FFD September 2018

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September 2018 Volume 19 Issue 8 gff.co.uk

Retailing in full bloom Bayley & Sage’s Jennie Allen on running a successful high-end chain ALSO INSIDE: Northern Ireland’s Indie Füde Yorkshire Pecorino Show preview: Speciality & Fine Food Fair

Great Taste We are thrilled to announce that every product in our range has been awarded a Great Taste Award.

2 Stars Seeded Wholegrain, Caraway, 5 Seed, Sea Salt 1 Star Original, Spelt & Fig, Pink Peppercorn, Spelt & Poppy Seed Pink & Black Pepper, Charcoal & Rye

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September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

CONTENTS My strategy is shifting us from box-mover to brand-builder INTERVIEW

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Petty Wood’s MD John Potter on plans to reconnect with its indie customers

5 THE BIG PICTURE 7 NEWS

SPECIALITY & FINE FOOD FAIR 2018

37

17 INTERVIEW Bayley & Sage’s Jennie Allen

Find out what’s on and who’s exhibiting at the biggest show of the year

22 OPINION Young cheesemonger Nicola Beardmore, Editor’s Choice 27 CHEESEWIRE Heatwave to hike cheese prices, Stracciatella

It casts aspersions on your store when people have seen something in Lidl for half the price DELI OF THE MONTH

86 ADVERTISING

GENERAL ENQUIRIES

Editor: Michael Lane

Sales director: Sally Coley

Fax: +44 (0) 1747 824065

Assistant editor: Lauren Phillips Reporter: Andrew Don

Art director: Mark Windsor

Editorial production: Richard Charnley Cover photo: Isabelle Plasschaert

Contributors: Nick Baines, Richard Faulks, Patrick McGuigan, Isabelle Plasschaert, Lynda Searby

advertise@gff.co.uk

Sales manager: Ruth Debnam

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

77 SHELF TALK London bus driver’s new hot sauces, plant-based egg 93 LUNCH! PREVIEW Reasons to visit the food-to-go show 94 GUILD OF FINE FOOD NEWS

Indie Füde

EDITORIAL

Editorial director: Mick Whitworth

35 CUT & DRIED Tempus Foods’ big win, Welshthemed patés

Tel: +44 (0) 1747 825200 editorial@gff.co.uk

Printed by: Blackmore, Dorset Fine Food Digest is published 11 times a year and is available on subscription for £50 p.a. inclusive of post and packing.

Published by The Guild of Fine Food Ltd gff.co.uk © The Guild of Fine Food Ltd 2018. Reproduction of whole or part of this magazine without the publisher’s prior permission is prohibited. The opinions expressed in articles and advertisements are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher.

Turn to page 94 for news from the Guild

Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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LIVE LIFE FULL OF FLAVOUR! 2

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

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September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

NEWS

The Cress Co considers setting up courier-style delivery service By Mick Whitworth

The Cress Co is weighing up the potential of establishing a new company to provide a stripped-down delivery service to help start-ups and other small producers reach a wider market more cheaply. Priced somewhere between full-service wholesaling and a courier such as FedEx or Parcelforce, it would enable small firms to piggyback on Cress’s regular deliveries while taking responsibility for their own sales and marketing. “Warehousing, distribution, order processing and invoicing is our business, but it’s non-core for producers,” said MD Joe Wall. “The biggest challenge for these small firms is the physical access to the customer and we want the new service to help them overcome that.” The new company would offer storage and

Not just any watermelon radish… Marks & Spencer is targeting the Instagram generation with its latest introduction – the watermelon radish. The variant, which is grown in Sussex, is exclusive to the retailer and took six years to develop. It is milder than the traditional red radish, and larger. The reference to watermelon comes from a skin that has a hint of green and flesh that is white at the edge with bright pink magenta markings in the inside.

MD Joe Wall and buyer Nikki Castley have been looking for a new way to service small producers

distribution for small producers who are starting to attract sales outside their immediate area but do not have the sales volumes or perhaps the margins to justify listing with a wholesaler. Retailers will be able to consolidate orders from these producers, giving them access to a much wider product portfolio but with a single drop and single invoice.

Orders will be placed online through a new, dedicated website, the main promotional tool, which will cut out the additional costs associated with conventional wholesaling like dedicated print catalogues, advertising costs, direct sales and funded promotion. The scheme would allow up-and-coming producers to maintain close relationships with retailers

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT... …A POSSIBLE ‘NO-DEAL’ BREXIT at a crucial stage of their brand’s development as the sales, product range and pricing would remain completely under their control. “I’m a great believer that the best person to sell a product is the person who made it and this new scheme will enable small brands to continue to do this,” said Wall. “We simply take away any supply chain issues.” With planning still in the early stages, there are “no set numbers”, but it is estimated costs will be much less than typical wholesaler charges. “A £12 courier charge might seem cheap but on a £100 order it represents a 12% cost,” said Wall. “Our new service will offer a springboard from direct sales to wider distribution and will enable brands to sell to a much wider market with less risk, as we will provide complete transparency in terms of costs and distribution.”

Former Booths CEO Chris Dee takes top food job at Harrods By Michael Lane Former Booths CEO Chris Dee has been appointed as Harrods’ new food and home director, which will see him preside over the continued revamp of the department store’s food halls. Although the role is slightly expanded – including the home, tech, and toys departments – Dee is taking over from Alex Dower, who Harrods said had left the business to “pursue other ventures”. The Taste Revolution! plan, a major redevelopment of Harrods’ food halls launched by Dower at the end of 2017, will continue under Dee, with the next Fresh Market phase slated for completion at the end of this year. Two more phases are

planned for completion in 2019. Dee, who spent 22 years in various roles at high-end supermarket chain Booths, has also been charged with overseeing the newly opened toy department, as well as further investment in the home & technology division. He joins Harrods following a short period as an operating partner for GunnerCooke OP, where

Chris Dee is the store’s new food & home director

he advised emerging FMCG brands and private equity funds on potential investments in the sector. Michael Ward, managing director of Harrods, said: “Chris is a true leader in the food retailing industry, with almost 30 years’ experience in this fast-changing and innovative sector. “Chris’s knowledge of the importance of cultivating a heritage brand, whilst ensuring we are always leading the way in the provision of the best quality products, will be key to our strategy going forward.” Chris Dee said: “Food at Harrods is synonymous with quality and prestige, and every food retailer dreams of the opportunity of working with such an iconic brand.”

DUNCAN HIDER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, HIDER FOODS:

“The speculation is the main concern. We need clarity. To me, the key is a decision, a plan and a way forward – whatever that may be. I’m still grumpy that Brexit is happening, but if we, as businesses, are expected to adapt and change, as a minimum we need to understand the rules we will be operating with.” CLARE MARTINSEN, OWNER, BRECKLAND ORCHARD, CAMBS

“We are a small family business, and as such we focus our time on issues which we can impact and control. However, I do recognise that a no-deal Brexit could have implications for us on two fronts: raw material supply, and exports. A non-smooth transition post-March 2019 could have ramifications for exports.” STEFANO CUOMO, MANAGING DIRECTOR MACKNADE FINE FOOD, FAVERSHAM

“There will be opportunity for us to take our own direction but whether that is a positive or negative for us is a concern. There’s a lack of confidence in leadership. Take cheese transiting between Dover and Calais. We hope we can still get decent quantities of cheese in the UK but we might struggle with the Continental stuff.”

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NEWS

CYBER CRIME

Opportunity for retailers as sales of organic olive oil rise in UK By Andrew Don

Independent retailers might be looking at a golden opportunity thanks to the rapid growth in popularity of organic olive oil in the UK. According to a report from market research firm IRI, the volume of organic oil sold in the UK grew 17.5% year-on-year – and the value of overall sales increased 37.4% – thanks in part to shopper perception about the health benefits. Charles Carey, founder of independent supplier The Oil Merchant, said: “There is an increasing demand for quality olive oil therefore independent delicatessens should be catering for that increased demand. “People are clearly shifting from ordinary extra virgin to organic which will almost always be extra virgin in its own right.” Kamil Shah, co-founder

17.5% increase in UK sales volume of organic olive oil Source: IRI

of Greek oil and food specialist Olive Branch, said he has noticed consumer awareness of good quality extra virgin olive increasing over the past 12-18 months. “People don’t always know how to seek out a good quality olive oil but when the see that it’s organic, that to them offers a stamp of approval. “Just purely by it being organic does not necessarily mean it is a great oil because it could potentially be blended

Red Tractor on red alert after latest cruelty scandal Food assurance scheme Red Tractor has come under heightened scrutiny following the publication of undercover footage showing “industrial-scale cruelty” at one of the farms it certified. The footage taken by animal rights campaigners at Rosebury Farm in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, shows pigs repeatedly jabbed with an electric prod and a worker swinging piglets by their back legs to smash their heads against a wall. John Flack, Conservative MEP for the East of England, called it “industrial-scale cruelty” that blew apart “the false reassurance peddled by the

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Red Tractor scheme”. Red Tractor said in a statement that “on occasions” a small minority of farmers might breach the rules and by doing so were cheating the system that was designed to reassure the public. “This behaviour will not be tolerated by Red Tractor and those discovered are removed from the scheme as was the case with Rosebury Farm.” A Red Tractor spokeswoman told FFD Rosebury Farm had been expelled specifically for use of the electric goad, which she said was permitted by law but not under its own scheme. Last year, Red Tractor suspended 1,800 farms after inspections and permanently expelled 226 farms.

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

which loses the provenance and the amazing flavour you get form a single origin.” London retail chain Bayley & Sage offers 10 extra virgin oils of which half are organic. Attila Kovacs, store manager at the Parkgate Road branch, in south-west London, said Gay Farmer, a small artisan organic producer from Spain, was outselling its nearest rival in the store by three to one. Natalie Wheen, director and co-owner of Avlaki

Seed Fund list down to final five Superb Organic Olive Oils, cautioned that the higher prices did not necessarily mean better oil. She said the reported increase on organic olive oils showed the public are “beginning to understand that quality means you know it’s pesticide-free, chemicalfree and it’s extra virgin which means it has passed organoleptic and chemical tests.” IRI’s research showed that sales volumes of ‘mild & light’ declined by 9.1% and ‘standard’ oils increased by 0.5%, while extra virgin volumes increased by just 3.5%. IRI senior regional insights manager Olly Abotorabi said olive oil prices had risen across Europe as a result of poor harvests. He added: “Olive oil will continue to face increasing competition from alternative oil types like sesame, rapeseed and coconut oils.”

Food start-up mentoring scheme The Seed Fund Academy has whittled down its list of 2018 entrants to the final five companies. Sparkling tea producer Green Lady, bar snack company Made for Drink, rum specialist Rathlee Distilling Co, Dorset Sea Salt, and free-from producer Norty Puds will now all pitch again to The Seed Fund’s panel of experts for the ultimate prize – a year’s worth of business assistance and mentoring. The five-strong shortlist has been reduced from a roster of 12 companies that were chosen from 200 applicants to undergo a programme of seminars, workshops and one-onone sessions this summer. The eventual winner will be announced at the Great Taste Golden Fork Awards Dinner this month. theseedfund.co.uk

Inside “Europe’s largest Japanese food hall”

Japan Centre Group has opened what it says is Europe’s largest Japanese food hall, Ichiba at Westfield London, Shepherd’s Bush, in a joint venture with Cool Japan Fund. The 17,400 sq ft store includes a main food hall with a large range of Japanese staples,

including rice, miso, tea and confectionery, and freshlyprepared food stations. Its aim is to offer “authentic

products and rare regional produce from some of the best producers and farmers exclusively to the UK”.

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September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

NEWS

Heatwave will hit price, quality and availability of winter produce By Andrew Don

The record-breaking heat this summer has wreaked havoc on a wide swathe of crops, and is likely to result in reduced availability, lower quality and higher prices for produce in the run-up to Christmas. Peter Drinkwater, co-director of Vegetable Matters Farm Shop and Café and a director of vegetable grower DE & DM Drinkswater & Sons, based in Ebrington, in the Cotswolds, told FFD: “I think people will have to pay 25% more for their veg than they did last Christmas. Certainly, there will be no cheap vegetables around this winter”. There was not one brassica or root crop his business grew that the continued drought would not hit, said Drinkwater, adding that the dry weather had also aided pests and diseases. Drinkwater added: “Potatoes along with

Entry opens for WCA 2018

The World Cheese Awards opens for entry on Wednesday 5th September, with a record-breaking 3,500 cheeses expected to be judged at the event in Norway later this year. Organised by the Guild of Fine Food, the awards will be held at Bergen’s iconic Grieg Hall on 2nd November, as part of a brand new food festival, Matnasjonen Norge. Cheesemakers can enter until Friday 28th September, unless the entry cap is reached before this date. Enter online at gff.co.uk/wca

Brussels sprouts will be one of the worst hit crops in the UK thanks to the long, dry summer

sprouts will be the worst affected crops. Winter cauliflower hasn’t made the growth so there will be fewer around – the same with Savoy cabbage, red cabbage and Dutch White.” Leeks, winter celeriac, purple sprouting, parsnips and onions have also been hit. Drinkwater said he did not grow carrots but he had spoken to growers who said

tonnage per acre would be “well down”. Stefano Cuomo, managing director of Macknade Fine Food in Faversham, Kent, said he believed some traders would take advantage and attempt to squeeze more margin when perhaps it would not necessary to do so. “There are questions around the size of

PGI Welsh Lamb to be traced by new forensic-level system Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC), otherwise known as Meat Promotion Wales, has launched what it has called “the ultimate in farmto-fork traceability” for Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Welsh lamb. It has teamed up with Oritain, whose technology analyses trace elements and isotopes that animals absorb from their natural environment and the grass and water they consume to establish a distinctive Welsh “fingerprint of origin”. Under the PGI scheme, lamb must have been born

and reared in Wales and slaughtered and processed in an HCC-approved facility if it is to carry the respected Welsh Lamb label. Oritain’s new testing method claims to use forensic-level science to underpin this traceability, which is said to be the first initiative of its kind for a PGI product. HCC chief executive Gwyn Howells said lamb can be tested at any point in the supply chain and can be scientifically verified that it came from an animal reared in Wales.

NEW OPENINGS cauliflowers and Brussels sprouts coming in to Christmas,” he said. “There will be pricing issues across the sector. “We have to get our message across so people value what we’ve got and that they purchase from us.” He had already started to see poor quality celery, he said, and Macknade has been selling Iceberg lettuces for less than what it was buying them for. The Fresh Produce Consortium’s chief executive, Nigel Jenny, said retailers would need to accept that on some occasions they would need to flex their specification. “The weather pattern for many weeks now has been exceptional and therefore it will have a longterm impact on product availability and its quality,” he said. “I’m not going to say Christmas is off because we can’t get sprouts, but there will be ongoing issues throughout the remainder of this season.”

Doddington Hall’s farm shop, on the outskirts of Lincoln, will be a third bigger after it completes an extension at the end of September. There will be a new wine shop, an enlarged butchers department, a bigger delicatessen area, and a professional cookware area. A new plant-based delicatessen, Fred & Virginia, has launched in Leamington Spa. Products include Essy & Bella chocolate and Rubies in the Rubble’s Aquafaba Mayo. A husband and wife duo have created a beer and cheese “odyssey” in Bristol. Two Belly – so named because of the weight its owners have put on since deciding to open a delicatessen – was scheduled to open its doors in late August.

Rumwell trials Slow Shopping day for customers with additional needs Rumwell Farm Shop & Café has tested a “Slow Shopping” day for customers with extra needs, which it might repeat later this year. Anne Mitchell, joint owner of the farm shop, in Taunton, Somerset, said there had been a good social media response to the idea – which sees retailers allot certain time periods to ensure staff are on hand to help customers that need more assistance, space and time in store. She said: “We wanted the day to be as inclusive as possible, so anyone was welcome – people who may suffer from anxiety when out and about, those with communication or literacy difficulties,

the elderly, those suffering with dementia, as well as those who have more visible disabilities.” Katherine Vero, founder of Slow Shopping – a not-for-profit company that encourages this practice – said shopping was a fundamental part of ordinary life and it was the only experience of the outside world that some people had during a week. “It is important that this experience is a good one. To serve those people, including the isolated and lonely, Slow Shopping has to be adopted as a trial for at least three to six months is better.” slowshopping.org.uk

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NEWS

CYBER CRIME

Independents powerless in the face of roadworks and closures By Andrew Don

The plight of an Aberdeenshire farm shop has highlighted how few rights retailers have when it comes to minimizing the commercial damage done by roadworks and road closures. Castleton Farm Shop has seen turnover plummet since the beginning of work on Abbeyton Bridge on the B966, near Fordoun, which forces southbound drivers to take a 20-mile diversion. Roadworks, closures and diversions have caused problems for businesses and the general public nationwide this summer, often reducing footfall heavily. Sales are down more than 30%, owner Ross Mitchell told FFD. He added that he was only given minimal notice about the diversion and the timescale was indefinite. “They are saying a minimum of two or three years,” said Mitchell, who

Roadworks signs have been a familiar sight this summer

has taken legal advice. “At the moment, there is nothing we can do because it’s for safety reasons. It’s tough to take. We will have to make cuts and there will be job losses if this goes on for three years.” Elsewhere, The Hampstead Butcher & Providore in north London has suffered due to disruption from the closure of a lane of traffic in Rosslyn Hill over the

Lancs farm shop in liquidation despite diversification plan Roaming Roosters Farm Shop in Higham, Lancashire, which hatched a £1m diversification and expansion plan last year, has gone into liquidation. Liquidator Jonathan Philmore, of Philmore & Co, declined to issue a statement, but a well-placed source said the business had 50 creditors – most of them unsecured. Roaming Roosters managing director Andy Jones was unavailable for comment before the magazine went to press.

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He told FFD last year, however, that the business, which is in the borough of Pendle, had struggled after a Booths supermarket opened nearby. Jones had hoped to put up a fight with his plans to open a “rustic” play barn and expand the shop by up to three times its size in a bid to establish the location as more of a destination. He took over the business last summer from brothers Simon and Nick Mellin, who opened the farm shop, bistro and Hay Loft Coffee Room six years ago. The balance sheet as of the end of May last year, as filed at Companies House, showed creditor amounts falling due within a year of more than £78,000, with over £50,000 attributable to trade creditors.

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

summer holidays. Manager Anna Giubega told FFD that deliveries had been affected. “The delivery guys have some issues because they can’t park opposite the shop so they have to carry stuff by trolley.” Sales, however, had not been hit yet but the shop has not been able to set out its footfall-driving cooking stall because of the dust from the construction work.

IN BRIEF There is no statutory requirement for compensation to be paid to businesses impacted by road closures associated with road improvements although occasionally exgratia payments have been made. Compensation may be forthcoming in certain circumstances where utility companies are involved, such as gas, electric and water, but it rarely is, FFD research shows. In the case of Castleton Farm Shop, Aberdeenshire Council said the bridge was at risk of collapse forcing immediate closure in the interest of safety. “Discussions are ongoing with Network Rail to determine the most appropriate way forward. However, there are no timescales for reopening the road at this juncture,” a spokesman said. “It is not considered that there is any basis for making any compensation payment to Castleton.”

Mixers company FeverTree has reported interim pre-tax profit up nearly 36% to £32.7m on revenue up 45% to £104.2m. The company said it made further strong growth in the UK “extending our position as the No 1 mixer brand in the UK off-trade”. Morrisons has rolled out “farm-shop-style” pick-your-own eggs stands across 200 stores. Shoppers can pick anything from one to 30 free-range eggs at a time and box them up themselves. They sell for 22p for one, £1 for 6 and £5 for 30. Loch Fyne Seafood has linked up with Dobbies Garden Centres in a deal that will see the Scottish supplier sell its fresh oysters, mussels and smoked salmon at 30 outlets.

Self-service and street food at newest Eat 17 The owners of Eat 17’s fifth store, which has just opened in Hammersmith, claim the Spar-affiliated outlet has reinvented the market hall concept. The 4,000 sq ft west London store offers what co-founders James Brundle and Chris O’Connor describe as an interactive shopping experience. As well as a selection of fine food and drink, there are 100 refillable food lines, an indoor street food market – and even in-store yoga classes. The store includes three street-food “booths” serving fresh dishes from local food concessions, including The Pizza Project, Knowing Meat Knowing You and Bun Kabab of Empress Market Pakistani Kitchen.

The store also sells Eat 17’s branded products such as Bacon Jam, fresh bakery items and everyday Spar essentials. It provides self-serve coffee, wine and beer growlers as well as signature coffee in the bar area and soft serve ice cream. Brundle said: “We aim to provide an eco-friendly shopping experience and

our 100 refillable food lines are very popular with customers who wish to cut down on their plastic use. “They can bring their own reusable containers and refill items such as olive oil, detergent, pasta, rice, cereals, nuts and grains.” Eat17 will shortly open another store in Leytonstone, east London. eat17.co.uk

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Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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½ cup caster sugar 1 cup mixed nuts (almond, pistachio, cashew), ground into a coarse powder ½ tsp poppy seeds Ÿ tsp cardamom powder A generous pinch of Ruby saffron threads 1 In a heavy bottomed pan, place and sugar and melt it on medium heat just till it turns a very light golden. 2 While the sugar is caramelizing, mix together the ground nuts, poppy seeds, saffron and cardamom. 3 As soon as the sugar is light golden, take it off from the heat and add in the nuts mixture. Stir it well until it forms into a mass. 4 Working very quickly, transfer the mixture onto a silicon mat and roll it out thinly using a greased rolling pin. 5 Using a pizza cutter cut out squares and let cool completely. Break up the brittle along the cut lines and store an airtight container.

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For the crust: Âź cup black sesame seeds, roasted and ground to a powder 2 tbsp icing sugar 1 tbsp butter, softened or melted For the mango saffron icecream: 1 cup whipping cream (35% fat at least) Âź cup sweetened condensed milk, more/less depending on the sweetness of mango pulp A generous pinch of Ruby saffron strands, infused in 1 tablespoon warm milk ½ cup mango pulp, fresh or tinned 1 Combine ground sesame seeds, icing sugar and butter really well and press evenly on the bottom of a 4â€? loose bottom tin. Refrigerate while you make the filling. 2 Whip the cream to soft peaks. Add in condensed milk and saffron milk and whip till stiff peaks form. Fold in mango pulp and pour this mixture over the black sesame crust. 3 Freeze till firm. Garnish with white sesame brittle, slice and serve.

:HŃœYVU+PYLJ[ JVT :HŃœYVU+PYLJ[ 'ZHŃœYVUKPYLJ[ 'ZHŃœYVUFKPYLJ[ Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

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INTERVIEW ALL GOOD RETAILERS want to understand their customer base. But Jennie Allen, founder of London retail chain Bayley & Sage, has taken this to the next level– quite literally. In her store on Parkgate Road she has installed her very own “spying area” as she calls it, on a mezzanine that overlooks the shop floor and allows her to gain crucial insight into staffcustomer interaction. Allen is this attentive in all her stores of which she has seven in the Capital now, all with SW postcodes. The multi-site retailer has a turnover of £11.5 million (it is projected to reach £15 million next year) and employs more than 100 staff across the business. She always planned to have a chain of stores when she opened her first Bayley & Sage in Wimbledon Village during 1997. But she had to wait the best part of 13 years before the owner of her ideal site in Parsons Green was ready to sell. “You’ll never do anything as hard as going from one to two shops,” Allen tells FFD. “It’s 100% growth overnight and you’re taking on somebody else’s culture. That is difficult.” Though Bayley & Sage has become a sizeable retail operation, Allen still maintains the same clear vision of what and where she wanted her shops to be.

Jennie Allen, Bayley & Sage

Keeping an eye on the details As the owner of seven speciality food stores in south west London, Bayley & Sage’s Jennie Allen knows a thing or two about retailing. Here she tells FFD about the importance of remaining focused and why her next outlet is her biggest project to date. Interview by Lauren Phillips

Photography by Isabelle Plasschaert

“Do you think customers leave the store thinking ‘Boy those avocados were merchandised cleverly’?” She has been offered sites in train stations, near office blocks and even on the ground floor of the Facebook building, but has repeatedly turned them down. Instead she has stuck to residential areas of London where there are more opportunities throughout the day to sell to local customers, as opposed to office workers who buy food solely at lunchtime. “The locations I pick are affluent areas, where there are families and a village atmosphere,” she says, aware that there is only a certain type of customer who could shop at her stores. “You have to have sufficient disposable income to shop here. You have to value your time and good service more than just getting monetary value for something.” So, what is behind Bayley & Sage’s success? Allen breaks it down into three parts, and the first is the quality of the in-store experience, which she believes retailers tend to neglect to focus on product availability, or, as she calls it, “the sexy side of the business”. CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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INTERVIEW “Do you think customers leave the store thinking ‘boy those avocados were merchandised cleverly’?” says Allen. “No. What the customers leave the store thinking is ‘I was acknowledged and got good service’.” And this seems even more crucial in the age of online shopping. “I order my toilet rolls from Amazon and I just think if shopping is an unpleasant experience, why wouldn’t you shop online?” she says. “Surely, the whole point of shopping locally is that you get recognised and enjoy the whole experience.” That’s not to say how things look in store isn’t important. The second part of Bayley & Sage’s success is down to its distinctive branding and certain style of merchandising. But the store presentation is very different from when it first started. “Everyone was doing it Dean & Deluca or Harvey Nichols-style, with all the Slingsby shelving 20 years ago,” says Allen. “We don’t really do that anymore.” The shops no longer make a distinction between ambient and fresh products. Dried pastas are merchandised with sauces, but will also be accompanied by Parmesan, basil plants and olive oil. This is partly to cater

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to consumers’ changing shopping habits, particularly Londoners with smaller kitchens. “They shop in an entirely different way now, so what we present to them has changed a lot as well.” Relevant product selection is the third reason for the brand’s success and Allen is resolute in keeping her ranges tight. Meat, produce and bread are still major categories across the stores, but there is a lot less emphasis on packaging and packaged goods. Bayley & Sage is a fresh food shop first and foremost, says Allen. Fresh produce is its top seller throughout the year and the fruit & veg displays often spill out onto the pavements at Wimbledon Village and Parsons Green. You’d imagine, too, that strawberries must sell by the bucketload in Wimbledon Village during tennis season. “Actually our biggest day for strawberries is Christmas Eve,” says Allen. She refused to stock strawberries at Christmas one year because they weren’t seasonal. It was a mistake she’d never forget after she spent her busiest day of the year explaining to customers why they couldn’t buy any strawberries from her. That mishap aside, Allen takes a firm stance when it comes to buying and is critical of

wholesalers who try to run her store for her. “Their job is a supplier, they are not ranging my stores,” she says. “There are a lot of suppliers that would like to, but they don’t know your customers.” Allen also has some sharp words for retailers who forget they are running a complex operation and “rely on suppliers to run their business for them”. “They’ve not really understood what speciality food retailing is about,” she says, “and then they get caught in that trap of no wastage, so they order down but fill up with dry goods.” The “sexy side of the business” might be in the products and merchandising, but behind the scenes Bayley & Sage is a well-oiled machine. Each shop is run by a manager who oversees a team of three assistant managers. “They all report to an ops manager,” Allen explains, “but they don’t do their own hiring, their own ranging, or their own planograms. That all gets done for them or in conjunction with the store manager. After that, they run it themselves.” The retailer has a financial business model which it sticks to, calculating occupancy and labour costs as a percentage of turnover.

Jennie Allen, Bayley & Sage “We’re on top of floor usage the whole time,” says Allen. “We have layouts of the stores, we know how much money everything generates. If something is not generating enough it’s got to go and something else has got to take its place.” Sales reports reflect year-on-year and week-on-week performances. The store managers might set their own targets, but Allen is the one to sign them off and will call up a store manager if she sees a site underperforming. “I’m confident that we have some of the highest sales per sq ft of any food retailer,” she says. Yet, even an established and tightly run business like Bayley & Sage must bend and adapt to changing consumer behaviour. Having been against it in the past, Allen has started to introduce food-to-go options in some of its stores. Wimbledon Village has the Vitality Bar selling freshly made salads, Parsons Green serves takeaway lunch options from a barbecue stand, and Parkgate Road has a coffee machine with a breakfast bar and six stools. This year, Bayley & Sage is making an even bigger foray, by opening a new hybrid outlet – combining retail with foodservice – at the

former Television Centre development in West London. Not only will it be entering a new London postcode (moving from SW to W), it will also be looking at an entirely new and bigger customer base, including Television Centre’s 300 workers, 600 visitors, 6,000 Soho House gym-goers and the 20,000 office workers nearby. “This is a real departure for us,” says Allen, “which we are all a little bit apprehensive about. But we must do it. We have to move the concept on, it’s how people are eating these days.” The new site will have several installations including a soup bar, salad bar, juice bar and wine bar. Customers will be able to enjoy a cup of coffee or glass of wine and charcuterie board on a breakfast bar overlooking The Helios, but Allen is clear there will be no table service. The retail range will be much tighter compared to her other stores, with only a small wine area and a smaller selection of cheeses. The move to Television Centre doesn’t mean Allen will be installing cafés in all her stores anytime soon. With 85% of what Bayley & Sage sells being perishable, including over 200 types of cheese, Allen says the stores are complicated enough to run as it is and adding a

café would be a major operation. “I can survive without a café, so I choose not to have one. This works for us,” she says. “It’s about being focused and having a simple message to your staff and customers, so they know what we are.” She adds: “As long as we’re aware of changes in the market and adjust to that and flex the concept we’ll be fine. Do I think we’ll put cafés in everywhere? No.” Managing eight stores might seem enough for anyone, but Allen’s ambition shows no sign of abating. She has received several offers for the business but is adamant that she has no intention of selling. Allen hopes to have 15 Bayley & Sage stores around London in the future but prefers to think in sales rather than number of outlets. “I’d like to go to £25m in turnover, however many shops that is.” Bayley & Sage is still seeing growth year on year. It knows what it is, what it wants to offer customers and who those customers are. A lot of this is down to its owner however, the eagleeyed figure perched in her makeshift “spying area” surveying the day-to-day happenings of the shop floor below.

bayley-sage.co.uk

Their job is a supplier, they are not ranging my stores. There are a lot of suppliers that would like to, but they don’t know your customers.

Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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OPINION IF I’D KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW... SIMON FAIREY, owner, Christopher James Deli, Leicester Christopher James is the original name of the deli. When I bought it, the shop had been there for 34 years and had two previous owners. Coming from a catering background, this was my first stab at retail, so I decided to step back and see what the customer base was like before making changes. The last owner was near to retirement and had fallen out of love with the business. The product range had become rather stagnant. For example, the shop held a massive range of Tiptree preserves – stocked by farm shops and supermarkets the length and breadth of the country. Bringing in more local lines and innovation has given us a point of difference and rekindled love from the local community. Italian cannoli and gluten-free pasta, for example, are new introductions that sell well. We’ve also built a good reputation for our homemade dips, such as roast carrot houmous and baba ganoush, as well as our sausage rolls, quiches, onion bhajis, samosas and so on. One area that has really taken off is vegan products. We introduced a vegan cheese in February. Now we take 80 orders a month for it and have expanded our vegan offering with lines such as “vork” pies. We will never be a completely vegan deli, but I believe this is a growing area and we are getting a name as a vegan-friendly shop. Social media is a very important promotional tool for building customer interaction and awareness. I find people respond well to pictures on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. When publishing, I keep it short and sweet or compile a story. A few weeks ago I created a picture story around Lyburn’s nettle & garlic cheese, with a series of images showing how we cut the cheese up into portions etc. Through social media, we have been nominated and shortlisted for two awards: one with the Great Food Club and the other with Muddy Stilettos. I’m into my third year and am turning a profit and drawing an income from the business, though I have had to make some changes to get to this point. We’re no longer open on a Monday, as I can take three times as much by having a stall at a weekend festival as I can on a quiet Monday. And I’ve reviewed staffing levels. Cashflow has been a major challenge and the biggest shock of all has been the price of electricity. I’ve learned how to better manage cashflow – negotiating monthly rather than quarterly rental with my landlord and having monthly accounts with suppliers rather than paying on the day of delivery – but I’ve just had to get used to the energy bills. Interview Lynda Searby Photography Richard Faulks

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September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

It’s something I already knew but I’ve been avoiding. Brexit is going to have a big impact on the business of fine food. By Michael Lane, Editor

I learned quite a few things on my trip to Northern Ireland last month. Did you know that just by including your hand in a social media post with the product you’re promoting, you’ll double your engagement figures for that post? Stick your face in there too and it’s even more potent. I was also told several times by locals that Belfast is home to some of the best Cantonese restaurants outside of Hong Kong. But I’ll have to substantiate that one next time I visit. These are both trivial compared to the biggest revelation. It’s something I already knew but, like a lot of people, I’ve been avoiding. Brexit, especially if it’s of the ‘hard’ or ‘no-deal’ variety, is going to have a big impact on the business of fine food. Thanks to its physical border with the Republic (and the EU), Northern Ireland is literally on the frontline of Brexit. Notwithstanding the history that it will dredge up and the political turmoil it will create in Belfast and beyond, leaving the EU and hardening that border could be pretty damaging to the island’s food economy. Our Deli of the Month, Indie FĂźde in Co Down (on page 86), has a brilliant island-ofIreland sourcing policy but 50% of its stock could become more difficult and more costly to bring over the border after next March, perhaps too much so. That’s a big change to swallow, especially in a country that voted in the majority to remain.

On a wider note, the South of Ireland’s established foodie culture, whether that’s producers, retailers or restaurants, has clearly influenced the small but blossoming scene in the North. Could driving more of a wedge between the two countries end up robbing us of the next Hannan Meats or Abernethy Butter? Look, all of this is absolutely the worst case scenario, but with so much uncertainty (we’ve canvassed some opinion on this side of the Irish Sea too, see page 7), it’s hard not to think that all of the UK’s shelves and cupboards are going to be slightly barer than before. Despite my own concerns, you’ll find plenty of people cracking on with things in this issue. Eat 17 has just opened another shop with some very up-to-date concepts and Jennie Allen of fellow London retailer Bayley & Sage (on page 17) gives a masterclass in how to build and run a speciality chain. Distributors are also making moves. Petty Wood is doing much more than making noises about re-engaging with independents (see page 73). The Cress Co has an interesting idea to get more small producers to market (page 7). Combine that with Hider’s recent acquisition of Butlers Grove and things are really hotting up in what is already a competitive sector. It’s fine to pause and worry about the postBrexit future for a moment or two but the real lesson is that we’ll all just have to keep busy and see what March brings.

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Emily Crisps

&KRVHQ Ey Lauren Phillips Assistant editor

If you’ve tried their crunchy red apple or pineapple varieties, you’ll know that Emily Crisps has pedigree in the snacking category. The company’s new sweet potato VWLFNV DUH FOHYHUO\ ŴDYRXUHG with sea salt to balance against the natural sweetness of the potato. The mixture of gold and purple varieties is very attractive on the eye and the purple ones offer VXEWOH ŴRUDO QRWHV ZKLFK are quite pleasant. They have a satisfyingly good crunch, too. Read more on page 77. emilycrisps.com

Sweet Potato Sticks

Geography and plenty of science NICOLA BEARDMORE Deli supervisor, Brown & Green (Trentham), and Young Cheesemonger of the Year 2018 If you’re in your early twenties like me, or younger, the chances are that you don’t see cheese as a career. I was one of those people who didn’t really get it. At the time, I just needed a job. So, I took one on a deli counter, a week before I submitted my dissertation for my degree in advertising & marketing management. The deli would get me earning while I was waiting to ODQG WKDW Ĺ?SURSHUĹ? MRE LQ DQ RIĆ“FH Now I realise that working behind a counter LV SUREDEO\ KDUGHU DQG GHĆ“QLWHO\ EHWWHU WKDQ most desk jobs. It’s certainly more than just cutting and wrapping cheese – you need to

“I was one of those people who didn’t really get it. At the time, I just needed a job. So, I took one on a deli counterâ€? know your geography and plenty of science, too. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing ZKHQ , Ć“UVW VWDUWHG &XVWRPHUV ZHUH DVNLQJ questions about products and I would have to go out the back and look it up on my phone. I still do my own research at home and I’ve improved my skills and product knowledge with training from colleagues, advice from my local Rowcliffe rep and even working on a dairy farm in my spare time. It upsets me when customers just ask for ‘mild’ or ‘strong’ cheese. Lots of people still WKLQN RI FKHHVH DV ELJ EUDQGV OLNH &DWKHGUDO &LW\ %XW LWĹ?V QRW MXVW D SURGXFW WKHUHĹ?V VR many people and so much love behind it. It’s our calling as cheesemongers to educate consumers about how much goes into what they’re buying and eating. Even if I’ve not managed to convince younger readers here, I’d say try it out. I never you thought I’d say this but I now know my next career move will be within the cheese industry. It must be a profession because it doesn’t feel like work anymore. It’s more like a hobby that I get paid for. Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

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PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

The Garlic Farm

Show Business FOR FARMERS, PRODUCERS, brandowners and distributors in the fine food sector there are so many practical and commercial challenges that it can be hard to come up for air, let alone make time for trade shows. Storytelling, entertainment, visual theatre and other elements that have been long-associated with the Hollywood scene, can feel half a world away but trade events are exactly this: ‘show business’. Retailers and customers attend these events to discover what is on show and develop their businesses. Just as movie producers invest in premieres, food producers invest in new product launches hoping to create their own blockbusters. At these events the carpets aren’t usually red, normally an extraordinary tone of hospital green and not many people wear dinner jackets and ball-gowns (although Paul Hargreaves from Cotswold Fayre often dresses up). Exhibition centres, with their windowless anonymity are an alien environment for those in the food industry who come from an arable background but some still manage to deliver the ‘showbiz’ element with all the panache of an A-list celebrity. Bold graphics, elaborate, creative design and theatrical tasting gimmicks are all part of the show of food and the noise made by some big characters helps create quite a buzz at some trade fairs. Empirically tracking the business return on shows is not as straightforward as counting the take at the end of a farmers’ market but meeting customers face-to-face is important to The Garlic Farm. Barnes Edwards, director explains: “Showing our brand and products to the trade is an important part of remaining visible but in addition to sales orders, the real value is in the conversations we have with customers rather than the presentations we make. There’s a lot for me to learn personally, being relatively new to the sector and the feedback from the front line, from those closest to the consumer

Showing our brand and products to the trade is an important part of remaining visible but in addition to sales orders, the real value is in the conversations we have with customers rather than the presentations we make. informs how we develop. One advantage is that we are retailers as well so we speak the language.” Putting on a good show has been important for food producers and re-sellers long before name badges and dodgy coloured carpets were invented. A wheelbarrow full of well-presented produce at market sells well if delivered with a smile at an honest price. The basic rules

haven’t really changed. What can be slightly perplexing is the way in which business is conducted nowadays. “My parents-in-law sold from the farm gate and at markets and when other shops wanted to sell the products, they rang through to the farmhouse kitchen and would often collect their own cases. There are a few more links in the chain now so it’s even more important to get to meet customers at shows.” Says Barnes. Just like the paparazzi shots of the big movie launch fading from the limelight as quickly as they appear, the shine falls away from a tradeshow often before visiting hours have even finished. In the scramble to pack down and get home, the order book and lessons learned are all that remains. Barnes comments: “Shows last a few days but the displays in shops are there for longer. Sharing insights about merchandising, POS and ways of communicating to consumers is a big part of keeping a form of show-business going throughout the year. One of the great things about the speciality sector is the ability and willingness of retailers to engage with consumers. Delving into tasting samples from a co-ordinated display of a brand that is not available in supermarkets is what keeps our shop working. We see good results from the fellow retailers who adopt the same approach.” As with a good movie or a great play, the lasting success comes from the product itself rather than the launch. The same could be said for food brands and products. Quality, innovation and uniqueness sell again and again. Shows support this but when the dust has settled and the (sometimes) free drinks have been washed down, it’s the products on the shelves that are left to do the talking.

thegarlicfarm.co.uk | 01983 865 378 wholesale@thegarlicfarm.co.uk Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

CHEESEWIRE

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Cheese prices will rise as UK heatwave hits grazing and feed By Patrick McGuigan

The summer heatwave is set to drive up artisan cheese prices as dairy farmers struggle with big increases in costs. The prolonged dry weather, which started in May, has resulted in scorched grazing pastures across the country and farmers have been forced to break into winter fodder supplies to keep animals alive and productive. Yields of silage and hay, which are vital for feeding animals during the winter, have also been drastically reduced by the heat. Feed prices are rocketing on the back of the shortage, according to cheesemakers, with serious

implications for prices. Cheesemaker and farmer Roger Longman, who co-owns White Lake Cheese in Somerset and has a herd of 700 goats, said hay had risen from ÂŁ70 to ÂŁ120 a tonne in July, while bedding straw had rocketed from ÂŁ70-a-tonne to ÂŁ300. “It’s a big worry for us,â€? he said. “Milk yields are down 10%. It’s too hot for the animals to eat. They just sit there panting. “A lot of farmers have been trying to hold on in the hope that it will rain, but it’s getting to the point where they will have to buy in feed just to keep animals alive. It’s something that is affecting the whole of

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Europe, so milk prices will have to go up, and this will filter through to cheese prices.â€? Lincolnshire-based Cote Hill Cheese was forced to spend ÂŁ10,000 on fodder for its cows in July and August because of a lack of grass. The farm also had to use its own silage that would normally be saved for winter, while it saw a big drop in the amount of grass it could harvest from its land. “We normally get 400 tonnes [of grass for silage] with the first cut in May, but it was more like 275 tonnes, and the second cut in June was around 40 tonnes when it should be 200 tonnes,â€? said co-owner Michael Davenport. “We didn’t put [cheese] prices up last year, but will have to seriously look at that in January.â€? The NFU called an emergency summit with Defra, the Environment Agency and other bodies last month to address “the crippling impactâ€? of “tinderboxâ€? conditions on British farms. Environment secretary Michael Gove said afterwards that he would do “whatever it takesâ€? to maintain food supplies.

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Stracciatella First there was mozzarella, then there was burrata. Now there is stracciatella – a gooey mix of cream and mozzarella VFUDSV XVHG WR ƓOO EXUUDWD EXW VROG ORRVH in tubs. It’s becoming increasingly popular in restaurants, many of which DUH VXSSOLHG E\ /RQGRQ SDVWD ƓODWD specialist La Latteria. Its cows’ milk stracciatella is snowy white with a soft FUHDP\ WH[WXUH DQG JHQWOH PLON\ ŴDYRXU

$QFKRYLHV Pairing anchovies and mozzarella is hardly rewriting the rule book, but there’s something about the sweet, FUHDP\ ŴDYRXU RI VWUDFFLDWHOOD that takes the combination to another level. The TXDOLW\ RI WKH DQFKRYLHV LV NH\ Ŋ 2UWL] &DQWDEULDQ ƓOOHWV DUH KDUG WR EHDW /RDG WKH FKHHVH RQWR VOLFHV RI WRDVWHG FUXVW\ EUHDG WRS ZLWK D IHZ VOLYHUV RI ƓVK DQG GUL]]OH ZLWK SHSSHU\ ROLYH RLO

Shiso pesto /RQGRQ EDVHG LPSRUWHU 9DOOHERQD UXQ E\ 6WHIDQR DQG Naoko Vallebona (he’s Italian; VKHĹ?V -DSDQHVH KDV ODXQFKHG D UDQJH RI VSHFLDOLW\ SURGXFWV IURP -DSDQ ZKLFK ZRUN UHPDUNDEO\ ZHOO ZLWK ,WDOLDQ FKHHVHV 7KH QHZ VKLVR SHVWR PDGH ZLWK JDUOLF DQG H[WUD YLUJLQ ROLYH RLO FDSWXUHV WKH FRPSOH[LW\ RI WKH -DSDQHVH KHUE PL[LQJ QRWHV RI PLQW EDVLO DQG IUHVKO\ FXW JUDVV $ WLQ\ GUL]]OH RQ /D /DWWHULDĹ?V VWUDFFLDWHOOD EURXJKW RXW WKH KHUEDFHRXV Ĺ´DYRXUV HYHQ PRUH

$ UHSRUW KDV FRQFOXGHG WKDW )RRG 6WDQGDUGV 6FRWODQG FRQGXFWHG D Ĺ´DZHG LQTXLU\ LQWR a 2016 E.coli outbreak, which was blamed on Errington’s Dunsyre Blue /HDGLQJ HSLGHPLRORJLVW 3URIHVVRU 1RUPDQ 1RDK IRXQG the cheese was likely contaminated by other IRRGV LQ VWRUDJH RU WUDQVLW (UULQJWRQ &KHHVH ZDV FOHDUHG RI EUHDFKLQJ IRRG VDIHW\ ODZV DW D 6KHUĆ“IIĹ?V &RXUW LQ -XQH &KHHVH FRXOG EH KLW E\ VKRUWDJHV DQG ULVLQJ SULFHV DIWHU %UH[LW UHJDUGOHVV RI ZKDW NLQG RI GHDO LV VWUXFN EHFDXVH RI WKH 8.Ĺ?V GHSHQGHQF\ RQ GDLU\ LPSRUWV DFFRUGLQJ WR D UHSRUW E\ WKH /RQGRQ 6FKRRO RI (FRQRPLFV commissioned by Arla Foods $UOD 0' $VK $PLUDKPDGL VDLG FKHHVH EXWWHU DQG \RJKXUW could be turned into “occasional luxuriesâ€?, ZKLOH VSHFLDOLW\ FKHHVHV PD\ EHFRPH Ĺ?YHU\ scarceâ€?.

THREE WAYS WITH...

Devon-based cheddar maker Quicke’s has published a stylish new journal entitled This Land. The book, which explores the changing seasons and their effects on the farm and the cheese, features articles written by owner Mary Quicke MBE, chefs Gill Meller and Ben Quinn, and Slow Food UK’s Shane Holland. Further editions of This Land, which costs £15, are expected to be published in the future.

Marmalade Vallebona’s yuzu marmalade with stracciatella is another VXFFHVVIXO SDLULQJ 7KH DURPDWLF ELWWHUQHVV RI WKH -DSDQHVH FLWUXV IUXLW ZKLFK WDVWHV OLNH D FURVV EHWZHHQ D PDQGDULQ DQG D JUDSHIUXLW UHDOO\ FXW through the creamy cheese. It’s a match that would also work with traditional marmalades. Try $UWLVDQ .LWFKHQĹ?V %ORRG 2UDQJH 0DUPDODGH Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

27

CHEESEWIRE

news & views from the cheese counter

Renegade Monk will scale up at new Somerset facility

BEHIND THE COUNTER TIPS OF THE TRADE BILL DE LA HEY, Mainstreet Trading, St Boswells, Scottish Borders

By Patrick McGuigan

The pungent aroma of Renegade Monk is set to waft further across the UK after Somerset start-up Feltham’s Farm revealed plans to boost output of its washed rind cheese. The company is building a new dairy at its 22-acre smallholding near Wincanton, which will see capacity increase fivefold. Owner Marcus Fergusson currently makes around 200 of the 250g cheeses a week in a 200-litre vat, but will upgrade to a 1,000-litre vat at the new-build £250k dairy, which has been part-funded with a LEADER grant. It will also house a new pasteuriser, maturing rooms and a mezzanine viewing gallery. Fergusson previously worked in corporate communications in London, but gave it up to make cheese last year. Renegade Monk is a soft cheese, made with organic, pasteurised cows’ milk from Bruton Organic Dairy, which is inoculated with blue mould and washed in Funky Monkey

CHEESE IN 352),/( with

Shropshire Blue

Feltham Farm will be able to make more of its hybrid blue/washed rind Renegade Monk

ale from Milk Street Brewery in Frome. “I wanted to make a cheese that stood out.� said Fergusson. “Renegade Monk is a hybrid, so it’s a homage to the stinky French cheeses you don’t see so often over here, but it also has a blue twist. “ The cheese sells at local farmers’ markets and to around 20 retailers in the region, as

is that it did not actually originate in Shropshire. According to some, the blue FKHHVH ZDV ƓUVW GHYHORSHG by a Cheshire cheese grader called Dennis Biggins in the 1930s. Others say it was the brainchild of a cheesemaker at Castle Stuart Dairy in ,QYHUQHVV ZKR LQ adapted a Stilton recipe by adding annatto to give it a sunset orange colour. What we do know is that Stilton makers eventually adopted the cheese as their own with production focussed in the East Midlands, although it is also now made in Shropshire and other counties as well. Milk: Cows’, unpasteurised

What’s the story? There’s a certain amount of disagreement about when and where Shropshire %OXH ZDV ƓUVW LQYHQWHG EXW what can be said for certain 28

How is it made? Shropshire Blue is made in the same way as Blue Stilton with the addition of annatto – a natural colouring from the pulp around the seeds of the South American Achiote

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

well as through wholesalers, including Longman’s and The Fine Cheese Co. A sister cheese called Rebel Nun, matured to be slightly drier and bluer, has recently been developed and Fergusson plans to launch more “hybrid� cheeses influenced by Continental classics, once production starts in November.

From Top of the Pops to the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, Brits love a list, which is why Mainstreet Trading’s wooden sign highlighting the “Top 10 Cheesesâ€? in the counter is so popular. “We sell about 40 cheeses and people can be a little bit fazed by the range when they Ć“UVW FRPH LQ Ĺ? VD\V %LOO GH OD +H\ ZKR FR RZQV the St Boswells book shop, cafĂŠ and deli with wife Rosamund. “The list is a good point of conversation. People always want to know more about the number one cheese.â€? The list changes once a week, highlighting FXUUHQW EHVW VHOOHUV VWDII IDYRXULWHV RU D WKHPH such as home nation cheeses during the rugby. An adjacent blackboard gives more details about the top ‘cheese of the week’ and who makes it. “We’ve got some talented artists on the team so we often include an illustration as ZHOO Ĺ? VD\V GH OD +H\ Ĺ?,WĹ?V DPD]LQJ KRZ RIWHQ people ask about the list.â€?

ZHHNV Appearance & texture: $ ZKROH FKHHVH ZHLJKV 8 kg and is characterised by a natural rind, orange interior and spider’s web of blue veins. The texture is giving DQG HYHU VR FUXPEO\ ZLWK D ULFK DQG PHOORZ ŴDYRXU RI sweet dairy notes and gentle spice.

tree – which gives the cheese its deep orange colour. The annatto and blue mould Penicillium roqueforti is added at the beginning of the make, with the milk and starters. Milled curd is drained in cylindrical moulds IRU GD\V DQG WKH FKHHVH is then pierced with stainless VWHHO QHHGOHV DW ƓYH DQG VL[ weeks’ old to initiate the blue mould growth. The cheese is then matured for

Variations: 7\SLFDOO\ NJ WUXFNOHV Cropwell Bishop makes 225g waxed Shropshire Blues for Christmas. Cheesemonger tip: The distinctive orange curd with its blue vein patterning is a stunning addition to the cheese counter, display

the cut edge of half and quarter cheeses towards the customer for maximum impact. Recommend as a colourful addition to any cheeseboard or ploughman’s lunch. Delicious for daytime snacking: smeared onto a crisp stick of celery, crumbled on to salads or melted in soup. Chef’s recommendation: Use instead of Stilton to add colour to recipes. Top burgers with it or mix into minced meat for cheesy meatballs. Recommended with Port when serving on a cheeseboard or a brown ale for lighter meals.

Whether you have a professional or personal interest in cheese, the Academy of Cheese is D QRW IRU SURĆ“W RUJDQLVDWLRQ SURYLGLQJ D FRPSUHKHQVLYH LQGXVWU\ UHFRJQLVHG FHUWLĆ“FDWLRQ /HYHO 2QH FRXUVHV DUH available across the UK visit academyofcheese.org to VWDUW \RXU MRXUQH\ WR 0DVWHU RI &KHHVH

BEST ENJOYED WITH A GOOD CHEESE AND FINE FRIENDS

For more information please contact: T: 01963 322402 E: trade@thomasfudges.co.uk

thomasfudges.co.uk

Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

29

creamy & tasty

Matured for 5 months

A Masterpiece

from the Cave

• This is a real taste sensation, deeply complex and irresistible • Made with added cream to produce a creamy, buttery cheese • Matured in the Kaltbach Caves for 5 months Order from your usual cheese supplier or for more information email info.uk@emmi.com

Cave-aged. In peace. Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

29

CHEESEWIRE

news and views from the cheese counter

Nancy Anne Harbord - deliciousfromscratch.com

These are cheeses I grew up with in Italy, but they are new to people here

Pecorino from Leeds Mario Olianas replicates the cheeses from his childhood in Sardinia in his spare room and these ewes’ milk creations are already earning plenty of awards for his mantelpiece Interview by Patrick McGuigan

Purchase some Leeds Blue or Yorkshire Pecorino from Mario Olianas at one of the farmers’ markets he attends and you’re not just buying a delicious ewes’ milk cheese. You’re also getting a big wedge of sibling rivalry. Originally from Sardinia, Olianas is more than happy to admit he got the idea for making cheese after trying his brother’s home-made pecorino on a trip back to Italy. “We’ve always made food at home, like pancetta and sausages, and my brother started making cheese for friends and family,” says Olianas. “It was a good cheese, but I’ve always been really competitive so I had to try to do something better.” The timing couldn’t have been better for Olianas, who settled in Leeds in 2001. After working in the city’s restaurants for a decade, he was running a supper club with his wife Sonia and making lasagne and bread to sell at farmers’ markets, but was looking for another channel for his foodie talents. He found a farm near Harrogate that could supply ewes’ milk, then started playing around at home with a basic pecorino recipe he had learned in Sardinia. Instead of a long-maturing cheese, Olianas made Pecorino Fresco, which is aged for around 30 days. It’s familiar in Italy, but these young sheep’s milk cheeses rarely make it to the UK. A six-month Fiore version and the mellow Leeds Blue soon followed, as well as Ricotta Fresca made from the leftover whey. “These are cheeses I grew up with in Italy, but they are new to people here,” he says.

Cheese now accounts for most of what Olianas makes (although his doughnuts are wildly popular) with production still taking place in his suburban home in Adel, North Leeds, where a spare room has been converted into a dairy and the cheese is matured in two fridges in the garage. Around 40kg is made each week with plans to double capacity this month thanks to a new bigger vat. “We have to get bigger, but I don’t want to go into a box on an industrial estate, I want something with more character,” he says. “I’ve got a picture in my head of a cottage or a farmhouse where I can make the cheese and people can come and try – like a deli-shop. We’ve been looking hard for two years, but it’s got to be right. My motto is ‘slowly, slowly, catch the monkey’.” Olianas currently supplies customers, including The Courtyard Dairy, George & Joseph and The Cheese Merchant in London. But the new vat will allow him to widen his customer base, as well as develop new products including baked Ricotta Infornata and Primo Sale fresh cheese. Both products attracted interest from big retailers at the recent Nantwich show, but the cheesemaker says he’s not interested in “chasing” the supermarkets. It’s not surprising the cheeses are on buyers’ radars given the number of awards they’ve won. Fresco was named Best Semi-Soft cheese at the 2016 Great British Cheese Awards and won SuperGold at the 2017 World Cheese Awards, while Leeds Blue and Yorkshire Fiore both received two stars in this year’s Great Taste. “We don’t do a lot of publicity, but entering awards is a way to get people to take note,” he says, before adding with a chuckle: “I still send my brother a picture every time I win an award, just so he knows.” olianas.co.uk

CROSS

SECTION

Yorkshire Pecorino Fresco 1

Brits are most familiar with the ‘maturo’ version of PDO-protected Pecorino Sardo, which is aged for around 12 months until it is hard and grainy. But younger versions of the cheese are common in Sardinia, where they are called ‘dolce’ or ‘fresco’ and aged for 30-60 days. It’s this style that is the inspiration for Yorkshire Fresco, which is typically aged for 20-30 days.

2

3

The curd is cut into plum-sized pieces and scalded at around 38°C, before being allowed to settle at the bottom of the vat. The curds are then ladled into moulds. Fresco is an unpressed, brined cheese.

The cheeses are made with pasteurised milk and animal rennet. They weigh 1.5-1.7kg and have a thin natural rind. The paste is pale and pliable with a darker, drier band just beneath the rind. The flavour is smooth, yoghurty and sweet with delicate sheepy notes, nicely balanced by a salty finish.

Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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A truly global cheese event, the CARLOS YESCAS, CHEESEMONGER AND AUTHOR (MEXICO)

The World Cheese Awards offers a unique opportunity to meet producers, consumers, industry experts and aficionados all in one event, setting the path for our industry. Here you have the most trusted cheesemongers and buyers rubbing shoulders with the most respected cheesemakers.

World Cheese Awards has been bringing together cheesemakers, retailers, buyers, consumers and food commentators worldwide for over three decades. This year we take this unique event to Bergen, as part of a food festival celebrating Norwegian culture.

FIND OUT MORE AND ENTER YOUR CHEESE FROM 5 SEPTEMBER AT WWW.GFF.CO.UK/WCA 2-3 November 2018, Grieghallen, Bergen, Norway

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Hickory Smoked Almonds

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September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

CUT&DRIED

making more of British & Continental charcuterie

Rapid rise of Tempus continues with big win at Blenheim Palace By Mick Whitworth

Barely six months on from start-up, BBC MasterChef alumni Dhruv Baker and Tom Whitaker have seen their Tempus Foods operation take the biggest trophy at the inaugural British Charcuterie Awards (BCAs). Baker, who was MasterChef champion in 2010, collected the Champion Producer trophy at the event, staged alongside last month’s BBC Countryfile Live show at Blenheim Palace. The second national award scheme to emerge this year, following the British Cured Meat Awards at Borough Market in May, the BCAs saw over 400 products entered by both specialist charcutiers and “house” producers such as pubs and restaurants. Judges included Rich Summers of the School of Artisan Food, Shane Holland of Slow Food UK and Bake-Off judge Prue Leith. Tempus took the Champion Producer title for its performance across several of the nine judging classes: gold

for its spiced loin and smoked jowl, silver for smoked coppa and spiced coppa, and bronze for its house salami. The Surrey business, set up by Baker with 2011 MasterChef finalist Tom Whitaker, released its first products earlier this year. It was featured as the cover star of FFD’s annual guide to British and Continental charcuterie, The Cure, in July. The Champion Product title for the best single product at the BCAs went to East Sussex-based Beals Farm for its

Mangalitsa air-dried ham. Over 200 gold, silver and bronze awards were given in total, including 40 for meats made with rare or heritage breeds. Nicole Lander, interim CEO of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, was among the 33 judges. They also included Yorkshire butcher David Lishman of Lishman’s of Ilkley, who took the champion product trophy at the British Cured Meat Awards in May. britishcharcuterie.live/awardwinners

Dhruv Baker and Tom Whitaker at their unit in Weybridge, Surrey

Lloyd looms large on Welsh paté packs TV celebrity Siân Lloyd has lent her name – and face – to a new range of Welsh-themed patés from Patchwork Foods, with ingredients including cockles, Snowdonia cheese and laverbread. The former weathergirl, who is featured on-pack, also helped develop the recipes, with an initial 12 flavours whittled down to five for launch at the Royal Welsh Show. They are smoked trout & cockle; chicken liver, Welsh cider & apple; lentil, leek & laverbread; duck liver, Welsh gin & juniper; and Snowdonia cheese & Welsh ale. Trade prices are £2.55-£3 for 120g (RRPs £3.50-£4.50).

MD Rufus Carter said: “Siân Lloyd is a celebrity foodie and we love that she has helped

developed a range for us that showcases the best of Wales.” patchworkfoods.com

Jobs saved at Friends of Ham as cash flow crisis forces sale By Mick Whitworth

Novel Yorkshire charcuterie bar operator Friends of Ham, which has outlets in Leeds and Ilkley, is to continue trading after it was bought out of adminstration last month by property business Glentrool Estates. Launched six years ago by Anthony and Claire Kitching in New Station Street, Leeds, the business offered an innovative mix of specialist charcuterie, cheese, wine and craft beers, with suppliers including Cannon & Cannon and Brindisa. Visual appeal was high on the agenda, with Tuscan salamis, chorizos and ham legs hung at room temperature. However, the company lately ran into cash flow problems. Its second site in Ilkley took longer to establish, according to adminstrators Poppleton & Appleby, while a separate sister company in Merrion St, Leeds, Ham & Friends, was relaunched as a drinks venue but has now ceased trading. Charles Brook, a partner at Poppleton & Appleby, said: “In a highly competitive market the cost of managing the development of the Ilkley and Merrion Street businesses placed significant strain on the combined financial resources of the two companies. “Although the original business was resilient, cash flow suffered and the companies came under increasing pressure to maintain payments to their creditors.” A short term dip in trade in Leeds due to this summer’s protracted heatwave had contributed to the financial pressures, especially on the flagship New Station St unit, which did not have outdoor seating, Brook said. Glentrool director Katie Pannu said all 34 remaining employees from Leeds and Ikley had been retained. “Friends of Ham has been meticulously developed by Anthony and Claire Kitching over the past five years as the go-to destination for the craft beer and food lovers of Leeds,” she said. “It’s a fantastic concept in great locations with loyal customers.” It is understood the Kitchings will remain involved with the business under its new ownership.

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35

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September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

SHOW PREVIEW

Speciality & Fine Food Fair returns this year with even more seminars and features to give visiting buyers with the most up-todate insight into today’s food retail market. Ahead of the show, FFD’s preview provides you with things to watch out for, including a full exhibitor listing starting on page 41. For 2018, the Speciality & Fine Food Fair – returning to London’s Olympia, on 2nd-4th September – has gathered more than 700 artisan and start-up producers under one roof. The show, now in its 19th year, will offer independent retailers, buyers, caterers, importers, distributors and wholesalers the chance to discover some of the best products in today’s market, from heritage brands to industry disruptors. Among the exhibitor stands, SFFF18 will also host new and returning features for both buyers and producers including advice and insight on the most fashionable flavours and ingredients through to issues such as sustainability and seasonal trends. The Discovery Zone will again allow buyers to meet over 200 new producers who have been trading in the UK for less than three years. Visitors can also follow the show’s trend trails to locate suppliers in key categories like speciality chocolate and plant-based products. Those listed include The Sweet Beet, Drink Baotic, Natural Umber, and Hawkshead Relish Company. This year SFFF18 has three new features for visitors to the show, including a brand-new awards ceremony. On Monday 3rd September, The Fresh Discovery Awards will take place celebrating the most innovative new products at this year’s show. Meanwhile, shop owners will be interested in the Ultimate Retail Experience (see box). The Drinks Cabinet concept is also being introduced, in response to the evolving drinks market and the increasing number of distilleries and breweries emerging in the UK. Run in partnership with premium soft drinks brand Fentimans, the new area will be dedicated to showcasing spirits, wines, craft beers, mixers and premium soft drink

producers. Among the brands there will be premium no-alcohol spirit alternative Berkshire Blend, low-alcohol brewery Big Drop Brewing Co and Seedlip; the “world’s first” distilled, non-alcoholic spirit. Across the fair’s three days, visitors will be able to meet with producers in the speciality

drinks category, discover what’s hot in this market and learn about unique pairings from mixologists. The area will also have a pop-up bar where retailers can sample products while networking with other businesses. specialityandfinefoodfairs.co.uk

New for 2018: The Ultimate Retail Experience A brand-new feature will be at this year’s Speciality & Fine Food Fair, called The Ultimate Retail Experience, aimed at uncovering the ultimate food shopping experience. The team behind SFFF18 has surveyed 2,000 consumers on everything retail from greetings and gift bags, to counters and colour schemes. The research is designed to help independent retailers understand the modern consumer’s

wants and needs from today’s market. The results will be brought to life on the gallery level of the show with the unveiling of a blueprint of consumers’ ideal store. Visitors also won’t want to miss The Future of Retail seminar on the Food for Thought stage where retailers and researchers including the Guild’s MD John Farrand will discuss what the future looks like for bricks and mortar stores.

Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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SHOW PREVIEW Sample the best of Great Taste 2018 Out of 12,634 products judged in 2018, just 4,653 products were awarded 1-, 2- or 3-stars in Great Taste 2018, and buyers can see, taste and source around 3,000 of those winners at the Guild of Fine Food’s Great Taste Deli. Many of the 1- and 2-star winning products will be displayed across the deli shelves on the Gallery upstairs, while retailers eager to see this year’s 3-star winners will find them in glass cabinets in the entrance and middle aisles of the ground floor. The Guild’s resident chef Nick Crosley will be creating dishes with the award-winners to show their versatility and quality in two live cookery demonstrations at the Savour the Flavour theatre. On the Great Taste Deli, retailers can meet to producers exhibiting at the show and sample their winning products, as well as chat to Guild staff about retail membership and the new members’ hub. There’s also a chance to meet the Great Taste 2018 Supreme Champion at the Savour the Flavour theatre on Monday 3rd September at 11am and sample the champion product.

Must-see seminars

Highlights from SFFF18’s two theatre areas race against the clock to create appetising recipes from mystery ingredients with this session focussed on the plant-based diet - 14:45 – 15:30, Tuesday 4th September

Food for Thought theatre

Savour the Flavour theatre

• Sample the winning product from this year’s British Charcuterie Awards’ Champion Producer, Tempus Foods and learn about various aspects of cured meat - 12:00 – 12:25, Sunday 2nd September • Learn six key tricks of the trade to help you create theatre and inspire your customers with the Guild of Fine Food’s merchandising guru Jilly Sitch - 12:00 – 12:25, Tuesday 4th September • Join Charlie Turnbull and Tracey Colley from the Academy of Cheese to discover new cheeses from exhibiting cheesemakers and distributors at the show, with tutored tastings and in-depth assessment techniques - 12:45 – 13:10, Monday 3rd September • Watch chefs Andrew Aston and Steve Walpole 38

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

• FFD’s editor Michael Lane uncovers the strategies retailers can employ to perfect the shopper’s journey around their store with Rich Ford of Sherlock Studio, Bayley & Sage’s Jennie Allen, Fudge Kitchen’s Sian Holt, and Brindisa’s Harriet Stanford - 14:30 - 15:15, Sunday 2nd September • Richard Savage of Flavour Feed investigates how healthy eating and new lifestyles will continue to shape the future of the industry with Jonathan Webb (Brand Tourist), Stephanie Peritore (Mindful Bites), and Phil Owens (Bespoke Menu Design) - 13:30 - 14:15, Monday 3rd September • As we rapidly approach ‘exit day’, John Stapleton is joined by Professor Tim Lang, Borough Market’s Darren Henaghan and NFU’s Ruth Edge to shed some light on the future of food and leave you feeling better equipped for what’s to come - 13:30 – 14:15, Tuesday 4th September • Thanks to the continuing evolution of digital, customers have become accustomed to finding what they want and when they want it. betterRetailing’s Chris Dillon explores what’s on the horizon for retailers and how best to prepare for it - 11:30 – 12:15, Tuesday 4th September

EW N

Introducing

NATURE’S NECTAR Mature Cheddar with Rum-marinated Figs and Honey www.snowdoniacheese.co.uk 36

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

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We have the UK’s largest selection of small-batch vinegars, made with love and care by some of the best European ar tisans + speciality oils, hand-harvested salts, rare spices, wild peppers & other exciting pantry items including 22 new Great Taste 2018 winners! For more information on our 3-star, 2-star and 1-star Great Taste 2018 award-winners & trade prices, contact us on 07854892065 or sales@vinegarshed.com www.vinegarshed.com

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

SHOW PREVIEW

WHAT’S

ON SHOW FOR

2018

Guild of Fine Food members are highlighted in bold type

A 20 Ways 1836 3 Pecorini PDO 1450 35foods 1837 9 Meals from Anarchy 3370 A Little Bit Food Co 2210c A.B.B.A. 1820 Aagrah Foods 1542d Aber Falls Distillery 1920 Aceites Clemen 1440I Adam’s Cold Pressed Chocolate 3175 Akan Moringa 1750 Al Reef - Fair Trade 3112 Alfred Enderby 3362 Almondeli 1720C

American Beverage Marketers Andronicas Coffee Ape Snacks Art of Honey Artigiano Della Nduja Artisan Olive Oil Company Ashridge Cider Attina’ & Forti Aura Gold Water Awesome Chocolate

1142 1308 1751 2560 2240A 1812 1620E 2240D 5107 3050

B B Chocolates Suffolk 2680 Baghi’s 4176 Baleia Wines 1750 Bay’s Kitchen 3086 Be Chocolat by Michel Clement 2982 Beech’s Fine Chocolates 1143 Beijing Trade International Exhibition Co 1210 Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

SHOW PREVIEW

Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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SEE ALL THESE AT SPECIALITY FOOD SHOW STAND 1308 OR WWW.ANDRONICAS.COM

OUR FAVOURITE COFFEE NOW AVAILABLE IN CAPSULES

36

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

SHOW PREVIEW Belgian Boys %HUJHU )HLQVWH &RQƓVHULH Berkshire Blend %H\RQG /LYLQJ Biddenden Big Drop Brewing Co %LWHV:H/RYH %ODFN /LTXRULFH &R Black Storm Brewery %REDOLIH %RGHJDV (O /DJDU 'H ,VLOOD Bodegas Nabal %RGHJDV 3UDGR 'H 2OPHGR Bodegas Sierra Bonta Italia %221 &RIIHH 5RDVWHUV %RVV %UHZLQJ Brindisa Spanish Food %ULR *OXWHQ )UHH %DNHU\ %URZQ %DJ &ULVSV Bull’s Head Beverages %XVLQHVV )UDQFH %XWWHU 1XW RI /RQGRQ Buttermilk

1510A 4473 3484 4484 I ( 3170 1430B 1340A 1710D ( 2011 4490 1510F

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&DODEULD 5HJLRQ Callestick Farm Ice Cream 1830e Caragh’s Chocolates 4150 &DUQH 'H 3RWUR +LVSDQR %UHWÂľQ 'H %XUJRV ( Carnevale 2130 CasaLuker 3440 Castilla y LeĂłn 1850 Caviar Blanco De Sierra Nevada 1330/B &HGHUĹ?V 'LVWLOOHG 1RQ $OFRKROLF &KDUERQQHDX[ %UDEDQW &KDUOHV 0DFOHRG 6WRUQRZD\ %ODFN 3XGGLQJ K &KDUO\Ĺ?V $OO ,V )DLU F &KDVH 'LVWLOOHU\ &KHHN\ 3Ĺ?V &KRFRODW 0DGDJDVFDU &KRFRODWHHKD &KRFRODWHULH 'DUGHQQH * &KRFRODWHULH 3X\ULFDUG &KRFRODWHV E\ (ORLVH Chocolette Confectionary 1320 &LERVDQR Clarence and Bean 1730d &RFR &KRFRODWLHU Cocoba Chocolate 1844 &RODFFKLR )RRG % &RODYLWD Colorado 1740 &RPSWRQ 0F5DH &22. Coren 1814

delici so o The Spanish Food Company

Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

45

This is a celebration. This is Wales.

Visit us on stands 1916/2016 & 1920/2020 at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair. www.gov.wales/foodanddrinkwales

@FoodDrinkWales © Hawlfraint y Goron / Crown Copyright 2018 WG35692

36

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

35692_Fine Food Digest_Advert.indd 1

3 CertifiedPDF®for digital print

Welsh Government ISO-15930 PDF/X-1a:2001

1

No proofs required

09/08/2018 14:13

SHOW PREVIEW Cornish Tea & Cornish Coffee 3080 Coromandel Coast 3077 Corsica Gastronomia 2874 Corte Diletto 921 Cotswold Fayre 1620, 1720, 1520, 1610, 1710, 1510 Cottage Delight 2220 Cottage Lane Kitchen 1954 Cradoc’s Savoury Biscuits 2020 Cudié Catanies 1250

New to the show in... …CONVENIENCE Gourmade

D Dadima’s Dandong Vast Trade Co Dean’s Delicioso - The Spanish Food Company Deliciously Ella Delite Foods Deliwraps Destilerias Joaquin Alonso Devon Distillery Devotion - Made in Portugal Districts of Italy Diverse Fine Food Divine Chocolate Dolce la Dolce Dolciaria Monardo Dop Pimenton De La Vera Dorset Sea Salt Co Drink Baotic

3069 1210AA 2040f 2120 1141 1750 3444 1330/F 4496 3081 1741 4030 1810 3142 2240C 1440C 3360 2870

Premium frozen ready meals brand Gourmade is launching ten new lines at the show on stand 1032. These include steak & ale pie (RRP £4.50, 300g) chicken jalfrezi (£4.50, 300g), chilli con carne (£4.50, 300g) and beef stew & dumplings (£4.95, 350g). The company says its rapidly expanding range is an indication of its “commitment to providing a high-quality alternative to meals made at home from scratch”. gourmade.com

Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

47

110 GREAT TASTE AWARDS #WINNER Fine Gluten Free Christmas Pudding

Plum Pudding with Fruit Gin

F O

N A T U R A L LY S W E E T A W A R D W I N N I N G

CHRISTMAS PUDDINGS

Great repeat trade and good margins, your customers will come back and back for Mr Vikkis ChilliMafia. Unique secret recipes with authentic Indian Techniques, made by an award-winning Chef. Please contact us today for a product list of super tasty Mild to Wild Chilli Chilli condiments, catering sizes Also, if it hasn’t won an award it’s not Mr Vikkis ChilliMafia est 2005

CONTACT ADAM OR DAN TODAY. WWW.MRVIKKIS.CO.UK OR 01697 475438

O R

P

TRADITIONAL RADIT * GLUTEN FREE * FAIRTRADE TRADITIONAL PLUM PUDDING * VEGAN (GLUTEN FREE) Perfect for Food Gifting and Dining LillyPuds Christmas Puddings are scrumptiously light and fruity with over 50% fruit, less added sugar, no mixed peel or dairy ingredients and are suitable for vegetarians.

Come and sample our award winning puddings on stand 2210e at London’s Speciality Fine Food Fair 2018! T: 07792223301 E: sales@lillypuds.co.uk W: www.lillypuds.co.uk

Have you ordered your Autumn Winter Collection yet? Visit us at Speciality Fine Food Show Stand 2220 Olympia London. www.cottagedelight.co.uk 48

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

/cottagedelight

THE HOME OF

BEAUTIFUL

PACKAGING

'We' are Meridian Speciality Packaging, a forward-thinking, family-owned business balancing traditional values, customer-focus and innovation in manufacturing and stocking premium quality packaging. Come and see our new and exclusive range of premium packaging ready to fill with your exquisite products. We’re at the Speciality Fine Foods Fair 2018 (STAND 1200) SPECIAL OFFER: 10% single use discount available online Use code 10PCGFF2018 at checkout. www.meridianspshop.com | Tel: 01684 578441 | Fax: 01684 578442

Hey good lookin’ what ya got cookin’? ... well here’s what ... Luxury Lotus Biscoff Cheesecake Remarkable Roulades

Perfect ¢ Ø

Moreish Mince Pies t: 01274 590698 e: sales@just-desserts.co.uk w: www.just-desserts.co.uk Units 1- 3 Station Road • Shipley • West Yorkshire • BD18 2JL 50

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

SHOW PREVIEW FLORA TEA Florencio Sanchez E Hijos Flyte - The Clean Energy Drink Food Fellows Food Sanctuary Foraging Fox Forest Feast Fowey Valley Cider Foxdenton Estate Franklin & Sons Freestone’s French Dressing Company Fresca Italia Fresh Eric’s Cake Company Frigel Sas Fromagerie Jacquin Fromagerie Rouzaire Fromages Spielhofer Fudge Kitchen

3526 1850 4384 1636e 2984 1520C 1950 1730a 4480 2110 1710G 1720G 3184 2112 2140C 1420C 1420E 3052 1252

G G-NUTS Peanuts Gelatorino GFT Retail Ghorban Delikatessen Manufaktur Giant Peach Glens of Antrim Crisps Glow Prosecco & Gin Sparkle Drops Godminster

3161 924 1902 3424 3460 3210 3076 1730e

New to the show in... …SWEET BISCUITS Dean’s

Shortbread producer Dean’s will be launching a new range of shortbread tins at SFFF18 which feature designs from Scottish artist Steven Brown. Based in Ayrshire, Brown is well known for his unique style of art featuring brightly coloured Highland cows. Brand manager Siobhan Ingram said Brown’s designs “are bright and colourful, and will add a contemporary dimension to the traditional Scottish shortbread tin”. The tins come in two varieties, 500g all butter shortbread assortment (RRP £12.95) or 160g all butter shortbread rounds (RRP £6.95). deans.co.uk

Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

51

NEW

0Ç EMIUÇ› !DULǤ 3OÇŤ $RINKÇĄ

Bringing you some of the UK’s most loved products sourced from the four corners of the countr y.

STAND 1510C #SFFF18

WWW.THEMINISTERSOFTASTE.CO.UK

Ideal for Christmas Hampers Gourmet melt-in-the-mouth pop meringues

0Ç EMIUÇ› PÇ EǢǣ¤Ǣ MAÇ’Ç? WITÇ” Ç EAÇ™ FRUIǤ JUICEǢ

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WWW Ç AÇ’NORHILÇšǢ CO UK 52

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

Afsi Sattari 07935 592428 info@meringueomania.com www.meringueomania.com

Sa

Elderower PressÊ | Traditional Lemonade Fiery Ginger Beer | Raspberry Lemonade Blackcurrant Crush | Apple & Rhubarb | Strawberry & Mint

Meringue O Mania pop meringues are rich and indulgent in taste, yet light and surprisingly low in calories. We have created 15 exciting avours and are proud to announce our Coconut avour has won a Great Taste 2018 2-star and our Cardamom & Dark Chocolate a 2018 1-star. Our newly launched small jars are ideal for deli-counters and hot-spots. All our products make great hamper additions.

m pl at e o St SF ur an F pr d F’ od 45 18 u ct 00 s

Available in 330ml & 750ml glass and 425ml PET

SHOW PREVIEW Gordon Castle Gin 4471 Gordon Rhodes 3420 Gourmade 1032 Gran Luchito 1710G Granny’s Secret 1910 Granomy 3361 GranoVita UK 1030 Great British Biscotti 3222 Great Glen Charcuterie 1940f Green Door 4273 Griffin Hunter 2860 Growers Garden 3140 Guild of Fine Food 4630 Guisabel 1310d Gulius - Mediterranean Select 920

H Hala Bar Halen Mon Handmade By Van Strien Happy Mallows Harvest Moon Hasslacher’s South America, Ozindas Hattesens Konfektfabrik, Denmark Hatton Hill Organic Haupt Lakrits - Swedish Liquorice Hawkshead Relish Company HB Ingredients

3172 2020 3350 2660 2952 1940b 3150 1110 4374 2000 3422

Healthy Baker Hechizo Andaluz Helados Nordwik & Palettas Hider Food Imports Hill Farm Oils / Scarlett & Mustard HMS Spirits Holland Pavilion Holy Cow! Food Co HoneyBerry Honeyrose organic / Kent & Fraser gluten-free Hoogly Tea Hop Kettle House of Dorchester Huffkins Hullabaloos Lemonade Hydropac

3480 1330/E 1330/D 928 3442 2673 1636a 4170 2663 2332 2445 1720J 2213 1011 3163 2414

I I Fortini Ibericos Revisan Industrias Espadafor InkREADible Labels Inland Ice Interprofession de Gruyere Italian Pavilion

1741 1430G 1330/A 3512 2678 1932 1240, 1230

Meet Affineur Walo and find out more about his cheese at:

London Speciality and Fine Food Fair London Olympia 2.9.18 – 4.9.18. Stand No 1530, The Fine Cheese & Co Awarded original Swiss cheese since five generations presented by Affineur Walo von Mühlenen. Walo von Mühlenen

Exclusively distributed in the UK by The Fine Cheese Co. www.finecheese.co.uk 01225 424212

Walo von Mühlenen LTD, walo@affineurwalo.ch, +41 79 217 54 11 Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

53

10 No 0% a NE d fru ded W! it su sp ga re r ad s!

Visit us online or contact us to discover our great range of juices. We supply good food shops, hotels, pubs and restaurants.

NEW Award Winning! No Added Sugar Fruit Spread. Don’t confuse Forest Bounty with other preserves. No sugar is added, our jars are bursting with natural fruit. Healthy and tasty, fruit spreads from the Forest! ‘This is delicious! Excellent product, well done’ GTA judges 2018.

English Cox & Bramley Apple Juice

English Ashmead’s Kernel Apple Juice

01489 878685 | info@hillfarmjuice.co.uk Visit us @ stand 1910 at the SFFF’18 Or call us on 01454 540045 snezana@forestbounty.co.uk

www.hillfarmjuice.co.uk |

www.forestbounty.co.uk

THE CURATOR’S CHOICE

TOKYO MATCHA SELECTION SOURCES FINE JAPANESE TEAS, INCLUDING ORGANIC MATCHA AND GREEN TEA OUR HAND-PICKED SELECTION IS BUILT AROUND SMALL REGIONAL PRODUCERS BRINGING THEIR PASSION TO YOU! TEA / ORGANIC / JAPANESE SPECIALIST? GET IN TOUCH TO DISCUSS UK IMPORT PARTNER OPPORTUNITIES

INFO@TOKYO-MATCHA-SELECTION.COM

WWW.TOKYO-MATCHA-SELECTION.COM 54

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

A unique range of plastic food packaging All packs are re-usable and made from 100% recyclable PP Tamper evident and film seal ranges injection moulded in PP 25ml to 5000ml size range in round, square, oval and rectangle Available from stock in transparent PP Reliable lead times and service - sensible minimum order size Visit www.innavisions.com or call us for a brochure TEL: 01886 832283

EMAIL: nick.wild@innavisions.com

SHOW PREVIEW

J James White Drinks Jamones Quesada Carpio JEKL Steak On The Go! Jiangxi Xiushui Miraculous Tea Industry Co Jinjiang Tieya Trade Joe & Seph’s Gourmet Popcorn Joe&Avrels Joli JuanChocoNat Just Jelly

New to the show in... 2210f 1330/H 3382 1210C 1210B 2116 3261 1112 2672 3090

…CHUTNEYS AND RELISHES Vivia Crump’s

K Kapronca Fruit Farm Kennard’s Artisan Chocolates Kilimanjaro Sauce Kineta Matcha Kold Group Kong Fo Cha

2971 2343 2688 3522 4475 1300

L L’appétit Fou L’oli Ferrer LA Brewery La Cafferia

4413 2875 5104 2668

Chutney and relish producer Vivia Crump’s is launching a new lemon & mustard seed relish at the show. The producer says the new relish “surprises the taste buds with a fresh tangy and deeply intense note”. The company recommends serving the relish with halloumi, on hummus or as a cooking sauce to brush over chicken, grilled fish or steamed asparagus. Gluten-, nut- and milk-free, the 275g bottles come in a pack of 6 at a trade price of £2.50 per unit (RRP £3.95 per bottle). viviacrumps.co.uk

Introducing the new

COLLECTOR’S EDITION... Featuring iconic Steven Brown Art designs, Dean’s bring you a range of beautifully presented gift tins containing their melt in the mouth, all butter shortbread. Available from October.

Visit us on stand 2040f at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair, Olympia 2 – 4 September 2018 deans.co.uk T: 01466 792086

Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

55

AWARD WINNING • VIRTUALLY FAT FREE • FRUIT VINEGAR DRESSINGS

Versatile Fruit Vinegar Dressings Perfect for salads, sauces, marinades, desserts info@suzannesvinegars.co.uk www.suzannesvinegars.co.uk

01825 732274 07773 993151

Here to help ... with your drink production requirements. Call us on 01404 892100 Equipment for bottling, kegging, bag-in-box, canning, brewing & fruit processing

Inbox: • Ask us about our recent brewhouse installations • Production efficiencies - we’re here to help • #harvest2018 - order your yeasts & enzymes www.vigoltd.com sales@vigoltd.com @VigoLtd

Blackberry, Cardamom & Chilli • Blackcurrant • Elderberry Elderberry, Balsamic & Tarragon • Gooseberry & Elderflower Lemon, Chilli & Coriander • Lime, Ginger & Mustard Seed • Raspberry Raspberry, Balsamic & Rosemary • Strawberry, Balsamic & Mint

artisan, sweet and creamy Hot Roast Smoked Salmon

Smoked Haddock Sliced

Smoked Venison

Multiple Award-winner

8VEHMXMSREPP] WQSOIH ½WL meats and cheeses created [MXL TEWWMSR TVMHI ERH GEVI

EST.1897

For our wholesale price list contact Andrew Tel: 01580 879601 Email: info@wealdsmokery.co.uk wealdsmokery.co.uk Search Weald Smokery

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September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

@wealdsmokery

ORDER NOW FOR CHRISTMAS! Free Truckle to use for sampling Call: 01579 362416 Cornish Blue lovingly made from milk produced on our farm and perfect for all cheese boards. email enquiries@Cornishcheese.co.uk to place your order.

SHOW PREVIEW /D &KDPEUH $X[ &RQƓWXUHV /D 0LHOOHULH 3URYHQFDOH La Tua Pasta ODEHO FR XN 7KH 2QOLQH /DEHO 3ULQWHUV /DEHOOLQJ 6ROXWLRQV /DIƓWWH 2OLYHV /DNHYLHZ &RPSXWHUV /DYROLR /H 3HUO« 'HOREHO )LOV /HV 0D°WUHV &RQƓVHXUV /HV 9HUJHUV 'H /D 6LOYH /LOOH\ōV &LGHU LillyPuds /LQGRUHV $EEH\ 'LVWLOOHU\ /LTXHXUV )LVVHOLHU Little Doone Foods /RQGRQ &KRFRODWH /RV &XUDGR /RWXV /DEHOV /RYH &RFRD /RZODQGHU %HHU &R /R[OH\ &LGHU /XVFLRXV Luscombe Organic Drinks /\PQ %DQN )DUP &KHHVH

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The latest addition to the Black Garlic family...

TASTE THE FULL RANGE AT SPECIALITY FINE FOOD FAIR STAND 2000 HAWKSHEADRELISH.COM Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

57

bakes Award-Winning Free-Range Eggs

Fruit & Ale Cake

Orange Polenta Cake

Victoria Sponge Cake Carrot Cake

From the Lakelands of County Fermanagh The Halls are dedicated to providing a caring and nurturing environment for their hens and are focused on producing the best quality eggs in the industry. They have won numerous awards for their eggs including Great Taste Awards in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018, Blas na hEireann Gold Awards 2016 and 2017, Irish Quality Food Award category winner 2015. Eileen Hall: 07857964468 | John Hall: 07857964436 Email: eileen@cavanagheggs.com

Multi-award winning, authentic, artisan products using natural and, where possible, locally sourced ingredients Supplying businesses of all sizes, delivery or collection available

Specialists in:

Vegan

Gluten Free

Dairy Free

t: 07792 466319 e: phyllis@lizabakes.co.uk w: www.lizabakes.co.uk www.awardwinningeggs.com

@lizabakes

liza_bakes

01302 770224 info@McCallumsLiqueurs.co.uk McCallumsLiqueurs.co.uk

8

Old Winchester, a very hard cheese with lots of flavour.

Award winning liqueurs, traditionally crafted by hand in small batches using smooth English gin infused with our home grown fruits. The McCallums range of gin liqueurs are versatile, inviting, delicately balanced and full of natural fruit flavours.

www.lyburncheese.co.uk 01794 399982 58

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

,WJǧǹ ȓȜȤYJ ǧǿȜȦI KTǶ ȢǼȦ 8ZRDzǪȦ +WǼNǹȤ ,ǮS ɁǯșZǪǼȦ

SHOW PREVIEW Muraca Musk’s Sausages Mydorable Chocolate Mykes Gourmet

2140D 2210a 3281 1850

N Natur Inov Natural Biscuit Natural Nut Butter Natural Umber - Apple Cider Vinegar Neo Fine Foods Never.25 New English Teas New York Delhi Newton House Gin Nihon Shokken Holdings Co Ninas Popcorn Noble 1RMĊ -DSDQHVH ,QVSLUHG 6DXFHV Nordisk - Nordic Pantry North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Northern Bloc Nortindal Sea Products Noveltea nucao & nupro Nude & Rude Numantium Distillery NURI Sardines

1745, 1642 1430D 2667 1940d 1610E 2030e 1121 1227 3065 4118 3212 3490 4564 1954 3122 1430A 3056 2861 3421 1850 3162

New to the show in... …CHOCOLATE Benefit Chocolate

Lovely Fodder will be relaunching its range of Benefit Chocolate bars at SFFF18 following a re-brand to align them with the brand’s drinks range. The contemporary packaging is aimed at younger consumers. Lovely Fodder has also extended the range to include 80g bars (RRP £3) as well as the existing 40g version (RRP £1.50). Benefit Chocolate comes in three varieties: protein, energy and vitamins and was launched at the beginning of the year as a functional product with higher levels of cacao and lower levels of sugar. EHQHƓWFKRFRODWH FR XN

Proud to announce two more Great Taste awards for 2018

For more about our award-winning Black Mitcham peppermint chocolates and teas: visit www.summerdownmint.com Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

59

award winning ice cream To find out more about our a ice cream, new flavours and the fantastic support we offer visit us at www.marshfield-icecream.co.uk call us on 01225 891 221 or follow us on;

Ava il a bl e in 50g 150g a nd 500g tins

Rhubarb & Custard Ice Cream

C o n tact C lar e o n 07973 215 407 clar e @r iv e r s ide lifesty l e. co. uk www.Bo n illaC r ispsUK. co. uk

Milk Pops - Vanilla Milkshake

LIKE KETCHUP, MUSTARD & CHILLI? THEN YOU’LL LOVE

Riverside

A R T I S A N FO O D

Great British Cheese Awards 2016 Winner: Best Artisan Cheese Producer Great Taste 2017 3-Star award-winner · Great Taste 2018 2 star Great Taste award winner

The last farm made UDZ PLON /DQFDVKLUH &KŸVH

Best of both worlds!

Use as a marinade, dip, cooking sauce & table Ketchup Gluten, nut & dairy free. Vegetarian & vegan friendly!

www.must-chup.co.uk andrew@must-chup.co.uk | 07776300921

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September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

At Mrs Kirkham’s we have been making our award-winning Lancashire for 3 generations, using the same techniques and ingredients as the generations before. We use only the rich creamy milk from our own closed herd of Holstien Frieisan Cows, to create what we believe to be a true traditional Lancashire, which is an ivory yellow in colour and has a rich buttery crumble.

www.mrskirkhamscheese.co.uk info@mrskirkhamscheese.co.uk · 01772 865335

SHOW PREVIEW Nutrenergy 2676 Nutural World - 100% Nut Butter 3273

O O’Donnell Moonshine O-Med Extra Virgin Olive Oil OakVilla Distillery OCTO Chocolate Offset Print & Packaging Old Rectory Preserves Óleo Elvira Olina’s Bakehouse One Gum Open Sesame Origin Cacao Osius - The Bone Broth Co

2973 1330/G 4482 3183 1939 2210h 1330/C 1720D 1310B 2880 2876 1304

P Packaging Mode 2330 Palta Valle Extra Virgin Avocado Oil 3181 Pärlans Konfektyr 2863 Patchwork Traditional Food Co 2020 Patisserie Laduree 1420E Paul Rhodes Bakery 4110 Peakz 3230 Pearl & Lazy 3285

Pellas Nature P.Co. 3320 Pentic Price Ticketing 1841 Pep & Lekker 2963 Perchè Ci Credo 3270 Philotimo - The Greek Secret 3330 Picualia Pure Extra Virgin Olive Oil 3283 Piemezzanae 3071 Pieminister 2322 PiKL 2872 Pinkster Gin 5106 Pipers Crisps 4080 Playin Choc 3173 Poetic License Distillery 1842 Popcorn Shed 3381 Portobello Attic 2684 Pots & Co 1610B Premcrest - Wholesale Distributor 2400 Prestat 1620C Primera Technology Europe 2340 PrimOli N1230 Prince & Sons Tea Company 3492 Proper Cornish 1830d Providence Deli 1223 Psaltiras - Finest Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2314 Puddledub 2030f Pundits 3342 Pura Beverages 1750 Pure Maple 3240 Pure Steeps / Wonder Drink 2210d PureCup 2333 Purl Pops 3271

HONESTY AND INTEGRITY -

F A M I LY E T H O S -

P E RS O N A L C U STO M E R C A R E

With nearly 300 brands and more than 3,500 products to choose from, and supplying farm shops, delicatessens and garden centres throughout the UK... make us your one stop shop.

Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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EPoS for Farm Shops and Delicatessens. Our solution links to either Avery Berkel or Bizerba weigh scales. 01159 677439

www.openretailsolutions.co.uk

Family Farming on the Isle of Wight

CHOI TIME TEAS DOUBLE CREAM

SEMI SKIMMED

WHOLE MILK

MILK

CHEDDAR CHEESE

HALLOUMI STYLE CHEESE

For more information about our range of award winning dairy products please contact: orders@briddlesford.co.uk or call us on: 01983 632136 Follow us on Twitter

and Facebook

www.briddlesford.co.uk 62

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

Beautifully packaged award-winning tea that unfurl and blossom Hailed the “Dom Perignon of the tea world” Sunday Times Magazine 0845 0533269 info@choitime.com www.choitime.com

SHOW PREVIEW

Q

New to the show in...

Qingdao A&K Foods Co 3130 Qingdao Qianshao F&I Co 1210A Qingdao Sun-growing 1210C Quesos Revilla 1850 Quibbles 1520A

…COFFEE Andronicas Andronicas is unveiling two new products at this year’s Speciality & Fine Food Fair. The first is a grinder (RRP £99) pitched at the “coffee connoisseur” which allows for different levels of coarseness for any style of cafetiére, percolator or espresso machine. The company says the machine is a simpler design than previous versions and has easy cleaning and assembly. The second product to launch at the show are Andronicas’ aluminium capsules which have been created as an alternative to the common plastic capsules used by larger brands. andronicas.com

R Rana’s Gluten Free Artisan Bakery 3380 Raydale Preserves 1640b Rebel Chocolate 2030c Pod 2 Red Pepper Food Company 4373 Renegade and Longton 4492 Ricardo Reynal - Produtos Alimentares Unipessoal 2682 Rio Nuevo Handcrafted Chocolate 3067 Riverside Spirits 2202 Robert Wilson’s Ceylon Teas 3373 Rogue Preserves 1920 Rombouts Coffee 2320 Rosa Rose Cottage Drinks 3084 Rosebud Preserves, Yorkshire 926 Rubies in the Rubble 1610D Rubro Drinks 1750

Manual Vertical Slicer VS12-FP

Powerful and flexible in manual operation specially for large products, even with bones such as air-dried ham The vertical carriage ensures ergonomic, upright operation while providing an optimal view of the slicing result. The robust product holder and smooth carriage ensure risk-free slicing within the standardisation design requirements. Highlights Perfect hygienic design: disassembly without tools, open design for ease of cleaning. Safety in a standardised design reinterpreted by a smooth carriage design and ergonomic product holder which can be fastened Fine adjustment for slice thickness in range 0 – 3 mm Powerful Bizerba motor with optional intelligent motor control "Emotion" with energy saving, low-noise operation and virtually no heating up of the depositing area Explore our complete range of manual, sem-automatic and fully automatic slicers, visit our website below

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www.bizerba.com Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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A WORLD FIRST

TAILORED TONICS

in Sustainable Packaging 1. National Flexible are able to supply world class flexo printed flexible packaging which is both solvent and emission free, through a hydro-electric powered process.

hand-crafted tonic waters lovingly made in small batches to complement and enhance fine gins

2. Combined with the fact all inks used are water based and solvent free – a sustainable world first is available in the UK right now! 3. One site in our supply chain is entirely powered by an on-site water mill, this self-sustaining energy source saves on average 880,000kgs of CO2 emissions in a year. 4. Not only does this packaging boast sustainability; this solution could mean the holy grail of sustainable packaging which is cost effective too. 5. Our Enigma water-based printing solution generates a 47% reduction in ink usage when compared with gravure printing. As the ink represents approximately 40% of the total cost of printing there is no significant cost differential versus standard print processes.

Sustainable Packaging Saving 880,000kg of CO2 emissions every year

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Unique in every way, our Inglewhite Buffalo and Shipston Blue are produced using milk from our own herd of Water Buffalo, tucked away on the verges of the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire. Our traditionally bound Inglewhite Buffalo is matured for at least 9 months, whilst our smooth and creamy Shipston Blue is cave matured for 5 weeks.

Shipston Blue Best Buffalo Cheese International Cheese Awards 2015

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Email: jacquelinessweettreats@hotmail.co.uk 64

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

For free delivery of these products and many more, please get in touch using the below details. Park Head Farm Inglewhite Preston Lancashire PR3 2LN T: 01995 640352 E: info@carronlodge.com W: www.carronlodge.com

SHOW PREVIEW

S Sahar Food Sainte Lucie Salento Fine Italian Foods Sales Thyme Store Salubrious Sauce Co Santa Rosalia Wagyu Scandi Kitchen Scotland Food & Drink Screaming Chimp Sea Chips Secrets De Famille Seed and Bean Chocolates Seedlip Seggiano - Peregrine Trading Ltd Serendib Global Foods Ltd Shepherds Purse Cheeses Shortbread House Of Edinburgh SHOTT Beverages SIA Pobeda Confectionery Sila Gum Silvina’s Nature Single Variety Co Sipsmith Slabs Hunky Chunky Crisps Sloane’s Snowdonia Cheese Company Sogud premium gluten free snacks

1940c 1420B 1010 4270 3520 1430C 1620A 2030d 3180 2661 1410B 1641 5105 1748 5093 1640a 1940a 4010 1020 2140A 2983 3070 1620F 1036 1720E 2020 2040c

Soof drinks / cordials South Africa Southern Comb Speciality Food Magazine Speciality Food Traders Ltd Spice Drops® by Holy Lama Spicica - Handcrafted Indian Spices Squbes St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Company St Ewe Eggs Staal Smokehouse Stag Bakeries Stateside Treat Emporium Suma Wholefoods Sun & Seed Supremo EVOO SXOLLIE Natural Ciders

1636b 1404, 1439 2961 2418 1120 2310 2681 2665 2040a 1730a 1542b 2040d 3242 1134 1042 3083 1750

T Tanara Taste of the West Taste of the West Taste the Greatness Northern Ireland Teapigs Tentazioni UK Terramezzo Terry’s Patisserie The Artisan Bakery

1741 1630 1730, 1830 908 3462 2212 1620K 1920 1144

Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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ARTISAN SMOKED SALMON PRODUCERS

The freshest Scottish Salmon The purest Salt Natural oak chips The only 3 ingredients required

Sticky Lemon Pudding

Christmas Pudding.” Gluten Free Christams Pudding Sticky Chocolate Pudding

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www.charlesmacleod.co.uk 66

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

sales@ballancourt.co.uk • www.ballancourt.co.uk

SHOW PREVIEW

The Artisan Food Club The Busy Botanist The Chocolate Smiths The Collaborators The Cornish Larder The Cress Co The Datery The Drinks Bakery

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The chosen one. One more award for one of our one-derful taste busting products. Just add food!

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The Duchess 1750 The Ethical Dairy 3120 The Farmers Son 2030g The Fine Cheese Co. & Artisan Biscuits 1530 The Fine Food Angel 2210g 7KH )LQH 7UXIÅ´H The FoodTalk Show 5092 The Fruit Pig Company 3182 The Game Chef 2873 The Garlic Farm 1520B The Gourmet Chocolate Pizza Co 2346 The Great British Porridge Co 3220 THE GROCER ON ELGIN 916 The Lime Tree Cafe & Kitchen / BOON Coffee Roasters 3048 The Lovegrass 2662 The Ministers of Taste 1510C The Oil Merchant 5090 The Original Candy Company 1811 The Painted Peacock 3085 The Pished Fish 2687 The Red Pot London 1836b The Sauce Shop 1620H The Scottish Bee Company 2683 The Sweet Beet 3174 The Sweet Potato Spirit Co 3322 The Toasted Seed Company 3263 The Urban Cordial Company 3072 The Vegetarian Society (UK) 4604 The Veggie Plot savoury yogurts 3092 The Wasabi Company 2422

Supreme Champions in 2006, regional winners in 2009 and with continued success at Great Taste year on year, you can be assured of quality from Woodcock Smokery

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+353 28 36232 | www.woodocksmokery.com Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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Kentish Handmade Cheese 5 GREAT TASTE AWARDS FOR 2018

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

HAND MADE IN WEST SUSSEX USING MILK FROM OUR DAIRY HERD SIMPLE, HONEST, DELICIOUS Email us if you are interested in stocking our ice cream info@carolinesdairy.co.uk

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

WARNING: THIS PRODUCT EXPLOITS HUMAN WEAKNESS

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www.winterdale.co.uk +44 (0)1732 820021 Winterdale, Platt House Lane, Wrotham, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 7LX

BAVARIAN TRUFFLE KING

Ask for our truffle specialities. TRÜFFELKRONE Vertriebs GmbH Tel. +49 82 24 - 799 99 70 X sales @ truffleking .eu 68

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

SHOW PREVIEW Thule Ventus Thursday Cottage Tideford Organic Foods Tierhoek Organic Tony’s Chocolonely TortaPistocchi Truede 7UXIŴH +XQWHU 7UXIŴHV &DOXJL Turqle Trading Two Farmers

2671 3510 4173 1750 1636d 1741 900 1750 3312

U Uber Flavour United Biscuit UTOPICK chocolate makers

1750 1420F 2674

V Valsana@Cibo Varenos Pienelis Victoria Cymes Vinegar Shed Vivalicious Vivia Crump’s Extremely Scrummy Chutney

1544 3023 2940 2686 1720F 3063

W Wagyu Iberico Walkers Shortbread We Made Weed & Wonderful Welsh Government Wild Thyme Spirits Wilding Snacks Willie’s Cacao Willy’s Woolcool World of Zing Wrexham Lager

1440F 2030b 3089 3482 1920, 1916, 2020, 2016 4470 1720H 2100 2118 4100 1610A 1920

Y Yellisons Goats Cheese <HUEDO Your Piece Baking Co Yum2Three

3088 + 2040b 2981

Z Zest & Zing Zest Gourmet Foods Zooteek, from the Basque Country

2689 1750 3470

Listings correct at time of going to press

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Tel 01451 870852 cheese@turnstonefarming.co.uk

www.simonweaver.net

Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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GREAT TASTE GOLDEN FORK DINNER SUNDAY* 2 SEPTEMBER 2018

THE INTERCONTINENTAL LONDON PARK LANE, ONE HAMILTON PLACE, LONDON *please note the change from Monday to Sunday night

The evening kicks off with a drinks reception in the Park Lane Suites; meet and chat to a host of producers who will serve up their award-winning products. A four-course 3-star dinner, curated by Executive Chef Ashley Wells, will be served in the glittering setting of the Ballroom. The evening will unfold, revealing the Golden Fork winners from each region, before the climax and announcement of the 2018 Supreme Champion. A cheese-board curated from the World Cheese Awards will be served and there will be dancing in the Park Lane Suites.

TICKET PRICE INCLUDES: 1800

Drinks & Reception; sample 2018 award-winning products

1945

Four-course Dinner with wine

2230

Cheese Board and Dancing

Guild of Fine Food Members Non-members Dress: Jackets

Tickets are limited and sold on a first come, first serve basis. To avoid disappointment, please reserve your tickets today. Contact: Joanne Myram +44 (0)1747 825200 or email joanne. myram@gff.co.uk

To reserve tickets or a table, please contact joanne.myram@gff.co.uk

Reserve your ticket(s) today

gff.co.uk/gta | greattasteawards.co.uk

£140 +vat £160+vat

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T: 01969 667664 E: creamery@wensleydale.co.uk @wensleydale_creamery

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Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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Africa Al’s Cooking Pastes, Sauces and Dips. Bringing the authentic taste of West African cuisine to your dining table

Winners of 22 Great Taste Awards 2018

For further information on our full range contact info@africa-als.co.uk | Tel: 07917683809

africa-als.co.uk

Whether you’re at home, at work or out and about enjoy our exclusive range of award winning coffee, teas and infusions. Our brand new loose leaf tea collection is perfect for use by businesses and can be served up for customers or sold as retail packs. The perfect way to brighten up your menu. For businesses to arrange a FREE taste test with one of our hot beverages experts call 0800 046 1444 or email coffee@ringtons.co.uk

www.ringtons.co.uk

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INTERVIEW WHEN PETTY WOOD was remodelling its HQ in Andover recently, MD John Potter and his team unearthed a host of documents dating back through the business’s long history. Many of the leather-bound ledgers and architectural plans hark back to the days when it operated from a distribution centre in London on Southwark Bridge Road. It was a golden era, when Petty Wood scoured the globe for fine foods and packaged them under its own Epicure brand for specialist retailers. “We’re very proud of having a 200-yearold business and having a 127-year-old brand but it is only a platform to go forward,” Potter tells FFD. “If you just carp on all the time about that, it’s never going to change and just be oldfashioned.” Although he’s hired in a historian to review his latest find, Potter is more preoccupied with his own interpretation of Petty Wood’s heritage and how he can use it to reconnect with an independent customer base he feels the company has lost touch with. Currently independents make up a healthy 20% of Petty Wood’s £50m turnover but Potter has already set in motion a growth strategy for the sector that includes significant marketing investment, a total revamp and expansion of the Epicure range and even some acquisitions. Given the company’s other revenue streams – including the multiples, cash & carries and foodservice – some might question his renewed interest in smaller customers. “I think the world is polarising,” he says.

John Potter, Petty Wood

Historic changes With more than 200 years of importing under its belt, Petty Wood has played its part in the evolution of fine food retailing. But MD John Potter feels it has lost touch with its independent customer base in recent years and plans to reconnect through acquisition, NPD and reviving the once iconic Epicure brand. Interview by Michael Lane

“My strategy is shifting us from boxmover to brandbuilder” “Really good speciality retailers will do well in the next 10 years and some of the multiples will do well but anything in the middle is going to be pushed to both ends.” “There is a huge opportunity for premium products in both.” Having worked at the company for 10 years, with five years at the helm and three of those as the majority shareholder, Potter is already wellversed in the company’s recent history. Since it left family ownership in the ’80s, Petty Wood has gone through a series of owners, several of which were profit-driven private equity firms. “Those years when it went through private equity ownership, they stopped caring about the product,” he says. “Brown boxes in, brown boxes out, who cares what’s in them. My strategy is shifting us from box-mover to brand-builder. “When the business started, they were innovators. They were very product- and customer-centric. It was the original ‘we go CONTINUED ON PAGE 75

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crafting luxury dairy ice cream for over 100 years

VANILLA ICE CREAM

CARAMEL BISCOFF ICE CREAM

MANGO ICE CREAM

REDUCED SUGAR

www.lucasicecream.co.uk

Want to really know what’s #trending in food and drink? Be part of the new food movement at this year’s Food Matters Live.

Register now at foodmatterslive.com 74

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

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INTERVIEW around the world finding amazing things and bring them to market’. Epicure was one of, if not, the first packaged fine food brands in Britain.” Although Epicure has undergone a revamp of sorts within the last decade, Potter wants a complete overhaul of the range. “It’s already tired and needs refreshing,” he says. “You can’t just do it once and that’s it for it for 20 years. It’s a 3-5 year continual cycle.” This first stage will see Petty Wood more than double the number of lines from 200 to 500 in the next 18 months. And this will be backed up by a recipe-focused, consumer-facing website. Ranges like its recently launched World pestos – including chimichurri, zhoug and mojo verde varieties – are an indication of the NPD to come but every product in the current range will be reviewed and improved or expanded if necessary. “The world has changed. For example, we do maple syrup from Canada. Top grade. No problem. But there’s now triple-barrel-aged smoked maple syrup.” Increasingly well-travelled consumers and their tastes will certainly help to shape the direction of Epicure’s new products but they might also affect the review of Epicure’s current range of canned and jarred foods. When it comes to imported ingredients in foreign packaging, there is less of a fear factor among shoppers. But Potter says that offering these kinds of products, like tinned tomatoes, under on badge still has its place. “If you want to cook really authentic Italian

food using Italian olive oil and Italian tomatoes, I applaud you and you should go and buy that from a specialist Italian retailer or wholesaler,” he says. “We’re not trying to be that with Epicure. What we’re saying is for those times where you still want good quality ingredients but you’re making shepherd’s pie or chilli con carne, you should use ours because they’re really good quality. “Epicure is not super, super, specialist. It’s a quality statement. If it’s got the brand on it, you know it’s going to be good. Whether it’s a tomato, a can of fruit or a jar of olives, you should know when you buy it you’ll be pleased with it.” Potter is quick to point out that pasta has never been sold under the Epicure label and he would never do that with it or other authentic ingredients like oyster and soy sauce. These are instead covered by other brands in Petty Wood’s portfolio – Colavita for pasta and Lee Kum Kee for Asian staples. While he says Epicure will be the “vehicle” for re-engaging with independents, Potter has realised that there are some urgent repairs required for the roads it will run on. Even though Petty Wood supplies some 1,200 different lines directly to some 2,000 independent customers (more are reached through other wholesalers), Potter says he was amazed to discover that many farm shops had never heard of the name before. Given that he has a target of 5,000 direct independent customers, Potter has already taken

“They would all like to create a really amazing fine food brand. We’ve had one for 127 years, so I reckon we’ve got a head start.” 614_Epicure Summer Ball Picture_ Packaging 1,2,3_OL-03.pdf

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steps to make Petty Wood easier to work with. The minimum order has been lowered to £100 (£200 if ordering any glass items) from £500, new customers get £2,000 credit and the sales team, which includes 16 regional reps, has been on a drive to recruit more retailers. Potter also acknowledges that more and more retailers do not want any form of face-toface or even telephone contact and just want to place orders online. The pettywood.direct website, launched 10 months ago, should cater to them. Adding brands, preferably on an exclusive basis or even buying them outright, is high on Potter’s agenda. “Brands that we own are 15% or our total turnover, I want it to be 50%.” He freely admits a catalogue that includes Lavazza, Baxters and Walkers shortbread could be perceived as “a bit mainstream” and narrow by specialist retailers, regardless of product quality. Not content with spending money on enticing customers in, Petty Wood’s MD is also in an acquisitive mood when it comes to taking the company’s offer to them. “The other main thing is to look at other routes to market that we don’t currently either do or don’t do very well,” he says. “I don’t want to just buy another Petty Wood.” Regardless of the market it is serving – and it does work with the multiples, foodservice and cash & carry sectors – Petty Wood does not have its own fleet, but using external transport companies does make it harder to get to independents. As FFD went to press, the company was on the cusp of signing a deal to buy a business with its own fleet of vans, catalogue and independent customer base. As well as improving Petty Wood’s distribution capability, the move should also help Potter to achieve his goal of hitting 5,000 directly supplied independent customers. Despite the scale of his ambitions, Potter is acutely aware that he is entering, or at least taking further steps, into a competitive field. Perceived rivals are all in the process of bolstering their offers, whether it’s with chilled ranges or developing their own brands but he feels Petty Wood can match up to them. “They would all like to create a really amazing fine food brand,” he says. “We’ve had one for 127 years, so I reckon we’ve got a head start.” And a section of Petty Wood’s 80,000 sq ft warehouse could easily be converted to house chilled products – it is already handling a good deal of chocolate at the height of summer. Having weathered the currency storm and seen Petty Wood enjoy its best two financial years (“In terms of profit, turnover, everything.”), Potter is confident of success if he continues to invest in his strategy, despite macro issues like Brexit. “When I say ‘We’re entering this market’, we’re entering the market. And that will only mean there’s more competition. Other people will either step up because they’ll have to or they’ll keep doing the same thing and we’ll take business off them. I don’t mind either of those two things.” The next chapter in Petty Wood’s history promises to be an interesting read.

pettywood.co.uk

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SHELF TALK

London bus driver aims to be next Levi Roots with new spicy sauces By Lauren Phillips

A bus driver from London is hoping to be the next Levi Roots after launching a trio of Caribbean spicy sauces. Gilchrist Thomas, 43, developed his MySauce range at his home in Waltham Abbey, and hopes to make the business a big enough success to leave his current job and run full time. The three sauces are Hot Scotch Bonnet, mild Scotch Bonnet, and a spicy pineapple marinade (RRP ÂŁ3.20-3.75, per 115ml bottle). Thomas told FFD the products’ main point of difference from what is currently on the market is they are vegetable-based sauces, making them free from gluten and suitable for vegans. Thomas stumbled across the recipe for his sauces after experimenting with different flavours and was encouraged by friends to turn the idea into a business. By October last year the MySauce brand was launched under Thomas Kondiments and it is already stocked in London stores and eateries including Eat17 Spar, Deli on the Green, Jerk Spice, Saw’s Quality Butchers, and Haelan-Organic Health Store. “I started the business with just a few sample

bottles,� said Thomas, “so I really had to get the name out there to potential buyers and got good positive feedback on my products.� Now Thomas splits his time between his day job and running the business, delivering sauces to stockists, networking and contacting potential buyers in between work shifts. “I attend meetings in between shifts, so I have to take a change of clothes and sometimes I only have half an hour to spare to get back to work, so I have to do a quick change on the bus,� he said. A former DJ, Thomas lost his parents at a young age and found himself “on the wrong side of the law� before developing drug and alcohol issues. After completing a Maths and English course, Thomas graduated from the University of East London in 2012 with a 2:1 degree in Social Sciences. He hopes that through success with MySauce, he can give back to his community and mentor young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to launch their own business. He said: “I believe that no matter what life throws at you, you can turn things around with the right attitude, drive, focus, and positive encouragement.� mysauce.co.uk

Salcombe Gin launches limited-edition Voyager Series By Lauren Phillips A distillery from Devon has collaborated with a Michelinstarred chef to develop a new gin. Salcombe Gin has worked with chef Michael Caines MBE WR SURGXFH WKH Ć“UVW SURGXFW LQ LWV Voyager Series: a collection of limited-edition gins developed in collaboration with a well-known chef or winemaker. Limited to 1,200 bottles, the new gin, called Arabella, is presented in a white ceramic bottle featuring an embossed outline of the iconic gin pennant and a bespoke debossed copper stopper commissioned for this series. RRP ÂŁ65. The new spirit is said to have a “strong backbone of traditional

juniper, English coriander seed, fresh citrus peels and warming spicesâ€? followed by layers of almonds and green cardamom with fresh notes of lemon thyme, verbena and hibiscus on the nose. Caines said: “The stand-out Ĺ´DYRXUV RI FLWUXV FRPSOHPHQWHG with the fresh savoury notes of lemon thyme makes my Salcombe Voyager Series gin

Displays that pay PEP-UP YOUR SHELVES WITH THE GUILD OF FINE FOOD’S RESIDENT MERCHANDISING QUEEN JILLY SITCH 6R \RXU SULFHV DUH ULJKW ĹŠ EH FRQĆ“GHQW RI WKDW ĹŠ but doing the sums is only half a job. One of my biggest bugbears when EURZVLQJ LV Ć“QGLQJ LWHPV WKDW DUHQĹ?W ODEHOOHG Avoiding visible pricing is not clever or edgy – it will just make people think you are expensive. Even if a customer does put that item their basket, there is too much potential for awkwardness. If they get a shock at the till, they’ll have to embarrassingly put the item back. Or worse, they will buy it and never come back to your shop again. You need to think about how you are going to let your customers know clearly what they are going to pay for something. 6WLFN\ RQ SURGXFW ODEHOV DUH Ć“QH *R IRU something that it easy to peel off. And avoid placing them on the top or bottom of a product (they will come off) or over the nutritional details. Or you could opt for on-shelf pricing but don’t discount the hassle of printing them. Are you really going to want to sit down at night rewriting labels after a 14-hour shift? Whatever you choose, keep the system consistent. That’s the real ticket.

WHAT’S NEW ideal to drink before dinner, as well as paired with modern European cuisine which I favour.� “It’s best served over ice with a premium tonic and garnished with a sprig of lemon thyme and slice of green apple or in a summer cocktail, Appabella, mixed with my Blanc de Blancs Champagne,� he added. salcombegin.com

Emily Veg Crisps has taken an established snack and turned it on its head with the launch of sweet potato sticks seasoned with sea salt. Available in two pack sizes: 120g sharing bags (RRP ÂŁ2.79) and 35g bags (RRP ÂŁ1.20). emilycrisps.com Made for Drink has taken the free-range duck fat from its award-winning Duck Fritons to create a new roasting fat brand called Spud Tub, available in 212ml jars (RRP ÂŁ3.99). madefordrink.com Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

info@salarsmokehouse.co.uk Salar Smokehouse Ltd, The Pier, Lochcarnan, Isle of South Uist HS8 5PD

SHELF TALK WHAT’S NEW

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The Sweet Beet habanero lime jelly NIGEL BARDEN Food broadcaster

Meatsnacks Group LV ODXQFKLQJ VQDFNLQJ SRWV XQGHU QHZ EUDQG .5$9( :LWK XQGHU FDORULHV SHU SDFN WKH VQDFN SRWV FRPH LQ WZR Ĺ´DYRXUV 6]HFKXDQ SHSSHU JLQJHU VDOW EHHI MHUN\ DQG ZDUP &KLPLFKXUUL EHHI ELOWRQJ meatsnacksgroup.com

Pandora Bell Ireland KDV GHYHORSHG D OHPRQ HOGHUĹ´RZHU WUDGLWLRQDO VZHHW 9HJDQ DQG JOXWHQ IUHH WKH QHZ VZHHW MRLQV LWV RWKHU Ĺ´DYRXUV LQFOXGLQJ DSSOH JLQJHU UDVSEHUU\ URVH DQG UKXEDUE YDQLOOD 553 e J pandorabell.com

A versatile condiment which was “Born LQ 7H[DV SURGXFHG LQ WKH 8.Ĺ? 7KHUHĹ?V a fabulous mixture of initial sweetness, followed by a sharp citrus hit, which is then usurped by a beautiful chilli heat that continues to build, but never dominates. 7KLV MHOO\ LV SHUIHFW IRU EULJKWHQLQJ XS D dull ploughman’s or a bland pork pie but it also works as a marinade or slathered over a ham hock or gammon, 15 minutes before being removed from the oven. 7KH EDFNVWRU\ LV MXVW DV ZDUPLQJ Founder Lizzy Hodcroft is originally from $EHUGHHQ EXW JUHZ XS LQ 7H[DV 6HWWLQJ XS LQ 1HZFDVWOH 8SRQ 7\QH LQ DQG FKDQQHOOLQJ KHU HQHUJ\ LQWR 7KH 6ZHHW %HHW (which she now runs with Susie Winton) has helped her overcome mental health issues. 7KH /RQH 6WDU 6WDWH KDV IRXQG D WDVW\ home in Northumberland. Yee-ha! Nigel bought his from Cedarbarn Farmshop, Pickering, North Yorkshire

Divine Chocolate goes organic with new range of bars By Lauren Phillips

Fairtrade company Divine Chocolate hopes to build on its commitment to missiondriven business with the launch of an organic range of dark chocolate bars in newlook packaging. The collection, consisting of five varieties of 80g bars, uses cocoa sourced from a cooperative on the West African island of SĂŁo TomĂŠ, which ensures farmers have more control over their crops and sales. Divine said it conducted market research before developing the new bars and found that consumers wanted

their chocolate to have a high cocoa percentage, less sugar, good flavour and be from a sustainable source. The five bars include one 95% plain dark variety and four flavoured bars with 85% cocoa (turmeric & ginger, blueberry & popped quinoa, lemon, and cocoa nibs) using ingredients typically sought out by consumers for their health benefits. “There’s a big opportunity to attract new customers with the organic range,� said sales director Chris Noel. “With consumers becoming more mindful of health trends, this

new line taps into the growing desire for more healthful treats.â€? SĂŁo TomÊ’s cocoa beans, which are Fairtrade and organic-certified, are said to have an “intense, distinctive, heady and rich cocoa flavourâ€? ideal to create a high cocoa, flavoured chocolate bar. The packaging is also a brand-new look for the company from its previous lines. The organic range still maintains the signature gold embossed Divine logo and pattern layout, but each bar has a pastel colour palette and hand-print design corresponding to the different flavour combinations. “We wanted to let the ingredients speak for themselves,â€? said PR and marketing manager Zoe Hall, “while highlighting that the range is premium, natural and high in cocoa.â€?

Perfect for brightening a dull ploughman’s but it also works as a marinade Somerset-based Easy Bean has launched a trio of new bean and seed crackers made with British pulses. Gluten- and dairy-free, the three varieties are Fava Bean & Poppy Seed, Green Pea & Chia Seed, and Red Lentil & Poppy Seed, with Easy %HDQ VRXUFLQJ LWV IDYD EHDQ DQG JUHHQ SHD Ĺ´RXUV from Hodmedod’s. 6DLG WR KDYH Ĺ?ZKROHJUDLQ HDUWK\ Ĺ´DYRXUV ZLWK a hint of sweetnessâ€?, the crackers are packaged in bold and colourful packaging to show off the vines and pods of a selection of pulses. Available from wholesalers including Cotswold Fayre, Holleys, Suma, Queenswood, 6KLUH )RRGV ,QĆ“QLW\ DQG 7KH +HDOWK 6WRUH LQ IRXU packs per 160g carton and 8 x 160g cartons per case (RRP ÂŁ2.95). easybean.co.uk

divinechocolate.com/uk/ Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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CONTACT US info@timsdairy.co.uk 80

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

SHELF TALK PlayIn Choc upgrades kids’ treat concept

WHAT’S NEW Gradz Bakery LV ODXQFKLQJ LWV ƓUVW FDNH and dessert range which includes a Vienna FKHHVHFDNH DSSOH FDNH DQG D IUXLW WDUW ,QLWLDOO\ DYDLODEOH WR LQGLHV WKH QHZ UDQJH LV DOVR LGHDO IRU SUHPLXP FDNH RIIHULQJV LQ IRRGVHUYLFH Minimum orders are £50. gradzbakery.co.uk

By Lauren Phillips

Consumers looking for activities to occupy their children after the summer holidays will like PlayIn Choc’s new little box of chocolate and toy. The premium organic chocolate and environmentally-friendly educational toy company launched earlier this year and is already stocked in retailers including Cobbs Farm Shop and Darts Farm. The PlayIn Choc box (RRP £3.50) contains two individually wrapped organic chocolates, along with an animal toy made from recycled cardboard and its own fun fact card. There are a series of 18 toy animals to collect including a turtle, elephant, polar bear, spider monkey and African penguin. Founder Maya Simler said she wanted to recreate the excitement she felt as a child when she received chocolate with a small toy.

WHAT’S TRENDING NICK BAINES .((36 <28 83 72 '$7( :,7+ 7+( 1(:(67 ',6+(6 )/$92856 $1' ,1129$7,216 ,1 )22' '5,1. 1

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“I felt compelled to create my own take on this but with a firm focus on beautiful illustrations and design, an awareness of the world around us and artisanal fairly-traded ingredients,� she said. playinchoc.com

1 From the hatch $V KLJK UHQWV FRQWLQXH WR FULSSOH IRRG EXVLQHVVHV D QXPEHU RI operators are turning their attention away IURP PXOWLSOH FRYHUV WR SRNH\ OLWWOH VHUYLQJ KDWFKHV %XUJHU SHGGOHU 3DWW\ %XQ KDV WDNHQ RQ D QHZ VLWH VHUYLQJ IURP D VPDOO ZLQGRZ GLUHFWO\ RQWR WKH VWUHHW ZKLOH the more established Kiosk knocks out roast meat sandwiches from its shoe-box VL]HG VLWH DW .LQJV &URVV 6RKRĹ?V 3OHDVDQW /DG\ LV RQH RI WKH PRVW WDONHG DERXW QHZ KROH LQ WKH ZDOO RXWĆ“WV VSHFLDOLVLQJ LQ -LDQELQJ ĹŠ D IROGHG &KLQHVH SDQFDNH Ć“OOHG ZLWK IHUPHQWHG EHDQ SDVWH JULOOHG PHDW coriander and sesame seeds. 2 Cheese tea This new drinks trend has VSUHDG WKURXJKRXW $VLD DQG WKH 86 EXW before you go sticking cheddar in your WHDSRW UHDG RQ &KHHVH WHD RU 1DLJDL FKD LV actually an iced green tea topped with foam produced by whipping a light cream cheese ZLWK VDOW DQG VXJDU +H\WHD LV FXUUHQWO\ H[SDQGLQJ UDSLGO\ WKURXJK &KLQD ZKLOH LWV FRPSHWLWRU +DSS\ /HPRQ KDV DOUHDG\ started rolling out globally and now has sites LQ /RQGRQ 0DQFKHVWHU %LUPLQJKDP DQG &RYHQWU\

The Pea Green Boat has switched packaging for its FKHHVH VDEOÂŤV DOORZLQJ LW WR increase the shelf life from WZR PRQWKV WR VL[ 5HFHQWO\ awarded 3-stars in Great 7DVWH WKH\ DUH PDGH ZLWK 3DUPHVDQ PDWXUH FKHGGDU ,ULVK EXWWHU DQG RUJDQLF Ĺ´RXU 553 e J shortbreadhouse.com

The Protein Ball Co has rolled out new breakfast EDOOV LQ WKUHH Ĺ´DYRXUV DSSOH EOXHEHUU\ KD]HOQXW FDFDR DQG VWUDZEHUU\ YDQLOOD (DFK J VQDFN SDFN contains six breakfast balls DQG KDV DQ 553 RI e theproteinballco.com Norwich-based Gnaw Chocolate has created a new range of 72% cocoa dark chocolate bars to appeal to the growing number of UK consumers who are making lifestyle choices around the food they eat. 7KH J EDUV FRPH LQ WZR Ĺ´DYRXUV UDVSEHUU\ crisp and toasted coconut – a gluten-free 73% dark EDU ZLWK FRFRQXW SLHFHV %RWK YDULHWLHV DUH VXLWDEOH IRU YHJHWDULDQV GDLU\ IUHH DQG KDYH DQ 553 RI e DYDLODEOH LQ FDVHV RI 7KH EDUV MRLQ *QDZĹ?V RWKHU Ĺ´DYRXUV LQFOXGLQJ FKLOOL OLPH FRIIHH PLQW DQG FU\VWDOOLVHG JLQJHU gnawchocolate.co.uk

3 Plant-based eggs The latest product to HPHUJH IURP 6LOLFRQ 9DOOH\Ĺ?V PRYH LQWR IRRG DQG GULQN LQQRYDWLRQ -XVW (JJ LV D ERWWOHG plant-based egg substitute made from PXQJ EHDQV 5HSRUWHG WR VFUDPEOH H[DFWO\ OLNH UHDO HJJV WKH SURGXFW KDV DOUHDG\ been endorsed by big-name chefs like JosĂŠ $QGUHV 7KH FRPSDQ\ KDV UHFHQWO\ SDUWQHUHG ZLWK (XURYR *URXS D GULHG DQG SDVWHXULVHG HJJ JLDQW WR H[SDQG LQWR (XURSH ZKLFK FRXOG SURYH DQ LQĹ´XHQWLDO PRYH LQ WKH IUHH from arena.

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SHELF TALK

Dark spirits are new target for start-up mixer brand By Lauren Phillips

Dark spirits are the sole focus for a start-up mixer brand entering the UK drinks market. Long Tail, which launched in May with a trio of flavours, is pitching itself as a lighter mixer to pair with dark rums, bourbons, whiskies and Scotch blends. The newcomer hopes to replicate successful brands like Fever-Tree and Double Dutch, which produce a range of tonics and mixers to pair with gins. While there are already dark spirit mixers in the market, co-founder Alex Jollivet said Long

Tail is the first mixer brand to specifically target this segment of drinkers. “There are lots of new dark spirits entering the market but few premium mixers to pair them with,â€? said Jollivet, who developed the brand with long-time university friend Thomas Wiggett. “Unless you spend ÂŁ15 on a cocktail that has rum, bourbon or whisky in it, the only mixers available are ginger ale or Coca Cola,â€? he added, “both of which can be very sugary and mask the flavour of the spirits.â€? The initial range comes in three flavours: Island Spice, blood orange, and ginger lime. Jollivet recommends serving them with one shot of a dark spirit so that it can be identified in the mixer. “We consider ginger lime to be our entry into the market,â€? said Jollivet. “It’s a crowd pleaser as it’s our own take on a ginger ale but it has a reduced sugar content.â€? It is made with lime zest, chai spices and a softer Jamaican-style ginger which offers a fresher, less fiery version of a ginger ale. “People have asked us if we will make our own cola but we want to bring new serves to the market, not try and compete with a huge brand like Coca Cola,â€? said Jollivet. Long Tail has already partnered with rum producers and Jollivet said they are all hoping dark spirits will be the next boom in the drinks industry following in the footsteps of gin and tonic. “There is already a lot of talk out there that it could be,â€? he said. drinklongtail.co.uk

WHAT’S NEW Collagin WKH RULJLQDO JLQ ZLWK DGGHG FROODJHQ KDV GHYHORSHG D OLPLWHG HGLWLRQ 3LQN 5RVH YHUVLRQ PDGH ZLWK ERWDQLFDOV LQFOXGLQJ SLQN JUDSHIUXLW RUULV DQG YDQLOOD ZLWK VWHDPHG URVH SHWDOV $YDLODEOH LQ FO DW SURRI 553 e collagin.co.uk 6ZLVV ƓUP Chocolette Confectionary is launching LWV 5(' FKRFRODWH UDQJH LQ WKH 8. 7KH QR DGGHG VXJDU ORZ IDW DQG ORZ FDORULH EDUV DQG JLIW ER[HV DUH DYDLODEOH LQ IRXU YDULHWLHV PLON FKRFRODWH ZLWK VPRRWK QXW ƓOOLQJ KD]HOQXW PDFDGDPLD H[WUD GDUN DQG RUDQJH DOPRQG 553 e chocolette.com 2UJDQLF IDUP Laverstoke Park KDV UHOHDVHG 9LQWDJH %UXW DQG 9LQWDJH 5RVH %UXW VSDUNOLQJ ZLQHV 7KH ZKLWH 9LQWDJH %UXW LV PDGH IURP D EOHQG RI 3LQRW 1RLU 3LQRW 0HXQLHU DQG &KDUGRQQD\ ZKLOH 5RVH %UXW KDV D SLQN UHG KXH DQG DQ DURPD RI UHG IUXLWV laverstokepark.co.uk

Speciality packaging firm expands gift lines to meet demand Customer demand has driven Meridian Speciality Packaging to add an extra 66 new lines to its gift collection. The new packs include Ĺ?Ć“OO LW \RXUVHOIĹ? DGYHQW FDOHQGDU gift boxes for small producers and retailers looking to create a KLJK TXDOLW\ SUH &KULVWPDV JLIW item. “We’ve seen a huge demand IURP RXU FXVWRPHUV IRU DQ RII WKH VKHOI DGYHQW FDOHQGDU ZKLFK WKH\ FDQ Ć“OO ZLWK D YDULHW\ RI WKHLU RZQ SURGXFWV Ĺ? VDLG VDOHV manager Dave Schooling. He added that the calendars are available in two formats, a Premium Deluxe variety (unit price ÂŁ2.19) and a lower cost option (unit price ÂŁ1.60) with simpler designs to allow producers and retailers to 82

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

target the children’s market or to differentiate their range with different price points. Larger gift boxes have also been developed by the manufacturer and wholesaler in response to the demand from farm shops for hamper boxes. 7KH JHQHUDO SXUSRVH ER[HV come in four designs across four different sizes. Meridian said all its new

lines will be showcased at this month’s Speciality & Fine Food Fair. It will also be discussing its newly created Design Studio where customers can bring custom packaging prototypes IURP RQ VFUHHQ GHVLJQ WR ƓQLVKHG GLJLWDOO\ SULQWHG DQG SURGXFWLRQ TXDOLW\ VDPSOHV meridianspshop.com meridianspecialitypackaging. com

Kadode Kampot Pepper has launched its GI SURWHFWHG DQG *UHDW 7DVWH DZDUG ZLQQLQJ UDQJH of black, red and white Kampot pepper in new 40g boxes. The new packs allow it to offer more product detail as well as giving consumers more background on the Cambodian heritage and versatility of the peppers themselves. All KDYH DURPDWLF Ĺ´DYRXU SURĆ“OHV ZKLFK DUH PXFK more complex and versatile than other pepper. :KROHVDOH SULFHV DUH IURP e ZLWK WKH 553 UDQJLQJ IURP e kadodepepper.co.uk

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info@thetoastedseedcompany.co.uk www.thetoastedseedcompany.co.uk Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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Strike The Gold Foods Ltd are the sole distributor in the U.K. and Europe for Blue Star, the world’s leading producer of Crab Meat. Wild caught and hand picked, fully sustainable and ethically caught. Packed in foil pouches, with an 18 month shelf life, in 142g (retail packs) or 454g (food service industry) packs. s rd ca n pe o ci le re lab est ee ai qu Fr av re

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The course is designed to equip managers of prospective, new or developing delis and farm shops with the business essentials of fine food and drink retailing. The next course takes place on 16-17 October 2018 in central London. Contact jilly.sitch@gff.co.uk for more details and an application form. Call us to find out more on 01747 825200 www.gff.co.uk/training

www.gff.co.uk | 84

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

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DELI OF THE MONTH Equally inspired by a plethora of native producers and the markets of the South Pacific, Indie Füde has developed a simple retail concept – sourcing only from the island of Ireland. And it is thriving in a small town just east of Belfast. Interview by Michael Lane

A positive island mentality EVEN IN AN AGE when Brexit looms large, nowhere does uncertainty quite like Northern Ireland. Given that it actually has a border with the EU and the old sectarian tensions that any kind of deal might revive, it’s hardly ideal that it also hasn’t had a government sit at Stormont for 18 months. Once I’ve driven past the Assembly’s stately home on the way out of Belfast, heading east into Co Down, things become a little more straightforward. My destination, Comber, has all the things you would expect of any market town in the British Isles: a picturesque square, a famous son (Thomas Andrews, the man who oversaw the construction of the Titanic) and a deli. That last one is rare for Northern Ireland, though, and the shop in question, Indie Füde, is a totally unique proposition for this part of the

VITAL STATISTICS

Location: 30 Castle Street, Comber, Co Down, Northern Ireland BT23 5DZ Turnover: £250,000 Average margin: ambient 30%, fresh 50% No. of lines: around 1,000 from 200 producers Average basket: £15 (shop), £35 (online) Retail space: 1,400 sq ft 86

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world. For a start, its blue brick-tiled frontage is at odds with the more demure grey that dominates the rest of Comber’s architecture. Inside, the distressed concrete floor, chipboardclad walls and exposed lighting gantries are more “urban” than you would expect. But there is substance here as well. As trendy as the shop’s name appears to be, it denotes both independent and indigenous. Yes, every single item in the building – from the assortment of ambient goods on shelves through to the cheese and charcuterie in the L-shaped counter – comes from the island of Ireland. This current incarnation of Indie Füde has been several years – and continents – in the making. After working as an accountant all over the world, from West Africa to the South Pacific, founder Johnny McDowell returned to Northern Ireland for treatment of a serious illness.

Unable to leave the island for months, he spent weekends visiting farmers’ markets in Cork and Dublin but also had another more far-flung shopping experience on his mind. “Vanuatu was a place I spent a lot of time and I just loved the food,” he tells FFD. “Everything was from the island. You had the avocado, tomato and pineapple in season. We were going to the mamas’ market there every day. I was thinking ‘Why can’t we have a bit more of that here? Why are we not a bit more self-sufficient?’” Spurred on by encountering a Brooklynbased business that was selling solely New York produce online, McDowell took the plunge in 2014. “I got up into my parents’ loft, kitted it out, got all these products in from all over Ireland, all ambient at this stage, got a website built with

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my savings, and lit it up,” he says, “and there was nobody at the end of it.” The solution was supplementing the site with a roving market stall. And by late 2015, it had proved so popular that McDowell found himself needing a permanent base. He opened up a shop around the corner from the current one in Comber. “We probably did everything you shouldn’t do. It was up a set of stairs, off the high street, and nobody could see it,” he says, adding that, despite this, it saw steady footfall sourcing policy gained some media attention. Friend and loyal customer Laura Anne Bradley joined as a co-owner in 2017 and, since then, she has helped improve the business’s branding, marketing and social media presence. McDowell still does the accounts (“I would rather not have to touch the numbers,” says Bradley. “He enjoys it, so that’s the dream.”) but both work in the shop and are responsible for sourcing. When FFD visits, the pair have only been in the store on Castle Street for a few months but already McDowell is forecasting a £100,000 increase in turnover by the end of the next financial year. The business remains just as diversified, with the website, market stall and even a grilled cheese street food operation – but retail accounts for 75% of total sales. The location clearly works for Indie Füde but many would still ask, why Comber? “Number one, I’m from here, it was where I was brought up,” says McDowell. “Two, it’s got the best farmers’ market in Northern Ireland here. That’s where I started trading and I realised there was a customer base here.

“Three is financial. If we wanted to move this into Belfast, we’d probably be looking at two-and-a-half times the cost in rent and rates.” Although Comber is predominantly inhabited by Baby Boomers, there are 500 new homes being built in the town, and with them a potential influx of young professionals and their families. Indie Füde has already struck up a partnership with the developer that will see a branded hamper arrive on every new resident’s doorstep. The town is 25 minutes from the centre of Belfast. It’s a popular stop off for day-trippers and the country’s cycling enthusiasts will soon be passing through on a new greenway that traces the old railway line out of the city. Thanks to the multicultural nature of Ireland, McDowell and Bradley have assembled a “well-rounded deli offer” that can cater for all of these different demographics. There are world foods, free-from and even vegan sections on the shelves to cater for the younger and more health-conscious punters, while the Baby Boomers are drawn to the traditional roast ham on the counter and local produce at the front of the shop, including the famous PGI-protected Comber Early Potatoes. Cheese appeals to all ages, says McDowell, and despite being limited to the island of Ireland he feels that all the styles are covered – mainly by the South’s producers. That said, there is a strong showing from the North’s small band of cheesemakers, including the raw milk blue Young Buck, the Dutch-style offerings of City Cheese and the recently launched triple cream

Irish Black Butter Black Beef Dexter Onglet Steak Ballyhornan Smoked Anchovies

CONTINUED ON PAGE 89

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DELI OF THE MONTH cheese Triple Rose, from Ballylisk in Co Armagh. Despite the breadth of its charcuterie offer (both McGeough’s air-dried Connemara lamb and Ummera Smokehouse’s smoked picanha are outstanding products), cured meat still remains a hard sell. Indie Füde has recently switched its labelling from price per kilo to per 100g to encourage sales but it is tough going. A lot of Irish charcuterie bears the added price hike of being made with high-welfare meat, says Bradley. “People are coming round to it slowly but surely and asking where the animals are from and how it was produced. Being able to answer that, you can justify your pricing.” She adds: “Also people don’t understand how many slices are in 100g as well. The other day, somebody asked for £7.50 of something, which was about 100g, and it was like a mountain of charcuterie.” Despite any difficulties, the pair show little enthusiasm for delisting items. The range is now at around 1,000 different lines from 200 producers – almost all dealt with direct. Generally, McDowell and Bradley have good relationships with their suppliers but many of the Northern Irish producers have shown a degree of naivety when it comes to dabbling with the supermarkets. For instance, the retailers were forced to teach a previous egg supplier the error of its ways when it was selling to both them and the Supervalu across the street. It was cheaper for Indie Füde to walk over and buy up the

supermarket’s stock at 89p per box than buy direct at £1, so that’s exactly what McDowell did. Not all issues are as simple to solve. Many of the country’s small producers are now having their heads turned by mentorship schemes – and the promise of listings – being offered by chains like Lidl and Supervalu. “It’s tricky because the smaller producers don’t really understand the impact that’s going to have on all their other stockists,” says Bradley. “We saw it down South. [Dublin retailer] Fallon & Byrne de-listed all of the products that went in the Supervalu kickstarter and the producers were outraged. But they can’t be in both places really. “It casts aspersions on your whole store when people come in and they’ve seen something in Lidl for half the price. Then they think your prices are unreasonable.” These schemes aside, neither McDowell nor Bradley sees supermarkets as competition because they cannot shift speciality food. “The Supervalu across the road from us here had a £600,000 investment to polish it up,” says McDowell. “But they’re polishing a turd. It’s still got dreary staff and yellow reduced stickers on the local stuff.” Butchers are the next best things to delis, he says, but their ranges beyond meat are limited. In truth, there is a dearth of true specialist food retailers – and little governmental encouragement for them – in Northern Ireland. McDowell says they should be a vital ingredient in developing the country’s nascent food scene.

While he is full of praise for producers like Hannan Meats and Abernethy Butter – both well-known in London foodie circles – he says their successes also highlight the problem. “All the publicity is for this world class Northern Irish food going out of the country. People aren’t necessarily buying it here.” For now, Indie Füde and a handful of others will have to fight this cause on their own but even its own “indigenous” model could soon be under threat, with a hard or No Deal Brexit possible. Although the ratio of Southern to Northern foods is roughly 50:50 (it was 70:30 before the referendum), that still leaves a big hole to fill if importing EU products becomes prohibitively expensive. Cheeses could be especially difficult, with only a handful made in the North. McDowell and Bradley have already discussed how they might alter their sourcing criteria but none of the options sit easily with either of them. Like the whole country, there will be apprehension until March comes around. For now, they plan to “sweat the asset”, McDowell says, unable to contain his inner accountant. That means improving online sales, looking at other mobile stall destinations and hosting a program of supper clubs and demos in the shop’s back room – just three a month cover the premises’ rents and rates. Things might not be as uncomplicated as they first seem at Indie Füde but it seems wellplaced to weather the uncertainty. indiefude.com

If we wanted to move this into Belfast, we’d be looking at twoand-a-half times the cost in rent and rates

Vol.19 Issue 7 | August 2018

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Introducing our new exclusive Rosé Balsamic condiment Ideal as a high quality product match for oysters, fish and salads.

0207 740 1717 | orders@theoliveoilco.com | theoliveoilco.com

01600 711 657 · hello@greenandjenks.com www.greenandjenks.com

Tel: 01869 350442 Email: labels@axicon.com Web: www.axiconlabels.co.uk

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Biltong Droewors Chilli Bites Stokkies

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

Biltong

“Using Axicon means that our labelling costs have been reduced by over 50%, with even better quality labels, and our packaging is now as good as the products themselves. We are delighted, and just as importantly, so are our customers”. Pratap Chahal That Hungry Chef

The Truckle Cheese Company, home to award winning products including its farmhouse cheese truckles, is delighted to be working with Dorset-based, Ford Farm offering their cave aged products, traditional West Country Farmhouse Cheddars aged deep within the caves at Wookey Hole in Somerset.

Classic & Contemporary Cheeses and Accompaniments

Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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Natural Yoghurt

“Simply Incredible”

new southover sussex cured retail range from southover foods

Jean-Christophe Novelli

“Just so smooth, amazing. 10 out of 10!” Antonio Carluccio

We are proud to introduce a selection of our products in 200g retail packs, under our neW southover sussex cured brand

Golden Fork Winning, Northumbrian icecream with an Italian twist

Southover Food Company

Consistent winners since 2011

The Old Chandlery, Coquet Street, Amble, Northumberland NE65 0DJ Opening Hours: 10am – Early Evening 7 days a week e: hello@spurreli.com t: 01665 710890 w: www.spurreli.com

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Sicilian Pistacchio Ice Cream

®

We’ve been making award winning cooked meats in Sussex for nearly thirty years. Our newest venture features a selection of our award-winning products in 200g retail size packs. Available in this range is our Sliced Roast Topside Beef and two of our Great Taste Award winners, Honey Roast Farmhouse Gammon and New York Style Pastrami. Southover Food Company Limited, Unit 4, Grange Industrial Estate, Albion Street, Southwick, Brighton, BN42 4EN 01273 596830

www.southoverfoods.com

sales@southoverfoods.com

www.sussexcured.com

SHOW PREVIEW

For more than 10 years, Lunch! has enjoyed significant year-on-year growth in attendance (and floor space). Here’s why you should visit the food-to-go show at London’s ExCeL on the 20th & 21st September.

Six reasons to visit… Lunch! the contemporary food-to-go show

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Find over 370 exhibitors

Meet different producers

Uncover the next big thing

Retailers visiting this year’s show will have more choice than ever as a record 370 exhibitors (up from 335 last year) will be gathered under one roof. With an extra 10% stand space sold at this year’s show, there’s even more products, packaging and equipment for visitors to discover.

Retailers visiting the show will encounter a variety of different exhibitors. From show regulars like Teapigs, Pip & Nut, The Berry Company, and Propercorn, through to first-timers at the show like Jude’s Ice Cream, Infinity Foods, Pots & Co, and The Fine Cheese Co.

The Start-up Zone will host 28 emerging brands that you would not normally see at trade shows. Among them are Boundless (activated nuts and seeds), The Healthy Protein Co (Vieve protein water), and Push Chocolate (high protein, dairy-free chocolate).

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See the latest innovations

Get advice from the pros

Work with the right people

The most innovative food-togo products launched in the past 12 months will be showcased in a dedicated gallery on the show floor. Across the two days, visitors will be able to vote for their favourite product in the gallery. The finalists will then pitch their products to a panel of experts for a chance to win the Innovation Gold Award.

The show’s two Keynote Theatres will offer visitors the opportunity to hear from some of the UK’s top professionals, sharing their expertise and insights. The 2018 line-up includes LEON operations director Shereen Ritchie, Richard Morris (MD of Tortilla) and Angelina Harrisson, food & commercial director at Tossed.

With more than 6,000 visitors expected to attend the show, from the high-street multiples to local independents, there will be plenty of people to meet and network with. Among those attending are buyers from Greggs, EAT and Waitrose, as well as those from the UK’s leading independent retailers, cafés, and sandwich shops. Vol.19 Issue 8 | September 2018

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GUILD TALK 7KH *XLOG RI )LQH )RRG UHSUHVHQWV ŵQH IRRG VKRSV DQG VSHFLDOLVW VXSSOLHUV :DQW WR MRLQ WKHP"

One Great Taste complainant this year insinuated that only those who have scientifically endorsed palates should be eligible to judge

By John Farrand managing director

AUGUST IS the big reveal. It’s the time when the winners in Great Taste morph from anodyne codes into food and drink. Now they’re alive: gaining personality, leaping from the shelf as we sneak a look at the packaging, hear the exaggerated backstories (they’re fun), and discover who has grabbed a star or two, or three. That’s the positive bit. At the same time, I get the inevitable (but mercifully few)

Meet the Guild Steering Group 'XQFDQ Hider Managing Director Hider Foods, Kingston upon Hull MOST ADMIRED BRAND... The 1980s… is that a brand? A-ha, ideally. I’ve been to all of their “retirement” tours. Border Biscuits is close to my heart too – one of the first ranges I managed when I joined Hider Foods in the mid ’90s. A great business that manages to supply into different sectors without damaging its brand.

....AND MOST ADMIRED 5(7$,/(5" Wardill Bros in North Yorkshire, close to where we often spend family breaks in Dalby Forest. An old-school general retailer that continues to serve its community despite a changing society and lots of competition. Whether you need a tea bag or a tarpaulin, they never let you down. %(67 %86,1(66 020(17" Most of ours are during the Christmas party, but moving into our new larger site in 2013 wasn’t bad either. AND YOUR BIGGEST BUSINESS &/$1*(5" Not exactly a business clanger, but I still recall coming back into the cinema and sitting next to the wrong girl on a first date. I also regret not getting any footage of my father, our chairman, locked in the back of a

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Transit for an hour while we were at an exhibition. I still don’t know how he squeezed through into the front of the van. Don’t tell him the keys were in my pocket. :+$7ő6 <285 *8,/7< )22' 6(&5(7" Fish Finger sandwiches as a midnight feast to soak up some pale ale. %85*(5 .,1* 25 0 6 6$/$'" Before I discovered the joys of a healthy packed lunch this year, aged 42, I’d probably be getting a zinger burrito from KFC.

+$/) )8// 25 +$/) (037<" What’s half empty? I was a big Hull City fan in the ’90s...

GENERAL ENQUIRIES

WHO’S WHO AT GUILD HQ

Guild of Fine Food Guild House, 23b Kingsmead Business Park, Shaftesbury Road, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 5FB UK

Managing director: John Farrand Marketing director: Tortie Farrand Commercial director: Christabel Cairns Sales director: Sally Coley

Tel: +44 (0) 1747 825200 Fax: +44 (0) 1747 824065 info@gff.co.uk gff.co.uk

September 2018 | Vol.19 Issue 8

insinuated that only those who have scientifically endorsed palates (they mercifully hadn’t spelt it ‘palettes’, although most do) should be eligible to judge. Great Taste needs those types – the food technicians and organoleptic boffins – but any food should also be tasted by those with a softer touch: an understanding of flavour balance and length, mouthfeel and terroir, illustrated, perhaps, by the alchemy of a herbal infusion that has too many component parts for its own good but somehow just works. What I learnt quickly after my consciousness to fine food awakened in the 1980s is that you need a balance. There is certainly science to baking, cheesemaking, curing a salami and brewing a beer, but you also need something indefinable to make a cracking one. You therefore need a romantic and a scientist to appreciate them. Which are you?

Sales manager: Ruth Debnam Sales executive: Becky Haskett Events assistant: Stephanie Rogers Operations manager: Karen Price

The Deep Hull

View from HQ

nagging missives. Mostly from producers who curiously criticise the judges, our process and us generally, without ever having been part of the assessment process. It can be quite demoralising but, you know what, it’s fair. How on earth can Great Taste give feedback on food and drink without taking some itself? And some of our judging refinements have come from the more enlightened critiques. There are several common themes among the disgruntled makers but the one that crops up every year is the science-versusart debate. It’s one that burdens the hallowed body of knowledgegenerators at the Academy of Cheese too. I can think of no better example where science, art and romance collide than cheese. I’m asked to justify the judging panel and how they're qualified, and it is a genuinely fair question. But one complainant this year

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35,9$7( 3$66,21" Nowadays it’s time with my young family at fun parks or festivals. Camping at WOMAD was amazing. My other big passion is Kingston upon Hull. My wife says I’m a one-man tourist board. I’m always amazed people can have such strong opinions about Hull, often negative, without visiting. They don’t know what they’re missing!

• The retailers and suppliers on the Guild Steering Group meet quarterly to help shape and improve services to members and the wider industry. Want to join them? Email john.farrand@gff.co.uk for details.

Operations assistants: Claire Powell, Janet Baxter, Hugo Morisetti Training & events manager: Jilly Sitch Circulation manager: Nick Crosley

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

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Deli newcomer to share start-up stories on Retail Ready course

All eyes will be on Philip Hammond in November to see how much fiscal discipline he exercises

The word on Westminster By Edward Woodall ACS ALL IS QUIET in Westminster at the moment as parliamentarians and political journalist take a wellearned break from what has been a frantic year in politics. But rest assured, this is the lull before the storm. There is a lot of political activity and plenty of policy announcements jam packed into the autumn/winter political calendar. In October we have another key milestone in the Brexit negotiations: a crunch EU summit to agree the UK’s withdrawal agreement with Brussels and our customs relationship with the EU. There will be the usual tug of war between No. 10 and the various factions of the Conservative backbenches. Then there is party conference season, traditionally a time to reengage with core supporters, pitch new eye-catching policy proposals and assert your vision to the nation. But this is not an ordinary year or time in politics. For Theresa May

The deli doctor Paul Thomas

Technical and regulatory advice from the Guild’s deli helpline Q: We’ve been advised to use disinfectant spray on fan blades in our butchery cold store to kill Listeria monocytogenes. Should we do this in our cheese store too? A: Listeria can grow in cold conditions, so a chiller unit could be a source of contamination. But

and Jeremy Corbyn, I imagine there’s a deep sense of trepidation about FRQIHUHQFH %RWK KDYH VLJQLĆ“FDQW divisions in their party and bringing them together is more likely to deepen division than heal them. Watch here for announcements on the Childhood Obesity Strategy and action on single use plastics. Finally, the Budget in November. All eyes will be on Philip Hammond WR VHH KRZ PXFK Ć“VFDO GLVFLSOLQH he exercises, with such pressure to plan for a no-deal scenario, increase departmental spending and delivering eye catching ‘giveaways’. We will be encouraging the Chancellor to look for opportunities to incentivise business to invest and to manage rising employment and property costs. Make the most of the relative peace now. Edward Woodall is head of policy & public affairs at small shops group ACS

edward.woodall@acs.org.uk

it’s complicated kit. Electrical parts can make it hard to wash, while any soft metals on the evaporator coil can be damaged by cleaning chemicals. A faulty store may pose a greater risk by allowing harmful bacteria to grow so it’s important that cleaning doesn’t not damage the unit. Clean accessible parts such as the outer casing weekly. Switch the unit off from time to time and clean fan blades with soap and a little water, but avoid wetting electrical parts. Always follow the user manual or consult a refrigeration engineer for advice. If you are making or maturing cheese, not just storing it, you could also swab condensate from the unit and test for Listeria as part of your routine testing. But the ripening of some cheeses needs a competitive PLFURŴRUD WR EH HQFRXUDJHG DQG too much cleaning may inhibit this. Dairy and food safety specialist Paul Thomas runs the Guild’s e-helpline for retailers with technical or regulatory queries. It can be accessed through the Guild Members’ Hub at gff.co.uk

HERTFORDSHIRE RETAILER Ed Bevan will share his experiences as D Ĺ´HGJOLQJ GHOL RZQHU RQ WKH *XLOGĹ?V next Retail Ready course, taking place in London on 16th-17th October. Bevan was a delegate on the wellestablished two-day business start-up course in March 2016 and opened The Fleetville Larder, his St Albans cheese shop, deli and cafĂŠ, 11 months later. 1RZ D *XLOG PHPEHU KH Ć“UVW returned to the twice-yearly Retail Ready course in October 2017 to share his initial learnings with other budding store owners. “Ed was brilliant,â€? said Guild training and events manager Jilly Sitch, “and this time he’ll join us with a full year’s experience of running a successful deli business under his belt.â€? Sitch – who also writes FFD’s regular ‘Displays that pay’ merchandising column – will co-tutor October’s course at No. 42 Southwark with ex accountant and deli owner Charlie Turnbull. Retail Ready was launched nearly a decade ago to help new and aspiring deli and farm shop operators, covering everything from business planning to attracting and retaining customers. “When people consider opening a store they may have expertise from their previous careers,â€? said Sitch,

“but if they’re worked in a bigger company they may never have had to think about HR or marketing, or even dealing with the general public. “The course highlights all these areas, but with emphasis on WKH Ć“QDQFLDOV :H WDON D ORW DERXW margins, and whether people really understand them, and about FDVKĹ´RZ ZKLFK LV REYLRXVO\ WKH WKLQJ that sinks many people.â€? Other topics range from employment law to the importance of knowing when to seek outside help – for example, with the intricacies of accounting. “Your time could be better VSHQW RQ WKH VKRS Ĺ´RRU WKDQ JHWWLQJ bogged down in PAYE,â€? said Sitch. “It might be worth paying ÂŁ200 to a bookkeeper so you can play to your strengths.â€? jilly.sitch@gff.co.uk

Sponsors to join top retailers at Shop of the Year celebrations TRADE SPONSORS of the Guild’s training programmes, award schemes and Sell More Charcuterie campaign will join leading retailers at No. 42 Southwark St on 20th 6HSWHPEHU WR Ć“QG RXW WKH ZLQQHUV RI the Guild’s Shop of the Year award scheme. Formerly part of Great Taste, Shop of the Year became a standalone programme this year, with a beefed-up judging system that includes mystery shopping of 42 shortlisted stores by Insight6. Winners will be announced in Ć“YH FDWHJRULHV ĹŠ deli; farm shop or garden centre food hall; grocer, village or community shop; retail hero; and ‘newcomer of the

\HDUĹ? ĹŠ DW WKH ODWH VXPPHU SDUW\ RQ 20th September, hosted by the No. 42 team led by commercial director Christabel Cairns and events assistant Stephanie Rogers. It will follow a meeting of the Guild Steering Group in Southwark St earlier in the day.

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