While the early pastry history is possessed by the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, we have certainly played a significant role in pastry’s proud past. Think Cornish Pasties, Melton Mowbray Pork Pies and Bakewell Tarts to name just three. The foundation of many a classic and much-loved dish, a quality shortcrust pastry can be used for stunning sweets and savoury masterpieces but it’s also crucial for many of our favourite on-thego, handheld snacks. Our Country Range Frozen Shortcrust Pastry Blocks are a terrific tool for busy chefs providing immense flavour and versatility. Chefs just need to tha ..read more

Mandala Cafe, part of the London Buddhist Centre has been at the heart of the capital’s vibrant community of Buddhist practitioners since it opened its doors in 1978. Based in Bethnal Green, the centre and registered charity, which teaches Buddhism and meditation, receives 1,000 visitors each week who participate in a wide range of yoga classes, talks, family events, school visits, retreats and special evenings featuring well known artists like PoetryEast. An ambitious refurb has recently taken place at the venue’s café to relaunch it as the Mandala Café. The project has been led by a team fro ..read more

This month, Paul Dickson focuses on a store cupboard staple – pasta – and how to get the most out of it, from showstopping specials to waste-saving hacks. Pasta in one form or another is one of the ambient ingredients that is in pretty much every store cupboard in every kitchen. When it comes to keeping costs down and maintaining margins, it’s also one of the best options for creating crowd-pleasing dishes whilst making very few ingredients go a long way. Whether that’s by using just a few high-quality seasonal ingredients and letting them shine, or making use of the great value and high-quali ..read more

Every chef has a little extra spring in their step in April as a glorious assortment of new seasonal ingredients alongside some warmer weather helps to transform menus and the dining experience for guests. So, as the season for socialising really takes off, we’re delighted to roll out a new tantalisingly tasty trio of sweets this spring including our first ever Signature dessert. Spring Time Treats Created with the latest consumer trends in mind, the new desserts are available immediately and all offer a slice of the sublime for summer. The new threesome just needs to be thawed overnight befor ..read more

Since arriving in Belfast in 2012, Coppi has single handedly turned the city’s expectations of quality Italian food on its head. Pioneering the cichetti – the Venetian style of small plated tapas – Coppi takes its name from the famous cyclist – Angelo Fausto Coppi. With a contemporary design merging New York-style subway tiles, aged wood and moody lighting, the bustling city eatery has become an integral part of Belfast Cathedral’s cultural hub in St Anne’s Square and the city’s food scene. As with the restaurant’s namesake, the business is not one to stand still. Stephen Ferris is the operati ..read more

Paulina Litwin, Libby Thistleton and Cecille Youngs from West Suffolk College have been crowned the winners of the Country Range Student Chef Challenge 2024 following an enthralling finale at the HRC Show at Excel in London on the 26th March. The three young student chefs were competing against teams from Loughborough College, Cornwall College, New College Durham and Westminster Kingsway and astounded the judges with their creative, on-brief and flavour-driven menu. Westminster Kingsway’s trio of April Jackson, Luca Delgado and Elliot Tyler clinched second place and the London-based college ..read more

With British springtime at its height, we have rolled out three new delicious desserts to help caterers add some sensational sweet treats to their menus. Created with some of the latest consumer trends in mind, these new delightful desserts are available immediately, and all offer a slice of summer bliss. The new threesome just needs to be thawed overnight before serving and includes: Country Range Signature Chocolate and Marmalade Marble Cake 1 x 16 Pre-portioned Two layers of chocolate and orange hand swirled marbled sponge, filled with Seville orange marmalade and an orange cream, finished ..read more

Believed to have originated in the Caucasus region around 4,000 years ago before spreading to Asia and Europe, the mighty pear was revered by the Ancient Greeks and dedicated to the goddess Hera, who represented women and fertility. Still packing a powerful punch of vitamins, fibre and nutrients today, pears continue to be an important and tasty part of a healthy diet. Country Range Pear Halves in Light Syrup are sourced from Italy and are juicy, sweet and refreshing whenever they’re called upon. Ultra versatile, they’re delicious served on their own but are a fabulous ingredient for all manne ..read more

With spring on the horizon, the competition season is about to begin and the eagerly awaited finale of the Country Range Student Chef Challenge will soon be here. Taking place on the 26th March in the Live theatre at the Hospitality, Restaurant and Catering Show at London’s ExCel, the final will see teams battle it out for eternal glory plus a major boost to their career prospects. Following the initial round of paper judging in January headed by Chris Basten, Vice President of the Craft Guild of Chefs, the judges have deliberated and decided on the worthy teams of culinary students, who will ..read more

With Easter just around the corner, Paul Dickson shares some last-minute tips to make catering for special occasions run smoothly, with an eye on margins and efficiency. It can be easy to get carried away when planning for big events in the calendar, but with a few tweaks to your menu and a bit of clever planning, you can take some of the pressure off the busy service as well as your margin. Here are some simple ideas which can be applied to any lastminute Easter planning but work equally well all year round. A Sweet Swap Controlling your portions is of course a top priority throughout the yea ..read more