The Delicatessen Magazine November Issue

e h T DELICATESSEN November/December 2017

BRINGING THE INDUSTRY TOGETHER

SELLING THE SIZZLE WE LOOK INTO THE HISTORY OF THE HUMBLE SAUSAGE AND FEATURE SOME OF OUR FAVOURITES!

THE SMART WAY!

Feeling fruity

FROM USING FRUIT FROM A FAMOUS JAM MAKERS FARM TO FINDING IT IN A HEDGE ROW, WE TEST OUT SOME OF THE BEST FRUIT GINS AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET TODAY!

OUR EDITOR GETS TAUGHT TO COOK BY ANN SMART FROM THE SMART SCHOOL OF COOKERY, WHO HAS RECENTLY RELEASED HER OWN RANGE OF PRODUCTS

MEET

KOOKCHA

WE INTERVIEW TAHMINA FARHANG FOUNDER OF KOOKCHA, THE COMPANY BRINGING US A TASTE OF AFGHANISTAN

TheDELICATESSEN November/December 2017

BRINGING THE INDUSTRY TOGETHER

Feeling

SELLING THE SIZZLE

fruity

WE LOOK INTO THE HISTORY OF THE HUMBLE SAUSAGE AND FEATURE SOME OF OUR FAVOURITES!

FROM USING FRUIT FROM A FAMOUS JAM MAKERS FARM TO FINDING IT IN A HEDGE ROW, WE TEST OUT SOME OF THE BEST FRUIT GINS AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET TODAY!

THE SMART WAY!

OUR EDITOR GETS TAUGHT TO COOK BY ANN SMART FROM THE SMART SCHOOL OF COOKERY, WHO HAS RECENTLY RELEASED HER OWN RANGE OF PRODUCTS

MEET

COVER PHOTO:

KOOCHA

WE INTERVIEW TAHMINA FARHANG FOUNDER OF KOOKCHA, THE COMPANY BRINGING US A TASTE OF AFGHANISTAN

TAHMINA FARHANG, FOUNDER OF KOOKCHA

A SMALL TASTER OF WHAT´S INSIDE THIS ISSUE...

Welcome From the Editor l Welcome to our latest instalment of the Delicatessen Magazine Magazine.

There has been a lot going on here this passed few months.

Trade shows, judging for the Farm Shop & Deli Awards, and obviously drinking a lot of fruit gin!

With Christmas looming, this will be the last issue to reach you this year, as we know just how busy you will be.

The next issue after this one will come through to you early into 2018. We can’t wait to hear how successful the festive period will be for you however, please do get in touch!

This issue contains a lot of

interesting content, from a feature on fruit gin to a feature on sausages, oh and I finally get taught how to cook. As usual, there is some terrible puns and interesting photography to keep you entertained, and hopefully you’ll be able to find some inspiration from this issue to help see you through Christmas.

PAGE 7

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SELLING THE SIZZLEeir

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THE SMART WAY

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COOKING LESSON EDITOR CHRIS GETS A ANN HOOD FROM ED WN FROM THE RENO OL OF COOKERY THE SMART SCHO

Chris McNeill, Editor & Publisher of The Delicatessen Magazine, CJM Media

EDITOR Chris McNeill E: chris@cjm-media.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 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.

The Delicatessen Magazine 3

KOOKCHA A taste of Afghanistan

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WE MEET TAHMINA FARHANG, THE LAW SCHOOL GRADUATE TURNED BUSINESSWOMAN & FOUNDER OF KOOKCHA, TO TALK ABOUT AFGHANISTAN’S RICH FOOD CULTURE AND HER RANGE OF JAMS!

I

t’s common here in the UK when we see the word Afghanistan to think about the UK’s armed forces deployment to the country and the politics surrounding this.

However, thankfully, we have Tahmina Farhang and her company Kookcha on the scene to help us realise that there is much more to this culture rich country. Afghanistan is a country that contains over fourteen different ethnicities and a multitude of languages. Kookcha is bringing us flavours associated with Afghanistan’s flavours, such as carrot and cardamom.

Their goal is simple – to put a smile on your face and to brighten your day by giving you a taste of Afghanistan or, as Afghanis might say: “Smile, so the world smiles (back).”

The name Kookcha comes from the famous Kokcha River located in the northeast of Afghanistan.

It captures the cultural focus and identity of the business. Initially created with the intention to introduce ‘a taste of Afghanistan’ to an international customer base, Kookcha’s principal focus is now on supplying high-quality, authentic, sweet Afghani Jams to the growing niche market.

Kindness and generosity are an inescapable part of the Afghani landscape that is passed on through generations and is deeply imbedded throughout its vast territories and its history. In fact, Afghanis are known to integrate these teachings into their daily lifestyles in the form of common sayings, ordinarily recognised as Afghani Proverbs.

Afghanistan was previously an irrigator country and most Afghans in southern and northern parts of the country were farmers and livestock holders. As a result, food from Afghanistan is known to be rich in taste, organic and free from preservatives.

This includes its world-famous bread and dishes such as the Qabeli Pallaw, along with the revered dish, Ashak, Mantoo.

Afghan food is tasteful fusion of the regions that neighbour Afghanistan. Major ethnic groups

are Pashtuns, Tajiks and Uzbeks.

Modern Afghan cuisine is the blending of the cooking methods of the cooking methods of the three.

Influence of India is obvious in the use of spices like saffron, coriander, cardamom and black pepper. The Afghans prefer cuisine, which is neither too spicy nor hot.

Afghan cuisine includes dishes such as Qabli Pulao, which is likely the most popular dish of Afghanistan. It is steamed rice with chopped raisins and carrot. It is often served with lamb. Other variants of pulao are also available in Afghanistan. People eat it with meat, vegetables or beans. Also, Qorma, which is very popular among Afghan people. Onions are fried and meats, fruits, spices or vegetables are added to them.

They also have a variety of Breads: Usually, Afghans consume three types of bread. These breads are locally called Naan, Obi Naan and Lavash.

Naan is made of wheat and is thin, long and oval shaped. Obi Naan is shaped like a disk and is thicker than naan. Lavash is very thin bread and used as plating for meats and stews.

Also well worth a mention is Khameerbob (a pasta dish) which is a popular native dish. It is prepared for special occasions at home.

We are certainly enriched by Kookcha’s flavours and ethos, and it was a real pleasure to put this article together. l

THE RANGE CARROT & CARDAMOM

Carrot and Cardamom Jam is Kookcha’s famed secret family recipe.

It is not produced by anyone else, nor anywhere else.

The Carrots are delicately sliced allowing the Jam to spread softly on toast or crackers and enabling it to glide through taste-buds.

STRAWBERRY

Kookcha uses only the finest strawberries for their Jams.

All strawberries are sourced locally in Suffolk.

Our Strawberry Jam is extremly soft and easily spreadable, with no need for butter (for those worried about calories).

CARROT & LEMON

This unique flavour combination is unlike anything you have tasted before.

Great with cheese as well as crackers and toast. Could also be used as a chutney!

Web: www.kookcha.co.uk

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WE INTERVIEWED TAHMINA TO TELL US MORE...

So Tahmina, tell us a bit more about what inspired you to start Kookcha? l It was the summer of 2015. I had just graduated from law school and planned to do my masters at UCL but they rejected me. I was surprised by my reaction as I was relived.

For the first time, the idea of being a lawyer did not appeal. I knew I had more to offer and to make a change in the world. That is when I set my eyes on starting a business.

Starting a business would give me the foundation to make a difference in the world. The inspiration behind Kookcha and the idea was through my next-door neighbour. My mother and I would make Jams for fun. One day, my next-door neighbour had a sample of our Carrot & Cardamom and loved it. She said she would definitely buy this in the stores.

That is what sparked Kookcha.

As for the name, my father came up with it. One of his favourite places in Afghanistan was the Kokcha River. It is worth saying a year later, I got accepted from UCL and have recently graduated.

We have revealed a little more about Afghanistan’s rich food culture in the article, however what is your favourite? l Definitely Uzbeki pilau. This is one of the most famous rice dishes in Afghanistan.

My mother would always make this in my childhood and I grew up accustomed to it.

I really enjoy mantu as well. This is an Afghan dumpling, which has minced meat in it. Oh, and of course Carrot Jam!

The work you are doing is really helping to get people engaged with a different food culture, was this the original intention? l For many years, people have tended to associate Afghanistan with war and conflict. However, people fail to identify Afghanistan with its rich food culture. So my intention from the very beginning was to introduce the “taste of Afghanistan” to the UK market. I want people to know that my country is more than just war and conflict.

This is why I chose to implement Carrot into our Jams not just because of the flavour it brings, but also because Carrots was first originated in Afghanistan 5000 years ago.

How has the reception been to the flavours of jam’s you’ve created been from those who’ve tried them so far? l The reception has been very positive. Every festival we have attended, including the Taste of London and Kensington Olympia, our Carrot flavoured Jams have sold out.

Kookcha’s Strawberry Jam has also been very popular, with customers enjoying the runny texture of it. But yes, we have been very pleased with how customers react to our Jams and cannot wait to introduce it in the retail market.

Out of your own products, which is your favourite? l I personally enjoy the Carrot & Cardamom, not just because it is my favourite flavour but also because it was the first Kookcha product and is at the heart of the business.

It brings me great memories, as it was the Jam my mother and I used to make the most. So yes, the Carrot & Cardamom for its flavour and the personal connection I have with it.

What are your plans for the future for Kookcha? l I want Kookcha to be a global brand. I want the world to enjoy the food of Afghanistan.

HEAD TO

tradebygfg.uk

GOING TO THE

I

Galleria

t’s no myth that us humans are creatures of habit and we love convenience. With the rise of platform selling solutions for the trade comes a new E-commerce platform that covers consumers, retailers and even wholesalers too.

CEO, Stephen Briggs says: “The Galleria by GFG Truly is a revolution in the sales, marketing and distribution of low volume, specialist and new products to all market sectors eliminating minimum order quantities and giving the consumer the ultimate food selection.”

The Galleria By GFG presents a very unique opportunity for development in the niche market sector, seen as the revolution in the evolution of grocery sales, marketing and distribution, with one delivery point supplying all potential food sectors in the market.

The Galleria By GFG brings together a vast selection of unique specialist foods all in one community through a multi-level sales and marketing platform offering a selection of quality specialist products to Consumers, Retail, Trade, Food Service and Wholesale.

The Galleria by GFG features a unique way to browse and shop online, using a product attribute selection process.

TO START SOURCING PRODUCTS NOW!

WITH THE RISE OF THE PLATFORM SELLING SITE, WE FEATURE THE NEWEST KID ON THE BLOCK WHO’S ALREADY MAKING A NAME FOR THEMSELVES – THE GALLERIA BY GFG The unique product selector allows a consumer to select multi attributes and only be shown products that meet ALL those requirements be they dietary, lifestyle, religionary or by provenance. Many of the Galleria by GFG shops are focussed marketing shops, selling products with only one major key attribute e.g. free-from gluten, kosher, vegetarian, Danish.

MORE PRO’S THAN CON’S

One of the unique features of the Galleria by GFG is that they allow retailers to buy whole cases or split cases. This is especially useful if you wanted to trial various products and wanted less risk attached. Orders over £60 also obtain free delivery!

The Galleria by GFG has its very own Fulfilment centre, with their partner Oakland International, whereby items are stocked here and can be immediately shipped. This also means that rather than having lots of separate delivery dates; you get one invoice, one delivery date and a vast selection of great products, which is growing daily.

few years have supplied traditional Danish food to ex-pat Danes living in the UK as well as a varied range of specialist foods through their website and on mail-order.

The founders will continue to run the business adding skills to the Galleria by GFG through their experience, contacts and procurement expertise.

A WIDE SELECTION OF PRODUCTS ALREADY

The Galleria already has over 60 suppliers with multiple lines already on the site. With products from around the UK and the rest of the world.

Some notable brands include: : l Nairns l The Sweet Beet l PACK’D l The Coconut Kitchen tradebygfg.uk

THE HISTORY OF THE GALLERIA BY GFG

The founders of The Good Food & Gift Company Limited, between them have over 70 years’ experience in the food industry. They have experience in procuring the best quality gourmet food, specialist and national products.

They have always had a sense of ‘the next big thing’ and were one of the first suppliers of balsamic vinegar to the UK as well as the first UK distributor of The Yankee Candles. They continue to be ahead of the curve and for the last

The Delicatessen Magazine 7

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

Deli Profile So Laurence, tell us a bit more about how it all began?

Autumn 2009, disheartened with all the fruit that was going to waste in both my own garden and in friends’ gardens, I purchased an apple press and began making cider. As word got out I became inundated with fruit and so decided to create the brand Virtual Orchard under which to market this truly local tipple.

In 2011 we were awarded the CAMRA Gold Medal Champion Cider of Britain, and that’s when things started to go a bit crazy. By 2012 I had given up my day job to make cider full time and had moved production to an old timber yard on a wharf alongside the Grand Union Canal in Old Wolverton, Milton Keynes, where we also started making raw cider vinegar, apple juice and mead (from local honey).

In 2014 we were granted a distilling licence to make apple brandy, which seemed a logical development from the cider, particularly as there are very few producers of apple brandy in the UK. In 2017, forced to relocate to

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WE MEET LAURENCE CONISBEE OF THE WHARF DISTILLERY & DELI TO TALK MORE ABOUT THEIR PROGRESSION FROM CIDER, TO DISTILLING, TO DELI OWNERSHIP AND BEYOND!

make way for housing development, we were lucky enough to find an old farm shop in a beautiful country retail courtyard setting in South Northamptonshire.

We decided to focus the shop more into a deli with a tap room, and to specialise in selling as much quality local foods and drink as possible, sourcing other products from farther afield to fill the gaps. With our cider and spirits, we took the opportunity to lay to rest Virtual Orchard and to create a new brand for this new chapter in our lives whilst retaining a link to our heritage, and so Wharf Distillery & Deli was born.

passion for what they do and the care and attention they put into creating fantastic products. As a retailer, to have great stories behind the products you sell creates a much richer experience for our customers who really appreciate knowing about the provenance of the goods they buy.

How do you find buying in products that are similar to your own? Do you think you are more critical as you know exactly how they are made?

There can certainly be a tendency to make comparisons with similar products, but for us the key is knowing As a producer and a retailer, do you the producer and their passion for feel this is an advantage to how what they are creating. Obviously we you work with the other producers would like our customers to always you stock in the shop? buy our products, but people like Absolutely. As a producer we choice and if on one occasion out of understand what it takes to launch ten they want to try someone else’s your own brand, and the inherent cider then it’s great to be able to offer challenges of running your own food another local alternative. business out of your home. We also We do like to offer good value to appreciate the challenges in finding our customers though, and there somewhere to retail your products have been a few occasions when we at a fair price. As such we are have had to reject products as the sympathetic to new producers and price that is being demanded does are privileged to be able to help them not resonate with the value we feel develop and grow their businesses by they offer. A common example of showcasing their products in our deli. this is in the craft gin sector where a Being a producer we are lucky to supposedly premium gin maker will be have lots of existing connections asking a high price for their product with local producers and so we which has simply been distilled for already have a real sense of their them and they don’t even understand

the process which has been used to create their product.

We love that you have some really great unique products, especially the craft beers! Do you think this sets you apart from other local retailers?

When we created the deli we were quite clear in that we wanted to offer a large range of interesting products that could not be sourced within 15 – 20 miles. We wanted to create an experience for our customers, a little treasure trove of delights to tantalise their taste buds. A great example of this is beer from the Poppyland Brewery in Norfolk where every batch they make is a one-off and meticulously researched. One of their beers involved them travelling to Norway to learn how to make a traditional farmhouse beer called Vossaøl – it didn’t last long on the shelves!

We also hear that you organise a food festival locally too, what was your inspiration to start this?

Yes, we have been doing small markets using local producers for a number of years so were aware of an increasing demand for quality local products. At the same time we were getting a little despondent when going to larger local food festivals to find some great products only to the discover they were 80 miles away and we would only be able to enjoy their products again via their internet shop.

This prompted myself and a couple of other local foodies to create the MKFoodFest. The idea behind the festival was to create a free to enter food event that focused on producers based within 20 miles of the venue.

Stall fees were priced such to allow even the very smallest producers to be able to afford to attend and to have a great day.

We created a CIC to run the festival and use grant funding and sponsorship from other local businesses to cover all the costs. As a CIC we cannot make a profit so we can focus on providing a real foodie experience. Every stall is food or drink, no gimmicky stalls or bouncy castles. All the children’s activities are food related, all the charity stalls are food related and local.

There are foraging walks, chef demos, foodie talks and live music throughout the day, and this is all set in wonderful

activities don’t necessarily generate much revenue on the night, but they do attract a lot of potential new customers who may otherwise not have considered popping in.

parkland in front of an old manor house, and nestled in a bend of the Grand Union Canal.

What challenges do you feel delicatessens are facing in the near future and how have you overcome these?

I think the biggest challenge is a combination of being able to offer a great go to experience, and then getting that message out to your customers.

We are all very aware that supermarkets have made it too easy to do the one-stop shop and that it is difficult for us to compete on price. What we can do though is to offer exceptional value and a more personal and meaningful customer experience. We don’t see ourselves as just selling product, we like to think of ourselves as the customers’ trusted advisor. We have tried to make our distillery & deli a hub for great food and drink. If anyone wants to know what’s happening on the local food scene then they come to us. If someone wants to know what makes great apple brandy then we are there to guide and mentor.

Of course, you can offer all the above, but possibly the biggest challenge is getting the message out there that we exist and are worth a visit. In our area we barely have any printed media, and even when we have advertised in them we have had poor response. Social media (and an email newsletter) outperform printed advertising massively. It keeps you constantly in people’s minds and puts you on a level platform to the larger players.

Our final thoughts on this are about keeping it fresh. We host lots of events from wood-fired pizza evenings in the summer, pop-up restaurants, tutored wine tasting evenings, and host networking evenings with a talk, tour and tasting. Next year we are planning book-readings, and several workshops to sit alongside our cidermaking course.

Some of these

So, we see that you moved to a new premises in the last 6 months, how did this go and has it helped the business grow?

The move has been great. Not only do we have a great new premises, and admittedly it took longer to complete than planned, but unexpectedly it threw up questions that made us re-evaluate aspects of our business.

Having the deli has opened up a whole new world to us and in particular, it gives us a great platform to showcase our own products. As such we now expect to sell 80% of our cider production through the shop next year, and around 40% or our spirits and liqueurs.

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

At the back end we have already started to expand the distillery, with two new hand-beaten copper stills arriving in from Portugal in November.

This will enable us to massively increase production both for our own products and for a growing number of clients who ask us to make their own spirit. At present we have created apple brandies, single malt spirits and regular brandy for a number of local breweries and vineyards and we see the trend for more bespoke spirits increasing.

As one of only a few distilleries in the country that are licensed to make a very broad range of spirits, next year will see us bringing our own rum, gin and some other exciting new spirituous products to the market. Watch this space.

For the deli it’s going to be about continuing to seek out more great products. Alice has been doing an amazing job finding some real gems: we were one of the first to stock the new and fantastic Droitwich Salt, within only a week or so of them supplying to trade, and she has uncovered a number of local producers who will be going a long way.

Other than that it is all about continuing to get the word out and giving local folk lots of reasons to come and visit us, from tutored tastings and talks to amazing street food evenings, workshops and even Morris Dancing in the courtyard. www.wharfdistillery.co.uk

The Delicatessen Magazine 9

SIMPLY GOOD FOOD TV

PETER SIDWELL’S DISCOVERY COLUMN

C PHOTO: JAMIE HARRIS

hristmas is one of the most important parts of the year for retailers.

It is a great time to feed you customers imagination, with exciting new foodie gifts, delicious new products to inspire them. Many of your customers will have more time over the festive period to get creative in the kitchen so ensure you have some eye catching display to capture this audience. For many it’s all about Christmas day and Boxing Day, but don’t forget all those customers who will have left over turkey to use up, it offers a wonderful opportunity to create a display of products just for using up leftovers.

I have found some great products for using up the leftovers are Hari Ghotra’s Spice kits perfect for a

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WE GET SOME WORDS OF WISDOM ON THE RUN UP TO CHRISTMAS FROM SIMPLY GOOD FOOD TV’S PETER SIDWELL

turkey curry.

Manfood have some fantastic products that really elevate leftover to the next level.

I have just come off a shoot with Nonya Secrets and I have learnt about Singaporean food. This is style of cooking is the perfect antidote to the Christmas hangover of food indulgence, offering refresh light food with amazing flavours.

The next big sales opportunity is New Year Party Food. New Year’s Eve is all about family and friends and not being locked in the kitchen it is the perfect time to buy wonderful ingredients that shine so you can enjoy parting.

I recently wrote a delicious recipe for a salmon cured in The English Gin cucumber gin. This is a perfect way to add another twist to your salmon, whilst also keeping any gin fans very happy. For me it is all about using great ingredients in different ways to add greater depth of flavor.

2017 has been a wonderful year for Simply Good Food TV and we are very much looking forward to what 2018 has in

store. It is going to be a very exciting year and we are looking forward to creating even more delicious food content to share. Content marketing is going to grow yet further in the coming year, with consumers demand for content that they can recreate at home only increasing.

We are always looking for new and exciting products so if you have a product you think we need to know about then please get in touch peter@simplygoodfood.tv To find out how you can get involved and why content is key to driving sales in 2018 download the app and get involved. l Please check out my next magazine video on the Facebook page to find out more. www.facebook.com/ simplygoodfoodtv

The Delicatessen Magazine 11

feeling

FRUITY

WITH THE GIN REVOLUTION IN FULL FLOW, WE EXPLORE THE NEW FRUIT GIN MOVEMENT TO FIND OUT MORE

12 The Delicatessen Magazine

W

ith the gin revolution in full flow, it’s no surprise that we are seeing great developments and paths off of this, opening up new opportunities and trends.

A few years a go, once the winter was upon us, you’d expect to see just one or two commercially made sloe gins crop up on the shelf of a retailer.

Roll back to last year, and suddenly there was a whole section of sloe gin’s to choose from.

Sure, there has always been a demand for fruit gins, especially the humble sloe, but this part of the market is taking a huge step forward as we speak. Fruit spirits have always been a ‘thing’ and especially in the country, yet all of a sudden, they are taking over shelves and bars all over the country.

From small batch to mass made, foraged hedgerow fruit to using otherwise wasted fruit… there is something for everyone and every budget with fruit gins now, and it’s interesting to see how the younger generation are embracing this concept and making fruit gin trendy!

I fondly remember the memories of picking sloes with my father, then picking out the thorns from my hands after! Carefully pricking each sloe and then waiting for what felt like an age for a taste of this purple nectar…

Roll on to my game shooting days.

It was customary to take a bottle of Sloe gin along to the shoot to enjoy, and also to pair with Prosecco to make the famous ‘sloegasm’ cocktails at elevenses. This is where I first found Foxdenton. A brand which makes fantastic sloe gin (amongst other flavours), and after finding out more about the company itself, I moved on to trying other flavours too, such as damson and Winslow plum.

Next thing you know, I’m at a trade show and I see a marvellously pink bottle of gin. Wow, I must have a try of this (whilst thinking how much my wife would like it!). This Raspberry infused gin was delightful, and we in fact wrote about this particular gin only a while a go!

Then suddenly, wherever I seemed to look, there were more and more fruit gins available, more being launched and marketed effectively. There seemed to be younger people, brimming with enthusiasm from the gin revolution, willing to wrap their lips around a glass of fruit gin liqueur. A good example of

THE BRANDS WE ARE FEATURING THIS ISSUE... this is a good friend of mine, who being just turned 30 always tells me how she doesn’t like gin, yet when we last spoke she had just purchased some bottles of the new Wilkin & Son’s Fruit Gin Liquer range. When I suggested that she had forgotten she didn’t like gin, she quickly retorted that fruit gin is different, and doesn’t taste like gin at all to her.

VERSATILITY

I think also a lot of the new trend for fruit gins are their versatility. There are some (actually me included here) who drink certain gins (especially navy strength!) on their own over ice.

However, most would pair with tonic as a safe choice of drink. Sure, there are other ways, but a Gin & Tonic is the most known drink with gin.

When you grab a fruit gin, the possibilities are endless. From sipping them as they come from the bottle, to pairing with a huge number of long drinks, there really is a drink for everyone here.

FAVOURITE PAIRINGS THE SLOEGASM!

Yes, most people giggle at this and think I am making it up. Alas, this is a real cocktail.

This is the combination of Sloe Gin and Champagne (or Prosecco). This makes a really nice flavourful cocktail to be enjoyed amongst friends on any winter’s day.

A DAMN SHAME

This is a mix of Damson gin, a quintessentially English drink as it is, added to a sparkling wine of your choice. Champagne if you are feeling flush, Prosecco or perhaps an English Sparkling wine otherwise.

RHUBARB GIN AND CREAM SODA

If you haven’t been hiding under a rock lately, you would have likely heard about Rhubarb gin! It’s a flavour taking over the nation! Added to cream soda, it’s the work of the gods. I am unsure of the name of this officially (If it even has one yet!), however I’m usually too busy enjoying one to care what it’s called and forgotten what I was pondering after the inevitable top up or three. l

WILKIN & SONS

l The Wilkin family have been fruit farming at Tiptree, Essex, since the 1800s and still grow a wide range of traditional English varieties. Their handpicked crops include strawberries, plums, apples and cherries. Famous for their range of jams, and with a huge range of fantastic products, a fruit gin was seemingly the only great thing they didn’t have to offer.

After meeting local gin distillers Hayman’s Gin in the most unlikely of circumstance (a fascinating story, of which we’ll go into in the article!) they created a range of Fruit Gin Liqueurs, using their fruit with Hayman’s gin, culminating in a fantastic line up of four brilliant flavours.

RANGE: Little Scarlet Strawberry Gin Liqueur, English Raspberry Gin Liqueur, English Damson Gin Liqueur, English Rhubarb Gin Liqueur

FOXDENTON

l I’m a big fan of this brand. I’ve taken their sloe gins to many events and love the unusually big bottle variant (The Goliath, a GALLON of gin! – We’ll go into this more in the article). They are a brand with real prestige, including producing bespoke label for royalty around the world.

THEY HAVE AN IMPRESSIVE RANGE, SUCH AS: Sloe Gin, Damson Gin, Rhubarb Gin, Raspberry Gin, Winslow Plum Gin Golden Apricot Gin, Christmas Liqueur Foxdenton 48 (London Dry)

HEDGE PIG

l From the guys behind the famous Pinkster brand, we have the all-new Hedge Pig fruit gins to test out in this issue! These are literally brand new and judging on the success and taste of the Pinkster, these will go as far and beyond too!

With two in the range to start with, we’ll go through the tasting notes in the article!

ENGLISH DRINKS COMPANY l We feature the fantastic Cucumber Gin as well as the brilliant Cumber mixer!

High quality gin and fresh cucumber taste make this a brilliant addition to this feature.

DOUBLE DUTCH

l We meet the twins behind the Double Dutch brand. I am a big personal fan of their Indian Tonic Water amongst others in their range!

WILKIN & SONS

FRUIT GIN LIQUERS!

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all me biased, but having spent a lot of my youth perusing the fields, tearoom and shop of Wilkin & Sons; I’m a real lover of all their products. They could put the famous label on a lump of mud and I’d still buy one. In actual fact, Wilkin & Sons has the Midas touch with their label. I’m yet to find a product I dislike from their impressive range.

Personally, I have always felt that Wilkin & Sons is a little company with a massive brand and I love it that way. Not a huge corporate machine, the company relies on and looks after its loyal and great staff. Staff that seemingly enjoy being there as much as we enjoy the products! They responsibly and sustainably farm their land, always come up with great new ideas and make sure they use everything they can to ensure less waste. They also do a huge amount for their local community, which in turn makes the community love this feel-good brand back just as much.

Some may feel that it’s impossible to have such a great brand without being a huge corporate behemoth, but I’d invite you to head over to the factory, tearoom, museum and shop to see how it all works for yourself.

It came as no surprise to me that they would dabble in the gin revolution with a fruit gin or two, yet how they actually come to organise

14 The Delicatessen Magazine

OUR FAVORITE FRUIT FARM AND JAM FACTORY RECENTLY BROUGHT OUT AN IMPRESSIVE RANGE OF FRUIT GIN LIQUERS AND WE GET TO TRY THEM ALL! this still tickles me to this day.

It’s important to mention that Wilkin & Sons are a matter of a few miles away from Hayman’s Gin, who they are collaborating with to produce their range of fruit gin liqueurs.

One evening, a director from Wilkin & Sons was at a neighbourhood watch meeting when they met one of the directors from Hayman’s gin.

Conversation soon turned to their businesses and the idea out that perhaps Hayman’s Gin should add some Wilkin & Sons fruit into their gin and see what happens.

On a whim, they decided to have a go, and three thousand bottles were made.

As per the way Wilkin & Sons has operated for a long time, they often test their products for saleability in their own shop, and within one weekend, all the bottles were gone.

Roll on to now, and with their range fine tweaked and in beautiful bottles with the famous label – these bottles are well worth the shelf space.

After having a cup of tea in the fabulous tearoom with Liz Baker and Scott Goodfellow, we went to peruse the shop. Instantly, my gaze averted to the gin display, and after sharpening the elbows, I managed to muscle my

way through to obtain the last bottle of Rhubarb on the shelf. Scott telling me that this new flavour has been exceedingly popular.

The bottles all come in 35cl size, in a particularly pretty bit of glassware!

It’s a handy size, and not too large or too small. The beauty of this slightly smaller size is that you can buy more than one flavour without feeling like you are going over the top. 35cl also is a perfect size for gifting too.

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

When you make a Sloe gin yourself at home. The biggest sin is to use a cheap gin. It’s commonly thought that the humble sloe will solve all of the problems of a bad quality gin, but this just isn’t the case. The better the quality of the fruit and the gin, the better the end product.

With this in mind, it’s easy to see why the Wilkin & Sons range tastes so divine. Hayman’s gin is a great brand to work with. Distilled locally and only the finest botanicals are picked from each harvest. Adding the high quality and well farmed Wilkin & Sons fruit to this gin is a perfect pairing.

High quality fruit in a high quality gin equals pure luxury and divine taste.

WHAT’S YOUR TONIC?

One of the best features of fruit gin liqueurs is that they are versatile.

Where with gin you would normally pair it with tonic water, it still has a fairly strong and distinctive taste.

However, infuse fruit with a gin and suddenly it becomes an incredibly versatile drink. From drinking it straight to making long drinks and cocktails, there really is something for everyone here.

Here’s just a few ideas of what you can do with the fruit gin liqueur range!

ON THE ROCKS!

Any of the range make for a great sipping drink over ice! You get a real depth of flavour of fruit coming

THE RANGE!

LITTLE SCARLET STRAWBERRY GIN LIQUEUR

l The Little Scarlet strawberry is unique to the Wilkin Estates at Tiptree.

These tiny, wild betties require great care whilst growing and picking, but are well worth the effort.

This infusion with gin creates bright, clean strawberry notes with a crisp background of juniper. A really tasty offering and one that many would recognise from the world famous, Little Scarlet Jam.

through when drank this way.

FRUIT GIN SPRITZER

Adding any of the range to a nice mixer of your choice will create a great spritzer! Certainly adds a little something else to the party with the fruity aromas you get. (Hint: Rhubarb and cream soda makes a rhubarb and custard tasting drink!)

FRUIT GIN ROYALE

Adding a dash of Fruit Gin Liqueur to a glass of Champagne or Prosecco turns your drink into a Fruit Gin Royale. Luxury, tasty, and a great party opener! l www.tiptree.com

ENGLISH RASPBERRY GIN LIQUEUR

l One of the most traditional crops farmed at the Wilkin Estate, the Raspberries are perfectly plump and juicy before picking. This gin liqueur literally bursts with fruitiness from the real proper English raspberries.

ENGLISH DAMSON GIN LIQUEUR

l Every autumn, vibrant blue damsons bring a splash of colour to the Tiptree orchards. Each damson plum is carefully hand picked into baskets. This find drink has a beautiful velvet sweetness and a lovely hint of almonds on the finishing note. A delight over ice, or added to Champagne to make a ‘Damn Shame’.

ENGLISH RHUBARB GIN LIQUEUR

l Rhubarb is one of the first crops of the year on the Farm. Is it a fruit, or is it perhaps a vegetable?

Either way, Tiptree English Rhubarb Gin Liqueur delivers that distinctive sweet, yet tart, combination.

Adding this amazing flavour to cream soda makes a ‘rhubarb and custard’ like drink which is very tasty.

Also, Rhubarb gin is hugely trending at the moment.

FOXDENTON

WITH THE NEWLY ARRIVING FRUIT INFUSED GINS TO THE MARKET, WE WANTED TO ALSO FEATURE A COMPANY WHO HAS BEEN MAKING FRUIT GIN’S FOR A LONG TIME ALREADY – THE BRILLIANT FOXDENTON ESTATE!

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he ‘History of Foxdenton’ page on their website is one of the best history pages I have had the pleasure of reading, and often come back to read it again! Yes, I should be talking about the gin, but hang on.

With portraits of past Radclyffe’s back to 1569 and with tales of their chivalry (one of which was part of the charge of the Union Light Brigade in the battle of Waterloo!), you can’t help but feel a great feeling when you get a bottle of Foxdenton in your possession.

Having spent a great deal of time gallomping about the countryside,

hipflask in hand, filled with sloe gin or Damson vodka, I’d say I’ve had my fair share of fruit infused spirit drinks.

I have always made my own, however, one of the first I actually brought was a Foxdenton sloe gin, and I’m glad I did.

British people are known for their persistence, determination and grit - a well-known fact amongst friends and foes of the past. Just one small example of this persistence is that we seemingly found that certain fruits, such as the humble Sloe are far too tart to eat on their own, yet we still persisted in finding a way of enjoying them rather than moving along to something easier and wasting the annual hedgerow harvest.

Steeping fruit in alcohol has been a pursuit faithfully undertaken by many, especially country folk, for many generations and there are many country pursuits that wouldn’t be complete without a sip or two of this fine stuff.

Foxdenton has made a huge dent in this sector, with many prestigious game shoots and country estates buying in their fruit gins by the crate.

I’ve been with Nick when a visiting

very prestigious deli asked about the possibility of own labelling and stocking as they had heard great things about this brand.

THE FOUNDATIONS OF GREAT FRUIT GIN

Foxdenton make great fruit gins, and with this comes a lot of practice and picking the perfect fruit and ability to get the balance just right. However, the quality of the base spirit is important and Foxdenton use a very good quality base spirit, supplied by the prestigious Charles Maxwell distillery. From the beginning to the end, there is certainly no expense spared on making sure that their products are as perfect as the brand that is supplying them. I am and always will be a big fan of the Foxdenton brand, and a sip or two after you have tried one, you will be too.

THE RANGE

Foxdenton has a great range, something to appeal to everyone!

What was apparent when I last saw Nick at a trade show was how popular Rhubarb was. Nearly every person who passed by the stand would insist on a thimble full of Rhubarb before explaining they had come from afar in the hall just to try it!

The range includes: l Sloe Gin l Damson Gin l Rhubarb Gin l Winslow Plum Gin l Golden Apricot Gin l Christmas Liquer l Foxdenton 48, London Dry Gin

www.foxdentonestate.co.uk

DAVID VERSUS GOLIATH

l There is a lot of dainty smaller bottles available at the moment, including from the Foxdenton range, who incidentally have picked some beautiful glassware! However, in what can only be described as a masterly move, Foxdenton released the Goliath upon us. A Gallon of gin, yes, a gallon!

The Goliath is a fantastic sized bottle; one does not simply overlook the Goliath. This is the gift to give someone who has

got everything already.

Surprisingly, these are favourably priced and sell very well. When I saw Nick at a trade show, many would come to have their photo taken with a Goliath of gin too.

On a busy shelf where a real showstopper is needed to grab attention, this is it.

The Goliath can be filled with: Sloe Gin, Damson Gin, Raspberry Gin, Plum Gin or even engraved bespoke and boxed!

The Delicatessen Magazine 17

THE HOBBY THAT GREW OUT OF CONTROL

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FROM THE CREATORS OF PINKSTER GIN, THE ALL-NEW HEDGEPIG BRAND IS ABOUT TO BE UNVEILED, AND WE LOVE IT!

nyone who knows me personally will know I am a fan of puns, terrible jokes and am slightly unorthodox. Being in the company of Stephen Marsh is enough to know I am in familiar territory. We’d covered off more puns in an hour than most people could in months. Perfect.

Stephen is also a creative genius, with a real ‘will do’ attitude. We’re talking about a man who was previously a Financial Director and a keen countryside gent who loves to forage for nature’s best seasonal fruit in his spare time. Stephen started to make his own gin for a rather different reason to most. He in fact had to see a doctor about not being able to drink.

This is the opposite of most peoples drinking related doctor visits! After finding a doctor to finally take him seriously, it turned out that Stephen can’t process sugar and yeast as well as he should and that after a brief alcohol hiatus, he could return to drinking but only vodka or gin.

At this point, Stephen started to make his own gin in his kitchen and

18 The Delicatessen Magazine

started to infuse it with Raspberries, as this would add a little flavour and turn the drink into what he called a ‘pudding gin’, which he could enjoy of an evening.

After making this concoction as a hobby for twelve years, he decided to turn it into a business, alongside friend and colleague Will Holt who is a marketing guru. Next thing you know, Pinkster was born.

Roll on a few years later, they are doing better than ever and now are ready to launch Hedgepig as a brand that will have two new flavours to start, and maybe even more in the future.

Really encapsulating the point that this is a hobby that really has grown out of control, and for our benefit!

ALL IN A GOOD BASE

As I’ve mentioned before, a good fruit gin starts with a good gin. This is where Pinkster started; a gin created with more juniper than most others, and one that suited the infusion of the wet fruit that it was infused with.

However, with economies of scale and the business thriving, it was time

to look at other distilleries providing the base spirit to help the growth of the brand. Stephen searched and tried many, but found that none were quite like his own and after much persuasion, managed to convince a distillery to create the base spirit, with his own recipe, not theirs!

This same great base spirit with extra Juniper has been used for the Hedgepig range, and thus certainly reassures us of a good quality product being made here.

THE BIRTH OF A HEDGEPIG

Behind the scenes, Stephen has still been making his own batches of other flavours for himself with foraged fruit, and luckily for the rest of us, he’s now willing to share!

Stephen’s ability to pair flavours is quite unique and special. He says that obviously Raspberry and Mint is a great combination, yet Raspberry and Juniper is a ‘natural pairing’. His next move was to create a Bullace and Quince gin. Classic flavours that work brilliantly together and are not readily available elsewhere.

WHY HEDGEPIG

Obviously what is important is the taste of a product, and more on that later, yet the first step is to get someone to pick it up in the first place.

I was very impressed with the Pinkster bottling and labelling when I first saw it, and feel it really had a place in my own cabinet and looks great in any bar or on any shelf.

From seeing the first run of Hedgepig bottles, I have to say I’m mighty impressed with this bottling too. Great glassware with a interesting shape and premium feel. The name also gives the impression of foraging,

with connotations of a truffle pig, which is relatable to the fact that they really do forage fruit, making the brand much more authentic and showing real provenance.

THE RANGE WILD BULLACE AND QUINCE l This

is a perfect combination.

The little known Bullace (A variety of plum), foraged from East Anglian hedgerows with Quince found in Suffolk, added to a great base spirit which really shows off it’s juniper notes.

RAMPANT RASPBERRY l Again,

the great base spirit of the original Pinkster is used here, but this time with Cambridgeshire Raspberries being added in a higher concentration than in Pinkster which allows for a fuller flavour. Perfect as a aperitif, or added to champagne or other sparking wines. l

The Delicatessen Magazine 19

THE

English

DRINKS COMPANY

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or a long time I have put cucumber in my Gin & Tonic’s, as well as infusing Cucumber in water. Perhaps I’m rather typically English, as I also am a big fan of the humble cucumber sandwich. Cucumber is a fantastic flavour for being so refreshing and really cleansing ones palate with numerous health benefits.

I remember when I first heard about the Cucumber Gin made by The English Drinks Company and I went in search of this fine drink at my earliest convenience.

The English Drinks Company was formed by Graham Carr-Smith, who back in 2012 launched a cucumber soft drink – Qcumber (also featured in this issue - see page opposite!)

Graham set out to deliver an authentic cucumber gin rather than a gin flavoured with Cucumber. Using only premium ingredients and a using a traditional method of infusion using copper pots, they are uncompromising in their approach. Premium quality product with brilliant flavour.

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WITH THE FACT THAT CUCUMBER IS TECHNICALLY A FRUIT, WE COULDN’T POSSIBLE MISS OUT ON FEATURING THE ENGLISH DRINKS COMPANY’S CUCUMBER GIN IN THIS FRUIT GIN FEATURE! CUCUMBER GIN

International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) Silver Award 2016. l This aromatic premium gin is the essence of an English summer. The contemporary twist of cucumber combined with a delicate juniper base are all you need for the quintessential summer drink with a difference.

The cucumber’s sweetness subtly compliments the vibrant botanical ingredients resulting in a delicate and unique taste experience.

Cucumber Gin is happy to be mingled with coriander sprigs and mint, take the lead role in a gin fizz or simply to be enjoyed over the freshest of ice.

You can stock either a very smart black bottle in 70cl size, or an equally smart clear bottle. The bottling and labelling is quite exquisite and these bottles really do look great on the shelf. You can also buy smaller 5cl miniature bottles too.

The English Drinks Company also produce another great flavour, which is their Classic Pink Gin.

CLASSIC PINK GIN

l The English Drinks Company’s Classic Pink Gin is a delicious blend of traditionally crafted gin together with the subtle flavours of pomegranate and chinchona bark leading to a delicate, smooth taste to suit all palates.

The 70cl bottle of this Classic Pink Gin looks amazing. The colours coming through are amazing and really do look awfully tempting to the eye. You can also buy 5cl bottles too. l

QCUMBER! FROM THE SAME CREATOR AS THE BRILLIANT CUCUMBER GIN, HERE’S A SOFT DRINK WHICH IS SO REFRESHING ONE SIP WILL TRANSPORT YOU STRAIGHT TO THE BRITISH SUMMER AT ANY TIME OF THE YEAR

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’m an unashamed fan of the flavour of cucumber. Sandwiches, water, gin, with elderflower in sparkling water, anything with a cucumber flavour and I’m there.

Being super excited whilst trialling The English Drinks Company’s Cucumber Gin, I almost lost my mind when owner Graham told me about their Qcumber soft drink. What more could I possible want – the refreshing flavour of cucumber with gently sparkling water.

After 14 years of making innovating products for the health sector and always looking to create innovative products to fill gaps in the market, Graham Carr-Smith had another Eureka moment. On a summer evening, he was enjoying a gin with slices of cucumber in it and at that point wondered if Cucumber could be the next ‘in’ flavour.

After many hours of trials and with a lot of work put in, the new Qcumber drink was ready to be unveiled!

Qcumber really is very versatile. I

THE RANGE THE ORIGINAL

l Available in either 330ml or 750ml glass bottles or in a slimline 250ml can.

QCUMBER WITH MINT

Available in 330ml or 750ml bottles, this is a perfect blend of the natural cucumber flavour with garden mint. l

QCUMBER WITH SPICY GINGER

Available in 330ml or 750ml bottles, this is a perfect blend Qcumber with Spicy Ginger and with just a hint of lemongrass oil. Enjoy served on it’s own or perfect as a mixer for whisky and other amber spirits. l

really enjoy it on its own, however it’s also great as a mixer for gin or other spirits such as vodka or even Pimms!

I must admit, I was so impressed when I first tried this drink that I went in search of a stockist almost straight after the trade show I’d just come from. In a market stuffed full of wacky flavours or plain waters, this very clever Qcumber drink is just the ticket for any shelf.

PREMIUM MIXER PACK

The same unique Qcumber original blend but with extra bubbles to make it the perfect mixer for Gin or Vodka (200ml bottles) l

THE HEALTH CREDENTIALS

There is a lot of talk about sugary drinks and the future. This is where I feel Qcumber excels.

Qcumber contains only natural ingredients and is free from artificial sweeteners, colours, preservatives and flavourings.

The ingredients are: carbonated spring water, natural cucumber extract, beet sugar & citric acid.

It has a clean fresh taste, which makes it perfect as a stand-alone adult drink. Only 26 calories per 100ml (half that of other key lines in the category) Or perfect as a mixer as described earlier in the article. l www.englishdrinkscompany.co.uk

The Delicatessen Magazine 21

GOING

DUTCH

WE HAVE COVERED HOW A POOR QUALITY GIN WILL SPOIL A GOOD FRUIT GIN, AND YOU CAN ALSO SPOIL A GOOD G&T WITH A BAD TONIC. THIS MONTH, I GET TO TALK ABOUT MY TONIC OF CHOICE FROM DOUBLE DUTCH

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hen you are buying a premium gin and wanting to really elevate all the botanical notes and interesting flavours within it, the most important factor for me personally is what you would mix it with. There have been a few mixers lately that have become very famous around the UK, yet I feel can overpower the notes of the gin you’ve mixed it with.

When I first found Double Dutch, I knew I was on to a winner, and it’s been a real pleasure to see this great company evolving and growing with time, and because of the quality of their product, not the size of their marketing budget.

I do like bitter flavours, however some Indian tonic water has a bitter after taste that I find over bearing. One of the major benefits of the Double Dutch Indian Tonic Water is that they have balanced it so that you don’t get such a bitter after taste. A perfect product to stock to recommend to those who equally dislike the bitterness at the end.

22 The Delicatessen Magazine

SEEING DOUBLE

Raised in the Netherlands, Double Dutch’s twin founders, Joyce and Raissa, have a natural affinity with superlative drinks and excellent blendings. After all, they come from the birthplace of gin!

But their love affair turned to frustration. While the world’s choice of spirits has continued to grow, mixers have remained bland, or overpowering.

Double Dutch is the result of this love affair – uniting great spirits with complementary mixers that enliven and enhance. Richard Branson supported the Double Dutch vision by giving the twins a Foodpreneur award for their innovative Food and Beverage brand.

From the world’s best mixologists through to those who prefer their G&T on the sofa at home, the Double Dutch twins have created revolutionary mixers to intensify enjoyment of spirits, or to be drunk solo.

THE RANGE SODA WATER

Flavour: Not all soda waters are created equal! This Soda Water is based on spring water from the North of England that is used as the base for all the mixers because it’s both healthy and pure in flavour.

They carbonate it and use two salts, Sodium Bicarbonate and Citric Acid, to provide the perfect balance of fizz and bitterness. This soda water brightens any cocktail and is refreshing to drink solo.

SKINNY TONIC WATER

Flavour: Just like their Indian tonic water, the skinny tonic is the ideal soft drink for those watching their weight.

With 60% fewer calories than the classic variety, this zesty and rewarding low calorie tonic is satisfying enough to drink alone but also rounds out the flavour of white spirits like gin and vodka superbly.

With pink grapefruit bringing piquancy to the first taste and juniper berry balancing quinine’s crispness with a rounded aftertaste there’s nothing skinny about this slimline mixer.

Aroma: Subtle with a dry finish.

POMEGRANATE & BASIL

Flavour: Often considered to be a superfood, pomegranate has a complex flavour profile that straddles sweet and tart but also

offers a tannin note to provide body and structure to cocktails.

Basil, in the anise family, has always been renowned for lifting acidic flavours such as tomatoes and in a soft drink its peppery top note is a superb counterbalance to pomegranate, delivering a complex, exotic midtaste that supports rather than overwhelming a mixed drink.

Aroma: Herbaceous aroma with a sweet and tangy finish.

INDIAN TONIC WATER

Flavour: Tonic water, the classic pairing for gin, has a love/hate reputation.

The twins began by brightening the top of the quinine flavour with pink grapefruit and then they deepened the lower notes with a subtle hint of juniper berry to round out the angularity of quinine and lengthen the finish of the tonic, reducing the bitter after-taste to which many people object.

Aroma: Delicate and soft with a slightly fruity finish.

GINGER BEER

Flavour: Ginger is a natural ingredient in many mixers, but no other ginger beer offers the spiciness and depth of flavour that Double Dutch provides.

Three different gingers combine to offer a complete taste experience: the first is spicy with a peppery base, the second has a peppery, citrus note and the third is a sweet, earthy flavour with a light zesty finish. Finally, they use a lime note that offers a fresh and juicy flourish to the mix.

Aroma: Spicy with a citrus finish.

CUCUMBER & WATERMELON

Flavour: While watermelon and cucumber are both part of the Cucurbitaceae plant family, watermelon’s natural sugars bring warmth and shine to the traditionally fresh savour of cucumber.

While cucumber has a traditional affinity for gin and lighter summer fizzes, the additional depth offered by watermelon allows their Cucumber & Watermelon mixer to support light rums, vodkas and other base spirits that require a little warmth to come to life.

Aroma: Slightly sweet aroma with a fresh and cool scent.

CRANBERRY TONIC WATER

Flavour: There’s nothing aggressive about our Cranberry Tonic with Ginger.

Instead it’s a seductive mixer designed to pair the astringency of quinine with the perfectly balanced sweet’n’sour of cranberry, both warmly followed by ginger’s complex spiciness to linger lovingly on the palate. Blending a light summery aroma with a warm finish, this flavour was created to be the soulmate for all dark spirits.

Aroma: Bitter with a deeply warm sweet finish. l www.doubledutchdrinks.com

The Delicatessen Magazine 23

COCONUT GOLD!

24 The Delicatessen Magazine

COCONUT GOLD

THE ULTIMATE IN COCONUT PRODUCTS

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oconut products have enjoyed a lot of popularity in recent years, with many uses. From being useful for the health conscious, to making cooking and baking even tastier, you can do a lot with the humble coconut. However, in the huge popularity rise, there have been many companies you can buy coconut products from, some with better and healthier products than others. We caught up with Mr Udaya Wanduragala, from Unique Enterprises (UK) Limited to tell us more about their coconut business in Sri Lanka and what we need to know about their Coconut Gold products.

Coconut Gold can trace their history back over forty years, from when they opened their first mill in Sri Lanka’s ‘Coconut Triangle’.

Today, as a growing family business, they produce thousands of litres of coconut oil every week. Not only for their own business, but also supplying other companies in Sri Lanka with this precious liquid. The family has established coconut based products that are so unique in taste and flavour that they are now sought as far afield as Australia, Far East, Middle East and of course UK and Europe.

Their plantations are all organic, and are renowned for their nutrient rich soil. This in turn creates great quality coconuts, which are also full of nutrients and natural flavour.

After years of perfection, they use cold press method to extract the organic coconut oil. Unlike many coconut products in the market where only the white flesh is used, they ensure the whole coconut is used for all their Coconut Gold products, making the oil not only so much creamier and nutritional, but giving their range of products a flavour that is wholesome and unique.

To ensure the products are in perfect condition and customer service kept to an all-time high, family members manage worldwide importation and distribution centres. In UK they are working with marketing consultant Ms Davina Chauhan, who is an avid follower and user of all Coconut Gold products. Together Udaya and Davina

THE BENEFITS OF USING COCONUT OIL

are on their way to build this family run business to establish Coconut Gold in UK as the standard for all others to follow. There are many other companies making coconut products to sell to the UK, yet it is hard to compete with Coconut Gold’s wealth of knowledge and family secrets passed down generation to generation to ensure that they get the most out of each and every coconut and pass this natural goodness on to us all.

All Coconut Gold products are natural and there are no artificial additives or flavour enhances.

Currently Coconut Gold is available in high end independent health stores and of course online at www.coconutgoldonline.co.uk Just look out for the unmistakable and distinctive Coconut Gold label.

• Healthy heart

ORGANIC COLD PRESSED COCONUT OIL

• Helps insulin and hormones in the body to function properly

THE RANGE

500ml/1 Litre Glass Jar/ 4 Litre / 20 Litre l 100% Raw Organic Cold Pressed Coconut Oil from Sri Lanka.

Organically grown within the famous Coconut Triangle to maintain the consistency of purity, natural aroma and flavour distinct to the Coconut Triangle. A wonderfully creamy & nutritious organic coconut oil.

COCONUT FLOUR – BROWN

Available in packs of 500g, 1Kg, 10Kg and 25Kg l Organic gluten free Brown Coconut Flour of the highest quality full of protein and natural fibre. Made from naturally dried coconut meat, including the outer skin. Ideal for following a paleo diet.

SHREDDED COCONUT – FINE Available in packs of 250g, 500g, 1Kg, 10Kg and 25Kg l Shredded Coconut – Fine contains unsweetened pure organic shredded coconut with no additives. Cooking with this product enhances any dish with a pure coconut taste. Unique natural processing methods are used to seal all the nutrients and flavour.

Coconut oil is classified as a superfood, suitable for all age groups. It provides important and beneficial fats, which have benefits such as: • Raises HDL (Good Cholesterol) • Contains around 50% Lauric Acid • Strengthens and supports immune system • Assists in accurate functioning of the thyroid glands • Contains MCT (Medium Chain Triglycerides) which once digested in your system turn into energy, not fat

• Anti-fungal & anti bacterial • Helps break down food and convert it into healthy nutrients for the body

ROASTED COCONUT CHUNKS

Available in packs of 250g, 500g, 1Kg, 10Kg and 25Kg l Ideal health snack for an energy boost, a great tasting and nutritious snack made from sundried organic coconut. Chopped into bite-sized pieces and toasted to perfection without any loss of nutrients or flavour.

SHAVED RAW COCONUT CHIPS Available in packs of 250g, 500g, 1Kg, 10Kg and 25Kg 100% Organic l Rich in vitamins, minerals and electrolytes shaved raw coconut chips are great added to breakfast cereals, smoothies or baking recipes, or eaten on their own as a tasty and nutritious snack. l www.coconutgoldonline.co.uk

MAKE SURE YOU READ THE NEXT ISSUE TO READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH DAVINA HERSELF!

The Delicatessen Magazine 25

THEY MUST BE NUTS! ALREADY EATEN BY ROYALTY AND WITH SOME VERY PREMIUM RETAILERS WANTING TO GET ON BOARD, WE JUST HAD TO TRY OUT THE NEW CHAMPION & REEVES RANGE OF PRODUCTS!

26 The Delicatessen Magazine

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’ve been a big fan of Champion & Reeves products since I first ever found them. Their Desert Nougat is simply divine and often can be found hidden in my snack draw at home. Then I tried their Butterscotch, which is also absolutely amazing. A nice little touch that to me screams luxury is that they use real fresh double cream for their butterscotch, sourced locally and this does make a big difference.

It doesn’t take long when talking with Jacqueline Champion to realise that she has a real care for health and diet. Preferring to use locally sourced and great quality ingredients rather than cutting corners to make extra margin. This is comforting but also noticeable when eating the products, they all taste so good and with each bite giving you a plethora of flavours and levels of depth.

Riding the wave of success and having a great following including royalty, they recently brought out some more products to add to their range. Chocolate covered nuts in short, yet there is much more to them than just that!

PREMIUM OR PRICEY?

Sometimes, products can be put in premium packaging with fancy names and with hideous price tags then attached to add to the woe. On the flip side, there is some very generic and cheaply made produce out there too.

To put it into context, let’s look at the new chocolate covered nuts that Champion & Reeves produce.

Yes, you can find a bag of cheaply made generic chocolate covered nuts in most places, yet they fall far short of the Champion & Reeves offering.

With great quality and well sourced chocolate, Champion & Reeves work this into being 60% cocoa, in order to give the dark chocolate bitterness but the balance needed to not overpower the nut underneath.

A lot of care has gone into these, and already the range has attracted interest from the highest of prestigious establishments and I can totally see why.

The packaging is also important.

The new snack boxes and tins are both equally as beautiful and premium to the touch. Aesthetically pleasing and ergonomic to handle, overall these chocolate covered nuts are packaged in something of a work of art that kept me quite pleased throughout the whole eating experience. In fact, I kept the tin for use in my ‘man cave’.

THE NEW PRODUCTS! DARK CHOCOLATE (60% COCOA) ROASTED ALMONDS 60G Also available in 130g presentation gift tins l Champion & Reeves have now developed a new chocolate pocket box range for that everyday treat or to share with a friend or two. Each pocket box contains 60g of delicious almonds covered with thick dark semi-sweet 60% Cocoa chocolate, and infused with award winning kiln dried sea salt packed with the minerals from the sea.

DARK CHOCOLATE (60% COCOA) HAZELNUTS 60G Also available in 130g presentation gift tins l Each pocket box contains 60g of delicious hazelnuts covered with thick dark semi-sweet 60% Cocoa chocolate, and infused with award winning kiln dried sea salt packed with the minerals from the sea.

When I first tried Editor´s these, I couldn’t put Verdict the box back down.

These are really lovely. From wanting to share with friends because I wanted them to see this nifty packaging, I also didn’t want them to run out either. I’ve had many chocolate covered nuts in my time, yet none as luxury and tasty as these.

A REMINDER OF THE REST OF THE RANGE! DESERT NOUGAT Champion & Reeves dessert nougat is a unique recipe, based on the famous ‘nougat de Montelimar’.

The first nougat

factory was built in Montélimar in 1770 and since then, the authentic nougat has been very popular.

Although the French town of Montelimar is the birthplace of nougat, the mixing of almonds and honey dates back to ancient Greece and the term ‘nougat’ derives from the latin “nux gatum”.

THE TEXTURE AND TASTE A firm structure, but with a surprisingly soft and smooth texture. A complexity of delicate flavours and aromas.

The Nougat Contains: • 23% almond, 9% pistachio, 29% honey BUTTERSCOTCH l A velvety, buttery consistency with a subtle taste of orange blossom honey, enriched with healthy mineral ingredients.

The name ‘butterscotch’ first appeared in the county of Yorkshire, England in the early 1800’s. It is most likely that the name came from the term “to scotch”, meaning to cut or to score, allowing the cooling confectionery to break into pieces later. Sugar and butter are cooked together until they react under heat – a process known as the “maillard reaction” – providing a rich confectionery, golden brown in colour with an irresistible flavour.

CREAM TOFFEE & MACADAMIA creamy melting toffee enriched with golden roasted macadamia nuts. Their Cream Toffee is made with real British double cream, enriched with golden syrup, brown sugar and molasses, and layered with the most expensive nut in the world, the macadamia. l

lA

Web: www.championreeves.com Tel: +44(0)1743 363888 Email: admin@championreeves.com

The Delicatessen Magazine 27

Füri N

ew to the UK, Füri are proud to be launching one of their best sellers, the Furi Pro 5 Piece Knife Block Set. It is perfect for fruit and veg prep, and for cooks who really want and need a proper knife set to enhance their culinary skills.

Füri was established in 1996, designed by leading Australian engineers & international chefs. The spirit is one of balance, between the weight and solidity of the West and the true sharp edge of the East. The super-fine crafting of superior beveled edge blades, made from high grade Japanese stainless steel, ground and polished for the perfect finish, makes them second to none. Naturally, they come with a 25 year guarantee.

Whether you are the chef in your own kitchen, or proprietor of a 100 cover Michelin starred restaurant, the ability to use and enjoy your knives is a prerequisite, as is the need for tools that are worthy of the skill and love you put into your culinary creativity.

The handles feature a revolutionary wedge-shape that locks into the hand for a safer grip helping to reduce hand fatigue, a key issue for those doing a lot of cutting in the kitchen. The Füri ethos being

28 The Delicatessen Magazine

AUSTRALIA’S LEADING INNOVATOR OF PROFESSIONAL KITCHEN KNIVES AND SHARPENERS ARE LAUNCHING IN THE UK AND WE CAN’T WAIT! that if it feels right in your hand then it is right for your hand. The result is a knife that has gained worldwide recognition and popularity as shown by the long running endorsement of their Australian Brand Ambassador, Kylie Kwong.

Many British cooking fans will know Kylie, Australian Masterchef, restaurateur, TV presenter and author, who says of Füri, “Sharp, perfectly balanced and an innovative handle that makes knife work so much easier.

I now only use Füri in the kitchen.”

As Füri say… Sharper thinking.

Füri’s products would certainly enhance any shelf they are stocked on, and offer your customers great quality equipment at sensible prices. We’d have no hesitation in recommending these products to you. l

To find out more about Füri and how you can stock them, please get in touch with The Food Marketing Expert on the below details: Email: ask@thefoodmarketingexpert.co.uk Tel: 01480 276555 or 07769 683020

SELLING THE A

Sizzle

long time ago, it’s my first day of sales training. The new kid on the block, in an oversized suit and bad tie that I’d borrowed from my father.

Sales trainer is prancing around the table with a laser pen talking about closing deals. He soon comes on to mention about selling the ‘sizzle not the sausage’. He’s lost my attention now. Not because I didn’t know what he meant, alas, he’d just mentioned my favourite food and I was now counting down the minutes until lunch.

In a market worth over £700 million per year to the UK as a retailer, it’s worth researching which sausages you should stock.

Fellow sausage aficionado Robert Gunn, who runs A Taste of Anglia, describes a sausage as a blend of ingredients, not a piece of meat.

A sausage should be about taste and succulence. I really like this analogy. Robert went on to explain how the best quality sausages are made from prime pork shoulder meat. However, the growing demand for reduced fat

content has seen some sausage manufacturers introduce leg meat, which is lower in fat, but creates a denser, dryer product. The skill lies in creating a reduced fat sausage where the level of succulence and eating pleasure is maintained.

HISTORY OF THE SAUSAGE We do love sausages here in the UK, and with each region having their own special variety that they believe gazumps the others. However, we didn’t invent them. There is evidence to suggest that sausages were made by the Sumerians (modern day Iraq) back 5000 years ago!

However, it is believed that the Romans brought them to Britain around 400 AD. They would combine fresh pork with finely chopped white pine nuts, cumin seed, bay leaves and black pepper.

By the Middle Ages, sausage making had spread around Northern Europe.

Different varieties of sausage were becoming available with butchers using locally available ingredients to flavour their sausages. In some locations, it is believed that the early sausage makers become so good at making distinctive local flavours that their fame spread across Europe.

It was within the reign of Charles I the 1st that sausages were divided into the links we see today. People would hang the sausages in the chimney to be cured mildly to help them keep and also adding flavour.

In Britain, during WWII, sausages were nicknamed ‘Bangers’ as they had

high water and lower meat content (around 10%.) The water turned to steam during cooking, causing the contents to explode from the casing.

SOME SAUSAGE FACTS & FIGURES

l August 2015 to August 2016, the

nation consumed 175,713 tonnes of sausages in the home, worth £717 million of retail sales. l 85% of British households buy sausages, approx. 12 times per year. . l Each household spends an average of £31.20 per year on sausages l Every day, 3.5 million meals containing sausages are eaten at home l A staggering 1.26 billion meals containing sausage are eaten in the home each year l Sausages are eaten as part of an evening meal/teatime in the home (61%); compared to 24% at breakfast and 14% at lunch. l 31% of the sausage market (by volume) is classified as premium, 58% as standard, 5% as low fat and 6% as economy l Sausage sales (by volume) are more than double the sales of burgers and grills

IN THIS FEATURE

We are going to explore more about a famous, royal warrant holding sausage maker Musks with their traditional Newmarket sausage, as well as the famous Braughing Sausage from Hertfordshire.

MUSK’S SAUSAGES AVAILABLE FROM THE FINE FOOD ANGEL

B

ack in 1884, James Musk created a recipe for a Newmarket sausage. He surely knew it was a really great product, however I’d wager he’d have had no idea that even now over 130 years later, the same recipe is more popular than ever and hasn’t changed a bit!

This recipe is kept as a closely guarded secret, handed down generation by generation and ensures the sausages continue to be made to the same exacting standards. Most sausages contain rusk, but Musk’s Newmarket sausages are made with bread, delivered daily by local bakeries, to give them the succulence for which they are renowned.

In 2012 in an interesting development, in 2012 the Newmarket Sausage was granted PGI status. whereby A sausage can only carry the Newmarket name if it is produced within the geographical area of Newmarket. They are in good company with products such as the

30 The Delicatessen Magazine

PGI PROTECTED, FOUR ROYAL WARRANTS, AND WITH NEWLY REVAMPED PACKAGING, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE BRILLIANT MUSK’S SAUSAGES! Cornish Pasty and Melton Mowbray pork pie that also enjoy PGI status.

With the recent launch of the new Slim & Slender Sausage, a reduced fat, dairy and gluten free version of the original but with no compromise to flavour, I decided to explore further into this historic but ever evolving company.

THE ROYAL SEAL OF APPROVAL Musk’s Sausages have been popular with the Royal Household since the beginning of the 20th century. The company has been granted Royal Warrants by four members of the household including the present monarch. The first in 1907 from the Late King George V (then the Prince of Wales), later in 1929 by the Late

Edward, Prince of Wales, thirdly in 1965 by the Late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and currently from Her Majesty the Queen in 2000.

The Royal Warrant is recognition of personal service of the highest order.

To be considered for a Royal Warrant a company must supply a member of the Royal Family with a product or service for a minimum of 5 years.

THE FIRST GLUTEN FREE SAUSAGE Musk’s introduced one of the very first gluten free sausages way back in 2000, using the same pork shoulder meat and spices but replacing the bread with rice. The flavour and texture are almost indistinguishable from the original recipe and Musk’s were recognised with a Gold Award for this product by the Guild of Fine Food Retailers.

I strongly believe this very tasty gluten free sausage is well worth some fridge space!

NOT ALL SAUSAGES ARE CREATED EQUAL There are some major features that distinguish Musk’s as a brand worth buying. One of the biggest for me is the quality of the ingredients.

As I mentioned throughout the gin article, the better the ingredients going in, the better the taste. This applies equally to sausages.

The meat used by Musk’s is prime

British pork shoulder from fully traceable pigs reared on Red Tractor Assured farms. There is no doubt that shoulder meat is the best for sausage making. After inspecting the

lean shoulder meat, it is weighed into 80lb batches, mixed with bread and spices and passed through the mincing machine. Natural casings are slipped onto the machine’s nozzle, which is

THE RANGE

MUSK’S GLUTEN FREE SAUSAGE l A slight twist on the original recipe. They have removed the bread and substituted rice, which together with their British pork shoulder meat make this award winning sausage. Ideal for those with a gluten intolerance; they retain the succulence and flavour of the original sausage.

All our varieties have received recognition from the Guild of Fine Food Retailers by being awarded their Gold Award.

THE ALL NEW SLIM & SLENDER! l We asked Ed Sheen, director of Musk’s to tell us more about this new product. Ed says: “Slim & Slender is made using prime quality, locally sourced, shoulder meat. We do not put leg meat into our sausages. The result is a much tastier and succulent reduced fat sausage, compared with many of the other dryer, dense, low fat products.

We use gluten free pea flake instead of bread or rusk, allowing us to promote the product as reduced fat, gluten and dairy free.

There are 8 instead of 6 sausages in a pack of Slim & Slender, allowing the consumer to reduce intake whilst continuing to serve 3 sausages per portion. The pack weight and price will be the same as our standard sausage range.

Slim & Slender sausages contain less than 5% fat and typically 68 calories per sausage.”

THE ORIGINAL NEWMARKET SAUSAGE l Musk’s Newmarket sausages are made to the recipe created by James Musk in 1884. Traditionally made small batches, using fully traceable pork shoulder meat from British pigs, locally baked bread and a secret blend of spices encased in a natural skin to retain the succulence for which Musk’s sausages are renowned.

PORK & ASPALL CYDER SAUSAGES trading history between them, Musk’s and Aspalls have united to create these pork and cyder sausages combining all the succulence expected of a Musk’s sausage with the distinctive flavour of Aspall cyder.

Musks’s have been making the authentic Newmarket sausage since 1884 and this sausage is a subtle change to the recipe.

Aspall have been producing cyder in Suffolk since 1728. The cyder ingredient in this exquisite sausage is Aspall Premier Cru which won the coveted “Worlds Best Cyder” award in 2008 and 2009.

Truly a Suffolk product of exemplary heritage.

l With over 400 years of

set subject to the size and style of the sausage required. The natural casings are thin but strong. They should never be pierced and will not burst when cooked. The sausages are twisted into links, then hung on racks to dry for twenty minutes. The end result is an attractive curved sausage – delicious. They show a good meaty appearance that is proudly displayed in their recently restyled packs.

Covering the sausages in cellophane is the only automated element in the packing process.

The combination of brightly coloured modern packaging and a tried and trusted range of sausages will create an eye catching display in any cold cabinet. l Musk’s full range of sausage products are available to retailers via www.thefinefoodangel.co.uk and ww.musks.com

PORK & LEEK SAUSAGES l Here is the award winning pork & leek sausage. The recipe is based on the wellknown sausage created

by James Musk but with the addition of leeks. These sausages bear the hallmark of quality for which Musk’s are renowned.

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL RECIPE CHIPOLATAS l A special recipe only available in the November and December each year. This recipe won the National Speciality Sausage of the Year in 2015 in the Sausage of the Year Awards held during British Sausage Week.

It is a truly festive recipe. With the inclusion of chestnut puree and cranberries, plus a secret blend of spices, this sausage makes a fantastic addition to a Christmas meal!

THE BRAUGHING SAUSAGE O

AVAILABLE FROM THE FINE FOOD ANGEL

riginally selling for one shilling and ten pence per pound (around 10p today), not much has changed except the packaging and the price. Every time you bite into time proven product like a Braughing sausage, you are stepping back in time to enjoy the same flavours that the Hertfordshire folk were experiencing almost 100 years ago.

In my quest to find some great quality sausages, I’m very glad I discovered ‘The Braughing’. With recently launched new packaging it is a great time to give this traditional Hertfordshire Butcher’s Sausage a place in your chill cabinet.

WITH A RECIPE DATING BACK TO THE 1920S, THIS FAMOUS HERTFORSHIRE SAUSAGE IS EVER GROWING IN POPULARITY AND AFTER A TASTE, WE KNOW WHY!

THE HISTORY OF THE BRAUGHING SAUSAGE

Braughing is a picturesque village situated between the rivers Quin and Rib among the chalk hills of East Hertfordshire. With its lovely houses and unbridged ford, it is an unlikely location to find the home of a renowned sausage! Back in 1954 Douglas White & his wife Anna started trading from a butcher’s shop next to their family home.

Whilst bringing up their young sons, they found time to develop the recipe for a delicious sausage, taking the original family recipe dating back to 1920 and adding a few of their own tweaks.

When they started, rationing was still in force. People remembered the war years and how it was necessary to make meat go further by mixing it with other products. The good old English ‘banger’ was part of the staple diet and so the Braughing sausage was conceived. Far from being a ‘banger’ itself (the banger so called because the high water content turned to steam during cooking causing the skins to explode), the ‘Original’ Braughing sausage became renowned with the locals. As the word spread, people travelled from far and wide to buy their favourite variety.

So popular were the sausages that the ‘Original’ recipe had a younger brother - the ‘Extra’. The ‘Braughing Extra’ appealed to those seeking a

meatier sausage. They developed a following of their own, satisfying a niche market.

The meat in the Braughing shop was always the best quality available and together with a small deli-counter selling locally produced, top quality condiments and rubs, the shop gave the local community a shopping experience to remember. These qualities were always the fundamental basis of trade.

When Richard White took over from his father, he continued to run the business as a high quality local butchers whilst satisfying an unprecedented demand for the sausages.

From the start to the present day these qualities have always been the fundamental basis of trade and when Richard White took over from his father he ran the business with an emphasis on being the best local butcher and satisfying an unprecedented demand for the sausages. So popular has it become that the sausage can be found on many pub menus and is available in top delicatessens locally.

Braughing sausages could be found on many pub menus and were available in top delicatessens locally. Richard took great pleasure in the popularity of what had become ‘his baby’! When he retired in 2007 he was determined that ‘The Braughing’ should live on.

The business was bought by Musks Ltd, who pledged to continue making the Braughing sausage to the same high standards, without compromise

to quality and without changing the recipe in any way.

THE RANGE

THE ORIGINAL BRAUGHING SAUSAGE l Available as full size or as a Chipolata or Cocktail sausage using the same recipe and standard created

by Douglas and Anna White back in 1954. A truly remarkable sausage!

BRAUGHING EXTRA PORK is a slight change to the award winning Braughing Original sausage, with an extra 10% pork creating a lovely meaty sausage.

A truly delightful flavour and a sausage for all occasions.

l This

BRAUGHING CHRISTMAS SAUSAGEMEAT l Same great sausage meat recipe, but with the addition of Cranberries and Chestnut Puree.

A FIRM FAVORITE FOR MANY

With over 30,000 sausages produced each week, there is no doubting the popularity of this great tasting sausage. l

The full range of Braughing sausage products are available to retailers via www.thefinefoodangel.co.uk and www.braughingsausage.com

The Delicatessen Magazine 33

POWERED BY

POPCORN! I

AFTER FINDING A PREMIUM POPCORN BRAND WHO COAT THEIR POPCORN IN REAL CRUSHED RETRO SWEETS, I JUST HAD TO FIND OUT MORE!

do a lot of triathlon and running events throughout the year, and one of the hardest parts of long distance triathlon is nutrition. Of an evening after dinner, I am yearning for a nice sweet desert, yet I know that I need to be also concentrating on replacing carbohydrates, especially during carb loading phases.

For me, I use popcorn for this.

Popcorn is a go to snack nowadays, yet I haven’t found many that truly impress me. Some say they are premium but in reality they are just premium packed. I would class myself as a popcornoisseur, and I am glad I found Retrocorn.

I love finding a company who doesn’t realise just how good their products are, and this is what I found when I met with Greg Taylor, founder of Retrocorn who goes by the job title of ‘la grande kernel’. From stepping into the factory, to hearing the story, I couldn’t be any more excited to share this story with you.

34 The Delicatessen Magazine

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

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, hand crush the sweets and ultimately make one of the tastiest popcorns I’ve had the pleasure of eating!

PREMIUM POPCORN?

The question really is what makes anything premium. I feel (rather cynically) that the word ‘artisan’ is bandied about far to often and ‘premium’ along with it. Often, the products going in are not premium at all, just the packaging and the marketing campaign.

Let’s take a look at why I think Retrocorn really is premium:

MUSHROOM OR BUTTERFLY?

There are different types of corn for popping. Butterfly popcorn is rather distinctive insofar that when it’s popped, you’ll notice it opens up into two like a butterfly. This is cheaper and this is why a lot of manufacturers use it. However, it’s not as good for coating and also breaks up quicker in the packet.

Mushroom corn is where the corn once popped looks like a single ball, akin to a button musroom. This is more expensive, but holds flavours better and doesn’t break up into bits within the bag.

Retrocorn use the Mushroom variety corn for their products, so consumers get the best possible experience.

NO BITS!

There’s nothing worse when eating popcorn than when you crunch down and nearly lose a tooth to an un-popped kernel. Some bags I’ve had have contained a lot of un-popped kernels, which is always quite disappointing.

Retrocorn has three separate steps (including hand sifting!) of quality control to try to ensure that there is as little un-popped corn as possible in your bag.

Inevitably you’ll occasionally get one or two, or a not full popped kernel… but nothing as bad as most!

FLAVOURING

It would be easier and cheaper for Retrocorn to buy in bottled flavourings, or buy in cheaper sweets.

Yet, Greg is insistent that the sweets must be of great quality and also without nasties in. Greg cares a lot about the sweets aspect, and allegedly rigorously taste tests each new batch.

Retrocorn also use good quality olive oil to pop their corn too. This makes for a better flavour and health credentials.

THE RANGE

Strawberries and Cream Rhubarb and Custard l Lemon & Lime Sherbet l Cola Cube l Cherry Pips l l

WHAT PEOPLE THINK

Another venture of mine is Reel Reviews Live. A channel where myself and Ian Bates take products and get the public to review them on film, so we can capture their real reactions to products, totally unbiased.

During a meeting with Greg and

also Ian, we were talking about public feedback of the products and Greg hadn’t really done much anonymous testing before, usually just asking feedback himself at food fairs.

As quick as Ian could jump from his chair, he’d already thrown Greg’s coat at him and ushered him out of the office instructing him to grab a box of product and follow us.

We took a few boxes of Retrocorn to a local wine bar we like, and asked the staff what they think as well as some customers, with Greg staying back, ensuring he wasn’t seen to be part of Retrocorn. The bar staff, the punters, the public and other shops we popped into all loved the packaging and the taste. So much so in fact that the wine bar now stocks the product. l

Check out the video on the Delicatessen Magazine website’s video section www.thedelimagazine.co.uk/video

BRINGING NUTS TO LIFE! NUTURAL WORLD

WITH NO SUGAR, NO OIL & NO ARTIFICAL FLAVOURS, BUT WITH A WHOLE PLETHORA OF AWARDS, WE HAD TO MEET UP WITH MORDECHAI CHACHAMU TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HIS NUTURAL WORLD NUT BUTTERS!

I

’ll be honest, there’s not many times I can say that I’ve had something really healthy and actually enjoyed it. I’m a real glutton and have a sweet tooth. It’s one of my biggest downfalls.

Nut butters are very important to me, as well as many others, and especially when they can boast good health credentials.

When I spoke to Mordechai Chachamu and he explained his range of products have no added oil, sugar, or artificial flavourings, I felt that my prayers had been answered. I use nut butters as a protein source and was always led to believe they were healthy for me, until I read the label on one and was quite aghast.

GREAT TASTE

To win awards, especially with Great Taste, your products have to be really

36 The Delicatessen Magazine

great in their field, especially in categories like nut butters. However, Nutural World has had a lot of success with Great Taste awards, including winning accolades on their Pistachio, Cashew, Hazlenut, Coconut Cream and Pine Nut butters. They also have great taste stars for their spreads such as their Almond & Coconut and Sesame & Date. That’s an impressive spread!

(Pun intended).

However, as great as industry awards are, just as (if not more) important is what the public thinks too.

I did my research, and on one selling site I read a review from a consumer called Katie who said “The flavour of this nut butter is surprising and unimaginably good.

With just three simple, natural ingredients they’ve created a little jar of moreish magic. The real test is not polishing this off in one sitting”

and a reviewer called Graham says “I bought one jar at the Good Food Show and it lasted a day in our house as everybody loved it on their toast.

Just bought another 4 jars in the hope they last longer than 4 days”.

TESTING, TESTING

With new products being offered to you every day, it’s hard to know what will sell well from your shop. Mordechai believes in tastings and helping retailers see just how saleable his products really are. Recently, he was at a great deli and he conducted a tasting session and they sold so many jars, there was hardly any left for the shelf!

It’s initiative like this that not only helps the retailer see how good a product is, but also shows how willing a producer is to put in the hard yards to not only impress you, but also your customers.

THE RANGE ALMOND AND COCONUT SPREAD l A satisfyingly crunchy spread made of 100% highest quality almonds, lightly toasted and stone milled to preserve their great taste and aroma, mixed with almond pieces. Excellent source of Vitamins and Minerals, this highly nutritious butter is healthy and enjoyable on its own (try it on freshly toasted bread) or as an ingredient in other dishes.

HAZELNUT AND CAROB SPREAD l A satisfyingly spread made of 95% highest quality hazelnuts, lightly roasted and stone milled to preserve their great taste and aroma. We add about 5% of Carob, to give it a luxurious taste, similar to other well known spreads – but with no added sugar, oil or other artificial flavours and substances. An excellent source of vitamins and minerals, this highly nutritious butter is healthy and enjoyable on its own (try it on toasted bread) or as an ingredient in other dishes. Available in a Smooth or Crunchy texture.

SESAME AND DATES l Using the highest quality ingredients, we grind the sesame seeds and the dates together, to create an amazingly tasty and fragrant spread. To round up the flavour, we add a dash of vanilla bourbon from Madagascar – the highest quality of vanilla in the world.

PECAN AND FIGS SPREAD l A satisfyingly spread made of 90% highest quality pecans, lightly roasted and stone milled to preserve their great taste and aroma. We add about 10% of figs, to give it a luxurious taste, with the cake-like smell of a Christmas pudding.

It is created with no added sugar, oil or other artificial flavours and substances.

An excellent source of vitamins and minerals, this highly nutritious butter is healthy and enjoyable on its own (try it on toasted bread) or as an ingredient in other dishes. Available in a Smooth or Crunchy texture.

CHOCOLATE HALVA SPREAD l Dark chocolate spread, with sesame and dates adding a rich oriental exotic texture. Use it as a spread, add it to smoothies, porridge or just as an ingredient in baking.

SMOKED ALMONDS l Actually cold-smoked almonds and a dash of Himalayan salt combine to create the tastiest savoury natural spread.

ALMOND DELIGHT l Almond and raisins, with a hint of rose essence, combined to deliver an amazingly tasty and versatile spread.

PISTACHIO BUTTER l A delicately smooth and luxurious butter made of 100% highest quality pistachio nuts, lightly toasted and stone milled to preserve their great taste and aroma. Excellent source vitamins and minerals, this highly nutritious butter is healthy and enjoyable on its own (try it on toasted bread) or as an ingredient in other dishes.

PECAN BUTTER l A satisfyingly crunchy spread made of 100% highest quality Pecan nuts, lightly toasted and stone milled to preserve their great taste and aroma, mixed with Pecan nut pieces.

Excellent source of vitamins and minerals, this highly nutritious butter is healthy and enjoyable on its own (try it on toasted bread) or as an ingredient in other dishes.

ALMOND BUTTER l A satisfyingly crunchy spread made of 100% highest quality almonds, lightly toasted and stone milled to preserve their great taste and aroma, mixed with almond pieces. Excellent source of Vitamins and Minerals, this highly nutritious butter is healthy and enjoyable on its own (try it on freshly toasted bread) or as an ingredient in other dishes.

CASHEW BUTTER l A satisfyingly crunchy spread made of 100% highest quality Cashew nuts, lightly roasted and stone milled to preserve their great taste and aroma, mixed with Cashew nuts pieces. Excellent source of vitamins and minerals, this highly nutritious butter is healthy and enjoyable on its own (try it on toasted bread) or as an ingredient in other dishes.

HAZELNUT BUTTER l A satisfyingly spread made of 100% highest quality hazelnuts, lightly toasted and stone milled to preserve their great taste and

aroma. An excellent source of vitamins and minerals, this highly nutritious butter is healthy and enjoyable on its own (try it on toasted bread) or as an ingredient in other dishes. Available on its own or mixed with hazelnut pieces.

Just select your preference above.

MACADAMIA NUT BUTTER A satisfying smooth spread made of 100% highest quality Macadamia nuts, lightly roasted and stone milled to preserve their great taste and aroma. An excellent source of vitamins and minerals, this highly nutritious butter is healthy and enjoyable on its own (try it on toasted bread) or as an ingredient in other dishes. l

COCONUT CREAM l The smoothest Coconut Cream you can find! Made of dried coconut flesh, this silky smooth coconut cream will enhance any dish.

BRAZIL NUT BUTTER l A satisfyingly crunchy spread made of 100% highest quality Brazil nuts, lightly toasted and stone milled to preserve their great taste and aroma, mixed with Brazil nut pieces.

Excellent source of vitamins and minerals, this highly nutritious butter is healthy and enjoyable on its own (try it on toasted bread) or as an ingredient in other dishes.

PUMPKIN SEED BUTTER l A satisfyingly crunchy spread made of 100% highest quality pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted and stone milled to preserve their great taste and aroma, mixed with whole pumpkin seeds. Excellent source of vitamins and minerals, this highly nutritious butter is healthy and enjoyable on its own (try it on toasted bread) or as an ingredient in other dishes.

PINE NUT BUTTER l Winner of TWO STARS in the Great Taste Award 2017. Winner of One Star in the Great Taste Awards 2016 An absolutely stunning product, as versatile as it is delicious.

Surprisingly sweet and highly aromatic – a delicious spread made from just pine nuts.

WALNUT BUTTER l A bitter-sweet, highly aromatic spread made from high quality walnuts – and nothing else! l

Web: www.nuturalworld.com Email: admin@nuturalworld.com Tel: +44 (0) 7973 269 614

The Delicatessen Magazine 37

DAVID MACK

S

ince the industrial revolution the whole world has been figuring out ways to mass produce and in most cases it makes complete sense - it reduces cost and can sometimes increase quality at the same time. A complete exception to that rule, in my opinion, is food. Rarely, if ever, do food or drink products taste better when they are mass produced. As a regular consumer and as someone who has been in the fine food industry for many years now, I have tasted hundreds of products, both mass produced and artisan and the difference between them can be staggering.

It comes as no surprise that with growing interest in artisan foods, the supermarkets have tried to get a piece of the action but the reality is that these behemoths simply can’t stock true artisan products. They need huge volumes to be able to stock the thousands of stores they run, have little to no flexibility in the way that goods need to be delivered in and have other requirements that make supplying them all but impossible for true artisan producers.

This leaves independent retailers with a wonderful USP to take advantage of. Take Fruit Magpie, who produce a hard set preserve, or “fruit cheese” - Hazel, the owner, was up a tree picking fruit and then had them roasting in the oven a few minutes later - the result... a fabulous product full of character (cherry plum was my favourite). Another example is Dhikari, who produce a ‘modern’ bombay mix. It is abundantly clear that they have designed their products by taste rather than by using an accountant who calculates that skimping on this or adding that reduces cost and increases profit. We scoffed the sample they sent us in seconds, with the savoury one being our favourite. No supermarket bombay mix comes even close - this is true product innovation. Another example, Aztec Gold, who produce handmade,

38 The Delicatessen Magazine

Column

DAVID MACK OF THE FINE FOOD ANGEL OFFERS INSIGHT ON NEW PRODUCERS, BUYING TRENDS AND MUCH MORE! organic, bean-to-bar, dark chocolate crafted from unroasted cacao beans possibly one of the best chocolates I’ve tasted and I was born in Belgium. And Littlestone Coffee Roasters - a micro coffee roaster based in Devon run by a young couple (have a look on the site if you have an account) - I don’t know what their secret is but their coffee tastes way nicer than the stuff I used to buy from the supermarket. I feel rather lucky to be at the centre of this fine food world - we get to try some truly wonderful products!

Before I decide I need a second lunch(!)... back to the supermarkets for a second... one thing the supermarkets do get right is their purchasing chain - from producer (manufacturer!) straight to them - no high margin middlemen inflating

prices in between. In the independent sector, wholesalers typically apply a 25-30% margin and charge additional fees to the producer that all get factored in to the trade price. I am doing my best, via The Fine Food Angel, to encourage direct trade by creating an organised and efficient way for retailers and producers to work together because getting the kind of products described above to market efficiently and cost-effectively will help make the wonderful world of independent food stores and artisan food production thrive. It’s too late...

I want that second lunch! l www.thefinefoodangel.co.uk

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THE SMART WAY I GET A COOKING LESSON FROM THE RENOWNED ANN HOOD FROM THE SMART SCHOOL OF COOKERY, WHO’S RANGE OF PRODUCTS NEED TO BE STOCKED FAR AND WIDE!

I

’ve told you all before that I’m simply just not a good cook. I try, and try but for the life of me I can’t seem to be the cook I imagine I am. However, this all changed on an autumnal day a few weeks a go.

Driving through the beautiful Essex countryside, watching a few Cock Pheasants pondering life in the field just outside Ann’s haunt – The Smart School Of Cookery, I wondered what lay in store for me that day.

Ann is an ex Masterchef contestant and cooking extraordinaire, who’s cookery school has gone from strength to strength with classes being undertaken all the time, across four separate locations! I felt very privileged to spend any time with Ann, knowing just how hard working she is and with her crazy busy schedule. With a range of products to help the home cook make worldclass meals, and with new packaging design being rolled out across the range, now is a great time to get stocking these products.

Today we were going to make TWO meals at the same time. We were going

40 The Delicatessen Magazine

to make a curry and a risotto at the same time, a crazy notion in my mind, but I rolled up my sleeves, donned the famous apron and nervously waited for what would be my first task.

Firstly, I learnt some amazing skills about how to chop an onion with speed and precision, and how to cook rice properly using an oven. Another trick I’ve used since is to slice vegetables with a peeler to create long peels of vegetable to put in a curry at the last moment, so they stay slightly al dente and retain all their flavour and nutrition.

DISHES WE MADE ANN’S SURPRISE CURRY l A dish even I can create! (and have done multiple times since!).

Simply adding some of this fine curry mix to some coconut milk, or water forms a brilliant curry paste.

After sweating off some onions and browning some chicken, we added this paste and more coconut milk and at the end, some vegetables, to create a fantastic curry. This dish literally took 20-25 minutes to prepare and cook and tasted amazing! The photos in this article were all took on the day, and I actually made this! (With some guidance, and a few stern telling off’s from Ann!)

ANN’S SMART RISOTTO l Whilst cooking up a super curry, Ann also said we’d make a Risotto. At first my face must have shown what could only be described as pure dread.

Everyone knows that Risotto’s are super hard to get right, right?

Well, the tub of dry mix was staring me in the face. This was a Mushroom Risotto, my favourite! Opening and placing 50g of mix per person eating to a oven proof dish with some optional diced onion and pouring over some boiling water, the dish was then inserted into the oven for 20 minutes at 200 degrees and it came out a Risotto.

Strike me down was I surprised by that. Adding a little grated Parmesan just before serving made this a Risotto to die for, but not die over making. Perfection.

Overall, I think you can tell from my writing, and the photos that our cooking was a success! I never broke a sweat, there were no ‘F’ words used in the kitchen, and no blood was spilled.

Since my cooking experience, I’ve cooked both Risotto and Curry from Ann’s kits at home and in less time than it would normally take me to rifle through the freezer looking for something to cook and settling for an inferior and less healthy choice.

THE FULL RANGE

ANN’S SMART SMOKIES l Simply pierce the pouch and place in a BBQ or in a foil lined pan, place a sheet of parchment on top and place your chosen meat/fish/veg/garlic on top, lid on and smoke on a high heat for approx. 20 mins. Up to 3 uses.

ANN’S SMART RICE PUDDING Everyone’s favourite! Flavours include Blueberry, Caramelised Banana and Raspberry Green Tea. l Allow 35g per portion and add 100ml of water, coconut milk or your preferred milk choice. Place in an oven proof dish. Stir well, cover and cook in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees for approx 20 minutes.

ANN’S SMART BREAKFAST Flavours include Cranberry, Apple and Coconut and Three Seed. l Allow 35g per portion and add 100ml of water, coconut milk or your preferred milk choice. Stir well and either microwave for 2 minutes or simmer in a pan to thicken.

ANN’S SMART RISOTTO Flavours include Beetroot and Mushroom. l Mix dry ingredients well. Place

OTHER PRODUCTS IN ANN’S SMART RANGE INCLUDE:

optional diced onion with 50g risotto mix and 100ml of boiling water per portion in an ovenproof dish. Stir lightly, cover and cook in the oven at 200 degrees for approx 20 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed

ANN’S SMART CURRY MIXES Flavours include: Ann’s Surprise, Japanese Katsu, Malaysian, Padang, Thai Green. l Add 1 dsp to a tin of full fat coconut milk serves 4-6 people

ANN’S SMART OIL 250ML For all dressing, roasting and frying Flavours include: Balsamic, Blackcurrant, Chilli, Garlic, Lemon & Mustard, Mojito, Raspberry & Rosemary.

Less than half the saturated fat as olive oil and 90% less than coconut oil All smart oils have just the right amount of seasoning and garlic - so no need to season. Simply shake and use!

ANN’S SMART SWEET CHILLI SAUCE MIX l Place 1 dsp of mix with 150ml of water and boil to reduce to a jam. Serve.

ANN’S SMART SUGARS l Add to your cooking or simply dress at the table. Lemon and Lime/ Jamaican Gingerbread/Raspberry and Green Tea.

ANN’S SMART RUBS l Add a teaspoon to some rapeseed oil and brush over your meat/fish or veg before or after cooking. Chicken/Fish/ Lamb/Pork/Potato/vegetable

ANN’S SMART PICCALILLI MIX l Place 400gr of chopped veg tossed in 4 dsp of salt into the fridge for up to 1 hour. Reduce by half in in a pan 1 dsp of mix with 150ml of white wine or cider vinegar (add 2 dsp of honey for sweet piccalilli) then add rinsed veg to remove salt to the pan. Serve. l Products are available to retailers via www.thefinefoodangel.co.uk and www.annsmartschool.com

The Delicatessen Magazine 41

STORE CUPBOARD

Essentials

WE CATCH UP WITH FIONA FROM SHROPSHIRE SPICE TO TALK ABOUT ESSENTIAL STORE CUPBOARD ESSENTIALS YOUR CUSTOMERS WILL CERTAINLY NEED OVER THE FESTIVE PERIOD

S 42 The Delicatessen Magazine

o, you’ve done Christmas day. You’ve cooked, entertained, drank an obscene amount of ‘Christmas Spirit’ and all of a sudden you remember those distant relatives of yours are coming round for dinner. I’ve been in this situation many times over the years and each time I feel like I want to offer them a cold turkey sandwich, yet seemingly go in search of a recipe book.

Christmas is a time where we all seem to get together with our friends and families, and there is many

times where a decent meal is a pre requisite but at a time of year where we all want to have a bit of time to relax and unwind as well.

Since when I first found out about the Shropshire Spice Co, I’ve been enjoying how easy it has become to knock up a family meal in a short time with the littlest of effort, and I wanted to just remind you all about some of the great store cupboard essentials that the Shropshire Spice Co produce, that customers of yours would really appreciate having in their possession.

MULLED WINE Walking into a house in the winter and smelling the wonderful aroma of mulled wine being warmed on the stove is an absolute delight. Knowing you have guests coming over is the perfect time to crack out a bottle of red and get it on the stove with the appropriate mix of spices.

Making your own blend of spices is doable for sure, but why spend the time when you can easily grab a sachet from Shropshire Spice Co. Their traditional mulled wine recipe is a fine blend of herbs and spices in a muslin sack, which is perfect for our favourite winter warmer!

They also do a mighty fine Gluhwein mix as well as a spiced cider mix too! Oh and a Hot Toddy mix for those needing a little bit of TLC.

THE RANGE INCLUDES:

THE SO SIMPLE RANGE:

WHOLEMEAL STUFFING BLENDS l Apricot & Almond l Cider Apple & English Sage l Cranberry, Orange & Roast Chestnut l Parsley, Thyme & Lemon l Plum & Ginger l Roasted Chestnut l Plum & Ginger l Sage, Red Pepper & Shallot l Wild Mushroom, Garlic & Herb l Wild Sage & Roast Onion

These really are super simple to make, and yet are super delicious too. A firm favourite in our own house is the Xacutti curry. These mixes can be made on the hob, or with a slow cooker – making it very easy to make a hearty and tasty meal with the hardest part being done for you already.

WHITE CRUM STUFFING BLENDS l English Sage & Roast Onion l Parsley & Thyme l Roast Chestnut, Cranberry & Apple l Sage, Lemon & Chestnut GLUTEN FREE STUFFING MIXES l Cranberry, Apple & Roast Chestnut l Parsley & Thyme l Wild Sage & Onion CASSEROLE & CURRY There is nothing better in the winter than a good casserole or curry, especially if you don’t have to spend hours making it!

Shropshire Spice Co has numerous options to help here, and here’s just a few.

Beef Casserole Chicken Casserole l Chilli Con Carne l Goan Xacutti Chicken Curry l Indian Keema Curry l Swahili African Curry l Stroganoff l Jambalaya l Italian Classic Bolognese l l

Tel: 01588 640100 Email: office@shropshire-spice.co.uk Web: www.shropshire-spice.co.uk

STUFFING You won’t find a better range of stuffing mixes in a hurry, I can assure you. From Gluten Free to wholemeal and with every possible flavour in between. Want stuffing? – Look no further.

The Delicatessen Magazine 43

ROSS & ROSS WITH ROSS & ROSS LAUNCHING SOME BRAND NEW CURING KITS AND A CHRISTMAS ROAST RANGE, WE CAUGHT UP WITH THE GUYS TO FIND OUT MORE!

T

he wait is now over, Ross & Ross Food have officially extended their line of Curing Kits and have also produced their very first ‘Roast’ range in readiness for Christmas feasting.

We are massive fans of Ross & Ross here. I personally have used their bacon curing kit many times, and loved their dry rubs and used them extensively during the BBQ season. To hear that more products have been launched filled me with glee and I was in touch with them quicker than you could say ‘cure’.

ON TREND As the Bacon Curing Kit is still their most popular food product three years on and the make-at-home kits continue to be on trend, Ross & Ross Food knew they had to come up with an extension to this kit. The new kit showcases a Fennel & Juniper Cure, Maple & Chipotle Cure and English Mustard & Pink Peppercorn Cure. The

curing process and the kit contents remain the same, all you have to do is add the pork belly.

Their original Salmon Kit won Gift of The Year 2017, so there will be a strong appetite for this new kit. The three new Salmon cures include a Citrus cure, a Dill & Mustard Cure and a Sansho Pepper Cure.

Co-director Ross Bearman said: “We have had some good fun with these new cures. For the Salmon, we got quite experimental! Not only have we focused on traditional fragrances for fish, but we have taken some inspiration from the everpopular Japanese cuisine with the Sansho Pepper cure which includes Red Chilli, White Sesame, Orange Peel, Black Sesame, Ginger and Nori Seaweed. For the Bacon, we have developed the flavours based on the spices that work well to enhance the pork flavour. The Maple cured bacon would be perfect for breakfast, lunch and dinner!”

THE 5 NEW CURING KITS LAUNCHED IN OCTOBER INCLUDE: l The NEW Homemade Bacon Curing Kit . Unit price of £11, RRP £22 , cases of 10 l The NEW Homemade Salmon Curing Kit. Unit price of £11, RRP £22, cases of 10 l XL Homemade Bacon Curing Kit – with our favourite 6 bacon cures (Sweet, Smoky, Old English, Maple & Chipotle, Fennel & Juniper, English Mustard & Pink Peppercorn). Unit price of £14, RRP £27, cases of 10 l XL Homemade Salmon Curing Kit – with our 6 salmon cures (Smoky, Gin, Beetroot, Citrus, Dill & Mustard and Sansho Pepper) . Unit price of £14, RRP £27, cases of 10 l Homemade Curing Kit Complete Collection – a combination of the two XL kits with 12 cures in total . Unit price of £20, RRP £36, cases of 6.

THE CHRISTMAS ROAST RANGE! In readiness for Christmas, Ross & Ross Food have also launched their very original ‘Roast’ range to help create the tastiest Christmas feast this year. After some research and talking with customers and suppliers, Ross & Ross discovered that there was a sense of ‘tiredness’ with the traditional Christmas Dinner, so they decided to liven up some of the trimmings and classic dishes. Brussel sprouts will

no longer be bland and your Pigs in Blankets will be the talk of the table.

The range features a Turkey Rub, Roast Beef Rub, Brussel Sprout Dust, Pigs in Blanket Dust and a Roast Ham Glaze which come in 50g jars in cases of 6. Their unit price is £1.95, RRP £3.50. The Roast Potato Oil comes in 250ml bottles in cases of 6. The unit price is £3.20, RRP £4.95. l www.rossandrossfood.co.uk

The Delicatessen Magazine 45

Rebelicious

Sauces

WE MEET THE OWNERS OF REBELICIOUS SAUCES, THE COMPANY BEHIND THE GREAT AND HEALTHY RANGE OF BABY LED WEANING PRODUCTS (OH, AND SOME VERY GOOD HUMMUS FOR ADULTS AND KIDS TOO!)

46 The Delicatessen Magazine

B

eing a mum isn’t easy. I admire my wife for what she deals with on a dayto-day basis whilst I’m at work, and know that if our job roles were swapped, I’d be a nervous wreck by the end of day one. I remember back to when our children were very young and whilst juggling multiple jobs with busy lives, how we had so little time to cook healthy and nutritious meals for us, let alone our children.

Many other families share this same scenario, and most opt to buy jars and sachets of commercially made baby food. These must be healthy and nutritious and give our kids everything they need, right?

A few years a go, Glasgow University did a study on how nutritious these commercially made baby foods really were and with interesting results.

It turns out that a baby would have to eat twice as much shop brought food than home cooked meals (suitably blended of course!) to get the same amount of nutrition. Many were also laden with added sugar and high levels of sodium.

THE CONUNDRUM

So, with the knowledge that shop brought baby foods were high in things we wouldn’t want our babies having, and less nutritious than our own home made foods, but with no time to cook and then blend them up suitably for our babies, what should we do?

THE BIRTH OF REBELICIOUS SAUCES Tilly and Barry, founders of Rebelicious Sauces, started baby-

led feeding with their little daughter Felicity when she was 5-6 months old. After returning to work, they found it difficult to carry on cooking the healthy and nutritious foods that they were enjoying before. Knowing that there are many other parents who would love to eat good quality and nutritious meals with their children, they decided that a cooking sauce would be the perfect way that children and parents could eat together finding time to eat nutritious recipes.

They created a range of sauces, using ingredients that are sourced from Cornwall, and they only use the best ingredients they can source.

With no additives and no added sugar or salt, and without pureeing the food, you can certainly tell that these sauces are prepared fresh.

THE RANGE ROASTED RED PEPPER

This is a great tasting, freshly prepared cook through pasta sauce.

With fresh ingredients, and wellbalanced flavours.

l

KARMIC KORMA

A fresh creamy, coconut cook in sauce. Great mild korma flavours and prepared with high quality ingredients.

l

HUMMUS

With two flavours of Hummus, made with well-sourced ingredients and really tasty, these are a great option for any deli or farm shop. The two flavours currently out are:

ORIGINAL HUMMUS

A great hummus for all the family.

This Hummus is dairy free, salt and sugar free and vegan friendly. l

ROASTED BEETROOT & HORSERADISH HUMMUS

An excellent flavour pairing, and a great colourful and tasty Hummus! l l

www.rebelicioussauces.co.uk

The Delicatessen Magazine 47

IF YOGA WAS A TEA...

WE GET OUR HANDS ON THE FIRST OLIVE TEA FROM OLITIA. BILLED AS THE MODERN DAY ELIXIR, WE PUT IT THROUGH ITS PACES

48 The Delicatessen Magazine

T

en years ago, what brewed as a dream of cultivating olives has finally surfaced as the world’s first processed olive tea. This joint venture of Olitia Foods and the Government of Rajasthan has given farmers a new livelihood, bringing this modern day elixir to life.

One thing I personally love about the Olitia is the packaging itself. The pack and the logo ooze class and make you really want to pick it up and rush it to the till. What’s inside the pack is even more special, but the first step is wanting to pick it up and buy it. This product certainly isn’t a novelty item, and I’m very excited to see how this product grows in popularity over the coming months.

Since their incorporation in 2007, Rajasthan Olive Cultivation Limited and Green Leaf Project Olive have striven to produce the world’s first bespoke processed Olive leaf tea. Seven leading varieties of olive trees were selected.

The young olive plants are grown in cocopeat for the first year, in a controlled environment and up to 13,000 olive trees were planted. A decade later, this collaboration between India and Israel, farmers and pharmacists, hope and destiny, has produced Olitia. Today, the local Rajasthani farmers produce better results with simple organically based methods, and earn more as a result, greatly improving their quality of life. The 5000 planted acres are now producing these little silvery leaves, which are then lovingly tended and hand picked, to help create this modern-day elixir.

They handpick the best olive leaves from farms that stretch across 5000 acres in Rajasthan. The silvery green soft leaves have just the right aroma and the best medicinal properties.

Olitia, don’t just pack freshness of olive tealeaves. They do more than that. The experience is created for you. So, when you steep these leaves, and sip the olive tea, you feel relaxed. In that moment, you let go of all those things that have clouded your head. And you, gradually, unwind, unreel and unravel it all.

THE MODERN DAY ELIXIR

Olive Tea has many health benefits are beyond than it lets on. Packed with antioxidants, this tea clears your skin of toxins and carcinogens.

It energizes you even when it has no caffeine. It reduces wrinkles, acne and gives the skin a young glow. It eats away cholesterol and reduces blood pressure. A cup of olive tea everyday, and your heart would be healthy and

happy like never before.

Olitia is made from extracts of the Olive tree leaf. With more health benefits than any other tea, and a liquid healthy energising glow, the guys at Olitia believe that if Yoga were a tea, then Olitia would be it.

The olive tree has probably been around for more than 30 million years.

Part of ancient Greek and Roman traditional medicinal remedies and considered sacred. The Olive leaf extract is believed to support the immune and cardiovascular systems, aiding healthy blood pressure and sugar levels. It is a preventative agent for common illnesses, a powerful detoxifier, with double the antioxidants and 4 times the calcium of Green Tea.

THE RANGE

l CLASSIC 20 Sachet pack

With the mild aroma of olive oil, the exotic original olive tea helps you relax. l HOLY BASIL 20 Sachet pack The refreshing aroma and flavour of this golden drink energizes you. l LEMONGRASS 20 Sachet pack Detoxify your body with the fragrant and citrusy lemongrass olive tea. l MINT 20 Sachet pack Experience the freshening menthol coolness in a cup of mint olive tea. l MULTI FLAVOUR BOX Experience all the flavours in this one variety box, containing 24 sachets (6 of each flavour!) l LOOSE TEA All flavours also come in 100g loose tea boxes

THE HEALTH BENEFITS

Reduces risk of cancer: In various studies, olive tea leaves have shown anti melanoma effect. This effect provides protection against cancer at an early stage and prevents the growth of cancerous cells in human body.

Keeps the heart healthy: Olive leaf extracts reverses the cardiovascular stress and chronic, disease-causing inflammation. The LDL-cholesterol levels can be reduced by a high dosage of olive tea extracts. Hydroxytyrosol present in olive leaf extracts helps in keeping your heart healthy.

Anti-viral properties: Olive Tea leaves fight multiple viruses effectively.

Cough & cold which has been a run-of- the-mill problem and has no conventional cure, can be easily relieved by consuming olive tea. Olive tea can act as a medicine for other viral diseases such as flu and herpes.

Rich in antioxidants: Antioxidants benefit the body by neutralizing and removing the free radicals from the bloodstream as it contains numerous phenols that neutralize the action of free radicals.

Reduces blood pressure: Olive tea extracts are found to have oleuropein, which helps in relaxing the blood vessels, prevents the formation of blood clots and helps in reducing the systolic and diastolic blood pressure significantly.

Amplifies immunity: Human body has the mechanism to fight invading pathogens also known as the immunity system. It’s found out that olive tea extracts have been used to amplify the power of immunity system of the body.

Better than green tea: Olive tea is caffeine-free and in a recent research conducted, it was found out that the olive tea extracts have antioxidant capacity almost double than that of green tea extract and has 4 times higher levels of vitamin C. Rejuvenates skin: Cell damage is often caused by oxidation process.

Olive tea extracts have an enormous amount of antioxidants that can help to reverse years of damage done to your skin and the signs of aging by healing the damage done by oxidation.

Reduced the risk of diabetes: Olive leaf extracts are found to have hyperglycemic effects, that is, they reduce blood sugar levels in the body leading to a reduced the risk of diabetes. The extracts can be used as a natural diabetes treatment as olive leaf plays a vital role in delaying the production of sugar,which causes inflammatory diseases like diabetes. l www.olitiauk.com Insta @OlitiaUK Facebook: @OlitiaUK Twitter: @OlitiaUK Email: info@greanleaf.com Tel: 07833 233366

The Delicatessen Magazine 49

A WO World Pasta Day was brought l into existence as part of the World Pasta Congress on the 25th of October in 1995. Experts from all over the world came together to discuss how to collectively promote the consumption and the knowledge of pasta; with emphasis on the economic and gastronomic versatility. 22 years later World Pasta Day still exists.

Pasta is one of the nation’s favourite foods here in the UK, but many pasta lovers are happy to stick to the same shapes. Fusilli, Spaghetti and Penne remain the firm favourite pasta shapes in the UK. These three shapes probably won’t be knocked off the top position for a long time yet, but with a little encouragement to try a new shape on World Pasta Day this year we may see a few more of the many hundreds of Italian made pasta shapes in dishes on dining tables over here.

STA PA

IT WAS RECENTLY WORLD PASTA DAY, WHICH IS A DAY TO PROMOTE THE CULINARY DELIGHTS OF PASTA, ONE OF THE WORLD’S FAVOURITE FOODS. I CERTAINLY ENJOYED MY PASTA THAT DAY, BUT I THOUGHT THAT FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MIGHT NOT HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THIS DAY, I COULD EXPLAIN A LITTLE MORE, AS WELL AS SHARE SOME KNOWLEDGE OF DIFFERENT PASTA SHAPES WITH YOU.

O D F L R

It’s difficult to image so many pasta shapes exist from just two ingredients, durum wheat semolina and water, but pasta maker Garofalo is passionate about each individual pasta shape it makes. The team at Garofalo will tell you - pasta shapes are not all the same, each shape has its specific texture, colour and taste and therefore, its specific treatment. Garofalo has over 76 different shapes available here in the UK all made with just two ingredients!

With a little more information about some of the less well known shapes we can collectively promote the eating of more pasta this World Pasta Day. These four shapes have been chosen to give a taste of the individuality of the many pasta shapes available.

ORECCHIETTE Orecchiette are typical of Puglia, a region of southern Italy. The name comes from the shape as they look like a small ear. In Italian orecchio means ear and the suffix ‘etto’ means ‘small’.

Orecchiette are about 1.75 cm across and slightly domed, which is a perfect place to catch the sauce. The thinner centres compared to the edge gives them a variable texture after cooking.

LUMACONI Lumaconi are large pieces of open pasta, which look like snail shells and

the literal translation of the Italian word lumaca to English is snail.

Lumaconi are big enough to take quite a lot of filling inside and are often stuffed before baking. A great alternative to cannelloni.

ORZO Orzo are often mistaken as grains of rice but they are also made from durum wheat semolina, as other pasta shapes, and formed in the shape of a grain of rice.

The word orzo is Italian for “barley,” and a reference to the size and shape of the pasta. Orzo are very versatile and can be used in a range of recipes; the classic use is in soups and casseroles, but they are also excellent in salads or instead of rice in a pilaf.

CASARECCE Casarecce originate from Sicily, but are also typical of central southern Italy.

Casarecce pasta is shaped like a very narrow, twisted and rolled tube and a good alternative to fusilli served with a chunky sauce. The name in Italian means `homemade’.

Casarecce is a very popular shape for Garofalo, so much so it is in the standard, organic, whole wheat and gluten free ranges. l

- “LIFE IS A COMBINATION OF MAGIC AND PASTA” FREDERICO FELLINI -

50 The Delicatessen Magazine

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