March 2010

March 2010· Vol 11 Issue 2

ICE AND A SLICE? Our selection of this year’s coolest drinks

STAMP OF APPROVAL

Slow Food rolls out recommendation scheme UK-wide

SHEDLOADS OF GOODIES

Susanna Sait‘s spin on the traditional farmers’ market

LYNHER DAIRIES “We want to be a strong, stable, resilient rural business”

INSIDE: donnybrook fair PICKLES & CHUTNEYS TRAINING TWITTER protected food names food & DRink EXPO

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March 2010 路 Vol.11 Issue 2

opinion

in this issue

This month sees the start of a nationwide trial in which kids who suffer from nut allergies will be fed daily doses of peanut flour.

It follows a pilot with 23 sufferers, 21 of whom were subsequently able to eat 12 peanuts a day without coming to any harm. Regularly eating tiny quantities of peanut apparently desensitises the metabolism by building a tolerance to a potentially deadly allergen.

Strike me down with a mouthful of lysteria monocytogenes – the blindingly obvious finally dawns on those who should know better.

For years, foodie types argued that the escalation in childhood allergies is in part caused by the food police’s quest for squeaky clean, sanitised, antiseptic, absolutely bloody tasteless food.

Exposure to the odd bug rarely if ever kills and over time it builds immunity.

But watch up, the police are on the prowl again. A recent email from an EHO suggests she’s losing sleep over regulations governing display lives for open fresh food.

In case you missed the 2006 legislation, we’re now required to monitor the time cheese, meat and other open fresh foods are displayed in the counter. You cannot work to manufacturers’ ‘use by’ dates once the first consumer portion is cut; each product needs a shorter, individual display life, measured in days.

Producers are reluctant to provide these dates because they’re unable to monitor individual counter temperatures so the Guild of Fine Food published its own set of guidelines for displaying cut cheeses and meats.

We didn’t dream them up, we distilled them from operating procedures used by major supermarkets and presumably approved by their local EHOs. To help members avoid binning edible food, the Guild also followed supermarket guidelines allowing slower moving products to be opened, halved or quartered, re-wrapped and displayed using the original ‘use by’ dates until the first consumer portion is cut.

This worries our EHO, who writes: “I would be interested to learn who/what body/EHO approved the policy of tightly rewrapping halves or quarters of slow selling meats and cheeses and applying the original best before date. Once opened meat/cheese is exposed to potential contamination from hands, chopping boards, utensils, air etc. The shelf life is greatly reduced from the one the manufacturers apply.”

She may well have a point but she’s also clearly part of the ‘let’s remove every conceivable risk and all fun from life’ brigade. It’s likely her loving parents never let her walk to school or play outdoors on her own and her teachers banned snowball fights and ran sports days where every child was a winner.

She might even have a nut allergy.

Eating good food containing tiny amounts of bacteria encourages immunity. It also tastes better, is more satisfying and at my age, is the only enjoyable activity I can manage three times a day. She should go check what supermarkets are doing before giving delis and farm shops a hard time.

❝Eating good food containing tiny amounts of bacteria encourages immunity. It also tastes better.❞

Bob Farrand

Bob Farrand is publisher of Fine Food Digest and national director of the Guild of Fine Food

What they’re saying ❝I don’t believe FARMA own the words ‘farmers’ market’ yet, do they?

I know farmers, I buy from them and I sell their produce on, so to my mind I’m running a farmers’ market.❞ Susanna Sait, Deli of the Month – p17

fine food news

Slow Food launches ‘recommendation’ scheme for local retailers and producers p5

focus on: pickles & chutneys Maximising cross-sales at the cheese counter p29

product update: soft drinks

There’s no shortage of new flavours for summer 2010 p39

preview: food & drink expo What’s on the menu at the NEC this month p37

update: training & seminars The latest courses for retailers and producers p45

regulars:

news deli of the month deli chef cheesewire shelf talk

4 17 21 25 47

EDITORIAL Editor: Mick Whitworth News editor: Patrick McGuigan Art director: Mark Windsor Editorial production: Richard Charnley Contributors: Gail Hunt ADVERTISING Sales manager: Sally Coley Advertisement sales: Becky Stacey, Julianne Parry Circulation manager: Tortie Farrand Publisher & managing director: Bob Farrand Associate publisher & director: John Farrand THE GUILD OF FINE FOOD Membership secretary & director: Linda Farrand Administrators: Charlie Westcar, Julie Coates Accounts: Stephen Guppy, Denise Ballance

t: 01963 824464 Fax: 01963 824651 e: firstname.lastname@finefoodworld.co.uk w: www.finefoodworld.co.uk Published by: Great Taste Publications Ltd and The Guild of Fine Food Ltd. Fine Food Digest is published 10 times a year and is available on subscription for £40pa inclusive of post and packing.

Printed by: Advent Colour, Hants © Great Taste Publications Ltd and The Guild of Fine Food Ltd 2010. 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.

The publisher cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, recipes, photographs or illustrations.

Vol.11 Issue 1 · January-February 2010

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fine food news Food Centre says damaging ‘tweets’ are a wake-up call to the power of social networking sites

False rumours about Ludlow reveal risks of malicious gossip on Twitter

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

The risks that social networking websites can pose to a retailer’ reputations were highlighted last month when the Ludlow Food Centre was the subject of a potentially damaging rumour on Twitter.

Several messages, or ‘tweets’, were posted on Twitter claiming that staff at the Shropshire food hall were to be laid off and the shop closed down to make way for a conference centre.

The rumour, which was completely untrue, was brought to the attention of MD Sandy Boyd by a local newspaper following up the information for a possible new story.

“It came completely out of the blue and it’s been hard to find where the rumour started. We’re not sure if it was just mistaken gossip or something more malicious,” said Boyd. “We weren’t previously on Twitter and dismissed it as silly chitchat, but there are millions of

people connected to it who could be busy gossiping about your business.

“I’d urge other retailers to look into what Twitter is about because it could be used against you. Unless you know how to deal with it you are at a disadvantage.”

Ludlow moved quickly to counter the rumour, issuing a statement to the press and getting friends of the shop to post tweets denying the story. It has now also signed up with Twitter.

According to Victoria Prior, director of PR agency Magnolia, “prevention is the best course of action” when it comes to stopping negative messages appearing on Twitter and public review sites such as Qype.

“Control the information that’s going out on networking sites, so if there is anything negative, it is outweighed by positive information that will hopefully encourage other positive tweets and

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March 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 2

comments,” she told FFD. “If someone decides to write something negative, first of all consider if they have a point and look at the issue. If you believe it to be wholly unfair, politely contact the host, but don't hold out too much hope of it being removed.

“To limit the damage ask those who do think more of you to log in and add other reviews and comments that are more glowing.”

Newcastle-based deli Mmm… has used Twitter successfully to build its customer base, sending out regular tweets on new products, special offers and recipes to over 1,000 followers.

“It’s a great tool for communicating with existing customers and we have attracted new people to the shop through the site,” said owner Simone Clarkin.

• Letter from Ludlow - p10

New guten-free rules pose threat to smaller producers

dreamstime

Seed oil producers defend Omega 3 claims against attack by Which?

The newly formed British Association of Cold Pressed Oil Producers (BACPOP) has hit back at allegations from consumer watchdog Which? that products containing plant-derived omega 3, such as rapeseed oil, are making misleading health claims.

The consumer group issued a statement last month outlining its opposition to new EC rules that allow products containing plantderived Omega 3 oils, such as rapeseed oil, to bear the claim ‘high in’ or ‘a source of’ Omega 3s.

Which? said such claims are misleading because only oils from fish sources have been proven to keep our hearts healthy.

BACPOP, whose members make regular claims about the health benefits of their rapeseed oil, defended the use of plantderived Omega 3, which is called ALA. “Rapeseed oil has nearly 20

Businesses struck by negative comments on sites like Twitter must fight back with positive messages

Plant-derived Omega 3 is as valuable as that found in fish oil, rapeseed producers insist

times the amount of ALA required to make a ‘high in’ claim under the new EC rules and can be metabolised by the body to form the long chain fatty acids you find in fish oil,” said Graham Kelly, manager at BACPOP member Hill Farm Oil. “There are benefits to both types of oils and it is misleading of Which? to say otherwise.”

The cost of conforming to new legislation on gluten-free product labelling could make it increasingly difficult for hard-pressed small producers to compete against industrial manufacturers and the supermarkets.

Specialist producers such as Scotland’s Cookroom, which is focused on wheatand gluten-free foods, fear they could face huge bills to get every product on their list individually tested.

At artisan bakery More? near Kendal, whose gluten-free Muddees brownies were named Supreme Champion at last year’s Great Taste Awards, owner Patrick More told FFD: “The new rules mean we will have to send our products to be tested in a laboratory.

“Large manufacturers, who supply the supermarkets, have technical departments to deal with this and the extra costs will be a drop in the ocean for them. But for smaller gluten-free producers there’s a danger we’ll be priced out of the market.”

Under new Codex guidelines, the gluten limit for products labelled as glutenfree has been lowered from 200 parts per million (ppm) to 20ppm. Products with gluten levels between 20-100ppm can be labelled ‘low in gluten’.

Manufacturers have until January 2012

to meet the criteria, at which time an EU legal framework will take effect and the guidelines will be enforced by EHOs and trading standards officers.

Norma McGough, head of diet and health at Coeliac UK, said that food manufacturers should conduct an audit trail of their businesses, obtaining certification from suppliers to prove ingredients meet the new standards. They should also consider testing product samples for gluten levels. “How much testing you need to do really depends on the risks of contamination in your production facility,” she said.

Lab tests to measure gluten content range in price from £55-£130 per sample at scientific analysis company RSSL.

Lab testing of gluten content can cost up to £130 per sample

inbrief shopfitting A Farm Foodhall will form part of a £12m Dobbies Garden World at Lisburn, Co. Antrim, after planners approved the development by the Tescoowned chain.

Hambledon Herbs, Carley's of Cornwall and Bramley & Gage are among the specialist producers taking part in Natural & Organic Products Europe 2010 at London’s Olympia on April 11-12. They will form part of a new West Country Organic Pavilion, joining a total of 500 exhibitors at the show.

●

Recommended suppliers and stores get an annual certificate and can display a logo specific to their region

Waitrose was confirmed as Britain’s fastest-growing supermarket chain last month, with sales (excluding petrol) up 15.1 per cent in the six months to January 30. It has also overtaken Marks & Spencer in food sales for the first time.

Slow Food rolls out national ‘recommendation’ scheme

By MICK WHITWORTH

THE GOOD FOOD PRODUCERS GUIDE 2010 OVER 1000 PLACES TO BUY THE BEST FOOD IN THE UK

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• The number of local groups in the UK has risen to 55, with Whitstable in Kent and the Channel Isle of Guernsey among the latest to form. The groups are also known as ‘convivia’, but chief executive Catherine Gazzoli wants to drop this and other esoteric Slow Food terminology to widen its appeal.

• Gazzoli also told FFD she has not ruled out partnering with a major supermarket to spread the Slow Food message. But it would have to be a chain that shared similar values, she added.

• With three commercial sponsors – Italy’s Lavazza coffee, The Balvenie single malt Scotch and the Grana Padano cheese consortium – now funding Slow Food UK’s head office operations, Gazzoli has focused on finding “philanthropic sources” and charitable institutions to fund specific educational projects. Last year there was criticism from some members when, following a funding crisis, Slow Food was reconstituted with a new board and only one main banker, the entrepreneur Peter Kindersley. Gazzoli says there are now different seven sources of funding in place.

• The extra cash will allow new projects to be launched during 2010 including a Slow Food Baby educational programme to help parents of pre-school children find out about nutritious local produced food.

A new website – www. honestlabelling.com – has been launched to expose food producers that are misleading consumers about the origin and provenance of their products.

ROSE PRINCE

SLOW FOOD UPDATE

Carluccio’s franchised Italian-style restaurant and deli in Dublin has closed, putting 60 jobs at risk, after the operator failed to strike a deal with landlords to reduce the rent.

Carluccio’s said the rent on the Dawson St site had been was struck near the peak of the property boom in 2007, before the collapse of the Irish economy.

●

THE GOOD FOOD PRODUCERS GUIDE 2010

Slow Food UK says a recommendation scheme to highlight producers and stores that match its “good, clean and fair” food philosophy could soon be operating nationally.

The scheme has already been trialled by Slow Food’s Worcestershire, Ludlow and Edinburgh groups and the 52 other local and regional groups are being encouraged to adopt the same system.

It means delis and farm shops that impress local Slow Food members through their support for producers and communities could be listed on their nearest group’s website and leaflets, and display a logo saying they are recommended by the local group.

Similarly, producers that make great tasting, fairly priced food with strong environmental and animal welfare credentials could be listed too.

In Worcestershire, recommended businesses currently include Teme Valley Brewery, Barbourne Cider & Perry and the EcoCafé at The Fold, a sustainable living centre near Bransford.

Although Slow Food UK is encouraging all British groups to use similar criteria, chief executive Catherine Gazzoli told FFD decisions about which businesses

deserved recognition would be left entirely to the local groups. She also stressed this was not a formal accreditation scheme, like Soil Association organic accreditation. There were no fees involved, and producers or shops who joined their local Slow Food group would not automatically be recommended.

There was no question of letting food and drink producers use the organisation’s ‘snail’ logo on their packaging, she added.

Sue Braithwaite, co-leader of the Worcester group, said the criteria for recommending producers were similar to those used to choose participants in Salone del Gusto, the bi-annual Slow Food showcase in the movement’s home country of Italy. “It has to taste good – that’s the first thing,” she told FFD. “It has to be clean from an environmental point of view – for example, are animals outdoor reared? And it has to be sold at a price that gives a fair recompense for the producer and is also sustainable.”

But Gazzoli said Slow Food would not be “overly precious” about the criteria. A deli or farm shop might be recommended if it was seen to support local producers, but would not be expected to stock 100% British products.

Over 1,000 of the “best food outlets in GOOD FOOD the UK” are listed PRODUCERS GUIDE 2010 in The Good Food Producers Guide 2010 (Hardie Grant, £14.99), published this month. Written by Daily Telegraph food columnist Rose Prince, it’s described as “a celebration of the most delicious food to be found in farm shops, delis, street markets and direct from individual producers”.

All the outlets featured are Prince’s personal recommendations – shops and producers can’t buy a listing in the guide.

ROSE PRINCE

●

THE

OVER 1000 PLACES TO BUY THE BEST FOOD IN THE UK FARM SHOPS • FOOD MARKETS • DELIS B U T C H E R S • D A I RY • B A K E R S A N D C O N F E C T I O N E R S F I S H A N D S E A F O O D • V E G E TA B L E S A N D F R U I T HONEY • DRINKS

New research from IGD forecasts that Brits will spend £7.2bn on food and grocery shopping online by 2014 – nearly double the figure for 2009. Last year, 13% of adults shopped online for groceries – an increase of 63% on 2006.

Vol.7 Issue 1 · January 2006

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news Protected Food Name group plans consumer promotion The association says that Food and farming minister while the PFN scheme is Jim Fitzpatrick has welcomed “widely regarded in the food the formation of a new industry as indicating quality trade group for producers as well as guaranteeing of Protected Food Name provenance”, it is largely products and those still unknown or misunderstood seeking protected status. by consumers.

The Protected Food At a meeting of PFN Names Association (PFNA) producers to form the new aims to “represent the best trade body last month, of the country’s gastronomic Matthew O’Callaghan, heritage” and promote PFN chairman of the Melton products to consumers.

Mowbray Pork Pie Only 40 UK speciality Association, was elected foods currently hold one chair of the PFNA steering of the three levels of PFN Most shoppers know little about PFN protection: Protected foods such as Arbroath Smokies (above) group.

“We represent the best Designation of Origin (PDO), of what the country has to offer,” he said. “The Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) or nation lists its famous and historic buildings to Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG). protect our architectural heritage; likewise we They range from widely-available products like need to do more to protect the nation’s rich food Melton Mowbray Pork Pies and Stilton cheese to heritage.” scarcer products like Manx Loaghton lamb.

Jim Fitzpatrick described the creation of the Britain ranks seventh in Europe in the number PFNA as “great news for the UK’s culinary of PFN products it can boast, but fourth in terms heritage”. of value, with sales of around £1bn.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR delis must help us to help them Sir, I was delighted to see the letter from David Elsworth last month (Deli buyers ‘must be more approachable’, FFD Jan-Feb, p4).

We are newcomers to fine food and independent retailing. Our products are genuine, artisan chutneys and preserves from Cornwall.

We have an excellent reputation in Cornwall for interesting products and first-rate customer service. Our independent shops here, be they farm shops, delis or specialist cheese shops, are supportive and enthusiastic. It comes as a shock to find a different attitude East of the Tamar.

We are totally dedicated to the independent sector – a choice ensured by our previous experience of supermarkets when we were farming. We have worked hard to understand the independents’ needs for point-of-difference products, personal service and good business practice.

Last Autumn we were visited by a specialist in this sector, who confirmed our approach was exactly what was required to grow our business among independents beyond Cornwall. We had things to improve – who doesn’t – but still, the lack of interest from some deli owners has amazed me. We send samples, we chase a couple of times, try to arrange visits but often get no response at all.

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March 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 2

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editorial@finefoodworld.co.uk

From the producer perspective, independent retailers need to regard us as an important part of their chain, as colleagues all together in this ‘non-supermarket’ world.

Retailers need to respond well to producers, or producers cannot grow their own businesses, engage in product development, generate new and dynamic ideas or afford interesting marketing.

We have amazing support from our Cornish retailers, with offers to taste new things and source unusual ingredients, and in return we offer unique products and excellent service.

In addition, we have had support and help from some of the very largest and best in our sector.

Everyone needs a slice of this cake.

Businesses all want to grow and thrive, and responding well to something new, or nurturing someone new, ought to be a characteristic of this dynamic, non-supermarket environment.

Many a time the first question a retailer asks is ‘are you in supermarkets?’ If this is what they really want then they need to encourage and trade fairly with small producers. They are, after all, cash-facing businesses themselves. They do not need to whinge at me about those producers who have given up and moved into supermarkets.

Deborah Richards, Crellow Preserves w www.crellow.com

farm shops

Ex-Innocent boss called in to stem losses at Daylesford The former MD of Innocent smoothies, Jamie Mitchell, has been appointed chief executive of Daylesford Organic Mitchell faces a tough job: Daylesford’s latest accounts showed the upmarket farm shop chain made a pre-tax loss of £10m in 2008.

Mitchell plans to use his experience of building the Innocent brand to help grow the Daylesford business, highlighting the benefits of organic food, including health, British farming and sustainability.

Daylesford saw sales rise 17% to £8.5 million in 2008, but the opening of its store in Notting Hill contributed to a £10 million loss, with owner Lady Carole Bamford forced to pump her own money into the business. In 2007, the company made a loss of £7.5m.

Lady Bamford said: “The business has continued to grow both through wholesale and retail channels, including the opening of a new store in London. The directors expect this growth to continue.”

Daylesford has shops in Gloucestershire, Pimlico and Notting Hill, as well as concessions in Harvey Nichols and Selfridges in London.

In October 2009, it opened its first store outside the UK with a 180 sq m shop and 40-seater café in Munich, Germany.

Daylesford: still a drain on Lady Carole Bamford’s resources

Last-minute bid saves Wilts store Britford Farm shop near Salisbury has reopened under new ownership after nearly closing forever in January.

Previous owners Giles and Gale Gould, who had run the shop for five years, started to close the business down in January after failing to find a buyer. The couple no longer had time to run the shop because of other business commitments such as stables and holiday cottages on the farm. However a last-minute bid by Aileen Frizzell, who had worked at the shop since 2005, meant the business was saved. Frizzell and her husband Barry have now refurbished the outlet and are back open for business. “It was such a shame to see the business close that we thought we would step in,” she said. “We already have new products, such as Ghurka curries, which are flying off the shelf, and we are looking at getting permission to serve tea and coffee.”

Britford won golds in the Wiltshire Retail Outlet Category of the Taste of the West Awards in 2008 and 2009.

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Vol.11 Issue 3 · April 2010

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March 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 2

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If I’d known then what I know now…

news

Marc Cullender Cullenders Delicatessen & Foodstore, Surrey

DELIVERING ON COMMISSION: La Fromagerie, Godfrey’s Butcher’s and Saponara Italian Delicatessen are just some of the fine food retailers to have joined a new online delivery service in North London called Hubbub Deliveries. Set up by Marisa Leaf, an Islington resident and former public law barrister, the company charges customers £3.50 for deliveries and also earns a commission from the retailers. Leaf said she planned to extend the scheme to the rest of London before a national roll out.

food halls

Suffolk store back in business swiftly after severe blaze

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

The importance of planning for emergencies was highlighted in January when the Suffolk Food Hall near Ipswich was forced to close because of fire but managed to reopen three days later.

The severe blaze, which started in the second floor boiler room, caused serious smoke damage to the food hall, knocked out the electricity supply and ruined a section of the roof.

Around 40 fire-fighters were called the fire at 5am on Wednesday January 26. Remarkably, the shop reopened the following Saturday thanks to staff working round the clock to clean up.

Director Oliver Paul said basic emergency plans also helped speed things up.

“We had a back-up of all our computer records and I had the contact details of our staff, contractors and suppliers on my mobile phone, which made a huge difference,” he said.

“It meant we were able to call our builder, electrician and cleaners immediately to help get us up and running, while a local butcher stored our chilled stock in his cold room.”

Other measures that helped the shop get back on its feet included a helpful insurance company – the NFU – and business interruption insurance.

A firewall separating the boiler room from the rest of the building also prevented the fire from spreading.

“With hindsight, we should have installed a second firewall to better protect the stock room, where there was quite a lot of smoke damage,”

said Paul. “Our staff could also have been better briefed about the layout of the building and where the fire control panel was.”

He continued: “We’ve learned a lot of lessons about disaster recovery and business continuity planning. It’s something every retailer should think about because once a disaster happens it could be too late.”

The Suffolk Food Hall had a 10-fold increase in traffic on its website immediately after the fire and Paul said it was helpful to be able to communicate with customers by posting a message on the home page and through Twitter.

Suffolk food hall director Oliver Paul says every retailer should think about disaster recover and business continuity planning

It’s been a hectic 18 months for me and my wife Joelle.

We opened our first deli in Redhill just before Christmas 2008 and since then have opened a second shop in Reigate and had a baby.

Basically we crammed as many major life experiences as we could into as short a period as possible! I was previously an accountant and didn’t realise the amount of work involved in running a deli. I started off wearing trainers – a big mistake. I soon invested in sturdy boots because you need support when you’re standing up for 13 hours a day, six days a week.

Running a deli is like being on stage: people come in here for a treat and you have to be ‘up’ all the time. It can be quite tiring having to talk to customers about the weather and what they’re up to, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. The local community has been really supportive from day one.

“It’s like being on stage: people come in here for a treat and you have to be ‘up’ all the time” I quickly learned that you can’t run a shop as just a deli; it’s vital the business has other strings to its bow, such as takeaway lunches, catering and hampers.

People don’t want to buy olives on Monday morning so you need to say ‘yes’ to every opportunity. I look at other shops in the high street and can’t believe how easy they have it. A clothes shop just puts the clothes out and waits for someone to buy them. With food you can’t do that.

Things haven’t always worked out how we expected, but we’ve learned from our mistakes. For our first Valentine’s, for example, we did a takeaway three-course meal for two. It was a nice idea, but it was far too complicated and time consuming to do. The amount of work that went into cooking the meals was just not worth the £45 we charged. This year we’ve put together much simpler ‘his and hers’ hampers with products from the deli, priced at £25.

We opened our high street shop in Reigate four months ago and that’s been a learning curve. Our first shop is in a residential area with a lot of community support, but when you’re on the high street you’re just another shop and you have to fight for business.

There are lots of chains competing for the lunchtime trade, so we do ‘daily deli deals’ with a different offer every day, such as a free pastry with a coffee or half price soup. We really believe in what we do – everything is homemade, from the cakes to the sandwich fillings – so we’re confident once people try our food they will keep coming back.

Interview by PATRICK McGUIGAN Vol.11 Issue 1 · January-February 2010

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news Letter from Ludlow

cheese

An attempted burglary has been an unnerving experience for Ludlow Food Centre’s Sandy Boyd We recently had a scary incident that prompted us to look much more closely at our security procedures.

In reviewing our systems and thinking about security in a hard nosed way, we’ve realised that some of the things we were doing were potentially very risky.

This all came about when the alarms went off late one Sunday night at the end of January. My wife and I came in to see what had happened and by looking at the CCTV footage we worked out that we had been targeted by a gang of at least three hooded criminals.

They had searched round the building, cut the telephone lines and then smashed the alarm boxes with scaffolding poles. This set the alarm off, which

“We called the police, but they were unable to do anything because technically there hadn’t been a break in’’ is when we came down to see what was going on.

We’re pretty sure the gang were still out there in the darkness waiting to see whether we would leave after disabling the alarm system.

We obviously couldn’t get the engineer to come out, so the temptation was to go home and come back in the morning, during which time the building would have been unprotected.

Being the bolshy sod that I am, I stayed over night.

We called the police, but they were unable to do anything because technically there hadn’t been a breakin – just criminal damage to the alarm boxes and cables.

If it had been a slightly more vicious gang, who’s to say they wouldn’t have seen us as their ticket in to the building when we arrived. It’s a scary thought.

These are the things we’re busy discussing now, looking at what our security procedures are so that we don’t put ourselves at risk again. We’ve double checked camera positions and are looking at our cash handling procedures. We’re also reviewing how we respond to alarms in the future so that more than one person comes to the site if there is a problem.

Because the cables were cut, we lost all our telephone lines and credit card machines, which was a nightmare, but it could have been a lot worse.

I’m absolutely incensed by what has happened.

There are 86 people who work incredibly hard to make this business a success and who depend on it for their livelihoods. These thugs just wanted to help themselves and spoil what we’ve achieved here.

Interview by PATRICK McGUIGAN

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March 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 2

Importers of Italian buffalo mozzarella have moved to check the authenticity of their products after allegations that Italian producers are ‘watering down’ the cheese by using cow’s milk.

The consortium that represents mozzarella di bufala producers in Campana was disbanded by the Agricultural Ministry in January after routine tests found around a quarter of cheese sold as buffalo mozzarella contained at least 30% cow’s milk. Under the rules of its Protected Designation of Origin status, buffalo mozzerella must be made with 100% buffalo’s milk.

The scandal prompted UK importers and retailers to check the legitimacy of their products.

Rowcliffe’s sales director Steve Smith said the company had checked with its suppliers and had received certification verifying their products were made with only buffalo milk.

After contacting her supplier in Paestum, Patricia Michelson of wholesaler and retailer La Fromagerie was also provided with lab analysis certificates and EHO reports proving that her mozzarella was genuine. Signs were posted in La Fromagerie’s two shops explaining this to customers.

“The news didn’t surprise me – this has been going on for years and a scandal has been brewing for a long time,” said Michelson.

monkeybusinessimages/dreamstime.com

Importers seek guarantees after mozzarella scam

Buffalo mozzarella: is it whiter than white?

“We receive a certificate of authentication with each batch, but I can tell personally if cow’s milk has been used. The cheese has a heavier, denser consistency.”

At importer Villanova, Ellie Marlow said its products were not affected because her supplier in Italy was a ‘closed cycle farm’. “This is a problem linked to large scale brands, which find it difficult to meet the quantities demanded by the supermarkets.

“Our supplier is a family farm that only makes around 300kg of cheese a week, using milk from their own herd. They are not under the same kinds of commercial pressures.”

delicatessens

Shoppers to vote on Staffs shop range Newly opened regional food shop Tastes of Staffordshire will let customers decide which products it should stock in a taste test event at its shop this month. Penny Warrington, who opened the shop in Uttoxeter in November, has asked potential suppliers to send in samples for an evening event this month when customers will be asked to give their opinions on the different products. Those that get good reviews will then be listed in the shop. “I want the shop to be part of the community, so I thought this would be a good way to get people involved,” she said.

“It will be a fun evening for my customers and it will show that I’m listening to what they want.” As well as specialising in products from Staffordshire, the shop also has a wide selection of products from Derbyshire and other surrounding counties. “It would be hard to fill the shop just with products from Staffordshire so we have widened our remit for sourcing since we opened,” said Warrington.

borough market REAL FOOD SHOWCASE: Petal the buffalo, owned by English mozzarella maker Laverstoke Park, visited London foodie hotspot Borough Market as part of a new weekly fixture showcasing artisan food and drink producers who exhibit at the Real Food Festival.

Every Thursday, 14 food companies exhibiting at the Earls Court event, which runs from

May 7-10 this year, will trade at subsidised stalls in a dedicated area of the market. The new section will operate throughout the year.

The collaboration was launched last month with cookery demos from chefs such as Jun Tanaka and Oliver Rowe.

Stallholders included chorizo company The Bath Pig and The Chilli Company.

Vol.11 Issue 2 路 March 2010

11

FARM SHOP MANAGER Willows Farm Shop, based near St. Albans in Hertfordshire, is looking to recruit an inspirational Retail Manager to help lead the next exciting phase in the development of our Farm Shop.

With a refurbishment and redesign planned in 2010, this is an exciting time to join this established and thriving business.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate: ● A proven experience in managing a food shop ● A strong understanding of retail principles ● Passion for quality food ● Excellent communication skills and

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March 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 2

news food halls

Vision for Barnard Castle includes 650sq m food hall A regional food hall housing independent retailers is at the heart of a proposed £6m redevelopment of an historic building in Barnard Castle, Teesdale.

Plans to restore The Witham, a grand 19th century hall in the centre of the market town, include extending the site with a second building to house a 160-seater cinema, two cafés, an art gallery and theatre space. The 650sq m food hall, set over two floors, will comprise around 14 retail units measuring around 15 sq m each.

The plans have been drawn up by regeneration group Barnard Castle Vision in conjunction with The Witham Trustees with support from Durham County Council and the regional development agency One NorthEast.

Over 140 local, organic or other specialised food producers have been identified within just over an hour’s drive from the village in the North East, Cumbria and North Yorkshire, 10 of which have already expressed an interest in being involved in the scheme.

Deborah Jenkins, chair of Barnard Castle Vision,

said: “A specialist food hall, providing a range of foods from across the region, will draw in people who live nearby as well as visitors from further afield. By reinforcing Barnard Castle as a centre for excellent local food, we can put the town on the ‘food’ map, and raise its profile to the benefit of all town centre businesses.”

Initial reaction to the plans from local councillors was mixed, with some concerned that the food hall could take business from existing independent retailers. However, Barnard Castle Vision told FFD that the Witham Food Hall would complement rather than compete with local businesses.

The new building will be designed to be as sustainable as possible. Roof lights will allow natural daylight into the heart of the food hall and main areas will be naturally ventilated to remain comfortable without the need for air conditioning.

The plans also incorporate photovoltaic cells or solar water heating panels, as well as water collection for use in flushing toilets. Building work is expected to start towards the end of 2010.

better retailing GORDON LEATHERDALE With gross food retail margins of 30-40%, one of the first things I examined on entering the industry were ways of improving margin and promoting sales of higher margin products.

My first port of call was understanding how some of the great retailers of today had made their money.

Sports Direct, for instance, offered discounts on branded goods if customers also bought own brand products, where the margins were higher. A simple idea but it worked.

So why not consider making your own dips? At about 23p to make a 150g tub of hummus to retail at a reasonable £1.50, frankly I would rather sell these than, say, Tyrrells. But as people love Tyrrells, I would sell them at a discount to RRP to those who also buy the hummus.

Just train one of your deli counter staff, equip them with chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice garlic and a food whizzer plus some food grade plastic tubs. You could also make guacamole or dips like sour cream and chive, all with a five day shelf life.

Self-packing of dried goods like nuts, raisins or dried beans makes sense because the margins are typically 10% higher. Bag them on the quieter days

“Delis in America are more foodservice orientated than in the UK, and higher margin is the reason’’

How designers envisage the new food hall, where building work should start later this year

farm shops

Copleys takes FARMA’s top title Farmer Copleys Farm Shop, near Pontefract in West Yorkshire, was named Farm Retailer of the Year 2010 at the National Farmers’ Retail & Markets Association (FARMA) awards last month. The retailer won the title for innovations such as a customer consultation panel, recipe cards and developing new products in partnership with local suppliers. Set up in 2003 by Robert and Heather Copley, the farm shop Robert Copley, was expanded last year with a £200,000 extension Nigel Bogle housing a café and larger butchery counter. Other and Heather winners at the event included Knitsley Farm Shop in Copley Northumberland, which picked up the Own & Local celebrate their Award, and Yorkshire-based Beadlam Grange Farm Retailer of the Shop, which was named Best New Farm Shop and Year award won the FARMA Environmental Award.

using scales, cellophane bags and your own labels.

A foodservice offer, if well executed, can bring great rewards. At Cobbs, my first farm shop, we went from a £1,000 per week tea room to an almost £7,000 per week licensed restaurant with only 50 covers. At £60k it was not cheap to set up but the 65% GP was well worth it. We would also take small fortunes doing special events – Burns Night and Valentine’s really got the cash flowing.

Delis in America are more foodservice orientated than in the UK, and higher margin is the reason. It is not difficult to gain a reputation for making a fantastic sandwich. For example, Chandos, the Bristol based deli chain, produce some of the best sandwiches I have tasted and I have seen long queues of customers at their stores who obviously think the same.

So there are always means of increasing your margin. Don’t go overboard, though. Try to get the basics right first, such as sandwiches or simple storemade products to give you and your customers confidence. Then improve your higher margin range and explore imaginative ways of making more money per customer.

• Farm shop consultant Gordon Leatherdale was founder and chief executive of Country Food & Dining, which developed stores near Hungerford, Bath and Telford. gordon@stcatherinesltd.co.uk Vol.7 Issue 1 · January 2006

13

inbrief

news

Gordon Leatherdale, the FFD columnist and farm shop consultant who founded Country Food & Dining, aims to raise up to £2m this year to establish a new chain of farm shops. Backed by venture capitalist Cairneagle Associates, Leatherdale has set up Countrywide Farm Shops plc, an Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) offering tax breaks to private investors. Country Food & Dining, which was also an EIS, developed farm shops near Hungerford, Bath and Telford.

Roaster offers ‘wine list’ of filter coffees for foodservice outlets

Beadlam Grange Farm Shop & Tea Room in Pockley, Yorkshire, collected the Local Food Award in the 2009 Countryside Alliance Awards, announced last month. The winner was described as “a family-run farm with a total commitment to local produce, the surrounding community and the future of farming”.

●

Sales of Fairtrade products rose 12% in 2009 to reach an estimated retail value of over £799m, driven by more mainstream brands – including Cadbury’s Dairy Milk and Morrison’s own-brand roast and ground coffee – switching to Fairtrade ingredients.

Orchard Pig, the Somerset apple juice and cider producer, is to start running orchard management courses to help landowners, estate managers and professional gardeners restore, re-plant and maintain apple orchards.

It follows a similar series of training days run by Orchard Pig on behalf of the National Trust, with part-funding from Natural England, which ended in February.

The new courses will be led

by Orchard Pig co-owner Neil MacDonald and will combine practical instruction with advice on marketing to ensure the commercial viability of orchards.

●

Italian chocolate brand T’a was launched exclusively in Selfridges last month to coincide with London Fashion Week, where T’a also sponsored a number of shows. The brand is produced by fourth generation family firm Alemagna, and combines single estate chocolates with blends of Grand Cru beans from around the world. Prices range from £5.49 for a two piece box, through to £59.99 for a 42 piece box.

14

Retail coffee brand Grumpy Mule has launched a foodservice range of “top quality, characterful, single-estate beans” with a branded point-of-sale package including wall menus, tabletalkers and branded sugar sticks.

The aim is encourage outlets that have so far concentrated on familiar, premium espresso styles like mochaccino and caramel macchiato to bring similar variety into the choice of filter coffees of offer.

Grumpy Mule’s parent company, Yorkshire-based independent roaster Bolling Coffee, has been selling into the catering sector for 30 years.

But a spokeswoman said Grumpy Mule’s sourcing expeditions to find single-estate and other premium coffees for the retail trade were now being fed into a specialist range for hotels, restaurants and cafés.

It will include six single estate Arabica coffees, six espresso blends and five ground coffees, offering “a broad spectrum of characteristics from the vibrant fruity coffees typical of East Africa to the rich chocolaty notes found in Grumpy Mule’s bestselling Sumatran beans”.

Grumpy Mule: coffee could be the new wine, with diners choosing from a list

Ian Balmforth of Bolling Coffee said the company was confident that the benefits that Grumpy Mule offers retailers would also be welcomed by “a specific type of restaurant and café where sourcing and traceability are crucial and integral features of the menu”.

“We believe that the timing is right for a focus on filter coffee and the variety and choice it offers chefs and

restaurateurs when designing their menus.

“In the past the focus has been on espresso-based drinks but filter coffee has potential to become the latest trend."

He added: “The public is familiar with the idea of selecting from a wine list and we are set to show that coffee offers a similar level of choice for diners.”

great taste awards

Guild recruits food writers to strengthen feedback to Great Taste Awards entrants As entries open for this year’s Great Taste Awards (GTAs), organiser the Guild of Fine Food has announced further improvements to the judging processes.

Guild director and FFD publisher Bob Farrand, described the judging system, which sees around 5,000 products a year blind-tasted by teams of experts, as “robust, but not completely foolproof”. He said: “There was the odd occasion when a judging team was perhaps a little too harsh in reaching the decision not to award gold and we re-judged one or two that really turned out to be excellent. This year, we aim to eradicate this.”

GTA judging takes several weeks and involves more than 100 experts judges working in small teams. Until now, one judge on each team has also been responsible for writing feedback to justify their team’s marking decisions.

This year, a team of judging co-ordinators has been recruited whose role will be to directly input judges’ tasting comments onto the Awards’ database via laptops.

“We’ve recruited 40 food writers for these roles,” said Farrand, “which should speed up the process of logging comments and deliver more cohesive and constructive feedback for producers.”

A small team of experienced senior judges has also

been appointed whose role is to act as arbiters when teams are divided on a decision. “Where one member of a team of four disagrees with the other three, the senior judge will read the comments, taste the entry and if any doubt exists, pass it to a second or third team for further opinion. Taste is very personal and we want to ensure there is no chance a good food fails to win gold.”

Foods sent forward for gold will be judged by at least three further teams before the grading level – one, two or three stars – is agreed. For two or three stars, at least 20 experts need to be in complete agreement.

This year’s judging will take place at the Real Food Festival in Earls Court in May, followed by three days at Olympia and a further 15 days through May and June at Guild HQ in Somerset. “We’re also hoping to judge again in Ireland,” added Farrand, “but at present we’re having difficulty locating a suitable venue.”

Following the launch last autumn of the Taste Gold Market in London and a Taste Gold theatre at BBC Masterchef Live in London, a series of consumer markets and exhibitions are planned for 2010.

GTA entry forms for 2010 are available now via the Guild website. Closing date for entries is April 9. w www.finefoodworld.co.uk

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March 2010 路 Vol.11 Issue 2

deli of the month

Interview by MICK WHITWORTH

The founder of The Goods Shed turned her back on the mainstream to create a food haven for ‘anarchists and freedom fighters’

S

Setting out her stall: Susanna Sait, with two of her five children, on the steps of The Goods Shed

I am not a number

usanna Sait is a hard woman to track down.

When I first try to get hold of her at The Goods Shed, her unique restaurant-cum-foodmarket next to Canterbury West railway station, her cautious colleagues won’t give me her mobile number, tell me she “doesn’t do email” and warn me that she’s on site “pretty randomly”.

It takes a fortnight to get her on the phone, and when I do she seems surprised I might cart all the way from Devon to Kent to meet her – even though her business was named Best Food Market in last November’s BBC Radio 4 Food & Farming Awards.

Contact established, Sait tells me she’s got a brand new email address, set up that day, and when I walk into The Goods Shed a couple of weeks later, there she is, at a scrubbed-pine table in the mezzanine level restaurant that spans one side of the Victorian warehouse, tapping away at a new Mac laptop. “We’ve been buying computers for the kids as they get older,” she says, “so I thought I’d better get one myself. But I’m not sure I’ll really use it.”

But you’re using it now, I point out.

“I was looking up [clothing designer] Vivienne Westwood’s website.”

Hunkering down into her tweed poncho on this chilly February morning, Sait looks more New Age than Westwood-style punk-couture. What’s certain is that she’s unconventional, and her business is aimed at foodies who share her distain for the mainstream.

“I don’t like supermarkets,” she tells me. “I don’t like sanitised places, and I don’t like being treated like a number. So I created something here that I thought other people like me would enjoy.”

It was December 1999 when Sait (or Susanna Atkins as she was pre-marriage) first “broke in” to this derelict railway shed to look around. Network Rail was flogging off parcels of redundant property and Sait, who had spent five years running a seaside café in Whitstable, was sussing out potential restaurant sites. But she is from farming stock, and evolved the idea of a venue where farmers could sell direct to the public and where traditional high street traders could also find a safe haven. After protracted negotiations with Network Rail, the sympathetically restored Goods Shed opened for business in 2002.

The signage still describes this as a ‘farmers’ market and restaurant’, and that’s how it started out. There were a few permanent pitches – a butcher, a cheesemonger, a bakery, and a large fruit and veg stall run as a growers’ co-operative – while other local growers would takes space at weekends, with Sait’s restaurant ticking along upstairs. This created an atmosphere that remains part

“I don’t like supermarkets, I don’t like sanitised places and I don’t like being treated like a number” Vol.11 Issue 2 · March 2010

17

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March 2010 路 Vol.11 Issue 2

deli of the month municipal market hall, part trendy warehouse eatery. But Sait has found the farmers’ market element hard to sustain. While local smallholders will take weekend pitches to sell surplus produce, busy farmers cannot commit to full-time pitches.

As a result, The Goods Shed has gone “more into retail than direct sales” and drawn criticism that it is no longer a true farmers’ market as defined

by FARMA, the sector’s trade body. But Sait says: “I don’t believe FARMA own those words yet, do they? I know farmers, I buy from them and I sell their produce on, so to my mind I am running a farmers’ market.”

The revised model seems to work better. “We had a farmer that took on the butchery and brought in his own meat, but it was all in pre-packs and he was only selling £900-worth a week. In the end he said to me, ‘Susanna, I can’t afford to do this.’ So we took over. Now, we employ our own butchers, buy whole carcases locally and cut them in front of the customer. There’s a bit of theatre about it, and we’re turning over £6,000 a week.”

Sait has become steadily more businesslike about the market, which for years was effectively subsidised by the restaurant. “I used to only charge a percentage of turnover, but now I charge a set rent – although I still work on a percentage of sales for new people so they can test the market.”

She operates the restaurant herself, along with the butcher’s and The Larder, a new section on the market floor. Here, a chef takes waste produce from stallholders and turns it into saleable products – brawn from pigs’ heads, stock from fish bones and so on. He also makes a daily Larder Lunch: a simple dish like beef stew, selling for around £5.

The Larder is not yet making money, but Sait says: “If he makes 15 Larder Lunches a day, that pays his wages. Meanwhile, we’re reducing waste and making products that no-one at home has time to make any more. And even if it’s a loss leader, it’s another point of interest.”

Several stallholders have been with Sait almost since the beginning, and they contribute greatly to the overall ambience. They include chef Patrick Williams, whose traiteur-style kitchen turns out premium ready-prepared starters, mains and desserts for shoppers to take home, as well as a limited menu of food to eat-in at tables on the market floor.

Master of Wine Clive Barlow runs a shop in one corner of the market, focusing on European wines, and nearby is Enzo’s Bakery, producing bread, pizza and cakes on site. Dutch cheesemonger Tom Van den Bergh, of Tom’s Cheese, was another of Sait’s first tenants. “I think I missed the first two months, but I’ve been here ever since,” he says. “Most of the people here have the same attitude, which is trying to be the best in their field. Patrick is a fanatic.

Steve, the fishmonger, is a fanatic. That’s probably why we won the Food & Farming award.”

Other stallholders include Patriana, a Continental deli focused on French and Spanish charcuterie, and Murrey’s General Store, which “fills in the gaps” by selling ambient goods like sauces, jams and local ales as well as Ecover cleaning products and other non-foods. Sait says: “We originally set up the dry stores section for people who want to do their whole shop here, and as an outlet for little local cottage industries that couldn’t justify their own stall. About four years ago I handed it over to a friend, and it has become much more comprehensive.”

Sait admits she’s uncomfortable about some tenants’ prices. A typical deli owner might think the

Cheesemonger Tom Van den Bergh says most Goods Shed tenants are fanatical about their products

Sait took over the butchery, which now adds to the theatre of the whole operation

The upstairs restaurant, overlooking the market, provides casual dining from noon (mains £11-15) and ‘slightly more formal’ suppers from 6pm (starters £6-8, mains £12-20).

‘right’ price for an item was the highest the customer is happy to pay, but Sait feels that going beyond 100% mark-up on any item is perilously close to a rip-off – and out of line with her values. “The Goods Shed has a reputation for being expensive,” she says, “and for me, that’s down to the market side. It’s something I’m trying to fight. If one stall is expensive it gives that impression about everyone.”

But the meat, fruit and veg are all good value, she insists, as is the wine. And so too is her latest addition: a self-service vending machine where, for 70p/litre, shoppers can fill their own containers with unpasteurised milk from nearby Badlesmere Court Farm. “It’s illegal to retail unpasteurised milk,” says Sait, “but we’ve got round that because the machine is owned and operated by the farmer, not by us. It’s bringing in new people and, apart from The Larder, it’s the most exciting new thing for ages.”

Turnover from the restaurant, market rents, butchery and Larder is now around £1m. Not bad for someone who professes to “know nothing about retail”, but Sait says it’s not hugely profitable because she’s reluctant to water down her ethos.

“Every time you cut a corner, you lose something.”

Her regulars are those who have worked out the true value of real, local food and who know that an ‘expensive’ £12 organic chicken can provide three meals for a growing family: roast on Sunday, soup on Monday, risotto on Tuesday. With eat-in options at The Goods Shed ranging in price from £2 to £40, Sait says she couldn’t define her target demographic, but they are “anarchists and freedom fighters” who want a real alternative to the supermarket.

Later, touring the market floor, we stop at Enzo’s Bakery, where a posh American lady grabs Sait to say how much she appreciates having access to real bread – even if it’s much dearer than a Tesco loaf.

“That’s because you’ve worked it out,” says Sait.

“You’re a freedom fighter.”

Her customer looks a little bemused, but doesn’t disagree. www.thegoodsshed.net Vol.11 Issue 2 · March 2010

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March 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 2

delichef

putting deli ingredients to work

US cafés seek middle way between fast and fancy food A new American café guide shows operators facing the same challenges as their UK counterparts

By MICK WHITWORTH

Their economy may have been facing the same crisis as the rest of us, but shoppers in the US haven’t been skimping on the coffee and pastries.

Francisco J Migoya, an assistant professor at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York, tells FFD the nation’s premium café sector has been growing for more than a decade, “and more so in the last year as the world economy has gone south”.

The upmarket café provides a middle option for those who can’t afford a Michelin-starred restaurant but draw the line at fast food. He adds: “We’re also a society of quick gratification, meaning we want good food and we would like to get it promptly and not pay an arm and a leg for it.”

Trends in the US would come as no surprise to the Brits, he says – they’re ‘organic’, ‘sustainable’ and ‘local’ – but cafés are struggling to meet these fully.

“The problem is, these types of products are not yet reasonably priced and the café usually operates at a low price point with narrow margins and smaller check averages than a proper restaurant, which translates into an even lower margin when food costs go up. And if you start charging more, the consumer may not necessarily embrace that too well. So it's a Catch 22.”

The “ethical option”, he says, would be to go 100% organic, sustainable and mostly local – completely local is a hard one when coffee and chocolate are high

on your best-seller list. “But I think you would be out of business rather quickly, since the prices you’d have to charge could be considered outrageous.”

Migoya has just produced The Modern Café (Wiley, £45), a 560-page professional guide to setting up and running caférestaurants.

As well as covering bakery, kitchen and beverage operations, it includes 250 recipes and a chapter devoted to “the retail shelf”, which Migoya sees as a key contributor to any premium café’s health. But where British delis might focus on ready meals and salads – products they’re already making for sale in the café – chef Migoya’s ideas are a bit more adventurous.

For example, his recipes for granita, ice cream and sorbets include espresso & amaretto ice pops, made with freshly brewed espresso, Amaretto liqueur and fine crystal sugar, filled into plastic ice-pop tubes improvised in the kitchen using a Cryovac heat-sealer.

Or how about making your own chocolate and truffles, pâte de fruit made with exotic fruit purées, or even designer lollipops with candied flower petals or sugared almonds encased within them?

He says most US café operators are realising they need to satisfy as many customer needs as possible, within reason, with an offer than stretches firmly into deli territory – perhaps the reverse of the British trend from delis towards cafés.

Migoya, who teaches the café operations class for the CIA’s bakery and

Designer lollipops are among Migoya’s ideas for stretching creative kitchen products onto the retail shelf

pastry arts programme, also runs the oncampus The Apple Pie Bakery-Café. “We have between 700 and 2,000 customers a day, with some of them coming to us twice a day.”

And how does he handle that number of covers? “I hate to say this,” he tells FFD, “but it’s inspired by the systems they employ in certain fast food chains, where we have a KDS touchscreen in each station – coffee, breads and breakfast pastries, desserts, cold food, etc – which speeds up the ordering and serving process.” Reassuringly, though, the average wait time for a meal is a not-sofast 10 minutes. www.ciachef.edu

Perfect with a crisp white wine…

April sees the release of Cheese: The World’s Best Artisan Cheeses, a new guide to 450 varieties by Patricia Michelson, owner of London’s La Fromagerie cheese shop-cafés and one of the great names of British cheese retailing.

We’re hoping to have a full review next month, but meanwhile Michelson has given us a sneak preview of the 100 or so recipes in the book with this simple little idea for thin, lacy Parmesan crisps – especially good when paired with chilled Prosecco or white wine, she says.

Parmesan Crisps

Makes 12-15 crisps

Ingredients 9oz Parmigiano Reggiano Fresh chilli or paprika (optional) Method Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/Gas 8. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper. Finely grate 250 g (9 oz) of Parmigiano Reggiano. Place

little mounds of the grated cheese on baking sheets or sprinkle a layer of Parmesan into a 5 cm (2 in) cookie ring for more even rounds; make sure you leave sufficient space between the cheese rounds, as they spread during cooking.

You can also add a little chopped fresh chilli or paprika

to the cheese to give a spicier taste to the crisps, but if you use an aged Parmesan they should be sufficiently flavourful.

Bake for just a few minutes until golden and lacy. Leave to cool on the baking sheets and when sufficiently easy to handle, use a palette knife to transfer to a serving plate.

Recognised as the cornerstone of European cuisine!

Deli chef is sponsored by Le Gruyère AOC

Vol.11 Issue 2 · March 2010

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New range of coffees Ethiopia Yirgacheffe

4

227g

Honduras

Roasted a little darker with a pronounced hazelnut aroma, an immediate dark chocolate flavour and soft texture with a caramel finish.

This coffee has been roasted and ground in the UK from Honduran Fairtrade Organic beans and is the product of organic agriculture.

Organic Fairtrade Coffee For filters & cafetières Organic certification UK2

4- 5 227g

March 2010 · Vol.11 fine food digest.indd 1

Organic Fairtrade Coffee Beans Organic certification UK2

3

227g

Issue 2

Organic certification UK2

3- 4

227g

from the Koperasi Baitul Qiradh Baburrayyan Cooperative.

Organic Fairtrade Coffee For filters & cafetières Organic certification UK2

4 227g

Organic Fairtrade Coffee Beans

Sumatra Gayo Highlands

Swiss Water Decaffeinated

from Central de Cooperativas Cafeteleras de Honduras.

22

from Central Piurana de Cafetaleros (CEPICAFE).

A spicy, fragrant aroma and citrus fruit taste, this full-bodied coffee is clean, sweet and with light acidity.

These beans have been roasted in the UK and are the product of organic agriculture.

Organic certification UK2

A unique coffee with a lighter body and texture, bursting with apricot and lemony flavours.

These beans have been roasted in the UK and are the product of organic agriculture.

Organic Fairtrade Coffee Beans

from Suma Cooperative

Peru

from Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union.

Decaffeinated using the Swiss Water Process, this is a sweet, rounded coffee with a deep aroma.

This coffee has been roasted and ground in the UK from a blend of Fairtrade coffee beans and is the product of organic agriculture.

Roasted a little darker, this delightfully flavoursome coffee has notes of dark chocolate and toasted hazelnuts, with a smooth and lingering finish.

These beans have been roasted in the UK and are the product of organic agriculture.

from the farmers of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

Darker roasted, this is a very smooth, full-bodied coffee with great character and depth of flavour. Excellent for Espresso.

This coffee has been roasted and ground in the UK from Sumatran Fairtrade Organic beans and is the product of organic agriculture.

Colombia

Organic Fairtrade Coffee For filters & cafetières Organic certification UK2

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launched for Fairtrade Fortnight (22nd Feb - 7th March) All six ground coffees are both organic and Fairtrade, and the three most popular varieties are also available as beans for grinding at home.

6 x 227g pack in shelf ready box.

Introductory RRP all £2.79 (except Decaff £3.89) Available from: Suma Cooperative 01422 313845 www.suma.coop Winner of Grocer Gold Award for “Specialist Wholesaler of the Year 2009”

23/11/09 11:00:04 am

putting deli ingredients to work

interview

salmon gravadlax and swordfish with cous cous and sauce vierge,” says Anderson.

The Irish economy is still deep in recession so diners are sensitive when it comes to price, so the restaurant introduced a set menu last August, with two courses for €19.95 and three for €24.95 at lunch and dinner.

“The set menu has completely changed the restaurant,” says Anderson. “The Saturday just gone we did 130 covers. A year ago we only did 40 covers and the economic situation is a lot worse now. People are willing to spend, but you have to offer value for money. What’s nice is that we’re getting a lot of repeat trade. Tables of two are returning as tables of six or eight.”

With three shops, a restaurant and a cookery school, Donnybrook commands some pretty hefty buying power. Add in the kudos that comes with supplying the retailer and producers are keen to support Anderson with competitive prices, which help him maintain his margins and offer good value.

The kitchen also works closely with suppliers to develop bespoke products that are trialled on the menu and, if successful, launched in the shop. “We’re currently working on a range of seasoning rubs with the Wicklow Organic Herb Company and have developed four prototypes for chicken, vegetables, meat and a general seasoning. I’m looking to trial them in the restaurant and then we’ll hopefully sell them downstairs,” says Anderson. “We’re also looking at new ice cream flavours with Glastry Farm, such as Guinness ice cream. I like to work directly with producers because we end up with unusual products and they get to be associated with the Donnybrook brand.”

It’s a far cry from the tins of beans and boxes of teabags you find in most convenience stores.

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Ben Anderson Donnybrook Fair, Dublin

D

ublin’s Donnybrook Fair modestly classes itself as a gourmet convenience store – a description that doesn’t really do justice to the gleaming 7,000 sq ft flagship store on Morehampton Road.

Yes, you can buy a newspaper and pint of milk, and there’s even a post office, but Donnybrook’s sleek interior is also home to a butchery counter, fishmonger, bakery, wine store and deli counter, not to mention a huge selection of homemade foods from quiches to gourmet ready-meals prepared by the in-house production kitchen. In short, Donnybrook Fair has much more in common with New York’s Dean & Deluca or Harvey Nichols’ Kensington Food Market than your average corner shop.

The convenience store tag has much to do with the store’s history.

Bought by Joe Doyle, a former director of the ADM Londis Group, in the early 1990s, the shop traded as a standard grocery outlet until 2002 when it underwent a major redevelopment, transforming into its current upmarket format. Two other shops and a cookery school have opened in the city since then, while a first-floor restaurant was added to the original shop in 2005.

This is headed up by chef Ben Anderson – a Brit who previously ran Heston Blumenthal’s gastropub the Hinds Head in Berkshire – and is open for breakfast through to dinner, sitting up to 100 people. The menu acts as a showcase for many of the products on sale in the shop downstairs. Burren smoked salmon, for example, makes regular appearances on the menu with scrambled eggs for breakfast and homemade Guinness bread with lemon and sour cream butter for lunch. Other popular ingredients include Glastry Farm ice cream, Irish beef sourced by meat specialist James Tormey from local supplier Moyvalley Meats and Cooleeney goat’s cheese, which is used in a caramelised red onion tart.

“Our menu is about simplicity – fresh, good quality Irish ingredients in comfort food, such as steak & kidney pudding and homemade pork pie. But we also have more colourful, international dishes like beetroot

Ben Anderson (top): ‘People are willing to spend, but you have to offer value for money’

Pork Pie with Cumberland Sauce Makes 12 pies Ingredients Cumberland Jelly 200g redcurrant jelly 1 orange (zested and juiced) 1 lemon (zested and juiced) 1 shallot (diced) 5g ginger (diced) 5g butter 100ml port Pork pie 500g minced Irish pork belly 20g Living Flavour sage leaves (chopped) 250g Keenan & Kennedy sausage meat

2g Organic Herb Co nutmeg powder 5g Organic Herb Co coarse sea salt 5g Organic Herb Co mixed spice 2g Organic Herb Co cayenne pepper 4 sheets pre-rolled puff pastry (cut 12 pieces with a 70mm cutter and 12 with a 40mm cutter) Method 1. Melt the redcurrant jelly over a pan of

simmering water.

2. Sweat the shallots and ginger in butter until soft, add the juice from the orange and lemon and reduce until nearly dry then add the port and reduce by half.

3. Whisk the jelly into the liquid and leave to cool.

4. Pre-heat oven to 180ºC 5. Mix all the pie ingredients together and place into the fridge.

6. Line a muffin tin with the 70mm pastry disks and weigh the meat into

60g balls. Place into pastry, place the 40mm lids on top and seal by pressing a folk around the edge.

7. Egg-wash the top and using a pointed knife make a hole in the top of the pie. Place in oven and cook for 30 mins, then leave to cool.

Vol.11 Issue 2 · March 2010

Lianem Dreamstime.com

delichef

23

o at Se n t e st h u an e N s d EC S1 98

Suppliers of British and Continental cheese to the wholesale, catering, retail and manufacturing trade.

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We are really pleased to have some super guests with us at Food & Drink Expo this year and will have an exciting and vibrant stand with plenty to taste.

If it is French cheese you are looking for, check out our French quarter with our friends from the Paris market. We may even have some French wine to match it!

Francesco from Parmareggio will be there to talk about the various profiles of Parmesan and Gert from Landana will be presenting some great new speciality Dutch cheeses. British cheesemakers will complement and complete your visit with the very best of home grown produce. All this and of course our charcuterie, olives and on-tap oil and vinegars.

Looking forward to seeing you.

01892 838999 www.rowcliffe.co.uk

Brock Blue

We produce a wide range of traditional, blue-veined and clothbound farmhouse cheeses.

All our cheese is produced on our farm in the heart of Lancashire.

Carron Lodge Ltd. Park Head Farm, Inglewhite, Preston PR3 2LN Tel: 01995 640352 Fax: 01995 641040 email: carronlodge@talk21.com Depots also in Gloucester and Lincoln

For a real Farmhouse cheese made in the New Forest, Hampshire.

Makers of Lyburn Gold, Stoney Cross and Old Winchester.

24

March 2010 路 Vol.11 Issue 2

cheese wire Rowcliffe to carry new unpasteurised blue

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Newly launched farmhouse cheese-maker Kingcott Cheese has signed a deal to supply wholesaler Rowcliffe with its unpasteurised Kentish Blue.

The Staplehurst-based dairy farm, which began production in September, has already upped output of the creamy, mould-ripened cows’ milk blue from an initial 50kg per week to around 200kg to meet demand from Rowcliffe.

Kentish Blue is also being wholesaled by Turner’s and Cheeseworks.

The cheese is made in 2.8kg wheels with vegetarian rennet and matured for at least 10 weeks. It has a delicate flavour when young, developing a more pronounced ‘tang’ as time goes on, said dairy farmer Steve Reynolds, who set up the business with wife Karen.

“We decided to make unpasteurised cheese because there’s no TB in the county and there are no other unpasteurised blues made in the area,” he said. “The milk is pumped directly from the cows

into the vat and I do everything else by hand.

We make about 80 cheeses a week, working two days a week. Each one has to be pierced 80 times by hand. It’s hard work.”

Reynolds, who farms 120 Holstein Friesian cows, trained at Reeseheath College before setting up the business with advice from French consultant Ivan Larcher. Around £50,000 was been spent on converting a cow shed into a cheese making room containing a vat and cold store.

Blue-rinded brie is latest launch from Yorkshire’s Shepherds Purse Yorkshire producer Shepherds Purse celebrated its 21st birthday last month by launching a new briestyle cheese with a blue rind in 19 Booths stores.

Bells Bluemin White, which is also available through wholesalers Bruce Oliver Fine Cheeses, Delifresh and Cryer & Stott, is made with cows’ milk from the Vale of York and is hand-turned every day to help the mould ripening process.

The new creamy variety can be eaten at six

weeks when it has a firm centre or at 10 weeks, when it becomes much softer.

It is the first product to carry Shepherds Purse’s new packaging, which features a new logo, bronze and black colouring and images of Yorkshire.

The packaging will be phased in across the entire range this year, starting with best seller Yorkshire Blue and Yorkshire Fine Fettle.

The creamy, cows’ milk Bells Bluemin White is hand-turned daily to help the mould ripening process

le grand fromage BOB FARRAND If you don’t have a Waitrose close to your shop at the moment, chances are you’ll get one over the next few years. It plans to open several hundred of its new town centre format stores, even though it claims it’s not out to kill off local delis, butchers and bakers.

Take a look at its cheese counter before you decide if that’s true or not. Waitrose certainly does it better than other supermarkets but surely it won’t cause you any problems. Or could it?

At first sight, it might worry you. You’ll see many familiar names: more traditional West Country Farmhouse Cheddars than you can chuck a cheese iron at, and regionals like Gorwydd Caerphilly, Sparkenhoe Red Leicester and Appleby Cheshire nestling beside a hatful of esoteric artisan varieties.

They’ve even got cave-aged Le Gruyère and Emmentaler, proper Manchego and aged Ossau Iraty.

All of which might nudge you into hoisting the white flag. But don’t succumb. If you make 2010 the year of ageism you will beat Waitrose hands down.

Young is good for fresh cheeses, but for almost everything else, age is king. With short life cheeses, you need to become an affineur – foster your bries and camemberts to perfect ripeness before you display them. In supermarkets, turnover is so quick

“With short life cheeses, you need to become an affineur – foster your bries and camemberts to perfect ripeness’’ that they’re mostly chalky and low on flavour.

For blues, particularly foil wrapped examples like Cashel, Cornish and Yorkshire, you should press them gently on the top surface. If it’s firm and unyielding the cheese needs another couple of weeks until it gives a little under pressure and then springs back. It’ll taste richer, creamier, more intense.

Waitrose stocks many of the best names in West Country Farmhouse Cheddar, but that’s no reason to feel you can’t compete. It labels its cheddars ‘mature, or ‘extra mature’ and occasionally ‘vintage’.

There’s rarely a mention of actual maturation times and when there is, phrases like ‘typically matured for around 12 months’ disguise the real truth.

Its cheeses are also stored at 0°C, which kills flavour even after hours at room temperature. Check the exact age of your farmhouse cheddars with your supplier before placing the order and remember that the law permits you to store hard cheeses below 8ºC – they don’t have to be close to freezing.

Cornish Yarg and Gorwydd Caerphilly are so much better after they’ve softened a little under the rind – they need nurturing for two or three extra weeks. The best Ossau Iraty is 10-12 months old and made using unpasteurised milk; at six months old, it’s palatable, but never spectacular. Buy Manchego from a specialist importer – someone who knows the person who makes it. Between the two, they’ll deliver it at a maturity supermarkets can’t touch.

• FFD publisher Bob Farrand is chairman of the UK Cheese Guild Vol.7 Issue 1 · January 2006

25

AOC, the sign of special products...

A traditional cheese

The cheese of western Switzerland, with a delicate, distinguished flavour.

Made since at least 1115 AD in and around the small town of Gruyères, today it is still produced by village cheese dairies in western Switzerland according to the traditional recipe.

Le Gruyère AOC owes its characteristic delicacy and flavour to the top quality raw milk produced by cows fed on grass in the summer and hay in winter, coupled with the skill of the mastercheesemakers.

No less than 400 litres of fresh milk are needed to produce a single wheel weighing around 35kg.

During the slow maturation process, which takes several months in special cheese cellars, the wheels are turned regularly and rubbed down with saltywater. The maturing process lasts between five and 18 months.

Each cheese is systematically identified by the number of the mould and code of the cheese dairy. The day and month of production are also noted on the wheel. These black markings are made with casein, the cheese protein. No artificial additives are involved here either.

Le Gruyère AOC takes pride of place on any cheese platter. It makes for a delicious desert and can be used in tasty warm dishes. What’s more, no real fondue would be complete without genuine Gruyère AOC.

From this time on, the name ‘Gruyère AOC’ and the code of the production facility appears on the heel of each wheel of Gruyère AOC as an effective way of preventing fakes and guaranteeing authenticity.

This technique employs branding irons, which give an indentation in the wheel. It is this marking that makes it possible to identify and trace each individual cheese.

The humidity and rind washing process develops the characteristic appearance of the cheese and assists in bringing the cheese into full maturity.

This is what gives Le Gruyère AOC its famous, distinct flavour. It’s no great surprise that this authentic gift of nature is appreciated by cheeselovers throughout the world.

www.gruyere.com ruyere.com Cheeses from Switzerland.

Switzerland. Naturally.

24 March 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 2

www.switzerland-cheese.com

cheesewire Win a Swiss holiday Le Gruyère AOC, the marketing arm for one of Switzerland’s most famous cheeses, is offering the chance to win holidays in Switzerland as part of a two-week UK promotion.

To take part, retailers need to stock Classic Le Gruyère AOC at around six months maturation and the three-times World Cheese Awards champion Le Gruyère AOC Reserve, which is typically matured for 10 months and longer, for any two weeks during May. Point-of-sale material and sampling units form part of the package. To have a chance of winning a holiday, stores need to submit a photograph of their Le Gruyère display, which will be judged by award-winning deli owners Arthur and John Axon of the Cheese Hamlet in Didsbury, Manchester.

The store owner and one of

Iona Hill takes on cheese-maker to help Ribblesdale expand The Ribblesdale Cheese Company has employed a full-time cheesemaker and plans to develop four new products later this year to meet rising demand for goats’ cheese. Iona Hill, who runs the Yorkshire-based company, has taken on Alec Barnett, who previously worked at Wensleydale Dairy, freeing her to develop new products and grow the business.

its customers could win an allexpenses-paid trip to Switzerland, flying with Swiss International Airlines and staying in the Fribourg region courtesy of the Swiss National Tourist Office.

Guild of Fine Food members will shortly receive a mailing about the promotion and non Guild members interested in taking part should email: dairymagic@aol.com

“Customers have been asking us for new products for a while, but it was difficult to find the time when it was just me and my husband running the business,” she said. “With Alec on board we should have some new cheeses for the market later this year.

Ribblesdale currently supplies wholesalers such as Rowcliffe’s, H&B and Bradbury.

VEGGIE VICTORY: Welsh dairy co-operative Calon Wen took the Best Veggie Cheese at Cook Vegetarian magazine’s first awards. Judges described the cheese as “...sufficiently aged to have the faintest crunch of calcium lactate crystals, it avoids the excessive sharpness of some extra mature options, leaving a strong, immensely flavoursome cheese”. The cheddar, which was only launched in July last year, also holds two Great Taste Award gold stars.

The Yarg maker is quietly developing a new cheese, but says its priority is sustainability, not expansion

Lynher is putting ‘resilience’ before growth

By MICK WHITWORTH

Fans of Lynher Dairies’ nettle-coated semi-hard Yarg and its more pungent sibling Garlic Yarg will be intrigued to know that a third cheese is under development by the Cornish producer.

According to director Catherine Mead, who runs Lynher with farmer husband Ben, the newcomer – which is unlikely to appear until next year – will be a slow-maturing variety, made exclusively with milk from the herd at Pengreep Farm, Lynher’s HQ. Pengreep is an organic and biodynamic operation where cows are only calved once a year, so the cheese will be made seasonally and in smaller quantities than Yarg, with different age profiles being released through the year.

“Ben’s farming system is quite different,” says Mead. “He started about 15 years ago with extended grazing, which is a New Zealand concept where you keep animals on grass all year round and calve them all together.

"There’s been a lot of interest in what he’s doing, so the next logical step is to do something specifically with that milk.”

The success of Yarg, which is on sale nationally in Waitrose and in some Tesco and Sainsbury stores as well as in independents, means Lyhner has to buy in milk from 10 Milk Link suppliers to supplement Pengreep Farm’s output.

But Mead says the family business, which has 20 employees, doesn’t aim to grow hugely beyond this point. “We have a brand that punches way above its weight, but the reality is we’re a very small concern. We produce 170 tonnes a year,

Catherine Mead: continuous improvement

which puts us on the larger side of specialist cheese-makers, but we don’t have ambitions to do very much more.

"We want to be a strong, stable, resilient rural business, rather than just relentlessly producing more cheese.”

As chair of the Cornwall Agri-Food Council, Mead is closely involved in issues such as sustainability, food security and “tightening of supply chains” in the South West. She and her husband are also focused on reducing the environmental impact and oil dependence of their own farm and dairy operations.

“Obviously we cannot make cheese without using oil,” she says, “but we want to make the business more resilient. We saw what happened in 2008 when food costs suddenly shot up. Everyone

got very edgy. So we are saying, what will this business look like in 10 years time if fuel prices keep creeping up?”

She says there is a growing divide between dairy businesses that are progressive and reinvesting, which will maintain reasonable returns, and the “huge number that are hard pressed”.

Increasing scarcity of resources such as phosphates, a major component in fertilisers, will put further pressure on dairy margins. “The question is whether the consumer – reference what happened in September 2008 – is prepared to pay those extra costs.”

Lynher has joined Envision, a subsidised environmental consultancy programme for South West businesses, to help it “chip away” at some of these issues through continuous improvement.

It has also been working with French cheese consultant Ivan Larcher to help iron out some variability in Yarg through the year. “We’ve always said our product was ‘crumbly at the core and creamy under the rind’,” says Mead, “but in reality it was always softer in summer, because of the higher fat levels, and quite hard in winter. We feel much more on top of that now.”

Larcher has told Lynher that since their milk will always vary, they need to concentrate on controlling the process. “We’ve been working on getting consistency of moisture at a certain stage of production,” says Mead. “If we get that right, a lot of the other variables fall into place, and our consistency has improved exponentially as a result.” www.lynherdairies.co.uk

Vol.11 Issue 2 · March 2010

27

For the finest award-winning CHESTERS product OF ST ANDREWS

Tel 0845 618 3060 Fax 0845 618 3066 sales@chestersofstandrews.com www.chestersofstandrews.com

The Truckle Cheese Co is a small family run business which is home to our ever more famous Vintage Mature Cheddar and Blue Cheese truckles, along with our naturally Oak Smoked Cheddar and Vesuvius (Vintage Cheddar with chilli),which have all been hugely popular. Not forgetting our Gold Award winning Onion Marmalade and our new Pear & Vanilla Pod Chutney which go great with our range of cheeses. We have recently launched our new Truckle Cheese pots, which are seldom seen these days. Our cheese pots are available in 2 sizes and are a limited edition pot, very popular present ideas.

The Truckle Cheese Company • Fare Acres Farm • Dry Drayton Road • Oakington • Cambridge • CB24 3BD Tel: 01223 234 740 • Fax: 01223 234 740 • Mobile: 07950 173 175 • Email: www.trucklecheese.co.uk/contact.asp

28

March 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 2

focus on

pickles & chutneys

Monkeybusinessimages/Dreamstime.com

J

Money-making matches

Every hunk of cheese offers the chance to cross-sell the perfect accompanying pickle, says PATRICK McGUIGAN

on Gleeson, owner of the Cotswold Cheese Company, has found a wonderful trick for keeping his cash register ringing.

He just utters five magic words and, hey presto, his customers instantly spend more. “It’s so simple,” he says. “When people have chosen which cheese they want, I always ask, ‘Do you need some chutney?’ And nine times out of 10 they say, ‘Yes’.”

As well as being able to add £2£3 to their total bill, this also gives him an opportunity to have a chat with the customer and make a few informed suggestions, which all add to the shopping experience.

“If someone is buying a strong blue cheese, I’d suggest something sweet to balance the saltiness – apple & ginger jelly from Plantation Cottage, for example,” he says.

Being able to provide advice on cheese and chutney matching is an obvious way for delis and farm shops to differentiate themselves from supermarkets. Block cheddar and Branston has its place, but it’s not a patch on goats’ cheese with fig & walnut jam – a combination that Sue Cloke at London’s Cheese@ Leadenhall likes to recommend to her customers.

“We don’t have a counter at the shop, so rather than just serving customers we naturally end up having a discussion about what they want. I have a bit of a fetish about chutney and am always thinking which works best with the different cheeses we sell,” she says.

“With British hard cheeses I tend to recommend traditional relishes and pickles – something like Rose Farm’s Harvest Chutney. If people are buying for a dinner party cheeseboard, I tend to recommend sweeter options like the fig & walnut jam, which we get from a French company called Le Epicurean. That also works well with washed-rind cheeses.”

Later this year, Cloke plans to team up with a small producer to develop her own bespoke range of chutneys. “I’m coming up with the recipes now and how they will work with cheese is very much in my mind. Chutneys and pickles are an

“I use a mild block cheddar for in-store tastings, rather than a complex cheese like Quickes. It’s cheap and cheerful and allows people to properly taste the chutney” John Axon, The Cheese Hamlet Vol.11 Issue 2 March 2010

29

Miller Park, Station Road, Wigton, Cumbria CA7 9BA Tel/Fax: 016973 45974 Email: claire@claireshandmade.co.uk Web: www.claireshandmade.co.uk

Handmade sweet and savoury preserves and condiments Multi-award winning recipes made with all-natural ingredients A colourful array of products from traditional favourites to innovative specialities Powerful new branding and packaging with comprehensive retailer support Call Claire Kent for wholesale information‌

30

March 2010 ¡ Vol.11 Issue 2

focus on

pickles & chutneys

product update: pickles & chutneys • Leicestershire-based Fosters Traditional Foods has teamed up with local producer The Pickled Village to distribute its range of chutneys and marmalades nationwide. Products include The Red Rapscallion – a red onion marmalade with redcurrants, fresh thyme and chillis.

Fosters has also started to roll out a new look across its own chutneys. www.fosters-foods.co.uk

• The Truckle Cheese Co is expanding into the catering market with new 3kg buckets of Onion Marmalade and 1kg tubs of Pear & Vanilla Pod chutney. www.trucklecheese. co.uk

Welsh hills overlooking Hay-on-Wye are the key ingredient to Chef on the Run Foods’ new Wild Whimberry Chutney. www.chefontherunfoods.co.uk

• Mrs Huddleston’s has developed a range of Asian chutneys to serve with popadoms, curries and tandoori dishes. Flavours include Mango & Ginger; Fresh Cucumber & Mint; Hot Banana & Coconut; and Lime & Coriander. www.mrshuddleston.com

www.kitchengardenpreserves. co.uk

• Whimberries (bilberries) picked by hand on the essential element of eating cheese.

It makes the experience much more enjoyable.”

It’s not just retailers who spend their time day-dreaming about chutney and cheese. Dorset-based producer Forest Products has a range of accompaniments each designed to go with specific types of cheese – for example, quince & apple chutney for blue cheese and real ale chutney for cheddar.

At artisan producer Crellow in Cornwall, co-owner Deborah Richards says that after husband Michael has developed a new chutney she invariably buys a range of cheeses so they can conduct their

• Damsons in Distress is the new chutney from Crellow.

The product contains damsons grown on the banks of the Fal in Cornwall.

• Wholesaler Cotswold Fayre has listed several new chutneys including Great British Ploughman’s Pickle from Sussex-based The Relish In Spice Company.

Chilli jellies and Scotch Bonnet Brown Sauce from Chilliqueen and Quince Jelly from Hawkshead are also new.

• Hot Raspberry, Spicy Redcurrant, and Mustardy Mango are just a few of the products in Uncle Roy’s new Extra Special Condiments range. www.uncleroys.co.uk

• Windmill Organics has recently launched two new organic pickles: Biona Organic Cornichons and Biona Organic Silverskin Onions. www.windmillorganics.com

• Fiercely hot with a smoky flavour, newly launched Mr Vikki’s King Naga chilli pickle was named Best in Show at the

own taste tests at the production kitchen.

“You have to recognise that there are perfect pairings – our classic apple & onion chutney is fantastic with cheddar,” she says. “But there are more unusual options. We’re keen on the Continental approach of matching sweet flavours with cheese. In Spain, membrillo with Manchego is a classic, but we think our Quince Charming conserve is just as good with a sturdy cheddar or Wensleydale.

“We recently developed a range of pumpkin preserves for a local hotel, which goes amazingly well with any hard, acidic cheese, and we find our

www.mrvikkis.co.uk

www.cotswold-fayre.co.uk

www.crellow.com

• Kitchen Garden Preserves’ new Gooseberry Chutney is based on a recipe handed down by the mother of owner Barbara Moinet.

The 250ml jars have an RRP of £2.95.

recent National Chilli Awards in Brighton.

• Cottage Delight launched four new chutneys last month: Caramelised Apple Chutney with Mustard and Kentish Cider; Hot Butternut Squash Chutney; Caribbean Spiced Chutney; and Poppadom Chutney. www. cottagedelight.co.uk

Jon Gleeson of Cotswold Cheese Co buys ownbrand chutneys from Fosters. ‘Customers aren’t going to see them anywhere else,’ he says.

beetroot relish works with goat’s cheeses of all types. The gentle earthy flavour of beetroot matches the creaminess of the cheese.”

Camille Ortega McLean of chutney company The Pickled Village, which is distributed nationally by Fosters Traditional Foods, also has some interesting cheese and chutney combinations.

She recommends spooning her Red Rapscallion red onion marmalade over a hot goats’ cheese salad and says her spicy grape & port conserve called the Rich and Intoxicating One works well with Stilton. “Stilton and port have always been firm ● ● ➔

Vol.11 Issue 2 · March 2010

31

prepare to be pickled...

...with the delicious range of The Pickled Village chutneys & marmalades now available exclusively from Fosters · Made using the finest local ingredients · Mixing exotic flavour with traditional English recipes · Hand-pickled in small batches · Quirkily named - why not try the best selling Red Rapscallion or The Fiery Italian?

Now available exclusively from

To place an order or for more information please call:

01858 438 000 Fosters Traditional Foods Limited, Great Bowden Road, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16 7DE

Jean

of

J.R. Jams would like to introduce you

to her range of high quality, handmade, delicious jams, marmalades and chutneys without any artificial additives. Several of my products have won great taste awards which is a proud achievement for a small company. I supply retail and catering from my base in Newcastle upon Tyne through the locally based Mercari Foods who are suppliers of gourmet and fine foods.

J.R. Jams

Mercari Foods: tel/fax 0191 2241330 Coming soon: jrjams.co.uk Email: j.read@blueyonder.co.uk 32

March 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 2

product focus on focus

pickles & chutneys

product update: pickles & chutneys • Hawkshead’s new Hedgerow Jelly is made with wild blackberries, elderberries and port and enriches game dishes, roasted meats and gravy. www.hawksheadrelish.com

• Bracken Hill has introduced red onion & damson chutney and caramelised fig with port. www.brackenhillfinefoods.co.uk

• Maya is a new range of Indian pickles and chutneys from Four Seasons Preserves using recipes dating from the 17th century. It includes a Lucknow lime chutney, Bengal apple chutney and mild banana chutney. Also new from the company is a Medieval pear & date preserve under the Taste of History brand.

01462 635655

• Wildon Grange has launched Francesca’s Fantastic Figgy Pear, which comes in 12 oz jars with a retail price of £4-4.50.

• Claire’s Handmade is investing in a packaging overhaul across its entire range of sweet and savoury preserves. The revamp sees the introduction of traditional style chutneys including Cumberland Chutney with Sneck Lifter Ale. www.claireshandmade.co.uk

• Spicy pumpkin chutney is one of several new products from Dart Valley Foods launched last month.

Others newcomers include apple & cucumber, and beetroot & horseradish. www.dartvalleyfoods.com

www.wildongrange. co.uk

• Curry Cuisine re-brands its pickles and chutney range this month and has launched two new products: spiced strawberry chutney and luxury mango chutney.

• Leicester-based spice kit producer Spicentice has launched a range of Indian fruit chutneys to complement its world recipe spice kits.

Flavours include sweet lime with chilli and fenugreek. www.spicentice.com

www.currycuisine.co.uk

• Cheese Lover’s Chutney Wedge, which contains a jar of piccalilli, sunblush tomato chutney and farmhouse pickle, is the latest addition to The Bay Tree’s gift range. www.thebaytree.co.uk

friends, but this combination spices up their relationship. It works just as well with baked brie or camembert,” she says.

As well as making chutney, Ortega McLean also runs a small shop in the Northants village of Bulwick, where she can often be found giving customers advice. “I have a chutneytasting sideboard with sample jars, spoons, crackers and cheese. It’s good to be able to get out from behind the counter and interact with customers as they’re trying out suggestions,” she says. “I also find special offers, such as three jars for £9 work well [an individual jar costs £3.50].”

Claire Ramsey, marketing director at Dart Valley Foods, also recommends using discounts to encourage cross selling. “A linked discount often works well, so a customer buying a certain amount of cheese could get a 50p voucher for any jar. The cost of funding these types of promotions is usually covered by recurrent sales, and they work well with themed shopping

‘We’re keen on the Continental approach of matching sweet flavours with cheese,’ says Deborah Richards of Crellow, whose Quince Charming provides a British alternative to Spain’s membrillo quince paste

evenings or alongside other events,” she says.

Jenny Reeves, manager of Doddington Hall Farm Shop in Lincoln, always makes sure she has chutney tasters on hand at the shop’s various events throughout the year.

On Apple Day it might be a spicy apple chutney from Bracken Hill Fine Foods and for Halloween a homemade pumpkin chutney.

“If we have a glut of something in the kitchen garden, like pumpkins, it will always be used in a homemade chutney. We make things like three bean chutney, pumpkin, pear & parsnip, and sweet pickle,” says Reeves.

“We sterilise the jars and put a year’s date label on them, which our EHO says is fine. Margins are pretty good – we sell them for £2.95 – but not as good as you might think.

Chutney requires a lot of labour and we don’t have the space to make large quantities.”

A less time-consuming alternative is to stock an own-label range made by someone else. Back at the Cotswold Cheese Company, Jon Gleeson says his own-brand chutneys, supplied by Fosters, are one of his best sellers.

“The labels are smart and professional, and customers aren’t going to see them anywhere else,” he says.

Fosters launched its ‘premium personalisation’ service for delis just over a year ago. Customers can choose from 60 different designs to be applied to a range of 10 chutneys and pickles, as well as 150 other products including confectionery and bakery. “Some of our customers have seen sales double on their own-label ranges since they took advantage of our new service,” says commercial director Laura Shears.

Getting back to the cheese and chutney debate, John Axon at Didsbury-based shop The Cheese Hamlet swears by regular tastings, offering customers a cracker topped with cheese and Tracklements chutney. “I use a mild block cheddar rather than a complex cheese like Quickes. It’s cheap and cheerful and allows people to properly taste the chutney,” he says.

Press him a bit harder and Axon soon reveals that he is not actually a fan of cheese with chutney.

“Personally I want cheese to be cheese. I want to taste the farmyard and the fields. Dolloping a blob of chutney on an exquisite vintage Quickes is sacrilege to me. That said, I obviously don’t want to put my customers off – we sell a lot of chutney and I want to keep it that way.”

Vol.11 Issue 2 · March 2010

33

TM

Mr Vikki’s Winter into Spring Include any of the following products in your order before the end of March and receive a case discount, point of sale material and the first of our brand new recipe collection. l Gooseberry & Orange Jam l Three Fruit Marmalade l Sweet Plum & Date Chutney Look out for further Seasonal Promotions later in the year.

Tel: 01453 759612 for further details www.kitchengardenpreserves.co.uk

Taste GREAT

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34

March 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 2

2007

AY Y ID TR FR 010 EN NE 2 LI IL 9 AD pR DE A

Stand out from the crowd in 2010 Grab gold in the Great Taste Awards To help us – and to save you money – please send your entry well before the April 9 deadline. After that the price per entry will attract a £5 (€10) surcharge to cover additional administration costs For more information or to enter online please visit www.finefoodworld.co.uk/gta

Vol.11 Issue 2 · March 2010

35

Farrington’s

Mellow Yellow Uncompromising on health, taste and quality...

A source of Omega 3 and low in Saturated Fat. MELLOW YELLOW ® cold pressed rapeseed oil is at the heart of all Farrington’s award winning products, produced on our family farm.

Stuff of legend When it comes to exceptional cheddar, the old ways are still the best. Our awardwinning, traditional truckles are wrapped in muslin and allowed to breathe as they slowly mature, resulting in a creamy complex flavour with a long finish.

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March 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 2

Best Goats Cheese), World Cheese Awards, Great Taste Awards, Nantwich International, Royal Bath & West, Great Yorkshire, Devon County Show, Taste of the West and Frome Cheese Show.

Home Farm . Newton St Cyres . Devon . www.quickes.co.uk

preview

Eight

food & drink expo

for the price of one If you plan to visit Expo, expect a long walk: there are seven other shows alongside

S

picentice spice kits, Hot Headz sauces, Quickes Traditional cheese, Original Candy Co sweets and chocolates, wholesalers Medallion Chilled Foods and Cotswold Fayre – they’re all taking part in this month’s Food & Drink Expo, running at the NEC from March 21-24.

But if you’ve never visited the big biennial show before, be warned: there’s a lot more to see than familiar speciality food brands and distributors.

Fine foods form only a small part of Expo, where they are jostling for position among around 600 exhibitors, including many household names.

In turn, Expo is only one part of a conglomeration of food-related shows under the same roof at the Birmingham complex, most of which offer at least some points of interest for the typical fine food store, farm shop or deli-restaurant operator, and for their suppliers too.

They include Foodex – formerly Foodex Meatex – which has been rebranded this year to reflect the broadening of its exhibitor base. It’s essentially a machinery and packaging show for food producers, but is also the place to look for smaller-scale equipment such as meat slicers and basic counter-top vac-packers.

The Convenience Retailing Show does exactly what it says on the tin, and alongside it is Café+, recently launched to reflect the growing interest in cafés, sandwich bars and other foods-to-go.

Other ‘co-located’ shows are the Baking Industry Exhibition, International Forecourt & Fuel Equipment Show, the Off Licence Show and the new Food & Drink Logistics Show.

Back in Expo itself, retail buyers are being offered a booklet of show discount vouchers this year.

According to the organisers, discounts

EXPO PRODUCT ROUND-UP in 17 flavours including raspberry, mango, passionfruit, white peach and mandarin. The purées, packed in 1 litre cartons, are suitable for use in restaurants, deli-cafés and small food producers such as patissiers, bakers and chocolatiers www.keylink.org • Hawkshead Relish (stand S180/1) will be showing its ‘subtly sophisticated’ new-look black-on-white packaging for the first time at an international show.

‘It stands alone and stands out, and we hope to attract international buyers at this exhibition,” says MD Mark Whitehead. www.hawksheadrelish.com • Spice kit producer Kitchen Guru (stand S221) has also given its product range a new look “to deliver an easier ‘Cook your own…’ experience”.

The products have been “re-branded and improved” to give more visibility on-shelf, stress their authenticity and convenience and include recipe ideas on the outer packaging. New products launched at Expo will include a range of ‘Cook your own’ Indian and Thai meal kits. www.kitchenguru.co.uk • Keylink (stand S223) is launching a new range of Ravifruit ambient fruit purées after being appointed exclusive distributor for England and Wales from 2010. Made in France, Ravifruit is a natural product comprising 90% fruit, with 10% sugar as a preservative and flavour enhancer, and is available agreed so far include 10% off orders placed with oat product supplier Stoats Porridge Bars, 20% off orders with seafood supplier Seafare

• Cheese retailer and wholesaler Paxton & Whitfield will be showing a range of three new Cheese Bites crackers at Expo, each one linked to a famous speciality cheese. They are Westcountry Farmhouse Cheddar & garlic chives, Cropwell Bishop Stilton, thyme & cracked black pepper, and Sparkenhoe Red Leicester, lovage & mustard. www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk

• Farrington Oils is launching its three additive-free dressings, all based on its Mellow Yellow cold pressed rapeseed oil, in a new 1 litre foodservice format.

Owner Duncan Farrington says the Northants-based company’s rapeseed mayonnaise will also go into catering packs later this year.

“We’ll also be unveiling new updated labels on the whole of our retail range,” he adds. www.farrington-oils.co.uk

• Spanish food specialist Delicioso will be showing a range of ready-to-make desserts from Royal, one of Spain’s best known food companies.

They include mixes for Tarta de Santiago, the almond tart traditionally eaten by pilgrims on their arrival in Santiago de Compostela, along with Crema Catalana, an egg custard from Cataluña, and Flan de Huevo, an egg flan similar to crème caramel. There is also a chocolate mousse mix and, coming later in the year, a mix for making an Oreo cake to serve chilled or frozen. The products – all exclusive to Delicioso – come with full instructions on their preparation, some with a mould to make the mix successfully and even the doily for serving. The almond tart also has a shaped card to give the traditional cross imprint as a decoration.

01865 340055 www.delicioso.co.uk

Products and a free case of fruit juice with every order placed with Chegworth Valley. www.foodanddrinkexpo.co.uk Vol.11 Issue 2 March 2010

37

TRY SOMETHING NEW FROM SWEDEN

SINCE 1994

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• Products certified organic.

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Arctic Cloudberry Rhubarb Strawberry Raspberry & redcurrant Lingonberry Raspberry & Blueberry Cherry Elderflower Blackcurrant

“...every cordial in the range is faultless”

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To become a Stockist or request a brochure Tel: 01453 731730 info@hot-headz.com

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IgNITE your SalES wITh our hoT NEw BraNdINg!

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call us for a 2010 catalogue if you don’t have one already!

38

March 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 2

product update

soft drinks

Give it some juice It’s looking like a promising year for innovation in soft drinks, as MICK WHITWORTH finds in this round-up of new launches and brand revamps • Fruit ingredients supplier Cobell says it aims to develop the Frobishers brand of not-fromconcentrate juices – described as “the next best thing to freshly squeezed juice” – into the market leader in the premium sector.

Exeter-based Cobell bought Frobishers Fruit Juices last April.

There are 10 ambient juices in the Frobishers range, including passionfruit, mango and bumbleberry, all with a 12-month shelflife, plus three smoothies with a six-month life. All are packed in 250ml glass bottles, in cases of 24. www.frobishers.com

• East Devon’s Yarty Valley Provisions has introduced a new Art Deco style label for its premium hand-made cordials. It will be on show at Food & Drink Expo this month and the Real Food Festival in May. The family firm’s recipes include lemon & borage, elderflower and rhubarb & ginger, which picked up a Great Taste Awards gold and a Taste of the West Awards silver after its launch last year.

Yarty sells its cordials direct to the retailer at £2.10 plus VAT with a RRP of £3.50. www.yartyvalleyprovisions.co.uk ● ● ➔

Branching out from the Garden of England Kent organic apple grower and juicer Nichol Farm, best known in the deli market for its premium Moor Organic range, is looking for distributors to take its products further from its South-East heartland this year.

“We’d welcome phone calls from potential wholesalers,” says farm manager Richard Castle.

“At the moment, everyone’s buying direct, and our working week is: make some juice, sell some juice, run out and deliver some juice.”

Buyers further afield are being served by courier, and the company has one export client, who sampled its juice while staying in a London hotel and is now taking “a few pallets a year”.

But with sales still largely focused on Kent and the Capital, the aim for 2010 is to widen distribution around the UK. The 170-acre farm, which chiefly supplies fresh fruit into the mainstream produce trade, converted to organic production about 10 years ago. Its juicing operation was set up a few years later to use the high level of reject fruit that comes with organic production, and by 2005 it had achieved a gold Great Taste Award – equivalent to three gold stars in today’s marking system – for its Charles Ross single variety organic product. It now offers around a dozen single apple and pear varieties – including ‘heritage’ varieties such as James Grieve, as well as Jonagold, Cox and Charles Reeve – and two blends.

The organic lines are available in two formats – a traditional dark green bottle or more contemporary pale frosted glass – and last year the fourth-generation family business, now headed

by Nick Moor, launched the new King’s Orchard brand to provide a cheaper, non-organic option. This currently includes Cox apple, Conference pear and apple & blueberry variants.

The brand – so named because Henry VIII set up the first commercial orchards near to Nichol Farm – is made using conventional fruit from neighbouring farms.

There’s still good demand for organic products, says Nick Moor, and there are very few British fruit Fourthgeneration fruit farmer Nick Moor (left) with farm manager Richard Castle

growers capable of meeting that demand. But he says the sector has become “more dodgy” as interest swings towards buying locally and shoppers become more price sensitive. “The organic market is niche, and juice is another niche within that,” he says. “With King’s Orchard, we can still offer something to people who don’t care if it’s organic.”

A small 250cl bottle of Moor Organic juice costs around 70p at wholesale, says Richard Castle, whereas the conventional juice goes out at 50p-55p depending on volumes. While the latter are targeted mainly at pubs and bars, a number of farm shops are taking small bottles of the conventional juice to sell in the chiller, where they can hit a 99p price point, but stocking the top-end Moor Organic in 75cl bottles for take-home.

One product that’s really on the up right now is pear juice, thanks largely to the cash poured into promotion of a certain mainstream “pear cider”.

“People are going crazy for pear juice,” says Castle.

“They’ve been brainwashed by Magners! Two years ago at the county show we had to really push people to try it; this year they were asking for it.”

Good news for Nichol Farm, which is, as Castle puts it, “surrounded by pears”. “We’re smack bang in the middle of all the packhouses that supply the rest of the country. Once they’ve finished picking for supermarkets we buy all the oversized, undersized and blemished pears. So everyone’s a winner.” www.moororganicjuice.co.uk Vol.11 Issue 2 · March 2010

39

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March 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 2 OrgVeg Natural LIfestyle.indd 1

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product update • Pixley Berries has added blackcurrant & ginger to its range of additive-free cordials. The drinks are made from not-fromconcentrate blackcurrant juice, much of it pressed on Pixley’s own Herefordshire farm, with a minimum 60% fruit content.

The maker says the new launch is its first non-British flavour and first to use “more exotics roots”. The others are blackcurrant and blackcurrant & raspberry. RRP is around £3.19 for 500ml, with trade prices dependent on volume. www.pixleyberries.co.uk

• An Irish artisan juice maker is targeting British delis with a new sparkling apple juice made on the farm in Co Tipperary.

The Apple Farm uses fruit grown directly outside its juice room to make the 100% fresh-pressed product, which is then carbonated and filled in 500ml and 200ml flip-top bottles or 250ml screwcaps.

“I’m currently selling in Ireland, but I’m very interested in the speciality sector in the UK,” says owner Con Traas.

A 24 x 250ml case should cost around £20, depending on currency rates, and Traas suggests RRPs of £1.95 in shops and £2.75 in foodservice. www.theapplefarm.com

• Twenty years ago, Lamberhurst-based Owlet Fruit Juices was one of the first Kentish fruit growers to start making apple juice, and its products have since won 27 national awards. Twice winner of the British Apple Juice Competition, held annually at the National Fruit Show at Detling, Kent, it took second place last year with its russet apple juice. It also collected a Great Taste Awards three-star gold in 2009 for its Cox & Bramley blend.

Now, Owlet has made the same Cox & Bramley juice available in a 10 litre bag-inbox format for use in hotels, smoothie bars, deli-cafés and other foodservice outlets.

The ex-farm price is £12.00 plus VAT per box, with discount for full-pallet orders of 80 boxes. www.owletfruitjuice.co.uk

• Sloe ginger beer and sloe cream soda are among the flavours in a new premium range from Spyder Ginger Beer, all presented in 330ml waxed bottles (rrp £1.96).

Four other cream sodas – strawberry, cranberry, banana and sarsaparilla – complete the latest line-up.

According to Spyder’s Roger Schmid,

soft drinks the sloe-based variants use wild berries foraged berries from a hamlet in Wales.

The drinks are available through the Heart of England Fine Foods delivery service, which includes “regular promotions”, at £21.76 net for a pack of 16. Spyder also sells a range of drink in 500ml stoneware crocks (£31.68 for a pack of 9, RRP £5.22) www.spyder.org.uk

• Lime crush and carrot & Sicilian orange are two new flavours for Spring 2010 from Devon’s Luscombe Drinks.

Buying its juice direct from growers, rather than through brokers, Luscombe has combined Sri Lankan limes with Sicilian lemons to makes its lime crush.

The result, it says, is a “sharp acidity and hit of lime, akin to a classic Margarita but without the alcohol”.

Carrot & Sicilian orange is a blend of Italian carrot juice and Sicilian oranges grown close to Mount Etna, and it described as “dry, invigorating and fresh”.

"It’s great that soft drinks are now considered a serious option to a beer or glass of wine,” Luscombe’s boss Gabriel David told FFD. “It’s high time that the non drinker is offered something of equal standing to the usual alcohol offerings."

David recommends pairing the carrot & Sicilian orange with a light lunch of wholemeal quiche with spinach and cheese, while the Lime Crush would complement grilled fish spiced with coriander and chilli. www.luscombe.co.uk ● ● ➔

It’s still early days for premium drinks, says Martinsen Belvoir cordials, Luscombe, James White – there are some pretty well established brands out there in the speciality soft drinks market. But a year after launching her own Breckland Orchard range, former Mars account director Claire Martinsen is Claire Martinsen: ‘People are looking for a more natural alternative to the big branded drinks’

still convinced there’s room for more.

“The premiumisation of soft drinks has been relatively recent compared with markets like coffee,” Martinsen told FFD. “It’s only a small element of a much bigger £5.4m soft drinks market in the UK, and it’s expected to grow 25% over the next four years. I see it as a market with lots of potential for growth and expandability.”

This month sees her Norfolk-based business add two new flavours – pear & elderflower and strawberry & rhubarb – to a range that began last March with four varieties: blackcurrant & raspberry, cranberry & rosehip, cloudy lemonade and ginger beer with chilli. All are made with Norfolk spring water and real fruit juice, and offer retail clients a 30% return on an RRP of £1.40.

“People are looking for a more natural alternative to the big branded soft drinks,” says Martinsen, who knows all about big names – she worked for 12 years on lines like Maltesers, Snickers and Galaxy.

Last year her new soft drinks venture was shortlisted for the Nectar Start-up of the Year title, and the she was listed in the regional Eastern Daily

Press’s Future 50 companies.

Customers so far include the National Trust, which is selling Breckland Orchard drinks in several East Anglian properties, and after tying up dozens of cafés, restaurants, pubs and delis throughout eastern England Martinsen has secured nationwide distribution through Cotswold Fayre. www.brecklandorchard.co.uk Vol.11 Issue 2 · March 2010

41

product update

soft drinks

• Natural and organic products specialist Goodness Foods has taken on distribution of Tillmans of Sweden fine organic cordials, giving the brand nationwide availability in the UK for the first time.

Tillmans cordials are also available in the London region through Marigold Health Foods The Tillmans range, imported by Swedish Juice, includes blackcurrant, cherry, elderberry, lingonberry, raspberry & redcurrant, rhubarb and strawberry cordials. The products, which are not available in supermarkets, are said to be selling well in Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Whole Foods Markets, while the organic rhubarb variants has also been picked up by award-winning Islington bar 69 Colebrook Row for use in a new range of cocktails. www.swedishjuice.com

• Gran Stead’s Ginger, whose nonalcoholic ginger wine was named Best Speciality from the South East in last year’s Great Taste Awards, launches a new line this month: Gran Stead’s Still Lemonade With A Zing Of Ginger (RRP £2.15 for 75cl).

Described as “lemonade with attitude”, it combines the zesty flavour of Sicilian lemons with just enough ginger to give it “a gentle hum of spice”.

“There is a huge demand for traditional drinks, with many customers seeking alternatives to carbonated products,” said Chris Knox, who developed the recipe with wife and business partner Rosemary.

The pair produce their drinks at Mile Oak Farm in East Sussex. www.gransteadsginger.co.uk

• Organic herbal energy drink Gusto has been around since 1990, selling in health food shops, delis and sandwich bars.

But last summer the brand – available from East Sussex based Soma Organic – was reformulated and re-branded in preparation for its 20th anniversary this year. RRP is £1.69 for 250ml bottle, with a trade price of £12.94 for a case of 12. www.drinkgusto. com

• The packaging of James White’s organic vegetable juices has been radically redesigned to bring it in line with the company’s Beet It organic beetroot juice, introduced last year.

The “strong and vibrant” new look is by Brody Neuenschwander, best known for his calligraphic work on Peter Greenaway’s films The Pillow Book and 42

March 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 2

Prospero’s Books.

James White founder Lawrence Mallinson said he was also working on the company’s “most mad idea” to date – the launch of a Beet It concentrated organic beetroot ‘shot’ for the health and sports nutrition markets.

The aim is to capitalise on medical and sports performance studies that use beetroot juice as a natural source of dietary nitrate to boost nitric oxide levels. Beetroot has also been linked with blood pressure control.

“We are now working with at least seven different research projects with some of the leading medical, sports nutrition and pediatric researchers in the country,” said Mallinson. “This launch is taking us well out of our normal world of speciality foods – but fingers crossed.” www.jameswhite.co.uk

• Apple juice specialist Chegworth Valley says it’s replanting a large area of its farm in Kent using a new post-andwire system geared towards organic growing.

“This dramatically increases the number of trees per acre, from 400-600 to 1,0001,200, and will provide much greater yields, so we can meet increased demand for our juices,” said Chegworth’s Paul Spencer.

The company – which launched a spiced Winter Warmer blend before Christmas – is planting new varieties alongside well-known and heritage varieties like Cox, Spartan, Worcester Pearmain, Blenheim Orange, Charles Ross and Ashmead’s Kernal.

Composted green waste is being used

around the trees to retain moisture and to act as a weed suppressant, removing the need for spraying.

Spencer added: “We have also built four new cold stores on our farm, which means we can store fruit when it is perfectly ripe, then press as required, as opposed to renting areas of massive industrial stores.

“This further reduces the food miles associated with our juices as they’re now all grown, stored – if they’re not pressed straight after harvesting – pressed, bottled and delivered directly to the stockist.” www.chegworthvalley.com

• Five new cordials and pressés have been added to the Belvoir Fruit Farms range for 2010.

They include blackcurrant & Cox apple cordial (50cl, RRP £4.25), which is said to contain over half a pound of ripe English blackcurrants and the juice of three Cox’s apples in each bottle, giving a “full bodied, intensely rich fruity taste”.

Cranberry cordial (50cl RRP £4.25) is a medium dry blend of cranberry, blackcurrant and blueberry juices that can enjoyed as a soft drink or blended with Grey Goose vodka and sparkling water in a Sea Breeze cocktail.

The other newcomers are raspberry lemonade pressé and organic orange & jasmine pressé (both available in 75cl & 25cl sizes, RRP £2.70 & £1.70) and apple & melon pressé (75cl, RRP £2.70). The latter is described as a “deliciously sweet lightly sparkling pressé made using real apple and honeydew melon juices blended with a hint of camomile extract”. www.belvoirfruitfarms.co.uk

Matching soft drinks with food ? ...seemingly unlikely, but not all soft drinks are the same. Luscombe drinks have the complex depth of flavour and balance of acidity to match a good range of foods.

We can suggest tastings to do at the counter - and we provide the drinks.

If you are not already a customer, please call for your own samples...

T. 01364 64 30 36 Sicilian Lemonade Raspberry Lemonade

w w w. l u s c o m b e . c o . u k

the finest organic apple & pear juices

conventional, but not ordinary

exceptional juice from traditional varieties Nichol Farm, Deerton Street, Teynham, Kent ME9 9LJ

Tel: 01795 521341

www.moororganicjuice.co.uk Vol.11 Issue 2 路 March 2010

43

TRADE ONLY

Stand Enquiries Ticket Hotline

01934 733433 01934 733456 stands@tasteofthewesttradeshow.co.uk

tickets@tasteofthewesttradeshow.co.uk

19th – 20th April 2010 at Westpoint, Exeter

Meeting the needs of food and food service industries in the South West

SOUTHWEST

sourceexhibition.co.uk tasteofthewesttradeshow.co.uk

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FOOD

& catering

March 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 2

Sponsors and Supporters

training & seminars update Hands-on artisan training from the professionals

On-line food safety course launched

The Artisan Food Centre at Hurn in Dorset offers hands-on instruction in baking, patisserie, charcuterie and other craft skills by trainers whose ‘day job’ is making and selling the same products. Led by master charcuterer Todd Sadler, who operates his Dorset Smokery from the same premises, the team offers a programme of one-day workshops, from £75 to £140, throughout the year. Bread-making, for example, is split into two courses. There’s a one-day introduction to making and shaping white dough, rye dough and oilve dough and baking it into a range of styles. The second course looks at “the seven great doughs”, and takes delegates into the realms of starters, sponges and development of sour doughs.

The Master Charcuterer course divides the day into classroom and practical sessions, with a chance to try making hams, pancetta, sausages and salamis using artisan-scale commercial machinery.

01202 471133

www.artisan-centre.com

This month sees specialist training provider Verner Wheelock Associates, based in Skipton on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, launch an online course in food safety.

The course, which leads to a Level 3 award, is aimed at anyone responsible for the supervision of food safety, including small business owners.

For those with basic computer skills it offers the flexibility of working in their own time and at

their own speed.

Topics covered include food contamination and personal hygiene, microbiology, food storage and temperature control, HACCP, legislation and the design and construction of food premises.

There is an on-line multiplechoice test at the end of the course, which costs £125 plus VAT. 01729 700802 office@vwa.co.uk

Seminars explains new e-certification scheme The Society of Food Hygiene and Technology (SOFHT) is running a series of seminars this year to help producers understand its web-based SOFHTe online factory certification programme.

Launched last autumn, SOFHTe is the latest low-cost scheme to emerge with the aim of helping smaller producers prove to major buyers that they comply with food safety rules, without jumping through all the hoops of a full-blown factory auditing programme.

SOFHT says: “The scheme meets the need for buyers to ensure that their ‘due diligence’ defence is not compromised when buying from sources who may not participate in more formal certification schemes.

“The scheme is simple to use and cost effective to ensure buy-in from suppliers yet is robust enough to ensure products are legal and safe.”

Suppliers who join the scheme complete an online application and questionnaire and can back this up by uploading documentation too. Whether, and how often, a factory audit needs to take place is then decided after a “desktop review” of the application.

SOFHTe seminars are taking place at venues throughout the UK until June. Check SOFHT’s website for details. www.sofht.co.uk

Learning through apprenticeships For food businesses looking to provide structured learning for their employees, Hartpury College in Gloucester offers a range of food & drink apprenticeships across butchery, bakery, dairy, general food manufacture, retailing and logistics.

Apprenticeships can start at any point in the year to suit the business, and take up to 18 months to complete.

The scheme comprises an NVQ in Food Manufacture at Level 2 or Level 3, a technical certificate, Key Skills qualifications and the chance to study for further qualifications in areas ranging from food safety and HACCP to knife skills and nutrition.

Assessment takes place in the workplace and at college.

01452 702154 CfRB@hartpury.ac.uk

Learn about cheese and charcuterie Thanks to sponsorship from some of the biggest names in fine food, the UK Cheese Guild and The Charcuterie Guild continue to provide cost-effective, specialist training for retailers, buyers and suppliers in two of the sector’s key product areas.

One-day cheese courses and charcuterie courses, each costing just £60 plus VAT for Guild of Fine Food members (£85 for nonmembers), take place UK-wide throughout the year. The training days are often run back to back, enabling business owners of staff to learn about both subjects with just one overnight stay.

Places are currently available on courses in Wincanton, Stockport, Glasgow and York between now and July.

Visit the Guild of Fine Food website for dates and details, or call Charlie Westcar on 01963 824464 to reserve a place. www.finefoodworld.co.uk

Taking jam-making classes into the store As well as providing halfday jam- and chutney-making courses for cookery schools and food events, preserves specialist Vivien Lloyd (pictured) can also stage in-store courses for premium retail stores.

Lloyd has over 20 years experience in preserving fruit and vegetables. A multiple award winner at the Royal Welsh Show, she also produced the top Seville orange marmalade at the World’s Original Marmalade Festival 2008.

Lloyd’s own traditional chutneys, made in small batches using locally sourced ingredients, are sold through fine food outlets in the South West Practical, hands-on classes are available for small groups on request. viv@vivienlloydpreserves.com

Re-usable CD cuts pain of training fees Former Chartered Institute of Environmental Health tutor John O’Nyons says his CD-based hygiene training course can help employers overcome the biggest obstacle to regular training, especially in a recession-hit market: the cost.

“I spoke to many food proprietors in the past,” he told FFD, “and I always got the same story: ‘We send staff out on a course, pay the fee, and after a few weeks they leave. Then we have the same process again, and pay all over again.’”

O’Nyons answer has been to produce a CD leading to a Level 2 Award in Food Safety, which can be used over and over again with out the need to pay additional licence fees.

A free demo of the course is available on the JO Training website. www.foodhygienecd.net Vol.11 Issue 2 · March 2010

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The Charcuterie Guild & UK Cheese Guild Charcuterie dates for 2010 Date Venue Tues March 10 Wincanton, Somerset Mon April 12 Stockport, Manchester Mon April 26 Glasgow Tues July 6 York Cheese dates for 2010 Date Venue NEW DATE! Mon March 15 London* Tues March 16 Wincanton, Somerset Tues April 13 Stockport, Manchester Tues April 27 Glasgow Weds July 7 York Course costs Members of The Guild of Fine Food just £60, plus VAT (£70.50).

Non-members £85, plus VAT (£99.88).

Calling all Butchers, Bakers and Beekeepers!

At Hartpury College, we offer a wide programme of inspirational courses – whether you need training for professional development or for personal interest.

Areas covered include: • Apprenticeships in Food Manufacture (butchery, bakery, dairy, retail and general food manufacture) • Butchery Techniques including: “masterclasses” in lamb, beef and pork butchery; Knife Skills; Meat Processing and Curing • Bakery and chocolate related courses • Cheese Making • CIEH Food Safety Levels 1-4 • Wines & Spirits • Nutrition

*NB. There is a £10 plus VAT surcharge (£11.50) for London training dates due to higher venue costs.

For more information: E-mail: linda.farrand@finefoodworld.co.uk www.finefoodworld.co.uk/charcuterie | www.finefoodworld.co.uk/cheese

Hartpury has recently been assessed as Outstanding by OFSTED

Avilton foods

Read the full report at www.hartpury.ac.uk/ofsted

  

Fine_Food_Digest_Advert.indd 1

Visit our website for further information: www.hartpury.ac.uk or phone the CfRB Team on 01452 702154 for further details

01/02/2010 14:28

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March 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 2

Rude Health is launching its first granola exclusively to independent retailers this month with some wholesalers offering a 20% introductory discount.

The multigrain organic granola is a blend of porridge and jumbo oats with spelt flakes, barley flakes and puffed amaranth grains, along with roasted hazelnuts, almonds and sunflower seeds. This mix has been drizzled with date syrup and honey before being baked to create a crispy granola. Trade price for 8 x 500g packs is £25.20 with a RRP of £5.99. It can be purchased from Essential Trading, Hider, Infinity Foods and Suma. Marigold is the first wholesaler to offer a 20% introductory discount.

A full size pack of The Granola will be sent to the first 25 FFD readers who email katie@rudehealth. com.

020 8877 9821

www.rudehealth.com

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Visitors to Food & Drink Expo (NEC, March 21-24, stand X197) can sample new herb blends and olive oils developed by Anastasia Vasileiou at Troots, the S U P LI E P Greek food specialist, to help consumers make a homemade meal in less time. They include a herb blend for a quick tzatziki dip, stifado for a sweet stew, kleftiko for lamb and a barbecue blend for use with burgers. Product labels include easy-to-follow recipes for authentic Greek dishes. Two new styles of oil will also be showcased at Expo. The first is made with a mix of Cretan herbs and can be used as a dip, in salads or spread on bread with tomato and feta cheese. The second uses Cretan oregano and can be used in salads or for 07736 688717 www.troots.co.uk cooking.

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shelftalk

Looking for suppliers accredited by the Guild of Fine Food?

Follow the logo

Brewery celebrates silver jubilee with bottled HPA Wye Valley Brewery is celebrating 25 years of brewing with the launch of its cask beer HPA in bottled format as well as releasing a special Limited Edition beer this month.

A race night for customers and staff at Hereford Racecourse in August will continue the celebrations, as will the realisation this year of the Herefordshire barley project, which see the first beer being produced solely from local hops and barley. Wye Valley Brewery began in 1985, when Peter Amor started brewing in the old stable block at the Barrels in Hereford. Since then, the brewery has moved to Stoke Lacy, increased its tied estate and invested in a new bottling facility.

01885 490505 www.wyevalleybrewery.co.uk

Tea for those who’re all at sea Supporters of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) now have a choice of brews to choose from when they want to support the charity’s volunteers, as Williamson Tea has launched three new varieties of its Lifeboat Tea. Earl Grey, English breakfast and green tea have joined the original Lifeboat blend, with 7p from every pack sold going directly to the RNLI to help train and equip crewmembers. Lifeboat Tea originated 30 years ago and has raised £100,000 for the charity to date. It has now had a complete redesign with bold, new orange packaging that includes a series of RNLI case studies.

01635 516478

www.lifeboattea.co.uk

THE SOURCE

ingredients, equipment and services for producers

• Dutch ethical foods specialist Amigos International has chosen Innovia Films’ high-barrier compostable NatureFlex NK film to wrap its new Ananda range of Fairtrade organic dark chocolate from Ecuador.

Amigos is a long-standing distributor of organic products, and owner Jeroen Kruft says: “We appreciate not only the ecological aspects of the ingredients, but were also looking at packaging to complement this. That’s why we started to look at more environmentally friendly options.”

NatureFlex NK is a wood-based material. It was launched in 2008 and offers not only biodegradability and compostability but also a moisture barrier approaching that of conventional oil-based films. According to Innovia, it has the best moisture barrier of any biopolymer film currently available, yet at the end of its lifecycle it breaks down within a matter of weeks in a home compost bin or industrial composting process.

• Food processing equipment supplier Liberty Process has launched the DeliCate range, which it describes as the “next step” from stove-top cooking to higher volume batch production for artisan producers. One-pot meal maker Easy Bean has been one of the first manufacturers to benefit from the Deli-Cate range, installing a 150 litre electric Joni EasyMix kettle to ensure consistent quality.

01697 342281

www.innoviafilms.com

0845 094 0187

www.libertyprocess.biz

• Portable cold storage specialist Seven Refrigeration says it is investing in a further 40 20ft portable stores for delivery during the second quarter of 2010. It follows the delivery of 100 new 40ft reefer boxes a year ago. “We’re very conscious that our standard of equipment is paramount,” said business development manager Mark Smith, adding that the arrival of new boxes would balance the company’s increasing sales of older boxes, which is also a growing market.

01449 767777

www.sevengroup.co.uk Vol.11 Issue 2 · March 2010

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V.3. Deli-Conti advert:Layout 1

19/11/09

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The art of good taste Deli-Conti are wholesale suppliers to quality fine food retailers and foodservice.

For a full flavour of what we can offer you, visit our website www.deliconti.co.uk and take advantage of 10% discount when paying by credit card.

Alternatively you can call us on 0115 9615705.

www.deliconti.co.uk In association with:

SOFHTe Certification Seminars 2010 March

Approvals “Our policy for local and regional suppliers will be updated shortly and provide this supply base with the option to join either the SALSA scheme of the SOFHTe Certification scheme”

John Clague Technical Manager Compliance Waitrose

3 steps to certification: 1. Apply ✓ 2. Complete Questionnaire ✓ 3. Submit for Review ✓

Are you a small or medium sized manufacturer and want everyone to know how much care you take to produce good food?

Do you want to demonstrate compliance of food safety requirements to competent authorities and retailers but find ‘conventional’ food safety schemes too ‘heavy-duty’ and time consuming?

The NEW SOFHTe Certification Scheme is an online certification programme which is practical, creative and a cost-effective solution designed to support your food business in the 21st century.

Official Launch: The official launch of the SOFHTe certification Scheme was held on 27 October 2009. Over the coming months SOFHT will hold a series of free regional seminars to ensure that the maximum number of small local producers can find out more about the scheme and how to participate.

March 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 2

Start Time

2nd SOFHT Training Room Middleton

18:30

5th Fowey, Fowey Hall Hotel

09:00

8th Portsmouth Holiday Inn

09:00

24th FoodEx NEC Birmingham

11.00

26th Maidstone Holiday Inn

09.00

April

Venue

Start Time

21st Telford Holiday Inn

18:30

22nd Chester Holiday Inn

09:00

27th Leeds Holiday Inn

09:00

May

Venue

Start Time

6th Bristol Holiday Inn

18:30

7th Swansea Holiday Inn

09:00

12th Isle of Skye Broadford Hotel June

Venue

11:00 Start Time

15th Glasgow Holiday Inn

09:00

16th Aberdeen Holiday Inn

09:00

17th Newcastle Holiday Inn

09:00 The Granary, Middleton House Farm Tamworth Road, Middleton Staffs, B78 2BD Tel +44 (0)1827 872500 Fax +44 (0)1827 875800 Email admin@sofht.co.uk

Details of the seminars are posted on the scheme website (ecertification.sofht.co.uk), listed opposite and also emailed through partner organisations eg The Humber Seafood Institute to their members.

Supported by

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Venue

• The Cornish Patisserie has launched a chocolate orange flake cheesecake, which is handmade with West Country cream cheese on a biscuit crumb base and decorated with light milk chocolate flakes. Added to the company’s savoury range is Poacher’s Pie, made with locally sourced game including venison, rabbit and pheasant and baked in a rich port jus.

01566 779324 www.cornishpatisserie.co.uk

• Fresh pasta sauces for caterers are made to order by Deli Continental in its commercial kitchens in Nottingham. Ingredients are sourced locally and blended together in small batches without the use of flavourings, preservatives or colouring. Packed in 3kg tubs, the products have a shelf life of 10 days. Other lines from Deli Continental include garlic spread, marinated olives and fresh pesto.

07968 423999 www.deliconti.co.uk • Cheese oatcakes have been added to the range from The Handmade Oatcake Company following

their overwhelming popularity in consumer trials last year. These new biscuits are made to the same recipe as the Perthshire producer’s traditional oatcakes, with the addition of a strong cheddar. Traditional, sweet, cracked black pepper, thin & crispy and cocktail options make up the rest of the range.

07926 194651 www.thehandmadeoatcakecompany.co.uk • A new range of single variety chilli sauces has been launched by Karimix to offer a hot but flavoursome taste with hints of fruits and spices. Naga chilli sauce, Scotch bonnet & mango chilli sauce, piri-piri chilli sauce and Thai sweet chilli sauce form part of the Karimix offering. All are available in 150ml bottles.

020 8545 0090 www.karimix.com • Purbeck Ice Cream has added three new flavours to its range of natural, farm-made ice cream, produced with local fresh milk and thick double cream. They are St Clements, made with the juices and zest of oranges and lemons; Dorset honey & ginger; and raspberry ripple, an old favourite revamped Purbeck-style. www.purbeckicecream.

01929 480090 co.uk • Beware of the Bhut Jolokia chilli sauce just launched by the South Devon Chilli Farm: it forms part of the new Extreme range, designed for those who like their food seriously hot. This new sauce is sold in a 100ml bottle featuring a skull and crossbones logo to warn the unwary that this is a sauce that demands respect.

01548 550782 www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk • Your Piece Baking Company has created two handmade oatmeal shortbreads: a plain variety and one including Belgium chocolate chips. Traditionally, says Your Piece, shortbread was always made with oatmeal, but this has been abandoned over the years.

According to the Fife-based company, oatmeal combines nuttiness and juiciness to give the biscuits a unique flavour.

01738 622851 www.yourpiecebakingcompany.com

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Cheeky Choccy Cherry West Country dairy ice cream will make S U P LI E P its debut at Food & Drink Expo (NEC, March 21-24, stand U170). Made by Marshfield Farm Ice Cream, it’s a rich chocolate ice cream, rippled with cherry sauce and Morello cherries. The company is also showing three improved flavours from its existing range. These are cookies & cream, which has chocolate cookies in a vanilla clotted cream ice cream; banoffee ice cream, which now has more banana and also flapjack pieces to give more crunch; and white chocolate with chocolatecovered honeycomb.

These are all available in 5 litre napoli trays, 4 litre catering tubs and 1 litre retail packs. Visitors to Expo can also see Marshfield’s new dessert concept, designed for caterers who want to offer a branded ice cream dessert menu.

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New chutneys join ‘everyday’ collection Cottage Delight has launched nearly 60 new products into S U P LI E P its everyday collection for 2010, including four new chutneys Its new poppadom chutney is made with 43% mango and a blend of herbs and spices including nigella seeds. Described as sweet, fruity and aromatic, it can be used with poppadoms as well as other Indian dishes.

Further new flavours include caramelised apple with mustard & Kentish cider, hot butternut squash, and Caribbean spiced.

All have been designed to tempt consumers into trying something outside their normal choice of flavours.

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• An A4 black melamine chalk board from Dalebrook Supplies can be used by delis, farm shop cafes and deli-restaurants to promote their ‘dish of the day’ or puddings range. This free-standing, dishwasher-safe board can be written on with pen or chalk and wiped clean with a Dalebrook sponge, two of which are currently being offered free of charge when you buy a board.

01376 510101 www.dalebrookonline.com

Cheeky Choccy makes debut at Expo

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• Brindisa Arbequina extra virgin oil is now available in a handy 1 litre tin. A launch offer from the Spanish food importer includes a free tin for sampling and postcards to hand out to customers. Roberto Gracia Sagasti and his family make this olive oil on behalf of Brindisa using arbequina olives, which have been long prized in Spain for their flavour.

020 8772 1600 www.brindisa.com

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product news from Guild accredited suppliers

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Looking for suppliers accredited by the Guild of Fine Food?

Follow the logo

01538 398839 www.cottagedelight.co.uk

Vol.11 Issue 2 · March 2010

49

classified

BAKING EQUIPMENT BOILERS BOTTLES & JARS BUSINESSES FOR SALE CL EXHIBITION EQUIPMENT FOOD PROCESSING EQUIPMENT HYGIENE PRO PACKAGING PHOTOGRAPHY RECRUITMENT REFRIGERATION SECURITY SH WANTED WEB DESIGN BAKING EQUIPMENT BOILERS BOTTLES & JARS BUS EPOS TECHNOLOGY EXHIBITION EQUIPMENT FOOD PROCESSING EQUIP

See our extensive range of bakery and food processing equipment at www.bakeryequipment.co.uk Contact us at: 0116 254 or email

2121

sales@bakeryequipment.co.uk

D T Saunders Ltd

103 London Road, Leicester LE2 0PF • baking equipment

Do you make PIES? We make PIE MACHINES Visit www.johnhuntbolton.co.uk TO SEE OUR RANGE OF MACHINES, PLUS VIDEO CLIPS OF THE MACHINES IN OPERATION OR CALL + 44 (0) 1204 521831 / 532798 OR FAX + 44 (0) 1204 527306 OR EMAIL spencer@johnhuntbolton.co.uk

JOHN HUNT (Bolton) Ltd Rasbottom St, Bolton, England BL3 5BZ

Suppliers of equipment for artisan producers of fruit juices, wines, ciders and oils. Our wide range extends from extraction processes to filtration, bottling, sealing and labelling.

Tel: 01404 892100 Fax: 01404 890263 Email: info@vigoltd.com www.vigoltd.com

• bottles & jars

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Suppliers of new and top quality factory reconditioned Processing Equipment for • food processing machinery all types and sizes of production lines E:

sales@machines4food.co.uk

Suppliers of: � Confectionery and Gift Packaging � Chocolate � Ingredients

�

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Griottines and Framboisines Machinery and Display Units

Unit 40, Second Avenue, Westfield Trading Estate, Midsomer Norton, Somerset BA3 4BH

Tel: 00 44 (0) 1761 410345 Fax: 00 44 (0) 1761 410332 • bottles & jars

HS HS French Flint Ltd FF Speciality Glassware for the more discerning producer.

• food photography

www.keylink.org Tel: 0114 245 5400

• ingredients

• hygeine / safety products

Need a new van?

Find it in

Ring us on Freephone 0800 096 2720

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Freshness & Flavour sealed in ice

Pure, Chilled or Frozen Lemon, Lime & Orange Zest & Juices

can be supplied as non-organic, organic or wax-free

Unit 4G, The Leathermarket, Weston Street, London SE1 3ER

EX SUN TRA V FLO IRG WE IN RO IL Thi vers s highly perf atile oi ec cook t for l is m high ing uses ost and in omeg. It is cont a-6 ar ains pres tificial no erva tives .

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Produced to order by FA Young Farm Produce Ltd Timsbury, Bath, Somerset BA2 0FQ England

T: 00 44 (0)1761 470523 F: 00 44 (0)1761 471081 E: info@zumozest.com w: www.zumozest.com DRY WHITE WINE

50

April 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 3

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LOTHING COLD TRANSPORT DESIGN CONSULTANTS EPOS TECHNOLOGY ODUCTS INGREDIENTS INSURANCE LABEL SUPPLIERS LEGAL SERVICES HOPFITTING TICKETING TRAINING LEASING Call & ourDESIGN sales teamSUNDRIES on 01963 824464 today to discuss the rightVEHICLE classified heading SINESSES FOR SALE CLOTHING COLD TRANSPORT DESIGN CONSULTANTS , ingredients or services for your equipment PMENT HYGIENE PRODUCTS INGREDIENTS INSURANCE LABEL SUPPLIERS

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01963 824464

• packaging

A W Smith & Sons (Sundries) Ltd p22 Anthony Rowcliffe & Son Ltd p24 Beckleberrys Ltd p44 Belvoir Fruit Farms Ltd. p43 Brindisa Ltd p49 Carron Lodge Cheese Ltd p24 Chesters of St Andrews p28 Choi Time Teas p44 Claire’s Handmade p30 Cotswold Fayre p38 Cottage Delight Ltd p49 Curry Cuisine Ltd. p32 Dalebrook Supplies Limited p49 Deli Continental Ltd p48 Edinburgh Preserves p2 Farrington Oil Ltd p36 Fosters Traditional Foods Ltd p7/p32 Galloway Lodge Preserves p32 H B Ingredients Limited p50 Hall and Small p43 Hot Headz! Ltd p38 Infinity Foods Ltd. p16 Innavisions Limited p51 Interprofession du Gruyère p26 James White Drinks Ltd. p43 Jardine Lloyd Thompson p50 Karimix UK Ltd p49 Keylink Ltd p50 Kingscroft Logistics Ltd p15 Kitchen Garden Foods Ltd. p34 Lebanese Fine Foods p20 Liberty Process Limited p47 Loopy Lisa’s p7 Luscombe Organic Drinks Ltd. p40 Lyburn Farmhouse Cheesemakers p24 Mantinga UK Ltd. p12 Marshfield Farm Ice Cream Ltd p49 Medallion Chilled Foods p52 Moor Organics p40 Mr Vikki’s p34 Mrs. Bridges p30 Olives Direct Ltd. P16 Olives Et Al p7 Parkers Packaging p51 Purbeck Ice Cream p49 Quickes Traditional Limited p36 Silver and Green of Lakeland Ltd p15 Spice-N-Tice Ltd p34 Suma Wholefoods Ltd p22 The Cornish Cheese Co Limited p24 The Cornish Patisserie Limited p49 The Dorset Smokery & Charcuterie p46 The Handmade Oatcake Company p49 The Hawkshead Relish Company Ltd. p20 The Inkreadible Label Company p50 The Original Candy Co Limited /Chocca Mocca Chocolates p36 The South Devon Chilli Farm p49 The Tracklement Company Ltd p11 The Truckle Cheese Co. p28 The Wooden Spoon Preserving Company p28 Troots Ltd p47 Tyrrells Potato Chips Ltd. p15 Verner Wheelock Associates Ltd p51 Your Piece Baking Company p49 Zumo Zest p50 Vol.11 Issue 3 · April 2010

51

Camford Way Sundon Park Luton Bedfordshire LU3 3AN 153

• Delicatessen wholesaler dedicated to the independent trade since 1977.

• BRC accreditation at the highest level.

• Free delivery to any business in England & Wales (Terms and conditions apply).

• Visit us on Stand S231, Food & Drink Expo, Birmingham NEC, 21st-24th March

www.westphalia.co.uk MEDALLION CHILLED FOODS Tel: 01582 590 999 30

March 2010 · Vol.11 Issue 2