Charlie Bigham’s – Quarry Kitchen
The Quarry Kitchen is a purpose-built chilled food facility in the heart of Somerset producing more than 22m dishes a year. Charlie Bigham’s takes the kitchen moniker very seriously, choosing to only use cooking technology that mimics traditional cookery techniques.
To this end, mince is fried before being added to kettles, sauces are given time to reduce and concentrate in flavour without the use of vacuum cooking technology and no thickening agents are used that wouldn’t be found in the home of a consumer. Dishes are prepared fresh and cooled inline through a spiral chiller prior to final garnishing and packaging.
Maintaining that kitchen feel means off-the-shelf solutions are a no-go when it comes to boosting efficiency. Instead, Charlie Bigham’s has sought out bespoke solutions for everything from tray and insert placement, to garnish depositing and CAF dishes.
Addressing the judging panel in the stage two interview, Matthew Hill, general manager for Charlie Bigham’s told the judges that meticulous detail had gone into the quality and consistency of each dish.
“Even the piece size we put on the dish is optimal. Chicken this year - we have made 86% that optimal size for consumer’s to eat. That level of detail is what sets up apart,” Hill said.
Sustainability is at the heart of the manufacturer’s future investment at the site, with a 2.2-megawatt solar farm approved right next to the kitchen on neighbouring land. Last year saw Charlie Bigham’s reduce food waste by 64% and has made a commitment to net zero carbon by 2040.
Founder Charlie Bigham is a driving force behind the direction of the company and will directly involve himself with the kitchen to ensure everyone throughout the business has a clear understanding of its purpose and the ways in which they can contribute to its success.
On why this is ‘their year’, Hill said that the work put into its training and development programme has really paid off, creating a more enjoyable workplace for its employees. “We’ve really had a step-change,” he added, reflecting on the business a few years earlier where turnover was higher and engagement lower.
Raynor Foods
Raynor Foods has been feeding the nation with its handmade sandwiches made in Chelmsford, Essex since 1988.
The main factory has five production lines with the capacity of 150,000 units per day, equipped with ultra sonic cutters, robots for aligning sandwiches and buttering machines, all controlled by floor mounted tablets running an in-house designed and developed manufacturing app.
Technology has been forefront of Raynor’s development of the factory, with £2.75m invested in the ‘S3’ project: smart people + smart process = smart factory. By utilising real time location systems (RTLS), Raynor can ‘gamify’ staff actions on the shop floor, awarding them points for achieving individual, team and company wide sustainability KPIs. These points can then be ‘cashed in’ for prizes, such as shop vouchers and contributions to education costs.
Raynor Foods forwent all IP/rights for the Carbon Daily Allowance – developed in the S3 project – and gave it for free to the food industry via the British Sandwich Association (BSA). It also provided lead on the review of the sixth version of ‘Controlling Listeria in the Supply Chain’ for the NHS and BSA.
“We are trying to innovate by pushing standards forwards,” Adam Newland, managing director for Raynor Foods said, as he emphasised the importance of not standing still when it came to enhanced food safety.
This year has seen a number of big milestones for the business, with revenue increasing by 30% - tracking to reach £39m by the end of financial year. It has also seen it strike up a new partnership with Kirsty’s; achieve an AA+ BRC rating on its unannounced 3.5 day audit; move to become an employee-owned trust; and the addition of a dedicated free-from facility with cook, quench, chill capabilities and a new vertical integration for prepared fruit and vegetables.
The business has been investing heavily into automation outside of the S3 project too, with Newland telling the judges: “We are pushing the boundaries in that regard.”
In fact, the company is on the verge of commissioning a piece of kit which Newland said will transform its patient dining line, automating the sleeve, transfer and seal processes.
“This is a first in the industry. There’s nobody our there has done it previously, to our knowledge.”
Daily Dose
Over the past 18 months, fresh pressed juice maker Daily Dose has been on a journey of growth as its transitioned from a small operation in Battersea to a new ‘state of the art’ factory, operating two juicing lines, one smoothie line, four filling lines, two high pressure processing (HPP) lines and 3 packing lines.
The manufacturer expanded its operations by purchasing the Orchards House Foods factory in Corby, which had fallen into administration in December 2022. It invested in the site and transitioned its entire workforce from its previous home in St. Neots and creating new jobs for those made redundant by the Orchard House Foods closure.
Rather than hiring people purely on technical ability, Daily Dose takes great care to bring people on board that have a drive and passion for the brand – evidenced in the fact that the entire team decided to transfer with the business when it moved.
Daily Dose further enhanced production through its investment into the UK’s ‘largest’ high pressure processing (HPP) machine and developed a smoothie processing machine that uses cold-pressed juice with whole fruits and vegetables.
The juice maker achieved all this while juggling a new contract with less than six months to complete while maintaining supply to major retailers. Despite these complexities, the manufacturer completed the move, achieved BRC AA certification and continued to supply its customers without interruption.
“Over the last year we went from supplying exclusively out-of-home cafes and restaurants to now supplying every retailer in the UK through either branded or private label - excluding M&S Aldi and Lidl,” George Hughes-Davies, Daily Dose’s director said.
“The mission and vision is to be the number one juice brand in the UK and to see the removal of most heat treated juice products in the market - for HPP non-heated products to be the norm rather than pasteurised juices. When you look at the nutritional make-up of pasteurised juices vs fresh cold press juice it’s night and day.”
Simply Doughnuts
Simply Doughnuts has made a name for supplying to a growing demand for fresh baked snacks in forecourts. Born from a simple idea to make fresh doughnuts with a longer shelf life, Simply can now be found in forecourts across the country and even supplies to Tesco as well.
Since starting in 2012, the company has increased its manufacturing capacity from 1 million to 1.5m units per week, diverted 100% of waste from landfill and maintained our AA+ quality rating from BRC Global Standards. Simply has also found ways to reduce the fat content of its new Ring Bake products.
Simply Doughnuts takes great pride in integrating staff into every part of the business, going so far as to rotate team members between product lines. Through doing this, not only do staff gain a better appreciation of the business and the work they’re doing, but they can also fill in at any part of the production process if someone is absent.
One of the company’s most important contributions in terms of sustainability and innovation has been the development of long shelf-life products – a longer period of freshness means a lower chance of the product been thrown away. The doughnuts also do not need to be refrigerated, removing the need for expensive refrigeration costs – both monetarily and for the planet.
“The fact that the products are ambient makes an important contribution. Refrigeration systems in supermarkets account for 30-70% of supermarkets' energy use and up to 15% of their operating budget,” explained Robin Gregson, comms manager for the business.
“We have also been making headway on the waste minimising front, shifting to anaerobic digestion has been a step in the right direction. Last year, we [also] reduced the total plastic by weight of the cartons - that’s fully recyclable - by 8%.”
The Tracklement Co
Operating from a 26,000 Sq.ft. manufacturing and distribution site in rural Wiltshire, The Tracklement Co (Tracklements) produces 380 SKUs of branded and specialist own label sauces, mustards, relishes, chutneys, ketchups and savoury jellies.
An artisan business that continues to make in small batches using ingredients sourced locally and regionally wherever possible, its products are now available in retail and foodservice formats in more than 20 countries worldwide.
A core value for the manufacturer is its dedication to sourcing from the UK whenever possible under the belief it should operate as a ‘good food citizen’. To this end, 60% of its ingredients comes from the UK – a number that is rising – and even sourcing all its packaging from the UK’s only glass manufacturer.
“We’re trying to buy the best produce from as close to our site as we can,” the Tracklements' team told the judges. “Our whole packaging format is very recyclable.”
Part of being a ‘good food citizen’ means building a strong and loyal workforce, demonstrated by the low turnover of staff the business experiences. Tracklements prides itself in being a family business that employs local families, often opening up the factory to visits from the local community to make sure they’re involved in the process.
As part of its sustainability journey, the manufacturer has installed 10,000 Sq.ft. of solar panels and a water treatment plant. In the last year, Tracklements introduced food waste repurposing and have achieved zero waste to landfill.
Guy Tullberg, managing director Tracklements, explained that between him and his father they have a massive collection of historical food books which they often dip into.
“It sounds like we’re a bunch of stick in the muds,” he laughed, but added that this inspiration from history has inspired more novel creations popular in today’s market like chilli jam.
“To keep that going requires an interest more than anything else,” he added. To engage the company and fuel that innovation, the business holds quarterly lunches where the team will bring condiments from around the world and more locally for everyone to try.
“We use our knowledge to share with our customers and consumers.”
The winners for next year’s awards will be announced at a gala dinner held at the London Hilton Bankside. Tickets are available to purchase here.
The Food Manufacture Excellence Awards 2025 are kindly supported by headliner Menzies and event sponsors Niras, Quor, and Watermill Press.