Best Brands 2016-17

BEST BRANDS 2016-17

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W W W. T I P T R E E . C O M

Given the lousy performance of pollsters on both sides of the Atlantic in 2016, there’s something reassuringly safe about the results of this year’s Best Brands survey.

EDITORIAL editorial@gff.co.uk Editor & editorial director: Mick Whitworth Deputy editor: Michael Lane Reporter: Andrew Don Art director: Mark Windsor Editorial production: Richard Charnley Contributors: Andrew Don, Bridget Cowan, Richard Faulks, Patrick McGuigan, Lynda Searby ADVERTISING advertise@gff.co.uk Sales director: Sally Coley Sales manager: Ruth Debnam Sales executives: Becky Stacey, Maria Burnett Published by the Guild of Fine Food Ltd Printed by: Blackmore, Dorset Fine Food Digest is published 11 times a year and is available on subscription for £45pa inclusive of post and packing. © The Guild of Fine Food Ltd 2016. Reproduction of whole or part of this magazine without the publisher’s prior permission is prohibited. The opinions expressed in articles and advertisements are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher.

GENERAL ENQUIRIES Tel: +44 (0) 01747 825200 Fax: +44 (0) 1747 824065 info@gff.co.uk www.gff.co.uk Guild of Fine Food, Guild House, 23b Kingsmead Business Park, Shaftesbury Road, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 5FB United Kingdom

Managing director: John Farrand Marketing director: Tortie Farrand Operations manager: Karen Price Operations assistant: Claire Powell Project manager: Christabel Cairns Training co-ordinator: Jilly Sitch Circulation manager: Nick Crosley Financial controller: Stephen Guppy Accounts manager: Denise Ballance Accounts assistant: Julie Coates Chairman: Bob Farrand Director: Linda Farrand

FINE FOOD DIGEST

As you can read, starting on p5 of this annual special edition of Fine Food Digest, there are no Brexit moments, no “Boris is Foreign Secretary – what the…?” and certainly no nasty, Trumpish surprises among list of best-performing brands in speciality food & drink. The results all ring true.

In the survey’s sixth year, retailers are telling us the best suppliers in most of their key categories – Grumpy Mule and Taylors in coffee, for example – are doing exactly what they’ve done for years: providing reliable, volume sales in a sector that often likes to focus more on the small-scale, the niche and the novel.

While they may shuffle positions, the likes of Peter’s Yard, Snowdonia Black Bomber, Pipers Crisps and Seggiano help form the commercial backbone of their categories.

And while we did breathe a sigh of relief to see Nestléowned Sanpellegrino bumped off the top slot in soft drinks by home-grown Fentimans (no complaining letters this year, I hope) there’s no sign that a major supermarket presence matters when it comes to driving “Check out our roundsales in delis, food halls and farm up of award winners shops: witness and you’ll start the continued voyaging into that less prominence of well-trodden territory Teapigs, Tyrrell’s that serious speciality and indeed shops like to explore” Fentimans in their respective categories.

As always, even fine food stores need some volume sellers. But check out our round-up of national and regional award winners, starting on p43, and you’ll start voyaging into that less well-trodden territory that serious speciality shops love to explore: Bermondsey Street Honey from south London; orange, mango & gin marshmallows from Ireland’s Camran Crafts; or Seville orange & beetroot marmalade from Lady Waterford Preserves.

The bosses of three of our favourite stores – Cobbs Farm Shop in Berkshire, Ludlow Food Centre in Shropshire and Epicerie Ludo in Manchester – have given us their personal picks of up-and-coming fine food brands (p29).

And on p57, the team here at Fine Food Digest has hopped off the fence to make our own choice of the year’s best new arrivals. Not quite as scientific as the main Best Brands survey, perhaps, but if a few of our picks make it onto your shelves – and maybe onto your list of best-sellers too – we’ll be more than happy.

INSIDE: 2016 Best Brands Survey results

5

Great Taste Shop of the Year

18

Emerging brands

29

Le Gruyère AOP Cheese Counter of the Year 31 National & regional award winners

43

Deli of the Month ‘must-stocks’

53

FFD staff’s Pick of the Year

57

Mick Whitworth Editorial Director · BEST BRANDS 2016-17

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5766Pipers Best Brand ad ART AWARD AMEND.indd 1

16/12/2016 13:24

BEST BRANDS SURVEY

Photography: Michael Lane Styling: Jilly Sitch 1950s larder: eBay

SELECTIONS FOR THE SAVVY For the sixth year, Fine Food Digest has surveyed its retail readership to find out what brands have been selling best in their stores.

We reveal the results over the course of the following seven pages. Deeper analysis of the results is provided by MICHAEL LANE while ANDREW DON interviewed retailers about how they approach some of these categories.

FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

How the survey works As always, the heart of this special edition of FFD is the coverage of our annual Best Brands Survey. Every brand featured in this section is here because independent retailers put it here.

For the sixth year running, we asked buyers in delis, farm shops and food halls around the country to name their topselling lines in a dozen categories.

We conducted the survey of our retail readership by post, email and telephone. The top scorers – i.e. most mentioned – in each category are revealed here. Where brands achieved very similar scores we have given them a joint position.

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BEST BRANDS SURVEY

COFFEE 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Grumpy Mule Monmouth Taylors of Harrogate Little’s

Analysis In a repeat of last year, Grumpy Mule won this category comfortably but Monmouth and Taylors have swapped places. Devonbased Little’s and its flavoured instant coffee is a new entrant and shows that this category is not just about whole bean and cafetière grinds.

That said, the roastery scene seems to be in rude health. Lots of retailers named local suppliers as their bestseller and a good deal of those names were new to the FFD team.

SAVOURY SNACKS

1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Pipers Crisps Tyrrell’s Torres Burts

How we stock it Mark Brown, Arcadia Delicatessen, Belfast I tend to go for lines that wouldn’t be sold in supermarkets but I find the category’s decreased over the years. Perhaps it’s because of the healthy eating trend. If I see something I like, I’ll get it in but there is no strategic decision.

We stock a range of Keogh’s flavours – roast turkey & secret stuffing, Irish Atlantic Sea Salt & cider vinegar, shamrock & sour cream and Dubliner Irish cheese & onion – alongside Cottage Delight garlic breadsticks, Glens of Antrim sweet potato crisps in Irish whiskey, Kettle vegetable crisps and Scotts Farm orange, purple & white sweet potato crisps.

The packaging’s important to me, as is taste obviously. If you order from a catalogue you are taking a gamble.

Analysis Every year Pipers’ standing over its rivals in the potato crisp business seems to get more commanding – and all without a single pack in the multiples.

And it’s not just the leader that other established crisp brands like Tyrrell’s and Burts need to watch out for. Spanish snack brand Torres, tipped by several retailers in last year’s edition to flourish, featured frequently among the surveys, especially its chips flavoured with black truffle.

Whether it was the aforementioned brands or other regional producers, potato crisps are the best-selling snack in most outlets and, by and large, consumers remain unadventurous when it comes flavours, opting for salted or salt & vinegar variants.

Other snacks that our surveyed retailers said sell well are salted almonds and hummus chips.

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BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

BEST BRANDS SURVEY

Analysis In a category that is filled with non-descript bottles, these results show the importance of appearance and a memorable name.

Seggiano is an old hand but both Honest Toil and Olive Branch have begun to gain a foothold with the same combination of back story, quality product and eyecatching branding. Given its rise this year, Acropolis looks like it is following a similar path.

For the first time since the survey was started, no brand made the rankings purely on the strength of its vinegar, although Seggiano’s balsamics did contribute a smattering of votes to its landslide victory.

What these results don’t convey is that rapeseed oil is still enjoying popularity among consumers. The regional nature of the product means that votes are, with the exception of Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil, diluted by many brands.

OILS & VINEGARS 1st Seggiano 2nd Honest Toil 3rd Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil 4th Acropolis 5th Olive Branch

FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

How we stock it Chris Mount, co-owner Blacks Delicatessen, Chagford, Devon Our range includes wine vinegar, cider vinegar, Honeygar, sherry vinegar, aceto balsamico from Antichi Colli and truffle oil from L’Aquila as well as rapeseed and toasted sesame from Clear Spring.

We have various olive oils from Hellenic,

Honest Toil unfiltered olive oil – which is a really nice Greek cold-pressed artisan oil – and a medium Spanish olive oil which we sell in a 20-gallon vat with a tap for people to bring their own 1 litre or 500ml bottles to fill.

We tend to go down the cooking end of the range with balsamic at just under £4 a bottle for 0.5l. We will probably get in a few top-end ones in the last few weeks leading up to Christmas.

Suppliers send samples and if we like it more than the one we’ve got in stock we take it, but not often. It alienates people if you take something away that they are used to.

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BEST BRANDS SURVEY

CHOCOLATE & CONFECTIONERY How we stock it Richard Lodge, food hall manager, Bakers & Larners of Holt, Norfolk We have 1,000 chocolate lines – a good 10% of shop floor space and 10-15% of turnover.

We avoid what appears in standard retail, like Tesco, and aim for the specialist end of the market. Everyone from the managing director to shop floor staff taste potential products so we get as many opinions as possible.

We look at sales over six months and if we sell 10 or fewer of a product we will probably delist it. It surprises me constantly what people will buy and what they won’t buy.

We bought a case of eight high-end chocolate sushi kits (RRP £25) and they were gone within three days.

Analysis This is a fragmented category every year.

While some retailers do well with high-end names (Charbonnel & Walker and Rococo), others prosper with brands you would find in any of the multiples (Divine, Green & Blacks).

Montezuma’s and Monty Bojangles fall somewhere in between these two groups, which explains their success. The former’s chocolate buttons were namechecked as a top seller by several survey respondents and it's bars also remain popular.

However, no one brand dominated and there were a lot of regional brands gaining votes on their various patches.

1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Montezuma’s Monty Bojangles Divine Chocolate Charbonnel & Walker / Rococo 5th Green & Black’s

PICKLES & CHUTNEYS 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Tracklements Mrs Darlington’s The Bay Tree The Fine Cheese Co Rosebud Preserves / Cottage Delight

Analysis Like sweet preserves, this category is tight and votes are spread far and wide among regional producers. Even so, Tracklements has won by a sizeable margin, yet again, thanks to its three-pronged attack of onion marmalade, chilli jam and sticky fig relish.

Mrs Darlington’s backed up its new jams & preserves crown with strong performance,

particularly from its autumn fruit chutney.

Chutneys generally seemed to be the driving force behind most of the producers in the rankings.

The surprise entrant is The Fine Cheese Co, a brand normally associated with biscuits, but clearly its variety of accompaniments, like fig spread and pickled onions, are cross-selling well on many cheese counters.

How we stock it Diane Brown, owner Provender Brown, Perth, Scotland We have 26 lines, about a dozen of them are pickles.

The category comprises only about 4% of our ambient sales and 1.2% of overall sales. It has grown since we opened in 2005 and it does best over Christmas. Pickled walnuts are especially popular at this time of year.

The mix and balance is down to hunch.

It’s looking at the shelves and thinking what we don’t have and responding to customers.

Tracklements is our main chutney brand.

We like the products and we know they sell so I don’t actively go looking for others, although I do go to fine food fairs every couple of years. If something particularly exciting catches my eye, I might give it a go.

We stick to the core ranges and if they bring in something new we add it do the range. If things aren’t selling we let them go.

Packaging makes a big difference to whether pickles and chutneys sell. Customers need to understand how to use them and what they go with. Staff enthusiasm and understanding of the product is vital.

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BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

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BEST BRANDS SURVEY

How we stock it Lydia Hodge, shop & deli manager, Gog Magog Hills Farm Shop, Cambridge We have a small range – about 12 or 13 different types. We prefer to keep it small but good quality. We find having less is more. If you have four different types of the same one it’s a bit silly.

Salted caramel biscuits from Cartwright & Butler in a gift tin are flying out at the moment. We also stock its chocolate wafer fingers, which our staff

love. They do dark chocolate gingers as well which also sell really well.

We have Kent & Fraser gluten-free savoury and sweet biscuits and biscotti, which Just So Italian supplies to us, and fantastic cheese sablés from The Pea Green Boat.

We always try to tweak the range to ensure they are what the customer wants. If we go to a show and find a fantastic biscuit supplier, and if they are better than the ones we’ve got, we change them.

I get all my staff to taste our biscuits so they can tell customers what they’re like. Then if something’s sitting on the shelf and not selling we will change them. Depending on the time of year, some flavours sell and some don’t.

BISCUITS 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Peter’s Yard The Fine Cheese Co Border Biscuits Artisan Biscuits Cartwright & Butler

Analysis After Peter’s Yard and its crispbreads took the top spot from The Fine Cheese Co last year, there has not been a great deal of change in this year’s results.

The latter’s Toast For Cheese range still remains immensely popular among independents, as do third-placed Border Biscuits’ dark chocolate gingers and the Miller’s Damsel cracker range from Artisan Biscuits (a sister business of The Fine Cheese Co).

The new entrant, Yorkshire teatime specialist Cartwright & Butler made the rankings, thanks to its traditional shortbread, salted caramel biscuits and a variety of savoury lines.

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BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

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BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

BEST BRANDS SURVEY

Analysis This category is always the battle of the big boys but is there a touch of Brexit in this result?

The Nestlé-owned fizzy Italian drinks of Sanpellegrino have ceded first place to North East stalwart Fentimans and its range of traditional British pop, which does well both on supermarkets and independent shelves.

Otherwise, it’s business as usual with no sign in the results of another brand (apart from Coca Cola) breaking into this very established top five.

SOFT DRINKS How we stock it Henry Mackley, co-owner Harp Lane Deli, Ludlow, Shropshire A lot of what we stock is dependent on fridge space, seasonality and keeping our point of difference.

During summer we stock up to a dozen lines and this time of year half of that. We stock well-known brands such as Sanpellegrino but lesser-known variants such as

the slimmer 330ml cans and Chinotto in a black can, which is hard to come by in the UK. The category does well because we get unusual and different things in. We get a bit of cold brew coffee, which coffee enthusiasts go mad for. We get Wing Yip iced tea which does well in the summer, as does Qcumber and Qcumber with Mint.

More interesting stuff comes from smaller wholesalers and we know lots of people who make good apple and pear juice in this part of the world.

CHEESE

Fentimans Sanpellegrino Luscombe Belvoir Cawston Press

Analysis

CONTINENTAL 1st Rouzaire Brie De Meaux 2nd Käserei Champignon Montagnolo Affiné 3rd Vacherin Mont D’Or

Analysis Brie De Meaux is always the most popular Continental cheese but, every year, many surveyed retailers fail to name their maker of choice.

This year, Rouzaire gained enough votes for it to be declared outright winner, closely followed by the award-magnet German blue Montagnolo Affiné from Käserei Champignon and Mont D’Or’s alpine classic Vacherin.

FINE FOOD DIGEST

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

Cheddar and Stilton are crowdpleasers so this result was entirely expected.

On the face of it, Snowdonia’s Black Bomber seems to trump more traditional styles of cheddar but if you were to combine the many brands of farmhouse cheddar (Montgomery’s being the most frequent) named in the survey, it would be more popular than its creamy waxed counterpart.

Colston Bassett was by far and away the retailers’ Stilton of choice.

Modern cheesemakers should also take heart from the fact that several of this year’s new cheeses were mentioned multiple times.

BRITISH 1st Snowdonia Black Bomber 2nd Colston Bassett Stilton 3rd Montgomery’s Cheddar 13

BEST BRANDS SURVEY

JAMS & PRESERVES 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Mrs Darlington’s Tiptree Rosebud Preserves The Bay Tree Hawkshead Relish

How We Stock It Graham Webster, general manager, Rhug Farm Shop, Corwen, Denbighshire We sell more than 100 jams and make decisions on what to stock based on historical data.

My buying policy is now to introduce local products first as long as they satisfy our criteria. We’ve recently introduced three local jam brands – Treddafydd, Dylans and Pant Glas Bach.

Treddafydd Farm has just produced an organic cranberry for Christmas. We take 10-15

flavours from them. We stock strawberry jam and orange marmalade from Dylan’s, which owns two restaurants in North Wales. Pant Glas Bach is the biggest local jam supplier and we take 40 types from them. They also did Christmas gift sets for us and, in summer, they do an own-label jam for us.

We dropped a prize-winning jam company’s product recently that wasn’t proving popular. The price was a bit high. We ordered once and it took eight months to get rid of the stock. A month is plenty of time to decide if something will to sell.

Jams are probably in the top 10 categories for us. It’s very much a farm shop staple and a gifting item.

We are reducing duplicates so instead of taking seven strawberry jams from different companies, we’ll take the best three and then get different varieties.

Analysis It’s always a category that’s dubbed “competitive” and our survey results bear that out with yet another new winner in 2016. This year, Mrs Darlington’s is number one assisted by its ever-popular lemon curd and strawberry jam.

It may look like a steep drop for last year’s winner, The Bay Tree, but this top five is separated by a handful of votes.

There were a great deal of local producers mentioned that diluted the voting, too.

Even though most of the top-ranking producers offer some very modern flavour combinations it is still the old classics – berry jams, marmalades and lemon curds – that prevail. Multiple mentions for Hawkshead’s raspberry & vanilla and Rosebud’s gooseberry & elderflower preserves back up the theory that independents need to stretch beyond the norms, though.

DISTRIBUTORS 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 14

Hider The Cress Co Rowcliffe Michael Lee Fine Cheeses Carron Lodge / Cotswold Fayre

Analysis The thing to bear in mind with these results, is it’s the one category that’s not linked solely to sales.

Respondents were making their choices based on service and range, too.

On the ambient front, Hider and The Cress Co do the business for retailers but cheese specialists (Rowcliffe, Michael Lee and Carron Lodge) also garnered a great deal of customer satisfaction.

There were a number of other cheese firms that just missed out on the rankings.

BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

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FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

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BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

BEST BRANDS SURVEY

Analysis There will be little surprise about Teapigs taking the top spot here, as it has done so every year the survey has run.

The ranking of Taylor’s, whose Yorkshire Tea transcends any retail boundary, and Clipper will also not shock anyone.

While Miles and its West Country blends continue to do the business for independents it is also good to see a new entrant in Birchall Tea. When it comes to the preferred blend, English Breakfast dominates across the spectrum of brands despite the proliferation of options some suppliers offer.

TEA 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

How we stock it

Teapigs Miles Taylors of Harrogate Birchall Clipper

FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

Christine Garnett, co-owner, Hunters of Helmsley, North Yorkshire We sell loose out of jars, packaged loose and teabags in different forms. Everyone seems to be into tea now.

Different suppliers ring me daily. There seem to be a lot of start-ups in the past few years. Six years ago there were hardly any.

We do a whole breadth of range from

standard English Breakfast and good old Yorkshire Tea, infusions, a selection of Teapigs and Pukka Tea. We tried Tregothnan from Cornwall and wanted it to do well here but only a handful of people bought it.

We also sell My Petal Teas from a very small local importer that buys teas directly from Sri Lanka – a green tea, a couple of blacks of different strength and Flower of Bael, which is slightly citrusy and supposed to have all sorts of health benefits.

We sell about 40% loose tea and 60% packaged. Customers realise they get better flavour and better value for money from loose tea.

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FUN ON THE FARM

GREAT TASTE SHOP OF THE YEAR

By staying true to their farming roots, the Garthwaites have cultivated a retail setting that exemplifies honest Yorkshire produce.

Now it has brought them the top shop title in Great Taste, as LYNDA SEARBY reports.

FIRST PLACE Blacker Hall Farm Shop, Wakefield, W. Yorks

W

hen Edward Garthwaite talks about the beginnings of Blacker Hall farm shop, his account is refreshingly honest and devoid of glossy PR terms like ‘foray’, ‘debut’ and ‘launch’.

Garthwaite’s father has farmed livestock all of his life, and when Edward finished university in 1999, he was keen to realise his father’s dream of selling direct to the public. His sister Mary was ready for a career change, so, together with their mother, the siblings decided to “have a go” at opening a farm shop in the Yorkshire countryside on the outskirts of Wakefield.

“We blundered in at a time when people didn’t know what to expect from a farm shop,” says Garthwaite. “We converted a derelict barn and bought all our equipment secondhand from a butchery that was shutting. It was modest and mild, but people came.”

These days, there is nothing modest about the shop, except its owners – Edward and his wife Cheryl.

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Blacker Hall has grown physically and financially every year and now employs 150 staff, has a turnover of £6m and houses a delicatessen, wine loft, gift shop, florist and 150-cover café, in addition to the original butchery and bakery.

Livestock is the foundation on which the family enterprise is built, and today, butchery remains the core department that drives custom.

“Butchery is the reason the farm shop is here,” says Garthwaite.

“We are pig farmers and it is products like our home-cured gammon and homemade sausages that make us really proud.”

As well as rearing its own pork and beef, Blacker Hall makes 80% of everything it sells on site, from bread, quiches and pies through to charcuterie, custard and dauphinoise potatoes.

It flies the flag for Yorkshire produce by using ingredients like cream from Longley Farm at Holmfirth and local free-range eggs.

Garthwaite believes it is its vertically integrated approach that sets Blacker Hall apart from the competition – which includes six supermarkets within five miles and several farm shops.

“My dad, my younger sister and her husband farm the pigs and cattle, so they are in charge of breeding and feeding. Then we have a team of butchers and bakers who are able to add value to those products, and the people who market them.

BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

GREAT TASTE SHOP OF THE YEAR

FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

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BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

GREAT TASTE SHOP OF THE YEAR “Growing, processing and marketing is all done by one organisation, which means our butchers, farmers and marketeers can all speak to one another easily enough; everyone ‘gets it’.”

When it comes to buying in the balance from third parties, Garthwaite admits to being “extremely fussy”.

“The first place we go when evaluating a new product is the ingredients list,” he says. “A good jam, for example, should only contain fruit, sugar and pectin. We like to go as clean label as we can, even at the expense of shelf life.”

This mantra also applies to the items that are made on-site, making waste minimisation a challenge.

“We have to be smart about baking the right volumes, although having the café and on-site production does help. We might turn leftover bread into bread and butter pudding or breadcrumbs for use in other products.”

But the stock is only part of what makes Blacker Hall a compelling food destination. The staff complete the picture.

“Customers aren’t just inspired by our products,” says Garthwaite. “The people who work on our deli counter are genuinely excited by the products they sell. They are foodies who love their product and that energy carries across the counter.”

Under the leadership of former marketeer Cheryl, Blacker Hall does an exemplary job of attracting and retaining customers with a marketing strategy that is built around the shop’s ‘customer club’ – a loyalty scheme with some 20,000 members, more than 60% of the shop’s customer base. Driven by Lakeland Computers’ Eureka EPOS system, the scheme allows Blacker Hall to customise its rewards and benefits based on shoppers’ buying patterns.

And now the Garthwaites have their sights set on expanding both the shop and café footprint to improve customers’ experience and their journey through the shop.

“We have just lodged a planning application,” says Garthwaite. “We want to enhance the customer experience and the flow of the store, expand our patisserie offering and open up the bakery so that it is part of the shop and customers can see our bakers at work.”

There are also plans to expand the shop’s home-grown veg offering, introduced this year.

And despite their string of accolades, the Garthwaites were genuinely “delighted” to be named Great Taste Shop of the Year.

“It felt like it was out of the blue and because it wasn’t department-specific, everyone here has got a buzz out of winning.” www.blackerhallfarmshop.co.uk

BEST OF THE REST Cheerbrook Farm Shop, Nantwich, Cheshire Husband and wife team Andrew and Sarah Shufflebotham have spent the last 15 years building a business that celebrates local Cheshire produce. They’ve picked up numerous regional awards along the way, although this is the first time the modern barn-style shop and caf´é has featured in Great Taste Shop of the Year.

The jewel in Cheerbrook’s crown is butchery, with a well-stocked counter manned by knowledgable and charming staff. Pork has pride of place and Cheerbrook shouts loud ly about its sausages, made in-house using Pack ington’s Staffordshire pork.

www.cheerbrook.co.uk

bria Low Sizergh Barn, Kendal, Cum working a on barn d erte conv a in sed Hou to a dairy farm, this is as close as it gets the gly, Fittin . shop farm true cheese counter is a focal point, where Sizergh’s own cheeses – Kendal Crumbly and Kendal Creamy – nestle among other local and lesser known English cheeses such as Cuddy’s Cave and and Bleasdale Brinkburn from Northumberland that is the milk the is it from Lancashire. But ed the family reviv has rgh Size Low . story main a vending raw milk tradition and invested in milk direct raw buy can rs ome cust so hine mac from the farm. www.lowsizerghbarn.co.uk

Thyme and Tides, Stockbridge, Hampshire The mix of fish, deli and bistro offered by this small high street outlet might be unusual, but owners Iain and Sally Hemming have made this combination a vibrant and valued addition to the local food scene. The fresh fish counter relies on the catch from small Cornish day boat fleets and there is an emphasis on seasonality and sustainable fishing. Cheeses, chorizos and other Spanish lines from importer Brindisa feature heavily on the deli counter, alongside cured meats and cheese from the UK and Italy. The third element – the bistro – offers al fresco dining in the summer months, and does a strong trade in fish & chips on a Friday night. www.thymeandtidesdeli.co.uk

Halsey’s, Hitchin, Hertfordshire Nestling within the old town market area, Halsey’s was Hitchin’s first ever provisioner in 1854 and has been a food emporium ever since. Former marketeer Kim Maclarty bought this ‘institution’ in 2015 and has since been focusing greater on the cheese counter and creating deli and u men ry eate the een betw synergy of 80% for unts ranges. The eatery acco its pork & turnover and drives footfall, with n. tow in stuffing bap a favourite www.halseysdeli.co.uk

FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

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GREAT TASTE SHOP OF THE YEAR

SECOND PLACE Delilah Fine Foods, Nottingham

T

hat Delilah has managed to land second place in Great Taste Shop of the Year in the same year that it has opened a second outlet, in Leicester, is testament to its owners’ unflagging focus.

“In this business, you can never take your eye off the ball,” says Sangita Tryner, who cofounded the city centre deli back in 2005 with husband Rick. “The last four to five months have seen the opening of probably 30 to 40 new food establishments in Nottingham so we have to keep on top of our game.”

Delilah Fine Foods, housed in a majestic former bank, epitomises the renaissance that Nottingham’s gastronomic scene has undergone in recent years.

The high-ceilinged hall is packed with foods from around the world, looked upon by diners feasting on charcuterie and cheese platters on the mezzanine above.

But even this foodie temple cannot afford to sit back and wait for its pews to fill up, and Sangita and Rick know this.

“We moved into these premises four years

22

ago,” says Tryner. “That was followed by our best year. Since then, our turnover has been static, but in Nottingham, holding your own is great. I am happy with static.”

In response to the increasingly competitive foodscape, Delilah is looking to extend its customer base by targeting the city’s large student population via social media campaigns and an attractive breakfast offering.

“One of our strengths as a business is our ability to make decisions and activate them straight away,” says Tryner. “We are very responsive to customer demands and are not afraid of change.”

This willingness to embrace change is also evident in Delilah’s approach to ranging.

The deli’s mainstay is cheese and charcuterie, and it is these items that drive the store’s extensive eat-in menu. But these core lines are supplemented by a broad selection of condiments, locally baked breads, self-serve olives and more, and Delilah is not averse to trying out new lines – most recently, a new range of pies and pastries “both to retai l and to sit in and eat with mash and gravy”.

“It’s about keeping things fresh whilst at the same time training staff to let customers know what we are doing,” says Tryner. “We’ve always maintained we’re a traditional deli, and we still are.

It’s just that we’ve grown.” www.delilahfinefoods.co.uk

BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

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FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

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BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

GREAT TASTE SHOP OF THE YEAR

BEST OF THE REST Ludlow Food Centre, Ludlow, Shro pshire Situated on the fringes of the Earl of Plymouth’s Oakly Park Estate, the Ludlow Food Centre welcomes 300,000 people a year through its doors. In addition to the food hall, the centre is also home to a 200-cover café, and the five star Clive Hotel. Being on the estate gives this regional food destination a major point of difference, and 60% of revenue comes from lines that are either grown, reared or made on the estate.

These range from the Gloucester Old Spot pork that passes over its butchery counter to cheeses like Ludlow Blue and Che ese With No Name, and the scotch eggs and fidg et pies on sale on the deli counter.

www.ludlowfoodcentre.co.uk

Fodder, Harrogate, North Yorkshire Run and championed by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and acting as a shop window for local farmers and producers, Fodder is Britain's first charitable food hall: all profits are reinvested to support the rural community.

Luckily for the society and its beneficiaries, Fodder has been in the black ever since it opened in 2009 under the stewardship of Heather Parry. Everything about Fodder is a showcase for Yorkshire: 85% of the products on shelf are regional and even the furniture in the café is made by local craftsmen from Yorkshire wood.

THIRD PLACE Macknade Fine Foods, Faversham, Kent

Y

ear after year, this legendary Kent food hall takes one of the top spots in the Great Taste Shop of the Year.

Asked what the secret is to a consistently strong performance, co-owner Stefano Cuomo says: “We focus on delivering the best experience we can for staff, customers and suppliers. We seek to provide an aspirational workplace for our staff, a retail space where suppliers want their products to be sold, and a ‘favourite place’ for customers.”

These are big claims, but his words are far from empty rhetoric.

Macknade has taken on 10 new members of staff in the last 12 months, bringing its total headcount to 70.

“Safeguarding jobs is important to us, as is providing job satisfaction,” says Cuomo.

This philosophy of staff engagement has produced people who are enthusiastic, knowledgeable and committed, and nowhere is this more apparent than on the butchery and cheese counters – where they really know their stuff.

“A number of our butchers are chefs by trade, so they can advise customers on cuts and talk them

through recipes,” says Cuomo.

The butchery counter has only been open since last September but has already become a magnet for shoppers, with in-house curing and smoking and an emphasis on local meat.

In this short time, Cuomo has observed a shift in buying behaviour, with people eating meat less frequently, and focusing on quality and provenance.

In response to this trend, Macknade has started working with PFLA (Pasture Fed Livestock Association) farmers such as Ronshed Farm in Kent and Deersbrook Farm in Essex to offer a higher level of provenance.

“Meat can carry a grass-fed label even if it has only been reared 50% on grass. PFLA certified ‘Pasture For Life’ meat is from animals fed exclusively on pasture,” explains Cuomo.

A well-stocked and maintained cheese counter showcasing almost 300 cheese varieties and an extensive fruit and vegetable section are two of the other star attractions.

While its fruit and veg offering makes the most of the Garden of England’s abundant natural larder, Macknade makes no apologies for sourcing produce from around the globe, from ugli fruit to pomelo and yams.

This blend of locally sourced lines and unusual imports captures the very essence and individuality of Macknade, and with sales expected to grow by 15% to over £4.7m this year, it’s certainly proving to be a winning formula. www.macknade.com

www.fodder.co.uk

shire Weetons, Harrogate, North York Weetons 5, 200 in shop farm a Conceived as ision of first made its name through the prov rs today wea still it tle man a – ts premium mea meat is its of All through its butchery counter. pledge a s, radiu ile 30-m a in with sourced from l loca to ent which also reflects its commitm producers.

Since being taken over by the current owners in 2013, Weetons has gone from strength to strength as a food destination.

The café, with its seasonal breakfasts, menu, is known for its acclaimed et rock & beef t roas and ds grazing boar sandwiches. www.weetons.com

FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

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Kent’s Kitchen stockpots make winter cooking easier and tastier.

The stockpot range includes beef, chicken and vegetable that all add a great depth of flavour to home-made dishes.

Just pop these clever gel stocks straight into soups, stews or casseroles or dissolve in water to add to risottos.

All stockpots are GLUTEN FREE!

Visit www.kentskitchen.co.uk, email emma@kentskitchen.co.uk or call 07966 888240

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Using traditional style cheese recipes and skillfully adapting them to create a range of hard and semi-hard cheeses made with sheep, goat, buffalo and cows milk.

Seaweed Biscuits Award-winning Seaweed Oatcakes and Water Biscuits

Made using sustainably sourced Hebridean Seaweed.

For more on the Seaweed range, contact our bakery in Stornoway: Tel: 01851 702733 www.stagbakeries.co.uk sales@stagbakeries.co.uk

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www.somersetcheese.co.uk | info@somersetcheese.co.uk | 01749 860237

BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

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AMBER RICH

In 1980 a surplus of eggs from the family farm led Marion Darlington to produce batches of her homemade Lemon Curd following her mothers’ recipe. She sold the Lemon Curd with her eggs on a delivery round in nearby towns, paying the local brownies to collect jars for her! Such was demand, a year later, Marion’s husband Tom converted one of the farm buildings into a large kitchen and the range increased to include Marion’s Orange and Lime Curds plus her Sweet Apple Chutney and Orange Marmalade recipes.

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Marion was able to expand her range to include jams when Mrs Wright, a fruit farmer from Lancashire, enquired to see if Mrs Darlington would buy her surplus fruit.

Fast forward to 1987 when Marion’s daughter Sarah joined her in the business, as a temporary stop gap that’s lasted 27 years and counting!

With the range expanding to include more of Marion’s chutneys, sauces and marmalades, demand became too high for the converted farm kitchen and in 1997 the big decision was made to relocate to Lancaster Fields, Crewe.

WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT? We use our own, award winning Just Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil to lovingly FRRN RXU KRPH JURZQ SRWDWRHV LQ JLYLQJ RXU FULVSV D XQLTXH FUXQFK DQG Ă DYRXU

Since 2002 it’s been a blur. Sarah’s sister Wendy left her corporate job and together the family team has seen Mrs Darlington’s products make their way into high quality food outlets across the UK, Europe and beyond.

Today there are over 80 products in the Darlington range with lots of award winners amongst them. The Darlington family have come a long way but remain a family business, committed to the aim Marion Darlington began with; to craft delicious products with a truly homemade taste.

)RU PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ YLVLW XV DW ZZZ MXVWFULVSV FR XN DQG MRLQ XV RQ Darlington & Daughters, Lancaster Fields, Crewe CW1 6FF Visiit our website: www.mrsdarlingtons.com You can also find us on Facebook & Twitter.

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Just Crisps Sea Salt Just Crisps Sea Salt & Black Pepper

Just Crisps Unsalted Just Crisps Dippers with Sea Salt

BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ¡

Just Crisps Jalapeno

FINE FOOD DIGEST

RISE AND SHINE

EMERGING BRANDS

Looking for your next stand-out brand? We asked three top retailers to name the rising stars among 2016’s start-ups, brand extensions and growth categories.

Tom Newey

Jon Edwards

Chief executive Cobbs Farm Shop Hungerford, Berks

Managing director Ludlow Food Centre Ludlow, Shropshire

www.cobbsfarmshop.co.uk

www.ludlowfoodcentre.co.uk

OLDFIELDS APPLESECCO www.oldfieldsorchard.co.uk

What’s in a name? In this case, plenty. In its first incarnation, as Discovery Cider, sales were “okay”. Then, in a moment of genius, it was rebranded as Applesecco, capitalising on the wave prosecco is riding, and our sales have exploded. A genuine game changer.

HARRY’S MILKSHAKES AND HOT CHOCOLATE www.harrysmilkshakes.co.uk

Our search for a quality hot chocolate led us to this fantastic Cheshire company. Initially we only took the hot chocolate but the milk shakes soon followed.

The fun packaging sets them apart and when we set tasters up on busy days, sales just took off.

OWOW CHOCOLATE PORK CRACKLING www.owowchocolates.co.uk

One area we identified as needing some innovative new products was snacking. We have crisps pretty well covered, so we started to look for the unusual and interesting. It doesn’t get much more left-field than this but sales and feedback have both been excellent. As a customer I think it’s the type of product you would expect and want to see in a farm shop. Chocolate covered pork scratching shouldn’t work, but it does.

ORIGIN COFFEE www.origincoffee.co.uk

We’re really excited to be working with these guys, who have a roastery in Helston, Cornwall. Their ethos really comes through in the products. Good coffee depends on good relationships and through their direct trade practice they’re able to support their farm and mill partners and give drinkers full traceability of the coffee in their cup. We’ve an extensive retail offer as well as now serving this excellent coffee in all of our cafés.

You can’t eat them, but these eco briquettes are derived from recycled ground coffee! They burn longer, hotter and cleaner than wood as well as being made here in the UK. We’ve stocked a range of bracken-derived eco-logs for the last few years and since they featured on Countryfile we haven’t been able to get them in quick enough.

So we think these natty and well-packaged briquettes will go down well. Look out for a range of coffee-based BBQ briquettes coming out for summer 2017.

RENEGADE CRAFT LAGER www.renegadebrewery.co.uk

The Renegade brand is an offshoot of West Berkshire Brewery and allows them the opportunity to develop a slightly less traditional range of lagers. Under the expert hand of head brewer Will Twomey, these incorporate some intriguing hop varieties to produce a lager bursting with flavour.

www.rucifoods.com

We’ve noticed customers’ tastes evolve from the go-to brands of Indian curry sauce available in most shops. This range of truly authentic curry pastes, sambols and chutneys is delicious. I’ve found myself putting the green coconut sambol on almost everything at home recently!

NOMNOM Owner Epicerie Ludo Chorlton-Cum-Hardy, Manchester www.epicerieludo.co.uk

www.koldcocktails.com

MAGS & JEN

We saw these at one of the speciality food shows and thought they would be fun for the summer, easy to retail, easy to do tastings with and a quality product. Sales have exceeded expectations and the Christmas build-up saw another hike in performance that we expect to last over the New Year. All varieties sell well but the Mojito is the star of the show.

www.patchwork-pate.co.uk

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

www.biobean.com

RUCI SRI LANKAN CURRY SAUCES

KOLD COCKTAILS

FINE FOOD DIGEST

BIO-BEAN COFFEE LOGS

We have been working with Patchwork Paté for a few years now, but since they introduced the new Mags & Jen brand of smooth patés [named after Patchwork co-founders Margaret Carter and Jenny Whitham] we've seen a noticeable uptake in sales. Customers are really identifying with the brand and packaging design.

www.nomnom.cymru

We met Liam Burgess and Lili Woollacott from Nomnom at September’s Speciality & Fine Food Fair and were first attracted to their simple and clean packaging.

We tried their chocolate and were blown away with the taste and quality.

We have customers who are seeking out their products after hearing about them on social media and by word of mouth, and they’re coming back for more, which is great for us.

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OUR COFFEE RANGE IS SO METICULOUSLY SOURCED, SO ETHICALLY TRADED AND SO LIP-SMACKINGLY DELICIOUS THAT YOU’LL BE LEFT GRINNING. BASICALLY, WE’RE GRUMPY SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE.

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BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

LE GRUYÈRE AOP CHEESE COUNTER OF THE YEAR

CHEESE BARDS Ben Hildreth has taken the helm at Stratford from former store manager Clare Turner, who recently joined cheesemaker Caws Cenarth

Stratford-upon-Avon is most famous for being the home of Shakespeare but its branch of Paxton & Whitfield has created a masterpiece in cheese that was dramatic enough to see it named Le Gruyère AOP Cheese Counter of the Year. Head judge and FFD cheese guru Patrick McGuigan takes you on a tour of the store and the other nine finalists.

FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

WINNER Paxton & Whitfield Stratford-upon-Avon

A

fter being pipped to the top title in 2015, Paxton & Whitfield’s Stratford shop went one better this year, finally winning the coveted Cheese Counter of the Year award, sponsored by Le Gruyère AOP. “A true destination cheese shop that is firing on all cylinders” is how I described it at the time.

Shop manager Clare Turner, who collected the trophy at a glittering Great Taste awards dinner in London, was a big reason for the shop’s success – her enthusiasm and desire to keep improving the business was clear to see. But the award proved to be a triumphant conclusion for the young cheesemonger, because not long after she

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BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

LE GRUYÈRE AOP CHEESE COUNTER OF THE YEAR

decided to literally head for pastures new with a job at Welsh cheesemaker Caws Cenarth.

You might think taking the reins of an awardwinning cheese shop would be a bit daunting, but new manager Ben Hildreth is taking it all in his stride. “One of the reasons why I wanted to work for Paxton & Whitfield was that I wanted a challenge,” he says. “I’ve joined the shop at a really good time. It’s on a high and I’m determined

nature of the shop, with whole cheeses and wedges stacked on top of each other, works well for a sociable and interactive shopping experience.

Rather than talking to people from behind the barrier of a serve-over counter, staff browse the display side by side with customers, cutting slices to taste as they go.

Like Turner before him, Hildreth is passionate about customer service and it was a key feature of his previous experience managing York shop Love Cheese.

“People need to see a smiling face when they walk through the door and we always try to be approachable and knowledgeable,” he says.

“It can be quite daunting walking into a cheese shop for some people, so we are here to make them feel comfortable. It’s all about empathy, understanding, explaining and, most importantly, listening to what customers want.”

FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

“We are here to make customers feel comfortable.

It’s all about empathy, understanding, explaining and, most importantly, listening to what customers want.” to maintain standards and hopefully improve them.”

Located on Stratford’s busy high street, this Paxtons branch has around 70-80 cheeses displayed out in the open thanks to an air conditioning system that keeps the entire shop at a cheese-friendly temperature. The open-plan

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LE GRUYÈRE AOP CHEESE COUNTER OF THE YEAR

BEST OF THE REST Apley Farm Shop Norton, Shropshire

The range is split 70/30 between British and Continental cheeses with an excellent array of gifts, accompaniments, books and knives. There’s a particularly strong local offering as Shakespeare’s home town is surrounded by some of Britain’s best cheeses – ranging from established names like Oxford Blue, Cerney Ash and Berkswell to new creations including the washed rind Rollright, Sinodun Hill goats’ cheese and the Chaource-style Bix, which are all made in Oxfordshire. These retail alongside mainstays of British cheese, such as Montgomery’s and Sparkenhoe Red Leicester, plus Paxtons’ own brand Stilton and cheddar.

Continental cheeses are well represented thanks to a long-standing partnership with leading French cheesemonger Androuet. Classics such as Brie-de-Meaux, Langres and Gruyère are all strong sellers but the shop also stocks some exciting and unusual French goats’ cheeses, sourced after Turner visited France on a factfinding mission for the company earlier this year.

These include Meringue goats’ cheeses topped with lavender or rose petals and Cubotin – a square cheese sprinkled with thyme.

Hildreth is keen to continue mixing up the product range on a regular basis, especially with more Continental cheeses, which he particularly loves. “It’s important to keep things fresh and exciting for our loyal customers,” he says. Wholesale

customers, including the restaurant at the Royal Shakespeare Company, also appreciate new options for their menus, he adds.

They were in for a treat at Christmas because Paxtons had several new ideas for adding sparkle to festive cheeseboards. These included recipes for Camembert Calvados, made with the shop’s Oaties biscuits and a liberal dousing of apple brandy, and Golden Cenarth sprinkled with caraway seeds and topped with raisins soaked in Gewürztraminer wine. These followed on from the shop’s already popular truffle Brie de Meaux and “drunken” Fourme d’Ambert soaked in Monbazillac wine, which are prepared in-store.

It’s this kind of creative thinking, backed up by excellent product quality, staff training and eyecatching displays, that helped Paxton & Whitfield’s Stratford shop take the top prize in the Cheese Counter of the Year competition.

Hildreth has a tough act to follow, but he certainly seems to have plenty of enthusiasm for the task in hand. “I loved cheese from an early age,” he says. “It’s been a massive social thing for me and my family. Cheese was always at the centre of the table with people talking about it and tasting it together.

That’s why I wanted to work at Paxtons – to be part of a bigger operation and meet more people who have that same passion.” www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk

This beautiful farm shop was opened in 2011 in buildings that were once home to a dairy making a Cheshire-style cheese called Apley.

After much research, estate owners Lord and Lady Hamilton have revived the crumbly cheese in partnership with local producer Mr Moydens and they sell it on the shop’s well-considered counter.

Donna s Jones, who runs it day-to-day, provides taster and matching ideas to customers. Best sellers re include Roquefort, Morbier, cave-aged Gruyè and Wild Garlic Yarg. The manager has also developed an excellent training manual for staff and is currently expanding her knowledge with visits to local cheesemakers. www.apleyfarmshop.co.uk

Arcadia Deli Belfast

This oasis of fine food on the Lisburn Road has been in the Brown family for more than 80 years and is anchored by a counter brimming with cheeses from Ireland, Britain and Europe.

Local highlights include Kearney Blue and Young Buck (made by former employee Michael Thomson), while there’s a decent range from south of the border, including Wicklow Blue and Gubbeen.

Mark Brown, who took over the business from his father 10 years ago, is a reassuring and knowledgeable presence behind the counter. www.arcadiadeli.co.uk

Jeroboams Holland Park, London

Set up in 1985 by Peter Rich, Jeroboams is best known as a wine merchant, but its Holland Park shop is also a serious cheese destination.

More than 120 products line the upright chiller as you enter the shop, enabling customers to ‘grab and go’ pre-packed slices, but also to chat shoulder-to-shoulder with the informed staff, who can cut to order at a nearby work station.

There’s a 65/35 split between Continental and British cheeses with Gruyère, French goats’ cheeses and Roquefort Papillon all best sellers.

www.jeroboams.co.uk

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BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

NEW 8 x 150ml Indian Tonic Water

8 x 150ml Club Soda

8 x 150ml Indian Tonic Water (Perfectly Light)

8 x 150ml Bitter Lemon

8 x 150ml Ginger Ale

8 x 150ml Sicilian Lemonade

FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

www.folkingtons.com

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Relish Ɣ t he

Passionate about Taste 160 Great Taste Awards and counting...

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hawkshead rel ish co mp a ny Ɣ

With a view to inspire culinary excellence!

Contact your Territory Manager 01538 382020 sales@cottagedelight.co.uk www.cottagedelight.co.uk

/cottagedelight

Your resistance will crumble.

We still hand-bake our shortbread to Helen Dean’s exacting standards using her very own recipe and traditional ingredients. It’s the Dean’s way and as far as we’re concerned, it’s the only way to ensure our baking tastes just as good as my mother used to make.

Bill Dean

deans.co.uk

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BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

LE GRUYÈRE AOP CHEESE COUNTER OF THE YEAR

BEST OF THE REST Lewis & Cooper Northallerton, Yorkshire

This family-run food hall has been selling hampers and fine food since 1899 and was given a new lease of life this year with a major refurbishment of the deli area, which included an impressive new cheese counter.

The shop sells around 300 cheeses with a huge range of Wensleydales from the nearby Hawes creamery, plus numerous unusual Continentals which are imported direct from Rungis Market in Paris. There’s also a fridge filled with pre-packed cheeses, which are cut and vacuum-packed on the counter to help time-pressed shoppers. www.lewisandcooper.co.uk

Shearer’s Fine Foods Forest Row, East Sussex

An Aladdin’s cave of speciality food and drink, this village deli is the brainchild of former restaurant manager and grocery industry executive Nick Shearer.

The counter showcases the quality and range of Sussex cheeses with options including Mayfield Swiss, Saint Giles, Sussex Charmer, Brighton Blue and Lord London. These are backed up by a concise range of European and British cheeses, from Mozzarella di Bufala and Picos Blue to Montgomery’s and Blue Murder.

Products are re-wrapped, turned and tended every day, meaning they are always sold in excellent condition. www.shearersfinefoods.co.uk

Pistachio & Pickle Dairy Islington, London

Set up by Matt Kelly and Steve Cooper after they had run a successful supper club from their home, Pistachio & Pickle has two shops in Islington – a deli-coffee shop, and a small but perfectly formed cheese shop in Camden Passage.

The range is predominantly British with highlights including Old Winchester, Burt’s Blue and Nuns of Caen, plus excellent cheese toasties and a small café on the first floor.

“People forget how precious these products are,” says Kelly. “From the cows and pastures to the producers, so much time and effort has gone into our cheeses that it behoves us to look after them well.”

FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

SECOND PLACE The Cheese Society Lincoln

K

ate O’Meara has been selling cheese in Lincoln since 1997 and her business has been a regular finalist in the competition.

A major refurbishment earlier this year helped propel the shop and café to second place with judges seriously impressed by the aesthetics of the counter and the owner’s attention to detail.

It stocks around 120 cheeses, many of which are sourced directly from producers with a nice balance between locals, Brits and Continentals.

Recently been joined in the business by daughter Lucie, O’Meara is a genuine curd nerd.

She reads up on the latest trends in magazines and books, and hunts down new cheeses before

most shops have even heard of them. On our visit we noticed new creations such as Pavé Cobble (a soft sheep’s milk cheese from Somerset) and a little-known Swiss variety called Aarewasser, which was offered to customers matched with Hawkshead cherry jam.

There was also a good variety of different deals and promotions, including the Cheese Express basket filled with ready-wrapped wedges (three for £5; seven for £10), picnic packs in branded cool bags and a monthly selection of half a dozen new cheeses.

At the heart of the business is excellent customer service – knowledgeable staff chatting to customers and getting them to taste the cheese.

“Listening to what people want makes all the difference,” says O’Meara. “You always have to remember that it’s about what the customer wants and not what you want.” www.thecheesesociety.co.uk

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www.remeogelato.com

AWARD-WINNING AUTHENTIC 100% NATURAL Gelato. Not an ice cream.

“we were blown away” - Fortnum & Mason

“a total mouth explosion” - Jimmy Docherty, Jimmy’s Farm

21 Great Taste Awards

www.scarlettandmustard.co.uk

WA L O V O N M Ü H L E N E N than Switzerland has mountains

Walo with Stärnächäs: Supreme Champion Continental International Cheese Awards Nantwich 2016 Selection Affineur Walo is exclusively distributed in the UK

by The Fine Cheese Co. www.finecheese.co.uk 01225 424212

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BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

LE GRUYÈRE AOP CHEESE COUNTER OF THE YEAR

JOINT THIRD PLACE La Cave à Fromage Hove, E. Sussex

T

here are around 200 cheeses at the Hove outpost of Amnon Paldi and Eric Charriaux’s business, which has finished third for two years in a row.

The fact that none of them are labelled is a credit to the expertise of manager Alan Watson and his staff, who demonstrate impressive cheese knowledge without ever intimidating customers as they serve them from the open counters that line the window.

The number of British cheeses has increased in the past year with popular products including the company’s own washed rind cheeses, such as Tipsy Billy (washed in cider) and Windsor Blue (whisky), plus local favourites including Lord of the Hundreds, Burwash Rose and Mayfield. The shop also sells excellent charcuterie and wines, and has its own café where it hosts popular tasting events for the public.

www.la-cave.co.uk

JOINT THIRD PLACE The Pangbourne Cheese Shop Pangbourne, Berkshire

L

ocals in the village of Pangbourne near Reading are lucky to have such a comprehensive cheese shop on their doorstep.

Owned by former physio Jen Grimstone-Jones with able assistance from long-standing manager Angela Brown, the shop stocks around 120 cheeses, many of which are sourced directly, including West Country Farmhouse Cheddars, Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire, Wigmore and Barkham Blue.

There is also a fabulous range of Continental cheeses, from Roquefort and Brie de Meaux through to less common varieties including Cantal, Machbon (an Italian semi-hard cheese) and truffle gouda.

Cheesemakers regularly visit the shop to host tastings, while the company has also recently invested in an astro-turf-covered three-wheel van to act as mobile shop at food festivals.

www.pangbournecheeseshop.co.uk FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

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Open for entry Want to know more about food and drink’s most coveted awards? www.gff.co.uk/gta New to Great Taste? Make sure you receive entry information by contacting greattaste@gff.co.uk

www.gff.co.uk | www.greattasteawards.co.uk |

@greattasteawards |

/greattasteawards

Eat our fresh soup straight from the tub or take your time and try our serving suggestion on the tub. We think it’s better than dining out!

ALL OUR SOUPS ARE GLUTEN FREE

Say hello Email: thehenhouse@cullyandsully.com Cully & Sully,

Cully and Sully

www.islandbakery.co.uk FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

41

You can’t hurry greatness.

Remember the taste.

MADE BY HAND IN OPEN PANS

www.rosefarmsomerset.co.uk

ROSE FARM

CALL 01934 712347 FOR MORE INFORMATION

BEST CHEDDAR

The

bit on the side

British Cheese Awards 2014

Quicke’s Vintage is aged for two years for it’s uniquely intense flavour.

HOME FARM, NEWTON ST CYRES DEVON, EX5 5AY • 01392 851222

www.quickes.co.uk

it's a tasty affair

www.thebitontheside.co.uk

Call 01934 712974 for information on our 33 funky flavours

handmade Jams.chutneys.pickles.sauces

Almond and Fig Nougat

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BRAND NEW LOOK!

Almond and Fig Nougat

BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

A THRONG OF GONGS

NATIONAL & REGIONAL AWARD WINNERS

Great Taste 2016 www.gff.co.uk/gta

Take the hassle out of picking the best products: let someone else do it for you!

Here’s our annual round-up of winners from national and regional award schemes, starting with our very own Great Taste 2016.

GOLDEN FORK FROM THE SOUTH WEST Organic Double Cream Jess’s Ladies Organic Farm Milk

NIGEL BARDEN HERITAGE AWARD Raw Thyme Honey Hilltop Honey

www.theladiesorganicmilk. co.uk

www.hilltophoney.com

GOLDEN FORK FROM SCOTLAND Jaffy’s Kippers J Lawrie & Sons www.jaffys.co.uk

SUPREME CHAMPION & GOLDEN FORK FROM NORTHERN IRELAND Glenarm Shorthorn Four Rib Roast Hannan Meats www.hannanmeats.com

GOLDEN FORK FROM LONDON & THE SOUTH EAST Seeded Cracker The Bread Factory www.breadltd.co.uk

BEST IMPORTED FOOD Huitres Amelie Huitres Amelie

GOLDEN FORK FROM EAST ANGLIA & THE MIDLANDS Monsoon Espresso Monsoon Estates Coffee Company

www.huitresamelie.com

www.monsoonestates.co.uk

GOLDEN FORK FROM WALES Dabinett Medium Cider Apple County Cider Co

SMALL ARTISAN PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Bermondsey Street Honey Bermondsey Street Bees

www.applecountycider.co.uk

www.bermondseystreetbees.co.uk

BEST IRISH SPECIALITY Simply Better Irish Handmade All Butter Sticky Toffee Pudding Dunnes Stores www.dunnesstores.com

GOLDEN FORK FROM THE NORTH OF ENGLAND Under Milk Wood Dark Woods Coffee www.darkwoodscoffee.co.uk

FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

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Peas & Beans 5HDO %DNHUV %HWWHU %UHDG In the summer of 2008, The Welbeck Bakehouse È´UHG XS LWV RYHQV IRU WKH È´UVW WLPH DQG QRZ \HDUV ODWHU KDV JURZQ WR EHFRPH DQ DZDUG ZLQQLQJ ZKROHVDOH EDNHU\ VXSSO\LQJ DQ DUUD\ RI EXVLQHVVHV WKURXJKRXW WKH (DVW 0LGODQGV DQG 6RXWK <RUNVKLUH 7KLV %DNHKRXVH SULGHV LWVHOI RQ LWV GHGLFDWLRQ WR SURPRWLQJ È&#x2020;5HDOÈ&#x2021; EUHDG PDNLQJ DQG WKH SURGXFWLRQ RI KLJK TXDOLW\ SURGXFH XVLQJ WUDGLWLRQDO ORQJ IHUPHQWDWLRQ SURFHVVHV DQG SUH IHUPHQWV ZLWK QR DUWLÈ´FLDO DGGLWLYHV RU SUHVHUYDWLYHV 7KH :HOEHFN %DNHKRXVH FUDIWV PRUH WKDQ VW\OHV RI DUWLVDQ EUHDGV DQG SDVWULHV VSHFLDOLVLQJ LQ 6RXUGRXJKV DQG KDQG VKDSHG DOO EXWWHU 9LHQQRLVHULH

www.justcrisps.co.uk

100% British snack High in protein ,MKL MR ½FVI Nut Free

For more information please contact us on 01543493081 44

Please contact us for more information.

7HOHSKRQH (PDLO RUGHUV#ZHOEHFNEDNHKRXVH FR XN ZHOEHFNEDNHKRXVH

#ZHOEHFNEDNHUV

www.welbeckbakehouse.co.uk BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

NATIONAL & REGIONAL AWARD WINNERS

The BOOM Awards

The Yorkshire Post & Deliciously Yorkshire Taste Awards

www.soilassociation.org

www.deliciouslyorkshire.co.uk

PANTRY AWARD British Carlin Peas Hodmedod’s

BEST YORKSHIRE CHEESE Halloumi with Chilli Yorkshire Dama Cheese

www.hodmedods.co.uk

www. yorkshiredamacheese. co.uk

CHILLED AND FROZEN Creamy Coffee Kiss Nude Spoon www.thenudespoon.com

SOFT & SPECIALITY CHEESE Golden Cenarth Caws Cenarth www.cawscenarth.co.uk

CONFECTIONERY Femmes de Virunga 55% Organic Milk Chocolate Original Beans www.originalbeans.com

BAKERY Organic Plain English Wholemeal Flour Doves Farm www.dovesfarm.co.uk

BEST READY-TO-EAT PRODUCT Game Pie The Topping Pie Company www.toppingspies.co.uk

The World’s Original Marmalade Awards www.dalemain.com/marmalade-awards

BEST YORKSHIRE ICE CREAM Liquorice & Blackcurrant Yummy Yorkshire www.yummyyorkshire. co.uk

Real Ale & Cider Awards www.camra.org.uk/awards

CHAMPION BOTTLED BEER OF BRITAIN Mutiny Stringers Beer www.stringersbeer.co.uk

Taste of the West Awards

CHAMPION WINTER BEER OF BRITAIN Chocolate marble Marble Beers

www.tasteofthewest.co.uk

www.marblebeers.com

Cornwall Life Food and Drink Awards www.foodawards.cornwalllife.co.uk

ARTISAN DOUBLE GOLD WINNERS Seville Orange Aperol Marmalade The Artisan Kitchen

SUPREME CHAMPION PRODUCT The Bish Lick the Spoon

BEST FOOD PRODUCT OF THE YEAR Duchy Charcuterie www.duchycharcuterie.co.uk

www.theartisankitchen.co.uk

BBC Food & Farming Awards

www.lickthespoon. co.uk

CHAMPION CURED MEAT Cornish Coppa Deli Farm Charcuterie

www.bbc.co.uk

www. delifarmcharcuterie.co.uk

www.charcutier.co.uk

BEST FOOD PRODUCER Charcutier Ltd

BEST FOOD RETAILER The Almeley Food Shop www. almeleymarketanddeli. co.uk

The Tiptree World Bread Awards www.worldbreadawards.com

WINNER 2016 Spirulina & Pumpkin Seed Bread Gradz Bakery FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

Seville Orange & Beetroot Marmalade Lady Waterford Preserves

BEST DRINKS PRODUCER Hallets Real Cider

www.theolddairyinford.co.uk

www.halletsrealcider.co.uk

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NATIONAL & REGIONAL AWARD WINNERS

Irish Quality Food Awards

2016-17

irish.qualityfoodawards.com

ST

ARD

S

IA

N

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AW

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O

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SMALL PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Orange, Mango & Gin Marshmallow Camran Crafts www.camrancrafts. wixsite.com

SPECIALITY BREADS Homely Bread The Breadski Brothers www.thebreadskibrothers.com

Bristol Good Food Awards www.bristolgoodfood.co.uk/local-producerswinners-2016

World Cheese Awards

BEST LOCAL SPIRIT Bramley and Gage

www.gff.co.uk/wca

www.bramleyandgage.com

WORLD CHAMPION CHEESE Kraftkar Tingvollost

BEST DELI Divino Deli

www.tingvollost.no

www.divinodeli.co.uk

Grampian Food Forum Innovation Awards BEST NEW RETAIL PRODUCT FOR BUSINESSES WITH UP TO 25 EMPLOYEES Banana, Cashew & Coconut Granola/ Fig, Date & Vanilla Granola/Pineapple, Papaya & Coconut Granola The Good Granola Company

JUDGES’ CHOICE Barra Bronzes

SPECIALITY MEAT PIE Game Pie Mud Foods

www.thegoodgranolacompany.co.uk

www.barrabronzes.co.uk

www.mudfoods.com

Taste of Kent Awards www.tasteofkentawards.co.uk

AMBIENT FOOD PRODUCT Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil blended with Lemon AMC Foods www.amcfoods.co.uk

The British Pie Awards www.britishpieawards.co.uk

National Trust Fine Farm Produce Awards

OVERALL FOOD WINNER Rolled Turkey Breast F Conisbee & Son www.fconisbee.com

www.nationaltrust.org.uk

OVERALL DRINK WINNER Killerton Estate Apple Juice www.nationaltrust.org.uk/killerton

BAKERY AND CONFECTIONARY The Captains Crackers – cracked black pepper & salt The Zingiberi Bakery www. thezingiberibakery. co.uk

46

BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

New Line s 2017

Bold new look. Dazzling new ďŹ&#x201A;avours Make the ordinary extraordinary www.thebaytree.co.uk

01963 828020

hello@thebaytree.co.uk

Beechwood

Naturally smoked, stunningly moreish

A world first!

We explore the edges of what can be done with garlic. On paper, this latest adventure seemed a bridge too far but the flavour profile is sweet and smooth with a caramel finish. Extraordinary.

Available direct or though Cotswold Fayre.

snowdoniacheese.co.uk 01745 360246 FINE FOOD DIGEST

¡ BEST BRANDS 2016-17

www.thegarlicfarm.co.uk | wholesale@thegarlicfarm.co.uk | 01983 865 378

47

Award-Winning Free-Range Eggs

Our full range of Fish, Seafood and Prepared Dishes supplied to Farm Shops, Delis and Food Halls nationwide

From the Lakelands of County Fermanagh The Halls are dedicated to providing a caring and nurturing environment for their hens and are focused on producing the best quality eggs in the industry. Cavanagh Eggs have won numerous awards for their eggs and most recently they achieved a 2-Star award at Great Taste 2016 and the Blas na hEireann Chefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice Award 2016. To top it all off, they won Best Artisan Producer in the inaugural Grow Make Eat Drink Awards.

Eileen Hall: 07857964468 | John Hall: 07857964436 Email: info@cavanaghfreerangeeggs.co.uk

Best Artisan Producer

www.awardwinningeggs.com

Haddock & Leek with Cheddar Cheese Fishcakes

Thai Style Salmon Fishcakes

Smoked Salmon & Horseradish Fishcakes

East Coast Crabcakes

01472 269871 www.chapmansfishcakes.co.uk sales@chapmanfishcakes.co.uk 48

BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ¡

FINE FOOD DIGEST

NATIONAL & REGIONAL AWARD WINNERS

Highlands & Islands Food & Drink Awards

Free From Food Awards 2016

British Street Food Awards

www.freefromfoodawards.co.uk

www.britishstreetfood.co.uk

www.hifoodanddrinkawards.com

WINNER OF THE FAIR TROPHY FOR THE BEST FREEFROM FOOD 2016 Nutribix Gluten Free

BEST OF THE BEST Baked In Brick www.facebook.com/bakedinbrickuk

www.nutribrex.co.uk

INDEPENDENT FOOD & DRINK RETAILER OF THE YEAR AWARD The Cheese House

RUNNERS UP Hazelnut Chocolate Truffles Booja-Booja www.boojabooja.com

www.cromartycheese.com

BEST SNACK Goat offal & chorizo taco Broughgammon Farm www.broughgammon.com

BEST SANDWICH Bao with braised pork belly, mirin cucumbers, coriander, sweet powdered peanuts, and chilli Le Bao www.lebao.co.uk

NEW PRODUCT AWARD Stockan's Oatcakes

HEALTHIER FOOD AND DRINK AWARD Juicy-Ness

Basil Pesto Casheese Gozo Deli

BEST DESSERT Fallen Angel Cake: rich dark chocolate flourless cake with small batch bourbon soaked cherry Man Meat Fire

www.juicyness.co.uk

www.gozodeli.com

www.manmeatfire.co.uk

Academy of Chocolate Awards 2016

The Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards

www.stockans.com

www.academyofchocolate.org.uk

THE GOLDEN BEAN AWARD 2016 Hispaniola 70% bar Hummingbird Chocolate

www.foodanddrink.scot SOUP, PRESERVES AND ACCOMPANIMENTS Shony Flakes Mara Seaweed www.maraseaweed.com

www. hummingbirdchocolate.com

FLAVOURED DRINKING CHOCOLATE Gianduja Drinking Chocolate Eponine Patisserie

PRODUCT OF THE YEAR Macamoon’s Scottish Selection Macamoon

www.eponine.co.uk

www.macamoon.co.uk

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Nantwich International Cheese Awards

www.britishcheeseawards.com

SUPREME CHAMPION Shropshire Blue Cropwell Bishop Creamery

www.ey.com

FOOD & DRINK CHAMPION William Chase Chase Distillery www.chasedistillery.co.uk

British Cheese Awards 2016

SUPREME CHAMPION Jerseyhoeve Schorren Treur Kaas

www. cropwellbishopstilton. com

www.treurkaas.nl

FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

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TM

Old Winchester is back on track and supplies are now readily available.

Please contact us for more information.

SPARKLING ESTATE CRAFT CIDERS, SINGLE-VARIETY APPLE JUICES AND HEALTHY APPLE CRISPS FROM CHARRINGTON’S

ESTATE CRAFT CIDERS – Lightly sparkling, skilfully blended small-batch fermentations of Cox, Russet and Bramley apples.

SINGLE ESTATE PROVENANCE - Every apple is hand-picked from the trees on our LEAF accredited family farm in Kent.

SINGLE-VARIETY APPLE JUICES – Gently pressed pure apple juices (not from concentrate and never diluted).

AWARD WINNING - Winners of multiple awards at Great Taste and Quality Awards.

APPLE CRISPS – Healthy air-dried slices of Cox, Russet and Cheerful Gold apples (not fried and nothing added) WWW.CH ARRI N GTON SDRI N KS.CO M

50

Private Bin & Ravishing Russet

Captivating Cox

Cryals Classic

Apple Crisps

BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

ORGANIC

COTSWOLD

Tel 01451 870852 cheese@turnstonefarming.co.uk

www.simonweaver.net

Book a tasting session to take your customers on

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;As recommended

by Tom Newey in this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Emerging Brandsâ&#x20AC;?

Call us on 0207 018 0420 or Email to info@rucifoods.com to book your tasting session.

www.rucifoods.com

Follow RUCI foods on

FINE FOOD DIGEST

¡ BEST BRANDS 2016-17

51

ǁǁǁ͘ĂĚůŝŶŐƚŽŶůƚĚ͘ĐŽŵ Ϭϭϲϳϲ ϱϯϮϲϴϭ

For 3 generations, the Adlington family have been providing exquisite turkeys , three bird roasts and a delicious range of value added products for your Christmas feast. All supplied direct by our own chilled distribution. dŚĞ ĨŝŶĞƐƚ ƚƵƌŬĞLJ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵƌ ŚƌŝƐƚŵĂƐ ƚĂďůĞ Ͳ ƌĞĂƌĞĚ ůŽĐĂůůLJ͊

Celebrating 30 years

est. 1987

Our creamy, melt-in-your-mouth fudge is handmade every day in our fudge pantries across the country. We use the finest quality natural ingredients in our variety of fudge flavours.

Vanilla Clotted Cream Fudge, Peanut Butter Fudge, Sea Salt Fudge, Lemon Meringue Fudge

Vanilla Clotted Cream Fudge, Maple and Walnut Fudge

Honeycomb Fudge

Vanilla Clotted Cream Fudge, Sea Salt Fudge

Salted Maple and Pecan Fudge

Vanilla Clotted Cream Fudge

To find out more about our wholesale and corporate gifts visit: rolysfudge.co.uk/wholesale-and-corporate-gifts mail@rolysfudge.co.uk | www.rolysfudge.co.uk | 01392 201059

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BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

LIFE LINES

MUST-STOCKS

We look back at Fine Food Digest’s 2016 Deli of the Month features to see what products each store’s buyers couldn’t be without

Fenwick Food Hall

Rumwell Farm Shop Taunton, Somerset Pipers Anglesey Sea Salt crisps Awfully Posh pork crackling Miles hot chocolate Self-service olives Field Fare Danish pastries Country Puddings creamy vanilla custard Somerset biltong Wessex Mill strong bread flour Stokes tomato ketchup Rumwell faggots Rumwell beef mince packs Rumwell sausage packs Rumwell large eggs

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Ringtons ginger biscuits Coconut Merchant coconut jam The Teashed Pop a Ball Lauden Chocolate printed collection Ouseburn Coffee Company Foundry No1 ground coffee Five ultra premium extra virgin olive oil 500ml Doddington original cheese Fenwick hand-raised Victorian pie Blagdon Farm Shop Old English sausage Daylesford lemon & gingercurd Mason & Rye fine patisserie Roederer Estate Quartet sparkling wine Hepple gin www.fenwick.co.uk

www.rumwellfarmshop.com

Hollow Trees Farm Shop

Purely Cornish

Looe, Cornwall Trewithen Dairy clotted cream Cornish Blue cheese Cornish Yarg Camel Valley Vineyard bacchus dry Camel Valley Vineyard Cornwall Brut Tarquin’s gin Ninemaidens mead Ninemaidens honey Bay Tree candies Boddington’s Berries strawberry jam St Austell Brewery Tribute ale St Austell Brewery Korev lager Padstow Brewing Co IPA Vicky’s bread Cornish Orchards farmhouse cider Cornish Chilli Co red chilli jam Paws for Cake dog treats

Semer, Suffolk Farmer Bill’s vanilla ice cream (Hadley's Essex) Suffolk Gold cheeses Tracklements full range Field Fare frozen croissants Marybelle milk Hollow Trees cook-in-the-tin meals Hollow Trees goat meat (diced, chopped and whole leg) Inverawe smoked salmon Suffolk honey Aspall’s vinegar range Mauldon beers (Sudbury) Chapman’s classic fish & parsley fish cakes www.hollowtrees.co.uk

www.purelycornish.co.uk

FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

53

We are Dunnet Bay Distillers. Unsurprisingly we are located in the spectacular bay of Dunnet, where the freshest of air and the finest of water are in abundance.

Our goal is to create spirits which reflect the Scottish way. We hand distil slowly, thoughtfully and passionately to create our exceptional products! www.dunnetbaydistillers.co.uk rockrosegin holygrassvodka Dunnet Bay Distillery, Dunnet, Thurso, Scotland, KW14 8XD

Ireland’s Oldest Independent Tea & Coffee Merchants Great Taste award-winning Speciality Teas and Coffees

00353 52 7462828 54

| www.emeraldoils.ie

www.sdbellsteacoffee.com 028 9047 1774

BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

MUST-STOCKS

Gazzano’s

Farringdon, London Fresh handmade pasta (direct from Italy) Parmigiano Reggiano (24-month-old) Buffalo Mozzarella (Campania) Burrata (Puglia) Mauri Gorgonzola Arigolas Pecorino Amoretti & Gazzano extra virgin olive oil Villani salamis Tanara Prosciutto di Parma (18-20-month-old) Veroni Mortadella pistachio Gazzano’s tomatoes in jars De Cecco Orecchiette pasta Bio Sol jams Gazzano’s pesto www.gazzanos.co.uk

Ardkeen Quality Food Store Waterford, Ireland Ardkeen sourdough bread Ring’s Farm chicken Ardkeen’s Cookshop ready-meals Zanna Cookhouse quiches Crowe’s Farm bacon O’Neill’s rashers Metalman beers Dungarvan Brewing beers Waterford Blaa PGI (a white bread bun) Hickey’s barm brack (fruit loaf) Flahavan’s porridge oats Blackwater gin Highbank Orchard gin www.ardkeen.com

Cobbs Farm Shop

Cowdray Farm Shop A Taste of Honey

West Didsbury, Manchester Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire cheese Tracklements chilli jam The Manchester Cheese Cake Co cheesecake Happy Belly scotch eggs The Great North Pie Co pies The Funky Nut Co honey & sea salt peanut butter ManCoCo Manchester blend coffee Galore real ale chutney Dough It Yourself pizza bases Barbakan bread Trove bread Ginger’s Comfort Emporium Chorlton Crack ice cream www.atasteofhoney.co.uk

Midhurst, West Sussex Tunworth cheese Gospel Green cyder Lizi’s granola Mummy Makes Fudge Biotiful Dairy kefir The Fine Cheese Co Toast For Cheese apricot & pistachio Chegworth Valley apple juice Luscombe elderflower bubbly Chilgrove gin Turtle Dove’s recycled cashmere gloves Monmouth coffee Rosebud Preserves sweet onion marmalade Cowdray Park pies

Hungerford, Berkshire Truffle crisps Peter’s Yard crispbead (standard pack) Stokes tomato ketchup and mayo Fosbury honey Cobbs own-brand honey Snowdonia Black Bomber Brie de Meaux Spooning Gorgonzola Ooh Chocolata bars Handmade Scotch Egg Co – Classic Mac Upton Smokery smoked salmon Mere Farm smoked trout terrine and roulades Luchito smoked chilli mayo Field Fare frozen croissants Jude’s salted caramel ice cream www.cobbsfarmshop.co.uk

www.cowdray.co.uk

Weald Smokery

Flimwell, East Sussex Vacherin du Mont d’Or Colston Bassett Stilton (animal rennet) Benenden Sauce Traditional Cheese Dairy Burwash Rose Weald Smokery smoked salmon and smoked chicken Jenny Wren Belgian chocolates Ginger’s Kitchen ready-meals Home Gurr’own pies and quiches Coln Valley dill sauce Tracklements chilli jam Monty Bojangles Flutter Scotch fudge Naked Spice dry curry mixes The Quality Cake Company roulades and lemon tarts Sussex Valley hollandaise Anno Kent dry gin www.wealdsmokery.co.uk

FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

55

fo Fo th W r W od e i n ild & Irish ne Sm Dr Q r o in u f ok k al ed Aw ity Sa ard lm s on

Truly Artisan Irish | Traditional Smokehouse Discover the True Taste of Heritage We offer Irish Organic Smoked Salmon and regular farmed artisan Smoked Salmon all year round.

Superb wild Irish Smoked Salmon is also available when in stock.

Ours is a family business with fourth and fifth generation fishermen working to give you the very best quality, artisan smoked salmon using beech wood chips in our 60 year old traditional smoker in Ballyhack, County Wexford, Ireland. Our wild salmon is caught in limited numbers from licensed rivers in Ireland by means of traditional snap and draft nets which means the fish are caught stress free resulting in a top quality product.

00353 860284283 | info@ballyhacksmokehouse.com www.ballyhacksmokehouse.com

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BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

STAFF PICKS

One perk of writing for a food mag is the occasional chance to champion your personal favourites. Here’s this year’s self-indulgent selection from the Fine Food Digest team.

Michael Lane Deputy editor VAN STRIEN CHEESE PALMIERS Brought to the UK from Holland by Healthier Foods Ltd, these biscuits lasted less than 10 minutes on the editorial desk.

The prominent flavour of PDO Gouda accompanies every step of a journey that sees the biscuit go from crisp to crumbly in the mouth before melting away.

These might be slightly indulgent but the simple ingredient list also taps into the “clean eating” and healthy fats trends.

ROCKTAILS NON-ALCOHOLIC FROZEN COCKTAILS Unlike the frozen cocktail mixers in supermarket aisles, Rocktails’ range is classy outside and in.

They all provide a great platform for a dash or two of spirit but the natural flavours and quirky flourishes in each mix – such as yuzu, thyme and guanabana – render each one good enough to drink unadulterated.

And because they’re supplied ambient, storage and merchandising is easy for retailers. www.rocktails.co.uk

www.van-strien.nl

THE WILD BEER CO SLEEPING LEMONS EXPORT Whatever you think of the ‘craft’ phenomenon, beer isn’t just about volume anymore and this is a perfect example of how it can also be pitched as a treat to be shared – like wine or cheese.

This number from Somerset’s The Wild Beer Co is both challenging – a tart, salty 6% beer made with preserved lemons – and beautiful in its wax-sealed bottle.

So, it should delight retailers looking to pep-up that row of novelty-branded bitters and consumers seeking dinner party kicks. www.wildbeerco.com

Patrick McGuigan FFD cheese expert BIX A cross between a Chaource and a BrillatSavarin, this triple cream cheese is made

by Nettlebed Creamery in Oxfordshire using raw cows' milk enriched with Jersey cream. Rich and milky with mushroom notes from the rind, the cheese has a fluffy inner core when young and becomes gooey as it matures. www.nettlebedcreamery.com

PAVÉ COBBLE White Lake Cheese in Somerset launched a range of new sheep's milk products earlier this year and this soft ash-coated cheese really stood out. Made with raw ewes’ milk and named after the notorious cobbled sections of the Tour de France (one of the cheesemakers is a keen cyclist), the cheese has a wrinkly rind with a gooey breakdown just underneath. The flavour is sweet and lactic with a savoury finish.

Lynda Searby Feature writer BRINDISA ROMESCO, ALMOND & RED PEPPER SAUCE This unassuming little jar punches well above its weight, packing an intense flavour in which hazelnuts, almonds, tomatoes and ñona peppers are perfectly in tune with one another.

Fish is the traditional accompaniment for this Catalan sauce, but I recommend using it in Italian tomato-based pasta dishes. www.brindisa.com

Mick Whitworth

BIM’S KITCHEN AFRICAN BAOBAB & CACAO SYRUP It’s not often something completely original crosses my desk but I had to eat half a jar of this syrup before I could get my head around the complex taste, which I can best liken to German Lebkuchen.

Equally at home with savouries or sweets, it combines the indulgence and bitterness of a dark chocolate sauce with the fruitiness of a syrup. www.bimskitchen.com

YORKSHIRE PECORINO Leeds-based Italian chef Mario Olianas received several awards for his ‘pecorino fresco’ in 2016.

Aged for just 20-30 days, it has a supple texture and sweet milky flavour – different to the aged pecorinos normally found in Britain.

He also produces ‘semi-stagionato’ and ‘stagionato’ versions of the cheese, which are aged for longer, plus Leeds Blue pecorino.

FRANKLIN & SONS NATURAL INDIAN TONIC WATER Chatting to Pinkster Gin founder Stephen Marsh at September’s Speciality & Fine Food Fair, one observation stuck in my mind. It wasn’t Chase or Sipsmith or Caorunn that enabled today’s premium gin explosion, he said, but Fever-Tree, producing the first tonic that let quality gin speak to the drinker in a way “Sch… you know who“ had never done.

Now, with well over 250 ‘craft’ distillers in operation, the market needs more than one subtle premium tonic, and Franklin fits the bill nicely: lightly fizzy, not overbitter, and with an old-fashioned image that contrasts well with Fever-Tree on the shelf.

COFFEE CARE GUATAMALAN MARAGOGYPE Raise a cup to the Coffee Care brand. The firm isn’t new – it has been serving caterers in the north of England for 30 years. But it has just launched into retail with a 23-strong range that includes the 2016 Great Taste three-star-winning Kochere Yirgacheffe and the Three Peaks Blend (my personal easydrinking favourite).

My pick for delis is its Guatamalan Maragogype: spicy and nutty with a mellow finish.

It’s the packaging I particularly like, crammed full of information and brewing tips and all delivered with a light, enthusiast’s touch.

www.olianas.co.uk

www.franklinandsons.co.uk

www.coffeecare.co.uk

www.whitelake.co.uk

FINE FOOD DIGEST

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Editorial director

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Tenuta Marmorelle Bronze Drawn Gluten Free Caserecce Pasta

Tenuta Marmorelle OTTIMO Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Casanova Truffle Casanova 10 Year Balsamic Pearls Old Balsamic Vinegar From Modena IGP

Tenuta Marmorelle Bronze Drawn Rustic Truffle Pappardelle

Amore Italiano Sun Dried Tomato Tapenade

www.tenutamarmorelle.com | +44 (0)7535286028

A Three Sta r Great Taste Awa rd for Crossogu e Preserves in 2016!

Spreading goodness!

Crossogu e Preserves was fou nded by Veronica Molloy in 1995.

Over the yea rs, the bra nd has won over 50 awa rds including ma ny 1 sta r a nd 2 sta rs at the prestigious Great Taste Awa rds a nd Golds at The World’s Original Ma rmalade awa rds.

This yea r we celebrate a coveted Great Taste 3 sta r, the highest a ccolade was awa rded for ou r Da mson Port Jelly as well as a 1 sta r for ou r Loga nberry Ja m a nd ou r Rhu ba rb a nd Ginger Spread.

Most recently, Veronica was honou red to receive a life time a chieve ment awa rd by the Irish Food Writers’ Guild.

Follow Crossogu e Preserves on Fa cebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

www.crossogu epreserves.com info@crossogu epreserves.com Tel: 00353 504 54416 58

BEST BRANDS 2016-17 ·

FINE FOOD DIGEST

A taste of the Outer Hebrides

Handmade IN HEREFORDSHIRE WWW.CHASEDISTILLERY.CO.UK

Family Butchers and Producers of Stornoway Black Pudding.

Winner of the Country Alliance ‘Best Scottish Butcher Award’ 2012 www.charlesmacleod.co.uk

Tel: 01851 702 445 Email: sales@charlesmacleod.co.uk

“You want to see and taste perfection?

Here it is, Pandora Bell is of a standard no one in Ireland has ever achieved...”

Source: The Bridgestone Irish Food Guide

Vanilla

www.pandorabell.com/ info@pandorabell.com Facebook: /ilovepandorabell. Twitter: @pandorabell. Instagram: pandora_bell FINE FOOD DIGEST

· BEST BRANDS 2016-17

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