When consumers buy lunch from a high-street bakery or sandwich shop, how many of them buy a drink and a snack to go alongside a pasty or roll? OK, an exact figure isn't available, but it's a lot. Looking to other retailers that have considerable success with the lunchtime trade, bakers might think about taking a leaf out of their book. Boots, for example, is known for its meal deals, offering a sandwich/salad with a drink and snack - such as crisps, bags of nuts or dried fruit, cereal bars or chocolate - for £2.99; and Boots is a chemist!

== l Top 50 update ==

When doctors and dentists condemn white bread, they are told occasionally by bakers that they do not know what they are talking about; when faddists cry out for "mother's" bread, attempts are made to show them that baker's bread is the superior product. At all times, whatever the complaint, the utmost patience is extended towards the complainant. In fact, many a baker's roundsman, to keep a customer who takes a few loaves a week, has to put up with rudeness that would cause the average docker or shipyard worker to drop his tools at a moment's notice. And now the President of the American Bakers' Convention has come along to press a button that illuminates all these shadows. "As the days go by," he has said, "I am reaching a definite conviction that most of our troubles are not troubles at all, but misunderstandings." Some of us came to the same conclusion a good many years ago.

How do you cut a cake fairly, so everyone gets an equal slice? That's a question that has troubled some of the greatest minds in history. Thankfully, technologyreview.com has reported on "a significant breakthrough" in this complex art. A mathematical algorithm has been found, which allows each person to have a fair share.

Continuing on from last week's Star Wars toaster, it appears there's more mileage to be had in targeting the "geek pound", as we're coining it. Bakery geeks that we are on Stop the Week, we spotted these Ewok, Stormtrooper and Hans Solo-in-carbonite cakes on www.geekologie.com. Not bad, but if you could make a Death Star cake and suspend it from the ceiling, then we'd be seriously impressed - more so if you could devise away to slice it. Which brings us seamlessly onto...

"Fighting foreclosure, one cake at a time"

Important developments in the world of cupcakes - the Guinness World Records? title for the largest cupcake has been achieved in Minneapolis. The mammoth creation, weighing 68.36kg and measuring 30.48cm tall by 60.96cm wide and organised by cakes.com, was said to yield some 1,500 slices and took 13 hours to make.

== WENDEL ==

Halloween is a key time for bakers to capitalise on an increasingly popular calendar date, by producing a range of spooktacular products for both young and old.

If you remember the amazing voice of the late, great Roy Orbison, singing "dream, dream, dream" in his famous song aptly entitled 'Dreams', you'll know how to pronounce the name of new company DrieM.

Back in 1122, many Englanders rushed off to the crusades to recapture the Holy Land. It was also a time of turbulence in Europe and, on home soil, 'bandits' roamed, often stealing from the rich and poor alike. But one haven of tranquillity, Castleford Mill, West Yorkshire, simply went about its daily work, milling products to support the local community. It was safe from marauding hands because it had a job to do.

With the recent publication of new targets for sodium reduction in processed foods, salt (sodium chloride) remains at the top of the bakers' list of product quality concerns.

Dear Editor

Cardamom pods are the seed pods of a tropical fruit of the ginger family, known as Elettaria cardamomum. Green cardamom is recognised as having a superior flavour to brown or black cardamom. It is available in pods, which should be opened and the seeds lightly crushed, or in ready-ground form. In India, it is used to flavour curries and most of the crop in Arab countries goes to flavour coffee. However, in Scandinavia, it is used in breads and baking. Make a cardamom braid using a sweetened enriched bread dough, flavoured with cardamom (approximately 2.5-5g to 1,000g flour). The dough is split into three, plaited and the ends are joined together prior to baking. Add some ground cardamom to a basic cookie dough or make almond cardamom stars, flavouring a biscuit dough with ground almonds, orange zest and cardamom.

== Richard Hamilton of Agile Space begins a step-by-step guide to revamping your shops ==

== Jo Fairley is co-owner of Judges organic bakery and grocery shop in Hastings and co-founder of Green & Black's chocolate firm, with hubby Craig Sams ==

IPC Gansow has expanded its range with the addition of the new 1450 ride-on sweeper. The company says it is a step up from its 1404 sweeper, and has enhanced strength and perfor-mance, due to the use of a fully hydraulic circuit.

The Kaak Group has launched a new Daub Energy Recovery System for bakers and food manufacturers, with the aim of saving customers up to 30% on their energy costs.

Equipment supplier Valera has launched a new display unit - Vision Counter - which forms part of its Vision range of fully refrigerated modular deli counters.

SAVortex, a company founded by Syed Ahmed, a participant in BBC's The Apprentice, claims to have launched the greenest hand-dryer - The Vortex. It features unique patent-protected spinning air technology, using no heating elements and recovering energy as it works.

Conveyor belt manufacturer Ammeraal Beltech, has been working with Hovis on techno-logical developments for the bread baking industry, which have led to the development of Ultrasync - a new conveyor belt.

Frozen bakery supplier Mantinga has launched a new bread basket of artisan breads, targeted at the hotel and restaurant sector, called the Melange du Pain.

United Biscuits (UBUK) has redesigned its Brannigans' crisps packaging and reverted to its traditional brown paper-bag style, due to a growing trend for nostalgic brands. The range will continue to feature Mr Brannigan on-pack and will also highlight its 65% reduction in saturated fats.

The Fabulous Bakin' Boys has revamped its impulse range, working on more eye-catching packaging design and recipe reformulation, with artificial additives taken out and more inclusions put in. The range features: Fabulous Flapjacks - made with jumbo oats; Marvelous Muffins, in Sticky Toffee, Double Choc, Cherry and Blueberry varieties; Caramel Shortcake - with more caramel and a new shortcake recipe; Dark Choc Brownie - in a larger portion size; Fairtrade Flapjacks - 50% larger and with new packaging; and new Fruit or Lemon & White Chocolate Loaf Cakes, with a Carrot Cake option coming soon.

Unifine Food & Bake ingredients has launched a Liquid Binding Agent (LBA), which uses new technology for the enhancement of biscuits and extruded lines.

== So what's the product? ==

== Alex Waugh Director-general, Nabim ==

The Traditional Polish Bakery in Dublin is now supplying 25 Tesco stores in and around the city. Established in 2006, the wholesale bakery, which employs 23 staff, has also gained orders to supply seven other supermarket and convenience store chains, including Spar and Super Valu.

A new eco-friendly bakery has been set up in Belgium by the previous owner of Le Pain Quotidien, and plans to supply the UK by March 2010.

DrieM, a new company that has become part of the Kaak Group, represented by Benier UK, has pioneered an automated sheeted dough line, designed from scratch, for the production of artisanal breads and pizza crusts. It will be launched at IBA.

Coffee and snacks vending machine company JJ Beano's has acquired savoury pastry firm, Devon Savouries, and has three new contracts in the pipeline.

The head office of Irish sandwich chain O'Briens has been put into the equivalent of administration with debts of over E4m (£3.46m).

== Unsoy's delivery deal ==

Around 200 jobs are potentially at risk after Elisabeth the Chef announced it is to create a new facility in Leamington Spa, which will result in the merging of staff from two existing sites.

After failing to turn a profit since it opened three years ago, Duchy Originals' Cornish bakery is to be taken over by Tamar Foods, part of the Samworth Brothers Group, which will produce the brand's sweet tarts under licence.

== BB's airport outlet ==

Are you a retailer planning to drive cupcake sales in your shops during National Cupcake Week, beginning 14 September? Then enter British Baker's window display competition.

The Handmade Bakery, a not-for-profit community-supported bakery in Marsden, West York-shire, has acquired permanent premises after four months of using the pizza ovens at a local Italian restaurant, Mozzarella's.

== Cupcake extension ==

Mathiesons Bakeries has sold a controlling stake in its company to private equity firm Symphony Investment Fund.

Greggs has taken its first steps into the petrol forecourt market with the opening of a 500sq ft concession at a newly renovated BP petrol station in Bury, operated by Euro Garages.

Asda is looking to work with "iconic" regional bakery firms to roll out branded bakery concessions in stores across the UK.

Bakery products are at the forefront of the new Food Standards Agency (FSA) consultation on voluntary targets for reductions in saturated fat and added sugar.

Bakery firms specialising in private-label are in a strong position to build export sales, according to Simon Waring, MD of the UK branch of export consultancy The Green Seed Group.

British Baker is delighted to announce the finalists for this year's Baking Industry Awards. The 1930s-themed event, on Tuesday 8 September at the Park Lane Hilton in London, will be hosted by much-loved comedian Ronnie Corbett.

== SAMB joins network ==

Crantock Bakery has announced it has been doing a roaring trade on Cornish pasties during the recession, with sales up 30% on last year.

Finsbury Foods has announced a steady growth in group revenue in its latest trading update. However, it said like-for-like growth in its Cake division continued to be “flat”.

The Worshipful Company of Bakers has announced the winners of its awards who will all get the chance to attend a course at the Richemont school in Lucerne, Switzerland.

The Joseph Travelling award was won by Teresa Grant of Bakemark; the Piero Scacco award was given to John Breach of Reeves the Baker and Gabrielle Baxter from Tameside college; and the ABIM accolade went to Trevor Spinks of Dunn’s of Crouch End.

Accolades were also given to the following students: Harry Clegg - Thameside College; Susina Maiden – University College Birmingham; and Holly Blackman, Nathan Giles and Mark O’Neill - The National Bakery School, London Southbank University.

Blackman was crowned the top student at The National Bakery School 2009 and will be presented with the Freedom of The Worshipful Company of Bakers at the October court meeting.

*  There are also places available on a two-day bread and confectionery course at The Richemont school in October 2009. For further details please contact clerk@bakers.co.uk or christopher@dunns-bakery.co.uk, or call Christopher Freeman on 07776 480 032.

Baking cases producer Chevler has installed a specially designed reel-fed machine capable of producing over 250,000 muffin and cupcake cases an hour.

It forms part of an on-going investment programme for the recently formed South Wales-based firm, enabling it to cope with increased demand from bakers and food manufacturers.

Managing director Stuart Whelan commented: “It has taken three years to develop during which time we have continuously improved every aspect of our production process.” He added that developing bespoke machinery was vital to meet its customers’ demand for new products.

Chevler was formed in February this year after a management buy-out by four senior executives of Chevler Packaging, who consolidated all operations onto a single site in South Wales, and established a new production facility next to the existing plant.

* Chevler is a sponsor of National Cupcake Week and a sample pack of the company’s coloured cupcake range is available free to all bakers. Call 01844 344231 for details.

Bakery products are at the forefront of the new Food Standards Agency (FSA) consultation on voluntary targets for reductions in saturated fat and added sugar. 

The consultation will focus on biscuits, cakes, pastries and buns, and will also look at portion size reductions.

“We want to make it easier for people to make healthier choices – to choose foods with reduced saturated fat and sugar – or smaller portion sizes,” said an FSA spokeswoman.

Julian Hunt, communications director at the Food and Drink Federation, said: “We are disappointed that [the FSA] appears to remain committed to arbitrary targets for specific nutrients in certain foods, rather than focusing on the need to achieve a balanced diet and lifestyle.”

Responses are required by Tuesday 3 November 2009. For more information visit www.food.gov.uk/consultations.

Bakery firms specialising in private-label are in a strong position to build export sales as retail chains in the US and mainland Europe look to develop more sophisticated own-brand ranges.

That’s the view of Simon Waring, MD of the UK branch of export consultancy The Green Seed Group, which has been founded from the now-defunct Food From Britain.

“Most markets are well behind the UK in terms of private-label, so the capabilities of bakeries that are highly skilled in this area are in demand internationally,” he told British Baker.

“Private-label is growing rapidly in the US, and in Germany we are seeing greater segmentation with more premium own-brand products. International retailers want to replicate the sophistication of the UK and are seeking private-label specialists.”

The Green Seed Group comprises nine offices in Europe, one in the US and one in Australia, which cover markets in 19 different countries. As well as helping British food and drink companies export, the group will also help companies in other countries export to the UK.

The Worshipful Company of Bakers has announced the winners of its awards who will all get the chance to attend a course at the Richemont school in Lucerne, Switzerland.

The Joseph Travelling award was won by Teresa Grant of Bakemark; the Piero Scacco award was given to John Breach of Reeves the Baker and Gabrielle Baxter from Tameside college; and the ABIM accolade went to Trevor Spinks of Dunn’s of Crouch End.

Accolades were also given to the following students: Harry Clegg - Thameside College; Susina Maiden – University College Birmingham; and Holly Blackman, Nathan Giles and Mark O’Neill - The National Bakery School, London Southbank University.

Blackman was crowned the top student at The National Bakery School 2009 and will be presented with the Freedom of The Worshipful Company of Bakers at the October court meeting.

*  There are also places available on a two-day bread and confectionery course at The Richemont school in October 2009. For further details please contact clerk@bakers.co.uk or christopher@dunns-bakery.co.uk, or call Christopher Freeman on 07776 480 032.

Coffee Republic has been rescued from administration and 62 jobs have been saved after a deal was agreed with Arab Investments to purchase the UK coffee chain.

Administrator KPMG announced that the acquisition was completed today by the London-based property investment firm.

Holding company Coffee Republic plc, had followed its three subsidiaries – Coffee Republic (UK) Ltd, Coffee Republic Franchising and Goodbean Ltd – into administration earlier this month, and the administrators were forced to close 10 under-performing company-owned stores.

The firm has said it intended to commit “substantial capital” into developing the brand and will be “embarking on further expansion of the branch network”. The chain currently has 80 outlets, 60 of which are located in the UK.

Khalid Affara of Arab Investments, said: “We intend to start growing the business with immediate effect. Coffee Republic has a very strong brand name and we are bringing additional investment into the company to expand the number of retail outlets in the UK and elsewhere.”

Richard Hill, joint administrator and KPMG partner, added: “I’m delighted that we have agreed the sale of Coffee Republic, rescuing a substantial part of the business and protecting 62 jobs. While coffee shops face tough competition on the high street in these challenging economic times, the amount of interest we received in Coffee Republic is testament to the strength of the brand.”

Arab Investments is currently developing the tallest building in the City of London, The Pinnacle.

South Wales bakery D Gibbon and Sons has invested £100k in new machinery for its factory in order to cope with increased business.

The manufacturer and wholesale bakery, based in Newport, supplies its own breads, rolls, cakes and confectionery, including its Gibbons Family Bakers brand, as well as national brands such as Hovis, across South Wales and areas of the UK.

The money has been spent on two single-rack ovens, which were installed last week, as well as a flow wrapper and an additional van for its fleet.

“The new ovens are less labour-intensive, but we will need to take on more staff because production has gone up,” said bakery manager Julian Owen. “We will probably need around four to six people at first, but hopefully it’ll be double figures over the next 12-18 months.”

“One of our major customers is Aldi and, in time, we’re looking to set up separate distribution in Swindon (Gloucestershire). At the moment, we supply around 25 stores local to Newport, but we’re hoping to expand on that.”

The bakery currently employs around 60 staff, 25-30 of which are in the bakery, and makes around 1,000 deliveries a day.

South Wales bakery D Gibbon and Sons has invested £100k in new machinery for its factory in order to cope with increased business.

Coffee Republic has been rescued from administration and 62 jobs have been saved after a deal was agreed with Arab Investments to purchase the UK coffee chain.

Administrator KPMG announced that the acquisition was completed today by the London-based property investment firm.

Baking cases producer Chevler has installed a specially designed reel-fed machine capable of producing over 250,000 muffin and cupcake cases an hour.

The Worshipful Company of Bakers has announced the winners of its awards, who will all get the chance to attend a course at the Richemont School in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Around 200 jobs are potentially at risk after Elisabeth the Chef announced it is to create a new facility in Leamington Spa, which will result in the merging of staff from two existing sites.

Point-of-sale material is now available for you to display during National Cupcake Week, which takes place from 14-19 September.

The Real Bread Campaign is encouraging bakers across the country to bake a special loaf to celebrate Lammas.

Starbucks Corporation has announced strong third-quarter results for the period ended 28 June, 2009, and has exceeded its cost-saving target for the period.

A speciality food group is on the look at for the next Midlands product with the potential to achieve protected name status.

East Midlands Fine Foods is encouraging the producers of distinguished food and drink products to put their names forward as the interest in regional products continues to grow.

Products that have already achieved this in the UK include Melton Mowbray pork pies and Stilton cheese, and Parma Ham and Champagne within the European Union.

“Gaining protected status is tremendously valuable for food and drink firms, and also for consumers, as it’s recognition of the provenance of the produce,” commented Jo Murphy from East Midlands Fine Foods.

Food producers from Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland are encouraged to put forward a product which qualifies for any one of three protected status levels drawn up by the European Union: Protected Geographical Indication, Protected Designation of Origin, or Traditional Speciality Guaranteed.

There are currently fewer than 40 protected names in Great Britain, with a further 40 currently being considered, compared to more than 700 currently protected in the rest of the EU.

For more information contact Jo Murphy or Jo Stevenson at East Midlands Fine Foods on 0115 9758810.

Starbucks Corporation has announced strong third quarter results for the period ended June 28, 2009, and has exceeded its cost saving target the period.

Despite a fall in net revenue from $2.6bn in Q3 of 2008 to $2.4bn in 2009, the firm said the success of its consumer facing initiatives and changes to its cost structure have resulted in improvement in comparable store sales - 2009 has seen a sales decline of 5% in Q3 compared to 8% in Q2.

Third quarter operating profit stood at $204m, compared to an operating loss of $21.6m in Q3 2008.

The coffee chain achieved cost savings of around $175m, exceeding its Q3 target of $150m, which amounts to approximately $370m cost savings for the year-to-date.

Troy Alstead, executive vice president and chief financial officer said its store partners had “embraced the cost disciplines and efficiency initiatives”.

The chain has also been trying to boost sales by experimenting with an unbranded outlet. One former Starbucks branded outlet in Seattle has been rebranded and will open as 15th Ave. Coffee and Tea on Friday 24 July.

“This coffeehouse is a Starbucks, albeit a different one than our customers are accustomed to,” explained a spokesperson for the firm. It will serve Starbucks coffee and share the same missions and values as Starbucks but delivered in a totally different way, she added. The new outlet will also serve beer and wine, and there are plans to open a further two outlets of this type.

The spokesperson added that the trial is “very specific to Seattle” and there are currently no plans to roll it out in the UK.

Cornish craft bakery Rowe’s has joined with Asda to launch the supermarket’s first in-store savoury bakery concession. It was officially opened on 16 July at the Asda store in St Austell, Cornwall, and features a 12ft long hot counter and 12ft ambient sections, as well as a food-to-go offering at the front of the store.

Asda’s change manager, Roy Clark, said the supermarket had trialled concessions in other areas, which had proved popular and it was keen to develop an offer in the bakery sector. “Sales of local products have increased by 41% at Asda this year and this venture with Rowe’s demonstrates our commitment to a partnership approach to working with West country brands.”

The venture builds on Rowe’s previous relationship with Asda’s in the West country, which has seen the bakery supply breads, cakes and pasties to the supermarket for the last 15 years. Rowe’s also supplies frozen unbaked savouries nationally for both the in-store bakeries and Asda Cafes.

Paul Pearce, director of marketing at Rowe’s, said the concession would allow the firm to put its products in front of the consumer in a different environment to its high street shops, and there were no plans for more concessions. “Its performance will be carefully reviewed and any steps to take this format forward will be determined by its success,” he added.

The Real Bread Campaign is encouraging bakers across the country to bake a special loaf to celebrate Lammas.

Taken from the Old English for loaf mass, Lammas, on 1 August, is an ancient harvest festival where bakers and millers came together to celebrate locally produced bread.

A number of bakeries have already announced activities to celebrate the day. For example, Denver Mill in Norfolk will collect wheat from a local organic farm in the morning, mill it and bake a Lammas loaf, which will blessed by the local vicar.

Slow Bread in Whitstable will bake rosemary-seasoned Lammas loaves in the shape of the god of harvest, and The Hornbeam Centre in Walthamstow is offering families the chance to learn to bake or to bring their bread to share with others.

“Not that we need an excuse to celebrate locally produced Real Bread but Lammas is a perfect one,” commented Chris Young of The Real Bread Campaign.

More information can be found at www.realbreadcampaign.org or contact Chris Young or Richard Watts at realbread@sustainweb.org or call 020 7837 1228.

Point of sale material is now available for you to display during National Cupcake Week, which takes place from 14-19 September.

The aim of the week is to draw customers’ attention to the everpopular bakery treat and the range of recipes and toppings available, and to tempt new and existing customers into your shop to try them.

An A4 and A3 poster, with space to add your own text, will be available to download from bakeryinfo.co.uk from today.

The National Cupcake Week logo will also be available to download, so make sure you print them off and post them in your shop windows to generate consumer interest and promote the week.

British Baker will also be sending out a branded poster on August 28 to bakeries and cafes who subscribe to British Baker, to help them market the event. This will coincide with an on-going PR campaign to drive awareness of the week in the national media.

Scientists have discovered that regular consumption of bread, and particularly bread crusts, could help prevent bowel cancer.

Cornish craft bakery Rowe’s has joined with Asda to launch the supermarket’s first in-store savoury bakery concession.

In these increasingly health-conscious times, we might expect fibre-containing bakery products to do especially well. But sales data tells a rather different story.

It is not uncommon practice for a family baker who runs short of bread to obtain some from a fellow-baker to tide him over in an emergency. An instance of this came to our notice a few days ago, and it was not necessary for the fact to be pointed out to us. In place of the excellent and appetising bread usually on sale, we saw a few good loaves and a considerable number of loaves that were nearly as hard as bullets and dead-looking; loaves of which no good baker could have pretended to be proud. We felt sorry for the customers who paid their money and took their choice and wondered whether they could fail to notice the difference between the bread to which they were accustomed and that which they were about to eat.

"It's devastating - a £2 sandwich has cost me my business, my home and everything I've worked on for the last 35 years"

Stop The Week has had its share of toaster stories over the past year, but we feel it our duty to let you know about the latest must-have gadget for Star Wars fans - just in case there are any of you out there in the bakery world!

Are you "thoughtful, inquisitive and independent without strong romantic ties" or are you "the life of the party" or even a "charismatic adventure seeker"? Then, boy, have we uncovered the sandwich for you! Or, to be honest, we haven't... but the Chicago-based Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation (smellandtaste.org) certainly has!

Forget cops and robbers, cops and doughnuts are two words that have gone together since the dawn of time. And this is now the name of a new doughnut shop in Clare City, Michigan - owned, that's right, by cops. Only in America.

Mention an industrial estate in Slough and it may well bring to mind an image of David Brent, the uncomfortably weird boss of a paper merchant, played by Ricky Gervais in BBC comedy The Office. However, the particular industrial estate on this occasion is home to speciality bread-maker Montana Bakery and, thankfully, has not a single Brent-like character in sight.

King Canute is best known for turning back the waves. Warburtons, by contrast, just had to raise the ground. And it had the benefit of modern technology.

John Slattery, master patissier and chocolatier, and current winner of the Baking Industry Award for Special Achievement, has no intention of resting on his laurels.

7-9 September

Fennel seeds are produced by both the feathery annual herb and the bulbous perennial Florence fennel, which is eaten as a vegetable. The flowers produce a mass of seeds, which are quite sweet, and the flavour is similar to aniseed or liquorice. They are used in fish soups and stews and on top of grilled fish or meat. In some Mediterranean countries, the seeds are sprinkled on top of bread dough prior to baking. However, they can be included in other baked products. Add some to soda bread or make a seeded rye bread using a mixture of fennel seeds, cumin seeds and caraway seeds. Swedish Limpa bread, which usually uses aniseed, can be made by adding fennel seeds, honey, orange zest and juice to a light rye bread mixture. A few can be added to a traditional recipe for banana bread or carrot cake and you can make coconut macaroons a little different by adding a few fennel seeds to the mixture.

Reading the bit of blurb on the back cover stating that: "The seventeenth-century 'Mermaid pie' was a way of flirting with the idea of cannibalism", you wouldn't be blamed for wondering what sort of book this was. It is in fact an all-encompassing look at the world of pies in all their glorious pastry history.

What will bread look like in the future? And what is the best thing since sliced bread? These are questions I've made it my quest to answer. And where better to start than pre-history?

Country Choice has launched a new range of thaw-and-sell wrapped cake slices under the Bake & Bite retail brand. The cakes are being targeted for impulse purchases and can be displayed in one of Country Choice's impulse confectionery units. They are available in six flavours: carrot cake; iced cherry & almond; cornflake cake; fruit cake; lemon drizzle, and chocolate cupcake.

Crazy Bags' new range is being targeted at bakery retailers as an eco alternative to plastic carrier bags. The non-woven polypropy-lene tote bag is available in six colours - magenta, red, white, black, reflex blue and green - and is 100% recyclable. The firm says the bags are "the ideal canvas for bakers to generate brand visibility as well as an additional profit centre for their stores". The bags are 6cm wide +10cm gusset x 41cm high, and designs and images can be either transfer- or screen-printed on to the bags.

Mechline has launched a Polycarbonate WS1 Wash Hand Basin, to replace stainless steel wash hand basins, which has a lower carbon footprint. Made from high-grade polycarbonate ABS plastic, the basin is available in white and grey, is durable and has an optional splashback.

How many times have you thought about how to increase your sales? Well here's how: suggestive selling, up-selling, link selling and promotional selling.

Porter Foods has launched a new vanilla bean paste range, suitable for professional and home baking.

BakeMark has launched a new range of multi-purpose Craigmillar brand mixes for foodservice. The four-strong range available is: plain muffin & cake mix, chocolate muffin & cake mix, pizza & bread mix and scone mix, and is suitable for vegetarians.

Ingredients supplier British Bakels has launched a new range of premium roll concentrates, designed to enable the production of a wide range of soft rolls, such as hamburger baps and finger rolls, while providing cost savings.

A link between the Bank of England lending rate and chocolate rice crispies must seem fairly tenuous. But at the British Society of Baking's June conference, which took place at its new venue, Ardencote Manor in Warwickshire, all became clear.

Ayear is a long time in the world of education quangos. The government overhauled the entire qualifications framework, launching a new Qualifications and Credit Framework (or QCF as it will no doubt become known - education bigwigs love an acronym). Meanwhile, the National Skills Academy (NSA) and bakery employers have been developing a brand new bakery course. While those of you in the industry may be scratching your head and using another acronym (WTF?), don't worry, all will become clear...in time. Trust us.

Research by Costa Coffee revealed that where people live not only affects their dialect but also how they taste food and drink. Taste preferences from 13,000 people in the UK's major regions have been analysed by food psychologist Greg Tucker, with input from Andy Taylor, professor of flavour technology from the University of Nottingham and advisor to Heston Blumenthal.

According to Verdict Consulting, the price of a traditional English breakfast has fallen for the first time in a year. For a family of four, it now costs an average of £16.01 compared to £16.06 last month.

I have been 'Reporting In' for about five years and, in that time, have seen a gradual evolution of technical issues and opportunities for the British baking sector.

Belgian bakery and café chain Le Pain Quotidien has opened a store in Parsons Green, west London - its third new outlet in the capital this year.

Sainsbury's 400 in-store bakeries are now using 100% British flour, sourced with the help of farming co-operative Camgrain, announced the supermarket.

Production of Thomas Collins Vectair Ovens has moved to Lancashire, following Interbake's acquisition of Independent Bakery Equipment (IBE).

Plans for mandatory fortification of bread with folic acid in New Zealand could be abandoned, after the government said it was taking advice on the issue.

Coffee Republic's holding company, Coffee Republic plc, has gone into administration follo-wing the closure of 10 out of the 20 Coffee Republic (UK) Ltd-owned stores, which has resulted in 66 redundancies.

== Coffee shops need better food focus ==

BBC2 series Mary Queen of Shops is on the look out for an independent high street bakery to feature in its third series.

Artisan bakery The Welbeck Bakehouse fired up its wood-burning oven for the first time last week, making a range of organic handmade sourdough breads and offering bakery courses.

== Reduced sat fat ads ==

The Hovis Scholarship Award has been given to Gabrielle Baxter from Tameside College, who will get the chance to obtain first-hand bakery experience working with industry professionals.

The Real Bread Campaign plans to recruit more craft bakers to its cause by launching a practical guide on how to cut additives in commercially made loaves.

Irish coffee shop chain Insomnia says recession-busting deals linking coffee and baked goods are driving sales, with over half its business now coming from promotions. It plans to continue the tactic throughout 2009.

== Bread ambitions ==

The new owners of Goswell Bakeries' bagel business have moved production from Canning Town to north London and are considering various options for growing the business, including developing new products and launching a branded range.

ADM Milling has launched a major new premium flour brand.

Baking cases producer Chevler has joined Puratos as a sponsor of National Cupcake Week (NCW).

Yorkshire-based baker and patissier Just Desserts has launched several new products and hopes to tackle the top-end retail sector, following substantial investment at its Shipley factory.

Leicestershire bakery chain Coombs Hampshires has been bought out of administration for an undisclosed sum, saving up to 150 jobs.

== Anglesey mill start-up ==

Finsbury Foods’ shares have taken a tumble after the firm announced that preliminary discussions regarding the sale of the company had ended.

An Anglesey farmer is to open an artisan flour mill in the autumn, which will supply local craft bakers with wheat and barley flour.

Northern Foods has achieved “further progress” in bakery according to its interim management statement for the first quarter.

Leicestershire bakery chain Coombs Hampshires has been bought out of administration for an undisclosed sum, saving up to 150 jobs.

The business and assets have been purchased by Adam Baxter, who had been running the bakery with his father, Keith, prior to its collapse. However, six of its 26 stores are set to close in a “rationalisation” process, resulting in the loss of around 20 jobs.

The company was formed when Hampshires Bakery bought Coombs Quality Bakers out of administration in 2006 and was 32nd in British Baker’s Top 50 bakery retailers table in January 2009.

To read the full story, make sure you check out the latest issue of British Baker out 17 July.

An Anglesey farmer is to open an artisan flour mill in the autumn, which will supply local craft bakers with wheat and barley flour.

Huw Owen, of Bodelwa Farm, Ty Croes, is investing £80,000 in a small Austrian-made stone mill, with funding support from the island’s regeneration agency Mentor Mon, which will be used to make flour from crops grown on his farm. A small oil press for making rapeseed oil will also be included at the facility.

Traditionally, Owen has grown feed-quality grain for sale to local cattle farmers, but this year he has drilled additional mill varieties. Of the 250 acres of arable, 15 acres have been put down to oil seed rape, 18 acres to mill wheat, five acres to naked barley (without hulls) and three acres to linseed.

Bethesda bakery Popty Cae Groes already makes a popular barley bread and is keen to work with Bodelwa in the future, with other local bakeries also interested in sourcing locally-produced flour.

Anglesey was known as ‘the bread basket of Wales’ before the Second World War, due to its large arable farms and windmills, but the post-war arrival of subsidies saw a dramatic switch from crops to livestock.

Owen hopes to revive the island’s former glories with the new business, while receiving a better return for his crops.

He said: “Selling on the commodity markets is a bit of a rollercoaster. One year you can get £180/tonne for barley and the next the price has dropped to £80, which hardly covers your costs. So this project is an attempt to stabilise the business and take greater control.”

BB’s Coffee and Muffins has opened its second forecourt outlet at Newcastle airport. The kiosk, at a Shell filling station, will serve a selection of hot paninis, toasties and baguettes, as well as muffins.

The 30sq m outlet is the second of its kind since BB’s launched the new format in the UK in April this year.

Retail and brands director Michele Young said the company has identified the forecourt sector as a “key focus area” for business development, based on proven trials. It is in discussions with a number of petrol retailers and hopes to open another 10 forecourt outlets by the end of 2010.

“We believe our brand is ideally suited to the fast-paced environment of the ‘food-to-go’ forecourt,” commented Young. “As a private business, we can be quick on our feet and flexible in how we work with our potential partners.”

Northern Foods has achieved “further progress” in bakery according to its interim management statement for the first quarter.

Underlying revenue in its Bakery division rose by 6.8% for the 13 weeks to 27 June 2009. The firm said brand investment in Fox’s Biscuits, with its ‘Vinnie’ TV campaign and activities on Facebook and Twitter, has led to increased purchases of the brand.

Revenue in its Chilled division increased by 9.2%, with the recent warm weather resulting in increased demand for sandwiches and salads.

The company’s Frozen division saw a drop in underlying revenue of 1.5% compared to the comparable period last year. The firm noted the closure of its original pizza manufacturing site at Poldys in Ireland last year as the reason behind the loss. However, it said frozen pies continued to perform well.

Overall group underlying revenue was up 5.5% on Q1 last year.

“Our focus upon high-quality products, to serve a range of tastes and budgets, positions us well to continue our progress. We have much more to do and have a range of initiatives to drive the business forward,” commented Stefan Barden, chief executive of Northern Foods.

Leicestershire bakery chain Coombs Hampshires has been bought out of administration for an undisclosed sum, saving up to 150 jobs.

Baking cases producer Chevler has joined Puratos as a sponsor of National Cupcake Week (NCW). Sales director Mike Wescomb said that the firm is proud to sponsor NCW and is happy to support all creative bakers taking part to develop new and innovative ideas.

“As the UK’s leading manufacturer of baking cases, we are launching a gold, silver and multi-coloured cupcake range to help bring individuality to the market,” said Wescomb. Chevler is offering all bakers taking part in NCW a sample pack of this new range. Call 01844 344231 for details.

* Don’t forget to enter our National Cupcake competition in the run-up to NCW. The deadline, 22 July, is almost here.

Our panel of independent judges includes: Dan Lepard, Mich Turner and Fiona Burrell. Just send us a commercial-scale recipe and method, including topping, plus photography and an application form, which can be downloaded from BB’s website bakeryinfo.co.uk.

Send your entries to cupcakes@william-reed.co.uk or post to Cupcake Competition, Elizabeth Ellis, William Reed Business Media, Broadfield Park, Crawley, West Sussex RH11 9RT.

Yorkshire-based baker and patissier Just Desserts has launched a number of new products and has hopes to tackle the top-end retail sector, following substantial investment at its Shipley factory.

The firm took over a unit that became available next to its factory last year and spent around £50k doubling the factory’s floor space to around 3,600sq ft, expanding the bakery and investing in new equipment, as well as streamlining and modernising its operations, explained MD and founder James O’Dwyer.

The company has seen business grow by 15% in the year to March 2009, compared to the same period in 2008.

“There are a lot of opportunities in the marketplace, so we’re trying to raise the profile of the company,” said O’Dwyer.

He explained that the business aims to capitalise on what it does best and will look at targeting some of its successful products, such as its award-winning treacle tart, at the top-end retail sector, including upmarket foodhalls.

Its new products include pear-and-almond and fig-and-almond ‘franzipans’, and it is relaunching Sweethearts – puff pastry hearts with a fruit conserve and a strawberry mousse filling.

Established in 1985, it currently employs 16 people and supplies the foodservice sector, as well as farm shops and delicatessens.

Yorkshire-based baker and patissier Just Desserts has launched a number of new products and has hopes to tackle the top-end retail sector, following substantial investment at its Shipley factory.

Ten out of the 20 Coffee Republic (UK) Ltd-owned stores have now closed, resulting in 66 redundancies, announced administrators KPMG Restructuring today.

The Hovis Scholarship Award has been given to Gabrielle Baxter from Tameside College, who will get the chance to obtain first-hand bakery experience working with industry professionals.

UK coffee chain Coffee Republic (UK) Limited has gone into administration alongside Coffee Republic Franchising and Goodbean Ltd, following the suspension of its shares yesterday.

Don’t forget to get creative and enter our national cupcake competition, sponsored by Puratos, in the run up to National Cupcake Week, and get your recipes in by the new date of 22 July.

* Ingenious bread bags that make stale bread fresh. Or do they? tinyurl.com/lqtugk * You can compact discarded bread crusts into logs to use as fuel... tinyurl.com/mquzyd * The US-based topless café that Stop the Week wrote about recently has burned to the ground... tinyurl.com/qdff43 * But another risqué café chain called Café Lu - described as "Starbucks meets Hooters" - emerges to fill the void... tinyurl.com/mw24pp

This week's press conference at the Ministry of Food commenced on a none-too-jolly note. It concerned bones. Bones are wanted for the production of fertiliser, bone grease and glue. It was stated that the Ministry was anxious to secure that the maximum quantity of bones is collected from private households.

"When I told her the posh chocolate biscuits had been listed in the press, she retorted 'well, you don't expect me to eat Family Circle under this kind of pressure do you?' No, I don't, because she has been bang on in her judgment and the way she has handled our office accounts"

Our journey westward continues with a trip to Tesco in Exeter, where the Express & Echo heralded a word of warning to anyone who might find themselves a little peckish at a Tesco checkout. It reported on one shopper who suffered the ignominy of being manhandled to the ground and banned from his local store - for biting on a bread roll before he'd paid for it.

Local papers up and down the country are the fuel that fires Stop the Week's oven, and we salute the nation's hacks who do the tireless task of breaking the stories that matter. So it is that we embark upon a journey out into the regions, this time alighting in Winchester.

== Name: Accurist2 divider and Multitex4 moulder ==

An angry celebration cake-maker sounds like a contradiction in terms, but that was before the likes of Marks & Spencer and Waitrose muscled into the gentle world of cake decoration.

Trying to fit a square pie into a round hole is all well and good if your intended aperture is a mouth, and not an ill- fitting retail concept. Square Pie's star was rising throughout the past decade, nimbly transferring its pie and mash food-to-go brand into shopping centres, markets, department stores and travel. Feeling they could do no wrong, they did just that, and stretched the brand too far by launching a sit-in restaurant three years ago.

Coffee is an addiction. As with many addictive substances, dabblers get the munchies. Not even a blood-letting recession has weaned hard-pressed cocoa-heads off their Jobseekers Allowance-busting £2.35 macchiato hit, and as such, coffee chains continue to be the dominant peddler of baked goods for caffeine junkies on the high street.

Honeybuns' cafe at Glastonbury has always been a good spot to shelter from the howling wind and rain, and dry out your boots before trench foot sets in, so bad has the weather been at Britain's largest music festival for the past few years. This year, however, the Dorset-based cake company provided sanctuary for festival-goers in search of some shade from the glorious sunshine that bathed the campsite over the weekend, not to mention a civilised cup of tea and cake.

MY: Nothing beats the "real thing" - if your counters look great and your products appetising, they should sell themselves. But we do use our menu boards to reinforce our products, with strong photographic imagery, and this helps to increase the appetite appeal.

If raising the profile of the local baker and highlighting the crucial role of bakers in the community was the aim of the inaugural National Craft Bakers' Week, then we have to say, 'mission accomplished'!

I got a phone call this morning, congra-tulating me on being shortlisted for the Young Male of the Year at the Scottish Achievements Awards 2009 and asking me to prepare a speech, should I be the winner on Thursday, 25 June.

Planglow has launched reusable jute lunch bags, which can be sold to customers in bakery retailers as an alternative to plastic bags. The bags are designed to hold lunchtime items such as a sandwich, drink and snack, and feature the words 'Small bag - Big difference'.

Cadbury is launching Cadbury Fudge Bites, extending its presence in the small cake market, said owner Premier Foods. The sponge cake pieces are layered with Cadbury Fudge and covered in chocolate. The Cake Bites range was launched in 2008 and has added £2m to the sector.

Northern Irish-bakery Irwin's has launched a new sliced white pan - Irwin's Softee - in order to capitalise on the renewed growth in sliced white bread.

Artisan Biscuits has launched a range of cheese biscuits under the name Grate Britain. The all-British range consists of Cheddar Biscuits, made with Wookey Hole Cave-Aged Cheddar; Stilton Biscuits, made with Long Clawson Blue Stilton; and Smoked Cheese Biscuits, made with Dorset Red. The cheese is freshly grated for every batch and English flour, cream and butter are also used. They are available from delicatessens and cheese shops.

== What's new? ==

Allen Coding's 55SST thermal transfer printer has been designed to increase efficiency on food production lines, providing high speeds of up to 400mm per second (intermittent) and 750mm per second (continuous).

Melitta has launched The Bar-Cube, a new bean-to-cup machine to fit onto the smallest of counter spaces. Measuring 430mm wide x 500mm deep x 465mm high, it can produce 150 espressos per hour and has 18 different menu settings.

Applied Principles has launched a new paperless quality management system called Gerald, designed with bakeries and small manufacturers in mind. It eliminates huge amounts of paperwork, while giving real-time reporting, collation of trendable data, traceability, audit compliance and time- and cost-savings.

Unsurprisingly, quality and taste of drinks was considered most important to coffee chain customers (38%). While quality and taste of food (11%) and drinks range (10%) came in second and third, the rest of respondents were divided between a whole range of factors and services, from product availability to speed of service, shop cleanliness, value for money, seat availability, staff friendliness, pricing, product choice, food range, loyalty cards and promotions. Rather than suggesting that these factors are of little importance to the consumer, it indicates how crucial it is to get all of them right to offer a rounded customer experience.

A new metal detector has been launched by Constant Instruments, offering sensitivity up to 30% higher than earlier models. The THS/MS21 metal detector, suitable for use in bakeries, can detect contaminant particles at high speed, even for difficult highly conductive products, such as those containing high levels of salt or fat.

Ishida Europe has launched a new Cut-gate Weigher, designed for the weighing of granular products, such as sugar and salt or granules for hot and cold drinks. According to Ishida, the weigher is typically three times more accurate than conventional filling or dosing systems. Its gentle handling preserves the particle size and structure, in turn reducing dust emissions.

Bosch packaging technology has launched a new SVI vertical bagger series, suitable for food and non-food applications. The machine's low height and the numerous retrofitting options makes it capable of performing multiple standard bag styles for an unlimited range of products, such as bakery and confectionery items, powders and tea and coffee. The intermittent SVI machines can produce bags with corner seal and doy-style bags with optional zippers, and can be upgraded with an additional modular unit for corner sealing. Pillow bags, side-gusseted bags and stand-up block bottom bags, can be produced by changing the adjustable forming set.

Private-label bakery products lost ground against branded rivals in both value and volume terms last year, according to new research from the Private Label Manufacturers' Association in conjunction with research firm AC Nielsen.

Pine nuts: There have been no improvements since the last report. Supply of unsold stock from China appears to be dwindling to near zero and any offers emerging are from re-sellers who are offering sporadic containers sourced, presumably, from sellers who are defaulting on earlier, lower-priced contracts. There have been some sporadic offers of Pakistani pine nuts at slightly cheaper levels although the size, shape and flavour characteristics are no like-for-like match for Chinese. With the new crop likely to be small, the concern is that the high pricing might extend into the New Year.

Going from meeting to meeting in London, I tend to spend quite a bit of time working in coffee shops and cafés. Last Monday, I had the pleasure of spending a couple of hours at a new business in Holborn, called the Fleet River Bakery.

The trend for making sandwiches at home to save on lunch bills, which has seen sales of sliced loaves soar, has not extended to bread rolls, which saw sales drop in the 12 weeks to 17 May.

London-based Little Venice Cake Company has signed a deal to supply 204 Sainsbury's stores across the country with celebration cakes that can be finished by consumers at home.

Finsbury Foods subsidiary Nicholas & Harris has acquired the licences for speciality bread brands Vogel's, Cranks and Dove's Farm from East End bakery Goswell in a £2.2m deal.

Sandwich chain Baguette Express plans to rival Subway and Greggs on UK high streets by building an empire of more than 300 franchised stores over the next five years via a network of regional master franchisees.

== Canadian delivery ==

== Pearsons publicity ==

The Village Bakery, based in Minera, near Wrexham, is to see nine of its lines stocked in 11 Tesco stores in North Wales, following a deal with the retailer.

Additional funding to increase the number of adult apprentices in Scotland in areas such as bakery has been agreed.

Kingsmill has become the first UK bread brand to include the Carbon Trust's Carbon Reduction label on-pack.

Pasty Presto has opened two stores, after securing £1.5m of bank funding, and is on course to open a further five this year, taking the pasty and coffee shop chain to a total of 30 outlets.

Major steps have been taken towards a pan-industry qualification in underpinning bakery skills, with four leading firms signing up to a pilot scheme that launches in September.

== Waitrose adds buns ==

A fourfold rise in the price of top-grade saffron has forced an award-winning Cornish bakery to cease production of its saffron cakes and buns.

Time is running out to find the UK's best cupcake (deadline 8 July), so enter our Cupcake Week competition, sponsored by Puratos, now! A panel of independent judges awaits your entries:

The UK arm of Irish sandwich chain O'Briens, comprising 109 franchised outlets, has been put into administration in an effort to renegotiate rents and restructure the business.

Craft bakers are to receive practical advice on how to meet government salt reduction targets for bread, as part of a Food Standards Agency (FSA) project.

Warburtons has opened its new Bristol bakery, which has cost £45m. Designed to strengthen the brand's presence in the south west, it will give the firm improved distribution throughout the Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset and Bristol areas.

== Heart health concern ==

Heatherslaw Bakery hopes to be making bread “on a big scale” following the success of its new bloomer, produced with ingredients sourced within a three-mile radius.

BBC2 series Mary Queen of Shops is on the look out for an independent high street bakery to feature in its third series.

West Cornwall Pasty Co is branching out from hot savouries and will be offering cream teas this summer.

Asda is reducing its transport costs and aims to reduce its fleet’s emissions by 40%. Advanced map-based transport optimisation software will allow for more efficient route planning and use of its fleets and drivers.

Britvic and Pepsico have launched an on-pack promotion across the 7UP range of soft drinks. Consumers can get £10 off their next holiday with Thomas Cook with every purchase, as well as the chance to win a holiday to one of the seven natural wonders of the world.