Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food Magazine - December 2021 - Issue 207

Issue 207 December 2021

& Italian food magazine

'' Naples, a thousand colours,, Thousands of colours and flavours connect the history of Naples to our mill.

A story made of passion, generosity and respect of the tradition.

CAPUTO 11 mulino di Napoli

Wishing all our advertisers and members a Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year www.papa.org.uk

Contents

Welcome The return of the European Pizza and Pasta Show in November was much appreciated and enjoyed by the sector, with news that the show will now be joining forces with Bellavita Expo London in 2022.

In this final issue of 2021, we have all the PAPA awards winners latest and the Pizza Chef of the Year results. Our congratulations to all the winners and a big thank you to all who entered the awards and competitions, as well as to the sponsors and all who helped in the judging process.

All good wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy Christmas and New Year.

CLARE BENFIELD EDITOR

clare@jandmgroup.co.uk

NEWS

27 New members.

4 Back together and stronger together.

REVIEWS

5 European Pizza & Pasta Show and Bellevita Expo London to combine.

6 Hospitality’s Christmas bookings hope, as WHO declare Omicron ‘mild’.

9 Parmigiano Reggiano is the most awarded cheese in the world.

10 Just Eat’s change in refund policy leads to financial pressure for operators.

PAPA ASSOCIATION

28 European Pizza & Pasta Show.

FEATURES 34 Wood fired wave – wood fired ovens in demand.

ARTICLES 36 Papa John’s delivers for Abbeyford Leisure.

38 Augmented reality set to transform food delivery within five years.

PROFILES

14 PAPA Awards 2021.

32 Pizza professional – Marco Fuso.

24 Obesity – is this really the way?

REGULARS

26 PAPA welcomes a new chair.

41 Classifieds.

40 Index of suppliers.

Editor Clare Benfield telephone 01291 636336 e-mail clare@jandmgroup.co.uk Advertising Andrew Emery telephone 01291 636334 e-mail andrew@jandmgroup.co.uk Production Jayson Berry telephone 01291 636339 e-mail jayson@jandmgroup.co.uk

Specialists in WOOD FIRED FUELS

Subscriptions Kevin Minton telephone 01291 636335 e-mail kevin@jandmgroup.co.uk

J & M Group

Association House, 18c Moor Street, Chepstow, NP16 5DB.

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 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. 2021

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accepted for the opinions of contributors. Pizza, Pasta &

December 2021

NEWS

Back together and

STRONGER TOGETHER November saw the industry back together at the celebratory Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Awards dinner held at the Royal Lancaster London hotel following another turbulent year for many in hospitality.

In his welcome address, PAPA director, Jim Winship reflected that he couldn’t believe that it was now some 32 years since the awards had begun, and how great it was to be back together again. He also thanked the judges, sponsors, equipment suppliers and market research data companies for their support of the awards, as well as the invaluable work of the PAPA management committee in the work they do to support the industry.

“Although some in our industry have done well through the pandemic, others have really struggled, and continue to do so.

Indeed, it’s not an easy time for anyone at the moment as we seem to lurch from one crisis to another,” said Jim Winship.

“Staffing shortages, supply network difficulties and rising energy costs are just a few of the issues we face – without the challenges being added by the government – from environmental taxes and allergy labelling to bans on the advertising and promotion of foods high in salt, fat and sugar – including pizza.

“It’s perhaps a reflection of the disfunctional, hard of hearing government that we currently seem to lurch from one problem to another. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to listen. Indeed, we started warning them about staffing shortages nearly five years ago. How can a government on the one hand say they want to ban some foods for health reasons while on the other hand they are reducing the tax on alcohol?

“In the years I have been dealing with the government on behalf of our industry I cannot recall a time when any government has been so difficult to even have a conversation with. There has never been a more important time for our industry to stand together than it is now. Individually we have little power but together we stand a chance of being heard and protecting our interests. If there is one message, it is that we are stronger together.

“Despite all the challenges, we are committed to helping this industry move forward – whether it is through lobbying on your behalf, creating opportunities like this for you all to get together, or by launching the first PAPA National Pizza Week.

We are committed to supporting you and making sure that this industry remains strong and healthy despite those challenges.”

In his speech, PAPA chair, Keith Griffiths, thanked those present for attending and also asked them to give thought to those who had not been able to be there for one reason or 4

another following the pandemic, and also to remember those who had fought in two world wars so that we can have the freedom to live our lives the way they should have been able to do (the dinner having taken place on 11 November 2021, Remembrance Day). He also thanked the sponsors and backed the “stronger together” message, acknowledging the fact that the hospitality industry has some strong headwinds in the now, and very near future.

“The final stage of Brexit on 1st January, the return of full VAT in April no doubt will influence sales and profitability. The minimum wage changes in April will again put further pressure on labour availability and profit,” said Keith Griffiths.

“Restriction on advertising high fat, sugar and salt products (HFSS) is there, and we’re going to have to work hard to get that into position; calorie labelling, and printed labels from 2022 for businesses that employ 250 employees or more, for that to be present on the menu.

“I am also proud to see how our members of this Association have stuck together and recovered - the way we have all pulled together, providing food for the NHS. And I am very proud of the craft and culture during these difficult times; the creativity from all of you who have found solutions to still serve our customers at this time. I know with this we will all move forward stronger as an Association.

“The PAPA Association is here to help support you. Leaders from the industry on the management committee meet around eight times a year. At these meetings we are looking deeply into the oncoming headwinds for the industry to find the easiest, fastest and tastiest solutions and way forward.

“Jim and the team also lobby with the government, as do the industry leaders to educate on the consequences of the policies that are being proposed, and pushing for a fairer and reasonable way forward for us all. We have guidance on the website for your individual businesses be it for mental health policies, training or any HR related items. You will also find Assured Advice, food safety guidelines, allergen labelling and recycling amongst other things.”

Turn to page 26 to find out more about PAPA’s new chair, Keith Griffiths.

December 2021

NEWS

European Pizza & Pasta Show and Bellavita Expo London to combine The European Pizza and Pasta Show and Bellavita Expo London have announced that they will be combining their efforts to create one of the largest specialised food and beverage (F&B) events in Europe and the UK. The sixth edition of the European Pizza and Pasta Show will be co-located with Bellavita London - the largest Mediterranean Food & Beverage trade show in the UK - on 22-23 June 2022 at Olympia National Hall, London.

Organised with the support of Vinitaly and Cibus, and in association with PAPA - the Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food Association - the two events will complement each other to create the

largest trade show dedicated to food, drinks, and specialised equipment.

The event is also expected to generate a substantial growth opportunity for the UK and European F&B industries with all categories under one roof and in a yearly, unmissable appointment for HoReCa and grocery retail buyers.

In addition to traditional producers of pasta, pizza, flour, kitchen equipment, charcuterie and cheeses, plant based and free-from products, as well as wine and beverages, the exhibition will expand its sectors, adding on artisan bakery equipment and suppliers, shop and restaurant tech services.

Alongside the celebrated Bellavita Wine Stage and the European Pizza Championship, the audiences can join the inaugural License To Bake - an Artisan Bakery Cup competition. Leading European sommeliers and celebrity chefs will also lead a programme of the highly anticipated wine and cooking master classes at the Academy Stage. The joined event has also already confirmed an Ibérica Expo Spanish pavilion.

“This is an important and strategic acquisition,” said Aldo Mazzocco, CEO of Bellavita Expo Ltd. “It consolidates our leadership in the F&B market. Together with the management of Fiere di Parma and Veronafiere, and with the support of our European foodservice stakeholders, we will unite and relaunch the industry. Over the next three years, EPPS aims to become the largest specialised event in Europe, effectively servicing the F&B sector.”

“We are happy to be part of a much larger family of events. This will give us an unprecedented opportunity to develop new content, to add new industries and enhance the offer to our visitors and buyers,” commented Stanislava Blagoeva-Duschell, MD of the European Pizza and Pasta Show.

“We look forward to creating a new and exciting omni-channel platform for all our clients year after year, growing with the industry and for the industry.

We are stronger together!”

San Carlo Group’s new Isola is now open Isola, the much-anticipated new arrival from the award-winning and family-run San Carlo Group – the brains behind Alto and its Dior pop-up and now, the city’s hottest new dining destination – has opened.

Isola (tr: island) brings la dolce vita to London with a heady dose of Sicilian grand café culture, Italian hospitality and a vibrant menu inspired by the islands of southern Italy - modern metropolitan dining, but with an island state of mind, say its creators.

The interiors combine the contemporary with old-school glamour, having been designed by LA and Londonbased studio of the moment, Fettle. Isola’s www.papa.org.uk

interiors take their cue from the Distefano family’s heritage and native Sicily, and feature a soft and considered palette of subtle sorbet shades juxtaposed by dark woods and traditional Italian rattan.

Complete with an expansive and verdant leafy al fresco terrace, the relaxed yet stylish all-day brasserie and bar, offers indoor and outdoor dining from noon through to dinner.

Also inspired by the Distefano family’s native Sicily and their summers spent on the islands, Isola’s menu is setting out to be a breath of fresh air filled with its sunny plates that bring bright and bold flavours to the fore by offering a modern take on the comforting classics we all know and

love (arancini, Sicilian Semolina Bread topped with Provola cheese and tomato basil sauce or filled with aubergine, Figliata al Tartufo, Carpaccio di Spigola, Spaghetti Granseola, Tartufo e Porcini Ravioli and Carlamaro Imbottito to name but a few).

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NEWS Hospitality’s Christmas bookings hope, as WHO declare Omicron ‘mild’ The hard-pressed hospitality sector received a much-needed boost when the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that cases of the Covid-19 variant Omicron appear to be ‘mild’.

That, coupled with Prime Minister Boris Johnson urging people and businesses to go ahead with Christmas and New Year parties, could slow the number of those cancelling bookings, it is felt.

Anecdotal evidence gathered by the hospitality industry since the variant emerged just as the countdown down to the festive season begins, suggests there were cancellations in direct response to Omicron’s emergence. However, more recent feedback from operators points to a slowing of cancellations, with many people determined to go ahead with parties, it is claimed.

Venues such as pubs, bars, restaurants and nightclubs have invested heavily to ensure the safety of staff and customers, focusing on better ventilation, hygiene and sanitation measures which SAGE

recommend are the most effective measures of infection control, and meaning hospitality venues will be safer places at which to socialise with family and friends this Christmas than at home.

But the slow-down in cancellations is small comfort for hospitality, after latest figures revealed that the sector has been hit by a 30% slump in Christmas bookings even before the emergence of Omicron.

A recent survey of hundreds of hospitality operators, representing tens of thousands of venues, reveals bookings for the festive period were down 12.4% on average based on expectations from 2019, while 56% of respondents said bookings were below what they had hoped. Alarmingly, 22% of those polled in the survey said that, even prior to Omicron, festive bookings were more than 30% below expectations.

Reflecting this, operators in the sector are losing confidence. A new survey of business leaders in the sector shows confidence levels in the market have fallen seven percentage points to 51%

in this quarter versus Q3 and are down by 16 percentage points to 54% when it comes to their own businesses.

In a joint statement, UKHospitality, the British Institute of Innkeeping, and the British Beer & Pub Association said: “The full range of hospitality venues across the UK would usually be experiencing their annual bookings bonanza at this time of year, but it hadn’t materialised even before Omicron was first detected.

“The WHO announcement that Omicron infections are generally mild, plus government promptings for festive gatherings to go ahead as planned, offer a crumb of comfort, and could at least slow the slew of cancellations the sector has experienced in the week since Omicron was discovered.

“We’d therefore urge those with bookings not to cancel them, but to carry on and enjoy their festive season parties, safe in the knowledge that hospitality venues are doing everything they can to ensure people have a safe and fun Christmas and New Year.”

Fundraising campaign brings a ‘pizza’ Christmas to children and families in need Children’s charity Barnardo’s Christmas campaign will have a unique flavour this year thanks to partnership with a Warwickshire artisan pizza company.

Birtelli’s is working with Barnardo’s until the end of December and looking to raise £15,000 for the charity by supporting the Kidsmas campaign, which includes a live event at Birmingham Town Hall.

Birtelli’s is also aiming to deliver some Christmas cheer and fun by delivering pizza meal kits to children and families that are supported by Barnardo’s, helping them spend time together and eating home-grown produce-based pizzas, including a special Christmas pizza.

It was launched at the charity’s Warwickshire Family Centre, where staff and volunteers were able to see first-hand just how much creating, cooking and eating pizza can bring people together.

Aoibheann Doherty, community fundraising manager at Barnardo’s said: “Staff and volunteers were delighted when Birtelli’s approached them and suggested this innovative partnership as part of the wider Kidsmas campaign, particularly given the impact Covid 19 has had on families throughout the area.

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“They were able to see just how, together, we’ll be able to deliver moments of happiness, wellbeing and laughter to our support services across the UK. Christmas time can be a fantastic time for many children, but for some children living in poverty or living in social isolation it can bring many challenges.

“We are grateful for the support of Birtelli’s through this partnership. We’re hoping it will inject some flavour and joy into Christmas this year, for both the children we care for and as a thank you to our own colleagues and volunteers who have worked so hard over the last 18 months.

“And until Boxing Day Birtelli’s will donate 15% of every pizza meal kit sold throughout England, Scotland and Wales to our Kidsmas campaign, and are hoping to raise £15,000 towards our Kidsmas campaign.

“It was great to launch the campaign by rewarding some of the unsung heroes of the Covid-19 pandemic, Barnardo’s volunteers and staff. They have all worked so hard supporting and protecting children and young people across the UK, so deserve the recognition and the tasty pizzas served up at our meeting.”

December 2021

NEWS

Princes expands partnership with Coldiretti The international food and drink group, Princes, has expanded a partnership established with Italian agricultural association, Coldiretti, to enhance the sustainability of its Napolina brand “100% Made in Italy” tomatoes.

Through the agreement with Coldiretti, which includes Oxfam Italy in an advisory capacity on human rights, a new framework has been developed to enhance the ethical, environmental and economic value of the Italian tomato supply chain. This framework will help support Coldiretti’s ongoing efforts to tackle Italian food fraud – a market worth more than €100 billion (more than twice the value of Italian food exports to the entire world).

The agreement involves a commitment from the Group’s Italian tomato processing facility, Princes Industrie Alimentari (PIA) – the home of Napolina tomatoes – to sign guaranteed threeyear supply contracts to enhance financial stability for Coldiretti growers, and work with the University of Foggia to ensure that the pricing of tomatoes reflects the true costs of growing and harvesting to enable the long-term sustainability of the industry.

Through the partnership, Napolina and Coldiretti also want to drive innovation across the tomato supply chain through the implementation of agriculture 4.0 technologies, which they say will enhance environmental standards across the industry. This includes satellite surveys to monitor the development of crops and to tackle the impact of climate change, as well as precision control equipment to reduce the use of chemical fertilisers, herbicides, and non-biodegradable plastics, as well as waste and water management projects. Training will also be provided for farmers and technicians of partner farming cooperatives.

Andy Hargraves, group director for Italian Products, said: “Our 2019 initial partnership with Coldiretti was groundbreaking in itself but we have moved on further. The shared commitment with Coldiretti and our suppliers to maintain high environmental standards, reinforce ethical working practices and promote fair economic conditions is a significant step forward in protecting the future of the Italian tomato supply chain. There is no Italian tomato product on British shelves that has anything like the level of supply chain assurance behind Napolina.”

Napolina and PIA have taken various steps to enhance social sustainability across the tomato supply chain, investing in the protection of human rights to support the fight against exploitation practices, such as the ‘Caporale’ (gang-master) system. With the additional guidance of Oxfam Italy, the agreement will strengthen transparency, allowing Napolina to ensure a 100% ethical product, whilst also empowering agricultural cooperatives through monitoring processes, and fieldworker training on agronomic practices, regulatory compliance, good labour relations practices, as well as technology

and safety support. The agreement was officially signed this week at a ceremony in Rome, attended by the British Embassy.

Jill Morris, UK Ambassador, said: “Congratulations to Napolina and Princes for the renewal of their agreement with Coldiretti.

The continuity of this agreement testifies the close and efficient collaboration between the UK and Italy in the agricultural sector and, more specifically, in the Italian tomato supply chain. This agreement honours both parties since it not only aims to promote the sector but guarantees fair working conditions and the respect of human rights in conformance with the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goal agenda.”

By renewing their agreement of 2019, PIA and Coldiretti say that they remain committed to further enhancing the quality and reputation of Italian tomatoes and restoring competitiveness to a strategic sector for the recovery of the country. Italy represents 15% of global tomato production for a sector that is worth over €3.7 billion in turnover. Puglia alone contributes around 30% to the entire volume of Italian tomatoes and approximately 60% to volumes grown in Southern Italy.

At its Foggia plant - the largest industrial site in Europe – PIA processes around 200,000 tonnes of fresh tomatoes from the Apulian district annually and is supplied exclusively by producers who must hold Global G.A.P. GRASP or SA8000 certifications. In addition, all PIA’s tomato growers must be enrolled on the ‘Rete De Lavoro’, a Ministry of Labour public register of businesses fully compliant with labour and human rights legislation and transparent payment of wages.

Napolina remains the number one Italian cooking brand and number one in tomatoes, pasta, pulses and pizzeria (according to IRI January 2021 data). In 2020, Napolina saw value growth of +24%, an additional £30m in sales as well as adding two million new shoppers taking household penetration to 57%, a record for the brand, demonstrating the opportunity for retailers in the Italian category, according to Kantar data. With 1.6 million members, Coldiretti is the largest Italian and European agricultural organisation with the majority of companies operating in Italian agriculture and about 70 percent of the members of the Chambers of Commerce among the representative organisations.

www.papa.org.uk 7

NEWS

Free online learning resource launched A free to access online learning platform the Grande Cuisine Academy – has been launched for student chefs, apprentice chefs, and chef lecturers.

The Grande Cuisine Academy, which has the support of PACE, the Craft Guild of Chefs, Hospitality Action, Choose Hospitality and the Burnt Chef project, features a host of resources to inspire young chefs and help them learn, even when they are not at college or in the workplace. As well as tutorial videos on a wide range of culinary skills the Grande Cuisine Academy features guidance on topics such as wellness and mental health, in addition to career advice from leading chefs including Paul Ainsworth, Neil Haydock, Steve Terry, and Simon Attridge. Steve Munkley, Chairman of the Craft Guild of Chefs Graduate Awards is the Grande Cuisine Academy’s Brand Ambassador.

“The Grande Cuisine Academy is about

giving something back to the hospitality industry at a time when we need to be doing as much as possible to attract young people into it, and then supporting them on their journey,” said Grande Cuisine managing director, Steve Hobbs.

“At the heart of the project is a suite of videos, created in collaboration with chef lecturers from MK College, on everything from knife skills to vegetable cuts, creating mother sauces to filleting a variety of fish.

All of these videos, along with practical hints, tips and advice from leading chefs can be accessed absolutely free at academy.grandecuisine.co.uk.”

Commenting on the launch of the Grande Cuisine Academy, chair of PACE, Molly Shaher added: “Chef lecturers across the UK have been looking for an online resource like this for years and the need for distance learning support has become even more acute during the pandemic.

We are delighted to support what we are

sure will become an invaluable resource for them, their students and apprentice chefs entering the industry.”

All resources on the website, which can be accessed via a laptop, tablet or mobile device are free to access but anybody who signs up with an email address will receive additional benefits including regular updates on Grande Cuisine Academy activities, details of exclusive events, advance notice of when new content is posted, and discounts on products from partners such as Russums and KitchenKnives.co.uk. In addition, any students or apprentices who sign up will automatically receive one year’s free membership to the Craft Guild of Chefs, whose CEO, Andrew Green, said: “The Craft Guild of Chefs has a long tradition of nurturing and supporting young people entering the hospitality industry and so we are fully supportive of the Grande Cuisine Academy.”

New sourdough pucks launched

With half of diners prepared to pay more for a sourdough pizza (according to eepl - Schulstad Bakery Solutions - Pizza & Sourdough Pizza Base Survey October 2021), Lantmännen Unibake UK has announced plans to help operators tap into the increasingly popular premium pizza trend with a ready-made pizza dough that’s enriched with sourdough.

The company is extending its range of conveniently frozen dough pucks with the introduction of Schulstad Bakery Solutions (SBS) Sourdough Pucks (220g). Available for operators to order now, the new product provides outlets with an on trend dough that’s full of flavour, combined with the convenience and versatility to create their own shapes and formats.

Pizza continues to be one of the top food items ordered out of home, with 87% of consumers buying a pizza once a month when either dining in at a restaurant or for takeaway, their survey also found, but not any old pizza will do though, it seems. In fact, their survey found that over half (57%) of consumers agreed that a good pizza is 8

freshly made with 43% stating that the use of quality ingredients is an integral element of a decent pizza.

As consumers become more discerning, there has been a significant rise in gourmet menu items, providing a truly authentic experience, which diners are willing to pay a premium for, the company claim (according to their own survey findings, half would pay extra for a pizza using a sourdough base – up to £3.03 more than a standard base).

The SBS Sourdough Puck boasts a superior San Francisco sourdough flavour, a fast bake and a crust that lifts and bubbles to deliver an artisan appearance, whilst bringing a subtle sour flavour to enhance rather than overpower the overall pizza.

Like the existing SBS Dough Pucks range, the new Sourdough Pucks are also frozen for maximum convenience and minimum wastage, ensuring the dough is always fresh and helping to deliver consistent high-quality results.

Kate Sykes, marketing manager at Lantmännen Unibake UK, said: “We

recognise that creating the perfect pizza dough is a long process, particularly when using sourdough. This is precious prep time, that could be better spent elsewhere.

With our new Schulstad Bakery Solutions Sourdough Pucks, the hard work is done for you, ensuring you meet demand for a premium offering, delivering delicious and consistent gourmet pizzas to your customers every time.

“With pizzas increasingly growing in popularity, this low-cost solution versus a potential high selling price for the finished product, enables outlets to maximise their profits, providing the flexibility to add different toppings in order to hit margins, without compromising on quality. The addition of sourdough, also provides the option for diners to trade up and operators to drive further revenue.”

December 2021

NEWS

Parmigiano Reggiano is the most awarded cheese in the world In the World Cheese Awards 2021, the international jury made up of 250 experts awarded Parmigiano Reggiano 126 medals (seven of which were in the Super Gold category), making it the most awarded cheese in the competition, and its bestever result in the event.

The World Cheese Awards is the most important cheese competition in the world, and took place in Oviedo, Spain this year as part of the International Cheese Festival (3– 6 November). The international jury consisted of 250 experts who awarded Parmigiano Reggiano the all-time record of seven Super Gold medals, six of which were won by dairies belonging to the National Team. Parmigiano Reggiano was the most awarded cheese in the world, winning the most Super Gold medals out of all competitors.

This year, the Parmigiano Reggiano National Team — an association of 96 cheese dairies across provinces in the production area – was the largest ever joint mission abroad promoting an Italian cheese, with 10 more dairies involved

than in 2019. This group effort earned the National Team 117 medals: six Super Gold (best table cheese), 32 Gold, 43 Silver, 36 Bronze. The Super Gold medals were won by Azienda Agricola Grana D’Oro of Reggio Emilia, Latteria Collina of Reggio Emilia, Caseificio Rosola di Zocca of Modena, Caseificio Punto Latte of Modena, Latteria Sociale La Nuova 2000 of Reggio Emilia, and Caseificio Sociale Canevaccia of Bologna. The seventh Super Gold was awarded to the Consortium Latterie Virgilio, which competed independently of the National Team.

Nicola Bertinelli, president of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, said: “Parmigiano Reggiano has once again demonstrated the qualities of a cheese that is unique in the world. We are going home with our heads held high after battling it out with 4,079 cheeses from 48 countries, leaving with a total haul of 126 medals out of 174 competing entries. This success is a source of pride for the entire supply chain, which involves thousands of breeders and 307 artisan dairies every day

in the quest for absolute excellence.”

Gabriele Arlotti, founder of the National Team, added: “We are celebrating 20 years of work in the best way possible, with Parmigiano Reggiano receiving awards from the Apennines to the plains, from all the provinces in the area of origin, and in all its biodiversity: milk from Friesian, Red, White Modena, and Bruna Alpina Brown cows. As an interesting fact, we are once again the cheese with the highest number of Super Gold medals and overall medals.

Congratulations to the team in Spain for an event that attracts an audience from all over the world.”

The Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium also sponsored a new award for the Best Female Cheesemaker, which was awarded to Silvia Peláez Navero, owner of Queseria Quesos y Besos which produces Olavidia cheese, a soft goat cheese that won the title of the World’s Best Cheese at the World Cheese Awards 2021.

Increasing demand for hot-eating cheese Eurilait, one of the UK’s major suppliers of high quality Continental dairy products supplier to the UK retail, industrial and foodservice markets with its popular favourites, as well as its innovative cheese products, has reported a noticeable desire on the part of consumers for hot-eating Continental cheese.

The demand prompted Eurilait to offer a range of cheese favourites that are great when heated, in turn giving operators the benefits of exceptional quality, on-trend products that are high in demand, propose the company. Feta and Halloumi are proving to be top choices, in particular, they observe (Kantar data supporting strong consumer interest in highlighting sales of Halloumi and grilling cheese being up by 37.8% YOY to Dec 2020, Total Halloumi and Grilling Cheese|52

we:27-Dec-20).

Rocky Page, food service & industrial controller, Eurilait Ltd said: “We’re experiencing positive feedback from customers who use our halloumi range, supplied in a number of formats, from fries to slices, block, cubes and crumble, providing a versatile product for many food to go menus.

“Demand for halloumi has increased hugely, particularly due to the growth in snacking and sharing trends and the surge in vegetarianism – providing an ideal meat alternative. Customers can be assured that our Cypriot Halloumi is 100% authentic, made using the traditional folding technique, with the milk mix of a higher ratio of sheep and goat than cow, a minimum fat content of 43% and the addition of mint.

“Because of its firm texture and high melting point, Halloumi can be grilled or fried, yet keep its shape, reaching an appetising golden brown, caramelised exterior, making it perfect for hot eating sandwiches or a tasty side of fries.”

www.papa.org.uk 9

NEWS FOCUS

Just Eat’s change in refund policy leads to financial pressures for operators Back in October, the takeaway and delivery food platform, Just Eat – enjoyed, and replied upon, by an increasing number operators and customers alike in recent times in order to put them in contact with one another when it comes to ordering up a meal – changed its customer refund arrangements (the situation when a customer has justifiable cause for complaint with their order for some reason, and is therefore due a refund, or some other form of mutually satisfactory way of recompense, such as a part-refund, voucher or replacement item).

Marc Faulkner (director of North Westbased Deli Group, which encompasses Newton Deli, Dentons Deli and Kopi Coffee) says that this recent change has led to a marked increase in the number of customers exploiting this system, and now, in the countdown to Christmas – traditionally the busiest time for operators - the problem does not appear to be abating, but is only getting worse, it would seem.

“We’ve been with them for four years and have a Local Legend status. We get a high volume of business, it’s worked well. It’s not cheap, and there’s massive commission, but it brings in volumes of business so is worthwhile,” says Marc Faulkner, whose particular concern is how Just Eat plan to deal with this problem.

“It’s widespread, and affecting hot fast food evening operators more than sandwich shops necessarily, although affects us too.

“For the last four years until October, for any issue, a customer could request a refund via an app, contact call centre, online webchat, and it could be done fairly easily in real time direct with operator during your opening hours. And I always encouraged customers to pick up the phone to resolve things directly.

“I was typically refunding £40-50 over seven-day period, and that was being generous in light of our Local Legend status, but of the 36 separate refund 10

requests I went through recently, I only ended up receiving £11.20 back out of hundreds of pounds.”

When asking why Just Eat implemented this policy change, Marc Faulkner said that he was given the impression that the company felt it had been experiencing an unacceptably high level of refunds. And although an email came out about the new way of doing things, the first his business really knew of it was when they got their statement reflecting the amount taken back for refunds, he reports.

In practice, Just Eat’s policy change would now seem to be causing significant financial problems for his business, Marc Faulkner has found, and many other businesses too who have also been experiencing similar problems.

At the extreme, is the case of gourmet burger company, Piggy Wynns in St Helens, which has been forced to close as a result of the knock-on cash flow issues created by this development.

At one point, there was talk of affected businesses forming a support and campaign group in order to move away from the Just Eat platform, or at the very least withdraw from the platform for a while by way of protest, but this is the last thing these otherwise customer-focused and profitable businesses who ordinarily have no problem at all with providing refunds and replacements promptly where legitimately required, really want to have to do in challenging times, particularly when many have just started to recover a little in the wake of Covid and lockdowns.

The change in refund policy centres around the fact that Just Eat has now automated its customer refund process.

This means that upon complaint, such as a missing item or allegation of cold food, for example, refunds are issued automatically and directly to customers, without question or fuller investigation, or opportunity to query it more, first, on the part of the operator. And whereas

some claims are legitimate, there have been increasing cases of allegations and instances of “cold cans of drink” or “cold ice cream”, for example, and that still get refunded.

In the past says Marc Faulkner, there was at least a notification, awareness and agreement process, backed up by a range of ways to refund, or sort the issue to the mutual, and fair, satisfaction of both parties, he feels, and to some extent there still is, he acknowledges, but after the event, not before.

It would also appear that the entire cost of an order can, and is being, refunded automatically, and all too frequently, it is suggested, for less than convincing reasons, with little time for effective investigation, although Just Eat emphasise that operators can still challenge the refund in question.

The other issue, however, is, whether the refund is a legitimate one, or not, the funds are transferred and refunded automatically as part of this new policy, and if, in turn, customers themselves are under the impression that it’s the much bigger business concern, Just Eat, who are actually having to cover the cost of such refunds, currently it is not the case, points out Marc Faulkner, whose business has been down by in the region £700 a week on occasion.

Indeed, in many instances, most even, many operators affected would no doubt argue, it appears that this ‘no questions asked’ refund policy is increasingly subject to misuse on the part of unscrupulous customers, and now resulting in major, unsustainable cashflow problems for the businesses affected who are suddenly put in the uncomfortable position of being unable to pay their staff, or overheads, when an above average amount of their income in sales gets summarily refunded at the end of a trading week.

When possibly leaving the platform was mentioned to Just Eat, Marc Faulkner claims that he got the impression from December 2021

NEWS FOCUS the company that the attitude was “so be it, just return the kit.” He also went on to express the opinion that after being focused on independents and businesses with a small number of shops in its earlier, Hungry House days, Just Eat were now more interested in linking up with MacDonalds and KFC who have more resources and can earn far more revenue for the platform. Marc Faulkner says he hasn’t left the platform himself yet as a result of this issue, because Just Eat’s market share is so major and vital to his business, he can’t afford to really.

“Just Eat is only successful if our restaurant partners are successful and we have a track record of helping restaurants prosper. The recent measures we’ve put in place are in line with industry standards and are to ensure an even fairer refunds process for all, such as increasing the time for restaurants to raise any disputes,” said a Just Eat spokesperson in a statement.

“Our restaurant partners are always refunded in full when we find any fraudulent activity taking place. We’re

keen to maintain an open dialogue with the restaurants on our platform and continue to review our policies and processes in this space to support both customers and restaurants alike.”

Just Eat work with more than 60,000 restaurant partners across the UK and say that they are absolutely committed to supporting them, pointing out that the recent measures introduced as part of their refund policy have been designed to make the process fairer for restaurants and customers alike, in line with industry standards and how other businesses in the food delivery space operate, they claim, having also not seen an increase in refund rates since the measures were introduced, they also claim.

Whilst customer refund requests are processed automatically, they add, restaurants will only be charged if the complaint sits within their control/ responsibility. Restaurants will also have a longer period of time to dispute any refund complaints that come through as it’s really important to them, they

state, that their partners are not unfairly financially impacted. Additionally, they say that they have robust measures in place to block activity such as fraudulent orders, including an algorithm to detect irregularities and unexpected behaviour to help block non-genuine orders.

Alongside this, they are actively blocking customers who are using credit/debit cards suspiciously, or have suspicious refund rates, they report.

For his part, however, Mark Faulkner feels very strongly that if this issue “doesn’t go away, or get resolved soon”, then the problem created by Just Eat’s new refund policy is a far more drastic and unsustainable situation for smaller businesses such as his own to be placed in, in the long term - much of their resources having already been consumed in staying afloat during the course of the past 18 months. Add to that the rising problems of supply chain issues, and energy price rises, and food businesses have plenty to contend with in any case right now, he concludes.

NEW PRODUCT Creating greater food authenticity Pizzerias could be creating greater food authenticity for customers and extracting more value from their wood-fired oven wood supplies, if they paid attention to aspects such as burn-time and wood wastage, says a major supplier of fuel to the hospitality sector, Logs Direct.

Logs Direct believes too few pizzerias appreciate the merits of beech wood within their wood-fired oven cookery. Not only is this hardwood truly authentic and a choice of pizzaioli in Italy, it burns hot and long, offering a greater heat output than other woods which can be used in pizza ovens.

Pizza chefs are also sometimes burning too much wood for their needs, because they cannot break their logs down and just use the quantity of wood they actually need to maintain their pizza oven fire, according to Logs Direct. “Learning how to manage their wood supplies more efficiently could allow pizzerias to trim their costs when it comes to wood usage,” says Logs Direct’s sales director, Stephen Talbot.

Call 01524 812476 or visit www.logsdirect.co.uk www.papa.org.uk

11

NEWS

Fri-Jado hosts first customer day at custom-made demo kitchen and showroom Fri-Jado, a global food preparation and presentation equipment company, held an inaugural customer day at the end of November, hosting more than 20 professionals from across the retail and foodservice sector.

With a theme of ‘Making Food-To-Go Irresistible’, the day centred around maximising the opportunity of food to go and included sessions on global trends, packaging innovation and of course, effective display solutions.

Following a welcome and kick-off from Gary Thacker, director of national accounts at Fri-Jado UK, attendees listened to an inspiring session by Fri-Jado chef, Anwar Miah, on street food to go ideas.

Examining global trends, Anwar Miah spoke about how Asian influences and ‘Instagramable’ foods are crucial to attracting today’s consumer.

Moving to packaging, Benn Ely, from ProAmpac Rap engaged with the audience, focusing on the importance of using the right packaging for the right products. He discussed how innovations in packaging design have driven food quality and led to extended

shelf life across the sector, explaining that in most cases, packaging is the platform on which to showcase food.

The final session was by Fri-Jado’s own Tom Van Bergen, R&D product manager, looking at how the patented hot blanket technology offers up to 50% energy savings in the new MDD range working in conjunction with innovative packaging and food to preserve quality, reduce waste and ultimately drive sales.

Sampling a handful of the street food to go trends discussed earlier in the day, Anwar Miah treated those attending to a delicious, fresh and vibrant lunch, before Gavin Rothwell, director of Food Future Insights concluded the day with a thought provoking look at the future of the food to go sector. From a focus on convenience, provenance and sustainability, to a look at how the growth of electric vehicles will change the forecourt and service station food landscape, he provided insight on how to adapt for the future.

Pizza stretcher draws interest at HostMilano At the latest edition of HostMilano, the world trade fair dedicated to the catering world which took place in October, great interest was shown in OperaPrima, an innovative professional pizza stretcher that creates good Italian pizza quickly and easily thanks to its patented technology.

The pizza stretcher conceived, developed, and created by Ecor International S.p.A. to help pizza makers in their daily work, drew the attention of many Italian and international operators, the company report, with numerous requests for information and demonstrations.

Ecor International’s team of experts and consultants were on hand to offer personalised advice on raw materials, doughs, and processing methods, as well as share ideas and suggestions and to understand together how to obtain, using a scientific method, a good dough and make an artisanal pizza that meets customers’ needs.

What is striking about OperaPrima, claim its creators, is its ability to perfectly replicate the work of an expert pizza maker via its patented technology and thanks to 12

the cold processing system. Mechanical hands open the dough without stressing it, with a gentle movement made after careful and precise design work, to perfectly recreate the work of the hands of an expert pizza maker. The result is high quality because it does not damage the glutinous lattice, making for a perfect pizza base, they propose.

Thanks to the touchscreen display, you can adjust features such as the diameter and size of the edge and the result is the same as an expert pizza maker. At the end of the process, all that’s left to do is season it, bake it and the customer will have their pizza with the size and edge they requested. OperaPrima is also not a press, but a pizza spreader based on patented cold processing technology with the dough not pressed but opened by mechanical hands as a pizza maker would do. Thanks to this system, it is possible to cold process different types of flour, to prepare a Neapolitan, Roman, or classic pizza, claim the company.

It can roll out up to 200 pizzas per hour, giving the pizza chef time to get on with other tasks, such as seasoning, preparing

ingredients, checking cooking, or answering the phone, and also solves the problem of finding and training qualified personnel, reducing the related fixed costs.

OperaPrima is equipped with a realtime monitoring system of the working conditions connected to software, installed in the user’s computer system. Periodically, it is possible to obtain information regarding the number of doughs laid; the size of the pizza base up to the opening parameters set (thickness, extension, extension time). With this data at your disposal, you can optimise the process to make your business more efficient, suggest Ecor.

December 2021

T

he PAPA Awards dinner made a long overdue return to the pizza, pasta and Italian food industry calendar on 11th November 2021, with a memorable night of trophies, triumphs and - above all else - togetherness.

The atmosphere sizzled as old friends caught up with one another; familiar faces were picked out in the crowd and soon, everyone realised that following the most challenging of times, the industry really needed to come together and celebrate a job well done.

Special recognition was given for the achievements of Martin Beesley who founded Jestic, one of the most successful equipment suppliers in the country. His involvement in the industry spans many years and for this he was presented with the PAPA Industry Award.

Among the other award highlights was the PAPA Community Award, presented to the Spaghetti Tree in Surrey as recognition for the contribution made to helping their local community during the pandemic.

Additionally, a special Rising Star award was presented to Fireaway Pizza for the huge inroads they’ve made in the pizza delivery chain sector.

You’ll find details of all the award winners on the following pages.

The PAPA Industry Award

Innovation & Business Development Award

New Ingredient Award

This lifetime achievement award is presented to an individual, company or organisation considered deserving of recognition for their outstanding contribution to the industry.

Recognises innovation across the industry, from technical to new product development (excluding ingredients), that offer real benefits to the sector.

Open to any new ingredient this award aims to give recognition to those products which are the most innovative and of the most value to the industry.

Martin Beesley

Papa John’s (GB) Ltd.

Eurilait - Halloumi Crumble

Winner

Sponsored by

Winner

Sponsored by

Winner

Sponsored by

THE WINNERS Italian Restaurant Award

Pizza Restaurant Award

Pizza Delivery Chain Award

This award aims to recognise those who have done the most to keep their businesses going through lockdown.

This award aims to recognise those who have done the most to keep their businesses going through lockdown.

Presented to those pizza delivery chains with 20+ stores that are doing the most to drive the market.

Independent Category Winner

Independent Category Winner Guido’s

Pizza Hut

Chain Category Winner

Chain Category Winner

Rising Star Award Winner

Vittoria on The Bridge

ASK Italian

Sponsored by

Prezzo

Sponsored by

Winner

Fireaway Pizza

Sponsored by

Small Chain Pizza Delivery Award

PAPA Community Award

Independent Pizza Delivery Award

This award aims to give recognition to the small chains (businesses with between five to 20 stores) in the pizza delivery sector.

Awarded to a business or individual judged to have gone the extra mile to help people in their community during lockdown.

This award aims to recognise the UK’s best independent delivery operators (with up to five stores).

The Fat Pizza

Spaghetti Tree

Mama’s Pizza & Pasta

Winner

Sponsored by

Winner

Sponsored by

Winner

Sponsored by

THE WINNERS Convenience Store Pizza Award

Chilled Pizza Multiple Retailer Award

Frozen Pizza Multiple Retailer Award

For retailers actively driving pizza sales (frozen and chilled) in the convenience sector and in particular how they managed their business during the pandemic

For multiple retailers actively driving the chilled pizza sector over the last year and in particular during the pandemic.

For the multiple retailers actively driving the frozen pizza sector and who have done the most to develop their business over the last year and in particular during the pandemic.

Co-op

M&S

Winner

Sponsored by

Winner

Winner Tesco

Sponsored by

Sponsored by

Manufactured Pizza Product Award

Pasta Retailer Award

Manufactured Pasta Product Award

Identifies the best new manufactured pizza products (frozen or chilled) launched in the last year.

This award recognises those retailers actively driving sales of pasta, whether fresh, frozen or dry.

This award aims to find the best new pasta product launched in the last year and includes frozen, fresh and dry products.

Aldi - Carlos Stuffed Crust - Bacon Cheeseburger

Sainsbury’s

Everyday Category Winner

Premium Category Winner Morrisons - Katsu Chicken

Winner

Winner

Aldi - Authentic Italian Wild Mushroom & Truffle Mezzalune

Sponsored by

Sponsored by European Pizza & Pasta Show

HIGHLY COMMENDED Manufactured Pizza Product Award Co-op - GRO Vegan BBQ Chick’n

Sponsored by

Manufactured PastaProduct Award

GCL Food Ingredients - Dorset Crab, Chilli, Lemon and Wild Garlic Raviolo made with Squid Ink Pasta

THANK YOU To awards hosts Theo Randall and Jo Caulfield for their terrific efforts on the night. To all of the sponsors, the awards are a success thanks to your support. To the judges, your insight, knowledge and passion give extra kudos to winning one of our awards. To everyone who entered, thank you for giving the judges such a difficult but remarkably enjoyable task.

Let’s do it all again!

10th November 2022 is the date for next year’s PAPA Industry Awards.

Will you join us?

SPONSORSHIP If you’d like to sponsor an award or competition in 2022, it’s a fantastic way to support the industry; to get your name and products exposure at both grass roots and and national level, while the awards process and particularly the dinner, are a great way to network.

Give Sandra Bennett a call on 01291 636348 or email sandra@papa.org.uk

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PIZZA CHEF OF THE YEAR CATEGORY WINNERS

Whitworths Bros New York Style Category

Danish Crown Supertops Pre-Cooked Smokey Bacon Category

Mark Baber – Woodfire Dine The New Yorkshire Meatballer

Francesco Macri – Pizza Pilgrims Smoky Crown

Futura Foods FuturaPro Pizza & More Cheese Category

American Pan Flat Bread Roman Style Tray Category

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Stefano Di Vita - The Pizza Pony Multu be’

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INTRODUCING DAN HALL, PIZZA CHEF OF THE YEAR The PAPA Industry Awards Dinner got off to a flying start as the first big announcement of the night was for the winner of the Pizza Chef of the Year competition.

With the finals having taken place at the European Pizza and Pasta Show in October, the winners of each competition category – Mark Baber, Francesco Macri, Stefano Di Vita and Dan Hall – had been kept in suspense for several weeks waiting for this moment.

Each was invited up to rapturous applause to receive their trophy before the big reveal where Dan Hall from MozzaFella claimed the title Pizza Chef of the Year for his Red Top mk2 pizza.

Many congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone who entered.

PIZZA CHEF of the year ye 2021

Obesity OPINION

– is this really the way?

Despite concerns being raised widely by the food industry, the government is pressing ahead with its plans to ban the display and advertising of certain foods it considers to be unhealthy, reports PAPA director, Jim Winship. But is this really the way to tackle obesity, he asks?

NEW REGULATIONS Following two separate consultations, new regulations are set to come into force in October 2022 which will restrict the display of certain food items in retail and foodservice outlets; prevent them from being advertised on TV or via social media; and ban them for being promoted in certain ways.

The products affected include cakes, biscuits, pizzas etc.

And, while smaller businesses will initially be exempted from the regulations, the industry is concerned that in time the rules will be applied more widely.

But the real question is whether this approach of banning products high in fat, salt and sugar will ultimately work?

Generally, the food industry accepts that there is a need to tackle obesity.

Indeed, our Association Management Committee is documented as recognising that we all have a responsibility for helping to tackle the problem. But bans rarely work as those most affected will generally find a way round them.

FUNDAMENTAL FLAW? The fundamental flaw in all the approaches that have been taken by successive governments in recent years 24

is that they fail to convince consumers to act – and particularly those whose health is most at risk from obesity.

One of the basic rules of economics is supply and demand. No matter how wonderful your product might be, unless it is demanded it will fail. And the same applies with tackling obesity.

Food producers can reformulate as much as they like but if consumers (and particularly those who are in need of help) don’t buy into the product, it simply will not work, no matter how much time and money we throw into product development.

What is needed is a concerted approach by politicians, dieticians and food businesses in formulating a strategy that is both viable commercially and which incentivises consumers into acting – in other words creating the demand that will drive supply.

The problem in all this is that those driving this policy are politicians and health officials, most of whom have little or no experience in the commercial world. Furthermore, they are generally mistrusting of the business.

What is needed is a hard-hitting campaign for change that targets the health issues caused by obesity combined with clear and unambiguous calorie and portion information on food packaging and menus.

There is ample evidence that a combination of good communication and public support can lead to real change as seen with smoking and drink driving.

December 2021

PAPA

PAPA welcomes a new chair Keith Griffiths, head of food innovation & technology at Pizza Hut Europe, has been elected as the new, incoming chair of PAPA. Here, he gives his thoughts on the direction for the Association, and the industry in general, as well as revealing some of his background in the pizza industry.

PIZZA PEDIGREE With Pizza Hut being the largest pizza brand in the world, Keith Griffiths’ area is Europe, including Russia, Israel and Palestine - some 200 plus outlets of which 60% are delivery. The UK having a mix of dine-in restaurants and delivery outlets, he is well placed to have a good knowledge of where the industry is and in which direction it should be heading, commenting: “It is my intention to uphold the role to lead and focus on strategic matters concerning the Association members and to provide the support required and represent the Association as the figurehead.

“Pizza has been my life for the last 35 years, although I started my career as a French culinary chef before training as a pâtissier, specialising in chocolate and pastillage. This is where I developed my interest in science which eventually led to a degree in food engineering.”

Keith Griffiths’ career then took him into bakeries and then to United Biscuits (McVities) before he moved to the UB Restaurant Division where he was responsible for Pizzaland, Perfect Pizza and Wimpy which is where, he says, pizza got into his blood!

There followed a move to chilled and frozen development when UB purchased Ross Young’s, at which point he became 26

the lead in pizza and dessert development. Following this, he moved to Heinz, and then Greencore, with responsibility for pizza for the multiples. He joined Yum Brands in 2003, heading up food safety and QA for Europe and in 2011 moved to lead the food innovation technology for EU. As a FIT Leader Yum Restaurants International, he also sits as the company’s dough specialist.

WHERE WE ARE “At the moment, the challenge to the industry as a whole with all the government policies around salt reduction, trans fats and general health initiatives, as well as the white paper on HFSS, is an example that the industry still needs clarity on and fairness across categories. The pandemic brought a lot of creative thinking from the industry with an attitude of ‘how can we?’” says Keith Griffiths.

“I was incredibly impressed with all that was done by the market as a whole and particularly our Association members and the support we all gave to the NHS and compounded by December 2021

PAPA Brexit disruption. I don’t think anyone has overcome, and will not for a while yet, the effect it has had and is still having.

“Sadly, the most affected were the dine in restaurants with most unable to operate, though again the ‘how can we?’ attitude came to the fore with dark kitchens opening and takeaway offerings becoming more prevalent.

“Another of the challenges facing the industry is staff shortages which, although was there before, was never to the extent it is today. The pandemic has affected the training of HGV drivers which has caused a back-up in the supply chain generally and many restaurants are opening for fewer hours and simplifying menus which will only have a knock-on effect to the quality we all came to appreciate prior to March 2021.”

THE FUTURE Speaking of the future, Keith Griffiths says: “My guess is that it will take around two years before the supply chain issues are resolved as, although deliveries to restaurants are sound the delivery of products to depots is more of an issue where manufactures of ingredients are struggling to get supplies to where they need to be.”

To a question on the future of dining out, Keith Griffiths says: “It’s very early days, but I feel the public speak of the desire

for normal service to be resumed but have equally become accustomed to enjoying cooking for themselves. Shorter operating times, due to labour availability, and table reservation requirements make it difficult and is one to watch closely.”

On the subject of packaging, he adds: “The industry as a whole keeps looking at packaging and has made significant progress to reduce packaging over the years especially in manufacturing. Pizza boxes have always been an issue to recycle due to the residual grease in the box but there are now solutions to remove the single plastic usage of the box support.

“Every industry has to contribute to mitigating the effects of the climate crisis wherever it can and few industries can make a big impact. We all have to play our part on this which involves a change of mindset and an acceptance of the cost of doing so.”

Talking about veganism, Keith Griffiths reflects: “The vegan market sector will always grow as consumers move with the trend. There is certainly far more demand now but also for plantbased meat replacers. The key to success is to have the right choice and balance on the menu at a quality that is really good, as some of the early vegan offerings lacked taste and texture.”

One last thing…

In his youth, Keith was a champion ice figure skater!

NEW MEMBER

SILBURY Silbury is a leading food ingredients supplier with more than 35 years’ experience of supplying food manufacturers, major retailers, high street chains and food service businesses across the UK, Europe and beyond.

With a turnover of circa £70m, Silbury is the largest pizza sauce manufacturer in Europe and are a significant shareholder in two of the largest Portuguese tomato processing plants, giving it complete control of the end-to-end process. Both plants hold BRC certification and have a full traceability system.

Renowned for its expertise in tomatoes, pizza sauce, meat toppings, oils and boxed fats, Silbury is built on a staunch commitment to real quality and customer service.

This commitment is delivered by our people – the industry specialists and customer service professionals who make our business one of Britain’s most trusted and respected food and ingredients suppliers.

For more information, contact their head office.

Silbury 9 Manor Park, Banbury Oxfordshire OX16 3TB Telephone: 01926 410022 Contact: Louise De Leon Email: sales@silbury.co.uk www.silbury.co.uk

www.papa.org.uk 27

REVIEW

A welcome

RETURN October’s European Pizza & Pasta Show marked a welcome return to some normality as many of the sector’s well known brands and businesses were able to gather, catch up and network, as well as take a closer look at products old and new in the world of Italian food.

LOOKING FORWARD In her opening, welcome address Slava Blagoeva, managing director of IPR Events, organisers of the show, thanked everyone who believed in, and had supported, the holding of the show this year in the midst of so many challenges, and who had been brave enough to come and meet with everyone and the show’s visitors.

In his welcome speech, PAPA director, Jim Winship, said how great it was to be back together again after 18 months of being locked down and of “struggling through”. “Unfortunately, we still seem to be struggling through things with lots of shortages of lorry drivers, and staff, and everything else in this industry,” he added. “But we’re here, and we can look forward to a great future of the pizza, pasta and Italian food industry in the UK, and this 28

show is very much part of that.”

Jim Winship congratulated Slava Blagoeva for keeping the event going, and helping to get the industry back on its feet again after all the time that had gone by; the Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Association in particular welcoming this show as a showcase for the industry as a whole, it being a very important part of the UK economy.

“We may face a lot of challenges from our government at the moment,” Jim Winship added, “but we’re here, and we’re going forward, and we’re resilient and we will survive, and we will do well.”

The opening day also saw Caputo’s MD, Antimo Caputo, awarded with the title of Honorary President of the European Pizza & Pasta Show in London in recognition of his, and his Neapolitan flour company’s, long-standing support December 2021

REVIEW

of the event since its launch in 2016.

Antimo Caputo said he was very proud to receive such an award for a number of reasons, not least when it had originally been announced that this event would be held in London; the UK’s capital, in his opinion, being a place where there are a lot of things to do, a place where people liked to be, as well as it being a place where the company had a lot of friends (there being a big connection between Italy and the UK, but more so, he could see, with the Campania region of Italy and Naples in particular).

“We feel at home here, with a lot of friends,” he said. “The exhibition is a connection with the market, but also with friends. A place where we

exchange ideas but also cultural experiences… In Italy, we are used to doing our job every day, but when we see love and passion for the product, we recognise it… I will keep the certificate in my heart as well as in my office!”

PIZZA CHEF COMPETITIONS The first day of the show saw the hosting of the always hotly contested final of PAPA’s Pizza Chef of the Year competition (turn to page 22 for a round-up of the competitors and their winning pizzas).

In the 2021 European Pizza Championship, held on the second day of the event, it was the UK’s Florin Tudor who took first place. From

www.papa.org.uk 29

REVIEW Northampton, and a pizza chef at the World Restaurant, he succeeded in beating strong competition from professional pizza chefs from all over Europe.

Judged by Thierry Graffagnino, Massimo Costanzo, Giorgio Riggio, Andrea Alestra and Ovidiu Cheabac, Florin Tudor impressed the judges by presenting a Neapolitan-style pizza with a tomato base and fior di latte mozzarella stuffed with Parma ham, goat cheese, pecorino, Japanese sauce and basil (this combination of toppings paired with the delicacy of the dough being rated the best by the five competition experts).

The second place was taken by Liviu Nitu of the Red Pizza Van in Sevenoaks (UK), while the third place was awarded to Joris Atoch de L’Etable des Complices from Bonneville (France). Other competitors were Kamal Jayasinghage, Aymeric Provence, Fabio Alveti, Szymon Skibinski, Riccardo Birghillotti, Maurizio Trionfera, Francesco Oppido and Marco De Cristofaro.

SECTOR INSIGHT In his presentation, director of Boss Pizza, Ajmal Mushtaq – already known to many in the sector via his commentary on the takeaway sector as a whole in the trade press, and via television programmes such as Best of British Takeaways and Dispatches, focused on what he thought were the top ten tips for operators going forward into 2022.

30

In conversation with Antimo Caputo, he outlined to Pizza Pasta & Italian Food how the pandemic, and other challenges, had impacted pizza flour supply, as well as fostered consumer interest in a professional product.

People were at home more, he said, had started to cook and learn more, and wanted specialist ingredients.

“We now have a consumer who knows more, knows recipes – ‘I can cook pizza too!’ - and who can recognise quality. There is more domestic competition now and the quality has to be higher,” said Antimo Caputo.

“This is a very strong trend we are sensing now, and we have an opportunity with our retail lines and retail customers, such as with the sudden demand for yeast, which everybody was buying during lockdown. At the same time, the consumer is a more sensitive one, often changing their diet – the gluten-free demand, for instance.”

Caputo use Italian and European wheat, and Canadian wheat for specific requirements such as for the US or Australia and the type of flour required there, and so need to be able to supply the right flour to such customers for the right recipe.

“Today, the supply chain has totally changed,” said Antimo Caputo.

“The shipment is more expensive, difficult and busier. We have experienced an unbelievable increase in the cost of raw material (the wheat), because of the weather conditions and a higher consumption demand from populations. This year, the corn price also went up, so a lot of buyers moved to buy wheat instead, causing demand and the price to soar, and as a producer you are having to manage a lot of aspects.

“A crazy effect of all this was that people had been ‘buying just to buy’, as opposed to what they need. So, in order to balance and manage things, I would say that you need to be well connected with your supplier.

“We are having to increase our prices, but slowly, with a progressive increase. Flour is a basic ingredient, but at the same time I have to balance

things in terms of the performance of the company. The price rises will be unsustainable long term, so they will have to be passed on to consumers.

“It’s difficult to say how long things will stay like this, but at least one year.

For one thing, the crop is yearly, so we have to wait for the next crop in July 2022, which will then in turn be impacted by the weather and levels of remaining stock.”

Problems are being experienced in all ports, including Naples, the company confirmed, with ships often unable to dock due to queues, therefore leading longer lead and product delivery times.

Cost of freight was an issue, coupled with the availability of empty containers (you can be asking for too much space, and then the loading time can’t be met etc.). This, in turn, means that better organisation of shipments is required, advise Caputo, because sometimes it is just not possible to meet the usual, or quick, delivery times in the current situation. So whereas when a week might have been sufficient to raise an order, now a month is required. And then when the delivery arrives, there can be other problems such as a driver shortage.

Currently, with the new generation of pizza makers having studied ingredients and technique, the style and nature of pizza itself, which has been very light with a very high crust is now tending to embrace a mix of contemporana and Neopolitan, and cooked a little more, to form a sort of ‘neo-Neapolitan’ style pizza (“pizza Napoletana meets contemporana pizza”). New ingredients were increasingly being used (some pizzamakers using small meatballs in the pizza, which might sound odd to some, for instance). There was also a trend for more sliced pizza. An evolution rather than a revolution, feels Antimo Caputo, because pizza in a slice format has always been around.

After surges in the popularity of pizza in markets such as Japan and the UK over the years, currently, Northern Europe and the Baltic states in particular are becoming more interested in pizza, Antimo Caputo reported.

December 2021

REVIEW

Pizza business advice from Boss Pizza After originally starting out with a small food business selling Indian food and employing just four people in Hamilton, Scotland, Ajmal Mushtaq’s enterprise grew and grew to a significant size, its takeaway kitchen becoming the biggest one in Britain producing one meal every 15 seconds...

PIZZA OPPORTUNITY However, it was at the start of the pandemic, when Ajmal Mustaq decided to move into the pizza business because “making pizza is really easy (it’s not!)”, he said, “as the skill level was not as intense as in the Indian food sector,” with a number of chefs required, whereas in the pizza business a sole pizza chef is typically the case.

Within four months of starting Boss Pizza at the start of the pandemic, the sales were approximately £18,000 a week, he reported, which some might think is very good, others not, but given the fact they operate from a small town outside Glasgow with plenty of competition such as Domino’s and Papa John’s, and various independents, he felt it was very good from a ‘standing start’. His top ten tips that had worked for Mushtaqs, as well as Boss Pizza, were as follows.

TOP TIPS Marketing – no point in doing a good job, if no-one knows about it. Is your pizza the best in town, and how many people in the past week have you told? That needs to be done, and frequently (at Boss Pizza they spend around 45% of their time doing this with 8% of the total sales spent on marketing with some 20 different marketing channels including the local newspaper and social media, with at least one ending up registering with customers).

The two most important words in Facebook advertising in 2022 would be pixel and event, but was anyone familiar with these two terms? Pixel is generated by Facebook, and is a code to put on your web site (when someone visits your website and takes an action - for example, buying something - the Facebook pixel is triggered and reports this action/ event. This way, you’ll know when a customer took an action after seeing your Facebook ad).

Menu distribution and the tracking of orders placed by addresses that had received a menu (the best day for menu distribution he had found, being a Thursday, having had experience of doing this for some 10 years).

Branded cars (it being currently possible to hire a branded, fully warranted car for £160 a month), and especially in a reasonably large quantity which, in its own right, acted as statement. A big mistake, he felt, was to put a lot of wording and messaging on the car, when in actual fact just the name of pizza business and a phone number on the back was really all that was needed.

Giving back to the community. Every Monday they delivered freshly made pizzas to the soup kitchen. A lot of

companies gave away items at the end of the day, but they did not, preferring to deliver fresh pizzas, with members of the community wanting to get involved as well.

If you are serious about marketing and branding, having good exceptional, selection of food imagery is a must.

Another thing all brands should do in 2022 is keep things (marketing messaging and customer service) light-hearted, and much more consumer-relevant, said Ajmal Mushtaq.

You also need to create brand power in every single interaction the customer has with your business (product, delivery driver and car, packaging etc); this helps to automatically put you ahead of the competition he felt, and create brand credibility over time.

Challenge the leader (in their case, they had gone straight to challenging the brand leader in their area, Domino’s Pizza, but making sure they could also back up any claims, such as “40% bigger” etc).

Have a strategic, targeted marketing campaign based on the techniques outlined to drive people to want a pizza, and thus solve their question of ‘what am I having for dinner tonight?’. This could be achieved by parking a branded car in the target area first thing, followed by a leaflet drop in the morning in that same area, then an offer-related text message using contact information on your database, then a mid-afternoon email, with orders coming in from 4.30pm to 10pm, he claimed, and neighbours seeing neighbours ordering pizza etc, and thus tempted to do likewise. This approach had acted as a very potent marketing strategy, he had found. It took a lot of energy and resource, so they typically carried it out on a once a month basis.

www.papa.org.uk 31

PROFILE

PIZZA professional FIRST STEPS Having gained his all-important first steps in the ‘white art’ via his grandfather as a youngster and working in his hometown for a few years, still being very young, Marco Fuso moved away from home in order to travel, as well as gain experience working elsewhere.

Then, when he was 18, his dad announced that he had bought a restaurant, which was a shock to the family, Marco recalls, as they had no experience of running a restaurant as such. However, it resulted in him doing a pizzaiolo course, using his bakery experience as a foundation, and being excited about the prospect of a new restaurant, but scared as well, he remembers.

At this stage, he also had the benefit of a pizza maker mentor – Osvaldo - who he says he must thank for teaching him so

many things so early on. When they started the restaurant, this mentor never let him use fresh dough (normally, at the start, you don’t make pizza for customers straight away, but for yourself, he says). Thus, his learning curve involved making pizza from the oldest dough to be found in the fridge, and which did not always have much stretch left in it!

After complaining to his dad about this - that it was difficult to learn and that Osvaldo wasn’t teaching him properly - his dad told him “don’t speak to me, speak to him!”, and when he went back to the pizza chef, he was quickly told that he would have to continue working in such a way if he wanted to learn from him, and that he would be using such dough until he was making a rounded shape… It was this situation, says Marco, that made him knuckle down and accept the learning process - a technique he now uses with his own customers and clients today.

“When you’re working in a family restaurant everything is easier in a way, but there are also lots of challenges too,” explains Marco Fuso.

“For example, my mentor pizza chef had only been working with us six months when he left, so we had no pizza chef to run the pizzeria, but something happened to me in that I had to step up as a new pizza chef and meet the challenge, even though I was slow in making pizzas at the start, with customers having to wait! But I was determined not to give up, whereas others might have, at which point I found that I started to get better and better each day.”

COMPETITION CALLING After five years working as a pizza chef, he joined a group of pizza chefs working in Lecce, and that’s when he discovered there were pizza competitions. For the first five or six years, he

32

Marco Fuso comes from Lecce, Italy and is the eldest of six. After first learning about the ‘white art’ from his baker grandfather on his mum’s side, he then went on to work in his father’s restaurant before a series of competition wins raised his profile in the sector, leading him to being invited to become a pizza judge himself, as well as start his own pizza consultancy business (www.mfpconsultancy com).

entered many competitions but never won anything. In fact, he didn’t get anywhere, as such, but again, he never gave up. Then, in 2013, he finally got his first accolade in an Italian competition held in Tunisia, North Africa, and it was a great time for pizza chefs, their families present too, he says.

At which point something changed again for him, he recalls, in 2014, when he went to the World Pizza Championship in Parma, winning a bronze medal in the Neapolitan style category. Then, in 2015 and 2016, he continued to win more Italian competitions, as well as some international competitions.

In 2015 and 2016, he also entered the PAPA Awards’ Pizza Chef Competition, although he did not win at this stage.

However, in 2017, he finally won the Pizza Chef of the Year Competition, going on to win again in the margherita category the following year. Then, in 2018, he was invited to be part of the judging panel.

Although a struggle and a fight at times, winning competitions can be a game-changer, he says, he having learnt so much along the way and gained so much experience to take on elsewhere in his career, and which has, he points out, spurred him on to win and achieve more.

“At this point, you are able to make everything perfect so that you are able to win again,” he says.

December 2021

PROFILE “When you first enter competitions, you tend to be inexperienced and don’t know very much, so don’t win straightaway because you are perhaps overlooking every single detail from the way you are working (be as professional as possible) to your products and making best use of the time you have got rather than making your pizza too quickly.

“If you take your time – rather than working quickly as you typically have to do in a restaurant - you will look after what you are doing, and this will show through once the pizza gets to the judges. And smile! Smile all the time, in fact, in the competitions, and show your passion for the pizza!

“Competitions are not just about competing, but the chance to learn more from others and network with so many people, getting inspiration by looking at and watching others make their pizzas, as well as ‘top tips’. However, we are all different, and even if someone is showing off all their skills, it does not mean they are going to be copied.”

When working in various restaurants after working for his dad, he recalls how he came across some pizza chefs who were hiding how they made the pizza dough, and not always sharing techniques, which in turn creates problems for others when that person is away for some reason. However, these days, pizza chefs are now sharing more ideas and techniques, he reports, with lots of good pizza chef Facebook groups, for example.

Competitions are also a way to make your name, he acknowledges, which is fantastic and a nice experience; to be known for what you do and be in the limelight (something which he experienced in 2018 when he won the Pizza Chef of the Year title, going from being a ‘regular guy’ to being asked to do interviews and photo shoots for magazines and newspapers).

“Accolades and the competitions mean people are aware of you, and talking about, but you need to keep on making good pizzas and capitalise on this by making sure you sell yourself too by doing your own marketing,” he emphasises.

Future competitions? He’ll only be going to two, he says – the Las Vegas one and the World Pizza Championship in Parma (the two he is still really keen to try and win by securing first place). The competition is a lot

tougher now too, he feels, people having gained more knowledge and enhanced their pizza-making skills, world-wide.

To win these days, the dough has to be perfect, he advises, which is a difficult challenge in its own right when you are taking your dough out of your restaurant and making it elsewhere (temperature affecting the yeast activity, for instance), so you need to know how to control the process.

The dough is also often the first thing the judges taste and check for aroma, texture and flavour. Your ingredients (toppings) must be well combined, and despite the temptation to try and impress with quantity, ‘less is more’, he feels (three or four toppings, maximum). Then you should have a good chance to win a competition.

CONSULTANCY Five years ago, Marco Fuso started to run pizza making classes, although it wasn’t a full-time job, even though you couldn’t find many people running such classes in the UK at that time. So it was a slow process while he also sought to improve his English at the same time. Then, three years ago, he officially founded his company and started his consulting service to pizzerias and start-up businesses, covering not just pizza making, but the training of staff, menus, bespoke dough recipes, kitchen layouts and business aspects of it too, feeling that it is important to share the knowledge of his own experience and enjoying the process.

During the course of his consultancy work he has provided to chefs and operators so far, the dough aspect has proved to be the most important part, he says.

“You can add the best toppings money can buy, but the dough is the ‘signature’.

Additionally, if you are going to open a restaurant, don’t be tempted to save money (common mistakes being to buy a cheap mixer and cheap oven),” he adds.

“The mixer is where everything starts when making the dough, and the oven where everything finishes when the pizza is cooked. So you could be the most talented chef in the world but still not reaching your full potential without the right equipment.”

When it comes to pizza trends, he says there are two currently on the wave, as it were – Detroit style (a winner in the recent PAPA Awards, and something the judges are still talking about, and something he feels has a good future once it becomes more popular), and contemporary pizzas (the latest version of Neapolitan style with a larger crust and slightly different dough method called indirect in which preferments are used to create a more intense, favour-filled, ‘melt in the mouth’ base that when done well, can deliver the ‘wow’ factor and is increasingly popular with pizzerias opening in the UK).

When it comes to his future ambitions, an ever-busy Marco Fuso (who at the time was weighing up a trip to Italy versus a Channel 4 appearance), concludes that he would like to expand his consultancy service (his courses currently being available in London, Manchester and Liverpool, and shortly in Scotland too).

Secondly, he says he is really looking forward to opening his own pizzeria; he doesn’t know when that will happen, but it is his dream, and is likely to be found in London.

www.papa.org.uk 33

WOOD FIRED OVENS

wave Wood fired The outdoor potential and artisan nature of pizza baked authentically, and speedily, in a wood fired oven came into its element over the past two years, offering many pizza operators the chance to carry on serving, as well as secure new customers during challenging times.

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING They say that when the going gets tough, the tough get going, reflects the ‘wood fired oven guru’, Jay Emery, of Bushman Wood Fired Ovens, who feels that the last two years have really shown the truth of that statement.

“Right at the start of the Covid pandemic, I had many of my customers phoning and asking what they should do, and weekly I posted roughly the same message – ‘do everything you can to continue to work and earn a living’. Those who adapted and did exactly that got through the last two years, some of them with record tradings and truly amazing results,” reports Jay Emery.

“Three customers in particular epitomise the spirit of the entrepreneur who won’t take no for an answer, and did not give up, and I’m sure there will be many others out there who will see themselves in the story. To you, I salute you, as it’s people like you that make this country great.”

One customer went to work every day by setting up his pizza van and helping feed his community by offering a takeaway service that his customers loved during the covid pandemic. In the process, he sold in excess of 22,000 pizzas from the back of a van conversion. Another client, Jay Emery recalls, had landed in the UK from his annual winter break with 60 weddings pre-booked, only to have every 34

He then called me asking how he should manage the 500 pizzas a day he was selling.”

single one cancelled within a week of them getting back.

“This client asked me what he could do to get through, so I suggested that he set up a local village round and sell in a number of of communities,” explains Jay Emery.

“Three weeks later, he sent me a picture of the queue of people trying to get to his trailer, and he went on to have a record year.

“Client number three wanted to move forward with a wood fired pizza business but cancelled his order shortly after Covid hit, saying that he had had to close his hotel and restaurant, as he could not see how it could possibly work.

“However, once I had given him an effective marketing strategy, he took delivery of his oven in a yurt in the middle of nowhere instead, and it went crazy.

A BLESSING AND A CURSE “The truth is, Covid has been a blessing and a curse for many in the sector who have embraced the challenge,” Jay Emery continues.

“But for those who looked at the positives of the situation, amazing results have been achieved. The home pizza oven industry too has also seen a massive growth with home baking no longer the domain of the seasoned professional.

“I would say that bigger, professional dough mixes once only spoken about by artisan pizziaoli are now as much in use in home cooking as in the exclusive restaurants... Sourdough and long fermentation times are now the norm rather than the exception, and the advent of the real thin and crispy ‘45 second pizza’ is taking our industry by storm.

“I would also add that although our pizza world has been plagued by shortages of serving staff, to some extent they have largely been replaced by app service, making the whole dining experience a lot easier, more controlled and faster for everyone with customers ordering from the table and getting it delivered to the table and paying in advance.”

December 2021

WOOD FIRED OVENS don’t give up, and there is no time like the present to make it count.

“The future for our industry is bright and I’m certainly looking forward to seeing it unfold. I am grateful to be in this growing industry and thankful to everyone who has trusted us with their dreams, and would wish all health and happiness, and a very successful new year.

“To those who have struggled through Covid, remember that failure in whatever guise it comes need not define you as a person unless you let it. The future is yours to do whatever you want, and 2022 is your year to define it.”

A GOOD THING “Although the idea took time for some to adopt across my industry, the feeling of my street trading customers, takeaways and restaurants is mutual – app’s are actually improving everything,” adds Jay Emery.

“There is no doubt that adversity leads to innovation, and the app developers have also risen to the challenges and are delivering by no means a perfect solution, but are getting there.

“Covid has also seen its fair share of new entries in the pizza oven supply area and from my point of view, a growing market is a good market, and being a small fish in a big pond is much better than being the only big fish in a small pond… So long may the trend continue to grow.

“And grow it will, I feel. International travel and package holidays abroad may never be as easy or as cheap as they have been in the past, so the staycation is here to stay and with it the advent of the garden man cave and summer garden kitchen… After all, we have such long delightful summer evenings in the UK, it’s about time they were spent here rather than abroad!

“For my part, chaos is exciting, challenges are exciting, and if you are having a problem it’s only a matter of time till you find a solution, just as long as you www.papa.org.uk

VERSATILE SOLUTIONS “For many, nothing can beat the taste and appearance of authentic Neapolitan pizza cooked in a wood fired oven which can achieve the high temperatures required to produce the distinctive cornicione crust, infused with rich wood-smoke aromas,” says Michael Eyre, culinary director at Jestic Foodservice Solutions.

“Whether operators are cooking their pizzas in the kitchen or al fresco on a terrace or in a beer garden, at Jestic, we are proud to supply a full range of woodfired pizza ovens, each designed to meet the bespoke demands of a business and offer a host of benefits to the operator.”

The stylish-looking and high performance Quattro Pro and Quick pizza ovens from Italian manufacturer, Alfa Pro, for example, offer show stopping design and the flexibility of wood-fired, gas or dual fuel cooking, claim Jestic. The Alfa Pro Quattro can accommodate three 12” pizzas and can cook 60 pizzas per hour, and if you are looking for even more capacity the Alfa Pro Quick can hold six 12” pizzas with an impressive throughput of 110 pizzas per hour, they point out.

“The Quattro Pro and Quick feature seven layers of powder coating ensuring excellent weather resistance, whilst heavy-duty castors allow chefs to move the ovens around any outdoor cooking area and back indoors if the weather takes a turn for the worst. Alternatively, both models are available without the mobile stand for positioning on an outdoor counter,” explains Michael Eyre.

“Both the Alfa Pro Quattro Top and Quick models are light, compact and easy to use and so are ideal for fitting into food

trucks or mobile kitchens. Both ovens heat very quickly, reaching 450°C in just 30 minutes, and can bake a Neapolitan pizza perfectly in just 90 seconds and so offer the performance and versatility many operators have been looking for. For mobile or temporary kitchens, a chimney flue pipe is easy to connect for the wood fuelled versions.”

Jestic have now also been the exclusive distributor for Wood Stone, the well known supplier of commercial grade stone hearth, wood and gas fired pizza ovens, for twenty five years, supplying operators with a wide range of appliances in different sizes, designs, capacities and powers. The wood and gas fired ovens from Wood Stone have been designed to produce wonderful pizzas with an authentic stone fired taste, but also look good by enabling the pizza chef to bring their own flair to the customer.

The Wood Stone Mountain Series has been designed to be at the heart of any show kitchen. With its classic shape and bright visible flame, operators are able to build their restaurant and menu around this high production centrepiece (the four sizes in the Mountain Series offer nine to 31 square feet of cooking space and are available as wood or gas fired, or a combination of both). Whatever fuel is chosen, the 10cm thick, single piece refractory ceramic deck and dome provides strong heat retention, and there are a host of customisable options including additional doors, viewing windows and burner position or even an underfloor infrared burner. The Traditional Series features an ‘old world’ look, with both the 5’ and 6’ models in the series featuring the same specification and build quality of the Mountain series, but with a more traditional domed appearance.

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PROFILE

delivers for

Abbeyford Leisure Two and a half years ago, Papa John’s teamedup with Abbeyford Leisure to bring home the pizza to the home of golf in St Andrews...

THE STAYCATION BOOM With unrivalled views across the sandy bay towards St Andrews and beyond, award-winning St Andrews Holiday Park at Kinkell Braes is one of the most sought-after holiday locations on the east coast of Scotland.

In 2019, the resort owned by Abbeyford Leisure, invested in a Papa John’s franchised store on site, to enhance their offering to guests staying at the holiday park. As well as enabling visitors to enjoy their favourite pizza with family and friends while on holiday, the store also delivers to the local community including students at the University of St Andrews throughout the year.

“The past couple of years have not been ‘normal’ for anyone, by any means,” says Kevan Fraser, facilities manager, St Andrews Holiday Park.

“However, we have firmly established ourselves as the ‘go-to’ brand for quality pizza in St Andrews and have benefited from the recent staycation boom. In terms of our pizza sales which have been incredibly popular, we are experiencing year on year

growth. The new Papa John’s store is the first thing our guests see when they arrive, and they soon get hungry for their favourite pizza! It’s a treat which everyone can enjoy and for us, adding the Papa John’s store has been a great asset.”

David J Evans, Abbeyford Leisure chairman, adds: “As one of the leading holiday park brands across East Central Scotland, we take pride in providing the best available caravan holidays available. For example, our St Andrews club house has in recent years, has undergone a £1Million investment in its refurbishment.

With 450 caravans and lodges with hot tubs plus camping on site at St Andrews, our appeal is to family groups including grandparents, parents and children alike.

“The best thing about adding a Papa John’s is the kudos the brand provides. On arrival, our customers immediately know we are offering quality and innovation as soon they see our Papa John’s store.

“Our aim is always to exceed expectations and when we hear feedback that the children of the families who visit are saying ‘wow they’ve got a Papa John’s’ we know we’ve hit the mark!

This is why we chose Papa John’s. It’s a well-known global brand with a great reputation for fabulous food which adds to our own value proposition. There is nothing our visitors like more than to enjoy their favourite pizza on the balcony on a glorious summer evening, overlooking the bay. It’s times like these that the whole family can get together and have fun that make great memories.

It’s what our holidays are all about.”

LOCAL COMMUNITY BENEFITS Kevan Fraser continues: “As well as offering collections and deliveries to guests on the resort via e-bikes, our drivers also deliver to the local community. This has enabled us to build relationships with people and businesses in the town of St.

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December 2021

PROFILE

Andrews and we’ve even extended our delivery area for customers further down the coast. During the lockdowns, we supplied complimentary pizza deliveries to our local ambulance drivers, police, fire service and to supermarket staff to help out and say a big thank you to our valued key workers.

“The profile of our Papa John’s store has really grown and as well as being popular with the 9,000 students at the University of St Andrews, we also regularly cater for local businesses and on-campus events.

“For our seasonal holiday park staff, we’ve also been able to offer employment throughout the winter which is a big bonus for them. Some are enjoying the work so much they may choose to remain with the store when the summer guests return! The opportunity to learn new skills through the Papa John’s training academy offers prospects for our team which is motivating. One of our store team members has now been appointed as store manager and several of our drivers have progressed to supervisor level.

“The support of Papa John’s while we set up the store and on an ongoing basis with training has given us a great foundation to grow this new side of our business. The Papa John’s team share our values about putting people first and align with our drive for excellence in all aspects of our proposition. Working with Papa John’s has enabled us to provide a great additional offering to our customers and the local community around our resort.

“Our customers can now get away from it all, take in the stunning scenery, perhaps play a round of golf and pick up a pizza to enjoy with their family at their very own nineteenth hole!

Our partnership with Papa John’s has been hugely successful and we look forward to delivering many more pizzas and working together to enhance our customers’ experiences for many years to come.” www.papa.org.uk

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DELIVERY TECHNOLOGY

Augmented reality set to transform food delivery within five years Augmented reality (AR) will transform food delivery within the next five years as the industry prepares for a technological evolution, according to the Foodhub’s CEO, Ardian Mula.

SIGHTS, SOUNDS AND SMELLS Ardian Mula says AR will enable customers to experience the sights, sounds and possibly even the smells, of their favourite takeaway, allowing customers the full takeaway experience without leaving the house. In fact, this year, Foodhub bosses report that they have put plans in place for the development of AR within the business, placing the food delivery company at the forefront of the tech revolution, they claim.

Ardian Mula says that many of the 20,000 restaurants and takeaways currently partnered with his Stoke-onTrent-based firm could have access to the tech within just five years. He sees the development as a win-win for both consumer, who will enjoy a never before seen buying experience, and the trader with access to a new and exciting 38

marketing tool.

“I see this technology as being a game changer for both the industry and the takeaway consumer. Imagine as a consumer if you could have the full takeaway experience, using just your smartphone and a pair of goggles?” says Ardian Mula.

“This could allow customers to effectively walk into a takeaway and get the full flavour of the business, from the branding to the shop interior. They could then ‘shop’ their own order, from building a burger to picking a pizza off the shelf, as well as interacting with staff – all from the comfort of their own living room.

“Since the Covid-19 pandemic, people’s ordering habits have changed, and technology such as this will revitalise the industry in a way we haven’t seen for a long time.”

As progress is made developing this software, Foodhub says that it is also placing significant resource into improving the technology available to independent takeaways right now, with the aim of using technology to improve efficiency, order levels and profitability.

Ardian Mula adds: “Whilst larger chains have had access to different technologies for some time, at Foodhub we want to see a level playing field across the big players within the industry and local high street takeaways.”

QR CODES THE NORM? Meanwhile, it’s possible that takeaways will soon become entirely cashless, with more affordable technology such as pay

by QR becoming the norm.

“QR codes can be printed for pennies, a stark contrast to expensive payment December 2021

DELIVERY TECHNOLOGY hardware. In global markets such as India, there has been a big emphasis placed on providing businesses with these more affordable technologies, and we see a big opportunity to providing business owners with the chance to save on tech and instead invest elsewhere,” comments Ardian Mula.

In fact, deploying software online will reduce the need for takeaway owners to rely on hardware across the board, feel the company. Fusion 2.0, an exciting update to Foodhub’s software system currently in trial with 100 takeaways nationally, will see traditional tools such as tills and printers being replaced with the need for only one device, such as an iPhone or iPad. Using one device that can act as a digital chef’s menu, order management system, payment device and a tool to remove boundaries across multiple sites will result in less waste and increased efficiency, claim the company.

Modularisation within the platform also gives takeaways the ability to access

different features, whilst simply and easily being able to turn on and off anything they do not require access to.

In turn, this provides access to cuttingedge technology, at an affordable cost, they point out.

Another development that aims to bring independents in line with larger chains is the more widespread introduction of automation. In practice, this involves kitchens having access to machinery that cooks food the same perfect way every time.

“While this tech, which has been used by big businesses for years, would reduce the need for staff, it would solve staffing issues for many whilst also resulting in increased customer satisfaction through providing a better, more precise, product. We’d love to see more independents with access to technology like this,” says Ardian Mula.

When looking further into the future, within a decade Ardian Mula says that he foresees food being delivered by drones and robots, particularly in rural

areas which are less accessible by car and motorcycle than cities.

BUSINESS BENEFITS Natasha Archer, at Archers Sweets in Leeds, has been working with Foodhub for just under a year and can already see the benefits technology is having on the business: “Over the last few years, we’ve been upgrading our tech capabilities in line with the functions available with the Foodhub platform,” she says.

“We’re currently trialling the new Fusion software and are really excited to see the changes this will have to our business. We can already see a difference with regards to profitability, and through the ease of running everything through one device.

“As an independent business, using the software developed by Foodhub means we are able to keep up with the biggest players in the industry, something we would struggle to do without access to technologies such as these.”

Read it online at www.papa.org.uk

www.papa.org.uk 39

index registered suppliers 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

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 ADM Milling UK Ltd. Hyatt Place, 50-60 Broomfield Road, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 1SW Contact: Laura Passingham Tel: 01277 262525 sales4flour@adm.com https://www.4flour.co.uk/

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

Continental Quattro Stagioni Trafalgar Mills, Leeds Road, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD2 1YY Contact: Mr Roberto Giacobbi Tel: 01484 538333 r.giacobbi@continental-wine.co.uk www.continental-food.co.uk Conveni Willige Laagt 2, 5757 PZ Liessel The Netherlands Contact Noel Reidy Tel; +44 7903 526 457 +31 (0) 493 348 700 noel.reidy@conveni.nl info@conveni.nl

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

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

American Pan UK 6 - 8 Seddon Place, Stanley Industrial Estate, Skelmersdale, Lancashire WN8 8EB Contact: Mark Picconi Tel: 0161 504 1176 mpicconi@americanpan.com www.americanpan.com

Dairy Partners Ltd Brunel Way, Stroud Water Business Park, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire GL10 3SX Contact: Will Bennett Tel: 01453 828890 Will.Bennett@dairypartners.co.uk www.dairypartners.co.uk

Danish Crown – Topping Bommen 9, Thorning DK-8620 Kjellerup, Denmark Contact: Kevin Peacock Tel: 07790 988121 KPEAC@danishcrown.com www.dk-foods.dk

Dawn Farm Foods Lodge Way, Lodge Farm Industrial Estate, Northampton NN5 7US Contact: John McGrath Tel: 01604 583421 Fax: 01604 587392 iritchie@dawnfarmfoods.co.uk www.dawnfarms.ie

Eurilait Ltd Leighton Lane Industrial Estate, Leighton Lane, Evercreech BA4 6LQ Contact: Andrew Ford Tel: 01749 838108 andrewford@eurilait.co.uk www.eurilait.co.uk

Euro Catering Equipment Ltd. Unit 4 Egerton Close, Daventry, Northamptonshire NN11 8PE Contact: Steve Lane Tel: 01455 559969 Fax: 01455 559979 sales@euro-catering.co.uk www.euro-catering.co.uk Freiberger UK Ltd Broadgate House, Westlode Street, Spalding, Lincolnshire PE11 2AF Contact: Andrew Thorne Tel: 01775 767655 01775 767656 andrew.thorne@freibergerukltd.co.uk

Futura Foods UK Ltd. The Priory, Long Street, Dursley, Gloucestershire GL11 4HR Contact: Jo Carter Tel: 01666 890500 Fax: 01666 890522 jo@futura-foods.com www.futura-foods.com

Glanbia Cheese Ltd 4 Royal Mews, Gadbrook Park, Rudheath, Northwich, Cheshire CW9 7UD Contact: Lynne Utting Tel: 01606 810900 Fax: 01606 48680 lutting@glanbiacheese.co.uk Goodfella’s Pizza Birds Eye Ltd. 1 New Square, Bedfont Lakes Business Park, Feltham, Middlesex TW14 8HA Contact: Samantha Dolan Tel: 0208 918 3200 Sam.Dolan@birdseye.co.uk www.goodfellaspizzas.com Ingredient Solutions Ltd. Boherbue, Mallow, County Cork, Ireland Contact: Gary Davies Tel: +353 29 76981 gary@ingredientsolutions.net www.ingredientsolutionsltd.com Insurance Protector Group B1 Custom House, The Waterfront, Level Street, Brierley Hill DY5 1XH Tel: 0800 488 0013 business@ipgdirect.co.uk www.insuranceprotector.co.uk IPR Events London Ltd. The Plaza, 535 Kings Road, London SW10 0SZ Contact: Stanislava Blagoeva Tel: 0207 352 4356 slava@iprconnections.com www.iprconnections.com

F O O D S E R V I C E S O LU T I O N S

Jestic Units 3+4, Dana Industrial Estate, Transfesa Road, Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6UU Tel: 01892 831 960 Email: info@jestic.co.uk www.jestic.co.uk Just-Eat.co.uk Ltd. Imperial Place (IP4), Maxwell Road, Borehamwood WD6 1JN Contact: Paul Griffith Tel: 0208 7362001 b2bmarketing@just-eat.co.uk www.restaurants.just-eat.co.uk

index registered suppliers La Cimbali UK Ltd Centennial Park, 280 Centennial Avenue, Elstree, Borehamwood WD6 3ST Contact: Daniel.Clarke Tel: 020 8238 7100/07967 183494 daniel.clarke@cimbali.co.uk Leathams PLC 227-255, Ilderton Road, London, SE15 1NS Contact: Mr James Faulkner Tel 0207 6354026 / Fax 0207 6354017 ingredients.sales@leathams.co.uk www.leathams.com Lupa Foods Ltd. Suite A31, Elstree Tower, Elstree Way, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 1SD Contact: Sales Tel: 0208 2362222 www.lupafoods.co.uk Makfa JSC Vspolny Lane, Building 5, Construction 1, Office 1, Moscow 123001, Russia Contact: Elena Karmanova Tel: +7 351 255 97 16 (ext 2416) karmanova@makfa.ru www.makfahealth.com Nutritics 22c Town Centre Mall Main Street, Swords Co Dublin, Ireland Tel: 020 3769 5265 Email: info@nutritics.com www.nutritics.com

Ornua Ingredients Europe Hazel Park, Dymock Road, Ledbury, Herefordshire HR8 2JQ Contact: Alan Mackie Tel: 01531 631300 alan.mackie@ornua.com www.ornuaingredients.com Pan’Artisan Unit 25-26 Holmbush Industrial Estate, Holmbush Way, Midhurst, West Sussex GU29 9FQ Contact: Charlotte Kilduff Tel: 01730 811490 Charlotte.kilduff@panartisan.com www.panartisan.com

Pizza Plus Foodservice Light Industrial Estate, Liverpool Road, Walmer Bridge, Preston PR4 5HY Tel: 01772 610415 Fax: 01772 617610 Contact: Chris Smith chris@pizzaplusfs.co.uk

We also produce a alal range of H products

We re Manufactu a zz hargioni pi toppings

A Qualitops (UK) Ltd Simon Scotland Road, Hardwick Industrial Estate, Kings Lynn, Norfolk PE30 4JF Contact: Lea Hall Tel: 01553 772 522 sales@qualitops.co.uk www.qualitops.co.uk Riva Foods 32 Copenhagen Road, Hull HU7 0XQ Contact: Andrew Hargrave Tel: 01482 837285 Fax: 01482 824323 andrew.hargrave@rivafoods.co.uk www.rivafoods.co.uk

Silbury Marketing Ltd. 9 Manor Park, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX16 3TB Contact: Louise De Leon Tel: 01926 410022 sales@silbury.cp.uk www.silbury.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 Whitworth Bros Limited Victoria Mills, Wellingborough Northants NN8 2DT Contact: Gayle Hunter Tel: 01933 441000 Fax: 01933 222523 enquiries@whitworthbros.ltd.uk

Tel: 0161 702 8447

email: sales@pizza-toppings.co.uk

index of products BEVERAGES

DOUGH & PIZZA

Baking Pans

OILS & VINEGARS

Fruit & Vegetables

SOUPS, SAUCES,

Beer

EQUIPMENT

American Pan UK

Olive Oil

Carnevale Ltd.

STOCKS & DRESSINGS

Pizza Accessories

Chargrills

Leathams PLC

Meat

Garlic Spreads & Mixes

Chefsrange

Lupa Foods

999 Pizza Toppings (UK) Ltd.

Riva Foods

Silbury Marketing Ltd.

Carnevale Ltd.

Stateside Foods Ltd.

PASTA, POLENTA,

Danish Crown

GNOCCHI & RICE

Dawn Farm Foods

Carnevale Ltd. Coffee Carnevale Ltd. Mineral Water Carnevale Ltd. Soft Drinks Carnevale Ltd. Wine, Spirits & Liqueurs Continental Quattro Stagioni Ltd. Carnevale Ltd.

Pizza Plus Foodservice Pizza Making Systems & Equipment Chefsrange

DESSERTS

Displays Chefsrange

Products)

Carnevale Ltd.

Jestic

La Cimbali UK

Continental Quattro

Pizza Ovens

Fryers

Stagioni Ltd.

Chefsrange

Chefsrange

Leathams PLC

Jestic

Lupa Foods

READY MEALS

Griddles

Makfa JSC

Italian

Pizza Plus Foodservice

Garlic Bread Goodfella’s Pizza

Other Fish & Seafood Leathams PLC

EGGS Cheese 999 Pizza Toppings (UK) Ltd. Carnevale Ltd. Dairy Partners Ltd. Eurilait Ltd. Futura Foods UK Ltd. Glanbia Cheese Ltd. Ingredient Solutions Leathams PLC

FLOUR & BAKERY Concentrates Allied Mills Durum Semolina Allied Mills

Carnevale Ltd.

Chefsrange Cooktek (MCS Technical Products) Jestic Holding Ovens Jestic

CHEESE, DAIRY &

Pasta (Dry)

Pasta Sauces

Drinks Systems

FISH & SEAFOOD

Riva Foods

La Cimbali UK

Cooktek (MCS Technical

Jestic BREAD, CAKES &

Coffee Machines

Induction Cooking & Holding

Pizza Plus Foodservice

Leathams PLC Pizza Sauces Conveni

Silbury Marketing Ltd.

Leathams PLC

Stateside Foods Ltd.

Lupa Foods Pizza Plus Foodservice Silbury Marketing Ltd. Stateside Foods Ltd. Soups

Conveni

Conveni

PIZZA DOUGH, BASES & CRUSTS

READY PREPARED

Dough Balls

TOMATOES

Prepared Pasta Meals

Canned Tomatoes

Pan’ Artisan

Freiberger UK Ltd.

Lupa Foods

Prepared Pizza (Chilled)

Silbury Marketing Ltd.

Pizza Plus Foodservice Pizza Bases & Crusts

Cooktek (MCS Technical

Pan’ Artisan

Products)

Pizza Plus Foodservice

Preparation Counters

Stateside Foods Ltd.

Chefsrange

Passata

Conveni Stateside Foods Ltd. Prepared Pizza (Frozen)

Lupa Foods SunBlush© Tomatoes Leathams PLC

Freiberger UK Ltd.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Carnevale Ltd.

Refrigeration

Goodfella’s Pizza

Carnevale Ltd.

Flour

PIZZA TOPPINGS

Chefsrange

Fish

Pizza Plus Foodservice

Leathams PLC

Carnevale Ltd.

Stateside Foods Ltd.

Lupa Foods

ADM Milling UK Ltd. Allied Mills

MEAT

Carnevale Ltd.

Bacon

Whitworth Bros. Limited

Dawn Farm Foods Ltd.

Leathams PLC

The Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Association is the trade body representing the UK pizza, pasta and Italian Food Association.

The Association is given direction by a Management Committee comprising:

Chicken & Other Poultry

CHAIRMAN

Leathams PLC

Keith Griffiths (Pizza Hut)

Leathams PLC

Lupa Foods

Icings

Ornua Ingredients Europe

Allied Mills

Stateside Foods Ltd.

Improvers

Eggs

Allied Mills

Futura Foods UK Ltd.

Premixes

Ham

Leathams PLC

(Bread & Cakes)

Carnevale Ltd.

Mozzarella

Allied Mills

Dawn Farm Foods Ltd.

FROZEN PIZZA MANUFACTURER

Carnevale Ltd.

Foods Ltd.

David Jones (Pan Artisan)

AGGREGATOR

Dairy Partners Ltd.

Leathams PLC

CONSULTANT

Italian Meat & Sausages

CHILLED PIZZA MANUFACTURER

Dawn Farm Foods Ltd.

Ian Kent (Stateside)

Lupa Foods

PASTA MANUFACTURER/ DISTRIBUTOR

Eurilait Ltd. Futura Foods UK Ltd. Glanbia Cheese Ltd. Parmesan Eurilait Ltd. Futura Foods UK Ltd.

FOOD WHOLESALERS Continental Quattro Stagioni Ltd. Leathams PLC Stateside Foods Ltd.

Beef

Stateside Foods Ltd.

Pancetta Carnevale Ltd.

Vacancy

FRUIT & VEGETABLES

Danish Crown

Chargrilled Vegetables

Qualitops (UK) Ltd

SUPERMARKETS

Carnevale Ltd.

Pepperoni

Chilled - Vacancy

Online Ordering Solutions

Olives

Carnevale Ltd.

Just-Eat.co.uk Ltd.

Leathams PLC

COMPUTING SOLUTIONS

Lupa Foods

Danish Crown

Frozen - Vacancy

Dawn Farm Foods Ltd.

PIZZA RESTAURANTS

GCL Food Ingredients.

Chain - Rupi Zani (Pizza Express)

Qualitops (UK) Ltd

PIZZA DELIVERY OPERATORS

DELIVERY &

INSURANCE

PACKAGING

Insurance Protector Group

Heated Pizza Delivery

KITCHEN & SERVING

Bag Systems

EQUIPMENT

Danish Crown

Cooktek (MCS Technical

Bakery Ovens

Dawn Farm Foods Ltd.

Products)

Chefsrange

Qualitops (UK) Ltd

Salami Carnevale Ltd.

Independent Sunny Chhina (The Fat Pizza) Geoff Parsons (Basilico) Katy Habibian (Village Pizza) Stephen Glass (Just Eat) Maurice Abboudi Richard Harrow

SUPPLIERS Cheese Nick Waring (Eurilait) Mozzarella Lynne Utting (Glanbia) Meat Jon Watkin (Dawn Farm Foods) Flour Gayle Hunter (Whitworths)

Chain - Phillip Quinn (Papa John)

Equipment Richard Norman (Jestic)

Small Chain - Khalil Rehman (Caprino’s Pizza)

Speciality Ingredients James Faulkner (Leathams)

PAPA

HELP US TO

HELP YOU

The Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Association aims to ensure the best market conditions for our industry. From lobbying government to its organisation of the prestigious Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Awards, we aim to provide the best environment for you to trade in plus a wide range of benefits.

Facing the staffing challenge – Our business needs good people. We are lobbying to ensure Brexit does not lead to the door shutting on the people we need to keep going.

Reducing Energy and Telecoms costs – Our specialist advisor will shop around to get you the very best deals – and it’s free!

Insurance with Free Membership – Our specialist insurers offer really keen prices for shop and business insurance – and independent retailers can get free membership if they use them.

KPMG Accounting offer – Members can take advantage of a three months free accounting offer from leading accountants KPMG. Training – Our discounted on-line hygiene training is focused and saves you money and time.

Assured Guidance – Members following our Assured Advice are protected from enforcement challenges.

Free Advice – From legal to technical advice, our members have free access to experts.

Buying ingredients or equipment from abroad? Our agreement with Cornhill offers exceptionally keen exchange rates.

Business rates and financial help – We have teamed up with a specialist business finance consultancy who provide members advice on everything from business rates to raising finance.

Cutting Fuel bills – Members can enjoy savings of up to 5p per litre on diesel & petrol, and up to 10p per litre at motorway pumps, with a free no-obligation fuel card.

London hotel discounts – Save money when staying in London using the unique Association booking code with Grange Hotels.

It all comes with membership Plus you get free password access to

our online magazine and guidance

HELP US TO

Visit www.papa.org.uk

JOINING TODAY

01291 636348

HELP YOU BY

Or Call Sandra on