The world’s most coveted blind-tasted food awards, Great Taste, has just released the Great Taste stars of 2015 and Chesterfield Food Producer of the Year 2014, Liza Bakes Ltd is amongst the producers celebratingas its Victoria Sponge Cake, Belgian Chocolate Pecan Brownie, Mince Pies and for the second year in a row its Fruit and Ale Cake are now able to proudly carry the little gold and black Great Taste logo.
Judged by over 400 of the most demanding palates belonging to food critics, chefs, cooks, restaurateurs, producers and a host of food writers and journalists, Great Taste is widely acknowledged as the most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers. When a product wears a Great Taste label it carries a badge of honour but more importantly, the Great Taste logo is a signpost to a wonderful tasting product – hundreds of judges have worked tirelessly to discover the very best, through hours and hours of blind-tasting a total of 10,000 different foods and drinks.
“Getting this prestigious award again and for another three of our products and one for the second year in a row is simply fantastic. It endorses what our customers tell us every day – that all our products taste superb” said Louise Milroy, Managing Director and Head Baker. “This is our third year as a limited company and the third year in a row that we have won awards for our products. It is a tribute to our award winning and hard-working bakery team and our passion – simply to produce every day the very best authentic artisan cakes, traybakes and desserts for all our customers”.

Liza Bakes Ltd is a family business. Louise started baking in her kitchen in 2005 and by 2008 was supplying premium handmade artisan bakery produce to local shops, cafes and delis from her bakery. Liza Bakes now has 8 Great Taste Award winners, supplies distinguished and award winning businesses across Derbyshire and as far afield as London; and is now able to supply individual retail customers placing orders online.
Louise said “We focus on supplying all our customers with consistently the very best tasting cakes and desserts. We want to help every local business we supply to stand out and we think they all do. Once again these Great Taste Awards enhance our reputation and contribute to the reputation of our brilliant customers. Over the past year our business has expanded strongly and we are proud to supply a wide range of fantastic local businesses across Derbyshire and surrounding counties. Our Great Taste Awards have contributed to this and undoubtedly helped the company to win Food Producer of the Year in the Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards 2014.”

Louise said that after taking care of the substantial orders for this week for established customers she and her team would be able to celebrate properly. “Then we have to prepare our award winning contribution for the Ashover Show coming up on Wednesday 12th August, as well as getting ready for the tasting event as a nominee again for Chesterfield Food Producer in the Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards 2015.
For Louise and her team the key to the success of the business is a passion for authentic great tasting food and long-term relationships. “Our business and reputation for outstanding products and service has been achieved over the past nine years by investing in our brilliant team and producing authentic, distinguished handmade produce, sourcing our ingredients wherever possible from Derbyshire and local partners.” Liza Bakes always use butter, free range eggs and quality nuts, fresh and dried fruits. “Our partnership with local businesses has been so important to us” said Louise Milroy. Suppliers to Liza Bakes include Ayres, Chesterfield Market for fresh fruit, fresh ginger and carrots for the carrot cake; Betty’s Farm at Willington near Derby supplies the free range eggs from their flock of 24,000 laying hens; and dried fruits, nuts, spices and some specialist sugars are supplied by Lembas, Sheffield, the specialty vegetarian and wholefood wholesalers.
Liza Bakes also works closely with award winning micro-breweries, providing the ales that go into the award winning Fruit and Ale Cake and Chocolate Beer Cake (both Great Taste 2014 Gold Star winners): Brampton Brewery a leading Chesterfield micro-brewery recreating the heritage of its predecessor – their Brampton Stout is a key ingredient for the “Brampton Fruit and Ale Cake” and the Impy Dark for the Chocolate Beer Cake; the Welbeck Abbey Brewery a traditional real ale brewery producing 15,000 pints of hand crafted ales a week, situated on one of England’s finest country estates, Welbeck Abbey. Their award winning Portland Black beer is a key ingredient for the “Welbeck Fruit and Ale Cake”; and the Derby Brewing Co with their Penny’s Porter a key ingredient for yet another variety of the award winning Fruit and Ale Cake and Chocolate Beer Cake from this award winning bakery.
Recognised as a stamp of excellence among consumers and retailers alike, Great Taste values taste above all else, with branding and packaging ignored. Whether it is cheese, ale, steak or chutney being
judged, all products are removed from their wrapper, jar or bottle before being tasted. The judges then savour, confer and re-taste to decide which products are worthy of a 1-, 2- or 3-star award.

There were 10,000 Great Taste entries this year and of those products, 130 have been awarded a 3-star, 597 received a 2-star and 2,382 were awarded a 1-star accolade. The panel of judges included Masterchef judge and restaurant critic Charles Campion, TV presenter and cook, Aggie Mackenzie, Great British Bake Off winner, Frances Quinn, Masterchef the Professionals finalist, Adam Handling, food buyers from Harrods, Selfridges, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer, and chefs including James Golding, Chef Director of The Pig hotel group, who have together tasted and re-judged the 3-star winners to finally agree on the 2015 Top 50 Foods, the Golden Fork Trophy winners and the new 2015 Supreme Champion.
Finally on Monday 7 September, at a nail-biting Awards’ Dinner at the Royal Garden Hotel, London, the great and the good from the world of fine food will gather to hear who has won the Golden Fork Awards and the final applause will be reserved for the Great Taste Supreme Champion 2015.

The main lounge at the Proact will be known as the DCJ Group Spires Restaurant following the agreement of a sponsorship deal with the Chesterfield-based insurance & risk management company.

Commenting on the deal, Chesterfield Champions, DCJ Group chief executive David Jones said: “The DCJ Group Spires Restaurant has been refurbished over the summer and it is a fantastic hospitality area. We are delighted to have our name associated with it.”

Kevin Fitzgerald, Chesterfield’s head of commercial & marketing, said: “I would like to thank the DCJ Group for their valued sponsorship. I am sure the DCJ Group Spires Restaurant will be very popular with those who wish to enjoy hospitality on a matchday.

“For the first time since the club moved to the Proact Stadium, we will be offering all our season ticket holders the opportunity to upgrade their match ticket to a hospitality package on a match-to-match basis. That means if you are celebrating a special occasion or just want to experience a particular game from the comfort of one of our lounges, you will be able to do so.”

Chesterfield-based Accountant Liz Fisher has scooped top honours in a prestigious national taxation exam, following her outstanding performance which saw her beat more than 1000 candidates to gain the highest marks.

Liz, who works at Mitchells Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers as Tax & Employer Solutions Manager, was awarded the Ronald Ison Medal for the candidate with the highest mark in the Advisory Paper on Taxation of Individuals. The exam was set by the Chartered Institute of Taxation, the principal body in the United Kingdom concerned solely with taxation.

Nationally, 395 people sat the Taxation of Individuals exam with only two thirds (67%) passing. Liz was also only one of only three candidates to be awarded a distinction in her Advisory Paper, gaining her the CCH Prize for the highest distinction mark awarded in the UK.

As well as Liz, Mitchells celebrated a hat trick of results in the exams with colleagues Partner Tim Leeman and Tax Specialist Lisa Eyre also securing passes. A total of 1,189 candidates entered the exams, with Liz, Tim and Lisa being three of 907 candidates to pass one or more papers in the May 2015 examination.

Tim Leeman was one of only 235 candidates in the May exam that completed all their CTA examinations which means he is now a qualified Chartered Tax Adviser, further strengthening Mitchells’ taxation team.

Successful completion of the exams has put Liz and Lisa one step closer to becoming a member of The Chartered Institute of Taxation and being able to call themselves Chartered Tax Advisers. The Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) qualification is seen as the gold standard for tax professionals.

Liz said: “”I was really happy to pass the exam but totally shocked to win the award. It means I’m one step closer to completing the qualification overall and becoming a Chartered Tax Adviser which will further enhance the proactive tax advice Mitchells is able to provide to clients.”

President of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, Chris Jones, commenting on the results said: “I would like to offer my congratulations to all 907 of the candidates who have made progress towards becoming a Chartered Tax Adviser as a result of passing one or more papers at the May 2015 examination. 235 candidates have now successfully completed all of the CTA examinations and we very much look forward to them becoming members of the Institute in the very near future.”

One of the region’s leading estate agencies is sold on its new Chesterfield office.

Redbrik estate agency has purchased the historic former Shentalls building on Glumangate – which is straight across the road from its current sales office at number 22.

Redbrik’s new office will be home to the company’s existing sales team and their former office is set to become the company’s new lettings office.

Mark Ross, Director at Redbrik, said: “Our Chesterfield branch was our first Redbrik office when we launched the business just over two years ago and we love being located in the heart of the Town.

“The people of Chesterfield really have taken us to their hearts and we are delighted to have purchased yet another office on Glumangate.

“As a business we have experienced fantastic growth with offices in Millhouses and Crystal Peaks as well as two Chesterfield branches.

“Our new sales office is set to open in October and we will be offering the same level of outstanding customer service that people have now come to expect from Redbrik and with the same team of friendly staff who work so hard to deliver great results for every customer.”

To celebrate their move Redbrik have launched a social media campaign asking people to send photos of things that make them happy about where they live in Chesterfield.

Each week they will feature their favourite image in the frame on their new office windows.

To get involved people can tweet their image to @REDBRIKproperty using #happyinchesterfield

More than 500 requests for business advice, assistance and funding help have now been handled by the Growth Hub team at the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership.

The D2N2 Growth Hub was launched in Nottingham in December (2014) by the then Business and Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock. It provides a ‘one stop shop’ for ambitious new and developing businesses looking for advice on training, growth, and how to access funding help to expand into fresh markets.

Growth Hub advisors work within the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The LEP is a private sector-led partnership between business, local authorities, skills and training providers, and community and voluntary organisations, which promotes economic growth and jobs creation in Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Since the Growth Hub team began work in January this year (2015) it has:

• Developed the website – at d2n2growthhub.co.uk – giving accessible advice on areas such as starting and growing a business, accessing finance, training and skills development, and expanding into new and international markets.

• Attended or arranged dozens of business facing events – including the first Venturefest East Midlands 2015 showcase in Nottingham, in April – all around the D2N2 area, where Growth Hub team members delivered talks and provided information on services offered.

• Held workshops on how business support providers can work together more closely; for example, the D2N2 Growth Hub ‘Working Together’ event, held at the University of Derby’s Enterprise Centre in April.

• Run D2N2’s first ever ‘Rural Means Business Conference’, at the RCAN (Rural Community Action Nottinghamshire) Newstead Centre, in Newstead Village, in March. Around 100 people attended to hear about the support and funding available to start up rural businesses around food manufacture, tourism, green energy and other enterprises.

• Introduced a new Partnership-wide Customer Relationship Management system.

The D2N2 Growth Hub also helps to ‘power up business’ by working with other partners including the national Business Growth Service (encompassing Growth Accelerator), the Manufacturing Advisory Service and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI); to enable businesses to grow, export and create jobs.

Satisfied customers who’ve approached the D2N2 Growth Hub for help include:

• Jay Lloyd of Ashover, Derbyshire, who is looking into starting up a rural business, possibly wedding venue hire, said: “I approached the D2N2 Growth Hub for help and advice, and was provided with some really useful contacts and very good pointers on which direction to go in. I hope that, as someone starting up a new business, other people I have dealings with will be just as kind and helpful.”

Lindsay Allen, D2N2 Growth Hub Senior Programme Manager for Sector Development, added: “We have now dealt with around 520 enquiries on a wide range of topics, from business people working in lots of different sectors within the economy.

“The Growth Hub aims to simplify the business support offer. We offer a universal service, with events, and our web and phone service; and for those businesses ambitious to grow and create jobs, we can offer intensive support.

“Among the top enquiries are people looking for further training for themselves or their employees, or wanting to know how to access funding to expand an existing business. There is a lot of information and support for businesses, and people who use the D2N2 Growth Hub services are finding we can be of great help in finding exactly what they need.”

Chesterfield Champion Paperclip Admin is very proud to have raised just over £1,000 for Cancer Research UK at this year’s Race for Life Pretty Muddy challenge at Clumber Park.

Managing Director, Anne Batty got the whole team involved in the 5k event, which involved lots of fun obstacles, all designed to get everyone as muddy as possible.

Anne said: ‘It really was a team effort on the day, getting stuck in and helping each other complete the course. The muddy obstacles really made it a fun day and we are so grateful to everyone who donated.’

Paperclip Admin supports a whole range of businesses – supplying bespoke business administration from credit control to bookkeeping together with a dedicated reception facility.

Chesterfield-based healthcare provider Heathcotes Group has agreed a £20 million expansion plan to double the size of their business, which specialises in providing care homes for adults with learning disabilities.

The deal, which combines finance from a leading high street bank together with debt funding and working capital, has been agreed on behalf of the Group by Chesterfield Champion Mitchells Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers.

With more than 30 care homes and around 800 full-time staff, Heathcotes already has a strong presence in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Lancashire, Cheshire and Yorkshire, but is now targeting cities such as Manchester and Birmingham for further growth.

The Group plans to add a further eight care homes to its expanding portfolio in 2015 alone, with more scheduled in 2016 and 2017.

David Harrison, CEO of Heathcotes Group, said: “Since founding the business 12 years ago we have successfully built a strong reputation across Central England for delivering high-quality, purpose-built facilities for our residents.

“We have an excellent relationship with Mitchells and their understanding of our ethos, expansion plans and our approach to the care sector makes them a valued business partner”

Tony Hornsby, Partner at Mitchells who led the team that was heavily involved in the refinance process between the Heathcotes Group and Yorkshire Bank, said: “Heathcotes has been a client of Mitchells since its incorporation and we have worked together since the acquisition of the first home in 2003. We have a fantastic relationship with the group and their rapid growth since incorporation is testament to their commitment to excellence in care and professionalism. We have enjoyed assisting them with their growth and look forward to working with them through their expansion process.”

Mitchells, which is based on Saltergate in Chesterfield, is one of the leading corporate finance specialists firms in the UK Care Home market, delivering a full range of accounting and corporate finance services to care homes locally and nationwide. Its expert team works proactively with residential care providers to grow their business, minimise tax liabilities, increase profitability and build the value of their investment.

Image: Tony Hornsby, Partner at Mitchells.