Bakery Blog

BBC Apprentice - Week 5

Creating a new fitness craze was the aim of the game this week. The two teams were tasked with thinking of a new fitness concept and selling it to some of the largest gyms in the UK. This was definitely going to be the week that someone, dressed in somewhat questionable attire, would prance around in front of a camera. This episode did not disappoint!

Team Sterling created a class called ‘Beat Battle’ and was to be where mixed martial arts and dance met. However from the start it seemed very similar to classes already being used in gyms. Team Phoenix decided to go retro with a concept they named ‘Groove Train’ a class using items like space hoppers, hula hoops (not of the crisp kind) and skipping ropes.  This class had the definite potential to stand out from the crowd.

Each team had to pitch to 3 gyms, Fitness First, Virgin Active and Pure Gym. Sterling had a clear pitch, and had researched the companies they were pitching to and also the growing trend of martial arts. Phoenix however had a very sloppy pitch. Their class would require them to supply each of the gyms with the equipment required to do the class, when questioned about the costs of this the figures appeared to be made up on the spot. I had high hopes that this week would be the first that Sterling won; sadly for them their losing streak shows no sign of stopping.

So why do I think they lost? Within both teams there seemed to be a struggle for control while filming and editing the videos. With all the disagreements I was surprised any decisions got made. And with the best pitch of the two teams it looked like Sterling were onto a winner. Sadly I think it came down to the product and how it was portrayed in the video. It was too similar to other classes and looked more like a dance workout. Team Sterling; I have my fingers crossed for you to win next week!

Kimberley

www.littletreatsbakery.co.uk

BBC Good Food Show

On Sunday I popped down to Bluewater to visit the BBC Good Food Show. It was so nice to go to an event that is close to home rather than having to venture into London or to the NEC near Birmingham. I purchased my tickets on Groupon and only paid £5.00 per person rather than the £16.00 they were selling for on the BBC website. I probably wouldn’t have ventured down to the event if I had had to pay the full price, plus it meant we were happy to spend more with the producers, which is what it is all about!

One of the first things we done when we arrived was listen to Jo Wheatley, winner of 2011 Great British Bake Off, being interviewed.

I loved last year’s Bake Off series, and Jo was my favourite from the beginning, so I was really looking forward to hear about her experience before, during and after the programme.  Like me she has memories of baking from a very young age. Jo spoke about the application process, which reduced the man before her to tears due to his soggy bottom (of the pastry kind) and how on being announced the winner she actually thought she had come in third place. Since finishing the series in October she has been a very busy lady, writing her first cook book, A Passion for Baking, and teaching weekly classes from her own kitchen. The book promises to make baking simple with easy to follow recipes and hints and tips that Jo has picked up along her journey. It will be available from next month and will be sold exclusively through Sainsbury’s. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy; I will let you know what I think! I only wish she had some tasters for us to try, after all her recipes look delicious! Find out more about Jo and her classes on her blog. http://josblueaga.blogspot.co.uk/
 

                                        This photo was taken from Jo’s blog.

 Then the shopping and sampling began. We tasted a lot of cheese during our visit; there were probably 5 or 6 cheese producers each with plenty of flavours to choose from. My favourites were from The Cheshire Cheese Company. Their vintage gold 4 year old extra mature cheddar is amazing! We also bought Taste of the Raj and Caramelised Onion and Rioja Cheddar. 

If you are a regular reader of my blog you will know that my dad owns a farm here in Suffolk. He has grown oil seed rape on the farm for more years than I have been alive, so I thought it was about time he tried some as oil. We ended up buying from Farrington’s Mellow Yellow, who grow their own oil seed rape and use in their products. We bought their delicious Mayonnaise, Classic Vinaigrette and Honey and Mustard Dressing.  I think it’s more liquid gold than mellow yellow myself.

What I love about these events is that you will find products that you can’t buy just anywhere (like our own Little Treats) and Ollo Foods Smoked Spiced BBQ Marinade was just that. An unassuming stand, which was all about the product and is amazing. I will be buying some ribs on my next trip to the butchers to be slathered in the sauce, yum!

My dad then got quite a taste for Toffee Vodka. It was a bit too sweet for my liking; I prefer my vodka with lemonade and a fresh slice of lime. Apparently it is good as a shot after dinner. I’m not sure how I feel about my dad replacing an After Eight mint for a shot of toffee vodka, it could be interesting!

I really enjoyed the show and it was nice not to be working and to actually be able to spend time talking to other producers and sampling their beautiful products.

Kimberley

www.littletreatsbakery.co.uk

BBC Apprentice - Week 4

This week’s apprentice had a very simple concept, buy second hand items and sell it on at a higher price. One team brought items and sold them on with very little, if any improvements made. The second team however decided to buy a large amount of pieces and ‘up-cycle’ them before selling them on. Sadly I think the decision to up-cycle such a large amount of items set their fate in stone.

The task only allows one day of selling, and although working as part of a team they are also judged on the amount of sales they make individually. This seems to be the first task in many where the contestants have a fine balancing act of working to help the team secure a win whilst also allowing their own skills shine through.

The teams labelled the stores as selling ‘vintage’ and ‘retro’ items and I must admit I was surprised at how well the items sold. It seems you can buy any old junk, label it as vintage or retro, and in Brick Lane you have a product that will sell.

So where do I think they went wrong? Well this week’s losing team bought too many items, around 200 pieces, to sell in one day. They also spent way too much money on materials. In this task, less was defiantly more!

Kimberley

BBC Apprentice - Week 3

Earlier today I realised that today is week four of the BBC’s Apprentice and I haven’t yet put up last week’s blog. I have been slacking big time and for this I too would be fired!

So what went wrong? When making and selling a food product food waste is your worst enemy. There are so many places where food waste can occur, preparing the ingredients, cooking the ingredients, finishing the product and packaging. The costs of ingredients are increasingly high so ensuring you are maximising the use of each ingredient is crucial.

Secondly when costing up your food product you need to think about what your RRP will be. You need to consider your competition, do not price yourself out of the market as you will find it very difficult, if not impossible to sell firstly to the trade and then onto the public. If you have a good product you believe in that is priced higher than others on the market it will be well worth your while selling directly to the public first. Attend local farmers market and the like to promote yourself and the product. Prove that it is a product that will sell at a premium price and it may help you sell to the trade.

So why do I think they failed? Obviously on the Apprentice they have very limited time which is not ideal when bringing a food product to market. The product was wrong and food waste added to the problem. The branding was really poor and visually unattractive. And lastly the costing’s. They need to use people in the team to their strengths!

Kimberley

Seasonal food - April

With supermarkets providing products year round, it’s sometimes difficult to know what really is in season.

April, spring is here and it’s an important time for growing. Here in Suffolk we are in desperate need of some heavy April showers to help the seeds that we have planted on Jubilee Farm. But here is a list of fresh products that are ready now to be eaten.

·         Lamb

·         Rocket

·         Watercress

·         Wild garlic

·         Cockles

·         Oysters

·         Sardines

·         Spring onion

·         Crab

·         Venison

Children’s Easter Cupcakes. Taken from my piece in the latest Flavours of Suffolk Magazine, with step by step instructions and recipe. Yum!

Press - East Anglian Daily Times

This week a photographer and writer from the East Anglian Daily Times came to visit me and to speak about me and my business, Little Treats Bakery.

I cringe just thinking about what the photos will look like, but if it helps my brand grow it must be done! The piece will be about my life before I started my own business and how I have grown it to where I am today.

I am both nervous and excited to see how the piece turns out. Stay tuned….

Kimberley

www.littletreatsbakery.co.uk

BBC Apprentice - Week 2

This week the teams had to think up and design a new and unique household gadget. Quite a task when they have only two days to do it in. To top that day 2 is selling your concept to some of the UK’s top retailers.

Speaking to your target market is so important when creating a new product, you can very quickly gauge what the general public think and gain invaluable feedback. So why, every year does one team think they know better and ignore the feedback? It is so frustrating to watch! It’s so important to ‘think customer’ in any business that you are running, without them your business is nothing more than a hopeful dream!

So why do I think that team Sterling lost? I think there are two reasons that they failed this task. Firstly the team seemed to have decided on a product going with the feedback they had gained during that day. The team manager then seemed to doubt the product and changed it without telling the other half of the team! Secondly they seemed fragmented as a team and were so unorganised when making their first pitch. They failed to use people to their strengths.  It defiantly shows team work is key!

Kimberley

www.littletreatsbakery.co.uk

BBC Apprentice - Week 1

I have watched The Apprentice on BBC1 for years, but this year I am watching it as a business owner myself. So I have decided to blog each week about the show and what business lessons I think can be learnt from it, if for nothing else but a memo to myself! So here goes…

The first thing I noticed, and this seems to be a theme every year, no one wants to project manage the first task. For people wanting funding for a business with Lord Sugar it seems odd to me that no one seems up for the challenge of leading the team to their first win.

Margins and pricing was top priority for the boys, team Phoenix. One thing I always consider when doing my own costing is where I am selling the product. You could have the best product in the world but price it wrong for the location you are selling it and you will struggle to make the sales. Market research is key!

I cringed at the clips of ladies arguing in public, public that they are hoping to sell their product to. For most people money is tight in the current economic climate, if they are going to part with their hard earned cash you have got to make it a fun experience for them.
I was even more shocked by the ladies behaviour while trying to sell their products to trade. Pressure selling where 4 ladies were speaking over one another and the person they were pitching to was clearly uncomfortable was obviously not going getting them anywhere. If you are approaching trade with your product ensure you are going with a clear message and if they are not interested treat it as good practice ready for your next pitch.

Learn a lesson from the boys, never sell defective items. It will do nothing for your reputation and will also have serious impact on your cash flow in time. One saying I had drummed into me at a previous company I worked for was, be proactive not reactive, a saying I think applies to many situations!

Finally to sum up, why do I think team Sterling lost? They had a brilliant design and had put a lot of thought into it but scribbling your costing’s on a scrap of paper at the last minute is highly unlikely to make you a fortune.

Kimberley

www.littletreatsbakery.co.uk