July 2017 Volume 18 Issue 6
www.gff.co.uk
Shelf awareness
Review your options with our guide to importers & distributors
ALSO INSIDE Ludlow Food Centre
MD Jon Edwards gives a tour of the improved store
Jumi Cheese
Meet the Swiss specialist with an unusual brain
Amazon to buy Whole Foods?
Analysts have their say on the impact
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July 2017 | Vol.18 Issue 6
CONTENTS
OPINION
18
Andrew Wickham on the election result, Editors’ Choice Darren Payne of The Orchard Deli, If I’d Known Then… p19
I always maintain that if you can make a good sausage you can make a good profit
5 THE BIG PICTURE 7 NEWS 15 BIG INTERVIEW Ludlow Food Centre MD Jon Edwards 21 CHEESEWIRE Academy of Cheese, Beauvale, Jumi 27 British Cheese Awards 2017
CATEGORY FOCUS
40
47 ARTISAN PRODUCERS Speciality & Fine Food Asia
Peruse our selection of the latest lines for your serveover
49 SHELF TALK Borough Wines vending system, chef Ed Fortune, Reuben sandwiches trending 57 HARROGATE FINE FOOD SHOW – EDITORS’ CHOICE
DELI OF THE MONTH
63 GUILD OF FINE FOOD NEWS
58
Harringay Local Store FFD visits a London shop where you can pick up a vinyl record with your craft beer, organic veg and sourdough
EDITORIAL
Editorial director: Mick Whitworth Editor: Michael Lane
Assistant editor: Lauren Phillips Reporter: Andrew Don
Art director: Mark Windsor
Design consultant: David Cross Editorial production: Richard Charnley
Contributors: Nick Baines, Clare Hargreaves, Patrick McGuigan, Lynda Searby ADVERTISING
advertise@gff.co.uk
Sales director: Sally Coley
Sales manager: Ruth Debnam
Sales executives: Becky Stacey, Maria Burnett
GENERAL ENQUIRIES
Tel: +44 (0) 1747 825200
Fax: +44 (0) 1747 824065
editorial@gff.co.uk
Printed by: Blackmore, Dorset ADDRESS Guild House, 23b Kingsmead Business Park Shaftesbury Road, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 5FB United Kingdom
Published by The Guild of Fine Food Ltd www.gff.co.uk
© The Guild of Fine Food Ltd 2017. Reproduction of whole or part of this magazine without the publisher’s prior permission is prohibited. The opinions expressed in articles and advertisements are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher.
Turn to page 63 for news from the Guild
Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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THE BIG PICTURE
Cheesed off? While on the campaign trail in the run up to June General Election, Prime Minister Theresa May dropped in on the judging for the British Cheese Awards. Everyone in the industry will be hoping that the PM – not to mention her new Defra Secretary of State Michael Gove – takes the same interest in food and farming as she looks to form a new government and enters Brexit negotiations with the EU. While she wasn’t much of a winner in the end, there were plenty at the awards themselves – full report on p27. Photograph: Michael Lane
Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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NEWS
Amazon’s Whole Foods deal could increase pressure on indie pricing By Andrew Don
Amazon’s planned £10.8bn purchase of US retailer Whole Foods Market, announced last month, could increase price pressure at independents but it might also benefit speciality businesses looking to trade online, according to analysts. Texas-headquartered Whole Foods Market has more than 460 stores, mostly in the US and Canada, with nine in the UK, including shops in London, Gloucestershire, Glasgow and Surrey. The deal, expected to close in the second half of the year, came in the same month AmazonFresh announced expansion across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, bringing it to a total of 302 postcodes across London and the South East. Nick Bubb, an independent food analyst, said: “If the deal goes through – and there is talk of a counterbid – then the biggest short-term impact
Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods will impact smaller retailers
may be through Amazon lowering Whole Foods’ somewhat exorbitant prices, which could undermine the pricing power of other premium specialist players in the industry.” Robert Marsham, owner of MacFarlane’s Fromagerie & Fine Foods in south-west London, who used to deliver through defunct service Hubbub, said: “Eventually it will all go online and shops will just disappear completely but until then, let’s be honest, we hope
that most people would like to have the experience as opposed to just click and collect. After all, we are not selling Persil.” Tom Wharram, European food retail analyst at investment management and research firm AB Bernstein, said Amazon bought Whole Foods to give it a local point of distribution close to customers and for access to the retailer’s private label and fresh sourcing – areas in which Amazon lacked experience.
IN BRIEF “If you are an upmarket delicatessen, say in Soho, and you’re one of the ones Amazon is currently sourcing produce from, I wouldn’t assume they are suddenly going to start delisting those people because of the Whole Foods acquisition. “I would see that as more of an area of growth for them. AmazonFresh might continue to be an opportunity for small players.” AmazonFresh suppliers include many of London’s best producers, shops and markets, including C Lidgate, Paxton & Whitfield, Forman & Field and Konditor & Cook. Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar Worldpanel, said Amazon was committed to cracking the grocery market and Whole Foods brought with it “many of the crucial ingredients the e-commerce giant has been missing in its other forays into food and drink”.
Cotswold Fayre has completed a series of UK Christmas roadshows to showcase a festive range which has doubled since last year, with more than 800 products from 180 suppliers. Olive oil prices are expected to rocket, according to analysts, because of droughts in the Mediterranean and the low value of the pound. Hot and dry weather has hampered production in Greece, Italy and Spain. Following last month’s report about the closure of online business Grey’s Cheese Direct, FFD would like to make it clear that this has not affected The Pangbourne Cheese Shop near Reading, which previously traded under the name of Grey’s Cheese and under different ownership.
Essex’s The Food Company to close after 17 years By Andrew Don The Food Company, an award-winning specialist food retailer and restaurant near Colchester, Essex, has blamed “the multiple pressures faced by the retail industry” for its decision to close. The business set up shop 17 years ago at Marks Tey to provide what it said was “a food lover’s haven”. It sells an extensive range of specialist foods alongside locally grown and produced goods from fresh meat, fish, cheese, bread and patisserie, to cooked food, wine and confectionery. The company would not confirm a reported closing date of July 14. It announced on its
The award-winning Colchester outlet looks set to shut this month
website that “the multiple pressures faced by the retail industry are making it increasingly difficult for us to trade successfully.” Marc Linch, The Food Co director, told FFD: “We are currently in a consultation period and therefore it’s not appropriate to speak at the current time.” Just three years ago the East Anglian Daily Times described the business as “a runaway success”.
Borough returns to business after terror attack IT’S BACK TO WORK at Borough Market following the London Bridge terror attack. London’s oldest food market was forced to close between June 3 and June 14 while police carried out
forensic investigations. A crowd, including London Mayor Sadiq Khan, gathered to witness the ringing of the bell to open the market in Southwark on June 15. Prince Harry also
visited during the reopening to speak to traders. Opening hours were extended for two weeks in a bid to help traders make up for lost business. boroughmarket.org.uk
Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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NEWS
Brexit and economic uncertainty are main worries after shock election result By Andrew Don
Speciality businesses have had their confidence knocked by the General Election result that left the government without a majority in Parliament. Suppliers told FFD they are mainly concerned about the outcome of Brexit talks while retailers are feeling the effects of continued economic uncertainty. Maria Whitehead, joint owner of Cumbria-based Hawkshead Relish, hoped no “political point scoring” resulted from the election. “Getting the right deal through Brexit is crucial for continuation of business and trading,” she said. It was not just about exports but the cost of ingredients and glassware the company imported from the EU. “While I can see the EU is going to want to take control of negotiations, each individual country will want some continuation of trade so there has to be
some kind of consensus. “We don’t want to have 27 separate agreements in place. We want something cohesive without huge tariff barriers and things being forced on us. It’s not going to be easy.” Ian Long, partner at Harvest Time Delicatessen in Moffat, Dumfries & Galloway, said his business was “anything from 2.5%10% down” on the same week in 2016 but he was not sure why. “If there’s lack of confidence now, that will probably last for the next two years. We’re not in trouble but we’re not as buoyant today as we were 12 months ago.” Graham Stoodley, category manager at producer and distributor Harvey & Brockless, said: “Whether our customers feel more fragile, it’s too early to say.” He said the worst-case scenario was that a large part of H&B’s mainly European product range
Gove back in Cabinet as Defra secretary
Michael Gove has replaced Andrea Leadsom, his former rival for the Tory leadership, as secretary of state at the Department of Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). His re-entry to the Cabinet came in prime minister Theresa May’s postelection reshuffle. 8
July 2017 | Vol.18 Issue 6
Leadsom, who becomes leader of the house, gave a powerful address to the Oxford Farming Conference earlier this year in which she pledged strong backing for rural food and farming businesses and promised to publish a green paper on the sector. Gove, who is MP for Surrey Heath, has no experience in food or agriculture. Previous roles include education secretary, government chief whip, parliamentary secretary to the Treasury and Lord Chancellor and justice secretary. He wrote on Twitter it was “an honour to follow a good friend and great minister” in what he said was an “incredibly important role”.
Political turbulence will affect the fine food sector
would become unviable for customers but the bestcase was that the business would be rebalanced to be more “Anglo-centric”. Diane Crease, coowner of James Patrick Delicatessen in Hessle, East Yorkshire, said: “Things were starting to turn round a bit before the election and we thought we were coming out of a long tunnel but now we’re back in it again.” Prime minister Theresa
May had called the election for June 8 in the hope of leveraging her popularity and that of the Conservatives over Labour. May hoped an overwhelming majority predicted at the start of her campaign would strengthen her hand in her vision for Brexit, but election day saw the government seriously weakened despite winning the most seats in the Commons.
IN BRIEF Parc y Bocs, a farm shop in Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire that includes a play area and café, has spent £300,000 on a renovation which has doubled the size of the building. It now includes a larger farm shop and pet shop, more seating and a lounge with local art. The Q Guild of Butchers has appointed Claire Holland as its new general manager. Holland has extensive experience in the meat marketing industry, having worked for the Meat & Livestock Commission, BPEX and the AHDB. Oinkers Farm Shop, in Longdown near Exeter, has been forced to close after 25 years in a dispute with its landlord. Owner Richard Dunning said on Facebook he hoped to be able to open elsewhere within a couple of months.
Epicerie Ludo to open second Manchester site French-style deli Epicerie Ludo in Chorlton, south Manchester, is poised to open a second store just yards away from its existing site on Beech Road. It has secured a £68,000 HSBC loan for the venture which will enable it to take on the new 1,000 sq ft outlet next month, which will also feature its first coffee shop. Julie Stubbs, manageress, said the existing shop would focus on fine grocery, some chilled products, bread baked on-site and alcohol, while the new shop would include a café, an expanded range of baked goods, a bigger cheese range, “a lot more” deli and charcuterie items
The original store will focus more on alcohol
and, eventually, fresh sandwiches. Stubbs said the two Beech Road stores would have slightly different opening hours. The original store will stay open slightly longer
into the evening, with its focus on alcohol, so she did not expect any cannibalisation. The retailer had initially hoped to develop its existing shop but space was too restricted.
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July 2017 | Vol.18 Issue 6
NEWS
Defra ‘looking at options’ to keep UK in Protected Food Names scheme By Andrew Don
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has underscored its commitment to ensuring UK products do not lose their status under the European Protected Food Name (PFN) scheme as Brexit negotiations get under way. Its comments come within weeks of the UK’s General Election result which has seen the UK’s Brexit negotiating hand significantly weakened. A Defra spokeswoman refused to “pre-empt” negotiations in Europe. “We recognise how important it is and we are working to ensure they continue to benefit from protection,” she said. The UK currently has 84 PFN products – including Worcestershire Perry, Stilton, Orkney Lamb, Carmarthenshire Ham and Welsh Laverbread – while 10 applications are under consideration. These include
Iveagh Rapeseed Oil from Northern Ireland, Dundee Cake and Vale of Clwyd Denbigh Plum. Fay Francis, a consultant at ADAS Environment Group Wales, which the Welsh government pays to support Welsh producers through the application process, said: “At the moment, everyone is looking at the implications of Brexit. “DEFRA is the UK competent authority for
Protected Food Names like Carmarthenshire Ham could remain if Defra can reach an agreement with the EU
Ben’s is the new name for Riverford Farm Shop chain By Andrew Don Riverford Farm Shop has undergone a name change and is expanding outside its South Devon base to Exeter. Riverford, which has branches in Yealmpton, Staverton, and Totnes
the PFN scheme in the UK. They are looking at options, talking to the UK PFN association and lots of hard work is taking place to make sure the status is kept. “They are looking at all options but no decision yet as far as I’m aware.” Matthew O’Callaghan, chairman of the UK Protected Food Names Association, said PFN was one area where reciprocity
High Street, has become Ben’s Farm Shop to avoid confusion with the high profile veg box scheme Riverford Organic Farmers, run by one of founders Jon and Gilian Watson’s five children, Guy. Another of their children, Ben Watson, after whom the farm shops are now named, wrote in a blog: “The farm shops are not exclusively organic, as we also want to support local, ethical and interesting suppliers who aren’t organic.” The Watsons expect the new Exeter farm shop to open by autumn. The business opened Ben’s Wine & Tapas in Totnes High Street earlier this year.
was important, with Europe keen to protect Parma Ham and Champagne, for example, and the UK keen to protect the likes of Stilton cheese, Melton Mowbray pork pies and Scotch beef and lamb. “I don’t think there will be anything amiss in having a similar scheme as early as possible,” he said. “I would hope the UK election result won’t affect this.” His association had a meeting with Defra’s policy team scheduled for July. “The fact they are engaging on this is a positive,” said O’Callaghan. Camel Valley’s Darnibole vineyards are the latest to be elevated to the highest level of protection – Protected Designated Origin – the first and only UK single vineyard to be awarded this accolade to date. The PFN scheme also includes two other designations – Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed.
IN BRIEF The Errington Cheese product under investigation by Food Standards Scotland is the cows’ milk Dunsyre Blue, rather than the sheep’s milk Lanark Blue – as reported in the Opinion section of last month’s Fine Food Digest. A new partnership will see Fenwick’s Food Hall in Newcastle stock over 60 branded products from the North West’s premium supermarket chain Booths. The range covers a wide spectrum of categories – from premium teas and coffees to household staples like rice, nuts and dried fruit and cereals. The voting is now underway for 2017’s Great Taste Shop of the Year award, via the delicious magazine website. Visit deliciousmagazine. co.uk to nominate your favourite food hall, farm shop or deli.
Lunya to boost capacity for Spanish imports Lunya, which claims to be the UK’s first Catalonian delicatessen and restaurant, is opening a warehouse on the Wirral next month so it can import products directly from Spain for its growing business. The five-year-old company, owned by husband and wife Peter and Elaine Kinsella, has a branch in the heart of Liverpool city centre, in Liverpool One, and another in Barton Arcade, Deansgate, Manchester. The couple have ambitions to open in Birmingham in the next 18 months to two years, and either a second Manchester or Liverpool site before that. The two existing branches operate as both delicatessens and restaurants. Lunya also sells
Owners Peter and Elaine Kinsella expect to get better prices by buying in bulk, using their new warehouse on the Wirral
food online. Its shop range includes food-to-go, baked goods and dips and salads, which it currently sources through specialist suppliers. The Kinsellas expect the Woodside warehouse will help them negotiate more favourable prices for Spanish produce such as
the Piparras it sources from the San Sebastian market. The 3,000 sq ft warehouse, including a 1,000 sq ft mezzanine, will have a kitchen so it can make a wider range of baked goods, salads, dips and food-to-go for the delicatessens. Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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July 2017 | Vol.18 Issue 6
NEWS
Brexit to bring ‘no upsides ’ for Ireland’s food producers By Mick Whitworth
Irish food promotion agency Bord Bia has warned there are “no upsides” to Brexit for the UK’s closest food and drink trading partner. Henry Horkan, trade marketing specialist at Bord Bia’s London office, told FFD speciality producers in Ireland were just as vulnerable as major commodity suppliers when it came to exporting to Britain – their biggest international market – with exchange rates providing the most immediate threat. “There are no upsides in this for us,” Horkan said. “Every sector is affected.” While premium producers might be “slightly more insulated” from currency fluctuations than commodity meat and dairy suppliers, their small size leaves them more vulnerable financially and in their ability to manage overseas relationships. The UK accounts for around 37% of Irish food
Co Wexford’s Wild About Food was among scores of speciality producers seen by UK buyers at Bloom 2017
exports, worth over €4bn a year. The devalution of the pound against the euro became a significant challenge within 48 hours of last June’s referendum result, Horkan said. “Previously, a lot of exporters just went with the vagaries of the market,
Fees and two-stage process part of rates appeal overhaul Business rate appeals have undergone an overhaul in England that ministers hope will stop a logjam dating back more than 10 years. About 250,000 appeals were outstanding, mostly from the 2010 ratings list and about 800 from 2005 when the new system, Check, Challenge, Appeal (CCA) came in on April 1. Now businesses must go through two stages before they can appeal. “Check” requires them to answer questions online while “Challenge” allows them to submit more questions online to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), which has a year to reply. Only then can an appeal be lodged for a
fee, widely expected to be about £300, where none existed previously. Ratings experts expect appeals will be rejected if the “error” is within a margin of 10-20%. This could make all the difference to how much rate relief a farm shop or delicatessen gets where the margin of error crosses prescribed thresholds. Peter Chapman, partner at property consultant Cluttons, said: “In my view this does not introduce an improved system particularly given the requirements placed upon the ratepayer to support an appeal.” He added that few staff at the VOA had an understanding of how the new system would work.
thinking it would even out.” But trade body Food & Drink Industry Ireland has pointed out that the sudden “currency shock” last summer was structural, not cyclical. “Brexit means the current sterling weakness is different from the normal exchange rate cycle and
things could get much worse,” it said in a recent report. A Bord Bia survey of food companies of all sizes had also shown “an awful lot of uncertainty about what the regulatory framework might be, and what customs tariffs they
might face”, Horkan said. He was speaking to FFD after Bord Bia‘s annual five-day Bloom garden and food festival in Dublin in early June – a major showcase for the county’s speciality food sector to both consumers and businesses. Over 100 producers and brands exhibited at the Phoenix Park event, including around 70 small producers. Senior buyers from Sourced Market, Dean & Deluca, Selfridges and UK distributors Buckley & Beale and Cotswold Fayre were among a trade contingent invited to this year’s show. US-based high-end food store Dean & Deluca is due to open its first British outlet in London in August. Speaking to FFD at Bloom, UK head John Barton said: “We’re an international business and we have to have international products, so we’re prepared to take a hit [on price] for now. But longer-term we’ll have to see what happens and take a view.”
IGD report predicts bright future for specialist shops By Andrew Don A new report has predicted a future for retailing where specialist food shops prosper with the addition of technology. The report, by grocery researcher IGD and The Consumer Goods Forum, focuses on 10 areas retailers must emphasise to ensure bricks-and-mortar shops remain relevant for shoppers in an increasingly digital age. The Evolution of the Physical Store paints a picture in which retailers will need to remove “the chore of buying products that shoppers do not want to invest time in”. It adds that customer “experiences” will be vital to the success of small retailers on a more competitive high street, which will be populated with specialists.
Tills: A thing of the past?
IGD said this will mean greater choice for shoppers but more fragmentation for suppliers. The research also identifies how robotics and technology will put more focus on space that can be freed up, with more emphasis on fresh food, “mission-focused” fixtures and convenient meal options. It says retailers need to understand where there is friction in shoppers’ journeys around stores,
possibly removing checkouts altogether, and more collaboration will be needed across the supply chain to react more quickly to demand. Paul Hargreaves, chief executive of Cotswold Fayre, said it was like “almost going back in time to a fishmonger, cheese shop and candlestick maker”. Where quality was involved, shoppers wanted to see the environment the food was sold in, they sought the retailer’s knowledge and they wanted to taste it sometimes, which was not possible online. Sangita Tryner, who runs Delilah Fine Foods stores in Nottingham and Leicester, said she had noticed more specialist shops opening across the board, from those selling comics and stationery to butchers and bakers. Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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BIG INTERVIEW
JON EDWARDS, LUDLOW FOOD CENTRE
Going up a gear
Feet firmly under the table at Ludlow Food Centre, Jon Edwards is pressing ahead with an inside-and-out refresh of the upmarket outlet. He tells us the thinking behind his change programme. Interview by Mick Whitworth
ANYONE WHO VISITED Rhug farm shop in Denbighshire during Jon Edwards’s tenure as MD will recognise his handywork today at Ludlow Food Centre. It’s 18 months since the one-time M&S store manager moved from North Wales to take the helm at the Shropshire complex, two miles out of Ludlow on the A49. Since then he has been remodelling the business inside and out, but most noticeably on the shop floor, with his trademark big retail thinking applied to a small retail setting: clear sightlines and customer flows, clever lighting, a cunning combo of serviced counters and graband-go, and more. And it’s working, Edwards tells FFD, with gross margins up 2% overall and sales targets beaten in 15 of the last 16 months. After a solid early career in store management, including seven years at Iceland Frozen Foods and 10 at M&S, Edwards spent a decade at Lord Newborough’s 12,500-acre Rhug Estate, first as commercial director and then as MD. He brought discipline and back-office systems to the business and, in 2011, oversaw the £1.8m development of a new timber-framed, 3,200 sq ft farm shop and 2,000 sq ft café-bistro. Ludlow, you could say, is “Rhug-plus” and was among the first wave of grand foodie projects for the landed gentry, set up in 2007 on the Earl of Plymouth’s Oakly Park Estate. Its launch MD was Sandy Boyd, who created the original posh farm shop at Chatsworth in Derbyshire and went on to set up Bodnant Welsh
Food in Snowdonia. Its second was former Newby Tea boss Edward Berry, who left on good terms in January 2016 to relocate to Dorset. As well as boasting a separate 160-cover family café and its own restaurant-with-rooms, The Clive, Ludlow Food Centre has more retail floor space than Rhug, at just under 4,000 sq ft. But its key point of difference has always been the cluster of artisan production units – jam-maker, cheese-maker, baker, coffee roaster and butcher – that surround the shop floor, in full view of the public. They’re designed to link retail and local food production in the shopper’s mind, with the emphasis on ingredients from the Plymouth estate farms, its garden and other local suppliers. Edwards is careful not to diss either of his illustrious predecessors but says the Centre was ready for a refresh. “We’re 10 years old this year, and the whole industry has moved on,” he says, “but fundamentally very little had been changed here. “The ethos of what we do, with our own production and the links to the farm, the garden, the local suppliers, we have kept tight. I just felt it needed to be more commercial.” During his first year at Ludlow he toured the country, soaking up ideas from other stores – and not just high-end indies. “You cannot ignore the major retailers,” he says. “But we never just replicate them. We take things that work and adapt them to the farm shop environment.” Making clear the close link between local
produce, on-site production and retail has been particularly important, not least because supermarkets are so full now of farm imagery. “People need to feel a business like this is more than one-dimensional,” Edwards says, “so when they walk in they don’t just see some things on sale in shop – they see the story behind it.” With Tesco and Morrisons emblazoned with posters of smiling farmers, there’s a lot of “white noise” for genuine messages to get lost in, he says “Asda make their own pickles and their own cheese. The difference is, ours are actually made here.” The estate produces its own beef, pork and lamb, has its own herd of deer, and produces all the milk for the shop’s butter, ice-cream and cheese-making from its own dairy herd, but Edwards says: “We weren’t communicating that. You have to find an innovative way to tell that story that fits within a farm shop environment.” Not only has signage been improved to get the message across but video screens are now being employed in-store to tell the story in more depth. While layout and customer flows may be influenced by supermarket thinking, the shop-fittings have been rethought to soften the ambience of the shop. “It felt a bit cold,” Edwards says, “so we decided to use lots of different styles of shelving – metal, wood, crates. And we looked at the lighting too. It was a mix of ambient light, bulbs, horrible fluorescents. I spoke to Bäro and we put in a completely new system, so CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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BIG INTERVIEW that now when people walk in it feels warm and interesting.” Crucially, this lighting is also on moveable tracking, allowing Edwards’ team to ring the changes more often. Previously, he says, the layout had been quite static. “When I came round on my interview I asked one of the girls whether one of the fixtures could be moved and she said, ‘No, it’s always been there’. “There was a lot of fixed kits, like fridges in the middle of the sales floor, which meant you had no flexibility.” Among measures to improve margins, Ludlow’s ready-meal range has been switched from chilled, with a five-day shelf life, to frozen. “We either used to make too much and didn’t sell, or we made too little and sold out. “At one point our fastest-selling product in the shop was a reduced-price ready-meal. Now 1
we can do batches of 30 to 40 instead or 10-12, which is more economical to produce and we’re getting zero waste.” Widening the Centre’s customer appeal has meant changes to the offer inside and outside the shop. “Of course, this place is a destination but it became clear to me that it only catered for a particular customer profile,” Edwards says. That meant an older, middle-class clientele, especially on weekdays. “We didn’t want to lose anyone, but we also wanted to make more of younger, family environment.” Now, a children’s play area and picnic area are attracting more families and keeping them on site longer. (Kids’ products have also been added to the farm shop’s gift section, after Edwards’ foster daugher asked: “Don’t they like children here?”) Providing takeaway coffees and picnic seating outside has brought in more short-stop business
2
from passing motorists on the A49, which sees 10,000 vehicle movements a day. As a result, sales of sandwiches, pork pies and soft drinks were seeing “almost three-figure growth” last summer. There are four potential new sales units in barns on the site, which Edwards says could be used to draw other types of customer. But he adds: “You’ve got to look after your core people. If you try to go after every demographic you’ll find yourself in a flat spin.” With more than 10,000 people holding a Ludlow Food Centre loyalty card, understanding its customers is improving all the time, which Edwards says is crucial. “A lot of farm shops are just treading water,” he says, adding: “As retail becomes more innovative, the gap between those that do and don’t understand it is getting wider.”
ludlowfoodcentre.co.uk
1. Loyalty card data captured at the tills lets Ludlow target offers to match customers’ buying habits 2. Eight flexible ‘event zones’ are changed regularly for seasonal events and themed displays 3. A children’s play area and picnic seating encourage a different demographic and keep families on site for longer
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4. More noise is being made about in-house products like cheese – made at the Centre with milk from the estate 5. Moving from chilled to frozen ready-meals has reduced out-of-stocks, wastage and discounted sales 4
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6. Mixed shelving materials – timber, metal and wooden crates – provide more visual warmth than standard shelving 7. Takeaway coffee makes the site more attractive to passing motorists on the A49 8. Taller shelving allows more products to be displayed, but clean sightlines are maintained
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9. Prepacked meats cater for customers nervous of asking questions at the butchers’ counter
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Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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OPINION Amazon’s Alexa may be able to recite every known fact about Brie de Meaux but she cannot extend a gooey sliver over the counter By Michael Lane, Editor
EVEN THOUGH we’ve barely reached the mid point of 2017, I feel it would already be a fair assessment to call this the Year of Great Uncertainty. In my whole life, I don’t remember another six months like it. The news – whether it’s “fake”, depressing or terrifying – keeps rolling in. There’s economic disquiet, endless political turmoil and human tragedies are beginning to feel inevitable. In this context, it seems trivial to discuss Amazon’s announcement that it plans to buy Whole Foods Market – slipped out casually on the afternoon of Friday 16th June. But, let’s face it, this is huge news for the whole grocery sector, let alone our small enclave of the industry. As I write this a week on from the initial headlines, people are still scrambling to work out exactly why Amazon has done this and what it means for them. We’ve made our own attempt (p7). What I can say for certain, is the prospects are frightening. In theory – and if it goes through – the deal will give Whole Foods scope to lower its prices. It might have a limited estate in the UK but it could still affect consumers’ value perceptions and squeeze the margins at delis and farm shops. More worryingly, it will give Amazon’s Fresh arm unprecedented insight into bricksand-mortar fine food retailing, a better understanding of private label and easy route to an even wider selection of speciality items. A retailing behemoth with unfettered access to the same knowledge base and supply chain as independents. Once you’ve finished freaking out, maybe it would be time to shut up shop? At the risk of sounding mad, I think our sector should be bullish rather than scared. For a start, many people are already working
EDITOR’S CHOICE Chosen by Lauren Phillips, Assistant editor
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with Amazon. Small producers and Londonbased retailers have found it an easy way to deliver goods direct to consumers and it makes sense to supplement traditional sales avenues with a ready-made online channel. I don’t think you have to join them to beat them, if it doesn’t appeal. Because there is one thing that Amazon and all of its technology cannot replicate, at least not yet. A drone can speed through the sky with a customer’s salami but it can’t adjust the number of slices at the last minute when they see that 50g actually isn’t very much. Alexa – Amazon’s voice activated personal assistant – may be able to recite every known fact about Brie de Meaux and she can get you a piece at any time of day but she cannot extend a gooey sliver over the counter to assure the customer that it is in perfect condition. Everyone working at delis and farm shops across the country, you are still human. So are your customers. Nothing can emulate the tangible experience of shopping for good food in person. Regardless of Amazon, technology is coming all the time and independent retailers will still go to the wall for all sorts of reasons. The contents of this issue are proof of that – read about IGD’s pretty positive vision of food shops’ future on page 13 and the sad demise of retail beacon The Food Company on page 7. Instead of worrying about what’s coming, take heart from this month’s interviews with Harringay Local Store (p58) and Ludlow Food Centre (p12), respectively. Change will happen but, if you have courage in your convictions and are always thinking about improving, there’s a fighting chance of riding all of this out.
THE FFD TEAM discovered Mydorable’s Pebbles among the submissions for Editors’ Choice at the Harrogate Fine Food Show, DQG LW ZDV ORYH DW ƓUVW ELWH Best described as “adult smarties”, these little salted caramel chocolates with a crisp sugar shell look as though they belong on a beach. The plastic jar slightly undersells just how clever this product is but place them in a bowl next to the till and you’re sure to get your customers talking as excitedly about them as we did here. mydorable.com
All change, and no change ANDREW WICKHAM Weald Smokery, Flimwell, East Sussex THEY SAY a week is a long time in politics. How true that has been lately. Only a few weeks ago the polls were predicting a substantial Conservative majority, with Labour heading for oblivion. Mr Corbyn ran a successful campaign, producing a manifesto that promised pretty much anything that anyone wanted and some things they might not, such as nationalisation of railways and utility companies. It also suggested all this would only effect 5% of the wealthiest, who would pay more income tax, and businesses, who would pay a higher rate of Corporation Tax.
“How will the election result affect small food businesses? Not a lot, I’d say.” The Chancellor of the Exchequer appeared not to be allowed on the airwaves to point out why this might not be possible. So, how will this result affect our small food businesses? Not a lot, I’d say. We are in a period of great uncertainty. Since no party has overall control, the direction of travel could change at any moment. The Brexit negotiations are in progress and we’re unsure as to their outcome. But I don’t believe a lot is going to change soon. Small businesses will still have to cope with the Council Tax revaluation, resulting in increases for some. The minimum wage will increase to £10 an hour, resulting in increasing wage bills, not just at the lower end. This will undoubtedly result in LQŴDWLRQDU\ SUHVVXUHV DV EXVLQHVVHV WU\ WR recoup their increased cost. During periods of uncertainty there are often opportunities and as small businesses we can react quickly. Those companies WKDW LPSRUW PD\ ƓQG WKHLU FRVWV LQFUHDVH However, those that produce and sell to the home market will become more competitive. I am looking forward to more being produced in this country, and I know we are ready and able to produce it.
IF I’D KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW... DARREN PAYNE owner, The Orchard Deli, Gloucester
I always maintain that if you can make a good sausage you can make a good profit
Interview Lynda Searby Photography Stuart Key
I’M NO newcomer to this game, having being in the trade since I was 15, but in my previous venture – the Farmhouse Deli in Gloucester – I was one of three partners. I parted company with them in 2015 because the business wasn’t moving in the direction I wanted. Two months later, my wife and I were driving past this development of five business units and she commented that it would make a great location for a deli. Initially, I questioned whether I could do it alone. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised there was nothing like it in the area – we are a deli-cumbutcher. It took 10 weeks to transform the unit from an empty shell into a fully functioning deli. To keep costs down, I projectmanaged the work, drawing on my experience.
For example, I was thinking of sourcing my counters from Creative Retail Solutions, as I had worked with them in the past. But I knew that while they were good, they were expensive. Fortuitously, they had a counter they had built for a butchery and never commissioned. I got it for 40% of its actual value, saving £30-40,000. I knew the layout had to be calculated to the millimeter. When you look at an empty unit, it seems huge, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of buying larger counters than you need. You have to make sure you allow for working space and storage units behind serveovers too. Every business owner is going to make mistakes but, by putting a lot of thought in before spending on big ticket items, you can at least make sure they aren’t
expensive mistakes. With a coffee shop two doors away, it was a condition of the lease that there would be no seating and that we wouldn’t sell coffee. I knew that I would struggle to make a stand-alone deli and butchery work so I negotiated an agreement with the landlord to allow us to do takeaway food and hot drinks. From Monday to Friday most of our takings are from take-out sales of items like hot breakfast rolls, salad boxes, sausage rolls, pasties and jacket potatoes, whereas the weekend is all about the butchery and deli. We make as much as we can ourselves – curing and cooking our own meat. I always maintain that if you can make a good sausage you can make a good profit. Another mantra of mine is that
everything we sell must have a second use. For example, stewing beef from the butchery counter can be made into steak pies after a couple of days. We do outside catering as well, including pig roasts and cheese wedding cakes, and I think there is an opportunity to expand this side of the business. I’d like to offer dishes like pulled beef brisket in BBQ sauce and short rib wraps as an alternative to the usual take-away meal options of Chinese, Indian and pizza. We’ve been open 18 months now, and turned over £350,000 in the first year. I don’t have massive growth ambitions for the immediate future; my plan for the next two to three years is to go with the flow. Experience has taught me that if you can get through the first two years, it will get easier. Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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Marshwood Foods IMPORTING THE BEST FROM EUROPE
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CHEESEWIRE
NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE CHEESE COUNTER
Academy of Cheese wants industry experts to help build courses 7KH $FDGHP\ RI &KHHVH ODXQFKHG Level 1 of its four-tier set of TXDOLĆ“FDWLRQV HDUOLHU WKLV \HDU
The Academy of Cheese (AoC) is urging industry professionals to get involved with the formation of the next level of its cheese qualifications. The organisation, which was set up last year by a panindustry group, successfully launched Level 1 of its four-tier set of qualifications earlier this year and is now working on Level 2 to be launched in 2018. “We want the Academy to be collaborative and representative, so we’re asking for people with expertise in the cheese industry to come forward and help us develop the delegate pack for Level 2,� said Ros Windsor, an AoC director and MD of Paxton & Whitfield. “The founders have a wide range of knowledge, but we can’t know everything and we don’t want the course to be just from one perspective. We want everyone to participate.� Areas of knowledge that the AoC is keen to develop include: the impact of animal
breeds and seasonality on milk and cheese; maturation techniques; product matching with beer and wine; recipes for cooking with cheese; and the history of cheese. Windsor added: “The delegate pack we are putting together for Level 2 will be an authoritative reference source, so we’re looking for people who can help drive it forward by sharing their knowledge and expertise. In return, they’ll be at the forefront of the new qualification and be able to learn and complete the course for themselves as they take part.� Delegates who complete the one-day Level 1 course achieve Associate membership of the Academy of Cheese, while Level 2 will secure Member status. Level 3 (Fellow) will be developed in 2019, with Level 4 (Master of Cheese) planned for 2020. The courses are designed to improve cheese knowledge across the industry, from farmers and cheesemakers
THREE WAYS WITH...
This creamy blue cheese from Stilton producer Cropwell Bishop has more in common with Gorgonzola. Sweet, spicy and squidgy, it was named Best Blue at this year’s British Cheese Awards.
through to maturers, wholesalers, retailers, chefs and interested members of the public. They will be run by training providers around the country, including the Guild of Fine Food, which is a patron of the scheme. “I think it is incredibly healthy that as we move up through the gears on the AoC levels we are now widening the knowledge base,� said Guild of Fine Food MD John Farrand. “No one person, company or institution knows everything about the cheese trade. That’s why we’re now asking the entire cheese trade to contribute.� Two sets of students have already completed Level 1 while a large group of cheesemongers is being fast-tracked through the course on 18th July, following the Monger Games charity quiz at La Fromagerie the evening before. Interested parties should contact Ros Windsor:
Chapel Allerton cheesemonger George and Joseph has opened a cheese room as part of a new food hall, restaurant and wine shop in Leeds. Ham & Friends is a collaboration between popular Leeds restaurant Friends of Ham and Yorkshire Wine. Pistachio and Pickle KDV Ć&#x201C;QDOO\ UHRSHQHG its Islington shop, six months after it was GHYDVWDWHG E\ D Ĺ´RRG 7KH VKRS RQ &DPGHQ 3DVVDJH ZKLFK ZDV VKRUWOLVWHG LQ ODVW \HDUĹ?V &KHHVH &RXQWHU RI WKH <HDU FRPSHWLWLRQ ZDV forced to close after a burst mains pipe caused millions of pounds worth of damage to shops in the street. The Gourmet Cheese Company, which is run E\ 0LFKDHO DQG .DWKU\Q )LJXHLUHGR KDV RSHQHG LQ $EHUGHHQ WDNLQJ RYHU SUHPLVHV YDFDWHG E\ ,- 0HOOLV 7KH QHZ RZQHUV ZLOO VWLOO EX\ FKHHVH IURP ,- 0HOOLV ZKLFK VDLG LW GHFLGHG QRW WR renew the lease for â&#x20AC;&#x153;operational reasonsâ&#x20AC;?.
BEHIND THE COUNTER TIPS OF THE TRADE ,I \RX KDYH JRRG IRRWIDOO RU FDQ VKLIW ODUJH volumes via other channels (eg, online or ZKROHVDOH WKHQ LW PDNHV VHQVH WR FDUU\ dozens and dozens of different cheeses. Otherwise, a tighter range is better â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so stock LV WXUQHG RYHU UHJXODUO\ ZDVWDJH LV UHGXFHG DQG WKH FKHHVH LV DOZD\V LQ JRRG FRQGLWLRQ
ros.windsor@ academyofcheese.org
Beauvale Sake and cheese are surprisingly good bedfellows, as FFD discovered at a fascinating tasting with Asami Tasaka of World Sake Imports recently. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Masumi Hiyaoroshi Junmai Ginjo sake from Nagano (branded Sleeping Beauty; 15% ABV) KDV D IUHVK IUXLW\ Ĺ´DYRXU Ĺ&#x160; WKLQN SHDUV DQG SHDFKHV Ĺ&#x160; WKDW Ć&#x201C;WWHG at room temperature, seamlessly with the mellow blue.
Eccles cakes are a brilliant match for creamy blues, but for something a bit different try the sweetness and spice of hot cross buns. We smeared a wodge of Beuavale on an untoasted bun at a recent tasting with chefs and it was the most popular match of the day.
Stefano Vallebona, owner RI ,WDOLDQ Ć&#x201C;QH food supplier Vallebona, drizzles Mosto Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Uva, an Italian syrup made from concentrated grape must, onto gorgonzola, but it works just as well with Beauvale. The sticky syrup matches the sweetness of the cheese, but it also has some acidity which cuts through the creaminess.
Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
Illustrations: R Diepenheim, Aleksandr Vector, Juraj SedlĂĄk
%\ Patrick McGuigan
IN BRIEF
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CHEESEWIRE
NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE CHEESE COUNTER
I look shops up on the internet, put a bag of cheese on my back and go and visit. It’s a bit unusual.
Mental about Emmental Borough Market’s Jumi brings its unique Swiss creations to the UK. Patrick McGuigan visits to pick the company’s Blue Brain, among other cheeses. BRAINS are always important in business, but particularly for Jumi. The Swiss company imports some weird and wonderful cheeses, none more so than Blau’s Hirni, better known as the Blue Brain. It sounds like a 1950s B-movie, but one look at the raw cows’ milk cheese explains everything. Dome-shaped and covered in cerebral crenellations of grey-blue mould, it’s enough to get Hannibal Lecter licking his lips. The family business works with several small dairies in the Emmental Valley. The selection includes the region’s famous holey cheese but it is newer products that have really got tongues wagging on British counters. As well as Blue Brain, there’s hemp-flavoured Hanfmutschli (aka Cannabis Cheese) and AprèsSoleil, which is matured in a sun-lit cave. Then there is the flagship Belper Knolle – a hard ball of garlic and black pepper-flavoured cheese for grating over dishes like a truffle. “Our cheeses are not in any of the books,” says UK director Marcello Basini proudly. Jumi was first set up in 2006 by two 20-something friends – Jürg Wyss, who has a farming background, and Mike Glauser, whose family has been making cheese since 1896. ‘Jumi’ is an amalgamation of their Christian names. Their knack for NPD gave the Glauser’s business a new lease of life and UK exports began in 2011. “They came to Borough and were completely stunned by this food Mecca, so they applied for a stall,” says Basini, who joined in 2012, after a degree at Slow Food’s University of Gastronomic 22
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Sciences in his native Italy. “We started with a table and an umbrella three days a week and, after 18 months, managed to secure a fixed unit.” This acts as both a shop and base for its wholesale business, thanks to cleverly designed wood-clad refrigerators that look pretty but can store up to a tonne of cheese. Deliveries are packaged and sent from here by courier to 40 indie retailers across the UK, with 30 London restaurants supplied on a Swiss electric bike. The business has been built customer by customer, says Basini. “I look them up on the internet, put a bag of cheese on my back and go and visit. It’s a bit unusual but we need to explain our products and work with people who care about the produce they sell. It’s not just a piece of cheese. Communication is vital.” It’s a tight operation with a pallet of cheese arriving direct from Switzerland once a week, which mean the products are always in good condition. This model was put to the test last month, however, following the London Bridge terror attacks, which happened just a few days after my visit. For more than a week, the market remained cordoned off, with Basini unable to gain access and worried about the short term (stock) and long term (footfall) effects of the attack Loyalty from customers will be also be vital with Brexit looming. The value of the pound against the Swiss Franc has fallen by 10-15% since the referendum and last month’s hung parliament, which has eaten away at a 20% increase in sales last year. “We’ve kept almost all our prices the same because it’s a sensitive market,” says Basini. “Consumers are very wary.” As for predictions of what Brexit might mean for traders long term, Basini can only raise his hands to the heavens. The team back in Switzerland might need to rack their brains for more exciting new cheeses pretty soon. jumilondon.wordpress.com
CROSS
SECTION
Blue Brain (Blau’s Hirni) 1
The cheese is available at two levels of maturation – three weeks and six months. The young cheese has a fluffy blue rind and soft, creamy interior with gentle roasted, nutty notes. The rind of the older cheese, matured in cellars with very high humidity, is almost black with an intense kick.
2 The 120g cheese is packaged in plastic tubs. They are made at the Glauser Dairy in Belp, Bern, using raw cows’ milk from Fleckvieh cattle, which are not fed on silage.
3 The buttery flavour and ice cream-like texture of the younger version works particularly well with white wines that have acidity but also some sweetness. Think an off-dry Riesling or peachy prosecco.
CHEESE WHICH SELLS ITSELF We’re making it even easier to introduce your customers to the fabulous Le Gruyère AOP Cheese from Switzerland.
Sign up to stock Le Gruyère AOP and you’ll receive everything you need including: A high quality counter-top sampling tray ,iV «i i>yiÌÃ] «À `ÕVÌ v à iiÌà > ` other branded POS O
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£5T0 ING
TAS E ANC W O ALL
A cash allowance for up to £50 to cover the cost of the Le Gruyère AOP cheese for customer sampling
And if that’s not enough to tempt you, cheese shops taking part will be entered into “Le Gruyère AOP Cheese Counter 2017” with the chance of being whisked off to Switzerland for a two-night stay in Gruyères or the ÀÕÞmÀi Ài} Ü Ì >VV `>Ì ] y } ÌÃ > ` i> Ã «> ` v À Ì }iÌ iÀ with a visit to the Dairy and to see the process of the cheese making.
WIN
AN EXCITIN G SWISS ADVEN TURE!
HOW DO I APPLY? This fantastic promotion takes place between May-July 2017 and you can run it at any stage during that period. Get ahead of the game and contact us now! It’ll only take a few moments and within a few days you’ll have everything you need.
Contact jilly.sitch@gff.co.uk or call us on 01747 825200.
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July 2017 | Vol.18 Issue 6
A promotional feature on behalf of the Guild of Fine Food
All you need to know. Now all together. For over 30 years, we’ve helped fine food businesses to grow and thrive through professional training. Our range of courses, taught by industry experts and practising deli owners, will help you gain the product and tasting knowledge, commercial insights and practical behind-thecounter skills you need to boost sales, and win and retain customers.
And now, you can find all that knowledge, support and expertise in one, new organisation. The School of Fine Food brings together all our Guild of Fine Food training for the first time, offering courses across three key programmes to help you learn, be inspired and succeed in food retailing. The School will have two homes: the Guild of Fine Food HQ in Dorset; and new, dedicated premises in London. We will, of course, continue to take our courses on the road as well. CHEESE PROGRAMME
DELI PROGRAMME
BUSINESS PROGRAMME
RETAIL – a course for deli, food hall and farm shop owners, managers and key counter staff. You’ll learn how cheese is made, how it should be sold, and taste over 40 cheeses to enhance your product knowledge.
We offer three separate courses, focusing on product knowledge, tasting and counter skills. You can take whichever you choose, in any order and at any time, according to your needs.
A development of our pioneering business course Retail Ready, the School of Fine Food Business Programme will offer a wider, deeper range of content through three new one-day workshops, allowing you to pick the most relevant course for you.
ACADEMY OF CHEESE (Level One) – a one-day course for professional and amateur enthusiasts who wish to gain the Academy of Cheese Level One certification. You’ll cover the whole Level One syllabus, including tasting 25 different cheeses. ACADEMY OF CHEESE CONVERTER (Level One) – if you’ve previously completed the Retail course, this one-day session will help you apply your existing knowledge and understanding to fulfil the Level One requirements. You’ll spend half the day learning about the 25 cheeses specified by the Academy – and the other half tasting them. ACADEMY OF CHEESE (Level Two) – a course for those wishing to progress to the Level Two certification. Through further, more in-depth tastings, you’ll add to your existing cheese knowledge, expertise and confidence.
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These ‘bite-size’ experience days cover the basics about each product area, and are designed to inspire you to learn more. Each session includes tutored tastings and looks at in-store cross-selling opportunities.
DELI 1 Charcuterie Olive oil Beer & cider Meat slice training DELI 2 Pies, pasties, pâté Chocolate Fruit & vegetable preserves Merchandising DELI 3 Coffee Tea Biscuits & bread Customer service skills
RETAIL READY 1 – Planning your business. For aspiring fine food retail business owners who have not yet started training (though may have secured premises and funding). RETAIL READY 2 – Getting your business going. For owners in their first one to two years of trading, and staff taking on or preparing for management roles. RETAIL READY 3 – Moving the business on. For established owners and senior managers looking to review, refresh or reinvigorate their business, take it in new direction, or prepare an exit strategy.
SPONSORSHIP We have sponsorship opportunities available in all three programmes, giving your products and brand unique access to retail buyers and decision makers. For more details, email sally.coley@gff.co.uk
For more details of all School of Fine Food programmes, courses, fees and dates, visit gff.co.uk/training or contact jilly.sitch@gff.co.uk, +44 (0)1747 825200
If you’d like more information visit academyofcheese.org
i
ced u d o r ly p , England d ou erset r P om S n Best Specialist Cheese Maker
PavĂŠ Cobble
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sweet, creamy and artisan a u had o y e v Ha pack? sample
Best Fresh Cheese Best English Cheese
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Rachel, English Goat Curd, English Sheep Curd, PavĂŠ Cobble, Sheep Rustler
Ensure your customers enjoy a World Champion cheese this summer.
Call us on 01579 362416 for details of our sample pack offer.
We are looking for new wholesale partnerships to extend our reach across the UK and abroad. Call Philip Stansfield on 01579 362416
cornishcheese.co.uk
info@whitelake.co.uk www.whitelake.co.uk Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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Old Winchester, cheese made with our own cows milk A very hard 18 month farmhouse cheese which has a GLVWLQFW QXWWLQHVV LQ Ă&#x20AC;DYRXU DQG PDGH ZLWK vegetarian rennet.
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Kentish Handmade Cheese A traditional unpasteurised, cloth bound cellar matured hard cheese from the county of Kent.
Why has Sorba-Freeze Chilled Packaging been trusted by companies worldwide for 25 years? â&#x20AC;˘ Unbeatable temperature control to keep your products cooler for longer in transit enables temperatures of -5°C to be maintained for up to 48 hours â&#x20AC;˘ Unhydrated for easy storage ultra-compact packaging to minimise storage requirements prior to usage â&#x20AC;˘ Guaranteed never to leak ensures your product arrives in pristine condition â&#x20AC;˘ Delivers lower unit cost than any other chilled packaging solution including gel packs and flake ice â&#x20AC;˘ 100% food safe complete peace of mind and meeting your legal obligations â&#x20AC;˘ Weight capacity of key products recently increased by up to 50% providing clients with an enhanced level of performance One of the most local farm produced cheeses to London and soon achieving carbon neutral production.
www.winterdale.co.uk +44 (0)1732 820021 Winterdale, Platt House Lane, Wrotham, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 7LX 26
July 2017 | Vol.18 Issue 6
Call 01592 631273 for your free sample pack Sorba-Freeze Ltd 6RXWKĘłHOG ,QGXVWULDO (VWDWH *OHQURWKHV .< 58
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THE BRITISH CHEESE AWARDS
White Lake pedals to victory The 24th annual British Cheese Awards was visited by an electioneering Prime Minister but the big winner was local maker White Lake and its cyclinginspired cheese. MICHAEL LANE reports.
The whole evening was overwhelming for us and it means so much for us to be judged by our peers
Experts descended on the Bath & West Show on 31st May to judge the British Cheese Awards and the PM herself even dropped in on a flying visit from Westminster – but the day’s biggest winner had travelled just a few miles. Based in Pylle, Somerset, near the Bath & West showground that played host to the 24th instalment of the awards, White Lake cheese claimed five trophies including the Supreme Champion title for its fresh sheep’s milk Pavé Cobble. The mousse-like cheese is named in celebration of the spring classic bike races held on the cobbled roads of Belgium and northern France. It also won three more awards – Best Fresh, Best Specialist Cheesemaker and Best English Cheese. White Lake’s other trophy was Best Modern British for the semi-hard washed rind Sheep Rustler. Some 54 counties from the UK and Ireland were represented by 144 makers, who submitted almost 1,000 cheeses to be judged by 70 experts at this year’s competition, held on the first day of the Royal Bath & West Show.
While on the campaign trail ahead of June’s General Election, Prime Minister Theresa May visited the judging session and received samples of cheese from Simeon Hudson-Evans of Fromage To Age and Rowcliffe chairman Tim Rowcliffe. At a dinner held at the showground after judging, Belton Cheese’s Lancashire crumbly block was named Reserve Champion, as well as Best Territorial and Best Creamery cheese. Another local stalwart, Westcombe Dairy took the coveted Best Cheddar trophy and Best PDO Cheese, while Cropwell Bishop’s Beauvale was named Best Blue. The in-house maker at Harvey & Brockless won Best New British for its raw goats’ milk Ashlynn, as well as the Best Soft White category. Teifi’s eponymous cheese was name Best Semi Soft, while the maker also claimed the Best Welsh gong with its Saval rind washed cheese. The semi-soft cows’ milk Durrus Òg was named Best Irish, Cave Aged Goat from Ashley Chase Estate won Best Goat, and Wootton Organic Dairy’s mould ripened Dumpling took
the Organic category. “The number and quality of the cheeses entered for this year’s awards has been exceptional and made judging and choosing the winners a real challenge,” said Peter Mitchell, British Cheese Awards chairman. “We love cheesemaking and Pavé Cobble is a combination of the two things that I love doing – making cheese and cycling,” said Roger Longman, White Lake co-founder and cheesemaker. “The whole evening was overwhelming for us and it means so much for us to be judged by our peers.” All the cheeses were scored on presentation, texture, aroma, flavour and balance. Dependent on the scores that each cheese received, gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded. The following day saw Andrew Van Kralingen, a trade account manager from Paxton & Whitfield, crowned Young Cheesemonger of the Year 2017 after taking part in a three-round challenge against fellow cheese professionals. britishcheeseawards.com Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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HONESTY AND INTEGRITY -
F A M I LY E T H O S -
P E RS O N A L C U STO M E R C A R E
With nearly 300 brands and more than 3,500 products to choose from, and supplying farm shops, delicatessens and garden centres throughout the UK... make us your one stop shop.
Suppliers of premium Spanish hams and charcuterie since 1988.
www.brindisawholesale.com
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July 2017 | Vol.18 Issue 6
@brindisa
/brindisa
brindisaspanishfoods
IMPORTERS & DISTRIBUTORS GUIDE
Bringing it all back home
Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re seeking food from Asia, Europe or closer to home, our annual directory is here to help independents weigh up their wholesale options. Compiled by LAUREN PHILLIPS. ,QĆ&#x201C;QLW\ )RRGV
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LQĆ&#x201C;QLW\IRRGVZKROHVDOH FR XN Minimum order value on application Delivers to: Europe, Middle East, Hong Kong
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Cotswold Fayre cotswold-fayre.co.uk Minimum order value from ÂŁ250 Delivers to: UK, Ireland and Export for ambient products. Mainland UK for chilled. One of the leading UK wholesalers, Cotswold Fayre supplies independent retailers with speciality food and drink sourced throughout the UK and across the globe. Starting as a distribution hub for a few small producers in the Cotswolds, it now represents over 350 suppliers of ambient, chilled and seasonal products with its Spring and Christmas ranges. Its most recent and exclusive additions include Spanish crisps from Snackgold, Mexican sauces,
+ROOH\V )LQH )RRGV
dips and spreads from Laterra, and Swiss chocolate from Milkboy.
olives in the worldâ&#x20AC;?. Aside from its premium olive oil range, the company has a range of extra YLUJLQ ROLYH RLO Ĺ´DYRXUHG ZLWK FKLOOL garlic, basil and rosemary & lemon (wholesale price ÂŁ2.94 per 250ml unit). Acropolis also extended its portfolio this month with a new range of olives. Wholesale price: 70â&#x20AC;&#x201C;80p per 100g.
FEATURED BRANDS 1 A producer of natural and organic coconut water and milk, Coconut Collective uses coconuts from Sri Lanka to produce its drink products. The milk is naturally gluten- and dairy-free, ideal for adding to cereal or tea and coffee as a substitute to standard dairy milk. Its coconut water is taken from a special variety called King coconuts. The water is also DYDLODEOH Ĺ´DYRXUHG ZLWK WKUHH varieties of fruit juice: guava, mango and pineapple.
3 Italian producer Filoteaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high-in-protein egg pasta range is made using the traditional method of drying the pasta slowly at a low temperature to give an DXWKHQWLF Ĺ´DYRXU 7KH SURGXFW LV available in four shapes: Linguine, Tagliatelle, Pappardelle, Spaghetti alla Chitarra and Paglia e Feino. Wholesale price is ÂŁ18.30 for 8 x 250g.
2 Greek producer Acropolis says it produces its high-quality olive oil with the â&#x20AC;&#x153;best variety of
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Once a small outlet at the rear of a shop in Brighton in 1971, today ,QĆ&#x201C;QLW\ )RRGV LV RQH RI WKH 8.Ĺ?V leading national distributor of ambient groceries and ingredients. The company sources its products from all over the world, specialising in organic brands including Aspalls, Doves Farm, Pip Organic, Pukka, Rude Health and Whole Earth. The company also says LWV ,QĆ&#x201C;QLW\ FRUH UDQJH RI ZKROHIRRGV LV very popular. With quinoa continuing to be D PDMRU H[SRUW LWHP ,QĆ&#x201C;QLW\ RIIHU several versions of this traditional South American grain including a UK-grown option. The wholesaler says the products are simple packaged and keenly priced.
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KROOH\VĆ&#x201C;QHIRRGV FRP Minimum order value: Free delivery available on all orders, minimum order varies by region, from ÂŁ100. Delivers to: UK and Ireland Established in 1970, Holleys Fine Foods covers a whole range of ambient products including bakery items, snacks, confectionery, world foods and preserves. Products are sourced from UK, Ireland and Europe with the company specialising in free-from and seasonal ranges. Recognisable brands include Dorset Tea, Tiptree, Darlingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and CafĂŠ Noir.
FEATURED BRANDS 1 Free and Easy is a vibrant collection of soups, ready-meals and cake mixes which are wheat-, glutenand dairy-free. The top sellers include organic three bean chilli, carrot cake mix, organic chicken & vegetable curry and sweet potato & chia seed soup.
2 Eat Real offer hummus chips, lentil chips, quinoa chips, quinoa & kale puffs and veggie chips and straws, all made with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;realâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ingredients. The company says the tomato & basil chips, lentil chilli & lemon chips, and veggie straws are its best sellers.
3 Gloucestershire-based The Authentic Bread Coâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s selection of biscuits for cheeses come in IRXU GLIIHUHQW Ĺ´DYRXUV EHHWURRW URVHPDU\ Ć&#x201C;J ZDOQXW SXPSNLQ VXQĹ´RZHU VHHG DQG VHD VDOW cracked black pepper.
Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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IMPORTERS & DISTRIBUTORS GUIDE Brindisa
FEATURED BRANDS
brindisa.com
In the valley of the river TiĂŠtar in La Adrada, Monte Enebro produces pasteurised goatsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; milk cheese. Described as having a peppery rind and a clean, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;citrusyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; interior, the FKHHVH LV NJ LQ ZHLJKW ZLWK the RRP ÂŁ39.00 per kg.
Minimum order value ÂŁ60 for own van delivery (London). Free delivery on orders over ÂŁ300 (Outside London). Delivers to: UK /DXQFKHG RYHU \HDUV DJR 6SDQLVK Ć&#x201C;QH IRRG importer Brindisa imports a range of cheeses from Manchego to Ermesenda. It is also known for its cured meats, from Serrano and Iberico Bellota to the lesser known morcilla and sobrasada. Its brands include Alemany, Casa Riera Ordeix, Ortiz, Nardin, Queso Payoyo and SeĂąorio de Montanera.
Sourced from Catalonia, Brindisa salted Marcona almonds are lightly fried to enhance their sweetness. The almonds are plump with a
EĂriz 100% IbĂŠrico Bellota ham is cured for a minimum of three years for a deeper Ĺ´DYRXU ZKHUH VZHHW QRWHV dominate the savoury with earthy touches and hints of nuts. Weight 7.5â&#x20AC;&#x201C;8kg, RRP e SHU J RU e IRU the whole ham.
Empire Bespoke Foods
Ormos Foods
empirebespokefoods.com
ormosfoods.com
No minimum order value (delivery charges may apply).
Minimum order value ÂŁ90 (depending on the area) Delivers to: London and the UK
Delivers to: UK
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A supplier of artisan Greek and other Mediterranean food, Ormos Foodsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; product range includes olive oil, olives, honey, *UHHN VSHFLDOWLHV FKDUFXWHULH 7XUNLVK FRIIHH Ć&#x201C;OR DQG SDVWULHV Its producers include Nektar Coffee, FiveTwenty, Alexakis, Argo Beer and Eva Distillery. FEATURED BRANDS
West London-based Empire Bespoke Foods represents over 100 brands across 13 categories including world foods, savoury snacks, hot beverages, soft drinks and seasonal Christmas brands. This extensive portfolio of products is sourced from around the world in countries that include France, Italy and Spain and all the way to Vietnam, Malaysia and Japan. The brands it represents include Mrs Elswoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pickled cucumbers, Delouisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mayonnaises, S&Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wasabi sauce and Japanese curries, and Penottiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chocolate. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s specialist products are Asian meal kits and ingredients, USA confectionery, Kosher products, and German gingerbread. FEATURED BRANDS 1 Thai Taste encompasses an authentic range of Thai cuisine. Its award-winning range comprises more than 50 Thai products from specialist ingredients to Easy Thai Green and Red Curry mealNLWV e SHU FDVH RI [ J 7KH company says all its products are made with natural, locally sourced ingredients that are fresh where possible.
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â&#x20AC;&#x153;pleasingly oil rich, creamy taste and a crisp textureâ&#x20AC;?. RRP is ÂŁ6.75 per 150g pack.
July 2017 | Vol.18 Issue 6
2 Made in Italy, Turciâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s herb extract seasoning sprays are said to offer the WDVWH RI IUHVK KHUE Ĺ´DYRXUV DOO \HDU round. The cold-pressed formulas contain over 80% of the raw product, which the producer says makes them effectively fresh herbs with a 3-month shelf life. Available in eight authentic Ĺ´DYRXUV HDFK PO ERWWOH FRQWDLQV RYHU 200 sprays (ÂŁ7.20 per case of 6). Turci also produce BBQ sauce sprays as a low-calorie alternative to the traditional EDUEHFXH VDXFH 7KHVH PO VSUD\V DUH DYDLODEOH LQ IRXU Ĺ´DYRXUV LQFOXGLQJ a vegetable option. Wholesale price ÂŁ10.92 per case of 6.
Beanitos are made in the US by combining high-quality beans with whole-grain rice. The dough is cut into triangular-shaped chips, then baked EHIRUH EHLQJ Ĺ´DVK IULHG LQ VXQĹ´RZHU RLO DQG Ć&#x201C;QLVKHG RII ZLWK D OLJKW GXVWLQJ of sea salt. The chips are glutenfree, vegetarian and vegan friendly. Wholesale price ÂŁ13.68 per case of 8 x 100g. 3
1 Something Good offers a nutritious and convenient sesame honey bar snack from Greece. The bars are available in two Ĺ´DYRXUV FUDQEHUU\ pistachio & almond and sesame. 2 Vassilitsa Feta &KHHVH LV 3'2 FHUWLĆ&#x201C;HG and won a World Cheese Awards Super Gold in 2015-2016. It is available in organic and non-organic vacuums, a J DQG NJ FRQWDLQHU ZLWK EULQH DQG NJ DQG 13kg metal tins. 3 Internationally renowned for their meaty texture and rich Ĺ´DYRXU *UHHN .DODPDWD Black Olives are grown in the valleys of the Peloponnese. Sativa olives are available as a paste (170g), marinated with fresh oregano and thyme (350g), or whole (12kg).
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FINE FOODS • OLIVE WOOD • SPANISH CERAMICS To download our New Christmas Pre-order & Vol 10 Brochures please visit: www.divinedistribution.co.uk
www.divinedistribution.co.uk sales@divinedeli.com 01706 313 001 Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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Tenuta Marmorelle Bronze Drawn Gluten Free Caserecce Pasta
Minimum Order for Carriage Paid
Distributing Fine Foods since 2004
Pallet Delivery £350 Own Vehicles £125 Tenuta Marmorelle OTTIMO Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pallet Delivery £500 Pallet Delivery £1000 Pallet Delivery £450
Casanova Truffle Casanova 10 Year Balsamic Pearls Old Balsamic Vinegar From Modena IGP
Tenuta Marmorelle Bronze Drawn Rustic Truffle Pappardelle
Amore Italiano Sun Dried Tomato Tapenade
www.tenutamarmorelle.com | +44 (0)7535286028
chilled & ambient fine food & drink Over 260 Market Leading Speciality Brands
weekly deliveries in our vans, by our drivers
£125 minimum order
Chilled, Ambient, & Alcohol on One Order, One Delivery, One Invoice
The Small Print to deliver chilled d e l i v eUnfortunately r i n g we f iare n unable e fo od lines to any customers who do not receive contact us thecressco.co.uk 0845 643 1330
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July 2017 | Vol.18 Issue 6
For more details contact us on: finefoods@afblakemore.co.uk 01902 308996 www.afblakemore.com/finefoods
IMPORTERS & DISTRIBUTORS GUIDE Vinegar Shed vinegarshed.com 1
Minimum order value: Inner London: orders under ÂŁ100 have a shipping cost of ÂŁ15; over ÂŁ100 shipping is free. England, Wales & Lowland Scotland: orders under ÂŁ250 have a shipping cost of ÂŁ25; orders over ÂŁ250 1 shipping is free.
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Delivers to: All British Isles and Europe
Hider Food Imports hiderfoods.co.uk Minimum order value ÂŁ250 ÂŁ500 (subject to location) Delivers nationwide Hider Foods is one of the leading distributors of ambient Ć&#x201C;QH IRRGV FRYHULQJ DOO SURGXFW categories, including a wide range of seasonal food gifts for the Christmas and Easter trading periods. The wholesaler currently offers around 350 brands across an extensive range of food categories. It represents many well-known brands including Green & Blacks, Border Biscuits, and Fentimans but also several smaller British brands such as Three Little Pigs, Merangz and Gold Crown Bakery. Its bulk nuts and dried fruit are imported from the States, South
Africa and Europe, while seasonal products are sourced from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Turkey. Aside from importing, Hider also has an extensive nut processing and packing side to its business with its own brand Essence of Quality, which can be found in many delis, farm shops and garden centres across the UK. FEATURED BRANDS 1 Hider has recently added World Flavours to its premium snack range. Moroccan spice (100g) is a combination of harissaĹ´DYRXUHG URDVWHG QXWV DQG GULHG fruits; Mexican Chilli (90g) is a PL[WXUH RI +DEDQHUR Ĺ´DYRXUHG roasted nuts; Thai Green Curry (75g) combines roasted nuts, noodles and coconut. All products are priced at ÂŁ1.99 for cases of 12 packs.
RH Amar rhamar.com Delivers to nationwide
5+ $PDU VXSSOLHV PRUH WKDQ Ć&#x201C;QH food brands, covering over a dozen categories, including beverages, ethnic cuisine, free-from and home baking and sundries. The company owns the Mary Berry brand of sauces, dressings and chutneys. Other brands distributed to the speciality trade are Buiteman, Crespo, Ellaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kitchen and Kikkoman. Its products are sourced from 26 countries around the world with a special emphasis on foods from the Mediterranean countries.
2 Hazer Babaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Turkish Delight has been represented exclusively by Hider for many years. The relationship goes back to the early â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;90s and many packaging LQQRYDWLRQV DQG QHZ Ĺ´DYRXUV KDYH emerged in that time. Hiderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very Ć&#x201C;UVW &KULVWPDV EURFKXUH IHDWXUHG no more than a dozen lines of the confectionery. Now in 2017, there DUH RYHU YDULDWLRQV RI Ĺ´DYRXU pack size and price points. 3 While on their travels around Europe earlier this year, Hiderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trading team met the Marabissi family, producers of traditional Italian biscuits including Cantucci, Amaretti and Panforte. Now the company says it is delighted to welcome the Marabissi brand in this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Christmas brochure.
1 The range of tomatoes, tomato purĂŠes and passata under the Mutti label comes from Italyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foremost producer of tomato products, based in Parma. The wholesaler says the brand is more suited for stockists of Ć&#x201C;QH IRRG EHFDXVH RI LWV KLJK TXDOLW\
A mango lime & chilli dressing (RSP: ÂŁ2.79, 235ml bottle) is the newest addition to the Mary Berry range. It is a fruity dressing ideal for salads but can also be used as a sauce or marinade. 3 Cooks&Co aims to add sweetness and colour to salads, pasta, starters and pizza with its new sweet drop peppers (ÂŁ2.89 per 235g jar), made using Amazon Inca Red Drops.
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FEATURED BRANDS Vinegar Shed is a specialist in rare, small-batch artisan vinegars but also covers other ambient products such as Greek herbs, French terrines and pickles. All imported products are exclusive to the company, including brands such as Stephane Reynaud terrines, Epices de Cru Spices, spice blends & peppers, and Riserva di Massimo Carnaroli rice. 1 Daphnis and Chloe Greek herbs are hand-picked on a small family-run farm. 7KH VHOHFWLRQ LQFOXGHV WK\PH Ĺ´RZHUV (ÂŁ3.50 per unit), sage (ÂŁ3.00 per unit), fennel seeds (ÂŁ3.50 per unit) and balsamic bay leaves (ÂŁ3.00 per unit).
FEATURED BRANDS
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2 A limited edition Spanish smoked olive oil, Finca La Barca uses traditional paprika smoke houses in the La Vera region. The oil comes in a stylish bottle sealed with wax and packaged in an individual box with an oil pourer.
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3 3 Fleuriet Pineau de Charentes Vinegar is available in rosĂŠ and white 250ml bottles with a trade price of ÂŁ6.60 each. Made using a four-year-old white and rosĂŠ Pineau de Charente, WKH SURGXFWV DUH XQĆ&#x201C;OWHUHG DQG preservative-free to retain their bright colour and honey aromas.
Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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vinegarshed.com
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For more information on our exclusive range already being used by top chefs, contact us on 07854 892 065 or info@vinegarshed.com 34
July 2017 | Vol.18 Issue 6
IMPORTERS & DISTRIBUTORS GUIDE Blakemore Fine Foods
Diverse Fine Food
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Representing more than 280 producers, Blakemore Fine Foods stocks over 3,000 chilled and ambient product lines. Over the past 2 years, the company has increased its range of craft ales, spirits and ciders. It now has a separate speciality alcohol catalogue which holds brands from over 70 different distilleries, cider mills and breweries around the UK.
Somerset-based Diverse Fine Food aims to be a modern wholesaler, which looks for high-quality products with contemporary design and packaging. The company focuses on ambient food products, including snacks, confectionery, soft drinks and craft beers and ciders. It says it taste-tests every single item it supplies, adding that each product needs to adhere to the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strict criteria in order to feature in its catalogue. Diverse sources suppliers mainly from the UK though but will make exceptions for high quality and unique imported products unavailable elsewhere.
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Tenuta Marmorelle source only from Italy for its lines including oils, pastas, limoncello, antipasti, balsamic vinegars, chocolate, brittle and nougat. It says its Parma hams and salamis are made by a family run producer that also creates a whole range of charcuterie, including salami, hams and pancetta.
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2 7DUWXĆ&#x201C; -LPP\ 7UXIĹ´HĹ?V SRUFLQL PXVKURRP DQG ZKLWH WUXIĹ´H FUHDP LV UHFRPPHQGHG ZLWK SDVWD GLVKHV RU XVHG DV D VSUHDG RQ EUXVFKHWWD e SHU J 7HQXWD DOVR LPSRUWV 7DUWXĆ&#x201C;Ĺ?V WUXIĹ´H RLOV ZKLWH WUXIĹ´H SDUPLJLDQD FUHDP ZKROH WUXIĹ´HV DQG WUXIĹ´H KRQH\ 3 7HQXWD 0DUPRUHOOH VD\V LWV /LPLWHG =(52 H[WUD YLUJLQ ROLYH RLO LV PDGH RQ LWV IDPLO\ IDUP LQ 3XJOLD ,WDO\ 7KH ZKROH SURFHVV Ĺ&#x160; IURP ORRNLQJ DIWHU WKH WUHHV WR FROG SUHVVLQJ DQG ERWWOLQJ Ĺ&#x160; LV PDQDJHG E\ WKH FRPSDQ\ =(52 LV e SHU PO VTXDUH ERWWOH
Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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IMPORTERS & DISTRIBUTORS GUIDE Divine Distribution divinedistribution.co.uk Minimum order value ÂŁ200 before VAT for free delivery 'HOLYHUV WR 8. +LJKODQGV and Islands, Channel Islands Not only supplying speciality food, Divine Distributionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s categories also cover ceramics, olive wood, gifts and kitchen boards. Sourcing products from the UK, Southern Spain, Tunisia and Canada, it is the exclusive distributor of Verano Spanish Ceramics and Wildly Delicious. FEATURED BRANDS 1 The Rustic Pastel range of terracotta ceramics is a new concept from Divine Deli. The range features three jugs and bowls which are hand-
moulded and dipped in fresh heritage shades. Pricing for the tall jug (28cm in height) is ÂŁ16.00 with an RRP of ÂŁ34.96. 1
The factory which produces Divineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Selena ceramic range is in a small village in AndalucĂa, Spain. Each piece of Selena is made with red clay and handdipped in a vibrant jewelled JOD]H 7KH JDUOLF MDU ZLWK D OLG is priced at ÂŁ6.06 with an RRP of ÂŁ12.99. 2
3 Divine says its Rustic Tunisian olive wood is tactile, hardwearing and ideal for serving. From time to time, the wood can be wiped with a generous amount of vegetable oil to revitalise the woodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s depth and colour. RRP ÂŁ19.99.
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Delicioso UK delicioso.co.uk No minimum order, but free delivery for regular customers starts at orders over ÂŁ300
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FEATURED BRANDS 1 Will and Allison thecressco.co.uk Abernethy started making Minimum order value ÂŁ125 their Abernethy Butter by hand in 2005. They Delivers nationwide believe the skills and knowledge inherited from previous generations Based in Fife, The Cress have given them a Co was initially set up product that stands head in 2004 to serve the and shoulders above independent retail market commercial butter. The in Scotland. By 2015, its cream is produced from reach extended across cows in the Lagan Valley, London and the South which is churned before East. The distributor a little salt is added. The sources mainly from butter is available in three the UK, supporting Ĺ´DYRXUV VDOWHG VPRNHG small artisan producers and dulse & sea salt. and larger established 2 The hand-made sweet brands alike. Among its producers are Dalston fruit and herb vinegars Cola, Pipers Crisps, from The Little Herb Farm 6QDIĹ´LQJ 3LJ *UHDW %ULWLVK are made in small batches Biscotti and Patchwork to ensure each product is PatĂŠ to name a few. high quality. The vinegars, which are gluten- and fat-free, use home grown
herbs and locally sourced fruit. The available Ĺ´DYRXUV DUH UDVSEHUU\ mint & chilli, rhubarb & ginger, strawberry & basil, blackcurrant & thyme, raspberry & rosemary, blueberry & lime, and tayberry & sage.
Delicioso sources a wide range of artisan food such as charcuterie, cheeses, patĂŠs and seafood from all regions of Spain, also stocking paella pans, terracotta dishes, gifts and hampers.
3 A classic salsa from CataluĂąa, Salsa Romesco uses sundried sweet Ă&#x2018;oras pepper pulp, tomatoes, and sherry vinegar with the addition RI DOPRQGV DQG KD]HOQXWV for texture. The salsa is available in retail jars of 175g in trays of six, trade price ÂŁ13.75, and a 950g poly for ÂŁ9.45.
The Cress Company
1
FEATURED BRANDS
3
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July 2017 | Vol.18 Issue 6
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1 Finca la Rosalaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nuts are lightly roasted ZLWK Ć&#x201C;QHO\ JURXQG VHD salt, smoked paprika and brown sugar. The producer also adds DQ DGGLWLRQDO Ĺ´DYRXU depending on the type of nut being roasted such
as violets, strawberry or lemon & lime. Prices range from ÂŁ22.95 to ÂŁ33.85 per case of 12. 2 'HOLFLRVRĹ?V *D]SDFKR soup is available in two VL]HV PO LQGLYLGXDO SRUWLRQV RU OLWUH VL]H glass bottles brightly decorated in the typical Spanish colours of red and yellow. Made using tomatoes, cucumber and red pepper with extra virgin olive oil, the soup is priced at ÂŁ17.95 for 16 of WKH PO VL]H DQG e IRU VL[ RI WKH OLWUH VL]H
3 Dalston Cola produces its small-batch craft drinks in its brew yard in East London with the mission to change the publicsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; perception towards soft drinks. Committed to using quality, natural ingredients, the producer works closely with its suppliers to ensure it has real fresh fruit, roots and herbs. Cola, ginger beer, lemonade, cream soda DQG Ć&#x201C;]]\ DSSOH DUH WKH varieties from Dalston Cola.
. ]V\[RR_ V[ ¾ [R S\\Q A founder member of the Guild of Fine Food, RH Amar has been supplying fine foods to specialist wholesalers throughout Great Britain since 1945. Among our many brands of exceptional foods are the following: s BUITEMAN
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ALIMENTARI
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s MUTTI
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@rhamar1945
Fantastico! I TA L I A N FAV O U R I T E S FROM SUMA
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For more information visit www.suma.coop/wholesale Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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Join the Guild of Fine Food for the most anticipated night of the year Monday 4 September 2017 THE EVENING WILL BEGIN with a Reception in the Park Lane suites: a host of 3-star producers will offer morsels at their Tasting Tables to whet your appetite before you move through to the glittering setting of the Ballroom, where the celebrations will begin.
A NEW VENUE THIS YEAR: InterContinental London Park Lane One Hamilton Place, Park Lane
A four course, 3-Star Dinner is being curated by Executive Chef, Ashley Wells. This promises to be a magnificent culinary tribute to Great Taste 2017 winners on a plate. The evening will build towards the magical moment when the 2017 Supreme Champion is announced. The final celebrations, with live music, will continue well into the night.
TICKET PRICE INCLUDES:
Be amongst the first to congratulate the 2017 Great Taste Supreme Champion and the Golden Fork winners.
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Great Taste Reception with Tasting Tables
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£160 Guild of Fine Food Members £180 Non-members (prices include VAT) Tickets are strictly limited and are sold on a first come, first served basis. To avoid disappointment, please reserve your tickets today. Contact joanne.myram@gff.co.uk or call +44 (0)1747 825200 Dress: Jackets
The Great Taste Golden Fork Awards Dinner celebrating the Great Taste stars of 2017 gff.co.uk/gta | greattasteawards.co.uk
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Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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CATEGORY FOCUS
Cool for counters
THE DELI COUNTER Fancy Fungi Mushrooms has launched a range of wild, gourmet mushroom products including a paté, umami paste and pickled mushrooms. The paté is a mix of forest mushrooms blended with butter, garlic, brandy, thyme and white vinegar. The umami paste is again a forest mushroom mix combined with shallots, garlic, tomato paste, sherry vinegar and Madeira. fancyfungi.ie
Made using British 0% fat natural yoghurt, The Dip Society says its new smoked salmon paté is a healthier alternative to conventional recipes. Other ingredients include organic honey, wholegrain mustard, dill and sustainably sourced smoked salmon. The company launched the product last November with a unit price of £2.09 (RRP £3.49). thedipsociety.co.uk
Seeing an increasing trend for New York-style sandwiches, Owen Taylor & Sons has introduced homecured pastrami. The retail butcher says it selects prime cuts of silverside beef for its pastrami, which it cures, peppers, cooks and slices in a variety of ways, adding WKDW WKH ƓQLVKHG SURGXFW has a premium quality taste with a subtle pepper punch. Pricing is £6.99 per 500g pack or £16.09 per kg. owentaylor.co.uk
Blackhand Food says its new lamb & bay leaf chorizo salami is made of Texel lamb and Gloucester Old Spot pigs, explaining that it adds a little fat from the pork to the lean lamb meat. The meat is cured overnight, ground and packed into natural ox bung casings. Aromatics include smoked paprika, fresh bay leaves, dried lemon peel, garlic and red port. Trade price: £28 per kg. blackhandfood.com
Findlater’s Fine Foods has relaunched its range of serve-over patés with eyecatching toppings and in new branded display dishes. The relaunch has also included the addition of an asparagus paté, described as a light parfait-style product. The 14 varieties come in 600g trays with the wholesale price starting at £9.17 and an RRP of around £26.70 per kg. ƓQGODWHUVƓQHIRRGV FR XN
Highland Charcuterie and Smoke House has developed a sausage recipe using wild venison from Ardgay game. The meat is infused with elderberries, juniper, garlic and a hint of oregano says the charcutier, adding that it uses natural casings and hot beechwood smoke. Each sausage is vacuum packed with an average weight of 200g. Trade price £35 per kg. highlandcharcute@gmail. com
Three Little Pigs has unveiled its new range of ready-sliced, retail packed chorizo and salami. Available through chilled distributor The Cress Co, the products have an RRP of £2.99 per 50g pack. threelittlepigschorizo.co.uk
Binghams is a producer of potted meats and spreads. Its deli range is made up of three lines which are packed in 500g sealed trays and include potted beef (trade price £5.00), beef spread and beef & tomato spread (trade price £4.25 each). binghamsfood.co.uk
This summer Bray’s Cottage will be launching a black pudding pork pie in collaboration with The Fruit Pig Company. The company says its pie has a pork mix with a “generous” slice of black pudding. The wholesale price is £1.95. perfectpie.co.uk
Nothing tells shoppers more about a fine food store than a quick glance at its deli counter. So it pays to give this section a regular range review. To give you a steer we’ve brought together some of the best new chilled and ambient additions to the deli, from pastrami and patés to pepperdrop peppers and pestos. Rabbit, chorizo & coriander terrine, anyone?
Compiled by Lauren Phillips
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July 2017 | Vol.18 Issue 6
>> Berry Fresh Bakery has updated its brand with a complete redesign of its labels. Each product has its own colourway for easy recognition at markets, festivals and on farm shop shelves. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preserves are still handmade with only natural ingredients and the new look puts the message clearly onto each label. RRP ÂŁ3.50 for a 265g jar. berryfreshbakery.com
ANNALISE CARTER A Taste of Honey, West Didsbury, Manchester
Give a product a good eight weeks to catch on
Berry Fresh Bakery has
updated its brand with a How we complete redesign of its labels. Each product has stock itâ&#x20AC;Ś its own colourway for easy
recognition at markets, festivals and on farm shop shelves. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preserves are still withstays onlyclose natural A handmade Taste of Honey toingredie home fornatural its piesingredients and and the nts and the new Scotch eggs. look the messagethat â&#x20AC;&#x153;I likeputs to use producers clearly each label.orRRP are eitheronto in Manchester ÂŁ3.50 a 265g jar. the Northfor West,â&#x20AC;? says owner, MAXIMUM DEPTH Annalise Carter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Generally, if you source locally you can have smaller orders that can be delivered fresh every day.â&#x20AC;? Andrew Jones Pies and Great North Pie Co. supply the storeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fresh and seasonal pies. There are six varieties of Scotch egg from The Happy Belly, including a vegetarian version. Scotch eggs are a muststock, says Carter, because consumers prefer to buy them ready-made than prepare them at home. Carter also recommends giving any new fresh lines time to bed in. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People are creatures of habit. Give a product a good eight weeks to catch on.â&#x20AC;? atasteofhoney.co.uk
Berry Fresh Bakery has Berry Fresh Bakery has Sheds ofwith terrines updated its brand updated its brand with a complete redesign of its labels. Each product has its own colourway for easy recognition at markets, festivals and on farm shop shelves. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preserves are still handmade with only natural ingredients and the new look puts the message clearly onto each label. RRP ÂŁ3.50 for a 265g jar. berryfreshbakery.com
a complete redesign of its labels. Each product has its own colourway for easy recognition at markets, festivals and on farm shop shelves. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preserves are still handmade with only natural ingredients and the new look puts the message clearly onto each label. RRP ÂŁ3.50 for a 265g jar. berryfreshbakery.com
Specialising in imported vinegars and other products, Vinegar Shed has added country-style terrines to its selection RI DUWLVDQ Ć&#x201C;QH IRRGV 7KH terrines are made by French chef Stephane Reynaud, who collaborated with FKDUFXWHULH Ć&#x201C;UP 7H\VVLHU Available in 200g pots,
WKH Ĺ´DYRXUV LQFOXGH URH deer & blackcurrant, pork, bacon & shallots, and rabbit, chorizo & coriander. Vinegar Shed says the products have a three-year ambient shelf life with a trade price of ÂŁ5.60 per unit. RRP ÂŁ10.50 per 200g pot. vinegarshed.com
Horganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Delicatessen Suppliesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; new authentic New York-style pastrami is a sister product to its Irish Angus spiced beef. The pastrami is made by slowly curing a brisket in brine which is then covered in a blend of spices and steam cooked for succulence before being gently smoked over wood chips. horgans.com
Chicken & wild mushroom and venison & mushroom are the two newest products from Tomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pies. The former is made from a combination of wild mushroom, handtorn chicken, white wine and Dijon mustard in a bĂŠchamel sauce, while the latter is a seasonal pie which is described as â&#x20AC;&#x153;earthy and wholesomeâ&#x20AC;?. Trade price is ÂŁ13.50 per box of six pies. RRP ÂŁ3.50. toms-pies.co.uk
$V ZHOO DV LWV JULOOHG YHJHWDEOHV and pepperdrop peppers, Lefktroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newest product is pepperdillo peppers with cream cheese. Described as sweet and spicy, the GHOLFDFLHV DUH DYDLODEOH LQ J MDUV for retail (RRP ÂŁ3.49-ÂŁ4.49) and FDWHULQJ MDUV RI J DW e lefktro.co.uk
Protong says its recently launched beef sticks have been developed using South African drywors techniques. Flavours include almonds, goji berries and coconut which are infused into British grass-fed beef marinated in an organic spice blend. The sticks are wrapped in packs of two at RRP ÂŁ1.99 each. Wholesale price ÂŁ33.30 for a box of 24 sticks. protong.co.uk
Sid Dersley reopened The Old Barn Smokery, a IRUPHU Ć&#x201C;VK VPRNHKRXVH last November, unveiling a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;duckstramiâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC; and smoked duck breast. Both are made using the same cut of meat but cured and smoked in different ways. Both products retail at ÂŁ4.95 for 80g or ÂŁ7.50 for a whole breast. theoldbarnsmokery.co.uk
Ispini Charcuterie in Northern Ireland has introduced a new bresaola to its portfolio of handcured meats. The product is cured in a blend of rosemary and thyme before being air-dried for at least ĹľYH ZHHNV ispinicharcuterie.com
Berry Fresh Bakery has updated its brand with a complete redesign of its labels. Each product has its own colourway for easy recognition at markets, festivals and on farm shop shelves. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preserves are still handmade with only natural ingredients and the new look puts the message clearly onto each label. RRP ÂŁ3.50 for a 265g jar. berryfreshbakery.com
An ideal onthe-go snack, the pots are available in four varieties
Owned and distributed by RH Amar, Cooks&Co has launched a range of ambient deli pots. Pitched as an ideal onthe-go snack, the pots are available in four varieties: Halkidiki olives marinated in lemon, garlic Berry Fresh Bakery has & rosemary (RRPwith ÂŁ2.29 updated its brand for 160g),redesign garlic parsley a complete of & or with itsonions labels.(RRP EachÂŁ2.29) product peppers garlic (ÂŁ2.49), has its own&colourway Kalamata olives forand easy recognition at with wild oregano (RRP markets, festivals andÂŁ2.49). on rhamar.com farm shop shelves. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preserves are still handmade with only natural ingredients and the new look puts the message clearly onto each label. RRP ÂŁ3.50 for a 265g jar. berryfreshbakery.com
6PRNHG WXUNH\ DQG KDP SURGXFHU Adlington KDV XQYHLOHG D FRRNHG FKLFNHQ FXVKLRQ 7KH QDWXUDO EUHDVW meat is made from Red Tractor UK FKLFNHQ PDULQDWHG LQ KRQH\ 7KH SURGXFW LV DYDLODEOH LQ WZR VL]HV 750g for trade slicing and 450g for the household fridge. adlingtonltd.com
Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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Cured and smoked in our own Smoke house on the Isle of Man; using traditional methods and our own ‘secret’ recipe - creating the finest smoked salmon we think you will ever come across.
For more information please e-mail Jay@robinsons.im or call 07624 319631 Order online at paddysfish.co.uk
www.genovese.ie
paddysfish.co.uk
These are fresh chilled products and available for retail in standard and luxury packaging. Also in two sizes for food service, deli’s and serve over counters of 500g and 1kg tubs. Please contact genovesefoods@gmail.com for a quotation for direct delivery.
Perfected over 200 years
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July 2017 | Vol.18 Issue 6
CATEGORY FOCUS Following the launch of its sliced salami range last summer, Woodallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s has introduced whole salamis for display and cutting on the deli counter. The new products include a Cumberland salami (ÂŁ22.40 min 1kg), a spicy Cumberland salami (ÂŁ17.92 min 0.8kg), Norfolk mustard salami (ÂŁ22.40 min 1kg) and a black pepper & garlic salami (ÂŁ58.24 min 2.4kg). ZRRGDOOVFKDUFXWHULH FR XN
Fine foods importer 7UHVRUV GH *UHFH has launched AelĂŠa Halkidiki green olives on the UK market. The olives are seasoned with fresh lemon and oregano and are recommended as an appetizer or used in sauces and casseroles. The olives, along with its other products, are available from the Cotswold Fayre 2017 catalogue. WUHVRUVGHJUHFH JU
A recently launched food business, Finderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Food supplies the retail market with a range of chefdeveloped gourmet products. The company says its new chicken liver patĂŠ is made from 100% Irish ingredients including Kerrygold butter, onions and port. RRP ÂŁ3.39.
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%HUU\ )UHVK %DNHU\ has updated its brand with a complete redesign of its labels. Each product has its own colourway for easy recognition at markets, festivals and on farm shop shelves. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preserves are still handmade with only natural ingredients and the new look puts the message clearly onto each label. RRP e IRU D J MDU EHUU\IUHVKEDNHU\ FRP
The black olives are soaked in brine for nine months
/RQGRQ EDVHG Ć&#x201C;QH IRRG distributor $UWLVDQ 2OLYH Oil Company has added Moulins Mahjoubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sahli black olives and meski green olives to its selection. The black olives are placed in natural brine and then soaked for nine months JLYLQJ WKHP D Ĺ?Ć&#x201C;UP Ĺ´HVK and light salt contentâ&#x20AC;? 553 e IRU J The green olives have D Ĺ?PHDW\ Ĺ´HVKĹ? DQG DUH bottled in brine with a slice of lemon and wild fennel (RRP ÂŁ2.80 for J DUWLVDQROLYHRLOFRPSDQ\ com
Irish company Rucksnacks is launching its Beef Bites to the UK market this month. Created by Colm Connolly, the product is made from 100% Irish grass-fed beef with natural ingredients. rucksnacks.com
Fine food importer Districts of Italyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Prosciutto di Parma San Marco from Tanara is available on the bone, boneless pressed and round. The company says the ham has a 180 days shelf-life when in the vacuum and up to a month in the counter when opened. GLVWULFWVRĆ&#x201C;WDO\ FR XN
2OLYHV HW DO has selected two of Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most recognised cheeses, Coastal mature cheddar and Colston Bassett Stilton, to create its new range of cheese-stuffed Greek Halkidiki olives. They are available in retail jars and bulk 2kg trays which are delivered in an ambient, shelf stable state. RRP ÂŁ16.20 per 2kg tray for each. ROLYHVHWDO FR XN
Cwm Farm is launching a â&#x20AC;&#x153;taste of Walesâ&#x20AC;? duo pack in new packaging with its award-winning laverbread salami and a brand-new leek salami. The laverbread salami is made with freerange pork, laverbread, black pepper and a little JDUOLF ,WV Ć&#x201C;UVW EDWFK RI OHHN salami has already made its way to Canada. A black garlic smoky salami will also be launching early this month. FZPIDUP FR XN
7KH 5HDO &XUH has added two new pork salamis: a 'RUVHW %OXH 9LQQ\ Ć&#x201C;J and fennel & white pepper salami. Founder James Smart says the Dorset Blue 9LQQ\ DQG VZHHW Ć&#x201C;J PDNH D great pairing and â&#x20AC;&#x153;resonates with the British charcuterie movement by championing regional produce to create QHZ Ĺ´DYRXU FRPELQDWLRQVĹ? The Dorset Blue Vinny & Ć&#x201C;J LV e NJ ZKLOH WKH fennel & white pepper VDODPL LV e NJ WKHUHDOFXUH FR XN
Based in Northumberland, Swallow Fish operates in smokehouses which have been on site since 1843 and uses the same methods of smoking over oak sawdust. Its traditional oak smoked kippers hold a Great Taste 3-star award. Trade price is ÂŁ6.85, RRP ÂŁ9.95â&#x20AC;&#x201C;ÂŁ10.95. VZDOORZĹľVK FR XN
Yorkshire Wagyu Company has launched its new sliced original biltong. It is made from grass-fed Yorkshire Wagyu beef which is seasoned with a home-produced dry spice mix and dried in a UV cabinet that simulates South African sunshine. The products are available in 35g re-sealable pouches with an RRP ÂŁ4.95 (trade price ÂŁ3.50). yorkshirewagyucompany.co.uk
%HUU\ )UHVK %DNHU\ has updated its brand with a complete redesign of its labels. Each product has its own colourway for easy recognition at markets, festivals and on farm shop shelves. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preserves are still handmade with only natural ingredients and the new look puts the message clearly onto each label. RRP e IRU D J MDU EHUU\IUHVKEDNHU\ FRP
The pestos are not heattreated and they look and taste fresh
%HOD]X has created a range of four fresh leaf pestos which it says are not heat-treated, ensuring they taste and look freshly made. The range includes basil, rocket, lovage and a seasonal special of wild garlic. Trade priceshas are %HUU\ )UHVK %DNHU\ ÂŁ15.45 its forbrand 900g with of the updated lovage, garlic and rocket a complete redesign of the basil pesto is itswhile labels. Each product ÂŁ20.95 forcolourway 900g. has its own The company has for easy recognition at also launched a precooked markets, festivals and on Freekeh farm shop (1.6kg) shelves.and The Kaniwa (1.8kg) which companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preserves areit says are idealwith for salad still handmade only bars and deli counters. natural ingredients and the EHOD]X FRP new look puts the message clearly onto each label. RRP e IRU D J MDU EHUU\IUHVKEDNHU\ FRP
Aiming to return to its roots, Wildman British Charcuterie has had a brand makeover. It now uses the family name and heritage items such as business signs and logos on its packaging. Its charcuterie range includes salami, mortadella and pastrami with more products launching later this year. townendfarmshop.co.uk
Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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e dg nt Op in ry en g 2 f 17 1 A o No ug r v us em t be r Ju
Cathy Strange, global senior coordinator – cheese and specialty,Whole Foods Market, USA
The World Cheese Awards, hosted by the Guild of Fine Food, is an incredible international cheese competition. It is an honour to be a judge at this prestigious competition and I look forward to the energy that will be generated by the cheeses and the participants! Bruno Cabral, cheese specialist, Mestre Queijeiro, Brazil
The World Cheese Awards is no doubt the largest cheese celebration in the world. It is an honour to represent my country as a judge and bring news and knowledge to contriibute to Brazil.
Find out more at www.gff .co.uk/w ca 17-19 NOVEMBER 2017 TASTE OF LONDON:FESTIVE EDITION, TOBACCO DOCK, LONDON
AUSTRIAN CHEESE PIONEERS
Interested in sponsoring the event? Contact sally.coley@gff.co.uk [[[ KJJ GS YO [GE ` $KYMPHSJ½RIJSSH [SVPHGLIIWIE[EVHW
Discover our range of organic Mediterranean olives, preserves, condiments, sauces, chutneys and award-winning premium extra virgin olive oils
Artisan Olive Oil Company: we are a fine food distributor based in London working with exceptional artisans from France, Italy, Spain and Tunisia. Contact us for a brochure and to become a stockist + 44 (0) 203 866 8934 info@artisanoliveoilcompany.com www.artisanoliveoilcompany.com
Introductory offer 50% off all first orders. Quote code FFD17
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Fresh food, freshly smoked We offer a wide product range including smoked fish, meat such as Duckstrami, We also offer a large range of smoked cheeses cow, goats and buffalo as well as pantry items such as smoked olives, smoked oils, smoked flour etc. sid@theoldbarnsmokery.co.uk | 01277 840009
Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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HIGHLAND CHARCUTERIE AND SMOKE HOUSE LTD
Using only local Wild Venison and Pork from rare breeds and outdoor reared pigs, our range of produce includes Hot Smoked Sausages and Meats, Cold Smoked Scottish Cheddar, Air Dried Meats such as Salami, Chorizo, Coppa, Bresaola and Hams. We also have a range of Pâté jars. All our Charcuteries are Gluten free.
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8VEHMXMSREPP] WQSOIH ½WL meats and cheeses created [MXL TEWWMSR TVMHI ERH GEVI For our wholesale price list contact Andrew Tel: 01580 879601 Email: info@wealdsmokery.co.uk
Contact Isabelle or Richard Flannery: Tel: 01971 521739 | E-mail: highlandcharcute@aol.com /highlandcharcuterie
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ARTISAN PRODUCERS
Brits turn eyes towards Asia The UK’s biggest speciality food trade show is pitching up in Singapore with a host of British producers in tow. In the build-up to Speciality & Fine Food Fair Asia, ANDREW DON speaks to the organisers and exhibitors about opportunities in the region. ON 18-20th July, nearly 200 exhibitors will endeavour to impress visiting buyers at Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre in Singapore – one of three main trading gateways to Asia. About 25 businesses and trade bodies will exhibit in the Great British Pavilion and with Scottish Development International, including Avlaki Superb Organic Olive Oils, Karimix, Ocram, Cottage Delight, Cindy’s Tea, Stag Bakeries and Dunnet Bay Distillers. Speciality & Fine Food Asia 2017 (incorporating Chocolate Asia 2017) forms part of their strategy to succeed in markets that are hungry for high-quality imported food and drink. Chris McCuin, business development director of the exhibition’s organiser Fresh Montgomery, says many of those taking part see huge development potential overseas outside of Ireland, France and Germany – traditional export markets. Singapore is the first port of call for most, he says, and “somewhere to put a marker in the sand and then go from there”. “You can, from Singapore, very easily go into the Malaysian market and into Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam,” he adds. Speciality stores have become huge now in Singapore, where they didn’t really exist not long ago, says McCuin, but outside of Hong Kong, Bangkok , Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, it becomes “a little bit more of an aisle in a shop”. McCuin advises exhibitors to do their homework, understand the regulations affecting their products for the country they are targeting and three or four surrounding ones. Talking to an importer and distributor is vital for these
markets, he says. “Use the British Embassy and the British Chambers of Commerce. That’s what they are paid to do – to help you,” he says. “Use the Department of International Trade. You can get research documents done. You are not on your own.” Sandra Sullivan, director of PS8, which is working with Fresh Montgomery to organise the Great British Pavilion, says: “All exporting comes down to targeting cities in Asia, and then within that city, targeting the right customers and by going out there you can see what’s selling and the price points and the typical customers. “You work out where that niche opportunity is for you.” She sees lots of opportunity in China. Hong Kong is similar to Singapore in lots of ways, while Japan is probably the strongest market for UK food and drink exports, with demand for traditional products, such as biscuits, tea and whisky, which do well throughout Asia. The dairy sector has been building across Asia where once it was not typically part of the diet, says Sullivan. Monica Chia, managing director of condiment supplier Karimix, is undertaking a marketing and brand awareness exercise. Chia comes from Singapore and says it is one of three main culinary cities in Asia along with Bangkok and Hong Kong. Her business has set up a PR, marketing and brand awareness structure in Singapore, Australia and Indonesia. “For artisan producers to be taken up for the grocery market they have to be exceptional,” she says. “Presentation is key.”
Marco Fontana Ros, director of Ocram, the Little Pasta Organics company, believes there is a greater appetite for innovative British brands in Asia. He sells small amounts to Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand, but is keen to find more clients and distributors to get the brand greater recognition. “I feel they are a bit more open to trying new products from the UK whereas in Europe they probably tend to focus on local flavours and food they’re comfortable with.” Natalie Wheen, director and co-owner of Avlaki, is making inroads in Japan and is in discussions about sending another pallet out to Shanghai, in China. “It’s a slow entry into these new markets but the point about them, especially with Singapore, is they are incredibly concerned about clean, authentic food,” says Wheen. Metro Drinks, appearing just outside the Great British Pavilion with its importer, exports to Singapore already and it is starting to sell to businesses in Hong Kong and Japan. “The Singapore people are much more westernised in their approach,” says owner Paul Bendit. “The Japanese import an enormous amount of food and drink and they are open to Western brands but they’ve got to have a cachet – something aspirational to them. “I don’t think that’s any different to the Chinese. It’s got to be better than everything else.” speciality-asia.com
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Your resistance will crumble.
We still hand-bake our shortbread to Helen Dean’s exacting standards using her very own recipe and traditional ingredients. It’s the Dean’s way and as far as we’re concerned, it’s the only
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way to ensure our baking tastes just as good as my mother used to make.
Bill Dean
deans.co.uk
SHELF TALK WHAT’S NEW O Garofalo says its new pasta is aimed at consumers who are looking to maintain a healthy diet without compromising on taste. Made with chickpeas, lentils, corn, teff, sorghum and chia, the pasta comes in four shapes; fusilli, pennoni, Mafalda corta and radiatori. garofalo.co.uk
Borough Wines upgrades self-service system By Lauren Phillips
Borough Wines & Beers has unveiled an updated self-service wine bottle refill system which will be available to independent retailers nationwide. Available through wholesale arm Borough Wines Imports, the I Will Refill unit is compact, self-contained and designed to be installed on the shop-floor, adjacent to operators’ existing wine offering. Its creator said the system is more efficient and environmentally friendly than the previous system as the oxygen-free setup preserves the wine for a longer period and dispenses it at the correct temperature for consumption. Reusable branded glass bottles are displayed alongside the unit which customers can fill with wine directly from the tap before paying at the till for both bottle and wine, or –
if reusing a bottle – the wine only. First introduced by the company in 2002, the updated keg and dispense system is a major improvement for both wine and operators, says director Muriel Chatel. Available in red, white or rosé, all wines are sourced from Borough Wines’ network of producers. The system itself is only available as part of the Borough Wines Corners retail packages, which include a selection of bottles from Borough Wines’ conventional portfolio alongside wine refills. Prices start at £1,250 (including a £1,000 refundable deposit), based on a minimum purchase of 10 kegs/month and the listing of a small selection of Borough Wines bottles. The RRP of each 75cl wine refill is £6.50 and the RRP of the reusable glass bottles is £2.50 each. boroughwines.co.uk
O Lyme Bay Winery has rebranded its Jack Ratt Sparkling Cider. The bottle received a silver medal in the Design and Packaging category at this year’s International Cider Challenge after being commended for its impact and originality. RRP £2.55 for a 500ml bottle. lymebaywinery. co.uk
O Teapigs has introduced green tea matcha & peppermint onthe-go sachets. The company said its ŏFXVWRPHUV ƓQG WKH portioned format easy to use” adding that “the price point is a great entry-level matcha product”. RRP £12 for 10 x 2g servings per pack. teapigs.co.uk
Condiment round-up Suffolk-based Salubrious Sauce Co has created a classic BBQ sauce. Described as tangy and smoky, the sauce can be used as a marinade or dip. Salubrious Sauces are available to independent retailers nationwide and through Shire Foods and Auguste Noel. RRP £3.95 per 250g bottle. salubrioussauceco.co.uk
Cool Chile Co has a new logo and packaging. The lines have an “attractive themed coloured label” while the logo incorporates an updated Aztec snake icon, giving the brand a clean and contemporary feel. It has also launched a chipotle mayonnaise, ranchero sauce and a tomatillo sauce. coolchile.co.uk
The Foraging Fox is introducing a food gift set to its range with a new ‘Fox Box.’ It features three 255g bottles of its awardwinning ketchups – original, smoked and hot – which are packaged in an eye-catching, fox-like pointy eared box. RRP £12.99 foragingfox.com
Rosebud reaps benefit of Rhubarb Triangle Rosebud Preserves has created two jams to showcase the new season of forced rhubarb from its native Yorkshire. Made using “generous quantities” of produce from the county’s famed Rhubarb Triangle, rhubarb & ginger and rhubarb & orange jams both come in 227g – trade prices of £2.35 and £2.25 respectively. rosebudpreserves.co.uk Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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SHELF TALK Chefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s selection FOOD WRITER CLARE HARGREAVES INTERVIEWS TOP BRITISH CHEFS ABOUT THEIR FAVOURITE STORECUPBOARD PRODUCTS
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ED FORTUNE Head chef at The Shelburne restaurant, Bowood Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort Ed Fortune began his career at Angelus in London, before moving west to Bathâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Royal Crescent Hotel. He then spent time working alongside Marco Pierre White at the Rudloe Arms in Corsham ahead of his arrival at Bowood in mid-2016. bowood.org/bowood-hotel
1 The Cornish Ketchup Company original tomato ketchup Until I came across this, I thought the only ketchup was Heinz. My mother-in-law gave me a bottle and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve not looked back. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s obviously great for summer barbecues and burgers. At home I ripple it through a macaroni cheese. In the restaurant we use it on rare-breed hot dogs. cornishketchup.co.uk 2 Chiltern cold pressed lemon infusion rapeseed oil , ORYH Ĺ´DYRXUHG RLOV DQG this lemon infused one, produced by the Mead
Kent Crisps & Kentish Oils launch sister brand Kentish Condiments The company behind Kent Crisps and Kentish Oils has announced the launch of companion brand, Kentish Condiments. The new brand will house the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s condiment products including its marinades and plain mayonnaise. Owner Laura Bounds has indicated the new branding will be the beginning of a whole suite of products. She said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our decision to rebrand the products has come from our desire to grow our range of products and expand into the condiments market with distinctive new products.â&#x20AC;?
7KH Ć&#x201C;UVW OLQHV WR WUDQVLWLRQ WR Kentish Condiments are its range of handmade mayonnaises, including WZR QHZ Ĺ´DYRXUV JDUOLF DQG FKLOOL The mayonnaise is made using Kentish Oils rapeseed oil, locally sourced garlic for its garlic mayo and chillies grown at Kent Chilli Farm in Dartford for its chilli mayo. Since debuting last month, the products are available to wholesalers and are already being stocked in local farm shops and independent retailers across the South-East, including Quex Barn, Birchington and Macknade Fine Food, Faversham. kentcrisps.co.uk
family in the Chiltern Hills, is amazing. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so zesty, light and fruity that it works on its own as a dressing, instead of a vinaigrette. chilterncoldpressed rapeseedoil.co.uk 3 Global Harvest wild
organic fennel pollen Often dubbed the â&#x20AC;&#x153;spice of angelsâ&#x20AC;?, wild fennel pollen has an amazing, slightly sweet, fragrance. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been using it for a long time, so LWĹ?V GHĆ&#x201C;QLWHO\ RQH RI P\ storecupboard staples. I use LW WR Ć&#x201C;QLVK D SRUN EHOO\ DQG FKHHN GLVK WKDWĹ?V VHUYHG ZLWK chicory jam, caramelized
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carrot purĂŠe and heritage carrots. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too delicate and DURPDWLF WR XVH LQ FRRNLQJ VR LWĹ?V EHVW VSULQNOHG UDZ fruitforcheese.com 4 Bodegas Paez Morilla
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gran Gustoâ&#x20AC;? sherry vinegar This sherry vinegar from Jerez de la Frontera in Spain, is DJHG LQ $PHULFDQ RDN EDUUHOV which gives it a mahogany FRORXU DQG Ĺ´DYRXUV RI FDUDPHO and vanilla. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not too harsh and it has a good level of acidity and a nice sweetness. I use it so much that my colleagues tease me. bodegaspaezmorilla.com
Healthy snacks round-up
New healthy snacking company The Soul Food Collective has launched its debut range of organic products to the market. A collection of freeze-dried fruit and seeds coated in dark Belgium chocolate, the varieties include strawberries (50g), Amarena cherries (50g), roasted soya beans and roasted pumpkin seeds (30g each). soulfoodcollective.co.uk Rude Health has announced four new snack products; a seaweed & sesame oaty, black sesame & chia oaty, buckwheat & black bean
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crackers and chickpea & lentil crackers. The crackers are glutenDQG UHĆ&#x201C;QHG VXJDU IUHH ZKLOH WKH oaty biscuits are wheat-free and use Scottish oatmeal. RRP of ÂŁ2.50. rudehealth.com The Food Doctor is launching its range of Popped Crisp Thins this summer. The company says WKH SURGXFWV DUH KLJK LQ Ć&#x201C;EUH and protein and are available LQ IRXU Ĺ´DYRXUV VSLF\ FKLSRWOH sweet chilli, hot wasabi and mild korma. The thins are available in 23g packs with an RRP from 99p. thefooddoctor.com
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SHELF TALK Chocolate heaven from Bean & Pod A SELECT range of gourmet milk, white and dairy-free dark chocolates has been unveiled by chocolate company Bean & Pod. The new lines are available in an assortment of shapes and sizes with different flavoured centres including salted caramel, praline and coffee as well as nougatine, Turkish delicacy and strawberry cream. The chocolates can be purchased in gift boxes of 7, 14 or 28 for retail and foodservice, making them suitable for gifting, impulse purchasing or those who simply want to “indulge in fine chocolate”, said cofounder Jimmy Attias. “Our range of products is going to grow over the next few months, and I am excited to see these roll out to a wide group of premium stores,” he added. The RRP for the lines range from £3.29 up to £16.99. beanandpod.com
WHAT’S TRENDING NICK BAINES KEEPS YOU UP-TO-DATE WITH THE NEWEST DISHES, FLAVOURS AND INNOVATIONS IN FOOD & DRINK
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1 The rise of the Reuben The Jewish delicatessen is an iconic institution responsible for many modern day deli practices. But many UK businesses are taking it back to the old school with salt beef, pastrami and Reuben sandwiches in their lunch offering. Starting out with a table and grill at Maltby St Market, Monty’s Deli has transformed its four-year-old bagel and sandwich stall into a bustling bricks and mortar premises in Hoxton. /HHGV EDVHG ,UD %ōV DOVR GRHV D ƓQH WUDGH LQ the aforementioned sandwiches, as well as offering smoked salmon, pickles, salt beef and chopped liver by weight from the deli counter. Arron’s in Bristol offers a chopped herring bagel, as well as a Hungarian Jewish salad. 2 The war on plastic 7KDQNV WR D ŴXUU\ of social documentaries and national campaigning, awareness of single-use plastics and their environmental impact is increasing. There are now several zero waste cafés such as Brighton’s Silo and Bristol’s Poco. In retail, there is an opportunity to offer dry goods in self-serve dispensers, encouraging eco-conscious shoppers to bring their own, or buy reusable jars, cloth bags and tubs, a practice doing very well at Brighton’s HiSbe and the pioneering Earth Food Love in Totnes.
WHAT’S NEW Poptails by LAPP has launched a trio of alcoholic ice pops (4.5% ABV). The Calipposhaped sorbets come in WKUHH FRFNWDLO ŴDYRXUV Mojito (rum, strawberry & mint), Punch (rum, mango & pineapple) and Limon (Limoncello, lemon & coconut). RRP £3.99 per 110ml lolly. poptailsbylapp.co.uk
Belinda Clark KDV XQYHLOHG LWV new S’Mores kit. Containing 24 almond biscuits, 12 handmade salted caramel marshmallows, 12 Belgian chocolate thins and sticks for toasting, the kit is enough to make 12 S’Mores. RRP £11.99. belindaclark.co.uk Chutney, sauces and dressings producer Rose Farm has created a new horseradish sauce with wasabi. The SURGXFW LV DYDLODEOH LQ 170g jars with a trade price of £1.96. RRP £2.70. rosefarmsomerset. co.uk
Caroline’s Dairy has a passion for summer Caroline’s Dairy, in West Sussex, has added QHZ ŴDYRXUV WR LWV LFH FUHDP UDQJH LQ WLPH IRU WKH VXPPHU PRQWKV 7KH VXPPHU UDQJH includes coconut, passion fruit, pistachio DQG OLPH FKHHVHFDNH ŴDYRXUV (DFK DUH DYDLODEOH LQ PO SRWV ZLWK DQ 553 RI e carolinesdairy.co.uk
3 Sake breweries Forget the hot, nasty sake (sah-kay) you may have tried in the past – the quality available in the UK is on the up. Big name sakes are in some supermarkets, and demand has paved the way for small-scale British brewed versions. Peckham’s Kanpai is a micro operation producing 100% natural, vegan and gluten-free sakes. Meanwhile, at Cambridgeshire’s Fordham Abbey Estate, the Dojima Company are in the midst of building a sake brewery, opening in 2018.
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Now appointed by Toshiba ;,* HZ HU VMÃ&#x201E;JPHS YLZLSSLY MVY [OLPY (WSL_ WYPU[ HUK HWWS` Z`Z[LT *HSS [VKH` MVY OLSWM\S L_WLY[ HK]PJL VU JVZ[ LMMLJ[P]L THU\HS ZLTP HUK M\SS` H\[VTH[PJ SHILSSPUN Norpak Ltd, 3 Mitre Court, Cutler Heights Lane, Bradford. W. Yorks., BD4 9JY Tel: 01274 681022. Enquiries to info@norpakltd.com www.norpakltd.com
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SHELF TALK WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEW O Emily Crisps will be launching new 80g sharing bags of its vegetable crisp range. The bags will be available in two varieties: French bean, sugar snap peas & black edamame and carrot, beetroot & sweet potato. RRP ÂŁ2.89. emilyfruitcrisps.co.uk
Charcoal & rye crispbread joins Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Yard line-up Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Yard has announced that a charcoal & rye sourdough crispbread will be the latest addition in its range. The product made its debut last year in a mixed selection box but, due to demand, the bakery company has said it will introduce a 90g single flavour pack early this month. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are confident that retailers will experience very positive sales and it will be a welcome and popular addition to the range,â&#x20AC;? said co-founder Wendy Wilson-Bett. She added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our range provides retailers with an extensive offer to create an impact in
store with displays and gives consumers more choice and variety.â&#x20AC;? The newcomer is made using whole-wheat flours, organic milk, honey and naturally fermenting sourdough. The company ferments the dough for 16 hours before adding a â&#x20AC;&#x153;generousâ&#x20AC;? amount of charcoal to the mix, which gives the product its colour and flavour. Retailing at ÂŁ2.95 for 90g, the charcoal & rye crispbread will complement the existing flavours of original, spelt & fig, seeded wholegrain, pink peppercorn and caraway. petersyard.com
O Condiment company Scarlett & Mustard has announced that it has redesigned the labels on its dressings, focusing on a clear message â&#x20AC;&#x201C; what it is and what it does â&#x20AC;&#x201C; while keeping the brand fun, accessible and recognisable. scarlettandmustard. co.uk
O Dairy and cheese producer The Wensleydale Creamery has announced that its popular Dales butter will relaunch under the Yorkshire butter name â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a move that will bring its butter in line with the wider Yorkshire dairy product portfolio. wensleydale.co.uk
The Fine Cheese Co launches more infused oils Bath-based wholesaler and retailer The Fine Cheese Co has said it is now stocking three new infused oils from organic speciality oil producer La Tourangelle. Recommended as
dressings for salads, vegetables DQG JULOOHG PHDW DQG Ć&#x201C;VK the oils are available in three Ĺ´DYRXUV JDUOLF EDVLO DQG rosemary & thyme. La Tourangelle says it XVHV VXQĹ´RZHU RLO IRU WKH
base of the oil for its ability to FDUU\ WKH Ĺ´DYRXUV RI WKH LQIXVHG herbs. The company also produces walnut, hazelnut, pistachio and avocado oil which is already imported and distributed around the UK market exclusively by The Fine Cheese Co. The oils contain no additives, alcohol or animal products and are available in 250ml tins. Retail prices range from ÂŁ3.95 to ÂŁ9.95 with the RPP for the garlic, basil, thyme & rosemary infused oils at ÂŁ5.95. The Fine Cheese Co has also recently added a lemon, sea salt and extra virgin olive oil variety to its cracker range. Ć&#x201C;QHFKHHVH FR XN
Frozen cocktails offer Ice & Easy way to cool off Two new limited edition alcoholic frozen drinks have been launched by Ice & Easy. The ready-to-drink ice cocktails come in two YDULHWLHV DQ HOGHUĹ´RZHU PLQW FXFXPEHU 3URVHFFR IUR]HQ Ć&#x201C;]] DQG D URVÂŤ ZLQH EDVHG ZLWK KLQWV RI OHPRQ EHUU\ IUR]HQ URVÂŤ The products come in 250ml pouches with a 5% ABV and can be sold ambient or frozen in 3-unit boxes or as individual pouches. iceandeasy.co.uk Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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Traditionally served as a complement to grilled meats, poultry, seafood, charcuterie and cheese. ATSARA Olives are slowly cured in a delicious fusion of tangy, spicy, savoury DQG VZHHW ÁDYRXUV
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HARROGATE EDITORS’ CHOICE
A very select bunch
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The Fine Food Digest editorial team – MICHAEL LANE, LAUREN PHILLIPS and MICK WHITWORTH – talk you through their top picks from last month’s Harrogate Fine Food Show
2 Lemon, sea salt & extra virgin olive oil crackers THE FINE CHEESE CO finecheese.co.uk Products that come out of The Fine Cheese Co/Artisan Biscuits stable are usually bankers but these are next-level good. The three of us were fighting over the pack within seconds of that first bite. The intense natural lemon flavour and punchy hit of salt make them great on their own but we’re sure they’d be excellent with fresh cheeses, as recommended.
Rosemary & Garlic LA BEFANA BEER BREAD labefanabeerbread.co.uk Admittedly we couldn’t agree on the strength of seasoning in the finished product but the beer flavour is appealing and the concept is foolproof – all you need to add is a bottle of suds, mix and bake in a loaf tin. Because it’s a novel and easy-to-use product, there is certainly scope for selling this in hampers or as a gift line. 3
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Coffee bags (Three Peaks Blend) COFFEE CARE coffeecare.co.uk Last year Coffee Care introduced us to its flavourful new retail range and now it has come up with a really good solution to the eternal problem of a convenient coffee. This product has already featured in the magazine’s regular Editors’ Choice slot but it is worth repeating that these are well-branded and will render a proper cup of coffee almost anywhere. What’s not to love?
Tartufi Jimmy porcini mushroom & white truffle sauce TENUTA MARMORELLE tenutamarmorelle.com As always, Tenuta Marmorelle sent us in some really top notch pasta but we opted for something a little different from its ever expanding array of Italian goods this year. This sauce has the look of an old-school fine food product and delivers like one too. Truffles aren’t to everyone’s taste, and this is potent, but the balance is such that you get a good whack of porcini alongside the truffle.
5 Apricot & honey fruit spread GRANNY’S SECRET grannyssecret.com All too often preserves are overly sweet. This Serbian fruit spread has just enough without going overboard and, because it’s just fruit and honey, it might do well given the anti-sugar movement that seems to be gripping consumers.
8 Tosin’s Homemade African chillinaise OH SOO CHILLI ohsoochilli.com Despite the 100g jars priced at £3, you are literally getting some bang for your buck with this product. Extreme chilli sauces (Tosin’s does one of these too) are not uncommon these days but you don’t see many chillinaises, let alone ones that are this heavy. The packaging is homespun and the strength will rule out many consumers but these kinds of products can gain a good cult following.
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6 Pebbles MYDORABLE mydorable.com These charmed us all in the FFD office and we’re still marvelling at them almost a month later. They look so lifelike that you might just wince as you break the shell and it gives way to fudgy salted caramel. Confectionery is a category that sometimes seems bogged down by serious cocoa content and zany flavours. But these are innovative and fun.
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9 Mild chilli & herb paste AJIKA ajika.co.uk Born in the partially recognised state of Abkhazia (sandwiched between Russia and Georgia) but made in Doncaster – a great back story. While the cuisine of the
Caucasus isn’t going mainstream any time soon, this paste doesn’t need much special instruction. It’s excellent mixed with plain yoghurt but there are a wealth of other applications (rubs, marinades, dressings) and the small jars are well-priced (trade £1.95), given how far the contents will stretch. 10 Green chilli, coriander & mint chutney THE CHERRY TREE cherrytreepreserves.co.uk We thought this might have been mislabelled as a chutney because it’s more relish-like in consistency. That said, the chilli heat is reasonable and the other flavours come through in a balanced way. The added pumpkin seeds really boost the texture too. 11 Gold of Modena LITTLE DOONE littledoone.co.uk This is a departure for balsamic dressing specialist Little Doone, both in colour and flavour. Made using white balsamic, this is very sweet but does retain a slight vinegar kick. Like all of this producers’ products it would work well in dressings but would be an easier sell as a dessert sauce than your usual balsamic vinegars.
2017
1 Brownie mix (vegan) AUNTIE MO’S auntiemos.co.uk Unless you were told this was a vegan-friendly product, you wouldn’t even notice. But the selling point is there, if required by retailers. It’s also competitively priced – £4 wholesale for a bag that makes a full tray of brownies. Although we tested the mix in tall brown bags, it also comes in Auntie Mo’s attractive layered jar format.
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DELI OF THE MONTH One shop in North London has a slightly different take on the deli platter, but Harringay Local Store’s combination of vinyl records with craft beer, premium treats and health food is working wonders on Green Lanes Interview by Michael Lane
All in the mix IF ANYONE was thinking of researching the correlation between people’s tastes in food and music, a small shop in North London would be a good place to start. Younger customers come in for a few cans of craft beer, some artisan doughnuts and pick up an LP of early ’90s indie rock. But older shoppers might peruse the selection of wine and then grab a classic ’70s album to go with it. It’s not a typical Deli of the Month basket but at Harringay Local Stores it’s the norm. “I think it’s weirder for other people than it is for us,” says co-owner Ebony Harding of her shop’s vinyl record section. “To us, it just seems such a natural thing. You see street food vendors at all the big music festivals now. It makes complete sense that someone would want to buy a new record as well as a steak and a bottle of wine for their Saturday night.” Opened just over two-and-a-half years ago, the shop is part of a small enclave of modern outlets at one end of Green Lanes, a busy road that is more famous for its kebab shops and Turkish grocers. VITAL STATISTICS
Location: 581C Green Lanes Harringay, London N8 0RG Established: 2015 No. of staff: 7 Average spend: £12 Floorspace: 80 sq m Turnover: £380,000 (last year)
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While it was being fitted out and for several months after opening, ‘Not Another Tesco’ was emblazoned on the store’s frontage. And although it garnered some decent press attention, the slogan was very much a mission statement for Harding, who set up the shop with musician husband Paul. “We were trying to show a bit of our frustration at what was going on in the area,” she tells FFD. “There’s always another kebab shop opening or another thing that people I know didn’t want. “There’s a Tesco over the road, too.” Residents of the area for nearly a decade prior, the Hardings were fed up of going to other parts of London to buy the food and drink that they wanted. Given the burgeoning community of similarly minded young professionals and creatives moving in around them after being priced out of places like Hackney, opening their own place seemed a viable proposition. “So we just thought ‘Screw it, we’ll give it a go’,” she says, belying the couple’s Australian roots.
Although it deals in the currency of hipsters – chiefly vinyl and pale ale – it would be unfair to pigeonhole Harringay Local Store with the gimmicky outlets that pop up just a stone’s throw to the east, in the city’s trendy heartlands. With its combo of smooth concrete floor, metal racking and distressed wood surfaces, the shop does fit the bill but the bric-a-brac – skateboard decks, music posters, even an old arcade machine – crammed into every nonmerchandising space feels personal rather than calculated. And for all the eclecticism in her husband’s new and secondhand record section towards the back of the shop, the selection of food and drink has been just as carefully and colourfully curated by Ebony. The odd well-known speciality brand, like Tracklements or Grumpy Mule, shares shelf space with a plethora of small-batch locally produced items, from London-made honey and preserves through to items like Kicap Manis and Kimchi crafted in the same postcode. That said, you could actually do a full shop
MUST STOCKS Flourish sourdough Kooky Bakes millionaires brownies Beavertown Gamma Ray American Pale Ale Le Grappin rosé Bagnums St Johns doughnuts Design By Nature flowers San Amvrosia hummus Devon Rose streaky smoked bacon avocados vinyl East End Farm eggs Equinox kombucha organic vegetables Rude Health almond milk
here. There’s a multideck packed with organic vegetables, another with fresh meat and European cheeses and the counter boasts a selection of artisan bread and cakes. There are also plenty of vegan products, a wide variety of dried goods, including a large selection of whole foods, and a range of wine and beer that would put most off-licences to shame. Rather than go extremely healthy or all-out glutton with the range, the Hardings opted for their own reality. “People have good intentions but, at the same time, they love to drink and they like to treat themselves,” says Harding. “They might try and cook healthy at home and then go out for pizzas, burgers and to street food markets. We just wanted to reflect how we cooked, the ingredients we use and the treats we wanted to have.” While the healthy end of the spectrum is easier to cover using wholesalers Infinity Foods, Marigold and Goodness Foods, Harding also deals with more than 100 individual suppliers and is determined that offer will never be “on the beige side”. “We definitely didn’t just want to dial a wholesaler and fill our shop. I’m really into going to markets and there’s so much exciting food out
there,” she says, adding that the shop also gets approached by new start-ups offering samples. Instagram is another good source of new products for Harding. She also uses the photobased social media platform to promote new listings at the shop (“I’m not really into Twitter. To me, it’s just a lot of words”). As many retailers who buy direct will testify, the method is not without its challenges. Harding says she has to be “brutal” with poorly performing products, even if she loves them personally, because shelf space is at a premium. Having to give feedback on products that aren’t good enough can also be difficult. Surprisingly, Harding also has trouble getting hold of some London-made lines that take her fancy because producers either won’t deliver to her without a large surcharge (despite only being in Zone 3) or they just don’t deliver at all. And even when she can get them in, small batch local products don’t always equate to profit. “Definitely, there’s lot of things that we do for the love,” she says. “The more local things are, the more expensive they are too.” As a rule, Harding goes with RRPs to set her CONTINUED ON PAGE 61
Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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July 2017 | Vol.18 Issue 6
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DELI OF THE MONTH margins on dry goods and, while bread and other bakery items are money-makers, other fresh foods have tighter margins. In some cases there is virtually none at all, like fresh meat and the organic veg. “They are expensive, they don’t really last very long, they might arrive and not look as pretty as everything else,” she says, but she will not budge on a founding principle and a local USP for the shop. Harding says pricing is a very delicate art in Harringay and admits to wanting to be braver with increases after holding steady for most of the shop’s lifespan. “There’s people who live here that have money but there’s not a lot of big spenders so we have to be careful. With wines, we don’t really go above £25-a-bottle and it’s rare to have anything at £20. “We try to keep it accessible. We don’t want to alienate anybody too much although we are a shop unfortunately that will do that.” Another “never ending” issue for Harding is the lack of space in the shop. She did mull over producing bakery lines in-house but the storage area was not up to scratch and there is also no serveover, so all cheese is sold pre-wrapped. She concedes that she has been slightly “lazy” on the cheese front but has struck up a partnership
with fellow North London independent and cheese & wine specialist Provisions, further south on Holloway Road. Provisions sells manageable amounts to the shop so it can still offer Continental classics despite lacking the storage for big wheels of cheese. Even if it’s not her ideal, the mix that Harringay Local Store has pulls in a variety of customers. There are older consumers visiting for whole foods, dads with pushchairs buying beer and even families doing weekly shops. “We’re not as cheap as supermarkets so I do wonder how people are affording to shop with us regularly but they’re obviously of the mindset that organic and local produce is important.” The shop’s EPoS system quotes £12 as the average spend but Harding says people will spend as little as £2 and as much as £150. A good deal of the draw is down to the shop’s selection of alcohol. The quirky wine selection, bought mainly from importers like Totem and La Cave, includes Will Chase’s very own rosé and Bagnums from Le Grappin. But beer, mostly sourced directly from breweries, is even more of a crowdpleaser. “Craft beer is huge in the UK,” says Harding. “We get a new brewery contacting us every week.” The range is a who’s who of the country’s
top craft brewers – including London stalwarts like Beavertown, Brew By Numbers and Brixton as well as those from further afield like Buxton, Manchester’s vaunted Cloudwater and even a few cans from iconic Danish brewer Mikkeler. Cans and 330ml bottles are priced competitively at £2.50-£3.50 while limited edition brews will go for around the £4 mark. Expanding this range further and making more room for it is one of the Hardings’ next moves but more ambitious plans have been tempered recently by the arrival of their first child. Harding had previously told FFD that they would like to roll out the Local Store concept to other parts of London. More recently, the couple have been struggling with the dilemma of planning the eventual return to their native Perth in Western Australia. Previously it was just Paul’s work in the music industry that kept them in London but it’s clear the shop is tugging on the heartstrings too. “It means something to us,” says Harding. “It means something to our staff as well. And I’d like to think it means something to Harringay. So, for all those reasons we don’t want to sell it, or close, so I hope we can find a balance.” I think most people that have visited would hope so too. harringaylocalstore.co.uk
It makes complete sense that someone would want to buy a new record as well as a steak and a bottle of wine for their Saturday night
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July 2017 | Vol.18 Issue 6
GUILD TALK
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London venue opens in foodie heartland
July 4-9
NUMBER 42 Southwark Street, the Guildâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new /RQGRQ VDWHOOLWH RIĆ&#x201C;FH NLWFKHQ DQG HYHQWV YHQXH QHDU %RURXJK 0DUNHW ZDV RIĆ&#x201C;FLDOO\ RSHQHG RQ June 20. Food writers, chefs, wholesalers, retailers and producers attended the opening party, just days after the market itself reopened for business. 7KH QHZ IDFLOLW\ LQFOXGHV D VT P Ĺ´H[LEOH events space and a commercial demo kitchen with two Falcon ranges and two Rangemaster ovens. Equipped with dry store, chill room and freezers, it has already hosted several days of Great Taste judging and School of Fine Food cheese training. No 42 is also available for hire for meetings, dining events and courses, and the Guild hopes it will become an important new business venue in one of Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most food-rich areas. For more details, contact Guild commercial director Christabel Cairns. christabel.cairns@gff.co.uk
Great Taste Market at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show
19-23 RHS Tatton Park Flower Show including Great Taste Market 20
Retail cheese training day, Gillingham, Dorset
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CarFest North including Great Taste Market
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Retail cheese training day, London
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CarFest South including Great Taste Market
Eight out of 27 bills relate to Brexit, leaving little room for domestic policy
The word on Westminster By Edward Woodall ACS
AFTER such a shocking General Election result for the Conservative Party we were expecting a light Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s speech, and that is exactly what we got. There was also a notable absence of key policies from the Conservative Party Manifesto in the Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Speech. This is a sure sign that the *RYHUQPHQW ODFNV FRQĆ&#x201C;GHQFH LQ delivering its legislative programme, especially as, at the time of writing in late June, it has no formal agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Eight out of 27 Bills in the Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Speech related to delivering Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exit from the EU, which ZLOO WDNH XS D VLJQLĆ&#x201C;FDQW DPRXQW RI parliamentary time and leave little room for changes to domestic policy. This will be a welcome reprieve for many food businesses that have felt the pressure of constant
regulatory change over a number of years. So what next? As much as there is limited space on the legislative agenda, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) will continue with its Regulating Our Futures review, looking at how food regulation and enforcement can be overhauled in the long term and work for Britain outside of the EU. At the ACS we are part of the FSA working group and can feed in your views. In the meantime, watch and see how long Theresa May continues as Prime Minister. Will her party DOORZ KHU WR GHOLYHU RQ WKH GLIĆ&#x201C;FXOW negotiations ahead or are they thirsty for a clear break and new leader? Edward Woodall is head of policy & public affairs at small shops group ACS, which lobbies Government on behalf of over 30,000 small stores including Guild members.
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View from HQ Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just supermarkets wasting stuff â&#x20AC;&#x201C; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s us
THERE was an extraordinary conversation at breakfast the morning after the launch gig for the Guildâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new London pad. We were sat in a fairly smart pub-with-rooms in Wandsworth, and the conversation with the chap on the next door table turned to food waste. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a subject the Guild takes seriously, especially when weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in Great Taste mode, as there are multiples of the 12,366 entries flying around our judging venues. Our neighbourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agenda was just that â&#x20AC;&#x201C; flying around. He owned a composting plant-cumfly farm, where flies are used to digest waste from a nearby abattoir, producing poo that is
then used as compost. On what scale I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know: gardens, farms? Doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter â&#x20AC;&#x201C; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s genius. Nothing going to waste. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our mantra here. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re working hard in Dorset with the Gillingham Food Bank and in London with St Mungoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Great Guildford Street Hostel and Plan Zheroes. When overly-generous food producers send us too many samples we ensure the surplus goes to a good home. We also compost any leftovers. There is a theory that food waste charities are instilling complacency, making us all a bit too relaxed before the point that the food becomes waste: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be
able to give it to a charity if I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The theory goes that we should be working on improving waste by reducing purchases. But about that launch gig. We had just over 100 takers for the evening to celebrate the opening of 42 Southwark Street SE1 (available to hire â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just sayinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;) with only 60 turning up. That got me thinking. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d catered for 100, there was a hell of a lot of food left and how many other events that evening had similar flaky media, journo and business sorts just not rocking up, who quite frankly should know better being in food. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just the supermarkets wasting stuff â&#x20AC;&#x201C; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s us.
By John Managing director Mike Farrand Whitworth GENERAL ENQUIRIES
WHOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WHO AT GUILD HQ
Guild of Fine Food Guild House, 23b Kingsmead Business Park Shaftesbury Road, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 5FB United Kingdom
Managing director: John Farrand Marketing director: Tortie Farrand Commercial director: Christabel Cairns Operations manager: Karen Price
Tel: +44 (0) 1747 825200 Fax: +44 (0) 1747 824065 info@gff.co.uk www.gff.co.uk
Operations assistant: Claire Powell Training co-ordinator: Jilly Sitch Circulation manager: Nick Crosley Financial controller: Stephen Guppy
Accounts manager: Denise Ballance Accounts assistant: Julie Coates Chairman: Bob Farrand Director: Linda Farrand
Vol.18 Issue 6 | July 2017
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