FFD April 2023

Spring into action...

…with our comprehensive guide to outdoor dining

ALSO INSIDE

The Whitby Deli

French wines

Ballylisk of Armagh

This is going to sound like the intro to one of those LinkedIn humblebrags but… I was in a restaurant with some colleagues the other day. It was a sharing plates meal and when it arrived at the table our waitress told us that if we needed more of the condiments that went with various things, then we should just ask for more.

Needless to say, we needed more condiments not long after that and I braced myself for a fruitless five minutes trying to catch someone’s eye before having to politely-butdesperately raise my hand.

When I turned around to face up to this herculean task, our waitress was already heading towards our table to deliver them.

Then, barely a minute later, another member of staff must have also spotted the rapidly declining sauce on our table, because another tray arrived. This anticipation was all the more impressive because we were in a very busy, loud, dimly-lit

By Michael Lane, editor

dining hall where I could barely see my own hands.

Aside from the food and the company, this little snippet of service was a real highlight of the meal.

Before you judge me for being way too easily impressed, just think about how many times you’ve frustratingly had to ask at a restaurant for more cutlery, request a wine list or flag down a waiter for a piddly little ramekin of mayonnaise while your kids squabble in the background.

Spotting and smoothing out small discomforts before they become actual problems can make a really positive impact, albeit a subtle one.

As we enter spring – the season of change and renewal – this is really worth thinking about.

Little things can make an enormous difference. You don’t have to enact massive sweeping changes to your shop floor, your stock room or your staff training to make your

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox, deputy editor

Payst Spicy Burnt Chilli Sauce

EDITORIAL editorial@gff.co.uk

Editor: Michael Lane

Deputy editor: Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Art director: Mark Windsor

Contributors: Nick Baines, Tom Vaughan, Patrick McGuigan, Greg Pitcher, James Ram, Lynda Searby, Phil Taylor

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opportunities@gff.co.uk

Sales director: Sally Coley

Sales manager: Ruth Debnam

Sales executive: Becky Haskett

business better.

At Fine Food Digest, we’re actually working on our own spring clean (I might even replace my slightly dated mugshot) and have been through every page and column inch of previous issues, looking at what we could do better.

The changes we bring in won’t be dramatic (some might be depending on your level of sensitivity) and we’ll phase them in gradually. Hopefully, you won’t consciously notice some of them but they will make the reading experience better and make our content even more useful to you.

For now, you’ll have to be content with my philosophical musings and this month’s guide to the outdoor dining season (starting on page 28), which contains plenty of new launches, business advice and market intelligence to get your shops ready for the less gloomy months.

Here’s to better times.

Because I’m a bit of a serial tweaker in the kitchen, I would usually supplement readymade Thai bases with a dash of soy and a few drops of fish sauce, maybe a grating of palm sugar. But London restaurant Farang’s range of fresh curry pastes, dipping and stir-fry sauces are an exception to that rule. As this is editor’s choice, I had to pick a favourite, and The Spicy Burnt Chilli Sauce was a clear winner. This is a lick-your-plateclean kind of sauce. My only gripe is that they don’t sell it by the litre.

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Spotting and smoothing out small discomforts before they become actual problems can make a really positive impact, albeit a subtle one.

Cover Photograph: Jessica Henderson

Supermarket produce shortages could be a boon to UK independent retailers

By Greg Pitcher

High-profile produce shortages offer an opportunity for independent retailers to attract, educate and retain new customers, key figures have declared.

Several big grocery chains including Tesco, Lidl and Asda placed restrictions on purchases of certain fruit and vegetables for a period in February and March.

Unseasonal cold weather in southern Europe and North Africa were widely blamed for shortages, alongside high energy bills for greenhouse growers at home.

But a range of independent food retailers told FFD that they had no difficulty filling their shelves and believed the crisis offered a chance to thrive.

Jennie Allen, owner of the 12-store Bayley & Sage deli chain, said maintaining

Profits dip at Waitrose

Waitrose has admitted that introduction of new processes contributed to stock shortages and extra costs as it reported a 12% drop in profitability. It posted a trading operating profit of £894 million in the 12 months to February –down from £1.0 billion the prior year.

Waitrose noted that challenges including embedding a new merchandising system, a fire at a distribution site and raw material shortages led to a “period of reduced availability” and increased wastage costs.

“As we exit the year, many of these challenges are behind us,” insisted the firm’s parent body John Lewis Partnership.

positive relationships with suppliers could keep specialist stores ahead of bigger rivals.

“We offer availability and quality – that is why people come to us,” she said. “Without suppliers we can’t offer anything. We have to keep close relationships.”

Craig Simmons, who took ownership of Lee’s Farm Shop near Wolverhampton at the start of this year, said there was plenty of produce on the market, “you just have to pay for it”.

Simmons, who has worked in the food industry for 25 years, believes the recent shortages showed customers were willing to invest in quality.

“There were queues to get into the shop and every single person asked us if we had any tomatoes,” he said.

Simmons hopes for a lasting impact from the crisis. “It is a good opportunity for farm shops to secure long-term customers,” he said.

Farm Retail Association chair Emma Mosey said the sector’s relationship with

growers meant it was “able to fill customers’ baskets with amazing fresh produce, even during shortages”.

Stefano Cuomo, chief executive of Kent-based food retailer Macknade, said savvy independents could benefit from changing consumer behaviour.

“We should work with the market and support a seasonal approach,” he said. “We have a loyal customer base and provide a service to them including education and showing the different profile of the products we have.”

Phil Haughton, founder of Bristol-based retailer Better Food, agreed that new approaches were required.

“If you look after everyone in the food chain – starting with the soil – you have relationships that matter and people will compromise to look after each other,” he said. “It makes a huge difference to food security.”

fair reward for farmers

“working seven days a week with their arm up a cow’s bottom for nothing”.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT... … PRODUCE SHORTAGES

“We saw a 50% uplift in the price of aubergines and peppers. We could get nothing but huge peppers, so an expensive one became very expensive. We had to put some prices up –we split the difference with customers. Some get to the counter and say ‘what?’ others take the rough with the smooth.”

Farming minister Mark Spencer has praised Jeremy Clarkson’s “huge and very positive influence” on communicating the challenges faced by farmers to the public after the second series of Clarkson’s Farm started airing in February.

The Amazon-backed programme charts Clarkson’s experience of taking over a farm in Chipping Norton and opening a shop on site, encountering a host of issues along the way.

Namely, after several planning permission applications rejections, he said it’s “nearly impossible to make money from farming these days”, with

farmers asked to diversify their incomes on one hand and prevented from doing so on the other.

Clarkson has also highlighted the impact of Brexit on the farming sector, warning against policies which he said risk favouring cheap imports over domestically-grown produce, as well as the impact of phasing out subsidies on small farmers.

Recently, Clarkson called on the government to “double the price of food” to provide

He said: “It’s not a disaster for me because I’ve got other ways of earning a living but if you haven’t – and 99.9 % of farmers don’t have another income stream – a lot of them are simply not taking a wage.”

In an interview on Farmers’ Question Time, Mark Spencer MP said of Clarkson: “He’s been a huge and very positive influence on that generation of consumers that we can’t get to, that the NFU can’t get to and Defra can’t get to, so credit to him. He has his own controversial style but has reached people we’ve been unable to reach, and I think on balance that’s a good thing.”

“In the first weekend, the price of red peppers went insane. The cost to us was £1.50 per item, which is more than double what we usually pay. We said don’t be stupid, noone would pay that. It was just one weekend, and we take the view that it’s not the end of the world to not have the exact ingredient someone wants.”

“If fuel and parking prices are high, that’s a reason to shop locally as is the argument that town centres have taken a beating during Covid and again during this inflationary phase, are not in great health. The desire shoppers have to support their local community is very strong. But you have to make it easy for them.”

PHIL HAUGHTON BETTER FOOD, BRISTOL

JENNIE ALLEN BAYLEY & SAGE, LONDON

CRAIG SIMMONS, LEE’S FARM SHOP, WOLVERHAMPTON

Empty produce aisles have been a common sight in supermarkets in recent months. Source: Flickr

Government praises Clarkson for putting UK farming in the spotlight

Hunt’s Budget fails to deliver the assistance retailers really need

By Greg Pitcher

Independent retailers have bemoaned a Budget that left them “out in the cold”, focusing on investment and employment over relief for struggling businesses.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt made headlines from the dispatch box with childcare and pension giveaways alongside quicker tax relief on certain business purchases.

Fine food specialists welcomed efforts to get people back into work and support growth but decried lack of help with high labour and energy costs.

Delilah Fine Foods owner Sangita Tryner described the Budget as “disappointing”.

“Tax relief on investment is very welcome but you have to make money to invest,” she said.

“It is tough out there, although we are getting customers it is hard to make them profitable.

“There was no help on business rates, minimum wage increases or energy bills. This will be fatal for some small stores. The summer is looking scary. Will people save up for holidays and spend their money outside the UK?”

Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman warned that up to 7,000 local shops faced closure this year.

“Small food retailers have been left out in the cold by the Chancellor to face crippling energy

Chancellor pledges to simplify post-Brexit import procedures

The Chancellor has promised to use “postBrexit freedoms” to slash the red tape involved in importing goods.

Jeremy Hunt set out six ways the Government aimed to simplify the customs process in a step that could benefit food supplies.

These included measures to streamline paperwork requirements; boost the quality of import administration brokers; and create a digital portal for traders.

Other moves would see more traders able to use special procedures; and longer time periods for certain declarations; and help for firms to end goods journeys at their own

IN BRIEF

businesses on high streets throughout the UK.”

Yorkshire Agricultural Society chairman and coowner of Farmer Copley’s, Rob Copley said he was “relatively pleased” with the Chancellor’s plans.

Leicestershire-based Brockleby’s Pies’s steak, ale & Stilton cheese creation named Mooand-Blue has been named UK supreme champion at the British Pie Awards, topping a list of 900 entrants.

bills by themselves,” he said. “Difficult decisions will have to be made in the coming months by independent retailers.”

British Independent Retailers Association chief executive Andrew Goodacre hailed the creation of investment zones and full expensing for certain capital payouts, but he added: “The pressures of inflation, high energy costs and wages have been ignored.

“This Budget may improve consumer confidence, but it does little to boost the confidence of

“There was nothing to scream about, which is something recently,” he said. “The world is a mess, it needs to come back into alignment. It was a stability Budget and prioritised tackling inflation.”

Copley added: “Some of the measures on pensions and childcare could get people back into work, which is our biggest problem at the moment. Hiring is harder than it has ever been. I don’t know if the Budget has done enough but it is a step in the right direction.”

Lowman added that small retailers were “ideally placed to offer local, flexible work opportunities for people re-joining the workforce”.

Ocado reports £500m loss as basket spend shrinks

premises.

Hunt said: “A simpler tax and customs system lets businesses focus on what they do best – creating wealth and generating economic growth – instead of getting tied up in red tape. PostBrexit freedoms offer an outstanding opportunity for us to do this.”

Kevin Shakespeare of the Institute of Export and International Trade said the customs package could have “significant implications for traders, simplifying many customs processes and enabling easier trade.

“We look forward to seeing more detail in the coming weeks and months.

Online grocery giant Ocado has reported a £500 million loss after seeing customer basket size plummet amid soaring inflation.

The food delivery specialist reported the huge pre-tax deficit for the 12 months to 27 November 2022 in its latest trading statement.

Ocado’s retail division posted a £4 million loss in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation in the latest period – compared with a £150m gain in the prior period.

This reflected “a combination of near-term pressures” according to the firm, whose overall revenue rose marginally to £2.5 billion.

“The most significant of these has been a volume drag resulting from the unwind of the large-basket shopping behaviours of the pandemic, and accelerated by the current cost-ofliving crisis in the UK; followed by increased marketing spend to drive growth; and inflationary cost pressures.”

Elsewhere, the company took a £349 million hit for depreciation and amortisation as it invested in technology, opened nine customer fulfilment

Northern supermarket chain Booths confirmed it was the retailer involved in a food fraud investigation led by the FSA’s National Food Crime Unit, which identified a supplier selling pre-packaged imported meat claiming it was British. The NFCU said the retailer “removed all affected products from their shelves” as soon as it was made aware of the investigation.

Oliviccio, a delicatessen in Oldham, Greater Manchester, has closed its doors after 15 years, as owners Nikki Hill and Carl Woodhead have retired.

centres and three speedydelivery Zoom stores during the year.

Bryan Roberts, global insight leader at grocery insight specialist IGD, said Ocado had “certainly had a challenging year”.

“Like other supermarkets, it has seen shoppers trading down to lower cost items or private labels,” he said. “Shoppers have also been trading out, so leaving for the discount channel.”

But Ocado chief executive Tim Steiner insisted he had more confidence in the firm’s business model than ever.

“Our strong balance sheet gives us the means to finance our growth through the [next four to six years] by which time we expect Ocado Group to be cash flow positive,” he said.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Budget was more focussed on investment than helping businesses

the collection

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Strawberry Fields and Broom House among winners at FRA awards 2023

By Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

The cream of the crop of UK farm shops were revealed last month at the Farm Retail Association (FRA)’s annual award ceremony.

Hosted at Sandy Park in Exeter, the awards single out the best shops in the country, also celebrating farm cafés, restaurants, farmers markets and trade suppliers. Only FRA members are eligible to win, but they are picked by their peers rather than the FRA itself.

The two Farm Shop of the Year spots, respectively in the large and small categories, were won by Strawberry Fields Farm Shop in Lifton, Devon, and Broom House Farm Shop in Witton Gilbert, Durham.

Hartley Farm Shop and Kitchen was named best Farm Café / Restaurant of the year, and Broom House

won a second award of Farm Shop Butchery of the Year.

Meanwhile, The Goat Shed in Norwich, which opened in February 2021, was selected as this year’s Rising Star, and Cammas Hall in Essex was highlighted as the best location for Pick Your Own

produce.

The Farmers Market of the Year award was given to Birmingham’s award-winning market in Moseley, and its founder, David Isgrove, was also given a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Emma Mosey, co-owner of Minskip Farm Shop

ITA puts down more UK roots DOWN ON THE FARM

The Italian Trade Agency is set to ramp up its presence in the UK to promote the work of small and medium food producers.

In February, it launched ‘La Verde Vita’ campaign, which will aim to highlight the quality, heritage and regional diversity of Italian food. It will do this partly by promoting the sector’s sustainability credentials, and the fact that it has the most PDO and PGI certified products in Europe.

Member of the Italian Embassy Federico Maria Dimonopoli said: “The demand for quality food and wine is always increasing, and Italy is a real trend setter. We’re committed to working with producers to encourage them to keep doing business with their UK counterparts.”

IN BRIEF

and new FRA Chairman congratulated the winners, calling them “the best in the business”.

She added: “It’s been a challenging year for farm food retailers and our thanks goes out to all of our members who work so hard.”

Celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, who hosted the awards, said he was proud to support farm shops and farmers’ markets rooted in local communities.

“It’s great to celebrate these businesses, often family run, who are working so hard to supply high quality local food to communities across the country. I am so impressed by the standards of the entries and the winners should be especially proud of their achievement.” farmretail.co.uk/farmretail-awards-2023winners/

The latest from farm shops across the country

The Corner House Café at Hardy’s Farm Shop’s special events have become so popular that the Nottinghamshire retailer has expanded i ts premises to include “ The Garden Room”. T he space overlooks the animals, and can host events such as afternoon teas, birthdays and baby showers. hardysfarndon.co.uk

Waitrose has introduced a soft plastic recycling scheme across 295 stores. Customers can bring in any flexible, mono-material plastic packaging,.

Defra has updated its seasonal worker scheme guidance. It will now allow returnee farm workers back after five months rather than waiting until a six-month grace period after their 2022 visa expires.

National Food Strategy author Henry Dimbleby has quit his role as a Government advisor, four years after being hired to draw up a plan to tackle obesity and environmental issues caused by the food industry, calling out what he called “backpeddling” in policymaking.

Bridge Farm Shop is a new addition to the Warwickshire village of Alcester. It’s open seven days a week from 8am to 7pm. Its self-service lockers house farm fresh eggs, local honey and jam and other kitchen necessities.

instagram.com/ bridgefarmshop

Hopes of Longtown is a single-storey farm shop in a Herefordshire Golden Valley village with big plans for growth. And it is achieving this with the addition of shipping containers. It has submitted plans to use 11 of them to house a k itchen, café, office and storage space. hopesoflongtown.co.uk

Dragonfly Farm, a plant and produce nursery in Speldhurst has submitted plans to open a farm shop and café. The Kentish shop would sell its own produce as well as from other local suppliers. facebook.com/ DragonflyFarm Speldhurst

In association with Fabulous Farm Shops fabulousfarmshops.co.uk

The team at Strawberry Fields Farm Shop, named Large Farm Shop of the Year at the FRA awards last month

IF I’D KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW...

KATE ATTLEE, founder, Sabzi, Truro and Falmouth

Although much has changed since Sabzi opened in Truro in 2019, the heart of the business hasn’t. Sabzi continues to offer a small takeaway menu of dishes that are different every day, and that stand up to anything you could order in a restaurant. The food is inspired by the Iranian and Middle Eastern cuisine of my childhood and everything is prepared on site.

Covid-19 triggered the development of the retail side of the business; initially it was a way of monetising all this space I couldn’t use. It has since become a core part of Sabzi, accounting for approximately 20% of our revenue. We stock lots of independent British brands, but the focus is selling what we believe to be the best on the market in a given category.

Last July, we opened a second site in Falmouth, with communal seating as well as a big kitchen. That experience taught me that whatever your budget is, it’s not enough, and it is easy to be seduced by glossy food industry kit. I had to be really restrained and stripped my purchases right back to essentials. For example, I kept the number of work surfaces and fridge-freezers to a minimum rather than lining the walls with them, with a view to gradually upgrading.

This summer we are opening a third site. Harnessing ‘the power of three’ was always my planned model for growth. Falmouth is our central kitchen. It is big enough to service two other sites, but no more. The same with our van - I bought it to deliver to Truro but it dilutes the overhead if it can deliver to two sites. It is about creating economies of scale without becoming ‘corporate’. I know upwards of 250 people by name. Also, having everything made in one kitchen means I can taste the dishes each morning and know that the quality is maintained.

My choice of locations in towns with large year-round populations was conscious, too. That has enabled us to get to know our customers rather than relying on tourist trade.

When we started there were two of us, now I have a team of 20 and we are turning over close to £1m across two sites. I have had to learn to trust other people and let go, which has been challenging, but by hiring great people I am learning the joy of stepping back.

The one thing I won’t let go of is protecting customer service. To maintain exceptional standards, our service training is intensive. That has come at a cost, as I have sometimes struggled to find people who can meet these expectations. But I truly believe this focus will safeguard our reputation and enable us to grow.

Interview: Lynda Searby

Photography: James Ram

CONFESSIONS OF A DELI OWNER

GARY LINEKER IS in trouble. Or maybe the BBC is in trouble. Or maybe it’s the Government.

If I’ve understood it correctly, and I probably haven’t, the query is whether our Gary can say things away from the studio that are his personal opinions on public matters. He’s not a current affairs or political journalist, he’s a sports journalist. And it is not what he said, but how he said it. It’s unclear enough to be a big muddy pool, which people are splashing about in getting quite irate. One of my team’s dads has left their family WhatsApp over it.

This whole fracas got me thinking about what I can, and can’t, I say in front of customers. I have opinions but do I share them? Do I say what I think everyone is thinking, but not saying? People might not find some of my opinions that palatable.

The bottom line is that customers want to talk to you – especially about controversial stuff – and it’s a trap. They rarely start with their opinion, they just bring the topic up. Within microseconds, I have to work out what their opinion is likely to be, whether they

MODEL RETAILING

are tolerant of dissent from that opinion, or whether the topic is too beset with pitfalls to discuss it at all. And then, I have to apply the same criteria to the rest of the queue – because they can hear all of this going on.

I have become very good at measuring my customer and engaging at just the right level. I sufficiently agree yet disagree with each buyer of cheese – just enough to show I am taking them seriously, while not having much of an opinion at all. Sometimes, just a nod of the head or a raised eyebrow will achieve this.

It is truly an honour. I look forward to continuing the good work you’ve done here.

You want them to think you’re like them. It makes them feel welcome, so they come back regularly. But you can’t be like all of them (nor would you want to be). And you can’t quite be sure who’s listening.

Pacing my politics to the problem is not just about customers, though. In my town, there is a plumber I don’t use because he’s a counsellor and he’s been on the wrong side of too many proposals I have supported.

There is a printer I use more often than I should because his mother-in-law controls one of the markets. And I am very wary of one local charity because it is more like a regional gossip network.

I can’t be all things to all people. I sell food that lots of people thinks is posh, too expensive. In all my years of trading, I’ve been unable to cleanse myself entirely from the “too posh for the supermarket shop” aura. So, working the counter is what I have to do. That, and staying out of trouble.

Well, if he loses his current, I certainly won’t be offering Gary Lineker a role here. What would my customers say?

Right. Listen, everyone. There’s going to be a few changes around here. Everything is going to be better and different – starting now.

Wait! Come back! Was it something I said?

FFD says: It’s understandable that anyone taking over a business would want to improve practices, make alterations and put their own stamp on the place. But it’s important to listen to take your time with this. People are naturally resistant to change and there’s probably some merit in the way the shop was being run before you arrived. Don’t be too quick to take a broom to it all.

With kind permission of Geobra Brandstätter Stiftung & Co. KG, Germany. PLAYMOBIL is a registered trademark of Geobra Brandstätter Stiftung & Co. KG, for which also the displayed PLAYMOBIL toy figures are protected.

ANONYMOUS TALES FROM BEHIND THE COUNTER

I am delighted to pass on this apron to you, and proclaim you the new owner and saviour of the deli!

The bottom line is that customers want to talk to you about controversial stuff - and it’s a trap

CODE OF PRACTICE

Technical and regulatory advice from the Guild of Fine Food’s Assured Code of Practice for Deli Retailing

This month we look at… protected food names.

Protected Geographical Indication (PGI)

Under agreed EU controls, restrictions have been placed on the use of certain names of food products which link the product with a certain geographical area. The use of these terms is open to products, produced, processed or prepared within a geographical area and have a reputation, features or certain qualities attributable to that area. The terms may only be used if the specified requirements are met.

Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)

The PDO term is open to products which are produced, processed and prepared within a particular geographical area, and with features and characteristics due to the geographical area. The methods used to produce the product must be unique in that area. Monitoring by a recognised authority has to be conducted to ensure that the registered procedure is followed.

Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG)

Open to products which are traditional or

Expert Advice

HEAD

WHAT’S TRENDING

have customary names and have a set of features distinguishing them from other similar products. These must not be due to the geographical area the product is made in nor entirely based on technical advances in the method of production. The protected name type is listed and the EU logo is indicated alongside the name of the protected name. The logo must be indicated on the packaging or labels associated with the food if sold loose.

UK GI schemes

Following the UK’s exit from the EU, GI products continue to be legally protected domestically under these schemes. If you are a producer or retailer of an agri-food GI produced in England, Scotland or Wales you have until 1 January 2024 to adopt the relevant UK logo on any product packaging or marketing materials. For GIs originating in Northern Ireland, it is optional to use the new UK GI logos and mandatory to continue using the EU logos when the product is on sale in Northern Ireland.

The guide is available in PDF format and is free for Guild members. For non-members, it costs £250+VAT. To request a copy of the Code of Practice, or for further information, email support@gff.co.uk

towards the recovery and recycling of packaging in Europe.

Plastic labelled as ‘compostable’ can be put in the recycle bin: False

Keep plastic products marketed as biodegradable or compostable from your recycling bin, as they can disrupt efforts to repurpose general plastics.

BUSTS COMMON WASTE AND RECYCLING MYTHS

You have to clean empties for them to be recycled properly: True (sort of)

Where possible, you should at least rinse items. Food residue left on containers cannot be reliably processed. If contamination levels are too high when a recycling load arrives at the facility, it might have to be rejected.

Receipts are recyclable: False

There are two types of receipts. If your city has an organics program, the paper ones are recyclable and compostable. The thermal ones aren’t.

Putting non-recyclables in the recycling bin will contaminate everything: True

The rhyme “if in doubt, leave it out” has got things right. Over half a million tonnes of recycling is rejected annually due to contamination.

The triangle icon means that something is recyclable: False

This is one of many common recycling misconceptions. The Green Dot logo shows the producer has made a financial contribution

Paper towels and tissues are recyclable: False

Used sheets of kitchen/ blue roll and tissue should be placed in general waste bin unless your council tells you otherwise. Tissues can’t be recycled as they are made of very short fibres. Cleaning cloths and wet wipes are not recyclable: True

That blue-and-white (or sometimes greenor red-and-white) cleaning cloths are made of plastic, not paper, and so are wet wipes, and they cannot go in the recycling bin.

Takeaway coffee cups are recyclable: False

Disposable coffee and paper drink cups should be placed in your general waste container unless specifically asked for by your local authority. However, there is a national coffee cup recycling scheme and various other schemes in place across the UK.

You can’t recycle aluminium foil: (Largely) False

Before adding used foil to the recycling, wipe off food residue, then wash it. Foil has different properties to cans, so it can be viewed as a contaminant in the can stream. So, unless the council allows it, don’t put it in. Foil takeaway trays can also be recycled.

1 Hop water The soft drinks market is an exciting place to be right now as brands continue to develop products for a more ‘grown-up’ clientèle. 0% ABV beers are doing fine, but there are breweries taking things a step further into the realm of hop water. This infused sparkling water drink pays homage to the humble hop without the influence of grain or malt. Northern Monk has been in on the action with its citra-based Holy Hop Water, while in the US, HOPWTR produces a range that incorporate nootropics, appealing to the rising tide of ‘functional’ consumers.

2 Fancy kebabs Whether it’s the classic doner or the revered chicken shish, kebabs are beginning to shrug off their reputation as a late night, booze-fuelled indulgence and emerging as an entirely respectable lunch option. London’s Le Bab now has seven locations, serving up dishes like lamb adana with herb labneh, green chilli salsa and cassava chips. At Arcade Food Hall, Shatta & Toum has built up a cult following for its signature offering of kobez bread stuffed with chicken shawarma, hummus, and salted cucumbers – all rolled up and plated with a spicy homemade chilli sauce.

3 Designer Ice According to the New York Times, ‘designer ice’ is having a bit of a moment. Perfectly clear, spherical ice cubes have been a ‘thing’ for high-end bars, but the interest seems to have gone mainstream. As well as infused ice cubes, there is increased demand for domestic ice cube trays and a surge in popularity on TikTok with the hashtag #icetok reaching over 950 million views. There’s even a rise in boutique ice producers making custom cubes encasing logos, as well as artistic flower arrangements. The cost? $8-14. Per cube!

BEST CHEESE IN THE WORLD.

Makers say indies are the key to success for ‘Save our Stilton’

By Patrick McGuigan

The UK’s largest Stiltonmaker says delis and cheese shops have an important role to play in its ‘Save Our Stilton’ campaign, which aims to reverse declining sales of Britain’s most famous blue.

Long Clawson Dairy in Leicestershire launched the campaign last year to turnaround a long-term decline in Stilton sales, which has seen volumes across the sector fall by more than 1,200 tonnes (14%) in the past five years.

The decrease is partly due to increasing sales of cheaper Continental blues and the rise of new British blues. According to Kantar, volume sales fell by 7.1% in the four weeks to

Christmas compared to 2021, although value rose by 8.4% as prices increased because of inflation.

The Save Our Stilton initiative has seen Long Clawson team up with chef Marco Pierre White to create recipes demonstrating how Stilton can be used in different ways in the kitchen. The company also launched a premium, branded Stilton called 1912.

MD Bill Mathieson told FFD that independent retailers are also a key focus for the campaign.

“They are in a great position to tell the story of Stilton over the counter in terms of provenance but also usage ideas,” he said. “The sector is ripe for further growth, but we

need to better understand what retailers and wholesalers want.”

To this end, Long Clawson has commissioned research into the speciality food retail sector, specifically to look at areas such as point-of-sale merchandising, pre-packed products and cheese knowledge.

“We have a job to do to support wholesale partners and their sales teams, so that they have a really good understanding of Stilton, its provenance and the craft behind it,” he said. “While delis and cheese shops seem to have challenges around staffing and costs, so we need to look at areas such as when whole cheeses or pre-pack are appropriate.”

At Essen, a general store in Beeston, Nottingham, coowner Sam Skinner-Watts said Colston Bassett Stilton was still his best-selling blue, ahead of Roquefort and modern British blues.

SELL ALONGSIDE...

Perl Las

Made by Caws Cenarth in Carmarthenshire, Wales, with pasteurised organic cow’s milk, this soft blue cheese has a blend of sweet, salty and savoury notes, plus fruity and tangy notes. Its name means ‘Blue Pearl’ in Welsh.

Sparkling wine

sales have decreased in volume by 14% in the last five years and volumes were also lower in the run-up to Christmas 2022, compared to 2021

NEWS IN BRIEF

US cheesemakers can legally label their products as ‘Gruyère’ after an appeals court ruled the name could be used for cheeses from outside of the Gruyère regions of Switzerland and France. The court upheld a ruling made by the US Patent & Trademark Office, which rejected a claim by groups representing Swiss and French producers.

The Old Cheese Room in Wiltshire recalled batches of Baronet, Baby Baronet and Mini Baronet soft cheeses last month after Listeria monocytogenes was found in some products. Its other cheeses – including Lypiatt, Culpeper and Bybrook– were clear of any pathogens.

Nearly 1,000 people are expected to attend this month’s Bristol Cider & Cheese Festival, which is organised by the Bristol Cheesemonger and the Cider Box taproom.

“It’s about making people understand that Stilton is not just for Christmas,” he said. “It’s lovely crumbled into salads, drizzled with honey or baked in pies and scones. Younger people are interested in where their food comes from, farming and sustainability and that could be a real advantage for Stilton in the future.”

Welsh vineyards are often overshadowed by their English counterparts, but there are a growing number of exciting new winemakers in the country. Demi Sec – a semi-sweet sparkling wine made by Montgomery Vineyard in Mid Wales – is a stunning match for Perl Las. Made with Seyval Blanc grapes, the slightly sweet wine has pear and green apple notes, framed by nice acidity. It accentuates the fruity notes in the cheese, while the bubbles add a playful texture to the pairing.

Fig jam

The Cheese & Dairy Awards at the Great Yorkshire Show are being expanded with two new memorial trophies and four new classes. The new trophies mark the contributions made to the show by David Hartley of the Wensleydale Creamery, who passed away in 2020, and Judy Bell MBE of Shepherds Purse, who died last year. The new classes are: cheeseboards, cheese celebration cakes, grazing boards, and reduced fat cheeses. The cheese & dairy section, which was visited by Princess Anne last year, will also include an area for visitors to learn how to judge cheese. The show runs 11-14th July.

greatyorkshireshow.co.uk

Figs and blue cheese are made for each other. The sweet, perfumed fruit contrasts with the saltiness of blues. Seggiano’s Calabrian Fig Conserve is particularly good with Perl Las because it’s made with just figs (no sugar is added sugar) and a little lemon juice and zest, which brings a freshness to the match.

Pasta

Because it melts well and is relatively mild, Perl Las is a great cooking cheese that can be used in salads, tarts and sauces. Organic food company Abel & Co has also created a simple recipe for spaghetti with squash and Perl Las, which involves melting the cheese into a simple sauce and topping with oregano leaves. The sweet squash and the velvety sauce turn a simple dish into something quite luxurious.

Stilton

Caerphilly returns to its spiritual home after three decades away

By Patrick McGuigan

Caerphilly cheese is to be made in Caerphilly once again, almost 30 years after production died out in the South Wales town.

Huw Rowlands, who comes from a food and farming background, and business partner Deian Thomas have set up a company called Cwmni Caws Caerfilli in Caerphilly and are trialling batches of the crumbly Welsh cheese.

Traditional Caerphilly production largely died out in Wales after the Second World War because of rationing and the rise of the supermarkets, although it is believed there was a small farm just outside Caerphilly making the cheese as late as the mid ’90s.

“People come to Caerphilly to see the castle and eat cheese, but nobody has made cheese here for many years,” said Rowland, who received a £1,000 grant from government-backed business group Cywain. “Our unique selling point is that we are making Caerphilly in Caerphilly.”

The company has been using the recipe set out in the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) for Traditional Welsh Caerphilly as a starting point for its prototype cheese, made with pasteurised organic cows’ milk from Penuchadre Farm in Bridgend.

Rowlands said he hoped to have cheeses perfected in time for the annual Caerphilly Big Cheese Festival and

Abergavenny Food Festival, and was planning to sell to delis, farm shops and visitor centres. The cheese is currently matured in plastic and aged for just three weeks.

“We’re looking at a younger, fresher style,” he said. “My dad remembers Caerphilly when he was growing up and it was light and crumbly.” cwmnicawscaerffili@gmail. com

BEHIND THE COUNTER TIPS OF THE TRADE

Perry Wakeman, director, Rennet & Rind, Cambridgeshire

When Perry Wakeman drew up plans to boost Rennet & Rind’s marketing at the start of the year, he set a goal of more than 10,000 views on a single TikTok post. He smashed that target and then some in February when a 60-second video on Sparkenhoe Red Leicester received nearly half a million views.

“It’s crazy how it took off,” he says. “TikTok’s algorithm picked it up and we saw an immediate increase in sales and searches.”

The cheese’s eye-catching orange colour helped, but sub-titled commentary about its history and flavour also played a part. “I write a script and spend hours filming and editing so all our videos look professional,” he says.

They are also shared on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, while customers can scan QR codes on their cheeses, which take them directly to the videos on the website.

The videos are also part of wider staff training. Before filming, the team has a “hyper focus” on the cheese with in-depth tastings and discussions. “It helps with ideas for the video, but they also naturally end up selling more to wholesale customers,” says Wakeman.

rennetandrind.co.uk

To mark the roll out of Academy of Cheese Level Three Fellow Certification modules we will, over the coming months, be featuring cheeses studied at this Level. This month it’s Fellstone, an unpasteurised farmhouse Wensleydale from the Lake District.

Fellstone

What’s the story?

Tom and Clare Noblet started making cheese in 2015 on Whin Yeats Farm in Hutton Roof, perched high on the Crags between the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales. As

a firstgeneration farmer, Tom came to work for the incumbent owners, Max and Jenny Burrow in 2011 and has worked in partnership with them since 2013. They continue to farm in a sustainable and regenerative way, paying a lot of attention to soil health and grassland. The farm’s pedigree herd of FriesianHolsteins is a closed herd and its milk is in the top band for cleanliness.

In 2014, looking for a way to add value to their milk, they decided to turn their hand to cheesemaking and started

out with a cheddar-style cheese. Wanting to create a cheese unique to their farm, they sought the expertise of Andy Swinscoe from The Courtyard Dairy and looked towards traditional Wensleydale recipes. This made sense to Clare, with the farm sitting on limestone ground (like the farms in Wensleydale), so she set about recreating a cheese, based on a 1933

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food (MAFF) recipe, and hence Fellstone was born.

Milk:  Cows’, unpasteurised.

How is it made?

Fellstone is based on a traditional old Dales recipe, using unpasteurised milk, still warm from milking, and animal rennet. After draining, the curds are pitched and cut into blocks in the vat, before milling and salting. The cheeses are pressed overnight in moulds; then taken out, cloth-wrapped and pressed again before being aged for three months.

Appearance & texture:  Underneath the natural grey rind, the golden paste is smooth and pliable, while slightly firmer than a modern Wensleydale. With fresh citrus-lactic flavours, Fellstone is balanced with butter undertones and earthier flavours near the rind.

Variations:

None

Cheesemonger tip:  Delicious with a cup of tea and slab of fruit cake.

Chef’s recommendation:  Pairs well with traditional British beers and is great crumbled into an apple pie before baking.

There are a number of ways you can study Level 1 & 2 Academy of Cheese courses: online as selfstudy eLearning, interactive virtual classes or traditional classes at a venue. Visit academyofcheese.org for more information.

Huw Rowlands and Deian Thomas have begun making Caerphilly cheese in the town of Caerphilly

Field & Orchard

APRIL 1 ST 1989

Richard Branson’s hot air balloon, disguised as a flying saucer, fooled motorists. Miller’s GlutenFree are not alien. They are indistinguishable from Miller’s earthling biscuits.

the guide to april fools

APRIL 1 ST 2013

Alarmed listeners learned that dihydrogen monoxide causes urination. Dihydrogen monoxide is the chemical name for water! No chemicals in Miller’s Gluten-Free. Only natural ingredients.

APRIL 1 ST 2001

Hundreds showed following a ’sighting’ of the Titanic. Their weight cracked the cliff. Miller’s Gluten-Free is a looker that is just as ground-breaking.

APRIL 1 ST 1749

A showman promised a body in a bottle. Crowds gathered, but no body or bottle appeared. Miller’s Gluten-Free need no impresario. They are just impressive.

APRIL 1 ST 1957

The BBC showed a ‘heavy pasta crop’ and Italians picking and eating ‘home-grown’ pasta. Everyone appreciates Miller’s Gluten-Free: a light texture and real ‘home-made’ taste.

They will fool you every day of the year.

Continuing a legacy

The history of Ballylisk of Armagh is a familiar tale of a dairy farm diversifying. But it’s also a story of highs, lows and tragedy.

Interview by Patrick McGuigan

LIKE SO MANY cheesemaking operations, Ballylisk’s story started in 2016 when brothers Dean and Mark Wright were coming up with ways to make more of the rich milk from their 200-acre family farm in Northern Ireland. Dean had joined his father on the farm after working in the meat sector, while Mark had a successful career in the public sector.

“We were producing superb milk, but that wasn’t properly reflected in the price we were being paid,” says Mark. “It seemed an awful shame that our milk was going into a bulk pool.”

The brothers quickly ear-marked cheese as the answer, eventually settling on soft mould-ripened cheeses. “We saw that people liked brie, but we thought, ‘what if we made an unbelievably luxurious brie?’ Something so creamy and rich that people would say, ‘I have to have this.’ That’s when we got the idea of making a triple cream cheese.”

The idea became reality in 2018 when the pair made their first batches of The Triple Rose. Made in their dairy in Portadown, five minutes from the farm, the cheese was indeed rich, creamy and luxurious thanks to a generous amount of double cream being added to the milk.

Local cheese shops, such as Indie Füde and Mike’s Fancy Cheese were early advocates, while Belfast chefs also quickly added it to their boards.zThe business took

off with a listing in Fortnum & Mason and export orders from Portugal, Italy and France. But there were also difficulties. Mark and Dean’s relationship broke down, resulting in Mark leaving the business. Then Covid struck with a 70% fall in sales overnight, leading to a switch to door-to-door deliveries of milk, cheese and other produce.

Then heartbreak struck in February 2021 when Dean died suddenly in tragic circumstances. “It was a terrible, terrible shock that we’re all still coming to terms with,” says Mark. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to come back to the business at all. So much had happened. But like a plant that isn’t watered, it wouldn’t have survived. That wouldn’t have been right, so I took it on.”

Since that traumatic time, Mark has reset the business with new initiatives, including a listing as part of the Grow with Aldi local sourcing scheme, which saw a new soft cheese brand called Rokeby stocked in 145 stores across Ireland. He has also established Ballylisk’s cheeses on restaurant menus across Ireland.

There have been conversations with other multiple retailers recently and discussions with British wholesalers are next on the agenda, along with a new truffle cheese and SALSA accreditation.

At the same time, exports to far-flung places are on the back burner. “We were fixated on exporting when we set up, but the cheese doesn’t have the shelf life.”

Despite the gains, the impact of Dean’s death is still very raw, says Mark. “I could never have done all this on my own. Dean was a driving force in so many ways, but life takes a turn and he is gone. We put so much effort into creating this thing together that I really didn’t want to see it come to nothing.” ballyliskofarmagh.com

The Triple Rose

The Triple Rose was named in honour of a famous rose farm that once stood near the dairy. Double cream is added to the milk, which is coagulated with vegetarian rennet in large containers. The curd is cut into 2cm cubes and transferred using a tipping device to the moulds. The moulds are turned twice and drained overnight.

The young cheeses are dry-salted and matured for around four weeks. The high moisture content means that they must be matured carefully. If the rind is too wet, it may not develop correctly. If it’s too dry, Penicillium candidum can grow too quickly and break down the paste too rapidly.

The cheese has a dense core with lemony, buttery notes, plus a velvety breakdown that is earthy and mushroomy. Ballylisk recommends serving the cheese on an oat biscuit with some Bramley apple chutney and a piece of walnut on top. Bramleys are a speciality of Armagh.

Doing it by hand meant we got a feel for the curds

Can I display and store some hard cheeses and cured meats at ambient?

How can I prove that I have not exceeded a given use-by date when the outer packaging has been discarded?

Can I cut cheese and meats with the same equipment?

Can I display olives at ambient temperature?

Can I display olives at ambient temperature?

Do I have to mature or ripen cheese under refrigerated conditions?

INDIVIDUAL BALSAMIC STRAWBERRY GATEAUX

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Up on the farm

sold into deli counters for some time but the presliced packs had been on hiatus.

Launched in January, the 50g range covers all bases [see box for full list].

“I think Covid pushed everybody into sliced packs because it mitigated the need for human interaction and it was seen as being less risky,” adds Harding.

By Michael Lane

THERE’S BUSY AND then there’s a farm near Bude that redefines the concept. FFD could fill this entire page with the goings on at the home of Cornish Charcuterie, without even having to quote its co-founder Richard Harding.

Known best for its jarred pâtés and salamis, the company has a raft of new launches in the offing, including a new pre-sliced range.

Meanwhile, its sister businesses and brands (all nestled in the same location, under one holding company and the Norton Barton Artisan Food Village moniker) have been just as busy. Across the portfolio, which also includes cracker brand Popti and the Cornish Distilling Company, Harding and his team have been working on product development, acquisitions, contract packing, new brands and widening their nationwide direct distribution network.

“What we’re trying to do down here is to become big by keeping it small,” says Harding, who set up the operation with wife Fionagh in 2008, incorporating their pâté business in 2011.

“We’re a collection of artisan producers working in different fields, but we can all work together as a big team. We’ve got capabilities in fermentation, alcohol, cheese, meat, baking, charcuterie, jarring, retorting, and canning. So, our scope of experience on site is massive.”

The newest lines created by this hive of activity are actually not new at all. Cornish Charcuterie has been producing hard charcuterie since 2013, starting with salamis and now including whole muscle cuts too. These have been

There’s more to come from this format too as Cornish Charcuterie can offer the products in white label fomat to retailers and there’s now also scope to sell pre-sliced meats into foodservice in 300g packs of bespoke selections.

The hard charcuterie is just 30% of the operation’s sales, though, with jarred pâtés accounting for the lion’s share. And Harding says there’s lots of innovation to come in this area, too.

“When you start thermal processing, you open yourself up to a wide range of products,” he says, adding the team has been through intense period of testing and are now on the verge of a major NPD breakthrough.

Previously, its liver-based pâtés were being sold as a chilled product, but soon they will be ambient. There’s also been progress with canned items – including cassoulet, lobster bisque and Cornish sardines – while duck confit and larger formats of the producer’s rillettes will also be joining what is growing to be an extensive ambient range.

We’re not even going to be able to cover the recent acquisition of cheesemaker Whalesborough Dairy, a new mentoring service being offered to start-up producers, or even the range of stocks and broths slated for launch in the coming months under a new brand.

While the Hardings seem to take all of this action in their stride, the trickiest thing seems to be working out what to call all of these new creations and ventures.

“One of our biggest challenges is finding names. We can never agree.” cornishcharcuterie.co.uk

CROSS SECTION

Fennel Salami

*Each pack weighs 50g. Trade prices range from £2.50 to £3 per pack.

*The salami varieties available in the new 50g format are Seaweed & Cider, Traditional, Fennel, Black Olive, Pink Peppercorn and Milano. Also available are Classic and Chilli Chorizos. 100g selection packs come in at £5.

*A range of whole muscle meats (Bresaola, Coppa, Lomo, Fiocco, Pancetta, Culatello) are also now sold in this format.

We want to become big by keeping it small

There’s so much happening at the Norton Barton Artisan Food Village, it’s no wonder that Cornish Charcuterie has plenty of NPD slated for this year

Blooming marvelous

Spring is finally upon us, which means it’s time for retailers to think about their outdoor dining offering. To this end, we’ve collated some new launches and expert advice to help you get the good times rolling.

Compiled by Lynda Searby, Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox and Michael Lane

Limoncello sorbet and Earl Grey Ripple ice cream are two new releases from The Willen Ice Cream Company. The latter blends dairy ice cream and locally sourced tea infused within a bergamot fruit ripple; while the Limoncello flavour is a gelato-style sorbet made with lemons and liqueur. Both have an RRP of £6.75 for 450ml. willenicecream.co.uk

Corte Diletto says that increased interest in gut health nutrition was the main driver behind the development of its latest Coppa della Maga flavour. The new Coconut & Chocolate variety (RRP £6.99 for 475ml) is fortified with probiotics, adding another healthy dimension to the vegan, no added sugar ice cream. The full range is available to the trade via CLF. coppadellamaga.co.uk

Booja-Booja has now relaunched its dairy-free ice cream collection, rolling out four new flavours, three recipe updates and new livery that aligns with the producer’s recently revamped chocolate truffle box designs.

Chocolate Salted Caramel, Caramel Pecan Praline and Vanilla have all been reformulated to improve their texture, creaminess, flavour balance and mouthfeel. These three improved flavours are accompanied by four brand new varieties: Cookie Dough, Mango & Raspberry, Deeply Chocolate and Chocolate Fudge Brownie.

Having been in the dairy-free ice cream game for 16 years, with a range that has clocked up a total of 48 awards, the Norfolk producer said it felt it was time to make its offer more “enticing and popular”.

The tastes, textures and look of the range are new, but the recipes are still organic, dairy-, soya- and gluten-free, kosher and use just a handful of ingredients. Booja-Booja has also kept the trade and RRP cost the same as its existing ice cream collection. boojabooja.com

Newcomer Pukpip is hoping that its Real Frozen Bananas Dipped in Chocolate will resonate with millennials looking for “permissible but indulgent” snacking options. Ecuadorian bananas that have been rejected for export due to being out of spec or imperfect are peeled and dipped in chocolate to produce a frozen fruit treat that provides 152-161 calories. RRP £3.99 for a three-pack. pukpip.com

Cheesecake brand Pleese claims to have brought to market the world’s first frozen cheesecake in a tub. Freezecakes, which are listed nationwide with Coop and Waitrose, are made from cream cheese (not ice cream) and come in Butterscotch & Caramel, Lemon & Raspberry and Double Chocolate flavours. The creamy filling is mixed with inclusions such as crunchy biscuit pieces and sauces. RRP £5 for 350g. pleese.com

Notes of burnt toffee and butterscotch

Hackney Gelato is cheekily pitching its new Sea Salted Caramel at “premium ice cream shoppers who want to take their enjoyment of Haagen-Dazs or Ben & Jerry’s to the next level”. Made with Italian know-how from fresh milk and cream in East London, this smooth, deep-flavoured gelato features notes of burnt toffee and butterscotch enhanced with a sprinkle of Maldon sea salt. RRP £5.49 for 460ml; trade price £24.73 for six tubs. hackneygelato.com

Mackie’s has launched two new flavours and invested £4.5m in new low-carbon refrigeration as part of its “sky to scoop” campaign.

Both the Strawberry Swirl and White Chocolate & Raspberry flavours are made from fresh milk and cream using renewable energy generated on Mackie’s farm in Aberdeenshire. The company produces twice as much energy as it consumes, thanks to its four wind turbines and 10-acre solar farm.

To create White Chocolate & Raspberry, the producer’s Traditional ice cream is flavoured with white chocolate sauce and a raspberry compote, which are swirled into the tub as it is filled. Strawberry Swirl is made in the same way, but the ice cream is flavoured with strawberry. Both the raspberry and strawberry compotes are made on the farm, using local fruit. mackies.co.uk

Last month saw the introduction of Jude’s new Fruit Twists, a kids’ option that the producer says has a 30% lower sugar content than comparable lollies, made with apple, mango and strawberry juice. RRP £3.30. judes.com

Vegan Vanilla Fudge is the tenth flavour to join New Forest Ice Cream’s 500ml retail range. The tubs are decorated with silhouetted scenes from around the New Forest National Park and have an RRP of £5.30; trade price £23.50 for eight tubs. newforesticecream.com

Indies looking for unusual ice cream options to serve up in their cafés should check out Rosehip and Rye. This London-based boutique catering company specialises in foods from the New East, including this caramelised rye bread crumb ice cream. rosehipandrye.co.uk

Black Lime Chutney and Aji Criolo

OUTDOOR DINING

Having established several parlours across West London, Bears Ice Cream Company is branching out into wholesale. Created by English-Icelandic couple Phil Harrison and Vera Thórdardóttir, Bears specialises in unconventional flavour and texture combinations, like Basil, White Chocolate Chip & Passionfruit Swirl and Blueberry & Lavender Jam Meringue Swirl. RRP £9.50. Trade price £5. bearsicecream.co.uk

Marshfield Farm’s latest creation offers the ultimate in summer indulgence. The Strawberry & Champagne Sorbet is made with real fruit, all-natural strawberry flavouring, a sweet strawberry ripple and Marc De Champagne for extra sparkle. Like all of the Wiltshire producer’s sorbets, this scoop is free from artificial flavours & colours and suitable for a vegan diet.

marshfield-icecream. co.uk

food items

Paul Castle, Flourish Food Hall

“You’ve got to go big or go home,” says Paul Castle, MD of Flourish Food Hall, when asked about the best approach to non-food. And you certainly can’t accuse him of ignoring his own advice.

picnic season but Castle is hopeful that brisk trade on Mother’s Day is a good indicator of things to come later in the year. Regardless, he’s got some tricks up his sleeve, too.

“You’ve got to cross-merchandise. So, non-food is brought into the main retail area to stage with food items and food is taken into the non-food area, too.”

First generation goat farmers Matt and Nicola Green have diversified into ice cream making after discovering their youngest daughter is lactose intolerant. It is early days for the rural Lancashire venture branded Rosy Goat, but the duo says that transforming the goats’ milk into ice cream within 24 hours of milking is the secret to delicious ice cream. Trade price £12 for a 2-litre tub. rosygoaticecream@ gmail.com

Aptly named Smugglers is a new brand of ice cream that “hides” a scoop of vegetables in every pot – enough to pack in some extra nutrients, but not enough to be detected by the taste buds. Vanilla With Hidden Parsnip and Chocolate With Hidden Beetroot are the first two flavours. They launched last month priced at £5 per 460ml pot.

smugglersfood.com

The site, which is located roughly halfway between Bristol and Bath, has a home & lifestyle area that measures some 3,000 sq ft. The range on offer covers a broad spectrum – from gardening equipment and birdboxes through to health & beauty items – but the latest lines have all been brought in with the coming months in mind. And whether it’s waterproof picnic rugs, cool boxes or reusable tableware, it has all been curated with picnics, and the business’s B-Corp status, in mind.

“It took six months to work out where we were going to buy from and what to buy,” he tells FFD

This spring will be the retailer’s first

“They are set-up to show people what it could look like. Tables will be set out with plates and cutlery, like they were in your garden.”

Although he has the space to stage and sell non-food items at this scale, Castle understands that this approach isn’t for everybody. His advice to retailers with less space is not to be too ambitious or too broad with the items they carry.

“You see places with three tractors and a toy cow, lotions & potions and four mugs,” he says, adding that it’s better to be focused on items that you can sell to complement the food range.

“The real challenge for independent retailers is always turning over that stock.” flourishatglenavon.co.uk

Suncream Ice Cream has launched two fun scooping flavours for kids. Dig for Dinos is chocolate and vanilla ice cream, lime ripple and candy dinosaurs. Wish for Unicorns is vanilla and candyfloss ice cream, blueberry ripple and candy unicorns. £15.99 for a 5-litre Napoli. suncreamicecream.com

Herefordshire based Berry’s Luxury Ice Cream has literally raided its local larder to launch a rhubarb flavoured ice cream in time for summer. The producer says many people have too much rhubarb to cope with at home, so it sources fresh, organic rhubarb direct from people’s gardens.

berrysicecream.co.uk

Kate Forbes, The Trading Post

At The Trading Post, the approach to non-food items has changed as a result of the pandemic.

“We’ve just got in a load of melamine tableware and other al-fresco items like rugs and blankets,” says co-owner Kate Forbes. “But we’re stocking a lot less items than we used to – because during lockdown we found that people just wanted food & drink and, when they came back, they still just wanted food & drink.”

Forbes has also added a few gardening lines to her non-food offer but she is cautious about going too overboard due to space constraints and mixed success with gifting areas last Christmas.

She adds: “There’s so much stuff out there and in some places, it’s like they have forgotten that they are food shops.”

That said, plenty of picnickers (and potential non-food sales) should be passing through The Trading Post, which has sold literally tonnes of Scotch eggs (13,311 eggs or 1,810kg) in the last two years.

tradingpostfarmshop.co.uk

How we’re approaching non-food

We’re stocking less items than we used to – because during lockdown we found that people just wanted food & drink

You’ve got to cross-merchandise. So, nonfood is brought into the main retail area to stage with

OUTDOOR DINING oils & vinegars

This year’s trends

As spring approaches, Nicola Woods, Event Manager at Speciality & Fine Food Fair, takes a look at a trio of outdoor dining trends set to define 2023.

SMART SEASONALITY

2023 is the year for delis and farm shops to cement their outdoor dining offering and continue investing in seasonal menus to delight customers year-round. For the chilly winter months, there continues to be amazing NPD in the world of hot drinks, from decadent hot chocolates by Cocoa Canopy to Caramel Apple and Cinnamon Orange drinks from Aspen Mulling Spices

In the summer, light vegetarian and vegan offerings are being transformed by quality fresh produce and delicious drizzles from companies like The House of Flavour.

We’re increasingly seeing businesses diversifying their offerings across the course of a single day: transforming from a family-friendly focus to a more alcohol-centric evening set up showcasing unique beers, wines, liqueurs and an ever-increasing array of fantastic low & no products.

CELEBRATING ALL THINGS BRITISH

With late spring set to centre around the Coronation (and the extra bank holiday Monday!), we suspect that consumers will be embracing picnics in the sunshine and decadent street parties, making the most of fantastic British produce and products to celebrate the big day.

Expect picnic hampers and party selections to be popular, a valuable opportunity for food & drink retailers to demonstrate their expertise and create curated product bundles as consumers look to splash out on something special.

We’d recommend a delightful egg sandwich made with St Ewe eggs, a fine cup of tea from English Tea Shop, some tasty crisps from Two Farmers washed down with a cheeky pocket Negroni from Whitebox Cocktails

CENTRING SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability is at the heart of most trends in the world of food & drink and outdoor casual dining is being transformed by innovations in sustainable packaging like compostable cartons, cardboard bottles and fully biodegradable, regeneratively farmed drinking straws made of grass.

For businesses offering takeaway with outdoor seating, an investment in sustainable packaging and tableware is a good way to signal your appreciation for environmental issues to consumers who increasingly use this to steer their buying decisions.

Speciality & Fine Food Fair

is the home of artisanal food & drink. Join us at Olympia London on 11th & 12th September 2023.

Italian food brand

Seggiano has treated its Organic Matured Balsamic Vinegar of Modena to a packaging revamp to boost its popularity with its target demographic –passionate cooks who seek out best-in-class larder essentials. Organic and free from added sulphates, the vinegar should also appeal to those who are health and environmentally conscious. RRP £6.60 for 250ml; trade price £4.05. seggiano.com

The Slow Vinegar Company has launched Blackcurrant Vinegar Syrup, made by reducing its blackcurrant vinegar to create a “lusciously viscous” ruby-red syrup that is “intensely and richly fruity”. It can be used as a salad dressing, a bread dipper or a drizzle for ice cream. RRP £8.50. Wholesale price £30.60 for a case of six bottles. theslowvinegarcompany. co.uk

Manayi is now producing a mild chilli-infused EVOO that carries the same “branch to bottle in five hours” promise as the flagship EVOO. The Cypriot olive oil producer, which has bases in London and Cyprus, started selling commercially in 2021 with the intention of showcasing the rich pepper aftertaste that is the hallmark of the island’s olive oil. RRP £5.99 for 250ml. manayi.co.uk

Registered nutritionist

Dani Clarke, aka The Bath Alchemist, has fermented a range of plant-infused Apple Cider Vinegar Wellness Tonics to meet demand for products that support a healthy lifestyle. Raw, fresh ingredients such as turmeric, ginger, habanero pepper, cloves, juniper, star anise and horseradish are infused for 12 weeks in organic apple cider vinegar with ‘The Mother’. RRP £19.95 for 480ml. thebathalchemist.com

Natural Umber claims to have introduced the first vitamin-D-enriched apple cider vinegar. It says Umber Plus is “fermented differently to the rest”, so that it offers the same benefits as regular cider vinegars, as well as providing 100% of the recommended daily vitamin D intake. Umber Plus is available to the trade via Emberton Fayre and has an RRP of £9. naturalumber.com

At Wild Cornwall, every product contains a foraged, heritage or homegrown ingredient, and the producer’s flavoured vinegar collection is no exception. As well as its Blackberry Balsamic Vinegar and Rose and Strawberry Red Wine Vinegar, the line-up includes Elderflower Apple Cider Vinegar and Hawthorn Malt Vinegar. All work in salads and vinaigrettes. RRP £4.50; trade price £2.92. wildcornwall.net

GOAT Blends says its Garlic & Shallot Chilli Oil is its hottest yet. Garlic and shallots pack a punch of flavour and crunch, followed by a long chilli tingle. It can be used as a cooking, dipping or finishing oil. RRP £5.99 for 170g. goatblends.com

Cypressa has relaunched its Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil with new packaging. Designed to reflect the brand’s ‘Foods of the sun’ strapline, the new label features colourful Mediterraneaninspired illustrations. RRP £4 for 500ml. cypressa.co.uk

Honest Toil has collaborated with tattoo artist Dóri Berczi on the design of a new label for this swing-top bottle of EVOO celebrating smallscale koroneiki olive production in Messinia, Greece. RRP £9.50; trade price £6.70. honest-toil.co.uk

New from the Oxfordshire based Anatolian Olive Oil Company is Rose Vinegar, sourced from Isparta, the rose-growing capital of Turkey. Natural fermentation yields a pale pink vinegar with a delicate, floral aroma. The vinegar is marketed under the Lykia label, as is the single estate EVOO the company produces from its groves in southwest Turkey. lykia.co.uk

Double-concentrated for an intense flavour, this White Truffle Oil, made with Tuber Borchii, marries the subtlety of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil with the earthiness of white truffle. Truffle Guys recommends drizzling it on pasta, pizza and risotto to elevate dishes “from good to great”. RRP £19.99 for 200ml; trade price £12.45.

truffleguysuk.com

Yorkshire’s Wharfe Valley Farms has infused its cold-pressed rapeseed oil with chilli, garlic and ginger to meet customer demand for a stronger flavoured oil. The Sizzler is a versatile oil for use in stir fries, wok cooking, curries and soups – it even works well in an air fryer. RRP £5.50 for 250ml; trade price £3.20. wharfevalleyfarms.co.uk

Know your oils

MasterChefUK 2019 champion, author and olive oil sommelier, Irini Tzortzoglou offers some pointers on assessing extra virgin olive oil

Mountain Produce claims to be the first and only Welsh producer of cold-pressed sunflower oil (RRP £5.95 for 500ml). In contrast to the frying fodder in the supermarkets, this is a light, nutty finishing oil for dipping or drizzling. The sunflowers are currently sourced from France, but the Wrexham producer is working with a UK grower to secure homegrown supply. mountainproduce.co.uk

The Artisan Olive Oil Company’s range now includes Due Vittorie Dolceto (white balsamic vinegar) and Glassa (balsamic glaze). The white balsamic is made from a blend of grape must and wine vinegar, for a flavour that is sweet, and fruity. It is said to complement cooked vegetables, chicken, fish, and even fruit. RRP £7.80 for the white balsamic and £4.40 for the glaze. artisanoliveoilcompany. com

Due to the increasing cost of heritage bottles, Womersley is replacing its two bottle sizes with one 160ml bottle that represents a more economical format for its customers, whilst emphasising the vinegar producer’s British credentials. Womersley has also secured exclusive distribution with Queenswood/Hunt’s Group. RRP £8.25; case price £30. womersleyfoods.com

• Good EVOO has complex characteristics and should be processed quickly after picking to avoid oxidisation.

• There are 11 varietals of Greek olives, each with different qualities and flavour profiles. The Koroneiki/ Psilolia varietal accounts for 65-70% of olive oil produced.

• Look out for all the different flavour profiles, including green, fruit, sweet, floral and spicy flavour profiles

• Don’t judge on colour. It’s a myth that good EVOO is green, many paler ones are excellent too.

• Do judge on balance between fruitiness, bitterness and pungency as well as persistence (how long it stays in the mouth). Tasters should look for a good balance between fruity, bitter and pungent. EVOO is especially palatable when bitterness and pungency are balanced.

• Look for something that has a rounded mouthfeel but does not leave a heavy, oily sensation in the mouth.

The Olive Oil Co is carrying a new cold-smoked extra virgin olive oil from Italian producer Guglielmi. Arso, which is cold extracted and then naturally smoked with beechwood, is said to boost the flavour of meat, fish, salad dressings, sauces, cheeses and vegetables. theoliveoilco.com

This month sees the introduction of a flavoured olive oil range from Zeet All three variants are crafted in Catalonia from just two simple ingredients: they are made by pressing either rosemary, chillis or garlic together with single estate arbequina olive oil. RRP £10.25 for 250ml. evoozeet.com

Sallaku is on a mission to show that Albania is up there with Italy, Greece and Spain as a top olive oil producing region. Its certified organic EVOO uses only olives from the family grove, which are grown with natural fertiliser, hand-picked and cold-pressed. RRP £23.99 for 500ml. sallakuoil.com

• When tasting, try to find its ‘defects’ – a good EVOO will not have them.

• Defects include fusty, musty, winey, rancid and woody flavours, caused by a variety of storage and production problems.

For more food knowledge and recipes visit irinicooks.com

Precision Filling

EATPLANTED YAKITORI SKEWERS

There’s plenty on offer when it comes to plant-based meat alternatives these days, but if you’re looking to up the ante when it comes to outdoor grilling, you need to choose wisely. Pea protein is an ingredient widely used as a meat substitute and it is worked into yakitori style skewers at Eatplanted. The small, perfectly portioned skewers can be grilled on a barbecue in 3-5 minutes with the protein behaving in much same the way as its poultrybased cousins. Eatplanted’s chicken skewers come in a herb & spice marinade, but can be basted and glazed in traditional yakitori style sauces containing mirin, soy and brown sugar.

SYMPLICITY FOODS N’DUJA

Lead by Neil Rankin, a chef highly regarded for his carnivorous live-fire cooking, Symplicity Foods is a plant-based meat producer with a difference. The chef-driven approach has led the company to develop a range of products that work effectively and to a professional standard, which led to them developing meat replacement products for restaurants such as Dishoom, Shake Shack and Bleeker Burger. Dedicated to new product development, the business has been in operation since 2019 and now wholesales its products to a wide range of restaurants and retailers. Keep an eye out for the company’s spicy n’duja-style product made from fermented tomato pulp, Symplicity mince, chilli oil and spices. Smear over sourdough with agave syrup and spring onions.

Beyond hummus

Spring and summer dining options for vegans and vegetarians have improved markedly in the last few years. Although this is traditionally an area dominated by pork pies, Scotch eggs and cooked hams, there’s now a wealth of choices for retailers and customers to explore.

By Nick Baines

ALMOND DIPS

Hummus has long been the picnic staple, but now there are innovations that have arrived to join the humble chickpea. California’s Bitchin’ Sauce has been a modern success story, creating a benchmark for almond-based dips in a landscape renowned for alternative diet choice. The product, that is used as a dip for crisps and crudités, smeared in sandwiches and burgers, or layered on French fries is used in diverse and creative ways. Closer to home, brands like Bonsan have got in on the action with its Organic Almond Crème that comes in flavours including bell pepper and wild garlic. Further still, the British brand’s products also include a red pepper and cashew spread, as well as one made from lentils and turmeric.

A TIME FOR TEMPEH

Until recently, tempeh has not had the best reputation. The Indonesian staple, made from fermented soy beans, can have a nutty funkiness that make it something of an acquired taste. However, today it seems producers understand the demand for balance and flavour, with The Tofoo Co now adding tempeh to its popular tofu lineup. Tiba Tempeh is slightly ahead of the curve though, with a range of products including a smokey BBQ burger. Pre-marinated tempeh pieces can be thrown into salads or wraps, but plain tempeh blocks can also be flavoured and grilled in any number of ways. 2023 could be the year tempeh gets serious.

GOCHUJANG

This fermented soybean and chilli paste hails from Korea and is gaining as much international traction as the nation’s pop music. As well as appearing in a host of food magazine and weekend cookery show recipes, the spicy paste has also recently popped as an ownbrand ingredient in Waitrose. And it’s not just your bibimbap and bulgogi where this product comes into play. Smeared in burger and hotdog buns, it adds a deep umami heat to those faux-burgers and plant-based bangers, but it can also be stirred into mayonnaise to be used as a condiment, or loosened with water or stock and forked through rice bowls. Cooking down pulled jackfruit for a sticky barbecue bun? Add a tablespoon of gochujang in the mix to take it in a completely new direction.

Wark Farm Pies is working with transport firm Run

It Cool to make its frozen pies available throughout Scotland, giving delis, pubs and farm shops an easy way of adding artisan pies to their menus, while freeing up chef and kitchen capacity.

Ready to bake from frozen, the pies marry the company’s signature golden butter crust with seasoned fillings made with premium meats such as aged Belted Galloway Beef, Hebridean Lamb and Game Venison from the Highlands, or local Scottish vegetables.

This month sees the launch of a new seasonal variety: Hebridean Lamb & Wild Garlic. Trade price for all pies £2.20. RRP £3.90. Minimum order is 120 units. warkfarmpies.co.uk

In celebration of its 30th year as an olive artisan, Olives Et Al has relaunched its entire range with updated packaging. Best-sellers include its Sunshine recipe of whole mixed olives with rosemary & garlic, Very Deli herbed pitted mixed olives, and Very Garlic Stuffed olives. These are priced at £19.74 per trade case of six jars, with an RRP of £5.50 each. olivesetal.co.uk

Tempus Foods – the charcuterie venture founded jointly by Dhruv Baker and Tom Whitaker – has launched British Chorizo as its lowest priced product at £5.99 RRP per 175g, to drive interest and sales. Rich with garlic, pepper and spices, this is a homage to a Spanish classic, but made in Surrey using 100% British ex-breeding sows. tempusfoods.com

Chapman’s Seafoods has added Fish & King Prawn Curry and Smoked Haddock Gratin to its range of handmade ovenready dishes. Made using sustainably and locally sourced ingredients, these dishes go straight from freezer to oven, enabling consumers to produce “restaurant quality” meals at home in 40 minutes. All lines have an RRP of £5.95; trade price £4.30. chapmans-seafoods. co.uk

Having operated for 10 years as a gourmet food shop, restaurant and catering business in Ireland’s Co Wicklow, Le Paysan has turned its focus solely on the production of artisan pâté.

From its production facilities in the Wicklow Enterprise Park, the company, under the guidance of managing director Thierry Peurois, makes authentically French pâtés from locally sourced ingredients.

Packaged in glass, the range takes in four varieties: Free Range Chicken Liver Pâté, Smoked Mackerel Pâté, Organic Irish Smoked Salmon Pâté, and Organic Irish Pork Rillette Pâté

At present, Le Paysan is available nationwide in Ireland and has a small presence in Northern Ireland, where it is on sale in Indie Füde. lepaysan.ie

Brindisa has added two new Spanish olive pastes to its catalogue. One is based on Caspe olives – a rare variety indigenous to Aragón. Aromatic and bitter with a hint of fresh fennel, it can be used to add a deep, fragrant olive flavour to sauces, dressings and marinades. The other is a smooth paste of black Empeltre olives from Aragón. RRP £4.25 for 100g. brindisa.com

The Greek Farmer has rolled out a new pack design to shout about British provenance and make the vacuum bags fully recyclable after winning Aldi’s Next Big Thing on Channel 4 last year. The producer cures meats on its farm in Hitchin, Herts, using authentic Greek processes, spice blends and free-range British pork and grass-fed British beef. RRPs £5.50-6.50 for 50-80g. thegreekfarmer.com

Ramus Seafood’s pitch for a “sustainable, value-added option in the fresh seafood category” has caught the attention of buyers from Booths and Ocado. The company’s new six-strong Sustainably Sauced range offers a mixture of coated “melt in the middle” fishcakes (RRP £3.25) and fresh fish fillets with an accompanying sauce (RRP £5.25) – all produced in Ramus’ Grimsby factory and packaged in twoportion SKUs. ramus.co.uk

Weald Smokery is making sure that nothing goes to waste, with the launch of Top Quality Trims: offcuts of its Sussex cooked ham and bacon and trims of its smoked salmon. The thrifty cuts are great for quiches, casseroles, pasta bakes, pates, pies, salads and more. wealdsmokery.co.uk

Marina Colonna grows these Bella di Cerignola olives on her family estate in Italy’s Molise region. Firm and succulent, Colonna Bella Olives are said to be an ideal with an aperitivo. They are available to the trade via The Oil Merchant, priced at £6.70 per unit. oilmerchant.co.uk

Retailers looking for a Spanish anchovy supplier should check out Fredo La Estrella Del Norte. This small business sources spring-fished anchovies from the Cantabrian Sea and packs them in olive oil. They are available in small (30g), medium (50g) and large (58g) sizes.

fredolaestrelladelnorte.com

JOY ON A PLATE

New Releases from Glastry Farm

Tinned fish is having a moment, with 23 Million views on Tiktok. Join the conversation with Ortiz’s rod and line caught, hand-prepared bonito tuna, or their delicious hand-filleted anchovies.

Order now: 020 8722 1600 | sales@brindisa.com

Brindisa.com

Glastry Farm Ice-cream is based on the family dairy farm which has been the home of the Taylor family since 1856, and is Assured Food Standards Approved (Red Tractor) It is situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Buteay in County Down.

The raw material from the pedigree dairy herd is the main ingredient of the mix for our range of dessert ice-creams. This facility is also based on-farm and is S.A.L.S.A. audited. As well as zero food miles for our product range we are uniquely sustainable in that much of our energy requirements are contributed from solar panels. With numerous requests from our customer list of 4-5 star restaurants and hotels we have developed a range of low-fat, low sugar, high fibre sorbets with the highest fruit content available on the market. With the help of our advisors at the Food Technology Centre and advanced technology in the plant we now have a number of sorbet flavours that are health foods with a creamy texture, superb mouth feel and high Omega 3 content which are suitable for vegan and vegetarian diets.

Rasperry Ruffle Sorbet

Mastering the classics

Prepared salads, sandwiches and picnic items are deli counter staples, especially at a grand old establishment like Panzer’s in North London. FFD spoke to owner David Josephs about how the iconic business has kept its offer in line with the times.

complete meal. We had to consider dietary requirements, portion sizes, presentation, packaging and sustainability.

We settled on four offerings (reviewed each year): a classic picnic, two deluxe hampers with smoked salmon or charcuterie and a bottle of wine, and a vegan hamper. If a client would like a bespoke picnic created for them, they can talk to the team.

SANDWICHES & SALADS

There is a nostalgia that comes with deli sandwiches and salads, and we keep that at the front of our minds. Whether it’s a salt beef sandwich, traditional tuna salad or an everything bagel with smoked salmon & cream cheese, we want it to bring back memories and pay tribute to important food cultures.

There is a menu of classics to choose from in store or customers can create bespoke sandwiches from our breads, deli meats and cheeses.

Salads change several times a week and with the seasons. Our chefs keep a constant eye on our greengrocers to see what’s

on offer. Key points of the year such as Thanksgiving will see classic American salads and sides available for families celebrating abroad. We’ve also collaborated with guest chefs and influencers on occasion – letting them play with what we have in store and treat our customers’ tastebuds.

Managing prices has been tricky this year, with rising prices and the increased complexity of importing goods into the UK since Brexit. We’ve started reviewing some prices on a weekly basis (for example, with smoked salmon where the market is in great – and in our opinion, unjustified – flux.)  panzers.co.uk

PICNICS

We first thought about readyto-go picnics when a London institution approached us about creating a fresh offering to feed many mouths at an outdoor event. They’ve become one of our most popular pre-ordered items, because they are super fresh, bountiful, can be pre-ordered with everything in them, and are sold for an accessible price.

Development involved our greengrocers, deli counter, production kitchen and the back-office team. They needed to travel well, be enjoyable cold and be a

Keeping prices reasonable and workloads low has been a challenge. Our first picnics were very labour intensive (hand-chopping crudités looked beautiful but were not the most time efficient).

As volumes increased, we needed to simplify but not compromise quality. We also hadn’t put our prices up for a few years and then this year’s rapidly rising costs hit and we needed to come up with ways of keeping things affordable.

We’ve made our salads bigger and other portions slightly smaller. Our picnics are already on the healthy side so this kept neatly with our offering.

Hunter & Gather is set to “challenge the household sauce brands that have monopolised in retail for too long” with a squeezy, recyclable format for its unsweetened sauces. The producer has also added Unsweetened Sriracha Hot Sauce to the line-up. It is made from red pepper, apple cider vinegar, garlic, cayenne pepper, pink Himalayan salt and konjac root. RRP £4.50 for 350g. hunterandgatherfoods. com

Roasted Garlic is the latest addition to the MAY-OH family of mayonnaises. MAY-OH uses only eggs from RSPCA Assured farms – providing a welfare and traceability guarantee that is often missing for the “hidden ingredients” that go into condiments and sauces. With a flavour akin to Spanish aioli, this mayo adds depth to coleslaw or potato salad. RRP £6 for 200g; trade price £3.90. may-oh.com

Clean and creamy

Having established a solid presence in the German market, Freiburg producer Emil’s Organic is looking to introduce its clean label, vegan condiments to the UK trade. The company’s philosophy is to keep ingredient lists short and work with the natural properties of ingredients. Its vegan mayo, for example, is made without egg, egg substitutes, thickeners or soy. Instead, Emil’s recipe uses virgin oil, white wine vinegar, almonds, apple juice and spices. Vegan Mayo, Burger & Sandwich Sauce and Medium Hot Mustard are the first three products to launch. RRP €2.99 for 130ml. emils.com

Nojo London is a new B-Corp certified company whose six-strong plantbased sauce selection has captured the attention of buyers at Selfridges, Ocado and Whole Foods. Including White Miso, Teriyaki, Yuzu and Orange Poke, its sauces are designed to help consumers transform everyday vegan dishes. The brand also offers a range of plant-based mayos made with upcycled aquafaba. RRP £4.95; trade price £3.20. nojolondon.co.uk

Leeds producer Viva Cuba has infused its Sweet & Smoky Red Sauce recipe with habanero chilli to create its latest Mojo Sauce variety. Smokin’ Hot Mojo Sauce is said to balance the strong flavours of smoky paprika and chilli with the sweetness of red pepper and tomato. The sauce has an RRP of £2.50 (trade price £1.66). vivacubafoods.co.uk

Yorkshire Indian restaurant Mumtaz has made more of its recipes available to a retail audience with the launch of eight “15 minute magic” marinades under its ‘At home with Mumtaz’ label. The marinades are free from artificial preservatives, flavours, thickeners and MSG, as well as being vegan, gluten-free and Halal. RRP £3.99 for 500ml. mumtazathome.com

Last month saw the introduction of a new range of natural sauces from Vienna producer Curtice Brothers. Heading up the range is Original Ketchup cooked from fresh tomatoes and apples (RRP £3.10; trade price £2.10). It is joined by New York Real’O’nnaise (mayo with half the fat), Pitmaster Barbeque (BBQ sauce without the sugar load) and Golden Curry (fruity-sweet with spice). curticebrothers.co

Gingerbeard’s Preserves has spiced up its mustard offer with the launch of Hot Curry Mustard (RRP £4.50; trade price £2.60). This hot version is made using the same spices as the producer’s Curry Mustard, with added warmth from cayenne chilli. gingerbeardspreserves. co.uk

Consumers who are uncomfortable with the carbon footprint of avocados will appreciate this closer to home pea-based guacamole alternative from Kent producer A Little Bit Peamole belongs to a new trio of dips that also includes Spicy Salsa and Onion & Chive. RRP £3.80 for 200g. alittlebit.co.uk

Alongside scotch bonnet chilli, the other star ingredient in Kokwa & Mikki Hot Table Chilli sauce is ricinodendron nut – a sweet rainforest nut that features widely in Cameroonian cooking owing to its purported medicinal properties and ability to complement fiery flavour profiles. RRP £7.70-9.00 for 180g; trade price £5.50. missnang.com

Nduja Ketchup is the result of a collaboration between Corndale Farm Charcuterie and En Place Foods This rustic tomato ketchup is spiced with on-trend Nduja salami made with Northern Irish free-range pork and Calabrian chilli. En Place Foods blends Nduja with tomatoes, onion & herbs to make a spicy, peppery condiment with a hint of smoky sweetness. RRP £4.25 for 265g. en-placefoods.com

Yarty has pledged to give 10% of proceeds from the sales of its new brown sauce to Forgotten Veterans UK – a locally based charity with a national reach. With an RRP of £11.95 and a trade price of £7.70, Beer Bacon and FVUK Sauce is made in Portsmouth to a vegan-friendly, no-addedsalt recipe that also uses a smoked porter. yartycordials.co.uk

The Bay Tree has created a timely take on the classic coronation sauce. With an RRP of £3.30 for 195g (trade price £2.20), Corking Coronation Sauce can be added to mayo and yogurt or stirred straight in with cooked chicken pieces. thebaytree.co.uk

The Welsh Saucery has balanced sweet mango with the freshness of lime and subtle warmth of chilli in its latest creation. Mango, Chilli & Lime Sauce is said to marry well with white fish, prawns, chicken or pork. RRP £4.95; trade price £3.30 for 230ml. thewelshsaucery.co.uk

OUTDOOR DINING table sauces

Tuckers Granny’s Secret Dressing was launched in January in honour of Peter Tuckwell, who worked with daughter Yogi on The Moray Honey Company until he passed away in 2021. It uses his mother’s secret salad dressing recipe and is described as a smoky dressing that is fantastic with cold meats and jacket potatoes. RRP £6.50 for 250ml; trade price £4.50. themorayhoney company.co.uk

The Smokey Carter says it has expanded its Asia-inspired offering to respond to rising demand in the category. The latest product to tap into this trend is Korean Sweet Chilli Sauce – a dipping sauce/glaze made with grapefruit juice, gochujang, sesame, soy, miso and confit garlic. RRP £3.95; trade price £2.50 (£15 per case of six). thesmokeycarter.com

What’s on the barbecue?

Eleanor O’Brien, managing director of retail trade body National Craft Butchers, looks at the prime BBQ cuts you should be selling this summer, with a focus on larger joints, and cooking low and slow

The Packer brisket (unrolled and untrimmed) remains king of the slow cook cut for BBQ aficionados. Cooked to an internal temperature of 90 degrees over 7-10 hours depending on the weight, it becomes a tender, melt-in-the-mouth feast. This is perfect for those looking to serve a large group of 20-30 people.

The Boston Butt (a pork shoulder cut) makes the best pulled pork. A relatively inexpensive cut that will serve 10-20. Recommend that it is cooked to 95 degrees internal temperature for 5-8 hours to ensure a good pull.

Chipotle & Lime Aioli is more than a spicy mayo, according to its maker, Sauce Shop. This multidimensional mayo is said to be spicy and smoky, with a hit of garlic and citrus tang from lime. Sauce Co recommends drizzling it over tacos or spreading it on sandwiches. RRP £3.50 for 260g; trade price £15 for six jars. wholesale.sauceshop.co

The Poon’s name has been linked to top Chinese food since the 1970s, and today, Amy Poon is the driving force behind a new range of pantry essentials. Chilli Vinegar Dressing (developed by Bill Poon), Premium First Extract Soya Sauce and WO Sauce – a xiānwèi packed condiment made with salted shrimp and Poon’s Wind-Dried Bacon – are three of the signature sauces on offer. poonslondon.com

Spatchcock lamb leg is incredibly versatile when it comes to flavouring, traditional rosemary & garlic or staying in line with the trends towards Greek style lamb. It can also be served with a salad and a dressing of hot harissa mixed into cool yoghurt. With shorter cook time of 40-60 minutes to meet 58 degrees internal temp, one of these will serve six to eight people.

Denver steaks are another comparatively inexpensive cut for the traditional British barbecue. Found on the chuck it is normally extremely tender, well-marbled, flavourful, and great for grilling.

Stokes Sauces has created a sauce to commemorate the coronation of King Charles III. Described as a twist on the classic sauce developed for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, the limited edition combines apricots, sultanas and gentle curry spices for a profile that is creamy, fruity and spicy. stokessauces.co.uk

The Garlic Farm on the Isle of Wight is offering two new dressings that are based on local rapeseed oil and produced by its recently acquired sister company, Wild Island. Honey & Thyme Dressing and Raspberry & Mustard Dressing both have an RRP of £9.40 for 250ml. thegarlicfarm.co.uk

A tomahawk steak is a glorious cut of meat perfect for sharing. It is essentially a large ribeye steak cut with 8-12 inches of the rib bone left on it. Those who take their BBQ and beef seriously will cook to 48-52°C internally, rest and then reverse sear just before serving. This will result in meat that is incredibly tender and rich in flavour.

Northern Ireland.

Bringing our world-class food and drink to your table.

Fine Food and Speciality trade buyers are no stranger to the broad range and high quality of food and drink from Northern Ireland.

From exceptional everyday staples to specialist artisan treats, Northern Ireland producers have products to boost your sales and inspire your customers. Flexibility, innovation, and strong customer relationships are at the heart of our industry. Northern Ireland’s long-established and largely family-owned companies are well positioned for continued growth. Committed to using quality, often locally produced ingredients, provenance, and outstanding flavour are guaranteed.

Visit us at Farm Shop and Deli in NEC Birmingham 24-26 April, stand S330.

For more information contact Michelle Charrington

E: michelle.charrington@investni.com

Northern Ireland.

Altogether more.

Plus ça change…?

IT’S HARD TO talk about wine without mentioning France. Our Continental neighbour has long produced some of the world’s bestknown bottles, be they the fine wines of Champagne, the Grand Crus of Bordeaux, or the high-volume rosés of the Côtes de Provence.

These are now supplemented by a new gang of natural, organic, biodynamic producers, showing that France has something for everyone.

That includes the UK’s independent retail sector, into which smaller French winemakers are hoping to to sell their wares, eager to avoid the volume-driven environment of the supermarkets.

Here in the UK, we get a lot of our fine wine (and plonk) from across the pond. According to data collected by Business France, our neighbour is by far our most significant supplier, in terms of value. (It is the third, after Italy and Australia, if we’re talking volumes.)

This is why the independent sector is the first port of call for many French wine producers, according to Daniel Lambert, a wine importer whose eponymous company supplies retail, wholesale and on-trade.

“In the majority of independent shops, where retailers and their customers like to think in terms of quality not quantity, at least 50% of the range will be French,” he tells FFD. “People who are interested in wine or have some knowledge of wines go there to find them.”

There’s good reason for this. Not only is it geographically well-placed to sell in the UK, France has a reputation for making great wine, and, as Thibault Lavergne, director of Wine Story UK says, Brits are suckers for a brand.

“When I say brands, it’s not just companies, it’s the general idea of brands, particular

More and more French wines are breaking from tradition

By Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

WINES OF FRANCE

Looking to stock something other than a Chablis or a Saint-Émilion? These alternatives will liven up your shelves without taking your customers too far out of their comfort zones.

Chenin Sec Le Colombier 2021

Château de La Calonnière, Loire Valley, in Organic conversion

This 100% Chenin Blanc has been hand harvested and aged for three months on lees. Thanks to listings from South Africa, people are quite familiar with Chenin Blanc. It’s dry and crisp, with notes of orchard fruits and citrus, making it easy to recommend with fish and chips, chicken or seafood. It would be nicely placed next to the fish counter.

RRP: £19-£22

Viognier “Granit” IGP Collines Rhodaniennes 2020

Domaine Jean-François Jacouton, Saint-Joseph, Northern Rhône Valley

When producing this 100% Viognier, whose grapes are grown at 350 meters of altitude, half of the wine is aged 8 months in barrels on fine lees. The granite soil (hence the name of the Cuvée) lends a mineral edge, and although it only qualifies for the humble IGP appellation of ‘Vin de Pays’, its out & out quality puts it in a very similar league to many Condrieu wines. It has notes of exotic fruit like banana and pineapple, and is buttery on the palate. It has a lighter body than many Rhône Viogniers but doesn’t sacrifice on flavour.

RRP: £25-£29

From classic cuvées to modern organic pét’ nats, France is still at the top of its game when it comes to producing wine. Thanks to the volume-driven nature of British supermarkets, many smaller winemakers are increasingly turning to the UK’s independent retail sector as a selling platform.

FOCUS ON drinks

appellations, or grapes,” he says, like Sancerre, or Gewurztraminer.

At the same time, between the hyperregional appellations and lesser-known grape varietals, the division in France’s offering makes it trickier for smaller vineyards to penetrate the British market – especially compared to Australian or South African producers.

That’s why on-trade and independent retail are so significant in selling French wine, Lavergne says.

“Because when you can have a sommelier who takes time to explain French wines to the end consumer, that makes a difference. That’s why in independent shops, if their staff have the training, they can explain particular wines.”

More than anything, French wine is still known for the classic, prestigious and soughtafter wines, explaining that their import value remains greater than high-volume producers.

£832m

The total value of French wine sold off-trade in the UK in 2022

to choose from.

“Yes, in the UK, you’ve got a 50% share within the independent sector, which is a very powerful place to be, but it is being eroded by the rest of the world as more styles come through and more replications come through from other parts of the world, like Canada, South America and Australia.”

natural, biodynamic wines.”

“French wine can be on both sides: we have a traditional offer, but we also have more modern offers.”

While these might be limited to city-based trendy hotspots for now, they are creeping into delis and farm shops around the country, and could yet enjoy more success still.

There’s no point in burying our heads in the sand, though. The issues affecting UK trade are having an impact on these exchanges. There are post-Brexit complications and wider supply chain issues – some of them resulting from the war in Ukraine, which formerly supplied much of the European wine industry’s raw materials, including glass, carboard and foil caps – that can’t be ignored.

“Things have been made more difficult, and a lot more expensive, and that’s still the case today,” says Lambert.

But even accounting for all of the above, wine sales are still going strong in the UK. According to Mintel’s Still, Sparkling and Fortified Wine Market Report, the UK wine market size was estimated at £14bn in 2022, up 7% since 2017.

But the French tradition’s rules, regulations, and complicated labels make it a nebulous world to navigate, and it isn’t necessarily doing all it can to keep up with the competition.

“French producers have a very insular view of what’s happening – not just in their own region but on a global basis,” says Lambert.

“If you’re a producer in Beaujolais, you’re only really interested in what’s happening in Fleurie or Brouilly or Saint-Amour. You have no idea what’s going on in the Loire Valley or Bordeaux, and you don’t care for that matter. But you should care. Obviously, if you’re a consumer in the UK and you’ve got £20 to spend on a bottle of wine, you’ve got the world

WINES OF FRANCE

Petit Jammes Malbec de Cahors 2020

Château de Pech de Jammes, Southwest

France

This 100% Malbec will be a popular listing as British consumers know this grape, mainly from Argentina.

Within those who travelled to France in the 80s and 90s, Cahors is quite well known, as they will have brought it back from caves coopératives and know the name of the appellation.

It is heady with fresh black fruits, floral and herbaceous. Neither cheap nor entry level, it is the second wine of a slightly pricier Cru.

RRP: £20-£25

With the UK being a wine industry that is completely open to any country of production, he says, “there’s always going to be someone who can offer you that Beaujolais in the same varietal – as in Gamay – at a better price point and a better style than the classic example of it”.

Thankfully, not all French wine is so steeped in tradition that it is unable to change. Switching up the offering is a new wave of producers.

“You can see this evolution on labels, which are more and more funky, and flavours are changing. More and more French wines are breaking from tradition,” says Lavergne, particularly with the new movement of natural wine.

“It’s a very important part of production in France today and for the UK independent market, there are more and more organic,

Pinot Noir “Buis D’Aps” rouge

IGP

Ardèche 2021, Northern Rhône Valley

“French wine will always do well in the UK”, adds Lambert, “because it’s so entrenched in British culture. Nobody is going to stop drinking Champagne tomorrow, or Claret, or Burgundy. All of these classic regions will always perform. Yes, it will be more expensive because of Brexit, and the Deposit Return Scheme, and everything else.”

“But overall, is French wine going to continue to have a success story here? Of course it is.”

100% Pinot Noir. Another popular grape with consumers, this time grown in Buis d’Aps, a small locality near Alba la Romaine, on the hillsides with a clay-limestone terroir. An ideal place to grow Pinot Noir, producing fresh, fruit forward wines.

RRP: £14-£17

All available at winestory.co.uk

In independent shops, if their staff have the training, they can explain particular wines

Source: Business France

DOORS OPEN

24-26 APRIL

Where the specialist retail

sector meets

Informing, inspiring and connecting the industry

Farm Shop & Deli Show will return to the NEC, Birmingham from 24th – 26th April, as part of the UK Food & Drink Shows.

The must-attend event unites Farm Shop & Deli Show, Food & Drink Expo, National Convenience Show and Foodex Manufacturing Solutions under one roof, giving food and drink professionals 2023’s most comprehensive snapshot of the latest products, key insights and developments across multiple industries.

Register for FREE: farmshopanddelishow.co.uk

This is a trade event. No under 18s will be admitted.

AWARD-WINNING

COMTÉ

Our Comtés are characterised by their surprising richness of flavour. Each wheel is unique and develops a different aromatic profile.

The plus points of our comtes

+

Each wheel is ripened using the traditional hot ripening process for at least 6 to 18 months, following the expertise of our master cheesemakers.

The longer the ripening process, the darker the colour of the rind. + + +

As it ripens, its springy texture becomes firmer. Its light and floral scent develops to become more powerful, fruity and smoky.

Identity card

RAW COW’S MILK

FAT 34%

MOSTLY MONTBÉLIARDES

COOKED PRESSED CHEESE

40 KG WHEEL

SMALL BATCH,

WELSH CRAFT SPIRITS

ON

FROM THE DELI KITCHEN

SIMPLE

RECIPES TO BOOST YOUR MARGINS

STEM GINGER BISCUITS WITH LEMON & ELDERFLOWER CURD

A satisfying seasonal delight, perfect for a weekend treat. The end of April marks the start of the elderflower season. This is a lovely ingredient which be found widely in hedgerows and open spaces. Elder trees are easy to spot with their frothy white blossom and distinct pungent aroma on warmer sunny days. As May unfolds, the fully formed blossom will become more abundant.

Makes 8 biscuits

Note: Make the elderflower syrup 24 hours before the curd.

Ingredients for the syrup:

75g elderflower blossom

180g caster sugar

150ml water

1 tsp lemon juice

¼ large lemon, sliced

Method:

Wash the elderflower blossom in cold water. Place the sugar and water in a pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and sliced lemon. Once the syrup has slightly

cooled, add the elderflower and clingfilm the pan. Allow to infuse for 24 hours and strain into a glass bottle. Store the syrup in the fridge.

Ingredients for the curd:

75g caster sugar

75g elderflower syrup

50g fresh lemon juice (approx. 1 large lemon)

Zest of one lemon

2 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

1 tsp (7g) unsalted butter, diced

Method: Place all the ingredients, with the exception of the butter, into a medium sized bowl. Whisk together and then place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Do not allow the water to boil rapidly. Stir the contents of the bowl regularly until the mixture has thickened, between 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat and slowly add the diced butter. Once all the butter is incorporated, strain the mix through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Place the bowl in the refrigerator until the curd has set, which will take a few hours.

EQUIPMENT

Transfer into a sterilised jar and store in the fridge.

Ingredients for the stem ginger biscuits:

50g plain flour

50g oats

60g demerara sugar

15g stem ginger, grated or very finely chopped

75g soft unsalted butter

A pinch (1g) of baking powder

A pinch (2g) of salt

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / fan oven 160°C / gas mark 4. Place all the ingredients into a medium sized bowl, mix to form a dough and then refrigerate for an hour. Once chilled, roll out to a thickness of 5mm. With a round cutter, cut the dough into 8 biscuits and arrange on a non-stick baking tray. Place the baking tray in the oven for 12-15 minutes until they take on a deep golden colour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a tray. Once cool, serve with a generous helping of the lemon and elderflower curd.

Unic, part of the Electrolux

Professional Group, recently unveiled a new range of automatic, high-performance espresso machines – including both single- and double-output models.

The three different models in the range – Tango XP Duo, Tango XP Solo and TANGO XP Compact – will be able to serve up to 440 espresso shots per hour. They will be will be officially launched in October 2023.

unic-espresso.com/en/

The MTT, Jado’s new self-serve tabletop display units, have been created to offer retailers a small format solution to selling hot and packaged food-to-go. The supplier’s energy efficient Hot Blanket Technology fully encloses products in the unit and keeps them at the right core temperatures for hours. Each shelf temperatire can be set individually and the unit requires no installation before use.

frijado.com

Merrychef says its new conneX® is set to transform the high speed oven sector. Said to be 80% faster than other cooking methods, the conneX® 12 and conneX® 16 both feature a 7” HD touchscreen and wi-fi connectivity as standard. Ventless, compact and with coolto-touch sides, the ovens will fit into small spaces and operate quietly – making them suitable for front-of-house areas. info.merrychef.com/connex

Recipe by Mark Kempson, head chef at Kitchen W8 kitchenw8.com

Here at Original Biscuit Bakers we strive to create unique and delicious biscuits that will bring a smile to everyone’s face. Every biscuit we produce is lovingly crafted before being hand iced by a team of talented artists and are perfect for every season and occasion!

Our handmade gingerbread biscuits, have been enchanting customers for over 30 years, see our full collection at www.originalbiscuitbakers.co.uk

- @originalbiscuitbakers

- @originalbiscuitbakers

sustainably grown in the beautiful British countryside.

Flower & White, the well-known maker of awardwinning meringues, is introducing a brand-new look for its bestselling giant Meringue Clouds in 2023. With the same remarkable flavours, the improved lighter and brighter look is a part of the company’s innovative growth journey and continued pursuit of giving customers a feast for their eyes and their tastebuds.

The power of vibrant and abundant visuals

A category leader thanks to its indulgent meringue basedsnacks, Flower & White has come a long way since the days of cracking eggs in founders Brian and Leanne’s garden shed 13 years ago.

The company produces its meringues in the same way as it always has, but now it does it in a BRC grade A, state of the art bakery in Shropshire. Its hero Meringue Clouds range has been there from the start, so a reinvention of it is an obvious and natural progression.

What goes into them and the way they are made, make the Meringue Clouds truly unique. Handcrafted using only the finest ingredients – including free-range eggs, natural flavours, natural colours and Callebaut chocolate – they are slow-baked to a traditional Swiss recipe. They’re naturally glutenfree, low fat and suitable for vegetarians.

And there are five flavours to choose from: Raspberry Eton Mess, Lemon Drizzle, Caramel

Swirl, Very Vanilla and Double Chocolate.

Leanne Crowther, cofounder of Flower & White says: “This is an exciting existing product development at Flower & White. Our show-stopping Meringue Clouds meet the boom in demand for light, easy and indulgent desserts which are low in fat/calories and contain fewer ingredients with a clean label.

“Our Meringue Clouds are at the heart and true to the ethos of Flower & White, in that they are great tasting and they look incredibly beautiful too. They will stand out on any retail display as an irresistible pickup.

“Merchandise them with complementary products that naturally reflect an easyto-create dessert offer, to effortlessly increase basket spend.”

VISUAL MERCHANDISING

Piled high, these handcrafted meringues will certainly stop customers in their tracks.

Great in-store presentation

is a powerful way to inspire that all-important purchase. This starts in a store’s window with a bright and colourful display to attract passers-by, naturally drawing customers into and through the store and ultimately leaving with items that they hadn’t realised they wanted to purchase.

Flower & White is all about big impact and the products thrive on being centre stage, front of store with great lighting. Creating a ‘food story’ in a bakery or next to fresh or frozen fruits is easy. Their brand values of positivity and kindness can easily be reflected in generous displays, brimming full of products for maximum exposure, avoiding any empty space.

Bring this story to life by piling your Meringue Clouds high to create an Instagramable moment. But make sure to keep the space organised and the experience effortless by supplying paper bags and tongs.

STAFF TRAINING

Staff have an important role to play in supporting sales, too.

Product knowledge is more important than ever these days - and it couldn’t be easier with the back story and production techniques to sell these clouds of sweet heaven.

All retailers need to do is arm staff with a few easy recipes, whether it’s cracking them open, filling with ice cream and finishing with a drizzle of coulis or smashing the clouds into a bowl of whipped cream and seasonal fruit. The most sensational, but simple dessert can easily be created.

With an ever expanding range, there is truly something for everyone, whether your customers require gluten-free, are on a plant based diet or just watching their calorie intake.

Flower & White’s range of gourmet light and indulgent Meringue Clouds, Kisses, Bars and Bites and its brand new Mallow Bars all deliver a taste sensation for those in need of a sweet fix without all the calories.

flowerandwhite.co.uk

The three-day independent-focussed trade show is back for another year at the NEC Birmingham, with doors opening on 24th April

Six reasons to visit… …Farm Shop & Deli Show

Launches galore

Whether they’re looking for new items for their shelves, foodservice formats for their kitchen or shopping trolleys, buyers will find a wealth of new products and items at Farm Shop & Deli Show and its co-located events, which run from 24th April until 26th April.

1 4

Big names

There are a host of stages located across the co-located shows and plenty of sessions over the three days that will give visitors the opportunity to hear from the CEOs of UK Hospitality, Deliveroo, FDF, Fortnum & Mason and many more.

Not just one show

Farm Shop & Deli Show will run alongside Food & Drink Expo, National Convenience Show and Foodex Manufacturing Solutions as part of the UK Food & Drink Shows. And one badge provides visitors with access to all four shows.

2 5

Discover award winners

Visitors will be able to witness greatness in both the supply chain and retailing, as a number of winners will be unveiled at the show. The Farm Shop & Deli Product and Retailer Awards showcase some of the country’s best innovators and operators in the sector

Hot topics

Whether you’re interested in sustainability, plant-based foods or adapting to the cost-of-living crisis, the programme of discussions on the show’s dedicated stage should provide food for thought. And don’t miss brave producers testing themselves in the Dragon’s Pantry

3 6

Getting there is easy

The NEC is situated at the hub of the UK motorway network, enabling visitors to travel directly via the M6, M1, M40 and M42. And there’s ample parking when you get there. It’s also just a 90-minute rail trip from London.

Register for your trade ticket at farm-shop-deli-show-2023.reg.buzz

Natural, Hearty, Tasty Family Meals

Soups, Stews and Risottos:

• Can add meat and veg if required.

• Herbs, spices and stock all included, just add water.

• Four portions per packet.

• Gluten Free and Vegan options available.

• Some can be made in a slow cooker as well as on the hob.

Puddings:

• Simple, easy to follow instructions

• Just need eggs and margarine, a cooker or fridge.

Ideal for: Camping, self-catering welcome baskets, hampers and gifts etc. Deli, Farm Shop, Garden Centre and Food Hall shelves.

Stand: Q318

For enquiries please email: sales@frenchflint.co.uk | tel: 020 7237 1750 www.hsfrenchflint.co.uk

What were you doing before you founded Avallen?

I was brought up on a vineyard in Burgundy, a region where most people – including my parents – work in or are associated to winemaking. I was already conscious of the climate because of its impact on people’s livelihoods.

Tim (Etherington-Judge) is my business partner. We call him the Captain Planet of the drinks industry. He’s been talking about plantbased diets and self-healing through food for the past 20 years, which wasn’t really the hot topic of conversation with bartenders.

Tim and I met at Diageo where we were global spirits brand ambassadors. After a while, we both found that our own values clashed with those of the multinationals. That’s when I really understood that spirits were broken.

Why apples?

I did a bit of soul searching and fell back into what I knew, which was France, terroir, origin, raw products and the agricultural aspect of making drinks.

There’s a problem with the majority of what we drink. When we’re sipping on our gin and tonics, we’re drinking monocrops, we’re drinking modern agriculture, we are not drinking biodiversity or small farm producers.

If you look back to the by-gones, we drank lots of fruit ferments, eau de vies. The energy required to convert cereal into starch and sugar was bread, and people needed to eat.

An apple (spirit) a day

Jaded by the drinks industry’s impact on the environment, Stephanie Jordan and Tim Etherington-Judge created Avallen, a Calvados brand with a purpose.

Interview by Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

How did you go about developing the product and taking it to market?

In Normandy, there are 300 registered Calvados producers, but six of them do 96% of In Normandy, there are 300 registered Calvados producers, but six of them do 96% of the volume. The other 290 odd are a man with a dog and four trees making it for themselves, their family and whoever stops by the road one day in the summer.

What is the link with bees?

We could talk to people about the sequestration of the apple trees and why we’re climate positive, and the ability for the orchards to absorb carbon, and that therefore we have an insetting solution so we don’t need to go and offset. But when it comes to communicating that, someone’s having a cocktail at Satan’s Whiskers in Bethnal Green and they’re like, ‘what’?

People get that bees are important. Every single French blossom in Normandy is pollinated by a wild orchard bee. Bees are in decline because of urbanisation and pesticide abuse etc., so it felt like a really good connection back to the orchard.

We’re a B-Corp and also do 1% for the planet. We donate a share of our revenue to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in the UK. It feels like sometimes with this topic, less is more.

How and when did you make the switch to paper bottles?

We launched in a super lightweight glass bottle but from the beginning Tim was like, ‘I don’t want to do this, this is wrong, we shouldn’t use glass, the energy, the carbon, the weight.’

And that’s really lovely, and how Calvados has been for the past 40 years. The problem is that you have quality issues, because you’re not investing in new oak barrels or the latest column still.

For us, finding the right producer so that we could really preserve the freshness of the apples was pivotal. This is why Pierre (Martin Neuhaus) and Distillerie Coquerel were perfect, because they’re one of the few that still make their own ciders – and importantly, own some orchards and have been working with these 300 different small farmers for the past 20 years.

The apples we use are sourced within 30 kilometres of the distiller in La Manche region, which has been pesticide-free since 2016.

So when Frugalpac launched – which is like an old-school French cubi, with a recycled, recyclable paper bottle outer, and a little plastic food grade pouch inside – it was a no-brainer. It weighs nothing. It’s 1/5th of glass. It’s much less water intensive to print and much less impactful to ship. It doesn’t break and you can just recycle it by separating the paper from the plastic.

What next?

We’re 80% on-prem, which makes sense because you need people with a bit of understanding of what the product is and what it means to pour with purpose.

We do want to start ramping up delis and farm shops. It’s less to do with, ‘we’re not the right proposition’ and more to do with how the distribution model works.

When we’re sipping on our gin & tonics, we’re drinking monocrops and modern agriculture

Cypressa highlights provenance with colourful rebrand

By Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

In a move which it says will better reflect its products’ Mediterranean and Middle Eastern origins as well as giving consistency across the ranges, Cypressa has rebranded its entire range of products.

The last time it changed its aesthetic was ten years ago, and has since been acquired by British pork producer, Cranswick, in 2019.

The new illustrated designs depict where each product comes from, including Ethiopian landscapes for the jars of Tahini and the Mediterranean coastline for the antipasti and olive groves in northern Greece.

“We used to have about 15 different designs across our product lines, now we have a more consistent that customers immediately perceive as Cypressa, with vibrant and colourful illustrations that encapsulate what our brand and the products themselves stand for,” said Harry Constantinou, Cypressa’s commercial controller.

“Cypressa’s heritage is very important to the brand and we feel the

beautiful illustrations pay homage to where it all began. They encapsulate the sun-drenched lands where we source our products, the Mediterranean, our Motherland, our producers and growers.

“We’re incredibly excited to unveil this full rebrand at a time where Cypressa is going through a period of expansion and bringing new products into the range,” he added, which recently included a new six-product range of pastes and tapenades: Smoky Tagine, Aubergine & Feta Mezze; Tomato, Feta & Kalamata Olive Tapenade; Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade; Rose Harissa Paste; and Rose Harissa Pesto.

“The brand has come a long way over the

WHAT’S NEW

Entering its third month of business, Perfectly Vegan co. is seeking more listings for its lentil-based pork free crackling pieces. The snacks come in two flavours: Original, which are coated with a smoky BBQ mix, and Chilli & Lime. RRP £1.45 per bag, trade price 80p. Perfectlyvegan.co.uk

Tracklements’ Special Edition Wild Garlic Sauce making an appearance for the spring, mixing the heady green leaves with honey and mustard. It is touted as versatile ingredient which can serve as a dip or be slathered onto toast, mixed through pasta or dolloped over a baked potato. Available in cases of 6 x 170g. RRP £3.75. tracklements.co.uk

Barlows of Belvoir’s Buckminster Beneficial Chutney was borne out of the need to cut waste of Seville oranges used in the production of marmalade.

Cooked with fruit, sugar and spices, the resulting chutney is said to offer a unique combination. 300g jars are given an RRP of £4, £2.75 for trade, while 100g jars sell for £2.25 RRP and £1.25 for retail. barlowsofbelvoir.co.uk

Counter points Charcuterie

Food writer and former deli owner Glynn

Christian offers up some category-specific conversation starters to sharpen your sales technique.

Non-alcoholic drinks producer Hip Pop is adding to its range of Kombucha and apple cider-based Living Soda with a pre-biotic, lowsugar range of Lemonade, Cola and Orange Gut Lovin’ Soda. The cans, not dissimilar to popular craft beer in their design, come in packs of 6 for an RRP of £12.50. drinkhippop.com

• Pigs are the most efficient converters of carbohydrates into protein and fat in the animal world. 45kg of feed produces 10kg of pig flesh; cattle convert the same amount to 3kg.

• To cure is to salt flesh to exude moisture and then dry by hanging.

• Saltpetre added to salt helps keep cured meat free of dangerous pathogens and produces an attractive pink colour.

• Salami and saucissons sec are salted, low-moisture flesh, forced into cleaned intestines, and stored in low humidity to develop flavours.

• Hams are separated rear legs, dried salted and air dried, sometimes smoked.

• Gammon is sides of pork cured

in once piece.

• Pâtés and terrines are minced flesh and lesser organs, flavoured, cooked and stored under protective coatings of fat. Liver is often used in these.

• Bacon and pancetta are made by dry-salting the belly (streaky bacon) and loin (back bacon).

Paley Photography

Bacon and pancetta are made by drysalting the belly and loin

THE ULTIMATE FREE FROM RANGE

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Featuring new recipes and new flavours to suit all tastes. Only £5.49 RRP

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For exceptional Taste and elegantly light Textures: your must-have selection for all sorts of culinary adventures.

Made organic extra olive with and

virgin oils, only water, saponifier a dash of salt in the mix.

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To taste is to understand the difference from other oils. www.oliveoilavlaki.com

WHAT’S NEW

For those who believe pets should eat as well as their masters, enter Hug’s, a producer of microwaveable dog, cat and working dog food. Its seasonal special of Venison with Blackberries, like the items in the permanent range, contains neither offal nor preservatives, just meat, fruit and vegetables and added minerals. RRP £3.31 per 300g tray. hugpetfood.co.uk

Fermented foods

company Eaten Alive has partnered with the Lizard Peninsula’s iconic Ann’s Pasties to create a kimchi-filled version of the Cornish speciality. Available with or without cheese, it is said to pair well with a splash of sriracha sauce. RRP £12 for 2. eatenalive.co.uk

An addition to Hampton Court Gin’s Tudor-inspired spirits range is The Father Spiced Rum, macerated with sweet potato and quince, pomegranate, ginger and cinnamon in tribute to Henry VIII’s favourite pie. RRP £39-45, trade price £27 per 70cl. hamptoncourtgin.com

My magic ingredient

The Cornish Seaweed Company Organic Mixed Seaweed Flakes

A secret weapon ingredient. Perfect to add to rice, pulses and vegetables when boiling, soaking, roasting and marinating. The health benefits of seaweed are fantastic but it also reduces the need for salt by creating that umami flavour.

We’ve got a whole range of the Cornwall Seaweed Company’s products and they’re selling really well.

They’ve got Seaweed Cornish thins and a range of seasonings they’ve developed for various use cases. They’re all distinctive, and you don’t need to use a lot. They come in salt shakers and bags, so you either grind or sprinkle them over things.

The packaging is plastic-free, the seaweed is all hand-harvested, and they give you useful recipes on the back. I think that ‘this is what you can do with them’ instruction is the part of the reason they’re selling so well.

They’re really interesting, local, good on sustainability and they’re different.

Thai restaurant goes nationwide with Payst dips and sauces

By Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

The day will come when we will have heard the last story of a restaurant that successfully turned its fortunes around when the UK was locked down in 2020. That day is not today, as London’s acclaimed Thai restaurant, Farang, has another one to tell.

In February, it revealed its premium range of Thai dipping sauces, stir-fry sauces and fresh curry pastes, which it started selling to restaurant-deprived customers during those difficult months.

“Covid played a huge role in the birth of Payst,” said founder and head chef at Farang, Sebby Holmes.

“The day the hard lockdown was announced my team and I picked up the phones and rang every booking we had over the coming weeks and months. We offered everyone the chance to pick up their meal or deliver it to their door if they were local enough to us. We were very lucky that there was so much support from the local community. People kept coming and wanting more of our food.

“Customers repeatedly asked if they could get our sauces as a side to use later in their own meals; and that’s how Payst was born.”

The curry pastes, which the company says are the UK’s only fresh ones sold in the UK,

offer five options – Green Curry, Red Curry, Jungle Curry, Massaman Curry, Gaeng Gari (Yellow) and Gaeng Gatti (Spicy Coconut). (RRP £4.25).

The dipping sauces can be used in various ways, either as dips or to add an extra dash of spices to stir-fries, soups and salads. The five variants are Sweet Chilli; Burnt Chilli; Spicy Burnt Chilli; Beetroot Sweet Chilli; Ginger and Sweet Green Chilli Sauce. (RRP £5.95)

Finally, the stir-fry sauces, created with a ‘buildable’ spice level, offer the option of Mushroom & Garlic; Pad Thai; Vegan Pad Thai and Kra Pao, with an RRP of £5.59. payst.co.uk

In a bid to encourage afternoon coffee drinking, Artisan Coffee Co. has released The Libra, a 50/50 blend of water decaffeinated coffee and the company’s original blend.

Developed by the company’s co-founder, chef and restaurateur Ashley Palmer-Watts, it is said to bear notes of hazelnut, milk chocolate and caramel. RRP £11.75. artisancoffeeco.com

ASH SINFIELD, Founder, Teals Somerset

The health benefits of seaweed are fantastic but it also reduces the need for salt by creating that umami flavour

Feature by Tom Vaughan, Photography by Phil Taylor

Seasoned campaigner

IT’S A FREEZING March morning in Whitby. Outside, snow falls on cobbled streets and grey surf pounds an empty beach. Everyone, it’s fair to say, is looking forward to spring. And for Catherine Cook, owner of Whitby Deli, the high season can’t come quick enough.

“It’s been a long winter this year, for sure,” she tells FFD. “And I think we’ll be holding out a little bit longer still. Usually, Whitby gets going around Easter. I’m still hopeful that we’ll have a good summer, but I think it’ll be later once people’s energy bills

VITAL STATISTICS

have subsided.”

When Cook left her London life in 2014 to realise a dream of opening a deli – landing on Whitby because it is near her family in Hartlepool – she says she went in with her eyes open about the seasonal fluctuations of a seaside business.

“We looked at the demographics and they all sort of said: don’t open a deli in Whitby! But we did anyway. The seasonal calendar can be challenging but we’ve learnt on our feet as we’ve gone along.”

Every year, upwards of 1.5 million

tourists descend on the North Yorkshire coast, with Whitby one of the most popular destinations. Summer sees the town swamped with holidaymakers and daytrippers. But, like any seaside town, tourism drops off drastically in the winter. And Whitby’s remoteness – it’s an hour’s drive over the Moors to the nearest city of Middlesborough – makes those cold months extra hard.

The greatest challenge since Day One, Cook says, has been navigating these seasonal swings and appealing to the two

Location: 22-23 Flowergate, Whitby YO21 3BA

Average basket: £13.60

Turnover: £260,000

Gross margin: 50%

Floor space: 50 sq m

Shipbuilders will tell you that things need to be made of tough stuff to weather the seasons on the North Yorkshire coast. After nearly nine years at the helm of The Whitby Deli, it seems Catherine Cook has what it takes and she continues to thrive in her rapidly changing seaside location.

distinct demographics of customer –tourists and locals.

“The summer hits are great,” she says. “Home-branded jams and chutneys fly off the shelves. We sell tonnes of biscuits –visitors want presents for someone who’s looked after the cat or babysat the kids. And we up the fresh food offering drastically. The cheese counter is heaving, we do picnic boxes, vegetables, breads, eggs.”

Through the summer, Cook says she will have 40 different cheeses on offer, mostly provided by The Courtyard Dairy, who Cook has worked with since opening. She lists Yorkshire Pecorino, Harrogate Blue and Killeen Goats’ Cheese as among the most popular. Supplementing this on the deli counter are packs of cured ham, homemade sausage rolls, spanakopita, pork pies, and quiches – which the team also packages up into two different tiers of grab-and-go picnic box for customers to take to the beach.

Other perennial favourites include Perello Gordal Olives from Brindisa and Whitby Gin – one of only a small selection of artisan products she has been able to source directly from the town. Otherwise, finding suppliers

that are truly local has been a challenge.

“We used to stock a fantastic cheddar –Dale End cheddar [from Botton Village, 13 miles west of Whitby]. But they are out of production at the moment. So, we can’t offer a really local cheese, which is such a shame.”

With staycations becoming increasingly popular and possible, the boom months in Whitby are getting longer year on year, says Cook, which is only good for the business.

“The summer hits great. But recently September and October have been good, too. When the kids go back to school, you get the silver surfers or your families with kids younger than school age. And then we have a big goth weekend at the end of October. And Halloween here is getting bigger. So it doesn’t really tail off until into November.”

Over the last nine years, Cook has grown the business to a turnover of £260k a year. However, she learnt the hard way that some things simply don’t work, whatever the season. “With confectionary, we’ve got that quite wrong in the past. I’ve had some highend stuff in but, with it being a seaside town,

CONTINUED ON PAGE 67

MUST-STOCKS

Perello Gordal Olives (Brindisa)

Whitby Distillery Whitby Gin

Rhucello Rhubarb Liqueur

The Whitby Deli Spicy Tomato & Onion Chutney

Tracklements Fresh Chilli Jam

Torres Fried Egg Crisps (Brindisa)

The Garlic Farm Vampire Slayer sauce

Hendersons Relish

Home-made deli sausage rolls, vegan rolls and spanakopita

Yorkshire Pecorino (The Courtyard Dairy)

Shepherds Purse Yorkshire Blue and Harrogate Blue

Simon Coll Chocolate sardines (Brindisa)

there are chocolatiers and fudge shops and rock, and people actually just want that. So now I just do a very small offering.”

The biggest learning curve, however, has been getting her local appeal right.

“When I opened up I had a sherry flight, with sherry and ham pairings and really lovely wines,” she says, laughing at her early ambition. She adds: “We’d open 7:30am for the people going to work to grab a coffee. Now we open at 9.30am!”

Her winter offering is completely pared back because visiting tourists are a tiny fraction of their summer numbers. The cheese range is scaled down, she doesn’t get in any bread or eggs, and stock is mainly long shelf-life store-cupboard items. In January this year, she slimmed the opening hours to just Friday to Sunday and says she’s blessed with a flexible workforce, with staff members happy to cut down their hours in winter and others able to come on board just for the summer months.

Turnover in January can dip down to a quarter of August’s, and at the heart of that is the struggle to get locals through the door. This has not been helped by new parking restrictions aimed at the daytrippers, but which serve to drive residents towards the supermarkets located at the edge of town. One of the biggest local draws used to be the café that she ran inside the deli, but she has since rethought that business model.

“We had 30 covers, so we were crammed

in like sardines. We used to have brunch, lunch, pizza nights, private events. We were very popular for coffee on a morning. But then Covid happened and we rejigged and we decided to keep it just as the shop when we re-opened.” Has it resulted in a hit to profits? “Not at all. My wage bill has halved. I don’t need to employ a chef. It’s a lot less stressful. I’m not doing 16-hour days, it just works better. But we do miss the social aspect.”

Over the last two years, she has attempted to replace the café income with other home-cooked offerings, including heat-and-eat meals, but without much success. “I really wanted the meals to take off. We had a few regular customers. But when you factored in the cost of a chef, doing the shopping and delivery versus what you can charge, it wasn’t worth it. There were some weeks we would do like five meals. That’s the frustration. It’s really hard to crack the local market.”

What’s more, that market is getting smaller. “When we first opened, we had more locals come in, who helped us tick over in the quiet holiday periods. Now, there are much fewer as second homes have increased in the town and pushed them out.” How does she view the changing face of the town? “I’m conflicted. As a resident, it’s a nightmare. But then if it wasn’t for second homeowners, I wouldn’t have a business.”

Constantly thinking on her feet of how to

tap both the holiday-maker and local market, Cook says she has explored the possibility of selling frozen meals supplied by COOK, but hasn’t the space to put in a freezer. Instead, she hopes to bring in a fridge and offer refrigerated ready meals.

“I’d like to diversify into meals as people can’t eat fish & chips every night. Sometimes they want to cook something quickly at home or in their holiday let. But unless someone grabs a bag of pasta and some pasta sauce, we haven’t really got a meal offering. We could cook something ourselves and put it on the counter, but I haven’t got the capacity to do that at the moment. However, I’ve found a really good company called Field Goods, and its ready meals are great and really well priced. So I’m going to talk to them about stocking their products.”

Like everyone else in the midst of winter’s last hoorah, Cook is dreaming of the sunnier times to come. “It’s such a lovely town to be a part of. Opening and a deli really was my pipe dream. And I’m very fortunate that I’ve been able to do it.” Bearing in mind the unique challenges a seaside town brings, if she had her time again, would she have opened somewhere less seasonal? “Don’t get me wrong, consistency throughout the year would just be nice. It would make it easier. But then it would be much less of a challenge! So I wouldn’t change it at all.” thewhitbydeli.co.uk

They all sort of s aid: don’t open a deli in Whitby! But we did anyway.

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FEATURE

The Garlic Farm

Organic certification for Garlic Farm land

Organic farming paves the way toward a more sensitive and circular system that might help the climate, community, and commercial challenges faced by the fine food sector

WITHIN RETAIL, FOOD and farming we all have a big challenge on our hands. And not much time. We urgently need to waste less, recirculate more, and adjust our processes to be less linear and extractive. We can do it, but we need to be precise, connected, supportive of each other and positive.

“Precision of language is critical,” says Barnes Edwards, director at The Garlic Farm. “A naturesensitive definition of goals for farming, the start of food production, establishes a mechanism to respect and regenerate the components within soil and surrounding ecosystems that sustain life.

“We need to talk very clearly about why we are going somewhere, or we won’t get anywhere useful. Organic is not the only key but it does unlock an important part of our journey.”

As these farm ingredients migrate from field to fork or factory, every stage along the way will be articulated and prioritised with words that define strategy and process.

“Circular economic theory uses words well,” says Edwards. “It encourages us to eliminate, circulate and regenerate. The key premise is that by doing so, economic performance thrives. In this model,

being specific with language helps define metrics to assess impacts on product, people, and the natural environment.”

This ‘triple bottom line’ approach – accounting for people, planet and profit – is gaining momentum and hopefully there is helpful action that will follow as more businesses tune in. It seems likely that for those brands that do not pioneer the way towards regenerative outcomes, consumers will drag them into it. The Zeno Strength of Purpose report concluded that brands leading with purpose will prevail. This study of over 8,000 consumers drew emphatic links between the trust, advocacy and commercial performance of businesses driven by clear, evidenced efforts of managing impact.

“Impact is difficult to understand,” says Barnes Edwards. “Measuring it is time-consuming, complex, and sometimes relies on a frustrating amount of guesswork.

“For those on the path of exploring what can be learned by looking into the impact of their business along with the commercial implications, a wonderful and crazy world of discovery constantly unfolds.”

The Garlic Farm advocates the B Corp impact assessment tool because of the actions it has stimulated them to take. Having completed organic conversion with the Soil Association last year, they submitted their application for B Corp verification the following month. These projects have been in action for many years and form the foundation of the brand’s attitude and vision.

“It often takes a massive effort to make things simple. Organic is a simple word. We

have worked hard to earn the ability to use this word. By certifying all our farmland, our visitors and customers know that we are independently inspected. This is a clear, verified, legal commitment.

“Behind the scenes, things are far from simple. We are on a massively steep learning curve with our organic farming system and thankfully getting loads of help from the agroecological community.

“There are lots of levers to push on the farm and we are getting great guidance on soil, animal, human, climate and commercial health. It’s exciting.

“We definitely don’t always know what we’re doing but we do know why.”

The guidance The Garlic Farm is receiving from the process of accreditation and the communities of like-minded businesses is a credit to the certification bodies themselves and this readership alike.

B Corp and The Soil Association are helping move what was already a mature business forward.

With certified farmland as a first step, the company is exploring organic production of the broader ambient range.

www.thegarlicfarm.co.uk

01983 865 378

wholesale@thegarlicfarm.co.uk

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View from HQ

focusing on paying the one-person bands and SMEs within a couple of weeks and letting the monolithic wait a little longer. The subject has cropped up a fair bit in Q1. So much so that I raised the point at the recent DEFRA SME food & drink summit, which was held at the Oval (cricket ground), London.

Did my informed question illicit a response? To be fair it is not strictly a DEFRA concern, it is a BEIS (Business, Energy & industrial Strategy) to-do, I was informed, and with Business & Trade (DBT) they have launched a consultation

2023

By John Farrand managing director

THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL turmoil continues. As I write a few banks are collapsing. The budget hasn’t addressed the cost of energy, but at least it dealt us a little more stability than the previous shambles. For a balanced view from the sector, turn to page 6.

Here at the Guild, we’ve been solving some light-touch financial turmoil, working on our supplier payment and reference systems.

‘Payment terms’ were on the agenda. I like to think we’re good,

Squeezing supplier margins and sketchy payment is routine at the supermarkets. This month’s ‘Supplier Abuse’ award goes to Tesco who has introduced a ‘fulfilment charge’ to producers to underpin the cost of online and home delivery channels. It’s essentially a levy on every unit sold that you must sign up to or face ‘range reviews or reduced pricing’. Sounds fair, eh?

But something unpleasant is leeching into the independent world too. I’ve got three emails sitting in my inbox from producers bemoaning smaller retailers. Talk of being delisted as a punishment for chasing invoices, 60-day (or longer) terms, and one marmalade maker being told by a retailer that they ‘only pay suppliers periodically’. How wonderfully vague.

The Word on Westminster

By Edward Woodall ACS

THIS YEAR'S SPRING Budget will be defined by what was missing from it, rather than what was announced. Jeremy Hunt’s hourlong speech slavishly went through the four ‘E’s of economic growth: Everywhere, Education, Enterprise and Employment, but he missed the most important ‘E’ for business: energy bills. Sadly, the Budget completely failed to provide thousands of struggling businesses with the support they need to cover the cost of sky-high energy bills, let alone empower them to grow and flourish.

From April, the Government will press on with untargeted and frankly inadequate support for 12

months through the Energy Bills Discount Scheme, with a discount of 1.9p per kWh for electricity. This will reduce an average eligible small retail business’ annual energy bill by just £1,520. Almost 7,000 local shops are facing the prospect of closure this year as a result. The closure of these stores will undoubtedly hurt communities, leaving customers without access to the services and goods they need.

While there were positive policy proposals to allow businesses to fully expense their investments, it’s hard to pitch this to businesses that are struggling to keep the lights on. We will keep fighting to put the cost of energy bills on the government’s agenda directly with Ministers and via (yet another) Ofgem review. But it seems this is

supplier margins and sketchy payment is routine at the supermarkets

on the Amendments to the Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017. You could have your say – follow the link below. Come on independent sector. Try to pay each other on time. And in addition, constructive and real-life legislation supporting fair payment terms would oil the creaking wheels of the wider industry and could make paying those huge electricity bills on time a reality.

https://bit.ly/PPPRegulations

a problem that will not go away for the government and their apathetic approach to targeting support for business could come back to haunt them when backbench MPs start to see the real impact in their communities.

Rishi Sunak continues to focus on delivering his five priorities of which economic growth and reducing inflation are most relevant to food businesses. To achieve this, the government must look to ease pressures on business, with regulations such as the design of the Deposit Return Scheme planned for 2025 and the timetable for the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility.

Great Taste 2023

Great Taste 2023 is off to a brilliant start.

We’ve already judged 3,367 products, which is roughly a quarter of submissions. Don’t worry if you haven’t received delivery instructions yet, they will be on their way, and you can check your delivery dates in your MyGuild account.

Do you have the deli code?

If you run a deli, you can take advantage of the protection provided by the Guild’s Deli Code of Practice, assured by Cornwall Council as part of a Primary Authority partnership. This is included in Guild of Fine Food membership.

It’s market time

We’ve added four more Great Taste Market for 2023. The markets are an opportunity for winning producers to present their products to consumers at some of the best shows this year, including CarFest South, Malvern Autumn Show, Country Living Christmas Fair and Women and Home Christmas Live! For more information, visit gff.co.uk.

Ashley Warden

Financial controller: Stephen Guppy

Accounts assistant: Julie Coates

Chairman: Bob Farrand

Director: Linda Farrand

Edward Woodall is government relations director at the ACS edward.woodall@acs.org.uk

Squeezing