Tag: #bakery

The biggest concern for bakery is the cost of distribution

Featured by mrbakestone, posted in Debate

The cost of delivery is usually based on the MOQ (minimum order quantity), in other words the volume of product that the customer would like delivering to their business. This cost is ever increasing due to the obvious rises in labour, vehicle renewal, more efficient emission operated vehicles, more cities wanting a congestion charge. The list goes on and on.

If a customer only requires, for instance, 10 loaves of bread, that leaves you with an approximate profit of £1.30. You can see for yourselves that the true cost of delivering is a lot higher, in fact it costs nearer to £3.33p. This is based on the vehicle and all the vehicle costs, staff etc and the vehicle making 40 calls a day on his route 6 days a week. Obviously the cost to deliver will come down if the customer has a higher quantity. ie. if the delivery is 30 loaves a drop using the same costs then the cost to deliver is still the same, but there is a small profit now of 57p.

  • Another Co-op bakery van, well before my time.
This would be a lot cheaper to deliver with.

The supermarket chains have different problems to smaller businesses. They buy in larger numbers, reducing their cost base, and they also sell on to a consumer cheaper , but they more likely to be making multiple purchases of different products. Let’s face it hardly anyone goes to a large supermarket for a loaf. Even their online offering usually has a delivery charge, and frequently makes charges for orders below a certain value.

How do we get around this?

Given that most packaged bread has at least 5 days’ shelf life, a solution is to take deliveries only 2 or 3 times a week. It means that you can technically take on more deliveries using the days that you don’t use the vehicle , therefore using 1 vehicle instead of 2. For example, a van goes out Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday on one route, and the same van goes out Monday, Wednesday and Friday on another route.

The other choices are that the shop takes in more products to help ease the cost of delivery, or they pay more for the service. Greggs have just started online but there is a delivery charge for their £1 sausage roll of £2.50 and you also have to place a minimum order of £10.

St Georges Day

by mrbakestone, posted in Debate

Should we make St Georges day a National Holiday?

St George’s Day was declared as a national feast day in 1415 and used to be largely celebrated in England, but following the unification with Scotland in May, 1707, the day has become less significant.

Now people go to work as normal, although in recent years there’s been a push to make the day a National Holiday again – we could replace one of the May bank holidays as they are too close together.

The day is not a national public holiday, although campaigners say it is unfair that Ireland and Scotland are granted a bank holiday for St Patrick’s Day and St Andrew’s Day, while the English are not.

St Georges Day Bakestone Dragon.png If we were to have a National Holiday like a bank holiday then St Georges day would become as popular as St Patricks Day which is really well celebrated ,also St. Andrews Day and St Davids day were they are public holidays in their own right.

How can you celebrate St George’s Day?

Fancy a pint? Throughout the country, pubs celebrate by decorating their venues with the St George’s cross, offering people the chance to celebrate together with a few drinks.

Fervent English fans mark the day up and down the country with parades, dancing and waving flags from buildings and pubs. Some people wear a rose, England’s national flower, on their lapel.

The hymn of Jerusalem is traditionally sung on the day and Morris Dancers often perform around the country.

As well as being the Patron Saint of England, St George is the Patron Saint of Scouting and around April 23 scouts often hold celebrations such as parades and faith services.

Let’s Toast St Georges Day

“factual source from the Telegraph newspaper”

 

VIDEO: Roberts Bakery reveals its next steps

by mrbakestone, posted in Latest News

Roberts Bakery has revealed its plans for the business, including the roll out of more ‘innovative’ NPD in May 2018, following a major relaunch in S… Visit http://www.bakeryinfo.co.uk today for more information!

Source: VIDEO: Roberts Bakery reveals its next steps

Coultons Bread sponsors Help for Heroes fundraiser in Tottington, Bury

by mrbakestone, posted in Charity work, Latest News

Coultons Bread Ltd are proud to be associated with this prestigious charity event, held at Greenmount Cricket Club  in Tottington, Bury in Lancashire , and are main sponsors under their Bakestone brand banner.

 

The organisers behind this event are Andrew and Terri Eccles who are the Tenant landlords  of the local pub “The Dungeon Inn”  located in the village of Tottington, and they work tirelessly all year round to raise money for the Help for Heroes charity. They organise  fundraising events throughout the year to raise awareness and last year they raised an awesome amount of money.

 

h4-h-last-year

The community really did dig deep, but this year we are hoping to raise even more.

The charity itself needs to raise millions each year to help as many ex-servicemen and women as possible get back to leading a full life just like many of us are fortunate to have.

If you would like to know where all the money goes and the great work Help for Heroes does, then visit their website Help for heroes website

h4h-flyerThere are just a few tickets left for this “Black Tie” gala dinner and if you would like to join us at this prestigious event, you can buy the tickets from Andrew or Terri at The Dungeon Inn The Dungeon Inn, Tottington ,or if you can’t come along and wish to donate please feel free to do so, or just pop into the pub any time all year round as they have collecting tins on the bar.

 

help-for-heroes-soldier

 

 

 

 

Serve up sumptuous French toast

by mrbakestone, posted in bread

eggy breadFrench toast is enjoyed around the world but here in the UK the toasted breakfast treat is more lovingly known as “eggy bread”. It has been a firm favourite for a long time and can be enjoyed in many ways. Some people love to sweeten it up with a side of fruit and syrups, whereas others stick to a savoury accompaniment of a dollop of red or brown sauce.

French toast is often made from stale bread. This is not only a way to use it up and prevent it from being wasted; it actually produces the best French toast, as stale bread absorbs more of the mixture than fresh. If you have even one day old bread spare, you are ready to create the most fantastic “eggy bread”.

You don’t want your French toast to turn out limp and soggy, so there are a few steps you can take to ensure it comes out as it should. Leaving your slices out overnight to dry ensures the bread will soak up the perfect amount of egg mixture. When you come to soak the bread in the mixture you infuse it with a custard, which always tastes better when it is made with cream. Try substituting the milk for a double cream and you are sure to see and taste the difference.

Butter is a big deal with this bread dish. You need enough butter in the pan to ensure your bread is crisped instead of steamed and to give your toast that unmistakeable flavour. If you wish, you can make your toast crunchy by adding a little flour to the egg and milk before you whip it up. When frying for a large number of people, keep your already prepared slices warm in a 300 degree oven as you cook.

When your toast is ready all that is left to do is perfect it with your favourite topping. Place the slices on a platter so they overlap slightly and if desired, sweeten them up with a light sprinkling of sugar. If butter is your preference keep it softened and if syrup is your ideal choice keep it warm. As a reputable name in bread supply for the North of England businesses, we love to help our clients and customers make the best of their bread products. Follow these tips for delicious French toast and an economical way to make great use of stale bread.

The perfect number of slices in a loaf

by mrbakestone, posted in Debate

Bread is a staple of diets in countries around the world because it is cheap to make, versatile, tastt and packed with essential nutrients. The importance of bread means it is often produced in huge volumes to meet demand. However, this also leads to it being one of the most frequently wasted foods because people tend to buy more than they need to ensure they don’t run out.

In order to tackle the wastage, buyer trends would need to change. This can already be seen in some cases, particularly with the introduction of half loaves over the last few years. These are designed for people that only want a small amount of bread rather than a whole loaf that they may struggle to use up. They were introduced as an alternative to the smaller loaves because many people still want full size pieces of bread; they simply want fewer slices.

This has solved one problem, but it leaves another for people who consume slightly more than a single loaf of bread. Typically they would need to consume less or be forced to buy an additional loaf. Naturally both options are not ideal but the second could dramatically increase waste. We recognised this issue and introduced our long loaf to meet consumer demands. Longer loaves are perfect for people that need more bread than a single loaf but less than two.

There are a range of Bakestone long loafs to choose from including white, brown and wholemeal in medium and thick sliced varieties. We are proud to offer our bread supply across the north of the UK, catering for the needs of all kinds of business owners. We are committed to offering the most reliable bakery supply services in the region, both in terms of the range of products we offer and the flexible deliveries we can arrange. If your customers are looking for longer loafs of premium quality bread, we can certainly provide the products you need.

Bakestone Range
Bakestone Range

Great ways to use your leftover baked goods

by mrbakestone, posted in Debate

As the specialists in bakery and bread supply in the North West, we’re passionate about bread and we want to make sure that everyone gets the full benefit of our products. Many of us buy too much bread and are unable to use it all up before the use by date, but bread still makes a fantastic ingredient even when it is past its best. Here are some great ideas for ways to use up those leftover baked goods.

– Stale bread is great for making breadcrumbs, which can be used in all kinds of recipes and stored in the freezer until you need them. Simply put your stale bread through the food processer and you have a ready supply of breadcrumbs to coat meat and fish, scatter over pasta dishes, make a crust for casseroles, and add to countless other dishes for texture and crunch.

– Croutons are an easy way to use up bread while adding a new dimension of flavour and texture to soups and salads. Simply cut your bread up into cubes or chunks and sautee them in some oil and seasoning of your choice, until they are crisp and golden brown.

– Leftover bread can also be used in sweet dishes, particularly in puddings. Why not try a classic bread pudding made with eggs, sugar and mixed fruit, or a summer pudding packed with berries?

Ingredients

Serves: 7
100g sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 slices of any bread
Butter
3 handfuls sultanas
500ml milk
2 eggs

Method
Prep:10min › Cook:30min › Extra time:5min resting › Ready in:45min

Preheat oven to 190 C / Gas mark 5. Lightly grease a baking dish.
Mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
Butter 5 slices of bread, cut in half.
Layer the bread in the dish adding a handful of sultanas and the sugar mix as you go, covering each slice.
Mix the milk and eggs together and whisk.
Pour over the bread and leave to absorb for 10 minutes.
Bake in the oven for 35 to 45 minutes, until the pudding is set and browned.

– Bread can be used as an ingredient in salads. One of the most famous bread salads is panzanella, an Italian recipe which traditionally incorporates chunks of bread and tomatoes soaked in olive oil and vinegar and flavoured with herbs. This recipe actually works much better with stale bread than fresh, as it holds its structure better after being soaked in the dressing.

bread pudding
Bread Pudding

Ingredients

200 g stale bread
600 g ripe mixed tomatoes, , roughly chopped
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 handful small capers , drained
1 small red onion , peeled and very finely sliced
280 g jarred red peppers , drained and roughly chopped
8 anchovy fillets in oil , drained and finely sliced (optional)
red wine vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
a bunch of fresh basil

Method
Tear the stale bread into rough 3cm pieces and place on a tray.

Place the tomatoes in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Rinse the capers, squeezing out any excess liquid and add to the bowl, along with the onion, peppers, bread and anchovies, if using.

Toss the mixture together with your hands, then stir in 2 tablespoons of vinegar and about 3 times as much extra virgin olive oil. Taste and add a little more salt, pepper, vinegar or oil, if needed.

Tear in the basil leaves, stir together and serve. Delicious with barbecued meats or roast chicken.

Italian_Panzanella
Panzanella salad

Sub Rolls

Bread Rolls still favourite

by mrbakestone, posted in Buns

In recent years the UK has seen a growth of upmarket coffee houses and bistros offering a range of different snacks such as tortilla wraps, thins and ciabatta. This led to a slight decline in the demand for old favourites like the bread roll, but recent figures have shown a significant increase in the sale of rolls as consumer demand has risen by 20% in the last year.

The roll was once the staple of lunchboxes across the country. For many years it was outsold only by sliced bread and successfully held its own against the introduction of bagels, croissants and pitta bread. The roll lost momentum due to coffee shops and other eateries offering speciality bread and a range of exotic fillings. However, UK supermarkets have reported sales of almost 8 million more individual rolls in the past 12 months.

Surveys reveal that many people prefer rolls as they offer great value for money and are very filling. We are leading suppliers of sliced bread products, individual and multiple packs of rolls and other sweet and savoury baked goods and we are trusted to deliver the finest quality products, giving you the steady supply of rolls your customers demand. We can supply you with individual rolls, large packs of buns, burgers and barms. Our bread rolls and buns come in all shapes and sizes and we also offer plain and seeded options.

Our deliveries are structured to suit the individual needs of our customers and we aim to offer convenient solutions. We can deliver once or twice a week or on a daily basis if required. We can fill any order regardless of size and we take every step to deliver your orders at the times that suit your business schedules.

From small shops and cafes to large establishments and catering organisations across the UK,

Voluptuous Baps
Voluptuous Baps

A tasty and new product exclusive to us

by mrbakestone, posted in Debate

My favourite flapjacks

Alongside bread supply in the North, we also offer a variety of cakes and confectionary which are ideal for stocking in any shop or cafe. With a wide range of choices to satisfy any sweet tooth, we are confident that our products will help to give your business a boost and ensure that your customers keep coming back when they are in the mood a sweet treat.

We currently have a brilliant offer on a delicious new sweet product. My Favourite flapjacks are exclusive to us, meaning that you won’t be able to get them anywhere else. They’re available in six fantastic flavours including white chocolate and raspberry crumble, and there are 48 flapjacks supplied in each box. They’re perfect for breakfast or as an afternoon snack with a hot drink, and have already proved extremely popular with customers – they’re flying off the shelves of our clients who have already stocked them in their shops.

These flapjacks don’t only taste great, they’re also affordable. We can supply them to you for just 37.5p per flapjack, or £18 a box, and they can be sold at 65p each or two for £1, providing you with a healthy profit. One of the biggest bonuses of these flapjacks is that they have a long shelf life, meaning you don’t have to worry about your stock becoming outdated before you have the chance to sell it all. With such high demand for these tasty items, it’s likely that you’ll need to restock very soon anyway.

If you’d like to stock up on these exclusive high quality flapjacks in your cafe, shop or canteen, or if you’d like to learn more about any of the other products we offer as part of our bakery supply in the North East, get in touch and we’ll be happy to set up an account for you. With great prices and prompt delivery, you can always rest assured your business will be well supplied when you are working with us.

My Favourite Flapjacks