This classic loaf manages to be both incredibly simple to make and very difficult to get perfect.

Warburtons’ MD BRETT WARBURTON is to become executive director from April, with current finance director Robert Higginson taking over as MD. Brett Warburton, who has been MD for six years, will now focus on quality and technical matters. Mr Higginson takes up the position following five years as finance director. He will chair the operations board and join the main board of Warburtons.

For light-duty applications, the Sanyo EMS 1000 microwave oven is newly available from UK agent Valera (West Thurrock, Essex).

Cranberry supplier Ocean Spray (Spalding, Lincs) has launched sweetened dried cranberries (SDCs) with less sugar and more fibre to enhance the fruit’s health properties.

Rational (Luton, Bedfordshire) has developed a tray that makes it easier to bake muffins in its SelfCooking Center.

ADM Cocoa (Koog aan de Zaan, the Netherlands) has launched a new bright red cocoa powder, De Zaan D-11-ZR.

Ambit International (Enfield, Middlesex) has launched two new models in the President range of spiral mixers, targeted at industrial bakeries with high capacity requirements.

The Mono (Swansea, West Glamorgan) range of mixers offers a choice for most bakery needs from busy production units to craft bakeries, says the company.

Apuro (Solihull, West Midlands) has launched the Quattro QPM20 planetary mixer. The company says it is robust, reliable and available through catering equipment distributors nationwide.

The GEO Mixer from Interbake (Bury, Lancashire) is designed for cake or pastry products.

APV Baker’s (Peterborough) technique of pressure-vacuum mixing is now available as a retrofit packaging for the Tweedy range of mixing systems.

JBS Master Baker (Market Deeping, Peterborough) has a new planetary mixer with an oil-free gearbox. Developed by Italian mixing specialist Sancassiano, it provides hygiene,

The new Benbo Planetary Mixer from Nisbets (Avonmouth, Bristol) is suitable for bakers, hotels, restaurants and canteens looking for a durable, reliable and powerful machine, says the company.

A new range of Ergo Bear planetary mixer by JBS Master Baker (Market Deeping, Peterborough) incorporate handling and operational improvements, says the firm.

The new programmable Kemper President Mixer can be used to mix doughs, pastes and batters, says supplier Eurobake (Lostock, Bolton). It also handles a range of volumes and, with an intensive mixing action, the mixer achieves evenly kneaded doughs in a short time, adds the firm.

When craft bakers buy new machinery, weighing up the competing claims of all the equipment suppliers can prove a headache. Often a quick call to a bakery comrade will cut through the sales pitch and determine the value of a new piece of kit.

Rue des Martyrs is a typical Parisian commercial street, sloping up towards the Sacré Coeur and within walking distance of the Gare du Nord station.

A few days ago an agenda came through my email for the Retail Confectioners International Convention, which is held in Pennsylvania, the US, in June. I noticed my name was down as a speaker and the topic was The Art of Making Money.

Nantwich-based craft baker Arthur Chatwins has built up a loyal following in the north west over a history that spans nearly 100 years. Its high-quality scratch-baked range of breads, savouries and cakes are popular with customers in 19 bakery shops and five coffee lounges, in the North Staffordshire and South Cheshire area.

Q. How did you get involved with the Irish Association of Master Bakers (IAMB)?

Bakers have called the possibility of liberalising Sunday trading hours “bad for business” and “bad for society”.

Sunday trading is back on the menu in a big way, as the DTI launches a three-month consultation period on extending the hours. If you have strong feelings about this, I really do urge you not only to get your trade association to lobby for you, but also to email Maria.Bazell@dti.gsi.gov.uk. Do it now!

- Trade and Industry Secretary Alan Johnson has announced the appointment of Paul Myners, chairman of the Guardian Media Group, as the new chair of the Low Pay Commission, which advises government on the National Minumum Wage.

CRAFT bakery chain Arthur Chatwin is to open its 20th shop on February 8, in a prime site in Chester town centre.

Craft bakery chain Oliver Adams is to start marketing one of its best selling loaves as low Glycaemic Index (GI), following independent trials at Oxford Brookes University.

Shopping centre coffee operator BB’s Coffee & Muffins is preparing to extend its healthy range including new healthy sandwiches over the course of the year.

Birds of Derby’s Bolton shop became the set for a series of BBC outside broadcasts before the Burton Albion vs Manchester United replay on January 18.

Finsbury Food Group is investing £1m in its three new Scottish businesses, acquired in November 2005.

The Real Good Food Group said it hopes for “a bit of stability” in 2006, after a busy 2005. Chief executive John Gibson told British Baker the company had set itself stretching targets for 2005 in its Bakeries division (Hayden’s Bakeries and Seriously Scrumptious Cakes). It was also challenged by integrating acquisitions Napier Brown Foods and its Renshaw business.

Bakery chain Cooks, previ-ously Three Cooks, says it is “actively looking” for new stores, as it rolls out its new “Cooks” store format.

Administrators hope to complete the sale of craft bakery chain M Firkin as a going concern by the start of February.

Warburtons managing director Brett Warburton is to become executive director from April, with current finance director Robert Higginson taking over as MD.

HARVESTIME (2005) administrators are processing offers for the company’s Walsall and Leicester bakeries, as attempts to sell the business continue.

Bread prices look set to rise as bakers are hit by an increase in the price of gas, widely used to power ovens.

Food from Britain (FFB) has promoted JANE WAKELING to head of client development and appointed KIRSTY GRIEVE as regional food and drinks manager. Ms Wakeling leads the organisation’s consulting and will have responsibility for providing FFB clients with strategic and practical support to ensure they gain maximum benefit from FFB’s international network.

Kluman & Balter (Waltham Cross, Herts) says it provides bakers with a full range of ingredients to produce imaginative Easter goods, from hot cross buns to simnel cakes, rabbit-shaped cakes and individually decorated fairy cakes.

Bakels (Bicester, Oxon) supplies a range of products for every stage of hot cross bun production, including mixes, glazes and the crosses themselves.

Easter is a time for celebration and food is as pivotal to today’s Easter celebrations as those of centuries ago, according to David Astles, trade marketing manager of BakeMark UK (Merseyside).

Easter offers bakers the opportunity to showcase new products, extend product ranges and create added-value goods to tempt high street customers, says Renshaw (Merseyside).

Since not all bakers have time to make hot cross buns from scratch, RHM Foodservice (Reading) offers the McDougalls Doughnut & Bun Mix.

Various fruit breads and sweet doughs can be created with Zeelandia’s (Billericay, Essex) Exakt Zest powder, says the company.

GB Ingredients (Felixstowe, Suffolk) says its Energie Spiced Bun Concentrate is ideal for busy bakers, offering all the enrichment and spices needed to produce hot cross buns and fruited morning goods.

Puratos (Buckingham, Bucks) recently ran a series of focus groups, looking at what consumers want and expect from their local baker this Easter, and found significant demand exists for simple goods that deliver a more indulgent eating experience.

Like the first daffodils of spring, Easter is a time when the creative skills of Slattery’s in Manchester really bloom. The chocolatier and his team are small and flexible enough to develop new products almost overnight and it’s this approach that has led to innovative takes on old favourites like the Ladies’ Egg pictured here.

Since setting out as an apprentice patissier 18 years ago in northern France, I have gained experience of both the French and British baking industries.

Upmarket American bakery brand La Brea – a big hit in the US, with its rustic-style flavours and textures steeped in Europe’s baking traditions – is now making waves in (and to) the UK. Frozen and ferried across the Atlantic to the UK from New Jersey, La Brea Bakery could claim to make some of the best travelled loaves on the planet.

It may surprise some directors to discover how much money they can borrow. Most financial backers expect directors to put up personal funds amounting to no more than six months’ to a year’s salary.

Mr Polson, who was born in Glasgow, now lives in a village in north Oxfordshire with his wife and two children -– girls aged nine and 13.

I felt a particular sadness when I heard about M Firkin, with a chain of shops across the West Midlands, having to call in the administrators. It was always inspiring to hear how the family firm, which is even older than British Baker, had grown from humble beginnings to become a 53-shop craft bakery business.

Marks & Spencer is boosting its Simply Food top up and takeaway chain, with the £38 million purchase of 28 Iceland stores. The acquisition, is due to complete in March, with stores rebranded by August, giving M&S 171 Simply Food shops.

A RECENT report published by Food from Britain (FFB), the market development consultancy for British food and drink companies, suggests there are significant opportunities for UK bakery and confectionery producers in the Gulf States.

SUPERMARKET bread in London was again among the cheapest in the world, latest half-yearly figures from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) suggest.

Northern Irish craft bakery Genesis ran a “Welcome Home” promotion over the festive period, greeting holidaymakers arriving back in Belfast City Airport with slices of its Crafty Wheaten range.

Bake-off supplier Cuisine de France is to air a new regional TV commercial to raise awareness of its in-store bakery offer.

Rich Products says it has invested £1m at its bakeries, including the former David Powell bakery in Fareham, as part of a plan to become the UK’s leading supplier of premium baked goods.

The Home Grown Cereals Authority (HGCA) will look at opportunities for suppliers in the foodservice and retail sectors at a conference in London on February 9. Entitled ‘Where to Harvest – Foodservice or Retail?’, it will be held at The British Library Conference Centre.

BakeMark UK emphasised its commitment to bread ingredients this week as it announced a restructure, following a six-month strategic review.

A GERMAN bakery has patented a Pope Benedict pretzel, in honour of the new head of the Catholic Church, the Bavarian Pope Benedict XVI.

RetaiL baker Greggs complained of rising energy costs as it reported flat like-for-like sales performance over the Christmas trading period, in a statement last week.

HARVESTIME (2005) administrators are still in negotiations over the future of its bakeries, particularly the site in Walsall, which is still trading.

Administrators hope to make a quick sale of Mid-lands independent bakery chain M Firkin, after being called in to the family company last week.

Products currently on retailers’ shelves, which claim to be low fat, can actually be anything up to 17% fat and consumers can feel misled, says ingredients manufacturer Cereform (Northampton).

Fayrefield FoodTec (Crewe, Cheshire) will be exhibiting its new range of healthier ingredients and mixes for cakes, breads and morning goods at Food & Bake at the NEC in March.

Scottish bakery firm Black’s of Dunoon (Argyll) has recently launched a range of breads made from O’mega Bread, a 50% mix from specialist ingredients company Zeelandia (Billericay, Essex).

Dawn Foods (Evesham, Worcs) has developed a cake mix that is free of hydrogenated and trans fats.

Dawn Foods (Evesham, Worcs) has developed a cake mix that is free of hydrogenated and trans fats.

Sales of WeightWatchers cakes grew by 38.1% in the year to July 2005, according to TNS figures, says Anthony Alan Foods (Barnsley, Yorkshire), which supplies the cakes under licence.

Danisco Sweeteners’ (Redhill, Surrey) Litesse polydextrose can be used to replace sugars and some fats in baked goods.

Baking powder supplier Kudos Blends (Kidderminster, Worcs) has developed a new range of low-sodium and no-sodium alternatives.

“Consumers are starting to follow the principles of low-glycaemic index (GI) eating, cutting high-GI food intake in favour of low-GI foods that raise blood glucose more slowly to maintain constant energy levels,” says BakeMark UK’s (Wirral, Merseyside) trade marketing manager David Astles. “The message that carbohydrates are good for you is finally hitting home.”

ADM Speciality Oils & Fats (Koog aan de Zaan, the Netherlands) has extended its range of low trans fat products to provide a healthier variation to traditional fats in bakery, confectionery and frying applications.

Healthy eating is a key driver of innovation in baking, but new product developers have tended to cut salt, sugar and fat, rather than add ‘functional’ ingredients that deliver specific health benefits.

Another year is over and we have survived. In fact, to be truthful, we have had a pretty good year, so we have a warm glow of satisfaction that we can soon give a good proportion of the little money we have made to the politicians to waste!

Acrylamide, which is formed in low-protein, high-carbohydrate foods cooked at high temperatures, could become a health issue, particularly with well-fired breads. The World Health Organization is now looking at it. There is a feeling that the research that is being done will show that very high levels of acrylamide intake will be classed as cancer-inducing – a geo-toxic in the same class as Sudan 1.

Looking ahead to 2006 I think the challenge will be the same as the last couple of years, which is that suppliers will be driven by the retailers.

There was a very positive view reported in British Baker recently from Investec that consumers value premium plant bread and I think that applies to baked goods generally.

I’m hoping for a more buoyant economy, encouraging people to spend more, and for that spend to be on premium bakery products, whether they be healthy or indulgent. The issue with the UK food market is that we don’t eat more or less calories depending on the economy – we eat more or less premium. Hopefully, people will spend on that extra bakery treat rather than foreign holidays, drinks or restaurants.

We manage the buying for Subway’s franchises in the UK, Ireland and Germany.

As far as prices go we have been hit by fuel and electricity charges, but I think most members of the industry made a price adjustment upwards to cover that. So I think they would be fairly stable for the next 12 months.

There is a culture of training within the baking industry and we want to build on that in 2006. The SAMB is very active on training – we’ve got a couple of hundred youngsters on Skills Seekers and Modern Apprenticeship schemes, and up to 900 adults in our European Social Fund Programmes. It is very pleasing to see that level of commitment from the industry.

We hope to stimulate government ministers, civil servants and local authorities to recognise the importance of small shops on the high streets. We use the term ‘high street’, but it could be a suburban shopping centre, a village or small shops in general.

The cost of utilities such as energy and fuel, and their potential impact upon pricing, will be the key challenge for our supply base and ourselves in the year ahead. This has only begun to emerge as a major issue over the past few months but will inevitably snowball.

There is almost a merging of the FoB’s and the Flour Advisory Bureau’s public relations work under the Vitality Eating System. That is our response and initiative in terms of a promotion similar to ‘five-a-day’. We’re setting out how people can eat sensibly with a balanced diet that includes bread products. There is going to be more emphasis and work done in promoting this system in 2006.

This year will see the roll out of the new shelf replenishment method, which encompasses the new style bread trays. These are in around 130 Tesco stores and we hope to complete that by the end of the year.

David Roberts, chairman, plant bakery Frank Roberts and Sons

It’s not a good start to the New Year if you are one of the 400 people who face the uncertainty of losing your job at the Harvestime (2005) plant bakery, Walsall, as the saga lurches from one crisis to the next.

Bakery retailers have reported a “good” to “satisfactory” Christmas despite a “terminal decline” in sales of traditional Christmas lines such as Christmas puddings.

Bakels is starting an advertising campaign in consumer magazines, highlighting the benefits of seeds in bread.

Cake supplier Inter Link Foods claimed it is now the UK’s number one own-label cake company and said it has set its sights on Europe, as it posted a 51.8% hike in half year turnover to £67.2million this week.

A three-month review is under way at new company, Medway Foods, the business formed from a £7m management buyout (MBO) of four of Canterbury Foods’ pastry and food ingredients plants.

Asda has transferred own-label business worth an estimated £10 million a year from Allied Bakeries to RHM Bread Bakeries.

CRAFT baker Birds of Derby has opened its 50th store, a trial of Birds’ Expresso unit. The takeaway outlet is in Derby’s Eagle Centre, and carries 65 lines from Birds’ standard range of around 200. Products on sale include hot and cold drinks, sausage rolls, filled rolls and baguettes, Birds’ six best-selling cream cakes, muffins and cookies.

Consumer group Which? has condemned some major retailers for bulking up chicken in sandwiches after analysing the contents of 26 lines.

Administrators were working against the clock to save Harvestime’s Walsall bakery as British Baker went to press. A rescue deal is being prepared with the company’s management. This will allow Harvestime to keep trading for two weeks, while a sale is finalised. Australian investor Ian Allen, who bought Harvestime (2005) shortly before it went into administration, is not thought to be involved.

Bodmin-based pasty company Proper Cornish has joined a new recruitment scheme, exclusive to Cornwall, which helps graduates get jobs in local businesses.

Spooner Industries (Ilkley, West Yorkshire) has completed its investment in a pilot tunnel oven at its head office. The high performance tunnel oven will enable customers to carry out tests and trials.

Frozen cookie production at a new UK plant is benefiting from high-volume refrigeration plant supplied by Eurotek (Aylsham, Norwich).

The Craigmillar range from BakeMark UK (Wirral Merseyside) includes the Rich Celebration Cake Mix, which can be used in traditional and sheet cakes.

BakeMark UK (Wirral, Merseyside) supplies a wide range of non-hydrogenated fats and margarines. These enable food manufacturers to develop baked goods containing lower levels of trans fatty acids (TFAs), says the company. Consumer awareness of the potential health benefits of cutting TFA consumption is driving current demand, adds the firm.

Limpet Tapes (Huntingdon, Cambs) has introduced the SIAT Paklet range of semi-automatic stretch wrappers. They are designed to meet all packaging requirements and also offer the flexibility to be upgraded to meet changing demands, says Limpet.

The Gastro Pro range of cabinets and counters from Foster Refrigerator (Kings Lynn, Norfolkshire) can improve the energy efficiency of a bakery, says the company.

BakeMark UK (Wirral, Merseyside) showed new products on its stand at IFE05, including a range of licensed items developed in collaboration with Nestlé.

Belcolade Belgian chocolate from ingredients supplier Puratos (Buckingham) has been repackaged to help customers differentiate between the dark, milk and white chocolates available.

100% Rye Wholegrain Loaf

“When the Red Cross try to help in war-torn countries one of the things they do is set up a little bakery, because a bakery represents the heart of a community. People will gather around the oven and you rebuild that community,” craft baker and writer Dan Lepard said recently, in a talk on the struggle of the craft baker. “I have a lot of hope that we can rebuild this industry.”

The Scottish Association of Master Bakers (SAMB) 40 Group, which is run by bakers under the age of 40, has always liked to do things differently. So when the idea of a bakery study tour to Vancouver was first mooted 18 months ago, I was keen to make sure this would go down in history as the most ambitious study tour to date, and the best.

This year should see record returns for plant bakers. As good news stories go, that is not a bad one to kick off the New Year. And it is all down to confident pricing on branded sliced loaves, says a leading city analyst. A better understanding of consumer trends is driving competition where price was once king. Meanwhile, the gains from premiumisation of the market have yet to be fully mined. In fact, a “fundamental change in plant baking economics” is underway, no less.

Hot bread rolls from a barrow, klezmer players fiddling down the street, and a lechayim with honey cake to toast the occasion. A journey through the history of one of London’s bakery landmarks took place recently, when the Grodzinski family celebrated the 75th anniversary of its bakery shop in Stamford Hill.

A new year and, by the time you read this, the likelihood is that Harvestime (2005) Walsall plant bakery will be under new ownership.

Fiddes Payne, the herb, spice and home bakery producer, has signed a character licensing agreement with Disney for Winnie the Pooh and the Disney Princess rights for home bake cakes.

Northern Foods has had another setback in its battle to stop production of Melton Mow-bray pork pies being restricted to a 1,800 square mile zone around the Leicestershire town.

Jack Williamson, aged 92, died recently after a short illness, writes his daughter Pat Harwood. Jack was well-known, firstly in Thames Ditton where he bought his first bakery, originally called Taylors.