Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food - Issue 143

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pizzapasta and Italian food magazine

Issue 143 April 2011 www.papa.org.uk

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pizzapasta AND ITALIAN FOOD

Editor telephone e-mail

Clare Benfield 01291 636336 clare@jandmgroup.co.uk

Advertising telephone e-mail

Andrew Emery 01291 636334 andrew@jandmgroup.co.uk

Production telephone e-mail

Jayson Berry 01291 636344 jayson@jandmgroup.co.uk

Subscriptions telephone e-mail

Tony Lorimer 01291 636333 tony@papa.org.uk

J & M Group, Association House, 18c Moor Street, Chepstow, NP16 5DB.

Welcome Ever wondered where some of the best olive oils in Italy come from?

After visiting the annual Ercole Olivario awards – Italy’s olive oil ‘Oscars’ we find out, and learn more about this Italian food staple. We also take a closer look at some more Italian food ‘essentials’ that are used by the sector at large – cheese, Italian speciality meats and pasta.

It will soon be time for the official launch of this year’s Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Awards, and in this issue we include a copy of Pizza’zz – a new booklet detailing all the pizzas and recipes used by the finalists in the Pizza Chef competition of 2010, as well as details on how to go about entering this year’s contest. We trust that this will help you generate your own creative ideas for this year’s competition, and look forward to receiving your entries.

CLARE BENFIELD EDITOR clare@jandmgroup.co.uk

Contents NEWS

Opinions expressed in Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food magazine are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of J&M Group, Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food magazine or The Pizza & Pasta Association. No responsibility is accepted for the opinions of contributors. Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food is published by J&M group Ltd. and supports The Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food Association. It is circulated to managers, executives, buyers, retailers and traders in the pizza and pasta business. © J&M Group Ltd. 2011

30 Speciality meats – a closer look at some famous Italian meats.

4 Health concerns over use of recycled cardboard.

ARTICLES

5 Take-away food outlets eligible for VAT refund?

26 Italy’s olive oil ‘Oscars’ – Italy’s Ercole Olivario competition.

6 Domino’s appoints new operations director.

34 Two decades of change – Salvo’s John Dammone visits this year’s International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas.

8 Glanbia Nutritionals re-invents pizza formulation.

PAPA

36 Taking care of hygiene – Julie Ray of SCA discusses hygiene issues for outlets.

10 PAPA news 16 Pizza Chef Competition 2011

PROFILES

FEATURES

38 Pizza My World – Robert Kennedy of Meadow Cheese Ltd.

12 Innovations in pasta – how higher quality and time-starved consumers are shaping pasta.

INTERVIEWS

18 Performing cheeses – innovative cheese products that deliver on price and quality.

REGULARS

25 Q&A with... – Prezzo’s Jonathan Kaye.

29 New products.

40 Index of PAPA registered suppliers.

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news Pizza Hut latest to offer MyVoucherCodes app One of the UK’s popular discount mobile applications, which recently became available on the Android Operating System, has announced partnerships with takeaway pizza giant Pizza Hut and BHS Restaurants.

The 100% free mobile phone application, which allows users to view all the discounts available at shops and restaurants in their local vicinity using GPS technology, has partnered with Pizza Hut to offer users fast access to discounts to use for takeaways or in the restaurants.

The mobile phone application, launched by www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, which is available to download for free from the iPhone app store and Android Market, was the first money saving mobile phone app of its kind to launch on to the Android Operating System. One offer, which started in March and finishes at the end of April is a two for one on main meals at Pizza Hut. “The partnership team worked hard to build relationships with Pizza Hut and subsequently a great deal is now available to all those who have the MyVoucherCodes App on their smartphone,” said Mark Pearson, chairman of MyVoucherCodes.co.uk.

“The Pizza Hut deal is bound to be extremely popular, as it is such a great discount. The MyVoucherCodes app frequently has impressive deals, so smartphones owners should consider downloading it before heading out to their local high street.”

The service uses GPS to give potential customers an overview of the local retailers near to them, and the discounts they are currently offering.

Due to the nature of the app and the partnerships, deals are available for limited time periods and are constantly changing as new offers are added (visit www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk)

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pizzapasta AND ITALIAN FOOD

Health concerns over use of recycled cardboard Many food manufacturers are believed to now be investigating, or altering, the nature of their cardboard packaging after concerns were raised by government research scientists in Switzerland that boxes made from recycled newspapers could well contain toxic, mineral oils (linked to the inflammation of internal organs, as well as cancer) after studies revealed quantities of such oils were found to be between 10 and 100 times above agreed limits in foods packed in cardboard such as pasta, rice and cereals.

The cereal company, Jordans, has stopped using recycled board and Kellogg’s and Weetabix are two companies believed to be reducing the amount of mineral oil in the packaging they use.

Despite the fact that the Swiss researchers (led by Dr Konio Grob at a government-run food safety laboratory in Zurich) have assured people eating a balanced and varied diet have nothing to worry about, the scientists did report

that they were concerned to find how easily and relatively quickly these mineral oils could pass through many of the inner bags used to house the goods inside their cardboard outers, although aluminium and thicker types of plastic seemed to act as a better barrier.

In recent times, virgin board (manufactured directly from trees) has become more expensive, harder to find and ‘wasteful’ to use, whereas recycled board is a cheaper and more environmentally-friendly option.

However, even using virgin board does not guarantee mineral oil-free packaging, say the researchers, as these oils can still migrate through from the larger, corrugated boxes used to contain the smaller boxes, and which have often been made from recycled materials.

The UK’s FSA (Food Standards Agency) has been researching the issue, looking at the level of mineral oils in recycled packaging, and has said that it will carry out a risk assessment and take immediate action to protect the public if need be.

PayPal for a Domino’s pizza Domino’s says that it has now made ordering a pizza online even quicker and easier by linking up with PayPal. Following customer feedback, Domino’s has launched PayPal as its newest payment method for pizza. Customers in the UK simply need to log in to their PayPal account once they’ve placed their pizza order, enabling them to pay just by entering their email address and password.

PayPal is free to use on all Domino’s orders and is a great way for people to buy pizza for friends and family too, suggest the chain, particularly if you’ve mouths to feed who are away at university, or even if you just fancy treating someone to dinner.

Simon Wallis, sales and marketing director for Domino’s, said: “Online orders account for an increasingly large proportion of our sales and as part of this, we are continually looking for ways to improve the process and make it even more user-friendly.

Our customers and Facebook fans told us they wanted an easier way to pay – we listened to them and we’re now pleased to introduce PayPal, which is fast, safe and secure. It’s great to be able to offer our customers the option of using PayPal to pay for

pizza in just a couple of clicks!”

Cameron McLean, general manager, merchant services at PayPal, added: “We welcome Domino’s on board as our latest high street partner and one of the first pizza delivery companies to join us. This innovative partnership is a natural step for both companies, given Domino’s phenomenal growth in online orders and PayPal’s extensive experience with large retailers.”

Domino’s link up with PayPal will be communicated to pizza lovers and PayPal users through a range of digital platforms including social media, email and online advertisements.

Domino’s Pizza customers can now pay for their pizza using PayPal.

April 2011

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news

Take-away food outlets eligible for VAT refund?

After a recent ECJ (European Court of Justice) decision in Germany, businesses could claim thousands of pounds from HMRC, with claims likely to be needed to be lodged as soon as possible so as to maximise a four-year refund, claim Smith & Williamson, an accountancy and financial services group.

Take-away food outlets and cinemas are among the many businesses that may be able to claim valuable VAT refunds going back four years, claim the firm, following a decision by the ECJ for Germany, and which has ruled that certain food and drinks which are freshly made (including hot food) for immediate consumption should be zero rated for VAT purposes, thereby potentially bringing a tax reclaim for the supplier.

“This ruling opens the way for catering chains, snack stalls, mobile snack bars, sandwich bars, cinema foyers and others to reclaim VAT, potentially worth thousands of pounds,” says Hannah Dobson, VAT director at Smith & Williamson. “However, to maximise their claim, organisations should lodge their request as soon as possible.

Retrospective VAT claims are capped at four years, so every day of delay reduces the potential reimbursement.

“Thousands of large and small businesses could benefit from this judgment. The growing number of outlets selling, for example, pizza slices, take-away breakfasts and hot drinks, even cinemas which sell food items such as hot dogs and nachos could be eligible for a reclaim. To qualify, the predominant element of the transaction should be about food, rather than service.”

HMRC has previously argued that the sale of food and drink items should be subject to VAT if they are freshly prepared and eaten ‘on the premises’ (the sale being one of catering and not of

www.papa.org.uk

Is the pizza takeaway sector due a VAT refund? food, point out Smith & Williamson).

“This is the traditional ‘are you eating in or taking out question’ from most sandwich and coffee shops. ‘Eating in’ meant VAT was charged,” explains Hannah Dobson. “This ECJ decision has now questioned HMRC’s treatment. The simple provision of a table and a few chairs does not necessarily constitute (VATable) catering. Each case needs to be reviewed on an individual basis, but it does appear as if many outlets should be in a strong position to make substantial VAT reclaims. The message is simple: there is nothing to be lost from lodging a claim. If people delay or don’t pursue a claim, they could lose out.”

In a statement, HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) point out that this decision relates to German, saying: "HMRC do not believe that the recent ECJ decision relating to the supplies of certain foodstuffs in Germany means any changes in the way UK taxpayers account for VAT on hot take-away food.

Both supplies of food and supplies made in the course of catering in the UK are already treated as supplies of goods.

However, we will obviously review the findings of the court very carefully and consider

whether it has any impact on the UK's treatment of food."

In response, Kate Harrison clarifies further: “The supply of almost all food in the UK is subject to a zero rate of VAT. However, there is an exception for any food supplied "in the course of catering", which is standard rated. The relevant UK VAT legislation defines a supply ‘in the course of catering’ to include the supply of any hot food for consumption off the premises. So supplies from kiosks, whilst not having the trappings of a restaurant (waiter service, cloakroom, lavatories etc) have been obliged to treat their supplies of hot snack type foods (hot dogs, toasted sandwiches etc) as subject to the standard rate of VAT. In these joined German cases that have won through the ECJ, supplies made by the German kiosk sellers were of goods - foodstuffs and not restaurant services. The ECJ found that the heating and processing of foodstuff does not of itself mean that the German traders are providing a service.

“Although the UK's VAT provisions are different from those of Germany, the ECJ decision does provide the opportunity for UK traders to submit four year reclaims for overpaid VAT on hot food eaten off the premises. The claims will

be based on the ECJ's decision that takeaway hot food, from such suppliers, should not be exempted from zero rating and does not have any element of "service" which converts the supply from one of zero rated food into standard rated catering services.”

“This could potentially have major implications for some outlets, as it could run to claims for huge sums,” said PAPA director, Jim Winship.

Pizza Hut declined to comment on this story at this time, and in a brief statement all Domino’s Pizza would say that was that they were “aware of the situation and the implications”, while a spokesman for Papa John’s UK went further: “To be able to claim back VAT refunds from the last four years could potentially be worth a seven figure sum to Papa John’s Pizza, with our franchise owners being the main beneficiaries. It appears the reclaim will apply for outlets where food is freshly prepared, and with Papa John’s being the only branded pizza chain to use only 100% fresh dough, 100% of the time as part of our ‘Better Ingredients. Better Pizza’ pledge, we are confident we meet that requirement.”

James Cummings, managing director of independent, Heavenly Pizzas added: "While this ruling is very interesting and I know of many accountancy firms and VAT consultancy firms that are looking at this very closely on behalf of clients popping the champagne cork just now would be a touch optimistic! It's an ECJ ruling that would need to be accepted in the UK, and as we all know HMRC will have their own take on this.

However, it really does open up a very interesting discussion on whether pizza take-aways offer goods or catering services, or both. I'm sure this is a topic that could be bubbling away for some time to come."

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news Glanbia wins top environmental award for its delivery operation Glanbia has won recognition for its carbon reducing initiatives from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT).

Transport technology played an important part in winning the peerreviewed CILT Environmental Award, with a computerised routing and scheduling solution from Paragon Software Systems taking a key role in reducing Glanbia's environmental impact, while improving the efficiency of its delivery operation.

Glanbia reports that it has been using the transport optimisation solution since September 2009 for its chilled distribution fleet. The system has enabled the company to reduce the size of its fleet while improving efficiency and service. The system includes Paragon Fleet Controller software for integrated satellite vehicle tracking, allowing Glanbia's transport management team to compare actual fleet activity against the delivery plan.

"We are delighted to have won this award and we are proud of our achievements. We are working hard towards providing a carbon neutral transport service and have already reduced our CO2 emissions by approximately 16% over the last two years. The Paragon system has helped us achieve outstanding performance towards this and it is also reducing our delivery costs by improving the accuracy of our transport plans," said Denis Conway, logistics manager, Glanbia. "Our overall environmental delivery performance has increased significantly with this technology."

Glanbia is one of Ireland's largest food companies and is the supplier of Yoplait, Avonmore and Kilmeaden dairy produce. The company's Consumer Foods division is the largest branded food supplier into the Irish grocery sector with more food brands in The Top 100 than any other supplier. Using its Paragon planned fleet, Glanbia makes over 2,500 deliveries a week to a wide range of customers, including most supermarkets and convenience stores operating throughout Ireland's 26 counties.

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Domino’s appoints new operations director Domino’s Pizza has announced the appointment of Kerri Hayman as its new operations director, having not long joined Domino’s UK & Ireland as its deputy operations director a few months ago, time during which she has been familiarising herself with the UK and Irish operations as well as with her new team, the franchisees and the stores.

Kerri Hayman succeeds Patricia Thomas who has been with the company for five years, and who is now moving back to her native USA where she will undertake a new role for Domino’s UK & Ireland, as Executive Vice President for Special Projects - a role that will see Patricia Thomas liaise between here and the USA to ensure best practices are shared and implemented, say the pizza chain.

Kerri Hayman has a vast amount of experience within Domino’s Pizza, joining the UK franchise from Domino’s Pizza Enterprises in Australia (DPE) which she joined DPE in 1988, having seen the company progress on a national and international basis since then - a wealth of knowledge, experience and ideas from high volume stores in the Australian market that she will now be putting into practice in the UK and Irish markets, say

Kerri Hayman has become the new operations director at Domino’s.

Domino’s. During her tenure at DPE her achievements have included International Supervisor of the Year, State Manager of the Year and Queensland Women in Business - Businesswomen of the Year finalist, as well as numerous sales and service awards.

“This year I will celebrate 23 years with Domino’s and I am very excited to be a part of the largest Domino’s market outside of the USA,” said Kerri Hayman on her appointment.“I am surrounded by a great team and I am excited about the future growth of the company and the part I can play in it. My passion lies with the franchisees and their stores, and I am looking forward to taking over from Patricia and following in her steps to continue the great work that she has done with Domino’s Pizza operations.”

State of the art technology at traditional Italian Bottelino’s newest restaurant in Portishead, which opened in August 2010, is running EPoS software from Silver Eagle on J2 580 touch screen tills, and reports that early trading in its eighth and latest venue has exceeded expectations.

Whilst exceptional food and service have made for enduring appeal in what is now a third-generation enterprise, recent wise investments in contemporary technology have ensured that the business runs well, feel the chain, who, for some years, have partnered with specialist hospitality solutions company, Silver Eagle.

Silver Eagle authors its own software, with the front-of-house and the back-office requirements of restaurants in mind and in addition to enabling Bottelino’s to automate the mainstream functions of taking orders and reconciling bills, has developed two bespoke pieces of software for them.

The first is a ‘timed office’ function, which enables the restaurants to offer differential pricing according to the time of day (for example, pasta dishes are sold at the special price of £4.95 at certain times - this is integrated into the till software’s accounting processes). The second function manages Bottelino’s loyalty card scheme, which enables diners to purchase and use a card at any Bottelino’s restaurant, in addition to having PC-based access to check balances and purchase goods from the www.bottelinosdeli.com online deli.

“I am not very IT-minded but I find our system very easy to use,” comments Bottelino’s owner and managing director, Mike Botta.“For younger staff, it was like riding a bike, and it soon became second nature for our older staff who, at first, didn’t want to change from pen and paper. Now they don’t know how they lived without it!”

April 2011

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news Diners rate their top 100 restaurants The online restaurant booking service - toptable.com – which allows UK diners to browse and book at more than 3,000 restaurants across the United Kingdom has revealed its customers’ top 100 diner rated restaurants for the year up to February 2011.

The rankings are based on the ratings of half a million diners who have booked and dined via toptable during this period creating the largest diner survey of its kind in the UK, claim toptable.

Martin Wishart in Edinburgh topped the list for the second time in three years, followed closely by another Scottish Italian restaurant, Piccolo Mondo in Glasgow. London restaurant stars Le Gavroche, Chez Bruce and Gordon Ramsay at Claridges took third, fourth and fifth place respectively. The popular Italian restaurant Piccolo Mondo was

also voted the best Italian restaurant in the UK, and one that offers great value for money. “toptable diners have spoken and the resulting list is very diverse including culinary superstars such as Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester and newer critically acclaimed restaurants such as Gauthier Soho and William Drabble at Seven Park Place,” said Lucy Taylor, toptable’s head of restaurant relations.“It is particularly refreshing to see some less well known restaurants such as The Case Restaurant with Rooms in Sudbury, The Black Horse Restaurant and Bar in Swadlincote and local heroes such as Piccolo Mondo making it into the top 100. This reflects both the breadth of restaurants featured on toptable and our customers’ passion and enthusiasm for dining out.”

Pizza Hut in Glasgow served up free pizza to helped volunteers manning the Comic Relief ‘phone lines.

Comic Relief volunteers to get a pizza the action

On Friday, 18 March, a Glasgow Pizza Hut Delivery store delivered free pizzas to volunteers manning the phones for Comic Relief.

Staff from the Great Western Road store delivered the pizzas to the call centre on Bothwell Street, where volunteers were working all night to take donations from viewers. This JJ’s franchise has a history of charitable work, with staff last year raising over £10,000 for a Glasgow children's hospital.

JJ O’Hara, Pizza Hut delivery : Glanbia Cheese Ltd. – A5 Mozzarella Advert

Consistently top of its class Glanbia Cheese is Europe’s leading manufacturer of mozzarella cheese for the professional pizza industry, by being consistently top of its class with superb product and unmatched levels of quality control and customer support.

Glanbia Cheese mozzarella is suitable for Vegetarians and is available in block, ribbon or shredded (shredded mix and blend varieties available on request).

www.papa.org.uk

franchisee in Glasgow, said:“We were more than happy to support this great cause, and I’m sure our delicious pizzas helped the volunteers make it through the night.”

Pizza Hut is currently expanding its delivery estate, opening 29 new stores last year.

There are plans for further growth, and the company says that it hopes to open 40 to 50 stores a year for the foreseeable future.

CHEESE Glanbia Cheese Limited 4 Royal Mews, Gadbrook Park, Rudheath, Northwich, Cheshire CW9 7UD Telephone 01606 810900 Facsimile 01606 48680

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news Bug-busting idea wins Food and Drink iNet support

Pizza inspires a pie-maker Pie-maker, Peter’s, says that it has launched its first pizzeria-inspired handheld savoury slice, and is bringing a taste of Italy to its pastry range.

The Premier Pepperoni Pizza Slice blends tomatoes, pepperoni and cheese with chilli, garlic and basil, all wrapped in puff pastry and has been created by Peter’s pastry experts to tempt pizzalovers with a convenient and tasty way to indulge in their favourite treat, say the company.

“We love to come up with new ideas for our pies and pastries. Sometimes only the tomatoey, cheesy, spicy taste of pizza will do – and that’s the kind of craving that inspired our new Premier Pepperoni Pizza Slice,” said Clare Morgan, marketing controller at Peter’s.“Pepperoni is one of the world’s favourite pizza toppings, and we reckon our new slice is going to become a big-seller by offering an exciting new taste experience for lovers of pastry treats.”

Peter’s Premier Pepperoni Pizza Slice can be eaten hot or cold, and may be warmed up in the oven or microwave (www.petersfood.co.uk).

Scientists researching the development of a bacteria-busting coating for kitchen surfaces and food preparation areas are being backed by the Food and Drink iNet. Experts at Nottingham Trent University’s School of Science and Technology say that they have teamed up with colleagues at the Holbeach Campus of the University of Lincoln to try to develop a permanent spray-on coating technology that will kill or reduce the growth of bacteria, germs and other bugs in a process that could have major implications for food hygiene and safety in both domestic kitchens and commercial food processing environments, as well as potential use with food processing equipment.

The project is one of five Collaborative Research and Development grants worth a total of more than £235,000 announced by the Food and Drink iNet, which co-ordinates innovation support for businesses, universities

and individuals working in the food and drink sector in the East Midlands.

Funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Food and Drink iNet is one of four regional iNets that has developed an effective network to link academic and private sector expertise and knowledge with local food and drink business innovation needs.

“This is an exciting research project between Nottingham Trent University and the Holbeach Campus of Lincoln University, with far-reaching potential,” said Food and Drink iNet Director Richard Worrall. “The development of a spray-on coating that can help kill or reduce bacteria could bring major benefits to the food and drink industry, as well as in domestic environments.”

For more information visit www.eminnovation.org.uk/food.

Domino’s triple store opening in Northern Ireland Domino’s Pizza has opened three new stores in Northern Ireland in the towns of Larne, Armagh and Carrickfergus on the same day, creating 100 new jobs.

To celebrate, Irish TV presenter Gerry Kelly, two players from the Ulster rugby team and Miss Northern Ireland, Lori Moore, visited the Carrickfergus store to officially congratulate Domino’s on its achievement and welcome the store to the town. Danny Domino, Domino’s Pizza’s official mascot, was also on hand to join in the fun.

“We are delighted to be opening three

new stores in Northern Ireland all on one day. We continue to thrive as the number one pizza delivery expert and bringing 100 new jobs to the towns of Larne, Carrickfergus and Armagh is a fantastic achievement for us and a welcome boost for the local economies,” said Chris Moore, chief Executive officer for Domino’s Pizza UK & Ireland.“In the UK and Ireland, our aim is to open 60 new stores this year. We are very proud to continue to open new stores, build our business and generate employment in this challenging economic climate.”

Glanbia Nutritionals reinvents pizza formulation Glanbia Nutritionals is launching its OptiSol™ 5000 functional ingredient system in the pizza sector.

OptiSol 5000 improves the texture of pizza doughs by enhancing extensibility and workability, say the company, by increasing the surface area by up to 5%, cutting costs for manufacturers.

Beyond the ingredient’s yield optimization capabilities, OptiSol 5000 functions as a moisture management tool, say Glanbia Nutritionals, and improves dough texture through enhanced moisture retention, creating a softer and less chewy texture. This is especially evident in wholewheat crusts, where the result can be tough and 8

pizzapasta AND ITALIAN FOOD

unpleasant for more healthconscious consumers. Moisture retention also maintains product quality over a longer shelf-life.

OptiSol 5000 is a natural, flaxbased ingredient and allows manufacturers to tap into fortification trends, say the company. It is high in fibre and rich in ALA omega-3, allowing for an “omega-3s” front-of-pack positioning. A clean-label ingredient, it can simplify ingredient statements by replacing gums and gluten, resulting in consumer-friendly statements.

“OptiSol 5000 improves texture and functionality in a number of applications, and we are excited to see its benefits recognised in the pizza

industry,” commented Marilyn Stieve, business development manager at Glanbia Nutritionals.

“Through enhanced extensibility of the dough, manufacturers can reduce material costs while improving product texture and cleaning up ingredient labels.”

Glanbia Nutritionals, a division of Glanbia plc, is an innovator in the expert delivery of science-led ingredients and customised solutions for a broad range of industries. These include fortified foods and beverages, performance nutrition, weight management, health and wellness, and cosmetics.

Glanbia Nutritionals have devised a product to enhance dough extensibility and workability with cost reduction and improved taste and texture implications.

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news

NSF-CMi and Cognisco partnership Cognisco, a provider of intelligent, competencybased employee assessments, is partnering with NSF-CMi, a leading international food assurance company, to launch specialised online assessments aimed at improving the knowledge, competencies and behaviours of managers working in the UK’s restaurant and catering industries and promoting standards of excellence in food safety and hygiene.

Cognisco’s team of occupational psychologists, HR, IT and business experts worked closely with NSF-CMi to design nine diagnostic assessments covering a comprehensive range of food safety topics including cross contamination, hand washing, temperature control, food storage and date coding, illness at work, communications, pest control and foreign bodies.

The assessments will not only test a manager’s knowledge of food safety but how their knowledge is applied, their likely behaviour in typical job-based scenarios and how confident they are in their actions and the results will highlight any knowledge gaps and unacceptable behaviours immediately and pinpoint specific training needs which can be addressed using targeted training interventions, say the two companies.

By enabling managers to understand potential areas of risk or misunderstanding, the assessments and subsequent training will help correct potentially risky behaviour and improve

a manager’s knowledge so they promote better food safety standards in their business.

Covering many of the regulations and associated controls checked by local authority enforcement officers, the assessments will also help prepare managers for these compliance inspections (including those conducted under the national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme) by ensuring they understand their weak points and get the training they need to eradicate poor practices ahead of time. The assessments are suitable for both managers in large restaurant chains and independent caterers or restaurant owners, and all nine assessment topics can be taken in one sitting on any laptop or PC, point out the two companies.

“Adhering to standards of excellence in food safety not only ensures customers are not placed at risk, but also means better business and that a business has a sustainable future.

Any poor practices or inappropriate behaviour in food safety however small can be hugely risky,” said Mike Thomas, CEO of NSF-CMi.“We are confident the assessments we are offering in partnership with Cognisco will help managers enhance safety standards, lower risks and improve customer services and business.

NSF-CMi is committed to raising industry standards in food safety. We are offering clients a way of meeting FSA requirements more easily and enabling them to have greater confidence in their food hygiene and safety standards.”

Busy Zizzi’s sustainable refrigeration In the heart of Covent Garden in London, the popular new Zizzi Central St Giles is setting out to recreate the atmosphere of an authentic Italian piazza and to help preserve the high level of food quality required, Zizzi is using True refrigeration.

“The range is very flexible,” reports Rose Brunt, head of external communications at Zizzi.

“Not only is there a good selection of different sized models, but also their ingredients pans can be configured in a variety of different ways. That means we can tailor them to the requirements of the site. But the critical factor is temperature control – the temperatures are very consistent, throughout the cabinets and the ingredients wells, so they maintain food quality really well.”

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The temperature control is down to True’s use of heavy-duty refrigeration systems – evaporators, fan motors, compressors and condensers are all typically up to 20 to 40% bigger than the industry standard, point out the company, and the extra power means temperature pull-down and recovery times are very fast.

At Central St Giles most of the True prep counters are sited beneath work-tops with cut-outs so that staff can easily access the ingredients pans. True has also supplied some with granite worktops at other Zizzi locations. In standard ‘curtain of air’ systems, air is blown across the top of ingredients wells, which has a tendency to dry out the contents. In the True counters air is blown on to the pans themselves, the big benefit being that they

maintain temperature without compromising food quality.

The Zizzi group says that it is also committed to energy efficiency, sustainability and reducing environmental impact and as a result of their larger refrigeration systems, True’s products score highly here because their extra power means they pull down to temperature more quickly, saving energy and making for a longer lasting system (www.truemfg.com).

SHORTS Wheat prices get ever higher In February, the price of delivered wheat broke the £230 per tonne high seen during the 2007/8 season, causing many millers to, in turn, raise the price of their flour. Adverse weather conditions across the globe leading to reduced harvests are to blame, pushing suppliers to the point when they are no longer in a position to be able to carry on shouldering the rising cost.

Subway overtakes McDonalds Subway has overtaken McDonald's to become the world’s largest restaurant chain with 33,749 locations around the world compared to 32,737 for McDonald’s. Established in 1965 in the US, the privately owned franchise group has made a major push into new international markets over recent years including the UK where it has 1,500 locations.

Soft drink sales surge According to Britvic’s Soft Drinks Report 2011, soft drinks sales have grown to £9.4 billion in the UK. Based on independent Nielsen and CGA market data, take-home sales totalled £6.6 billion (growing by 6.6% in value). Sales of soft drinks in on-premise held, growing by 1% in value to £2.8 billion, with the foodservice channel reversing its 2009 decline (up 9.4% in value to £284m), and Cola growing substantially across all channels.

Winners announced This year’s winners in the UK Barista Championship after the finals were held at this year’s IFE exhibition in London were John Gordon (who becomes UK Barista Champion 2011), second Neil Le Bihan and third Dale Harris. John Gordon also won the Best Espresso, and Neil Le Bihan the Best Cappuccino, with both contestants being joint winners in the Best Signature Drink category.

Italian retail promotion Napolina (www.napolina.com) – one of the UK’s leading Italian ingredients brands – says that it is to build on recent brand investment with a new on-pack offer for its retail customers. The company will be offering the chance to win a variety of Italian themed prizes, including Italian holidays, with special promotional packs of the brand’s pasta sauces, canned tomatoes, pasta and olive oils. They will also be giving away up to 50 Italian inspired cookware sets.

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NEWS

news Domino’s partners with Reggae Reggae sauce This month, Domino’s has teamed up with the musical culinary genius, Levi Roots, to launch a new Reggae Reggae pizza made using Levi’s famous Reggae Reggae sauce creating a taste of the Caribbean with roast chicken, tomatoes, green peppers, pineapple and 100% mozzarella cheese (a vegetarian version of the pizza is available with sweetcorn and it can also be purchased as one of Domino’s oven-baked subs).

“It’s fantastic to be working with Domino’s to launch this mouth-watering new pizza. With Domino’s fresh toppings and my Reggae Reggae sauce, it’s a partnership made in the Caribbean!” said Levi Roots.

NVQs The Association is liaising with People 1st on revised standards they are proposing for the preparation, assembly and cooking of pizzas. They are asking for our comments. The proposed new standard can be obtained from Jim Winship (01291 636331 – jim@papa.org.uk).

Vouchercloud The Association has reached agreement with Vouchercloud, the mobile/on-line voucher system, to give members a 12.5% discount off their normal rates. Typically a single restaurant or delivery business would pay £199 per annum (less £25 member discount) to join Vouchercloud which enables them to run as many promotions as they wish over the year.

You can find details of Vouchercloud at www.vouchercloud.com Parliamentary Group The Association is exploring the possibility of setting up an All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Out of Home market. Some support for this has already come from other trade bodies and the Association is now looking for appropriate Members of Parliament to work with to set this up. Among the advantages of having a group is that it will give the industry a voice within Parliament on issues affecting the sector.

If anyone has any contacts with MPs who have an interest in this area, please contact Jim Winship (01291 636331 – jim@papa.org.uk).

Crime Partnership The Association is in discussions with the Metropolitan Police about producing guidelines for operators on reporting crimes (such as thefts from pizza restaurants and delivery outlets).

Discussions are also taking place about setting up a national network system so that crimes in particular areas can be passed to other operators in the same area. It would be helpful to the Association to have feedback on any experiences members have of crime issues in their businesses.

PAPA Technical Group Meeting The next PAPA Technical Group meeting is scheduled to take place in London on Tuesday, 12th April. An agenda can be found on the Association’s web site at www.papa.org.uk/docs/2011/tech_agend a_april.doc

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Beacon Foods develop new pizza toppings ideas Toppings designed to give pizza buyers an exciting new taste experience are being developed by British ingredients specialist Beacon Foods.

The Brecon-based company, renowned for quality and innovation, says that it is seeking new business opportunities with its versatile fruit, vegetable and herb ingredients and is homing in on the potential for a wide range of chutneys, relishes and sauces to be explored and used as garnishes for pizzas. A tomato and basil pesto to be drizzled over pizza toppings, several cooked potato products and caramelised leek are just some of the ideas which have been developed.

Roasted and char grilled Mediterranean mixed vegetables remain a firm favourite for pizza toppings, as do sauteed garlic

mushrooms, while caramelised sliced pear is another option being considered by manufacturers, report the company. Another popular topping is the company’s versatile chili ingredients, which range from the mild to the very hot, catering to customers’ taste requirements.

“Many customers are considering using chutneys and relishes as pizza toppings,” says Robert Sweet, Beacon Foods’ new product development manager. “We are taking enquiries from manufacturers of traditional and authentic pizzas who are looking for exciting flavours to attract new customers. Our new product development team is working closely with manufacturers to perfect a range of new pizza toppings, which consumers will be able to enjoy in the coming year.”

Domino’s web site scoops double award Domino’s Pizza has scooped two prestigious online awards in the latest Experian Hitwise UK Top 10 programme which recognise the country’s leading web sites.

Domino’s web site – www.dominos.co.uk – has been polled as the top site in both the brands and manufacturing and restaurants and catering categories for the food and beverage sector. The pizza delivery expert beat off stiff competition from other top national companies and well known household names to win two awards for 2010.

The annual Experian Hitwise UK Top 10 Awards recognise excellence in online performance through public popularity.

Results are based on the internet usage of

more than eight million UK internet users across over 160 industry categories. The winners are those who receive the greatest market share of visits throughout 2010.

Domino’s received the two awards based on the market share of visits achieved from January to December 2010.

“We launched our ordering web site 10 years ago and we’re always looking for innovative ways to continue driving our online traffic. Online orders account for an increasingly large proportion of our business and we work hard to ensure our website allows pizza lovers to order quickly and easily,” said Chris Moore, chief executive of Domino’s Pizza.“To win one award is a fantastic achievement, but to scoop two really is the icing on the cake – or the pepperoni on our pizza!”

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www.papa.org.uk

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pasta

Innovations

in pasta

The pasta sector is embracing new shapes and new formats, responding to the dual challenge of time-starved consumers and increasing demand for high quality, authentic products.

More creative “With a sector such as dried pasta, which many people regard as a not particularly exciting staple food, we have to get creative in order to move with the times and add value to our offering. Today, people have so much choice; a boring pasta salad just doesn’t cut it any more. Instead, people want something a bit different – be it shape, texture or health credentials,” asserts Donatantonio’s chief executive, Simon Bell.

Ongoing innovation and careful control of the quality of their pasta offering has enabled Donatantonio to keep pasta central to their business for decades (the company was founded in 1902). Today the company also employs a consultant chef, Lee Purcell, who helps to develop recipes and source and test products. This approach ensures that product development never stands still, and to guarantee quality control Donatantonio has its own on-site laboratory, a facility that enables the company to be able to test, among other things, the actual protein content of pasta.

As part of their new product development schedule for 2011, at this year’s IFE, Donatantonio launched Sardinian Fregola pasta (semolina dough rolled into balls 23mm in diameter and then toasted in an oven, and similar in nature to Israeli couscous).

“This product certainly ticks the interesting and different boxes, and is one that we have very high hopes for across all sectors,” says Simon Bell.

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La Pasta di Franciacorta has been another innovative new line for Donatantonio.

Produced from 100% Italian grown Kronos durum wheat semolina, the characteristics of this pasta go far beyond the ordinary, claim the company. Not only does it have an intense yellow colour and strong taste, it also contains a minimum of 14% protein.“This is significantly higher than that of standard pasta making it Giovanni Rana’s Fresh Filled Pasta Creations will be on sale at Sainsbury’s and selected ASDA stores.

easier to cook well, and less likely to go soggy and clump together,” reports Simon Bell.

The high gluten content of La Pasta di Franciacorta also allows it to be cooked in advance, chilled and then briefly reheated when needed, making it ideal for ‘to go’ lunches, busy restaurants and quick-cook ready-meals alike - just what’s needed in today’s world where quality, speed and value for money are all paramount.

“Consumer demand for authentic Italian pasta dishes where the pasta is al dente rather than soggy is realised by pasta with high gluten content as it retains its shape and bite,” explains Simon Bell.“In addition to an authentic texture, consumers are also demanding a variety of authentically shaped pastas. La Pasta di Franciacorta is available in 12 shapes, from Spaghettini which is great for light seafood sauces or in salads and stir firs, to Penne Rigate and Pipe Rigate which are idea with chunky meat sauces and seasonal favorite, meatballs as their ridged surface and hollows are ideal for locking in flavour and ‘holding’ the sauce.”

Retail appeal Italy’s number one fresh pasta brand has recently launched a new range of ready pasta meals which, it says, has been designed for time-starved foodies. Already on Sainsbury’s shelves nationwide as of mid-March, Giovanni Rana’s Fresh Filled Pasta Creations (with a recommended retail selling price of £2.99) feature three varieties that catch the eye in highly visual, transparent packaging, offer an authentic taste, and can be cooked in a matter of minutes.

This new range comprises tortellini filled prosciutto crudo in tomato sauce (including cherry tomatoes, spinach and Parmigiano Reggiano shavings), tortellini filled with spinach and ricotta in a basil sauce (including courgettes and cheese shavings) and tortellini filled with prosciutto crudo in Alfredo sauce (including peas, smoked ham and Parmigiano Reggiano shavings).

April 2011

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pasta What is sure to make it attractive to and popular with consumers is the fact Giovanni Rana’s Fresh Filled Pasta Creations are easy to prepare by simply placing in the microwave for cooking for four minutes in a process that actually cooks (as opposed to reheats) the pasta during the microwave process, thereby ensuring an authentic al dente pasta dish can be served. Therefore, these new dishes are being promoted as a hot, hearty lunch for one, or as a tasty, quick and convenient supper.

This new range will complement the brand’s existing selection of fresh, authentically Italian filled pastas which include popular flavours such as Rich Italian Beef Bolognese Tortelloni (traditional small, plump filled pasta) and Prosciutto Crudo and Cheese Cappelletti (small, hat-shaped pasta envelopes stuffed with filling). It is the extra thin pasta and generous, flavour-packed fillings that have made the Giovanni Rana so popular and well known in Italy when it comes to fresh pasta, feel the company, who plan to launch more new innovative products later this year.

“Giovanni Rana is renowned for pioneering the way we enjoy fresh pasta, and this exciting new range of delicious and convenient ready meals is no exception,” said a Giovanni Rana spokesperson.

“Different from the usual lasagnes and pasta bakes that dominate the pasta ready meal category, these plump and flavoursome ready meal tortellinis with freshly prepared sauces offer something exciting and different.

We’re hopeful they will go down a treat, especially with time-starved foodies who want to eat deliciously authentic Italian food quickly and conveniently, without compromising on taste.”

The new range will also be available from selected ASDA stores come May (for more information and recipe ideas, visit www.giovannirana.co.uk).

Napolina – one of the most well known retail brands of Italian ingredients brands on sale in the UK – has announced that it will be building on its recent brand investment with a new on-pack offer.

Napolina, which says that it aims to provide a one stop shop for simple, good quality Italian ingredients, is offering consumers the chance to win a variety of Italian themed prizes, including one of ten Italian holidays, with special promotional packs of the brand’s pasta sauces, canned tomatoes, pasta and olive oils, as well as giving away up to 50 Italian inspired cookware sets.

The promotion will also offer up to 8,000 product coupons to the runners-up to reward consumer loyalty. It will encourage cross selling throughout Napolina’s range. As the only brand that stretches across the four key Italian style categories – pasta, sauces, tomatoes and olive oil – Napolina says that it is in a strong position to drive further growth into all of these markets by bringing consumers from adjacent categories.

This new phase of investment builds on Napolina’s ‘Bursting with Real Napolina Passion’ advertising campaign which highlighted the brand’s dedication to sourcing and producing simple, good quality Italian food products.

“Napolina’s reputation for quality ingredients has helped us build a loyal consumer following. 45% of UK households now buy Napolina – giving us the highest household penetration of any Italian style food brand,” says Dean Towey, marketing director for Napolina.

“This latest investment, combined with new product development, will help meet demand from consumers who want to create Italian-inspired meals at home and consolidate Napolina’s position as the one stop shop for Italian style cooking.”

Napolina, which was founded in Naples in 1965, is one of the UK’s most diverse Italianinspired ingredients ranges with products varying from olive oils, sauces, pulses and pizzeria. Napolina is also brand leader in canned tomatoes and pasta. Recent product launches include a re-launched range of pasta sauces and the addition of bean salads to the range of branded pulses (www.napolina.com).

Improved production There are two main aspects when it comes to the automated production of ravioli, tortellini and other filled foodstuffs - high speed and a low reject rate. Fully automatic production, however, only becomes rational if it is possible to save the personnel needed to check for rejects.

With its completely new system design, König (a food machinery company in Dinkelsbühl, Germany), says that it has now taken a huge step forward in the cutting and closing of filled foodstuff, not least pasta.

Indeed, reject rates have been reduced dramatically, claim the company, and cycle times increased simultaneously to 1,500 strokes per minute.

König is well known throughout the world for its production of complete roll systems. The company develops special machines for processing dough covering a range from dough kneading machines to ultrasound cutting machines to complete industrial systems. Based in Graz, Austria, the firm places great value on high quality criteria and also has a location in Dinkelsbühl, Germany, with König Laminiertechnik. The company has a total of 500 employees at the two locations.

With its new pasta making innovation, everything started with an enquiry from a pasta manufacturer needing a replacement for its old, unreliable machine. This company’s old system was also no longer able to increase its production speed. Among other things, the production line was used for manufacturing German-style ravioli (called maultaschen – in which pasta dough is rolled out across the complete production width and then cut into four to six strands depending on the size of the ravioli).

The filling is then placed on these dough strands before the edges are folded over automatically. This is where things get critical.

The filled pasta strips are cut into individual ravioli, the ends of which have to be sealed at the same time in order to prevent any of the filling from leaking out while being cooked. In the past, this has been the weak point in

The complete package – Napolina’s latest on-pack promotion is helping to reinforce its brand as being a ‘one stop shop’ when it comes to Italian ingredients.

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pasta

König report that they have tackled the dual issues of speed and efficient cutting when it comes to lowering the reject rate that can be experienced during large scale, filled pasta production. production as the pasta cases were not always being sealed properly. This resulted in a relatively high level of rejects which had to be removed from the line by hand – a costly procedure. In addition, the production speed was subject to definite limits because, until now, the dough strips were cut in passing by a

Classic combination Spaghetti and meatballs have long been a classic combination, offering a staple of many a menu, irrespective of the operator.“It is, of course, important that you select the right pasta for the job.

Ensure that your spaghetti is made with 100% durum wheat, and has ideally been made in Italy – try to use 100 grams of dried spaghetti per person,” advises Jonathan Ashmore, commercial director of the Big Kitchen.

“After spending time and effort using the finest quality pasta, why spoil it now by using low grade meatballs? The Big Kitchen’s authentic meatballs range has been developed with the needs of the caterer in mind. Only the finest quality cuts of meat are used, and all the dishes are precooked to reduce valuable preparation time and guarantee a consistent, delicious result taking just a few minutes to heat. The range includes Pork, Lamb, as well as traditional Pork & Beef, which combines premium quality pork and beef with onion, cumin, paprika and garlic that help bring to this classic dish to life.”

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falling knife blade. As the belt with the dough strips continues running without interruption during the cutting process, the dough is pressed against the knife for a fraction of a second. This can cause deformation of the dough strip, or it can stick to the blade and is pulled up with the blade as it moves upwards at high speed. In this case, the ravioli could not be sealed correctly, resulting in rejects. This is why the cutting process alone has a significant effect on production speed.

So it was this problem that was tackled by the team at König via their new construction with an idea for cutting on the move. On the prototype of the new cutting machine, the knife moves in line with the speed of the belt so that the filled dough strips are no longer ‘pushed together’ during cutting.

"The main challenge was that we were dealing with an elastic dough and that we wanted to cut and seal this mass mechanically at high speed," explains Rudolf Strätker, managing director of König Laminiertechnik.

“This is where engineering skills and delicacy were called for as the parallel movement of the knife had to be synchronised perfectly to the rest of the production line. As rolling out and filling the dough was not subject to any speed limits, it was possible to increase speed overall with an improved cutting unit. The new cutting unit now manages up to five strokes per second, around one third more than the old system – and a lot, lot quieter.”

Closing the ravioli at high speed was also a problem in the past, observe König. Not only did the dough have to be cut, but the filling also had to be displaced and the dough pressed together to form a seal so that it no longer fell apart when being cooked. So this also called for a new design for the knife which was fitted with specially embossing rims that exert exactly enough pressure to seal the dough parcels. With five dough strips, this now enables around 90,000 ravioli to be manufactured per hour without problem (the production output can be increased accordingly by adding more dough strips).

With the new cutting technology, efficiency is simultaneously doubled in the production of filled foodstuffs as cutting is possible at higher speed and sealing is more reliable. This reduces rejects while at the same time increasing production speed. In addition, software has been developed for trouble-free integration into the existing production line which enables optimum synchronisation as a large number of factors have to be taken into account, not least the consistency of the dough, its thickness and the nature of the filling.

Along with pasta production, Rudolf Strätker says that he now has his eyes on other areas as well: "Anything that has to be filled, cut and sealed can be processed using the new design," he adds.“That can apply just as easily to fine pastry and animal feed, for example.”

In house production Metcalfe (www.metcalfecatering.com) has launched a new range of pasta makers. With consumer demand for pasta continuing to grow thanks to its healthy attributes, the machines offer caterers and retail food businesses the opportunity to take advantage of this by producing their own fresh egg pasta in house.

There are three models in the PM range, capable of producing 5kg, 8kg and 13kg of pasta per hour respectively and each has a stainless steel basin and kneader. Ingredients are added to the machine, mixed and kneaded before being extruded through a traditional bronze die. Friction created by the bronze creates an authentic rough surface which allows the pasta to hold the sauce much better than pasta made using non-bronze dies.

A choice of 14 extrusion dies is available, enabling the user to produce caserecce, pappardelle, gnocchi, bucatini, macaroni, angel hair, spaghetti, spaghetti all chitarra, tagliatalle, fettuccine, pasta sheets, cannelloni and bigoli.

In each case, a consistently shaped pasta is produced.

All three PM machines from Metcalfe operate from a standard 13A socket and are small enough to sit on a standard countertop, although a separate stand is available (list prices start from £1275).

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Pizza Chef of the Year 2011

Have you got what it takes to become

PIZZA CHEF of the year 2011

a z z i P Chef ? r a e Y e h t of SAINSBURY M A P T C A T 1 CON UGUST 201 E PRODUCTS A T S 1 3 : S TRIE MPL R YOUR SA ATE FOR EN CLOSING D ON 01291 636341 FO

his competition aims to encourage new product development in the pizza restaurant/delivery market and comprises a series of four individual competitions where entrants are required to develop recipes using specific ingredients.

Free samples of the sponsors’ products will be sent to those wishing to enter the competitions to enable them to experiment and create their pizza recipes.

In the Birra Moretti Beer category contestants are asked to create a recipe, either using the beer in the recipe, or a recipe to complement the beer.

Entries can be made into all four competitions but entrants must enter at least two categories from any of the four listed below – they must be innovative, attractive to consumers, taste good and be commercially viable to make.

T

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The four categories are: • Bel UK Leerdammer Mature Cheese Pizza Chef of the Year Competition • Dell’ami Greek Kalamata Olive Pizza Chef of the Year Competition • Birra Moretti Beer Pizza Chef of the Year Competition • Whitworths Flour Pizza Chef of the Year Competition A winner will be chosen in each category and from these four the judges will select the overall Pizza Chef of the Year.

Judging: Initial entries will be selected by a panel of judges to go forward into one of four heats where those responsible for creating them will be asked to make up their pizzas in front of a judging panel. The heats will take place in London, Bolton, Glasgow and Bristol. In each category a winner will be selected from each heat to go forward to the final, which will take place on Thursday 10th November at the Lancaster

London Hotel, in London.

The overall Pizza Chef of the Year Award winner will be announced at the Awards Dinner and will receive a trophy plus considerable publicity. The winners of the individual categories will also receive trophies.

What to send in: Please contact Pam Sainsbury with your details for entry forms and to receive samples of the sponsors’ products on 01291

636341 or email: pam@jandmgroup.co.uk Send to: Pizza Chef of the Year 2011, Association House, 18c Moor Street, Chepstow NP16 5DB Entries should be submitted by post or email stating the names of the pizzas, the ingredients, the preparation method and a short description of the pizza. All entries must state a selling price plus the market (e.g. delivery, restaurant etc) where the pizza would be sold.

Whitworth Bros sales and marketing manager, Alan Ribakovs, presents the Pizza Chef Award to Darren Smith pictured with Marco Giannasi, owner of Battlefield Restaurant.

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Performing

cheeses

Challenging times “Rising ingredient prices are impacting in all areas of food production and foodservice, and dairy is no exception,” confirms Robert Kennedy, marketing and sales executive at Meadow Cheese. “The challenge for both manufacturers and pizza restaurants is to mitigate price fluctuations through product innovation and recipe development.

“Increasingly, Meadow Cheese is working in partnership with customers to develop bespoke products or new menu ideas in order to give them a competitive edge in a competitive. This is particularly true for independent pizza outlets that have to be more creative than ever with menu innovations and promotions in order to compete with the big names and their powerful advertising budgets.

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The secret for independent outlets is to offer products that are just a little different and to make sure they are of the highest quality.

“Balancing innovation with cost control is an issue and today many pizza retailers and manufacturers are turning towards processed cheese, which can be bought in at a more consistent price point to help to ensure more stable prices for the end product. For example, products such as Meadow Cheese’s Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) Capri Pizza Blend - a mix of mozzarella and pizza cheese - or chilled Meadow Melt, a mix of mozzarella and analogue cheese mean manufacturers can be assured of consistency with controlled factors including colour, fat content and melt.”

Adele Bird, channel marketing manager, Bel Foodservice UK,

With dairy prices spiralling ever higher, and greater demand for a wider variety of cheeses, it’s increasingly important that cheese can perform well for operators seeking value for money, as well as offer exceptional quality for their customers.

agrees with the creative approach. “With cash-strapped consumers seeking out value-formoney dining, the pizza market has boomed in the last few years, but with the number of pizza outlets increasing, operators need to remain creative with their

menus if they are to stay ahead of the competition and maximise sales,” she says.

“Opting for cheeses other than mozzarella is a simple way for operators to add interest to their offer. Leerdammer, for example, with its sweet nutty

Cheese can help top a tempting dish of ravioli.

© Picture credit: Bel Foodservice UK.

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flavour, is a tasty alternative to mozzarella. It melts into a delightful stringy texture, which is perfect for pizzas.”

Winner at last year’s Pizza Designer of the Year Awards, Pasquale Spaziano from Pizzeria Rustica in Richmond, London, incorporated Leerdammer into his Three Cheese and Chorizo pizza. The pizza, which comprised a traditional base, topped with mozzarella, Leerdammer, feta cheese, chorizo, mint and basil, wowed judges with its fantastic combination of flavours.

Multiple uses “Boursin is another cheese which works extremely well as a pizza topping. Like Leerdammer, Boursin is particularly good for melting. Its distinctive rich flavour and luxuriously creamy texture works well with chicken and fish.

It also makes a great alternative to tomato sauce for pizza biancos,” explains Adele Bird.

“As well as adding a different flavour dimension, using popular branded cheeses such as Leerdammer and Boursin is a great way of adding value at a time where consumers are more careful about what they spend as it offers reassurance of good quality and flavour.

“As well as offering a perfect topping for pizzas, the versatility of our cheeses mean they are ideal for creating lots of exciting pasta dishes. Boursin and Cantadou can be used to add

Cheesy pudding - a lighter option for the dessert menu is the new Mascarpone and Vanilla cheesecake from Edward Moon (www.ojdirect.co.uk), made with a crisp, digestive base and with a smooth texture and ‘non cloying’ clean mouth feel.

www.papa.org.uk

body and depth of flavour to sauces or as a ravioli or tortellini filling. Smooth and creamy Port Salut is delicious melted through pasta and works well with flavours such as chorizo or roasted vegetables while Leerdammer is ideal for pasta bakes.”

With authentic flavours and heritage dating back to 1882, the Galbani cheese portfolio also has the capacity to appeal to the tastes of the modern consumer and restaurant diner, and is a good example of a range of cheeses with very many applications in the world of Italian cuisine.

This range of high quality Italian cheeses includes Gorgonzola Eccellenza, Parmigiano Reggiano, Taleggio D.O.P., Mascarpone, Ricotta and Mozzarella, with all capable of being utilised in an abundance of Italian recipes including pizza, as well as a variety of antipasto, salad and pasta dishes, sauces and desserts.

Italian food continues to be a popular choice on menus, enabling caterers to provide delicious yet profitable menu offerings that can be competitively priced. Over the past five years, the number of UK casual dining pizza restaurants has risen and currently stands at about 2,614 (according to Horizons’ Review of the Foodservice Sector in 2010). And pizza has become the UK’s favourite food with sales dwarfing those of former top seller curry, by well over two to one according to Kantar Worldpanel July 2010 figures.

To maintain sales in the current climate there has been a period of heavy discounting, acknowledge Galbani, fuelled by the big chains from the high street, and the most discounted sector is pizza and pasta.

However, increasingly sophisticated consumers now demand more authentic and innovative meals and due to the current discount culture, are used to getting this at a reduced price.

Yet, this discount phenomenon is not sustainable long-term, feel the brand, and so caterers need to search for creative ways to revitalise their pizza and pasta dishes by making sure that they

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cheese soft, making it a tasty, lower fat alternative to cream or cream cheese in pasta sauces and fillings, particularly favourites such as carbonara, lasagne and ravioli. It is also performs well in salads and antipasto dishes, as well as desserts such as cheesecake.

provide value to their customers to compensate charging full price.

Italian cheese is integral to the Italian eating experience. As a staple ingredient in many dishes, such as lasagne, pizza and various antipasti, it works well to add great flavour, texture and perceived value to a dish. Pizza of course is a tasty, familiar tasty option that is cost effective and ideal for menus in a range of establishments from restaurants to canteens.

Due to its stretching attributes, mozzarella is considered as the superior cheese option for pizza. Galbani Mozzarella is a fresh, unripened soft cheese with a multitude of applications from antipasto dishes to pizza, and pasta.

Indicated by its milky white colour, it is a top quality mozzarella with a soft supple texture, clean and fresh flavour and excellent melting properties, making it ideal for pizza. Suited to caterers, Galbani mozzarella is available in a variety of formats to suit different applications including a 1kg resealable bucket option, containing 8g mini balls that allow simple and easy portion control.

For caterers looking to offer a contemporary pasta dish, a delicious creamy cheese sauce is a great, profitable option for any menu. The versatility of the cheese means that the complexity of the recipe can be altered, lending itself to simple, fast dining as well as casual or even fine dining.

Galbani Dolcelatte (translated

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as ‘Sweet Milk’ because of its sweet and creamy flavour) is a tasty and accessible blue cheese.

With its smooth consistency and broad taste appeal Dolcelatte is a good cooking ingredient for chefs. Dolcelatte works well when melted into sauces for meat, risottos and pasta dishes. The versatility of Dolcelatte means that the complexity of recipes can be altered, making meals appropriate for simple, fast dining as well as casual or even fine dining. Dolcelatte is a registered trademark and made exclusively

by Galbani.

For many discerning consumers looking for healthier options, ricotta with its light texture is a popular, naturally lower in fat alternative for a variety of cheese sauce recipes.

Galbani Ricotta is creamy and

Under utilised?

“Many caterers and chefs use popular, premium brands of cheese, such as Galbani, but are not making the most of these branded products,” says Warren MacFarlane, marketing manager for Out of Home at Lactalis McLelland. “Galbani is the number one brand in Italy and the UK, and operators do not realise that by including the brand name in menus and on specials boards, they will be able to capitalise on the recognition of quality and positive associations their customers already have with Galbani. This in turn can greatly improve the appeal of a menu offering, increase sale margins or justify premium pricing.”

Galbani says that in recent times it has been working hard to communicate its reputation as a producer of innovative, high quality, great tasting Italian cheeses which they are confident can add value to any dish.

For caterers looking for recipe inspiration and to discover more about the versatility of Galbani cheeses (as well as their other brands including Président and Seriously Strong) Lactalis

Dave Cross (left) at Casa Italia in Liverpool has been using Pizzamelt successfully for five years.

McLelland is encouraging chefs and food lovers to sign up to their free monthly fact sheet, giving seasonal recipe ideas and tips from top chef Lee Maycock.

For access to some mouthwatering recipes with the potential to add value to menus, visit www.lactalisoutofhome.co.uk (by signing up, you will receive a different cheese fact sheet each month).

Popular with customers When it comes to making pizzas, consistency is key, say Dairygold Food Ingredients (www.dairygoldfoodingredients.com), who developed Pizzamelt - a pizza topping specifically designed to create the perfect pizza time and time again.

Pizzamelt is a topping consisting of premium mozzarella and the finest natural cheddar cheese, and was created after an extensive research and development programme. It was designed to offer customers a simple and consistent means of producing pizzas with exceptional flavour, excellent melt and browning properties and real stretch.

“We believe that we have developed the best possible blend in terms of taste, functionality and performance characteristics,” says Tony Kourellias, sales and development (pizza) for Dairygold, one of the UK’s largest suppliers of cheese and dairybased ingredients to UK food manufacturers and the foodservice industry. “Our extensive research has shown that the larger grate size upon which Pizzamelt is based helps achieve a more consistent cook.”

A significant advantage of Pizzamelt is that less of it is needed. Compared with standard grated products, it has proven to reduce the required amount by 33%.

“This saving reduces the cost of pizza-making, which is good news for businesses looking to cut costs at source while maintaining product quality,” says Tony Kourellias, who is also a trained development chef with a comprehensive insight into ingredient performance and is on hand to assist customers in creating the most delicious pizza

April 2011

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cheese possible. “It also offers a healthier option to today’s health conscious consumers, with no compromise on taste or texture.”

Italian restaurant manager, Dave Cross, reports that he is delighted with the reception his food has had from customers since he began using Pizzamelt a cheese topping consisting of premium mozzarella and the finest natural cheddar cheese.

Dave Cross is the manager at Casa Italia, Stanley Street in Liverpool, and the restaurant has welcomed superstars including Paul McCartney, Kylie Minogue and Robbie Williams through its doors. The restaurant is open seven days a week and has now been using Pizzamelt for the past five years.

“Over the past 20 years Casa Italia has tried a huge variety of cheeses for its pizza and pasta dishes, but nothing compares to Pizzamelt. Past toppings have not been consistent and have skinned or just not melted properly but we now pride ourselves on consistent pizzas which our customers love,” explains Dave Cross. “Customers even noticed when we changed our cheese for a short while and demanded we bring Pizzamelt back – which we did of course!

“Cheese is suffering in the current economic climate but we’ve noticed our profits increase and we most definitely attribute part of our success to Pizzamelt.

Because it performs extremely well and has better stretch and melting properties than its competitors, it means that we don’t need to use as much topping for the same taste.

“There are cheaper

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Delight mozzarella - it might not be as popular as their regular cheese, say Domino’s, but it’s important to give consumers a lower fat choice. alternatives on the market but our regulars would spot the difference straight away and most definitely let us know! It’s a better investment all round, plus the support we receive from Dairygold Food Ingredients is priceless.”

Pizzamelt is a topping consisting of premium mozzarella and the finest natural cheddar cheese. Offered in a larger 9.6mm grate, this not only helps achieve a more consistent cook, but less product is needed.

It has been proven to reduce the required amount by 33% which is great news for businesses looking to cut costs at source while maintaining product quality.

The cheese is available in three varieties - Pizzamelt Green (which consists of 100% mozzarella), Pizzamelt Red (which is 80% mozzarella and 20% cheddar), and Pizzamelt Blue (which comprises 70% mozzarella and 30% analogue). It

is produced in three convenient formats - grated (9.6mm), baby dice and extra long dice (for more information visit www.dairygoldfoodingredients. com).

New cheeses on the block Kerrymaid have announced that they are adding to their range of culinary dairy solutions with an exciting new selection of quality cheese, developed specifically for caterers. The new products include Kerrymaid Grated Cheese, Kerrymaid Pizza Cheese and Kerrymaid Cheese Slices.

“Cheese is a crucial component of any caterer’s menu, so it’s essential the cheese used is of the very highest quality. We’ve developed the new range specifically to perform in the kitchen, ensuring they exceed the expectations of both caterers and consumers,” comments Darragh Gilhawley, brand manager for Kerrymaid.

Kerrymaid Grated Cheese is available as coloured and white variants in 6 x 2kg bags.

Kerrymaid Pizza Cheese also comes in 6 x 2kg bags, while Kerrymaid Select White Cheese Slices come in 6 x 1kg packs.

All these products have been developed specifically to deliver the highest quality possible, complementing the existing Kerrymaid range of quality Irish Cream, Custard and Cheese, say the company.

“Kerrymaid Grated Cheese is the perfect all-rounder, whether added to a béchamel, used to top Baked Potatoes, or used as an ingredient in a twice-baked

cheese soufflé. It delivers a delicious flavour, whether served hot, or cold in sandwiches and baguettes,” explains Adrian Coulter, business development chef for Kerry Foodservice.

“Meanwhile, we firmly believe our Kerrymaid Pizza Cheese is one of the best on the market delivering a fantastic stretch, super melt and great taste over and above any other cheese type used for topping pizzas.”

Pre-grating aids with ease-ofuse and portion control, making it easy to create fresh, premium quality dishes with very little wastage in the kitchen.

Completing the range, Kerrymaid Select White Cheese Slices are smooth and creamy, delivering a unique taste. They’ve been developed specifically to hold well in sandwiches, baguettes and bagels, are easypeel for convenience, and deliver a consistent melt in paninis, without leaving the oily residue other cheese can when cooked (www.kerryfoodservice.co.uk).

Lower fat option Delight mozzarella (which contains 33% less fat than their regular cheese) has not been as popular as they might have hoped, admit Domino’s Pizza, who were one of the first to offer a lower fat cheese option to their customers. However, say the chain, they still feel that it is important to give customers the option of a lower fat cheese.

Glanbia supplies this product to Domino’s, and they monitor the product themselves to maintain consistency and make sure that the cheese performs, with Domino’s themselves then carrying out standard checks to ensure this is indeed the case.

There were no real challenges in developing the product, report the chain, but they viewed the product as a ‘must’ for their menu. The only real difference between this cheese and a comparable, fuller far version is that there is less fat and therefore a higher milk content, which then, in turn, pushes the cost up compared to their regular cheese. At present, there are no plans to offer other low fat cheese options, say Domino’s, who are happy with their regular and delight options.

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cheese Three types of Grana Padano Grana Padano (www.granapa dano.com) has been part of Italy’s proud gastronomic heritage for over 1,000 years and is the best selling PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) cheese in the world. As a PDO cheese, this means that every stage in its production process is tightly controlled, from the farm to the table, to ensure its consistent high quality. It is now available in three variants of three different ages, meaning that it has a wide variety of uses.

The first Grana Padano cheese was produced in the Po Valley in Northern Italy by monks who invented a way of transforming the surplus milk into a cheese which was slowly matured to reach its prime. The production, protection and promotion of Grana Padano cheese is overseen by the Consorzio per la tutela del Formaggio Grana Padano (Consortium for the Protection of Grana Padano cheese) which brings together producers to ensure that every wheel of cheese is made to the traditional,

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exacting standards so that it can be awarded its PDO status.

All milk used in the production of Grana Padano comes from specific designated regions in Italy including Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto, Emilia Romagna in the province of Piacenza and part of the region of Trentino Alto Adige in the province of Trento. With more than four million wheels produced every year by around 154 producers and over 52,000 workers, Grana Padano is a hugely important product for Italian agriculture. In addition, one million wheels of the cheese are exported worldwide every year making Grana Padano the best selling PDO cheese in the world.

Grana Padano has a multitude of uses. It can either be grated or used as part of recipes, it also works well when served as part of a cheese board with nuts, fruits and chutneys.

The youngest cheese is aged between nine and 16 months.

This is mild and milky, great for cooking, particularly in sauces, and is delicious with young,

fruity chilled white wines. While in comparison, Grana Padano 16 months has a delicate and fragrant, yet distinctive grainy taste. It can be paired with wines that are soft but tannic, with strong alcohol content, as well as sweet dessert wines to round off a meal.

Whilst traditionally many believe that all cheese is high fat, this is not the case with Grana Padano. It is in fact lower in fat than some other hard cheeses as it is made with semi-skimmed rather than full fat milk. It disproves the myth that cheese only contains saturated fats as it contains a lower content of saturated fats, and more than 40% unsaturated fat.

Grana Padano is available freshly cut at cheese counters or prepacked, and now comes in three different stages of maturity. Aged between nine and 16 months, Grana Padano PDO has a lightly grainy consistency. It is a pale, creamy colour with a delicate flavour. Its taste is mild, milky and delicate. It is delicious with young, fruity chilled white wines.

Grana Padano “over 16 months old” (oltre 16 mesi in Italian) is characterised by a soft straw-

yellow colour and has a denser grainy consistency and crumbles when cut. The sweetness in its flavour is less noticeable and it has a stronger, though not overpowering, tangy taste. This cheese is complemented by a slightly tannic wine, such as a red that is still young and fresh but has a fairly intense, lingering flavour.

Grana Padano “Riserva” (over 20 months) is aged for at least 20 months. This age is aimed at the most savvy food connoisseurs who are looking for only the best in quality and taste.

This version features a grainy texture with a clear flaky structure and is pale yellow (yet darker than its younger counterparts) with aromas of butter and hay, and floral hints of nuts. It has a delicate and fragrant, yet distinctive, taste.

Either grated or used as part of recipes, Grana Padano Riserva also works well when served as part of a cheese board with nuts, fruits and chutneys. It can be paired with wines that are soft but tannic, with strong alcohol content, as well as sweet dessert wines to round off a meal. To be designated as Riserva, the wheels that meet the appropriate requirements are once more individually tested and branded with the Riserva logo by an expert of the Consorzio di Tutela at the age of 20 months.

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interview

ithof…

Aw Q& than Kaye, CEO Prezzo Jona

Just as not so long ago PizzaExpress teamed up with Francesco Mazzei, Prezzo are now upping the competition, having teamed up with celebrity Italian chef, Aldo Zilli. Aldo Zilli operates Zilli Fish and Zilli Green in Soho, London and has helped Prezzo create four special varieties of pizza (a meat, vegetarian, fish and light option), priced between £10.95 and £11.95 and available at restaurants nationwide now. In conjunction with Prezzo’s executive chef, Paul Lewis, a Zilli North and South pizza (a half meat and half vegetarian pizza) has also been developed.

How did Prezzo start?

I opened the first Prezzo restaurant 11 years ago, and we have been growing organically since then. There are now over 140 Prezzos across the UK. How is it different from the competition?

Obviously I am biased, but, put quite simply, my answer is that we are better!

How/why did the recent collaboration with Aldo Zilli come about?

Aldo was asked by the Daily Mail to conduct a taste test of pizzas available from a range of high street outlets, including Prezzo, Pizza Express, Strada, Ask, Zizzi’s and Pizza Hut. Aldo chose Prezzo’s pizza as the best, giving us nine out of ten. When I called him to personally thank him, we got talking about a potential collaboration...

What has been the result?

The Aldo Zilli V.I.Pizza range is currently being rolled out nationwide. It is early days, but the response so far has been very good. The range is proving popular and we’ve had lots of positive feedback from customers.

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Are future collaborations planned?

We’ll give this one a chance first but I think Aldo is an ideal fit for the Prezzo brand. He is the UK’s most renowned Italian chef with an eye for authenticity and quality.

How competitive does Prezzo view the market right now?

It is very, very competitive. There are lots of strong groups operating in the casual dining sector. That is why we have to continue developing to ensure we stay ahead of the pack.

What are the major challenges?

I don’t look at in the way of ‘challenges’ and ‘opportunities’.

Building a restaurant brand is full of challenges and opportunities, and often these terms are interchangeable.

What plans do Prezzo have for the future?

We plan to continue our growth this year. We have just bought six new Caffè Uno premises, five of which will be turned into Prezzos, and we will be adding a further 20 Prezzo restaurants to our estate this year.

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olive oil

Italy’s olive oil ‘Oscars’ In its nineteenth year, the Ercole Olivario Awards for olive oil (www.ercoleolivario.org) were established in 1993 by the Italian Association of Chambers of Commerce in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce of Perugia (Perugia being one of Italy’s association of ‘cities of oil’) to recognise and help promote the best olive oils from across Italy. As Pizza Pasta & Italian Food magazine found out, these prestigious awards – the so-called olive oil ‘Oscars’ of Italy – have become an important event for the industry, offering a good opportunity for buyers and importers to learn more about the characteristics of Italian olive oil itself, as well as identify which Italian regions are producing some of the best oils.

The competition This year, 17 of the 21 Italian regions entered the competition, with a record number of 355 olive oil companies (each producing a minimum of at least 2000 litres of olive oil) taking part. Initially, over the course of a month, each region selects which oils will be put forward to enter the final stage of the competition. This year, 92 different olive oils competed in the final stages of judging, held across a week in Perugia, Umbria.

These oils were judged by a national panel of 16 judges from the 16 olive growing regions in Italy in a process that involves a notary receiving all the bottles of 26

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olive oil and then making them anonymous so that the judging panel are effectively taking part in a blind tasting. The panel’s results are then given to the notary who, in turn, matches the judgements and analysis to the producing company so that the wining oils can be identified and revealed.

There are twelve winners across three categories of olive oil (light fruity, medium and intense), and within these there is an extra virgin olive oil category and a DOP or PDO “protected designation of origin” category to denote a specific oil from a specific region with registered characteristics. A first and second prize is awarded in each category.

The Umbria region of Italy boasts several DOP olive oils, and its hill top town of Spoleto hosts the annual Ercole Olivario Awards.

The panel of 16 judges represent all of Italy’s olive oil producing regions.

In addition, since 2006, a special Olio Biologico award has been given for certified organic oils, and since 2010 the awards committee have also given the Lekythos prize to a foreign expert in extra virgin olive oil (this year it was awarded to Germany). There is also a prize for the best packaged oil in terms of the design of the bottle and its labelling and branding.

During the assessment process, the oils in the final are tasted several times, with the eventual winner in each category being based on an average of the judges’ results. The points scored are recorded on judging sheets which include attributes such as fruitiness, defects and intensity of

aroma and taste. In addition to not knowing where the oil comes from, or who has produced it, the oil samples are presented and tasted in small brown or blue glass cups so that the true colour of the oil is not allowed to influence the judges.

This year, the awards themselves were handed out on 26 March at a prize giving event held in the theatre in Spoleto, the culmination of several days of events that provided an opportunity to not only celebrate and educate visitors about olive oil (including tutored tastings and informative presentations), but also enabled producers to meet with foreign buyers from the small April 2011

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olive oil

to the large from around the world.

The symbol of the competition is the Ercole Olivario Temple in Rome, which is known to have been a place linked with olive oil production and selling from ancient times. Dedicated to the mythical god Hercules – the patron divinity of agriculture – this temple was built in the first century before Christ at the expense of the ancient Roman corporation of olive oil producers.

From here, olive oil was loaded onto ships moored nearby for distribution across the Roman Empire.

Tasting olive oil The panel of judges who taste the olive oil in the competition are all experienced olive oil tasters, having been trained in both theory and practice, and then selected to take part in the judging according to their level of experience as well as ‘talent’ for the tasting of olive oil, with different judges selected each year to take part. Anybody can train to become a judge, and so all backgrounds and job types can be found in the judging panel.

Indeed, to be a judge in the competition is a prestigious appointment, and something which is helping to further promote olive oil in Italy itself.

The coloured glasses that hold

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the samples to be tasted have round bases so as to allow heating of the oil, as well as help to unleash the aroma. A special heating plate is used to heat the oil to a temperature of 28oC (the temperature at which the aromatic properties are released, and also a similar temperature to the mouth temperature), with a lid placed on top. Agitation of the oil also helps to free up the aromas, as does the narrowing shape of the cup itself near the top.

About 15ml of oil is sampled in the cup. Initially, the judge smells the aroma of the oil after the heating and agitation, and then tastes the oil, making sure it coats their mouth before aspirating it to the back of the mouth so as to be able to detect the full nature of the flavour sensation and any defects. For example, the spiciness and bitterness, as opposed to the sweetness and acidity of the oil, can be detected by the end of the tongue.

It is a combination of the taste and sensation that shapes the overall evaluation of the oil in two parts – the smell/aroma (is it fruity, harmonious, not harmonious, pleasant?) and fluidity and viscosity. It is the final evaluation of taste and smell combined which leads to an overall impression of harmony.

When compared to wine, the judging and assessment of olive oil – which in the restaurant environment is consumed less compared to wine - is more of a certification process, and so more technical and scientific in terms of

its analysis. Away from the world of judging, it is customary for emphasis to be placed on what the oils will complement in food terms, as opposed to the more fantastical world of wine where it is often diverse taste convergences and contrasts that are appreciated and sought after.

It is often in a restaurateur’s interest to educate a customer about wine, where the potential mark-up is high, but less so about olive oil, when less is consumed and the mark up less, and so consequently few consumers, even in Italy, have yet to really get to grips with high quality olive oil as it is not always in the economic interests of restaurant owners to serve it.

However, to really appreciate olive oil, and how it can work extremely well with different foods – in many cases, bringing them to life (think of breads, pulses, risottos, soups etc) - this lack of education needs to be addressed, feel many industry observers and experts, for olive oil to truly be understood and enjoyed to the full. As Confucius said,“many know how to eat and drink, but few understand taste”.

Italian olive oil Olive oil is a key part of the Mediterranean diet, widely considered to be an acceptable food trend in terms of its heath benefits and high nutritional content, being made from fruit in a mechanical process. Extra virgin olive oil is the primary source of fat in this diet, but is a functional

food in terms of the high level of mono unsaturated fatty acids and oleic acids it contains (the latter which features chemicals responsible for the taste and aroma profile of olive oil, as well as its health-enhancing properties).

Indeed, based on these influences, many Italian olive oils have now been certified and regulated under EU regulations, being labelled by the term DOP and IGP, and only capable of being produced in certain, specific regions.

The more bitter an olive oil, the more polyphenols it contains, which is not necessarily a bad thing, as bitterness can be a good quality, but it needs to be in balance with other aspects. The tasting and appreciation of olive oil relies heavily on a sense of smell and the nose, something which to a large extent has been forgotten these days, with man having a developed a keener sense of vision and sight than smell over the millennia.

Flavours of almond, grass, bitterness, spiciness, sweetness and tomato are used to define and characterise Italian olive oils, which are distinctive in their own right to experienced tasters due to the various environmental (climate and growing region), technological (production methods) and olive variety (types grown) which impact upon the eventual taste of the oil.

A predominance of almonds and sweetness can be found in light Italian olive oils with grassiness predominating in

A selection of some of the olive oils entered into this year’s competition.

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olive oil

2011 winners Company name, place (region) Light fruity Extra virgin olive oil category Second classification Oleificio Trisaia idi Laguardia Giuliana, Rotondella, Matera (Basilicata) First classification Soc. Agr. Ceraudo Robert srl, Marina di Strangoli, Crotone (Calabria) Extra virgin olive oil DOP category Second classification “Umbria” della Societa Agricola Trevi il Frantoio, Trevi, Perugia (Umbria) First classification “Veneto Valpolicella” della Cantina Sociale della Valpantena, Quinto di Valpantena, Verona (Veneto)

Medium Extra virgin olive oil category Second classification Dell’Azienda Badevisco di Cassetta Franco, Sessa Aurunca, Campania (Campania) First classification Dell’Azienda Chisu Sandro, Orosei, Nuoro (Sardinia) Extra virgin olive oil DOP category Second classification “Terre di Siena” Azienda Agraria Carraia di Bardi Feanco, Trequanda, Siena (Tuscany) First classification “Colline Pontine” dell’Azienda Cetrone Alfredo, Sonnino, Latina (Lazio)

Intense Extra virgin olive oil category Second classification Azienda Giannini Giancarlo, Arezzo (Tuscany) First classification Azienda Quattrociocchi Valentina, Alatri, Frosinone (Lazio) Extra virgin olive oil DOP category Second classification “Colline Pontine” dell’Azienda Orsini Paola di Priverno, Latina (Lazio) First classification “Valli Trapanasi” dell’Azienda Agraria Titone di Antonina Anna Titone, Trapani (Sicily)

Best packaging Az. Agricola Forcella, Pescara (Abruzzo)

Special mention for organic olive oil Azienda Quattrociocchi Valentina, Alatri, Frosinone (Lazio)

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For the producers, there is considerable prestige attached to winning an Ercole Olivario award which takes its imagery from the Ercole Olivario Temple in Rome (where olive oil was loaded onto ships for distribution in Roman times). medium fruity oils, and tomato prevailing in stronger, intense olive oils. As a result, oils are generally recommended to be paired with similar types of food – light oils with light tasting food that does not have any overpowering flavours, and likewise, stronger flavoured oils with stronger flavours of food.

Italy has some 350 types of olives, with many light olive oils coming from regions such as Liguria and stronger oils from regions where sunshine is experienced for longer during the year (Sicily, Sardinia for example), but there seems to be no hard and fast rules here, as a good light oil could also be found in a certain part of Sicily and a strong one in a certain part of Liguria.

The term ‘cold press’ has been, and is still used, by many, but is a bit of a misnomer these days, as most oils are produced via a centrifugal process, meaning that the cold press term is no longer applicable, yet it lingers on in the minds of many and is often misleadingly still used to satisfy buyers of an oil’s quality of production.

Umbrian oil Umbrian oil has always been considered one of the most notable agro-food products of the region due to its particular taste and characteristics. In 1998, the EC (European Community) certified its quality by recognising the oil from this region with the

awarding of a DOP Umbria denomination for oils produced specifically in the region.

The DOP Umbria is divided into five categories – Colli Amerini, Colli Assisi-Spoleto, Colli of Trasimeno, Colli Martini and Colli Orvietani. Since 1999, the Chambers of Commerce in this region have organised a competition for the best oils from their area, which, in turn became the regional award for the DOP oil of Umbria, qualifying them to compete in the national Ercole Olivario Awards.

The winners Winning an award in the Ercole Olivario competition is highly prized in Italy, and is an emotional moment for many, with many producers having won several times across the years. A win can serve to boost the popularity of an olive oil, as well as its price, claim some, but the producer needs to be savvy with their marketing and communicate their win accordingly.

Oil that wins can only be sold with the certification of winning for that year – the award does not apply indefinitely, with the Chamber of Commerces only issuing certification of the win for that particular production volume. If this is abused in any way, there is the spectre of fines and legal challenges (however, as yet, there have been no problems experienced in previous years in this regard, report the organisers).

April 2011

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Victor’s Buffet Toppers are top of the pops for all sectors

STORE MANAGER One of the London’s best loved and well known brands is looking for a top performing Branch Manager for our London sites The rapid growth of our business means we’re currently seeking a Store Manager with the passion and leadership skills to make the most of our culture.

Victor Manufacturing, the catering industry’s favourite counter and servery manufacturer, has a range of ingenious portable Buffet Toppers that can be found in all sectors of hospitality.

Victor's Buffet Toppers, offered in a choice of four models, can be configured with a carvery, glass, tile or stainless steel top, all of which are interchangeable – with tops available to buy separately. These small, portable, counter-top heated display units deliver optimum flexibility and are offered with or without overhead quartz heat lamps.

For outlets serving up popular roast meat courses, Victor’s Carvery Buffet Topper BTC4 is ideal. The unit is constructed from heavy duty stainless steel, has a quartz lamp above to complement the variable heat in the base, and ensures meat is kept hot throughout meal service without losing any of its succulence (call 01274 722125 or visit victoronline.co.uk).

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As a Store Manager – Service and training must be put at the top of the list to maintain the great reputation this group enjoys.

The General Manager will be accountable for managing budgets and profit and loss accounts; as well as staff training and development.

This is a great opportunity to demonstrate your Store Manager skills and join a group that will progress and develop you further in your career. As a successful Store Manager the company will reward with an excellent salary, bonus and benefits package.

If you have passion for the industry, drive to be successful and have Catering or Retail experience in a full service environment - this maybe the role for you!

Apply directly to: csaba@firezza.com Location: London Salary: £18-25K pa + excellent bonus Company Web site: www.firezza.com Job Type: Permanent Job Role: Store Management

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Italian meats

meats SPECIALITY

Italy has long been producing a variety of speciality meat products that have become highly regarded around the world. Here, we find out more about the production of Parma ham, as well as the less well known San Daniele ham which is now being promoted in the UK in conjunction with another Italian success story - Grana Padano cheese.

Jewel in the crown Parma ham is perhaps one of the most famous of all Italian meats. It is the unique conditions of the Parma region – the dry and sweetsmelling breezes from the Apennine mountains creating the perfect conditions for a natural ‘drying’- which have made it possible to produce the highest quality hams, appreciated by gourmets since Roman times.

Parma ham was one of the first Italian food products to secure Protected Denomination of Origin status, with the role of the Parma Ham Consortium now being to protect the product quality and purity, and ensure that production is carried out with full compliance according to traditional methods.

Real Parma ham is produced and cured in the traditional production area near Parma and the ham itself can be identified by its famous logo, the Ducal Crown, which guarantees its quality and authenticity so consumers, in turn, can be sure that they are buying genuine Parma Ham. The hams are made from nine month old pigs (Large White, Landrance and Duroc breeds) weighing a minimum of 150 kilos, bred in eleven northern and central Italian regions. The actual ham production is based on traditional methods involving ten stages – cutting, cooling,

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trimming, salting, rest, washing/drying, pre-curing, greasing, curing and branding.

There are currently about 5,400 breeding farms and 140 slaughterhouses. They must be located in a well-defined area in the following regions - EmiliaRomagna, Veneto, Lombardy, Piedmont, Molise, Umbria, Tuscany, the Marches, Abruzzo and Latium.

To be included in the area of protected production, breeders must be acknowledged and classified by the Istituto Parma Qualità (I.P.Q.). An indelible tattoo must be placed on each pork leg within 30 days of birth. The tattoo shows the breeder’s code and the month of birth and all the codes are recorded by the Consortium.

Of the total yearly Parma ham production, according to figures from the Parma Ham Consortium, 13.5% of it is destined for the UK market.

Production Before slaughter, the pig must be healthy, be rested and have fasted for 15 hours. The insulated legs are then put in special cold stores where they stay for 24 hours. This phase is necessary in order to lower the leg temperature from 40°C to 0°C for hygiene reasons and firm up the meat through the cold temperature, making the subsequent trimming phase

The branding with Ducal Crown is the guarantee that all stages of production have been carried out correctly. easier. During the cooling phase the leg undergoes a weight loss of about 1% of the total.

Through trimming, some fat and skin is removed to give the ham its typical round ‘chicken leg’ shape. The trimming is carried out for two reasons: one is aesthetic and the other is technical, as it helps the following salting phase.

During this phase, legs with even the smallest faults are discarded.

With trimming, the leg loses 24% of its weight in fat and muscle.

The cooled and trimmed legs are sent from the slaughterhouses to the curing houses. It is

important at this stage that the legs have an adequate and uniform temperature, as a leg that is too cold will not absorb enough salt, whereas a leg that is not cold enough may deteriorate. The salting is carried out using both humid and dry salt. The pigskin is covered with humid salt, while the muscular parts are covered with dry salt.

Legs are then put in a cold store at a temperature ranging from 1°C to 4°C, with a humidity level of approximately 80%. Legs stay in this store called ‘first salt’ for six to seven days. They are then taken out, and any residual salt is removed and they are then covered again with a thin coat of salt. Finally, they are put in another cold store called ‘second salt’, where they stay for 15 to 18 days, according to their weight. During this period the leg slowly assimilates the salt and loses some humidity. At the end of the salting phase the weight loss is approximately 3.5% - 4%.

As salt is the only preservative used in the production method, no chemical elements are allowed meaning that Parma ham is a 100% natural product.

After removing the residual salt, the legs are put in the rest

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Italian meats

Chopped ham, boned and defatted shoulders and belly without rind is selected for production.

store for 60 to 70 days with a humidity level of about 75% and at a temperature ranging from 1°C to 5°C. These stores are often aired.

During this phase the ham has to ‘breathe’ without becoming either too wet or too dry and the assimilated salt penetrates deeply and distributes uniformly inside the muscular mass. The weight loss during the rest phase amounts to approximately 8% 10%.

The hams are now washed with warm water to eliminate excess salt and impurities. During sunny, dry and airy days, the drying of the hams is carried out in natural conditions. In winter, cold, wet or humid conditions, special dryers are used. This part of process lasts approximately one week.

The pre-curing phase is carried out in large rooms with windows on either side, where the hams are hung on special wood frames called scalere. The airflow regulation is very important.

Windows are opened with regard to the ratios of internal/external humidity and internal humidity/product humidity. This allows for a constant and gradual drying of the hams. This phase lasts about three months.

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After the curing phase the ham is beaten to improve its round ‘chicken leg’ shape. Sometimes the cavity around the bare part of the bone is covered with pepper in order to keep the contact area dry (weight loss during this phase amounts to about 8% - 10%).

Next is the greasing phase. The cavity around the bare part of the bone, the uncovered muscular mass, and possible chaps, are covered in a mixture of lard, salt and pepper and sometimes ground rice. The greasing softens the superficial muscular layers to prevent the external layers drying too rapidly. It also allows further humidity loss.

In the seventh month, the ham is transferred to the ‘cellars’ - rooms with less air and light where the sounding, an essential phase in the ‘ham life’, is carried out. A horse bone needle, which rapidly absorbs the product fragrances, is inserted in different parts of the ham and smelt by experts who can verify the development of the production process. During the seasoning, important biochemical and enzymatic processes occur which determine the typical Parma ham flavour, perfume and taste and the easy digestibility (the weight loss during the curing

is about 5%).

At the end of the ageing period, which is a minimum of 12 months, the ham has lost most of its initial weight (about 28%) and acquired its inviting and delicate aroma. Only then are the hams ready for the official stamp of certification: the fire-branding with the Ducal Crown.

Since the fire branding is the final guarantee that all the processing stages have been carried out correctly, the officers of the independent certifying body, the Istituto Parma Qualità (I.P.Q.) arrive. These officers check the ageing period from the registers and the seal on the ham and they ensure that the hams have conformed to all the processing procedures. Finally, they test each ham with the horse bone needle and issue a quality judgement based on the appearance, colour and aroma.

Specialist producers Located in Umbria, Umbrasalumi is part of the Paoletti Group of companies (www.gruppopaoletti.it), and a good example of a salami producer making a wide range of specialist meat products – notably, sausages, hams, bacon, capocolli, dried sausages, pancette and salamis. It has been in operation since 1989 and specialises in the working of pork to make products of high quality and unique taste, characterised by the use of flavourings such as red wine (also produced by the Paoletti group), fennel, rosemary, salt, pepper and garlic, to name but a few.

As it belongs to a large group,

growth and adoption of increasingly sophisticated machinery has been possible, thereby raising the overall quality of the production cycle, report the company. At the same time, they have also stayed in touch with tradition (all of their products are natural, gluten free and do not contain lactose or allergens in accordance with EU regulations), one reason why they appeal to UKbased importers such as Leonardo De Felice (an Oxfordshire-based supplier of fine Italian wines and foods with a showroom and warehouse where tastings are organised and a whole host of Italian ingredients can be sampled and browsed).

Umbrasalumi’s production takes place at a plant in Ponte Felcino which underwent a thorough modernisation in October 2006 in order to be able to offer the best technology, both for production and for the preservation of meat. For example, to ensure that the right temperatures are provided at all stages of manufacture, the factory is equipped with an advanced system which monitors and maintains set temperatures – a very important aspect to the curing and resting stages that characterise salami production.

The plant has several production lines for different product types. One is dedicated to the production of fresh product, another to the production of sausages, and another production of salted products. There are also lines for the packaging of individual products (vacuum, modified atmosphere, etc), as well

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Italian meats Serves 4

Recipe idea (copyright Gennaro Contaldo)

Baked pasta shells filled with Grana Padano, ricotta and mozzarella, and San Daniele ham Baked pasta or pasta al forno is very common throughout Italy and often made for special occasions but tends to be quite heavy. This is a lighter version made with cheese and the sweet, delicate San Daniele ham and a simple tomato sauce. It can be served as a primo (middle course) or is perfectly adequate as a main course served with a green salad.

Ingredients 16 x conchiglioni rigati (large pasta shells) 3 x tablespoons Grana Padano, freshly grated 1 x ball of mozzarella, sliced For the tomato sauce 4 x tablespoons olive oil , 2 x garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 x tin plum tomatoes, chopped , A handful of basil, finely chopped, salt & pepper For the filling 150g ricotta , 1 x ball of mozzarella, very finely diced 2 x tablespoons Grana Padano, freshly grated , salt & pepper 4 x slices of San Daniele, cut into four quarters Method 1. Preheat the oven to 200oC. 2. First make the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and sweat the garlic. Then add the tomatoes and basil, season with salt and pepper and simmer gently for 25 minutes.

3. Cook the pasta shells in plenty of slightly salted boiling water until al dente, drain, dry (make sure you empty the shells of water) and leave to cool.

4. To make the filling, mash the ricotta with a fork, stir in the mozzarella, Grana Padano, salt and pepper to taste and mix well together. Shape the mixture into 16 balls, wrap each ball in a piece of San Daniele and place in a cooled pasta shell.

5. Pour a layer of tomato sauce over the bottom of an ovenproof dish and place the filled shells on top. Pour over the remaining tomato sauce, sprinkle with Grana Padano and top with slices of mozzarella.

6. Cover with aluminium foil and bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Remove the aluminium foil and bake uncovered for five minutes. Remove and serve immediately. as packaging for onward distribution. At all stages, the right environment for the preservation of meat is provided from the maintenance of manufactured products to the aging of them in the correct ‘micro-climate’.

The products The pork that is selected for production is ground then flavoured, or spiced, with natural products. The type of meat used (chopped ham, boned and

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defatted shoulders and belly without rind) is combined with the professionalism and experience of a skilled workforce to deliver high quality meats. The methods of grinding the meat, the fat to meat ratio and shape/size, as well as the spices used all help to characterise the products.

For example, their homemade sausage is typically Umbrian, characterised by medium grinding and the use of the gut of an ox, with a maturing period of about

35 days. They also produce Ciauscolo, Cacciatorini (a pocketsized type of sausage that was traditionally eaten by hunters), Cojoni di mulo, sweet and spicy Salamella and the ever popular Milano salami.

Umbrasalumi also offer Cinghiale – a high quality meat made from wild boar that is sweet and tasty to the palate. A traditional product in central Italy, this is ideal as a starter, suggest the company. Salting of this product is carefully managed, as it is very different to that required for other products. Its small size means that it is matured in 10 days (as opposed to 20-25 days, the usual period required for developing the organoleptic characteristics of a product). For this family of products seasoning is particularly sensitive say Umbrasalumi, and when accurate, can deliver optimum taste.

At Umbrasalumi, the traditional dry sausage, as well as many types of other sausage are produced in compliance with the “norcina” Umbrian tradition which involves a unique flavour being given via the grinding of the various types of meat, together with the special seasonings used. Natural casing, drying for five days, then soaking in seasoning for five days is required to achieve a good result, with a key feature being the absence of gluten, lactose and dairy products, feel Umbrasalumi.

Umbrasalumi’s Capocollo is packaged in double-wrapping, including paper, and tied with string as tradition dictates.

Capocollo is dry-salted, and very sweet, with a curing time of 90 days. This boneless loin of pork

only is a product that is comparable to a dried beef equivalent, thin and delicate in flavour, suggest Umbrasalumi.

After the salting it is protected by an artificial gut and then wrapped and tied, in order to obtain a compact homogeneous throughout the period of curing.

The maturing period is about 50 days, after which the product releases all of its fragrance.

Umbrasalumi claim that the ham bone of Umbria is more flavoursome than prosciutto di Parma (Parma ham), although it is not as salty. It has a drying time of less than thirteen months and, like Parm ham, has also received registered status - Prosciutto di Norcia IGP. Ham and cheese partnership Leading Italian food consortiums, Prosciutto di San Daniele and Formaggio Grana Padano, have recently announced a three-year partnership as part of an initiative commissioned and financed by the European Union, designed to promote Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) products. The role of the consortium is to protect and promote each product and certify its conformity within the PDO regulations, with both consortiums supervising the three-year partnership and campaign.

Formaggio Grana Padano and Prosciutto di San Daniele have been selected as two examples of exceptional European food production which will help to raise awareness of PDO product availability in the United Kingdom.

This EU investment programme has two clear objectives. Firstly, to improve the understanding of the PDO logo and its meaning by targeting three key audiences retail operators, media and consumers. The second objective is to stimulate demand for PDO products, aiming to increase exports to the United Kingdom.

Prosciutto di San Daniele and Formaggio Grana Padano will undertake a three year integrated marketing campaign in order to achieve both of these objectives focusing largely on communication and promotional activity. They have been selected as PDO products because they embody and represent three intrinsic characteristics.

Product specificity - the quality

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Italian meats and characteristics of the product are essentially and exclusively linked to the particular geographic environment where it is produced.

The territory is celebrated because of the combination of human, cultural, and natural factors which make up the territory and are inseparable from the processing and production of a PDO product.

Product protection – protecting the product, in particular with regard to fighting abuse and imitations of protected products.

This will be implemented via an understanding of the EC legislation and the rigorous standards governing production, marketing, and labelling of PDO products. This system makes it possible to guarantee consumers quality and traceability of the products offered.

Product quality – Formaggio Grana Padano and Prosciutto di San Daniele in particular are linked to the observance of a production discipline which includes inspections conducted by an outside neutral body. Both products boast excellent nutritional value and multiple possibilities for cooking in the kitchen.

Commenting on the EU programme, Mr. Cesare Baldrighi, President of the Consorzio per la tutela del Formaggio Grana Padano, said:“This partnership between the EU, Formaggio Grana Padano and Prosciutto di San Daniele will allow us to really heighten the profile of our products in the UK and communicate the heritage and provenance that goes into each and every wheel of Formaggio Grana Padano and each leg of Prosciutto di San Daniele”.

Mr. Alberto Morgante, President of Prosciutto di San Daniele Consortium, added:“Both Formaggio Grana Padano and Prosciutto di San Daniele share the Prosciutto di San Daniele

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same passion for producing a high quality product, and this three-year programme will allow us to tell the story behind the products whilst engaging UK consumers with the PDO logo and its meaning.”

The three year PDO partnership programme between Prosciutto di San Daniele and Formaggio Grana Padano officially began in March 2011 with a programme of UK marketing initiatives to be announced. The EU sponsored partnership will be supported by legendary Italian chef and Jamie Oliver mentor Gennaro Contaldo, aiming to make people within the UK aware of the provenance of this quality produce. Gennaro Contaldo has specifically developed exclusive recipes using both products to showcase their quality and adaptability in Italian cooking – from antipasto of San Daniele, Grana Padano and peaches through to baked courgettes.

Celebrating 100 years Since 1911, the Salumi Levoni name has been establishing a reputation for reliability and absolute freshness, combined with a subtleness and refinement of Italian taste. Some of the most well known restaurants, pizzeria, butchers and speciality shops across 50 countries in Europe, Central America, North America, South America, the Middle East and the Far East, sell Levoni cured and fresh meats as they aim to offer their customers superior quality products.

In the UK, the Levoni range has been solely distributed by Carnevale in the UK since 2002 and features more than 200 products ranging from sausages, salami, coppa, dry-cured and cooked hams, to lard and mortadella. Levoni says that it ensures the highest quality of their meats by taking the utmost care in selecting meats and animals, as well as using rigorous controls over all stages of production from the raw materials right up to the finished product.

Levoni S.p.A. has always been a family company and it is the Levoni family’s fourth generation who will be celebrating the first one hundredth anniversary of a business that offers artisan quality alongside industrial volumes and product safety.

Recipe idea Tagliatelle with Parma ham, peas and two Italian cheeses Ingredients 300g (10oz) tagliatelle 225g (8oz) Taleggio cheese, rind Serves 4 removed, then cut into small chunks 150ml (¼ pint) milk 100g (4oz) frozen petit pois or garden peas, thawed 100g (4oz) Gorgonzola, broken into little chunks Cook’s tip: 50g (2oz) pine nuts, lightly toasted Serve with Freshly ground black pepper some freshly grated 12 slices Parma Ham Parmesan cheese, for an extra A few basil leaves, to garnish flavour boost.

Method 1. Cook the tagliatelle in lightly salted boiling water for 8-12 minutes until just tender, or follow the pack instructions 2. Meanwhile, put the chunks of Taleggio into a saucepan with the milk. Heat gently, stirring constantly, until the cheese has melted. Remove from the heat and stir occasionally 3. Drain the cooked pasta, then return it to the saucepan. Add the peas, Gorgonzola and pine nuts. Stir in the sauce and heat gently for a few moments. Season with freshly ground black pepper, then share between four warm plates or bowls 4. Tear the slices of Parma ham onto the pasta, scatter a few basil leaves on top and serve at once

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pizza expo, Las Vegas

Two decades of change John Dammone, owner of award winning Italian Restaurant Salvo’s in Leeds, has recently returned from the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. Having first attended the Pizza Expo back in 1990 here, in the second of two articles, he recounts the major changes he has seen since his first visit, as well as the latest trends to be found from across the Atlantic.

Major attraction The first thing that strikes you as you walk through the doors of the Las Vegas Convention Centre is the energy and buzz created by 6500 attendees who are all out to find the latest products on offer in the most competitive marketplace on the planet. With over 900 booths dedicated to the pizza industry the event appears to be double the size of the event I attended in 1990. Of course the marketplace has advanced massively in over two decades, and I was keen to see what’s hot and what’s not.

The over-riding differential that was very evident for me was the emphasis on quality ingredients being exhibited. The US is going through the most challenging economic conditions for over a generation, and I would not have been surprised to see the same emphasis on price and speed that I saw back in 1990.

However, it is evident from what I saw that operators appear to be adopting a flight to quality as their differentiator in the marketplace.

Italian mills One startling example is the amount of quality Italian flour mills exhibiting. I counted at least five mills, including the renowned Neapolitan Caputo mill who supply most of the leading pizzerias in Naples, and whose quality I can vouch for as it is one 34

pizzapasta AND ITALIAN FOOD

of the flours I use myself at Salvo’s.

What a contrast to 20 years ago when there was not one Italian flour mill exhibiting, but a plethora of ready made pizza mixes! These pizza mixes had everything other than water in them, including dried yeast and were an attempt to de-skill the dough making process. Finally, it appears, there is now an acceptance of the emphasis shifting from convenience and price to quality.

Quality The emphasis on quality was evident in other areas too such as the cheeses being exhibited. As well as mozzarella - primarily cows milk Fior di latte - other quality cheeses were on offer, many produced in Wisconsin, the

dairy belt of the USA. I tried some grana style cheeses, pecorino and even a creamy burata (a mozzarella filled with cream). I didn’t see any of the ‘analogue’ cheese compounds I recalled seeing on my first visit to the show.

I was surprised to see the presence of Vera Pizza Napoletana (the Real Neapolitan Pizza Association), a non-profit association that safeguards and promotes the culture of the real Neapolitan pizza worldwide. With their training courses this was further evidence of the trend towards more artisan pizza.

I lost count of the amount of stalls selling gluten free products.

These ranged from stalls selling gluten-free pizza bases through to mills such as Caputo selling their own gluten-free flour. I

The International Pizza Challenge competition.

spoke to one producer of glutenfree pizza bases and he indicated the population of the USA that suffers from gluten intolerance is 75% of the population, but that this is forecast to grow by 25% a year, so a potentially huge market.

The presence of suppliers of products for the home delivery pizza market was certainly much less than I had seen previously.

Perhaps this is a sign that the market has matured and reached saturation point with Domino’s have cornered so much of the market that operators are looking at other ways of growing their business.

Pizza Games One of the cornerstones of the success of the International Pizza Expo is the World Pizza Games and the International Pizza Challenge. This certainly showed off the international credentials of Pizza Expo as contestants from around the globe competed for the prestigious awards.

This was a far cry from the first Pizza Games I attended in 1990 which was very much an all American affair with just a handful of bemused Italians taking part. The contestants area was teeming with, amongst the many nationalities, Japanese and Italian (many from Naples), all mingling and giving the American contestants a run for their money.

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pizza expo, Las Vegas

I was fortunate to be given a behind the scenes tour by senior judge, Domenico Crolla, the Glaswegian Italian behind the renowned Glasgow Restaurants Bella Napoli and Pizza Couture.

He explained how the judging in the competition has evolved

The pizza workshops were a sell-out. under his guidance as head judge for the last five years. It is a huge operation and now they conduct blind tastings for the 130 or so entries for the International

Pizza Challenge. The prize money for the winning categories ranges form $5000 to $10,000, so much is at stake.

When I commented to Domenico about the large number of Japanese contestants he explained how in Japan the market for quality Italian pizza was growing at a phenomenal rate, as the Japanese seemed to be really embracing the huge difference between the mass market pizza products and artisan made pizzas. It helped explain to me why, when I was on

the stand of the Real Neapolitan Pizza Association, the three locations worldwide where training courses were held are California, Naples and Japan.

Overall, I left the 2011 International Pizza Expo with a feeling that the trends were very much pointing towards developing a more quality artisan pizza as the way forward for operators to differentiate themselves from the mainstream pizza operators. It is this trend that has helped transform pizza into America’s favourite dish.

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hygiene

Taking care of hygiene Tork manufacturer, SCA, is a global organisation providing hygiene solutions for the catering and hospitality sector as well as other key industries, providing Tork wipers for kitchen surfaces and equipment plus hand hygiene systems for wash stations and the washroom.

Here, the company’s product and hospitality segment manager, Julie Ray, explains why outlets need to take food hygiene and cleanliness seriously.

A no-brainer Everyone who works in the food preparation industry knows the important role that hygiene plays in any sustainable catering business.

By neglecting hand hygiene in the kitchen, or allowing crosscontamination to become an issue, a café owner can potentially make their customers unwell which of course is highly undesirable. Besides the human suffering it may potentially inflict, this will lead to dissatisfied customers, damage to the establishment’s reputation and an inevitable loss of business. So it is a no-brainer that hygiene is crucial in a successful food outlet.

However, when a consumer contracts food poisoning, or any other illness, it can be difficult to trace it back to where it was picked up. So in a restaurant kitchen the chef and his or her assistants may not always be held to account for any lapses in hygiene.

Many restaurants are addressing this and use Best Practice Systems to ensure that rigid hygiene systems are in place and that compliance levels are high, but the issue becomes more complex in establishments such as pizzerias and fast food outlets.

Here the staff often work in full view of their customers so there is no hiding place since any lapses in hygiene will be seen by the customers and potentially colour their enjoyment of the food.

For example, a customer who witnesses a pizza chef sneezing into a tissue before going on to sprinkle anchovies on their pizza by hand may well be unwilling to eat at that pizza house again –

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particularly if the customer develops a cold soon after the event. The customer may also decide to report what he or she saw to others which will lead to the establishment gaining a poor reputation.

Testing conditions Many pizzerias and fast food outlets are required to serve large numbers of customers very quickly, too, and may also be working in cramped conditions with limited hand washing facilities. This makes it doubly difficult for staff to carry out rigorous hygiene practices.

The Food Standards Agency’s latest hygiene rating scheme is poised to raise the stakes still further. Launched last November, the scheme will apply a star rating to all restaurants, cafés and takeaways throughout the country. A food safety officer from the local authority will inspect the outlet and the hygiene standards found at the time of inspection will be rated on a scale from nought to five. The criteria considered will include how hygienically the food is prepared and handled - and of course, the public will have full access to the results.

Add to this the re-emergence of swine flu this winter, and it becomes clear that now is the time for every food establishment to take a long, hard look at their hygiene practices.

The risks There are any number of illnesses that can result from food borne contamination, some of them lethal. Listeria, which may be found in foods such as coleslaw,

milk and cheese, causes symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache, chills and fever. The listeria bacteria can also be passed on via the hands, knives, cutting boards and counters.

Careless food handling practices can also give the salmonella bacteria a chance to multiply. Salmonella infections can cause diarrhoea, upset stomach, chills, fever and headache. They can be lifethreatening for the very old or very young or in anyone whose immune system is already weakened by disease.

Another deadly strain of bacteria is E. coli 0157:H7 which can cause abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting and in severe cases even death. E. coli can be transmitted to meat by poor hand hygiene during food preparation.

And Hepatitis A is another leading cause of foodborne illness. This virus is excreted by infected people and can be transferred to food via the faecaloral route. Symptoms of Hepatitis A include fever, nausea, poor appetite, abdominal pain and jaundice.

And of course colds, flu and even swine flu can be transmitted via contaminated food, though the risk here is relatively slight.

According to the US Center for Disease Control, flu viruses can survive on food surfaces for between two and eight hours and the customer or member of staff could become infected by directly inhaling the germs or touching their nose, mouth, or eyes after coming into contact with the contaminated surface.

Precautions However, there are a number of simple steps that anyone working in the food preparation industry should remember. Food should only be touched by hand when necessary, with clean utensils being used instead wherever appropriate. Any rings should be removed when preparing food since bacteria can collect beneath them and the ring itself could contaminate the food.

Staff who become ill should stay at home to avoid passing an infection on to customers. Gloves should be worn when preparing food and these should be changed between tasks. The hands themselves should be washed before putting on gloves since if these contain any tiny puncture holes – which does sometimes occur - any bacteria on the hands will grow and multiply on the warm, damp conditions created by the gloves.

And of course, hand washing should take place at frequent intervals, followed by a thorough hand drying since damp hands can transmit 1,000 times the bacteria as dry hands.

Thorough hand washing Hand washing can also be facilitated if the right ‘tools’ are provided to wash and dry the hands thoroughly. Plenty of sinks April 2011

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hygiene areas that are usually neglected such as the backs of the hands and the areas between the thumbs and fingers. The washing process should take at least 30 seconds and should be followed by a thorough drying, since damp hands are an ideal breeding ground for bacteria.

In traditional restaurant kitchens, chefs and food are invariably not on display to customers, whereas in food ‘to go’ environments, an outlet’s hygiene practices are on display for all to see, warn SCA. should be provided and a sufficient number of dispensers containing soaps and hand towels should be installed at a comfortable height above them.

Low-maintenance dispensing systems for hand towels and soaps should be supplied to avoid the risk of the products running out between maintenance checks, an issue that could compromise hygiene.

Disposable hand towels are now widely accepted as the most hygienic hand-drying option there is since they provide a fast, efficient drying solution using a clean towel every time. Recent research carried out by scientists at the University of Westminster revealed that traditional warm air dryers can increase bacteria on the hands by up to 254%, whereas paper towels reduce the bacteria by up to 77%.

The hands should be washed before handling food; after using the washroom and after touching any part of the body such as rubbing the eyes or blowing the nose. They should also be washed between food handling tasks – particularly between touching raw meats and other products – and after throwing anything away in the bin.

The way the hands are washed is also important. Particular attention should be paid to those

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Surface cleaning When it comes to cleaning surfaces, dishcloths and sponges should be avoided since these tend to be reused again and again. Research carried out in the US has revealed that an averagesized kitchen sponge contains more than seven billion bacteria so in a large catering kitchen where there may be many such sponges or cloths, the quantity of bacteria present is potentially huge.

The types of pathogen that may be found on a typical dishcloth include salmonella, campylobacter and E.coli O157 which can subsist on protein particles such as meat, eggs and milk. Research indicates that boiling dishcloths for several minutes will effectively kill the bugs, but this takes time and energy and the process needs to be repeated at frequent intervals to avoid a new build-up of pathogens. The ideal catering wiper, therefore, is one that is thrown away after use.

UK food preparation professionals tend to favour blue wipers since few foods are blue in colour and the risk of losing a blue wiper among food ingredients is slim. Disposable wipers such as Tork Advanced Blue are a good solution because these can be housed in a hygienic dispenser that give out the paper in individual sheets, ensuring that each wiper is touched only by the user.

Tork Advanced Blue can also double as a hand drying and surface wiping disposable which makes it convenient for use in a busy food environment. When working with disinfectants and detergents or cleaning up fatty spills, a heavy-duty food wiper is required. This should be tough enough to be used as a dishcloth and also sufficiently absorbent to soak up liquids such as water, detergents, solvents and disinfectants. Tork Premium 530

Blue is an example of this type of product.

Colour-coding is a simple yet highly effective method of avoiding cross contamination in hygiene-critical food preparation areas. When different coloured buckets and cloths are used for specific tasks, staff training becomes very simple. Staff quickly come to associate the correct colour cloth with the appropriate task and adhering to a strict regime becomes second nature.

An example of such a product is Tork Premium Specialist Colour Coded Cloths in red, blue, green and yellow. These cloths come in compact packs that can be stored or transported on a cleaning trolley.

Clean conditions Besides equipping a pizzeria or fast food outlet with hygienic cleaning systems for staff, it is also important that the customer washrooms are clean and sanitary.

These are often shared by staff and customers and should therefore be kept constantly equipped with soap and consumables to ensure high levels of hygiene while providing a clean, hygienic image. Again, hand towels should be used instead of warm air dryers to remove as much bacteria as possible from the hands after washing.

A recent survey carried out among 2,000 diners by Tork showed that if the washroom in

an eating house is clean, 59% of customers will assume that the kitchen will also be clean. The study also revealed that nearly a third of us are worried about catching various infectious diseases when using restaurant toilets. So it makes sense to use the washrooms as a hygiene ‘showcase’ for the establishments to impress the customers and reassure them that hygiene standards are an important consideration at your premises.

Mild, user-friendly soaps such as Tork Premium Extra Mild Liquid Soap – which comes in a sealed cartridge to prevent crosscontamination before use - will encourage hand hygiene among staff since it can be used for frequent hand washing without causing chapping. And high quality disposable hand towels such as Tork Premium Hand Towel Roll will also encourage staff and customers to dry their hands since this is extra soft, and which again helps to prevent soreness.

The importance of hygiene in the catering industry cannot be over-emphasised. An unhygienic catering business is simply unsustainable as it will gain a bad reputation, fall foul of increasingly stringent legislation – and potentially endanger lives. So any outlet that sets itself high standards for hygiene, cleanliness and customer satisfaction is already well on the route to success.

Effective hand washing regimes can go a long way towards minimising the risks posed by many types of bacteria.

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pizza my world

A Pizza My World Robert Kennedy is the sales and marketing executive for Meadow Cheese, specialists in cheese, processing and dairy based ingredients. The company develops products for food manufacturers and foodservice companies in the UK and internationally. Robert’s background has always been within the food industry. He previously worked for Milk Link and Brakes, leading him to develop a thorough understanding of the market. Robert works as a key figure within the Meadow Cheese commercial team, balancing customer account management with driving the company’s marketing activity.

00am

7.

7.00am Breakfast can be anything from healthy scrambled eggs on whole-wheat toast to a sticky maple and pecan Danish pastry – oh well, everything in moderation! Whilst getting ready, BBC Breakfast is always on in the background, allowing me to catch up on the latest news stories. The drive to work takes me across the scenic Malvern Hills, taking around 20 minutes and pretty much traffic free. It’s great to arrive at work without having to brave the morning mayhem.

8.30am

8.30am This morning I’m heading off to a quick quality control meeting in our laboratory. Although I don’t attend every day, these meetings provide a snapshot of the previous day’s production and include a check of product quality using simulated cook tests where applicable. This is part of the company ethos of continuous improvement. While in production I check a few samples scheduled for dispatch to my customers, ensuring they are of the best quality.

10.00am

10.00am Next on the agenda is to clear a few emails and prioritise my activities for the day taking into account any urgent issues that need to be dealt with. Things can change quite quickly at Meadow Cheese with no two days being the same. I am a fan of emails but they can quickly build up. I try to keep my inbox as organised as I can, being a tad ruthless at times. My motto is ‘deal with it, delegate it, or dump it’!

12.00pm

Noon Next it’s off to the New Product Development (NPD) kitchen for a catch up with the development team. Today we are discussing a new customer brief. Much of what we do is bespoke developed for the customer and their requirements depending on their goals and end application. The product we are working on is a variation on our processed cheese ropes which are used by pizza restaurants and takeaways for stuffed crust pizzas. The NPD 38

pizzapasta AND ITALIAN FOOD

kitchen is always a hive of activity with some of the team doing trials of our new pizza blend Meadow Melt. Naturally this involves a tasting session which I’m more than happy to get involved in and end up eating more than my fair share of pizza!

2.00pm

2.00pm It’s very rare I get the chance to have a proper lunch break, but after just eating my way through six slices of pizza, I’m not too fussed.

Despite this I still find room to grab a quick bite to eat and take the opportunity to flick through this week’s Grocer magazine, and a few other publications which have accumulated on my desk. It’s important to keep abreast of the goings on in the food industry, new product launches, competitor activity or wider food trends which will inevitably impact on the business at some point. Key findings are summarised and delivered to the rest of the business.

3.30pm

3.30pm After clearing a few more emails I am looking at the Meadow Cheese web site. The Internet is

now used as a first point of call for most people therefore it’s essential that we have a strong Internet presence. The web site provides an excellent forum for communicating the goings on in the business. The latest craze seems to be advertising through social media. I’m not sure we’re ready for this. However, we’re making our first tentative steps.

6.00pm

6.00pm Tonight I am off to a local running club. The team at Meadow is a fairly fit bunch, with a good number of us attending the running club once a week. Some take it further than others and enter the occasional race or event. A group of four are currently in training for a corporate charity event. Somehow I made it onto the team so need to pull my socks up!

10.30pm

10.30pm By 10.30, I am certainly thinking about my bed, if not already in it. I’m a proper grump if I don’t get enough sleep. I quickly have one final check of the Blackberry and write my ‘to do’ list for tomorrow, no doubt it will have changed by the morning.

April 2011

39_&PApril11_Layout 1 11/04/2011 17:38 Page 39

Introducing

Vouchercloud PAPA members can now take advantage of a great new marketing tool following agreement between the Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Association and Vouchercloud, rated the UK’s leading consumer voucher app by the Sunday Times, Sun and Daily Telegraph with over 1.3 million downloads.

Promotions Vouchercloud enables businesses to run voucher promotions over mobile phones, providing consumers with an instant incentive to visit their outlet. Furthermore, because it is localised, even individual restaurants or delivery outlets can use it as a means of promotion – and you can change the promotions from weekto-week, month-tomonth or even day-to-day. You can also control how many vouchers each person gets with each voucher campaign as well as how many in total can be redeemed. With every redemption you also receive a digital receipt.

For the consumer, the apps are free to download, free to use and deliver a fantastic range of money-saving offers from popular national brands, such as Odeon and Vue cinemas to Debenhams, as well as local businesses.

www.papa.org.uk

Using GPS technology, Vouchercloud instantly identifies the deals nearest to where the consumer is located when they are out and about. Alternatively, they can choose any location they will be travelling to in the UK to check out what’s on offer.

Food, drink, entertainment, leisure, travel professional services and shopping – they're all there, with new ones added every day. So there is a real benefit.

User friendly Vouchercloud is also extremely user friendly and using the app is as easy as 1, 2, 3…

1) Consumers simply browse for an offer by category, or by using the search facility.

2) They then read the terms and conditions, then 3) When in-store, press the USE VOUCHER button, show the next screen when paying and press SHOW CODE when prompted to do so.

The voucher use is then recorded through the system.

Benefits In setting up an arrangement with Vouchercloud, the Association has agreed a 12.5% discount for members off the annual rate for a business to use the system. For a small restaurant, this brings the annual cost down from £199 + VAT to £174 + VAT. Any members wishing to take up this offer (or get more information on it) should contact Tony Lorimer at the Association on 01291 636331 (tony@papa.org.uk) to obtain the special discount code.

39

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index registered suppliers C.Carnevale Ltd Carnevale House, Blundell St, London N7 9BN Contact: Mr C Carnevale Tel: 0207 607 8777 / Fax: 0207 607 8774

The following businesses are members of The Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Association (PAPA) and subject to its rules and guidelines. While the Association cannot guarantee the products and services supplied by those listed, it does believe that those listed are reputable and is confident in recommending them.

The Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Association, Association House, 18c Moor Street, Chepstow NP16 5DB Telephone: 01291 636335 or email kevin@jandmgroup.co.uk REGISTERED SUPPLIERS 999 Pizza Toppings (UK) Ltd. Unit 6, Teakcroft, Fairview Industrial Park, Marsh Way, Rainham, Essex RM13 8UH Contact: Homayoun Aminnia Tel: 01708 558885 / Fax: 01708 555022 sales@999pizzatoppings.com Allied Mills Ltd. Sunblest Flour Mill, Port of Tilbury, Tilbury, Essex RM18 7JR Contact: Chris Brown Tel: 01375 363100 / Fax: 01375 363199 chris.brown@allied-mills.co.uk www.allied-mills-semolina.co.uk Bakkavor Pizza Forward Drive, Christchurch Avenue, Harrow, Middlesex, HA3 8NT Contact: Soum Ghosal Tel: 0208 4242666 / Fax: 0208 4200606 soum.ghosal@bakkavor.co.uk www.bakkavor.co.uk BD Foods Ltd 68 Castleham Road, Castleham Industrial Estate, St. Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex TN38 9NU Contact: John Davis Tel: 01424 853000 john@bdfoods.co.uk www.bdfoods.co.uk

Casa Julia PLC 11 Springwood Drive, Braintree, Essex CM7 2YN Contact: Vincenzo Santomauro Tel: 01376 320269 / Fax: 01376 349436 info@casajulia.co.uk Cater-Bake UK South Boundary Road, Knowsley Industrial Park, Merseyside, Liverpool, L33 7RR Contact: Mark Hutchings Tel: 0151 548 5818 / Fax: 0151 548 5835 www.cater-bake.co.uk sales@cater-bake.co.uk C K Food Processing Limited 70 Northumberland Avenue Hull, East Yorkshire, HU2 0JB Contact: Omar Bhamji Tel: 0845 053 5648 / Fax: 0845 053 5649 Info@ck-foods.com www.ck-foods.com Continental Quattro Stagioni 8 - 33 Royal Elizabeth Yard, Kirkliston, West Lothian EH29 9EN Contact: Mr Paolo Veneroni Tel: 0131 3191919 Fax: 0131 3315566 p.veneroni@continental-wine.co.uk www.continental-food.co.uk Cooktek c/o MCS Technical Products Ltd MCS Technical Products Building 2, Westmead Industrial Estate, Westmead Drive Swindon, Wiltshire SN5 7YT Contact: Steve Snow Tel: 01793 538308 / Fax: 01793 522324 sales@mcstechproducts.co.uk www.mcstechproducts.co.uk

BY APPOINTMENT TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN FINE FOOD INGREDIENT IMPORTERS AND DISTRIBUTORS DONATANTONIO LIMITED BOREHAMWOOD

Donatantonio Ltd. Lupa House, York Way, Borehamwood, Herts WD6 1PX Contact: Simon Bell Tel: 0208 2362222 / Fax: 0208 2362288 www.donatantonio.com sbell@donatantonio.com

Equipline Ltd Ashley House, Ashley Road, Uxbridge Middlesex UB8 2GA Contact: Dena Elderfield Tel: 01895 272 236 / Fax: 01895 256 360 dena@equipline.co.uk www.equipline.co.uk Eurilait Ltd Leighton Lane Industrial Estate, Leighton Lane, Evercreech BA4 6LQ Contact: Paul Bates Tel: 01749 838100 / Fax: 01749 831247 paulbates@eurilait co.uk www.eurilait.co.uk Giovanni Rana (UK) Ltd 6 Valentine Place, London SE1 8QH Contact: Stephen Hull Tel: 0207 921 9550 shull@giovannirana.co.uk Glanbia Cheese Ltd 4 Royal Mews, Gadbrook Park, Rudheath, Northwich, Cheshire CW9 7UD Contact: David Cruddos Tel: 01606 810900 / Fax: 01606 48680

GRH Food Company Ltd Cromlech Fields, Y Ffor Pwllheli Gwynedd LL53 6UW Contact: Gareth Hockridge Tel: 01766 810062 / Fax: 01766 819001 gareth@grhltd.co.uk sales@grhltd.co.uk

Bel UK Ltd Suite 1, 2nd floor, 160 London Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 1BT Contact: Camilla Dean Tel: 03339002020 Fax: 01732 467596 www.bel-uk.co.uk

Dairygold Food Ingredients UK Lancaster Fields, Crewe Gate Farm Industrial Estate, Crewe, CW1 6FU Contact: Mr Matt Lawton Tel: 0870 766 9563 Fax: 01270 530 726 sales@dairygoldingredients.co.uk

Heineken UK Ltd 2-4 Broadway Park, Gyle, Edinburgh EH12 9JZ Contact: James Woodman Tel: 07884 113534 james.woodman@heineken.co.uk

Benier UK 56 Alston Drive, Bradwell, Abbey, Milton Keynes MK13 9HB Contact: David Marsh Tel: 01908 312333 / Fax: 01908 311481 www.benier.co.uk sales@benier.co.uk

DeCecco UK Ltd 1 Kimbell Mews, Humfrey Lane Boughton, Northampton, NN2 8XB Contact: Stephen Barlow Tel: 01604 820022 / Fax: 01604 820033 sales@dececco.org.uk www.dececco.com

Hugall Services Limited Unit 16 Bessemer Park 250 Milkwood Road, Herne Hill, London, SE24 0HG Contact: Mr Robin Usher Tel: 0207 738 6104 / Fax: 0207 738 3994 robin@hugallservices.co.uk

40

pizzapasta AND ITALIAN FOOD

Integer Computers 167 Heywood Road, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 1LB Contact: Geoff Whittle Tel: 0161 7987307 / Fax: 0161 7733151 geoff@integeruk.com www.integeruk.com Jestic Units 3+4, Dana Industrial Estate, Transfesa Road, Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6UU Tel: 0845 5048050 Fax: 0845 5048051 Email: info@jestic.net www.jestic.co.uk Kingdom Cheese Co. Glenfield Industrial Estate, Cowdenbeath, Fife KY4 9HT Contact: Phil Morgan Tel: 01383 610114 / Fax: 01383 610526 phil@kingdomcheese.com www.kingdomcheese.com Kiren Foods Unit 3 Small Bridge Industrial Park Riverside Drive, Rochdale Lancashire OL16 2SH Contact: Mr Nazir Mackmood Tel:01706 526732 / Fax: 01706 869749 nazir@kirenfoods.com La Pizza Company Ltd Units 25-26, Holmbush Industrial Estate, Holmbush Way, Midhurst, West Sussex GU29 9HX Contact: Chris Dickinson Tel: 01730 811490 / Fax: 01730 811491 chris.dickinson@lapizzacompany.com Contact: Richard Jansen Richard.jansen@lapizzacompany.com www.lapizzacompany.com Leathams PLC 227-255, Ilderton Road, London, SE15 1NF Contact: Mr James Faulkner Tel 0207 6354026 / Fax 0207 6354017 ingredients.sales@leathams.co.uk www.leathams.com M&Q Plastic Products Inc 7 Gartree Court, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire LE13 ORF Contact: Edwin Shufflebotham Tel: 01664 568064 edwin@pansaver.com Martin Mathew & Co 140 High Street, Cheshunt Herts EN8 0AW Contact: Mr M.J. Donnelly Tel: 01992 641641 / Fax: 01992 641333 matthewdonnelly@martinmathew.co.uk www.martinmathew.co.uk Meadow Cheese Co. Limited Hazel Park, Dymock Road, Ledbury, Herefordshire HR8 2JQ Contact: Robert Kennedy Tel: 01531 631300 / Fax: 01531 631300 robert.kennedy@meadowcheese.co.uk www.meadowcheese.co.uk

April 2011

40-44_P&PApril11_Layout 1 11/04/2011 17:16 Page 41

index registered suppliers

Minster Fine Foods Limited Park View House, 16 South Street Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9LT Contact: Ellyot Doyle Tel: 01778 394333 / Fax: 01778 394111 ellyot@minsterfinefoods.co.uk www.minsterfinefoods.co.uk Montana Bakery Limited Blackthorne Road, Poyle Industrial Estate, Colnbrook, Berkshire SL3 0AP Contact: Jonathan Mellows Tel: 01753 760 800 / Fax: 01753 760 801 jonathan@montana.bakeries.co.uk Pasta King (UK) Ltd Plantation House, Milber Trading Estate, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 4SG Contact: Sue Davenport Tel: 0800 458 7898 / Fax: 01626 334481 www.pastaking.co.uk sales@pastaking.co.uk Pasta Reale Ltd Pasta Reale House, Fleming Way, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 9JW Contact: Chris Redman Tel: 01293 649700 / Fax: 01293 649741 pasta@pastareale.com www.pastareale.com Pizza Direct UK Ltd Unit 2, Nile Street, Bolton BL3 6BW Tel: 01204 382800 Contact: Hamid Naraghi info@pizzadirect.com Pizza Plus Foodservice Elliott Street, Preston PR1 7XN Tel: 01772 897 696 / Fax: 01772 252 808 Contact: Chris Smith chris@pizzaplusfs.co.uk Contact: Chris Smith cathy@pizzaplusfs.co.uk Saputo Cheese (UK) Ltd The Creamery, Aberarad Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire, SA38 9QD Tel: 01239 710424 / Fax: 01239 711843 www.saputo.com ServEquip Ltd 214 Purley Way, Croydon, Surrey CR0 4XG Contact: Diane Bowker Tel: 0208 6868855 / Fax: 0208 6817509 info@servequip.co.uk www.servequip.co.uk Southern Salads Ltd. Cannon Bridge, Cannon Lane, Tonbrige TN9 1PP Contact: Andrew Boakes Tel: 01732 362444 Fax: 01732 361919 andrew@southernsalads.co.uk

Stateside Foods Ltd 31 – 34 Great Bank Road, Wingate Industrial Park, Westhoughton Bolton BL5 3XU Contact: Ian Kent Tel: 01942 841200 / Fax: 01942 841201 sales@stateside-foods.co.uk www.stateside-foods.co.uk The Fresh Pasta Company Compass House, Merthyr Tydfil Industrial Park, Merthyr Tydfil Contact: Sole Nasi Tel: 0845 603 7746 pasta@thefreshpastacompany.com www.thefreshpastacompany.com The Pizza Factory Gateside Road, Queens Drive Industrial Estate, Nottingham NG2 1LT Contact: Louise Waterfield Tel: 0115 983333 Fax: 0113 3900211 louise.waterfield@northernfoods.com Ticco Ltd Unit B2Y, Skyway 14, Calder Way, Colnbrook, Slough SL3 0BQ Contact: Emma Hallam Tel: 07779 167474 Fax: 01753 689813 emmahallam@ticco.co.uk Vion Pizza 3 Newtech Square, First Avenue, Deeside Industrial Park, Deeside, Flintshire CH5 2NT Contact: Phil Goodall Tel: 01244 838000 / Fax: 01244 838100 phil.goodall@paramountfoods.co.uk www.paramountfoods.co.uk Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Limited Cottingham Way, Thrapston Northamptonshire, Kettering NN14 3EP Contact: Sophie Whitaker Tel: 01832 737210 / Fax: 01832 734433 sales@whitcoltd.com Whitworth Bros Limited Victoria Mills, Wellingborough Northants NN8 2DT Contact: Alan Ribakovs Tel: 01933 441000 Fax: 01933 222523 enquiries@whitworthbros.ltd.uk

the UK pizza, pasta and Italian Food Association.

The Association is given direction by a Management Committee comprising: The Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Association is the trade body representing

www.papa.org.uk

Phil Goodall Vion Pizza

RETAIL RESTAURANTS TAKEAWAY DELIVERY OUTLETS Amigo’s Pizza West Midlands - Tel: 07950793999 Battlefield Restaurant Glasgow - Tel: 0141 636 6955 Bella Napoli Glasgow - Tel: 0141 632 4222 Bentley Restaurants Cambridge - Tel: 01223 322978 Bibis Italianissimo Leeds - Tel: 0113 243 7271 Bottelino’s Bristol - Tel: 0117 958 5214 Capone’s Pizza Parlour Croydon - Tel: 0208 6571731 Ciao Roma Edinburgh - Tel: 07050 169700 Clark’s Bakery Dundee - Tel: 01382 641048 Di Maggio’s Restaurant Group Glasgow - Tel: 0141 221 6100 Dome City Food Ltd Ilford - Tel: 0207 6133151 Favourite Pizza Plymouth - Tel: 01752 222232 Feedme Italian Tamworth - Tel: 07973 377680 Firezza Limited London - Tel: 0207 2210020 Giacopazzi’s Scotland - 018907 50317 Italian Pizza Experts Middlesex - Tel: 01932 222909 Jasbeer Dawar Slough - Tel: 07737 636265 La Favorita Tel: 0131 5542430 Lalocanda Gisburn - Tel: 01200 445303 La Piazza Bristol - 01454 414500 La Piazza Edinburgh - Tel: 0131 2211160 Launceston Fryer Fish & Pizza Bar Launcestor - Tel: 01566 773063 Little Italy Newquay - Tel: 01637 852021 Mahmoods Bradford - Tel: 0845 4667289 Manhattans Pizza Southampton - Tel: 07974 708299 Mylahore.co.uk Bradford - Tel: 07966 198684

Russell Allen Basilico*

Phil Welberry Perfect Pizza

Maurice Abboudi Consultant/Domino’s*

Ian Kent Stateside Foods*

David Cruddos Glanbia Cheese*

Alan Ribakovs Whitworth Bros Ltd

John Prior Papa John’s*

Mark Edmonds Whitworth Bros Ltd

Organica Pizza Co. London - Tel: 0207 2266007 Papa John’s (GB) Limited Chertsey - Tel: 01932 568000 Papa Pizza Aberdeen - Tel: 01224 211700 Perfect Pizza Wolverhampton - Tel: 01902 797100 Pizza Face Brighton - Tel: 01273 699082 Pizza Hut UK Borehamwood - 0208 732 9000 Pizza Margarita Lancaster - Tel: 01524 68820 Pizza Pan Winchester - Tel: 01962 865 765 Pizza Pantry Cornwall - Tel: 01872 279725 Pizza Pioneer Bury - Tel: 0161 763 1813 Pizza Uno Sunderland - Tel: 07971 885563 Pizza Xpress Hampton Hargate - Tel: 01733 893344 Pizzeria Bella Italia Bury - Tel: 0161 7642134 Pizza Italia Southport - Tel: 01704 530099 Red Tomato Pizza & Pasta Doncaster - Tel: 01302 325000 Roberto’s Restaurant Southport - Tel: 07595 309430 Rocket London - 020 7628 0808 Sentino’s Pizzeria Oldbury - Tel: 0121 421 6373 Speedy Pizza Southsea - Tel: 023 9287 4414 The Bake at Home Pizza Company London - Tel: 07975 867377 The Plough Harborne - Tel: 0121 4273678 The Stable Bridport - Tel: 01308 426 876 Times Pizza London - Tel: 0207 231 3030 Village Pizza Surbiton - Tel: 020 8399 2293 London - Tel: 020 7708 2255 Twickenham - Tel: 020 8892 0400 Morden - Tel: 020 8640 2200 Eastcote - Tel: 020 8426 2026 Caterham - Tel: 01883 337633 Village Pizza Winterton-on-Sea - Tel: 01493 384476

(* Primary members of the committee – others generally attend as substitutes when primary members are unable to attend meetings)

41

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index of products ANCHOVIES

COMPUTERS

Donatantonio Ltd Martin Mathew & Co

Integer Computers

BACON (PRE-COOKED) Leathams PLC Minster Fine Foods

COMPUTER DELIVERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS Integer Computers COMPUTER SOFTWARE

BEERS C Carnevale Casa Julia PLC Heineken UK Ltd

Integer Computers CONCENTRATES

BEVERAGES C Carnevale BEVERAGE SYSTEMS C Carnevale Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd

Cooktec Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd

GARLIC BREAD

DESSERTS

DISPLAY EQUIPMENT

Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd

Equipline Ltd Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd

CHARGRILLED VEGETABLES

DISPOSABLES

Eurilait Ltd Leathams PLC

M&Q Plastic Products Inc DOUGHBALLS

CHEESE Bel UK C Carnevale C K Food (Processing) Ltd Dairygold Ingredients UK Eurilait Ltd Glanbia Cheese Ltd GRH Food Company Ltd Kingdom Cheese Co Meadow Cheese Co Ltd Saputo Stateside Foods Ltd Vion Pizza

La Pizza Company Ltd Montana Bakery Pizza Plus Foodservice Stateside Foods Ltd

CHEESE (ITALIAN)

Cater-Bake UK C Carnevale Jestic Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd Vion Pizza

Leathams PLC CHEESE (MOZZARELLA) C Carnevale Eurilait Ltd Glanbia Cheese Ltd Kingdom Cheese Co

COFFEE

Cater-Bake UK DRINK SUPPLIERS - SOFT

EQUIPMENT SERVICING

COFFEE EQUIPMENT

42

DOUGH PREP EQUIPMENT

C Carnevale

C Carnevale

Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd

DOUGH MIXERS Cater-Bake UK Jestic Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd

DOUGH ROLLERS

CHEESE (PARMESAN) Leathams PLC

FOOD SUPPLIER

C Carnevale Martin Mathew & Co

Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd

CASH REGISTERS

Allied Mills; Casa Julia PLC Whitworth Bros Limited

DELIVERY BAGS/POUCHES

DISH/GLASS WASHERS

Donatantonio Ltd Martin Mathew & Co

FLOUR (PIZZA)

Stateside Foods Ltd

Meadow Cheese Co Ltd

CAPERS

Allied Mills C Carnevale DeCecco UK Ltd Whitworth Bros Limited

Allied Mills C K Food (Processing) Ltd

BREAD, BUNS & ROLLS Montana Bakery

FLOUR

Equipline Ltd Hugall Services Ltd Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd

pizzapasta AND ITALIAN FOOD

FRUIT (CANNED)

La Pizza Company Ltd Montana Bakery Stateside Foods Ltd GARLIC SPREAD/MIXES Stateside Foods Ltd HAM Stateside Foods Ltd Minster Fine Foods HAM (PARMA) Leathams PLC Minster Fine Foods HERBS & SPICES C Carnevale HOLDING OVENS Benier UK Equipline Ltd Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd HOT BOXES Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd ICINGS Allied Mills IMPROVERS Allied Mills ITALIAN BEERS C Carnevale Heineken UK Ltd Salvo CFS MAYONNAISE/DRESSING BD Foods Leathams PLC MEAT C K Food (Processing) Ltd Minster Fine Foods MEATS HALAL Minster Fine Foods MEATS (ITALIAN) Leathams Plc Minster Fine Foods

MIXES C Carnevale Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd OILS BD Foods C Carnevale OLIVE OIL BD Foods DeCecco UK Ltd Donatantonio Ltd Leathams PLC Martin Mathew & Co OLIVES Donatantonio Ltd Leathams PLC Martin Mathew & Co PACKAGING M&Q Plastic Products Inc PARMESAN Donatantonio Ltd PASTA COOKERS Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd PASTA C Carnevale DeCecco UK Ltd Donatantonio Ltd Giovanni Rana (UK) Ltd Martin Mathew & Co The Fresh Pasta Company PASTA (FRESH) Pasta Reale The Fresh Pasta Company PASTA PRODUCTS (PREPARED) C Carnevale The Fresh Pasta Company PASTA SAUCES BD Foods DeCecco UK Ltd Giovanni Rana (UK) Ltd Pasta King (UK) Ltd Pasta Reale The Fresh Pasta Company PEPPERONI Minster Fine Foods PESTO BD Foods Donatantonio Ltd Leathams PLC Martin Mathew & Co PINEAPPLE Martin Mathew & Co PIZZA (PREPARED-CHILLED) Bakkavor Pizza The Pizza Factory Vion Pizza

PIZZA (PREPARED FROZEN) Stateside Foods Ltd Pasta Reale Ltd Pizza Plus Foodservice The Pizza Factory Vion Pizza PIZZA ACCESSORIES

Minster Fine Foods Stateside Foods Ltd Tulip Food Service Ltd Vion Pizza PIZZA TOPPINGS (VEG) C Carnevale Southern Salads Vion Pizza PREMIXES (BREAD)

La Pizza Company Ltd Pizza Plus Foodservice Vion Pizza

Allied Mills

PIZZA CRUSTS/BASES

Allied Mills

La Pizza Company Ltd Montana Bakery Pizza Plus Foodservice Stateside Foods Ltd Vion Pizza PIZZA DISPLAY RACKS Vion Pizza PIZZA FORMERS Cooktec Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd PIZZA MAKING SYSTEMS Benier UK Cater-Bake UK Jestic Servequip Vion Pizza Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd PIZZA OVENS Equipline Ltd Hugall Services Jestic Pizza Plus Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd PIZZA POUCHES Cooktec Jestic Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd PIZZA SAUCES BD Foods C Carnevale Donatantonio Ltd Martin Mathew & Co Pizza Plus Foodservice Stateside Foods Ltd Vion Pizza PIZZA TOPPINGS (FISH) BD Foods C Carnevale; Martin Mathew & Co Vion Pizza PIZZA TOPPINGS (MEAT) C Carnevale Martin Mathew & Co Pizza Plus Foodservice

PREMIXES (CAKES) PREPARATION COUNTERS Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd PROVERS / RETARDERS Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd READY MEALS Giovanni Rana (UK) Ltd REFRIGERATION EQUIPMENT Equipline Ltd Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd SALAD COUNTERS Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd SALAMIS Leathams PLC SERVERY EQUIPMENT Pasta King (UK) Ltd Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd SUNBLUSH®. TOMATOES Leathams PLC SUNDRIED TOMATOES Donatantonio Ltd Leathams PLC Martin Mathew & Co SWEETCORN Martin Mathew & Co TOMATOES (CANNED) Casa Julia PLC DeCecco UK Ltd Martin Mathew & Co TUNA Leathams PLC Martin Mathew & Co WEIGHING EQUIPMENT Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd WHOLESALERS Continental Quattro Stagioni Ltd Leathams PLC

April 2011

40-44_P&PApril11_Layout 1 11/04/2011 17:16 Page 43

CLASSIFIEDS

glasswashers & dishwashers EXPERT ADVICE - SALES AND SERVICE SUPPORT NATIONWIDE

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pizzapasta AND ITALIAN FOOD

Contact Andrew on 01291 636 334 email andrew@jandmgroup.co.uk

40-44_P&PApril11_Layout 1 11/04/2011 17:16 Page 44

Home of good Pizza

KIREN FOODS

Unit 3 Smallbridge Business Park, Riverside Drive Rochdale, Greater Manchester OL16 2SH T: +4401706 526732 E: enquiries@kirenfoods.com www.kirenfoods.com