Ryvita Limbos are available from May and come in both single and multi-pack formats. The crispy baked snacks contain 90% less fat than regular crisps and around 70 calories per bag.

S Black has launched a "breakthrough zero-trans coating fat" in the UK. Couva 850 NH, made by IOI-Loders Croklaan, is an alternative to conventional, hydrogenated and trans fatty acid-containing coating fats.

Délice de France has added a number of new continental savouries to its existing range. A Spinach and Goats' Cheese Tart, made from shortcrust pastry filled with goats' cheese, mozzarella, crème fraîche and spinach is now on the menu, as are two new Pizza Demi Baguettes. Both baguettes have vegetarian toppings, one with mozzarella cheese and assorted vegetables including yellow peppers, aubergines and courgettes. The other has a tomato sauce, mushroom, onion and Emmental cheese topping.

What was your route into the milling industry?

Beyond the Bean launched the latest addition to its range - a ready-to-drink fruit smoothie - at the show.

Exhibitors at London's Caffè Culture show said the event had been a success overall with a good quality of visitors and strong leads.

The Speciality Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) will hold its Wonderful Coffee event in Copenhagen from 19 to 22 June this year. The event will feature an exhibition, conference and series of practical workshops. Talented coffee professionals from more than 50 countries will battle it out in competitions, including the World Barista Championship and the World Latte Art Championship.

Coffee Republic is dipping its toe into continental-style drinking culture as some cafés have started to sell alcohol. Speaking to British Baker at Caffè Culture, UK franchise director Kevin Frostick said Coffee Republic hadn't really pushed the concept of licensed cafes, but where franchisees wanted to sell alcohol, the company had helped with alcohol licence applications to local authorities.

Café businesses need to "get beyond Fairtrade" if they want to be truly ethical, according to Caffè Culture seminar speaker Paul Allen.

The founder of Glaswegian internet café brand iCafé plans to expand within Scotland. Umer Ashraf said he plans to roll out the café brand "one step at a time" in Glasgow, then in other parts of the country.

Gordon Polson

Pasty maker Crantock Bakery is now supplying pasties to the Cypriot market.

Lees Foods, which produces confectionery and cake products, is planning to diversify into the high-end catering market, after warning that its 7% rise in pre-tax profits for 2007 is unlikely to be repeated next year.

Icelandic company Bakkavör Group has said it will close its UK pasta plant in Scunthorpe by the end of the month. The closure may lead to the loss of 107 jobs, according to local press reports.

Lantmännen Unibake (LU) plans to expand Eurobuns' production into Danish pastry and croissants, following its purchase of the Milton Keynes frozen food specialist last week.

London-based café, Napket, has opened its third site in Vigo Street, Mayfair. Founded by French-born Christophe Moro, Napket aims to be a "dramatic and daring reinvention of the urban café".

A new company has been set up, which sources high-quality seeds for the baking industry.

The Handmade Cake Company in Maidenhead has moved to new premises in Gardner Road. The company specialises in round cakes and traybakes and is hoping to expand its enterprise at the new site.

The Scottish Association of Master Bakers (SAMB) took the momentous decision to change the whole set-up of its board at its conference last weekend.

Funding for bakery training in Scotland is "in dire straits" according to Arthur Rayer, head of skills training for the Scottish Association of Master Bakers (SAMB). It is in danger of losing all European funding.

Northern Foods has reported a strong performance in bakery sales for the year to 29 March.

The Richemont Club will again hold its annual competition at this year's Bakers' Fair on 19 October.

The Association of Bakery Ingredient Manufacturers (abim) 2008 forum, 'Growing A Sustainable Bakery Industry', is to take place on 6 June.

Belcolade's marketing executive Lydia Baines (pictured) holds aloft a chocolate dessert, made especially to celebrate the company's 20th birthday.

Solihull's Cooks the Bakery has completed the acquisition of 120 leasehold stores from the administrators of Three Cooks.

By Andrew Williams

Bakers, millers and sandwich makers are being urged to join a new commercial trade body, which has been set a remit to represent organic food processors' commercial interests.

November, 1893

6.2%

"Heidi Klum has given Victoria Beckham a year's supply of cupcakes as a birthday present". Seeing that headline in a national newspaper, you would be forgiven for thinking that maybe the scale of world events that week (Afghanistan, Burma, food crises) didn't quite live up to their potential. Or at least not enough to edge this story off The Daily Mail's agenda.

Forget your iPods, industrial workplace noise, over-vigorous use of Q-tips... the main cause of deafness is - you guessed it - unhealthy living. Or so believed our resident agony-uncle-from-the-grave, Dr Allinson.

Now there's a headline we bet you don't see every day. Before you get the wrong idea, we're not about to suggest that rancid bread should be used as some kind of - frankly unthinkable - contraceptive device.

"Our Tommelier has helped us source the new tomatoes for our British tastes, including one variety from a tiny village in Sicily which has just the right amount of sun, salt and soil to create the tastiest tomatoes for pizzas" - Pizza Express proudly announces that it has employed a "tommelier" to choose tomatoes, while everybody else groans

If you're not making them already, pizza is an ideal way to add value to your product range.

1 I am a small independent sandwich shop operator with limited kitchen space. I buy in mostly bake-off products, so I require a deck oven that is well-suited to baking-off baguettes and making pizzas, but it has to be simple to use.

The UK cakes market has enjoyed positive, though slowing, growth over the past five years, but the shape of the market is changing.

When new MD Paul May talks about an "aggressive" growth strategy for Patisserie Valerie (PV), the word jars somewhat with one's perceptions of the shops. Original owner Madame Valerie was quite happy with one store thank-you-very-much, and it took over 60 years before PV opened its second store. Since 1987, the business has been quietly nurtured by the Scalzo brothers, who took the original Old Compton St shop and added eight more over 20 years. While the one remaining Scalzo in the business, Victor, carries a frame you wouldn't mess with, this ain't the kind of aggressive retail expansion form that gets the big high street players running for mummy.

Premium cakes have enjoyed juicy growth over the last two years, but with food inflation, house price fears and financial instability, will the top-end market hit the skids? When it comes to tightening the belt, it helps if you don't eat luxurious cakes. But that's enough of the diet tips. How do you sell premium cakes when people have less money to spend?

Island Bakery Organics

Only in its third year, Tesco's latest 'Enjoy the Taste of Scotland' has already become the biggest Scotland-only food and drink show in the UK and probably the world, says its initiator and Tesco's senior buyer for Scotland, Sarah Mackie.

British strawberries were traditionally in season from early June until mid-August, but with the widespread use of polytunnels and by growing a range of different varieties, this season has been extended to the end of September.

Tom Herbert - Hobbs House Bakery

A new Italian-style bakery, Il Valen-tino's, in Dublin, has been trading since early this year. Owner Owen Doorly spent 13 years in Italy, working mainly on coffee roasting, and returned home to start up this bakery.

I was once asked to speak at a school and have always regretted not saying what I truly felt and telling the kids what life is really like. If I had dared to do so, it might have gone something like this:

Lyme Regis Foods has expanded its Fruitus organic fruit and oat bar range, packaging for which features bold, clear branding and rich fruit colours on a natural cream background.

Fox's has added a new flavour to its Crunch Cream range. The new Lemon Crunch Creams consists of smooth lemon cream, sandwiched by crunchy biscuits.

Crips has unveiled five new flavours in its range of snacks. The oven-baked wheat and potato snacks have been designed for the health-conscious consumer. They contain almost four times less fat than traditional fried potato crisps.

United Biscuits is relaunching its McCoy's Tortillas snack range with two new flavours in time to capitalise on the male snack buying market for the Euro 2008 tournament. The ridged snacks will be available in 50g bags in Hot Chilli and Nachos Cheese flavours. The Tortillas range was previously sold in premium flavours and marketed as a 'posh crisp', but United Biscuits hopes the relaunch in more accessible flavours will re-establish McCoy's position as "men's crisp of choice". McCoy's will be stepping up the advertising on its core range to whet the appetites of those snack-loving football fans.

Walking into a room full of baked goods - rolls, Viennoiserie, Granary and Hovis loaves, exquisitely decorated cakes and yes, the occasional bread which looks a bit lopsided or lacks spring - is quite a moving a experience. Especially when everything has been created by keen and competitive students.

Packaging company Huhtamaki has launched a range of bio-coated paper cups for hot and cold drinks. The BioWare range is manufactured using materials from sustainably-managed forests and the cup's cartonboard material has the Forestry Stewardship Council's chain of custody certificate. The cups can be composted in industrial composting facilities.

Foodtools of Ongar, Essex exhibited at BIE showing its extensive range of cutting and portioning equipment for all size bakery manufacturers.

Instanta has launched a range of counter-top value boilers.

Hatco has launched a pull-up slot toaster, which is available in two-slot, four-slot and six-slot variants.

Lainox Heart has launched a combi-oven range with three key functions.

At the Baking Industry Exhibition, Ireks launched Avena Vital mix. With more than 60% of oats in the mix, it is designed to offer a healthy-looking and tasting loaf.

Specialist soft drinks company Metro Drinks has added a lemon and ginger variant to its Qu4ttro Stagioni soft drinks range.

Pudding Lane's new Chocolate & Orange Log and Chocolate Rum & Raisin Pudding Log, launched earlier this year, will feature at the 2008 Speciality & Fine Food Fair.

Peter's Food Service and London brewer Fuller's have teamed up to launch a steak and ale pie a new addition to Peter's Regency range. The pie, which features a blend of Peter's pastry and Fuller's London Pride ale, has been development over the past few months and was launched at the Fuller's brewery in London last week. It will be available from delis and major retailers throughout the south of England and Wales.

Solo Cup Europe has launched DeliLite, a range of lightweight PET containers and lids, which it says "offer superb strength, durability and clarity".

The English Cheesecake Company has added new summer flavours to its range of cheesecakes. Summer Berry, Mango Passion Fruit and Blackcurrant with White Chocolate Shavings are new for summer 2008.

The Great Australian Pie company is to launch a range of eight pies in the UK, which have been created by a leading Australian chef, Ben O'Donohue.

At the annual National Association of Master Bakers conference in Blackpool members heard that the decline in membership that has taken place over recent years has been halted.

The cost of basic ingredients used in bakery has risen extraordinarily over the past year.

Starbucks will turn its focus away from the US by opening more stores internationally from 2009 until 2011.

The American Bakers Asso- ciation (ABA) has called on the US government to take action to halt above-average food price inflation.

Lantmannen Unibake, Europe's leading supplier of frozen bakery products, has established its first production facility in the USA, following the purchase of bakery Euro-Bake, based in Florida.

Patisserie Valerie is to franchise its offering to overseas markets, following a deal that has established an undisclosed franchise agent in the Middle East.

Pret A Manger is launching recycling facilities for customers at its branches this July.

Greggs aims to open 40 more shops during 2008. Chairman Derek Netherton revealed the plans to the bakery retailer's shareholders on 13 May.

l Memory Lane Cakes

Now that the sale of beer is again permitted in America, a marked increase in bread consumption has already been noted and it is expected that there will be further improvement in this direction.

£285,000 - that's the value of 10kg of ketamine, seized by police from the luggage of a 27 year-old Indian national at Kuala Lumpur International airport, camouflaged - ingeniously enough - as flour. Bags of white powder, eh - who'd have thought of checking that? The irony is, the way flour prices are going, people could soon be smuggling flour under the guise of ketamine.

With a scientific foresight as clear as an azure sky, coupled with an alimentary canal as clean as the proverbial whistle, Dr Allinson liked his wholegrains and he wasn't afraid to shout about it. But his genius wasn't confined to keeping a healthy bowel.

"While some viewers might find the ad distasteful, we considered most would understand the ad was light-hearted" - the Advertising Standards Authority rejects complaints about "sexual abuse" in a TV ad for Kellogg's Nutri-Grain bars, in which a doctor diagnoses a patient's complaints of feeling hungry as "cakey pangs", asks him to take off his trousers, then answers a question about whether he's a real doctor with, "No, I'm a baker", before slipping on an oven glove

They don't make rock stars like they used to. "I'm addicted to madeleines," is the best tale of excess that the Daily Star could get out of Alex Turner, lead singer of rock band du jour, Arctic Monkeys. He is said to be hooked on the French cakes.

One exhibit stood head and shoulders above the others at BIE - literally.

Caffè Culture 2008, with its wide range of exhibitors, food demonstrations and extensive programme of seminars, is less than three weeks away. The show, taking place at London's Olympia on 21 and 22 May, features the latest products and services from international and UK-based suppliers, from bakery and café design through to kitchen equipment and training.

Larger bakers - we're talking business size not belt girths here - have long recognised the benefits of automatic roll plant. But what about the smaller guys - again, not the vertically challenged - who are thinking of improving efficiencies by automating?

No doubt fuelled by the likes of poo-obsessed TV nutritionist Gillian McKeith, healthy breads and, specifically, whole grains, have seen a revival over the last five years, with the focus being on maintaining a healthy gut. Heart health, on the other hand, has fallen somewhat off the radar. As one industry insider stated, during the course of researching this feature, "The health claims are amazing, yet the Brits seem to concentrate on bowels!"

I f the major multiples are to be believed, their attitudes to local sourcing have shifted dramatically over recent years. Gone is the emphasis on size and scale. Gone are the uncomfortable trade-offs between volume and margin. Or so we are told.

This mouthwatering cookbook, written by the founder of organic box delivery company Abel & Cole, taps into trends towards local sourcing and seasonality.

National Watercress Week (11-17 May) starts on Sunday, on which day the 6th Annual Watercress Festival will be held in Alresford, Hampshire. It is 200 years since William Bradbury opened the first British watercress farm in Kent.

There are just two weeks to the 16 May deadline for getting your entries in for the Baking Industry Awards 2008. With 11 categories celebrating all that's great about our industry, the climax will be a gala dinner at the Grosvenor House hotel in London on 15 September when the winners will be announced.

As more and more celebrities popularise wheat-free diets, it is not surprising that people find difficulty in having coeliac disease taken seriously when they ask for gluten-free food.

Change and produce new products: we know we have to do both. Yet when I look at our end-of-year figures, what do I find? Yes, you guessed it, all our top sellers are the old lines and the vast majority of our cash comes from those.

Dovemart's Easy Piper was one of the talking points of BIE. The piping dispenser just needs a gentle touch to dispense icing, butter creme, warm chocolate, Vienna mix - almost every filling and topping including savoury ones, such as mashed potato and sausage roll filling.

So, what are Butter Buds?

Appletiser is extending its UK product portfolio with the introduction of a sparkling drinks range called Fruitiser.

Job history: Young joined BB's in 2005, during which time the number of cafés has grown from 90 to 179. Prior to that, she spent 12 years working in foodservice and retail marketing and international brand development, 10 as marketing manager (Europe and the Middle East) for Burger King, and, latterly, two as marketing director for Greggs.

B B's Coffee and Muffins may be best known for its handmade and fresh-baked muffins, but the expanding franchise operation now sells a whole lot more besides - and its doors are wide open to suppliers.

Kirk Hunter

Coffee Republic is moving into the Saudi Arabian market. The company has signed a deal with Al Hadaf International trading company for the granting of franchise rights across the country.

Bakery businesses across the Caribbean are braced for further price rises after Barbados and Jamaica became the latest nations to see the cost of flour rise by at least 30%.

EC looks at ABF plan

Coca-Cola's first-quarter sales and profits show an increase on the same period last year.

The number of Costa coffee shops globally will double over the next five years, parent company Whitbread has revealed.

has bought three new ovens after receiving a £46,000 grant from Advantage West Midlands. With the grant, the 109-year-old Lewis's Bakery in Garrets Green, Birmingham, has diversified production, added four new jobs to up the workforce to 15 and increased baking capacity by around 25%. Managing director Simon Lewis has forecast a 15 to 20% increase in turnover in the next six months.

Craft bakers around the country are gearing up for National Doughnut Week from 10-17 May with a host of ideas to help raise funds for the event's chosen charity, The Children's Trust.

Cake decoration company Cake Décor has signed a deal with BFP Wholesale that will see its writing icing tubes and cake decorations distributed to the craft bakery, sugarcraft and confectionery sectors in the UK.

An online training service for bakery staff has attracted interest from more than 300 companies and individuals.

The Competition Commission has published its final report in its inquiry into the UK grocery market, including measures to improve competition in local areas and to address concerns about relationships between retailers and their suppliers. The recommended measures include a competition test in planning decisions on larger grocery stores; action to prevent land agreements which can restrict entry by competitors; the creation of a new strengthened and extended Groceries Supply Code of Practice; and the creation of an independent Ombudsman to oversee and enforce the Code.

Sign up now on British Baker's website - http://www.bakeryinfo.co.uk - for the latest industry news, delivered to your in-box once a week. As well as a weekly email update, the free service will also send you top news stories as they break. The website has also been revamped and will feature daily news for readers who want to browse. It also features a searchable archive for news and features from previous issues of British Baker, along with the latest jobs, recipes and useful links.

Gluten-free bakery companies are struggling with the soaring price of rice flour as rice stocks hit a 30-year low.

Peter Smith, former owner of Kent bakery Week's of Goudhurst, passed away on the 20th April. His wife and daughter were with him, writes bakery colleague Henry Jefferies.

Following strong results from parent company Associated British Foods (ABF), Allied Bakeries is relaunching the Allinson brown bread range with new branding, packaging and products.

says it has made the largest ever scone. The scone weighed 26kg - 700 times bigger than a standard one. Once the scone had cooled, it was topped with 12.5kg of clotted cream and 10kg of strawberry jam, then served to more than 300 people attending a cream tea festival in the Devon town. Helen Hallett (pictured), who runs the bakery with husband Mel and son Christopher, said it had taken three weeks and nine attempts to make the scone.

Premier Foods has reportedly put its cakes and chilled desserts company Avana Bakeries up for sale.

Colston quartet

Boots is reducing its carbon count with a range of sandwiches using mainly regional produce and Yorkshire-grown wheat. This is the result of a partnership between Boots, sandwich maker Buckingham Foods and Fosters Bakery.

This is the last chance to request an entry form to the Baking Industry Awards.

The Co-op is to substantially expand its premium own-label Truly Irresistible range across its in-store bakeries.

A steering committee for the formation of a National Skills Academy for bakery has been formed, made up of 12 representatives across bakery, supply and industry associations.