Craft bakers are using an innovative website as a low-cost way to help advertise their business.

Square Pie has announced that its Pie World Cup is to return to coincide with the Football World Cup this summer.

Lees Foods has seen its year-on-year pre-tax profit increase more than twofold from £379k in 2008 to £843k in 2009.

Strong sandwich sales and consumer demand for meal deals has helped Greencore to up its operating profit by 31.8%, to €25.9m for the half year ended 26 March, 2010.

Flintshire firm Tasties has landed a deal to supply Tesco’s 13 stores in North Wales with a new range of sandwiches.

Stephen Ort, previously a regular contributor to British Baker, died recently after a long illness.

Richard Stevenson, technical manager at the NAMB, answers members’ queries on food and trading law and other business issues

Q: Must we pay an employee their full salary while they are absent on jury service, and, if so, can we claim compensation?

Jury service creates unexpected problems for employers. But sometimes, an employee can ask to be excused – or to have their selection deferred.

The case is Shah v First West Yorkshire. Mr Shah was off work for three months between January and April 2009.

ID cards can now be provided as proof of the right to work in the UK. Before an employee starts work, you must ask them for documentary evidence of their right to work in the UK. Employers who cannot prove that they have done this – for example, by keeping copies – risk a fine under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.

A new case says that employers must make it clear to an employee that their right to payment in lieu of any holiday entitlement at the end of employment applies only to the final holiday year. What is the best way to deal with this?

The feedback from this year’s NAMB conference at Heron’s Reach in Blackpool was great. Tired but happy – that’s how I felt at the end of the event.

Walkers Charnwood Bakery walked away from Melton Mowbray with an armful of accolades, including Supreme Champion, at the British Pie Awards on Wednesday.

Don Williams, CEO of brand specialist Pi Global, reckons that in both the US and the UK lessons on how to create excitement in retailing grocery brands need to be learned

Now in America they have a machine for slicing dough before it is baked, and this idea is rather novel. The 'Do Slicer' passes the moulded dough piece to a cutting frame where 25 sickle-shaped knives revolve through slots in the frame. Melted fat is smeared automatically on the knife blades and this, coating the dough slices, prevents them sticking together again after baking. Thus the baked loaf holds together alright, but the individual slices can be taken from it one at a time. Whether the bread is likely to find much favour either in America or over here remains to be seen...

"I am the Nigella Lawson of breast milk cookery. Why would you prefer to drink milk from a dirty cow over a clean, healthy woman? Breast milk is sweeter and slightly oily it actually tastes of goodness, whereas cow's milk just tastes of chemicals"

Bakery-themed video games are rare, so we welcome 'Pile up! Bakery' a two-player puzzle game in which players compete to stack the highest pile of pastries, cakes and slices of fruit falling off an assembly line, and balance it to prevent it from crashing down. Despite costing just a couple of quid to download, one review says it's set to join the list of poorest-rated games ever released on the Sony PSP... So we suggest you turn your production line up to 11 and play real-life pile-up then post a video of it on Youtube.

In these hectic times, snacking on the go has come into its own. But as our lifestyles gather speed, driven by the need to tweet every time we boil the kettle, the need for fast food solutions that keep pace grows ever more acute. Sometimes one yearns for a 120psi cannon to fire food straight into one's face.

If you've used sales predictions and discounted food that's nearing it's sell-by date, but there's still stacks of unsold sandwiches and cakes, then there's only one thing for it: chuck it away.

By its very nature, baking is an inefficient use of energy: baking requires the highest temperatures (200-240°C); bread is a low-density product (90% air); and the occupation ratio in an oven is generally very small.

The environment may have been a notable absentee from the General Election campaign, but make no mistake it has not gone away. Companies picking their way through the government's Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) know this only too well. This is yet another Government-sponsored initiative, along with the Climate Change Levy (CCL), attempting to monitor and reduce CO2 emissions and more specifically energy consumption. Since launch, the CRC has been given the slightly longer, but more explanatory, name of the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC EES).

A Ginsters pasty or slice, displayed in the chiller cabinet of a petrol station, may not immediately conjure up thoughts of the Cornish countryside carrots and potatoes plucked fresh from the soil or local cheese producers but perhaps it should.

There are lots of ways to raise money for charity. And swimming 1.5 miles around London Docklands, getting straight on to a bicycle with still wobbly legs, then going for a long run is more challenging than most.

Thomas the Baker is launching a range of authentic Italian breads The Rustica using Italian flour imported from Rome.

EPOS Group has launched a new version of its Quantum till solution specifically for bakery shops.

Lancashire company SpringThyme Oils has developed a range of fresh-flavoured infused fluid shortenings specifically for the bakery sector. They are made by blending hard and soft vegetable oils with fresh herbs and spices, such as chilli, garlic, rosemary or thyme. These are then infused into an oil matrix to create fat-based flavour solutions.

Parisian chocolatier Maison du Chocolat has launched a range of macaroons for the summer. They include: Passion a dark ganache infused with passion fruit between a light almond biscuit; Andalousie an almond macaroon filled with fresh lemon zest infused into a dark ganache; Porcelana a dark macaroon, with a ganache made from the rare Porcelana cocoa bean; Pistachio a pistachio ganache in an airy almond macaroon; and Noisette crunchy nuts in a dark ganache.

French bakery manufacturer Bridor has expanded its organic range with new additions in bread and Viennese pastries. Now featuring in the Pure Organic Range is a 140g baguettine; a 280g baguette; a 55g pavé; a 55g grain and cereal Purepavé; a 70g croissant; and a 75g pain au chocolat. All are supplied frozen.

Kids' drink Robinsons Fruit Shoot is launching Fruit Shoot My 5, a new range of juice drinks to help mums give their kids one of their five-a-day.

By Max Jenvey of Oxxygen Marketing Partnership, a strategic management agency that works on brand development in the bakery, foodservice and convenience retail sectors

Bakery ingredient specialist CSM United Kingdom has launched two new, improved Craigmillar Creme Cake Mixes, suitable for muffins, sheets and loaf cakes, so bakers can create variety from a single mix. The resilient crumb structure means cakes slice cleanly and inclusions are held evenly throughout the batter. Both mixes meet the Food Standards Agency's 2010 sodium guidelines when using the standard recipe.

Adams Food Ingredients, the functional ingredients division of The Irish Dairy Board, has launched a line of additives to help bakers enhance the health and nutritional values of products.

New to Fleming Howden's (Premier Foods') portfolio is The Premier Range of cake mixes for both craft bakers and cake manufacturers. The mixes, developed by the technical team at Fleming Howden over the past six months, comprise: Premier Genoese Mix; Premier Doughnut Mix; Crème Cake Mix; American Doughnut Mix & Concentrate; Premier Sponge Mix; Premier Scone Mix & Concentrate.

Macphie has developed a batter to help bakers tap into the latest craze of whoopie pies a cross between a cookie and a cake sandwich.

Raisins: With provisional prospects looking increasingly optimistic for both optimal Californian and Turkish new crops from August, raisin pricing over the next four to five months will be largely determined in California, by their ability or willingness to compete with Turkey.

Matthew Goodman,

Edinburgh-based artisan bakery Peter's Yard has announced that its handmade Swedish crispbreads will now be available on the shelves of Selfridges' food hall.

West Sussex firm Prosperity Brownies has started supplying nine Waitrose stores in Sussex with its brownies and flapjacks this month.

Scottish bakery companies McGhee's and Pars Foods expect to sell half a million of their new reduced-fat Scotch pies in the next year, after launching the product at the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden Park stadium.

French boulangerie and patis-serie chain Maison Blanc has announced that it has won new business with Sainsbury's.

Manchester-based GH Sheldon plans to boost sales with the supermarkets and expand into other channels after investing nearly £4m in a second bakery.

Training and education were at the forefront of the National Association of Master Bakers' achievements last year, outlined by chairman of the board Mike Holling at the annual conference.

Trading Standards Officers (TSOs) will spearhead a project to test the salt levels of bread in craft bakeries across the UK and provide advice on how to reduce salt content in products.

Sixth outlet for Gail's

Cheap and 'recession-busting' sandwich ranges threaten to undermine consumer perceptions of quality and value for money in the category, according to a new report from the British Sandwich Association.

Co Londonderry-based artisan bakery Genesis Crafty has launched a new Irish Bakery range in Marks & Spencer, after successfully gaining supplier accreditation by the store.

A leading gluten-free bakery supplier has warned that the category could become commoditised if supermarkets continue to push their own-label products.

Bakery retailer Greggs has revealed that it has found a piece of land which it believes is the right location for its planned new bakery in the south.

Marks & Spencer is the first British supermarket to launch a range of whoopie pies the latest bakery craze from the US with over 20,000 products sold in the first weekend.

Just over one year on from Délifrance's acquisition of Le Pain Croustillant and Sofrapain from Premier Foods, the integration is now complete.

A Belfast bakery has closed down less than two years after moving to a new 16,000sq ft factory, which was part-funded with government money.

Manchester-based Martins Foods has purchased craft bakery Mellors out of administration, saving 50 jobs. Mellors Ltd went into administration on 22 April, and was bought by Martins the next day.

by Georgi Gyton

Newly-formed bakery firm Mathiesons Foods Limited is already making plans to streamline operations at its three bakery production sites in Scotland.

Canadian coffee and doughnuts franchise chain Tim Hortons, which operates 290 self-service kiosks in convenience stores in the UK and Ireland, is set to expand its international operation with fast-growing China and India seen as potential targets.

There are only two days left until the deadline for all entries to the Baking Industry Awards 2010. So if you haven’t sent your entry form in yet, make sure you do it by end of Friday, 21 May!

Co Londonderry-based artisan bakery Genesis Crafty has launched a new Irish Bakery range in Marks & Spencer, after successfully gaining supplier accreditation from the retailer.

A cupcake bakery and café, which creates training and job opportunities for people who have been made homeless, is part of a £10m scheme to improve a Birmingham-based housing and support group.

West Sussex firm Prosperity Brownies has started supplying nine Waitrose stores in Sussex with its brownies and flapjacks this month.

Greggs has revealed it has found a piece of land which it believes is the right location for its planned new bakery in the south.

Scottish bakery Mathiesons has been sold to newly-formed company Mathiesons Foods Limited, saving around 340 jobs.

Edinburgh-based artisan bakery company Peter’s Yard has announced its handmade Swedish crispbreads will now be available on the shelves of Selfridges’ food hall.

It is with regret that British Baker announces the death of Ronnie Mackay, aged 92, on 25 April.

"I don't deny myself anything. Right now, my weakness is for cupcakes. I was sent 12 of them when I got to No.1 all different flavours"

There has been a good deal of dissatisfaction consequent upon the rationing of tea, especially for those workers who normally drink tea while at work. The Ministry of Food stated this week that a special allocation of tea is to be made and drunk at work. All local food officers have been instructed to allow the extra supplies to any factory or business where tea is normally made during the day. Bakery workers can now, therefore, be sure of their cups of tea while at work.

The craze for record-breaking baked goods shows no signs of dying out this time it's the world's biggest piano cake. An effort from Confection Bakery in Michigan, USA, measured 4ft wide by 6ft long and 5ft high. Weighing 300lb, it was supported by wooden legs and sculpted Styrofoam.

Remember 12 March's Stop the Week news of the US exhibition Dairy-Deli-Bake, featuring an unlikely guest speaker, former president George W Bush? Well, it continues to throw up gems. In the latest show literature, we are treated to a preview of one intriguing innovation to be showcased: salads in pastry bags. Elsewhere, we are told, visitors will be slavering over a new crossover between haute cuisine and hot dogs called, predictably enough, haute dogs. Or how about "naked 'wiches"? "Think topless and bottomless and you'll see the latest trend in sandwich presentations," it says. Oh, we often think along those lines lines perhaps a little too much.

You wait around ages for a zombie-themed cupcake recipe book to be launched and two come along at once. Isn't it always the way?

George Brace, an engine driver from the Cambrian Colliery in the Rhondda Village of Clydach Vale, decided to open a small bakery and started a business that is now a highly respected plant bakery, still run and managed by his family.

Whereas systems with dough dividers and moulders have dominated the bread and roll market for many years, the significant new trend is production of bread from a continuous dough band, for quality and flexibility, even at the lower end of the scale. Gentle dough handling, along with ease of operation, automation and quality control, are continuing themes, as is versatility. The ability to process many products through the same machine, handling a wide variety of dough types, is especially important for modern products, including rustic and artisanal bread types.

Anyone noticed a change in supermarket hot cross buns this year? Did you observe, perhaps, that the fruit was particularly moist? Well, you would be right.

It has been said that looks aren't everything, and this certainly seems to be the case when it comes to chilled serve-over units. Although the aesthetics of these units is important to the overall look of the shop, versatility and function are also key selling points for bakery retailers.

Set in the beautiful and also slightly quirky town of Glastonbury, Burns the Bread has pride of place on the high street, set among shops selling crystals and books on fairies and witchcraft. Yet unlike its neighbours, the bakery has its head firmly in the real world and a honed approach to its business and customers.

By Steve Wells of Food bakery, Minehead, Somerset

Hand-raised pies were historically made using wooden moulds to shape the pastry prior to filling and baking. Nowadays, it is possible to make them using other shapes for moulding. For example: honey jars, small soufflé dishes or anything that is straight-sided and not too deep. Hot water crust pastry is easy to make and very forgiving. The pies we are used to seeing, encased in hot water crust pastry, are pork pies, such as Melton Mowbray pies, and veal and ham pies. When handmade, these can look spectacular and you can add different flavours to them.

Richard Hamilton of HamiltonBIG, a creative retail and brand consultancy, considers how to be efficient in your build project

Umer Ashraf is a young entrepreneur who owns the Glasgow-based iCafé chain of shops, as well as smoothie and juice bar Paradise Bay, in Oban, Scotland

By Max Jenvey of Oxxygen Marketing Partnership, a strategic business agency, specialising in the bakery, foodservice and convenience retail sectors

Délifrance UK has announced the launch of 80 new product lines from May.

Pieminister has launched a new flavour in response to demand for original vegetarian pies. Its Mean Bean Pie is filled with Mexican three-bean chilli, butternut squash and fresh coriander.

Bakehouse has launched a new range of fully baked pastries called Patisse, designed to meet the demand for premium sweet pastries reminiscent of those found in high-end patisserie outlets.

A lot of the hype in the coffee shop market at the moment surrounds the much-trumpeted so-called 'third wave' of coffee shops. In case you missed the memo, the third wave refers to a band of quality-obsessed indie artisans currently germinating in the capital. These follow the second wave the emergence of the big chains, Costa, Starbucks and Caffè Nero. And the first? Pretty much everything that came before. "The third wave is about real authenticity, it's about love for what you do. It's about environment and theatre. For the first time in a long time this is being led by independents," said Jeffrey Young, MD of market analyst Allegra Strategies.

Almonds:

US machine supplier United Bakery Equipment (UBE) is on a mission to crack the UK market.

Dutch firm Sonneveld, which produces bread improvers, mixes and release agents, is to become part of Orkla Food Ingredients (OFI) in Norway.

Starbucks sales climb

Nick Harris

Worldwide bakery supplier CSM revealed falling demand in its bakery supplies for the first quarter of the year, with a 1.2% drop in volume compared to Q1 2009.

Poor bakery sales in the UK have helped to cause a decline in Maple Leaf Food's fortunes.

Bakers and manufacturers are being warned of possible egg shortages when new EU legislation takes effect.

Hummingbird deal

Ginsters aims to drive forward growth in the snacking and sharing occasion with the launch of new savoury products in time for summer. The Cornish firm has also made further investments in automation at its Lynher bakery in Callington in order to increase production at the site, and has just completed the commission of a Schubert pick-and-place machine an investment of £1.2m.

The deadline is looming for entry into the competitions to be held at the Alliance for Bakery Students and Trainees' (ABST) Annual Conference, on 12 June. The conference takes place at the Alton Towers Hotel, Alton Towers, from 11-13 June.

New Covent Garden has made a break away from fresh soups and has launched its first range of chilled quiches. The firm, which also offers a range of risottos, has made the decision to diversify in order to strengthen its brand's all-year-round appeal.

Following a huge overhaul of the French boulangerie and patisserie chain, Maison Blanc's 14 shops are now positioned for the growth of the brand planned over the next three years.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is carrying out a review of its high workplace temperatures policy, with a view to drawing up sector-specific guidance for bakery workers, and is looking for craft bakers to voice their views.

Hovis is to make at least 115 workers redundant as it attempts to reduce its debts.

A revised deadline of 21 May has been given for all categories in this year's Baking Industry Awards. So make sure you get your entries in as soon as possible. The Awards, now in their 23rd year, celebrate the best of the British baking industry, and are attended by key players from across the industry.

Scottish conference

Paddy Garvey, a renowned figure in the Irish bakery trade, has lost his battle with cancer. He died in a Dublin hospice at the end of April, having been seriously ill for over a year.

Chevler has announced it is to introduce a new production planning system, in order to cope with soaring demand for its baking cases and muffin wraps.

Sylvia Macdonald

Unifine Food & Bake Ingredients has signed a sole UK distribution, sales and marketing agreement with pastry-maker Pruvé.

Don’t forget to make the most of National Doughnut Week 2010, which kicks off this Saturday. The week, sponsored by CSM UK, runs from 8-15 May and raises money for charity The Children’s Trust, through the sale of doughnuts.

As well as raising money for charity, it is also a great way of promoting your business in the local community.

Bakeries across the country have registered to take part in the event, including: Sayers the Bakers, Martin’s, Dunns of Crouch End, Warings Bakery, Forfars Fresh, Gunns Bakery and P & A Davies.

This year, doughnut lovers are being invited to predict the winner of the 2010 Football World Cup by buying a doughnut topped with icing in the colour of the shirts of the six teams tipped to win: Brazil (yellow shirts), Spain (red shirts), England (white shirts), Argentina (light blue shirts), Italy (royal blue shirts) and South Africa (green shirts).

Ray Wilkins, former England player, coach and a supporter of The Children’s Trust, said: “By taking part in National Doughnut Week’s special ‘World Cup Doughnut Poll’, friends, family and work colleagues can enjoy predicting the winner, whilst raising money for children with disabilities.”

The Children’s Trust, Tadworth is a national charity providing care, education and therapy for children with multiple disabilities and complex health needs, and rehabilitation services to children with an acquired brain injury.

To find out more visit www.nationaldoughnutweek.org.

Don’t forget to make the most of National Doughnut Week 2010, which kicks off this Saturday. The week, sponsored by CSM UK, runs from 8-15 May and raises money for charity The Children’s Trust, through the sale of doughnuts.

Following a huge overhaul of the French boulangerie and patisserie chain, Maison Blanc’s 14 shops are now positioned for the growth of the brand planned over the next three years.

Following a huge overhaul of the French boulangerie and patisserie chain, Maison Blanc’s 14 shops are now positioned for the growth of the brand planned over the next three years.

A revised deadline of 21 May has been given for all categories in this year’s Baking Industry Awards. So make sure you get your entries in as soon as possible.

Bakers and manufacturers are being warned of possible egg shortages when new EU legislation takes effect.
From January 2012, it will be illegal in EU countries to produce eggs from traditional battery cages. Instead, producers must convert to new enriched cages, which have more space, perches, a scratching area and nest boxes.

While British producers are on target, there are serious concerns that other European countries might not meet the deadline.

A British Lion egg products spokesman said: “Some 100 million laying hens across Europe will still be in conventional cages when the legislation comes into force.” He said this meant some manufacturers would need to find new, compliant suppliers and there might be a time-lag, which could mean shortages.

Caged eggs still account for more than 75% of eggs used in processed products.

The change in legislation is likely to have the biggest impact in the egg products sector, where about one-third of eggs are imported. 

Martin Turton, head of the Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate and Confectionery Group (BCCC), said: “UK food manufacturers are fully aware of their legal requirements around food production. They understand the importance of compliance and the need to put in place the appropriate measures to achieve this.”

New Covent Garden has made a break away from fresh soups and has launched its first range of chilled quiches. The firm, which also offers a range of risottos, has made the decision to diversify in order to strengthen its brand’s all-year-round appeal.

Poor bakery sales in the UK have helped to cause a decline in Maple Leaf Food’s fortunes.

Bakers and manufacturers are being warned of possible egg shortages when new EU legislation takes effect. From January 2012, it will be illegal in EU countries to produce eggs from traditional battery cages. Instead, producers must convert to new enriched cages, which have more space, perches, a scratching area and nest boxes.

Make sure you get your entries in for the Baking Industry Awards by the new deadline of 21 May. The Awards, now in their 23rd year, celebrate the very best of the British baking industry, and are attended by key players from across the industry.