& September 2017
&
DAVID TURCAN
26
CHRISTMAS DISPLAYS Ideas and inspiration for creating that wow-factor
30
THE KNOWLEDGE An in-depth look at a specialist area. This month: Spanish food
37
SWEET TREATS SPECIAL Why craft and artisan chocs offer a golden opportunity
42 BROMPTON FOOD MARKET 21
THE STORY BEHIND Chocolate Tree
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SEPTEMBER
Welcome... I would be hard pressed to go through this entire issue without mentioning some of the controversial news that has surrounded the food industry over the last month. In the brief stint between issues, we have seen arguments over chlorinated chickens and scandalous supermarket eggs – but rather than flog the inedible horsemeat, I wanted to look at some more positive changes in the industry. Marks and Spencer’s announcement that it has started laser printing its avocados (p11) seems to be a fantastic progression in minimising waste, while Alastair and Friederike Gower’s ethical craft chocolate (p42) marks a distinct change in the confectionery industry. The customer experience is integral to the success of a modern independent shop; when competing with the big multiples, providing a great personal experience could be the difference between success and failure. Do you offer something the chains don’t? If so, what is it – food, service, or something else? This month’s Agenda question looks at the Amazon-Whole Foods merger (p6) and the different experiences provided by online and physical stores, while our interview is with David Turcan, who works tirelessly to make his café and delicatessen Brompton Food Market (p21) the best it can be – working on the customer experience from the inside
WELCOME
Contact ALL ENQUIRIES
Tel: 01903 777 570 Eljays44 Ltd 3 Churchill Court, 112 The Street, Rustington, West Sussex BN16 3DA
out. We also talk to Corin Birchall from Kerching Retail about how and when to grow your retail business (p18). Christmas may still be a taboo topic among the public at this point in the year, but it’s never too early for retailers to start thinking about it. Ali Newton has given us some fantastic tips for putting together a Christmas display, and we examine successful examples from farm shops and delis around the country. While 2017 has seen a focus on health and a move away from confectionery, Christmas is still a season of indulgence – in our sweet treats special (p37), we speak to Polly Robinson about how quality is starting to trend over quantity when it comes to the sweet stuff, while The Bowness Pudding Co. tells us about its artisan desserts. I wanted to also take this opportunity to say a fond farewell to our former features editor Ash, who will be focusing her attention onto our sister magazine Garden Centre Retail, and has passed the Farm & Deli Retail baton onto me. Any future queries, compliments or complaints can be addressed to me, and I relish the opportunity to receive them. At least there shouldn’t be any confusion in the name change. Ashley Lampard Features Editor Farm & Deli Retail
EDITORIAL
Features Editor – Ashley Lampard ashley.lampard@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 592 Features Writer – Ash O’Mahoney ash.omahoney@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 585 Editorial Assistant – Olivia EdenBrown olivia.edenbrown@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 597
ADVERTISING
Group Sales Manager – Darren Shelton darren.shelton@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 590
PRODUCTION
Production Manager – Susie Duff susie.duff@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 578 Production Editor – Charlie Cook charlotte.cook@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 578 Subeditor – Kate Bennett kate.bennett@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 570 Design – Mandy Armstrong, Mark Hudson Printed by Pensord Press Ltd, Gwent, UK Published by ©Eljays44 Ltd
MANAGEMENT
Out & about...
Managing Director – Jim Wilkinson Director – Lisa Wilkinson Business Development Manager – Jamie Wilkinson
MARKETING AND CIRCULATION
This month the Farm & Deli team have been hard at work visiting the Just V Show, the International Cheese Awards and Spanish deli Brindisa’s Open Day
Client relations – Amber Bernabe amber.bernabe@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 581 Subscription enquiries – Emily Maltby emily.maltby@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 575 Farm & Deli Retail is published six times a year by Eljays44 Ltd. The 2017 subscription price is £95. Subscription records are maintained at Eljays44 Ltd, 3 Churchill Court, 112 The Street, Rustington, West Sussex BN16 3DA. Articles and information contained in this publication are the copyright of Eljays44 Ltd and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publishers. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for loss of, or damage to, non-commissioned photographs or manuscripts.
The International Cheese Awards in Nantwich took place at the end of July – check out the winners on page 12
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LeaderSept.indd 3
The Just V Show in London
Brindisa’s Open Day showcased the best in Spanish produce
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SEPTEMBER
CONTENTS
Contents 12
OPINION
6
26
NEWS
8
Our roundup of industry news
11
M&S trials laser technology on avocados
12
30
NEWS NEWS EXTRA: LASER PRINTING OUT AND ABOUT
33
16 18 19
33
The International Cheese Awards
37
Long live raw milk, says Joanna Blythman
42
5 CUSTOMER SERVICE TRENDS Five changes you could make today
MANAGING GROWTH When and how to grow your business
HR TIPS: RETAINING YOUR BEST EMPLOYEES How to ensure your top staff want to stay
41
INTERVIEW: DAVID TURCAN The Brompton Food Market owner talks building up his business and staff management
CHRISTMAS DISPLAYS Using visual merchandising to draw in those crucial Christmas crowds
THE KNOWLEDGE: SPANISH FOOD Everything you need to know when it comes to Spanish food
ADDING VALUE: A GIN BUSINESS Set yourself apart from the competition with your own distillery
PRODUCTS
BUSINESS TIPS RAW POWER
15
FEATURES
21
AGENDA In light of the Amazon/Whole Foods merger, should you be giving your customers the flexibility to shop online and in store?
30
49
44 46 47 49 50
SWEET TREATS SPECIAL The latest trends in indulgence, plus the great new sweet products for Christmas
THE STORY BEHIND... How the people behind Chocolate Tree set up their ethical bean-to-bar chocolate company
REGIONAL GUIDE This month we're looking at the best products and events coming out of Perthshire
LATEST PRODUCTS: SOUPS With autumn upon us, it's time to add some flavoursome new soups to your arsenal
BROADEN YOUR RANGE OF... PICKLES Our pick of the pickled products
GO & SEE: LUNCH! What to look out for at the lunch! food-to-go trade show
NEXT BIG THING... The Veggie Plot's vegetable yoghurts
11 www.farmanddeliretail.com
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OPINION
AGENDA
Agenda
In light of Amazon/Wh customers the flexibil it
We make everything fresh each morning, so it would be impossible to mail our products to customers
Jill Smith
Jo Hayes
Brand manager, Smithies Deli
PA to owner, The Hazelmere Deli
As a small business located in a small town on the east coast of Scotland, ideally, we would love to have an online store to allow customers to order goods from their comfort of their own homes. However, when you have a small business, it's hard to find the resources and time to help fulfil that, and in addition we very much have a 'shop local' ethos. People shop online for food because today’s lifestyles are busy, and most people don’t have time to go around shops looking for the items they need. I think that if you can provide a service where busy customers can choose between coming to your store and ordering online, it will have a positive outcome, as this accommodates any type of lifestyle. In particular, it 6
could be a great idea for small businesses that are outside of the area that locals want to buy from, as it helps to draw in a larger group of customers. In the next 10 years, I can see the online market taking over from the old days of visiting farm shops and delis. In our town, I have seen first-hand that shops have had to close down due to competition from the online market, which a number of customers find is easier to access than taking a trip into town. However, it is our duty as small independents to help promote the concept of supporting local businesses within our communities, as well as incorporating the modernday use of online sales to reach customers who are further afield.
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I don’t really feel that local delis and farm shops have been affected by online shopping. Online shopping is a means to an end; it’s the easy and convenient way to shop. Customers can order their weekly shop while relaxing at home or commuting on the train. On the other hand, people enjoy the experience of entering a deli or farm shop and inhaling that wonderful aroma of the finest local produce. Buying online cannot replace that experience. There's also the joy of being able to see undiscovered treats on a shelf, which customers may then decide to try out – this is not possible with online shopping, where there is much less impulse buying. Being able to see
the array of locally cured meats, freshly baked bread, fabulous cheeses, oils and vinegars, jams and chutneys makes a visit to the deli a very enjoyable experience. We have been asked numerous times if we can start selling our confectionery, cakes and breads online, but the actual logistics of getting the product to the customer in the same condition as it is in the shop is just not realistic. We make everything fresh each morning, so it would be impossible to mail our products to customers. We also have a vast range of homemade frozen ready meals; we've been asked by customers over the years if we can post these out to them, but getting a frozen product to the other
end of the country and keeping it frozen is still quite far off, even if it is packed in ice. Produce may well get cheaper in future, and delivery of goods will be simple due to Amazon’s amazing courier service. The range of products that will be available online will be endless, as Amazon will have every conceivable resource to hand – the whole world will be there to buy. I feel that more and more people will shop online in the future, and I do feel that smaller stores will increasingly start offering online shopping to local people – it’s the way things progress. People will still gravitate towards farm shops and delis because of the ‘local’ factor, which people seem to want to support.
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30/08/2017 09:40
AGENDA
OPINION
Whole Foods, do you need to give your bil ity to shop online and in-store?
Ben White
Lily Beaton
Founder and general manager, Coombe Farm Organic
Owner, Ainsty Farm Shop
When we set up the business in 2015 we decided to launch Coombe Farm Organic as an online organic retailer. We wanted to make the most of everything that online retail offers – ultimate convenience for our customers and the chance for us to grow a business that is only limited by the postcodes that we deliver to. We also wanted to manage the risk of over-reliance on people visiting us at the farm. Technological developments offer fine food businesses a fantastic opportunity for marketing, personalisation and sharing information so that consumers can make informed choices. The Amazon and Whole Foods transaction will hopefully mean that more people try online food shopping and
A lot of farm shops are already doing online sales, and if you're going to do that you need to be able to back it up with a good delivery service, because this is where problems lie. We used to have online shopping around 15 years ago, and we did reach a wider audience as a result – but we had issues with delivery and couriers. It was fine when we were delivering locally, but further afield it gets harder to maintain the fresh, quality produce that’s promised. Big supermarkets can ensure that customers are home when the delivery arrives by offering delivery time slots, which eliminates the problem of customers not being in to sign for their produce. With smaller shops you have to have
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are encouraged to seek out what they're looking for. In our experience, we have been able to build fantastic relationships with our consumers – we have a high number of repeat orders. Many of these relationships started when people found us online and then discovered more about what we offer. We love getting feedback from our customers about new products and recipes we share, as well as meeting them at festivals around the country. There is the potential for the online market to be increasingly crowded.
Competition, however, brings with it the chance to help define what your online offer is and how you're different from potential competitors. As an organic business that wants to support other organic businesses, in the South West and other parts of the UK, our online store has been a brilliant way to help bring fantastic products to more people. Operating online offers the same opportunities to the fine food sector as it does for other retail sectors – the chance to reach new customers.
Operating online offers the same opportunities to the fine food sector as it does for other retail sectors – the chance to reach new customers
procedures in place to avoid these issues, either using your own delivery van or doing a deal with a courier. Although the Whole Foods website is excellent, with interesting ideas, I do think that online shopping can’t recreate the experience of walking into a shop and getting a couple of hours of enjoyment out of it. In addition, when customers come into a shop for a specific item, they may impulse buy while they’re looking round – they can chat to shop assistants, and the smells and sounds create an atmosphere. You don’t get that with an online site – the temptation to buy more isn’t there. We decided that, in the long run, we wanted to see our customers face to face.
Farm & Deli Retail • September 2017
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NEWS NEWS
TREND REPORT • BREXIT SHORTAGES • ARE YOU GOING? • ASSOCIATION NEWS
TREND REPORT
Laurra Davis, creative director at food and drink social media agency Brilliant Social, shares three up and coming food and drink trends to incorporate into your offering
1
A cooler frozen aisle
The frozen aisle has long been overlooked, with desserts and meat-free being the main areas for recent innovation. Consumers are looking for convenience and restaurant-quality food – to eat at home. They are also increasingly conscious of food waste. A brand that delivers on these needs is sure to be well received. Look out for newcomer Gourmade, which is bringing a frozenfrom-fresh offering of Instagram-worthy readymeals. These tasty dishes are a far cry from the heavily processed, poor quality we’ve become accustomed to. Fresh and chilled is leading the way in terms of healthier options, and frozen will follow. Expect to see gluten free, low sugar and vegan ranges making an appearance.
2 Mindful drinking
We know that young people are drinking less, but they still crave variety and innovation. Where there’s been a massive rise in low alcohol beers, the wine category still has a long way to go; there is definitely space for a new brand to step in. Alongside low or no alcohol options, interest in craft soda is growing, with brands such as Soda Folk bubbling away. Its new range includes fruit flavours with an adult twist, using ingredients such as Chardonnay grapes and Bretagne cider apples. There is even a Juniper flavour for that G&T feel – without the resulting hangover!
3 Snack attack
Snacking is showing no signs of slowing down. Where popcorn paved the way, it’s now become so commonplace that there’s hardly a bar or café that doesn’t stock it. Fruit and vegetable crisps have moved on from parsnips and sweet potatoes – you can crisp just about anything now, as Emily Crisps has proven. Dehydrated snacks such as the fruit by I Love Snacks will also be emerging, along with alternative ingredients such as chickpeas and quinoa, offering healthier options for crisp avoiders. Brands are also turning to the classics and reinventing them. New brand Indie Bay Snacks, has taken the humble pretzel and made it round, bite-sized and better for you. Yum!
WELBECK FARM SHOP TAKES HOME FIVE GREAT TASTE AWARDS From a field of 12,300 products, five products from The Welbeck Farm Shop, on the Nottinghamshire-Yorkshire border, has been selected and awarded with Great Taste stars. The products awarded were the shop’s Welbeck leg of lamb, Welbeck dry cured smoked back bacon, Welbeck dry cured middle bacon, Welbeck dry cured streaky bacon and Welbeck own pancetta. “Winning five Great Taste awards is a great achievement for our butchers,” said farm shop manager Oliver Stubbins. “We have previously been awarded Farm Butcher of the Year, recognising our overall display, quality and service, but we are always looking to improve and have spent a lot of time perfecting our bacon curing, as well as continuing to source the best locally reared high welfare livestock possible. “Our butchery team, led by head butcher Mark, has over 150 years combined experience, and takes great care and passion in preparing all of our produce. Our butchers hand-cure the finest local pork with our own recipe and it is then aged in the speciality curing room and selected for the counter once the perfect level of aging has been achieved.”
JIMINI’S REDEVELOPS ITS CRICKET POWDER ENERGY BAR JIMINI’S, the French edible insect product company, has redeveloped its energy bar offering with two high energy bars and two protein bars. Made with 100% European cricket powder, combined with organic ingredients, the protein bars have natural carbohydrates and contain 20.5% protein. Sustainable and protein-rich, cricket flour has twice as much iron as spinach. Crickets grow quickly, breed fast and produce 99% fewer greenhouse gases than cows. 80% of insects are edible, with over two billion people on earth already eating them.
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30/08/2017 16:25
NEWS
Blogspot
BEN WATSON ON AFFORDABILITY
Brexit border controls risk gaps on shelves According to a new report published by the BRC, the choice and availability of affordable, quality products could be at risk without additional agreements and investment to supplement a customs deal
C
oncerns over food supplies have arisen due to the recent discussions between the UK government and the EU over future trading relationships. The report outlines the lack of consideration that has been given to the investment required by the UK’s ports, roads and infrastructure, and to the new agreements supplementing customs that are necessary to sidestep additional red tape at ports and docks and prevent delays to goods. European supply chains are a key part of delivering the goods that UK consumers buy every day. Quick transportation is often crucial for most of these goods, particularly food. Delays, disruptions and additional costs could increase waste, push up prices, and affect the availability of certain food products on the shelves. With annual customs declarations in the UK estimated to rise from 55m to 25m from March 2019, a no-deal Brexit could mean new delays of up to two or three days at ports.
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“A strong deal on customs is absolutely essential to deliver a fair Brexit for consumers,” said Helen Dickinson OBE, chief executive of the BRC. “While the government has acknowledged the need to avoid a cliff-edge after the day of Brexit, a customs union in itself won’t solve the problem of delays at ports. So to ensure supply chains are not disrupted and goods continue to reach the shelves, agreements on security, transit, haulage, drivers, VAT and other checks will be required to get systems ready for March 2019. “We want to work with the government to develop a system that works for consumers, so that there’s no difference in terms of the availability of affordable, quality products when they make purchases or visit stores post-Brexit. We believe our recommendations will help to achieve that and enable our world-leading retail industry to continue serving customers and contribute to the growth of the UK economy.”
One thing all Watsons have in common is that we don’t like to spend a lot of money on our food, despite loving it. It’s probably true of all farmers’ offspring, and I’d like to think this is reflected in our dairy, veg boxes and shops. I’ve spent nearly 35 years trying to keep prices reasonable, but despite our best efforts, people endlessly make comments about us being expensive. Obviously, we’re going to struggle to compete with Morrisons, but we need to offer a broad range of products and I’m never going to dumb down and sell rubbish. We try hard to be affordable and we won’t sell mass produced rubbish with no provenance. Nor will we sell the overpriced and overpackaged food that looks as though its real home is the duty-free shop at Dubai Airport. That all leads on to the inevitable question, ‘What is affordable?’ The fact that as a nation we are now spending half what we did 40 years ago on food, as a percentage of our income, offers very little encouragement – especially in the current climate of weak sterling-induced inflation. As pressure on food prices increases, quality will go down because we’re all wed to the post-war ideal of cheap food. The scary thing in this new world of chaos is, where the hell are we going to buy the 50% of food that we don’t produce ourselves? Sterling must be one of the least coveted currencies on earth and the places where we used to think we had precedence simply don’t exist anymore. The Chinese are buying up Africa, and New Zealand and Australia seem to have chucked their lot in with Asia. There was a time when we used to buy Kiwi lamb, and the offal would go to the Gulf States. Soon we’ll be lucky if we even get the fleece, so someone had better come up with a plan soon. bensfarmshop.co.uk
FARMDROP’S BEN PUGH
ON PROVENANCE
From international egg contamination to fake farms on fresh produce packaging, have we reached peak supermarket scandal? No one likes being lied to, particularly when it comes to where their food comes from. I started Farmdrop with a mission to fix the food chain. There needs to be a leaner, more transparent way to access the freshest and best quality food possible, benefiting both the people behind our food and those who consume it. We work closely with producers to ensure customers’ food is the freshest they can get. Here are five of our products that won’t be found in the supermarket, along with their journeys from source to customer. Purton House Organic Eggs: These chicken eggs are laid a maximum of three days before reaching our hub, with the majority laid the morning before. Supermarket eggs, in contrast, can be sold up to 20 days after the eggs are laid. EU legislation states all eggs must be sold up to 28 days from lay. Berkeley Farm Dairy: Farmer Ed Gosling processes his dairy products the same day that they arrive at our hub. The milk is usually a day old before processing, and the cream is from that morning’s milking. Farmdrop Fish: Most of our fish is line-caught two days before it reaches the hub; fresh fish sold in the supermarket may have been caught up to 12 days before display. Chegworth Valley Strawberries: Gathered straight from the fields around David and Janet Deme’s farm in Kent, their fresh produce (including these strawberries) is harvested the day before they reach our hub. Growing Underground: This farm underneath Clapham Common tube station is just five miles from our hub. Fresh herbs sold in the supermarket, on the other hand, might not be grown in the UK, and can take up to five days or more to reach the shelves. www.farmdrop.com Farm & Deli Retail • September 2017
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NEWS
Association news
Sally Jackson, ex-FARMA chairman and owner of The Pink Pig in North Lincolnshire, advocates creating an ‘experience’ out of retail
B
ack in the Nineties, the government of the day told farmers to ‘get bigger, get different or get out’. While the words might have changed since then, I’m not sure that the principle is any different when it comes to farm shops and delis, or indeed local shops of any kind. Having conducted an incredibly unscientific survey of several farm shops and farmers markets, it’s apparent to me that the retailers that are doing best are those that have expanded away from pure retail without losing their connection to the land – or those that are larger and have great locations. This is evident in the resurgence of pickyour-own fruit farms – sunshine, time spent with family and an afternoon picking real produce is an experience that people feel is worth paying for.
Creating an experience In the run-up to Halloween, most of us can no longer expect the
crowds to come flocking simply because we stock local food and sell with a smile. With the threat of the discounters everpresent, we all need to work harder to provide an experience that stretches beyond a pumpkin display and some toffee apples. Think outside the box – pick-your-own pumpkins, wandering witches and apple bobbing competitions can now be found in even the smallest farm shops. The thriving farmers markets, like the thriving farm shops, are those that are making events out of their market days, and not allowing their ethos of ‘real farmers selling their own produce’ to be diluted. Customers are not daft; most can spot a fake ‘farm shop’ a mile off. FARMA supports farm shops and farmers markets whatever their size and diversity of product, with members benefiting from the sharing of ideas. For membership details, visit www.farma.org.uk or call 0345 319 6740.
Are you going? 07 September Global Cheese Awards Frome www.globalcheese awards.com
09-16 October Chocolate Week Nationwide www.chocolateweek. co.uk
11-13 September Glee NEC, Birmingham www.gleebirmingham. com
12 October Innoveat Park Inn Hotel, Heathrow www.innoveat.co.uk
15-18 September Cheese at Bra Italy www.cheese.slowfood. com
13-15 October Welcome Italia Royal Horticultural Halls, London www.welcome-italia. co.uk
21-22 September lunch! ExCel, London www.lunchshow.co.uk 02-04 October Conscious Hospitality Show Olympia, London www.therestaurantshow. co.uk
Think outside the box – pick-your-own pumpkins, wandering witches and apple bobbing competitions can now be found in even the smallest farm shops
02-04 October Restaurant Show Olympia, London www.therestaurantshow. co.uk
14-16 October The Chocolate Show Olympia, London www.thechocolateshow. co.uk 04-05 November Allergy & Free From Show North ECL, Liverpool www.allergyshow.co.uk 10-12 November BBC Good Food London Olympia, London www.bbcgoodfood showlondon.com
06-07 October Bread and Butter Institute of Directors, London www.breadandbutter fest.com
! W as O N m t R E is r RD O Ch
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Corn
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Deli’s, Farmshops, Wholesalers - now is the time to place your Christmas order - please call:
01579 362416
Cornish Blue Cheese and Pates - perfect for all Christmas Cheeseboards. Available in pots and various truckle sizes.
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30/08/2017 16:26
NEWS EXTRA
M& int S fir a rod st ‘av vocad uced o o in 1 cado p s as enj 968, t ears’ des oyed a o be se s cus rt wit a tar h d
M&S laser-printed avocados set to reduce packaging
I
t may appear to be only a minor cause for concern compared to the phasingout of plastic bags in 2015, or the millions of plastic bottles that are used and thrown away in the UK every day, but moving away from adhesive stickers on avocadoes could save M&S 10 tonnes of labels and backing paper and 5 tonnes of adhesive every year. The process, to be available in selected M&S stores, is a UK first; it has recently been rolled out by Dutch fruit and vegetable suppliers Nature & More, as well as Swedish supermarket ICA. “When we first saw the technology in Sweden a couple of years ago I knew we had to get involved,” says Charlotte Curtis, M&S fruit technologist. “We’ve been following it for a while and are so excited to finally be launching it on avocados. A cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to traditional sticker labels, the process will use less energy and
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Newspages_Sept.indd 11
therefore produce a lower carbon footprint. “Sustainability is at the heart of our business, and the laser labelling is a brilliant way for us to reduce packaging and energy use,” Charlotte says. The move is in keeping with M&S’s history of innovative packaging; the company has worked to reduce its overall packaging in the food department by 25%. The process works by placing the avocados into trays and sending them on a conveyor belt through Mack Packhouse’s lasering machine in Kent. An intense light is shone onto the fruit, which retracts back and discolours the top layer of the skin. Though the process is not destructive to avocados, it’s currently only used on hard-skinned fruit and vegetables, to avoid creating unsavoury sections in softer fruit and vegetables. A similar technique had previously been trialed by the retailer on citrus fruit, but it was found to cause a deterioration in skin quality, and the trial was not progressed any further.
Demand for avocados doesn’t appear to be slowing down in the UK, with M&S selling 12m last year – a 29% increase on the previous year. This environmentally friendly technology could become commonplace across avocado sales, with the potential to become a staple packaging technology throughout the fruit and vegetable industry. Retailers should expect to see lasered coconuts, lasered melons and lasered avocados making their way into shops in the near future. “Providing all goes well with the avocado lasering, we could look at rolling the technology out to all sorts of other fruit and vegetables in the future,” says Charlotte. “We have the potential to reduce packaging exponentially, which is very exciting.” Watch the lasers work their magic on the BBC’s video: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/ business-40327895/supermarkets-trial-newlasering-technique-to-reduce-packaging Farm & Deli Retail • September 2017
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OUT AND ABOUT
CHEESE AWARDS
International Awards 2017
Nation al W Sup estmi rem nster e Ch amp Cup ion in Sh o w
THE WINNERS...
Held as part of the Nantwich Show in Cheshire, the International Cheese Awards are the highlight of any foodie’s year – we round up the winners
National Westminster Cup Supreme Champion in Show Roquefort Revelation Champion Overseas Best Overseas Cheese Roquefort Revelation Richard Davies Trophy French Cheese in Class Graindorge Camembert Entremont Award Best French Cheese Ossau Iraty
xxxxx
Hotos Awards Best Greek Cheese Feta PD En Route Award Best Cheese for Travel Industry Airline Business Class Pack Michelstown Cup Best Additive Cheese Brie with Truffles
Xxx xxx
National Sheep Association Trophy Best Ewes Milk Cheese Roquefort Revelation Bradburys Trophy Best Continental Cheese in Class Roquefort Revelation
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RAW MILK
BUSINESS TIPS
Raw power
The pursuit of sterility in food is foolish, says Joanna Blythman: it’s time to embrace raw cheese
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battle is being fought globally over raw milk cheese – a clash of two cultures, you might say. Massed ranks of cheese buffs, food lovers and people who consciously support artisan products unerringly seek out raw milk cheese in preference to pasteurised, but the food safety establishment is lined up against them. Suspicious of artisans, it craves the supposed safety of industrial production and views raw milk cheeses as dangerous – and would be only too delighted if it was forced out of production altogether. In the UK, particularly in Scotland, the attack on raw milk cheese is persistent and insidious. Anyone who makes it increasingly has to conform to strict controls and protocols that they believe are excessive – based not on state-of-the-art food science, but on out of date prejudice. These artisans keep going, but they live in fear of persecution by the authorities. In the US, the Food and Drug Administration was so convinced that raw milk cheese is a likely cause of food poisoning that in 2016 it tested over 1,600 samples – only to find that the total burden of pathogens was less than 1%. This makes it much safer than many of the foods we eat on a daily basis.
Cheese champions Countries that have well-established raw milk cheese making traditions, and therefore an active knowledge of its microbiology, are militant in its defence. France and Italy, for instance, value and revere raw milk cheeses. Denmark and Australia, countries whose cheese making sectors are dominated by industrialised factory products, don’t. If you prefer Roquefort, Stichelton and Lanark Blue over Danablu, Castello and Cambozola, it’s time to get active. The Slow Food movement has always championed the right to make and buy unpasteurised cheese, and this September, Slow Food is dedicating its annual Cheese event in Bra, Italy, to raw cheese’s defence. Piero Sardo, Slow Food’s scientific manager for the event, has warned us that “the possibility of producing
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raw milk cheeses in the world can’t be taken for granted”. Cheese 2017 will be sending a strong political signal that unpasteurised cheese – such a crucial part of the world’s food heritage – is here to stay. I’d highly recommend that anyone selling cheese takes a look at the Cheese 2017 pages on the Slow Food website, in particular the informative video in which Sardo carries out a comparative tasting of two lookalike goat’s cheeses: one industrial and pasteurised, the other artisanal and raw. No need to avoid spoilers – you can guess the verdict – but the thought processes that take him there are informative and entertaining.
Massed ranks of cheese buffs, food lovers and people who consciously support artisan products unerringly seek out raw milk cheese in preference to pasteurised, but the food safety establishment is lined up against them
Gut instinct Taste apart, Sardo offers three further cogent arguments for raw milk cheese. The first is individual freedom of choice. Providing that cheesemakers meet reasonable (not excessive) science-based standards of hygiene, everyone should be free to buy and eat their products. The second issue concerns the type of food system we want to nurture with our purchases. The use of raw milk is an expression of small-scale handcrafted production, and this tradition has given us excellence. His last point is that the principle of encouraging biodiversity should not be restricted to animal breeds and types, but extended to protect the beneficial bacterial strains and enzymes that pasteurisation destroys. Raw milk cheese is rich in natural bacteria, which not only produces its flavours and aromas, but also improves the bacterial diversity of the microbiome (the composition of microbes in our guts, which strongly influences our health). As scientific interest in our gut microbiota intensifies, we’re beginning to understand that the pursuit of sterility in food is foolish. As Sardo says: “Viva latte crudo! Long live raw milk”.
Further information Joanna Blythman is a food journalist and author of Swallow This. Twitter @JoannaBlythman
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BUSINESS TIPS
CUSTOMER SERVICE
5 you need to know a Customer service trends
Having a reputation for outstanding customer service is an easy way to differentiate yourself from rivals with
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Empower your staff
Shoe repair company Timpson knows how to empower employees to exceed customers’ expectations. A Guardian columnist recently documented his experience with a repair man who was replacing the battery in his watch. When the columnist mentioned he’d paid extra for a ‘lifetime guarantee’ while buying a battery at another of Timpson’s branches several years before, the repair man immediately said there would be no charge. Some may argue
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that freebies like this hurt the bottom line, but Timpson gained a loyal customer for life. Beyond that, the columnist now tells anyone who will listen about the amazing customer service he received – word of mouth advertising that shouldn’t be underestimated. Train your staff to make decisions for themselves and then step back and let them do it – not only will it bypass those ‘wait for a manager’ scenarios, it can give employees a sense of responsibility and ownership.
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Convenience
How easy and convenient are you to do business with? Amazon is revolutionising today’s retail experience with its Amazon Go grocery stores. Advanced technology has allowed it to do away with queues and the checkout process – you literally grab and go. Work out ways you can be more convenient than your competition and, in today’s time-poor market, you’re onto a winner.
Seize the opportunity
Occasionally an opportunity may present itself that allows staff to go above and beyond for customers, and staff should be encouraged to look out for these and make the most of them when they appear. A John Lewis store in High Wycombe showed what can be achieved when heavy winter snow and gridlocked roads left customers stranded in 2009. The manager on duty made the decision to accommodate more than 100 anxious customers, staff and children overnight in-store, having the beds in the bed department made up and distributing food and toys. The story made the national press the following day and even appeared on BBC News, earning John Lewis a deluge of fantastic publicity and grateful customers to spread the word. 16
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CUSTOMER SERVICE
BUSINESS TIPS
w about
vals without breaking the bank. Here are five changes you could make today…
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Customer success
There has been a subtle shift in the way that leading businesses approach their relationships with customers – the ‘hard sell’ is feeling increasingly outmoded. Rather than pursuing their own success, successful businesses these days are pursuing their customers’. Think ‘help economy’, rather than ‘sales economy’. Pursue your customers’ success and your company’s success will ensue. This way of thinking can also benefit your staff – employees like to help their customers succeed because it allows them to be a part of something bigger. Amazon is another great example of this – people choose to buy from Amazon because it can deliver things straight to the door (helpful if you don’t have a car and want to buy a heavy object), and it can leave items in an allocated place (helpful if you’re at work all day but don’t have time to collect from the Post Office). Amazon looks at its customers’ needs and makes their lives easier. That’s customer service, and that’s what it takes to be successful.
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E-commerce
When it comes to online and social media interaction, there are three key points to consider. Delivery/returns – Free delivery over a minimum spend has become the norm, but the returns process is less standardised, as farm shops and delis are aware that offering a ‘no hassle’ returns policy could squeeze margins. That said, with the growing influence of Amazon Prime, there are many things people are beginning to expect from online retailers. A simplified returns process, with an easy, automated way to return products that don’t meet expectations, is one of these. More shoppers also expect free return shipping, without hidden fees. This may be something your company has decided against due to cost, but it can help you to stand out from the crowd. Free, simple returns give customers that extra confidence in their purchase, and encourage them to buy. Equally, as retailers like Amazon offer next day and same day delivery to
ever-larger portions of the country, more and more retailers will be expected to provide next day shipping. The good news is that this is something many consumers are willing to pay more for. Response time – Numerous surveys have revealed terrible response times to customer comments, complaints and questions on support channels such as social media and email. A 2016 study by Eptica showed that email response times averaged more than seven hours. Manage problems and questions on social media well, and customers will develop the confidence to recommend the company to others. Waiting an hour to respond feels like the maximum amount of time you can get away with; reply in under 15 minutes and you’re onto a winner. And remember – it pays to be friendly. Slow responses are more likely to be well received if the tone is personal and helpful. Measurement is key – When it comes to online transactions, technology has made it easier than ever to track
customers’ preferences and history. More and more businesses are looking to create a more personalised experience that caters to a customer’s individual needs. Realtime analytics provide a deeper insight into customer behaviour, and being able to see the behaviour of potential customers and those who decided to buy gives a lot of insight into what changes can be made to improve the overall conversion rate of the site.
Manage problems and questions on social media well, and customers will develop the confidence to recommend your company to others. Slow responses are more likely to be well received if the tone is personal and helpful
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BUSINESS TIPS
MANAGING GROWTH
Is growing and expanding the right thing to do?
Managing growth Corin Birchall, managing director of specialist retail consultancy Kerching Retail, explains how and when to grow your farm shop or deli retail business
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here are many benefits to growing your farm shop or deli retail business: economies of scale, potentially improved profitability from being a bigger player with suppliers, serving more customers with only a modest increase in overheads, and, of course, the glory and self-esteem boost of having a successful, growing business. Many businesses which I have helped develop a growth strategy for were growing to reduce the likelihood of competition entering the market. However, the idea of growth can sometimes be so exciting that a business becomes blind to some of the associated challenges.
It’s the million-dollar question. The benefits of growth can be far reaching, with increased turnover and increased profitability from economies of scale and holding off the competition. There is, however, another side to growth. Many entrepreneurs grow their operation successfully and enjoy the new challenge, but many others find that they lose sight of what they loved about the business in the first place. An expanding business will see its owners increasingly having to spend their time managing HR issues, covering for staff and maintaining supplies, with less time in front of customers, building relationships with local people. As a business gets bigger, it inevitably becomes more complex. Most challenges centre around people – their employment, management and motivation. The skills required to manage a complex organisation are wide ranging, and, more often than not, growth draws on a completely new skill set from owners and managers – which can expose cracks in one’s experience.
The numbers
Growth and expansion can be very exciting, and this excitement may lead to over-optimism when it comes to sales and cost predictions. When forecasting growth potential, test your numbers against the ‘worst case scenario’ model: • 1/2 the turnover you’d originally projected • Double your anticipated costs • Twice as much impact on your time than you’d originally planned. If the numbers still work with this model, you’ve probably got good growth potential.
Further information
info@kerchingretail.com
WE CAN DEFINE GROWTH FROM A NUMBER OF PERSPECTIVES: SELLING YOUR EXISTING PRODUCTS TO NEW MARKETS. This may be a new branch in a similar village, town or city, a new home delivery service, selling through third party retailers, or selling B2B to restaurants and pubs. SELLING NEW PRODUCTS TO YOUR EXISTING CUSTOMERS. This is about getting more ‘wallet share’. Supermarkets took this approach during the Nineties and early Noughties, with clothes, electrical goods and other non-food products. Similarly, garden centres have diversified to spread their relevance throughout the year and increase their share of customers’ spending. Increasing wallet share works on the premise that a customer who likes and trusts your business enough to already be spending with you has no reason not to spend a little more. This expansion could be with complementary lines, such as a bakery, a butchers, and frozen or prepared meals; you could even open a coffee shop or restaurant attached to your retail offer. CHOOSING TO GROW MORE RAPIDLY BY BUYING ANOTHER BUSINESS. This could be to sell an increased amount of products to your existing customers, or sell into new markets (new customers). FRANCHISING YOUR BUSINESS HAS BECOME POPULAR IN RECENT YEARS. If you believe your business is unique, replicable and doesn’t rely on you being there to make it happen, you could consider making it a franchise. This allows for brand expansion without the requirement of capital investment from yourself.
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RETAINING STAFF
BUSINESS TIPS
How to retain your best employees Struggling with high staff turnover? Gemma Murphy, head of specialist HR consultancy View HR, has a seven-point plan to help stop your best people from leaving your business
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onsidering the cost, time and emotional effort involved in recruiting and training staff, you want to ensure you hold onto them, particularly if they excel at their work. After all, a successful business is driven by the experience, knowledge and commitment of good staff. Every employer will know all too well the regret when an excellent and knowledgeable member of staff leaves their business – particularly in the retail sector, where turnover tends to be higher. So, once you have great employees, how do you retain them? Here are some of the key considerations.
Management
One of the most common reasons for an employee leaving their job, other than their overall package, is management. It’s important that you nurture a culture of trust, confidence and transparency between management and staff. Staff need to feel that their manager is someone who they can be honest with – and who is going to be honest with them.
Clear communication Make sure employees know what you expect from them – maintain clear expectations, honest discussions and transparent policies and procedures. Staff need to know that they and
their peers are being managed equally and fairly. Don’t forget that your employees want to feel part of the business, so keep them up to date on progress, sale events and any other news.
Offer packages to suit your employees’ needs For years, employers have based competitive packages around pay. Pay is an important part of a competitive package, but it is not necessarily the key factor in today’s society. Every generation has different priorities, and it’s important that employers try to provide ‘enhancements’ that capture everyone’s interest in some way. Things to consider may be: holiday entitlement, flexibility in hours (time in lieu), pension packages, death in service benefit, discounts schemes, childcare vouchers, cycle to work schemes and, of course, paying staff at the going rate.
Conduct ‘stay’ interviews
In addition to conducting exit interviews to learn why employees are leaving, consider asking long-serving employees why they stay. You might ask: Why did you come to work here? Why have you stayed? What would make you leave? What www.farmanddeliretail.com
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Appraisals are crucial moments where all parties can reflect on their performance, goals, aspirations and development about your managers? What would you change or improve? This, together with exit interview information and/or staff survey information can be used to strengthen your employee-retention strategy.
properly manage their performance (good and bad)? Those who do conduct them find added benefits of employee engagement and performance management.
Personal development
Regular recognition and encouragement of staff is critical. Staff like to hear “well done”, “thank you”, “what you’ve done here is really good” or “you’ll be great at that”. Remember that praise should be timely, and personal to the individual or team.
It is important that staff feel their own personal development needs are being addressed. This will vary according to the individual and role, but regular appraisals will help to guide you on this. Things to consider include career development, succession planning (it’s important to promote internally wherever possible), training and nurture-in roles.
Appraisals
A lot of employers sigh at the mention of appraisals, with the typical response being that they don’t have time. But appraisals are crucial moments, where all parties can reflect on their performance, goals, aspirations and development. How else can you really get to know an employee’s career needs and
Recognition
It’s difficult as an employer to look at the reasons that employees leave without taking it personally. That said, if your retention of employees is high, it’s equally as easy to take for granted all the reasons employees are staying, without reflecting on what it is you are doing right. That’s where employee engagement, and understanding your employees, really comes into play.
Further information
www.viewhr.co.uk
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lunch! is the unmissable event for the food-to-go sector and the move to ExCeL is incredibly exciting.� ANGELINA HARRISSON, FOOD & COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR, TOSSED
Join us for the special 10th anniversary show
Book your free trade ticket for lunch! this September www.lunchshow.co.uk quoting priority code LUN80
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BROMPTON FOOD MARKET
INTERVIEW
David Turcan
Owner, Brompton Food Market Farm & Deli Retail spoke to David Turcan, owner of Brompton Food Market, about the evolution of his business from shop to deli and his top tips for keeping staff motivated
How did the business start out?
Brompton Food Market started when my old business partner and I tried to buy an existing retail business, which fell through; having researched so much around it, we thought we’d try to start our own shop instead. Fortunately, the right property came up, and eight months after that we opened – that was almost exactly three years ago.
Tell me about your role, and what made you decide to get into the deli sector.
I wanted a career change – my background was in marketing and business at Sports Spread Betting, which taught me a lot about business development and marketing. I’ve always had a love of food, but it was an amateur passion, so I really needed a business partner who had a high level of knowledge and expertise. Luckily, a friend of mine who is a very talented chef was happy to get involved – he really put us on the map in terms of the quality of our produce.
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INTERVIEW
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BROMPTON FOOD MARKET
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BROMPTON FOOD MARKET
INTERVIEW
Understanding what your customers want and changing your business accordingly isn’t easy – we’ve had to completely alter the way we work and how we operate – but it’s been absolutely key to our success
How has the business evolved since it started out?
Initially we were a shop, selling an enormous number of lines – from fresh meat and fish to cheese and charcuterie. We’ve learned what works and what doesn’t work over the three years we’ve been open, and gradually evolved into the deli business we are today. We realised very quickly that a lot of people walking past are looking for eat-in and readyto-go meals, and that realisation really made us what we are today. It’s been a big change from being a straight retailer to being a café-delicatessen business.
What is the company’s ethos?
We try to let the ingredients do the talking. We use the best produce we can source, and we don’t put anything on the deli and café menu that we don’t sell ourselves on our shop floor. www.farmanddeliretail.com
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How is the business structured?
My friend left the business to do private catering in the September of last year; it’s a great shame that he decided to move on, and he did so much to get the deli to where it is today, but he wanted a new challenge and we’re very happy for him. I’m the owner and director of the business, and I have a great general manager who has been with us since day one – he does a fantastic job, and is also a chef. We also have an assistant manager, a supervisor, two other fulltime staff members and four part-time employees.
What has been your biggest success and biggest setback as a business?
I think our biggest success has been recognising what we are good at, and developing it over time. Understanding what your customers want and changing your business accordingly isn’t easy –
we’ve had to completely alter the way we work and how we operate – but it’s been absolutely key to our success. Our biggest setback was when we first opened. We had huge wastage early on, particularly in fresh meat and fish, which just wasn’t selling. It wasn’t an easy time for the business, but we were able to recognise the changes we needed to make, put our pride to one side and adapt, turning the shop into the deli it is now.
Do you have any top tips for managing staff ?
People want to enjoy coming to work. While we need to have structures in place, we want our staff to enjoy themselves, and part of that comes from having responsibility in your role. We try to get our staff involved in everything we do, from prepping and cooking the food to making the coffees and working on the till,
and I think it’s important for them to see that I do all those jobs, too. Both myself and the general manager will have our stints doing the washing up and serving customers, showing staff that we really are all in it together. This creates a lot of loyalty.
What do you look for when you hire?
Personality is absolutely key. We used to look solely for skills and knowledge, but we soon realised that finding people with great customer skills, who you enjoy working with, is more important. They tend to be the people who will stay with the business for longer, because they like being part of the team.
What are your top tips for building a team?
Giving people responsibility is important – it shows that you have confidence in your staff, and makes them feel like part of the business.
Variety is also essential. Not every job in a deli is interesting and you have to keep your staff motivated, so having different roles or switching a staff member from the till to serving or food prep can really help with that. It’s also crucial to make sure you’re managing your staff well – little things, such as giving your staff lunch and ensuring they have enough time to take their breaks, can make your staff feel respected and looked after.
What are the main challenges you have as the owner of Brompton Food Market?
One of my main challenges is keeping staff motivated and interested to prevent high staff turnover, which results in inconsistent customer service and affects the business. We have so many local customers who come in regularly and they want to see a friendly face – it’s a great way to keep customers coming back.
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INTERVIEW
BROMPTON FOOD MARKET
DAVID TURCAN 1975 Born in Perth, Scotland 1998 Graduated from Reading University with a Politics degree 1998 First job as an account executive at Sports Sponsorship 1999 Marketing and business development at Sporting Index 2014 Owner of Brompton Food Market
Further information www.bromptonfood market.com The other big challenge is keeping the business interesting and giving people a new experience when they visit. I always want to offer something new for customers to try. It’s very easy to get into a rut, but we try to shake it up and change things frequently. It’s hard work, but it’s worth it.
Do you have any plans to change or expand the deli?
We’re always looking at what we can do to better the business. Eight months ago we turned our downstairs space into a seating area, 24
which has gone really well, and we’re currently considering making more of our outdoor space. There is definitely a growing appetite for eating outside wherever possible, so we’re looking at making our garden eating area available for use throughout the year. We’re not thinking of expanding yet – as an independent, it’s always difficult to know how to expand while retaining all the things your customers like about the business. I can see how we could feasibly expand in future, but we’ll have to see if it’s possible in a few years.
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What made you decide to become fully licensed?
We had space for people to eat and drink, and it just made sense to license the business. While we’re not open until late, closing at 8pm during the week, our customers still want to come and have a drink with their food, or pop in after work. It’s a big market and draws in a lot of customers.
How have you seen the industry change since you started working in it? Customers are much less forgiving nowadays when it comes to service – they
are more demanding and expect high quality service from staff members, which is quite right. Good customer skills have become a much more important quality in a deli employee, but there is also the risk that you can go too far the other way and be a bit over the top – you have to have the right balance. I think the overall standard of customer service in the sector has gone up.
How do you think the industry will have changed in ten years?
You can look at what supermarkets are doing
to see where things are going in terms of customers’ shopping habits and desires. There have been a couple of indications, particularly in supermarket advertising, that customers want more home-produced, wholesome foods. They want to know the provenance of the products, which is something that farm shops and delis excel at. Over the next few years, I think people will want to know more about where their food came from and how it was produced, which can only be a good thing for our sector. www.farmanddeliretail.com
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Artists in Cheese Making
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VISUAL MERCHANDISING
CHRISTMAS DISPLAYS
Show business We speak to three successful businesses about what’s important (and what isn’t) when it comes to putting together your displays this Christmas
PARTRIDGES
CHELSEA, LONDON
Consistency and planning are key, says Partridges marketing manager Alejandra F Guzman – and make sure you’re creating great focal points to highlight your Christmas hero products Colour schemes
We put our Christmas decorations up in November to coincide with Christmas activities on Duke of York Square. As soon as the decorations are up, the whole feeling of the shop changes, and we do find that our sales and footfall increases. We stick to traditional decorations and displays – we’ve tried
to modernise them in the past, but our customers preferred the traditional approach. Our products and features change each Christmas, but our colour scheme and decorations remain the same.
Focal points
We make sure that we’re highlighting our Christmas products in each department – for example,
Stilton on the deli counter, turkeys available to order, and freshly baked mince pies and pumpkin pies in the bakery (these also bring a festive smell to the shop). Packaging is also important; for our displays, we try to select products with Christmas packaging that matches our colour scheme and theme. If done correctly, the products highlighted
sell very quickly, so we make sure we feature at least one product in each section of the shop. We always keep our focal points in the same place so our customers know where to go to find something new or promotional. We have tried to move around our main displays and products, but found this confused our customers.
Planning ahead
We spend a lot of time planning our Christmas decorations and displays – we want to keep Christmas at the forefront of our customers’ minds. The way you present your products will dictate sales – people shop with their eyes, and this is why we try to draw people in with seasonal displays throughout the year.
Top Teidp back
er fe Custom o encourage l, s a c ti ri to c is ff to talk your sta and see ers custom y think of e what th plays your dis tions ora and dec
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CHRISTMAS DISPLAYS
VISUAL MERCHANDISING
WYNYARD HALL FARM SHOP
TEES VALLEY, COUNTY DURHAM
Top aTnyitapsters
Allison Antonopoulios, managing director of Wynyard Hall Farm Shop, discusses where she finds inspiration for Christmas themes, and the importance of creating a good experience for customers over the festive season Inspiration
We’ve always gained inspiration from visiting similar businesses in the UK – my absolute favourite is Daylesford Farm Shop. We find a lot of the larger food outlets and delis have some great visual merchandising over Christmas, which is a real help in building ideas. We also visit a lot of fairs, exhibitions and suppliers once their Christmas stock has launched, and from those visits we can put together our Christmas themes for the farm shop. Last year we selected three themes – ‘woodland’, which was very natural and organic, ‘traditional’, which involved a lot of green, red and tartan, and ‘glamour’, made up of silver, gold, glass and fur. www.farmanddeliretail.com
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Creating an experience Our customers love Christmas – it’s a time of year when they want to go out and have a real experience when they’re shopping, which we aim to provide with our visual merchandising. It’s important to create that festive experience for your customers – appeal to all their senses with festive music, decorations, scented candles and tasters, to get them in the Christmas spirit and make them want to come back. We’re lucky that we can decorate the farm shop with the natural foliage that can be found on our estate, which ranges from fresh pine to birch trees.
Stock and layout
Most of our shop fittings are tabletop, with shelving
m Have as available over ible s s o p ays see s a s; we alw s of a a tm s ri ale Ch ase in s an incre when tasters t c u d pro ed out en hand have be , particularly in store hristmas over C
around the sides; because of this, we’ve found that the best way to do Christmas for us is to put all our food products together in the farm shop and move all the non-food products to our glass house next door – this avoids making the space look cluttered. We keep the organisation over Christmas the same as the rest of the year, but we make sure every display is Christmas-orientated, with festive stock prominent in each department. Entertaining is popular over Christmas, so we make sure our shop is fully stocked with everything our customers may want for this – especially things that they can’t find in the supermarkets, such as artisan snacks and cheeseboards.
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VISUAL MERCHANDISING
CHRISTMAS DISPLAYS
TASTE OF THE COUNTRY
SHIPSTON-ON-STOUR, WARWICKSHIRE
Taste of the Country manager Mandy Lane explains the importance of staying true to your brand with Christmas visual merchandising, and how to avoid tacky decorations Reflect your business
We wanted to stick to a traditional theme with our Christmas visual merchandising last year, because the deli has a traditional feel all year round. We do things the old-fashioned way, selling meat by the slice from our lovely open counter; everything is done by hand and we try to avoid buying too many packaged products. We wanted the shop to look crammed with festive products, without looking tacky. For a subtle and tasteful approach to our Christmas decorations, we used plain white fairy lights together with natural garlands and dried fruit – it created a natural feeling that is synonymous with the surrounding area of the deli. 28
Offer something different
I hate seeing garish and cheap-looking Christmas merchandising. You tend to find it a lot in supermarkets, which put out quite tacky decorations en masse from September – it feels as though it’s being forced on customers. I think our customers appreciate the different approach we have at Taste of the Country – if they want bright colours and shiny ‘Merry Christmas’ signs, they can go to the supermarkets. We really go out of our way to give the deli that local, natural feel – we want to give customers the strong sense that we’re an individual, independent retailer. When I joined the
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company I got rid of the existing printed posters and signage and replaced them all with handwritten signs. We make sure all our shelves are filled and that the shop looks full throughout the festive period, which helps to draw in customers and increases sales.
We make sure all our shelves are filled and that the shop looks full throughout the festive period, which helps to draw in customers and increases sales
Top Tip Utilise your shop window to the best of your ability, using the space to show off your Christmas decorations and festive products – this will draw customers into your shop. We had a shop window makeover in the summer of 2015, incorporating more shelves and making it more open so we could fit more into it. It’s made a huge difference for us – particularly over Christmas, when we can really highlight what we have to offer
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CHRISTMAS DISPLAYS
VISUAL MERCHANDISING
8 rules for success The Display Centre’s Ali Newton gives her top tips for visual merchandising over the festive season Visual merchandising starts long before customers enter your shop, so make sure the online presence of your deli or farm shop is up to date and looking its best prior to the peak Christmas season. Images of your Christmas displays are great additions to a website and social media account, as they give potential customers a taste of your business and entice them to visit. Signage outside the shop will also invite customers in and increase footfall – anything from banners to A-boards are great for drawing people in.
A great idea is to change your shop signposting over Christmas – your meat counter sign, for example, could change to an image of a cow with antlers, to make it that bit more festive and fun. Customers will feel they are engaging with your brand – it injects a bit of quirk and personality to your store, while still being functional.
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Choose a colour scheme and use it consistently. Christmas displays and decorations in a farm shop or deli can risk looking jumbled and unattractive if there’s too much going on – it’s important to make your outlet look cohesive. Colours can be used around a store to draw attention to certain products or displays, but be wary of overdoing it.
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Your farm shop or deli should always reflect and support your brand. It’s very easy to get carried away over Christmas and pick your favourite colours to decorate your shop, but that may not be what’s right for your business. Your decorations and displays should be in line with your USP, which for farm shops and delis is often based around offering wholesome, artisanal and local foods. It may be best to avoid tinsel in farm shops and delis, as it can feel a bit artificial and not in keeping with the tone of the business; natural décor such as pine cones, holly and mistletoe is much more appropriate, and looks great.
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Consider adding a mini stall to the front of your shop: a cart, or even a table, where customers can be greeted and offered a sample of a promotional product as they enter. This festive greeting puts your customers in the Christmas spirit before they’ve even come inside your shop, as well as drawing in passers-by and introducing them to promotional products – which they are then more likely to purchase.
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Christmas is the season of the impulsepurchase – customers are always looking for stocking fillers, last-minute presents and treats for themselves over the festive period. To encourage this extra spend, farm shops and delis can use hanging clip strips on the edges of shelving, which places products right in front of your customers without taking up room on the shelves. Baskets are another great way to sell those ‘little extra’ products, as customers tend to assume that whatever is in a basket is on offer and therefore good value.
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The worst thing that a farm shop or deli can do over Christmas is create a display that’s too busy. Ensure that your decorations aren’t too distracting and don’t overpower the products
The worst thing that a farm shop or deli can do over Christmas is create a display that’s too busy. There’s a real temptation to overload a display or outlet with decorations, which can detract from the product and the brand. Ensure that your decorations aren’t too distracting and don’t overpower the products.
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Products that are popular over the festive period, such as wine, can be used as ‘anchors’ – this is a tactic that many supermarkets use. Most alcohol aisles will be placed at the back of a supermarket because they know high volumes of customers will walk through the rest of the outlet to reach it, increasing the likelihood of other products catching their eye.
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Further information Display Centre 01329 842000 info@displaycentre.co.uk www.displaycentre.co.uk
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THE KNOWLEDGE
SPANISH FOOD
The Knowledge
Spanish food Product expertise is at the heart of great customer service. Every month our brand new guide will get to grips with a specialist area, giving you even more opportunities to wow your customers with insider knowledge. This month: Jesse Domínguez, sales manager at Mevalco, demystifies Spanish food
JAMON IBÉRICO DE BELLOTA
CURED MEATS Spaniards have perfected the meat-curing process over thousands of years – Roman conquerors praised the quality of cured beef in northwest Spain more than 2,000 years ago. The mountain ranges that encircle Spain’s central plateau trap moisture from the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Cantabrian seas, creating the perfect atmosphere to naturally air dry meats. In the green North, on the other hand, meats tend to be smoked to allow preservation. Black pepper and paprika (the world famous pimentón) are natural preservatives, used to enhance flavour.
Did you know? •
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Jamón ibérico and Jamón serrano are Spanish dry-cured hams, from the hind legs of the pig. Jamón ibérico comes from pigs that are at least 75% black Iberian pig, also known as the pata negra (black foot), which has more marbled fat that any other pig and is found in southern and southwestern Spain. Jamón serrano comes from white pigs: Serrano means ‘of the Sierra’ (mountains). Due to weather conditions, cured meats from central Spain have a lower carbon footprint, and therefore tend to be excellent value. The first tapa (literally meaning ‘lid’) was a slice of ham on top of a glass of wine, intended to avoid flies getting to the drink.
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Jamon ibérico de bellota (acorn-fed) is the finest form of Jamon ibérico, made from pigs that have been roaming free and eating acorns: their fat is sweet and delicious, with unsaturated fats that lower cholesterol, and monounsaturated fatty acids that are considered to be healthy. This ham starts to ‘sweat’ at room temperature and has a high ‘umami’ flavour (the recently recognised fifth taste after salt, sweet, sour and bitter) due to its high concentration of the amino acid glutamate. If you had to choose only one cured meat to add to your diet, this should be it!
Due to weather conditions, cured meats from central Spain have a lower carbon footprint, and so tend to be excellent value
Did you know? • •
Further information 01179 826540 sales@mevalco.cp, www.mevalco.com
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Each pig needs around a hectare of oak forest to grow. There are four types of Iberian ham: white label (from pigs fed on grain), green label (pigs fed on a mixture of acorns and grain), red label (pigs fed on acorns) and black label (pure-bred Iberian pigs, fed on acorns). It takes over five years to produce a single ham.
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30/08/2017 11:46
SPANISH FOOD
THE KNOWLEDGE
FISH The Spanish love their fish, from the superb prawns on their coasts to any of their marinated sardines, air-dried tuna (mojama), anchovies or tuna belly in olive oil. They take particular pride in having made an art of preserving fish. Try a good mojama, thinly sliced with a few drops of Picual olive oil and some roasted almonds, and you’ll know what we’re talking about.
Did you know? • •
Spaniards eat more fish per person than anyone else in the world, except for the Japanese. Japanese consumers identify Spanish ingredients as the highest quality, with Japan being the main market for Spanish food outside of Europe.
SHERRY Spain is the third largest wine producer in the world, and is home to 60 different DO (Denominacion de Origen) wines, ranging from good value ranges to highly prestigious wines such as Vega Sicilia – but sherries are so unique that they are worth a special mention. Produced in the Southeast province of Cádiz in Andalucia, each complex range works wonderfully well with food and are excellent value. Pair salty manzanilla with fish platters, fino with ham, oloroso with cheese or braised beef, amontillado with jamón ibérico de bellota or artichokes, palo cortado with lamb, cream sherry with cake or Pedro Ximenez with chocolate. Drink slightly chilled.
Spain is by far the most important producer of olive oil in the world, with a 44% market share
OLIVE OIL Olive oil is central to the Mediterranean diet, which is known to reduce the risk of heart disease and other causes of early death. Also important to the diet are pulses, unrefined cereals, fruit and vegetables, combined with moderate consumption of fish, dairy and wine.
Did you know? •
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Did you know? • •
Manzanilla and fino sherries are the driest wines, with virtually no sugar. The UK boasts the largest market for sherries outside of Spain.
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As with wines, each variety of olive has a different flavour. In Spain there are 260 varieties, with Picual, Hojiblanca and Arbequina being the most prevalent. The earlier the harvest, the more concentrated the flavours are; as the yield is smaller earlier in the harvest, prices are higher than for olive oil made from late-harvested olives. Spain is by far the most important producer of olive oil in the world, with a 44% market share. This is more than twice the Italian production, and four times the Greek production.
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THE KNOWLEDGE
SPANISH FOOD
BRINDISA How we did it SUPPLIERS OF SPANISH FOOD a useful skill, and The Ham School is incredibly popular – a testament to how much broader the UK's food horizons have become since Spanish hams were first imported in 1992.
How do you keep your offering exciting?
We visit the farms, fields and kitchens of the producers that we work with to understand why their foods deserve a place in our range. It's great for inspiration, and to see the landscapes that deliver the best products.
Monika Linton, founder of authentic Spanish food supplier Brindisa, tells us how the company started and why it diversified into ham carving workshops – and dispenses top tips for retailers looking to offer Spanish products How did Brindisa start?
It was founded in 1988. Knowledge of Spanish gastronomy was almost nonexistent in the UK, and I believed that the foods I loved deserved a wider audience. We launched with the help of £1,000 from the pro-EU and proentrepreneur Enterprise Allowance scheme.
Tell us a bit about what makes Brindisa special. Good food is integral to Spanish life. Brindisa provides something to celebrate at every meal, from small plates of tapas to elaborate feasts. Brindisa is a salute to the food, people, land and producers of Spain.
Who is your clientele? We supply wholesale products to delis and food halls, as well as top chefs throughout the country. These independent 32
operators are looking for authentic quality, and turn to us for our expertise. We also work with big retailers such as Marks & Spencer and Waitrose. We have five tapas bars and restaurants and two shops: one in Borough Market and another in Balham. Both shops focus on holding exciting events, engaging and educating customers.
How did The Ham School get started?
Carving Iberico ham is a highly skilled art that involves understanding the anatomy of the leg, and where the sweeter and more savoury cuts lie. Customers buying whole legs didn't know how to carve properly, so they weren't getting the best flavours – a waste of the time and care that goes into producing Iberico ham. Carving is fun and
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Do you have any tips for other retailers looking to stock Spanish food? Quality and great taste should be the primary consideration, and staff training is essential. Passing on knowledge is key to successful sales. It’s vital to guide customers through your range and give advice on how to prepare a particular food.
Are you facing any challenges?
Brexit is a threat to us being able to continue providing food diversity and quality. Uncertainty is forcing businesses to play it safe – the referendum result was a crushing blow. The terror attacks at London Bridge have had an impact on Borough Market – some smaller traders have been greatly affected. It shows how vital it is to support your neighbours – we all need to come together.
Further information www.brindisa.com
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30/08/2017 11:59
GIN BUSINESS
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ADD VALUE
g n i e d adalu h... v it w
gin business If you are a farm shop toying with the idea of your own small batch distillery, Olivier Ward from Gin Foundry, the world’s largest gin-focused site, has this rough guide to get you started
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get emails on a daily basis from people asking us for advice on how and where to begin with their gin business. As a site that reviews dozens of gins each month, we are also frequently asked to review gins that are new to the market, with judgement inevitably cast over the distillery’s story, its team and often the early stages of its career. When we write a review, we look at all parts of a new business and its team, not just the gin’s flavour profile. In doing so, we have seen firsthand what it takes to build a successful craft distillery, as well as the many pitfalls that have tripped up even the most talented distillers, marketers and owners during the crucial first stages of getting a gin to market.
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ADD VALUE
GIN BUSINESS
Getting started
People take different routes to becoming distillers. There is no right or wrong way to go about it; one size does not fit all. What each journey has in common are the highs and lows that come with turning an idea into reality. There are also different ambitions and budgets to be considered. An infusion might be a great way to dip your toe in – take a product, add your twist to it and brand it. Many farm shops have been selling their own sloe gin for years – why not try making summer cup or quince gin using local produce? If this goes well and the interest is there, perhaps look at distilling options. Relative newcomer Gin Bothy took a similar journey to this, with the owners renting space at a local distillery. One of the key things you need to know is how much you want to make, how much you can sell and how strong a concept you have – then it becomes easier to decide on economies of scale and different avenues you might take.
Do your research
So many people launch products claiming to be ‘the first’, ‘the only’ or ‘a unique blend’. The reality is that for 90% of gins out there, this is not the case. There are over 600 gins available in the UK, more in the US. If you haven’t heard of at least 100 of them and don’t
know their concepts, do your homework. The probability is that someone out there is doing exactly what you are thinking of doing. It’s imperative to know the context and where you stand in relation to others. If nothing else, it’s solid competitor analysis, but it can potentially inform you so that you can make the right decisions for your business. For example, if you do decide to set up your own distillery, you might be tempted to buy a small 100L still – but a quick talk with Warner Edwards and a look at the meteoric rise it experienced in its first 18 months will have you wondering if you should futureproof yourself. Warner Edwards did so by having a bigger still to begin with and growing into it, rather than having to delay production because of a small still. Elsewhere you’ll see Tarquin’s Gin doubling up on stills, having opted for a micro-sized alembic pot still when it began. It works for them, and that was a part of the plan, but would it suit you? How about the American model of mixed spirits – will you be looking to make other spirits down the line? Alternatively, could a third-party manufacturer be more appropriate? Many larger shops have their own spirit that is custom-made for them. There might even be a distiller on your doorstep.
It’s imperative to know where you stand in relation to others. If nothing else, it’s solid competitor analysis, but it can potentially inform you so that you can make the right decisions for your business 34
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Tiptree, for example, works with a local distiller to create its range, and this collaboration between two local businesses is a perfect match for both parties, making good use of each company’s skillset and expertise. Just knowing about all these ginsmiths will mean that whatever your decisions are, you will be informed. Going back to do more research should be a monthly ritual. The landscape changes so quickly that what you know now will be out of date in a year’s time – so keep looking around. On the other hand, you have to stick to your guns, too. Just because a couple of other gins move in one direction, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to as well.
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GIN BUSINESS
ADD VALUE
What I’ve learned KIM CAMERON
GIN BOTHY
but because they offered something that previously didn’t exist. Could you do the same?
The legalities
Add to the category, don’t clutter it
All the business books will tell you to find a USP, to have a distinct identity, to be original. Valid points, but they never tell you to think about whether you’re adding to the category in a positive way. When Allen Katz of NY Distilling talks about the development of his two gins, Dorothy Parker and Perry’s Tot, he talks about adding to the category. He didn’t want to make another gin simply because he liked a certain flavour profile – he wanted to make something that was missing. It informed his decisions and his results speak for themselves. Dorothy Parker and Perry’s Tot have their place on any shelf, not just because they taste great, www.farmanddeliretail.com
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Simply getting a still, adding spirit (or creating your own from scratch) and firing it up is illegal. You need a licence – sometimes several licences. Talk to HMRC and look at their guides, because there are endless forms to be filled out. It’s all for good cause, however – distilling high proof spirits can be dangerous, and you need to ensure you are doing it safely. Distiller’s licences, rectifier’s licences and compounder’s licences are all separate things – inform yourself about what will be required for your plans, and begin this process as soon as possible, as it takes time.
Making it add up
Stills from the likes of Carl or Holstein will set you back £50-150k; getting them installed will be pricey, too, especially if you opt for a steam jacket. Base spirit, botanicals, bottles, corks, seal, licences and duty also need to be factored in. Don’t forget that most things cost triple what you think they will, because they will have to have safety ratings: you’re dealing with alcohol that
is stronger than 80% ABV. Running costs, overheads and marketing also need to be considered, and that’s assuming you are doing everything in house. Distributors, agencies and consultants will cost more. Do your maths and then add 40% to it. We’ve never heard of a single distillery that was on budget in their first year, and there are always unexpected costs. Have a three to five-year plan, but adjust constantly, changing those yearly goals on a six-month basis. If you’ve done your homework, you’ll have seen that 6 O’Clock Gin started out as fruit farmers before they became liqueur makers and then ginsmiths, so that’s something that farms can take inspiration from. With some careful planning, it’s possible that you’ll be wondering why you weren’t doing this sooner. Gin Foundry hosts ‘How to open a distillery’ workshops at its HQ in London where all these elements are explored in detail, along with analysis and insight into distilleries on the market today.
Further information info@ginfoundry.com www.ginfoundry.com
Kim Cameron of The Gin Bothy in Angus, Scotland, calls herself the ‘accidental gin maker’. Around three years ago she began sampling her creations at Peel Farm’s gift shop and local shows, and has never looked back. Kim’s gins use whole, fresh local fruits, and although it takes time (and a lot of hand-turning) she says it’s worth it for the rich flavour. To avoid waste, all of the fruit is used in her jams.
Why did you start a gin business?
Gin making was accidental, really. I won a jam-making competition and converted a bothy (a small single room stone cottage) into a jam bothy. I was batching so much jam using the fruits grown around us in Angus that I had waste juice and fruit, and my mum suggested adding it to gin.
Tell us a bit about what went into creating your brand… The Gin Bothy is about creating a traditional
product range in a contemporary way – 100% natural, 100% great taste, using simple packaging that reflects the simplicity of the brand.
Any crises along the way?
Running out of bottles and fruit! I’ve learned to use production plans now.
Where do you source your gin from?
We distill our gin in a local distillery which we sublet two days a month. I distill using juniper, heather, milk thistle, hawthorn, rosemary and Scots pine needles – we have just been awarded a double Great Taste Award for this, too. We then suppress the botanical in a second distillation and use this gin as our base for our fruit creations, which follow Scotland’s fruit calendar.
Any tips for farm shops thinking about diversifying with a gin business?
We sell at farm shops and delis throughout Scotland and it definitely increases consumer spend – you can link sales to tonics, oatcakes and olives. I’ve now relocated to a bigger bothy in Kirriemuir and created a tasting room, which is a much-needed addition. info@ginbothy.co.uk Farm & Deli Retail • September 2017
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A family tradition
HAND MADE IN THE
MIDLANDS
We are a family run company which has been producing the highest quality, hand raised, pork pies, as well as other specialty pies for over 30 years, for both Retail and Food Service. T: 01922 400956 | M: 07768 214623 | E: mikeinvek@aol.com | w: www.patgormanpies.co.uk
Award Winning Christmas Puddings For Retail and Food Service
Scrumptiously Light and Fruity | Reduced Added Sugar Perfect for Dining and Gifting Full of Natural Goodness with over 50% Fruit Contact: 07792223301 www.lillypuds.co.uk hello@lillypuds.co.uk
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Food&Drink SWEET TREATS
Polly Robinson p38
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Christmas crackers p39
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Cotswold Fayre p40
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PRODUCTS
Bowness Pudding Co. p41
Sweet treats special With health food trending thanks to Instagram celebrities, and the government increasing its pressure on sugar content, the confectionery industry could seem to be facing a tricky festive season. Early predictions, however, suggest that craft chocolate and artisan desserts could replace mass consumption with small, high end indulgences. Farm & Deli Retail talks Christmas sales with Paul Hargreaves and handmade desserts with The Bowness Pudding Co.
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PRODUCTS
SWEET TREATS
The new indulgence
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lthough there has been an increased awareness of the link between sugar and health problems, I don’t see people giving up sugar and sweet food; I believe it will become more of an indulgent treat. Chocolate sales have decreased in the last year, but the premium end of the market will grow. People won’t stop treating themselves, and will have more interest in high end products – which will translate into Christmas gifts. People will look at the provenance of ingredients, particularly
With prices and post-Brexit fears rising, products sch as chocolate and coffee have become more expensive; people on a limited budget might find that their shopping comes down to cost instead of ethics 38
Food and drink marketing expert Polly Robinson foresees a rise in ethical consumerism when it comes to sweet treats – here's what you should be looking out for when curating your Christmas confectionery offering of cocoa. This could be whether it’s single origin, where it’s from and whether it’s organic – there are a range of ethical schemes. Consumers will be prepared to pay a premium for ethical products, because it makes them feel good about themselves.
New ingredients
Reduced sugar products will be supplemented with fruit, honey or honeycomb, in an extension of the salted caramel trend. Texture is also important, as this can be lost when sugar is removed – it can be added through honeycomb, nuts, or even the crunch of salt. One bean to bar chocolate company, Pump Street, started out as a bakery and added sourdough to its chocolate as a natural extension of this. From the savoury perspective, some companies have been adding basil and rosemary, and I think chilli chocolate will become more mainstream. The clean eating trend has introduced green tea and matcha as an ingredient,
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now being used in ice cream and cakes.
Showing it off
A move towards ethical consumerism tends to be specific to the consumer base that can afford to buy the products. With prices and post-Brexit fears rising, products such as chocolate and coffee have become more expensive; people on a limited budget might find that their shopping comes down to cost instead of ethics. Your sweet treat offering could be put into a few categories, such as premium and indulgent, sustainable, or clean and healthy. The craft market is becoming more competitive – a lot of new entrants are proving that packaging and branding is key. Especially at Christmas, people are buying products that they themselves want to be given, and they are looking for clean and contemporary branding – not twee and old fashioned. Bold colours and an artisan feel are all important, particularly in bean to bar packaging, where they can tell the craft story.
CHRISTMAS CRACKERS
Orange and Cardamom Polenta Sponge
Company: GATO & Co Launched: January 2017 GATO & Co is a new range of ‘guilt-free’ desserts, with natural ingredients and nothing processed. This is a moist and tangy sponge made from polenta, infused with fresh orange and lemon juice, coconut oil creamed with honey, soft ground almonds, and spicy cardamom and turmeric. Containing 230 calories, it is sugar, gluten and dairy free. RRP £2.99 orders@gatoandco.co.uk
Belgian Milk Chocolate Truffle Gift Pack and Tumbler
Company: Jim Beam Launched: June 2017 The latest addition to Sarund’s ‘adult chocolate’ category, these Belgian milk chocolate truffles are infused with Jim Beam bourbon and are available in three gifting formats: tube, gift box and gift pack with a Jim Beam bourbon tumbler. RRP £8.99 sales@sarunds.co.uk
Mini Turkish Delight Company: Truede Launching: September 2017 Made to an authentic recipe with natural ingredients, this Mixed Mini Turkish Delight includes apple, pomegranate, lemon and orange flavours. Gluten, GM and alcohol free and suitable for vegans, this is great for healthconscious customers wanting to indulge. RRP £5.49 sales@truede.com
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SWEET TREATS
INTERNATIONAL INDULGENCES
Salted Caramel Popcorn Bauble
Mini Stollen
Company: Von der Heide Launched: May 2017 A gourmet approach to the German Christmas speciality from Wolfgang Won der Heide. Each cake is hand kneaded then matured in a former slate mine for four weeks. Also available as a single boxed Christinen Stollen. RRP £7.50 sales@cotswold fayre.co.uk
PRODUCTS
Company: Joe & Seph’s Launching: October 2017 Available in red and gold or gold and cream, complete with gift tags and filled with popcorn. Air-popped and coated in handmade smooth caramel, finished with a pinch of sea salt. Free from gluten, artificial flavours, colours and preservatives. RRP £5 joe@joeandsephs.com
Why not take some inspiration from further afield this Christmas? We've rounded up some festive food traditions from around the globe – from the well-known to the surprising
MEXICO Biscochitos: a celebratory Mexican sugar cookie. Buñuelos: crispy, flaky fried tortillas, coated with cinnamon and sugar.
Trias Classic Biscuit Selection Company: Brindisa Launched: TBC A family sized selection of traditional almond based Catalan biscuits, free from preservatives and colourant. Sold in an embossed and decorated tin. An original recipe that comes in a variety of shapes, flavours and textures. RRP TBC sales@brindisa.com
ICELAND Leaf bread: thin sheets of dough, cut into delicate patterns and fried. Risalamande: a cold rice pudding made with boiled milk and vanilla, finished off with cream and almonds.
CHINA Apples: traditionally, apples are wrapped in colourful paper and given on Christmas Eve. In Chinese, Christmas Eve, ‘píng ān yè’, sounds similar to apple, ‘píng guǒ’.
GERMANY Artisan Christmas Pudding
Company: LillyPuds Launched: October 2015 Available in traditional and gluten free, these Christmas puddings are so heavily laden with fruit, brandy and ale that they only need 5% added sugar. Alison Lilly found her recipe to be such a success with her friends and family that she decided to launch her brand. RRP £6.95-£16.50 hello@lillypuds.co.uk
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Stollen: fruit cake with dried fruit and marzipan, dusted with icing. Dating back to the 15th century. Pfeffernüsse: these iced ginger biscuits have a distinct flavour from white pepper in the recipe, and a walnut-like shape.
Sourdough and Sea Salt
Company: Pump Street Launched: June 2014 A combination of two of Pump Street’s signature products, dark chocolate and sourdough, this is perhaps the first time the two have been combined into a chocolate bar. Pump Street handmakes its bean to bar products at its bakery in Orford, Suffolk. RRP £6.25 orders@pumpstreet chocolate.com
Winter Spiced Brownie
Company: Ginger Bakers Launching: October 2017 Each box contains four individually wrapped, gluten free chocolate orange brownies, made with warming winter spices. Inspired by the company’s surroundings in the Lake District, Ginger Bakers uses local, natural ingredients without additives or preservatives. RRP £3.50 info@gingerbakers.co.uk
ITALY Panettone: a sweet bread made with candied peel, sultanas and raisins. Cuccidati: a Sicilian cookie made of dough and filled with ground figs, nuts and spices, sometimes shaped into a wreath for Christmas.
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PRODUCTS
SWEET TREATS
Sweeten your sales Cotswold Fayre CEO Paul Hargreaves dishes out his market predictions for Christmas 2017 – plus advice for making those crucial festive sales As always, merchandising is everything, and large displays are essential to good sales
What sweet food products do you think will be popular this Christmas period? Leaving aside the obvious products, such as Christmas puddings, mince pies and chocolates, Cotswold Fayre has new ranges from Spain that have proved to be very promising during early meetings with customers. One of our Spanish ranges is Torrons Vicens, which is artisan nougat from Barcelona. Customers would recognise it from their holidays to Spain, but this variety has a modern twist, with recipes created by Albert Adria of El Bulli. The other is Indeal Bonbon, which makes the classic figs filled with 40
praline and covered in chocolate – at surprisingly realistic prices. Has the market changed lately due to healthy food trends? To some degree, yes, but the speciality food sector will also always be about indulgence and taste, even if the indulgences become smaller. Christmas will always be about treating ourselves, our friends and our relatives. Are there any new products to the market? Yes, 50% of the Cotswold Fayre Christmas catalogue is new to us every year, and most of those new products are completely new to the UK market – either
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British producers creating new products for us, or products that have never been imported to the UK before. How can food retailers market their sweet Christmas treats to customers? As always, merchandising is everything, and large displays are essential to good sales. When it comes to the products that retailers know work well every year, such as Turkish Delight, pile it high and create enticing offers such as two for a certain price. One idea that appears to be successful is early Christmas tasting events, say in late October or early November. While customers won't all buy a lot at these events, it puts the products on their radar, and they will return closer to Christmas to make those purchases. Should this differ to the way retailers market their non-Christmas sweet foods? Personally, I would encourage retailers to do this all year, but clearly sweet treats sell better at special occasions such as Easter and Christmas.
Further information www.cotswoldfayre.co.uk
PAUL’S FESTIVE SELECTION
Net of Milk Chocolate Santa Belts
Company: Sorini Launching: September 2017 Festive chocolate derived from Italy, with a history dating back to 1915 when the Italian pharmacist Dr. Fausto Sorini created the ‘Robarbaro’. Sorini stocks to 50 countries internationally, but is sold exclusively through Cotswold Fayre in the UK. RRP £1.99
Marzipan Fruit Selection
Company: Natalie Chocolates Launching: October 2017 A range of novelty Christmas chocolates and selection boxes, with two lines only available through Cotswold Fayre’s festive range. RRP £7.49
Swiss Alpine Milk Chocolate with Crunchy Caramel & Sea Salt
Company: MilkBoy Launching: September 2017 Fine Swiss chocolate bars, from white to extra dark 85% cocoa, with an Alpine design. MilkBoy uses only UTZ-certified cocoa in its products, and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper for its packaging. RRP £3.79
Chocolate Covered Figs
Company: Indeal Bonbon Launching: October 2017 A range of bonbons from Spain in both small jars and large boxes, suitable for gifting. Chocolate covered crisps and popcorn are also available within the range. RRP £2.99
Soufflé Hard Almond Nougat
Company: Torrons Vicens Launching: October 2017 Premium artisan nougats made in Spain since 1775, following original recipes. Made with Agramunt’s nougat, with air inside to make it soft, yet crunchy. RRP £7.99 Paul's picks can be purchased at www.cotswold fayre.co.uk, or email sales@cotsworldfayre.co.uk www.farmanddeliretail.com
30/08/2017 10:18
SWEET TREATS
PRODUCTS
Meet the supplier
The Bowness Pudding Co. Based in the Lake District, The Bowness Pudding Co. makes sticky puddings with a twist. We talk recipe development and online campaigns with founder Paul Johnson
PRODUCT
PUDDINGS
How did you start making puddings? I started working for a local company that owned three country houses, making everything from bread to handmade chocolates, but I particularly loved making the desserts. I decided to head to a local cookery school based in Staveley, where I would later teach. I played with sorbets and ice creams, along with more intricate elements such as marble chocolate. I believe that the finishing touches make all the difference to a dining experience. Desserts tend to be the last thing you eat as part of a meal, so they’re the most memorable bit; if you have a poor one, it makes an impression on the entire meal. www.farmanddeliretail.com
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I registered the company in November 2016, but in such a small village it took a while to find a venue that was suitable. I found a place in Plumgarths, which is almost like a food retail park. It’s got some lovely artisan bakers and a brilliant farm shop. How did you decide what desserts to produce, and how do you develop your recipes? People always raved about the sticky toffee pudding, but I decided to do something different with the recipe. I played with different types of chocolate, removing flour, adding more flour, adding eggs to take away the heavy stodge that sticky toffee pudding is known
for. I wanted mine to have the flavour, richness and moistness of the classic pudding, while being light enough to be eaten after any meal. Developing recipes is a case of trial and error. As a chef you often know what will work and what won’t; you add and remove certain ingredients until you have something you’re happy with. My daughter loves banoffee pie, and my son loves apple crumble, so those desserts are inspired by them. We’re working on a dessert for my wife next, featuring chocolate fondant, Irish cream and a small ball of ganache inside. What preparations are you making as we gear up for the Christmas period? We’ve just started marinating the fruits for a Christmas pudding recipe that we’re working on, and we’ve launched ‘#puddingface’, which is an interactive campaign. People can take pictures of their kids with cake all over their faces and put it on our website for the chance to win something. We’re planning to hide a Willy Wonkastyle golden ticket in one of our puddings, where people can win a stay at a place called ‘Pudding
We are passionate and traditional, but make puddings with a slight twist Cottage’ in the Lake District. I was thinking of putting the old-fashioned tuppence in the Christmas pudding, but I don’t think HSE would like that, understandably. How would you recommend farm shops and delis promote your puddings over the Christmas period? I would emphasise the fact that they’re all artisan products handmade by patissiers. We are passionate and traditional, but make puddings with a slight twist. I tried to make the
packaging stand out so it sells itself – the design and the position of the product needs to be in full view, it’s all colourcoordinated to be eyecatching. When you go out into the shops and buy puddings, a lot of them are in foil and look like takeaway trays – you can’t see the product. I knew I wanted a biodegradable packet that allows you to see the product. We don’t put all that effort into the product for nobody to see it – I think the visibility of the product is what sells it to begin with.
Further information www.bowness pudding.co
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THE STORY BEHIND
CHOCOLATE TREE
The story behind...
Chocolate Tree
Founder Alastair Gower talks about his conversion to the ‘bean to bar’ cause, and why many of the companies that use the term aren’t necessarily what they seem
A
lastair and Friederike Gower started their careers as craft chocolate producers in a geodesic dome tent in 2005, creating puddings, hot chocolates, cakes and chocolate bars in their kitchen and selling them at music festivals. “We didn’t do it to start a business, we were just doing it to have fun,” Alastair tells us. The couple found that their range of chocolate products received a positive reaction and decided to pursue it as an ethical business, working with organic, Fair Trade chocolate to bring positivity to people and the environment. With the drive to become an ethical and responsible entrepreneur, Alastair decided to start making his own chocolate from bean to bar in 2012, 42
working with cocoa farmers to source cacao and make chocolate from scratch. “At the time, there were very few people doing that in the UK,” he explains. “It was a big risk, but we felt that it was the right thing to be doing for an authentic production process.” Currently, this process requires Alastair and Friederike to travel around the world meeting cocoa farmers, sourcing their beans responsibly. According to Alastair, the difference between the small batch chocolatiers and mass produced chocolate is flavour, ‘wow factor’, and the impact the process has on cocoa farmers and
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‘Craft chocolate’ is a term used to describe chocolate makers like us, who have a real passion for ethics and sourcing
the environment. He has learned a lot about cocoa as a reforestation crop from talking to people within the industry who have a conservation background. “When the farmers are growing cocoa, they’re naturally increasing companion plants and biodiversity on their farms. There are lots of insects, birds, tropical fruits, herbs and all kinds of plants surrounding cocoa. If the cocoa plant is chopped down and a monocrop such as rice, palm or sugar is grown instead, it obliterates the environment.”
Increasing popularity
Through entering their bean to bar products into International Chocolate and Academy of Chocolate awards over the past four years, Chocolate Tree has established itself in the
market, winning awards, gaining recognition and growing as a business. Alastair compares the craft chocolate industry to the craft beer industry. “‘Craft chocolate’ is a term used to describe chocolate makers like us, who have a real passion for ethics and sourcing.” Compared to mass produced chocolate, the batch sizes in craft chocolate are minute. Traditionally, large manufacturers will use bulk cocoa to produce chocolate for multiple companies, including their own. There is a huge disparity between the amounts of bulk cocoa and the amounts of premium cocoa on the market; this means that a lot of the companies carrying the Fair Trade label will actually be made with bulk cocoa – a quality compromise, www.farmanddeliretail.com
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CHOCOLATE TREE
It’s not uncommon for companies to refer to their beans as ‘premium’, neglecting to inform their customers that they are not actually working with the beans themselves. Alastair suggests that many of the larger companies are copying the stories of craft chocolate producers, insinuating non-existent connections to cacao farms. “Some of the bigger companies are catching onto the marketing phrases that are being used by the small batch companies, and using them for their own products.” The problem is that the term ‘bean to bar’ technically refers to any chocolate made from cocoa beans – so it can therefore be used by companies that make their chocolate from bulk commodity cacao.
Distinguishing quality in the eyes of craft chocolatiers. “The marketing is often not transparent about the source of their cocoa,” Alastair says. “It’s a difficult market to play in because, as a small batch craft chocolate maker, we’re competing against some big companies who are using the same marketing as us.” As with craft beer, smaller businesses are competing with large producers to get their products into the market – but Alastair believes that, at the heart of it, there is an educated consumer demanding a higher quality product.
Staying true
The trouble with being a small batch craft chocolate producer is that you can grow out of the label. For Chocolate Tree, there has been a www.farmanddeliretail.com
Story Behind Sept.indd 43
conscious decision to keep an eye on its size; it has recently signed a 10-year lease on a new 1,800ft² factory, a farmhouse in the countryside. “There comes a point where you’re no longer a small batch chocolate maker, but we have a long way to go before we reach it,” Alastair says. “We had plans and the potential to build a million-pound factory, but it wasn’t for us, or for our brand. It would steer us away from our ethos.” Becoming a larger producer would require supplying supermarkets, and Alastair believes that this would risk compromising on quality. There are questions to be raised when a small batch suddenly increases in size, he tells us. “They’re not small batch anymore. It’s
important for us to have integrity, maintaining the small producer model and keeping control of our company. My wife and I are the only shareholders, so we didn’t need to take investment. We can work a lot better, even though the size of the company might not be as big.”
What is ‘bean to bar’?
The term is used throughout the industry, by both large and small chocolate producers, but for Alastair it means working with fermented dried cocoa beans. “It means buying the dried beans from South America, Africa and Indonesia and turning them into the finished product,” he explains. “Anything that doesn’t start with the bean is not bean to bar.”
When distinguishing between a premium bar and a bulk commodity bar, the old adage ‘if it’s too good to be true, then it probably is’ applies. If there is a bean to bar product retailing at £1 or £2, then it probably isn’t a premium product – it just isn’t possible for a small batch chocolate maker to sell a product at that price. “It costs us more to make our own chocolate than to buy chocolate in from a big company, so the price of a good bean to bar chocolate bar should be around £5+.” Customers and retailers are told to look beyond a company’s marketing and find out whether it’s sourcing the beans itself or outsourcing production to a bigger company. A company can present itself as ethical and advertise bean to bar products, but they may
THE STORY BEHIND
not be everything they seem. “They are actually getting a company such as Callebaut to make their products for them, and all they’re doing is marketing the product,” Alastair tells us.
Sourcing beans
Chocolate Tree initially struggled to source its beans, not knowing where to look. Alistair found that he would never get far when asking UK importers about their beans’ origin. “As we started trying to do bean to bar, we were also networking within our industry, doing events in London and meeting new people,” he says. “Before long, people were approaching us. We started interacting with distributors all around the world who had beans for sale. How it generally works now is that we start a conversation with a supplier, either at an event or through social media, and somebody will approach us and we ask them questions about the beans – where they come from, what the environmental policies are, whether it’s organic and other certifications it might have.” The process of finding the right bean can take Alistair and Friederike to places such as South America and Madagascar. They go to meet the people and look at the farms, to find out whether they’re happy with the product. “Those trips are great,” Alistair tells us. “They take us off into other places that regular tourism would never go.”
Further Information Chocolate Tree www.choctree.co.uk
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30/08/2017 12:01
REGIONAL GUIDE
PERTHSHIRE
Regional guide
re i h s h t r Pe We shine a light on the rich Highland hills and valleys of Scotland’s Perthshire, home to all the goodies listed below – not to mention Highland Wagyu beef, venison, pies, bread, cheese, chanterelles, the list goes on... Smoked salmon
According to Rob Gower of Dunkeld Smoked Salmon, his company is “a small artisan business with a reputation for producing some of the best product in Scotland.” The River Tay is world-renowned for its Atlantic salmon, and the ancient cathedral town of Dunkeld sits on its banks. Dunkeld Smoked Salmon’s traditional smokehouse sees a steady stream of anglers bringing in the fish they’ve caught in the week, while the company focuses its energies on producing a small but outstanding range of products. Call 01350 727639 or email enq@ dunkeldsmokedsalmon.com; www.dunkeldsmokedsalmon.com
Whisky
Tullibardine whisky distillery was founded in 1949 on the site of an old brewery, and has been producing handcrafted Highland single malt Scotch whisky ever since. Named for Tullibardine Moor, the distillery draws its water from the Danny Burn and lies to the south-west of Blackford. The area is renowned for the purity of its water – Highland Spring is bottled locally. Family-owned and independent, the distillery follows traditional methods, producing fabulous malty, creamy and slightly spicy whiskies. 01764 661809; shop.admin@tullibardine.com; www.tullibardine.com
Rapeseed oil
Mark Bush creates Summer Harvest Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil at his farm in the Strathearn Valley. Ferneyfold Farm boasts 400 acres, where the rapeseed is grown, pressed, filtered and bottled on-site. The oil is smooth, light, nutty and 100% natural, lending itself to the dressings and vinegars that are also on offer (the standout has to be the Raspberry Dressing). Call 01764 683288 or email info@summerharvestoils. co.uk for more information. www.summerharvestoils.co.uk
Honey
From its humble beginnings of just a single hive in 1945, Heather Hills Farm now boasts 1,300 across Perthshire and Deeside. Add traditional extraction and collection methods into the mix, and it’s little surprise that Heather Hills is capable of producing artisan, raw honeys of such distinction. Also working extensively with local berry growers, their award-winning preserves are handcrafted in small batches on the farm. We love the Raspberry Jam. 01250 886252; www.heatherhills.co.uk 44
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Chocolate
Master chocolatier Iain Burnett creates fresh cream truffles, pralines, chocolate-dipped candied fruits and gourmet chocolate bars, all from his small kitchen in Highland Perthshire. Made using fresh cream from a single herd of Perthshire cows, combined with a rare, complex and fruity cocoa from the South Atlantic island of São Tomé, Iain’s Velvet Truffles come dusted in cocoa powder or encased in colourful chocolate designs, and they are exceptionally good – so much so that they’ve twice won the title of Best Truffles in the World at the International Chocolate Awards. Email iainburnett@ highlandchocolatier.com or call 01887 840775 for more information and prices.
SHOW TIME FARMER’S MARKETS, FOOD FESTIVALS AND EVENTS
PERTHSHIRE
REGIONAL GUIDE
The Wee G&T Festival
Perth Farmers’ Market
When First Saturday of every month excluding January, with an extra market on the third Saturday in December. 9am-2pm. Perth was the first farmers’ market to be established in Scotland. Still one of the most popular, a monthly cooking demonstration sees local chefs prepare quick and easy dishes using seasonal ingredients. Best for The best in organic meat, fish and vegetables, as well as wines and home-baking. Where King Edward Street, Perth.
Great Perthshire Picnic
When September 2017 The Picnic is a month-long celebration of the best food and drink the region has to offer, with over 60 events scheduled throughout September – all championing the best local produce and home-grown talent from across the region. Where Throughout the region. http://greatperthshirepicnic.uk/
When 16 September, 12-4pm The Wee G&T Festival returns for its second year with over 50 gins to taste, as well as expert knowledge on hand from distillers. The day will include tasters, workshops, gininspired recipes and cocktails. Where Salutation Hotel, 34 South Street, Perth. Buy tickets at https://www.facebook.com/ events/389741128069771/
Blairgowrie Community Market
When Fourth Saturday of the month, April-September, 10am-3pm Held in the Blairgowrie Wellmeadow, with around 20 local producers and craftworkers offering a wide variety of local produce. The area around Blairgowrie is Europe’s centre for soft fruit production. Best for Local lamb, plants, crafts and soft fruits during ‘berry season’. Where Wellmeadow, Blairgowrie
Perth Chocolate & Gin Street Fest
When 18-19 November, 9am-4pm. A unique celebration of all things chocolate and gin. Best for Mouth-watering chocolate bars, buttons, sauces, spreads, cakes, truffles, hot chocolate and more… plus a multitude of little known gins from around the UK. Where King Edward Street, Perth www.chocolateandgin.co.uk
Raspberries
Perthshire has long provided a fertile mix of conditions for raising fruit – in particular, raspberries – and local berry farmers have grabbed opportunities to diversify their growing skills, with strawberries, gooseberries and even cherries at the heart of many local jams and preserves. Cairn O’Mohr winery started producing berry wines made from these locally cultivated and foraged fruits 30 years ago, in its farmhouse kitchen. Naturally vegan friendly, its core range now includes strawberry, raspberry, bramble, elderberry and oak leaf, with limited editions (clever currant, shrubbery) as and when local farmers call with offers of spare fruit. Made in the traditional way, including at least a year’s maturation, the flavours are smooth and well-developed – the perfect tipple for craft-hungry millennials. Call Linzey Cairns on 01821 642781 or 07411 235115, or email her at linzey@ cairnomohr.com. www.cairnomohr.com www.farmanddeliretail.com
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LATEST PRODUCTS
SOUPS
Latest products
Soups Pea & Ham Soup
Company: Blas ar Fwyd Relaunched: August 2017 A comforting combination of chunky ham and sweet green peas. The Great Taste 2017 judges commented: “The thick consistency looks wholesome and delivers a good, ‘homemade’ texture. A fresh sweetness to the peas, the ham delivers a clever salt seasoning. The varied chunks of ham reinforce the kitchen freshness of this wonderful soup.” RRP £3.75 sales@blasarfwyd.com
Courgette, Parmesan & Hazelnuts Soup
Company: GreenShoot Launching: October 2017 New to the UK, GreenShoot produces a broad range of soups, gazpachos and green smoothies. Its Courgette, Parmesan & Hazelnuts Soup is the brand’s bestselling product. Best described as ‘country chic’, it is made of 100% natural ingredients for an authentic flavour. This recipe uses a traditional Italian ParmigianoReggiano (DOP) that has been aged for at least 15 months, marrying it with tender young courgettes and delicately roasted hazelnuts. RRP TBC www.greenshoot foods.co.uk
Red Russian Kale, Spinach and Chickpea Soup
Company: Rod and Ben’s Launched: December 2015 Increasingly popular within the last six months, Rod and Ben’s Red Russian Kale, Spinach and Chickpea Soup is an honest, tasty and organic soup made from the best organic vegetables. The super-healthy soup mixes fresh kale from Rod and Ben’s own farm with chickpeas, spinach and sweet potato, to create a great tasting soup that is full of texture, perfect as a quick snack or a wholesome winter meal. RRP £2.99 orders@rodandbens.com
Turmeric, Carrot & Coconut soup
Company: Soupologie Launched: July 2017 Refresh and energise with Soupologie’s Turmeric, Carrot & Coconut soup, a delicate blend of sweet and spicy in its brightest form. Delicious, nutritious and a great source of vitamin A, this mellow yellow soup combines coconuts and carrots with ginger, cayenne and turmeric. Thanks to its active ingredient, curcumin, turmeric has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years; it’s also what gives the soup its golden colour. RRP £2.99 info@soupologie.com
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Tomato + Basil Soup with Red Peppers + Miso
Company: Tideford Launching: September 2017 Tideford Organics has launched the UK market’s first organic FODMAP-accredited soup, with its new Tomato + Basil Soup with Red Peppers + Miso. Packed with vitamin C, this combination of Italian tomatoes and red peppers, with a dash of coconut cream, is FODMAP friendly. FODMAPs are short chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed by the small intestine; a low-FODMAP diet can help ease IBS symptoms. It’s organic, vegan and gluten-free, making it a great soup for everyone. RRP £3.30 info@tidefordorganics.com
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30/08/2017 16:04
PICKLES
Broaden your range of...
Pickled Walnuts
Company: The Fine Cheese Company Launched: January 2013 Add bite to a ploughman’s, or tradition to a cheeseboard. The Fine Cheese Co.’s Pickled Walnuts For Cheese are pickled in sweetened vinegar, perfectly flattering cheese. They are especially good with blue cheese, thanks to their dark and tangy flavour. RRP £4.99 rosanagh@finecheese.co.uk
Pickles Gin-Pickled Cucumbers
Company: Newton & Pott Launched: September 2014 These gin-pickled cucumbers are sharp, boozy and spicy – perfect with homemade beef or chicken burgers, or atop steamed salmon. They also make a delicious addition to a picnic sandwich or cheese and crackers. RRP £5.50 sales@newtonandpott.co.uk
BROADEN RANGE
Ginger Pickled Pears
Pickled Cucumbers
Company: The Pickle House Launched: January 2014 The Pickle House started out making Original Pickle Juice, which is used as an addition to cocktails and smoothies. Having created the pickled cucumbers primarily for the juice, the company realised that they were a great product in themselves, and started to put them in jars to share with everyone. The Pickle House Pickled Cucumbers pack a punch, and are a must-try in sandwiches or with a good chunk of cheese. RRP £4.50 florence@thepicklehouse.com
Company: Scrubby Oak Launched: 2007 Ginger Pickled Pears form part of Scrubby Oak’s range of handmade, gluten free and additive free preserves, made using age-old traditional methods and only whole natural ingredients. Pickled in the company’s sweet ginger vinegar, the pears are presented as cored, peeled halves, with a fresh creamy white colour and a crunchy texture. They make an ideal accompaniment to fine cheeses and charcuterie, as well as Thai and Indian dishes. The ginger vinegar that the pears are pickled in can also be retained for marinating pork or fish dishes. RRP £3.30 info@scrubbyoakfinefoods.co.uk
Pickled Quails Eggs
Company: Purely Pickled Eggs Launched: September 2015 These free range British quail eggs, pickled with an extravagant splash of Champagne-Ardenne vinegar, are perfect for a very special occasion. Lightly spiced with a sharp, fruity vinegar flavour, these bite-sized eggs have a beautifully creamy yolk surrounded by a firm white – truly delicious. RRP £5.99 for 195g eggline@purelypickledeggs.co.uk
www.farmanddeliretail.com
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Image by Pascal Leopold
ENG RETA LISH IL LA AVAIL BELS AB SEPT LE 17
HAMPTONS
A producer & retailer of fine foods
1 Digbeth Street, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire GL54 1BN Tel: 01451 831733 • Email: sales@hamptonssweetcakes.co.uk
Our sweet cakes are hand made by us here in the Cotswolds and consist of the sweets we all know from our childhoods. They are of growing popularity and are sold, for example, through retailers and garden centres. The shape of the cakes is defined by a wall of soft sweets such as jelly babies or jelly crocodiles or marshmallows skewered into a colourful base by cocktail sticks. Dijon Mustard with Dulse and Sea Lettuce
H FRANDECSULTIVSATED
WILD EAWEED D S ESTE HARV AND BY H
There are standard cakes - with 15 different walls. The large weigh 1 kg and the small 500g. The cake’s name is that of the sweet in the wall such as jelly babies cake. And there are specials made with Christmas, Easter, Halloween or Valentines in mind. They generally weigh 1 kg. Weights are approximate.
Seaweed Tartare with Lemon Confit
Seaweed Tartare with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Baby Gherkins
The void behind the wall is filled with a wide variety of other delicious sweets and the tops are then appropriately decorated. No two tops are the same; each cake is unique. The cake and base are then secularly wrapped with a strong, see-through film.
FRES
H
FIS FROM H DAILY MARK ALSO ET AVAIL ABLE
OVER NIG DELIV HT E SERV RY ICE
PURVEYORS OF FRESH FISH, ORGANIC SEAWEEDS, SEAFOOD TERRINES AND MORE t: 08702 400 172 | w: www.meridian-sea.com | e: info@meridian-sea.com
www.teapeople.co.uk
award winning speciality tea with over 60 varieties to choose from
Our cakes make ideal presents for the young and not so young alike – for birthdays or for any occasion throughout the year.
For the perfect marriage
just add custard
Delicious fruit crumbles, with or without custard.
Biodegradable Pyramid Teabags
Premium Loose Leaf Tea
For wholesale prices and to stock our teas please contact us at info@teapeople.co.uk or call us on 0118 9508728
Tel: 017684 80864 www.countrypuddings.co.uk
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30/08/2017 16:16
LUNCH!
Go & See...
lunch!
T
This year’s lunch! will be the UK’s biggest food-to-go showcase, with 335 exhibitors booked for the event’s much anticipated 10th anniversary, which will take place at ExCeL London on 21-22 September
he show sold out over two months in advance of doors opening, with strong exhibitor uptake from across the entire food-to-go sector. The final stands to be snapped up last week all went to new companies: Nibble Group, Big Boss Palm, Thai Delicious, Shibui Tea, and Deli Lites Ireland. They’ll be making their lunch! debut alongside 12 of lunch!’s founding exhibitors.
Pulsin Stand F30
Pulsin’s goal is to help customers maintain their natural rhythm and balance by creating nutrient-packed products that provide sustained energy levels without any highs or lows. Its range of delicious products includes protein booster bars, raw chocolate brownies, organic fruit bars, porridge bars and kids’ fruity oat bars, as well as all-natural protein powders. New for this year, Pulsin will be launching Porridge Oat Bars available in three fantastic flavours: Super Seed & Maple, Orange Choc Chip and Apple & Cinnamon. www.pulsin.co.uk
Shibui Tea Stand L90
Shibui Tea is a family-run, Edinburgh-based tea merchant offering a wide range of award-winning teas in both loose leaf and pyramid tea bags. At lunch! it will be showcasing its new wrapped teabag range and its loose leaf tea. Shibui Tea will also be sampling a range of its teas, including the award-winning Chocolate & Ginger and Tropical Green blends. www.shibui-tea.co.uk
Speciality Breads Stand A87
Established in Margate in 1996, Speciality Breads provides an ever-growing artisan selection of over 100 freshly-frozen breads, handmade by the company’s master bakers using Red Tractor-certified British flour. Speciality Breads distributes its eclectic range of products – including its world-first briochescone hybrid, the Scioche – to a UK-wide network of wholesalers, who in turn supply leading restaurants, pubs, cafés, caterers and hotels throughout the UK. At lunch!, Speciality Breads will be showcasing its award-winning brioche and ciabatta ranges, as well as launching two new products with chia seeds – a trending product that is a great souce of Omega-3. The Multiseed Chia Rustic Rolls have a farmhouse rustic appearance and are made with multigrain flour, chia and poppy seeds. The Chia & Sultana Brioche Glaze is a twist on the traditional fruited teacake. They work well toasted or untoasted, and can be topped with fresh fruit for a filling lunch treat. www.specialitybreads.co.uk www.farmanddeliretail.com
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GO AND SEE
Buyers looking to source the next wave of bestsellers will have more choice than ever for 2017. lunch!’s new venue will accommodate even more innovative exhibitors and more new food-to-go products – including food, drink, packaging, equipment and catering technology – as well as an extended Start Up Zone featuring some of the industry’s newest suppliers. Here’s who we’ll be going to see...
Ugly Drinks Stand K25
Making its first ever appearance at a trade show, Ugly will be showcasing its flavoured sparkling water. Ugly says its water is “just a drink”, and states that it doesn’t use branding to “sell an unobtainable lifestyle. No convertibles and no ridiculous promises.” Ugly contains no sugar, sweeteners or calories, and is completely natural. Its new rebranded range consists of Lemon & Lime, Triple Berry, Orange, and Tropical. www.uglydrinks.com
Rude Health Stand B38
Rude Health began mixing mueslis in 2005, and is still a family-owned company that makes breakfast cereals, dairy-free drinks and snacks. It only uses everyday kitchen ingredients, sourcing from fields, orchards and vines – nothing artificial or from a laboratory. At lunch!, Rude Health will be making coffees with its dairy-free drinks. www.rudehealth.com
The Food Doctor Stand D75
After the biggest brand refresh in The Food Doctor’s 18-year history, the healthy snacking brand will be rolling out a fresh new look and exciting new products at lunch!. The Food Doctor’s mission is to provide great tasting, healthy foods that are created with solid nutritional know-how. The recent refresh has seen new branding, a new website, a link-up with Dr Pixie McKenna and new packaging. The Food Doctor will be showcasing its range of Snack Mixes, Popped Crisp Thins and Fruit Goodness Bars, as well as its new four-strong range of Vegetable Goodness Bars. In a bid to create a snack choice that is innovative and offers a unique alternative to fruit bars, The Food Doctor’s team of in-house nutritionists have experimented with a mix of healthy ingredients and flavours to create Vegetable Goodness Bars. Each bar is crammed full of veggies, seeds and grains, making them filling and nourishing on-the-go snacks. They are veganfriendly, contain no refined sugars, and are available in Beetroot, Walnut & Chickpea, Tomato, Chilli & Cashew, Sweet Potato, Pecan & Red Lentil, and Kale & Cashew. www.thefooddoctor.com Farm & Deli Retail • September 2017
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NEXT BIG THING
THE VEGGIE PLOT
Next big thing...
The Veggie Plot Anna Spencer is the founder of The Veggie Plot, a yoghurt company with a vegetable-based twist. She talks to us about starting out in her vegetable patch, and why vegetable yoghurt is more versatile than you might expect How did you come up with the idea of making a vegetable yoghurt?
I developed the idea of a yoghurt with a difference while sitting out on my bench of contemplation. It occurred to me that yoghurt had been around for a long time and could use a bit of a twist. The name ‘The Veggie Plot’ comes from the idea of having a plot to change society’s idea of healthy food, turning it around to be fun, different and versatile. My yoghurts are premium products, with a Greek yoghurt base sourced from various dairies around the UK, and have no added sugar and zero fat. You can use them to create your own culinary masterpieces, or eat them as ordinary yoghurt – though maybe not for breakfast.
There is already an established market in the US, and savoury yoghurts play an integral role in Eastern European and Western Asian cuisine
Waitrose predicted that vegetable yoghurts would be one of 2017’s top food trends in the UK, having already taken off in the USA. Are you currently the only vegetable yoghurt producer in the UK?
There are some small producers in the West Country, mostly suppling it alongside their fruit yoghurts, with a limited supply of the vegetable version. I believe I am the only person creating a premium vegetable yoghurt with mass appeal on a large scale. I’m hoping that the proper vegetable version will be as popular here as it has been in the USA. I think Waitrose was right with its prediction. There is already an established market in the USA, and savoury yoghurts play an integral role in Eastern European and Western Asian cuisine – it’s a natural progression for it to come here. I don’t think my timing could be better – I’m hoping to make Waitrose’s prediction come true.
yoghurt and bake it, or stir the Mediterranean Roast Vegetables flavour through pasta to create a quick and healthy meal, or even use them as a topping for a jacket potato. They’re all great with salads, particularly the Beetroot with Cumin flavour. I’m hoping it will encourage people to be a little bit more experimental, and to make small changes that will have a big effect on their health and diet. From a young age, people are encouraged to eat fresh fruit and vegetables, usually in the form of a paste or purée. I think The Veggie Plot savoury yoghurts are another source of natural goodness for young babies and children – they’re the perfect consistency required for weaning, and I think they could help to prevent children from developing that sugary sweet tooth at a young age.
How did you develop the product?
I started from my vegetable patch, fine-tuning vegetable pastes in my kitchen, and I’ve upscaled from there. I wanted it to have a home-cooked feel, with high quality and a rich flavour, which I then add to the premade yoghurt. I want people to think about the health benefits of the yoghurt and how they can improve and add flexibility to their busy lives.
What ingredients do you use in the yoghurts?
How do you use the yoghurt?
You can eat it as it is; I wouldn’t eat a sweet potato yoghurt for breakfast myself, but it works as a healthy snack during the day, and it can also be used as a healthy dip, or to help create meals. You could, for example, top off a chicken breast with the Red Pepper 50
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Further information www.theveggieplot.co.uk
I started with simple flavours, using very basic vegetable and herb combinations. I launched with three flavours: Beetroot with Cumin, Red Pepper with Zing and Mediterranean Roast Vegetables; I’ve also since added a Cucumber and Dill flavour. Development is underway for an avocado flavour, and looking to the future, I’m thinking about more complex flavours, such as goat’s cheese or balsamic vinegar. I want to be much more experimental with flavours. www.farmanddeliretail.com
30/08/2017 11:08
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