Fine Food Digest December 13

DELI OF THE MONTH 52 ‘You’ve got to have a mix,’ says Iain Hemming. ‘A standalone deli won’t give anyone a good living’

BECKY VALE 4

THE CRESS CO 29

‘We need access to expertise on the ground in export markets’

‘We seem to be upsetting everybody!’ says Scotland’s Joe Wall, as he strikes deeper into England November-December 2013 · Vol 14 Issue 10

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YOUR FREE GUIDE TO FOOD & DRINK FROM THE HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS Plus: Full preview of Scotland’s Speciality Food Show Edit

We track down the tastiest new launches in cakes & puddings CHEF’S SELECTION 46 Duncan Barham of The Grove, Narberth, lists Perl Las cheese, Kuzu root starch and Coedcanlas honey among his kitchen essentials

2013

CASTING 27 AROUND Find everything from seaweed to squid ink in our seafood round-up

NEWS CHEESEWIRE CHARCUTERIE CAKES & PUDDINGS EPOS SHELF TALK PREVIEW: THE SOURCE DELI OF THE MONTH

4 15 19 23 43 45 51 52

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November-December 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 10

What’s new this month:

Opinion

permitting cheese-makers from specified non-EU countries to enter on the understanding we appoint consolidators in each country to pack and air-freight the cheeses BOB FARRAND directly into the Awards in single consignments.

Every cheese is tagged, every judge warned they’ll taste Last month, I was mainly angry. Not cheeses from outside the EU, and regular grumpy-old-man angry, but immediately after the Awards they’re full-blown brain-throbbing, templeall incinerated – the cheeses, not vein-bursting angry. the judges. We supply documented It started with a piece in The proof to Defra.

Times headlined ‘Supermarkets At no time has any cheese serve up the tastiest Christmas’. It posed the slightest risk to farming, reported that Good Housekeeping the countryside or the public, but it magazine had tasted various festive enables producers from all corners foods sold in supermarkets, Fortnum of the globe to compete at the & Mason and Harrods – not a single cheese equivalent of the Olympics. delicatessen, butcher or farm shop in The benefit to their businesses is sight. This apparently qualified them immense and the entry fees generate to advise us where to buy the best valuable overseas revenue. food this Christmas.

It stopped this year. Brussels Apart from smoked salmon and banned cheeses from several nonChampagne, we’re better off buying EU ‘third world’ countries like everything from supermarkets.

South Africa, Japan and Brazil. We Morrisons’ free-range frozen turkey explained how closely we guard came top, although they didn’t every cheese bother tasting turkeys from Brussels left us to stage and incinerate them afterwards high street the equivalent of the but faceless butchers or farm bureaucrats shops. And why London Olympics while banning Usain Bolt mumbled frozen? something about When were foot & mouth residues, leaving us to the tastings conducted? Last summer stage the equivalent of the London most likely, when fresh Kelly Bronze Olympics while banning Usain Bolt. or Copas turkeys are as rare as What really made my blood hens’ teeth. Were the panettones explode was recalling that at the they tasted freshly baked? The best Mondiale du Fromage in France last artisan producers don’t start baking summer I had tasted several glorious until September. Bugger-all support Japanese cheeses, the same ones for artisan food producers or high Brussels banned from entering the street retailers, so we’ve cancelled World Cheese Awards. Remind me, our subscription. is France still a member of the EU? Then it was Brussels, Defra and the Food Standards Agency collectively bursting my eyeballs. For Bob Farrand is publisher of Fine Food two decades, Defra issued the World Digest and chairman of the Guild of Cheese Awards with special licenses Fine Food

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EDITORIAL

GENERAL ENQUIRIES

editorial@finefoodworld.co.uk

Tel: 01747 825200 Fax: 01747 824065 info@finefoodworld.co.uk www.finefoodworld.co.uk

Editor: Mick Whitworth Assistant editor: Michael Lane News editor: Patrick McGuigan Art director: Mark Windsor Editorial production: Richard Charnley Contributors: Clare Hargreaves, Lynda Searby

ADVERTISING advertise@finefoodworld.co.uk Sales manager: Sally Coley Advertisement sales: Becky Stacey, Ruth Debnam Published by Great Taste Publications Ltd and the Guild of Fine Food Ltd Chairman/publisher: Bob Farrand Managing director/associate publisher: John Farrand Director/membership secretary: Linda Farrand Marketing & circulation manager: Tortie Farrand Administrators: Charlie Westcar, Julie Coates, Karen Price Accounts: Stephen Guppy, Denise Ballance, Vicky Missen

Guild of Fine Food, Guild House, 23b Kingsmead Business Park, Shaftesbury Road, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 5FB United Kingdom Fine Food Digest is published 11 times a year and is available on subscription for £45pa inclusive of post and packing.

Printed by: Blackmore, Dorset, UK © Great Taste Publications Ltd and The Guild of Fine Food Ltd 2013. 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, photographs or illustrations.

For regular news updates from the industry's favourite magazine visit:

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Editor’s choice

Selected by Mick Whitworth

Hodmedod’s British-grown dried peas and beans www.hodmedods.co.uk

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If you spend as much time in the veg seed section of garden centres as I do (showing my age again) you’ll know why these dried British-grown beans and pulses from Norfolk-based Hodmedod’s wowed me when they arrived at Guild HQ. I wasn’t immediately sure whether to eat them or plant them, which I reckon is part of the fun. They’ve been around for a few months now, but the organic fava beans are new. Sound exotic, don’t they? In fact they’re just dried broad beans, and tasted exactly like that when we stuck them in a stew. Should be a winner.

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www.ffdonline.co.uk Vol.14 Issue 10 · November-December 2013

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fine food news Small firms tell FFD that a new export strategy could overlook smaller producers

Concerns remain as Defra launches latest export plan

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Artisan food producers have cautiously welcomed the government’s new food and drink export strategy, but are sceptical whether the scheme will genuinely benefit small businesses.

The new Food and Drink International Action Plan, which will be delivered by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), aims to help 1,000 British food and drink firms with exports over the next two years, boosting the economy by £500m.

The initiative is part of a wider push by government to increase UK exports, which has seen UKTI awarded an additional £140m over the next two years. A further £13m, which will go directly towards helping SMEs across all sectors to export, was announced in September.

FFD readers welcomed the news, but said that government support must be tailored to meet the specific requirements of small producers – something that has not always happened in the past.

“The scale of government is not always right for smaller businesses,” said Lawrence Mallinson, MD of James White Drinks. “Government often looks for big deals and tends to end up going to the major players in markets, but they barely notice small producers like us. We need to find young, hungry businesses in those countries that are looking to do something different so we can build together.”

At cheese company Quickes, sales and marketing manager Tom Chatfield said smaller companies often find it hard to get relevant market information.

“There is lots of data out there on the commodity end of the market, showing sales of block cheddar are going up, but that has very little relevance to our product, which is much more specialist. We Simon Waring, MD of consultancy Greenseed Group, said UKTI lacked food and drink expertise in some markets

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What do small food producers really need to boost exports?

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UK Food and Drink – International Action Plan

The Food and Drink International Action Plan was launched

by Environment Secretary Owen Paterson in October during the Anuga trade show in Germany

An Export Action Plan for the UK food and drink sector

expectations or levels of promotional investment.”

He also questioned the wisdom of focusing on emerging markets.

“Food and drink exports to Belgium are worth more than Russia, Brazil, China and Mexico combined. SMEs need to focus on what's good for them rather than following some clarion call from government ministers to go to far flung places.”

A spokesperson for UKTI said: “UKTI has an extensive network of international trade specialists, who are available to provide expert trade advice and practical support to help companies succeed internationally.”

The Food & Drink International Action Plan in a nutshell l Creation of one team across government and industry to take action on exports and to steer priorities. l A single UK brand identity to help increase the visibility of UK food and drink at the world’s major food events and exhibitions. l UKTI's wider GREAT marketing campaign will include a programme of activity showcasing British food and drink in Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, South Korea, Hong Kong and Macao, China, USA and Europe. l More support and advice on exporting – with simple access points for UK firms. l Specific support for the dairy industry; beer, cider, wine and spirits; meat and seafood industries and UK food brands.

November-December 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 10

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Barbara Moinet, Kitchen Garden Foods

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www.ukti.gov.uk www.gov.uk/defra

require a different kind of package.

The government has to realise that small businesses are less commercial, so it's going to require more work.”

Food and drink export consultant Simon Waring, MD of Greenseed Group, said a lack of food and drink expertise within UKTI in specific countries could hamper the government's plan.

“UKTI can open doors, but they struggle with the commercial nuts and bolts,” he said. “It's rare to find someone [at UKTI] who has, say, 20 years experience in a particular food and drink market and can give specific advice on margin

We think there is a big opportunity to export products like our Wolfy's Porridge and chutneys because they are very British products, but ever since the demise of Food From Britain there has been a real gap in the market. We really want to be part of delegations to exhibitions like Anuga at an affordable rate and we need more help with paperwork and bureaucracy, which vary from country to country.

We need more support when it comes to finding out about different markets. Each country is different and if you want to build serious relationships with distributors you really need to know what they want. We need access to expertise on the ground in these countries.

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Becky Vale, Tracklements

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Labelling is a big challenge. Each country has its own rules and languages and it takes time and effort to make sure you comply. If UKTI could provide a labelling expert it would save an awful lot of time and money.

Lawrence Mallinson, James White Drinks

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We signed up for UKTI’s Passport to Export scheme last year and it has been beneficial. You get match funding for visits abroad and they have been good at matching us to the right markets and distributors.

The drawbacks are that you have to pay for things in advance and then claim the money back, which can take several weeks, and there are certain conditions that must be met that require further investment, like internationalising your website.

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Rupert Parsons, Womersley Fruit & Herb Vinegars

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Bavarian blue does the double to give Germany its first WCA World Champion

IN BRIEF l The British Cheese Awards (BCAs) will be absorbed into the Royal Bath & West Show from 2014.

The Somerset show already hosts one of the UK's largest cheese competitions. BCA founder Juliet Harbutt said the combined event would be “a powerful marketing tool for British cheese-makers".

Harbutt will now concentrate on cheese training and education.

l Keelham Farm Shop in Yorkshire Elite Imports’ Mick Acuta (centre) collected the World Champion trophy from Bob Farrand (left) and John Farrand of the Guild of Fine Food

Not only did Germany secure its first World Champion title at this year’s World Cheese Awards (WCAs), held on November 27 at Birmingham’s NEC, but the creamy blue Montagnolo Affiné – made by Kaserei Champignon in Bavaria, and brought to the UK by Elite Imports Ltd – was also named reserve champion.

Unknown to the judges, Montagnolo Affiné had been entered by the importer into both the blue cheese section and a new category for cheeses that have already won major international competitions. In 2012 Montagnolo Affiné was named Supreme Champion at the Nantwich International Cheese Show.

In the final judging, the two samples of Montagnolo Affiné came within a point of each other to take first and second place.

Third place went to a Le Gruyère AOP Premier Cru from Cremo Von Muhlenen, which was just one point behind Montagnolo Affiné.

In the Le Gruyére AOP Cheesemonger of the Year and Cheese Counter of the Year competitions, held alongside the WCAs at the BBC Good Food Show,

North Yorkshire retailer The Courtyard Dairy also achieved a pair of victories.

Owner Andy Swinscoe had already collected the Cheese Counter trophy for his shop in Settle from Le Gruyére AOP’s UK sales promotion manager Helen Daysh before wowing judges with his cheesemongering skills in front of a consumer audience.

More than 250 cheese experts gathered at the NEC to whittle 2,777 entries down to just 58 SuperGold winners as well as awarding bronze, silver and gold medals to nearly 700 well-crafted cheeses.

The SuperGolds were then re-tasted by a panel of 16 expert judges representing 13 nations before they voted to select the Supreme Champion.

Controversy surrounded this year’s awards after the Guild of Fine Food was refused permission to bring in cheeses from countries including South Africa, Brazil, and Japan due to changes to EU health rules.

Despite this, 2013’s competition attracted a near-record level of entries, with 79% coming from overseas.

For a full list of winners visit: www.worldcheeseawards.com

l Defra has rejected an application to amend the Protected Designation of Origin for Stilton to allow the cheese to be made in the Cambridgeshire village of the same name. The application was made by the Original Cheese Co, but rejected because Defra said the company was not actually making cheese. Stilton can only be made in the counties of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire.

2013’s top cheesemonger Andy Swinscoe (left) with Helen Daysh of Le Gruyère AOP and John Farrand

l Cheese equipment supplier Jongia (UK) has launched its scholarship for the second year, pledging £500 of training support for a promising cheese-maker. The company has also scheduled a dairy conference with talks from leading cheese experts for March 11 2014.

For more details visit : www.jongiauk.com

l Newspaper reports in Northern

This year’s competition involved more than 250 judges

Ocado to sell Irish specialities

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Fine food retailers in the UK selling Irish products are facing a powerful new competitor after Ocado launched a ‘shop’ selling artisan food and drink from the country.

The new section on its website, which features 42 lines including specialist products such as Cashel Blue cheese, Carr & Sons smoked salmon and herb oils from the Organic Herb Company, was set up with the help of Irish food promotion body Bord Bia. Shipments of product are consolidated in Ireland by Oakland International and delivered to Ocado’s two main distribution hubs in Hertfordshire and Warwickshire, from which they are delivered directly to shoppers’ homes.

was named Best Independent Retailer at this year’s Observer Food Monthly Awards, while the best producer title went to Burt’s Blue Cheese in Cheshire.

Ireland suggest Waitrose will open its first store in the country in the next two years. It is understood the retailer is considering sites in Holywood, Belfast, Ballymena, Coleraine and Lisburn.

l Orkney Scottish Island Cheddar is the latest UK food to gain protected status under the EU Protected Food Names scheme. It has been granted Protected Geographical Indication.

l Raoul’s Notting Hill has opened a new basement deli, selling cheese, charcuterie, olives and homemade products. The company, founded

by Geraldine Levantis in 1985, has three restaurants with delis. The first was in Maida Vale and a branch in Hammersmith was added in 2011

l Cumbrian butcher and farm shop Gillian Swaine, trade marketing specialist at Bord Bia, said the new shop would appeal to the 400,000 Irish ex-pats living in England and Wales, as well as introducing Irish brands to British consumers.

“Ocado likes to have a point of difference and to focus on niche

artisan suppliers, so I'm hopeful they will be talking to more suppliers in the New Year,” she told FFD. “There is always going to be competition from the bigger guys, but it won't affect farm shops and delis. There will always be customers loyal to the independents.”

chain Cranstons has opened its sixth outlet, a food hall at Orton Grange on the A595 near Carlisle.

For regular news updates from FFD visit:

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Vol.14 Issue 10 · November-December 2013

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fine food news HEFF finds new home after council cuts it loose

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Heart of England Fine Foods (HEFF) has been forced to move to new premises after the council terminated its lease at the Shropshire Food Enterprise Centre (SFEC) because of “excessive” management costs.

The regional food group has moved its head office, retail store and TASTE Kitchen to Shrewsbury College following a review by Shropshire Council of its management of the SFEC, which concluded the council was paying “an excessive amount of money”.

In 2010, HEFF was awarded a six-year contract to manage the premises, which include 12 purposebuilt production incubator units, plus offices, a distribution centre and food store and demonstration kitchen. The site was also the group's HQ. However, the review said there were more cost effective ways of running the site and terminated the lease and the contract three years early.

Councillor Steve Charmley said earlier this year: “The current contract is a very costly way of running the SFEC and we have a situation that we are paying an excessive amount of money for a management contract that only covers part of the role of running the centre. In effect the council is subsidising HEFF.” Following the decision, HEFF chief executive Karen Davies MBE said: “Between April 2010 and June 2013, our results have not only been impressive but in this current

Karen Davies said HEFF’s move to Shrewsbury College will benefit members

economic climate, outstanding.

Around £9.4 million has been contributed to the Shropshire economy thanks to work we've done here, helping businesses develop and grow. Our target was to support the creation of 27 new businesses within the six years of our contract – three years in and 42 new businesses have been created.”

She said the move to Shrewsbury College would benefit HEFF members because the site is in a town-centre location with free parking, meaning increased footfall for the shop. There was also scope to collaborate with the college

If I'd known then what I know now...

Michael Boyle Welbeck Farm Shop, Nottinghamshire We opened in 2006 and it was a bit of a race between us and Stichelton Dairy to be the first food business to open on the Estate. We won by about a week. On our first day we’d arranged a mini-opening event, so there were lots of customers waiting outside. We opened the doors and then 10 minutes later the power went completely. The fridges, the tills, everything was out – so everyone had to leave!

We had loads of mini power shortages in the first year because the building is at the end of the power line. We eventually got in touch with our supplier and had a new capacitor fitted which sorted the problem.

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on training and work experience schemes for students, who already run the college restaurant.

“We are disappointed for the tenants at the food enterprise centre who have been incredibly supportive of HEFF and so wanted us to be able to continue managing the site,” she said. “Unfortunately, despite our very best efforts, which included offering the council a number of options which would have seen us stay on at the centre, we were not able to find a solution that suited both parties. We will continue to support tenants through their membership of HEFF.” but the numbers side of the business is equally important now.

We’re not here just for fun. The devil is in the detail and very small percentages on margins can make you survive or not. The challenge for us now is maintaining that enthusiasm and family run feel, but also behind the scenes having proper key performance indicators in place and having a plan for where we want to be in the future.

The biggest help in that regard was getting a proper EPOS system

Joe Parente (whose family own the Estate) and I set up the shop together. We were both very young and passionate about food, but looking back we didn’t have the same kind of focus on the accounts side of things. We spent a lot of time trying The devil is in the detail and very to find the very small percentages on margins can best suppliers for make you survive or not the shop, people with accurate reporting. In the early like our butcher, Mark Brown, who is days, we would say ‘Great, we’ve still with us now. That was great, but sold a pork pie’. Now we know how we should also have been looking just much money we’re making on that as hard for a good accountant. pie, how many we’ve sold and what The shop has changed since time of day we’re selling them. We then. We still have the same focus, have proper monthly management drive and passion about the food,

November-December 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 10

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FSB rep: ‘Farm shops must source locally’ Government needs to do more to prevent retailers from describing themselves as 'farm shops' when the majority of their products are not locally sourced.

That's the view of Peter Ashton, a representative of the Federation of Small Businesses in the South West, who aims to raise the matter at an upcoming national policy meeting.

“The public are being cheated by predatory companies that say they are farm shops or local food shops, but most of their products are not locally sourced,” he told FFD. “There is currently no legal definition of what 'local' actually means and what percentage of a shop's products should be locally sourced. Planning permission should specify that a certain percentage of a retailer's products should be grown on the farm or sourced from within a certain distance, if they are going to use these terms.”

Ashton said the issue was causing increasing concern in the South West among 'real' farm shops that stock a high percentage of locally sourced products.

reports with margins, stock control, budgets and cost prices. It’s definitely boosted the bottom line.

We’ve also carried out customer surveys and now have accurate figures on where people are coming from. People used to ask me, ‘Who are your audience?’ I would say: ‘They are about 50 and live within 15 minutes’ drive’, but had no real data to back that up.

We did customer interviews and found, yes, we have a lot of older, local people who use the shop, but we also have younger professionals, young mums and all types of people.

I tried to do too many things in the early days and all I was really doing was fire fighting. I was a bit too controlling and we were reacting rather than being proactive. As we’ve grown I’ve realised it’s better to rely on other people in the team and spread the responsibility.

Interview by PATRICK McGUIGAN

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AOP, the sign of special products...

A traditional cheese

Appellation d'origine protégée

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 AOP 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 AOP 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 AOP.

From this time on, the name ‘Gruyère AOP’ and the code of the production facility appears on the heel of each wheel of Gruyère AOP 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 AOP 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.

www.switzerland-cheese.com

Vol.14 Issue 10 · November-December 2013

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NEW

It’s not too late to stock up for Christmas with Bespoke Foods For more information, get in touch: Phone: 020 7091 3200 Fax: 020 7091 3300 8

November-December 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 10

Email: sales@bespoke-foods.co.uk

Web: www.bespoke-foods.co.uk

fine food news Hadleigh battles Tesco opening after losing its farm shop

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

A long-standing farm shop in Hadleigh, Suffolk, has been forced to close because a new Morrisons supermarket has sucked footfall from the high street, say local business leaders, who are also fighting a proposed Tesco store.

Partridges Farm Shop on Hadleigh high street closed down after 14 years of trading in October after seeing sales slump when an out-of-town Morrisons opened in January.

“High street trade fell 50% when Morrisons opened and for people who were already suffering that’s more than enough to send them over the edge,” said Tony Addison, president of Hadleigh Chamber of Commerce.

Tesco has been trying to open a store in Hadleigh for 25 years, but has faced massive resistance from locals. The Chamber, along with local residents’ groups, successfully fought off a planning application from the retailer for a 2,500 sq m store in September – the fourth time the supermarket’s attempts to open a shop have been resisted.

“We've done the maths and it just doesn't add up,” said Addison.

“A Tesco store of that size would expect to make around £23m a year, while the Morrisons store needs to take around £40m. But, according to our calculations, the amount of money spent on groceries in the entire catchment area only adds up to around £26m a year.” He added that the Chamber expected and was

Residents claim the arrival of Morrisons has already caused the closure of Partridges and are now protesting against a proposed Tesco store

preparing for another application from the retailer.

A Morrisons spokeswoman

denied that the supermarket was solely to blame for the downturn in trade in Hadleigh.

Estate to run Tastes of Anglia distribution arm Rococo’s top said Elveden Food Hub manager Tastes of Anglia’s membershipchocolatier to Natasha Card. funded food group is unaffected by The Elveden Estate has acquired the “For retailers in the region, this the move and will continue to trade local food distribution arm of Tastes lead trophy bid opens up a wealth of opportunities separately.

Of Anglia, which it will merge with

By MICHAEL LANE

its own Food Hub operation.

Elveden, which also runs retail and farming operations on the Norfolk-Suffolk border, said it would now offer a “more comprehensive service” to both supermarkets and independent retailers across the region.

“Joining these two businesses will enable us to deliver a much more efficient and cost effective sales and distribution solution across East Anglia, while allowing the Tastes of Anglia food group to focus on promoting the region’s excellent food offering throughout the UK,“

to understand the full range of local food on offer and simplifies supply, while for local food producers they will have access to an improved distribution network and a wider range of retailers from just one hub.” www.elveden.com

Barry Johnson, principal chocolatier at Rococo, has been named captain of the UK Pastry Team, which will compete at the European Pastry Cup in Geneva in January.

The team will be aiming to qualify for the final of the Coupe du Monde De la Patisserie in Lyon in 2015, but will first need to finish in the top three in Geneva.

Johnson, who was crowned UK Pastry Open Champion in October, has worked for Harrods and Raymond Blanc, but honed his skills as a chocolatier at The Dorchester Collections, Coworth Park, a 5-star hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant.

He has been Rococo’s principal chocolatier since the start of 2012 and this year the retailer and producer won numerous gold and silver awards from the Academy of Chocolate and the International Chocolate Awards. www.rococochocolates.com www.ukclubcoupedumonde.co.uk

ALL ABOARD: Fortnum & Mason unveiled its new store and tea salon in London’s St Pancras station last month – its first new shop in more than 300 years. The 200 sq m store sells an edited range of Fortnums products, themed around tea, biscuits and jam. The shop’s 18 single estate teas and 10 classic blends will be supported by regular tea tastings, while other products include wine and a small chilled selection with Stilton and smoked salmon. Hampers are also a key focus. The tea salon’s all-day menu includes breakfast, lunch, ‘supper’ and afternoon tea.

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Vol.14 Issue 10 · November-December 2013

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Introducing the new ...

Into the future with the latest computer technology in a compact design with an “all-purpose” printer.

The XC line represents access to high-performance PC-based scales with touchscreen operation.

Comfortable, intuitive and easy to work with.

The Bizerba XC line of scales combines all essential retail activities: weighing, transaction handling, printing and providing advise as well as displaying promotional messages and cross-selling opportunities. The open PC platform offers sufficient capacity to cope with new features or customerspecific requirements in the future.

The “all-purpose” printer is unique to the market and can perform every conceivable printing task that can be required of a weighing device.

X-CLASS Functionality: Open PC-based scale with high-speed Intel Dual Core processor for optimum performance and smooth graphics Use of a quick, reliable and energy-saving mass storage device (SSD) Based on the latest operating systems: Windows 7 or Linux Easy-load “all-in-one” printer (for tickets, labels and linerless operation with paper roll widths of up to 80mm for easy roll replacement) Easy-clean housing surface for ease of cleaning and problem-free removal of stray labels Frameless displays for maximum cleaning efficiency Tilt compensation *(accurate weighing results even when the scale is not levelled)

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November-December 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 10

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fine food news new openings

Opening or expanding a shop? Email details to editorial@finefoodworld.co.uk

Specialist to restore North London’s dairy heritage

At a glance l Around 85% of the cheeses on the counter are British with a focus on territorials, such as Appleby’s Cheshire and Kirkham’s Lancashire. Suppliers include Brindisa, Norbiton Fine Cheese and Cheese Cellar. Chutneys come from Hawkshead Relish and bread from Paul Rhodes Bakery.

l Matt Kelly is a former wine events manager and Wine & Spirit Education Trust recommended tutor, while co-founder Steve Cooper used to be an architect.

l The business started out as a supper club, before the pair opened a coffee shop and small deli in Islington, serving Monmouth coffee, handmade pastries, sandwiches and ‘stoup’ – a cross between stew and soup.

l The new dairy was set up with help from a local builder, lawyer and designer who are all regular customers at the first shop.

Dedicated to cheese, Pistachio & Pickle Dairy is the retailer’s second outlet in Islington

London borough, joining a nearby coffee shop and deli. Quirky design touches, such as antique cheese graters hanging in the window, are a feature of the new dairy, and the counter holds around 85 cheeses.

Chutneys, biscuits and fresh bread are also available, as well as takeaway cheese toasties, wedding cheese towers, hampers and dinner party dishes.

“Our customers love cheese, and we can now offer a wider

choice at the dairy,” said Kelly.

“Camden Passage is a great place to be, surrounded by antique and vintage shops, independent boutiques, and exciting food and drink venues. Islington has become a real foodie hub in the past three or four years and the dairy presents a nice complement to some of the other shops nearby, such as Paul A Young Fine Chocolates and Austrian restaurant Kipferl.”

A new London cheese shop aims to revive Islington’s long forgotten reputation for dairy retailing with an eclectic counter featuring British and Continental cheeses.

According to the owners of newly opened Pistachio & Pickle Dairy, Islington was home to around 170 dairy retailers in the late 19th century, selling milk, cream, butter and cheese from Laycock Farm, whose fields and cattle pens (called

lairs) were located between Upper St and Liverpool Rd. “Laycock Farm used to supply 80% of the capital’s milk and there also used to be a big dairy exhibition in Islington with cows and goats,” said Matt Kelly, who owns the business with Steve Cooper. “We want to bring some of that history back to the area.”

The new shop is located on the pedestrianised Camden Passage and is the pair’s second outlet in the

The Queen’s Head

Demijohn

The Granary at No 18

This outlet is a joint enterprise between Everards and the tenants Chris Lewis-Sharman and Julian Benton at the village’s Queen’s Head pub. It stocks products made in the pub’s kitchen, including jams, pickles, pies and ham. There are also local eggs, fruit and vegetables, bottled Everards beers and wines.

The new venture is part of Everards’ Project Artisan scheme, which sees the brewer providing production and retail space at its premises to local food businesses.

The Scottish ‘liquid deli’ has continued its expansion south of the border with a new site in Oxford.

The company, which was founded by Angus Ferguson in Edinburgh, also has sites in Glasgow and York. This fourth was opened

by Dr Alice Prochaska (pictured right with Ferguson), principal of landlord Somerville College.

The shop stocks around 50 liqueurs, spirits, whiskies, oils and vinegars, which are stored in large glass jars and dispensed into reusable bottles.

“Sales are growing at a steady 15% year-on-year and our online sales are rocketing,” said Ferguson.

“We have recently had a big demand in the Oxfordshire area for our products so it made sense to open our first Southern England shop here.”

This deli has moved to larger premises closer to the centre of Watlington.

The shop, renamed The Granary at No 18, is twice the size of the previous one and includes a café with extra space for supplier tastings. Other new features include olive oil dispensers, a large fridge for displaying cheeses and a coffee counter. Owners Francesca and Robin Holmes-Smith hope the local community will use the shop to meet for business and pleasure, and that chefs will host ‘pop up’ restaurant events.

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Saddington, Leicestershire

www.queensheadsaddington.co.uk

Oxford

www.pistachioandpickle.com/dairy

Watlington, Oxfordshire

www.facebook.com/TheGranaryDeli

www.demijohn.co.uk

Vol.14 Issue 10 · November-December 2013

11

fine food news BBC seeks next Westcombe as competition opens

By MICK WHITWORTH

San Daniele ham has seen yearon-year sales growth of more than 25% for the last three years

San Daniele boosted by PDO promo

By MICK WHITWORTH

Imports of San Daniele ham to Britain rose by more than 25% each year from 2010-12, according to the organisers of a three-year joint promotion for Italian PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) ham and cheese.

The Taste of Origin and Tradition campaign was funded jointly by the EU and the Italian government to back up promotions by Prosciutto de San Daniele and Grana Padano cheese consortiums.

Involving a “significant” marketing budget to fund advertising, in-store promotion and PR, the campaign was designed to raise awareness of the quality, authenticity and traceability of San Daniele and Grana Padano among UK retailers and consumers.

Producers of San Daniele – less well know in Britain than Italy’s Prosciutto di Parma – were the biggest beneficiaries, with sales rising 27% in 2010, 28% in 2011 and 29% in 2012. The product is now stocked in premium stores including Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Whole Foods Market, Fortnum & Mason and Partridges, as well as most major multiples and many delis.

Sales of Grana Padano to the UK rose 0.54% in 2012, with 107,000 wheels (over 4 million kg) arriving here during the year.

A campaign spokeswoman said the moderate increase in Grana Padano sales compared to San Daniele reflects a “more mature market” for the cheese in the UK, where it is already an established brand.

The UK ranks fifth in Grana Padano export markets globally.

Mario Cichetti, CEO of the Consortium of Prosciutto di San Daniele, said: “This growth in demand for PDO products acknowledges the importance that UK consumers place on traceability and authenticity of food products, especially in light of the challenges that the food industry has faced in regards to these issues over the past year.” www.prosciuttosandaniele.it www.granapadano.it

12

With entries to the BBC Food & Farming Awards due to open on January 5, celebrity chef and chair of judges Raymond Blanc has called for more artisan producers to enter the scheme.

Last year saw Tom Calver of Somerset’s Westcombe Dairy named joint winner in the Best Food Producer category alongside Suffolk’s Pump Street Bakery.

Blanc said the annual BBC awards – which also recognise retailers, caterers and food campaigners in a total of 11 categories – reached a radio and TV audience of millions and were “fantastic recognition for people doing outstanding work”.

“Each year I’m impressed by the growing number of producers, from cheese-makers to bakers, drinks to charcuterie, all working at such a high level,” he said, “and just as important are the farm shops, markets and delis who are reaching more and more customers.”

Blanc will be joined on this year's judging panel by a team that includes Valentine Warner, Richard Corrigan, Victoria Moore, Pete

Westcombe Dairy’s Tom Calver was named Best Food Producer in last year’s BBC Food & Farming Awards

Brown and Charles Campion.

The scheme is also being relaunched with a new venue and a change of timing. Presented in recent years at November’s BBC Good Food Show, the 2014 award ceremony will take place in Bristol on May 1 as part of a new 10-

day food festival in the city, with coverage following shortly after on BBC Radio 4 and on BBC1’s Countryfile.

Firms can put themselves forward or encourage customers to send in nominations. www.bbc.co.uk/foodawards

Womersley is back on track

By MICHAEL LANE

REVAMP REWARDED: A Yorkshire Dales destination store has been named top shop in a regional business awards scheme after investing £125,000 in complete revamp.

Country Harvest, located on the A65 at Ingleton, was crowned Retailer of the Year in the Westmorland Gazette Business & Tourism Awards. The business, which also has a gift shop, was opened 20 years ago but closed for a week during January for a complete re-fit of the hall and 65-seater coffee shop, which was carried out by Bournemouth-based contractor Creative Retail Solutions. Improvements include a chilled olive bar, new upright freezers and an extended fresh produce display area. www.country-harvest.co.uk www.creativeretailsolutions.co.uk

November-December 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 10

After three months out of production, fruit and herb vinegar specialist Womersley has penned a new co-packing deal and will resume full production in the New Year.

The new arrangement, which was brought on by the unexpected closure of the company’s North Yorkshire production partner, will see the business move out of its home county after nearly 30 years.

Full production will be underway from January at a BRC-accredited premises in the South West.

Owner Rupert Parsons, who took over the business from his parents in 2009, will now be responsible for the day-to-day running of the business, with his wife Jani, from his home in the Cotswolds.

Parsons told FFD it had been “very difficult” for both the business and its customer but said that the new producer would help to further improve the quality and consistency of Womersley’s vinegars.

The company had been based in Yorkshire since it was founded in 1979 by Martin and Aline Parsons at their then family home, Womersley Hall. www.womersleyfoods.co.uk

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November-December 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 10

cheesewire Unsung heroes Hidden gems from British producers

news & views from the cheese counter

SCA to develop nationwide health inspection guidelines

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Buttery Cheddar In a nutshell: Quickes is best known for its mature farmhouse cheddar, but the youngest cheese in its range is much less well known. Selected at 3-4 months, the cheddar is made with pasteurised milk from the company’s own herd, animal rennet and has a lard rind.

Flavour and texture: Creamy, dense texture with a smooth, gentle, nutty flavour and buttery finish.

History: The Quicke family has been farming in Newton St Cyres, Devon, for over 450 years. Around 40 years ago, Sir John Quicke built the dairy at Home Farm and daughter Mary, from the 14th generation of Quickes, oversees the business today. Cheese is made by hand, using traditional methods and recipes.

Cheese care: Once cut, the cheese has a three-month shelf life.

Like all cheddars, it should be kept cool and wrapped in waxed paper when sold.

Why should I stock it: A great cheese to contrast and compare with mature and extra mature cheddars on the counter. Buttery is also a good example of how a young cheddar can still possess depth of flavour.

Perfect partners: Works well in a salad with strong flavours, such as rocket or chicory. Also good melted in pies and pastries.

Where to buy: Available from distributors Cheese Cellar, Rowcliffe and Hawkridge FFD features a different ‘unsung hero’ from Specialist Cheesemakers’ Association members each month. To get involved, contact: patrick.mcguigan@finefoodworld.co.uk

Disagreements between members of the Specialist Cheesemakers’ Association and environmental health officers (EHOs) could become a thing of the past with the launch of a new scheme.

The trade association has set up a Primary Authority partnership with Cornwall Council, which will provide companies with regulatory advice that other local authorities will have to follow. The long-term aim is to turn Cornwall Council into a hub of specialist cheese-making knowledge, which can then be used to help inspectors from other local authorities better understand the sector.

Initially, the council and the SCA’s technical committee will draw up an advice and guidance document based on the association’s code of best practice.

“We’ve had cases of EHOs trying to enforce things that were wrong because they didn’t know enough about specialist cheese-making.

Issues to do with temperature, storage and labelling are fairly common,” said SCA secretary Clare Cheney. “Hopefully the new

All inspectors will have to follow the guidelines drawn up by the Specialist Cheesemakers’ Association

scheme will mean that in the future local authorities’ decisions will be underpinned by our Code of Best Practice, which has been extensively updated by the head of our technical committee Dr Paul Neaves.”

Cheese-maker and former chair of the SCA Jamie Montgomery told FFD that other associations could follow suit. “There’s nothing to stop

Devon’s new blue in demand

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

A new unpasteurised blue cheese from start-up Erme River Dairy in Devon is proving so popular that the producer is struggling to keep up with demand.

Gareth Derrick (pictured), who officially launched the Ivybridgebased company in October, told FFD that the new Black Hangershell cheese was selling well at local farmers’ markets, as well as with

butchers or charcuterie producers or anyone else from doing this, but those with a strong code of practice, that everyone is agreed on, will be in the best position.”

The SCA scheme covers both cheese-makers and cheesemongers and can only be accessed by members who agree to take part. www.specialistcheesemakers.co.uk

Fat-fighting Pecorino makes UK debut

trade customers.

“We’ve seen huge demand for the cheese, which is great, but it’s a challenge to keep up with it,” he said. “We’ve been working to build up stocks ahead of Christmas, but whatever we make, we sell.”

The semi-hard cheese, which has a dark craggy rind, is made with raw milk from a local herd of Ayrshire and Friesian cows and is matured for two to three months in 3.2kg rounds.

“We looked around at the cheeses being made locally and spotted a gap in the market for a blue cheese,” said Derrick, a former naval officer. “We obviously made the right decision because it’s proving so popular.”

Derrick took cheese-making courses at Reaseheath College and the School of Artisan Food, and worked for a short period at Fivemiletown Creamery in Northern Ireland, before setting up the business.

The Cheese Press in Torquay, Countryman’s Choice farm shop and the Treby Arms pub, run by MasterChef: The Profesionals 2012 winner Anton Piotrowsk, are all currently stocking the cheese.

Italian food specialist Villanova has launched a new Pecorino that has been shown to help reduce cholesterol.

Pecorino dell Colle ‘Salute + Bontà’, which is made by Sardinian firm Argiolas Formaggi, has high levels of Omega 3 and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), which tests have shown could lower cholesterol by up to 7%.

The nutrients are naturally present in the cheese because of the quality of grass that the sheep eat on the Italian island, where more than 50% of the farmland is pasture. Around 80% of the sheep’s diet is fresh grass.

Research from the Universities of Sassari and Cagliari found that CLA levels in Pecorino Romano cheese are typically three to five times higher than cows’ milk cheeses.

Pecorino dell Colle retails for £4.95 in 200g fixed weight wedges or £23/kg for whole cheeses.

www.ermeriverdairy.co.uk

www.villanovafood.com

Vol.14 Issue 10 · November-December 2013

15

Thank you!

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November-December 2013 路 Vol.14 Issue 10

cheesewire

Shooting from the hip Interview

PATRICK McGUIGAN meets the man running the UK arm of renowned French affineur Mons. And it turns out that Jon Thrupp isn’t short of an opinion or two.

T

en minutes after sitting down with Jon Thrupp in the Bermondsey railway arch that is home to the UK arm of Mons, we’re deep into conversation about the French Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system.

“It’s a bit of a farce that doesn’t always benefit small producers and hasn’t been democratic enough” is Thrupp's verdict, which is not what I was expecting to hear from a man who distributes perfectly matured French cheeses from small artisan producers.

AOC (which is currently being replaced by the European Appellation d’Origine Protégée scheme) is designed to protect traditional and regional foods from rapacious industrial manufacturers.

But Thrupp argues the scheme is manipulated by the big boys to their own advantage, while simultaneously stifling evolution and quality improvements among small producers.

As an example, he points to opinions on a range of cheese Maconnais – a Burgundian goats’ topics. In a short space of time, cheese that won AOC status in the conversation jumps from Swiss 2005. Thrupp says that many of cheese-buying habits (they buy kilos the small producers in the area at a time, so prices are lower) to traditionally made the cheese in why short members of staff create small button shapes but pressure rubbish cheese displays (they limit from a larger manufacturer meant how high you can pile the cheese) the AOC specified a cone-shaped to some juicy comments about cheese.

Roquefort producers (unfortunately “A big producer that didn’t like too libellous to print). turning the cheese in the mould We’re on more solid ground with won the argument. It meant the the background of Mons. Set up in small guys had 1964 by Hubert to invest in Mons, it is AOC is a bit of a farce new moulds today run by his or stop calling that doesn’t always sons Hervé and benefit small producers their cheese Laurent and has Maconnais,” he a series of retail says. “It’s too arbitrary, how things and wholesale operations across come about. It’s one industry guy France. The affinage business is who can attend all the meetings, based in Saint-Haon-le-Châtel in the while the rest are stuck on farms centre of the country, where it has a worrying about being excluded. labyrinthine system of temperature “In the end, who cares? The and humidity controlled rooms small producers call their cheese buried into the landscape, as well as something else and we sell lots of it a former railway tunnel dedicated to because it’s delicious,” he adds. hard cheeses.

Thrupp studied sculpture at “As they got bigger they Slade UCL, before working for would add another room and bury Neal’s Yard and then launching it,” explains Thrupp. “They were Mons’ British operation as a joint pretty spot-on in studying what venture at Borough Market in 2006. the farmers were doing with their There’s still a bit of the art student cheeses and replicating those damp about him today as he offers spaces that are like something from

❛

❜

Jon Thrupp (above) sells Mons cheeses from a stall at London’s Borough Market and from his Bermondsey HQ (left)

Silence of the Lambs.”

Mons matures around 200 different cheeses, but Thrupp carries a smaller range with bestsellers including Gruyère, Vacherin Mont d'Or, Beaufort and Coulommier.

One of his favourites is the rare Bleu de Termignon, which is only made during the summer months by Catherine Richard in a chalet high up in the Rhone Alps.

The cheeses are sold to consumers on a stall at Borough market and supplied to retailers, including Whole Foods and Selfridges, and restaurants such as Dock Kitchen and Toast in East Dulwich.

With several years’ retail experience under his belt, Thrupp’s views on what makes a good

cheese shop are just as forthright as those on the AOC system. “There are some businesses that don't make money on the cheese we sell them, but make everything on the olives and wine that go with them,” he says. “The cheese counter is actually haemorrhaging cash.

There’s rot in that philosophy and it’s frankly demoralising.”

Often, the problem is that retailers stock far too many lines that they cannot possibly sell in a good condition, he says. Thrupp has even devised an equation to calculate the optimum number of cheeses a retailer should stock, which involves taking the amount of money a shop takes in a week from cheese, knocking two zeroes off and multiplying by 0.7. So if you sell £10,000 worth of cheese a week, he reckons you shouldn't stock more than about 70 cheeses.

“There are always core lines on a counter, like Stilton, cheddar and something creamy and lovely, but then there are the weird cheeses that smell like donkey’s arse or baby puke.

“If you've got 30 each of those it’s carnage. There's stuff on there that died four weeks ago and should be put in the bin, but people still try to sell it.” www.mons-fromages.com

Among Mons’ extensive maturing facilities in France is Le Tunnel de la Collonge, a converted railway tunnel

Vol.14 Issue 10 · November-December 2013

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cut & dried

making more of british & continental charcuterie

Young chefs drive charcuterie onto more restaurant menus Jose Souto teaches chefs the art of making bacon

Growing interest in charcuterie among trainee chefs is already impacting on restaurant menus and will soon be reflected in shops, a leading catering lecturer has told FFD. Jose Souto , who heads the butchery section at London’s Westminster Kingsway College, said: “Over the last six years we’ve had 3,500 students going through our butchery classes, who have learned about air-drying, smoking and artisan ways of producing bacon and hams. That is becoming more and more evident in the menus they are putting out.

“Charcuterie is en vogue and it’s appearing on menus everywhere.”

It was only a matter of time before the charcuterie trend found its way into supermarkets, he added.

The School of Hospitality at Westminster Kingsway College (WKC) is one of the UK’s leading chef training establishments. Set up more than a century ago by academics and chefs including the French culinary legend Auguste Escoffier and Swiss hotelier Caesar

BPEX

By MICK WHITWORTH

Ritz, its alumni include Jamie Oliver, Sophie Wright and Ainsley Harriott.

It offers a range of butchery skills courses, and has facilities to produce ham and bacon, including three Bradley smokers.

Chef-turned-butcher Henry Herbert of Channel 4’s Fabulous Baker Boys series is a former student of Souto’s, while Ben Tish, chefdirector of London charcuterie bar and restaurant The Salt Yard Group, spent two days at the college, looking at curing and smoking techniques. The Salt Yard is opening a new restaurant, Ember Yard,

where chefs will be hot and cold smoking ingredients on-site.

The butchery area at WKC will undergo a refit over the next three years, and it is hoped air-drying facilities will form part of the new build.

A former House of Commons chef, Souto specialises in game and has trained chefs as part of Countryside Alliance and BASC (British Association for Shooting and Conservation) game campaigns.

Twice a year he runs one-day game seminars at WKC, open to professionals and hobbyists, taking

Promotional body highlights ‘golden opportunity’ for Welsh lamb producers

By MICK WHITWORTH

Welsh red meat marketing agency Meat Promotion Wales (MPW) says charcuterie presents a “golden opportunity” for sheep and cattle farmers to develop added value products for an increasingly sophisticated market.

The agency has already organised charcuterie courses for pig producers in Mid Wales, run by Marc Frederic Berry, author of Le Charcutier Anglais, giving an insight into production processes and the growing demand for this style of product.

UK market development executive Sue Franklin told FFD: “While we are focusing our efforts at this time to encourage pig farmers in Wales to move into charcuterie, we believe there is also a golden opportunity for lamb and beef

Pig farmers like Illtud Dunsford have been the first target for charcuterie training

producers. We have an enormous lamb industry in Wales, with nine million sheep grazing our hills and vales. Our long term aim is to show [farmers] that all red meat is suitable for charcuterie, with the benefits that can bring to their business.”

Marc Frederic Berry said charcuterie dated back thousands of

game birds and deer from ‘feather and fur’ to ready-to-cook portions.

The next game seminar is on January 17 2014 and costs £115 including a three-course game lunch.

WKC has also been working with industry bodies including Welsh Lamb and BPEX, the British Pig Executive, to develop one-day butchery masterclasses.

Tony Goodger, trade sector manager for BPEX Marketing, told FFD: “We’re seeing a rise in demand for good quality charcuterie on menus and many chefs are now producing these products themselves as opposed to simply buying them in.

“Obviously we welcome this development as well as supporting the supply chains from dedicated producers such as Trealy Farm Charcuterie and Woodall’s, to name but two.”

He added: “Colleges need to equip chefs to have the best possible knowledge and understanding of the products they use and the markets in which they will trade.”

Email for dates and prices: courseinfo@westking.ac.uk www.westking.ac.uk

Woodall family firmly in business

years in Wales. A Parma-style ham it reputed to have been produced there in Roman times and there are indigenous specialities including salted and dried red meats and the mutton-based Katt Pie from Pembrokeshire.

“There is certainly a renaissance on the way,” Berry said, “with cured mutton ham now being seen regularly on menus along with bresaola-style air-dried beef and more.”

In 2011, MPW (known as Hybu Cig Cymru in Wales) awarded a scholarship to West Wales pig farmer Illtud Dunsford to study charcuterie systems in the US. He has been passing on his learnings through demos and talks in Wales, and his full findings are available on the MPW website:

The Cumbrian family butchers who originated the Woodall’s cured meats brand, now owned by Cranswick (FFD, October 2013), have asked FFD to point out they are still very much in business and serving regional clients from their original Waberthwaite shop.

While the Richard Woodall Ltd name was sold to Cranswick in 2010, the late Richard Woodall’s wife June and niece Joyce Hadwin still run the family shop and make traditional Cumberland sausage, hams and bacon under a new name, RB Woodall (Waberthwaite).

Hadwin told FFD: “We retained the rights to continue producing our original recipes and supply retail and wholesale outlets on a regional basis.”

www.hccmpw.org.uk

www.rbwoodall.com

Vol.14 Issue 10 · November-December 2013

19

Training from the Guild of Fine Food What will you learn?

T he five golden rules for increasing deli sales R AI How to select the best cheese and charcuterie NING H ow to create the best counter display How to avoid bad quality cheese and charcuterie How to sell proactively rather than reactively ot The difference between artisan and g m, s w a o i n s u e ‘I’v mass-produced cheeses and meats enth nd I s s e l d boun nfidence a k to through comparative tastings T

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For more information:

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November-December 2013 路 Vol.14 Issue 10

product focus

cakes & puddings

Sweet supplies Hot, cold, steamed or creamy, LYNDA SEARBY tucks into the latest sweet treats Newcomer Glamour Puds resolves to bring a little glamour to the ‘drab’ world of free-from desserts by developing gluten-free and dairy-free puds with modern branding. The brainchild of freelance chef Peggy van Rooyen, the business is currently producing chiffon pies and microwaveable sponge puddings from a dedicated glutenfree facility outside Milton Keynes.

These are available to the trade from this month, chilled and frozen, via Goodness Foods and have an RRP of £1.99 for an individual portion.

Yorkshire’s Just Puds is pitching its new St Clements Pudding, a moist sponge made with butter, almonds, oranges and lemons, as an alternative to the usual sticky toffee. Fully microwaveable, it comes in a 180g convenience twin pack (RRP £2.49-2.99).

Besides independents, Just Puds supplies Tesco in Yorkshire and Sainsbury’s nationally.

www.glamourpuds.com

An established supplier of handmade desserts to the foodservice and hospitality sectors, Just Desserts has ventured into retail with a line of individual teatime tarts (RRP £1.99). The Shipley bakery and patissier hopes its 10cm butter pastry tarts, which include treacle tart, pear & almond franzipan, rhubarb franzipan, Bakewell tart and Yorkshire curd tart, will appeal as a take-home treat.

www.justpuds.co.uk

Pudology has brought the classic combo of chocolate and orange to food intolerance sufferers with the launch of a vegan, dairy- and gluten-free chocolate and orange ganache with Brazilian orange oil. The dessert is already on sale in Sainsbury’s in twin-packs, but the company has also developed a single-pack for the independent trade which is available via Goodness Foods and Suma Wholefoods (RRP £2.49). www.pudology.com

www.just-desserts.co.uk

The resurgence of the tiered cake stand has inspired two additions to Cottage Delight’s 2014 spring-summer bakery and confectionery collection. Both its raspberry and caramel creams are individual iced cakes, with an RRP of £4.50 for a six-pack. Also new are cherry & chocolate and triple chocolate family sponge cakes (RRP £4.95).

Somerset crumble specialist Yumble, which began trading locally in 2011, is now selling nationally via frozen food distributor Stratford Fine Foods.

“We felt that the great British crumble deserved a gentle makeover,” explains Brian Noctor, who set up the business with wife Isobel. “Our fruit crumbles keep all that’s best about the classic pudding but introduce some more interesting and contemporary flavours and ingredients.” The comically named crumbles include the Sultan of Zing apple & apricot, the Pink Lady apple, raspberry & white chocolate and the Stairway to ‘Eaven pear, apple & dark chocolate. They all come frozen in boxes of 12 x 300g (trade price £2.79, RRP £3.75) and 9 x 500g (trade price £3.93, RRP £5.25). www.yumblecrumble.co.uk

www.cottagedelight.co.uk

Christmas puds round-up Independent retailers will be able to respond to cries from shoppers to “bring us some figgy pudding” with Cartmel Village Shop’s new festive sticky figgy pudding. It is said to be “packed with moist figs, gooey deliciousness with hints of Christmas spice, citrus and chocolate” and comes in two sizes: 250g (RRP £3.05-£3.45) and 730g (RRP £7.60-£8.20).

Consumers following a low gluten regime can indulge this year following the launch of a Christmas pudding with “no gluten-containing ingredients” from Roots & Wings. The Gloucestershire brand says it has “subtly altered” its original pudding recipe by using

an organic gluten-free flour blend. The 100g pudding has an RRP of £3.15.

Following feedback from the Great Taste judges, Holtwhites Bakery in Enfield has tweaked the recipe for its dark and spicy wheat-free Christmas cake. “We’ve adjusted the spicing to improve the balance of flavours, and will be making the fruit and nut glaze topping more generous. The cake is also going to be presented in a gift tin this year,” says the bakery’s Kate Smith. www.holtwhitesbakery.co.uk www.rootsandwingsorganic.com www.stickytoffeepudding.co.uk

Vol.14 Issue 10 · November-December 2013

23

product focus

cakes & puddings Cottage industry macaroon and meringue producer The Fabulous Food Company is ready to grow its business with delis and farm shops after moving into commercial premises near Cambridge. Its macaroons come in 20 flavours and colours, including passion fruit with saffron and tamarillo with wasabi. www.thefabfoodco.co.uk

Having secured listings with London food halls Whole Foods Market, Partridges and Valentina, Italian company Divino Dessert is aiming to go national with its hand-crafted gelato-filled fruit via a distribution deal with Stratford Fine Foods. The entire range is fat-free, 51% fruit and just 140 calories per 100g, making them a healthier dessert option. Each multi-pack contains one of each fruit – Ciaculli tangerine, Roman kiwi, Vesuvian apricot and Montella chestnut – and has an RRP of £10.99-13.99. Divino is also introducing single packs before Christmas.

Andrew Moir is on a oneman mission to bring black bun and clootie dumpling – two Scottish sweets dating back to the 1900s – back into people’s homes. Black bun is a moist, sweet and spicy fruit cake with a layer of shortcrust pastry top and bottom, whilst clootie dumpling is a traditional steamed pudding made using a ‘cloot’ (cloth). So far, the Scottish specialties are just on sale in a handful of local retail outlets. Trade price for the black bun is £3.50 for 300g and £6.50 for 500g, while the clootie dumpling costs £3.50 for 300g and £9.50 for 950g. andrew-moir@sky.com

Going down the ramekin route is Ludlow Food Centre, whose dairy team has developed a cream and buttermilk panna cotta (below).

In the bottom of each glass ramekin is rose petal, honeysuckle or quince coulis that becomes a topping when the dessert is turned out. RRP £2.49.

www.divinodessert.com

www.ludlowfoodcentre.co.uk

October saw the launch of a site that allows deli-cafés to order traybakes and flapjacks direct from the bakery for next-day delivery. The service is a spin-off from Bar Cake, which has been making cakes for foodservice since 2004, and claims to be the first of its kind. www.cakesmiths.com

With concessions in Harrods, Selfridges and Topshop, a flagship store in Mayfair and cupcake cafés in Brent Cross and Bluewater shopping centres, Lola’s Cup Cake Company is a recognised high-street brand.

Now the company is offering a wholesale service that will make its cupcakes, cheesecakes and gateaux available to deli-cafés. www.lolas-kitchen.co.uk

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November/December 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 10

Tapping the trend for individual and mini-sized desserts is Pots & Co, with a four-strong range of one-portion desserts. Sticky toffee pudding, caramelised apple crumble, chocolate & orange pot and lemon & lime posset are presented in ceramic ramekins, which Pots & Co’s founder, chef Julian Dyer, says ensure “perfect results every time”. The desserts have a trade price of £1.35 and an RRP of £2.25. www.potsandco.com

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November-December 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 10

product update

seafood

Marine cuisine LYNDA SEARBY takes stock of the latest introductions to the speciality seafood scene Chapman’s Fishcakes has developed a range of frozen seafood tartlets. The Mediterranean salmon, smoked haddock florentine and salmon & white wine tartlets all come in twin packs (wholesale £2.95, RRP £4.20). www.chapmansfishcakes.co.uk

Retailers whose customers like the idea of caviar but not the price tag should check out Spherika Gourmet, the latest caviar substitute product from Spanish company Pescaviar.

Not yet on sale anywhere in the UK, Spherika Gourmet is made of cold smoked herring meat, which is transformed into little pearls that resemble fish eggs but are preservative-free and MSC certified.

The trade price is £1.70 (RRP £2.99) for a 50g glass jar. www.pescaviar.com

Dorset’s Chesil Smokery is now smoking north Atlantic prawns and selling them frozen in 250g bags (RRP £4.50). The prawns are cold smoked over shavings from British oak, apple wood and slowly smouldering peat, which results in a “sweet, smoky taste”. At the moment the smokery is only selling them via its own shop in Bridport, but says it would welcome enquiries from other retailers. www.chesilsmokery.com

New from The Smokehouse is a hot smoked Atlantic trout paté with horseradish and dill. The Aberdeenshire smokehouse smokes the sustainably sourced trout over a smouldering whisky cask for depth of flavour before blending it with horseradish and dill. RRP is £4.25 for a 150g tub and £8 for a 300g tub, and The Smokehouse is currently giving retailers a free-of-charge taster tub with every dozen ordered. The company has also extended its single distillery smoked salmon range with the addition of a salmon that is cured in Laphroaig spirit and smoked over the Laphroaig bourbon cask and Islay peat. All the products in the single distillery range are cured in single malts and smoked over the casks the whiskies were matured in. They retail at £32/kg. www.thesmokehouse.co.uk Sardinian and Italian food importer Vallebona has sourced two new tuna products from a small family business in Siracusa, Sicily. Stefano Vallebona says he is taking delivery of the first batch of tuna & orange paté (RRP £5.99 for 180g) and pesto di tonno (RRP £6.99 for 180g) in November. www.vallebona.co.uk

Dawnfresh has taken its RR Spink & Sons brand upmarket, repositioning it as a premium brand targeting farm shops, delis and high-end restaurants.

The first six lines to be unveiled are kiln roasted Loch Etive smoked trout (180g), kiln roasted smoked salmon (180g), cold smoked Loch Etive smoked trout (150g and 800g) and cold smoked Scottish salmon (150g and 800g). The RRP for the 150g and 180g packs is £8.99. www.dawnfresh.co.uk

Adopting the nickname for a traditional Welsh food, The Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company has come up with a new way of presenting the Laver seaweed harvested on the west coast of Wales. Its Welshman’s Caviar is a 100g jar (cases of 20, RRP £3.50) of handpicked, dried and toasted seaweed flakes, which can be used for seasoning a variety of dishes. The firm also makes laverbread pesto, butters blended with seaweed and has recently developed a ‘ship’s biscuit’ with seaweed. It also produces potted crab and lobster. www.beachfood.co.uk

According to Kate Shirley-Quirk, director of Spanish food importer Delicioso, squid ink is growing in popularity, as home chefs get more adventurous.

“Squid ink is used in Arroz Negro (black rice) and pasta dishes with squid and other seafood,” she explains.

Tapping into this trend, Delicioso is now offering squid ink sachets (wholesale price £1.25 or £59.35 for a case of 50) as well as a 90g jar of squid ink for the catering and restaurant trade (wholesale price £2.60 or £59.30 for a case of 24). www.delicioso.co.uk

Caviar for the masses?

The first British sturgeon caviar is now available from London Fine Foods but, with a retail price of around £100 for a 50g tub, it might not be be a muststock item for many retailers. However, Kenneth Benning, co-founder of The Exmoor Caviar Company, is confident that the London food halls won’t be able to resist its lure.

He confirms that his company, which has reared the sturgeon on an adapted trout farm in Devon, is currently in discussions with buyers.

“They are not going to say no,” he adds. “We’ve got a good product that is ethically produced in the UK.” In a market where per kilo retail prices currently range from £2,000 to £10,000, Exmoor Caviar is positioned as ‘entry level’.

“We are trying to take the ostentatiousness out of caviar,” says Benning.

Some might question whether a British newcomer will find acceptance in a market that values cachet over price, but Benning insists that from a taste perspective, Exmoor Caviar is on a par with the best of them.

“In blind tastings Exmoor caviar was unanimously voted the best caviar by 45 of the world’s leading chefs,” he says.

The taste is the result of several factors: most of the sturgeon are third or

fourth generation and have been reared in a semi-wild environment in huge 700 hectare lakes, allowing them to grow slowly. They are purged, cleansed and finished in natural Exmoor spring water, and the addition of fresh Cornish sea salt imparts the tastes of the sea.

Benning acknowledges that this will never be a high volume product, given that the world market for caviar is only 175 tonnes, but does think the UK market for caviar is poised to unfold.

Key to its development is getting chefs to be more experimental with caviar, he says.

“It’s always the most expensive product on the menu and chefs are afraid to do anything with it other than put in on a dish as a garnish,” he says. “You can macerate caviar, and once it is in oil format, you can cook with it.”

Exmoor Caviar has plans to introduce caviar oil which could, predicts Benning, put caviar on the map in the same way as truffle oil has truffles, as it would be cheaper and more versatile than fresh caviar. www.londonfinefoods.co.uk

Vol.14 Issue 10 · November-December 2013

27

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scotland

focus on

With Scotland’s Speciality Food Show taking place on January 19-21, it’s time for our annual focus on speciality food north of the border. We have an indepth interview with Joe Wall of The Cress Co, a full show preview on pages 35-36 and a round-up of recent Scottish product launches on page 33.

Crossing borders Former man-witha-van Joe Wall tells MICK WHITWORTH about making distribution pay across Scotland’s challenging geography, and his plans to drive The Cress Co deeper into England

J

oe Wall is just pouring himself a glass of Luscombe hot ginger beer when I arrive to interview him at Craigie’s Farm Deli & Café, a few miles west of Edinburgh and close to the Forth Bridge.

Craigie’s is one of the Dunfermline-based distributor’s most consistent customers, and Luscombe – located nearly 500 miles away in rural Devon – one of his top-selling brands.

This seems a little ironic since Wall’s business, The Cress Co, is perhaps the best-known specialist distributor of Scottish-made artisan food and drink. But it exemplifies how Wall has made a success of shifting relatively niche lines – English and Scottish – in a part of the world where even supermarket suppliers struggle with the cost of getting product from A to B. Raised in the Highlands, within an hour’s drive of Inverness, Wall started his business 10 years ago, working solo from a little industrial unit in Perth.

His original ambition, he says, was to go into business as a food producer himself. But talking to established operators such as salmon smoker Keith Dunbar at Summer Isles Foods, he soon realized that, good as they were, they all suffered from one huge headache: getting their goods to market.

So he set up instead as a small-scale man-with-a-van, mainly serving the Highlands and the north-east of Scotland. “I spent five

Joe Wall: ‘Rather than drive straight past hotels or cafés, we’ll service anyone, anywhere we go’

years, working on my own, living on a shoestring. Most of my suppliers were based in the area I was selling in, so I’d pick stuff up in Inverness or Aberdeen and work my way round, doing some deliveries, making some appointments.

“And then we started getting a lot of enquiries from the south…”

English brands like Luscombe face much the same challenges getting small case quantities to outlets scattered across Scotland as

having a Scottish voice to handle sales calls north of the border. “Alex Albone at [Lincolnshire-based] Pipers Crisps always says, ‘the bloody Scots will only buy from other Scots!’” jokes Wall.

But his real masterstroke has been to maximise the value from every vehicle movement – a trick that supermarkets and major hauliers are still trying to perfect.

If he stuck rigidly to ‘speciality’ brands, or only sold Scottish food, or only delivered to upmarket delis, or refused Distribution in Cumbria and to handle any mainstream Yorkshire is a joy compared brands, The Cress Co with here. The concentration would never have got off the ground. The cost of of retailing is much greater. delivering to a few niche outlets across hundreds of miles of producers in those outlying regions territory would by untenable. face reaching the rest of the UK. “The frustrating thing for me is They also recognize the value of

❛

❜

that it can be cheaper to get a pallet from Dunfermline to Cornwall than to Inverness.”

So The Cress Co, now headquartered in an 11,000 sq ft unit in Dunfermline, takes Scottish products south, English and Welsh products north, and aims to deliver to the widest possible client base in between. This is particularly crucial, Wall says, when working across the Highlands & Islands, where it is hard to make the sums add up.

“The west coast is still very tough,”he says, “But rather than saying ‘we only deliver to delis and farm shops’ and driving straight past the doors of hotels and cafés, we’ll service anyone, wherever we go.

We’re not delivering to all of them all of the time, but our customer base is very, very big.

“Maybe 10-15% of our

Vol.14 Issue 10 · November-December 2013

29

focus on scotland customers are delis or farm shops, but we also have petrol stations, we have hardware stores that just have a little food section in one corner, and we’ve got a contract to supply National Trust restaurants and cafés.”

The Cress Co today carries around 1,200 individual product lines. While the likes of Gordon & Durward tablet, Stag Bakeries water biscuits and Stornoway Black Pudding are among its key Scottish names, it also now handles many of the best-know premium brands from elsewhere in Britain and beyond, including Teapigs, Belvoir cordials, Stokes condiments, Geo Watkins mushroom ketchup, San Pellegrino soft drinks and RJ’s Liquorice.

In the case of Luscombe, The Cress Co picks the product up from Devon itself, as this proves more cost effective than getting palletloads delivered. It has also recently begun bringing the Eat17 bacon jam range, made by Patchwork, to Scotland.

Joe Wall is pragmatic in his choice of which brand owners to work with, just as he is pragmatic in deciding which outlets to supply. In some case he is filling gaps left by

The Cress Co’s HQ is in a 11,000 sq ft unit in Dunfermline

an absence of Scottish producers.

He handles Belvoir and Luscombe, for example, because there are no obvious equivalent north of the border; he carries four crisp brands, including Burts, only one of which (Mackies) is Scottish.

But he also lists some mainstream brands simply for the volume they provide. “We stock

Joe Wall’s essential Scottish brands

Adamson’s Pittenweem handmade oakcakes

Gordon & Durward tablet

Biscoffee biscuits (made under licence by Duncans of Deeside)

Galloway Lodge Poacher’s Pickle

Great Glen Game venison salami with green peppercorns

Hebridean Sea Salt

Maclean’s Highland Bakery oatcake canape shells

Jackie Lunn Selkirk Bannock

Stag Bakeries seaweed biscuits

Rannoch Smokery venison, duck and chicken

30

Trotter’s rocket & pumpkinseed pesto

November-December 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 10

Pombears, and people will say ‘Why the hell do you do that?’ But it’s because they work well for us.”

One growth area is chilled foods, which might surprise retailers who don’t expect to get chilled and ambients goods from the same distributor. Running multi-compartment vehicles again helps The Cress Co make the best use of each food mile. “Chilled is something that’s unique to us,” says Wall, who deals with producers including John Ross (smoked salmon), Salar Smokehouse, Rannoch and Great Glen Game.

“We’re also starting to do a lot of business with Tanny Gill, the artisan cheese affineur who used to work with La Fromagerie in London.

He provides the cheese expertise and looks after the suppliers and the customers, and we provide the wheels. That’s at an early stage, but it’s working well.”

While it has some competition in healthfood products from Green City Wholefoods in Glasgow, The Cress Co has no direct equivalent north of the border. “Hider and Cotswold Fayre have a presence up here, and then you are talking about [smaller] van sales people who will do a few things like Crimbles and Tyrrells, but not real specialities.”

While Cotswold Fayre operates a £1,000 full-pallet minimum order in the north of Scotland and £1,500 on the islands, The Cress Co generally works on around £100-£150 on its own turf. “So I suppose we pick up a lot of little café accounts that might only want £100-worth,” says Wall.

And now the Scottish distributor is starting to edge his way south.

In the past year Wall has opened a small depot just off the A1 in Wetherby, North Yorkshire, after first testing the North of England market using rented space in Cumbria, and is now helping Scottish producers reach retailers as far south as Nottingham and Stoke-on-Trent.

So is he starting to tread on

the toes of established English distributors like Hider Foods? “We seem to be upsetting everybody – Hider, Cotswold Fayre… They have always been in Scotland, but they tend only to work in that deli/farm shop market, and I’m not sure they can sustain that.”

If you want to sell to House of Bruar, the ‘Harrods of the North’ on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park, but your only other customers are all in Edinburgh or Glasgow, there are an awful lot of ‘sheep miles’ in between, Wall says.

In fact, he is doubtful anyone could set up in direct competition with The Cress Co unless they were prepared to adopt the same “serve anyone, anywhere” policy – and had deep pockets. “They could try, but they’d have to take a similar approach to us and do a lot more than just delis and farm shops – they’d basically have to do everything, or else tag along on the back of a bigger distributor like 3663. If you committed to putting in your own fleet of vehicles you could burn money like it was going out of fashion.”

In contrast to distributing to the west coast and Highlands, where heavy snow on the A9 can leave shops cut off from lowland supply routes, he reckons the north of England is a doddle. “Distribution in Cumbria and Yorkshire is a joy compared with here. The concentration of retailing is much greater down there.”

Emboldened by success on this new patch, Wall now aims to carry Scottish speciality products even further into England. ‘We’re looking at opening another Wetherby-style depot towards the end of next year, so we can serve London and Bristol,” he says.

“Critical mass is the big issue, because you have a lot of overheads. But we have opened 300-400 accounts in the north of England, so it’s a significant base.” www.thecressco.co.uk

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Splash out on Go Coco coconut water this spring G o coco Coconut water has grown in excess of 300% in the last year and is fast gaining its slice of the lucrative coconut water category in the UK. Since launching in the UK in March 2011, an early stage in the market, Go Coco now has distribution in 14 countries and growing.

Dr Ross Currie, M/D of Gococo explains; “Over the last 2 years we have seen the category become somewhat crowded with several new entrants trying to carve out their space. We have welcomed this however, as it can only help develop the market and we are confident that our brand values e.g. not from concentrate and quality of taste sets us apart from the competition.

These coupled with more convenient packaging provides Go Coco with a strong foundation to grow and develop further market share.

Coconut water as a category really is the next big thing in the UK and is fast growing throughout

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The market has really started to take off here in the UK with the category being the fastest growing segment within soft drinks and juices and we believe there is still

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water is a new product; however it has been consumed for centuries in most tropical regions of the world and has always been regarded as a healthy and great source of natural hydration and nutrition. Now we in the UK are also starting to appreciate and understand that coconut water is a healthier alternative to lab formulated sports drinks, sugary juices and smoothies. It’s low in natural sugars, about half of that of orange juice and is high in potassium and magnesium, both of which are commonly low in the western diet. Coconut water is also naturally isotonic and can be used to rehydrate following sports or training.

Now that the public is consuming coconut water as a healthy and natural lifestyle drink, we at Go Coco are helping to spread the word about its healthy and nutritious credentials being a better lifestyle drink of choice. It’s certainly an exciting time in the coconut business.” www.gococodrinks.com

Vol.14 Issue 10 · November-December 2013

31

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November-December 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 10

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focus on scotland

From shortbread to flatbread pizzas Whether it’s oatcakes or smoked salmon, 2013 has seen Scottish producers putting their own twist on traditional favourites Mrs Bridges has added a raspberry curd to its considerable repertoire.

Made in small batches using Scottish raspberries, the curd can be used as a spread or in baking. It comes in cases of 6 x 340g jars, which have an RRP of £2.55 each. www.mrsbridges.co.uk

Launched in November, The Whisky Sauce Co range features six products all with one key ingredient – Scotch Whisky.

Scotch Whisky sauce, Scotch Bonnet sauce, Scotch Whisky vinegar and Scotch Whisky dressing all come in 125ml bottles and can be deployed in a variety of dishes. For those with a sweeter tooth, the producer also makes Scotch Whisky butterscotch and Scotch Whisky syrup, which come in the 125ml as well as 250ml bottles. Gift packs – of four smaller and two large bottles – are also available. www.whiskysauce.co.uk

Based just outside Edinburgh, The Pea Green Boat has been selling its cheese sablés at the city’s food markets for several years but has now begun wholesaling them.

This year it has opened a commercial kitchen and seen the biscuits pick up two Great Taste stars. The producer also makes cheese sablés with cumin seeds and with fennel & chilli. All of these varieties come in cases of 24 x 80g tubs for £48. Current stockists include cheesemonger I J Mellis, Miller’s Farm Shop in Devon and Fortnum & Mason.

Based in Methlick, Aberdeenshire, The Smokehouse has expanded its range this year to include a number of traditional products with a twist.

Its Laphroaig and Glendronach single distillery salmons (both 190g, RRP £6.95) are cured in the single malts and then smoked over the whiskies’ casks.

Its smoked & kiln-roasted almonds are smoked over oak and peat before being seasoned with Hebridean Sea Salt and Scottish rapeseed oil (125g, £4.00). It also smokes hand-tied black puddings made using the Brewdog brewery’s Punk IPA (150g, £4.50). The company can supply products nationwide.

This year saw the introduction of a fifth product to Summer Harvest Oils’ dressing range.

The chilli & red pepper dressing (250ml, RRP £3.75), which has a sweet initial taste followed by warmth from the chillies, can also be used as a marinade or in sauces.

Summer Harvest Oils’ dressings are made using its own rapeseed oil and fruit vinegars from fellow producer Dalchonzie Farm by catering firm Wild Thyme. www.summerharvestoils.co.uk

www.thesmokehouse.co.uk

Maw Broon’s Kitchen oatcakes, made

by The Handmade Oatcake Co, were launched in three flavours during the summer. The traditional, cracked black pepper and malted varieties all come in cases of 24 x 150g (cost £28.16) and are available through wholesaler The Cress Co www. thehandmadeoatcakecompany.co.uk

Shortbread House of Edinburgh’s most recent product is a shortbread finger twin box. The 42g boxes, which features two Scotsmen “tossing the caber” on its packaging, come in cases of 36 units (£17.28). The box has already proved popular with Easyjet, which serves it on all of its flights. www.shortbreadhouse.com

The UK’s most northerly chilli farm, Fife’s Chillilicious unveiled several new hot creations this year. It re-launched its chilli & coriander oatcakes in a new shape and improved packaging for a longer shelf life. Each pack (trade £1.50, RRP £1.95) contains five oatcakes, which are also hotter than they were before.

The producer has also launched two Heaven & Hell chocolate bars (trade £3.05, RRP £3.99), which are half chilli chocolate and half white chocolate. www.chillilicious.co.uk La Petite Epicerie has been making its own steak pies since opening its shop in Anstruther in 2009 but, after tinkering for the last four years, it has now set the recipe in stone. Made with Scotch beef and available to the trade, the pies come in ½ lb and 1 lb sizes but can be made to other sizes. The current recipe claimed a star in this year’s Great Taste. www.la-petite-epicerie.co.uk

Glasgow entrepreneur Dave Gannon has combined two of Britain’s best-loved foods, curry and pizza, to launch his own range of chilled Indian flatbread pizzas.

Developed during Gannon’s time running an Indian restaurant in the French Alps, Curry Dave pizzas have a naan bread base and come with toppings including chicken Korma, chicken Madras, chicken Tikka Masala and spinach & sweet potato.

Your Piece Baking Company’s award-winning, handmade oatcakes and shortbread are now available in a new, robust, eye-catching box.

Managing director Dan Connolly says that the company had initially been against switching to boxes but there were too many breakages with the old packaging. The new recyclable boxes feature a large aperture so consumers can still see what’s inside. “Genuinely handmade biscuits are fragile and need protecting, at the same time it is important for the consumer to see the product so they can distinguish them from the machinemade, mass-produced version,” says Connolly. www.yourpiecebakingcompany.com

www.currydave.com

www.thepeagreenboat.net

Vol.14 Issue 10 · November-December 2013

33

Sc visi Co ot t st m la a e Fo nd’s nd and od Sp N4 Sh ec 4 a ow ial t ity

Building on 130 years of farming tradition

Su mm er Ha rve st Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil

Premium Oils, Dressings, Vinegars & Mayonnaise from the heart of Scotland.

www.summerharvestoils.co.uk T: 01764 683288 • info@summerharvestoils.co.uk Ferneyfold Farm, Madderty, Crieff, Perthshire, PH7 3PE

Follow Us Online:

www.facebook.com/SummerHarvestOils www.twitter.com/summer_harvest

Visit us at Scotland's Speciality Food Show Stand N31 34

November-December 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 10

focus on scotland

More to see and taste With the New Year barely two weeks old, retailers will get their first buying opportunity in Glasgow

N

ext year is a big one for Scotland. Not only will it be hosting the Commonwealth Games and golf’s Ryder Cup in 2014 but there is also a calendar of events planned to celebrate what is billed as The Year of Homecoming, not to mention the country’s referendum on independence. Keeping in the spirit of things, Scotland’s Speciality Food Show will be filling Glasgow’s SECC with more producers than ever before.

The show, which takes place on January 19-21, will boast 33% more exhibitors when it opens its doors alongside Scotland’s Trade Fair for gifts, homewares and textiles.

Given the combined coverage of the shows, the event attracts buyers from delis, farm shops, butchers and fine food outlets but also gift shops, department stores and tourist shops, many of whom sell both gifts and food.

About a third of all stands at Scotland’s Speciality Food Show are new exhibitors (see box below) some of whom are selling to the trade for the first time.

The Launch Gallery, a subsidised area for new young businesses, has been doubled for 2014 and will feature 20 producers including Golden Age Honey, Braw Food, Carlotta’s Chocolates, LovSushi and Sugar Wings.

The Seminar Theatre will also be returning with a programme of talks, including a seminar titled ‘Will Scottish independence be

better for business’ and talks from Earthy food store founder Pete Jackson and Scotland Food & Drink chief executive James Withers.

Another returning feature is the Best Product Awards, which made their debutlast year.

The categories are confectionery, biscuits & snacks; drinks; chilled & frozen; and condiments & preserves. This year’s judges include Pete Jackson from Earthy and Cate Devine of The Herald.

Information for visitors

Where and when? Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre, Finnieston, Glasgow; January 19-21 2014 How do I get there? Glasgow is served by Prestwick and Glasgow International Airports, with frequent connections by train from Prestwick to Glasgow Central Station, or 20 minutes by taxi from Glasgow International Airport. From Glasgow Central rail station, travel west on the low level to the SECC (5 mins journey). For drivers the SECC is well signposted from all directions. Leave the M8 at junction 19.

How do I register for tickets? Entry is FREE for any food retailers, caterers or producers but they must register online at: www.scotlandsspecialityfoodshow.com

Newcomers and new launches Ecobags The company is launching its range of fully bespoke and custom-sized Cool Liners, designed to fit inside any bag, box or basket. www.eco-bags.co.uk www.custommadecoolbags.co.uk

Lebkuchen Schmidt Exhibiting at SSFS for the first time, LebkuchenSchmidt from Germany produces gingerbread and pastries created by master craftsmen. Available in chests and tins. www.lebkuchen-schmidt.com

Carlotta’s Chocolates Brechin-based chocolatier Charlotte Benvie is unveiling her dark chocolate bonbons to the trade after picking up a star in Great Taste 2013. www.carlottaschocolates.com

Braw Food Determined to prove that guilt-free snacking is possible, newcomer Braw Food will be showing its

five flavours of snack bar, made with fruit and oats. www.brawfood.com

Godminster Artisan cheese-maker Godminster will be showcasing the three flavours of its new organic brie. The Somerset firm will also have its heartshaped vintage cheddar on display. www.godminster.com

LovSushi Sushi supply specialist LovSushi arrives in the show’s Launch Gallery with its latest creation, a prepacked, cured, marinated beef called LovBeef. www.lovsushi.com

Cairn O Mohr Fruit wine specialist Cairn O Mohr will be launching its latest concoction: a Scottish fruit cider called Cairno Punch. www.cairnomohr.com

Mo’s Cookie Dough Back again for its second year, the prepared dough specialist has new packaging and hopes to launch a new gluten-free product at SSFS 14. www.moscookiedough.co.uk

Trotters Seaweed mayonnaise and Classic Scottish mayonnaise will both be making their debuts on Trotters’ stand at SSFS 14. www.trottersindependent.co.uk

Gardiners of Scotland Gardiners is launching five Scottish confectionery tins. It offers a variety of fudges including clotted cream, malt whisky, apple & cinnamon and cranberry & blueberry.

Link Print & Packaging Link Print & Packaging will be showcasing a new Quick Lock System, which allows labels to be printed in-house to a high quality.

www.gardiners-scotland.com

www.linkpfs.co.uk

Vol.14 Issue 10 · November-December 2013

35

focus on scotland Who’s exhibiting?

A Taste of Arran K37 www.taste-of-arran.co.uk

Coffee Direct (Scotland) K29 www.coffeedirect.co.uk

Gusto Artisan Foods Ltd LG45 www.gustocatering.com

Aberfeldy Oatmeal M24 www.aberfeldyoatmeal.co.uk

Coffee For Life K53 www.coffeeforlife.co.uk

Happy Feet Merseyside www.sole-mates.eu

Ally Bally Bees (Scotland) L43 www.allyballybees.co.uk

Considerit Chocolate LG40 www.consideritchocolate.com

Hebridean Sea Salt LG39 www.hebrideanseasalt. co.uk

Argo’s Bakery M51 www.argosbakery.co.uk

CooperWhite Wines K36 www.cooperwhitewines.co.uk

Atkins & Potts N30 www.atkinsandpotts.co.uk

Corkers Crisps M13 www.corkerscrisps.co.uk

Barony Mills N46 www.birsay.org.uk/baronymill

Cotswold Fayre N18 www.cotswold-fayre.co.uk

Basilur Tea UK www.basilurtea.com

The Cress Company L23 & L25 www.thecressco.co.uk

L35

The Big Cheese Making Kit LG32 www.bigcheesemakingkit. com Border Biscuits K27 www.borderbiscuits.co.uk Border Tablet M52 www.bordertablet.co.uk Braw Food www.brawfood.com Bread Tree www.breadtree.co.uk

LG31

M20

Brodies Melrose Drysdale & Co M36 www.brodies1867.co.uk Cairn O’Mohr Country Wines L39 www.cairnomohr.co.uk Campbell’s Fudge L29 www.campbellsfudge.co.uk Campbell’s Shortbread M35 www.campbellsshortbread. co.uk

L20 Mr C Hand Crafted Pies

N45

Mr Vikki’s www.mrvikkis.co.uk

N27

Stewarts Tins M19 www.glencarsefoods.com

Hetties Tea N40 www.hetties-tearooms.com

Nino’s Masala & Fine Indian Cuisine L46 www.ninomasala.co.uk

Hider Food Imports www.hiderfoods.co.uk

L32

Orkney Brewery N52 www.sinclairbreweries.co.uk

Highland Park N49 www.highlandpark.co.uk

Orkney Creamery M45 www.orkneyicecream.com

Invest Northern Ireland www.buynifood.com

L37

Orkney Islands Smokery N48

Isabella’s Preserves M34 www.isabellaspreserves.co.uk

Patchwork Traditional Food Company L48 www.patchwork-pate.co.uk

Cunninghams Epos Solutions K41 www.cunninghams.co.uk

J & J Pont Packaging www.jjpack.com

K51

Payment Sense N17A www.paymentsense.co.uk

Dribble Delights LG35 www.dribbledelights.co.uk

Jolly’s of Orkney www.jollyfish.co.uk

M53

Pentic Price Ticketing www.pentic.com

M33

Summer Harvest Oils N31 www.summerharvestoils. co.uk

Eco-bags K21 www.ecobags.co.uk

The Kindness Bakery L43 www.thekindnessbakery. co.uk

Provence Direct www.provence.co.uk

M54

The Guild of Fine Food L21 www.finefoodworld.co.uk

Puddledub Pork www.puddledub.co.uk

M40

Cullisse N19 www.cullisse.com

Edinburgh Tea & Coffee Company M30 www.edinburghteacoffee. co.uk FDL Packaging www.fdlgroup.co.uk

N41

Ferdia Fine Foods L26 www.ferdiafinefoods.com

Stockan’s Oatcakes N50 orkneyfooddrinkandcrafts@ outlook.com Sugar Wings Artisan Chocolates & Confectionary LG34 www.sugarwings.com Supernatural M21 www.drinksupernatural.com Swanny Brewery

Kingscroft Logistics L41 www.kingscroftlogistics.co.uk

N47

The Isle of Skye Baking Company M12 www.iosbakingco.co.uk

Kwan’s Kitchen LG33 www.kwanskitchen.co.uk

The Puffer Food Company N42 www.pufferhampercompany. co.uk

Lauden Chocolates L33 www.laudenchocolate.com

Reids of Caithness N37 www.reidsofcaithness.com

The Tartan Tablet Company LG43 www.tartantablet.com

The Little Herb Farm LG42 www.thelittleherbfarm.co.uk

Field Fare www.field-fare.com

N28

Laura’s Chocolates N23 www.lauraschocolates.com

Ritchies of Rothesay L53 www.buteestatefoods.com

The Wee Fudge Company LG46 www.weefudge.co.uk

N34

Le Gruyère www.gruyere.com

L52

Fìor Fruit Merchants www.fifefm.co.uk

Ross’s of Edinburgh L19 www.scottishsweets.co.uk

The Wee Tea Company LG49 www.weeteacompany.com

Lebkuchen-Schmidt L30 www.lebkuchen-schmidt. com

Saladworx M32 www.saladworx.co.uk

The Whisky Sauce Company N38 www.whiskysauce.co.uk

Flavourmagic.com M10 www.flavourmagic.com CandyCo M46 Fosters Traditional Foods K45 www.candy-co.com www.fosters-foods.co.uk Carlotta’s Chocolates LG36 Gardiners of Scotland www.carlottaschocolates.com Limited M27 www.gardiners-scotland.com Chillilicious L16 www.chillilicious.co.uk Glencarse Foods M17 www.glencarsefoods.com Chocolati M43 www.chocolati.co.uk Godminster L22 www.godminster.com Chrystal’s Shortbread M48 www.chrystalsshortbread.

Golden Age Honey LG44 co.uk

36

The Moniaive Chocolatiers N36 www.tartanchocolate.co.uk

Link Print & Packaging N35 www.labelling-solutions.co Little Doone Foods www.littledoone.co.uk

N21

Lomond Fine Foods & Cake L51 www.lomondfoods.co.uk LovSushi LG47 www.lovsushi.com

Seasoned Pioneers N44 www.seasonedpioneers.co.uk Shetland Cheese M23 www.shetlandcheese.co.uk Silesia Grill Systems www.silesiavelox.co.uk

K11

Simple Simon’s Pies M28 www.simplesimonspies.co.uk

Mackies L44 www.mackies.co.uk

St Andrew’s Farmhouse Cheese Co L45 www.standrewscheese.co.uk Stahly Quality Foods www.thehaggis.com

L18

Uncle Roy’s Comestible Concoctions N15 www.uncleroys.co.uk Walkers Shortbread K19 www.walkers-shortbread. co.uk William Jackson Food Group N25 www.ancient-recipes.co.uk

Cochrane Kitchen LG37 www.cochraneskitchen.co.uk

Gordon & Durward K35 www.scottishsweets.co.uk

Metro Drinks www.metrodrinks.co.uk

Cocoa Mountain N39 www.cocoamountain.co.uk

Gran Stead’s Ginger N26 www.gransteadsginger.co.uk

Miss Integritea M16 www.missintegritea.com

Stewarts Tins M19 www.glencarsefoods.com

Your Piece Baking Co N32 www. yourpiecebakingcompany.com

Cocoa Ooze www.cocoa-ooze.co.uk

GreenCity Wholefoods www.greencity.co.uk

Mo’s Cookie Dough LG38 www.moscookiedough.co.uk

Stewart Tower Dairy K43 www.stewart-tower.co.uk

Zukr Boutique LG48 www.zukrboutique.com

L54

November-December 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 10

L34

L38

Trotters Independent Condiments M26 www.trottersindependent. co.uk

Buckets& Tubs& Jars& Bottles

Hand Crafted in Scotland - Award Winning - Small Batch Artisan Smokehouse -

Excellence Awards Retail Product Fish & Seafood

WINNER 2013

Salmon - Trout - Black Puddings - Pâté - Game - Nuts Scottish whisky, Scottish whisky barrels as well as the occasional lump of Scottish peat add depths of flavour to the best Scottish ingredients.

Retail & Food Service Nationwide Delivery

Proudly theatUK Visit us onserving Stand 819 the Speciality & Finewith Foodpremium Fair at food industry Olympia 8th-10th September packaging since 1977!

- www.thesmokehouse.co.uk -

www.taylor-davis.co.uk 01373 864324

Nino’s Masala and Fine Indian Cuisine Authentic and versatile sauce for making your own curry, hand-made in Aberdeen.

ninosmasala.co.uk | 01224 592701 Vol.14 Issue 10 · November-December 2013

37

The best spread of food, drink and hospitality trade shows across the South West...

Exeter 5 - 6 February 2014

www.thesourcetradeshow.co.uk

Wadebridge 4 - 6 March 2014

www.expowestcornwall.co.uk

Cheltenham 24 - 25 February 2014

www.thefoodanddrinktradeshow.co.uk

Bars, cafes, caterers, chefs, clubs, delicatessens, farm shops, fast food outlets, garden centres, guest houses, hotels, public sector, pubs, retailers and restaurants... your trade shows in the South West!

Over the two days we had the privilege of meeting buyers from different retailers, delis, farm shops and caterers from across the region, which resulted in subsequent orders and new, exciting business opportunities.

Hale Events, proud to sponsor:

CLARE SNELLING DIRECTOR, LITTLEWINDSOR LTD

Organised by

Free to attend for trade buyers.

Ticket hotline 01934 733456 Stand bookings 01934 733433.

50

November-December 2013 路 Vol.14 Issue 10

Fine Foods Digest F/P-1.indd 1

01934 733433

03/12/2013 11:38

❝

No one should even consider entering any form of fine food retail without completing the Retail Ready course at The Guild of Fine Food.

The two day course is brilliantly structured offering advice on every aspect of the business from insider experts and successful retailers.

It gave me insight I was lacking, to feel fully confident about getting started.

❞

Matthew Drennan, former editor of delicious. and aspiring deli owner

RetailReady is a two day course that will steer you through the minefield of opening and running a fine food store.

The course is designed to equip managers of prospective, new or developing delis and farm shops with the business essentials of fine food and drink retailing.

The next course takes place on March 18-19 2014.

Visit www.finefoodworld.co.uk/retailready for more details and an application form.

Call us to find out more on 01747 825200.

RetailReady Everything you need to know about starting a fine food store VERNER WHEELOCK ASSOCIATES

Vol.14 Issue 10 · November-December 2013

39

CHARCUTERIE WITH A TWIST!

Hot smoked salmon

Cooked Spiced Beef

Hot Smoked Chicken Hot Smoked Salmon Pâté erikdonaldson@btconnect.com · 01856 872641 · www.donaldsonsoforkney.co.uk

c yo u p i

Award-winning, handmade oatcakes, shortbread and breakfast cereal

Tel: 01738 622851 Email: contact@yourpiecebakingcompany.com

www.yourpiecebakingcompany.com 40

November-December 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 10

A promotional feature for the Guild of Fine Food

DECEMBER’S MONEY MAKING PROMOTIONS FOLKINGTON’S

MERIDIAN SEA

According to Folkington’s, self–styled tomato juice aficionados rate its pure tomato juice as the best they’ve ever had.

“Not only does it come straight from Spanish sun-ripened tomatoes, but unlike almost every other tomato juice, it isn’t made from concentrate,” says the producer. The juice, which comes in 250ml and 1 litre bottles, is also well-suited to being mixed up for a spicy Bloody Mary on Boxing Day. THE DEAL: Buy any 5 cases of Folkington’s (any of the eight flavours) and get a free case of 250ml (12 bottles) or 1 litre (6 bottles) tomato juice.

AVAILABILITY: Through selected wholesalers or direct CONTACT: 01323 485602 or info@folkingtons.com

This year’s seasonal products from Meridian Sea include the exotic salmon & scallop yule log and the innovative dome of crab with coconut.

Prepared by quality producer Amand, they are ideal for deli or buffet counters. The Christmas range also features gambas Mediterranean-style salad with peppers & chillies, pre-portioned mille-feuilles including salmon & sorrel along with old favourites like smoked salmon & blinis.

THE DEAL: 20% off all items listed in the Christmas brochure AVAILABILITY: Free delivery to most areas CONTACT: Nigel Vogwill on 01822 854378 or nigel.v@meridian-sea.com

URBAN MERCHANTS This importer and distributor specialises in responsibly farmed duck and goose foie gras. All of Urban Merchants fresh products are imported into the UK weekly and it supplies them to a variety of retailers, hotels and restaurants. Wholesale foie gras prices start at £18.50. Orders can be collected of delivered direct.

THE DEAL: 15% off all trade orders AVAILABILITY: UK mainland via courier, Greater London direct delivery.

CONTACT: Attila Jozsa on 0207 5159933 or contact@urbanmerchants.co.uk

AUSSIEMITE AussieMite is gourmet savoury spread made, from premium non-GM Australian corn, to a signature recipe that delivers “a smooth velvet texture and rich mellow taste”. It can be enjoyed on toasted bread, with cheeses, or used to enrich a variety of home-cooked dishes, such as stocks, dips, sauces, soups, glazes, casseroles and gravies. The spread is glutenfree, suitable for vegans and rich in essential vitamins, including B12 and folic acid.

THE DEAL: Purchase 5 cases, get the 6th free.

Complimentary tasting kit with every opening order.

AVAILABILITY: Nationwide. UK mainland only.

CONTACT: sales@aussiemite.co.uk

GRANNY’S SECRET

The Serbian food specialist says this is the best season to eat its Ayvar red pepper spreads cooked to traditional recipes (300g and 550g jars).

It also has fruit coulis in a range of flavours, including cherry (Great Taste two stars) and cranberry. For those who are looking for a nonalcoholic thirst quencher, it also has a number of all natural fruit juices (200ml and 700ml bottles), such as wild blueberry and cranberry.

THE DEAL: Buy 3 cases, get 1 free. First five new orders get 20% of their next two orders, a free tasting session, and a secret Xmas Free gift & free product leaflets/recipes for their shop (until stocks last) AVAILABILITY: Nationwide CONTACT: Snezana Knowles on 07725 049738 or snezana@grannyssecret.co.uk

YAU’S ORIENTAL SAUCES Yau’s has launched a six-strong range of authentic, Britishmade oriental cooking, dipping and dressing sauces. Bonnie and Philip Yau’s creations are gluten-free and contain no monosodium glutamate. All but one sauce is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. The line-up includes sweet & sour, the Great Taste award-winning black bean and Zum, a Vietnamese-style dressing. Each bottle has a suggested retail price of £2.95.

THE DEAL: Buy 5 cases, get 1 free, plus free delivery.

AVAILABILITY: UK Mainland. Payment on receipt by cheque or BACS. CONTACT: Philip Yau on 07595 167029 or philyau@me.com

GUILD RETAIL PROMOTION SUMMARY (Available to Guild members only) COMPANY

DEAL

TEL

EMAIL

AUSSIEMITE

Purchase 5 cases, get the 6th free

–

sales@aussiemite.co.uk

FOLKINGTON’S

Buy any 5 cases and get a free case of 250ml (12 bottles) or 1 litre (6 bottles) tomato juice

01323 485602 info@folkingtons.com

GRANNY’S SECRET

Buy 3 cases, get 1 free

07725 049738 snezana@grannyssecret.co.uk

MERIDIAN SEA

20% off all items listed in the Christmas brochure

01822 854378 nigel.v@meridian-sea.com

URBAN MERCHANTS

15% off all trade orders

0207 5159933 contact@urbanmerchants.co.uk

YAU’S ORIENTAL SAUCES Buy 5 cases, get 1 free

RETAIL MEMBERS – To sign up to the retail promotion scheme contact: tortie.farrand@finefoodworld.co.uk or ring her on 01747 825200 to ensure you receive your shelf-barkers to help promote these discounts instore.

SUPPLIER MEMBERS – want to take part? Contact sally.coley@finefoodworld.co.uk for more information.

07595 167029 philyau@me.com

Vol.14 Issue 10 · November-December 2013

41

final quarter page advert 100mmx141mm

18/9/12

4:55 pm

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'Award winning Novus Tea' If you don't stock Novus Tea, perhaps you should?

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42

November-December 2013 路 Vol.14 Issue 10

ON SHORT RUN DIGITAL LABELS

no set up costs | no minimum quantity full colour | high quality | supplied flat or on a roll cut to shape | choice of material adhesive | lamination

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focus on

epos systems

Your friends electric Here’s a selection of the latest EPoS software and hardware updates for retailers Cloud-based systems, which allow retailers to store their backoffice data on a remote server, are becoming more popular but some may still have reservations about their reliability. Business Computer Projects has developed a cloud-based version of its Accord software that protects users from network failures.

Accord Momentum provides the same range of functions as Accord (including stock control, automated ordering, price and promotion control, reporting and cash control) but if connection to the cloud server is lost, tills will continue to function and record transactions locally.

The till will automatically detect when the connection is re-established and the software will upload its data to the server. www.bcpsoftware. com

As well as the range of Avery scales, Open Retail Solutions now offers the full range of Bizerba retail scales, including the BCII, SCII (below) and K Class models, as part of its EPoS systems.

Thanks to an update in its software, ORS systems can also integrate customer-facing display screens to advertise the current prices of loose items or other promotional offers.

www.lccs.co.uk

www.openretailsolutions.co.uk

Wedderburn’s Orbis Mobile software, launched this year, allows retailers and café owners to use mobile Android tablets as mobile tills or electronic waiter pads, which send orders to the kitchen printer from the table. The software can also be used to record customer feedback automatically for review later. Orbis Mobile is designed specifically for bars, restaurants and deli environments and Wedderburn says it comes at half the price of a standard EPOS terminal. www.wedderburn.co.uk

Making a good call

Retail consultant STUART GATES, a former Harrods and Fortnum & Mason senior executive, has some pointers for retailers in the market for their first EPoS system

Northern Ireland-based Lakeland Computer Consultancy Services (LCCS) has updated its Eureka Reporter software to make it easier for independent retailers to use in analysing their business performance. New features include a pivot view facility and drag & drop interfacing, which allow data novices and experts alike to view and manipulate figures more easily.

LCCS managing director Nigel Bogle says: “This is for people who are not used to working with complex data sets. The software takes complicated information and interprets it in a way that’s easy to understand.”

Reporter runs alongside LCCS’s Eureka Back Office and Eureka POS modules, which collect the data from the shop floor and stock room.

I am old enough to remember Sweda and NCR tills. These took cash and gave a daily takings figure but offered very little management information.

Systems in the ‘80s and ‘90s were okay for packaged foods and non-food items but anything cut to weight at the counter often blew them up.

You could forget about wastage tracking or live updates on stocking levels or even linking your café tills with retail terminals.

Thankfully retailers these days are faced with a wealth of suppliers, systems and specifications. But that also means there is plenty to consider when buying an EPoS system: Work out exactly what you want to achieve Is it just a money-taking system or do you want to use it to gather data, re-order stock and keep track of customers?

Updates and add-ons What will it cost to maintain the system and how do these updates take place? It’s also worth asking how easily you can bolt on more advanced features if you decide you want them later.

Growing with you If you are looking to physically expand your business, will the system support more than a single site? You should also check that you can have multiple points of sale for busier trading periods.

Ease of use What is involved in managing and keying in data? Who is responsible for this, and for ongoing changes to the system?

Joining it all up If you have a restaurant or café, will the system work here as well as in the shop? And what if you produce

your own food in-house, like sandwiches, soups or ready-meals or just meals for the café? Can you manage all your in-house food production with the same system?

Don’t be a guinea pig Find out which other retailers already use the system. A positive endorsement by a similar business should be a key factor in choosing your supplier.

Help on hand Check the support packages that your chosen supplier offers. They need to be on hand at those busy times when things can go wrong, particularly weekends.

Card carrying Make sure the system can handle different forms of payment, especially credit cards, and that it will work in conjunction with your current banking arrangement.

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Warm up winter evenings with an authentic curry from Kent’s Kitchen.

Ke nt no ’s K w it Co av chen t an sw aila ’s f d S old ble ull am Fa fr ra wa yre om nge ys

The clever meal kits are a shortcut to delicious curries in just 20 minutes.

A short shopping list, quick prep time and impressive results.

You don’t need to leave home for your favourite curry any more.

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

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November-December 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 10

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products, promotions & people

New look and new lines for House of Dorchester

What’s new

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House of Dorchester has unveiled a range-wide S U P LI E rebrand, as well as more P than 20 new or revamped lines, that will be rolled out from January.

The new-look collection, which features additional chocolate bars and drinking chocolate products, is currently being showcased exclusively across 40 John Lewis stores but can be ordered by other retailers for delivery in the New Year.

The improved packaging has been designed to boost shelf presence and make it easier for consumers to identify individual products as House of Dorchester chocolates.

Marketing operations manager Katherine Ebbs said the goal was to improve consumers’ first impressions and to convey the quality of the chocolates themselves.

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Smoke & Pickle heading north

By MICHAEL LANE

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The Smoke & Pickle Food Co’s range of soups, readyS U P LI E meals and potted products P will now be distributed in Scotland and the North of England by The Cress Co. The Dunfermline-based distributor will offer the products to retailers across the regions from January 2014.

Smoke & Pickle, which produces all of its lines at the Shropshire Food Enterprise Centre in Shrewsbury, said the deal is an “important step” in its expansion.

In the two years since it began full production, the company has picked up a number of independent stockists in England and Wales, including Selfridges, Chatsworth Estate Farm Shop, Partridges of Sloane Square, Bodnant Welsh Food Centre, Ludlow Food Centre and Paxton & Whitfield.

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dramatic impact in-store,” she said. “We felt it was time to strengthen the visual appeal of our range to drive home the premium positioning.”

The firm, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, has created several new ranges as part of its revamp. These include

chocolate bars, mini selections, drinking chocolate flakes and new six-chocolate collections (see box for full list).

All of its chocolates, both branded and private label, are made in its own unit in the Poundbury area of Dorchester.

Chocolate bars: British 70% dark chocolate with Mitcham mint, British salted caramel milk chocolate with flakes of Anglesey sea salt and British milk chocolate. All 85g bars.

Mini selections: Dessert, mint and Champagne truffle mini selections (40g). Created to capitalise on impulse buying and wedding favour opportunities.

Stir-in hot chocolate spoons: Sea salt caramel flavour (with a touch of Anglesey sea salt) joins the range alongside mini marshmallows and chocolate fudge varieties.

Drinking chocolate flakes: Drinking chocolate flakes and gingerbread drinking chocolate flakes (180g) both made with British milk and 70% dark British chocolate.

Chocolate collections: Range features five collections of caramel, coffee, dessert, mint and Great Taste award-winning violet crèmes.

All contain six chocolates.

Connoisseur collections: 12-chocolate boxes of dessert, mint, rose & violet, and stem ginger varieties.

Luxury assortments: luxury milk, dark & white chocolate assortment in 200g (16 chocolates) and 400g (32 chocolates) and luxury dark chocolate assortment in 200g.

www.hodchoc.com

Distributors sought for British-grown dried peas and beans

By MICK WHITWORTH

A new supplier of British-grown dried pulses is looking for distribution in the speciality food sector after gaining initial listings with health food wholesalers.

Hodmedod, based near Diss in Norfolk, launched its first dried peas and beans into retail earlier this year. They included exotic-sounding black badger peas, dried Kabuki marrowfat peas, and fava beans in both split and whole bean formats, but all are grown in the UK. Fava beans have been grown here since the Iron Age but fell out of favour as meat and dairy products replaced pulses as a staple source of protein.

The initial four lines are already listed with Suma Wholefoods, Tree of Life and The Health Store.

Founder and MD Nick Saltmarsh said he was hopeful these wholesalers would also take the company’s latest product: an organic version of the split fava beans.

“We’re hoping to get listed with some of the speciality food distributors too,” he told FFD, “and we’re also able to supply direct to retailers across the UK.”

Further products in the pipeline from Hodmedod that should interest delis and farm shops include quinoa, kidney beans, borlotti beans and canned baked beans. A range of snack roasted beans and peas is also in development.

“All our primary ingredients are and will be British-grown,”

Saltmarsh added.

The initial four retail products are all packed in cases of 12 x 500g packs, with unit prices ranging from £1.30 for the split fava beans (RRP £1.90) to £1.65 for the whole dried black badgers (RRP £2.45). Catering size 12.5kg sacks are also available. www.hodmedods.co.uk

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Wolfy’s on right track with rail deal

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Just six months after launch the Wolfy’s range of instant porridge pots, produced by preserve maker Kitchen Garden Foods, has won a contract to supply First Great Western Trains.

The deal means Wolfy’s berry pot, one of a three-strong range, will be sold to passengers on the operators’ network that stretches from London to the West Country and Wales.

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cane sugar, as well as a small pot of high fruit content jam or honey.

All the consumer needs to do is add boiling water.

Kitchen Garden MD Barbara Moinet said that early reactions from commuters, on Twitter, had been encouraging.

The range, which also includes nutty with honey and spiced with ginger & pear, is being sold to independent retailers in cases of six pots, which have a trade price of £1.25 each. www.wolfys.co.uk www.kitchengardenfoods.co.uk

Montezuma’s unwraps next year’s chocolates

Top chefs tell CLARE HARGREAVES their deli essentials

Duncan Barham Chef at The Grove, Narberth www.thegrove-narberth.co.uk

Black Seal Modena balsamic vinegar www.vin-sullivan.co.uk www.emiliana.com

This Modena vinegar costs nearly £16 a bottle so it isn’t cheap, but it’s the real deal. It’s aged in progressively smaller barrels made from different woods for five to six years. We use it in a dressing for our goats’ curd salad. I also add it to sweetbreads to deglaze them and give them a bit of acidity. The vinegar has a nice, thick, sticky consistency so there’s no need to reduce it and makes it worth paying more for. We buy it from Vin Sullivan in 250ml bottles.

Perl Las blue cheese www.cawscenarth.co.uk

I love this creamy blue made by Carwyn Adams at Caws Cenarth near here. It’s nicely matured yet delicate, and less dry and crumbly than Stilton. The name is Welsh for ‘blue pearl.’ I use it in a soufflé which I serve as a starter, and I also use it to make a blue cheese risotto which is an element in my ‘Textures of Celeriac’ dish. The sweet nuttiness of the Perl Las complements the earthy celeriac really well. I buy it from Castel Howell or Vin Sullivan.

Ventreche by Charcutier Ltd www.charcutier.co.uk

In winter, I love using hand-salted, rolled ventreche made by Illtud Llyr Dunsford of Charcutier Ltd in Carmarthenshire.

Ventreche is a Gascony-style quick-cured pork belly with fine black pepper inside and coarse black pepper outside, and the meat is all from rare-breed pedigree Welsh pigs, some of which Illtud rears himself. Some roast a ventreche whole, but I use it like a pancetta with pheasant and partridge as it gives a slightly more interesting flavour than normal pancetta.

Coedcanlas honey www.coedcanlas.com

By MICHAEL LANE

Chocolate maker Montezuma’s has unveiled a number of ranges that will be available to retailers in the New Year, including lines for spring gifting occasions and a complete overhaul of its Dainty Dollops.

The Brighton-based producer said the ganache-centred chocolate discs have been re-shaped, reflavoured and re-textured, making them unrecognisable from the previous Dainty Dollops range.

The range, which will be available from January, features five flavours in total: dark chocolate English peppermint and hazelnut & Colombian coffee; milk chocolate grapefruit & Chinese ginger and spiced Spanish orange; and white chocolate Italian almond & vanilla.

Each 150g tube (RRP £7.49) contains 12 discs.

Other new launches include a

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Valentine’s Day selection featuring a milk chocolate heart flavoured with lime and vanilla oil (65g, RRP £3.99) as well as heart-shaped truffles in two flavours. Both milk chocolate with maple syrup ganache and white chocolate with strawberry ganache come in 120g bags (RRP £4.99) and medium and large boxes (RRP £10.99 and £15.99 respectively).

For those retailers planning further ahead, Montezuma’s has also come-up with lines for Mothers’ Day, including a milk chocolate flower (65g, RRP £3.99) flavoured with orange and geranium oils and two heart-shaped truffles in 120g bags, medium and large boxes (RRP £4.99, £10.99 and £15.99 respectively): milk chocolate & orange and almond praline coated in white chocolate. www.montezumas.co.uk

November-December 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 10

This is produced by bees owned by Nick Tonkin at Coedcanlas on the banks of the Daugleddau estuary just a few miles from here. The bees feed on a range of wild flowers, making for lovely aromatic flavours. It is delicate and light so it’s perfect in my honey dessert which uses it in lots of different ways, including a honey marshmallow, a honeycomb, and a ginger wine & honey jelly.

Kuzu root starch www.infusions4chefs.co.uk www.mugaritzexperiences.com

Also known as kudzu, this is a starch obtained from the root of the kudzu plant and you use it much as you would cornflour or arrowroot, to thicken sauces. It has a neutral flavour and transparency when cooked, and it’s gluten-free, which makes it very attractive. I use it to make gnocchi with white bean and moist garlic, and also use it for carrot dumplings, which I serve with lamb. It produces a beautifully creamy texture. I buy it from Infusions 4 Chefs.

Found in

all good delis

Sponsored by

Born in Switzerland in 1115

Cheeses from Switzerland.

Switzerland. Naturally.

www.switzerland-cheese.com

AWARD-WINNING SINGLE-ESTATE EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

Discover La Bandiera Premium Olive Oil

Connoisseurs of olive oil will delight in tasting the exceptional extra virgin olive oil from La Bandiera. This delicious olive oil is produced in the traditional wine growing area of Bolgheri on the Tuscan coast – home of the Super Tuscan vineyards of Ornellaia and Sassicaia.

The team at La Bandiera continues to use the traditional methods of selecting the best time to harvest the olives to ensure the acidity level is low thereby creating the perfect blend. The result is a smooth yet full-bodied olive oil, endorsed by the IGP in recognition of its quality and origin.

Gold award winner in the 2013 New York International Olive Oil Competition, La Bandiera olive oil is available for delivery throughout the UK in sizes ranging from 250ml bottles up to 5 litre cans.

Visit www.labandieraoliveoil.com or call 0207 243 5150

www.vwa.co.uk

Secret Sa ag TM

Vegetab D gu e

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Vegetables in disguise...BRILLIANT! Our fresh garden vegetables are harvested from local farmers and smuggled inside the vegetarian casing where they are introduced to some fabulous natural flavours and spices.

Available in 6 delicious flavours. Secret Sausages have 90% less fat (under 4%), 50% fewer calories & 35% less salt than normal sausages.

The unique casing makes them cook like a traditional sausage.

Can be grilled, fried, oven roasted, BBQ’d or even included in your favourite traditional sausage recipe!

For more information see www.secret-sausages.com or contact us on info@secret-sausages.com

“The ladies’ swim team put their success down to large snacks between meals”.

NEW! Proudly Plain and Smashingly Cinnamony Apple Crisps www.tyrrellscrisps.co.uk T: 01568 720244 Vol.14 Issue 10 · November-December 2013

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◆ A range of high quality award winning pates, terrines & desserts ◆ No preservatives, or artificial flavours in our pates or terrines ◆ British butter instead of margarine ◆ Only real fruit is used in our desserts ◆ We are a local company and aim to use locally produced ingredients supporting British farmers ◆ A wide range of catering and retail products available ◆ All of our products are delivered frozen with a shelf life of up to 12 months ◆ Bespoke ideas to help to give your business the edge against your competitors

Chicken Liver Paté with Mushroom & Garlic

FINE FOOD DIGEST 141,5X204+ 5 ALIMENTARIA INT.pdf

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www.albionartisanfoods.co.uk 01427 238218 & 07592 336944 info@albionartisanfoods.co.uk

www.chefontherunfoods.co.uk

Savoury filo pastries FIELD FARE

www.field-fare.com

The frozen food specialist has extended its vegetarian ready-meals range with the addition of two filo pastries, due to EDITE CR

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Burts has extended its range of hand-cooked crisps made in collaboration with the famous stout with the launch of a Guinness rich beef chilli flavour.

The flavour took the two companies six months to develop and has been launched on the back of their success

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OLive Branch www.myolivebranch.co.uk

When the founders of Olive Branch met 2012 MasterChef finalist Andrew ‘Koj’ Kojima at a trade show last year, they ended up discussing a dish of his that featured sweetened black olives.

This proved to be the inspiration for the olive oil specialist’s latest diversification – Kalamata olives with fig syrup and almonds. The unusual combination (230g jars, trade £2.39, cases of six) is said to be a good match for goats’ cheese but also works well spooned over ice cream or yoghurt.

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This 45% ABV London Dry Gin has been launched with the dual purpose of capturing the essence of Africa and aiding the continent’s wildlife, chiefly elephants. The gin is made in small batches in a copper still using 14 different botanicals, including the “superfruit” Baobab, the blackcurrant-like Buchu plant and African Wormwood, which adds a sharp floral note. Each bottle (50cl) has an RRP of £29.49. The company contributes 15% of all profits to two African elephant foundations to support the preservation of wildlife.

Elephant Gin’s bottles are custommade, adorned with hand-written labels, embossed with a crest and sealed with natural cork.

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Chef on the Run Foods has introduced Eat Me two-jar gift boxes (RRP £7) that hold 227g jars of its Passion Preserves strawberry & rose jam and Welsh whisky & orange marmalade or its Best Ever raspberry jam and classic orange Seville marmalade.

The producer also offers personalised gift boxes, which can feature a range of Passion Preserves lines, direct on its website.

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Nutty (Coconut), S(traw)berry, R(asp) berry sorbet and Mango sorbet are all available in 100ml and 500ml tubs. Instead of added sugar, NOSH contains a blend of three 100% natural sweeteners: stevia, erythritol and organic agave nectar.

ELEPHANT GIN

BURTS CHIPS

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African-inspired gin

Guinness chilli crisps

increasing consumer demand. The roasted red onion & sweet chilli tart topped with creamy goats’ cheese (220g) and roasted Mediterranean vegetables filo basket, topped with a cheddar crumble (190g), both oven-cook from frozen in around 30 minutes. Trade customers can buy both lines in cases of 12 units, each of which have a wholesale price £2.25.

Gift packs

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the Himalayan hills. Both teas are available in Teapigs’ standard 15-bag packs while the Earl Grey strong is also available in foodservice packs of 50.

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Described by its maker as a “little paste with a big kick”, Devil’s Dynamite paste is made in the UK with garlic, ginger, coriander, lemon juice and chillies. It comes in five flavours – mild, explosive, insane, BBQ Twist and Tandoori Twist – and in 60g and 180g jars (RRP £3 and £5 respectively).

A dynamite-shaped gift pack of small jars (RRP £15) is also available. The paste can be used as a marinade for meat or added to dishes like curry, spaghetti Bolognese and stir-frys.

This range has been launched under the Original Egg Co brand run by major supplier Stonegate.

The firm’s cooked and peeled eggs, which are prepared using an innovative peeling machine, are available in a range of bespoke sizes suitable for farm shops and delicatessens. Each pot

S U P LI E P

www.teapigs.co.uk

www.devilsdynamite.co.uk

www.theoriginaleggcompany. co.uk

Designed with the health conscious consumer in mind, NOSH (No Sh ugar) is a range of real dairy ice creams and sorbets that contain no added sugar but are still full of flavour, according to its creator Taywell. Choccy, Coffy, EDITE CR

Earl Grey and Darjeeling

DEVIL’S DYNAMITE

THE ORGINAL EGG CO

www.taywell.co.uk

TEAPIGS

Chilli paste

Ready-to-eat quail eggs

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Turkey, sage & onion flavour (40g, RRP £1.29) is the latest launch in the producer’s deli range, which also includes parsnip crisps and sweet potato, chilli & lime crisps. As with all of Fairfields’ crisps, they are made with hand-selected potatoes dug, chopped, cooked and packed all on the same family farm in Colchester.

While the new flavour is being launched in time for the festive season, the company says it is “a winning combination whatever the time of year”.

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with the original Guinness flavour crisps launched in 2012. The new variety comes in 40g and 150g packets (RRP from 75p and £1.99 respectively).

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Turkey flavour crisps

contains seven eggs (cases hold 12 pots) in oil or brine solutions and have an eightday chilled shelf life. The range also includes quail eggs pickled in a sweetened malt vinegar, which protects their subtle flavour.

All of these eggs come from the company’s own flock of free-tofly birds.

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Vol.14 Issue 10 November-December 2013

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THE EXCEPTIONAL TASTE OF FRESH OLIVE OIL THE OLIVES Picked & milled in December

THE OILS Bottled unfiltered within weeks to capture the amazing aroma & taste of the new oil

07721 410974 www.oliveoilavlaki.com

DORSET FARMS Our passion is to produce the finest quality hams and bacon from free range & organic West Country pork.

Using time honoured, traditional methods from our base deep in the local countryside, all our hams are hand produced and individually cured without extra water or additives.

Our award-winning range includes nine exciting varieties, all of which are available whole on or off the bone as well as in halves and convenient retail packs. www.dorsetfarms.co.uk Email: sarah@dorsetfarms.co.uk Tel: 01308 868822

Salann na Mara (Salt of the Sea) is a high quality sea salt produced on the Isle of Skye, which enhances the flavour of food.

We take the crystal clear, mineral rich sea water of Loch Snizort and transform it into pure sea salt using just the sun and wind. None of the goodness is removed and no chemicals are added so you enjoy a completely natural salt with a distinctive flavour and texture.

Available in 150g packs in two grades: Fine Grain and Premium Crystals.

01470 532308 or 07751 306601 isleofskyeseasalt.co.uk Design eighthdaydesign.com

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November-December 2013 路 Vol.14 Issue 10

show preview Different time, same place, more opportunity The Source returns again to Exeter’s Westpoint but there will be several big changes this year

Newcomers in 2014 Cloud 9 Marshmallows This Cornwall-based producer creates its marshmallows to an adapted version of a traditional French recipe. All of Cloud 9’s products, including the 2013 Taste of the West gold-winning lemon meringue marshmallows, are made in small batches from natural ingredients. TV cook Sophie Dahl is a fan and current stockists include Selfridges’ Oxford Street store and The Eden Project. www.cloudninemarshmallows.co.uk

Cottage Confectionery Billing its fudge as “the true taste of Devonshire”, Cottage Confectionery makes all of its output by hand in copper kettles. The clotted cream it uses is all locally produced and it never uses hydrogenated palm kernel oil. Its family recipe requires only natural ingredients so there are no artificial colours or preservatives in the fudge. Flavours include rum & raisin, chocolate with chocolate chunks, chocolate orange and vanilla, as well as seasonal varieties. www.cottageconfectionery.co.uk

Black Dog Eggs Black Dog’s Lohmann Browns are free to roam 70 acres of Cobscombe Farm, north of Crediton. This freedom and locally sourced feed keeps them happy and laying eggs, which are picked, sorted and packed daily.

Medium, large and very large eggs are available in 30-egg trays for catering or six-egg boxes for retail and are delivered direct to customers. www.blackdogeggs.co.uk

Seasonal Samosas If the vegetables used in this North Devon business aren’t grown in its own garden then they are locally sourced. This fresh organic produce is combined with age-old Punjabi recipes and a secret family Garam Masala to create a range of samosas, pakoras, tikkis and sweet Indian crepes. The pakoras and tikkis are suitable for people with gluten intolerances due to the use of gram flour, while the company also offers gluten-free samosas made using rice flour.

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ather than its customary spring time slot, The Source trade show takes place a little bit earlier this year. It’s also going to be bigger and will cover more than just the speciality retailing market.

Billed by organiser Hale Events as a “super show”, The Source banner now encompasses The Source & Taste of the West trade show and the Expowest Westcountry catering & hospitality trade show.

The newly merged show, which will be open to the trade February 5 and 6, is expected to host between 300 and 400 stands and will welcome more than 3,000 buyers.

Organiser Hale Events says the new time slot will provide visitors with the opportunity to see the very latest 2014 product ranges before anyone else. The timing should also be better suited to buyers planning for the season ahead.

The Source claims to offer the biggest selection of South West food & drink producers under one roof including a selection of members from the Taste of the West food group. There will also

www.seasonalsamosas.co.uk

be a host of producers from further afield in the UK and abroad. As in previous years, there will be a dedicated Newcomers section for those exhibitors making their trade show debut.

As well as speciality food & drink, a full range of service providers will be on show, including suppliers of EPoS systems, menus, packaging, crockery, catering and linen.

Those looking for culinary inspiration will be able to watch several leading chefs showing their skills and sharing ideas in the Intoto Source Demo Kitchen. The winner of chef Michael Caines’ 2013 South West Chef of the Year will also be demonstrating their winning dish at the show as the 2014 competition launches.

The merger with Expowest this year will see the addition of the first regional heat of the 2014 UK Barista Championships to the show, while the Westcountry Tourism Conference will also be running alongside the main event with two half-day sessions.

The Dukkah Co Inspired by the North African dip dukkah, this producer’s Dipping Sand can be used a seasoning or an ingredient but this nut & spice blend can also be served as a dip. “Start with some fresh bread,” says the company. “Then double dip in olive oil and dipping sand.” www.thedukkahcompany.com

The Chillees The Chillees is a small new family business producing spicy chilli sauces and preserves from its own home-grown chillies and other fruit and veg.

Any other ingredients and packaging are sourced locally from the Taunton area. Along with its range of chilli jams, sauces and chutneys, the firm also produces more traditional preserves under the Bumblees brand. www.thechillees.co.uk

NEED TO KNOW Where and when?

Westpoint Exhibtion Centre, Exeter EX5 1DJ; February 5-6, 2014 How do I get there?

Westpoint Exhibition Centre is located just 1 mile from M5 Junction 30 on Sidmouth Road. An hourly train service runs to Exeter from London Waterloo. Exeter Airport is located 3 miles from the centre.

How do I register?

Pre-register by visiting www.sourcefoodanddrink.co.uk or call the ticket hotline on 01934 733456.

www.thesourcetradeshow.co.uk

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shelftalk Iain Hemming opened Thyme & Tides, with his wife Sally, in Stockbridge during the summer of 2010

Keeping things current Deli of the Month INTERVIEW BY MICHAEL LANE

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efore he became a shop owner, Iain Hemming ran a consultancy business as the self-styled Deli Doctor. Even though he’s got his hands full with his current venture – a deli on the largely independent High Street in Stockbridge, Hampshire – Hemming’s still got time for a diagnosis or two.

“The day of the traditional deli is dead,” he tells FFD. “You’ve got to have a mix of different appeals. A standalone deli will not give anyone a good living on its own.”

Visit Thyme & Tides and it’s plain to see that Hemming, who runs the business with his wife Sally, has taken his own advice. It’s not a huge space but within a few yards you can pick up some marinated olives, a Vacherin, Isle of Wight tomatoes and a fillet of turbot then sit down for a cappuccino and, maybe, a light lunch of scallops

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Deli-bistro-fishmonger may sound like an unusual combination but it’s the magic formula at Thyme & Tides with black pudding.

“We always had a vision that it The shopfloor is divided roughly would be very much retail-led but, into two sections. On one side is from day one when we opened up, a small deli area anchored by a customers went for bums on seats,” gleaming fish counter while the other he explains. “It was much more zone holds a coffee bar and seating coffee- and bistro-led to the point that for 35 covers. The outdoor seating we were doing 1,500 coffees a week doubles capacity in good weather. from a standing start here. Now it’s up As FFD arrives, the mid-morning to 2,500 coffees a week.” rush for coffee and cake is in full They were also turning out 150 swing and the seating area remains lunches a day during the weekend. packed, as That’s risen to nearer elevenses become the 250 mark.

We always had a lunch.

While this was vision that it would Hemming “uncharted territory” be very much retailfreely admits that for the Hemmings, this isn’t quite how led but, from day one, they weren’t he and his wife strangers to running customers went for envisaged things a deli. Before Thyme bums on seats when they took & Tides, they owned the lease on the West Street Deli in former car dealership at the beginning Wilton, near Salisbury, for a couple of 2010. of years. Iain was behind the counter,

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while Sally, who has a background in catering, took care of everything in the kitchen.

Looking back now, Hemming says that the Thyme & Tides bistro just happened “by complete chance” to be what people were looking for when they opened in July 2010.

“Some seriously minted people live in this area, but I think it became quite trendy to be stealthy with the wealth,” he says. “Lunch was the new supper for many people. They were coming out, eating light and looking for an average dish price of around £9 or £10.”

The bistro has ticked over nicely ever since, aided by a no reservation policy and Hemming turning away customers just looking for a hot drink after 11:45. The successful lunch service has now expanded to fish & chip evenings every Friday as well as two Thursday night dinner clubs every month.

The bistro accounts for just over a quarter of Thyme & Tides’ turnover, which lies around the £1m mark and is growing every year. Coffee and hot drinks cover Hemming’s wage bill.

And it’s quite a wage bill. When FFD visits, there are two waitresses, an assistant manager, someone manning the coffees, another staff member working on the deli side and four staff working in the kitchen upstairs as well as the Hemmings and the fishmonger.

While it’s clearly a business that requires lots of staff, the volume is also down to Hemming’s corporate structure. There are five separate businesses within Thyme & Tides: the deli, bistro, hot beverages, the fishmonger and the kitchen. Each one has a “champion” running it – Iain

products, promotions & people

is transferred to him weekly. runs the deli, Sally is in charge of the Hemming’s notion of It’s quite rare to see fresh fish in a bistro – and they don’t cross over into supplementing the traditional deli deli and even more uncommon to see the other sections. The same goes with a café is hardly ground-breaking it working well. The problems usually for people working under them. The and it’s not uncommon to see this boil down to wastage but Hemming waitresses wait on tables, they don’t kind of corporate structure, attention has a get-out-of jail card : fish cakes, make coffee or serve in the deli. to staffing and concessions at larger or fish chowder or even fish fingers.

“One of the biggest problems I’m farm shops and food halls. But his Thyme & Tides buys any fish that sure you’ve seen and I’ve seen on a deli-bistro-fishmonger, and its sevendoesn’t sell from Major’s counter at regular basis is someone, like me or figure turnover, does prove that it can cost price plus 5% Sally, trying to do the whole damn work with modest-sized lot and not actually doing premises. any of it properly,” says “Thyme & Tides is OCKS T -S ST Hemming, who also runs a bit of an animal and U M s e Thyme & Tid Deli Academy training it’s not necessarily what ps di & s ni des crosti courses at the shop. “You everyone is looking Thyme & Ti can’t wear all the hats. You to do but the same alade range m ar M y nn Gra can’t spin all the plates. business structure will e re uten-f Easy Bean gl You need to outsource.” apply to a business a flatbreads He has a bookkeeper, quarter of this size as patés who comes in once a week to one double, treble Ballancourt mté onth old Co to handle the wages and or 10 times the size.”

-m 4 1 rt Henna ge pots ensure every invoice is paid In fact it’s so Roar porrid on time. While head barista much of an animal n or pc Portlebay Po Will Harrigan has worked that, last year, the oils se ue ug rt et Po Jose Gourm his way up, the Hemmings Hemmings were er peanut butt ta have also bought in specialist approached by a Utta Nut o iz or knowledge. They hired Alex private equity group ch g in Brindisa cook Thomelin, formerly head hoping to finance chef of independent deli-café the roll-out of a chain Caracoli, to run the chain of 50 Thyme kitchen and assistant manager & Tides across the UK. Despite being and serves it up in the bistro.

Rosanagh Herring was taken on “flattered”, the Hemmings declined Fish may be a risky proposition from Rick Stein’s graduate scheme. because they felt there was still work but this model makes it easy for “It really isn’t about me,” to be done on the concept. “We need Hemming and it’s a massive generator Hemming says. “We’ve got some to dot the I’s and cross the T’s before of footfall.“If that fish wasn’t making very talented people in the business. we replicate it because we’d only be me any money I wouldn’t have it, Without them we wouldn’t be where replicating a problem.” simple as that,” he says. “It’s not only we are.”

Since then, Thyme & Tides paying me rent, it’s drawing people Perhaps the most specialised has launched its own food brand, into our business. of Thyme & Tides’ champions is developed by head chef Thomelin.

“Our deli is the biggest share of Ashley Major, the fishmonger. Unlike In April, it unveiled four dips as well our sales but if I didn’t have the other the others, Major is not employed as crostini and amaretti biscuits in offerings I think it would be half what

by Hemming but instead rents the packaging bearing the shop’s logo. it is. It rides on the back of the other space for his fish slab. His takings go Now Hemming is hoping to come parts of the business.” through the shop’s till but the money up with some more ambient lines

that are robust enough to withstand delivery to other retailers and to consumers who order from a mooted online Thyme & Tides shop.

As well as e-commerce, Hemming is also eyeing up a physical site for Thyme & Tides II, which he envisages opening within the next 12 months.

For now, he is concentrating on finding other things to drive footfall. More recently that has been his cheese counter, tucked away into the side of the coffee bar.

The proliferation of Waitrose stores nearby, including the newly opened Leckford Estate farm shop, prompted Hemming to go a little more “offpiste” with his selection. He sources French classics such as Comté from Hennart, which sells cheese from smaller producers, and buys in some of the many oddities from Borough Market Swiss cheese specialist Jumi. In total, he has five suppliers for the 2m counter.

Hemming adopts a similar approach to the rest of the deli, buying the majority of his stock direct from producers. Only around 5% can be considered local but Hemming’s focus is on quality. “I’ll drive to Timbuktu for something that’s at its peak,” he says, adding that he is always on the hunt for new lines to improve his offer.

“The day I get bored, my customers will get bored. You’ve got to get off your arse otherwise you will become generic.”

He adds: “That’s the problem with the high street. Everything looks the same, no matter where you are. You’ve got to have your point of difference otherwise you won’t survive.” www.thymeandtidesdeli.co.uk

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01747 825200 Vol.14 Issue 10 · November-December 2013

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November-December 2013 路 Vol.14 Issue 10