FFD Nov-Dec 2014

MONIKA LINTON 12 MAIKE HACHFELD 6 “With DOPs you can do everything to a minimum standard and it’s ‘okay’. But we want to push the bar up.”

“From a business point of view, I’m probably still a bit higgledy piggledy”

SUFFERING SUPERMARKETS! 4 “As the market fragments, it should play into the hands of specialist indies” November-December 2014 · Vol 15 Issue 10

NATIONAL TREASURE Why Candice Fonseca’s second Liverpool deli-restaurant is the UK’s best indie food store

CHEF’S SELECTION 45 TV chef Brian Turner sings the praises of Royal Belgian Oscietra caviar, Severn & Wye smoked eel, Wharfe Valley rapeseed oil and Trealy Farm salami

CAPREOLUS FINE FOODS 23 A few kind words from Michel Roux Jr were ‘nearly as good as three Great Taste stars’ for the Dorset charcuterie maker

CHEESEWIRE 15 CHARCUTERIE 21 SEAFOOD 27 GLASGOW PREVIEW 31 EQUIPMENT & SERVICES 35 THE SOURCE PREVIEW 41 SHELF TALK 43 DELI OF THE MONTH 52

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 10

CELEBRATING

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OF DISTRIBUTION

To all our valued customers and suppliers.

Thank you for your support in 2014, we look forward to working with you again in 2015.

From

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November-DecemberWebsite: 2014 路 Vol.15 Issue 10 www.thecressco.co.uk

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Opinion

supermarkets that promised cheaper food was embraced by all – except, perhaps, Italian ex-POWs. At a conference in the mid-1980s at the Anuga exhibition in Cologne, BOB FARRAND I listened as German producers complained bitterly about the high profit margins demanded by British It’s difficult to resist just the teeniest supermarkets compared with their gloat about the dark clouds hovering home-based store groups – retailers above our major supermarkets. with strange names like Aldi, Netto Food campaigner Joanna and Lidl.

Blythman shows little restraint in our Arguments supporting the UK’s news report on p4, claiming, “the fat margins were based on high land supermarket sector is in meltdown”. prices and the mantra that British She believes they’ve overcharged consumers demanded shiny out-offor years, “putting a minimum 30% town stores with free parking, wide mark-up on everything they sell”. I aisles, glitzy displays, loyalty cards and know producers who’d be delighted free coffees. All wrapped in an illusion with 30% mark-up. Many claim the of high quality cheap food. supermarkets add closer to 45%.

Fast-forward to 2014 and I first moved to London 50 years the mantra ago, at a time has become when there were the illusion I first moved to few supermarkets. as consumers London 50 years ago, at Food shopping migrate to a time when there were was a daily ritual, the cheaper few supermarkets. Food foods sold by mostly in a small grocer’s in Notting shopping was a daily discounters. But Hill run by an Italian ritual. researcher Planet ex-prisoner-of-war Retail maintains who preferred working 14 hours that “not everyone wants to shop a day in London to the poverty of in Aldi or Lidl”, which underpins the Umbrian countryside. An early Blythman’s claim that “buoyant economic migrant, perhaps. and creative independent retail is During the fortnight following going from strength to strength”. payday, I paid for all manner of fine Liverpool’s Candice Fonseca is in little foods with handfuls of 3 shilling (15p) doubt consumers are ditching weekly Luncheon Vouchers. Later, as vouchers shops in favour of daily top-ups in and money ran thin, my loyalty was small, conveniently located high street rewarded with thick off-cuts of ham stores. fat, layered with English mustard Half a century on, it would appear and sandwiched between slices of that what comes around actually does yesterday’s bread for sixpence (2.5p). go around – eventually. Although I’m No margin, no use-by dates, no loyalty doubtful I could still manage a ham cards and precious little food waste. fat sarnie.

In the mid-1960s, the American concept of pre-packed goods began Bob Farrand is publisher of replacing freshly prepared food and Fine Food Digest and chairman the opportunity to shop weekly in of the Guild of Fine Food

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p21 p35

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EDITORIAL editorial@finefoodworld.co.uk Editor: Mick Whitworth Assistant editor: Michael Lane Art director: Mark Windsor Editorial production: Richard Charnley Contributors: Clare Hargreaves, Patrick McGuigan, Lynda Searby

ADVERTISING advertise@finefoodworld.co.uk Sales manager: Sally Coley Advertisement sales: Becky Stacey, Ruth Debnam Published by Great Taste Publications Ltd and the Guild of Fine Food Ltd Chairman/publisher: Bob Farrand Managing director/associate publisher: John Farrand Director/membership secretary: Linda Farrand Marketing & circulation manager: Tortie Farrand Administrators: Charlie Westcar, Julie Coates, Karen Price, Jilly Sitch Accounts: Stephen Guppy, Denise Ballance

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Printed by: Blackmore, Dorset, UK © Great Taste Publications Ltd and The Guild of Fine Food Ltd 2014. Reproduction of whole or part of this magazine without the publisher’s prior permission is prohibited. The opinions expressed in articles and advertisements are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations.

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Editor’s choice

Selected by MICHAEL LANE

Minor Figures cold brew coffee www.minorfigures.com

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Not to be confused with the ubiquitous iced coffee, cold brew is made by steeping grounds in cold or room temperature water for a prolonged period, rather than chilling hot coffee.

Until recently, the drink has been the preserve of enthusiasts at the trendier end of the spectrum. It tends to be supped in urban locations from craft beer-style bottles, often with craft beer price tags.

Fledgling brand Minor Figures is looking to broaden the drink’s appeal with a more accessible format while still using single origin coffee.

It may not be to everyone’s taste (Mr Whitworth isn’t entirely convinced!) but cold brew is catching on beyond the realm of the hipsters and these stylish little Tetra Paks are a space-efficient way of making sure your chiller keeps up with the times.

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www.ffdonline.co.uk Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

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fine food news Delis and farm shops must capitalise as consumers ditch their weekly trips to the Big Four

Opportunity for indies as supermarkets hit the skids

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Delis and farm shops are well placed to benefit from changing shopping habits as people move away from the big weekly supermarket shop, but they must adapt their businesses to prosper.

That’s the message from several industry experts contacted by FFD, who said the growing trend for ‘topup shopping’ – buying little and often from a variety of different retailers – represented a huge opportunity for independents savvy enough to take advantage.

Sales and profits at the previously dominant Big Four supermarkets are on the slide as once-loyal shoppers desert to Aldi, Lidl and Waitrose, while anecdotal evidence suggests that independents are also benefiting.

Campaigning food journalist Joanna Blythman argues that the supermarket sector is in “meltdown”, pointing to figures from the Office for National Statistics showing that sales at the Big Four have been stagnant or in decline since last May. “[The supermarkets] overcharge routinely, putting a minimum 30% mark-up on everything they sell,” she wrote in The Guardian last month.

“The myth of low prices has been demolished.”

One of the outcomes of this, she added, was that “buoyant and creative independent retail is now going from strength to strength”.

At research company Planet Retail, analyst Stephen Springham backed up Blythman’s comments.

“As the market polarises and fragments, it should play more into specialised indie retailers’ hands,” he said. “Not everyone wants to shop at Aldi or Lidl.”

However, he added that delis and farm shops need to maximise their advantages over larger competitors, focusing on product range, convenience, service and price.

“Price is always going to be the hardest given the lack of economies of scale most indies have,“ he said. “Only if they are in some way vertically-integrated (eg, farm shops) can they really hope to significantly undercut the multiples.”

“Playing to their service credentials is a more obvious differentiator, as is convenience.

Convenience is king and location is often key for time-poor consumers and commuters especially. But probably the best differentiator of all is product – stocking something that

4

Could Tesco offload Dobbies?

The shift from trolleys to top-up shopping means independents are gaining more customers

is not readily available elsewhere.”

At Delifonseca in Liverpool, which was recently named Best Independent Retailer in the UK at the Observer Food Monthly awards, owner Candice Fonseca said the shop had seen an increase in people shopping “as they need it” with convenient prepared products such as Wellington parcels proving popular.

“We’ve always opened to 9pm to catch the evening trade and we have a car park so its easy for commuters to pop in,” she said.

“We find that in Liverpool the Tesco Metros and Locals are all on high streets, which need to be accessed on foot, so its easier to come to us. We emphasise friendly and knowledgeable

in our service style and actively build relationships with our customer,” she said, adding that competing on price against the supermarkets was a “tall task”.

“Their constant dialogues have left the average consumer knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing,” she said. “The best the independents can do is consistently provide good service and fair pricing with lots of opportunities to taste the quality difference.”

Read more from Candice Fonseca in our Deli of the Month on page 52

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As the market polarises and fragments, it should play more into specialised indie retailers’ hands

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Stephen Springham, Planet Retail

Analysts have speculated that Tesco’s financial woes could prompt it to offload the Dobbies garden centre group, whose Farm Foodhalls concept has put pressure on independent farm shops in recent years.

The UK’s largest supermarket revealed a disastrous set of financial figures last month with trading profits from its UK business plummeting 56% in the 26 weeks to 23 August 2014, compared to the same period last year, while like-for-like UK sales fell 4.6%.

Tesco’s struggles could see it sell off non-core businesses, such as Dobbies, said retail analyst David Gray at Planet Retail. “With profitability falling, and the share price slashed, Tesco may have to do something drastic,” he said.

More than 20 of Dobbies’ 34 stores feature Farm Foohalls, which mimic farm shops with butchery, bakery and deli counters.

How delis are attracting top up shoppers We’ve made our daily ❛products more visible

People are looking for ❛quality convenience. They

More and more ❛people are telling us

– they might be more expensive but you put tasters out and people realise why. We’ve relocated our bread to right in front of the window, so people can’t help but see it as they walk past. They pop in because it’s easy to grab and go, and then they’ll remember they need butter, granola or coffee.

eat to live from Monday to Wednesday and then live to eat from Thursdays onward. We merchandise our range accordingly, focusing on staples earlier on in the week, like barley and stock for soups, and bring in more higher end breads and deliveries from Ginger Kitchen [gourmet ready-meals] from Thursday.

they are fed up with the supermarkets, but they also want convenience and inspiration.

So we’ve extended our opening hours and have started displaying all the ingredients for a dish with a recipe card, like eggs, chorizo and spices for a luxurious omelette.

Sangita Tryner, Delilah, Nottingham

Iain Hemming, Thyme & Tides, Stockbridge

Reece Lippolis, Urban Pantry, Sheffield

November-December 2014 · Vol.15 Issue 10

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Bath cheese-maker is on top of the world

IN BRIEF l Kilnsey Park Estate saw off

By MICK WHITWORTH

Four years after Philip Stansfield’s Cornish Blue was crowned champion at the World Cheese Awards (WCAs), the top title has returned to Britain courtesy of another West Country cheese.

Bath Blue, from the Bath Soft Cheese Co, was named World Champion at the 2014 WCAs, staged at BBC Good Food Show London on November 14, after a tense final judging session.

The organic blue was the last to be tasted by the Supreme Panel of 16 judges, narrowly beating Italy’s Caseficio il Fiorino and Croatian producer Sirana Gligora into joint second place. Until the final cheese was tasted, Caseficio il Fiorino’s Pecorino Riserva and Sirana Gligora’s Dinarski Sir were neck and neck to take the top title.

It was perfect timing for Bath Soft Cheese Co, owned by the Padfield family, which is just about to open a new 650 sq m production unit at its Park Farm base at Kelston near Bath (see FFD last month).

MD Graham Padfield said the investment had been a leap of faith, but the award gave the family “great confidence in the future”.

“It confirms we are getting our cheese right, and it’s wonderful endorsement,” he said.

The WCAs, now in its 26th year, returned to London for 2014 after a three-year run at the BBC Good Food Show in Birmingham. This year’s event drew entries from 33 countries including New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil.

Over 250 cheese experts from

Graham Padfield of Bath Soft Cheese Co (pictured) says the World Champion title gives his family firm ‘great confidence’ as it prepares to open a new dairy. The cheese triumphed over nearly 2,600 other entries at the 2014 WCAs.

l The Great Taste Winners 2014 app is now available to download from the iTunes store. The app, produced by 60secondreviews, features short reviews of this year’s Top 50 Foods by experts including chef Mark Hix, food critic Charles Campion and Selfridges’ director of food Nicola Waller.

l The revered Woodcock Smokery

26 nations travelled to London Olympia to judge nearly 2,600 cheeses in the space of a single morning.

The final judging panel of topname global experts – including Cathy Strange of Whole Foods Market in the US, Suzy O’Regan of Woolworths Foods in South Africa, Ros Windsor of London’s Paxton & Whitfield and Kris Lloyd of Australian artisan cheese-maker Woodside Cheese Wrights – then tasted a shortlist of 16 cheeses to select the World Champion.

O’Regan described Bath Blue as “the most incredible cheese”, while Louis Aird of Canadian cheesemaker Saputo said: “Sometimes

blue cheese can have a metallic flavour, and if it doesn’t it can be overloaded with salt, but this was a perfectly balanced blue with long, lingering flavours.”

At a lunch for the international judging contingent, the annual trophy for Exceptional Contribution to Cheese was presented to Roland Barthélemy, a French master cheesemonger who has played a pivotal role in the promotion and preservation of raw milk, artisan cheeses in France and beyond.

The Le Gruyère-sponsored Cheese Counter of the Year award went to Glasgow’s George Mewes Cheese.

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

The Startisans market is open daily in Covent Garden

with Startisans was to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem where ideas are transformed into businesses,” said MD John Shepherd, whose three daughters Alex, Kitty and Fi run the markets, including Startisans. “The market outside the

shop has been running for nine years and we just don't have space for all the companies that want to take a stall. Startisans aims to nurture new businesses and act as a launchpad for them.”

The mix of producers at Startisans changes on a daily basis, but includes companies such as Comptoir Gourmand (French patisserie), Chilli Pig (condiments), Innocente (coffee), Seriously Italian (handmade pasta), Chango Empanadas and Sticky Beaks (slow-cooked meats).

Partridges has also launched a range of healthy food products under the Superfood Startisans brand including Vereo salads, snack pots and ‘ready to go’ meals, Plenish Cleanse cold pressed, raw juices and Olly superfood bars. www.startisans.net

in West Cork, Ireland, is up for sale and owner Sally Barnes is looking for a buyer to continue her life’s work. Former Great Taste Supreme Champion Barnes will give her successor full training in the art of smoking to ensure continuity for Woodcock’s customers across the EU and further afield. As well as the production premises, the sale also encompasses a “charming period residence” with three bedrooms.

Interested parties should email sally@woodcocksmokery.com

l Shrewsbury’s Battlefield 1403 Farm Shop has built a giant turkey from straw bales on the nearby Battlefield roundabout in order to promote the locally reared bronze turkeys it is stocking.

l Ashburton Delicatessen has been

www.finefoodworld.co.uk/wca

Partridges sets up indoor market for start-ups London food hall operator Partridges has opened an indoor market in Covent Garden to showcase start-up food and drink companies.

Startisans is housed in a 1,300sq ft former warehouse and is open seven days a week from 8am to 3pm.

It features a changing line-up of small producers selling takeaway food and retail products. There are 15 pitches at the site, which cost between £10-50 per day to rent, with Partridges keen to hear from new food and drink businesses interested in taking space.

The venture builds on the company's hugely successful weekly market outside its Sloane Square food hall, plus around 20 other Shepherds Markets, which are run in various locations across London.

“Fundamentally, our aim

competition from Holmfirth Vineyard and Lord Stones Country Park to walk away with the prestigious Food Destination of the Year title at the Yorkshire Life Food & Drink Awards. Opened initially as a fish farm in 1978, the estate also features fishing lakes, an artisan smokehouse, a café and a shop.

named Devon’s Best Retailer for the second year running in the Food & Drink Devon Awards. The deli was taken over and refurbished by mother and son team Sue and Robin Hudson two years ago.

l The Jolly Farmers pub in Surrey, which was one of the first in the country to open its own deli, has launched a range of condiments.

Briscoe’s Jellies come in 12 flavours including Ever So Mint and Curious Chilli and are based on recipes used in the pub kitchen. Visitors to the ‘deli-pub’ can watch the jellies being made in the production area.

l Waitrose plans to open a new cookery school at its Salisbury Food and Home shop. It will be the first outside London and follows the success of its school on Finchley Road. It is also adding a juice bar, wine bar with tapas, service counters and a café to the branch.

Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

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fine food news EHOs and industry join forces on charcuterie code of practice Work is underway on new guidelines for making and selling artisan charcuterie, following a meeting of producers, retailers and enforcement officers at the Guild of Fine Food’s Dorset HQ in October.

In partnership with the Guild, environmental health specialists from Cornwall Council have begun drafting two codes of practice – one for producers and one for shops – covering those aspects of food safety most likely to cause disputes between businesses and enforcement officers.

These include key measures in the safe production of salamis and air-dried meats, such as pH and water activity, and guidance on storage and display of charcuterie in delis.

Due to be finalised by next autumn, the codes are designed to help EHOs with limited knowledge of charcuterie to take a less cautious approach to enforcement, and give producers clearer rules to work within.

The retail code should help delis offer a more varied Continental-style meats range and display more products at ambient temperature.

The project is being backed by the Guild as part of FFD’s industrysponsored campaign to support and grow the market for British and Continental charcuterie. Funding for the project has come from the Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO).

Once the twin codes are in place towards the end of next year, the Guild hopes to agree a Primary

Producers, retailers and enforcement officers met to begin work on the charcuterie code project at Guild of Fine Food HQ in mid-October

Authority scheme with Cornwall Council. Provided a producer or shop signs up to the codes via the Guild, the guidance agreed by Cornwall as the ‘primary authority’ should then be accepted by every other local authority in England and Wales. This would prevent producers and shops facing different rules depending on the approach of their local EHO. The Guild and Cornwall Council are also being funded by the BRDO to develop a training course for EHOs to help them understand the new codes.

Cornwall Council is already developing a similar Primary Authority scheme with the Specialist Cheesemakers Association, linked to the trade body’s own Code of Best Practice for producers.

Jean and Martin Edwards of

If I'd known then what I know now...

Cornwall’s Deli Farm Charcuterie and David Richards of Capreolus Fine Foods in Dorset (see interview – p23) were among those who attended October’s meeting to start shaping the charcuterie codes.

They were joined by Harrods head of food safety Phil Farrington, deli owner and Guild steering committee member Charlie Turnbull, Guild training co-ordinator Jilly Sitch, FFD editor Mick Whitworth and Cornwall Council senior trading standards office Andy Burnside. The meeting was led by Justine Wadge and Rosea Reynolds of Cornwall’s public health & protection department, who are leading the project.

Deli Farm’s Jean Edwards told FFD that developing a code for both producers and EHOs to work to was

learn my physical limits. Because I don’t have a business partner and am a control freak, in the beginning I worked 16 hours a day, seven days a week. I now have a fabulous team of five full-time and three part-time MAIKE HACHFELD HACK & VELDT, CHISWICK, LONDON staff, ensuring I don’t work myself into resenting the place.

Our draft second year accounts making sandwiches and coffee Growing up, I spent a lot of time show a profit, which I am really and working the till. Now we in France and came to love the pleased about. Turnover is about always have three staff on before concept of the French grocery store £500,000 and sales are improving 11am. Even then it’s manic – but – the épicerie. When I first came on a monthly basis. From a business manageable. It also means that the to the UK from Germany I couldn’t point of view, I’m probably still a bit sandwiches are ready for commuters find anything like this and thought higgledy piggledy, but there might be a niche for it. Just a then my motivation In the first few months it down-to-earth place where you can has never been buy all your staples and sit in, have was just me in the shop every money – what makes a coffee and a bite to eat and shoot morning, making sandwiches me happiest is when the breeze with the staff and other and coffee and working the people around me are customers. till. Now we always have three happy too.

I’m pleased to say that, after There is still a lot to staff on before 11am. being open for nearly two years, we be done before I will have created a sociable and inclusive be completely happy with Hack & to buy on their way to work space. People step in for a coffee Veldt though. As we are a ‘shop you rather than barely being ready by and end up sitting at the communal can eat in’ rather than a deli-café, lunchtime, so we don’t miss out on table chatting to somebody they we don’t have an eat-in menu. morning trade. never met before.

Information is dotted about on I am pretty energetic and thrive In the first few months it was blackboards and people who aren’t on being busy but I have had to just me in the shop every morning,

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November-December 2014 · Vol.15 Issue 10

“very important for the industry as well as public health”.

“Our Continental cousins have been preserving by this method for hundreds of years and have been brought up understanding the process and any possible problems that might arise. But there has never been a history of preserving meat by air drying in our country, so it’s still very new to everyone.”

Some producers are worried a new national code could cut across rules they have already negotiated with local EHOs and make it harder for them to produce existing recipes.

But others says the guidelines could reduce the risk of inexperienced producers undermining the fledgling British charcuterie sector by selling unsafe products.

Cornwall Council’s Justine Wadge stressed the code would only set out parameters such as maximum storage temperatures needed to comply with food safety law. Within this, producers would still be free to develop their own unique recipes.

Jean Edwards agreed the code would not hinder the growth of British charcuterie. “There are lots of different ways to produce ‘safe’ air dried products but getting the code right will mean all EHOs are working to the same set of standards.”

Once the first drafts of the codes have been agreed next Spring, the Guild will be sending them out to members for consultation. familiar with the place wouldn’t necessarily know what they could order. I’d like to maintain this casual approach but make it easier for customers to see at a glance what we have to offer. We have a licence and I’d like to start doing platters with our produce, too.

I’d also like to improve our marketing, hold more events and look at online ordering and deliveries. At present, logistically that seems a long way off but one lesson I have learnt is not to shy away from new things out of fear that we’re not quite ready. Often these have turned out to be our biggest successes. For example, we’ve just started hosting wine school evenings where we match wine and food. The first time it was tough preparing everything during shop hours then welcoming the first guests barely half an hour after closing. Now we are much better at it and are starting to think about more evening events.

Interview by LYNDA SEARBY

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fine food news new openings

Opening or expanding a shop? Email details to editorial@finefoodworld.co.uk

Walter Smith opens two more garden centre farm shops A.Cold Distributors

By MICHAEL LANE

Midlands butcher Walter Smith is continuing its retail expansion apace with two more farm shops opening at Garden Centre Group sites before the end of 2014.

Famed for its Great Taste Supreme Champion pork pies, the company was due to open a 2,500 sq ft outlet at Melbicks Garden Centre in Coleshill, east of Birmingham, and a 3,000 sq ft shop at Bridgemere in Nantwich – Europe’s largest garden centre – as FFD went to press.

These latest openings follow the retailer’s first full farm shop, which opened in June at Huntingdon Garden and Leisure in Cambridgeshire, and take the total number of stores in Walter Smith’s portfolio to 18.

All three of these stores feature a full butchery counter as well as deli counters and large ambient product ranges.

Suppliers are mix of local producers and national players like Rowcliffe, Olives Et Al and Hider, but Walter Smith director Robert Jones said that meat would be the core offering at these outlets. “Wherever I open a shop, my free-range pigs, Staffordshire lambs and pure-bred Hereford beef come with me and they are present in each of these farm shops,” he said.

Jones told FFD that Walter Smith’s arrangement with the Garden Centre

Group, which sees the butcher pay a base rent plus a percentage of its takings, has allowed him to cope with the pressure on the business’s traditional butchery shops.

“Trading on the high street has become very challenging in some locations,” he said. “My business is in the heart of the Black Country, where we had heavy industry. All those things have moved away from us and now the customer base has left us.”

Jones added that he had been able to close one of his struggling shops and transfer the staff to the

Upton Smokery

The Whitby Deli Whitby, North Yorkshire

Potterspury, Northants The smokery’s second retail outlet is a farm shop at Wakefield Country Courtyards.

As well as Upton’s own range of smoked fish and meat, the shop will also carry a range of English and Continental cheeses, British and Continental charcuterie, preserves, honeys, vinegars and oils as well as fresh seasonal meat and produce.

The smokery, which also runs a shop in Burford, Oxfordshire, plans to install its own bakery on the Wakefields site and will be moving the production of its smoked salts and peppers there too.

Run by Chris and Vix Mills, Upton Smokery’s range includes smoked salmon, chicken, duck, goose and pigeon, as well as garlic.

It supplies its smoked foods to pubs, restaurants, hotels, catering butchers and wholesalers.

Walter Smith’s farm shop at Huntingdon Garden and Leisure was opened in June while two more outlets are opening at garden centres during November

The seaside town of Whitby was “crying out for a deli”, according to the owner of this new shop.

“There’s a lot of places that open up just for tourists but we’re a local shop for local people,” says Catherine Cook of The Whitby Deli, which has a deli area with a serveover and a café serving platters and light meals.

Cheeses are supplied by Andy Swinscoe at The Courtyard Dairy

new Huntingdon location.

“I’ve got a mass of highly skilled artisan butchers so it’s easy for me to close a shop and re-deploy them into a garden centre.”

Jones, who is also the Midlands chairman for the Q Guild of Butchers, said the move into garden centres was inspired by a visit to Somerset butcher and fellow Q Guild regional chairman Jon Thorner’s retail and wholesale operation. “I saw what he was doing [in garden centres] and saw how that could fit into our business model,” he said.

www.waltersmith.co.uk

Ludlow Food Centre

while the shop also features a Borough Wines vending system and beer from local breweries, including Ilkley Brewery.

As well as sourcing products from national suppliers like Bespoke Foods and The Bay Tree, Cook also sources products from the food centre at nearby Botton Village, a community for people with learning disabilities. www.thewhitbydeli.co.uk

Despite the success of these outof-town ventures Jones said that there was still life in the high street and he was looking for town centre retail locations.

“I don’t see everything flowing out of town,” he said, citing the ongoing success of his longstanding Q Guild shop in Lichfield and the shop he opened two years ago in Albrighton, Shropshire.

“We would not be blinkered and just have a portfolio of garden centres,” he added.

Ludlow, Shropshire

Following its recent expansion into a unit in Ludlow town centre, the retailer has expanded its retail space at the Food Centre itself.

A disused upstairs room, which has previously served as a conference facility and temporary café, has been converted into an area for kitchenware and gifts.

Many of the products will be supplied by local craftspeople, including potter Mike Fletcher from Wenlock Pottery, who currently makes plates, bowls and mugs for the Centre’s café, Ludlow Kitchen. www.ludlowfoodcentre.co.uk

www.uptonsmokery.co.uk

Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

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fine food news Farm shops at increased risk from theft as level of rural crime rises

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

‘Insurance can’t cover lost sales’

Tom Gowanlock.Dreamstime.com

Farm shops are increasingly being targeted by criminals, who see them as a soft touch, and the number of break-ins is rising.

According to industry experts, the remote nature of farm shops and the promise of cash and expensive foods on the premises have made them attractive to thieves.

While overall crime rates in the UK are falling, rural crime is on the up with the cost to businesses increasing by just over 5% in 2013, according to insurance group NFU Mutual. While specific figures for farm shop break-ins are not available, a spokesman for NFU Mutual said there was no doubt the sector had seen an increase in crime – a view that was backed up by FFD’s own research, which found at least a dozen farm shops have experienced break-ins or attempted break-ins in the past six months.

“Farm shops are a target because they contain goodies – cash or food and equipment – that can be easily sold on,” said Tim Price, NFU Mutual’s rural affairs specialist. “Farm shops are also sometimes in less substantial buildings that are wooden or are put up next to the main farm.”

Earlier this year, the Rural Services Network, which works to improve services in rural communities, set up the National Rural Crime Network to encourage police forces to share

Insurer NFU Mutual advises farm shops to install substantial locks, fencing and alarm systems to deter criminals

information and best practice on how to combat rural crime.

Spokesman Nick Payne said farm shops were seen as “easy pickings” because of their isolated locations.

“Criminals think they have a reasonable period of time before

there is any sort of response,” he added.

NFU Mutual recommends that retailers ensure all gates on their land are locked at night and that they secure buildings with substantial locks, fencing and alarms.

Scarlett & Mustard’s Ruddock among Investec award-winners

FOODHALL MAKEOVER: Steaming bowls of ramen noodle soup are on the menu at Selfridges on Oxford St after a revamp of its food hall. Tonkotsu, one of London’s best ramen restaurants, has taken a concession at the store as part of the relaunch, which also sees the introduction of butchers Turner & George and Southbank Fish to run the fresh fish counter.

Others include Italian sandwich counter Sfilatino and Caviar House and Prunier, with a coffee concession from Caravan, hemp and almond milk from Mylk Made Bar, and cold pressed juices from Press to follow. The food hall has a “cleaner, fresher, more cohesive and streamlined” feel, while blackboards and clear branding tell the stories behind the products. www.selfridges.com

Scarlett & Mustard co-founder Sandy Ruddock was among the small food and drink producers to win an award in the inaugural Investec Food & Drink Entrepreneur of the Year competition.

Ruddock, named Best Newcomer at a ceremony at the House of Commons on November 6, set up the company in her family kitchen in Suffolk during early 2012 and has seen it gain listings with more than 500 retailers and expand its range to 24 products. The Scarlett & Mustard line-up includes dressings, oils, marinades and a range of fruit curds.

A judging panel that included Lord Bilimoria of Cobra Beer, Julian Metcalfe of Pret a Manger and Sahar Hashemi of Coffee Republic decided the winners.

The founder of online coffee company Pact, Stephen Rapoport, was named overall winner of the competition.

Among the other people to

win awards were the founder of preserve-maker Rubies in the Rubble, Jenny Dawson (Best Young Entrepreneur), and Sarah Dunning (Best Retail Entrepreneur, £20m+ turnover) chief executive of Westmorland, which runs the acclaimed Tebay and Gloucester Services.

For a full list of winners, visit www.investecfoodanddrink entrepreneuroftheyear.com

Sandy Ruddock (right) receives her Best Newcomer award from Jo Simmons of category sponsor Business is Great Britain

The owner of Beechcroft Farm Shop near Winchester was left devastated in February after £3,000 worth of meat was stolen from her premises.

Thieves drove across Rachel Waldron’s land and cut through fences to reach the shop on a Friday night before cleaning out the shop’s storage fridge. They took six lambs, three pigs and half a cow, which had all been butchered into joints ahead of a busy trading period.

The shop has since spent £4,000 to £5,000 on a new security system, which includes an alarm connected directly to the police and to the Waldron family themselves.

“After spending so long looking after our animals and making sure they lived happy lives, to have someone take everything was just awful,” Waldron told FFD. “The insurance paid for the value of the meat but it didn’t cover lost sales while we got back on our feet.”

“Our general advice is to give an impression and a reality that security is a major issue,” said Price. “These sorts of precautions are called ‘target hardening’ and mean thieves keep driving along looking for something easier.”

Hider invests £1m in expansion and improvements Hider Food Imports has completed the construction of an additional 25,000 sq ft of warehousing as part of a £1m investment in improvements in the last 12 months.

The distributor has budgeted for future growth and now has more than 100,000 sq ft of space across two sites.

This expansion will allow Hider to improve the accuracy and efficiency of its picking and order fulfilment, improve stock rotation and reduce waste as well as cope with increased seasonal demand.

The company has also added a 10,000 sq ft goods-in marshalling area to inspect the quality of its incoming stock and ensure its traceability.

In addition, the business has upgraded its office accommodation for sales and buying teams and revamped its website. www.hiderfoods.co.uk

Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

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fine food news

T

here are some speciality businesses – Neal’s Yard Dairy, Cottage Delight, Tracklements – that feel like fixtures in our sector.

Brindisa, the Spanish food importer, retailer and restaurant operator launched by Monika Linton nearly 27 years ago, is surely among them.

Other importers are available (as the BBC might say) but Brindisa would the first brand on the lips of many deli owners when asked to name a Spanish food specialist.

But think about some of the changes faced by independent delis since 1988, particularly the huge swing in favour of local food and drink, and you can see why Brindisa has had to make some adjustments to survive.

In an interview with Director magazine in 2010, Linton talked about the difficulties of steering Brindisa through the recession. The slump in the value of the pound against the euro had driven a coach and horses through her profits.

She had been forced to close her Clerkenwell shop (smaller sister of the company’s well-established outlet in Borough Market) and, more painfully, shed jobs, reducing her workforce to a little over 150 across the warehouse, shops and restaurants.

Four-and-a-half years later, when we meet over a post-lunch platter of Iberico ham and a glass of something red at Casa Brindisa in South Kensington – one of the four Brindisa ‘tapas kitchens’ – Linton still talks freely about her continuing business challenges, like reining back on a new product development process that, by the sound of it, had got slightly out of control. “We had a few years where we added a lot of new lines, which is an expensive process. Not many last more than one or two years, and you can end up with a very long tail.”

But she also reports that employment in her restaurants is running close to 200, with a further 70 working across the warehouse, shops and the new Brindisa Food Rooms in Brixton. So she’s clearly doing something right.

Linton started Brindisa in 1988, initially as a importer-wholesaler, after three years working in Barcelona. It was 10 years before she set up her own shop, at Borough Market, and in 2004 she opened the first of her tapas restaurants. A standalone business, this now turns over £8m a year in its own right. “I have a controlling interest in the restaurants,” Linton tells me, “but I have other partners too, because basically I come from a warehouse! I can’t run restaurants.”

Under the banner of the core wholesale business, which will notch up £12m-13m in sales this year, there are three main revenue streams: trade sales to specialist shops and restaurants; Brindisa’s own retail sales (worth about £2m, including online); and “food solutions”, which

12

Mediocrity not spoken here Interview

Spanish foods specialist Brindisa has had to bend to the changing needs of retailers, consumers and suppliers. But as founder Monika Linton tells MICK WHITWORTH, that doesn’t mean giving in to the mediocre. means either finding existing Spanish products or developing new Spanish products “that suit the big boys, whether that’s supermarkets or manufacturers”.

Her latest venture, opened earlier this year, combines retail and foodservice in one (almost) joined-up operation. The Brixton Food Rooms, in multi-ethnic South London, comprises a shop and café-bar under adjacent railway arches, and is loosely based on the Catalan llesqueries of Barcelona – snack bars serving sliced breads with tomatoes, cured meats and cheeses.

It is owned by the warehouse business, and is “the new kid on the block”, yet to settle into its final shape. “The motivation behind having the two side by side was to enhance the deli offer,” says Linton, “because delis are finding it hard to stand alone.

November-December 2014 · Vol.15 Issue10

We wanted the café to predominantly sell food that was also in the shop, so people could make the connection between the two and they could help each other out with stock and keep it turning over. That’s the problem with a lot of delis – if they don’t have the turnover they can start to look a bit sad.”

Brindisa is clearly still playing with the format. “The two units are physically separated, and that has provided more of a challenge than we thought. There’s no window between them, so it’s hard to remember that the other side is there. And we wouldn’t need as many staff if they were in a single space.

“Its not ideal, but it’s early days.

Brixton is a community with its own rhythm – it’s not central London – and I’m not expecting it to find its place

for another year.”

I ask Linton how the rise of ‘local food’ over the past decade has affected her business. “It’s a real change,” she says. “The space given to Continental food is obviously reduced, whether on the shelf or in the deli counter. And that has diluted interest in some of those goods. So, for example, instead of having a special Manchego from a particular farm, people just want a generic Manchego to fill a space.”

This is a big issue for Brindisa, because recognising the difference between generic products and niche specialities is what gives both the wholesaler and its serious deli or restaurant clients their point of difference.

When Linton set up in business, the Spanish government was only just

Raise your standards Many delis stock a few ‘standard’ Spanish protectedname cheeses, like Manchego DOP. But Monika Linton says specialist shops can do better. Here are three alternatives from Brindisa’s list.

Campos Goticos is an alternative to the generic Castellano IGP, and comes from Castilla y Leon, Spain’s dominant dairy production region. “There are many very large dairies making Castellano-type cheeses but selling them under the producer’s brand,” says Linton. “We’ve selected this one as its a small producer using rare-breed milk from churra sheep.”

Vicente Pastor is producer-branded version of the generic Zamorano DOP. Zamora, a province of Castilla y Leon, has its own DOP label as the breed of sheep, the pasture and the climate are all different from other parts of the region, says Linton. But there are large dairies keen to grow their production with using milk from other regions and from sheep breeds that the DOP does not currently permit. “We’ve chosen Vicente Pastor because it’s made by a small family business who farm and pasture their purebreed herd and make and age their own cheese.”

Most Manchego producers had their own family brand label before the DOP was established, and still use these brands, without the DOP label, for cheeses that don’t stick strictly to the DOP rules. Villarejo is a Manchego-style cured sheep’s milk cheese that’s available plain or with or with rosemary-coated rind.

The new Brixton Food Rooms (top) are a work in progress, says Monika Linton, while the range at Borough Market (above) is being tweaked to meet a shift in demand towards ready-to-eat foods

starting to seek legal protection for its indigenous national and regional products. Manchego, the classic ewes’ milk cheese from La Mancha, now has Denominación de Origen (DO) status in Spain and the EU’s Protected Designation of Origin (DOP) mark. But as Linton says, while the DOP provides a set of rules, it doesn’t automatically make the product special. “With DOPs you can do everything to a minimum standard, and it will be… okay. But we want to push the bar up.”

This means seeking out farmhouse producers or sourcing the more interesting Manchego-style cheeses from bigger makers that don’t necessarily fill the PDO rules– they might be made with milk from outside the PDO region, for example, or aromatised with herbs. An example is the Villarejo rosemary cheese from

Cuenca: to all intents and purposes an artisan Manchego, but coated in herbs.

There are several other Manchego-style cheeses in Brindisa’s catalogue (see box) that offer an interesting alternative for specialist retailers, but the challenge is communicating their special qualities to both retailer and shopper. “It’s about finding individuals in businesses who care about the difference, and are confident in passing that on to consumers. Delis have more time to tell those stories, but unfortunately there are not that many of them.”

Over 27 years, Linton has watched her independent retail clients come under more pressure. “Most of our trade customers have to have a point of difference to survive, like being an amazing cheesemonger or

having a great tea-and-cake offer in the afternoons.

“With small-format supermarkets popping up everywhere, even the traditional corner stores that we love are finding it difficult.”

She continues: “That’s what I hate about the mediocrity of the supermarket offer. The traditional c-store was a part of the community, and then you had your delis and butchers and bakers. Now, the supermarkets have taken this mediocre middle position, and the traditional, specialist shops can’t compete.”

This, she says, is why it’s so vital that counter staff in independent stores – including Brindisa’s own – are trained to get across the difference between the mediocre and the exceptional. “That’s why we wanted to try a deli-restaurant in Brixton: to show that it’s still possible to buy something really special from people who can talk to you about it.”

Linton admits she is “walking a very fine line”, trying to satisfy both her retail and foodservice clientele and her suppliers, and to maintain the integrity of her products in a market where fewer outlets can afford to take really high-end lines.

“We do sell some stuff into supermarkets, partly because suppliers want that volume. Then we have other, smaller suppliers that couldn’t do that volume, but they are lesser known, higher value – and that means harder to sell, even to delis.”

Some of the Spanish speciality producers she has represented for decades – notable Ortiz tinned fish and Nunez de Prado oils – have grown up and are now looking for volume in the UK that can only be

met through the multiples, especially as the domestic Spanish market is strugging. “Some of our suppliers have aspirations that are greater than we thought, and we can’t have it all our own way. But often the RRPs don’t suit the supermarkets anyway, so you can end up with stalemate.”

Linton is also rethinking Brindisa’s own range in the light of changing shopping habits. Despite a tidal wave of cookery shows, celeb chefs and more, she is seeing a move away from scratch cooking. Even in the foodie oasis of Borough Market, sales of “things in jars” are slowing up, whereas sliced meats, cheeses, fish and other easy, ready-to-eat foods are on the rise. She is planning to refocus Brindisa’s range on these products, in which it excels, taking out some of the slower moving jarred ingredients, fancy chocolates and other stuff in “flouncy boxes”.

“I know Borough is not typical, but the number of people buying bottles of oil is reducing. I think they’re getting tired of it. And people don’t know what to do with vinegars – they’d rather buy a Cottage Delight salad dressing! But the stuff they can use for mezze and appetizers at dinner parties – the olives, the roasted peppers, the meats and the cheeses – those are flying out. And chorizo is taking over the world.”

She also finds that the shopping experience is becoming as vital as the products. “At Borough we’ve got amazing olives and anchovies in tins, but people want to buy them loose from the counter, even though they’re the same products. I do think that interaction is still important for people.” www.brindisa.com

Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

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· Vol.15 Issue 10

@SourceFoodDrink

www.thesourcetradeshow.co.uk 23/10/2014 13:07

cheesewire Unsung heroes Hidden gems from British producers

news & views from the cheese counter

Paxton’s pops up with second London outlet

BARWHEYS In a nutshell: This farmhouse raw milk cheddar made by Tricia Bey has become popular in Scotland since 2010. Matured for 12-14 months, the cloth-bound cheese is handmade in small batches with Ayrshire milk in 8kg truckles. Bey matures a small number of cheeses, known as Barwheys Beasties, for 24 months and makes a smoked version using whisky barrel chippings.

Flavour and texture: It has a close, creamy texture and a long complex flavour with sweet and savoury notes. “There are caramel and nutty flavours and a bit of a tang,” says Bey, “ with a slightly peppery note at the end.”

History: Former management consultant Tricia Bey moved to Ayrshire in 2005 and constructed her dairy from scratch. She also built up a herd of pedigree Ayrshire cattle with around 30 ‘milkers’. The dairy is close to Maybole, where Robert Burns’ mother made cheese using Ayrshire milk. Her son loved the animals so much that he raised his own herd. Barwheys’ cheddar won gold medals at the 2012 and 2013 Royal Highland Shows and the 2012 British Cheese Awards.

Cheese care: Available in whole, half and quarter truckles and has a 75-day shelf life once cut.

Why stock it: Barwheys’ location and story makes it perfect for Burns Night suppers. It is unusual to find a cheddar made with Ayrshire milk, which helps give the cheese its creaminess and long flavour.

Perfect partners Bey recommends a dessert wine such as Monbazillac or a nutty bitter.

Where to buy: Cheese Cellar www.barwheysdairy.co.uk FFD features a different ‘unsung hero’ from Specialist Cheesemakers’ Association members each month. To get involved, contact: patrick.mcguigan@finefoodworld.co.uk

Paxton’s Chelsea pop-up will be open until early summer 2015

By MICHAEL LANE

Paxton & Whitfield has opened in a second location in London with a pop-up shop on Cale Street, SW3, facing Chelsea Green, that will stay open until next summer.

Trained at Paxton’s flagship store on Jermyn Street in Piccadilly, the Chelsea outlet’s staff will offer a new cheeseboard service, which will allow customers to bring in their own boards for dressing with cheese and accompaniments.

The shop, designed using the company’s signature orange and grey brand colours, features an open cheese counter for hard cheeses, an accessories display and a chilled counter to display soft and semi-soft cheese.

Managing director Ros Windsor said the site was a “really exciting opportunity” given the area’s reputation as a food destination.

“With a fishmonger, butcher, wine merchant, greengrocer and a

Westcombe breaking ground with new hillside maturing cellar

By MICHAEL LANE

West Country Farmhouse Cheddarmaker Westcombe Dairy has begun work on a new cellar and maturing facility, including a cheese-turning robot, at its premises in Somerset.

The new building, which is being constructed in an excavated hillside next to the dairy, will be approximately 35m x 14m and is slated for completion in spring 2015.

Director Tom Calver told FFD that the plans for Westcombe’s “ambitious” building were inspired by several research trips to the Continent, including Marcel Petite’s converted Napoleonic fort for maturing Comté.

“You see Comté, Le Gruyère and Parmesan and there’s a huge amount which goes into the finishing off of the cheeses,” he said, adding that the new facility would allow him and his team to learn more about cheddar affinage, particularly mould growth.

In keeping with the top Continental affineurs, the new double-vaulted cellar will also

feature a laser-guided robot to turn Westcombe’s cheddar.

“If there’s any place for mechanisation in our system it’s the turning of the cheese,” said Calver. Numbering some 4,500, Westcombe’s 20-25kg truckles need to be turned every couple of weeks.

Predominantly for Westcombe’s cheddar output, the facility has been “futureproofed” and built larger than required as the business grows or other cheeses are developed.

Calver said Westcombe would look to maintain “slight” year-onyear growth rather than a dramatic increase in sales and production. www.westcombedairy.com

couple of delis, our shop will make an excellent addition to the area,” she said. “From the data we hold on our customers we know that we have a number of them in the locality. Hopefully they will find it more convenient to visit us there and we will also be able to build up a further local following.”

Windsor added that the shop was just a temporary proposition for now, although Paxton’s does have an option to take up the lease permanently after the landlord has completed building work during summer 2015.

Aimed at those staging dinner parties, the cheeseboard service will see a member of the shop’s team tailor each selection following a discussion with the customer before preparing the board, cheese nametags and information sheets for collection later. Prices start at £25 and cheeseboards requested in the morning will be ready for collection in the afternoon.

Paxton & Whitfield also has shops in Bath and Stratford-uponAvon and it runs a wholesale and mail order business from a warehouse in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire. www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk

Stichelton pursues PDO amendment Stichelton Dairy has recently upped its campaign to get the Protected Designation of Origin for Stilton amended to include cheese made with raw milk.

The Nottinghamshire dairy, run by cheese-maker Joe Schneider, still has an application pending with Defra for changes to the PDO rules that would, if passed, allow it to sell its unpasteurised Stichelton blue as Stilton.

The dairy posted several tweets at the end of October asking supporters to email food & farming minister MP George Eustice with their backing. It also published a letter of support from Neal’s Yard Dairy.

Mr Eustice has the final decision on whether the application will be sent to the European Commission for the next stage of consideration. www.stichelton.co.uk

Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

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November-December 2014 · Vol.15 Issue 10

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Beating the brain drain

Training British artisan production may be in rude health but there is still a dearth of instruction for those looking to improve their skills and learn more about the small scale cheese-making process. PATRICK McGUIGAN investigates.

H

alf an hour into our ‘Introduction to Cheesemaking’ course at the School of Artisan Food and tutor Paul Thomas already has us emptying raw milk into vats. The aim of the course, he explains, is not to learn recipes, but to understand the fundamentals of what is happening in the vat and the maturing room, so we can adapt the process as conditions change. In other words, we’re learning the basics of cheese science, so we can make the cheeses we want.

“It’s a detective story – you have to look for little clues in the milk that help you adjust and improve the final cheese,” says Thomas, who has a degree in biochemistry and worked as head cheese-maker at Lyburn, before setting up his own cheese and consultancy businesses.

Charting pH levels is essential, he explains, as is understanding the impact of floculation (when the milk first starts to set), cutting the curds and moulding. Over the next two days, the group – made up of keen amateurs and wannabe professionals – gets to grips with these concepts by making a hard tomme-style cheese, a lactic and a soft.

You might assume that most of this would be basic stuff for experienced cheese-makers, but Thomas says a surprisingly large number of producers do not appreciate the science behind their product. “A lot of cheese-makers still slavishly follow the recipe without really understanding the process,” he says.

Part of the problem is that a wealth of dairy knowledge was lost after the Second World War when farmhouse cheese-making fell into almost terminal decline. The new wave of cheese-makers, who have set up in the past 10-20 years, have not been able to draw on the experience of older generations, while college courses have focused on industrial production.

This shortage of artisan food skills is why the school was set up five years ago, explains director Joe Piliero, who says there is still not enough being done at a national level. “Artisan food should be featured in the food curriculum more widely,” he says. “There’s a possibility of having courses like ours across the country at primary, secondary and colleges.”

Mary Quicke, owner of Quickes in Devon, is also worried about the lack of artisan cheese courses.

Paul Thomas (top right) is leading the next generation of cheese-making tutors but courses like the one he teaches at The School of Artisan Food are few and far between.

new cheese-makers, it’s about having people that can help existing cheese-makers and train the trainers,” she says. “That’s why it’s so encouraging that Paul Thomas is coming through.”

Val Bines also approves of Thomas as an heir and says others will join him given time. “We older ones tend to think we are irreplaceable but I have noticed there are younger ones coming to It’s not just about growing new the fore, making cheese-makers, it’s about having wonderful people that can help existing cheese- cheeses,” she makers and train the trainers says. Bines is also encouraged to see new short courses at Duchy College been filled by two women, Val and Food Centre Wales, but says Bines and Chris Ashby, who worked more needs to be done. in the cheese sector for decades “There needs to be more money before offering short courses and invested in small scale equipment, consultancy services in the 1990s. both for teaching and experimental Both are now at retirement age and work at universities,” she says.

Quicke says she is concerned about “More should be done for our dairy who will fill the gap. industry as a whole, not just artisan.

“It’s not just about growing “For the last 30 years, funding has come out of practical agriculture and cheese-making at colleges,” she says. “We haven’t put time and work into developing people so we’re all slightly looking off the edge of a cliff.”

The problem also extends to finding people with enough knowhow to actually teach the courses.

For many years this role has largely

❛

❜

The short courses are too short and perhaps we need to think of apprentice schemes.”

Chris Ashby says that part of the reason for the shortage of people to take over from her and Bines is that practical cheesemaking has fallen off the syllabus at colleges.

“The colleges concentrate on the management side rather than the practical,” she says. “A technical manager now spends most of their time doing paperwork to satisfy audits and specifications, rather than the actual techniques of making cheese.”

Back at the School of Artisan Food, Joe Piliero is optimistic that artisan cheese-making skills will improve. Several of its students have gone on to to launch successful cheese businesses, while there has been a 24% increase in the number of people taking dairy courses in the past two years. A new advanced 10-day course is planned for January and the school hopes to integrate its courses into the National Qualifications Framework so that students build up credits for a formal qualification.

As we finish our course, Thomas fires off basic recipes for Comté and washed rind cheeses, despite his earlier advice. “The best cheesemakers are happy to share their recipes because they know they are essentially worthless,” he says.

“It’s knowledge and experience that makes a good cheese.”

Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

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November-December 2014 路 Vol.15 Issue 10

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A promotional feature on behalf of Le Gruyère AOP

Me and my cheese counter This month we talk to Andy Swinscoe of the Courtyard Dairy in Settle, North Yorkshire.

I

f big is beautiful, small is special because at 16sq m, Courtyard Dairy might possibly be the smallest cheese shop in the country. It has no frontage or window and space only for a metre square table and a half metre chiller and yet its owners, Andy and Kathy Swinscoe manage to squeeze in 30 exquisite cheeses plus a few biscuits and chutneys.

Hardly the formula for a successful cheese shop and yet, as Andy explains, “at first, we were not sure it was going to work but 2 years down the line, people travel miles to visit us because we sell great cheese.”

A two-year apprenticeship at celebrated cheese affineur, Mons in France underpinned by an 8-week internship during Christmas at Paxton & Whitfield’s Jermyn Street store helped refine Andy’s previous life in fine dining. Even so, few would have backed a shop this tiny in a small parade in a converted barn in Settle.

“The walls are incredibly thick,” Andy explains, ”the perfect environment for cheese and I’m well up on documentation needed to monitor moisture, temperature, humidity and acidity in cheese. My time at Mons taught me well how to

ripen cheese.”

No matter how good the cheese, if no one knows your shop exists, stock will sit on shelves. “To compensate for no shop window, we‘ve erected plenty of signs and the neighbouring stores help generate foot fall so we just go out into the street offering tasters. “ On entering the tiny shop, you are greeted by the table loaded with hard cheese and alongside is the tiny chiller for the rest. “We stock 30 cheeses in total,” Andy says, “25 are always available and the remaining 5 are guest cheeses. With such a well defined selection stock control is perfect – we sell everything.”

So how does Andy manage to satisfy a broad range of customers with only 30 cheeses? “We tend to stock cheeses they find difficult to buy elsewhere,” he explains. “We steer clear of the obvious cheeses like Stilton or West Country Cheddar and even though early on,

one or two asked for Wensleydale with Cranberries, we went our own way.

One of his biggest sellers is Kirkham’s Lancashire – interesting when you consider the shop is in Yorkshire. But his home county is far from neglected with Dale End unpasteurised cloth-bound cheddar made by Alastair Pearson at Botton Creamery. “We take around 90% of what he makes – it has a lovely tangy bite, high in acidity with a rich, long finish.”

The Welsh Cheddar, Hafod sells well, as does Mike Smales’s Old Winchester made down south in Hampshire. “If they ask for Black Bomber, I suggest the strong, sweet/ savoury Winchester– it generally works,” he says.

He becomes quite animated talking about St James cheese, a washed rind sheep’s milk cheese made in Cumbria by Martin Gott.

“He uses milk from the Lacaune breed of sheep, the same as used for Roquefort and it gives a savoury, meaty flavour with a creamy rich sweetness.”

Other consistent performers are Dorstone, Tunworth, Cote Hill Le Gruyère AOP’s Helen Daysh comments How wonderful Andy has made a success from this tiny shop selling such a limited selection. Clearly a testimony to only selling cheese in absolutely perfect condition.

Blue, Gorgonzola Dolce and an 18-month-old Killeen, an aged Gouda style goats’ milk cheese from Ireland. Around 12% of what he sells is French although surprisingly, Comté wasn’t popular. “We have a gorgeous Le Gruyère which we get from Mons,” he says. “They age it to around 17 months and it gives delicious toffee/butterscotch note with a long sweet, nutty finish.

Everyone loves it.”

Wooleys Oatcakes and the Seaweed biscuits from Stag Bakeries hit the spot for accompaniments, along with his Yorkshire-baked own label crackers. Add in Sweet Cucumber Pickle from Rosebud Preserves, which he describes as ‘perfect with cheddar and brilliant with Vacherin’ and it all amounts to a heady mix from what is clearly a Tardis of a cheese shop.

We’re in Settle and we weren’t sure too sure it would work,” he says.

“Thankfully, people travel for real quality and with only 30 cheeses, I make sure each one is the best money can buy.”

With just him and wife, Kathy plus a part-timer working in the shop, there’s little time for relaxation.

“We’ve just had our first holiday in two years,” he says. “Just a few days while my parents look after the store.” He wasn’t sure how much they enjoyed the experience but then, not everyone can share Andy’s commitment to selling real quality.

Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

19

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November-December 2014 · Vol.15 Issue 10

cut & dried

making more of british & continental charcuterie

Bath Pig to launch Serrano-style air-dried hams in ‘late 2015’

By MICK WHITWORTH

The Bath Pig, known for its premium branded British salami and chorizo, is to introduce a range of Serrano-style air-dried hams, made under contract in Spain using British pig meat.

The company‘s latest brochure trails the launch of hams in three age profiles – Original (12 months), Superior (18 months) and Vintage (24 months) – in late 2015.

A new Longaniza salami, also made in Spain, is already available.

Andy Dalton, whose AJ Dalton Group is the major shareholder in The Bath Pig, told FFD the company had been looking to making its own air-dried ham in the UK but did not currently have the “space or time”.

“The longer term plan, if it all goes as well as we expect, is that we’ll be producing our own, in this country, within 12 months,” he said.

Dalton said his company was partnering with a producer in Spain, which will cure legs of British pork on its behalf. A mass-market supplier, it typically holds 1 million legs of ham in stock and is approved by the US food authorities, enabling The Bath Pig to target export markets in North America and Australasia, as well as the UK, with the new hams.

The Bath Pig’s new Longaniza is being made in Spain, like its planned range of air-dried hams

“We’ll be sending a first batch of 2,000 legs over to Spain,” Dalton told FFD. “It means we will be the only UK brand of US Department of Agriculture-approved air-dried British ham. So, even though we are not yet making it ourselves, it will be a unique product.”

The legs will be cured and airdried “in the traditional way”, then deboned, so they can be machine-

sliced by the retailer. “They will be absolutely perfect for farm shops and delis,” he added.

Dalton is the former owner of catering butcher Brown’s Foodservice. He built sales to £30m before selling to Brakes, then formed British Premium Sausages (BPS) with Ian Cundell, another meat industry specialist.

BPS became the contract

Tulip snaps up artisan maker Castellano’s

By MICK WHITWORTH

Danish-owned meat giant Tulip has bought Bristol-based artisan charcuterie-maker Castellano‘s from founder Vincent Castellano for an undisclosed sum.

Tulip told FFD that Italian-born Castellano would remain with the business as a consultant, but no firm decision had been made on whether production of his air-dried meats, cooked deli products and salamis would stay in Bristol.

It also denied industry speculation that its Dalehead Foods plant at Corsham, Wiltshire – which produces cooked meats for Waitrose and employs over 300 people – would take over the range. “It will not be produced within any of the existing Waitrose producing sites,” a spokesman told FFD. Tulip is owned by the Danish Crown group, the largest pork processor in Europe, and operates

16 fresh and cooked meat sites across Britain.

It said there were no plans to stop supplying independents under the Castellano’s brand, adding: “We are currently reviewing options on what the future focus of the business should be.”

Vincent Castellano began producing charcuterie in the UK 30 years ago after training as a butcher, charcutier and traiteur in the French Alps. Initially focused on chefs, the business he founded now sells to farm shops and fine food stores throughout the South West.

Tulip CEO Chris Thomas said British charcuterie was in “strong growth”, adding: “The integration of the business into the wider Tulip organisation should enable Castellano’s to maintain its rightful position at the very fore of British charcuterie in terms of quality and innovation.”

manufacturer for The Bath Pig, founded in 2009 by Mash Chiles and Tim French, and later took a controlling stake in the business.

“We took the number of products from three to 19 and increased turnover by 400%,” Dalton told FFD. The Bath Pig now produces for both the speciality sector and supermarkets, with charcuterie sales rising from £150,000 to £1m in the three years since BPS took over.

“We work for Tesco and Waitrose,” Dalton said, “but the products for delis are superior – we use different ingredients and recipes, and we dry them for a bit longer.”

Dalton said 99% of The Bath Pig’s products were made in Britain, with the exception of one line for Tesco, which is made on the Continent “mainly because of price and volume”.

However, the new Longaniza, described as “a very mild-tasting salami, similar to a fuet”, is being made in Spain – again, with British Red Tractor pork – to ensure its distinctive white mould does not make its way onto the company’s UK-made chorizos. www.thebathpig.com

Meat School opens gates

The business founded by Vincent Castellano is now owned by Europe’s biggest pork processor

London wholesaler and retailer Cannon & Cannon is to run its first charcuterie courses for consumers early in 2015, a year after FFD revealed the firm’s plans for a Meat School at its Borough Market base.

A range of training events – including butchery, cured meat production, terrines & patés, pie making and sausage making – has been announced ahead of Christmas so customers can book sessions as foodie gifts for friends and family.

The courses kick off in late February. Tutors include Lisa Scothern, who trained under master butcher Ray Smith at the School of Artisan Food. She now runs The Sherwood Charcutier and offers consultancy to farm shops and delis across the country. www.cannonandcannon.com

Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

21

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November-December 2014 · Vol.15 Issue 10

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cut & dried

How Capreolus got the nod from Michel Roux Jr

Interview

They’ve won awards for flavour and praise for their stance on animal welfare, but a few words from a culinary legend were the best prize for David and Karen Richards, as MICK WHITWORTH reports

A

finalist in this year’s BBC Food & Farming Awards and winner of Champion Product at 2013’s Taste of the West Awards, David Richards is used to picking up plaudits.

Capreolus Fine Foods, the firm he started with wife Karen in 2009, also collected a rare three-star Great Taste award this year for its Italianstyle lardo, a cured pork fat infused with truffle oil.

But when I meet Richards at Capreolus’s base in the Dorset countryside, it’s the tale of his brush with TV chef Michel Roux Jr that really makes him light up.

Richards was at the Taste of London festival in Regents Park, struggling to manhandle boxes of charcuterie across his display table, when the revered chef-patron of Mayfair’s La Gavroche appeared from nowhere to offer a helping hand.

Naturally, Roux didn’t miss a chance to pass judgment on an Englishman’s attempts at Frenchstyle meats. He tried Capreolus’s saucisson sec before spotting something labelled ‘Rosette salami’, a Dorset take on France’s coarsetextured Rosette de Lyon.

Roux cites his time at a threeMichelin-star restaurant near Lyon as his biggest influence and, according to Richards, appeared “quite indignant” that a Brit should dare copy this classic dry-cured saucisson. But after tasting it, he turned to a colleague and told him quietly: “They’ve got the balance just right.”

“For me,” beams Richards, “that was nearly as good as getting three Great Taste stars for my lardo!”

Roux hasn’t yet added Capreolus to his supplier list, but the small firm, which has just three full-time employees, is already on the menu at Quo Vadis in London‘s Soho, the new Aqua restaurant in The Shard, and the two AA rosette Auberge du Lac at Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire, as well as in Selfridges’ food hall and in farm shops and delis from Somerset to Kent.

Products range from bacon and sausages to air-dried pork loin, coppa, pancetta and cooking chorizo, as well as goose salami

Karen and David Richards, in their salami room.

Although he developed the recipes, David now focuses on sales, while Karen handles slicing and packing.

and duck confit. Two-thirds of sales are to restaurants looking for “something different”, Richards says, such as its seasonal smoked partridge or top-selling smoked mutton.

Cured with rosemary, juniper, black pepper, garlic and “a big slug of Madeira”, the mutton was developed with Tim Maddams, the former River Cottage head chef who now runs courses and supper clubs across the West Country. “It took two or three attempts to get the smoked mutton right,” says Richards, “but now I have a job making enough of it.”

Maddams says he is “a big fan and supporter” of Capreolus, as well as a personal friend of its owners. In particular, he appreciates their approach to animal welfare.

The bulk of their pigs are Oxford Sandy & Blacks, woodlandreared by Sam’s Pigs in Dorset and slaughtered at C&S Meats near Sherborne, a high-welfare operation that doesn’t handle supermarket meat.

“They are fantastic,” says Richards. “They really care about the animals. They have them in the night before so they’re not stressed, and I have never had a bad carcase from them.”

He dismisses the RSPCAmonitored Freedom Food husbandry scheme as “far too intensive”. “The pigs are ‘outdoor reared’ but that means they’re born outside and then brought in and raised in barns.

It’s not as bad as on the Continent, but they still have their tails docked and some farms clip their teeth, which is acceptable to Freedom Food but not to me.”

Tim Maddams told FFD: “Welfare is key in the modern market. I think David prefers to keep that as a given, rather than using it as a sales point, but I often think he could and should make more of that.”

David and Karen Richards set up Capreolus in 2009, driven by necessity. David had been just been made redundant after a career in technical sales, handling

Two-thirds of Capreolus’s sales are to restaurants

everything from lithium batteries to engineering adhesives, while Karen’s partner in a telecoms business was pushing for retirement.

The couple rented a farmhouse and old grain store at Rampisham, installing a pair of Portacabins and bolting on a walk-in fridge, a smoking kiln, a maturing room and a four-trolley salami room for fermenting and air-drying.

David is a shooting man – he captained the Great Britain Rifle Team on a tour in 2011 – and his first product was smoked venison from a roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) that he shot himself.

After “scratching a living” for two years, the couple began taking on staff, and they are now in the process of doubling their 640 sq ft production space.

Their next plan is to secure SALSA hygiene accreditation.

Richards hopes the extra sales this generates will take Capreolus to 10 employees in the next three years, which is ‘‘probably as big as we’ll want to get”.

“There are a number of customers we can’t sell to unless we’ve got SALSA,” he says, “so it will produce a step-change in our business.” www.capreolusfinefoods.co.uk

Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

23

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November-December 2014 · Vol.15 Issue 10

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When only the best is good enough Vol.15 Issue 10 路 November-December 2014

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November-December 2014 · Vol.15 Issue 10

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product update

seafood

New in the net LYNDA SEARBY trawls the speciality seafood sector for the latest launches

…

Top shellers

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Isle of Lewis producer Uig Lodge has revamped its smoked salmon packaging. “Our new packaging is designed to reflect the dramatic scenery and vibrant colours that exist on the Isle of Lewis and its coastline,” explains the company’s Dickon Green.

ood top five seaf months.

www.uiglodge.co.uk

Sustainable canned fish brand Fish4Ever has extended its range to take in sardines in organic sunflower oil, sardines in organic olive oil & lemon and anchovy fillets in organic olive oil. Like the company’s other canned fish lines, these have been produced according to a “small boat sustainability philosophy”. “This ensures that the benefits of better fishing accrue to the local fishermen and communities and not the big multinationals that caused the problems in the first place,” says Freda Cantrell from sister company Organico. “It also means far better quality, selective fishing and hand-packing and production in small scale factories.” The anchovies have an RRP of £2.40 for 48g and the sardines have an RRP of £1.95. www.fish4ever.co.uk

sellers

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Tropical Sun Foods has launched three world food-inspired varieties of mackerel in 160g flat-lid tins. The lemongrass & ginger, Caribbean curry and peri peri mackerel fillets have a wholesale price of £12.99 for a case of 10 (RRP £1.99).

Earlier this year the brand – distributed in the UK

by Wanis International Foods – added pilchards in brine and pilchards in tomato sauce to its line-up. www.tropicalsunfoods.com

Trendwatch: Smoked fish with a splosh Whether it’s whisky or limoncello, adding a drop of the strong stuff is this season’s smoked fish trend, and with Scotland’s proliferation of salmon fishing waters and distilleries, producers north of the border are naturally leading the charge.

In Arbroath, a Scottish town famed for its smoked fish, RR Spink & Sons has a tie up with Spencerfield Sprits, which has yielded two new products this year: smoked trout infused with Edinburgh gin and peatsmoked trout infused with Sheep Dip whisky.

To make the gin smoked trout, loch trout is cured in sea salt and demerara sugar and smoked over oak chips. Gin is sprayed liberally over each slice, resulting in juniper, coriander, heather and milk thistle notes.

For the whisky-smoked trout, which only launched last month, Loch Etive trout is cured and smoked over peat and whisky chips, then sprayed with whisky. The mix of the rich peat smoke works in harmony with the whisky to conjure up the best flavours of Scotland, says RR Spink.

Both have an RRP of £5.99 for a 100g pack and are available through Rowcliffe, Clarks and Samways.

St James Smokehouse has been infusing its cold-smoked Scottish salmon with whisky and gin for years and is getting more adventurous with its choice of cures.

This year, the Annan smokehouse introduced smoked Scottish salmon infused with mojito, limoncello & rosemary and Champagne & orange. Marketed under the Scotch Reserve brand, all three products have an RRP of £4.49 per 100g pack and are also available in 200g and 500g packs.

Chesil Smokery says it has put “two of Dorset’s finest in one mouthful” with the creation of its gravadlax with Black Cow vodka.

“We took the decision to begin curing our gravadlax with Black Cow vodka as we have a long standing relationship with the team and they

are literally down the road from us, says the company’s Anna Cornwell.

“The resulting taste is smooth and creamy yet aromatic with the dill cutting through.” Retail prices start at £7 for 100g. www.rrspink.co.uk www.stjamessmokehouse.com www.chesilsmokery.com

Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

27

Oak Smoked Salmon Side

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November-December 2014 · Vol.15 Issue 10

product update

seafood Field Fare has added multiportion fish pies to its frozen seafood range. Available in single, double or family portion sizes with RRPs of £4.20, £8.50 and £16.50, the pies combine salmon, smoked haddock, pollack and prawns with double cream, white wine, lemon and mash. The company’s selection of seafood meals also includes Coquilles St Jacques, moules marinieres, seafood chowder, salmon & asparagus gratin and smoked haddock parcels. Field Fare’s managing director Karen Deans says the range is designed to take the hassle out of eating seafood at home.

New from Yorkshire’s Staal Smokehouse are oak-smoked & applewoodsmoked kippers and cold-smoked wild sea trout.

To make the kippers, North Atlantic herring is split before brining and smoking over a combination of oak and applewood. Founder Justin Staal says this makes for a sweet, subtle smoke that does not overpower the fish.

The kippers are available whole and split or filleted in packs of two for the same trade price: £2.62 for a 220g pair (RRP £3.75).

The fish used for the cold smoked wild sea trout is line-caught off the beaches of the east coast of Yorkshire, just 20 minutes from the smokehouse. The fish is then dry-cured and smoked over oak and applewood. The fish is long-sliced and available in 125g (RRP £9), 250g (RRP £17) and 700g (RRP £43) packs.

The Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company used the Speciality & Fine Food Fair in September as the launch-pad for Captain Cat’s Môr seasoning, a new spice blend containing smoked paprika, dried lemon peel and laver seaweed. Named after an old blind sea captain in Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood, the blend is packaged in a colourful square tin and has a trade price of £1.99 for 70g (RRP £3.50).

Also new from the Welsh producer is mermaid confetti (50g, trade £2.08, RRP £3.50). This is a blend of the company’s original and best-selling product, Welshman’s Caviar, which is dried toasted laver seaweed, with Halen Môn sea salt crystals. It says this mixture provides a deep wholesome seasoning to bring out the flavours of sea food.

www.staalsmokehouse.co.uk

www.beachfood.co.uk

www.field-fare.com

…

Top shellers

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Big Fish Brand is a new salmon brand for the independent sector that launched in January of this year. Grimsby’s JCS Fish, the company behind the brand, says it has worked closely with customers in the independent sector to deliver frozen fish in a freezer-to-table format. “Salmon, being an oily fish, is just as tasty frozen as fresh and this allows outlets to stock a fish product in vacuum packaging,” says director Louise Coulbeck. The range includes salmon fillets in different marinades. The RRPs for 250g packs of natural, flavoured and organic fillets are RRP £5.39, £5.89 and £6.40 respectively, while the range is also available in 500g packs (RRPs £9.59, £9.95 and £12.49 respectively). There is also a range of fish cakes (RRP £1.99 for a 2x85g pack) and salmon pearls in a crunchy lemon & pepper coating (RRP £3.59 for 250g), offering a 40% margin to the retailer. www.bigfishbrand.co.uk

Pieces of eight Octopus is nothing new in the Mediterranean but, for some reason, British diners have always favoured squid. Now it looks like the tide is turning as the eightlegged cephalopod increasingly appears on restaurant menus.

Two Spanish food importers – Brindisa and Grey’s Fine Foods – are taking the

trend into retail with new cooked octopus lines.

Grey’s says its sushi grade cooked octopus legs (right) are ideal for cooking on the BBQ, pan frying, steaming or poaching as well as adding to a salad or a risotto.

They are sourced from Salanort, a family business located in the fishing village of Getaria, in the Basque Country. Each 500g pack contains 3-4 tentacles, has a trade price of £11.10 (RRP £15.95)

and a three month shelf life.

Brindisa’s octopus (below left), sourced from Galician company Frigoríficos Arcos, is fished off the shores between Morocco and the Canary Islands, and steamed in its own juices rather than boiled. Brindisa says this makes for a more intense flavour and a gently yielding texture. Packs contain roughly 500g of octopus (three tentacles) with the RRP starting at £14.95. www.greysfinefoods.com www.brindisa.com

Vol.15 Issue 10 November-December 2014

29

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November-December 2014 · Vol.15 Issue 10

show preview

Bounty north of the border The New Year’s trade event calendar kicks off with Glasgow’s annual show

A

fter a year in the sporting and political limelight, Scotland will celebrate the Year of Food & Drink in 2015.

Kick-starting this celebration will be Scotland’s Speciality Food Show, which returns for another threeday showcase of products for farm shops and fine food retailers.

Having grown over 30% in the last two years, the show attracts both artisan producers and traditional Scottish companies who supply retailers, restaurateurs and caterers.

With over 140 exhibitors and some 4,500 visitors expected to attend, the event is billed as the first buying platform for 2015.

Just over half of the producers on show are from Scotland while the rest are looking to supply more businesses in Scotland and the north of England.

About a third of all exhibitors are new to the show including Eden Brewery, food wrapping specialist Deliwraps, oatmeal producer Hamlyns of Scotland, Eliza Pepperpot Fine Foods, Maine Soft Drinks, The Gift of Oil and The Little

Herb Farm. Also exhibiting for the first time are Gluten Free Sauces & Dips (TPS), Chain Bridge Honey Farm, Mara Seaweed and The Audrey Baxter Signature range of curds, jams and soups.

The Launch Gallery, a section of the show that is dedicated to companies under two years old, will be back for 2015’s show with a line-up including Isle of Skye Sea Salt, French patisserie-maker Les Plaisirs d’Odette, The Chocolate Smiths, Tea Pot Pourri and Country Garden Company.

A number of more seasoned producers will also be unveiling new looks and new lines.

Summer Harvest Oils, Little Doone dressings, Laura’s Chocolates, Walker’s shortbread, Brodies Chocolates, Puddledub Pork and Kwan’s Kitchen are among the show stalwarts returning this time around.

Several fine food distributors – The Cress Company, Cotswold Fayre and Hider Foods – will also be on hand with an array of products on display.

As well as its stands, the show has a seminar programme including

talks about social media and retailing, food trends, e-commerce and web sales and setting up in retailing from renowned industry experts.

The Best Product Awards will be judged on the opening morning and given to the top food and drink the show. The judging line-up includes House of Bruar food hall buyer Robert Thain, Westmorland farm shop buyer Alex Evans and food writer Anna Burnside.

“Building on the rise in fine food sales this summer, we are expecting strong demand at the show from

retailers looking for great new speciality food and drink products to stock for 2015,” says Mark Saunders of organiser Springboard Event. “Scotland is currently in the worldwide spotlight so capitalise on this focus and visit the show to source the finest food and drink available.”

Scotland’s Speciality Food Show is run in conjunction with Scotland’s Trade Show so buyers can also peruse gifts, homewares, textiles and jewellery all under one roof. www.scotlandsspecialityfoodshow. com

Information for visitors

Dates: January 18-20 2015 Venue: Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre, Finnieston, Glasgow How do I get there? Glasgow is served by Prestwick and Glasgow International Airports, with frequent connections by train from Prestwick to Glasgow Central Station, or 20 minutes by taxi from Glasgow International Airport. From Glasgow Central rail station, travel west on the low level to the SECC (5 mins journey). For drivers the SECC is well signposted from all directions. Leave the M8 at junction 19.

How do I register for tickets? Entry is FREE for any food retailers, caterers or producers but they must register online at: www.scotlandsspecialityfoodshow.com

Newcomers and new launches Gluten Free Sauces & Dips Gluten Free Sauces & Dips will be launching a range of condiments made from rapeseed oil that are free from gluten, lactose, GM and shellfish. The nine-strong range – which includes sweet chilli BBQ, taco and secret sauce – is low in calories and high in Omega 3 and 6.

Packed in easy to pour 500ml squeezy bottles.

Maine Soft Drinks With 65 years of producing soft drinks, Northern Ireland’s Maine will be debuting its products in Scotland at this show. Its ranges include the Maine brand in 1 litre and 500ml as well as McDaid’s Football Special in 2 litre and 500ml.

Isle of Skye Sea Salt Company This new company takes mineral-rich sea water from Loch Snizort on Skye and uses a low energy method – unique to the UK – to create this sea salt in two grades: fine grain and premium crystal.

www.mainesoftdrinks.co.uk

www.isleofskyeseasalt.co.uk

www.tps-scotland.co.uk

Summer Harvest The oil producer has been re-vamping its branding and the new look will be on display on its stand. (More details on page 47 of this issue).

This Little Farmer The artisan bakery – based in Alnwick, Northumberland – will be launching its farmyard cake pops, which come in sheep, cow and pig varieties.

Kwan’s Kitchen The producer has added to its range of authentic Chinese condiments with the launch of several stir-fry meal kits in August 2014. Made to traditional family recipes used in Kwan’s restaurants since 1978, all of its products are free from artificial ingredients and suitable for vegetarians. www.kwanskitchen.co.uk

www.summerharvestoils.co.uk

Gardiners of Scotland The traditional Scottish confectioner will be showcasing its new range of 120g Embossed Flower Tins packed with its vanilla fudge as well as its The Beano and Dandy fudge tins.

www.thislittlefarmer.co.uk

www.gardiners-scotland.com

Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

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Boxing Day comes but once a Year Folkington’s Juices, The Workshop, Endlewick House, Arlington, East Sussex BN26 6RU 01323 485602 info@folkingtons.com

www.folkingtons.com

, d’s ow sit an h Vi otl od S 6 Sc o 1 at ty F , C us iali ll 4 ec Ha Sp

This Little Farmer is an artisan bakery based in Alnwick, Northumberland.

Our age-old farming family recipes use traditional & modern methods, locally sourced ingredients & free-range eggs.

32

November-December 2014 · Vol.15 Issue 10

show preview Who’s exhibiting?

Angelica Laird....................................... LG48 www.facebook.com/angelicalairds

Eden Brewery........................................... L26 www.edenbrewerystandrews.com

Laura’s Chocolates................................. N23 www.lauraschocolates.com

Argo’s Bakery........................................... L53 www.argosbakery.co.uk

Edinburgh Tea & Coffee Company...M28 www.edinburghteacoffee.co.uk

Le Gruyère.................................................K36 www.gruyere.com

Atkins & Potts.........................................M20 www.atkinsandpotts.co.uk

Eliza Pepperpot & Co............................ N40 www.elizapepperpot.co.uk

Les Plaisirs d’Odette............................ LG45 www.lesplaisirs.co.uk

Scotia Spice............................................ LG49 www.scotiaspice.co.uk

Audrey Baxter Signature Range.......M13 www.baxters.com

Field Fare..................................................M32 www.field-fare.com

Link Print & Packaging......................... N35 www.labelling-solutions.com

Silesia Grill Systems...............................K11 www.silesiavelox.co.uk

Barony Mills.............................................. L54 www.birsay.org.uk/baronymill.htm

Fior Fruit Merchants..............................M18 www.fifefm.co.uk

Little Doone Foods................................ N21 www.littledoone.co.uk

Sole Mates................................................. L16 www.sole-mates.eu

Border Biscuits.........................................K27 www.borderbiscuits.co.uk

Folkington’s Juices.................................. L38 www.metrodrinks.co.uk

The Little Herb Farm.............................M46 www.thelittleherbfarm.co.uk

Spice of Fife........................................... LG47 www.spiceoffife.co.uk

Brodies Melrose Drysdale & Co............................................................M36 www.brodies1867.co.uk

Fosters Traditional Foods.....................K45 www.fosters-foods.co.uk

Love Pure Cakes...................................... N25 www.lovepurecakes.com

St Andrew’s Farmhouse Cheese Company.................................................... L45 www.standrewscheese.co.uk

Gardiners of Scotland...........................M27 www.gardiners-scotland.com

LovSushi.................................................... N34 www.lovsushi.com

The Gift of Oil.......................................... N41 www.thegiftofoil.co.uk

MaRobert’s................................................ L20 www.ma-roberts.com

Glencarse Foods.....................................M51 www.glencarsefoods.com

Mackies....................................................... L44 www.mackies.co.uk

Gluten Free Sauces & Dips.................. N42 www.tps-scotland.co.uk

Mademoiselle Macaron..................... LG38 www.mademoisellemacaron.co.uk

Gordon & Durward.................................K35 www.scottishsweets.co.uk

Maine Soft Drinks..................................M10 www.mainesoftdrinks.co.uk

Summerhouse Drinks............................ L46

GreenCity Wholefoods.......................... L34 www.greencity.co.uk

Mara Seaweed......................................... L18 www.maraseaweed.com

Tea Pot Pourri........................................ LG35 www.teapotpourri.co.uk

Gusto Artisan Foods............................. N47

Mrs Bridges............................................... L22 www.mrsbridges.com

The Arran Butcher.................................. N44 www.thearranbutcher.com

New Alliance............................................M24 www.yourpiecebakingcompany.com

The Chocolate Smiths......................... LG32 www.thechocolatesmiths.com

The Orkney Creamery............................ L52 www.orkneyicecream.com

The Fife Jamming Company...............M24 www.yourpiecebakingcompany.com

Hebridean Food Company................ LG40 www.hebrideanfoodcompany.co.uk

Orkney Islands Smokery....................... L51

Hider Foods............................................... L21 www.hiderfoods.co.uk

Orkney Tourism Board...........................K53 www.discover-orkney.co.uk

The Handmade Oatcake Company... N46 www.thehandmadeoatcakecompany. co.uk

Invest NI..................................................... L32 www.buynifood.com

Patchwork Traditional Food Company.................................................... L48 www.patchwork-pate.co.uk

Cairn O’Mohr Country Wines.............. L39 www.cairnomohr.co.uk Campbell’s Fudge.................................... L29 www.campbellsfudge.co.uk Campbell’s Shortbread.........................M35 www.campbellsshortbread.co.uk Celtic Confectionery..............................N39 www.farrahs.com Chainbridge Honey Farm.....................K29 www.chainbridgehoney.co.uk Chocolati...................................................M43 www.chocolati.co.uk Chrystal’s Shortbread...........................M48 www.chrystalsshortbread.co.uk Cochrane’s Kitchen................................ N36 www.cochraneskitchen.co.uk Coco Chocolate.......................................M34 www.cocochocolate.co.uk Cocoa Ooze...............................................M30 www.cocoa-ooze.co.uk The Cocoa Tree......................................... L13 www.pittenweemchocolate.co.uk Cotswold Fayre........................................ L25 www.cotswold-fayre.co.uk Country Garden Company................ LG31 www.thecountrygardencompany.co.uk The Cress Company...............................M17 www.thecressco.co.uk Cunninghams Epos Solutions.............K41 www.cunninghams.co.uk Deliwraps...................................................K37 www.deliwraps.co.uk The DIY Scotch Pie Company........... LG33 www.diyscotchpie.co.uk Eco-bags.....................................................K21 www.ecobags.co.uk

Hada Del Café.......................................... N27 www.hadadelcafe.com Hamlyns of Scotland.............................M45 www.hamlynsoats.co.uk

Isle of Skye Sea Salt Company........ LG46 www.isleofskyeseasalt.co.uk Jenier Teas................................................M12 www.jenierteas.com Jojo’s Jam................................................ LG39 www.jojosjam.co.uk Jolly’s of Orkney.....................................M52 www.jollyfish.co.uk

Peelham Farm...........................................M9 www.peelham.co.uk Pentic Price Ticketing............................ N28 www.pentic.com Plan Bee..................................................... N12 www.planbeeltd.com Pont Packaging........................................K51 www.jjpack.com

Stewart Tower Dairy..............................K31 www.stewart-tower.co.uk Stewarts Tins...........................................M53 www.stewartstins.com Strathearn Distillery........................... LG41 www.strathearndistillery.com Summer Harvest Oils............................ N31 www.summerharvestoils.co.uk

The Tartan Tablet Company.............. LG43 www.tartantablet.com This Little Farmer................................... N26 www.thislittlefarmer.co.uk Tickety Boo Jam.................................... LG34 www.ticketyboojam.co.uk Uncle Roy’s Comestible Concoctions............................................. N15 www.uncleroys.co.uk Walkers Shortbread................................K19 www.walkers-shortbread.co.uk

Just Trading Scotland............................ N24 www.justtradingscotland.co.uk

Queijaria Artesanal do Ilidio............... L12

The Whisky Sauce Company.............. N38 www.whiskysauce.co.uk

Kingscroft Logistics................................ L41 www.kingscroftlogistics.co.uk

R & W Scott............................................... N18 www.randwsott.com

Your Piece Baking Company..............M22 www.yourpiecebakingcompany.com

Kwan’s Kitchen.......................................M26 www.kwanskitchen.co.uk

Saladworx................................................. L33 www.saladworx.co.uk

Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

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Guild Advert_Layout 1 17/11/2014 11:28 Page 1

Building on 130 ye ars of Farming Tradition

Organic & Free Range

Vi M9 nd sta d’s d on lan oo us ot y F c sit at S ialit ow ec h Sp S

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Premium Oils, Dressings, Vinegars & Mayonnaise

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Sustainability • Integrity • Traceability • Taste

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T: 01764 683288 • info@summerharvestoils.co.uk Ferneyfold Farm, Madderty, Crieff, Perthshire, PH7 3PE

Brand new ranges New Cheese Straws made with Scottish speciality cheeses

Original Ice Cream

Orkney Butter

New Cocktail Oatcakes: Smoked Butter and Walnut

New Stornoway Butter Shortbread: Chocolate Chip and Lemon & Poppy Seed

Sample them all at Speciality & Fine Food Fair – stand 610 www.stagbakeries.co.uk 34

November-December 2014 · Vol.15 Issue 10

Lemon Curd Luxury Dairy Ice Cream

Orkney Whole Milk

product focus

equipment & services

All kitted out From EPOS and allergen compliance software to thermometers and display counters, LYNDA SEARBY rounds up the latest kit for retailers From December 15 2014, all businesses that sell unpackaged foods, including cafés, restaurants and delis, will need to comply with the new Food Information Regulation.

Food Forward Solutions says it has developed low cost and easy to use allergen software that can help the independent trade comply with this new law.

The software will generate charts detailing the 14 main allergens, nine types of nuts and six gluten sources for every item on the menu. It enables delis to ensure allergen information is up-to-date and fully traceable.

For a limited period, Food Forward Solutions is offering FFD readers a year’s subscription from £70 per year. Quote discount code FF124. www.foodfs.co.uk

Brother claims the new RJ3000 is its most compact range of hardwearing portable printers yet. Designed for use in a retail environment, the RJ3000 series is said to offer fastest-in-class print speeds, as well as a range of connectivity options. The printers offer both bluetooth and wireless connectivity meaning that documents such as receipts, invoices and labels can be printed via tablets and smart phones from any location. www.brother.co.uk

Eco packaging provider Planglow has added three sizes of cup (8oz, 12oz and 16oz) and two sizes of pot (12oz and 16oz) to its slate-look ‘Gastro’ collection. This extends the deli-style packaging to drinks, soups, stews and other liquid-based foods.

The double-walled pots and cups are made from sustainably sourced paper lined with cornbased bio plastic, which means they are able to hold both hot and cold liquids while remaining suitable for industrial composters. They come with a choice of lids: recyclable plastic or compostable ‘Bio Pot’ lids made from corn-based material.

Planglow has also launched a custom cup design and print service with a minimum run of 1,000 bio double-walled cups and turnaround of three weeks. www.planglow.com

Denny’s Uniforms has designed a new bib apron with fully adjustable halter and tie tapes. The one-size-fits-all apron is made from one piece of fabric which can be moved internally through the sides of the apron, giving an adjustable fit without the need for buckles or press studs. www.dennys.co.uk

A reward scheme to rival the multiples One West Yorkshire farm shop has turned to new software developed by Lakeland Computer Consultancy Services to take its loyalty scheme to the next level Sales at Blacker Hall Farm Shop in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, have grown year-on-year for the past 15 years since it opened its doors. No mean feat, particularly given that there are six supermarkets within 10 minutes of the shop.

There is no doubt in co-owner Cheryl Garthwaite’s mind how the business she runs with husband Edward has achieved this impressive growth.

“We value our customers,” she says. “We don’t just pay lip service to customer service. We are humbled that 6,500 people choose to shop with us each week.”

A major part of Blacker Hall’s customer service strategy is its customer club. Some 17,000 people – 60% of the shop’s customer base

– are members of the club, which gives them “meaningful rewards”.

Current benefits include points for every £1 spent, 15% off beef steak mince and 25% off the seasonal hot dessert in the café.

On the face of it, it might seem like a standard loyalty scheme, but Cheryl – a marketer by profession – is keen to emphasise how this reward scheme differs to the supermarket approach.

“It’s a reward scheme rather than a loyalty scheme,” she says. “I have always felt that customers can be sceptical of loyalty schemes as they don’t mean anything to them.

Our aim is to give loyal customers rewards that are meaningful.”

For example, she says they run offers on staple, popular lines and

by working closely with suppliers, looking at production schedules and volume sales increases and carrying out detailed ROI (return on investment) calculations, are able to make offers attractive enough to encourage people to come to Blacker Hall instead of the supermarket.

“These are often producers we have worked with for a long time,” she says. “They’ve seen our account grow over the years so they are happy to support us. It might just be with a 5% discount.”

This year, Blacker Hall has decided to take its rewards scheme to the next level by investing in Lakeland Computers’ Eureka POS software. This system helps retailers customise their rewards and benefits based on positive buying patterns ➔

Around 60% of Blacker Hall’s customers are members of its customer club

Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

35

J&K_AD_230x316mm:. 06/11/2014 15:18 Page 1

Stainless steel fabrications for the food industry with over 30 years experience in the food industry, our aim is to provide a suitable solution to any of your requirements.

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November-December 2014 · Vol.15 Issue 10

series 600 from 800 x 600 x 1750mm to 1450 x 600 x 1750mm

prices start from £299.00 to £437.00 each

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product focus

Priced at £55 excluding VAT, Electronic Temperature Instruments’ Food Check is pitched as an economically priced thermometer for food and catering businesses needing to monitor cooked and chilled foods as part of HACCP and health and safety procedures. With a temperature range of -49.9-299.9°C, the thermometer covers a number of kitchen temperature measurement applications, including fryer and dishwasher cycles. Food Check is available in five colours, helping to reduce the risk of crosscontamination in food preparation areas.

equipment & services

WineEmotion UK has launched a new wine dispenser, the five-bottle Cinque, for eateries wanting to offer fine wines by the glass. The unit delivers a precise measure and keeps open bottles of wine in perfect condition for up to 30 days, with no risk of wine spoilage, oxidisation or cross contamination. List prices start from £3750 plus VAT. www.wineemotionuk.com

The new Scotsman Ice Tower 56 from Hubbard Systems is capable of producing 485kg of nugget ice in a 24hour period. The machine is an under-counter unit, measuring just 539mm(w) x 664mm(d) x 720mm(h), with a counter top dispenser.

There are two dispensing modes – users can produce as much ice as required or a set amount with the timer-based option. This enables ice to be dispensed non-stop, so it should never run out, no matter the demand.

Clover Station software from First Data Merchant Solutions promises to simplify the way retailers manage their businesses. It helps track inventory, manage employees, gain customer insight to build stronger, lasting customer relationships and accept payments with ease. Readers should quote ‘Guild of Fine Foods IJ5’. www.firstdatacorp.co.uk

www.scotsman-ice.co.uk

www.etiltd.com

Deli cafés who are short on kitchen space should check out FEM’s new Alto-Shaam CT PROformance combi oven range which combines the functions of convection ovens, kettles, steamers, fryers, smokers and dehydrators in one unit. Prices start at £9,170 for the CTP6-10E model. www.fem.co.uk

When it comes to choosing a serve-over display counter, Smiths Retail Design Services says the trend is towards flat fronted counters rather than traditional curved glass counters.

“We tend to recommend these as there is more versatility with regards to the length, depth and height of the counter,” says the company’s Jacqui Smith. “The flat glass allows for better visibility of the products and increases the merchandising space. It also allows the light to come in from the outside of the counter as opposed to the curved glass counters that are usually lit from inside.”

Smiths Retail Design Services is a designer and installer of custom built and modular display units for the retail trade, from farm shops and delis to butchers and fishmongers. www.srds.uk.com

A reward scheme to rival the multiples ➔ (ie. items people do buy), negative buying patterns (identifying customers who haven’t visited recently) and segmentation of customers.

“We’re going to have tailored offers that are more personal,” explains Cheryl. “We have people who spend £10,000 a year with us and we want to reward them. We want to be able to say ‘this time it’s on us’.”

She says the new system should eventually enable Blacker Hall to segment its database, making offers and communications more relevant.

“Instead of sending direct mail to our whole database we can decide which groups of customers should receive which segmented and tailored communications. For example, we could send an offer to people who only visit the café and not the shop or vice versa.”

Discount vouchers are another aspect of the Eureka POS engine.

The system looks at a customer’s spend and automatically produces discount vouchers, recipes and event notices at the point of sale.

“Automated voucher production is a big thing for us, as this takes the onus off staff at the till and makes it easier for them to focus on delivering good service,” says Cheryl.

An automated system will also make it easier for the Blacker Hall marketing team to measure the effectiveness of its promotions and to decide which to repeat.

For a farm shop to be taking such a strategic and sophisticated approach to customer relationships is fairly unusual, but as Cheryl points out, it hasn’t happened overnight.

After initially investing in two electronic tills in 2003, Blacker Hall went through several upgrades and suppliers as it looked to do increasingly more sophisticated things with its promotions and loyalty system.

The new system will allow Blacker Hall to target specific segments of its customer base with offers

“Product management was good but we couldn’t look up individual customers and check on their activity or filter and sort information in the way we wanted to,” says Garthwaite of the most recent system. She adds that switching to Lakeland will allow her to “push the boundaries” of what independents are doing with EPOS. The new EPOS system is 80% installed while the remaining 20% of the project scheduled for completion in January. Implementing this type of

system is a major undertaking and one that comes at a cost. Blacker Hall has spent £115,000 on the project, which has also included investing in a new computer network.

Still, Garthwaite is confident that it will be money well spent.

“We’ve just had our 15th birthday and are hoping that this will be the grounding for the next 15 years,” she says. www.blackerhallfarmshop.co.uk www.lccs.co.uk

Vol.15 Issue 10 November-December 2014

37

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November-December 2014 · Vol.15 Issue 10

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Inkreadible Labels Fine Foods Ad - 6.11.14 100x141.5mm - CH6331v2

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November-December 2014 · Vol.15 Issue 10

show preview Increased choice on show in Exeter Hale Events has bolstered its The Source show with the addition of the Farm & More event Who’s exhibiting?

A

fter several big changes last year, The Source trade show has made more upgrades and now promises to be 20% bigger in 2015.

As ever, it will take place at the Westpoint Exhibition Centre in Exeter and continues in the February time slot it was moved to by organiser Hale Events in 2014.

This year’s “super show” will again see The Source & Taste of the West Trade Show and the Expowest Westcountry catering trade show as well as the addition of the Farm & More event.

Farm & More has been running for five years and is dedicated to identifying new farm diversification opportunities in farm retail, catering, artisan production, rural crafts, tourism, livestock and crops.

The trade show will showcase suppliers, service providers and advisors who can help farmers to make successful changes to their farming business.

In total, The Source will offer stands for more than 200 exhibitors and Hale Events estimates that more than 2,000 trade buyers will attend.

Visitors will have the opportunity to meet a wide range of brand new and established food and

drink producers, including a large contingent of Taste of the West members.

There will also be a host of equipment and service companies covering EPoS, menus, packaging, crockery and linen.

With exhibitors such as A David & Co, Aspen Maintenance Services, Trago2Business, Caterfood (SW), Regency Wines, Coffeewest, Hunters Brewery, Crantock Bakery, and Kernow Confectionery, Hale Events says that visitors will see the best from local, regional and national suppliers.

In addition, visitors can seek inspiration from chefs displaying their skills and latest culinary ideas in the show’s Demo Kitchen.

Meanwhile, the growing Westcountry Tourism Conference will be running alongside both shows, with two half-day events bringing together leading tourism businesses and industry experts.

Whether you are looking for that special ingredient for your menu, that unique product for your shop, or the essential equipment for your kitchen, Hale Events says the show “will both inspire you and help your business grow”.

A David & Co...............................D27 A E Rodda and Son......................G51 Abbotts (S.W.)......................B24/C23 Alan Davis Automatics (Devon)....C34 Allied Drinks Devon & Cornwall.....A4 Aspen Maintenance Services........ B27 Atlas Packaging...........................G31 Bays Brewery............................... E44 BCG Retail.....................................A3 BCR Associates............................D19 Bell and Loxton............................H44 Black Dog Eggs............................G35 Boom Kitchen............................. NC4 Caterfood (SW)............................A27 Coffeeman Devon........................D43 Coffeewest.................................. E23 Coffeeworks..................................D4 Crantock Bakery..........................G44 CSY Retail Systems.......................D23 Cuda Drinks Co........................... B50 D H Twitchen...............................C26 D J Miles........................................C3 D Sidoli & Sons............................A19 Daily Grind................................... E21 Darnells Chartered Accountants & Business Advisors...................... E41 Delicate Trade...............................F54 Devon Contract Waste.................D37 Devon Cottage Organic Fudge......F28 Diverse Fine Food.........................C24 Dunstaple Farm............................ E43 Electrotec Solutions........................ B6 Ellis of Richmond...........................D5 Exe Valley Eggs.............................F26 Exeter College.............................. E29 Food and Drink Devon.......................

Foxcombe Bakehouse..................H43 Gerrys Originals...........................G50 Good Game..................................F34 Graham Tyson...............................F64 H S French Flint............................G43 Hunt's Foodservice.........................C4 Hunters Brewery..........................H27 Ilfracombe Foodservice.................C27 In-toto Kitchens........... Demo Kitchen J & R Food Service........................ B43 Janes Beverages Foodservice........D18

Kernow Confectionery..................F30 Langage Farm Dairy....................... E3 Link Print & Packaging.................C30 Lloyds Europa............................... FM Lovely Drinks................................D33 Luscombe Drinks.......................... E27 Metro Drinks................................D44 Miko Coffee SW...................B44/C33 Neylands Tonic............................ NC3 Okemoor Quality Foods...............H26 Old Mill.........................................F35 Olympia Foods (SW).....................D26 One Up Internet........................... E37 Payroll South West.......................C42 Plymouth Agencies...................... B28 Plymouth Tea...............................H28 Proctor & Clark............................C44 Projuice........................................ E13 Pubstuff.......................................A37 Purple Planet Supplies.................. E15 QCR Recycling Equipment............A24 Quickes Traditional.......................G30 Rational UK.................................. B23 RBC Publishing...............................A6 Regency Wines............................ E51 Roller Grill UK..............................A44 S J B Foods...................................D10 Salcombe Dairy (UK)....................G26 Sandford Orchards.......................H50 Scarlett & Mustard.......................D24 Shaplands Fine Food................... NC1 Sheppy's Cider.............................G27 Sin (Gluten Free Goodies)...............A9 Styles Farmhouse Ice Cream...........D3 T Quality........................................ B4 Tamar Labels.................................F29 Tamar Products UK......................... B3 Taste of the West..........................F27 The Gideons International............C38 Total Produce............................... B31 Trago2Business............................D41 Vale Labels....................................F43 Vantastec.......................................A5 We Make Magazines...................H34 Westcountry Fruit Sales................ B10 Whiteys Gourmet Popcorn...........D21 WPS Insurance Services................G40

NEED TO KNOW Where and when?

Westpoint Exhibtion Centre, Exeter EX5 1DJ; February 4-5, 2015 How do I get there?

Westpoint Exhibition Centre is located just 1 mile from M5 Junction 30 on Sidmouth Road. An hourly train service runs to Exeter from London Waterloo. Exeter Airport is located 3 miles from the centre.

How do I register?

Pre-register by visiting www.sourcetradeshow.co.uk or call the ticket hotline on 01934 733433.

www.thesourcetradeshow.co.uk

Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

41

Serve UK’s best artisan gelato to your customers

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www.wensleydale.co.uk 42

November-December 2014 · Vol.15 Issue 10

shelf talk

products, promotions & people

Awani brings Bali to Britain with tropical preserve range

By MICHAEL LANE

Bali-based producer Awani is targeting sales in independent retailers across the UK as it launches an eightstrong range of jams and marmalades made with native fruits like tamarillo and pink guava.

The company has been handmaking preserves on the Indonesian island since 2007, primarily for luxury hotels in the region, but it has now decided to sell the range to UK retailers after a successful trial in Harvey Nichols.

Co-founder Heather Li told FFD that the response from consumers had been positive at tastings held in four different branches of the department store, which first listed Awani in October 2013.

The range, which will soon be stocked by Selfridges, features four single fruit jams, including mango, pink guava and tamarillo.

Awani also produces lime and tangerine marmalades as well as two preserves featuring fresh young ginger [see box].

Li, who set up the business with engineer and jam-maker Lee Yip Wung, described Awani’s products as “reinterpreting the wheel”.

“The Western tradition is making jams using berries but we’ve brought in the vivid flavours of tropical fruit from Indonesia,” she

Awani’s eight-strong range of preserves is made by hand in Bali using Indonesian fruit

said. “We feel that the flavours are different. When you open the jar, this is what you would be tasting if you tasted late-picked fruit.”

The preserves are all made by a team of 11 staff in Awani’s kitchens using fruit sourced from Bali and its surrounding islands.

Until now these products were primarily sold in individual portion jars to a number of hotels in Indonesia, with clients including W Hotels, Ritz Carlton and Mandarin Continental.

Awani will sell direct to retailers rather than via distributors.

“We’re going to give it a go because we are the producer, we know the product really well and we want t offer the best support,” said Li, adding that the company would look to work closely with retailers to raise consumers’ awareness.

Awani supplies single varieties of its preserves in cases of 6x225g jars. Each jar has a trade price of £3.30 and an RRP of £4.95.

Li added that Wung is currently working on some “top secret” products to add to the range.

What’s in the range Jams: Pink guava, tamarillo, mango, pineapple and ginger & pineapple Marmalades: Tangerine, lime and lime & ginger All eight varieties comes in single flavour cases of 6x225g jars (trade £3.30, RRP £4.95 each)

www.awani.com

Hilltop Honey goes east

Marriage’s unveils new look and new lines

Given the impossibility of producing organic honey in Britain, Hilltop Honey has sourced four new organic varieties from Eastern Europe to add to its expanding collection of raw honeys.

These new lines contain more fructose and are, therefore, runnier than British raw honeys while retaining all of the health benefits.

Multiflower, Lime Flower, Honeydew (all RRP £4.95) and Acacia (RRP £5.25) honeys all come in 370g squeezy bottles.

W & H Marriage & Sons has rebranded its home-baking flour range and extended it with three new speciality flours in 1kg bags.

The new additions – light spelt, dark rye and Moulsham matled seeded bread flour – have boosted the miller’s line-up to 16 products, all of which have new-look packaging.

Marriage’s, which has been milling flour in Essex since 1824, has already begun the roll-out of the new bags across its fine food and health food wholesale customer base.

“We feel [the packaging] conveys Marriage’s premium positioning and long milling heritage, and has real shelf appeal,” said director and sixth generation family member Hannah Marriage.

“Our new speciality flour range was developed as a result of demand from home bakers, who are becoming more adventurous and are seeking to experiment with

www.hilltop-honey.com

Marriages launched three new flours, all of which will sport the new look packaging rolled out across its lineup

By MICHAEL LANE

different grains and seeds in their baking.”

Milled from the ancient grain Triticum spelta, the new light spelt flour (RRP £1.99) can be used to make sweet and nutty flavoured bread, cakes and pancakes, while the dark rye (RRP £1.79) can be used in pumpernickel-style breads.

Named after the original Marriage’s mill site, the Moulsham malted seeded flour (RRP £1.49) contains sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, millet, brown linseed and

poppy seeds. It is suitable for making bread and rolls either by hand or in a bread machine.

Marriage’s new bags were designed by Southwold-based design and advertisy agency Spring.

Wholesalers that carry Marriage’s flour include Hider, Elveden, Tree of Life, Suma, Health Stores Partnership, CLF Distribution, Essential Trading, Greencity, Queenswood, Infinity, Rainbow and Class One Direct. www.flour.co.uk

Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

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e s bl s la re ai C av The ny a ow h p N ug om ro C th

November-December 2014 路 Vol.15 Issue 10

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shelf talk

Looking for suppliers accredited by the Guild of Fine Food?

Follow the logo

CHEF’S SELECTION

Top chefs tell CLARE HARGREAVES their deli essentials

Chevler makes traybakes easy and cost effective

Brian Turner TV chef www.brianturner.co.uk

One of Britain’s best-known chefs, Brian Turner trained at Simpson’s in the Strand, The Savoy, The Beau Rivage in Lausanne and Claridge’s. His career highlights include winning a Michelin star at the kitchens of The Capital Hotel with Richard Shepherd and opening Turner’s in Walton Street, Chelsea during the ’80s. He now operates Turner’s in Butlins, Bognor Regis and recently co-presented the BBC series Taste of Britain with Janet Street-Porter.

Royal Belgian Oscietra caviar www.kingsfinefood.co.uk

By MICHAEL LANE

Chevler has developed a new system that allows even the smallest baking operations to cash in on the latest trend for mini-loaf cakes without the outlay on expensive equipment.

The baking case specialist’s traybake system features greaseresistant trays – made from board that can withstand temperatures of up 220°C – that can be used in both conventional and microwave ovens.

Each tray is supplied as a flatpack and has 10 apertures that fit with Chevler’s oblong cake cases, produced on a new machine at its mid-Wales factory.

“Standard metal mini-loaf cake trays are relatively expensive and they may need greasing and washing,” said Chevler marketing

and business development manager Garry Parker.

Parker said that the Chevler system requires a lower temperature and shorter baking time.

“With the increased interest being shown in retro-baked products sparked by baking shows on TV this new system is ideal for any of number of products as it allows bakers to a put a modern, single portion twist on traditional round and oblong cakes,” he added.

Each trade pack includes 15 trays and 1,500 cases, which come in five stock colours or can be printed with clients’ bespoke designs. Chevler plans to add different sizes of trays and different aperture shapes to the range. www.chevler.co.uk

Gaea upgrades oil range

By MICHAEL LANE

Greek food brand Gaea, distributed in the UK by RH Amar, has overhauled its branding and extended its range of extra virgin olive oils.

As well as the regional Sitia, Kalamata and Sparta oils, the range now includes Vranas and Kritsa oils from single estates on the islands of Crete and Lesvos respectively. A sixth variety, a premium organic EVOO, has also been added.

The entire line-up is available in two formats with new-look labels and logos: 500ml dark glass bottles with a retractable pouring mechanism and

500ml cylindrical tubes with built-in pouring lips.

Gaea said the “contemporary” packaging was designed to appeal to younger shoppers. The re-vamp is also part of Gaea’s strategy to promote the quality and provenance of its range. www.gaea.gr www.rhamar.com

New name in Amar’s stable RH Amar is now the exclusive UK distributor for family-owned Italian olive oil brand Monini and will carry three varieties in sizes from 250ml to 3 litres.

Monini’s extra virgin olive oil is a finishing oil for use in dressings, drizzling over pasta dishes or as a dip for bread, while Monini Mild & Light and Monini Olive Oil can both be used for cooking. www.monini.com

This is caviar without caviar prices, great value for money. It’s a farmed caviar with good sized eggs, a wonderful golden sheen and a creamy lobster taste. It lasts four months in the fridge so it’s a great product to have as a standby. If you want something with your smoked haddock breakfast, it’s just the thing.

Severn & Wye smoked eel www.severnandwye.co.uk

This is another product that’s great to have in the fridge. You don’t need to do anything to it, and it’s fantastic in salads. I’ve used it on the menu in my restaurant and I’ve also seen it on the menu of the Waterside Inn in Bray.

It’s fatty and immensely tasty. Severn & Wye’s smoked eel is also certified as sustainable by the Sustainable Eel Group.

Wharfe Valley extra virgin cold-pressed rapeseed oil www.wharfevalleyfarms.co.uk

This cold-pressed rapeseed oil from West Yorkshire has a lovely colour, a great nose and a fine taste. I reckon it’s our answer to olive oil: it’s packed with Omega 3 and has few carbon miles. It’s great to eat something that’s from here.

It’s very versatile, too. I cook with it and also use it to dress a salad. I’ll use it to cook a nice bit of halibut, putting a knob of butter on it to finish.

Trealy Farm spicy chorizo salami www.trealyfarm.com

I discovered this while making the recent Taste of Britain series for BBC1. I was gobsmacked at the quality of charcuterie in the UK. It’s brilliant diced in a salad or a stew – it adds real depth. I also pop a bit onto a Welsh rarebit if I’m making that at home.

Wilsons of Crossgates pork pie www.wilsonsbutchers.co.uk

These guys used to be pork butchers in Morley in West Yorkshire, where I’m from. Then they bought another shop in Crossgates and that’s where they make their famous pork pies. You might not know this, but they sell them warm. They have a wonderful crunchy pastry and delicious filling made using local pork – we’re in prime pig country after all. The pies are so good that we offer them in our Bognor restaurant.

Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

45

M HA EM LF O B P SP RIC FF ER RI E ER S’ N T G RA 20 IN 15 IN G

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shelf talk Minor Figures spreads cold brew

By MICHAEL LANE

Minor Figures is the latest brand to emerge from the cold brew trend sweeping the UK’s speciality coffee scene, but it is aiming to broaden the appeal of the drink.

Already listed in Harvey Nichols and Selfridges, the North London-based company uses just three ingredients – single origin coffee, reverse osmosis filtered water and a “touch” of muscovado sugar – in its brew, which can be poured over ice or drunk chilled from its carton.

MD Jonathan Chiu told FFD that Minor Figures is a more retailfriendly proposition compared to the “ultra hipster” cold brews currently available on the market.

“Brands are popping up left, right and centre,” said Chiu, who was previously MD of tea brand Make Mine a Builders. “However, every single cold brew brand in the UK is more or less the same. They are all from small batch brewers, in

a brown glass bottle and use whisky style fonts.”

Chiu added that these brands are often challenging in flavour, expensive and have short shelf lives.

“We are the first brand to focus on making cold brew accessible in flavour, packaging format, availability and price point,” said Chiu of Minor Figures’ 200ml recyclable Tetrapaks (RRP £2.60 each, cases of 10 units), which have a shelf life of seven months.

Despite its accessibility agenda, Minor Figures’ production method has not sacrificed quality, said Chiu. It is currently using a coffee produced by farmers in the Sierra and Paz communities of Colombia.

The company – founded by Chiu together with musician and coffee enthusiast Will Rixon and KeepCup co-founder Stuart Forsyth – has its own bespoke production system, which ensures even extraction of coffee during every 12-hour brew. www.minorfigures.com

Moorish doubles its smoked dip range Smoked humous specialist Moorish has doubled the size of its range with the addition of four dips, all featuring its signature smoky touch.

Only one of the new arrivals is a humous – the vegan-friendly Tastyish smoked humous with caramelised red onion – while the producer has also unveiled a smoked taramasalata called Nauticalish.

Both are recommended as ideal for mezzes.

The other two dips, Superdelish creamy red pepper smoked dip and Heartyish white bean & semi dried tomato smoked dip, are both suitable for vegetarians. While the former can be stirred through pasta, the producer recommends the latter for serving with tortilla chips or even roasted meat.

A round-up of the latest re-brands hitting the shelves

www.summerharvesoils.co.uk

“Any retailer will tell you that stuff in a nice box sells better than stuff that isn’t.” So says Your Piece Baking Company’s Dan Connolly, who has recently overseen an upgrade of the packaging for the producer’s range of breakfast cereals. Having launched the Great Taste award-winning range four years ago in bags, citing consumer preferences for less packaging, Your Piece has now introduced boxes.

As well as the added shelf appeal, Connolly told FFD the boxes allow Your Piece to communicate with consumers more easily. “Who doesn't read the back of the packet of cereal while eating it?” he said. www.yourpiecebakingcompany.com

www.lovemoorish.co.uk

BRANCHING OUT: Just when you thought it had exhausted the list of products it could make from its own Cretan olive oil, Olive Branch has developed a range of glutenand dairy-free sweet biscuits. Its Biskotakia come in three flavours – cinnamon, almond & clove and orange – all sold in cases of 8x130g bags (trade £2.09 each).

New looks Scottish rapeseed oil brand Summer Harvest has updated its image for 2015.

With the help of branding and marketing agency Flintriver, the Perthshire-based business has overhauled its website, point of sale material and its labelling. Summer Harvest said the new look has been designed so it will attract new customers while remaining recognisable to existing ones. The producer’s range includes cold pressed rapeseed oil, oak smoked oil, white truffle infused oil, dressings, vinegars and mayonnaise, which are all available through distributor The Cress Co.

All four dips are naturally cold smoked, free from gluten-containing ingredients and available in 160g pots (RRP £1.99- £2.99).

Founded in 2012 by former BBC journalist Julie Waddell, Moorish has gained listings across the UK in Waitrose, Ocado, Whole Foods, Planet Organic, Budgens, Harvey Nichols, Booths and Fortnum & Mason.

It also supplies foodservice versions of its dips with customers including Waitrose.

The other four dips in the range are Smokeyish original delicious smoked humous, Zingyish lemon & dill smoked humous, Devilish chilli harissa smoked humous and Smoothish aubergine smoked dip.

www.myolivebranch.co.uk

Ashridge Cider has taken a very conscious step away from the cider category’s traditional design motifs “awash with rustic fruit imagery and rolling south-western landscapes”.

Described as “vibrant yet premium” each new label has been designed

by Buddy Creative as a miniature work of modern art featuring different abstract fruit shapes. With the brand line “The Art of Fine Drinks” and a foiled signature-style logo, Ashridge’s new identity has been created to highlight its dedication to the craft of cidermaking. The distinct branding has been rolled out across the company’s entire portfolio, which includes sparkling Champagne-style ciders, organic vintage ciders, draught and kegged ciders and non-alcoholic fruit drinks. www.ashridgecider.co.uk

Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

47

Oliver’s

For a truly artisan pudding experience After having been in business for just 18 months, Oliver’s Kitchen were rewarded with a two star Great Taste award for their Original Sticky Toffee Pudding. Now, back by popular demand their Festive Sticky Toffee Pudding, flavoured with orange and Cointreau is available for the coming season. A ginger version is also a popular choice. www.oliverspuddingcompany.co.uk

oliverskitchen@virginmedia.com or 0161 871 7372

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48

November-December 2014 · Vol.15 Issue 10

For more about our award-winning Black Mitcham peppermint chocolates and tea: visit www.summerdownmint.com

shelf talk what’s new

Looking for suppliers accredited by the Guild of Fine Food?

Follow the logo

and smoky – as well as muslin, curing bags, gloves, butcher’s hook and instructions. Ross & Ross recommends using good quality pork for best results.

Turkey roasting kit POTTS PARTNERSHIP

www.pottspartnership.co.uk

MRS MIDDLETON’S

www.mrsmiddleton.co.uk

The producer, which grows its own rapeseed on the family farm in Bedfordshire, has created four flavoured varieties to join its original oil. Chilli, lemon, garlic and basil varieties are all available in boxes of 9x250ml bottles for £25.

Each bottle has an RRP of £4.50. Gift packs of the four oils are available for £15. Mrs Middleton’s original oil was awarded one star in this year’s Great Taste.

Mulled wine

PIG IN A POKE

The cooking sauce producer has added a new turkey variety variety to its roasting kits range. The new kit features all the components to create a turkey dinner while reducing preparation time: turkey gravy with Madeira & sage, cranberry sauce with wild cranberries & honey in a tableready jar, honey & mustard glaze and shallot, smoked garlic & sage stuffing mix.

Potts also makes kits for lamb, pork, beef and chicken roasts, all of which have an RRP of £5.70.

Flour on board

www.piginapokelive. com

HIDER FOODS / WESSEX MILL

Pig in a Poke’s recently launched mulled wine is now available to farm shops and delis nationwide via an exclusive distribution partnership with Bramble Foods.

Blended by British experts from European wines, the new product joins the brand’s “jargonfree” line up of three wines (Old Spot Red, White and Rosé).

Distributor Hider is now carrying the Wessex Mill range of flours and bread mixes. Produced in the Oxfordshire town of Wantage, the range will be sold in cases of five bags priced from £5.95, for basic flours, through to £15.75 for seeded and speciality lines. The flours will be on Hider’s January product list but are already in stock.

www.hiderfoods.co.uk

Coconut milk

www.bonbons.co.uk

www.chilondon.com

Sherbet Fountains, chocolate money, Flying Saucers, Refresher bars and Love Hearts are just some of the childhood favourites to be found in Bon Bon’s new Retro Collection gift bags. The independent confectionery business supplies the collection in three sizes (200g, 350g and 500g) and says they offer speciality retailers “a clear point of difference to their mass market commercial rivals”. RRPs start at £4.95.

The coconut specialist has added a 100% natural coconut milk, which it claims is a UK first, to its range of drinks.

Naturally free from gluten and lactose, the product is pitched as a dairy-free alternative to P R E S Spour on cereal, R EL EA S E mix into tea and smoothies or drink on its own. Chi coconut milk comes in 1 litre cartons with an RRP of £1.69.

BON BON’S

CHI

Improved sauces

FOOD & DRINK PUBLIC RELATIONS

BISBAS

www.bis-bas.co.uk

As introduce well as beingnew glutenBisBas and and nut-free, BisBas’s improved all natural sauces three-strong range of

Holiday bars MADÉCASSE

www.madecasse.com

For making bacon ROSS & ROSS

www.rossandrossfood.co.uk

Charcuterie specialist Ross & Ross has branched out from its patés and terrines to tap into the DIY food production trend with a bacon-curing kit. Aside from the pork itself, each box (trade £11, RRP £20) contains everything required to produce bacon at home including three curing mixes – original, sweet

Retro sweets

Ginger beer

LUSCOMBE DRINKS www.luscombe.co.uk

The latest development from Devon-based drinks specialist is Passionate ginger beer, which has a “subtle passion fruit edge”. As with the producer’s Cool and Hot ginger beers, the new line is made with fresh root ginger milled on the premises but with an added 6% organic passion fruit juice. It comes in 32cl crown cap bottles.

Madagascan “Fair for Life” chocolate brand Madécasse launched two new festive BisBas are Middle proud to announce the launchcooking of their new andsauces improved Middle variants: winter spice and Eastern Eastern cooking sauces which have just been listed in Whole Foods, the world’s leading natural organic supermarket.

BisBas been working closely with peppermint. Made with – and recently listed inhave Whole their new product development team to create a healthier and more natural sauce Market – is now range whichFoods is now completely free from sulphides and preservatives as well as heirloom cocoa from any artificial colours or flavours. BisBas’ packaging has also been updated to Madagascar, the Winter Spice completely free from highlight the new natural credentials of the sauces. bar contains 63% sulphides, Muna Khorsheed Director at BisBas explains “We are very proud of our new and improved all preservatives natural sauces and we are also extremely excited about our new listing with dark chocolate and Whole Foods too. As a family run company our aim is to create tasty and healthy sauces flavoured with artificial colours or that are perfect for the whole family to enjoy. As well as being gluten free and nut free, our sauces are now free from sulphides, artificial flavours, colours and preservatives. Having ginger, cinnamon flavours.

The our sauces stocked in Whole Foods has been the icing on the cake and from the success of our recent taster days we are planning to gain more listings in the future.” and nutmeg, while packaging has also The sauce range already coversupdated many dietary requirements the peppermint been to as they are gluten free, nut free and suitable for vegans and coeliacs. The BisBas sauces come in three tasty varieties; Fozia a sweet tomato and coriander cooking sauce which contains bar features a highlight theArabian new black onion seeds and green chillies, a tasty sauce full of flavour. The second sauce in hint of nutmeg to natural credentials the range is Safia an aromatic tomato based sauce with flavours of garlic and herbs with a fresh, mellow and rich taste. The third sauce in the range is Saba which is a spinach complement the of Fozia (sweet and coriander sauce which has a very unique fragrant and fresh flavour. All three sauces Madagascan mint. tomato and Connect with us for the latest news These 75g bars join coriander), Safia Please note: Correct format is BisBas https://www.facebook.com/bisbasfoods https://twitter.com/bisbasfoods the brand’s growing (rich tomato with http://www.pinterest.com/bisbasfoods bean-to-bar range, garlic and herbs) which is available and Saba (spinach through distributor and coriander). All Empire Bespoke three sauces Foods. come in 350g jars with an RRP of £3.75.

The design of this press release is protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. CLIP Creative Ltd (Reg No. 07487736) Copyright 2013©. All rights reserved.

Flavoured rapeseed oil

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Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

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shelf talk

Valentine’s and Easter inspirations A selection of romantic foods and sweet treats for those looking to stock up for Spring’s selling opportunities Barú’s signature marshmallows are bite-sized and coated in milk or dark Belgian chocolate and available in two pack sizes. They also come topped with salted caramel, red berries, maple cashew and ginger & lime. The producer also has a four-strong range of marshmallow bars – dark chocolate sea salt caramel, milk chocolate chai latte, milk chocolate crunchy cashew and dark chocolate peppermint – that are individually wrapped and presented in a display box.

Hans Sloane has created a new way of enjoying its drinking chocolate for Easter. The drinking chocolate egg (35g, RRP £2) is filled with the producer’s Rich Dark chocolate beads and can be melted down into a single serve drink with the addition of hot water or milk. Every chocolate bead is shined for 3-4 hours to ensure the smoothness of the finished drink. Hans Sloane’s drink chocolate range contains five varieties: natural honey, smooth milk, rich dark, Madagascar 67% or the darkest Ecuador 70%. www.sirhanssloane.com

www.baru.be

Luscombe Drinks suggests its new Damascene Rose Bubbly as the perfect Champagne alternative this Valentine’s Day. A “celebration of the Majestic rose of the Orient”, it is handmade using Muscat grape juice and Damascene rose water, combined with Sicilian lemon and spring water. The drink is the newest addition to Luscombe’s no-added-sugar range and is available in a 32cl screw cap bottle (RRP £1.79). The Devonbased producer also recommends its recently launched Passionate Ginger Beer for even more romantic sparkle. www.luscombe.co.uk

Moo Free has come up with a free-from orange Easter egg this year. Made from Moo Free’s multi-award-winning dairy-free milk chocolate embedded with crunchy orange pieces, the Cheeky Orange egg complements the company’s existing Original and Bunnycomb Easter eggs. As with all of Moo Free’s chocolates, the new egg is dairy-free, gluten-free and suitable for vegans. It comes in retail cases of 6x100g units for £15.94. Each egg has an RRP of £4.25. www.moofreechocolates.com

The Ochil Fudge Pantry says the “unmistakable smoothness” of its Ochil Fudge is down to the hand-beating process used to produce every small batch. A Great Taste two-star winner this year, the “rich, buttery” fudge is made with “reduced sugar but not reduced taste”. The producer says it makes fudge and tablet for adults rather than kids. A variety of flavours, including its award-winning Deanston 12-year-old malt whisky fudge, is available in 90g bars (RRP £1.80) with a minimum order of 20 bars. www.ochilfudgepantry.co.uk

Bonieri’s gianduja, a rich velvet-smooth hazelnut praline from the Piedmont region of Italy, is made using ancient recipes and only the highest quality ingredients including the Tonda delle Langhe hazelnut and Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans. This praline is showcased in the Bella Box Classic, which contains traditional gianduiotti (dairy- and gluten-free) chocolates in classic, dark, pure hazelnut and coffee flavours. The box comes in two sizes: 220g (trade £12 RRP £23.95) and 440g (trade £20.10, RRP £39.95). www.bonieri.com

Part of a range of liqueurs produced by family-run operation The Norfolk Sloe Company, Black Shuck sloe gin was in the select band of products to win a highly coveted three-star award in Great Taste 2014. Not content with its prize-winning spirit, the company uses the flesh of the gin-drenched sloes to make truffles enrobed in Belgian chocolate. Boxes of 12 truffles have an RRP of £9.95 while the sloe gin itself comes in 50cl and 10cl bottles with RRPs of £23.50 and £8.50 respectively. www.thenorfolksloecompany.com

Godminster has “something a little different” for Valentine’s Day with its Heart To Heart gift set. Pairing the Somerset company’s iconic burgundy waxed vintage organic cheddar heart (200g) with a limited edition heart-shaped organic brie (150g), the pack (RRP £15) is available for dispatch in January with postValentine’s dates on both cheeses. Retailers can order it direct or through a number of wholesalers. www.godminster.com

The Blueberry Brothers, Nick and Toby Hewison, have combined their confectionery and blueberry knowledge to develop two gift packs. The first is a punnet of 12 blueberry chocolate truffles (four each coated in dark, white and milk chocolate) with ganache centres, made using pure blueberry concentrate. The second is pack of 12 naturally flavoured marzipan blueberries, which the Dartmoor-based producer claims are the first of their kind.

Both come in cases of six punnets with the truffles priced at £22.74 and marzipans at £26.40 per case. www.theblueberrybrothers.co.uk

Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

51

shelf talk Candice Fonseca says her second outlet, Delifonseca Dockside, has become the ‘engine room’ of the business

Rockin’ on the docks Just crowned the UK’s best indie food store by Observer Food Monthly, Delifonseca Dockside combines farm shop and urban dining in a stylish but ‘everyday’ package

Deli of the Month INTERVIEW BY MICK WHITWORTH

A

lot of water has flowed down the Mersey since I interviewed Liverpool’s Candice Fonseca at her original Stanley Street shop and restaurant back in 2009. There’s been a deep recession, for one thing, while the dramatic remodeling of Liverpool’s central shopping district has continued apace. And for Fonseca, there has been the opening a second, much larger operation on Brunswick Dock, a mile or so out of town.

Delifonseca Dockside hasn’t just shifted the centre of gravity of her business, it has brought it national attention, taking the Best Independent Retailer title in last month’s Observer Food Monthly awards.

The Stanley Street store, opened in 2006, combined a tightly packed

52

basement deli with a 50-cover eatery upstairs. It soon earned a great reputation among foodies, but Fonseca, a former movie production coordinator, struggled to match her vision of a buzzing local deli with the reality of Liverpudlian eating ahabits.

“The deli side was my original motivation,” she says, “but my idea that people living and working in town would be the main customers turned out to be wrong.”

The city was also undergoing a major structural upheaval. The massive Liverpool One shopping complex opened in 2008, physically changing the way people moved around the city centre. Within a few months, the UK was in recession. As rents on shiny new out-of-town offices plummeted, companies began vacating the ageing office stock in the city centre, nibbling away at Delifonseca’s lunchtime trade.

And with tourism seen as central to Liverpool’s future, there was also a surge in the number of hotels opening, shifting more business towards the “evening economy”.

November-December 2014 · Vol.15 Issue 10

Fonseca realised she needed more of a farm-shop-style “all-in-one” retail and foodservice outlet, which meant more floorspace. But when one of her regulars, who worked in property, found her a suitably roomy site on Brunswick Dock, a mile-and-a-half upriver from the thriving Albert Dock, she was hesitant.

“This building used to be a Harry Ramsden’s,” she tells me, as we talk in what is now Delifonseca Dockside’s 70-seater restaurant. “Then, in 2008, it had been split in two, and half of was turned into a glitzy, Harvey Nichols-style deli [Il Bacino], all steel and mirrors. But when it opened it didn’t work for them, and because they’d spent so much on it – over £500,000 – they ran out of cash before they could fix it. They went under within seven months.”

The location had downsides too.

Although near to a busy road, access is a little circuitous. To reach the shop you must first drive all the way round a neighbouring Travelodge and through its car park. “That’s probably

why it wasn’t taken up by someone like Tesco,” says Fonseca But after several months she was persuaded that, with half of Il Bacino’s shop-fittings still in place and a low rent available due to the downturn, it was too good to miss. She also figured that, unlike Il Bacino, Delifonseca was a sufficiently well-established name to make people hop in their cars and visit. “The one thing we’d done that they hadn’t was to build a really good brand before we got here. So we just softened the place down and made it more like a farm shop, with a mix of everyday and top-end products.”

If she toned down the Harvey Nichols look, the shop and restaurant is still visually tasty, with timber shelving to carry the generous wine selection and ambient foods, and clever use of unpainted sterling board to front the till units.

The most eye-catching feature is the use of wooden pallets for all the island shelving. Fonseca’s architect had spotted something similar being used in a shoe shop in the US, and

products, promotions & people among its best-sellers. It also has one of the best bottled beer ranges in the city, from suppliers including Liverpool Craft Beer Co, Tatton Brewery and Wapping Brewery. see some fantastic products, but I As with Stanley Street, Fonseca know we won’t be able to sell them. It says her initial vision of the Dockside would be, ‘How much?’” customer was slightly off-target. She She contrasts Delifonseca with expected the deli to be the main draw, The Cheshire Smokehouse, the shop with the restaurant slower to catch and smokery in Wilmslow, south on given its location. “There’s no of Manchester, which supplies her particular romance about this place. pancetta and numbers Premier League But because people drive in this city it footballers among its clientele. “Their has taken off with a different kind of customer profile is totally different. If customer. In town it was more foodies; you go there in a car worth less than here it’s an older £40k it’s, ‘Park it For us, the main crowd, and ladies round the corner’. competitor is Tesco, who lunch.”

We just have the People who normal shopper. We so we have to be seen have sat for a while never wanted this to to be good value in the restaurant be a treat-y place.” feel more comfortable browsing in The deli serveover that dominates the adjoining shop, she says. And, of one side of the Dockside shop makes course, the restaurant menu is used that point. While the cheese selection for cross-selling, with sandwiches and is interesting – with Continentals like platters used to showcase deli lines. the red wine-washed Murcia Al Vino “Our Great British Platter has a slice of from Spain, Gioiosa Pecorino from one of our signature hand-raised pies, Sardinia and the Norwegian brown rare-roasted Welsh Black beef and Mrs cheese Gjetost – there are plenty of Kirkham’s Tasty Lancashire cheese, mainstream options. “The two biggest which we serve with Atkins & Potts selling cheeses are Manchego and beetroot & horseradish relish.”

Snowdonia Black Bomber – despite Restaurant sales – typically my best efforts!” says Fonseca. £15,000-17,000 gross per week – She buys from Cheese Cellar, outstrip those in the shop by 10-15% Fratelli Camisa and The Fine Cheese but Fonseca points out that once you Company, but says the “really good take out VAT they almost even out, value” cheeses from Carron Lodge and the deli “really comes into its own are among her shoppers’ favourites, at Christmas”. Overall turnover at and she has to be realistic. “For us, the Dockside was just under £1.5 million main competitor is Tesco, so we have in the last financial year. to be seen to be good value so people Fonseca also picks up around will trust us on other things.” £150,000 from outside catering, Another key part of Dockside’s allcurrently serviced from Stanley Street, in-one offer is the butchery, operated and says this could be “miles more”, as a concession by local chain Broughs. given the strength of the brand.

Again, its mix is geared to “everyday She plans to create a production cooking”, including a crowd-pleasing kitchen upstairs at Dockside, both for range of burgers, sausages, marinated outside catering and to produce more meats and prepared meals such as prepared dishes for sale in-house. But Bombay lamb curry and Thai pork she first needs better management burgers. systems in place to handle what is Which is not to say Delifonseca’s now quite a diverse operation. range isn’t foodie and eclectic, with “I’ve been seeing a business the likes the Al’Fez ras el hanout and consultant,” she says, “because I’ve Mymouné rose syrup, pomegranate struggled to change the way I run it as molasses and orange blossom water we’ve moved from a single-unit to a bigger scale. When you’re smaller, you do everything yourself because you can’t afford to buy in that range of skills. Now I’m trying to put more of a structure in place.”

Five years ago, I commented on Fonseca’s endearing mix of “commercial control-freakery, leavened by a bit of foodie madness”.

I’m not sure she has changed that much. When I ask her and Boo Cooke to name 12-15 “must-stock” products they come up with an initial list of more than 40. And while Fonseca tells me she needs to spend more time “being strategic”, she adds: “But I also want to spend more time behind that counter here on a Saturday afternoon.

Because that’s what I love.”

General manager Boo Cooke: a Timber pallets, cut to various shapes, provide flexible and visually striking island shelving

❛

❜

’S A DOCKSIDE DELIFONSEC KS MUST-STOC dar

r ched Black Bombe Snowdonia erry tomato tts chillied ch Atkins & Po chutney crispbreads Peter’s Yard armalade five fruit m Hawkshead cilian cherry tomorosso Si Olives Et Al tomatoes ncetta okehouse pa Cheshire Sm dding ky toffee pu Cartmel stic vinegar sti balsamic Giuseppi Giu uits range Border Bisc ignon Blanc gs NZ Sauv The Crossin pasta sauce Poddi Tartufi beer diet ginger Bundaberg i tato gnocch Granoro po a organic past Girolomoni s illa chip Xochitl tort ugat range Quaranta no s e fig bonbon Vira chocolat omile am ch ermint/ Teapigs pepp

they are employed to great effect here – stacked and overlapped to form umpteen storage shapes. “They’re really good,” Fonseca says, “because they can be broken down and easily moved around.”

Delifonseca Dockside opened in 2010, while the Stanley Street outlet was rebranded as Fonseca’s,

combining fine dining upstairs with a trendy bar for 30-somethings downstairs, and only a limited deli offering. “Essentially, we stole a lot of our own customers when we opened here,” says Candice Fonseca. Dockside is now the “engine room” of the business, achieving twice the turnover of the bar-restaurant in premises that are cheaper to rent.

“Fonseca’s just about washes its face, but I spend more time there because I’m sentimental about it.”

She is fortunate in having a first-rate general manager for Dockside in the shape of Lavinia ‘Boo’ Cooke, who started as a Saturday girl at Stanley Street. A big personality, Cooke is both a genuine foodie and what Fonseca describes as “a super sales person”, helping plug that sometimes unfillable gap in multi-site delis when the owner is away at another outlet.

For an award-winning store, Delifonseca Dockside is surprisingly everyday both in range and pricing.

“We struggle to sell expensive things here,” says Fonseca. “When we’re at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair we

‘super sales person’

www.delifonseca.co.uk

Vol.15 Issue 10 · November-December 2014

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Open for entry: Guild of Fine Food members: 19 January Non-members: 2 February New to Great Taste? Make sure you receive entry information by registering with charlie.westcar@finefoodworld.co.uk Want to know more about speciality food and drink’s most coveted awards? finefoodworld.co.uk/gta

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