Authentic Blog

Authentic wins 5 Environmental Awards!

2010-11-01T16:36:00.000Z

Congratulations to everybody, in helping us to achieve these awards in recognition for our environmental working systems and practices.

A great achievement for us all and our business:

• BCE Environmental Leadership Award
• Food North West, Green Business Award
• FDF Gold Award
• ISO 14001:2004 Accreditation
• EBP Gold Award From Manchester City Council

Staff Meal Boxes are now £3

2010-11-01T16:33:00.000Z

Staff meal boxes now only £3 to help support the Pakistan Aid Relief Fund.

Authentic's Sharston site accredited ISO 14001:2004!

2010-10-15T11:25:00.000+01:00

Congratulations to everybody, in helping us to achieve this award in recognition for our environmental working systems and practices. We received one minor non conformance with 5 observations/recommendations for improvement.

A great achievement for us all and our business.

The Positive Action Team Go Ape!

2010-10-03T12:14:00.014+01:00

Go Ape was a fantastic Positive Action Team event for all the members who attended!

Authentic is 25 years old

2010-09-21T14:52:00.000+01:00

Lord Lieutenant, Warren J Smith visits Authentic on behalf of the Queen to celebrate our 25 year anniversary.

Fire Training at Authentic

2010-08-11T12:42:00.000+01:00

An exciting Health and Safety course!! Fire training at Authentic.

Francis House Pamper Evening

2010-06-10T16:46:00.001+01:00

On Thursday 10th June 2010 Graham, Kris, Ginette and Danny on behalf of AFC provided and served Authentic Indian Cuisine for the ‘Pamper Night’ at Francis House Children’s Hospice.

Best Companies ‘One to Watch’ 2010

2010-05-18T14:53:00.000+01:00

Deborah Lacide, HR Manager went to receive our Best Companies One to Watch Award for 2010 at the Best Companies new showcase; The Art of Engagement.

Authentic Bowling Night - May 2010

2010-05-13T18:30:00.000+01:00

It was another fantastic Bowling event for 2010, with The Authentic Allstars retaining their title yet again. There was stiff competition from Spanner in the works and The big bad board and early on things were looking shakey, but in the second round the allstars manged to steam ahead, and show all who the champions are!

Authentic Annual Dinner Dance 2010

2010-02-27T20:00:00.000Z

Stavros and Adrian Ratcliffe our in house entertainer make an appearance at the Authentic Annual Dinner Dance 2010.

Authentic Green Day

2009-11-27T11:00:00.000Z

Paul Goggins our local MP planted a tree on our site in support of The ‘Authentic Green Day’.

Authentic wears it Pink and Scary

2009-11-09T14:49:00.002Z

A big Thank You to everybody for their contribution towards the Pink Day for the fight against Breast Cancer.

We managed to raise £125 thanks to your efforts. A special Thank You goes to Peter Jones for his donation who gave up his birthday money for such a good cause!

AFC Pub Quiz 2009

2009-10-30T15:54:00.002Z

So does everybody now know who the new character in Winnie the Pooh is and when was the first bendable Barbie legs launched on the market?!

We all had a great night at the Pub Quiz held at The Didsbury on the 22nd of October where the night started with drinks and the food buffet!

Hosted by Master Piran and his beautiful assistant Paul, we had 60 questions to struggle through, (no, no this is not a typo..60 questions!!) starting with a True or False round, Sports, Gossip, What’s happening? Picture Round and Lucky Dip.

And I don’t know where Piran gets his gossip from but who ever said ‘Who in 2009 was convicted of the murder of Lara Clarkson’ was gossip!!!

I think we all enjoyed the 60 questions in the end and The (not so) L.E.A.N team won the champions title! (Lee, Ed, Adrian and Neil!) Not bad for Neil’s first quiz with TAFC!! -£100

The second prize went to The Authentic All Stars (The engineers don’t need an introduction) - £40

And The Techies (Claire, Dave, Ged and Lisa) won the third prize after a Tie Breaker with Big G and the 3 Marketeers!

AFC Summer BBQ 2009

2009-08-07T12:19:00.003+01:00

TAFC enjoyed a great day at their Summer BBQ on the 25^th of July at Jackson’s boat! We all enjoyed the fun-filled day, specially the kids with the bouncy castle and the face painter. The adult sack race was a real show with the AFC crew!

Becketts Farm

2009-08-07T12:16:00.001+01:00

On the 3rd July, the marketing and NPD Team went out to Becketts Farm to hold an Authentic Press Day on our new Italian lines!

They were given a lesson on how to make their own pasta and garlic dough balls in their own Authentic Chef Jackets!

AFC Annual Company Presentation 2009

2009-08-05T16:04:00.007+01:00

TAFC held its annual company presentation in June and the day was packed with information and entertainment. We also got to see our own Authentic’s Got Talent Show!

The boomwackers also kept us entertained and ‘tuned in’ at the end of the presentation with their team rhythm!

AFC Bowling Night 2009

2009-04-24T15:41:00.001+01:00

The most competitive Positive Action Team event took place on Thursday 23^rd April.

Over 70 members from the PAT all met at Tenpin Parrswood with one aim…. To beat the Authentic All Stars and claim back the trophy!!

The night was packed with cheers and laughter and a good time was had by all – unfortunately the Authentic All Stars were simply unbeatable and went home with the trophy for the 5^th time! Well done All Stars!

Red Nose Day – Friday 13th March

2009-04-03T15:09:00.005+01:00

And TAFC crew wore it red on the 13^th March – both clothes and nose!

Thank you to all those who helped raise money for Comic Relief and for your efforts to wear red on the day!

The best picture of the day goes to our HR Team

Authentic Raffle

2009-04-03T14:47:00.004+01:00

Our Authentic Raffle took place in January! Congrats to the lucky ones who had a winning ticket!

For those who didn’t get anything, better luck next year!

And Authentic was off to Bowling again!

2009-04-03T14:22:00.002+01:00

Our staff once again took over the Bowling Alley in December to show off their skills and techniques.

Once again, the engineers from The Authentic All Stars won the first prize closely followed by The Argonauts! We hope they can beat the engineers next time!

Chill Factor-e

2009-04-03T14:16:00.003+01:00

On Saturday 29^th November TAFC hit the slopes at Chill Factor-e in true Positive Action Team style! Everyone got wrapped up, put on their boots and ventured onto the Chill Factor snow.

Is this an engineer falling over?

And this year Pink Day got Spoooooky!

2008-11-06T09:37:00.005Z

Many of us came into work dressed in Pink to raise money for a good cause. Some came in spooky and some dressed up cute.

A special mention goes to the spookiest office – The HR Department, turned into witches for the day with treats in their office and a pumpkin lamp!

Hannah with red hair – we all thought it suited her well

The mutant in his office – we had our doubts about whether he could see behind the mask!

It was all about me!

The IT geeks!

And they all gathered…!

Thank you all for your efforts!

Manchester Recruitment Fayre

2008-11-06T09:33:00.001Z

Janet and Zoe were mixing with the stars at the Manchester recruitment fayre in October, they managed to get their picture taken with Tim Campbell the winner of the first Apprentice TV show.

Janet interviewed a number of candidates on the day and was filmed by North West Tonight!

Well done Ladies!

3663 Supplier Environmental Performance Award 2008

2008-11-06T09:32:00.002Z

Paul Harnetty and Shermith Jinadasa collected our Environmental Award from 3663 which recognises our internal and external initiatives concerning the environment.

FDF Award

2008-11-06T09:29:00.003Z

We collected our Food and Drink Federation Community Partnerships Award for the Workplace Community category scheme in October 2008!

Retro Biscuit Day!

2008-09-19T10:55:00.002+01:00

The sales and marketing office enjoyed a retro biscuit day – remember the classics Blue Riband and Jammie Dodgers….

Pizza Day August 2008

2008-09-18T15:14:00.012+01:00

On Thursday 28th August we celebrated our hard work with a Pizza & Pop Day, fresh from Dominos!

We hope you all enjoyed it - sorry it was late, I think the pizza kitchens struggled to complete our order!

Thanks to those who helped serve on the day!

If you were not here on the 28^th, feast your eyes!

Gullivers Kingdom

2008-09-18T15:14:00.010+01:00

114 employees and their families aged 0 and upwards descended on Gullivers World on Sunday 17th August for over 6 hours of fun.

We all came prepared for the mixed (and mainly showery) Warrington weather.

The AFC Annual Company Presentation 2008

2008-08-06T10:12:00.006+01:00

Our Annual Company Presentation took place on the 28th June 2008!

The snapshots of the day…

Relive the good moments and dance to the rhythm of the djembe!

The AFC Team tuned to the same rhythm!

The Blonde Star!

Our professionals at work…

Rhythm is a dancer!

Fine DIne with NPD!

2008-07-28T15:47:00.005+01:00

On the 11th and 18th July Authentic saw NPD work their magic and culinary skills to the utmost when they provided an exclusive fine dining experience for the Authentic team!

As part of the charity initiative “Authentic Gives Something Back” July was the month that our NPD department choose to do their bit in giving something back, and boy did they do this in style!

The team managed to raise a very impressive £330, well done to all!!

Trip to the Dogs!

2008-06-26T17:26:00.003+01:00

On Thursday 19^th June, Belle Vue welcomed The Authentic Food Company in large numbers! There were more than 30 of us trying our luck at betting. Some of us went well prepared to lose while others were lucky enough to make some cash!

Those who had an ‘Early Night’ won the first race! Our sympathy is extended to those who decided to bet on a certain dog with the name Dave and those who actually bet on a dog called Hotfoot Rooney!

Win or lose, we all had a great night coming on the school bus and enjoying our three-course meal!

York Trip - May

2008-06-26T17:14:00.006+01:00

York was indeed a picturesque scene!

I bet we all enjoyed the performance of the ‘funny’ Geordie guy who entertained us all by trying to climb up a ladder with chains around his body, where he then tried to disentangle himself!

We all loved the York Minster and York’s pretty streets! We had a full bus tour of York where we learnt a bit about its history, understanding where the term ‘Daylight Robbery’ comes from!

A picnic in the gardens with some ice cream and the sun shining and some shopping to conclude the afternoon made it a day to remember!

Authentic Midnight Walkers…

2008-06-26T17:07:00.005+01:00

The Accounts Department’s fundraiser took place on May 23^rd.

Nothing unusual about that you may think but as most of you were(or should have been)tucked up in bed, the Accounts department were putting on their trainers!

After meeting at AFC in Sharston we set off with our umbrellas as the heavens had opened. Luckily when we arrived the rain had stopped! We knew at this point it was going to be a good night!!

We set off from City of Manchester Stadium amidst lots of whooping and cheering ready for our 10k Midnight Walk. After walking past the MEN arena, onto Deansgate and through Albert Square we were on the way home straight back to the stadium. We finished at around the two hour mark. It was a great reception as lots of other walkers were waiting to cheer us all home, which made it really worthwhile.

Watching lots of people wandering through Manchester City Centre on a Friday night dressed up in fancy dresses and wearing luminous necklaces was a great spectacle. Over 2000 people took part which is double from the first event last year.

It was a great night, for a great cause. The aches and pains soon subsided after we got home and had our tea and toast. You would be amazed at how hungry you feel after walking 10k at midnight…………….we can recommend it though!!

Well done to all Accounts Department!!! Here’s to next year!!

Salsa Night!

2008-04-09T09:23:00.004+01:00

Friday 4^th April saw the Authentic team move to some Spanish sounds at the Copacabana Night Club!

They were treated to a cocktail and a salsa lesson where everyone paired up with either their guest or AFC friend to learn the moves of the popular dance.

After working up an appetite on the dance floor an array of tapas dishes were laid out and a sneaky few had a shot of tequila for desert! Some then went on into the night to put their newly learned Salsa dance moves into practice, although we are not sure this includes knowing all the moves to Macarena!!

Authentic Raffle!

2008-04-01T16:08:00.003+01:00

We had quite a few lucky winners for the Authentic Raffle. Yajna and Ruth went round the offices to ask everyone to pick a ticket from a box which was then allocated to a prize.

The prizes included wines, vodkas, champagnes and even a DVD player!

Wilmslow Half Marathon

2008-04-01T16:03:00.003+01:00

Well done to all the Authentic girls who completed the Wilmslow Half Marathon 2008. They all finished in under 2h20mins with plenty of powerade and power bars on route!

They are already looking forward to 2009!

The Accounts Team Munches Together!

2008-03-19T16:18:00.004Z

An authentic lunch was organised for the Accounts department – a good way to fill the stomach and boost up the team work as well as get to know the products by tasting them!

The lunch was organised and served in house by our chefs and enjoyed by the whole team! An Easter treat before the holidays!

The Valentine’s Meeting!

2008-02-19T08:50:00.004Z

Pink ties with pink hearts, pink shirts – the men really tried hard on Valentine’s Day!

Our Sales Team Meeting featured some exciting heart-shaped biscuits and chocolates!

Pizza Day 2008

2008-02-13T11:12:00.011Z

After the successful pizza day in 2006, Authentic decided to do it once again with Domino’s pizzas! Amongst the various choices were the Chicken Tandoori Sizzler, Pepperoni & Vegetable Supreme. Both our Stockport and Sharston sites enjoyed generous mouthfuls of the delicious pizzas. Everyone swarmed the canteen to have their share and one of our technical members wisely picked up the wrong box of pizza only to discover it was full of jalapenos! We were all full and sleepy by the end of the feast!

Thanks to the team who was kind enough to serve everyone!

If only every Friday was Domino’s Day! For those who missed it, feast your eyes through the pictures of the day!

Chicken Curry Rules!

2007-12-21T12:14:00.000Z

Lois our resident Sales Order Processor really did get in the Authentic spirit and has got a t-shirt to prove it!!

Authentic Get's Festive!

2007-12-21T12:06:00.001Z

Authentic got in the festive mood this December and provided free food to all of the staff for lunch! Oooooooh we wish it could be christmas every day!!

Award Winning Authentic

2007-12-21T10:39:00.000Z

In testament to the hard work from everyone at The Authentic Food Company we were awarded for our excellence in New Product Development for 2007 by The Spirit Group.

The Award was presented to Lee Tynan, NPD Controller by Kevin Harper, Spirit Catering Director.

Well done to everyone at Authentic!!

AFC Pub Quiz - The New Champions!

2007-12-17T09:46:00.000Z

Winning Team: Kenny, Graeme, Gennaro, Gregg (from left to right)

The AFC pub quiz took place and finally the All Stars were knocked off the top, in fact they were not even in the top 3!

The winners of the night were Kid Graeme And The Coconuts, Too Hot Too Cold came in second place and Work in Progress took the third place.

Award Winning Authentic!

2007-12-17T09:31:00.000Z

The Authentic Food Company scooped two awards at this year’s prestigious Caterer and Hotelkeeper Excellence in Food and Drink Awards. Aromatic Thai King Prawn Curry received the honour in the Main Courses and Centre of Plate category, and the Sweet Potato, Chick Pea and Spinach Curry won in the Vegetarian category.

We were even more excited when we spotted Jermaine Jackson in reception and he stepped in to have his photo with us!!

What an eventful day!!

Lets Get Cooking!

2007-11-02T10:12:00.000Z

The Authentic Food Company and Newall Green High School in Wythenshawe joined forces for a 'Lets Get Cooking' Day.

At Authentic we are always looking for ways in which we can become involved with our surrounding community, so linking up with Newall Green High School was a great way of achieving this as well as starting to educate the next generation on the food and industry market.

Newall Green welcomed Authentic into their school and allowed all faculties to run all lessons around the theme of food and the popular Authentic Indian dish Chicken Makhani.
The 'Lets Get Cooking' day was aimed at years 7 to 9 with an incentive for the well behaved children to be invited along to cook with the Authentic chefs on the day. We worked alongside the school to generate great ideas on how to incorporate the food industry and the Indian dish into each lesson.

Pink Day!

2007-11-02T09:58:00.000Z

On Friday 27th October we managed to raise £77 for Breast Cancer Awareness by getting almost everyone on the office to wear something pink!

What a surprise!

2007-10-22T13:12:00.000+01:00

We couldnt believe that our technical controller Paul had been fooling us for so long with his 'bald head disguise'.....

Who would have thought he had such a full head of hair under there?

Rafal Nawrocki - Employee of the Month

2007-10-15T09:39:00.000+01:00

Rafal Nawrocki is the Employee of the Month at Yew Street!.
He is based in the low-care kitchen but does work across all of the areas.
Rafal has worked for the company since December last year. He has quickly became part of the Yew Street team and shows great initiative in the way he conducts himself in the factory.
Rafal is always willing to work the hours necessary to see the job done. He is always happy and smiling and brightens up all of our days

Well done Raf, keep up the good work!

Chinese Arts Centre’s 21st birthday

2007-10-08T15:17:00.000+01:00

On October 4th 2007 we sponsored the Chinese Arts Centre’s 21st birthday and our own resident Chinese chef (Robert Gong) cooked up the authentic dim sum.

The Chinese Arts Centre was established in 1986 by a group of British Chinese artists based in Manchester. The orginal centre was based in Chinatown, and was financially supported by Manchester City Council and Arts Council England. Today the gallery can be found in the Northern Quarter, its a magnificent space and includes an artist residency studio and apartment, an education suite, resource area, offices, shop and teahouse.
To celebrate their 21st birthday they showcased a fantastic exhibition; Boutique.

The Chinese Arts Centre has a strong history as a national charity for the development and promotion of Chinese arts and culture in the UK. Chinese Arts Centre is based in Manchester, a city with the second largest Chinese community in the UK. Chinese Arts Centre aims to develop an infrastructure to allow Chinese arts, and especially British Chinese artists, to flourish. Their work covers four main areas; exhibitions, education, agency work and advocacy which includes training, conferences and publications.

Lets Get Cooking!

2007-10-03T15:25:00.000+01:00

Authentic will be taking over Newall Green High School on the 16th October 2007 for a full day!

The "Lets Get Cooking" day will give students the opportunity to really understand how products are developed and how they eventually reach consumers in the supermarket.
The activities will take place across all of the faculties and two of our chefs Robert and Kris will be showcasing their culinary skills both in the classroom and at lunch.

Hats off for Sevenoaks

2007-09-21T09:29:00.000+01:00

One of our sales ladies Carol made a 3663 RaRa day a little more interesting for the team at the Sevenoaks depot earlier this month by staging a hat competition to all those involved!
She awarded spot prizes for those who sold the most cases, including chocolate and wine and also one for the best hat!

Authentic glamour...

2007-09-21T09:18:00.000+01:00

Three lovely ladies from Authentic got their photo published in the BFFF magazine after attending the BFFF gala dinner dance in June. Luckily this was taken at the beginning of the night!

Authentic Go Karting!

2007-09-20T13:05:00.001+01:00

The latest day out for the Positive Action team was a trip to the Speed Karting track in Warrington. As everyone raced each other to the finishing line the final race was cheekily won by Simon Cheeseman after Nik Basran led the way until the final corner and lost control, skidding out and finishing LAST (or thats his excuse......)

Authentic Summer BBQ

2007-09-20T12:33:00.000+01:00

Although we didn’t exactly get the best weather and it was more of an indoor BBQ, the Summer BBQ was still a great success.
Over 100 people turned up and there were plenty of children there...bouncing up and down! The bouncy castle was always full and the fun was flowing. The face painter did a fantastic job with the kids and also spent a lot of her time making balloons of different shapes and sizes - swords and rabbits amongst others!
Judging by the long queues, we all enjoyed the food (some with too much mustard sauce!) and even the sweets (!!!) and were well sheltered from the rain!

Welcome

2007-09-17T12:21:00.000+01:00

Welcome to The Authentic Food Company's blog.
You will find news, info and photos of what's happening here at Authentic, so keep checking back for regular updates!