News Articles:

[New Development Chef...]
[New Centre of Excellence...]
[Young Pub Chef Winner...]
[Golden Touch Retained...]

****PRESS RELEASE****  TWO LOCAL BUSINESSES JOIN FORCES TO LAUNCH EXCITING NEW NATIONAL FOOD RANGE

Kirkcaldy based Innovate Foods; one of the UK’s leading foodservice producers has developed an exciting new range of food to share products.

The Collection Plate range is totally unique in the UK foodservice sector and has been developed to help hospitality operators increase sales during the difficult economic times.

The range which includes stuffed mussels, empanadas, croquettes and jalapeno peppers is ideal for hospitality operators who are looking to liven up their food menus or offer customers something different in terms of taste and flavours.

The hospitality sector and in particular the pub trade have experienced a very difficult time business wise over the last year and they are looking for ways in which to boost revenues. Being able to increase trade through food sales is an ideal way for them to do this. There is a growing shift away from traditional thee course meals consumed when people go out to lighter plates or sharing platters and this is the rationale behind the development of the Collection Plate range by Innovate Foods.

The Collection Plate range was officially launched at O’Connell’s Bar and Diner in Kirkcaldy on Thursday 20th August, where customers enjoyed sampling the mouth-watering new foods.

Joyce Fox, Innovate Foods’ operations director, said: “We were delighted to launch our new Collection Plate range at O’Connell’s. We first started speaking with them over 18 months ago when we were at the concept stage. Their advice was crucial in the development of the finished product range.”

She added: “O’Connell’s is a fantastic bar, offering first class customer service in a stylish setting. The Collection Plate range is ideal for a lot of their clientele who are looking for a light bite to enjoy with a drink, or for groups of friends who want to enjoy a platter to share.”

The Collection Plate range has been developed over a period of 18 months and has had a six figure sum invested in research and development. It will be launched throughout the UK with immediate effect.

For more information about the Collection Plate range please visit www.collectionplate.co.uk

For more information about Innovate Foods please visit www.innovatefoods.co.uk

For more information about O’Connell’s Bar and Diner please visit www.oconnellsbar.co.uk

A Touch of Tartan by the Innovators Event– A Resounding Success!

Arguably the UK’s most exciting food development event took place on Thursday 22nd January 2009.

Meet the Innovators at a Touch of Tartan was organised by the leading food manufacturer Innovate Foods Ltd and was attended by a number of senior food development managers from the UK foodservice sector.

The unique event held at the Marriott hotel in Kensington London commenced with networking and sampling of the new Collection Plate range of ‘tapas’ style foods from Innovate Foods. Following an introduction to Innovate Foods and its development team, leading industry expert, Peter Backman from Horizons for Success gave the audience an informative insight into the future of the UK foodservice sector.

The evening part of the event formed a contemporary Scottish evening that celebrated all things Scottish and had the crowd falling over with laughter at some points. Starting with Pipe Major William Cochrane piping the group into a five whisky tasting session by the renowned Raymond Brown from Journey With Taste.

Having learned more about the ‘water of life’ they group then prepared for dinner which commenced with the traditional ‘Address to the Haggis’ followed by the ‘Selkirk Grace’.
In between the first and second course the group were then amazed by a performance by the eclectic and unbelievably lively ‘Pokey Hats’ (five kilted Scots with bagpipes and drums!).

Following the ‘aftermath’ of the Pokey Hats the group then enjoyed the rest of dinner and sat back down for the after-diner speech from retired Glasgow solicitor Bill Copeland. Bill with is legendary sharp whit managed to enthral the crowd with his hilarious anecdotes more especially about the food industry.

Joyce Fox, operations director with Innovate Foods commented: “We wanted to host a high level and informative food development event whilst at the same time give our delegates a taste of Scotland. The feedback we have received post event has been absolutely fantastic. We are busy planning for Meet the Innovators 2010 which will definitely be as exciting as this year’s event. We will be announcing details soon.”
-Ends-Note to editors:

Innovate is the UK’s leading manufacturer of frozen breaded vegetable and cheese appetisers and starters for the foodservice sector. The Fife-based company was established in 1989 and has a turnover of £2.5m and a staff of 26. The company produces over 1,100 tonnes of high quality breaded mushrooms each year as well as a wide range of other premium frozen coated vegetables and cheeses.

The company meets the highest standards in the industry for quality control, hygiene, staff training and new product development.

Agency contact: Ryan Smith at Sigma Communications,
T: 01577 866776 E: ryan@sigmacommunications.co.uk
Client contact: Joyce Fox, Operations Director, Innovate Foods Limited.
T: 01592 651 525

Innovate Foods Ltd New Development Chef for Innovate Foods

George Shaddick has joined leading food manufacturer Innovate Foods as development chef.

George will be responsible for managing new product development for existing clients and seeking out opportunities and gaps in the market.

With almost 24 years’ experience in the catering/food industry, George most recently worked as a national account manager with Major International Limited, where he was responsible for a number of key accounts.

George previously spent 10 years with Unilever, where the last position he held was business development chef. He secured his first head chef/executive position with Milton Hotels in 1989 – at the age of 21 – where he was responsible for five hotels in the group.

On his appointment, he said: “Innovate is a very dynamic company with a lot of possibilities – it also adopts a very proactive approach to the food service industry, which is fantastic.

“I am keen to build on existing client relationships and forging new ones through our on-site centre of excellence to become an outsourced new product development solution for our clients.

“Too often now the pressures of business force a reduction in manpower, so the development of an outsourced new product development team is paramount.”

Tony Dumbreck, managing director, said: “It is great to be welcoming someone with George’s extensive food service industry experience to Innovate. His expertise in the area of product development, and his in-depth understanding of the trade, make him a great addition to our team. We see it as vital that we invest in the people and resources to keep delivering fantastic concepts for the caterer. “

Innovate Foods Ltd Unveils New Centre of Excellence

Innovate Foods Ltd, incorporating the renowned Golden Crumb brand, has announced the creation of an onsite Centre of Excellence as part of its ambitious ongoing expansion programme.

The company, the UK’s leading manufacturer of a wide range of premium frozen breaded vegetables and cheeses, has developed the centre in order to expand its product portfolio, and improve its understanding of customers future requirements. As part of this process, the new Centre will host regular food shows for customers.

Utilising the latest commercial kitchen technology, the centre will accommodate guests for both tasting sessions and presentations.

Tony Dumbreck, managing director, feels that the centre will serve as a foundation for Innovated Foods’ future success:

“Our customers have always seen us as exclusive producers of high quality breaded appetisers, when in fact we’ve always produced a variety of other products too. In order to illustrate to them that we are willing and able to meet many of their catering needs, we are introducing enhanced customer management activities, the cornerstone of which is the Centre of excellence. It has been created as a direct result of consultation with the industry, and its existence reflects our customers’ requirements.

“We pride ourselves on producing food that will be robust enough to survive in a busy kitchen, meet the demands of the caterer and satisfy the consumer.  The new Centre will help us further refine this offering by providing the capability to carry out intensive tests on each new product, including time to cook, appearance, overall appeal, flavour and texture.

“The Centre, combined with our rebranding , our appointment of David Nash as our new commercial manager, and the promotion of Joyce Fox to Operational Director, will allow us to develop our creativity, while improving the way we interact with our customers, and our understanding of their needs.”

Three 19-year-old pub chefs battled it out to be crowned Young Pub Chef of the Year. The category was open to chefs aged under 21 and our fi nalists had one hour and 15 minutes to create a main course, using the ingredients of their choice. No pre-prepared ingredients were allowed.

Name: Jamie Clarke
Position: Junior chef de partie
Pub: The Rose & Crown, Snettisham, Norfolk
Contact number: 01485 541382
Website: www.roseandcrownsnettisham.co.uk
Dish: Ravioli of brown Norfolk shrimp and sea bass with Brancaster mussels and grilled flatbread - Click here to see the recipe
Cost of ingredients: £1.75
Menu Price: £6
GP: 75%

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