FFD September

September 2011 · Vol 12 Issue 8

at the heart of speciality food and drink

OH YOU PRETTY THINGS How to design stand-out branding and packaging for speciality foods

YOur 11-page guide to Olympia STARTS ON pAGE 31 KÄSE CHIEF

Rachael Sills of farmhouse cheese importer KäseSwiss

CHAIN GANG

Whole Foods Market, Country Food & Dining … and now Thorne’s

BACK TO THE GARDEN

Getting down to earth on Norfolk’s Astley Estate

INSIDE: SAVOURY SNACKS FARMCAFÉ & FOODMARKET DELIFONSECA YELLOWWEDGE CHEESE RIVER COTTAGE

2

September 2011 路 Vol.12 Issue 8

opinion

in this issue

The current eye-watering price of petrol might prove the salvation of our high streets. According to Asda boss Andy Clarke, cash-strapped consumers are making fewer visits to outof-town supermarkets, preferring to do their top-up shopping locally. Every cloud has a silver lining.

Or has it? To protect his market share, Clark is converting the 147 Netto stores the group bought last year into high street convenience shops.

How those town planners in the 1980s and 1990s must have congratulated themselves each time they granted planning permission for another giant supermarket on the ring road.

How generous of supermarkets to offer new roundabouts and leisure centres as part of the deals. Who needed high streets in those days?

Strange how ideas work for decades then suddenly, out of the blue, everything changes. Nowadays, communities actually demonstrate against new supermarket openings, petrol prices make a drive out of town a luxury trip and if you find any buses in rural areas you’ll need a second mortgage for the fare.

Britain has to change or it will stagnate and while change is something many people shy away from, for small businesses it frequently offers an opportunity for growth.

This month’s news pages are packed with stories of change.

So-called industry pundits (I was one of them) gave Whole Foods Market in London little more than a dog’s chance of ever making money when it opened four years ago. At the time, I was convinced its retail offer was far too American for British consumers. Against the odds, it’s now in profit and opening more stores. The US retailer succeeded because of a willingness to change once management acknowledged several of their original ideas didn’t quite work.

Former banker Jason Hurwitz plans to change our perception of conventional town centre food halls by blending supermarket convenience with the ethos and provenance of a farmers’ market at his new Thorne’s store. David Bruce, CEO of Capital Pub Company, is leading the development of Country Food & Dining’s farm shop chain, using skills he honed running Slug & Lettuce pubs. That might be a style of pub my generation largely avoids but at a time when five pubs close every week, they’re packing in younger punters.

If customers do return to high streets, retailers will need to focus on this new breed of young consumer, one that’s unashamedly addicted to 21st century supermarket shopping. Stepping inside your store presents them with a frightening challenge because you will speak to them and most of what you stock is not sold in plastic trays.

They won’t accept that challenge unless delicatessens and farm shops become more accessible, approachable and familiar. No one wants to copy supermarkets, we’d just like a little of their market share. Now wouldn’t that make a nice change?

❝If customers do return to high streets, retailers will need to focus on this new breed of young consumer❞

Bob Farrand Bob Farrand is publisher of Fine Food Digest and national director of the Guild of Fine Food

What they’re saying ❝Our biggest challenge is commodity prices. Sooner or later you have to put price rises through. We’re minimising the effects by manufacturing as efficiently as possible. An environmental policy is a good financial policy, I would suggest.❞ Alex Albone, director, Pipers Crisps - p33

fine food news

US multiple retailer Whole Foods set to go national as Kensington store moves into profit p4

preview: speciality & fine food fair

Complete guide and exhibitor listing for the UK’s biggest fine food show p31

product update: savoury snacks

Seeds, nuts, crisps and popcorn to help customers fill the gap between meals p53

focus on: brand & packaging design

Design and marketing consultants explain why looks are now as important as flavour p57

regulars:

news deli of the month deli chef cheesewire shelf talk

4 14 17 21 65

EDITORIAL Editor: Mick Whitworth News editor: Patrick McGuigan Art director: Mark Windsor Editorial production: Richard Charnley Contributors: Menna Davies, Lynda Searby, Hilary Armstrong ADVERTISING Sales manager: Sally Coley Advertisement sales: Becky Stacey Circulation manager: Tortie Farrand Publisher & managing director: Bob Farrand Associate publisher & director: John Farrand THE GUILD OF FINE FOOD Membership secretary & director: Linda Farrand Administrators: Charlie Westcar, Julie Coates, Nic Davies Accounts: Stephen Guppy, Denise Ballance

t: 01963 824464 Fax: 01963 824651 e: firstname.lastname@finefoodworld.co.uk w: www.finefoodworld.co.uk Published by: Great Taste Publications Ltd and The Guild of Fine Food Ltd. Fine Food Digest is published 10 times a year and is available on subscription for £40pa inclusive of post and packing.

Printed by: Advent Colour, Hants © Great Taste Publications Ltd and The Guild of Fine Food Ltd 2011. 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.

Vol.11 Issue 1 · January-February 2010

fine food news: retail chains US multiple says it now plans to open stores ‘the length and breadth of the UK’

News of Cheltenham store signals start of Whole Foods’ UK roll-out

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Whole Foods Market looks set to finally deliver on its plan to become the UK’s first national fine food chain after announcing a string of new sites, including most recently a 27,000 sq ft store in Cheltenham.

The US retailer, which specialises in organic and locally sourced food, will compete directly with farm shops and delis at the sites in Glasgow, Richmond, Fulham and Cheltenham. They will open over the next 18 months, taking its total number of shops here to nine.

Whole Foods has over 300 stores in North America but struggled initially in the UK. It entered the market in 2004 by acquiring the Fresh & Wild chain, but has since closed several of these outlets and suffered heavy losses at its first Whole Foods-branded store in Kensington, opened in 2007. However, this flagship shop is now said to be in profit and the retailer says it is ready to open outlets “the length and breadth of the UK”.

Planet Retail analyst Natalie Berg said the chain could reach as many as 30 units. “Whole Foods will definitely impact delis and farm shop sales, as well as Waitrose. It's positioned very much as a niche retailer going after that premium shop. They have got better at adding more local products and working with smaller suppliers to differentiate themselves from the mainstream supermarkets.”

This view was backed up by comments from Whole Foods' UK boss Jeff Turnas when announcing the new Cheltenham store, which will be at a former Homebase in the north of the town.

“It’s our intention to bring the best quality foods to shoppers throughout the UK,” he said. “As with our existing London stores, our goal is to be the finest food shop in every community we serve. We will be baking and cooking on site each day and offering an amazing array of fresh, healthy and organic food, highlighting local products.”

Independent retailers in and around Cheltenham told FFD they thought Whole Foods could struggle in the town.

“Cheltenham actually has quite a poor food offering,” said Martin Williams of Food Fanatics in nearby Winchcombe.

Whole Foods says its flagship Kensington store, opened in 2007, is finally in profit

The chain has 300 stores in the US. Analysts believe it may open 30 in the UK

“Whether it could support a Whole Foods, I am not sure.

The farmers’ market is no way near as busy as it was 18 months ago.”

Richard Chamberlain of the Cotswold Food Store in nearby Moreton-in-Marsh added: “Cheltenham is a surprisingly parochial town and I doubt that there is a huge market for Whole Foods to tap in to. Plus, the economic conditions are not lending themselves to growth of the premium foods sector.”

At Italian deli Gusto in the Montpellier area of the town, co-owner Rachel Cappuccini said Whole Foods would be “very positive” for Cheltenham. “It will create more jobs and more buzz. It is possible that our retail side will suffer slightly, but I do not see our day to day customer base changing. We certainly share the same customer profile as Whole Foods, but I cannot see our customers wanting to drive out to that area on a regular basis.”

Why it’s tough to survive the chain gang While Waitrose and North-West-focused Booths have been successful with their premium supermarket concepts, a national fine food chain has yet to succeed.

Whole Foods has found it hard to grow in the UK because of heavy losses at its 80,000 sq ft store in Kensington and a tough economic climate.

Union Market in London, which launched two years ago with plans to open dozens of outlets, still only has one shop, while Peckham’s 14 delis across Scotland went into administration in July with competition from Waitrose a factor.

4 September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

The enduring popularity of supermarkets, which increasingly tailor ranges to suit local markets, explains why a national fine food chain has failed to take root, said Natalie Berg at Planet Retail. She added: “Part of the attraction is that they are local, exclusive and support the community. You can’t take that national without losing your identity.”

There are, however, a growing number of regional chains. Country Food & Dining and Thorne’s are financing growth through the Enterprise Investment Scheme (see facing page), while Iain Keith-Smith operates six Chandos Delis in the South West. He

told FFD it was possible for an independent retail chain to grow nationally. “Chandos could work in other cities,” he said.

Scotland’s Berits & Brown has grown to six outlets using a franchise model. It says this keeps each shop’s individuality because “you have a passionate owner behind the counter, not a disinterested manager”.

Union Market (far left) has failed to deliver so far on its aspirations for a chain, while Berits & Brown and Chandos have had some success

shopfitting inbrief Hurwitz aims for seven Thorne’s shops in the South A major new local food store in Brighton, due to open as FFD went to press, is the first in a planned chain of seven shops stretching across the southern half of England.

Opened by former investment banker Jason Hurwitz, Thorne's is located in a three-storey refurbished warehouse in the city’s famous North Laine.

It aims to combine the quality, freshness and experience of a farmers’ market with the convenience of a supermarket.

Hurwitz plans to open a second outlet next year, before rolling out a new store every six months over the next five years to reach a total of seven in urban centres outside London.

Funding for the project has partly come from the Enterprise Investment Scheme, which encourages individuals of medium to high net worth to invest in start-ups by offering a range of tax benefits.

Open from 9.30am to 8.30pm seven days a week, the Brighton store houses a butcher's counter run by local firm Westdene, an extensive deli with around 70 cheeses, plus sections dedicated to artisan breads, fresh produce, wine, flowers and grocery over two floors.

The top floor café and restaurant seats 50 people and will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner using ingredients from the shop. Around 70% of the produce is sourced from within the two counties of East and West Sussex. Suppliers include Flint Owl Bakery, High Weald Dairy and Ridgeview Vineyard.

“We're all about making good quality, local food accessible to people,” said Hurwitz. “We’re gearing up for the quick top-up shop, not necessarily the big Saturday shop. It's about people buying regularly during the week on

their way home from work and over the weekend.”

Competitive pricing is a key part of the concept, he added. “Most farm shops and delis work on a [gross] margin of 40-50% and consequently some shops have a reputation for being expensive,” he said. “Ours are more like 35%. We're bringing prices down to target a wider market. Local food should be available to everyone.”

Jason Hurwitz, pictured (right) with tomato supplier Gary Griffiths of Nutbourne Nursery, has set up his first Thorne’s stores in a refurbished warehouse

Fielders acquisition takes CF&D farm shop chain to five units

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Burgeoning farm shop and café chain Country Food & Dining has acquired a fifth site and has launched a new £10m fundraising drive under the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) in a bid to reach up to a dozen stores.

The group acquired the 1,000 sq ft Fielders Farm Shop near Pangbourne, Reading, last month and plans to develop the site into a 6,000 sq ft shop with a butchery, bakery and fishmonger, plus a 50-seater cafe. It was also close to taking over a sixth farm shop in Shropshire, as FFD went to press.

Headed by executive chairman David Bruce, who is CEO of the Capital Pub Company and helped build the Firkins and Slug & Lettuce pub chains, Country Food & Dining has so far attracted around £7.5m of EIS funding to buy and refurbish its

five shops. Investors in the scheme are guaranteed 30% income tax relief on investments and large capital gains tax breaks. Like-for-like sales at the company’s first four shops increased by 21% in the first half of 2011 to around £2.3m.

The group now hopes to raise

Stores like Woody’s near Bath will see ‘part of the Country Food & Dining group’ added to their signage

a further £10m by the end of the year to acquire further outlets and to improve its existing sites. The longterm plan is to build a chain of 10-12 sites and then sell them on in three to five years’ time.

Currently, the shops all operate under their own individual names, but operations director Tom Newey told FFD that signs would be changed in the coming weeks to show that outlets are part of a bigger group.

“We have always had a debate about whether to run the shops under a single name or not, but in the end felt it wouldn’t be right to have a big corporate brand in this sector,” he said.

“However we do want customers to know there is a link between the businesses, so will be adding ‘part of the Country Food & Dining group’ to signs.”

Northern Irish company Hannan Meats plans to open three of its Meat Merchant delis on the British mainland, starting with a site in Newcastle Upon Tyne in October. The company already operates a Meat Merchant at its headquarters in Moira. See www.ffdonline.co.uk for the full story. ● The Real Bread Campaign has developed a special loaf mark for retailers and producers to use on breads that have been made to the lobby group's definition of ‘real’ bread. The logo will launch in October and can only be used on breads that have been made without additives.

Butchery and charcuterie expert Kate Hill has been appointed as head of department at the School of Artisan Food. Hill, who has three decades worth of experience in the artisan food industry, will head the Advanced Diploma in Butchery and Charcuterie as well as the school's short courses. ● Richard Bertinet sourdough, Stichelton cheese and Little Valley Brewery’s Tod’s Blonde ale were among the winners at this year's Organic Food Awards, organised by the Soil Association.

Mighty Oak Brewery’s dark, mild Oscar Wilde beer has been named the Champion Beer of Britain 2011 by CAMRA at its annual Great British Beer Festival. ● Gower Cottage Brownies, Black Mountain Smokery, Caws Cenarth and Otley Brewery were among Welsh producers taking part in Divingusto 2011, the Puglian Festival of Food & Wine, in southern Italy last month. They attended under the banner of the Abergavenny Food Festival, which will be hosting Puglian producers when it takes place later this month (September 17-18).

Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

If I’d known news then what I know now…

deli-restaurants

David Harries, Yellowwedge Cheese, Twickenham We’ve been going nearly four years and the biggest lesson I learned in the beginning was that you need more money than you think to open a shop. It’s something I’d caution any new business about.

I had enough money to open the shop, but then suddenly had lots more bills coming through than I was expecting. We’ve got five fridges, so there was a lot of electricity running through the shop from day one. I thought my business plan was good, but looking back it could have been much more detailed. Luckily, I had some of my own savings to pay the bills in the short term, but I learned an important lesson – you need a bit extra in reserve because you never know what might come up.

My biggest mistake was not finding a location where I could serve coffee and sandwiches. My shop is just too small for that, which is a real shame, because there’s good money to be made from takeaway food.

A café can charge £2.50 for a coffee, which has cost 25 to 30p to make. The danger is that you end up becoming just another café and lose your identity as

River Cottage heads to Plymouth after failure of Bath franchise

“We always have guest cheeses, which makes us stand out from the others” a retailer. We’re known for being a specialist cheese shop so it’s a tricky balancing act.

I’ve learned a lot about how to sell cheese since we opened. Initially, I intended on having an all-British range, except for a few European staples like Brie de Meaux, but looking back that was a mistake. Our customers are well travelled and are interested in lots of European cheeses and even more unusual products like Paški Sir from Croatia, which we’ve recently introduced.

Introducing a new cheese takes some planning. We always ask our suppliers if they can provide samples so that we can do tasters with the customers and get them interested, which isn’t something I did from the beginning. We always have a guest cheese or two as well, which makes us stand out from other retailers.

Four years ago, apart from having a website for contact, selling online was not really thought about – but now it’s a great positive in increasing exposure and sales. We now increase our online presence by including the social networks such as Facebook.

My only other advice to any deli or cheese shop starting up is to make sure the access to your shop is good. When we moved in there was a ramp built into the doorway, which I would never have even thought about, but it’s amazing how many of my customers have push chairs, and they can be some of our biggest spenders. It’s obviously good for disabled access too. It’s these kind of small details you only learn about through experience.

Interview by PATRICK McGUIGAN

6

March 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 2

The new Canteen and Deli will form part of Plymouth’s Royal William Yard regeneration project

River Cottage is remaining tight-lipped about whether its new Canteen and Deli in Plymouth, opening next month, is the beginning of a major roll-out for the brand.

The new site at the Brewhouse building on Plymouth’s Royal William Yard – currently being developed by regeneration company Urban Splash – will be based on Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall’s original branch in Axminster, Devon, housing a deli and 120-cover restaurant.

Around 90% of the food will be sourced within a 50-mile radius of the city.

Part of a former naval victualling yard on Plymouth Sound, the restaurant will have a large terrace with views to the Tamar River, providing an extra 100-200 covers.

“The location is jaw dropping and it will be great to join a vibrant community with a big vision for the future,” said River Cottage MD Rob Love. “Our first task now is to work with local food suppliers, to source and develop fantastic produce.”

A spokesperson said there were currently no plans to open further sites, but did describe the original Axminster branch as a “pilot”. “The team are really just focused on Plymouth at the moment which is based on the Axminster pilot branch, but is much larger,” she said.

River Cottage opened its Axminster store in 2007. This was followed by a second outlet with a bakery in the Komedia comedy club in Bath in 2009, which ceased trading earlier this year. “It was set up as a franchise but didn’t work as part of something else,” said the spokeswoman.

The Bath franchise unit closed earlier this year

Are you interested in selling your business?

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e are a national wholesaler, exporter and brand owner. We are looking to acquire an existing business and it’s associated brand to add to our wholesale portfolio of premium quality food and drink products.

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September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

news deli-restaurants

Delifonseca launches monthly club for locals Delifonseca in Liverpool has launched a monthly residents' club to help bring together the local community.

The club, which is held in the deli's newly refurbished restaurant, has a different theme each time and is aimed at residents living in the city centre who want to make new friends and get to know their local community.

Held on the first Monday of each month, the club launched with an evening dedicated to discussing The Great Gatsby with platters of American food in July, while other scheduled events include a sugar craft demonstration, French evening and cookery book discussion.

“We've found that a lot of our customers have similar interests like going to concerts, film, the theatre and books, so we're not sticking to one theme,” said restaurant manager Danielle Youds.

“We've got a few events scheduled

Restaurant manager Danielle Youds: ‘People living in the city centre and leading busy lives find it hard to meet likeminded people’

and then hopefully the residents will then take it forward themselves and it will develop a life of its own.

“There are a lot of people living in the city centre who are leading busy lives and find it hard to meet like-minded people.

“The residents’ club is open to single people and groups of friends and will hopefully bring people together. It’s also good for business because Monday is normally a quiet night in the restaurant.”

Tickets for the club cost £10 and include food, a glass of wine or beer and a 20% discount in the deli for that night.

Delifonseca's Stanley Street outlet celebrated its fifth birthday in June. The company, which is owned

by Candice Fonseca, also opened a large food hall, butchers and restaurant in the dock area of Liverpool last year. www.delifonseca.co.uk

small producers

local sourcing

Thursday Cottage buys Jules & Sharpie brand

By MICK WHITWORTH

Thursday Cottage, the speciality preserves maker owned by Wilkin & Sons in Tiptree, Essex, has bought the Jules & Sharpie hot pepper sauces brand from Julie Field and Frances Hopewell-Smith for an undisclosed sum.

The deal was announced as FFD went to press in midAugust.

Thursday Cottage md Tim Came said the two co-founders would “still be part of the business during the transition period and in the future, when they will be involved with the expansion and development of the brand”.

Came described the Jules & Sharpie range as “a perfect addition to Thursday Cottage”.

He continued: “I know we’ll work very well together – we have the same ethos:

good ingredients and natural taste.

“I’ve watched Julie and Frances build their business and work so hard to make it a success. I’ve always admired their enthusiasm for the brand and its originality.”

Field and Hopewell-Smith (whose nickname is Sharpie) started the company in their home kitchens nine years ago, and later moved production into a purpose-built artisan manufacturing unit in Suffolk that they rented on a daily basis.

Thursday Cottage has since taken on production of part of their range, and the remaining products moved to the Essex site last month.

The Jules & Sharpie brand was built on hot pepper jellies or ‘preservaments’ in a variety of flavours including mint, cranberry and apple & sage.

Last year saw the launch of Saucish, described as “too thick to be a sauce, and not quite a relish”.

East Anglia co-op launches local brand The East of England Co-operative Group has moved into traditional deli and farm shop territory after launching a new Sourced Locally brand with a range of beers made

by Nethergate Brewery.

The three ales will be available in the co-op’s 136 stores across East Anglia and further products are expected to be developed under the brand in the coming months.

The move comes after the group rolled out new local sourcing branding aimed at highlighting the 103 local

producers across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex that supply over 2,000 products to its stores. It has also launched an ‘e-food hub’ on its website giving more details about local suppliers and providing a platform for producers to contact the co-op's buyers.

Kevin Warden, local sourcing manager, told FFD that sales of local food in 2011 were up 42% compared to the same period last year. “It’s something customers obviously love so we’re looking to do much more in this area,” he said.

Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

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September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8 1-100x287_GB-Fine Food Digest 1

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news deli-restaurants

Canary Wharf outlet signals Iberica expansion Spanish restaurant and deli Iberica is to open a second outlet in London's Canary Wharf and is believed to be looking at further sites.

The new outlet in Cabot Square, which is due to open at the end of October, will continue the ethos of the original site in Great Portland Street, acting as a showcase for Spanish food and culture.

Set up in 2008 by Spanish investors, including directors of exporter Atlantica, Iberica is believed to be looking at further sites in the capital and in major European cities.

Deli sales account for around 15% of revenue at Iberica’s first outlet, said Marcos Fernandez, Iberica’s MD, with retail also an important element of the new store. Products will include around 25 wines imported directly from small producers in Spain, plus charcuterie, cheeses and premium tinned seafood, such as cockles, mussels and anchovies.

“Because of our philosophy to show Spanish food culture as a whole, our deli is an integral part of our business,” said Fernandez.

“Our motivation for starting Iberica was a desire to show the British public what authentic Spanish gastronomy and produce is all about. This includes not only the dishes in our restaurants, but also the high quality boutique produce available in Spain.

“We wanted a space where guests could enjoy the dishes in the restaurant and then take home some of its

ingredients from our deli to recreate the dishes at home.”

The tapas restaurant will be headed up on a day-to-day basis by chef Cesar Garcia under the guidance of executive chef Nacho Manzano, who runs the twoMichelin starred Casa Marcial restaurant

in Asturias. The menu will feature jamon Iberico from three different regions, plus dishes such as Iberica burger with secreto pork loin and piparras peppers and fried chorizo lollipops with pear alioli. Takeaway 'bocadillos' will also be available.

Iberica’s investors are believed to be looking at sites in other major European capitals

www.ibericalondon.co.uk

ireland

Dublin aims to create equivalent of Borough in Victorian market

Artisan producers will share space with wholesalers in the refurbished Victoria market

A €1m refurbishment of Dublin's Victorian fruit and vegetable wholesale market will see it transformed into a food hall for Ireland's artisan producers, which aims to rival Cork’s English Market and Borough Market in London.

Work is set to be completed on the 40,000 sq ft market next year with half the site being turned over to butchers, cheese-makers and other artisan producers.

The other half will be taken by wholesalers, although the balance is expected to shift towards small producers in the coming years.

Dublin City Council, Dublin City Business Association, Bord Bia and tourism body Failte Ireland are all involved in the project, which aims to regenerate the north of the city centre

and boost tourism. “It will be along the lines of Cork's English Market or Borough in London, showcasing the best of Irish food,” said the council's planning and economic development executive manager Declan Wallace.

“We plan to keep rents down so that retailers can keep their prices down to make it affordable.

“Food is one of the growth areas in Ireland at the moment. People have a lot of interest in locally sourced food and Irish food has a good reputation internationally.”

The market had been due to be renovated in 2008 as part of a multi-million euro regeneration scheme, but the project collapsed due to the recession.

Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

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news shopping centres

Stratford’s new Westfield centre features 650 sq ft Moorish deli A Moorish deli selling products from North Africa and Spain is one of a series of specialist food retailers at a new food market at the Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford, east London.

Claimed to be Europe's largest urban shopping centre, the £1.45bn Westfield Stratford City opens this month, comprising over 1.9 million sq ft of retail space, 300 shops and over 50 places to dine.

Part of the development includes the Great Eastern Market, which houses a 32,000 sq ft Waitrose, 16 specialist retailers and a cookery demonstration area.

Set up by Soho-based restaurant El Cantara under the same name, the new 650 sq ft Moorish deli in the market features a 14 seat tapas bar and sells cheeses including Manchego, Monte Enebro and Galician smoked cheese, plus charcuterie, Argan and olive oil, wine and sherry.

“The idea of the Great Eastern Market is to recreate the atmosphere of something like

Borough Market with lots of different retailers,” said Sam Mallach, managing director of El Cantara.

“The restaurant business is tough at the moment so we're looking to set up a new fine food brand that we could possibly roll out to other shopping centres and high streets.”

Other retailers at the market include Karaway Bakery, organic retailer As Nature Intended, luxury desserts maker L’Orchidee and Buttercup Cupcakes.

Bill Giouroukos, director of operations at Westfield, said: “Drawing inspiration from our East London locale and successful markets around the world, this new concept will offer a traditional food market within a contemporary and commercial environment.”

He continued: “We have extensive experience of this in Australia where we have operated over 30 food markets and we are excited to debut a unique market concept in the UK at Stratford.”

FRESH OFF THE DRAWING BOARD: El Cantara (right) is just one element in the Great Eastern Market at the newly opened Westfield Stratford City

We all know food prices are on the rise and we’ve seen multiple price rises in just a few weeks. Look at the prices of lamb or couscous, which have more than doubled since May. Good old chicken has risen steadily since the beginning of June.

Those who are on the ball will review prices, then make the choice between taking a hit on margin, passing the rise on to the customer or a little of both.

But the very best operations will also be looking hard at their ranges and challenging the products they make, changing ingredients if necessary to achieve a realistic cost while maintaining great quality.

We last reviewed our key ingredient costs in late April but were amazed how many had shot up by 30% by early July. We were caught napping.

The common approach appears to be either to take the hit on margin or to swing the pendulum and pass the problem on to the customer. Very little focus seems to be on changing part of the range and

“The best operations will challenge the products they make and change ingredients if necessary to achieve realistic costs’’

farm shops

Walled garden to host The Larder A former Business Link adviser is putting her expertise to good use by opening a new local food store in a Victorian walled garden she helped to restore.

Ruth Lambert plans to open The Larder at The Medicine Garden in Cobham, Surrey, next month after working as a volunteer on the project to restore the kitchen garden.

The garden, which dates back to 1850 and was part of Cobham Park, was reopened last year after a five-year restoration project led by local landscape gardener Paul Studholme.

The site is home to a cafe and garden shop with the new ‘farm shop’ set to be joined by a treatment room. The garden also hosts regular events, such as jazz evenings, garden parties and most recently an aerial theatre company called Ockham’s Razor. “We plan to stock as much local food from Surrey farms and small producers as possible,” said Lambert. “Hopefully the shop will be another

With ingredient costs soaring, PAUL CASTLE says that ‘pass it on, or take a hit on margin’ is not the only response

reason for people to visit the garden. It will be a symbiotic relationship.”

Lambert left Business Link a year ago but said her previous experience would be useful in her new venture. “I helped over 300 businesses during my time at Business Link from SMEs to very large companies, so I have a feel for some of the challenges involved in running a business,” she said.

“A lot of small businesses find it hard to find the time to market themselves properly, but I’ve already made a good start on that using social media like Twitter, Facebook and a blog.”

The Larder will open in Cobham’s restored Medicine Garden

creating new products – understandably, because it’s the hardest, most time-consuming course of action.

But customers are motivated by new products.

So now is a great time to review the autumn/winter range of home-made products, plan for new lines and new packaging, and margin-protect your top-sellers.

Take our lasagne. It has been a best seller in a double deep tray that easily serves two people.

However, the surface area of the product was small, so we repackaged exactly the same weight in slightly shallower trays with a larger surface area – and guess what? All the customers we asked believed the new trays held “much more” and were better value.

We used to add pine nuts to many of our salad dishes, but these have more than doubled in price, so now we use flaked almonds. We are also buying butter in bigger blocks, then cutting it in-house.

We have designed, printed and are ready to launch new own-label packaging to give more provenance and information on our range (from early September) all supported by a rigorous new costing programme.

I don’t think anything is likely to bring ingredient prices down over the coming months, so we can’t take our eye off the ball. We are certainly going to avoid going into the “golden” Christmas quarter selling at a loss when we have the time to inspire our customers with something new and exciting.

• Paul Castle is business manager at Farrington’s Farm Shop near Bristol, named British Local Food Champion in the 2011 Countryside Alliance Awards Vol.12 Issue 3 · April 2011

13

deli of the month

Barn conversion

H

is lordship is very passionate about locally produced goods and just championing the region in general.” That was Rob Tate, talking to the local press in Suffolk in 2008, and the aristocrat in question was Lord Iveagh. Tate had just spent several years converting the Guinness heir’s cash into a stylish “food and lifestyle” development on the Elvedon Estate, on the A11 near Thetford.

Three years on, he’s carrying out a not dissimilar task for another peer of the realm – Lord Hastings, or plain Delaval Astley as he prefers to be known – at Back to the Garden, a farm shop and caférestaurant on the rather smaller Astley Estate near Holt in north Norfolk.

Delaval Astley too is “very passionate about local, regional, natural and organic foods”, says Tate. This ‘lordship’ – whose past life included a stint as the dashing but dodgy Cameron Fraser in Radio 4’s The Archers – is nowadays a farmer and businessman, and established the natural and organic-led Back to the Garden partly as an outlet for the estate’s own organic beef, lamb, chickens, turkeys, geese and fresh produce.

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September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

Fresh from creating the food & retail offer at Elveden Estate in Suffolk, Rob Tate is charged with getting a Norfolk estate’s farm shop and restaurant onto a sound commercial footing

But whereas Tate project-managed the Elveden development from start to finish, he joined the Astley Estate as MD of its retail & hospitality division just five months ago and has been charged with sorting out an operation that has yet to make a bean. “The business has been open three-and-ahalf years,” he says, “and I’ve been brought in to make it work.”

Back to the Garden is located in a converted threshing barn at Letheringsett on the A148 Holtto-Fakenham road. It’s a less busy highway that the A11 but in prime weekend-cottage territory, close to those stretches of wild north Norfolk coast currently so beloved of the chattering classes.

The huge brick, flint and tile barn is, frankly, gorgeous, and Delaval Astley clearly didn’t skimp on its conversion. Given its location it ought to be a goldmine. But what seems to have been lacking in the fine-looking shop and restaurant – which includes a large deli section run by cheese and wine retail veteran Pete Bone, as well as ambient foods, fresh produce, a sizeable butchery counter and a restaurant seating around 50 – is a firm management hand to pull the sections together and impose some financial discipline.

When Tate and I sit down to talk in the airy, highroofed restaurant, he’s careful not to say anything that implies criticism of his staff. They are all “very dedicated and passionate about food”, he says. But he has been trying to get beyond the personal and introduce processes that will turn this into a viable commercial operation. “I say to people, ‘Don’t take these procedures personally. They’re not about individuals, they’re about making the business run more efficiently to see if we can make a profit…’ Or even breaking even would be good.”

Tate is a chef by training, but he also worked in big manufacturing before moving into high-end retail. His career included a stint in Raymond Blanc’s kitchen, running large-scale banqueting for Trust House Forte and purchasing clean-label ingredients for a major Marks & Spencer food supplier. Not surprisingly, he’s pretty hot on the numbers, and knows how easily margin can be lost or gained in an operation like Back to the Garden, which until recently was not even using its kitchen as an outlet for near-date fresh produce and deli foods.

“These businesses are very, very complex,” he says. “People go into them without realising what hard work it is to trade the two sides off [retail and foodservice] and make them work in tandem.

There’s a fine line between making a bucketload and losing it.”

Tate’s first move when he arrived this Spring was to close the restaurant completely for around six weeks, replacing the chefs, refitting the kitchen and overhauling the menus. “I came and ate here on the Saturday and Sunday before I was due to start work on the Tuesday, and I decided there and then that I had to close it. In terms of the execution, the product on the plate, how it was cooked and promoted… I knew it was too bad to turn round.

“It was a buffet-style operation, with lots of fresh food, but they didn’t have enough customers, the food was over-cooked and cold, and the menu wasn’t well-balanced. The kitchen was more like a production kitchen than a service kitchen. And they weren’t using any ingredients from the shop, which must have been really frustrating for the shop staff – they must have wanted to see something happening with their waste, not just see it go for pigfood.

“Now, all fruit and veg that no longer looks good

Interview by MICK WHITWORTH enough for the shop has to come into the kitchen, provided it’s still fit for purpose. And if it’s okay for the kitchen it goes onto a transfer sheet at an agreed price.

“We’re making all our own ready meals, quiches and compound salads now, and we have a process for taking ingredients from the shop. For coleslaw, for example, any white cabbage, onion or carrot that’s not fit for the deli is sold into the kitchen and then the salad is re-sold back to the deli. That’s the ‘flowchart’, if you like.”

Controlling waste has been aided by the introduction of a new Epos system linking kitchen and shop, which has also enabled Tate to start getting to grips with margins. “There had been no margin control. You had product going out at less than cost because they weren’t taking account of wastage. So I’ve been working my way round the departments – fresh produce, ambient, and so on – and adjusting them accordingly. On the deli we’ve probably put up the price of around 15% of products, and our fruit and veg prices have gone up considerably – and so they should, because you have to think about the level of waste.”

Tate says the business has already seen “massive” improvements. The restaurant is on course to rise from under £100k turnover last year to nearer £500k this year and would at that point become profitable in its own right. Shop sales are projected at £750k-£800k, but Tate says it will be 12 months before this side is in the black. “I won’t tell you what the losses have been but it’s a big old scary number.”

These must have been an unnerving few months for the staff at Back to the Kitchen, but on the plus side, the restaurant menu – newly pitched by Tate as “high-end bistro style, but not high-end Michelin style” – now looks very appealing and the range in the shop, particularly on the ambient side, is

Pete Bone: ‘The most important things are knowing your products and being as original as you can’

looking good too. Despite a few nationally familiar speciality brands – Beckleberry’s from the North East; Teoni’s cookies from Devon – there is an impressive emphasis on local and regional lines, like Yetman’s ales (Holt), Gnaw chocolate (Brooke, near Norwich), Rawr chocolate (Cambridge) and, on the deli, Bray’s Cottage pork pies (Bayfield Brecks, near Holt) and Mrs Temple’s cheese.

Deli manager Pete Bone was a deli retailer in Sussex for nearly two decades before moving to East Anglia and, according to Tate, his product knowledge is vital to the future of Back to the Garden. “I was a great friend of [British artisan cheese pioneer] James Aldridge,” Bone says, “and a lot of his philosophy rubbed off on me.” The farm shop’s cheese counter is relatively low on Continental varieties, with Bone aiming to offer a British alternative wherever he can. Mrs Temple’s Binham Blue, made locally by Catherine Temple, is his biggest selling blue, for example. “It’s not too strong, mid-strength, and creamy in a Continental style. If you are going to buy St Agur you might just as well buy Binham. And if people want Roquefort, 99% of the time we will say to them, ‘Why not try Beenleigh?’”

Bone, who is also responsible for Back to the Garden’s wine selection, tells me: “The most important things about retail are knowing your products, and being as original as you can.”

And that point is echoed by Rob Tate, who says the emphasis on ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ is helping Back to the Garden carve out its own niche. “The way I see fine food, a lot of farm shops these days are selling the same thing from the same wholesalers. In that sense they’re no different to Tesco or Sainsbury.

“In a way, we’re forced down the route of using different suppliers because we’re natural and organic. We’re not 100% organic, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything in here that hasn’t got a clean ingredients declaration.”

Tate’s next focus is on customer service, which he sees as key to securing more, regular local trade. “Holidaymakers are important here but they are only around for six to 12 weeks. We have to concentrate on building local business.

“So we need to create a service level that goes that little bit further for locals who haven’t used the shop regularly before – packing people’s bags properly, making sure they’re not left waiting at tills, and also making sure the shelves are properly merchandised every day with a range that’s balanced and looking good.”

He has also been using simple staff incentives to encourage more upselling – like a £10 voucher for whoever sells the most strawberry pavlova.

“Upselling is massively important because it’s twopronged,” he says. “It means you’re selling more, but it also means you’re asking people what else they might need and giving great customer service.

It’s not just about selling another kilo of Colston Bassett. People want to be loved and fussed over.” www.back-to-the-garden.co.uk

“These businesses are very, very complex, and there’s a fine line between making a bucketload and losing it” Rob Tate, managing director, Astley Estate retail & hospitality division

Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

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caféss | caterers | delis | farm shops | hotels | restaurants | retailers | wholesalers caf café

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September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

delichef

putting deli ingredients to work

interview

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Mel Davenport Farmcafé & Foodmarket, Marlesford, Woodbridge

T

ype 'farm shops, Suffolk' into Google Maps and numerous little pink arrows appear pointing to big hitters of the fine food world such as the Suffolk Food Hall, Alder Carr Farm Shop and Jimmy's Farm. While this will undoubtedly warm the cockles of anti-supermarket campaigners' hearts, it also means that competition among independents is pretty fierce.

Developing a point of difference is all important, says Mel Davenport, head chef at the Farmcafé & Foodmarket near Woodbridge. It has carved a niche by building an excellent reputation for homemade food using locally sourced ingredients.

Set up in 2001 by owner Paul Thomas, the business was initially a café, but a retail outlet was also added in 2007 so that customers could take away dishes to eat at home.

“The cafe has a reputation for good quality food so it's evolved from there.

Our homemade products are some of the best sellers in the shop. They're a great USP,” says Davenport, who previously ran a corporate catering business in London. “With so many farm shops and delis around, it gives us something different. People buy a week’s worth of ready meals or half a dozen pies to take home and freeze.”

Davenport also cranks out a steady flow of sausage rolls, fish cakes, salads, puddings and cakes for the shop. These also appear on the cafe menu, alongside regulars such as ‘squashed goat pie’, made with butternut squash & goats’ cheese, and bangers & mash with sausages from local butcher Revett's. When I talk to Davenport in August she has just rustled up a batch of courgette & rosemary soup using vegetables brought in by a customer. “He's got

Head chef Mel Davenport uses fresh, local ingedients in the café (top right) and produces a steady flow of ready meals for the farm shop

a large garden and brings in 4-5kg of courgettes at a time; others bring lettuce and radishes. We pay a decent rate, but we also get a decent markup. We have an open door policy. If you're growing and have a glut of something, we will have it,” she says.

Staple ingredients in the café include Sutton Hoo chicken, game from the Wild Meat Company and kippers from Pinney’s of Orford. Suffolk Gold and Binham Blue are popular cheeses.

The Farmcafé & Foodmarket’s other big asset is its location. Based at a former garage on the A12 – one of Suffolk's busiest roads – it’s a natural stop-off for second-home owners and tourists heading to the coast. “We get a lot of people on their way to Aldeburgh or Southwold on holiday,” says Davenport. “There’s a Little Chef 10 miles away, but no other big chains near us, so that works in our favour.

We have customers who factor in stopping here as part of their holiday.

They come in for breakfast or lunch

on the way and buy a whole load of stuff in the shop. On the way back they'll do it all over again.”

As well as tourists, the 70-seater cafe has a loyal local customer base, cranking out around 250 breakfasts and 160 lunches every day during the summer. “People are interested in seasonal and local food in this part of the world, partly because farming is such a big industry in East Anglia.”

Maybe that's why there are so many farm shops in the area. Either way, it sounds like there's plenty of business to go round in Suffolk.

Cold Pork & Apricot Raised Pie Pastry 500g plain flour 75g butter 125g lard 1 tsp salt 150ml water 1 egg Filling 500g minced pork (seasoned with ¼ tsp ground mace, ½ tsp dried thyme, ¼ tsp dry mustard, salt & pepper) 250g dried apricots 50g sultanas 1 large onion chopped and softened in olive oil and balsamic vinegar 1 pork fillet cut in strips Method: Pre-heat oven to 180°C/350°F/ Gas 4.

Put lard and water in a saucepan and melt. Rub butter into flour and salt until mixture resembles

fine breadcrumbs. Carefully pour in melted lard and mix well with a spoon. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and glossy (I always use a mixer). Divide the pastry into 2/3 and 1/3 pieces. Roll out larger portion and use to line a 1kg non-stick loaf tin.

Place half the seasoned minced pork in the bottom of the tin. Mix together the apricots, sultanas and balsamic onion mixture and layer on top of the minced pork. Place pork fillet strips on top followed by the second half of the minced pork mixture.

Roll out the remaining 1/3 of pastry and place on top of the pie, cutting to size and crimping well. Glaze with beaten egg and cut an ‘X’ in the middle to allow steam to escape.

Bake in oven for about 1½ hours, repeating egg wash as necessary.

Leave to cool in the tin and then turn out.

Recognised as the cornerstone of European cuisine!

Deli chef is sponsored by Le Gruyère AOC

Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

17

© Lot Tourisme, P. Soissons

A promotional feature for French Midi-Pyrénées products

© Lot Tourisme - CRT Midi-Pyrénées/D. Viet

Artisan producers from the Midi-Pyrénées region of south-west France will be at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair this month, seeking retailers and distributors for a catalogue of high-end deli classics from foie gras and pork terrines to preserved truffles

Try classic French flavours from the Midi-Pyrénées P

inpointing the départements of the French Midi-Pyrénées on a map – the Lot, Tarn,Hautes-Pyrénées and Aveyron, for example – may have you reaching for your atlas but here’s betting you’re already well acquainted with this ‘region du bon vivre’. For if you like foie gras, truffles and Armagnac, it’s safe to say you’re a fan.

The largest French region, the Midi-Pyrénées is located between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean with mountains to the north and the craggy, snow-capped Pyrénees to the south. What makes the area so remarkable is that, as rural as it is, as modest as its people are, it’s known internationally for some of the most high-end, luxurious produce available to fine food stores.

Foie gras and Périgord truffles are the gourmet’s first thought but the region also has many Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée products including Quercy lamb, Lautrec pink garlic and Rocamadour goats’ cheese. Ceps, grapes, ducks, geese and artisan cheeses are found here in abundance.

The sheer variety of produce and small scale nature of production, once actually considered problems, are now regarded as serious assets.

This year’s Speciality Fine Food Fair, at London’s Olympia from September 4-6, represents an ideal opportunity to get a taste of the Midi-Pyrénées. Seven of the most highly regarded producers from the region will have stands in a dedicated Midi-Pyrénées area in the French section (block 821). If you can’t find it, just follow the waft of truffles.

“It feels like the time is right now for our region’s producers to build their presence on the UK market,” says Thierry Voirin of the Lot chamber of commerce. “The British consumer is more hungry than ever before for top quality gastronomic food and ingredients, something our farmers, artisans and producers can all deliver.”

“The sheer variety of produce and small scale nature of production are regarded as serious assets” 18

September · Vol.12 Issue 8

The seven Midi-Pyrénées producers showing at the Speciality Fine Food Fair – and featured here –are looking to increase awareness of their products on the market and to meet distributors and buyers from the speciality sector, says Voirin. “The show is the perfect time to get in touch, meet the producers, hear their stories and, of course, sample their produce.”

Jean Brunet Four generations of Brunet family know-how goes into every paté and terrine produced at the state-of-the-art Jean Brunet production facility at the foot of the Pyrenees. The regional farmhouse recipes at the brand’s core have been tried, tested and tweaked over the last 116 years and today the range numbers in excess of 30 lines including outdoor-reared Bigorre pork terrine with red pepper, locally farmed duck in three varieties (with fig, Armagnac or apple) and ‘mousse de canard’ with foie gras. Brunet products have a three-year shelf life and come in 90g trios, 320g terrines, 125g ‘petits plaisirs’ and useful new 180g jars. All are free of colouring, preservatives and emulsifiers.

Jean Brunet Route de Cénac 65140 RABASTENS DE BIGORRE +33 5 62 96 67 11 courrier@sa-brunet.com www.jeanbrunet.com

Fromagerie Xavier

Godard

Farmer’s son-turned-‘maître affineur’ Xavier Bourgon grew up in Comté country but made his name in Toulouse with the opening of his fromagerie in 1976. These days his cheeses (he has a seasonally changing roster of over 300) are seen on Michelin-starred tables in Toulouse, Paris and beyond. Artisanal, unpasteurised cheeses are his calling card and he and his son François are in constant pursuit of exciting new cheeses from all over France to age in their three underground cellars. There you’ll find Midi-Pyrenees cheeses such as the famous goats’ cheese Rocamadour, Anneau de Vic Bilh (an ash-coated goats’ cheese that Xavier helped create) and his ‘special selection’ classic Roquefort.

The Godard family’s twin passions are foie gras and truffles, two luxurious foodstuffs on their doorstep in the Périgord. The business started out in 1978 with duck and goose specialities including whole foie gras and more humble regional dishes such as confit duck and cassoulet. In 1992, the Godards added the Chambon & Marrel truffle business to theirs, making the self-confessed epicureans the South West’s ‘go-to gourmets’ for festive family fare. Look out for their traditional rillettes, smoked duck breast, preserved black truffles (whole or in pieces) and innovations such as Maldon salt with truffle. The Godard foie gras range, produced only from outdoor-reared birds from the South West, runs from rustic terrines to extravagant truffled patés.

Fromagerie Xavier 6 place Victor Hugo 31000 Toulouse +33 5 34 45 59 45 contact@xavier.fr www.french-cheese.com

Godard – Chambon & Marrel Route de Salviac – BP 40072 46300 Gourdon +33 5 65 41 03 97 godard@foiegrasgodard.com www.foie-gras-godard.fr

Rose Pression

Destrel

A party isn’t a party without a glass of something sparkling. This is something top Cahors oenologist Thomas Beauvillain well understands, hence the creation of his trio of sparkling, winebased cocktails: Rose Pression (rosé wine and raspberry), Blanc Pression (white wine and peach) and Bleu Pression (white wine, peach and Curacao).

The refreshing and gently carbonated cocktails, all just 6% ABV, are designed as an aperitif or alternative to beer, cava or Champagne. A hit at summer festivals in the south of France and in bars across France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, Rose Pression’s pretty pastel cocktails come elegantly packaged in 0.75L glass bottles, 5L party kegs with integrated gas and 30L euro kegs.

In the UK, the designation ‘Label Rouge’ is most commonly associated with France’s superb free-range poultry but, in France, discerning customers prefer their lamb with a ‘Label Rouge’ too.

Destrel’s Quercy lamb, found in Michelin-starred kitchens across France, is one such. The award of red label and IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée) status to l’Agneau Fermier du Quercy doesn’t just guarantee stringent farming and food safety standards, it also promises tender, delicate, rose-coloured lamb. Destrel, founded in 1907 near the Causses du Quercy regional park in the Lot (home of its Caussenarde du Lot sheep) is France’s leading lamb producer.

It also offers pork, beef and veal from local farms.

Rose Pression 21 rue Docteur Rouma 46700 Puy L’Evêque +33 5 65 21 29 98 jan@rosepression.com www.rosepression.com

Destrel ZI – Abattoirs 46500 Gramat +33 5 65 33 12 43 destrel@wanadoo.fr www.destrel.com

Valette Foie Gras

Pebeyre

Time-honoured recipes and the best ingredients are at the heart of the Valette family business, and have been since 1920. While Adrien Valette sourced top quality foie gras and truffles from Périgord to Cahors, his wife Louise slaved over a hot stove making the foie gras, patés, confits and stews that define the region’s cuisine. By adding gastronomic innovation to the mix, the company has grown to 50 retail outlets across France, though it stands by its small farms and small scale production. Valette now produces over 350 products including ready-meals from the traditional (cassoulet, 1.5kg jars) to the trendy (foie gras crème brûlée, 3x40g jars). All their foie gras boasts ‘IGP Périgord’ status. Their canned versions offer a three year shelf life.

The name Pebeyre is synonymous with Périgord truffles. For haute cuisine fans who want to enjoy Périgord’s revered Tuber melanosporum at their own table, preserved truffles from Maison Pebeyre’s classic range are a larder essential. Its innovative product lines also offer interesting new possibilities in the kitchen: a simple supper is transformed into a gastronomic feast with a sprinkling of truffle-flavoured salt, a jar of creamy truffled butter (45g or 100g sizes) or a drizzle of one of Pebeyre’s flavoured oils and vinegars (100ml or 250ml bottles). Founded in 1897, Pebeyre is said to be the most trusted authority in the French truffle business.

Valette Foie Gras BP 15 46300 GOURDON CEDEX +33 5 65 41 06 02 nina-bryggemann@valette.com www.valette.com

Pebeyre 66 rue Frédéric Suisse 46000 Cahors +33 5 65 22 24 80 p.corbi@wandadoo.fr www.pebeyre.fr

Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

19

Follow the Star, find the true Italian quality.

THE STAR OF ITALIAN DELICATESSEN MEATS SINCE 1907

The quality of the Negroni products have again been recognised. This year we have gained 3* gold awards for our:

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20

September 2011 路 Vol.12 Issue 8

cheese wire La Cave opens cheese room in Soho’s Bistro du Vin The restaurant cheese room is particularly popular with women diners

La Cave à Fromage has opened a cheese room as part of the new Bistro du Vin restaurant in Soho and is in talks with another restaurant group about the concept.

Part of the Hotel du Vin group, Bistro du Vin was launched earlier this year as a stand-alone restaurant brand with sites in Clerkenwell and Soho. The temperature-controlled cheese room at the Soho branch, which opened in July, houses around 80 British, French and Italian artisan cheeses and a selection of charcuterie supplied by La Cave à Fromage’s parent company Premier Cheese.

The restaurant serves a cheese and charcuterie platter starting at £8.95 per person and an eat-asmuch-as-you-like cheese board for £12.50 per person. Customers can also buy cheese to take away and specialist staff trained by La Cave are on-hand to explain the range.

“We are always looking to spread the word on cheese and get more people to experiment and

taste, so this is another interesting avenue,” said director Amnon Paldi, who operates two shops in Kensington and Brighton and the wholesale business with Eric Charriaux. “We are also talking to another restaurant group about the concept and will hopefully announce something in October.”

Bistro du Vin plans to open two more sites in London this year in Chiswick and Shoreditch, and is aiming for a total of 10-12 sites in the capital in the next 18 months. Paldi said it was “possible” that other restaurants could contain the La Cave cheese room concept, but it was too early to say.

Since opening, the cheese room has proved particularly popular with women, he added. “It’s something we’ve also noticed in our shops over the past three to four years,” he said. “More and more women are eating cheese and are interested in stronger more unusual products, like washed rind cheeses.”

Cheese grading course takes its first students this month The Regional Food Academy at Harper Adams University College in Shropshire has launched a new cheese grading qualification. The University has teamed up with grading consultant Bruce MacDonald to develop the course, which is split into four units covering hard, soft, blue and specialist UK and Continental cheeses.

Each two-day unit costs £495 and students who successfully complete all four will be awarded a University College Foundation Certificate in Cheese Grading.

“The course is all about the finer details of how to be a grader,” said MacDonald.

“We start with basic sensory evaluation and threshold screening to make sure we can taste and understand and verbalise all the attributes

of the cheese. We move on to looking at body, texture, aroma, flavour and the individual characteristics of many, many different types of cheese. We also look at the more advanced stages: electronic ways of recording date, quality systems and even how to be a cheese judge.”

The first Introduction to Cheese Grading module takes place on 13-14 September.

Grading consultant Bruce MacDonald: ‘It’s about the finer details’

le grand fromage BOB FARRAND During a month when eight supermarkets and dairies were fined £50m by the OFT for fixing cheese, butter and milk prices, and judges at Nantwich Cheese Show gave 35 out of 105 trophies to supermarkets and voted Asda the UK’s best cheese retailer, judging at the Taste of the West Awards offered blessed relief.

My fellow judge was Dorset deli owner Charlie Turnbull, who I’d been told judged at Nantwich. I don’t pussy-foot about, so I asked him why he gave Asda the nod as Britain’s best cheese retailer.

His unprintable response roughly translates as: “Don’t blame me, I didn’t judge their cheese.”

“How many deli and farm shop owners were judging?” I asked. “I saw three, plus me,” he said.

“Now let’s drop the subject and taste cheese.”

We tucked into soft cheese first, and my comments last year that entries were generally under-matured appear to have been heeded, as several had been ripened to the point where ammonia was the dominant aroma.

A St. Endellion was still under-ripe but the Gevrik goats’ cheese was spot on, delivering balanced, clean flavours. First gold of the day.

The next were two identical Cornish camemberts – one in its own livery and the other in . . . Asda Extra Special. “Don’t say a word,” Charlie warned, “just taste them together.” Our verdict was that, of

“Keen’s and Denhay were on glorious song, as was Yarg – particularly Wild Garlic” the two, Asda’s was less mature but strangely, had a shorter shelf life and was better balanced. Both were bitter on the finish and lacked complexity.

The Sharpham was brie ripe – so much so it went limp on Charlie as he lifted it. He told me this often happens with those he stocks in his shop. I said nothing. It was good, but not as good as Duchy Original’s Trevarrian brie. Here we found harmony as it delivered complex levels of creamy earthiness normally associated with French bries. Isn’t Duchy part of Waitrose, now? Where will it all end?

Hard cheeses were a curate’s egg. Some cheddars were imposters – mature masquerading as vintage – and Scorcher, a pappy, cheddary mix including garlic and onion powder with dried jalapeno, tasted like cold vindaloo scraped from a pavement on Sunday morning. Not that I’ve ever tried that.

Keen’s and Denhay were on glorious song, as were Quicke’s goat and Yarg – particularly Wild Garlic, which sent a young Hungarian steward into rapture. Charlie loved the goats’ milk Ticklemore.

I said it wasn’t as good as when Robin Congdon made it. He suggested my memory was failing.

We awarded several golds and subsequently tasted them again to elect a champion. Can’t tell you what it is until the Awards presentation this autumn – but you can probably guess what it won’t be.

• FFD publisher Bob Farrand is chairman of the UK Cheese Guild Vol.7 Issue 1 · January 2006

21

Award winning blue cheese from Carron Lodge

Gabriel Blue - Gold International Cheese Awards Nantwich 2011 Produced using traditional methods, developed over many years our Ewe’s milk blue veined cheese is a mild flavoured blue that melts in the mouth.

A perfect addition to any cheese board.

Brock Blue - Silver International Cheese Awards Nantwich 2011 Made from locally sourced goats milk, like all our blue cheese, Brock Blue is matured here on the farm in our purpose built cave.

A delicate and smooth blue veined cheese that is suitable for vegetarians.

Lancashire Blue - Bronze International Cheese Awards Nantwich 2011 Our flagship blue cheese, Lancashire Blue is made using milk exclusively from our herd of pedigree British Holsteins.

Made from pasteurised milk and suitable for vegetarians.

WORLD CHEESE AWARDS CHAMPION 2010 Supreme Champion Bath & West 2010

Carron Lodge Ltd., Park Head Farm, Carron Lane, Inglewhite, Preston, Lancashire, PR3 2LN Tel : 01995 640352

Ice Cream Expo 2011 back in Yorkshire Event Centre

Harrogate

1st - 3rd November 2011

Ice Cream Expo 2011

for

Yorkshire Event Centre 1st - 3rd November 2011

Tuesday, 1st November 2011 10.00a.m. - 5.00p.m. last entry 4.30p.m.

Wednesday, 2nd November 2011 10.00a.m. - 5.00p.m. last entry 4.30p.m.

Thursday, 3rd November 2011 10.00a.m. - 3.00p.m. last entry 2.30p.m.

2011

The show attracts around 200 trade seller and buyers from all sectors of the industry.

Whether your focus is in ingredients, machinery, production, distribution or retail, you will appreciate that ice cream is big business within the uk and abroad.

Should you wish to join us at Harrogate, please register for your free tickets online at www.ice-cream.org. For stand bookings at the exhibition, please call Lorraine on 01332 203333 or Email lorraine@ice-cream.org

22

September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

Fax : 01995 641040

E-Mail : carronlodge@talk21.com

cheese wire Mobile creamery puts cost of start-up at around £40k Dairy equipment supplier MCE Engineering has developed a mini mobile creamery as a lower cost option for start-up cheese producers. The facility, branded the Little Cheesery, can produce up to 35kg of cheese a day and costs around £40,000 – significantly less than the cost of setting up conventional cheese production facilities, said Derby-based MCE. “When you look at the costs of setting up such a business, after you have paid for planning permission, converted a building and installed all the necessary equipment, you can be looking at in excess of £60,000 with no chance of any payback for sometimes well over a year,” said director Pete Murray. “There is also very little chance of re-couping any of your investment should you decide it’s not for you or need to change production size.

However, with our unit, because it is so adaptable, the residual value will always be strong.”

Based in a 3.6m trailer, the facility contains a washing and changing room compartment, which is separate from a production facility featuring a sink, stainless steel cheese vat, peg mill and cheese press. There is also a control panel for the vat’s heating system, a storage rack, drainage table and two cheese knives. Electricity to run the unit comes from a 240V hook-up, while water can be fed from a tap or via a generator, diesel water heater and water tank. www.thelittlecheesery.com

The mini creamery can produce 35kg of cheese daily

Godminster expands main site to bring in soft cheese production Godminster Vintage has invested £150,000 in extending its premises in Somerset to incorporate soft cheese production, following the acquisition of Dairy & Co last year.

The organic company, which is best known for its cheddar, bought local producer Dairy & Co in April 2010 when founder Richard Harbord decided to retire.

Godminster has now moved production to its main site in Bruton following the installation of a new soft cheese-making facility and drive-in refrigeration unit, plus expansion of its warehouse space.

The organic soft cheese range has also been rebranded under the Godminster brand as Simply Soft, Simply

Peppered (with black pepper) and Holy Smoked.

There is also a new, tall, semi-soft cheese called Alfred’s Tower, named after a local 18th Century folly run by the National Trust.

Godminster MD Richard Hollingbery said: “We swiftly realised that for the soft cheese range to grow we would need to relocate. It seemed a natural way forward to utilise our existing premises and bring the workforce together.

“By producing the cheese alongside the distribution point we significantly reduce the miles the cheese travels.” www.organic-cheese.co.uk

Hollingbery: ‘Natural way forward’ Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

23

AOC, the sign of special products...

A traditional cheese

The cheese of western Switzerland, with a delicate, distinguished flavour.

Made since at least 1115 AD in and around the small town of Gruyères, today it is still produced by village cheese dairies in western Switzerland according to the traditional recipe.

Le Gruyère AOC owes its characteristic delicacy and flavour to the top quality raw milk produced by cows fed on grass in the summer and hay in winter, coupled with the skill of the mastercheesemakers.

No less than 400 litres of fresh milk are needed to produce a single wheel weighing around 35kg.

During the slow maturation process, which takes several months in special cheese cellars, the wheels are turned regularly and rubbed down with saltywater. The maturing process lasts between five and 18 months.

Each cheese is systematically identified by the number of the mould and code of the cheese dairy. The day and month of production are also noted on the wheel. These black markings are made with casein, the cheese protein. No artificial additives are involved here either.

Le Gruyère AOC takes pride of place on any cheese platter. It makes for a delicious desert and can be used in tasty warm dishes. What’s more, no real fondue would be complete without genuine Gruyère AOC.

From this time on, the name ‘Gruyère AOC’ and the code of the production facility appears on the heel of each wheel of Gruyère AOC as an effective way of preventing fakes and guaranteeing authenticity.

This technique employs branding irons, which give an indentation in the wheel. It is this marking that makes it possible to identify and trace each individual cheese.

The humidity and rind washing process develops the characteristic appearance of the cheese and assists in bringing the cheese into full maturity.

This is what gives Le Gruyère AOC its famous, distinct flavour. It’s no great surprise that this authentic gift of nature is appreciated by cheeselovers throughout the world.

www.gruyere.com ruyere.com

2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8 24 September Switzerland.

Naturally.

Cheeses from Switzerland. www.switzerland-cheese.com

cheese wire Meet the Swiss ambassador BOB FARRAND catches up with a Kiwi who’s introducing Brits to some seriously special Swiss farmhouse cheese It’s a sunny Saturday in July and England are winning the Test Match. I’m lunching on my patio with Mrs Cheese, enjoying a decent glass of Fleurie along with a few slices of Swiss cheese.

We thought the Gruyère might be good – it generally is when aged. After all, it’s been World Champion at the World Cheese Awards on three occasions. But neither of us was quite prepared for the wedge of carefully aged 16-month Vieux Gruyère I’d been handed a few days earlier during a trip to London: beautifully balanced, with extraordinary depth of nutty fruitiness, delicious crunch and a long clean finish.

The cheese was a gift from Rachael Sills of KäseSwiss, a small farmhouse cheese importing business based in London’s Druid Street, just a stone’s throw from Borough Market. I’d read about Sills earlier this year in this magazine, when we covered the ongoing dispute between the Trustees of Borough and traders who also operate in nearby Maltby Street and Druid Street. I’d also briefly met her on a bitterly cold evening last December at a Christmas Cheese fest in London’s Jubilee Market.

Last month, we met again in the more refined setting of Whitehall’s Royal Horseguards Hotel.

Sills is from New Zealand, a dairy farmer’s daughter who from an early age longed to make cheese. Having read about Britain’s revival in artisan cheesemaking, she figured London might be a good place to start. So in 1995 she boarded a 747 and joined Neal’s Yard – “just for the experience”.

She loved it, and stayed five years before trying her hand at making cheese at Gubbeen in Ireland, and then for a short time with Somerset goats’ cheese maker Mary Holbrook.

After a brief stint on the family farm back in New Zealand, Sills jumped back on the plane and ended up managing a deli in Hammersmith. Somewhere along the way she’d met a chap who worked in a bank in Zurich – I think he was probably the boyfriend who agreed to lend her 4,000 Swiss francs – and what better investment could she make than in a consignment of

Swiss cheese? “I was visiting Switzerland quite a lot – to see my friend,” she recalls, “and it struck me as odd that Swiss cheese-makers sold their cheese too young. A young Bergkäse or Gruyère at six months is for kids – no depth at all.”

On one such visit, she met an artisan producer willing to age cheese properly – to eight months and more – and Sills took her first tentative steps into wholesaling.

Rachael Sills: ‘A young Bergkåse or Gruyère at six months is for kids – no depth at all’

“Incredibly, I sold my first shipment to New Zealand, can you believe that?” she says. “I had to learn fast about tariffs and made mistakes along the way – what to buy, when and from whom.

“Slowly, my ambition changed from making cheese to selling it – real cheese made and matured in tiny Swiss dairies, the sort you don’t see over here.”

A chance meeting with another friend who had access to cold-storage near Borough provided the opportunity to set up a regular stall in the iconic market.

“On our first day, we didn’t have time to exchange one word to each other,” she recalls. “We just stood, cut and sold cheese – Emmental and Gruyère mainly. We were incredibly busy. At that time, several London delis sourced from Borough Market and once they’d tasted our matured artisan cheeses, they were hooked. We started wholesaling direct to London delis and food halls.”

Today, she imports Forsterkäse, Vacherin Fribourgois and Nidelkase Bergkase alongside Gruyère and Emmentaler and more recently, aged goudas from Holland. Every cheese is made in small dairies, mostly “husband and wife teams”, and carefully aged, and Sills’ current retail customers include blue chip names like La Fromagerie, Selfridges and Whole Foods Market.

“I’d like to broaden our wholesale base even more.” she says, “to draw together a collective of specialist wholesalers importing artisan foods from different countries – each with their own specialist expertise.”

As we wind up the meeting, she tells me, almost by way of reassurance: “Whatever I do, my biggest thrill will always be discovering unknown producers in tiny dairies making fabulous cheese and then bringing it into the UK.” I call Sills’ mobile a week later, just to say how much we’d enjoyed her Gruyère. She is back in Switzerland, at the dairy, standing alongside the cheesemaker. “What’s his name?” I ask. “Can’t reveal that,” she replies, “You’d tell everyone.” www.kaseswiss.com

“My ambition changed from making cheese to selling it – real cheese, made and matured in tiny Swiss dairies” Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

25

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September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

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September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

The Fine Confectionery Company Ltd Tel:

01992 551075

www.

fineconfectionery.co.uk

Visit our stand at The Speciality and Fine food fair Stand Number 480

A promotional feature for Anthony Rowcliffe & Son

Talking Cheese...

Talking Speciality... with an Italian accent STEVE SMITH hasn't managed the impossible by conducting business in mainland Europe using another language (I’m a Brit, for goodness sake) even if his Spanish and French cds have made it on to his iPod!

I

realised while planning our stand for the Speciality and Fine Food Fair at Olympia this month that it promises to have a distinctive Italian feel with guests from our Italian Olive partners Castellino and our new friends from Italian ham and salami supremo, Negroni. So at this year’s show, we will not only feature our full range of British farmhouse and top end Continental cheeses but will equally showcase the other important elements for us as a one stop shop for all chilled deli lines.

During these tough recessionary times, every independent retailer needs to stock the highest quality available to create a clear distinction to mainstream lines offered in supermarkets. We were very lucky to meet with Castellino at an international exhibition several years ago at the time when the ‘olive explosion’ was just beginning to take off and British consumers were discovering the joys of marinated and stuffed olives.

Since that time, the category has grown massively and Castellino are one of our most important suppliers. They use Italian grown olives almost exclusively and only when necessary do they buy in from Greece. They believe the plumpness and thin skin of their Italian olives is perfect for marinating and stuffing.

The olives are pasteurised in the ‘dressing’ which infuses the flavours into the fruit while the light sunflower oil base ensures a low salt and low vinegar finish.

These are now typically what is appreciated by the British palate, it is milder and less harsh than many others. The Kalamata olives used by Castellino must, of

course, grow in the particular area of Greece where they are harvested before they’re taken to Italy to be marinated.

Negroni hams and salamis are a more recent addition to our range and came about during a review of our Italian meat range and the need to source the very best. I knew of the company, of course, but it wasn’t until we sat down in our tasting rooms and compared their salamis with others on the market, we were knocked out by their stunning quality.

For over 100 years, Negroni has been making salami in Cremona and Zibello and at all times, they’ve maintain age old traditions. Their Milano and Napoli salamis look so much better, they’re bright, almost glistening and packed with full rich almost sweet flavours that tell you they’re made from the same pigs used to make Parma Ham. But what really impressed me on that tasting were the Felino and Cremona Salamis. The Felino is the thin, smaller diameter one and it’s so tender. It is normally cut with a knife rather than on a slicer and delivers a superb sweetness, with light garlic and wine flavours on the finish. The Cremona is larger and must be made in the designated area (certified in 2004)and owes its refined flavours to the region’s humid micro-climate and specially selected meats.

Both salamis will create a real point of difference from ranges stocked in local supermarkets, giving your charcuterie counter a genuine Italian feel that maybe, just maybe, will get you speaking Italian. Caio bambino

01892 838999 www.rowcliffe.co.uk Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

29

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75.89

September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

preview

speciality & fine food fair

The big barometer If you want to gauge the mood among speciality food producers, Olympia is never a bad place to start. And at this year’s Speciality & Fine Food Fair there will also be a chance to find out how retailers are faring, with the release of new research into the state of the deli & farm shop sector.

SFFF event manager Soraya Gadelrab

More exhibitors – but perhaps on smaller, less extravagant stands. A big regional food section – but run by show organiser Fresh RM rather than the regional food groups now that government subsidies have gone. The face of the fine food trade’s biggest show is certainly changing after two or three tough trading years. But with over 600 companies lining up in Olympia’s Grand Hall, 2011’s Speciality & Fine Food Fair will still be “the largest to date, with more exhibitors than ever before”, according to event manager Soraya Gadelrab.

Gadelrab has been poring over the data from recent SFFFs and says that while exhibitor numbers in a few minor food categories have taken a dip, the story generally remains one of modest growth.

“Last year we had small growth in a year of recession,” she told FFD, “and this year we’re about 3% up on floorspace. It’s fair to say average stand size has decreased slightly. But if exhibitors take less space, that just means we have to get more of them in.”

As the year’s biggest trade bash, Olympia is always a good place to gauge confidence. But this year, Fresh RM has joined forced with the Guild of Fine Food, FFD’s publisher, to carry out a formal research project ahead of the event. Thousands of retailers and caterers have been completing an online survey exploring everything from average margins to recruitment prospects. The results will be announced at the SFFF, giving visiting buyers the chance of a real insight into how their fellow retailers are handling a tough market.

Back on the supply side, key growth categories for the SFFF have been chocolate, confectionery, non-food services and international products. The number of confectionery exhibitors, for example, has doubled in the past five years, and the space taken by chocolate brands has risen from 5% to 13% since 2008, when a Speciality Chocolate Fair was created within the show.

International stands have seen a 270% growth since 2008. “Traditionally, France has

IN T PRE HIS VI • Top exhib EW: ito st

r ate o f the s on the tr p • Exh ages 33 & ade – ibit 35 newc or directo omer ry, plu s p r o starts f i l e s – page 37

taken the most space,” says Gadelrab. “Italy has never backed the show as much, partly because Italy is on holiday in August, but we’ve got regional stands from the Valle d’Aosta and Terni chambers of commerce this year, and we’re getting more independent Italian exhibitors.”

There will be another strong showing from the English regions too. But where, in the past, food groups bought blocks of space and sold them on to their membership, loss of public funding means Fresh RM has partially underwritten this section to ensure a continued focus on regional food. “We’ve always worked well with the regional food groups (RFGs),” says Gadelrab. “But while they want a continued presence, they made it very clear that they have no funding now. So we came up with a model whereby we would create areas for each region that we would sell and administer, and in return the RFGs would advertise that to their members.”

Two of the “more commercial” groups – Taste of the West and HEFF – have continued to buy a block of space in the old manner, while others, despite the new low-risk model, have been “less responsive”. But a distinct regional presence has been be retained.

“More and more, buyers – especially from overseas – want something quintessentially British,” says Gadelrab, “ and the SFFF is always a quintessentially British show.” www.specialityandfinefoodfairs.co.uk

Tell us your brands of the year: Visit us on the Guild of Fine Food stand (759) and you can nominate your brands of the year in key categories like tea, coffee and chocolate, ahead of a special edition of FFD to be published later this year.

Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

31

Jolly fine stuffings and sauces

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Gordon Rhodes was an intrep id traveller who loved exploring the globe in search of exotic tas tes and flavours. He returned to Yor kshire full of Eastern promise - as wel l as pockets full of herbs and spi ces...

These are the results. Enjoy !

For recipes or more information: Gordon Rhodes, Dalesman House, Chase Way, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD5 8HW T: 01274 758007 E: ask@gordonrhodes.co.uk

www.gordonrhodes.co.uk 30

September 2011 路 Vol.12 Issue 8

preview

speciality & fine food fair

Going beyond the hard sell Last year was tough. This year could be tougher. So HILARY ARMSTRONG asked seasoned SFFF exhibitors how they’ll be persuading buyers to open their order books at the 2011 show.

Alex Albone, director, Pipers Crisps The temptation in times of recession is to compromise quality, but that’s not the business of the speciality & fine food sector. We can’t compete with the multinationals on price so we compete on quality and service.

We’ve now got four vans delivering directly to customers in our local area. We also do a lot of business by carrier. Fine food retailers want to be able to order without looking at five days lead time so we’ll offer next day delivery for orders placed by 3pm. That all creates a cost so it’s more important than ever that we highlight the unique proposition that we have over our competitors. For instance, we don’t supply the major multiples, and we only use ‘provenance’ flavours from trusted suppliers.

Our biggest challenge right now is commodity prices. You try to put off price rises for as long as possible but sooner or later, you have to put them through. There’s no way of sweetening the pill.

We’re minimising the effects by making the manufacturing facility as efficient as possible, watching packaging and water waste. An environmental policy is a good financial policy, I would suggest. www.piperscrisps.com

‘‘

work and using all your naive charm and boyish good looks to persuade them. There’s no silver bullet.

We’re a pretty small, young company doing everything by hand and we’re growing at a rapid rate; we’ve got a good product and we’re beginning to develop a bit of a following. We can’t make the stuff fast enough. We’re up quite a lot on last year. Having said that, we have seen a couple of our customers go under so there are people out there finding it tough. www.yourpiecebakingcompany.com

’’ ‘‘

“You’ve got to take the risk out of a new brand for retailers”

Christina Baskerville, owner, Easy Bean We were the creators of this ‘meal in a pot’ which has since been copied by other brands as well as the multiples. We launched at SFFF in 2007 and are back again to show we are best placed to service the independent sector. Number one, we just launched two of our recipes as Fairtrade (statistics show people are still buying into Fairtrade). Number two, we make everything ourselves in small batches and that suits the independents’ ethos. Our health credentials are another big hook given the market for healthy convenience food. We’ve invested in our first consumer advertisement, a full page in Slimming World’s October issue. We’re being very targeted.

There was a spell when everyone said people were swinging back to making their own sandwiches because of the recession. Well that hasn’t lasted very long. Any deli that’s catering for the lunchtime trade, I think, is in a good position. What we’re up against is delis and farm shops with their own kitchen. I’m trying to reach those without kitchens. www.easybean.co.uk

’’ ‘‘

Dan Connolly, director, Your Piece Baking Company You’ve got to take the risk out of a new brand for retailers so I offer some really favourable terms and will offer free sample stock for in-store tastings. Small independent shops are often owner-run and the owner is usually very, very busy, so if their selection is working OK for them, there’s no incentive to take on anything new. Once it’s in there, most people find it sells very well but getting in there is down to lots of

‘‘

Tim Came, managing director, Thursday Cottage Over the next 12 months we will have a much more proactive relationship with retailers. We are doing a little bit more advertising than we have in the past.

We’re also supporting customers with free samples for tasting. It’s a nice, simple thing to do and when you encourage customers to taste the product, they’re much more likely to buy it. We’ve always been quite generous but in tough times you support your customers as best you can. So when our retail customers ask for free samples, it’s a non-issue.

Compared to 12 months ago, things are more competitive, not less competitive. From a manufacturing point of view, the fact that the sugar price is at a 30-year high has made a major impact on our cost base. That’s the major issue for us but there is little doubt that people are staying loyal to premium brands in the fine food sector. Things are holding up relatively well, considering. We aren’t launching new products at Speciality but we will be announcing news of an acquisition that we have made which we hope retailers will react positively to. www.thursday-cottage.com

’’

’’

Maria Pocock, marketing coordinator, The Devon Cream Co Our extended life creams and crème fraîche are the ‘safe bet’ in the cream market. Fresh cream only lasts five days but with ours, you’ve got the whole year to use it. That’s a strong selling point. Our battle has been overcoming people’s perceptions of longlife.

Our trade sales have increased year on year and, in the current climate, we’re doing really well. At the show we’ll be offering 10% off orders taken at the stand to encourage retailers to stock our products.

“We started 30 years ago mainly as an export

‘‘

Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

33

Importer of local and regional French products

FRANCE

GOURMET We distribute a wide range of French speciality foods, as well as charcuterie and cheeses directly from Rungis.

Rose Petal Jam: ‘Lovely colour,flavour and texture.’

Nyons Olive Croquets: ‘Pleasing appearance, innovative product. Lovely olive flavour, crisp but not a hard texture. Great size. Very yummy and moreish.’

Our 2011 jury reviews and awards

Penja White Pepper: ‘Good fresh peppery smell, quite hot, excellent lingering after taste and authentic flavour’

Duck Rillettes: ‘Good consistency and execution. The meat is well cooked and distibuted.

The balance of fat is also good. Nice flavour of pepper coming through at the end.’

Rooibos Organic Tea: ‘Good aroma, good citrus on the nose. Balance with ginger and lemon grass is good.’

Rouille Sétoise: ‘Good and well balanced flavours.’

Gluten Free Almond Cake: ‘Immediately pleasant flavour. Good almond taste and texture, not too sweet or oily.’

EXPERIENCE the speciality and fine food French importer www.francegourmet.co.uk 020 7639 1711 info@francegourmet.co.uk 30 September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

preview company but in the last couple of years have targeted the UK a bit more. Historically we always sold by the pallet but that’s way too big for independents so we now offer a ‘trade order’ system whereby we can supply a transit outer which holds five of our retail packs. We also do an overnight service.

Advertising and attendance at consumer and trade shows has contributed to people recognising the Devon Cream Co brand more. We’re working on a more consumer-focused website and building up a following on Facebook. We’re trying to pull it through as well as push it. www.coombecastle.com

’’

Edward Berry, chief operating officer, Newby Teas Our pitch is that we’re in the upper middle ground.

We’re not a mass market product but we’re not seen as esoteric. We’re not frightened of teabags for example. One of the things with tea is that it’s quite a big learning curve for people. They want brands that will give them some really good reasons to buy them.

We talk a lot about provenance and production and do a lot of training so hopefully we are giving our customers the knowledge to sell a better product.

If someone takes our tea for the first time we offer a ‘buy four, get the fifth free’ incentive. That encourages them to give us some shelf space and allows them to take the English breakfast and Earl Grey that people want as well as something that shows more of a point of difference for us, for example our slightly lighter Indian Breakfast.

The premium tea sector is very strong. People may have certain economies but they can drink a cup of tea – a good cup of tea – for 12p. www.newbyteas.com

‘‘

speciality & fine food fair business than before through our distributors (Cotswold Fayre). That’s something we’ll be flagging up at the show: we want to demonstrate our flexibility.

I’m also going to start sending out half cases of products rather than just a couple of samples that may well be left on a desk unopened. That way, retailers can have a go at selling them and see how it goes. This will give them a better feel for the product and whether it works for them.

The shops that seem to be growing are butchers, fish shops and farm shops. This is where people are looking for traditional, good quality food and where our product – European cooking sauces and gravies – sell well. If a deli doesn’t sell fresh meat, then our product may not be a good fit. It’s important to be upfront with buyers. www.pottspartnership.co.uk

’’

“As cash flow gets tighter, people are being more careful with stockholding”

Alan Miller, marketing manager, Union HandRoasted You can’t just say, “We’ve got a great quality product and it’s in a nice bag so people will buy it”. We’ve always taken the view that you need to inform and excite the people you’re selling to and give them the knowledge to educate and excite their customers.

We do that by a number of means including retailer events and tastings around the country.

This year at Speciality we’re offering a starter pack aimed primarily at new accounts through our wholesaler network. Last year we did a floor-standing display unit, fully loaded with six coffees with tasting notes for an incentivised price, and we have something similar planned for top-end stores in 2012.

That kind of thing works really well as it’s attractive for the retailer, helping them get more out of the brand, and it helps us get on the shop floor. Packaging is one thing we really look at. Our purple pack has been quite iconic and we’re launching whole bean coffee in craft bags at the show.

Commodity prices have impacted on us massively.

’’ ‘‘

Michelle Potts, director and co-owner, Potts Partnership The feedback we’ve had from independents is that shelf and storage space is valuable.

We’ve always had quite a moderate minimum order and have always done small cases but we find some customers want to be able to ‘top up’ from distributors. As cash flow get tighter, people are being more careful with stockholding so we’re getting more

‘‘

The business is driven by the relationship with the producer, so our owners are out at origin very frequently, ensuring the strength of that relationship.

We’ve put price rises through as we’re not willing to substitute lower grade coffees. Sticking to that quality mantra is essential. www.unionroasted.com

’’

Duncan Hider, joint managing director, Hider Food Imports We see SFFF as a great opportunity to allow us to meet customers and suppliers alike. We’re actively encouraging our suppliers to come on our stands so they can talk directly to our customers and meet the rest of the Hider team. We’ve over 3,000 speciality products in stock so cannot profess to be 100% knowledgeable on all products at all times and therefore work closely with suppliers, encouraging them to be available for our customers to speak to them direct. This relaxed approach helps our suppliers create products and services aimed at the independent sector.

We’ve seen a good increase in turnover year on year. Christmas is looking good but with less commitment from some customers. Something that’s becoming a bigger issue is credit. Cash flow is clearly a problem for many customers. The challenges we face are the escalation of distribution costs and customers’ desire to reduce minimum order levels.

The combination isn’t good.

Raw material prices continue to cause a huge headache. Our customers value the fact that we have our own warehousing, distribution and production facility. As our fuel prices and overheads are increasing, we are investing heavily in technology to ensure we stay as competitive as possible. Some of our distribution fleet now use biodiesel from our cashew nut processing facility. www.hiderfoods.co.uk

‘‘

’’

“We’re actively encouraging suppliers to come on our stands to talk directly to our customers”

Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

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Fruity or Spicy?

Hand-made in the Garden of England www.thewoodenspoon.co.uk Tel: 01233 812 251

Bysel Ltd, an independent company based in Yorkshire, has been established for over 50 years manufacturing and distributing both sugar and chocolate confectionery throughout the UK, to all sectors of the industry.

Specialising not only in own manufactured products, but also sourcing of product from around the world to coincide with the important seasons of Christmas, Easter, Halloween and Valentines.

Bespoke manufacture and sourcing is a major part of our business.

We welcome you to our stand 350 to view and discuss your potential needs

www.byselcandy.com sales@byselcandy.com Bysel Ltd Selby House, Batley Road, Heckmondwike West Yorkshire WF16 9ND Tel: 01924 403857, Fax: 01924 405368 36

September 2011 路 Vol.12 Issue 8

preview 1 Saffron...........................................................106 3 Friends Food Group.......................................650 ACEITES VALLEJO ..........................................530 Adams & Harlow..............................................646 Adams Very Clever.........................................1168 Adesso Foods.................................................1145 Agnes Rose...............................................104 Agricola De Taddeo..........................................420 Agricola Sabatini................................................420 ALPE SRL.........................................................825 Amelia Rope Chocolate............................179 Anthony Rowcliffe & Son.........................779 Antica salumeria Curti.......................................420 Antonio Mattei Biscottificio Srl...........................959 Antton Chocolatier...........................................869 Apulia Blend.............................................260 Aran Candy......................................................615 Argentine Embassy............................................233 Armajaro Holdings Ltd......................................585 Artisan Biscuits..................................................560 Ashbourne Foods Ltd........................................339 Ashers Bakery...................................................612 Asiri Foods..................................................60 Aspall Cyder.....................................................449 ATTIVA srl........................................................825 Auntieji's Kitchen LLP..........................................30 Autore Srl.........................................................288 Azienda agricola Ferruccio Iannarilli....................420 Azienda Agricola Poggio Alle Frasche...................28 AZIENDA AGRICOLA ROSSET s.s..................825 Azienda Agricola San Pietro a Pettine.................229 Azienda Agricola Santo Iolo...............................420 Ballancourt.............................................1048 Baravelli's..........................................................386 Barthouil...........................................................869 Baruzzo Ltd......................................................486 BEAR Nibbles.................................................1084 Belhaven Fruit Farm................................620

Bell and Loxton LLP...............................755/f Bells Of Lazonby Ltd.........................................838 Belvoir Fruit Farms Ltd............................648 Beneoliva............................................................10 Bespoke Foods..........................................904 Best Imports Ltd...............................................945 Biddenden Vineyards Ltd..................................543 Birdfood Ltd.......................................................40 Biscottea...........................................................908 Biscuiterie FILET BLEU.....................................804 Biscuiterie Jules Destrooper..............................269 Bizerba (UK) Ltd.............................................1075 Bloom Teas Ltd.........................................163 Bon Bons Ltd....................................................788 Bonifanti.........................................................1032 Bookham Fine Foods Ltd................................1079 Bord Bia (Irish Food Board)...................... 615, 613 Born To Be Yummy Ltd..............................34 Bramble Foods..................................................984 Bramley and Gage Ltd..........................755/d Branche d'Olive................................................413 Breckland Orchard............................................446 BRETAGNE INTERNATIONALE......................804 Britanic Commerce Ltd.....................................102 Brown Bag Crisps.............................................111 Burtree Puddings.....................................643 Burts Potato Chips Ltd......................................855 Buttermilk Confections Ltd.............................743/a Bysel Ltd...........................................................350 Calico Cottage................................................1046 California Rancher..................................1176 Calvors Brewery...............................................550 Cambus O May Cheese Company Ltd.............612 Camera di Commercio di Terni.........................420 Candiasoil...........................................................98 Capital Coffee Roasters...................................1071 Carmarthenshire County Council......................625 CARRASCO, Guijuelo......................................530

EDITE CR

R

D

Who’s at Olympia this year?

Guild of Fine Food members shown in bold type

AC

speciality & fine food fair

S U P LI E P

Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding Co Ltd...............637 CASTAING FOIES GRAS..................................713 Cave Direct .....................................................925 Caviar Nacarii.................................................1047 Cawston Press..................................................545 CCI Bayonne Pays Basque....................... 969, 869 CCI DU LOT...................................................821 CCS Estates......................................................612 Celtic Marches Beverages Ltd.................544 Chaat-tastic Tamarind Sauce................................44 Chancham..........................................................12 Chapman's Finest Fishcakes.......................70 Chase Distillery.................................................438 Chegworth Valley Juices.........................1146 Cheshire Farm Chips................................734 Chilled Packaging...............................................355 Chiltern Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil.................119 Chocdock Ltd...................................................384 CHOCOLAT MATHEZ....................................713 Chocolate and Love Ltd...........................280 Chocolaterie Genaveh S.A................................372 Choi Time Teas Ltd................................1156 Churchill's Confectionery Ltd............................688 CIBELE.............................................................713 Claire Macdonald Foods....................................520 Classic Fine Foods UK Ltd.................................570 COCINAVAR S.L. . ..........................................530 Cole's Traditional Foods Ltd..............................330 Compass Spirits................................................154 Comune & Camera di Commercio di Terni......420 Conscious Food (UK) Ltd....................................86 CONSERVERIE MINERVE................................804 Consett Popcorn Company Ltd........................639 Cook Trading Ltd......................................503 Cookies and Scream...........................................64 Cooleeney Farm...............................................615

New to the show: African Biscuit Company

Breakfast beskuits The African Biscuit Company has to be one of the best prepared exhibitors at this year’s SFFF. Owner Sue Price has been working towards the show for the past 12 months, as she is using it as the official launch-pad for her beskuits, a staple found in every South African grocery store alongside rooibos tea, biltong and maize meal.

“I launched the company last April on a small scale to test whether my beskuits would work in the UK,” she says. “Last year the business was fairly new and I wasn’t at a stage to support any subsequent interest that might have come out of attending a trade show.”

She says she has spent the best part of this year getting her packaging up to scratch and working with a local Dorset bakery to ensure they can make her beskuits on a commercial

scale as well as she can make them in her own converted bakery.

“I recognise there will be lots of leads as a result of exhibiting, so I need to be able to follow them up, turn them into orders and deliver. I’ve got one chance at launching into a growing but competitive biscuit market.”

Price is also keen to raise awareness of what beskuits are – given that the majority of people in the UK have probably never heard of the South African biscuits. For the uninitiated, beskuits are a kind of sub-Saharan relative of the Italian biscotti and Dutch beschuit. They are made from flour, sugar and buttermilk and are twice-baked to create a crunchy biscuit that is ‘buttery and creamy, but not too sweet’.

The range includes a beskuit for every time of day – Big Breakfast Beskuit, Posh Poppy &

Lemon, Sunny Seeds & Raisin, Delightful Date & Walnut, Plush Pecan, White Choc & Cranberry and Fruity Fruit & Spice – although Price is particularly keen to crack the breakfast market. “In South Africa we eat them at any time but they are best with that first cup of tea or coffee.” www. theafrican biscuitcompany. co.uk Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

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A complete range of manual, semi-automatic & fully automatic slicers suitable for sausages, ham, bacon, smoked - roast - fresh & stuffed meats, parma - sarreno & other speciality hams and cheese K-Class Touchscreen scales integrate all the key retail tasks weighing, cash-till functions, advertising, printing and advising in a single solution. They follow a consistent modular concept and are available in range of models and equipment. Probably to most attractive combination of technically possible with the economically desireable.

visit us on Stand 1075 at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair 4-6 September, London Olympia Bizerba Slicers offer greater yield, quicker clean down, better quality slices time after time and give a fantastic return on investment; compared to other models on the market, Bizerba Slicers can offer a payback as quickly as year one. Bizerba’s design & build quality ensures the machines last longer added to which they are safe to operate & sleek in design with less food traps, ensuring the Bizerba Slicer is the most hygenic in the market.

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September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

BIZERBA (UK) Limited, Eastman Way, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP2 7DU Tel: 01442 240751 Fax: 01442 231328 Email: info@bizerba.co.uk Web: www.bizerba.co.uk

preview COOPERATIVA PRODUTTORI LATTE E FONTINA........................................................825 Coopérative Laitière du Pays Basque.................869 Corkers Crisps..................................................687 Corretto Suite S.r.l. socio unico.........................879 CORTIJO DE SUERTE ALTA S.L .....................530 Cotswold Fayre.........................................430 Cottage Delight Limited..........................675 Country Fare............................................737 Crazy Baker......................................................165 CRDOP PIMENTON DE LA VERA .................530 Cream O'Galloway Dairy Co Ltd...........1108 Creative Baking Co. by Holly Cupcakes..............56 Creme D'Or Ltd...............................................479 Cresson Creative..............................................642 Crush Food........................................................74 Cupboard Love..............................................1129 Curry Cuisine Ltd...................................1172 D'Issa..............................................................1010 D.O.P. DEHESA DE EXTREMADURA .............630 Darvilles of Windsor.................................507 Davenport's Chocolates....................................193 David Oliver Fine Foods.........................1082 DE PRADO .....................................................530 Delicioso UK Ltd......................................224 Delicious Fine Foods.................................781 Denhay Farms Ltd..........................................755/j

speciality & fine food fair DESTREL.........................................................821 Devon Cottage Organic Fudge............................48 Dibal UK Ltd.....................................................909 Dilmah Tea.......................................................910 Discover the Origin..........................................677 Distillerie des Terres Rouges..............................249 Diversi Foods NV.............................................360 Divine Deli Supplies Ltd....................................783 DOMAINE DU BOIS GENTIL.........................713 Dorset Farms.................................................645/d DP Connolly & Sons . ......................................615 Easy Bean................................................645/f Ecos Beverages LLC.........................................927 Elsinore Foods Ltd............................................246 EM Create Concept..........................................374 Emmett's Store.................................................548 ENCOMIENDA DE CERVERA ........................630 ENVASADOS EVA S.A. (EVA GROUP) ............530 Exportiamo...............................................247 Fairfayre............................................................787 Fairfields Farm Crisps.........................................451 FareShare.........................................................116 Farrah's of Harrogate.........................................340 Farrington's MELLOW YELLOW . .........1135 Fattoria Le Poggette..........................................420 Fattorie Umbre srl............................................420 Fauchon............................................................385

FIAB Exterior, S.L..................................... 630, 530 Filberts Fine Foods Ltd..........................1039 Findlaters Fine Foods of Linlithgow Ltd..612 Fine Food Digest......................................759 Fine Ice Cream Co...........................................447 Fish4Ever........................................................1063 Fivemiletown Creamery..................................1060 FLORA TEA COMPANY UK LTD............147 FOLKINGTON'S JUICES..................................434 Food arte..........................................................241 FoodLovers Britain Ltd......................................789 FRANCE ALIMENTAIRE...................................713 Frank's Luxury Biscuits.......................................239 Fresh Eric's Cake Co Ltd.................................1069 FROMAGERIE HAUT VAL D'AYAS...................825 FROMAGERIE XAVIER.....................................821 Fudge Kitchen...........................................433 Furniss Of Cornwall..................................845 Gadsby Basketware...........................................669 Galeta...............................................................272 Galway Bay Seafoods........................................615 Giacobazzi UK Ltd............................................839 Gilchesters Organics................................744 Gino Gelato Ltd................................................942 Giuliano Tartufi..................................................902 Glenfinlas Coffee.......................................266 Glenilen Farm Ltd....................................353

t hur sday cot tage

The Finest Preserves for a Perfect Christmas

Greengage Jam and Bitter Orange Marmalade were both awarded one Gold Star, building on the Fruit Coulis success last year.

Come and see us and taste them on stand 885 at this year’s Speciality Fine Food Show in September.

01621 814529 www.thursday-cottage.com

Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

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July2011-GMFINAL-awards_Layout 1 09/08/2011 10:20 Page 1

gold 11

gold 11

gold 11

2011

OUR AWARD WINNING FAMILY OF COFFEES gold 11

gold 11

gold 11

Great tasting coffees...and don’t just take our word for it.

The Grumpy Mule family of coffees has grown and this year we are pleased to announce award winners across our Relationship, Fairtrade Organic and Micro Lot ranges.

stand 760

Come and visit us on at The Speciality & Fine Food Fair 2011.

The Roastery Bent Ley Industrial Estate Holmfirth, HD9 4EP

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

www.grumpymule.co.uk

OUR SPE C I AL I T Y. ..

Luscombe Drinks are crafted in deepest Devon with exceptional care and integrity. Be it our awardwinning Ginger Beers, Sicilian Lemonade or Apple and Pear juice, the ingredients are sourced from growers we know and trust. We never compromise and put only the best in the bottle.

If you’ve not tried them before, come and see us on stand 121 at the Speciality and Fine Food Fair and taste them for yourself. Alternatively, call us for some samples of our full range.

T. 01364 64 30 36

w w w. l u s c o m b e . c o . u k

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September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

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speciality & fine food fair

Glennans...................................................790 Gluten Free Goodies Limited..............................82 Gnaw Chocolate..............................................371 GODARD-CHAMBON & MARREL.................821 Godminster Vintage..............................743/b Gordon Rhodes.........................................537 Goupie.............................................................145 Gourmet Vanilla Company..............................1155

New to the show: Agnes Rose

Gourmet''s Choice............................................620 Graces Irish Biscuits.............................................38 Gran Stead's Ginger Ltd..........................245 Green Farm Foods............................................615 Green's of Glastonbury...................................1180 Greengold..........................................................66 Grumpy Mule............................................760 Guilbert's Chocolates Ltd..................................588

Guild of Fine Food....................................759 Gustosecco.......................................................833 Hadley's Dairy...........................................448 Hames Chocolates Ltd.....................................609 Harp & Lyre..............................................641 Hawkshead Relish Company....................633 Heart Of England Fine Foods................... 544, 444 HF Chocolates..................................................686

A lil’ fruity number

Agnes Rose’s fruit vinegars are currently sold in around 20 outlets, mainly in the north west of England, and owner Naomi Darbishire is hoping that exhibiting at the SFFF will provide a platform for meeting prospective stockists. “It’s the place to be – it’s good for networking with other producers and meeting buyers. I’m hoping to get more stockists, whether hamper companies, delis or farm shops,” she says.

The fair coincides with a nationwide distribution deal with Delicious Fine Foods, which Darbishire says should ensure that retailers across the country can get their hands on her vinegars.

She is not, however, looking to court the multiples.

“I don’t want to sell out to supermarkets,” she says. “I’m an artisan; I taste every batch before it is bottled and to make it more mechanically would lose the essence of what I’m about.”

This is, after all, a venture born out of a love of cooking. “I’ve always made chutneys, jellies and jams for gifts, then one year I had loads of blackberries left over so I dug out an old vinegar recipe of my grandmother’s and within a few weeks I had developed an entire range,” she says. “I left my job, sold my house and on May 15 last year, started production in my parents’ pantry.”

The business now resides in a food production unit in Kendal, and produces red and white wine-based blackberry, damson, strawberry and blackcurrant fruit vinegars, as well as

rosemary, lemon and garlic oils. The vinegars retail at £4.30 for 100ml and £6.50 for 250ml while the oils retail at £3.60 for 100ml and £4.95 for 250ml.

Darbishire is also using SFFF as an opportunity to launch four new products to the trade. “I wanted to make some vinegars that were more local and specialist,” she explains. “So I’m producing a strawberry balsamic and a damson balsamic, both using local honey, and a cider vinegar with local honey but with damsons as well for an extra edge. I’m also launching a chipotle oil.” www.agnesrose.co.uk

Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

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September 2011 路 Vol.12 Issue 8

preview Hider Food Imports Ltd...........................985 Higher Nature..................................................419 Highland Spring.................................................620 Hisaki Snacks..................................................1162 Home Interiors...............................................1120 HOT DIGGIDY DOG Ltd................................625 House of Dorchester............................. 743/c House Of Sarunds....................................670 Hungarian Investment and Trade Agency (HITA) 470 Hydropac.........................................................412 I dolci di Orvieto...............................................420 I Love FY Frozen Yogurt..................................1164 Il Gelato di Ariela..............................................784 Inka Snacks.......................................................143 Inverawe Smokehouses............................620 Island Bakery Organics......................................520 J E Wilson & Sons Ltd.......................................680 J&L Grubb........................................................615 James Chocolates.............................................286 James White Drinks Ltd...........................552 Jamones Juan Pedro Domecq ..........................630 JEAN HENAFF..................................................804 Jersey Dairy......................................................800 Joe & Seph's Gourmet Popcorn........................454 JUST OIL...................................................841 Kabuto Noodles...............................................833 Karimix UK Ltd........................................690

speciality & fine food fair Kent & Fraser...........................................833 Kent's Kitchen...................................................940 Kitchen Garden Foods Ltd.......................871 Koppert Cress B.V.............................................301 K Shocolat........................................................572 Kuching Herbal...........................................14 L'Orchidee Specials Ltd.....................................169 La Bandiera Limited.................................210 La Brasserie Historique de l'Abbaye du Cateau 925 La Fromagerie..........................................153 La Mare Vineyards Ltd......................................259 La Panzanella, LLC............................................913 La Tua Pasta......................................................237 LA VALDOTAINE SRL......................................825 Lactacores, UCRL.............................................685 Lakeland Computers Systems Ltd.........1070 Lakenham Creamery Limited..................456 Lane Farm Country Foods.......................452 Larchwood Foods Ltd ......................................546 Laura's Chocolates......................................92 Lawncourt Harvest Ltd (Munchy Seeds)............549 Le Chocolate....................................................171 Le Mesurier's Ltd............................................1152 Leigh Farm............................................................1 Les 2 Marmottes.................................................09 LES BIERES DU GRAND ST. BERNARD..........825 Les Vergers d'Escoute.......................................969

Lewis & Cooper Ltd.................................534 Link Print & Packaging Ltd..................................975 Little Devil........................................................833 Little Melton Gourmet Yogurt...........................450 Little Rose Bakery Ltd.............................644 Little's Ltd.........................................................411 Lizzie''s Hand Made..........................................633 London Condiment Co. Ltd.............................156 LPV International...............................................538 Lucullus...........................................................1060 Luscombe Organic Drinks........................121 Lyme Bay Winery..................................755/k Madrona Speciality Foods..................................225 Make Us A Brew Tea Company Ltd..................939 Mamore Boucherie & Charcuterie....................620 Mangajo Drinks Company.................................638 Manor Chocolates............................................183 Maxim's de Paris SAPP......................................356 Maximacs Ltd....................................................316 Maynard House Orchards Apple Juice.............1170 Mediterranean Direct..............................262 Mellas Fudge . ..................................................615 Midfields Granola................................................88 Mileevin Fine Foods..........................................615 Monte Porrino .................................................530 Moo Free Chocolate.........................................475 Mother's Garden.........................................02

Vol.12 Issue 8 路 September 2011

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‘Sin’ - The gluten free chocolate brownie and cake range made with passion that delivers on taste and quality. Dairy free also available.

Samples and information available on Stand 82.

Gluten Free Goodies Limited Tel: 020 8304 3884 / 07596 016804 www.glutenfreegoodies.co.uk

Real JerseyLuxury

SOFT MIX & SCOOP ICE CREAM

Jersey Dairy Luxury Ice Cream comes from Pedigree Jersey Cows on the Island of Jersey, free from artificial flavours and preservatives.

Now available through wholesale UK and Northern Ireland.

500ml

125ml

CMYK VERSIONS

Contact Liam Whelan, Export Sales Manager on 01534 818545 or Email: liam.whelan@jerseydairy.je • www.jerseydairy.je

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September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

PANTONE VERSIONS

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speciality & fine food fair

Mrs Heskeths....................................444, 544 Mummy's Yummies.........................................1137 Mums Exotic Sauces.......................................1182 My Cup of Tea UK Ltd......................................230 Natasha''s Living Kitchen....................................615 National Association For The Speciality Food Trade, Inc. ( N.A.S.F.T)................................................256 National Farmers' Union.................................1062

New English Teas Ltd......................................1016 New Vision Packaging Limited...........................971 New York Delhi................................................270 Newby Teas (UK) Ltd...............................876 Nisi's..........................................................139 Nudo Ltd.......................................................1045 Nutty Tarts Gifts & Goodies Ltd........................152 Odysea Ltd................................................917

Ogilvys.......................................................505 Olives Et Al............................................645/a Orchard Pig......................................................833 Orexis Fresh Foods Ltd.....................................801 Organico Realfoods......................1059, 1063 Original Beans...................................................833

New to the show: Asiri Foods

Secrets of Sri Lanka A visit to Asiri Foods’ booth will surely be an education for most visitors – Sri Lankan has to be one of the lesser known Asian cuisines in the UK. However, sauce and condiment producer Asiri Foods is on a mission to change that – it has secured a listing with its local Waitrose, made it to the finals of several business awards, won a bursary to exhibit at the BBC Good Food Show and featured in The Guardian – all since it was founded a year ago.

The Malvern-based business hopes to gain exposure for its chutneys and pickles at the SFFF as well as launching a range of sauces that are ‘low fat, quick to prepare and with a very authentic flavour’.

“I am therefore looking for a larger customer base and some distributors,” says Asiri Hall.

Hall is the company’s chef. Before founding Asiri Foods with her husband and two sons, she worked for a food industry multi-national. However, she says it is only since starting her own business that she’s realised what a good cook she is.

There are two cooking sauces in the new range: a tomato-based sauce and a curry sauce with 68% yogurt. Both contain a blend of Sri Lankan spices and ingredients, including coriander, cumin, ginger, fennel, cinnamon, mustard seeds, cardamom, curry leaves, cloves, turmeric and garlic.

The sauces will come in two jar sizes – one providing two servings and the other designed for a family of four. There are more details in our Shelf Talk section, but the RRP will be £2.50 for the smaller jar

and £3.95 for the larger one.

At the SFFF, the company will also be pushing its Brinjal Pickle, Spicy Beetroot & Orange Chutney, Spicy Pineapple & Walnut Chutney and Rhubarb Date & Cranberry Chutney. www.asirifoods.co.uk

Olives Et Al eat more and live very happily

Pistachio Ice Cream

Honeycomb Crunch Ice Cream

Liquorice Ice Cream

Mandarin, Lime & Basil Sorbet

“The best bought ice cream available” James Martin featured our Honeycomb on Saturday Kitchen, declaring it to be the best bought ice cream available”

Simply Ice Cream is lovingly hand made in the heart of rural Kent, using only the very best and freshest local ingredients.

The result is intensely indulgent and unlike any ice cream you will have tasted before – simply heaven on a spoon!

T 01233 720922 M 07796 653890 E info@simplyicecream.co.uk www.simplyicecream.co.uk

Visit our website to see our award-winning flavours!

gold Everything that glitters is not gold.

It just might be our Olives, Nuts, Sauces, Snacks and Dressings.

Come and see our 14 Great Taste Gold 2011 Award Winners at the Speciality Fine Food Fair.

Find us on stand 645/A in The Taste of the West Pavilion

We’d love to talk and see what we can do to help your business succeed. After all, it’s what we do.

01258 474300 sales@olivesetal.co.uk olivesetal.co.uk

Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

45

AWARD-WINNING SINGLE-ESTATE EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

Award Winning Wines, Liqueurs and Ciders • Great Gifts • Complex wines • Delicious Tipples • Moreish treats

The Lyme Bay Winery is proud to present four new products for Christmas 2011 and the Speciality Show – • Gooseberry Sparkling Fruit Wine – a very special wine, available in limited supply.

Complex and well balanced.

• Quince Wine – a delicate wine with aromas of pears, lemon and honey.

• Strawberry Liqueur – delicate strawberry indulgence intermingled with brandy.

• Blueberry Reserve Liqueur – handmade in small batches using handpicked whole fruit, steeped on vodka with a small amount of sugar – a truly luxurious take on a new English favourite.

Discover La Bandiera Premium Olive Oil

Connoisseurs of olive oil will delight in tasting the exceptional extra virgin olive oil from La Bandiera. This delicious olive oil is produced in the traditional wine growing area of Bolgheri on the Tuscan coast – home of the Super Tuscan vineyards of Ornellaia and Sassicaia.

The team at La Bandiera continues to use the traditional methods of selecting the best time to harvest the olives to ensure the acidity level is low thereby creating the perfect blend. The result is a smooth yet full-bodied olive oil, endorsed by the IGP in recognition of its quality and origin.

A recent winner in the 2011 Great Taste Awards, La Bandiera olive oil is available for delivery throughout the UK in sizes ranging from 250ml bottles up to 5 litre cans.

Visit www.labandiera.eu or call 0207 243 5150

a on Vis & t th sta it u Fi e nd s ne Sp 4 Fo eci 34 od ali Fa ty ir

The Lyme Bay Winery, Shute, Axminster, Devon EX13 7PW Tel 01297 551 355 · sales@lymebaywinery.co.uk www.lymebaywinery.co.uk

• Rapeseed Oil • Infused Oils • Stir Fry Oil • Salad Dressings • Mayonnaises • Hollandaise Sauce • Sunflower Oil

Just Oil is produced by the Froggatt Family on their farm in Hill Ridware in the heart of Staffordshire. Anthony Froggatt and his family are the fourth generation to farm at Wade Lane Farm. The farm is part of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and it has entered into a large and diverse selection of environmental schemes, including turning a large area back into marshland.

PROVENANCE, AUTHENTICITY, QUALITY

For more information call us on (01543) 493081 or email enquiries@justoil.co.uk

Winner of numerous awards from HEFF, RASE and Guild of Fine Foods

Just Rapeseed Oil Winner of Taste Category

Mustard, Chilli & Ginger Just Salad Dressing

Just Mayonnaise with Lemon Zest

Just Cold Oak-Smoked Rapeseed Oil

Just Rapeseed Oil

Our home grown potatoes are sliced with their skins on and batch cooked in our award winning cold pressed rapeseed oil. Rapeseed oil contains 35% less saturated fat than sunflower oil.

Just Crisps are the latest addition to our growing range of Just products which includes our Just Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil, recently awarded two stars in the Great Taste Awards, and is grown, farmed and cold pressed on our farm in the heart of Staffordshire as well as a range of Infused Oils, a Stir Fry Oil, Salad Dressings, a Balsamic Dipping Oil, Mayonnaises and a Hollandaise Sauce.

September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

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EW

Visit us at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair on Stand 841 Alternatively you can call us on 01543 493081 or email us at enquiries@justoil.co.uk

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Visit our website: For more information on our products, recipe ideas and for details of your local stockists, please visit our websites at www.justoil.co.uk and www.justcrisps.co.uk

Metro Drinks Limited, The Workshop, Endlewick House, Arlington, East Sussex +44 (0) 1323 485602 · info@metrodrinks.co.uk · www.folkingtons.com

preview Ouse Valley Foods....................................329 Pandora Bell......................................................615 Pariès................................................................869 Pasta Rotini & Rubini.........................................420 Pastapiù............................................................420 Pasticceria Grilli.................................................420 Paxton & Whitfield................................ 755/c Pazzaglia Italian Pastry Shop...............................420 PEBEYRE SAS...................................................821 Pelagonia............................................................42 Pensiero Diverso Ltd......................................1127 PENTIC PRICE TICKETING....................937 Peppersmith......................................................207 Perles de Gascogne..........................................969 Perry Court Farm............................................1138 PESCADOS PCS S.L .......................................630 Peter Popple’s Popcorn..............................18 PIMENTO HILL.................................................50 Pink’s Organics...........................................62 Pipers Crisps Ltd......................................634 Plush Chocolates..............................................387 Ponteggia Winery..............................................420 Potted Game Company......................................76 Potts Partnership.............................................1144 PRECOCINADOS FUENTETAJA ....................630 Prestat..............................................................276 Primera Technology Europe..............................217

speciality & fine food fair Products from Spain Ltd..................................1017 Providence Organics Coffee............................1153 Puddings and Pies..................................755/h Pure Brazil .......................................................951 PURE Chocolate Truffles...................................190 Quex Foods......................................................547 Quick Crepes..............................................73 Quickes Traditional Ltd.........................645/e R H Packaging Ltd.............................................307 Radovan Petrovic..............................................159 RB Ceramics.......................................................54 RB Distribution Ltd...........................................117 REAL CONSERVERA ESPAÑOLA, S.L. ...........630 Red Star Chocolate...........................................181 REGIONE VALLE D'AOSTA..............................825 Reids of Caithness.............................................520 Remmerco.......................................................240 RENDEZ VOUS GASTRONOMIQUE.............804 Retail Computer Solutions.......................770 REVISAN IBERICOS ........................................630 Rhug Estate.............................................. 625, 725 Ribbons and Cakes...........................................174 Ringden Farm Apple Juice Ltd............................338 RJF Farhi Limited...............................................380 Rococo Chocolates...........................................375 Rod & Bens...............................................333 ROSE PRESSION.............................................821

ROUZAIRE SA.................................................713 Rude Health ....................................................214 S.A BRUNET....................................................821 Safety & Hygiene Management Ltd...................161 Salcombe Dairy (UK) Ltd...............................755/b Salento (UK) Ltd...............................................600 Samways Fine Food Distribution.............415 Sapphire Brands Ltd..........................................349 SARL Bardjem Import/ Export.........................1081 SAS VALETTE...................................................821 SAVEURS ET NATURE.....................................713 Scarlet Bakes.....................................................640 Scianca salami factory........................................420 Scotland Food & Drink..................... 620, 612, 520 Scrumshus Granola Ltd.......................................41 Seggiano....................................................980 Serious Pig......................................................1114 Seven Refrigeration.........................................1186 Shellfish De La Mer...........................................615 Shelton Imports..............................................1118 Sherston Tea Company..........................1133 Shetland Products.............................................620 Shire Foods East Anglia Limited.......................1004 Shortbread House of Edinburgh..............612 Simple Simons Perfect Pies................................612 Simply Distribution Ltd....................................1029 Simply Ice Cream Ltd............................1029

Add some Spanish flavour to your Christmas selections...

We smoked salmon for the state dinner at Dublin Castle on the occasion of the Queen’s visit to Ireland 2011

Delicioso offers a wide range of gourmet Spanish products, from hams and charcuterie to sweets, biscuits and some great gift ideas, with no minimum order and UK-wide delivery See us on stand 468 at the fair or contact us on 01865 340055 for more information

Speciality Importer of the Year 2008 telephone 01865 340055 | info@delicioso.co.uk | www.delicioso.co.uk

Award Winning Burren Smoked Irish Organic Salmon.

Supplying Speciality Food Shops Worldwide.

Visit us on Stand 288 London Speciality & Fine Food Fair. www.burrensmokehouse.ie

T: + 353 65 7074432 M: +353 87 822 4173 F: +353 65 7074303 Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

47

* Traditionally matured on spruce boards

A distinctive nutty taste with a sweet finish Suitable for vegetarians Gold Award for Hard cheese suitable for vetegarians at the International Cheese Awards, 2010 For more information, contact Jerome Reignier jreignier@entremont.com - Tel. 07929418672

Avery Berkel XT Scales incorporating ‘Dimension Pro’ Software XT is designed to provide all the functionality specialist retailers demand from a PC system scale. Coupled with ‘Dimension Pro’ software, this will provide the complete POS and back-office solution for the independent food retailer.

• Invoices, Statements & Delivery Notes • Stock Control • Sales Reports & Margin Analysis • Customer Price Lists • Shelf-Edge Labelling

‘Dimension Pro’ Software

Visit u Stand 9s on 03 Contact us: South Coast Systems on 01825 732497 orders@southcoastsystems.co.uk 48

September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

preview Slovene Food....................................................313 Snowdonia Cheese Company Ltd....625, 725 Solleys Farms Ice Cream Ltd...........................1080 Sopexa............................................ 821, 804, 713 SOPEXA...........................................................804 South Coast Systems...............................903 Speciality Breads.............................................1089 Speciality Food Magazine.................................1125

speciality & fine food fair Speciality Food Traders Ltd................................606 Spencerfield Spirit...........................................1108 Spice Mountain...................................................32 Spicentice Ltd.................................................1040 ST ROCH SRL.................................................825 Stoats Porridge Bars Ltd....................................620

Stokes Sauces (Essfoods).........................671 Subhi Jabri & Sons.............................................506 Sugargrain Free From Bakehouse......................155 Suma Wholefoods Limited.......................437 Sussex Gold......................................................841 Sweet Creations...............................................487

New to the show: I Love FY

A cool customer

tried it, their perceptions of frozen yogurt were immediately changed.

“I Love FY is unlike any other frozen yogurt on the market. It’s not fat-free but it’s lower fat than ice cream. It’s almost a hybrid - a frozen yogurt with the creamy decadence of ice cream but with significantly less fat and fewer calories. It’s set to change the way that people see frozen yogurt.” Diamond believes there is a real opportunity to develop the frozen yogurt market in the UK, which, she says, is small in comparison to other European countries.

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The SFFF is seen as a platform “to convince influential distributors and buyers to supplement their existing ranges with something a bit different”.

I Love FY is gluten-free, suitable for vegetarians and has no artificial colours or flavourings. It is available in 100ml and 500ml tubs, with an RRP of £1.79 and £4.99. It is initially launching in four flavours: Berry Believe It, Vanilla But Thina, The Chocoholic’s Choice and The Honeycomb Effect, and they are already working on new flavours. www.ilovefy.com

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Since starting up last May, frozen yogurt business I Love FY has done several consumer shows but this year’s SFFF is the first time it has taken its ‘decadent’ frozen yogurts to a trade audience.

“We spent much of last summer attending festivals and fairs with the aim of gaining feedback on the taste and branding of our frozen yogurt,” says Mandy Diamond, head of business development at Somerset-based I Love FY. At these shows one of the challenges was persuading consumers who had previously tried fat-free, natural tasting frozen yogurts to sample their ‘luxury’ frozen yogurt.

“People would walk past our stand, thinking they didn’t like frozen yogurt,” says Diamond. “Once they

roducts 200

1

MUSTARD SEED OILS THE HEALTHY OILTERNATIVE

65% LESS

Saturated Fat than Olive Oil

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Omega 3 than Olive Oil TWO Award-Winning varieties High in Vitamin E High Smoke point Kosher Certified

Full details can be seen @ www.uncleroys.co.uk/brochure/index.html Or call us - 01683 221076 Or see us - SFF Stand 612/14 Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

49

Pink Salt from “the Salt Seller” Every body needs whole salt!

“the Salt Seller” is run by Lenni Smith and it is one of the most successful natural salt brands in the UK, her pink salt is now a favourite with trade buyers across the country . . . it's brand benefits are many:

Eco-friendly – paper labels and printing ink, compostable 300g bags

and it's pink too!!

the Salt Seller Ltd The Salt House, 24 Foley Estate, Hereford, HR1 2SF. Tel: 01432 355 136 Mob: 07828 046 616 sales@thesaltseller.co.uk www.thesaltseller.co.uk For Volume Food Service and Manufacturing visit: www.salariumargentum.co.uk

Handmade with passion

embellish with relish

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Suitable FOR: • vegetarians • vegans • coeliacs FREE from: • artificial flavours • colourings • preservatives • gluten • nuts

T: +44 (0)1628 520 927 E: enquiries@originalcandyco.com W: www.chocca-mocca.com

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015394 36614 info@hawksheadrelish.com The Square, Hawkshead, Cumbria, UK LA22 ONZ

NO minimum order

www.hawksheadrelish.com

September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8 Fine Food World 100 x 141.5mm issue: July 2011-V12i7

preview Sweet Freedom........................................541 SweetiLicious....................................................172 Taifas SA...........................................................253 Tartuflanghe......................................................847 Taste of the West Ltd .645, 645/a, 645/c, 645/d, 645/e, 645/f, 743, 743/a, 743/b, 743/c, 743/d, 755, 755/b, .

755/c, 755/d, 755/e, 755/f, 755/g, 755/h, 755/j, 755/k Taylor Davis Ltd................................................502 Taywell Ice Creams Ltd..........................1085 Tea Ltd.............................................................931 Team Vale Sàrl..................................................185 teapigs Limited.......................................1034 TEGOLERIA ARTIGIANALE VALDOSTANA.....825 Tentazioni uk ltd................................................955 Teoni's Cookies.................................................833 Terra Natura...................................................1119 Terra Rossa.............................................1117 The Teashed.....................................................112 The African Biscuit Company Ltd.........1160 The Artisan Bakery................................1134 The Awfully Posh Snack Company..........158 The Bay Tree Food Company..................833 The Burren Smokehouse..................................615 The Carved Angel..................................1014 The Cornish Jute Bag Company........................334 The Country Victualler............................551 The Cracking Good Food Company..........46 The Dessert Depot..........................................612 The Devon Cream Company...................216 The Dorset Ginger Company........................755/g The Fine Cheese Co. ......................................560 The Fine Confectionery Company Ltd..............480 The Fresh Olive Company................................776

speciality & fine food fair The Fresh Pasta Company.......................325 The Garlic Farm.....................................1044 The Gift of Oil...........................................109 The Ginger Pig..................................................944 The Gourmet Chocolate Pizza Co....................175 The Grown Up Chocolate Company...............473 The Handmade Fudge Shop..........................645/c The Holywell Water Company Ltd...................180 The InkREADible Label Company.........1148 The Kandula Tea Company....................1166 The London Tea Company Ltd................347 The Metropolitan Tea Company Ltd.................234 The Original Candy Co...........................1025 The Original Drinks & Food Co Ltd..................314 The Pantry / Mounat Al Barakah........................771 The Patchwork Traditional Food Co.......625 The Real Champagne Company.......................114 The Tomato Stall.............................................1140 The Topping Pie Company.......................531 The Tracklement Co Ltd.......................755/e The Village Workshop.....................................1141 The Walnut Tree.............................................1159 The Wooden Spoon..................................320 THOMAS-EXPORT.........................................713 Thursday Cottage Ltd..............................885 TIANA Fair Trade Organics Ltd.........................308 Tilly Confectionery Ltd......................................520 Tini Pastries.......................................................420 Tom's Pies......................................................743/d Total Food Marketing...............................725 Totally Terroir Ltd....................................108 Treflach Farm..................................................1143 Tri River Foods Ltd............................................212

Trioni Ltd..........................................................625 Troots Ltd...........................................................72 Truffle Corner...................................................149 Truffle Hunter...................................................167 Tubby's Packaging................................................58 TUXEDOPRUGNO Ltd...................................879 Tyrrells Potato Chips................................544 Uncle Roys Comestible Concoctions.......612 Une Normande a Londres Ltd........................1076 Union Hand-Roasted Coffee..................1037 Vallebona Ltd....................................................601 Valnerina Tartufi ...............................................420 Vanillabazaar.com................................................80 Veru Truly Sicilian.......................................16 Very Food.........................................................809 Villanova Food Ltd....................................859 Virginia Health Food Ltd....................................615 Vita Coco.......................................................1084 Walkers Shortbread Ltd..........................620 WBC Ltd...................................................408 Welsh Government................................. 725, 625 Wenlock Spring.................................................544 Wicks Manor Farm............................................445 William Reed Business Media............................894 William Santus & Company Limited...................736 Willie's World Class Cacao................................279 Wimblehurst Chocolates...................................186 Your Piece Baking Company....................520 Yum Yum Bros Food Co.................................1038 ZaraMama Popcorn..................................833 Zaytoun CIC......................................................08 Zotter Schokoladen Manufaktur GmbH............586

New to the show: Galeta

Smart cookies

Don’t be fooled by the name: Galeta isn’t a Spanish biscuit maker – or a Turkish one for that matter. Cofounders Ben Stone and Joe Bevan “just liked the name”.

The West London company does sell Portuguese custard tarts (‘Pastis de Nata’ and ‘Galeta Nata’), which are made for Galeta by a Portuguese chef, but the rest of its range will be more familiar to the majority of show-goers.

All Galeta’s products are handmade fresh each day by a partner bakery and include eight varieties of cookies (Strawberries & Cream, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip & Hazelnut, Triple Chocolate, White Chocolate Chip & Cranberry, Oat & .

Raisin, Toffee & Pecan and Double Chocolate), Chocolate Brownie, Chocolate Tiffin and Lemon Drizzle Cake.

The business has only been going since February, so 2011 marks its first appearance at the SFFF, but Stone and Bevan are no newcomers to the industry - they both worked at the same bakery company before deciding to go it alone.

“Our business started with one weekly market stall at Partridges Food Market in Chelsea,” recalls Bevan. “We now have eight markets each week including Barnes farmers’ market, Oval farmers’

market, Brunswick farmers’ market and St Katharine Docks Good Food Market. In addition to this we supply around 40 delis across London, as well as some restaurants.”

By exhibiting at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair, Bevan says they are looking to increase their base of clients both inside and outside the capital.

“We currently bake and deliver fresh every day, with two vans zipping in and out of London; the SFFF should give us a chance to expand on this and meet other business owners from London and further afield.”

Galeta says it will be sampling freshly baked cookies and treats throughout the fair and will definitely have some new cookies and tray-bakes to show.

“One of our main focuses has been developing part-baked cookies that we . are keen to demonstrate at the SFFF. These will enable us to supply customers further afield with our products, as they can be frozen and stored at their convenience,” . says Bevan. www.galeta.co.uk Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

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ANOTHER GREAT YEAR FOR PIPERS! All flavours of Pipers Crisps have won Great Taste Awards since 2007

To order yours visit piperscrisps.com Vol.12 Issue 7 路 August 2011

7

product update

savoury snacks

Filling a gap LYNDA SEARBY finds a fistful of new premium seeds, nuts, crisps and popcorn that’ll help your shoppers fill the gap between meals l ZaraMama has taken the cookingfrom-scratch trend into snacks with its popping corns, and following the launch of its popcorn seasonings, consumers can also flavour their home-cooked popcorn with something other than just sugar or salt. The ZaraMama Popcorn Seasoning box (RRP £2) contains two sachets of maple syrup and two sachets of white cheddar seasoning. www.zaramama.com

l Burts Chips claims to be the first to market with pesto flavour crisps, its limited edition flavour for summer 2011. The Italian-inspired crisps are available in 40g bags (RRP £0.69) and 150g bags (RRP £1.89). www.burtschips.com

l Delis that want to offer health-conscious customers something slightly less predictable than Walkers Baked or Snack-AJacks with their sandwich might be interested in Crispy Snacks’ new fat- and salt-free fruit and vegetable crisps. Each 20g pack of dried apple, carrot, tomato and beetroot crisps contains the equivalent of a five-a-day portion of fruit or vegetables and retails at £0.85. www.crispysnacks.co.uk

l Founded in April by island-born Sarah Greeff and her Zimbabwean husband Nick, Isle of Wight Biltong handproduces biltong from locally sourced beef and organic sea salt in five flavours: classic coriander, curry, garlic, kibbled pepper and smoked. The biltong comes in 10g taster packs and 30g packs, priced at £1 and £2.50 respectively. www.isleofwightbiltong.co.uk l Tyrrells is celebrating the season of burnt sausages and blackened burgers with limited edition English Summer Barbecue potato crisps. Available until October, the crisps retail at £1.89 for a 150g bag and £0.69 for a 40g bag. www.tyrrellscrisps.co.uk

l Launched earlier this year, Kent Crisps is a new brand of “handcooked” crisps made from Kentish potatoes and available in four flavours that celebrate the county’s produce: Ashmore cheese & onion; sea salt & Biddenden cider vinegar; sea salt; and the novel oyster & vinegar. They retail at £0.80 for a www.kentcrisps.com 40g bag.

Popcorn revival For years, ready-to-eat popcorn was the domain of low quality, sweet lines aimed at kids.

However, the last 12 months have seen a number of companies bringing to market more adult-oriented, premium, savoury flavoured popcorn products. Tyrrells is the most high profile example of this new grown-up approach, with its Proper Popcorn, which has been on sale since January in Sour Cream & Jalapeno Chilli, Sweet & Salty and Lightly Sea Salted flavours.

County Durham popcorn maker Corn Again has been making ‘gourmet’ popcorn since April 2009,

and, like Tyrrells, has been packaging it in large sharing bags. From autumn, two of Corn Again’s popcorn flavours – Salty Sweet and Chilli & Lime – will also be available in 40g snack size bags priced at £0.99-1.09.

Following its launch in November 2010 in six sweet flavours, Joe & Seph’s Gourmet Popcorn is now also available in three savoury flavours: Goats’ Cheese & Black Pepper, Mature Irish Cheddar and Cheddar, Sweet Topping & Savoury Seasoning.

It can be difficult to coat a popcorn kernel with a cheese ingredient without leaving a powdery finish, but Joe & Seph’s claim to have perfected

l Seeds have gone from bird food to super food in the last few years and one of the companies responsible for transforming their image is Munchy Seeds. The Suffolk company has just added two new snacks to its range: Crunchy Bites and Chilli Bites.

Both combine dry roasted sweet apricot kernels, pumpkin and sunflower seeds with a dash of savoury sauce, and Chilli Bites also contain crushed chillies. They come in 200g and 500g tubs, (RRPs £3.50 and £7.50). www.munchyseeds.co.uk

l Filbert Fine Foods says its new Impeccable Peanuts range has been created specifically for deli and café customers who want to be able to offer their lunchtime trade a nutritious pick-up snack. Marketed under the Mr Filbert brand, the nuts are hot air roasted rather than deep fried and seasoned with sea salt & herb, tangy tomato and sweet chilli.

The 40g bags retail at £0.99 and come in a pink shelf-ready display box for siting by the till. www.mrfilberts.com

l Delis who don’t consider British brands like Tyrrells and Real Crisps premium enough any more might be interested in a ‘super premium’ brand of crisps, previously on sale in Spanish delis and now brought to the UK by Fayrefield Foods. San Nicasio Patatas Fritas are made

by Rafael del Rosal with extra virgin olive oil, Catalan potatoes and Himalayan pink salt, in the Córdoba mountain range in Andalucia – the centre of the olive growing region in Spain.

Current stockists include the John Lewis Foodhall from Waitrose at Oxford Street and Bluewater, Waitrose in Canary Wharf and Stein’s Delis in Falmouth and Padstow, where they retail at £3.49-3.99 for 190g. www.fayrefield.com/ sannicasio

a ‘unique technique’ that overcomes this issue. The three new variants come in 90g bags and retail at £2.95.

New venture Peter Popples, meanwhile, has kept kids as its target market, but is also keeping ‘mums in mind’ with an ingredients list that includes only natural flavours and ingredients. The popcorn is air popped rather than fried, and comes in four flavours: Cheddar Cheese, Salt & Vinegar, Fruit Chutney and Golden Syrup. It retails at £0.69£0.99 for a 20g pack. www.cornagain.co.uk www.joeandsephs.co.uk www.peterpopples.com

l With the addition of Duck, Spicy Chilli Chutney and Extra Lean biltong, South African food specialist St Marcus Fine Foods now offers 15 varieties of the dried meat snack, including top-sellers Peri Peri, Ostrich, Kudu and Springbok. www.biltongstmarcus.co.uk Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

53

Olives Et Al eat more and live very happily

gold

With over 40 years’ experience in the tea trade and recognised as one of the country’s leading authorities. Malcolm Ferris-Lay can advise and help increase your margins on teas and related businesses.

Working with such iconic brands as Atlantis Plaza Dubai, Ritz Carlton, Sheraton Hotels and London Dorchester Hotels together with Royal Households, Stately Homes and Independents. Malcolm Ferris-Lay can assist Delicatessens and Independent alike.

Loose Teas Bespoke Gift Tea Caddies Training for Tearooms

Everything that glitters is not gold.

It just might be our Olives, Nuts, Sauces, Snacks or Dressings which scooped 14 Great Taste Gold Awards in 2011.

Olives Et Al: reassuringly gold class

We’d love to talk and see what we can do to help your business succeed. After all, it’s what we do.

B.FFD-SpecialityShowAd141.5X204-1.1.pdf

01258 474300 sales@olivesetal.co.uk olivesetal.co.uk 1

29/07/2011

12:18

5 The Posting House | Tring Station | Tring | Hertfordshire HP23 5QS T: +44(0)01442 822840 | M:+44(0)7525 415542 E: teaconsultancy@googlemail.com www.teaconsultancy.co.uk

WE’D LOVE TO SEE YOU

STAND NO. 855

54

September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

JOIN US for the most glittering

evening in the fine food calendar as we discover the foods that struck GOLD in the GREAT TASTE AWARDS 2011 Don’t miss the Great Taste Awards Presentation Dinner Monday September 5 – Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, London Join us in the company of leading chefs, food writers, top retailers and the very best food producers for fine food’s biggest night of the year.

Two golden opportunities in a single evening.

Firstly, after walking the red carpet into the Palace Suite, be part of the pre-dinner reception, enjoy an early evening drink as you taste 3-star Gold award winning products from the 2011 Great Taste Awards and meet the people who made them.

Next, join us for a sumptuous four course meal specially created by Royal Garden Hotel chef, Steve Munkley using Great Taste Award-winning foods and matched with wines specially selected by the Guild of Fine Food to complement the stunning gold-standard ingredients.

In between courses, the story of this year’s Awards will unfold as BBC Radio 2’s Nigel Barden along with Guild director, Bob Farrand announce the top winners including, for the first time, the winner of the Delicatessen of the Year.

Tension will mount as you watch the judging unfold on the big screen, until the moment when members of the supreme jury make their final choice for Great Taste Awards Supreme Champion 2011.

The choice is yours. Join us just for the early evening reception or make a cracking night of it in the company of the great and the good of fine food.

Book your seat today but hurry, places are limited To book contact Charlie Westcar on 01963 824464 or email charlie.westcar@finefoodworld.co.uk Pre-dinner reception £15 inc VAT Pre-dinner reception plus dinner – Guild members: £90 inc VAT. Non-members: £95 inc VAT August 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 7

38

A LE SA N SS LT 1% FR FA EE T

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A tasty and healthy alternative to traditional salty and fatty foods. Our crisps are free from additives, added sugar and each packet contains less than 1% fat making it the perfect snack for children’s packed lunches, diabetics, and health conscious consumers sales@crispysnacks.co.uk or Tel: 020 3519 1935 www.crispysnacks.co.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 1556 611292 www.cairnsmhor.co.uk

at on V Lo s isi nd tan t u on d s 3 S& 33 FF F

Riggs Autopack Ltd manufacture volumetric depositors and filling machines for artisan food producers.

Designed for a single operator, our semi-automatic filling machines provide damage free and highly precise depositing of hot or cold products and accurately fill most types or size of container.

Improve your food production rates by purchasing a Riggs Autopack filling machine.

Short or long term hire also available.

Find out more at www.autopack.co.uk or call our Lancashire office on 01282 440040.

Products manufactured using our equipment include • Jam, Honey and Preserves • Chutney • Mustard • Pickles • Relish

56

• Mayonnaise • Sauces • Dips • Dressings

September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

t: 01282 440040 f: 01282 440041 e: info@autopack.co.uk www.autopack.co.uk

focus on

&

brand & packaging design

Beauty the feast A

quick look around any deli or farm shop confirms how small producers have upped their game in terms of packaging design. But that doesn’t mean they can’t get better at it, says Jane Milton of consultancy Not Just Food.

“Packaging in the UK is among the best I see, especially in terms of the amount of information we give on-pack,” she says.

“But still so often people fail to put on the obvious. It’s about finding out from your customers why they are buying your product and communicating that on-pack With the increase in online shopping, people aren’t always [physically] picking up your product so it must look appetizing and be clear about what’s inside.”

Shaun Bowen of B&B, based in London’s financial district, has designed brands for speciality producers including Higher Living tea, Good Heavens yoghurt and the new Kabuto noodles launch from Pieminister co-founder Crispin Busk. He agrees with Milton. “Get the messages right and make it easy for people to understand what your product is,” he says.

“Brand owners sometimes get too caught up in the product and it can be good to work with an agency that can step away and assess your key messages and how they come across to the consumer. Simplicity of messages is important.

“Good design can be such an ally for a brand and can really get you noticed. It’s such a shame when amazing products get missed because of poor packaging.”

If some small producers are still struggling to get their heads

Looks are as important as taste these days and with big brands starting to ape the rustic and quirky style of artisan producers, MENNA DAVIES talks to design and marketing consultants about the branding challenges facing speciality businesses

round the concept of branding, others are about to start their second cycle of brand development. At Design Futures – a commercial design arm of Sheffield Hallam University that splits its work between national clients such as Twinings and Jordans and smaller, regional businesses – creative director John Kirkby is seeing more small producers coming back to refresh their original branding.

“This is something we only used to see from major companies but smaller producers are realizing they need to keep up with trends,” he says.

But he adds: “As they have upped their game, supermarkets have latched onto this and mirrored it, improving their ownbrand packaging too, often copying what is happening in speciality food.”

Bowen agrees that the line between speciality and mainstream products is getting blurred. “The trend for an artisan look inherent to speciality food has moved into the mainstream area, but it’s only natural for the more premium end to influence the mass market.”

He says this shouldn’t be seen as a threat to smaller producers: “Good packaging is there to lead people in but it’s about how good your product is at the end of the day. It’s important to stand out and not just follow everyone else.

Looking at trends alone isn’t the way to good design. Mass brands are far more predictable, and speciality producers have an opportunity to carve their own look and tell their own story.” www.notjustfood.com www.bandb-studio.co.uk www.designfuturesgroup.com

PLUS: Case studies on some of this year’s best brand launches and revamps uu Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

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focus on SHROPSHIRE FINE HERBS HURRICANE DESIGN Shropshire Fine Herbs worked with Hurricane Design to rebrand its oatmeal biscuits, resulting in the creation of a new brand: Jannocks.

The name originates from Shropshire, where it refers to a small oatmeal loaf as well as meaning ‘honest, pleasant and direct’.

“While they were making good inroads into independent stores, they felt they needed to address aspects of the packaging which were weak,” says Hurricane’s David Myerson. “In particular, they needed to clarify what the brand was, and whether Shropshire Fine Herbs was a brand or a company.”

Myerson says this is classic problem with 'home-grown' brands. “Small businesses often confuse what the product is with what a brand is. So often, we find a great product will be let down in a retail environment because there is simply no evidence of a brand that people can recall.

“But it’s not always a case of throwing everything out and beginning again. Often there will be design details that, however naive or homemade, are the very reason why consumers may have connected with it. So our job is to consider what elements we retain, what we remove, and what we need to strengthen or introduce.”

In this instance, Hugh and Annie Laughton of Shropshire Fine Herbs were happy with the overall feel of the graphic but at the same time wanted to introduce the Jannocks brand name.

“We also had to provide for an expanding range, and used the leaf pattern and colour to help the variant differentiation. We moved the company name to the back of pack and generally just cleaned it all up,” says Myerson. www.hurricanedesign.com www.shropshirefineherbs.co.uk

LOTTIE SHAW’S DESIGN FUTURES/ VISUAL VANILLA Halifax baker Lottie Shaw’s worked with Design Futures, part of Sheffield Hallam University, to come up with a box for its new Yorkshire Parkin biscuit.

The company, best known for its Yorkshire Parkin, a traditional ginger cake, wanted a biscuit box that was different and would stand out as premium in a competitive market.

It had to fit with the established Lottie Shaw’s range but be simpler to assemble than the existing packaging.

Company owner Charlotte Shaw worked with John Kirkby at Design Futures and designer Andy Hick of Visual Vanilla, who designed her original brand.

Shaw and Hick attended workshops at Sheffield Hallam and created mock-up packs together. A corrugated box was chosen, which is 100% recyclable, suitable for home composting, and rigid, which means the biscuits can go directly into the box without a polypropylene tray.

“Lottie Shaw’s is an iconic brand with very nice graphics and branding,” said Kirkby. “Our challenge was to create packaging that would be easier to put together without losing the essence of the brand. We incorporated the swing tag that is so associated with the current signature brand into the packaging, which means that noone needs to sit there tying raffia.

“We always like working with clients like Lottie Shaw.

The person who owns the brand is so much closer to the product. It’s different from working with a category manager or a brand manager.”

The Lottie Shaw’s project was funded through Appetizing Innovation, an initiative supported by Yorkshire Forward. www.designfuturesgroup.com www.visualvanilla.co.uk www.lottieshaws.co.uk

CASE STUDY: Former architect CRAIG COULTON founded Bloom Teas

following illness. Here he talks about how he designed his own brand, from start to finish.

A blossoming tea brand

“

I wanted to create a sophisticated brand that would let quality ingredients speak for themselves, and my architectural and design background helped me design and develop this from scratch.

Unlike a lot of recent ‘quirky’ food brands, I was less interested in humorous dialogue, story-telling and loud packaging, but more impressed by the natural beauty of the tea blends themselves and ‘BLOOM’ as a wordmark was a simple metaphor for

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life and the revitalised state I found myself in.

Each blend was unique in colour and texture so I used professional photography to capture this and wrap each tea box with a visual of what it is you are drinking. A die-cut opening allows consumers to see the whole leaf ingredients inside ‘see-through’ silk tea bags so you know what you are buying.

The boxes are slender and file neatly together as if they were book-ends to save space too, and collectively they make a unique gift box set. The loose leaf tea pouches were even simpler, as the clear

fronted window exposes the beautiful blends as they are.

Packaging is important in a crowded market, but not as important as the quality of the ingredients and taste. Modern

”

consumers expect only the best from luxury products and it’s imperative you get it right before you consider packaging.

brand & packaging design GRUMPY MULE INDUSTRIAL ACTION

LAHLOO TEA CAROLINE STARKE Freelance graphic designer Caroline Starke has helped Bristol-based Lahloo Tea rebrand its products after customer feedback.

Talking to shoppers, Starke and Lahoo owner Kate Gover found that while they liked the existing design and way it incorporated a wooden clothes peg, they wanted more information on front labels, more prominence for the name of each tea variety and to see more of Lahloo’s back-story on-pack.

Gover says there is now a “sea of products” in supermarket tea aisles, all with a similar look. “I worked with Caroline to create a colourful, eyecatching, funky design that stood out in this sea of sameness, particularly to develop our retail side of the brand. I wanted an artisan, special feel but also something professional and accessible.

“I'm really happy with our design – I love the font, and the peg adds that something really different and memorable. It's fresh, premium and full of bite-size, easy-to-understand information about the tea's provenance, brewing and taste.” http://web.mac.com/carolinestarke www.lahlootea.co.uk

Five years on from its launch Grumpy Mule has worked with Industrial Action to rebrand its range of coffees.

The primary aim was to give the range greater clarity and make it easier for customers to choose products.

There are now three distinctive pack designs which divide the range into three categories: ‘relationship’, Fairtrade and organic, and ‘microlot’. Relationship coffees (which represent the product of the relationship formed between Grumpy Mule and a particular farmer or co-operative) are presented in orange packs; Fairtrade and organic are in green; and micro-lot (seasonal/limited edition) coffees in a gunmetal colour.

Within each category, different varieties are then identified by labels on the front. This new approach has helped to keep costs down – there is one main bag for each category, with only the front labels varying – but also created a real design challenge as Damian Blackburn, retail products manager, explained: “Ours is a fairly complex range. There are so many options available – whole bean, ground or espresso, Fairtrade, organic or Rainforest Alliance certified – and that’s before you factor in the flavour and strength of the coffees, any awards they have won and the information about each individual grower or cooperative.

“The challenge was to communicate as much of this information as possible without sacrificing the overall design.”

Industrial Action designer Giles Walker said using icons to describe taste helped keep wording down. www.industrialaction.com www.grumpymule.co.uk

FAIRFIELDS FARM SHOOT THE MOON COTTAGE DELIGHT IN-HOUSE DESIGN TEAM Cottage Delight has developed a new drum pack for its Creative Cooks range, aimed at the gift market.

There are Mexican, Thai and Indian drums, each containing products from the company’s existing catalogue.

The drums have a more modern look than the established range, using strong colours and imagery, as well as recipes, to show how meals can be made using the ingredients inside.

The branding and design work has been done by the company’s inhouse team.

“The concept of a gift full of indulgent goodies was inspired by the cosmetics market where high quality packaging can be used for a secondary purpose once the contents have been used,” says Sarah Williams, brand manager. “We also felt that the shape and tactile nature of the drums would appeal to a younger consumer, and they have great shelf appeal.” www.cottagedelight.co.uk

Fairfields Farm Crisps has come up with a special box format aimed at airlines. The new 40g packs consist of a sealed bag of crisps inside a branded carton, which makes efficient use of storage space on the aircraft.

The box design was carried out

by Shoot the Moon, and airline food distributor Jam Packed has also been involved in the project.

Fairfields’ first customer for the boxes is Monarch Airlines but it will be rolling out the concept at retail level a “perfect on-the-go snack”. www.shoot-the-moon.co.uk www.fairfieldsfarmcrisps.co.uk Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

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The Creative Marketing Agency Specialists in: • Branding • Marketing • Packaging • Websites Funding may be available.

T: Elaine Nester 01743 239283 E: elaine@alphaontrac.co.uk

www.alphaontrac.co.uk

Simply Stunning For the Finest Retail Display It Has To Be Ashbourn

BRISTOL

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SHREWSBURY

Ashbourn Design & Display www.ashbourn.uk.com | 01761 233225

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brand & packaging design K SCHOCOLAT R DESIGN After acquiring the Kshocolat (now K Schocolat) chocolate business last year, Bon Bon Buddies commissioned R Design to rebrand the premium range, which had not been updated for several years and was felt to be a little austere and lacking in personality.

The brief was to develop the brand to appeal more to women and also to make it look more gift-like. It was important that the look could work across a number of varied formats including hot chocolate tins and chocolate boxes.

“We felt that one of the unique things about the brand was the name itself and designed a strong iconic K logo and the K signature pattern,” says Dave Richmond from R Design.

KITCHEN GARDEN HILLS DESIGN A year after creating a new brand identity and packaging for Kitchen Garden’s range of jams and preserves, Cheltenham-based Hills Design has now designed new gift packaging.

Previously the company presented the new-look jars in plain green boxes, but now Hills has created branded boxes to show off the product to full advantage. A matt varnish helps give the new rigid cartons a natural feel. www.hillsdesign.co.uk www.kitchengardenpreserves.co.uk

www.r-design.co.uk www.bonbonbuddies. com

CASE STUDY: Fashion marketing graduate JULES QUINN set up The TeaShed soon after leaving Northumbria University. Here she talks about how she created her distinctive brand and product format.

“

First tip: get yourself a design degree!

The basic concept is to sell 20 teabags in a single 16oz paper cup.

Rather than having a box, which you would normally just throw away, you are giving the customer a cup, which can be used several times. Multifunctional packaging is definitely the way products should move.

Not only this, but the cup and lid are recyclable and the sleeve is made from recycled card. I think the environment is extremely important and therefore you should consider this when choosing packaging solutions.

We did not use any branding agencies, everything has been done by me. I would say, if you have the time and money, go to university

and get a degree in design! But you can learn a lot just by looking online.

Great websites are lovelypackage. com or ffffound.com.

Keep a scrap book of things that you like – they don’t even have to be food-related. Also look at colours, these are very important. Look at websites like trendbible.com.

It’s extremely important for any producer to catch the eye of the

customer and make them pick up your product. There has to be a point of difference and you have to be clever about your choices.

Always question why you are using a particular packaging solution or style of artwork – is there a clever alternative?

Consider the future in your branding and products. How will society change and how will this

affect the way people are consuming your products? How will your brand will look in years to come? Will it look dated?

Finally, I think you need to be careful not to put your own personal taste onto your products too much.

Yes it should have your story and your touch, but just because you love the colour pink, that doesn’t mean everything should be pink.

My last comment would be to not use Comic Sans typeface! Research your typography and think what that style says about your brand. Look at websites like dafont.com, but make sure they are free for commercial use.

”

www.the-teashed.co.uk

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TRACKLEMENTS/ROOTS & WINGS SPRINGETTS London agency Springetts has worked with the venerable Tracklements brand on a gentle redesign of its range of relishes, chutneys, jellies, mustards and sauces.

The aim was to improve the brand’s visibility by making its name clearer on-pack. Colour coding has also been introduced to differentiate more easily between products.

The first label was famously handwritten by founder William Tullberg over 40 years ago, and the new look has sought to capture this while making it more legible.

Springetts also developed the new Roots & Wings organic brand, which includes chocolates, preserves and biscuits as well as bacon and sausages.

The designs feature strong colours and tactile finishes, and have a natural, handcrafted feel to them. www.springetts.co.uk www.rootsandwingsorganic.com www.tracklements.co.uk

WALKER’S NONSUCH SUE LANDON Independent graphic designer Sue Landon has worked with toffee maker Walker’s Nonsuch to redesign its slab toffee range.

The aim was to retain a traditional feel while giving it a bright modern look, and colour-coding each variety. The new design incorporates a large window at the top of the pack to show the size of the slab of toffee as well as a cut out around the metal toffee hammer supplied in each pack.

A photograph of the managing director’s grandchildren features on the pack to get across the company’s heritage. www. suelandondesign. co.uk www.walkersnonsuch.co.uk

CHEERBROOK FARM SHOP ASHBOURN DESIGN David Ascott and the team at Ashbourn Design worked with Cheerbrook farm shop in Nantwich on a redesign of the building which included an extension with a new café as well as refurbishment of existing areas.

The shop’s existing brand logo was used and an interior theme developed based around natural stone shades. “As always designing the bespoke display furniture was the best fun,” says Ascott, who says the clients wanted to use high quality sustainable materials.

“Cheerbrook is a narrow building with no obvious interior features so the display furniture had to work hard to set the theme and ambiance.”

Ensuring that the design will not date prematurely was important, says Ascott. “The furniture is based on a classic timeless design and by using the best possible natural materials with heritage paint finish we can be certain that Cheerbrook will not require further attention for at least 10 years.” www.ashbourn.uk.com www.cheerbrook.co.uk

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brand & packaging design ALTERNATIVE MEATS ALPHA ONTRAC

VALLUM FARM TENT

Alpha Ontrac has designed the brand and packaging for a new Wagyu Fat product from Alternative Meats, which is being marketed as a luxurious alternative to goose fat.

The fat comes from Wagyu cattle reared in Montgomeryshire in a traditional Japanese style, but with a dietary supplement of four pints of beer from the local Monty’s brewery every day as well as regular massage.

The main challenge, say the designers, was getting across the story behind the brand on a limited space because of the size of the jar.

Another consideration was the fact no-one was quite sure whether the product would sit alongside goose fats or condiments on-shelf.

The final look is a black and white label with some gold areas, thought to be striking enough to give shelf presence and convey premium status.

“We used the lid to display the company brand and let the jar label speak for the product,” says James Lawrence, senior creative.

“A simple use of a cow silhouette helped to identify the origin of the product for anyone who wasn’t readily sure of what Wagyu was.”

A card wrap-around has been added which highlights the product’s 2011 three-star Great Taste Award.

Vallum Farm, a tearoom and ice cream parlour sited near Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, brought in design agency Tent when it needed branded ice cream tubs after securing its first trade outlet Tent had already developed the Vallum Farm brand so some of the elements for a packaged product were in place, including the black and rich yellow colourway.

Because the regionality was so important, Tent decided to feature Hadrian’s Wall in the design.

Tent’s Sarah Raad said: “There are several prominent ice cream makers in the region, most notably Doddington’s and Beckleberry’s, whose ice cream is available at National Trust and English Heritage sites. It was important the new Vallum Farm ice cream brand was sufficiently different from both of these.”

“To make it cost-effective, we needed to keep the tub itself generic and have all ingredients, flavour labelling etc on a lid sticker,” Raad continued. “These also needed to be printed digitally in relatively short runs to allow the company time to develop the range, see which flavours were most popular in this format and to introduce special and seasonal flavours.”

www.alphaontrac.co.uk www.alternativemeats. co.uk

www.tent.uk.com www.vallumfarm.co.uk

SHAKEN UDDER FRONTMEDIA Three years after their launch, Shaken Udder milkshakes have been given a rebrand. The producer worked with the design team at Frontmedia Studio to create a look that has given its ‘funky cow’ more prominence on-pack. www.frontmedia.co.uk www.shakenudder.com

Won an award? Be quick to promote it on-pack Winning prizes is good for business and the Guild of Fine Foods’ Great Taste Awards logo is becoming increasingly recognised as a mark of excellence.

Winners choose to use

their logos in different ways, some using stickers and others printing the logo directly on-pack. But however you go about it, time is of the essence according to Kirsty MacDonald, marketing manager at Percol, whose Black & Beyond espresso beans won a GTA for the first time this year.

“I think that one of the most important things with putting the awards on pack is to get them on as quickly as possible,” she told FFD.

“This is the newest product in our portfolio so we are really pleased and will definitely be shouting out about the fact that it got an award.

We plan to have it right in the middle of our ‘coffee bean window’ to help the customer make that direct link between product and quality award.”

MacDonald feels it’s important not to have awards on-pack that are “completely out of date”. “If your product won a 2003 Great Taste

Award and that is still on pack, as a consumer, I would question why you haven’t won another more recent one.

“We are very proud that we have won so many awards in the past and we do talk about that on our website and in our communications but I really do believe that you need to keep your product as relevant and up-to-date as possible.” www.percol.co.uk Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

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creating brands that make a difference

gold awa winner 2 rd 011

for further details contact andy black Tel.020 7486 7527

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Cottage Delight’s Pear & Ginger Jam has been awarded a two-star gold Great Taste S U P LI E P Award.

The jam contains at least 31% Williams (Bartlett) pears, a British variety, and spicy ginger pieces in syrup. It’s made in small batches in open copper pans and stirred by hand to retain its vibrant colour and texture. Inspired by the growing trend for ginger-flavoured products, the jam was described by awards’ judges as having “a great appearance and delicate balance of flavours with good sized pieces of ginger and a nice bite to the pear which balances the ginger well”.

Free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives, it is available in a 340g, moptopped octagonal jar, RRP £2.60.

Trade cases of 12 x 340g jars are available at £20.88.

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£3.99, which he says is slightly lower than brands such as teapigs and Twining’s deli range. The tea is also available in canisters, loose and as teabags.

He added: “We are planning on re-blending some of the products, such as the Breakfast tea and Earl Grey, to suit the harder water here, as well as the palate.”

Describing Silkenty as a “premium brand offered at a competitive price”, Edalere said the best-selling blends were likely to include Peppermint Rose, combining peppermint leaves with baby rose petals, and Crimson Nights, which includes hibiscus flowers, hawthorn berries and rose hips. White Gold Tips, a pure white tea from China, was the best in the range, he added.

There are also plans to open a Silkenty store in London, possibly in the West End or in one of the major airports.

“The Tea & Herb Co have really got huge plans,” Edalere told FFD.

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A Sri Lankan tea producer is seeking UK distribution S U P LI E P for a range that stretches from premium mainstream packs for supermarkets to high-end gift formats and foodservice lines.

Silkenty, owned by The Tea & Herb Co, based near Columbo, is already available in 26 countries, including the USA, Australia and Dubai.

Paul Edalere, who was appointed UK brand manager earlier this year, has been talking to potential distributors and hopes to confirm a deal in the next month.

At the same time he is talking to delis and food halls, as well as supermarkets, to “whet their appetite”.

Silkenty offers 12 core flavours including black and white teas and a number of herbal and fruit blends in formats ranging from simple cartons to classy wooden presentation boxes.

“It’s basically the same tea in lots of different packaging formats,” said Edalere, “including the Daily Delights 20-bag box, which is suitable for supermarkets or delis.” The RRP for this is

S U P LI E P

products, packaging & promotions

Sri Lanka’s Silkenty tea hunts for UK distributor EDITE CR

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Looking for suppliers accredited by the Guild of Fine Food?

Follow the logo

www. cottagedelight.co.uk

www.silkenty.com

Ogilvy’s-branded premium honeys win first listings Steam-cooked chicken joins Adlington range Adlington has added a new cooked chicken product to its established range of cooked S U P LI E P turkey products.

Made with only British chicken, it is free range and Red Tractor-approved and is being marketed as ideal for sandwiches.

Supplied in 2kg bags, the chicken is first marinated in a brown sugar brine and then steam-cooked in specially constructed pouches to avoid drying out of the product.

The chicken, intended for slicing in the store, is a good alternative to foreign sliced products, says the company. Point-of-sale material is available to support the ‘British Chicken’ message.

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he is importing the specialist honeys in drums before they are bottled and labelled in Edinburgh.

Ogilvy claims the company is uniquely placed to provide fine, single source and rare honeys on a national scale in the UK. “Until now the main problems around high quality, non-blended honey have been traceability, year-round supply, reliable distribution and organic certification, all of which I have solved by having direct relationships with beekeepers,” he said. “We can track from bee to jar, plus we can guarantee supply.”

Four of the honeys – which have an RRP of £6.50 for 280g – have secured Great Taste Awards, including a three star gold for the organic Zambezi variety.

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Xa Trading’s new honey brand, Ogilvy’s, has secured listings at Fortnum & Mason, S U P LI E P Partridges, The Organic Grocer and a number of other London speciality retailers, while Cotswold Fayre has taken on distribution in the West Country.

The range comprises eight single source and rare honeys from countries including New Zealand, Argentina and Zambia, three of which are organic.

The honeys are sourced by Xa Trading’s Shamus Ogilvy, who was already importing and distributing 800 tonnes of honey in bulk into the UK market each year. For the Ogilvy’s brand EDITE CR

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www.adlingtonltd.com

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NICK HEMPLEMAN

I’m sure we’ve all had customers come in offering us their ‘wonderful’ home-grown produce. Personally I think there’s an iron law that the better the customer, the worse their produce turns out to be.

This makes it difficult to turn them down without feeling you’re losing their support. So as we’re at that glut time for gardens and allotments, I thought a few ideas on how to tackle it might be useful.

• Gardeners see their produce as their children.

But the fact they love what they’ve produced doesn’t mean the feeling is reciprocated. Those ‘lovely’ apples often turn out to be scabrous, odd shaped and liable to lose you money. Offer to take them on sale or return so you have given them a chance but don’t risk losing out.

• Don’t pay cash. They will be surprised how little you can offer and you’ll often feel the need to

“There’s an iron law that says the better the customer, the worse their garden produce will be’’ overpay. Offer a swap instead, or vouchers if you do these in small denominations. Prick their conscience by suggesting you donate their money to your chosen charity.

• Whatever you take, make a song and dance about. Put it at the front of the shop, with a big sign. This will make the customer feel valued and demonstrate clearly to others that you support local produce.

• If you really don’t want it, a few good excuses are useful. I often say, “I’m sure your plums are lovely, Mrs Miggins, but we have a local grower who relies on us and it would be unfair to leave him in peak season.” This has the advantage of being true. I have been known to point pushy customers in the direction of our wholesaler.

• Be careful buying things from allotments. It is against the law for allotment-holders to sell their produce for profit. A donation to charity etc is acceptable.

• Check that the produce is not stolen. There’s an increasing trend of thefts from allotments and smallholdings – especially with pumpkins and Christmas trees.

• Think creatively how you will use the produce if you don’t sell it. Can you turn it into soup, salads or sauces? When you do, make sure you name-check the person on the menu. www.thesussexproducecompany.co.uk

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product news from Guild accredited suppliers

• Asiri Foods has launched two new Sri Lankan cooking sauces to be used with chicken, lamb, pork, beef, fish or vegetables.

One is a curry sauce with a blend of roasted spices and a tomato base. The other is a curry sauce with a yoghurt base and authentic spices. Both are low in fat and enable a curry dish to be cooked in only 20 minutes. The products are available in 280g and 385g jars with RRPs of £2.50 and £3.95 respectively. www.asirifoods.co.uk

•Two new meal kits have just been added to Bespoke Foods’ Malay Taste range, a Laksa Kit (220g) containing laksa paste, coconut milk and rice noodles, and a Nasi Goreng Kit (165g) containing nasi goreng paste, cooked rice and dried vegetables.

Both kits have an easy-to-follow recipe, as well as product history and tips. The Malay Taste range is made and packed in Asia exclusively for Bespoke Foods, and is based on traditional Malaysian recipes. www.bespoke-foods.co.uk

• Terra Rossa has put seven of its olive oils into a hand-made Jordanian bag to create a new product aimed at the Christmas gift market. Each bag contains un-filtered and cold-drip extracted Sinolea extra virgin olive oil, a first coldpressed filtered extra virgin olive oil and five infused olive oils – mint, basil, garlic, lemon and chilli. The seven-pack Jordanian Bag retails at £22.95. www.terra-rossa.com • David Oliver Fine Foods aims to bring ‘restaurantstandard’ game dishes to the home. Chefs David Holliday and Oliver Shute established the business having seen the rise in popularity of venison and rabbit. The range includes Classic Venison Stew with Sweet Potatoes & Red Wine; Rabbit & Flageolet Beans with Courgettes, Lemon, Garlic & Rosemary; and Guinea Fowl & Puy Lentils with Shallots, Smoked Bacon & Carrots. RRPs start at £5.25. www.davidoliverfood.co.uk

• Italian Roast is a new blended coffee roasted by Alpen Sierra Coffee Roasters in Nevada and imported and distributed in the UK by Glenfinlas Coffee. It is a dark roasted coffee that combines Indonesian, African and Central American coffees, and Glenfinlas Coffee recommends it is used as an espresso. The coffee has already received a one star gold 2011 Great Taste Award.

It is available as whole beans in 340g retail bags and 2.27kg bulk bags. www.glenfinlascoffee.com • Mendip Moments has redesigned its ice cream packaging.

The duck egg blue and cream colours remain, along with the etching of the farm, but colour corresponding to the flavour of the ice cream has been added. A new Rum & Raisin flavour has also been introduced in a 4L size, and the Vanilla Bean flavour suitable for diabetics is now also available in the 120ml size. RRPs from £4.49 for 500ml. www.mendipmoments.co.uk • Mr Organic has re-launched its range of Italian pasta sauces with new recipes and new branding. The Arrabiata, Puttanesca, Bolognese and Basilico recipes are tastier than ever, says the company. The sauces are all cooked in small batches using only sun-ripened tomatoes from farms near the Mr Organic factory 70km south of Rome. All ingredients are 100% natural and organic and nothing artificial is added. They are available in 6 x 350g jar cases, and each jar has an RRP of £2.29. www.mr-organic.com • Meridian Sea is now supplying delis, farm shops and food halls with fresh and dried seaweeds, seaweed marinades, spreads, mustards and salts. Products are harvested, washed and prepared in a purposebuilt factory in Brittany. Varieties include Sea Lettuce, Nori, Dulse, Wakame, Sea Spaghetti and Royal Kombu, all available freshly packed in 120g packs with a shelf life of 120 days. Other sizes from 250g upwards are supplied for catering or loose service over the counter. www.meridian-sea.com • Kitchen Garden’s new Red Wine Jelly with Herbs is made with Grenache from the vineyard of Domaine Sainte Croix in the foothills of the Corbiéres in Southern France. Herbs that grow in this rocky terrain – rosemary, thyme and juniper berries – add a savoury note to the jelly that can be served with paté, foie gras, and venison, as well as ‘sanglier’ the wild boar indigenous to this region. www.kitchengardenpreserves.co.uk

Handmade sweet and savoury preserves and condiments

Selsley Fruit Syrups have been lovingly created to produce a versatile syrup with no end of uses.

Winner of 14 Great Taste Awards

Mix with sparkling wine, cider, vodka shots or as a fabulous dessert syrup poured over pancakes, ice cream or waffles.

Please call to place an order or request more information.

Tel: 01285 760716 e-mail: sales@selsleyherbandspice.com

Miller Park, Station Road, Wigton, Cumbria CA7 9BA Tel/Fax: 01697 345974 Email: claire@claireshandmade.co.uk

www.claireshandmade.co.uk

Proud to announce three more Great Taste Awards for 2011

Solaris Tea Award-winning, Organic, Speciality Teas

by Master Tea Blender Jörg Müller

* 100% Whole Leaf Tea * Biodegradable Pyramid Bags * No added aromas * Exciting blend combinations * 1st flush Green Teas

For more about our award-winning Black Mitcham peppermint chocolates and tea: visit www.summerdownmint.com

Solaris Botanicals Ltd Tel: +353 91 750020 / Mobile (UK): 079 03262720 Email - info@solarisbotanicals.com www.solaristea.com

Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011 SolarisAdvert.indd 1

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10/08/2011 17:17

shelftalk

Want to feature Great Taste Awards winners in y Booja Booja’s twostar gold Champagne truffles and Hazlenut Crunch truffles are available as part of its new Artist’s Collection gift box.

An espresso flavour is also included in the 16-truffle box. The truffles are all dairy- and gluten-free and organic. Boxes, which are hand made and hand painted by artists in Kashmir, are presented in packs of three, each with an RRP of £24.

Evelyn’s Chocolaty Sauce, a ready-topour product for use on ice cream, profiteroles, meringues, cakes and fruit, picked up a one-star gold. It is handmade using Fairtrade organic cocoa, golden syrup, cocoa butter, butter, coffee (also Fairtrade) and Muscovado sugar. Bottles have an RRP of £5.99£6.99 and come in a case of eight, which wholesales at £33.60 (no VAT or delivery charge within the UK). www.evelyns.eu

www.boojabooja.com

Chocolate Honey Nut Nougat from Confektz has won a threestar gold. The nougat is hand-made to order from free-range organic egg whites from Cambridgeshire, East Anglian beet sugar, pure Venezuelan 72% Grand Cru chocolate, honey, almonds and hazelnuts. It is sandwiched between sheets of edible paper and is gluten-, dairy- and lactose-free. It can be supplied in bulk slabs for cutting and own-branding, or sold wrapped in 100g sticks. In bulk it wholesales for £17.60 per kg or £25.60 per kg when cut, packaged and labelled as sticks. www.confektz.co.uk

Cox’s Original Bloody Mary Spiced Tomato Ketchup is described as a chilli lover’s tomato ketchup. It’s made with the seasonings used in Cox’s Original Bloody Mary Spicer – hot chilli, horseradish and Worcester sauce – blended with its classic tomato ketchup. This one-star gold winner is made from 100% natural ingredients and is free from artificial flavours and colours. www.coxsoriginal.com

A Spicy Flapjack Cookie Mix from Dough it Yourself was described by Great Taste Award judges as having “good flavours” and being “moreish”.

The mix – a one-star gold winner – is part of a range of baking mixes and fresh dough made by the company “for people too busy to bake from scratch”. Products are handmade with no artificial ingredients. Everyday baking mixes are available in 8 x 400-450g packs, trade price £28, RRP £5.99. www.doughityourself.co.uk

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September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

Fine Italian Foods picked up 11 Great Taste Awards. Its Tuscan Porchetta, a traditional meat made by Rosa dell’Angelo, cured with wild fennel seeds and roasted over heather embers, picked up a three-star gold. The production process is meticulously controlled, from traditional feeding and welfare of the pigs through to the slicing thickness being set to the nearest 1/100th of a millimeter, says the company. The porchetta is handsliced and vacuum packed and sold in trays of 10 x 100g packs, with RRPs between £5 and £7.

The company has also been nominated as Speciality Food Importer of the Year for the second year running.

Dorset-based Fudges picked up a three-star gold for its Cheddar Wafers. One of the original wafer offerings in the range, Fudges Cheddar Wafers were launched 20 years ago. They are made with fresh cream and a mature cheddar cheese sourced from local dairies.

The company’s Stilton Wafers, Jalapeño Wafers and Oat & Seeded Flatbreads won two-star golds, and its Oat & Walnut and Charcoal crackers one star. RRPs are between £2.19 and £2.29. www.fudges.co.uk

www.fineitalianfoods.co.uk

Four Anjels picked up one-star golds for three products from its handmade biscuit range. The Stem Ginger biscuits are described as “delicately gingery, tangy & crumbly”. The Classic Shortbread biscuits are made with pure butter, and the Chunky Almond biscuits have an “abundance of chunky almonds in an all-butter biscuit”. They can be bought in two formats for retail or foodservice – a 200g retail pack with an RRP of £2.19, or a 50g twin pack with an RRP of £1.00. The Gorgeous Food Company distributes the brand to smaller, independent customers but the producer supplies direct to customers who purchase a minimum of a pallet. andrea@fouranjels.com www.gorgeousfoodcompany.co.uk

products, packaging & promotions

n your store? Here are some of 2011’s class acts A range of organic honeys from GfM has picked up seven Great Taste Awards. This includes a three-star gold for an organic honey with royal jelly, available in 240g jars. This is part of a new range that also includes Vitacomplex with Pollen, Royal Jelly & Propolis (230g); and Pollen Granules (110g).

GfM says all the products are packed with natural antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and enzymes, and can enhance immunity and wellbeing.

Galloway Lodge Preserves picked up three awards. Bladnoch Whisky Marmalade, a two-star gold winner, is made with whisky from Scotland’s most Southerly distillery at Bladnoch in Wigtownshire. The whisky blends well with finely cut Seville orange to produce a rich flavoured marmalade, says the company. The Mango & Chilli Chutney, also a two-star winner, has a kick of chilli along with cumin and goes well with cheese and cold meats. Heather Honey Marmalade, a one-star winner, was the first product Nigel Hesketh made when he started the company in the early 70s. www.gallowaylodge.co.uk

www.gfmhoney.co.uk

www.gordonandmacphail.com

Great Glen Game is a small charcuterie producer in the Highlands of Scotland. Its Chilli Venison Chorizo has won a two-star gold. Jan Jacob Baak started producing smoked venison in 2003 and over the years has developed new products such as chorizo, pepperoni, salami and a bresaola – all made with sustainably-sourced, local wild venison. Products are sold in delis across the UK as well as Fortnum & info@greatglengame.co.uk Mason and The House of Bruar.

The Handmade Fudge Shop, based on the Isles of Scilly, has won a two-star gold for its Loopy Lemon Meringue Fudge. It’s part of a range of unusual flavoured fudges, such as Cheeky Cherry Bakewell and delicious Vanilla Velvet. 125g grab boxes and 200g rectangular boxes are both sold 24 to a case and have RRPs of £3.00 and £4.00-£4.50 respectively. A 300g multiflavour is available in cases of 12 with an RRP of £6.00. www.thehandmadefudgeshop.co.uk

A Taste of Tuscany La Bandiera Single Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil is produced in the wine growing area of Bolgheri on the Tuscan coast and holds IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta) status. Over 800 olive trees are harvested in October and November to produce a “full-bodied oil with fruity and spicy aromas”. This one-star gold winner is available in 250ml and 500ml bottles (RRPs of £9 and £15 respectively) as well as 1, 3 and 5 litre cans (RRPs of £18, £35 and £50.) jacqueline.lane@labandiera.eu

Benromach 10 Years Old single malt picked up a two-star gold award for whisky specialist Gordon & MacPhail.

It’s made at a small distillery in Speyside using Scottish malted barley and spring water from the nearby Romach Hills. Matured in casks for at least 10 years, it has a golden colour, with “rich fruit, sweet chocolate and delicate spicy aromas” and a “rich sherry influence”, says the company.

Based in Moira in County Down, Hannan Meats supplies meat and other products to restaurants and hotels across Ireland. This year the company won a record 14 awards for beef, lamb, pork and bacon products.

This included seven one-stars, six two-stars and a three-star gold for its Moyallon-branded smoked, sweet-cure bacon chop. While its core market is foodservice, the company is developing new retail packaging for its dry-cured bacon products. info@hannanmeats.com

Devon-based Luscombe Drinks has picked up four awards this year. The Apple & Pear juice and Hot Ginger Beer have two-star golds, and the Cool Ginger Beer and Sicilian Lemonade onestars. Gabriel David, who runs the family business, puts the success down to ingredients, sourced directly from growers he trusts. Products are all available in 32cl and 74cl and sold through independent retailers only. www.luscombe. co.uk Vol.12 Issue 6 July 2011

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A promotional feature for Guild of Fine Food

SEPTEMBER’S PROMOTIONS The Guild of Fine Food has developed its Retail Promotion Scheme to help retailers survive recession hit Britain. By negotiating with producer members, each month we handpick a selection of great foods at heavily discounted prices unique to Guild retail members.

CHERIZENA JUST OIL

PUDDING CLUB PUDDINGS

The Pudding Club has been satisfying pudding lovers for over 25 years from its’ Cotswold home – Three Ways House Hotel. Now the three puddings in the Pudding Club range are available for sale to independent retailers - Sticky Toffee Pudding, Ginger Syrup Pudding and Treacle Pudding, all winners of 2011 Great Taste gold awards and all available throughout the year. Made with “store cupboard” ingredients, these three puddings are steamed to give a moist, traditional tasting pudding.

Available in family: 465-495g and individual:115-120g sizes with RRP’s of £4.00 and £1.70 respectively.

THE DEAL: 20% 0ff.

AVAILABILITY: Nationwide via courier.

CONTACT: Tel: 01386 438429 Simon or Jill or email: simon.coombe@talk21.com

Just Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil, Dressings, Mayonnaises, Hollandaise Sauce and Infused Oils all contain our award winning Just Rapeseed Oil which is grown, farmed, cold pressed and bottled on our farm in Staffordshire. This versatile oil is naturally high in Omega 3 and low in saturated fat, it has a high smoke point suitable for all types of cooking and the unique triple filtering gives our oil an extra light flavour with zero additives.

THE DEAL: 25% off cases of 6 of: Just Rapeseed Oil with Chilli Oil, Just Rapeseed Oil with Lemon Oil, Just Rapeseed Oil with Garlic, Just Stir Fry Oriental Oil. AVAILABILITY: Distributed nationwide directly from Just Oil (minimum order of £100 for free delivery) as well as through Heart of England Fine Food.

CONTACT: Tel: 01543 493081 or email: enquiry@justoil.co.uk.

CRELLOW

Crellow is a successful Cornish artisan producer of an eclectic range of GTA award winning handmade premium products. The range is all ambient, offers plenty of choice and with long dates. The new website www.crellow.com has lots more information.

THE DEAL: 6 Free jars with 36 in any combination from the limited range: Father’s Favourite Chutney, Father’s Favourite Marmalade (one-star GTA 2010), Beetroot Relish (GTA award winner three years in succession), Chutty, Chutty, Bang Bang (one-star GTA 2010), Apple, Date & Ginger, Caramelised Onion Relish (one-star GTA), Kea Plum & Catshead Apple Cheese (one-star GTA 2011).

AVAILABILITY: Nationwide delivery by courier included usually within 48 hours (excluding w/e).

CONTACT: Tel: Deborah direct on 01872 530853 or email Deborah@crellow.com.

ECOBAGS

THE FRESH PASTA COMPANY

This multi-award winning company is a purveyor of fine Italian fresh pasta made in Northern Italy following recipes developed by the company’s md, Mark Garcia-Oliver. Only the finest quality ingredients and traditional methods of production are used to make pasta products which to date, have won over 40 awards. Select one mixed case of 24 trays of 4 different fresh filled pastas: Venison Tortelloni (one-star GTA), Spinach Ricotta & Walnut Tortelloni, (one PAPA award), Wild Mushroom Tortelloni (one-star GTA), Butternut Squash & Sage (one-star GTA), Pecorino & Asparagus Tortelloni (two-star GTA) and 3 cheese Tortelloni.

THE DEAL: Sale or return for first time buyers only. Case cost £114.52.

AVAILABILITY: Mainland UK. CONTACT: Tel: Luca on 0845 603 7746 or email: pasta@thefreshpastacompany.com.

GUILD RETAIL PROMOTION SUMMARY COMPANY

DEAL

TEL

Crellow The Fresh Pasta Co The Pudding Club Cherizena Just Oil Ecobags

6 Free jars with 36 in any combination SOR for 1st time buyers 20% off 20% off 25% off cases of 6 20% off orders up to 1000

01872 530853 deborah@crellow.com 0845 603 7746 pasta@thefreshpastacompany.com 01386 438429 simon.coombe@talk21.com 01664 820111 trade@cherizena.co.uk 01543 493081 enquiry@justoil.co.uk 01543 493081 info@ecobags.co.uk

EMAIL

RETAIL MEMBERS – sign up to the retail promotion scheme contact tortie.farrand@finefoodworld.co.uk or ring her on 01963 824464 to ensure you receive your shelf-barkers to help promote these discounts instore. SUPPLIER MEMBERS – want to take part? Contact mike.cook@finefoodworld.co.uk for more information 70

September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

Specialist coffee supplier, Cherizena has launched a limited edition Christmas Coffee with an aroma reminiscent of Christmas pudding created by flavouring Colombian Excelsior medium bean with a delicious combination of rum, hazelnut, cinnamon, vanilla, orange and pecan nut.

This is one of 30 single origin coffees and blends, and 20 different flavoured varieties available from Cherizena that can be branded for trade customers and available in packs up to a kilo in size. It can also be teamed up with Cherizena’s ‘snip and pour’ packs for filter machines, which are available in boxes of 50, including filter papers. The Christmas Coffee will be available on its own or as part of festive gift sets THE DEAL: 20% off orders placed before the end of September.

AVAILABILITY: Nationwide via courier.

CONTACT: Tel: 01664 820111 or email: trade@cherizena.co.uk.

For the first time in eight years, EcoBags, supplier of high quality logo printed reusable bags, will not be exhibiting at The Speciality Fine Food Fair at Olympia. With over 85% of their business coming from clients re-ordering, Debbie & Gavin need to devote all their time to looking after their requirements.

But this is GREAT NEWS for you, as they’ve decided to pass on savings made by offering 20% OFF their already highly competitive, all-inclusive prices and they’ve also said they’ll look to beat any like-for-like quotation you receive from elsewhere between now & the middle of September.

THE DEAL: 20% OFF all orders up to 1,000 bags (minimum order only 250 bags) PLUS FREE set-up, origination, 3-colour print (both sides) and delivery.

AVAILABILITY: UK & Mainland Europe CONTACT: Tel: 01543 493081 or 0808 178 8822 or email: info@ecobags.co.uk

shelftalk Sourdough Miche is naturally fermented over 24 hours to produce a slight acidic tang, using a mixture of wholemeal, rye and unbleached white flour from local mills. After an 8-hour fermentation it is formed into 2kg cobs and left to rise for 18 hours before being stone baked. It is delivered to customer in 400g sliced packages with an RRP of £2.25. This three-star gold winner is made by More?

The Artisan Bakery which also won two stars for its Sunshine Breakfast loaf, and one star for its Wild English sourdough, Lakeland treacle bread with walnuts & raisins and cinnamon & walnut swirl.

products, packaging & promotions

Mr Vikki's Indian pickles and chilli sauces have won 44 Great Taste Awards since 2006. This year the company – which is based in the Lake District – has won two-star golds for its tomato and nigella chutney, banana habanero pickle, Harry’s Ranch smoked barbecue sauce and Brinjal Piquin chilli pickle. HHH2 – a very hot habanero jam, hot lime pickle, hot mango pickle and Mr Vikki’s Urban ketchup, won one-star golds.

Sticky Toffee Pudding, Treacle Pudding and Ginger Syrup Pudding from The Pudding Club have all won one-star golds this year. The Pudding Club was founded 26 years ago to “prevent the demise of the great British pudding”.

As well as selling traditional puddings it still hosts weekly meetings of the club in the Cotswold village of Mickleton.

Individual puddings (115-120g) have an RRP of £1.70, and family-sized puddings (465-495g) an RRP of £4.00. www.puddingclub.com

www.mrvikkis.co.uk

www.moreartisan.co.uk

Jamie Oliver’s Jme range, made in collaboration with artisan food producers, has won five Great Taste Awards. An Olive Paste made by Olio Roi in the Ligurian valleys of Taggiasca, Italy, has won a threestar gold. It can be spread on crostini or bread, or spooned over grilled fish or lamb chops. Four other products received one-star gold awards, including One Mean Mustard, Basil Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Holy Habanero Hot Chilli Sauce. www.jamieoliver.com/jme

Quince & Damson Fruit Cheese is made from highly concentrated fruit purée. Fruit cheese takes its name from Georgian times when it was eaten as an accompaniment to the cheese course. Made

by Oxfordshire-based Quince Products this three-star gold product can also be used on canapés, eaten with meats, put in sauces or even spread on meat or fish for the barbeque. The company hand-makes traditional preserves using quince, including jellies, fruit cheeses, marmalades and chutney.

Local damsons are steeped in London Gin and sugar and left to mature for eight months by Yorkshire’s Raisthorpe Manor to make its damson gin, which has won a two-star gold. The company’s sloe gin (one star) is great with Champagne or sparkling white wine, and its raspberry gin (one star) can be drunk on its own with ice, with sparkling wines or even used over ice-cream or in Eton Mess. The gins are all available in packs of 6 or 12 bottles. The 35cl has a wholesale price of £9.35 and RRP of £16.95, while the 70cl wholesales at £15.50 and has an RRP of £22.95. www.raisthorpemanor.com

www.quinceproducts.co.uk

Rude Health has been awarded six Great Taste Awards this year. The Ultimate Muesli picked up a two-star award.

This high fibre, wheat-free muesli has 23 ingredients, and is available in packs of 5 x 500g, with an RRP of £5.75 per pack. One-star winners Morning Glory Porridge, Super Fruity Muesli, and Honey Rice Flakies (gluten-free) have RRPs starting at £3.19. Rice Thins (gluten-free) and Oaty Thins also have a one-star, with RRPs of £1.89 and £2.19 respectively.

Southport potted shrimps in butter, produced by Southport Seafoods, have won a one-star gold.

Once the shrimps have been caught and cooked, they are hand-peeled and re-cooked in a special recipe including ground mace, nutmeg, cayenne pepper and one or two more “secret” ingredients before being put into 56g pots and sealed with butter. www.pottedshrimps.co.uk

www.rudehealth.com Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

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Exporting Italy’s Finest Wines & Foods If you have a passion for wine and food look no further. We can provide the best Italy can offer.

Award Winning Virtually Fat Free Fruit Vinegar Essences and Salad Dressings Via Volterra, 12 · 20060 Pozzuolo Martesana (MI) Tel 02 95357811 · Fax 02 95357822 Email: giustivinisrl@virgilio.it · Web: www.giustivini.biz

RetailReady No one should even ❝ consider entering any

form of fine food retail without completing the Retail Ready course at The Guild of Fine Food. The two day course is brilliantly structured offering advice on every aspect of the business from insider experts and successful retailers. It gave me insight I was lacking, to feel fully confident about getting started.

❞

Matthew Drennan, former editor of delicious. and aspiring deli owner 72

September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

RetailReady is a two day course that will steer you through the minefield of opening and running a fine food store.

The course is designed to equip managers of prospective, new or developing delis and farm shops with the business essentials of fine food and drink retailing.

The next course takes place on October 11-12 2011.

Visit www.finefoodworld.co.uk/ retailready for more details and an application form.

Call us to find out more on 01963 824464.

shelftalk

products, packaging & promotions San Francisco Sourdough is made using Rachel’s Organic wholemilk yoghurt and strong unbleached, white North American flour. It is a rustic, fullflavoured sourdough that takes 72 hours to make – although The Bread Factory says it has been nurturing the sourdough starter for this loaf for 15 years. The one-star gold winner is supplied loose and unpackaged and available as 500g long/round or 1000g long/round. The Bread Factory also picked up awards for six other products, including an apple tin cake, chocolate toffee tartlet and American-style www.breadltd.co.uk pumpernickel.

The Cracking Good Food Company has won two-star gold for its Pecan & Sundried Berries Cracotti.

Judges said they looked good, had great texture and were “altogether very tasty with the seeds, raisins and pecan nuts all delivering in a nice balance”. Doublebaked like biscotti, Cracotti are also available in Cranberry & Hazelnut and Fig & Olive flavours. They are designed as an accompaniment to cheeses, cold meats, smoked salmon and dips. The 75g packs have an RRP of around £3.00. www.crackinggoodfood.com

Caramel & honeycomb ice cream and elderflower & gooseberry ice cream from Thaymar have “wonderful texture and perfectly balanced flavours” according to Great Taste Awards judges. The new caramel & honeycomb flavour combination was launched earlier this year, bringing the range of ice creams and sorbets made to over 35. Thaymar has been making ice cream at Haughton Park Farm in north Nottinghamshire for 23 years, using fresh milk and double cream from the neighbouring dairy. www.thaymaricecream.co.uk

Thursday Cottage Bitter Orange Marmalade (one-star gold) is made with fresh bitter oranges from Seville. The recipe is simple, says the company – just oranges, fruit pectin and pure cane sugar. It is then hand-poured into jars to maintain a good mix of peel and fruit throughout the jar. A traditional 1lb jar has an RRP of £2.35. The trade price is £10.58 for a case of six. The company’s greengage jam www.thursday-cottage.com also won a one-star gold.

Tims Dairy in Buckinghamshire has been making yoghurt using British milk for over 60 years.

This year its Greek-style natural yogurt and Greek-style yogurt with honey have won one-star gold awards.

As well as yoghurts, Tims Dairy also makes soured cream and crème fraiche. The retail range was launched in 2009 after many years of supplying foodservice customers. www.timsdairy.co.uk

Uig Lodge smoked salmon is sourced from ethically-run, SPCA (the Scottish animal welfare charity) accredited salmon farms. When it arrives at the smokehouse on the Isle of Lewis each fish is treated individually, says Uig Lodge. Even the prevailing weather conditions at the time of smoking are taken into account and the curing and smoking process is all done by hand.

RRPs for this three-star gold winner range from £12 for a 230g pack (trade price £8) to £20 for 450g (trade price £15). www.uiglodge.co.uk

Spiced Apricot & Cranberry Chutney from Hawkshead Relish won a one-star gold. This is one of the company’s best-sellers and described as “spiced, sticky and fruity”, and ideal with cheese, cold meats, pies and paté. Hawkshead Relish, which is based in The Lake District, has now won 44 Great Taste Awards for its products. Its range of almost 130 lines is all made by hand in traditional open pans without additives, preservatives or flavourings. www.hawksheadrelish.com

Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

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classified

BAKING EQUIPMENT BOILERS BOTTLES & JARS BUSINESSES FOR SA TECHNOLOGY EXHIBITION EQUIPMENT FOOD PROCESSING EQUIP SUPPLIERS LEGAL SERVICES PACKAGING PHOTOGRAPHY RECRUITMEN TICKETING TRAINING VEHICLE LEASING WANTED WEB DESIGN BAKIN CLOTHING COLD TRANSPORT DESIGN CONSULTANTS EPOS TECHNO • baking equipment

• food processing machinery

Do you make PIES or other sorts of pastry products?

We make incredibly versatile PIE MACHINES

Fine Food Classified 2011:Layout • ingredients

• labelling

Serving chocolatiers for over 40 years

Chocolate Ingredients � Confectionery and Gift Packaging � �

VISIT www.johnhuntbolton.co.uk

Griottines® and Framboisines® � Chocolate making starter kits �

TO SEE OUR RANGE OF MACHINES, PLUS VIDEO CLIPS OF THE MACHINES IN OPERATION OR CALL + 44 (0) 1204 521831 / 532798 OR FAX + 44 (0) 1204 527306 OR EMAIL spencer@johnhuntbolton.co.uk

JOHN HUNT (Bolton) Ltd Rasbottom St, Bolton, England BL3 5BZ

• baking equipment

www.keylink.org Tel: 0114 245 5400

• food processing machinery

Suppliers of equipment for artisan producers of fruit juices, wines, ciders and oils. Our wide range extends from extraction processes to filtration, bottling, sealing and labelling.

• labelling

• labelling

Print Your Own Food Labels

Tel: 01404 892100 Fax: 01404 890263 Email: info@vigoltd.com www.vigoltd.com

• bottles & jars

• ingredients

• labelling

• packaging

HS HS French Flint Ltd FF Speciality Glassware for the more discerning producer.

CODING AND MARKING SYSTEMS FOR FOOD AND PHARMACEUTICAL New

Ring us on: 01628 668836 or visit us at: QuickLabel.co.uk

Refurbished

Hire

Hire-to-Buy

Offline sleeve and watch strap band feeders Ink jet printers - 5yr warranty on new units Hot Foil & Thermal Transfer Printers Laser coding systems

Unit 4G, The Leathermarket, Weston Street, London SE1 3ER

Tel: 020 7407 3200 Fax: 020 7407 5877

www.FrenchFlint.com

• bottles & jars

• labelling

In a pickle about where to buy your food jars?

DEPOSITORS & PACKAGING SYSTEMS MEATS/SEAFOODS & READY MEALS

Then look no further!

• Authorised distributors for Ardagh glass, Allied Glass and Beatson Clark • Nationwide delivery service available • Free samples available • Glass jars, Beer bottles, Food grade pails, Plastic bottles Think SPINKS for high quality glass and plastic containers.

Contact us for further information: Spinks Compak t: 0113 2350662 · e: emma.speight@spinks.co.uk www.spinkscompak.com

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September 2011 · Vol.12 Issue 8

• labelling

Freshness & Flavour sealed in ice

Pure, Chilled or Frozen Lemon, Lime & Orange Zest & Juices

Depositors for sauces and dressings Pot fillers and liquid fillers Vertical Form Fill Seal Thermoformers Tray sealers Pumps

can be supplied as non-organic, organic or wax-free

Produced to order by FA Young Farm Produce Ltd., Timsbury, Bath, Somerset BA2 0FQ

01761 470523 F: 01761 471018 E: info@zumozest.com w: www.zumozest.com

T:

For more information call 01962 761761 info@printsafe.co.uk www.printsafe.co.uk

OR SALE CLOTHING COLD TRANSPORT DESIGN CONSULTANTS EPOS EQUIPMENT HYGIENE PRODUCTS INGREDIENTS INSURANCE LABEL TMENT REFRIGERATION SECURITY SHOPFITTING & right DESIGN Call our sales team on 01963 824464 today to discuss the classifiedSUNDRIES heading BAKING EQUIPMENT BOILERS BOTTLES & JARS BUSINESSES FOR SALE for your equipment, ingredients or services CHNOLOGY EXHIBITION EQUIPMENT FOOD PROCESSING EQUIPMENT • packaging

• packaging

• refrigeration

• refrigeration

• refrigeration

• training

Packaging Foil & PET Diaphragms

Tamper evident & film sealable plastic food packaging Reliable leadtimes and service - sensible minimum order size Sizes available from 30ml to 5000ml - transparent products in stock

Paper packaging, labelled and direct print containers

Visit www.innavisions.com or call us for a brochure TEL: 01886 832283 EMAIL: nick.wild@innavisions.com • packaging

• packaging Tamper Evident Packaging

FOOD SAFETY

Training & Consultancy Make sure you’re meeting legal requirements for food safety.

Level 2 Food Safety online £25 Level 3 Food Safety online £125 Meat managers hygiene and HACCP training of all levels

BUY ONLINE www.

At your own premises or in Skipton, North Yorks.

Verner Wheelock Associates

parkerspackagingdirect.com

01756 708526 / office@vwa.co.uk

t: 0151 547 6700

www.vwa.co.uk

Purchase with confidence from a company that has been trading since 1952!

• ingredients

• packaging

• training

• washing equipment

I’ve now got ❝ boundless enthusiasm, real confidence and I really want to talk to my customers about my deli counter

What will you learn?

❞

• The five golden rules for increasing deli sales • How to select the best cheese and charcuterie • How to create the best counter display • How to avoid bad quality cheese and charcuterie • How to sell proactively rather than reactively • The difference between artisan and mass-produced cheeses and meats • ingredients • refrigeration through comparative tastings

Jo Davies, Stokely Barton Farm Shop

• packaging

Training dates for the Charcuterie & UK Cheese Guild Charcuterie dates for 2011 Date Mon Sept 26

Venue London

Course costs

Members of The Guild of Fine Food just £65, plus VAT (@ 20%).

Non-members £90, plus VAT (@ 20%).

Cheese dates for 2011 Date Tues Sept 27 Thurs Oct 6 Mon 17 Oct Wed 19 Oct Tues 25 Oct

Venue London Solihull Glasgow Retford, Notts Wincanton, Somerset

For more information:

E-mail: linda.farrand@finefoodworld.co.uk Tel: 01963 824464 www.finefoodworld.co.uk

*NB. Unfortunately we have had to introduce a £10 plus VAT (@ 20%) surcharge for London training dates due to higher venue costs.

Avilton foods

Vol.12 Issue 8 · September 2011

75

F_GLE_0028 Fine Food Digest Ad_v3_Layout 1 11/08/2011 10:22 Page 1

The finest vegetable crisps from glennans™

Meet our vegetable crisp family The Glennan family produced the first hand cooked vegetable crisp way back in 1994, over 5 years before anyone else in Britain. We are now the largest manufacturer of hand cooked vegetable crisps in Britain and Europe, not bad for a family business from Staffordshire!

The premium snack market is changing and we’re growing with it.

Join us and help your customers discover glennans™.

0845 685 1008 email: sales@glennans.co.uk | www.glennans.co.uk

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Available 2011 in 100g, 40g, September · Vol.12 Issue27g 8

and multipack

Come and visit us at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair, London Olympia, 4th-6th September stand number 790.