Biscuit manufacturers from Morocco, Algeria, Spain and Portugal recently attended a biscuit making workshop, organised by HGCA’s export team and held at Chipping Campden.

The two-day event helped international millers and biscuit manufacturers learn more about the quality and properties of uks and ukp, HGCA’s soft and hard wheat export classifications, and also gave delegates the opportunity to learn about the UK wheat industry and latest technologies used in biscuit making and evaluation. HGCA’s export team, along with HGCA Export Chairman Mike Hambly, were on hand to answer delegates’ questions.

The workshop combined both the practical element of baking and technical presentations from Campden BRI and HGCA. On the first day, delegates had the opportunity to bake their national biscuits and breads with uks and also ukp, and later had the chance to conduct objective assessments where they could compare and contrast the quality of the two types of wheat.

Paolo Cardoso, a miller from Moagem Ceres in Portugal, said: “It is really interesting to learn more about uks in relation to both biscuits and bread.  I found the whole workshop very interesting and useful, particularly when we learned how to assess the quality of biscuits.”

The second day provided delegates with a range of technical information and allowed them to conduct a sensory evaluation of products baked on the first day, which was a new and insightful experience for most delegates. They also gained an insight into how UK plant breeders produce new varieties, and presented feedback on their biscuits and breads baked with uks wheat flour.

Hicham Najme, Factory Manager from Group Tria in Morocco, said: “I have learnt a lot over the two days, and now I have a better understanding of the specifications of wheat from the UK. I now have more information for our customers and I can share best practice about how to use uks in the factory with my colleagues.”

Sarah Mann, HGCA Export Manager, commented: “It is essential that we regularly showcase our export varieties of uks and ukp and help international buyers, bakers and millers understand the quality of our wheat for export. The workshop aimed to help international biscuit makers become more familiar with uks and the facilities we have in the UK. We also used ukp to demonstrate the difference in properties and show that the flour is so versatile.”

HGCA’s export team will be celebrating uks and ukp’s 10^th anniversary at the 2014 Cereals event, which will be held in Cambridgeshire in June. Visitors will have the chance to sample a choice of Moroccan biscuits made with uks flour.