Discover how Disco-licious grew from a lockdown project into a blossoming retail operation ALSO INSIDE
York’s Good Food Shop
Speciality & Fine Food Fair preview
Hollis Mead Organic Dairy
CONTENTS
For over a decade, I have worn the same well-known brand and style of canvas shoes – pretty much every day.
By Michael Lane, editor
We’re all creatures of habit, aren’t we? When it comes to shoes, I have to concede that I take this to the extreme.
For over a decade, I have worn the same well-known brand and style of canvas shoes pretty much every day. Don’t worry, they are regularly replaced with a quick click online. But recently, I had an invite to an event that called for something smarter. So I ventured onto the high street with a fair amount of dread.
Within moments of creeping into the wood-trimmed, green-carpeted environs of the rst place I could nd, my heart sank.
My dreams of buying Italian loafers were dashed. “Your feet are too wide sir,” said the assistant. But to his credit, he persevered. He indulged my desperate lunge towards some boots that didn’t suit me either, and then he suggested a pair of suede brogues.
To my surprise they t me.
And they look better than my previous smart shoes. And I will be taking their advice to apply some protective spray - because the price tag made my eyes water.
A er this traumatic purchase, the shoes sat on the bedroom oor in their pristine box for four weeks before I could bring myself to try them on again. When I did, they didn’t t. My feet were rattling around in them, more than they would in my preferred canvas shoes.
To my horror, the receipt stated that the refund period was over.
I rang the shop and got the same assistant. He said they could do an exchange or help me get them tting better if I came in - anytime in the next month.
So, almost a month later, I did. We tried the size smaller and they t better. The exchange was all sorted in minutes. Bang. Anxiety gone.
At every step (sorry, puns are another habit of mine) of this
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox, deputy editor
Two&One
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process, this was a premium retailing masterclass. The service both in person and on the phone was pitch perfect, nothing was an inconvenience, and this ensured that I had the right product in my hands – well, on my feet.
With our market falling increasingly into the “premium” zone (unjustly sometimes), my experience is a good example of how to get it right. Whatever you’re selling, you need to be attentive, o er reassuring guidance and make sure that they are genuinely at peace with spending their money on the products you stock. If it can be done with expensive shoes, you can do it with cheese, olive oil or meat.
Don’t get too excited about my new shoes, though. The next time you see me, I’ll be in my usual footwear – because I’ll be pounding the aisles of Speciality & Fine Food Fair (get ready with our full preview starting on page 35).
See you there.
editorial@gff.co.uk
Editor: Michael Lane
Deputy editor:
Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox
Art director: Mark Windsor
Contributors: Nick Baines, Millie Gray, Patrick McGuigan, Greg Pitcher, Isabelle Plasschaert, Lynda Searby
Edinburgh deli Bennitos Café is up for sale, two years after it opened. The retail and foodservice outlet is on the market with a leasehold price of £40,000.
Sainsbury’s is planning to install AI computer recognition software across its self-checkout tills, in a move the supermarket giant says will improve the customer experience and reduce opportunities for shoplifting.
Researchers from Cranfield University have developed new methods to quickly and reliably identify honey adulterated by rice and sugar beet syrups to curb instances of honey production fraud spurred by growing demand
New strategy maps out the future of the Great British high street
By Greg Pitcher
Small business leaders have set out a blueprint for overhauling Britain’s high streets and helping independent retailers thrive.
Last month, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) published a series of recommendations to ministers, councillors and other key bodies to help local shops ght back against threats to their existence such as online and out-of-town commerce.
In a report titled The Future of the High Street, the organisation broke its vision into ve themes: destination, transformation, experience, infrastructure and competitiveness.
It called for an overhaul of the business rates system including raising the threshold at which properties start paying the levy from a rateable value of £12,000 a year to one of £25,000.
Other measures suggested in the study included the creation
of annual high street promotion plans; provision of funding for shops to build digital loyalty schemes; and appointment of high street managers to monitor vacant premises.
FSB policy chair Tina McKenzie said food retailers had been under “intense pressure” from spiralling produce and energy bills, recruitment struggles and rising employment costs.
“Our high streets can have a bright and thriving future provided they, and the small businesses at their heart, are given the right support, policies and infrastructure,” she added. “We’ve set out a blueprint of speci c changes and innovative ideas to encourage them to evolve and grow as go-to destinations.”
Increasing the Small Business Rate Relief threshold to £25,000 would be “a good place to start”, McKenzie said, “providing support to small food retailers, allowing them to invest and grow”.
In ation could cause further business rate hike
A retail chief has warned that an upturn in inflation could “penalise” shops who will see business rates rise above the prices they can charge for their produce.
The Consumer Prices Index edged up from 2% to 2.2% in July, its first hike this year. Meanwhile the rate food and drink prices are increasing by stayed steady at 1.5%.
Business rates for 2025/26 are likely to be increased to keep Government takings from the scheme in line with inflation, although smaller premises may escape the bulk of any rise, depending how the new Government approaches the issue.
Kris Hamer, director of insight at the British
Retail Consortium, said: “Headline inflation returned above the Bank of England’s 2% target [in July].
“This was mainly driven by slowing deflation for gas and electricity
costs over 2024 began to filter into prices.”
While key ingredients such as rice and olive oil saw a “welcome” price drop in July, according to Hamer, this just means retailers become less able to pass on rises in overheads to customers.
2.2% The Consumer Prices Index in July
bills, which had seen big price drops in July 2023 compared to this year.
“Food inflation was unchanged, after falling for the preceding 15 months, as increasing commodity
But she added: “We also need to see initiatives to encourage local businesses to collaborate and incentivise customers to shop, eat and drink locally, by introducing things like loyalty schemes speci c to that high street, as well as encouraging new food startups into our town centres by creating specialised funds to support pop-ups, markets and temporary use initiatives for rst-time businesses.”
The report called for the Government to establish a national High Streets Economic Development Profession Taskforce to upskill councils to help them invest in infrastructure integral to town centres.
It said local high streets and communities should feature in domestic and international tourism campaigns, and demanded that business improvement districts be required to directly promote high streets.
54% of high street businesses would invest more or grow their businesses if the business rates relief threshold was increased
Source: The Future of the High Street
The FSB called for a new fund to support high street businesses in developing and enhancing their websites, marketing strategies and e-commerce operations. It also demanded disruption-mitigation action plans for high street areas where small businesses would be a ected by construction works for six weeks or more.
The high street in numbers
• Seven in 10 local businesses report vacant units on their high street
• More than half say a diverse range of independent businesses is important for the future of the high street
• Almost half believe an increase in crime and antisocial behaviour is the biggest risk to their high street
• More than five in 10 would invest more in their company if business rate relief was valid up to £25,000 of rateable value
“With headline inflation showing signs of rising further, retailers face the prospect of another large rise in business rates next year. This penalises the retail industry, as retail products currently have generally lower inflation levels than the headline figure on which business rates rises are based,” Hamer warned.
• A third say reduced ability to accept cash payments would pose a major threat to the high street
• Four in five high street small businesses sell to customers face-to-face while three in five use digital platforms.
• A quarter provide delivery or shipping services on top of their main activities, while more than a fifth host events.
• Just one in five small shops offer loyalty or reward programmes.
Source:
Deli footfall a ected by UK riots but sector largely escapes damage
By Millie Gray
Independent food retailers appear to have su ered little physical damage during civil unrest that took place in early August across a number of UK cities – although some have reported an impact on footfall.
FFD spoke to a number of businesses in areas that witnessed protests or riots – fuelled by speculation from purported far right in uencers on social media – and found this to be the case, even though other types of retailers did report the and vandalism to the national media.
BIRA managing director Andrew Goodacre told FFD that while none of his members’ businesses had experienced violence or looting, the rioting would take a toll on sta and impact footfall, at least in the short term.
“Retail has been a tough place to work recently
Major policing operations were carried out in a number of towns and cities to control protests and this current toxic atmosphere makes it worse,” he said. “Consumer spending is already down and again these disturbances will make it worse.”
According to the real estate so ware rm MRI
So ware, there was a 4.8% drop in footfall between Sunday 4th and Wednesday 14th August on UK high streets. Northern England and Yorkshire appeared to be hit the worst with a 12.9% decline.
Leonardo Vergona from Delilah Fine Foods in Nottingham reported
that, on the day of the disturbances in the East Midlands city, takings were 60% of what was expected for a Saturday. He added that this “considerably quieter” day was more down to the fear among the general public, rather than the actual level of antisocial activity.
Steve Salamon, owner of Wally’s Deli in Cardi , reported that it was a “tense” atmosphere for sta as they had been warned by police of potential riots on Friday 9th August. Thankfully, he added, these concerns didn’t materialise.
As one Italian retailer calls it quits in the Capital…
Soho deli I Camisa & Son finally shut up shop last month after 60 years of trading in the London neighbourhood, citing the longer term impact of the Covid pandemic.
I Camisa & Son first opened in 1929 on
Berwick Street. It closed during the war, reopened and relocated to its Compton Street site in 1961.
Though it was known for a hefty sandwich offering, its wide selection of Italian goods saw it offer a mail order service and was among the first to set up an Italian deli online in 2008. The business was sold by the Camisa family in 2014 and incorporated by Italian wholesale company,
In Belfast, the chaos caused by riots seems to have remained in the city centre. Laura Bradley co-owner at Indie Füde, which has outlets in South Belfast and Comber, said that they “didn’t really see a downturn”.
BIRA’s Andrew Goodacre said he expected the sector to weather any longer term consequences of the disturbances.
“High streets and indie retailers have always been resilient,” he said. “To come through the current situation, we need clear action from the police and Government to make places safe. We also need insurers to work hard to support the businesses who need to make claims.”
Protests, some of which developed into fullscale rioting, took place in a host of towns and cities, including Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardi , Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London,
IN BRIEF
ASDA’s Income Tracker shows that although UK households have benefited from a 14% increase in disposable income in Q2 2024 compared with the previous year, consumption was down 0.3% over the same period, suggesting an uptick in savings.
Defra has agreed to reconsider its fee calculating system for the planned glass recycling scheme known as extended producer responsibility (EPR), after estimates found that it would cost £330 a tonne.
Ocado is entering the rapid delivery game by introducing a sameday delivery service. Customers have until 11am each morning to book a delivery for after 4pm.
… another continues its expansion into foodservice and hospitality
Alvini.
The shop almost closed in 2022 due to a rent dispute, but a widely circulated petition led to successful negotiations with the landlord.
As it was set to close in July, a statement on its website read: “Due to the significant reduction in office workers following the pandemic, the economics of running this store are no longer viable. “Despite the support of our landlord, we are unable to continue operating here. The name of I Camisa will remain with us, and we are exploring the possibility of relocating the business to a different location in the near future.”
Lina Stores, another longrunning Italian deli has continued to expand its physical footprint.
Now the owner of three delicatessens, seven restaurants and two cocktail bars in the capital, it has filed a planning application to open a restaurant and bar on Manchester’s Quay Street.
Lina Stores was first established on 18 Brewer Street in 1944.
It now has three delis, with King’s Cross and Marylebone in addition to the Soho flagship, and six restaurants. It also has an Aperitivo bar below the Brewer Street deli, and
has plans to open more sites, one in Shoreditch, the other in Manchester. Due to open this month, the East London location will be an 87-seater restaurant and Aperitivo bar.
The Manchester site has secured partial planning approval. Lina Stores also sells products online, and, in 2021, opened a restaurant and deli in Tokyo, Japan.
Great Taste Podcast shines a light on independent food & drink producers
By Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox
A new podcast from the publisher of Fine Food Digest takes listeners behind the scenes to meet the people making and championing the world’s best food and drink.
Created in partnership with independent production company, RATCHET, Great Taste Podcast is a 7-episode series featuring interviews with producers, indie retailers, members of the Guild of Fine Food team and Great Taste judges.
Each episode focuses on the effort and attention to detail that go into making awardwinning food and drink – and why supporting these businesses is so important.
The series culminates at the Golden Forks, the Guild’s celebration of the very best Great Taste producers from around
RHS enlists Cottage Delight
The Royal Horticultural Society has licensed farm shop stalwart and producer Cottage Delight to produce a range of RHS-branded items.
The line-up will include preserves, chutneys, pickles, sauces and marmalades, as well as beer, cider and confectionery.
The designs for the products were inspired by the botanical drawings on the RHS Lindsey Collections, which the collaborators hope will encourage gardeningenthusiasts to buy the range.
The products will be available on high streets and online from spring 2025.
the world.
Podcast host, journalist and creative director at RATCHET Katherine Nathan said that while she recognised Great Taste labels prior to making the documentary-style programme, she – and anyone she asked – knew very little about the process behind it, and that the purpose of the podcast was to inform and educate people about where their food comes
from and how it is made.
“There are so many wider implications that hinge on those decisions for our health, our wellbeing and the growth of our local economies,” she said.
“We can all play a part in that, and while sharing the joy of great tasting food and drink, we want this podcast to encourage people to savour and appreciate the relationship they can have
DOWN ON THE FARM
The latest from farm shops across the country
Canalside Farm Shop in Staffordshire has received approval on expansion plans filed earlier this year. The improved farm shop will have more parking spaces, a bigger kitchen and a covered market for events, local food and craft markets, retail and café seating. canalsidefarm.co.uk
Plans are underway for a new hotel, farm shop and petrol station – modelled on sites like Gloucester and Tebay Services – to be built off the A303 near West Camel
As the A road undergoes a major rehaul, the proposal under consideration includes a 60-bed hotel, a farm shop, restaurant and café spanning 900 sq m. It would have 46 parking spaces with a further
with food.”
For Christabel Cairns, director at the Guild of Fine Food, the podcast was an opportunity to give the producers and retailers that the team interact with every day the attention they deserve.
“These stories are our favourite part of Great Taste to share,” she said.
“This podcast has delved into the issues that underlie what we do day in and day out and we really hope it will not only allow more people to engage with the wonderful world we’re all very privileged to enjoy, but also shine a light on some of the issues in our food system that need our collective attention.”
Episodes will air every Monday and will join those already available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all major streaming platforms. greattastepodcast.com
IN BRIEF
Researchers from the Universities of Aberdeen and Surrey have found that vertically farming lettuce in the UK could be as good for the planet as regular plantings, while saving 8,000 hectares of land – providing the farmed are powered by renewable energy.
Berkshire’s Italian delicatessen Zotta Deli is reopening at a new site on Basingstoke Road in Reading on September 8th, after closing the original shop in Winnersh in July.
German discounter Aldi has met its commitment to only sell cage-free eggs a year ahead of its target, and, according to Kantar, now sells more British free-range eggs than any other supermarket.
18 overspill spaces, as well as car and caravan/ coach parking.
A new farm shop has opened in the picturesque village of Creake Abbey in Norfolk. The owners of Shadow Thorpe Farm Shop plan on selling baked goods, British farm produce, fruit and vegetables, fresh bread, charcuterie boards and fresh meat. shadowthorpefarmshop. com
A new farm shop opened at the beginning of August at Bushfield Farm on Badger Farm Road in Winchester. The Hampshire Pantry sells home-grown and locally sourced products, and has both a café and a picnic area on site. There is also a maize walk which is free for customers. facebook.com/ HampshirePantry
The podcast features interviews with producers, Great Taste judges and retailers, including Iona Gordon Lennox of Teals
Bresaola Pancetta Fennel Salami
IF I’D KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW...
JO DISCOMBE, owner, Disco-licious, Lower Gravenhurst, Bedford
I spent 35 years working in the meat industry, developing products for big suppliers to M&S and Waitrose, before setting up my own consultancy in 2019. Unfortunately, this was short-lived. When Covid hit, I lost all my projects
My husband, Graham, who is a farmer and potato merchant, had 60 tonnes of potatoes sitting in a shed, so I loaded up a truck and drove to a layby to see if I could sell them to locals. This evolved into a veg box scheme. Soon I was delivering 100 boxes a week. Throughout the pandemic I operated out of the potato barn, and in 2021, an opportunity came up to rent a barn on a farm my husband’s family had just bought.
We installed a kitchen, café and deli, and opened with a big splash in August 2021. The business has done nothing but grow since. We’ve just completed our third year of trading and my only regret is that we didn’t make the car park big enough. We thought 12 spaces would suffice I think the service we provided in lockdown is to thank for the footfall we have now.
There are three strands to the business: the café, the deli and outside catering, which account for 50%, 30% and 20% of turnover respectively. Produce is a big part of our offer –we have regulars who do their entire fruit and veg shop here. We source 60% of it from Hillside Market Garden, and what I love is that there is an element of surprise to what we get – last week it was a fabulous mix of multicoloured French beans.
Waste avoidance is really important to us. So although we prefer to sell produce unpackaged, occasionally we will bag items like spinach and lettuce to keep them at their best for longer. We also make up lots of house salads for people to grab and go.
Everything we sell in the café is made fresh in the kitchen, from salad dressings and sauces to soups, and we change our menu every single day. If we put something on and it’s not selling, we take it off. We’ve got a full EPoS system which gives me a daily breakdown. I’m very close to our customers and our numbers and I am always looking at ways to make the business work harder. We’ve just started doing afternoon teas as a way of boosting revenue in the café during the post-lunch lull, for example.
Average basket spend in the shop is £20 and has increased by about 25% since we opened. I think that’s because we have incrementally earned people’s trust. Running a food business is tough, especially in the current economic climate, but I truly believe that if your offer is strong and your price is fair, you can make it work.
Interview Lynda Searby
Photography Isabelle Plasschaert
View from HQ
FFD’s publisher and Guild of Fine Food managing director John Farrand has his say
paying punter.
I SHOULDN’T BE telling you this. In my late teens I had a summer job at a once-famous roadside restaurant. Not the one named a er a height-compromised kitchen professional but the one claiming joviality while dining next to a busy A-road. I was front of house, waiting on tables. And, because it wasn’t really a proper restaurant, we rarely got tips. But the tips that I did achieve were mostly spent with our “chef”. In a system that curiously distributed the service charge to the entire team, I would pay Brian, the man in dirty whites, for a nugget of steak – presumably carved o a sirloin destined for a
WORLD CHEESE AWARDS 2024
There’s still time to enter the World Cheese Awards 2024. Entries close on 16 September so make the brilliant cheesemakers you work with have entered. Visit gff.co.uk/world cheese to find out more.
KEY DATES
Entry closes: 16th September
Judging: 15th November
Cheese festival: 15th-17th November
Results: 16th November
I’ve always had a so spot for waiting sta . It’s a tough gig and one that I think every young person should try. I cannot bear lacklustre service but also, simultaneously, those customers who bully waiters and waitresses – either due to a lack of empathy or just some sort of character malfunction.
So, it is with mixed emotions that the Independent Retailers Confederation leaps into the Low Pay Commission debate this month. Why mixed? We want those who work behind retail counters and those who serve at tables to be paid fairly. It will encourage workers in our industry. But there need to be checks and balances in place so that the Living Wage doesn’t jeopardise the survival of independents, who are already challenged with a long list of increasing costs.
It’s something that vexes several on the Guild’s Town Hall committee and so it must be vexing retailers generally. How to solve that con ict? In foodservice,
at least, you’d think you could help by tipping properly. Oh no. It’s the worst-kept secret that many establishments ddle the service charge levied on customers to form part of the legal minimum wage they pay their sta .
Until now. Next month sees the introduction of the Tipping Bill – new legislation that will compel foodservice establishments (watch out those with cafés linked to their shops) to be transparent
I’ve always had a so spot for waiting sta . It’s a tough gig and one that I think every young person should try.
about their policy, to both sta and customers, and to ensure that all tips end up in the right pockets. What I’m less sure is if this will solve my father’s bête noir, which is that the service charge is added to the 20% VAT element of your bill. A tax on tax. Not right. What could go wrong? It seems that a few restaurants, presumably those who previously had deliberate numerical dyslexia, have realised that this is going to a ect their margins. This has led to one Chinese restaurant chain, Ping Pong, to introduce (wait for it…) a “brand charge”. I’m really struggling with this. E ectively your lunch looks like this: order, eat, drink, get the bill and therefore pay for the food and drink. Pay for good service, if appropriate, and then be charged to simply be seen in their restaurant, because it is cool.
At Happy Eater, you could be sure that no one would have paid the “brand charge” and there wasn’t much tipping going on, either –a er I’d eaten everyone’s steak.
The Word on Westminster
By Edward Woodall Association of Convenience Stores
THE NEW GOVERNMENT is taking a breath and resetting before the second half of the year, where the political calendar is looking busy. All eyes are on the Budget on 30th October for new tough fiscal measures but there is also a significant new legislative agenda to deliver on – moving from the rhetoric of the campaign to the detail of governing.
I want to focus on employment policy, which is already dominating this Government’s agenda both in terms of cost and regulations. Employment law reform is a central pillar of the Labour Party’s manifesto. It is also testing the relationship between the new Government and businesses.
The recent meeting between the Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who’s
championing the “Make Work Pay” programme, was subject to intensive media scrutiny.
On the cost of employment, the big increases in the National Living Wage (NLW) have been hard on many businesses over the last two years and we now have a new commitment to change the remit for setting the NLW, so it accounts for cost of living. We are urging the new Government and the Low Pay Commission to take a cautious approach when setting wage rates, not least because we have seen that the biggest impact of wage increases on retailers is to delay investment to offset rising wage bills.
On the introduction of the Employment Rights Bill, many small deli owners and retailers should be paying attention too. Overall, our industry is already an exemplar of providing two-sided flexible employment opportunities. That’s the technical term for engaging well with our colleagues about the
hours they want to work and doing your best to facilitate them.
So where is the risk from the Employment Rights Bill? We believe that facilitating more flexibility in the labour market will heap new administrative burdens on businesses. For example, new requirements to track shift notification and cancellations or having to handle more frequent and complex flexible working requests. Many businesses are especially concerned about curtailing probationary periods for new employees.
All these are well-meaning and important interventions, and we want to work with Government to help deliver them. But they need careful consideration so as not to overburden businesses already doing good work and reduce flexibility in the labour market.
Edward Woodall is government relations director at the ACS edward.woodall@acs.org.uk
CONFESSIONS OF A DELI OWNER
ANONYMOUS TALES FROM BEHIND THE COUNTER
WORKING IN A small rural shop, you see the best of people. You see regular customers and learn about their lives. When something unexpected like illness or a family death happens to them, you are o en the rst person they tell.
During the pandemic, this role became more prominent. We became essential, a lifeline for those unable to leave their homes. Neighbours rallied, shopping for elderly residents and for a while, it felt like the best things about humanity had come to the fore. It was a time of shared experience, of vulnerability and of resilience.
There is something confessional about standing behind a till. When you ask people how their day is going, they open up. They tell me things they perhaps wouldn’t admit to just anyone. Like the man who told me about his sorrow at the slow loss of his wife’s mental faculties as she slipped into dementia. Or the
person who came straight from the GP with a cancer diagnosis.
I feel privileged to get this view of people’s lives. Seeing the minutiae of other’s anxieties puts my own into perspective and grounds me in gratitude for small things. But they are also a burden to be carried. I am under no illusions that this relationship is one-sided. The conversation is not owing both ways. I am
There is something confessional about standing behind a till.
the listener and the holder of secrets, not the confessor. If I have worries or something big happens in my life, I do not speak to the customers about it.
One day, while sorting stock in the back room, I received a phone call that my best friend was very ill. As I absorbed the shock, I went to serve a customer who complained about not being able to nd a parking space in our small town. Did I tell her my secret? No. I nodded and smiled and listened. When she le , I stared into space for a few minutes, thinking about my friend for as long as I had between the next customer arriving.
I’m sure if I’d told the customer my woes, she would have been as compassionate as I am to those who con de in me, but I didn’t want to. I love the human side to my job as much as I enjoy choosing products and making the shelves look pretty. It is a privilege to bear witness to the lives of regular customers, and it also reminds me daily that we provide more to the community than just products. We provide an essential human service and that is something that larger retailers and online shopping can never replace.
Retail eye
The UK’s food landscape is in trouble. With the rise of ultra-processed foods, misleading advertising, and a race to the bottom on price, it’s no surprise that consumers are confused about the value of real food.
This conversation is not new. In fact, we’ve been having it for decades. I read about it in every edition of this magazine, and I feel it when I walk around the supermarket and see British ags above imported food and junk food taking precedence over fresh produce. The dull feeling that we are slowly eroding something essential has been with me as long as I remember. It’s time somebody did something about it. Perhaps we can’t stop the inevitable – feeding a large population may always involve processing and the industrialisation of farming and our food systems. But it’s time we stopped watching it happen and have a bigger conversation with consumers, Government and the wider world.
As we undergo an exciting rebrand this month (join us at the launch at Speciality & Fine Food
Fair), the Farm Retail Association will become a voice for real local food in the UK. We must uphold what is le of food culture in the UK by championing local farmers and authentic produce. It’s time to make some noise.
The past few years have been a rollercoaster for the food industry. From the pandemic to economic challenges, we have faced unprecedented hurdles. Yet, through it all, the FRA has been working tirelessly to support its members. We have secured a range of new bene ts to help businesses thrive, and we are o ering training and networking opportunities.
But our work extends beyond this. The FRA is a vocal advocate for the importance of locally sourced food. We have begun to engage with Government o cials and to partner with likeminded organisations. With our new identity, we will be able to do more. Our goal is to create a food industry that values quality, sustainability, and provenance.
it’s time we stopped watching it happen and have a bigger conversation
Whether it’s staff training, business advice, event space, making industry connections or opportunities to meet trade buyers and food lovers, the Guild of Fine Food does far more than publish FFD. The Guild has been championing independent food & drink for over 30 years. Join us today and find out what we can do for your business.
Support & ideas: support@gff.co.uk
Training & venue hire: bookings@gff.co.uk
Exhibition stands: opportunities@gff.co.uk
MyGuild assistance: myguild@gff.co.uk
gff.co.uk/join
Source: Aussie Beef & Lamb
FRA CHAIR EMMA MOSEY IS TALKING ABOUT A REAL LOCAL FOOD REVOLUTION
Welsh Great Tastes 2024. Discover a world of possibilities with Welsh food and drink: gov.wales/foodanddrinkwales This is Food and Drink. This is Wales.
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Biotech rm’s new moulds could save French Brie and aid British makers
By Patrick McGuigan
A crisis facing French bloomyrinded cheeses looks to have been averted by the ingenuity of British scientists in a breakthrough that could also usher in a new generation of so cheeses in the UK.
France’s government science agency, the National Centre for Scienti c Research, warned earlier this year that Camembert and Brie could become extinct because commercial strains of the white mould on their rinds (Penicillium camemberti) were dying out due to a lack of genetic diversity caused by years of industrial cultivation.
The news made headlines around the world, but scientists at Nottingham-based fungal biotech company Myconeos, may have the answer a er unlocking the secrets of the sexual cycle of the mould and creating new strains.
It was previously thought that Penicillium camemberti replicated asexually, with di erent strains developing through genetic mutations, but Myconeos has developed techniques to naturally cross breed strains for the rst time, promoting genetic diversity within the otherwise limited Penicillium camemberti population.
The breakthrough builds on similar techniques pioneered for the blue mould Penicillium roqueforti, which has led to the creation of new strains with di erent properties.
Myconeos CEO Dr Jacek Obuchowicz told FFD that further trials to develop commercially viable strains of Penicillium camemberti are planned with Highland Fine Cheeses in Scotland.
The fungal specialist hopes to develop a range of new white moulds for cheesemakers that could create new colours, avours, textures and enzyme activity in so cheeses under the Mycoberti brand.
“This solves the problem that French cheesemakers are facing,” he said. “But it also means British cheesemakers
NEWS IN BRIEF
Manchester-based Chorlton Cheesemongers, which is part owned by Neal’s Yard Dairy and Kirkham’s Lancashire, has opened a cheese stall at Altrincham Market.
Swiss cheese company Jumi has opened a third shop in London – in Crouch End. It joins outlets in Borough Market and Newington Green.
The Real Cheese Project has announced a new competition to find the best traditional British cheese, called the People’s Cheese. The competition builds on last year’s Great British & Irish Cheddar Challenge with public votes at the Chiswick Cheese Market culminating in an online final in October.
will eventually have access to di erent strains to create new styles of cheese. There is a lack of diversity because large corporations have been using just four to six di erent strains of Penicillium camemberti, but we now have the ability to create hundreds of new strains.”
He added that new strains could also be used to improve the range and quality of vegan cheeses.
Myconeos has new blue mould strains, under the Mycoforti brand, using the same approach with options for cheesemakers, including classic, mild, intense, artisan and a variety with a pale green colour.
These are distributed by JKM and are already being used by British cheesesmakers to develop new cheeses.
The Academy of Cheese is on the hunt for the world’s best cheesemongers to enter its annual Young Cheesemonger of the Year contest. Taking place at the World Cheese Awards in Viseu, Portugal, on 15th November, the free-to-enter competition is open to any cheesemonger under the age of 30 and will see contestants tested on cutting and wrapping skills, cheese knowledge, ability to create perfect pairings in a live final. Last year’s winner was 21-year-old Lily Morris from Morris’ of Usk in Wales. academyofcheese.org/youngcheesemonger-of-the-year
THREE WAYS WITH...
Torta de Barros
Hailing from Badajoz in Extremadura, Spain, Torta de Barros is made by Quesería Tierra de Barros with pasteurised sheep’s milk in cake (‘torta’) shaped rounds. The cheese has a glossy, custardy interior and meaty, herbal notes, plus a bitter finish, thanks to its washed rind and the use of cardoon (thistle) rennet.
Breadsticks
In Spain the traditional way of eating torta-style cheeses is to cut the top off and scoop out the soft interior with small, crunchy breadsticks, called ‘picos de pan’. Brindisa recommends Horno de Gañania picos de pan, made in Jerez, with added olive oil, but any crunchy, robust breadstick will do.
Amontillado
Sherry is obviously a good match for a Spanish cheese, but which style? There’s an earthy, fermented flavour to Torta de Barros, partly from the rind the sweet, almost boozy flavour of the Merino sheep’s milk, so it needs a sherry with nuttiness and freshness. Step forward Amontillado, which is aged under flor like Fino and Manzanilla, but is then matured in the barrel, like Oloroso. It’s light and smooth with good acidity and notes of hazelnuts and herbs, which mingle nicely with the earthy, herbaceous cheese.
Brassica
Once you’ve scooped out most of the interior, don’t through away the rind. Instead, load up the inside with lightly boiled vegetables - broccoli and cauliflower florets are particularly good, Put the lid back on and bake in the oven until the remaining cheese and rind has melted, creating a kind of cheesey vegetable pie. Finish with a sprinkle of paprika.
Brindisa
Myconeos’s new strains of mould will ensure the future of bloomy rinded cheeses by promoting greater levels of genetic diversity
CHEESE
Sharpham Cheese moves to bigger dairy at South Devon Food Hub
By Patrick McGuigan
A
er more than 40 years on the Sharpham Estate, Sharpham Cheese is moving to a new dairy at the South Devon Food Hub.
The new 7,000 sq production site, near Totnes, is twice the size of the original dairy and will enable Sharpham to increase capacity and grow sales beyond its West Country heartland, said owner Greg Parsons, who owns the business with wife Nicky. The move will also allow the business to pool resources and increase buying power with other artisan food producers at the hub.
“This will take the shackles o us as a business, especially around Christmas, when we always hit capacity,” said Parsons. “It means we will be able to push forward and supply new customers and more cheese to existing ones.”
South Devon Food Hub was set up last year by Ian and Julie Dennis at their farm in Longcombe, providing production and o ce space for small businesses including
CHEESE IN PROFILE with
Isle of Wight Blue
What’s the story?
The Isle of Wight Cheese Co. was set up in 2006 by mother and son Julie and Richard Hodgson. Their flagship cheese, Isle of Wight Blue, is a small, soft blue cheese, handmade at Queen Bower Dairy in Sandown. When they first started making it, they produced just 50 cheeses a week, but are now making up to 3000; half of which are sold on the island.
The cheese has won multiple accolades, most
Devon Distillery and Orchard Drinks. The farm itself grows grain for porridge and animal feed, and rears beef for Waitrose.
“There will be a lot of advantages to being part of the hub,” said Parsons. “We hope to get some of the e ciencies that larger companies have by working together in areas like distribution, packaging and
notably the Best English Cheese at the World Cheese Awards and Best Vegetarian Cheese at the 2019 Artisan Cheese Awards. Milk for the cheese is collected three times a week from Crocker’s Farm, just 9 miles away in Newport.
Run by Paul and Mary Bradley, Crocker’s is one of the last remaining family-run dairies on the island.
sharing o ce space and events facilities.”
Sharpham rst began making cheese on the Sharpham Estate in the 1970s and is well known for so and semihard cheeses made with local cow, goat and sheep’s milk including Ticklemore, Cremet, Washbourne and Elmhirst. The Parsons took over the business in 2019.
How is it made?
Their 170-strong pedigree herd of Holstein-Friesians graze on the green pastures surrounding Cowes all summer and eat homegrown forage in the winter.
Milk: Cows, Pasteurised.
Starter cultures, including Penicillium roqueforti, as well as vegetarian rennet are added to the milk. Once the curd is set, it is cut into 1-2cm cubes, before draining and moulding. The cheeses are brined on day two to help encourage a mix of yeasts and moulds to grow on the rind as they ripen over two to three weeks.
BEHIND THE COUNTER TIPS OF THE TRADE
Nina Narramore, The Norfolk Cheese Company, Downham Market
Cheddar is unsurprisingly the most popular filling for toasties at The Norfolk Cheese Company, but owner Nina Narramore likes to push the flavour boundaries a bit further.
Stilton & bacon jam, Shropshire Blue & hot honey, and Somerset Camembert & cherry preserve have all made the menu at the deli’s 19-cover back-room café in recent months.
“We change the fillings every week to keep it interesting,” she explains. “They help promote different cheeses and use up stock that needs shifting from the counter. But they also highlight some of the other things we sell, like chutneys and pickles. Cheddar and ham is probably the favourite with older shoppers, but younger customers like to try different flavours and funky fillings.”
At £8.95, with a side salad and crisps, the toasties are a good revenue stream for the business, she adds, helping to boost the bottom line when the shop is quiet. “We refurbished the back room into a café last year when energy bills shot up and it really saved us.”
thenorfolkcheesecompany.co.uk
Variations:
Appearance & texture:
The handmade cheeses have a minimum weight of 180g, but average around 210g, some slightly larger, some slightly smaller. Sporting a pretty, natural coat of green, blue, grey and white moulds, Isle of Wight Blue stands out on a cheeseboard. It has a close-textured paste with streaks of blue, rather than a network of veins. At 3-4 weeks old, the cheese has a mild, buttery flavour and slightly springy texture, becoming progressively spicier, more peppery and gooier as it matures.
None
Cheesemonger tip:
A great entry-level blue. Serve it with a drizzle of honey, salted crackers and a chilled IPA or offdry Riesling. As the cheese has relatively high moisture, it is best eaten between 4-6 weeks old. The label features a ripening guide to help customers.
Chef’s recommendation: Crumble into a soufflé, a quiche or over grilled vegetables. Season only with black pepper as the cheese is fairly salty. It is also perfect for making savoury ice-cream and will accompany poached pears beautifully.
Owners Nicky and Greg Parsons in their new 7,000 sq ft site
Offering best in class quality artisanal cheese and fine foods to Independent Retailers.
www.rowcliffe.co.uk
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The white stu
Award-winning Dorset organic operation Hollis Mead takes the view that perfect milk leads to better products – and pro t
By Patrick McGuigan
IT’S NOT OFTEN you hear dairy farmers comparing their milk to ne wine, but Oliver Hemsley is not like most dairy farmers. A former big beast in the City, Hemsley swapped the stock market for the cow shed to start Hollis Mead Organic Dairy in 2017 with his wife Charlie. They have made it their mission to make premier cru milk.
“I want it to be the Dom Pérignon of milk,” he declares with a chuckle down a crackly zoom line from his 1,500 acre farm in Dorset. “The Château La te, the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti of milk!”
While Hollis Mead milk is not fetching anywhere near the prices of these blockbuster wines, it certainly costs much more than the white stu on supermarket shelves. A 1-litre bottle will set you back around £3, while the company’s triple cream brie-style Benville cheese costs north of £12. But Hemsley says they simply re ect the true cost of production.
“People are obsessed with cheap food,” he says. “Pre-Second World War, people spent 35-40% of their income on food. Now they spend 7%. But cheap food costs the earth. It’s incredibly disruptive and requires intensi cation, which damages the environment.”
Hollis Mead by contrast is the only organic and pasture-for-life accredited dairy of scale in the country. While intensively farmed cows produce more than 30 litres a day, their diet boosted by soya and maize, Hemsley’s 250 British Friesians and Ayrshires produce less than 12 litres. And they are 100% grass fed,
grazing herbal lays lled with wild owers, grasses and legumes in the summer and fed silage and hay cut from the same organic pastures in the winter.
“We don’t use wormer on the cattle –consequently the subsoil species are superb –and we’ve planted 20km of hedges, so there’s abundant wildlife and biodiversity. That’s what is really interesting to me. Can you farm and make a di erence to wildlife? I think we can.”
The business turns over £2m a year and is breaking even, although this is a er a £5m investment to acquire and convert the farm, and build the dairy, which opened in 2020. The investment was only possible because of Hemsley’s deep pockets: he set up Numis stockbrockers in 1990, stepping down as CEO in 2016. It was bought last year by Deutsche Bank in a deal valued at £410 million.
He aims to increase turnover to £3m and make a pro t of £1m within the next three years. “I’m not pretending it’s easy. We wouldn’t make any money if we didn’t do all the processing ourselves.”
That’s where the dairy, led by head cheesemaker Julia Stans eld, comes in. It makes around 70,000 cheeses a year, as well as bottled milk, yoghurt, butter and ke r. Customers include Planet Organic, Fortnum’s and Neal’s Yard Dairy, while Paxton & Whit eld takes Benville and renames it Trinity (the cheesemonger is also making a version with a layer of glacé chestnuts for Christmas).
Hemsley is convinced that it’s the quality of the milk that has been key to success. A claim that is backed up by Hollis Mead’s butter and cheeses winning 3-star awards at Great Taste in recent years.
“What the animal eats makes a huge di erence to the milk,” says Hemsley. “It’s sweeter and more pure. People pay for it because it tastes amazing.”
hollismead.com
I want it to be the Dom Pérignon of milk.
Benville
The dairy makes four different cheeses, Benville, truffled Benville, the Camembertstyle Corscombe and cottage cheese. Benville is named after a local village and is made with vegetarian rennet and pasteurised organic milk enriched with cream. 1
The cheese has a golden interior, brilliant white rind and lactic flavour when young, becoming softer and gooier with age. The rind becomes more ivory in colour and the flavour is more pronounced with rich double cream, mushroom and savoury notes.
Hemsley makes soft, bloomy-rinded cheeses because they require less investment than hard cheeses. They are good for cashflow because they are ready for sale within weeks. He would like to make an unpasteurised cheese, but there is TB in the area and the risk is too great.
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Rapid industry growth prompts race for investment in English wine
By Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox
Lord Ashcro appears set to sell his majority stake in English wine company, Gusbourne, as several producers have sought investment or new ownership in recent months. The ex-chair of the Conservative Party said he was considering “various strategic options” of what to do with his 66.76% shareholding of the Kent-based company, which could include a sale, he said, or “a strategic merger with a similar company. It a capitalisation or restructuring of all or part of my debt.”
As seen on Companies House, Gusbourne recorded gross margins of 59.2% and £6.2m of revenue in the year up to December 2022 – up 49% on the previous year. It recorded an operating loss of £2.2m that year, not unique among English wine producers not yet making a pro t in a nascent industry.
Because England’s
cool, maritime climate lends itself best to making sparkling wine, it makes up just under 70% of production, according to trade group WineGB. And the sector relies on long-term investment in land and planting; grapes are o en handpicked; equipment is expensive and wine needs to be stored for extended periods of time. It requires high levels of investment to enter the market, but the expectation is one of long-term pro ts, selling a product that rivals Champagne in quality. Despite the hurdles to entry, English wine production was up 77% in 2023 compared with 2022 – totalling 21.6 million bottles – with the number of vineyards passing the
1,000 mark for the rst time. Nicola Bates, CEO of WineGB called this “a real milestone for our industry, cementing our position as the UK’s fastest growing agricultural sector.”
But there is a theme of producers seeking investment – this was the case for Rath nny last year, which also isn’t yet pro table, while Hambledon was sold to Berry Bros & Rudd. Chapel Down, English wine’s
Defra con rms October 2027 date for UK-wide DRS scheme
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has confirmed that the new Labour Government would not be fast-tracking proposals to introduce a deposit return scheme (DRS) across the UK, stating, however, that it would be sticking to the last Government’s delayed October 2027 deadline.
Confusion was caused when circular economy minister Mary Creagh replied to a parliamentary question that “yes”, it would introduce the programme – designed to reduce littering and increase recycling rates, whereby producers
and retailers will be held accountable for collecting and managing containers in preparation for reprocessing, with a surcharge applied to products when purchased – ahead of schedule.
Creagh said: “This government is committed to creating a roadmap to a zero-waste economy – a future where we keep our resources in use for longer; waste is reduced; we accelerate the path to net zero; we see investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs; our economy prospers; and nature thrives.”
But more recently, Defra director for resources and waste management said that it would push ahead with the previous Government’s delayed schedule, promising to fix the “omnishambles” of the DRS scheme under the Conservative Party, which, as well as being delayed
biggest producer, also recently announced that it was considering putting itself up for sale, among several funding options which include seeking investment from new and existing shareholders. In Chapel Down’s case, the review was said to be in view of “supporting the rm’s growth and investment plans”, as it projects producing 3,000 tonnes of grapes and three million bottles a year by 2028.
by two years, saw the collapse of the scheme in Scotland, as the devolved Government argued with Westminster as to which materials should be included. Bourne said the new environment secretary Steve Reed had committed to a “clear and bold strategy” to meet its net zero targets.
Choya Yuzu making its first foray onto the UK market, touted as perfect for spritzes and cocktails. The Japanese citrus liqueur is made with unpasteurised juice, and clocks in at 14.7% ABV. RRP £26.99 per 75ml bottle. choya.co.jp
ThinK Wine is now selling its Prosecco and Sparkling Rosé in 200ml cans. The organic, vegan wines are made with Glera and Pinot Grigio grapes from the Treviso region in north east Italy, using a fraction of the residual sugar usually associated with the styles – 1.3g per 200ml, versus 11g in other commercially available cans. RRP £5. thinkwinegroup.co.uk
Wine That’s Fruit is projecting sales growth of 200% in 2024, as it says its fruit wine in cans has enjoyed a surge in popularity. There are five flavours available: Whitecurrant, Apple, Strawberry, Raspberry and Blackcurrant. RRP £4.85 per 250ml can; £2.85 to trade, sold in cases of 24. winethatsfruit.com
English wine production was up 77% in 2023 compared with 2022
DRINKS
Best laid plans
Matt Gorecki planned to open a brewery in Hudders eld but he ended up with a tap room. Now he might get the chance to realise his original vision for Zapato Brewing.
By Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox
BY THE TIME he founded Yorkshire-based Zapato Brewing as a micro operation in 2015, Matthew Gorecki already had a ra of experience.
He’d worked at numerous pubs and bars across Leeds, learning what the locals like (vodka & coke is apparently the most popular drink). Then he spent a decade at the North Bar group – a pioneer in the UK’s cra beer scene – and from there he was a consultant to breweries including Northern Monk and Manchester’s Marble. He’s also been in charge of major events, including Indy Man Beer Con. So it’s fair to say he was familiar with the beer scene in the North of England.
“I went into it thinking, ‘I know everyone and I’ve done loads of stu . This should be easy’,” he tells FFD of his decision in 2019 to build a brewery in a disused textile mill between Marsden and Slaithwaite, on the edge of the Yorkshire Pennines. But the pandemic’s arrival in 2020 dashed his plans.
“I looked at it, and I looked at how much it cost, and I looked at the world. I was like, ‘this is not a good time to be spending a couple of hundred grand’.” In the interest of cash ow, he built a taproom instead.
“The thought just clicked: ‘what we need at this point, really, is people back in pubs, people having a nice time’.”
Having weathered the pandemic, the tap room is now open seven days a week, selling beer and hosting pop-up food and other events. The brewer has built up a strong local
pub following. About a sixth of its revenue comes from retailing cans direct and via shops.
Though Gorecki is a self-confessed lover of experimental and “weird” beer, demand has dictated Zapato’s output. Whereas it used to exclusively make high ABV, Belgian-, Germanand American-in uenced beers, it has had to change tack slightly.
“When we started, I wouldn’t make anything under 6%. The drama and the fun has always been centred around strong beers, because you pack more avours in.
“On a small scale, that’s ne. But as soon as you get bigger, you realise, people want to drink pale ale and lager, as it has always been.”
Until now, Zapato has worked with contract brewers but Gorecki hopes, however, to bring brewing fully in-house within the next 18 months, via a production brewery o -site for the high-volume beers and a small brewing kit for micro-batches at Holme Mill.
As the business grows more of its own produce in the beer garden, it will likely make some fruit beers, with raspberry rst on the line-up, as well as experimenting with more wild yeast strains and di erent types of hops.
While he is looking forward to tinkering, Gorecki wants to remain competitive on price with the higher volume brewers – which is the case with lager and pale ale, helping to keep local sales strong, both on- and o -trade.
“We’re trying to make a business for ourselves and our family. It would be great to make really brilliant, famous beers, and be regarded as ‘good’ amongst our peers,” but for now, the aim remains to focus on product, hospitality, and sta welfare.
At the end of the day, Gorecki’s main goal is to sell good beer to anyone who is willing to give it a go: the lager lovers, the cask ale enthusiasts and even the vodka & coke drinkers.
As you get bigger, you realise, people just want to drink pale ale and lager
WHAT’S IN THE GLASS?
Franck
Franck is a 6.5% ABV Belgian IPA which Zapato has been brewing since 2017. It started life as a pastry beer with added lactose – but the lactose was dropped. The now fruity IPA, the only beer in stock at Zapato when the taproom reopened after lockdown.
Hopped with Citra and has notes of lime, tangerine, sherbet lemon and sweet lychee, Belgian and English yeast strains give it confectionary flavours of foam banana, bubblegum and gentle spice.
The intensely tropical, funky flavours from the hops overlay a canvas of gentle malt, oat and wheat – and the addition of acid malt delivers what the producer says is a tangy, complex and satisfying finish.
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
Carr’s Soda Bread Pinwheel Roll with Burren Balsamics Onion Jam, Thyme and Parmesan
INGREDIENTS
500g Carr’s Soda Bread Flour
300g buttermilk (or water if buttermilk unavailable)
4 chopped spring onions
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 jar Burren Balsamics onion jam
50g Parmesan
1 egg yolk
METHOD
• Add the buttermilk to the Carr’s Soda Bread Flour and mix for 1 minute.
• Add in the spring onion and thyme and mix for a further 1.5 minutes
• Place the resulting dough on a oured board and knead into a ball
• Pin out into a rectangle approx. 30 x 20cm.
• Spread the jam all over the rectangle leaving a line at the top to seal. Brush edge with a little egg yolk and roll up from the other end to seal.
• Cut into 3cm slices and place on lightly oiled baking trays. Brush the top with the remaining egg yolk and sprinkle over the Parmesan.
• Bake in a 200°C preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Serve hot.
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FOCUS ON
Platform for success
The founders of the Black Business Entrepreneurs Conference are striving to raise the bar within the UK’s business community – including the speciality food & drink industry – by giving black and ethnic minority entrepreneurs more opportunities to thrive. Fine Food Digest attended this year’s event to nd out more and meet the producers already reaping rewards from going too.
Introduction and interviews by Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox
FOR DR CARLTON Brown, the UK Black Business Entrepreneurs Conference is all about exposure and promotion.
“It celebrates the great brands out there that o en aren’t visible because they don’t necessarily know how to access the whole ecosystem of the supply chain within retail,” he tells FFD.
Brown is not only the founder of the annual event, which took place in July at the NatWest Conference Centre in London. He is also the CEO of SMEfocused management advisory rm, Aspire Consultancy, and a food & drink producer himself.
Aware of the inequalities faced by ethnic minority entrepreneurs in the business world, Brown launched the event in 2021 to create a place to network and exchange ideas. The theory is that by sharing their problems and successes, businesses owners will increase their odds of ful lling their potential for success.
“What we are trying to do is to raise their pro les and give them visibility,” says Brown, “so they can tell their stories. We’re giving them a platform to do that, where there are buyers, people in the public, private, third sector, and investors who can support them to scale and to grow. We’re showing the world that these businesses are great, and they bring around a level of innovation consumers are looking for more of.”
This year’s event involved talks by the likes of renowned broadcaster Henry
Bonsu; Lord Michael John Hastings CBE; entrepreneur and businessman Vusi Thembekwayo; entreprise strategy director at Natwest, Sharniya Ferdinand; Olympic British sprinter Derek Redmond; Microfresh founder Byron Dixon; publisher Valerie Brandes; journalist Hannah Àjàlá-Rahman; angel investor Andy Davis, and more.
Additionally, a number of the food & drink entrepreneurs pitched their products to a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style panel made up of Adrian Boswell, fresh food buyer at Selfridges; Cotswold Fayre buyer Faye Cookson; founder of online marketplace, Wakuda, Nathaniel Wade; Love Drinks founder Samantha Burke; co-founder of Drinks One Mike Beavan and Booker Wholesale Foods director Steve Keil.
While the last two events gave the businesses access to opportunities, Brown says, this year’s event showed the long-term bene ts.
“We witnessed their growth: they’ve developed their pitch decks, their products, their branding, their marketing, and their retail readiness has signi cantly improved”.
“They know their consumer demographics, their market, their USPs, and how they’re innovating.”
Over the next couple of pages, we delve into some of the stories behind the food & drink producers at the event – some of which might already, or soon will, grace your shelves.
We’re giving them a platform to tell their stories, where there are buyers, people in the public, private, third sector, and investors who can support them to scale and to grow
KROMANTI
For father and daughter duo Cashain and Danielle David, Kromanti rum –named after their ancestors from the island of Carriacou and Kromanti Kojo, who led an uprising against the British rule in Grenada in the 1700s – was a way of dignifying the spirit’s origins as part of their own cultural heritage. Prior to creating
Kromanti, Cashain had a 25-year career setting up mental health services, where he helped people work through issues of self-esteem and racial identity. Danielle worked in corporate business development, mainly in the shipping industry – so for both of them, it was a matter of applying their skills to something meaningful to them, to tell their own stories. Whereas most rum been created with Western palate in theirs resonates with
the diaspora of the Caribbean, across Africa, Asia and South America. In this sense, the Davids see Kromanti as meeting an unserved demand.
The flagship product is a barrel-aged rum infused with tamarind and the latest, a plantaininfused rum, was inspired by Danielle’s Dominican heritage. It combines a two-year-old and a threeyear-old Venezuelan rum with a sugar cane juice rum from Dominica. With 40-50 listings, they are focusing efforts on getting Kromanti into selected bars restaurants and retailers – such as the Royal Albert Hall bar, Brixton House, The Black Farmer – and they are eyeing up locations in Bristol, Glasgow and Margate.
Scaling up production is the long-term game, but just as restaurants and bars prioritise flavour, the Cashains see independent retailers as placing quality at the forefront of their decision-making, in line with their priority not to distil the spirit’s identity. kromantirum.com
APHRO PALM SPIRIT
Coastline Spirits founder Priscilla Cronje worked in finance and IT solutions when she came across Ghanaian producer, Aphro Palm Spirit – and she was thrilled to find a palm spirit of such high
quality, but which could be produced in Ghana and sold in the UK.
After all, the 80% proof, distilled palm wine drink known as Akpeteshie, made with the juice tapped from the trunk of the tree, has been consumed for centuries, but this is the only commercially available, triple distilled, organic version of it available in the UK.
It comes in two flavours: The Nubi is flavoured with pineapple and passionfruit, while The Moor has ginger and Moor pepper in it. Since Cronje started representing Aphro in the UK, it has made it into a number of bars, and is set to be sold on Tesco Marketplace. For Cronje, the palm spirit will be the main focus for Coastline Spirits, but she is open to working with other drink brands in the future.
SWEET DOUGH THINGS
, founder, Sweet Dough Things
coastlinespirits.com
Gbemi Shitta started Sweet Dough Things because her entourage couldn’t keep up with the many cakes she was baking, and she had no intention of reducing her output.
Though still practicing law at the time, she took over a retail management unit in a shopping mall, and though the cakes were successful, they didn’t fill the shelves, so she started making sweets as well. These really captured people’s attention. When the pandemic happened and the retail outlet closed, she gave the business more thought, and developed a range of traditional sweets with a difference: sugar-free, gluten-free, and vegan,
and those that contain gelatin are halal. Reminding her of her childhood in Scotland, candyfloss is one of them – and the sugar-free aspect is central, making it modern and diabetic-friendly.
The product was spotted by a Selfridges buyer at a trade show soon after Shitta introduced it and is now stocked in the luxury department store. This gave her the boost she needed to push ahead with it, and it is already a top seller.
Now the producer’s focus is set on getting more people to taste her candyfloss, so they can learn how true to the classic version it is. sweetdoughthings.co.uk
Cashain and Danielle David, founders, Kromanti
Gbemi Shitta
Priscilla Cronje, founder, Coastline Spirits
FOCUS ON black business entrepreneurs
MATCHA YAAD
Monique Farquharson, founder, Matcha Yaad
It may be an unusual fusion, but Monique Farquharson’s fizzy, ginger-infused, sparkling matcha drink is no stab in the dark. While studying at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, Farquharson discovered Matcha after realising that coffee – which gave her heart palpitations – wasn’t for her. But rather than accept the less palatable brews she tasted then, or choose a different drink, she moved to Japan to learn about matcha service, ceremony and its cultural significance there. Noting similarities between Japanese culture – specifically Okinawa,
RIDDLES ICE TEA
Before he started Riddles Ice Tea, Charlie Odunukwe II. was a beverage development chemist – his job was to create drinks for other brands. Noticing that the demographic of people coming in to test their concepts in the lab were getting younger and younger, he decided to take matters into his own hands and develop a drink
where she was living – and Jamaica, Farquharson workshopped ideas using produce available in both countries. But it was only when she moved to the UK to do an MBA that she had a eureka moment, and came up with her idea of a fizzy ginger and matcha drink, representing the culinary bridge between Jamaica and Japan.
The idea took off immediately, with the drink nominated for multiple awards and given development funding. She launched with the
name ‘PetitSquares’, but The Black Farmer Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones – now a stockist – advised her to reconsider it for something more literal, and thus Matcha Yaad in its current form was born.
Now in its third year, feedback has been positive so far: Matcha Yaad is a top seller on Raye the Store, it is stocked by the likes of Macknade, and Farquharson is in talks with Selfridges, Ocado, and more. thematchayaad.com
of his own.
When seeking the base ingredients, he spoke to his mother, who pointed him to Moringa – a tea, native to Nigeria, with a distinctive flavour and a number of purported health and nutritional benefits. Combining it with fruit and a base spirit – hence the name Riddles, because it takes a moment to wrap your head around
THE VEGAN PATTY LADY
Natasha Orumbia, founder, The Vegan Patty Lady
Natasha Orumbie noticed that when it came to vegan food, and specifically meat substitiutes, cultural diversity was lacking in the options available. So she started making spiced vegan patties using natural ingredients: as well as a curry-filled
ISLAND SLICE RUM
patty, she makes a ‘Beof’, a ‘Chik’n and a ‘Salt-ish’ variety. After securing several rounds of funding – including from millionaire Simon Squib, and £20k from the Forbes family – Orumbie’s patties are stocked by a handful of convenience stores and delis, but she wants to keep growing the business with more equipment, a rebrand and a bigger team. theveganpattylady.co.uk
Island Slice founder and Sylvester Herman is a fourthgeneration rum distiller from the Island of St Lucia. After serving in the armed forces, he moved to Dumbarton in 2013, and started making rum in 2015. The rums are made using recipes passed down through Herman’s family over two centuries. The Single Dark Rum and White Rum are aged in Highland whisky casks, as is the Spiced Rum – inspired by the flavours of chai tea, which Herman drank while serving in Afghanistan – and the Scotch Bonnet variety. islandslice.co.uk
GUSTO SNACKS
the idea of a healthy tea mixed with alcohol – he developed a Lemon & Tequila drink, which is 4% ABV, lightly carbonated and clocks in at 99 calories a can – reflecting the trends that Odunukwe was exposed to day in day out as a development chemist. Last year, he introduced a Mango & Rum version of the drink, and he has plans to introduce a gin-based can in a near future. Though he has an exclusive deal with Sainsbury’s for another year, having benefited from the supermarket chain’s incubator programme called Thrive, Odunukwe wants Riddles Ice Tea to be ubiquitous across the UK – and believes the market is ripe for it. riddlesicetea.com
Giuseppe Baidoo started wonky-apple crisp brand Gusto snacks in 2019, making use of fruit that would normally have gone to waste because its shape, size and colour was deemed unsuitable by the big multiples. They’re airdried and flavoured with Coconut; Mango; Passionfruit & Mango; Chocolate & Salted Caramel; and the latest one, with Chilli. Selfridges is a stockist, as is WHSmith. snackgusto.com
MARSHALL & BROWN, MAMA
BROWN’S RUM CAKES;
THE JERK HOUSE
and
As a first generation British-Jamaican, Dr Carlton Brown set out to bring premium products reflecting the vibrancy of Caribbean flavours to the UK with three food and drink brands of his own: Marshall & Brown, which puts its name to a range of premium chutneys and jams, natural infusion teas, rum truffles and cask-aged rums; Mama Brown’s Jamaican Rum Cakes, inspired by the Brown’s 97 year-old mother, of which there are six variants; and The Jerk House, which specialises in hot sauces, rubs and marinades and as of late, spiced fruit jams, all made with natural ingredients. marshallandbrown.co.uk
Charlie Odunukwe II, founder, Riddles Ice Tea
MAMA
SHOW PREVIEW
A quarter of a century… and counting
Speciality & Fine Food Fair returns to Olympia London on Tuesday 10th and Wednesday 11th September to celebrate the latest new products, innovations and trends in the world of food & drink and to mark its 25th anniversary with a range of new features and exclusive events.
We can’t wait to welcome the speciality food & drink sector back to the Fair for two inspiring days discovering delicious new products, hearing from insightful industry leaders and networking with peers.
“This year is a truly special edition of the Fair as we celebrate our 25th anniversary, including a fantastic documentary looking back at the history of the event with some of our key partners and producers. We are so excited to bring this unique community together once more.
Nicola Woods, Event Manager for Speciality & Fine Food Fair
HERE’S TO HUGH!
The Fair will be welcoming multi-award-winning writer and broadcaster Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall to this year’s event. Known for his uncompromising commitment to seasonal, ethically produced food and his concern for the environment, Fearnley-Whittingstall will be interviewed live on stage during the Fair’s Power Breakfast, in partnership with Invest Northern Ireland.
Fearnley-Whittingstall will also be joining the Farm Retail Association (FRA) at an exclusive event on the second day of the Fair to mark the association’s comprehensive new rebrand.
DON’T MISS THE GREAT TASTE DELI
Visitors to the Fair will be able to pop into the Great Taste Deli to explore a range of products recognised by the Guild of Fine Food’s Great Taste, including products awarded with the highest 3-star accolade and the products nominated for 2024’s Golden Forks.
Join the who’s who of the retail and hospitality sector at Speciality & Fine Food Fair 2024, taking place on Tuesday 10th – Wednesday 11th September at Olympia London. To learn more about everything happening at this year’s event, and to register for your complimentary trade ticket, visit specialityandfinefoodfairs.co.uk.
SHOW PREVIEW
THE START-UP VILLAGE
The Start-Up Village is at the heart of the Fair, packed with up-and-coming food & drink businesses. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet with brand owners launching innovative products, pushing the boundaries of taste and pioneering in the field of sustainability.
From artisanal chocolates to craft spirits and niche superfoods, the Start-Up Village also cultivates an atmosphere of collaboration, allowing like-minded entrepreneurs to connect, learn and grow.
Joining the Fair this year are The London Brownery – a business launched by three siblings and offering luxurious brownies – and plant-based ready-meal brand Wildly Tasty. Another new exhibitor is Fair is Farah Coffee, whose products offer a journey into the heart of Somali tradition. Discover more of the start-ups at SFFF throughout this preview.
NEW PRODUCTS AT THE FAIR
Visitors to the Fair will be able to enjoy a wide range of exciting new speciality food & drink products. Made on the company’s farm in Herefordshire, drinks from Foreva Farmers use renewable energy at a carbon neutral facility. They come in flavours including Smoky Ginger Ale, Classic Tonic Water and Elderflower & Honey Tonic Water.
Cheese brand Golden Hooves will be launching a new regenerative Double Gloucester, while Indian cooking sauce brand Aagrah will be showcasing its new Garlic & Coriander Naan.
The Fresh Pasta Company will be introducing a new collection of products –Cured & Raw – and the company has recently partnered with Valsana in Italy, which has allowed it to add an array of artisanal Italian products to its offering.
Hames Chocolates will be debuting new flow wrapped Hot Chocolate Stir-Ins, a true indulgence for chocolate lovers, available in 15 flavours, with recyclable packaging and a compostable spoon.
Oatopia will be launching a new range of oat bakes made using high quality natural ingredients. The four flavours, Almond Bakewell, Peanut Butter, Salted Caramel and Original, are all presented in contemporary designed recyclable packaging.
DECADES OF WORKING WITH QUALITY PRODUCERS
Speciality & Fine Food fair will also be welcoming a number of well-established artisan food & drink brands, trusted by buyers around the UK and internationally to supply quality products.
For more than 20 years, Cibosano has been importing high quality Italian charcuterie and supplying a range of quality products to independent retailers and restaurants around the UK. These include cheeses matured with black truffles, saffron, chilli, crushed vines, fresh Sicilian ricotta and buffalo mozzarella.
Long-standing partner to the Fair and the UK’s biggest regional food group Taste of the West will also be on hand to showcase a number of quality products from Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire.
CEO John Sheaves, comments: “Taste of the West has proudly played a major part in the history of Speciality & Fine Food Fair. The Fair is an invaluable platform for quality West Country producers to showcase their products to the wider world and we’re very much looking forward to this year’s special edition of the event.”
Visitors to the Fair can also meet The Fine Cheese Co. Selectors and affineurs of the best British and European cheeses. With a motto of ‘Seek out the best, and, when you’ve found it, keep looking’, The Fine Cheese Co. is trusted by buyers to put quality at the heart of everything it does.
Also at the Fair this year is La Credenza, an importer and distributor of Italian artisan food products established in 2001. Based in London with an Italian sourcing office, it has a wide product range including cheese, charcuterie, pasta, biscuits, flours and specialty breads made by artisan producers throughout Italy, expertly selected by the in-house team.
Buyers can also meet with the team behind Tahi, an ecological reserve in the North of New Zealand, producing sustainable, biodiversitypromoting Manuka honey. Tahi has dedicated the past 20 years to strategic ecosystem restoration and 100% of the profits from honey sales are invested into environmental and community projects.
INTERNATIONAL INNOVATION
In addition to quality producers from the UK, Speciality & Fine Food Fair exhibitors include innovative international brands from countries including Australia, France, Belgium, Ghana, Germany, the United States, Spain and Georgia.
In a year packed with meaningful anniversaries, French confectionery brand Pierrot Gourmand will be marking 100 years of its iconic ice cream at the Fair. The company is one of many brands from around the world taking part, with everything from Belgian chocolates to Georgian honey to tropical fruit from Thailand to sample.
Buyers will also have the chance to meet with Pinna Fidelis, a Spanish wine brand crafting and producing wines from its own vineyard using tinta del país grapes.
Monatea, a South African brand, will be showcasing its range of exquisite organic Rooibos-based botanical and functional beverages available in three distinct flavours.
PITCH LIVE WITH IND!E AND OCADO
Speciality & Fine Food Fair has announced an exciting new partnership with IND!E and Ocado, giving two innovative food & drink brands with the opportunity to secure a listing with the online supermarket.
Open to exhibitors at Speciality & Fine Food Fair 2024, Pitch Live will see brands take part in a Dragon’s Den-style live pitch on the Fair’s Talking Trends stage, before one food brand
and one drinks brand are declared the winners.
The two winning brands will secure a listing on Ocado through the IND!E partnership. The IND!E shop-in shop at Ocado will be a dedicated space to showcase a curated selection of innovative products from emerging brands, offering customers a unique shopping experience and giving SMEs the chance to reach a wider audience.
Hannah McKillop, Marketing Manager at IND!E, says: “We’ve decided to partner with Speciality & Fine Food Fair again for 2024 because it aligns perfectly with our mission to connect with and support quality, innovative brands and help them get into retail.
“The Fair provides a unique platform for emerging brands to showcase their products to a diverse and engaged audience, fostering brand awareness and loyalty. Additionally, our past collaborations have proven successful, and it has been fantastic to work with the winner of Pitch Live last year in bringing their products to UK consumers.”
Freya O’Mara, Trading Manager, Pantry and Speciality Foods at Ocado Retail, says, “At Ocado and through our partnership with IND!E, we are passionate about bringing our customers the best and most unique products available, and Pitch Live allows us to discover and support the next generation of standout brands. We look forward to seeing the creativity and quality that this year’s participants will bring to the table.”
TALKING TRENDS AT THE FAIR
Industry leaders from Waitrose, Macknade, Ocado and more will be taking to the stage for the Fair’s 2024 seminar programme, which each year is a must-attend for retailers and hospitality professionals to keep on top of the latest trends and innovations in the world of speciality food & drink.
The Drinks Uncovered stage will play host to a wide range of talks and demos centred around the drinks sector. Sarah Stewart, Sake Wine & Cheese Educator at West London Wine School, will be discussing pairings of saké and cheese and the delicious synergy rooted in the power of umami, while Cibare Food & Drinks Magazine Editor-in-Chief Eve Tudor will be hosting a discussion of the world of low & no.
A panel moderated by Ruth Dolby, director at Food Science Fusion will see Richard Enion, director at ENRICHD, Darwin Fletcher, founder and creator of Quirky Monkey and Zain Peer, co-founder of London Nootropics delve into the world of mushroom-based drinks and the rise of functional beverages.
The Talking Trends stage, in partnership with the European Union, will host a comprehensive programme of content covering everything from the latest speciality retail trends to hot new ingredients to topics such as DEI, empowering retail teams and consumer perceptions of ultra-processed foods.
Leading industry voices including Andrew Goodacre of the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA), Emma Mosey of the Farm Retail Association and Fine Food Digest’s Michael Lane will be taking to the stage to discuss what independent retail should be asking of the new Labour Government, and key areas of campaigning for the industry.
Debbie Davies, Founder of Contigo Management, Sarah Bull, Head of Development at Bakkavor, Mark Thomson, Co-Founder and Insight Director at TRKR and Stu Macdonald, Founder of ManiLife, will be discussing the contentious subject of ultra-processed foods and changing consumer attitudes to ingredient lists.
Macdonald says: “Most of the UK’s problems can be linked back to poor nutrition or food culture in some way. Getting people to cook and eat real food is one of the most powerful levers any Government can pull. The new
Government in power has an opportunity to make real change but, as with any intervention that path will be riddled with pitfalls.”
New for 2024 is the Tasting Station, a revolving sampling spot where visitors can try out award-winning products including Fermented Black Peppercorns by Ausha, First Ukrainian Dry Gin by LK Distillery, Cold Brew Organic Super Berries by English Tea Shop and a range of products from the Isle of Bute and Northern Ireland.
SPECIALITY & FINE FOOD FAIR AWARDS 2024
The shortlist has been unveiled for the Speciality & Fine Food Fair Awards 2024, sponsored by the Federation of French Charcuterie Catering Companies (FICT), which recognise quality artisan products and inspiring independent retailers.
Nicola Woods, Event Manager for Speciality & Fine Food Fair, says: “We were overwhelmed by the volume and quality of the award entries this year, with our judges deliberating hard to select the shortlisted products and businesses.
“It’s so exciting to see the innovation in the UK and international speciality food sector, and to read about the amazing work independent retailers are doing to serve their communities and champion artisanal food & drink. Congratulations to everyone shortlisted, we can’t wait to celebrate with you at the Fair!”
The shortlist for the 2024 Speciality & Fine Food Fair Awards is:
Golden Hooves - Smoked Cheddar Best DEI Initiative
NEMI Teas Ltd.
The Biskery
Large Independent Retailer of the Year, in partnership with BIRA
Low Sizergh Barn
The De Beauvoir Deli
Cobbs Farm Co Ltd
Priory Farm Estate
Small Independent Retailer of the Year, in partnership with BIRA
Cheese Etc. The Pangbourne Cheese Shop
The Norfolk Deli
Forest Deli
The Cheese Lady
SHOW PREVIEW
WHAT’S ON FOR 2024 SHOW
A1701 Luxury Handcrafted Nougat 1834
888 Organic Exporter Co 1444
Aagrah Foods 2508
Aceitunas Torrent 1320b
Adamas Caviar 2624
Adela’s Vegan Deli 2651
All Dressed Up Dressings 2728
Allpress Espresso 2502
ALPA 2718
Alsop & Walker 2525
Ana’s Couture Chocolate 2762
Aperitivos de Añavieja 1740h
Aphrodite Premium Greek Honey 2607
Apicola Del Bierzo 1730c
Apigeo 1216a
ArgaNut 2738
Arotz Foods 1110b
Artefritas 1110f
Artisan Olive Oil Company 1351
Asilia Salt 2708
Asso Fruit Italia 1930
Associazione Ortofrutticoltori 1930
Atlantic Distillery 1048
Ausha 2520
AussieMite 1204
Awaken Your Ibérico Sense! 1840g
BBar Buoy Cocktails 845
Bardo Ventures 2732
Bay Coffee Roasters 3145
Be Truffle 1940a
Beerenberg Pty 1204
Beesanté 2752
Beleaev Caviar House 3171
Belhaven Smokehouse 2034
Belmoca 1151
Bickford’s Group of Companies 1204
Big Ginger Sauce Co 2712
Blackthorn Salt 2131
Bodegas Agoris 1110c
Bodegas Lambuena 1740d
Bodegas Mazas 1730f
Bodegas Rudeles 1110d
Bohyang Tea Co. 2757
Bolschare Agriculture 1021a
BoTree Seasonings 2133
Brand Tap Group 1044
Brookside Botanicals 2629
Brothway 1640
Brown Bag Crisps 2515
Brut Tea 2748
Buderim Ginger 2531
Burren Balsamics 2622
Buzz Honey 1204
C
Caliendo’s Gelato 3170
Callestick Ice Cream 1420A
Can It 1528
Can’t be bothered Wine 964 Carisips 2740
César Nieto 1730a
Charbonnel Et Walker /House of Dorchester 1907
Chocolate
Cotswold Fayre 1610
More than Truf e!
WE SELECT THE BEST RAW MATERIALS TO ENSURE SAFETY AND TASTE. OUR FRESH AND PRESERVED TRUFFLES ARE PROCESSED FOLLOWING GENUINE AND INNOVATIVE RECIPES TO OFFER MANY HEALTHY AND FLAVORFUL PRODUCTS READY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF CONSUMERS AND PROFESSIONALS.
SCAN NOW. TASTE OUR SELECTION!
VEGAN FRIENDLY
GLUTEN FREE
SHOW PREVIEW
WHAT’S NEW
MEADOWS HONEY
Stand 2700
Meadows Honey is committed to giving back to the planet. With a passion for bees, meadows, and the creation of high-quality honey, the producer strives to capture the rich flavours that only nature can provide. Because honey is a seasonal product, the company has expanded its search beyond the UK to partner with beekeepers in various countries. This approach ensures a consistent supply of premium honey for its blends. Meadows Honey is devoted to sourcing superior-quality honey from responsible apiarists who prioritise the welfare of their bee colonies. meadowshoney.com
Embutidos Peñacruz 1310k
Emmi UK 2004 English Pink Rosé 1239
English Tea Shop 1803
Espora Truffles 1740f Essence Foods 1402
Europe Shares 2151 F
Fag Creative Foods 1745
Farah Coffee 2613 Farhi 815
Fauna & Flora 2918
FIAB 1320, 1310, 1120, 1110, 1021
FieldGoods 1502
Fine Cheesemakers of Scotland 2135
Flamigni 1940e
Flavour Head Botanical Tea 2633
Flynn Fox Nuts 2649
Foie Royal 1905
FoieGood - The Foie Gras Alternative 1730e
FoodBev Media 1020
Foreva Farmers 1908
Fowlescombe Rare & Pasture 1301
Free From Awards 2733
SHOW PREVIEW
Hampton Court Spirits 1135
Hello Good Sip 2906
hello-k + Kpop Foods 2930
Hensol Castle Distillery 1130
High Quality Food 1704
Honeyberries 2623
House of Theobroma 2726
II Love Fruit & Veg From Europe 1930
Ibericos Fisan 1740e
Ibéricos Guillén 1740g
Ibericos Montesano 1840a
Ibericos Revisan 1740k
ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones 1120
Incognito Spirit Company 1040
Ind!e 2745
Industrias Carnicas Campohermoso 1310d
Inglish-Swallow & Inglish-Swalloat 2722
International Trade Centre 1430
Iqf Frozen Fruits / Chestnut 1340f
Isle of Bute Smokehouse 2138
Isle of Skye Sea Salt Co. 1004
Itania Olive Oil by My Father’s Land 2721
JJamones Ibéricos Blázquez 1320e
JD’s Hot Honey 2663
Joe and Sephs 1920
John Ross Jr 1805
Joli 1461
Jörg Geiger non-alcoholic wines 968
Joy 2734
Joypots 813
Julián Martín 1740b
Just Gourmet Foods 1460
Juthan Chocolate 2736
KKalios 2644
Karmaceuticals 2609
Keats Chocolatier 1621
Kohlico Brands UK 1660
Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation 1534
Kytons Bakery Australia 1204
LLa Credenza 1729
La Prudencia 1840d
La Quinta Vendimia 1110e
La Tua Pasta 1002
Labelling Solutions 1252
Labelnet 1008
Ladamakes 2702
Lakrids by Bülow 1924
WHAT’S NEW
ALL DRESSED UP
Stand 2728
All Dressed Up is on a mission to shake up the dressing category. Made by Tess, an exprivate chef, the dressings celebrate flavour first and use the best possible ingredients. The four flavours (Everyday House, Tahini & Lime, Miso & Sesame, Spicy Harissa) each have their own individual flavour profile. They are also ambient and designed to be used in a variety of ways, both hot and cold. Packaged in recyclable squeezy bottles with eye-catching branding, the dressings are meant to make eating healthier more fun, convenient and delicious.
alldressedupdressings.com
SHOW PREVIEW
WHAT’S NEW
WILDLY TASTY
Stand 2661
Wildly Tasty offers a nutritious range of plantbased meals crafted for families and children. Made by hand with natural ingredients and frozen to preserve nutrients, all of the recipes are also low in salt, making them suitable for all ages. They are packaged in 100% recyclable materials, allowing Wildly Tasty to promote both wholesome eating and sustainability to kids from a young age. wildlytasty.com
Lauden
Long Clawson Dairy 1027
Loveday
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OLa Deliziosa 1930
Meridia 1930
Eat & think pink UK 1940c
Oakley Food Projects 1701
Oatopia 3175
Oleoalmanzora 1310h
Omega Pressary 2619
OR-ganic 3128
Organic Herd 1401
Owl & Monkey Pink Tea 3165
Ozerlat Coffee and Confectionery 2751
PPaella Autentica 1021c
Parker’s Chocolate 1420/C
Pasamelo 2667
Passion Fit Food 2636
Peat’d 1019
Perche’ Ci Credo 2755
Persian Kitchen 2744
Pescaviar 1320a
Peter’s Yard 1810
Pierre Marcolini 1743
Pierrot Gourmand 1350
Pimp Your Mayo 2625
Pink Salt Shed 2717
Pinna Fidelis 1730h
Plus Coffee 2716
Popcorn Kitchen 2529
Popcorn Shed 1302
Purely Scottish Natural Mineral Water 2030
Q
Quesos Vega Sotuelamos - Vega Mancha
Spanish Cheese Makers 1110h
Quirky Monkey 2665
R
Ramus Seafood 1603
Rebel Kitchen 1010
Region of Castilla Y Leon 1740, 1730
Repertoire Culinaire 1628
Revolution New Food - Gluten Free 1630
Rhucello 839
Rio De La Miel 1730g
RISI 1021b
Roca Trading Import Export 1545
Rojo Exporta 1730b
Rosalie’s 1644
Rosemullion Distillery 1410/E
Royal Honey 1216b
Russell & Atwell 2600
Rymer Farm Eggs 1102
WHAT’S NEW
WINE THAT’S FRUIT
Stand 2643
Wine That’s Fruit offers a selection of new English wines made from fruits other than grapes. Crafted in Herefordshire without any artificial additives, the full range is vegan-friendly, gluten-free, and free from added sulphites, preservatives, colouring, or flavourings. The wines are made solely from fruit, allowing the natural flavours to come through. Packaged in 250ml environmentally friendly cans, they tap into the current boom in the ready-to-drink market. winethatsfruit.com
At Cegin Haul we offer a range of Artisan Bakes, sweet and savoury made to order. Specialising in Afternoon Teas.
Always looking to offer new products, seeking new delicious recipes never compromising on standard. We are very proud to share that we have five sweet products that have been awarded 1-star. Honest, true, delicious every time. Why not give them a try!
Pistashio and Lemon cookies
Cranberry, white choc and orange Welsh cakes Peacan Fudge
Cegin Haul Artisan cakes, bakes and more
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WHAT’S NEW
SUPERKEEN Stand 2603
SUPERKEEN™ is dedicated to promoting an anti-inflammatory lifestyle, fostering a community of health enthusiasts, AIP (Autoimmune Protocol) followers, free-from devotees, and those who avoid allergens. Indeed, the brand’s commitment to allergenfree living is so strong that it has developed its own range of baked cereals. superkeenfoods.com
Moist sponge soaked in coconut syrup, layered with a mousse-like mix of mascarpone, condensed milk, whipping cream, and coconut puree. Complimented with a crunchy mixture of white chocolate and toasted almonds, all adorned with coconut flakes.
great_taste_2024.qxp_Layout 1 01/08/2024 07:26 Page 1 Place your Christmas order today!
Our winter collection delivers an exciting range of hand-selected products from moreish treats to gifting suitable for all ages and preferences. There really is something for everyone
Download our Christmas brochure to see our full range
Rafaello Cake Banana Bread
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The
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE Castile and León
The land of milk, honey... and meat
Unique landscapes, ancient cra skills and deep-rooted traditions are the foundations of Castile and León’s food culture, and explain why the region’s products keep on winning awards
The stars have aligned and Castile and León is once again home to a remarkable haul of twinkling Great Taste awards.
Nearly 50 food and drink products from the region were recognised with stars in this year’s competition, with eight products earning the highest accolade, three stars. To put that into perspective, there were only 27 3-star winners in the whole of Spain.
None of this should come as a surprise. The country’s largest region, characterised by a diverse landscape of plains, mountains, rivers and lakes, Castile and León is a beautiful place where farming and traditional food production is an integral part of the local economy and culture. This is clearly re ected by this year’s 3-star winners, which are united by being rooted in the places where they are made.
CHEESE REGION
The region’s high plains have been home to ocks of sheep for thousands of years with sheep’s milk cheeses a speciality. Zamorano
PDO and Castellano PGI are the most famous, but there are plenty of other styles made there, as Queso de Oveja Trufado (tru ed sheep’s milk cheese) goes to show. A new ‘curado’ cheese, which is enriched with black tru e, it won a 3-star at the awards with judges impressed by its balanced avour.
The cheese is made by Valle de San Juan in Palencia, which was set up in 1998 by businessman and entrepreneur Juan Manuel Rodríguez and has quickly grown to be a major supplier to retailers in Spain. It sources its milk from ocks in VegaValdavia, an area of Palencia made up of plateaus, valleys, hills, rivers and forests. As
Valle de San Juan
Rodriguez says: “Our location provides us with the best raw material, milk.”
HIVE MINDS
There aren’t many materials more raw than the honey made by Mª de la Paz González Álvarez under the Miel Logon brand. It is extracted from honeycomb, harvested from 200 hives, and is never heat treated or micro ltered. The idea, explains owner José López, is to express the unique ora of Las Médulas Natural Area where the hives are located (a UNESCO World Heritage site).
“Our aim is to improve the rural world, while respecting ecosystems, trying to maintain the traditions and customs of yesteryear and, above all, respecting that precious asset that are the bees that do so much good in nature,” says López, who started making honey as a hobby in 2004 when a family friend gave him some beehives.
His Honeydew with Chestnut Honey, which won a 3-star this year, is made with a mix of
Julian Martin
chestnut honey and also honeydew – a sugary substance (not nectar) secreted by oak and holm oak trees and converted into honey by the bees. It has a dark amber color, oral aroma with a sweet, salty avour, says López.
Another honey to win a 3-star was Miel Los Argüellos Heather (Calluna) Honey. The owner of Los Argüellos, Mariano Fernandez Garcia, also fell into honey making almost by accident and is passionate about nature.
“Beekeeping came into my life thanks to my father, who had some hives as a hobby,” he says. “I combined my hobby for bees while working in a coal mine. But with the closure of the mine I had to reinvent myself and I turned my hobby into a profession in 2018.”
Located in a small town called Matallana de Torío, the company is close to the Argüellos Biosphere Reserve, an area of great ecological value. “We make our honey in the most traditional and respectful way possible, both for the environment and for the bees, leaving them with su cient reserves of honey to get through the winter,” he explains. “Calluna honey comes from the heather Calluna vulgaris, which is present in all our settlements but only in one of them are the bees able to take advantage of it.”
One of the most famous is Cecina de León –a smoked, cured beef, protected with a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). Embutidos Ferju, which is based in Pobladura de Pelayo García, has won a 3-star for its Cecina de León many times.
The company’s origins stretch back to current owner Pablo Ferrero’s grandmother who had a butcher’s shop in the town where the factory is based. “We do things as our grandparents did, with the help of the technology that exists today but without losing the essence,” he says. “We have a perfect climate for the curing of our products, with long, dry winters and short summers. In addition, we are surrounded by two mountain ranges, which means that a fresh wind always arrives.”
Where to buy Great Taste winning foods from Castile and León in the UK
Melvaco: Embutidos Entrepreñas Chorizo and Cecina de Suprema mevalco.com
Longcroft & Old: Cesar Nieto Bellota 100% Ibérico ham longcroftandold.com
Nicolás y Valero: Julián Martín 100% Ibérico Bellota nicolasyvalero.co.uk
This is due to factors, including high altitude (1,347 metres above sea level) and natural humidity, which create the right environment for the bees to collect their valuable nectar and turn it into honey. This helps create the honey’s gelatinous texture, deep amber colour and intense avour, which includes a touch of bitterness.
PURE CURE
Climate and terroir are also essential ingredients of Castile and León’s other famous food export: cured meats. The region produces an array of hams, chorizos and other charcuterie, which is re ected by the fact that ve di erent cured meats took home top marks at Great Taste.
The natural environment is also pinpointed as an important factor for success by Natalia Ordóñez Gutiérrez, quality manager at Embutidos Entrepeñas in Geras, near León. The cool temperatures, air ow and high altitude of the family business, which is 1200m above sea level in the mountains of León, allows it to slowly mature its meats, leading to a better avour and texture, says
The company won 3-stars for two cured meat products this year, including its agship Chorizo de León, which is famous across Spain. Made with only with the best cuts of jamón, mixed with salt from the Mediterranean, natural garlic and Pimentón de La Vera PDO paprika, it is then cured for several months and lightly smoked.
Its other winner was Suprema de Cecina, which is similar to Cecina de León but is not covered by the PGI because it is pressed to make slicing easier. It’s made with beef from veyear-old cattle, which is salted with sea salt, cured for at up to 18 months and lightly smoked over oak.
THE HOME OF GREAT HAM
Of course, Spain is most famous for ham (jamón)
and Castile and León does not disappoint. Salamanca-based Julián Martín has been curing legs for nearly 100 years in the town of Guijuelo. Its 3-star 100% Ibérico Bellota is the pinnacle of ham production, made with 100% pure Ibérico pigs fed on a diet of acorns (bellotas). This is during the ‘montanera’, between October and March, when pigs roam freely in pastures feeding on acorns and herbs.
“These pigs live their entire life cycle in the pastures, where they can enjoy a wide variety of natural foods such as fruits, roots, mushrooms and the spectacular acorn, from cork oaks, holm oaks and gall oaks,” explains communications consultant Blanca López de Ceballos.
The hams are cured and aged for a minimum of 40 months in cellars, which gives the meat a juicy texture, while there is an unmistakably nutty avour from the pigs’ acorn diets
There is something in the air in Guijuelo because another ham producer based there, Cesar Nieto, has also won a 3-star for its Bellota 100% Ibérico ham, which is covered by the Guijuelo PDO.
The company says that the unique microclimate of Guijuelo and its location more than 1,000m above sea level, means less salt is required for curing compared to other areas, which gives the ham an initial sweetness.
“It is a special area due to its climate, as it has long, cold and dry winters ideal for carrying out the natural curing required by these unique hams in the world,” says CEO César Nieto Martín, who is the h generation of the family to make ham. “Our philosophy is based on making people happy through products of the highest quality, which are also healthy and sustainable.”
Ham that makes people happy. Only in Castile and León.
For more information, contact: promocion.ice@jcyl.es
www.jameswhelanbutchers.com | info@jameswhelanbutchers.com BEAN-TO-BAR PRODUCED IN SURREY
We produce chocolate from organic beans to the final bar (bean-to-bar). We do not use imported chocolate in any of our products. ONLY 3
INGREDIENTS
Our chocolate contains only three components: cocoa, milk and sugar No emulsifiers, palm oil, artifical additives, or gluten-based products.
We meticulously grind our beans for three days, resulting in a velvety finish that melts in your mouth.
Nana Lily’s is NOT just for Christmas
Nana Lily’s decadent, fruity Christmas pudding goes back four generations all the way to my Great Grandmother on the West Coast of Ireland. This fruit filled traditional plum pudding is flavoured with warm Christmas spices and liberally laced with Kilbeggan Irish whiskey, with the recipe remaining unchanged over the years.
In addition we have a range of sponge puddings and condiments, using traditional recipes with a modern twist available all year around.
www.nanalilys.co.uk
flour is ancient which from the finest
Our award-winning flour is produced from the finest ancient grains which are sustainably grown in the beautiful British countryside. Our entire range carry the highly sought after Great Taste 2 and 3 star awards, in recognition of outstanding quality and flavour.
Available in 1kg and 20kg bags. Minimum order 2 boxes of 10 × 1 kg bags. No delivery charges. Call or email today for a trade price list
• Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add the frozen blackberries to a heatproof bowl that sits comfortably over the pan, but not touching the water; cover with a lid and simmer for an hour (keep checking that there’s enough water in the pan). Leave to cool and then sieve the blackberries. Discard the pulp and add a squeeze of lemon juice to the juice, and more sugar if needed.
• Measure how much liquid you have. Based on your quantity, allow 1 leaf of gelatine for 200ml of liquor. Put the gelatine into a small dish and cover with a little cold water.
• Gently heat the blackberry liquor and then add the gelatine into it, stirring until it has dissolved.
• Allow to cool a little before pouring into bowls or glasses. Leave in the fridge for at least 3 hours to set.
• To serve, garnish with halved fresh blackberries and a jug of cream.
INGREDIENTS & EQUIPMENT
La Tua Pasta has expanded its range with a number of new lines that are ideal for café operations. Mushroom & Sausage Lasagna and Pesto Lasagna are readyto-cook and come in 2.5kg trays. The London-based producer has also launched Mini Ravioli with a number of fillings. latuapasta.com
Given the pesticides and waxes found on fresh produce, washing fresh produce with just water is largely ineffective. That was the motivation behind Veggi Wash, a 100% safe and natural product that effectively removes soil, agricultural chemicals and waxes from fruit and vegetables. It comes in a number of formats, including concentrate (500ml, 5L), readyto-use spray (750ml) and in Wash Wipes (pack of 50). veggiwash.co.uk
Panasonic UK has launched the NE-SCV3 high-speed accelerated oven, which offers microwave (nine different power levels), grill and convection cooking. The design of the 38kh unit, which is ventless and has a built-in catalytic converter, ensures even heat distribution and Panasonic says its cavity is also easy to clean. The NE-SCV3 can be used to cook, toast, bake, grill and reheat – so will prove useful whether operators are baking-off pastries or cooking meat dishes.
Recipe by Phil Howard, Elystan Street in Chelsea
WORLD CHEESE AWARDS 2024
Viseu, Portugal from 14 - 17 November
KEY DATES 2024
Entry closes: 16 September
Cheese staged: 14 November | Judging: 15 November
Results available: 16 November
Small business (Turnover less than £1m) £56 per cheese
Medium business (Turnover £1-5m) £67 per cheese
Large business (Turnover more than £5m) £88 per cheese
Discover the award-winning ITANIA Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, where heritage, quality, and wellness come together. Originating from the heart of Crete, ITANIA is crafted without chemicals, delivering pure and distinctive avour rich in health-boosting antioxidants. Bottled in a premium packaging to preserve its excellence, this olive oil is abundant in powerful polyphenols and vitamin E, known for supporting cardiovascular and neuronal health, along with anti-in ammatory bene ts. ITANIA is more than just a healthy choice—it’s a thoughtful gift for yourselves and for your loved ones.
ITANIA is a celebration of both the planet’s health and your own.
Spreading the word
Seeking a new direction, Chardee Ezadkhasty le her corporate career to go full time with Persian Kitchen, and share the wonders of Iranian cuisine, far and wide.
Interview by Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox
What was the inspiration behind Persian Kitchen?
I’ve always had the idea of having some form of Persian Kitchen, whether that’s having products in retail, a cookbook or a YouTube channel. I was born and raised in Hertfordshire, my mum is English, but my dad is from Isfahan in Iran, so I grew up eating authentic, traditional stews and dishes. I absolutely loved it, it’s such a wonderful cuisine, and I wanted to share it.
I actually designed my logo when I was in school; with an ancient Persian king and beautiful Iranian architecture. It was inspired by the Si-o-Se Pol bridge in Isfahan, which has 33 arches. I really wanted that in the branding.
So in answer to your question, I’ve always known that I wanted to do it, but I haven’t been able to go full-time with it until this year. I studied at LSE, so I always felt tremendous pressure to be like my peers and go down the corporate route, which I did: I started o in investment banking, then moved to the cabinet o ce and nally ended up doing strategy consulting. The irony of that is my name is Chardee (an English take on the traditional spelling of Shadi), I really am happiest when I’m cooking, baking, when I’m making a reel on how to choose the best watermelon, that brings my soul alive.
It’s not every day that someone cooking from home wins Great Taste awards. That’s given me that push to actually make it a business and I’m really happy to say that I’m doing it full-time now.
I really want to show that there is so much more to Middle Eastern food than just hummus and falafel
Talk us through your range of products – what did you start off with and how have you gone about introducing new products? It actually started o with sa ron and rosewater ice cream, which was also my rst Great Taste award, because that was my favourite thing to eat when I was on holiday in Iran.
I was fortunate enough to shadow some master ice cream makers and when I came back to UK I really wanted to share it with my friends, my family, my colleagues, and even the small number of followers that I was starting to build on Instagram, because it’s just so delicious. It’s too good to gatekeep.
But of course, ice cream was really logistically challenging to distribute, and now I’ve really grown the range. I do baked goods – delicious Persian love cake with pistachio, almond, cardamom, rose. It’s a feast for the senses. That won an award in Great Taste this year, which is so exciting and lovely.
I also do a few luxury honey infusions, using raw British honey from the home counties; one is infused with a dry Persian rose petal, and one is infused with sa ron.
Excitingly, this year, I really leaned into the dips frontier of Persian Kitchen, which I really do envisage being the product that will launch the brand from doing it on the kitchen table to being in larger shops.
I really want to show that there is so much more to Middle Eastern food than just hummus and falafel. These dips really do just shake up the category. We also won an award in Great Taste for the Kasha Bademjan, which I call ‘The Minty One’.
Where are you focusing your sales at the moment?
I sell online via my website and at several delis and independents across London. I’m now talking to di erent production partners, as I need to scale up. I’ve also been doing the farmers’ market circuit this year. I don’t want to jinx anything, but I’m in some exciting talks with a few, medium and large-scale buyers.
Where do you see Persian Kitchen products being sold, eventually?
I think that to ensure that most people can enjoy Persian cuisine in their own homes, or if they’re hosting and they want to have new things on their grazing boards, then it is really important actually to be in independents, in high-end department stores and perhaps more premium supermarkets.
Persian food is so rich, it can’t be done on the cheap. And that’s one thing that I will never compromise. I don’t want to have to make sacri ces where the product su ers, because then I wouldn’t be doing justice to a wonderful cuisine.
What is the long term plan?
If it all goes well, I dream of building a a Persian food ‘Empire’, with lots of di erent products. Where I grew up wasn’t particularly diverse, and I’m really familiar with the stereotypes and the clichés that people associate with Iran. That has actually been frustrating at times, but also a great source of inspiration to share some more positive parts of the culture. Food and drink are such good conduits to opening up cultural doors and breaking down stereotypes, so I’m hoping it’s an opportunity to explore the beauty of one of the world’s most misunderstood countries. thepersiankitchen.co.uk
PRODUCTS & MERCHANDISING
New chocolate and hot sauce from South Devon Chilli Farm
By Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox
As it continues to explore the myriad opportunities presented by growing chillies in the UK, he South Devon Chilli Farm has introduced two Caribbean-inspired products – one in its hot sauce range, and a chocolate bar.
The owner and director of the farm – which grows, sells and makes products out of chillies –Amrit Madhoo, told FFD that the Mango Chilli Sauce is unique on the market in that it is made with a 100% mango base, rather than a mix of mango and peppers, or other vegetables. “It has a great consistency,” he said. “when you pour it, it’s thick and viscous as though we’ve added xanthan gum, but we haven’t.” It has a medium spice level, achieved by using a blend of chillies including the typically Caribbean, fruity Scotch Bonnet, as well as garlic, ginger and lime. It is the rst of a planned range of West Indies-inspired condiments, which the producer is holding re with until next summer – and next barbecue season. RRP £6.75, £4.39 to trade.
Anglo-Spanish brand Two&One Olive Oil harvests the ‘picual’ variety of fruit at three different stages of ripening, resulting in three different styles: Verde, or green, which is a fresh and spicy oil; Envero, made with olives harvested at mid-season, produces a fragrant and fresh oil, and Negra, the result of full term ripening of the now black olives, which is perfect for marinades, sautéing, and baking. Available in 20ml bottles to trade in cases of 36, RRP £10, in 250ml bottles (RRP £12-19 based on how early the olives were harvested) and in 500ml bottles (RRP £21-35). twoandoneoliveoil.co.uk
The Ginger & Lime chilli chocolate, meanwhile, is handmade using a 60% dark chocolate base. It replaces a cocoa nib bar in the producer’s range, and has so far proved popular with customers and stockists – with an RRP of £5.50 and a trade price of £2.98 per 80g bar, in line with the global rising prices of cocoa.
“We’ve actually taken o the limited-edition gold leaf on the corner now, just because it’s such a strong seller. It’s going to stay there now for as long as people want it, especially as we’re looking at what else can go from the line,” Madhoo said, adding that seasonal items like spiced hot chocolate could make a return for the festive period.
Amrit Madhoo and his wife Jenny, who, as well as selling a retail range, supply other producers and foodservice outlets with their own grown chillies, took over the farm in Loddiswell in 2022, when the previous owners retired. On top of everything else, their small team has been taking part in RHS ower shows, to bolster the business’ reputation and broaden the appeal of chilli plants beyond their existing base.
southdevonchillifarm.co.uk
WHAT’S TRENDING
1 Cull Yaw Mutton is killed around three years old, but cull yaw – a meat that is getting a lot of attention from restaurants – comes from sheep that are seven years old. Itamar Srulovich, co-founder of Honey & Co, called it ‘the
WHAT’S NEW
The latest addition to Popcorn Kitchen’s 51cm tall, Giant Moneybox Bottles is a Rainbow Sweet & Salt variety, released in time for Christmas or any occasion calling for jovial colours. The all-natural coloured popcorn comes in 550g bottles with an RRP of £23.99. popcornkitchen.co.uk
Ethical chocolate brand
UP-UP’s latest introduction is a Dark Espresso Bar which blends coffee essence – also sourced responsibly, with a short and transparent supply chain – into a rich 50% single-estate cocoa base from the “El Rosario” Farm on the Eastern Coast of Columbia. RRP £4.65, £2.77 (ex-VAT) to trade. upupchocolate.com
Nutural World’s dry roasted nuts – with no added salt, or oil – are available in single-nut, 500g tubs – with a range of Almond, Cashew, Hazelnuts, Macadamia, Pecan, Pine Nut, Wood Smoked Almonds and Pistachio. The producer also sells a Luxury Nut Selection tub with a mix of almonds, cashews, macadamia, pecan and pistachio. RRP £9.10-£28, £5.90-£18.50 to trade. nuturalworld.com
By Nick Baines
meat of the moment’ in the Financial Times recently, with cull yaw featuring on menus at Kiln, Black Axe Mangal, and in dumplings at the iconic mini-chain Bao. The rise in popularity is largely thanks to sheep farmer Matt Chattfield, who raises ewes no longer fit for breeding in Cornwall.
2 Rum baba is back
That retro favourite the rum baba is making a comeback across restaurants this year, including London’s Maison François and Updown Farmhouse in Kent, where it comes with strawberries and Chantilly cream. Grace Dent recently praised it for being ‘indecently boozy.’ Meanwhile, Claude Bosi’s newest restaurant Josephine serves you a large slice of
baba sponge, doused with rum and topped with vanilla cream. And if there’s no time for sitting in, you can get a takeaway limoncello baba from Liverpool Street’s Eataly.
3 Celebrity coffee
According to the New York Times, celebrity coffee is the new celebrity tequila. Tom Hanks is behind HANX coffee, which pledges profits to organisations supporting veterans. Meanwhile, actress Sofia Vergara and even former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani also have launched coffees. On the speciality coffee front, you’ll find a highly stylised collaboration between Blue Bottle Coffee and The Weeknd, including a single estate Ethiopian coffee, high-end instant coffee, and a selection of merch.
@samraorigings instagram
WHAT’S NEW
Otherly’s new 40g vegan snack bars come in two flavours: Chunky Coconut, filled with sweet and chewy coconut flakes, and Caramel Peanut, a soft caramel and crunchy whole peanut bar. Both are coated in the producer’s oatm*lk 43% Colombian cacao chocolate. Unit price £1.39, RRP £2.39. otherly.co.uk
Chilli No 5 says its Wicked Wasabi sauce is going to transform the sushi experience, with ingredients including yuzu, ginger, sweet green peppers and agave harmonising with the Japanese horseradish to create a complex, addictive flavour profile. RRP £7.50 for a 200ml bottle, £5 to trade; RRP £4 for a 100ml pouch, £2.28 to trade; RRP 2.50 for a 15ml mini bottle; £1.70 wholesale. chilli-no5.com
GSN’s Firecracker Chicken is the new line in the nutritionfocused producer’s Pot of Gold range. Panko Chicken marries a sweet, spicy and tangy sauce, with crispy mangetout, red onion, and spicy rice. RRP £3.99, trade £2.58. mygsn.co.uk
My magic ingredient
Peppup Pasta Sauce
As much as I like getting stuck into a new recipe, it’s also comforting to look in the cupboard and grab something that you know will be quick and easy to cook, but still tastes great. I always have a jar or two of Peppup pasta sauce in the cupboard – my favourites at the moment are the Garlic or Chilli, however I usually have the whole range on rotation.
The recent press focus on ultra-processed foods (UPF) has really made me think more about what I eat. Before I came across this sauce I would always try and make my own from scratch because supermarket alternatives are too sweet and full of preservatives.
What makes Peppup stand out is that it’s striking how few ingredients there are in a jar, and how recognisable they are. They’re glutenfree, free of allergens and have no added sugar, which is a major bonus for our customers.
A plate of pasta and sauce, a good grating of well-aged Parmesan from our cheese counter and a slice or two of locally baked sourdough on the side is enough to satisfy anyone. Simple, good, quality comfort food at its best.
Holleys bolsters savouries and condiments in September catalogue
By Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox
Holleys Fine Foods’ latest catalogue will feature more than 4,000 products from 450 brands, including a host of new items.
Since it put out its latest Buyer’s Guide in March 2024, the Avonmouth-based wholesaler has added lines from Bakewell and Browne’s Savouries range (Tomato & Herb Twists; Pizza Bites; Gouda Cheese Palmiers and Black Olive Palmiers, with the twists and bites available in 10 x 60g cases, and the palmiers in 10 x 80g). Head of Commercial at Holleys, Tudor Evans said the Bakewell and Browne’s products “o er bite-size treats in four tasty combinations,” with see-
through packaging that make for ideal impulse purchases for independents. Holleys is now also listing Curtice Brothers Sauces (Original Ketchup; Brooklyn Burger Sauce; Pitmaster Barbeque Sauce And Carolina Barbeque Sauce, sold in cases of 8 x 420ml), described by the Evans as “premium quality American inspired sauces in convenient squeezy format”. Finally, the wholesaler has added nine of Indian dry goods producer, Geeta’s items – six chutneys (Mango; Lime & Chilli; Mango & Chilli; Mango & Ginger; Pomegranate & Mango; Onion Chutney, sold in cases of 6 x 230g), a Lime Pickle (sold in cases of 6 x 190g) and Roti Flatbreads, the Five Seeds variety and the Sweet Onion & Paprika avour (sold in cases of 12 x 220g packs). Evans described Geeta as a “renowned quality brand o ering a premium range of chutneys, pickles and atbreads that are perfect accompaniments to World Food ranges.”
Holleys, which sells into convenience, destination and speciality retail has made its Winter Collection 2024 available on its website as well, and while the deadline for pre-orders has passed already, retailers can still place orders which it will endeavour to ful l as soon as possible.
holleysfinefoods.com
Simple, good, quality comfort food at its best
Belazu says its new trio of cooking pastes make it possible to create flavoursome dishes on the fly. The Shakshuka Paste, with a base of red peppers and sundried tomatoes and a blend of spices including cardamom, cumin, turmeric and paprika, works in stews, dips and sauces, as well as a base for the eponymous dish. The Levantine-inspired Shawarma paste –with cinnamon, turmeric, pepper, chillies and ginger – can be used to marinade all manner of meat, fish and vegetables. Finally, the Chargrilled Pepper Paste, inspired by Turkey’s Biber Salcasi, is like a tomato paste in that it can enrich, enhance and sweeten many different dishes. RRP £2.95 per 130g jar.
belazu.com
GARETH EDWARDS, manager, Coleman’s Garden Centre
Founded in 2023, The Organic Cure unites the culinary expertise of acclaimed chef Daniel Gavriilidis with the sustainable farming practices of Harry Boglione and Emily Perry from Devon’s Haye Farm. Our 90-acre organic haven nurtures high-welfare beef, sheep, pigs, and poultry alongside bountiful fruit and vegetable gardens. We craft exceptional British charcuterie in small, distinguished batches. Our process marries traditional curing techniques with organic herbs and spices, transforming carefully selected, slowgrown meats into award-winning delicacies.
Social and environmental responsibility is critical in any sector and especially important in ne food retail. Delis and farm shops thrive by di erentiating themselves and by doing business in the best way for the planet and its people.
BUSINESSES THAT CERTIFY as B Corp are 100% committed to making a positive impact. Rather than greenwashing or virtue-signalling, these companies go through a rigorous certi cation process and have to declare all their nancial and procedural workings for full transparency. There are key areas of measurement and scrutiny and to nally qualify for the B Corp stamp, they must legally commit to doing good in their company’s Articles of Association.
It’s hard to be empiric about the retail performance of B Corp certi ed food & drink brands but there are examples of increased commercial resilience and anecdotal feedback from shop oors. Retailers with good customer care are attuned to what customers care about. Brands that perform in the sector connect with customers by clarifying values and back this up with formal accreditations. These brands are o en advocates of the additional work incurred because they register the positive impacts to the triple bottom line: people, planet, and pro t.
“The organic farming movement and certi cation process is a good example of this,” says Barnes Edwards, director of The Garlic Farm. “B Corp certi cation is comparable in that it is very purpose-driven at its core, it is a movement as well as an audit and the outcomes it aims for are similarly circular and
regenerative. Both are about constantly being better, in every way.”
The Garlic Farm began its B Corp journey ve years ago. Cotswold Fayre, its principal distributor, was instrumental in communicating the advantages of following the formal, investigative process of an impact assessment. The snowball e ect of Cotswold Fayre’s supplier events were particularly helpful in connecting the farm with other like-minded businesses. Measuring the impact of a heavily diversi ed operation like The Garlic Farm is hard. Hence the length of time to achieve certi cation. What is clear, is that the farm team is fully engaged with the actions – both big and small – that can help reduce waste, improve wellbeing, increase e ciencies, and connect with communities… to name a few.
There are ve key ‘impact-areas’ of measurement and scrutiny: Environment, Customers, Workers, Community and Governance. The phrase ‘impact-areas’ might sound like the places on a car that could be hit in a crash, but the phrase is a de nition of what is impacted by what a company does or doesn’t do. The standard way of doing business is only answer to shareholders, the B Corp way is to consider more when making decisions. It’s about seeing where improvement is needed and also where a company is getting things right. It’s a game changer.
Barnes Edwards adds: “It’s humbling to know that our e orts on the farm to improve impact will never be nished. We’re only 5 years into a multi-generational process of measuring and adjusting what we do.”
With only around 3% of UK food & drink brands certi ed as B Corp, there is both a long way to go before this becomes mainstream and a big opportunity for adding value to the sector, in every sense of the word. A robust certi cation that veri es impact is a helpful antidote to misleading claims and marketing wa e.
When asked what this means for the future, Edwards had the following response: “We believe there will be better future for the planet and its people if businesses focus on being forces for good. B-Corp is a badge of honour we are product to wear, and the commitment to using our business in the best way possible is in our bones now.
“We wanted to pass the ‘impact’ test when we rst started this process, now we want to pass on the impact message. It’s a good one that can do good things.”
www.thegarlicfarm.co.uk
01983 865 378
wholesale@thegarlicfarm.co.uk
Our full range is also available with Cotswold Fayre
Situated on York’s independent high street, Bishopthorpe Road, the Good Food Shop has been part of the furniture for over 35 years. Here’s the story of how husband-and-wife team Dan Moore and Ruth Phillips breathed new life into the business, almost doubling its turnover in the space of four years.
By Tom Vaughan
The fifth stop shop
OF ALL THE businesses to have bought in the depths of lockdown, a deli was actually quite a good choice, Ruth Phillips, co-owner of Good Food Shop York, tells FFD. It was November 2020 when she and husband Dan Moore took ownership of the premises, which has been operating on York’s ercely independent Bishopthorpe Road since 1987.
“Lockdown was actually a bit of a blessing for us opening the business,” says Phillips. “People came in two at a time, we got to know their names and they appreciated us – as it’s very much the type of place where people want to support local business.”
With almost four years of trading under
their belt, the couple have turned the Good Food Shop around – ramping up turnover from just over £300,000 in 2019-2020, to £540,000 for 2023-24. That they were able to hit the ground running was due, in no small part, to the skillsets both brought from their previous careers. Moore spent 20-years in the restaurant industry, latterly as operations director for the eight-strong London restaurant group Bird, before being made redundant early on in lockdown, while Phillips was a social worker.
“I can deal with accounts, I can deal with suppliers, all of that comes easily to me,” says Moore. “I’m not great with customer
service but that’s where Ruth is amazing –she knows people’s names and what they do. I always say we are so busy because people come in to chat with Ruth.”
Looking for a change in lifestyle and a better work-life balance, they approached the previous owner of the Good Food Shop, a er missing out on a deli in central York. The couple live around the corner from the shop, which is located just outside the old city walls on the south side of the River Ure, so have an intimate knowledge of a street which has evolved over the decades into a mecca of independent businesses. “I’d say 95% of people who shop here are local,” says
Location: 20 Bishopthorpe Rd, York YO23 1JJ
Average margin: 65-70%
Turnover: £540,000
Retail space: 360 square feet
Average basket spend: £9
Number of staff: 10 part time staff
Number of lines: 1000
VITAL STATISTICS
Ruth. “They’ll go to the butchers and then the grocers, then they’ll come here, almost as if the street were a supermarket.”
The plan from the start was to operate three arms of the business – a deli counter, retail shelves and a takeaway sandwich and salad bar. Four years on, each arm accounts for roughly a third of turnover.
The couple decided early on not to tie themselves strictly to local sourcing but to seek out the best in class.
“We want to stock things that people are excited by or inspired by or don’t see in the supermarket, and we want a great range of British cheeses,” says Moore, who drew on his restaurant experience to assemble the 40-strong cheese counter, using a mix of local and national suppliers, including The Courtyard Dairy in North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire’s Cryer & Stott, as well as Rowcli e and Harvey & Brockless. The result is a counter split of 70% British and 30% European, with popular cheeses including Baron Bigod and Sussex Blossom, made with organic sheep’s milk and wrapped in Sa ower and Calendula petals.
Also on the deli counter is Lishman’s charcuterie, available freshly sliced or in grab-and-go packets; smoked salmon from Staal Smokehouse in East Yorkshire; pork pies courtesy of local butcher Ged Bell; and bread from Haxby Bakehouse. The shop sells roughly 500 loaves a week – both whole and in sandwiches – a remarkable number considering it shares the high-street with two bakeries.
The takeaway food section is where
Moore’s restaurant background has also come to the fore, with the couple targeting the sandwich and salad selection as an area they could improve on the previous owners’ o ering. The shop now sells roughly 70 sandwiches a day, all on Haxby Bakehouse ciabatta, focaccia, sourdough or wholemeal bread – with options including smoked chicken, bacon mayonnaise and pickles, and Bonito tuna and lemon pepper mayonnaise, all priced around the £4 mark. Moore also makes up the salad and mezze selections each morning for the takeaway boxes, which are priced at £4.95.
For the retail shelves, the couple again haven’t tied themselves just to local produce. “We do like stocking local stu but we don’t do it just for the sake of it,” says Moore. “For example, you can get some really good British and Yorkshire-made pasta, but we nd that the Italian pasta we stock [from a a small family business in Abruzzo called Pasti cio Masciarelli] is really good and sells really well, so there’s no point changing it.”
Other popular items include Perelló Gordal olives, jars of White Mausu Peanut Rayu and Ortiz tuna. In fact, the shop now stocks several di erent tinned sh options as demand has surged, with suppliers including Provisions in London and Victor’s Emporium. “We didn’t even sell any a couple of years ago,” says Moore. “It’s the last couple of years that there’s been a boom in that, it’s coming into trend quite a lot.”
Torrés crisps, Guppy’s Chocolate Shards,
MUST-STOCKS
Perelló Gordal olives
Torrés Ibérico Ham Crisps
White Mausu Peanut Rayu
Staal Smokehouse Smoked Salmon
Haxby Bakehouse Sourdough
Homemade Salted Caramel Brownies
Ortiz Tuna
Belle & Herbs Kimchi
Rosebud James & Pickles
Guppy’s Chocolate Shards
Baron Bigod Cheese
Findlaters Chicken Liver Pate
Lishman’s Coppa
Dark Woods Coffee
Ged Bell Pork Pies
and Dark Woods Co ee, from Slaithwaite in West Yorkshire also sell really well. Keen to have a point-of-di erence co ee – and not co ee drinkers themselves – the couple sought out the advice of a café owner friend in central York, who swore by Dark Woods. Now they sell three di erent roasts loose. “We used to have them in retail bags and tins, but they just didn’t sell as well,” says Phillips. “But people can come in to try a small amount and we’ll grind it for them.”
The couple decided early on not to sell co ee by the cup, and still have no plans of doing so. Part of that comes down to their own skillsets, and part of which is down to the importance of not going into direct competition with a neighbour business. “There’s two really good co ee shops on the street,” says Moore. “So why would I spend my time making someone an average cappuccino when I’m not a barista?”
With so many other independent food businesses operating within a few hundred yards of each other – including co ee shops, two bakeries, a greengrocer, a butcher, is it a challenge to maintain a healthy, friendly commercial eco-system? “We all co-exist
and are friendly with each other, and make an e ort not to step on each other’s toes,” says Moore. “A guy came in recently and asked if we wanted to stock his bread. But I knew they sold it over the road so there was no point. Likewise with the co ee – we want to have a good relationship with our neighbours.”
As with every other shop on the street, the last four years have presented the deli with a host of challenges – food price rises, wage increases and energy costs all conspiring to a ect the bottom line. In some cases, food costs have doubled. At times, the couple take a big hit on their average 65-70% margin so as not to scare away customers. “Things like tea, chocolate, pasta, olive oil, it’s all doubled in price. And there’s only so many times you can pass it on to the customer,” says Moore. “Boxes of Pukka tea doubled in price from £2.35 and now we have it on at £4.95. We didn’t put the price up for a while but then it became: what’s the point in stocking it?”
Having ridden out the storm so far, the next challenge is realising the business’s potential, with the couple highlighting
two key areas that they are not currently maximising. “It’d be great to get some kind of e-commerce going, especially with hampers,” says Moore. “We get so many enquiries around Christmas, we’re just at out busy. Then there’s outside catering as well. We do a bit of it – there’s some o ces who use us occasionally and I’ve got a bike to deliver it, but we haven’t actively gone out to get business. That’s somewhere where we have the potential to grow a lot. But it’s the case of when we’re here, we are really busy. To add something else like that we’d have to look at taking on extra sta .”
So far, the Good Food Shop has delivered exactly the good life that the couple were longing for – with a healthier work-life balance and the dream of owning their own business. “By the end of my time running restaurants, I was just putting out res all the time. If I wasn’t in London, I was on the laptop or on my phone,” says Moore. “Now though, I don’t have to worry about other people – Ruth and I are in the shop most of the time and if something’s not being done right, it’s down to us and we can put it right.” goodfoodshopyork.co.uk
They’ll go to the butchers and then the grocers, then they’ll come here, almost as if the street were a supermarket.
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the changes, re ect the season, demonstrate your new stock and innovation.
Expert View Setting up shop for good hygiene
MERCHANDISING EXPERT
JUDY ROBERTS – OF RIGHT PRODUCT RIGHT PLACE – ON MAKING MOST OF HOT SPOTS
THE
Whenever discussions turn to merchandising, you’ll hear someone talking about hot spots. But what exactly are they?
Hot spots are the primary places to sell from within your space. Make the most of them and you will naturally sell more of the things that make you money. It’s really that simple.
Here is some advice on how to supercharge their superpowers.
First, identify them As customers in general, we are pretty lazy when looking around. We will focus our eyes on the things that are right in front of us and at eye-level. Therefore, all those places are hot spots. They occur in places that the most people will see as they pass through your space, e.g. the till or your most busy counter space displaying your most popular products. They are also to be found right by the entrance and at eyelevel throughout the store – again, because most people have the chance of seeing them.
Second, maximise their effectiveness. All products placed in hot spots should be working hard for you – o ering a good return to the business, but relevant to their siting in the space. A delicious chutney, or an artisan ketchup placed close to your USP of handmade sausage rolls, for instance. Ideally keep the variety going in your hot-spots. Don’t let them become wallpaper. Ring
MODEL RETAILING
Clear pricing is important on all your hot spots. Ensure you are providing all the information your customers need to act on impulse and try something new, or that they hadn’t considered until you showed it to them on the hot-spot.
Regular cleaning of slicers
You only need to clean the slicing equipment between different ready-to-eat products where there is an identified food safety issue. For example, you can slice a salami and a cooked ham on the same slicer as they are
Sorry, love I only do the ice creams around here.
All products placed in hot spots should be working hard for you – o ering a good return to the business.
And what about by the till? This point is your very last sales pitch before the customer settles up and leaves, so make sure the products are easy for customers to pick up, clearly priced and only o er a maximum of, say, ve di erent lines here. Ideally, it should be just two or three to aid impulse decision making.
Thirdly, keep your hot-spots looking tip-top. If you have limited time to restock during the day, ensure you manage to keep your hot spots topped up at very least. Move other products up into those spaces if you run low on something. Empty spaces away from the eye-line are ne, whereas empty hot spots are wasted opportunities.
Remember, your hot spots are your best spots, so treat them well and you will be rewarded. rightproductrightplace.co.uk
Could I have a flat white, please?
You can slice a salami and a cooked ham on the same slicer
both classed as ready-to-eat foods that are safe to eat without further cooking.
One food safety issue you must consider, however, is cross-contamination by allergens. Even the slightest trace of an allergen can provoke a severe allergic reaction and any products containing allergens must be kept segregated.
For quality reasons, it is advisable that cutting equipment is regularly cleaned throughout service and the use of antibacterial wipes are advised, but consideration should be given to any safety issues this practice would present to employees.
Fine
Food’s Assured Code of Practice for Deli Retailing
The guide is available in PDF format (free for Guild Members, £250+VAT for non-members). To request a copy of the Code,
This advice is an excerpt from the Guild of Fine Food’s Assured Code of Practice for Deli Retailing. The guide is available in PDF format (free for Guild Members, £250+VAT for nonmembers). To request a copy of the Code, email support@gff.co.uk
SOLVING EVERYDAY SHOPKEEPING DILEMMAS. IN MINIATURE.
Sorry to bother you, but I’d like to pay.
I’m having trouble choosing which cheese to buy!
Good luck. I’ve got less of a clue than you.
You’ll have to wait until the owner is free. I’m not till-trained.
FFD says: Independent retailers cannot afford to have under-skilled staff, especially smaller delis. If you sell coffee, everyone should be trained on the machine. And all staff should be able to operate the till to keep customers happy and moving through the store. Product knowledge is just as important because it doesn’t just secure potential sales, it can boost them too. Make sure all your staff are up to scratch.
Can I mature my hard cheeses on wooden shelves?
How can I prove that I have not exceeded a given use-by date when the outer packaging has been discarded? Can I cut cheese and meats with the same equipment? Do I have to mature or ripen cheese under refrigerated conditions? Can I display olives
Developed by the Guild of Fine Food and food experts at Cornwall Council, the Deli Retailing Code of Practice is split into three main sections – Food Safety Essentials, Good Hygiene Practices and Trading Standards – the Code is intended as a one-stop reference guide for deli teams, providing the guidance to ensure that both compliance and best practice standards can be achieved in all areas of retail.
The Deli Retailing Code of Practice is available in PDF format and can be requested by emailing support@g .co.uk. The Code is free to Guild of Fine Food members and can be purchased by non-members for £250+VAT.
