Wine and dine with Pennine in memory of foodie Dave

A fabulous group of foodies from a 2 Sisters factory near Sheffield have held their own ‘bake off’ bonanza – and the standard of dishes were so strong they have published a book of their tasty creations.

Over the past six months, the team at the Meals Solutions site at Pennine Foods have held a bake off style competition and invited colleagues to make their favourite starter, main course and dessert.

Natalija Zagotska with her winning main course 

A panel of four judges sampled each dish before deciding upon the winners, Sarfraz Ali for his starter of Grandma’s onion bhajis and mint sauce and Natalija Zagotska, for her main course - Lamb Kofta with beetroot tzatziki and butter bean salad, and also for her dessert -Cherry Stack.

They decided the dishes were so fantastic they’d put them together in a book, dedicated to the memory of colleague and fellow foodie David Shaw, who was the Head of Innovation at the site.

Dave dedicated his 20-year career to the development of delicious food for the business. He worked with the 2 Sisters development chefs, managers and retail customer product developers, driving new product development across Meals, Soups, Sauces, Fishcakes and Crispbakes.

Dave was a huge ‘foodie’ and his passion for delicious tasting food was infectious within the business.

He lost his battle with cancer in November 2017 and the money raised from the sale of the book will be donated to St Luke’s hospice in Sheffield.

Simon Kelly, development chef, said: “I have really fond memories of Dave, he was a bubbly character and always lifted the kitchen. Dave was a genuinely nice person to speak to and always had time for everyone.

“Dave’s enthusiasm and passion for food rubbed off on people, he had so much knowledge and I learnt very quickly from him. He is missed by all the team.”

Paul Howell, general manager, said: “It has been really surprising how good the competition has been. I’m so proud of everyone who entered and the book is amazing, we have some really talented cooks.”

The book is on sale for £2.50 a copy, please contact Lois Sarginson, HR manager, at Pennine Foods to buy a copy.