Friday 24 April 2015

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AT REDHILL FARM



Redhill Farm Free Range Pork Ltd is recruiting

Background to the Company:

Redhill Farm is now firmly established as one of the UK’s leading Free Range Pork producers achieving national awards for every product it farms, produces and sells.  Clients include Jamie Oliver, Lord’s Cricket Ground, TV Chef James Martin and the 5*Star Goring Hotel in Belgravia.  However, the majority of the business remains local, selling in person to customers at Lincolnshire Farmers’ Markets where the company is known as ‘the stall with the queue!’

The job opportunity:

An exciting opportunity for someone with retail experience to join our growing and successful business, based in our brand new premises, located in an idyllic, rural setting.

Assistant Retail Manager

35 - 40 Hours per week, Tue-Sat some variable hours, pay depending on skills/experience. Job share considered.

Main duties:
Sourcing, merchandising and displaying products, use of EPOS, engaging with customers in the farm shop and on the phone, dealing with business and on-line customer orders.

This is a varied and responsible position, giving the successful applicant the opportunity to contribute to a small friendly team. Retail experience is essential and applicants need to demonstrate strong social skills, enthusiasm and initiative.

To apply send CV, references and covering letter saying why you want to work for Redhill Farm to:
employment@redhillfarm.com  

Thursday 2 April 2015

SELECT LINCOLNSHIRE WEBSITE ANNOUNCEMENT


Due to reorganisation of web site services within Lincolnshire County Council www.selectlincolnshire.com is temporarily unavailable.  We apologise for any inconvenience and please contact Gillian Richardson 01522 846931, 07702 939648  or email gillian.richardson@lincs-chamber.co.uk if you have any queries in the interim.

TREETOPS SPECIAL EASTER BUNNY OFFER


Take advantage of Treetops Cottages and Spa's special Easter Bunny offer and get access to Elm Cottage for two guests and three nights stay from Saturday, 4 April. 

Your accommodation includes either a free facial or foot massage for each guest+ free use of the leisure facilities, hot tub, indoor heated swimming pool & one hour per day use of sauna & free unlimited Wi-Fi. Total cost only £299. 

Direct booking only via Gill at - treetopscottages@yahoo.com or by ringing: 01652 628071; 07768038885; 07761307578.



ROYTHORNES FOOD BUSINESS BREAKFAST


Join Roythornes for a great networking event for the food sector.

Whether you are a producer, supplier or advisor join us for the second Food Business Breakfast.

Our first Breakfast in November 2014 attracted over 100 delegates, so make sure you don't miss out on: 

Making new contacts
Speaking to like-minded people from the sector
Finding new customers
Exchanging information - bring some brochures!

7:30 - 8:45am - Networking

Make new contacts with other delegates and develop your food network. The delegate list will be issued before the event.

8:45 - 9:15am - Keep it fresh

Hear Karen Green, Commercial Director of Ichiban UK, the UK's largest sushi manufacturer talk about working with some of the leading retailers - from developing new lines to dealing with everyday commercial pressures. Hear how keeping the product authentic creates its own challenges and opportunities.

Karen also mentors food businesses for the Prince's Trust and she will be talking about the next generation of food entrepreneurs and how the sector can get involved.

Register by 5th May to secure your place

Register online at: bit.ly/fbb2015

  
Location: The Food Business Breakfast takes place at the Kingsgate Conference Centre, 2 Staplee Way, Parnwell, Peterborough PE1 4YT.

Monday 30 March 2015

INVITATION TO LINDUM FOOD PROJECT EVENT


You are invited to a Breakfast Seminar on Wednesday 22nd April 2015 at the National Centre for Food Manufacturing in Holbeach.

The event provides a great opportunity to network with industry participants and hear the latest news on Food Sector topics.

RSVP: Jo Holmes by 13th April

Speakers
  • An Introduction to Emerging Preservation Technologies - Dr. Craig Leadley, Food Manufacturing Technologies Dept, Campden BRI
  • Novel Innovations in Food Freezing - Christian James, Food Refrigeration and Process Engineering Research Centre
  • Innovation in Design - TBC, Arctica (Architecture, Process, Project Management)
Event location

The National Centre for Food Manufacturing, University of Lincoln, Park Road, Holbeach, PE12 7PT - click for directions.
  
Programme
Registration and breakfast from 08:00
Presentations start 09:00
Networking/close 11:00
  
  






Friday 20 March 2015

SUMMER FAIR OF FOOD AND DRINK AT BELTON HOUSE

 
Photo Credit: "Belton House South Elevation" by Wehha - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Belton is hosting a Summer Fair of Food and Drink on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 July 2015. The fair is a celebration of local and artisan produce and aims to showcase what’s great about our regional food and drink. 
Where?
The fair will take place in the stableyard and adjacent estate yard at Belton House
Stalls
Belton House will provide a stall for you. These come with a 6ft table and a chair, and measure 10ft X 8ft (3m x 2.4m).
Alternatively, you may bring your own gazebo, for which you are allotted a maximum space of 10ft x 10ft.  If you’d like to bring your own gazebo, you must also bring your own table and chairs and ensure that the gazebo is safely weighted down with 16kg weights at each corner. Ropes and pins are not an option as staking is not permitted.
 

Stallholder requirements
  • All stallholders must carry their own public liability insurance and employer liability insurance (the latter where applicable).
  • Food producers must hold and show evidence of a Food Hygiene Certificate Level 2 (at least) and evidence of Local Authority Food Hygiene rating.
  • If bringing your own gazebo, it must be secured as directed above and a risk assessment must be provided.
  • Stallholders are required not to sell food and drink designed and intended as a meal for consumption at the fair itself. For example, selling drink by the cup or glass, bacon rolls, chips and similar hot food, wraps and sandwiches etc… are not permitted as these will conflict with Belton’s catering offer. If you require clarity on this point regarding your product, please ask. Handing out free samples is permitted.
  • Permission to bring a generator is dependent upon the submission of details of your generator and subsequent approval that it is safe and suitable for use at the event. If you have a generator that you wish to bring, identify this in the booking form and details will be requested to allow or disallow its use.
  • Any stallholder that currently supplies Belton House (shops or restaurants) is requested to sell their produce for the same price as the National Trust.
  • The fair begins at 9.30am and finishes at 5.30pm each day, stallholders will be required to set up, take down and remove all vehicles outside of these times. Specific access requirements and further information will be sent to you upon confirmation of your application.
  • All electrical items must have an up to date PAT certificate.

Wednesday 11 March 2015

PRACTICAL ADVICE FOR LINCOLNSHIRE'S SMALL FOOD COMPANIES






Meet the Experts – Practical Advice for Lincolnshire’s Small Food Companies”

on Wednesday 25 March 2015
9am to 12.30pm
at the National Centre for Food Manufacturing, Holbeach, PE12 7PT

Our experts come from:

Bakkavor – Peterborough Environment City Trust – Food Health and Safety, Breckland and South Holland Council – University of Lincoln – National Centre for Food Manufacturing

and their subjects will include:

making food manufacture sustainable – environmental health update – creating sustainable food businesses – trademarks – allergens – microbiology – super fast broadband – social media - funding

More details TBC. In the meantime, please make a note in your diary – Wednesday, 25 March 2015, 9am to 12.30pm.




Thursday 5 March 2015

FOOD TOURISM WORKSHOP

What is your role and how can you grow your market?

Did you know that Food Tourism is the fastest growing tourism sector?


Gastronomic tourism is an emerging phenomenon that is being developed as a new tourism product due to the fact that according to the specialized literature, over a third of tourist spending is devoted to food. Therefore, the cuisine of the destination is an aspect of utmost importance in the quality of the holiday experience.
Several studies have found that tourists travel to those destinations that have established a reputation as a place to experiment with quality local products.

What is your business strategy to take advantage of this unique opportunity?

Bespoke workshop for Farm Retailers

During the workshop you will be introduced to the concepts of food tourism and how this relates to farm retail businesses such as your own. Look at current trends both in the UK and across the world and then focus on how you as a business can create a plan to maximise the value of this opportunity for your business. By the end of the workshop you will have a created a unique strategy for your business.

The Programme

  •     Start with Why
  •     What is Food tourism?
  •     What is driving food tourism?
  •     Who are the local players and how should they network?
  •     Where is the support to make it happen?
  •     What do you and can you offer the food tourist?
  •     What is your strategy for the next three years to grow your business?
  •     The plan for your business
The workshops will each start at 10.00 and finish at 16.00.

These workshops are being led by the international Farm Retail expert John Stanley. John is a long-time friend of FARMA and has supported many of its members with consultancy and as a speaker at FARMA conferences over the years.

Locations and Dates

16th March: Kyte Hotel: Darrington, West Yorkshire WF8 3HR 17th March: Marston Lodge Farm, Marston Trussell, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16 9TY 18th March: Newlyns Farm Shop, Lodge Farm, North Warnborough, Hook, Hampshire RG29 1HA

Booking and Tickets

Please follow the link to book your place on the course. Attendance at the course is £55+VAT per person.
Who should attend?

This workshop will add value to all types of farm retail businesses. The workshop will be of particular interest to:

  •     Farmers' Markets
  •     Farm Shops
  •     New Farm Retail Businesses
  •     Farm tourism and attraction business looking to add a food offering.

Friday 27 February 2015

RECIPE OF THE MONTH - ONION BROTH

 
With crocuses and snowdrops popping up and the sun shining, we're starting to get excited about spring, but it's still cold out there - so what better way to warm up than with recipe for a delicious Onion Broth made with blackberry vinegar? 

Ingredients 
2 large onions 
2 fat garlic cloves 
Butter 
Olive oil 
Thyme 
2 tbsp Fred & Bex Blackberry Vinegar 
800ml beef stock 
A bay leaf 
Salt 
For the croutons: 
Ciabatta 
Cheddar

Serves 2

Start by peeling the onions and slicing them as finely as you can. Peel and finely chop the garlic too. Then put a large scoop of butter and a drizzle of oil into a pan over a medium heat, and once the butter has melted, add the onions and the garlic, as well as a good sprinkling of thyme.
Allow the onions to soften for about five minutes, before adding the blackberry vinegar. Leave the onions for another ten minutes or so, checking regularly that they aren't catching – it’s important that they just soften slowly.

Next, make up the beef stock, and add to the pan. Season the broth with a good pinch of salt and add a bay leaf, then leave it again to bubble gently for about twenty minutes.
By now, the broth should be smelling and tasting pretty fantastic. This is a good time to start preparing your croutons – cut the ciabatta into slices about half an inch thick and toast lightly on both sides.

While the bread is toasting, remove the bay leaf from the broth and purée thoroughly, then strain it to remove any large pieces of onion. Return the strained broth to the hob, over a low heat.
Finish off the croutons by topping them with cheese and popping them under the grill. Divide the broth between two warmed bowls and then once the cheese is bubbling, lay the croutons on top of the soup and eat straight away.

JAM - SHORT DATE STOCK WHOLESALE OFFER


One of our Select Lincolnshire members has an amount of jam with a short date to sell.

Greendog Raspberry or Rhubarb & Ginger jam in jars of 225g normal wholesale £2.35 ech.

Offer price £1.35 or less for bulk order.  

Please contact George@bennetjpg@hotmail.com

BEHIND THE SCENE - SADIE HIRST, MULTI AWARD WINNING BAKER AT RJ HIRST FAMILY BUTCHERS

In the second of our new series called Behind the Scene, we took a trip to RJ Hirst High Class Family Butchers, to talk to Multi Award Winning Artisan Baker and Local Food Writer, Sadie Hirst. 

RJ Hirst High Class Family Butchers are a traditional multi award winning Butchers shop situated near to the Dambusters Memorials in the beautiful village of Woodhall Spa





Tell us about your background, how you came to the role you are in, describe your passion.

I am a born and bred Yellowbelly and grew up in the village of Woodhall Spa.

Baking is really in my blood, going back through my family history, there are mill owners and Bakers in Alford, a long line of Caterers including for the Masonic Hall in Spilsby. I think I was destined to end up making food. I collect antique and vintage cookery books and I recently inherited some old family cook books, which are really precious to me.

My Working life started in catering and I have ended up going full circle, both in terms of working in the village and also working with food. My first job in the late 80’s was as a General Assistant for The Dower House Hotel in Woodhall Spa, this was a fantastic grounding in all aspects of the catering and hospitality industry. I then moved down to the Southwest and on to work for several hotels and a Casino in Torquay.  A complete change of direction came about when I joined the daily newspaper down in Devon. I enjoyed over 15 happy years working first in press and then on into radio in the English Riviera, then up to Exeter. I took a year out to go backpacking around the world in the late 90’s until my old boss eventually tracked me down somewhere in Melbourne and lured me back to the Uk with a great job at Orchard FM in Somerset. So I returned to the Uk and worked there for several years before eventually returning to Lincolnshire, working initially at Viking FM in Hull and then for Mortons and finally Johnston Press based in Horncastle.

My life took an unexpected turn back in September 2003, when I decided to go into this new Butchers shop I heard had opened in Woodhall Spa. I had a friend with me who was down visiting from Cheltenham for the weekend. She came into the shop with me and was very puzzled at this odd exchange that took place between me and Russell. When we got outside, she asked me “what that was all about?” To which I replied “I have no idea, but I’ll end up marrying him!” Russell had run across the road to ask someone who I was too. A few months later we were engaged, then we got married and then we had our Son Oliver. So you just never know what asking for a couple of chicken breasts will lead to. I had never lost my interest in food and it was a natural progression for us that we should work together in the shop.

We are lucky that we work well together as a team, with clearly defined roles within the business. From the outset we both had a clear vision of wanting to support fellow Lincolnshire Producers and revive and preserve traditional local dishes. Joining Tastes of Lincolnshire (now Select Lincolnshire) in those early days really consolidated our aims. It was terrific recognition for us when we won their award of Best Shop and Producer in 2005 and again in 2009.

In 2009 I made the decision to attend Lincoln College, as a mature student and trained as a chef. This gave me the skills and confidence to have our kitchen at home licenced and for me to produce my Hand Raised Pies and baked goods for the shop and Farmer’s Market in Horncastle.

My passion for preserving local recipes and recreating them, has led to me writing a monthly food column for the East Lindsey Target. I try and focus on Festivals, seasonal produce and  our local baking heritage. I am also a member of the British Society of Baking, which upholds the values of sharing knowledge.


What does Lincolnshire Mean to you? 
Home! I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else now. Looking back I was so lucky to grow up in the village, with Jubilee Park, the Pool and the Kinema all on our doorstep. As a kid you don’t appreciate these things and you are eager to explore the world. Coming back as an adult makes you realise just what a special county this is.

I’m immensely proud of our county, there is so much to love about it. I think that Lincoln is one of the most beautiful cities in the country and with all of the excitement surrounding the Magna Carta and Lincoln Castle we are so lucky to have all of this wonderful history on our doorstep.

We are incredibly fortunate to have such a wealth of history, aviation history, The Wolds, The Coast, Tennyson, the coast, the list is endless. Not even mentioning individual attractions. 

Who are your food champions? 
At the risk of sounding a bit cheesy, Russell is my Food Champion. It takes an enormous amount of energy, passion and commitment to get up at 5am most days, in sometimes sub-zero temperature in the shop and consistently make amazing food, doing so with a smile and always making time for our wonderful customers.

My other real food champions are people who love cooking and making good wholesome food, with the best ingredients in their own homes. People who shop locally and appreciate what a fantastic food producing county we live in and they want themselves and their families to benefit from that.


I also really admire Rachel Green, it is great the spotlight she has shone on Lincolnshire producers.

Tell us about your team

We are a micro team of only 4! Russell is the Butcher, I’m the Baker. Sharon is our Full Time Sales Assistant and has been with us almost from the beginning. She is part of the family and is completely in tune with how we run the shop. Simon joined us in November last year as our part time Sales Assistant. He has become an invaluable member of the team very quickly and coped with the madness that is Christmas admirably.

We all share a passion for what we do, we work closely as a unit and pride ourselves on pleasing our customers, both with the produce that they love and for how we look after them when they come.

That’s what makes winning the Select Lincolnshire Awards so precious, it is recognition for all of us that we are getting it right and we really appreciate that.


Tell us which local producers do you use and why.

We work with Scamens eggs in Louth, Bells eggs in Horncastle, Sweet Heat Chill in Horncastle, Saints and Sinners Jams and Preserves, Ownsworth Rapeseed Oil, Curtis’s, Pattesons Chutneys and Sauces, Pocklingtons Bakery, Lincolnshire Honey. The reason we deal with all of these producers is that they have the same commitment to quality and are local artisan producers.


What would you say to other Select Lincolnshire members?

Welcome to a very special group of businesses. Being a Select Lincolnshire member offers you the opportunity to be part of such a powerful food brand. I believe it is stronger now than it has ever been.

With the buzz surrounding the Magna Carta and Lincoln Castle, there is a massive spotlight on the county and it really is an exciting time to be in business here. It is up to us to maximise the opportunities it gives us.

Rachel Green touched on this at the recent awards, that we are making food history now, we are creating the culinary heritage that will be looked back on in future generations.
In years to come people will look back on this time as a hugely important and creative time for making good local food.

There is such a resurgence of interest, appreciation and hunger that people have for good, wholesome food. Select Lincolnshire gives a compass to those customers who want to find us.

For more information visit the RJ Hirst Family Butchers