FFD October-November 2019 by Guild of Fine Food

October-November 2019 Volume 20 Issue 9 gff.co.uk

Departmental upgrade Chris Dee gives us the latest on Harrodsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; revamp of those hallowed halls

ALSO INSIDE CBD food confusion Cheese in the City of Steel The Mainstreet Trading Co

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October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

CONTENTS 5

NEWS

10 SHOP TALK

I’m not saying CBD products are good or bad but researching them has been a fascinating detour from the monochrome Westminster pantomime

13 CHEESEWIRE 19 CUT & DRIED 21 CAFÉ CONFIDENTIAL

By Michael Lane, Editor

22 GREAT TASTE 2019 GOLDEN FORK AWARDS 35 COVER FEATURE: HARRODS’ CHRIS DEE 38 CATEGORY FOCUS 45 SHELF TALK 48 DELI OF THE MONTH 53 GREAT TASTE AWARD WINNERS 54 GUILD TALK October-November 2019 Volume 20 Issue 9 gff.co.uk

The “grey area” may be a cliché but it’s a phrase I’ve been hearing quite a lot of in the build-up to publishing this edition. For a start, we’re all living in an economic and political one – spawned from an issue that was supposed to be black and white (leave or remain) more than three years ago. If, like me, you’d like to switch to a different shade of grey for a few minutes, then there are a few alternatives in this issue. For a start, there’s CBD, the cannabis extract that has entered popular culture as a health trend and now it’s entering our food and drink. The only problem is not a single one of these products is technically authorised (see page 6) to be sold from your shelves. And yet they are out there and Trading Standards are not clamping down on it. No one can even state categorically that it’s illegal, even if they aren’t supposed to be there. I’m not saying these products

are good or bad but there’s certainly more to come on this new category and researching it has been a fascinating detour from the monochrome Westminster pantomime. If you fancy a slightly grislier zone of obfuscation, let’s look at the story about campylobacter levels found in retailers’ raw chickens (page 9). The conclusion from the FSA’s latest data suggests that smaller independent retailers have not reduced levels of this harmful bacteria in the last four years of testing, while the supermarkets have taken great strides across their estates. The only problem with this is it’s not really a fair comparison. The ‘smaller retailer’ category lumps farm shops, independent butchers and C-stores together. If you open up the spreadsheet of data, there are plenty of the latter two letting down the side and skewing the results. There are also many well-run farm

shops on the list that were attaining the levels they should be. Then, you look at the supermarkets. They’ve got the manpower, systems and the economies of scale to clean themselves up quite quickly. I’ve been lucky enough to sit down with Harrods’ food chief Chris Dee twice in the last month. Once for our cover feature (page 35) and once on stage at the Bread & Jam Festival. During the second conversation we talked about the post-Brexit prospects for many of the small businesses in the room. He pointed out that start-ups are able to thrive in any conditions and it is larger businesses that will find it harder to manoeuvre. So, I think even if the bigger boys out there can boast about having cleaner chickens right now, they might find their wings clipped in a few months’ time. Let’s hope we all get a bit of colour back soon.

EDITORS’ CHOICE Chosen by Lauren Phillips, Assistant editor

Munchy Seeds

Warm Cinnamon roasted pumpkin & sunflower seeds

Departmental upgrade Harrods’ head of food Chris Dee gives us the latest on the revamp of those hallowed halls

ALSO INSIDE CBD food confusion Cheese in the City of Steel The Mainstreet Trading Co

Cover photography by Isabelle Plasschaert

I encountered Munchy Seeds’ bold new rebrand at the Lunch! trade show last month. Owner Lucinda Clay said the new look was

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a move away the animal hand puppets of the previous packaging, which consumers assumed were promoting children’s food products (read more on page 45). The new branding emphasises the snacking element of the seeds, but they’ve kept the excellent contents the same. The honey roasted flavour is an easy winner, but it was the warm cinnamon variety that stood out for me. Sprinkled it onto porridge for added crunch and sweetness. munchyseeds.co.uk

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Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-November 2019

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October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

NEWS

Former Dean & Deluca man to open new Market Table store By Michael Lane

More than 18 months after American retailer Dean & Deluca pulled the plug on a flagship London store, the man who was leading that project is now set to unveil his own retail concept in the Capital. John Barton, who was previously Dean & Deluca’s COO, is set to open a site within a stone’s throw of the O2 Arena under a new brand called Market Table in October. His intention is that this will be the first in a series of outlets. The first premises, located in 4,000 sq ft at the foot of a residential building in the New London development area on the Greenwich peninsula, will feature a retail area as well as an 80-cover restaurant. The retail side will incorporate cheese and charcuterie counters, a bakery, counters serving hot and cold sandwiches, a salad bar and an espresso bar that can serve customers

Cotswold Fayre unveils export plan Cotswold Fayre is seeking suppliers for a new export initiative. The wholesaler, which began exporting last year with its own-brand Ministers of Taste, wants to add other producers to the roster and has recruited James McKeown to run its export desk Despite Brexit uncertainty, McKeown said there was still a huge demand for products with a British and Irish heritage overseas. “By offering an export service to our suppliers, we are able to offer access to expertise, marketing services and an international presence that may be cost prohibitive in isolation,” he said.

Ex-Dean & Deluca COO John Barton is the man behind Market Table New London

both inside the shop and via a door to the street – not to mention around 2,000 ambient grocery lines. Barton told FFD that Market Table would be pitched at a similar level to other London independents, like Bayley & Sage and Sourced Market, but he had also drawn inspiration from the way

Ottolenghi’s outlets operate as well as his decade at Dean & Deluca. “But I don’t think there’s anybody doing exactly what we’re doing here,” he said, adding that the focus across the business would be on showcasing seasonal food and a high percentage of lines sourced from the

Waitrose merges with John Lewis British Isles. “I’ve got chefs that are going to show you there’s more than one thing you can do with Brussels Sprout,” he added. Barton said that he had remained in contact with landlords from his time working on Dean & Deluca’s abandoned entry into the London retail scene and had designs on opening at a variety of locations across the city. He said that the New London site was the ideal place to launch his concept, though. “It’s an £8.4bn development, there’s potential for up to 13,000 residents and businesses,” he said. “And there’s footfall from the O2, so there’s already enough business for me to hit the ground running.” Barton, who has invested his own money in the project along with several silent investors, said he was targeting as many as nine further sites in the next five years.

GlobalData survey shows consumers keen to use food refill services The latest report from GlobalData has shown that 71.3% of UK consumers are willing to use food refill services. The data and analytics company found from its monthly survey that these practices were in line with a greater willingness among UK shoppers to buy unpackaged food. “Amid growing awareness of the harmful affects of single-use plastics on the environment, retailers are keen to prove that they are acting responsibly and responding to consumers’ concerns,” said GlobalData retail analyst Hannah Thomson. “After initial set-up costs, retailers could benefit from selling certain goods unpackaged and removing packaging costs.” The new data which

was released in September follows news reported by FFD last month that Waitrose plans to extend its Unpackaged trial concept and roll out the trial to three other stores. Faversham-based Macknade fine food hall has also recently unveiled its ‘Unpackaged at Macknade’ concept. The new section features dispensers for customers who want to reduce excess packaging. They can bring in their own containers and choose from loose grains, pulses, rice, dried fruit, nuts and pasta. “Our customers can now sample premium products in smaller quantities,” said managing director, Stefano Cuomo. “We have a large dispenser unit with 30 products. It has been so popular with customers that

we are already looking to increase the range.” Respondents who told GlobalData they would not use a refill shop, cited an unwillingness to take containers to a store. “Encouragingly for retailers,” said Thomson,

The owner of Waitrose and sister business John Lewis announced that the two retailers will now operate as one business, with a single executive team. John Lewis Partnership said that the restructure was intended to save £100m and will see 75 senior management jobs lost in the head office. The most high profile of these was Waitrose MD and former graduate trainee Rob Collins, who has stepped down, with John Lewis MD Paula Nickolds stepping in to head the new structure. In a statement the company said it hoped to “harness the power of the Partnership’s two brands working more closely”. Sharon White, the chief executive of Ofcom, is set to replace Sir Charlie Mayfield as the company’s chairman in March.

“the least-cited reason for not wishing to buy unpackaged items is a preference for branded products. “This leaves retailers free to switch suppliers in search of the best margins, and should give them the confidence to use suppliers which are able to deliver in bulk instead of in packaging.”

Macknade Fine Foods in Kent is the latest independent to offer products for customers to take away in their own containers

Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-December 2019

NEWS

CBD foods’ legal limbo leaves retailers currently running a risk By Michael Lane

Independent retailers should remain cautious about stocking the growing number of food and drink items containing the cannabis extract cannabidiol (CBD) – because not a single product has been authorised for sale by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). The FSA confirmed to FFD that food which contains the chemical compound – which has been touted as a helpful treatment for pain, anxiety and even cancer – is required by law to have pre-market safety tests, because it is classed as a “novel food”. An FSA spokesperson said: “Currently no CBD extracts have the legally required authorisation. There are a number of CBD products on the market that are non-compliant as they do not have the correct authorisation.” The agency has stated that it is still working on a compliance process. Every retailer contacted by FFD on this topic said they were unclear on CBD’s

status, even if they were currently stocking items with it in. In the last year, a host of products made with CBD extract, including drinks, tea, chocolate and beer, has come to market. CBD should not be confused with THC, the main psychoactive chemical found in cannabis. “I would not go as far as saying it’s illegal to stock food items that contain CBD, but there are considerations that need to be borne in mind” said Shannett Thompson, senior associate at law firm Kingsley Napley. “Technically speaking, Trading Standards could walk into a shop on the high street and they could take [CBD products] off the shelves if the retailer cannot prove the analysis of the product and whether it has been safety assessed for consumption by humans.” “We understand that they are not doing this because they want to work in a proportionate way, and this is an area which is in flux.” Although she would

Lina Stores to open new deli site at King’s Cross Lina Stores, which runs a famous Italian delicatessen and a pasta restaurant in London’s Soho, has unveiled plans to open a unit in King’s Cross as it marks 75 years of trading. The new deli, which will feature Lina’s signature green and white stripes, will be housed within a Victorian transit shed behind Granary Square, one of King’s Cross’ last remaining heritage buildings. It will be the first Lina location to have a deli and restaurant under the same roof. Italian pantry essentials will be stocked in the deli, while salami, cheeses, antipasti and fresh pasta will be available to eat-in or 6

take away along with madeto-order sandwiches. There will also be an espresso bar. The restaurant, which comprises 100 covers across sunken booths and long banquette-style seating, will offer a traditional menu focusing on fresh pasta made in-house by staff, to provide some in-store experience for customers. There will also be signature dishes from Lina Stores’ other outlets alongside new dishes, as well as a traditional Italian dessert trolley and

October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT... …CBD FOODS

MARCUS CARTER, FOUNDER,

ARTISAN FOOD

CLUB

Food made with CBD as an ingredient must be vetted as safe for consumption but none of the products on shelf are currently authorised, says the FSA

advise food retailers against currently stocking products containing CBD – without making appropriate checks, taking advice or liaising with the relevant authorities – Thompson also confirmed that the onus is on retailers to make sure, at very least, that Trading Standards and the FSA know they are carrying these products. If retailers were to have items confiscated, she said they would be the party that suffered financial losses and damage to their reputation, rather than the supplier directly. An FSA spokesperson

a wine list consisting of organic and biodynamic bottles. Marina Dentamaro, who managed the business’s deli at 18 Brewer Street for a decade, said: “Lina Stores has always welcomed Italians seeking a taste of home, people travelling to visit from across the UK and Londoners who return again and again to stock up on quality Italian ingredients.”

said: “To obtain an authorisation for a novel food, businesses need to demonstrate that the product is safe. They need to submit specific information about what the food is, how it’s made and how they intend to use it, as well as providing detailed information to demonstrate it is safe for people to eat.” The FSA said businesses should be making applications for CBD products under Novel Food Regulations. More guidance is available at food.gov.uk/ business-guidance/novelfoods

Do you sell or produce CBD foods? Given the rapidly developing nature of this new category – and in the interest of journalistic balance – Fine Food Digest wants to hear from more retailers and producers of CBD foods for further coverage. The editorial team believes that there is much more to discuss and discover about these products, so if you have an opinion please get in touch via editorial@gff.co.uk

It’s a massive grey area and I’m watching from the sidelines. I’m not actively looking and I’m not sure I would take on a full CBD range. Also I don’t understand why everybody wants CBD in their lives, unless they’ve got behavioural issues. There needs to be a lot more scientific work and long term studies done on it. ANDY FORBES, CO-OWNER, THE TRADING POST FARM SHOP,

SOMERSET

The CBD oil capsules we stock – some will say it’s psychosomatic, others swear by it. But food is not something we’ve particularly looked into. We did sample a CBD tea at a trade show recently. It was expensive, which is what put us off, but we weren’t aware of the grey area in legislation. ROBIN WALDEN ,

DIRECTOR, THE SEASONS, FOREST ROW, EAST SUSSEX

I didn’t know about this, but if there’s something that I needed to comply with I would definitely comply with it. I know I can sell CBD oil, but I am inundated with producers pitching me their food with CBD on a daily basis. I think this has all become a bit of a bandwagon. I have one local producer which supplies me with a chocolate which has CBD in it, but I’m not sure even they know.

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October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

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October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

NEWS

Work to be done on Campylobacter in indies By Michael Lane

Spanish food still in demand despite Brexit With two forthcoming food trade shows in Spain, Alimentaria has said UK demand for Spanish products remains strong despite Brexit. The events company – which organises both its centrepiece Alimentaria show to be held in April and now the more specialised Fórum Gastronómico Barcelona in November this year – said that the number of British professionals participating in its main show has been increasing every year. It added that the UK accounted for 6.7% (€2.037 billion) of total Spanish food exports last year. Alimentaria takes place in Barcelona on 20th-23rd April in Barcelona, while Fórum Gastronómico Barcelona will run from 18th to 20th November 2019. alimentaria.com

FSA tests have shown smaller retailers have failed to reduce the highest levels of the harmful bacteria in the last four year while supermarkets have improved

and farm shops, but an FSA spokesperson told FFD that consumers should ‘not necessarily” assume it was less safe to purchase chicken from independents. The spokesperson said that supermarkets had been able to improve because they had been collaborating with larger slaughterhouses with the resources to adjust conditions. They added: “It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what interventions have been the most effective in achieving this. The

slaughterhouses which supply smaller retailers tend to be small-to-medium processors, who may not be in the same financial position to implement more sophisticated interventions.” Rob Copley, co-founder of Farmer Copleys Farm Shop in Yorkshire and chairman of the Farm Retail Association told FFD that there was no reason why smaller shops couldn’t match up to supermarkets on campylobacter. “If you assume all the supermarkets have 5-star

DOWN ON THE FARM

Bury Lane Farm Shop’s gift hall is currently being refurbished and being treated to a brand-new layout and new lighting. It will offer customers an increased range of products, including a wider range of china, jewellery, toiletries, greetings cards and baby toys. burylanefarmshop.co.uk Due to the success of its summer parent & toddler group, Herrings Green

Farm is now offering a regular parent and toddler group. Each session will vary, allowing children to get up close to Herrings Green’s farm animals, birds and tractors. herringsgreenfarmshop. co.uk Nestled between the Devon and Cornwall border, Strawberry Fields Farm Shop (formerly known as Lifton Farm Shop) has recently unveiled a new

Marazem/Dreamstime.com

The Food Standards Agency has said it will continue to work with smaller slaughterhouses and independent retailers to reduce levels of harmful Campylobacter bacteria found on raw chicken, after its latest results showed they were lagging behind supermarkets in tackling it. A data set and report, published by the Food Standards Agency in August, showed that the proportion of whole chickens contaminated with the highest level of Campylobacter – the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK – has decreased overall since 2014. While supermarkets have shown significant progress during testing, chickens tested in “smaller retailers” had shown no decrease in levels on average. The smaller retailers category includes butchers

hygiene ratings, then 80% of smaller shops should too,” he said. Echoing the FSA’s advice to retailers, Copley said farm shops need to start their prevention at the source. “In the first instance, they need to be buying from a reputable or audited supplier,” he said. “And, in-store, its basic hygiene practice, a temperature check on delivery, and keep it separate in the fridge.” Copley added that shops should also make sure customers know how to prepare chicken safely and this could be achieved by including cooking instructions on labels. Between August 2017 and July 2018, 1,769 samples of whole, UK-produced, fresh chicken were tested across the country on behalf of the FSA. During the first four months, 1,044 chickens were sampled from all retailers. The FSA tested only minor retailers after this period, as it was agreed that the Top 9 retailers would publish results of their internal testing on their websites.

IN BRIEF Fresh herb champion and condiment brand A Little Bit Food Co, has been taken over by Kent-based entrepreneur Laura Bounds, owner of Kentish Oils & Kentish Condiments. The buy-out will see the new owner carry out new product development to extend the existing range. New forecasts from IGD reveal that the UK convenience market is set to grow by £6.9bn in the next five years, reaching a sector value of £48.2bn by 2024. Store openings are predicted to be the main drive of the channel’s growth. Suffolk-based premium juice manufacturer, James White Drinks, has invested significantly in a new shot production line and expanded storage facility, thanks to support from the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development.

The latest from farm shops across the country Dessert Bar. The shop’s dessert team has developed a range of homemade desserts, using fresh homegrown produce wherever possible. strawberryfieldslifton. co.uk

Following a makeover and now under new management, Meadgate Farm Shop in Timsbury, North East Somerset, has now re-opened its refurbished plant nursery. meadgatefarmshop.co.uk

A brand-new shop is set to open this month at Whitley Castle (Epiacum), in Alston, Cumbria. The uniquely shaped Roman Fort’s site also features a visitor centre and an education centre along with the farm shop and café. epiacumheritage.org

The Newt in Somerset is a country estate, set in the landscaped woodlands and gardens, that has recently opened to the public near Bruton. It offers a luxurious hotel, numerous eateries, a spa and a farm shop, which celebrates all things local –including cheese, meat and produce – and has a strong focus on sustainability. thenewtinsomerset.com

In association with

Fabulous Farm Shops fabulousfarmshops.co.uk

Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-November 2019

SHOP TALK IF I’D KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW... MARK BURY, founder, Eversfield Organic, Devon After 14 years of operating an organic box scheme from our farm near Okehampton, in October 2018 we opened our shop in Tavistock. The thought of entering the high street excited me, but I still had to do the number crunching to make sure it made financial sense. We view online and retail as one ‘omnichannel’ business; the two parts complement one another. People like to see and feel the products but, at the same time, they want convenience. In that respect, the shop feeds the online business and serves as a marketing window – it gives customers confidence they are doing the right thing. The shop accounts for 10% of sales but, since we opened Tavistock, it has increased our Devon online business by 20% compared to this time last year. We expected the shop to behave in the same way as our online business in terms of top selling categories. We thought the larder side would be big, but actually it is fresh produce – fish, butchery, fruit & veg – that drives sales in the shop. I made other assumptions that turned out to be incorrect. I thought I knew which direction people look when they walk into a shop and how to approach signage. I didn’t get it right. We put chalkboards up everywhere but they were too high up and the writing was too small. We now understand the power of giving people something on paper – such as little cards explaining products. I also thought we could use butchers’ blocks as the base of the fruit & veg display, but it didn’t work. Fruit & veg needs to be tilted towards the customer but not so tilted as to spill over. We ended up buying a bespoke display unit instead. Having experience in IT helped when it came to implementing an EPOS system. We went for EPOS Now, which is a good, cheap, entry-level system. It has its limitations, though, and doesn’t handle the bespoke butchery side very well. I imagine that if we open more shops (perhaps in London or the home counties), we will invest in a system that deals with stock and shelf life. We will also look for larger spaces in future. Our Tavistock store is 1,500 sq ft and it has been a challenge, particularly behind the scenes. Because fresh produce has been so successful we have needed more fridge capacity than we anticipated, as well as more kitchen space to prepare cheese platters. For any future shops we would want 2,500 sq ft. For now, I am confident there is plenty we can do to grow the turnover of our Tavistock shop – we are looking to increase sales by around 50% this year. This will give us strong foundations to underpin our next move – opening a restaurant. Interview Lynda Searby Photography Nick Hook

October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

CONFESSIONS OF A DELI OWNER ANONYMOUS TALES FROM BEHIND THE COUNTER CAN I LIE DOWN ON YOUR COUCH? Your shop is practically a second home, after all. Every corner is full of your history and decisions as a shop keeper, whether it is the confusing EPoS system, that exorbitant easyclean flooring, or the upcycled counter top that now serves as a stand for a Wallace-&-Gromitthemed Wensleydale promotion. I have a cellar area that looks more like a props room for panto season than a deli stock room. Every square foot documents your journey to establishing yourself on the high street. You have watched tens or even hundreds of members of staff wander through your doors and out again – as you have stayed and they have moved on. I have not yet employed the child of any of my employees, but that day is coming. And I have reached such standing in the community that locals come in to ask me for help. It’s a badge of honour to be asked for my views on the most recent parking conflict or hassled to help out with money by the town’s Christmas lights committee.

MODEL RETAILING Excuse me, do you have large eggs?

Sometimes it feels like I’m up the uncharted deli creek, and I’m hanging onto my last paddle So how come I feel so paranoid rather than proud? Old friends come to visit and all I can detect is that they are slightly surprised and a bit disappointed to see me in my second decade running a shop in a wee market town, with my ‘yes ma’ams’ and ‘of course sirs’, still cleaning toilets, and clearing tables. All I see when they walk in is what I’ve not got around to. Where do all those cigarette butts, just outside the front door, come from?

Frankly, I always think I could be doing better. I don’t see my successes and, I am ashamed to say, I feel a bit insular. Sometimes it feels like I am up the uncharted deli creek, and I am hanging onto my last paddle. It’s all very well sharing this way, anonymously, but (perhaps because I write this column) I decided to look for a little help. I was recently persuaded by a much more robust friend to use a professional mystery shopper. I was absolutely afraid. TripAdvisor is bad enough but to invite a bad review seemed crazy. But, you know what? I liked it. Grumpy customers are a bit of a lottery but you can own that mystery shopper report. Or burn it. And I actually felt better. Not only did it say nice things (really nice things) about my team, but the stuff the auditor didn’t like has become a completely doable to-do list. I’m a paranoid deli-owner and I admit it, but letting someone else in has made me feel proactive again. This column is therapy for me. I hope it helps you, too.

SOLVING EVERYDAY SHOPKEEPING DILEMMAS. IN MINIATURE. Yes, Madam. Can I help you? Is this wine biodynamic?

Well, who can answer my important questions? Sorry, I don’t work here. Erm, I don’t work here.

Oh I do love a man in uniform!

FFD says: It can be difficult for some customers to know who it is that actually works in a shop, especially if it’s a trendy deli. You don’t need to have a full uniform but if all your staff have some kind of dress code or common item of clothing (aprons work well), then you’ll avoid any awkward confusion. It also adds a bit of professionalism and instils confidence in those more reluctant spenders.

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

Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-November 2019

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October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

CHEESEWIRE

news & views from the cheese counter

Lynher Dairies buys own Ayrshire herd for Cornish Kern By Patrick McGuigan

Lynher Dairies has invested in its own herd of Ayrshire cows to improve its award-winning hard cheese Cornish Kern – a move that is part of a wider trend among British cheesemakers for raising milk quality. The company, which also makes Cornish Yarg, previously sourced all its milk for Kern from local farms, but has bought a 95-strong herd of Ayrshires, whose milk will be exclusively used to make the cheese that was named the champion at the 2017 World Cheese Awards. The herd was bought from retiring dairy farmers Trevor and Julie Howe at nearby Gadles Farm. The cows will be managed

for Lynher by farmer Jonathan Hosken, who has taken over the farm as a tenant of landowner Cornwall Council. Under the new arrangement, Lynher owns the cows outright and hires them to Hosken with an agreement in place that defines the milk requirement and the terms of milk purchasing. “Ayrshire milk is high in solids and has a good fat-toprotein ration, and Jonathan is keen to work with Lynher on things like feeding regimes,” said owner Catherine Mead. “We’re basically designing our own raw material, which is unusual here but in France they wouldn’t bat an eyelid at cheesemakers working with farms to improve milk quality.” The decision to take control

Lynher Dairies has bought the Ayrshires to have better control over the milk supply used to make Cornish Kern

of its own milk supply was prompted by so-called “late blowing” problems with Kern – a fault associated with bacteria found in certain types of feed that causes some cheeses to expand and crack during maturation. Other cheesemakers putting greater emphasis on milk quality include Kingcott Dairy in Kent. It is switching its herd from high-volume Holsteins to Scandinavian red breed cows, which produce less milk but with higher fat and protein content. Fen Farm Dairy in Suffolk invested in a herd of Montbeliarde cows from France for similar reasons when it first began making Baron Bigod. A group of British cheesemakers – from Lincolnshire Poacher, Westcombe to Doddington – recently travelled to the Auvergne on a ‘cow club’ study trip, where they met dairy farmers and Salers and St Nectaire producers to learn more about pasture management, breed varieties and the microbiology of milk. “Thirty years ago, our focus was on making new cheeses and brands, but the industry has matured and milk quality has become much more important,” said Mead.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Errington Cheese in Lanarkshire has stopped production of its blue cheese Dunsyre Blue “for the time being”. The cheese was blamed by Food Standards Scotland for a fatal e-coli outbreak, but Errington was later cleared in court of breaching any food safety laws.

Rachael Reserve

Somerset-based White Lake Cheese has developed a new mature version of its popular washed rind goat’s milk cheese Rachel. Instead of the usual 2kg cheeses, the company has made larger 12kg rounds, which are aged for a year or more until they have a more intense flavour but retain their supple, semi-firm texture. To differentiate the product, the company has changed the spelling to ‘Rachael’ Reserve.

Habanero chilli jam Finding a cheese with a big enough flavour to stand up to the heat of Tracklements’ Hot Habanero Jam has taken some time, but Rachael Reserve more than meets the brief. The sweet, caramel notes of the cheese segue with the fruitiness of the chilli, but there’s also a savoury level thanks to a dash of fish sauce in the jam, which accentuates the salty, umami notes beneath the rind. Norman Cider West Country cider is a natural bedfellow for a sweet nutty Somerset cheese, but we’ve been discovering the fermented delights of PGI-protected farmhouse ‘cidre’ from Normandy recently. There’s a wide range of styles, but the refreshing, tannic ‘brut’ ciders work very well with Rachael, piercing the intensity of the cheese.

The US is threatening to impose 100% tariffs on European cheese, after American officials received approval from the World Trade Organization to impose retaliatory duties on a wide range of European imports in a spat over subsidies for Airbus. Gouda, Stilton, Roquefort, and Parmigiano-Regiano could all be affected. Iconic British goats’ cheeses Tymsboro, Sleightlett, Cardo, and Old Ford will no longer be made following the death of respected cheesemaker Mark Holbrook. Neal’s Yard Dairy announced that production at Sleight Farm in Somerset had now ceased in a post on Instagram.

THREE WAYS WITH...

A Fife buffalo farmer, who starred in the BBC’s ‘This Farming Life’ TV programme, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance a new mozzarella business. Steve Mitchell has been rearing buffalo for meat since 2005 but now aims to crowdfund £800,000 to build a cheese manufacturing facility and milking parlour. thebuffalofarm.co.uk

Seggiano Fig Ball Seggiano’s fig balls come from Calabria in Southern Italy, where ripe Dottato figs are dried and cooked in their own juices before being wrapped in fig leaves and baked. The resulting fig ball is intensely fragrant with an almost liquorice intensity. That complex sweetness pairs up beautifully with the salty caramel notes of the cheese. Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-November 2019

CHEESEWIRE

news & views from the cheese counter

King Stone moves dairy to give Rollright more room

BEHIND THE COUNTER TIPS OF THE TRADE Webb Freckingham, The Cheese Shop, Nottingham

By Patrick McGuigan

King Stone Dairy is stepping up production of its washedrind cheese Rollright and plans to make a raw milk Double Gloucester, after moving to a new farm in Gloucestershire. Previously located in Oxfordshire, the cheesemaker has moved to Chedworth Farm near Cheltenham, where it is building a much larger creamery and investing in new equipment. The organic farm, which has a 250-strong mixed herd of Shorthorn and British Friesian cows, already has a cheesemaking facility that will be used to make raw milk, cloth-bound Double Gloucester from January. The new creamery, which is currently being built, will make King Stone’s pasteurised, washed cheeses Rollright and Evenlode from November. Owner David Jowett told FFD that the company had reached capacity at its previous home near Chipping Norton and needed to expand.

CHEESE IN PROFILE with Stinking Bishop What’s the story? Charles Martell started making cheese in 1978 at Hunts Court in Dymock, Gloucestershire – handmilking just three cows. Stinking Bishop was developed and launched in 1994 and is named after the pear variety that is used locally for making perry. The Stinking Bishop pear got its name from a mid-19th century farmer called Frederick Bishop whose 14

Rollright-maker King Stone Dairy’s move to Gloucestershire will see it quadruple its capacity

“Chedworth has a larger herd and produces fantastic milk for cheesemaking,” he said. “The herdsman has been here 15 years and has done a lot in terms of herbal leys and deep-rooted plants in the pastures, which means great aromatics in the milk.” The move will quadruple capacity to 100 tonnes a year, helped by new 1,000-litre tipping vats, which mechanically channel the curd

into the moulds. “It will be more efficient, but also a big step up in quality because the cheeses are moulded at the exact right time in terms of acidity and moisture,” said Jowett. Cheesemakers Neil Robinson and Dominique LizéBeaulieu, who were making batches of Double Gloucester at Chedworth last year, are now trialling their recipe with other cheesemakers.

Webb Freckingham is a master at getting his customers to venture beyond cheddar, Stilton and brie. That’s a good job because – with more than 200 cheeses on his counter – he’s got a lot of different products to sell. “I find humour works really well,” he says. “We sell a lot of Skegness Blue because I’ll make a joke about it being the only thing to come out of Skegness without a tattoo. We also pick up cheese directly from cheesemakers and so are often the first to get new cheeses. People like the fact that we’ve got stuff you won’t find anywhere else.” Continentals with difficult to pronounce names can be intimidating, he adds, so tasting is also key. “It’s no good just putting some on the counter – you need to give them the cheese and chat to them,” he says. “People often have an idea they don’t like goats’ cheeses, but when we put White Nancy in a roll with honey and walnuts they love it. People think they know what they like until they try something different.”

riotous behaviour earned him the nickname!

500g waxed paper and wooden box

Milk: Cows’, Pasteurised

Cheesemonger tip: This is a cheese with great stories, so use them to engage with customers. Remember also its rise to fame in the Wallace & Gromit film Curse of the Were-Rabbit when used as an alternative to smelling salts. Where possible, contain the ooze by keeping the birchwood band in place.

How is it made? It is a full-fat soft, washedrind cheese made using pasteurised milk from the farm’s thirteen cows and other local herds. As the cheese matures it is washed in perry, which gives the cheese its characteristic flavour, pungent smell and pinktinged rind. The cheese can become very runny when ripe so is

October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

supported by a beechwood girdle as it matures. It is made with vegetarian rennet and matured for a minimum of six weeks. Appearance & texture: Stinking Bishop is a very handsome cheese with a pinkish-orange-yellow rind and, when cut, reveals a soft, pale yellow paste with the texture of thick clotted cream, but it gets very runny as it matures. It is famous for its pungent

aroma and the exterior rind has a strong, meaty flavour but the supple interior is surprisingly sweet and mild with aromatic buttery notes. Variations: 1.8kg Beechwood lath and waxed paper

Chef’s recommendation: This is a great cheeseboard cheese to serve alongside blue Stilton, thin slices of pear and a robust red wine or a Poireau (pear spirit).

Whether you have a professional or personal interest in cheese, the Academy of Cheese is a not-for-profit organisation, providing a comprehensive industry recognised certification. Level One courses are available across the UK. Visit academyofcheese.org to start your journey to Master of Cheese.

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BISCUITS FOR CHEESE

FROM THE ISLE OF LEWIS Made to traditional recipes passed down for generations by our team of skilled craft bakers, our Water Biscuits and Oatcakes are ideal for creating cheeseboards or canapĂŠs as they work delightfully well with a wide range of toppings. Tel: 01851 702733 sales@stagbakeries.co.uk www.stagbakeries.co.uk

Stoney Cross suits a very broad section of customer. Even those that like a strong cheese will enjoy the subtle flavours and the smooth texture of this little cheese.

www.lyburncheese.co.uk 01794 399982

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October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

CHEESEWIRE

news and views from the cheese counter

I don’t miss sitting in an office and having lots of meetings

Dairy in the City of Steel There may be no farm and no cows, but Sheffield Cheesemasters is thriving in its urban environment Interview by Patrick McGuigan

You’re more likely to bump into a DJ than a cow when you visit Sheffield Cheesemasters. Located in the Steel City’s trendy Neepsend neighbourhood, the start-up cheesemaker is part of a foodie hotspot surrounded by microbreweries, a food hall and a buzzy night market called Peddler, which combines street food, craft beer, live music and DJ sets in a former warehouse. It’s a long way from the green fields that greet most cheesemakers on their way to work in the morning. “We don’t have any land or cows, and we’re not farmers, but we still want to make really great cheese,” says owner Sophie Williamson, who launched the business in 2017, making a soft, bloomy-rinded cheese called Little Mester. “We’re urban cheesemakers and we use that as part of our USP and promotion.” Williamson previously had a long career in IT before catching the cheesemaking bug at the School of Artisan Food, where she was booked on a one-day course as a Christmas present, but ended up going back to do further professional training. “You hit an age when you do something different and the school was such an inspiring place,” she says. Williamson has built a strong relationship with dairy farm Our Cow Molly, just four miles away, which is well known for selling bottled milk to local coffee shops and retailers, as well as making ice cream and running a popular farm shop. “Everybody knows them and they’re very good at Tweeting and going on local radio, so it

was the ideal farm for us,” says Williamson. “We pay them a fair price – 50p a litre – but we get the milk pasteurised and delivered for that.” Milk is delivered twice a week and turned into around 365 Little Mesters, plus its newly launched Yorkshire Poutine Cheese Curds. These squeaky curds are sold to restaurants and the street food traders on her doorstep, as well as in 200g retail pots. The company also sells deep-fried curds with chips from the unit during Peddler market days, alongside raclette, toasties, and deep-fried Little Mesters. “It seems a bit wrong when you’ve spent so much time making the cheeses to deep-fry them, but people love them,” she says. As well as turning her hand to street food, Williamson also takes stalls at local farmers’ markets, runs cheese tastings and sells corporate hampers of her cheese and other Sheffield-made food. “We wouldn’t have survived without all these different things,” she says. “Sometimes I look at the diary and think how am I going to do all this? But it really helps with the ebbs and flows of cheese during the year. Cheese sales can be quiet during the summer when people are on holiday and it’s hot, so it’s good to have other revenue streams.” The company currently delivers cheese direct to around 25 local delis and farm shops, including Chatsworth and Fodder, but the future focus is to grow retail sales further afield through wholesalers Michael Lee and Cryer & Stott. The Poutine Curds and a new blue version of Little Mester called Sheffield Blue will help in this regard, says Williamson. “I don’t miss sitting in an office and having lots of meetings,” she adds. “There’s something special about making something from scratch, putting it out there and seeing what people think. You don’t get tired of that.” sheffieldcheesemasters.co.uk

CROSS

SECTION

Little Mester 1

The 200g pasteurised, vegetarian cheese is named after the skilled knife sharpeners that used to ply their trade in the units where the business is based (the women that polished the knives were called Buffer Girls). There is only one Little Mester left in the city, according to Williamson.

The cheese is matured for two weeks, before being wrapped and aged for another two weeks. It has a shelf-life of around four weeks, during which time it will become progressively gooier as the bloomy rind breaks down the curd.

The heart of the cheese is yoghurt-y with sour cream notes when young with more savoury, white mushroom notes from the breakdown. These become more pronounced as the cheese ripens.

Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-November 2019

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October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

CUT&DRIED

making more of British & Continental charcuterie

As a butcher you make bacon and sausages all the time. Charcuterie needs more patience.

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You can’t duck the detail For a retail butcher, it’s no easy leap from bacon-curing to full-on charcuterie, as 2019 BCA champion producer David Lishman tells FFD Interview by Mick Whitworth

In 1999 Lishman’s of Ilkley, a high street butcher in Yorkshire’s “Gateway to the Dales”, took its first Champion of Champion sausage award at the big annual Butchers’ Shop of the Year bash. Two decades on, it’s still bagging the gongs, but now it’s with charcuterie, not sausages. In August, the firm – founded more than 30 years ago by current Q Guild chairman David Lishman, and run jointly with his daughter Emma – was crowned champion producer at the British Charcuterie Awards (BCAs), staged alongside BBC Countryfile Live. The title recognised Lishman’s strong performance with three high-scoring products: smoked dry-cured streaky bacon, beef and red wine pepperoni and York air-dried ham. It’s a line-up that exemplifies what “British charcuterie” should encompass: a classically English bacon, an Italian snack salami with a nod to Yorkshire in the beef, and another English classic given a prosciutto spin. “York ham is England’s traditional dried-cured ham, but it’s really fallen out of favour,” David Lishman tells FFD. “Our air-dried ham is made the same way as

our York ham, but we dry it way beyond the usual 10 weeks. So it’s ready to eat, whereas a normal York ham is cooked.” Prosciutto has been a tough nut for British charcutiers to crack without the climatic advantages enjoyed in southern Europe. Whole legs take many months to cure and dry, tying up cash in stock, and it takes skill to control conditions so the meat doesn’t rot from the inside before curing has made it safe. “Perhaps it takes a butcher to bite that bullet,” says Lishman, noting that one or two of his fellow charcutiers have lately stopped production of air-dried hams. Charcuterie is now a significant chunk of Lishman’s turnover, with five salamis, five whole-muscle meats and a spreadable ’nduja. But it hasn’t been rushed. “We’ve been doing it for maybe 10 years,” says Lishman, “but only started taking it seriously seven or eight years ago. “We began with a Stagionello cabinet that lets us ferment and mature in one unit. But we found the cabinet was tied up for four weeks with each batch, so we built our own maturing room and just used the Staggionello for fermentation.” It was the purchase of a more sophisticated German-made Kerres chamber, capable of fermenting, maturing, smoking and steaming - that let the butcher produce bigger, more consistent volumes of charcuterie. “I want ours to be an artisan product,” says Lishman, “and I’m happy for it to vary from batch to batch. But we have to have some consistency.”

The Kerres equipment also led Lishman’s to launch a premium version of the frankfurter – a product much maligned in the UK. “You either love frankfurters or you hate them,” says Lishman. “And if you hate them it’s probably because you’ve only had them out of a tin.” To maximise the return on his costly Kerres kit, he went to Germany to see frankfurters made properly by artisan producers, before formulating his own using pork shoulder and belly from Yorkshire outdoor-bred pigs. Finely chopped to form a “batter”, it’s then steam-cooked in the Kerres unit for the classic frankfurter ‘snap’ – and earned Lishman’s a Great Taste 1-star this year. Currently, most of the UK’s more prominent charcutiers are either farmers or chefs by background. Fewer are butchers, and Lishman says the technical complexity of charcuterie and the long timescales are both barriers to entry. “As a butcher you cure bacon and hams all the time, but they’re going to be sold in two or three weeks. Charcuterie needs more patience.” It helps, he says, that he was interested in the technical detail, and he’s still hands-on, although helped day to day by staffers Andrew Waterhouse and Richard Dean. “They’re very good,” he says, adding that a butcher can’t just leave unskilled staff to keep an eye on charcuterie. “You’ve got to make sure the product is right at every stage of the process. With bacon you’re only really doing the first: the cure. With charcuterie you’ve got a second stage, equalising the product, and then a third: maturing.” It takes effort and time, he says, adding: “Charcuterie is attention to detail.” lishmansbutchers.co.uk

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October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

P LE A S E D R I N K R E S P O N S I B LY

CAFÉ CONFIDENTIAL

Fancy a brew?

BAG VS LOOSE

All Brits love a cup of tea, but expanding your selection with high-end loose leaf varieties could set you apart from the high street chains. Lauren Phillips speaks to Jon Cooper of PekoeTea.

• In foodservice, an English Breakfast teabag costs on average around 15p per serving, while it’s only 5p per serving for loose leaf.

THE CUP OF TEA IS a staple in British tradition, but don’t let it be an afterthought when it comes to your deli-café menu. Ditching mass-produced pyramid teabags for speciality loose leaf teas can be a real point of difference on the high street, says Jon Cooper, founder of tea importer and retailer PekoeTea. He recommends deli-cafés include six to 10 loose teas on their menus and build a good knowledge of them. A typical list includes English Breakfast, Early Grey, a plain or flavoured Green Tea, Peppermint, lemongrass, ginger, a Rooibos an Assam or Darjeeling and a caffeinefree option.

“People tend to lump tea and coffee together because they are hot drinks,” says Cooper. “You can drink coffee on the go but tea is a slow drink. Something you ponder and take your time over.” While it might seem like a faff and something which your customers might not understand right away, it makes financial sense to do this [see boxout] and offers you an opportunity to add some theatre when serving it. Cooper uses traditional tea ware like side-handle teapots for Japanese teas and Gongfu-style clay teapots for Chinese Oolongs, but even a teapot and cup presented on a small tray will add a nice touch to individual servings. Zero Japan teapots have an infuser already inside and removable lid (and are dishwasher safe). Average infusion time is 3 minutes, and a small tea timer (which is turned as soon as the water is applied) can be served

FROM THE DELI KITCHEN Kombucha is becoming increasingly popular and it is the simplest drink to make. It has interesting flavours that continually develop and change as it ages, and it’s easy on the pocket, too. This recipe uses butternut squash and onions but you could use any veg you’d like to. Every now and again a batch of kombucha turns too sour for drinking, in which case it’s perfect for pickling.

Sean Callitz

the secrets of smarter foodservice

• Teabags might offer a quicker turnaround but the numbers stack up when it comes to loose leaf teas.

alongside to add to the experience. Customers might complain about having to wait for their tea to steep so it’s best to gauge the situation and communicate the process to them. Keep an eye out for disappearing timers, though. “Correct crockery and tea ware is the ideal way to serve loose leaf tea,” says Cooper. “But it’s fundamental to get your water quality, temperature and infusion time right and communicating this to the customer so they get the best experience.” Cooper says the water temperature should be 70-80°C for Green Tea, 90-95°C for Oolong and 95-100°C for all other teas. Some Japanese teas can go as low as 50°C . “You can’t scald tea,” he adds, “but the higher temperature means

• Selling a large amount of teabags could get the cost down to 12.5p per serving, still giving you a 6/7p difference with loose leaf. • So, even a £2.20-2.50 cup of loose tea can offer a decent margin. Although, the service cost will be higher, too.

you’re extracting the bitterness in the leaf that you don’t want.” Using hot water directly from coffee machines for tea can leave a metallic flat flavour from being boiled repeatedly inside the copper tank. A separate water boiler avoids this and Cooper says there are new models now which allow businesses to instantly access water at the right temperature. A temperaturecontrolled kettle will work, too. Is it time for a cuppa?

Simple recipes to boost your margins. Sponsored by Tracklements

Prep time: 20mins Cook time: 5mins plus pickling time Makes: 1L jar Ingredients 1kg of veg: butternut, red onions etc, peeled and thinly sliced 100ml water 1tbsp sea salt 4tbsp sugar 200ml raw apple cider vinegar

100ml kombucha a small chunk of fresh turmericsliced ½ tsp black peppercorns 1tsp mustard seeds 1 or 2 star anise a few sprigs of fresh rosemary bay leaves You will need: 1L pickling jar, sterilised Method: • peel the butternut and/ or onions, slice very thinly • bring a large pot of water to the boil • blanch the onions or butternut in boiling

water – 2 mins for onions and 4 mins for butternut • mix together the water, sugar and salt and heat to dissolve. • add in the vinegar, kombucha, turmeric, peppercorns, mustard seeds, star anise, rosemary and bay leaves. • heat for 1 minute then remove from the heat. • transfer the veg into the pickling jar and top with the vinegar mixture, close the seal whilst still hot • leave to cool before serving with burgers, slow roasted tomatoes, soft cheeses and tossed into salads. Recipe by Fine Food Digest

A condiment for every meal

Homemade Kombucha Pickles Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-November 2019

GREAT TASTE 2019

The king of cool It started out as one gelateria in Bristol, but Swoon has grown its number of outlets and its range of awardwinning gelatos steadily over the last five years. Now the company looks set to make its retail debut on the back of its hazelnut gelato claiming the Supreme Champion title this year, as FFD finds out. Also, discover all of the major winners from the Great Taste 2019 Golden Fork Awards over the next six pages. Interview by Michael Lane. Portrait by Richard Faulks

BRUNO FORTE IS A HARD MAN to get hold of. But given the recent success of Swoon – the gelato business he co-founded just a few years ago with his family – it’s little wonder that his line has been so busy and his inbox so full. The company is no stranger to winning things but on 1st September, at the Golden Fork Awards dinner, its hazelnut gelato (aka nocciola)

October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

was named Great Taste Supreme Champion and now everyone wants a spoonful. Famous London department stores, farm shops, and top delis have all been on the phone. “We’ve not got a retail product yet but our shops have been very busy,” says Forte, who runs the business with his sister Patricia Powell, as well as numerous other family members (just

check out the posse in the photo to the right that arrived on stage to collect the big trophy!). But Forte insists that all of these enquiries won’t be in vain, with retail formats of the gelato in development for launch next year. For now, Swoon has had to contend with hordes of journalists and countless punters queuing up at its parlours in Bath and Bristol and a recently opened outlet in Oxford. Those first two parlours have seen 20% year-on-year increases in September. Once the crowds have abated a little it will give Swoon some breathing space to finish work on getting a retail range together. “We’re trying to get something out for after Christmas and then the next selling season,” says Forte, adding that he hopes to be able to offer gelato in 120-125ml single-serve to a range of customers and 450-500ml larger tubs for independent retailers. There will be six flavours in the range. The Supreme Champion nocciola – made with hazelnuts from a single family grower in Piedmont – is the first on the list. It will be

Big winners celebrate at The Golden Forks Dinner (L to R) Guild of Fine Food MD John Farrand, Pat Powell from Swoon Gelato, Alex Pickering (Kenwood), Sarah Ballinger, Ana-Maria Forte, Bruno Forte, Louise Forte, Birgitte Sow and Luisa Fontana from Swoon Gelato and Nigel Barden

It’s much more important to focus on where you’re supplying it, than volumes. So, it needs to be in good independents to start with.

Product photography by Richard Faulks, awards photography by Sam Pelly

joined by pistachio and two vegan varieties: chocolate and raspberry sorbettos. The final two spots are still up for grabs. While packaging and flavours are important elements, there is also a more technical challenge for Forte and his team to overcome before Swoon’s gelato can make it into shops. In its parlours, the gelato is served at -12°C but it will need to be stored at -18°C in retail cabinets. This means that the sugar structures need adjusting in each of the six recipes to be able to cope with the lower temperature. Forte insists that there will be no difference in taste.

Swoon Gelato Nocciola Gelato Sponsored by

There is also the issue of distribution to solve. It does have some freezer vehicles but Swoon currently makes all of its mixes in a central kitchen before they are sent by refrigerated van to its parlours to be churned into the final product there. It’s a system that maintains consistency across its own outlets but it’s obviously not going to work for retail. However Swoon prepares its gelato to travel further, delis and farm shops seem likely to be the first to get their hands on the product. “It’s much more important to focus on where you’re supplying it, than volumes. So, it needs to be in good independents to start with,” says Forte, adding that this route to market will ensure that Swoon keeps control of its brand. Retail will be a new thing for Forte, whose own background is in catering, but he points out that he’s been on a learning curve since he started training in 2014 at the Gelato University in Bologna – run by specialist equipment manufacturer Carpigiani. Inspired by the gelato made by his grandfather, who moved from Italy to England after World War II, Forte has grown the business – together with his sister Patricia Powell – into a serial Great Taste winner in a very short space of time. It opened its first outlet in Bristol in 2016, followed by one in Bath the year after and it opened a third in Oxford this August. A second in Bath that is currently a pop-up might well become permanent and Forte tells FFD he would be happy to see other Swoon-branded gelato counters in other stores or cafés too. It’s a near certainty that this time next year, more people than ever before will be getting a spoonful of Swoon. swoononaspoon.co.uk

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(L to R) John Farrand (Guild of Fine Food), John Shepherd of Partridges, Matthew and Lisa Slaughter of Matthew’s Preserves and Kitty Shepherd (Partridges)

Artisan Kitchen Sponsored by (L to R) Guild of Fine Food MD John Farrand, Sarah Churchill of Artisan Kitchen and Adrian Boswell from Selfridges

Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-November 2019

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GREAT TASTE 2019

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Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-November 2019

The Guild of Fine Food’s training arm, the School of Fine Food, sees over 1,000 delegates a year learn everything from the basics of cheese and deli products to the detail of running an independent retail business. BUSINESS Our Retail Ready two-day training programme is designed to equip managers or owners of prospective, new or developing delis & farm shops with the business essentials of fine food & drink retailing CHEESE RETAIL Our one-day course is designed to help independent retailers capitalise on customer interaction, ensure they have the correct range and guarantees that you and your team talk intelligently about cheese to your customers ACADEMY OF CHEESE The Guild is a founding patron and training provider of the Academy. It’s trusted and structured learning provides an academic pathway for anyone in the business, and equally cheese-loving consumers. It does for cheese what the Wine & Spirits Education Trust does for wine

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Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-November 2019

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October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

INTERVIEW

Chris Dee, Harrods

Master of hall he surveys A year into his post as Harrods’ director of food & home, Chris Dee talks to FFD about taking the reins of the food halls’ redevelopment, what he’s learned so far and what’s still to come both in store and beyond Knightsbridge nterview by Michael Lane Portrait by Isabelle Plasschaert

IF YOU WERE TO GUESS what the man in charge of Harrods’ food halls is most partial to, then you might say caviar, or smoked salmon, or Dom Perignon. But the answer is actually the sausage rolls – from the world-famous department store’s in-house bakery of course. “You can take the boy out of the North…” says Chris Dee, with a smile. He became the store’s

director of food & home just over a year ago and it’s been a particularly busy 12 months, as he was thrust into Harrods’ ongoing overhaul of its food halls. He has already overseen the opening of two major projects – the Fresh Hall opened this time last year and the Dining Hall unveiled this summer – and there’s more to come both inside and outside Harrods’ flagship premises, including

a high street café outside of the Capital. Although a good deal of the physical aspects of the halls’ redevelopment were planned before his arrival, Dee has had plenty to consider as he has overseen its delivery so far. “It’s not just about the architecture, not just about the fixtures and fittings. Ultimately what matters is the experience the customer has when they come to the food halls. “We’re an experiential retailer creating that entirely different experience, if you get it right, and that’s all about the people and the product as much as it is about the store environment.” He might joke about the sausage rolls but it’s not actually long ago that Dee was still in the North. Originally from York, he spent some 22 years in the North West at upmarket chain Booths (including a two-year stint as CEO) before departing in 2017. While there are obvious differences between his former and current employers, Dee says the customers he has to consider now are no more or less discerning. “We are serving a luxury consumer and, as such, expectations of what they can buy might be different from somebody who was shopping at Booths, but there’s no difference in terms of expectations about provenance, brand innovation, or around the quality.” That said, the store’s customer base – which Dee says can be divided roughly into a third Middle Eastern, a third Asian and a final European third that includes Brits – is certainly more global than local. But when the food hall revamp was launched by Dee’s predecessor Alex Dower in November 2017, with the new Roastery & Bake Hall, it was with the intention to encourage more regular shoppers. “The original plan was how we attract local, even local Knightsbridge, customers to come in and shop with us and do their weekly grocery shop, which I think was always a bit of a stretch,” says Dee. “The days of Harrods being the local grocer are probably at least 20 years gone, simply because of who else has arrived on the patch and, almost certainly, that’s where most of our locals would shop.” Dee’s perspective has been informed by his first major task: overseeing the launch of the Fresh Hall last October. For the first time in history all of Harrods’ fresh counters, like cheese, charcuterie and butchery, are in one room. He says while it does encourage regular visits to a degree, it’s certainly not the envisioned weekly shop. “The Fresh Hall is much more aimed at London, not necessarily Knightsbridge, and we’ve seen London take it to its heart more and more as we’ve gone on,” he says. “So I think it’s a great example of something that can work for more local people and more regular shoppers – very much driven by entertaining as a shopping mission. They’re here to buy the very best for their guests.” Even though the customer demographic has not quite shifted as first planned, Dee says this hasn’t led to any range revision in the phase completed before his arrival. The Tea Tailor, small batch coffee roastery and signature sourdough loaves are all still there but it is a different kind of dry good and customer driving sales in that room. CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-November 2019

INTERVIEW “Our customers are often looking for a product with Harrods’ name on it,” says Dee, referring to the smaller branded items that many tourists are seeking to take away as a relatively low-cost gift or keepsake. “They’ve got the opportunity to buy a little piece of Harrods and the food halls have always given that and that still applies.” These kind of visitors, many of whom Dee acknowledges will only visit once, are vital but very different to the luxury-seekers traditionally associated with the brand – but they use the food halls too. While caviar sales remain reassuringly strong, it is interesting to see the influence of those wealthy Asian and Middle Eastern customers. Exotic fruit baskets have proved to be a popular gifting item along with various dried fruit and nuts. Cocoa-dusted almonds are one of the biggest sellers by volume across the whole department store. Not all produce performs so well, though, and Dee says the much-publicised vegetable butchery counter in the Fresh Hall has not panned out as expected. “Broadly we haven’t done brilliantly with vegetables. What’s actually happened is it’s ended up being a fruit butcher, almost to the point of

prepped fruit and juice having taken over from the vegetables.” Despite the unexpected success on this counter, the plant-based craze has not gripped the food halls. There are vegan options throughout the ranges but none are considered bestsellers. Dee points out that a large swathe of customers are from cultures that have not embraced veganism quite like Europeans. He adds that Harrods’ approach is also not as concerned about covering every trend as other London food halls might be. “I think there’s a bit more keeping our feet on the ground and making sure the classics are wellexecuted. The Harrods customer isn’t necessarily going to want the most fashionable food. But they absolutely want quality and innovation.” With that in mind, Dee’s food buying team are on the lookout for both “innovation in the box” – anything that can improve on something they already stock – as well as new “out of the box” products. Even so, he acknowledges that not every product succeeds but Harrods has a wonderful internal NPD resource in its own kitchens and the 150-trained chefs working across them. “We’ve got the biggest brigade of chefs in Europe in one building so a lot of what we do in

The Harrods customer isn’t necessarily going to want the most fashionable food. But they absolutely want quality and innovation.

October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

food is inspired by those teams, working with our product developers. We can try things quite quickly. We can fail fast, learn fast and fix fast.” Products that come from the kitchens can end up on the counters or on the plates of more than 20 different restaurants in the building. “There’s a kind of symbiosis between retail and restaurants in this building that I think works really well and it means that the same person is thinking about it from both angles. So they’re developing retail products at the same time as developing a dish for the menu.” While foodservice and retail work well together behind the scenes, they are distinctly separate on the shop floor. Many retailers are keen to blur the lines between shopping and eating but Harrods’ redevelopment has seen it create more delineation. Previously, many of the counters featured seating but now almost all sitdown eating can take place in one of the Dining Hall’s six spaces while the other rooms that make up the food halls are purely retail. The only place it mixes is in the Roastery & Bake Hall coffee bar. “We’ve accepted that whilst people are here for a few hours and they might want to dine here, they will do their shopping in an environment that is primarily aimed at shopping and they don’t necessarily want to be bumping into people who are dining. The diners don’t want shoppers wandering around them, at the same time.” Dee says that even though the two areas serve different needs, a customer might experience both of them in one visit. As with all retailers, the longer a customer spends in store the more money they’re likely to spend. Conversely, some Harrods customers may end up spending no time at all in the shop, thanks to a new concept launching this month in Henley-on-Thames. H Café is billed by the retailer as a “lifestyle destination”, but will effectively act as a clickand-collect point for online orders, with the added bonus of changing rooms so customers don’t even have to take their purchases away. Of course, it will also feature a café and a pared down selection of food, drink and homewares. Given Henley’s reputation and its annual regatta, the brand exposure and potential of the location is clear. Even so, this will be the first time Harrods has had a stand-alone café premises outside its Knightsbridge home. Dee says he is unfazed about taking on the challenge of the British high street. He points out that they already operate on one. “Brompton Road has Costa, Nero, Starbucks, Paul, so we’re used to competing with coffee shops and we understand the dynamics of that market,” he says. “Henley’s no different.” Closer to home, the last major room to be revamped is the chocolate hall. The curtains won’t lift on it until August 2020, because it has to trade all the way through to Easter before the hoardings can go up, but Dee is promising more experiential retailing and chefs working on chocolate in front of customers. “It’s a massive category for Harrods,” he says. “It’s the only one that has its own room.” Looks like life will be getting sweeter for that boy from the North. harrods.com

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October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

CATEGORY FOCUS

Time for a top-up?

storecupboard ingredients After just over a year of selling at food fairs and markets, Jeby Jeyachandran is targeting the retail trade with his South Indian sauces. Featuring recipes such as butter chicken and vegetable korma, the fivestrong Jeyel’s line-up is said to fuse the sultry, exotic tastes of South India in easyto-use, freshly prepared sauces. RRP £3.49. jeyels.co.uk

BoTree’s salted pepper berries might look unassuming, but they promise to pack an intensity of flavour that belies their size. Young green Kampot pepper berries are enriched by salty fermentation, creating a seasoning with complex flavours ranging from fruity to hot to sweet. The berries can be dropped into G&Ts, salads, canapés or seasonings. RRP £15 for 100g. botreefarm.co.uk

Best known for its loose olive offering, Silver & Green has partnered a family in Benejuzar to develop an extra virgin olive oil made from Arbequina and Picual varieties. Launched in January, it is described as an everyday oil but with “enough integrity to stand as a dipping or finishing oil”. Trade price is £5.63; RRP is £9.95 (500ml). silverandgreen.com

Three By One, a venture founded by Laura Dixon, has a portfolio of coconutbased products that have been sourced ethically from family farms in Sri Lanka. As well as coconut oil, jam, milk, butter, vinegar, sugar and chips, the range includes coconut aminos – a natural, low sodium soy sauce alternative. threebyone.eu

Having built a following for its organic and biodynamic extra virgin olive oil, Olivocracy has launched a four-strong range of Italian condiments, including three biodynamic vinegars, under its Magna Mater label. The collection comprises of low density balsamic vinegar of Modena PGI, apple cider vinegar, white condiment (‘white balsamic vinegar’) and organic cooked grape must. olivocracy.co.uk

With the popularity of seed oils on the rise, Hunter & Gather now offers a cold-pressed avocado oil that uses discoloured and wonky – but otherwise high quality – fruit from a farmers’ co-operative in Kenya. The flesh is pressed to yield a high oleic oil, prized for its folates, vitamins C,E,K and B6 and monounsaturated fats. RRP £6.29 for 250ml; £11.29 for 500ml. hunterandgatherfoods. com

There are seven Italian recipes – Classico, Arrabbiata, Siciliana, Puttanesca, Napoletana, Bolognese and Montanara – in Coppola Foods’ new no added sugar tomato sauce range. The pasta sauces are made from Italian tomato pulp with no sweeteners, flavourings, thickeners or colourings. coppolafoodsgroup.com

Olive Branch’s The Greek Kitchen range now includes Kalamata pitted olives. The quintessential olive of Greece, these olives ripen to a fruit that is dark purple and plump with a meaty texture. Trade price: £12 (case of 6 x 290g). the-greek-kitchen.com

Dr Coy’s Health Foods has introduced a glutenfree version of its organic vegetable bouillon. The bouillon, which claims to be “the cleanest vegetable stock in Europe”, contains 18 herbs and vegetables and no starch, flavour enhancers, glutamate or yeast. RRP £4.99 for 150g. drcoys.ie

From olive oil and vinegar to truffle salt and miso, ambient ingredients are just as important for independents’ shelves as they are in the modern cook’s pantry. We’ve rounded up some of the newest launches here. And for those who are looking to boost their festive offer, we’ve got plenty of last-minute Christmas ideas starting on page 40.

Compiled by Lynda Searby

October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

How we stock it…

Angus Ferguson, Managing director, Demijohn Since Angus and Frances Ferguson set up their first ‘liquid deli’ in Edinburgh 15 years ago, the concept of refilling has fallen out of and back into fashion. “This year we have broken records for the amount of refill products sold – we are 30% up,” says Angus Ferguson. While refilling containers from bulk oil and vinegar dispensers fits neatly with the current anti-packaging sentiment, growing interest in health and veganism is fuelling demand for flavoured (rapeseed) oils, according to Ferguson. “Veganism and vegetarianism challenge people to cook more creatively, as they have a limited palate of foods to work with,” he says. “Infused oils and vinegars open up new taste opportunities.” Rapeseed oil has been one of the industry’s biggest successes of the last decade, but Ferguson does worry that olive oil has taken a hammering as a result. Nevertheless, he believes that if staff have the knowledge, it is still possible to sell high-end olive oil. As proof of this, he points out that Demijohn has just sold out of Villa Montalbano extra virgin olive oil.

IN MEMORY OF...

Maria Stella Constantinou, age 49, passed away peacefully on 13th May 2019 at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Fulham, London. Many of you would have met Maria, in the last five years, in her capacity as a Great Taste Judge. She had an extensive range of interests, which she pursued with enthusiasm. More recently, her love for healthy living led her to found OrganicOrganic, producing olive oil, teas and other products from her beloved Greece. She was particularly passionate about olive oil. She had an expert knowledge on how to characterise a good quality oil, its health benefits and its multitude of uses, which she shared generously with everyone. She will be most remembered for her warm engaging smile, her caring nature and the positive impact she left on everyone she came into contact with.

Meracinque, the company behind this carnaroli rice, is run by five Italian sisters. Based between Mantua and Verona, where the clay soil and proximity to Lake Guarda is ideal for rice cultivation, the producer grows its rice using ‘micro-natural biotechnologies developed in Japan. Available via The Oil Merchant, it is aged in its hulls for 12 months to absorb nutritional elements. RRP £10.25 for 500g. oilmerchant.co.uk

This winter sees the relaunch of Pembrokeshire Sea Salt Company’s black truffle salt, after several months of absence from the market. The producer has spent this time improving the recipe, and says it has arrived at a sea salt infusion that is “oaky, earthy, nutty and sweet” and complements rich foods. RRP £8.95 for 70g; trade price £5.95. pembrokeshireseasalt. co.uk

Spain’s only organic certified saffron

Following the success of its cinnamon dry extract, PureXtracts has launched its first herbal extract: rosemary dry. The water soluble dried oil extract is designed to add flavour to dishes while also packing a nutritional punch – rosemary’s anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties as well as its calcium, iron and vitamin B6 content are said to be preserved in this powder format. purextracts.co.uk

Putting a Greek twist on balsamic is Ever Crete, with its Cretan Nectar balsamic cream with pomegranate and aronia. Made in Chania, this rich, jam-textured condiment can be eaten with fish, cheese, yogurt and fruit salads, or used in dressings. cretan-nectar.gr

The Coconut Kitchen has branched out beyond its core Thai food offering to introduce a Japanese-style miso dressing for noodle salads, cured meats and fish, sushi and sashimi. The miso, sesame & yuzu dressing is described as combining “nutty flavour and citrus tang from the yuzu with a hint of wasabi”. RRP £3.99 for 250ml; trade price £2.95. thecoconutkitchen.co.uk

Thornleys Natural Foods says a “delicate hint of garlic and aromatic peppercorns” make its new cracked peppercorn sauce a “quick and easy accompaniment to steak”. The ambient sauce is gluten-, wheat-, egg-, nut- and soya-free. RRP £2.20 for 30g. thornleysnaturalfoods.co.uk

In the foothills of the Pyrenees, a young couple has revived the traditional production of saffron in Catalonia, drying the stamens by a wood-fire immediately after picking in the early morning. Safra del Montsec organic saffron is now available to the UK trade via Vinegar Shed, but with annual production of just six kilos per year, quantities are limited. 1g retails at £18 (trade price £14). vinegarshed.com

Newcomer Mahi is looking to take a slice of the pepper sauce action, trading on its craft credentials, “no nasties” promise and focus on named chilli varieties. Green Savina Habanero and Scorpion Pepper & Passion are two of the six sauces on offer. saucymahi.co

Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-November 2019

storecupboard ingredients Indian chutney brand Geeta’s has launched a new four-strong range of sauces for “dipping, dunking, drizzling and dressing”. Available to the trade via Petty Wood, the Keralan red pepper & mustard, Madras tomato & chilli, Mumbai mango & lime and mango sauces are said to have a range of culinary uses, from stir fries and barbecues to dips and dressings. geetasfoods.com

last-minute Christmas ideas

No one need miss out on indulgence this year following the launch of dairy-free and vegan fudge from Buttermilk. The Cornish confectioner has unveiled two dairy-free fudge flavours – mince pie and vanilla – as well as a vegan caramel sea salt honeycomb plain chocolate coated fudge. RRP £2.99. buttermilk.co.uk

Fatherson Bakery’s Christmas collection takes in the full gamut of festive sweet and savoury bakery goods, from luxury mince pies (RRP £3.45 for 4), festive cupcakes (RRP £3.95 for 4) and port & cranberry pies (RRP £3.45 for 4) to Christmas sponge puddings (RRP £2.85 for 2). The range uses natural flavourings, no artificial colourings and is suitable for vegetarians, plus all packaging is 100% recyclable. fathersonbakery.com

Retailers worried about getting left with unsold Christmas-themed stock might like the idea of Thursday Cottage’s ‘traditional gift tin’, a year round gift pack of classic sweet preserves. The tin features strawberry jam, raspberry jam, orange marmalade and lemon curd in 112g jars, RRP £10.99, trade price £32.96 for a case of four. thursday-cottage.com

South Devon Chilli Farm has launched two new chilli chocolate flavours and treated the range to a new look. Flaked sea salt and roasted cocoa nibs join existing varieties honeycomb, original, orange and fruit & spice. All of the chocolates are now packaged in cardboard cartons (RRP £3.80; trade price £2.10 per 80g unit). southdevonchillifarm. co.uk

The Fine Food Forager is carrying a gift pack of three organic syrups from the Escuminac maple farm in Canada. Presented in a magnetic ribbon-tied box, this collection of unblended, single forest, estate-bottled maple syrups from three harvests (extra rare, great harvest and late harvest) in 200ml bottles has an RRP of £39-45; trade price £24. thefinefoodforager.co.uk

Chocolate & Love has introduced a new caramelised hazelnuts & sea salt milk chocolate bar (50% cocoa) just in time for Christmas. This new ‘dark milk’ addition takes the total number of bars in its portfolio to ten, eight of which were awarded Great Taste stars this year, and all of which are organic and fair trade certified. RRP £3.29; trade price £1.75. chocolateandlove.com

Aromistico has teamed up with Hario to develop its first ever coffee brewer gift set. With an RRP of £36-38 (trade price £24.15), the gift box contains two bags of hand-roasted coffee and an original Hario V60 dripper, including filters and a measuring spoon. aromistico.coffee

In a twist on tradition, Dutch artisan bakery Van Strien has launched a caramelised version of its flagship cheese palmier biscuits. These have been available since September, along with a new triple-pack gift box, in new livery. van-strien.nl

Spice blends that span all continents

Drawing on her East African and Indian roots, Nina Saparia has launched The Spice Yard – a Stockport-based venture that roasts, grinds and blends spices in small batches to produce “carefully balanced” blends that can be used in everyday cooking. Presented in recyclable aluminium tins with an RRP of £4, the ten-strong range takes in Chettinad, Tandoori, Dahl and Za’ater, to name a few. thespiceyard.com

Fusing “two titans of Japanese and Mexican cuisine under one lid”, Miso Chipotle (RRP £5.99) is Yugo Spice’s flagship cooking paste. The newcomer has set out to develop a range of pastes and sauces that provide “simple, stress-free cooking experiences”. Curried sundried tomato paste is the other “improbable” flavour marriage on offer. yugospice.com

Strictly Coco is the latest player to join the crowded coconut oil space. The brand’s USP is its traceability, as the company owns the land and trees in their coastline location as well as the processing and bottling facility. RRP £12 for a 200ml jar. strictlycoco.com

After securing investment on Dragon’s Den, Mak Tok has treated its Malaysian artisan chilli pastes to a brand refresh. Available in Satay, Sweet, Signature and Fire flavours, the pastes have an RRP of £3.95-4.29 and a trade price of £2.50-2.68 for 185g. maktok.com

October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

Lucy’s Dressings is presenting three of its condiments in a gift box designed by Big Fish. Containing blushing beetroot relish, lemon mustard mayonnaise and spiced plum chutney, the box has an RRP of £12.75; trade price £8.35. lucysdressings.co.uk

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October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

last-minute Christmas ideas Popcorn brand Joe & Seph’s says its Christmas selection has something for every budget, from mini gift boxes filled with prosecco popcorn (RRP £4) to the gourmet popcorn advent calendar (RRP £25). Also new for 2019 are the ‘Chocolate Lover’s Popcorn Selection Box’ (£6) and the ‘Ultimate Popcorn Selection Box’, which features 12 mini packs from six best-selling flavours (RRP £8). joeandsephs.co.uk

Besides its advent calendar (featured in our August issue), Popcorn Shed is offering several gifting options, including gift jars, gift boxes and a ‘party pack’ selection pouch. The latter contains 14 snack packs of popcorn in seven flavours, including pecan pie, salted caramel and berry-licious (RRP £20). popcornshed.com

Paxton & Whitfield says its new Christmas cheese cake makes a great centrepiece for any Christmas table. A star shaped goats’ cheese sits atop a tower of Etoile de Gatine (120g), Hundred Dram Cheddar PDO (200g), Camembert de Normandie PDO (250g) and Stilton Half Baby PDO (1kg). RRP £50. paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk

Italian importer Tenuta Marmorelle is tipping Felino salami – made by La Fattoria, a small producer in Parma – to be one of its biggest selling Christmas gifting lines this year. This salami has been lightly cured so that it retains its flavour but takes on a soft texture. Trade price per unit is £6.15. tenutamarmorelle.com

Brindisa has designed two hampers for wholesale this Christmas. The ‘Best Of Brindisa Box’ is a selection of the Spanish food specialist’s most popular fare, including Torres truffle crisps, Gordal olives and Alejandro chorizo (RRP £40; trade price £30.38), while the Brindisa Christmas hamper showcases 20 products, including cheese, charcuterie and more (RRP £150; trade price £119.82). brindisa.com

Roly’s Fudge has created a vegan version of its festive chocolate orange fudge. The new Vegan Society accredited flavour combines sustainably sourced cocoa, dairy-free dark chocolate and orange zest on a base recipe made from organic soya milk, organic coconut oil and cashew butter. Trade prices start at £2.50 + VAT for gift bags (RRP £4.50). rolysfudge.co.uk

Booja-Booja almond salted caramel chocolate truffles are now available in a nine piece box as part of the free-from chocolatier’s Four Corners collection. Organic and dairy-, gluten- and soya-free, these handmade truffles are presented in a black and gold square box, making them the ideal gift or stocking filler. RRP £6.99 for 104g. boojabooja.com

Raw Halo, the vegan, raw chocolate brand, is sporting a new look and entirely recyclable, plastic-free packaging, as well as two new 85% dark chocolate bars. The coconut sweetened dark & raspberry and dark & Himalayan pink salt bars come in 70g and 35g sizes, with respective RRPs of £2.99 and £1.99. rawhalo.com

This Christmas sees the return of Nana Lily’s whiskey butter – an alternative to brandy butter as a Christmas pudding accompaniment. Made from farm butter and Kilbeggan Irish whiskey, the butter can also be slathered on warm scones, crumpets or toasted tea cakes. nanalilys.com

This full-size selection box is filled with a selection of Moo Free’s dairy-free, gluten-free, soya-free and vegan chocolates. RRP £4.79; trade price £29.94 for a case of 10. Other Christmas lines from Moo Free include a free-from and organic advent calendar (RRP £4.79). moofreechocolates.com

Rosebud Preserves has an alternative cheeseboard accompaniment in the form of its smoked apple butter for cheese. The Yorkshire producer adds a dram of whisky for heat and smoked Bramley apple for a twist on this traditional preserve. RRP £3.95 for 125g. rosebudpreserves.co.uk

Recognising that not everyone wants traditional Christmas pudding, LillyPuds has introduced a new range of saucy sponge puddings. Marketed under the ‘Great British Favourites’ banner, the line-up includes chocolate with cherry sauce, ginger, sticky toffee and lemon. lillypuds.co.uk

Condiments made in Catalunya Available through Delicioso, Con Bech’s ‘Signature Pairings For Cheese’ can now be supplied in gift sets of three or five 30g jars. The five varieties have been designed to pair with specific cheeses: peach & apricot with goji berries and Guatemalan cardamom for soft ripened cheeses, and black grape with Mallorcan almonds for soft and washedrind cheeses such as Reblochon, Pont L’Eveque and Taleggio. The sets wholesale at £2.50 for three flavours and £3.90 for five. delicioso.co.uk

Mrs Darlington’s has rolled out six Christmas-themed products with a special festive design: Christmas preserve, Christmas chutney, Bucks Fizz marmalade, mincemeat with brandy, cranberry & orange curd and cranberry sauce with port. mrsdarlingtons.com

Vol.20 Issue9 | October-November 2019

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October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

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SHELF TALK

Munchy Seeds ditches animals and plastic pots in major rebrand By Lauren Phillips

Suffolk-based snack brand Munchy Seeds has overhauled its branding and packaging in a bid to boost its on-shelf appeal, and launched five new flavours. The brand has shed its previous branding, which included images of hands painted as animals, to attract a wider audience. “Bright colours and animals together means children,” said co-founder Lucinda Clay, speaking to FFD at the Lunch! show in ExCeL London last month. “We’re not a children’s product.” The long-established producer, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, worked with design agency B&B Studio and Curzon Marketing to reposition its brand identity as a producer of roasted seeds in various sweet and savoury flavours. Munchy Seeds has also introduced five new roasted seed mix flavours: sweet chilli, mega omega, salted caramel, honey roasted and warm cinnamon. Each new mix is available in 25g snack packs (RRP 79p), new 125g sharing packs (RRP £2.99) and 450g mega packs (RRP £8.75). They also come in 2kg catering tubs for foodservice (£16-20). The new labels now feature bold colours and a new logo which incorporates the brand name into seed graphics which Clay hopes will allow the products to stand out on-shelf. “By rebranding we’ve played down the messages that these seeds are healthy and

Rosebud celebrates 30th anniversary with new liqueur By Lauren Phillips

Rosebud Preserves has created a Seville orange marmalade distilled gin liqueur to celebrate its 30 years of trading. The Masham-based producer unveiled the drink at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair in Olympia, London, last month. It has a trade price of £18.60 per 35cl bottle and 20% ABV (RRP £29.95). The liqueur is a combination of bitter orange, molasses sugar and a botanicalled gin created in partnership with the Spirit of Masham Distillery, also based in North Yorkshire. When thinking of what

Displays that pay PEP-UP YOUR SHELVES WITH THE GUILD OF FINE FOOD’S RESIDENT MERCHANDISING QUEEN JILLY SITCH There are places on your shop floor that would appear to be impossible to merchandise – like the small area of a wall or a doorway leading to the loos or staff kitchen – but all it takes is some creativity and initiative. Take this display I saw one Saturday afternoon at The Newt Farm Shop in Bruton, Somerset. The shop has made use of pillars on its shop floor by building bespoke glass shelves around them – turning a structure of the building into a shoppable, attractive display. Maybe you’re not very handy when it comes to DIY? Speak to your local carpenter or glazier and see what display solutions they can offer you. There’s always a way to make even the most unsightly of areas (or pillars) work for you.

premium because people generally know they are,” said Clay. “What we’re saying is that we roast them ourselves and they’re full of flavour.” It has also moved away from its original plastic pots, following the scrutiny around plastic packaging in food, and has introduced resealable pouches and snack packs. This has reduced its plastic consumption by 60%. “Our plastic pots are reusable but just by having one pouch suddenly you go from four units of plastic to one unit,” she said, adding that new equipment was required. munchyseeds.co.uk

to create to celebrate the business’s 30th birthday, owner Elspeth Biltoft said she decided to go back to some of the original items she made when she first started the business. “We looked at what are popular combinations in terms of flavours today, and alcohol with fruit kept coming up,” said Biltoft. “Our Seville orange marmalade has been a popular product since 1989, so we thought it would work well.” She added that the marmalade is still made to the same recipe with Seville oranges that lend a “sweet bitterness” to the marmalade and new liqueur. The new product was awarded two-stars in this year’s Great Taste, where judges commended its balance of “caramel molasses and subtle spice”. rosebudpreserves.co.uk

WHAT’S NEW Spanish food importer and wholesaler Mevalco has added razor clams to its premium seafood range. Available in 110g tins (4-8 pieces), the clams are found in the Galician estuaries and said to have a “firm, consistent texture with a juicy, delicate flavour” that is ideal with spring onion, samphire or seaweed. mevalco.com Aiming to break into the slimline market is TwelveBelow with its natural low sugar tonic (2.5 grams of sugar per 100ml). Its new range comes in four flavours: classic premium, apple & garden mint, pear & cardamom, and rhubarb & ginger. Available to the on- and offtrade, the 200ml bottles have an RRP of £1.20. twelvebelow. co.uk Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-November 2019

SHELF TALK Black Bomber maker moves into ambient lines with chutney range Well-known cheesemaker Snowdonia Cheese Co is branching out into the ambient retail category with the introduction of a new chutney collection to accompany cheese. Popular among farm shops and delis for its signature Black Bomber waxed cheddar, the business has launched four varieties in the new range including: balsamic caramelised onion; fig & apple; pear, date & cognac, and spiced tomato & vodka. Each jar has an RRP of £2.65. The balsamic caramelised onion chutney is said to have a “sweet stickiness” while the fig & apple chutney offers a more fruity and tangy flavour. The spiced tomato & vodka chutney is inspired by flavours of a Bloody Mary cocktail, with “sun-ripened tomatoes, spice and premium French vodka”. In addition to individual jars, a range of exclusive gift packs will be available combining the new chutneys with Snowdonia’s brightly coloured waxed truckles. “Across the range there is something to

WHAT’S TRENDING NICK BAINES KEEPS YOU UP-TO-DATE WITH THE NEWEST DISHES, FLAVOURS AND INNOVATIONS IN FOOD & DRINK 1

suit every palate and to compliment a wide range of cheeses including our own Snowdonia Cheese range,” said commercial director Richard Newton-Jones. “The range has taken time to perfect and we are confident that the vibrant chutneys will prove to be a huge success this Christmas.” snowdoniacheese.co.uk

1 Sea Buckthorn Found by foragers along the rugged British coastline, this bright orange berry is being heralded as a superfood, supposedly offering 15 times more vitamin C than an orange. Savvy chefs like Tom Kitchin and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall have been onto it for a while, but its recent rise in popularity has seen the tart berry being used at the new London outpost of Silo in a dish with fresh ricotta, as well as in a pale ale from Cleethorpes’ Axholme Brewing Co. 2 Nootropics You’d be forgiven for thinking this is some kind of trendy fruit punch, but nootropics are a category of supplements taken for improved cognitive function. It’s an area that’s showing growth in the wellness sector. One of the key ingredients across many nootropics brands is Lion’s Mane mushrooms, which are being used in more approachable food and drink products like MudWtr’s alternative coffee blend. As the push for optimum human performance continues, expect to hear more about nootropics in all their edible forms.

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October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

3 The return of the classic French bistro For the past decade or so, classic French cooking has survived in the shadows of gourmet burgers, new Nordic cuisine and any number of Asian street foods that have stolen 1 16/08/2016 10:37 diners’ attention. However, it appears that the understated French bistro has got its cool back, thanks to places like Bristol’s littlefrench, which has garnered a lengthy piece in The Independent as well as a rave review from The Sunday Times critic Marina O’Loughlin. Bristol is also home to French newcomer La Guinguette, while Joel Robuchon is set to open two new outposts in London this year.

WHAT’S NEW Temperance by Portobello Road is the new lower alcohol spirit (RRP £23, 4.2% ABV) from Portobello Road Gin.. Pitched at gin drinkers looking to lower their alcohol intake, it is distilled with nine botanicals also used in its London Dry and Navy Strength. The result is a light spirit with citrus, floral and winter spice notes. portobelloroadgin.com Healthy snacks company Abakus Foods has introduced a range of bagged seaweed crisps in three flavours: lightly salted, salt & vinegar and cheese. The brand says the seaweed is sourced from South Korea and coated in a thin layer of tapioca – a “resistant starch” which reduces inflammation. RRP £1.29, per 18g bag. abakusfoods.com Gourmet popcorn specialists Popcorn Shed has created two new flavours to add to its collection. Its goats’ cheese topped with cracked black pepper is described as “an authentic, creamy and nutty” flavour, while its new Cherry Bakewell Tart features almond, caramel and cherry popcorn. RRP £2.99. popcornshed.com Frozen food specialists field fare has expanded its loose serve fish offering with three new lines for Autumn 2019. The three new fish lines include gluten-free crumbed Florentine fishcakes (trade £1.20; RRP £1.79) and lemon & pepper or lemon & parsley haddock fillets (trade £1.68; RRP £2.49). They are ready to bake from frozen and sold individually and unpackaged as part of the company’s ‘scoop & serve’ range of over 80 loose products and produce. field-fare.com

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Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-November 2019

DELI OF THE MONTH When it comes to retailing, The Mainstreet Trading Company – a bookshop, café, deli and homewares shop – in the Scottish Borders is a real page turner. Bill and Rosamund de la Hey tell FFD the story behind creating a brand and destination. Interview by Lauren Phillips

Retailing, chapter by chapter WHEN BILL AND ROSAMUND DE LA HEY decided they wanted to open a bookshop with a café in St. Boswells, a village in the Scottish Borders, the locals all thought they were mad. “Everybody laughed at us,” Rosamund tells me over coffee with husband Bill. “They told us, ‘What are you thinking? Do you know the population here is under 1,000?’” They were right to be doubtful. On paper, opening a bookshop-cum-café in June 2008 as the global economy was on the verge of a crisis and Amazon was beginning to kill off the independent book trade sounds completely nuts and doomed to fail. Eleven years on and, thankfully, those locals were wrong and they even make up much of the business’s customer base today. During my visit to the shop on a weekday morning in September, all of the café’s 50 seats

VITAL STATISTICS

Location: Mainstreet, St Boswells, Scottish Borders TD6 0AT Turnover: £900,000 Sales split: Books 40%/Café 24%/Deli 22%/Home 14% Average spend: Deli £25/Books £26/ Café £10 Number of staff: 22 total (13 full-time) 48

October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

are occupied and many visitors can be seen perusing the shelves in the bookshop, which shares the same space. The business has now matured into more than a bookshop and café since its inception, fashioning itself as a brand and destination with more than one retail offering – something the pair vehemently say they had to do in order to ensure its success. “It’s very simple,” says Bill, “either we’re a destination or we don’t survive. That’s why the retail combination is what it is. From day one, that has always been our ambition.” Hence the deliberately ambiguous name (The Mainstreet Trading Company was inspired by former London department store, the General Trading Company) and brand logo: a hare carrying a different item depending on the department.

“We always conceived the whole business as a brand,” says Rosamund. “Albeit, a mini brand but I think if you can see something in the round then you start with an organised approach to your endgame.” When it first opened, the shop’s retail combination included the bookshop and café, plus a small gift range and antiques concession, thereby creating four sections – or reasons – for people to visit. “The theory was that if you look at a road sign and you see those four words [bookshop, café, gifts, antiques] most people will stop for one of them,” says Rosamund. The food element was quickly embedded into the business by the café which the owners thought was a better way of drawing people in than a deli. “It was implausible enough to open a bookshop in a village,” says Rosamund.

some of those travellers looking for a coffee and a pitstop, as well as walkers on St. Cuthbert’s Way. The couple reckon a third of their trade is tourists, although this fluctuates with holidays and seasonal oddities brought in by annual shooting, fishing and cycling events. “Either way we’re a meeting point or a passing place,” says Rosamund. More recently, Mainstreet has pulled in visitors from further afield with book groups, author events and cookery demonstrations held in a well-sized room above the deli and homeware department. Over the years, the shop has bagged major names at its author events – helped by Rosamund’s background as marketing director at Bloomsbury Children’s Books – including Margaret Atwood and Victoria Hislop and celebrity authors like Clare Balding and Jeremy Paxman. The de la Heys are no strangers to press coverage either, with the shop featuring in numerous magazines, newspapers and web articles because of the awards it has won, including runner-up in the delicatessen & grocer category of the Guild of Fine Food’s Shop of the Year 2019. But being named Britain’s Best Small Shop last year has had the biggest impact, the pair say, making Mainstreet a national news story. Now people travel to St. Boswells purely to visit the shop. All these factors certainly drive footfall, but that doesn’t mean it is distributed equally. According to the pair, Mainstreet is only known as the bookshop and café to some, while the deli, when it opened, attracted new customers who only visit for fresh bread, artisan cheese and other deli items. “Even years down the line, we’ve put signage everywhere but people still find it difficult to navigate the shop,” says Bill. “People have a blindness to signage and we are a complex place too.” There is still a symbiosis between each department though, even if its customers don’t use it as such, and this connection is food. Initially, it’s the deli which acts as a larder for the kitchen and feeds the café, but it is more overtly done through cross-merchandising cookery and recipe books across the whole business.

MUST-STOCKS Montgomery's Cheddar (Neal's Yard Dairy) Lanark Blue ewes cheese (I.J. Mellis) Comté (Mons Fromager) Peelham Farm organic fennel salami Belhaven Smokehouse bass rock cured Peter’s Yard sourdough crispbread selection box The Fat Batard oat porridge sourdough Eildon and other local honey Seggiano raw basil pesto Ouseburn Coffee Company Foundry No.1 beans Suki Tea Earl Grey Blue Flower Left Field sencha green kombucha Tempest Brewing Co Pale Armadillo session IPA Burrow Hill sparkling cider Baglio Gibellina U. Passimiento red wine Bill De La Hey

“We couldn’t have opened without a café. That would have been a suicide mission. “By the same token you could not have opened a deli first and built from there. You have to be realistic because delis, like bookshops, can come and go.” By 2012, the business had shed the antiques concession and added the deli and home department by converting a barn behind the original shop. But the premises’ history has helped the de la Heys create this multi-retail offering. Between 1838 and 1978, the building was a general store of Walter Ballantyne & Son; consisting of grocers, wine merchants and Italian Warehousemen. “Ballantyne’s sold everything from shoes to food,” says Bill. “It’s that glamourous idea of going to a nice shopping space. It was an event to go shopping in one of those places.” The pair have tried to preserve as many of the shop’s original features as possible, including the very first front doors which are now reused in the café. Three large windows on the shop front have also become an attraction in themselves through regular creative displays dictated by new book launches and decorated by children’s book illustrators and some of Mainstreet’s staff. “It’s about creating theatre,” says Rosamund. “It’s creating a mood and getting customers immersed into the theatre of the shop. We aspire to the window displays of Harvey Nichols, Selfridges or Liberty. We neither have the budget or time but we aspire to that creativity.” They may be inspired by the major department stores of London but, geographically, the shop couldn’t be further away, situated in the village of St. Boswells on the south side of the river Tweed. A location which contributes to Mainstreet’s diverse customer base. Residents of nearby towns Kelso, Jedburgh and Melrose are all just a 15-minute drive away, while retirees and young families may travel up to an hour for a day out at Mainstreet (there are two reading dens in the bookshop which occupy children while parents can enjoy a coffee). The village is also on a crossroads and experiences a lot of traffic passing through between Edinburgh and Newcastle. A Mainstreet sign on the thoroughfare pulls in

CONTINUED ON PAGE 51

Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-November 2019

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October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

“It’s cross-merchandising but it’s also the lifecycle of a book,” says Rosamund. “We try and thread it through the rest of the business and link it all together. For example, Dishoom: From Bombay with Love is our ‘cookbook of the month’ in the café for September. So the kitchen are making dishes from it. Quite often there will be some interesting ingredients in those recipes that we can source from the ‘larder’.” In the deli, cookery books from the bookshop appear next to products on the shelves. These are more your ‘Ottolenghis’ than your ‘Jamie Olivers’, and during my visit, I notice Ottolenghi’s new book Simple on a shelf next to Sous Chef urfa pepper, Navarrico hand-peeled peaches in syrup and Mymouné pomegranate molasses. Jose Pizzaro’s Andalusia sits alongside apricot & verjuice jam from London Borough of Jam and Perelló olives from Brindisa. Cheese & Dairy by Steven Lamb, Make Your Own Butter by Simon Dawson and Reinventing The Wheel by Bronwen Percival all feature on the cheese counter. “The core of the deli is cheese, alcohol and bread,” says Rosamund, “but then if you

think in terms of an Ottolenghi recipe, all the ingredients you might need for that you probably aren’t going to find in a supermarket, you’re more likely to find it with us.” That’s not to say that every product that makes it into the deli is a must-have ingredient from the latest cookbook. Bill, who manages the delicatessen, has a set of criteria for what makes it on his shelves and steers clear of any overtly Scottish shortbread tins. “We do have shortbread but it’s not emblazoned with tartan,” he says. “There are plenty of places throughout the Borders and in Scotland who facilitate with tourism. “Ultimately I am buying things that I really love, that taste brilliant and I think customers will like. You don’t want your customers to feel like they’ve seen it before.” While he’s not big on tartan, Bill does stock food and drink from Scottish producers including charcuterie from Peelham Farm in Berwickshire, smoked salmon from Belhaven Smokehouse in East Lothian, and beers from Tempest Brewing Co in Galashiels. He is also passionate about raw milk cheese and keeping this tradition alive, championing

local cheesemakers like Errington Cheese and Doddington Dairy (just over the border in Northumberland) which join a small but diverse selection of 40 cheeses sourced from Neal’s Yard Dairy, I.J. Mellis and Mons Cheesemongers. “There is this level of prejudice against raw milk,” says Bill. “A lot of it is down to education, I’ve been asked by EHOs numerous times to split my cheese into raw and pasteurised. There is absolutely no reason to do that.” As well as stocking its cheeses, Bill has also supported Errington during its legal battle with South Lanarkshire Council and has given money to the cheesemaker’s crowdfunding towards fighting the campaign. “Raw milk cannot go,” says Bill. “If it goes we will lose the most amazing cheesemakers in this country. If we lose it in Scotland, soon enough in England they will say ‘oh they’ve done it in Scotland we’ll do it. You’ve got to stop raw milk cheese production’.” It’s this dedicated approach from both owners that has contributed to Mainstreet’s success as a brand and destination. Who says they’re mad now? mainstreetbooks.co.uk

It's very simple. Either we’re a destination or we don’t survive. That’s why the retail combination is what it is. Bill De La Hey

Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-November 2019

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AWARD WINNERS

Top stuff

Meat producers Elchies Estates based in Speyside picked up an impressive two-star award for its goat shanks and a three-star award for its goat haunch in this year’s Great Taste. Both meats provide customers with “rich and characterful flavours” through a combination of “scientific knowledge and traditional methods”. It is butchered locally and available for delivery anywhere in the UK to restaurants and private customers. elchies.co.uk

Bell and Loxton received a two-star Great Taste award this year for its original cold-pressed rapeseed oil. Grown, pressed and bottled on the family farm, the oil boasts full traceability and is now available in attractive 500ml aluminium bottles. The judges described it as a “well-balanced oil” with “an extraordinary clean finish”. Ideal for frying, roasting, baking, drizzling and dressings. bellandloxton.co.uk

Out of a record-breaking 12,772 entries, Great Taste 2019 saw a total of 4943 awarded a 1-, 2- or 3-star. Discover a selection of those products that scooped the coveted award.

Following Zest & Zing’s two-star award win in 2018 for its White Truffle Sea Salt, this year’s Great Taste winners include an “extremely aromatic” blend of Katsu curry and a “nicely balanced” garlic chilli. With strong notes of cumin, the flavour of Katsu curry takes an “interesting journey”, hitting elements of citrus, a peppery heat and turmeric which pairs deliciously well with chicken. The garlic chilli blend is a “pretty-looking spice blend” with a good mix of colours, textures and flavours. zestandzing.co.uk

Dartmouth English Gin is a modern classic, renowned for being ultra-smooth, fullbodied and refreshing. It can be enjoyed on its own or served with tonic and makes an interesting foundation for cocktails, with the gin’s complexity and balance providing the perfect serve. Judges were impressed by the “well-balanced length” and “rounded aromatics” of this family crafted gin. dartmouth-gin.com

Having gathered a total of 63 awards to date for its singleestate named teas, Robert Wilson’s Ceylon Tea has this year added the Brunswick B.O.P. to its latest three-star award winning line up. These single-estate teas are crafted by skilled teamakers to specific requirements, during one of the two ‘quality’ seasons when character and flavour can be developed in the tea. wilsonfamilyteas. com

Carole Armitage Chocolates picked up a two-star award in Great Taste this year for its 80Noir Ultra Dark Chocolate Bar. The judges praised the “clever bar, that is nearly 80% cacao but without the corresponding intense bitterness.” Marketed as a ‘natural source of energy’ to boost mood and performance, this chocolate is “a must for milk or dark chocolate lovers” with a leaning towards health and wellbeing. carolearmitage.co.uk Based in London, The Olive Oil Co imports olive oil and vinegars from specialist producers across Italy. This year, it won a threestar for its Gustoso Apple Cider, which is made by maturing 100% concentrated apple juice in wooden casks. Judges said this glossy creation takes cider vinegar to “a new level” and they loved its fresh apple flavour and sharp acidity. theoliveoilco.com

Grabbing itself a flurry of Great Taste awards this year, Pollyanna’s Kitchen has enjoyed real success since its beginnings in 2017. Just the Crush scooped one-star, along with the popular Chillish (a 2-in-1 smokey Chilli oil ‘with bits’). The latter was joined by its follow up product, Just the Gubbins, which gained an impressive two-stars for its “sweet and smokey” blend of “intensely flavoured” ingredients. pollyannaskitchen.co.uk Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-November 2019

GUILD TALK

View from HQ

By John Farrand managing director

I’VE BEEN HIGH a lot recently. No, not hitting hardcore drugs to avoid World Cheese licence tension, but in the sky. In a plane. Milan, Oviedo and Lisbon. And what have I noticed? These flights are rammed. You cannot get another hand-luggage case in the overhead locker. Nor can you get a seat in the airport at the obligatory Pret, although you could if you fancied

news from the guild of fine food Caviar House. (Does anyone eat at those? How do they stay in business?). Air travel is busier than I’ve ever known it and yet Greta Thunberg and the climate change collective are as vocal as ever. The message ain’t getting through, is it? Greta gets it, though. As does my 15-year-old daughter, who recently managed to inhale a drawing pin, well a push pin (plastic end) if we’re being precise. No, not more hardcore drugs, but a genuine accident. Really quite scary as it headed toward her lung and, consequently, she was rushed into Addenbrooke's (brilliant establishment). The whole p-incident lasted 36 hours, plus a few days recovering at home. When did we know she was right again? That teenage angst re-emerged – “What has the older generation done to our planet?” – clearly sympathising with and motivated by the young Swede. The line from our cherub that closed the heated discussion/ debate/argument (depending on

The Word on Westminster By Edward Woodall ACS

EVERYONE IS PLAYING a waiting game in Westminster. Government is waiting on opposition parties to deliver an election. Opposition parties are waiting on Government to deliver an extension to Article 50. The deadlock is sealed by polarised political ambition and is poisoning debate in Parliament and across the nation. That deadlock will inevitably be broken soon by a General Election – unless, of course, Boris Johnson pulls a rabbit out the hat, securing a deal with the EU. The outcome of the election will be hard to call, as the core vote of the main parties is split on the lines of leave and remain. Both the Brexit Party and Liberal Democrats are seeking to capitalise on these

divisions by offering decisive Leave or Remain positions. Splitting the vote in this way is a road to another hung parliament and further deadlock. The terms of the election will be set over the next few weeks. As 17th October is the last EU Summit before the Brexit deadline, if any deal is going to get confirmed it will be there. If not, on 19th October Johnson is required, by law, to ask the EU for another extension. Everyone is watching closely for ways he can manoeuvre around this. However, if the last few months have taught us anything it's that Brexit doesn’t always work on a linear timetable. What does all this mean for our business community? Such uncertainty means the priority should be to get ready for Brexit. As far as the UK Government and Civil Service are concerned, 31st October

your perspective) was this gem: “My grandparents fought for us in World War II and we’re now fighting for the planet because of our grandparents.” Accepting the slight generational error there, she makes a poetic point.

The next generation are going to put pressure on retailers. No to flying stuff, no to unnecessary packaging and yes to ethical sourcing. The next generation are going to put pressure on the nation’s retailers. No to flying in stuff, no to unnecessary packaging, no to dirty food and yes to ethical sourcing. And they mean it, I’ve heard it. is the target date and businesses need to think about what they are going to do. It’s clear that most food businesses will be disrupted, by delays at borders leading to product availability issues, especially on fresh produce that cannot be stockpiled. But Brexit will also impact on your workforce and the regulations you have to comply with. Despite commitments that DEFRA will take a ‘pragmatic’ approach to enforcement, country of origin labelling, organic food labels and health marks on meat and fish will be impacted. You can’t fully mitigate the impact of Brexit but it’s worth considering what you can do now. Check out ACS’ Brexit Readiness Briefing here or visit gov.uk/brexit and use the online tool to assess the potential impact on your business. Edward Woodall is head of policy & public affairs at small shops group ACS

edward.woodall@acs.org.uk

Use your Insight6 mystery shop to get into shape for Santa IT’S REALLY important as a retailer to understand your customer By Vhari Russell experience, but that’s not always easy when you’re busy working in your business. If you’re a retail member of the Guild of Fine Food, you are able to claim a free mystery shop from Insight6. This is the perfect time to activate this benefit, so you can implement any changes that are recommended prior to the busy Christmas sales period. We all know how important festive sales are in the financial life of a deli or farm shop, so the insights you gain from your mystery shop will help you enhance your customers’ journey in-store and maximise sales in these critical few weeks. It will also give you the chance to chat to your team about the feedback, and remind them about the skills of upselling and securing pre-orders for the festive season. It is key to make it as easy as possible for your customers to shop at this time of year, as they are often time-poor and stressed. Offer samples as usual, but mix them up, featuring different products throughout the week. Then ramp up this activity for the weekend. Enjoy your customer’s reactions to engaging with food and remember that independent retailers are key to giving them a happy Christmas. Vhari Russell is founder of The Food Marketing Experts and Grub Club Events.

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

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

October-November 2019 | Vol.20 Issue 9

THE GUILD TEAM: Managing director: John Farrand Marketing director: Tortie Farrand Sales director: Sally Coley Sales manager: Ruth Debnam

Sales executive: Becky Haskett Sam Coleman Operations manager: Karen Price Operations assistants: Claire Powell, Emily Harris, Janet Baxter, Meredith White

Training & events manager: Jilly Sitch Events manager: Stephanie HareWinton Events assistant: Sophie Brentnall Business development: Edward Spicer

gff.co.uk Financial controller: Stephen Guppy Accounts manager: Denise Ballance Accounts assistant: Julie Coates Chairman: Bob Farrand Director: Linda Farrand

Judges comments Great Taste Awards 2019 - â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Wow! We absolutely wanted to steal the bottle. A total winner in the gin market new, different and an eye opener!

is a family run business based in the Yorkshire Dales. We have achieved two GREAT TASTE awards in 2018. Our STEM GINGER FLAPJACK received THREE-STARS & our AUTUMN SPICE FLAPJACK received ONE-STAR. YORKSHIRE FLAPJACK

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visit www.stgilesgin.com or email info@stgilesgin.com

Contact KATIE WILSON for any enquiries 07779023096 | yorkshireflapjack@outlook.com | yorkshireflapjack.co.uk

AL G ezer IM IN e fre IN AG th M CK from PA loose

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Delicious additions TO OUR FISH RANGE

1/3 of Brits are trying to reduce their meat intake. So extend your frozen range with some great tasting, high quality fish lines.

Smoked Haddock Florentine Fish cake

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Lemon and Pepper Crumb

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To view our full range including vegan, vegetarian and gluten free products, visit www.field-fare.com To order call us on 01732 864344 Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-November 2019

Born in Switzerland in 1115.

A Unique Experience, Centuries in the Making.

Our milk producers, cheese makers and affineurs have been producing the one true Le Gruyère AOP in Western Switzerland for over 900 years. The inimitable flavour of our product is still very tightly linked with the local, long-held traditions and terroir of the region. That’s why we like to say that each taste of Le Gruyère AOP Switzerland is a unique experience, centuries in the making.

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Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-November 2019

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Publication: Fine Food Digest

6/18/19 11:54 AM

Title: Experience

Position: ****RHP****

Bleed Size: 236 x 321mm