FFD March 2023

The masked zinger

The story behind Dougie Bell’s potent blend of hot sauce, cra beer and chilli cook-o s at Lupe Pintos

ALSO INSIDE

Plan for England’s single-use plastic ban

Carron Lodge

Jams & preserves NPD

Bringing Food to Life.

LIVE, RAW & UNPASTEURISED

100% ORGANIC & NATURAL

NO ADDED SUGAR

LIVING ANTIOXIDANTS

By Michael Lane, editor

When it comes to food retail trends, I’d hope you’d agree that this magazine keeps up with the sharper end of things. I’ll be the rst to admit that I’m a little behind the curve in my personal life, though.

Not quite as de rigueur as it was in 2020, but we recently got a dog at home. He’s added a few more responsibilities to the list but generally he’s slotted well into the chaos of family life. His arrival has not been a massive eye-opener, but it’s made me think more about everyone’s behaviour to one another.

Without meaning to dehumanise them, food retail customers have pretty similar demands to man’s best friend. They need you to feed them, they expect you to be nice to them at all times and they’re always anticipating a treat. It’s a pretty simple concept. So, in the same way that my canine companion can’t fathom why everyone we meet on a walk doesn’t

By Michael Lane, editor

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox, deputy editor

Cocos Organic

Light & Milk Yog Tubes

want to shower him with a ection, I still struggle to understand why customer service is so consistently poor in the UK.

Since the start of December, I’ve logged a whole catalogue of inexcusably poor public-facing errors. Sta making you wait at the till while they nish a phone call, companies drawing out complaint procedures to their maximum response times, a restaurant manager threatening hotel guests, operators processing online refunds at glacial pace, waiters rolling their eyes at diners, and shop workers who don’t seem to care or know anything about the products they stock. This apathy towards the people that generate your living seems to be a deepening legacy of Covid that not enough people are talking about. Excuses and defensiveness have now evolved into mere shrugs and obvious disdain.

At the risk of stretching

analogy, it’s like throwing a ball onto a roof and asking a dog to fetch it. Consumers just have to wait, accept that they might go home emptyhanded, and stomach that they will be underwhelmed by every single customer-facing experience. My dog will sit xated on an unreachable goal and bark in complaint, but British consumers will just walk away and won’t come back.

Thankfully, the majority of my aforementioned gripes happened outside of the independent retail sector, because delis, farm shops and food halls are bastions of customer service. And with all of the external pressure that is out of our sector’s control, they’ll need to continue to lead by example.

Getting those service basics right is the key to customer recall. And, who knows, if you give them the right treats they might even

sit and roll over for you in these troubled times. the risk of my

Gut-friendly products have received a good number of shout-outs in this magazine (see page 27). It’s great to see producers putting out delicious iterations of them. Cocos Organic has merely grown its range, but both the Light coconut-based yoghurt alternative and Milk Yog Tubes really hit the mark. Find out more on page 45.

EDITORIAL editorial@gff.co.uk

Editor: Michael Lane

Deputy editor: Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Art director: Mark Windsor

Contributors: Nick Baines, Richard Faulks, Patrick McGuigan, Greg Pitcher, Lynda Searby

ADVERTISING opportunities@gff.co.uk

Sales director: Sally Coley

Sales manager: Ruth Debnam

Sales executive: Becky Haskett

good number of shout-outs in this see out delicious grown its range, but both the alternative and Milk hit

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Without meaning to dehumanise them, food retail customers have pretty similar demands to man’s best friend.

Cover Photograph: Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Retailers must ride wave of in ation as analysts warn of further rises

By Greg Pitcher

A leading retail economist has warned embattled independent food stores “the danger phase isn’t over” a er the rate of in ation in the sector nally eased.

James Walton, chief economist at consumer goods insight specialists IGD, said a combination of ongoing rising costs and pressure to cut prices could squeeze small rms further this year.

Figures released by the O ce for National Statistics (ONS) showed that food and non-alcoholic drink prices were 16.8% higher for consumers in January 2023 than a year earlier.

This was down only marginally from a 45-year high of 16.9% in December but represented the rst time in 20 months that the sector’s rate of in ation had dropped.

However, Walton

Hawkshead has new MD

Cumbrian food producer Hawkshead Relish has promoted general manager Jonathan Robb to managing director.

The firm said the appointment would allow founding directors Mark and Maria Whitehead to take more of a back seat in operational activities. The couple’s daughter Izzy Whitehead is also a director and the four will work closely together.

Maria Whitehead said Robb, who joined Hawkshead eight years ago, had “become one of the family”.

“He completely understands our vision and where we want the business to go,” she added.

warned that food prices could keep growing throughout this year even compared to last year’s highs.

“We think food price in ation will be above zero at the end of this year,” he said. “While we expect energy price growth to drop out of year-on-year comparisons, a lot of other the other drivers are still on the agenda.”

These include the war in Ukraine, employment costs and drought, said Walton.

He pointed out that factory gate prices had not kept pace with the rising

cost of production, meaning “further increases in the cost of goods are to come”.

“Meanwhile bigger retailers are thinking about how to bring prices down and that could be the key vulnerability for small, independent retailers,” he warned. “The danger phase isn’t over for some of these retailers.”

Richard Hyman, partner at retail consultancy TPC UK, said ne food sellers should have an advantage over supermarkets as their customers are “less price sensitive”.

“Independents gain

16.8%

Y-on-Y increase on food & drink prices in Jan 2023

Source: Office for National Statistics

more from the swings of serving a market not as hard hit by in ation than they lose on the economies-of-scale roundabouts,” he explained.

“The next couple of years will be tough but you have an edge – don’t cede ground on quality. That is what your niche market wants.”

Paul Castle, managing director at Bristol-based Flourish Foodhall & Kitchen, said “exceptional service” was the key to riding out the price storm.

“The worst thing people could do is have a knee jerk reaction and launch into mass cost cutting,” he said. “You won’t win on any front – you’ll be seen as expensive and providing a shoddy service.

“The message should be of quality and local jobs, doing good with your pound. If the customer is choosing purely on choice they are probably not your customer anyway.”

Tesco’s nal round of counter closures should spur independent retailers to keep theirs going

A relentless focus on quality over cost remains critical for small food firms, key industry figures urged, after Tesco closed all its remaining deli infrastructure.

The supermarket giant said no in-house served counters would remain across its UK stores after February, marking the latest stage of a gradual decline.

Tesco announced the closure of 317 meat, dish and snack kiosks a year ago, while Sainsbury’s said in late 2020 that it wouldn’t reopen the deli elements it closed earlier in the pandemic.

Steven Salamon, owner of Wally’s Delicatessen &

Kaffeehaus in Cardiff, said it was imperative for independent firms to avoid joining the trend.

“Any self-respecting deli that aspires to be a high quality, successful business should avoid chasing the supermarkets down the self-service route,” he said.

“We should do whatever we can to differentiate ourselves from the supermarkets. The answer is, as it ever was, in customer service and customer experience.”

Richard Hyman, partner at retail consultancy TPC UK, agreed. “Don’t cede any ground on quality,” he said. “At the end of the

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT...

… MANAGING SOARING COSTS

“We are trying to reduce costs as much as possible as many of our clientele have had their income squeezed. There is a big jump in staffing costs come April – we are reviewing budgets and trying to see how we can reduce hours without compromising on service.”

day business is about driving revenue – costs exist to support that. Looking at costs in isolation is a bit mad.

“Yes there is a cost-ofliving crisis but in a year’s time it could be different. The British population is becoming more and more food-conscious. The idea people are becoming less interested in the food sold from service counters has no basis in reality.”

Tesco said the space from its closed counters would be “repurposed to better reflect customers’ needs”. Counters run by external operators will remain. Displaced staff will be offered other roles.

“It is about managing efficiencies and being smart with your choice of wholesalers. Some will see you through this in a long-term relationship and others will take you for a short-term ride. We primarily work with one wholesaler. It makes us more efficient as we’re not chasing multiple orders.”

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

ANDY SWINSCOE, THE COURTYARD DAIRY, LANCASHIRE

PAUL CASTLE, FLOURISH FOODHALL AND KITCHEN, SOMERSET

JAMES WALTON, IGD

Indies call for Hunt’s Spring Budget to counteract ever-increasing costs

By Greg Pitcher

Help with the soaring cost of energy, property and employment is on the wishlist for food retailers when Jeremy Hunt delivers his Budget on 15th March.

The Chancellor will seek to boost the ailing economy when he delivers his third set-piece scal plan in the Commons just ve months into his tenure.

It comes ahead of a wave of new costs for battered businesses. A change in the support available for power bills could cost small shops thousands of pounds a year from 1st April, while the rateable value of retail property will rise by almost £2bn on the same date –and the national living wage will increase by 92p per hour.

Daniel Williams, project manager at Cheshire-based Godfrey C Williams & Son, called for a 12-month business rates holiday for small retailers and an

extension of the current support on energy costs.

“The Government has to get to the root of the problems rather than skirt around the issues,” he said.

“Rising costs are the concern. Some of our margins have been squeezed; others we’ve maintained but prices have gone up and up.

“And there are more cost increases to come, especially with minimum wage rates going up in April.”

British Independent Retailers Association chief

Su olk’s Munchy Seeds acquired by pet food specialist

A company specialising in ready meals for pets has bought Suffolk snack supplier Munchy Seeds.

Somfolk, a holding company owned by The Hug Pet Food Company bosses Des Smith and Sara Pearson, acquired the seeds and toppings brand set up 1999 by husband-and-wife team Crispin and Lucinda Clay. The firm mixes

IN BRIEF

of next winter; and moves to o set business rates increases.

He urged reinstatement of former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s proposed VATfree shopping for tourists; “wholesale reform” of skills funding; and help for ailing town centres.

Aldi is set to recruit more than 6,000 staff members as it pushes on with its expansion plans. UK CEO Giles Hurley, said demand for Aldi has “never been higher as more people realise they can make significant savings on every shop without compromising on quality.”

executive Andrew Goodacre urged Hunt to improve public con dence in his upcoming Budget.

“One way to improve consumer spending would be to reduce tax – we could see an increase in tax-free allowances and/ or a reduction in national insurance,” he said. “I do not believe that consumers having more money will bring in ationary pressure.”

Goodacre also called for measures to encourage sustainable retailing; a commit-ment to look again at energy support ahead

Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman said the cost of energy remained “the most pressing issue facing retailers”.

“Thousands of businesses have been tied into xed contracts at the height of wholesale prices that, if le unchecked by the Government, could mean that they would have to close their doors for good,” he warned.

Lowman added: “Incentivising investment should be a key priority of any govern-ment, but this is especially important right now as we sit on the brink of recession.”

Online deli launches powered by food-suggestion algorithm

Biotech firm 3DBT says it has produced the UK’s first fully cultivated fillet of pork in a laboratory in Newcastle. The meat was grown in a patented cell booster, and eaten by the company’s management team.

Defra has approved Capreolus Fine Foods’ application to grant Protected Geographical status to New Forest Pannage Ham. The air-dried product will now be able to carry the name and PGI logo on its packaging.

in each category, the best matches go to the top of the page.”

pumpkin, sunflower, chia and black sesame seeds in combinations it says lend taste, texture, protein and fibre to everyday snacks and meals.

Crispin Clay said: “It is time for us to hand on the baton as we are keen to relocate to New Zealand where we have family and a thriving vineyard to look after.

So ware developers in the UK and Ukraine have created a food-suggestion algorithm that a new online retailer claims will match the personal touch of a butcher, cheesemonger or sommelier.

The Deli Society launched on 1st February o ering a wide rane of deli items and fresh groceries to its members.

With no membership fees, all customers have to do to identify food and drink they might enjoy is complete an online “palate quiz”. Using these answers and subsequent product reviews, the society’s “proprietary arti cial intelligence technology” –known as Olive – matches products to tastes.

“When it comes to

categories like cheese and wine, there is a complete overload of product and jargon, and it becomes incredibly di cult to navigate and choose,” said co-founder Harry Higginson.

“This tech dramatically increases your chances of being happy with your choices. It streamlines your shopping experience as the algorithm works such that

The Deli Society partners with hundreds of artisan producers across the UK and Europe and delivers direct to members’ doors.

Membership gives consumers access to exclusive products; content from chefs and farmers; discounts; and events.

Harry’s brother and co-founder Josh Higginson added: “We are building a community and we work to make sure the relationships we hold with our members are less transactional than traditional retail. This involves giving members opportunities to attend in-person events whether that be supper clubs, wine tastings or meet the makers.”

thedelisociety.com

This month Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivers his third fiscal plan in less than half a year. Credit: Flickr

Zara Farrar / HM Treasury

EACH CHEESE IS HAND-PICKED WITH YOU IN MIND.

We hold every single one in our maturing rooms and handle them like babies: tenderly touching and turning them until they are ready for the world…and when they are at the right age for you our customers, we send them to you just as you would like them to behave. We do this because no cheese and no customer is identical.

First in ne for 30 years: ne cheese, ne charcuterie, ne crackers, ne condiments, ne chocolates...

INDIVIDUAL BALSAMIC STRAWBERRY GATEAUX

Recipe card enclosed with this magazine for you to keep and share�

Award Winning Sweet Balsamic Dressings

Cress Co adds Bristol depot as it targets growth in the South West

By Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

The Cress Co. has a new depot in Bristol which it says will allow it to provide a better service to retailers in the southwest.

The h site completes the distributor’s reach across the UK, as it already has depots in Scotland’s Dunfermline, Leighton Buzzard, Maltby and, as of 18 months ago, Telford.

“We’re great believers in the value of doing our own delivery,” Joe Wall, the company’s managing director told FFD. It will now be able to make deliveries with its own vans rather than using third party couriers, servicing existing and new customers within its core market – delis, farm shops, cheese shops and garden centres.

“We’re not looking to do anything massively di erent to what we’re

already doing, it’s more about geographical coverage from our point of view,” said Wall.

In terms of customer base, “we only have a tenth of what we need down there to make it run so we’re expecting to grow that quite aggressively for the next wee while,” he added, lling what the company sees as a gap in

the chilled o ering.

“It’s one of our key strengths. Once you get past Bristol, there isn’t a whole lot of coverage from other wholesalers. We feel like there’s a real opportunity to increase the o ering.”

According to Matt Coxon, the company’s sales manager, the move has already spurred

Lidl dials down expansion plan DOWN ON THE FARM

Budget retailer Lidl has signi cantly scaled back plans to open new stores this year to focus on increasing its warehouse capacity.

Despite setting out to have 1,100 stores by 2025, up from 950, it will only launch 25 this year, down from 54 last year.

The move will come as a surprise to many given that it has seen its market share grow in recent months as customers turned away from their usual supermarkets amid the cost of living crisis.

It will however open a new warehouse in Luton, expand the ones in Bridgend and Belvedere, and nd a new site in the southwest, which may help avoid supply chain issues encountered last year.

IN BRIEF

interest among retailers.

“There’s a de nite buzz,” he said. “We’ve already got customers signing up. They’re excited that there’s a new wholesaler in the area. What we can o er them they can’t currently get.”

Making the decision made sense even in an uncertain economic landscape, said Wall, “because actually, it adds to the e ciency of our network long term. While it’s an initial outlay, we feel that it improves what we do”.

“Yes, the pressure is on price for everybody. The cost of running your business, and the cost of goods coming in. Food has been especially badly hit, but we believe that if we do the job well, run it e ciently and do it competitively then we’ll be able to o er customers what they want.”

The latest from farm shops across the country

After five years growing the business into a thriving operation, the owners of Powderham Farm Shop, near Exeter, have put the business up for sale. Tom and Leanne Klinkenberg have introduced various updates during their ownership including an in-store Post Office but they are looking to find a bit more time to spend with their family, hence the sale.

powderhamfarmshop.

co.uk

After two years as a pop-up farm shop at the village hall in Pattishall, Philippa’s Farm Shop has found a permanent home in a new shop in the heart of Bugbrooke, Northamptonshire. The high street shop, which opened on 8th February, will be selling a range of fresh, local produce including bread, meat, pies, vegetables, cheeses, sandwiches, coffee, cakes and more facebook.com/philippas. farmshop

Planning permission has been granted to convert an old cow shed at Upton Court Farm into a new farm shop. Fry’s Farm Shop will be coming to the Kentish village, selling local produce and essential items, and local news reports say residents are delighted.

Plans to develop a former plant nursery in Chudleigh, Devon, into a farm shop and café have been submitted to Teignbridge Council. New owners of the site, which has been derelict

Defra has published the detail of the Environmental Land Management schemes for 2023. Replacing EU subsidies for farmers phased out after Brexit, it will reward farmers for supporting climate change adaptation; incentivise soil health maintenance; and reward landowners for taking on rewilding projects.

Harrogate-based ownlabel confectionery brand Serious Sweets Company (SSC) has bought Mallow & Marsh for an undisclosed sum.

Waitrose is set to spend £100m on cutting down the price of 300 of its own-brand items. In at least a quarter of products, it says, prices will be slashed by 20%.

for 10 years, are hoping to breathe new life into the area, supporting local businesses and creating new jobs.

Roots Farm Shop & Café in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, has introduced a new feature. The owners are offering customers the use of a free book exchange service in their “reading nook” and they can also now enjoy a coffee in the shop’s cosy cabin rootsfarmshop.co.uk

Farm Shops fabulousfarmshops.co.uk

The Cress Co now has five depots dotted across the UK

IF I’D KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW...

SAM STEGGLES, founder, The Goat Shed at Fielding Cottage, Honingham, Norfolk

We were, and still are, cheesemakers. Since 2009 we have been making Wensum White, Norfolk Mardler and Goat’s Curd. And, for years, as well as wholesaling, we sold our goats’ cheese direct to the public from a shed with an honesty box.

When Covid hit, people kept asking us for milk, eggs etc. because they didn’t feel safe going to the supermarket. So we swept out the back of the barn and set up a little shop. At the height of the pandemic, we were selling 1,000 bags of flour a week.

When our customers asked us whether we planned to continue post Covid, we said that we would as long as they continued to support us. And we just kept growing from there. Two years on, we’re a £1.4m turnover business employing a team of 30. We have an 8,000 square foot farm shop, a 150-seat kitchen, and we are looking to add a bakery and butchery counter.

Other than grant money we secured under the Rural Development Programme for England, we’ve grown organically. We are incredibly proud of this, but it has brought numerous challenges. Coping with demand has been one, although the situation is more settled now. We work with a lot of small producers who weren’t necessarily geared up to supply the increasing volumes we needed. For example, we originally worked with just one local honey producer, whereas now we have to work with four to ensure supply.

Personally, keeping on top of everything has been another challenge during our rapid growth. I manage to do this by surrounding myself with people who are better at everything that I am –whether that is chefs or marketing specialists. I delegate a lot but at the same time make sure there are processes, systems and procedures in place for people to follow. I am quite happy for people to “have a go” and believe in giving them the freedom to develop their own ideas – such as our recent ‘Goat Spa’ event – where customers could brush, stroke and cuddle the animals.

Like every other business, we are feeling the squeeze from rising costs. We have started making things like cake mixes in bigger batches to keep prices down but we want to continue to pay our suppliers a fair price. In terms of energy costs, we are fortunate that we invested in solar two years ago. Every available inch of southfacing roof is covered in solar panels, generating 250kW of power. In the summer we are almost self-sufficient.

If that has taught me anything it is that you can spend too long sitting on the fence –sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith.

Interview Lynda Searby Photography Richard Faulks

CONFESSIONS OF A DELI OWNER

ANONYMOUS TALES FROM BEHIND THE COUNTER

DO YOU KNOW what HFSS is?

Well. Sometime in the past, our Prime Minister (no, I don’t know which one) brought in HFSS legislation to be the next weapon against obesity, following the success of the sugar tax. HFSS stands for High in Fat, Sugar and Salt. And the legislation focuses mainly on where these products can be placed in store and how they can be promoted.

When it was unveiled, plenty of commentators were against it – either because it was too much or too little or just generally ine ective. The papers were full of outraged people defending traditional foods like honey and butter while bemoaning how low-nutrient ready meals would slip through unscathed. Then the Government (no, I don’t know which one) decided to delay implementation due to the cost-of-living crisis. The papers were full of outraged people claiming politicians had ceded to big business. Anyway, it’s now due at end of this year, or beginning of next. Possibly.

Have you noticed that calorie counts are appearing on menus? From April 2022 that was a requirement for businesses with over 250

MODEL RETAILING

Sorry for the wait, madam. Patience is a virtue… that you clearly don’t have.

employees. However, that one is also apparently under review as being too burdensome on business and may be scrapped. You can actually date that policy back to a di erent Prime Minister’s regime entirely (David Cameron, remember him?).

And if there wasn’t enough rule-making going around, how about unhelpful comments from high places? Like Professor Susan Jebb, chair of the Food Standards Agency, suggesting a cake brought into the workplace was equivalent to passive smoking – in terms of

health damage. She makes the point that people would not eat cake if it wasn’t there. Frankly, I wish all of this noise would all go away.

Yes, obesity is a problem. But I really don’t think high quality cheese (or honey, or salami, or panettone) is the cause. My theory is that high taste (speci cally sweet, salt and umami) foods are fattening, while high avour foods are not. Obviously 100% observation not science. And anyway, I really don’t think my customers will ever choose their cheeses based on the calories or where they appear in the counter. Price is always the deal-breaker.

But what should we do as businesses?

Professionally I don’t think HFSS or calorie counting or passive cake really a ects me. My suppliers will deal with all the labelling issues. I suppose it could be in ationary in some way, but in today’s economic tumultuousness I don’t think it touches the sides.

What is pretty sure is that if I am obeying all the relevant laws, it’s a miracle. To misquote Douglas Adams “I love new regulations. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by”.

Anyone know who the PM is today?

SOLVING EVERYDAY SHOPKEEPING DILEMMAS. IN MINIATURE.

Right. I’ll see you on Trip Advisor.

Of course, the moon landings were faked. Aliens built the Egyptian pyramids. And, the tooth fairy definitely does not exist.

We’ll see you in court.

Yes, I know everything is cheaper in the supermarket but you pay a premium here for service with personality.

I’ll see you in Tesco.

FFD says: People will love you more for being personable, rather than a persona. It’s important to put your own stamp on proceedings in the shop, especially when it comes to customer service. But you have to apply the same principles as you would to your product range. It’s not really about you, it’s about them – and what they like. Remember, what might seem like “banter” to one person can be off-putting or even offensive to another. The deli counter should be a conversation starter, not a soapbox.

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

Yes, obesity is a problem. But I really don’t think high quality cheese is the cause.

CODE OF PRACTICE

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

This month we look at… types of food hazards.

There are three main types of hazard that food business operators need to control during manufacture, distribution and sale:

Chemical hazards:

• For example, presence of residues of cleaning chemicals or disinfectants or of allergens. These hazards are also hard to remove once a food is contaminated so prevention of the hazard is the principal means of control.

Expert Eye

Cheerful employees will likely be more productive and deliver an exceptional customer experience. And yet, empowering your team to work at their best is easier said than done.

Improving the customer experience starts with a positive culture in your workforce.

What is the one thing a business must get right to improve the customer experience?

If your team aren’t happy or engaged at work, it will translate to your service and customers.

Businesses are facing challenging times, particularly on the staffing front. It is getting harder to attract and retain talent, so it’s essential that you know how your team feel to show them they are cared for and valued.

I’m a fan of Stephen Covey’s concept of an ‘Emotional Bank Account’ as a great way to foster relationships, a system of emotional deposits and withdrawals. A two-way relationship with your team is essential.

To create a positive team culture, everyone needs to feel heard.

Biological hazards: These include harmful bacteria as well as viruses and parasites.

• The survival and growth of these hazards may be controlled by chemical and physical criteria such as heat (cooking), acidification, drying or, for some products, cold storage.

• In order to grow within a food, biological hazards need an adequate temperature and a supply of free water.

• They also require a source of protein or carbohydrate, with no inhibitory chemicals present.

• If one or more of these comfort factors is removed, growth can be limited.

Physical hazards:

• Presence of foreign bodies in a food may be an unsightly annoyance or a serious risk to food safety (e.g. glass shards or metal swarf).

• Foreign bodies may be a source of biological contamination. These hazards may be hard to remove once a food is contaminated so prevention of the hazard is the principal means of control.

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

Winning teams have the autonomy to make proactive decisions within their role knowing their manager has their back.

Companies that operate in a traditional top-down pyramid structure are the ones that struggle the most in creating a positive team culture. People at the bottom of the pyramid often deal with customers daily. Therefore, they can offer you valuable insight from an operational and customer perspective.

An immense frustration for customers is when the person they are dealing with needs more information or authority to solve their problems. Then, it becomes a lengthy process of working up the chain of command. Good twoway communication across the business is critical to success – ensuring that it doesn’t get diluted as it goes up or down the chain.

In the reverse, when a business is weighed down by its procedures, it can quickly lose empathy for the customer and its employees. You must step back and think, ‘how would I feel if I was going through this scenario?’

Feedback is important. The one simple (but essential) thing leaders can do to improve engagement is regularly check in with employees. Conducting an annual survey and failing to act on the results wastes everybody’s time. This approach offers no value, and your team will see that and are unlikely to engage with it truthfully.

You need access to fast, actionable feedback from your team that makes them feel highly motivated, engaged and respected.

WHAT’S TRENDING

1 Instant speciality coffee Some of the world’s most revered speciality coffee roasters are getting into instant coffee. In Los Angeles, Verve has been knocking out sachets of instant coffee from each of their blends for a while, as has San Francisco’s iconic Ritual Coffee Roasters. In Berlin, The Barn is also in on the action, but theirs come with a hefty price tag of £10 for 5 servings – a barrier many UK coffee roasters might not be willing to engage with. However, Devonbased Little’s has been flying the flag for some time with its range of premium instant coffees.

2 All rise for tinned seafood Tinned fish is tipped to be the big food trend this year. While we already have stalwart brands like Ortiz readily available on the high street, expect to see many more options at the higher end of canned fish. Even outerwear brand Patagonia has jumped in on the action with its food arm, Patagonia Provisions. Tinned mussels from the brand were recently in demand after it was doing the rounds on TikTok, used as a snack with a chilli crunch condiment from Momofuku. Meanwhile, Brixham-based Rockfish has a strikingly packed range of tinned seafood including mussels, mackerel, sardines and cuttlefish.

3 The social omnivore America’s iconic food magazine Bon Appétit recently published an investigative piece on the social omnivore - the term being used for those who don’t eat meat at home, but do in restaurants or social settings. Speaking to diners and food shoppers in California and New York, responders said that they didn’t want to have to put a label on their food choices anymore. The article shines light on a refreshing step forward, shunning the finely demarcated personas of meat eater and vegetarian, showing that progress is afoot.

WINNING TEAM CULTURE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF EMPATHY.

Chemical hazards are hard to remove once a food is contaminated so prevention is the principal means of control

GUIDE TO BEDTIME STORIES

Suddenly the hare awoke, saw the tortoise ahead and made a dash for the line - but it was too late, the tortoise had already won.

“O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love, what a beautiful Pussy you are, you are! What a beautiful Pussy you are!”

“What a charming creature she is!” said the Fox. “She must have a lovely voice, since everything else about her is so perfect.”

“Why does the lamb love Mary so?” The eager children cry. “Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,” The teacher did reply.

Charming children’s biscuits that tell a story, in flavours that children love. It is printed on the pack.

Taking place at ExCeL London on 20th-22nd March, IFE will unite retailers, hospitality professionals and suppliers under one roof

Six reasons to visit… …International Food & Drink Event

Truly international

In addition to food & drink suppliers from across the UK, there will be more than 50 di erent countries represented by exhibitors at IFE, including products from the USA, UAE, Sri Lanka, Mexico, India and a host of European nations. Register for your free trade ticket now at ife.co.uk

1 4

Certi ed success

IFE will play host to a Certi cation Clinic where visitors can meet with the likes of The Vegan Society, Fairtrade, and RSPCA Assured, to discuss upping their game for conscious consumers. Meanwhile the Ask the Expert dropin area will o er up a host of industry consultants for business advice.

Variety packed in

The show will once again take place alongside IFE Manufacturing, Hotel, Restaurant & Catering (HRC) and International Salon Culinaire, providing a wealth of inspiration for visitors. Given the crossover between foodservice and retail, this could prove useful for many buyers.

2 5

Set the stage for the future

IFE’s Sustainability Stage is new for 2023 and will play host to a wide range of speakers tackling this vital topic. Among the subjects on the agenda are building resilient food systems, achieving net zero, meeting evolving customer needs, healthier ingredients, a circular economy for plastics, the future of frozen food and ‘green skills’.

Sample the new

This year there are two brand new features. The New Products Tasting Theatre allows exhibitors to pitch their products to senior decision-makers from across the sector. And visitors seeking out the freshest NPD should head for the IFE Startup Market – a dedicated area for companies that have been trading for 2 years or less.

3 6

More food for thought

There is a full seminar programme for IFE’s co-located events, too. IFE Manufacturing hosts the Trends & Innovation Platform, which will feature sessions on price sensitivity, changing shopping habits and new food tech. HRC will have two stages – Vision and Tech X – covering all of the key topics in foodservice.

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

Kentish Handmade Cheese

A traditional unpasteurised, cloth bound cellar matured hard cheese from the county of Kent.

One of the most local farm produced cheeses to London and soon achieving carbon neutral production. One of the most local farm produced cheeses to London and now carbon neutrally produced.

The plus points of our comtes :

+

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

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

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

Identity card

RAW COW’S MILK

FAT 34%

MOSTLY MONTBÉLIARDES

COOKED PRESSED CHEESE

40 KG WHEEL

Organic makers feeling the pinch as Leagram shuts down

By Patrick McGuigan

Organic cheesemakers are being “backed into a corner” as they battle rocketing bills for energy, equipment and feed.

Lancashire-based Leagram Organic Dairy, which has traded in Chipping since 2000 and employed four sta , closed at the end of January as soaring energy and cheesemaking costs took their toll. The dairy and equipment, but not the company name, are currently up for sale.

Faye Kitching, who ran Leagram with her mother Christine following the death of her father Bob Kitching, told FFD that heating oil prices doubled last year, while the cost

of essentials, such as cheese cloth, tripled. The pressure to keep the business going had also led to health problems that made carrying on impossible.

“Everything has gone up and I couldn’t see us surviving another 12 months,” she said. “We increased prices three times, but I don’t think customers would have taken another. As organic cheesemakers we’re already at the top of the pyramid on price, so there’s only so far we can go. We were backed into a corner and my health was su ering.”

Many organic dairy farms are under pressure because organic milk prices have not risen at the same rate as conventional milk. There used

to be a 10p di erential between conventional and organic milk prices, but this has been eroded to parity in some cases. This is despite organic feed costs rising much more rapidly than nonorganic.

The situation has prompted some organic farm-based cheesemakers to give up their organic statuses altogether, including Bath So Cheese and Trethowan Brothers in Somerset.

“Our cows get a little organic feed in the winter, but this has gone from £280 a tonne to £640, which equates to an extra £5k every few weeks,” said Hugh Pad eld, director at Bath So Cheese. “We’ve farmed organically for 22 years and would like to stay organic, but our energy costs have increased 500%, land rents have gone up and government support for agriculture has halved. We have to make savings somewhere.”

Trethowan Brothers has taken the same decision, said co-owner Todd Trethowan. “The price of organic cattle feed has grown much faster than conventional and we were having to buy from China and India, which didn’t feel right when there is perfectly good non-organic feed grown here.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

Northampton cheesemaker Hamm Tunn Foods lost 150kg of its Cobblers Nibble blue cheese (worth £24,000) in an electrical fire just before Christmas. It took four weeks of cleaning before the company could start making again at the end of January.

A new cheese shop has opened in Westbury Park, Bristol. L’Affinage Du Fromage, owned by Louise and Leo Wirtz, sells mainly British cheeses alongside natural wine, charcuterie, chutneys, biscuits and bread.

Supermarket cheese prices jumped again in December and January, according to research from Assosia. Around half of the supermarkets’ core cheese lines increased in price by more than the general food inflation rate of 16.8%. Some cheeses rose by as much as 50%.

The results of another collaborative British cheese project were revealed last month. Cheesemaker Curlew Dairy and cheesemonger The Courtyard Dairy sent six freshly made Old Roan Wensleydales to other makers and retailers to be matured for three months, including Kirkham’s, Hafod and Rennet & Rind. There were big differences in appearance, texture and flavour when the cheeses were reunited, sold at The Courtyard Dairy. Other recent projects include a dairy swap between the Trethowan Brothers and Lincolnshire Poacher, and the Affineur of the Year competition, which saw Quickes’ cheddars matured in different places.

THREE WAYS WITH...

Devon Blue

Made at Ticklemore Dairy near Totnes by Ben Harris, Devon Blue is a modern classic. First invented in the 1970s, the cheese was made to a Roquefort recipe, only using cows’ milk. It is wrapped in foil before it is matured, during which time it develops pockets of light blue veins. The cheese is crumbly and citrussy when young, becoming fudgier and more powerful with age

Quince Jelly

There’s a lightness about Devon Blue when it’s young. Pale and curdy with a minerally tang, it works nicely with the sweet, perfume notes of quince. Try Rosebud Preserves’ Quince Jelly, which is naturally set with unrefined sugars and has an amber glow that contrasts with the ivory blue cheese.

Ice cider

At an event to celebrate some of the winners of the World Cheese Awards just before Christmas, Devon Blue (which finished in eighth place) was paired with an ice cider from Norway, where the Awards will be held in 2023. Made by Bleie Gard in Hardanger, Alde Issider was a stunning match full of caramelised apple sweetness that contrasted with the salty notes in the cheeses, but also had a fresh acidity that lifted the experience.

Gratin

Devon-based Greendale Farm Shop puts its local cheese to good use in a celeriac, walnut and Devon Blue gratin. The nutty flavour of celeriac complements the blue cheese and walnuts in the recipe, which involves baking lentils and sliced celeriac in stock and cream, before topping with walnuts and cheese and baking for a little longer.

The price of organic milk has not risen at the same rate as non-organic but input costs have soared

Online specialist Cheese Geek seeks to partner restaurants and retailers

By Patrick McGuigan

Online cheese retailer the Cheese Geek is looking to build its brand in partnership with restaurants and retailers in what it describes as a ‘strategic wholesale’ model.

Set up in 2017 by Edward Hancock, the company has built strong brand awareness among shoppers, helped by an appearance on Dragon’s Den last year where it won £150,000 of investment from entrepreneur Steven Bartlett.

The London-based company, which sends out tens of thousands of cheese boxes direct to the public each year, plans to move into wholesale by developing co-branded ranges and menus with shops and restaurants.

“We are looking to leverage the credibility of the brand, which should bene t each company,” said Hancock. “We want customers to see our logo on menus across the country, and know the values it stands for. We strongly believe there is a better way to

CHEESE IN PROFILE with

engage customers with cheese that aligns with 21st Century consumer expectations, and this shouldn’t be restricted to customers at home.”

The Cheese Geek has brought in Patrick Spinazza, previously accounts manager at Quickes, to help build the wholesale business. As well as supplying a wide range of artisan cheeses, the company will support wholesale customers with in-person training, co-hosted events, access to exclusive products,

Dorstone Hill, with views of the Herefordshire hills and River Wye.

Charlie and his team have been making fresh and mould-ripened cheeses, yoghurts and crème fraiche at the creamery ever since.

and marketing and digital expertise.

“We are looking to work with businesses that have a passion for great produce, provenance and telling the story of their producers,” said Hancock. “It’s about facilitating engagement with the customer about the cheese, rather than just having it put on the table. Every single interaction with cheese is an opportunity to get someone hooked in to our amazing industry and product.” thecheesegeek.com

BEHIND THE COUNTER TIPS OF THE TRADE

Josh Hunnisett, The de Beauvoir Deli, East London

Teaching new staff members how to taste cheese and put their thoughts into words is not easy. “If they’ve not got lots of experience, it can be difficult for people to express their opinions,” says Josh Hunnisett, manager at the De Beauvoir Deli in Hackney. To help them become more confident, Hunnisett holds tasting sessions at the company’s office for new staff, using techniques he learned on the Guild of Fine Food’s Cheese Retail course. “We use a flavour wheel, which is a useful visual aid to help coax out descriptions,” he says. “We sit down with three or four cheeses, and different drinks that match, and taste through them. It’s about getting them engaged and giving them the confidence and knowledge. Once they have that, they can chat with customers and will naturally sell more cheese.”

The retailer also makes use of its suppliers with representatives from Mons and Neal’s Yard Dairy also running regular training sessions. “Staff really enjoy getting away from the shop and being able to chat about and taste the cheeses in depth,” he says. thedebeauvoirdeli.co.uk

To mark the roll out of Academy of Cheese Level

Three Fellow Certification modules we will, over the coming months, be featuring cheeses studied at this Level. This month it’s Finn, a soft, mouldripened cheese from Neal’s Yard Creamery.

Finn

What’s the story?

Neal’s Yard Creamery was originally part of the London-based Neal’s Yard Dairy.

Charlie Westhead, one of the cheesemakers there, bought the business and, in 1996, relocated to

Neal’s Yard Creamery now makes both cows’ and goats’ milk cheeses, following a small-scale and green ethos.

The milk that goes into making Finn is taken each morning from local farmers Stephen and Sarah Fletcher’s small herd of just 40 Friesian Holsteins. Originally named after Charlie’s dog, Finn also means “Great White One” in Irish.

Milk:

Pasteurised cows’ milk.

How is it made?

One of Britain’s first triple-cream cheeses, Finn is based on the

French, cream-enriched cheeses, such as Delice de Bourgogne, Vignotte and Brillat-Savarin. It is made from pasteurised cows’ milk, with the addition of 5% double cream. The milk is combined with the double cream before a long, gentle, predominantly lactic, set. Some cardoon rennet is also used to aid coagulation. To overcome the separation of the cream

from the curd, the team “top-stirs” the setting curd several times, to ensure all of the cream is trapped in the cheese. The curds are ladled into moulds for draining, before the cheeses are brined and matured for around three weeks, during which time a creamy-white Penicillium candidum coat develops.

Appearance & texture: When young, Finn has fresh, lactic notes and a firm paste under the smooth rind. As the cheese matures, it develops a creamy, unctuous breakdown under the rind and develops buttery, mushroom and walnut flavours.

Variations: None.

Cheesemonger tip: No fancy pairings are required; just plain crackers or fresh crusty bread and perhaps a swipe of elderflower jelly. Due to its pure-white rind and dainty 200g size, it is perfect for the top of a cheese wedding cake.

Chef’s recommendation: Champagne or sparkling wine are the best pairings. Their effervescence will help to cut through the high fat content. Finn could be used as an alternative to cream cheese in smoked fish parfaits.

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

Already established in the D2C market, the Cheese Geek wants to work with bricks-and-mortar businesses

We sell quality products at a fair price

Leading Northern light

Lancashire-based wholesaler Carron Lodge has always been a cheesemaker but now it is growing this side of its business through acquisition

Interview by Patrick McGuigan

IT’S A BEEN A tough year for cheesemakers in the North. First Singletons in Lancashire collapsed into administration in August. Then Richard III Wensleydale-maker Fortmayne Dairy in Yorkshire called it a day at the end of 2022. And, last month, Leagrams Organic in Lancashire also closed because of rising costs (see page 19).

But amid the gloom there was some good news, when it was revealed that Singletons had been saved from administration by Carron Lodge – a Northern cheese success story in its own right.

The Rhodes family has been making cheese at Park Head Farm, Inglewhite, for over 30 years and is one of the largest speciality cheese wholesalers in the country.

The acquisition of Singletons made business sense, says Carron Lodge’s MD Adrian Rhodes, providing additional equipment and premises in Longridge. “We were outgrowing our current site and needed more space,” he tells FFD. “Singletons will be a hub for cutting, packing and storage. And there’s exciting plans for production.”

But there was another side to the deal that was about more than just business. Duillia Singleton (AKA Grandma Singleton), who founded the company in 1934, was a distant relative of Rhodes – his great Auntie, to be precise. “We’ve still got recipes and old invoices from her that have been passed down

the family, so the purchase was quite emotive.”

Carron Lodge started in 1988 when Rhodes and wife Annette, along with his parents Dick and Ruth, branched out from dairy farming into cheesemaking, producing territorials, such as Lancashire, cheddar and Caerphilly, for Manchester’s kosher market. Rhodes also knocked on doors to supply local retailers, but was initially knocked back. “They wanted a complete range – Stilton, brie, Edam. So, I got those cheeses from other makers.”

This was the start of the wholesale business, which now comprises ve depots in Preston, Gloucester, Lincoln, Scotland and London, o ering a next-day delivery service that would make Amazon proud. Rhodes’ son Tom has also joined the business as operations manager. Speedy delivery and no minimum order value mean Carron Lodge is popular with independents.

“We sell quality products at a fair price,” he says. “Some of our competitors say we don’t sell our cheese at high enough a price. But you only need to look at our accounts to see we’re making good pro t. We’re in control of overheads and costs.”

This is borne out by Companies House, which shows turnover grew 55% to £45.3m in the year to March 2022. Pre-tax pro ts jumped from £1.5m to £4.3m. Carron Lodge also acquired two other cheesemakers last year – Yorkshire-based Ribblesdale Cheese and the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company in Somerset.

Ribblesdale had previously been contractmanufacturing Ribblesdale’s sheep and goats’ cheeses so when owner Iona Hill retired it made sense to buy the business, explains Rhodes, while Cheddar Gorge was too good an opportunity to miss. “Cheddar is the most popular cheese in the world, and they are the only cheddar-maker in Cheddar,” he says. “It’s great provenance.”

Inglewhite Buffalo

Carron Lodge has a herd of 350 cows at its farm and makes cheeses including waxed, block and cloth-bound Lancashires and other territorials, plus Continentalstyle cheeses. It is also home to 50 water buffaloes, whose milk goes into Inglewhite Buffalo – a cloth-bound cheddar-style cheese, aged for six months or more.

The cheese, which won Super Gold at the World Cheese Awards in 2019, is made with pasteurised milk and vegetarian rennet, and is cheddared by hand in the traditional method. It is wrapped in muslin and sealed with a vegetarian alternative to lard (called Plastico).

The paste is a pale ivory colour with a close texture and rich rounded flavour. Double cream notes from the highbutterfat buffalo milk but also fermented and fruity flavours, plus a long savoury finish. Good on a cheeseboard with fig paste or as a Parmesan substitute in pasta or risotto.

BEST CHEESE IN THE WORLD.

PiQi Life water ke r, a ‘so introduction’ to fermented drinks

By Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Founder Aksana Fitzpatrick sometimes describes her choosiness and taste in food as ”piquant”. This led her to choose PiQi Life as the name for her water ke r brand – one of very few in the UK.

Founded by Fitzpatrick and her partner Nick Young in 2021, PiQi Life positions itself as a so introduction to fermented drinks.

“For many who aren’t familiar with them - despite drinking wine and beer – they still freak people out,” she said.

Made by mixing ’grains’, a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast, or SCOBY, sugar and water. the slightly tart, faintly sweet drink is full of probiotic cultures, enzymes, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, and purports to taste good, too..

Fitzpatrick strongly believes

WHAT’S NEW

Salcombe Brewery Co has developed a 5.5% ABV spiced farmhouse ale brewed with peppercorns, coriander seed and orange peel. Saison is the company’s “fourth and final” ale in its small batch range. £25 per 12 x 330ml cans, it is also available in nine gallon casks. salcombebrewery.com

in the bene ts of probiotic drinks, and this has helped drive her, but making water ke r is a temperamental process.

“I wanted to outsource production at rst, but I underestimated how much know-how you have to have to produce it consistently,” she said, adding that it involves hawkishly monitoring acidity levels, sugar, temperature and humidity. Plus, because it contains a live ’mother’, the product continues to ferment in the bottle, meaning its avour changes over time.

“I’ve gone through hundreds and hundreds of trials. Finding avours that are stable is a challenge, especially as I try to use whole ingredients.”

The trials and tribulations haven’t stopped PiQi Life from amassing a number of awards:

The Butter y Pea avour won a Nourish Gold Award in 2022, and the Grapefruit & Cardamom and Ginger & Lemon were given Gold and Silver awards in the Taste of the West 2022.

Plans to scale up are very much on the cards, as currently, PiQi drinks can only be made a few hundred litres at a time. But having moved from a rented site in Somerset to a microbrewery in North Devon, Fitzpatrick hopes that will soon be in the thousands, so as to expand into established health food stores and further into hospitality and independent retail.

“The industry of raw fermented foods is de nitely improving,” she says. “There is demand for these products, even if it’s not super mainstream yet.” piqilife.com

Sandford Orchards has blended its signature cider with rosé wine to create its latest product. Made with Pinot Noir grapes and a blend of Browns, Katja and Jane apples from England, the 4% ABV Devon Rosé Cider is medium sweet and is said to be a great match for goat’s cheese, or high tea. RRP £2.80 per 500ml. sandfordorchards.co.uk

BEHIND THE COUNTER TIPS OF THE TRADE

Michael Boniface, Wine Buyer, No2 Pound Street

How to sell wine in indie retail

If you sell great food, it makes sense that you should sell great wine; the two go together perfectly. But first, you need to decide how much time and money you can invest.

If cash flow is tight, it might not be the right move for you. You’ll need to spend time putting a good range together, costing the wine, learning about it and training staff to sell it. (You will also need a premises licence!)

Know your demographic; customers’ needs will change depending on the area. Avoid supermarket wines. It’s worth hunting out smaller wineries who care about what they produce and should fit in with your own philosophy. If there is a good vineyard locally, contact them and start there.

A small, carefully chosen selection covering the basic styles from a range of countries is better than a sprawling scattergun approach.

Select wines that will sell. This requires a bit of knowledge and experience so it’s worth asking a wine merchant for advice if you’re not sure.

Talk to a few and you’ll get a sense of how much they will help you.

Wine is a rewarding path to take and your customers will love being able to pick up a great bottle with the rest of their shopping.

2poundstreet.com

Drapers England is looking to the independent trade to sell its signature Smoked Oak & Vanilla Spiced Rum. Made using double distilled Caribbean sugar molasses and nine botanicals including ginger, cinnamon and black pepper, before steeping with oak chips, cocoa, vanilla and caramel. RRP £38.00 per 50cl bottle. £23.50 for trade, in cases of six or 10 bottles. drapersengland.com

In celebration of the brand’s third birthday, Scotland’s El Cabezon has relaunched its flagship botanical Rum, Ron Cabezon, with a design that is says has a clearer brand definition and is more customer focused. Made using a blend of 5-year aged Caribbean rums, it is infused with West African Kola Nut, cubeb, vanilla and honey. RRP £34.95 per 70cl. Available direct or via Huffman’s and Royal Mile Trade. cabezonbeverage.com

Four Flavours of PiQi Life: Original Fig, Butterfly Pea Flower, Grapefruit & Cardamom, and Ginger & Lemon.

Is

product?

Can I mature my hard cheeses on wooden shelves?

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

Can I display olives at ambient temperature?

Can I cut cheese and meats with the same equipment?

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

Developed by the Guild of Fine Food and food experts at Cornwall Council, the Deli Retailing Code of Practice is split into three main sections – Food Safety Essentials, Good Hygiene Practices and Trading Standards – the Code is intended as a one-stop reference guide for deli teams, providing the guidance to ensure that both compliance and best practice standards can be achieved in all areas of retail.

Assured Code of Practice for Deli Retailing g .co.uk | +44 (0)1747 825200 @guildo nefood

The Deli Retailing Code of Practice is available in PDF format and can be requested by emailing support@g .co.uk. The Code is free to Guild of Fine Food members and can be purchased by non-members for £250+VAT.

Judges of 2022 GT awards said of the Almond Croissant

“We absolutely adored this product and felt that it was possibly the best almond croissant we have ever eaten. It was Parisian bakery quality; light and full of marzipan flavour, great lamination to the dough and so buttery. Just perfection.”

Judges of 2022 GT awards said of the Carrot Cake

“This is the dreamiest carrot cake. Beautifully balanced with the most perfect cream cheese frosting. The judges absolutely adored this.”

www.rockstarbakers.co.uk | bread@rockstarbakers.co.uk

BRI NGI NG YOU TH E FI N EST FROM ITALY

Made from the best, freshest ingredients since 1875.

A wide range of the nest foods which bring Italy to your kitchen/plates/recipe.

Keys to success

This month we look at the latest launches in two essential deli categories: sweet & savoury snacks and jams & preserves (from page 32).

Compiled by Lynda Searby

sweet & savoury snacks

Olives Et Al has relaunched its range of Kiln Roasted Nuts with a fresh new look for its 30th year. The nuts are hand-roasted in a hot air kiln, then seasoned and tumbled with spices at the company’s Dorset ‘Nuthouse’. There are nine varieties and all are vegan - even the Pigs in Blanket flavour. RRP £5.95; trade price £19.74 for 6 jars. olivesetal.co.uk

January 2023 saw the introduction of a new popped rice crisp range from African snack brand CHIKA’S The crisps are made simply with white rice and natural flavourings and are popped (not fried) to create a crunchy, light snack that provides under 100 calories per portion. RRP £0.79 for a 22g bag; £1.79 for an 80g bag. chikas.co.uk

Loaded with natural energy

Claire’s Amazeballs are now available in plasticfree, biodegradable two-packs, underlining their suitability as a pre- or post-workout snack or a guilt-free, on-the-go energy boost. Handcrafted in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, the balls are rich in protein, vitamins and antioxidants as well as being gluten-free, vegan and free from “unpronounceable ingredients”. There are eight flavours to choose from, including Hot Cross Balls for spring. RRP £4-4.50; trade price £2.75 for 2 x 25g balls. clairesamazeballs.com

Cambrook Foods will reveal three new baked nut snack lines at the Farm Shop & Deli Show in April. Both Chilli & Garlic Mixed Nuts with Corn and Mixed Nuts with Chocolate Cranberries will be in 65g LDPE pouches (RRP £1.79), following the company’s move to recyclable packaging last year. The third introduction is Chocolate Almonds – available in 110g (RRP £4.95) and 220g (RRP £8.25) jars. cambrookfoods.co.uk

Already on sale in 2,500 locations throughout the Netherlands and Belgium, Amsterdam ‘healthy’ snack brand BitesWeLove is looking to expand into the UK with listings with Cotswold Fayre and Ocado. Its pulse-based snacks are said to offer a high protein, vegan, gluten-free and organic alternative to popular snacks. Vegan Cheese Flip-its – an extruded lentil snack – is the latest addition to the line-up. biteswelove.co

Sarriegui Spicy Chorizo Potato Chips, carried by Brindisa, are quintessentially Spanish. Finished with a hot chorizo seasoning, these potato crisps are fried in extra virgin olive oil for a light and crispy texture. RRP £4.25 for 125g. brindisa.com

Mr Filbert’s has partnered St Austell Brewery to craft a beery peanut snack that features the Cornish brewery’s Proper Job IPA. The oven-roasted peanuts are infused with the IPA, resulting in a “zesty and distinctive flavour” that is said to be the perfect accompaniment to a pint. RRP £2.55 for 100g. mrfilberts.com

Little Bobby Jebb Foods has overhauled its chicken crackling range, refreshing the recipes and packaging. The individual bags are now 33% larger and a new 500g pouch range caters to demand for sharing bags. The brand has also secured distribution with Cotswold Fayre. chickencrackling.com

As the protein trend gathers pace and sports nutrition becomes more mainstream, a new brand of popcorn with “whey” more protein prepares to launch. Made in the UK by Retrocorn, Procorn provides 14g of protein per 100g (versus other brands at 5g), as well as containing no sugar and less salt. There are two flavours and two bag sizes: 36g and 100g. proteinpopcorn.co.uk

Cajuu, the ethical cashew brand that has caught the attention of buyers at Ocado, Selfridges and Wholefoods, has launched three new flavours. Cajuu works in partnership with small farmers in southern Tanzania and can trace each batch to the farmer they are sourced from. The Tanzanian Salt Roasted, Safari Sweet Chilli and Zanzibar Chilli Zest cashews have an RRP of £3.95 per tube; trade price £2.25. cajuu.co.uk

Victus Emporium has introduced the UK market to Brets - gourmet crisps made with French potatoes, sunflower oil and natural flavourings. Their bold flavours, which include Aioli, Mushroom, Goats Cheese & Chilli, Camembert and Truffle, have already caught the attention of The Cheshire Smokehouse, Windsor Farmshop and Jarrold in Norwich. RRP £3.20 for 125g; trade price £1.79. victusemporium.co.uk

The last few years have seen DIY kits emerging for making all sorts of foods, from curries to baking and smoked salmon. And now, it seems this trend is making an appearance in snacks. Popcorn Shed has launched a DIY Movie Night Popcorn Seasoning Kit that makes it easy for people to make their own fresh flavoured popcorn at home.

The company says the kit targets the at-home audience and is ideal for “popcorn lovers, family movie nights in, foodie parties and cosy date nights”.

Gluten-free and suitable for vegans, it contains 500g of Popping Kernels and five tubs of seasoning: Toffee, Sweet Chilli, Salt & Vinegar, Chocolate and Maple Bacon. RRP £25. popcornshed.com

The Chuckling Cheese Company in Lincolnshire has expanded its snacks offer with the launch of a pork scratchings range to accompany its Chuckling Comedy Beers. There are seven flavours – Original, Worcester Sauce, Salt & Vinegar, BBQ, Habanero, Black Pepper, and Garlic – all available in 50g bags (RRP £1.50; trade price £0.70) and 250g jars (RRP 12; trade price £6). chucklingcheese.co.uk

Wild & Rooted is providing an ethical choice in the biltong space with the launch of its Pasture for Life certified Aberdeen Angus Biltong. A champion of small-scale, regenerative farming, the brand uses only beef that has been reared on its Essex farm and grass-fed in a way that benefits soil ecosystems and local wildlife. RRP £4.15 for 50g; trade price £3.32. wildandrootedfarming. co.uk

Great Food Affairs represents several EU snack producers – including Superbon, Biggs, Pijo, Inessence and Chipzz –making it easier for UK retailers to stock these brands post-Brexit. Belgian brand Superbon has been in the UK for just over year, turning heads with is eye-catching pack designs. 2023 has seen the addition of Seaweed and Yellow Paprika to the range, RRP £3.49 for a sharing bag and £1.49 for single serve bag. greatfoodaffairs.com

Earthnutz is a new brand that ticks two important ontrend boxes: high protein and sustainable.

The peanut protein crisps are described as combining “the shape of a peanut, the crunch of a crisp and more protein than a sirloin steak”. Each 40g bag is said to provide 17-19g of protein, more fibre than two slices of wholemeal bread, 14 different vitamins and minerals and 35% less fat and 80% less carbs than regular potato crisps.

Doubling down on sustainability, the packaging is paper-based, and as well as making the crisps from peanuts, Earthnutz also extracts virgin peanut oil through a zero-waste production method, harnessing every part of the peanut.

They are available in Salt & Cracked Black Pepper and Sweet Chilli & Lime flavours with an RRP of £2.50+; trade price £1.30.

earthnutz.com

Free-from tortilla chip brand Mister Freed has released its first spicy flavour: Mango Chili. With an RRP of £2.20 for 135g, the sweet and spicy tortilla chips are vegan, gluten-free and nut-free.  misterfreed.com

Bwydydd Madryn (Madryn Foods) has teamed up with South Caernarfon Creameries to create a new variety of allWelsh cheese and onion crisps. Launched under the Jones Crisps brand, they are flavoured with the creamery’s Dragon Cheddar and made entirely from Welsh potatoes. madryn.co.uk

New from Two Farmers is a 100g recyclable and reusable aluminium tin format. The tin, like its 500g counterpart, is available across all six flavours, incuding Lightly Salted, Hereford Hop Cheese & Onion, Woodland Mushroom & Wild Garlic, and Hereford Bullshot twofarmers.co.uk

jams & preserves

Having opened Beth’s Kitchen Cakery in the East Sussex town of Seaford in 2021, Beth Funnell has started selling her bakery wares and preserves to delis, cafés and farm shops under the Beth Cooks moniker. Raspberry Jam, made from fresh, locally grown fruit, is one of the brand’s best sellers, alongside Rhubarb & Vanilla Jam and Jumbleberry Jam. RRP £3.50. bethcooks.co.uk

Bristol’s Single Variety Co is transporting the taste buds to Southern Italy with the latest addition to its signature range. Made with lemons sourced from the Amalfi Coast, this firmset contemporary take on a classic is said to balance tartness and sweetness, packing in more lemons and less sugar than a traditional marmalade. RRP £6.25; trade price £3.90 for a 225g jar. singlevariety.co.uk

Heavenly Hedgerows has developed a range of noadded-sugar jams, containing only natural fruit sugar.

“I had been asked quite a lot about sugar-free jams but couldn’t find any sugar alternatives that didn’t leave an odd aftertaste – until I found a lovely plant-based one,” says owner Chris Westgate.

The producer, which is located between Bristol and Bath, makes all its preserves in batches of 8-10 jars. There are six varieties in total. Four of these –Blackcurrant, Raspberry, Strawberry & Rhubarb and Gooseberry – are made using British fruit sourced locally, while the Wild Plum and Elderberry & Bramble varieties are made from foraged fruits. RRP £5.50 for 130g; trade price £4. heavenlyhedgerows.co.uk

Cooked in traditional copper pots by a family jam-maker based on the Italian side of Mont Blanc, Crosta & Mollica’s small batch conserves are low in sugar but high in fruit. The four-strong range comprises: Romagna Peach Conserve, Avellino Fig Conserve, Sicilian Lemon Marmalade and Amarena Cherry Conserve. RRP £2.55 for 240g. crostamollica.com

Taste of Sicily has partnered with a producer in the Adige Valley in the southern foothills of the Alps, to launch a five-strong range of fruit spreads. Diforti Organic Fruit Spreads have an organic fruit content of 75% and contain no added sugar – they are sweetened with apple juice. RRP is around £4.50, apart from Blueberry, which is £5.70.  tasteofsicily.co.uk

A gin-laced blend of black cherries and wild sloes

At Wild Cornwall, each creation is inspired by nature and features a foraged, wild or heritage superstar ingredient. Drunken Hedgerow Jam is no exception, combining black cherries with the sloes that can be found in abundance in Cornwall. Back at the Wild Kitchen, the sloes are de-stoned, dunked in Cornish Gin and mixed with cherries, lemon and pectin to create a sweet, rich, “devilishly indulgent” jam. RRP £4.50; trade price £2.92. wildcornwall.net

It’s all about keeping it local at Ewelina’s Home Pantry, a preserves start-up located in the heart of the New Forest. The producer’s four newest lines – Loganberry Jam, Gooseberry Jam, Redcurrant Jelly and Quince Jelly – are all made from fruit sourced from nearby Sopley Farm and Hollyhock Cottage. RRPs are £3.50 for 105g or £4.95 for 260g; trade prices are £2.50 and £3.50.

At present, the brand is only listed locally, by outlets such as Village Veg, The Naked Pantry, Aldermoor Community Farm and Pilley Community Shop. ehp.webador.com

Following on from the success of its Platinum Jubilee range, Cheshire stalwart Mrs Darlington’s is releasing a limited edition label for its Legendary Lemon Curd to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III. It is available to the trade from 1 March while stocks last.

mrsdarlingtons.com

Following a bumper crop of strawberries last summer, Yorkshire bakery and tearoom

Just Delicious added a jam to its wholesale range. Made in small batches using the open pan method, this classic strawberry jam has an RRP of £3.75 (trade price £2.75). just-delicious.co.uk

Lakeland Artisan has combined its expertise in preserve making and gin distilling to launch a “zesty marmalade that packs a boozy punch” under its Herdwick Distillery label. Yan Gin Orange & Lemon Marmalade has an RRP of £4.25; trade price £2.62 for 200g. lakelandartisan.co.uk

Precision Filling

jams & preserves

ManiLife has moved all of its peanut butters over from plastic to glass and launched a new variety that marries peanut butter and Tanzanian cocoa. Whole peanuts, grown on the company’s family-run estate in Argentina, are roasted and blended with cocoa sourced from the Kokoa Kamili cooperative of small-scale farms. Rich Cocoa Crunchy has an RRP of £3.99 for 275g; trade price £2.59. mani-life.com

Having built a D2C following, “better for you” hazelnut spread Yummtella is moving into bricks & mortar retail. The sugar- and malitol-free nut spread is said to meet the needs of the keto, gluten-free and vegan comsumers. Yummtella is the brainchild of type 1 diabetic Joulie Gindi, who wanted to create a raw protein choc spread packed with minerals and vitamins. RRP £14. yummzy.co.uk

Developed with pairing in mind

Dominican Republic producer El Alba says its conserves are designed for “daring palates” that seek “new gastronomic sensations”. Its creations include Mango Jam with Rum & Chia, Tangerine Jam and Coffee Jam with Macadamia. All of these reduced sugar recipes have been developed with pairings in mind. The mango jam, which contains just 10% cane sugar, is said to be the ideal partner for Camembert, for example.

elalbaconservasrd.com

Following the popularity of her vegan Dulce de Leche, Cintia Yankelevich, aka Vegan Crazy, has created two flavoured varieties of the Argentinian caramel spread. The Sea Salty (salted caramel) and Cacao (chocolate) Dulce De Leche spreads are made in small batches in Redhill to a vegan, palmoil-free recipe, and have an RRP of £8.50 for 220g; trade price £5.25. vegancrazy.co.uk

Persian Kitchen’s Rose Infused Honey and Saffron Infused Honey are a celebration of founder Shadi Ezadkhasty’s cultural heritage. Being half English and half Iranian, she wanted to develop a healthy, natural product that fused produce from both countries. Both honeys combine raw British honey with Persian ingredients (organic dried rose petal and saffron). RRP is £15; trade price £10. thepersiankitchen.co.uk

With their natural sweetness and texture, Medjool dates are the ideal candidate for clean label preserves. Med Cuisine has drawn on these attributes with the launch of its new Medjool Date Spread and Medjool Dates & Cacao Spread. Both spreads are raw and vegan without any additives, preservatives, or colourings. RRP £6 for 440g. medcuisine.co.uk

Chosan, a specialist in the indigenous fruits of Africa, has relaunched its range of jams and spreads with reduced sugar recipes, new names and a larger 300g jar size. Marketed as “Baobab Superfoods”, the four-strong range includes Baobab with Ginger Spread, Rich Baobab & Chocolate Spread, Orange & Baobab Jam and Banana & Baobab Jam. RRP £6.99; trade price £4.60-4.75. chosanbynature.co.uk

Sorrento Lemon Marmalade has a taste profile that is perfect for the spring and summer months, says The Artisan Kitchen. This latest addition to the Gloucester producer’s line-up is said to sing with the bright, vibrant, zingy flavour of fresh Italian Sorrento lemons. RRP £5.75. theartisankitchen.co.uk

Fearne & Rosie has enlarged its range of reduced sugar jams. Joining existing varieties Strawberry, Strawberry Super Berry and Cherry, the new Blackcurrant Jam has a 70% fruit content and is said to contain 40% less sugar than the average jar of jam. RRP £3.20 for 320g. fearneandrosie.co.uk

Cottage Delight says its new Tart Rhubarb Curd is “bursting with nostalgic flavour”, making it the ideal addition to desserts, bakes and cheesecakes. RRP is £4.79 for 310g; trade price £38.64 for 12 jars. cottagedelight.co.uk

GingerBeard’s Preserves has developed a fiery version of its original Seville Orange Marmalade for hot sauce aficionados. The Bristol producer says Seville Orange & Ghost Pepper Marmalade is made in small batches and is great for glazing dishes or on toast for those who can brave it. RRP is £4.25; trade price £2.50. gingerbeardspreserves. co.uk

D2C brand Seriously

Low Carb has rebranded as SRSLY as it makes its move into retail. SRSLY’s Mixed Berries and Raspberry Jams are pitched as a “nearly zero-sugar alternative” to preserves that are “jampacked with sugar”. The jams provide only 17kcals, 2.9g of net carbs and 1.9g of sugar per portion. RRP £3.99 for 190g. seriouslylowcarb.com

Following the success of its trio of cocktail themed preserves, The Bay Tree has twinned its Tipsy Strawberry Preserve and Boozy Berry Preserve in a gifting format for any occasion. Boozy Duo has an RRP of £5.75 for 2 x 210g jars. Trade case price £34.50. thebaytree.co.uk

Ouse Valley Foods has created a gift set called The King’s Breakfast to celebrate the coronation. With an RRP of £9.50 and a trade price of £6.65, the pack contains 227g jars of Orange Marmalade and Seville Marmalade. ousevalleyfoods.com

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Foodservice operators in England have little more than six months to up their packaging game, as a ban on certain single-use plastics is rolled out from October. FFD explores the requirements businesses face, the compliant solutions available, and takes an in-depth look at one company revolutionising the sector –with seaweed.

Written by Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Fantastic without the plastic

Given the tumultuous nature of the world, October may seem like an age away. But, as with most things to do with the environment, England’s foodservice businesses need to take imminent action to be ready for a forthcoming ban on plastics. This legislation goes way beyond the phasing out of drinking straws, to encompass plastic trays, bowls and cutlery, as well as polystyrene takeaway vessels.

Thankfully, there are a host of companies out there working on plastic-free solutions to items that would have seemed irreplaceable a few years ago.

One such operation is Earthshot prize-

winning Notpla, recognised in 2022 for its pioneering work in developing biodegradable, home-compostable packaging using one of the most abundant sources of biomass: seaweed.

The company was co-founded by Rodrigo García González and Pierre Paslier, who met while studying Innovation Design Engineering at Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art. They set out to play a role in eliminating single-use plastics, with items based on natural principles of circularity.

“We’re inspired by nature, and nature has quite amazing packaging,” Rodrigo García González tells FFD

“Think of the skin of a fruit. If you eat an apple, you can peel it or you can eat it. If you throw the remains of an apple away, it could become compost, or a new apple tree would grow. Imagine if you could do that with a takeaway box or a plastic bottle.”

Notpla’s products do follow these principles. Its Ooho water pouches supplied to the London Marathon come in an edible (or biodegradable, if you’re not sold on that) casing, and its range of takeaway boxes,

QUICK FACTS: ENGLAND’S SINGLE-USE PLASTIC BAN

• England’s ban on single-use plastics will come into force in October 2023.

• It will prohibit businesses from providing customers with single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks, expanded and extruded polystyrene food containers and cups.

• Exceptions will be made for prepackaged containers and those filled at the counter, instead included in government plans for an Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme incentivising the use of recyclable plastic.

• It follows on a ban on single-use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds implemented in 2020, and could be extended to include sachets, wet wipes and tobacco filters.

• Failure to comply could result in civil sanctions and repeated breaches may result in authorities prosecuting for a criminal offence, subject to a fine.

A lot of takeaway boxes are made out of cardboard and plastic

Notpla

which as of last year have been sold by Just Eat, replace the traditional outer layer of plastic with a seaweed alginate coating. The boxes are greaseproof and water resistant, but also biodegradable and home compostable, meaning they can degrade in 4-6 weeks without industrial intervention.

The question at the forefront of retailers’ minds will be who shoulders the cost of compliant packaging [see box-out], and understandably so.

But while Notpla products are more expensive than, say, a pallet of takeaway boxes shipped in from China, they are in the same range as other compostable, biodegradable solutions, and crucially, they do what they say on the tin.

“A lot of takeaway boxes are made out of cardboard and plastic,” says González.

“It’s quite hard to communicate that normal boxes look the same,” but in fact are lined with a heatproof, waterproof layer of Polylactic acid (PLA), Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) bioplastics, or aqueous coating, which require the heat and pressure of industrial composting to degrade. Yet, under upcoming legislation, bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics will likely be banned as well, as concluded by Defra’s public

consultation leading up to it.

Plastic has been such a big part of food & drink packaging that it really isn’t easy to eliminate. A tough nut to crack is the heatproof co ee cup.

“To make something biodegrade, you need water, oxygen and bacteria, so if you make something that is completely waterproof for years, it’s going to be really hard to make it biodegrade,” says González.

The best alternative here, as in other instances, if you want to go plastic-free, is to use reusable cups.

“You need to try and think of other things customers don’t need to use.” Such as cutlery and glasses, if they’re eating on premise.

“For those things that you really need to provide the consumer with containers or packaging elements for consumption, like takeaway or delivery, everyone should try to change the status quo and not just fall on like-to-like replacements.”

“Challenge your suppliers. Ask how they managed to get their waterproofness. And if they are not able to answer, forget it.”

There is hope, though: thanks to the innovations naturally instigated by laws like the single-use plastic ban, companies like Notpla are developing products made from

OTHER PLASTIC ALTERNATIVES

As most coffee shops now sell reusable cups, you might consider stocking reusable cutlery kits like Jungle Culture‘s, which come with a bamboo fork, spoon, serrated knife, straw and cleaner. jungleculture.eco

Pure Paper cups are waterproofed with latex, meaning they can be recycled with paper or industrially composted. However they aren’t insulated, so are best suited to cold drinks.

Recyclable fibre lids from Huhtamaki are made with a mixture of recycled paper or wood and natural bagasse (sugar cane). Suitable for hot and cold beverages, also in paper cups. huhtamaki.com/en/fiberlids/

other organic materials, which will make the move away from single-use plastics easier to navigate.

As well as ramping up its supply of sustainable seaweed, the company is working on items like ketchup sachets made from tomato peel, instant co ee in dissolvable sugar wrappers and blanched almonds wrapped in packaging made from a blend of almond skin and seaweed. A ‘Rigid’ range, blending the biproduct of industrially processed algae with vegetables and can, similarly to plastics, be moulded into anything from cutlery to packaging.

Another reason to be optimistic, says González, is that “we’re not alone. We were the rst to put seaweed in packaging but now there’s more than 30 seaweed packaging start-ups. And we’re just one material.”

“There’s a lot of corn and starch or mushroom-based packaging, so there’s quite a lot of other biomaterial start-ups coming into this space trying to work out the best ways to do these things.”

“I think it would be really good to lead the way in the UK - and I think we have that ability - because we have that innovation power - to show how it should be done.” notpla.com

Notpla co-founders Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez and Pierre Paslier

There’s quite a lot of other biomaterial startups coming into this space trying to work out the best ways to do these things.

Notpla

ON

FROM THE DELI KITCHEN

SIMPLE RECIPES TO BOOST YOUR MARGINS

CELERIAC & PEAR SOUP WITH A BACON DRESSING

Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 rashers of smoked streaky bacon

750ml chicken stock

1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced

200g celeriac (approx. ¼), peeled and diced

2 pears, peeled, cored, and diced

2 bay leaves

1 tsp black peppercorns

250ml full fat milk

75ml vegetable oil

25g unsalted butter

2 shallots, finely diced

200ml dry white wine

50ml medium dry sherry

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method:

For the soup, place a medium heavy based saucepan over a high heat and allow to heat for one minute. Add 25ml of the vegetable oil and 6 rashers of the bacon, roughly chopped. Sweat for 2-3 minutes until just cooked and add the bay leaves and peppercorns. Cover with the chicken stock, bring to the boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside to sit for 10 minutes and then sieve the stock, discarding the bacon. Return the same pan to the heat, add 25ml vegetable oil and half of the butter. Once melted add the onion and a generous pinch of salt. Sweat the onions until translucent, add the celeriac, stir to coat with the oil, sweat for 5 minutes and cover with a lid for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the pear and the baconinfused chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the milk, return and to the boil. Blend in a high-powered blender until smooth and pass through a fine sieve.

For the dressing, melt the remaining butter in a saucepan, add the shallots and a pinch of salt and few twists of pepper. Cook over a gentle heat until translucent. Add the white wine, turn up the heat and reduce until almost gone. Add the last 2 rashers of finely chopped bacon and cook for a further 5 minutes. The resulting mix should be a wonderful bacon-smelling mix just coated in wine and rendered bacon fat. Keep warm until ready to serve.

To serve, pour the soup into 4 warm bowls and divide the bacon dressing equally between each. Finish with a splash of sherry.

Recipe by Phil Howard, chef and restaurateur philiphowardchef.com

INGREDIENTS

The Simple Root has introduced a new root vegetablebased vegan cheeses.

The cheddar-style product is made with potatoes, parsnips and sweet potatoes and is sold as a block, in slices and grated. Rather than eaten raw, it is meant to be used as an ingredient. The brand claims its vegan cheeses are different that they have 30% less fat and salt than competitors’, and don’t contain coconut oil –which tends to impart a strong flavour. It promises to melt effectively, too.

thesimpleroot.co.uk

Premium pressed juice purveyor Cawston Press has launched a range of 1 litre drinks designed for the on-trade and foodservice industries. All six juices – Crisp Cranberry, Zesty Orange, Terrific Tomato, Sweet Pineapple and Cloudy Apple, with Pink Grapefruit – are made from 100% pressed and puréed fruit and have a 15-month shelf life. Available in cases of 8 from national and regional wholesalers.

cawstonpress.com

Dairy alternative company Mighty is launching its first oat drink powder. Bags of 375g will make 4L of the drink, meaning 16 litres of liquid will take up the same amount of space as six litre cartons. The aim, Mighty says, it to reduce the carbon footprint of traditional milk alternatives by reducing water transportation and packaging. mightydrinks.com

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Best Product Awards shine a light on NPD at Scotland’s Speciality Food Show

By Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Twelve Food & Drink items were singled out by a panel of judges as the winners of the Best Product Awards at Scotland’s Speciality Food Show in January. The event, which ran from 22nd-24th at the SEC in Glasgow alongside Scotland’s Trade Fair, brought together close to 400 exhibitors looking to get their products into Scottish retail.

Food & Drink entries into the Best Product Awards were judged on the basis of visual appeal and branding, avour and value for money. Winners were selected by 11am on Sunday 22nd, and had their items placed on display in a glass cabinet at the centre of the show.

In the Confectionary, Biscuits and Snacks

category, the Orkney Islands proved victorious as Stockans’ new Orkney Heritage oatcakes won the Gold, and Orkney Bakery’s honey and peanut slice took the second spot.

A new exhibitor at the show, Taza Bake’s traditional Syrian atbread came in third rank.

In the Condiments & Preserves category, Galloway Lodge’s classic Spicy Pear Chutney won the Gold, followed by The Moray Honey Co’s Tuckers seriously hot chilli jam. Ever the popular product, Kandy Kitchen Creation’s Super Simple soup ingredients won the Bronze spot in this category.

As eclectic as the entries were in the Drinks class, Three Robins’ Original Oat Milk was a unanimous hit with the judges. In second place came the Great Taste Award-winning Le Field Sencha Green Kombucha. Trumping the national spirit was Great Glen Distillery’s Inverness Gin, securing the Bronze position.

Stewart Tower Dairy’s Cherry Bakewell ice cream won the Gold in the Chilled & Frozen category. Recognised for being very moreish and o ering great value for money, The Island Smokery’s Aioli won the Silver accolade. Praveen Kumar’s recently rebranded Butter Chicken came third in this category.

Co-founder of Perth-based Stewart Tower Dairy Neil Butler said the award “made a huge di erence” to interest in the ice cream throughout the rest of the show.

“We had many potential buyers come right from the awards cabinets to us – when this translates into orders, it will prove an incredible show for us,” he said. scotlandstradefairs.com

Counter points Tea

WHAT’S NEW

Cocos Organic has introduced two new product lines: Milk Yog Tubes for children and Light Natural Alternative. Both are made with organic coconut milk and fortified with live bacteria. The kids’ range (RRP £3.00 per 5x40g tubes) uses strawberry purée and natural banana flavouring. The light take on the original yoghurt (RRP £4.99 per 400g) contains less than 10% fat. cocos-organic.com

Riso Gallo’s latest range will deliver risotto dinners in less than 20 minutes. Each of the Porcini Mushroom, Saffron, Vegetables and Tomato & Basil 1856 Risottos (£3.49 RRP per 250g) are made with Italian Carnaroli rice and require the addition of oil, butter and Parmesan. Available from Petty Wood & Co. in 8-unit cases. risogallo.co.uk

Popcorn Kitchen has taken snacking corn to a new, more colourful level. Its Bottled Up Popcorn Kits layer raw corn, chocolate to coat it in once popped, and either Chocolate Eggs, Rainbow Beans or a Rocky Road mix to finish. The 360g-440g jars (RRP £12.99) make up 12-14 portions. popcornkitchen.co.uk

• Tea is made by steeping the tips of cultivars of camellia sinensis.

• The tip is a leaf bud and two infantile leaves.

• There are six styles: white, green, yellow, oolong, black and pu-erh.

• Black-leaf teas must be made with freshly boiled water.

The Smokey Carter’s products have a new logo after the brand was refreshed last month. The Cheshire-based company has been making dry rubs, sauces and gift sets since 2013, and had been mulling new branding since 2020. The fresh start reflects the fact that the range has grown beyond the traditional meat-heavy BBQ cultures of the world: the products can just as well be used with fish, vegetables and grilling cheeses. The logo was introduced alongside a new website for the brand and designed to fit in just as well in an American BBQ setting as in a traditional British butcher’s.

thesmokeycarter.com

• Brown leaves give stronger tea than black ones.

• White, green, yellow and oolong teas should be made with water at 95c or less.

• Milk went in first to protect cups before heat-proof bone china and porcelain were introduced. Milk after tea allows control over strength and was once a sign you could afford bone china and porcelain.

• Lemon should only be added

to tea to counteract bitterness in low quality leaves.

• Iced tea should be made only with cold water, which ensures no cloudy deposits.

• Decaf tea is made by forcing heated and pressurised CO2 through tea leaves, which binds with and removes the caffeine.

Paley Photography

Food writer and former deli owner Glynn

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

Do not confuse colour with strength or flavour, as colour comes out first.

Winning products displayed at the centre of the SEC for the duration of the show

WHAT’S NEW

The Great British Porridge Co.’s Outrageously Original Porridge is the producer’s simplest recipe to date, made with 75% oats, dates, coconut cream, chia seeds and flaxseed. With an RRP of £3.20 per 385g pouch, it joins a range of flavoured porridge mixes including Classic Chocolate, Blueberry & Banana, and Red Berry & Pumpkin Seed, thegreatbritishporridgeco.co.uk

New to Nairn’s list of allergen-free items are its Gluten Free Sourdough Flatbreads. The company says its research concluded that flatbreads were the best format to showcase the flavour of sourdough without compromising on texture. RRP £1.99 per pack of 10. nairns.com

Jade & Joy’s latest product, a range of chocolate protein bars are low-sugar, highprotein snacks which are also free from gluten, dairy and palm oil.

The Cookie Crumb, Key Lime, Caramel Blondie, Hazelnut & Almond, Double Choc, and Speculoos snacks come in packs of 12 (RRP £12.99). jadeandjoy.co.uk

My magic ingredient

Capezzana Extra Virgin Olive Oil

This oil is made with 60% Maraiolo olives, 30% Frantoio and 5 of each Pendolino and Leccino.

It’s also extracted cold within 24 hours of harvest by subjecting the paste to a soft centrifugation before being decanted – as opposed to a second centrifugation.

It’s nice to have a special olive oil alongside your more everyday one, and this is a top notch extra virgin olive oil – the best we’ve found in years.

It’s only ever available in limited quantities so we’re always pleased to get our hands on a few bottles.

When the new harvest comes in, the oil is such a vivid, bright green and it has a fresh aroma of grass and artichoke. I love it for finishing dishes.

Conchita’s extends range of Mexican-inspired sauces

By Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Following on its original Chipotle, Conchita’s has made three additions to its signature range of Mexican sauces.

The rst is a Mango & Habanero sauce which is hot, sweet and tart, and intended to be used in a variety of ways. It is said to be good in tacos or nachos, with seafood or with barbecued meats like ribs and chicken wings.

More of a marinade, the Adobo sauce is made with dried ancho and Morita chilis mixed with onions, garlic, cumin, oregano, and orange.

Finally, the medium tangy Salsa Verde & Chipotle blends the producer’s original Chipotle with tomatillos, serrano chilis and fresh coriander. It is the most versatile of the new products – the company says it is a great condiment to include in quesadillas or tacos, as a side to eggs and bacon, or to serve with poultry, meat, sh, roasted vegetables or beans. It can also be used as a dip for nachos, or mixed through plain rice.

The recipes for the sauces (RRP £6.00 per 275g jar) were passed down by the founder’s grandmother, Conchita, who

was born in the early 20th century in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico.

The original smoked chili sauce, Conchita’s Chipotle, was given a one-star rating in the 2021 Great Taste Awards.

As well as targeting specialist retailers in the UK, Conchita’s sells direct to consumer, domestically and abroad, and recently launched a foodservice brand in collaboration with Mestizo.

The Mexican restaurant and tequila bar on Hampstead Road in London has incorporated Conchita’s products into a pop-up menu of Mexican sandwiches, or Tostas, an agreement the company says isn’t limited in time. conchitaschipotle.com

Pukpip is pitching its frozen chocolatedipped fruit as a healthy alternative to highly-processed, sugary ice-cream products. Following in the footsteps of its sister company in the US, Diana’s, Pukpip’s frozen bananas are coated in either vegan dark chocolate or milk chocolate (RRP £3.99 per multipack of 3). The HFSScompliant ice creams are squarely aimed at a millennial audience “looking to find balance with healthier snacks”. A white chocolate version will be added to the range soon. pukpip.com

RHUARIDH BUCHANAN, owner, Buchanans Cheesemonger

It’s nice to have a special olive oil alongside your more everyday one

MEET THE PRODUCER

Since he started Cornwall Pasta Co. in 2020, Nick Egan has been trying to show that it’s more than a name. The pasta is made in Cornwall, using Cornish ingredients and sold, first and foremost, in Cornwall.

What were you doing before you started your company, and how did it come about?

I had been cooking in professional kitchens since I was 13. During the pandemic, there was a shortage of pasta, and I discovered that 99% of pasta was mediocre – made with bad quality flour and injected with enzymes. That’s where it all began.

The hotel where I was working closed so we decided to make some pastas and feed the local store. I started playing with ingredients like wild garlic, making pastas that I had made as a chef.

At the beginning we didn’t do any advertising or any launch - the product just grew and grew.

I secured a unit on an old dairy parlor, which we outgrew in six months, so now we’re in a factory here in Cornwall. We’ve just gone through our third refit so we can support nationwide production.

How did you get your product into retail?

I started by approaching the local farm shop in the village. I told him I was making pasta and he didn’t ask any questions, he just said to me, ‘I’ll take everything that you make, Nick, thank you.’ And that was that.

I then went over to a deli in St Paul’s. Same there, I told him I had started making pasta and would he be interested, and he took everything. It just snowballed from there.

How much ongoing development goes into the pasta and your brand?

It’s always ongoing. It’s all about the produce that we use. We didn’t set up this company to make money, we set it up to fill a void because we couldn’t produce or import pasta. I wanted to do it with my chef background, so I wanted to use the best ingredients that I could get locally.

It’s all about building strong relationships with farmers, growers and other like-minded

producers so we can make the best quality pastas we can.

We need people to understand what we’re doing here. Our packaging, for example, there’s only one company in the UK that can produce it to the standards that we need, which is unbleached cardboard and a non-plastic window that’s plant-based.

WHAT’S NEW

The whole packaging is home compostable, the inks are water-based and friendly to the earth, the embossing is pure bronze, so it’s just a mineral.

Everything’s been thought of, but that all comes at a cost.

I’m not hiding behind anything. People discuss transparency and traceability, it’s actually what we do. I don’t shout on Instagram or socially, but you can trace our products back to Greg over the road.

What are your plans for nationwide expansion?

We’ve launched into Selfridges, which was quite a long process. We started talking with them last year and we’ve built up a good relationship now. We feel it’s a great store for us in London at the moment and a good place to start.

I won’t just stock somebody - I’ll find out what the demographic is, what the customer base might be. There’s no point in stocking a corner shop where the main selling point would be 99p pasta, that’s not the market for us and it wouldn’t be fair on the shopkeeper.

What’s next?

Growing our own wheat will be the next exciting story. We should be planting in the spring and we’ll know after the summer after the harvest is. It might not work, it might be a massive flop, it might be a big waste of money but I think we need to try.

I’ve now taken out a loan for machinery and I want to be able to start paying that off. There’s lots of things we want to doschool-based projects, B Corp status, but it all takes time, and I’m trying to do a lot already. We’re talking to the Eden Project about growing produce there, the kind that would normally only grow in the amazon, and using that in our pastas. Watch this space.

Proving that dairy isn’t essential to making kefir, PiQi Life has added to its range of water-based drinks. As well as single portion bottles, it is now selling 750ml bottles of the Ginger & Lemon, ButterflyPea Flower, Grapefruit & Cardamom, and Original Fig-Infused flavours. RRP £9.50. piqilife.com

For those who are happy to let go of the hollow egg shape this Easter, HAPPi has introduced a range of egg-shaped bars in three flavours: Plain Milk, Salted Honeycomb and White Raspberry RRP £6.49 per 140g bar. happichoc.com SRPs of 10 for £40.60. happichoc.com

Savoury biscuit brand Good Guys Bakehouse has introduced two wafter melts with a list of ingredients you can count on your hands. The Peppered biscuits are made with blue cheese, and the others are Cheddar flavoured. Both have an RRP of £1.79 for a pack of 39. goodguysbakehouse.co.uk

A relative newcomer to the oat drink game, Edinburgh’s Three Robins has introduced a chocolate flavoured version of its flagship product. Made with fairtrade cocoa and fortified with vitamins B2, B12, and D, calcium, iodine and folic acid, it has minimal added sugar, making it HFSS compliant. Named in tribute to founder Karen Robinson’s three sons, neither the chocolate nor the original flavour contain any gums or thickening agents, but both are said to mix well into hot drinks. threerobins.co.uk

I don’t shout about it, but you can trace our products back to Greg over the road

Playing host to broad spectrum of suppliers across a variety of fast-growing categories, this event returns to ExCeL London on 16th-17th April 2023

Six

reasons

to visit… …Natural & Organic Products Europe

It’s a healthy one-stop shop

Held at ExCel on 16th-17th April, Natural & Organic Products Europe’s o er spans a range of categories, including organic, vegan, and free-from – in both food & drink and non-food. Visit naturalproducts.co.uk to book your free trade ticket.

1 4

Enter Vegan World

The latest meat-free proteins, dairy free alternatives and ethical innovations will all be available to sample within the Vegan World area, Europe’s largest trade show for plant-based food and drink. Exhibitors include Veggiemeats, Marigold Health Foods and Booja Booja.

See hundreds of suppliers

The two-day event will feature 700plus exhibitors across ve areas. FFD readers will likely head for the Natural Food area, where suppliers like Suma Wholefoods, Cidrani and Dove’s Farm Foods will be showcasing their latest launches. There is also a Soil Association organic pavilion, plus a host of international supplier delegations.

2 5

New producers and lines

This year’s show will feature a new Launchpad Zone dedicated to innovative SMEs and start-ups who are completely new to the market. Buyers will also nd a host of products launched in the last 12 months in two other Innovation Showcases.

Celebrate ‘Independent Day’

Sunday 16th April (the rst day of the show) will be known as ‘Independent Day’ at Natural & Organic Products Europe. There will be a curated programme of features, plus exclusive rewards and bene ts for independent retail professionals.

3 6

Boost your non-food

Retailers looking to broaden their o er beyond food, can discover a range of beauty lines, cleaning products and sustainable packaging options to add to their rosters – via the Natural Beauty & Spa and Natural Living areas.

Immerse product discovery at

• Delivering high quality and e ective business connections

• Access 1,500 suppliers from around the world

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

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

• Improve market knowledge with our 3-day seminar programme

O cial Show Sponsor

Key partners and supporters include:

Scan the QR code to secure your FREE PASS to attend or visit our website:

ife.co.uk

IFE 2023 is co-located with:

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

Stand: Q318

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Marmalade Flapjack

Almond Slice Sticky Toffee Pudding

Apple&Red Onion Chutney

Cherry Berry Flapjack

Fruit Cake

Interview and photos by Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Better the devil you know

IT’S HARD TO imagine what was going through Douglas ‘Dougie’ Bell’s mind when he marched into an Edinburgh bank branch in 1991 and asked for a £30,000 loan to open a shop selling Mexican and American foods.

“There was no appeal for it at the time at all,” says the owner of Lupe Pintos, standing in the original Edinburgh branch of the shop. “I came at it as an enthusiast, not a businessman. I was just a very young, food-obsessed person.”

Had Bell and his partner Rhoda Rhobertson not already made a success of one of Scotland’s rst Mexican restaurants, Pachuka Cantina, three years prior, the lender might have sent

VITAL STATISTICS

him packing. Having already loaned Bell the money for that venture, the bank manager agreed to do so for the shop and, 32 years later, the operation is still going strong, even spawning a second successful outlet in Glasgow.

Sporting a pork pie hat and his custom designed Lupe Pintos t-shirt, Bell doesn’t look like a man burdened by the stress of running a food & drink business in the early stages of a global recession. He looks like someone about to spend the a ernoon testing out cra beer in a microbrewery on an industrial estate. And that is exactly what he is going to do a er

hosting FFD

Whether he likes to admit it or not, Bell is actually a savvy businessman. Just because his success was inspired by a love of food, drink and travel does not take away from the fact that he has always had an entrepreneurial streak.

Raised on what he describes as “a really nasty housing estate” in Greenock, he set up a car washing business as a young teenager, then ran a recycling collection service, before convincing the local golf club members to pay him to sh their balls out of a swamp (yes, really).

Locations:

24 Leven St, Edinburgh EH3 9LJ

313 Great Western Rd, Glasgow G4 9HR

No. of employees: 2 in each shop

Average basket: £20 (Edinburgh)

Turnover: £320,000 (Edinburgh)

Floor space: 350 sq ft (Edinburgh)

Even nowadays, setting up a specialist Mexican shop would be a daunting prospect for most retailers, but globetrotting food enthusiast Dougie Bell has been at it for more than three decades in Edinburgh – and has even taken the concept to Glasgow as well – with a great deal of success.

Eleven years later, Bell was running his own restaurant while holding down a job at BT. Itchy feet made him and Robertson pack in the venture to go travelling to the Americas. When they returned, Lupe Pintos was born.

“My bank manager wasn’t keen on the idea of me selling up and taking a year out, but I never regretted it. When I came back to the UK I turned up at the bank, and he said: ‘you’re back! Alright, what do you want?’”

Bell knew starting a business that resembled nothing else in the Scottish capital at the time was a risk, and indeed it took years to build up its clientele.

First frequented by chefs and cooks, the shop found its customer base by o ering a range that would’ve looked positively alien in most UK retail operations in the ‘90s.

Inspired by the market stalls of New Orleans and Mexico City, hot sauces were a staple. Lupe Pintos’ initial range included chiles in adobo, 100% agave tequila and fresh corn tortillas – all of which would have been unheard of back then. The shop expanded its remit to the Mediterranean, importing specialist products from Spain and Portugal. While this attracted an expat crowd, it still took four or ve years to make the Edinburgh unit a success. It took a similar period of time to establish the second shop in Glasgow a er opening there in 2001.

“The trouble with this kind of shop is that it takes a long time to become pro table,” says Bell. “You could open a deli and do what a lot of delis do – sandwiches and more typical deli stu – but the weirder something is, the harder it is. You almost have to create your own audience. You also have to reach far.”

And reach far it does. Customers cross the bridge from Fife and the border from Newcastle to visit the Edinburgh outlet; people

travel up the Ayrshire coast and all the way down from Oban to Glasgow to meet their speciality needs.

While it is one that Bell plays to his advantage, it is a fact of Scottish life. “I used to do the same when I lived in Greenock,” he adds. “When I was 12, you couldn’t buy cumin seeds in Greenock, so I got the train and went to the West End [of Glasgow].”

Locals do feature in the customer mix, though even they required some coaxing at rst. And the demographic is di erent in each store, so the strategy for each one had to be adapted to make it work.

“Edinburgh is more of a dinner party city, Glasgow is more of a going out city, so if you’re running a deli, you’ve got to nd other sections of the shop that appeal to Glaswegians, and you’ve also really got to really encourage them to cook,” he says.

Here lies Lupe Pinto’s cunning marketing plan, which Bell claims is non-existent, but essentially revolves around education.

Lupe Pinto’s rst cookbook, Two Cooks and a Suitcase, collates Mexican, Cajun, Creole and American soulfood recipes from Rhobertson and Bell’s travels, forming an important part of the vision for the shop: if people are going to buy “niche” ingredients, they will need guiding on what to make with them.

“If somebody says, ‘how do you use all this stu ?’, I’ll go, ‘well, there’s a couple of thousand recipes there,’” between the original and the subsequent three books, “‘and here’s a free one for you’”, pointing at recipe sheets, which customers can take home for free.

The a liated merchandise – t-shirts, tote bags, prints, as well as the cover of three out of

Mr Vikki’s Tomato & Nigella Chutney

Valentina Hot Sauce

Clemente Jacques Chipotles in Adobo

Nuevo Progreso La Costeña

– Natural Premium Tortilla chips

Chorizo from Products from Spain

Bodegas Navajas Crianza / Reservo Tinto

Rioja

Madre Mezcal

Tempest Brewing Co. ‘Mexicake’ Spiced

Imperial Stout

Homemade Guacamole and salsa

La Dalia Pimentón de la Vera DOC

La Asturiana beans

Tajin seasoning

MUST-STOCKS

four of the books, and the recipe cards – are all designed by the owners’ son Vincent.

“He’s my secret weapon,” says Bell. “In our Glasgow shop, 2,500 of the yers have disappeared o the front door already. Hopefully they’re cooking them and not just getting them for the art.” But either way, it spreads the word.

The shop’s cult following is cemented by another event. Lupe Pintos’ annual Chilli Cook-O , which sees 600 customers go on a local bar crawl to taste their entries, drinking copious quantities of tequila along the way, feeds the local economy and helps to keep the shop relevant.

“I see it as our customers’ annual party,” he says. A secret mailing list comprised of loyal punters receives pre-sales announcements. “Then, I put the tickets for sale online, and ve minutes later, they’re sold out. This is how I make it exclusive for customers. It’s like being part of the Lupe club. "

However, a business can’t run solely on tequila shots with customers. While he still does his stock check in a “kick the box” style, scribbling notes on paper with a ballpoint, his partner Rhoda Rhobertson, the shop’s administrator, in Bell’s words, “is really the one holding the reins”.

“Money and nances have never been something I’ve been interested in,” he says. “Food is.”

“I’m not a luddite. I can work a computer. I manage to somehow make social media work e ectively, but my strong point is ideas –thinking outside the box.”

Exemplifying this is his approach to supply, best described as ad-hoc. Some of it is classically sourced (much of the Spanish

produce for instance comes from Delicioso) while other lines, such as Mexican products from La Preferida and a number of hot sauces, are all but exclusive.

“One of my suppliers is also a food agent. I give him my order, it goes to Chicago, it goes on the back of a truck, it goes to New York, it goes across the pond and then it comes to me.”

“There are things that I buy in a certain way that nobody would put that much e ort into getting - like who’s going to buy three pallets from Chicago and sit about waiting.”

“Who in their right mind would do it, and what’s the advantage? The answer to that is me, and the advantage is that nobody else has got it.”

Bell also claims at least some of the credit for bringing top notch Mezcal to the country, the kind you can sip without pulling a face.

“One of my jokey sayings is that I started selling tequila when mixologists were known as barmen,” he says.

The newest addition of cra beers, many of them local, are the only items on heavy rotation. They t in nicely.

“There’s a real strange connection between cra beer and hot sauce. People who put four or ve hot sauces in a basket generally put four or ve cra beers in. I wouldn’t have known that link existed,” says Bell.

Everything else in the shop is permanent, aided by the fact that it is full from oor to ceiling, with the larger Glasgow store serving as a warehouse for both.

“I’ve been around for so long that I don’t have much room for innovations. Since Covid, my main job is maintaining stock levels rather than nding new stu ,” he says.

There's so much in the shop, and Bell loves

it all. Asked what he couldn’t go without, he points in all directions. Chiles in adobo and Valentina hot sauce, tortilla chips, top notch beans in jars, his house is never without any of these. Then there’s Tajin seasoning, the Mexican spice mix o en sprinkled on fruit and vegetables by street food vendors; fresh chorizo, which Edinburgh shop manager Neil says he is o en ringing up for one customer with a hand in the fridge to get more out for the next; Madre Mezcal regularly needs re-stocking despite its £60 price tag; there’s Crianza and Reserva Rioja from Valencia, of which the shop has sold every vintage for 30 years.

Bell’s enthusiasm for feeding people is palpable. But he wants to do it his way. Yes, on some days, he misses running a hospitality business but pop-ups have reminded him of the physical implications and put him o .

Even selling sandwiches doesn’t work. They tried them at rst while they needed to, but the work they added outweighed the pro ts.

“Anyway, I like being an old-fashioned grocery store,” he says. “I know a lot of delis have cafés attached to them, but I’m proud of the fact that it’s a tiny wee shop that works and inspires. I think a café would be a distraction.”

Bell’s reasons for opening the shop remain the same as on day one: to travel, to enjoy great food, and to share that love with the world.

“I guess if I was to give advice, I would say be better than me,” he says. And, he’s right in some ways. A business like Lupe Pintos wouldn’t work for everyone. But it de nitely works for him.

lupepintos.com

The weirder something is, the harder it is to sell. You almost have to create your own audience.

JOY ON A PLATE

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View from HQ

do not understand the disconnect between falling wholesale energy costs and increasing retail energy costs. And I don’t understand why enormous salaries, bonuses and pro ts are being received and posted when we should all be sharing the burden of the cost of living, not exploiting it.

By John Farrand managing director

I’M PUTTING OUT a plea to any high-brow economists with a knack for explaining big PLC structure and corporate nance to the lay person. Can you give me a call and explain to me why power companies are making huge pro ts whilst we struggle to pay our bills? I recently asked a clever city-type, but they just gave me a rather smug smile and launched into ‘holding companies’ and ‘related-businesses’ and I must confess I glazed over. I

It’s comparable to the bumper earnings reported last month by our multiple retailer cousins. Sainsbury’s pre-tax pro ts were approaching £690 million - £111 million above their annual average over the last ve years. Tesco forecasted operating pro ts of between £2.4 billion and £2.5 billion; that’s compared to an average of £2.17 billion over the same ve-year period.

Food and drink in ation is of course going to increase revenue, but it shouldn’t necessarily relate to bigger pro ts. I read with interest that former Iceland boss, Bill Grimsey, said that “there is enough to suggest some pro teering is going on and who is paying for that? The customer.”

As Waitrose spins the story that

The Word on Westminster

By Edward Woodall ACS

THE BIG POLITICAL news has come from Holyrood, this month, not Westminster. Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation as First Minister has shaken the political landscape across the UK. Questions arise about what this means for the independence cause, and has also brought into sharp focus a discussion about what Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP have delivered on their domestic agenda.

For producers and retailers in Scotland, there has always been a tough policy landscape. The SNP have seen themselves as trailblazers in public health and environmental policy, both in the breadth of interventions and in

trying to be the first to move in the UK. This has often resulted in greater regulation of the food environment and higher operating costs for businesses in Scotland. The policy pipeline also remains full - the Scottish Government are currently consulting on banning the promotion and placement of high fat, salt and sugar products and a wide-ranging consultation potentially banning all alcohol advertising.

There has been no let-up in this pressure in the last year either. Businesses in Scotland are frantically trying to prepare for the introduction of a deposit return scheme, which is funded by producers and facilitated by retail outlets with the unenviable task of turning their shops into recycling centres. Industry has always known that this would be a

it is spending £100m on cutting down the price of selected ownbrand items (see page 9), I have a fairly strong hunch that the price cuts will, in the main, be bankrolled by the producers.

I’d rather rely on real-world economics and listen to what I am told by people who run proper businesses. So, what to do if you are making huge pro ts? Re-invest it in your stores, your people, or your community? Not at Tesco. They’re scrapping all their deli counters to “remain competitive”. The last grain of customer service vanishes, to max out nancial performance to please those same high-brow banking bo ns in the City.

challenging scheme to deliver but in the last few months exasperation has turned to desperation with businesses repeatedly warning that the introduction on the current timetable will lead to trouble.

We are urging the Scottish Government to look closely again at the feasibility of the deposit return scheme on the current timetable. If it doesn’t work, shopworkers will bear the brunt of consumer frustration. It will also make businesses think twice about their ability to trade and invest in Scotland, resulting in higher costs and less choice for Scottish consumers. Industry is definitely onboard with a shift to the circular economy but the politicians need to be realistic about how to deliver it.

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

THE GUILD TEAM:

Managing director: John Farrand

Special projects director: Tortie Farrand

Sales director: Sally Coley

Operations & marketing director: Christabel Cairns

National Food & Drink Summit 9 March

Come and meet the Guild team at The Oval in London on 9 March, where we will be attending the National Food & Drink Summit 2023, organised by DEFRA. The event is free to attend for food & drink SMEs across England, to network, share best practices and explore opportunities for growth.

Entry for Great Taste 2023 is now closed

What happens next?

Marketing & PR officer: Jenna Morice

Sales manager: Ruth Debnam

Sales executive: Becky Haskett

Data strategy & insight manager: Lindsay Farrar

2023

Delivery instructions will be sent by email at least two weeks before your allocated judging date, giving you plenty of time to prepare your samples.

Product codes and box labels will be available to download from your MyGuild account at the same time. Please do not send us products until prompted - rest assured, we will contact you when we are ready to receive them.

Operations manager: Claire Powell

Operations coordinators: Chris Farrand Sepi Rowshanaei

Customer services assistant: Chloë Warren-Wood

Finance director: Ashley Warden

Financial controller: Stephen Guppy

Accounts assistant: Julie Coates

Chairman: Bob Farrand

Director: Linda Farrand

We should all be sharing the burden of the cost of living, not exploiting it.

and we'd like to thank everyone who entered this year.