Sharpham Dairy's Happy Accident Cheese is Crowned Champion

A velvety cheese created by a mistake has been crowned the South West's best cheese. Sharpham Cheese's Rushmore, made near Totnes was named Taste of the West's Champion Cheese in their awards ceremony at Sandy Park on 6 November.

Sharpham Rushmore is a combination of 40% goat's milk and 60% cow's milk is reminiscent of two of its most popular cheeses, crumbly and delicate Ticklemore goat's cheese and the semi-hard Rustic cow's cheese, creating a slightly crumbly but velvety texture. It is available for £5.50 for 230g from www.sharphamcheese.co.uk. 

Sharpham Rushmore was serendipitously created when goat's milk was mistakenly poured into the same tank as cow's milk. Determined to avoid waste, it was necessary to make cheese with the milks that had been mixed. The team of cheesemakers continued to produce cheese with the mixed milk to see how it would taste, the invention? Sharpham Rushmore. Delighted with their accidental cheesy innovation, Sharpham was able to gauge the public's opinion at regional shows, before bringing the cheese to market in November 2022.

The champion news continues an absolutely terrific year for Sharpham Rushmore as it won Gold in Global Cheese Awards, Gold at the Great British Food Awards and Gold in Food Drink Devon Awards. 

What is the taste profile? It has a refreshing acidity, Rushmore is rich and creamy in flavour with subtle floral sweetness and a lingering finish. 

Serving suggestion? It's a delicious conversation starter enjoyed on its own, or delicious as part of a cheeseboard, in a salad or perhaps crumbled over a ratatouille. Sensational paired with light-bodied, aromatic white and rose wines, such as sauvignon blanc or a well-chilled sparkling wine from Devon.

Greg Parsons from Sharpham Dairy, says: “We're absolutely thrilled to see Rushmore go for Gold, then go on to win the entire category as Champion Cheese. We all take pride in our work and strive to produce the best cheese, so this recognition goes such a long way.”

Nicky Parsons says, “We've all got a soft spot for Rushmore here as, like many of our cheeses, it's a bit different and is very special. It's had an amazing year. We have people especially asking for it at shows.

Many of the best cheeses have been made by a happy accident and Rushmore has been ever so well-received since we brought it out.” 

Sharpham Dairy are still celebrating their recent recognition of receiving the heralded 3-stars in the Great Taste Awards 2023 for their Cremet cheese, which puts it in the top 2% of all 14,195 products entered. Handcrafted from goat's milk and cow's double cream, judges said it was 'exquisite' and 'extraordinary' in the blind taste tests. 

As the UK's first cheese dairy to achieve a B Corp certification, Sharpham Dairy believes that cheese should be a force for good. They pride themselves on meeting the highest environmental impact standards, and the new Sharpham Rushmore was borne from their ethos of wasting as little as possible. Sharpham Dairy deliveries arrived packaged in recyclable and compostable packaging.

The full range of goats', cows' and sheeps' milk cheeses, as well as Sharpham Dairy's brand new crackers and chutneys are available from good cheesemongers and delis, and online. Visit www.sharphamcheese.co.uk.

Norwegian Cheese Nidelven Blå from Gangstad Gårdsysteri Crowned World Champion Cheese 2023

Nidelven Blå entered by Norwegian cheesemaker Gangstad Gårdsysteri has just been crowned World Champion Cheese at the World Cheese Awards on 27 October 2023, at the Trondheim Spektrum, Norway.

The World Champion Cheese, the highest accolade given, rose to the top of the record-breaking 4,502 entries in this year's World Cheese Awards, where the best cheeses from around the globe went head-to-head at the world's largest cheese-only event. 

Every cheese is meticulously evaluated, considering factors such as the appearance of the rind and paste, the cheese's aroma, body, texture, and most notably, its flavour and mouthfeel.

Maren Gangstadt, general manager of Gangstadt Gårdsysteri, who took over from her mother-in-law when she retired earlier this year, says: “This means so much to us. We're a small dairy farm based just two hours from here, so this happening on our home turf means a lot, and having all of the crew from the dairy here adds an extra spark to it.

“This cheese was made in January so it's about 11 months old now and it's our best seller. It got a Super Gold in the 2019 World Cheese Awards as best Norwegian cheese, reflecting the work that goes into maintaining the quality and consistency.”

The World Champion Cheese 2023 is a handmade, semi solid, blue mould cheese made with pasteurised cows' milk.  The Ysteriet farm-based dairy is proud to employ talented local people, creating 14 full-time jobs of the local village.

Championed by Super Jury Judge Finbar Deery, head of retail at Sheridans, Ireland who says: “What I loved most about this cheese was the interplay between the milk and the blue flavours, so it's not getting barrelled over by the penicillin. 

"The texture was the first thing that hit home, it has a creamy dense fudginess. It's a reasonably bitter cheese as well, we don't appreciate bitterness in cheese, when you have such a rich texture, the bitterness comes through and it keeps the whole show on the road.”

Named after the Trøndelag county river, Nidelven Blå is made just two hours from the centre of Trondheim, the host city for the 2023 World Cheese Awards.

A panel of leading cheese experts, including critics, chefs, recipe creators, buyers, retailers, journalists, broadcasters, and other experts in the field came together to taste and assess each cheese to decide if they were worthy of a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Super Gold award.

Through the judging process, 4,502 cheeses were whittled down to 100 Super Golds, from which 16 finalists were put forward to be re-judged by an International Super Jury for the World Cheese Award to determine an overall winner: the World Champion Cheese for 2023

The crowds watched on as some of the finest palates in the global cheese community debated the best of the best. The international Super Jury judging the final stage of proceedings consisted of 16 cheese experts from across the globe who tasted the final 16 in front of a live audience and broadcast on World Cheese TV before crowning this year's World Champion Cheese.

The panel of experts included, amongst others, Cathy Strange from Whole Foods Market in the USA, Peter Mårtensson from Swedish retailer Möllans Ost, Mansi Jasani from The Cheese Collective in India, Jon Thrupp from Mons Cheesemongers in the UK, and Aki Sakagami from the Cheese Professional Association in Japan,

The top 16 Super Gold cheeses:

Sinodun Hill from Norton and Yarrow Cheese, UNITED KINGDOM. Soft, pasteurised goats' milk cheese matured for 1 to 3 weeks. (Championed by Kelsie Parsons, Canada)

Old Amsterdam Goat from Westland Kaasexport, NETHERLANDS. Semi-hard, pasteurised goats' milk cheese matured for 6 to 9 months. (Championed by Peter Mårtensson, Sweden)

Goustal La Bergere from Société des Caves, FRANCE. Soft, pasteurised sheeps' milk cheese matured for 6 weeks to 3 months. (Championed by Catherine Fogel, Denmark)

Wigmore from Village Maid Cheese, UNITED KINGDOM. Soft, thermised sheeps' milk cheese matured for 5-9 weeks. (Championed by Svein Erik Backlund, Norway)

Parmigiano Reggiano 30-39 Months from Nazionale Parmigiano Reggiano Rastelli Fratelli, ITALY. Unpasteurised cows' milk cheese matured for 30 to 39 months. (Championed by Davide Fiori Guffanti, Italy)

Holland Delta, 1 Year Old from Van der Heiden Kaas, NETHERLANDS. Pasteurised cows' milk cheese matured for 1 year, with a sweet flavour derived from a secret rennet. (Championed by Mansi Jasani, India)

Eleftheria Brunost from Vivanda Gourmet, INDIA. Pasteurised cows' milk cheese matured for 0 to 2 weeks. Handmade by cooking indigenous pasteurised cows' milk whey & cream in a traditional vessel resembling a wok. (Championed by Cathy Strange, USA)

Eberle Würzig Seit 5 Generationen from Dorfkäserei Muolen, SWITZERLAND. Hard, unpasteurised cows' milk cheese matured for 8 months. (Championed by Débora Pereira, France)

Deichkäse Gold from Rohmilchkäserei Backensholz, GERMANY. Hard, unpasteurised organic cows' milk cheese matured for 12 to 18 months. (Championed by Georgina Yescas, Mexico)

Kärntnermilch Mölltaler Almkäse Selektion 50% FiT. from Kärntnermilch, AUSTRIA. Hard, pasteurised cows' milk cheese matured for 12 months. (Championed by Aki Sakagami, Japan)

Lamucca Di Castagno from Romagna Terre, ITALY. Pasteurised cows' milk cheese aged with chestnut leaf powder for 3 to 6 months. (Championed by Patrick McGuigan, UK)

Baliehof Houtlandse Asche Kaas from Baliehof Kaas En Zuivelboerderij Jabbeke, BELGIUM. Hard, unpasteurised cows' milk cheese matured for 3 months. (Championed by Suzy O'Regan, South Africa)

Müller-Thurgau Rezent from Käserei Müller-Thurgau, SWITZERLAND. Hard, washed-rind, pasteurised cows' milk cheese matured for 11 months. (Championed by Jon Thrupp)

Nidelven Blå from Gangstad Gårdsysteri, NORWAY. Pasteurised cows' milk blue cheese matured for 11 months. (Championed by Finbar Deery, Ireland)

Pirano from La Bufalara, ITALY. Semi-hard, pasteurised buffalo milk cheese matured for 3 to 6 months. (Championed by Evert Schonhage, Netherlands)

Michel from Rohmilchkäserei Backensholz, GERMANY. Unpasteurised cow's and goats' milk cheese matured for 14 to 16 months. (Championed by Ana Belén González Pinos, Spain)

John Farrand, who is the MD of the Guild of Fine Food, organisers of the World Cheese Awards, comments: “It makes me incredibly proud that we have once again a Norwegian winner, after the country triumphed in 2016, and again in 2018. This success is testament to the care and effort that has been invested by the Norwegian artisan cheese trade.   

“We've more entries than ever before, and I get more excited about the diversity in the nations represented and the breadth of styles and cheesemaking techniques from across the globe.”

A remarkable 4,502 cheeses submitted for the 35th edition of the World Cheese Awards, marking a 6% increase from the previous year. These entries represented 43 countries and garnered participation from 954 companies across the world (7.23% UK-based, 92.77% international). Notably, the competition featured return entries from relative newcomer entrants in recent years including Poland, India, Liechtenstein and Turkey amongst others. 

Well-established cheese-producing nations such as Italy, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom were well represented by both returning contenders and newcomers, with the highest number of entries coming from Spain. Host country Norway put forward their highest ever number of entries, with 293 Norwegian cheeses competing this year.  Across the competition, a vast range of styles and maturations were on display, showcasing a diverse array of milks including buffalo's, cows', goats' and sheep's.

All entries were judged in a single day, as 264 experts from 38 different nations studied their appearance, texture, aroma, and flavour. Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Super Gold accolades were awarded during the morning session before the Super Golds were reassessed to find this year's top 16 cheeses, from which the World Champion Cheese for 2023 was selected and crowned.

Keep up to date on socials: @guildoffinefood #WorldCheeseAwards

Luscombe Passionate Ginger Beer Named 'Drink Product of the Year'

Luscombe has always been renowned for its outstanding ginger beers and now it has been confirmed that they really are the very best of the best. Because Luscombe Passionate Ginger Beer has just been named Food Drink Devon's 'Drink Product of the Year' in the 2023 awards. 

Luscombe Passionate Ginger Beer is crafted using only the finest organic Peruvian fresh root ginger, milled on site at Luscombe's farm, so it better retains the heat. Blended with organic Sicilian lemons, carbonated Dartmoor spring water and organic passion fruit juice, it's absolutely perfect for those who are looking for something a little bit different, a little bit special. It sits alongside the world famous Luscombe Hot Ginger Beer and Cool Ginger Beer. 

Founder and owner, Gabriel David, is justifiably famed for his pursuit of perfection and no-compromise approach to creating an elegant and multi award-winning range of drinks that use the very finest organic ingredients and Dartmoor spring water.

On winning the award, Gabriel says: “We've always set out to create a range of ginger beers which stand apart from anything else you can drink and this award really does confirm this position. Taste is everything and we feel confident that Luscombe hits a pinnacle in this aspect.”

This incredible organic drink brings together the spice of ginger with the sweetness of passion fruit, offering a luxurious twist on a classic drink. Simply serve over ice, as Luscombe Passionate Ginger Beer has already been blended to perfection, and pair with a wide range of foods, both savoury and sweet.

Luscombe is proud to have been the first drinks brand to have gained organic accreditation from the Soil Association and, like all of the drinks in the range, Passionate Ginger Beer contains no artificial additives, sweeteners or concentrates. It's available in a box of 12 x 27cl, for £26.50 from luscombe.co.uk. There's free delivery on all orders over £60.

Awarded a Royal Warrant, Luscombe has produced beautifully crafted drinks on a farm in Devon since 1975. Today, the range includes organic fruit juices, crushes, bubblies, tonic waters and mixers plus a traditional organic Devon cider.  

Food Drink Devon is committed to increasing the county's profile, both nationally and internationally and represents a membership of Devon's leading food and drink producers, speciality retailers, hospitality and catering businesses. 

Through working with like-minded businesses, together they showcase Devon as a county where the use of fantastic quality, seasonal and local produce is standard. The organisation and its members share a commitment to enjoy, inspire and discover more about food and drink. Look out for their green heart logo which is carried by over 350 producers and businesses across Devon. The 2023 awards took place at Sandy Park, the home of Gallagher Premiership Rugby team, Exeter Chiefs. 

From the 300 product entries, all of which were blind-tasted by independent judges, 24 really impressed, including Luscombe Passionate Ginger Beer, achieving a faultless score of 100% and a 'Platinum' award. Luscombe Passionate Ginger Beer then went on to be named Food Drink Devon's 'Drink Product of the Year'. 

For further information on Luscombe, please visit www.luscombe.co.uk. Follow Luscombe on Instagram @luscombedrinks or 'like' on Facebook.  

Food Drink Devon Awards Unveils This Year's Outstanding Finalists

With the eagerly anticipated annual Food Drink Devon Awards taking place next month in October, Food Drink Devon is absolutely thrilled to announce this year's finalists in the prestigious awards.  

Following the closure of entries in the Spring (April), a distinguished panel of judges and industry experts embarked on a rigorous process of assessing and judging the unprecedented number of entries.  

Including many of Devon's the county's most respected and influential artisan food and drink producers, over 300 products were tasted and sampled, 95 hospitality establishments visited, 30 retail outlets scrutinised and eight Training School / Learning Experiences were participated in, to select Devon's finest.

Winners are to be announced during the organisation's glittering and prestigious black tie award ceremony on Monday 2nd October at Sandy Park, home of Premiership rugby team Exeter Chiefs.  

Returning for the 12th year, the gold standard industry accolades celebrate the best the region has to offer, with categories being open to members and non-members of Food Drink Devon. Awards include  'Producer Awards', 'Retail Awards', 'Hospitality Awards' and 'Sustainability Pioneer Award'.

Food Drink Devon's 'Sustainability Pioneer Award' shines an important light on businesses going the extra mile in their endeavours to be environmentally friendly.  

This year's finalists for the 'Sustainability Pioneer Award' include a broad spectrum of producers, including hospitality establishments, retailers and training schools including Hylsten Bakery (Buckfastleigh), The Husbandry School (Bickington), THE PIG-at Combe (Honiton), Springwater Farm (Broadclyst), Eversfield Organic (Bratton Clovelly) and The Black River Inn (Black Torrington) plus others, besides.

Sustainability Board Director at Food Drink Devon and Met Office Climate Service Lead in Food, Farming & Natural Environment, Dr Pete Falloon, remarked on the entries; “The judging panel were thrilled with the number of very high quality entries for the 'Sustainability Pioneer Award', there were some truly inspirational entries. 

"It's been especially encouraging to see how Devon businesses are acting as a force for good and embracing all three dimensions of sustainability - planet, people and profit - to ensure a greener world, to support thriving communities and workforces and drive their businesses forward. We can't wait to unveil the winners and tell you a bit more about their stories at the awards' ceremony!”

Shortlisted businesses in the 'Product Awards' cover a massive variety of delights including sweet and savoury, meat, preserves, jams and chutneys, ales, ciders, wines and confectionery, plus a host of others. 

Finalists are also automatically in the running for 'Food Product', 'Drink Product' and 'New Product of the Year'.  Some of this year's finalists include; Atlantic Spirit (Bideford), Beckland Charcuterie (Hartland), Clive's Purely Plants (Dartmouth), Ebb Tides Seaweeds (Sidmouth), Hattiers Rum (Mothecombe), Jamu Wild Water (Exeter), Lovaton Farm (Okehampton), Taw Valley Microgreens (Umberleigh), Cakewhole (Plymouth) Sandridge Barton Wines (Stoke Gabriel) and Truly Treats (Kingsteignton).

Food Drink Devon Board Director, Jack Pickering, commented: “The number, quality and range of products we received for judging this year was truly amazing. It's a very real testament to the hard work producers from across the county of Devon have invested to deliver delicious food and drink products from our fertile lands. This year will see us award a record number of Gold awards and more excitingly a record number of Platinum awards, too! But everyone will need to wait until the awards' ceremony to find out who they are!”

In the 'Retail Awards' entries have been whittled down for the 'Best Retailer' and 'Best Online Retailer' ranging from top-end delicatessens to village stores.  

Finalists include Ashburton Delicatessen (Ashburton), Ben's Farm Shop (Staverton), Greendale Farm Shop (Exeter), Lyme Bay Winery Cellar Door (Axminster), Shaldon Village Store (Shaldon) and Veyseys Butchers (Cullompton).

The hospitality section of the awards sees establishments battling it out in five very fiercely contested categories such as 'Best Fine Dining Restaurant', 'Best Restaurant', 'Best Pub', 'Best Café' and 'Best Takeaway'.  

Shortlisted establishments in the fine dining restaurant, restaurant and pub categories include Bayards Cove Inn (Dartmouth), Harry's Restaurant (Exeter), Orestone Manor Hotel (Maidencombe), Salcombe Harbour Hotel (Salcombe), The Bucket & Spade (Shaldon), The Nightjar Inn (Aylesbeare), The Fig Tree @ 36 (Plymouth) and Winslade Manor Restaurant & Bar (Clyst St Mary) as well as others.  Finalists in the café and takeaway categories include Arc Kitchen and Coffee House (Exmouth), Sara's on the Beach (Paignton), Valley View Café (Loddiswell), The Original Pasty House (Plymouth and Tavistock) and Amelia's Pantry, Cofton Holidays (Starcross) and others.  

Covering food production, preparation, retailing, cooking and service, the Food Drink Devon Awards honour businesses that demonstrate a consistent commitment to quality, sustainability, provenance, excellent customer service and support for their local communities and other local businesses.  

Every year judging for the awards is undertaken by a special panel of independent, unbiased experts including a number of regional celebrity names.  All results and winners are verified by an independent adjudicator, with entrants receiving the opportunity to benefit from invaluable product feedback provided from the panel. 

Chair of Food Drink Devon, Greg Parsons, commented on the calibre of entries: “Being part of the judging panel for the Food Drink Devon awards is a real, genuine privilege. It presents us with an annual opportunity to assess the quality of food and drink in our glorious county. 

"I'm pleased, delighted and extremely proud to report the overall standard this year is amazing and will doubtless be reflected in the number and levels of awards. 

"In such challenging times, with rocketing costs and a squeeze on discretionary spend, it's really inspiring we're raising our game and making Devon the 'go to' county for fantastic food. We look forward to our awards' dinner, where we'll properly celebrate our region's produce and food and drink community.”

During the celebratory evening of Devon's finest food and drink, along with the presentation of the awards, attendees will enjoy a drinks reception, a three-course meal created (obviously!) with produce from Food Drink Devon members with all the fruit and vegetables provided by awards sponsor West Country Fruit Sales.  

Special thanks go to sponsors of the awards Partners, M&B Edible Oils, Bays Brewery, Caterfood, West Country Fruit Sales, Bishop Fleming, Vale Labels, Harvey & Brockless, Impact Design & Marketing, Stephens Scown, inkREADible Labels, Hedgerow Print and Food Magazine, with the staging being provided by PL1 Events. 

For a full list of shortlisted producers please visit www.fooddrinkdevon.co.uk/awards.  For more information on Food Drink Devon please visit www.fooddrinkdevon.co.uk and follow @FoodDrinkDevon on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Asda celebrates a landmark birthday by giving £15m away to customers

Asda has just announced it's going to give away a cool £15m to customers throughout the month of September to mark the first birthday of its hugely popular Asda Rewards loyalty app.

Asda's launched a super and exciting new ‘Spin the Wheel’ game in its Rewards app giving customers a guaranteed Cashpot bonus every time they ‘spin’ during this month, September.

To win their share of the £15m up for grabs, customers only need to spend £5 or more in-store or online, scan their Rewards app and give the wheel a spin. Depending on where the wheel lands, 50p, £1, £5 or £100 will be added to their Cashpots.

The £15m Spin the Wheel bonus is the single biggest giveaway since Asda Rewards launched exactly one year ago. 

Over seven million customers have used the app since its  launch and they've have earned over £200m in their Cashpots, which they can use to reduce their grocery bills.

To celebrate Asda Rewards’ first birthday, from Thursday 21st September to Monday 24th September, Asda will also have a physical version of Spin the Wheel game at fifteen of its stores, including Watford, Derby and Pudsey.

Customers shopping at one of these stores can actually play the physical version of the game and will be in with a chance of winning merchandise and a range of Asda products.

Mark Baxter, who is Senior Director for Loyalty at Asda, said: “We launched Asda Rewards last year to reward customers for the simple act of shopping with us at Asda. Since then, over 7m customers have been earning pounds by buying star products and completing missions.

“At Asda, we're always exploring for  new ways to give back to our customers via our Asda Rewards, so obviously really thrilled to be celebrating its first birthday by rewarding our customers with a guaranteed Cashpot bonus throughout the month of September.”

Rewards provides customers with the opportunity to earn pounds, rather than points, each time they purchase certain products or complete Milestone Missions. (EDITOR: That makes it sound kind of glamorous, like a James Bond assignment!)   

New Asda Rewards users can also be able to take advantage of the First Scan Bonus, until Saturday 30th September.

Customers who download Asda Rewards, sign up for an account, and scan the app before 30th September will receive £5 in their Cashpot, too!

To get started on Rewards, customers need to download the Asda Rewards app and log in with - or create - an Asda Groceries account.

Terms and conditions for ‘Spin the Wheel’ and a full list of products excluded from Asda Rewards can be found on Asda's website - Asda.com.

(Image courtesy Tumisu from Pixabay)

Mavrik Secures Award-winning Status for Core Range of Alcohol-free Cocktails

Hampshire's top premium alcohol-free cocktail brand, Mavrik, is celebrating a run of success following entries to a number of prestigious food & drink awards this year. 

The brand's core range of four natural, low calorie virgin cocktails presented in a funky ready-to-drink (RTD) can format, now boasts no less than four awards, with each variant now benefiting from an acknowledged industry accolade:

Mavrik's Aromatic G&T won a Bronze in this year's Scottish Retail Food & Drink Awards

Mavrik's Cuban Mojito was awarded a Silver in the 2023 Free From Food Awards

Mavrik's Venetian Spritz and Storm & Spice were both winners in this year's Great Taste Awards, each achieving the much sought after 1* ranking

Commenting on the brand's achievements, Director Andrew Mallinson says, “With the no and low category now universally recognised as an important growth category – according to ISWR 2023, half of the UK adult population bought a no or low alcohol drink last year and 5.2m fewer UK adults are drinking alcohol weekly in 2023 vs 2021.

"The awards represent a highly credible, reliable recommendation to consumers who are now faced with such a plethora of no and low alcohol options. 

The accolades, alongside the brand's impressive taste experience, low calorie and all-natural credentials and shelf-shout, underpin the relevance of listing Mavrik to key trade stockists.”

Mavrik produces a full range of canned cocktails in six delicious flavours: Cuban Mojito, Aromatic G&T, Storm & Spice, Venetian Spritz, Passion Star Martini and Espresso Martini. 

For more information visit https://www.mavrik-drinks.com

Graphics and Print - Proud Sponsors of the Heart of England fine foods Awards

For a number of years Graphics and Print, the award winning Telford based commercial printers have not only provided design and print for Heart of England fine foods but have also sponsored their annual awards evening. The 2012 Diamond Awards take place on Saturday 12 May at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, NEC and Graphics and Print are once again proud sponsors at this event.

Managing Director, Martin Kells, explains why the Telford-based printers are proud to be a part of these awards: “Graphics and Print started in Telford in 1980 as a small family-run business, and we know how important it is to have local support in order to succeed. Despite our rapid growth, we have managed to maintain a ‘family’ atmosphere during our growth journey, creating our own internal company community.

"This sense of valuing our people is expressed through our interaction with the wider society. We believe passionately at Graphics and Print in giving something back to our community. We have a strong commitment to the communities in which we operate, and we are one of the few print companies to make a commitment that every one of our employees will spend a minimum of two days per year, during work time, supporting the local community.

"This often involves helping disadvantaged people in having a better life. We are proud of the work that the Heart of England fine foods (HEFF) does as they look to support small to medium sized food businesses and whilst we aren’t a food business, we support this industry and understand the challenges which small and medium sized businesses face, being a small to medium sized business ourselves. We are therefore only too pleased to support HEFF as they support the same community that we do - Birmingham & the Black Country, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.”

Graphics and Print are dedicated towards establishing relationships with organisations in the local area to help strengthen the community infrastructure. They aim to use local suppliers where possible to help support neighbouring businesses, and encourage employees to actively get involved with charitable events across the region. Graphics and Print regularly offer work experience opportunities to nearby schools and colleges as well as the mentoring of university students who wish to pursue a career in print. They support staff participation in local or community-based charitable events through a staff-managed charitable fund. This can consist of paying for entry fees, matching sponsorship raised or indeed simply a donation.

British Pie Awards: Calling All Pie Makers

The organisers of the British Pie Awards are reminding all professional pie makers to submit their entries to the fourth annual awards as the deadline fast approaches (13th April 2012). Butchers and bakers can enter their pies in 18 different classes with the chance to win one of the top accolades in the pie making industry.

The awards are organised by the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association and take place on Wednesday 25th April 2012 at St. Mary’s Church, Melton Mowbray. The contest is judged by a panel of over 70 pie experts, food writers and celebrity chefs led by Andrew Chisholm. Xanthe Clay, Charles Champion and many more knowledgeable foodies have already confirmed their attendance as judges.

Matthew O’Callaghan, Chairman of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association comments: “We organise the British Pie Awards to celebrate one of Britain’s most recognised food products. This event offers a great opportunity for pie makers from across the country to demonstrate their finest produce. The standard of entries is always very high.

“To mark this important year, when the world will be looking in the direction of the UK for the Olympics and Diamond Jubilee, we have introduced new categories including the Celebration Pie class, for which pie makers can stretch their creative skills to design special commemorative products.

“We are also grateful for the support of our sponsors and this year we can confirm that Hospitality and Catering News is sponsoring the ‘Football Pie’ class; Sturgess of Leicester, the approved Jaguar dealer is sponsoring the ‘Beef and Ale Pie’ class; the Bramley Apple Campaign is supporting the ‘Bramley Apple’ category; and Nelsons for Cartons & Packaging are supporting the ‘Chicken and any Flavour’ class.”

To download an application form and for further information please visit www.britishpieawards.co.uk or contact Sarah Clothier on 0116 2344523 or sarah.clothier@mmppa.co.uk

Deadline Extended For The FoodBev.com Awards

"Did you launch a new product in the food and drinks industry in 2011? Have you brought an innovative, exciting product to market? Have you launched a new, dynamic and effective website or media campaign? If any of your answers are yes, then the FoodBev.com Awards 2011 is for you," said a spokesman for the Awards.

"We know you're going to be busy for Christmas and the holiday season in general, so we've extended the deadline for entering the FoodBev.com Awards. You now have more time to gather materials, answer questions and make your entries (and some time for wrapping presents, too).

"You can enter right here, www.foodbevawards.com/Enter_the_Awards.html and the closing date for entries is now 20 January 2012, with judging to take place a week later."

(EDITOR: Well go on then! Get to it. And we will keep out fingers crossed for you!)



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