SHELF TALK

Brindisa grows gazpacho range and unveils bold new look

By Tom Dale

Brindisa has revealed two new lines for summer and bold new branding as the Spanish food specialist looks to modernise its look, and better represent its Iberian roots.

The London-based retailer and supplier has expanded its gazpacho range with the addition of Tomato & Almond and Tomato & Beetroot variants, which join its classic Tomato.

The new lines are the rst to be packaged in the business’s refreshed branding as the 34-year-old bull is being updated for the third time in its life, with a new look inspired by Spanish modernist artists.

The new logo the ‘toro’ surrounded by Spanish landscapes and Brindisa has also altered its strapline, which now reads: ‘The True Taste of Spain’.

Sales and marketing director Cristina Pasantes said: “Our new identity refreshes Brindisa’s traditional look, which had served us well for over 10 years.

“We wanted to convey a more joyful brand, that builds on our Spanish heritage specialism, identity, and character and represents our market positioning as the True Taste of Spain.”

The new gazpachos are plant-based, and made with sun-ripened fruit, high-quality extra virgin olive oil, and sherry and red wine vinegars.

The new adaptations of Spain’s iconic chilled soup are said to re ect the origins of the dish, which historically was not made with tomato. The fruit was actually not introduced to Spain until the 16th Century. “Originally gazpacho was made with olive oil, vinegar, salt and bread. But today’s recipes appeal to our modern tastes for healthy, plant-based and versatile food,” said Brindisa’s founder Monika Linton. The Almond variant contains 8% almonds and is enhanced with garlic while the Beetroot contains 25% beetroot as well as cumin for seasoning and pickled gherkins for balance. Each 1l pack has an RRP of £5.75 (Almond) or £5.55 (Beetroot), and both are sold in cases of 10 for £31.50 and £31 respectively.

brindisa.com

WHAT’S NEW

Cakehead’s new Raspberry Bakewell combines an all-butter almond shortbread base with a layer of raspberry jam and a layer of frangipane, finished with raspberry jam, slivered almonds and toasted almonds. Each tray is pre-portioned into 14 slices (RRP, £3.50/slice), guaranteeing customers receive consistent portions. Each tray costs £17.60 to the trade.

cakehead.co.uk

Bottled cocktail brand Pimentae has launched its second SKU after the success of its Tommy’s Chilli Margarita last year. The Cucumber & Elderflower Eclipse is a blend of El Tequileno blanco tequila, cucumber, mint, and elderflower, the 15% ABV cocktail comes in a 50cl bottle with an RRP of £29.95.

pimentaedrinks.com

Stalwart brands Tim’s Dairy and Tiptree have collaborated on a new line to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee year: Greek Style Strawberry Royale yoghurt. The limited-edition line blends Tim’s bio-live Greek-style yoghurt with Tiptree’s Strawberry with Champagne Conserve. Sold Champagne Conserve. Sold in 450g pots.

timsdairy.co.uk

80Noir Ultra has launched a pair of premium hot chocolate kits – one designed for the morning as an alternative to coffee, and one for the evening. The kits – named AM and PM – both contain premium dark chocolate (in the form of 20 mini bars in the AM Kit and 300g bag of beads in the PM Kit), a bottle of spice (Aztec spice and Chai spice respectively) and an electric whisk to make the creations. The AM kit has an RRP of £20.50 and the PM, £17.50

80noirultra.com

Paley Photography

Counter points Vinegars

Food writer and former deli owner Glynn Christian offers up some category-specific conversation starters to sharpen your sales technique.

• The sharpness of vinegar is acetic acid.

• Liquids with less than 18% alcohol exposed to air over days will oxidise and form acetic acid.

• Modern techniques make vinegars in less than 24 hours.

• The Orleans process takes three weeks to make vinegar and then sees it aged in oak casks for months.

• Authentic balsamic vinegars are not produced from alcohol but from cooked must.

• Only balsamics labelled ‘tradizionale’ are authentic and can come from Modena or Reggio Emilia in Italy.

Only balsamics labelled ‘tradizionale’ are authentic and come from Modena or Reggio Emilia

• Balsamic vinegar is higher in acetic acid than distilled vinegar but balanced by syrupiness.

• White balsamic vinegar is a modern creation.

• Swedish Attika vinegar is 24% acetic acid.

WHAT’S NEW

Pale ale and smoked salmon are not often found together, but that hasn’t stopped The Pished Fish from combining the two in its latest line. Pale But Interesting is made by lightly smoking sushigrade Scottish salmon over beech and apple wood, and marinading with pale ale, black pepper and lemon zest. It has an RRP of £7.99/100g.

thepishedfish.com

The Black Liquorice Company has rebranded and expanded its 120-product range with the addition of Soft Eating Mango and Strawberry Sherbet and Fruity Moresorts. Trade prices start at £1.65 with RRPs at £3.45.

blackliquoricecompany.com

Bullards Gin is boosting its sustainability credentials by offering refill pouches of its four gins. Customers can put empty used pouches into a post box (no envelope or stamp required), and they will be returned to Bullards for recycling. Refills cost £35.

bullardsspirits. co.uk

My magic ingredient

Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil – Cold Pressed Extra Virgin

CHRIS WILDMAN

Owner, Town End Farm Shop

Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil is a company that we’ve worked with since before we even had a physical farm shop – from when we were back at farmer’s markets.

It’s now used across the business as well as in my home kitchen. It’s such a brilliant, versatile and healthy product, as well as having great green credentials. We offer it as refills for customers and, being from Yorkshire, it has very low food miles.

The brand’s Cold Pressed Extra Virgin variety is our favourite. It is very high in Omega-3, -6, and -9 fatty acids, and has a very high smoke point, especially compared to olive oil. It is great for using on salads and making mayonnaise because it lacks the bitter, cabbagey taste that some rapeseed oils have, and because of the high smoke point, it is also great for cooking and even for deep-frying. As a result, it’s used across the farm shop – in our dressings and sauces, and in our fryers. yorkshirerapeseedoil.co.uk

It’s great for salad dressings as it lacks the bitter, cabbagey taste that some rapeseed oils have

Raising the pro le of West African cuisine to help push spice brand

A West African seasoning and spice blend producer is looking to expand her direct-to-consumer brand into independent retail. Ndudu by Fafa’s modern styling and content-heavy online brand has seen her business grow, and, the producer believes, it is a perfect t for ne food retail.

Fafa Gilbert – Ndudu by Fafa’s founder – grew up in Ghana and Togo living with a Ghanaian and Lebanese family, and her cooking methods are borrowed from her Ewe heritage and in uenced by her marriage to a Brit.

“My diverse upbringing is conveyed in each bottle,” said Gilbert. “Each blend represents the knowledge gained from my mum, family recipes, the multi-cultural London food scene and also my husband.”

Her range comprises many West African avours, Middle Eastern-inspired blends, and her recipes incorporate Western trends.

While the British public is always on the hunt for new international cuisines and food trends, they may lack the knowledge of how to use new avours and ingredients. Gilbert has overcome this hurdle by developing more than 1,000 recipes and cooking techniques which she is showcasing on her social media, and through TV appearances. Now, the founder is seeking retailers to grow her brand. “We are open to collaborating with independent small businesses who share the same ethos,” she said. All Ndudu by Fafa’s blends and sauces are made in the UK in small batches using traditional recipes and techniques, including fermenting, smoking and clay-pot slow cooking, and are focused on balancing the ve principal tastes.

The Ndudu – an Ewe word meaning food – range includes Ataadi, a selection of slow-cooked chilli sauces incorporating meat and seafood, spice blends including Dzolof (or Jollof), Harissa, Piri Piri, Edzè (akin to za’atar), and Xorla BBQ Rub (Gilbert’s take on the on-trend suya spice), among other sweet and savoury Africa-inspired ingredients.

RRPs for the spice blends and sauces sit around £9. Contact the producer for trade prices.

buyndudu.com Dorset-based biscotti producer The Artful Baker has launched a range of six new snacking lines to be distributed by RH Amar.

The range comprises three sweet Biscotti Bites – Triple Belgian Chocolate; Sour Cherry & Dark Chocolate and Salted Caramel, Pecan & Roasted Hazelnut – and three savoury Biscotti Nibbles – Fennel, Pink Peppercorn & Sea Salt; Smoked Jalapeno & Lime and Sundried Tomato, Kalamata Olives & Oregano.

The Artful Baker joins RH Amar’s growing portfolio of over 50 ambient food brands, which includes Crespo, Del Monte, Kikkoman, and Mutti alongside RH Amarowned brands Cooks&Co, Camp Coffee, Mary Berry’s and The Original Waffle Co. rhamar.com theartfulbaker.co.uk

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MEET THE PRODUCER

Sarah Churchill founded THE ARTISAN KITCHEN in 2011 and has spent the following decade picking up an astounding number of Great Taste stars and Golden Forks, among a raft of other awards and accolades. We try to uncover her secrets.

What were you doing before you launched The Artisan Kitchen?

I have always loved working with food. When I left school, I attended Westminster College in London to become a classically trained chef and honed my craft at some amazing Michelin star restaurants and five-star hotels. In later years, I worked at Daylesford Organic, enjoying a decade there as a chef, production chef and food product developer. It was here I discovered a love of working with the seasons, wonderfully fresh organic food and preserving.

Why did you decide to launch the brand?

After having my son, I wanted to stay at Daylesford but the desire to spend more time with him was a strong pull. The Artisan Kitchen was doing well locally and had won its first Great Taste award in 2012, I felt confident to take my dream job on full-time. At the time the preserves market was lacking a modern take on fruit jams and marmalades, and I felt with my innovations and high-quality fresh ingredients, I could offer something new and exciting.

What is the biggest lesson you have learned?

To be confident in your produce and business. I benchmarked my products and received feedback through the Great Taste system. I improved recipes and listened to the judges’ advice, which has been invaluable.

With a phenomenal number of Great Taste stars and Golden Forks under your lid, what’s your secret?

There’s no big secret, really. Like all good food, we start with the very best ingredients and everything else falls into place. When I started The Artisan Kitchen, I wasn’t an accomplished marmalade-maker, but I wouldn’t give up on trying to get the perfect preserve. I continually researched and improved my recipes and production methods, listened to my customers, and went from there. I am a perfectionist and, to this day, I’m continually tweaking recipes to make sure I make the very best I can.

some are natural marriages, like Seville orange and chocolate, and the tropical fruits in our Tropical Marmalade. For me, flavours must always have that wow factor on taste, that’s where I get the drive when I create new recipes.

What is your favourite from your range?

For me, the preserve that represents my brand in so many ways is the Blaisdon Red Plum Like all good Jam. It’s a locally grown heritage fruit. In fact, it’s a food, we very rare fruit that just tastes incredible. The jam’s beauty start with the very best is in the simplicity of just two ingredients – plums and sugar. It’s also versatile and can go ingredients and equally well with cheese, gammon or sausages and, of everything else course, buttery toast. falls into place What is the best thing about

being a small business?

I love my business to the point of obsession. I love the endless creativity it provides, flexibility for our family, fabulous customers and an ever-changing day of challenges and experiences. No day is ever the same.

…and the worst?

There are never enough hours in the day, I’m continually tempted to work when I should be off relaxing. I’m still trying to work on that.

What’s next for The Artisan Kitchen?

I’ve just launched a new website to drive more online sales, so I’m excited to see where this can be taken. As always, I’ve got some new products in the pipeline and, of course, there’s Great Taste 2022 coming up too.

You have a very big range. What inspires you when concocting your creations?

If you look at the marmalade range, you may think it’s drinking cocktails! In all seriousness though, flavours do have to work together,

WHAT’S NEW

Offering an instant cup ramen without the artificial nasties is Mr Mr Lee’s Ramen. With three variants available – Krazy About Katsu, Kicking Korean Beef, Golden Veggie Curry (vegan) – the range is low in sugar and saturated fats and contains all-natural ingredients. RRP £12 per box of six or £2 per cup.

mrleesnoodles.com

Premium condiment producer Stokes Sauces has launched a new range of MealMaking Sauces, comprising Red Wine & Green Peppercorn, Katsu Curry, Salsa Roja and Pomodoro. Each 175g jar has a simple three-step recipe on its label. The Red Wine & Green Peppercorn sauce has an RRP of £2.65 and trade price of £10.56 (6x175g) and the three other sauces have an RRP of £2.45 (trade £9.84).

stokessauces. co.uk

Ahmad Tea has launched a new range of decaffeinated teas to tap into the current wellness trend. The range comprises Decaffeinated Pure Black Tea, Decaffeinated Pure Green Tea, Decaffeinated Earl Grey and Decaffeinated Indulgent Selection (Cinnamon, Vanilla, Caramel, Chocolate & Hazelnut). RRP £2.99 for 20 Hazelnut). RRP £2.99 for 20 teabags.

uk.ahmadtea.com

Premium nut butter brand Borna Foods has launched its first chocolate spread, combining reduced fat cocoa powder (the brand claims its spread contains double the cocoa powder of everyday chocolate spread brands), cocoa butter, cashew nuts, hazelnuts, and coconut sugar. The spread is also free from palm oil.

bornafoods.com