​

“I had three job offers in ten minutes” – Bilal Ismail, ‘Food and Drink College Student of the Year’ 2023, reflects on taking home the award that boosted his confidence and career prospects overnight.

National Careers Week (6 – 11 March) is a great time to celebrate the achievements of one of the County’s outstanding young people. Last year Bilal Ismail won ‘Food and Drink College Student of the Year ‘award at the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards which opens for entries later this month.

Serving 100 covers in one evening is nothing new for Bilal, now a Commis Chef at the new Hilton Garden Inn at Silverstone, Northamptonshire. Bilal finished his training at Northampton College in May 2022 and by August he was part of the opening team at the new hotel located on the Hamilton Straight, home of British Motor Sport.

It was the first year Bilal had entered the awards in the ‘Food and Drink College Student of the Year’ category, sponsored by The Mallows Company who provides career guidance in schools and for adults.

“Entering and winning ‘Food and Drink College Student of the Year’ certainly opened up doors and broadened my horizons. Just being part of the Awards evening boosted my confidence and helped me go on to secure my first cheffing job. I had three jobs offers in ten minutes on the night, even before I won my award, because people know you are passionate and really serious about a career in the Food and Drink sector if you’re in the room.

I’d encourage other student chefs to put themselves forward and enter the category as it’s a real opportunity to get yourself out there and see what other successful chefs are doing and learn from them.”

Rachel Mallows, the Managing Director at the Mallows Company who sponsored the ‘Food and Drink College Student of the Year’ category, wants to encourage more students to consider a career in the food and drink sector.

“We were delighted to sponsor this category and celebrate our young people starting on their food and drink career journey. The food and drink sector can be an exciting career choice. We have seen through Bilal’s experience, together with other category finalists and winners in previous years, the difference the awards can make to the rising stars of our local culinary world.”

Northamptonshire’s popular chutney and preserves maker, Friars Farm, have expanded from one business to three!

Friars Farm creates delicious and unique hand-made Jams, Chutneys, Sauces, Syrups and much more, which are almost all original Friars Farm recipes. They believe in using local produce and suppliers as much as they can, helping to support their county. Owner, Steve Reid, has decided to expand his business and is now bringing cheese and charcuterie to discerning foodies with new expansions - the Northampton Cheese Company and Northampton Charcuterie Company. Charcuterie products include salami, chorizo, home-cured bacon and more with the cheese business being almost ready to be stocked in stores across the county, in such places as Whittlebury Bakery and the Made In Northamptonshire shop at Rushden Lakes. On the 13th November, they will be launching these products at their shop at Phipps NBC in Kingswell Street, in the centre of Northampton from 11am. The shop will then be open every Friday and Saturday from 11am-4pm. The formal opening will be carried out by Deputy Lieutenant for the County, Rachel Mallows, who is also Founder/Director of Made in Northamptonshire.

When asked why he wanted to start these new projects, Steve explained that the cheese business had been in the pipeline for around two years. “It was something we discussed with Christine, [formerly from Neneview Dairy] when she was looking at retiring however, due to COVID, it wasn’t able to materialise at that time. When things got a bit better, we looked at it further and realised it would be ideal for us so we went ahead with it”.

“We also thought it was important to bring the names and styles of cheese back that she used to do, such as Togglers, a style of Lancashire cheese, and Skyver, a double Gloucester style. However, we are now using organic local pasteurised cows’ milk in order to make it different to anyone else in the local area”.

“Charcuterie has always been a hobby of mine, and when I saw how businesses were struggling to get certain products due to Brexit, for example, I knew that there was a market there and decided to expand that way”, he continued.

Steve is using Park End Farming at Crick for their free-range pork, another local farm for their organic pasteurised cows’ milk, and fridges from Angel Refrigeration at Pottersbury, to continue his buy local theme. Steve, a former Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards Local Food Hero winner, believes that supporting as many local businesses with his new ventures is really important for his future success.

Not only have their new products been a hit, Friars Farm are also double gold winners in the Artisan Product of the Year category of the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2021/2022, with their Friars Farm ‘Blueberry Jam’ and Jeyes of Earls Barton’s ‘Northamptonshire Jeyes Sauce’ which Steve helped to recreate. Friars Farm ‘Chili Jam’ is also a bronze winner in the Vegetarian/Vegan category; some incredible achievements following a tough 18 months.

Steve has been developing his business with the support of the FEAST2 project, making the most of the services available, to enhance business success. This project is led by the Food & Drink Forum, in partnership with The Mallows Company. It is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and offers a range of useful services to food and drink manufacturers including grant funding, business mentoring, industry events and technical support.

When asked how business had been in the previous 18 months, his reply was “In March when COVID hit, it was really hard as the leisure and hospitality industry shut down - it affected us massively. We changed our business models with the help of FEAST2 and MIN, which has helped enormously.  We created a better online presence and with the launch of the Jeyes Northamptonshire Sauce, business has improved massively”.

He goes on to explain that his experience with the FEAST2 team was great. “When setting up the new businesses, the FEAST2 team have been so helpful with the grant for the equipment we needed and mentoring. When you take the step from one business to three businesses, you really need that support and guidance, and I found it extremely beneficial”.

“The FEAST2 project helped us a lot with technical support, which is what we have found the most useful. They have given us guidance with regard to new legislation that has recently been implemented.  I would absolutely recommend FEAST2 to other food and drink manufacturers. One piece of advice is that producers need to really look into what is on offer to them, as it isn’t just financial- there are so many other forms of support available they just need to pick up the phone and ask. It will be worth it!”

When asked if he has any more future plans for the business, Steve laughed and said “we have three businesses now and we want to focus on making them as successful as they can be, but it isn’t stopping us creating new partnerships to grow our market.”

A motto that Steve stands by is to ‘never give up’. “Taking the business from where it was originally, to where it is now, I can say that you are always going to have people who dismiss what you are doing, but if you believe in your own work then that is all that matters, stick to it!”

For more details of FEAST2, including registering your business for the free support on offer, please contact Amanda Askew at The Mallows Company on 01933 664437 or email amanda@themallowscompany.com

​

​

The Census is here. It informs decisions about services that are important to our community.

Census 2021 will be the first “digital-first” census. The aim is for as many people as possible to complete their questionnaire online.   The Census Support Service is about providing support for individuals who don’t have the skills, ability or access to complete the Census on their own. This may be in the form of 1 to 1 support or simply offering internet access, depending on the individual’s needs.  Our role is to help people understand and navigate the questionnaire to the point of completion.

The Census is scheduled to take place for a period of 9 weeks between 1st March - 4th of May 2021.

If you or someone you know needs help completing their Census online, we can help.  It will be delivered virtually initially by phone or web, then as Lockdown restrictions are eased, some appointments would be face to face at a central Wellingborough venue.

Click here to download the leaflet for more info.

Support is offered by booked appointments.  To book an appointment with one of our trained support staff call our head office on 01933 664437.

From pies to pickles, bread to beer, some of the county’s favourite treats and tipples are now on sale under one roof, thanks to an exciting new partnership that’s just been launched at Rushden Lakes.

Made In Northamptonshire (MIN), the co-operative of food and drink producers whose members include bakers, distillers, brewers and many more, has teamed up with East Northamptonshire Council (ENC) to offer visitors to the retail park the opportunity to sample take home some amazing produce that’s all been lovingly created in the county.

The project has come about thanks to a collaboration with The Crown Estate, owners of the shopping and leisure destination , which has enabled the partners to share a prime retail space beneath the multiplex cinema in the West Terrace as part of its ‘Recovery Through Enterprise’ Hub.

ENC is offering a one-stop-shop for businesses and job seekers while for MIN Founder and Director, Rachel Mallows MBE of The Mallows Company, the opportunity to showcase some of the county’s artisan producers in one place is a dream come true: “When we launched MIN in January 2011, the aim was to lend our backing to our fabulous producers, helping to raise their profile, finding stockists and promoting their wonderful wares to more people” explained Rachel.

“Now, thanks to both The Crown Estate and East Northamptonshire District Council, we’ve found the perfect way to celebrate our ten-year anniversary with our very own shop, where buyers can come in, try some of the treats themselves and go home laden with local, quality produce, knowing it’s all been made just a stone’s throw from where they’re standing.

“Not to mention that, with ciders, cheeses, chocolates and chutneys among our array of tasty treats, I reckon we may have just solved a few people’s Christmas gift dilemmas in one fell swoop!” she enthused.

Among those many county producers to be stocked on its shelves is Stonyfield Wine at Blisworth, whose Stonyfield Rosé 2016 was recently awarded a Gold in the ‘Artisan Local Drink of the Year’ category in the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards and partner, John Folliott-Vaughan, says they are thrilled to have this exciting opportunity to reach out to more wine-lovers: "MIN is a large part of a remarkable success story putting Northamptonshire firmly on the food and drink map and, over the last decade, they have gone out of their way to support and promote local producers, leading in our case to our success in the Awards and now the chance to showcase our wine in this new shop” said John.

“For a small family concern like us they have made a huge difference and we are truly delighted to support this exciting initiative, both as suppliers and, you can be sure, as customers, and will be lifting a glass of top-quality English sparkling wine in celebration of this fantastic venture!" he added.

Alongside MIN, East Northamptonshire Council’s business hub has been set up to continue and extend its ‘Recovery Through Enterprise’ scheme, offering help to businesses by providing 1-1 advice as well as access to a wide range of support webinars and resources, thereby complimenting the existing assistance provided by the University of Northampton and that already available at the Enterprise Centre East Northants.

It also supports local residents through its fast-track job match scheme, which aims to get those out of work swiftly back into employment.

ENC Leader, Steven North, says the new facility is a great addition to their portfolio: “The new hub will help local businesses and job seekers to tackle the challenges of Covid-19. With our partners, we want to do all we can to provide the practical help and support that people need to get through these difficult times and reach a place where they can flourish.”

Those are sentiments echoed by Hayley Turley, Senior Asset Manager for The Crown Estate, who says: “Working with East Northamptonshire Council and Made In Northamptonshire, to bring a unique offering to Rushden Lakes, is a brilliant demonstration of what can be achieved through strong collaboration. This will be the first of its kind anywhere in our portfolio, and we’re looking forward to seeing the benefits it will bring to the local community.”

Made In Northamptonshire was set up to bring like-minded businesses together to help promote quality on the doorstep and to forge new working partnerships.

Over the last decade its quarterly meetings have been regularly attended by around 50 members, gaining expertise from guest speakers, accessing sector news, grant and event information and, perhaps most importantly, the chance to share best practice. Membership is £50 per year.

It also produces a directory which promotes over 100 tasty treats – and where to buy them – to the county’s foodies.

For details of the MIN shop opening times, please visit its Facebook page at @MINFoodandDrink while for more information about MIN, including becoming a member, please call 01933 664437, or email hello@madeinnorthamptonshire.org

Meanwhile for further details of the wide range of services offered through ENC’s free ‘Recovery Through Enterprise’ scheme, please visit www.east-northamptonshire.gov.uk/recovery

Wellingborough sees the return of the ROSE Job /Careers Fair that has been revived in virtual form on webinar and includes an employer interview and job vacancies section as well as job search skills.

The fair started Friday 7th August and continues every Friday until the end of September.  Organisers, The Mallows Company (TMC) is working in partnership with the Borough Council of Wellingborough (BCW) as part of their recovery strategy.

"The Borough Council of Wellingborough are totally committed to affirm the valuable careers support offered by ROSE" stated Victoria Phillipson BCW’s Principal Projects Manager.

Colin Ramwell from Heathcotes was a guest employer speaker at the first webinar and said: "Heathcotes Group are currently recruiting for Support Workers across 5 homes in the Wellingborough area. We were really pleased to have the opportunity to attend the event today to promote our vacancies and to support local job seekers to find work during these challenging times."

The Mallows Company provides information, advice and guidance for adults with career options, skills, applications, interviews, training and CVs to help with work and life choices.

Clare Golley, from TMC, who co-ordinates and runs the weekly ROSE Careers/Jobs fairs, said “With job seeking becoming an increasingly online only affair, we feel it is really important to offer employers and job seekers the opportunity to meet. The event is free and funded by the National Careers Service.”

The webinars cover a range of topics helping customers to cope with current challenges, skills development, personal wellbeing and learn top tips for landing a new job.   Workshops are delivered online, via zoom, with log-in details provided after registration.

“This partnership offers a great opportunity to support unemployed, furloughed or redundant individuals in unlocking their full potential post Covid-19 lockdown and equip them with the right tools to get back on the career ladder”, commented TMC’s Manager, Ilham Abou-Rahme.

The next Webinar is ‘Let Your Cover Letter Stand Out’ on 21st August 2020.

To book your place on the above webinar now by going to this Eventbrite link:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/let-your-cover-letter-stand-out-tickets-114411299276?aff=erelpanelorg

Following Fairs/Webinars are as follows:

28/08/2020

Creatively Fill the Job Application Blank Page

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/114411513918

04/09 2020

Your Online Presence or Networking

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/114411592152

11/09/2020

Sell Yourself in Interviews

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/114411730566

18/09/2020

Successful Career Management

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/114411836884

25/09/2020

Develop your Skills to Succeed

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/114411953232

​

Starting Tuesday 7th July and for the next six Tuesdays, The Mallows Company (TMC) is working in Partnership with the South Northants Council Job Club to run free employment and guidance webinars.

The SNC Job Club provides free employment support for both residents and employers within South Northamptonshire. From redundancy support, to all aspects of help for unemployed residents, the SNC Job Club is a one-stop shop that is completely free of charge.

The Mallows Company is a designated provider of Information, Advice and Guidance across Northamptonshire. Through a team of highly qualified and experienced advisers, they offer impartial help to assist with training and work opportunities but also tailored support to individuals in and out of work.

​

Cllr Stephen Clarke, South Northamptonshire Council’s portfolio holder for growth and regeneration, said: “The health emergency has presented some unique challenges and what worked before might not work now.

“We have a well-educated population in the district, and I want to make sure South Northants talent is ahead of the game and ready to play a key role in the recovery.”

The webinars will cover a range of topics to help cope with current challenges, skills development, personal wellbeing and learn top tips for landing a new job.   Workshops are delivered online, via zoom, with log-in details provided after registration.

TMC’s Manager, Ilham Abou Rahme, says “This partnership offers a great opportunity to support Unemployed, Furloughed or Redundant individuals in unlocking their full potential post Covid-19 lockdown and equip them with the right tools to get back on the career ladder”.

The First Webinar is on CVs and takes place via live interactive Zoom on Tuesday, 7 July 2020 from 11:30 – 12:30.  It covers: CV Building / Creating a competent CV session - Revamp your profile and ensure your CV is competitive and avoids pitfalls. After the session you can get free individual ongoing support to get the CV finalised as quickly as possible and advice about how to get the CV online.

Future webinars are as follows:

Customer Feedback

“I started getting support through The Mallows Company as I had been out of work for a year after a stroke. My confidence was low and I was not sure if I was able to return to work, certainly not the sort of demanding catering roles I used to undertake. I was encouraged and helped to look for suitable roles recognising I was trying to find my feet again and that I was really looking for something part time, certainly to begin with. I have now secured around 20 hours a week in a retail role in Towcester. I had the confidence to hand my CV in when I saw that there was a vacancy and the CV Employment Consultant had prepared for me, and my improved interview skills, paid off for me. This is all very different to a few months ago before I got the support, so I am very happy with the programme and help received”. Ellie, Towcester

Book your place on the first webinar now by going to this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/how-competent-is-your-cv-tickets-111112739194

Local breakfast giant Weetabix is to become headline sponsor of the Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards, following a decade of support from Carlsberg UK.

The breakfast company, which produces 70 million of its iconic biscuits weekly at its Burton Latimer site, is proud to source its wheat for Weetabix from local farms within a 50-mile radius. The Weetabix Food Company believe this new partnership demonstrates its commitment to building on its 88 year heritage of supporting the county and building on its sustainability activities.

More details of the three-year sponsorship deal will be revealed at the launch of the 2020/21 competition next month.

Meanwhile, despite handing over the title role, Carlsberg UK’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Andrew Roache, explains that, with the competition going from strength to strength, the company’s partnership with the Awards does not end there: “Having called Northampton our home for over forty years and being incredibly proud not only to brew here but also to employ many people from all across the county, we’re equally proud to have played such a vital role in supporting Northamptonshire’s increasingly successful food and drink sector through our sponsorship over the last decade” said Andrew.

“Their public role is of course to shine a deserved spotlight on those businesses and individuals which excel in their sphere as well as driving up standards by encouraging healthy competition, but what is perhaps less well known is the invaluable support that’s offered to all those who enter, for example in providing feedback to unsuccessful venues to enable them to improve their offering for their diners".

“Our deal was only ever intended to last a year so reaching the ten year milestone seemed a good time to hand over the headline sponsorship baton and of course we are delighted to see Weetabix pick that up, while we’re thrilled that we shall continue to play our part, including lending our considerable expertise to another of the competition’s great by-products – its mentoring panels - which form such a vital way of supporting emerging and growing businesses” Andrew added.

One of those to benefit from that latter support is internationally award-winning craft gin distillers, Warner’s, based at Harrington. The company’s original Dry Gin won the ‘New Local Drink of the Year’ title in 2014, while owners Tom Warner and Tina Warner-Keogh’s further success in being named ‘F&B Achiever of the Year’ in 2017 saw them benefit from free mentoring from some of the sector’s most senior executives, something which Tom says was crucial in the company’s growth.

“As an entrepreneur, you face different challenges in your business that you won’t have encountered before and so having access to the kind of experienced leaders who can offer you an unbiased viewpoint and support you in making those strategic, critical decisions to take you to the next level is just invaluable” explained Tom.

“The confidence we gained from our first victory and the continuing guidance we received through our early years just goes to demonstrate the considerable, positive impact of the Awards on us and so many in the county, and the sector should be very grateful to Carlsberg UK for enabling that success over the last decade” he enthused.

Those are sentiments echoed by the competition’s Director, Rachel Mallows MBE, who firmly believes that the brewery’s support, which has helped to ensure that the competition has remained free to enter since its inception, has played a vital role in the sector’s recent prosperity: “Our finalists and winners not only consistently report a 20% or more increase in sales but also tell us that their success has given them the confidence to grow and, without forgetting the additional backing of our category sponsors and other partners, we have Carlsberg UK to thank for enabling that remarkable achievement” said Rachel.

“So, we are thrilled that Weetabix’s support will allow us to build on those accomplishments and, as we prepare to launch for our twelfth year, would like to raise a glass of Pilsner to the entire Carlsberg team in deepest appreciation of their considerable, hands-on approach to their headline sponsorship of the last ten years and of their continuing patronage” she added.

Further details of the new-look Awards will be announced at the launch of the 2020/21 competition next month, after which category details and entry forms will be available on this website.

You can also follow the Awards on Twitter and Instagram at @foodawardsHQ or on Facebook at facebook.com/foodawards

Meanwhile, to register your interest in entering the Awards – whose categories include those for pubs, producers, restaurants, chefs and cafés – or for more information, please email rachel@themallowscompany.com or call 01933 664437.

Networking - a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest.

A development workshop with The Mallows Company is the perfect opportunity to not only hone essential business skills but to network with other local companies and share ideas and best practice.

With a wide range of workshops available, suitable for all business sizes, you will have the chance to connect with other businesses that you may not have had chance to access before and to build some all-important links to help you and your company develop further locally, regionally and nationally.

This spring we are offering workshops in a variety of topics including: Supervisor to Manager, Mental Health Awareness, Building Resilient Teams, Influencing Skills and Social Media for Business (perfect for online networking opportunities!)

The Mallows Company Managing Director, Rachel Mallows MBE, DL is also working with national organisation, Enterprise Nation, which aims to open the networking circle to other small business owners and find support for business challenges. These monthly events are great for people who have a business idea, who have just started their business or want to grow further. As part of the wellness-focused Heads Up campaign, Enterprise Nation want to build local communities of small business owners throughout the UK, led by successful business leaders in the local area. If you need support from your peers or just want to get to know other small business owners come along and join us for an engaging evening. If we can’t help we’ll probably know a man or woman who can!

For more information about TMC workshops or the Enterprise Nation events, please contact Kathryn on kathryn@themallowscompany.com or 01933 664437.