FFD August 2020

August 2020 Volume 21 Issue 7 gff.co.uk

Pull on that jumper Knit your plans together with our comprehensive guide to Christmas

‘Cheese to tickle your taste buds’ For information on our full range of cheeses, new releases or if you would like our product brochure please contact Leanne on: Tel: 01905 350788 | e-mail: info@croomecuisine.com

www.croomecuisine.com

CONTENTS 5 NEWS

Like it or loathe it, Christmas has always seemed a bit more predictable than it does this year

10 SHOP TALK 15 CHEESEWIRE 24 CHRISTMAS GUIDE 47 CHARCUTERIE

By Michael Lane, Editor

I don’t know if you noticed but Love Actually was on TV the other night.

My first reaction was ‘Oh dear, these broadcasters really are struggling to fill up their programming slots.’

Then I thought, perhaps this is a good omen. If Christmas is already starting to creep into people’s minds – at a time when it’s certainly on the food trade’s – then we might have a fighting chance this December.

As a consumer, I wouldn’t say I hate Christmas. That’s a pretty strong statement but there is one sequence of events I really don’t enjoy. It begins with the first time you hear Noddy Holder’s roar on the radio – in October. Then, by the time that Coca Cola truck jingles into view, you are already caught in the hype. Come mid-December, it is almost guaranteed that you will be wracked with guilt and fear about whether you’ve bought enough for everyone.

49 FOODSERVICE 53 SHELF TALK 60 DELI OF THE MONTH 67 GUILD TALK

The big difference, this year, is I really want all of that to happen.

Not because I’ve gone lockdown crazy but because the independent food trade really needs it to happen.

If I start to feel that familiar ‘festive spirit’, then lots of others will be feeling it too. And that’s when the desire to spend money properly takes hold of many people.

I am not going to say that anyone in our sector has taken Christmas for granted but, like it or loathe it, it has always seemed a bit more predictable than it does this year. Previously, if you planned well enough, you would sell well enough – at least to continue trading for another year.

The way 2020 has been so far, there is a degree of uncertainty among food businesses – especially retailers – about December that I haven’t seen before. Some are struggling with how much stock to order because they can’t predict the

volume of customers (and money) they’re going to have through the doors. Others are getting big orders in, on the basis that the British public are going to want to have a good time with their loved ones – and that means buying lots of top quality food and drink.

There’s validity in both arguments. You’ll find both viewpoints printed in this magazine.

My feeling is that – Slade and awful TV aside – Christmas is probably not going to be as traditional as we have been used to. For delis and farm shops, that is likely to mean customers asking for deliveries, clicking & collecting or wanting a less theatrical in-store experience. These new ways of doing business have already got the trade through a crisis, so why can’t they get it through Christmas.

After all, even the most ardent Scrooge never complains about the food.

August 2020 Volume 21 Issue 7 gff.co.uk

EDITOR’S CHOICE British charcuterie

Pull on that jumper Knit your plans together with our comprehensive guide to Christmas

Illustration: Mark Windsor

Keen readers will be well aware of how FFD and the Guild of Fine Food have promoted the British charcuterie scene over the years but there is a sense among some producers and retailers that this could really be its time to shine – especially as Brexit looms.

Lockdown and the loss of foodservice has been hard on

plenty of charcutiers but you only have to hear how Capreolus sold £1,000s online – mere hours after its guanciale (pictured right) made an appearance on Saturday Kitchen – to see that there is growing consumer interest in trying British cured meat at home.

Why not make some space in your counter for it next month?

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Vol.21 Issue 7 | August 2020

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August 2020 | Vol.21 Issue 7

NEWS

Hider MD assures customers and suppliers that distributor is back on track

By Michael Lane

Distributor Hider Foods has moved to reassure both its independent retail customers and its suppliers that the business is back on track after a troubled 18-month period of trading.

Speaking exclusively to FFD, managing director Duncan Hider acknowledged that the business had let down both customers and producers but said that comprehensive refinancing and correcting major issues with its IT system had put the distributor in a better position.

Addressing some rumours in the industry about the business being unable to trade, Hider told FFD said it was “categorically” not true.

“Our refinance puts us in a good position, so that is not the case at all,” he said.

“We have had our challenges but we are a very strong business.

“I do understand that ultimately the rumours

Duncan Hider, managing director of Hider Foods

come on the back of poor service and poor payments.

“We have had a tough time, I’m not denying that.”

Hider said that issues with order fulfilment, stock requests and cashflow occurred largely due to problems with implementing a companywide IT system that was first installed about 12 months ago. He added that Brexit, coronavirus, and a comprehensive range rationalisation had also impacted on operations.

Sainsbury’s to supply own-label products to garden centre chain Dobbies Garden Centres and Sainsbury’s have launched a grocery partnership that will see the supermarket chain bring their range of food and groceries to Dobbies’ 68 stores across the UK. Launched at the group’s Edinburgh garden centre in late July, the range on offer in the new concessions will include over 3,000 products, including ambient, chilled, fresh and frozen produce as well as other grocery, household and toiletry products.

Andrew Bracey, chairman of Dobbies said: “This is an exciting step forward for us as we continue to grow the business and lead the future of garden centre retailing.

“Garden centres are increasingly popular, as people embrace the enjoyment of gardening.

“Our partnership with Sainsbury’s perfectly complements our strategy of offering the best possible ranges and convenience to customers.”

Mike Luck, director of business development at Sainsbury’s, said: “We’re always looking for new ways to bring our distinctive, high quality products to more customers. This opportunity with Dobbies will bring a fantastic choice of food and grocery products to convenient locations for lots of shoppers, helping them shop for what they need quickly and conveniently.”

“In hindsight, we actively tried to do too much in the year,” he said.

At some points, fulfilment was as low 20%, and Hider estimates that the overall loss caused to the business was nearly £1m.

He said: “We had a fairly unpleasant period where we were letting down customers and giving suppliers very little information as to what we needed from them.”

By mid-August, the distributor hopes to be back to 95% order fulfilment and

ready for the busy run-in towards the festive selling season.

“The team are committed here, the restructure is sorted, our IT system – in terms of fulfilment – is as good as it’s been historically,” he said. “We should have no issue with delivering Christmas, although we are still dependent on our suppliers.”

Hider said he understood that some producers had not been getting paid as promptly as he would have liked but that cashflow was being improved all the time by a refinancing move that includes a £5m facility from Bibby Financial Services.

“A combination of delisting and slowing down payments will have irritated some suppliers and I understand that. That is not something we wanted to happen.”

“In the same way, we are being very supportive of 1,500 independent retailers who will be struggling. We are seeing an increase in bad debts coming in to us.”

IN BRIEF The SoilSmith Association is Walter Fine Foods predicting this year’s has announced the Organic to be closure ofSeptember three stores the biggest yet as sales of in the Midlands.

The organic showing their butcher are chain revealed highest increasethat in superover Christmas its markets in the last 3 years Denby Village, West at +6.1%. According to Bromwich and Coventry Nielsen data shoppers shops would stop trading, are increasingly leaving it with 11valuing outlets – where their food commany of which areiswithin ing fromcentres. and wanting to garden make more sustainable choices post COVID-19.

Tracklements has hired Ben Hallam for the role Waitrose has cut the of commercial manager, levels nitrite identifying in its ownwhich of includes label bacon opportuniand gamnew market mon.

Levels joins havethe been ties. Hallam cut in both its budget Wiltshire-based condi-and premium ranges, with ment specialist after 11 nitrite content being years at dairy firm Yeocut by 60%.

Valley.

Cumbria-based Three Health food retailer PlanHares Bakery and café et Organic has moved has transformed into been the hot food delivery into a farm andup deli market andshop teamed by owners Nina Matsuwith high-end service naga and James Supper, which willRatcliffe courier after they realised a selection of to-gotheir items cafe operation and sushi from would two Cennot work in light of social stores. tral London distancing restrictions.

The duo decided to add to their offering after requests from customers of their gastropub the Black Bull, looking to buy the products that chef Nina uses in the pub’s dishes.

‘Cheese Vender’ offers contact-free fromage In response to COVID, The Courtyard Dairy has implemented a longheld idea of introducing a cheese vending machine to the Lancaster cheesemongers.

In order to offer a contact-free option to concerned consumers, but also to allow the business to serve more customers due to restrictions on numbers allowed in the shop, ‘The Cheese Vender’ was brought in.

“The vending machine is something we’d talked about for years,” said Andy Swinscoe, owner of the North Yorkshire shop. “But the cost of the machine meant we put it on a back burner.

“When Corona hit it became more of a priority so that we could offer

a solution for people who wanted no contact and also enable us to serve more cheese as we are only allowing one person in at a time.”

Swinscoe said the idea was inspired by small Swiss cheesemakers novel solutions to sell their produce.

“Lots of the small Gruyere makers have them on the roadside throughout Switzerland so they can

sell their cheese outside their farm but without the need for a shop.” thecourtyarddairy.co.uk Vol.21 Issue 7 | August 2020

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NEWS

Details of government hospitality rescue package leave café owners confused

By Tom Dale

Chancellor Rishi Sunak last month announced that VAT will be reduced from 20% to 5% on purchases in cafés and restaurants, and launched a voucher scheme to give a 50% discount to people eating out during August, as part of a £30billion plan to save jobs in the UK. The new package of government support for the hospitality industry has been well received but left some business owners confused.

“The 50% off offer is a brilliant idea to generate trade, but I feel it should go on a bit longer,” said Steven Salamon of Wally’s Deli and Kaffeehaus in Cardiff.

“Anything which encourages people to come out and get a bargain is a good thing.”

“I think the big chains are most likely going to pass some of the VAT savings on to their customers, but if we start that in the specialist sector, it will be a race to the

COVID-secure accreditation National tourism agency Visit Britain has launched a ‘We’re Good to Go’ industry standard to certify COVID-secure status for all sectors of the tourism industry.

The accreditation scheme, which is free to join, means businesses can demonstrate that they are adhering to the respective Government and public health guidance, have carried out a COVID-19 risk assessment, and checked they have the required processes in place.

To obtain the mark, businesses must complete a self-assessment through an online platform, including a checklist confirming they have put the necessary processes in place, before receiving certification and the ‘We’re Good To Go’ mark to display in their premises and online.

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August 2020 | Vol.21 Issue 7

Social distancing at Farmer Copleys’ Moo Café

bottom.”

The VAT cut initially left Salamon uncertain whether the intention was to pass on the savings to their customers or to put the extra money back into the business, but he said: “I’m going to use it to not have to raise my prices.”

Owner of St Albans deli Fleetville Larder, Ed Bevin said he was unsure at first, but has also decided to keep the windfall.

“I’m going to be sticking

with my prices and putting the extra turnover back into the business,” he said. “If I cut my prices then put them back up, people will see it as a rise, so it’s not worth it. In a way, it’s offsetting the costs of not being able to have many covers in.”

Unsure whether to sign up for the ‘Eat Out To Help Out’ scheme, he said: “I’m not doing much food at the minute and I’d be fronting the cost and having to do the extra paperwork.”

DOWN ON THE FARM Lincolnshire farm shop Uncle Henry’s is set to unveil a giant five-acre maize maze attraction, which features a special design that pays tribute to the NHS. Open seven days a week, this year’s version of the shop’s maze is part of a number of new attractions at the site, which has also secured accreditation from Visit England’s “We’re Good to Go” scheme. unclehenrys.co.uk Stretton Hall Farm Shop in Chesterfield decided to take on a massive project during lockdown and has very recently reopened its doors.

With a dog-friendly outdoor seating area, Stretton hall is welcoming customers back for

While extremely happy with the government’s various packages of support, Rob Copley, owner of Farmer Copleys in West Yorkshire and chairman of the Farm Retail Association, questioned the workings of the eat out offer. “The detail behind the scheme is quite hard to understand,” he said.

“With the 50% off offer, how are we going to keep track through our EPOS systems. My EPOS company say they haven’t got a clue at the moment, they’re all scrambling like mad.

“It’s very complicated – it’s half price, only on food, up to a maximum of £10 and only on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. And how do we claim it? I don’t know the figures the government are going to want either.”

Businesses that want to take part in the ‘Eat Out To Help Out’ scheme have to register online. Search for ‘Register your establishment for the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme’ online.

A new Somerset farm shop has opened months ahead of schedule.

With the vision to move towards a zerowaste and ethical future, Freckles and Boo Farm Shop in Binegar stock

Over 91% of Irish Walter Smith Finefood Foods and drink companies has announced the have made progress closure of three stores in the relation to Brexit Midlands.

The preparedness over butcher chain revealed the 12 months, overpast Christmas that its according to a new Denby Village, West report fromand Bord Bia. Bromwich Coventry For Irish companies shops would stop trading, continuing to operate leaving it with 11 outlets – in the of UK, 55% are saidwithin many which that growing sales garden centres. within the UK market will be a priority while the remaining has 45% of Tracklements companies plan on hired Ben Hallam for maintaining sales. This is the role of commercial up from 36% and 41% manager, which includes respectively in 2019. identifying new market opportunities. Hallam joins the Wiltshire-based Food Standards condiment specialist after Scotland 11 years at(FSS) dairyisfirm Yeo encouraging food and Valley. drink businesses north of the border to be alert for potential food crime Health food retailer activity in their supply Planet Organic has chains, itsthe Scottish moved as into hot food Food Crime andand Incidents delivery market Unit (SFCIU) is aware, teamed up with high-end via recent reports, that service Supper, which COVID-19 created a will courierhas a selection factor oritems motivation for of to-go and sushi food crime. from two Central London FSS has a guide on stores. improving fraud resilience for food and drink businesses available on their website.

The latest from farm shops across the country

The NHS-themed maize maze at Uncle Henry’s

refreshments, takeaways and its range of locallysourced produce, gifts, and fresh baked bread and sourdoughs. facebook.com/ strettonhallfarmshop

IN BRIEF

locally sourced produce from the farms and fields of Somerset including meat, dairy, wines and breads. frecklesandboo.co.uk Located in Lytham St Annes, family-run Pemberton’s Farm Shop

sells produce that has been grown, picked, reared or made on their working farm, and, during lockdown, fifth-generation farmer Tom Pemberton came up with a unique way to entertain and stimulate his herd of cows.

His video ‘How to make over 100 cows extremely happy very quickly’ shows his herd’s reaction after he placed a huge scratch brush in their field.

Now viral, Tom’s video on his YouTube channel, Tom Pemberton Farm Life, has been watched, shared and enjoyed by millions. pembertonsfarmshop. co.uk

In association with

Fabulous Farm Shops fabulousfarmshops.co.uk

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August 2020 | Vol.21 Issue 7

Celebrating

ChRiStMaS fantastic

Our range of new flavours and gifts are available to order now.

Contact our Customer Services team on 01538 382020 for more information or sales@cottagedelight.co.uk 4

August 2020 | Vol.21 Issue 7

NEWS

COVID-19 helping some independents to prepare for effects of EU exit

By Greg Pitcher

Canny independent food retailers are using lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic to gear up for the UK’s full exit from the EU at the end of the year.

While COVID-19 continues to dominate dayto-day activities, business owners have been striving to prepare for the end of the Brexit transition period on 31st December.

Bayley & Sage founder Jennie Allen said the business – which consists of eight London delis – is planning for a no-deal Brexit.

“The difficulty with that is trade tariffs,” she said. “With the volume of stock we have been handling during COVID-19, we have taken on a second warehouse. We will fill them both ahead of Brexit.”

As well as talking to suppliers from the Continent, Bayley & Sage has used recent months to build relationships with suppliers closer to home.

“We have sourced a huge amount of new British lines – charcuterie and cheeses,” said Allen. “We are hedging our bets.”

Jen Grimstone-Jones, co-owner of the Berkshire-

STEFANO CUOMO, MACKNADE FINE FOODS, KENT

London deli chain Bayley & Sage has warehousing space that will allow it to stock up before Brexit

issue with our Continental range, I think most of our customers would buy British instead.”

Stefano Cuomo, head of Kent food hall business Macknade Fine Foods, has started filling out documentation to assist the company’s transport agency with anticipated border protocols from 1st January.

“Everything has to be specified into product types and have correct numbers on them,” he said. “An extra layer of information is required.”

Cuomo believes the impact of the coronavirus has helped retailers prepare for the choppy waters of Brexit.

based Cheese Etc. The Pangbourne Cheese Shop, has also held talks with suppliers from mainland Europe.

“We tend to work with really small, specialist importers and they all seem to be confident that they will continue to be able to supply us,” she said.

Although she anticipates a price hike on produce from mainland Europe if a no trade deal is agreed, Grimstone-Jones hopes direct purchases from British cheesemakers will soften this blow.

“Since we took over the shop, we have expanded our range of British cheeses,” she said. “If we had an

“Since COVID-19, we’re having to be clear on our margin. We are much tighter as a business. We are not going to stock products that won’t sell at the right price.”

During the pandemic, with so many leisure pursuits closed to people, Cuomo said the atmosphere offered by independent retailers had been key to attracting shoppers.

“Customer relationships have grown in strength,” he said. “If we can’t get as much product during Brexit, or prices increase, we can reduce our range and curate it more effectively, deliver an experience and maintain revenue and margins.”

Explained: What stage Brexit is at now processes.

British Independent Retailers Association chief executive Andrew Goodacre said: “If I was a food retailer, I would be making sure my supply chain was robust. Will it be frictionless, and is any inflation coming through it?”

Goodacre added that the pandemic made the UK’s exit from the EU even more worrying.

“We are about to head into a recession so people will be very wary of prices going up,” he said. “We could well be in the midst of a second wave of

Adam Fagen

The UK officially left the EU earlier this year but effectively remains part of the union in trade terms until New Year’s Eve. Talks to agree a new deal for 2021 and beyond ended a day early in July amid reports of a deadlock.

If an agreement can’t be reached over the coming months, the UK could end up trading with EU countries next year on terms dictated by the World Trade Organisation.

This would mean a raft of product-specific import tariffs applied at borders – as well as the potential for additional checks and

HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT THE UK FULLY LEAVING THE EU?

COVID-19 in January, and the last thing we need is another disruptor in the market in the form of a disjointed Brexit.”

He called for clear messages from ministers

well before the end of the transition period.

“During the pandemic, we have had clear direction from the government – we all knew to stay at home, save lives, stay 2m apart.

We need those kind of guidelines to businesses if there are changes to the way goods are moving between Britain and Europe.”

“Because of the disrupted world we now live in, is there the negative perception about Brexit coming, or has Covid dealt that blow already? The idea of a supply chain not being straight forward has been understood.

Customers are more accepting and we are more agile.”

JEN GRIMSTONEJONES, CO-OWNER, CHEESE ETC. PANGBOURNE

“In a way, Brexit is similar to the pandemic, in that we have no idea how things are going to change from week to week. We are such a small company that we can be very flexible. I think this has helped us react to recent events and it will make it easier for us to cope – whatever Brexit throws at us.”

JENNIE ALLEN, FOUNDER, BAYLEY & SAGE

“The timing in January is much better than when we were going to leave the EU in March. We buy most of our fruit and veg from the southern hemisphere in the winter, and January and February are not far off our quietest months.”

Vol.21 Issue 7 | August 2020

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SHOP TALK HOW WE’VE COPED WITH CORONAVIRUS… MARK KACARY, managing director, The Norfolk Deli, Hunstanton

Given that we are located in a small seaside resort, you’d expect our lockdown experience to be a story of struggles and next to zero footfall.

While the latter is true, we have had our busiest ever May. We believe the secret to this was the speed we were able to react to the situation.

Our café had only been open three months before it had to close because of lockdown. The deli remained open throughout, operating a limited ‘doorway’ service, but what has carried us through has been our ability to adapt and develop our online presence. The week before lockdown we had 3,000 weekly views of our website. At the height of lockdown that went up to 20,000.

I’m from an IT background and when we started the business over six years ago one of our priorities was to have a website that would pay for itself. We partnered with a local website developer who had a flexible back-end system that would allow us to maintain total control over the site.

Because of the way our site had been designed – allowing us to add new items within minutes – when the crisis struck, we were immediately able to expand our online service delivering holiday home hampers. Within the space of an afternoon we had created an entire home delivery service, by adding staples such as bread, flour, pasta, yeast etc. Unlike the supermarkets we were able to turn round an online order to a doorstep delivery within 30–60 minutes. This allowed us to establish a ‘hardcore’ of just under 100 local customers.

Still, that represented a fraction of the online orders we were fulfilling during lockdown, with the vast majority coming from Norfolk’s Online Farmers Market, which we set up two years ago to bring together all the local products you would find at an actual farmers’ market. Over the last three months we have sent out over 1,000 parcels via the site – that is busier than we are at Christmas. We’ve been sending Norfolk hampers, food boxes and cheese boxes across the country. We also launched ‘letterbox cheeses’ that can be posted through people’s letterboxes.

To anyone who is thinking about creating a website for their deli, my advice would be: anything spent on a website that doesn’t generate money is money wasted. By all means, pay someone to build it but maintain ownership of it – if necessary undertake training so that you can update it yourself.

As tourists return to the Norfolk coast, our shop and café have reopened and we intend to maintain those parts of the business. But now, more than ever, we know that it is our website that will keep us going through the peaks and troughs.

Interview: Lynda Searby Photography: Norfolk Deli

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August 2020 | Vol.21 Issue 7

CONFESSIONS OF A DELI OWNER ANONYMOUS TALES FROM BEHIND THE COUNTER PLAN IN JANUARY, order in June, top up at Speciality in September, receive in October, sold out by 4pm on Christmas Eve. That’s Christmas for me. I’ve had Christmases when it feels like all profit, and I’m in the pink. And I’ve had years when I’ve made a loss but Christmas stopped me closing. January to June are my worst months – peppered with highlights like Easter, Summer and Autumn – but Christmas is always awesome.

But this year, I don’t know if anything can save me. I know lots of you guys have had an excellent lockdown, with 70%, 100%, 150% extra trade in some weeks, but many of us haven’t. I’m OK now but the annual figures are bloody awful.

So the annual lifeline that is Christmas is more important to me now than in any other year I have traded, and I don’t know what to do.

Lots of people are telling me the social distancing rules will still be around, that the old folks will still be locked in their home, and the annual gatherings won’t happen. And there are going to be a LOT of people out of jobs.

News out today said unemployment was up

MODEL RETAILING CHRISTMAS PAST

The annual lifeline that is Christmas is more important to me now than in any other year 126% since January. That’s a lot of people not spending.

Others are saying Christmas will be party time, a two-week winter festival of binging. It has been a rubbish year, COVID will be toast and we will be putting out 2020 with the bottles for recycling come New Year. In this scenario, food will be the big winner.

I have so many questions. Have I got the

right offer on my online shop? What hampers can I sell as click & collect? Zoom cheeseboards, anyone?

The most pressing question is: Do I go big on my ordering and attempt to recoup my losses or play it down and keep a low profile until times are improved. The idea of weathering January to Easter next year without a buffer in the bank makes me want to shut up shop now.

Going big has to be the route. But that means spending loads when my cashflow is shot and my creditors are running longer than in any other year in my shop’s history.

Think about this. I owed one wholesaler £600 but made the point to them that it’s a relatively small amount and Christmas is coming soon. Think how many retailers are saying that to them, though. And then think about how many suppliers that business needs to pay.

So, we all need a big Christmas.

I’ve paid that debt now, but there’s still a few grand owed which makes me afraid of the telephone ringing. At least, the team know to say I am busy – trying to answer the question of how much to spend this Christmas.

SOLVING EVERYDAY SHOPKEEPING DILEMMAS. IN MINIATURE.

CHRISTMAS (ALMOST) PRESENT

Another barrow-load of deli goods for you, my lad!

Please sir, can we have some more?

What would you like to eat this Christmas?

I’m more concerned about the macroeconomic situation, global health security, the UK job market, the second wave, post-Brexit trade tariffs, the new normal…

FFD says: Preparing for the festive season has never been easy but now even experienced retailers are wondering what they should be getting in and how much of it to order in advance.

There are so many factors causing insecurity at the moment and there isn’t a simple solution to this dilemma. The one certainty is that Christmas is coming. You can’t defer it and it’s so vital to every independent’s success that you need to be forming some kind of plan – even if your customers are preoccupied with other things. editorial@gff.co.uk

With kind permission of Geobra Brandstätter Stiftung & Co. KG, Germany. PLAYMOBIL is a registered trademark of Geobra Brandstätter Stiftung & Co. KG, for which also the displayed PLAYMOBIL toy figures are protected.

Vol.21 Issue 7 | August 2020

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SHOP TALK

THE DELI DOCTOR Paul Thomas Technical and regulatory advice from the Guild’s deli helpline Q: The EHO has suggested that my staff should be trained on allergen awareness. Is this necessary and, if so, where can we do this?

A: Annex II of Regulation (EU)1169/2011 lists 14 allergens which must be declared to the consumer. These include cereals containing gluten; crustaceans; eggs; fish; peanuts; soybeans; milk; nuts; celery; mustard; sesame seeds; sulphur dioxide and sulphites at concentrations of more than 10 mg/kg; lupin; and molluscs.

The regulation, which has been covered in previous Deli Doctor columns, describes specific rules over allergen declarations on pre-packed foods as well as information which should be provided to customers in a retail or food service environment.

In order to ensure a high level of consumer protection, it is important that staff are trained to identify allergenic foods, prevent crosscontamination and to communicate accurate information to the customer. Food recalls due to undeclared allergens are frequently reported in alerts published by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Expert’s eye RH AMAR’S CHAIRMAN HENRY AMAR REFLECTS ON 60 YEARS IN THE BUSINESS OF FINE FOOD I’ve just celebrated my 60th year with the business started by my father in 1945, and there is no doubt in my mind that we owe our success to the endurance of the fine food sector.

Shortly before I joined, my father realised that speciality food – rather than mainstream grocery – offered the best chance of survival to a small, under-capitalised company trying to carve out a name for itself in the grim aftermath of the Second World War. The move was inspired because, in the decades that followed, greater affluence, foreign travel and media coverage hugely improved the quality of Britain’s food. I relished the enthusiasm with which our customers embraced the exciting delicacies which we sourced from all over Europe and beyond.

Our objective was, and continues to be, to offer products which are simple, wholesome, affordable and of exceptional quality, and this explains why today our portfolio includes brands such as Cooks&Co, Mutti, Crespo, and Kikkoman.

Playing a part in changing Britain’s eating 12

August 2020 | Vol.21 Issue 7

To ensure a high level of consumer protection, it is important that staff are trained to identify allergenic foods There are numerous allergen control and awareness courses listed with training providers across the country, with some available online, however the FSA provides a free online course in English and Welsh. The course is primarily aimed at Environmental Health Officers but will also be of interest to food business operators. It is also available on the Food Standards Scotland website.

This course comprises six modules which cover current and new legislation, the effects of allergens on the body as well as rules and best-practice guidance on product labelling and communicating food information to the customer.

Understanding of the learning material is assessed using several short online tests and, upon completion, a CPD certificate can be downloaded to document the training of your staff.

The FSA course can be found at allergytraining. food.gov.ukGuidance-for-Food-Businesses Dairy and food safety specialist Paul Thomas runs the Guild’s e-helpline for retailers with technical or regulatory queries.

Send your questions to myguild@gff.co.uk

habits has also provided me with a most enjoyable working life. And there have, of course, been bumps along the way – four brutal recessions, the devaluation of sterling and occasionally some unhelpful legislation are just some of the things that our business has had to contend with in the 75 years since we started, and most recently there has been COVID-19.

The pandemic has dramatically affected some parts of our business. Overnight our foodservice business collapsed, leaving us with shed-loads of unsaleable stock. But, at the same time, there was a corresponding surge in demand for our retail products. This was largely due to consumers buying from local shops, and to that endearing British habit of buying something nice to eat when times are hard. As a result, in the first six months of 2020 our sales through the speciality wholesale channel were 85% higher than the same period the previous year.

I believe the lessons we have learned during the pandemic offer the clue to surviving the next big challenge, which is Brexit. Many will disagree with me, but I see in Brexit real dangers, such as damaged supply chains, higher prices and lower food standards.

Nevertheless, COVID-19 has taught us that consumers value reputable brands, sensibly priced, which never compromise on quality. If the next generation in our businesses stick to these guidelines in the recession – which must inevitably be coming – I am confident that the speciality food sector can weather yet another storm.

THE DEBATE… … ON NEW GOVERNMENT RULES THAT REQUIRE CUSTOMERS TO WEAR MASKS IN SHOPS “Sadly, sales assistants, cashiers and security guards have suffered disproportionately in this crisis. The death rate of sales and retail assistants is 75% higher amongst men and 60% higher amongst women than in the general population. There is also evidence that face coverings increase confidence in people to shop.”

MATT HANCOCK MP, HEALTH SECRETARY

“Where do you stand if you’re a mix of retail and café? My customers who are sat in the corner drinking their coffee – do they need to wear a mask too?”

ED BEVIN, OWNER,

THE FLEETVILLE LARDER, ST ALBANS

“The main hope from the decision is that it will raise customer confidence levels and, anecdotally from some research we are carrying out currently, we are hearing that it’s about a 50-50 split.”

RICHARD KNIGHT, INSIGHT6

“There’s a dichotomy for me. Let’s say I go to London today. I get on the train in the morning and have to wear a face covering. I visit five shops and wear a covering. But then I’m going to sit down in a restaurant, which is equally dense with people, and I don’t wear a face covering.”

SCOTT WINSTON, CO-FOUNDER, THE CAMDEN GROCER, LONDON

“I would say 50% of our customers are wearing masks and it’s mainly elderly people. The main thing, if people want to wear them, is that they feel safe and it’s positive if they’re coming out. We’re not sampling at the moment and the interaction is fine – you can still talk through them.”

JOHNNY MCDOWELL, CO-OWNER, INDIE FÜDE, COMBER, NORTHERN IRELAND

Farm ➡ Market ➡ Table

Le Gruyère AOP Switzerland - a centuries-old tradition of artisanal cheesemaking.

Gruyère AOP was born in Switzerland in 1115 AD, and our milk producers, cheesemakers and affineurs have followed the same recipe, protocols and procedures ever since. This is how we can maintain the quality and flavour that has been trusted for generations. For artisans such as ours, this is what matters above all.

This traditional recipe and the care that goes into every wheel makes Gruyère AOP the finest choice for your customers.

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For more information and some great recipes, please visit us at gruyere.com

Thank You, Grocery Industry Heroes!

AOP = PDO (Protected Designation of Origin)

Switzerland. Naturally.

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August 2020 | Vol.21 Issue 7

Cheeses from Switzerland. www.cheesesfromswitzerland.com

Perfect Cheeses for a Festive Feast Home of our famous Brie, Rustic and Ticklemore cheeses, handcrafted with milk from our own herd of Jersey cows, along with goats’ and ewes’ milk from our West Country neighbours.

Essential Devon Cheese Board

• 01803 732600 • info@sharphamcheese.co.uk @sharphamcheese 14

August 2020 | Vol.21 Issue 7

CHEESEWIRE

news & views from the cheese counter

By Patrick McGuigan

Cheesemongers are gearing up for a huge surge in online Christmas cheese orders as changes to shopping patterns caused by the coronavirus crisis look set to continue.

Internet sales of cheese increased around ten-fold during the lockdown period, according to cheesemongers contacted by FFD, as people struggled to buy food from supermarkets. The trend has continued, even as lockdown is relaxed, with retailers now preparing for a bumper online Christmas, especially if social distancing rules continue.

“Online cheese sales have been moved forward by years during this period,” said Paxton & Whitfield’s head of operations, James Rutter.

“Customers that didn’t feel comfortable or would never have thought of buying cheese online are now much more willing to do so.”

Paxtons has launched several new Christmas cheese-tasting experiences that can be ordered online and for families to try at home or over Zoom. It is also looking to increase mailorder fulfilment capacity at its Bourton-on-the-Water site ahead of Christmas.

“How do we make more space for picking and packing?

Do we need to outsource ambient storage to do that? Do we need new refrigeration so we can carry more cheeses? These are the questions we’re working through,” said Rutter.

The Fine Cheese Co is also looking at ways of increasing capacity for mail order. “We’ve

Boxed selections, like this tasting experience set supplied by Paxton & Whitfield, have been developed in response to big increases in online sales

had 14 weeks of increased online sales, but at Christmas everyone wants it on 22nd December,” said cheese care manager Ruth Raskin. “We can’t expand the space, so we’re looking at more and staggered shifts. This could be the year we finally do night shifts.”

To help streamline cutting and wrapping, the company will also encourage shoppers to buy selection boxes rather than ordering individual cheeses.

Scottish cheesemonger George Mewes said he planned to rationalise his range to help meet increased online Christmas orders. “We’ve picked up lots of new online customers through this period, so we’ll scale the selection back slightly to popular cheeses,” he said. “It helps us with wastage, rotation and packing.”

All the cheesemongers contacted by FFD were confident that Christmas sales would be good despite concerns about the economy.

“Christmas could be a bumper one,” said Rhuaridh Buchanan of Buchanans Cheesemonger. “It could be the first time families have got together at the end of a hard year. The feeling could be, ‘We’ve made it through all this, so let’s have a spanking Christmas’.”

NEWS IN BRIEF The International Cheese & Dairy Awards is moving to the Staffordshire County Showground next year, ending a relationship with the Nantwich Agricultural Society that stretches back to 1897. “The time is right to move to a larger weatherproof site that is sustainable, has robust agricultural links and protects our sponsor and exhibitor investment,” said chairman Ian Luxton.

A new grass-fed standard and logo for Irish dairy products has been introduced by the country’s food board Bord Bia. To meet the standard, Irish dairy herds need a diet that is a minimum of 90% grass.

The Chuckling Cheese Shop in Skegness was one of 100 small businesses to win free advertising on Sky as part of a competition run by the TV station. The shop’s 30-second ad was shown on Sky throughout last month.

West Sussex-based High Weald Dairy has developed a new aged version of its ricotta to deal with a surplus during lockdown. The company has seen a sharp rise in demand for its halloumi, which has meant increased production of ricotta – a fresh, short-shelf-life cheese created by heating the halloumi whey.

The new organic Ricotta Salata, made with cows’ and sheep’s whey, is pressed, dried and salted – so has a much longer shelf life of over three months and can be grated on salads and pasta.

Nick Hook

Retailers preparing for surge in online cheese sales at Christmas

THREE WAYS WITH...

Sparkenhoe Blue

Jo and David Clarke’s son Will began developing this raw milk blue, which is made in a similar way to Stilton, in 2017 to sit alongside the Leicestershire Handmade Cheese Co’s famous Sparkenhoe Red Leicester. Curds are hand-ladled and the cheese is matured for around 14 weeks, until it has a dense texture and rich, savoury flavour.

Madeira Ruby or tawny Ports are the obvious choice for Stiltonstyle cheeses, but there’s a freshness to Boal Madeira that helps lift the chewy, almost fudgey Sparkenhoe Blue. Barbeito’s five year-old Boal has plenty of raisiny sweetness and at 19% ABV has enough body to work with the robust blue, but it also has a refreshing acidity that lifts the whole experience in a way that Port wouldn’t.

Honey and coffee Chef Skye Gyngell at Spring restaurant loves to serve Stichelton with honeycomb and a sprinkle of freshly ground coffee – a ‘recipe’ that works just as well with Sparkenhoe Blue. A drizzle of clear, delicately flavoured acacia honey brings a contrasting sweetness to the salty cheese, while a tiny pinch of Peruvian ground coffee adds subtle hints of dark chocolate bitterness.

Paprika walnuts Walnuts and blue cheese are a classic for a reason. The crunch of the nuts break up the creamy cheese, while their bitterness picks up on the tang of the blue mould. But by candying the nuts in butter and sugar with a dash of paprika, you bring in lovely sweet, spicy notes that echo similar flavours in the cheese.

Vol.21 Issue 7 | August 2020

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CHEESEWIRE

news & views from the cheese counter

Online and freezers help overcome 30-tonne Cornish Blue backlog

Owen Davies, Tŷ Caws, Cardiff

By Patrick McGuigan

The Cornish Cheese Company has been forced to freeze its award-winning blue cheese and sell it at below cost price to clear a 30-tonne back-log caused by the Coronavirus crisis.

The company was holding around £300,000 worth of Cornish Blue when the lockdown was implemented and orders collapsed.

While direct online sales helped clear some of the cheese, the company still had around 10 tonnes left in June prompting it to dramatically cut prices and freeze cheese before it went out of date.

Cornish Blue, which was named Supreme Champion at the World Cheese Awards in 2010, normally retails for £24 per kilo, but the company cut its price online to £16 per kilo and was then forced to sell mature cheese at £6 per kilo (5kg bags for £30).

It also teamed up with waste food app Too Good To Go, which has 2.8 million users in the UK, offering subscribers a

CHEESE IN PROFILE with Red Leicester What’s the story?

Formerly known as ‘Leicester’ or ‘Leicestershire cheese’, the traditional hard pressed cheese Red Leicester has no name protection, so there are many factory-made block

The Cornish Cheese Co was holding £300,000-worth of Cornish Blue when COVID-19 forced the UK into lockdown

‘magic bag’ containing 1kg of cheese for £8, which could be collected from the farm near Liskeard.

“Without the internet we would have been up the creek without a paddle because there was no other outlet for our cheese for six to eight weeks,” said owner Phil Stansfield. “We were in despair and thought we’d never get rid of all it, but

versions produced across the UK and matured in plastic. Traditional clothbound Red Leicester production was revived in 2006 when David and Jo Clarke started making cheese on their family farm in Upton, South West Leicestershire.

Prior to this, traditional Red Leicester was made on many of the farms in Leicester that were also producing Stilton until production died out after the Second World War. Milk: Cow’s milk. Pasteurised or raw, depending on the cheesemaker.

How is it made?

Sparkenhoe Red Leicester, named

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CALLING ALL CHEESEMONGERS

we’re down to the last couple of tonnes now. If you work at it, there are always ways and means.”

The decision to cut prices so dramatically was not taken lightly, he added. “There is a danger that the public get used to low prices, but I think they were sympathetic to our situation and understood it was an exceptional time.”

after the Clarkes’ farm, is made from the previous day’s unpasteurised milk using traditional animal rennet and the natural dried plant seed colourant annatto. The annatto gives the cheese its distinctive bright orange colour, and is a tradition from the 17th century used to dye the cheese, originally to set it apart from other cheeses such as cheddar – and

Previously the artisan cheese buyer at Harvey & Brockless, Owen Davies knows how to wrap a piece of cheese. But he’s had to rethink things at his new business during lockdown to meet a huge surge in online orders.

“We still cut fresh every day, but it’s about being more efficient, making sure you are cutting one cheese at a time for multiple orders, and trying to keep wedge sizes consistent,” he says. “When we started, customers chose the weight they wanted, but now we offer set sizes, which helps with cutting and wastage.”

The company has also developed cheese selection boxes and is planning a monthly cheese club, all with standardised wedges, while Davies is investigating cutting templates and even semi-automatic machines. “We do everything by wire, but there are alternatives.”

Tŷ Caws has also bought in pre-packed wedges from cheesemakers, but has found customers prefer hand-wrapped cheeses.

“They like to see the waxed paper with our brand on it,” says Davies.

to imply that all cheese was made with rich summer milk! The cheese is made in huge, flat 10kg or 20kg wheels, clothbound and matured for 3-12 months. At Sparkenhoe, it is matured on beech shelves.

Variations: None

Appearance & texture: Famous across the world for its bright orange colour, the cheese is firm and dense, yet crumblier than cheddar. It is mellow in flavour, nutty and savoury with a citrus finish.

Chef’s recommendation: Looks stunning on any cheeseboard and is delicious paired with a bitter or amber ale. Use instead of cheddar to add extra colour to dishes.

Cheesemonger tip: Although well known in the UK, Red Leicester’s distinctive colour is super intriguing to international visitors. Make sure it is prominent in the counter and be ready to offer up a taste and explain the natural origins of its colour.

Whether you have a professional or personal interest in cheese, the Academy of Cheese is a not-for-profit organisation, providing a comprehensive industry recognised certification. Level One courses are available across the UK. Visit academyofcheese.org to start your journey to Master of Cheese.

New Kaltbach Cave-Aged Swiss Gouda Introducing our newest member of the Kaltbach family of cheeses, our Cave-Aged Swiss Gouda.

Aged for six months, this cheese has a dark brown rustic rind and a flavour of nutty caramel with a slight pear finish.

Pair with a dark floral honey or peach jam to enhance the sweet flavours in the cheese.

Refined by Cave and Master

For more information visit www.emmi-kaltbach.com/international or contact info.uk@emmi.com Vol.21 Issue 7 | August 2020

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Fine Food meet fine packaging.

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

APPLEBYS OF HAWKSTONE 1.4_GREAT BRITISH FOOD 17/01/2018 15:36 Page 1 One ofFOOD the most local farm produced cheeses to London APPLEBYS OF HAWKSTONE 1.4_GREAT BRITISH 17/01/2018 15:36 Page 1 cheeses One of the most local farm produced to London

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Digital 18

August 2020 | Vol.21 Issue 7

email: dairy@applebyscheese.co.uk | 01948 840221 For more information please contact us either by email or by phone.

CHEESEWIRE

news and views from the cheese counter

We had three days of despair and then started finding ways of working within it

It takes all sorts How a retailer, wholesaler and cheesemaker came together to open a Manchester shop during a pandemic

CROSS

SECTION

Brefu Bach 1

While Kirkham’s Lancashire is obviously the ‘go to’ cheese at Chorlton Cheesemongers, Hallam is also a big fan of Brefu Bach (Little Bleat).

The soft, wrinkly rinded sheep’s milk cheese is made by Carrie Rimes of Cosyn Cymru near Snowdonia in nearby Wales.

2

3

Rimes delivers the unpasteurised cheese to the shop at just a few days old, where it is collected by the Neal’s Yard’s delivery van on its rounds and is taken back to Bermondsey for maturing. It is then returned to the shop at three-to-six weeks once it has developed its vermiculated geotrichum rind. The shop is used in this way as a kind of cross-docking station by other soft cheesemakers in the region, supplying Neal’s Yard.

Neal’s Yard Dairy

COURAGEOUS, CRAZY OR THE ULTIMATE ENTREPRENEUR? Chris Hallam could be described as all three after opening Chorlton Cheesemongers in the middle of a pandemic.

“We signed the lease on 16th March and then lockdown came,” he says. “We had three days of despair and then started finding ways of working within it.”

The shop opened in the Manchester suburb of Chorlton-cum-Hardy during April, with social distancing measures and a hastily devised local delivery service in place. And remarkably, people started queueing to get in and the orders rolled in online. Sales were not just good, but actually double what was forecast.

A 30-year career working in theatre helped, says Hallam, with the shop quickly evolving and changing just like a stage production does before a first performance. “Theatre is all about flexibility and adapting,” he says.

Hallam was also aided by the fact that the shop is a joint-venture with Neal’s Yard Dairy and Kirkham’s Lancashire – two very experienced cheese operators. He had previously worked for both as a cheesemonger “We could have done it without them, but it wouldn’t have been on the same level,” he says.

“And I might not have had the confidence without their backing.”

With its bare-brick walls, shelves full of cloth-bound Lancashires and an open counter stacked with farmhouse cheeses, Chorlton Cheesemongers bears a passing resemblance to a Neal’s Yard shop, but is no carbon copy thanks to a distinctive green colour scheme.

It’s not the first time Neal’s Yard has invested in a shop outside London, either. Jericho Cheese Company in Oxford is a joint-venture with former Neal’s Yarder Adam Verlander.

“To open new shops ourselves and have them further away, with a cookie-cutter approach, just wouldn’t work,” says Jason Hinds, Neal’s Yard’s sales director. “But we like the joint venture model because it supports our mission of supporting British cheese. We can bring support, not just financially, but in areas such as quality assurance, IT, human resources and accounting.”

Key to the model, he adds, is that the “managing partner” has a significant financial stake in the business. “It’s them, as the champion behind the counter, that makes it work.”

For Graham Kirkham, retail has proved a lifeline during the crisis when sales died overnight as restaurants closed. As well as Chorlton, the cheesemaker also set up his own farm shop.

“People’s shopping habits have changed during this period,” says Kirkham. “I think we’ll see more cheesemakers opening shops.”

Neal’s Yard is thinking along similar lines with another shop in London a real possibility.

“There are going to be some interesting opportunities in the next year or two in terms of sites with reasonable rents,” says Hinds. “Unless landlords want charity shops or empty shops, they are going to have to be more realistic in terms of rents. And food shops bring energy and people to the high street.”

There’s plenty of energy in Chorlton, where trade continues to be brisk. Customers regularly tell Hallam they feel safer and get more enjoyment from shopping with him than at supermarkets.

“Being a cheesemonger and dealing with people is about performance,” he says. “A lot of what I was doing in theatre was about stories, reconnecting audiences to things that were simpler and emotive. Food does that too.” chorltoncheesemongers.co.uk

The texture is light and fluffy at the core with a silky breakdown just beneath the rind. “It reminds me of chocolate mousse,” says Hallam. The flavour takes in fresh cream, honey and bright lemony notes.

Vol.21 Issue 7 | August 2020

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w ne Enrobed in pure white wax, Truffle Trove™ is the luxurious combination of exquisite Black Summer Truffles sourced from the Italian region of Marche with expertly graded and carefully crafted Extra Mature Cheddar, produced in North Wales. The result is an unrivalled aroma which delivers a perfectly balanced flavour on the palate with undertones of wild mushroom, earthy hazelnut and notes of garlic.

The UK’s ‘Most Loved Speciality Cheese Brand’* *As voted in Fine Food Digest survey

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TRUFFLE TROVE

TM

Extra Mature Cheddar with Black Summer Truffle

Pairings Perfect with Pinot Noir or a Dry Sparkling White such as Champagne.

A star attraction for any cheese board, serve with Fig & Apple Chutney, plain crackers or crusty sourdough bread.

Recipe Inspiration Mushroom Risotto with Truffle Trove™ Finely grate 120g of Truffle Trove™ over a Mushroom Risotto and serve with a delicious Baby Spinach & Tomato Salad.

Black Summer Truffles (Tuber aestivum Vitt.)

Our Black Summer Truffles grow in the Italian region of Marche, amongst the oaks, holms and hazelnut woods, 20-30cm below the sun-drenched ground.

Truffles have grown in this magnificent environment for centuries and are famous around the world.

The secret art of Truffle hunting is a fascinating activity driven by passion and determination with a mastery of fiercely protected techniques that have been passed down through the generations. Every truffle is unique and precious.

Pack Size: 6x150g | Dimensions (approx.) with wax

30mm

35mm

85mm 18

Snowdonia Cheese Company was established in 2001 in Llanwrst on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park in beautiful North Wales.

w/out wax

August 2020 | Vol.21 Issue 7

80mm

Our cheeses and chutneys are still manufactured in North Wales, an area of outstanding natural beauty, with rugged mountains, deep valleys and fresh sea air.

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CATEGORY FOCUS

Finding the threads 24

August 2020 | Vol.21 Issue 7

soft drinks Available via Atlantico UK, this rustic ceramic jar filled with wild lavender honey would work well as a gifting option. It is produced by Serramel, a family business that has been bee-keeping in Portugal for 120 years.

The light coloured and delicate honey is extracted from hives surrounded by vast areas of wild lavender (Lavandula stoechas). serramel.com

For organic versions of Christmas classics, Roots & Wings has the full complement, including mince pies, Christmas puddings, Christmas cake, cranberry sauce with orange & spices, and redcurrant Sauce with Port. Mince pies and Christmas puds are available in mini sizes too, with RRPs of £5.99 for 12 mince pies (300g in total) and £2.85 for a 100g pudding. rootsandwingsorganic. com

Seed and Bean’s Christmas collection includes a cracker (containing four dark chocolate mini bars), Botanical and Favourites four-bar gift sets and carton canisters of dark chocolate flaked and hazelnut truffles.

The chocolate brand has made its name by creating bars that blend Fairtrade, organic cocoa beans with English botanicals and uses recyclable packaging, including a fullycompostable inner foil. seedandbean.co.uk

MilkBeef sausages will launch in caramelised onion & cracked black pepper, garlic & thyme, and MilkBeef & mustard varieties in the run-up to Christmas, providing a new seasonal meat option for ethical and health-conscious shoppers. Reared on Manor Farm, Twyford, MilkBeef is so called because the animal spends its whole life suckling on its mother’s milk while free-ranging at pasture. milkbeef.co.uk

London Tea Company’s pyramid gifting tins and Cafedirect’s Christmas blend are two of the seasonal gifting options that distributor RH Amar is launching this Christmas.

The tea tins (RRP £7.95) are available in three blends: The Early Bird (London breakfast), The Guvnor (earl grey) and The Tea-Totaller (jasmine green), while the coffee (RRP £4.99) features notes of chocolate and spices. rhamar.com

Catering for growing demand for free-from gifting is Booja-Booja, with its new eight-box of vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free chocolate truffles (RRP £4.99; case price £24.96 for 8 units). The selection features four of BoojaBooja’s best-selling truffle flavours: Almond Salted Caramel, Around Midnight Espresso, Hazelnut Crunch, and Fine De Champagne. boojabooja.com

Stroodles Pasta Straws can add a sustainable spin to Christmas drinks parties, providing a more durable, biodegradable alternative to soggy paper or plastic straws. With an RRP of £2.99 for 40, Stroodles also make a quirky stocking filler or hamper inclusion. stroodles.co.uk

Taylors of Harrogate’s limited edition Christmas Blend is described as a “warming and indulgent ground coffee with notes of milk chocolate and hazelnuts” that is ideal for enjoying in a cafetière. The blend has an RRP of £3.79 for 227g. taylorsofharrogate.co.uk

Adlington might be best known for its turkey and poultry, but the third-generation farming business also does an oak-smoked, free-range ham, produced according to the same ‘slow’ principles, from pork reared on a family farm in Cheshire. RRP is £1.98/100g. adlingtonltd.com

From gifting items through to delicacies for the festive table, our annual Christmas feature has a plethora of new lines for retailers looking to begin stocking up.

But – because this has been a year like no other – we’ve also canvassed retailers about how they are preparing for the festive season and sought some expert advice on how indies can up their game for December, despite the obvious challenges ahead.

Compiled by Lynda Searby, Tom Dale and Michael Lane

Vol.21 Issue 7 | August 2020

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>>

christmas

The Fine Cheese Co has unveiled a Christmas collection that takes in savoury and sweet biscuits and crackers under its own Miller’s and The Fine Cheese Co labels, as well as sweet cream waferini from Babbi in Italy.

Under The Fine Cheese Co brand, there is a new cranberry & sour cherry cracker for blues and goats’ milk cheeses (RRP £2.80); an all-butter wheat, spelt & wholemeal cracker selection (RRP £8); a Heritage selection (RRP £7.60); and a flavoured cracker selection box (RRP £7.70). For lovers of Miller’s biscuits, the Best of Miller’s Crackers for Cheese Selection box contains favourites such as Miller’s Damsel Buttermilk (RRP £5.80). Then, on the sweet side, elegantly presented Babbi Waferini are available with three fillings: hazelnut, chocolate, and pistachio (RRP £13.70 for 190g). finecheese.co.uk

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As well as introducing a Mini 120g Christmas pudding, Carved Angel has increased the gifting appeal of its Christmas puddings by repackaging them in presentation cartons. The puddings come in six flavours (Traditional, apple strudel, whisky cream, double chocolate & cherry, chocolate & ginger, and cranberry & white chocolate), and three sizes (120g, 454, and 908g). RRPs £3.95-£16.95. thecarvedangel.com

This wooden presentation box showcases five olive oils from Spanish producer Campos de Sanaa. The 50ml miniatures enable recipients to try two early harvest extra virgin olive oils, a picual produced in December, and two flavoured oils: one smoked and the other with black truffle essence. RRP is £5565 and Campos de Sanaa is currently on the lookout for a UK distributor. camposdesanaa.com

At Mr Filbert’s, the focus this Christmas is on sharing and World flavours.

Launching in October, the brand’s seasonal snacks include black truffle & sea salt and roast chestnut & chive mixed nuts in 50g and 190g pouches (RRPs £1.95 and £3.95), plus cranberries & orange peanuts and rose harissa peanuts in 800g glass jars (RRP £13.95). mrfilberts.com

Vegan and organic chocolate brand Radek’s has launched a Vegan Truffle Selection Box in three sizes: small (RRP £6.70), medium (RRP £9.10) and large (RRP £17). The truffles tick the organic, gluten-free, palm-oil-free and refined-sugar-free boxes. radekschocolate.co.uk

Cranberry, orange & port chutney (RRP £5), pickled onion chutney (RRP £3.50) and mulled wine jam (RRP £3.50) are some of the festive preserves in the offing at Selworthy Pantry. The Exmoor producer offers various gifting options, from jute bags to hamper baskets. theselworthypantry.com

Light, pillowy cubes of handmade marsh mallow Proving that you can never be too old to enjoy marshmallows or advent calendars, Exmoor producer Grown Up Marshmallows has combined the two. Its advent calendars have a cube of handmade marshmallow behind every window in flavours such as Sicilian lemon, salted peanut & caramel, and raspberry chocolate drizzle. The calendars are also 100% recyclable, with biodegradable trays. grownupmarsh mallows.co.uk

In a twist on the traditional Christmas cracker, Langleys’ has created its own version containing hand-made chocolate Rocky Road. Featuring Cornish ingredients such as Trevethan gin and Cornish sea salt, the Rocky Road is made by chocolatier Amanda Langley in her Newquay workshop. Milk chocolate varieties include: orange, lime & seasalt, gin, Christmas spice, and nonflavoured milk while the dark collection features espresso coffee, Amaretto, and plain dark. The crackers are presented in a gift box of 12 retailing at £30 and with a trade price of £18. So far, they are only sold regionally, via outlets such as Bellamama in Lostwithiel, Trevilley Farm Shop in Newquay, and Darts Farm in Topsham, Devon, but Langleys is keen to expand nationally. langleysrockyroad.co.uk

In a departure from the traditional tartan design, Scottish shortbread baker Dean’s has created a new range of gift tins inspired by the Northern Lights.

Available from August, the Aurora collection takes in three shortbread varieties: pink lemonade, milk chocolate & honeycomb, and salted caramel & apple.

RRP £5.99 for 150g. deans.co.uk

Launching on 1st October, Tracklements’ special edition rhubarb & apple chutney is designed to complement those cold cuts on the Boxing Day table. Available only while stocks last, the sweet-sour accompaniment marries English rhubarb with Bramley apples from Kent. RRP £3.35 for 220g. tracklements.co.uk

D el iv Ne m ery xt d ai nl thro ay an u d gh U ou K t

Grants of Speyside traditional Scottish haggis

Highly acclaimed Great Taste award-winning products from the Highlands of Scotland

Jessie Grant

The Grant family have been making top quality traditional Scottish products for five generations. The Black pudding and Haggis recipes used today were first made by Jessie Grant in the 1890’s

Contact us for more information: 07977 442996 | info@grantsofspeyside.co.uk www.grantsofspeyside.co.uk Vol.21 Issue 7 | August 2020

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03/07/2020 15:09

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christmas Big Spoon has assembled a baking kit that contains all the ingredients needed to make and decorate a triplelayer festive cake at home.

Available in chocolate, lemon, and vanilla flavours, with an RRP of £26, the kit includes recyclable baking tins, baking paper, cake mix, frosting mix, cake board, bunting, tree decorations and a festive stag in a handmade Santa hat. bigspoonbaking.com

The Bay Tree has launched five Christmas gift packs, from the Three Kings trio of savoury pickles and chutneys (RRP £11) to the Jingle Box duo of festive preserves (RRP £10). Other Christmas combos include the Marinade Pack (RRP £8.95), which twins sticky Chinese Sauce with Jerk and Peri Peri Rubs, and the Teatime Treats giftset (RRP £11)., comprising shortbreads, strawberry jam and blueberry & lemon marmajam. thebaytree.co.uk

All handmade according to recipes dating back to 1848

Charles Butler says its festive selection of sweet shop sweets offers something different to the usual jams, chocolates and wine for gifting. Chocolate limes, liquorice & blackcurrant, and fruit drops, with a soft jammy centre, are all handmade according to recipes dating back to 1848 and presented in a Victorian-themed gift box. RRP is £10.99 (3 x 190g); trade price £49.50 for a case of 10. charles-butler.co.uk

Producers in Burren, on the west coast of Ireland, have joined forces to offer hampers that showcase the region’s produce. The Burren Basket brings together St Tola Irish goat’s cheese, smoked Irish organic salmon from the Burren Smokehouse, Gouda from Aillwee Cave, Market House’s black and white pudding, and beetroot chutney from Burren Fine Wine & Food. RRPs start from €50. burrensmokehouse.com

This year sees the return of The Russian Food Company’s chicken, cranberry & walnut Piewich, which scooped first prize in the savoury pies & pastries category of British Baker’s Christmas Stars competition.

This creation from the Sheffield bakery marries Russian-style brioche with a savoury filling that is said to be reminiscent of a Victorian Christmas. RRP is £5.40. russianpies.com

Five alternative cheeses for the festive cheeseboard Andy Swinscoe of The Courtyard Dairy suggests some alternative varieties to carry the Christmas cheeseboard beyond the classic Stilton and cheddar. thecourtyarddairy.co.uk

Holbrook As new as you can get! Renowned cheesemaker Martin Gott bought the Innes goat herd in May as they retired due to coronavirus.

Now, as well as his brilliant sheep’s milk cheese he makes a small range of goats’ cheeses on his farm. Holbrook is named after the inspirational late British cheesemaker Mary Holbrook – Martin carried out his apprenticeship there many years ago. This hard goats’ cheese has the sweet nuttiness of a Manchego, underpinned by a rich herbal note. An excellent story, pedigree and flavour – worth seeking out.

Stonebeck The Hattan family have some of the very last oldfashioned Northern Dairy Shorthorn cattle in the world. These 12 cows are fed and milked only in the summer on their Yorkshire Dales wildflower meadows.

These factors give an unparalleled richness to their cheese. Following old Dales recipe, the cheese has the fresh crumbliness of a Wensleydale but the rich depth of flavour akin to the mountain cheeses of France.

Ashcombe More well-known for his Rollright cheese, David Jowett also makes Ashcombe at Chedworth Farm in Gloucestershire. With echoes of the French cheese Morbier – including the ash line through the middle – it has that supple, yogurty texture and buttery, hazelnut notes. A perfect winter cheese.

Cais na Tire There is a reason this cheese has a pedigree of awards.

But, outside of Southern Ireland it is rarely found. Pity, as it is a delight. Made by Barry and Lorraine on their small farm (100 sheep) in County Tipperary, at six months old it develops rich, toasty and caramel notes as the sweetness of the sheep’s milk starts to display, like the finest aged Pecorino.

Christmas Pudding, gingerbread praline, brandy butter truffle, hazelnut caramel, buttermint cream, and Tudor orange all feature in Lick the Spoon’s 12-piece Christmas collection, which comes in a plastic-free box with an Art Deco design. RRP £12.95, trade price £5.45. lickthespoon.co.uk

The basil, chilli and garlic olive oils in this gift pack from OliveOlive are “fused” rather than “infused”. That means the fresh ingredients are pressed together with the olives. RRP £10 for 3 x 100ml; trade price £7.50. oliveolive.co.uk

Jam Packed Preserves launches its Christmas crackers this month for pre-order during September and delivery from October. Each cracker contains a 45g jar of jam, chutney, marmalade or jelly, and there are six 100% recyclable crackers in a box. Trade price is £15; RRP £25. jampackedpreserves.co.uk

Darling Blue Famous for her Doddington and Berwick Edge cheese, Maggie Maxwell’s blue cheese is little known and made in much smaller quantities. For those who stock it, however, it soon becomes a best seller.

Aged for three months, it is nothing short of outstanding.

It has a firm texture and luxurious biscuity-blue note.

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HOW WE’RE GETTING READY FOR CHRISTMAS...

Because Indie Füde deals direct with smaller suppliers, McDowell and co-owner Laura Bradley are not under any pressure to be placing orders from wholesale catalogues at the moment.

“We’ve built a new They won’t start looking at orders and the customer base throughout volumes needed until October. He says: “It’s this [COVID] and that really flexible right through to the loyalty should middle of December.” extend through to Christmas,” Indie Füde will also not be Johnny McDowell tells FFD. “So We’ve built a going too festive with its offer. we’re planning it the same way we new customer “We try to steer away from things did last year and are fairly confident base throughout like chocolate Santas because we’ll do the same level of trade.”

COVID and that they scare the life out of me and That said, McDowell is waiting loyalty should we have been caught out with to see what happens with spending extend through to them in the past.” on corporate hampers and gifts, Christmas One new thing that McDowell given the potential impact on might introduce this year is private businesses over the next few subscription boxes that can be months. gifted on Christmas Day and then sent out to “We have a large public service workforce people over the course of six or 12 months. in Northern Ireland so the economy is relatively COVID has afforded him the time to explore stable but we’ll see what happens to the private the concept and he hopes that it will be up and sector when furlough comes to an end in running soon.

September and October.” indiefude.com JOHNNY MCDOWELL, CO-OWNER, INDIE FÜDE, NORTHERN IRELAND

PHIL GUNTON, OWNER, H GUNTON, COLCHESTER

distancing is still ongoing we will have four,” he says. “As we will not have any idea whether this will be lifted by then or not, we can’t possibly ascertain what to order. To get the Phil Gunton says he was starting to get same number of customers through the shop Christmas brochures in May with the orders we had in Christmas week last year, wanted by the end of July. But, four at a time would take around given uncertainty about customer two weeks, open 24/7.” numbers, he is concerned that risk Gunton is trying to work out is all on him.

To get the same a plan for late night openings “When we order, they only numbers through and appointment nights, as well have to order what is required the shop we had in as doing more home deliveries for the most part, so no risk to Christmas week and collections, as the shop has themselves of excess stock,” he last year, four at a says. “We on the other hand have been doing them daily during time would take the last four months. to guess what to stock with the around two weeks “One of the other ways we added problem of whether we will are trying to avoid excess stock have anyone in the shop. On many on the 24th December is that lines we only get one chance to order.” we have shied away from many of the goods packaged with Christmas pictures or mentions Gunton says he is not confident that he will of it on the labels,” he says. get the required customer numbers through his doors in December. “During the three weeks “At least we may be able to sell them after Christmas.” to Christmas, we have had anything up to 100 guntons.co.uk people in the shop at any one time. If social

Grasmere Chocolate Cottage makes “intensely zingy” fruit fondants from natural fruit compounds. The fondants are available in strawberry, lemon, raspberry, blueberry, lime, orange, and cherry flavours, in mixed boxes of 12 or 24, with respective RRPs of £13.50 and £23.95. chocolatecottage.co.uk 30

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Not yet on shelf in the UK, these chocolate-coated Macademia Balls from Maison Macolat are on sale in high-end food stores across mainland Europe. There are five flavours – ruby, salted caramel, yogurt, dark chocolate and milk chocolate. RRP €13.50 for a 100g pot. maisonmacolat.com

Weald Smokery says its pre-packed smoked salmon and smoked venison are ideal for Christmas hampers. The producer’s smoked venison, which uses lean haunch cuts, has a texture that is likened to Parma Ham, thanks to a slow, cold-smoking process that gently draws out the moisture. wealdsmokery.co.uk

VAL BERRY, OWNER, HAYLEY & CLIFFORD, LEEDS “Whether or not we have another lockdown and, let’s face it, we might, people have had a really tough time and they’re going to want to treat themselves and treat their families,” says Val Berry, predicting a big festive period.

The deli owner has hopes that the extra customers picked up during lockdown will stick with the business at Christmas and is even hoping that the new habits of these COVID customers will allow her to stock a few different lines. “Our Christmas ambient range is all about gifting and we’re continuing with that, but we are thinking about getting some new lines in that would normally fall in the ‘Christmas grocery’ category, like chestnuts and Christmas puddings, because the demand for grocery items went through the roof during lockdown.”

Hoping to divert some of the extra festive footfall Berry is investing in a new online store to replace the “basic” one set up in response to the huge appetite for deliveries during COVID. “It’s something we had been thinking about anyway, but We’re trying to lockdown forced our plan for something hand and brought it that’s months away forward. But we’re and we don’t know going to turn that what’s going to into a proper online happen next week shop in time for Christmas,” she says.

Not without her reservations, though, Berry has pinned her hopes on a big December after putting in a bumper order this year, roughly 20% bigger than previous years, she says. “We’ve just finished our ordering and we’re banking on it being busy.

And that’s been a nightmare because we’re trying to plan for something which is months away and we don’t know what’s going to happen next week.” haleyandclifford.co.uk

The Oxfordshire-based Anatolian Olive Oil Company has paired two products used in Turkish cooking – Mulberry Syrup and Pomegranate Molasses – in a gift format. It has also given its extra virgin olive oil a Christmas feel with a festive neck and lid tag. anatolianoliveoilcompany. com

Charcuterie newcomer Rebel is gearing up for its first Christmas, supplying high welfare smoked fish and charcuterie in compostable packaging. Sliced & whole salami, sliced whole muscle cuts such as Seaweed Cured Coppa and sliced or whole sides of smoked salmon are among the options. curingrebels.com

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Vol.21 Issue 7 | August 2020

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The Fiasconaro fairytale A journey across Sicily with a classic Christmas cake: Panettone

Blackcurrant & Rum Cake Made especially for gifting by Stag Bakeries

Tel: 01851 702733 sales@stagbakeries.co.uk www.stagbakeries.co.uk

The exciting business adventure of the Fiasconaro Family into High Sicilian Patisserie and the catering industry began during the 1950s, in Castelbuono, right in the heart of the Madonie National Parc.

Three brothers - Fausto, Martino and Nicola – little more than children, in their spare time loved to play with their father at baking and pastry making, mastering the skills bit by bit.

To this day, the Company stands on a legacy of values remained unchanged over the years: craftmanship, careful selection of the raw ingredients, placing people at the core and striving to enhance the gifts of the beloved Sicilian land.

The various ranges of festive cakes (panettone and colomba) represent the Company’s core business and stand out for the painstaking selection of the best Sicilian ingredients which constantly inspire every single creation of Master Baker Nicola Fiasconaro.

And new ideas keep on coming, such as the innovative “Panettone with Rose and Prickly Pear”, the latest creation for Christmas 2020, where the fragrant Rose of the Mediterreanean meets the Prickly Pear, embraced by the finest Sicilian flour.

Call or email us today to find out more about our finest quality products and bespoke services.

01992 804 716 orders@cibosano.co.uk www.cibosano.co.uk www.fiasconaro.com 34

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Old Winchester back in stock!

A very hard 18 month farmhouse cheese which has a distinct nuttiness in flavour and made with vegetarian rennet.

www.lyburncheese.co.uk 01794 399982

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christmas

For Christmas 2020, Frenchbeer Farm is launching a new Mini turkey, bringing the “whole bird experience” to smaller gatherings.

Having produced turkeys on its Dartmoor farm for over 30 years, Frenchbeer has developed a method for rearing a slow-grown 3kg free-range bronze Christmas turkey, which it says has the same taste but on a smaller scale.

“These birds are an old traditional bronze breed, hatched late spring, then reared in the surrounding meadows of our family farm, free to range and forage throughout the summer,” says Frenchbeer’s John Malseed.

The birds are grown to full maturity at six months, then, come December, they are hand plucked, then game hung for seven days.

“This further enhances the flavour and tenderises the meat,” says Malseed.

The turkeys are available to wholesale buyers at £35 each, box-packaged with cooking instructions. RRP £55. frenchbeerfarm.co.uk

There are lots of ethical chocolate brands out there, but Grace Chocolates’ Christmas range has a social purpose that sets it apart from the crowd.

Like all of its chocolates, the producer’s Christmas range is hand-made by women who have been through the Scottish criminal justice system and are choosing to make positive changes in their lives.

New for 2020 are Christmas Pudding Truffles with cinnamon, ground ginger, mixed spice and cloves and Dark Chocolate Lemon Truffles with gold leaf. Both have an RRP of £10 for a box of 8 (trade price £6.30) and there is no minimum order quantity. Other festive lines include solid dark and white chocolate penguins (RRP £3.50; trade price £2.10). gracechocolates.co.uk

Suffolk’s answer to Brie, Fen Farm Dairy’s Truffled Baron Bigod is now carried

by Neal’s Yard Dairy and The Cheese Merchant.

This soft, white, bloomyrind cheese has a smooth golden breakdown and a layer of raw mascarpone infused with black truffle at its centre. Trade price is £28 per 1kg wheel; £9 per baby wheel (RRP £12-£20). fenfarmdairy.co.uk

Spanning both ends of the heat spectrum, Rocketship’s Lunar Module gift pack contains 3 x 145ml bottles of hot sauce made in Norfolk. Solar is a mango & orange mild sauce with ginger, garlic and chilli; Original contains red pepper and habanero chillies; while Supernova – featuring reaper and chocolate habanero chillies – is not for the faint-hearted.

Trade price is £10; RRP £14.50-15. rocketshipsauces.co.uk

Having reinvented the Wagon Wheel biscuit as vegan, gluten-free Round Ups, Derbyshire-based Anandas has created a limited edition Christmas selection box, containing four variations of this revamped classic. The ginger frost, spiced apple, molted mocha and chai caramel all sandwich gelatine-free marshmallow and a gooey centre between two chocolate biscuits, finished in chocolate. RRP £12. anandafoods.co.uk

As ever, Cottage Delight has an extensive Christmas offering. This takes in a number of gift packs centered around preserves, but some of its prettiest lines are on the sweet side. These include a Petit Four selection (RRP £6.99), Deliciously Dipped Snowflake Whirls (butter biscuit sandwiched together with chocolate nougat cream) and Enrobed Honey Marzipan Bites. RRP £4.99 for 10. cottagedelight.co.uk

The Farmer’s Son in Fife has put together a hamper of its best-selling products. With an RRP of £25, the hamper contains 2 x 220g packs of black pudding, 2 x 220g packs of white pudding, 2 x 220g packs of haggis and 2 x 300g packs of Scottish Lorne sausage. thefarmersson.com

Mr T.G Pullin’s Bakery in North Somerset has revamped its mince pie packaging, moving away from plastic to a card tray and sleeve printed on FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified card using vegetable-based inks. RRP for a six-pack is £4.60. pullinsbakery.co.uk

Undertones of wild mushroom, earthy hazelnut and garlic Snowdonia Cheese Company is extending its range with the addition of an indulgent truffle cheese, available from September.

Enrobed in white wax, Truffle Trove combines extra mature cheddar, produced in North Wales, with black summer truffles from Italy’s Marche region, lending undertones of wild mushroom, earthy hazelnut, and garlic. RRP £5 for a 150g truckle. snowdoniacheese. co.uk

Big Bowse has pimped up one of the festive season’s traditional accompaniments through the addition of edible bling. Glitter Berry Cranberry Sauce with a hint of chilli promises to “add a bit of luxe and heat” to the Christmas dinner plate. RRP £4 a jar; trade price £2. bigbowse.com

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FRESH IDEAS FOR

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NEW for 2020 our beautiful Aurora design tins are filled with delicious new shortbread recipes…

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Call or email today! info@thuleventus.co.uk | 01950 477787 www.saltcod.co.uk | @thuleventus 36

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christmas Nutcessity’s festive favourite – Gingerbread Almond Butter – will be joined on-shelf this year by a new nut butter: Organic Coffee & Walnut. Made with Fairtrade coffee beans, this low-carb, low-sugar spread is said to be the perfect pairing for porridge or toasted crumpets. The whole Nutcessity range is vegan, organic, peanut-free and free from added sugar and oil. RRP £5.29-5.99. nutcessity.co.uk

Individually or in gift packs of four pots, Kupkase & Co’s Cake Pots hit the sweet spot as a present for dessert lovers. Almond sponges are baked directly in glass jars, topped with sauces, curds and compotes and finished with a swirl of almond buttercream. They have a 12-day shelf life and an RRP of £4.50 or £19.99 for a gift pack. sweetcakeything.co.uk

Popular at Christmas dolloped on warmed mince pies and Christmas pudding, Cumberland rum butter is a creamy blend of rum, butter and sugar which originated in the 18th century ports of Cumbria during the spice trade.

Grasmere Gingerbread’s take on this regional speciality carries its original 19th century trademark.

Trade price £2; RRP £3.50 - £3.95. grasmeregingerbread. co.uk

In Taiwan, these crispy rolls made from eggs, butter, flour and sugar are traditionally given as a gift and are popular during holidays. While the ingredients are simple, they are cooked in specialised pans. Taiwan-based King of Beards Patisserie has created a range of gifting formats for its egg rolls, from plastic cans (RRP £4.80-7.20) to gift boxes (RRP £12.10-41.80). kingofbeard2018@gmail. com

Yorkshire-based ethical caviar producer KC Caviar is launching a premium grade of the delicacy this Christmas under the DariQus label. This “adult popping candy” is said to have “all the quality of KC regular caviar but with larger eggs which are soft to the pop with a fuller, rounder flavour”. DariQus retails at £595 for 125g (trade price £357). dariqus.com

Conceived with a female audience in mind, Flower & White’s chocolate-covered meringue treats are said to be “light as air, but amazingly indulgent”. One of five Christmas lines from the Shropshire meringue maker, Meringue Baubles (RRP £4.99 for 150g) look as good as they taste, with chocolate coatings of Berry Sparkle, White Chocolate Shimmer and Caramel Gold. flowerandwhite.co.uk

For customers looking to give the gift of olive oil, 0.5l bottles of Nostimon Hemar organic PGI extra virgin olive oil are available in presentation box format. The oil from Laconia, Greece, blends three varieties, dominated by athinolia.

Trade price £8.10 (minimum quantities apply). energaea.com

For “the best roast potatoes you have ever had” or “achieving the perfect glaze on your Christmas ham”, Ossa recommends The Tallow. Sporting a new look, this rendered organic and grass-fed beef fat has an RRP of £7.19 for a 265g jar. ossaorganic.com

This gift pack from Simon’s Table showcases the Norfolk producer’s marmalade themed wares. Containing a 20cl bottle of Marmalade Gin Liqueur and a 227g jar of Seville Orange & Lemon Marmalade, the pack has a trade price of £12.55 (RRP £20-25). simonstable.co.uk

‘Tis the season for preparation Retail expert Richard Knight of customer experience specialists Insight6 extols the virtues of planning and communication in the run up to the most unusual Christmas in a lifetime. insight6.com This year, more than any other year, Christmas is going to be about preparation.

This will be particularly important in the way you set up your store to encourage the confidence of your customers – we still don’t know what’s going to be happening at the end of the year.

Things may have opened up more, but they may have locked down again – so how can you get ready for this in terms of consumer confidence levels?

You need to work with your loyal customer base from now until November to prepare them for coming to you rather than going to the supermarkets. That confidence, or that behaviour pattern, has become interrupted due to COVID, so you need to reinstate a behaviour pattern that will lead them towards readily thinking about your store as the place to go for Christmas.

In practical terms, that means you have to keep asking your customers how they’re feeling, starting now up until the Christmas period, and keep an eye on their confidence levels. What may or may not happen with COVID will affect their confidence, and if you’re aware you are more likely to be able to do something about it that’s beyond the government guidelines.

You have to be able to adjust and react to it and be as agile as possible – and the key thing for that is to be gathering insight. To do this you can ask people in the shop how they are feeling, or, ideally, a ‘visitor checker’; if you have a mailing list, utilise that data and ask people: ‘On your last visit, how confident were you about coming to our store? What was working well for you and what did you think we were missing?’ If you don’t, start getting that data so you can ask these questions!

Surveying your customers can give you a chance to offer ways of interacting with you that may be slightly different from before. Previously, consumers may be thinking of visiting your deli at Christmas to purchase some lovely cheeses, but we don’t know what the economic situation is going to be, so they may need a stronger reason. People’s ability to spend may be greatly reduced.

With that in mind, is your customer base going to be willing to pay your prices, or do you need to stock a broader range of products and price points? Again, though, this comes back to communication – you need to be gathering insights from your customers about how they are feeling about shopping with you.

Again, it’s all about being prepared. When the first lockdown happened, independents had to react quickly, setting up collections, deliveries and e-commerce where they may not have done before. Now, though, is the time to think about whether you will be able to continue those at Christmas should we encounter a second wave, or if the systems you put in place are fit for purpose.

The festive period could bring an extra opportunity as well. Where there is a possibility that people may not be going out, eating out and spending time out of the home with friends and family in big groups, they may be spending time at home in smaller groups. So perhaps your customers will be buying earlier in the Christmas season because they don’t want to risk going out into the wider environment. As it looks like events like office parties are unlikely to happen, I think that key Christmas week may extend back a few weeks. But, again, to understand that you have to ask your customers.

Fortunately, we know that food businesses will be able to be open no matter what, but it’s how you will get your products to your customer. You have the time to prepare, so do it. Even if you’re only offering a stripped back ‘Christmas essential’ range through click and collect, you need to have plans in place now.

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HOW WE’RE GETTING READY FOR CHRISTMAS...

ROB COPLEY, CO-OWNER, FARMER COPLEYS, WEST YORKSHIRE My prediction is that Christmas is going to be big, but not without its challenges.

I believe it’s going to be a big one this year because it looks like we’re heading into a recession, that’s a lot of people’s prediction, and

by December it’s bound to have hit more. And what happens in a recession? People stop buying cars, they stop buying holidays and designer clothes and things, but what they don’t do is skimp at Christmas.

They’ve been pulling their belt in for months and they think, ‘let’s go big, it’s only one day and we’re eating at home’, so it becomes the luxury treat.

The problem we have though is that we have an increase in footfall that we get every Christmas anyway. I think that social distancing is still going to be here in December, but even if things are back to normal, we’re still going to have to take measures as people are still going to be scared.

We’re going to have more people through our doors, so how do we make them comfortable?

The ‘in’ word at the moment is omnichannel; selling online, through click and collect, in store etc to spread your customers out. So we are going to extend our opening hours, do local deliveries because the average transaction value will be so much higher, we’re going to do much more click and collect – it worked really well during lockdown and we’ve invested in software to make it even easier, and we’re going to do

Severn Spots says its British salami and chorizo sticks are ideal stocking fillers. Choose from Truffe, Walnut, Tuscan and Sopresatta salamis or Hot Spot Chorizo, all made from free-range pork. RRP £4.20 for a pack of two (100g); trade price £2.80. severnspots.co.uk 38

August 2020 | Vol.21 Issue 7

two VIP nights a week where our best anything extra we will be able to pick loyalty customers can come and have up at the time. With meat and turkeys, a nice quiet shopping experience, we’re going about the same as last I predict the keeping them out of the way and year but I’m confident we can get some feeling is going to more if we need it and if we sell out, we making them feel special. Also, we be, ‘we’ve had a normally do collection for the three sell out. We are going heavier on gifts crap year, let’s go this year, though. days before Christmas day, but we’re big at Christmas’ extending that to four with timed The main thing we are stocking collection slots. more of this year is party food. Lots It’s all about spreading the of ready-made starters and nibbles. It customers out and making them feel safe. We’ve seems unlikely that Christmas parties are going bought an anti-viral fogging machine which we to be going on this year, so we’re trying to cater use to disinfect the whole place at the end of for people doing more of that at home in smaller every day. groups. I predict the feeling is going to be, We get our Christmas orders in very early – ‘we’ve had a crap year, let’s go big at Christmas’, we put ours in in June this year. I’m happy that and we need to be ready for that.

Broma, the raw cacao chocolate sauce brand, is launching a gift box containing 3 x 250ml sauce pouches and a recipe booklet (RRP £25). The “healthy” chocolate sauce is free from refined sugar, high in fibre and made with single origin raw cacao. bromafoods.com

Northumbrian Pantry is cooking up five festive preserves, ready for launch in September.

Christmas chutney, Boxing Day chutney, cranberry chutney, damson & mulled wine jam, figgy pudding jam, and crab apple jelly all have an RRP of £3.95. northumbrianpantry.com

The Garden Pantry has created six gift packs that target the £20 price point. The Artisan mixed pack and Cocktail, Chilli, BBQ, Cheeseboard, and Breakfast gift sets are all made up from the Norfolk producer’s range of jams, chutneys, sauces and marmalades. thegardenpantry.co.uk

Bradan Orach Scottish smoked salmon is now available in hand-sliced retail packs (RRP £7.99 for 120g) from Loch Fyne Deli. Fillets are hand-cured with sea salt, then cold-smoked in traditional kilns fired by oak shavings from aged malt whisky casks. lochfyne.com

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August 2020 | Vol.21 Issue 7

>>

christmas Can Bech’s Catalunyan condiments, available from Delicioso in the UK, have been designed to enhance rather than overwhelm cheese. Golden apples with pistachios & cinnamon work well with hard cheeses, while raspberries with rose petals & szechuan pepper pair with fresh soft cheeses.

All five varieties come in individual 30g and 70g pots with trade prices of 95p and £1.45 – or in gift packs of three or all five flavours. delicioso.co.uk

Sloane Home’s infused spirits, made, bottled and labelled by hand, are available separately or as part of a hamper packed with handmade treats.

The Lone Stag Cherry Experience hamper (RRP £195), pairs the company’s cherry gin with a pot of cherry ‘frisky fruits’ and matching signature fragrances in a black box tied with a red satin bow. sloanehome.co.uk

Pitched as a thoughtful gift for foodies with a love of travelling, Alfajores are authentic South-American biscuits that have been introduced into the UK this year by Margot & Montañez. Jen Munson-Montañez launched the brand in May this year, using her late grandmother’s recipe to bake the light, shortbread-like biscuits. In addition to the traditional Dulce De Leche version, the producer makes Nutty (hazelnut ganache & pistachio and orange dark chocolate almond), Creamy (dulce de leche & salted caramel) and Fruity (raspberries & white chocolate and lemon & lime) variants. RRP £7.65£7.95 per box. margotandmontanez.com

A sweet and smoky take on a classic bourbon

Having sold direct to consumers for the last five years, Figgy’s Christmas puddings are available to independent retailers for the first time this year.

Hand-made with Somerset Cider Brandy and Hanlon’s Port Stout from Devon, the puddings are available in 800g and 350g sizes for retail, in packaging that features bespoke illustrations from a local artist. figgys.co.uk

Croome Cuisine in Worcestershire has taken the cheesechutney combo to a new level with its latest creation – a waxed truckle of Worcestershire Gold vintage cheddar cheese with its homemade Pershore plum relish at its centre.

“When you cut into the truckle you experience the chutney oozing from the middle – quite an exciting showstopper for any cheeseboard,” says the company’s managing director, Nick Hodgetts.

The new “truckle with a surprise” will be available alongside the cheesemaker’s other Christmas lines, including its cinnamon-dusted Christmas Cake Cheese, which is packed with raisins, sultanas, cherries, apricot and brandy, and a six truckle gift box. croomecuisine.com

Christmas pudding-maker Plum Duff & Stuff has developed a raw chutney made with uncooked vegetables, spices and Somerset cider vinegar with the ‘mother’.

Harley House Chutney has an RRP of £4 for a 340g jar. plumduffandstuff.co.uk

The UK’s oldest cheesemonger, Paxton & Whitfield is offering English Stilton Jars sealed with clarified butter to protect the cheese underneath. The use of the clarified butter (butter from which all milk solids have been removed, resulting in a product with a longer shelf life) gives an extra richness to the cheese that is creamy with a herby tang.

Trade price: £11.75 each in a pack of 6 or £12.75 each.

RRP: £19.50 (250g). paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk

New from Rosebud Preserves for this Christmas is its Fruit for Cheese Gift Box, containing three products to pair with a festive cheeseboard: Apple Butter, Damson Cheese and Pear and Brandy Conserve. Trade price £9.20; RRP £13.95 for 3x113g jars. rosebudpreserves.co.uk

Keepr’s smoked honey bourbon is said to be ideal as a gift for bourbon and whisky fans and for warming winter cocktails like an Old Fashioned or a Bourbon Sour. A sweet and smoky take on a classic bourbon, it is distilled and aged in Florida for 18 months in white oak barrels before being finished at British Honey Company’s distillery in Buckinghamshire, where it is infused with Keepr’s signature pure honey.

Trade price £24; RRP £42. britishhoney.co.uk

Wild and Game has launched three game-packed festive hampers – to feed 2-4 people, 4-6 people and 6-8 people, respectively. They feature pâtés, sausages and game charcuterie.

Trade prices (including delivery) £52-£119; RRP £64-£149.99. wildandgame.co.uk

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christmas British charcuterie producer Capreolus has created a charcuterie sharing platter for two for the festive season. This ready-to-eat ambient pack can be sent as a gift without being chilled, and gives a taster of four award-winning meats and two salamis with a wealth of Great Taste awards between them. RRP £9.57; trade price £6.66. capreolusfinefoods.co.uk

Gluten intolerance sufferers can enjoy a slice of stollen this year thanks to The Free From Bakehouse. True to the German tradition, the London bakery’s gluten-free stollen features pecans, pistachios, dried fruit and a hint of cardamom, with a Lubeca almond marzipan centre. Trade price £1.78 for a mini loaf cake or £4.94 for a sharing loaf. thefreefrombakehouse. com

For Christmas, Ajar Of is making up bespoke two or three jar gift boxes for its retail customers. Spicy Tomato Kasundi Chutney and Carrot Mescut Pickle are the latest introductions from the Dorset producer but there are many other preserves to choose from. ajar-of.co.uk 42

August 2020 | Vol.21 Issue 7

Mince pies are no longer off limits for coeliacs thanks to The Gluten-Free Baking Company, which uses organic rice flour, tapioca flour, potato flour and organic butter, to create a “light and crispy pastry” without any traces of gluten.

These festive parcels are filled with homemade mincemeat packed with fruit and nuts soaked in sherry.

RRP £9 for a box of six. thegfbakingco.com

Warwickshire-based Italian food importer Made in Molise is capitalising on the town’s most precious export, with a range of truffle-themed hampers.

With an RRP of £24.99, this gift set contains 100ml truffle olive oil, a 110g jar of truffle honey, a 110g jar of salt with black truffle and a 250g pack of porcini mushroom tagliatelline. madeinmolise.co.uk

Californian craft chocolate maker Dick Taylor has crafted a “rich and velvety” European-style drinking chocolate that combines cocoa beans from the Sambirano Valley in Madagascar with crushed peppermint candy. Available via The High Five Company, the chocolate has an RRP of £15.04 for an 8oz bag. dicktaylorchocolate.com

Real ale drinkers will appreciate this Christmas Flagon from The Chiltern Brewery. Described as a “smooth, rich winter ale with crystal malt and roast barley, extra hopped for added aroma”, the ale is produced just outside Wendover in the heart of the Chilterns by a second-generation family brewery. RRP £14.50 for a 100cl flagon; trade price £7.95. chilternbrewery.co.uk

The Wasabi Company, England’s only grower of Japanese horseradish, has packaged together some of its wares into gift sets to fit all budgets. For wasabi puritans, there is the Wasabi Mayo & Mustard Twin Pack (RRP £8). At a higher price point is the Special Soy Sauce Pack (RRP £34), which includes a bottle of Kamebeshi three-year-aged soy sauce. thewasabicompany.co.uk

Retailers looking for a supplier of printed paper carriers or gift bags should check out Dempson.

The printer, which specialises in plastic-free packaging, has created a digital arm to enable smaller customers to order paper carriers without having to order, pay for, and store large volumes. dempson.co.uk

Merry merchandising Rich Ford, strategy director of retail design consultancy Sherlock Studio explains how you can keep enticing your customers into that festive spend despite COVID.

sherlockstudio.co.uk

Store space If we still have distancing in place at Christmas, reducing clutter has got to be a good thing to ensure good flow of people through your store. It’s a good idea to allow space for people even if distancing isn’t still in place, as consumers will likely still be wary of being in confined spaces with others; I suspect there will be a legacy of anxiety from COVID. More so than ever before it’s about displaying things well and creating a bit of theatre. You need to get creative with how you merchandise – definitely this year the old adage of quality over quantity is more relevant than ever.

Another thing to come out of COVID is our reliance on online or mail order. Independents can use this to their advantage by ramping up their boxes and hampers online. Hopefully, that will be a behaviour that will be carried on after COVID. Make it work for the customer, though.

Increased footfall Having movable units in your store can be very useful even in ‘normal’ times, but one lesson we have learned from COVID is that those retailers who could quickly change up their store were most prepared. Being able to move units around with ease not only allows you to refresh the look of your store regularly, but also respond to new distancing rules simply. Where we don’t know what’s coming in terms of second waves or ‘pulses’ it’s a good idea to be as flexible as you can.

Operating a pre-order, or a click-and-collect system with allocated pick-up times, pushing people towards home deliveries will continue to be the best ways to have greater control over the numbers of people in your store. However, make sure you aren’t losing the impulse element of Christmas shopping.

If you have a pick-up point for click-and-collect orders which guides your customers past some key displays, or if using an online platform like Shopify, make sure you set up related or recommended products in your store.

Impulse In-store communications will be key to driving impulse and cross-merchandising this Christmas. Where it is likely we will lose the ability for sampling – even if we don’t encounter a second wave or have distancing, people will likely still be nervous – you’ll need to find some way of enticing your customers into those extra sales.

Having hand-written signs (for the personal touch) suggesting biscuits and chutneys for a certain cheese, your top ten pairings, or telling your customers detailed tasting notes on your best picks will be crucial, and the best we can do in lieu of that sensory selling point.

Whatever has gone on this year, the predictions are that Christmas is going to be a celebratory time, this year more than normal. Some people’s income may have been affected, but everyone is going to want to come together and be with friends and family in a way that they couldn’t earlier in the year.

People will be looking for extra special things to give themselves and their loved ones a treat.

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Gourmet food from Spain

From artisan-made cheeses and charcuterie to award-winning condiments and sweet treats – this year Delicioso is celebrating 15 years of bringing you the best foods from Spain!

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August 2020 | Vol.21 Issue 7

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making more of British & Continental charcuterie Capreolus Fine Food’s Great Taste award-winning guanciale caught the eye of many consumers via a TV appearance during lockdown

Finding the right cure As with all other artisan producers, British charcuterie businesses have had a tough few months. FFD caught up with three of them to see how they’ve survived the COVID lockdown.

By Michael Lane

A REDUCTION IN RETAIL CUSTOMERS and the disappearance of the foodservice trade virtually overnight – thanks to lockdown – has impacted on British charcuterie just as much as other categories.

But, like lots of fine food businesses, many charcutiers have found a way to keep going through the COVID crisis, with many finding alternative routes to market having lost their previous outlets. Despite tough trading conditions and the issue of Brexit ready to emerge as the lockdown lifts, there is even a degree of positivity around some businesses about the prospects for British cured meats.

Rewind to the end of March and the mood wasn’t quite the same, though.

“When it all kicked off we thought ‘What the hell’s going to happen?” David Richards of Dorset-based Capreolus Fine Foods tells FFD, adding that he was “looking at the abyss” because 90% of sales were to foodservice and the company was just about to start upgrading its production premises.

But then Richards, who runs the business with wife Karen, got a call from the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen requesting some of his guanciale – the pig’s cheek bacon which won a three-star award in Great Taste 2019 and the Golden Fork for Best Charcuterie product – for a demo on the show.

“Within an hour [of the show airing] we had £4,000 of orders and within 48 hours that was £11,000,” says Richards. “It hasn’t continued at the rate but it has continued at a level that’s

higher than we’ve ever seen before, even at Christmas.”

Some 65% of the lost sales from foodservice have been replaced by retail – most has gone direct to retailers while 20% of these sales have been straight to consumers via the producer’s web shop.

And Capreolus is not the only business to have gained sales online.

“It seems that a lot of charcuterie producers are spending all their time slicing meat,” says Dhruv Baker, co-founder of Tempus Fine Foods in Surrey, referencing the challenging switch from supplying restaurants and wholesalers with whole muscle cuts to sending out pre-sliced packs to consumers and retailers.

“Preparing 100kg of whole muscle orders would take one person maybe half an hour,” he tells FFD. “The same volume in sliced, 50g packs, is going to take four people a couple of days.”

That said, launching a direct-to-consumer platform has been a good thing for Baker and cofounder Tom Whitaker, with thousands of packs going out during most weeks of lockdown.

Baker says he and Whitaker have learned a lot about maintaining stock by adjusting airflow, humidity and temperature during a slowdown in production. But now Tempus is ramping things back up to start building up volumes of items, like hams, with longer ageing times.

Despite these two relatively good news stories and with foodservice picking up again, COVID might not be survivable for some charcutiers. “[Before COVID] there were a lot of people making a little bit of charcuterie and I suspect that a number are not going to continue,” says Capreolus’s Richards, adding that some businesses have not only lost the foodservice channel but also farmers’ markets thanks to the lockdown.

Overall, Richards is now more positive about the future of his business and the whole sector than he was a few months ago.

“British Charcuterie is the next thing,” he

says, adding that Brexit will help the cause of home-grown producers who have always had to battle cheaper Continental alternatives.

“It’s got to be at least 75% chance that we’ll end up with a No Deal. And we’ll be on WTO rules. That import tariff on charcuterie is about €1.55/kg.”

Rufus Carter of Patchwork Paté, which has also survived a large drop in foodservice sales, echoes Richards’ sentiment.

“Personally I think, all things British will do better,” he says. “COVID has reminded everybody what we’ve got on this island.”

Although there will still be a step-up for consumers buying British charcuterie over Continental, Carter says more consumers will understand why.

“The reason why European pate is 200g for £1 is because they produce 2,000kg an hour.

We’d struggle to make 2,000kg a week. Quality is something you pay for.”

Tempus Foods’ Baker says the UK’s higher animal welfare standards creates a higher cost

It seems that a lot of charcuterie producers are spending all their time slicing meat

base so there’s never going to be parity on price with Continental meats but the public interest in food he has seen during lockdown is something to hold on to.

“There are bits of light in this thing. It’s very easy to look at the situations that have gone south,” he says. “The bigger picture is there are now more consumers with access to quality ingredients that they didn’t have before.”

Now is the time, says Patchwork’s Carter for independent retailers to get behind British-made charcuterie by putting together decent displays of it in their counters. Too often, he says shops are reluctant to list more than a couple of lines.

“If it looks like you don’t have any confidence in it then how can your customers have any,” he says. “Put a little bit of charcuterie in your counter and you’ll sell a little. Put a lot in and you’ll sell loads. It’s the same principle as cheese.”

Vol.21 Issue 7 | August 2020

47

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Safety in low numbers As customers begin to return to your tables, a measured, healthconscious approach will pay dividends

By Tom Dale

WHEN PM BORIS Johnson announced that foodservice businesses were able to reopen on 4th July, many faced unprecedented challenges; from how to open safely and what measures to bring in, to whether trading would be profitable, or even if they should open at all. But many independents have re-opened their café doors and found innovative solutions to social distancing and cleanliness issues.

Having closed his foodservice operation entirely in March, Ed Bevin, owner of St Albans-based Fleetville Larder, has seen huge growth in the deli side of his business. “We shut the sit-in side of the business down entirely in March, only doing takeaway coffee and cakes. We then really focused on the retail side,” he says.

“We were trading like Christmas.

My business was always about 75% café and 25% deli – now that’s flipped on its head.”

While consumer confidence was still low and distancing in place, and the deli was thriving, he was reluctant to give space back to sit-in café customers immediately. From 20-25 covers in a cosy indoor space with some outdoor seating before lockdown, Bevin can only safely fit around six tables of two currently – halving potential customers and losing valuable retail space.

“I really struggled on whether to open back up, so what I’ve done is move the retail space back and have two tables of two inside and the same outside. We’re only doing cakes, pastries and coffee, not food like we were before,” says Bevin.

“With the social distancing rules, I just can’t see that it’ll make enough money to reduce that extra retail space again.”

Those with more room or a dedicated café space have had fewer tough decisions to make, but issues of customer and staff safety are still ever present.

Farmer Copleys Farm Shop in West Yorkshire has a large café space – Moo Café – which, prior to social distancing, seated 157 but now that capacity has been slashed by a third to 107. Owner Rob Copley decided not to open immediately on 4th July.

“We wanted to see what the demand was and how others were dealing with the situation.” To test it out, says Copley, he and co-owner wife Heather went out for a meal.

“They were doing all they could but it still felt a bit dirty,” he says.

“As a result, I wanted to make our café feel as safe as possible, and delayed opening until 20th July.”

With the extra time, Copley introduced a raft of measures to ensure the safest possible dining experience for customers. All his staff now wear visors (apart from the chefs because their visors steam up), as many ‘touch points’ as possible have been removed – staff take orders on tablets or customers can order themselves via an app, a booking system has been introduced to ensure regular turnaround, toilets are being cleaned every 30 minutes and tables, chairs and even chair legs are thoroughly disinfected after

Customer demand is sky high - our booking system is completely full

every customer.

“We are giving our customers very clear instructions about what to do,” says the owner. “We’ve got Facebook videos, we have someone on meet-and-greet, and we tell customers we won’t bother them unless they ask us to.”

Since reopening (just two days before he spoke to FFD), Copley says they have been swamped. “Customer demand is sky-high. Our booking system is completely full.

“It’s been a chaotic couple of days – we’re not used to having bookings, we’ve never had a waiter service, we’ve got a new EPOS system – but everything we’re doing is going to work well and safely.”

While restaurants, pubs, and cafés have opened in England and Scotland, Wales has had to wait.

Steven Salamon, owner of Wally’s Deli and Kaffeehaus in Cardiff has been left frustrated by the delay. “I feel like if it’s good enough for England it’s frustrating that it’s not good enough for Wales.

Who knows, it may prove to be right in the long run. I’m ready.”

Differing from some others, Salamon is not opting for table service and a booking system. “If customers order and pay behind the sneeze guard, then the only face-toface interaction is when the food is brought to the table,” he says, “and bookings aren’t going to work for me. I think it’s going to reduce the available business due to holding tables and potential no-shows.”

As the customers flow back through your doors, their confidence is what will make the difference, Copley says. “It’s all about doing visible things to make them feel they are in safe hands.”

Now let’s get that confidence back.

Biggar and Leith has launched its Hotel STARLINO maraschino cherries in a 1kg tin for the hospitality and foodservice sector.

Perfect for chefs to use in desserts and baking and for the on-trade market, STARLINO Maraschino cherries are made from high-quality, Italian Marasaca cherries, a type of sour Morello cherry made from Royal Ann, Rainier or Gold Varieties cherries.

The 1kg tins cost £20 and are available from Proof Drinks. thestarlino.com Award-winning Herefordshire biscuit bakery Frank’s Luxury Biscuits has recently launched its Great Taste award-winning All Butter Mini Oaties in a catering pack.

The bite size treats are now available to coffee shops up and down the country as a complimentary biscuit to be served alongside hot drinks.

Available direct in case sizes of 360 mini biscuits at £22.49 per case.

For orders or to request free samples, contact 01432 270177 or sales@franks. luxurybiscuits.co.uk. franksluxurybiscuits.co.uk Tapping into the wellness trend, Sweet Revolution is set to launch its Superblend Latte Barista blends in catering packs.

The new lines come in bags ranging from 250g to 1kg – making between 50 and 75 servings depending on the flavour – and includes: chocolate latte with raw cacao; turmeric latte with black pepper; Chai latte with reishi; beetroot latte with ginger; chicory latte with Lion’s Mane; and matcha latte with vanilla. sweetrevolution.co.uk

Vol.21 Issue 7 | August 2020

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FOCUS ON

foodservice

EQUIPMENT

FROM THE DELI KITCHEN SIMPLE RECIPES TO BOOST YOUR MARGINS

Sustainable paperboard utensil manufacturer EcoTensil has launched its plastic-free singleuse cutlery in Europe.

Its range of folding, multifunctional paper utensils was developed to replace small plastic spoons and sporks with a more eco-friendly option.

Made from materials from well-managed FSC®-certified forests and using 50-80% less material than plastic, bioplastic or wood cutlery, the range is available to order now across Europe. ecotensil.eu

CRYSTALLISED CITRUS Holding onto your citrus rinds is well worth it for this anti-waste recipe.

The rind itself can be used from a syrup in a jar, drained and tossed in caster sugar, or drained and coated in chocolate. A very versatile recipe from an ingredient we’d usually throw away!

Prep time: 15 mins plus soaking Cook time: 3hrs Makes: 1 x 1L jar of candied peel

Ingredients: 10 halves of oranges and lemons rinds, juice squeezed out 1tsp salt 700g sugar Method: • Place the citrus rinds into a large bowl (non-metallic) and cover with water. Sprinkle over the salt and leave to stand for 24hrs. The next day, discard the water and place the peel in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, until the peel has softened - about 1hr30mins to 2hrs..

• Remove the peel from the pan and allow to cool slightly.

When cool enough to handle, using a teaspoon or melon baller, scoop out and discard the white pith on the citrus.

• Slice the peel into chunks or strips or whatever shape you prefer.

• In a clean saucepan, heat the sugar with 300ml water until the sugar has dissolved. Add the peel and simmer for 30 to 45mins until the syrup is at the thread stage and the fruit looks translucent.

• Remove from the heat and bottle the citrus peel in the syrup. Seal the bottles and allow to cool before storing in the fridge.

• To make chocolate candied citrus, remove the citrus rinds from the syrup and leave to dry on a wire rack for an hour or two. Melt some dark chocolate and dip the ends of the rind into the chocolate. Dip into finely chopped nuts for added crunch!

Scottish hospitality software start-up Stampede has launched a secure, contactless service to help businesses keep track of who has visited their premises to support COVID track and trace efforts.

The app allows customers to share their details securely with their smartphone, as well as allowing venues to track and timestamp new visitors – the venue can then choose to delete the data after 21 days as per government guidelines.

When using Wi-Fi to register their arrival, returning customers will be automatically signed in each time their device connects to your network. For those without smartphones, staff members can input details manually into the Stampede app. stampede.ai

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The manufacturer claims this is an “ideal first step into automation”. depositorsolutions.com Vol.21 Issue 7 | August 2020

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LUXURY HA NDMA DE M ACARON S Hilton Macarons launched in May 2019 with the aim of making the perfect macaron. We use Italian meringue with free-range eggs and completely natural fillings, which are mostly Belgian chocolatebased ganaches. All the macarons are gluten free and vegetarian.

The range currently comprises 15 different flavours.

Gingerbread Almond Butter Caromel Cashew Butter Coffee & Walnut Butter Date & Walnut Butter – Great Taste 1-star 2019

The macarons are supplied frozen and in individually packaged and sealed boxes of six, 12 or 18 macarons, containing menu cards and allergen information. Boxes are either Classic (mixed), Rainbow (6 flavours, Rainbow colours) or Single flavours. All the packaging is recyclable. RRPs are £12 (Box of six), £22 (Box of 12) and £30 (Box of 18).

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Call or e-mail Andrea or James Hilton as below to discuss your requirements.

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Peanut-Free | Plastic-Free | Vegan Organic | No Added Sugar | No Palm Oil 52

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To order your stock now or for more information on the Godminster range please contact our team on 01749 813733 or email sales@godminster.com.

SHELF TALK Superfruit jams and spreads give a little back to African farmers

By Tom Dale

Essex producer Chosan has created a new range of jams and spreads made with vitamin-rich Baobab, known for its health-giving properties.

Traditionally sold in health food shops as a supplement, the producer has blended the superfood with a variety of ingredients to create the new lines, including: Baobab Chocolate Spread, Orange & Baobab Jam, Baobab Jam with Ginger, and Banana & Baobab Jam. Inspired by the fruits and flavours of Africa, some of the profits from sales will help support women farmers in Gambia, West Africa.

Eliza Jones, Chosan’s founder, said: “I used to live in Gambia working with women’s projects and I was struck by how much fruit and vegetables had to go to waste because they were only eaten fresh.

“I noticed that their hard work producing food crops was undermined because of seasonal gluts, with virtually no processing of surplus,

meaning they don’t get much to show for it.”

“Later on, working internationally for a development agency, I was inspired by products I saw in Asia and Latin America, such as mango bars, guava cheese and sapodilla ice cream – all made from fruits that also grow in The Gambia.”

The baobab in the jams and spreads is wild harvested, so is naturally organic and the range uses less sugar than most jams, sweetened with unrefined cane sugar and no artificial sweeteners.

The range is handmade in small batches which, said Jones, means independents are vital to the business. “We make small batches of our artisan jams, spreads and sorbets, so independent shops, including small online retailers, are a vital route to market for our products.

“We can’t make the huge quantities that supermarkets want, or produce them at the cheap prices they demand, but independents sell to people who want to find something a little different that is handmade with care.”

The new range includes no allergens, is gluten free and suitable for vegans, and is available in 190g glass jars. Trade prices range from £3.50 to £4.50 per jar including shipping costs for a case of 12 (RRP £5.99 to £6.50). chosanbynature.co.uk

Shetland air-dried salt cod producer Thule Ventus has launched its latest product Cod Jerky.

Bringing a centuries-old tradition of curing fish into the 21st century, the family business claims its latest dried cod line pairs well with beer as well as providing a healthy, proteinrich treat.

Line-caught Shetland cod is infused with honey and spices, then jerked to produce a low-fat, high-protein snack.

Each ambient 30g pouch has a seven-month shelf life and an RRP of £4.49 (£3.53 trade).

Minimum order, 16 units. saltcod.co.uk

WHAT’S NEW A Little Bit Food Co has launched a new range of three vegan mayonnaises: Mixed, Lemon & Herb, and Roasted Garlic & Herb.

Created in response to the increasing demand for high-quality, plant-based products, the range is made with cold-pressed rapeseed oil which is blended with fresh herbs to create an egg-free alternative to traditional mayonnaise. RRP £3.75 - £3.99. alittlebit.co.uk Somerset’s oldest family cider maker, Sheppy’s, has launched Redstreak, a medium-sweet single variety cider with an ABV of 4%.

Made with Somerset Redstreak apples, the new cider is described by Sheppy’s as crisp and light with a fruity flavour.

RRP is £29.99 for a case of 12 500ml bottles (trade, £17.41 plus VAT). sheppyscider.com Prime Cashews has launched a range of pure, 100% cashew nut butters with no added oils, sweeteners, sugar or salt. Available in smooth and crunchy varieties in 170g (RRP £3.99), 280g (RRP £4.99), 450g (RRP £6.99) glass jars and a 1kg (RRP £10.99) tub. primecashews.com

Curry sauce range gets plant-based relaunch Great Taste award-winning Holy Cow! has relaunched its range of curry sauces with plantbased recipes, so that they are now suitable for vegans.

The range, including Delhi Tikka Masala, Mangalore Malabar, Madras Chettinad, Mughlai Korma, Kashmir Roganjosh and Goan curry, contains no gluten, added sugar, artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.

The packaging for the ambient sauces has also been redesigned with regional Indian patterns and languages reflecting the brand’s heritage, and each pouch comes with a small guide of the area that the curry flavour originates from, along with new recipe options for both meat eaters and vegans.

Additionally, for every pack sold, the London-based company sponsors a free school meal in India, and to

date has sponsored more than 500,000 meals.

Anu Sharma, director, said: “We’re so excited to relaunch our range after many months of work.

“The results from our tasting panel proved that these plant-based curry sauces will still delight our existing fans, but also appeal to those wanting to eat less or no meat and dairy.” holycowsauces.com

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SHELF TALK My magic ingredient

WHAT’S NEW Forest Bounty has used the COVID-19 lockdown as an opportunity to refresh the design of its range of whole fruit preserves. Made with a minimum of 80% fresh fruit picked from the wild, the range comprises of Sour Cherry, Wild Strawberry, Wild Blueberry, Plum, and Apricot, and comes in 250g jars sold in cases of eight. forestbounty.co.uk Herefordshire crisp producer, Two Farmers has added to its award-winning range with the introduction of Herefordshire sausage & mustard. The flavour launches this month in 40g and 150g formats (RRP £1.10 and £2.90). twofarmers.co.uk Tea India has launched the latest addition to its range, Turmeric Chai.

Inspired by a traditional family recipe from the Tea India Master Blender, the tea features a base of black Assam with 40% turmeric, ginger, fenugreek, galangal, cinnamon, and India psyllium.

RRP £3.19 for a box of 40 tea bags. teaindia.co.uk

Manchego Villarejo semicurado SIMON MACDONNELL Co-owner, Papadeli Cheese, in general, is one of our big draws and attracts people from all over Bristol and further afield into the deli. One of my favourites and a really popular cheese is Manchego Villarejo.

It’s consistently good with its slightly salty crunch and blast of tangy creaminess.

It’s a great sheep’s cheese that can be offered to cheese connoisseurs alongside absolute cheese novices as it impresses everyone. It’s a great one to upsell too by offering membrillo, crackers, wine etc.

We use it in catering for canapés and it’s a favourite for cheeseboards at weddings and parties. Customers love serving suggestions and we often feature it as part of a tapas board.

We get it from Brindisa, who have been supplying us since we opened 18 years ago.

They are such a great, supportive company that source superb quality foods that we can always rely on.

It’s consistently good with its salty crunch and blast of tangy creaminess

Simon buys his Manchego from Brindisa Spanish Foods (brindisa.com)

Edible and eco-friendly alternative to biodegradable paper straws

By Tom Dale

A new eco-friendly alternative to biodegradable paper straws or their predecessor, the dreaded plastic straw, is pasta straws.

Made famous by its appearance on Dragon’s Den and subsequent media coverage, Stroodles has rebranded and launched a new retail pack of its edible straws.

The company claims its pasta straws are more durable than other sustainable straws, are 100% biodegradable, flavourless, vegan, and edible, raw or cooked, after use.

Founder of Stroodles Maxim Gelmann said: “When the plastic straw ban was confirmed the industry started looking for an alternative that was as economically close to plastic as possible, so they came up with paper straws. But these compromise the drinking experience: they go soggy, people don’t like them and you end up using more than one per drink as they go limp.

“You then also have the glass, bamboo and metal straws, but we aren’t trying to compete with them. Stroodles is for those who want to make a difference, but who haven’t consciously decided to change their habits. It is an everyday straw that is genuinely eco-friendly.

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“Independent retail is extremely important to us because if we can get the retailers excited about the product, they have the chance to explain Stroodles to their customers.”

Stroodles are available in packs of 40 with an RRP of £2.99 (VAT is exempt as it is a food product). Offered in shelf-ready packaging (SRP) holding six 40 packs of straws, one case consists of six SRPs (36 units).

stroodles.co.uk

Award-winning Shed 1 Distillery has launched an interactive Make Your Own Bath Tub Gin Tin kit for consumers to make their own botanical-infused spirit at home.

Before lockdown, Shed 1 had many visitors coming to its ‘make your own gin’ workshops, so the company’s distillers created a product to allow gin-fans to recreate the experience from their homes.

Each tin includes 10 botanicals, an information and recipe booklet plus a link to a how-to video, and contains enough botanicals to create up to six bottles of Bath Tub Gin. shed1distillery.com

Award Winning Bavarian Cheese

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www.elite-imports-limited.co.uk Vol.21 Issue 7 | August 2020

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Erin Grove PRESERVES

MAKE CHRISTMAS SPARKLE with our award winning range of chutneys, relishes and cheese accompaniments.

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THE CRAFT THAT MAKES YOU High-end hand-crafted artisan beer Premium beer brewed on a family-run farm-based brewery based in the idyllic countryside of Baronscourt in Northern Ireland.

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Introducing Our New Range of Premium Far Eastern Sauces, Condiments and Preserves Born in Manila. Made in the UK

Our product range celebrates the unique flavours of the Philippines, carefully crafted from family recipes, handmade in small batches using quality ingredients to deliver fantastic and unique flavours. Vegan friendly and free from artificial preservatives, colourings or flavourings.

Our Black Bean Chilli Oil was awarded a Great Taste 1-star in 2019.

Nationwide distribution available

The last farm made raw milk Lancashire Cheese

Free delivery for orders above £120

At Mrs Kirkham’s we have been making our award-winning Lancashire for 3 generations, using the same techniques and ingredients as the generations before.

We use only the rich creamy milk from our own closed herd of Holstien Frieisan Cows, to create what we believe to be a true traditional Lancashire, which is an ivory yellow in colour and has a rich buttery crumble.

Contact us to request a trade price list

sales@ronibkitchen.co.uk | www.ronibkitchen.co.uk 56

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www.mrskirkhamscheese.co.uk

info@mrskirkhamscheese.co.uk · 01772 865335

SHELF TALK MEET THE PRODUCER

WHAT’S NEW Hebridean island distillery Wild Thyme Spirits is set to launch an Old Tom-style gin, called Cait Sith (pronounced ‘caught shee’).

The small-batch gin is based on their award-winning Colonsay Gin, and takes inspiration from a mixture of Celtic folklore and the Isle of Colonsay, where all the brand’s spirits are produced.

A 50cl bottle of the 40% ABV dry gin has an RRP of £40. wildthymespirits.com

HIDDEN STREET FOOD is run by a family of street food fanatics who hope their range of sauces, pastes and now teas and coffees will bring the hidden flavours of the world to Britain. Here FFD talks to Adam Kalam. resonated with a lot of stockists, and they were interested in what else we were doing. Since our palettes are very broad, and our knowledge too, we began to cast a wider net. And each one of us has our own niche interests.

We’re like superheroes! Malika – the chai master – has an incredible knowledge of tea, Imran is a coffee fiend, so it just fell into place. We didn’t plan it, it was just a natural evolution of what we began. Tea and coffee – like street dishes – are the fuel of conversation the world over.

What were you doing before you launched Hidden Street Food?

We are a close-knit family and are all wildly passionate about food. Dad, Abdul, started working in a large Indian restaurant after leaving Bangladesh for the UK, and he fell in love with Indian cooking. Since then he’s become a curry celeb, being named Bangladeshi Chef of the Year 1998-99 and earning a place in the National Curry Guide.

He even holds a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest curry. As a family we’ve managed multiple restaurants.

Producers of gut-friendly kefir drinks and snacks Biotiful Dairy has launched a range of Kefir ice creams.

The newest additions to the brand’s range are three varieties of the frozen kefir dessert: Vanilla, Chocolate, and Cherry.

Aimed at consumers looking to try a healthy, gut-friendly alternative, they are lower in sugar than most ice creams.

RRP £4.50 / 500ml. biotfuldairy.com

What is the best thing about being a small business?

The ability to connect with anyone. We have many stockists who will chat to their customers about their conversations with us, then relay their feedback. That direct line of communication to the people who love our products is amazing.

It’s easy when you have a restaurant, but a lot harder when you sell through retail. We want that to carry on as we grow, to understand how people are eating and what they want.

Why did you decide to launch the brand?

It had always been a family ambition to set up our own brand of pastes and sauces. In 2015 we began experimenting with the most popular marinades and curry sauces from our restaurant to see what might work. Customers have always asked us to recommend pastes and ingredients and it’s impossible. The fact people kept on asking showed us there was a demand there.

In 2017, we launched our first batch of marinades and sauces, all of which won prizes at Great Taste in 2018, so we knew we were onto something.

We wanted to use all our knowledge to make real ‘knock your socks off’ street food

...and the worst?

We have had to evolve our approach constantly and be way more resilient and imaginative than we ever imagined.

But we’ve got to grips with it now and while there will always be ups and downs, we love doing what we do.

What is the biggest lesson you have learned since starting the business?

You must have a good ethos. You have to start from the source and find the truth in what you want, then create it with love and passion.

What makes your sauces stand out from others on the market?

A lot of recipes claim to be authentic, but that’s an easy thing to say. Street food is really fashionable at present, but real street food – the kind we are passionate about – is driven by some very specific factors. While a dish might be served all over a city, the ones that interest us are the ones you get at the hot spots, the out of the way stalls that the locals choose.

Street vendors in places like Bangladesh and Nepal dial their flavours up to 11.

We wanted to use all our knowledge and research to make real ‘knock your socks off’ street food flavours available for anyone.

What is the inspiration behind the other products in your range?

The ethos of authenticity and quality we brought to sauces and marinades really

Delamere Dairy has launched its whole Goats’ Milk Powder, the first in the UK. The 400g box of powder, makes up to 3.8 litres of goats’ milk and once opened, has a shelf life of up to four weeks, offering those following a goats’ milk diet with the option to make up milk on demand as a drink or to be used in recipes. RRP £7.50. delameredairy.co.uk

What is next for Hidden Street Food?

We are always working on new recipes and searching for new flavours. We want to travel as much as possible to research, though we may have to be patient for the time being. Hidden Street Food is more than food stalls, it is the food of the people. hiddenstreetfood.co.uk

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Massingberd-Mundy Distillery is launching its second craft gin created on the South Ormsby Estate in the Lincolnshire Wolds.

This fruity pink gin is inspired by a little-known figure from the area’s history, Marie Jeanne Rapigeon, who fled the French Revolution, married the heir to South Ormsby and ran the estate for 28 years after his death.

The gin was created by master10:37 distiller 16/08/2016 Tristan Jørgensen who previously made drinks for leading craft distilleries and Laphroaig Distillery in Scotland.

A 70cl Bottle of the 43% ABV gin has an RRP of £39. southormsbyestate. co.uk/products/gin Vol.21 Issue 7 | August 2020

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Winner of 21 awards at Great Taste Get in touch for a free sample pack. 10% off first orders if you mention this ad

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Marmalade Vegan Christmas Pudding

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FAMILY RUN BUSINESS MAKING TRADITIONAL AWARD WINNING CHRISTMAS PUDDINGS, MARMALADE & CHUTNEYS. Mae Jum brings six beautifully crafted traditional Thai curry pastes. Each paste is packed full of authentic flavours made from 100% natural ingredients, locally sourced in Thailand.

We cater for most dietary needs all made by hand in the traditional way.

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driverspickles Vol.21 Issue 7 | August 2020

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DELI OF THE MONTH Since it opened in one of London’s most famous markets in December 2018, The Camden Grocer has been run by Matt Bunch and Scott Winston with a very flexible model. This has allowed it to cater to a varied and changing customer base, navigate COVID-19, and now emerge with a fresh approach.

Interview by Michael Lane

Adaptation, adaptation, adaptation THE LAST TIME FFD ran a Deli of the Month (several issues ago), it was visiting a business on the cusp of the nationwide lockdown that has shaken the UK and still continues to reverberate.

This issue, the feature is back – although it was visited via Zoom – with a shop that has navigated the coronavirus crisis particularly nimbly. Since March, The Camden Grocer has gone from being a deli-café in a bustling area of North London to shutting its doors entirely and becoming an online delivery service. And for the last month, it has been easing itself back into being a bricks-and-mortar operation again.

“It didn’t seem like a big deal for us at the time,” co-founder Matt Bunch tells FFD. “But you look back at it now and you think, ‘We actually completely changed the business’.

VITAL STATISTICS

Location: Camden’s Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, London, NW1 8AH Turnover: £350,000 (pre-COVID) Retail area: 1,100 sq ft Avg margin: 35-40% Avg retail basket: £15-£16 (pre-COVID), £90-£100 (during lockdown) 60

August 2020 | Vol.21 Issue 7

“We went from doing shop retail to being in a delivery van with a logistics operation.

It felt like the last three months, we were running on adrenaline because we were having to adapt so quickly.”

In truth, it’s been quite the journey of adaptation ever since the shop’s co-founders set out to open a retail venture in London.

Bunch (whose CV includes managerial stints in retail and wholesale at Paxton & Whitfield), and business partner Alec Paterson had been running specialist wholesaler Taste Distribution together for several years when, in 2018, the pair decided to branch out into retail.

They had identified a site near Borough Market but negotiations with the landlord fell through and they shelved the idea, until along came Scott Winston.

Winston, who had already been working

with Taste Distribution, is well-known in the trade thanks to his previous roles as a buyer for the food halls of Harvey Nichols, Harrods and Selfridges. And it was an old department store connection of his that happened to be looking for a food retailer to take on a beautiful Grade-II listed unit in the revamped Camden Market.

“It was a nice coming together of ideas and people with a shared experience of the food industry,” says Winston.

By December 2018, the trio (although Paterson has since departed to focus on Taste Distribution, which has now merged with BoroughBox) were standing outside that building at the launch of The Camden Grocer, as its co-founders.

The owners of the market wanted a shop with a “deli feel” and Bunch put his expertise

to good use, sourcing and stocking a fairly generous cheese counter alongside an array of premium ambient lines.

“We quickly learned that was operationally not the easiest thing to do when the customers aren’t really there to buy chunks of cheese or sliced ham,” says Bunch, adding that many cut to order items, like charcuterie from Dorsetbased Caprelous are now carried in prepackaged retail formats instead.

“We had numbers from the market in terms of how many people move through there, but until you’ve set up and been trading, you have no idea what the successes are going to be.”

Given that Camden is such a tourist hotspot, Bunch and Winston had always anticipated retail purchases being more in the gifting vein than full shopping trips made by local residents. But their product mix – which features high-end olive oil, honey made on the capital’s rooftops and premium pasta flour – was also devised to appeal to browsing foodies that appreciate quality staples and ingredients.

But to really make the business work, The Camden Grocer has had to develop the foodservice side a lot more. The counter space became more occupied by food and beverages to eat in than deli items, chefs were hired to increase the prepped food offer and the preCOVID sales split was 80:20, in favour of café over pure retail.

Still, the co-founders are clear that they don’t want to be café operators or compromise on keeping retail as a core part of the business.

Often there is crossover – Dark Woods Coffee is a good example of a product that works well on both sides.

Although The Camden Grocer may be a different operation to the one they first envisaged, Winston doesn’t perceive this as

a bad or unexpected thing. “We didn’t have – and we were honest with Camden Market – fixed preconceived ideas about what we hoped would happen here.”

“What a lot of people that come in to opening shops get too preoccupied with is being very set on a fixed model that they maybe even decide on before they choose their location,” he says. “You have to be sympathetic to the environment that you’re in.”

Winston adds that the floorspace and its units were designed to be moved around and repurposed so that they could respond to what customers were asking for.

You might think that the flexibility of The Camden Grocer model was tested to its limits with the arrival of COVID, yet Bunch and Winston proved to be very nimble and decisive. They chose to shut down the shop completely a week before lockdown, morphing entirely into an online shop and delivery service.

The shop itself became a picking and packing area and all the staff were retained to handle both the processing and delivering of orders – rather than being furloughed.

At the height of lockdown, the team was making nearly 100 deliveries in a day and the average basket spend was sitting around the £90 mark.

“Once we decided to concentrate on doing the online business it was very straightforward to keep that running,” says Bunch.

“We were very lucky. We had a really regular and high returning customer rate online and we understood what people were looking for.

"It was very easy to react to ranging and what products we want and then suddenly

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 63

Vol.21 Issue 7 | August 2020

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August 2020 | Vol.21 Issue 7

when things start to reset a bit it kind of changes again.”

Since 1st June, The Camden Grocer has been open again and the co-founders have been opening up the shop floor incrementally to offer customers more products. Even though footfall remains unpredictable, Winston and Bunch feel lockdown has both allowed and compelled them to retune the shop yet again.

The rapid expansion of their range to cater for lockdown delivery customers has given a new focus to the retail side of the business and the customer profile has changed again.

Obviously, there are very few tourists but with the market less crowded Winston says they are beginning to see “curious locals” in the shop as well as plenty of people drawn in by the shop’s increased social media and online activity on the delivery side.

“We’re trying to migrate customers across from delivery to click & collect, and doing some marketing around things like ‘get a free coffee if you come in’, so they get that dwell time,” says Winston, but many have decided to stay put and stick with deliveries.

That said, the online shop has amassed a database of more than 600 subscribers, so Bunch and Winston are hopeful they can attract some more to come into the store.

Getting customers to dwell in what is a very experiential space, has always been part of the thinking behind The Camden Grocer’s “hybrid” plan. Now, Bunch and Winston are looking at how to beef this up, post-lockdown.

They admit that they’re being cautious about how to restart the café side of things and the shop redesign has left them with fewer covers – something that Bunch says they want to maintain.

Currently, there’s no chef employed and Winston is of the mind that there is a new route that they can go down to solve that problem, make use of the kitchen space and raise their foodservice game.

“We’re really keen on finding pop-ups, partnerships, residencies whatever you want to call it,” says Winston. “People that can come in, own that half of our business, give it a lot of integrity. We bring that from our retail experience and it always felt a little bit like a square peg in a round hole trying to be café operators.”

This strategy should also help The Camden Grocer to revive what was a healthy calendar of events before coronavirus took hold. The theory is that the more people they can get into the store and experiencing the brand, the more it will create a reputation and hence

generate new opportunities. It will certainly help to bolster turnover and encourage things like the corporate hamper order Bunch has recently secured.

“There are a lot of blurred lines across what shops do,” says Winston. “10 years ago, a deli was a deli and there were really fixed lines around that. But moving into online, moving into corporate hampers, diversifying the sales channels that you have is really important for a business to survive and that’s what we’re doing.”

As if juggling the reinvention of the bricksand-mortar space with maintaining deliveries wasn’t enough, Bunch and Winston are now very seriously exploring how the brand can roll out to other sites in London – and credible opportunities have emerged post-lockdown.

“There will hopefully be significant growth and change in the high street, especially around food,” says Bunch, adding that consumer attitudes and knowledge have changed thanks to months of people cooking at home. “We can capitalise on all of that, plus there’s going to be deals to be done on property so it’s an ideal time to do this.”

On the strength of the last 18 months, they’re clearly up to the challenge. thecamdengrocer.com

Diversifying the sales channels that you have is really important for a business to survive

Vol.21 Issue 7 | August 2020

63

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August 2020 | Vol.21 Issue 7

GUILD TALK

View from HQ

By John Farrand managing director

TWO BAD THINGS have happened this month. Number one: we had four laptops stolen from our London office by an incredibly wily thief, choosing to rock up late at night and persuade our cleaner that he worked for us. He pretended to work for a bit and then left with his swag.

All done in the glare of our CCTV, giving us quality images of his rather smug face. We’ll have him.

Number two: the postponement

news from the guild of fine food of this year’s World Cheese Awards in Oviedo. My, we’ve wrestled with that one. Hundreds of judges and dairy industry dudes, thousands of cheese lovers and 4000 entries in one (albeit giant) arena just isn’t going to cut the social-distancing mustard in 2020. There’s the argument that the global cheese industry needs that celebration to inject some much-needed antiCOVID tonic. But our accreditation scheme relies on the coming together of characters from across the planet who judge in the same room, feel the energy, have some fun and conduct real-life business. You just don’t get that vibe over Zoom.

The two are linked by insurance.

Early on in lockdown the insurance companies and the government shared the vitriol from public and press in equal measure. But the government pulled it together financially (maybe not scientifically) and all things considered they’ve made a generous stab at supporting businesses and jobs.

Insurance companies, mind you, have ignored the obligations that we

The Word on Westminster

By Edward Woodall ACS

PARLIAMENT HAS DEPARTED for summer recess after a bruising period for the government. The pandemic has seen them go through a rollercoaster ride of highs, public support for Stay at Home advice, and the lows, Cummings' trip to Durham. But they are far from out of the woods yet. The threat of a second peak appears very real and there is also the impending exit from the EU. But for this column, I will turn to an important domestic policy issue – obesity. Westminster is awash with rumours about the imminent publication of the Government’s approach to tackling obesity. The Conservatives have been on a long journey with obesity policy; it was first proposed under Cameron,

kicked into the long grass by May and now resurrected by Boris.

There is a remarkable level of irony to the Boris administration bringing this strategy forward because the people at the centre of this administration are the most ideologically opposed to this type of interventionalism.

To be clear, the strategy includes proposals to ban the promotion of high fat, salt and sugar products, like buy one get one frees, and restrict the display of these products in store entrances, at the tills or on the end of aisles. Who would have thought a Conservative government would be telling business owners how to layout stores and price products?

The renewed focus on obesity comes from Boris’ own experience of COVID, he is widely reported to have changed his views saying: “It's alright for you thinnies”. But his view is also supported by evidence

expect of them. We have business interruption cover for the World Cheese Awards but, of course, a global pandemic is the wrong sort of interruption. Apparently, it’s an exceptional circumstance. Perhaps the very circumstance that you shell out premiums for? They won’t even pay up for the laptops because the thief didn’t force an entry.

Insurance companies have ignored the obligations that we expect of them Wotever, the PCs have vanished, and I must pay out for some new ones as I need them for Great Taste judging. Perhaps I’ll pay for them on the same BACS run as my insurance premium, although I’m tempted to pop that money in a jar, as I think the only thing it covers is the insurance companies’ profits. that a higher BMI is an underlying factor in responding to COVID. That said, there is also a great deal of contradiction in the government’s approach to obesity. Let’s not forget they have just launched the biggest food promotion in history via the ‘Eat Out To Help Out’ scheme.

For small retailers, the biggest challenge will be dealing with siting restrictions, if you run a small shop all you have is the store entrance, tills and end aisle to promote key product lines. Although, we don’t disagree with addressing the obesity problem, we would advocate a different approach; government policy and resource needs to be focused on expanding choice and healthy food availability, not on regulations that would make life harder for shops that are maintaining access to food for their communities.

Edward Woodall is head of policy & public affairs at small shops group ACS edward.woodall@acs.org.uk

World Cheese Awards rescheduled for 2021 The Guild of Fine Food has announced that the World Cheese Awards will not take place in Spain this year, amid ongoing concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Extending Oviedo’s tenure as host city into 2021, the event is now set to take place from 3rd to 6th November, 2021.

The 33rd edition of the competition will assemble the global cheese community at Oviedo’s Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos a year later than planned, as part of the Asturias Paraíso Natural International Cheese Festival 2021.

Following many months of discussions between the Guild of Fine Food, the Principality of Asturias, the City Council of Oviedo and the Instituto del Queso, the decision was taken in order to ensure the safety of judges, organisers and the general public, while preserving the unique nature of the competition and allowing the region to make the most of its moment in the global spotlight.

With people and place at its heart, including the faceto-face discussions between trained palates from over 30 nations, the decision has been reached to delay the event’s visit to Asturias and commit to staging the world’s largest cheese-only competition, in all its glory, in 2021.

The Guild of Fine Food represents fine food shops and specialist suppliers. Want to join them?

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

THE GUILD TEAM: Managing director: John Farrand Marketing director: Tortie Farrand Sales director: Sally Coley Operations director: Christabel Cairns Sales manager: Ruth Debnam

Sales executives: Becky Haskett Sam Coleman Operations manager: Karen Price Operations assistants: Claire Powell, Emily Harris, Janet Baxter, Meredith White, Sarah Kirby, Hugo Morisetti

Training & events manager: Jilly Sitch Events manager: Stephanie HareWinton Events assistant: Sophie Brentnall Business development: Edward Spicer

gff.co.uk Financial controller: Stephen Guppy Accounts manager: Denise Ballance Accounts assistant: Julie Coates Chairman: Bob Farrand Director: Linda Farrand Vol.21 Issue 7 | August 2020

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Scrumptious www.mrsdarlingtons.com Search “Mrs Darlington’s” on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

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August 2020 | Vol.21 Issue 7

Presenting the Mrs Darlington’s Christmas 2020 range. Eight mouthwatering products which are perfect for the festive season.

Tipsy Lemon Curd with Gin Cranberry Sauce with Port Cranberry& Orange Curd

Mincemeat with Brandy

Bucks Fizz Marmalade

Boxing Day Chutney

Christmas Preserve

Christmas Chutney

Call the Mrs Darlington’s team on 01270 250710 to find out your nearest ho ho wholesale supplier!