FFD January-February 2023

Cover Design: Mark Windsor

EDITORIAL

Editor: Michael Lane

Deputy editor: Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Art director: Mark Windsor

Contributors: Nick Baines, Patrick McGuigan, Lynda Searby, Tom Vaughan

No doubt most of you reading this are a little jaded by the mountain of food produced, sold and consumed towards the end of the year. So, here is your fair warning that this missive (and this magazine) may contain even more food.

It might be some kind of postfestive-dinner haunting, or a newfound dependency, or possibly a recent hotel stay, but I’ve been thinking a lot about bu ets.

Full confession, I usually like them – and am delighted that the pandemic didn’t manage to kill o this brilliantly chaotic method of dining – but it surprises me when establishments get them wrong.

It’s a basic formula. Whack tonnes of food out, let people help themselves, mop up the debris. Usually, it’s fellow diners that sour the experience, but I recently encountered a bu et where the hotel itself managed to screw things up.

By Michael Lane, editor

One night they totally ran out of clean plates. On several mornings, the scrambled eggs were unnervingly liquid. But the cardinal sin, was that there was nothing our kids wanted to eat for the entire week.

Okay, my children have woeful taste in food (most people’s do, don’t believe the social media hype). If it’s beige and covered in ketchup that does the trick. The upside is that this is usually not that hard to cater for – unless you came to this hotel.

The resulting e ect is a bu et swarming with hungry children that can’t sit still and a dreadful ‘I don’t want to be here’ dinner for everyone – both parents and nonparents alike.

A er a few customers (yes, including us) pointed out that maybe the hotel could put chips and nuggets on one night, they did magically appear on the nal night

of our stay. And the room was transformed.

Every kid in the dining hall sat still and ate, adults glided around the hot counters unhindered, and – guess what – most guests’ plates had a pile of those universally loved fried potatoes on them.

For many people, starting a new year in business brings with it a pressure to come up with some big idea, or a revolutionary retail scheme, or a panacea for the world’s problems. Most of the time, it just pays to listen to your customers and give them what they want.

We’ve got a veritable banquet of new launches, real-life retailing, and fresh ideas (especially in our Business Improvement feature starting on page 30) for you in this edition. Hopefully these will help you in your endeavours. But don’t get overwhelmed.

Here’s to keeping it simple in 2023. Happy New Year.

Tenuta Marmorelle Pomegranate Juice

These days, everywhere I look is an advert for a new alcohol-free drink: seltzers, kombuchas and effirs are great, and so are some of the botanical concoctions devised to replace spirits in cocktails. The quality of some of the tipple-free beers I’ve

Sales director: Sally Coley

Sales manager: Ruth Debnam

Sales executive: Becky Haskett

Here is your fair warning that this missive (and this magazine) may contain even more food.

16-17 April 2023

ExCeL | London

Europe’s leading sustainable business event

If your business stocks food and drink products, there is no better place to visit.

Plus, you can network with your colleagues while hearing the latest trends and research.

FEATURING:

“What a great show, fantastic to meet so many industry contacts and celebrate the best of organic food and drink, we’ll be back.” SOIL

Christmas trading exceeds expectations despite strike-induced courier chaos

By Greg Pitcher

Independent food rms have celebrated a bright Christmas trading period despite the economic gloom and nightmares over couriers.

Retailers and suppliers told FFD of being at their busiest ever – even if the positive mood was tempered by delivery challenges and soaring costs.

Delilah Fine Foods owner Sangita Tryner said the Nottingham store had its “busiest Christmas yet”.

“We worked hard on our website over the past three years; that was buoyant and the shop was packed,” she said.

“We didn’t say no to anything – catering, corporate orders – we knew we had to take what we could ahead of the New Year.”

Tryner said the public appeared to be making the most of a brief

period between Covid-19 restrictions and the looming recession.

“We sold more buildyour-own hampers than we have done before,” she said. “That increased the spend a bit because it made it easier for people – or maybe impulse purchasing took over. The upli from that has been great.”

Antonio Picciuto, owner of Hertfordshire-based Buongiorno Italia, said he was “very pleased” with December trading.

“We were expecting a bit of a downturn but trade stayed pretty buoyant

M&S unveils signi cant store expansion plan across UK

M&S is investing £480,000 into “bigger, better” stores across the UK, with 20 new outlets scheduled to open this year.

Alongside the clothing, home and beauty departments, the superstores will include M&S Food halls, loose food refill stations and cafés.

The retailer has said the investment is core to its aim to become “the UK’s leading omnichannel retailer”.

A total of 8 full-line destination stores will be located in city centres,

many of them taking up spaces left vacant by the now-defunct Debenhams.

In addition to recent food hall openings in Canary Wharf, Battersea Power Station, Harrogate atlands and acclesfield, another three are set to follow in Stockport, Barnsley and Largs over the course of 2023.

As well as its own stores, the company is expanding its franchise portfolio with convenience stores in partnership with the likes of BP, Moto, SSP and Costa. The announcement comes after the store hailed strong Christmas trading, posted record food sales and higher food and home sales than for the previous seven years.

“This year, because people had the stock in earlier, they re-ordered as well. Our sales were up 30 per cent on last year.”

Orders placed early in the year le the rm squeezed by rising costs but it was able to navigate its way through.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT... HOW INDIES COPED WITH COURIER CHALLENGES

throughout the festive season. Most of the higher priced, better quality Christmas products were the rst to sell out.

“Compared to the last normal Christmas in 2019, takings and volume were a lot higher – 23 December was absolute mayhem in the deli with a full store of clients all day; our busiest day ever.”

Nick Carlucci, director at importer Tenuta Marmorelle, said the supplier usually experiences a dip in interest once the shopping season gets underway in December.

“We had to swallow price increases but sales were good and it’s looking good for next year – we are already being contacted by hamper companies about Christmas 2023”, said Carlucci.

James Rutter, managing director at Paxton & Whit eld hailed a “very successful Christmas” for the cheesemonger.

“Despite the train strikes and cold weather, our London and Bath shops were bustling,” he said. “Sales of our artisan cheese advent calendar doubled, and we have received excellent feedback from customers who loved the experience.”

Government competition to reward nutritionally bene cial innovations

fir s can now bid for a share of 20 illion in Government funding to support projects to boost the public’s nutritional intake.

Public body Innovate UK opened its Better Food for All competition in January.

Businesses can partner with other organisations to apply for cash to help with initiatives designed to improve the nutritional value of food and drink consumed in the UK.

The scheme has been set up to encourage the development of affordable, accessible and sustainable innovations around commonly eaten products.

Firms have until 11am on 29th March to submit bids. Projects must have total costs of between £100,000 and £500,000.

Innovate UK said the cost to society from obesity was projected to reach £50bn per year by 2050.

Businesses interested in making an application should visit apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk.

“We had a few issues with deliveries. We struggled with certain depots and we had more parcels delayed or missing than ever. We refunded two orders out of 900 parcels. It is stress though; you wake up with a dozen problems to sort out before you start the day.”

“Our delivery networks worked fine. It was a bit slow getting stock from Italy but we factored that in and started early. We used external companies for our online orders and the only one that caused us trouble was Parcelforce because of the strikes but we had back up so it was fine.”

“We experienced congestion in the UK courier network due to the Royal Mail strikes, which caused some disruption to our deliveries. However, we were able to mitigate the effects of this by despatching all orders by 21 December and prioritising the worstaffected postcodes. We are addressing these issues with our couriers for 2023.”

SANGITA TRYNER, DELILAH FINE FOODS, NOTTINGHAM

NICK CARLUCCI, TENUTA MARMORELLE

JAMES RUTTER, PAXTON & WHITFIELD

Retailers have told FFD that they were busy despite courier issues and economic concerns

Indies to lose 90% of current subsidies under new Energy Bills Relief Scheme

By Greg Pitcher

Independent retailers have warned that a “death slide” in Government subsidies for gas and electricity bills will leave many small shops in peril.

Ministers revealed in January that the Energy Bills Relief Scheme providing discounts for businesses this winter would be replaced by a less generous initiative from 1st April.

While the existing policy features reductions of up to £345 per MWh on nondomestic electricity sourced through variable contracts, the replacement will cap the subsidy at £19.61 per MWh for most businesses.

The maximum amount gas prices will be cut by under the incoming Energy Bills Discount Scheme is £6.97 per MWh, down from £91 per MWh under the current initiative.

Certain manufacturers will qualify for more generous support under the

Energy and Trade Intensive Industries initiative.

But British Independent Retailers Association chief executive Andrew Goodacre said a typical small shop would see their support slashed by more than 90% to just £400 a year.

“The chancellor said he wanted to avoid a cli edge in terms of energy support – but it looks as if he has replaced the cli edge with a death slide,” said Goodacre. “Last year we saw energy bills for indie retailers increasing by

I Camisa & Son owners secure two-year lease extension

Iconic Soho deli I Camisa & Son has been saved from the brink of closure following successful negotiations with the landlord, who extended its least for two years. The speciality store originally opened in 1929 and was bought by Italian importer Alivini in 2014, but the freehold belongs

to Shaftesbury PLC. Last month Alivini directors, Gianni Segatta said the Old Compton Street shop was struggling to make money amid high energy prices, rates, VAT and salaries – as well as reduced footfall – and would be forced to close unless it was saved by a third party.

IN BRIEF

director at the Association of Convenience Stores told members the level of help on o er had been “signi cantly reduced”.

“We are very disappointed by the level of support that the Government is o ering, and we have made clear to the Government that many convenience retailers will be at risk without more support,” he said.

Sainsbury’s is the latest of the big multiples to strike a deal with delivery service provider Just Eat. It plans to roll out the 30-minute service across 175 stores by March.

500%. These businesses will now have another £6,000 per annum of costs to deal with at a time when consumer spending has fallen and other costs are set to increase.”

He called for variable subsidies to be o ered according to business consumption trends.

“We would like to have seen higher discounts o ered to those businesses that have reduced energy compared to last year.”

Edward Woodall, Government relations

“We will be continuing to campaign for more support through direct contact with ministers, o cials and campaigning in parliament.”

Cheshire-based Gibsons’ Greengrocer’s & Deli closed in January a er soaring costs became too much to manage.

“How many more small independents have to close their doors before something is done?” the business wrote on social media. “We had a successful business... until the energy crisis.”

Scottish consultation mulls alcohol advertising ban

The Scottish Government has mooted a range of major restrictions on alcohol displays, which ministers admit could “signi cantly limit” how small shops sell certain drinks.

A consultation closing in March proposes several options to reduce the exposure people have from a young age to alcoholic products in retail settings across the country.

Suggestions in the document include banning aisle-end and window displays, restricting what products can share an aisle with alcohol and potentially forcing some drinks to be sold from closed cabinets behind tills – in a similar fashion to

tobacco products.

“Visibility of alcohol in the retail environment may in uence children to think of alcohol in the same way as other everyday consumer goods sold at shops like food, clothes and medicines, and contribute to the normalisation of alcohol,” said the consultation.

“This may create positive attitudes around alcohol which later in uence consumption decisions.”

It added: “Where alcohol is displayed behind the checkout, this could be required to be in a closed cupboard, like tobacco products.”

The consultation did, however, note the potential

Packaging specialist WBC has been acquired by Premier Paper Group (PPG). The company, which supplies speciality food & drink producers, will continue to operate as WBC and will retain a 25% holding of the business.

A British wine has been named the “best in the world” in the 20- 30 Unoaked’ category at the Global Sauvignon Blanc Masters Awards. Woodchester Valley’s 2021 vintage was described by judges as “perfect for matching with asparagus or goats’ cheese”.

e ects of such a policy on smaller independent retailers.

“For some small shops this could signi cantly limit how alcohol could be sold,” it said.

“Further work will need to be undertaken on the impact to small retailers before any potential restrictions were introduced.”

Audrey Ferrie, legal director at law rm Pinsent Masons, said the proposals would “impact signi cantly” on the sale of alcohol.

“Since there are already strict rules around advertising, perhaps more enforcement of existing legislation is the answer,” she said.

Declining energy bill support will have a big impact on retailers

Defra scheme could be “too little too late” for farmers and food production

By Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

The National Farmer’s Union (NFU) has warned that the Government’s introduction of Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes is likely to be “too little too late” for British farmers to secure subsidies, possibly impacting future food production.

The ELMs were devised to replace payments from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), an EU-funded system of agricultural subsidies. Their aim is to support the rural economy while achieving the Government’s sustainability goals. The schemes were announced by the Department for Environment Food and Rural A airs (Defra) at the Oxford Farming Conference in January following multiple delays.

The implications for

food production in the UK are still uncertain, but don’t bode well given the current in ationary pressures and the impact of trade deals being negotiated by the Government.

According to Claire Robinson, countryside advisor at the NFU, further clarity is needed because farmers are out of pocket and uncertain about what they need to do to conform with the schemes.

“It’s very di cult to factor in what the Government is looking to

Fears for retail as food & drink in ation hits 50-year high

Food and drink in ation hit its highest level since the 1970s in the run up to Christmas, o cial data has shown.

Figures published by the O ce for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that prices of non-alcoholic products soared by 16.9% in the 12 months to December 2022, the 17th consecutive month of increasing food in ation and the highest rate in more than 45 years.

IN BRIEF

there’s a viable business model. That’s why the detail matters,” said Robinson.

One risk is that the delays will undermine British farmers’ ability to align with the Government’s objectives–with the worry that supermarkets may undercut them with foreign imports.

support going forward if you haven’t got the detail, the payment rates, or know how it ts into your business,” she said.

Details aren’t being withheld but haven’t been de ned yet – and what that means for food production in the UK is up in the air.

“We don’t know whether the actions are about taking land out of production, what the trade-o is between food production and environmental delivery, or if they are genuinely going hand in hand and

“If you make it so food can be imported cheaper, then you’ve got to enable farming systems to be able to compete,” said Robinson. “We don’t want a scenario where farmers are required to do a huge amount of activity that adds cost to food production.”

The ipside is that the ELMs will likely lead to innovation and change in UK food production, she added.

“But without more details from the Government, I can’t go any further into what it will mean at this time.”

DOWN ON THE FARM

The latest from farm shops across the country

The Welsh Leek now has protected status under the UK Protected Geographic Indication scheme. The application was Wales’ third to be approved, after Gower Salt Marsh a b and a brian Mountains Lamb.

The French baguette has made it onto UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List, protecting its ingredients, baking techniques t, and the culture that surrounds it.

Cryer & Stott Cheesemongers’

Richard Holmes has been awarded an MBE for services to the food industry. The retailer and producer is credited for inventing Duke of Wellington and Ruby Gold cheeses.

– but still the highest recorded by that index.

The trade body said food prices were 13.3% higher in December 2022 than in the same month a year earlier, the biggest rise on its records.

cabinet of essentials and a self-service checkout. fenfarmdairy.co.uk

Price rises in the food sector outstripped even the rampant consumer price index, with that closelywatched barometer running at just under 10% in recent months.

Data published by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) showed a slightly lower level of in ation

BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson described a “challenging Christmas” for householders, as the cold snap forced people to spend more on their energy bills and the prices of many essential foods rose.

She warned that this year would be “di cult” as in ation “shows no immediate signs of waning”.

Millets Farm Shop in Abingdon has gradually been expanding its offering including a play barn and a farm house kitchen. Last year it even added an 18-hole crazy golf course with a farmyard theme. milletsfarmcentre.com

The Isle of Wight Farm Shop has received a full makeover. The new owners took over the shop in 2021 and, as well as completing a redesign, they have been busy fostering relationships with local suppliers including a wine partnership with Alistair Gibson’s Heritage Cellar. isleofwightfarmshop. co.uk Food

The team at Fen Farm Dairy recently renovated their farm shop, known as The Milk Shed. It now features a self-service coffee machine, fresh milk dispenser, a cooler

The Fours Shires Farm Shop in Seckington opened an adjacent tearoom, kicking off in November serving teas, coffees and cakes, with an extended menu to follow. facebook.com/ thefourshiresfarmshop

In association with Fabulous Farm Shops fabulousfarmshops.co.uk

The NFU says more clarity is needed about the new Environmental Land Management scheme

prices were 13.3% higher in Dec ‘22, compared to Dec ‘21

IF I’D KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW...

MICAH JUDAH, owner, Pavilion, Henley-on-Thames

I’ve long dreamt of opening my own deli & food store and in December 2021, that dream became a reality. After training at Le Cordon Bleu and spending 15 years in food retail with M&S, Pavilion is the culmination of much that I’ve learned throughout my career. Building a breadth of skills has been incredibly valuable, although you never stop learning!

I’ve always been a strong believer that a thriving high street plays an important role in our communities. With the continuing trend of consumers switching bricks for clicks, I wanted to create a deli with a difference, helping to draw people to the high street rather than heading to retail parks or shopping online.

The deli and food retail store form the crux of the business, with freshly prepared deli goods made daily in our open plan kitchen, and over 1,000 products from the locality and beyond. Our cookery school is a major point of difference and integral to our mission of inspiring people of all ages through our love of food. This also allows us to use our space more efficiently. This multifaceted model has enabled us to lean into other areas of the business during quieter periods for retail. Our catering, corporate events, hampers and gifting offers each play important roles throughout the year.

Hospitality and food retail is always going to be challenging. We certainly don’t do it because it’s easy, but because we love it. Experience has taught me that continuing to put the customer first and never compromising on quality will be key to weathering uncertainty. It’s easy to think that by saving a little here, and a little there, customers won’t notice, but a product can soon become unrecognisable and customers will vote with their feet.

The business is a work in progress and we have had to adapt and evolve. There have been some surprises along the way: I didn’t expect such a demand for ‘sit in’. Early on, I reconfigured the deli and food store space, dropping fruit and veg from the range to accommodate more covers.

I’ve also been surprised by how many plantbased gelato, vegan cheese and deli items we’ve sold. Pavilion label products such as finish-athome meals, preserves, chutneys, charcuterie and gin have really connected with our customers. We’ve got lots of exciting plans for this year, including new cookery class experiences, local food tours and corporate team days, plus distribution of our own label range and our first new site venture.

Interview Lynda Searby

CONFESSIONS OF A DELI OWNER

I ALWAYS LOSE money in January but the trade contributes to wages, utilities, rent and rates. I’d lose more if I closed.

By the time this goes to print, Easter will be approaching and I will be back optimistically making plans for 2023. The pro ts of Christmas will be mostly spent and the bills for Christmas stock paid (I hope – I’ve had years when I’m still paying in March).

The mood music in the industry press is to “down-hour”. Cut back on hours and services to minimise overheads.

Apparently, the employee version of it is to “quietly quit”, where they put in no more e ort than is absolutely necessary. Should my shop do the same?

Every year I forget how di erent January is to December. I sell more cheese in an hour in December than I do in a week in January.

Why am I open? I don’t know. I can’t bring myself to close.

A couple of friends who run a grocer’s have locked up for two weeks and departed for some Spanish islands. Few will notice. There will be a couple of comments when they return from

MODEL RETAILING

Why am I open?

customers, who are envious of their tans.

The businessman in me (a very small part – I think he got up, le and is working as an accountant in Milton Keynes) says: “Yes. Close”. The desperate shopkeeper in me says: “No, stay open for your customers”. Cutting back on services to weather the storm of sta shortages, higher prices, higher wages, and energy in ation seems like sense, but I’m in a dilemma.

On the downside, I’ve spent years building this business, and I’m not going to let a few

months in 2023 screw that up. Work harder, get through it. No one is taking that away from me, not least some macro-economic turmoil that may or may not have been caused by a vain tyrant who can’t keep his army in his pants.

On the plus side, bunkering down seems nice. I’m shit-tired, I had Covid over Christmas, and January isn’t worth the candle anyway. Let’s laminate a sign that says “Back in February, for Valentines”.

Then there is a halfway house. I could shut the café from 2pm, co ee and cake only, reduced menu, one kitchen person for mornings only. That has its own problems, though. I’d probably need a panini machine behind the deli to keep the menu ticking over –and that’s a slippery slope.

So, I doubt I will close anything. I’ll take a pay cut, get through it and live on the fumes of hope. It’s just another reminder I am not in this business for the big bucks.

The glue that holds us together is the customer loyalty, the team, the community. Let the youngsters be nimble and responsive. I’ll just keep doing my thing.

FFD says: December can be exhausting for retailers, especially after the last few years we’ve had. By all means, take some time off and let your hair down, but don’t check out completely. Every good shopkeeper tidies up, reviews and readies themselves in the quieter months. Plus, some of your more loyal customers will still want to see you before spring arrives.

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.

I don’t know. I can’t bring myself to close.

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… personal hygiene Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, Chapter VIII requires that:

“Every person working in a food-handling area is to maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness and is to wear suitable, clean and, where necessary, protective clothing.” Because hands are one of the main ways that food may become contaminated it is essential to practice effective hand hygiene.

Hands must be washed:

• Before or on entering any food areas, before touching any food or starting work.

Industry View

Some market experts would have it that homedrinking is a declining market. Despite the cost of living crisis, this is questionable.

Any data that shows retail alcohol sales volumes declining masks an underlying picture. I believe people are still doing what they have always done but maybe buying a little less given inflation, interest rates and increasing energy costs.

With the rise in working from home, I predict that in the spring and summer, the social occasion that would have happened in a pub after a day in the office, will transfer into the home and garden. Local delicatessens and farm shops are really well placed to capitalise on this.

Independent retailers support consumer market demand for quality products that are different yet affordable. And the trend towards premium products will see consumers attracted to drinking slightly lower volumes, but instead buying better-quality spirits. The IWSR has highlighted this in its most recent

• After handling raw foods and before handling ready-to-eat foods.

• After handling any waste food/refuse, including lifting a bin by hand.

• After smoking or eating or when returning from a break.

• After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing, touching your face or hair.

• After going to the toilet.

• After unpacking deliveries or cleaning.

• After contact with surfaces or food handlers in contact with raw foods.

The following items will put food at risk from contamination and should not be worn during production or handling of food:

• False nails/shellac nail polish/nail varnish

• Jewellery, except small sleeper/stud earrings and plain wedding rings

• Strong perfume or aftershave

• Handwashing products containing nut oil

WHAT’S TRENDING

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

drinks market analysis.

Delis and farm shops naturally support British – and, in particular, farms in close vicinity – but they also stock quality goods from overseas. The range of premium spirits out there aligns with these sourcing criteria, while many also tick the sustainability box for consumers too.

Aside from quality and affordability, consumers are often looking for the narrative behind their spirits so that they can relate these to their friends. Again, I believe this is part of the

1 Dates New year, new health kick. A tale as old as time, and this year dates are getting all the attention. Whole Foods Market has marked the dried fruit as a big food trend in 2023 – a go-to alternative to refined sugars. Dates have been used extensively in popular TikTok recipes and nutritionists are touting them for their versatility. As we see a renewed enthusiasm for Middle Eastern cookery, expect to see the humble date get a new lease of life: from syrups to varieties (beyond Medjool) like Deglet Noor, and Mazafati.

2 High-end pet food

According to the BBC, 3.2 million pets were bought during the pandemic, not including adoptions. Needless to say, the pet food market is growing. High-end pet food brands are on the rise, with the likes of Lily’s Kitchen hitting the mainstream. Veg box giant Abel & Cole is in on the action, as are relative newcomers like KatKin and Untamed. There’s potential for retailers to dial into this market, too. Dorset’s Bakehouse24 now produces artisanal dog biscuits alongside its range of sourdough loaves and modern patisserie.

3 Modern wine bars continue

rise in consumers wanting social experiences rather than simply consuming alcohol. Given independents’ ability to relay the story behind products, they’re well-placed to continue to charge the glasses of home-drinkers during 2023.

A new wave of wine bars are becoming bastions of the post-gentrified high street. Top drawer plonk is having all the airs and graces stripped back, and it seems this approach is thriving. All the pomp and circumstance is removed at Bristol’s KASK, which bears the motto, “we say no to shit wine”. Brighton’s Plateau continues to fly the flag for natural wines, while trailblazers of the contemporary wine movement, Sager & Wilde, opened a new spot under the name Equal Parts.

NICK GILLETT, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF SPECIALIST SPIRIT WHOLESALER MANGROVE UK, SAYS IT’S PREMATURE TO PROCLAIM THE DECLINE OF HOMEDRINKING.

Every person working in a food-handling area is to maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness

The trend towards premium products will see consumers drinking slightly lower volumes, but buying better-quality spirits.

BEST CHEESE IN THE WORLD.

Carron Lodge buys Lancashire maker Singletons out of administration

By Patrick McGuigan

Carron Lodge has bought Lancashire cheesemaker Singletons & Co from administration, a er also acquiring the Cheddar Cheese Gorge Cheese Co and Ribblesdale Cheese last year.

The cheesemaker and wholesaler, based in Inglewhite, Lancashire, recouped Singletons’ premises and equipment in Longridge from administrators, plus brands including Grandma Singletons, on 22 December. Singletons had traded for more than 80 years but collapsed in August with 69 job losses. The closure was blamed on the loss of the right to distribute ‘a third-party product’ in 2018,

plus the impact of Covid and the rising cost of milk.

Carron Lodge, which is owned by the Rhodes family, said it planned to invest in the Longridge site, which will continue as a working cheese dairy. It also plans to launch new products for the retail and foodservice sectors.

It marks the third such acquisition for Carron Lodge in less than a year, following the purchase of the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company in Somerset in April for £2.5m and award-winning Yorkshire goat and sheep’s cheesemaker Ribblesdale Cheese for £150k in June.

According to accounts led at Companies’ House, Carron

Lodge’s turnover grew to £45.3m in the year to March 2022, compared to £29.2m the year before – a 55% increase. Pre-tax pro t grew from £1.5m to £4.3m in the same period.

The deal with Singletons was partly motivated by a historical connection between the two companies. Duillia Singleton (Grandma Singleton), who set up Singletons in 1934 with husband Robert, was a relation of the Rhodes family. Some of her recipes were handed down to current owners Adrian and Annette Rhodes, who set up Carron Lodge in 1988.

Tom Rhodes, Carron Lodge operations manager, said, “Not many people know that Grandma Singleton was a relation to the Rhodes family.

“Her recipes helped Carron Lodge to start our wonderful cheese journey, and we felt that her legacy had to live on.”

Carron Lodge makes a range of more than 40 cheeses using milk from its herd of 400 cows and 24 water bu aloes, including territorial cheeses, blue cheeses and Inglewhite Bu alo.

The company also wholesales cheese and other foods across the UK from four depots in Preston, Lincoln, Gloucester and London. carron od e.com

NEWS IN BRIEF

Chiswick Cheese Market has launched a grant for start-up cheesemakers distributed by the Academy of Cheese. Four £1,000 grants, in the for of certifications and cheesemaking guidance, are available. academ o c eese.or c iswick c eese market rant or c eesemakers

Blackwoods Cheese Company in Kent, which makes Graceburn and Edmund Tew, lost all its stock and was forced to stop production in December after the dairy was devastated by a flood fro a burst water pipe.

Milk prices are starting to fall after the highs of 2022. According to mi kprices.com, farm gate prices could fall by 10-12p per litre from the current rate of just below 50p per litre before the end of the second quarter.

Lincolnshire Poacher and the Trethowan rothers are swapping dairies to create two experimental, hybrid cheeses. Tim and Simon Jones, plus their cheesemakers, travelled to omerset to ma e incolnshire Poacher at Trethowans’ dairy using raw mil usually used to ma e Pitchfor heddar. alf of the resulting cheese, dubbed ‘ omerset Poacher’, is being matured in incolnshire, while half has remained at Trethowans. reciprocal visit to incolnshire will be made by Todd and augan Trethowan, to make Pitchfork with Lincolnshire Poacher mil , calling it ‘ incolnshire Pitchfor ’. inco ns irepoac erc eese.com tret owanbrot ers.com

THREE WAYS WITH...

St Sunday’s

This new soft washed rind cheese from Martin and Nicola Gott at St James Cheese in Cumbria is made with pasteurised organic milk from a local erd o ort orn cows. imi ar in st e to Reblochon, the cheese has a dusky rind and bu in interior w i e t e a our is ma t and butter .

Crackers

The crunch of crackers are a useful foil to the oozy woozy nature of St Sunday’s. The Fine Cheese Co’s All-Butter Wheat crackers work particularly well their buttery avour dovetails with the richness of the cheese, while also providing plenty of snap and textural contrast.

Cider

One of the stand outs from a cider and cheese matching session for Good Cheese maga ine late last year was French washed rind cheese angres paired with the single variety to e ed from ilding ider. The omersetbased cidery has recent launched another version of the medium sweet cider called , made with the same apple varieties in the same year, picked from a different orchard. It has a savoury note and good structure, which would make it an excellent partner for the yeasty notes of St Sunday’s.

Hot Honey

ilderbee ochu ang ot oney from ilder itchen ood is a magic ingredient for the cheeseboard. Made by infusing honey with fresh Scotch bonnet chillies, combined with a fermented orean ochu ang chilli paste, it’s sweet and spicy and umami, adding a dash of crimson heat to the glossy cheese.

Postal strikes hamper online Christmas cheese sales

By Patrick McGuigan

Online cheese sales were seriously damaged by the postal strikes in the allimportant Christmas trading period as retailers were forced to close online shops early and experienced high failure rates for deliveries.

Royal Mail sta took 10 days of strike action in December and other courier rms struggled to meet the resulting rise in demand, leading to serious disruption for cheese businesses.

Some retailers saw up to 10% of their Christmas deliveries fail to arrive with many parcels simply destroyed because they went over their delivery window. Typically, failure rates are less than 0.5%.

At the Courtyard Dairy in Settle, Andy Swinscoe said around 8% of parcels were not delivered, while Devonbased cheesemaker Quickes was told by its courier that it would not be able to collect deliveries in the week before

CHEESE IN PROFILE with

Christmas, meaning orders went unful lled.

The MD of one major UK cheesemonger reported a failure rate of 3% and was forced to bring forward the cut-o point for online orders, resulting in hundreds of lost sales. “Thankfully our customer surveys have been as good if not better than previous years and the shops also performed really well,” he said.

The Cheese Society saw a 10-15% increase in sales

What’s the story?

at its shop in Lincoln, but had to refund thousands of pounds worth of online orders. “Unfortunately, this comes with no guarantee of any compensation by the couriers apart from giving back postage costs,” said director Kate O’Meara. “A er the last couple of years trading, this couldn’t have been worse timing.” More than 60% of online shoppers experienced delivery issues in December, according to research commissioned by logistics company Doddle.

BEHIND THE COUNTER TIPS OF THE TRADE

Carolyn Hopkins, The Truckle Truck, Dorset

Carolyn Hopkins is a cheesemonger that is going places. d ittedly she’s not going very fast, because she operates from a converted 1969 Citroen HY van called Susie (top speed 45mph), which she drives to local markets.

Hopkins set up the business in 2018 after working at Turnbulls cheese shop in Shaftesbury. “The overheads are lower than a shop and I can take the van to lots of towns,,” she says.

She has learned some interesting lessons about selling on four wheels along the way. People find the van less inti idating than being in a shop,” she says. “Rather than lining up they crowd round the counter and chat to me and each other.”

Hopkins attends three to four markets a week and has built up a loyal band of regulars. “Some markets are better than others, but you need to consistently turn up.”

The only downside to operating from a 0-year-old van are the repair costs. he goes to see the mechanic two or three times a year, but they are really good at fi ing her up.”

thetruckletruck.com

To mark the roll out of Academy of Cheese Level Three ellow ertification modules we will, over the coming months, be featuring cheeses studied at this Level. We are delighted to ic off the series with a World Cheese Awards 2022 uper old winner

Sinodun Hill

numbers over also in farm to make

goats’ later,

Similar in style to many French goats’ cheeses, Sinodun Hill is made in South Oxfordshire by Fraser Norton and Rachel Yarrow. They gave up their careers in 2014 after reading a magazine article about making goats’ cheese. Two years later, they rented barn at Earth Trust Farm (a charity which helps people set up new businesses through a Farm Step scheme), took in their first two nglo- ubian goats and started making cheese. Their herd now over 160 but they buy in milk from a local to make Sinodun Hill, the name of which comes from the original name for the Wittenham

Clumps located above the farm. This breed of goat is known as the “Jersey cow of the goat world” due to its high fat content which makes cheeses particularly creamy.

Milk: Raw goats’ milk.

How is it made?

Inspired by French varieties, Norton & Yarrow chose a very slow and gentle

the left

acidification of the curd to preserve the flavour of milk. They add only a tiny amount of cardoon thistle rennet to aid coagulation. The curds are then ladled into bags and drained for 24 hours, before being salted and pressed into the recognizable pyramid moulds, then for another 24 hours.

fter four days, the cheeses are matured for up to 21 days at the dairy.

Appearance & texture: wrin ly eotrichu candidum rind develops, so eti es with blue-grey spots. This exterior yields to an al ost ousse-li e texture with fresh, citrusy

notes. s the cheeses age, they develop a smooth, rich and creamy texture, with almond and red fruit notes.

Cheesemonger tip: young, rich goats’ cheese like this suits a crisp Sauvignon Blanc, Picpoul or even a glass of Sake. Looks stunning on a cheeseboard as a whole pyramid but can be sold in halves.

Chef’s recommendation: This rich, unctuous goats’ cheese is ideal in a salad of roasted vegetables. Or, serve it on your cheeseboard with a drizzle of English honey and a measure of white port.

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.

ecember’s stri e action by oyal ail staff left couriers overloaded and caused delivery chaos, including many unfulfilled cheese orders

Handmade in small batches to maximise the flavour, using local fresh produce whenever seasonally possible

Sweet & savoury biscuits in both traditional recipes and those unique to McKenzie’s Biscuits baked to the highest standards. Now available throughout the UK and selected overseas markets

Traditional butter biscuits and oatcakes. Our own recipe herb flavoured savoury biscuits in various flavours including thyme, rosemary and basil

Keeper of a tradition

with one other cheesemaker at her farmhouse, where she also runs a tea room. “It’s not an easy job,” she admits. “It’s physically demanding.”

RABBIE BURNS WASN’T just good with words. Scotland’s national poet was also a dab hand with a cheese knife. According to historical accounts, he was as “happy as a courtier at the feast of kings” when sitting down to a meal of Dunlop cheese and bread.

For Ayrshire’s last remaining Dunlopmaker Ann Dorward, the bard’s seal of approval means Burns’ Night is usually a busy time of the year, with her cheeses served at suppers across the land.

“It’s a good time for Scottish cheeses in general in what is otherwise a quiet month,” she says.

Similar in style to cheddar, but with a so er, buttery character, Dunlop was the most popular cheese in Scotland in the 18th century, but its fortunes waned as cheddar’s rose – to the point where production died out a er World War II. Dorward revived the historic cheese in 1990 a er moving to a farm near the town of Dunlop and has been ying the ag ever since, establishing a herd of Ayrshire cows and gaining a PGI for ‘Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop’ in the process.

“I did some research into what cheeses were made in the area in the past and Dunlop was a natural t,” she says. “I couldn’t make West Country Cheddar here, if I tried. The cheese turns out the way it does because of the milk from the Ayrshire cows, the soil and the grass.”

But keeping an 18th century cheese alive in the 21st century is hard work. As well as tending her 20-strong herd of cows and 80 goats, Dorward makes all the cheese herself

The uncertainty of Covid made the job even tougher. Cheese stocks were run down and both the cow and goat herds reduced during the pandemic, while sta who le were not replaced. “Cheesemaking is not a job you can just show up and do. You need to be interested in it and be willing to learn. It’s hard to nd sta out here.”

It feels like the business is at a crossroads and Dorward admits she is looking for someone to take on the cheesemaking operation. “It needs someone with fresh ideas to manage and grow it,” she says. “I’m not going to go on forever.”

The dairy makes around 10 tonnes a year, with Dunlop and a hard goat’s milk cheese called Bonnet the two best sellers. So there is plenty of room to grow, especially as Dorward plans to build the cow and goat herds up again so there is more milk for cheese. The dairy is currently also being refurbished with new ooring and there are plans to increase maturation space.

The improvements to the business are being mirrored across the Scottish cheese scene, which has grown and evolved in the 30-plus years Dorward has been making it. When she started there were just three other farmhouse cheesemakers in Scotland – now there are more than a dozen. It’s still a long way from the days when every dairy farm would make cheese, but it’s de nite progress.

“Scotland is not into artisan cheese in the same way as in England,” she admits. “A wee bit of red cheddar out of the supermarkets is what makes a lot of people happy, but attitudes are changing.”

dunlopdairy.co.uk

Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop

Dunlop Dairy makes a range of cows’ and goats’ milk cheeses, including Aiket, Paddy’s Milestone, Ailsa Craig, Bonnet, and the popular Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop. Made with pasteurised milk and vegetarian rennet, its texture is close and smooth with a delicate sweet, buttery flavour.

Until Dunlop was invented around 1690 cheese had been made with skimmed milk (the cream was used for butter) and was hard and thin in flavour. The new“sweetmilk” cheese, was a sensation with farms across Scotland. Ann Dorward is the only remaining producer in Ayrshire.

Dunlop is made a little like cheddar, but is its own distinct cheese. The curds are cut small and scalded at a slightly lower temperature than cheddar before being drained and ‘cheddared’ in the vat. This leads to a moister and creamier cheese that is aged for just eight months.

Cheesemaking is not a job you can just show up and do.

Meet Ann Dorward, the last remaining Dunlop-maker in Ayrshire

Interview by Patrick McGuigan

Deli Farm to live on a er Capreolus acquisition

By Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Deli Farm Charcuterie products are soon to be sold in new recyclable packaging a er the Cornish producer was acquired by Capreolus at the end of November 2022.

The sale followed on Deli Farm Charcuterie founders Jean and Martin Edwards’ decision to retire, which they announced in October last year.

To clinch the deal, Capreolus committed to maintain the brand’s provenance, so while production has been moved to Rampisham, West Dorset, it will stick with its supply chain in Cornwall.

“Retaining the brand as well as the customers is extremely

important, because very important to those customers was the fact that it was Cornish,” explains Capreolus founder and director David Richards.

Recipes will remain the same and the products will still be sold under the Deli Farm brand. The only real change is that the vacuum packaging will be swapped for modi ed atmosphere packaging made from the widely recycled PET plastic, which increases the product’s shelf life.

“We’re thrilled to bits,” says Richards of himself and his wife Karen, who founded Capreolus in 2009.

“We’ve had the most enormous respect for Deli Farm ever since they started in 2007”.

What struck Richards was Martin Edwards’ willingness to encourage and support fellow charcuterie producers like themselves.

When they met, Richards recalls, “[Martin Edwards] said to me, ‘it’s so good to see somebody else starting to make charcuterie in

Charcuterie Awards to go global in 2023

The World Charcuterie Awards will take place for the first ti e on th- th arch 2023, replacing the British harcuterie wards.

n invitation to enter products ends on anuary 2 th, in each of the following classes ured, ir- ried eady-to- at hole uscle Products ured oo ed hole uscle Products ured, er ented ir ried eady-to- at ausage Products ured oo ed ausage Products oft preadable Products ured Bacon orldwide egional Products nac ing harcuterie.

dditional awards will be given to the Best ured, er ented ir ried eady-to- at ausage Products ade in the Best a e Product Best Product fro orthern reland Best Product fro cotland Best raditional or eritage Breed Product and British ising tar, given to a producer under the age of 30 years who has been a ing for less than 2 years.

udges will assess the products on the basis of taste, outh feel, te ture, appearance and presentation, scoring the out of 00.

Products scoring upwards of 0 points will receive a gold edal, a silver for anything between 0- and a bronze for a score between 0- .

inally, the ha pion Product will be

the South West. I can’t give you any help at all with your recipe development but if you’ve got any technical problems, I’m more than happy to help.”

“I really took that to heart, and I’ve always tried to do exactly the same thing as him,” he says.

Martin Edwards says he and Jean are “so pleased” to team up

selected a ong the old winners, and whoever perfor s consistently well across ultiple classes will be na ed ha pion Producer.

hese awards have evolved fro the British harcuterie wards, set up by food writer enrietta reen in 20 . he last ha pion of ha pions in the awards previous incarnation the 20-2 event was uffol ’s ingley ell ured. wor dc arcuterieawards.com

with Capreolus in the knowledge that “they will continue to make our products with the same care and attention to detail that we have strived to achieve. It is also very important to us that they will keep the provenance of our products by continuing to use Cornish meat.”

capreo usfine oods.co.uk

idlandu a is Cureights’ take on the talian classic fro pilinga. his spreadable spicy sala i is ade in Budbroo on the outs irts of Bir ingha , where it is cured and aged for several onths to turn it into an a bient product. he pac aging, the co pany says, is deliberately si ple, to reassure custo ers that the cost of the product is solely down to the ingredients. curei ts.com

ecreasing its carbon footprint has been the driving force behind The Real Cure’s recent introduction of fully recyclable fle ible pouches across its retail range. he orsetbased charcuterie producer, whose products include free range Por ala is, ild enison horizo and Pepperoni, orset du a, oppa and Bresaola, says it has been wor ing on the pac aging for several years, which also increases the product’s shelf life. therealcure.co.uk

Karen and David Richards are the new custodians of the Deli Farm brand (below)

Sea Salt & Black Pepper Water Biscuits

Part of our award-winning biscuits for cheese range

www.stagbakeries.co.uk

Something for the board?

Hopefully Christmas has been good to you, and you’ve got a clear stock room and a clean slate to re-think your cheese accompaniments for 2023. Regardless, it never hurts to review your o er...

Compiled by Lynda Searby

chutneys, pickles & biscuits

Bay’s Kitchen, whose focus is on producing foods that are IBS-friendly, gluten free, dairy free and vegan, has launched a Tomato & Red Pepper Chutney. Made without hard-to-digest ingredients like onion and garlic, the chutney is free from most allergens, allowing people who suffer with digestive issues to eat it. RRP £3.95; trade price £2.37. bayskitchen.com

Northern Ireland takeaway catering business Artisan Man has launched its signature sandwich and burger accompaniment as a retail jar. The tomato chutney, which Artisan Man serves with ham & cheese sandwiches and gourmet burgers, is said to deliver a good balance of sweetness and acidity, a tomato aroma and a pleasant bite. RRP £3.50 for 228g.

facebook.com/ TheArtisanMan

Waterhouse Fayre says No Gurt Lumps Chutney was born out of a conversation with a customer who stocks its No Bits Marmalade but doesn’t like the pieces in its chutneys. “It turns out that there are quite a few people out there who feel the same way,” says owner Ann Stallard. The smooth chutney is made from slow-cooked apples and sultanas marinated in vinegar overnight to soften. RRP £4.30; trade price £2.78. waterhousefayre.co.uk

Cottage Delight describes its latest offering in this category, Spiced Tomato & Caramelised Onion Chutney, as a fresh take on a classic chutney. Fenugreek seeds, Indian inspired spicy tomato and slow cooked caramelised onion combine to deliver a sweet and spicy kick that taps into the chilli-lovers trend. RRP £3.99 for 320g; trade price £32.16 for a case of 12. cottagedelight.co.uk

Stockan’s traditional oatcake has been given a makeover with the launch of Orkney Heritage, a new brand rooted in values of provenance, healthier choice and quality. Each biscuit is baked with an ancient grain, with the bere grown locally and milled at the Barony Mill on Orkney. Trade price for a case of 18 x 250/270g boxes is £32.50. stockans.com

Chilli Jelly is the newest addition to the Mrs Darlington’s family. This sweet jelly is infused with the warmth of red chillies, making it the ideal partner for cheese and cold cuts, according to the Cheshirebased producer. mrsdarlingtons.com

The latest innovation from the master bakers at Verduijn’s Fine Biscuits is the Seaweed Cracker. As well as being a healthy source of protein, the seaweed is said to bring intense mineral notes that complement the buttery flavours of the biscuit. The crackers are available to the UK trade via Petty Wood. verduijns.com

Easy Bean has given its Chickpea Crispbread packaging a new look. The windowed packs offer a view of the toasted seed toppings and front of pack messaging promotes the five-strong range as ‘handmade with Somerset butter’ and ‘naturally gluten free’. RRP £3.75 for 110g.   easybean.co.uk

This smooth chutney is made from slow-cooked apples

chutneys, pickles & biscuits

Vadasz is pitching its new Pineapple & Turmeric Sauerkraut as a gut-friendly, on-trend alternative to conventional condiments like ketchup. The producer bills its combination of pineapple, cabbage, cauliflower florets, tur eric, garlic and ginger as a “posh, modern interpretation of piccalilli” that will liven up a sandwich or lend Hawaiian crunch to a poke bowl. vadaszdeli.co.uk

Thetealady’s Coronation

Chutney, created in 2022 and sold during the summer months in honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, will be available again in spring 2023 to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III. The chutney infuses Bramley apples, apricots and raisins with fragrant Indian spicing. It goes well with cold meats and cheese and has an RRP of £3.70 for 200g. thetealadyuk.com

osebud  reser es has released a chutney made fro new season figs (RRP £5.50 for 198g). The North Yorkshire producer describes this latest iteration of its fig chutney as a rich and piquant mix of uicy figs, olassed sugar, warm cinnamon and sweet fresh orange that is perfect with cold roast ham and farmhouse cheddar. rosebudpreserves.co.uk

Spanish food importer Delicioso is carrying these savoury biscuits from Barcelona, where they are made from completely natural ingredients by artisan bakers Paul and Pippa live oil lends a flavourful crunch, while the inclusion of real fruit and vegetables, and the absence of pal oil, flavourings and other additives underlines their ‘natural’ credentials.

There are two varieties in the range: Tomato Bravo, which feature sundried tomato and oregano, and Cheese Me, which uses PDO Parmesan and olive oil. Trade price for a case of 10 tubes is £29.95; RRP £5.99. delicioso.co.uk

Norfolk producer The Garden Pantry specialises in homegrown and local produce, and its three new seasonal chutneys are no exception. Piccalilli alternative Portwood Asparagus Chutney uses asparagus grown just a few miles down the road, the Plum Chutney is made with local plums and its Pumpkin Chutney combines homegrown pumpkins with cinnamon and cumin. thegardenpantry.co.uk

Vicky’s Kitchen is winning over customers with the intriguing combination of blueberry and smoked Scotch Bonnet chillies. Packed with fruit grown by Mee Blueberries in Northamptonshire and sweetened with demerara sugar, Blueberry Chilli Jam is a clean label condiment that is equally at home on a cheeseboard, with game or in a cocktail. Trade price £17.40 for a case of 6; RRP £4.75.

vickkitch.com

GingerBeard’s Preserves has extended its range of pickled onions, which already includes chilli and balsamic variants, with a more conventional recipe. As the name suggests, Traditional Pickled Onions are “straight-up pickled in malt vinegar”, which the Bristol producer says gives them a pleasing bite. RRP is £11.59; trade price £6.96.

gingerbeardspreserves. co.uk

Now consumers can make their own crackers at home following the introduction of ready-to-bake savoury biscuits doughs from Doughlicious, The London Dough Company

Made from vegan and gluten-free ingredients, the new range features four flavours fro across the globe Sundried Tomato & Oregano, Jalapeno, Charcoal Black Pepper iso and hilli u in.

These versatile dough pucks can be used for more than just crackers - they can be kneaded together then rolled out to make bases or pie crusts or split to make canapés. RRP is £3.99 for a pack of six pucks. doughlicious.co.uk

For 2023, The Bay Tree has launched a number of its lines in 200g sized jars, including Cheeseboard Chutney (RRP £3.40; trade price £2.20). The producer says consumers are sometimes wary of buying a 300g jar because it will join the collection of part-used jars sat in the fridge. thebaytree.co.uk

Co Louth producer Tastees created its Pear & Date Chutney on the back of a bumper crop of home-grown pears last year. Pitched as an accompaniment to cheese and crackers, the chutney has an RRP of €4 for a 100g hexagonal jar and €4.50 for a 170g round jar (trade prices €2.65 and €2.85, respectively).

tasteeshandmade.com

Tracklements has relaunched its tomato chutney with a new name (Tomato & Chilli Chutney) and a new fiery .  ng sh-gro n Serenade chillies lend heat to this rich, tangy chutney, which balances Mediterranean tomatoes with sweet onions. RRP £4.05 for 290g. tracklements.co.uk

Review and refresh

Compiled by

DIAL IT BACK TO BASICS

Start by reviewing your customer proposition. Businesses needs a clear o er. Identifying how good you are at delivering what your customers want could be key to your success in 2023. Review everything from your website and marketing strategy to the customer experience. Does your brand re ect who you are? Is your o er supportive of your vision?

Are you good, or are you great?

Identify Opportunities. Your review should help you work out where you could grow your business. This may include diversi cation into new areas or building on aspects of what you already do. It is important not to jump into something because you think it will work. Changes require strategy, skill, and commitment, and new ventures must complement your existing o er. Radical brand extensions need to sit well with your existing o ering or you risk confusing customers. Network. The value of support and advice should not be underestimated. Talk to similar business owners, visit conferences or online workshops and talk to experts in selected elds. Networking needs to be done in a culture and environment where people are willing to talk openly and honestly. A good way to build up a decent list of contacts is to join an industry association.

Upskill your sta . Another way to develop your business and to help control your overheads is to encourage your team to take more ownership and give them opportunities to contribute more to the business.

Implement training programmes and foster the culture you want to prevail. Identify members of the team who can in uence change, making sure to pick the most capable, positive and committed. Consider professional advice. Changes require data gathering, strategy, and permissions. If you want to introduce a new event that brings in more customers, or a new category, or build a co ee shop, consider seeking professional advice. The last thing you want is to spend money on something that is doomed to fail. malcolmscottcons.co.uk

Talk to similar business owners, visit conferences or online workshops and talk to experts in selected elds.

INSTALL AN

There’s no doubt about it, the era of electric vehicles is upon us. Yet, as the proportion of electric cars grows, infrastructure to keep them on the road is lacking. This is why installing a charging point outside your retail outlet makes sense, argues senior network development manager at Osprey, Stephen Bates:

1. Farm shops and delis are the perfect place to stop for coffee and a 30-minute rapid charge.

2. Charging points are now visible on sat navs and wayfinding apps. Installing one will increase your digital visibility and entice new customers to your shop.

3. Some providers – including Osprey - pay for the invest ent’s P and P , as well as a proportion of profit to the landlord . nstalling charging points usually requires an upgrade of the power infrastructure in the area which makes more power available, increasing a site’s land value

ospreycharging.co.uk

With every new year comes a fresh set of opportunities. Whether you want to rethink your entire operation or just improve one aspect to make it more successful, there are simple things you can do to make the changes manageable.

Andrew Burton, rural retail specialist at Malcolm Scott Consultants, suggests how to spot and seize on opportunities presented to your business.

SHAKE UP YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY

AJ Sharp, founder of food and drink PR agency Sharp Relations, shares her top three tips for appraising and building an effective social media strategy.

Evaluate your current activities

Look at each platform you’re using and assess your followers, comments and DMs. Work out exactly why your followers are following you. Is it sales, or brand discovery? Perhaps it’s recruitment, or your own support network of family and friends. When you’ve worked it out, consider what you planned to achieve with that platform. What was the original strategy, and is the content you are creating helping you with that strategy? If not, or your followers aren’t engaging, then it’s time to change it.

Be clear on your strategy

It is vital to know exactly what are you saying, and who are you saying it to. How and why your business is present on each platform might be slightly di erent to your competitors, so don’t be swayed by what they’re doing. You might use LinkedIn for networking with buyers and suppliers,

whereas others use it for demonstrating expertise and fostering awareness. Another example is Instagram: some use it to drive footfall to a speci c venue. For others, its purpose is brand-building and creating an emotional connection with consumers.

Create content with purpose

All the content you create for each platform should sit within your messaging strategy, either explicitly, subtly or via hashtags. At Sharp, we swear by our AAA format for content creation – Authority, A nity and Awareness. Authority relates to expertise, think what quali cations, testimonials or knowledge you can share to illustrate this point. A nity is your likeability, it’s a peek behind the curtain of your business and it helps followers to feel they know you. Awareness posts will focus on sales, you might share new products or special o ers. sharprelations.com

GET OUT MORE

It’s all too easy to rest on your laurels and keep stocking up on the same products. But your customers come to you because you are a speciality store - they are always on the lookout for the next best food item, and so should you.

The Source Trade Show, Westpoint, Exeter, 8th-9th February (Full preview on page 49) thesourcetradeshow.co.uk

ScotHot, Scottish Exhibition Centre, Glasgow, 8th- 9th March (Full preview on page 39) scothot.co.uk

Natural & Organic Products Europe, ExCel London 16th-17th April naturalproducts.co.uk

Farm Shop & Deli Show, NEC, Birmingham 24th-26th April farmshopanddelishow.co.uk

Speciality & Fine Food Fair, Olympia London, 12th-13th September specia it andfine ood airs.co.uk

Lunch! Excel, London 27th-28th September lunchshow.co.uk

Some use Instagram to drive footfall to a speci c venue. For others, its purpose is brandbuilding and creating an emotional connection with consumers.

ON

TAKE A COLDER VIEW AND INVEST IN YOUR FROZEN AISLES

anks to e ficient s stems and popu ar product ines se in more ro en ood mi t be retai ers o den ticket or

While they have levelled o since the worstcase scenarios projected last year, predictions of energy price rises remain a major concern for retailers.

At times like this, spending money on equipment might be the last thing on your mind. But if you invest wisely, you might shelter your business from uncertainties ahead.

And as shoppers look to save money, reduce waste and make more nutritionally sound decisions, expanding your frozen aisles could open up new sales opportunities.

For Matt Whelan of Fieldfare (pictured right), the frozen food market has never been as interesting, namely thanks to the presence of both premium players such as Cook and newer

electricity

brands like By Ruby.

“My concern is more around educating retailers that the freezer isn’t a drain on electricity,” he says, because even as price per kW/h skyrockets, modern chest freezers are so e cient that they are a relatively low barrier to making a pro t.

Whether you are looking to stock a frozen food brand’s equipment, or even to buy your own, you should consider the type of freezer you buy carefully [see box-out for advice on buying all manner of refrigeration units].

Upright freezers, Whelan adds, use more than two-and-a-half times the energy to remain at temperature than chest freezers do. With wardrobe cabin doors, “all the cold air falls out, so as you close it, it then has to work harder to get back to temperature”.

“If you put the same 60p per kw/h in an upright freezer, if you were selling the same, would actually yield a neutral e ect. There would be no gross pro t a er electricity.”

And chillers for fresh food pose a di erent set of energy challenges. Because of the inevitable loss of refrigeration every time the doors are opened, they are up to 50% less e cient than chest freezers. So, when you make your budget decisions for 2023, don’t give frozen the cold shoulder: it could make more nancial sense than you think. fie d are.com

BE A COOL OPERATOR

ow to reduce t e ener consumption o our cabinets and co d rooms

• Adding aerofoil guides to multideck shelves helps reduce cold air loss, saving between 10-20% energy.

• Emptying and turning off equipment overnight or fitting night blinds can reduce energy costs by up to 35%.

• Adding strip curtains or transparent doors can save energy in the range of 5-30%.

• Regular condenser cleaning, maintenance and servicing can save energy consumed by up to 10%.

• Turn off cabinet lights overnight and replace fluorescent bulbs with strip lighting.

• Check with your Service Engineer whether the cabinet defrost settings are appropriate for shop conditions.

• Consider replacing existing fan motors will low power high efficiency alternatives.

• When it comes to cold rooms, look at door management procedures, self-closing mechanisms and strip curtains. Keep door seals closed, cleaned and well maintained. And check for small airgaps between panels, pipework and drainage.

Data provided by Angel Refrigeration

HOW TO CHOOSE NEW COMMERCIAL REFRIGERATION:

• Read the details on an EU nergy fficiency lass label to identify the best products.

• Where possible choose the 2 0

Environmentally friendly refrigerant.

• Equipment with intelligent controllers and low energy modes help save money.

• High density insulation panels help prevent thermal transfer.

• Choose equipment where the condensers are easy to reach and clean.

• Upright cabinets with split doors can be a benefit in warm humid kitchens. oors with self-closing mechanisms help reduce the risk of doors being left open.

• Multi-decks with glass doors must now show a minimum efficiency rating of .

My concern is around educating retailers that the freezer isn’t a drain on

Pattesons are the sole UK distributor for Le Parfait France, offering a vast selection of high end preserving and canning glass jars.

These iconic jars with their distinctive orange rubber seals have a whole host of usages. From food preserving to storage, these versatile jars are perfect for home use in pantries and kitchens. Le Parfait jars can also be used for creative ideas from flower vases, candy jars or even be transformed into lamps and terrariums.

Le Parfait’s heritage is steeped in history, having been formed in the early 1930 in Remis France. Throughout the 20th century, these branded jars have become a household name in many grocery & convenience stores throughout Europe.

With the popularity of the Le Parfait jars increasing over the last few years due to the latest trends and healthier lifestyles, people are opting to pursue these multi-functional jars. They are ever popular for people looking to reduce wate, homemade cooking, healthy and natural food recipes.

Did you know glass is the healthiest packaging material on the market? It is natural, 100%

recyclable and can be recycled an unlimited number of times. It’s resilient, air and water proof, and preserves flavours without affecting taste. With its aesthetic appeal, glass has become the favourite packaging material for storing food.

Pattesons ranges include:

LE PARFAIT FAMILIA WISS JARS

200ml 350ml 500ml

750ml 1000ml 1000ml (Wide Neck)

1500ml

LE PARFAIT ORANGE

SCREW TOP JARS

1000ml 2000ml 3000ml

Pattesons range is available to buy from as low as 1 unit all the way up to full pallets online through our store jarsandbottles.co.uk.

FOCUS ON business improvement

GREENER PASTURES

According to Statista’s 2022 poll of UK consumers, eight out of ten people would rather buy eco-friendly packaging materials than not. This percentage is only likely to increase in the future. It’s not only an ethical business choice to go ‘greener’ with your packaging and promotional print, it’s also a necessity from a buyer’s perspective and your business’ bottom line, says Andrew Robbins, managing director at Blackmore Ltd.

Focusing on these three areas will help you increase sales, reduce your costs and boost your company’s ‘green’ credentials.

Partner with suppliers with sustainable practices. For example, does your supplier hold the ISO 14001 environmental management accreditation? Does it have resource e cient print presses and nishing equipment?

Then, book in a meeting in with your print and packaging supplier to discuss ways of making your printed packaging, sleeves, labels, lea ets and brochures more eco-friendly. The materials they are printed on should be sustainably sourced, carbon balanced, recyclable and/ or made from recycled materials. They could also be printed using vegetable-based inks and biodegradable inks. Your printer will be able to come up with ‘greener’ solutions based on your requirements and budget. Finally, consider including your ecofriendly credentials (such as the percentage of recycled paper content used) on your packaging, sleeves, lea ets and brochures. Your supplier will be able to provide you with relevant logos such as FSC or carbon balanced paper/ print certi cations you can print on your items. The details can also be shared in other customer promotions, such as social media posts, website blogs, e-newsletters and advertising, to prove your commitment to your sustainable practices. blackmore.co.uk

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS: GET YOUR FINANCIAL AFFAIRS IN ORDER

If you want to get your accounts in shipshape for the new year, these are the questions you should ask ourse sa s eur  ewis ead o ood drink at accountanc firm Bishop Fleming.

• Do you have a robust business plan?

ave you prepared a cash flow forecast to chec your li uidity, and whether you need e tra funding

f you need e tra funding, spea to your e isting ban first. ou ay turn to alternative lenders to raise additional cash or refinance e isting borrowings. o you need to in ect your own oney into the business? Seek independent advice to deter ine the erits of doing so before you do.

• Have you talked to your trade creditors to negotiate good pay ent ter s i ilarly, it ight be that you can agree a i e to Pay Plan’ with evenue and usto s to settle your ta liabilities over a longer period.

ave you chec ed with your local authority whether you are entitled to any grants or financial help

arly engage ent with the business’s ey stakeholders and independent advisors is i portant to re ain in control and retain credibility.

bis op emin .co.uk

Have you prepared a cash ow forecast to check your liquidity?

Your printer will come up with ‘greener’ solutions based on your budget.

Axicon Labels were, we have to say, amazing. They delivered our labels on time and perfectly printed and took our last minute phone calls in their stride. They understood the importance of the perfect label and gave us the product that (hopefully!) stands out from the crowd!

T: 01869 350442

E: labels@axicon.com

W: www.axiconlabels.co.uk

Diversify your land with rapid EV charging.

Osprey Charging are seeking locations for rapid charging sites. This is an excellent opportunity to diversify your farm shop and estate by installing rapid EV chargers on underutilised land.

• Freehold and leasehold considered.

• Generate a revenue at no extra cost to you - no capex or opex required.

• Future-proof your asset by securing grid ahead of competitors.

• Demonstrate sustainability commitments and build a brand for the future.

• Meet planning requirements.

• Provide an essential service for current customers while attracting new ones.

Interested in partnering with a trusted and market-leading charging network? Contact us today to learn more about our full turnkey solution.

stephen.bates@ospreycharging.co.uk ospreycharging.co.uk

Leading the loose leaf tea revival

Ahmad Tea, the family owned UK tea company and global leader in ne tea –whose luxury Galerie du Thé and Kew Beyond the Leaf collections are now listed at Harrods – explores the growth in loose leaf tea and the opportunity this presents to ne food retailers.

GOING BEYOND THE LEAF: AHMAD

The Beyond the Leaf collection is a collaboration between two iconic British brands. The Great Taste award-winning collection balances Ahmad Tea’s three generations of tea knowledge with the expertise of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to create a range that is re ned, elegant, and quintessentially British.

AHMAD TEA ARRIVES AT HARRODS

Right now, loose leaf tea is having something of a revival, and Ahmad Tea is leading the charge.

As a business, the company’s mission is to share its love of extraordinary tea, bringing communities together with a passion for tea and commitment to quality.

Loose tea lends itself perfectly to this - not only in the cra , theatre and beauty of the brewing process, but also in the depth of avour and freshness that’s harder to achieve with teabags.

As a family business that’s been present in the tea industry for three generations, Ahmad Tea wants to change the way tea is viewed, to celebrate it as a delicious beverage that creates genuine emotional connections.

This means producing the nest loose tea that matches the time and e ort that goes into it, from crop to cup.

BREAKING NEW BOUNDARIES: GALERIE DU THÉ

Great Taste award-winning luxury loose leaf brand, Galerie du Thé, is breaking new boundaries.

Ahmad Tea has used its heritage and connections in the industry to source rare, handcra ed teas, sustainably made by skilled artisans in exceptionally remote, singleestate tea gardens, from a red oolong from South East Taiwan to a green tea from Fujian province, China.

What elevates these teas to the next level is not only the knowledge and skill that goes into the growing and harvesting, but also the steps taken to maintain the freshness of the teas – including nitrogenushing, vacuum-packing the tea at source, storing it in climate controlled facilities, and removing oxygen and water vapour from the packaging to preserve the freshness and depth of avour.

Harrods, the world’s leading lu ury fine food retailer, is now a proud stoc ist of hmad Tea, a global leader in speciality tea and tea gifts.

Making their retail debut at Harrods are eight exquisite loose leaf teas from the Great Taste award-winning Galerie du Thé by Ahmad Tea.

Featuring Jasmine Dragon Pearls, Kirimara Sunrise, Secret Garden and Emperor’s Peak, the blends are so fresh they capture the essence of the small-batch remote garden where they grew.

Also now at Harrods is the award-winning Beyond the Leaf collection from Ahmad Tea and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Featuring four classic blends – Majestic Breakfast, Splendid Ceylon, Garden Afternoon and Elegant Earl Grey – that range offers a perfect balance of quality and elegance for a smooth, delicious brew at any time of the day.

This partnership with one of the UK’s best-loved natural heritage brands is already doing well at ne food retailers across the UK.

It is also supporting groundbreaking conservation and preservation work to create a world where nature is protected and managed sustainably, while tapping into growing demand for responsibly sourced, high quality, great tasting tea.

For trade enquiries, contact Ahmad Tea at info@ahmadtea.com or en uire via our official distributor, Petty Wood.

Find out more at uk.ahmadtea. com/ and galerieduthe.com

Galerie du Thé by Ahmad Tea, and Beyond the Leaf by Ahmad Tea in collaboration with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, are available now.

TEA AND ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW

handmade pies with golden butter pastry made at a sustainable farm in the highlands of Scotland delivered frozen, fully ready to be baked

ScotHot is returning to the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow on 8th & 9th March 2023. The show is your chance to meet new suppliers, share ideas and nd out about the latest trends sweeping the industry.

Six reasons to visit… ScotHot23

The best of Scotland on show

Scotland is home to some of the nest food and drink in the world. Meet its dedicated producers in person, learn about their cra and secure some great new listings.

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Find someone new

New exhibitors at the show this year include the Scottish Regional Foods trade body, Artisan Pavilion and Plant Based Foods. Discover the latest trends and stock up on the most coveted artisan food and drink products on the market.

See something special at the live stages

Watch the country’s most celebrated chefs as they take to The Sta Canteen Live stage; hear from key industry gures at the STA Spotlight Stage; discover the latest and best drinks at the Liquid Academy Live stage; and witness the nals of the ScotHot Innovation Award.

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Meet Scotland’s best and brightest professionals

ScotHot’s 50 Rising Stars list will recognise and celebrate those making their mark within their sector, acknowledging Hospitality Heroes, Champion Chefs, Rising up in Retail, Brilliant in Beverage and Tourism Trendsetters.

Witness the elite of ne dining in the Scottish Culinary Championships

Come and see the nals as they unfold and nd out who will be named Scottish Chef of The Year and Scottish Young Chef of The Year 2023.

3 6

Visit a Great Taste Market

Also joining in for the rst time is one of the Guild of Fine Food’s very own Great Taste Markets. Meet the artisan producers behind the award-winning food and drink and secure some of their products for your shelves.

Don’t miss out. To apply for your free trade ticket, visit scothot.co.uk

FOCUS ON foodservice

FROM THE DELI KITCHEN

SIMPLE RECIPES TO BOOST YOUR MARGINS

ORANGE, OLIVE OIL & ALMOND UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

For this recipe, we used blood oranges, which are in season in the winter, but you can make it with good quality oranges anytime. Use light or extra virgin olive oil, but bear in mind that EVO will give a more distinctive avour.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

For the cake:

4 free range eggs

300g plus extra 50g golden caster sugar

250g whole blanched almonds g plain our 180ml olive oil

For the syrup:

2 blood oranges

100g golden caster sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C | 160°C fan | gas mark 4 and line a 24cm / 9” cake tin with parchment paper.

For the cake, beat the eggs and g sugar until light, uffy and doubled in volume – 10 minutes should do it. Grind the almonds in a food processor until fine. rinding your own almonds gives better texture to the cake compared with pre-ground almonds.

ift the our into the egg mixture and fold together along with the almonds with a spoon (if you use the mixer, you’ll bash out all the air). Fold through the olive oil to finish the ca e batter.

Slice one of the oranges very thinly with a sharp knife and line

the base of the cake tin in circular rings.

Scatter over the other 50g of the caster sugar for the cake, then fill the tin with the batter. a e in the oven for an hour. Check the cake with a skewer or tip of a paring knife; if it comes out clean the cake is ready. Allow the cake to cool in the tin before turning out.

For the syrup, combine the juice of the remaining orange with g of caster sugar. ring it to a boil over a medium heat then turn off the heat. Turn the cake out carefully onto a large plate, removing the parchment, and gently pour over the syrup. Serve with plenty of whipped cream.

EQUIPMENT

Spacepoor retailers who want to dryage on site are the target audience for XL’s new Meat Ageing Cabinets. Made out of stainless steel, they are 1.8m tall, 69cm wide and 63cm deep, and still kitted out with a hanging bar and four wire grid shelves. They also come with the company’s LED meat lighting and adaptive defrost settings.

xlrefrigerators.com

Rational’s new iVario Pro is an all-rounder two-pan cooking system designed for boiling, frying and deep frying food, faster and using less energy than with multiple appliances. It has been designed to minimise lifting, avoiding incorrect posture and bending, as well as to protect cooks from burns. rational-online.com

Dishwasher specialist Krupps has a series of new models in its Cube line, available as standing, undercounter, hood and passthrough models. Their distinguishing feature is a digital interface to navigate four optional washing cycles, temperature controls and an intelligent start function. The updated models have a hygienic rounded tank, a new washing impeller and basket guides.

krupps.com

Recipe by Charlie Hibbert, head chef at Thyme thyme.co.uk

Immerse product discovery at

• Delivering high quality and e ective business connections

• Access 1,500 suppliers from around the world

• Sample new to market products at the New Products Tasting Theatre

• Discover the most innovative startups at our brand-new area, The Startup Market

• Improve market knowledge with our 3-day seminar programme

Scan

ife.co.uk

Manilife moves into gourmet snacking with new Cocoa Dusted Peanuts

By Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Premium peanut butter producer Manilife’s has introduced its rst permanent snack line, following on from a limited-edition product released in December 2019.

The UK-based peanut butter brand, which has won several Great Taste 3-star awards since it started in 2015, has taken a similar provenance-focused approach to creating its Cocoa Dusted Peanuts.

The sweet treats (RRP £3 for a 90g pouch) are made using roasted high-oleic peanuts from a single estate in Argentina (where the company buys the nuts for its butters), caramelised then coated in cocoa. The result is a vegan snack which contains no palm oil or sweeteners but is high in protein and mono-unsaturated fats.

The company’s founder, Stuart MacDonald, who grew the brand on the back of a £300,000 crowdfunding campaign, said he was “super excited” to put a new product on the market.

“I genuinely think it might be our best yet, which is saying something,” he said. “We’ve been trialling versions of these at various events for a while now and the crowds have been going wild for them.”

Macdonald added that a peanut snacking line seemed like a natural extension, given the team’s knowledge of peanuts and how to get the best out of them.

“Externally, our consumers have come to expect the absolute best-tasting products. I believe these are that.”

The company’s recently-rebranded range of

Another newcomer to the alcohol-free apéritif world is Nonsuch Shrubs, with a range of four syrups. The Caramelised Pineapple & Ginger, Wild Hedgerow & Rose, Bittersweet Apple & Cardamom and Blood Orange & Bitter Lemon syrups all have a sour back note from vinegar, sweetness from fruit and savouriness from botanicals – intended to bring the complexity of an alcoholic drink to mocktails and mixers. RRP £22 per 500ml bottle. nonsuchshrubs.com

butters now includes the Original Roast, Deep Roast and Rich Cocoa lines, all available in Crunchy and Smooth textures sold in 275g jars and 1kg tubs.

As of January, the company has replaced its plastic jars with glass receptacles, made using 60% recycled materials. mani-life.com

Counter points Grains

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

WHAT’S NEW

After Proper Corn and Proper Chips, the brand with the mantra “Snacks, done properly” has created Proper Crisps. Each of the Thai Chilli, Flame Grilled Steak and heese nion flavours are vegan, glutenand pal -oil free, contain 30 less fat than the ’s leading ridged potato crisps”, with added pea flour for e tra protein and fibre.

P 2.00 per 00g, 0. per 30g. proper.co.uk

n line with the low- and no-alcohol drin s trend, new company Tcket to Cloud Nine has launched with an P -style 0. ABV malted barley beer flavoured with saffron, lavender and orange.

P 0 per four 330 l bottles, or 2 per si 330 l cans. t-cket.co.uk

Mediterranean and Middle Eastern specialist Cypressa is e panding its offering with a range of dips, pestos and tapenades. he o y agine, ubergine eta ezze, Tomato, Feta & Kalamata live apenade, oasted Red Pepper Tapenade, Rose Harissa Paste and Rose Harissa Pesto come in 0g ars with an P of 2. 0- 3. cypressa.co.uk

• rue grains are the seeds of grasses fro the Poaceae botanic family.

• aranth, uinoa, buc wheat and wild rice are not true grains.

• rains’ greatest nutritional contribution is starch (carbohydrate), the basic energy source for our body.

• in orn, a aranth, uinoa and wild rice have high a ino-acid content, but vegans and vegetarians wanting co plete plantbased protein should balance 30 grains to 0 beans, peas or pulses.

• aize is the least nutritious grain.

• Barley, oats and triticale contain gluten but less than wheat.

• luten-free wheat flour can be raised with ba ing soda or ba ing powder.

• tone-ground whole or white wheat flour is ore nutritious than roller illed.

• By law, lost vita ins are replaced in ost rollerilled flour.

Paley Photography

This is an extract from Glynn Christian’s book Taste! How to Choose the Best Deli Ingredients, published by Grub Street

Their greatest nutritional contribution is starch, the basic energy source for our body

ornwa

asta o. has updated five of its recipes as it eyes nationwide distribution. t has twea ed the shape and flavour profiles of both Campanelle – Wild Garlic and Classic – as well as the Red Beetroot Lumaconi, the Chilli Pepper Lumaconi and the Cornish Saffron Mafaldine. RRP £7-£10 per 300-350g. cornwa pasta.com

Ahead of Valentine’s day, rack ements’ popular Fresh Chili Jam is making a comeback in a heart-shaped jar, 10 years after a first run as a special edition item. The jam inside is the same as the regular jars of the condiment, and is available in cases of 6 x 350g. RRP £6.55 per unit. track ements.co.uk

ep ekker has rebranded its Baked Seed Snack Bites to emphasise their health credentials. As per the new packaging, the low-sugar crisp-crackers co e in si flavours, contain whole seeds, grains, fruit, vegetables and chic pea flour. P . 0 per 5 pack of 30g. pepand ekker.com

My magic ingredient

Kingston Black Apple Apéritif

e sold ingston lac pple p ritif at the first cheese shop I wor ed at. hen we too the reins at The ristol heesemonger, I brought it in because it is bloody delicious.

It’s made at urrow ill ider, which also ma es omerset ider randy, from the ingston lac apple. It’s a heritage, omerset variety which produces really comple ciders. It’s got ust the right amount of bitterness and richness. To ma e it, they use the uice from the ingston lac apple and mi it with the brandy.

It’s li e a Pommeau from rance, but made with a classic omerset apple. It’s quite a modern ritish phenomenon to ta e something from somewhere else, recreate it with a local ingredient develop something uniquely e pressive of the area it’s made in.

bviously, it tastes really good with est ountry cheese, li e a hun of estcombe cheddar.

Tenuta Marmorelle goes so for Puglian pomegranate juice range

y Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

For its rst foray into so drinks, Italian food specialist Tenuta Marmorelle is introducing a range of pomegranate juices.

The ambient range comes in 250g glass bottles, either as straight up Pomegranate juice, or mixed with either Ginger & Lemon or Clementine, making no use of concentrates, water or avour-enhancers.

The pomegranates are grown in Puglia, Southern Italy, where they are cold-pressed and high-pressure processed to preserve avour and nutrients.

Although the producer sells its own range of drinks back in Italy, these are branded with Tenuta Marmorelle’s livery, so that customers recognise it, according to managing director Mike Carlucci.

“We nd that the more products we label under our brand, the better it is for our retail customers in farm shops, delis and food halls – who tend to put

all of our products together.

“So people are more con dent about trying it,” he told FFD.

Carlucci added the timing of these lines’ introduction was intentional.

“A lot of us overindulge at Christmas, so come January people are looking to be a bit healthier.

“Something like pomegranate juice, with its documented health bene ts, should start doing very well in the early part of the year,” he said.

Pomegranates are touted as being a ‘superfood’ because they are a source of vitamins A, C, E and K, proteins, and mineral salts.

They are said to be a natural antioxidant, too.

Sold in cases of 24 for £1.80 + VAT per unit (or £43.20 + VAT total), RRP £2.98 + VAT per bottle.

Other size bottles – 200ml and 500ml – as well as other pomegranate products, could follow.

tenutamarmore e.com

ou can also use it as a base for coc tails and we also put it on top of a ollright cheese, which we then ba e.

It’s versatile, it’s interesting, and we love it.

peciality our producer att ews  otswo d our is supporting sustainable farming with its new toneground egenerative hite lour, made with grains from local farms practicing climate-friendly techniques. vailable to trade for . for . g bags.

The release is additional to atthews’ new a range of bread mi es ncient otswold runch, eritage ibury arley, otswold alted ye, icilian Italian Pi a, otswold ye pelt and Traditional toneground rtisan hite.

cotswo d our.com

OLIVER SMITH, owner, The Bristol Cheesemonger

It’s like a Pommeau from France, but made with a classic Somerset apple

OPEN FOR ENTRY NOW

General entry will close at 12pm (GMT) on 7 February 2023 – or earlier if the maximum number of entries is reached.

Early entry is recommended to avoid disappointment.

More information & to enter: g .co.uk/greattaste

MEET THE PRODUCER

irl one ild set out to create a frozen ready eal range using game, and introduce the seasonally available meat to a wider demographic. We spoke to founder Melanie Phipps about how it came about.

What were you doing before you started Girl Gone Wild?

In short, absolutely nothing to do with either the rural economy or food.

After leaving university, I worked for a private equity fund in London, followed by stints as a headhunter and in business development at a green tech company.

My husband and I then decided to move to the North East, where I grew up, to give up the corporate life and focus on being at ho e with our young fa ily. t was in this ore practical realm that I learned to appreciate the provenance of ingredients, and the need to find good uality culinary shortcuts.

Can you remember the moment when your business idea clicked?

Girl Gone Wild was a lightbulb moment that came in late anuary 2020.

My husband returned from shooting one evening with a pair of pheasant breasts under cling fil . s he rarely shot (and I never have), my exposure to game meat was fairly limited. So, I left him to get on with supper. o his credit, he panfried them with some lardons and they were unbelievably delicious. remember saying to him “this is madness, why aren’t we all eating pheasant?”

Girl Gone Wild’s mission is to make pheasant and wild venison easy choices for people to eat at home, and to redress some of the misconceptions about their availability, taste, price and lifestyle. ur launch range of five dishes doesn’t challenge the consu er, either in taste or cooking ability. As for the recipes, we chose to go down the route of British favourites.

How did it transform from an idea to a commercial product?

After doing my research and putting so e flesh around the bones of a plan, was introduced to o ichardson – now a

business sta eholder.

o was a buyer for aitrose for 0 years, and he is now managing director of arrendale agyu.

Where I bring creativity, ideas, a sense of taste and opportunity, o brings a wealth of experience, lots of pragmatism, and a fantastic retail and supply chain network.

Bearing in mind we set out on this journey in February 2020, this brand was built over Zoom calls as we trawled the country for a suitable anufacturing partner. fter a couple of false starts, we were fortunate to find a cracking kitchen in Morecambe that was also B accredited, eaning we are retail ready’ at any scale.

is impro in t e profi e o ame important to you?

It feels like there are so many wins to this brand. he syste s that generate wild meats are churning out supply and the meats themselves are not only delicious but packed with nutrients and low in cholesterol. here is also the feel-good factor of knowing these animals are raised on the ’s natural larder. t see s crazy that these meats are being overlooked by so many and that supply and demand is so out of ilter.

What has the reception been from both consumers and the supply chain?

I’ve been delighted with the reaction. When you’ve been working on recipes for two years, refining and twea ing to get them just right, it’s rewarding that people li e the enough to return for ore – which is happening now that we are a couple of months down the line. We’re getting consistent feedback that the meals taste fresh, are of good quality and could pass as having been coo ed fro scratch at ho e.

We’re sending boxes of meals direct to customers and are building our stockist map in the independent sector directly and via distributors. ith o ’s bac ground in big retail, we are fortunate to be talking to decision-makers in the multiples, however that will be a longer game. And even then, a shift in attitude towards value-perception and frozen brands will need to happen. ggwfoods.co.uk

WHAT’S NEW

Spanish food specialist Brindisa is e clusively i porting a hinata Smoked Hot Sauce into the UK. Made with Pimentón de la Vera peppers grown in the southwest Spanish region of Extremadura, the tangy sauce co es in 00 l bottles with an P of 3. 0. brindisa.com

Devon Cove has used its flagship ing dward potato vodka as a base to create a range of 25% ABV liqueurs for sipping on ice, mixing into hot drinks or adding to cocktails. Each of the azelnut, a son, offee and Passion flavours co e in three sizes 0cl P 33 , 20cl P and cl P . . devoncove.co.uk

Fruit takes centre stage in SRSLY low carb’s no-added sugar i ed Berry and aspberry a s. ontaining a fraction of the sugar, carbohydrates and calories of traditional jams they sit alongside the company’s range of low-carb bread, baking ingredients, snacks and condi ents. P 3. per 0g ar. seriouslylowcarb.com

Best known for gin, Salcombe Distilling Co. has lately started making rum, too. The latest release is called Salcombe Rum ‘Island Street’ and blends single estate gold rum with rums and spices from the Caribbean. RRP £35 per 50ml, versus £50 RRP for either of its smallbatch Whitestrand or Lantern Rock rums. Also fresh from the Devon distillery is the company’s latest Victuallers Special Edition, a Cask Aged Gin called Finisterre, which is aged for three years in former Fino sherry casks.

RRP £50 for a 50ml bottle. salcombegin.com

I remember saying ‘this is madness, why aren’t we all eating pheasant?’

The Source Trade Show 2023 is coming to Exeter’s Westpoint Arena on Wednesday 8th February (9.30am5.30pm) and Thursday 9th February (9.30am-4.00pm)

Six reasons to visit… The Source

The biggest show in the region

Hosted by Hale Events in partnership with Taste of the West, The Source connects food businesses across the South West. Whether you run a pub, hotel, restaurant, café, deli, farm shop, holiday park, tourist attraction, catering business or supermarket, the show has something to o er you.

1 4

Exclusive o ers

Many exhibitors at the show will have o ers for visiting buyers including discounts, free delivery, free POS items and deals on service packages. It’s a great opportunity to land a deal and increase your pro t margins.

Everything your business needs, in one place

Discover everything a food business could possibly want, from high quality ingredients, fresh food and drinks to foodservice and kitchen equipment, furniture and the latest electronic systems.

2 5

Go Green

The show’s new Leading in Innovation & Sustainability Area will signpost visitors to future-conscious organisations, highlighting others who are not exhibiting but put sustainability at the heart of their business.

Meet the Newcomers

The show’s special Newcomers’ area showcases new regional companies who have never had a stand at a trade show. Meet them before your competitors, discover new products and services that will set your business apart.

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Second helpings

Can’t make Exeter? Looking for more buying opportunities? Check out the one-day Source Roadshow at Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol, on Tuesday 27th June.

It all comes from North Acomb

THERE ARE FARM shops and there are proper farm shops. Turning o the A69 on a blustery, sun-drenched winter’s day, up onto the hills above the Tyne Valley, it’s clear that North Acomb Farm Shop is one in the truest sense of the word.

Customers pulling up in the car park are greeted on one side by a barn of Aberdeen Angus cattle, Large White pigs and sheep – a tractor li ing in a fresh meal of hay – and on the other, a stone-walled butchery room where Robin Baty is busy breaking down a

VITAL STATISTICS

carcass. There is no escaping it – this is very much a working farm. “We’re not big, we’re not fancy, we’re not a posh deli, we are exactly what people think a farm shop should be,” says Baty.

To get the full picture, you have to roll the clock back to 1978 to the start of the shop’s story, when Robin’s wife Caroline put a sign up at the end of the drive to sell surplus eggs.

Customers soon asked a er the farm’s green top milk and cream, then sausages

and meat, and Robin and Caroline made the decision to convert an old stable into a fulltime farm shop.

“Back then, to get planning permission, you had to prove that 80% of your produce came directly from the farm. And 44 years on, we’re still working at around those levels,” says Baty.

At the time, were farm shops even a thing? “Not really, no. There would have been one or two about somewhere but you had to go looking for them.”

Location: North Acomb Farm Shop toc sfield, orthu berland

Retail space: s uare etres

Average margin:

Nestled in the hills of the Tyne Valley, 15 minutes outside of Newcastle, North Acomb Farm Shop has grown from being a stable-door o ering into one of the area’s most authentic farm shops. Here’s the story of how, a er 44 years, it continues to compete in a crowded market.

Interview and photos by Tom Vaughan

Over the years, the shop has proved so successful that today it is run under one umbrella with the farm. The farm only produces for the shop, essentially making them two halves of the same business. All the beef, pork and lamb reared on the farm is sold from the bijou, 100sq m stone shop.

“We know that the bulk of the cattle are born on the farm, raised on the farm. And then they go away to the abattoir and come back as a carcass. And then it’s on the counter. So we know the history from when it was born to when the customer gets it,” says Baty.

The guaranteed provenance of the meat is what draws customers in from the likes of Newcastle and Hexham.

“They know when they come here that the same cattle they can see in the elds is the same that will end up in the shop. Families can come here, pet the pigs, then pick up a packet of sausages.”

It’s also what has continued to give North Acomb an edge against slicker, shinier new competitors.

“I o en think of the farm shop at Chatsworth. It’s massive, and brilliant. And it’s really well done – you can pick up ‘the Duke’s favourite sausage’ that sort of thing. It’s a million-pound shop. There’s no way someone like us could think about spending those vast quantities because we’ve got the throughput of the money. So we have to nd other ways to compete.”

And the small shop certainly succeeding – to the point where it has bend its

provenance USP slightly, says Baty.

On average, the farm produces one beef carcass a week for the shop. But demand is such that at peak months of the year, the shop brings in additional Aberdeen Angus forequarters from Scottish company Millers of Speyside.

Selling direct to consumer means that Baty can engineer a better margin than by selling the cows at market, although it does come with additional costs.

“Some of that margin gets eaten into by labour costs, by prep work and slaughter charges” says Baty. “But, yes, it does come with a bonus.”

Since its early days, the shop has also produced its own pork pies, Grovesnor pies, Scotch eggs, and sausage rolls as well as its own-cure bacon and ham and even its own farmhouse butter. Game birds arrive in season from the farm’s landowner and local stalkers provide venison carcasses to be broken down. The homemade black pudding is also one of the shop’s best sellers.

“We make it the old-fashioned way, like how it was made when I was a kid, baked in trays, not in tubes,” he says.

Caroline does much of the cooking in a special unit adjacent to the farm shop, with steak pies, frozen ready meals, pastries, cakes, biscuits and scones all made throughout the week.

While these traditional, homemade products provide much of the draw, they are

Home-reared Aberdeen Angus, lamb and pork

Homemade tray-bake black pudding

Homemade farmhouse butter

Durham Camembert

York Crisps

Rosebud Preserves

Fentiman’s drinks

James White Juices

Chapman’s Fish Cakes

Honey Garden Curry Sauces

Gilchester Organic Flower

Nowt Fancy Sauces

Folkington’s Fruit Juices

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supplemented by external produce, sourced from around the UK, with a heavy leaning towards the North of England. Items include our from nearby Gilchester Organics, sauces from Lancashire’s Nowt Poncy, and drinks from Fentiman’s – based 10 minutes down the road in Hexham.

From further a eld, there are dressings from Isle of Wight’s The Garlic Farm, and drinks from both East Sussex’s Folkington’s and James White of Su olk.

The team at North Acomb deals directly with most of the suppliers, but rely on Preston’s Carron Lodge to supply an almost exclusively British cheese counter – the only foreign cheese on o er is a Parmesan. Among the selection, are the likes of Hereford Hop, Cricket St Thomas Brie from Somerset and Durham Camembert.

The shop is run by a part-time team of three, assisted by Robin and Caroline and a butcher.

Four years ago, they added a food van to the business, catering at weddings, shows and corporate events. The van is out

once a fortnight, says Baty, o ering either homemade burgers, breakfast buns or hog roasts, while also spreading the word about the farm shop and adding a welcome extra revenue stream at a time when everything seems to be conspiring against businesses like North Acomb.

“At the start of January, we were paying 50 pence a unit for electricity, so about £10,000 a year. That’s gone up to £50,000 a year, almost all from the fridges and counters in the shop. Suddenly, we’ve got to nd £40,000. You can’t pass that on to the customer.”

While the shop has been forced to raise prices by 75p a kilo on average (with higher rises on in-demand cuts like llet), Baty says that the business otherwise has to absorb the costs – wiping out much of its pro t. “I will lose money this 12 months, but you cannot nd £40,000.”

For small-scale operations like North Acomb, years like this aren’t sustainable. “The big question mark at the minute what’s going to happen to these energy costs.

“Because if we’re going to start having to nd an extra £40,000 a year, then we’ll have to reconsider the shop. Maybe we’ll move into events or something else, I haven’t worked it out yet.”

However, Baty is staying optimistic. Solar panels are being tted to the cow-barn roofs and he is hoping they might get planning permission for a small wind turbine.

Meanwhile, plans are in place for his son James to take over the full-time running of the farm and shop in the future, maybe even extending the shop if demand stays as it is.

“But we’re not interested in going mega because not only can we not a ord it but there are complications. You need full time managers and full time, this full time, and full time that.

“And then you’ve got to become mega popular to cover your costs. We don’t want to make it too fancy, we want to keep it traditional. That’s what people know us as and that’s why all walks of life make the drive out here to visit us.”

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We’re not big, we’re not fancy, we’re not a posh deli, we are exactly what people think a farm shop should be.

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enough – food & drink production and retail units is o the charts.

I need cheering up. And what better way than reaching for an obligatory retail round-up-of-theyear? I have our own Best Brands in front of me and The Grocer’s Top Products Survey 2022. Get the kettle on. Oh no, actually, don’t.

attendance and engagement from retailers at our show in Harrogate and also seen the same at other serious food & drink exhibitions. What’s missing? There’s plenty of enthusiasm out there amongst

Great Taste 2023 opens for general entry

eneral entry for the reat aste wards

By John Farrand managing director

OUT WITH THE old and in with the new…problems? I’m reaching for the positive pen as I sit down on a rainy January a ernoon to write this piece. The old problems – like my 100-day cough – seem to be hanging around, and new issues seem to be leaping out of my radio or newspaper every hour.

Today’s bad news is a disappointing Energy Bills Discount Scheme announcement. My electricity bill for our two o ces is

The supermarket mag throws up a few surprises. Cheese sales in the multiples are plummeting, highlighted by the fall from grace of the market leader Cathedral City, which has seen sales drop by 12.9%. In addition, I’m starting to see familiar names creep into their top rankings. Belvoir Farm, Peter’s Yard, Cook and even Charlie Bigham’s started as farm shop products. The big retail buyers continue to seek inspiration from our end of things.

But how are you sourcing new lines? Is it through B2B mags, online producer dating or is it at trade shows? I’m keen to know. We’re pausing Fine Food Show North this year and we’re determined to bring it back once we’ve understood what retailers want from these events. We’ve seen less and less quality

The Word on Westminster

By Edward Woodall ACS

YOU COULD HAVE easily ista en the first wor ing wee of 2023 as the first of a general election ca paign. lthough an election is not e pected until utu n 202 or re uired until anuary 202 , the ti etable loo s large for the Pri e inister and the leader of the opposition, who both want to plant the seed in the ind of the public that they are best placed to lead the country forward. his li ely to lead to a uch ore stable political environ ent in 2023. ith both leaders atte pting to de onstrate credibility, we should see ore cautious policy announce ents and a focus on de onstrating delivery. his is especially i portant for ishi

una , with his party so tarnished by infighting and past leadership failures. ou should e pect to see an al ost presidential ca paign fro hi . he public is already war to hi , co pared to his party, so he will be focusing on showing that he is a safe pair of hands.

eir tar er has a different challenge. abour is flying high in the polls but it will be tough to eep that level of o entu going, especially if the econo ic outloo starts to i prove. abour will be atte pting to defend its lead in the polls by introducing ore of the frontbench big hitters li e achel eeves and es treeting.

his will build the perception of abour as being able to offer alternative approaches and outloo s, instead of purely criti uing overn ent positions.

GENERAL ENQUIRIES Guild of Fine Food Guild House, 23b Kingsmead Business Park, Shaftesbury Road, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 5FB UK

1747 825200

info@gff.co.uk

gff.co.uk

2023 opens on 23rd anuary.

start-up producers but it’s not matched by shopkeepers.

I’m keen to hear what would get you out of the shop for a day to attend an event.

While you’re at your keyboard send me your current gripes, whether they’re to do with your High Street, import-export or the cost of energy. I will have a rant at a politician on your behalf, and that might just cheer me up. john.farrand@gff.co.uk

Politics needs to be responsive to events and there is no doubt that both ca paign strategies will be noc ed off course by geopolitical events, rebellions and scandals. he i ediate crisis is around support with energy bills for business.

he overn ent has ust slashed the support it was offering businesses to cope with spiraling costs. t has re oved the overall cap on the cost of energy, instead applying a easly discount. any businesses will be at ris , so it is inevitable that the overn ent and opposition parties will have to co e up with alternative energy support solutions if they what food businesses to thrive and grow in 2023.

ould this be the first of any bu ps in the road in 2023

THE GUILD TEAM:

Managing director: John Farrand

Special projects director: Tortie Farrand

Sales director: Sally Coley

Operations & marketing director: Christabel Cairns

udging will run between arch and une, and winners will be announced in ugust. ntries close on th ebruary or earlier if the a i u nu ber of entries is reached before that . gff.co.uk/awards/great-tasteawards/

Introducing the Great Taste Bursary

o celebrate reat aste’s 30th year, the uild of ine ood is offering 0 icro producers the chance to enter a product for free. pplications ust be received by th ebruary 2023 via gff.co.uk/bursary. inners will be announced 2 ebruary 2023 and their products will be blind tasted alongside other reat aste entries between arch- une.

Cheese training at the Guild

he dates are out for the uild’s refreshed and updated cheese training progra e. he oneday etail cheese course, ai ed at independent retailers and their tea s who are involved in sourcing, buying and selling cheese, will ta e place in ondon on 2 th ebruary and in illingha , orset, on st arch.

gff.co.uk/training/cheese

Sales manager: Ruth Debnam

Sales executive: Becky Haskett

Data & systems project manager: Lindsay Farrar

Operations manager: Claire Powell

Operations coordinators: Matthew Bunch

Chris Farrand

Sepi Rowshanaei

Chloë Warren

Finance director: 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

The old problems – like my 100-day cough – seem to be hanging around.