FFD May 2022

May 2022 Volume 23 Issue 4 gff.co.uk

Mission possible Why London refill store Gather is striving to be more than just a retailer

ALSO INSIDE George & Joseph in Leeds HFSS guidance update Improve your barista skills

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May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

CONTENTS 5

NEWS

I’m not sure it’s fair to treat a 70% bean-to-bar chocolate like you would a Twix.

10 SHOP TALK 15 CHEESEWIRE 23 CATEGORY FOCUS: TEA & COFFEE;

By Michael Lane, editor

CHOCOLATE & CONFECTIONERY; SOFT DRINKS; HOME BAKING 35 IMPROVE YOUR CAFÉ’S COFFEE 36 FOODSERVICE 41 SHELF TALK 48 DELI OF THE MONTH 55 GUILD TALK

We live in a world where it’s possible to answer your doorbell from a sunbed on holiday, host a global meeting from your kitchen table and order groceries to arrive at your door within 15 minutes.

The human race continues to make its life simpler with technology but we can’t seem to avoid overcomplicating things that needn’t be so, well, complicated.

Just look at the House of Commons. MPs are there to represent the population and run the country. They should be presenting, debating and shaping ideas that are going to make life better for all of us.

So far, so simple. But there doesn’t seem to be time for actual politics in Westminster anymore. Not when there are careers to wreck and P45s to collect.

While politicians are arguing over the definition of a ‘party’, small businesses are being hampered by post-Brexit paperwork, the cost-

of-living crisis and increased labour costs (more on those last two in page 5).

Any kind of social gathering is certainly going to be interesting if the sunflower oil shortage (see page 6) affects crisps supplies. But they’re not the only snack food in the spotlight at the moment.

The new rules on the sale and merchandising of foods that are ‘high in fat, salt or sugar’ (or HFSS, for short) are coming in October and the Government has provided more detail on how it works (see page 9).

Yes, this country has a problem with junk food consumption and its consequential damage to our health.

And I think these measures, which tackle physical temptation and multibuy trickery, are actually a good idea. But the application of the rules worries me, slightly.

The good news is that many retailers in our market will not exceed the threshold of 50 staff,

plus 2,000sq ft of retail space, and shouldn’t have this new legislation applied to them when it comes in.

My issue is that, even though these rules are clearly aimed at supermarkets and mass-market products, there will be some in our independent sector that will end up being assessed by their local EHOs and Trading Standards officers.

I’m not sure it’s fair to treat a 70% cocoa bean-to-bar chocolate like you would a Twix. And it’s certainly not reasonable to compare a large independent farm shop selling higher quality food to national chains carrying big brands.

I could be wrong about the impact on our market, but wouldn’t it just have been simpler to exempt farm shops, delis and food halls from these rules entirely?

The independent sector may not always offer the healthiest options but you can’t accuse it of forcing bad food on the public.

May 2022 Volume 23 Issue 4 gff.co.uk

EDITOR’S CHOICE Bug Bites (dog treats) Mr Bug

Mission possible Why London refill store Gather is striving to be more than just a retailer

ALSO INSIDE George & Joseph in Leeds HFSS guidance update Improve your barista skills

Cover photography: Richard Faulks

I can’t vouch for how good these taste – even if some of the flavours actually sound alright. And I don’t even have a dog to try them out on.

But I’ve selected this new brand of sustainable dog snacks (made in Devon with local mealworms) because of their broad appeal.

Some surveys estimate more than a third of UK households owns a dog. So, you are almost

EDITORIAL

ADVERTISING

GENERAL ENQUIRIES

Art director: Mark Windsor

Sales director: Sally Coley

Fax: +44 (0) 1747 824065

Editor: Michael Lane

Contributors: Nick Baines, Nic Belfrage, Patrick McGuigan, Jules Mercer, Jennie Milsom, Lynda Searby, Tom Vaughan

advertise@gff.co.uk

Sales manager: Ruth Debnam

Sales executive: Becky Haskett, ADDRESS Guild House, 23b Kingsmead Business Park Shaftesbury Road, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 5FB United Kingdom

certainly serving dog owners in your shop, and many of them will splash out on fancy treats – if you prompt them to.

Maybe you should be thinking of pets rather than ‘pester power’ at the till.

Read more on page 42.

Tel: +44 (0) 1747 825200

Published by The Guild of Fine Food Ltd gff.co.uk

editorial@gff.co.uk

© The Guild of Fine Food Ltd

Printed by: Blackmore, Dorset

2022. Reproduction of whole or

part of this magazine without the publisher’s prior permission is

Fine Food Digest is published 11 times a year and is available on subscription for £50 p.a. inclusive of post and packing.

prohibited. The opinions expressed in articles and advertisements are

not necessarily those of the editor

Turn to page 55 for news from the Guild

or publisher.

Vol.23 Issue 4 | May 2022

3

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May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

NEWS

Cost-of-living crisis and planned hikes putting employers in a tight spot Rising labour costs are putting pressure on fine food businesses after a raft of increased payments came into force this spring.

National Insurance contributions, minimum wages and sick pay all rose for employers in April (see box below), while cost-ofliving hikes for individuals have further increased the need for payrises.

Shane Godwin, managing director at Kent-based Macknade said margins were “being squeezed” and the food retailer had been forced to raise its own prices.

“Percentages have become a real stretch for us, in conjunction with increases in costs across the board – from energy to goods,” he said. “We are working hard to work out what we can absorb.”

Godwin said there was more natural movement in the labour market after

Supermarkets cut prices and raise wages

April’s employment cost increases and demand for higher wages are squeezing margins

lockdowns eased, and it was taking longer to find the right people to fill vacancies.

“There is a pressure in some areas for wage increases. I think people have been undervalued,” he said. “If you have a stringent interview process, then you get what you pay for. We have just delivered a big pay increase across the team. We pay above the legal minimum but wanted to make sure we maintained that gap.”

Sangita Tryner, owner

of Delilah Fine Foods in Nottingham, said the city centre deli was slowly building its headcount back up after the lockdowns.

The firm has retained shorter opening hours introduced during the pandemic, serving customers from 9am to 5pm rather than operating a two-shift pattern stretching from 8am to 7pm.

“The cost of labour alongside other costs means we have to work more efficiently to survive,” Tryner said. “We used

Sunak’s Spring Statement: what employers need to know Chancellor Rishi Sunak declared himself to be “delivering for British businesses” as he set out tax and spending plans at the Spring Statement.

Measures included increasing the Employment Allowance – which firms can use to offset their National Insurance bills – by 25% to £5,000.

This means companies can employ four full-time workers on the National Living Wage without paying Class 1 National Insurance contributions, according to the Treasury.

However, both the National Living Wage and the rate at which employers pay National

HM Treasury Flickr

Asda and Morrisons are the latest supermarkets to respond to the costof-living crisis with announcements about price cuts and freezes across their ranges.

Asda has pledged to spend £73m on cutting or freezing prices on 100 products, such as fruit and vegetables, rice and meat.

Meanwhile Morrisons said it will cut prices on 500 products.

There is also increasing competition between supermakerts over staff.

Last month, Asda announced it will increase pay for workers to £10.10 an hour from July, in line with increases unveiled by Tesco and Lidl.

Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

By Greg Pitcher

Insurance for in-scope employees rose at the start of April.

The percentage of earnings that employers contribute in Class 1 National Insurance increased by 1.25% as part of the controversial

to sweat the asset of the building but that formula doesn’t work any more.

“It feels like costs are steadily rising so you fight harder to stay still. We are working hard to smarten up menus and be more efficient to work with less staff. It is hard out there, really hard.”

Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association, said that on top of rising energy, fuel and rates bills, extra labour costs “are simply not sustainable for many businesses”.

He added that the total wage bill for an average small retailer would increase by £6,000 per year under changes to minimum wage levels.

“With everything else going up, it will lead to less employment in these businesses,” he warned.

“We want to see people earn a fair wage in retail so these increases should have been offset by changes elsewhere.”

package to raise cash for health and care reform.

And the National Living Wage – the legal minimum salary for workers aged 23 and over – jumped 7 per cent to £9.50 per hour. All other age bands saw rises too with apprentices seeing a 12% hike to £4.81 per hour.

Meanwhile the Government’s Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme closed for Covid-related absences in March, amid soaring cases of the virus and just before the weekly rate due to a qualifying unwell employee rose to £99.35.

Sunak did announce a cut in the basic rate of income tax at the Spring Statement – but this won’t take effect for another two years.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT...

DEALING WITH INCREASING STAFF COSTS

SANGITA TRYNER DELILAH FINE FOODS, NOTTINGHAM

“The cost of living is going up. People need the money; you can’t begrudge a wage increase. Businesses are fighting over good staff at the moment, I want to keep hold of mine, to reward them, try to prove that we value them. But high costs do hinder what we’re doing.”

SHANE GODWIN, MACKNADE, KENT

“There is a reality of how much Covid has cost the Government and we have to pay that back. There will be less money in individuals’ pockets for a number of years and it is a similar story for businesses – margins are a bit tighter. We have to make sure we survive.

We have to keep going with hard work and number crunching.”

ANDREW GOODACRE BRITISH INDEPENDENT RETAILERS ASSOCIATION

“We have seen wage inflation, with large business offering signing-on fees and nearly all supermarkets paying above minimum wage. We understand workers have to balance their own personal budgets. It will ultimately result in skills shortages in those businesses that cannot compete.”

Vol.23 Issue 4 | May 2022

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NEWS

CYBER CRIME

Sunflower oil shortage causing difficulties for crisp-makers Global shortages of sunflower oil in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could force speciality crisp manufacturers in the UK to use different ingredients, put up prices or even halt production.

Food and drink giant Princes said in early April that it expected sunflower oil supply to cease “in a number of weeks” due to the conflict. Some 80% of the world’s supply usually comes from embattled Ukraine and heavilysanctioned Russia.

While expressing concern primarily for the Ukrainian population, independent brands said they were facing tough economic decisions.

Fiddler’s Lancashire Crisps calculated it had enough sunflower oil to last it through April but had been unable to source any further supplies.

“We will have to start

Mustafa Bashari on Unsplash

By Greg Pitcher

Most producers fry their crisps in sunflower oil – 80% of which comes from Ukraine and Russia

looking at rapeseed oil,” said owner John Fiddler.

“If it affects the quality of crisps, we will have to shut up shop. I would rather not produce something that is not perfect.”

The timing of the latest shortage was difficult for manufacturers, he added.

“We’ve just come through a hard two years and I thought we were getting back on our feet but we’ve been hit by another sledgehammer.”

Sean Mason, co-founder of Herefordshire’s Two

FSA moves to correct labels as producers swap oils The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland said they were working with the industry to ensure labels were accurate “as soon as possible” as producers scrambled to find alternative ingredients in the wake of the sunflower oil shortage.

Some food products labelled as containing sunflower oil may in the short-term contain refined rapeseed oil, the organisations warned.

They said this was happening to maintain the supply of certain food products “containing ingredients that have become increasingly difficult to source because of the conflict in Ukraine”.

FSA chief executive 6

May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

Emily Miles said: “We have looked at the immediate food safety risk of substituting sunflower oil with refined rapeseed oil – particularly to people with a food allergy – and it is very low.

“We are urgently working with the food industry to ensure labels on food where sunflower oil has been replaced by refined rapeseed oil are made accurate as soon as possible.”

Andrea MartinezInchausti, deputy director of food at the British Retail Consortium, said: “Where sunflower oil exists as an ingredient in products, retailers will be substituting it with other safe oils, such as rapeseed oil.”

Farmers crisps brand, said the cost of a 10,000-litre delivery of sunflower oil had doubled since Christmas.

“We are taking any sunflower oil that gets offered to us,” he said. “We are willing to pay market prices rather than contract price.”

Those supplies that were available were coming from EU nations, Mason said.

“Nothing is coming out of Ukraine or Russia now.

The farmers are fighting on the front line so they are not planting crops and

IN BRIEF there is war waste across vast areas that needs to be cleared.”

Geraint Hughes of Welsh snack brand Jones o Gymru said the firm had added almost a fifth to its prices to cope with rising costs including the soaring sunflower oil bills.

“It takes time to feed through to the shelf but we’ve seen items that were retailing for £1 maybe now at £1.20,” he said.

Hughes added that costs were also rising for alternative oils as people were making the switch.

A spokesperson for Tyrrell’s said the brand was not experiencing supply shortages but had “contingency options in place to protect continuity of supply”.

Pipers Crisps’ production was not affected by the shortage of sunflower oil as FFD went to press, but the brand was understood to be ready to adjust the blend of oils it used if necessary.

Cotswold Fayre‘s Summer Ball is back to raise funds for its two charities – Bala Children’s Centre, in Kenya, and Readingbased The Cowshed.

Tickets are now available for the event, which is at Wokefield Park, Berkshire on 8th July.

National Vegetarian Week will take place on 16th-22nd May. The campaign is run by the Vegetarian Society.

Businesses can find more information at nationalvegetarian week.org The latest retail figures from the Office of National Statistics show the amount of products purchased on the High Street and online fell by 1.4% in March, compared to February, with food sales down 1.1%.

Farm Shop & Deli reveals 2022 retail winners A total of nine fine food retailers from across the UK were celebrating after being crowned as ‘Best in Region’ winners in the Farm Shop & Deli 2022 Retail Awards.

Unveiled at the Farm Shop & Deli Show at the Birmingham NEC on 25th April, the winning retailers were all judged on criteria including sustainability, customer service and community involvement.

East Anglia winner, The Grundisburgh Dog Delicatessen in Woodbridge was commended for its service to the local community, while the Chatsworth Estate Farm Shop got the nod in the Midlands for its sustainability measures, as did Wales’s Forage Farm Shop and Kitchen in

North Yorkshire’s Town End Farm Shop was among the winners

Cowbridge.

Town End Farm Shop in Skipton (best in the North East) and Cunningham Butchers, Food Hall & Steak House in Kilkeel (Northern Ireland) both won titles for commitment to local suppliers.

Other winners included The Lambing Shed Farm Shop in Knutsford (North

West) Basil & Tom’s in Acton (South East), both of which were singled out for their response to the pandemic.

The line-up was completed by The Cheese Lady (Scotland) and Devon-based Pipers Farm (South West). farmshopanddelishow. co.uk/awards

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May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

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May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

NEWS

Government provides guidance on how “unhealthy” HFSS food laws will work Fine food retailers now have more clarity from the Government after it published its long-awaited guidance on the new laws restricting the sale of prepackaged foods deemed to be HFSS (high in fat, salt or sugar) – and who they will apply to.

The legislation, which comes into force on 1st October, places restrictions on where retailers can merchandise ‘unhealthy’ items like fizzy drinks, chocolate and crisps, as well as outlawing multibuy offers and discounts.

Crucially for independent retailers, there are a number of qualifying criteria, and exemptions, for enforcement of the law – based on the size and

The Source hits the road The Source Roadshow, a spinoff of the wellknown Westcountry trade show, will be bringing 150 exhibitors to Bristol’s Ashton Gate Stadium, on Thursday 16th June – for one day only.

Organiser Hale Events has been running The Source in Exeter for more than 15 years, but this is the first time they are bringing it to Bristol.

Staged with food group Taste of the West and BARBIE, the Bristol Association of Restaurants, Bars and Independent Establishments, this event will showcase food & drink, equipment and services for buyers in the hospitality and retail sectors. bristol. thesourcetradeshow. co.uk

If you more

h ave than

50 employees you must comply with laws on volume sales of HFSS. specialisation of a business.

Any retail business that has more than 50 employees must comply with the new rules on volume promotions, such as ‘BOGOF’, but this also includes the promotion of hampers that contain HFSS items. Meal deals and ‘Dine for 2’ offers will still be permitted.

Retailers meeting this staff threshold that also have more than 2,000sq ft of pure retail area (which excludes food prep and seating areas) must comply with rules on

in-store locations of HFSS, as well.

The new rules state that HFSS products cannot be displayed on aisle ends or within 2m of a checkout or queuing area, unless on general shelving. Displays on island units are still permitted in shops.

Some retailers may still be exempt from these location restrictions, even if they exceed the size threshold, but only if they specialise in or sell mainly one category of food.

Chocolatiers are cited as an example by the Government guidance.

Inspections, warnings and enforcement will be the responsibility of local authorities’ Environmental Health or Trading Standards officers, depending on the location. Fixed penalty notices of £2,500 can be issued if inspection

DOWN ON THE FARM Back in November, the foundations were laid for an extension at the Mountain’s Abbey Parks Farm Shop in Lincolnshire.

The roof trusses were fitted this month and the owners hope to be fully functional by the end of May. This new building will be housing a butchery prep area, cold rooms and a long-awaited new toilet block and storage area. mountainsfarmshop.com

Hackwood Farm Shop unveiled big expansion plans in March. The Derbyshire operation, which currently has a shop, café, butchery and deli is looking to create a “village centre” with extra shopping outlets, including a florist, card & gift shop, a fish & chip shop and potentially a gastropub.

The owners, who took on the old dairy farm in 2010, are looking to expand after the area around the farm is set to be developed, generating a lot more footfall locally.

They are currently in talks with several architects and planning practices to prepare a full planning application by the end of this year. hackwoodfarm.co.uk

IN BRIEF

warnings are ignored but individual authorities will all publish their own guidance on enforcing the laws.

While there are bound to be exceptions, the term ‘HFSS’ applies to products in the following categories: soft drinks with added sugar, confectionery, cakes, ice cream, crisps & savoury snacks, pastries, breakfast cereal, puddings & desserts, sweet biscuits, ready meals, yoghurt and pizza.

If you have more

also than

2,000sq

ft

of retail space you will also be subject to restrictions on product placement.

The Belvoir Castle Estate is looking for tenants to take three available units in its Engine Yard retail village. Potential new businesses would be joining an established offer of premium food & drink, homewares and fashion retailers.

Canadian coffee & doughnut chain Tim Horton’s has revealed the location of its first London site – Park Royal. The new opening is part of a plan to double its current UK portfolio of 50 sites by the end of 2023 Food Standards Scotland has appointed Heather Kelman as the organisation’s new chair. Kelman has more than 40 years’ of public sector experience.

The latest from farm shops across the country A new café is coming soon to Bradford-Upon-Avon retailer Hartley Farm Shop & Kitchen. Work on this large site is picking up pace, with the floor and the bathrooms going in. The retailer hoped to be opening the eatery as FFD went to press, which allows enough time to be fully ready for summer.

Meanwhile, food is still available from a takeaway cabin next to the farm shop. hartley-farm.co.uk Herefordshire pub The Grange at Mortimers Cross has widened its offer by

opening a farm shop with a deli and café. The new operation is stocked by local suppliers, many from within a 30-mile radius, but also carries a range of items prepared in-house. facebook.com/ thegrangemortimerscross The forward-thinking Three Trees Farm Shop in Wiltshire has installed electric vehicle chargers at its site and they are now up and running. The chargers can add more than 100 miles of range to a vehicle in 15 minutes – just enough time to browse in the shop. threetreesfarm.co.uk

In association with

Fabulous Farm Shops fabulousfarmshops.co.uk

Vol.23 Issue 4 | May 2022

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SHOP TALK IF I’D KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW...

TASH GORST, owner and founder, Gather, Peckham, London When I went on maternity leave from my job as a civil servant, I read a lot about the plastic issue and made some lifestyle changes. I started shopping in a refill store, which got me thinking about opening my own store instead of returning to the office.

I say ‘store’, but I always wanted it to be more than that. I want to change people’s behaviour and use Gather as a platform. Lots of our marketing communication is around how to live a more low impact life, rather than promoting our products.

Because the store exists to have a positive impact on the planet, I set it up as a social enterprise. This means 50% of our profit goes towards our ‘mission’, which might involve reinvesting it in the shop or supporting environmental charities. Being a social enterprise gives us access to grants and funding, too.

We opened in July 2019. At that point, there were quite a few refill stores, each with a different feel and focus. For me, being organic and being accessible were important.

People automatically assume this type of shop is expensive. Ours is not but I do carry out benchmarking to establish price points. Price-wise we are similar to the mid-priced supermarkets. Our stock is a mixture of food, household and personal care products. We buy most food in bulk – usually 25kg sacks – from wholesalers, as well as working with small producers who are willing to provide circularity or plastic-free packaging. These include Rollagranola, Fine Food Forager, Old Spike Coffee and The Yorkshire Pasta Company.

Our best-selling and most profitable product is Honest Toil olive oil, which we buy in circular 20-litre containers. Porridge oats are another top seller (although not as profitable). The only products that haven’t really worked for us are canned goods, even though they are staples.

If enough people ask for a product, we will look into whether we can stock it. This led to us selling fresh milk, dispensed from a pergal machine.

Other than milk we don’t sell any fresh items, mainly because of the waste, but I do want to expand our product range, with locally produced yoghurt, vegan butter, and frozen produce.

The biggest challenge with the refill concept is the restocking. We have approximately 200 unpackaged lines and at the end of each day have to top the dispensers up. It is time-consuming and physically tiring but I now employ four people which means I have more time to focus on outreach and organising events and workshops.

Having a larger team means it will take longer to get to the point where the store is turning a profit, but for me, Gather is about more than retail.

Interview Lynda Searby Photography Isabelle Plasschaert

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May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

CONFESSIONS OF A DELI OWNER ANONYMOUS TALES FROM BEHIND THE COUNTER WHAT DO YOU put on your precious shelves?

Some reading this will have palatial stores with plenty of space (yes I’m looking at you, major urban food halls). Others, like me, have more modest arrangements and have to operate a strict one-in-one-out policy. I have a settled stock range – I focus on deli accompaniments, gifting and treats. But I like to make people smile and a bit of change is essential for that.

So, first we need to make space. Here’s my analytical “oh so professional” method to determine what gets the axe. I take the bottom 10-20% of each product group and compare it to my cut-off earnings-per-fascia. If it fails that test at the end of the season, it’s in the relegation zone.

Look, it’s a good system, and the big algorithm-run stores all use a version of it. But I’m just not that pedantic anymore. Besides, my shop is too small, my shelves are too influential on stock performance and my customers’ habits are too seasonal for me to be certain that a number will give me the right decision on any given day.

A sadder story is when a product gets

MODEL RETAILING

I don’t know how to tell producers that my personal opinion is not worth anything too successful outside my shop and turns up in Waitrose. Helping the transition to supermarkets is part of of the deli’s role in the cruel food world. We pick a winner and it grows beyond us. Auf wiedersehen, pet. Those are hard to replace.

When getting things in, I have long since stopped stocking stuff just because I like the taste. That appears to be a kiss of death for any sales.

Lots of new producers ask if I like their cheese or chutney or chocolate. I don’t know

SOLVING EVERYDAY SHOPKEEPING DILEMMAS. IN MINIATURE.

I wonder if I can solve this… in a modern way.

I’m not sure this is worth it

Oh, do keep the change, Mr Deli!

how to tell them that my personal opinion is not worth anything.

I am an experienced food judge but I only eat a very narrow seam of foods myself. I have even heard producers complain that wholesalers don’t taste their products when they pitch. I get it.

The hoops to jump through for what gets into my shop are specific: packaging, price, margin, market premium, how it relates to my core products lines. Taste always comes later than they think and, even then, I always think like a customer, not myself.

On the sunny side, some opportunities are just too cool. It’s my shop and I will stock it if I want too. Perhaps I like the packaging or the producer. A whim can keep my store fresh and the team interested. I put it on my tasters, get Mrs Skinny Latte to give it a go and set up a multibuy.

It is part of the reason be in this trade – hunting down the interesting stuff for the fun of it. We are talent scouts and that means spotting potential and taking risks.

So, if you’re a producer, it’s always worth asking. You might just get lucky.

Dear followers, It’s such a shame that some people can’t control their children in my shop…

FFD says: As tempting as it may be to take to social media and pass comment on customers’ bad behaviour, it doesn’t often end well. Yes, some people (and their kids) should be more respectful of your store, but any kind of post expressing your frustration will probably come across as petty and mean-spirited. It could also spark the kind of debate that you don’t want your shop’s name involved with. You’re better off holding your tongue and using the platform for marketing.

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.

Vol.23 Issue 3 | May 2022

11

SHOP TALK

CODE OF PRACTICE

WHAT’S TRENDING NICK BAINES KEEPS YOU UP TO DATE WITH THE NEWEST DISHES, FLAVOURS AND INNOVATIONS IN FOOD & DRINK

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

This month we take a look at... ...pest control

Pests spread disease and contaminate surfaces and stock with bacteria. They can also damage property and reputation to the extent that a business can be prosecuted or closed.

Check for signs of activity All employees should be responsible for spotting signs of pests and report them immediately. Signs include: • Seeing live or dead insects or rodents.

• Shiny, soft droppings indicate live activity.

• Footprints in dust.

• Gnawing marks and holes in packaging.

• Holes and nesting sites.

• Greasy smears from the fur of rodents where they are in close contact with surfaces.

• Food spillages around damaged packaging.

• Eggs, maggots, pupae and casings.

All employees should be responsible for spotting tell-tale signs of pests

Producer’s view RASPAL KAUR OF REDLOON OFFERS HER PERSPECTIVE ON MARKETING WITH A CAUSE Setting up a new business is daunting. Setting up a new business to deliver profit to fund a charitable enterprise is doubly so.

In a climate when many established brands are jumping on the “cause-related marketing” bandwagon, there is also a new breed of startups with the honest intention of changing lives.

In the case of my business, RedLoon, I am driven by the long-term goal of setting up a mental wellbeing drop-in centre. But, in the interim, a percentage of sales is being donated to the mental health charity Mind.

Whether you are a consumer, an established producer or a new producer, the key aspect to question about any cause-related approach is intention.

Marketeers have long extolled the virtues of aligning a brand with a charitable cause. There is a beneficial halo-effect that demonstrates a caring brand persona that resonates with their target customer. In addition, there is a wave of 12

May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

Control them and keep records Retailers may wish to carry out their own monitoring but it is advisable to employ a contractor to put in place a pest prevention plan. Any signs of activity should be recorded officially as they will be useful if and when a contractor is called in to rectify the problem.

Pest-proofing • Ensure there are no holes (mice can enter via holes the size of a ballpoint pen) or access points from spaces eg. roof spaces.

• External doors must be close fitting or have a stiff bristle strip to prevent pests.

• Windows and doors that open in food preparation/storage areas should be fitted with fly screens.

• Grills should be fitted over vents.

• Drainage, including traps and grease filters, must in good repair. l More information can be found at: food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/ document/vacpacguide.pdf

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

positive media exposure to ride. And let’s not forget the attractive tax relief on donations.

Forgive me for sounding cynical. All help that goes towards charities is, of course, good.

But just as some companies have been accused of so-called ‘greenwashing’, you could argue that the same happens with charitable activities.

Are there some companies that are guilty of using donations to present a positive image and offset some potentially uncharitable practices?

Honestly, RedLoon didn’t start as a charitable mission. Originally, I embarked on this simply to share a spice blend that has been in my family for generations. However, the initial frisson of excitement soon wore off as I convinced myself that I wasn’t a salesperson or particularly entrepreneurial.

I am an audiologist by trade and realised that true job satisfaction, for me, comes from making a difference to a person’s life – hence my mission to support improving mental health.

Yes, I’d love my products to be stocked by independent retailers all over the country but while I aim for that, RedLoon will have raised awareness of mental health issues, at a time when so many people are reeling from the effects of the pandemic, rising cost of living and a full-blown war.

For more information about RedLoon’s product and mission, visit redloon.co.uk

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1 Detroit-Style Pizza The dispute between the New York slice and Chicago’s deep dish isn’t the only US pizza scuffle. Detroit is home to its own style of pizza and it’s now being explored throughout the UK. The thick focaccia-like base is square (originally it was baked in the square trays used in Detroit’s car factories), with the toppings running all the way to the edge. As well as Detroit Pizza London and Party Store Pizza, there are a number of operations specialising in this style, including Colchester’s White Label, and Bournemouth’s Four Corners Pizza.

2 TikTok celeb chefs While the urge to resist this social media phenomenon might be strong, TikTok is an incredibly influential food platform. As well as viral recipes like the feta pasta last summer, the platform is creating a new breed of celebrity chefs.

Thomas Straker, who previously worked in Michelin-starred kitchens, used the Covid lockdowns to explore TikTok and is now opening a restaurant in Notting Hill.

Meanwhile, footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is opening a restaurant in London with TikTok powerhouse Czn Burak who has over 57 million followers watching his food videos.

3 Darker roast coffee For some time, speciality coffee has been dominated by light-to-medium roasts. This has allowed consumers to develop an appreciation for all the nuances, rather than it being a short, sharp hit to pair with steamed milk. But roasters are now daring to venture into the darkness, coaxing out syrupy, sticky sweet coffees. Bath’s Girls Who Grind recently released their dark roast Oh My Goth, while Dorset’s Bad Hand has upped the ante with its French Roast Blend.

THE GLUT EN - FREE

CHICK PE AS

-

SOY BE AN S

GUIDE TO KN OWIN G THE DIFFEREN CE

These legumes are the core ingredients of a number of foods, including hummus and tofu. Just don’t mix the two up while making classic Middle Eastern cuisine, otherwise you’ll falafel.

ICE CRE AM

-

GE L ATO

-

PL ANTAIN

Both plantains and bananas grow on the same type of tree, so to avoid slipping up, remember that plantains are large, starchy, and require cooking, but bananas don’t and are small and sweet. A fact that makes them much more appealing.

SWE ET POTATO

-

YAM

ROTI

-

TORTILL A

Gelato has more flavour and a silkier mouthfeel.

The thicker texture and colder serving temperature of ice cream delays the onset of the initial taste. Despite this, both will be wolfed down at similar speeds, leaving them cone but not forgotten.

Sweet potato flesh is orange and sweet, while yams have a whiter flesh and earthy flavour. Americans cause confusion by referring to sweet potatoes as yams, but it’s the only known instance of Americans taking liberties with the English language.

Grab the wrong unleavened bread and you’ll have a wrap on the knuckles. In India, rotis are frequently shared with guests. In Mexico, tortillas were first made with wheat following the Spanish conquest.

So while one is a courtesy, the other is a Cortés-y.

CUCU MBE R

PRU NES

MILLE R’ S

-

ZUCCHINI

Cucumber might be cool, but zucchini is a major flex on the Scrabbleboard. For help with getting high scores, whizz together a dazzling mezze by drizzling a zesty cucumber tzatziki over a midsize zucchini.

Now that’s playing with pizzazz.

-

DATES

How do you get a prune? Simply allow a plum to dry out. How do you get a date? Dates can be found amongst the fronds of date palms, but you generally shouldn’t try for a date once you’re in the frond zone.

Find your favourite gluten-free selection from the rest of our Miller’s range: Miller’s Grate Britain Cheddar Crackers, The Best of Miller’s Selection Box, Miller’s Cranberry & Raisin Toast, Miller’s Damsel Charcoal, Elegant & English Raspberries & Dark Chocolate and The Fine Cookie Co. Chocolate Box Brownie, Salt Lake Caramel and Rainbow Nation (pictured above).

8

BANANA

May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

-

GLU TEN-FR EE MILLER’ S

When it comes to the Miller’s cookies, crackers and toasts, there’s no detectable difference between the original and gluten-free varieties whatsoever.

GLUT EN - FREE

Traditional Cocktail Oatcakes

A worthy addition to any cheeseboard www.stagbakeries.co.uk

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May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

Handmade in the Lake District WWW.HAWKSHEADRELISH.COM

CHEESEWIRE

news and views from the cheese counter

By Patrick McGuigan

Monika Kubalaa on Unsplash

The price of artisan cheese is rocketing as producers battle huge increases in the price of milk.

The average farm-gate price of cows’ milk has soared by 20% in the past year driven by a surge in fertiliser, feed and fuel costs linked to Covid, Brexit and the war in Ukraine.

In February 2022, the price stood at just under 36p per litre, up from 29p a year before, but prices could hit as much as 45p by the summer, according to dairy consultant John Allen, managing partner at Kite Consulting.

“The market is a very tough place at the moment,” he said.

“Milk supply is tight and the cost of production has gone up. That’s not going to change in the short term, so there will be more price rises down the line.”

Small cheesemakers are being hit hard because they do not have the economies of scale or negotiating power of larger manufacturers, with many simply forced to pass on the increases. Independent retailers contacted by FFD said wholesale cheese prices for British and Continental cheeses had increased 10-20% and further rises are expected.

At Burt’s Cheese in Cheshire, owner Clare Burt said the farm she buys milk from had implemented a 20%

Experts have suggested that milk prices could hit 45p/litre by summer 2022

price rise in April.

“We’ve seen energy, cardboard, cultures and courier costs going up, but the milk increase is a real wallop,” she said. “It’s made me feel vulnerable as a business.”

She added that she was considering how to pass on price rises. “There has to be an increase, but it’s hard to know how much customers will accept.”

At sheep’s cheese company Yorkshire Pecorino, owner Mario Olianas will have to pay £1.30 a litre from May, up from £1 six months ago – a 30% hike.

“A lot of small cheesemakers will think again about working with sheep’s milk at these prices,” he said.

Cheesemakers with their own animals are partly protected because they do not have to buy milk in, but are still contending with a surge in costs.

“Feed, labour and energy bills have all risen massively,” said Ross Davenport, partner at Cote Hill Cheese in Lincolnshire, which has a 75-strong herd of cows. “It’s costing a lot more to produce a kilo of cheese than it was six months ago, so price increase letters have now gone out to customers.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

The Parmigiano Reggiano PDO consortium has appointed PR agencies Spencer & Lewis and Storm Communications to promote the cheese in the UK. Total sales of Parmesan grew 3.9% last year, but sales in the UK were down 15.6% because of “ongoing issues” caused by Brexit.

THREE WAYS WITH...

St Ella This new Crottin-style cheese is made by the Moody family in Wiltshire, who are best known for their fresh Rosary goats’ cheeses. Made in a adjoining facility alongside an ashed version called Little Lepe, the cheese has a crinkly geotrichum rind and a soft breakdown with earthy, grassy and citrus notes, plus a slight pepperiness in older cheeses.

Sour beer In the Loire Valley where Crottin originates, Sauvignon Blanc is the traditional match.

The high acid, pungent white wine picks up on the sharpness of the cheese and is refreshing at the same time. There’s a similar interplay with sour beers, such as gueuze and Berliner Weisse, which are fresh and tangy. Huddersfield brewery Magic Rock has also launched Lemon-Dayz – a zesty, lemon IPA – which is a perfect foil for the citrus flavours.

Turkish delight There are often floral and herbaceous notes to St Ella that give the cheese an aromatic, fragrant quality.

Cheese conveyor belt restaurant Pick & Cheese has taken this to its logical conclusion by pairing St Ella with Turkish delight. You could also try Rose Petal Jelly from Cartwright & Butler, which is flavoured with rose oil and real petals.

Quicke’s has launched a smoked version of its Double Devonshire. The cloth-bound cheese, which is aged for around six months, is cold smoked over oak chips from trees felled on the estate.

Gloucestershire’s famous Cheese Rolling contest will run again this year after being cancelled for two years because of Covid.

The event, which sees contestants chase a Double Gloucester cheese down Cooper’s Hill, will take place on Sunday 5th June.

Harvey & Brockless

Rising milk costs fuelling huge artisan price increases

London cheese wholesaler and retailer Provisions has opened a second shop. The new shop on Hackney Road, which joins the original Islington store, specialises in farmhouse and raw milk cheeses from France, Italy and Britain, plus wines from Languedoc, Roussillon and Southern Rhone. The 650 sq ft shop also has a downstairs space for supper clubs, tastings and a wine school.

Crostini St Ella is a great cooking cheese. Cut in half horizontally and grill until it blisters and softens, bringing out the earthy notes, then serve with salad leaves, olives and toasted hazelnuts. Alternatively, place slivers on top of slices of French bread drizzled with olive oil, before toasting in the oven to create simple goats’ cheese crostini. Finish with a drizzle of honey and fresh thyme leaves.

Vol.23 Issue 4 | May 2022

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CHEESEWIRE

news and views from the cheese counter

Cheesemakers united in fighting Europe-wide nutrition labelling

BEHIND THE COUNTER TIPS OF THE TRADE Belinda Harrison, Harrison’s, Ealing, London

By Patrick McGuigan

European cheesemakers are fighting against controversial front-of-pack nutrition labelling, which gives cheese a poor rating because of its salt, fat and calorie content.

The Association of Italian PDO Cheeses (AFIDOP) launched a campaign in March to “say no” to the NutriScore scheme, which was developed in France and is being recommended by health authorities and campaigners across Europe and the UK. The scheme aims to help shoppers choose healthier foods by rating nutritional content using letters and colours on labels, from A (green) to E (red).

Italy’s most powerful cheese associations, including Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano and Gorgonzola, have joined forces to oppose its introduction in Italy via a social media campaign.

Roquefort and Manchego makers have also campaigned

Under Nutri-Score, around 80% of cheeses are labelled as D (orange) or E (red)

against the scheme, which has been officially recommended in France, Germany and Spain.

The European Commission is planning harmonised mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling by the end of 2022.

The UK introduced its own voluntary traffic light labelling in 2013. However, the National Obesity Forum and the British Medical Journal are both in favour of the Nutri-Score system, after research found it was the most effective.

Under Nutri-Score, around 80% of cheeses are labelled as

D (orange) or E (red) because of their relatively high fat, salt and calorie contents.

Cheesemakers argue the scheme is flawed because it rates foods on a 100g basis and does not differentiate between natural and highly processed products.

“We say no to Nutri-Score,” said Antonio Auricchio, president of AFIDOP. “And to labels based on reference quantities disconnected from consumption habits in the daily diet. These are misleading tools that devalue the image of PDOs.”

Belinda Harrison has been selling wine and cheese at her deli in Ealing for 11 years, so is never short of a recommendation or two for a good match.

“We’ve done a lot of pairing nights and we open a bottle or two at the weekend, matched with cheeses, which customers can try,” she says. Harrison trains her staff on the job, encouraging them to listen as she chats with customers and to try different cheeses and wine together. Every cheese in the chiller has a wine match on the shelf-edge ticket. “If a wine and cheese are made in the same area, they’re likely to go together,” she says. “I’m a fan of Délice de Bourgogne and Cremant de Bourgogne.”

It’s not so easy if people want one wine for a full cheeseboard. “For red, I often recommend Beaujolais” she says.

“Our Fleurie has really good structure and works with a lot of cheeses. I’m also a fan of unoaked or partially oaked Chardonnay.

We have a vin de pays from Cahors, which is gently buttery with exotic fruit flavours.”

yet sharp and salty, with a subtle spiciness. Its velvety grey-blue rind complements the rustic texture of the paste, with its streaks and splodges of blue.

CHEESE IN PROFILE with Kearney Blue What’s the story?

The first ever Kearney Blue Cheese was made by hand in a kitchen pot near Kearney village on the Ards Peninsula in Northern Ireland.

It was this beautiful landscape that inspired the making of the cheese: its speckled paste and greyish-blue rind evoking images of the local stone farm walls. The cheese is now made by Paul McClean at Farmview Dairies, using milk 16

May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

Variations: Available in three sizes: 250g, 500g, and whole 1kg wheels.

Cheesemonger tip: Recommend pairing with walnuts, sliced pear and a glass of tawny Port. fresh from cows grazing on the Castlereagh Hills just outside Belfast. The awards it has won over the years include Gold at the British Cheese Awards in 2012.

Milk: Pasteurised cows’ milk, animal rennet.

How is it made?

Milk is collected daily from cows grazing within 5 miles of Farmview Dairies’ creamery.

Along with the starter cultures and animal rennet, Penicillium roqueforti is added to the milk to promote the growth of blue moulds.

The curds are salted and moulded, then the cheese is aged for 6-8 weeks.

Appearance & texture: Kearney Blue is creamy

Chef’s recommendation: This versatile blue is great for melting while retaining its piquant bite.

Crumble it over a grilled beef or pork steak.

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

NO HALF MEASURES. UNLESS IT’S FONDUE YOU’RE SHARING. GRUYERE.COM

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May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

Looking for fast-turnaround printed packaging?

Enjoy 3-week delivery on our Carbon-Balanced printed packaging

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May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

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www.pizzapastashow.com 46

May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

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You’re invited to the NEW food and drink trade show coming to Bristol.

The Source Roadshow brings 150 South West producers, hospitality and catering companies, food service, and business services to Bristol.

REGISTER NOW! To get your hands on your free trade entry badge, register online or call 01934 733456.

For stand booking enquiries call 01934 733433.

16 June 2022, Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol TRADE ROADSHOW BRISTOL

bristol.thesourcetradeshow.co.uk

May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

For Hale Primary Blue use Pantone 2728

C M Y K

12 8 8 23

C M Y K

90 70 0 0

C M Y K

100 90 13 69

R G B

188 189 188

R G B

15 77 188

R G B

15 32 75

HTML BCBDBC

20

For Hale Secondary Blue use Pantone 2768

sourcefooddrink

For Hale Primary Silver Grey use Pantone Cool Gray 4

f SourceFoodDrink l SourceFoodDrink

HTML 0F4DBC

HTML 0F204B

This trade only show is organised by Hale Events Limited. Telephone 01934 733433. www.hale-events.com

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May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

Our colourful Steven Brown twin packs are sure to brighten anyone’s day, along with the melt in the mouth taste of our all butter shortbread.

www.deans.co.uk T: 01466 792086 sales@deans.co.uk

T: 07508 701919 | E: aidy@47degreescoffee.com | www.47degreescoffee.com 22

May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

CATEGORY FOCUS

Brew up and kick back Whether you’re looking to boost your tea and coffee offer or you’re seeking something sweeter for your shelves, this product round-up should have all of your teatime needs covered, starting with tea & coffee. Find soft drinks on page 27, followed by chocolate & confectionery (page 28) and home baking (page 31).

Compiled by Nic Belfrage

>>

tea & coffee Launched at the end of April, this newcomer to botanical tea has been created by Flavour Head Botanical Infusions.

Five flavours range from Wonderfully Zesty (Orange, Hibiscus, Ginger & Safflower) to Far Out Fruits (Elderberry, Bramble Leaves, Lemongrass & Mallow Flowers) and comprise ethically sourced ingredients in boxes of 15 recyclable pyramid tea bags.

RRP £4.50; wholesale price £3.22. flavourhead.com

All the Peterston Tea plants are grown from seed to organic standards, using both agroforestry and regenerative practices to enhance biodiversity and provide a beneficial microclimate. The three existing single estate teas (all recognised with 2* Great Taste Awards) were joined in September by TOST – a toasted green loose leaf single estate tea.

RRP £16 for a 12g jar; trade price £11.20. peterstontea.com

Tapping into the current wellness trend

Newly arrived at Courtyard Coffee Roasters is this organic Arabica from East Timor.

Imported by ethical Raw Material Coffee, which pays producers more than many other importers, this variety of bean is unique to East Timor where it is affectionately known as Tim Tim. RRP £8.00 for 250g bags, £16 for 500g; trade price is £8.00 and £16 respectively. courtyardcoffeeroasters. co.uk

Quick off the block is new coffee roaster Just Cloud9 that launched in January this year and is already supplying its ethically sourced, daily-roasted beans to Michelin Guide restaurants, wholesale and coffee aficionados.

RRP for Single Origins and Blends from £8.49 for 250g to £18.49 for 1kg; trade equivalent £5.91 and £15.28. Same size Decaf RRP £11.99 and £24.99; Decaf trade £6.58 and £17.07. justcloud9.co.uk

The new Platinum Blend Fine Leaf Tea from The East India Company has been created to celebrate the Queen’s 70-year reign. With a flavour profile of sweetness and a delicate caramel finish, RRP is £15 for 70g, £20 for 100g; trade price for cases of 12 £108 and £144 respectively. theeastindiacompany.com

In its 125g tin caddy, the new Blueberry Black Tea from Tea People is a blend of premium Ceylon tea with blueberry pieces & blue flowers that brews to a rich ruby colour with subtle malty notes and a gentle aroma of blueberries. RRP £9.95; trade price £7.00. teapeople.co.uk

Ahmad Tea has launched a range of decaffeinated teas, which it hopes will tap into the current wellness trend.

The range comprises Decaffeinated Pure Black Tea, Decaffeinated Pure Green Tea, Decaffeinated Earl Grey and Decaffeinated Indulgent Selection (Cinnamon, Vanilla, Caramel, Chocolate & Hazelnut). RRP £2.99 for 20 teabags. uk.ahmadtea.com

Building on the foundations of their two-star Great Taste award Peppermint Tea, Summerdown has added Camomile and Peppermint & Camomile. All are made using Black Mitcham peppermint and camomile flowers grown on the producer’s Hampshire farm. summerdown.com Vol.23 Issue 4 | May 2022

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>>

tea & coffee Halvo Coffee Roasters launched in November last year with a range of traceable high-quality single-origin coffees that includes Red Mountain from the Cerrado region of Brazil. Tasting notes describe it as a “deliciously syrupy single-origin that shines with pomegranate acidity, brown sugar sweetness and bold notes of molasses.” RRP £10.75 for 250g; wholesale £7.75 or £18.50 for 1kg. halvocoffee.co.uk

Launched in 2006, teapigs has now unveiled its first decaf tea. “The decaffeination process can be quite harsh, which often leaves you with a sad and tasteless tea,” says Louise Cheadle, teapigs co-founder. “Our decaf uses the C02 method, which is a lot more gentle on the leaves and gives you a stronger, better tasting brew.” RRP £3.99 per pack of 15 servings; trade price £20.34 for 6 x 15 packs. teapigs.co.uk

All profits donated to Ukraine

Stokes Tea & Coffee has announced the launch of its Rapha Lincoln GP - Blend 66 coffee made with Peruvian, Colombian and Kenyan coffee beans that create a fusion of bold, nutty and cocoa flavours.

The blend (RRP £8.95) has been specially created to celebrate the eponymous 66th annual Lincoln Grand Prix bicycle race that is recognised by many as one of the great monuments of British Cycling with previous winners including Olympians, world champions and Tour De France stars. £2 from each pack sold will be donated to support the bike race. stokescoffee.com

Another flavour is to be added to the range of Nespresso-compatible capsules from Little’s Coffee. With its festive taste of orange, cinnamon and brandy, Christmas Spirit will be available from August 2022 either directly from Little’s Coffee or Cotswold Fayre, The Cress Co, Springvale, Holleys Fine Foods, and Diverse Fine Foods. RRP is expected to be £4 for 10 capsules; trade price £28 for a case of 10. wearelittles.com

Last year, JP’s Originals launched Nana’s Chai (think traditional chai) in June and, a month later, Rose Chai, which is described as “a fragrant blend of green tea, rose and cardamom that is decadent and dessert-like.”

The company has partnered with Friendsline to donate proceeds of the sales of Rose Chai to women in underdeveloped countries who have suffered genderbased violence. For every three boxes of Rose Chai sold, the collaboration supports one woman on a 12week mental health programme. So far 73 women have been helped.

RRP for Nana’s Chai is £9.00, for Rose Chai £11.00; wholesale prices are £6.75 and £8.00 respectively. jpsoriginals.com 24

May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

Since its launch in 2017, 47 degrees coffee has been awarded multiple Great Taste awards. Last year a Guatemalan Santa Rosa offer was added to the list of coffees, which are all hand-roasted weekly. Trade prices from £5 for 250g retail bags or £13 for 1kg whole bean bags.

47degreescoffee.com

Devon-based speciality coffee roaster Roastworks has launched a 500g format of its signature espresso blend – The Truth – aimed at the home espresso user.

“Demand for whole bean formats has been growing steadily,” says Will Little, MD. “Pre-ground coffee now accounts for just 30% of our sales. The 500g bag keeps the beans fresher and also keeps the price down.” RRP £11; £42.90 for a case of 6. roastworks.co.uk

The Spring 2022 harvest of Coffee Tea from Marulin is now available. This awardwinning tea contains no coffee, but because it is roasted and blended naturally it has a rich coffee/chocolate flavour. RRP £7.95 for 100g pouch or £12.95 for 150g caddy; wholesale £40 per kg. marulin.co.uk

Casa Espresso has launched a new microlot coffee from a female producer in Peru, Abelina Avarez, who is part of the Beecause We Care 365 project, an environmental and community development organisation based in Cusco, Peru. All profits from the sales of this coffee will be donated to the Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

RRP £8.20 for £250g; trade price is £5.70 or £19.75 for 1kg. casaespresso.co.uk

Responding to the growth in demand for high-quality decaffeinated coffee, Velo Coffee Roasters has partnered with Ashok Patre from the Ratnagiri Estate in India to add this new decaf whole bean offer to its list of specialty coffees. RRP £9.50 for 200g; wholesale £7.00. velocoffeeroasters.co.uk

MEXICAN CHICKEN SALAD WITH BALSAMIC SALSA Recipe card enclosed with this magazine for you to keep and share.

Award Winning Sweet Balsamic Dressings 20

May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

info@LittleDoone.co.uk

www.LittleDoone.co.uk

When Food Becomes Artwork Stunning Bonbons, Truffles, Bars & Treats.

Handmade in Scotland.

At Bella Chocolate we use couverture chocolate for our creations as well as only natural ingredients and no added nasties.

Bella Chocolate can accommodate most dietary requirements We will work with clients to create something special for everyone.

Have a special request? We love a challenge!

SPECIALTY COFFEE ROASTERS, CAREFULLY SOURCED BEANS FROM SELECTED ESTATES, ROASTED BESIDE THE SCENIC CROMARTY FIRTH IN NORTHEAST SCOTLAND. ORDER FROM OUR WEBSITE, WHOLESALE, RETAIL OR BY SUBSCRIPTION. IT’S WHAT IN THE CUP THAT MATTERS. ETHICAL

@bellachocolateuk | www.bella-chocolate.co.uk

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May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

TRACEABLE

www.vandykebrothers.co.uk

soft drinks True to its word that it will never supply supermarkets, Breckland Orchard is marking 13 years of trading with a label ‘glow up’ that updates the original labels while keeping the original look and feel.

New flavours just out are Zero Sugar Raspberry Lemonade, Zero Sugar Apple & Rhubarb, and Craft Cola. RRP £1.75 (275ml); trade price £10.95 for case of 12. brecklandorchard.co.uk

>> Launched in 330ml cans last year and sold in cases of 12, The Heartsease Farm range from Radnor Hills is a blend of real fruit juices and pure Radnor Hills spring water, with no artificial sweeteners or preservatives. Raspberry Lemonade, Traditional Lemonade, Sparkling British Elderflower and a Fiery Ginger Beer have RRPs of £1.50-£2 per can. radnorhills.co.uk

Cold-pressed Peruvian ginger root

Bemuse says it has reinvented mead. Made from natural ingredients, the range comprises four low-alcohol flavours, each inspired by traditional mead recipes. Accolades include Best Low or No-alcohol Drink and Best Sparkling Drink at the World Beverage Innovation Awards.

Bemuse actively supports the country’s dwindling bee population. RRP £3.50 + VAT; wholesale £1.70 + VAT. bemusedrinks.com

The new, lightly sparkling Raspberry & Rhubarb offer from Nix & Kix has a cayenne kick in addition to doing what it says on the tin. The drink is 45% fruit juice and contains no added sugar/sweeteners or preservatives. RRP £1.29 (250ml can) and £2.50 (750ml glass). nixandkix.com

Delicioso has announced that the well-known Spanish Vichy mineral water brand now includes flavoured varieties – all with no added sugar, no additives, no calories.

Available in packs of 6 x 330ml resealable aluminium cans, the range comprises one simple Natural Mineral Water and four flavours: Lemon, Orange, Lemon & Lime, and Mint. RRP £11.50 (6 x 330ml); trade price £21.60 for 4 packs. delicioso.co.uk

The Rhubarb Soda (naturally sweetened with organic coconut nectar and fruit juice) and Ginger Beer (made with real ginger) flavours from Bon Accord are now available in packs of 4 x 275ml bottles.

RRP £4.99-£7.00; trade prices dependent on volume. bonaccordsoftdrinks.com

Root2Ginger concentrated ginger drinks are gluten free, suitable for vegans and made using premium organic ingredients including cold-pressed Peruvian ginger root, raw cane sugar, lemon juice, fresh limes, mint and spices. Dilute with still, sparkling or hot water, or use as a mixer in cocktails.

RRP Fiery £14 (200ml), £27 (500ml); Mint & Fierce £15 and £30 respectively; trade £9.80, £19, £10.50, £21. root2ginger.co.uk

Peterston Tea is moving into the world of kombucha with three flavours: black tea, toasted green tea and Welsh honey & green tea. These small batch premium kombuchas are craft fermented from single estate Welsh tea. RRP £4.20 (330ml); trade price £2.95. peterstontea.com

New from is a range of low-calorie (fewer than 20 calories per 100ml) non-alcoholic, sparkling Botanical Sodas. The elderflower, geranium and floral hibiscus in Floral Fizz create flavours that are “gently sweet, fresh and indulgently aromatic.” Bitter Orange Spritz lives up to its name due to the gently sweet but sharp Sicilian blood orange juice, pressed rhubarb juice, bitter gentian root and cinchona bark extracts. Completing the trio, Spicy Ginger Fizz contains ginger juice, lemon and yuzu juices, Japanese Sancho peppercorn, Thai lime leaf and a touch of gentian root extract for a slightly bitter finish.

RRP £2.25 for 500ml. belvoirfarm.co.uk

Gunna Drinks has added two new variants to its innovative range of lemonades with a twist. Inspired by a Mango Daiquiri cocktail enjoyed in St Lucia, Turtle Juice: Tropical Mango Lemonade is “packed with sweet mangos, a zesty twist of lime and a hint of coconut.”

Reminiscent of the lemon, lime and bitters drink that is popular in Australia, Sundowner: Ultra Refreshing Lime Lemonade is “filled with zingy limes and ripe, rounded lemons, married together with a dash of aromatic bitters.”

Available from Matthew Clark, Brakes, Bidfood, Springvalex and Amathus. gunnadrinks.com Vol.23 Issue 4 | May 2022

27

chocolate & confectionery

>> Launched by BoojaBooja last year, the new vegan chocolate truffles (Chocolate Orange, Deeply Chocolate, Chocolate Salted Caramel and Honeycomb Caramel) have already garnered Best New Organic Food Product at the Natural & Organic Awards Europe 2021 and Best New Vegan Food Product in 2022, and GOLD at The Free From Christmas Awards 2021. RRP £4.99 for the 8-truffle pack (92g).

Boojabooja.com

The popular Diforti brand is expanding its range of Pasticceria with 4 new varieties: Gluten Free Cannoli with Cappuccino Cream, Gluten Free Cannoli with Lemon Cream, Cannoli with Salted Caramel Cream and Aragostine with Salted Caramel Cream. The outer shell of the gluten free is made with a luxurious almond brittle. RRP Gluten Free Cannoli (200g) £5.95, other flavours (150g) £3. tasteofsicily.co.uk

Raw, organic Peruvian Criollo cacao

Having refreshed its branding at the beginning of the year, in February Choc Affair released its Spring/Summer flavour-infused range of chocolate bars that are all handmade from single origin Colombian chocolate.

Flavours include: Kumquat & Tonka Bean Milk Chocolate, Strawberries & Cream Milk Chocolate, Pineapple Dark Chocolate, and Redcurrant & Pink Peppercorn Dark Chocolate. RRP £3.25 - £3.50; trade price £19.80 for a case of 12 x 90g bars. choc-affair.com

Delicioso Delicioso, importer of Spanish food and drink, has added Amattler Chocolate Leaves and Extremadura Chocolate Fig Bombons to its list. The former comes in two flavours: Strawberry White and Passion Fruit Milk Chocolate.

RRP £7-£9 (60g); trade price from £19-£22.25 for 5 x 60g tins to £47.50 for 1kg.

The Calabacita figs are first dried, then filled with truffle and dipped in dark chocolate, before being individually wrapped.

Available in boxes of 3, 6, 12. RRP £5-£15. delicioso.co.uk

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May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

Valrhona has 3 new chocolate drinks. Fully traceable Nyangbo 68%, pure Ghana (250g), is a ground chocolate with a sweetly spiced aromatic profile; ready-to-serve Celaya (1L) offers a rich chocolate flavour and velvety mouthfeel; while the cocoa powder (250g) has a pure, intense flavour.

Available from Classic Deli. Trade prices are £9.60, £8.50 and £8.50 respectively. classicdeli.co.uk/ 176-valrhona-shop

The latest addition to the Purbeck brand is Purbeck Chocolate. Handmade on the Dorset farm with single origin Ecuadorian chocolate, the new product joined the eponymous Ice Cream and Cider last year.

RRP £5.95; trade price £35.70 for a case of 10. niederegger.de

Adding to its range of butter fudge, Mr Stanley’s has brought a Divine Vegan Fudge to market, also handmade using traditional fudge-making methods. It is described as having “the same melt-inthe mouth crumbly texture as traditional butter fudge, with the taste of sweet caramel and a sprinkle of sea salt.” RRP £6.99 (150g); trade price £50.26 for a case of 12. mrstanleys.co.uk

This 100% raw, organic Peruvian Criollo cacao paste from Bamboo Story Superfoods offers low acidity and a deep cacao flavour. Hailed as a healthy alternative to processed chocolate, the cacao has no added sugar and comes in wafers. The label is also available in English.

RRP £8.70 (200g), £12.30 (400g); trade £5.95 and £8.45. bamboo-story.com

Roly’s Fudge has rebranded its Vanilla Clotted Cream and Assorted 5 Flavours fudge boxes.

The fudge is made by hand with premium ingredients in every one of the 48 fudge pantries across the UK. RRP £5.50-£6 (200g) and £8.50-£9.50 (300g); trade prices £3.85 and £4.95 respectively + VAT. rolysfudge.co.uk

Guppy’s has added 5 new flavours (44% Milk, 70% Dark, Milk Orange, Dark Peppermint and Milk Salted Caramel) to its Hot Chocolate Pouche range.

Each pouch contains 7 servings (245g) of grated chocolate – nothing else. RRP £6.45; trade price £4.80 or £14 for 1kg. guppyschocolates wholesale.co.uk

THE TASTE OF THE FINEST ENGLISH PEPPERMINT Find out more about our award-winning chocolates and teas at www.summerdown.com

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Discover more at www.naturya.com | For enquiries please contact enquiries@naturya.com Vol.23 Issue 4 | May 2022

29

5 CRAFT SOFT DRINKS BURSTING WITH CHARACTER

OUR ANTIDOTE TO BLAND RECIPES AND FORGETTABLE PERSONALITIES

Our take on the famous lemon, lime and soda, widely drunk across Australia

Inspired by a Mango Daiquiri cocktail we discovered in St Lucia

Inspired by a classic virgin cocktail called a ‘Shirley Temple’ popular in Asia

Inspired by a traditional fresh lemonade recipe served in Moscow

Inspired by a traditional drink called ‘Gunner’ originally created by the British Navy

AVAILABLE IN: MATTHEW CLARK, BRAKES, BIDFOOD, SPRINGVALE, AMATHUS, WWW.GUNNADRINKS.COM

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www.velocoffeeroasters.co.uk 30

May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

(0044) 01925 204980

chocolate & confectionery

Lockdown gave retailer and producer Fudge Kitchen some time to reflect on its business as a whole. It concluded that the premium gifting positioning of the wholesale and eCommerce side of the business seemed out of kilter with the personality of its retail shops.

So, the company hired creative consultancy Smith+Village to help it refresh the brand. The result is a whole new look with a new colour palette and tone of voice, as well as a sustainability-led packaging overhaul.

The new packaging range uses only FSC-certified boxboard, there’s no use of spot-UV finishes or coatings that limit recyclability and it’s all printed in the UK. As part of this new direction, Fudge Kitchen is also phasing out the use of internationally grown cane sugar in favour of UK-grown beet sugar. fudgekitchen.co.uk

Retailers looking to up their chocolate game might consider the options offered by Angel Refrigeration for display and storage of loose chocolates.

Coreco VSSB Display cabinets have proved popular with retailers for chocolate and patisserie.

These free-standing units can be supplied with either curved or straight glass, rear sliding door access and in any RAL colour with a matt or gloss lacquer finish.

Available in a variety of widths (600mm, 950mm, 1300mm and 1600mm) the Coreco VSSB cabinets are 730mm deep, 1380mm high and include three illuminated glass shelves with stainless steel display deck. The ventilated refrigeration system has been designed to run between 14°C and 18°C with humidity set to 55%.

Angel will ensure that retailers purchase the cabinet that works best for their shop, taking into account potential usage, environment and the practicality of installation and maintenance. angelrefrigeration.co.uk/category/chocolaterefrigeration

home baking

Doves Farm is launching two new seeded organic bread flours in 1kg packs.

The Organic Seedhouse Bread Flour is a light bread flour mixed with organic pumpkin, sunflower, poppy, millet and golden linseeds suitable both for bread machines and hand baking.

The Organic Heritage Seeded Flour, which bakes to a slightly closed yet soft crumb bread, is a blend of organic wholemeal bread flour and ancient grain flours spelt, emmer and einkorn, mixed with teff grain, sunflower, poppy and brown linseeds.

RRP Seedhouse £2.69, Heritage Seeded £2.99. dovesfarm.co.uk

The Coconut and Macadamia Cookie Mix (335g) from Cookie Crumbles requires just an egg, melted butter and an oven to bake 12 large cookies in under 30 minutes. RRP 4.50; trade price £2.85 (0% VAT).

Similarly, apart from golden syrup and butter, the Gingerbread Biscuit Mix Kit (500g) contains everything necessary to make 30 gingerbread men: gingerbread dough, icing, sprinkles and, thoughtfully, an appropriately shaped cutter.

RRP £9.50; trade price £5 (0% VAT). cookiecrumbles.co.uk

One of the most important functional foods Made from 100% sustainably grown cacao, Naturya Organic Cacao butter drops (250g) are a natural, plantbased ingredient ideal for chocolate making, cooking, baking and creating velvety vegan lattes and hot chocolate.

The versatile, nutrientrich Organic Cacao+ with Reishi and Maca (300g) blends cacao, one of the most important functional foods, with some of the most powerful superfoods from around the world.

RRP for each, £9; trade price £5.85. naturya.com

Filosophy is the new range from Ioniki that comprises frozen pastry and puff pastry.

Reflecting its Greek heritage, the range includes Traditional Crinkly filo pie with Spinach & Feta (or just Feta), and Plantbased Greek Pie made with Beyond Meat. RRP £4.90 and £6.50 respectively. ioniki.com Vol.23 Issue 4 | May 2022

31

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30

May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

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May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

FOCUS ON

coffee

Five steps to a winning cup Henry Russell @ quench.london

How do you take your coffee to the next level? We asked a handful of leading coffee shop operators to reveal what makes their brews stand out and keeps customers coming back for more.

bemorebear.co

Unsplash Enis Yavuz

2. IMPROVE YOUR EXTRACTION As well as taking care over your coffee preparation, monitoring each extraction will help you identify any issues that impact flavour. Ryan Garrick, head of coffee at WatchHouse which has nine outlets in London, says: “Extraction should be started immediately upon engaging the portafilter into the grouphead of the machine.” It’s important to take care when attaching the portafilter, he says, as any knocks can disrupt the grounds, increasing the likelihood of extraction issues which will impact the coffee in the cup. watchhouse.com

paddyandscotts.shop

kaffeine.co.uk

5. NURTURE KNOWLEDGE Training and educating your team about the provenance of the ingredients will help them appreciate and bring out the flavour potential. They’ll also be more likely to communicate that knowledge and enthusiasm to customers. Grace Talbot, wholesale manager at Girls Who Grind Coffee, says: “I have seen baristas employ real passion and knowledge when given the opportunity to talk about the producers behind the coffees they are brewing to customers, who hadn’t appreciated the journey their coffee has been on.” girlswhogrindcoffee.com

Pixabay

3. KNOW YOUR MILKS While latte art doesn’t make a cup of coffee taste better, it shows the barista has a level of skill. The word ‘milk’ now also applies to a variety of non-dairy liquids and each responds differently to steaming - anything above 70°C starts to scald and destroy its natural sweetness. “One of the worst things a barista wants to hear is, ‘can I have that extra hot?’ You don’t want to be burning milk,” says Scott Russell, owner and founder of Paddy & Scott’s Coffee, whose baristas use Tefloncoated jugs to gauge the temperature of the milk by touch.

He recommends practising steaming various milks and using thermometers when training. “Non-dairy milks tend to heat up much quicker, so you’ll reach the required temperature quite quickly with less time to create micro-bubbles,” he adds.

4. KEEP IT CLEAN A tidy workstation is vital for workflow and keeping the coffee machine clean will avoid a build-up of unpleasant-tasting oils and particles from ground coffee. “It must be clean, presentable and efficient at all times,” says Peter Dore-Smith, director of Kaffeine, where baristas clean the coffee machine and grinder daily and perform machine maintenance every week. The team uses different coloured cloths for the milk wand, bench area and drip tray, as well as a paintbrush for discarding loose grinds. Dore-Smith adds: “We operate with the mindset that at any time we can invite a customer or a world barista champion behind the bar to see how we make coffee.”

Unsplash Tabitha Turner

1. TREAT COFFEE AS A FRESH PRODUCT Freshness is key to flavour, so use freshly roasted coffee and grind to order - coffee ground for espresso can go stale in as little as 20 minutes. “In an ideal world, all beans would be the same size, shape, density and moisture content - this is far from the case with roasted coffee,” says Louise Cook, head of coffee at BEAR, which operates five outlets across the Midlands. “Consistently following intentional steps will have a big impact on reaching the final potential of the coffee,” she adds, citing accurate dosing using scales to 0.1g and a flat, even tamp.

Darren Rowlands, WatchHouse

By Jennie Milsom

Vol.23 Issue 4 | May 2022

35

FOCUS ON

foodservice

NEW PRODUCTS

FROM THE DELI KITCHEN SIMPLE RECIPES TO BOOST YOUR MARGINS

LEMON CURD BASQUE CHEESECAKE This cheesecake needs no base – it’s all about the filling. It’s cooked at a high temperature for a short amount of time, so the outside sugars caramelise and boost the flavour.

100g lemon curd, plus 80g for topping 3 large, free-range eggs 200ml double cream 1 tbsp vanilla paste 30g flour

Serves: 12 Prep: 30 minutes Cook: 40-45 minutes

Method: • Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7.

Grease a 20cm springform cake tin and double-line it, with two sheets of baking paper.

• In a mixer, beat the cream cheese with the sugars until soft. Add the 100g lemon curd and eggs, one at a time,

Ingredients: 650g cream cheese 120g soft brown sugar 60g dark brown sugar

beating in between each addition. Mix through the cream and vanilla for a minute, then sift in the flour and mix gently to combine.

• Pour the batter into the tin, and place on a baking tray in the oven. Cook for 40-45 minutes, until the outside is just caramelised and the centre still wobbly.

• Remove and allow to cool completely, then put in the fridge to chill.

• Top with extra lemon curd to serve.

Cakehead is now offering a

Raspberry Bakewell traybake for counters and cafés. Each Bakewell is supplied frozen to avoid wastage and is already pre-portioned into 14 slices (trade £17.60), with individual slices assigned an RRP of £3.50. Ideal with a cup of tea or a cappuccino, this cake can also be served warm with clotted cream. cakehead.co.uk

Joe & Seph’s has launched a Grab & Go range. The line-up includes Belgian Chocolate Popcorn Bites (27g, RRP £1.65) in Dark Chocolate and White Chocolate & Raspberry varieties, as well as 23g bags (RRP £1.20) of gourmet popcorn in three flavours: Salted Caramel, Belgian Chocolate, Camembert Cheese & Herbs De Provence joeandsephs.co.uk

Recipe by Jules Mercer for Fine Food Digest

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May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

Henley Bridge is introducing a unique soft serve frozen dessert to the UK. The supplier has teamed up with Jersey Dairy (marrying its Vanilla Luxury Softmix with high quality chocolate) to create UHT Chocolate Soft Serve for foodservice operations. The product, which is softer and less dense than ice cream, is available in a 1-litre tetrapak. hbingredients.co.uk

Our award-winning flour is produced from the finest ancient grains which are sustainably grown in the beautiful British countryside.

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34

May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

VISITOR REGISTRATION IS OFFICIALLY OPEN

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Join us at the Yorkshire Event Centre on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 June for Fine Food Show North 2022

Showcasing 150+ of the finest food & drink producers from across the UK, it is an essential event for buyers looking to source new and exciting products for their customers.

Across the two days you’ll discover brand new lines, pick up the latest trends, and be amongst the first to sample NPD from the top independent producers of the moment. PLUS meet the people behind the Great Taste Supreme Champion 2021, amongst many other award winners.

If you’re looking to source fresh new lines, gather buying inspiration, or learn insider tips about how to sell more of these products,

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Vol.23 Issue 4 | May 2022

39

SHELF TALK Three new salsas from The Bay Tree spice up a range of summer recipes for other Mexican-inspired dishes such as quesadillas and tacos. For a spicy chicken bake, pour the hot salsa over four chicken breasts and bake in the oven before serving with rice and corn on the cob.

Completing the new range is Hot & Smoky Tomato Salsa. This comprises a rich, darkly coloured tomato sauce with a smoky chipotle flavour. The hot-fruity chipotle is balanced by zest from the lime and a coriander note, which gives it an authentic flavour of Mexico.

Suggested uses include smearing in wraps with barbecued chicken or lamb and fresh salad. It also makes a perfect filling for calzone, a great condiment for hot dogs and a delicious marinade for pork chops. To make a tasty Hunters chicken, wrap four chicken breasts in smoked bacon and pour over the Hot & Smokey Tomato Salsa. Bake in the oven until cooked through.

All three of The Bay Tree’s new salsas come in 290g jars. Delivered in cases of six, priced at £14.40, the unit cost is £2.40 and the RRP is £3.60. thebaytree.co.uk

By Richard Charnley

With the barbecue and picnicking seasons rapidly approaching, Westcountry producer The Bay Tree is launching three salsas with differing levels of spice and heat that can be used in a variety of ways to enliven summer menus.

More than simply being used as dips, these salsas can also be poured over chicken strips or pasta in an oven-proof dish for a delicious bake.

The Mild Salsa is a thick and rich red salsa with tomato, sweet peppers and onions. It is sweet, sharp and has a mild chilli warmth.Perfect with nachos or as a pizza topping, it can also be used to liven up grilled chicken or with minced beef as the base for a mild chilli.

Alternatively, try it in a pasta bake served with fresh salad and garlic bread.

The Hot Tomato Salsa also uses tomato, sweet peppers and onions but delivers more bite thanks to its real chilli warmth. Great on burgers and fabulous with fajitas, this makes a perfect accompaniment

WHAT’S NEW Burts has overhauled its branding with a more nautical feel – bolstered by its partnership with the RNLI. The crisp-maker has also launched two new flavours of Ridges: Reaper Chilli & Lime and a Steak Surf & Turf flavour.

Available in 50g grab bags and 150g share packs to appeal both to consumers grabbing a snack on the go, and those wanting to share a packet of crisps. burtssnacks.com Cottage Delight, has developed a range of Platinum Jubilee themed, hand-crafted jams, chutneys, pickles and more that everyone can enjoy whilst celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee (2nd June to 5th June 2022). cottagedelight.co.uk Fountain Hard Seltzer has added two new flavours to its range. Watermelon and Raspberry accompany the existing Passionfruit and Mango flavours. Both are brewed using clean fermented alcohol, with no wines or spirits added, and are priced at £14 for a pack of six, £25 for a 12 pack. hellofountain.co.uk

Edinburgh’s Holyrood Distillery has introduced two ‘Strong Waters’ using heritage barley varieties Golden Promise and Chevalier. It distilled these barleys as part of its signature single malt new make and then blended them with neutral grain spirit, intensifying the flavours, while also developing their richness and mouthfeel.

43% ABV Golden Promise has notes of citrus, lemon zest and orange blossom and a clean, lemon blossom lift mouthfeel.

48% ABV Chevalier has a creamy, digestive biscuit scent, a rich, churned cream and butter taste and a rich and moreish finish.

Both have an RRP of £34.99. holyrooddistillery.co.uk

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

• Honey is nectar from flowers, which is made of invert sugar, a mix of glucose and fructose.

• On average, 300 bees take a month to make 500g/1lb of honey.

• One Australian eucalyptus blossom can supply a bee’s full load but it is more usual to have to visit up to 1,500 flowers.

• Honey is flavoured by the oils and essences of the original nectar, which largely survive gentle heat treatment.

Art Rachen / Unsplash

Paley Photography

Counter points Honey

• Most honey is heat treated; some are pasteurised.

Untreated honey is not sterile and can contain hazardous spores.

On average, 300 bees take a month to make 500g/1lb of honey.

• The best oils and scents of honey are destroyed in cooking. Add after cooking.

• By volume honey is twice as sweet as white sugar.

• Store comb honey standing up, not flat.

This is an extract from Glynn Christian’s book Taste!, published by Grub Street

Vol.23 Issue 4 | May 2022

41

SHELF TALK WHAT’S NEW Cotswold Fayre has secured an exclusive distribution partnership with authentic Turkish confectionery brand Hazer Baba. The wholesaler will now offer a full range of Turkish Delight. The brand, which is already well-known in the UK independent sector also offers a selection of traditional Turkish instant fruit teas. cotswold-fayre.co.uk Cartwright & Butler has unveiled limited edition Platinum Jubilee tea & biscuit selections (RRP £16) and a 25-chocolate Praline Selection (187g, RRP £13.50). It has also launched a London Collection range of biscuits (RRP £10) in three flavours: Salted Caramel, Strawberry & Clotted Cream, and Chocolate Brownie. cartwrightandbutler.co.uk Mr Bug has debuted four wheat-free dog treats made with locally produced mealworms. The Nutty One (Peanut Butter & Turmeric), The Fruity One (Honey, Cranberries & Apple), The Veggie One (Sweet Potato, Carrot & Parsnips) and The Cheesy One (Vegetarian Cheese & Beetroot) all come in 80g packs, at £3.50. mrbug.co.uk

My magic ingredient Ndudu by Fafa spice rubs & sauces MALIKA BASU Food writer and consultant I’ve been closely watching the flavours of West Africa, having been introduced to addictive Suya spice by the burger delivery company My Chale.

It appears I am in fine company, as Tom Kerridge has also cooked with Suya spice on TV recently.

This West African brand has caught my eye with its range chilli and cooking sauces, spice blends, flavoured teas and honey – every one of them with bags of salivatory appeal.

I love the fermented garlic in honey and anchovy & green chilli sauce.

The brand is beautifully designed and led by a warm, humorous, and fabulous personality Fafa Gilbert, with YouTube videos and quite the fan following online.

I’d bet good money on it going places in 2022. buyndudu.com

These West African sauces, spices, teas and honey caught my eye – every one with bags of salivatory appeal.

Mrs Bridges launches new look with fresh colourways

By Michael Lane

Independent retail stalwart Mrs Bridges has upgraded its look and feel, with the addition of a new colour scheme, fresh designs for its mop caps, and improvements to its gift packaging.

The Scottish brand’s four new colours – Dusky Orchid, Palace Blue, Langoustino and Shale Green – now appear across its extensive range of jams and marmalade. The company’s signature jar is also topped with a “new look” mop cap. Mrs Bridges says the new colours give stockists more autonomy over which products can be stocked for which seasons.

All the producer’s hampers and gift bags are now crafted from juco, a superior fabric and complemented by hand-packed recyclable gift boxes.

While the outsides have changed, what goes in the jars remains the same, with Mrs Bridges sourcing ingredients that range from Scottish raspberries, 42

May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

strawberries and blackcurrants through to citrus fruits from Seville. With over 150 products created exclusively for the independent retail sector, the range features vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. All its jams and marmalades are made in small batches using copper-bottomed pans.

The most recently refreshed roster is the Preserves Collection. Raspberry, Four Berry, Apricot & Peach and Strawberry Preserve are all available in cases of 6x452g jars (trade £5.40 per unit, RRP £8.95).

It has also launched a Langostino Breakfast Hamper (pictured), which includes Orange Marmalade with Ginger, Fine Cut Orange Marmalade, Pink Grapefruit Marmalade, and four Fruit Marmalade, as well as Scottish Strawberry and Scottish Raspberry Preserves.

Each set has an RRP of £20 (trade £11.95). mrsbridges.co.uk

Colombian snack brand Loro Crisps has bolstered its line-up with two new products. A new Sweet Chilli flavour is joining its range of plantain chips, which already includes Quimbaya Limón, Latin Chilli, Zipaquirá Salt and Uraba Sunshine.

The producer also has a new snack, Cassava Salt, made from yuca chips.

Loro Crisps are made from Colombian sourced green & yellow plantain fruit and yuca root-vegetable. They are said to be high in fibre and potassium, as well as low in sodium with no added sugar. They are also 100% vegan and gluten-free. 30g bags (RRP £1) are available in cases of 48, priced at £24. lorocrisps.com

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Vol.23 Issue 4 | May 2022

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May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

Our Chilli Jam is made with fresh Chillies all chopped by hand.

The perfect addition to a cheese board, salad or sandwich.

SHELF TALK MEET THE PRODUCER Greg Bateman developed an interest in brewing while he was still playing rugby professionally. He set up PEOPLE’S CAPTAIN not only to share his love of beer but also to support and champion mental health initiatives.

What were you doing before you launched People’s Captain?

I have played professional rugby for London Welsh, Exeter Chiefs, Leicester Tigers and now Dragons. While playing for Leicester I was sponsored by a local pub company and we decided to produce a beer to celebrate – my nickname was/is the ‘people’s captain’ so I borrowed that. I visited the brewery to learn more about the styles I enjoyed and wanted to make, from picking malts and hops and settled on the recipe for LEGEND. While still playing for the Tigers, Everards Brewery had the distribution rights at their Welford Road ground. I wanted to sell my beer there so ended up making it with them and created SHORT & STOUT. The rest is history.

Why did you decide to launch the brand?

A beer with my best mate once probably saved my life. I fell in love with the mindful creativity of brewing and wanted to invite others to look out for their mates and loved ones – using the social power of craft beer to bring people together and have a positive social impact.

What is the biggest lesson you have learned since starting the business?

We’ve learned that saying ‘no’ allows us to say ‘yes’ to what we’re focused on – there’s been a huge amount of interest and most of the ‘no’s are more often a ‘not yet’.

are spoilt for choice, there’s a plethora of amazing beers out there. I think what we do differently is that our messaging isn’t about us and our beers and how they’re better than other people’s (although we do have some award winners) – it’s about our PC family and the lives they want to lead – inviting them to join us in making an impact. So, while the beers themselves have gone down a storm, our marketing speaks more to the person who wants to make a difference and be their own community’s People’s Captain.

What’s the inspiration behind your support of mental health initiatives?

I mentioned earlier that pint with my best mate – after a string of bad (I’m choosing PR friendly language here) life events, I found myself in a difficult place with a feeling of disconnection and a loss of hope for the future. Quite frankly, I’d given up.

When I chatted with J (the mate in question) it not only was the first time I’d admitted it to someone else, but probably to myself.

It used to take 18-24 months to launch a new product, we can do it in days

What makes your craft beers stand out from others in a saturated market?

I find it funny that people think craft beer is a saturated market. It’s true that beer lovers

What’s the best thing about being a small business?

We can make decisions to best support our community at the drop of a hat. Our co-founder Stewart reminds me that it used to take 18-24 months to launch a new product. We can do it in days.

…and the worst?

Apart from cashflow? I think the hardest thing is choosing which opportunities to take on at any given moment. We’ve had so much love and support and the opportunities are endless, so staying patient and doing one thing at a time is hard when there’s been such a positive response.

What’s next for People’s Captain?

We’ll continue to build on our direct-toconsumer (D2C) presence but with the appointment of our Head of Sales, we’ll be expanding into on-trade and figuring out how to truly make a difference to the communities we’ll be serving. Growing the brand’s presence in independent retail is 100% on the cards – we’re in a few farm shops/delis and people are attracted to buy the beer for themselves or often as a gift for others, thanks to the eye-catching branding.

We would love to get our gift boxes on more shelves because this is a channel we want to develop further.

WHAT’S NEW Crosta & Mollica has launched its take on the classic Italian dessert, Tiramisù. This is the brand’s second foray into the frozen category after launching Tartufi earlier this year. The tiramisù comes in single-serve portions double pack (2x110g), RRP £4.50. crostamollica.com Bruha has relaunched its canned beer range in a new larger 440ml format. Based on the Norfolk-Suffolk border, the brewery offers three beers in these larger cans: Session Pale (3.9% ABV), the 4% ABV pilsner style Lager and Bruha IPA (5.6% ABV), made with Simcoe and Chinook hops. bruhabrewing.co.uk Yorkshire’s Sloemotion Distillery has teamed up with Sorted Food (a social media movement dedicated to cooking) to launch a limited edition Strawberry Gin Liqueur with Vanilla & Black Pepper. Available in May, the tipple is a marriage of local strawberries with the distillery’s Hedgerow Gin (featuring native botanicals like crab apple and nettle leaf). RRP £22.95 per 500ml. sloemotiondistillery.com

The latest preserving project from Suffolkbased ART’s Craft Kitchen is a range of jams made with Scottish fruit. Tayberry Jam is the first line under the Scottish Speciality banner.

Among the other sweet creations from founder Alice Talbot are Plum Bob and Bananaruma (banana & rum) jams. Products are available in 226g and 454g jars, with RRPs starting at £5 for smaller jars. artscraftkitchen.co.uk Vol.23 Issue 4 | May 2022

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May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

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With consumers becoming ever more discerning about what’s in their cup and how it got there, Nazani Tea explains how it can help you keep your herbal infusion offering up to date OVER THE PAST few years, a couple of trends have become very apparent – not just within the tea industry, but further afield in the press. The secret is out. Major players within the market have reported a slump in sales of black tea and teabags due to traditional tea drinkers being a dying breed. The consumers of tomorrow are taking more of a wholesome approach to tea drinking. Not only that but they are opting for herbal infusions over the standard cuppa.

Being more ethical In the age of awareness and the ‘conscious consumer’, people’s tea consumption habits are based more and more on the ethical sourcing and transparency of what they buy.

Are suppliers taking care of their teas and the environment?

Who picks and processes the teas? When were the teas harvested? Consumers want to be

a part of the journey from seed to cup, and appreciate naturally grown and processed teas and herbals.

‘Wildcrafted’ and ‘biodynamic’ are terms being used more and more within the industry, as consumers demand natural, sustainable and honest speciality teas and herbals.

“Consumers are thinking twice before grabbing their standard caffeinated tea bag, simply because it is ‘tea’,” says Nazani Tea’s founder Arleen Ouzounian.

“People’s consumption is not a given, it is a conscious decisionmaking process. Convenience and homogeneity are no longer the determining factors for tea buying, which is one of the reasons for the drop in sales.

Finally, the tea industry may enjoy the same revolution as coffee once did.”

Nazani Tea aims to provide consumers with an elevated and emotive tea experience. Based on

WHAT NAZANI TEA’S CUSTOMERS SAY

“Nazani Tea is the perfect 5* tea experience for our 5* spa.

Besides the well-being aspects of this tea experience, the aesthetic experience is food for the soul and eyes! Most beautiful teas ever!”

Taffryn Kinsey, spa director, Four Seasons London Park Lane “Nazani’s Tea Wild Mountain Mint is the best mint I have ever tasted.”

Guillaume Glipa, founder & coowner, Louie Restaurant

Herbal infusions’ popularity Along with the decline of the standard black tea bag, another trend which has not gone unnoticed is the massive growth in herbal infusion sales. In fact, one particular major player owes its recent sales growth entirely to launching a cold brew herbal infusions range. And another household black-tea-only brand has taken the plunge with launching a brand new herbal range.

“The caffeine-free lifestyle is growing year on year, with consumers increasingly becoming functionality driven and looking for health benefits such as antioxidants, detox/purifying, immune boosting, calming and energising,” says Ouzounian.

“Camellia sinensis (tea) cannot provide all these health benefits alone, and so consumers are splurging on herbal brews.”

Nazani Tea is working to resurrect ancient herbal infusions and with a focus on bringing innovative and new concepts to the market, including a new type of mint, a world-first herbal infusion (red amaranth), unique cocoa blends and colourchanging wildcrafted brews.

Commissioning harvests and working with small farming families across the world ensures freshness and traceability, which inspires consumers and staff alike. Handpicked, altitude-grown and foraged, are all words which appear in Nazani Tea’s vocabulary, and they’re proud of it.

Partner with Nazani Tea, says Ouzounian, and partner with the future. nazanitea.com

Vol.23 Issue 4 | May 2022

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DELI OF THE MONTH Now celebrating its tenth anniversary, George & Joseph has built a loyal following as Leeds’ only speciality cheesemonger. Here’s the story of how owner Stephen Fleming has grown the brand from market stall into a Yorkshire destination.

Interview by Tom Vaughan

A decade in cheese “YOU COULD SAY that this shop is my mid-life crisis,” says Stephen Fleming, owner of George & Joseph, in Chapel Allerton, two miles north of Leeds city centre. “And you know what? It’s better than a motorbike.”

The West Yorkshire city’s only specialist cheesemonger is currently celebrating its tenth anniversary after starting life in April 2012 as a market stall selling exclusively Yorkshire cheeses.

“I was an IT director for a law firm in Leeds city centre,” says Fleming. “I had worked in IT for 20 years, I was turning 40 and thought: ‘What would I do if I had my time again?’”

Looking for an answer, Fleming signed up with a cheese club taking place in Leeds at the time and noticed how popular it was.

VITAL STATISTICS

Location: 140 Harrogate Road, Chapel Allerton, Leeds LS7 4NZ Turnover: £520,000 Average basket spend: £14 Floor space: 320sq ft (retail), 160sq ft (back room) Average margin: 43% 48

May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

“I thought: ‘There’s no one selling cheese in Leeds’, and I saw an opportunity.”

He set up a market stall selling cheeses he’d sourced from across Yorkshire – 25 in total. He was the first stockist of Leeds Blue, a creamy Gorgonzola-esque cheese made

by Italian Mario Olianas in nearby Adel, and travelled across Yorkshire meeting local cheesemakers. Soon, customer demand was such that he began considering a move into bricks and mortar.

“I was living in Chapel Allerton, saw a little shop, did the numbers and signed on the bottom line.” The affluent suburb of Leeds, with a strong independent spirit, was the perfect site for the first permanent George & Joseph. And it allowed Fleming to expand his range to 50 cheeses from the UK.

Although it was tucked away in a side street, the shop built up a loyal following but it ultimately lacked the footfall of the main high street. “It was good being a wellkept secret, but actually we needed to be where the greengrocers and the butchers and fishmongers are.”

In 2017, Fleming snapped up a site on the high street and since then the business has taken off, now employing two full-time and three part-time staff. The increased space meant he could expand his range to 120 cheeses from across Yorkshire, the UK and the Continent, working closely with wholesaler Harvey & Brockless to perfect his offering. Shop turnover doubled with the move. In an average month, it now takes £30,000. What’s more, the site came with

MUST-STOCKS Leeds Blue Baron Bigod Killeen

some additional space that Fleming intends to turn into further revenue streams.

“When I started out, someone said to me: ‘you’ve got to have lots of spokes to the wheel’. You’re not going to make a living just selling bits of cheese over the counter.”

To help bring in extra revenue, Fleming runs fortnightly cheese tastings, which regularly sell out. Priced at £30 per person for 12 people, the event offers margins that are similar to shop sales. He has also staged cheese-and-wine tastings, cheese-and-beer tastings, even cheese-and-coffee, either at local cafés or on the shop floor. However, he will soon refurbish an upstairs room that’s previously been used for storage, to make a dedicated events space for tastings. It will also allow him to host a cheese school, having now been accredited as a training partner for the Academy of Cheese. The allday course is priced at £195, with Fleming paying the Academy of Cheese a small annual fee and a per-person delegate fee.

“It still works out as profitable for us and it fits with the business vision. We don’t just want to sell cheese, we want to be educators as well, and we want to have fun doing it.”

Other initiatives to help drive revenue have included a monthly cheese subscription service, the G&J Cheese Club, priced at £30 for a minimum of 400g of cheese. Numbers aren’t massive, says Fleming, but are fairly steady at around 30. “People will just buy a month or three months. It’s ticking along.

We’re trying to try to grow it but it’s a very crowded market.”

The subscription side might be only ticking over, but online sales have gone through the roof since Covid, he says. Before the first lockdown, the website was taking a few hundred pounds a month. That soared to £40,000 a month at the height of the

pandemic, and now sits at around £10,000 a month. The end of the pandemic has also meant the return of weddings, with pent-up demand seeing George & Joseph swamped with requests for their services. Tailormade to each function – with prices around £2.80 per person – the shop is happy either providing cheese to the caterers or arriving and setting up a cheese tower.

“We’ve always had the ethos with the wedding stuff, that the price you pay per kilo on the counter is the same as what you’ll pay for a whole wheel of cheese. We’ve heard a lot of horror stories of venues charging people a fortune for wedding cheese cakes.”

Christmas is a boom time for cheese retailers, and it’s no different for George & Joseph. A good festive period can add £50,000 to the business’s turnover - with 920 pre-orders in 2021, up from 500 the year before. Fleming rents a railway arch in Leeds city centre to help with the packaging and sorting of orders during December – which becomes a 24-hour operation during the run-in. And he’s recently begun to maximise the space’s year-round potential by opening it on Saturdays to sell cheese, coffee and pastries. “The arch next door is owned by a wine merchant. In the summer, we can do some events and tastings down there. We’re kind of hoping for that Bermondsey vibe.”

The independent-retailer community is especially strong around Chapel Allerton – with Fleming in constant dialogue with the greengrocers, butchers, fishmongers and other independents along the high-street.

As well as partnering with them on events, there is also a gentleman’s agreement in place not to tread on each other’s toes in terms of stock. Despite this, there has still

Dorstone Dale End Cheddar Richard III Wensleydale Truffle Pecorino Baltzersen’s pastries Leeds Bread Co-Op bread Lishman’s pork pies & sausage rolls Peter’s Yard sourdough crackers Rosebud Preserves Thistlemist Farm soups Dark Woods coffee

CONTINUED ON PAGE 51

Vol.23 Issue 4 | May 2022

49

THIS IS JACK Jack is the Roastery Manager here at Roastworks. Look how happy he is.

He’s happy because he leads a team who are all focused on raising the coffee game and delivering customers with the best tasting, sweetest, and the most characterful speciality coffees possible.

A great cup of coffee is no mistake. It’s the result of a deliberate choice to focus on quality made by every person in the supply chain, from amazing producers, to exporters, roasters, and of course, the end user - brewing the coffee. So every time someone chooses a bag of Roastworks speciality coffee, not only are you supporting everyone in the supply chain involved in raising the coffee game, you’re also keeping Jack happy. Winners all round!

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May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

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DELI OF THE MONTH been plenty of space for Fleming to expand his range beyond cheese.

“The overarching rule is that it has to go with cheese,” he says. Lishman’s pork pies and sausage rolls, Peter’s Yard Sourdough crackers and Rosebud Preserves are among the most popular items. In lockdown, he added non-cheese dairy items such as milk and butter and yoghurt, as well as bread and pastries. “There’s not nearly as much margin on bread and pastries but they bring people in every day. People will pop in for croissants and then go, you know, I can’t come in without buying stuff. I love it because it shows we’ve done something right. I want this to be a little Aladdin’s Cave.”

That said, not every new line has worked.

When the new shop opened in 2017, Fleming branched into sliced-to-order charcuterie, but didn’t account for how much time it would take to slice, or how much counter space it would require. Now, he’s done away with the slicer and sells pre-packaged salamis and chorizos.

Despite winning Best Specialty Cheese Retailer at the Great British Cheese Awards in 2018, the last few years haven’t been completely without their challenges.

Brexit has made Continental cheeses a lot more expensive and supply a lot more inconsistent. Meanwhile, spiralling costs are also having an effect on the business.

“Every week we get calls from suppliers or producers telling us of price rises because of fuel costs, fertiliser costs, transport. We try and absorb costs where we can, but at the same time, we’ve just been very open about passing some on and there’s very little pushback. We’ve seen our numbers stay fairly steady.”

Energy price increases are also kicking in, with refrigeration costs one of the business’s biggest outgoings. It has forced Fleming to try and claw back savings elsewhere. “It’s a bit random where you can find savings.

We’ve realised we can get away with fortnightly rubbish collections rather than weekly – that cuts that bill in half.

“Then I’ve been forensic about expenditure – shopping around for the cheapest items, in terms of things like paper bags, sellotape, which call all take time.”

The effect of the cost-of-living crisis on his customers is “constantly in the back of my mind at the moment”, he says. But he hopes that Chapel Allerton’s residents will protect the business to some degree, being of a demographic that still sees cheese as a treat worth splashing out on.

In terms of where he sees the business in five years’ time, Fleming admits he feels a strong pull to open a second shop. “I feel we’ve got something here that can be picked up and put somewhere else, it’s just finding the right area. What I’ve realised is that it’s all about this kind of suburb; about finding somewhere you can engage with the local community, but somewhere that also doesn’t already have a good cheese shop. I’ve just got to keep my ear to the ground and keep asking people in the know.” georgeandjoseph.co.uk

We don’t just want to sell cheese, we want to be educators as well, and we want to have fun doing it.

Vol.23 Issue 4 | May 2022

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THE UK’S LEADING SHOWCASE OF ARTISANAL FOOD & DRINK Speciality & Fine Food Fair is set to return for another sensational edition on 5-6 September 2022 at Olympia London.

Discover innovative new products, inspirational ideas and all the latest industry trends and insights from leading experts.

“Really pleased with the atmosphere, audience and organisation.

It has been an amazing food focused event for us.”

Frederick Kampman | Lowlanders Botanical Beers Co

SCAN HERE to sign up to our newsletter and be the first to find out when registration goes live.

www.specialityandfinefoodfairs.co.uk 46

May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

JOY ON A PLATE For generations now, our family has been making a real commitment to taste and excellence, hoping to help you add a bit of magic to every mealtime.

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May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

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GUILD TALK

View from HQ

By John Farrand managing director

YOU MIGHT, LIKE me, still be suffering from the fug of being locked up and not interacting properly for over two years. The instinct of business survival is still there, as we fight the next economic pitfall, but I’m worried that this struggle induces inward, rather than outward, thinking.

So, it was time to take the mind for a walk and see something new, different and thought-provoking.

news from the guild of fine food Our ‘walk’ took us to The Vale Pantry, a mini-market concept in Dorset near our HQ. It is busier than ever helping families and individuals in desperate need: those choosing to eat or heat.

We support the Pantry, as well as Blackfriars Settlement in southeast London, by donating food and drink products after Great Taste judging. I see crates of every type of food, drink and ingredient heading off from our judging rooms most weeks, but I had never seen its benefit with my own eyes.

The Vale Pantry, while being a social enterprise and charity, is a proper shop in Sturminster Newton, operating with volunteer workers. Shoppers pay £6 for all they can carry and pay at a real-life till.

There was a concerning, steady stream of those in need on the morning I visited, most in good spirits, chatting to the shop staff, seeking advice and counsel. It was a food and drink shop first, but it was certainly a doctors’ surgery, citizens advice and well-being hub, second.

The Word on Westminster

By Edward Woodall ACS

THE PRIME MINISTER continues to be haunted by the lockdown parties in No.10. This is sowing further division between Boris Johnson and his party, with many struggling to find the will to defend him. The clearest indication of this lack of confidence was the U-turn in the Commons vote to delay further scrutiny by Parliament of the Prime Minister. There were also public pleas for the PM to resign from senior Conservative MPs. With local election campaigns underway, the timing of these events could not be worse. While they will be an important indicator of Partygate’s impact, it would be fair to say the damage has already been done.

Instead, the Conservative

Government needs to look ahead to the General Election and be able to demonstrate a strong domestic agenda, by addressing the cost-ofliving crisis and demonstrating its commitment to levelling up. The upcoming Queen’s Speech will be the Government’s next opportunity to set a program and weave in their electoral messages. So, what should we expect to see?

We will see the introduction of the Levelling Up Bill, described by the Prime Minister as the “defining mission of this government”. We are likely to see more devolution powers introduced, planning reform, reform to business rates and mandatory reporting measures on levelling up. There has been a lot of talk about “levelling up” but little action, so this Bill will be an important starting point of the electoral narrative. Other important areas will be action on access to cash services, to protect consumer

news from the guild of fine food

It was there that a cruel irony struck me. The traditional food banks do important and necessary things but could there be a parallel approach that encourages those in need to make informed buying choices and opt for fresh foods?

I’m worried that this struggle induces inward, rather than outward, thinking It’s more nutritious than endless tinned and processed products and, in the long-term, a cheaper alternative.

Carole Jones, head-honcho at the Pantry was ahead of me, though.

“We’re doing weekly cookery classes for our shoppers using fresh ingredients available in store.

They’re over-subscribed”.

Now, that’s outward (and onward) thinking. choice around payment methods.

But it is often the areas the Government doesn’t address that are more telling and it’s rumoured the long-awaited Employment Bill – to reform employment rights and status – will not feature in the Queen’s Speech, again. This Bill has been promised since 2019 and given the changes in our working lives during the pandemic, this would have been a key moment for the Government to act.

For local shops, and many other food businesses, this would have been an important piece of legislation to recognize the secure, local and flexible employment we provide across communities.

It would have also addressed less secure employment models that we have to unfairly compete with.

Looks like we will have to wait a bit longer.

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

Sign-up for our support bulletin Our industry continues to face an incredibly challenging time, that’s why the Guild has continued to send out its support bulletin, via email, every fortnight. It aims to identify the information and Government support specifically relevant to independent food retailers and the producers who supply them. It also includes practical business advice and ideas from our community on smarter retailing, industry connections, and provides some much-needed “good news” stories.

Sign up at: bit.ly/support-bulletin

Come to Harrogate… …and improve your cheese retailing There are still spaces on the Guild’s Retail Cheese course, taking place on Wednesday 29th June following Fine Food Show North in Harrogate.

This one-day, hands-on course has been tailored to help independent retailers and their teams improve their skills, whether they’re experienced or beginners.

Book your place or explore alternative course dates at: gff.co.uk/training

The Guild of Fine Food represents fine food shops and specialist suppliers. Want to join them?

GENERAL ENQUIRIES Guild of Fine Food Guild House, 23b Kingsmead Business Park, Shaftesbury Road, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 5FB UK Tel: +44 (0) 1747 825200 Fax: +44 (0) 1747 824065 info@gff.co.uk gff.co.uk

THE GUILD TEAM: Managing director: John Farrand Special projects director: Tortie Farrand Sales director: Sally Coley Operations & marketing director: Christabel Cairns

Sales manager: Ruth Debnam Sales executive: Becky Haskett

Operations coordinators: Chris Farrand Sepi Rowshanaei

Marketing manager: Sophie Brentnall

Financial controller: Stephen Guppy Finance director: Ashley Warden Accounts assistant: Julie Coates

Operations managers: Claire Powell Meredith White

gff.co.uk Chairman: Bob Farrand Director: Linda Farrand

Vol.23 Issue 4 | May 2022

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UNITED COLOURS OF GAZPACHO

Brindisa’s classic gazpacho recipe now has friends.

All three sporting scrumptious new packaging.

Increasing the ways you can celebrate this summer with Spain’s iconic chilled soup.

Do you gazpacho?

#doyougazpacho 54

May 2022 | Vol.23 Issue 4

brindisa.com