10 YEAR’S SERVICE FOR JULIE RENNISON WALKER HUMPHREY ACHIEVE AA AWARD 10% OFF CADBURY CARAMEL MUFFINS! BOO-TIFUL SAVINGS ON HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS A big congratulations to Finance/ HR Manager, Julie Rennison who celebrates 10 year’s service. We are delighted to announce that we have achieved a BRCGS AA Award! See page 6. Issue 23 | September 2021 | www.walkerhumphreyltd.co.uk | 01977 682333 The UK’s number 1 chocolate brand is now in a muffin! See page 14. Get ready for Halloween with our great range of decorations. See page 8. NEW CRAIGMILLAR COOKIE MIX RANGE! OUR NEW CRAIGMILLAR COOKIE MIXES COME IN PLAIN AND CHOCOLATE VARIETIES. SEE PAGE 4. Bakers’ Blend Your monthly blend of news, offers and more... THE BAKER’S FRIEND SINCE 1963 Inside this issue... WHOLESALE More than just ingredients2 | walkerhumphreyltd.co.uk Bakers’ Blend | September 2021 3 Freeze/Thaw stable . 3 Quick setting & contact wrappable. 3 Easy to use straight from the pail. 3 Available in a range of vibrant colours and delicious flavours. 3 Can be heated to create the popular drip effect. 3 Perfect for piping, spreading and dripping. Find out more about Renshaw Frostings at www.renshawbaking.com Scan me to be inspired! Renshaw Renshaw F F rostingsrostings Renshaw Vanilla Frosting Code: 04168 Renshaw Chocolate Frosting Code: 04185 Renshaw Red Frosting Code: 04177 Renshaw Blue Frosting Code: 04178 Renshaw Green Frosting Code: 04179 Renshaw Yellow Frosting Code: 04180 Renshaw Toffee Frosting Code: 04182 Renshaw Pink Frosting Code: 04183 11kg packs - ONLY £28.75 EACH! 10% OFF this SeptemberBakers’ Blend | September 2021 T: 01977 682 333 | 3 Welcome to the September Issue In this issue... As well as promotions from our suppliers we also have some good news to share including our recent success with the BRC and also a heartwarming story from one of our long serving team members who has gone through something of a tough time recently. As always, I would like to thank all our customers for your loyalty to WH and wish you all a successful quarter as we come to the end of 2021. Take care, get out there and safely enjoy some of those big events that we’ve all been waiting for. Martin Humphrey, Managing Director 1111161688 10% OFF OREO MUFFINS & DOUGHNUTS 44 NEW CRAIGMILLAR COOKIE RANGE UP TO £5 OFF IREKS CORN BREAD TOPPING NEW DAWN KITKAT MUFFINS As autumn approaches, we are finally braving the new, normal way of life and after seeing the successful return of some of the large festivals across the country this summer, it is hoped that the seasonal celebrations of the next few months will go ahead to help keep spirits up as the nights draw in. The Halloween, bonfire and dare we say it, Christmas celebrations of 2020 proved to be somewhat of a damp squib for many of us with heightened anxiety and last-minute rule changing decisions over festivities. However, this year there is likely to be a much greater appetite for attending traditional events and with Covid restrictions lifted, more opportunities for the food industry to share in and contribute to people’s new found confidence in socialising once again. With this in mind, now is the time to think about stocking up with seasonal essentials and, as well as in-house Halloween offers, there are some great deals from Dawn Foods, Ireks, Renshaw, Baker and Baker and not forgetting, Dan’s ‘Pick of the Month’, a very festive mincemeat offer from John Morley. Craigmillar and Macphie showcase some fantastic new products to help make the baking process just that little bit easier while Zeelandia are offering something a little different this month with the opportunity to interact with the company by joining a free webinar. 4 | walkerhumphreyltd.co.uk Bakers’ Blend | September 2021 COOKIE MIXES Introducing our New Cookie Mix Range CSM Ingredients UK Limited Stadium Road I Bromborough I Wirral I CH62 3NU I 0800 054 1228 I www.csmingredients.com Giant Cookie Indulgent TreatDessert Our new Craigmillar Cookie Mixes come in Plain and Chocolate varieties. Both the mixes produce a delicious and indulgent premium style cookie with a soft centre and outer crunch. They are the perfect choice for ‘grab and go’, to offer with a hot drink or as part of an indulgent cookie range, all produced with just one mix. Just add Marvello Cake Margarine and Water! Craigmillar Chocolate Cookie Mix Code: MIX-CCC02 Pack size: 12.5kg ONLY £32.00 Craigmillar Plain Cookie Mix Code: MIX-CPC01 Pack size: 12.5kg ONLY £27.00Bakers’ Blend | September 2021 T: 01977 682 333 | 5 John morley Premium Mincemeat 12.5kg OONNLLYY ££2233..7755 PPEERR BBUUCCKKEETT WH CODE: MMEEAA--MMIINN0066 luxurious festive flavours Sumptuous mincemeat6 | walkerhumphreyltd.co.uk Bakers’ Blend | September 2021 AA Award Achieved Following an external audit, we are delighted to announce that in June, Walker Humphrey achieved the highest possible grade for the BRCGS with an AA award. We are particularly proud that this is the first audit under Storage and Distribution issue 4, a new, tougher standard introduced this year which brings the industry up to the same standard as food manufacturers issue 8. The higher standards, related to food safety, quality, and culture, while challenging to implement, give us a new confidence in our procedures. The auditors commended the WH team on our adherence to the new procedures and due to a whole team effort, we were able to request the audit a month earlier than anticipated. A special mention must go to the warehouse team, Dan Watson (Purchasing Manager), Simon Rennison (General Manager) and Daisy Wilkinson (Technical and Purchasing Administrator) who worked behind the scenes in preparation for the audit to ensure that WH was able to meet the new criteria for the award. “It is a pleasure to see how Dan has embraced the challenge of managing the BRC standard as he inherited this only a few years ago. Considering the challenges the business experienced during Covid, still being able to achieve AA standard is testament to Dan’s commitment and hard work. A remarkable achievement!” Martin Humphrey, Managing DirectorBakers’ Blend | September 2021 T: 01977 682 333 | 7 HALLOWEEN GIVEAWAY! ORDER NOW! Be prepared for Halloween with our delicious frozen Blood Orange and Chocolate Chunk Muffin , Blood Orange, White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookie, duo-filled Orange and Blackcurrant Donut and ready to use Pumpkin Filling! OUR FRIGHTENINGLY GOOD HALLOWEEN PROMOTION! Stock up for Halloween - the next big occasion that can boost your sales! Create terror-ifically tasty Halloween bakes with our versatile sweet bakery products to delight your customers. Buy any 5 participating Bases and Frostings and you’ll get a FREE Halloween Toolkit with Dobla ® Chocolate Mummy Decorations inside! DAWN® CRÈME CAKE BASE - PLAIN 12.5kg - bag DAWN ® CRÈME CAKE BASE - CHOCOLATE 12.5kg - bag DAWN ® EXTRA MOIST MUFFIN BASE - PLAIN 12.5kg - bag DAWN® EXTRA MOIST MUFFIN BASE - CHOCOLATE 12.5kg - bag DAWN ® VANILLA FROSTING 6kg - pail DAWN ® CHOCOLATE FROSTING 6kg - pail DAWN® ORANGE FROSTING 6kg - pail FOR THE FREE HALLOWEEN TOOLKIT* PURCHASE ANY 5 FROM THE FOLLOWING: To order, contact your local sales representative. Promotion period 1st September to 31st October 2021. Subject to availability and while stocks last. *Subject to availability and while stocks last. More information at dawnfoods.com/uk dawnfoods.com/uk 01386 760843 For more details on our product ranges visit dawnfoods.com/uk Sign up to our e-newsletters to stay informed! READY TO USE HALLOWEEN PRODUCTS8 | walkerhumphreyltd.co.uk Bakers’ Blend | September 2021 Gingerbread Skeleton Sugar Plaque 163x75mm Code: SUG735 Pack size: 60 ONLY £24.11 Assorted Halloween Sugar Pipings 25mm Code: 267 Pack size: 250 ONLY £20.23 Halloween Cupcake Sugarettes 31mm Code: SUG737 Pack size: 450 ONLY £16.47 Halloween Pearls 10mm Code: 25145 Pack size: 80g ONLY £3.69 Wilton Pumpkin Baking Cases Code: 81A-150070 Pack size: 150 ONLY £3.00 Orange Bun Cases 51x38mm Code: BUN-OCC01 Pack size: 360 ONLY £6.98 Black Sugar Bats 37mm Code: SUG695 Pack size: 450 ONLY £16.91 Spider Rings Code: SP102 Pack size: 144 ONLY £4.46 Halloween Button Pipings 25mm Code: 299 Pack size: 240 ONLY £18.64 Spooky Halloween Sugarettes 30mm Code: SUG871 Pack size: 256 ONLY £15.44 Pumpkin, Bat & Ghost Sprinkle Mix Code: 25143 Pack size: 60g ONLY £3.91 Halloween Jumper Sugar Plaques 60x70mm Code: SUG869 Pack size: 80 ONLY £15.41 Walker Humphrey HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS ONLY WHILE STOCKS LAST! Order now How to order To place your order contact the Sales Team on 01977 682 333 Can’t find something you are looking for? Please speak to one of our customer service advisors for a wider range of Halloween decorations.Bakers’ Blend | September 2021 T: 01977 682 333 | 9 Julie explained, “In my first week I was somewhat shellshocked as the procedures were very different to what I had been expecting and it wasn’t until I sat down to talk with Martin that I realised that the company would be going through huge changes and that I would be able to put my own stamp on how I would like the department to be run. With only myself as credit controller and one part-time sales person on the team, I was eager to help the company grow and, through a variety of courses, was able to work my way up, first to office manager and now into Senior Management as Finance and HR Manager. There are now five people in the sales team and two in finance and WH has expanded into two more industrial units since my time here”. “What I love most about working for the company is that despite its expansion, WH has stayed true to its core values as a family run business, meaning that everyone is a team player and is not seen as just a number. I feel genuinely cared for and looked after as a person” This has been especially true over the last eighteen months as Julie found herself faced with a life-threatening condition when a routine hospital procedure in December 2019 went devastatingly wrong. While undergoing a camera investigation to detect a stone, a hole was torn in Julie’s esophagus during the procedure. Julie was hospitalised for three months and almost died in the week before Christmas when she contracted pneumonia and her lungs collapsed. An initial operation to close the hole failed and a second operation was cancelled due to the pandemic. To make matters worse Julie then caught Covid while in hospital but says that as she was so ill anyway, she wasn’t really aware of the additional impact of Covid. The cancellation of all operations until August 2020 meant that in March, Julie was sent home with a drain in her neck and a tube in her nose. Unable to eat or drink anything, syringing liquid through a tube in her stomach ensured that Julie’s energy levels were maintained and that she had the nutrients she needed to prevent her from losing any more weight until her second operation in August. However, this also failed to close the hole and Julie was told that she might have to have her voice box removed. “There was no way I was going to let that happen.” said Julie. “My voice is the essence of me and I did not want to lose it so I had a second opinion from a surgeon in Newcastle. The ear nose and throat team investigated and in January 2021 I was rescanned and told I would not have to lose my voice box and that they would hopefully be able to do a successful repair on my throat.” However, once again Covid halted things and Julie had to wait until 10th May for the next operation. Thankfully, tests on 24th May (also Julie’s birthday) showed that it had been a huge success. “I was able to swallow straight away, something I hadn’t done for over a year and I went out to celebrate in Whitley Bay with a cappuccino and a cake which was the best feeling. I might look a bit like Frankenstein’s monster, having scars on either side of my neck where flaps were created using skin grafts from my leg and arm but apart from that, I am finally returning to normality. I am so grateful to still have my voice and be able to enjoy the simple pleasure of eating and drinking.” Throughout the whole of this traumatic time Julie has continued to work, firstly from home and more recently splitting her time between the office and home. Julie says she has received some amazing support, not only from her husband, daughter and all her family but also from the WH team. Julie said, “I want to say a special thank you in particular to Martin and Stewart who went out of their way to do everything they could to help me on the road to recovery. They are a lovely family to work for and I really appreciate what they have done for me.” “In response to Julie’s lovely comments, I would like to say that, quite simply, I was very fortunate 10 years ago to recruit such a remarkable human being. Julie is extremely dedicated to the business and her fellow colleagues. She displays a great willingness to learn and strives for constant improvement in everything she does, enabling her to progress into new roles. Over the last 18 months Julie has shown that she possesses an abundance of strength and determination to overcome adversity. I am absolutely delighted that Julie’s health and quality of life has returned to some kind of normality and that she can now look positively to the future and enjoy the simple things in life that we all too often take for granted.” - Martin Humphrey, Managing Director Overcoming Adversity to Celebrate 10 Years In June our Finance and HR Manager, Julie Rennison, celebrated ten years of service with Walker Humphrey. Having worked as a credit controller and purchase ledger in Hull, a family relocation to Leeds saw Julie join the company in 2011, just as Walker Humphrey was embarking on a huge expansion process. Next >