FFD Jan-Feb 2015 by Guild of Fine Food

DELI OF 48 THE MONTH

OLIVES ET AL 12

‘We’ll be doing Meet Charles and some things that Marcus Bradford will raise a lot of of Gog Magog eyebrows,’ says new Hills farm shop MD Simon Hurley

CHARCUTERIE 25 Get behind our Twitter campaign and give a shout-out to #charcuterie! January-February 2015 · Vol 16 Issue 1

BACK TO BLACK From cold brew to cubes and capsules, we find out what’s stirring in the world of speciality coffees CHEF’S SELECTION 44 2012 MasterChef star Anton Piotrowski picks Barkham Blue, Rodda’s butter and Shellfish Southwest crab for his menu

PICKLES & CHUTNEYS 27 Provenance and seasonality are keywords on the savoury preserves fixture this year

CHEESEWIRE 15 WORLD CHEESE AWARDS 19 CHARCUTERIE 25 COFFEE 33 PREVIEW: IFE 2015 39 SHELF TALK 43 EQUIPMENT & SERVICES 53

PROUD TO BE

PROUD TO BE PIPERS @Piperscrisps

2147 Pipers Crisps Fine Food Digest Advert_ART.indd 1

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21/01/2015 11:30

What’s new this month:

Opinion BOB FARRAND

thought so too until Mrs F walked into our local Waitrose on the Gillingham by-pass. She was approached by a lady dressed in a brightly coloured sash (she had other clothes on as well) who advised her Waitrose now offers a dry-cleaning service. How stupid can you people get? The dry-cleaning shop on Gillingham High Street has been there for over a quarter of a century. It’s a family business employing local people. Waitrose’ dry-cleaning is outsourced to Johnsons, a national cleaning company about to close a third of its stores, putting 450 jobs at risk. Why bother with shops when you have 78 partnerships with Waitrose and a further 46 planned in the first quarter of this year? Johnsons claim to be the only

Is Waitrose in danger of becoming the new Tesco? Cuddly old Waitrose (it’s a partnership, so it’s a bit like communism but nicer) is everyone’s favourite, but it wasn’t that long ago Tesco was the ultimate provider. Not just groceries but clothing and petrol and banking and pharmaceuticals and televisions and so on … ad infinitum. If you’re obese and covered in tattoos you could conceivably spend your entire life in Tesco – and want for nothing – other than a life. The 18th century Prime Minister, William Pitt the Elder once Unlimited power turned Tesco told the House management into gods and then of Lords that “unlimited power into cheating bastards is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess national UK dry cleaner using a it”. Unlimited power turned Tesco milder cleaning solution called management into gods and then GreenEarth instead of harsh into cheating bastards. chemicals – green credentials We grew angry as high streets ticking Waitrose’s squeaky-clean became deserted and bypasses image. The guy on Gillingham blocked solid as 4x4s queued for High Street invested big bucks in a giant superstores. similar system three years ago and But gradually, as purses cleans on site. Johnsons’ nearest were squeezed, we returned to depot is in Warminster, a 35-mile town centres and discovered Lidl, round trip. Sheer bloody madness. Aldi and for the better heeled, “Whom the gods would Waitrose. destroy, they first make mad.” We also found charity shops, Don’t get greedy, Waitrose, leave estate agents, Starbucks and Costa the little guys alone – where else Coffee alongside the occasional dry would I shop now I've retired? cleaner, butcher and delicatessen, the owners of which might be Bob Farrand retires this month as excused for believing the Promised publisher of Fine Food Digest but remains Land is finally within their grasp. I chairman of Guild of Fine Food Ltd

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EDITORIAL

GENERAL ENQUIRIES

editorial@gff.co.uk

Tel: 01747 825200 Fax: 01747 824065 info@gff.co.uk www.gff.co.uk

Editor: Mick Whitworth Deputy editor: Michael Lane Art director: Mark Windsor Editorial production: Richard Charnley Contributors: Clare Hargreaves, Patrick McGuigan, Arabella Mileham, Lynda Searby

ADVERTISING advertise@gff.co.uk Sales manager: Sally Coley Advertisement sales: Becky Stacey, Ruth Debnam Published by Great Taste Publications Ltd and the Guild of Fine Food Ltd Chairman/publisher: Bob Farrand Managing director/associate publisher: John Farrand Director/membership secretary: Linda Farrand Marketing & circulation manager: Tortie Farrand Administrators: Charlie Westcar, Julie Coates, Karen Price, Jilly Sitch Accounts: Stephen Guppy, Denise Ballance

Guild of Fine Food, Guild House, 23b Kingsmead Business Park, Shaftesbury Road, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 5FB United Kingdom Fine Food Digest is published 11 times a year and is available on subscription for £45pa inclusive of post and packing. Printed by: Blackmore, Dorset, UK © Great Taste Publications Ltd and The Guild of Fine Food Ltd 2015. Reproduction of whole or part of this magazine without the publisher’s prior permission is prohibited. The opinions expressed in articles and advertisements are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations.

For regular news updates from the industry's favourite magazine visit:

www.gff.co.uk/ffd

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Editor’s choice

Selected by MICK WHITWORTH

Patchwork Paté mushroom marmalade www.patchwork-pate.co.uk

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Having got it so comprehensively wrong with the Bacon Jam – made under contract by Patchwork for London’s Eat 17, and seemingly loved by everyone but me – I’ve got to take a punt on this new range. One chum describes it as “Bacon Jam for vegans”, but it stands up in its own right and, like Patchwork’s Rufus Carter, I’d say it actually expands the relish category. It took a minute to get past the texture – cooked sliced mushrooms border on the slimy, don’t they? – but my reservations were overcome by the flavours. The straight marmalade is like a well-spiced, caramelized onion chutney. But I surprised myself by most enjoying the Jalapeño version, which has a heat that emerges slowly and never goes too far. Patchwork is no slouch when it comes to marketing, so this should be a winner.

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Vol.16 Issue 1 · January-February 2015

fine food news Wholesale chiefs say profit expectations are too high on both sides and more partnership is needed

Elveden hub sale highlights food group distribution struggle By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Regional distribution operations need to lower margin expectations and work with, rather than for, producers in order to succeed. These comments come from industry figures in the wake of the latest wholesaler closure, which saw Elveden Estate sell off its food hub business just before Christmas, barely a year after acquiring Taste of Anglia’s ailing delivery arm. The news shines a spotlight on the problems of distributing fine food products to indie retailers. Artisan producers, particularly start-ups, have long struggled with the costs involved in delivering products, either directly or through a commercially-driven wholesaler or courier. John Sheaves, chief executive of regional food group Taste of the West, is currently working on a group haulage service for members, which will launch later this year. “There's got to be a much more efficient supply chain where people aren't so greedy and food can reach the consumer in a more cost effective way,” he said. “The structure has to be set so that no one party has a vested interest. Commercial distributors tend to look after their retail clients. Producers are just one of many suppliers on their list.” Wholesaler Blakemore Fine Foods was set up as Heart Distribution in 2007 in partnership with the now defunct regional food group Heart of England Fine Foods, but the companies split four years ago. Commercial director Caoire Blakemore, whose operation supplies products from more than 200 small producers to 500 customers nationwide, echoed Sheaves' comments about distributors working more closely with suppliers. “We see it very much as a partnership,” she said. “The more supportive our producers are the stronger we are,” she said. “It's one supply chain. We bring it all together in large enough volumes that it's competitive enough in price for the producer and the retailer.” A key part of the company's success, she said, was a realistic profit

Blakemore Fine Foods (left) has succeeded in regional wholesaling by striking a balance between making money and listening to producers. John Sheaves (above right) hopes to do the same with Taste of the West’s forthcoming venture.

❛We see it as a partnership. The

more supportive our producers are the stronger we are

❜ Caoire Blakemore, Blakemore Fine Foods

expectations. “It's about working in partnership and not about making lots of money,” she said. “We have a desire to cover our costs and make profits but we don't take dividends out of the company – everything is reinvested. Part of the reason why HEFF broke away from us is they wanted to make unrealistic amounts of money. They had to find a way to replace government funding.” HEFF attempted to revive its distribution business via a partnership with Weddel Swift before bringing it in-house in January 2014 but went into liquidation last summer. At fine food wholesaler The Cress Company in Scotland, MD Joe Wall said that regional food group schemes had been too weighted towards producers and had struggled to reach the necessary volumes. “It's easy for a food group to sell beer and jam – because there are

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Quite often wholesalers are seen as the bad guys but I think there’s a lack of understanding on both sides. A lot of the problem is producers haven’t factored in a wholesale margin Joe Wall, The Cress Co 4

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January-February 2015 · Vol.16 Issue 1

lots of those kinds of products – but that isn't covering the full range,” he said. “There is also a critical volume you have to get to make distribution work. If you don't get the critical mass and you don't have the right product mix, it's difficult.” He added that producers need to consider distribution costs when setting final retail price during development. “Quite often wholesalers are seen as the bad guys but I think it's because of a lack of understanding on both sides,” he said. “A lot of the problem is producers haven't factored in a wholesale margin.” The challenges of distributing artisan food and drink products were highlighted in December as Elveden Estate sold its wholesale business to foodservice distributor Thomas Ridley. The Norfolk business, which was set up 10 years ago as a local sourcing hub for Asda, was expanded in October 2013 when it took over the distribution operation of struggling regional food group Tastes of Anglia. Elveden Estate owner Lord Iveagh said that after “picking up the pieces” of Tastes of Anglia it was clear significant investment was required to modernise the food hub's vehicles, warehousing and ordering systems – infrastructure that was already in place at Thomas Ridley. “They've got that capability as a bigger business that we struggled with,” he said. “[The food hub] gave us a decent return but it needed expenditure to move it forward which would have been reinventing the wheel.”

Producer costs up as City Link collapses Retailers and small producers are facing higher courier costs after City Link went into administration on Christmas Eve. The Coventry-based courier company, which is owned by investment firm Better Capital, is no longer accepting parcels for delivery and has made around 2,300 staff redundant. City Link's network of local hubs, competitive rates and good customer service had made it popular with many fine food companies, who have now been forced to turn to more expensive competitors. Sussex-based deli The Hungry Guest used City Link for its new monthly cheese box delivery service. “We did four dummy runs with deliveries and they followed the instructions perfectly, plus you had a person at the local hub you could talk to directly,” said operations director Ben Goldsmith. “We've had to go with Parcelforce now, which are more expensive. City Link cost around £8.25 per parcel, but we expect to pay an extra £1-£1.50 now.”

@ffdonline

Hurley’s return to see NPD drive at Olives Et Al

IN BRIEF l Scotland Food & Drink opened its annual Excellence Awards for entry in January with the help of TV presenter Kaye Adams, who will also host the final awards ceremony at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh on May 27. The deadline for entries is February 27. Producers can enter online at:

By MICK WHITWORTH

Simon Hurley has promised a renewed focus on new product development at Dorset-based Olives Et Al after returning to the business in December as managing director. The company is already looking at ways to develop the Hotch Potch gluten-free pies and savouries business it acquired last year. Options include gluten-free pastry dry-mixes to sit alongside Olives Et Al’s existing larder products, and chilled or frozen pastry to provide a gluten-free alternative to Jus-Rol. Hurley was sales director at Olives Et Al from 2008 to 2010, but has since worked as a sales & marketing consultant, both solo and with agency Pride of Place. He was asked back by owner Giles Henschel after working with the business last year as a consultant on its new Loaf & Larder concessions in Wyevale garden centres. Henshel said: “We have just celebrated our 21st birthday and have ambitious plans for growth in the next few years as well as some exciting projects in progress now. “Having worked with Olives Et Al before, Simon knows the business inside out and with his wide knowledge and experience in the sector he is the ideal partner to work with me to realise our plans.” Hurley told FFD the rapid rise of Aldi and Lidl was creating huge scope for delis, farm shops and food halls to carve out a distinct niche with superior quality and service as the major supermarkets are forced downmarket to compete. “It has opportunity written all over it for us in speciality because, while the big people shred each other, there’s only one direction their meat and deli offer is going to go.” www.olivesetal.co.uk

• Read the full interview on pages 12 & 13

www.scotlandfoodanddrink.org/ events/excellence-awards

l Exactly half of The Telegraph’s 10-strong ‘Female Entrpreneurs to Watch in 2015’ list is made up of food and drink producers. Alongside Sandy Ruddock from Suffolk producer Scarlett & Mustard and chocolatier Amelia Rope are Anette Moldvaer (Square Mile Coffee Roasters), Jules Quinn (The TeaShed) and Lisa and Helen Tse of sauce producer Sweet Mandarin. l Orkney Bakery’s bere meal shortbread biscuits and St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese’s mature cheddar were among the Best Product award winners at Scotland’s Speciality Food Show in late January. Elderflower & rose mead from Blan Bee and a gift pack of jams from Cochrane’s Kitchen were also category winners in the awards, which go to best products on offer from the annual Glasgow show’s 140 exhibitors. This year’s product judges were buyers Robert Thain of House of Bruar, Alex Evans of Westmorland Farm Shops and Catriona Farquharson of Finzean Farm Shop, along with food journalist Anna Burnside. CAFÉ DELIGHT: Speciality food stalwart Cottage Delight has taken its first step beyond production with the opening of The Cottage Kitchen down the road from its headquarters on the outskirts of Leek, Staffordshire. The country café features a menu created using the company’s plethora of products and has been inspired by the surrounding Staffordshire Moorlands. “As well as offering an opportunity to work with local food suppliers and artisan specialists, The Cottage Kitchen also boasts a fantastic retail space which enables us to share our products and recipes with consumers first hand, extending the brand and raising our brand profile,” said Cottage Delight founder and chairman Nigel Cope.

l Ludlow Food Centre is remodelling its shopfloor to improve its visitor experience. Currently, customers can look through windows to see the centre’s in-house artisans in action while they shop. The windows are being replaced by counters and large, glass sliding doors to allow staff to come out and demonstrate production techniques and conduct tastings in front of customers.

www.cottagedelight.co.uk

Seggiano signs up Whole Foods veteran for sales push By MICK WHITWORTH

David Doctorow spent 30 years with Whole Foods Market

Seggiano brand owner Peregrine Trading is looking to grow sales on both sides of the Atlantic after appointing Whole Foods Market veteran David Doctorow as commercial director. Doctorow has also been named managing director of subsidiary Seggiano USA, and will split his time between the two operations. Peregrine Trading co-founder David Harrison told FFD: “This is a new role, designed to take the business to the next level of growth in both the US and UK markets.” The latter part of Doctorow’s 30-

year career with US-owned Whole Foods Market, which has around 400 stores worldwide, was spent as vice-president of purchasing & distribution, initially in two US regions and more recently in the UK. Harrison said one of Doctorow’s first objectives would be to strengthen the Seggiano brand’s UK sales team, and the company is actively looking for potential applicants for the London-based role. In January, FFD announced that Seggiano had topped the speciality oils & vinegars category in our 201415 Best Brands survey. www.seggiano.com

l Intercontinental Hotel Group’s boutique brand Hotel Indigo has teamed up with food experts, including Jimmy Doherty and William Sitwell, on a search for the UK’s best artisan food retailers and producers. Businesses can nominate themselves for ‘Flavours of the Neighbourhood’ by uploading photos of their food at hotelindigoneighbourhood.co.uk

Announced at a ceremony held on March 17, the winner will receive £1,000 and be included in Hotel Indigo’s foodie guide to the neighbourhood. The closing date for entries is February 15.

Vol.16 Issue 1 · January-February 2015

fine food news Chilled distribution on ice as Cotswold Fayre rejigs By ARABELLA MILEHAM

Cotswold Fayre has announced a restructuring of its management team to “improve customer service” but confirmed its move into chilled distribution has been delayed. The fine food distributor has appointed a new joint managing director and finance director, Ian Roberts, who will take over finance and operations responsibilities from founder Paul Hargreaves, as well as overseeing the customer services and operations team. Sales area have now been divided into four regions: London, Scotland, North West and East Anglia. Hargreaves, who will retain responsibility for sales and marketing, said it was time to bring in extra support to strengthen the service the company offers and prepare for future growth. However, he admitted the Reading-based company’s pilot chilled distribution operation, which had been due to launch in January, had been pushed back by nearly six months. “It had been going very well and a range was put together, only for a traumatic IT installation last year to set us back – but we are still looking at April/May this year for launch,” he said. Last year, Hargreaves told Fine Food Digest that chilled distribution provided a big opportunity for the fine food sector, although it was a more fragmented market. The company, which is looking to double its size by 2016, is also planning to

Hargreaves: ‘Traumatic’ IT installation has caused delay to chilled service

expand into frozen distribution in the future. In July, it outsourced its distribution network to QTR Transport, which can also handle chilled distribution.

The Guild of Fine Food has teamed up with the Sri Lankan Tea Board to offer a tea masterclass for retailers visiting the IFE trade show in March. Led by tea experts Mike Bunston, Ben Hitchcock and Ceylon Tea specialist Robert Wilson, this event will see attendees boost their knowledge of teas, their provenance and how to serve and sell them. Places on this Masterclass are free but limited to two people per store, strictly on a first-come firstserved basis. It will run from 10:30 until 1 pm in the South Gallery Room 3 at ExCel London during IFE. For more information or to reserve a space, contact Jilly Sitch on 01747 825200 or email: jilly.sitch@gff.co.uk

The four new sales regions will be run by Andrew Gibson (London), Elaine Shirley (Scotland), Gillian Herdman (North West) and Leanne Castle (East Anglia). www.cotswold-fayre.co.uk

Hider also plays it cool Hider Food Imports is also considering the roll-out of chilled distribution, but said the move was “not imminent” and unlikely to start before 2017. “It is the Holy Grail to be a one-stop shop for your customers – but moving to chilled is a big deal,” brand manager Rupert Titchmarsh said.“When we do it, we will do it properly.” The company conducted small-scale trials on a direct-to-consumer basis in 2013/2014, which Titchmarsh said was useful in highlighting potential issues to be addressed when dealing with short shelf-life products. Hider is prioritising IT and logistical updates during 2015. www.hiderfoods.co.uk

If I'd known then what I know now...

I learned very quickly that it pays to be on good terms with your suppliers. In return they have been enormously supportive. In the early months, I made some huge MIRANDA SIDWICK GUILDHALL DELI, BATH, SOMERSET errors with ordering. We source our sausage rolls and pasties from a local butcher and the order has lunchtime trade that runs from When I was widowed suddenly to be in by 8:30am. One morning about 11am until 3pm. With that three years ago, I ploughed on with I forgot, as it was day one of the in mind, it was selling a lot of pies, my job as a primary school teacher Christmas markets. He phoned me sausage rolls and cakes, but also for a while, then had to stop. In that and arranged a delivery run by 2pm. had a small vegetarian and glutenperiod the deli, where my sister Sara Managing stock has been a free section. We had a feeling that worked, came up for sale. A seed very steep learning was sown in my head and grew. My husband had a good life I learned very quickly that it pays curve. I had to invest an awful insurance policy so I was provided to be on good terms with your lot in building up for. It all seemed to fall into place. suppliers. In return, they have been stock when we I had the capital. My sister had the enormously supportive. first opened, as know-how. people don’t want The deli was a going concern to buy off half empty trays. Learning expanding those offerings might when I bought it in October 2014 how to order and keep stock rolling be a step in the right direction. We but I could see much more potential seemed like an enormous task, but have a very good supplier in Bath and my sister had lots of ideas that working with my sister has made it who specialises in vegan and freeshe hadn’t been able to express possible. She has taken on the role from foods, and we’re slowly trying before. of supervisor. We also employ three different lines from his menu to It’s a market deli rather than youngsters. establish what works. a restaurant deli and has a busy

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Guild plans Ceylon Tea masterclass for retailers at IFE

January-February 2015 · Vol.16 Issue 1

When I bought the business, annual turnover was projected at £84,000. We’re forecast to turn over £100,000 this year. The deli is running at a profit – we’re making enough for everyone to be paid and for me to draw a comfortable salary. This year, our main focus will be ensuring we have the best range of snacks, cakes and pies that we possibly can. In addition, we’re making some of the ambient products we introduced for Christmas year-round lines – chilli jams, sauces and oils. We do a bit of outside catering and will also look at developing and promoting that. We are located next to the Bath Guildhall, so there is plenty of opportunity to cater for events that are held there. The main thing I wish I had done differently was buying the deli earlier. It’s taught me that you can take a great step in a different direction and that life does go on. Interview by LYNDA SEARBY

@ffdonline

Vol.16 Issue 1 路 January-February 2014

Snowdrops in Britain & Lemons in Sic’ly

Perfect food-on-the-go, just add water pots. And they’re low calorie too! Flavours include: • Tomato & chilli • Porcini mushroom

(These are a few of our Favourite Things… in February)

• Cheese & chive • Bolognese All natural ingredients and brilliant for a hot lunch at work or as a snack.

January-February 2015 · Vol.16 Issue 1

www.folkingtons.com

Visit www.kentskitchen.co.uk, email emma@kentskitchen.co.uk or call 01732 758024

Ke nt no ’s K w itc av he Co aila n’s t b f Fa swo le ull r yr ld fro an e m ge

Folkington’s Juices, The Workshop, Endlewick House, Arlington, East Sussex BN26 6RU 01323 485602 info@folkingtons.com

Kent’s Kitchen has recently launched its new Pasta Pots

fine food news new openings

Opening or expanding a shop? Email details to editorial@finefoodworld.co.uk

Pop-up is just the beginning of Sourced Market expansion plans this led to the concept of selling a stripped down selection of very healthy food pitched against more indulgent products. While the ‘retox’ menu includes items like craft beers and ciders, Crosstown Doughnuts and sandwiches filled with Sourced Market’s own twice-smoked bacon, the ‘detox’ side features paleo egg muffins and vegetable juices prepared in-house. A number of these options are new creations. “Old Street is a great test bed to try out ideas and the things we know are really successful we can incorporate back at St Pancras or at the new site,” said O’Brien. He added that dealing with a new location, albeit temporary, had been a good way of preparing for larger openings, particularly when it comes to methods of attracting busy, fast-moving commuters. Despite previously mooting a site at London Bridge station, O’Brien told FFD that this would not happen in the near future although he had been exploring a number of possibilities with Network Rail for developments at stations in a few years’ time. “Network Rail has an increasingly enlightened approach to working with independents,” he said.

By MICHAEL LANE

London’s Sourced Market plans to use the experience gained from a recently opened pop-up site to inform the development of two new outlets in the Capital and an upgrade of its existing premises in St Pancras station. January saw the company add to its permanent St Pancras station site with a New Year-themed pop-up shop in Exit 3 of Old Street tube station, but Sourced Market founder Ben O’Brien told FFD he also intends to open two permanent sites inside the next two years. O’Brien has been in negotiations over several locations for a Sourced Market branch in the vicinity of the new Detox vs. Retox pop-up, with a view to opening during 2015. He said that the proposed location would be close to Liverpool Street or Bank stations in order to tap into the footfall generated by the City of London. Meanwhile, Sourced Market has signed up for a dual aspect unit of around 3,000 sq ft in Nova, the major Land Securities development at Victoria Station, with an opening date of September 2016. O’Brien said both of these new outlets would offer a similar mix of food-to-go, eat-in and retail options as Sourced Market’s flagship store in St Pancras. He added that this

Sourced Market has used its Retox vs Detox pop-up in Old Street station as a ‘test bed’ for new ideas

will be getting a re-fit this year and expanding to occupy more of the station concourse. The Old Street site, which will run until the end of March, has

Paddy & Scott’s Framlingham and Bury St Edmunds Coffee entrepreneurs Paddy Bishopp and Scott Russell, aka Paddy & Scott’s, have opened their first two high street coffee shops – in their home town of Framlingham and Bury St Edmunds (pictured). The company has said this is just the start of ambitious plans to open as many as 30 cafés across East Anglia. “Our next sites have already been identified in Hadleigh and Norwich and potentially Kings Lynn and Lowestoft for 2015 openings,” said Bishopp. To date, Paddy & Scott’s has grown via concession cafés within head offices

such as Barclays, Heinz, HP and Fat Face and stores such as B&Q in Poole. Besides coffee, the cafés sell cold drinks and sandwiches, salads, soups, cakes and sausage rolls. It also champions local producers, such as Stokes Sauces, The Artisan Smokehouse and Todd’s Suffolk apple juice. www.paddyandscotts.co.uk

already proved to be a good learning experience for O’Brien and his team. “It’s a lot smaller than St Pancras so there was no way we could take the full range,” he said, adding that

www.sourcedmarket.com

Eggs To Apples

Hurst Green, East Sussex Eggs to Apples is built on the site of the original Lodge Farm Shop started by co-owner Susannah Hewett’s father and grandfather in 1972. The new shop takes its name and its philosophy from the latin phrase ‘Ab ovo usque ad mala’, which literally translates as ‘from eggs to apples’ but means from the start of the meal to the end. “This is about the full basket shop and allowing our customers to buy everything they need to cook and eat fantastic food using

high quality, affordable and where possible locally-sourced produce,” said Hewett. As well as seasonal fruit and vegetables, the shop will also offer dairy products, fresh meat and fish, cooked and smoked meats, grocery products and fresh bread and bakery products. www.eggstoapples.co.uk

Harringay Local Store Harringay, North London Long term Harringay residents Ebony and Paul Harding have set up shop near a Tesco Express branch on North London’s famous Green Lanes. The store, which has the phrase ‘Not another Tesco’ stencilled onto its front window, carries British organic produce and responsibly farmed

meat as well as a host of food and drink from London-based businesses. Suppliers include a number of craft breweries, Tottenham’s Wildes Cheese, Dalston Cola, Joe’s Tea and Newton & Pott. The shop also sells a selection of vinyl and CDs. www.harringaylocalstore.co.uk

Vol.16 Issue 1 · January-February 2015

www. bellota.co.uk

OY!

NEW

TRY ME!

BEEF & OYSTER PIES Country Puddings Lodge Farm, Dacre, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 0HH tel: 017684 80864 fax: 017684 80249 email: info@countrypuddings.co.uk

www.countrypuddings.co.uk

January-February 2015 路 Vol.16 Issue 1

fine food news Supreme champ Snowflake to enter retail with gelato By ARABELLA MILEHAM

Great Taste supreme champion Snowflake Luxury Gelato is launching its first range of retail products, which will be available to delis, independent food shops and premium food halls from May. The range will include five of is most popular flavours – Great Taste Supreme Champion raspberry sorbetto, hazelnut, chocolate, vanilla, and sea salted caramel gelato – and will be available in 125ml and 500ml tubs, starting from £2.20 and £5 respectively. Founder Asad Khan said the speciality and fine food sector was a “natural fit” for the brand and it is currently looking for a distribution partner to take it into independent delis, farm shops and premium food halls. The brand, he said, was synonymous with the luxury feel of

Asad Khan is taking the most popular flavours from his parlours into retail-ready tubs

its London boutiques and in order to emulate the experience of being at the gelato counter, Snowflake Gelato is using innovative transparent

screw-top jars for the 500ml tubs so that consumers can see the vibrant colours of the gelato in the freezer display cabinet. “The market for premium icecream is highly competitive with more emerging brands at the top, but we’ll stand out for doing something different,” he said. “There is nothing quite like that on the market.” The company is in the process of setting up its own dedicated production facility for the retail lines, which will mark an increase in production capacity. “The plan for the plant is to cover us for the next 3-4 years, so we can grow significantly,” Khan said. “It is big step-change for the business,” Khan said, “but it will be a nice addition to our portfolio, and will get the brand out there more.” www.snowflakegelato.co.uk

Wales to stage Great Taste judging round For the first time in Great Taste’s 21 year history, Wales will play host to a round of judging sessions. The Welsh Government’s Deputy Minister for Food and Farming Rebecca Evans announced the move during a showcase event celebrating Wales’s 2014 Great Taste winners, held in Cardiff last month.

“This will be the first time that the judging for the awards will be held in Wales and it will be a wonderful opportunity to promote the wealth of quality products produced here,” said Evans. “This will attract significant media and industry attention, and I look forward to welcoming many entries from Welsh

businesses, and to raising their profile and developing their sales opportunities.” Organised by Food & Drink Wales, the event was staged at the National Assembly building on the waterfront in Cardiff Bay, with Patchwork Paté, The Coconut Kitchen and Dawn Meats among those displaying a full range of their products.

Great Taste 2015 filling up fast Great Taste organiser the Guild of Fine Food is urging producers to get their 2015 entries in as soon as possible with submissions already flooding in. While the closing date for entries is February 27, the Guild is anticipating reaching its 10,000-product limit before then. Great Taste’s rigorous judging process will begin in March with results due to be announced in the summer. Now in its 21st year, Great Taste has seen more than 90,000 products blind-tasted by food experts, including chefs, buyers, retailers, restaurateurs, food critics and writers. After being put through their paces, products can receive a 1-star, 2-star or 3-star award but, regardless of whether they win or not, every entry will receive feedback to help improve products, if required. The 3-star winning products will all go into contention for Golden Forks, awarded to the best product in each region as well as the Supreme Champion for the year. www.gff.co.uk/awards/great-tasteawards

Accelerator investment scheme promises £250k of start-up funding Three food entrepreneurs are seeking applications from small producers to join a new programme that promises a slice of £250,000 investment pot as well as business mentoring. Grocery Accelerator is offering up to £50,000 in seed funding – in return for a stake in the business – to five early stage food and drink businesses. This “accelerator” model will also see the successful applicant

STRAIGHT TO THE TOP: At the end of November, fledgling local food network Local Food Britain took a delegation to the Houses of Parliament to meet the Prime Minister and press for more Government support for grassroots food businesses. David Cameron talked to food producers and winemakers before being presented with a Surrey food hamper by Food Float’s Tim McEntire and Chris Robinson from Chalk Hills Bakery. www.localfoodbritain.com

Rob Ward, Paddy Willis and Simon Lacey are behind the £250,000 Grocery Accelerator programme

receive an “intensive” six-month package of mentoring and business support from industry professionals. Other benefits include financial planning advice and arranged meetings with buyers, manufacturers and branding companies. Grocery Accelerator has been set up by former fruit supplier Rob Ward, Paddy Willis, co-founder of children’s brand Plum Baby, and Lily’s Kitchen commercial director Simon Lacey. “What is working in other industries, particularly in West Coast USA, is a new business growth model where there is seed investment combined with a business ‘accelerator’,” said Rob Ward. “This system has dramatically improved the odds of survival for these early-stage businesses.” For more information, or to apply, visit: www.groceryaccelerator.co.uk

Vol.16 Issue 1 · January-February 2015

fine food news Interview

Four years after leaving Olives Et Al, its former sales director Simon Hurley is back – this time as MD. He talked to MICK WHITWORTH about pies, provenance and why olives are ‘a polarizing product’.

Back at the top D

ig deep in Olives Et Al’s website and you’ll find a surprising admission buried in the ‘About Us’ section. “To be fair to our team of Oliveers, we’re not an easy place to work,” it says. “There have been a fair few people coming and going over the years, and we’re honestly grateful to them all – mostly for what they’ve brought rather than what they’ve taken away.” Could it be that one or two ex-employees didn’t quite – how to phrase it – share the ethos of head honcho Giles Henschel? Since founding the Dorset firm with wife Annie in 1993, Henschel has built one of the most distinctive brands in speciality food. Three brands, in fact, as the Lapsnacks and Captain Tiptoes ranges of bagged snacks exist independently alongside the core line-up of jarred olives, sauces and marinades. He has also made the company a retailer in its own right, not just with a smart little deli at its Sturminster Newton HQ but with several outside ventures, including another deli at nearby Poundbury and its new Loaf & Larder concessions in Wyevale garden centres. Olives Et Al quietly packs a lot of product under private label, too, for the likes of Marks & Spencer and Jamie Oliver, as well as selling its own brand into Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Booths. But the entrepreneurial former army captain hasn’t taken too many prisoners along the way. There has been a steady turnover of both staff and consultants, especially in sales & marketing, and not many have been back for second helpings. All of which added spice to December’s surprise news that former sales director Simon Hurley was returning to Olives Et Al, four years after his own exit. And this time he’s managing director. Hurley left Henschel’s employ in 2010, after two and a half years, to run sales agency Pride of Place, whose clients included Tyrrells, Lewis & Cooper and the Jamie Oliver organisation’s ill-fated Jme brand. He went on to offer consultancy under his known name too, and it transpires he was already working behind the scenes on Olives Et Al’s new tie-up with Wyevale when Henschel asked if he would consider returning full-time. “I flippantly said, ‘There’s only

avenues are being considered in one job I’d come back for – and up with next new thing. His father retail and foodservice – including that’s yours,’” Hurley tells me when was a chef who worked for the likes freezing pies for bake-off in-store we meet in mid-January, a month of Claridges, and his mother, while – and the company is in talks both after his appointment as MD. described in those days as a ‘cook’, with distributors and potential I had assumed this meant was in reality as skilled as his dad. co-manufacturers. Henschel was easing out of the “I was chopping and stirring before The gluten-free pastry is seen as business. Perhaps he and Annie were I could walk,” says Hurley, but he Hotch Potch’s biggest asset. Options planning a repeat of the year-long dropped his childhood ambitions being tested include a range of dry motorcycle trip they undertook in to be a chef when his father, by pastry mixes as well as chilled or 1992 around the Med and North then principal of a catering college, frozen ready-to-use pastry to provide Africa, which became part of the insisted he go to Germany – then a premium, gluten-free alternative to founding mythology of Olives Et Al. Europe’s culinary capital – to train. Jus-Rol. “It’s the opposite, actually,” says Instead he started, then quickly There’s no getting round it: this Hurley, when we sit down to chat in abandoned, a law degree, and does look like a massive departure the Olives Et Al boardroom, where took jobs first with pub operator for an ambient jarred olive brand. But I’ve met with Henschel on many Whitbread then Lillywhite’s, the it hints at where Hurley might see previous occasions. “He’s shifting up Piccadilly sports retailer. “Then, on Olives Et Al going. “A gluten-free pie a gear. the same day, I got two letters to is quite a big move,” he says, “but it “There are lots of projects he go for interviews as a management puts a flag in the ground: don’t just wanted to look at but didn’t have trainee: one with Harrods and one think of us as olives.” the time. But now he’s going to be with Sainsbury’s. I was very tempted Then he muses: “Does the Olives hot-stepping it round the world, by Harrods, but I chose Sainsbury’s, Et Al brand work going forward? Or finding new things, doing what Giles who were the number one at that does it turn into a holding brand, does best. And we’ll be getting all time.” a mother ship? We’ve already got the old faces out at exhibitions again It was, he says, a fantastic Lapsnacks, Captain Tiptoes and now too, re-engaging with people and grounding in retail, and he joined Hotch Potch, and there’s a lot of driving the business forward. Sainsbury’s new store opening team research out there saying that, for a “In some cases that means doing before moving to Safeway as a shop things along the same manager. A stint with lines as before, but with Costcutter gave him a massive re-focus on exposure to smaller I flippantly told Giles, ‘There’s only one NPD. But we’ll be doing job I’d come back for – and that’s yours’ stores, and he went on some things that will to run three of his own, raise a lot of eyebrows.” until, with the end of certain percentage of the population, He directs my eyes towards a his first marriage, he “lost the shops if it has the word ‘olive’ in it, they white cardboard cake carton sitting and the wife at the same time”. won’t touch it. It’s a polarizing next to a plate and napkins on the Hurley got his first serious taste product. So I think it’s ‘watch this boardroom table. Inside are two of speciality food when he joined space’.” Scotch eggs, a couple of pork pies Yorkshire farmers John Loftus and Surely, I suggest, Olives Et Al risks and a sausage roll. Olives Et… Pies? Lord Grantchester in their joint losing focus if it drifts too far from Yep, that’s an eyebrow-raiser, but venture to open Weeton’s, the its roots. But Hurley sees no reason it turns out that, last year, Olives Et pioneering urban farm shop in to stop exploring new products, Al quietly took over local artisan pie Harrogate. provided the business is also ruthless and savouries maker Hotch Potch, Then, nine years ago, he in culling those that don’t sell. retaining founder-baker Alan Mash relocated to Dorset to help the “There’s no doubt that any food to run a new production unit at Cranborne Estate sort out its retail producer has got to chop the tail Olives Et Al’s base. offer and to develop a rare breed off. We haven’t got elastic walls Mash’s creations won the meats business, which was soon like Amazon or Ocado – we can’t Best Professional Pie category at serving top flight chefs including just build another warehouse – and last August’s CarFest fundraiser at Marcus Wareing and John Torode. you’ve got to look at the lifecycle of Laverstoke Park, Hampshire, where Dorset has been his home ever since. a product and know when it’s time they were tasted by celebs including In 2008, he says, he visited to let it go. baker Paul Hollywood and DJ Chris Henschel to talk about charcuterie “But if Giles goes to Greece, Evans, and were subsequently lauded – and came away with a job offer. say, or I go to Spain, and one of us on Evans’ Radio 2 breakfast show. As well as running the sales team, finds something truly amazing, and “What do you think of the Hurley was asked to develop we can recreate the essence of it pastry?” Hurley asks me, before Olives Et Al’s retail arm, and the here and prove there’s a market for revealing the pies’ key twist: “Would result was The Potting Shed deli, it, they why would we not do it? it surprise you if I told you they were opened in 2009 in the Duchy of From a ‘focus’ point of view, would gluten-free? Totally, coeliac-friendly, Cornwall’s experimental new town you not just look at the company gluten-free?” of Poundbury, on the edge of structure and divisionalise it? Or find Olives Et Al has already got Dorchester. And over the past year, the right partner to work with?” Hotch Potch into Selfridges and Hurley has been working closely with As a life-long foodie, Hurley is is now looking at ways to roll garden centre group Wyevale on the just as likely as Henschel to come out the sub-brand. Hurley says all new Loaf & Larder retail brand.

January-February 2015 · Vol.16 Issue 1

❛

❜

❛

A gluten-free pie is quite a big move, but it puts a flag in the ground: don’t just think of us as olives

❜

Two outlets have opened so far, at Cheddar garden centre in Somerset and the World’s End garden centre near Aylesbury, Bucks, and more are planned. Not just a selection of ambient gift foods, they will be either proper delis or full-offer farm shops, with meat, fruit & veg and fish counters. But Loaf & Larder will also be a test-bed for “everything and anything” that Olives Et Al might want to launch more widely. “It gives us the opportunity to market-test a range of products – like gluten-free pies – with solid EPoS data,” Hurley says. “So it’s like a test kitchen taken to the next level.” We talk for a while about what’s “trending“ in fine food. Gluten-free is still a biggy, he says. As well as “free from”, he sees a move away from “local” to a deeper concern about where food has come from, driven in part by the horsemeat scandal. There’s more tapping down deeply into origins, too, giving specialist shops a chance to keep their edge. “Yes, Tesco are selling ras el hanout, but with very little provenance attached. So we are probably going further down the regional path. It’s not just ‘North African’, it’s from Morocco, or even from Tangier or Marrakesh.” Foodie kits, like The Big Cheese Making Kit or Ross & Ross’s bacon curing kit, are another key trend, he says, catching the wave of parents wanting to explore food with their kids at the weekend. Hurley sees no sign of new product ideas drying up. “It’s not just about finding something wonderful from shores distant. We haven’t even stripped England bare, because things like pork brawn are re-emerging.” He digs out a dusty old hardback from the pile of recipe books in the boardroom. It’s Mary Woodman’s Jam, Preserves, Bottled Fruits & Vegetables, Chutneys & Pickles, published decades before Hurley (50 this year) was born. “Everyone thinks membrillo is a Spanish creation, but it’s in this book. And there are... [he counts them]… 26 marmalade recipes in here. “So no, we haven’t exhausted the world. I don’t think in reality we’ve even scratched the surface of what’s at home.” www.olivesetal.co.uk

Vol.16 Issue 1 · January-February 2015

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January-February 2015 · Vol.16 Issue 1

Cheese & Chutney Welsh Rarebit Canapés made using... Fosters Cheeseboard Chutney

cheesewire Unsung heroes Hidden gems from British producers

news & views from the cheese counter

Neal’s Yard Creamery wary of chicken shed threat

WENSUM WHITE In a nutshell: Goats’ cheese producer Fielding Cottage in Honingham, near Norwich, won a Super Gold at the World Cheese Awards in November for Wensum White. The cheese, which was only launched a few months before, is made with pasteurised goats’ milk and vegetarian rennet, and comes in 350-450g squares. Flavour and texture: A bright white mould-ripened soft cheese, Wensum White is similar to brie with a mild goaty flavour and a texture that changes as it matures, ranging from semi-soft when young to runny at five to six weeks. History: The business was set up by Sam Steggles and his wife Caroline in 2010 with a herd of 75 goats. Their other products include the Feta-style Ellingham, a waxed hard cheese called Norfolk Mardler and goats’ curd. Wensum White was named after a local river.

Hereford-based Neal’s Yard Creamery is fighting a planning application for two chicken broiler houses close to its premises, which it believes could threaten production of its well-known Ragstone and Dorstone cheeses. Owner Charlie Westhead told FFD that he was concerned that airborne fungal spores and dust from the proposed development could contaminate his cheeses if it got the go-ahead. Farmer John Morgan of Bage Court has submitted an application to Herefordshire Council to build two chicken sheds housing around 80,000 birds in total on his farm, which is roughly a mile from the creamery. The application has been linked to the recent expansion of Cargill’s poultry processing plant in Hereford. Westhead said the prevailing westerly winds could mean that emissions from the broiler houses’ air filtration systems could blow straight over to the creamery and taint his cheeses. The business has submitted its concerns to planners, which have also received around 200 objections from local residents, who have set up the Golden Valley Action Group. They argue that the broiler houses

Marsha Arnold

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Spores from proposed chicken houses could affect production of Charlie Westhead’s Ragstone and other cheeses

would spoil the natural beauty of the area and affect tourism, traffic and biosecurity. “It’s of great concern to the business,” said Westhead. “Our biggest worry is the fungal spores in the dust. We use raw milk, drain the curd on open tables and don’t have any kind of conditioning. We don’t want rogue moulds to get into the fabric of the creamery and the cheese.” He added that the business would consider taking legal action, if the planning application was successful.

Why stock it? There aren’t many goat bries on the market and its square shape means there is very little wastage in the kitchen, making it ideal for deli and farm shop cafés.

Where to buy: Via Bradburys, Hamish Johnson or Carron Lodge. FFD features a different ‘unsung hero’ from Specialist Cheesemakers’ Association members each month. To get involved, contact: patrick.mcguigan@finefoodworld.co.uk

www.nealsyardcreamery.co.uk

Campbell award returns for 2015

Cheese care: The individually wrapped cheeses have a 28-day shelf life when they leave the dairy and should be kept in the fridge alongside other softs. They can be cut into halves and quarters, but should then be sold within a week.

Perfect partners: Steggles served it at Christmas melted on crostini and spread with cranberry sauce. Marmalade would also work.

Ian Pick, the consultant who is handling the application on behalf of Bage Court, told FFD that the creamery was well beyond the distance that any dust would travel and that the application complied with planning policy to ‘protect amenity’. “The proposal also requires an environmental permit from the Environment Agency which places control on emissions from the site,” he said. “The high level of regulation will ensure the protection of homes and businesses.”

ROLLING SMOKE: Bodnant Welsh Food’s new smoked cheese is being rolled out nationally after proving popular with its own customers. The cheese, which is called Abermwg (pronounced 'abermoog’), is a smoked version of the food centre’s best-selling Cheshire-style Aberwen, which is made with pasteurised milk. It is smoked over oak and beech wood chips by nearby Chirk Trout Farm & Food Smokery and is now available to other retailers after being trialled at Bodnant’s farm shop, tea room and restaurant. The £6m Bodnant Welsh Food Centre in the Conwy Valley opened in July 2012 and has seen revenue rise to £2.4m, up 35% from £1.77m in the centre’s first year of trading. Wholesalers stocking the new cheese include Castell Howell, Michael Lee and Carron Lodge. www.bodnant-welshfood.co.uk

Start-up cheese-makers are being encouraged to apply for a bursary from the Specialist Cheesemakers Association (the SCA). The winner of the SCA Dougal Campbell Award will win £1,000, plus a free ticket, and accommodation, at the SCA’s annual farm visit. Both existing and aspiring producers in the UK are eligible to enter and the SCA is especially keen to receive applications from young cheese-makers and dairy farmers looking to diversify. Organic cheese-maker Dougal Campbell, who died in 2005, was a founder member of the SCA and a member of the Soil Association Council. The award was launched last year by both organisations and is now being carried on by the SCA. It is open to both organic and non-organic producers. Applications must be submitted by Friday March 20 2015. www.specialistcheesemakers.co.uk/ dougal-campbell-cheese-awardapplication-form.pdf

Vol.16 Issue 1 · January-February 2015

cheesewire

Capital ideals Interview

London’s burgeoning producer community is not just confined to the south of the city. PATRICK McGUIGAN speaks to self-styled urban cheese-maker Philip Wilton about his Tottenham-based operation.

ix years ago you could count the number of London breweries on two hands. Now you can’t go into a pub without being greeted by a deluge of hip new ales made by local micro breweries. Something similar is starting to take place in the cheese world with urban cheese-makers popping up across the Capital exhibiting just as much verve and spirit as their craft beer brethren. The streets of South London are awash with curds thanks to companies like Gringa in Peckham, Kappacasein in Bermondsey and Blackwoods in Brockley, but there is also dairy action north of the river in the unlikely setting of Tottenham. Wildes Cheese was launched two years ago by Philip Wilton, who was made redundant from his job as a management consultant at Haringey Council. He used his payout to fund the business, having already taken several cheese courses at Reaseheath College in his spare time as well as paying an inspiring visit to North London craft brewery Redemption. “I could see the writing on the wall at work and that redundancy was coming, so I spent a year making sure my name was top of the list by being just bad enough,” he jokes, when I meet him at Borough Market, where he runs a stall with his partner Keith Sides (Wildes is an amalgamation of their surnames). The pair live in Tottenham and Wilton naturally wanted to base the business close to home, but finding premises took six months. He eventually came across what he says was a “rat-infested hole” of a unit, no bigger than a garage, on an industrial estate not far from White Hart Lane. It took three months to clean, clad and fit out, during which time Wilton also found a Sussex dairy farmer who delivers daily. “I’m a lefty, greeno, pinko type of individual,” he says. “I like the idea of understanding where your food comes from and supporting British farmers. That’s how I want to run my business – with a sense of integrity. I thought to myself, ‘This is where I live, this is what I believe in and that’s what I’m going to do’. As well as Borough, Wildes also trades at farmers’ markets in Alexandra Palace, Dalston and Richmond, and supplies delis and restaurants, including the OXO Tower. Turnover has increased fourfold in the past year.

probably made ❛30I’ve different types

since we started. We want to be creative and inventive, not a manufacturer making the same thing everyday.

❜

Wildes Cheese founder Philip Wilton produces a variety of cows’ milk cheeses, which he sells to delis and restaurants as well as at farmers’ markets across London

Rather than specialising in one type of cheese, Wilton is constantly coming up with different products, some of which he never makes again and others that have become part of a core range of five pasteurised cows’ milk cheeses. These include: Howard, which tastes like a blue cheese but isn’t actually blue (it’s not pierced); the creamy, semi-hard Alexandra, which won a bronze at last year’s World Cheese

January-February 2015 · Vol.16 Issue 1

Awards; and St Bruce, washed in Redemption Brewery ale. “I’ve probably made 30 different types since we started because I just fancied it one day,” he says. “We want to be creative and inventive, not a manufacturer making the same thing every day. So instead of having one or two cheeses that we sell from Land’s End to John O’Groats, we make a range of cheeses but we don’t go

past the North Circular. London is my village.” It’s a philosophy that makes working at Wildes sound anarchic and a lot of fun. Wilton excitedly explains how he has been experimenting with a new cheese for Valentine’s, made with plums soaked in vodka and sherry, and he is constantly playing around with different blends of starter cultures. “I don’t start with a vision of what I want at the end. I just like to see what happens,” he says. While some cheese-makers take years to perfect a single cheese, Wilton argues that selling at markets means it is immediately clear when he has hit upon a winning formula or not. “If you’re self-judging, then nothing is ever good enough,” he says. “I’m so close to my customers that they tell me when I make a special cheese or they don’t really like it. I get feedback every day.” Market trading is also good news for Wildes’ cashflow although the business is not always a guaranteed success. “We’ve tried quite a few that we couldn’t get to work for us,” he says.“It takes people two months to change their shopping habits and stop going to the supermarket. After that, if they still haven’t changed habits, I start to worry.” With growing sales from restaurants and retailers, Wilton says he is unlikely to take on more markets because of the logistics involved and the fact that he can’t physically be at all of them each week. He is also looking for a source of sheep’s milk so he can experiment with a new range of cheeses. Adapting the business and inventing new products reflect Wilton’s restless spirit, but they will also help Wildes stay one step ahead of the competition as urban cheese follows in the footsteps of craft beer. “I’m sure others will start up,” says Wilton. “Why wouldn’t you? London is such a vibrant place for food.” www.wildescheese.co.uk

LE GRUYÈRE AOP

BORN IN SWITZERLAND, 1115 A.D. And remains the only cheese that’s 100% Natural, 100% Traditional, 100% from Switzerland and 100% Le Gruyère AOP *AOP = PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) – must be traditionally and entirely prepared and produced within the region, thus acquiring the unique properties of Gruyère AOP cheese, to bear the name Le Gruyère AOP.

The uniquely smooth, savoury flavour you’ll find only in Le Gruyère AOP is a product of its upbringing – where the cows that supply the milk are grazed (only in the villages of Western Switzerland), the way the cheese is aged and cared for (slow-aged in the region’s cheese cellars and caves), and the recipe that’s remained, unchanged, for centuries (hand-made, in small batches). For a smooth and mild yet extremely satisfying taste, Le Gruyère Classic is aged 5 months minimum. Le Gruyère Reserve, which has been aged for 10 months or more, has a smooth but more robust flavour. Both varieties are great in recipes, or sliced as a snack. Either way, we’re sure you’ll enjoy the only cheese that can call itself Le Gruyère AOP.

Switzerland. Naturally.

Castle of Gruyères

Born in Switzerland in 1115. www.gruyere.com

Cheeses from Switzerland. Vol.16 www.cheesesfromswitzerland.com

Issue 1 · January-February 2014

January-February 2015 路 Vol.16 Issue 1

world cheese awards

International affair

The awards returned to London with a dramatic finale and a truly global list of winners

eld in London for the first time in seven years, the 2014 World Cheese Awards was not short of drama on its return to the Capital as the final cheese to be judged by the Supreme Panel ended up taking the top title. Until the Bath Soft Cheese Co’s Bath Blue reclaimed the World Champion crown for Britain, it looked like it would be shared by Italy and Croatia as the finale unfolded at the BBC Good Food Show London, on November 14. The Italian Caseificio Il Fiorino’s Pecorino Riserva del Fondatore and Sirana Gligora’s Dinarski Sir from Croatia were level on points until the blue achieved a higher combined score to become the first British cheese to win the title since 2010, when Cornish Blue was named best in the world. The 2014 awards saw a strong showing from the UK’s cheesemakers with 17 cheeses on the elite list of 62 Super Golds, all of which were in with a shout of making the final Supreme judging session. No less than 14 different nations

Brock Hall baby hits the big time Shropshire’s Sarah Hampton and her Brock Hall Farm Dairy pulled in yet another accolade with a ‘baby’ version of the Great Taste three-star Capra Nouveau. The dairy took one of the elite Super Gold awards with its washed rind, semi-soft Capra Baby, which weighs in at just under 500g and has the same deep orange, fragrant rind and soft, smooth paste as its larger counterpart. Its flavour is described as long and “herbaceous-nutty”. “It’s a cheese that not only looks attractive on a cheeseboard but will appeal to those who like a sophisticated, less aggressive washed rind style,” said Sarah Hampton.

A panel of international judges selected Bath Soft Cheese Co’s Bath Blue as World Champion

claimed a Super Gold this year, with European stalwarts joined on a truly global line-up by several cheeses from the USA as well as entries from Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and South Africa. In total, more than 250 experts hailing from 26 different nations judged nearly 2,600 cheeses from 33 countries during the morning session at London’s Olympia to determine Gold, Silver and Bronze

awards as well as which cheese would progress to the afternoon judging rounds. At a lunch for the international judging contingent, the annual trophy for Exceptional Contribution to Cheese was presented to Roland Barthélemy, a French master cheesemonger who has played a pivotal role in the promotion and preservation of raw milk, artisan cheeses in France and beyond.

www.brockhallfarm.com

All of the major trophy winners are listed below but for a full rundown of medal winners, visit www.finefoodworld.co.uk/wca

THE OTHER MAJOR WINNERS Best South African Cheese Sponsored by

Best New Cheese Sponsored by

Dalewood Huguenot Dalewood Fromage South Africa

Sierra Encantada al Aguacate Lactography Lacteos Artesanales, S.R. de L. Mexico

Best Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese Sponsored by

Best Dutch Cheese Sponsored by

Extra Mature Cheddar B Arla Foods, Llandyrnog Creamery UK Best Goats Cheese Sponsored by Cerney Pyramid Cerney Cheese UK

Texelse Orekéés (Texel Island Lavender Cheese) Cheese Farm Wezenspyk Netherlands

Best French Cheese Sponsored by

Matured Basque Heart Onetik France Best Le Gruyère AOP Cheese Sponsored by

Kaltbach Le Gruyere D3 Emmi UK Ltd UK

World’s Best Unpasteurised Cheese Best Mature Block Cheddar Sponsored by Cheese John Webb Sponsored by Bayley Hazen Blue from Jasper Hill Farm Cellars at Jasper Hill Cheddar Cheese USA Irish Dairy Board Ireland

Best Central & Eastern European Cheese Sponsored by

Best Overseas Additive Cheese Sponsored by

Dinarski sir Sirana Gligora Croatia

Sartori Reserve Kentucky Bourbon BellaVitano Sartori Company USA

Best Australian Cheese Kris Lloyd - Artisan Blend Woodside Cheese Wrights Australia Best Scottish Cheese Sponsored by

Strathdon Blue Highland Fine Cheeses Ltd UK Best Mature Traditional Cheddar Cheese Sponsored by

Best Spanish Cheese Bengotxea CRDOP Queso Idiazabal Spain Best Canary Island Cheese Maxorata Curado Pimentón Grupo Ganaderos de Fuerteventura S.L. Spain Exceptional Contribution to Cheese Roland Barthélemy

Le Gruyère AOP Bandage Wrapped Cheddar Cheese Counter of the Year George Mewes Cheese, Fiscalini Cheese Company Glasgow USA Vol.16 Issue 1 · January-February 2015

Bath Blue Cheese - World Champion 2014-15

Call us on 01225 331601 or email sales@parkfarm.co.uk - www.parkfarm.co.uk

Long Clawson Dairy proudly present:

Aged

Creamy

Smooth Blue

Leicestershire Red The cheese is cloth bound, buttered and matured for 6 months to deliver a flaky, open texture cheese with a slightly sweet, nutty, caramelised flavour from the rich orange curd.

This delicate blue cheese is hand crafted and specially created for a soft, creamy texture and mild blue taste. It is crafted to be eaten straight from the fridge.

GREAT

YORKSHIRE SHOW 2013 FIRST/GOLD

Available now from all good Wholesalers

EES ISH CH E AWARD RIT

S ILVER

G OLD

www.clawson.co.uk

January-February 2015 路 Vol.16 Issue 1

EES ISH CH E AWARD RIT

Maquetación_articulo_ALTA.pdf

26/12/14

14:46

A promotional feature on behalf of Andalusian Artisan Cheeses

ANDALUSIAN ARTISAN CHEESES: A tradition of aromas and flavours

The Spanish region of Andalusia has a long history of cheese production thanks to its climate, soils, vegetation and autochthonous species. Andalusia has a long standing tradition of cheese making and it is the leading region in Spain in terms of the number of varieties of different types. These include the renowned pure fresh and cured cheeses produced from goat’s and sheep’s milk. The manufacturing of cheese is a centuries-old skill which is closely linked to the land, and has become, with the passing of time, part of the gastronomic and cultural heritage both in Andalusia and beyond. C

CMY

Over the last few years, the Andalusian cheese producing sector has undergone an enormous transformation, allowing it to offer the consumer a healthy product with guaranteed standards of hygiene in terms of the manufacturing process, without ignoring that special quality which results from a process of milk and cheese production which is completely traditional. The Andalusian cheese making industry is a good example of sustainable development in the rural environment.

The various types of cheeses which are typically produced by traditional manufacturers include fresh cheeses, pressed cheeses, soft cheeses, cooked cheeses, blue cheeses, and grated cheeses, each with a different aroma and flavour which will delight the most discerning palate. The great range of varieties depends on the system of production as well as the breed of animal and what they are fed on, the exclusive use of fresh natural ingredients in the processing of the cheese, the period of maturing, and the fact that the end product is not frozen. (Courtesy of Landaluz www.andalusianflavour.com) Eleven cheese factories exhibited their artisan cheeses at the World Cheese Awards' last edition, thus gaining a total amount of 27 medals (12 Bronzes, 10 Silvers, 4 Golds and one Super Gold for a matured Merino sheep's milk cheese covered with wheat bran - from the Queso Payoyo company.

AGASUR S.C.A

Diana Fernández (+34)952179311 dfernandez@agasur.com - www.quesoselpinsapo.com Raw and pasteurised goat's milk cheeses.

QUESOS EL BOSQUEÑO, S.L

Miguel Ángel Gago(+34)956716156 quesoselbosque@quesoselbosque.com - www.quesoselbosque.com Merina grazalemeña sheep and payoyo goat cheeses.

For further information on Andalusian cheeses please contact Extenda’s branch at London: reinounido@extenda.es QUESO PAYOYO, S.L

Carlos Ríos(+34)956462243 payoyo@payoyo.com - www.payoyo.com Payoyo goat cheese with paprika, rosemary or wheat bran; sheep cheese; yogurt.

QUESO MONTEFRIEÑO, S.L

Nieves Zamora(+34)958336206 quesomontefrieno@hotmail.comwww.quesomontefrieno.comRa w goat's milk cheese; cow and goat cheese.

LA CABRA VERDE SLU

Angelika Schaub(+34)647145957 info@lacabraverde.es -www.lacabraverde.es Organic goat cheese medallions in olive oil.

QUESERÍA ARTESANAL "LAS RRR"

Juan Roberto Rivas Castro(+34)629578352 queserialasrrr@hotmail.com - www.queserialasrrr.com Artisan goat cheeses; sheep cheese aged in ibérico lard ; herb and green tea coated soft cheeses.

QUESOS ARTESANOS PAJARETE

Jose Luis Holgado Carrero(+34)678415381 info@quesospajarete.com - www.quesospajarete.com Sheep cheese; Payoya goat cheese; cheese cream; yogurt.

QUESERÍA EL GAZUL S.L

Jorge Antonio Puerto Nieto(+34)617401215 info@queseriaelgazul.com - www.queseriaelgazul.com Organic and conventional goat cheese.

LACTEOS EL PASTOR DEL VALLE S.L

Antonio Vera(+34)952490357 info@elpastordelvalle.com - www.elpastordelvalle.com Goat and sheep cheese; aged goat cheese coated with iberico lard and rosemary.

QUESERIA DEHESA DOS HERMANAS

Inmaculada Rodríguez Cabello(+34)670785114 queseria@dehesadoshermanas.com - www.dehesadoshermanas.com Aged raw sheep's milk cheese.

QUESERIA LA HORTELANA

Adrián Hormigo Torres(+34)952454538 queserialahortelana@hotmail.com Raw goat's milk cheeses (fresh, aged, coated with paprika).

Vol.16 Issue 1 · January-February 2015

L e S a in t M o n t des Alp es

Cornish Cheese Co. new logo variations From Red Snapper Design 10.9.07

e o Ch an f Cornish Blue r m dm a ade on the f

m h

Tasting is believing

A class of its own. The award winning Gruyère Premier Cru and Super Gold Emmental 2014

BEST GRUYÈRE & BEST SWISS CHEESE 2013

There’s no need to settle for second best when you can stock the ten times World Champions: Cave-Aged Premier Cru Gruyère and Emmental from von Mühlenen VON MÜHLENEN UK • c/o Paul Clarke • Badgers Barn St Mary’s Barn • Weeford • Staffordshire WS14 0PW T +44 (0)1543 480 484 • M +44 (0)7771 931 246 pclarke@vonmuhlenen.ch 22

January-February 2015 · Vol.16 Issue 1

SUPREME

CHAMPION 2010

Contact: Jerome at 07929418672 www.mo n ts e tte rroi rs.c o m

Corn

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y 15 ng a 0 si id 2 lo r y 0 C e : F a r 10,00 u p t a r Ca D e b try F En

Open for entry Enter online at www.gff.co.uk Key dates 19 January-

Members’ Fortnight

1 February Guild of Fine Food members can enter Great Taste ahead of the general ‘open for entry’ and at a special members’ rate 2-27 February Open for Entry to all Members’ Fortnight ends and normal rate for entry applies March to end of May

Delivery Instructions Download notifications begin via email

23 March

Judging begins

17 June

Judging ends

22 June

3-star products re-called for judging

1 July

3-star Judging Day

Morning All 3-star products judged again

Afternoon Supreme Judging

End of July

Results and Feedback go live on Great Taste portal

August

List of Top 50 Foods announced

September

Golden Fork trophies awarded at Great Taste Dinner, London

Cost of entry *Members’ Fortnight (19 Jan-1 Feb 2015) Turnover less than £1million: £33 per product (+VAT)

General Entry (2-27 Feb 2015) Turnover less than £1million: £47 per product (+VAT)

Turnover more than £1million: £43 per product (+VAT)

Turnover more than £1million: £77 per product (+VAT) Supermarket own label products: £155 per product (+VAT)

*Guild members must have a valid membership up until 31 January 2015 to qualify New Guild members must join by Friday 9th January to qualify for Members’ Fortnight

www.greattasteawards.co.uk |

@greattasteawards |

/greattasteawards

When it comes to exceptional cheddar, the old ways are still the best. Our award-winning, traditional truckles are wrapped in muslin and allowed to breathe as they slowly mature, resulting in a creamy complex flavour with a long finish.

Stuff of legend

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Home Farm . Newton St Cyres . Devon . www.quickes.co.uk .quickes.co.uk

British Cheese Awards (Best Cheddar, Best Goats Cheese, Best Export Cheese & Best Traditional Cheese) World Cheese Awards, Great Taste Awards, Nantwich, Royal Bath & West EES ISH CH E AWARD Great Yorkshire, Devon County Show, Taste of the West and Frome RIT B ES

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Only the best cheese from Switzerand are part of

White Lake Cheese make a range of artisan cheese by hand on the farm. Our range includes Super Gold winning Rachel and Goddess. Gold winning Katherine and Driftwood (pictured), along with Tor, Morn Dew and many others

Goddess

SELECTION WALO VON MÜHLENEN 32 AWARDS AT THE WORLD CHEESE AWARDS, 12 AWARDS IN 2012, 11 AWARDS IN 2013 & 10 AWARDS IN 2014 SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES: • 2 Super Gold • 3 Gold • 1 Silver • 4 Bronze

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The LymeContact Bay Winery, Axminster, Devon EX13 7PW us: Shute, info@whitelake.co.uk Tel 01297 551 355 · sales@lymebaywinery.co.uk 24

January-February 2015 · Vol.16 Issue 1

Contact : WALO VON MÜHLENEN PO Box 295 3186 Düdingen Switzerland walo@affineurwalo.ch T +41 79 217 54 11

cut & dried

making more of british & continental charcuterie

Delis and suppliers urged to join new #tweetourtapas campaign

Ross & Ross pulls the plug on patés

A new initiative to get deli-café, farm shop and food hall customers talking and tweeting about charcuterie kicks off this month. The #tweetourtapas campaign is designed to get consumers posting images of charcuterie bought in independent shops, cafés and restaurants, whether it’s a tapas dish bought to eat in or a meat platter they have assembled at home. It’s the latest move in the industry-sponsored charcuterie promotion launched by FFD and the Guild of Fine Food in 2013. Sponsors including Patchwork, Great Glen Charcuterie, Cheese Cellar and Deli Farm Charcuterie have agreed to offer monthly free-stock prizes to retailers that really get behind the #tweetourtapas initiative. Emma Baines, who handles the Guild’s social media activity, said: “We want you to encourage customers to make some noise about charcuterie on social media. “If a customer orders some charcuterie from your menu, why not ask them to snap a picture to share on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtags #tweetourtapas and #charcuterie and to @ mention your shop, café or restaurant. “You could put up a chalkboard saying ‘Don’t just eat our tapas – #tweetourtapas’ with your Twitter username and the hashtag #charcuterie or #britishcharcuterie. You could even offer a free cup of

By MICK WHITWORTH

coffee or a few extra slices of salami or air-dried ham to customers who post the best images.” Guild MD John Farrand said: “We would like to see retailers and their suppliers really pick up #tweetourtapas and run with it. It’s a quick, fun and low-cost way to

spread the word about charcuterie.” The Guild will be monitoring the #tweetourtapas hashtag, and each month one retailer that joins in will receive a pack of free stock or tasting samples from a campaign sponsor. #tweetourtapas (Twitter) tweetourtapas (Instagram)

Cotswolds-based Ross & Ross Foods has put production of patés and terrines on hold “indefinitely”, after three years in business, to focus on gift packs and event catering. Director and co-founder Ross Whitmill said: “We had an amazing Christmas season with the patés, and although we wanted to grow this area of the business we have hit our production limit at HQ. “We’re not saying we’ll never bring them back – we’d really like to – but it’s just not possible for us at the moment.” Patés and terrines were core products for Ross & Ross when Whitmill and his business partner Ross Bearman launched the company. They have since moved into gift boxes combining British charcuterie, beer, snacks and chutneys, which are sold through their online shop. In August last year Ross & Ross launched The Homemade Curing Kit… Bacon, a gift pack containing all the ingredients – apart from pork – needed to make plain, sweet or smoky bacon at home. Harrods buyer Scott Winston chose the bacon kit as one of his best new products of 2014 in our annual Best Brands special edition. Whitmill added: “We’re really excited about the future of our gift boxes and catering, and we’re going to stick to our roots of celebrating the very best of British produce and British charcuterie.” www.rossandrossfood.co.uk

Venison & pork completes Great Glen chorizo line-up By MICK WHITWORTH

Great Glen Charcuterie says it has completed its chorizo range with the addition of a “subtle flavoured” venison & pork variety, available to retailers through its Scottish-based distributor The Cress Co. Jan Jacob Baak, who runs Great Glen with wife Anja, told FFD: “Over the last two years we have produced a pure pork pepperoni for use on pizzas and, although this was a strong performer last year, we felt it was lacking some character to fit in with our range.” Although it was hard to beat the pure venison chorizo, combining

Wild venison and Scottish pork provide ‘a strong marriage of flavours’, says Jan Jacob Baak

Scottish wild venison with a touch of Scottish-reared pork gave a “strong marriage of flavours”, he said. Great Glen, which specialises in products made with wild Scottish

venison, won the inaugural Great Taste Charcuterie Product of the Year award in 2013 with a pure venison salami spiced with green peppercorns. It has since become a sponsor of the ongoing charcuterie promotional campaign run by FFD and its publisher, the Guild of Fine Food. Baak said the wild venison Great Glen had bought this season for the coming year’s production was of exceptional quality, after the mild summer of 2014. “Each year we see a reflection of the season in the quality of venison, and fat content and muscle mass were very good this year. “It’s always really exciting to see

this happening. There is nothing we can do to influence it – it’s unadulterated, wild meat in its purest form – so we just make subtle adjustments each year to get the best possible product.” As well as selling through its own online shop, in the past 12 months Great Glen has begun working with distributor Cheese Cellar and specialist charcuterie wholesaler Cannon & Cannon. “We have had a great year working with them,” said Baak, adding: “This year we hope to find time and energy to build new premises.” www.greatglencharcuterie.com

Vol.16 Issue 1 · January-February 2015

Specialists in Speciality Quality Yorkshire Preserves

Bracken Hill Fine Foods Bracken Hill Yorkshire Preserves aims to provide the finest quality Yorkshire Preserves with an emphasis on Great Taste and providing a reliable and friendly service we strive to be the best supplier of traditional preserves in the North of England and we value ALL our customers. We have won numerous awards for their wonderful taste and pride ourselves on their quality.Own label available for specialty shops and delis we offer our products in their own branded packaging. Contact us for details.

Trade enquiries welcome we offer competitive terms across the UK. Call: 01904 608811

www.brackenhillfinefoods.co.uk

inspired

by our NEW collection for 2015

Still perfectly preserved!

Thank you for your support.

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01233 812251 sales@thewoodenspoon.co.uk The New Oast, Coldharbour Farm, Wye, Kent, TN25 5DB

T: 01538 382020 sales@cottagedelight.co.uk

January-February 2015 路 Vol.16 Issue 1

81767 WS QUARTER PAGE JAN ADVERT_FAW.indd 1

19/01/2015 17:17

product update

pickles & chutneys

Options to relish While classic combinations remain perennially popular, there are plenty of producers experimenting with new flavours and styles. LYNDA SEARBY rounds up the latest jarred delicacies.

With the launch of a world foodinspired Curious Pickle collection, chef Pratap Chahal is showing that vegetables aren’t the only pickles. The collection, which launched last September under his new food brand, That Hungry Chef, champions the timehonoured culinary custom of meat preservation. Chunks of British beef and pork are cooked with spices and vinegar to create Indian-flavoured Achari beef and pork vindaloo curry pickles that double up as instant curries or flat bread toppings. RRP is upwards of £6.95 and wholesale price is £26.40 per case of 6x230g jars. Three ‘Mojo Risin’ chilli relishes have also been introduced under the new label. Asian-inspired green chilli, chipotle-rich Central American-style smokey chilli and Caribbean influenced red chilli with scotch bonnets all have an RRP of £3.50 or more and a wholesale price of £13.80 per case of 6x110g jars.

1 x CLEAR LABEL WITH GREY OPAQUE GRAPHICS APPROX 25mm DIAMETER FOR BOTH LIDS Pantone Warm Grey 8

“We rolled our eyes at the introduction of yet more rules and regulations being forced upon us from Europe,” says Otter Vale Products director Ben Laxon, of the EU Food Information Regulation. But the Devon producer has taken the new rules as an opportunity to treat its pickles to a new brand identity. “As we’ve added new lines, we’ve introduced various jar sizes and label styles which have never sat together on a shelf as a ‘family’ of products from one company with a consistent identity,” says Laxon. The new design, conceived by Wills-Mattey Design, brings together Otter Vale’s jars in a coherent ‘family’.

Vegans and vegetarians are a key target market for Patchwork Paté’s new mushroom marmalades, following the success of the Welsh producer’s vegan red pesto paté in last year’s Great Taste. The relishes combine caramelised onions and shiitake mushrooms for a sweet flavour and umami aftertaste. Besides original mushroom marmalade, Patchwork has created a jalapeño chilli version and an oak smoke variant. It says the marmalades are great with burgers, cheese, cold or hot meats or just spread on toast. www.patchwork-pate.co.uk

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Stalwart Darlington & Daughters has been experimenting with sandwich pickle recipes, and named its newest creation – Ploughman’s Pickle No.7 – after the recipe that came out on top. RRP is £1.99 for 300g. Also new from the Crewe-based producer is spicy tomato & sticky onion chutney, described as a “versatile spicy chutney made with caramelised onions”. The RRP is £1.99 for 312g. www.mrsdarlingtons.com

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Mary Berry’s chutneys, carried by ambient fine food distributor RH Amar, have been treated to a makeover. The peach & apricot, special ploughman’s and spiced tomato chutneys are now sporting new labels which feature a photograph of Mary Berry, reinforcing their association with the Great British Bake Off star and cookery writer.

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In a Pickle Food Co’s new spiced nal Real n Traditio o parsnip & chilli chutney is said to be i ll li Lem emeat Pica Minc Curd especially good with goats’ cheese, nal venison and pheasant. The Real nsweet and Traditio t o lli Lemprice cemea a trade Picali chutneyMinhas spicy of £2.50 Curd per 290g jar (RRP £3.95). PICKLE

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cheese Co fruits for Fine Cheese mato & Tree spicy to The Cherry y onion chutne caramelised malade ts onion mar Tracklemen ts piccalilli Tracklemen ato chutney e Rubble tom Rubies in th

COLOURS SHOULD NOT BE CHOSEN FROM MONITOR SIGHT ONLY. PLEASE CHECK PANTONE INK PULLS FOR SPECIAL COLOURS. DO NOT APPROVE FROM DIGITAL PROOF REPRODUCTION OF PANTONE COLOURS ALONE. ALL DETAILS OF ARTWORK CONTAINED WITHIN ARE SUBJECT TO CHECKING AND SIGN OFF FROM THE FINAL PRINTERS PROOF VIA THE CLIENT BEFORE FINAL PRODUCTION PRINT RUN.

PICKLES & PRESERVES

OTTER VALE PRODUCTS FINE TUNING - 4a ©wills-mattey design limited #6086

Chef Cyrus Todiwala is using Essex pears that were rejected by the supermarkets due to their abnormal shape in his new Mr Todiwala’s pear chutney. The limited edition chutney, which has an RRP of £4 for 180g, is spiced with ginger, green and red chilli, cardamom and cloves.

www.rhamar.com

www.mrtodiwala. com

Vol.16 Issue 1 · January-February 2015

product update

pickles & chutneys

It’s all about seasonality, provenance and tradition in pickles and chutneys, and Yorkshire’s Rosebud Preserves ticks all three boxes with its latest creations. These are hot apple chutney (trade price £2.00, 184g), described as “a warming blend of English Bramley apples spiced with fenugreek, cumin and chilli”; Great Yorkshire Pickle (trade price £2.00, 198g), which is dark, rich and prepared with traditional garden vegetables and Black Sheep Ale; and a traditional piccalilli (trade price £2.07, 170g).

Top sellers…

field Pantry, Shef ...at Urban with illi pickle s tomato ch Just Preser ve relish Henderson’s s chilli jam Just Preser ve marmalade s red onion Just Preser ve s piccalilli Just Preser ve mustard s wholegrain Just Preser ve s ied tomatoe with sun dr

www.rosebudpreserves.co.uk

Paxton & Whitfield’s new sweet cucumber pickle is billed as a simple and piquant accompaniment to hard cheese, cured meats and smoked salmon. When in season the cucumbers that are used are all sourced from growers in the UK. Trade price is £4.15 and RRP is £5.95 for 198g.

Gill and Neil Maycock of Yorkshire’s Bracken Hill Fine Foods have celebrated the birth of their grandson Eli by naming two new products after him. Our Eli’s Plough Lads Pickle is a traditional sandwich pickle, made with cauliflower, carrot, apple, tomato, onion, peach, sugar and spices, while Our Eli’s Dark Mild Ale Chutney blends caramelised green tomato and onions with a Holderness mild ale – Neil’s favourite tipple.

www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk

www.brackenhillfinefoods.co.uk

New lines from producers Wild at Heart, Ouse Valley Foods and Rubies in the Rubble are available to the trade via distributor Cotswold Fayre. Spicy medlar chutney is the latest addition to Wild at Heart’s range. The manufacturer uses the small apple-like fruits of the medlar, a small bushy tree, to create this chilli and cumin spiced chutney. Wholesale price is £16.90 for 6x255g jars. RRP is £3.95. Santi’s clementine & red chilli pickle is new from Sussex’s Ouse Valley Foods. The hot and refreshing chutney has a wholesale price of £17.65 for 6x300g and an RRP of £4.15. In addition, Rubies in the Rubble, which produces preserves from discarded fruit and veg, has launched a red onion & chilli chutney. Wholesale price is £16.70 for 6x300g and RRP is £3.95.

Atkins and Potts has launched four of its best-selling relishes and chutneys in mini 100g jars that it says would be perfect on a cheeseboard, in a hamper or with a ploughman’s in a café. The four flavours – spiced pear & date, balsamic plum, red onion & jalapeno and caramelised onion – have an RRP of £1.70 per jar, and a trade price of £1.19. Minimum order is eight cases, and customers also get a counter-top display stand, three slot-in display boards with alternative messages and three sets of recipe cards to give away.

Described as “a rich, tangy chutney to accompany game pie, duck, venison and cold meats”, Poacher’s Chutney is the latest invention to come out of The Bay Tree kitchen. Trade price is £2.25 for a 300g jar (RRP £3.35).

www.atkinsandpotts.co.uk

www.thebaytree.co.uk

www.cotswold-fayre.co.uk

January-February 2015 · Vol.16 Issue 1

Cumbria’s Hawkshead Relish has raided the drinks cabinet for its new range of cocktail-inspired preserves, which includes a Bloody Mary chutney. Said to be great with oysters, sausages and burgers, the chutney combines tomatoes with a glug of vodka, Hawkshead’s signature relish and vegetarian Worcestershire-style sauce. RRP is £3.75 and wholesale price is £15.25 for 6x80g jars. www.hawksheadrelish.com

New to pickles and chutneys…Puckett’s Pickles There’s no place for a mango chutney or lime pickle in Sarah Puckett’s range – her chutneys and pickles are a celebration of British and, where possible, Yorkshire ingredients. “I am passionate about using as much Yorkshire and British produce as I can,” she says. “The vegetables are fresh and local, I only use English organic cyder vinegar and even my jars are made in Yorkshire.” Sarah works closely with a local greengrocer to source her produce, as well as working with farmers directly, for example the Stark family from The Wall at Coulton. She buys spices and vinegar from Halifax cooperative Suma

some rival products. At present Puckett’s Pickles are mainly on sale in Yorkshire, though Sarah’s ultimate plan is to sell them nationally and even internationally. She has already secured contracts with Neal’s Yard Dairy in London and Waterstones. For summer 2015, she is unveiling a four-strong range that and Ripon-based Steenbergs, and celebrates Yorkshire’s seasonal only uses British sugar to support produce. Oriental carrots, Yorkshire sugar beet farmers. cucumber & lemon, pickled red Her commitment to local sourcing also extends to packaging; onion and ‘Puckalilli’ all have a she uses jars made by Beatson Glass trade price of £2.31 and an RRP of £3.85, giving stockists a 40% in Rotherham. Sarah describes her chutneys as margin. Shipping is free for orders having “a much lighter cook” which she says gives them a fresher flavour over £120. and makes them more versatile than www.puckettspickles.co.uk

Award winning chutneys and pickles

Handmade in the W est Country If you would like to stock our products, or find out more about us then please do get in touch. Email: sales@inapicklefoodco.co.uk Call: +44 (0) 1225 722255 or +44 (0) 7507 798373

www.inapicklefoodco.co.uk OVP-FFGHalfPageAd-2d.pdf

15/01/2015

16:08

We always thought our family had something special at Otter Vale Products (as do our farm shops, delis and independents). So we thought we ought to make ourselves look a little more special too!

To those of you who are not aware

We make quailty hand-made, award-winning fine chutneys, jellies, pickles, mustards and preserves.

An attractively priced premium product and a popular Devon take home tourist gift

We are keen to discuss our new look product range with new retailers and agents throughout the country.

"We have stocked Otter Vale chutneys for over 25 years and they are always some of our best selling and one that we

"These chutneys are

regularly recommend,

among our best sellers;

we also use it in the

great tasting, good value for money and

restaurant on our

TRY NOW - OUR NEW LOOK - WITH A MUCH LOVED TASTE CALL: 01395 443487

EMAIL: info@ottervaleproducts.co.uk

www.ottervaleproducts.co.uk

gluten-free too".

James Dart Darts Farm

Julian Holley

Holleys Fine Foods

cold platters".

Perfected recipes created from delicious ingredients with dedication and passion Vol.16 Issue 1 路 January-February 2015

Red Rapscallion seeks sausages, cheese or pâté for lunch, dinner, maybe more...

Preserving culinary excellence...

For the full range & new products... Find out more about our BESTSELLING BAD BOY www.thepickledvillage.com CHAT TO US ABOUT OWN LABEL

• 015394 36614 • hawksheadrelish.com •

Fine Food Digest Feb 2015.indd 1

09/01/2015 14:10:04

Artisan-produced, all-natural, condiments & preserves, a colourful array of products from traditional favourites to innovative specialities.

The perfect dip for crispy tortilla chips, wonderfully tasty with grilled meats

pepper This ripe tomato & red over ed on spo s iou lic de dip is s da fajitas or enchila

Adds a fiery flavo ur to BBQ dishes or nacho ch ips with cheese & sour cre am

To find out more about our tasty products call: 016973 45974, email: claire@claireshandmade.co.uk or visit our website: www.claireshandmade.com

January-February 2015 · Vol.16 Issue 1 RHA_Mary Berry_Cotswold Fayre 135x184.indd 1

20/01/2015 13:26

product update

pickles & chutneys

Plymouth producer The Carved Angel is making its pickles and chutneys more accessible to delis and farm shops by reducing its minimum order quantity to six cases. The company, which supplies the trade direct rather than via a distributor network, already has a strong consumer following as a result of an established mail order business and regular presence at food shows. Director Paul Roston says he hopes the lower minimum order quantity will appeal to independent retailers looking for a tried and tested range. “There are many consumers out there who want to buy our products but are frustrated because they are unable to find a local stockist, so they can only buy by mail order, which is costly and time consuming when all you want is to top up on a jar or two,” he says. “We’re looking to change this by making it easier for retailers to stock our products.” The Carved Angel has also introduced three new lines: Frisky pineapple chilli chutney, Rapture spicy red onion marmalade and Ecstasy apricot & stem ginger chutney. All products have an RRP of £3.95-4.25 for 320-340g.

Top sellers…

en on Delicatess ...at Ashburt Devon

pickle t cucumber Clare’s swee chutney o & ginger Clare’s tomat e e marmalad onion & thym d re e sid ill H mato & Tree spicy to The Cherry y onion chutne caramelised illi jam y Lifestyle ch Fine Countr

www.thecarvedangel.com

Devon’s Highfield Preserves is bringing a ray of sunshine to the category with a new pineapple & chilli chutney. The hot, fruity chutney is said to perk up cold ham and cheese or works as a condiment for curries. It comes in either a traditional or a contemporary style jar and has an RRP of £3.20. Trade price is £2.16 or £12.96 per case of 6 jars.

Cottage Delight has added a new caramelised red onion chutney to its range. It says open-pan slow cooking yields a tangy, warming chutney that is the perfect partner for breads and cheeses or can be added to gravies and sauces. RRP is £3.25 for 310g, and trade price is £2.17. The Staffordshire producer is kick-starting the New Year with a promotion across its Great Taste award-winning pickles and chutneys. Pickles and chutneys selected for the ‘two for £4.50’ promotion include spicy mango & ginger chutney (340g) and The Cheese Maker’s Pickle (335g). Supporting recipe cards, bunting and display strut cards are available.

Boddington’s Berries has launched its apple chutney in new 28g foil-lidded portion packs it says are ideal for deli cafés serving ploughman’s or takeaway snacks. The Cornwall producer describes the chutney, which is slowcooked for a soft texture, as “fruity but not overly spiced”. The portion packs come in boxes of 80, priced at £14.40 per box. Apple chutney is also available in 227g jars and in 3.5kg and 1.3kg catering pails. www.boddingtonsberries.co.uk

Fosters has added Victorian Kitchen Garden chutney, spicy plum tomato chutney and a real ale chutney made with Black Sheep Brewery’s Riggwelter ale to its line-up.

www.cottagedelight.co.uk

www.highfieldpreserves.co.uk

www.fosters-foods.co.uk

New to pickles and chutneys… Garden of England Tracklements tomato chutney now contains 20% more tomatoes, giving it a more intense, fruity flavour. The Wiltshire producer recommends using it in pasta dishes and burgers or as an accompaniment to the charcuterie board. Each 295g jar has an RRP of £3.20.

Garden of England is aiming to fill what it perceives as a gap in the market for a comprehensive range of seasonal English preserves with provenance. The Kent-based business, which opened its doors in 2013, uses seasonal fruit and vegetables grown on English farms to produce quintessentially English pickles and chutneys.

Available exclusively to the independent trade, the line-up includes pickled onions in malt vinegar, shallots in sherry vinegar, beetroot in red wine vinegar, pickled walnuts, piccalilli, sweet pickle, farmhouse pickle, apple chutney with Biddenden cider, Victoria plum chutney with Claret, red onion marmalade, and rhubarb chutney. www.gardenofenglandfoods.co.uk

www.tracklements.co.uk

Vol.16 Issue 1 · January-February 2015

Our 2015 range of preserves are now available

Award winning Chutneys & Pickles

Try us today!

www.thebaytree.co.uk Tel: 0845 900 3981 sales@thebaytree.co.uk

TheBayTree

www.purplepantry.ie

trade@purplepantry.ie

Artisan Producer of Seasonal, Small Batch Preserves.

Charlotte Brown’s Handmade

Artisan Preserves and Relishes

Passionate about Preserving

All our products are carefully made on the farm using only the finest ingredients. We add no artificial colouring, preservatives or flavouring during the manufacturing process. For all enquiries please send an email to mustard@shakenoak.co.uk Shaken Oak Farm, Old North Leigh Lane, Hailey, Witney, Oxfordshire OX29 9UX

What is it that makes Charlotte Brown’s products so good? Charlotte would say that fresh, high-quality ingredients, mastery of traditional methods and great attention to detail are what make the difference. Her growing band of devoted return customers rate her PiCCalilli, rasPBerry Conserve, Chilli Jam and other delicious treats outstanding. One described them as “life-changing”!

We are happy to send samples of these or our Great Taste winning Piccallilli. Call or email today Tel 02380 671047 / 07826 835127 charlottebonney@hotmail.com

www.charlottebrowns.co.uk

January-February 2015 · Vol.16 Issue 1

Shaken Oak Products MANUFACTURER OF HAND-MADE MUSTARDS & PRESERVES

www.shakenoak.co.uk

product update

coffee

Breaking new grounds LYNDA SEARBY spills the beans on the latest introductions in speciality coffee

Leicester-based importer Shelton’s Coffee is moving production of its flavoured coffee cubes to the UK and launching two new flavours: vanilla and decaf. The business, which was founded in 2009 by husband and wife team Ximena and Steven Shelton, starts manufacturing in new premises in the Food Park in Leicester during February. Previously, production was subcontracted to a company in Colombia. Shelton’s is also working with the Food Sciences Team at Nottingham Trent University to reformulate its coffee cubes. The new improved cubes will be available in Colombian, amaretto, cappuccino, mocha and Irish cream flavours as well as the new vanilla and decaf varieties (RRP £4.10). Shelton’s will continue to source its single origin beans from Colombia.

Anvil is a new label from established coffee specialist Qualitasse. At launch, the range takes in two blends. Blend #1 is a light roast with just two types of bean – Ethiopia Dumerso Yirgacheffe and Colombia Huila (200g, RRP £5.50) – while the more complex Anvil #2 is made up of five different beans and is a dark roast, more reminiscent of the Italian style (200g, RRP £4.50). Qualitasse is supporting the new brand with pavement signs, internal menu boards, table talkers, china cups and barista training. www.anvilcoffee.co.uk

Union Hand Roasted has come up with a new blend “to melt away the winter blues”. The blend takes in the sweetness of Ruziba (Burundi) and Konga (Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia), balanced with chocolate and truffle from Gajah Mountain (Sumatra, Indonesia) and Ambrosio farm (Brazil). Union says this yields a taste of “sweet candy with notes of caramel and chocolate; the cup finishes with notes of blackcurrants, dates and luxurious truffle”. Trade price is £21.50 per case and RRP is £4.90-£5.30 for 227g.

Cherizena has taken inspiration from the dessert trolley for its latest flavoured coffee: banoffee pie. According to the company’s Kate Jones, blending banana and toffee flavours results in a brew that is “sweet and creamy, just like the dessert”. The banoffee pie flavoured coffee was launched in 2014 as a seasonal blend for spring and summer but, after creating ripples on social media and attracting a consumer following, is now a permament fixture. It is available as beans or ground, and regular or decaffeinated, in pack sizes of 115g, 230g and one kilo. Trade prices start at £1.77 for 115g (RRP £3). Retailers can choose to sell the coffee under their own brand or as Cherizena coffee. www.cherizena.co.uk

www.unionroasted.com

www.sheltonscoffee.co.uk

New to speciality coffee…Bird & Wild A new ethical logo is catching on in speciality coffee, and Dorset start-up Bird & Wild says it is the first UK company to market ‘Bird Friendly’ certified coffees. Bird Friendly coffee is grown traditionally and organically, under the existing canopy of the rainforests. This helps preserve natural habitats for thousands of species of wildlife, including many migratory birds whose nesting sites are increasingly threatened. These growing conditions also have taste benefits, according to Ben Roberts, who founded

the company with sister Emma Broomhead in July 2013. “Forest-grown coffees tend to ripen much more slowly, resulting in some deliciously rich, unique tasting beans,” says Roberts. That the company collected a three-star Great Taste award for its Ethiopian Yeti Farm coffee and a one-star for its Raul Mamani coffee from Peru seems to suggest this is true. Bird & Wild has plans to add to its catalogue and is currently hunting for a third coffee variety. www.birdandwild. co.uk

While it has supplied the catering and workplace markets for 30 years, Edgcumbes is a relative newcomer to the retail arena. It has unveiled its new retail branding with a four-strong range comprising an Ethiopian blend, a decaf Latin American blend, a Fairtrade Brazilian blend and a single origin 100% Arabica from Huila, in Colombia. Although the beans are sourced from around the world, the branding and packaging makes the most of Edgcumbes’ Sussex heritage. The coffees are named after local villages and the ‘modern vintage’ style packaging features a ‘made in Britain’ stamp. 227g tins have an RRP of £4.50 and a trade price of £2.13, and 227g packs have an RRP of £3.99 and a trade price of £1.78. www.coffeeetc.co.uk

Vol.16 Issue 1 · January-February 2015

O.1

The N

AWARD WINNING

BEST BRAND HAS GONE AND DONE IT AGAIN First place in the Fine Food Digest’s 2014/15 Best Brands in the coffee category for the second year running, and winner of five Great Taste Awards.

TREES ARE THE ANSWER to why our coffees are so good.

They provide shade for the beans to grow and ripen slowly. They nourish the soil with their fallen leaves, and retain nutrients and water with their roots. And, they offer diverse habitats for the birds and wildlife that call these forests home. Available for retail in packs of 200g, RRP £4.99. For all stockist enquiries, please call Ben on 01202 862424 or email ben@birdandwild.co.uk

#forestgrowncoffee

Organic Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Rwanda Musasa Landscape Espresso Widescreen Espresso Milestone Espresso

Let the coffees speak for themselves

Our award winning range of specialty coffees are sourced directly from farmers that we know and are proudly roasted in Yorkshire. Please visit us online for our full range of coffees, or contact one of the team to get more information on retailing our award winning coffee.

Tel: 01484 855500 email: coffee@grumpymule.co.uk

www.grumpymule.co.uk

January-February 2015 · Vol.16 Issue 1

Our Yeti Farm coffee from Ethiopia won a 3-star award in Great Taste 2014

product update

coffee

Decamp to decaf?

Hancock & Abberton is encouraging coffee drinkers to diversify their palates with a new range of limited edition “rare gems”. Every month, in association with UK roaster Lincoln & York, Hancock & Abbertson is introducing a speciality coffee from a different origin. These limited edition coffees are 100% Arabica, single origin roasts from well-known producing nations such as Kenya as well as more obscure origins like East Timor. RRP is £7-9 for 250g of roasted beans. Trade price is £4.50 per unit.

Guy Wilmot is on a mission to redefine decaf coffee. Last May, he launched The Decadent Decaf Coffee Company, with the aim of reincarnating decaf and dispelling negative perceptions surrounding this type of coffee. The start-up is taking only high quality single origin coffees and decaffeinating them using the chemical-free ‘Swiss Water Process’, which is a far cry from old technologies, according to Wilmot. “The old school processes were expensive and tended to damage many flavour compounds, resulting in weak, insipid, bitter coffee,” he says. At launch, the line-up takes in four single origin coffees and a signature espresso blend. The espresso blend combines beans from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia and Rwanda, for a “creamy and rich cup, silky mouth feel and soft cocoa notes”. The four single origin roasts are Indonesia Sumatra Mandehling, Costa Rica Strictly Hard Bean, Ethiopia Sidamo and Kenya AA. All of them come in 227g bags (RRP £6.99-£7.99).

www.hancockandabberton.com

www.decadentdecaf.com

Black Sheep Coffee is the latest company to embrace the cold brew coffee trend. This highly concentrated form is higher in caffeine and lower in acidity because it is brewed in cold water over 12 hours. Black Sheep offers two versions, both bottled in glass flasks. Made using 100% Arabica coffee from a single origin from the Dumerso washing station in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia, the ‘pure’ condensed version can be diluted at a ratio of 1:4 (RRP £6.40 for 200ml). The ‘ready-to-drink’ version has already been diluted and sweetened with agave syrup (RRP £5.40 for 200ml). www.leavetheherdbehind.com

Besides giving its coffee range a pack redesign to capitalise on its long British heritage, Whittards of Chelsea has introduced an ‘artisan’ line of coffees bought in small quantities from more unusual origins. These coffees, which are seasonal and only available until they sell out, include an Ethiopia Teppi and a Papua New Guinea coffee (RRP from £3). www.whittard.co.uk

Coffee capsules: cool beans It seems that anything that can be termed as a ‘pod’ is destined for commercial stardom, and the coffee capsule or ‘pod’ is no exception. Single-serve coffee capsules are en vogue, and it is the smaller, nimbler players who are gaining ground in this corner of the market. Leading the charge is CaféPod, the brainchild of South

African-born Peter Grainger and Brent Hadfield. It produces capsules that are compatible with all home machines, using coffee that is roasted, ground and packed at its facility in North Lincolnshire. The start-up is unashamedly going after the multiples – its capsules are stocked by Waitrose, Amazon, Tesco and Ocado – but is also building its trade with independents. Weetons, Fallon & Byrne and a number of farm shops

are carrying the pods. Last summer, CaféPod launched the first two varieties in a new ‘Origins Inspired’ range of singleorigin coffees. Colombia Huila (RRP £2.99 for 10 pods) coffee capsules contain Fairtrade Arabica beans from the slopes of the Andes, while the second release, Sumatra Lake Tawar (RRP £2.99 for 10 pods), is made from 100% organic Fairtrade Arabica beans grown on the hills

surrounding Lake Tawar. Pònaire Roastery in Co Limerick has just moved into the capsule market, using five of its Great Taste award-winning coffees: Costa Rican Morning Blend, European Espresso Blend, Connoisseur Blend, Indian Monsoon Malabar and Rich Sumatra. They are packed in tins containing 10 pods (RRP €4). Another company hoping to cash in on the capsule craze is Cuban coffee specialist Alma de Cuba. Its new Cafecito capsules are filled with 100% Arabica Cuban mountain coffee and have an RRP of £8 for 20 capsules. www.almacuba.com www.cafepod.com www.ponaire.ie

Vol.16 Issue 1 · January-February 2015

January-February 2015 路 Vol.16 Issue 1

SPOTLIGHT YOUR GREAT TASTE

AWARD-WINNING FOOD & DRINK IN-STORE BOOK

GREAT TASTE 2014-15

Join hundreds of independent fine food shops around the UK promoting Great Taste award-winners on their shelves during February and March. At a time of year when sales can be slow, introduce your customers to thousands of Great Taste awardwinning products, many of which you already stock. To help you get started the Guild of Fine Food will send you a promotion pack free of charge, including: Posters to display in-store 100 copies of Great Taste book to give away to your customers l Great Taste apron l Branded bunting l Window sticker for your shop door l l

MOST OM THE NERS FR S AWARD 200 WIN & DRINK G OVER FEATURIN ECIALITY FOOD D SP TE VE CO

To sign up for your free promotion pack contact karen.price@gff.co.uk or call 01747 825200 Order while stocks last

This promotion is for members of the Guild of Fine Food only

www.gff.co.uk |

@greattasteawards |

/greattasteawards Vol.16 Issue 1 路 January-February 2015

w th C ith e o m m w you as bi w r te ne w. v r ife isi cla .c t t ss o. o uk IF E

You will learn… More about the major types of teas Specifics on the teas from Sri Lanka The history of tea plantations in Sri Lanka How you can help your customers to store, brew and serve tea correctly Creating a good tea range for retail and foodservice What you should be upselling with tea

Ceylon Tea Masterclass Wednesday 25 March, 10.30-1pm South Gallery Room 3, IFE, ExCel London Followed by a light lunch on the Sri Lanka Tea Board Stand: S4240 A unique opportunity to obtain the skills to sell tea more intelligently. This one-off masterclass will improve your knowledge about the tea you sell. Better knowledge equals increased sales.

Join tea experts, Mike Bunston, Ben Hitchcock Places on this masterclass are free and limited and Ceylon tea supremo Robert Wilson for an to two people per store. Strictly first come informal morning. first served.

Contact Jilly on 01747 825200 jilly.sitch@gff.co.uk for more information and to reserve your space.

Responsibly Sourced Atlantic Salmon

www.gff.co.uk |

Come and see us at... IFE 2015 – Stand Number N1616 22-25 March ExCel London Farm Shop & Deli Show 2015 – Stand Number Q41 20-22 April NEC Birmingham 38

January-February 2015 · Vol.16 Issue 1

@guildoffinefood

Marinated Salmon Fillets in a Freezer to Table Format Tel 01472 355217 contact@bigfishbrand.co.uk www.bigfishbrand.co.uk @BigFishBrand bigfishbrand

show preview

Showcasing the world IFE returns to London’s Docklands with a line-up of exhibitors from all over the globe

FE, one of Europe’s largest food and drink shows, is returning to London’s ExCel centre next month, promising a refreshed format, a broader interactive programme, and the opportunity to connect with buyers and producers from across the world. Running from March 22 to 25, the biennial show will see 1,200 exhibitors from 55 different countries showcasing products, while 30,000 retailers, food industry professionals and decision makers are expected to pass through its doors. To make it easier to navigate, the show is again being split into nine different separate areas, but for the first time, dedicated areas within these sections are provided for smaller producers. Artisan and fine food producers can be found in the Speciality and Regional Food from Britain & Ireland section, which will host well-known brands including Atkins and Potts, Teapigs and Belvoir Fruit Farms along with distributors Hider Food Imports and some of the national food groups. Within the section, the Artisan Food Market will provide a traditional market place where small producers have the opportunity to find potential buyers. Producers

exhibiting in this area include Adesso Deli, Popcorn Kitchen and Timmy’s Pies. This idea is continued across other areas of the show. The Smaller Producer Village is set in the Health and Wellbeing area, where smaller exhibitors includes dairy-free ice-cream brand Nude Spoon, superfood-enriched chocolate Doisy & Dam, and Love Kombucha. Likewise, Gourmet Drinker sits in the drinks section, with exhibitors including Kold Cocktails, Marston’s Brewery and Victor’s Drink. Bakery & confectionary and cheese & dairy firms – including Barbers Farmhouse Cheesemakers, Fine Cheese Company, and ice cream maker Salcombe Dairy – will be located in their own areas of the show and there is a dedicated area for international exhibitors, Walk the World. Exhibitors come from Morocco, Thailand, South Korea, Italy, France, Canada and the USA. As well as meeting potential customers on the show floor, exhibitors small and large can benefit from a Meet the Buyer programme, which arranges one-toone meetings with foodservice and retail buyers from firms including

Need to know Venue ExCeL London, 1 Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London Docklands, E16 1XL How do I get there? Situated in Docklands, ExCel London is accessible by public transport via London Underground and

Fenwicks, Bidvest, Virgin Trains and British Airways. Away from the busy aisles, a comprehensive series of talks, seminars and debates is being held at The Hub. Subjects include IGD’s chief economist on what the changing economy means for retailers, a debate on the store of tomorrow with panellist, including the owner of upmarket convenience store Eat 17, and Nielsen head of retail insights on future trends in

the Docklands Light Railway. Take the Jubilee line to Canning Town and change to the Becktonbound DLR, alighting at Custom House, the main station serving Excel. You can also get there using the Thames Clipper river boat service to the O2 from all major piers (London Bridge, Greenwich, Canary Wharf, Embankment and Waterloo), crossing the river on The Emirates Air Line cable car.

convenience retailing. Artisan producers, farm shop and deli owners should also look out for Harrods director of food Bruce Langlands who will talk about the famous food hall, upand-coming trends and the use of social media and pop-up dining to keep foodies and retailers in sync, while on Monday, entrepreneur Andrew Thornton offers his advice on independent retailing and the areas critical to maintain a thriving business. Meanwhile, trends and forecasts will be discussed in the New Products Live stage, The Drinks Theatre and Health & Wellbeing Theatre. If you are looking for culinary inspiration, The Skillery is back for 2015 with demos and tips from around 80 chefs, and the Great British Kitchen will be highlighting local food and regional specialities. For a more international focus, check out the line-up at the Taste of the World stage and International Products Showcase. The show is also hosting the new World Food Innovation Awards, as well as the Fresh Ideas award scheme, which rewards the most innovative product launched at the show. As in previous years, IFE 2015 will run alongside food and drink processing and packaging show, Pro2Pac, and a new event, WasteWorks, has been added, focussing on suppliers of waste solutions and service including energy recovery, anaerobic digestion and recycling. www.ife.co.uk

If travelling by car, follow signs for Royal Docks, City Airport and ExCel, or put E16 1DR into the sat nav. There is onsite pay and display parking for 3,700 cars. The closest airport is London City airport, a 5 minute drive away. How do I register? IFE is a trade-only event but you can register for free at the show’s website: www.ife.co.uk Vol.16 Issue 1 · January-February 2015

e m u s el Co ee xC 0 d s , E 02 an FE15 d S6 I n at sta on

• Il Gelato di Ariela was born in 2006 out of Ariela’s pure frustration of not finding proper Gelato in London • Her mission was to make the most amazing Gelato just like the one her dad had been making for the past 40 years back home. • Made the artisan way, using only natural ingredients, real fruit and banning all artificial flavourings and colourings, small batches of each flavour are made and each tub is lovingly hand crafted. • As well as the best Gelato in the UK, Il Gelato di Ariela is able to supply businesses with everything needed to sell Gelato from the cones, the toppings to the point of sale. • We provide the full package, so if Gelato is what your business needs then look no further, we will set you up before you can say GELATO!!

Visit our brand new website

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Lime & Mint Sorbet winner of 2 stars at the Great Taste Awards 2013

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Get Nudie with us! Natural Alternative to Potato Crisps 50% less Carbs than Potato Crisps High In Fibre High in Healthy Good Fats MCT’s All Natural, Gluten Free Ingredients Toasted Never Fried To order, email hello@nudiesnacks.co.uk quoting code FFD1. nudiesnacks.co.uk 40

January-February Vol.16 1Issue 20846 Fine Foods Digest2015 Advert· AW.indd

22/01/2015 11:14

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Vol.16 Issue 1 路 January-February 2015

Winners of International Olive Oil Competitions Supplying you with some of the world’s best Olive Oils straight from Andalucia We also provide tasting sessions to learn more about the world of Olive Oil info@mardeolivos.co.uk @mar_de_olivos 07803 299249

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January-February 2015 · Vol.16 Issue 1

Chocolate & fine exotic foods check our new london store, 15b Blenheim Crescent, Notting Hill

shelf talk

products, promotions & people

Law change leads to new look for Mrs Darlington’s By MICHAEL LANE

Prompted by changes to European Union food labelling regulations, Mrs Darlington’s has overhauled the branding across of its large range of sweet and savoury preserves. The Crewe-based company’s new-look jars sport larger wraparound labels, featuring more prominent branding, details of the company’s back story and, of course, the relevant nutritional details and highlighted allergens to satisfy the new laws, which came into force in December 2014. “We thought if we’re going to change [nutritional information], we want to take the opportunity to see how we can best get the elements of Mrs Darlington’s into the design,” said director Wendy Darlington, whose mother Marion founded the business in the early ‘80s. “It’s a much bigger, deeper label but it’s still a challenge to tell the Darlington’s story in a small amount of words.” With 80-plus products to re-brand, the business has been working on the new look and its roll-out, which has already begun, for the last 18 months.

Mrs Darlington’s has changed its labelling and created new point of sale displays and material

The producer has also redesigned its website, which now features a complete product line-up and recipe suggestions, and it will be distributing new point of sale material, recipe cards and stands to retailers. Wendy Darlington, who worked in branding before joining her mother and sister Sarah in the family business, said the new label design was shown to the company’s network of distributors and loyal retail customers before its launch.

“The trade love it and we’re really proud of it,” she added. Despite the size of its range, Darlington’s has not slowed down its NPD. In the last six months it has launched three sweet preserves – wild blueberry jam (RRP £2.19), peach melba jam (RRP £2.19) and tangerine marmalade (RRP £2.15) – in 340g jars as well as Ploughman’s Pickle No.7 (300g) and spicy tomato & sticky onion chutney (312g), both with an RRP of £1.99. “Reviewing our range is an on-going thing for us,” said Darlington. “Our strength has always been the breadth of it.” She added that the company’s flagship Legendary lemon curd remains the “out-and-out best seller”, with strawberry jam and apple chutney also performing well. “People will always gravitate towards the classics,” she said. “You could introduce weird and wonderful products but invariably they are not the products that drive the sales.” www.mrsdarlingtons.com

Patchwork seeks more veggie success with mushroom marmalade By MICHAEL LANE

KEEN AS MUSTARD: Suffolk producer Scarlett & Mustard has developed three new oils for its Dazed & Infused range as well as a new flavour for its curds. The “hug in a jar” toffee apple curd comes in cases of 6x210g jars (trade £14.88) and is recommended as a cake mix ingredient or as a topping or filling for a number desserts. Meanwhile, the producer’s chilli, garlic and smoked rapeseed oils come in cases of 12x100ml (£34.86) and 6x250ml (£29.88). All three can be used for cooking or finishing dishes.

Too many producers are just creating their own versions of established products. That’s the verdict of Patchwork Paté’s commercial director Rufus Carter in the wake of the Welsh company’s latest creation – mushroom marmalade. “This is not just another ‘me too’ product,” Carter told FFD. “The great thing about this is it’s a whole new category. It’s not comparable to anything.” Made with caramelised onions and shiitake mushrooms, this veganand vegetarian-friendly relish has been developed in three varieties: orginal, jalapeno chilli and smokey. The new product is said to deliver a sweet flavour initially, followed by a lingering umami aftertaste from the shiitakes. The relish can be used with any

kind of burger as well as with cheese and cold meats or spread over toast as a light meal. Patchwork director Jenny Whitham said the company is keen to build on the success of its vegan red pesto paté, which won three stars and a Golden Fork in Great Taste 2014. “After the huge award-winning success of our vegan red pesto paté and the growing demand for our ambient range of patés and chutneys, it became clear that we needed something more than just chutney in a jar to appeal our vegan and vegetarian customers,” she said. “I had the idea that a mushroom delicacy in a jar would appeal to a wide audience of mushroom lovers and so mushroom marmalade was born.” All three of these new relishes are available in 100g jars.

Cottage Delight starts 2015 with spurt of NPD Prolific producer Cottage Delight has kicked off 2015 by boosting its range with the addition 21 lines to the company’s Everyday Collection. The Staffordshire-based company’s new brochure was published on February 1 and features an orange & mango marmalade, wasabi mustard, Bloody Mary salsa and a spicy Moroccan dressing. The new line-up also includes the more traditional smooth flavours of a Victoria plum jam and a tangy caramelised red onion chutney. Cottage Delight has also launched six gourmet dry mix stocks and gravies which can be added to soups, stews and casseroles. The beef, chicken and vegetable stock powders and meaty beef, poultry and vegetable gravies are all gluten-free in response to growing consumer demand. Cottage Delight sales & marketing director Gary Johnston said the Everyday Collection brochure highlights the company’s commitment to support independent retailers. “Retailers working with Cottage Delight benefit from hands-on support from our knowledgeable territory managers who offer assistance with free tasting events for example, which have been proven to increase sales by as much as 11%,” he said. “We also offer help with merchandising, display ideas, free point of sale and customer recipe cards together with seasonal promotions to encourage and lift seasonal sales throughout the year.” www.cottagedelight.co.uk

www.patchwork-pate.co.uk

www.scarlettandmustard.co.uk

Vol.16 Issue 1 · January-February 2015

shelf talk

Looking for suppliers accredited by the Guild of Fine Food? Follow the logo

CHEF’S SELECTION

Top chefs tell CLARE HARGREAVES their deli essentials

Doves Farm develops free-from flapjacks

Anton Piotrowski Chef-patron, The Treby Arms, Devon www.thetrebyarms.co.uk

By MICHAEL LANE

Doves Farm has bolstered its range of gluten-free products with a six-strong selection of organic free-from flapjack bars that cater for a variety of food allergies and health lifestyles. All of the company’s new creations, which are sweetened with agave nectar rather than processed sugar, have a “clean” ingredient list and contain no gluten, milk, peanut, egg or soya. As well as the producer’s take on the classic flapjack, the range contains apple & sultana and a chocolate chip variety, made with 70% cocoa chocolate. The other three flapjacks in the line-up all contain “super seeds”: fig & linseed, banana & hemp and apricot & chia.

The full range is baked on site in the Doves Farm gluten-free bakery in the Wiltshire countryside and all products are Kosher and Soil Association-certified as well as approved by Coeliac UK and the Vegetarian Society. The 35g bars are available in cases of 18 or cases of 7 four-bar multipacks. Multipacks have an RRP of £2.49 while the individual bar RRP is £0.69. Doves Farm Foods is offering an introductory third off all formats to trade customers during January and February. Aside from its organic, glutenfree and artisan flours and grains, Doves Farm also produces gluten-free organic breakfast cereals, pasta and cookies. www.dovesfarm.co.uk

Seasoned Pioneers add seeds Spice and ingredients specialist Seasoned Pioneers is tapping into the homebaking trend with the introduction of two seed blends. Its Knead the Seed mixes are ready for bakers to add to bread dough to create seeded bread, either by hand or in a bread-maker. The 5 Seed mix features golden and brown linseeds as well as sunflower, pumpkin and chia seeds for loaves that are “big on both the crunch and the flavour”.

The 8 Seed mix is said to be easier on the crunch with a blend of mini seeds: white sesame, brown linseed, black sesame, nigella, chia, blue poppy, white poppy seeds and golden linseed. Both mixes are packaged in re-sealable 300g pouches (RRP £5.99, trade £3.60 each, cases of six units) containing approximately 30 tablespoons, which should be sufficient for at least 10 large loaves. The seeds can also be added to salads and mueslis. www.seasonedpioneers.co.uk

POPPING OUT: Following the launch of its crisp range earlier in 2014, fledgling snack brand Ten Acre has now unveiled its take on premium popcorn. The five varieties have all been incorporated into Ten Acre’s branding with names linked to new characters in its fictional village. Cornelius Popperley’s sour cream & chive, Captain Theodore’s lime & sea salt, Cousin Maisie’s fennel & lemon, Ambrose Popperley’s wasabi and Aunty Winifred’s sweet & salty are all gluten-, dairy- and MSG-free as well as suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Each 28g bag (30g for sweet & salty) has an RRP of 69p. www.tenacrecrisps.co.uk

January-February 2015 · Vol.16 Issue 1

Joint winner of 2012’s MasterChef: The Professionals, Anton Piotrowski grew up in Ivybridge, Devon, and trained as a chef at Plymouth College of Further Education. He has worked in some of London’s top restaurants including Michelin-starred The Square in Mayfair. In 2012, he bought the Treby Arms in the village of Sparkwell, near Plymouth, and was awarded a Michelin star last autumn. He has also opened a second pub, the Springer Spaniel.

Barkham Blue cheese www.twohootscheese.co.uk

This ammonite-shaped creamy blue made in the village of Barkham on the Hampshire-Berkshire border has a really good vein and it can stand up to any blue in the world. We make a Barkham Blue ice cream, which we serve with red onion gel, honeycomb and red onion purée. We only have British cheeses on our cheeseboard and this is always one of them.

Langage Farm double cream www.langagefarm.com

We are so lucky to have such an amazing product right on our doorstep. Langage is just down the road – we can see the cows from the pub – so the food miles are zero and the company is also run in a very eco-friendly way. We use their cream in all our desserts, such as our panna cotta. It’s not overpowering in flavour, or too fatty. I also use Langage’s crème fraiche to finish sauces and the milk is lovely too.

Rodda’s Cornish farmhouse butter www.roddas.co.uk

This is top quality butter – you can tell it’s good cream by its rich, yellow colour. We use it for our flavoured butters that we serve with our homemade speciality breads. We make a béarnaise butter, for example, by mixing it with tarragon, Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar and malt vinegar. We make another with hand-cracked black pepper and yet another combining the butter with chicken livers.

Shellfish Southwest crab www.shellfishsouthwest.co.uk

This small company is owned by a local guy, who also happens to be the dad of one of the girls who works here. The crabs are landed live by day-boats working off Dartmouth and Torbay, in Devon. The crab meat (brown and white) is hand-picked and, being so local, it’s wonderfully fresh. We use crab in a dish that we call Day on the Beach, serving it with brown bread ice cream and pickled cockles.

Plymouth Tea www.plymouthtea.co.uk

This small, Plymouth-based family business has three tea blends – Armada, Drake’s and Mayflower – which are all really good. I had tried the tea in a restaurant and liked it, so I was delighted when the guys at Plymouth Tea got in touch. To make it, we stick strictly to a three-minute rule using a timer – it’s vital to let the tea brew and not to swirl it around or squeeze the bag.

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January-February 2015 · Vol.16 Issue 1

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what’s new Improved recipe

BENSONS FRUIT JUICE www.bensonstotallyfruity.co.uk

Bensons has re-launched the orange & apple flavour in its childoriented Joosed! Junior range with a recipe that now includes a larger percentage of apple. The range, which also features the Great Taste two-star winning blackcurrant & apple, is designed to be a healthy alternative drink for children and is compliant with the news school food standards. Both Joosed! Junior varieties come in 250ml guzzle-andgo sports cap bottles. Bensons is the only UK juice manufacturer to have Red Tractor accreditation and it only uses British apples.

Beef & oyster pie

– can be added to meat, seafood and vegetables to add flavour or deployed as part of a marinade. It is gluten-free, contains no reservatives or artificial ingredients and even won a Great Taste onestar before its launch. The rub is available in cases of 12x100g glass jars (£24) and 800g plastic catering tubs (£8).

www.dhaniya.co.uk

Smoked oatcakes STAG BAKERIES

The latest developments from the Hebridean bakery are two types of Scottish smoked oatcakes. Stag has teamed up with the last traditional smokehouse in the Hebrides, Stornoway Smokehouse, which gently smokes oats and butter over oak and beech to develop the ingredients for the new creations. The range comprises walnut oatcakes and smoked butter oatcakes (both 125g, RRP £2.45) and the latter had already picked up two stars at last year’s Great Taste. Both varieties are cocktail sized and are recommended for making canapés or as part of a cheeseboard.

Chilled truffles

www.shakenoak.co.uk

Oxfordshire-based Shaken Oak has added a mustard rub to its line-up of mustards and preserves. The blend – featuring yellow mustard flour, salt, sugar, black pepper and other spices

The Irish confectioner has created a collection of allnatural handmade sweets with “fruity, floral” flavours. Apple & ginger, rhubarb & vanilla, raspberry & rose, blackberry & Champagne and grapefruit & mint are all made by stretching and rolling sugar syrup for a “classic sweetshop” look and taste. Each comes packaged in old fashioned milk bottles (RRP £8.98 each, case size 8 units).

DHANIYA

www.stagbakeries.co.uk

SHAKEN OAK PRODUCTS

www.pandorabell.com

Curry pastes and rubs

www.takeachunk.com

Mustard rub

PANDORA BELL boxes, there are also six individual flavour boxes: almond & seat salt caramel, rhubarb & vanilla fool, hazelnut crunch, Fine de Champagne, Dark Ecuadorian and raspberry. Each box contains six truffles and all have an RRP of £3.99, except the raspberry and Dark Ecuadorian, which have an RRP of £4.99.

CHUNK OF DEVON

The Devon pie-maker has revived a pre-steak & kidney Victorian tradition with the launch of a limited edition beef & oyster pie. The shellfish were deployed in pies during the mid-1800s as an affordable alternative protein source because offal was too expensive. The pie, which “may contain pearls”, will be available to celebrate British pie week during the first week of March and for the rest of the month.

Fruit sweets

BOOJA-BOOJA

www.boojabooja.com

Determined to offer its chocolate truffles to consumers in the best possible condition, Booja-Booja has introduced a collection that is designed to be stored and sold chilled. As well as two selection

New start-up Dhaniya has launched with five curry pastes and five rubs. Classic curry, spiced korma, jalfrezi, fish curry and tandoori pastes (120g jars) can all be used to form the base of a sauce while the dry Bombay potato, tikka, spiced pomegranate, fish and lamb rubs (44g jars) are recommended for marinating food

Chai and pyramids TWININGS

www.twinings.co.uk

Twinings has developed a range of loose leaf pyramid bags in re-sealable clear pouches. Among the flavours are apple & elderflower green tea, hazelnut & chocolate Assam and Superfruity (blueberry, raspberry & blackcurrant) infusion (all RRP £3.99). The company has also launched a three-strong range of chai latte blends. Bollywood, caramel redbush and vanilla chai lattes all have an RRP of £3.49.

to intensify its flavour. All of the products are made in small batches using only the freshest ingredients – there are no additives or flavourings, “just raw goodness”. They are all gluten-free and suitable for vegetarians.

New Oolong

NOVUS TEA www.novustea.co.uk

Novus Tea has launched a Fleur D’Orient variety of Oolong in its whole leaf range. The tea, which had already scooped a two-star Great Taste award during its development phase, will also be available in pyramid bags in both foodservice and retail packaging. Grown in Taiwan, this semifermented green tea has a “clean, sweet, floral, fruity flavour with honey aromas and a buttery finish”.

Low calorie corn LOVE POPCORN

www.lovepopcorn.co.uk

The couple behind one of the UK’s first gourmet popcorn brands, Consett Popcorn Co, has launched a clutch of lower calorie naturally flavoured popcorn varieties under a new brand – Love Popcorn. Catherine and Richard Furze’s new Love Popcorn flavours include sea salt & cracked black pepper and fiery salsa – made with real tomato, chilli and cumin. Cocoa crisp, salty sweet and sweet vanilla complete the line-up. They all come in 27g bags with an RRP of 99p.

Vol.16 Issue 1 · January-February 2015

shelf talk

There’s gold in them hills Since joining their family farm shop a decade ago, the Bradford brothers have rebranded and rejuvenated the business. Now their Gog Magog Hills store is knocking at the door of greatness.

Deli of the Month INTERVIEW BY MICK WHITWORTH

arly in my interview with Charles and Marcus Bradford, the business-savvy brothers behind multi-award-winning retailer Gog Magog Hills, a little nagging voice starts whispering inside my head. “This pair are a bit more polished than your average, down-to-earth farm shop owners,” the voice says. “What’s going on? Is there some big investor lurking in the background?” The Bradford family have had a shop of sorts at Heath Farm, a couple of miles south of Cambridge, since the 1970s. But in the last few years the business has really started motoring, coming from almost nowhere to be a runner-up for Best Independent Food Retailer in the Observer Food Monthly awards for 2012, 2013 and 2014. Suddenly it looks like one of the most interesting farm retail operations in the country. Despite an unusually piecemeal layout – a deli, a farm shop-cumbutchery and a café in three separate black-stained, timber-clad barns, plus an outdoor bar and ‘events space’ called The Shack – it turned over £2.6m last year. Sales have grown at more than 25% for the past two years. Among other things, it is the biggest outlet in the country for Big Green Egg ceramic barbeques, for which prices start at a sizzling £800. It also has one of the best speciality cheese selections I’ve ever seen in a farm shop, thanks to a close tie-up with Neal’s Yard Dairy. It has even unseated Fortnum & Mason as the hamper supplier to Savills’ estate agents in cash-rich Cambridge. Both Charles, the MD, and Marcus, the day-to-day site manager, are clever, articulate, funny and clearly very capable. They both joined the family business in 2004, Charles after a career in corporate IT and Marcus (nine years his junior) straight from university. When Charles says “Marcus is hands-on; I’m more bigger picture, blue skies thinking,” we all laugh together at how management-speak this sounds. But when he then asks his brother whether it’s time to show me the “presentation”, and Marcus

reaches for his laptop, my suspicions get the better of me. I’ve seen my fair share of PowerPoint slides – but never when interviewing a farm shop owner. ”This is all very slick,” I tell them, only half joking. “Is there something I’m missing?” There is more simultaneous laughter. “It’s funny you should say about slickness,” says Charles, “because we’re having business coaching at the moment. But we didn’t do this presentation for the City – we did it for the Women’s Institute!” Far from swimming in funds from outside investors, they assure me, every improvement at the shop since 2004 has been paid for from cashflow. “We’ve put everything into this place,” says Charles. The brothers are, nonetheless, unashamedly ambitious, and with new developments happening whenever enough cash is available, it’s not just visiting journalists who have sometimes raised an eyebrow. When they recently decided to improve their management facilities, and went from a poky little 12 sq m office to new 80 sq m unit bolted on behind the retail barns, even some staff members were starting to wonder what was going on. “We’re trying to drive the business, and grow it, and one of the things that hadn’t kept up with it was the back-office,” says Charles, pointing out that the payroll had gone from two people to around 50 in the space of seven years. “So we’ve had a building installed, with a desk for each department. We’ve got an HR manager now, and a part-time financial director.” Lack of management support had become a “bottleneck”, he says, and his brother Marcus has also had to learn to delegate more, letting the head butcher and the deli, shop and café supervisors take more of the strain. “Over the past year,” says Charles, “we’ve been letting go more, and giving more responsibility and accountability to the team. It’s difficult, but it lets them express themselves, and it has taken the brakes off the business.” They have even started using formal personality tests – the DISC behavioural assessment tool – to help the team understand each other better and work together more effectively. Around half of the 50 staff have taken the tests so far, including the brothers, and Marcus say it has made a noticeable difference.

January-February 2015 · Vol.16 Issue 1

“All people communicate in different ways. For example, my brother here is in one category – he’s very much ‘Go, go, go! Let’s do it!’, whereas I’m slower and need more time. I know now that I need to speed up and be more concise; he knows he should slow down – and we meet in the middle. So it’s about everyone knowing where everyone else is. “We haven’t tested everyone yet, because it takes time, but it’s working.” Charles adds: “It’s what I said before about handing over some control and responsibility. You see people flourish, and some genius things start happening around you.” Marcus has a theory that farm shops are run by two types of

people – farmers who have had to diversify, or the sons and daughters of farmers that have had to diversify – but most have had no formal training “so they make it up as they go along”. “That’s why they’re all crazy-different,” he says. He doesn’t want Gog Magog to be “corporate”, he says, but that doesn’t mean it has to be badly run. “You have to be realistic. It’s a business. We’re responsible for 50 people’s livelihoods, and there’s a difference between ‘not being corporate’ and ‘not being very good’.” So while the brothers work hard to keep staff happy – for example, taking them out for a night’s bowling, or investing a few pounds to lay on a “staff beer” after closing

products, promotions & people Charles began to take over the what they liked. “We just went reins. “We came back, doubled the with Neal’s Yard because we knew workforce from two to four, and they were great.” But he admits it started creating this thing,” says was also “quite a big leap” for the Charles. “And it was really hard former Bradford’s Farm Shop and work until the last three or four customers took time to accept the years.” price premium. Just getting the fabric of the Marcus adds: “What we didn’t barns sorted took time. “We’ve want was a hundred types of always said we want to be one of cheese all wrapped in cling film. I the best food shops in the country, don’t think this concept of ‘choice’ and that’s difficult when you’re is what everyone wants. We have looking at buildings that are falling 30-40 cheeses. We don’t need 140. down and in need of repair.” If you’ve got 10 types of jam, you One of the brothers’ first If you try to be the same as moves, in 2005, was to rebrand the everyone else…. you’ll end up being the same as everyone else! You shop, adopting the mysteriously have to have a point of difference biblical name of the area of chalk downland on which it don’t need 100.” stood. “What does ‘Bradford’ mean Steering people towards the best to anyone?” asks Marcus. “It’s just of each category is part of being a a city in the north. But round here, “trusted advisor”, says Charles. The everyone knows Gog Magog.” shop was built up from its butchery In 2008 a converted cart shed offer, and its butchers don’t just was turned into a separate cheese sell whatever cut of meat people shop and café, and three years later ask for, but canactively steer them the expanding café moved out into towards the right cuts. In a specialist a third converted barn – the old shop, says Charles, you should know chicken shed. A new kitchen was about your meats, your wines, your bolted on in 2013 and in 2014 the cheese, “and then you can build up open-sided Shack was created. As this ‘trust’ relationship”. well as providing overspill seating Gog Magog Hills was a finalist for the café, it became a venue for in the Butcher’s Shop of the Year summer events, including regular awards last year. With those three ‘Sundowners’ where customers consecutive runners-up places in can enjoy a beer or prosecco while the Observer Food Monthly scheme, watching a spectacular sunset across that’s four near-misses in three years the Cambridgeshire countryside. of retail awards. Don’t be surprised If the outdoor offer is geared if 2015 sees it finally hit the jackpot. to prosecco drinkers, so too is the www.gogmagoghills.com retail range. Marcus says they have very much pitched to the wellheeled “south Cambridgeshire” HILLS’ GOG MAGOG market, and his brother adds: KS “There are lots of places round MUST-STOC 0 Baruffi 147 here where people can go and Parmigiano get their block cheddar. If you Reggiano try to be the same as everyone else…. you’ll end up being the Kirkham’s Lancashire same as everyone else! You have to have a point of difference.” Stichelton Neither are they overly Up The Grown expensive. On fillet steak, for Co e at ol Choc example, they are only charging a ut salted pean pound or two more per kilo than caramel bar Tesco, and on free range chicken oatcakes akery’s Fife they are even closer in price. But Your Piece B virgin olive Marcus says it can be difficult to equina extra Brindisa Arb get the message to consumers that tin) oil (1-litre “we’re not as expensive as they e honey Honey cottag think”, and he cautions: “What we Cambridge se & black ’s goats’ chee cannot do is be cheap and still have Joe & Seph orn people thinking we’re expensive.” pepper popc rds The brothers put down a marker ghter gift ca au Farmers D early on by majoring on cheeses dding (and ky toffee pu Cartmel stic from Neal’s Yard. The British artisan extra sauce) cheese experts helped them set up ed salmon Orford smok the deli, and both Neal’s Yard and Pinney’s of iniature French cheese specialist Mons have marinated m The Bay Tree provided training for Gog Magog figs ffee staff. cafetiere co Monmouth It was not, says Charles, that y teabags Co Earl Gre he and Marcus knew all that much Kandula Tea about cheese – they just knew

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time on Saturday – they also talk openly about the importance of making a profit. “You don’t hide the numbers from people,” says Marcus. The ‘History of Change’ PowerPoint presentation they prepared for the local Women’s Institute shows the business has been in constant flux since greatgrandfather Fred Bradford arrived at Heath Farm just after the First World War. It was Colin and Lesley Bradford – parents of Charles and Marcus – who made the first tentative steps into retail in 1970, taking money for mushrooms and potatoes in a honesty box at the farm gate. Eggs followed, then, in 1980, meat from their own herd, and in 1984 they sold the first of the home-made Scotch eggs that

remain a signature product. Bradford’s Farm Shop ticked along, assisted by Colin’s sister Jean – “It was that hard graft, do-everything-yourself mentality,” says Charles – but by the Nineties it was “really struggling”, partly because the farm was just too small to support it. Then in 2004, the two brothers came back to work in the business and help their parents retire. “I had been in London, selling big IT systems to the banks,” says Charles, “and I pretty much woke up one day and thought, ‘There has to be more to life than this’. So I travelled for a year, then came back here.” There’s a minor fraternal dispute about who returned first, but one way or the other Marcus and

Vol.16 Issue 1 · January-February 2014

HA M E L O F P O MB UN N A RIC FF ER TI LL E T ER S’ LJ C R UN OU AIN E 2 RS IN 01 ES G 5

Learn, Inspire & Succeed in 2015 Training is vital to retail success and will dramatically improve sales. Guild retail cheese training will help you to: • Enhance your understanding of the cheese making process • Understand the impact terrior has on cheese • Recognise the main families of cheese • Learn how to select, display, sell and care for cheese • Comparatively taste over 40 cheese types • Inspire customers with your knowledge, enthusiasm and passion for your cheese counter • Succeed and increase turnover Book a Guild Retail cheese training day for you or a member of your team and take advantage of our members’ half price training offer of just £35 plus VAT

Guild Retail Cheese Training dates: March 16 Guild HQ, Dorset March 17 Brixton, London April 14 Solihull April 15 York May 11

Brixton, London

May 12

Brixton, London

June 23 Harrogate

Course costs Guild Member Offer: 50% off normal price £70 (now £35) plus 20% VAT Non-members: £95 plus 20% VAT *NB: London training is subject to an additional fee of

£10pp plus VAT. Course fee includes full seminar, including tastings, study work book and issue of Diploma on successful completion of the course.

Call 01747 825200 or email jilly.sitch@gff.co.uk

LEARN

BE INSPIRED

SUCCEED