Delicatessen Magazine February

e h T DELICATESSEN February 2018

BRINGING THE INDUSTRY TOGETHER

PLASTIC PACKAGING POLLUTION EXPLAINED WE TALK TO THE EXPERTS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF PLASTIC POLLUTION AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP

ALL ABOUT KEFIR We try the range of Kefir drinks from Mount Olympus Pure Foods Ltd

MALVERN FOOD & D TRADE S RINK HOW I N F O R M AT I ON INSIDE!

REDUCED SUGAR JAMS!

WE FIND OUT IF THEY ARE AS GOOD AS THE TRADITIONAL VARIETIES

Tea!

WE PUT SOME GREAT TEAS TO THE TEST!

INCLUDING HOOGLY, WESTCOUNTRY TEA, TEAPIGS AND WILKIN & SONS

WELCOME

From the Editor

l Welcome to the latest instalment of the Delicatessen Magazine.

This issue has some firsts within it. From the first time I tried Kefir to recommending reduced sugar jams. However, the most important first for this issue is Ian Bates, previously a columnist (Snacking & Packing) and now co-owner and coeditor of the Delicatessen Magazine.

Ian and I share many similarities and also some useful differences.

We both have regular ‘snaccidents’ and enjoy our food and drink so much we spend way too much time ‘testing’ them. However, Ian brings a lot of expertise to the party. Ian’s background comes from running a plethora of successful businesses

within the foodservice industry and up until recently, has been helping food producers grow their businesses - many of which have graced the pages of this title.

We would also like to welcome reader turned writer, Barrie Thomson of The Highstreet Delicatessen, who we have invited to be a regular columnist due to his fantastic writing style, love of championing great products, and his desire to help his fellow peers in this industry better their businesses.

This issue sees us cover the important topic of plastic packaging pollution, tea, reduced sugar jams and a whole lot more! We hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together!

Chris & Ian Co-Editors Delicatessen Magazine

COVER PHOTO:

Tina Gloggengieser Founder of Hoogly Tea

A small taster of what´s inside this issue...

PAGE 10-11

JUST CHILLIN´ WITH CHILLISH ®

PAGE 17-CA24R? MORE TEA VI

PAGE 38-H3GI9 N

GRANITE NORT

CO-EDITOR Chris McNeill E: chris@cjm-media.co.uk CO-EDITOR Ian Bates E: ian@reelbrands.co.uk COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Chris Keightley E: chrisk@thedelimagazine.co.uk ASSISTANT EDITOR Dave Eastman E: dave@cjm-media.co.uk FREE-FROM FOOD WRITER Victoria McCormick E: victoria@cjm-media.co.uk DESIGNER Sharon Larder E: inthedoghousedesign@gmail.com CONTACT US: T: 01206 240 798 E: chris@cjm-media.co.uk PUBLISHED BY: CJM MEDIA LTD HEAD OFFICE: 58 MUMFORD ROAD, WEST BERGHOLT, COLCHESTER, ESSEX, CO6 3BL

NEW CO-OWNER AND CO-EDITOR IAN BATES (LEFT) WITH EDITOR CHRIS MCNEILL

PRINTED IN THE UK BY: S & G PRINT GROUP GOAT MILL ROAD, DOWLAIS, MERTHYR TYDFIL, CF48 3TD T: 01685 352058 W: www.stephensandgeorge.co.uk The Delicatessen is published monthly.

The Publisher cannot accept any liability for transparancies, disks or any written material submitted for publication. Reproduction of any written material or illustration wholly or in part for any media is expressly forbidden without prior consent of the publisher.

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PLASTIC PACKAGING D E N I A POLLUTIONE XPL There has been a lot of news lately surrounding plastic packaging.

We’ve brought together a team of experts to help educate and give out some guidance on what we can all do to help minimize the negative impacts of plastic packaging pollution WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT PLASTIC PACKAGING AND THE POLLUTION IT CREATES? Well, about 12 million tonnes of plastic are dumped into our rivers and oceans each year which includes bottles, bags, cups, many other single-use plastic items which are eventually reduced into billions of tiny plastic microbeads.

These microbeads are then consumed by marine life and in doing so enter the food chain. What’s more these tiny particles are so small they can’t currently be removed by our sewage systems. It’s not just packaging that is a source of plastic microbeads - they’re also found in many cosmetic and toiletry products. The ban of which is in motion in many countries including the UK. If you ask any medical expert why this is a problem, plastic in our diet leads to all sorts of chronic conditions which gradually gets worse and worse the more we are exposed.

The recent Blue Planet BBC TV series highlighted some of the issues with a breath-taking insight into the fragile world of marine life and how plastic pollution has become such a big problem that NGO’s and governments around the world are taking action to tackle this unprecedented challenge.

WHERE DID IT GO WRONG? Accordingly to Recoup (recoup.org/), plastic was developed from chemically modified natural materials such as rubber, nitrocellulose and collagen.

Synthetically modified plastics started to be developed around 100 years ago. The first man-made plastic was created by Alexander Parkes in 1862 at the Great International Exhibition in London. Today known as celluloid, the material was called Parkesine derived

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from cellulose that once heated could be molded, and retained its shape when cooled.

In 1907 Leo Baekeland created Bakelite, the first synthetic massproduced plastic. In 1933, polyethylene was discovered by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). From the 1940’s onwards, a wide range of new plastics were discovered and became mass produced on an enormous scale globally. UK manufacturers like Metal Box formed in 1921 diversified through acquisitions from producing packaging made just from metal to flexible plastic and cartonboard alternatives. The new age of mass produced plastic packaging was born.

Plastic packaging is a highly innovative and versatile material which can be laminated, moulded and modified to produce high performance products like bottles, bags and pouches which when compared to glass are less expensive, lighter and don’t break so easily.

The growth of the supermarket and changing consumer habits have also played their parts providing/ demanding lower prices, higher volumes, more choice and greater convenience. Busy working lives, eating and drinking on the move have also added to the growing litter mountain. Add to this the lack of any coherent policy on waste management locally, regionally, nationally or internationally and you begin to understand why we have ended up in such a total mess.

Producers and supermarkets have been focused on convenience, innovation, freshness, shelf-life and products looking great on shelf and less about how the packs will be recovered and recycled and their ultimate impact on the environment.

According to WRAP (wrap.org. uk), of the 4 million tonnes of plastic waste, less than 40% is recovered in the UK. Some of this is exported to countries like China to be recycled by hand - but not for too much longer.

The balance of the recovered plastic waste ends up in landfill creating a pollution problem for future generations. Wholly unacceptable in the view of any sane person.

Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, favours a deposit and return scheme on plastic bottles and is keen to pursue a viable solution as quickly as possible. Environmentalist group, Greenpeace, back this move and would like to see a similar approach applied to plastic bags where their is now a 5p levy in place. Disposable coffee cups will soon follow with a recommended 25p ‘latte levy’.

Ireland introduced a plastic bag tax in 2002, the UK followed twelve years later despite warnings that retailers would not implement these changes voluntarily. It goes to prove how important good leadership is on matters that affect us all and require a circular economy approach. More about circular economies and how they work: wrap.org.uk/about-us/about/ wrap-and-circular-economy ARE LEVYS THE ANSWER TO FORCE CHANGE? In the short term, maybe, but governments, NGO’s, producers, and retailers will need to work together to find better ways of delivering products that respect life on earth.

We met up with the packaging people at Waitrose to ask them what they were planning to do to reduce plastic packaging. They acknowledge that this is quite a challange and that they are committing considerable resources to find viable solutions as quickly as possible. They have already changed many packs to reduce their enviromental impact. Here are a couple of examples: Tomato Pack https://www. packaging-gateway.com/news/ waitrose-launches-eco-friendlypackaging-made-tomato-leaves/ Sandwich pack https://www. packagingnews.co.uk/news/ environment/recycling/waitroselaunch-easier-recycle-sandwichpack-16-08-2017 Waitrose packaging policy update link: http://www.waitrose.com/ home/inspiration/about_waitrose/ the_waitrose_way/packaging.html

We put the following questions to Louise Edge, Senior Oceans Campaigner at Greenpeace Single-use plastic packaging has become a major contributor to widespread planet pollution. Who are the main contributors and what would Greenpeace like to see change to overcome this environmental crisis? l It’s estimated that up to 12 million tonnes of plastic are entering our oceans every year – that’s a rubbish truck full every minute. Plastic fragments are now being found wherever scientists take samples in our oceans – from the Arctic to the world’s deepest ocean trenches.

A lot of this waste is single use plastic packaging used for food and drink– for instance plastic bottles, food packaging, straws and stirrers, as well as plastic bags. It is a problem because once in the ocean environment plastic takes hundreds of years to break down, so this waste is building up year on year.

Big pieces of plastic can entangle and drown wildlife, plus they can mistake them for food. Furthermore when the plastic starts to degrade it breaks down into tiny fragments, or microplastics, which we now know are being eaten by marine creatures from plankton, at the bottom of the food chain, through to the great whales at the top, and having very worrying impacts. These plastic particles are even being found in table salt, tap water, and beer, as well as in the seafood that we eat.

If we continue with business as usual it is projected that plastic production will quadruple by 2050 – our oceans and our recycling systems simply can’t deal with this. That is why Greenpeace is calling on major manufacturers, retailers, and governments to work together to dramatically reduce the amount of packaging we use and switch to reusable alternatives wherever possible. Alongside that they need to ensure that any plastic they do use is both recyclable and actually recycled, which isn’t currently the case. Indeed globally of all the plastic used since 1950 only 9% has been recycled; the rest has ended up in landfill, burned or in our rivers and oceans.

Today the modern food supply chain is complex and has become highly dependent on packaging to protect, preserve and present products. What changes need to take place to reduce the environmental impacts of plastic packaging to make them more recoverable, recyclable and sustainable? l Reducing use of single use plastic is key to solving this problem. A huge amount of packaging is for marketing purposes, and can be removed without harm to the product, so food producers and retailers need to review the plastic packaging they are using and first of all ask is it actually necessary?

Secondly they should work to get rid of all non-recyclable plastics and mixed-material packaging – that’s things like Styrofoam cups, laminates and PVC packaging, along with unnecessary items like plastic straws and cutlery.

However, there are instances of packaging where plastic does a good job of preserving perishable goods, and there is no obvious alternative, which provides all the same benefits. In these instances, the way forward is cooperation.

Businesses should pool the risk and expense of developing new packaging forms, and make whatever agreements are necessary to ensure that useful innovation in this area can be shared across the market. This may sound a little idealistic, but a company that develops an environmentally friendly replacement packaging material and tries to restrict its use is likely to get more bad press than a company that sticks to plastic.

The first step here is to obtain sound, unbiased advice. A well thought through packaging strategy will be required and to start this process you need to be able to answer the following three questions: 1. Can you afford not to change given that sooner or later the government will probably add a levy to single-use plastic packs?

2. Is plastic the only material which can pack your product?

3. Have you explored every viable alternative yet?

picking up the tab for its disposal.

Once manufacturers pay the costs created by their packaging design, we’re confident they will improve.

In what ways do product labels need to change to better inform consumers how best to recycle packaging? l Bad product design and inadequate waste disposal systems are the real problem we face and are the key things that need to change to make it easy for consumers to recycle packaging. Once those problems are addressed product labeling can then become simpler, but changing the labeling without tackling these flaws is a pointless exercise.

Extending shelf-life to preserve products has been an important factor for retailers and producers to help reduce food wastage.

Lightweight and cost effective plastic packaging innovations such as multilayer plastic laminates have played an important part of this process.

How do you see the packaging and recycling landscape changing over the coming years to reduce food wastage whilst also reducing packaging pollution? l Plastic packaging and food waste are both at all-time highs, so clearly plastic hasn’t solved the food waste problem, and in some cases makes it worse. For example when you have to buy more of something than you need because it is sold in packages rather than loose. Also, most costings for plastic packaging are artificially low because the taxpayer is picking up the tab for What do governments need to the very expensive recycling processes do to help encourage/enforce they require. But where perishable the use of less packaging and goods need impermeable packaging, sustainable packaging? producers should work together to l We would like to see responsibility create delivery systems which maximise for dealing with packaging after the use of refillable containers without use put squarely in the hands of the creating too much inconvenience manufacturers. Some packaging design for consumers and to create new is truly awful, but the manufacturers are alternatives to plastic packaging that shielded from its failure by the taxpayer don’t threaten our oceans.

WHAT PRACTICAL STEPS CAN RETAILERS TAKE TO AVOID SINGLE-USE PLASTIC PACKAGING?

The Deli Magazine has partnered with Ian Bates, co-founder of Reelbrands, who has over twenty years of packaging experience within the food and packaging industry having worked with

companies like Waitrose, M&S, Tesco, Cooperative Food, Costa, Fairfields Farm, Maldon Salt, Frugalpac and Scarlett & Mustard. Ian provides an initial packaging review without obligation or charge to all Deli Mag partners. His contact details are: Ian Bates Tel: 07764 151014 Email: ian@reelbrands.co.uk Web: www.reelbrands.co.uk

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ORYX DESERT SALT W

ith the reported 12m tonnes of plastic entering the world’s oceans each year, which according to the United Nations is the equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic a minute, it’s no surprise we are finding plastics in all sorts of places we don’t want them, including our sea salt.

One of the salts I regularly use at home is Oryx Desert Salt. Their smoked salt is the work of the gods and I can’t get enough of it!

The difference with Oryx is that we know there won’t be any plastic in it. It’s from a pristine part of the Kalahari Desert.

DESERT SALT FROM THE KALAHARI Oryx Desert Salt is a natural, crystalwhite salt – unrefined, sun-dried, and free from additives and preservatives.

This salt contains the essential, natural minerals and trace elements, in the correct balance, for your body to absorb and utilise for optimal functioning, vitality and health.

It is harvested in a sustainable manner from a remote and pristine area of the vast Kalahari Desert in South Africa. Here, salt water from an ancient underground lake, fed by subterranean streams, is laid to rest on a pan, sun-dried and harvested.

Oryx Desert Salt say that they are committed to supplying an ethically harvested, sustainable and renewable desert salt that has an exceptional taste, and enriches the flavour of your food. ]UST SOME OF THE REASONS WHY WE LOVE ORYX DESERT SALT 100% Pure, crystal-white, natural desert salt l Just as it existed when traded ounce for ounce for gold eight thousand years ago. Nothing added and nothing taken away.

Sundried, unrefined, no additives l As nature intended – no additives, no anti-clumping agents, no preservatives. Dried by the hot African desert sun. Unrefined and unprocessed. The underground brine lake is 100% saturated, so it takes only 4 weeks for the salt to crystalise in our

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STUDIES HAVE FOUND PLASTIC MICROBEADS IN SEA SALT FROM EUROPE, THE US AND CHINA – WITH THIS WORRYING INFORMATION WE WANTED TO FIND YOU A SALT THAT WE CAN GUARANTEE WON’T HAVE ANY PLASTIC IN IT! Researcher, Nature Fresh Please read more information and references on FOR YOUR HEALTH. LOVED BY INTERNATIONAL CHEFS Oryx Desert Salt has a unique and exceptional taste, which enhances and enriches the flavour of your food. Chefs from around the world taste the difference.

main harvest season in summer when the temperatures reach up to 47o.

From an ancient & pristine source l The ancient Dwyka rock formations, through which the underground streams flow, are geo-scientifically tested to be 250-300 million years old. The 50km2 salt pan is situated in the Kalahari Desert of 900,000km2, inside the Kalahari Basin which spans an area of 2.5 million km². 50km’s south of Botswana and +-250km north of Upington. A remote, pristine and beautiful area. The name KALAHARI is derived from the Tswana word Kgalagadi, meaning ‘the great thirst’.

Contains vital minerals and trace elements l Oryx Desert Salt has all the essential minerals and trace elements that exist naturally in salt, including magnesium, zinc and potassium. It provides your body with the correct balance of these minerals, as nature intended, so they can be utilised and absorbed for optimal vitality and health.

“Salt imbalances can make us very ill. We need to embrace the ‘salt of the earth’ in order to replace vital minerals.” Sue Visser, Health

“It’s the only salt I use. It really has a fantastic flavour. In comparative tastings, the difference is immediately noticeable, and it fits in with my philosophy: to close borders, to remain local.” Margot Janse, Le Quartier Francais, Franschhoek

“ORYX salt is a great food salt. I use it as a salt on a day to day basis, as well as a finishing salt. The salt is everything I look for when it comes to flavour.”

Craig Cormack, Sofia’s at Morgenster Estate, Somerset West.

“I use this salt because I find that the flavour of the final product is better.

Salt is a critical part of the curing process and the amount used is very precise in order to prevent the product from spoiling. With ORYX desert SALT I don’t have to worry about the salt overpowering the flavour of the meat.

I don’t use less but end up with a better product. I was using sea salt previously but prefer the flavour of the mineral salt.” Richard Bosman – Richard Bosman charcuterie SUSTAINABLE & RENEWABLE The underground streams converge and replenish an ancient underground lake of 55million tons from which the salt water is pumped, laid on the pan under the hot Kalahari sun and sundried. This process lives in harmony with the natural rainfall and the surrounding environment. They only extract what nature provides.

PRODUCTS Grinder bottles have information printed directly on the glass so they can be kept clean and don’t need to be replaced. The new grinder heads have a ceramic mechanism for long lasting use. So far they have been tested up to 10 refills and they still grind smoothly.

The pure cotton bags are packed in recyclable polyprop bags.

REUSE / RECYCLE • Cotton bags • Marble bags • Trump cards bag • Small puzzle bags

GIVING BACK Oryx Desert Salt believe in giving back to the community, so for every bag of salt sold, a percentage is donated to the Khomani San and Mier communities who own !Xaus Lodge in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the Kalahari Desert. l For more information visit www.tfpdfoundation.org Our cotton bags are manufactured by home industry community groups, which have grown as we have grown.

THE RANGE l The range is super stylish, we’ve always been impressed with how their products look and in fact, if I have guests, I wheel out my own Orxy grinders as they look great on the table.

ORYX DESERT SALT This is the original and standard ‘as it comes’ salt – a great tasting salt.

ORYX DESERT SMOKED SALT – COLD SMOKED WITH FRENCH OAK

The aroma of this salt when you open the lid up is enough to impress anyone. This is my personal favourite. The smoked taste is very different to others I have tried and I’ve not found one to match it, ever.

really adds something to a dish. The smell and taste of this salt offer real ‘grown up’ flavours that are often hard to achieve when using this salt when finishing a dish.

ORYX BLACK PEPPER

They also do a black pepper! True to form, it’s a blooming good one at that. Putting a Oryx Desert Salt and Pepper grinder together looks great, and is a worthy member of the range.

ORYX DESERT WINE SALT – INFUSED WITH SHIRAZ RED WINE I also love this little number, a really nice tasting salt that

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Deli Profile

CHARLIE’S FARM SHOP THIS MONTH WE CATCH UP WITH SARAH HUGHES OF CHARLIE’S FARM SHOP IN PULBOROUGH TO TELL US MORE ABOUT THEIR GREAT AND GROWING BUSINESS

We hear that you have been using the Fine Food Angel system for taking on some stock for the shop – can you tell us a little more about this way of buying?

The Fine Food Angel acts as a centralised website for a huge number of artisan producers and enables us to purchase from a number of suppliers without the need for individual accounts with each one. We place our orders through the website, receive a delivery note with the order and then receive one invoice per month from TFFA. It’s working really well for us and has enabled us to stock some great products from small local companies which would have caused us a bit of an administrative nightmare had we dealt with them all directly! The system does, however, still allow us to build a relationship with these local suppliers as we have contact with them directly in most cases and many deliver to us themselves. It also has a feature for a ‘small order’ delivery charge, which is set at a reasonable rate and has allowed us a lot more flexibility with our ordering where we want a product in the shop but can’t meet a huge MOV. Considering the Fine Food Angel is still a fairly young platform, what do you think of the selection of products and how do you think this could be improved?

The selection of products has grown very rapidly but we mainly use it for local suppliers so for us the improvement would be more of those! We’re always on the lookout for products too that aren’t available in the big supermarkets, so anything along those lines would be great.

Thanks Sarah for being this month’s deli profile! Can you tell us how it all began?

The Hughes family have been milking cows here at Southview Farm for three generations since 1919. In 1976 they opened an honesty shop on the Farm where locals could purchase eggs, milk, seasonal vegetables and homemade ice cream. Previously they had sold produce from their house. It was the family’s dream to build a bigger Farm Shop to extend the range of products they could offer and to expand the market for their home reared meat. In April 2013 we opened the doors to Charlie’s Farm Shop and have not looked back since.

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We see that you also have a dairy and offer raw milk and your own ice cream, is this a big draw for your customers?

Yes, these products are a big draw for our customers as they are made here on the Farm and cannot be purchased in the supermarkets.

People also love the fact that they can look out of the Shop window and see the cows grazing in the fields, knowing that these cows have produced the milk that they have purchased in the Shop. In addition, the raw milk is a completely unprocessed product and the ice cream has only a handful of natural ingredients, this minimal processing means they taste deliciously fresh and wholesome.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO FEATURE YOUR DELI IN THE DELICATESSEN MAGAZINE PLEASE EMAIL chris@cjm-media.co.uk

We also notice that during the game season you stock game meats, we think this is a great thing to do, are game meats popular amongst your customers?

The Butchery is of huge importance to Charlie’s farm shop and we are passionate about the meat we produce. Beef and rose veal are reared here on the Farm along with milk fed pork. We purchase game from a local supplier during game season and it does prove very popular. Popularity is down to the fact that it is a truly seasonal product, so people appreciate it when it does become available and also the fact that it is so local.

As a retailer, what is your take on the recent talk of packaging pollution and our negative impacts on the environment?

This is such an important topic and we must all take action now. I think it is great that public awareness has now finally been raised. As a business we have always reused cardboard boxes for customers to put their shopping in and offer bags for life or biodegradable green bags. We have also been in discussions with our suppliers to see how they can minimise/reuse packaging on the products that come in to us.

When you source products, what really makes you excited about a brand? Equally, where would you normally look for products to bring into your shop?

We love finding local, great quality products that you can’t get anywhere else. We source new products from local food fayres, word of mouth, visits from new suppliers and platforms such as the Fine Food Angel.

Lastly from us, have you any plans for future growth and expansion?

We would like to keep growing the business organically, increasing our customer base so we can continually improve and extend on the range of products we can offer our customers. www.charliesfarmshop.co.uk

SIMPLY GOOD FOOD TV PETER SIDWELL’S DISCOVERY COLUMN

W

PHOTO: JAMIE HARRIS

e are finally getting through the great British winter and looking forward to a fresh new spring season. This time of year is wonderful in the kitchen; it’s when you start to embrace the first real fresh produce of the season. The spring offers a great opportunity to introduce new products into your business and into your customer’s kitchen. At Simply Good Food TV we have been working nonstop to find lots of new and exciting products that get our creative cookery juices following and we just want to share them with you all.

A salt alternative is an interesting subject as for years we have been told to reduce our salt intake for better health so when these products arrived in our studio

WITH SPRING ON ITS WAY, PETER SIDWELL GIVES US HIS TAKE ON THE UPCOMING TRENDS FOR 2018 kitchen we were really excited to see how they tasted. Seaweed is a big food trend for this year; expect to see a lot more seaweed-based products coming out as it is packed full nutritional goodness. The mushroom powder is a great way to booth the depth of flavour in your cooking thus not needing to add salt.

Cardamom ale is a wonderful light crisp beer that as you can imagine pairs perfectly with spicy food. We have a lot of amazing spiced based products on our deli and farm shop shelves so it’s great to be able to stock a beer that is perfect for an additional sale. On that subject, Spice kitchen are creating some amazing gift using the best spices and ingredients to help your customers create the most authentic recipes at home. The spice tins are wonderfully packaged up and are well worth exploring.

Pomegranate extract is one of my favorite ingredients finds this winter; I was given a bottle at Food Matters Live in London. I love to use it to drink with sparkling water with ice and slice of lime, I’ve been drizzling it over slow-cooked lamb with some amazing Yorkshire Labneh yogurt and I have also been serving it with chargrilled halloumi cheese in Tacos another food trend that is going be bursting with flavour and ideas this year.

I really hope you have a look at some of these products as I have really enjoyed tasting and cooking with them to created recipes and dishes for Simply Good Food TV. We have now launched a new website to accompany our award-

winning app so that you can see how we are cooking and creating recipes using lots of products that are found in farm shops, deli and food festivals.

More and more people are finding a new found passion for cooking and food, so as a consequence more and more people are out and about looking for the perfect ingredients to take home and create something special for their friends and family, this represents amazing opportunity for retailers to create the go-to place for finding those amazing products and ingredients. Please take a visit to our app or website to see what we are doing with these amazing products to use the recipes to help promote your products to your customers. l If you have any recommendation of products you think we should share here please do get in touch, as I would love to hear from you. Twitter: @sgftv Facebook: Simply Good Food Tv Email: peter@simplygoodfood.tv Web: www.simplygoodfoodtv.com

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JUST

CHILLIN’ WE MEET THE CHEF BEHIND CHILLISH® - THE NICEST CHILLI OIL WE’VE HAD THE PLEASURE IN TRYING FOR A WHILE!

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H

aving spent some time on a chilli farm in Bedfordshire, I have learnt to appreciate and understand the chilli in a way I didn’t before.

Adding chilli to a dish doesn’t have to make it so hot you gasp for a drink.

In fact, I have had one of the world’s hottest varieties of chilli in a dish that was not that hot at all, but with an incredible flavour like no other I had tried before. Chilli’s need to be treated with respect, and an expert chef like Pollyanna has really turned what most can’t handle, into a work of culinary art.

Since we got our hands on a jar of Chillish®, we have used it to dip things in, pour on other things, spoon the ‘gubbins’ from the bottom of the jar onto dishes, even as far as just spreading the ‘gubbins’ on toast! The most disappointing part of the whole thing was running out.

ABOUT POLLYANNA From a very early age, Pollyanna had a fascination with food and a deep, burning passion to take her number one skill, and share it with the world She started her professional training at 16 and completed the City & Guilds Certificate in Professional Cookery in 2000, whilst doing her A-levels. Passing with a distinction at eighteen years old, she then worked alone managing a 5 star Chalet in St Anton, Austria.

Pollyanna’s passion and experience enabled her to look after up to thirteen guests at any one time. Mountain produce was extremely limited and she would be lying if she said that it wasn’t a challenge!

In 2006, she graduated with a First Class (BA Hons) degree in

International Hospitality Business Management and her dissertation was published in the British Food Journal.

With this under her belt, she then somehow fell into Financial PR. It was when her father died in 2008, that she realised life was too short to not enjoy what you are doing and so Pollyanna made the decision to change direction. She knew she wanted to work with food and express her passion for food, so after completing a course in TV Presenting at 3 Mill Studio’s in London in 2009, she left her job to become ‘The Canderel Chef’, presenting all sorts of recipes to camera and these were then used on the Canderel Website.

But, moving forward again, upon completion of the Canderel contract, an opportunity arose for her to take over a Beauty Salon in Pimlico, London. However, it became clear very quickly that as much as she loved skincare, makeup and beauty treatments, she had no real interest in running a beauty business. Yikes! This resulted in her embarking on a (much needed!) life coaching course, which made her truly question what she wanted to do with her life.

Pollyanna realised that throughout her various roles, she had always come back to food to relax, enjoy and unwind. She loves hosting numerous dinner parties, cooking for friends and family, and now for her young son.

Some things are just meant to be Pollyanna has now come full circle and she is back doing what she is meant to be doing. She is passionate about food, her kitchen and creating beautiful things. Chillish® is the first and she is already developing her next creation!

During the 5 months since Chillish® has launched, Polly has attended fairs and festivals, provided jars of Chillish® for local community groups Christmas Hampers and most recently taken part in a Mediaeval Market. The feedback from customers has been amazing and in just a short space of time she now has Chillish® stocked in both Sussex and Surrey with orders being sent via the website to all over the country Keeping it local, Chillish® is made in West Sussex using an award winning locally sourced Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil, which makes it safe to use when cooking at high temperatures, such as BBQ’s or stir fry’s. It is also Vegetarian and Vegan with no preservatives and no added nasties, so that it maintains its unique ‘homemade’ taste.

The subtle flavoured oil part of Chillish® captures the delicate notes of the exotic chillies, the nutty oil and the elegant spices. In contrast the gooey caramelised onion, chilli and garlic ‘gubbins’ that lies at the bottom of your jar of Chillish® has a much stronger, richer kick.

How can you use your Chillish®?

Your jar of Chillish® may be used in many ways. You can ‘create’ with it as a whole or use the ‘gubbins’ and oil separately.

Whether you choose to use it as a condiment, marinade, stir in, drizzler or mixer, you will love the magnificent boost it will add to your dishes. If you wish to pack more of a punch, simply add more! l www.pollyannaskitchen.co.uk

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SWEET AND SHAKE! WE GET TO GRIPS WITH THE LATEST PRODUCTS TO COME FROM RETROCORN – THE ESSEX BASED PREMIUM POPCORN MANUFACTURER

O

n a stormy night, deep in the heart of the Retrocorn factory in Essex, the team were working away, cooking and mixing and trying and binning and starting again. Like the ‘It’s Alive’ scene in the original Frankenstein, the moment was all too much for owner Greg Taylor when the newest product in the range was born.

Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating – however, this is just as exciting I can assure you.

Retrocorn’s owner Greg is a fun and charismatic guy. In fact, he’s saved my bacon on more than one occasion. I have a love for classic trucks and I had taken an old truck to my meeting to see Greg and I then learnt the ‘fun’ way that the diesel gauge wasn’t accurate…. Poor old Greg had to chauffer me to the local petrol station. Roll on a few months and my trusty old steed failed again and luckily Greg was only local so came to my aid again!

It was on this occasion that Greg revealed the secret of the new products in the range…

12 The Delicatessen Magazine

INTRODUCING SWEET AND SHAKE As the nation’s favourite new flavour Greg knew he had to get involved. So here’s Retrocorn’s take on the classic Salty Sweet popcorn.

The large premium kernels are popped in rapeseed oil and lightly sugar coated: inside the bag you’ll also find a LoSalt sachet to shake-in your own flavour: like the good ol’ days.

All Gluten Free & Vegan, No artificial colours or flavours and only 98 calories per serving SO, WHY THE LOSALT SACHET? LoSalt with only one third of the sodium compared to regular salts, LoSalt is a great tasting healthier alternative to salt and can help you maintain normal blood pressure.

l I must admit, I used to (ok, I still do but don’t tell anyone!) love the salt and shake crisps. I love the idea that I can control how much salt I want on them and there is something strangely satisfying about shaking a bag of snacks around like a crazy person.

Having a nice sweet popcorn and

Our Verdict

adding a touch of salt really makes the flavours sing.

I’m a big fan of Retrocorn because they only use the best ingredients they can, from the oil to the kernels themselves, they don’t do things by halves and they actually do it themselves in their own factory.

A couple of handfuls of this great tasting popcorn was enough to transport me back to my youth, back to the cinema, watching a film with the future potential Mrs McNeill’s.

THE REST OF THE RANGE! l Let us not forget the rest of the range! They are too good to simply miss out. Yes, you might catch me making a nuisance of myself by shaking a bag around the office now, yet I’m still very much a superfan of the other flavours.

Rhubarb & Custard Coated in crushed Rhubarb & Custard Sweets. A lovely cross between tart and sweet and a real memory jogger.

Strawberries & Cream Coated in crushed strawberries & Cream sweets and likely my favourite out of the range – a simply gorgeous product.

Cola Cube I loved cola cubes as a kid but I didn’t like how sticky they were, luckily enough this popcorn solves the issue. All of the flavor and none of the bad points!

Cherry Pips When I was last in the factory, I was watching the cherry pips being

turned to dust and I was really struggling to not dive in with the ‘sweet dust’ – great flavour here.

Lemon & Lime Sherbet Sweet and sour all in one go, a great retro sweet brought back to life by popcorn and a regular one to found hidden in the editors admin drawers…

How it all began... in case you missed it last time l Greg had spent a long time in the hospitality industry, but deep down he was a real glutton for popcorn and retro sweets, such as cola cubes, Rhubarb & Custard and all the rest! One day, in his dear Nan’s kitchen, Greg started to pop his own corn and add crushed sweets to it to create his own snacks.

Greg realised there was a real need for tasty but healthier snacks without compromising on flavour or adding obscure additives.

Soon Greg was making small batches with different retro sweet flavourings, using real crushed sweets

rather than synthetic flavourings.

Soon, word spread and popularity grew and all of a sudden, Greg’s Nan struggled to get around her own house, for boxes of popcorn awaiting delivery were stacked ceiling high in most rooms!

After stubbing her toe one to many times, Greg’s Nan suggested that he should look for a bigger facility. Greg moved Retrocorn to his own factory in Witham in Essex, where the company still continues to hand pop their popcorn. l To get in touch with Greg, please contact: Email: greg@retrocorn.co.uk Mobile: 0044 (0)7796682008

The Delicatessen Magazine 13

Reduced SUGAR JAM With many people looking to lower their sugar intake, the pressure is on for producers to make tasty products with less sugar – jam is notoriously hard to do this with, so we thought we would test some of the best!

W

ith the government often telling us about the obesity epidemic and how sugar is the devil, producers are looking to make products with less. This is all well and good for certain products, but for jam? This is no easy feat.

I can’t imagine having toast without jam. Scones wouldn’t be the same either. Oh my, cream tea with no jam?

It’s not worth thinking about – it couldn’t happen.

I do admit though, jam has got a fairly high sugar count. This is

14 The Delicatessen Magazine

because of how jam is actually made.

Incidentally, jam can only be called ‘jam’ if it contains over 60% sugar.

Making jam with summer fruits is one of the most British of all past times, and to meddle with this time old tradition is a dangerous game. What if the consistency is not right? What happens if it doesn’t taste right? How will this work between the layers of a victoria sponge? These questions were whirring around my mind on the run up to this article.

You can mess with a lot of a British

man’s life, but not his tea or his jam.

These are fundamental. Until now.

Whilst searching about for a lower sugar jam, I was reminded about the fantastic CHAM that I had tried late last year, and I got back in touch with the fantastic Alexandria Davies to get my hands on her chia seed jam – Cham!

Then, one sunny afternoon, I took a lovely scenic drive down to my favourite tearoom and jam shop. After emptying the shelves of each flavour of reduced sugar jam, I set to work.

LETS CHAM!

CHAM’S FOUNDER ALEXANDRIA DAVIES DOESN’T BELIEVE THAT BEING HEALTHY HAS TO BE BORING, AND IF HER FIRST PRODUCTS IN THE RANGE ARE ANYTHING TO GO BY, WE’RE KEEPING AN EYE ON THIS BRAND!

C

HAM say they are here to revolutionise the classic sugar filled fruit spreads.

They set out to create a fruit filled spread, that was an all natural twist on your classic jam, and even tastier than the original. From there, CHAM was born. The original Chia seed fruit spread.

We asked Alex how and what inspired her to get her apron on and get inventing. Alex said: “CHAM came about because while I love food, it doesn’t always love me back, which felt fairly miserable until I went to study in Australia. Suddenly my eyes were opened to a whole world of healthier and tastier alternatives.

When I moved back to the UK I kept cooking and experimenting. One of my favourite recipes to make was my chia seed jam. Not only were my friends fans, so were my mother and my grandmother, so it was a good

crowd pleaser.”

We knew Alex from a while before her CHAM journey; she is also the author of a great blog called Belondoned.com, which is testament to her foodie lifestyle. Alex is a real ‘can-do’ person, and every time I have met her, I always come away with a smile and some motivation!

Vegan, pectin free, refined sugar free, additive and preservative free (plus dairy and gluten free whilst we’re at it), CHAM keeps it’s ingredients simple: fruit, chia seeds… and a sprinkle of vanilla.

Since the launch, CHAM has been taking the market by storm with stock going to Planet Organic, Deliciously Ella and other delicatessens’ in and around London. This is a great way to get some chia seeds and fruit in, but in a traditional way. l www.eatcham.com

l I’ve never really been one to go out of my way to eat Chia seeds, so to have chia seeds with their health benefits in a fruit spread that isn’t laden with sugar is a great thing. I enjoyed both the Strawberry and Raspberry flavours and am sure I’d love the Orange too when I get my hands on some.

The consistency is good too.

Obviously it’s not as ‘set’ as a traditional British jam, yet it’s not overly runny and it does what it’s told.

Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable breakfast or two has been had with CHAM, and I’ll buy some more for the future for sure.

Editor´s

Verdict

The Delicatessen Magazine 15

LESS IS MORE THE GUYS AT WILKIN & SONS HAVE WORKED OUT HOW TO TAKE SOME SUGAR AWAY FROM THEIR JAM BUT STILL MAKE IT TASTE JUST AS GREAT – A JAMMY MOVE FROM MY LOCAL JAM MAKER!

I

have travelled to many countries around the world in the name of work. I’ve had clients from the Far East to the Middle East and everything in between. What I have done over the years is ensure I take a ‘little piece of England’ with me to gift them. I’d usually buy a selection of my favourites from my local delicatessen Guntons of Colchester.

Almost always there would be a little

jar of Wilkins & Sons Tiptree Jam. Had you have asked me back then if I would have taken a jar of reduced sugar jam with me, the answer would have been a resounding no.

Wilkin & Sons have released a new range of Tiptree Reduced Sugar Jams and Marmalade to meet the needs of consumers seeking a great flavour but with less sugar. The Tiptree Reduced Sugar Jams contain 40% sugar compared with up to 67% sugar in the traditional Tiptree jams. They are clearly differentiated from the standard Tiptree range through jar size, a white lid, and a fruit image on the label. The range comprises of 7 deliciously fruity flavours: Strawberry, Raspberry, Apricot, Black Currant, Cherry, Ginger and Orange.

Scott Goodfellow joint managing director of Wilkin & Sons Ltd said: “We have developed this range of reduced sugar jams and marmalade following feedback from consumers seeking a fruit spread with less

sugar. Our plan is to offer this range to customers in the UK and to our overseas markets”.

For me, it’s a case of ‘tempora mutantur’ – the old Latin adage for ‘times change’. Times do change, and we change with them, whether we want to or not. There are more and more people seeking the same tastes but with less sugar, salt and fat within.

Producers working ever harder to create these products with as natural ingredients as possible and still making enough margin to continue.

There will still be a huge amount of people wanting the traditional products, but then there are a growing number of those looking for the healthier alternative.

We have tried all the flavours of the reduced sugar jam and marmalade and we have been very impressed with them. The consistency is perfect still. The flavour is still outstanding.

Overall, a huge success and a slight change in opinion for this stubborn old editor.

Wilkin & Sons may be a worldrecognised brand, yet the team isn’t as vast as the brand space they occupy. I always tell people the Wilkin & Sons is the little company with the big name.

What sets them apart from many others is their willing to stick with traditions of old, but they aren’t afraid to try new things. They even still have a company signwriter who employs the techniques of old to create signs in and around the factory, tearoom and shop.

Whenever I feel I can’t be anymore amazed by my local jam maker, they always find a way.

To take you back to my earlier point, if you asked me now if I’d take a jar of reduced sugar Wilkin & Sons Jam to international clients, I’d tell you I’d be proud to. l www.tiptree.com

MORE TEA, VICAR?

F

rom the nations favourite soap star Dot Cotton putting on the kettle each time there is a tragedy or break up on the square at Walford, to the impressions our cousins from the other side of the Atlantic do when pretending to drink a cup of tea – we are renowned for our love of tea.

With such a vast choice of teas available now, and the ability to research being easier and easier, we are all becoming ‘experts’ on our own and demanding more from our brew.

There is an estimated 1500 different types of tea out there, and we could pick so many to talk about, but alas! I wanted to bring to you just a few of the teas I recently found and now really enjoy.

IN THIS FEATURE: HOOGLY TEA

l Hoogly Tea is a combination of founder Tina Gloggengieser’s love of tea and the Danish concept of ‘Hygge’. Hygge is an experience;

TEA – THE FIXER OF PROBLEMS, THE STARTER OF MORNINGS AND THE ENDER OF EVENINGS – A THOROUGHLY BRITISH WAY OF LIFE a year-round feeling of warmth, wellbeing and cosiness.

With flavours such as Apple Strudel, Rhubarb & Vanilla and Around The Fire in the line up, we had to feature this great and growing brand!

WESTCOUNTRY TEA CO

l When I first met Martyn, I knew right away we needed to feature them in this mag – more on that in a bit!

Westcountry Tea Co is a family business based in Cornwall producing award winning quality tea blends and herbal infusions for you to enjoy.

They have a great line up, and great ideas for packaging such as their beach hut inspired boxes!

TEAPIGS

l With the focus on environment and packaging in this issue, it would have been rude to not include the hard

work put in by the lovely Teapigs, who have saved my bacon more than once at trade shows!

From using only FSC certified cartonboard on their cartons, to spending extra on using Natureflex clear bags to hold the bags (made from wood pulp!), these guys are really on the ball with sustainable packaging and we wanted to tell you more about it!

WILKIN & SONS

l The famous Tiptree jam maker with their selection of tearooms serve enough cups of tea to know what works well and doesn’t and now are selling a range of teas that ooze class and flavour, with news of more coming later in the year!

I’ve been going to this tearoom since I was a young lad, and have always loved the flavours they have here, an exciting addition to this feature for me.

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The Delicatessen Magazine 17

HOOGLY TEA WE MEET THE FOUNDER OF HOOGLY TEA, TO EXPLORE HER AMAZING RANGE OF TEAS AS WELL AS LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF HYGGE

H

aving been to Denmark a lot on business in a previous life, I have to say I am a big fan of anything Danish. From their amazing designs, their furniture to their way of life – I love it. I’ve never had a bad experience in Denmark.

Actually that’s a lie – rushing to buy train tickets on a Danish ticket machine with no English option, I ended up with children’s tickets and the conductor laughed so hard that they let me off…

So, Ian and I were wondering around the Top Drawer exhibition when we met Tina on her stand and we were instantly impressed. Such happy vibes and then as soon as I had a sip of the amazing Apple Strudel flavoured tea, I was hooked. The packaging is smart and the branding typically nice and stylish as you would expect with a Danish founder! They certainly fitted in well at Top Drawer and each time we passed the row they were on, we would also see a gaggle of visitors at the stand.

SO WHAT IS HYGGE?

Hoogly is derived from the word Hygge, as it is the pronunciation of ‘hyggelig’ the adjective of Hygge. Let’s explore what Hygge is and how we have been missing out!

Despite their famously miserable winters, the Danish still top the list as one of the world’s happiest countries, and this can be attributed to the concept of Hygge. This has been a key part of Danish culture since the 1800’s when the word first appeared in the written language.

Albeit you can’t really translate Hygge to a single word, it really encompasses a feeling of cozy contentment and well being through enjoying the more simple things in life.

HOOGLY TEA

Tea enthusiast Tina Gloggengieser, from Aarhus in Denmark, now living in Brighton, UK, is passionate about food and drink and wanted to combine this with the Danish way of life, ‘Hygge’.

‘Hoogly Tea’ combines Tina’s love of tea with this mindful Danish concept to create a unique and

18 The Delicatessen Magazine

healthy range of blends, made with luxury natural ingredients.

All of their teas are blended and packed in the UK, they are ethically sourced and fairly traded. Their biodegradable tea pyramids are soil association certified.

and cinnamon aroma and a subtly delicious pastry taste, this healthy indulgence will seduce tea lovers over and over.

BOXES – TEA PYRAMIDS

English Breakfast – Black Tea A classic combination of rich, malty Indian Assam with Sri Lankan and Kenyan black teas for bright character and wonderful depth of flavour.

THE RANGE

NEW - Danish Pastry – Black Tea Enjoy a Danish national treat! With a wonderfully warming chocolate

NEW – Baked Apple Chai – Black Tea Mellow Sri Lankan tea provides the perfect base, over which the flavours of apple, ginger, cinnamon and cloves mingle in comforting harmony.

Earl Grey – Black Tea A delicate blend of Sri Lankan tea leaves, infused with natural bergamot oil and combined with zesty lemon peel and sweet-scented orange blossom.

subtle sweet flavour and remarkable depth, this elegant tea will help bring clarity to any situation.

Cosy Chamomile – Herbal Tea Snuggle up and unwind with this warm and comforting infusion, full of herbs carefully chosen for their ability to relax the body and soothe the mind.

Chocolate Brownie – Black Tea Wonderfully rich and unapologetically decadent, this indulgent blend is a tribute to all the good things in life.

Vanilla Chai – Black Tea Bold and fiery chai spices are perfectly tempered by smooth vanilla in this well-crafted combination.

Raspberry, Liquorice & Lavender – Black Tea A popular blend of sharp raspberries and super-sweet liquorice root, sprinkled with lavender flowers for a fresh and floral twist.

Around The Fire - Black and Oolong Tea Gather around this cosy combination of smoky tea leaves and warming spices, licked by flames of safflower and sprinkled with crushed chilli for a hint of fiery charm.

Sparkling White – White Tea Why wait for that special occasion?

Celebrate the magic of each simple moment with this beautiful Chinese white tea, elegantly blended with flowers and fruit pieces for a refreshingly refined finish.

Rhubarb & Vanilla – Green Tea Tart rhubarb and sweet vanilla combine beautifully with Chinese green tea to produce a well- balanced blend that’s perfect in any situation.

Apple Strudel – Green Tea Warm up with this classic combination of juicy apples and sweet spices, blended with roasted green tea for a well-baked twist.

Jasmine Dawn – Green Tea A delicate and alluring blend of jasmine, vanilla and rose that will seduce the senses and keep you coming back for more.

Classic Green Pure green tea leaves from the Yunnan province of China.

Beautifully clear in liquor, with a

Chill Out Mint – Herbal Tea Packed full of invigorating menthol character, this uplifting blend brings together a selection of the freshest tasting herbs, for a brilliantly bracing combination.

Lemon & Ginger – Herbal Tea A classic blend of zesty lemon and fiery ginger, given an energising twist

Spiced Orange – Herbal Tea l Wonderfully zesty, with a generous dose of mulled spices, this fruity infusion is guaranteed to warm the cockles of any heart.

Marzipan – Rooibos Tea l Treat yourself to a cup of liquid luxury with this herbal rooibos blend, suffused with the rich and indulgent flavour of marzipan. l

Hoogly also do various flavours in loose leaf and have a great selection of gifts too – get yourself onto hooglytea.com and have a good look.

We interviewed Tina to find out more!

So, can you tell our readers how you picked the name Hoogly for your business? l I picked the name because it comes from the pronunciation of the adjective of Hygge. The Danish lifestyle that plays a big part of the Danes topping the happy charts year after year. Plus it is fun and quirky.

In a country that goes through a lot of tea, with many different brands and flavours out there, can you tell us what makes Hoogly tea different from the rest? l Hoogly Tea is unique with its blends, like our Marzipan and Danish Pastry tea. All our blends are created with extra indulgence using the finest natural ingredients, all hand blended with care. The enticing aroma and taste creates an extra indulgent cup of tea, which must not be rushed.

In this issue, we have discussed a lot about the environment and how simple changes can make real differences on a brands impact to the environment. Have Hoogly made any changes or do you do anything that helps protect or lessen the negative impact on the environment? l Yes we think it is important to be as natural and environmental friendly as possible and work hard at trying to achieve this. Our tea pyramids for examples are made out of a plant extract and are 100% biodegradable, including the glue, tags and rope.

When we met you at Top Drawer Exhibition this year, we really loved the apple strudel flavour. What is your own personal flavour and why? l My own personal favourite is currently the Danish Pastry, reminds me of my childhood. I originally come

from Denmark so this blend was a must have. I also favour the Sparkling White which is replicating a Prosecco tea, White tea with elderflower and orange blossom, it’s so fresh.

We have written about all your flavours in the range so far in this article, however do you have any plans to increase the range at any point in the near future? l Yes we will always introduce new exciting tea blends, our next one will be a berry based blend which will be ready this Spring.

The Delicatessen Magazine 19

WESTCOUNTRY TEA CO THE TALE OF THE TEA ENTHUSIASTS WHO’S HOBBY BECOME THEIR BUSINESS!

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ost of our readers would be unaware that not only do we run this lovely food magazine, but we also run a bespoke shoelaces manufacturing company. The story of how this started is similar to Martyn & Martina’s story of how their tea company started. Even more of a coincidence, Martyn also has a taste for different coloured shoe laces, the same as Ian and myself.

So, I am talking with the owners of a rapeseed oil company at the ‘Source’ trade show in Exeter when at the end of our meeting, they look down and see my lovely burnt orange laces adorning my shoes.

They instantly suggested that I walk up the column and meet Martyn. I asked how I’d recognise him and they responded ‘you’ll just know’.

There I am wondering up the aisle when I see a tall and well-dressed man wearing a nice pair of shoes with blue laces. This must be him, I thought, so I brazenly said “you must be Martyn” and within a few seconds we had got chatting. Tea and Laces, two great subjects of conversation for me!

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Prior to starting the Westcountry Tea Co, Martyn and Martina already had a established herb and spice company with all the equipment for blending, sorting and packing herbs and spices. They were also a little disappointed with the teas available to them at the time and started to

make their own blends out of hours.

These blends proved to be so popular amongst their family and friends that in 2011 they decided to bring their own speciality teas to the Cornish tea market.

Soon after, word had travelled and their products with it, with more and more nationwide independent retailers taking stock of their products.

Since their humble beginings, they have been receiving awards for their hard work.

In 2014 they were presented with their first award for the ‘Peppermint & Rosemary’ Time Out Tea from ‘Great Taste’.

Then in 2016 they won Gold from ‘Taste of the West’ for the ‘Camomile & Elderflower’ Time Out Tea as well as a Silver for their Earl Grey. They also won another Gold in 2017 from the Taste ‘Of The West’ awards.

We where over the moon with comments from the judging panel...

One said “this is probably the best camomile tea I have tasted in a long time” and another announced “this is one of the best herbal teas I’ve ever had. Perfect!” l www.westcountrytea.co.uk

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THE RANGE!

•

Every Day Tea

TIME OUT TEA RANGE

•

Peppermint

•

Early Grey

•

Camomile

Time Out Tea gives the full taste of the loose leaf, but with the added convenience of a tea bag.

•

Camomile and Elderflower

•

Peppermint and Rosemary

•

Spiced Winter Rooibos

•

Lemongrass and Ginger

LOOSE LEAF RANGE

From traditional English Breakfast tea to speciality black & green teas along with a selection of caffeine free herbal teas. There’s something to suit everyone’s taste.

• Moroccan Mint

•

Assam Loose Leaf

• Peppermint

•

Camomile Loose Leaf

• Earl Grey

•

Early Grey Loose Leaf

•

Jasmine Loose Leaf

•

Lapsang Souchong Loose Leaf

•

Lemon Verbena Loose Leaf

•

Lemongrass and Ginger Loose Leaf

•

Morrocan Mint Loose Leaf

•

Sencha Loose Leaf

• Yerba Mate • All Day Tea

LAZY DAYS TEA RANGE

In colourful beach huts ready to put a smile on your face any time of the day.

These in our opinion would look great on any shelf of a deli, we’ve seen them in the flesh and they are wonderful.

Our Opinion

l If you get the pleasure of meeting Martyn and Martina, you’ll want to take on their tea straight away. Martyn’s a very fun chap and is not like ‘most people’ insofar you will often see him standing out of a crowd. It doesn’t take long to realise how much they care for the tea they produce and you and really get the feeling that they aren’t in this business for business sakes. It’s very much a hobby that’s turned into a living and we love that.

The teas taste great, and I left their stand feeling not only refreshed but almost happy to my core – every cup of this elixir transports you straight to the Westcountry for sure.

The Delicatessen Magazine 21

HERE COME THE TEAPIGS!

AS THIS ISSUE HAS FOCUSSED ON PACKAGING AND THE ENVIRONMENT, WE WOULD BE CRAZY TO NOT TELL YOU ABOUT ALL THE HARD WORK TEAPIGS HAVE BEEN PUTTING IN TO HELP THE ENVIRONMENT

I

owe the teapigs team a great deal of gratitude after they came to my aid at a trade show when I needed a cup of tea most. Incidentally, the team is lovely to deal with anytime you need anything to be honest. These little details make big differences when looking for differentiators when narrowing down your collection of suppliers.

Teapigs have been super busy lately taking it upon themselves to work on ways to go more ‘green’. We are going to run through just some of the work they’ve done to their packaging to help lessen their effect on the environment, and I’ll bet you’ll be impressed!

We challenged the teapigs’ team to come back with what they are doing for sustainability and we were dumbstruck with what came back. Not only are they trying to lessen their own impacts, they are also trying to help others understand what to look out for. Here’s some advice they have given on how to choose a sustainable tea brand.

HOW TO CHOOSE A SUSTAINABLE TEA BRAND?

Plastic-free, biodegradable, organic, Rainforest Alliance certified, FSC certified, Fairtrade - when it comes to choosing which tea to stock with a clear conscious it can become a bit of a minefield. With over 11 years’ experience under their belts, and a passion for reducing their own plastic usage, teapigs have decided to share their top 5 questions to keep in mind if you’re trying to stock more sustainable products.

1. Does your teabag contain plastic?

The majority of paper tea bags contain a small amount of plastic, so they’re not 100% biodegradable. teapigs tea temples have been proudly plastic free for over 11 years (string ‘n all!) and are still one of the few to be 100% biodegradable.

22 The Delicatessen Magazine

2. Does your tea contain excess plastic packaging?

This can be a real struggle for a tea company, as freshness is crucial when it comes to brewing the perfect cuppa - but there are alternatives.

Up until 6 months ago, teapigs’ tea temples were packed into a polypropylene plastic bag but knowing there must be a greener option – they switched to Natureflex; a fab material made from wood pulp that is fully compostable at home.

3. Do you know where your tea comes from? teapigs’ co-founder Louise Cheadle is a trained tea taster so sourcing the very best quality tea from the best tea suppliers has always been a priority to ensure the tea… a) Tastes yummy b) Comes from sustainable well run estates.

There are some simple ways to tell if your tea is sourced sustainably.

Has the brand got Rainforest Alliance certification on any of their teas, or working towards getting certified?

Are they part of the ETP (Ethical Tea Partnership)? Or the Sustainable Restaurant Association? These organisations all work towards improving sustainability.

4. Does your tea give back to the tea growing communities?

It’s no secret that sadly tea growing communities are often some of the poorest in the world – that’s why most tea companies worth their weight will invest heavily back in to the local areas. It shouldn’t require much digging to find out if your favourite tea company do this.

As part of their own ethical scheme, teapigs work closely with Point Foundation - a wonderful charity working with vulnerable members of the tea growing communities in Gisenyi, Rwanda (an area from which they source the majority of

their everyday brew tea). So far they’ve donated over £200k which fully finds “teapigs house” – a home providing specialist care for young people with disabilities. The donations also provide school equipment and sponsor students through university.

4. Is your favourite brand transparent with their own sustainability plans?

If a brand isn’t willing to shout about their sustainability and join in some frank discussions regarding their products – it’s probably a bit of a red flag (that goes for ALL brands – not just tea!)

IN A NUTSHELL

When choosing a tea supplier…

1. Check your teabags don’t contain any plastic or use plastic to seal 2. Check the packaging is recyclable, biodegradable or compostable 3. Ask your supplier where they source their tea 4. Ask your supplier if they give back to the communities that bring them their tea 5. Make sure your supplier is transparent about their sustainability status and goals

NO PLASTIC IN TEAPIGS TEA

teapigs recently published a handy breakdown of packaging materials and it’s that good, we thought you’d like to see it too!

With the current increased scrutiny on single-use plastics in their supply chain, tea and coffee companies are scrambling to eliminate plastic from their products and prove their environmental credentials. teapigs are ahead of the game. Their tea temples have never contained plastic and the majority of their product packaging can be easily reused, recycled or composted.

Louise says: “There has been a lot of consumer interest lately (and rightly so) in the shocking revelation that many teabags contain plastic. The food and drink industry in general has a responsibility to move away from the use of unrecyclable plastic and to ensure that its production practices are sustainable in the long-term.

We have had lots of concerned customers contacting us over the last few months and we wanted to put their minds at ease: our tea “temples” have never contained plastic (we use a mesh bag made from corn starch to hold our whole leaf teas) but there are lots of elements that make up our

packaging and it can be quite confusing to know what to do with it all because it can depend on local recycling facilities too. There are things that we think we are doing well and things that we certainly need to work on, but in the interest of full transparency we have published details of all the packaging used throughout our product range.’

TEAPIGS’ PACK CARTONS

teapigs packs are made from FSC certified paper board which means that the forests from which the wood is originally sourced are sustainably managed. The cartons are reusable, recyclable, and biodegradable. The ink used on the cartons is vegetable-based.

CLEAR INNER BAGS INSIDE TEAPIGS CARTONS

teapigs use clear inner bags inside their cartons to keep the tea “temples” fresh and have recently invested in switching over to a material called Natureflex. Made from renewable wood pulp, the Natureflex bags are fully compostable. All teapigs tea temples are now being packed inside Natureflex inner bags but, as with all major production changes, it will take a little while for them to filter through to product shelves. The older inner bags are made from polypropylene, which is widely recycled and can be put in with your plastic recycling.

TEA “TEMPLES”

teapigs tea “temples” have never contained plastic. The temples and string attached are made from corn starch, a natural carbohydrate extracted from corn. The label on the string is made from paper, the ink is vegetable-based and everything is sealed with heat so no glue is used at all. While the tea temples are fully biodegradable (and so will eventually naturally break down), teapigs recommend you put them in your food bin to be processed by your local council because they will take a long time to degrade in your home compost.

TINS

As for the other products in the range, teapigs metal

tins of tea are made from tinplate and aluminium. They are reusable and can be recycled in your home recycling bin. Their 30g and 80g tins of matcha are made from tinplate and can also be reused or recycled. The outer carton of the 30g matcha tin is made from FSC recyclable paper.

‘We’re happy that the majority of the packaging we use can be safely reused, recycled or composted,’ adds Louise, ‘but we recognise that the packaging from our loose tea pouches and matcha sachets needs to be improved. All the materials used are technically recyclable but – because they are composites – they need to be separated to be recycled which many councils can’t facilitate.

We’re working on new packaging for these two products and hope to roll it out within the coming months.’ teapigs loose tea pouches are made from paper and polyethylene.

Although these are both recyclable materials, the pouch is a composite, meaning the materials need to be separated before they can be recycled, something that many councils cannot currently facilitate. teapigs’ matcha sachets are likewise a composite. Despite these two concerns, teapigs are enthusiastic in their commitment to becoming the UK’s leading environmentallyfriendly tea company. l www.teapigs.co.uk

The Delicatessen Magazine 23

WILKIN & SONS YOU KNOW A TEA WILL BE WELL RECEIVED BY THE CONSUMERS WHEN IT’S BEEN THOUROUGHLY TESTED IN A TEAROOM AND CARRIES SUCH A PRESTIGIOUS BRAND

Y

ou’ll all likely know that I am a big fan of the Wilkin & Sons brand from having spent a lot of my youth in and out of the farm and tearoom. My early memories were that I wasn’t impressed at the time. I was but a young nipper wanting to be out playing with my friends instead of being stuck with my mother being made to sit still in a ‘posh place’ as I would have suggested back then.

It didn’t take much to bribe me however. My mother would promise me a teacake or a scone and jam if I was quiet. Not much has changed, and I think that Liz and Scott from the team have cottoned on to this and will give me a teacake or a scone to keep me quiet a while.

The most prevalent of memories however is the aroma as I walked in to the tearoom as a boy. That same smell exists today, and can’t be replicated anywhere else. This was also where I tried tea for the first

time when looking at my mothers tea and being offered a sip. A memory I still have until today.

Since those days, Wilkin & Sons have opened more tearooms in other places and Ian and I have likely been to and enjoyed each of them! One thing is for sure – their tea is always great.

A great deal of effort goes into making each tearoom perfect and you can’t not smile as you enter a Tiptree tearoom, you know you’ll be looked after.

Wilkin & Sons decided due to

THE RANGE BREAKFAST TEA

l This bright and fullbodied amber tea boasts both a refreshing and invigorating flavour.

Despite its name, English Breakfast tea can be enjoyed at any time of the day.

This tea was originally blended to complement the traditional hearty English Breakfast, from which its name derives. The refreshing taste makes English Breakfast one of the most popular teas to drink at any time or occasion.

EARL GREY TEA

l The Earl Grey Tea is named after the second Earl Grey, British Prime Minister in the 1830’s who reputedly received a gift of tea flavoured with the oil of bergamot.

At Tiptree, the finest tea from India and Sri Lanka tea is blended with

24 The Delicatessen Magazine

the oil of bergamot, which when brewed for four minutes releases a mixture of flavours creating a real tea flavour which is lost with modern tea bags.

popular demand to release the teas they use as a product to buy, and this is a great move we feel. The packaging is sweet and is adorned with the famous Tiptree logo that so many around the world know and love. At the moment they currently have a range of four of their staple teas, however I can reveal that they will be releasing more (including my favourite fruit tea!) later in the year! l www.tiptree.com

Our Verdict

PURE DARJEELING TEA

l This light golden tea has a delicate character and flavour likened to the Muscatel grape.

Originates in India, from the foothills of the Himalayas. The high altitude, soil and climate of the Darjeeling plantations all contribute towards the unique taste of this tea.

PURE ASSAM TEA

l The strongest tea in the range, the tea is named after the region of Assam, in the hilly regions of India.

It has the aroma and flavour of tea without bitterness, which means no milk is needed to enjoy it.

l The fact that we travel around to any Tiptree tearoom just to enjoy a tea of theirs I think sums up our feelings.

However it also worth noting that these teas have been developed over many years of trial and error with many thousands of happy customers who have came back again and again to enjoy the tea served in the famous tearooms.

RANDOM

ACTS OF KINDNESS WE MEET THE REAL SUPERHERO BEHIND THE SECRET HAMPER COMPANY. A COMPANY THAT ALSO CAN BENEFIT YOUR BUSINESS WITH A NEW REVENUE STREAM

T

here is always someone in need of a little help out there in this world. It could be your neighbour, your friend, a member of your family perhaps.

Maybe your elderly neighbours loved one just died, your best mates dog even… or how about your son or daughter who’s a month into their life at uni and is now obviously penniless.

We’ve all been there and known someone who we’d help out if we knew how. Well, here it is.

Nigel Richardson of Secret Hamper has a story that brought tears to the eyes of two steely co editors.

On a rainy day in the lovely town of Maldon, both Ian and myself met with Nigel to find out how and why he started on this journey.

Nigel was previously a trader in the City and to start something so different at this really begged the question ‘why?’.

In the area Nigel and his young family lived, an elderly man lost his wife. Various people from the local community had kept meaning to say how sorry they were for him and to offer any support, yet they didn’t get a chance and he ended up feeling quite alone. This was made worse by the fact that the local community then felt embarrassed they hadn’t made the effort and avoided him further as they feared it would be awkward.

Nigel caught wind of this, and on a rainy late afternoon he was out shopping when he started to really think about this elderly chap

and he decided that he would put together a box of nice things, a mix of essentials with some luxuries to cheer him up a bit. Nigel didn’t want to make the chap feel guilty, so he left the box on his doorstep and slipped away into the darkness and felt happy in the knowledge he’d hopefully had made someone’s day.

This was to be the start of the Secret Hamper. A company which has had many celebrities back, including Mark Hamil, Theo Paphitis and even Boycie himself all making videos for the cause. I admit that Nigel’s story had really inspired me and I felt immediately that I wanted to share this with you, but I also wanted to be able to find a way that he can help companies such as yourselves too.

THE CURRENT OFFERING

Currently, there are a variety of hampers on offer that you can send anonymously or leave a message if you wish. The hampers range from a ‘Taste Of Essex’ hamper, student hampers, care home hampers to new born baby and even cat hampers! There is a hamper for most needs and the range will continue to expand.

THE FUTURE AND HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED The Secret Hamper is looking for

some regional partners, preferably delicatessens with a good stock of local and regional produce to get involved.

Customers who come to your shop and would like to gift someone a hamper will be able to buy a hamper made up from produce from your deli as a ‘Taste Of ’ hamper.

The other side of this would be that random traffic to the Secret Hamper website who would like a ‘Taste Of ’ hamper would then mean extra business to the deli.

The items that make up the hamper will be prearranged between you and Secret Hamper so that the website can be populated and accurate pricing and margins can be considered.

Boxes will be supplied to you to use. The sale of the hamper will then be put through the Secret Hamper website and a courier service organised by the Secret Hamper for delivery. The Delicatessen will receive a percentage of the profit for being involved in this service.

If you are interested in becoming a Secret Hamper partner, please get in touch with Nigel Richardson personally on his details below. l Nigel Richardson Tel: 033 033 373 90 Email: info@secrethamper.com

The Delicatessen Magazine 25

TESTING THE

POKITO FOLDING CUP! WITH THE RISE OF THE REUSABLE CUP, WE WENT IN SEARCH TO FIND ONE THAT WOULD SATISFY A VERY PICKY EDITOR

26 The Delicatessen Magazine

I

’m not really much of a takeaway coffee drinker, as I like to sit in and people watch a bit, work perhaps – or have a chat over a nice brew. However, sometimes I am tempted to takeaway.

The issue I have always had with the reusable ‘keep cups’ is that they are often big and bulky and I’d begrudge lugging it around all day in my nice bag on the off chance I did fancy a hot drink to-go. It was during one of my man-flu fuelled ranting sessions that our new co-editor Ian told me he had just the thing for me and wondered off in search of the single item that would change my perception for ever.

Ian whizzed across the table a tiny little round object and at first I was slightly puzzled. I was told this was a reusable cup, and I said, “Where’s the drink go? It’s too small”. Like a magician, Ian suddenly turned this round object into a small cup, then a medium one and then a large!

Quite impressed by this apparently morphing cup, I decided to try to annoy Ian by finding issues with

it. After bending and throwing, twisting and flipping I still couldn’t find anything that actually didn’t work. There is even a shutter on the lid to stop minor leaks. Sure, it isn’t totally waterproof, but it prevents a catastrophe if you knock it over and also stops any drips when the cup is folded away and is being stowed in a bag. Pretty clever actually!

Now, I carry a Pokito on me all the time, even if I doubt I’ll need a drink, it’s no bother to keep it in a pocket or in a back pack.

HERE ARE SOME QUICK FACTS ABOUT THE POKITO: Pokito is…

• Environmentally sustainable after just 15 uses • Not reliant on tree plantations just for your cuppa • Tested up to 1,500 uses

WE MET WITH ANDREW BROOKS - INVENTOR OF POKITO l Andrew is passionate about serving up a practical, reusable alternative to the terrible waste caused by disposable cups. He had his light bulb moment while fishing off the west coast of Canada in the summer of 2006. He saw a whole mountain stripped of its pine forest destined for the nearby paper mills.

He later discovered that most of this paper wasn’t even recycled and began to wonder if there was a better way. It took a while and more than a little ingenuity before pokito came to life.

After sketching out his ideas in 2012, he took them to a team of industrial designers who gradually evolved the technical drawings into a working prototype. Over the next few years, many aspects of the design and production were refined to make it practical and safe to use.

British engineers tested countless

prototypes, experimented with numerous types of materials and made many minor adjustments to get it right. Fine tuning the stopper, for example, took precision engineering to micron level (10th of a millimetre).

The incorporated central band was revisited over 18 months to make it the best it could possibly be. l For wholesale enquiries and more information: enquiries@pokito.net

Our Verdict

l We highly rate the pokito.

However, the pokito has really changed my thinking about drinks to go, not only is it super versatile, I also love that it’s made in Britain from safe and durable materials.

It really is practical too; it’s fully dish-washer proof, stable when standing and its built-in insulation protects my fingers from the hot stuff. No doubt, pokito is a clever alternative to paper disposable cups.

Make sure you get in touch with the folks at pokito to discuss their innovative, minimalist POS displays and opportunities to brand the cup. They’ll also talk you through the various “colours” available and send you through their 2018 price list.

The Delicatessen Magazine 27

ALL ABOUT KEFIR WE GET TO GRIPS WITH THE KEFIR RANGE FROM MOUNT OLYMPUS PURE FOODS, THE CULTURED CREAMY PRODUCT WITH PLENTY OF HEALTHY ATTRIBUTES

K

efir’s tart but refreshing flavor is similar to a drinking-style yogurt, but it also contains beneficial yeast as well as friendly ‘probiotic’ bacteria commonly found in yogurt. The naturally occurring bacteria and yeast in kefir combine symbiotically to give superior health benefits when consumed regularly.

It is also loaded with vitamins and minerals and contains easily digestible complete proteins. For the lactose intolerant, kefir’s abundance of beneficial yeast and bacteria provide lactase, an enzyme which consumes most of the lactose left after the culturing process meaning that a lactose intolerant person can slowly integrate Kefir into their diet to get the benefits of dairy, without the issues.

I just presumed that kefir was only to be drunk as a drink, little did I know that it can be used in so many other dishes. If you have been keeping an eye on our Twitter feed (@delicatessenmag), you’d possibly have seen our kefir pancake video,

30 The Delicatessen Magazine

which also features me doing a killer pancake flip (yes, it might have taken a few takes…).

SO WHO ARE MOUNT OLYMPUS PURE FOODS? The company is run by husband and wife team Lana and Kostas Kapelas, as well as David Robson who is also a partner and business advisor.

Kostas and Lana come from the health and nutrition sector, and still carry out work consulting and helping others to become healthier, fitter and stronger as individuals.

Their trusted friend David, has been actively in business for over 40 years and after his visit to Mount Olympus and seeing the produce made by the local community ensured he just had to be part of this journey.

It all began on the fertile slopes of Mount Olympus, in the beautiful region of Pieria in the heart of Greece. Three friends, two Greek and one English, were trekking on the mountain and realised they shared a connection with both the land and its history. Each had different reasons but that was besides the point.

This connection was reinforced during the time they spent at the original Monastery of Saint Dionysios, dating back to 1543. The Monastery is a very special place.

There is a unique peace and also a harmony with the natural world that is difficult to describe.

The friends walked further up the

mountain – on the same trails that were used by Greeks, thousands of years ago. They plunged into an ice-cold pool at the foot of a waterfall coming from the snow-capped summit – the purest water to be found anywhere.

They discovered the natural foods and wine produced by the Monks and the people of the local community - a further link in a chain stretching back in time.

Most importantly, they appreciated that growing, producing and sharing natural food was a key element of a community and of life itself.

These values are much more than simply eating and drinking good, healthy, natural food and wine. So they established an enterprise that could bring this convergence of the purest food and philosophy to like minded people in the UK and elsewhere. An enterprise that would benefit the local people in Greece and especially those in a local community and its surrounding towns and villages.

To reinforce these bonds of land and people, Kostas Kapelas (founder) spent time in Greece, visiting local producers to source the best quality products. He was born and raised in Greece, eating traditional and pure products from local farms. Because of this background, combined with his professional skills as a Holistic Health Therapist, he will only work with the finest and most ethical producers – nothing less. l www.mountolympuspurefoods.com

THE RANGE Currently, these products are available in over 250 shops around the country, however mainly to be found in health food shops. However, there is a demand and popularity growing around the UK from consumers who want to be able to enjoy healthy and natural products such as Kefir – a product well worth looking to stock.

GOATS’ KEFIR 300ml (sugar-free) l This is the ‘Great Taste Award’ winning Goats’ Kefir made with Greek tradition! The entire process of making this traditional drink, from milking the goats to bottling the kefir, is all done by small family-run businesses.

Using milk from free-roaming Greek goats and live kefir culture, combined with traditional fermentation processes, ensures that it is safe for pregnant women, children, the elderly and those with compromised immunity.

Goats’ milk has been proven to be more beneficial than other dairy products, boasting a smoother curd, and being richer in fatty acids and lower lactose levels – meaning that its enzymes are easier to break down and digest. Its taste is fantastic and it is far more powerful than taking a dried probiotic or eating yogurt!

• Free-roaming goats’ milk • Low lactose – easily digestible • Suitable for all ages • Dairy intolerant-friendly • Live probiotic • Billions of active bacteria • Sugar- free – low calorie • 100% preservative-free • 100% natural ingredients GOATS’ KEFIR – LEMON 300ml (sugar-free) l For the first time in the UK, you can now get the new Lemon Goats’ Kefir. Infused with the sweet flavour of lemon, this kefir is bursting with citrus flavour and is simply a delicious alternative for those who like a little pizazz in their drinks!

Our Verdict

l Albeit I’m not a big fan of goats milk, I actually really enjoyed the goats kefir.

It’s naturally quite tart, but the lemon flavour really

Made from using ingredients from local producers and suppliers to make sure that their products are fresh. The team are strict with the processes and are against artificial stimulating hormones and antibiotics. They do not allow any of them to contaminate the milk that they use to make the products.

So, confidently enjoy this healthy kefir!

KEFIR (GREEK COW’S MILK) 300ml or 480ml (sugar-free) Also available flavoured with Lemon or Peach! l Similar to drinking yogurt, smooth milk kefir is a fermented drink which is light and fizzy in texture; a power-pack of healthy ‘non-transient’ bacteria that has positive benefits for your gut microbiome. When combined with a processed food-free diet (low sugar and high GI), this is a perfect way to add good fats to your daily eating habits.

Yogurt will last a day inside of you, but kefir will have a longer-lasting effect.

Kefir is rich in protein, calcium, vitamin B12, niacin and folic acid. It has been used not only to promote health, but also was the way that people preserved milk when there was no refrigeration. Huge amounts of colonies good of bacteria in kefir dominate the milk, thereby suppressing any harmful bacteria, and preserving the milk.

These bacteria eat the milk sugars out of the milk and perform their magic to infuse the milk with healthy qualities.

This is why the milk becomes sour. The kefir microbes consume sugars as food to create the perfect environment for good bacteria to thrive. As you consume kefir, it, in turn, creates an environment inside you that does the same thing and so much more.

• Greek, smooth and creamy • Original recipes • Live probiotic cultures • High in protein and calcium • Great for gut and immunity • Ideal for whole family • 100% natural ingredients made this an interesting combo.

I really enjoyed the Greek cows milk Kefir and used this to make pancakes and to drink normally.

For me however, the Vegan Water in the ginger variety was totally amazing and blew me away. I’m

VEGAN WATER KEFIR – MOJITO 310ml (non-alcoholic) l The ‘mojito’ option – also a UK first!

This aromatic spearmint drink is a wonderful way to get refreshed and healthy, all at the same time!

VEGAN WATER KEFIR – GINGER 310ml l Our ‘Paleo Awards’ Finalist Ginger Kefir is the perfect combination of kefir grains and the soothing warmth of ginger. It is a wonderful healthy alternative to soft and effervescent drinks, as well as a powerful live probiotic drink.

WHAT IS VEGAN (WATER) KEFIR?

There are two types of kefir grains: water and milk.

Simply, water kefir grains are meant to be fermented in water, and milk kefir grains are meant to be fermented in milk products.

Water kefir grains are small, jellylike substances that are created by ‘friendly’ bacteria.

This vegan-friendly alternative is perfect for those who are looking for all the benefits of kefir’s magical live probiotic cultures, which are normally limited to dairy products.

It includes a wide range of organic acids, lactobacillus bacteria, vitamins, enzymes and antioxidants beneficial for the body.

• Vegan-friendly • Naturally fizzy – great taste • Light and refreshing • Low calorie – alternative to sodas • Live probiotic – active cultures • Billions of active bacteria • Original recipes • Artesian water • 100% preservative-free • 100% Natural ingredients

already looking where to order more for myself.

In all, I’d suggest that as us consumers look to get healthier and find more organic and more provenance backed products, you can’t go far wrong with the Kefir from Mount Olympus Pure Foods.

The Delicatessen Magazine 31

DAVID MACK COLUMN

GIVING EVERYONE A SHOT DAVID MACK OF THE FINE FOOD ANGEL OFFERS INSIGHT ON NEW PRODUCERS, BUYING TRENDS AND MUCH MORE!

O

ne aspect of running an independent retail business or becoming an artisan producer that I think is especially appealing is the self-determination or control that comes with it. Most self employed people have a vision and want the opportunity to realise their vision without the constraints that come with being in a “normal job” and having a boss. I’ve been self employed for almost my entire career and whilst it has its stresses, strains, ups and downs, the feeling that I control my own destiny, rather than someone else, is appealing and enjoyable to me.

Self employment gives everyone “a shot” at success and I like that.

There are no artificial barriers or “gate-keepers” who can scupper your chances before you start. Well almost none... Traditional wholesalers, that hold stock in warehouses, don’t have endless space and so only take on a small sub-section of producers and then often only list a few products from their range. This feels like a barrier to me that does not help retailers or artisan producers.

One of the aspects of The Fine Food Angel that appealed to me when we figured it all out about two years ago was that it enables every

32 The Delicatessen Magazine

producer who has a good product “a shot” at success. And by the very same token it also gives every retailer an easy way to not only discover these unique products but an efficient way to purchase them too. It’s a natural win-win.

Independent food retailers are essentially a way of connecting consumers who care about quality with artisan products - giving consumers a choice that they do not necessarily have at the supermarket. The Fine Food Angel is the exact same one step back

in the chain - we are giving retailers extra choice by connecting them with great artisan producers who are often below the radar and often not listed in the big wholesalers.

The independent food retail sector is fantastic, but will only stay fantastic in my opinion if the collective innovation of artisan producers is given a good route to market - one that is transparent, fair, open... and not too self serving! l www.thefinefoodangel.co.uk

A new use for

ANCIENT GRAINS

S

ome ingredients are born to be together and it is together they can give their best. In this way Garofalo has carefully selected legumes and cereals and created a pasta that is perfect for those looking to maintain a healthy diet without compromising on taste.

The legumes, chickpeas and lentils are packed full of nutrients and are both high in vegetable proteins, perfect for anyone following a vegetarian or vegan diet, they are also a great source of fibre and both without gluten.

The addition of 5 cereals, including 4 ancient grains, creates a pasta that is not only tasty and a source of energy but delivers many health benefits and is gluten free.

Ancient grains - the staple of many ancient civilisations, are considered to be much more nutritious than many of the refined grains used to today, with higher levels of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. Offering a source of nutrients and protein which is great for vegetarians and vegans who need a

GAROFALO HAVE JUST RELEASED A NEW LEGUMES AND CEREALS PASTA MADE WITH ANCIENT GRAINS AND WE LOVED IT SO MUCH WE HAD TO FEATURE IT!

quality plant protein source.

The ancient grains included in Garofalo’s pasta are: Teff, a source of protein, calcium and iron and high in fibre; Amaranth is one of the most protein rich of any plant based food and also a source of iron, manganese and fibre; Sorghum is a whole grain full of nutritional benefits, high in fibre and a good source of antioxidants. The last of the 4 is Buckwheat, which is actually a seed, and doesn’t contain any wheat or gluten but a great source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Garofalo’s driving philosophy is that great flavour is everyone’s right. The taste of its new legumes and cereals pasta cannot be the same as its wheat pasta because the ingredients are different. This gluten free legumes and

cereals pasta has a different flavour, no better or worse just different, it is a taste opportunity for everyone not just those on a gluten free diet.

Garofalo is an Italian company specialising in the production of Pasta. Based in Gragnano in the province of Naples, the company was founded in 1789. Since then Garofalo has been synonymous with excellence. So much so that books and magazines refer to “high quality pasta” as Garofalo-type pasta. l

Garofalo pasta is stocked in the UK and distributed through regional and national wholesalers, for more information, call Garofalo’s UK office on 01438 813444 or email info@garofalo.co.uk web: www.pastagarofalo.it

The Delicatessen Magazine 33

THE FOOD AND DRINK TRADE SHOW

MALVERN You’ll be able to meet an exclusive mix of passionate producers who are really pushing the boundaries – whether you are looking for locally sourced goods or speciality items, seasonal offerings or just the very best mainstream suppliers, you certainly won’t be disappointed.

There’s something for everyone; from fresh to frozen; from confectionery to convenience; from fish to food gift and foodservice.

AFTER ALL THE FUN I HAD AT THE SOURCE SHOW IN EXETER, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE AWARE OF THE NEXT EVENT YOU SHOULD REALLY CONSIDER POPPING ALONG TO!

I

love trade shows. Well, I love the idea of them. In reality however, I end up with aching feet and a headache and usually I feel hard done by at the end as I’ve not seen as many people as I wanted to as there was too much going on. Then, I look in my pocket and realise I have thousands of business cards and I realise that I’ve had a great time. With the efforts these great producers go to with their stands, it’s really important to get out and have a look.

On a last minute whim, I decided to visit the Source Trade Show in Exeter, run by Hale Events. I was quite excited as there was a lot of companies who are from the West and South of the country who were exhibiting and all in one place – perfect. As I approached Exeter and left the comfort of my car (and brushed away the crumbs!) I walked in hoping to be impressed by an array of products and interesting companies. I wasn’t let down at all!

In fact, I got to meet such a different amount of producers and tried so many products I had to extend my stay to come back the next day!

34 The Delicatessen Magazine

THE MALVERN FOOD AND DRINK TRADE SHOW

The Malvern Food & Drink Trade Show in May is an unmissable event for all those involved in this innovative and fast-moving industry. Whether you are a producer, supplier or a buyer, success depends on keeping your offering fresh, on-trend and inspirational – you need to be totally up to speed with the latest developments, ideas and opportunities, meeting the movers and shakers, and getting your own products and services out there. This unique show enables you to achieve all this, and more, for a very modest investment of time or resources.

SATISFY YOUR CURIOSITY Visitors will be spoilt for choice with a unique spread of inspirational speciality food & drink products.

There’s a huge range of exhibitors; from the small and regional, to those who trade throughout the UK and internationally.

A FEAST FOR ALL YOUR SENSES These days shopping all seems to be about the internet, but you can’t properly judge food and drink without tasting, touching, smelling, talking and observing. The smartest way to get this full-on sensory experience, all under one roof and in just a few hours, is to attend a show. It’s business, but it’s fun too! You get a rare opportunity to make valuable new connections, build better relationships with existing suppliers and catch up with colleagues and friends. The timing couldn’t be better, enabling you to get stocked up and raring to go before the busy summer season.

If you’re hungry for culinary inspiration the popular demonstration kitchen gives you the opportunity to see great chefs, such as Felice Tocchini, Andrew Link, and Matt Slocombe, share their knowledge, skills and stories – it’s informative, but great entertainment too. You’ll come away brimming with exciting ideas and fresh menu ideas that are sure to delight customers and get them enthusing about your offering.

PARTNERS WHO ARE PITCHING IN FOR YOU

The show is supported by the following partners, all of whom are dedicated to supporting the growth of food and drink businesses in the Three Counties area: l Cotswold Taste Food & Drink, which is a brand that celebrates and promotes the local producers, processors, suppliers, retailers and hospitality outlets who play such an important role in contributing to making the Cotswolds a special place. www.cotswoldtaste.co.uk

l Eat Sleep Live Herefordshire, which is the Herefordshire tourism and leisure guide for people who love to eat, sleep and live life to the full in this beautiful county. Their site is constantly updated with great places to stay, dine, explore and enjoy. www.eatsleepliveherefordshire.co.uk l Taste of the West, which is the largest independent regional food group in the UK and supports fantastic local food and drink from Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. They were established in 1991, and today remain the leading supply chain co-operative for the South West’s food and drink industry. Their ethos of quality, integrity and provenance underpins everything they do. www.tasteofthewest.co.uk l Worcestershire Food & Drink,

which is a group of businesses, working with the support of Worcestershire Regulatory Services, that have set up Worcestershire Food and Drink to help promote the wide variety of produce that Worcestershire offers, whether it be to a trade buyer or high street business. www.worcsregservices.gov.uk/ foodhealth/food/wfd.aspx You can also meet and chat to these organisations at the show – it’s a great opportunity to find out more about how they can help your business thrive.

EASY ACCESS

Taking place at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern, The Food & Drink Trade Show is easy to get to by both train and car and has plenty of free parking.

Brown tourist signs point the way from all main routes and once at the venue, just follow the AA signs for BROWN GATE car park. It is also only a five-minute drive from Great Malvern Station, with direct trains to London Paddington and Birmingham New Street.

BOOK YOUR PLACE NOW!

The Food & Drink Trade Show, held on the 2nd and 3rd May, is a great opportunity to get ahead of the game.

You’ll discover new products for your shop, new ingredients for your menu, new equipment for your kitchen, new ideas from industry experts as well as new partners and customers. It’s your recipe for success!

For more information about the show, to book a stand, or register to attend, please call 01934 733433, visit thefoodanddrinktradeshow.co.uk or follow @lovefinefood

The Delicatessen Magazine 35

PAKLR

With all our discussion on packaging, we wanted to introduce a packaging company who can help any of our readers with great products at great prices, and here’s how!

T

here aren’t many companies who’s opening paragraph boasts of their lack of obsession with the bottom line, the fact they work for the customers rather than the shareholders and directors and that they offer the best price first time around. But then, there aren’t many companies like Packlr…

The first time I met Tim Jackson, Managing Director of Packlr, we scoffed sausage and egg rolls whilst putting the world to rights on it’s packaging issues and discussed how Packlr can really help customers get what they need rather than what is best for Tim to sell.

Whilst furiously wiping away molten yoke from my shirt and trying to understand all the jargon flying around the room between Tim and another packaging expert, I heard Tim say how good packaging can be an essential tool to sell a product and brand, and conversely bad packaging can really damage a brands reputation. This couldn’t be truer, and especially at the moment, and it was in fact this conversation that prompted us to run this months packaging focus.

Packlr doesn’t pretend to be a manufacturer, and gladly so. They connect you with their staple of factories around the country and world who can provide you the product you actually want and need but with their buying group powers, at a more affordable price. l

INTERVIEW WITH TIM JACKSON – PACKLR

margins for re-selling other companies products. We are here to connect our customers with great manufacturers and in doing so we make a modest profit margin. By having these realistic ideals we can be incredibly competitive in a crowded market place. We work for our customers, not shareholders.

So Tim, tell us what prompted you to start Packlr? l I’ve been in the packaging industry for nearly 10 years and have seen a lot of changes over that time. There are so many packaging suppliers out there now but most of them tend to do the same thing. They sell the same range of products in the same way and usually all charge roughly the same prices.

I thought it was time for a bit of a shake up so launched Packlr early in 2017. We don’t just offer a set range of products and tell our customers to take their pick from our brochure. We work with our customers to source the products they need. That way we achieve an advantage over our competitors which is flexibility.

In addition to being flexible we are realistic. Packlr isn’t a manufacturer so we don’t expect to make huge profit

36 The Delicatessen Magazine

www.packlr.co.uk

With the huge amount of talk about paper cups in the press and on social media, what are your thoughts on the issue? l It’s definitely an interesting time for the world of takeaway packaging at the minute. Over the last 20 years we’ve created this dependency on disposable packaging without much thought as to where it was taking us. And whilst I think there is often an overuse of packaging throughout the retail world, I can’t see disposable packaging going anywhere anytime soon. If anything, the demand for takeaway packaging is increasing all the time thanks to the likes of Deliveroo and Just Eat.

THE RANGE Packlr can help you with many types of packaging for your deli, including:

• • • • • • • •

Smoothie Cups Greaseproof Sheets Icecream Cups Noodle Boxes Paper Cups Soup Cups Food Boxes Paper Bags

These types of delivery companies are opening up the world of takeaway to every type of food retailer in the country and what these companies need is good packaging.

What has happened as a result of the recent media interest is that consumers are much more aware of what they are using. People generally want to use eco-friendly products however there is still a lot of confusion about what these products are made from. Compostable paper cups for example provide a material benefit over recyclable paper cups. They are made from natural materials and they create less carbon in the manufacturing process which is great, however compostable products need to be disposed of in food waste bins. When was the last time you saw a food waste bin in your town centre? Never is the answer so most compostable packaging gets put in general waste. If this then ends up in landfill it won’t break down.

This then brings us back to

recyclable products. If you can take a product, recycle it and have it turned into another useful item then great.

There’s nothing wrong with this.

Plastic may be having a hard time at the minute but in reality it’s a cheap and versatile material that can be easily recycled. The key point is that we need to make sure it is recycled.

Our waste collection and recycling methods across the UK need to be seriously reviewed and improved to keep up with our insatiable demand for takeaway packaging.

At Packlr we don’t just give our customers a list of products to choose from. We advise based on location and what type of packaging we think will work best for you. If you’re a high street coffee shop, the chances are that recyclable products may work best for you because of the close proximity to recycling bins once your customers leave your store. If you’re in a more closed loop type of environment such as a sports or music arena then compostable packaging may be the way forward. We just recently helped a well known Sussex farm with a TV personality owner make the move to 100% compostable packaging.

Because all their visitors are on site and consume goods in a closed area, almost all packaging waste can be collected correctly and directed into food waste. This is an example of where compostable products work really well. The point is, there is more to think about than just what type of product you are going to use. Waste disposal is key.

How do you feel a retailer could make positive changes to the issue of plastic pollution? l As a country, I don’t actually think we are doing a terrible job of disposing of plastic. We all recycle at home and nearly all towns and cities have recycling bins readily available.

Compared to China and Indonesia we contribute a tiny fraction to plastic pollution. That tiny fraction however is still too much. The UK should lead by example and try and encourage other countries to adopt our practices. We just need to take a look at our recycling processes and make sure these are as efficient as they need to be.

Retailers in particular should think about their products and decide if plastic is necessary. A lot of the time the answer will be yes, is it necessary.

Plastic coated packaging can be recycled, we just need to make sure it is disposed of in the correct way and that all of this type of packaging finds its way to the correct recycling facilities.

There are however lots of situations where plastic is over used. Take supermarkets for example. The plastic bag charge was introduced years ago however were still using millions of small clear plastic bags for our fruit and veg. What’s wrong with paper bags? Surely it’s an easy swap and would save tonnes of plastic entering our waste stream. Small changes like this will make a massive difference and in a few years we will look back and wonder why we didn’t do it sooner. Come on Tesco, get rid of your plastic veg bags and replace them with traditional green grocer paper ones.

There are obviously plastic alternatives out there such as PLA. Vegware for example manufacture only compostable packaging and they do this by using 100% natural materials such as cornstarch and PLA lined products. Basically PLA is the plastic equivalent lining in their products which, if disposed of in food waste will break down to form fertiliser. Using compostable products also has a material benefit as they produce less carbon in the manufacturing process. Compostable products may be a little more expensive, but they are worth it in a lot of situations.

Have you got any tips you can pass on to our readers about sourcing good foodservice packaging? l First and foremost you have to think about your surroundings and environment. What happens to your packaging once you hand it over the counter to your customers? Will it stay on the premises or will it end up several miles down the road? Think about what your customer is going to do with that product when they have finished with it and what options are available to them.

The next thing to think about is whether you actually need packaging.

The answer is probably yes, but how much? Do you really need to a wrap inside a box inside a bag? Some of the best packaging I’ve seen has been simple and effective. No bells or whistles, just clean and efficient.

There are some great companies out there selling a huge range of packaging options. Chances are you can use something off the shelf with low minimum orders however, if you need something a little bit special and unusual, don’t hesitate to get in touch with a packaging supplier such as Packlr.

Companies who manufacture their own products tend to be a little restricted by their own ranges however, brokers and suppliers can use their knowledge and contacts to find what you need.

With more and more delicatessens moving towards offering hot drinks to go, what products would you advise they could utilise that are cost effective but also offer a good service to their clients? l First off, single use paper cups aren’t going anywhere. There are some fantastic re-useable to go cups on the market such as the Pokito, and we should all look at using these whenever possible, however occasionally you’ll need a coffee and won’t have your cup. So starting with your paper cups is an obviously choice. Companies like Starbucks and Caffe Nero favour the single wall cup and corrugated sleeve. This is great if you can order in batches of over 50k units at a time but for a lot of smaller delis ordering small volumes is key.

This means a double wall cup which is suitable for most hot drinks.

The next piece of advice is to really think about your design. Most manufacturers of paper cups in the UK won’t charge you for more complicated designs. Don’t just think that you are restricted to your logo on a plain White cup. Get creative and try and design something that really stands out. There are lots of budding artists out there who would be willing to create something for you usually free of charge if you are willing to give them a plug. If you’re not massively creative, try and utilise a little free talent in return for something you can offer. Free coffee perhaps.

Next, you need to accessorise.

Wooden stirrers, plain napkins and sugar sticks are all basic off the shelf products, but why not mix things up with an interesting cup carrier?

Not the boring old pulp trays but something more interesting like The Reelcup Carrier. A very interesting new product which saves space and reduces waste whilst remaining cost effective.

Branded these look great and offer your business even more advertising space.

Basically, our advice at Packlr has always been to pick just a few items and have them branded really well.

Don’t try and stamp your logo on absolutely everything. Nobody will care about your branded wooden stirrers or sugar sticks. Pick a few key items and have them printed really well. l

The Delicatessen Magazine 37

GRANITE NORTH GIN

WHILST LOOKING AROUND THE SCOTTISH SPECIALITY SHOW, I SAW A SWEET LITTLE STILL THAT I THOUGHT WAS JUST AN ORNAMENT – IT WASN’T – IT WAS JUST THE BEGINNING

I

’m a stickler for buying ornaments that I end up putting somewhere and forgetting about, and I especially like shiny things. Well, imagine my delight when I saw a sweet little three litre still on a stand at the Scottish Speciality Trade Show. I assumed that this was just a ornamental object to try to capture the imaginations of the visitors and as I stood there gazing at it, I heard a subtle ‘hello?’

Back in the real world, I was now engaged in a conversation with a lovely chap called Sandy. Mechanical engineer by day, expert gin maker by night – this guy really does have some great tales to tell!

As it turns out, the lovely three litre still wasn’t just procured to look good, it was in fact how it all began for Sandy on his journey to becoming a much loved gin maker.

In fact, it took over 85 distillations in this little still to get the flavour he wanted. Sandy is a self confessed perfectionist and persevered until he was 100% happy with the flavour.

Something that Sandy and I both share in common is that we both appreciate a real juniper laden gin. Also, a gin so smooth that it can be enjoyed ‘on the rocks’. This was the gin that Sandy had created and once passed a glass of this fine tasting gin, I was so amazed I was actually speechless.

Too many times lately have I tried gins that haven’t really impressed me.

Some have lacked any real flavour and are sometimes a little generic.

This can’t be said for Granite North Gin – this really is a special product and one I’m happy that I found. In fact, I’d go as far as saying it was one of the highlights of that show for me.

THE GIN

Handcrafted in small batches in the Highlands of Scotland, Granite North Gin is distilled using water from its Cairngorm Mountain range home.

With its rich contour of flavours capturing the essence of the rugged

Highland landscape, Granite North Gin will warm on the coldest winter nights and refresh on the balmiest of summer days. For me, you can almost hear the sound of the pipes playing over a far wind blowing over the hills when you have a sip of Granite North Gin – it’s almost mythical.

Seeing a number and hand signature on the bottle really adds to the premium feel of this gin and really shows it’s artisanal routes. You know that when you have a glass of Granite North that you really are enjoying craftsmanship and small batch distilling at it’s finest. Sandy’s enthusiasm and love for his finished product is translated through each bottle.

The standout botanicals are bay leaves and pine needles from the grand fir tree (which is the same species as juniper so pair fantastically well), a nice gentle note and ode to the landscape the gin is from.

Each bottle is lovingly hand signed and numbered by Sandy after the small batch distilling process is undertaken.

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT

Considering that Granite North Gin only launched in November, batch one and two are already sold out and with many more bottles being accounted for. The Scottish Herald named Granite North Gin as one of the top Scottish Gins just before Christmas, a show of the potential of this distiller.

I heard from Kirstie Nisbet, a fellow director of Granite North Gin, that they have just received the keys to a new premises and have some interesting plans for the future, albeit these will be revealed in due course!

An exciting move nonetheless, and I’m sure a successful step forwards for their growing business. There are also whispers of a new addition to the Granite North family… exciting times lay ahead and we’ll be back with an update as soon as there is one!

ABOUT THE FOUNDER & DISTILLER SANDY MATHESON A keen hillwalker, Sandy has always been inspired by the dramatic landscape of the Cairngorms and the idea to create his own gin came to him while climbing Braeriach in the heart of the Cairngorms. Qualified as an engineer, and a self-confessed perfectionist, he has combined his love of gin and passion for the outdoors in a bold venture to create a new gin from the North East of Scotland. With the first gin launched and selling fast, Sandy has no plans to stop there and is already planning the next addition to the Granite North family. l www.granitenorthgin.com

The Delicatessen Magazine 39

Sweet dreams are made of...

I

magine a sugar alternative that not only sweetens your favourite foods and drinks but also gives you sustained energy, improves your mood, reduces stress and helps you sleep better. I know, it sounds too good to be true – but it’s not!

We couldn’t do a tea feature and not talk about this product! For people like me who have a real sweet tooth, this is a wonder product. There are many benefits to using Palmyra sugar too.

We are always told to reduce our sugar.

The issue with that for me personally, is that I really like sweet foods and I’ve been searching around for a better alternative but with no luck… until now.

40 The Delicatessen Magazine

WE MEET SUGAVIDA: THE WORLD’S LEADING BRAND OF ORGANIC PALMYRA SUGAR SugaVida is likely the healthiest natural sugar on the planet. It’s delicious, it’s nutritious and it’s packed with vitamins and minerals. What’s more, SugaVida is the only known plant based source of bio-available vitamin B12!

Harvested ethically from the blossom of the Palmyra tree in Southern India, SugaVida is ethically and sustainably produced and has been a cherished part of Ayurvedic medicine for over 5,000 years.

SugaVida has a caramel like taste that will improve many recipes.

SugaVida is also enriched with vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6, and it is the only plant-based superfood to contain B12, which can lift your mood, promote healthy skin and hair, and aid the digestive system.

SugaVida is rich in minerals such as iron, magnesium and potassium too, and as it is a natural food source and not a manufactured supplement, it is highly bioavailable and the body can absorb its health boosting nutrients quickly and easily, using the minimum amount of energy.

As SugaVida has an incredibly low GI of 35 and just 3.1g of fructose per 100g, it is suitable for people living with diabetes who enjoy sweetness in their diet.

Sustainably farmed and ethically sourced, SugaVida is good for the body and kind on the planet, and as it is

100% natural, gluten free, and suitable for both vegans and vegetarians, everyone can add this flavoursome sweetener to their favourite beverages and recipes, and enjoy its health boosting benefits.

ALL ABOUT SUGAVIDA SugaVida translates to mean ‘Sugar of Life’ and is the 100% pure, unrefined nectar of Borassus flabellifer (Palmyra tree). It has been an important part of Ayurvedic medicine, the world’s oldest whole-body healing system, for over 5000 years.

Ayurveda is based on the belief that health and wellness depends on the balance between the mind, body, and spirit.

Over the centuries, this special nectar has been used to maintain respiratory, digestive, blood and eye health, and is known in India as the ‘sugar for diabetics’ due to its low glycaemic index, it’s ability to support normal insulin functions, and the fact it’s low in fructose. This makes it far safer for diabetics than agave nectar, rice sugars or any other natural sweeteners.

THE PALMYRA TREE With a life span of about 100 years, it takes 15 years for each Palmyra tree to grow before it can begin bearing fruit. Incredibly, the trees are selfhealing and do not spread infection, so there’s no need to use pesticides

or herbicides. This means that the products taken are always unpolluted by industrial chemicals.

To harvest the nectar, each Palmyra tree must be scaled and tapped by a highly skilled tapper. This is normally done twice a day between March and December. If they miss this by just one hour, the fruit will self-heal and they will have to wait another 15 days before being able tap it again without damaging the tree.

Once the sap is released, we use a proprietary and gentle method of heating SugaVida into a malted elixir, which is then powdered to make it easy to use.

Palmyra trees grow in many tropical countries and the nutritional benefits vary from region to region.

Our Palmyra sugar comes from the nutritionally dense soil of Tamil Nadu in Southern India, giving it the highest nutritional profile in the world.

The trees are never cut down as they provide nourishment, employment and shelter for those who live and work the land. Every part of it is used, from the leaves for roofing on houses to the wood of dead trees as the building blocks.

SugaVida work closely with farmers’ cooperatives to ensure they are paid a fair wage and the community as a whole benefits.

KRISTINA LOCKE – FOUNDER OF SUGAVIDA SugaVida has been brought from India to the West by Kristina Locke.

Kristina first got involved with natural medicine while at University in Manchester. Having suffered recurrent bouts of bronchitis and a series of antibiotics that made her feel weak and awful, she realised there had to be a better way to keep healthy. Thankfully she has an open-minded family who visit acupuncturists, osteopaths and other alternative therapies and who cook real food at mealtimes. So she made a vow to avoid Western medicine, which only made her worse, and to only use natural methods of healing and food to keep healthy, which saw her make a full recovery.

l I’m a terrible glutton and can eat sweet food all day every day given the chance. Come to think about it, I could likely eat any food all day everyday!

This is why I take on endurance races and training to ensure

A life-long foodie, Kristina travelled the world from an early age, always seeking out the best food, from Michelin-starred restaurants to Bangkok street food markets. She has always loved cooking for family, friends and big groups. And her sister, a qualified nutritional chef and food writer and stylist, also opened her eyes to nutritional gourmet food and preparing organic, seasonal food.

After an early career in PR and marketing Kristina helped to bring the natural medicine and supplement company QLink to the European market. At the same time, she also studied yoga and became increasingly interested in India and Ayurvedic medicine, spending time in India every year visiting retreats, yoga teachers and Ayurvedic hospitals and centres.

She then became a fully qualified yoga teacher specialising in the Ayurvedic diet and brought that knowledge to Conscious Food UK Ltd, a business she set up in 2009 as the UK’s first award-winning gluten, wheat and dairy free gourmet snacks company, in partnership with Conscious Food India, the leading artisan organic food company. That lead to the development of the cultclassic digestive aid d’mix, the first ever digestive aid to incorporate chewing as part of the treatment.

She also wrote the Alastair Sawday’s Special Places to Stay guide to India & Sri Lanka developing an even deeper knowledge and understanding of travel and hotels in India, focusing on small guesthouses, homestays, organic farms, lodges and palaces where she further cultivated her Indian culinary skills.

Many of her Indian friends and colleagues say she knows India and Indian food better than they do!

Throughout her travels and studies in India she kept coming across Palmrya jaggery (unrefined sugar) – either in treatments and remedies or in home cooking – and experienced its wonderful therapeutic benefits and taste.

I don’t. I’m likely the human equivalent of a Labrador.

To find a sugar alternative that actually tastes nice, and has health benefits is a revelation. SugaVida is transforming my life, and if stocked in your shops, will help change a lot

With obesity and diabetes levels on the rise across the UK and Europe, due to our high consumption of refined sugar, Kristina made it her mission to source the best quality organic Palmyra Jaggery and bring it to the West. However, it wasn’t that simple. Traditionally Palmyra Jaggery is sold in big blocks – full of sand, grit and even bugs – so not very practical to use. By partnering with her supplier in India, who had created a way of making it into a powder without losing the key nutrients, she was able to bring you the rich elixir that is SugaVida in powdered form. This makes it versatile, and easy to use in drinks, baking and cooking.

To date, SugaVida has been a big hit across the world and is used by top doctors, nutritionists, Michelin starred and patisserie chefs, as well as leading food companies producing a whole host of different food including chocolate, raw chocolate, ice cream, cakes, cereals and smoothies.

Kristina’s mission is to make SugaVida the world’s leading natural sugar substitute and help millions of people across the planet switch to healthier diets using SugaVida to improve their health and wellbeing. l www.sugavida.co.uk

of other peoples lives too. We are all told to reduce sugar, but most of us struggle with that idea – not now we have this.

Editor´

Verdicst

The Delicatessen Magazine 41

Pure

KENTISH CHERRY JUICE

WITH PLENTY OF HEALTH BENEFITS AND A GREAT TASTE, IT IS NO WONDER MANY RETAILERS ARE LOOKING AT CHERRY JUICE. WE CATCH UP WITH MICHAEL DALLAWAY OF THE RENT A CHERY TREE COMPANY TO DISCUSS THEIR FANTASTIC PURE KENTISH CHERRY JUICE! 42 The Delicatessen Magazine

B

eing that I am into endurance sports and exercise regularly, I try to eat and drink healthily too (pretty hard with so many nice things to try around here!). I am meant to be eating more kale and spinach, yet I am not very keen on these ingredients whatsoever so will often avoid them if I can. However, recently I was given a wonderful smoothie by another sportsman and it tasted amazing. The cherry flavours really shined through and I thoroughly enjoyed every drop. After finishing this wonderful drink, my friend told me I’d just loaded up on kale and spinach! I was completely shocked and amazed.

So, from then on, I have been getting my greens in me via smoothie consumption, all made better with a dash of cherry juice – which makes the whole thing taste great!

When I heard about Rent A Cherry Tree, I was fascinated, what a great idea! Then, boom! I saw they also sold cherry juice! The juice is made from freshly pressed cherries from the farm, and tastes great. Pure Kentish Cherry juice at its finest!

RENT A CHERRY TREE Michael and his team grow cherries on the Kent/East Sussex border and have 4 cherry orchards in total with approximately 7500 trees. One of the younger orchards has the ability for the public to rent a tree which they get to enjoy the fruit from come harvest, and the cherries that they grow in their other orchards are picked and either used for their own products or taken and sold at farmers markets, from local ones to us in Tunbridge

CHERRY JUICE FACTS

Wells & Lewes but the majority being in London, ranging from Marylebone across to Queens Park and up to Parliament Hill.

PURE KENTISH CHERRY JUICE In 2017 the team pressed and made more cherry juice than ever to keep up with demand. With Rent A Cherry Tree recently being stocked through the Fine Food Angel, getting your hands on this fine juice couldn’t be any easier.

This particular juice has proved to be a big hit with farm shops around the South East, and considering it is a well made, provenance based product with no air miles at all, it’s a great one to consider.

Once pressed, the cherry juice isn’t sweetened nor is anything added, as the flavour is just perfect. This cherry juice is the UK’s only unsweetened 100% pure natural cherry juice. The cherry juice comes in 1litre bottles and each litre of juice contains approximately 3kgs of pressed cherries.

The health benefits of cherry juice are becoming increasingly well known, with some of the main benefits being relief of pain from gout and relief from pain for sufferers of arthritis.

Cherries have the highest antiinflammatory content of any fruit.

Sweet cherries contain quercetin, a potent antioxidant.

Eating cherries and drinking cherry juice lowers the levels of nitric oxide in your blood. This compound is linked with the development of arthritis.

Drinking 80-100ml a day of our juice appears to have dramatic reductions in inflammation and arthritic pain.

Cherry juice dissolves Uric acid, which therefore prevents the build up of Uric acid crystals, which cause the pain associated with gout.

Cherries and cherry juice can also help you sleep as they also contain high levels of naturally occurring melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that plays a crucial role in making us feel sleepy and stay asleep. A 2012 study

by University of Northumbria found that ‘drinking cherry juice provides an increase in melatonin that is beneficial in improving sleep duration and quality.

Drinking cherry juice is as good as taking drugs at reducing blood pressure, researchers have found.

People who drank cherry juice saw their blood pressure drop by 7% within 3 hours. Patients who take blood pressure medication see a similar impact. The scientists think that the cherry juice has such a strong impact on blood pressure because it is rich in phenolic acids – a type of naturally occurring antioxidant.

The anti-inflammatory qualities of cherry juice have the power to prevent inflammation and subsequent tissue damage in exhausted muscles. A study of long distance runners in Oregon has found that those that drank cherry juice suffered considerably less pain and therefore muscles also recovered more quickly.

The anthocyanin found abundantly in cherries may also cut the risk of heart disease. These anti-inflammatory chemicals have been found in lab studies to reduce heart-damaging inflammation in the body as well as reducing harmful fats in the bloodstream. l To find out more, please get in touch with Michael Dallaway. Tel: 07905 671 114 Email: Michael@ rentacherrytree.co.uk, or if you buy through the Fine Food Angel, you’ll find this cherry juice available there!

The Delicatessen Magazine 43

You can’t BEET IT! DEEP IN THE SUFFOLK COUNTRYSIDE, MEET THE MAKERS OF A RANGE OF FANTASTIC NON-ALCOHOLIC JUICES AND CORDIALS

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44 The Delicatessen Magazine

Keep going until your phone signal runs out and you haven’t seen a soul for a while and you’re likely nearby”. This should be the direction to most places in rural Suffolk, as they’d be pretty accurate! That being said, I was brought up and schooled in Suffolk myself, and have a huge love of this beautiful part of the world. The soil in Suffolk is good for growing, and there are some great brands nestled away here, such as Hillfarm Oil, Humdingers vegetables, Scarlett & Mustard and many more! However, one of my personal favourites has to be James White Drinks with their fantastic range of drinks.

For over 25 years, they have been tasting, test and experiment with different vegetables and fruits to make a fantastic range of juices and cordials and now a new range – the ‘Zingers’.

This new range has hit the ground running with a lot of popularity from the younger generations. A great alternative to a shot of coffee, a Zinger shot will certainly spruce you up and get your going! An exciting product to stock as it ticks so many boxes.

Personally for me, I love the ‘Beet it’ range, and as a person who likes to do a lot of endurance sports and long distance triathlons this product line up really suits my needs. Beetroot juice is a known endurance boosting drink, as beets are a great source of nitrate.

James White Drinks has an even higher nitrate content with its concentrated ‘Beet It Sport’ range that is fuelling many of the world’s top athletes.

Really, whether you are looking for a pick me up, a nice refreshing summer drink, one of your five a day or the best bloody Mary you’ll likely ever have, James White Drinks will sort you out. l

THE LINE UP THE NEW: LITTLE DRINKS WITH A BIG ZING! - THE ZINGER RANGE The new Zingers range offers something distinctly different - four exciting and lively flavours full of fragrance and fire.

The Organic Ginger Zinger offers something new and really different - a delicious caffeine free alternative to an espresso to wake you up. Organic and made with the real thing (26% pressed ginger, 57% apple juice (not from concentrate) and water).

With a whopping 40% ginger juice content reinforced with extra zing from chilli, the Xtra Ginger Zinger is not for the faint hearted! This Zinger WILL invigorate the senses!

Delicious, but not for those that can’t take the heat, our Lime Chilli Zinger packs a punch - and a 100% organic punch at that, combining the fresh sharpness of pressed lime juice, hot chilli and apple juice.

The Turmeric Juice Zinger is a novel and surprisingly delicious alternative to the turmeric products that are currently offered. They press the Turmeric in Suffolk and have added black pepper, lemon and a little chilli to give the zing. These pocket shots really hit the spot!

The organic Ginger, Xtra Ginger and Lime Chilli Zingers are Soil Association certified organic. l

THE ‘BEET IT’ RANGE

ORGANIC BEETROOT JUICE l Beet It organic beetroot juice is blended with 10% apple juice to smooth the earthy aftertaste of beetroot and create a really delicious drink.

Beetroot doesn’t feature highly on most of our diets and the idea of drinking beetroot juice probably doesn’t excite anyone too much, but this fabulous deep purple juice with a surprisingly sweet, and slightly earthy yet rich taste is a great drink for all occasions.

Their Organic and Sport shots are made with concentrated beetroot juice. With an intense flavour and measured nitrate dose, these are for those in pursuit of their personal sporting best.

THE CLASSICS

THE VEGGIES!

CLASSIC APPLE JUICES FROM ENGLISH ORCHARDS l This elegant range set the standard for everything else that has followed.

Using filtration techniques borrowed from the wine world, they have developed and fine-tuned these clear, pressed juices for over 20 years! Starting off with Bramley, Russet and Cox, and then with the addition of Summer Berries and Elderflower mixes.

Free from any preservatives or colourings, the apples chosen are prime examples of English fruit at its best.

PRESSED ORGANIC VEGETABLE JUICES l The Soil Association sets a very high standard for the growers to meet and it’s difficult obtaining all the ingredients that are needed.

Nevertheless they have persevered and the range is now wonderfully varied - there is something for everyone!

Largely available in both 75cl and 25cl glass bottles, the Organics range adds a special little something to a regular fruit or vegetable juice.

Vegetable juices have been popular in Northern Europe for many years, but it has only been recently that they have caught on and become increasingly popular in the UK. On the whole they are surprisingly sweet, tasty and refreshing and are definitely set to become a genuinely popular option as attitudes slowly change.

FROM THE HEDGES! THE THORNCROFT RANGE

HEDGEROW-INSPIRED TRADITIONAL CORDIALS l The Thorncroft cordials are plant-inspired and based around the theme of an English-hedgerow. There are popular flavours as well as some not so well-known mixes and all seven varieties are refreshing with an emphasis on fine flavours.

There are traditionally-English flavours like Elderflower, Nettle, and Detox (really Dandelion & Burdock) whilst others have a more exotic feel, using flavours from the Orient for Kombucha (a slightly peachytasting fermented tea-based drink).

Keith Allen, their cordial supremo, has been making Thorncroft Cordials for more than 20 years, and he ensures they maintain their provenance, quality and, above all, homemade feel.

THE FAMOUS ‘BIG TOM ‘ For the best Bloody Mary ever... every time!

Just add a splash of vodka, celery stick and serve over ice and they’ve done all the hard work for you.

Another worthy point to note is the fact that their spicy tomato mix is fit for a Queen, and in 2002 it was made official and they were awarded the Royal Warrant for Big Tom. Big Tom is not only perfect for Bloody Marys, but is also a delicious and satisfying drink all by itself - with very few calories for those wanting a healthier alternative.

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THE BRITISH CARROT! Although carrots have long been grown in East Anglia, there is no great tradition for juicing them.

So it may be quite a surprise to discover how fresh, lively and sweet the carrot juice is. This really is a delicious way to consume one of your 5-a-day portions of fruit and vegetables!

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GREAT UNCLE CORNELIUS Alternative non-alcoholic drinks The Cornelius range of juices is the ‘Great Uncle’ to all of our brands.

Step back in time with their refreshing summer favourites - Ginger Refresher and Lemon Refresher.

Perfect for the picnic hamper, these juices are packed full of flavour.

And introducing the new Rhubarb Refresher! Rhubarb is such a quintessentially English favourite for crumbles and fools (desserts not people!) that we overlook its juice. Its juice is naturally tart, but when sweetened with delicious pressed apple, it makes a lovely refreshing drink.

Conversely, indulge yourself and warm the cockles of your heart with the Uncle Cornelius Famous Spiced Ginger.

Just as delicious hot as it is cold, savour it on its own or drink with a generous splash of whisky as a Ginger Mac - a firm favourite at the HQ!

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The Delicatessen Magazine 45

WE INTERVIEWED LAWRENCE MALLINSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF JAMES WHITE DRINKS TO FIND OUT MORE! So Lawrence, can you tell us a little bit more about how James White Drinks started? l James White was a small insolvent cider business supplying the local Suffolk market in 1989. I was one of the founders of New Covent Garden Soup Company at the time and wanted to do my own thing.

The opportunity I saw was to develop a range of single variety clear filtered apple juices (Bramley, Cox and Russet) as a high quality non-alcoholic alternative to wine – a much better alternative than the de-alcoholised wine that was being heavily marketed at the time. It was an idea that never really caught on especially in the supermarkets– but it did work in the speciality and fine food market – where we slowly but successfully built the business over the next 10 year.

Since then we have become an increasingly vegetable juice dominated business led by Beet It our beetroot juice range, carrot juice and Big Tom tomato juice ( is a tomato a vegetable?)

We see that you have a Royal Warrant! In what ways has this helped the business? l We were granted a Royal Warrant in 2002 for Big Tom, our spicy tomato juice. It is a great honour to have but I do not think it influences most of our UK customers. However when it comes to exporting there are parts of the world that are

46 The Delicatessen Magazine

impressed. It definitely helped us with our Japanese distributor of the Thorncroft cordial range and I suspect it may be one of the reasons Big Tom is now found on United Airlines flights – a nice case of coals to Newcastle, the Bloody Mary being a US invention.

You have a remarkable range of healthy soft drinks, however, which is your personal favourite? l The test here is what will you find in my fridge. The answer is the Great Uncle Cornelius Ginger and Lemon Refreshers – they are my personal perfect non-alcoholic drinks – neither being over sweet.

But Big Tom is hard to beat as an early evening sharpener and the Ginger Zingers are essential coffee replacements to keep me awake during the day.

We love your new Zinger range! What was the inspiration behind this? l In a word – Denmark. Our Danish importer had described to me a product he had seen with 25% ginger juice content. I thought he was mad – our Ginger Refresher has 7% ginger juice in and is very gingery. But he eventually persuaded me and I was converted as soon as I tried it. It does what it says on the bottle – it Zings!

How has the reception been to this range from your customers so far? l Our Zingers are flying. Especially where there is a younger (25 to 40) customer base. It is not that older customers (I am 60) do not like them – they just do not understand what they are about as quickly. The idea of a caffeine free shot as an alternative to coffee and tea has particularly resonated with the health conscious Millennial generation.

The Organic Ginger, Xtra Ginger and Lime & Chilli Zingers all fulfil the caffeine free alternative role as a wake up shot really well. The interesting one is the Turmeric Zinger, which is gentler and rather delicious, but nevertheless has also proved a real winner. This demonstrates that the idea of a little healthy drink stands on its own right – not just as a coffee substitute.

Being that this issue has a big focus on packaging, how important do you feel the packaging is in the buying process? l Customers are very influenced by packaging. Sometimes frustratingly they can get the wrong impression.

Many of our drinks are in glass bottles.

Because fresh pressed orange juice was packed in clear PET bottles it is generally thought that juice drinks in PET bottles are fresher and higher quality. In fact plastic bottles are never as good at preserving quality – glass is simply better. This is clearly understood when buying wine – but not so with juice.

Also packaging is now a highly political subject. Plastics can find themselves suddenly demonised.

The problem here is not that they all end up polluting our oceans but that plastics have proved more challenging to recycle. The solution lies in a more co-ordinated effort (which our government can surely orchestrate) to overcome these challenges rather than in banning the use of something that has become pretty much indispensable in the food and drink world.

What advice could you give our readers on buying soft drinks, being that there are so many in the market. l Of course you need to give your customers products that they like.

And this means offering old favourites.

But tastes are changing – sometimes influenced by fashion, sometimes by government campaigns ( eg antisugar). So you need to vary your offering occasionally and test out your customers. Particularly in the speciality market you need to have an interesting offering. And I believe the quality of ingredients matters – something that is definitely not the case in the supermarket world.

What we have proved successful at doing is producing products that appeal to a minority. Most soft drinks are geared to the majority and are sweet. Our products like Beet It and Big Tom are actively disliked by a sizable number of people! But those that like them, love them and tend to be loyal and come back time and again. l www.jameswhite.co.uk

HOGGING

The Jam HAVING FOUND OUT ABOUT MY LOVE OF BACON JAM, THE GUYS AT EAT 17 SENT ME A PARCEL THAT LITERALLY BLEW MY MIND

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while a go we wrote about a bacon jam and I expressed how much I like it, and I recently started talking about this again and word got out to the guys at Eat 17.

One day, the door buzzed and a parcel was left for me. When I opened it and saw that not only did it contain some bacon jam, but also a good quality bacon jam cookbook, I was (for once) lost for words.

Those of you who are familiar with our Twitter feed might have noticed the video I made of using the bacon jam to make a fantastic halloumi and bacon jam ciabatta. This video racked up several thousand views now and I have to admit, it was one of the tastiest lunches I’ve had in a long time!

EAT 17

Back in 2006, co-founders Chris and James opened a neighbourhood grocery and bistro in Walthamstow.

Since then they have created a award winning Bacon Jam, opened fabulous stores in Hackney and Whitstable, with a forth in Bishop’s Stortford on the cards, not to mention their own range of delicious ready meals.

The guys say that they are proud to ‘not your average store’. They have spent a lot of time dedicated to doing things the right way; thinking local, prioritising people before profit, taking great pride in their work and, most of all, putting proper food on your plate.

From our point of view, the fact they are storeowners themselves shows they can truly understand what their trade customers are going through and have already considered a lot of the issues faced and can help you with them. It takes a special type of company to be both a supplier and a producer in our opinion.

THE JAMS

Bacon Jam is a whole new condiment concept –a quintessentially British blend of high quality bacon, coffee, bourbon, fresh garlic & rosemary with an ambitious plan to shake up the condiment market!

Bacon Jam was born in 2012 at the Walthamstow, East London restaurant, eat17 owned by co-founders James and Chris. When head-chef Chris added premium smoked bacon to the onion jam he used to top his famous burgers, customers clamoured to buy jars to take home. And the rest is history…

Bacon Jam A smoky, sticky relish. The Original - with an even smokier kick! The recipe was updated late last year to make it even more smoky!

I’d say this is a serious jar of yumminess and I’m quite sad that I’ve run out already Chilli Bacon Jam Like the original, but with punchy red chilli Onion Jam A silky, sweet and moreish relish. Completely vegan!

Chorizo Jam Smoky and sweet, with chunky premium Chorizo

You can do a lot with Bacon Jam, or in fact, any of the above jams! From running them through a pasta dish to release untold amounts of extra flavour, to dishes with more finesse such as pan-fried scallops with carrot and chorizo jam. You can use bacon jam in drinks and even deserts – the list is almost endless.

I use bacon jam on burgers and sandwiches mostly, but I have been working my way through the fantastic recipe book that Eat 17 have made. l www.eat17.co.uk

The Delicatessen Magazine 47

The art of W

SUBTLETY

e are unashamed fans of SAVOURSMITHS range, and we have been awaiting a subtle flavour from this amazing flavour-producing powerhouse of a crisp producer for a while. Subtlety isn’t usually word normally associated with a producer boasting flavours like ‘Champers and Serrano Chilli’, ‘ Truffle and Rosemary’, ‘Parmesan and Port’ and ‘Wagyu Beef With Honey and Mustard’ - Bold and exuberant flavours, oozing luxury and class. However, their latest addition has left us more than satisfied.

A long while back, I asked the question to Mike and Colette to see if they would release a ‘salted’ pack to add to their range. They were thinking about it, but when you care as much about the ingredients and flavourings as Mike and Colette, you need to consider only the best salt available as an option.

WE TEST OUT THE LATEST FLAVOUR TO BE RELEASED FROM ONE OF OUR FAVORITE CRISP PRODUCERS - SAVOURSMITHS THE FOUNDERS STORY

Then, I was bumbling around a trade show when I suddenly had a Eureka moment and realised that I might know the exact salt that they need – a salt that fitted the requirements but also the ethos both companies follow. I can’t take credit for getting everything sorted, however, I hope that my pointing the salt company in question towards the Savoursmiths stand might have helped on the way.

What has happened is that you now have access to likely the best salted crisps you can get your hands on. As you would expect from a premium crisp producer like Savoursmiths, these aren’t just any salted crisps.

These are salted with pure crystal white desert salt from an ancient and pristine source in the Kalahari Desert.

The combination of great salt, great potatoes and great cooking, has created an exceptional tasting crisp, enhancing and enriching the flavour of the delicious spuds. Simplicity at it’s best.

The brand was founded by married couple Mike and Colette Russell Smith. Mike Russell Smith was raised on Russell Smith Farms he has a natural love for English farming and the English countryside, later studying Agriculture at Cirencester. Mike then went on to work in the Wealth Management sector, advising international businesses for over a decade before becoming Managing Partner in De Villermont, an executive search, investment introducer and advisory firm based in London.

Food and farming has always been Mike’s passion and he has now moved back to the family farm taking the business in a modern direction and co-founding the SAVOURSMITHS brand, which uses the farm’s incredible produce (potatoes and rapeseed oil) as well as luxurious international ingredients.

Colette Russell Smith was born in the food and wine region of South Africa and has always been a passionate foodie. Colette is a globetrotting model with a love of the British countryside. She studied her Honours Bachelor in Commerce and before her degree she studied film at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. Colette is also a qualified Pilates Instructor and is very focused on well-being.

She has been an international model for the past 10 years, working with leading agencies across three different continents, representing some of the world’s most esteemed brands in their categories.

She is co-founder of the SAVOURSMITHS brand, combining quality home-grown produce with big global flavours in stylish packaging for a totally new take on a traditional snack.

The SAVOURSMITHS team are huge believers in the humble potato: the family has been farming them since 1938 and know their Roosters from their Russets. They understand the importance of traceability and sustainability, using accredited farming methods and championing sustainable agriculture to ensure culinary excellence.

The family farm is a member of FWAG, LEAF & the Soil Association and is signed up to the Government’s stewardship schemes. SAVOURSMITHS is also a member of LEAF. l www.savoursmiths.com

THE FULL RANGE All their crisps are available in 40g, 150g & 300g bags in the following five flamboyant varieties: Champers & Serrano Chilli The crisp bubble of Champagne is accented with a touch of sea salt and a warming kick of Mexican mountain pepper Serrano chilli.

Truffle & Rosemary l Fresh sprigs of rosemary is combined with a hint of the wild, earthy and decadent taste of black truffle to create a unique snacking experience.

Parmesan & Port l The mellow, smooth sweetness of port cuts through rich Parmesan cheese for the ultimate after-dinner snack.

Wagyu Beef with Honey & Mustard l This famously decadent Japanese beef known for its eye-watering price tag and unparalleled marbled texture and taste is complemented with the sweet bite of honey and mustard.

Desert Salt l The 100% pure, crystal white desert salt from an ancient and pristine source in the Kalahari Desert creates an exceptional tasting crisp, enhancing and enriching the flavour of their delicious spuds. Simplicity at it’s best. l

WHAT THEIR CUSTOMERS SAY “It’s always a joy to find a product that is both super local & tastes delicious.

We love Savoursmith’s unusual flavours & our customers love knowing they are supporting a business just a few miles down the road. The packaging really stands out & has had a fantastic impact on our till point sales. “

Clare at Burwash Larder

‘”A remarkably fab product that stands out in a very competitive field. Better still, Savoursmiths is a premium brand that puts Cambridgeshire on the food map. When our team tasted Savoursmiths for the first time, I have never witnessed crisps vanish so quickly. And our team get to taste a lot of crisps!

Charles Bradford from The Gog

“It is great dealing with such a lovely couple. It is so nice that they are so local to us and being able to deal with local farmers and supporting small local businesses. I personally love the Champers & Serrano Chilli - it’s delicious and unlike anything else I have ever tasted before.”

Ian Larkins from Bury Lane Farm Shop

The Delicatessen Magazine 49

INTRODUCING A FELLOW DELI OWNER, READER AND RECENTLY FEATURED DELI – ‘MR DELI’ AKA BARRIE THOMSON FROM THE HIGHSTREET DELICATESSEN l Known by his regulars as ‘Mr Deli’ Barrie Thomson established The High Street Delicatessen in Newtown, mid-Wales in October 2015. Fuelled by coffee and euphemisms, Mr Deli will be offering a unique perspective from behind his deli counter.

Not too long back you might remember seeing The High Street Delicatessen featured as our deli profile. I signed up to their weekly newsletter, which comes out on a Sunday evening, and has genuinely given me something to look forward to the night before heading back to work! Barrie’s way with words is great, as is the content within. I was also impressed with their social media presence, their way of curating their shelves, and their desire to help other retailers and producers. From the moment we first spoke, I knew there was further work we could do together.

Roll on to January this year and whilst on the train home from the Top Drawer exhibition in London, where I had been tweeting photos of products (and shameless selfies!) I received a reply to one of my Tweets from The Highstreet Deli account saying that they were also there and it was a shame we didn’t meet up! However, they also mentioned that they were going to go to the Scottish Speciality Show in Glasgow the following week, and I decided I would head up to meet them there instead!

Barrie, living up to his ‘Mr Deli’ nickname, had found a lovely deli to serve us some interesting and amazing breakfasts. I was captivated by Barrie and Jojo’s tales of their quest to travel the country searching for great producers and visiting fellow delicatessens and then writing about it on a Sunday. After a breakfast that nearly turned into lunch and tea, it was decided that Barrie needed to also write for us too!

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nvironmental issues are not just fashionable; they are fundamental to the capacity of our planet to support future generations. We all try to do our bit.

Sorting the rubbish at home, bags for life, minimising plastic waste; we’re all taking small steps. At times it feels like young people are still miles ahead of the current generation of decision makers and influencers. So there is always more we can all do. Which brings me to small business and the challenge of ‘greening up’.

We started our little high street delicatessen in a rush ... the premises popped up unexpectedly (crikey, we didn’t even have the notion that we’d be running a deli) and just over 6 weeks later, boom, the doors opened!

I confess straight off, sustainability and eco credentials were not high on our list of Day One priorities.

We inherited paper bags, coffee cups and lids, waxed cheese paper, kitchen products and plastic cutlery. We used them all ... we had loads of costs and only a small group of curious souls popping in. We had a pretty generic selection of products (with one or two handpicked stars of the show which have remained as constants to build the business around). Every penny counted. We used what we had.

Slowly though, the mindset changes.

Underpinning principles become important. An identify emerges from the generic starting point.

We worry more about what happens with our rubbish. We start to acknowledge how much waste we generate as a small business.

There’s a sudden “crikey,

that’s a whole heap of rubbish, how can we cut that down” moment.

So, we take small but positive steps.

The next coffee cup order, recyclable.

Coffee grounds, collected, bagged and passed on to customers with green fingers. In doing so, we loudly acknowledge the efforts of Coaltown Coffee, our amazing Wales-based roaster who provides us with labels for the grounds.

We’re on a roll, so a trip to see Scott James at the roaster becomes an opportunity to explore other improvements. “Would we like a coffee, you bet! Are these new branded recyclable cups - nice one, Scott. We’ll take some of those off your hands. You’re switching to VegWare? ... brilliant, we’re in for some of that action”! Perhaps we can set up a partnership with our local growing cooperative to compost cups that we encourage customers to return to us for disposal. Maybe a couple of raised beds in our Secret Garden (ssshhh, it’s a Secret!) so we can dig them in ourselves and grow herbs for our food service.

Now we’re really thinking and as the brains tick over and our collective mindset forces us to take personal steps towards a sustainable planet, there’s a whole lot more small independents can be doing to reduce their footprint.

Blimey, but we’re late to the party.

We’ve added keep cups to our shelves and reduced takeaway coffee prices for folk who use them. We’re going one step further by selling keep cups at cost price and not passing on additional costs of biodegradable cups to customers. As a small business we need to be prepared to soak up some costs if we are to contribute positively to behaviour changes.

No doubt there are brilliant examples of environmentally-aware good practice that we haven’t even got close to thinking about. But we want to accelerate, starting to run before we sleepwalk to an unsustainable future.

Even small businesses can make a BIG difference! l

BRITISH CHARCUTERIE AWARDS With the British Charcuterie Awards happening for the first time this year, our next few issues will feature some guest appearances from awards co-founder Henrietta Green who will be telling us all we need to know about charcuterie

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’ve been a massive fan of charcuterie for many years. I can spend hours carefully orchestrating a board of cured meats. For me, nothing beats being sat with friends and a large board of charcuterie, cheese and wine.

I actually squeaked with excitement when I heard about the British Charcuterie Awards and as soon as my heart rate came down, I got in touch with the team.

The inaugural British Charcuterie Awards will take place in the dedicated British Charcuterie Tent, on August 2nd, which is the first day of BBC Countryfile Live 2018, held at Blenheim Palace between 2nd – 5th August.

Co-founders Henrietta Green and Charlotte Sharpe-Neal are encouraging farmers, butchers, meat processors and chefs to compete in the nine different classes. These range from air-dried and ready-to-eat whole muscle to native and heritage products with a Champion of Champions Product and Champion of Champions Producer selected from the nine categories.

THE CATEGORIES

Class 1 Cured, Air-Dried & Ready-toEat Whole Muscle Products – based on the whole muscle these are cured and air-dried products that may or may not be cold-smoked. This class includes traditional product such as Prosciuttostyle hams, Lomo, cold-smoked duck breasts or Coppa etc Class 2 Cured & Cooked Whole Muscle Products – based on the whole muscle these need cooking – roasted, boiled, baked or hot-smoked – before eating.

This class includes cooked hams, salt beef etc Class 3 Cured Fermented & Air-Dried Ready-to-Eat Sausage Products - these are traditional salami and other ground meat products that may or may not be cold-smoked.

Class 4 Cured & Cooked Ready-toEat Sausage Products - these need

cooking – typically poached or hotsmoked– before eating. This class includes Bologna, Mortadella, Luncheon Meats and hot-smoked Kielbasa etc.

Class 5 Soft & Spreadable Products – these are made from cured and/or preserved meats. This class includes Pates, Parfaits, Potted Meats and Rillettes as well as products such as ’Nduja, Lard, Sobresada etc.

Class 6 Cured Bacon – these may be green, cold- or hot-smoked but will need cooking before eating. This class includes streaky, shoulder or back bacon as well as rashers from other meats, poultry and game such as beef, duck etc.

Class 7 British Regional Products – this class includes any traditional cured British regional recipes such as Hogs Pudding, Black Pudding, White Pudding, Haslett, Faggots, Bath Chaps, Lincolnshire Chine etc Class 8 “House Made” Products – this class includes any cured products made in a restaurant, hotel or pub kitchen by the kitchen staff for serving within their own restaurants and bars Class 9 Native & Heritage Products supported by Rare Breed Survival Trust & Slow Food in the UK. Meat used in this class must be traceable and from registered stock pedigree parents.

All entries will be authenticated by RSBT. This class is open to all products included in classes 1-8 of The British Charcuterie Awards

CHOSEN FROM CLASSES 1-9 ENTRANTS

Class 10 The Champion of Champions Product – all products achieving Gold (scoring 80+ points out of a possible 100) will automatically be put forward for The Champion of Champions Product Class 11 The Champion of Champions Producer –this will be awarded to the Producer who performs well consistently over a number of classes no less than three products spread over a minimum of three classes.

The judging team has been expanded to more than twenty leading food, retail, and hospitality experts, with more to come on-board. The line-up now includes Head Judge John Gower, who set up the New York’s Charcuterie Masters, British Bake Off co-judge Prue Leith, Chefs Angela Hartnett, James Lowe, Ben Tish, Adam Handling and Neil Borthwick, master butcher David Lidgate, charcutier extraordinaire Stephane Reynaud, Monika Linton, founder of Brindisa, Rich Summers of The School of Artisan Food, food writers Xanthe Clay and Felicity Cloake, Graham Stoodley Charcuterie Manager for Harvey & Brockless, Shane Holland of Slow Food UK, and Tom Beeston of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

“British charcuterie is showing such dynamic development, we feel the time is right for all producers, artisanal or larger-scale, to have an appropriate public showcase for their diverse ranges,” says Henrietta Green.

There are estimated to be over 300 British charcuterie producers in the UK at present, and the sector is growing.

“British charcuterie is much more than just mirroring our foreign cousins. Our producers create great-tasting products, some new with distinctly different ingredients and characteristics, and others echoing our heritage. Our award categories are designed to reflect this complexity and quality,” says awards cofounder Charlotte Sharpe-Neal.

British charcuterie makers and associated producers will also be exhibiting their products in the dedicated Charcuterie tent at Countryfile Live. This is a great opportunity for any retailer to come see and try what is available. l To find out more, check out the website www.britishcharcuterie. live. Twitter: @britcharcuterie Instagram: @britishcharcuterie Facebook: Britishcharcuterie.live.

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