Worldwide Fruit Ltd - The Core Magazine - Winter 2019

winter ‘19

CONTENTS 04

01 A WORD FROM OUR CEO 02 THIS SEASON’S NEWS 04 UK JAZZTM APPLE SEASON BEGINS 06 MANAGING KNOWN QUALITY RISKS 08 WFL VISITS SOFT FRUIT SUPPLIERS FOR M&S 09 IMO - THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

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10 MUDDYBOOTS GLSA SHOWS CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 12 WFL BUDDY PROGRAMME 14 MEET THE MANAGEMENT 15 BACK AND FORTH 16 RECIPE 18 COMPETITION 16

The Core Magazine is always looking for fresh ideas and new stories so if you have something to share or want to get in touch, please email victoria.cliff@fruitiongp.co.uk

A WORD FROM

OUR CEO Hello everyone, Welcome to the latest issue of The Core. Summer seems a long time ago, the clocks have gone back and it feels much colder, but I hope everyone managed to fit a break in when the weather was nicer.

Our business continues to perform really well in a very tough marketplace and we’re on track to have a good end to the year and that will make 2019 a successful one for WFL. Our suppliers and our customers continue to choose to work with us and give us the opportunity to grow. Alongside our normal work, we’ve made ourselves Brexit ready. If anyone actually knows what is happening could they please let me know .

The latest good news to come through is that JAZZ™ Apple has once again won the coveted title of the UK’s Tastiest Apple. What a fantastic achievement and a huge thank you to all our growers who took part in the National Fruit Show.

We’re really lucky to have JAZZ™ in our stable and I hope you enjoy reading more about what we have planned with the variety.

Our soft fruit and stone fruit business has had a great summer too and has strong potential for growth. This is yet again another fantastic example of our business evolving and meeting customer needs.

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It’s been a busy time since the last issue of The Core and I can guarantee we’re not standing still. We’re presently updating our Direction of Travel for 2020 and beyond and look forward to sharing these with you soon.

We have a great foundation in our business with great people and I’m very positive about our future.

Thank you for all your amazing work, it is hugely appreciated.

NEWS 01

THIS SEASON’S

NEWS

Tr o p h y P wit h Sa res en t at ion m u e l Cl if f an d Simon C a rt e r

COOL CARTER CANTERS TO VICTORY The WFL Golf Day returned to the stunning Spalding Golf Club on September 1st with Simon Carter taking home the spoils after a cracking round in testing conditions. Pipped to this year’s trophy was Samuel Cliff in second place followed

by Jimmy Manson in third position.

The competitive but always friendly event, which was once again organised by Richard Bell, saw over 20 competitors take to the course for 18 holes followed by a fabulous lunch

NEW WFL JAZZTM APPLE TEAM REVEALED With Gary Harrison set to depart WFL before the end of the year after more than 41 years at the company, it has been revealed that the dynamic duo of Victoria Cliff and Jon East will be taking over the JAZZ™ Apple reins as Marketing Manager and Trading Manager respectively.

Victoria moved into fresh produce in 2016 and has been working as an Account Executive looking after Waitrose, building up her knowledge and experience within category management. Victoria’s new position will see her take on the role of Marketing Manager where she will support business accounts to deliver growth, along with overseeing market insights, and sharing of information.

Jon has 15 years of fresh produce experience with previous roles held in both procurement and customer facing roles across a variety of major UK retailers, namely M&S, Morrisons, Sainsburys, Aldi and Tesco. As part of his new role as Trading Manager, Jon will be responsible for looking after the JAZZ™ Apple programme with responsibility for both sales and procurement activities within the end-toend supply chain, ensuring that both sales and grower returns are maximised.

Victoria and Jon have already begun to make the transition to their new roles and at the end of November will be supporting JAZZ™ Apple on the brand’s twiceyearly pilgrimage to Birmingham for the BBC Good Food Winter Show.

02 NEWS

and awards ceremony in the clubhouse. Other challenges to take place on the day included the ‘Longest Drive’ and ‘Closest to the Pin’, which were won by Simon Bell and Chris Brown (Guest) respectively.

If you’d be interested in having a swing at next year’s WFL Golf Day then get in touch with Richard Bell or look out for the posters at both offices which will be put up to advertise the event next April.

COMMENTING ON HER APPOINTMENT, VICTORIA SAID “I’m thrilled to join the JAZZ tm Apple team and can’t wait to get started in my new role alongside Jon. I’m looking forward to continuing the successes that Gary has achieved with JAZZ tm , but also working with business accounts to drive opportunities in terms of marketing activities and market insights.”

JON CONTINUED “It ’s great to be at WFL and work not only with a fantastic brand, but also with a well-respected, forwardthinking and ambitious business.”

JAZZTM APPLE SCOOPS ‘UK’S TASTIEST APPLE’ TROPHY...AGAIN The upcoming Northern Hemisphere JAZZ™ Apple season got off to the perfect start at this year’s National Fruit Show after the variety scooped first, second and third place on the podium in the ‘UK’s Tastiest Apple’ category, with the winning apples grown by Robert & Oliver Pascall of Clockhouse Farm.

Winning the title means JAZZ™ Apple retained its crown after triumphing last year and has now collected the ‘UK’s Tastiest Apple’ title in five out of the last seven years.

Dedicated to showcasing the best of British fruit for over 80 years, the show took place on the 23rd and 24th of October at the Kent Event Centre in Detling. Collecting second place in the prestigious apple competition were JAZZ™ grown

by Chandler and Dunn, with Simon Bray picking up the third prize.

Clockhouse Farm is a 4th-generation family farm run by father and son duo Robert and Oliver Pascall. Originally a mixed farm growing hops, livestock and fruit which began in 1903, they are now farming approximately 330 hectares to the south of Coxheath in Kent.

They first planted JAZZ™ in 2006 on south facing slopes with deep cut fertile soil and have a precision irrigation system in place to deliver the right level of moisture and nutrients for the trees. This year was the first time the farm had put forward JAZZ™ Apples in to the competition at the National Fruit Show.

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CHAMPION GROWER SIMON BRAY ADDS MORE AWARDS TO TROPHY CABINET Kent’s champion apple grower Simon Bray continued his fine record at the National Fruit Show this year after adding another two awards to his trophy cabinet including the Garden of England Champion Kent’s Tastiest Apple 2020 prize.

For Simon Bray, at Monks Farm located near Sittingbourne, the National Fruit Show is an opportunity to showcase the best of British apples and the best of Kent.

In 10 years of competing at the National Fruit Show, Simon has taken home numerous prizes and rosettes. Previously, Simon’s JAZZ™ Apples won the Tastiest Apple category outright in 2014 and they have finished second in 2017 and 2018.

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At this year’s show, Simon’s precious JAZZ™ came third in the ‘UK’s Tastiest Apple’ category but won the Garden of England Champion regional prize for Kent’s Tastiest Apple 2020.

NEWS 03

UK JAZZ APPLE SEASON BEGINS TM

The new UK apple season is upon us once again and to say it’s been another busy year already for the JAZZ™ Apple brand would be a huge understatement.

Alongside a trip to Birmingham for the BBC Good Food Show, JAZZ™ have also this summer created a recipe book in collaboration with a host of food bloggers, visited some of the UK’s fantastic independent fruit sellers, and continued to grow sales of its industry first mini cartons.

All of this, combined with the hard work that goes on behind the scenes, has seen the brand cement its place as the UK’s fifth most popular apple and start the UK apple season in the best possible way.

The BBC Good Food Show took place at the NEC for four days at the end of June and saw the brand sell and sample its apples to over 100,000 people in four days. The event

N JA e w S e Z Z T M as o Ap n ple s

forms a key part of JAZZ™ Apple’s marketing plans and allows the brand to showcase its new season Southern Hemisphere apples and highlight its retailers to consumers.

The winter version of the show takes place at the end of November and JAZZ™ will once again be there but this time promoting the UK grown apples.

Next up on the campaign trail saw the brand travel the country to visit some of finest independent retailers, fruit shops and sellers promoting and selling the variety locally. Purchased via HG Walker, the retailers were given a selection of JAZZ™ Apple equipment such as fleeces, slicers and stickers to help push sales of the brand, while also linking up on the social media channels. As well as being available in all of the major supermarkets, there are also a legion of hardworking independent fruiterers who sell and promote the variety locally fantastically in their stores.

GARY HARRISON, UK COMMERCIAL MANAGER FOR JAZZTM™APPLE “The strength of the JAZZ tm Apple brand continues to grow season to season and with some exciting plans in place for the year ahead, we believe we can grow the brand even further. The season has already started in the best possible way after winning the ‘UK’s Tastiest Apple’ award so we have high hopes.”

04 SPECIAL FEATURE

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Following the success of its previous recipe book in partnership with the Happy Skin Kitchen, JAZZ™ reached out to a further 14 foodie bloggers this time to create the ultimate recipe book. Free to download from the JAZZ™ Apple website, it’s packed full of delicious dishes featuring popular bloggers such as the Zesty Lime, Nourished Naturally, Freycob and Rachel Phipps.

less busy for the team with the BBC Good Food Show on the horizon. However, it’s already started pretty well with the variety scooping first, second and third place in the UK’s Tastiest Apple category at the National Fruit Show, with the winning apples grown by Robert & Oliver Pascall (read more page 3).

The JAZZ™ Apple mini cartons, which were designed and created by WFL, have also become an instant success.

Launched in April 2018, they have now featured in two BBC Good Food Shows and are available in Asda, Morrisons, Ocado and Waitrose, with sales to date at over 200,000 individual cartons worth over £400,000 at retail.

With November heralding the beginning of the Northern Hemisphere JAZZ™ Apple season, it’s not due to get any t m at ZZ A J w th f f wi Food Sho a t s W F L BC G ood t he B

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SPECIAL FEATURE 05

MANAGING KNOWN QUALITY

RISKS

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e r , an d g a n a M l a ic n h an a g e r r , W F L T ec M e t e c in n W ia n l p o s m a o J C y b F L Qualit y & W , d l o r o h T ie Ju l

Following a recurring avocado quality challenge, a 5why was conducted and it was found that there are periods of known high-risk, especially for progressive defects. These high-risk periods could relate to the point in the season, stock age or storage regime but it was noted that we did not have a standardised process of mitigating this risk.

From here, we raised a countermeasure to develop a system of identifying these known risks and managing them within our current processes. We then set about developing detailed known risk management plans (KRMP) for each product type, starting with pears. The plan consisted of three elements with the first part looking at how we use data currently collected in the UK on quality, such as intake reports, accelerated ripening, shelf life data and combining these with quality data received from source in the form of seasonal prospects and the Quality Risk Calendar.

The Quality Risk Calendar is the second element for the KRMP. We built the calendar internally with input from the

technical team, the procurement team and the relevant product managers. This consisted of using both quality data and product knowledge to understand when and where the known risks are. In the case of pears, we highlighted seven known risks.

Once we had identified the seven known risks, we set about building protocols for each of the risks identified. These protocols break down our internal processes from inputting PO data prior to the fruit arriving, through intake and the production process, all the way to the end customer.

The protocol highlights who is responsible for that part of the process and the steps we should take to mitigate the risk presented.

Finally, we needed to develop a process where the high-risk management plans HRMP are made visible for the packhouse team in order for them to focus attention on these high-risk product areas. With the use of the aforementioned tools, the relevant product manager would build a HRMP.

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We formally communicate these HRMPs during the Weekly Technical KPI meeting and on the Level 1 boards within the packhouse. The Packhouse Quality Team meet at the Level 1 Quality Board on the morning of any shift changeover (Mon/ Weds/Fri) where Product Managers discuss product quality hotspots and any additional inspection requirements based upon the HRMP.

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The Quality and Product Management Team utilise data such as raw material inspection reports, dwell time and customer complaints to determine which products can undergo a “light touch” finished goods assessment. We will continually review this to ensure we are proactively managing resource and deploying the Quality Team to the known risk areas.

Additional inspection requirements may include increased cut testing, increased pressure testing, additional taste testing and a higher volume of finished product inspections for physical defects. In order to create the additional capacity required to allow greater focus and inspection on known or high-risk products, a “light touch” assessment for low risk product areas is required.

We created a “Label Only” assessment for this purpose. This reduces the inspection time as defect levels do not need quantifying. The team will however report on defect levels of low risk products if considered to be out of specification.

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Jaso W F L T e n W in t e r , c h n ic a l Man a g er BEHIND THE SCENES 07

WFL VISITS SOFT FRUIT SUPPLIERS FOR M&S

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By An dy Mit chechnical Manag er W F L Senior T e The soft fruit supply in to M&S from WFL continues to grow and as the end of the UK season approaches several new suppliers are being welcomed in to the supply base of the business. As part of the process, suppliers are audited to ensure they meet the M&S Select Grower Farm Standard and are set up for supply in all the key areas of technical and sourcing.

The first supplier to be visited this season was Surexport, who are Europe’s largest soft fruit grower. Based in south Spain in the beautiful region of Doñana, a national park and world heritage site in the Huelva region, they specialise in growing strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries in Spain, Portugal, Kenya and Morocco.

Surexport’s site in Spain has invested several million pounds in upgrading its main office and packing site and is truly set for the peak volume of March and April with ten lines and

Sure xport sit e in Doñana , Spain

two contingency lines to cope with the packing and supplying to all over Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Formed by three brothers in 1999, the business quickly developed contracts to grow the best varieties from around the world in Spain and then beyond. They can grow strawberries and supply all year round from the countries they work in, while they also have their own programme to add that point of difference.

The site in Spain is made up of eight farms all owned by Surexport, offering 800ha of land to grow the fruit. They lead the industry in water management and have been highlighted by WWF and the Spanish national government for the work they have done. At their peak they have 2,500 pickers on the eight farms and have built excellent accommodation for their staff.

ANDY MITCHELL, WFL SENIOR TECHNICAL MANAGER “The visit to Surexport went really well and the business gained a silver for its growing and packing sites from Select grower. Their traceability was some of the best I have seen and the management of people, harvesting and growing on the farm was excellent.

I am very excited to have Surexport on board. They are one of the best growers in the world and deliver excellent product and service, which will really drive on the offer for M&S in soft fruit and give them a point of difference in the market.”

08 BEHIND THE SCENES

IMO 2020 THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

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By Pe t er LelloManag er W F L Shipping

In a previous article, I touched on the new IMO regulations coming into force in January 2020 limiting the sulphur content in fuels used for marine propulsion. Now in the final quarter of 2019, shipping lines are gearing up to make the changeover.

During 2019 there has been an increase in the number of shipowners deciding to use scrubbers (which can continue to use the traditional higher sulphur fuels) as a solution to comply with the regulations. Typical installation costs can be USD 5m per vessel.

To be compliant with the regulations, bunker tanks on ships will have to be emptied and cleaned, and start running on the new fuels well in advance of January so no contamination will be present. Enforcement of the new rules will be down to individual countries policing their own waters.

Closed-loop scrubbers use a recycled stream to contain the sulphur, which must then be disposed of as toxic waste, at a cost. Closed scrubbers use a caustic solution such as sodium hydroxide, producing sodium sulphate. It is corrosive so specialist tanks are needed; ports will have to add discharge facilities for this to be a viable widespread option.

High-tech ‘sniffer’ drones will be used by some European authorities to sample ships’ exhaust fumes as the drone flies overhead. On the other hand some countries are expected to be lax at enforcement, and a minority of shipowners may be tempted to break the rules in these areas.

The alternative is open-loop scrubbers, but these have an environmental impact that is unacceptable to many. These use seawater and are cheap but just discharge the waste wash water into the oceans, which may seem to defeat the intent of the law, if not the letter. As a result several countries have now banned the use of open-loop scrubbers in their territorial waters and it may be in the future that their use is banned completely.

There are concerns about the compatibility of supplies of the new low sulphur fuels as oil refiners use different feedstocks to blend and produce 0.1% fuel, and the potential issues of damage to ships main engines and fuel filtering systems. This is driving some shipowners to consider using marine diesel fuel instead, which complies with the regulations but is much more expensive. Such a large increase in demand for diesel may then impact adversely on the diesel fuel market overall with increased prices for land-based users.

Finally, we will not have to wait very long until we see the financial impact of the new regulations with most container shipping lines expected to start charging their new additional ‘environmental fuel surcharges’ from November.

BEHIND THE SCENES 09

MUDDYBOOTS

GLSA SHOWS CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

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By B e t h I r e l a n M a n a g e r W F L T echnical

We reviewed Greenlight and our supplier approval systems to create a more efficient system. Specific customers require suppliers to be on Greenlight Supplier Approval (GLSA) so we broached Muddyboots on working together to make the platform even more fit for purpose.

Since we started our CI journey, we have reviewed how we request and collect supplier due diligence to better utilise the GLSA and Tableau reporting functionality, and made alterations to our grower and packer list. We have imported the supply chains down to grower and packer level for all Top Fruit, Avocado, Stonefruit and Soft Fruit. Rather than asking our suppliers to update their supply chains in GLSA, which is a long and arduous task if the supplier has more than 3 or 4 growers, we have backdated the data on their behalf and validated the data was uploaded correctly.

We have created numerous useful reports. Both informal useful reports for myself, which saves me hours of work, but also formal approved supplier, grower and packer lists for the business to use at intake and other areas.

One simple report which saves me hours of work is an automated report showing what files have been uploaded into GLSA and by who, which is emailed to me daily and saves me many hours of work each week checking if suppliers have uploaded documents.

We are currently integrating all option 1 Global Gap growers for the above commodities with the Global Gap database on GLSA to have current accreditation status for all option 1 growers and to remove the need for ‘hard copies’ to be uploaded by suppliers. Again, we have taken it on ourselves to backdate this integration on behalf of our suppliers.

10 BEHIND THE SCENES

By going down to grower level on GLSA along with collecting GPS coordinates, we can now map suppliers using GLSA and Tableau direct to their exact location.

Reports could be visualised as a tree diagram showing how the different organisations fit together, or by a scatter graph of farms and packhouses on a map of the world.

The map report could make use of supplier visits and travel expenses more efficiently, as technical managers and procurement teams will be able to identify neighbouring sites when doing a supplier visit.

Currently we are working on putting customer approvals in GLSA by grower, backdating to ongoing seasons.

Muddyboots are working on creating an ‘Approvals’ tab on GLSA which can easily manage both WFL and customer approvals. We are working with Muddyboots on creating this ‘Approvals’ section to ensure it is simple and easy to use. Ideally, Technical Managers will be able to go onto the Approvals tab and select suppliers, which will open up the growers, and packer lists with customer names on the y-axis where we will be able to tick the approved sites for each customer.

Our next steps will be having the approval status of growers, packers and suppliers on the intake check, removing the need to check an approved list. We will also be putting on customer approvals on the intake checks, however that requires a lot of mapping work to be done beforehand to ensure products and site names are the same in GLSA and Greenlight QC. In the meantime, we have a report, which details the approval status of suppliers, growers and packers.

Pesticide Manager Continuous Improvement We have been working with Muddyboots to improve their Pesticide Manager platform alongside GLSA. This initially started when it was identified that their Proposed Pesticide Usage list (PPU) was no longer fit for purpose and was behind the curve compared to other PPU providers. The new and improved PPU template is currently in its final user review and will be released in a couple months. The new template addresses such matters as post-harvest treatments, inclusion of organic option and improvements on the approvals section and identification of products.

Future work on Pesticide Manager is a collaboration between Muddyboots Greenlight Pesticide Manager and Food Experts. The details of the collaboration is currently under negotiation but suggests all customer PPU requirements could be held by one collaborated system.

The improvements to the Pesticide Manager PPU will make the management of PPU more streamlined, as organic PPUs could be included in the system. It will also make management of post-harvest treatment easier as currently suppliers have to duplicate the work by stating post-harvest treatments on a separate form. Once the We are also working on being able to report on PPUs reporting without a protocol assigned has been removed, uploaded via Tableau, however as it currently stands the PPU has to be assigned to a ‘protocol’, which cost £1300 each. it will greatly improve horizon scanning and when pesticide results are integrated, as well as saving a lot Muddyboots are working on changing the system so that of time cross-referencing results with PPUs. PPUs can be reportable regardless of protocol assignment, removing the standard charge per protocol. This will create Continuous improvement is being carried out on all greater capacity for easy and in-depth risk assessment and technical administrative systems and administrations. horizon scanning of pesticide issues. This work is running This will save time and more efficiently make use of data alongside work currently underway by our pesticide-testing collected and risk management. It has already saved me laboratory and to improve mass data reporting, which a lot of time and other colleagues will start to see could be uploaded into Tableau and reported alongside the changes to the systems in the very near future.

PPU data creating instantaneous and customisable crossreferencing of PPUs and pesticides found.

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Scattergraph map showing farms and packhouses.

BEHIND THE SCENES 11

WFL BUDDY

PROGRAMME WHAT IS A BUDDY?

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When joining a new business, it can feel a little overwhelming. The WFL Buddy Programme supports new team members as they settle into their new roles.

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The Buddy is someone who the new team member can talk to and help them understand their new working environment.

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The support may include helping them to: • Understand more about their department • Understand more about other departments • Understand more about customers and what is important to them • Build relationships with other colleagues who can support them in their role • Understand the formal and informal culture and structure of how things are done at WFL • Ask questions relating to things about their role they are unsure of

WHAT MAKES A GOOD BUDDY? Buddies should be good at: • Relationship building • Questioning • Listening • Demonstrating the WFL Company Values – Passion, Quality, Innovation, Together • Being an enthusiastic role model • Demonstrating equal opportunities principles and awareness of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 • Sharing information clearly • Problem solving • Giving praise and constructive feedback • Encouraging the new team member to get involved e.g. with social events, suggestions for improvement, Your Voice

t ing r o p s up ber y d d Bu m m e m L F W w t ea ne

If you’d like to find out more about the WFL Buddy Program or get involved and become a Buddy, please speak to Emma Luto or Helen Parker.

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MEET THE MANAGEMENT NAME AND ROLE Steve Maxwell – CEO of WFL.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO FRESH PRODUCE? I’d been working in sales management selling products like Golden Wonder crisps, Pot Noodles and Ambrosia rice and wanted to move into an area where I’d be more involved across the whole supply through to customer process. An opportunity came up at Fruition and 20 years later I’m still here.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT THE JOB? It’s an absolute privilege to be in my job. For us to ‘Be Customers’ First Choice’, we need to focus on being the best Fresh Produce supplier in the UK. I love helping make that happen.

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WHY DO YOU THINK WFL IS A GOOD PLACE TO WORK AND PROGRESS? I’m proud that so many people have progressed through our business. This is my 5th role in WFL. I’m proud of the ‘Grow Our Own’ strategy. We want people to feel valued and feel that there are opportunities for them. I want everyone to feel this is a positive business to work in.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES AND INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF WORK? On Tuesday nights you’ll find me and my friends bashing each other in the boxing gym – that’s great fun. I enjoy a sociable round of golf. I love going to music gigs and going to the movies. Overall, I’m a sociable person and love hanging out with family and friends.

MEMORABLE RECENT TRIPS?

WHAT IS THE MOST ENJOYABLE PART OF YOUR DAY-TO-DAY WORK?

We went to California in the summer for my 50th birthday and it was amazing.

I get a buzz when I have a week with what I call a Gemba hat-trick. For me that means visiting suppliers to learn about what they’re doing to progress, spending time in our offices and factories to learn about the improvements our teams are working on and visiting customers to listen to them and offer solutions. That’s when I see the breadth of our business coming together into a win.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE FRUIT?

WHAT IS THE MOST EXCITING THING YOU’RE WORKING ON AT PRESENT? I love it when we get more business. It means people are choosing to work with us. I can’t really expand on that at the moment but be assured we are not standing still.

04 PEOPLE 14 PEOPLE

Cherries.

IF YOU COULD INVITE THREE PEOPLE TO A DINNER PARTY, WHO WOULD THEY BE? I’m in the car a lot and listen to podcasts so have decided to invite three people I’ve found interesting from podcasts. Mark Kermode – the movie critic, Bryan Stevenson – the lawyer and social justice activist, and Caitlin Moran – the author and columnist.

S cl a t e v e s se a s w t bo it h xing f ri en ds

BACK& FORTH Danny and Mark have known each for 20 years after meeting when working at Malet Azoulay (now Greenyard) in the stonefruit team. They worked very well together and combined Danny’s expertise in procurement with Mark’s love of sales. The stonefruit team at WFL has been established for three years now and supplies M&S, Morrison’s and Aldi, as well as some processors too. WFL started delivery of soft fruit to M&S in April 2018 and are currently representing 5 growers in total, with hopefully more to come on board in 2020.

M ar k an t he p d Danny i n a ck h ous e FAVOURITE FILMS? MARK “There are two. Monty Python’s The Life of Brian and Coming to America.”

DANNY “Return of the Jedi. Deep down, everyone wants a lightsaber.”

ACTOR/ACTRESS WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN A FILM? MARK “Gregg Wallace from Masterchef.”

FAVOURITE HOBBIES? DANNY “Simon Pegg.”

MARK “I love tennis having played at a younger age and am also a keen Rotarian.”

DANNY “Football, particularly now since my two young sons both play for local junior teams. And reading/understanding more about a range of successes and failures – a bit boring maybe but what’s behind both interests me a lot.”

FAVOURITE MEAL? MARK “Sushi at Sushi Samba in London – the best food ever!”

SOMETHING PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU? MARK “I was a Line Judge at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in 2006.”

DANNY “My career in this industry started at WFL, firstly with work experience at the age of 14 and then a Summer job at the age of 16 with Keith Butterworth.

I returned 25 years later to start the ‘Stonefruit and Berry’ project. Both my Mum and Dad also worked at WFL in the past, but not at the same time ironically.”

THE OTHER PERSON’S WORST HABIT?

DANNY “Sheddy Turner’s – two local sausages in batter, chips and beans!”

MARK “Twiddling and stroking an old ribbon (sorry Danny!).”

BEST HOLIDAY? DANNY “He laughs too loud at times!

MARK “Lapland with my two small children and wife in December 2018, where we met Father Christmas!”

DANNY “More a collection of holidays than just one, but going abroad with a group of friends several times in my late teens/early 20’s. Waking up, having breakfast and then going to the pub each day with no responsibilities.”

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FAVOURITE FRUIT? MARK “Flavorking Plums from South Africa.”

DANNY “The ‘Silver Delice’ variety of White Flesh Nectarine.”

FIRST SONG OR ALBUM YOU BOUGHT? MARK “Dexys Midnight Runners – Come on Eileen.”

DANNY “Swords of a Thousand Men by Tenpole Tudor.”

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Jazz™ Apple Pie Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting AK

E S 22 CUP CA KE S

E S 22 CUP

INSTRUCTIONS Filling Peel, core, and dice the apples, then mix together in a pan with all other ingredients except the cornflour slurry.

Simmer over medium heat until apples have started to soften, then mix together cornflour and water and add to the apples. Stir well until the liquid thickens, then remove from heat and transfer into a bowl to cool while preparing the cupcake batter.

Cinnamon cream cheese Measure out the vegan butter and cream cheese and leave out in a bowl for a few minutes to soften. Add soy milk, vanilla, and cinnamon and whisk together using an electric hand mixer. Slowly add the icing sugar and mix together until smooth and creamy. Can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge if made beforehand; simply leave out at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before icing cupcakes or transferring to piping bag.

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These cupcakes have all the goodness of apple pie, baked inside a fluffy vanilla cupcake and topped with rich cinnamon cream cheese frosting. The ultimate autumn and winter treat to celebrate the tangy-sweet deliciousness of JAZZ™ Apples, they’re perfect for special occasions and holiday festivities!

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Recipe by The Zesty Lime Instagram – @thezestylime

Cupcakes Preheat oven to 180 C degrees/160 C fan (350 F). In a bowl mix soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Let sit for five minutes to curdle. Meanwhile, sift flour into a large bowl, then add sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and whisk together. Next, mix vanilla and oil into the milk and vinegar. Slowly pour the wet mixture into the bowl with dry ingredients, whisking well with an electric hand mixer until everything is incorporated into a smooth batter.

Line tin with cupcake cases and fill each one about 1/4 full with cupcake batter. Add approx. 1 tbsp of apple pie filling to each liner, taking care to keep the filling in the middle.

Finally, spoon more cupcake batter on top to cover the filling, keeping each case only 3/4 of the way full, as they need room to rise.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until cupcakes are well risen and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

Once cupcakes are fully cooled, pipe or spread frosting onto the top. Once frosted, cupcakes can be served and eaten as is, or sprinkled with cinnamon, topped with fresh or dehydrated slices of JAZZ™ Apple, or for the ultimate decadence, drizzled with your favourite homemade or store-bought dairy free caramel sauce.

INGREDIENTS For the filling: 4 JAZZ™ Apples 1 tbsp lemon juice 1/2 cup white sugar 1 tbsp vegan butter 1 tsp cinnamon 1/8 tsp nutmeg 1/4 cup water cornflour slurry (1 tbsp cornflour + 1 tbsp water)

For the cinnamon cream cheese: 1/2 cup vegan butter 1/2 cup vegan cream cheese 1 tsp unsweetened soy milk 2 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp cinnamon 3 cups icing sugar

For the vanilla cupcakes: 1 cup unsweetened soy milk 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 3/4 cups plain white flour 1 cup white sugar 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon 2 tsp vanilla extract 1/3 cup vegetable oil

RECIPE 17

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