FFD April 2018 by Guild of Fine Food

April 2018 Volume 19 Issue 3 gff.co.uk

Money withdrawn How high street bank closures are affecting delis

ALSO INSIDE Franceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s artisan Camembert crisis Speciality teas and infusions Welbeck Farm Shop

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CONTENTS The public are becoming aware of the conditions cows are kept in and the backlash is inevitable CHEESEWIRE

The Ethical Dairy

5 THE BIG PICTURE 7 NEWS

NATURAL, ORGANIC & HEALTH FOODS

15 ANALYSIS High street bank closures

18 OPINION Scott Winston talks spring cleaning, Editor’s Choice

Rejuvenate your shelves with food and drink for the health-conscious

29 CHEESEWIRE Artisan Camembert under threat, three ways with Remeker 35 CUT & DRIED Rare breed meats at risk, Three Little Pigs’ new packs

36 CATEGORY FOCUS Tea, oils & vinegars 47 FARM SHOP & DELI SHOW

I was told on my PREVIEW first day that if I ever Six reasons to visit 49 SHELF TALK stocked a cheese British biscotti from Starlings, with fruit in it I’d get Jane Curran’s magic ingredient my P45! 61 GUILD OF FINE FOOD NEWS DELI OF THE MONTH

Welbeck Farm Shop

EDITORIAL

Editorial director: Mick Whitworth

ADVERTISING

Editor: Michael Lane

advertise@gff.co.uk

Reporter: Andrew Don

Sales manager: Ruth Debnam

Assistant editor: Lauren Phillips Art director: Mark Windsor Contributors: Nick Baines, Patrick McGuigan, Phil Miller, Liz Seabrook, Lynda Searby

Sales director: Sally Coley

Sales executive: Becky Stacey

GENERAL ENQUIRIES

Tel: +44 (0) 1747 825200

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editorial@gff.co.uk

Printed by: Blackmore, Dorset ADDRESS Guild House, 23b Kingsmead Business Park Shaftesbury Road, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 5FB United Kingdom

Mystery shopper offer, maturing cheese on wood

Published by The Guild of Fine Food Ltd gff.co.uk © The Guild of Fine Food Ltd 2018. 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.

Turn to page 61 for news from the Guild

Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

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THE BIG PICTURE Swapping truckles Last month saw the unveiling of a collaboration unlike any other, as Mary Quicke and Jamie Montgomery gathered fellow makers, cheesemongers, buyers and chefs at The Cheese Bar in Camden. Everyone was there to sample the results of an experiment that saw truckles of Devon-based Quicke’s cheddar sent to Montgomery’s Somerset maturing rooms for several months of ageing, and vice versa. The results startled even the two veteran cheddar-makers themselves, as their cheeses both took on distinctly different textures DQG ŴDYRXUV WKDQNV WR WKH PLFURRUJDQLVPV DW each other’s premises. Photograph: Liz Seabrook

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NEWS

Dean & DeLuca strikes Selfridges supply deal after Mayfair store falls through By Andrew Don

American retailer Dean & DeLuca appears to have shelved long-held ambitions to open a London store, opting instead to boost its presence with exclusive branded product listings in Selfridges. In August 2016, it announced plans to open in a 1,900 sq ft central London unit, formerly butcher Allen’s of Mayfair, but the site’s owner Grosvenor told FFD that Dean & DeLuca has pulled out and it isn’t seeking an alternative property. Now Dean & DeLuca – best-known for its flagship store in New York’s Soho district – has struck an exclusive deal with Selfridges that will see the department store’s London food hall sell more than 50 of its branded products. Selfridges said the exclusivity was for “the foreseeable future” making its London store the only place in Europe that consumers could find these

Selfridges has listed more than 50 branded Dean & DeLuca lines

items, which include coffee, truffle oil and maple syrup. “Following the appointment of its new global president, Dean & DeLuca has shifted its store opening strategy and while it will maintain brand presence in the UK, it will focus on US openings in the short term,” said a Grosvenor spokesperson. The Dean & DeLuca line-up in Selfridges covers a broad spectrum of ambient goods, from

traditional Italian sauces, oils and antipasti to salts, seasoning, confectionery, tea and coffee. Its Toscana sauce, apricot mustard, cinnamon infused maple syrup, Manhattan Blend coffee and white truffle oil are among those on the high-end roster. It is not clear whether the uncertainty surrounding Brexit played any part in Dean & DeLuca’s decision to

Indie shopping platform Good Sixty targets expansion to Cardiff and London after Bristol success Good Sixty, an online shopping platform for people who want to buy groceries from specialist shops, plans to spread its wings following a £150,000 crowdfunding campaign. It will use the money raised on Crowdcube to kickstart expansion into Bath, Cardiff and London. The business has more than 70 independents listed on its website and is in talks with 25 retailers in Bath, with a view to going live in the city this summer. Directors Chris Edwards and Jon Simon, a co-founder of Pieminister, has also started talking to London and Cardiff retailers with a view

to going live in the two cities before Christmas. Edwards, co-founder and managing director, said the big challenge was building awareness of the site. “That’s one of the reasons we are getting the funding,” he said, adding that he was not worried about Amazon encroaching on the independent market.

“Most people we speak to don’t want big businesses. They want someone with the same ethos they have and who wants to support local independents.” Retailers Good Sixty is allied to include Radford Mill Farm Shop, Matter Whole Foods, Source Food Hall, El Colmado, Reg the Veg and The Bristol Cheesemonger. Good Sixty said sales have grown by an average of 15% month on month since launching in September 2016. It believes more than 40,000 retailers across the UK fit its model and would benefit from listing on the site. goodsixty.co.uk

pull back from opening a new store, or whether the decision was part of a more general halt on expansion. The New York Post reported last November that the grocer, which is currently owned by Thai company Pace Development Corporation, had hit the brakes on some of its expansion plans in the US. Dean & DeLuca also operates in other markets around the world and has a big presence in Japan and Thailand, as well as outlets in Singapore, Macau, Bahrain, the Philippines, South Korea, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. FFD made several attempts to contact both John Barton, the business’s chief operating officer running its UK operation, and the group’s Thai parent company, but neither replied before the magazine went to press. Grosvenor said it was currently working to secure a tenant, preferably a foodled operation, for its vacant site at 117 Mount Street.

IN BRIEF Bird in Eye Farm Shop, on Birdineye Farm in Uckfield, West Sussex, has closed after 15 years, due to the retirement of farm owner Peter Berry. Supermarket chain Morrisons’ full-year results revealed the extent to which it is trying to stock “local”. More than 200 local growers, farmers, fishermen and producers began supplying it during the year. The group introduced more than 750 new local products, such as Yockenthwaite Farm Cereals, Box Pizza and Voakes Pies. Orb Media has identified microplastics in 90% of bottled water. The journalism organisation based tests on more than 250 bottles from 11 brands. The contaminants included polypropylene, nylon, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

Celebs help Stansted Park mark new farm shop opening

Stansted Park Farm Shop on the Sussex-Hampshire border, celebrated the opening of its new, much larger premises last month with a celebrity event that attracted 300 customers. Great British Bake Off star Prue Leith opened the 9,000 sq ft shop, which is on the Stansted Park Estate, while Wahaca founder

Thomasina Miers held a cookery demonstration using local produce. The shop, owned by Fred Duncannon and Sam Edden, has added a full service butchery at its new site, which also features a deli counter and a kitchen serving breakfast and lunch. stanstedfarmshop.com Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

NEWS

CYBER CRIME

Plastic waste, business rates and cash usage all on Hammond’s radar By Andrew Don

There was lots for independent retailers to think about in Philip Hammond’s Spring Statement last month, as the Chancellor made announcements on singleuse plastics, a change to business rate revaluations and a review on the use of cash. While there was no announcement about the proposed 25p Latte Levy, Hammond said he would follow up on the “vital issue” of plastic litter and said the Government would study the entire supply chain for single-use plastics. Sarah Clout, jointowner of Holwood Farm Shop in Kent, said she is highly supportive of reducing plastics but questioned how easy that would be in the food industry. “We had a customer asking why we don’t have paper bags and I explained

the storage needed “About 70% was massive and if of our customers you go out with a pay by card and paper bag of groceries most of those use and it’s raining, or contactless unless you’ve got heavy they spend more things in it, it’s a than £30,” she said. non-starter.” “But some people Another only have change customer complained and want to use it.” when staff used a Downing Street, grab sheet. “How however, gave else do you pick reassurances the something up?” day after the Spring said Clout. “If you Statement that wear gloves, they pennies and two Chancellor Philip Hammond wants more study are plastic, too. pence coins were into plastic waste and how cash is used Something new safe. needs to be invented.” The The chancellor also into triennial revaluations Government’s consultation announced the Government if it did not think it could on single-use plastic would bring forward make more money from will examine how taxes the next business rates ratepayers. and economic incentives revaluation by one year Fran Albani, who might alter the supply to 2021 and implement manages Flesh & Flour chain – from processes triennial reviews from that in Muswell Hill, north of manufacturers through date – down from every London, commenting on to retailers and consumer five years. reports that the chancellor’s behaviour. Mike Clark, owner of review of cash usage could A new £20m fund was Country Harvest Farm lead to the end of lowalso announced, aimed at Shop, said the Government denomination coins, said businesses and universities might argue it was fairer prices are not rounded up looking to develop but he did not believe it to whole pounds so small solutions for tackling would put the extra effort change was necessary. plastic waste.

Eataly to open large food hall in the City of London Global food hall Eataly has signed an agreement to open in the City of London in 2020. It will take the lease on a 42,000 sq ft space at real estate company British Land’s Broadgate development at 135 Bishopsgate. The venue will sell high-quality Italian food and drink from a variety of outlets under one roof, including restaurants, bars, a cooking school and “on-site production laboratories”. Luca Baffigo, chief executive of Eataly, said opening in London where people could buy, eat and learn was “a very exciting milestone”. Claire Barber, head of central London Retail and Meadowhall, at British Land, said Eataly would “put Broadgate on the map as an exciting destination for 8

April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

Londoners to enjoy seven days a week”. Eataly opened its first store in Turin 11 years ago. Today it has 18 branches in its home country as well as premises in Brazil, the USA, Japan, the Middle East and a small presence in other European countries. Its sites include the massive FICO Eataly World agri-food “theme park” in Bologna, which features 100 shops and market places – a total of nearly 2m sq ft. eataly.com

IN BRIEF Groceries Code Adjudicator Christine Tacon has launched a probe into the Cooperative Group’s treatment of suppliers because of “reasonable suspicion” it may have broken the Groceries Supply Code of Practice in the way that it delisted them. Hackwood Farm, in Derbyshire, has announced plans to expand into the remainder of its barns to offer a range of traditional shops and eateries, including a pub, florist, bakery, butchery and deli. Entries are now open for the 25th annual British Cheese Awards, which will take place on Wednesday 30th May at the Royal Bath & West Show in Shepton Mallet, Somerset. Visit britishcheeseawards. com for more details.

Crickmore hopes to collaborate with FSA to improve raw drinking milk standards A leading raw drinking milk producer hopes to develop a plan with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to highlight the risks to other farmers and prevent further outbreaks of consumer illness. Jonny Crickmore, co-owner of Fen Farm Dairy in Bungay, Suffolk, and sole UK agent for DF Italia milk vending machines, told FFD that he and the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) were among those engaging with the FSA. He said that many raw drinking milk (RDM) producers did not fully understand the risk involved, adding: “We need, as a group, to work together more so we are singing off the same

hymn sheet”. Crickmore said he wanted other RDM producers to ensure they understood the risks and how to reduce them. He alluded to the campylobacter incidents in RDM sold at Low Sizergh Barn in Kendal, Cumbria, at the end of 2016 when 16 cases of campylobacter were confirmed. Sales have since

resumed after the farm made the necessary changes. News of Crickmore’s collaborative approach came the day after an FSA board meeting updated on the policy evidence base for its RDM programme including risk assessment, economic analysis and consumer insight. The report highlighted a fivefold increase in the volume of RDM production in the UK between 2012 and 2017 and an increase in outbreaks of illness associated with RDM in the UK since the beginning of 2015. Board members identified a series of further analyses or evidence they wanted to see before taking a decision on the controls in place.

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NEWS

New Q Guild chair says butchery is migrating from high street to farm shops By Mick Whitworth

More traditional butchers are set to relocate within farm shops and garden centres as pressures on High Street retailing continue, according to the new chairman of the Q Guild of Butchers. David Lishman, who founded Lishman’s of Ilkley in the West Yorkshire spa town 32 years ago, said town centre stores are struggling to compete with the pulling power of out-of-town sites. “Shops like ours are offering a wider variety than ever before,” he said, “but farm shops are more of a ‘destination’, with cafés and children’s play areas, and high street shops are suffering.” The Q Guild represents around 120 quality-led butchers around the UK. They include both concessions and owneroperated counters in leading farm shops and food halls, from House of Bruar’s inhouse counter in Perthshire to Tilehurst Village Butchers’

Incoming Q Guild chairman David Lishman says out-of-town sites are a better bet for traditional butchery than the high street

concession in Dobbies Garden Centre in Berkshire. Blacker Hall Farm Shop near Wakefield – winner of Shop of the Year in 2016‘s Great Taste awards – is an “an exceptional farm shop that’s doing an extremely good job of its butchery counter”, Lishman told FFD. “It’s selling a lot of meat, and that’s probably because it’s such a destination”. It is important for farm shop butchers to

“plough their own furrow”, remain “a bit specialist” and not attempt to match supermarkets on price, Lishman said. But they also have to recognise consumer trends, with a mix of counter-service and prepacks of more convenient, prepared products. “Seventy percent of people don’t know at 4pm what they’ll be having for dinner that evening,” he said, “‘so we have to offer more

ready-to-cook dishes with sauces or marinades, and prepared meats like peppered pork steaks. The simpler the product is to cook, the greater the sales.” The days of the Sunday joint may also be numbered, he said, except for special occasions like Mother’s Day. While there is “a definite movement towards grab-and-go products”, Lishman said this ran up against current concerns about excess packaging. “Everything grab-and-go is in plastic, and that’s contrary to the packaging issue, which seems to have gained momentum. “For the first time last week, a customer came in with Tupperware for us to fill, and then it happened five more times in one day. So we’re thinking about whether we could offer returnable boxes. “That’s definitely an opportunity, because it’s not something the supermarkets can do.” lishmansbutchers.co.uk

Eat17 seeks street food Eat17 is looking for London-based street food vendors to take up residency in its new stores opening in Hammersmith and Leytonstone this year. The Hammersmith store – set to open in May – will have three street food booths available in Smiths Square Market on Fulham Palace Road. Opening in July, the Leytonstone outlet will also have three spots for vendors within its café area. The grocery store chain – which already has four stores in Walthamstow, Hackney, Whitstable and Bishop’s Stortford – now has an annual turnover of around £10m. eat17.co.uk

Chelmsford farm shop attacked online after pitching caged eggs against free-range

Strong sales of gin and tonic indicate the trend will go on

An Essex farm shop suffered a torrent of online abuse after a misunderstanding when it decided to transition from selling both caged and freerange chicken eggs to just free-range. Lathcoats Farm Shop, in Chelmsford, revamped labelling and erected information boards to clarify the eggs’ origin. Philip Taylor, co-owner, said the shop was trying to convey that “these are caged eggs, do you really want them? Here are the free-range eggs.” But someone took exception, thinking Lathcoats wanted to promote caged eggs and instigated a campaign which led to about 100 onestar reviews from people on Facebook. “These weren’t our

The gin & tonic boom is showing no signs of slowing after the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) announced record sales figures for the spirit and market-leading tonic Fever Tree posted strong fincancial results. UK gin sale volumes rocketed 27% last year to 51m bottles – worth almost £1.4bn, the WSTA’s latest market report shows. Sales hit a record high at Christmas, when more than 16m bottles of gin, worth £413m, sold in the 12 weeks to the end of

Lathcoats used clear signage for both types of eggs

customers. They were in America, Cornwall and Nottingham,” said Taylor. “A lot of them had made their mind up and didn’t want to listen.” The FARMA member has now decided to accelerate the move from selling caged eggs to entirely free-range, after discussing the issue with supportive customers and suppliers. Milly Stokes, FARMA’s chair, congratulated Lathcoats for doing “a great job” at letting customers choose.

“It was disappointing to hear that they were targeted by an online campaign group that has never visited their farm shop. As is often the case, it is campaigners from around the world who have no knowledge of a business or its objectives who jump on the bandwagon and can drown out real customers’ views.” Stokes said it was heartening to hear how customers had rallied and given balance to the situation.

December. This equated to an extra 3.5m bottles bought – up 28% in volume compared with 2016’s festive season – worth an extra £104m. The WSTA said there were now more than 100 British gin brands on the market. Fever-Tree, the UK-based premium carbonated mixer brand, reported full year adjusted EBITDA up 64% from £35.8m to £58.7m last year on revenue up 66% from £102.2m to £170.2m. Its total UK revenue jumped 52% with “exceptional” growth in the off-trade and a continued strong performance from canned drinks, although gross margin fell from 55.2% to 53.5% Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

NEWS

Scientists fear that FSA’s food hygiene revamp will be harder on small producers By Andrew Don

The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) new blueprint for policing food hygiene could see smaller artisan producers come under more scrutiny than large manufactures, it is feared. Erik Milstone, professor emeritus of science policy at the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex, told FFD the FSA’s proposed Regulating Our Future (ROF) blueprint assumed the most modern companies needed least supervision. Prof Milstone, co-author of a Centre for Food Policy report on ROF, said it was as if the FSA were saying traditional methods are the least safe and the most modern are the safest, which would subject artisanal production to tougher inspections. Rufus Carter, chief operations officer, of pâté-maker Patchwork

Could inspections get tougher for artisan producers? One study suggests that may be the case

Traditional Food Company, said small producers did not try to cut corners any more than big producers. “The idea that an artisan producer is going to be manufacturing with cats and dogs in the kitchen is complete nonsense,” he told FFD. “It’s easier for [the FSA] to investigate an artisan producer than it is a multinational because artisan producers are more submissive and don’t employ full-time lawyers.”

He said artisan producers created headaches for regulators because they were innovative with food so there were no precedents or benchmarks for the inspectors to use. Prof Milstone thought large high-tech operations, especially abattoirs, slaughterhouse and meatcutting plants, created the greatest risk. “The way the FSA is talking, it’s as if your

MPs: no Brexit scenario will make the UK’s food and drink industry better off A group of MPs has warned that the food and drink industry would be worse off regardless of the type of Brexit the Government delivers. The Select Committee on Exiting the European Union considered six scenarios and examined customs issues, tariffs, trade with non-EU countries, migration and

regulation divergence, for each one. The resulting report suggests food and drink prices are likely to rise under every possible Brexit trade agreement. Food and drink prices rise by anything from 8% to as much as 17% in the worst-case scenario, depending on whether the UK fell under a standard

17%

rise in food prices is the worst possible post-Brexit scenario Source: The Select Committee on Exiting the EU 12

April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

free trade agreement, a World Trade Organisation trade agreement, or European Economic Area trade rules. The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) called the analysis “deeply alarming.” Tim Rycroft, FDF corporate affairs director, said: “The findings show that food and drink would be worse off in every single scenario modelled – faring the worst under WTO terms. “To maintain our competitiveness and continue to provide consumers with the choice, range and quality they enjoy and expect, Government must redouble its efforts to secure a deep and comprehensive trade deal which protects our access to markets and provides regulatory stability.”

sector [artisan] would be the greatest risk,” said Prof Milstone. Jonny Crickmore, coowner of Fen Farm Dairy in Suffolk, which is a specialist in raw drinking milk and cheese, said: “We need to as a country support the smaller guys so we don’t end up going like the Americans where there are just franchises and big companies.” The FSA denied that it had made any assumptions that artisan businesses were a greater risk than big companies. “In our new model we want to reward all businesses, irrespective of their size, who do the right thing, making it easier for businesses to demonstrate that they are complying with the standards and the use of technology will help us do that,” a spokeswoman said. The agency is currently considering ROF, which outlines a new approach to policing food businesses.

IN BRIEF

Cheese specialist Paxton & Whitfield has launched a podcast. Available to download from iTunes, the first episode is all about fondues. The retailer and wholesaler plans to release a new podcast every month.

The Government has ordered a review into the funding gap that it says is preventing women accessing business financing. It comes after 200 business leaders and MPs signed an open letter urging ministers to boost female entrepreneurship. A new business, the Hog and Hen Farm Shop, was scheduled to hold a grand opening on 23rd and 24th March at Mill Green Farm near the village of Stonham Aspal, in Suffolk. It will sell its own free-range poultry, local meats and cheeses, and a range of groceries.

Scottish Wild Venison producers seek EU protection Wild venison producers in Scotland have begun the process of applying for EU protected status for their meat, despite the uncertainty over the Protected Food Name scheme’s future in the UK after Brexit. Scottish Venison Partnership wants to secure Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) from the European Commission for Scottish Wild Venison. If successful this would cover all meat, and processed products like sausages and pies, from the four species of free-roaming deer north of the border – red, sika, roe and fallow deer. This application comes hot on the heels of Traditional Welsh Caerphilly securing PGI status and joining a host of British products, including Stilton and Melton Mowbray

Pork Pies, that have protection via the scheme. But before Defra sends the Scottish Wild Venison application to Europe, the proposal is subject to public consultation, which is being conducted by the Scottish Government. Any person or business with a legitimate interest in this application can register their comments or objections by midnight on 29th May. There is currently no plan for how the Protected Food Name scheme will continue in the UK after Brexit but, in February, the UK Protected Food Names Association told FFD it hoped that a reciprocal arrangement could be agreed. This would ensure that European products would continue to be protected in the UK and vice versa.

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ANALYSIS

bank closures CYBER CRIME

Taking out the cash As thousands of high street bank branch closures leave many towns and villages in the lurch, FFD investigates what impact this will have on the high street deli By Lauren Phillips

IT IS OFTEN AN OVERLOOKED part of the high street, but bank branches play a vital role in the local economy of a town, allowing the public to access cash, deposit takings or providing face-to-face financial advice. But this traditional high street service is under threat as major British banks close branches up and down the UK. In the last three years alone, 1,747 branches have been culled, according to independent consumer body Which?, leaving many towns and villages without any access to a banking service. “Bank branches increase footfall and enable free access to cash, driving local economic growth in the process,” says the National Chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, Mike Cherry. One deli in Herefordshire, who did not want to be named, tells FFD it had seen a significant reduction in the number of people visiting its local high street since losing both branches in the past two years. Instead, customers are now traveling to a larger neighbouring town with a bank. “Tuesday used to be the day that the farmers would come into the high street to go to the bank and then pop into the shops to purchase something,” says the owner. “It was

The cashless society is coming. We will soon not have any cash at all.

one of our busiest days but that has now fallen off.” It’s not only consumers who have to travel further to access a bank, many independent retailers have become restricted in how they access cash or deposit their takings. “Bank branches provide a number of vital services to small business owners, from cash float and deposit facilities to support with access to finance, and assistance with opening and closing accounts,” says Cherry. Some local Post Offices have taken up the reins previously held by high street banks, and the Government has announced plans for nearly £400 million to be invested into the Post Office network from April. “The Post Office can provide a viable alternative for some, but it remains the case that the best Post Offices are in urban areas, not the rural towns that really need them,” says Cherry. And delis like Thyme & Tides in Stockbridge, Hampshire – which lost its branch five years ago – are restricted by how much they can bank in one single transaction. “We’re limited to banking £2,000 at a time and we generally have to deposit more than that,” says owner Iain Hemming. Some banks have deployed mobile banking vans for towns that have seen their branches close, visiting at certain times of the week for customers that require it. In Lostwithiel, Cornwall, Bellamama Deli has been using a Lloyds TSB mobile van that visits twice a week since losing its only branch in March last year. The van stops 10 minutes away from the deli, but owner Emma Jessop finds that the visiting times clash with the store’s opening hours. “The bank van comes when the shop is open, and I run the shop mostly by myself,”

2.7 million

people in the UK are

entirely reliant

on cash Source: UK Finance 2017

CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

Your resistance will crumble.

We still hand-bake our shortbread to Helen Dean’s exacting standards using her very own recipe and traditional ingredients. It’s the Dean’s way and as far as we’re concerned, it’s the only way to ensure our baking tastes just as good as my mother used to make.

Tel: 01282 440040 Email: info@riggsautopack.co.uk www.riggsautopack.co.uk

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BEST PRESERVES BRAND 2016-2017 Voted for by the readers of Fine Food Digest

deans.co.uk

BEST PRESERVES BRAND 2017-2018

Your Favourite Preserves Brand

Voted for by the readers of Fine Food Digest

Delighted to have been voted Best Preserves Brand for a second year Marion Darlington began making her unique Lemon Curd in 1980 in the farmhouse kitchen and since then we’ve never looked back. Today with over 80 family favourites to choose from; there’s so much more to the Mrs Darlington’s family!

To find our more call us on 01270 250710 or visit www.mrsdarlingtons.com 16

April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

ANALYSIS

bank closures

If I’m only away for 10 minutes that could mean somebody walking past my shop who could have been a customer

2.9 million

people in the UK rarely used

cash

in 2016 Source: Cash Services Research, 2017

says Jessop. “So, if I need to go to the bank I have to close the shop while I go out.” “Even if I’m only away for 10 minutes that could still mean somebody walking past my shop who could have been a potential customer.” The FSB’s Mike Cherry says mobile banking vans are a potential solution but they cannot provide the same level of personal support. He adds: “A changing team of banking staff that pitches up for a few hours a week is no replacement for a permanent relationship manager at a high street branch.” Many towns and villages are also running out of cash because of branch closures, which is a major concern for independent retailers. The Humble Pie Delicatessen in Burnham, Norfolk, lost both its bank branches and has seen many of its customers struggle to withdraw cash in the village. “We have a Post Office but not everyone can get money out of it as it depends on which banks use it,” says shop manager Samantha Turner. “There is a small ATM in a garage, but they only hold a certain amount of money and they usually run out by lunch time.” This lack of readily available cash could pose a risk to specialist food retailers who handle large volumes of one-off purchases that tend to be paid for in cash, says Cherry. Yet, digital technology has revolutionised the way people shop, sell and save with today’s consumers relying on cash less and less. According to UK Finance, 62% of all payments in the UK were made in cash in 2006 which had dropped to 40% in 2016. It is predicted that by 2026 only 21% of all payments will be made in cash. Even Chancellor Philip Hammond

There is a small ATM in a garage, but they only hold a certain amount of money and run out by lunch time.

announced a consultation on how to encourage cashless and digital payments during his Spring Statement to Parliament last month, and the Treasury has floated the idea of abolishing 1p and 2p coins. “The cashless society is coming”, says Grimsey, “we will soon not have any cash at all. That’s just a trend that going to continue particularly with the younger generation who use less cash these days.” “Whether it is good or bad is another question, but it’s a fact of life,” he adds. “It’s happening fast, and you’ve got to keep up with those trends.” While, there are concerns that card payments are more popular with younger consumers, Humble Pie Delicatessen has noted an increasing number of its older customers also choosing card payments over cash. “They are a bit wary about using contactless still and they always want a receipt so they can keep a check on everything,” says Turner, “but they are definitely getting better at using their cards.” Thyme & Tides deli has seen its card sales increase from 40% to 80% since it first opened in 2010 and owner Iain Hemming argues that card transactions are simpler and quicker than cash payments at point of sale, especially with the invention of contactless. “We don’t have a lower limit on taking payments with contactless, people just tap in their cards now,” says Hemming. “There are people out there who have a minimum spend on card machines, but it just isn’t the way.” “It’s about convenience, you have to make it convenient for the customer. If the customer wants to buy something for £1 on card, then so be it.” Grimsey agrees that contactless payments can be just as easy for those one-off or impulse purchases that many high-street delis rely on. “If a customer has a contactless credit card in their wallet they don’t have to think about if they have money on them.” Though it may be a cost, delis and farm shops must make sure they can process credit card and contactless transactions, says Grimsey. “It will impact your sales if you don’t offer it and it will impact their costs if you do offer it,” says Grimsey. “But if you don’t offer it you’re going to lose a sale.”

There were

20,583

branches in 1988, but only

7,800

by 2017

Source: British Bankers Association

Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

OPINION IF I’D KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW... NINA COPELAND, owner, McGuire’s Fine Foods, Chatham, Kent There are three reasons why this business works. First, there’s the historic building – we are housed in a Victorian pump house within Copper Rivet Distillery. Then, the views – our café looks out on one side over the yacht marina and on the other to historic Upnor Castle. And finally, there is nothing else like it in the area. There is a very small cheese shop a few miles away but nowhere that offers the breadth of produce that we do in combination with a café. The only potential downside to our stunning location is that the premises is only ours until 6pm. After that, the pump house reverts to an events space for the distillery. However, this can be a great opportunity to showcase the deli to people who might not otherwise have known that we are there. We’re just coming up to the end of our first year and have exceeded our projections. Our turnover is over 40% higher than we had hoped for in our first year. This is fantastic, especially considering how new I am to the deli business. My background is in B2B sales and buying, then I had an opportunity to start my own business and my love of food led me to this. I originally found a site in Rochester but it fell through, so instead I went to work at Macknade Fine Foods on the deli counter for 12 months – in hindsight it was the best thing that could have happened. McGuire’s is so much better now than it would have been had I opened in the original premises and without the experience gained at Macknade. McGuire’s opened in March 2017. I hoped it would be the deli side that would take off as this is my passion (the café is more resource heavy), but soon realised that the business was going to be driven by the café. We have 65 covers. We could easily have more but I like to keep the tables nicely spaced. We are looking at introducing additional outdoor seating this summer. Perhaps as a result of the success of the café, staffing has been one of my biggest challenges. I thought I would be able to run the deli and café with six members of staff; we actually have 14. With so many people to juggle and accommodate, the rota can be a real headache. One lesson I have learned is that you never really know what is going to happen - you can have a rainy day and it kills trade, then another day rain has the opposite effect. We get round this by planning for being busy. I would rather we were over-staffed and over-stocked than unable to deliver the service and food customers want. Interview Lynda Searby Photography Phil Miller

April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

Two of the most prominent farmhouse cheddar makers revealed the outcome of a secret truckleswapping experiment By Michael Lane, Editor

Last month, I was invited to an evening event that was too good to pass up. The format itself was not that uncommon: “Please come to a London venue for a cheese tasting led by cheesemakers.” The venue, The Cheese Bar in Camden, was a cut above the usual upstairs room at a restaurant. But it was the very unexpected premise of the evening that caught the eye. Two of the West Country’s most prominent farmhouse cheddar makers, together in one room, would reveal the outcome of a secret truckleswapping experiment (see page 5). It’s not an exaggeration to say that the resulting cheeses had taken even the host Mary Quicke and her partner in this crime, Jamie Montgomery, by surprise. When they decided to try maturing one another’s cheeses, both had expected some alterations near the rind. But the microorganisms at work in each other’s maturing rooms had an effect all the way to the middle of the cheese. Darker in colour and waxier in texture, the Quicke’s truckle that holidayed at Montgomery’s North Somerset farm also had its flavour profile rewritten, compared to the rest of the same batch aged at her Devon HQ. Meanwhile, the Montgomery’s cheddar that went to Quickes was more brittle under the rind than usual and developed a more milky centre. While the tasting didn’t necessarily offer any firm conclusions, the experiment proved that there is so much more research to be carried out in this relatively uncharted area of cheesemaking. The subject matter was interesting but I found the whole event a very welcome tonic. It reminded me that, at a time when lots of people feel like doors are closing (and I’m not just invoking the ever-divisive B-word here), there are

EDITOR’S CHOICE Chosen by Lauren Phillips Assistant editor

still a lot of possibilities at our end of the food industry. It might be a tad trendy for some, but The Cheese Bar is a really good example of how serving cheese to consumers is changing and how to do it well. The cinema-style, backlit cheese list on the wall is great piece of interior design that many retailers could emulate, as is the menu of simple cheese-centric dishes. The tasting itself was marshalled by Tracey Colley of the Academy of Cheese, an initiative that you’ll be hearing more and more about – especially from next month in Fine Food Digest. There’s been a lot of collaboration in the last couple of years between the Academy’s founding members, including Mary Quicke and FFD’s publisher, the Guild of Fine Food. And now its mission of legitimising cheese as a profession is really gathering momentum. Even the teamwork involved in the truckleswap was heartening. You might consider the two makers rivals. They would be in most other spheres. But this kind of knowledge-sharing and transparency is surely the future of cheesemaking, if not every aspect of independent food production and retail. The thing that blew my mind the most was that we still have more to explore, learn and possibly change about one of our sector’s core products – farmhouse cheddar. Who knows? Microflora and their effects might become a new conversation angle for cheesemongers at their counters. There are still plenty of consumers out there to convert from block cheese, produced at the touch of a button. If you take nothing else away from this, it’s worth reacquainting yourself with one of the original British deli items and see how much you can taste in it.

Fermented vegetable juices Loving Foods If 2017 was the year of the fermented vegetable, then 2018 is the year of the fermented veg juice. Loving Foods has come up with the idea of delivering Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Krautchi and Beet Kvass in concentrated juice formats. Each are meant to be drunk in short bursts throughout the day for their probiotic benefits, which I’d liken to the way apple cider vinegar is drunk in small amounts to aid weight loss. The Kimchi juice with turmeric & black pepper was my favourite, similar to an Asian dressing in taste. Mix it with 50% oil for a salad dressing with a healthy kick. lovingfoods.co.uk

Spring cleaning SCOTT WINSTON Scott Winston Fine Food Consulting As winter finally loosens its grip on the country, it’s the ideal time to talk about some retail spring cleaning. More specifically, I mean tidying up your ranges to keep them relevant and appealing to customers. So, how should an independent retailer go about this? Firstly, any data you can get your hands on will help immensely. If you have a POS or merchandising system that can generate sales (and profit) data, now is the time to take a look at how your categories and ranges are performing on paper. If you want to tighten up your offering, be prepared to “trim the tail” of ranges by cutting poorer performing products. It’s not just about sales volumes, though. As one of the more overbearing chairmen I

“Stock is effectively cash, so keeping levels light and ordering frequently is always smart” worked for once told me: “Sales are vanity and profit is sanity.” Be aware of which lines are driving your cash profit. A mix of margins is, of course, acceptable but large turnover without profit just renders you a busy fool. Next, you need to move from the shop floor to the store room. Stock is effectively cash, so keeping levels light and ordering frequently is always smart. But if you notice stock building up as a product sells slower than expected, then you should take immediate action. Heed another saying – “Your first loss is your best loss” – and ensure that first markdown is deep enough to shift the stock and recover your cash, as quickly as possible. The crucial thing is that you must be ruthless and objective about every category. You need enough to offer variety but not so much that you confuse customers with choice. Offering Good, Better and Best ranges in popular categories is a good approach. Not everyone likes cleaning but, no matter how well you’re faring, it’s got to be done. Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

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April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

DAIRY-FREE YEAST-FREE

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FOCUS ON

The new natural

QDWXUDO RUJDQLF KHDOWK IRRGV >> Legumes and ancient grains are becoming increasingly popular with healthconscious consumers, ZKLFK LV ZK\ RUJDQLF Ć&#x201C;QH foods brand Clearspring has created a new range of wholegrain brown rice FDNHV $YDLODEOH LQ WKUHH YDULHWLHV Ĺ&#x160; TXLQRD FKLD buckwheat & amaranth, and VXSHU VHHGV Ĺ&#x160; WKH SURGXFWV VHUYH DV D KHDOWK\ EDVH IRU wholesome spreads and toppings. RRP ÂŁ1.49, 120g. clearspring.co.uk

Start-up brand GATO & Co is aiming to change the way consumers indulge with its range of healthier puds. Handmade in the UK, the trio of chilled puddings are free from JOXWHQ GDLU\ UHĆ&#x201C;QHG VXJDU DQG Ĺ´RXU )ODYRXUV LQFOXGH chocolate & aubergine fondant, orange & cardamom polenta sponge, and chocolate & coconut brownie. gatoandco.com

Side Oven has relaunched its organic honey toasted granola range in new resealable pouch packaging with brighter, bolder labelling. The business has also launched an organic gluten-free apple & FLQQDPRQ JUDQROD ZLWK DJDYH syrup, making it suitable for YHJDQV DQG GLDEHWLFV 7KH re-sealable pouches are DYDLODEOH LQ SDFN VL]HV RI 450g (RRP ÂŁ4.30) and 800g (RRP ÂŁ6.30). sideoven.com

Field Fare has announced that it will be launching a line-up of indulgent desserts at this monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s )DUP 6KRS 'HOL 6KRZ LQ D ELG WR Ĺ?Ć&#x201C;OO D QRWDEOH JDS in the marketâ&#x20AC;? for freefrom desserts. Included in the range is a gluten-free raspberry roulade, a lemon cheesecake suitable for YHJHWDULDQV DQG D YHJDQ and gluten-free chocolate torte made with coconut milk. Ć&#x201C;HOG IDUH FRP

Adamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chocolate is now producing its Goji berry & pistachio and mint Ĺ´DYRXUHG RUJDQLF FROG pressed chocolate in twocube pocket-sized packs. The new bite size packaging is pitched as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;nutrientrich treat for on-the-go snackingâ&#x20AC;?. Each 22g pack is Soil Association and Vegan 6RFLHW\ FHUWLĆ&#x201C;HG DQG KDV DQ RRP of ÂŁ1.99. adamschocolates.com

PJ Kombucha specialises in the premium fermented WHD NQRZQ IRU LWV OLYH cultures and good bacteria in maintaining gut health. Produced in-house and by hand, they come in three Ĺ´DYRXUV Ĺ&#x160; RULJLQDO RUDQJH hibiscus, and ginger & lime Ĺ&#x160; ZLWK D UDVSEHUU\ OHPRQDGH YDULHW\ ODXQFKLQJ VRRQ 7KH YHJDQ GULQNV KDYH D WUDGH price of ÂŁ1.75, with an RRP of ÂŁ3.50. pjkombucha.com

6XSHUIRRG VSHFLDOLVW Pipkin has ODXQFKHG DQ DSSOH FLGHU YLQHJDU PDGH IURP RUJDQLF DSSOHV DQG FRQWDLQLQJ WKH 0RWKHU NQRZQ IRU LWV SURWHLQV DQG EDFWHULD 9HJDQ DQG YHJHWDULDQ IULHQGO\ WKH 553 LV e IRU PO pipkin.co.uk

Rainbow Organic Chocolates has launched its latest seasonal ER[ ORZ LQ VXJDU DQG RUJDQLF ZLWK D YHJDQ FROOHFWLRQ DYDLODEOH )ODYRXUV LQFOXGH URVH JDQDFKH ODYHQGHU WUXIĹ´H VDOWHG FDUDPHO S\UDPLG EXWWHUVFRWFK FXS DQG SHDQXW KD]HOQXW EDVNHW 553 e SHU ER[ rainboworganicchocolates. co.uk

From on-the-go smoothie bowls to juices made from African superfruits, producers continue to come up with new and inventive ways to sate consumer appetite for healthier, nutrient-rich foods. Find the latest in natural and free-from foods in our product round-up, plus a look at whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on at the Natural & Organic Products show this month (p.27).

Compiled by Lauren Phillips

Kale & cacao muesli is the ODWHVW Ĺ´DYRXU IURP Primroseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kitchen, which is pitched as â&#x20AC;&#x153;wholesome yet indulgentâ&#x20AC;?, PDGH ZLWK IUHVK NDOH FDFDR VHVDPH VHHGV DLU GULHG %ULWLVK RDWV DQG QDWXUDO GDWH V\UXS 7UDGH SULFH e 553 e primroseskitchen.com

Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

natural, organic & health foods Quoats has expanded its quinoa, oats and flax porridge pot range with a new flavour. The new apple, pear & cinnamon pot joins the existing range of original, coconut & raspberry, and date & pecan. With no added sugar and a high fibre content, the pot range is pitched as a convenient on-the-go snack. RRP £2 per 60g pot. quoats.co.uk

Launching at the Natural & Organic Products show is Sweet Revolution’s organic instant beetroot latte and organic instant chicory latte. The beetroot latte is a combination of coconut milk powder, beetroot juice powder, ginger and raw

April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

Rawr’s resized chocolate bars come in five signature flavours

crystallised coconut nectar. The chicory variety uses a coffee alternative chicory powder with Lion’s Mane – a medicinal mushroom which became popular in the US last year. Trade price £5.33 (RRP £7.95, 200g). sweetrevolution.co.uk

Tzekos Organic Herbs has created three new cooking blends to pair with meat, vegetables and seafood – Sunday Grill (oregano, spearmint & rosemary), Captain’s Recipe (Anise, sage & lemon verbena), and Farmhouse Mix (thyme, marjoram, & tarragon). Each are packaged in three different formats, a metal box 30g (RRP £8.90), canvas pouch 30g (RRP £5.55), and paper box 30g (RRP £3.35). tzekosorganicherbs.com

Newcomer Kitchen & Soul produces a range of vegan, gluten-, dairy- and refinedsugar-free energy balls called Soul Balls. There are five flavours in the range including Chocolate Bomb (cocoa, date, chia, pumpkin & turmeric),

Start-up brand Raw Halo combines superfoods with Peruvian cacao to create ‘Mylk’ and dark chocolate combinations. Its latest flavours are Mylk & vanilla, Mylk & Pink Himalayan salt, and a dark organic raw chocolate bar. Organic, vegan, dairy-, gluten-, and refined-sugar free, the bars are available via Marigold, The Health Store and CLF. Trade price £2.49 (RRP £3.99, 70g bar). rawhalo.com

Zest for Life (cashew, coconut, date, orange & green cardamom), and Lemon Pop (apricot, date, macadamia nuts, lemon & ginger). Trade price £2 per bag containing 2 x 30g balls (RRP £3-£3.50). kitchenandsoul.uk

Lovely Fodder - known for its Benefit Drinks and Benefit Shakes - has added confectionery to its repertoire with the launch of its new Benefit Chocolate. The range comes in three varieties each with a different health benefit: protein, vitamins, and energy. benefitchocolate.co.uk

Organic and ethical grocery company Steenbergs is offering an alternative to traditional curry powders with the launch of its organic toasted version. Medium-low in heat and with a nuttier flavour, the blend includes coriander, cumin, turmeric, ginger, chilli and cardamom - all sourced from organic agriculture. Trade price £1.68 (RRP £2.65, 55g jar). steenbergs.co.uk

Free from chocolate manufacturers Moo Free Chocolates has created Choccy Chums Surprises, a new snacksized mini slab of organic and vegan chocolate (RRP 55p, 20g). Each bar is embossed with a ‘Moo Free Friend’ guaranteed to entertain small children. moofreechocolates.com

Rawr Choc is extending its range of “THIN” Rawr vegan and Fairtrade organic chocolate bars in 30g pack sizes with a different design from its existing 60g bars. The resized range comes in its five signature flavours: Lucuma Cacao, 68% Cacao, 80% Cacao (dark chocolate), orange, and mint. Trade price 90p per bar (RRP £1.49). rawrchoc.com

Spoon Cereals has launched two new mueslis, The Nutty One (whole nuts, orange peel with ground cinnamon and turmeric) and Berry Fix (freeze dried berries, dried dates, pumpkin seeds and beetroot powder). Available from Cress Co with a trade price of £3.51 (RRP £4.95). spooncereals.co.uk

CMT

Continental Meat Technology

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Gluten free rusk substitute from CMT CMT introduces a revolutionary new gluten free crumb, which can replace conventional rusk in sausages and burgers or can be used as a coating for meat and poultry products.

CMT gluten free crumbs: • Are suitable for celiacs • Replace rusk without the need for recipe changes • Are also available as ready made CMT sausage mixes • Are available in two natural colours (pale and golden brown) • Do not contain any e numbers • Are made from GMO free ingredients. Juergen Maurer, 31 Salford Road, Aspley Guise, Milton Keynes MK17 8HT T: 01908 584489 F: 01908 584317

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SMOOTHIE BOWLS 2 of your 5 a day Cold Pressed Vegan Dairy-free Gluten-free No added reﬁned sugar. 100% plant-based Get in touch for more information: hello@revolicious.com

Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

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April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

natural, organic & health foods

Inspired by Instagramâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love affair with decorated smoothie bowls

Loving Foods has announced that it is launching a range of fermented vegetable juices for 2018 in a bid to supply gut-friendly foods in a drinkable format. Highly concentrated, the juices can be consumed in

Baked by Neelu launched its signature double chocolate brownie at The Free-From Show last year. The product was initially gluten- and dairy-free only, but the huge demand for vegan products has meant that the brownie is now also vegan. In November last year, the producer LQWURGXFHG WKH 8.Ĺ?V Ć&#x201C;UVW gluten-, dairy-, nut-free and vegan salted caramel brownie. RRP ÂŁ3. bakedbyneelu.com

The Organic Protein Company has developed WZR QHZ Ĺ´DYRXUV RI LWV organic whey protein powder in 400g pouches (RRP ÂŁ24.99) and 25g single serving sachets (RRP ÂŁ2.99). The raw cacao & maca Ĺ´DYRXU FRQWDLQV XQUHĆ&#x201C;QHG coconut sugar and Pink Himalayan salt, while the raspberry & baobab is made from freeze dried organic raspberries, baobab and XQUHĆ&#x201C;QHG FRFRQXW VXJDU theorganicprotein company.co.uk

Responding to the rise of consumers adopting a Ĺ´H[LWDULDQ GLHW Brindisa has added Pardina lentils to its range of Spanish pulses. An EU Protected Geographical Indication product, the lentils are small and brown in appearance and are â&#x20AC;&#x153;admired for their Ć&#x201C;QH WDVWHĹ? 7UDGH SULFH e each or ÂŁ20.50 per 1kg case RI SDFNV 553 e brindisa.com

Brassica & Beyond produces pesto-style vegetable-based sauces that offer families healthy convenient food. The range consists of Whole Reds (red peppers, slow roast tomatoes & aubergine), Golden Nutritious (butternut VTXDVK FDXOLĹ´RZHU WRDVWHG pumpkin seeds & goatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cheese), and Supreme Green (spinach, peas & vegetarian Italian-style cheese). Available in 230g (RRP ÂŁ3.75) and 120g (RRP ÂŁ2.25) pot sizes. brassicaandbeyond.com

Garofalo has created a glutenfree pasta range in 400g packs made from legumes, chickpeas and lentils. The new pastas are made with four ancient grains â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Teff, Amaranth, Sorghum and Buckwheat â&#x20AC;&#x201C; making WKHP KLJKHU LQ SURWHLQ Ć&#x201C;EUH vitamins and minerals. garofalo.co.uk

Mr Organic has developed a new range of raw apple cider YLQHJDUV LQ PO ERWWOHV 7KH FLGHUV FRPH LQ WZR Ĺ´DYRXUHG varieties (RRP ÂŁ2.99) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; turmeric, chilli & ginger and turmeric & cinnamon â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and as a coldSUHVVHG XQĆ&#x201C;OWHUHG SURGXFW 553 ÂŁ3.29). mr-organic.com

small quantities or diluted. 7KHUH DUH VL[ Ĺ´DYRXUV in the range including sauerkraut and kimchi with turmeric & black pepper juice. RRP ÂŁ3.95 per 330ml bottle. lovingfoods.co.uk

How we stock itâ&#x20AC;Ś

Inspired by Instagramâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love affair with decorated smoothie bowls, Revolicious has created a 100% natural, plant-based smoothie bowl for the food-togo market. There are WKUHH Ĺ´DYRXUV LQ WKH range â&#x20AC;&#x201C; berry, cacao, and a mango, lime & mint â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with each bowl topped with coconut Ĺ´DNHV JRML EHUULHV DQG pumpkin seeds. Trade SULFH e SHU FDVH RI six (RRP ÂŁ3.79, 200g). revolicious.com

ABBY JONES-WALTERS, store manager Earth & Water, Penryn Earth and Water stocks a variety of vegan, organic and free-from foods including vegan cheeses, tofu from brand Taifun Tofu, and meat-alternatives such as Jackfruit or plant-based substitutes from VBites. Dried wholefoods such as grains and pulses are also very important lines for the store with Biona Organic one of its key brands, with prices ranging from ÂŁ2 up to ÂŁ4 depending on the rarity of the bean. Store manager Abby

Jones-Walters has also noticed customers becoming conscious about the packaging that their food comes in. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re choosing to stock more products with glass or cardboard because people are avoiding plastic packaging,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When they come in the store, they still want natural organic food but the packaging does slightly take precedence over what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re eating.â&#x20AC;? earthandwater.co.uk

Good Carmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spread Sensation LV D SODQW EDVHG VSUHDGDEOH mature cheddar cheese alternative made with cashews, miso and \HDVW Ĺ´DNHV 6DLG WR KDYH D Ĺ?WDQJ\ FKHGGDU Ĺ´DYRXUĹ? WKH FKLOOHG product is gluten-free and vegan. Trade price ÂŁ3.50 (RRP ÂŁ4.50, 150g pot). goodcarmafoods.com

Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

WHEAT & GLUTEN FREE BAKED PRODUCTS WGF Bakery Products are always on the look out for new stockists and trade enquiries. You can contact us by phoning 01267 211 409 or by e-mailing sales@wgfbakeryproducts.co.uk

AWARD-WINNING ORGANIC GRANOLA PROVENANCE IS OUR PASSION

Each handmade batch of our Organic Granola incorporate ingredients grown on our family farm which are then gently toasted in Honey adding a natural goodness and a delicious crunch. We bake four tempting recipes: With Seeds & Cereals, With Cashew & Almonds, With Dark Chocolate & our NEW Organic Gluten Free Granola with Apple & Cinnamon. bakery@sideoven.com

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April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

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Fairtrade cocoa grown by family farmers in Ghana No artiﬁcial ingredients

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natural, organic & health foods 6RPHUVHW EDVHG Easy Bean KDV DGGHG D VHDZHHG & sesame variety to its UDQJH RI DUWLVDQ FKLFNSHD FULVSEUHDGV 7KH FRPSDQ\ says the addition of WKH VHDZHHG JLYHV WKH FULVSEUHDG DQ XPDPL Ĺ´DYRXU DQG UHFRPPHQG LW ZLWK VHDIRRG VDODG IUHVK FUDE RU PLVR VRXS 553 ÂŁ3.15 per 110g carton. easybean.co.uk

show preview

Launching in the Vegan Pavilion at Natural Organic Products Europe are Forest Bountyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 100% fruit spreads. From the same producer as Grannyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Secret, these spreads come LQ Ć&#x201C;YH Ĺ´DYRXUV Ĺ&#x160; VWUDZEHUU\ UDVSEHUU\ DSULFRW VRXU FKHUU\ DQG ZLOG EOXHEHUU\ Ĺ&#x160; DQG DUH SDFNDJHG ZLWK FRQWHPSRUDU\ QHZ ODEHOOLQJ on the 340g jars (RRP ÂŁ2.49). forestbounty.co.uk

Natural & Organic Products Europe

6WDUW XS VRFLDO EXVLQHVV Drink Baotic has created a vegan, gluten- and dairyIUHH GULQN PDGH IURP WKH $IULFDQ VXSHU IUXLW EDREDE LQ WKH KRSH RI EULQJLQJ the fruit (rich in vitamin C, Ć&#x201C;EUH DQG DQWLR[LGDQWV WR D ZLGHU PDUNHW 'HVFULEHG DV Ĺ?IUXLW\ LQ WDVWHĹ? ZLWK D Ĺ?XQLTXH VKHUEHUW\ NLFNĹ? WKH GULQN FRPHV LQ IRXU Ĺ´DYRXUV RULJLQDO RUDQJH EDQDQD DQG VWUDZEHUU\ 553 e drinkbaotic.co.uk

Marnie Cakes has created D VXJDU JOXWHQ DQG Ĺ´RXU free chocolate & almond FDNH WKDW LV VDLG WR EH D QHZ WZLVW RQ LWV EHVW VHOOLQJ 5HLQH GH 6DED EXW PDGH ZLWK RUJDQLF JURXQG DOPRQGV DQG D 6WHYLD EDVHG VZHHWHQHU LQVWHDG 7KH ULFK GDUN DQG PRLVW FDNH LV PDGH ZLWK RUJDQLF JURXQG DOPRQGV D 6WHYLD EDVHG VZHHWHQHU DQG $SSOHWRQ Jamaica Rum. marniesearchwell.com

EUROPEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BIGGEST NATURAL AND ORGANIC trade event, Natural & Organic Products Europe, returns for 2018 at Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ExCeL on 22nd-23rd April. More than 700 companies will be exhibiting at the show with around 60% of those promoting food and drink innovations. With a 15% increase in stand space, this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Natural Food Show is set to be the biggest showcase of natural and organic food & drink. Over 100 new names will be making their debut from drinks specialists Thirst Quenchers, CEIBA (cinnamon-infused drink) and Innate (organic alpine water with birch sap) to food producers Bluumers Honey and Greedy Goat Ice Cream. Returning show features include the New Products Show, an expanded Vegan World area (supported by The Vegan Society), and a 35% bigger Organic Hub hosted by the Soil Association & Organic Trade Board. There will be a big international presence with country pavilions from Austria, Peru, Ecuador, Italy, Greece, Thailand, Spain and Sri Lanka (speciality teas) as well as more than 60 other countries participating at an individual level. The showâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Natural Food Talks Theatre is back for 2018 in a new format, with practical seminars, panel discussions and networking events. Chief executives and senior managers from the Soil Association, Sustainable Food Trust, Riverford, Daylesford and Ocado are among the speakers confirmed to appear and offer expert insights and ideas (see below). naturalproducts.co.uk

WHOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SPEAKING AT THE NATURAL FOOD TALKS THEATRE Zac Goldsmith, Conservative MP What should happen to British agriculture post-Brexit

Fallen Brewing has created Southbound - 5.4% (ABV) peaches & cream pale ale made with natural lactose, vanilla and SHDFK 1DWXUDOO\ XQĆ&#x201C;OWHUHG DQG XQUHĆ&#x201C;QHG WKH EUHZHU\Ĺ?V ZKROH range of eight core craft beers and 16 special brews are vegan friendly. RRP ÂŁ2.80, 330ml. fallenbrewing.co.uk

Merry Wyfe is a new organic, pasteurised cider-washed rind cheese from The Bath Soft Cheese Co. A distinctive orange in colour with a crystalized rind and soft, creamy paste, the cheese comes whole in 400g, 800g, or 3kg. RRP ÂŁ24/kg. parkfarm.co.uk

Tim Field, sustainability manager, Daylesford uccessful organic retailing and the new trends driving their innovations Mark Hiscox, alcohol buyer, CLF Distribution New organic alcohol trends and opportunities for independent retailers Birthe Linddal, Danish futurist Eight tends that will shape the food world in the coming decade Kevin Hancock, senior buying manager, Ocado Sharing insights into Ocadoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rising star categories Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

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Cave-aged. In peace. 26

April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

news & views from the cheese counter CHEESEWIRE Fears for artisan Camembert as PDO accepts pasteurised cheeses

The altered Protected Designation of Origin rules for Camembert de Normandie will now permit the use of pasteurised milk in production By Patrick McGuigan

The future of Camembert de Normandie has been cast into doubt after a landmark agreement to allow pasteurised milk to be used in the PDOprotected cheese â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ending the so-called Camembert wars between industrial and artisan dairies. By law, Camembert de Normandie can only be made with raw milk with at least 50% from Normande cows. Under the controversial agreement, reached by an industry group overseen by the body that governs French protected foods, the Appellation dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Origine ProtĂŠgĂŠe (AOP) and corresponding Protected Designation of Origin will be expanded to include pasteurised

milk, 30% of which must come from Normande cows. At the same time, a new sub-category will be created under the name VĂŠritable Camembert de Normandie (True Camembert of Normandy), which will apply to cheeses made with raw milk with at least 70% from Normande cows. The deal has been greeted with fury by many in France. VĂŠronique Richez-Lerouge, founder and president of the Association Fromages de Terroirs, branded the agreement as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;victory for Lactalis.â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;the death of Normandy Camembert.â&#x20AC;? The working group, featuring both industrial and farmhouse producers, was set

NEWS IN BRIEF 4XLFNHĹ?V ODXQFKHG LWV Ć&#x201C;UVW HYHU PL[HG PLON cheese last month. Lady Prue, which is named after owner Mary Quickeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother, combines goatsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and cowsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; milk in a 6kg cloth-bound cheese, which is aged for 3-6 months. Somerset-based blended cheese specialist Windyridge has signed a three-year deal with *XLQQHVV WR FUHDWH WKH ZRUOGĹ?V RQO\ RIĆ&#x201C;FLDO Guinness Cheddar. The marbled cheese, which is made in 2kg truckles and 500g and 250g waxed rounds, launched last month. The fourth Science of Artisan Cheese Conference will take place in Somerset on WK WK $XJXVW 7KH HYHQW RUJDQLVHG E\ WKH Specialist Cheesemakers Association and Nealâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Yard Dairy, will feature presentations on the latest research into artisan production.

up to resolve a long-running battle, which has seen industrial cheesesmakers, particularly Lactalis, withdraw from the PDO by making pasteurised cheeses, labelled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fabrique en Normandieâ&#x20AC;? (Made in Normandy). The confusing similarity between the two names has undermined the PDO. Less than 5,500 tonnes of raw milk Camembert de Normandie is produced each year, compared to 60,000 tonnes of pasteurised Made in Normandy cheeses. Rhuaridh Buchanan, owner of Buchanans Cheesemonger in London, said he struggles to sell Camembert de Normandie â&#x20AC;&#x201C; supplying just half a dozen cheeses a month, compared to more than 250 Tunworths. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bring myself to not have proper Camembert on the counter, but people want new cheeses,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Historically, France has driven down the prices of its cheeses, but the next generation are not prepared to do the same, so are selling out to the big dairies. If it stays on this trajectory, there wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be any true Camembert left.â&#x20AC;? Scottish wholesaler Clarks Foods stocks a raw milk Camembert de Normandie from Gilot, but also nonPDO Camemberts made with thermised milk. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is a small group of customers that wants raw milk cheeses, but they are more expensive,â&#x20AC;? said cheese director Tanny Gill.

BEHIND THE COUNTER TIPS OF THE TRADE <RX VKRXOG KDYH DW OHDVW RQH SDLULQJ LGHD IRU HYHU\ FKHHVH LQ \RXU FRXQWHU &KXWQH\ FUDFNHUV DQG ZLQH DUH DOO JRRG EXW EH FUHDWLYH Recommend sloe gin with blue cheese or chocolate with Caerphilly and your customers will be intrigued and impressed.

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Remeker This raw milk Dutch cheese, distributed by Bermondsey-based Boerenkaas and made by the De Voort family in the Gelderse Vallei, is similar to gouda (the curd is washed), but has its own unique character thanks to the use of rich Jersey milk and ghee to create the rind. The 18-month Pracht version of the cheese KDV D Ć&#x201C;UP WH[WXUH ZLWK LQWHQVH Ĺ´DYRXUV RI tropical fruit, milk chocolate and a long Ć&#x201C;QLVK Remeker at this age is a powerful cheese that needs a big beer to stand up to. %HOJLDQ DEEH\ DOHV Ć&#x201C;W WKH ELOO nicely thanks to their sweetness and strength (6% ABV upwards). Leffe Blondeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unmistakeable doughy, EXEEOHJXP Ĺ´DYRXU GRHV D JRRG MRE EXW HYHQ EHWWHU LV 2UYDO ZKLFK LV IXOO RI ]LQJ\ FLWUXV Ĺ´DYRXUV DQG PHOORZ VZHHWQHVV

'RUVHW EDVHG *OREDO +DUYHVW makes a great range of fruit cheeses, but its tangy Damn Good damson plum jelly works best with Remeker. The racy tartness of the damsons cut through the rich cheese and refreshes the palate for the next bite. The colour contrast between the purple plum and golden cheese is an added bonus. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a wonderfully long VDYRXU\ Ć&#x201C;QLVK WR 5HPHNHU WKDW is buttery and meaty. It makes the cheese a natural bed-fellow for cured meats, particularly VRIWHU KDPV ZKLFK EDODQFH WKH LQWHQVH Ĺ´DYRXUV DQG Ć&#x201C;UP WH[WXUH 7KLQN FUHDP\ FRSSD RU WU\ Cecina de Leon â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a smoky, cured beef from Leon in Spain.

Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

COTSWOLD

ORGANIC

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St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Co ST ANDREWS FARMHOUSE – Aged for 12 months to give a creamy, medium strength cheese with a well-rounded, lingering finish. ANSTER – This cheese has a crumbly texture, which dissolves in the mouth to give a full flavour and a lemony tang on the finish. RED ANSTER – Flavour-added ‘sister’ cheese to Anster. Fresh tasting and crumbly, with added annatto, fresh chives and fresh garlic.

For more details, or to place an order, info@standrewscheese.co.uk · 01333 3125809 · www.standrewscheese.co.uk |

April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

ST ANDREWS FARMHOUSE

CHEESEWIRE

news and views from the cheese counter

I’m too cussed and stubborn to pasteurise

David Finlay’s 100-strong herd is subject to the highest standards of welfare

Living up to its name By keeping its calves in contact with their mothers, The Ethical Dairy is making a bold statement. But it’s also discovering the practice offers a host of benefits. Interview by Patrick McGuigan

A tour of the farm is an essential part of a visit to Dumfries-based ice cream and cheese maker Cream O’Galloway, which is also home to a visitor centre, café and adventure playground. Third generation farmer David Finlay and his wife Wilma are rightly proud of their organic dairy farm near Castle Douglas, and the 100-strong cow herd is the highlight of the tour. But while the public love seeing the animals up close, the realities of dairy farming weren’t always what they expected. “A common question was why the calves were kept in one shed and their mothers in another,” says Wilma Finlay. “We’d explain that’s what we do as an industry – separate the calves at 24 hours and hand-rear them – but we’d get some extremely confused looks.” Those confused looks provoked some soul searching by the Finlays, which eventually led to a radical new approach to farming and the launch of their cheese brand, The Ethical Dairy. As the name suggests, animal welfare is centre stage and the calves are now left with their mothers during the day so they are free to suckle. After a month, they are moved to an adjacent pen at night, where they can still nuzzle their parents, but can’t reach the udders. The cows are then milked in the morning before being reunited with their offspring – a daily routine that happens for five months until the calves are ready to wean. The difference to the animals’ well-being has been marked, says Finlay. Previously, some cows would become extremely distressed when their calves were removed, but they are now significantly calmer and more confident.

The downside is that milking just once a day means milk volumes have fallen by a third to 400,000 litres a year. This might sound disastrous, but there are hidden benefits. The male calves grow so quickly on their mother’s milk that they are slaughtered for valuable beef at 16 months instead of 26, feed costs have plummeted and the cows are living longer because they are less stressed. Getting a better price for the milk by using more in cheese is also key to the farm’s new model. It currently produces three tonnes of cheese a year across four products: bestseller Fleet Valley Blue, cheddar-style Carrick, Rainton Tomme and crumbly Laganory. All the cheeses are made with raw milk, even though testing costs have rocketed following an e-coli outbreak in Scotland linked by authorities to unpasteurised cheese made by Lanarkshirebased Errington. “It’s off the scale,” says Finlay. “Last year we spent over £9k on testing compared to £5k the year before, but I’m too cussed and stubborn to pasteurise.” Its new dairy, opening in October, will mitigate this by increasing annual capacity tenfold to 40 tonnes with plans to hit 25 tonnes by 2020. The Ethical Dairy brand, with its bold message and cow-and-calf logo, will be integral to driving sales. “There are lots of huge dairies focused on increased production and low prices,” says Finlay. “But the public are becoming aware of the conditions cows are kept in and the backlash is inevitable.” It’s already started, judging by a surge in veganism and increasingly vocal attacks on dairy farming (see last month). “We are leaving ourselves open to criticism by calling ourselves The Ethical Dairy, so we’ve got to justify what we do,” says Finlay. “We’re not saying others are unethical, nor that we’re perfect, but everything we do must be to the highest standards – animal welfare, environmental care and working conditions on the farm.”

CROSS

SECTION

Fleet Valley Blue 1

Made with raw organic milk from Cream O’Galloway’s herd of AyrshireMontbeliarde-Holstein cows, Fleet Valley Blue accounts for around 50% of the company’s sales.

The 4kg cheeses are aged for 3-4 months until they have a natural rind and supple texture. The flavour is earthy and savoury with a mild tang from the bluey green mould and a peppery finish. The recipe was first shown to the Finlays by influential dairy teacher Kathy Biss at West Highland Dairy.

The Ethical Dairy has recently taken on a new cheesemaker with a strong pedigree in blue cheese. Stephen Palmer made Stilton at Colston Bassett in Nottinghamshire for many years. Bassett’s legendary head cheesemaker, Palmer worked most recently for Isle of Mull Cheddar.

creamogalloway.co.uk/cheese

Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

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CHEESE PROGRAMME 2018 ACADEMY LEVEL 1: £175 + VAT :HGV -XQH Ŋ /RQGRQ 6DW -XO\ Ŋ /RQGRQ 7KXUV 6HSWHPEHU Ŋ /RQGRQ 7XHV 2FWREHU Ŋ /RQGRQ ACADEMY LEVEL 1 CONVERTER: £150 + VAT 7XHV 0D\ Ŋ /RQGRQ 7KXUV -XQH Ŋ /RQGRQ :HGV 6HSWHPEHU Ŋ /RQGRQ :HGV 2FWREHU Ŋ /RQGRQ RETAIL CHEESE: MEMBERS £100 + VAT NON-MEMBERS £135 + VAT 7XHV 0D\ Ŋ /RQGRQ 7XHV -XQH 0DQFKHVWHU 7XHV -XQH Ŋ /RQGRQ 7XHV -XO\ Ŋ /RQGRQ 7XHV 6HSWHPEHU Ŋ /RQGRQ 7XHV 2FWREHU Ŋ /RQGRQ 0RQ 2FWREHU Ŋ /RQGRQ 7XHV 1RYHPEHU Ŋ /RQGRQ DELI COURSE: MEMBERS £100 + VAT NON-MEMBERS £135 + VAT :HG 0D\ Ŋ /RQGRQ 0RQ -XO\ Ŋ /RQGRQ :HGV -XO\ /RQGRQ RETAIL READY: contact 2FWREHU Ŋ /RQGRQ

)RU PRUH GHWDLOV RI DOO 6FKRRO RI )LQH )RRG SURJUDPPHV FRXUVHV IHHV DQG GDWHV YLVLW gff.co.uk/training RU FRQWDFW jilly.sitch@gff.co.uk, +44 (0)1747 825200

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Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

Green Pepper Venison Salami

Hot Roast Smoked Salmon

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April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

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CUT&DRIED

making more of British & Continental charcuterie

Loss of small abattoirs puts rare breed meats under threat Supplies of native breed meat are being threatened by the continued closure of small, local abattoirs, according to the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST). Chief executive officer Tom Beeston told FFD: “The lack of accessible slaughter facilities has major implications for local populations of rare breeds. “The cost of getting animals to the nearest abattoir can make the difference between profit and loss for producers, and anything that erodes their already small profit margin will make them think twice about whether they can afford to maintain native breeds. They could disappear from our landscape – and menus.” Loss of native breeds could also remove a central marketing message for butchers and charcutiers, he warned. “Stories help sell these products,” Beeston said, “and telling a story of local production, low food miles and identifiable breeds is key to product differentiation.”

87%

fall in UK abattoir numbers since 1971 According to a new report by the Sustainable Food Trust (A Good Life and a Good Death – Re-localising Farm Animal Slaughter), the number of red meat abattoirs has fallen from 320 in 2003 to 249 today. The number is down almost 90% since the early 1970s, driven by the cost of meeting health and welfare standards and the need for economies of scale.

Many of those remaining are either Halal slaughterhouses, some using non-stun methods, or operate on such a large scale that they are unable or unwilling to slaughter a few animals for small farms. At award-winning Welsh producer Charcutier Ltd, which uses mainly pedigree Welsh pigs, owner Illtud Dunsford told FFD the artisanal charcuterie sector is “highly reliant” on a nationwide network of small abattoirs. “In our own business we use four small, family-owned premises – places we can pick up the phone to and talk to the owner. “For smallholders who start with a family pig, producing air-dried ham in their barn, small abattoirs provide a place where they can cut their teeth on home production before taking a leap into something bigger.” He added: “Large abattoirs can be exemplars in process, and in welfare too, but they rarely provide access into local food networks.”

Boys in the ’shed Woodall’s took over part of The Tramshed in London’s Shoreditch last month for a press event aimed squarely at influential consumer journalists, bloggers and chefs. Guests at the industrial-chic Hix Restaurants venue included Time Inc group food director Jane Curran, BBC Good Food editor Keith Kendrick, blogger Certified Nosh and BBC MasterChef finalist Sven HansonBritt. Chef and restaurateur Mark Hix is pictured (centre) at the event with River Cottage cured meats expert Steven Lamb (right) and Colin Woodall, who spoke about the story behind the Woodall’s Charcuterie brand.

Yorkshire brand goes into the black By Mick Whitworth

Rare-breed chorizo and salami maker Three Little Pigs has overhauled its packs to give more information to consumers and hit lower price points. The East Yorkshire firm’s sliced products and snacking sticks were the first to appear in the new black modified atmosphere packs in February. Its 160g ‘horseshoe’ whole salamis join them this month – in a stand-up MAP pouch, and the same format will be used for a new spicy spreadable sausage – described as a cross between ’nduja and sobrasada – to be launched soon. Speaking to FFD at a producer roadshow organised

by distributor The Cress Co in March, Three Little Pigs co-owner Charlotte Clarkson said: “The key thing was having space to get across our four main messages: that it’s British charcuterie, made from traditional breeds, responsibly farmed and with a unique taste.” She said: “We’ve been selling superbly well in those shops where the owner is behind the counter, telling people what it’s all about. But in the bigger London stores you need those key messages on the pack so it sells itself.” Smaller 50g sliced packs of spicy chorizo, mild chorizo and hot fennel salami (trade £2.27, RRP £3.49) have also been introduced to tempt nervous

first-time buyers. Clarkson said: “One of the biggest criticisms of British charcuterie is that it’s expensive, and the reason is that it’s nearly all made by very small producers, not in a football-pitch-size factory in Spain. “We’ve always taken a bit of a hit on price – it’s been a deliberate strategy over the past year or two. And now we’ve brought in smaller packs for first-time people who might not be ready to pay £6.99 for a horseshoe pack.” The new-look range is also being supported by consumer leaflets and shelf wobblers, as well as sales notes for the retailer. threelittlepigschorizo.co.uk

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

CATEGORY FOCUS

Keeping things fluid

speciality teas Matcha specialist OMGTea has moved into the RTD space with an on-trend iced matcha. OMGTea Iced Matcha features innovative twist-cap technology that releases the matcha powder at the point of consumption. 7KHUH DUH WKUHH Ĺ´DYRXUV original, citrus and mint, made with AAA-grade matcha and sweetened with stevia. RRP ÂŁ2.95 for 250ml. omgteas.co.uk

Retailers looking for a tea brand with an ethical outlook should check out NEMI, a London-based social enterprise that helps refugees to integrate in the UK. Its three newest lines are green tea, spicy chai and Earl Grey, all available in tubes of 15 bags (RRP ÂŁ4.49, wholesale price ÂŁ3) and 125g loose leaf (RRP ÂŁ6.70, wholesale price ÂŁ4.50). nemiteas.com

Wedgwood, the British lifestyle brand best known for its bone china, has collaborated with Quinteassential founder Bernadine Tay to launch its own bespoke collection of tea blends. Inspired by travel, history and diverse cultures, the Wonderlust Tea range features six blends, from a red fruit infusion to Oolong with notes of Asian mango. RRP ÂŁ12 for a box of 12 bags. wedgwood.co.uk

Having established a directto-consumer distribution model in over 80 countries, Vahdam Teas is now looking to supply its long leaf Indian teas to retailers. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s USP is that its teas are procured direct from growers, packaged â&#x20AC;&#x153;garden freshâ&#x20AC;? and shipped directly from source. They come in packs containing 15 pyramid bags and varieties include Original Masala Chai, Maharaja Breakfast and Darjeeling Summer Black. vahdamteas.com

Grek Tea is a new brand of Greek herbal tea founded by Greek-born Marina Tzima and her Dutch-Caribbean husband. So far, Grek organic herbals are sold via NOTHS and a couple of outlets in Germany but the start-up is hoping to break into the UK speciality retail market. Trade prices range from ÂŁ5.59-6.22 for 20 pyramids (RRP ÂŁ8.95-9.45). grektea.com

Amber Rose Tea Company has enlarged its new cocktail-inspired Celebration Collection to include Classic Cosmopolitan, Bella Blini and Lady Killer. Ready for retail this month, the teas will join the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Classic Collection and SPA Collection teas on shelf in Fenwickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and Harrods. RRP ÂŁ6.95 for 20 silky tea bags. theamberrosetea company.co.uk

Lavender, rose & chamomile is the newest nature-inspired infusion in zigzagâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Plant Collection. The caffeine-free herbal blend features natural ingredients such as hibiscus, rosehip, chamomile and rose petals, with no added Ĺ´DYRXULQJ 553 e SHU J ER[ RI 12 biodegradable pyramids. zigzagtea.co.uk

7KH Ć&#x201C;IWK DGGLWLRQ WR WKH GO! Kombucha line-up, Darjeeling %ODFN PO ODXQFKHG LQ -DQXDU\ and the brand is now seeking distribution within the speciality food sector. Originating from ancient China, kombucha is made by fermenting tea. Wholesale price e 553 e gokombucha.co.uk

Following in the footsteps of Yorkshire, Dorset and Lancashire, Lincolnshire now has its own tea, presented in a retail tube decorated with an image of Lincoln castle and cathedral. Lincolnshire Tea FRPHV LQ J ORRVH OHDI DQG S\UDPLG EDJV 553 e RU SDSHU EDJV e lincolnshiretea.co.uk

This monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s round-up is all about precious liquids. It starts here with new teas & infusions and is followed by all the the latest in speciality oils & vinegars (p43). Compiled by Lynda Searby

April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

>> Shibui Tea, a CanadianBritish tea venture run by brothers John and Paul Mellor, has rolled out new packaging and introduced three new blends. Herbal infusion lemongrass & ginger, matcha & sencha organic green tea and Chun Mee organic green tea all come in tubes of 15 biodegradable pyramid tea bags. RRP £5-7. shibui-tea.co.uk

Entrepreneurs Ricky Kothari and Kim Li claim to have conceived a mess-free and convenient alternative to “squeezing soggy paper tea bags” – disposable foil tubes that allow whole leaves to unfurl and release WKHLU ŴDYRXU WKURXJK WLQ\ perforations. Branded

Retailers on the lookout for a quirky tea range should check out Nordic newcomer Nord-T. So far only on sale in Finland, the label has just added a new blend to its family. Barefood Biking marries organic black tea with wild blueberry, raspberry leaf and spruce sprout harvested from Finnish forests. Trade price €7.10 for 40g (RRP €15). nord-t.com

Japaneseinfluenced UKIYO has already won over Selfridges’ buyers

Sticksology, the tea sticks are essentially tea bag, stirrer, strainer and infuser in one. They are due to launch in the UK next month in 12 blends, including black, green, fruit and rooibos teas. RRP is £4.99 for a carton of 12 sticks. sticksology.com

How we stock it…

Taylors of Harrogate has created four new infusions in partnership with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The mandarin & ginger infusion, white hibiscus & peach green tea, lychee & lime green tea and mango & cardamom green tea are all available from distributor Hider. RRP £2.99 for the infusion (50g) and £2.29 for the green teas (30g). taylorsofharrogate.co.uk

The latest Greek producer to create a range of herbal teas for the UK market is Aegean Herbs. The fourstrong health-and-wellnessthemed range is made with herbs and plants grown on the island of Amorgos, including wild oregano, lemon balm, mallow, lavender, nettle, verbena and monk’s pepper. aegeanherbs.com

-DSDQHVH LQŴXHQFHG UKIYO is the latest brand to join the matcha fray. It has already won over Selfridges’ buyers with its combination of “premium design and premium quality matcha ŴDYRXUVŐ 7KH /RQGRQ start-up’s range takes in pure ceremonial grade matcha through to spiced ginger and blueberry ginseng matcha. Wholesale price £11; RRP £19.99. ukiyo.co.uk

JOE WHITTICK, owner Whitmore & White, Heswall, Frodsham and West Kirby The Kandula Tea Company was the delicatessen’s main tea UDQJH ZKHQ LW ƓUVW RSHQHG in 2014. Four years and two new openings later, the tea brand from Cambridgeshire is still on all of its shelves. “The Kandula teas go well,” says owner Joe Whittick. “They are nicely presented and they do all the classics, like Earl Grey and Breakfast tea, as well as fruit teas.”

Whitmore & White has tried other teas but Kandula is the only brand it stocks at present. ŏ, ƓQG WHD D KDUG VHOO these days,” confesses Whittick. “I feel we need to stock it but it is a slow burner.” He adds: “I have been looking at some interesting detox and health and wellness teas and will probably try these – it seems to be what people are requesting.” whitmoreandwhite.co.uk

Green tea & mint and Lemon Blend (lemongrass & lemon verbena) are the two latest loose herbal infusions from Rare Tea Company. Both blends are listed with Harvey Nichols and have an RRP of £5.50 for 25g. rareteacompany.com

Tea India is moving beyond its core focus on chai teas with the launch of a trio of teas based on the Indian “science of life”, Ayurveda. Ingredients like fennel, chamomile, tulsi and turmeric all feature in the new infusions range. teaindia.co.uk

Five hand-picked loose leaf teas from High Tea Co have launched into the speciality food retail sector. The Darjeeling, English breakfast, Assam, Earl Grey and sencha green teas are all packed in colourful 125g tubes. RRP £9.95. cupoftea.co.uk

Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

The taste of pure English mint revived for the 21st century

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

Get Christmas All Sewn Up Great as gifts or in hampers

Old Hamlet has been creating drinksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; gifts for mulled wine and cocktails for over 40 years. Available in Fairtrade and Organic

Call or email for a price list 01765 640088 sales@steenbergs.co.uk

oldhamletwineandspice.co.uk 38

April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

speciality teas

Black tea leaves with milk, water and spices

Outlets wanting to stock Scottish-grown black tea from Windy Hollow Farmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2018 harvest will need to SUHRUGHU 7KLV \HDU LV WKH Ć&#x201C;UVW time the tea, which is grown from seed from the camellia sinensis tea plant, will receive organic accreditation from the Soil Association. The Perthshire tea plantation harvests the leaves by hand and uses traditional tea-making

Roqberry is a new British tea brand that is hoping to make waves in the tea market by â&#x20AC;&#x153;blending the rulesâ&#x20AC;?. Its philosophy is to â&#x20AC;&#x153;mingle the classic with a WRXFK RI FUD]\Ĺ? UHĹ´HFWHG in its 17-strong collection. While â&#x20AC;&#x153;speciality tea legendsâ&#x20AC;? such as Jasmin

techniques to produce what it describes as â&#x20AC;&#x153;a wonderfully smooth black tea with caramel notesâ&#x20AC;?. It comes packaged in tins or glass (20g, RRP ÂŁ35). In addition to growing black tea, Windy Hollow Farm has started growing organic chamomile, which it dries and makes into a tisane (20g, RRP ÂŁ10). windyholloworganics. co.uk

Dragon Pearls and Sencha Gyokuro remain faithful to tradition, infusions like Sushi & Spice and Sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;mores DUH UXOHG E\ Ĺ´DYRXU 7KH RRP is ÂŁ6-ÂŁ8.50 for 18 biodegradable pyramid teabags. roqberry.com

Tuk Tuk Chai claims WR EH WKH Ć&#x201C;UVW DQG RQO\ ready-to-drink authentic chai or iced milk tea available in the UK. The brand, which has been snapped up by Harvey Nichols, uses traditional Indian techniques and recipes to brew black tea leaves with milk, water, spices and a hint of sugar. The chai comes in WKUHH Ĺ´DYRXUV RULJLQDO spicy masala (contains a blend of eight spices) and aromatic cardamom (with green cardamom). Wholesale ÂŁ1, RRP ÂŁ1.80-2 for 250ml. tuktukchai.co.uk

Whittards of Chelsea has DGGHG Ć&#x201C;YH QHZ ORRVH OHDI pyramid fruit and herbal infusions to its Wellbeing range. Blueberry Bliss, Rhubarb Punch, Sweet Slumber, Coconut Carnival and Paradise Blossom all retail around the ÂŁ6-6.50 price point for 30g. whittard.co.uk

Already on shelf in Tebay Services farm shop, Days of Summer is a â&#x20AC;&#x153;lemony, light blendâ&#x20AC;? of Greek mountain herbs from Tzekos Organic Herbs. Featuring lemon verbena, spearmint, mountain tea and linden, the loose leaf tea comes in a metal caddy (20g, wholesale price â&#x201A;Ź4.80, RRP ÂŁ8.90) or, for a lower price point, a canvas pouch or carton. tzekosorganicherbs.com

Flora Tea has launched a new lantern gift box containing six assorted Great 7DVWH DZDUG ZLQQLQJ Ĺ´RZHUing tea sachets (wholesale ÂŁ10, RRP ÂŁ15). The company has also introduced a smaller wallet-style gifting pack that can hold one or WZR VDFKHWV RI Ĺ´RZHULQJ tea. No minimum order. Ĺ´RUDWHD FRP

Bluebird Teaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cold brew bottles have landed just in time for summer. With an RRP of ÂŁ26 (trade price ÂŁ19.50), the hand illustrated bottles provide tea lovers with a convenient way to chill, steep and drink cold brew tea. Also new from the Hove-based company is a peach cobbler tea â&#x20AC;&#x201C; %OXHELUGĹ?V Ć&#x201C;UVW EODFN WHD DQG peach pairing. bluebirdteaco.com

Marulin, a London company specialising in Taiwanese tea, is looking to break into the retail market. Its teas and infusions are available in caddies containing 20 tea tents (RRP ÂŁ11.95). Earl Grey with bergamot Ĺ´DYRXULQJ KHDUW\ EUHDNIDVW tea, lemongrass & ginger and minted mint infusion are the four latest additions to the line-up. marulin.co.uk

The Tea Makers of London is now packing its Tea Triune loose leaf teas in triangular teabags, available in cartons of 15 bags. Teas in the new collection include classics such as English breakfast and Earl Grey, artisan green and Oolong teas and herbal & fruit infusions. theteamakers.co.uk

Blends developed to assist with sleep and to soothe a sore throat feature in a new functional tea range from Polish tea label Loyd. The three varieties â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Good Nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sleep, Soothing Throat and Digestion â&#x20AC;&#x201C; have an RRP of ÂŁ1.69 for 20 pyramid bags. loydtea.eu

Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

teas & drinks

Shining new for spring/ summer 18

invigorating antioxidant upliftment --sunshine in a cup!

A discerning collection of luxury teas for wholesale and retail • Luxury packaging • Bespoke blends • Finest quality teas and botanicals • Bespoke accessories Available in Harrods & Fenwick’s food halls

organic hand-blended caffeine free delicious & nutritious therapeutically beneficial combinations

Uncover true taste, experience purity, elevate the senses www.theamberroseteacompany.co.uk

April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

Infuse is about reconnecting to Nature. By drinking our teas, we hope you'll remember to cherish your own nature and the larger Nature surrounding us all.

teas@infuseme.co.uk www.infuseme.co.uk +44 (0)207 700 3079

E S T. 2 0 1 6

We have the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest selection of small-batch unique vinegars, made with love & care by some of the best European ar tisans + speciality oils, hand-picked Greek herbs, rare spices, peppers & other exciting pantry items For more information & trade prices, contact us on 07854892065 or info@vinegarshed.com www.vinegarshed.com 40

April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

Introducing our new exclusive Rosé Balsamic condiment Ideal as a high quality product match for oysters, fish and salads.

0207 740 1717 | orders@theoliveoilco.com | theoliveoilco.com

AWARD WINNING • VIRTUALLY FAT FREE • FRUIT VINEGAR DRESSINGS

Versatile Fruit Vinegar Dressings Perfect for salads, sauces, marinades, desserts info@suzannesvinegars.co.uk www.suzannesvinegars.co.uk

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Blackberry, Cardamom & Chilli • Blackcurrant • Elderberry Elderberry, Balsamic & Tarragon • Gooseberry & Elderflower Lemon, Chilli & Coriander • Lime, Ginger & Mustard Seed • Raspberry Raspberry, Balsamic & Rosemary • Strawberry, Balsamic & Mint 42

April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

Come and sample our products at Farm Shop & Deli stand F74

For Orders or further information: orders@rossandrossfood.co.uk 01608 645503

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Continuing its collaboration with oil producer Cotswold Gold, Ross & Ross has launched Roast Potato Oil. The oil infuses rapeseed oil with smoke, rosemary and garlic and has a wholesale price of ÂŁ3.20 for 250ml (case size 12). RRP ÂŁ4.95. rossandrossfood.co.uk

.LQJĆ&#x201C;VKHU &KLOOLĹ?V founders have drawn on their South African heritage to create Peri-Peri Oil, a hot chilli oil in which the heat gradually builds to allow the VPRN\ DQG VOLJKWO\ VZHHW Ĺ´DYRXU WR FRPH WKURXJK Ć&#x201C;UVW 553 e IRU 100ml. chilli-products.co.uk

Cumbria based Mediterranean food importer Silver and Green has launched its own brand of EVOO using handpicked Arbiquena and Picual olives, cold pressed just metres away from the groves. Wholesale price is ÂŁ5.63 per 500ml bottle; RRP ÂŁ8.95. silverandgreen.co

Organic chamomile and organic fennel are the two latest additions to Anassaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s line-up, which is carried by Selfridges and Whole Foods Market. The infusions are made from organic Greek ingredients and come in contemporary tins containing ELRGHJUDGDEOH Ć&#x201C;OWHUV DQG ZRRGHQ sticks. anassaorganics.com

Choi Timeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lemongrass herbal loose leaf infusion tea has been taken on by Harrods, Whole Foods and Partridges. Wholesale price is ÂŁ10-11 depending on quantitites; RRP is ÂŁ20. choi-time-teas. myshopify.com

Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

oils & vinegars Apple cider vinegar is bang on-trend and Northern Ireland producer Natural Umber claims that its brand of this fashionable elixir is â&#x20AC;&#x153;unlike any you have tasted beforeâ&#x20AC;?. Its â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;with motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; vinegar is raw, organic, XQĆ&#x201C;OWHUHG DQG GXH WR WKH fermentation process, said to be bursting with a naturally sweet apple Ĺ´DYRXU 553 e IRU 500ml. naturalumber.com

Vinegars from the Tokaji Wine Vinegar House in Hungary are available for WKH Ć&#x201C;UVW WLPH LQ WKH 8. via Best of Hungary. The furmint, muscatel and aszu vinegars are fermented from the wines of the same name and have a wholesale price of ÂŁ5.50-8 for 250ml (RRP ÂŁ9-13). bestofhungary.co.uk

Northern Ireland producer Burren Balsamics has added blood orange & cardamom white balsamic to its collection of 100% natural whole fruit infused balsamic vinegars and Italian white condiments. This â&#x20AC;&#x153;bright and zestyâ&#x20AC;? vinegar can be mixed into a G&T, a curry or an orange and polenta cake. RRP ÂŁ15 for 200ml. burrenbalsamics.com

En vogue ingredient black garlic is the star of Yarty Cordialsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; latest introduction: Black Garlic â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bâ&#x20AC;? vinegar. The dark, rich vinegar is pitched as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;very British take on 44

April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

balsamic vinegarâ&#x20AC;?, and like its Italian counterpart, this Hampshire creation is an ideal partner for pizza and salads. Wholesale price ÂŁ6; RRP ÂŁ9.99. yartycordials.co.uk

Monini (922 LV QRZ DYDLODEOH in a 500ml bottle size. Represented by RH Amar in the UK, Monini is an Italian familyRZQHG ROLYH RLO SURGXFHU WKDW is one of Italyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most popular household brands. rhamar.com

Cambridge-based Italian food importer Agrumia has sourced a Calabrian bergamot-infused olive oil that has been taken on by Ottolenghi. Pitched as a companion for seafood, braised meats, grilled vegetables, spicy cheeses and fruit salads, this organic EVOO is obtained from single estate Ottobratica olives. Wholesale price ÂŁ4.49; RRP ÂŁ6-7.50 for 250ml. agrumia.co.uk

The Fine Food Forager has brought Royeta De Asque â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a rare variety and gold award winner at the Los Angeles International Contest in 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to the 8. PDUNHW &DWD 'H 2UR LQ Huesca, north east Spain, is driving the recovery of this native variety of olives, which were once on the verge of extinction. Trade price ÂŁ8.97 for 500ml; RRP ÂŁ14.90-ÂŁ16.90. WKHĆ&#x201C;QHIRRGIRUDJHU FR XN

In creating Bouoli Virgin Coconut Oil, JCFJ says it hopes to â&#x20AC;&#x153;bring a little security and trust into buying organic and ethically produced premium quality coconut oilâ&#x20AC;?. Trade price is ÂŁ7.50, RRP ÂŁ11.99 for a 500ml jar of FHUWLĆ&#x201C;HG RUJDQLF UDZ FRFRQXW oil. bouoli.com

Sicilian plain oil is all about the front of the palate - rich, creamy, buttery and full of flavour

Pomoraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sicilian and Campanian olive oils, which until now have been sold direct to consumers via a subscription service, launched into the independent trade last month. Presented in 250ml tins, the range takes in Sicilian and Campanian EVOOs, and D VHOHFWLRQ RI Ĺ´DYRXUHG oils, from lemon, rosemary and basil to ZKLWH WUXIĹ´H DQG FKLOOL Wholesale price ÂŁ7; RRP ÂŁ12 per tin. pomora.com

Rose balsamic condiment, The Olive Oil Coâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest GLVFRYHU\ LV SURGXFHG E\ DJLQJ Ancelloya grapes in ash barrels IRU D PLQLPXP RI Ć&#x201C;YH \HDUV ,WV Ĺ?GHOLFDWH DQG IUHVK Ĺ´DYRXU Ĺ? LV VDLG WR SDLU ZHOO ZLWK FXUHG DQG UDZ PHDW YHJHWDEOHV Ć&#x201C;VK DQG salad. theoliveoilco.com

Launching Truffle Prosciutto Crudo Cured for 16 Months on the bone. Deboned and filled with a mixture of fresh black summer truffles and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Cured again to make sure that the truffle flavour penetrates the whole leg. Delicate truffle flavour melt in the mouth Prosciutto Crudo. Come and try it at the Farm Shop and Deli Show Stand E70.

See us at Farm Shop & Deli 2018 stand E70

a a t S an t F sta ee u d armnd s D el S M7 i s ho 8 ho p w

www.tenutamarmorelle.com

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re pretty serious about food here at Suffolk Salami Co. We believe the quality of our products relies on healthy, happy pigs. Keeping the pigs in family groups as they grow is just one approach we take in working towards the highest animal welfare standards. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re also proud to be members of the RSPCA Freedom Food Scheme.

Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

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Relish Ć&#x201D; the

GROWN UP

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| info@grownupmarshmallows.co.uk www.grownupmarshmallows.co.uk

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April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

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SHOW PREVIEW Back for its eighth year at Birmingham’s NEC, the Farm Shop & Deli Show takes place on 16th-18th April

Six reasons to visit… Farm Shop & Deli Show

Find products

Business advice

As seen on TV

Visiting buyers from delicatessens and farm shops will be able to see products from more than 450 exhibiting companies, including Cawston Press, Thunder Toffee Vodka and Pasta Garofalo. Register at farmshopanddelishow. co.uk for free entry to the show.

The Farm Shop & Deli Live stage will be hosting a range of talks across the show’s three days. There will be talks on marketing free-from foods, maximising sales and assembling the perfect cheeseboard.

The more famous names on the speakers list include Countryfile’s Adam Henson, who will be discussing farming and provenance. Meanwhile, A Place in the Sun presenter Laura Hamilton will be explaining how she turned her local post office into a profitable community resource.

Ceremony on stand

Choose loaf

Sister events

The winning retailers of the Farm Shop & Deli Awards will be announced live at the show. Some 13 categories are up for grabs, including Baker, Butcher, Cheesemonger and Delicatessen, as well as the overall title.

Britain’s Best Loaf 2018 will culminate in a live judging event, where judges will assess the external appearance, internal structure, aroma and taste of more than 100 loaves on Monday 16th April. The winners will be announced at a live presentation in the afternoon.

Farm Shop & Deli Show is co-located with the UK’s largest food and drink trade event, Food & Drink Expo, as well as the National Convenience Show, processing and packaging event Foodex and The Ingredients Show. Registered visitors will be able to visit all of these shows with just one badge.

Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

LillyPuds

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Black Pepper

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Great Taste Awards 2017

Delivering Seasoning Perfection with love from Kampot Cambodia

100% Organic : Hand Picked : Sun Dried Adored by Chefs and Gourmets the World Over Contact us for our wholesale pricelist Tel: 01738 248288 Email: info@kampotpepperdirect.com www.kampotpepperdirect.com

April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

A delicious range of lovingly created Christmas Puddings – the natural choice Scrumptiously Fruity and with Reduced Added Sugar Traditional or Gluten Free | Retail and Foodservice

Come and taste our delicious puddings at the Farm Shop & Deli Show, stand L64 16-18 April – NEC Birmingham 07792223301 | hello@lillypuds.co.uk | www.lillypuds.co.uk

SHELF TALK

New UK biscotti brand looks to highlight the biscuitsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; versatility By Lauren Phillips

A newly launched artisan biscotti brand is aiming to get UK consumers to do more with the traditional hard Italian biscuit. Starlings Artisan Food, which has debuted with a range of eight flavoured biscotti, wants to highlight the versatility around the biscuit and give consumers more ideas on how to use it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Biscotti isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just a biscuit to have with your coffee,â&#x20AC;? said founder Rebecca Starling. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our sweet biscotti could be steeped in alcohol for a tiramisu or blended and used as a cheesecake base.â&#x20AC;? The sweet biscotti (RRP ÂŁ2.99) flavours include almond & pistachio, triple chocolate, cherry & coconut, and toffee & apple, while the savoury (RRP ÂŁ3.79) consists of chilli, garlic & herb, chorizo, bell pepper & tomato, sundried tomato and olive, and beetroot & fennel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The savoury biscotti are the perfect finger food base,â&#x20AC;? said Starling, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but also in soups or salads as croutons, with dips or on a cheese or charcuterie board.â&#x20AC;? While promoting recipes with its products, Starlings Artisan Food will also be selling a range of accompaniments via its website that can be paired with the biscotti. The accompaniments include a range of chutneys from The Chunky Chutney Co in Poole and truffle oil, tapenade and mustard from New Forest Wild & Exotic Mushroom Co. Starling said traditional Italian biscotti still had to be tailored to the British market. She has added a small amount of butter to her recipe to make them crispier, crunchier and lighter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the UK, the traditionally hard Italian biscuit is not seen very favourably, the concept doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really work,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the last

few years, we started off as a hard and more traditional biscuit and, apart from those who were well-travelled, the general feedback was not that good. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Biscotti are a bit better known now but going back two or three years ago people would return them and say: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wrong with your biscuits, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re so hard?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;.â&#x20AC;? The biscotti is available in 100g retail boxes, 1kg catering packs and 38g twin packs pitched at impulse purchases.

PEP-UP YOUR SHELVES WITH THE GUILD OF FINE FOODâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S RESIDENT MERCHANDISING QUEEN JILLY SITCH Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a cavernous farm shop or D SRVWDJH VWDPS GHOL HYHU\ LQFK RI VKRS Ĺ´RRU counts. Because customers can see everything. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell you how often I stand at cheese counters, waiting to be served, only to notice how much mess is going on back there. Bins, old order books, dirty aprons, cardboard boxes, 27-odd forks â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen it all. The other classic places that delis tend to stash unsightly things is on top of chillers and shelving units or underneath display tables. If all of these places are good enough for dumping your rubbish, then they should also be viable as display spaces. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always a prop or a few packs of ambient stock that could that could take the place of that dusty old box. Last time I was in Borough Market, I was really drawn to the unit that belongs to French cheese specialist Une Normande a Londres. Forget concentrating on the eyeline, this GLVSOD\ LV D Ĺ´RRU WR FHLOLQJ PDUYHO 7KHUHĹ?V something going on at every level. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what keeps customers coming back for more.

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Blakemore Fine Foods launches mobile ordering app A brand new mobile app from speciality and artisan food distributor Blakemore Fine Foods is aiming to offer customers the ability to order products on the go. The app â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which is available for free on both iOS and Android platforms â&#x20AC;&#x201C; enables customers to order products for delivery from the Blakemore Fine Foods range of more than 900 chilled and ambient product lines. Developed with mobile app consultancy RNF Digital Innovation Limited, the platform will include a barcode scanner and profiton-return (POR) calculator as well as facilities for

Displays that pay

retailers to search products, view their order history and favourite items. Commercial manager Patrice Garrigues said investing in new technology was essential for efficient business. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have developed this new app to help make our customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lives easier and improve their ordering experience,â&#x20AC;? he said. Sarah Gill manager at The Burstead Farm Shop in Essex who has used the app said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The barcode scanner is an excellent feature as it saves flicking through a brochure to find codes.â&#x20AC;? Daniel Mansfield of the Treehouse Farm Shop at

The Willows Garden Centre, Lincolnshire added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;From searching for a product to scanning or increasing product quantities it was so straight to the point and quick. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s definitely the way Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be placing orders in the future!â&#x20AC;? DIEODNHPRUH FRP

Flower & White creates meringue bar format Flower & White is aiming to revolutionise and challenge peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perception of meringues by developing new Meringue Bars (RRP from ÂŁ1.29). The new bars, which are low in fat and less than 100 calories each, are designed as an alternative grab-and-go sweet treat. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our natural Meringue Bars meet the boom in demand for snacking products which are low in fat, calories and contain fewer ingredients with a clean label,â&#x20AC;? said co-founder Leanne Crowther. Made with Callebaut chocolate and slow EDNHG WKH PHULQJXHV FRPH LQ WZR Ĺ´DYRXUV raspberry (coated in white chocolate and raspberry crumble) and chocolate (coated in dark chocolate and chocolate crumbs). Ĺ´RZHUDQGZKLWH FR XN

Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

SHELF TALK My magic ingredient

WHAT’S NEW

Holy Lama has launched Kermeric® – a blend of extra virgin coconut oil, turmeric Ed and black pepper extracts. Fortune Suitable for vegan and gluten-free diets, the food supplement (200g) can be used as a substitute for butter or added to recipes. holylama.co.uk

Two varieties of mediumsweet flavoured mead are the latest drinks to join Lyme Bay Winery’s roster. The rhubarb mead is a good match for blue cheese, terrines and fruit desserts while the chilli variety works well with hard cheeses, bolognese and pizza. Both come in 75cl bottles. lymebaywinery.co.uk Salted caramel is the latest variety created by toffee specialist Walker’s Nonsuch. Made using Anglesey Sea Salt PDO, the toffees are available in 150g and 2.5kg bags, as well as 1.25kg gifting jars. walkers-nonsuch.co.uk

Papalino Wild Fennel Pollen JANE CURRAN Editor, Feel Good Food It may sound ridiculously cheffy (which I am not), but it’s a very special and quite rare product. The tiny heads of wild fennel flowers are harvested by hand in Calabria, Southern Italy, then left out in the sun to dry. There’s nothing industrial about it – a lot of picking goes into harvesting a small amount. The scent and flavour are intense, much more so than fennel seeds, and these tiny flowers transform a dish. I first used it in a rub recipe for steak from Richard H. Turner’s PRIME: The Beef Cookbook. Of course, it goes brilliantly with pork; I sprinkle it – sparingly, you don’t need much – on a roast pork belly as it comes out of the oven and the scent just invades the kitchen. Very simply, you can add it to your best olive oil, heat very gently then stir it into fresh pasta or brush onto a freshly baked focaccia. Jane bought hers from souschef.co.uk

The scent and flavour are intense, much more so than fennel seeds

Simple Simon’s upgrades pies and packaging Simple Simon’s Perfect Pies has overhauled its packaging and boosted its vegetarian offering, while also planning the launch of a specialist sister brand. The Scottish producer has switched from its plastic wrap packaging to new recyclable cardboard boxes with windows and new livery. The pies themselves have also had a makeover, with the range narrowed down to 11 core lines and a 12th that will change seasonally. All pies are 250g, have a two-week shelf life and a six-month freezer life. Wholesale prices range between £3.26 and £3.64. The pastry letters have also been removed from the tops and replaced with seeds, herbs, cheese and oatmeal toppings. All pies are also available in slice formats for grab-and-go. These come in boxes of 12 with a wholesale price of £13.20. Simple Simon’s launches for spring reflect its focus on developing vegetarian 50

April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

and vegan recipes, including Super Beets & Roasted Roots, cheese & caramelised onion, and vegetarian haggis, neeps & tatties pies. While the company’s new boxes have allowed it to tell more of its story and stress the provenance of its ingredients,

owner Fiona Anderson told FFD that the shift was also an ethical decision. “We are conscious of the backlash against plastic and are keen to ensure we are doing all we can to help lessen our environmental impact,” she said. “We got rid of as much plastic as possible and decided to introduce recyclable cardboard boxes.” Simple Simon will soon launch a sister brand, Bo Peep Pies, dedicated to vegetarian and vegan pies. Pie recipes include Hot Root Vegetables, Mango & Chilli, Mediterranean Vegetables & Feta, and Butter Bean & Brie. simplesimonspies.co.uk

A Little Bit Food Company has added a mint, pea & parsley variety to its range of all-natural ambient dips made with fresh herbs. “Our new dip celebrates a key food trend – peas for brunch, lunch and dinner! – while incorporating our love of fresh herbs with fragrant mint and parsley,” said A Little Bit Food Company founder Sophie Lane Fox. “It offers consumers a convenient option on-the-go as well as timesaving meal, and is a delicious menu addition for foodservice.” It comes in 200g jars, with an RRP of £3.95. alittlebit.co.uk

New Reduced Sugar Recipes Same great taste now with less than 5g of sugar per 100ml

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Sarah Gray’s is a husband and wife team who make jams, marmalades, curds, and chutneys, they have as much fun making their range as they do eating them with their family. Come and meet Sandy and taste the Sarah Gray’s range at Farm Shop & Deli Show on stand G102C.

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April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

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SHELF TALK Ardenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rolls out new revamped snack line-up following major investment By Lauren Phillips

Sweet and savoury snack producer Ardenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s invested ÂŁ250k in its redesigned packaging, unveiled last month. The new designs were developed to better reflect the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premium positioning and engage existing and new consumers, after carrying out extensive research. Ardenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s said the â&#x20AC;&#x153;simple, uncluttered style combining stylish design and contemporary coloursâ&#x20AC;? had been developed to provide easily readable information to time-poor consumers. Ardenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also revealed that consumers see no obvious brand leader in the premium savoury snacking market and strong shelf appeal is a must for innovative brands. Following the new look, the brand has redesigned its website and social media channels to function as a hub with recipes, serving suggestions and video content. It will also be sampling at key food-related events throughout the year. Managing director Gary Barr said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Based

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TRENDING NICK BAINES KEEPS YOU UP-TO-DATE WITH THE NEWEST DISHES, FLAVOURS AND INNOVATIONS IN FOOD & DRINK

on this consumer insight and feedback we evolved our brand identity and created a clean and contemporary design with food, flavour and inspiration at its heart.â&#x20AC;? He added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The new design is individual, dynamic and authentic, something consumers can be proud to have in their cupboard and share with family and friends.â&#x20AC;? ardens.co.uk

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEW Gingerbread specialist Image on Food has reintroduced its Summer hand-iced biscuit range. Bumble the bumblebee, Layla the ladybird, summer strawberry and VXPPHU Ĺ´RZHU FDQ DOO EH displayed in a counter display unit. RRP ÂŁ2.25. imageonfood.co.uk Cheesemaker Joseph Heler has returned to butter production for the Ć&#x201C;UVW WLPH VLQFH WKH V ,WV &KHVKLUH %XWWHU J 553 e LV PDGH ZLWK ZKH\ FUHDP DQG Maldon Sea Salt. joseph-heler.co.uk

1 -HOO\Ć&#x201C;VK This alien-like sea creature is perhaps one of the most sustainable food sources on the planet because, despite rising sea temSHUDWXUHV DQG RFHDQ DFLGLĆ&#x201C;FDWLRQ WKHLU QXPEHUV are booming. With the UN endorsing them as a resilient future food source, both chefs and IRRG VFLHQWLVWV DUH VFUDPEOLQJ WR Ć&#x201C;QG UHDVRQDEOH ways to consume this boneless and bloodless animal. In Denmark, work is being done to turn them into crisps, while in Barcelona at the Adria EURWKHUVĹ? UHVWDXUDQW 'HJUHHV LW KDV EHHQ SUHpared much like squid sashimi. Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kitchen 7KHRU\ DOVR VHUYHV MHOO\Ć&#x201C;VK DW LWV *DVWURSK\VLFV &KHIĹ?V 7DEOH ZKHUH \RXĹ?OO Ć&#x201C;QG LW PDULQDWHG LQ ginger, garlic, dashi and sesame.

Sweet Cheesus, Butterly Nuts, Say Cheese! and Berry-licious are the QHZHVW Ĺ´DYRXUV IURP Popcorn Shed. The IRXU Ĺ´DYRXUV FRPH LQ 28g snack packs (RRP e DQG J 6KHGV 553 e popcornshed.com

East Anglia-based LillyPuds has updated its branding. Discussing the new image, founder Alison Lilly said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;LillyPuds needed to strengthen its presence by creating sophisticated products capable of gracing any shelf whilst retaining the gifting element of our brand.â&#x20AC;? lillypuds.co.uk

2 Cask-aged gin The wild popularity of gin shows no signs of fading, no matter how â&#x20AC;&#x153;junipered outâ&#x20AC;? you might be feeling. Barrel-ageing Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favourite spirit is currently gaining pace. Salcombe Distillery has released Finisterre, a gin aged in American oak Fino sherry casks, and Durham Gin has launched a variety that has spent time in both sherry and bourbon casks. The barrel aging gives the spirit another layer of depth and complexity, and is sure to broaden the G&T line-up even further this summer. 3 Pulled jackfruit This giant tropical fruit is being utilised as a meat replacement in a wide range of savoury dishes. Under-ripe jackfruit KDV Ĺ´HVK WKDW SXOOV DZD\ LQ VWUDQGV MXVW OLNH D slowly smoked pork shoulder, which renders the VXEWOH Ĺ´DYRXUHG IUXLW LGHDO IRU VZHHW DQG VPRN\ barbecue sauces. Over at Indian chain Dishoom \RX FDQ Ć&#x201C;QG D ELU\DQL PDGH ZLWK WKLV H[RWLF fruit, while itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the star ingredient in street food vendor Spice Boxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vegetarian jalfrezi. In whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shaping up to be the biggest year yet for plantbased foods, expect to see a lot more from the jackfruit.

The Topping Pie Company has revamped its range of hot eating pies. Now 225g, the pies feature hot water crust pastry and rough puff lids. New Ĺ´DYRXUV LQFOXGH cheese & potato and chicken & tarragon. toppingspies.co.uk

Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

Blackberry & Thyme

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April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

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“A snack revolution” National Flexible brought the newest revelation to the snack market. The first ever microwaveable share snack pack. Fairfield’s Farm wanted to revitalise the snacking market and give customers a new eating experience so National Flexible introduced a share snack pack for Fairfield’s Farm that easily allows the consumer to, quite literally, “heat and eat”. With a simple tear element achieved through laser scoring, a pack format that allows the product to sit like a bowl and a microwaveable packaging specification, a snacking revolution was born. Fairfield’s Farm said that the pack “breaks new boundaries not just in concept, but also in packaging and design”.

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If you have a snacking product that you think would suit this innovative pack format then call Natalie Bartlett, Marketing Manager, on 01274 68 55 66 or email at natalie@nationalﬂexible.net Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

DELI OF THE MONTH

VITAL STATISTICS

Location: Welbeck, Worksop, Nottinghamshire S80 3LW Turnover: Â£1,400,000 (shop only) No. of staff: 9 full-time, 13 part-time (shop only) Retail space: 1,630 sq ft Key categories: Butchery (50% of sales), deli & cheese (20%), fruit & veg (14%) 56

April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

The owners of Welbeck Estate have resisted turning their home into a Chatsworth-style tourist magnet, but they’ve built a thriving artisan food community with a 1,600 sq ft farm shop, run by Oliver Stubbins, as perhaps its most public expression Interview by Mick Whitworth

A class of its own MUST-STOCKS GETTING YOUR HEAD AROUND a shop that doesn’t follow conventional retail rules – an ethical supermarket, say, or a food hall with exceptionally cash-rich owners – is tricky. Those easy starter questions about margins, ranging, footfall and growth plans can go off-target. It can take a while to get into the operator’s mindset. So, for the first half hour or so with Oliver Stubbins, general manager at Welbeck Farm Shop, I’m slightly discombobulated. This 1,600 sq ft outlet sits in the heart of one of England’s great historic estates, the 15,000 acre Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire, owned by the Parente family. The shop is perhaps the most public expression of the family’s commitment to traditional foods. Since William Parente inherited in 2009, on the death of his aunt, Lady Anne Bentink, the family has opted to regenerate Welbeck, not by throwing its gates open to the public, but by creating a thriving community of small firms in the old estate buildings. While these include craft and design studios and environmental start-ups, the main focus has been firmly on artisan food and drink. Welbeck Abbey Brewery, Ottar Chocolate and cheesemaker Stichelton Dairy are among the producers now operating from the estate, which also has its own bakery. And Welbeck is perhaps best known in the trade for the School of Artisan Food, set up by William’s wife, Alison Swan Parente MBE – a retired senior child psychotherapist – to promote traditional butchery, bakery, brewing and cheesemaking skills. The school now offers short courses for hobbyists and potential startups as well as a full-time advanced diploma course in artisan baking. Welbeck Farm Shop was created in 2006, in the former estate gasworks. It sits on one side of a walled courtyard that also houses two art galleries and their accompanying café. Pulling in

serious food shoppers at weekends and an older, lighter-spending demographic on weekdays, the shop’s annual sales are £1.4m, and it provides full or part-time employment for more than 20 people. The Harley Gallery café across the courtyard, until recently run as a concession, was brought under Oliver Stubbins’ wing at the start of 2018. While still a bit of an unknown quantity, it’s expected to add at least £400k a year to his business unit’s overall sales. So far so normal. But walk inside the farm shop itself and compare it with, say, Lord Newborough’s Rhug farm shop in North Wales or the Earl of Plymouth’s Ludlow Food Centre in Shropshire and there’s a distinctly different, and, frankly, less commercial feel. Most notable is the sparseness of its ambient foods section, which takes no more than a fifth of the floor area. In most estate shops owned by the landed gentry – even those with the fine food credentials of Chatsworth or Ludlow – it’s normal to see big blocks of ownbrand preserves and confectionery, interspersed with food and non-food gifts, to capitalise on tourist coach parties and casual visitors. But here, where tourism isn’t the big driver, there are just 500 ambient SKUs, with only one or two carefully chosen options in most categories. There’s a positive aversion to gift packs, and the familiar ambient catalogue brands found in most delis and farm shops are almost entirely absent. There’s not a hint of pile-it-high, let alone sell-it-cheap. “The grocery section is about foods we’d like to eat ourselves, that we’re happy with,” Stubbings says. “We don’t expect customers to come here and do their full shop.” Refreshingly, he stops short of describing the finely honed ambient range as “curated”, but says it has been “very rigorously tested”. “We want people to buy our food and really enjoy it. We want them to get to the end of the packet

Stichelton cheese Hedgerow Preserving Co raspberry jam Rosebud Preserves Old Yorkshire chutney Welbeck Abbey Brewery Cavendish blonde ale Lincolshire Poacher cheese Butchers’ own honey roast ham Welbeck sourdough Raw milk Tuxford Windmill quick porridge oats Comté cheese Steenberg spices (whole range) Welbeck back bacon Welbeck leg of lamb

and say, ‘That was delicious’.” Nothing is rushed into the range. Despite the importance of fresh meat, for example, there were no ready-made cooking sauces to accompany it until 18 months ago, when Stubbins found the family-owned Punjaban brand from Northamptonshire. He’s since added Yau’s Chinese sauces from Peterborough, and tells me: “It’s the same kind of business. It’s family-run, and when you go down the tick-list it’s all natural ingredients.” If a product doesn’t fit the estate’s values in terms of sustainability and high ethical standards, he adds, it’s not here. Because profit is not the be-all and end-all. “Financially, we want to stand on our own two feet. Sometimes – like last year – we make a profit, and sometimes we don’t. But that’s not the first priority.” On the whole, he’s happy to leave gift packs to the neighbouring Notcutts garden centre, a Welbeck tenant, whose main entrance CONTINUED ON PAGE 59

Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

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is just outside the courtyard. “We share the same car park,” says Stubbins, “so it seems pointless to be selling the same products. They do what they do, which is much more about gifts, and our grocery section doesn’t need to be selling products people can get next door.” Instead, fresh food is the farm shop’s dominant force. Walk in the main entrance and you will pass between two glass-fronted butchery storage chillers. The one on the left, labelled ‘maturing room’, holds primal cuts of fresh beef; the ‘curing room’ on the right displays racks of bacon, along with some intriguing items of charcuterie that, according to Stubbins, are probably experiments destined for the Parente family’s table rather than the shop. If those cabinets set the tone, the shop layout continues it. Sight-lines are designed to lead the eye straight to fresh foods: bread, cheese, fresh vegetables and meat. The butchery occupies one full side of the shop floor and accounted for 50% of revenue last year. The deli and cheese counters delivered another 20%. Like the rest of the shop, the cheese range makes no concessions to mainstream shopping. From the familiar Gorwydd Caerphilly and Ragstone to the raw goats’ milk Sinodun Hill and seasonal raw cows’ milk Seators from

Orkney, this is a true cheese lovers’ counter. Stubbins says: “I was told on my first day that if I ever stocked a cheese with fruit in it I’d get my P45! “I could probably sell loads of Wensleydale with cranberries, but it wouldn’t fit. “And if people want a block of Pilgrims’ Choice or Seriously Strong, they’re not going to get it from us. With cheese, you’ve either got to be considerably better or considerably cheaper, and I don’t want to be selling cheddar at £3 for 500g.” While the range is “topped up” with a few varieties from French affineur Hervé Mons – especially Stubbins’ must-stock Comté – most is British and comes from Neal’s Yard Dairy. This makes perfect sense when you remember Stichelton Dairy is a joint venture between Neal’s Yard and cheesemaker Joe Schneider. Not surprisingly, Schneider’s raw milk spin on Stilton is prominently on display here. The raw milk used in Stichelton finds another outlet in the farm shop, too, thanks to a raw milk vending machine, owned and operated by Welbeck dairy farm. The machine itself came from Johnny Crickmore of Fen Farm in East Anglia, the Baron Bigod cheesemaker who also holds the agency for these raw mik vending units. “A lot of people don’t even know what raw

milk means,” says Stubbins, “but we’re selling around 250 litres a week at £1 a litre. It’s brought in fresh every day, and anything that’s not sold goes to feed the calves.” If Welbeck Farm Shop is less commercially driven than many other speciality outlets, you wonder how Stubbins got to grips with it, given his background. A Co-op trolley pusher at the age of 16, he rose to store manager by the age of 21 and stayed with the group until the age of 27, when he joined Center Parcs at Sherwood, just down the road from Welbeck, first in a deputy role and then as retail manager. The Co-op taught him about sales in a high-pressure, fast-paced environment. Center Parcs was more about customer service and “managing the expectations of people who’ve paid £2,000 to be there before they’ve even walked into your shop”. He tells me: “I get a buzz out of retail – and if you don’t you should get out, because you’re going be working weekends and doing long hard shifts. I’m currently advising my 13-year-old not to go into it!” He has brought ideas from both big employers to Welbeck he says. It’s just the priorities that are different. “I’ve been selling food since I was 16,” he says. “Now I’m learning about it.” welbeckfarmshop.co.uk

With cheese you’ve got to be either considerably better or considerably cheaper. I don’t want to be selling cheddar at £3 for 500g.

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GUILD TALK

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View from HQ

Ingredients lists become critical when unscrupulous producers and retailers are dressing up factory-made foods as wholesome farm produce

By John Farrand managing director

WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;VE JUST come off the back of two constructive days with our Great Taste coordinators. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the team who, armed with laptops, record judgesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; feedback so we can pass it on to producers. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been put through their sensory paces on an organoleptic training session, an investment weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made to improve their sensory analysis techniques and help coordinators turn tastes, aromas and textures into words. At the Q&A sessions that followed, airtime was dedicated

Meet the Guild Steering Group 6WHIDQR &XRPR

MOST ADMIRED BRAND... Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a Faversham boy through and through, so it has to be Shepherd Neame â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one of the great British family businesses: wonderful heritage, wonderful beers, and with great leadership. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still able to be original and fresh.

BEST BUSINESS MOMENT? When customers tell me Macknade is their â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;favourite place â&#x20AC;&#x201C; full stopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get any better.

....AND RETAILER? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;fanboyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of all sorts but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll choose Value Retail plc, the operator of Bicester Village, founded by Scott Malkin. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve

examples of green-pastures sleightof-hand, including the multiplesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; habit of making up sub-brands, like Tescoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Woodside Farms and Redmere Farms, implying the foods come from rural idylls. Not only rural, but firmly British too. Via Thailand? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hardly news. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve all known about this for bloody ages. It is confusing, though, and while us independent folk have been shouting about real rural businesses like Montgomeryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cheddar and Piperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Farm for an eternity, it seems to be yet another theft from us by the big boys. What do we do? One online comment associated with the Times piece encourages customers to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;put on their glasses and read the small printâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Good advice. As a retailer, you can confidently talk about where and how your products are made, and thoroughly debunk those supermarket myths. How about a tasting of fake farm cheese versus the real thing?

BIGGEST BUSINESS CLANGER? I have a habit of getting overexcited and falling down rabbit holes. A lesson Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m still learning is to be clear everyone here is on the same trajectory before I charge ahead. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t assume. Check, check, then check again.

reusable coffee cup everywhere, too, and the guys in the services are more than happy to top it up.

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S YOUR GUILTY FOOD SECRET? Extra thick white sliced bread, butter, mild block cheddar â&#x20AC;&#x201C; cheese butty. Mmm... Wonderful mouthfeel! BURGER KING OR M&S SALAD? I have a wife who is equally food orientated, so weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll plan trips with detours to pubs that serve a good lunch. Of course, I now take my

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Managing director: John Farrand Marketing director: Tortie Farrand Commercial director: Christabel Cairns Sales director: Sally Coley

Tel: +44 (0) 1747 825200 Fax: +44 (0) 1747 824065 info@gff.co.uk gff.co.uk

Sales manager: Ruth Debnam Sales executive: Becky Stacey Events assistant: Stephanie Rogers Operations manager: Karen Price

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tracked them for years, and the way they deliver an all-round experience, integrating all those premium brands and delivering for all their stakeholders, is a huge inspiration.

to the subject of ingredients listings, and whether seeing the list provided by the producer can influence even the most impartial judge. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been discussed for years, with no clear outcome. Are judges swayed by reading about controversial or divisive ingredients? For me, they shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be told what is in the food theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re assessing. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blind tasting, after all. Quite different when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a shopper. Ingredients lists become critical when, as the national media have flagged up recently, unscrupulous producers and retailers are dressing up factorymade foods as wholesome farm produce. In one report by The Times (â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Rural scenes leave shoppers in the dark over how meat is raisedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;) Heckâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sausages was the biggest target. Its packs show pigs prancing around in a field when, in reality, most of them are reared indoors. There were many more

PRIVATE PASSION? My family drives everything. Otherwise it is food. I grew up on a farm, in a pan-European family who cook. I married into an Indian family who cook. My friends cook, my enemies cook. Food is constant in my life and is the defining subject of humanity. What more do I need?

â&#x20AC;˘ The retailers and suppliers on the Guild Steering Group meet quarterly to help shape and improve services to members and the wider industry. Want to join them? Email john.farrand@gff.co.uk for details.

Operations assistants: Claire Powell, Janet Baxter, Hugo Morisetti Training & events manager: Jilly Sitch Circulation manager: Nick Crosley

Financial controller: Stephen Guppy Accounts manager: Denise Ballance Accounts assistant: Julie Coates Chairman: Bob Farrand Director: Linda Farrand

Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

GUILD TALK

QHZV IURP WKH JXLOG RI Ć&#x201C;QH IRRG

Action on single-use plastics was at the forefront of the Spring Statement

The word on Westminster By Edward Woodall ACS THE CHANCELLOR GHOLYHUHG KLV Ć&#x201C;UVW Spring Statement in March, moving IURP WZR Ĺ&#x152;Ć&#x201C;VFDO HYHQWVĹ? SHU \HDU WR just one, in the Autumn, where he will make all new tax announcements. The Treasury stressed the Spring Statement would be a low key affair and it was right. There wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a single green shoot of new political direction â&#x20AC;&#x201C; much to the dismay of many on ERWK Ĺ´DQNV RI WKH &RQVHUYDWLYH [coalition] Party, who wanted to see WKH &KDQFHOORU JR EH\RQG VXJJHVWLQJ there was â&#x20AC;&#x153;light at the end of the tunnelâ&#x20AC;? for austerity, and actually dish out some cash to the public sector. Nevertheless, there was a raft of new policy consultations relevant to food retailers. Action on single-use plastics was at the forefront, with a new consultation on how the tax system could be used to curb their use. The success of the plastic bag tax is the driver behind this, but the consultation focuses on

The deli doctor Paul Thomas Technical and regulatory advice from the Guildâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new deli helpline Q: Can I use wooden shelves in my cheese store to mature cheeses? My EHO is concerned about it. A: Wood is occasionally thought by EHOs to be unsuitable for ripening cheeses. Usually, this is based on how they interpret a requirement in Regulation 62

April 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 3

intervention higher up the supply chain to encourage manufacturers to reformulate their plastic packaging. On business rates, the starting point for more frequent revaluations ZDV EURXJKW IRUZDUG WR Finally, there was a new consultation on cash and electronic payments that hinted at scrapping S DQG S FRLQV DQG WKH e QRWH although the Government has quickly U-turned on that because of concerns raised by charities and others. All in all, it was an uneventful Spring Statement. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really the policy platform for announcements at Novemberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Budget, when there will be higher expectations from the &KDQFHOORU DQG WKH *RYHUQPHQW DV WKH\ PRYH FORVHU WR WKH 0DUFK Brexit deadline and the political and economic pressure ratchets up. Edward Woodall is head of policy & public affairs at small shops group ACS

edward.woodall@acs.org.uk

(& WKDW VXUIDFHV LQ areas where foods are handled should be smooth, washable and corrosion resistant, unless the competent authority permits otherwise. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a considerable body of evidence casting doubt on the argument that ripening cheese on wooden shelves is unsafe. However, they should be clean, maintained in good condition and unlikely to contaminate food with splinters. The Food Standards Agency )6$ DOORZV Ĺ?VPDOO DQG ORZ throughput establishmentsâ&#x20AC;? to use wooden shelving for the maturation of hard cheese. 7KLV Ĺ´H[LELOLW\ PHDVXUH LV permitted within EU regulation. The FSA webpage can be IRXQG DW IRRG JRY XN EXVLQHVV LQGXVWU\ JXLGDQFHQRWHV K\JJXLG HXK\JLHQHUHJXODWLRQVĹ´H[LELOLWLHV Dairy and food safety specialist Paul Thomas runs the Guildâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new e-helpline for retailers with technical or regulatory queries. It can be accessed through the Guild Membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hub at gff.co.uk

Free mystery shopper visit could be eye-opener for Guild member stores IT'S TAKEN AS READ that independents beat supermarkets hands-down on both product knowledge and customer service. But according to Richard Knight of mystery shopping specialist Shopper Anonymous, the gap may be narrower than indies like to think. While multiples are getting cleverer at understanding what customers want, indies can lose ĆŹight of their own service levels, especially as they grow and owners VSHQG OHVV WLPH RQ WKH VKRS Ĺ´RRU Shopper Anonymous has teamed up with the Guild to offer a free mystery shopper visit to every retail member, along with discounts of up to 25% on future visits. The report looks at the overall presentation of the shop and its staff, and the customer service and sales skills on display. Members will get a report from

a Shopper Anonymous regional GLUHFWRU Ĺ&#x160; DQG FRXOG Ć&#x201C;QG VRPH RI their assumptions challenged. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In small delis you get that passion and product knowedge that comes from the owners,â&#x20AC;? Knight said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But as the business brings in more staff, that can change.â&#x20AC;? Staff have different motivations and it takes leadership skills to bring out the best in them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Engaged employees plus high levels of skill and product knowledge equals great customer service,â&#x20AC;? said Knight. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Knowledge is easily dealt with through training. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the engagement of staff thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more GLIĆ&#x201C;FXOW DQG LI \RX KDYHQĹ?W JRW WKDW engagement you may be no better than the bigger retailers.â&#x20AC;? Guild retailers can apply for their free Shopper Anonymous visit via the membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; hub. gff.co.uk

Scholarships up for grabs on prestigious retail management summer school SHOP OWNERS and senior staff are being encouraged to apply for a scholarship place on this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Oxford 6XPPHU 6FKRRO 266 IRXQGDWLRQ course for retail leaders. Owned by the British Independent 5HWDLOHUV $VVRFLDWLRQ %,5$ WKH 266 runs a prestigious annual programme of courses for managers at all levels IURP VKRS Ĺ´RRU WR WKH ERDUGURRP designed to deliver future leaders in both indie and multiple retailing. ,WV IRXQGDWLRQ FRXUVH ZLOO UXQ IURP -XQH DW 6W +XJKĹ?V &ROOHJH Oxford. The intensive residential school aims to build leadership skills, NQRZOHGJH DQG FRQĆ&#x201C;GHQFH .H\QRWH speakers will include Laura Brown,

retail director of Harrods, and BrewDog learning & development chief Andrew Marrins. 7KH XVXDO FRVW LV e SOXV 9$7 but a number of free or part-funded scholarship places are being made available by trade charity retailTRUST. BIRA and the Guild are both members of the Independent Retail &RQVRUWLXP DQG 266 GLUHFWRU 1HLO Moss said it was hoping to see more applications from indie retailers for Interested Guild members can apply for scholarships online at the retailTRUST address below by 7th May latest. retailtrust.org.uk/oss oxfordsummerschool.co.uk

Get your SOTY entry in now ENTRIES for the Guild's expanded Shop of the Year awards close on 13th April. If you KDYHQĹ?W DOUHDG\ SXW \RXU VKRS IRUZDUG Ć&#x201C;OO RXW the online form today at gff.co.uk/soty

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platform to showcase and source the latest innovations in healthy and betterfor-you food, drink and ingredients.

Find out more at www.foodmatterslive.com Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018

Vol.19 Issue 3 | April 2018