GUILD TALK

View from HQ

By John Farrand managing director

IS THERE NO other news? I was chatting to a revered cheesemonger at the British Cheese Awards this week, and we were wallowing in our mutual displeasure at the volume of political noise on TV, radio, and social media. Never have I been so disenfranchised with news media –and that is from a lifelong listener of the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

The exacting news pages of this ne magazine cover the constitutional threads, distilling them and making sense of them for independent retail. It’s all there: the energy crisis; Labour’s take on the business rates crisis; the cost-of-living crisis and what it could do to Christmas sales; rural business grants helping you to keep going; and falling food sales, which will inevitably lead to another, but di erent crisis.

I’m avoiding the c-word from this point on.

We have a new Monarch. Dr Anna Khan (p.5) points to the fact that King Charles III will be looking for food and drink brands that ‘are sustainable and ethical’ and that ‘his taste is likely to be di erent to the late Queen’s.’

According to BBC News, the King was partly responsible for the renaissance in artisan cheesemaking in the UK. Perhaps we can expect more cheese with Royal appointments. He’s clearly an advocate, demonstrated through his patronage of the Specialist Cheesemakers Association.

He’d be pleased with a healthy, fun and successful British Cheese Awards. I was there at the beginning of October, judging with industry stalwart, Alan Kirby, the cheese buyer (amongst other deli items) at Booths. We had a harmonious morning, assessing 20-or so blues and then

The Word on Westminster

By Edward Woodall ACS

LIZ TRUSS’ APPOINTMENT to Prime Minister means yet more assessment of the Government’s priorities and outlook. Thankfully the her opening speech gave us an outline of her priorities: grow the economy, tackle the energy crisis and support the NHS. The key challenge for the Government isn’t focus but timing. We will have a general election in 2024 and they need to show they are delivering, and do it quickly.

It appears that despite the £100 billion-plus energy support package, the new PM’s focus on tax cuts remains, with plans to revise National Insurance increases still in play. This economic strategy is all predicated on the idea that growth, stimulated by tax cuts and deregulation, makes everyone better off. This appears to suggest a pro-business outlook.

But we all wait with interest to see where else this Government can deliver growth. Arguably, the challenges facing the UK are more entrenched than can be addressed in a two-year window. There is a real risk that the Government looks at short term tokenistic interventions rather than tackling longer term productivity, investment and skills challenges. We think what many retailers are craving is certainty.

The energy support package that has been announced provided reassurance, but businesses need how it will work and what happens after the initial six-month package is finished. It doesn’t look like wholesale gas prices, or geopolitical problems will have been resolved by then. We can’t run lights and fridges on goodwill.

We also need to know what the Government will be doing about upcoming regulatory measures that are putting pressure on retailers. Are obesity regulations going to dropped? Will the introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme be delayed? Certainty on these issues is needed to avoid pointless costs.

The PM’s priorities and outlook appear promising, but we need to see if they can ‘deliver, deliver, deliver’ on the details.

deliberating over a packaging class. I know there’s more trouble to come as the end of the year approaches, but it felt good to celebrate the British cheese community.

Therefore, it is not all bad. World Cheese is set to be a cracker next month as we assess more cheeses than ever, welcome our judging panel of global diversity, and give all visitors a chance to celebrate Welsh food and drink. You’re invited to the World Cheese Market, the inaugural trade show running alongside the judging. I’m going to invite HRH – he’s bound to accept and help us celebrate the importance of artisan cheesemaking and informed cheese selling.

That will certainly make the news.

I’m avoiding the c-word from this point on.

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

World Cheese Market debuts

The Guild team are getting ready to head to Wales for World Cheese Awards. Join us at the World Cheese Market on 2 November. Open to trade and press only, sample Welsh food & drink, visit over 30 trade stands including cheesemakers, affineurs and cheese accessories. The winner of the Young Cheesemonger of the Year, organised by the Academy of Cheese, will be crowned – and you’ll have the chance to witness the Super Jury decide the World Champion Cheese 2022 first-hand. We hope to see you there. To sign up for a free trade ticket, visit

gff.co.uk/ worldcheesemarket

Food lovers at Southwark Cathedral

At part of the celebration of Great Taste winners, the Guild recently opened its doors directly to consumers for the first time on 5 September. Food-loving attendees tasted their way around 25 tasting stations meeting winning producers and tasting their food & drink products. Visitors and producers alike relished the chance to meet in person, successfully testing a format that we hope to repeat to bring Great Taste winners to a wider audience in future.

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

info@gff.co.uk gff.co.uk THE GUILD TEAM: Managing director:

John Farrand

Special projects director:

Tortie Farrand

Sales director:

Sally Coley

Operations & marketing director:

Christabel Cairns

Sales manager:

Ruth Debnam

Sales executive:

Becky Haskett

Marketing manager:

Sophie Brentnall

Operations coordinators:

Matthew Bunch Chris Farrand Sepi Rowshanaei

Data & systems project manager:

Lindsay Farrar gff.co.uk

Finance director:

Ashley Warden

Financial controller:

Stephen Guppy

Accounts assistant:

Julie Coates