News

The Country Range Oat, Lemon and Raisin Cookie Pucks won the top prize in the Afternoon Tea category with the Country Range Potato Halos winning the hotly contested Street Food category.

The Group’s new premium tier of wholesale foodservice products, Signature by Country Range won three awards with the Signature by Country Range Chocolate Dairy Ice Cream winning the Ice Cream category, Signature by Country Range Chefs Chunky Fries won the Potato Products category and the Signature by Country Range Potato Sidewinders won the Best Innovation Savoury Award.

Country Range Oat, Lemon and Raisin Cookie Pucks

Winner of the Afternoon Tea category the Country Range Oat, Lemon & Raisin Cookie Pucks combine hearty oats, plump raisins, and zesty Sicilian lemon oil for a deliciously refreshing twist on a classic flavour. Each preportioned puck delivers consistent, bakery-quality cookies with a satisfying texture and natural sweetness, perfect for cafes, restaurants, or home baking.

Country Range Potato Halos

Winner of the Street Food category the crispy hash brown onion rings that add a delightful twist to your menu. Crafted from 80% potatoes and onions, these pre-fried, frozen rings offer a satisfying crunch and rich flavor. Perfect as a burger topping or a breakfast sandwich addition, they bring versatility and convenience to any meal. Produced in a BRCapproved facility and suitable for a Halal diet, Potato Halos are an excellent choice for diverse dining preferences.

Signature by Country Range Chefs Chunky Fries

Winner of the Potato Products category the premium, straight-cut fries that deliver a superior taste and texture. Expertly triple-cooked and coated, these fries offer a golden, crispy exterior with a fluffy interior, making them an ideal accompaniment to gourmet burgers, steaks, or as a standout side dish.

Signature by Country Range Chocolate Dairy Ice Cream

Winner of the Ice Cream category this premium dessert features smooth chocolate ice cream, enhanced with dark chocolate chips and a luscious chocolate ripple, delivering a triple chocolate delight in every spoonful. Crafted with 55% fresh milk and 7% double cream, it offers a creamy texture that satisfies the most discerning chocolate lovers.

Additionally, 1p from every tub purchased supports The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, contributing to vital allergy research and awareness efforts.

Signature by Country Range Potato Sidewinders

Winner of the Best Innovation Savoury category the Signature by Country Range Potato Sidewinders™— offer a unique twist on traditional fries. These premium potato fries feature a distinctive curved shape, providing a crispy exterior and fluffy interior that elevates any dish. Ideal for loaded fries, sharing platters, or as a standout side, their innovative design ensures they stay warm and flavourful from the first bite to the last.

About the Cash and Carry Management Chefs’ Own-Brand Awards

Now in its seventh year, the prestigious CCM Chefs’ Own-Brand Awards is run by Cash & Carry Management magazine, in association with the Craft Guild of Chefs. The awards recognise the best foodservice own-brands, and the judging is conducted in blind tastings by highly experienced chefs and representatives from The Craft Guild of Chefs.

See link below

https://countryrangegroup.com/press-office/2024-cash-and-carry-management-awards/

Harlech Foodservices is now supplying Shire Services, the catering arm of Shropshire County Council, with a wide range of drinks and vending products for primary and secondary schools.

Shire Services provide high-quality catering services not only to schools but also to nurseries, care homes, and further education colleges across Shropshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, and North Wales. .

Their comprehensive service also includes food safety advice, compliance consultancy, a range of training courses and concierge assistance. .

Harlech, based in Gwynedd in North Wales, this summer opened a new depot in Wellington, near Telford, to enable it to serve the West Midlands area and have based five vehicles and their drivers there and that presence in Shropshire was crucial in winning the contract. .

It will see Harlech’s local fleet deliver a range of drinks and vending snacks, including products from Shropshire firm Wenlock Spring, and the company is looking to double the number of drivers and vehicles at its Wellington depot. .

Shire Services Area Manager Lauren Moore said: “We are proud to provide catering services to 118 primary and secondary schools across the West Midlands and North Wales. .

“We are passionate about using local suppliers. Harlech Foodservice’s presence in Telford enables us to incorporate local products into our offerings, such as still and sparkling water from Wenlock Spring. .

“We are delighted to have Wenlock Spring water on our school menus and even in our office water dispensers, reinforcing our pledge to environmental responsibility and local business support.” .

Wenlock Spring are based in Wolverton, near Church Stretton, and the spring that supplies the water filtered through the limestone of Wenlock Edge is mentioned in William the Conqueror’s Domesday Book of 1086. .

Alan Souter, National Account Manager for Wenlock Spring, said: “We are incredibly proud that Wenlock Spring Water will be enjoyed in schools across the region through our partnership with Shire Services and Harlech Foodservice. .

“It’s a privilege to contribute to the health and hydration of children while championing locally-sourced products. .

"We’re delighted to continue supporting the UK's network of wholesalers and education caterers with our range of spring water, which is sourced responsibly and packaged in an environmentally-friendly way, as well as working with businesses, such as Harlech, which share similar sustainability values to us." .

David Roberts, Harlech Regional Account Manager, said: “As a firm with a strong local connection to Shropshire it’s very important to us that the quality and nutritional value of the food and drink in schools is as high as possible and that only the best is used. .

“We also aim to use suppliers local to the client wherever possible as that cuts food miles and ensures that the benefits of the contract are shared with the local community. .

“We work very closely with Shire Services and our suppliers like Wenlock Spring here in Shropshire and with other clients across Shropshire, the West Midlands, the North West and Wales to ensure that is the case.” .

The opening of the new Shropshire depot this summer was spurred by Harlech’s growth over the past three years which has seen sales increase from £32 million to a record turnover of around £50 million with profit at an all-time high of more than £2 million. .

One of the major reasons for the growth has been a change of strategy which has seen Harlech win a raft of public sector contracts in health and education, in addition to its core customer base in tourism and hospitality. .

So far the £6 million expansion plan has enabled the company to create 75 jobs and Sales Director Mark Lawton said: “This new contract with Shire Services demonstrates not only our range of products and the excellent service we provide but also our commitment to using local suppliers like Wenlock Spring wherever we operate. .

Harlech, which has its headquarters near Criccieth in Gwynedd and depots at Wellington, Chester, Merthyr Tydfil and Carmarthen, employs 250 staff and runs a fleet of over 50 vehicles to deliver up to 5,000 product lines to cafés, restaurants, pubs and public sector customers. .

The growth follows the wholesaler winning over £1m in public contracts this autumn, and opening two new depots this year, in Telford and Carmarthen.

A “raft of new contracts” ranging from supplying schools, care homes and colleges in Shropshire, Herefordshire and Cheshire, to school contracts worth £500,000, had contributed to the progress, Harlech said.

“Cutting food miles and employing local people at local bases is a key factor in gaining contracts in the public sector and so is providing a flexible and efficient service and that’s something we pride ourselves on,” said Harlech Foodservice sales director Mark Lawton.

“We now have a real presence throughout Wales and across the border into the north west from our base in Chester and into the Midlands from Telford, and I know that opening these new bases has been key in signing these new deals.

“We are flexible so we can provide our national account customers like local authorities with the best price along with consistency and quality of service while also working with them on social and community benefit and environmental factors.”

The company had around 200 employees during the year to 30 July, according to its accounts.