Supplier press release: British turkey plays key role in LACA's national school meals week

Bernard Matthews Foodservice and its Big Green Tick range will be lauding the benefits of a traditional British turkey roast as sponsor of Get Traditional Day this National School Meals Week.

To ensure caterers have the right products to work with, the Norfolk-based supplier will also be showcasing its new selection of Quality British turkey products for creating scrumptious roasts on the Wednesday (7th) of LACA's annual celebration of food in schools from November 5-9 (NSMW).

The three, new, frozen products are Raw Turkey Breast Saddle, Cooked Turkey Breast Saddle and Raw Single Turkey Breast Lobe, perfect for smaller school catering operations.

Duncan Marsh, general manager for Bernard Matthews Foodservice, said a traditional roast dinner was one of the most eagerly-anticipated lunches in the school week, which lent sway to extending the Big Green Tick range with a selection of turkey products for this great, British institution.

"Last year, an estimated one million meals were served up by schools and caterers to mark the Food for Life Partnership's national Roast Dinner Day8, demonstrating just how popular the roast dinner is in Britain, with many finding any excuse to tuck into one," he said. "As a key ingredient in roast dinners, British turkey has been experiencing a renaissance as more caterers realise its all year round appeal as a versatile meat that could save them money in a tough, economic climate."

He added that, if there were any leftovers, each new addition could be used to create traditional British dishes such as turkey bubble and squeak, a popular dish during World War II and a talking point during NSMW. Aside from being a key ingredient in the weekly roast, skinless turkey breast slices make a great, low in saturated fat filling for baguettes or jacket potatoes with salad.

As part of British turkey's starring role during this year's NSMW, school caterers registering to take part in this years National School Meals Week also have the chance to enter an online free prize draw to win some fantastic prizes from Bernard Matthews Foodservice.

In response to findings from last year's LACA ParentPay research, where 95.9% of parents agreed with the statement, "My child should learn to cook at school", first prize in the draw is a Family Food Appreciation workshop run by the Craft Guild of Chefs for up to 12 pupils and their parents.

The aim of the workshop is to develop and support an appreciation of food and the family together, and will be delivered by a Craft Guild of Chefs member to capture all the essential criteria for developing a family bond through relevant food knowledge. This includes preparing food which is time and cost effective, nutritionally balanced, covering basic food hygiene and equipment.

Participants will also get to make a turkey dish to take home with them. In order to be eligible, the winning school must have facilities to support the training in the form of a food technology room.

Five tasting sessions with a home economist are also up for grabs as second prize, demonstrating how to get the best out of turkey using recipes in which Big Green Tick products can help caterers meet food and nutrient based standards. In order to be eligible to win a tasting session, schools must be able to use frozen Big Green Tick turkey products on their menus.

As third prize, 10 schools have the chance to win a Traditional British Turkey Roast theme pack containing bunting, balloons and flags to help schools make the most of their British turkey roast.

Prior to NSMW and as a LACA partner, the British turkey ambassador will be serving hot turkey rolls from their mobile carvery deck at this year's LACA pre-conference dinner on Wednesday, July 11 in support of Get Traditional Day.

As well as the new roast dinner products, Big Green Tick also includes IQF Turkey Thigh Mince and Diced Turkey Thigh, ready-to-eat Roast and mild Tikka Turkey Breast Chunks, and Turkey Burgers and Meatballs. As with all Big Green Tick products, the new roast products are free from artificial colours, flavours, preservatives and hydrogenated vegetable oils (HVOs).

In terms of Big Green Tick provenance, each bird is cared for on the company's own farms across Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire in line with the Farm Animal Welfare Council's ‘5 Freedoms, with each farm Quality British Turkey and Assured Foods (Red Tractor) certified, welcoming visits from Defra and independent welfare bodies.

The new Big Green Tick products for school roast lunches are:

• Raw Single Turkey Breast Lobe 2×2.25-2.5kg - ready to cook from frozen or defrosted
• Raw Turkey Breast Saddle 1×4.4-4.6kg - ready to cook from frozen of defrosted
• Cooked Turkey Breast Saddle 1×3.5kg - serve hot or cold

For more information on Big Green Tick visit www.bernardmatthewsfoodservice.co.uk or call 0845 519 4097. For more information on NSMW and Get Traditional Day, visit www.iloveschoolmeals.co.uk, where you can register and start downloading materials to promote it and enter the free prize draw. Also, visit www.facebook.com/nationalschoolmealsweek

Email: sj@proactivecommunications.co.uk

This press release was provided by Bernard Matthews Foodservice

Catererandhotelkeeper.com supplier profile: Bernard Matthews Foodservice