Food Business Start-up Boot Camp: London, 15-16 September 2012

Food business expert Monique Borst

A brand new workshop for people dreaming, or at the early stages, of running their own food business comes to London on September 15-16, 2012.

Led by food industry expert Monique Borst, the Food Business Start-up Boot Camp is touring the country this year and comes to Wallacespace Covent Garden at the end of September.

London is home to many innovative and entrepreneurial food businesses from individuals making cakes, pickles and jams to sell at farmers markets to success stories like Neal’s Yard Dairy and The Monmouth Coffee Company.

But starting a food business can be a daunting task ... you need to be aware of all the rules – environmental, health, licensing and insurance – competition is fierce and profit margins are small. You also need a marketing strategy to give your business the best chance of being seen and heard and a realistic business plan.

For anyone starting that journey, or people with a fledgling business who are wondering ‘where next’? this Food Business Start-up Boot Camp will be a practical, inspiring and fun weekend. A combination of talks, exercises and a glimpse behind-the-scenes of a local food producer and retailer.

Delegates will:
• Increase awareness of their own business environment, including generating a business idea, the best legal structure for your business and understanding what skills, knowledge and personal qualities you need.

• Find out how well they know their market. Learn that your customers really aren’t ‘everyone’.

• Look at costing and pricing their product or service. How do you work out how much to charge? Whether you are selling a product or providing a service this session helps you to decide on a clear structure for your pricing policy,

• Take the time to learn about ways of financing their business and work out when their business will break even? In this session you will complete a personal survival budget and test the financial viability of your business.

• Learn how to stay on the right side of the law: the minimum standards for premises, personal hygiene and food safety, licensing, insurance.

• Learn how to control your business: get a grip on the records you need to keep and how to manage overheads

Monique is a great facilitator: calm, funny & credible. I thoroughly enjoyed and benefited hugely from her "Food Business Start-up Boot Camp"!

Details
Food Business Start-up Boot Camp, 15-16 September 2012
£295 per person including all refreshments and a delicious local lunch
Venue: wallacespace, 2 Dryden Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9NA

About Monique Borst
Monique is passionate about good food, made and sold with integrity and imagination. She brings a practical, business focused perspective on the niche food sector and start-up knowledge. She has over 20 years experience in the food and retail sectors and worked with companies like Harrods, The John Lewis Partnership, Waitrose and clients including House of Fraser, Blenheim Palace and Knebworth House as well as a number of smaller, independent food retail and food service clients on food strategy, improving sales and profitability, developing products ranges and menus. Monique’s clients are very honest about the fact that the reason they chose to work with her is because they either simply don’t have the time, expertise or confidence as an owner to make the decisions to really drive their businesses forward on their own. Monique is an independently selected member of The Future 500, a network for rising stars across the UK.

Louis Tomlinson Birthday Cake for Eleanor

London cake makers The Cake Store got overloaded with Twitter followers after Louis Tomlinson, from One Direction, ordered a cake for his girlfriend Eleanor Calder, who was 20, yesterday.

He ordered it last week and they delivered it at 12 noon, yesterday, and the happy couple answered the door to their delivery driver.

The amazing Birthday cake was presented to Eleanor, who was reportedly overwhelmed.

Louis Tweeted a big thank you to The Cake Store who have since been inundated with interest.

Swap your burger for a bag of nuts and help save the planet!

The UK is being urged to go nuts for the environment by swapping burgers for bags of nuts on Monday October 22nd to celebrate National Nut Day.

National Nut Day in the UK is promoted by Liberation Foods CIC, the pioneering farmer-owned Fairtrade nut company. October 22nd is well-established as National Nut Day in the USA and the organisers want Britain to ‘go nuts’ in the same way!

This year’s focus is on switching to nuts to help the environment.  If we in the UK eat less meat and highly processed veggie foods – our planet will benefit.. This will keep a lid on greenhouse gasses and won’t use up our valuable land resources.

For people who already eat plenty of meat and dairy products such as most people in rich countries, nuts and ‘nutty’ legumes – like Brazil nuts, cashews, peanuts and walnuts - are a good nutritional alternative to meat says Dr Donal Murphy-Bokern, independent agri-environmental scientist and author of several studies on food system impacts. 

“One of the keys to sustaining our planet is for those of us in the richer half of the world to switch some meat consumption to relatively unprocessed plant-based products such as nuts,” says Dr Murphy-Bokern.

“For every calorie consumed, the greenhouse gas emissions from the production of the meat and dairy component of our diets is nearly four times that of plant-based components. 

“Cattle and sheep release large quantities of methane gas as they digest their feed. And livestock generally require 4 – 8 kg plant protein in their feed for every kilogram of protein produced.  The overall result is that much more resources are used in meat-based diets, and very significant pollution problems are caused to our air and water by livestock farms.”

Dr Murphy-Bokern believes that when we reduce our meat consumption we often tend to replace some of it with other high protein foods such as nuts.

Both meat and nuts have the pleasant savoury taste described by the Japanese as umami – the fifth basic taste after sweet, salty, sour and bitter.

“Just as we seek some sweetness in diets, it is reasonable to speculate that people naturally migrate from one ‘umami’ taste to another, so when cutting down on meat they are likely to transfer to nuts or another umami food,” says Dr Murphy-Bokern. 

“Using plant-based ingredients high in umami is a feature of traditional cuisines which are low in meat.  Reducing meat consumption by half in the average ‘western’ diet is not difficult - and nuts are a high protein and environmentally friendly option.”

National Nut Day celebrates all that is great about eating nuts. As well as being a delicious snack and cooking ingredient, nuts are:

• Highly nutritious – a source of vital fatty acids, omega fats, protein and many vitamins and minerals.
• Good for the environment – switching our main source of protein from meat to nuts whenever we can helps to reduce carbon emissions. In addition the trade in Brazil nuts helps to preserve the Amazon rainforest.
• Good for the soil - legumes such as peanuts bring vital nitrogen to replenish  the soil as they grow.
• Good for our health – the UK Government’s Chief Medical Officer says 18,000 premature deaths from heart disease would be avoided every year if we cut our meat consumption by half. Nuts are a good value form of protein which can help us do this.
• –Available as Fairtrade! UK nut lovers can now buy Fairtrade Brazil nuts, cashews, peanuts, walnuts and almonds in many supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose plus other outlets.. This means the farmers and gatherers are protected by the guaranteed fair deal which comes with Fairtrade.

Visit the UK National Nut Day website for more information about our activities: www.nationalnutday.com.

National Nut Day is supported by The Vegetarian Society, The Vegan Society, Sustain – the alliance for better food and farming, the Sustainable Restaurant Association, and more.

Celebrity supporters include chef, broadcaster and food writer Allegra McEvedy, foodie and home expert Aggie MacKenzie and peanut devotee Harry Hill.

(EDITOR: That's Food and Drink would like to add a word of caution: If you have a medical condition (diabetic, an allergy condition, etc.) it is advisable to seek medical advice before commencing on any dietary change, no matter how well-meaning, as outlined in this article.)

Sainsbury's Increases Price Paid To Dairy Farmers

Sainsbury's is bucking the trend by increasing the price paid to British dairy farmers through the sustainable Cost of Production (COP) model. From 1st July, the standard litre price will rise to 30.56ppl.

Following a majority vote in April, the model is designed to reward Sainsbury's Dairy Development Group (SDDG) farmers for outstanding animal welfare and environmental standards. With the price currently sitting at 30.30ppl, one of the unique elements of the COP is the quarterly review of feed, fuel and fertiliser. This will ensure that the most volatile elements of costs will be reviewed every quarter and the COP milk price changes to reflect these varying costs, in turn ensuring a fair deal for the 324 farmers involved.

Alice Swift, Agriculture technologist at Sainsbury's said: "While input costs continue to be so volatile for farmers, we're pleased to show that the model is delivering a fair price for everyone whilst most importantly being sustainable for the whole supply chain.

The COP model was developed to be transparent and robust for our farmers however this is also good news for customers who want Sainsbury's to do the right thing on their behalf."

Mansel Raymond, NFU Dairy Board Chairman continues: "Farm gate costs of production are currently over 30ppl, and rising. With this in mind I'd like to congratulate Sainsbury's, whose cost of production model, which reflects feed, fuel and fertiliser inflation, will be awarding a price increase to farmers from 1st July.

"Dairy farmers need a sustainable future; further price cuts will jeopardise this and be met with real anger."

The first quarterly review uses data from Dairy Co Datum which will affect the Sainsbury's milk price from 1st July 2012. The model was developed with independent consultants to suit all Sainsbury's farm types and sizes and ensure their sustainability and profitability in the long term.

FACTFILE:

Sainsbury's 20 by 20 Sustainability Plan

• By 2020, Sainsbury's will source all key raw materials and commodities sustainably to an independent standard. The plan also includes doubling our British sales, being number 1 for animal welfare and putting all waste to positive use.
• Sainsbury's has supported British farming for 140 years and we continue to work collaboratively for the best solutions on price, animal welfare and carbon efficiencies. This year marks the 5th anniversary of Sainsbury's Dairy Development Group. Sainsbury's now also has farmer Development Groups across Pork, Beef, Lamb, Cheese and Wheat
• The model is implemented across farmers of Wales, England, Scotland.

Learn about a career in chocolate

If you love the idea of a career in chocolate, two new courses from chocolate events company Chocolate Delight could be the golden ticket to a dream job.

Fundamentals of Chocolate is a two day course perfect for anyone considering a career as a chocolatier. It’s ideal too for chocolate lovers who want to turn their hobby into a business.

For those keen to take their chocolate making skills to the next level, the one day Advanced Chocolate course covers speciality moulding as well as the legal aspects of making and selling chocolate.

Both courses can be adapted for people who are lactose intolerant.

“The aim of the fundamentals course is to give delegates a thorough understanding of basic chocolate making skills," says chocolatier Gerry Wilton of Chocolate Delight.

“The advanced session then builds on those skills. Both are hands-on as well as informative and entertaining.”

Fundamentals of Chocolate covers:

• The history of chocolate and the production process from bean to bar
• Health benefits of chocolate
• Different types of ganache
• The theory and science of tempering
• Making and coating truffles
• Flavouring chocolate
• Moulding chocolate
• Chocolate tasting, featuring some of the world’s best chocolate
• Packaging chocolates professionally

As well as speciality moulding and the legal aspects of making and selling chocolate, the advanced course also covers decorating chocolates and different types of filling.

Both courses take place at the relaxed and friendly family-owned Chocolate Boutique Hotel in Bournemouth on dates midweek till April 2013. Complimentary refreshments and lunch are provided. Specially discounted room rates at the hotel are available too for those who wish to stay overnight.

Chocolate Delight also holds chocolate truffle making workshops nationwide as well as arranging chocolate themed corporate team building events.

To find out more, visit
www.chocolatedelight.co.uk/fundamentals-of-chocolate.html
www.chocolatedelight.co.uk/advanced-chocolate.html

Play the Very Lazy Footie Feast Challenge during Euro 2012!

New online game for super fast footie food!

Forget junk food and pizzas for half time. With a new online game from cooking ingredient specialist Very Lazy, you can now whip up a quick and tasty half time treat for you and your mates and be back in front of the TV for the second half. Easy Peasy.

The challenge is simple. All you need is a few key ingredients, a pan or wok and the Very Lazy Footie Feast Challenge online game! Here’s how it works:
• Start off with a base of noodles during the first half of the game
• Every time you spot one of the listed events, click the circle on the pitch [right] to add an ingredient to your dish
• Get in the kitchen at half time and cook your dish in 10 minutes
• Relax and watch the second half of the game with your Very Lazy dish
When a red card is produced the game won’t be the only thing hotting up as you add some Very Lazy red chillies to the mix! The Footie Feast Challenge is more fun and a lot healthier and quicker than ordering a takeaway. Footie fans have an easy recipe for half time and begrudging viewers will have a fun game to pass the time while the match is on!

The ingredients needed to play the full game are: Very Lazy red chillies, Very Lazy ginger, Very Lazy garlic, cooked chicken, prawns, mushrooms, spring onions, soy sauce, cashew nuts, red pepper, sesame oil, bean sprouts, honey, greens and nutmeg. But don’t worry if you are missing some of the ingredients - feel free to swap them for one of your family favourites.

Very Lazy may not be able to give England an advantage on the pitch, but its range of top notch essential cooking ingredients does give you an unfair advantage in the kitchen, allowing you to whip up a footie feast in just ten minutes.

Have some Very Lazy fun as Poland take on Greece in the opening match of the tournament at 5pm on Friday 8th June by visiting www.facebook.com/VeryLazyFood and clicking on the Footie Challenge icon. But don’t worry if you miss the first match, here’s a list of some other key fixtures:

• France V England: Mon 11 June, 17:00
• Sweden V England: Fri 15 June, 19:45
• England V Ukraine: Tues 19 June, 19:45
• Quarter finals: Thurs 21 June – Sun 25 June
• Semi finals: Weds 17 June – Thurs 18 June
• The final: Sun 1 July, 19:45

Popper’s Little Treat for Popa!

With Father’s Day just around the corner, treat deserving Dads to these tasty Jalapeño Poppers. This fiery recipe combines juicy Jalapeños and mature Cheddar and is perfect as a snack or starter.

The recipe is taken from Dan May’s fantastic Red Hot Chilli Cookbook, out now.

Jalapeño Poppers 20 Jalapeño chillies 140 g grated mature cheddar 50 g plain flour 1 egg, beaten sunflower oil, for deep frying cooking thermometer (optional) Makes 20 Slit the Jalapeños along one side and carefully remove the seeds.

Stuff them generously with the grated cheddar. Put the flour in one shallow bowl and the beaten egg in another. Roll the Jalapeños in the flour, dip in the egg and then coat once more with flour, ensuring that they are completely covered.

Half-fill a large saucepan with oil. Heat until the oil reaches 190˚C (375˚F) on a cooking thermometer. If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, the oil is ready when a 2.5-cm cube of white bread dropped into it browns in less than 60 seconds.

Fry the Jalapeños in small batches for 6–7 minutes until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.