Market news - New Covent Garden Market

Market News May16_Newsletter 16/05/2016 19:35 Page 1
May 2016
Support Syd and Samuel
Syd Neill has been a familiar face around the Market for the last 20
years. He first worked at Starnes in the Growers' Pavilion and did his
time at a few other firms in the market too.
Now he trades as Neill’s Fruiterers,
buying in the Market for delivery to
shops, pubs & restaurants around
Burnham-on-Crouch in Essex.
Syd's son, Samuel, was born 11 weeks
premature, and has cerebral palsy. To
Sam, this means that he finds everyday
activities trickier than most children, as
the muscles in his legs are so tight, and
will only get tighter as he gets older.
Over recent years, US medics have
developed a procedure to relieve this
tightness which is not available on the
NHS but can be performed at Great
Ormond Street Hospital. The cost
of this operation and specialist
physiotherapy is in excess of £50k.
Syd and his family are raising the
money themselves in association
with Caudwell Charity, and they
would love your help.
Becky, Syd’s partner, ran an online
fundraising auction and Premier
Fruits are selling raffle tickets in aid
Syd Neill of Ne
ill's Fruiterers
of Caudwell Charity. Just ask salesman
Paul Aylwood, who is also Samuel's
uncle.
New Covent Garden
Market to Debut at
the RHS Chelsea
Flower Show
We are delighted to announce that the Flower
Market will be making our debut at the RHS
Chelsea Flower Show this month!
For decades, the Flower Market has
been quietly supplying the cut flowers,
foliage, plants and floral sundries for
award-winning show gardens and
exhibits just one mile away across the
River Thames. This year the Flower
Market will be centre stage!
The design, brought to life by acclaimed
florist and event company - and Flower
Market customer - Veevers Carter, is
entitled ‘Behind every great florist’.
It will celebrate the relationship
between the Flower Market and florist.
‘We are
extremely
honoured to have
been chosen to work on this exciting
project,’ says Ming Veevers Carter,
Founder of Veevers Carter.
‘As a customer of New Covent Garden
Flower Market for many years, we
understand just how integral the Market,
and all the traders who work there, are
to London’s florists.’
‘For the Market’s exhibit, we have taken
inspiration from this to create a truly
show-stopping stand design and floral
display that we hope will live long in
everyone’s memory.’
Market News May16_Newsletter 16/05/2016 19:35 Page 2
First Choice brought cheer to
South London
Dan McCullough and his team
at First Choice responded
generously to help Wandsworth
Council to bring members of the
local community a healthy
Christmas last year.
Norwood and Brixton Foodbank
project received a delicious, nutritional
boost of fresh fruit and vegetables
delivered by First Choice.
The Foodbank serves kitchen
essentials to around 100 families
in the area. The nature of the
Foodbank means that they can
normally only offer food in boxes
and tins - stuff that can sit on a
shelf and won’t go off. However,
for Christmas 2015, the Foodbank
reached out to First Choice to
help them offer families enough fresh
fruit and vegetables for three meals a
day for three days.
Elizabeth Maytom is the project lead
at the Foodbank and was totally blown
away by what First Choice were able
to offer. She commented that the
saddest thing was people who did
not want fresh items as they did not
know how to cook them, something
she hopes to tackle with cookery
courses in 2016.
Nothing went to waste though. If
someone didn’t want the fresh fruit
Grateful staff
at Vauxhall Ga
rdens
and vegetables in their box then
these items were given to other families.
First Choice also donated fresh produce
to Vauxhall Gardens Community
Centre for their annual Community
Christmas. Some of the items were
used to make Christmas lunch on
Christmas Day for local homeless and
those who would have spent Christmas
on their own.
Over 60 people enjoyed a fresh and
tasty lunch with crackers and a sing
song on the piano.
ristmas Eve
odbank on Ch
Norwood Fo
Behind the hoardings on
Nine Elms Lane, work is well
underway to build The New
Flower Market.
The builders have been laying the
foundations for the site, installing piles
deep into the ground. Now they're
starting to put up the steel structure
of the building.
You can follow all the construction
progress on our website via our new
time lapse camera. The camera takes
a photo every ten minutes, capturing
every step of the way as we transform
the building site into a vibrant, bustling
new Flower Market.
To view the latest photo from the
camera, go to brand.newcoventgarden
market.com/news and click on ‘The New
Flower Market Construction’ works
page. You’ll see the photo there.
Image of the new flower market from the time lapse camera
Market News May16_Newsletter 16/05/2016 19:36 Page 3
#GreatFRESHDaffodilAppeal, a
new campaign in support of
Marie Curie
Uniting the flower industry,
New Covent Garden Flower
Market launched the
#GreatFRESHDaffodilAppeal,
a new campaign that ran
throughout March in support
of Marie Curie and their 30th
annual Great Daffodil Appeal.
Covent Garden
Supply highlighted
by the Restaurant
Magazine
The Restaurant Magazine
threw a spotlight on
wholesale distributor
Covent Garden Supply, by
awarding the firm ‘Highly
Recommended’ in the Chef’s
Choice Awards for Best Fruit
& Vegetable Supplier.
p at the
sted a worksho
Paula Pryke ho
al
pe
ap
ort the
Market to supp
The #GreatFRESHDaffodilAppeal
invited florists around the UK of
any size, from freelancers to
corporate florists, to get involved
and fundraise.
Florists around the UK got involved
in many different ways. They sold
daffodil bunches, designs and
arrangements, held floristry workshops
and events during March, donating a
percentage of profits to Marie Curie.
Shane Connoll
y
supporting th
e ap
peal
Zita Elze created a special design
for Marie Curie
Here are just a few of the photos that
we have received at the time of print…
Belinda of Ch
ez Fleur raising
money
at her local m
arket
On the
Box
The magazine is the professional
bible for chefs across the restaurant
and pub sector. Each year, readers
that make purchasing
decisions in kitchens are
asked to recommend their
best suppliers in the
hospitality sector.
‘I’m blown away that our customers
recommended and voted for us in these
awards. It’s great to be recognised for
our professionalism and service up
against the big boys,’ commented
Michael Thorpe, General Manager of
Covent Garden Supply.
Lauren Roberts, (daughter of Mike
Roberts, director at Gilgrove, and
grand-daughter of Terry who passed
away last autumn) competed on
the BBC’s new bake off show for
professional pastry chefs, Creme de la
Creme, hosted by chef Tom Kerridge.
3rd
Good Morning Britain filming in the
Market for Mothers Day
weather forecasts coming live from the
Market with presenter Laura Tobin.
'rosey' Lips
Stems UK's big
Love was in the air in the Flower
Market on February 12 when
Carol Kirkwood led BBC
Breakfast’s live weather forecasts
from the Market floor.
Luke of Zest got his first taste of
live TV and Stems UK created some
amazing giant daffodils in support of
Marie Curie which the cameras were
drawn to again.
Stems UK’s lip design on display on
Goodchilds proved a firm favourite
with the cameras - even if interviewee
Fred Sirieix did consider it ‘a bit much’
as a first date gift.
March 6 (the Friday before Mothers Day)
saw ITV’s Good Morning Britain
Luke at Zest with Laura Tolbin from
Good Morning Britain
Lauren Roberts
She was part of a young team of
chefs from luxury hotel The Grove in
Hertfordshire. Three fearsomely precise
judges praised the team for their neatly
presented creations and marvelled at the
explosively exotic flavours - no doubt
influenced by the Lauren’s father and
grandfather!
Lauren’s youthful team came a very
creditable third against two hugely
experienced teams of pastry chefs.
Well done, Lauren!
Market News May16_Newsletter 16/05/2016 19:36 Page 4
Yes Chef Supply
Wellcome Trust
Initiative Launch
ol
Sally from Brist
re
Science Cent
the
demonstrating
bicycle-powered
blender
John started work at Covent
Garden on 18 September
1948 and joined the
Transport and General
New Covent Garden
Workers Union straight
Market held a stand at
away. He worked for
the Fresh Careers Fair
Lyons and Dean for 40
raising awareness of
years
and throughout his
on
careers on the Market to
To
Bu
time
at
the market he was
dd
y
, Joh
on
n Watts & T
the next generation of talent.
a union man even after
retiring in 2010 - 62 years.
Launched this year, the Fresh Careers
Fair is a recruitment event for the UK
horticulture and agriculture section of the
production, foodservice, retail, culinary
and wholesale sectors.
The best comment of the day came from
Tim Barnes at Total Produce who said
that New Covent Garden Market is ‘The
finest university in the world for fruit and
veg. One year at the Market is better than
three years at Uni.’
British Flowers Week Dates
Announced
British Flowers Week is back for
it’s fourth year, and will run from
Monday 13 June to Sunday 19
June.
This is the first time it has taken over
a weekend, a request from several
people who want to host weekend
events around the country.
We have five fantastic florists waiting
to unveil inspirational designs made
using British Flowers each day for you.
If you want to get involved then
FANTASTIC!
Everyone is invited to join in. You can
host an event or take part in our photo
competition, just make sure you join the
conversation online using the hashtag
#BritishFlowersWeek.
Happy Birthday Brian Whitaker!
Brian started working at the Market for
Ingermells, working up the ranks, but later set
up by himself in North London. He still visits the
Market daily, though now as a customer.
ck
In the words of his oldest friend and
union colleague, Tony Buckle, ‘He was
a pal, the best friend you could have.
A shrewd man, a real brain and a great
negotiator.’ Another union colleague,
Bobby Parker, gives his tribute by
saying ‘John was universally respected,
someone who always thought carefully
before answering and everyone on the
market owes him a real debt.’
John’s legacy is indeed formidable.
Together with Tony Buckle, John
set up the pension scheme for porters a scheme that is still in place. But John
and Tony’s legacy goes beyond just
protecting market workers.
They were instrumental in working
with the Market Authority behind the
scenes when the newly elected Labour
government revealed its intention to
sell the market ‘unencumbered’. Their
lobbying helped win the support of
the then Minister of Agriculture,
Nick Brown, who pledged that the
market would only ever be sold as a
going concern.
John’s passing is a loss to all who knew
him and we pass on our sympathy to all
his family, especially his son Jimmy who
works at Bevington Salads.
Contact us:
For more information about any of
the articles in this issue, or if you
have news that you would like to
share please contact:
Brian celebrated turning 70 on 11 March.
His wife Hazel, six kids, grandkids and
everyone at the Market would like to wish
him many happy returns.
le
L-
The fruit and veg was juiced in a
bicycle-powered blender to kick off
the day.
It is with deep sadness that we
report the death of John Watts.
R
:
T&
yR
GW
ta r
General Secre
The guys at Yes Chef supplied
the fruit and veg for charity
Wellcome Trust at their new
initiative launch.
Obituary: John Watts
Happy
70th
Birthday
Brian!
Alastair Owen on 020 7501 3490
or email [email protected]
© Covent Garden Market Authority. All Rights Reserved.
Covent House •New Covent Garden Market •London SW8 5NX
Tel: 020 7720 2211
Fax: 020 7622 5307
Email: [email protected]
Brian’s children wanted to share this picture
of him enjoying Market life.
Web: www.newcoventgardenmarket.com
Brian Whitaker
enjoying
Market life
100%
Printed on recycled paper