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‘Supermarkets use ‘local’ as a buzzword, but when you drill down it falls apart’

Lisa Goodchild on the joys of French white wine and British blue cheese

We visit the twin Cullenders food stores in Redhill and Reigate

July 2012 · Vol 13 Issue 6

SPOILT FOR choice With it comes to choosing blues, British makers are matching Continentals cheese for cheese CHEF’S SELECTION 58 Will Holland of La Bécasse in Ludlow says José Lou pickled chilli peppers take him back to his kebab-eating days

PORTAS PILOTS 4 With 12 towns sharing just £1.2m of public aid, delis tell us why the Portas Pilots don’t go far enough

2012 Guide to Importers & Distributors

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July 2012 路 Vol.13 Issue 6

What’s new this month:

Opinion

need a more fundamental shift in our national attitude towards food.

At the risk of depressing high street businesses, it may have gone too far. Encouraging shoppers to BOB FARRAND desert supermarkets in favour of high streets will likely prove impossible.

Today’s generation is wedded to its own style of shopping.

Such deep joy! Tesco buyers I recall visiting a French squirming on telly! I haven’t been this hypermarché some 20 years ago excited in years. and applauding an inspired idea I so enjoyed Channel 4’s ‘Jimmy of housing a dozen or so small, and the Giant Supermarket’ in which independent food retailers within a Essex farmer Jimmy Doherty attempts covered boulevard leading from the to sell British free-range meat into car park to the Tesco. He’d tested superstore entrance the multiple’s Encouraging shoppers – an artisan meatballs and to desert supermarkets baker alongside identified 25% in favour of high a fromagerie, a fat, 75% meat (including sinew) streets will likely prove charcuterie, a patisserie and and a DNA count impossible a chocolatier. suggesting each Local planners had accepted one contained bits from 179 different the new style of shopping but animals. also provided consumers with the He also revealed Tesco’s Chicken opportunity to buy proper food from Kiev isn’t made from British freeproper retailers in the same location range birds but a reformed mush they buy their loo rolls, Pampers and using battery-reared chickens from pet food.

Brazil.

There’s an idea, Mary Portas.

Predictably, it was down to Instead of filming reality TV shows cost. Tesco research identified the about reviving high streets, why not maximum price consumers are persuade local authorities to force prepared to pay for a ready-meal every out-of-town supermarket to and, sadly, only Brazilian reformed build a shopping mall across its car chicken generates the margin. It’s park leading to the entrance? supermarket buyers, not consumers, You then relocate struggling high who hold an iron grip on our food street food retailers into brand new culture. shops, complete with guaranteed New research from the Campaign footfall. to Protect Rural England (see page Macdonalds, Starbucks, Pizza Hut 9) reached a similar conclusion. and a Tesco Express selling reformed The CPRE wants greater controls birds from Brazil fill vacant high street on supermarket development and shops and everyone’s happy. I should more local food hubs to sustain food be Minister for Planning. producers, high street retailers and rural employment.

Bob Farrand is publisher of Fine Food Caoire Blakemore’s struggle (pages Digest and national director of the 14-15) to break even with local food Guild of Fine Food hub Heart Distribution suggests we

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EDITORIAL editorial@finefoodworld.co.uk Editor: Mick Whitworth Assistant editor: Michael Lane News editor: Patrick McGuigan Art director: Mark Windsor Editorial production: Richard Charnley Contributors: Lynda Searby, Clare Hargreaves

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

GENERAL ENQUIRIES Tel: 01963 824464 Fax: 01963 824651 info@finefoodworld.co.uk www.finefoodworld.co.uk Guild of Fine Food, Guild House, Station Road, Wincanton, Somerset BA9 9FE UK Fine Food Digest is published 11 times a year and is available on subscription for £43pa inclusive of post and packing.

Printed by: Advent Colour, Hants, UK © Great Taste Publications Ltd and The Guild of Fine Food Ltd 2012. Reproduction of whole or part of this magazine without the publisher’s prior permission is prohibited. The opinions expressed in articles and advertisements are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations.

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Editor’s choice

Selected by Mick Whitworth

Davenport’s Chocolates Vintage Collection www.davenportschocolates.co.uk

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By the time you read this, North Shields chocolatier Jane Williams will have launched this new choc box at Harrogate Speciality Food Show, where I’ve featured it in my pick of the show’s best new products. It’s a properly retro collection – a modern take on old-fashioned favourites, not a straight copy – with flavours like coffee cream, rum & raisin truffle, parma violet cream and coconut marshmallow. And, dare I say it, perfectly stuffable in a session in front of the telly on a wet Sunday – provided you can afford 12 quid for a dozen chocs (or, better still, £20 for 24). No chilli in sight – hooray!

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

www.ffdonline.co.uk Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

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fine food news Independent stores are calling for bigger investment in stricken High Streets

Delis warn Portas scheme is ‘a drop in the ocean’

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Deli owners in the towns chosen to be pilots in Mary Portas’s government-backed scheme to revive High Streets have welcomed the extra investment. But they argue that much more needs to be done.

Twelve town centres have been named as ‘Portas Pilots’ with each receiving a share of £1.2m to fund initiatives aimed at revitalising their high streets. The successful schemes will be rolled out to other towns.

A second round of funding has also been pledged, which will see 15 additional pilots announced by the end of July, after the government received over 370 applications from town centres.

The owners of delis located close to the areas awarded pilot status were pleased that something was being done to arrest the decline of their town centres, but were critical of the amount being invested. “£1.2m between 12 towns and cities is a drop in the ocean,” said Andrew Broda, co-owner of Back’s Deli, which is based in a suburb of Stockport.

“It might buy a few planters and a lick of paint here and there, but it’s not going to solve the kinds of problems facing Stockport town centre.

“The centre of Stockport is run down and unloved with lots of empty units. I welcome anything that puts a bit of fizz back into the place, but what the government is offering is buttons. Portas’s ideas aren’t bad, but she needs more money to make a difference.”

Steve Robinson, owner of butcher and deli Robinsons of Tettenhall on the outskirts of Wolverhampton, echoed this view.

“It’s a start, but £100k is what it costs to fit out a new shop,” he said.

“I think Wolverhampton city centre is going to need more than that. It’s a big job to turn it around.

“The town centre has changed a lot in the past 30 years and a lot of that is down to the local authority giving permission to the Tescos of this world to build supermarkets on the periphery. It really sucks the life out of the town centre.”

The damage caused by outof-town supermarkets was also highlighted by Paul Wick, co-owner of Southville Deli in Bedminster.

“I don’t think the Portas Pilots are

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July 2012 · Vol.13 Issue 6

Liskeard in Cornwall, which has seen a raft of town centre shop closures, is among the 12 Portas Pilots

The first 12 Portas Pilot towns and what they’re planning Bedford, Bedfordshire. Mentoring support for High Street businesses and community use of empty properties.

Croydon, London. Transform the riot-stricken Old Town market into a thriving market, food and cultural quarter.

Dartford, Kent. Opening central spaces for use by classes and clubs; starting a ‘school for shopkeepers’.

Bedminster, Bristol. Put Bedminster on the map for street art and street theatre. A bicycle rickshaw service and a review of parking will also be introduced.

Liskeard, Cornwall. Compete against the edgeof-town supermarket with a vibrant arts scene, ‘guerrilla gardening’ and ‘yarn bombing’ to inject fun back into the town centre.

Margate, Kent. Launch courses, a ‘job club’ services and pop-up shops.

Market Rasen, Lincolnshire. Restore a market town look, advertise free parking and new business mentoring.

Margate’s Jackie Longley: Publicity is welcome

enough, but I think the idea of adding more theatre and creativity to the high street is a good idea.

“While the government is doing this, they are still allowing out-of-town developments, which

Nelson, Lancashire. Attract local students with a young people’s café, sports activities and a new art and vintage market.

Newbiggin by the Sea, Northumberland. Better branding of the town to draw people in, improve local transport and host pop-up shops.

Stockport, Greater Manchester. Realise the character and potential of the Markets and Underbanks area with a creative arts complex, outdoor screenings, a new parking strategy and street champions.

Stockton on Tees, Teesside.

Live entertainment at the Globe Theatre to boost the evening leisure economy alongside specialist High Street and evening markets.

Wolverhampton, West Midlands. Modern day town criers and on-street performers and a ‘dragon’s den’ style competition to support local entrepreneurs.

have really hurt the high street. The measures conflict with each other.”

In Margate, Jackie Longley, co-owner of Angelo’s Deli, said the extra publicity was welcome.

“The opening of the Turner Contemporary art gallery has really helped invigorate the old town, but the main high street is still very run down. More needs to be done to attract tourists back to the area and to stop the opening of new supermarkets.”

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Demand from the Far East is already driving up the price of some speciality coffees

Coffee prices to rise as shortages kick in

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Retailers can expect coffee prices to rise significantly over the next decade as demand from developing countries and the effects of climate change lead to shortages.

According to the Fairtrade

Foundation, consumption of coffee has doubled over the last 40 years and demand is growing from emerging economies such as Brazil, India and Eastern Europe. However, the effects of climate change on production, together with the

economic crisis, rising production costs and volatile prices, could lead to a worldwide shortage of coffee and an increase in prices.

Speciality coffee roasters are already being affected by increased competition on the world market, said Damian Blackburn, retail manager and coffee buyer for Grumpy Mule.

“We try to deal directly with producers, but you can’t escape what the markets are doing,” he said. “We’ve been priced out of the market for some of our favourite coffees because Japan and Taiwan are willing to pay well over the odds.

“The arabica market has been really high for a year, purely driven by speculative investments in the market. That’s bad for producers and roasters like ourselves. We’ve been paying more and more for coffee and it’s becoming harder not to pass this onto our retail customers and the end consumer.”

At Union Hand Roasted, jointMD Steven Macatonia said prices would inevitably be affected if there wasn’t investment in creating a more sustainable market.

“Farmers will be incentivised to grow more coffee [because of high prices], but they will be limited by access to land, the influence of climate change and political difficulties,” he said.

“It’s a complex situation that means working closely with governments and producers.

“It’s important delis and farm shops work with roasters who understand what is happening and are involved with and contributing to find a solution.

“Just buying Fairtrade is not the total answer. There isn’t always a direct link between Fairtrade and farmers making the investments that are needed.”

Promotional body changes tack as organic sales slide further

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

The Organic Trade Board has ditched its ‘Why I Love Organic’ ad campaign one year into a threeyear promotion, replacing it with a new campaign under the strapline: ‘Organic, naturally different’.

The original campaign, which was launched last year, focused on the different reasons why people buy organic food. But with sales continuing to fall, the OTB has changed tack, focusing on a single message of ‘naturalness’.

The new campaign features posters on London Underground stations, media partnerships with Mumsnet and Tesco Real Food, and a Question Time-style organic debate and dinner last month.

Anna Rosier, OTB chair, said: “We’re all dealing with tough economic conditions, and organic is certainly no exception. The ‘Organic, naturally different’ campaign is

confident, noisy and humorous and we know it’s going to help deliver the growth in sales the organic sector wants, as well as getting people debating organic.”

Farm shops saw sales of organic products fall 3.5% last year, according to figures from the Soil Association. Overall sales of organic

in the UK fell 3.7%.

The OTB, which is made up of organic food and drink companies, has collectively pledged £300,000 per year for the campaign, which the EU has agreed to match. The total budget for the three-year promotion is £1.8m. www.organictradeboard.co.uk

IN BRIEF l Tebay Southbound in Cumbria is the first and only motorway services to achieve a five-star rating in VisitEngland's Motorway Service Area Star Ratings scheme.

The services complex, adjoining an award-winning farm, has its own farm shop and butcher's counter, as well as serving locally sourced food in the café. l The Greenwich Union, one of two pubs owned by the Meantime Brewing Company in Greenwich, is to open a 'bottle shop' selling a range of 50 craft beers. The shop, which has been given a dedicated space in the bar of the pub, will offer a regularly changing variety of beers for sale. Meantime's own range of eight bottled beers will also be on offer. www.meantimebrewing.com

l Fewer than half of 16 to 23-yearolds know that butter comes from cows, according to a new poll commissioned by farming charity Leaf. A third of young adults were unaware that eggs are laid by hens and one in five believed jam and marmalade come from cereal crops. l Sales of wine costing more than £10 a bottle were up 32% by volume in the off-trade over the past year, according to a report from the Wines and Spirits Trade Association. The price of wines and spirits has risen by more than twice the level of inflation in the year to April with consumers paying 6.5% more compared to the previous year. l A group of Scottish bakers are in the early stages of applying for Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status for Dundee cake.

Martin Goodfellow of Edinburghbased cake shop Goodfellow & Steven, who is heading up the proposal, met with Dundee City Council last month to discuss the application. l Launches of own-label products in the grocery market overtook those of branded lines for the first time last year. Research from Mintel showed that 54% of NPD in food and non-alcoholic drinks came from own label. The analyst said the ownlabel market would be worth £46bn by 2016.

For regular news updates from FFD visit:

The OTB’S new campaign focuses on ‘naturalness’

www.ffdonline.co.uk Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

5

fine food news Food school blames ‘financial stress’ as key artisan courses are dropped

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

The School of Artisan Food has cancelled this year’s Advanced Diplomas in butchery and dairy because of a downturn in student applications, with the new MD working to improve the not-for-profit operation’s financial performance.

Interim MD Jack Slatter, who was appointed in January, blamed the fall in applications for the year-long, fulltime courses on the tough economic climate.

“You can’t ignore the effects

of financial stress on people,” said Slatter. “Our courses are not accredited. We are progressing to have them accredited though Harper Adams – an independent educational enterprise. What that does is enable course participants to have access to the student loan companies. Until then we are at a slight disadvantage.”

The Advanced Diploma in bakery is still going ahead in September with all 14 places filled, while the butchery and dairy courses will be resurrected

next year if there is sufficient demand.

The professional qualification was launched in 2010 and costs £18,500, although bursaries are available. While demand for the diploma has fallen, applications for the school’s short courses were increasing, said Slatter, who was previously MD of Riverford Organic and before that worked at Northern Foods for 15 years.

He replaced the previous head of the school, Gareth Kennedy, in January and will hold the position until a permanent MD is found.

“The school needed an experienced manager to improve its financial position and the management structure,” said Slatter. “There’s no issue with the financial position. It just needs some improvement.

“The short courses are part of doing that. We’re improving our sales position and establishing what the market size is so we can target those individuals suited to these short courses.” www.schoolofartisanfood.org

Short and sweet

The Welbeck school has cancelled its longer butchery and dairy courses, but says they could be resurrected next year

Like the School of Artisan Food, other training bodies contacted by FFD have found demand for shorter professional courses holding up best during the downturn.

“Costs are going up and money is getting tighter, but we haven’t seen a huge change either way in people attending our courses,” said Chris Ashby of AB Cheesemaking, which runs two-and-a-half-day courses.

Paul Merry of the Panary bakery school in Dorset said numbers were up for his three-day Going Professional course, while Andrew Whitley at Bread Matters in Scotland said his advanced courses were booked up well in advance.

“We’re seeing people who have been made redundant or come to the end of a contract and have a natural hiatus in their lives signing up,” he said.

“Any fall-off we’ve seen has seen has been in the consumer courses due to the proliferation of small cookery school operations setting up.”

AB Cheesemaking: Little change

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

of that, partly because that’s what they’re used to from shopping at the supermarkets, but also because in this economic environment people are watching their pennies.

Mark Farnsworth William’s Farm Kitchen, Hornsea Around 90% of the meat we sell is pre-packed, so we need a fair bit of space for cutting and wrapping. On a Saturday we’ll do up to 200 packs but we physically just don’t have the We opened the shop in April 2011 of sausages and 50 packs of burgers, space to do it. and there are three main things I wish which all need to be produced and It’s a similar story with the I’d known about beforehand. The first wrapped. If I could start over, I would butchery counter. When we first is that I wish I’d given myself more definitely dedicate opened, I assumed space for storage and preparation. All more room to the our butchers the advice we got was to use as much I try to run 8-10 butchery prep would be selling space for selling as possible, which in area. As it is, we’re cuts of meat over promotions each theory is a good idea. the counter in We probably dedicated around month on lines we’ve thinking of getting rid of the serve-over the traditional 1,000 sq ft of our 3,500 sq ft store produced ourselves counter altogether way, but what to preparation and storage space, and by working with to free up more we’ve found is but a year after opening we’re at full space. that our customer suppliers. capacity in the kitchen and butchery.

The final big demographic The kitchen is big enough for the thing I’ve learned over the past prefers to buy pre-packed meat café and we make as much for the year is about offering value. When so they know exactly how much it shop as we can, but I could easily we were planning the business, weighs and how much it’s going double the amount of homemade the economic situation was quite to cost. They aren’t comfortable lines we retail. I’d love to do more different to now. Our customers asking for 500g of this or a pound pies, quiches, cakes and tray-bakes,

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July 2012 · Vol.13 Issue 6

have been hit hard by the economic environment and we’ve found we’ve had to do a lot more in terms of offers and promotions.

I try to run at least 8-10 promotions each month on lines we’ve produced ourselves and by working with suppliers. In April we sold packs of eggs for £1, which was around a 12% discount, but we sold four times as many as the month before. We’re currently doing ‘buy two packs of sausages and get a third free’.

It has really helped to overcome the perception that farm shops are expensive and get people spending.

Promotions take time to organise, but they’ve definitely been worth it. We had to revise our first-year projections because of the economy, but we’ve already exceeded those largely due to the promotions we run and the amount of homemade food we sell.

Interview by PATRICK McGUIGAN

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11/06/2012 12:26

fine food news Report finds superstore timebomb ticking under ‘local food webs’ Planning permission has been submitted or approved for over 40 million sq ft of new supermarket developments, 80% of which is outof-town, according to a new report.

The report from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), From field to fork: The value of England’s local food webs, found that at the end of 2011 almost 4 million sq ft of new supermarket retail space was under construction with planning permission already given to another 21.4m sq ft.

Applications had also been submitted for a further 19m sq ft.

The projected development is equivalent to 1,635 new superstores.

According to the report, ‘local food webs’ – the network of people who produce, sell and buy food in any area – are being undermined by the dominance of superstores and the multiple retailers, despite serving an estimated 16.3 million customers a week across England.

The CPRE believes local food sales through independent outlets are worth £2.7 billion a year to the economy, supporting over 100,000 full-time and part-time jobs.

Spending in smaller independent local food outlets supports three times the number of jobs than spending in supermarkets, it says.

Graeme Willis, senior food campaigner for CPRE, said: “The

Kevinpepper/Dreamstime.com

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Out-of-town stores have left local food networks ‘under siege’, says the CPRE report

rise of out-of-town supermarkets and insufficient leadership from government over many years have left many local food webs under siege.

“Action must be taken to support them, and revitalise our high streets and local economies.”

The report calls on the government to re-examine competition policy to support retail diversity and for local authorities to

form partnerships to develop local food strategies.

It also urged supermarket chains to set themselves demanding targets for stocking and selling local food, minimising transport and committing to ‘equitable’ trading with local producers.

The CPRE report pulls together findings and recommendations from a five-year national project developed with support from

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By MICHAEL LANE

Philip Cranston: looking for flexibility in ranging

its produce from Cumbria and adjoining counties and it is not allowed to stock non-food items at all.

Council planners have recommended that Cranstons’ application be rejected, with the local planning committee set to make a decision within three

www.cpre.org.uk @FFDonline Have your say:

Wales unveils 'scores on the door' Bill

Cranstons applies for easing of ‘local’ food tie Cranstons Food Hall in Penrith, Cumbria, has applied to have planning restrictions eased so it can sell non-food items and no longer has to source 50% of its produce from local suppliers.

MD Philip Cranston told FFD he had no plans to reduce the amount of locally sourced food on sale but wanted the “flexibility” to adapt his product range if required.

“It’s not a change of tack for Cranstons. We just feel we would like the flexibility that other retailers in the area have,” he said.

“Things have changed since we first opened. Two supermarkets have opened in the area and trading conditions are much tougher. We just want a level playing field.”

Under the terms of Cranstons planning permission, the food hall is restricted to buying at least half

Sustain and funding from the Big Lottery Fund through the Making Local Food Work programme.

Nineteen regions were researched, using 262 volunteers who interviewed 1,873 shoppers, held 52 public meetings, screened 403 outlets selling local food and 219 supply chain businesses.

months. Philip Cranston said he would appeal if it was rejected.

“This is an issue that is coming up more frequently with farm shops and food halls, he said. “There’s a certain amount of panic from planners that they are going to get planning open consent and then immediately sell to Tesco.”

The Welsh Government has unveiled a Bill it hopes will usher in the UK’s first compulsory food hygiene rating scheme.

If approved, the Food Hygiene Rating (Wales) Bill will see restaurants, takeaways and retailers rated with a score between 0 and 5, with 0 meaning urgent improvement is necessary and a 5 indicating very good standards.

Ratings will be based on criteria including food handling standards (preparation, cooking and storage), condition of the premises and production procedures.

Businesses will be required to display their rating in a prominent position, such as at the entrance to their premises, or face a fine.

The Bill, which could come into operation in late 2013 at the earliest, may also cover suppliers of food to other businesses.

Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

9

fine food news new openings

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

Smokery joins with Scottish estate to create £1m food destination what’s in store l The meat counter is supplied by Davidsons of Inverurie, using meat from tenant farmers on the Estate. Other suppliers include Brewdog, Huntly Herbs and Matthew Algie coffee.

l The 75-cover restaurant is headed up by former Masterchef: The Professionals semi-finalist Matt Dobson and produces a wide range of homemade food for the shop.

l The building was constructed from local materials, such as Scottish larch and stone, and is completely carbon neutral, running on 100% renewable energy and generating its own heat and hot water from recycled waste energy.

l Cooper said the business has got off to a flying start, achieving 20% of its projected annual sales in the first four-and-a-half weeks of trading.

The restaurant took 5% of its projected annual sales over the Jubilee weekend.

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

A Scottish smoked food producer has teamed up with the Haddo Estate in Aberdeenshire to open a new £1m food destination housing a 3,300 sq ft food hall and restaurant.

The new business, called Formartine’s, is set in prime woodland on the Haddo Estate and is a joint venture between John Cooper, who runs The Smokehouse

in Methlick, and Lord and Lady Aberdeen who own the Estate. More than 50% of the produce sold in the shop and through the restaurant, including smoked fish, game and meats, will be supplied by The Smokehouse and the Haddo Estate or sourced locally.

The site also includes a children's play area, a traditional Scottish smokehouse for demonstrations,

Iberica

Marylebone, London

Brocklebys

Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire Pie-maker Brocklebys has built a new farm shop at its Leicestershire HQ, with an open kitchen and bakery so customers can see food being made.The shop is housed in a building at the side of the main production unit and replaces a previous outlet, which had limited manufacturing capacity.

“We've got more space to make pies now, so we are looking to increase our wholesale business to customers such as Waitrose, but the new kitchen also means customers can see how we make our products,” said Paul Wright, who runs the shop with his wife Stacey. A café is also planned. www.brocklebys.co.uk

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July 2012 · Vol.13 Issue 6

Spanish deli and restaurant group Iberica has refurbished its Marylebone outlet, taking inspiration from traditional Spanish manor houses.

The new interiors, by designer Lazaro Rosa Violan of Contemporain Studios in Barcelona, incorporate features such as hand-painted blue and white tiles, stained glass windows made with reclaimed glass and antique-style gas lanterns. The

woodland walks and trout lake.

Cooper is also currently building a new 2,500 sq ft production facility at the site, which will open later this year and replace much smaller premises in nearby Methlick.

“Smoked food is synonymous with Scotland as much as tartan and whisky, so by setting up my own food destination I not only get to realise the full retail value of new-look delicatessen was inspired by traditional Spanish artisan produce stores with dark wood and ornately carved shelves. Violan also designed Iberica's restaurant and deli in Canary Wharf, which opened last year.

The company, which was set up in 2008 by Spanish investors, including directors of exporter Atlantica, is believed to be looking at further sites in the capital and in major European cities. www.ibericalondon.co.uk

my products, but also bring a lot of tourism appeal,” said Cooper. “We are next to the castle and whisky trails of North East Scotland, plus there is a really strong local market.

This part of Scotland is one of the most financially stable regions in the whole country because of the oil industry. We are fortunate that there are a lot of wealthy people here.” www.formartines.com

Gerald David/ Countryman’s Choice Ivybridge, Devon

West Country butcher Gerald David & Family has moved into the farm shop sector for the first time after taking over Countryman’s Choice Farm Shop in Ivybridge.

The company, which has run the store’s meat counter since 2010, aims to increase the shop’s turnover by £200,000 within a year. It has already invested around £32,000 in new stock from local producers and improvements to the building.

The firm currently runs eight butcher’s shops and counters across the West Country, as well as a deli next to its store in Minehead, Somerset. www.geralddavid.co.uk www.countrymanschoice.co.uk

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“It’s had a fantastic reception so far,” said Lucy Bennett of the Winery. “Sales have way outstripped our targets. We’ve had really positive feedback from the tastings we’ve done at the Winery Shop and the recent shows. The customers love it!”

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11

fine food news IN BRIEF l Booths has re-launched its website to mark the roll-out of its new branding. The new site features video profiles of suppliers to highlight the supermarket chain’s focus on local food. www.booths.co.uk

l Long Clawson Dairy’s recently launched Claxstone pre-pack range took three awards at the Royal Bath & West Show’s National Cheese Awards. Claxstone smooth blue was named supreme champion and also took gold in the speciality category while the range’s blue Stilton got a gold in the European category.

l Scottish distributor The Cress Company is expanding further into the North of England with the opening of a second depot next month. The new depot in Preston, Lancashire, will allow the firm to deliver both chilled and ambient food more regularly to a wider area.

The Dunfermeline-based firm began supplying independents south of the border at the tail end of last year but MD Joe Wall decided to make a more permanent move.

l Bim's Kitchen has had eight of its African-inspired products listed by Jones the Grocer in its United Arab Emirates stores. The Australianowned chain discovered Bim’s through the recommendation of fusion cuisine chef Peter Gordon.

The products will be sold in Jones’s main Abu Dhabi and Dubai stores.

l Fussels Fine Foods became the first rapeseed oil brand to advertise on TV last month when its advert appeared in a break during ITV's Emmerdale. The commercial was filmed on owner Andy Fussels’ Somerset farm.

l South Devon Chilli Farm has appointed three new directors to help it keep pace with expansion.

Joining founder Steve Waters on the board are his wife Heather as well as Kaz Lobendhan and old school friend Martin Phillips, both of whom previously worked in the financial sector.

Food hall grocery guru Jim Corfield dies at 61

By MICK WHITWORTH

Speciality trade veteran Jim Corfield, who worked in senior roles for three of London’s best-known food stores, died at the end of May after losing his battle with cancer. He was 61.

Corfield had been grocery buyer at Partridges, the traditional grocer and food hall in Duke of York Square, since 2006. He worked closely with owner John Shepherd, who descibed Corfield as “a lovely man who everyone liked”.

“He was a great colleague to us all and was very generous sharing his enormous depth of knowledge.

It has truly amazed me how many suppliers have taken the trouble to write or call to tell me that Jim was a true English gentleman. It’s only now he’s not around that we all realise how much we miss him.”

By MICK WHITWORTH

The Jamie Oliver organisation has taken trade sales of its Jme speciality food range in-house after launching the brand 18 months ago through sales and distribution consultancy Pride of Place.

The TV chef’s London HQ wrote to retail clients this week, saying future orders would be handled by the Jme sales and customer service team.

Pride of Place director Simon Hurley told FFD the move was not unexpected. “When we started working with Jme 18 months ago we were given the target of getting into 300 independent stores, and they handed us a list of key

Creamery has bought farmhouse cheese-maker Causeway Cheese Company as it looks to grow its export business. Fivemiletown will now produce and market County Antrim-based Causeway’s fourstrong range of waxed cheddars from its dairy in County Tyrone.

For regular news updates from FFD visit:

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July 2012 · Vol.13 Issue 6

Earlier in his career, Corfield spent nearly 20 years with Harrods, first in the meat hall, then in frozen

Jamie Oliver group takes Jme in-house

l Northern Ireland’s Fivemiletown

www.ffdonline.co.uk

Jim Corfield; experienced grocer who nurtured new talent

The Jme range on sale in Drewtons, June’s FFD Deli of the Month

accounts like Dobbies, Wyevale and House of Fraser.

“Basically, we have landed them all. We’re not in all independents, obviously, but we’re in the 300 we were targeted with achieving, and the majority of the top ones, from Lewis & Cooper in the North to Windsor Farm Shop in the South.

“The next job that needs doing is PR and marketing – it’s about making sure consumers pick the brand up and walk it out of the door – and that’s not what we’re about.”

Jamie Oliver’s commercial arm has a substantial call centre operation serving his Jamie At Home party plan business, and already handles physical distribution of the Jme food range.

Hurley said: “Having seen the Jme organisation in action over the last 18 months, no-one is better at consumer marketing than they are.”

Although the loss of the high profile brand will make a dent in Pride of Place’s operations, Hurley said the handover had been planned for several months.

“So it was not a surprise. We’re already at work on three or four big artisan brands that we hope to be taking on shortly, and we’re potentially going to be doing some consulting for Jme going forward.”

He added: “There are still several key accounts where they would benefit from the relationships we have.” www.aprideofplace.co.uk

foods and grocery. It was followed by a 12-year stint as grocery buyer at Fortnum & Mason.

F&M’s current head of grocery, Sam Rosen-Nash, told FFD Corfield’s death left “a very large hole in the grocery fraternity”. “When I think of what a grocer should be, I think of Jim. He was an unsung hero, nurturing and launching the career of many fledging buyers and bringing to market many first-time producers.”

Stuart Gates, a former senior executive with both Fortnum & Mason and Harrods, said: “Jim was a great buyer in the old style who possessed a wealth of knowledge he readily shared with anyone embarking on a career in speciality food and drink, either as a retailer or a producer.”

BBC kicks off search for stars of food and farming Entries for the BBC Food & Farming Awards opened last month, with the organisation revealing a judging panel that includes food writer Charles Campion, beer specialist Pete Brown, chef Angela Hartnett and The Food Programme presenter Sheila Dillon.

Hartnett said the scheme was more important than ever this year.

“We’re in the thick of a recession and money is tight and it’s a tough time to be in business.

“After decades of decline and having among the world’s worst reputation for food, we now manage to produce some of the best you can find. But this progress is fragile and is at risk of being lost if we don’t shout about what we have.”

Nominations are being sought via the awards website in nine categories including Best Food Producer, Best Drinks Producer and Best Food Market. Entries are open until August 12 and winners will be announced in November.

Sheila Dillon described the scheme as “a great guide to what’s happening across the UK”.

“Last year’s winners included The Loch Arthur Creamery in South West Scotland, where some of Britain's finest cheeses are made,” she said.

“At last it had recognition for the work of its highly skilled team, based in a community set up for people with learning disabilities. It was a real discovery.” www.bbc.co.uk/foodawards

Follow us on

@ffdonline

THUR SDAY COT TAGE H A N D M A D E

P R E S E R V E S

Thursday Cottage is rightly famous for many of the delicious preserves made at Trewlands Farm in Essex. Our marmalades are legion, made with both bitter and sweet oranges and a multitude of different natural sugars. Grapefruit and Ginger, Three Fruits, Blood Orange or Vintage? The choice is yours – take your pick from these and many other hand made products poured by hand.

Available in all good farm shops, delis, garden centres and food halls countrywide. thursday cottage ltd trewlands farm tiptree colchester essex co5 0rf Telephone: 01621 814529 Fax: 01621 814555 jams@thursday-cottage.com www.thursday-cottage.com

fine food news Caoire Blakemore: ‘I want this to be a sustainable business that producers can rely on’

Interview

Subsidised up to now by its £1.2bn parent business to support the West Midlands food community, Heart Distribution is clawing its way towards break-even, as commercial manager Caoire Blakemore (above) tells MICK WHITWORTH

Community service G

o searching for Heart Distribution’s HQ on the Long Acres Industrial Estate in Willenhall, near Woverhampton, and you could easily get lost amid acres of Spar warehouses and Spar trailers.

Despite sales of £2.3 million last year, providing retailers with a onestop shop for local and speciality foods from around 140 West Midland producers, Heart is dwarfed, physically and financially, by its parent company, AF Blakemore.

The UK’s largest Spar wholesaler and retailer, AF Blakemore has eight divisions based here, spanning foodservice, meat processing, retailing and wholesaling, and it appears to have leased most of Willenhall to house its £1.2 billion convenience food empire. It supplies groceries to 1,000 Spar shops, 300

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July 2012 · Vol.13 Issue 6

of which it also owns and manages, eight divisions and its long history and employs 8,000 people. in food,” she says. “But within that, Heart, by contrast, has just six Heart is a very small company.” staff, and for commercial manager Heart Distribution was set up Caoire Blakemore – a fourthfive years ago after an approach generation member of the family from regional food group Heart of firm run by her father Peter – being England Fine Food. HEFF was looking part of a such a big operation for an affordable way to get more doesn’t always products from the sit comfortably burgeoning local Local food is all about with serving sector out into the story, and if you take food small and the region’s shops, medium sized the producer out of the garden centres and story it’s not personal, businesses. restaurants.

There’s AF Blakemore was it’s not tangible a “massive already running a movement of dislike” against major 200-strong fleet of vehicles delivering food companies, she says, which has to convenience stores and caterers sprung up from a dislike of Tesco across the West of England, and in particular, and she doesn’t want agreed to share its economies Heart to be tarred with that brush. of scale with the regional food “Yes, there’s Blakemore, with its community. It was a fairly typical

❛

❜

gesture from the family-owned operation, which has an admirable record of community work and puts 2% of annual profits into a charitable trust.

By enabling HEFF members to distribute through a single hub the new HEFF Delivery Service was soon saving tens of thousands of food miles, and in 2009 won a Sustainable Distribution award from grocery industry body IGD. However, the partnership between Heart and HEFF quietly broke down last year – a victim, in part, of the cut in Defra funding for regional foods – and Heart Distribution now flies solo, with its own glossy 200-odd page catalogue of ambient, chilled and frozen food from the region, a small telesales operation and sales development people for both

Mapping local food to beat the supermarkets

“a big affiliation with county” but this did not work for everyone.

“For example, Just Crisps is a really good brand from Staffordshire, but that’s a big county and some people might not Heart Distribution is helping see it as ‘local’.” independent retailers pinpoint She continued: “It’s not products made within a fixed something we throw in the face distance of their stores to give of customers, because it could them more ammunition as be unfair to some producers, but supermarkets we’ve noticed muscle in on that in the People are becoming last couple of the local foods very much more market. months people It is using are becoming strict with their local Microsoft’s very much more sourcing policies MapPoint strict with their software to local sourcing identity which of policies.” its 138 suppliers While interest fits within in organic foods each retailer’s has waned, definition Blakemore of ‘local’. said there was “Supermarkets potential for the are mentioning local food boom ‘local’ as a to have real buzzword,” says longevity, and Caoire Blakemore, she forecast a “but when you backlash against drill down it falls spurious ‘local’ apart quite quickly, whereas in claims by supermarkets. farm shops it’s a genuine point of But independents need to difference. So why not push it?” get their own act together and Heart operates across a be completely transparent about swathe of western England from where their products are sourced.

Gloucestershire to Staffordshire, “They need to get their and Blakemore says different message across before people retailers have their own definitions really start to question the likes of of ‘local’ and ‘regional’. There is Tesco,” she said.

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independent and bigger, multiple accounts.

Caoire Blakemore is reluctant to discuss exactly why the HEFF deal fell apart, but it seems the two sides couldn’t agree on who should do what for their respective shares of the distributor’s cut, as HEFF adjusted to its newly straitened circumstances.

Then, in March of this year, HEFF announced a new 'Trading Desk’ service, again providing a one-stop shopfront for HEFF members in return for a percentage of their selling price, but this time with producers taking responsibility for delivery of the goods. HEFF acknowledged that many of its members had worked successfully with Heart and would continue to do so. But the launch must have been seen by Heart as, at best, unhelpful.

Caoire Blakemore, however, appears relatively unruffled. “The only time I would get twitchy about competition is if someone tried to do the same thing in our region,” she says, “because that would fragment things and affect our breakeven point. But to be honest I think the Trading Desk is providing HEFF members with a different service.”

The key difference, clearly, is that Heart provides physical distribution too. Where the HEFF Trading Desk

charges 8% for its sales-only scheme, Heart charges a variable fee of “under 20%” for a full one-order, one-delivery, one-invoice service.

Blakemore is confident that this is cheaper than producers can do it themselves.

The sub-20% fee helps “mitigate the cost” to Heart, but thus far the service continues to be subsidised

by AF Blakemore. That’s despite the economies it can achieve through techniques such as back-hauling – using Spar vehicles that have completed their deliveries to pick up goods from Heart’s small suppliers, rather than returning empty to the Willenhall site.

Some Heart products are collected direct from the supplier to be taken to its warehouse within the giant Willenhall complex. In other cases, groups of smaller suppliers deliver into a single ‘mini-hub’ – a larger producer that is happy to be used as a drop-off point – and Heart picks up from here. “So some of our producers only have to travel two or three miles to a hub to be able to serve customers right across the region,” says Blakemore.

Heart has 240 farm shops and delis on its books, and its two telesales people phone these store once or twice a week, on a set day, to take

their orders from the Heart catalogue.

A traditional wholesaler, Blakemore says, will naturally push whatever it has most of in stock or whatever will deliver the most margin. But Heart doesn’t “cherry-pick” because it’s not a wholesaler, she insists, it’s a distribution service operating on behalf of all its suppliers.

Similarly, when business development manager Neil Harris visits a deli or farm shop, it’s not to push individual brands but to sell the Heart concept. “It’s one order, one delivery and one invoice,” says Blakemore, “which is not available from any other region.”

Twice a year, Heart runs a forum for its suppliers to air their concerns and say what they like and don’t like.

“One of the age-old problems is that people want us to sell for them,” she says. “A lot of them are great producers but not great sales people, and they don’t enjoy doing it. But local food is all about the story, and if you take the producer out of the story it’s not personal, it’s not tangible.”

So wherever possible, she says, Heart encourages its suppliers to get out and meet retailers, to help them sell those stories more effectively. “We constantly work to put the producers forward, not Heart Distribution.”

Heart was never designed to be a major money-spinner for AF Blakemore – Caoire Blakemore describes it as “more like a social enterprise”. Nonetheless she wants, and expects, the operation to break even to ensure its long-term future.

Sales in 2011-12 were up 25% yearon-year. The target for 2012-13 is an ambitious £3.9m, and Blakemore says she wants to achieve that largely with her existing suppliers, rather than adding many more and losing their close working relationships.

She also believes Heart could already be in the black if it was taking a hard-nosed commercial approach, but it sees “nurturing small producers” as part of its role – running unscheduled collections or deliveries to maintain service levels to shops, paying producers within 10 days to help with cashflow, promoting them strongly in the Heart catalogue. “We could be making a profit out of this now if we cherrypicked the suppliers we work with.”

But she adds: “We are aiming to break even, because you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow and I want this to be a perfectly sustainable business for producers to rely on.” www.heartdistribution.com @HeartLocalFood

Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

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news & views from the cheese counter

Aldridge protégé McCall questions washed rind fad

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

The co-owner of newly launched Chalke Valley Cheese in Dorset has voiced concerns about the quality of some new washed rind cheeses being launched in the UK. James McCall, who worked with legendary affineur James Aldridge for many years, has recently launched a range of washed rind cheeses with business partners Alison French and Sue James at the former Ashmore Dairy on the Cranborne Estate in Dorset. But he questioned some of the washed rind products that other companies had launched in recent years.

“It seems to be a bit of a fad at the moment,” he said. “There are a few courses that potential washed rind [cheesemakers] can go on and spend a couple of days learning the principles. But there is nothing like hands-on experience, nurturing your cheese for a two to three month period.

“It all seems a bit gimmicky.

Washing a cheese in this beer and that cider to give it some provenance or marketing spin. To be honest. what hooch it's been washed in has absolutely no bearing on the final cheese.”

McCall said he was also worried

Among McCall’s new creations at Chalke Valley are the washed rind Burwood Bole (orange rind) and cows’ milk cheese Penbury Knoll

that health and safety was being put at risk. “Washed rind cheeses are the highest risk cheeses. Because of the higher maturing temperatures and increased humidity they are a microbiological haven. My worry is that the profile of washed rind cheese in this country may be damaged rather than enhanced by the unskilled cheese-makers.”

Chalke Valley's initial range includes white mould-ripened cheeses Cranborne and Dorset White, plus a cows’ milk cheese

called Penbury Knoll and a washed rind variety called Burwood Bole.

The company has also launched two other washed rind products, which are made by Lyburn Farmhouse and matured by Chalke Valley. These include Little Colonel, which takes its name from the nickname for French AOC cheese Livarot (Colonel), and Francis, which is named after James Aldridge, whose real Christian name was Francis. @CVCheese

Impact of quakes on Italian cheese still unknown Retailers will have to wait to see what effect May's earthquakes in Italy have on the price of Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano after hundreds of thousands of wheels were damaged during the natural disasters.

The two earthquakes in Northern Italy, which killed 25 people, also caused extensive damage to the maturing rooms of cheese producers in the Emilia Romagna region, affecting 633,000 wheels of Parmesan and 350,000 wheels of Grana Padano.

Early estimates suggest around 300,000 wheels of Parmesan (around 10% of the total annual production) could be damaged.

“It's too early to say what effect this will have on price,” said Francesco Camisa, director at Italian food importer Fratelli Camisa. “It will take at least six months before we know the impact because Parmesan is usually matured for so long. In recent months we've seen the price coming down and, since the earthquakes happened, I've seen prices stabilise, but they haven't gone up yet.”

According to the Consortium of Parmigiano Reggiano producers, the damage will cost more than €150m, with five dairies out of action.

Cracked or split wheels have been melted down or sold off at a reduced price as grating or melting cheese.

Hark back to pre-cheddar methods, says Lyburn head

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Artisan cheese-makers searching for inspiration should look back to British cheese made before the Industrial Revolution.

That's the view of Paul Thomas, head cheese-maker at Lyburn Farmhouse in Dorset, who has made some interesting discoveries while researching historical dairy texts at the British Library.

Before the birth of cheddar, Stilton and Cheshire in the 19th century, British cheeses were made on a much smaller scale using very different techniques, said Thomas.

Curd was broken by hand in small tubs called cawls and often layered in moulds using a skimming dish.

“These kinds of cheeses would be easy for modern start-ups to make because you don't need a lot of capital investment in equipment,” said Thomas. “We have quite fixed ideas of our food heritage without actually exploring it further than, say, 1850. Cheese-making has been in continual evolution for over 2,000 years and there is potentially much that can inform what we do in the

Paul Thomas says producers seeking inspiration should try out techniques like breaking curd by hand (inset)

dairy today.” Thomas has started trialling some of these old techniques, following a recipe for 'Wiltshire cheese', but is still in the early stages of NPD. “The sensation of breaking the curd by hand is incredible. It’s something that Mary Holbrook practices today for Cardo. We need to explore the methods of the past as, otherwise, we risk forgetting something relevant to the future.”

BLUE BAPTISM: Wiltshire-based Brinkworth Dairy has finally christened its soft blue cheese after selling it for nearly a year at farmers' markets as the 'cheese with no name'.

The pasteurised cows’ milk cheese, launched last August, is now called Royal Bassett Blue in honour of nearby Wootton Basset, which gained Royal status in the Jubilee year. “We like to take our time with names – it took us six weeks to agree on a name for our son,” said Ceri Cryer (pictured), who runs the business with her husband Chad.

“It's been nice to hear different suggestions from friends, family and customers for what to call our new blue cheese. Other suggestions included 'Little Toby' after our cheese-maker, 'Oozy Blusey' and 'Innominate', but in the end we really liked Royal Bassett Blue.”

Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

17

A promotional feature on behalf of Le Gruyère AOC

Me and my cheese counter Fiona Kay, Cheese Please

W

hen Fiona Kay first opened Cheese Please in Lewes, East Sussex she stocked no more than 30 cheeses. Six years on and you’ll find over 100 British and European cheeses shoehorned into her 2m counter but intriguingly, only two from her original selection remain.

“You learn most from your customers,” she says. “They constantly suggest cheeses they’ve tasted and enjoyed and you soon get to know the ones they don’t like.”

Fiona is a genuine cheesemonger in that she is always on the look out for a new, local or unusual addition for her counter and she’s eternally open to new ways of introducing customers to something a little different.

“About a quarter of the selection is genuinely local, half of the rest is British and the remainder is made up of great flavoured continentals that fill a niche that home grown cheeses can’t." She continues: “Soft French cheeses such as the Rouzaire Brie de Meaux and Camembert are popular as is the nuttiness of our cave-aged Le Gruyère AOC – once they try this one, they never go back. We order in other continentals as and when customers ask for them. I buy a Cantal at 12 months maturation through the Fine Cheese Company that sells very well the producer places our name on our cheeses a few days after it is made.”

She was introduced to Cantal at a Speciality & Fine Food Fair in London, “It’s a super cheese, even the rind tastes great. I get so many ideas from talking to producers at shows and reading magazines like Fine

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July 2012 · Vol.13 Issue 6

Food Digest. In this business you’re constantly learning.”

Her biggest surprise has been the rise of Flower Marie. “It’s my biggest seller and although it’s local, made by Kevin and Alison Blunt at Greenacres Farm just a few miles away, I never thought a little square white moulded unpasteurised sheep’s milk cheese would become so popular. But all my customers love its amazingly delicate flavour.”

Another surprising big seller at Cheese Please is Sussex Mansion made by East Sussex cheesemakers, Alsop & Walker. “It flies off the shelf when we can get it,” she says, “but being artisan, it’s not always available.”

The team in store is small (Kay, one full-time, two part-time assistants and a Saturday girl), which means everyone needs to play their part to maximise sales. “Before a new cheese gets into the counter, I try it on my girls first. We don’t waste money stocking anything that generally, we don’t like. On average we bring in between four and six new varieties a year depending on if I find something significantly better than what we currently stock. Then we do promotions - all the time.”

At Cheese Please, you don’t leave without tasting at least one cheese and at weekends, the team runs fullon linked promotions. “Last weekend, we used two recipes from the Le Gruyère leaflets, the walnut & cheese paté and the courgette snails – both using Le Gruyère and both linked with a stunning red wine. It really pushed sales for us. Other Saturdays, we link a cheese to a special chutney, offer tasters and suggest a different wine. It always works and it gives us all the opportunity to interact with customers.”

Other seasonal promotions feature Scottish cheeses for Burns night, Welsh around the time of St David’s Day and anything heart shaped for Valentines. “You have to keep freshening the offer,” she says.

This, of course, also means keeping the counter looking good at all times too. “We do twice weekly full clean and re-wrap, on a Monday and Thursday” she says, “then every other day we individually check each cheese to trim and make sure it’s in peak condition. My counter must

Fiona’s top sellers • Flower Marie • Cave-aged Le Gruyère AOC • Rouzaire Brie de Meaux • Colston Bassett Stilton • Anything heart-shaped for Valentines Day • Cheese Please Chutney

always look at its best.”

The other bee in Fiona’s retail bonnet is customer care. “People regularly tell me they love our shop because we always greet and acknowledge every customer as they come in, no matter how busy we are.”

She is also conscious of the need to upsell: “We use open questions a lot – ask customers what kind of cheese they prefer, how many they are serving for and always add in a suggested accompaniment. We stock a large range of chutneys and relishes to suit all tastes and even have our own Cheese Please Chutney made specially for us and it’s very popular.

We also have a gorgeous piccalilli made to a Victorian recipe that tastes divine with so many cheeses.”

Talking with Fiona, you get the feeling eating good cheese is as much a hobby as it is career. Clearly her customers share the passion.

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www.maydaylivingbrands.com 020 8994 4445 Vol.13 Issue 6 路 July 2012

19

blue cheese

True blues

Strathdon Blue and Blue Monday

A wealth of blue cheeses is available from all corners of the UK. MICHAEL LANE rounds up some established classics and newer creations vying for attention.

Shropshire Blue The Shropshire Cheese Co’s version of this blue is the only one made on the same farm where the milk is produced. Owner Ian Eyres

Bertelin Blue This is Staffordshire cheese-maker Bertelin’s newest addition. The producer describes this pasteurised cows’ milk cheese as a cross between brie and Gorgonzola Dolce – not as pungent but rich and creamy. Bertelin Blue is matured for six weeks before being sold to delis in 1kg cutting wheels and 300g individual cheeses. www.bertelinfarmhousecheese.co.uk

Wrekin Blue Named after Shropshire landmark Wrekin Hill, Mr Moyden’s blue is made using vegetarian rennet and raw milk from a single herd of Friesian cows. The cheese is

and in smaller 350g rounds. www.cotehill.com

describes this natural-rind russetcoloured cheese (it’s dyed with annatto) as “an ode to our milk”.

Matured for 12 weeks, or less in the summer, it is available both direct and from wholesalers in 1kg rings, 4kg halves and 8kg whole cheese.

Burt’s Blue Handmade in Cheshire by Clare Burt, who is currently looking to scale up production and distribution beyond the North West. Burt dry salts her cheeses, which come in two formats, by hand and matures them for between three and four weeks. Burt describes her smaller 180-200g rounds as soft with a mild

www.shropshirecheese.co.uk

Barkham Blue Barkham Blue is said to have a smooth buttery texture and a rich taste without the harshness found in other blues. The natural mouldripened cheese has a deep yellow interior with blue-green veins and is made in 1.2kg rounds. Producer Two Hoots makes soft blue veined

blue flavour and slightly salty finish.

The 1.3kg wheels are more complex and softer at the rind with a semisoft texture in the middle.

“What we’re trying to do is make a tasty cheese that happens to be a blue. It’s not about killing people with blue notes,” says cheesemaker Rory Stone of his Strathdon Blue. The cows’ milk cheese, which

Stone says is meant to be a moist dolcelatte-style, is matured for 12 weeks before being sent out to retailers. It is supplied in 2.6kg wheels – halves and quarters are also available – that have a shelf life of two months.

Highland Fine Cheeses also produces Blue Monday, famously created by Blur bassist turned farmer Alex James and cheese consultant Juliet Harbutt. Stone uses a similar process to make the cheese, with “tweaks at the drainage and ripening stages”. He says this cheese, matured for 14 weeks and available in 650g cubes, retains its sweetness and never gets too strong.

After experimenting with goats’ milk, Stone is currently trialling a sheep’s milk blue, which as yet doesn’t have a name, but he doesn’t envisage it hitting the wider market until next year. www.hf-cheeses.com

www.burtscheese.co.uk

dry-salted over two days, pierced and wrapped in a breathable paper before being matured for between three and five months. Soft in texture with a “creamy, smokey, mineral taste”, Wrekin Blue comes in 2kg wheels available direct from Mr Moyden.

Bath Blue Producer Bath Soft Cheese Co says this soft blue is not as strong as Stilton but has a bitterness that is counterbalanced by creaminess.

Made with the maker’s own organic milk and animal rennet, this cheese is hand-pricked and develops a golden rind as it matured for up

www.mrmoyden.com

cheese from cows’ (Barkham Chase) and ewes’ milk (Loddon Blewe), both of which come in 1kg formats. www.twohootscheese.co.uk

Organic Cotswold Blue Veined Brie Made in Gloucestershire with Friesian cows’ milk on Simon Weaver’s Kirkham Farm, this soft cheese is sold at three weeks old but is at its best at five weeks maturity.

The cheese, available both direct and from wholesalers, comes in squares of 1.2kg, 320g, and 170g. www.simonweaver.net

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July 2012 · Vol.13 Issue 6

Cote Hill Blue The creation of Lincolnshire dairy farmers Michael and Mary Davenport, this soft blue is made from unpasteurised milk from their herd of Friesian and Red Poll cows.

Michael Davenport says that while it is not an “in your face” cheese its butteriness is off-set by a slight kick from the blue. Cote Hill Blue, which ripens over time like a Camembert, is finished and wrapped within three weeks and usually arrives with retailers by four-weeks-old and can be kept up to 12 weeks matured. It comes in cutting wheels (1kg-1.4kg)

to Roquefort, the cheese is matured in cool stone rooms for a month before being wrapped in foil and matured for a further two. It is then re-wrapped and sold in 1.5kg half moons. The producer, which also produces cows’ and goats’ milk blues, describes the cheese as slightly sweet in taste with green-blue veins. www.erringtoncheese.co.uk

to 10 weeks in stone rooms. Bath Blue comes in 4kg whole cheeses or halves, which have a shelf life of three weeks. www.parkfarm.co.uk

Lanark Blue This mould-ripened cheese is made by hand in the HJ Errington farmhouse creamery from unpasteurised ewes’ milk. Likened

Rhapsody Initially some people are scared by this cheese’s appearance according to Phil Hulland, creator and owner of Worcestershire-based Lightwood Cheese. He says his soft, unpasteurised goats’ milk cheese is dry and crumbly when young but matures into an unctuous cheese with a bit of bite in the middle. Rhapsody’s rind varies widely in colour while the interior of the cheese is flecked with blue

Swaledale Blue

Devon, Beenleigh and Harbourne Blue Totnes-based Ticklemore’s trio of blues are made with pasteurised cows’, sheep’s and goats’ milk respectively.

Devon Blue is described as clean and buttery with a rounded depth of flavour. Beenleigh, made with sheep’s milk taken during the Spring, varies in taste and texture over the course of the year. June’s cheeses are fresh and crumbly while the older cheeses develop greater depth of flavour as they become richer and creamier.

Harbourne Blue, made with goats’ milk from Dartmoor, can also be quite variable over the season. It is more likely to have a sweet, clean, fresh taste but can be very strong. All three varieties come in 3.5kg cheese, which are matured for three months and have a shelf life of six weeks.

This Yorkshire cows’ milk cheese, thought to have originated from 11th century Cistercian monks, has been produced by the Reed family since 1987 and has PDO status. Swaledale, which has a “soft moist open texture and smooth nutty flavour”, is available in traditional natural rind truckles or coated in blue wax.

www.ticklemorecheese.co.uk

www.swaledalecheese.co.uk

Blagdon Blue

rather than veined. Matured for a minimum of a month, it comes in 1.5kg wheels and individual 230g cheeses which both have a shelf life of 4-6 weeks. www.lightwoodcheese.co.uk

Beauvale Unveiled at the beginning of this year, Stilton maker Cropwell Bishop’s “entry level” blue is inspired by softer Continental styles. Beauvale is made with pasteurised cows’ milk, traditional rennet and a different

Dorset Blue Vinny This is a PDO cheese and, as its only producer is keen to stress, is different from other “massproduced” Blue Vinnys on the market. For a start it is made with unpasteurised milk from Woodbridge Farm’s herd of 220 Friesian Cows.

Originally a hard, dry cheese this version is slightly creamier and has a subtler taste. It comes in whole 6kg truckles, halves, and quarters as well as smaller 500g cheeses.

Northumberland Cheese Co’s first foray into blue cheese was created in 2010. Its producers say this cellar-ripened cheese, made with milk from the local Blagdon Estate Dairy herd, is creamy and “not overpowering on the palate”. www.northumberlandcheese.co.uk

www.dorsetblue.co.uk

Molecomb Blue After a successful trial Goodwood Home Farm, part of the historic

Cornish Blue After taking the supreme champion gong at the World Cheese Awards in 2010, Philip Stansfield’s creation,

Harrogate Blue

Yorkshire cheese-maker Shepherds Purse has developed another blue cheese, which it launched at the tail-end of last month.

In development for over a year Harrogate Blue is made with cows’ milk sourced from three different local farms.

Matured for nine weeks – three weeks longer than the firm’s other blues – to reduce its moisture content, the cheese is made with annatto, creating a golden colour that is further enhanced as its blue veins develop.

“We’ve been thinking about it for a while and looking how we could complement the blues we already offer,” joint MD Katie Matten tells FFD .

Matten describes the cheese as “mellow and light on the palate with a slight pepperiness”.

Harrogate Blue, which comes in cases of 4x375g quarter wedges, will also be the first cheese in the Shepherds Purse range to feature its new livery and branding, which will be rolled out in November.

The most famous of Shepherds Purse’s blues, Yorkshire Blue, is made from pasteurised cow’s milk and described by the Matten as “soft, creamy, buttery and sweet but never sharp”. It also makes buffalo and ewes’ milk varieties. www.shepherdspurse.co.uk

Stichelton strain of Penicillium roqueforti to the cheese-maker’s Stilton while the curds are hand-ladled during its production to create a silky, rich texture. www.cropwellbishopstilton.com

Perl Las Carmarthenshire organic cheesemaker Caws Cenarth says its “blue pearl” is unlike any other blue. It describes Perl Las as strong but delicate and creamy with lingering blue overtones. Matured for eight weeks the cheese comes in 3kg wheels, 500g truckles and 300g wedges. www.cawscenarth.co.uk

Goodwood estate in West Sussex, has put Molecomb Blue into regular production. Made with milk from the estate’s 200 Dairy Shorthorn cows, the cheese has a dark grey crust, is similar in texture to brie and is described as creamy and piquant.

It is available through Brighton wholesaler The Cheese Man or direct from Goodwood. farmwholesale@goodwood.com

Oxford Blue Baron Robert Pouget’s semi-soft blue cheese needs little introduction.

This creamy blue is matured for 8-16 weeks and comes in 2.75kg foilwrapped wheels. www.oxfordfinefood.com

matured for 12-14 weeks, was runner up by the narrowest of margins in 2011. These award winners were made using animal rennet, which is said to develop deeper flavour and a creamier paste in the cheese. www.cornishcheese.co.uk

Ballyblue Streaks of blue run through the centre of this soft cows’ milk cheese to give a piquant sharpness complementing the mild creaminess.

Ballyblue, made by Fivemiletown Creamery in Country Tyrone, was one of the first blue cheeses developed in Ireland. The cheese has a 4-6 week shelf life and comes in 1.7kg wheels or 142g pre-packed wedges. www.fivemiletown.com

Made by former Daylesford cheese-maker Joe Schneider using raw milk and animal rennet, Stichelton has become a staple on many cheese counters since it was first created in 2006. The cheese, which is described as cool and buttery with a long lasting savouriness, is seen as a benchmark for unpasteurised milk blues. www.stichelton.co.uk

Blue Horizon & Helford Blue Made by Treveador Farm, Blue Horizon is a soft, creamy textured blue cheese with an edible, colourful rind and a five week shelf life. The Cornish cheese-maker’s other blue is also soft and creamy but has a greyish blue rind. www.treveadorfarmdairy.co.uk

Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

21

blue cheese

Love in veins Profile

With so many blues to choose from, Cotswold Cheese Co’s Lisa Goodchild tells MICHAEL LANE about the growing line-up on her counter

I

t’s gloopy, it’s running. Oh my god, give me a bit!” From the way she enthuses about the Gorgonzola Dolce on her counter, it’s clear Lisa Goodchild isn’t exaggerating when she claims to be a blue cheese fan.

Since she and her husband Jon bought the Cotswold Cheese Co in Moreton-in-Marsh just under two years ago, Goodchild has grown the blue cheese selection from a handful to a dozen.

Despite her personal bias towards to them, boosting the range of blues also made sense from a retail perspective.

“If you’re offering a wide

selection of hard and soft cheeses you need to offer the same with your blue,” she says. “We try to get as many British as we can and be diverse with cow, sheep and goat.”

Goodchild satisfies demand for local cheese with Oxford Blue, from Oxford Fine Foods, as well as Shipston Blue, which is made by Carron Lodge using buffalo milk sourced from a farm just up the road from the Gloucestershire shop.

She says these creamier blues fall at the “safer end” of the spectrum together with Ticklemore’s Devon Blue and Two Hoots’ Barkham Blue. For those looking for something stronger Goodchild stocks Roquefort and Ticklemore’s Harbourne Blue. She buys both from wholesaler Fromage to Age, based in the north Cotwolds, which supplies the majority of her cheeses.

“Roquefort isn’t as big a seller as I would have thought,” she says. “If they like Roquefort, people will like Harbourne Blue. Although it’s goat, it’s got the same kind of intensity.”

Goodchild’s Stilton of choice is Colston Bassett – during Christmas she carries Cropwell Bishop and Long Clawson too – and she sells this alongside her only unpasteurised blue, Joe Schneider’s Stichelton.

“I always like to do a comparison,” she says. “It’s nice to introduce people who love Stilton to Stichelton because it’s creamier, more complex but not as salty. I think it’s trading up.”

Goodchild finds that some blues, particularly the Piedmont Gorgonzola Dolce supplied by Fromage to Age, just sell themselves. “When you put it on your board and cut, it starts to collapse in front of you, almost like ice cream, because it’s so soft. It’s total theatre. One person asks for it and then everyone wants it.”

Of course not every punter is quite so enthusiastic about blue cheese and Goodchild says the biggest gripes are the rind, the saltiness, or “that it just looks too blue”. “You’ve got to turn it into a fun experience. You ask, ‘So

Lisa Goodchild (top) has grown her line-up of blues from a handful to a dozen

22

July 2012 · Vol.13 Issue 6

you don’t like blues, why?’ And if you can get down to what they don’t like about it, you can go with something you know is more palatable and say ‘Go on, just try it’.

Often they’ll like it.”

Generally, she finds consumers appreciate some guidance from the person behind the counter. “You watch customers, and they’ll head to the cheddars and the softs and go ‘I’ll have that’ but then they look at blue cheese and say ‘ugh, I don’t know, help me’.”

Once you have helped someone with their selection, Goodchild says, the upselling potential is huge. As well as persuading the customer to try and buy another blue the shop also has a wall of wine from which she can recommend accompaniments.

She recommends pairing strong blues with a sweet white wine like Sauternes but says a Sauvignon Blanc or Petit Chablis also works well. Not being a white wine lover, Goodchild was “gobsmacked” when she first tried it but says the combination works. “All your life you think ‘blue cheese, red wine, port’ and I was none the wiser myself until we had wine tasting in here one day.”

Blues account for around a third of Cotswold Cheese Co’s counter sales but Goodchild is not complacent about the line-up and always looks to have a guest cheese – currently it’s Ticklemore’s Beenleigh Blue. Shipston Blue started off as a trial just before Christmas and she now sells four 1kg wheels every week.

However, if a blue doesn’t hold its condition then it is pulled. Goodchild tells FFD she has stopped stocking one famous blue recently because it wasn’t consistent enough. As a result she doesn’t experience the same problems with wastage that other retailers encounter with blues, notorious for turning bad very quickly.

Equally if a cheese gets listed with the multiples then it has to go. “If you can get it at supermarkets and you can get it for less – which is often what happens as they buy so much – then why compete?” www.cotswoldcheesecompany.co.uk

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Vol.13 Issue 6 · July10:00:08 2012 07/06/2012

23

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Hand picked and cold-pressed in traditional stone mills.

July 2012 · Vol.13 Issue 6

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2012 Guide to Importers & Distributors

at the heart of speciality food and drink

digest

SPECIAL REPORT JULY 2012

Bespoke Foods Brindisa Cibosano Cotswold Fayre The Cress Co Delicioso Divine Deli Supplies El Olivo Olive Oil Co Fratelli Camisa Gastro Nicks Heart Distribution hf Chocolates Hider Food Imports The Kent Tea & Coffee Co Lefktro Morgiel Fine & Organic Foods Patriana Rice Bran Products Rowcliffe Samways Shire Foods Vallebona

YOUR PULL-OUT-AND-KEEP DIRECTORY OF FINE FOOD IMPORTERS, WHOLESALERS & DISTRIBUTORS

Bread Dipping

divine deli supplies • 01706 313 001 • page 5

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July 2012 · Vol.13 Issue 6

importers & distributors

Piers Adamson

David Hider

Paul Hargreaves Joe Wall: “When I started six or seven years ago it was very much ‘No, we like to deal direct’. But the model has definitely shifted.”

Fighting fit Trading conditions have become even tougher in the last 12 months but it seems importers and distributors are holding their own, says MICHAEL LANE

R

ecession rages on and the euro crisis is causing headaches for importers, but wholesalers contacted ahead of this year’s Importers & Distributors Guide report that trade is holding steady. Both suppliers and retail clients, it seems, see the use of these middlemen as a way to save time and money.

“One theory is that some retailers are trying to be more careful with their overheads,” says Paul Hargreaves, MD of Cotswold Fayre.

For retail buyers, he says, using wholesalers cuts the time and effort involved in ordering stock.

It also means they can buy smaller quantities of each product because minimum order values can be spread over a wider range.

Hargreaves says a tougher financial climate has driven more producers towards wholesalers too. “If they spend all their time chasing bad

debts, there’s no time to make new products,” he adds.

Joe Wall, founder and MD of The Cress Co, says that while not every producer will benefit from working through a distributor, he has seen a rise in approaches from producers.

“When I started six or seven years ago it was very much ‘No, we like to deal direct’,” he says. “But the model has definitely shifted.”

Wall describes his firm’s recent trading performance as “steady”. “I don’t think the premium end of the market has been as badly hit as some bits of the economy,” he says.

But one of his biggest concerns is an increase in bad debts as retailers struggle with cash flow. While his established clientele are “weathering the storm”, newer retail customers are taking longer to pay up.

“We fare better than our customers,” he adds. “If we want more customers we can go further afield or tweak the options for existing ones.”

The Cress Company has recently branched out from its Scottish customer base and is looking to gain more business in the North of England with a new depot in Preston.

“The pie isn’t growing as much as

it was,” adds Wall. “The competition will be tough [between wholesalers] but that’s good for retailers.”

At Hull-based Hider Foods, chairman David Hider reports turnover is up this year. “Having gone through one or two cycles in the past,” he tells FFD, “we tend to do well in recessions.”

Although some of the firm’s customers have gone to the wall and some accounts are down on the previous year, there are still new customers opening stores, he says, while other are able to adjust their businesses to the climate.

“A lot of independents are maybe not looking for huge improvements year-on-year and can cope better – they can do things like cut staff and are living within their means.”

However, Hider says his company is finding its own financing tougher than before. The bank it has used for the last 40 years has become pickier in the last couple of years, particularly when it comes to renewing the overdraft facility that supports its import operations.

Hider’s business was originally built on commodity fruit and nuts, and it is both an importer and exporter. David Hider says currency issues, particularly

the troubled euro, are having an impact on the business directly (“We get clobbered on exports”) and on consumer confidence.

At Bespoke Foods, another major importer of speciality foods, MD Piers Adamson says that while buying in euros is beneficial to his business any gains are being wiped out by transport, raw materials, and other costs facing importers. And with Bespoke increasingly sourcing from outside its traditional hunting ground of Europe and the USA, it faces additional challenges. South East Asia is a prime example, where container rates could soon shoot up by 50%. The recent 40% increase in Thailand’s minimum wage will also lead to prices rising.

“But there’s no point in worrying about stuff you can’t control,” says Adamson.

Cotswold Fayre’s Paul Hargreaves believes the general outlook for speciality food and drink remains strong. “There’s definitely more confidence in the market his year,” he says. www.bespoke-foods.co.uk www.cotswold-fayre.co.uk www.hiderfoods.co.uk www.thecressco.co.uk

Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

27

importers & distributors Samways Fine Food Distribution Chilbolton Down Farm, Stockbridge, Hampshire, SO20 6BU 01264 810440 sales@samways.uk.com www.samways.uk.com @SamwaysFood

Founded by Ian Samways in 1993 with a £5,000 loan from the Prince’s Youth Business Trust, Samways has

grown into a national distributor with a catalogue featuring more than 6,350 products. The firm, based on a Hampshire farm, supplies independent retailers, coffee shops and pubs with both artisan and the larger speciality brands. Its brochure contains other distributors’, maufacturers’ and importers’ full product lists, such as Olives Et Al, Atkins & Potts and Tiptree.

Samways services customers south of Birmingham with its own fleet of vans but can deliver

nationwide via UPS and Palletline.

The firm also tailors its service to suppliers including picking up stock from some, taking deliveries overnight, and offering long term storage in its on-site warehouse to producers of ambient goods. As a result, Samways can supply products with longer shelf lives.

Customers can order both over the phone or online and if they place an order before midday on a Monday they will receive goods in the same week.

Brands it carries include: Belvoir Fruit Farms, Char Tea, We are Tea, Sugar and Spice tray bakes, muffins & cakes, Paxton & Whitfield, Tyrrells Crisps, Olives et Al, Wilton Wholefoods, Granola Goodness, Atkins & Potts, Wilkins & Sons – Tiptree Conserves, The Condiment Company, Dorset Smokeries

Wilton Wholefoods There are 340 varieties in this range (including nuts, pulses, herbs, spices, cereals, seeds, baking sundries, and vine fruits) along with a variety of listed pack sizes.

However if a customer wants a different size, Samways can usually arrange it.

Granola Goodness A specialist product made in the heart of Wiltshire by a small artisan producer, this hand-baked granola is wheat-free.

Belvoir Fruit Farms Samways sells all of Belvoir’s soft drinks in every format available, whether it is pressé, still crushes or cordials. They are its best selling range of drinks by some distance.

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July 2012 · Vol.13 Issue 6

Paxton & Whitfield It carries all of the famous cheese business’s branded goods and gift ranges.

Samways sells just the cheese that Paxton & Whitfield creates in-house rather than its entire wholesale range.

Atkins and Potts The entire range of sauces, stocks, condiments, coulis, sweet sauces and soups made in the Hampshire kitchen of this small-batch producer is available from Samways.

The ideal picnic

Artisan regional produce from our Italian partners delivered next day

Whether your customers are eating in their back gardens, on the beach or in the park, make sure you have all the ingredients to fill their baskets.

Make it easy for them and suggest your own platter; spoil them with a fine west country Cheddar, some Brie de Meaux and maybe a piece of Manchego or Ossau Iraty. A blue cheese such as Fourme D’Ambert or Cornish Blue would complete the perfect cheese board. Maybe suggest some Bufallo mozzarella with semi dried tomatoes sprinkled with basil oil.

Duck paté with bitter orange or Duck Rillettes from Thiol are a joy with fresh crusty French bread.

Finocchiona Salami from Negroni gives a lovely fresh herby summer taste complemented by some Parma ham or even Spanish Iberico. The five flavour antipasto will work very well with these along with the peppersweets to add a bit of spice. Our green olive stuffed with black olive paste and the Italian mixed olives draw it all together with a hint of Italy.

Go on, make up your own recipe for a successful summer.

01892 838999 www.rowcliffe.co.uk

FREE DELIVERY to UK mainland for orders over £150

WWW.VALLEBONA.CO.UK

Tel: 020 8944 5665

...local product made easy One Order, One Invoice, One Delivery

We are a family owned business supporting 138 fine food and drink producers, from the heart of England region, in getting product to market more sustainably and efficiently.

You can order chilled, ambient and frozen on one minimum order.

01902 308996 heartdistribution@afblakemore.com www.afblakemore.com/heart Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

29

importers & distributors Lefktro UK Unit 3D Lopen Business Park, Mill Lane, Lopen, Somerset, TA13 5JS 01460 242 588 sales@lefktro.co.uk www.lefktro.co.uk @lefktro

Lefktro UK is an importer, exporter and national distributor of extra virgin olive oils, balsamic vinegars

and other premium ingredients.

The Somerset-based firm supplies foodservice companies, wholesale groups, manufacturers, independent cash & carries, delicatessens, food halls and farm shops.

Since its formation in 1996, Lefktro has forged strong relationships with suppliers in Greece, Spain, Italy and France. It has grown its range to over 200

product lines from 40 different brands and producers and imports 500 tons of premium olive oil each year.

This family-run business also provides private label products in large volumes for retail and foodservice customers. It offers low minimum orders and can assist with all other aspects of the process, such as graphic design, labelling regulation and distribution.

Brands it carries include: Acetaia Reale, AGR Union, Fattoria Estense, Belberry, Med International, Canoliva, Casale Paradiso, casimirez Perez, Cellers Avgvstvs, Champiland, Contado degli Acquaviva, Fattoria di poggiopiano, Vincotto, Greppi di Silli, Hellenic Fine Oils, Hill Farm, Il Borgo, Imaginative Cuisine, J Leblanc, Jose Paez Lobato, Manfredi Barbera, Masia el Altet, O de Oliva, Oleificio Di Molfetta, Oleo Martos, Oleum Viride, Olis De Catalunya, Olivado, Onassis Mediterranean Foods, Pastifico & Figlio, Petropoulos and Sons, Principato di Lucedio, Sperlonga, Steens Manuka Honey, Vassilakis Estate

The Kent & Sussex Tea and Coffee Company Pivington Mill, Egerton Road, Pluckley, Ashford, Kent 01233 840 265 or 0800 0351199 sales@tea-and-coffee.com www.tea-and-coffee.com @kentteacoffee

The Kent & Sussex Tea and Coffee Company was established 30 years ago when the Smith family retired from India having been involved in the tea trade for three generations.

Today from its factory in the village of Pluckley in the heart of Kent, it imports and packs teas and coffee, which it supplies to the idependent retail and catering trades. It stocks over 350 different teas and coffees. Its brands include Pluckley Tea, Sussex Tea, Bombay Tea, Gurkha Tea and Kentish Roast Coffee.

Gurkha Tea The firm, which has family connections to the Gurkhas, helps and assists the development of the Shree Antu Tea Estate in Nepal to produce the very fine Gurkha Tea, which is available in bags and loose leaf formats.

Manfredi Barbera unfiltered extra virgin olive oil This oil, produced by the fourth generation of the Barbera family in Sicily, is made from a blend of Ogliarola, Biancolilla, Cerasuola and Coratina olives.

After pressing, the oil is allowed to settle and then decanted naturally, without any further filtering or processing. This golden yellow oil, which won two gold stars at last year’s Great Taste Awards, has a light, fruity aroma and medium fruity taste with an almond finish.

Delicioso Unit 14 Tower Business Park, Berinsfield, Oxon OX10 7LN 01865 340055 info@delicioso.co.uk www.delicioso.co.uk

Delicioso imports and distributes a wide range of authentic, gourmet Spanish foods, drink and kitchenware throughout the UK. Founded in 2004, it now offers products from 70 different suppliers from every region of Spain including charcuterie, cheese, salsas, olive oil and vinegars, saffron, honey, biscuits, chocolate, sherry and wine.

Delicioso works with its producers to develop new products and improve labelling and packaging.

It supplies. As well as delis, it also supplies the foodservice trade.

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July 2012 · Vol.13 Issue 6

Fattoria Estense Silver Label 10 year old Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Produced by Italian supplier Alico in partnership with a local vineyard, this vinegar is aged in wooden barrels to ensure quality and consistency.

The end product is well balanced and tangy.

Pastifico & Figlio Sbiroli Linguine This Great Taste Award winning linguine is well suited to pesto or seafood sauces. It is produced by the Pastifico and FiglioSbiroli family firm using specialist machinery to create its unique flavour and texture.

Salsas This new range of four salsas was launched this year under the Delicioso brand.

Made with Spanish ingredients and developed by the chefs at Delicioso’s sister restaurant, Ali oli (a Catalan garlic mayonnaise), Salsa Brava (a fiery smoky tomato and red pepper sauce from Madrid), Mojo Picon and Mojo Verde (spicy pepper sauces from the Canary Islands) all come in 200ml jars in cases of six as well as 1.2 litre foodservice tubs.

Divine Deli Supplies

The Pavillions, Bridgefold Rd, Rochdale, OL11 5BY 01706 313001 info@divinedeli.com www.divinedeli.com

Launched in 2007, Divine Deli Supplies is a niche distributor that supplies high-end independent retailers with ambient specialities and foodie gifts. The firm, which operates from a warehouse in Rochdale, sources fine food concepts and non-food items to lift retail ranges beyond conventional deli

product line-ups. Divine Deli works with only one shop in a given area to ensure that its customers are differentiated from their neighbours.

In addition to the British products it carries, Divine Deli also imports from North America, Spain and Italy.

Its catalogue features dips,

sauces, antipasti, and cake decorations as well as ceramic items like brie bakers and bread dippers.

Brands it carries include: Wildly Delicious, Decorate!, Curry Tree, Olde Goa, Mr Jones, Deli Shop

Wildly Delicious A family-owned fine food producer based in Toronto, Canada, Wildly Delicious make bread dipping, garlic roasting and cheese baking sets. Its Brie Bakers have proved “enormously popular” with Divine Deli’s customers (trade price £7.68 RRP £16.49).

Simply Served A range of very simple serving ware in ceramic, slate and wood (including olive wood) that allows retailers to produce appealing merchandised displays combining food and non-food.

Mr Jones A new and creative range of teas, produced in Amsterdam with products such as ‘Smoking Joe’, ‘Black Beauty’ and ‘Instant Karma’.

Deli Shop Sold only in the best fine food shops in Spain and Portugal, Divine Deli is launching Ricky Mandle’s Deli Shop range of authentic Mediterranean pantry products in the UK.

Decorate!

This is a comprehensive range of cake sprinkles and glitters that provide an alternative to expensive American decorations. Products in the line-up include edible glitters and sugar sprinkles.

Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

31

BRINDISA SOURCES TOP QUALITY SPANISH FOODS & INGREDIENTS

From Ibérico ham, Chorizo, Morcilla, olive oil, vinegar, olives, Pimentón, saffron, beans, anchovies and salt cod, to Manchego and an extended range of Spanish cheeses.

GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE • • • • • • •

Free next-day delivery* Low minimum orders Sales support and inspiration Free Ibérico ham training with our master carver Tastings, recipe cards and serving suggestions Peace of mind: we have our own technical team Experience: from the Brindisa deli in the heart of London’s Borough Market and three London Tapas restaurants Many new additions to our deli food range in 2012

*Subject to minimum order for addresses outside London

CALL OUR SALES TEAM TO FIND OUT WHAT WE CAN DO FOR YOU

TEL 020 8772 1600

WWW.BRINDISAWHOLESALE.COM

Making Food Special NEW

At Bespoke, we offer a huge range of specialist foods from around the world, including authentic Thai curry pastes, American barbecue essentials, ethically sourced chocolate from Madagascar, traditional Mexican ingredients and much, much more. For more information on our entire range and to request a copy of our new 2012 - 2013 catalogue, give us a call today!

Phone: 020 7819 4300 Fax: 020 7819 4400 Email: sales@bespoke-foods.co.uk Web: www.bespoke-foods.co.uk 32

July 2012 · Vol.13 Issue 6

importers & distributors Hider Food Imports Wiltshire Road, Hull, East Yorkshire, HU4 6PA 01482 561137 (office) 01482 504333 (sales) sales@hiderfoods.co.uk www.hiderfoods.co.uk

Hider Food Imports is a familyowned business that has been trading since 1965 supplying an array of farm shops, delis, garden centres and most leading department stores. Its everexpanding product portfolio includes a vast range of speciality and fine food brands including nuts, dried fruit, confectionery, cakes, biscuits,

snacks, soft drinks, beverages, breakfast cereals and gift foods as well as a comprehensive selection of seasonal products that feature in its Christmas and Easter brochures.

The company works with Leedsbased True Design to continue to develop its Essence of Quality, Sweet Shop and Hider Bakery own-label brands offering pre-packed nuts, snacks, dried fruit, confectionery, traditional old-fashioned sweets, cakes and tray bakes.

While branded products are an important part of the business, Hider is also an importer of nut kernels and dried fruits, which are re-cleaned on site and packed in-house. It has its own roasting and salting plant

Three Crowns Confectionery Hider Foods has linked with a trio of confectionery industry specialists to launch a new chocolate brand Three Crowns.

The range consists of 100g chocolate bars, chocolate thins, chocolate enrobed fruits, dragees, Florentines and seasonal confectionery.

Anthony Rowcliffe & Son

offering a wide range of salted nuts.

The Yorkshire-based firm has its own fleet of vehicles and a dedicated telesales department to support its external sales team.

Brands it carries include: Hazer Baba Turkish Delight, Three Crowns Confectionery, Corsini cantuccini and panettone, Schlunder stollen cake, Bloomsberry designer gift chocolate bars, Fischer & Wieser Texan gourmet food, La Buena Vida tapas products, Valdiflor Belgian biscuits and Essence of Quality pre-packed nuts, snacks and dried fruit, etc.

Corsini Corsini, an Italian family business established in 1921, is a leading manufacturer of Cantuccini, the classic Tuscan biscuit with almonds.

It also produces an extensive range of speciality biscuits, panforte and panettone for the Christmas season along with a boxed range of Cantuccini, Biscotti, Amaretti and Croccoli.

Fischer & Wieser Fisher & Wieser Speciality Foods, founded by artisan farmers in 1969, manufacturers more than 100 award-winning speciality foods. These include hand-crafted sauces, mustards, salsa, dressings and preserves. Its signature sauce, The Original Roasted Raspberry Chipotle sauce, is characterised by “sweet heat” with a combination of raspberries and chipotle peppers.

Morgiel Fine & Organic Foods 2 Latimer Road, Teddington, TW11 8QA 07900 840326 info@morgielfoods.co.uk www.morgielfoods.co.uk @Morgielfoods

Morgiel Fine & Organic Foods specialises in importing and distributing traditional Polish foods in the UK. The company sources goods directly from a variety of small, artisan producers, reflecting the country’s culinary heritage and differentiating its offer from other wholefoods suppliers.

One of Morgiel’s specialities is importing foods from the Lower Silesian Wilderness, the largest densely forested area in Europe.

Among its lines are organic marinated mushrooms (including wild cep, chanterelle, bay bolete) and wild berry preserves (featuring lingonberry, sea-buckthorn and rowan berry) as well as a range of pure honeys including buckwheat, linden and honeydew. Morgiel also carries a number of other organic ranges including vegetable preserves, organic juices made with chokeberry, plum or cherry and organic rustic biscuits made of spelt or amaranth.

It currently supplies these products to delis, organic food stores, and other independents as well as the catering trade.

Brands it carries include: Fungopol, Runoland, Biofood, Ekoprodukt, Lyson.

Castellino Among Castellino’s range are olives stuffed with a garlic cloves and marinated in herbs & sunflower oil. The olives’ low salt and low vinegar content makes them less sharp and ideal for the British palate.

Paddock Wood Distribution Centre, Paddock Wood, Kent, TN12 6UU 01892 838999 sales@rowcliffe.co.uk www.rowcliffe.co.uk

Anthony Rowcliffe & Son specialises in supplying artisan Continental and British farmhouse cheese to independent retailers, selected multiples and the foodservice trade. It also supplies continental charcuterie, Italian olives and on-tap speciality oils and vinegars.

Established in 1967, the firm has now increased its range to over 1,000 lines and offers a nextday delivery service nationwide.

Among the brands it represents are Castellino, Negroni, Deli-cious, Quickes, Hawes, Colston Bassett and Barbers. Rowcliffe’s experienced

team has assisted more than 1,000 businesses to start up a chilled food offering with merchandising and staff training.

Runoland Morgiel imports a range of vegetable and fruit preserves as well as marinated mushrooms produced by Runoland. These products are sold in cases of six with prices ranging from £6.54 for a case of organic grated beetroots to £37.74 for a case of organic marinated cep mushrooms.

Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

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importers & distributors Bespoke Foods 1st Floor, 80-84 Bondway, London, SW8 1SF 020 7091 3200 sales@bespoke-foods.co.uk www.bespoke-foods.co.uk

Established in 1982, Bespoke Foods is a London-based importer and distributor that serves retail and foodservice customers across the UK. Having started out supplying Belgian butter biscuits to Harrods, the company’s range now spans 87

brands from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.

Bespoke was one of the first importers to introduce lebkuchen and goose fat to the UK and has built the fastest growing Thai brand – Thai Taste – in the UK retail market inside two years.

It is also the UK distributor for American mustard brand French’s.

Among its other specialist areas are jerk sauces from Jamaica, Ugandan fair trade vanilla products, traditional French lemonade and panettone from Italy.

Brands it carries include: Amaretti del Chiostro, Belgian Butters, Briannas, Buiteman, Connétable, Delouis, Filotea, Frank’s RedHot, French’s, Jardine’s, La Mortuacienne, La Truffe Cendrée, Madécasse, Malay Taste, Marine Gourmet, Morel Brothers, Ndali, Nem Viet, Peanut Butter & Co., Pepperidge Farm, Pertzborn, Plaza del Sol, Quinta D’Avo, Rufus Teague, S&B, San Marcos, Thai Taste, Truly Indian

Malay Taste This range of Malaysian products is made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients and exclusively produced and packed in Asia for Bespoke. The Malay Taste range features meal kits, cooking sauces and Kicap Manis (150ml, £1.13) a sweet, thick soy-based sauce, which is an essential condiment and ingredient in Malaysian cuisine.

Frank’s Frank’s RedHot pepper sauce was the secret ingredient in the original Buffalo wings created in Buffalo, New York in 1964.

The range includes Great Taste Award winner Frank’s RedHot Xtra Hot (148ml, £1.00), which gives that extra kick of heat.

San Marcos This brand new range of authentic Mexican beans, peppers and salsas is exclusive to Bespoke Foods. Produced and packaged in Mexico, the San Marcos range includes tender cactus in brine (320g £1.39).

The Cress Company

Rannoch Smokery Rannoch Smokery is a dedicated meat and game smoker using traditional methods, whisky-infused oak chips and “secret” brining recipes to give a long natural shelf life to a wide range of products.

Lines include venison (both cold and hot smoked), beef carpaccio, chicken, duck and terrines – all in retail ready packaging.

Unit 8, Castle Industrial Estate, Queensferry Road, Dunfermline, Fife, KY11 8PT 0845 643 1330 info@thecressco.co.uk www.thecressco.co.uk @TheCressCo

Since 2004, Joe Wall has grown his wholesale business The Cress Company across Scotland and into the North of England. The firm has a customer base of 850 delis, farm shops, cafés and hotels, which it supplies with weekly deliveries via its own fleet of vehicles. With more than 100 suppliers on its books, it covers a broad range of both ambient and chilled deli products from soft drinks to pasta and black pudding. The Cress Co’s main focus is on British food and drink – over 80% of its products are from within the UK – but it also cherry-picks the best from abroad including Italy, France and America.

The Cress Co carries a mix of brands, from better known names such as Belvoir, San Pellegrino and Burts to small producers such as Summer Harvest Rapeseed Oils and Duskins Apple Juice.

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July 2012 · Vol.13 Issue 6

Berry Scrumptious Berry Scrumptious is a small company based in Aberdeenshire that grows fresh produce, such as strawberries and raspberries, for use in a range of handmade indulgent chocolates. Using its own freeze-dried fruit, Berry Scrumptious produces a range of berry truffles (6 x 6 truffles, £19.68 +VAT), chocolate blended with berries (five Varieties, 6 x 85g, £10.56+VAT) and chocolate buttons (three varieties, 6 x 100g, £8.00 +VAT)

Bundaberg Ginger Beer This traditional Australian drink is the wholesaler’s best selling line.

Bundaberg ginger beer, made with root ginger grown in Queensland, is still owned and operated by the Fleming family who started it in back in 1960. The range includes classic ginger beer, diet ginger beer, root beer and lemon & lime bitters, all available in cases of 12.

Servicing the art of Gastronomy t: 020 8207 5820 ~ e: info@cibosano.co.uk ~ w: cibosano.co.uk

Charcuterie ~ Cheeses ~ Fresh Pasta ~ Antipasti ~ Seafood ~ Cakes ~ Oils ~ Vinegars Food Digest July Ad AW.indd 1

31/05/2012 12:16

Eat17 Bacon Jam As seen on the ‘Johnathan Ross Show’

We stock lots of interesting and exclusive products, contact us for more information... sales@cotswold-fayre.co.uk

Call us: 08456 121201

www.cotswold-fayre.co.uk Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

35

The finest selection of gourmet foods from Spain, with over 300 products, together with our new own-brand range of Spanish salsas l 500m9 £1.9

Ask today for our 2012 catalogue and Christmas brochure!

With no minimum order and next-day delivery throughout the UK, let us bring the best of Spanish food to your door For more information, please phone 01865 340055 or email info@delicioso.co.uk

Speciality Importer of the Year 2008 telephone 01865 340055 | info@delicioso.co.uk | www.delicioso.co.uk

• New Launch Elegant 500ml metal tin of EVOO by the same producer of our award-winning organic EVOO EL LAGAR DEL SOTO • This extremely fruity and green EVOO is made from Manzanilla Olives harvested in early October in Extremadura (Spain).

• There is no minimum order and you can mix and match products • Free delivery for new clients.

To place an order or to request the full price list please phone Maria or Ian on 0131 6684751 El Olivo Olive Oil Co · 27 Ratcliffe Terrace · Edinburgh EH9 1SX Tel: 0131 6684751 · Fax: 0131 6675331 www.elolivo-olive-oil.com · info@elolivo-olive-oil.com

THE ESSENCE OF QUALITY FOR CHRISTMAS 2012 Our new packaging design has a celebratory style that really enhances the Christmas Product Range. With a satin finish, our striking new design features an embossed green bow, gold foil lettering and a small fleet of twinkling red stars. The range includes a brand NEW confectionery carton, all designed to catch your customer’s eye. Of course, it goes without saying that the carefully selected, delicious contents are, as ever, the essence of quality.

www.hiderfoods.co.uk 36

July 2012 · Vol.13 Issue 6

01482 504333

sales@hiderfoods.co.uk

importers & distributors Cotswold Fayre River Barn, 14 Tessa Rd, Reading, RG1 8HH 08456 121201 sales@cotswold-fayre.co.uk www.cotswold-fayre.co.uk @cotswoldfayre

Cotswold Fayre warehouses, sells and distributes a range of over 1,750 ambient products including confectionery, beverages, essential store-cupboard items, snacks, and bakery products. The Berkshire-based

firm primarily sells British and Irish products to retailers but also carries a small range of goods imported from Europe and the Americas. The company also has an extensive range of seasonal products with large Christmas and Easter ranges covered in separate catalogues.

Started in a lock-up by Paul Hargreaves in 1999, the business now employs 35 staff and has an annual turnover of nearly £6m.

Cotswold Fayre has a team of seven field sales people who can visit retailers and offer advice. In addition

Cotswold Handmade Meringues One of the wholesaler’s most consistent top sellers, these meringues were re-branded in 2010. The family-run business makes a variety of meringue products with the Pavlova bases and nests proving the most popular of the range.

to its catalogues, the company maintains a strong presence online and in social media. Last year it launched Cotswold Connect – a series of networking events for speciality food retailers.

Cotswold Fayre carries its whole range within its 20,000 sq ft warehouse in Reading, so all products are delivered quickly from stock. It works in very close partnership with its suppliers and Hargreaves continues to help a number of small producers develop their brands.

Roots & Wings A range of hand crafted British organic products from biscuits and jams through to chocolates and sweets. Roots & Wings donates 10% of all profits to charities devoted to the needs of children.

Patriana The Goods Shed, Station Road West, Canterbury, Kent CT2 8AN 07734 114295 info@patriana.com www.patriana.com

Based at the Goods Shed food hall in Kent, Patriana specialises in charcuterie and cheese from Spain and the Basque region of France.

While it sells direct to consumers from this location, its main business is supplying delis, food hall and restaurants.

Patriana has a direct relationship with its artisan producers ensuring complete knowledge across all of the lines it imports. From Spain, it imports Iberico and Serrano hams, Iberico chorizo, lomo and salchichon as well as manchego cheese.

Patriana’s Basque specialities include Bayonne and Kintoa hams, chorizos, saucissons, patés and cheeses like Ossau Iraty. It also sells Espelette pepper, piperade and cassoulet stews from the region.

Bacon Jam This smokey, sticky relish was created by the accidental fusion of onion marmalade and smokey bacon in a restaurant in Walthamstow, London.

Cotswold Fayre took the product on in January and it reached the firm’s top ten lists by April. Bacon Jam can be used both as a condiment or as an ingredient.

Fratelli Camisa Unit 4, I.O.Centre, Lea Road, Waltham Cross,Herts,EN9 1AS 01992 763076 camisafood@aol.com www.camisa.co.uk

Fratelli Camisa opened its first delicatessen on Berwick Street in London’s Soho in 1929. It has grown into a nationwide distributor based in Hertfordshire, but remains a family-run concern. The company supplies a range of deli products imported from Italy and Spain. Its lines include charcuterie, prosciutto, cheese, fresh and dried pasta, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rice, biscuits, olives, savoury snacks, vegetables in oil, pasta sauces, seafoods, pesto and tapanades as well as Christmas products.

Brands it carries include: Martelli pasta, Frutibosco, Santagata olive oils, Vechio Mulino, Barbera, Anthici colli, Cuneo, Meroni, Coopaim, Favella, Padane fresh pasta, Alfieri, Molino di Ferro.

Martelli pasta Exclusively imported by Fratelli Camisa, Martelli produces a range of pasta in Lari, Tuscany, and is reputedly one of the smallest and oldest pastificio in Italy.

Run today by brothers Dino and Mario Martelli, the business makes just one shape of pasta each day using the finest Canadian durum wheat flour. The pasta, which comes in penne, macheroni, spaghetti and spaghetinni, is allowed to air dry naturally over three days before being packed by hand in paper packets. Cases of 20x500g packs cost £36.00.

Bayonne ham Patriana claims this is one of the best of the Basque region’s famous Bayonne hams. It is air dry-cured for a minimum of 12 months and has a tender texture and a rich, sweet taste.

The farm that produces this ham won the gold medal at this year’s Salon d’Agriculture in Paris. It is available as a half deboned hams vacuum-packed (trade £17/kg), packs of four slices (£28/kg) or as whole hams on the bone (£13.10/kg) Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

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importers & distributors Brindisa 9B Weir Rd, Balham, London, SW12 0LT 020 8772 1600 sales@brindisa.com www.brindisa.com @Brindisa

Since starting up in 1988, Spanish food importer Brindisa has grown from a small wholesale operation to a distribution, retail and restaurant business.

The London-based firm specialises in cured food, particularly Ibérico ham, and offers an array of regional products and price points.

It also provides training with its master carver, which is open to all of its trade customers. Among its other charcuterie lines are Serrano ham, chorizo, Ibérico lard, morcilla, panceta and lomo.

In addition to its meats, Brindisa also carries a large range of Spanish farmhouse cheeses, preserved and bottled tuna and anchovies, olives and olive oil.

Many of the company’s supplier relationships date back to its foundation but it is always looking to discover new artisan producers and can source specific products requested by its retail and catering trade customers.

This year has seen Brindisa introduce many new lines – such as blue cheese, fruit jellies and specialist vinegars – many of which are especially for delis.

As well as nationwide delivery (using its own fleet in London and third party carriers beyond the capital), it also offers comprehensive sales and training services to all of its customers.

Brands it carries include: Alejandro Chorizos, Casa Riera Ordeix Salchichon, Monte Enebro goats’ milk cheese, Ortiz tuna and anchovies, Núñez de Prado olive oil, Navarrico beans and vegetables, La Chinata paprika, Calasparra rice

Cibosano Unit 3, Lismirrane Industrial Park, Elstree Road, Elstree, Borehamwood. Hertfordshire WD6 3EE 020 8207 5820 info@cibosano.co.uk www.cibosano.co.uk

Cibosano’s roots date back to 1984 when its founder and director Totuccio Castiglione began working in the food industry for a subsidiary of a renowned Italian producer. Having acquired a wealth of knowledge in the retail and wholesale sectors, he founded Cibosano in 2003 with the aim of importing top quality Italian foods from family-run producers and supplying them to wholesalers, foodservice and delicatessens.

The firm specialises in farmhouse charcuterie and cheeses but also offers fresh and ambient pasta, olives and antipasti, marinated seafood, tuna fillets in jars, regional olive oils and vinegars.

In addition, it carries Amaretti and soft nougat as well as seasonal bakery and confectionery items.

Cibosano has its own fleet of vehicles and distributes nationwide with business partners that offer a complete chilled service. Its experienced sales staff are knowledgeable in every aspect of food provenance and the required safety and quality standards.

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July 2012 · Vol.13 Issue 6

Señorío Ibérico Bellota sliced ham Hand-carved by the producers of Brindisa’s whole Ibérico Bellota ham, this premium Señorío ham from Extremadura is packaged in 100g sleeves (£354.80 for a case of 30).

Señorío is a partnership of farmers formed to rear pure acorn-fed Ibérico pigs and controls the entire production process.

Tupí cheese This creamy product is made with cured and semi-cured cheese, fermented with olive oil and aguardiente (an alcoholic drink made from the final pulp of grapes used for wine making). It is produced in Sort, Catalunya, and aged for 2-3 months. The cheese (£42.30 for case of nine 160g pots) is described as strong, without being overpowering.

Casta Diva fondillon vinegar Described as dense, deep coloured and intense but delicate, with aromas of mountain plants and dried figs. This 25 year caskaged vinegar is made with Fondillón wine, typical of Alicante, from the Monastrell grape.

Each 50ml bottle comes boxed (£97.30 case of 8)

Langhiranese Parma ham This 24-months aged genuine Parma ham is made

by Langhiranese, based in Langhirano, a town famous for Prosciutto di Parma production. A whole leg weighs around 8kg with a trade price of £17.50/kg.

Prosciutto Arrosto Alle Erbe This ham, produced with fresh herbs, is slow cooked and roasted in an artisan method exclusive to the Leoncini family. Whole (7.8kg approx) and half legs 7.8kg are sold to the trade at £10.95/kg.

Brands it carries include:

Italian cheeses Cibosano boasts a full range of Italian cheese varieties in its cellar with many artisan products that have been carefully matured and handled with great care.

Leoncini, Langhiranese Prosciutti, Clai, King’s Prosciutti, Salsis Tuscan Charcuterie, Madeo Calbrian Charcuterie, Golfera, Citterio, Furlotti, Lazzeri, Sosio, Agriform, Parmareggio, Gennari, Mauri, Peck, Arrigoni, Auricchio, Pinna, Salcis Tuscan Cheeses, Centroform Sicilian Cheeses, Nonno Nanni, Tre Avesani, Collesano Antipasti, Villa Reale, Nostromo Tuna, Dinon & Marinara Seafood’s, Congedi, Tre Marie, Paluani and Condorelli Seasonal products.

ESTABLISHED IN

1929

Fine Food & Wine direct from the Producers Gastro Nicks was set up to source a variety of fine foods direct from the producers and to help champion their dedicated cause.

Quality , Expertise and Tradition.

• Extra Virgin Oil imported from Crete, Sicily and Tuscany • Tuscan Infused Olive Oil • Home Made Dressings • Genuine Aged Balsamic Vinegar - Modena • Italian and French Products • English Farm House Cheese & Chutney • Sicilian cheese • Salami • Hampers • DOCG Prosecco • Wines

www.gastronicks.co.uk Tel: 01264 852701 Email: enquiries@gastronicks.co.uk Unit 4, Garlands Estate, Cadley Road, Collingbourne Ducis, SN8 3EB

Delivering a full range of speciality gourmet foods sourced from some of the finest producers in Italy. tel: 01992 763 076

www.camisa.co.uk CFR065

We’re the fine food suppliers with a difference.

We work hard with a range of suppliers to bring you a selection of the best chilled and ambient products Britain has to offer. When buying from suppliers overseas we choose responsible sources who have as big a passion for food as we do.

Our friendly flexible customer service comes as standard and we mix this with our low minimum order quantities and regular deliveries in our own dual-temperature vans.

For more information contact the team or head to our website.

0845 643 1330 / www.thecressco.co.uk distributors with a difference/ advert.indd 1

Vol.13 Issue 6 · July16:05:34 2012 31/05/2012

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importers & distributors El Olivo Olive Oil Co 27 Ratcliffe Terrace, Edinburgh, EH9 1SX 0131 6684751 info@elolivo-olive-oil.com www.elolivo-olive-oil.com

El Olivo is an Edinburgh-based distributor of Spanish fine foods.

The company was set up in 2005 by Maria Cumming Panadero, who sources every product herself, with the main objective of importing high quality olive oil at affordable prices.

In 2007, the business branched out into other products and now offers a selection of foods.

Cumming Panadero seeks out small, family firms in the most remote corners of Spain to

ensure that the taste and quality of her products are in line with her standards.

As well as 13 different olive

oils, El Olivo carries rice, olives, roasted red peppers, patés, sundried tomatoes, tuna and sardines.

Its chorizos – sold under the importer’s own brand name – are additive free, ambient and both varieties were awarded a maximum three gold stars at 2010’s Great Taste Awards.

All of the food it supplies is bought directly from the producer and is delivered straight to the company’s Glasgow warehouse. El Olivo delivers to its independent retail customers using an overnight courier company.

Alioli El Olivo’s latest product is a natural, additive-free alioli made to a traditional recipe with garlic from Las Pedroneras in La Mancha. Each 212g jar has a shelf life of 18 months and costs £1.99.

King Rice Bran Oil With the highest Oxidative Stability Index, this oil is suitable for any use whether it’s deep frying, stir frying or baking. The neutral taste makes King Rice Bran Oil especially useful in salad dressings while it also offers a number of health benefits. It has a high level of natural antioxidants (Vitamin E, Oryzanol) and is the closest match to the World Health Organisation recommended fatty acid profile. The oil is not genetically modified and is suitable for all vegetarians and vegans as well as Kosher and Halal diets.

Rice Bran Products Wattlesborough, Wick Road, St Brides Major, Vale of Glamorgan, CF32 0SE 07767 463077 info@ricebranproducts.co.uk www.ricebranproducts.co.uk

Rice Bran Products is focused on importing and distributing rice-based foods in the UK. The Wales-based company was formed in 2011 and imports exclusively from established producers in Thailand. All products are carefully controlled to international ISO standards and are guaranteed non genetically modified. The firm offers nationwide 24-hour delivery from its centres in London, South Wales and Northampton. It currently supplies rice bran oil, rice-based drinks and speciality rice to wholesalers, independent and multiple retailers and the catering trade.

Vallebona Unit 14, 59 Weir Road, London, SW19 8UG 0208944 5665 info@vallebona.co.uk www.vallebona.co.uk @Vallebona

Originally founded by owner Stefano Vallebona’s great grandfather Agostino in 1890 on the island of San Pietro, Vallebona supplies restaurants, caterers and fine food retailers with Italian and Sardinian foods, specialising in charcuterie and cheese. The artisan producers of its range and their families have been connected to the Vallebona family since the company’s birth.

The business in its present form was set up as a stall in London’s Borough Market in 1998 and now

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Lamb prosciutto A flavoursome Sardinian delicacy, this prosciutto is made from local island lambs who graze the upland meadows. The tender meat is rolled in crushed fennel seeds, herbs and pepper then cured for 4-5 months. Whole pieces cost £35.68/ kg while retail packs of 10x50g packets (£3.43 per unit) are also available. operates from a warehouse in Wimbledon.

It provides a guaranteed nationwide next-day delivery service, no matter the size of the order and consignments over £150 are

delivered free of charge. Vallebona offers a slicing and packaging service using its own vacuum- and gaspacking machines to ensure product freshness. Everything is sliced and packaged to order.

Shire Foods (Norfolk) Plot 3, Trafalgar Industrial Estate, Sovereign Way, Downham Market, Norfolk, PE38 9SW 01366 281250 sales@shirefoodsofnorfolk.co.uk www.shirefoodsofnorfolk.co.uk

This Norfolk-based firm started off as a packer of wholefoods but has since expanded its range of foods and branded speciality products.

It now packs a vast range of fruits and nuts, cereals, beans, pulses, rices, snacks, chocolate and yogurt enrobed products, traditional sweets, herbs and spices. Shire also offers number of regional specialities including its East Anglia goose fat and cakes baked in-house.

Brands it carries include: Adesso, Anna’s Thins, Artisan Biscuits, Aspall, Awfully Posh, Bath Pig, Baxter’s, Belvoir, Billingtons, Blue Dragon, Border Biscuits, Bottlegreen, Boynes, Breckland Orchid, Bundaberg, Cawston Press, Coles Puddings, Coolmore, Corkers Crisps, Cruga, Daelmans, Dalla Costa, Divine, Doves Farm, Dr Karg, Eat Natural, Ellas Kitchen, Fairfield Farm Crisps, Farmhouse Biscuits, Fentimans, Ferns, Fish 4 Ever, Folkingtons, Free & Easy, G.R.Wrights, Garofalo, Geo Watkins, Glebe Farm, Gnaw Chocolate, Grandma Wilds, Green & Blacks, Healthy Thirst, Heatherslaw, Hillfarm Oils, Hollows, Iceni Water, James White Drinks, Thorncroft, Jethro’s, Joe&Sephs Gourmet Popcorn, Jules & Sharpie, Kallo, Kings Vinegars, Latitude, Le Mesurier, Linghams, Lorenz, Mae Ploy, Maille, Maldon Salt, Marigold, Mary Berry, Meridian, Mr Organic, Mrs Balls, Mrs Crimbles, Munns Finest Rapeseed Oil, Nielsen Massey, Opies, Organico, Patum Peperium, Potts, Qu4ttro Drinks, Real Lancashire, Rj’s Licorice, Rochester Drinks, Sally Williams, Shropshire Spice, Stokes, The Marmalade Tree (Formerly Foxhill), The Saucerer, Tiptree, Thursday Cottage, Tregroes, Truffle Hunter, Tyrrells, Walkers, Walters, Wenlock Spring, Wessex Mill, Westcountry Meringues, Wired.

Norfolk plum loaf This is made with local chunky sweet plums, which infuse the entire cake.

Patriana

High quality speciality food from France and Spain Our truly unique. product range of entirely Polish artisan food includes: • Organic marinated wild mushrooms including cep, chanterelle, or bay bolete • Wild berries preserves such as lingonberry, sea-buckthorn, or rowan • Organic vegetable preserves including lacto fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut • Organic juices including chokeberry, plum, or cherry • Organic rustic biscuits made of spelt, or amaranth • Natural honey such as buckwheat, honey dew, or linden

Real, traditional Polish food 2 Latimer Road, Teddington TW11 8QA t: 07900840326 e: info@morgielfoods.co.uk | w: www.morgielfoods.co.uk

We offer award-winning high quality, traditional speciality food directly from artisan and farm producers representing the very best of South West France (the Basque region) and Spain – including air cured hams, chorizos, saucissons, patés, cheeses and much more.

Please visit www.patriana.com, or contact us for more information: E mail: info@patriana.com Tel: 07734114295 Patriana Ltd. The Goods Shed, Station Road West, Canterbury, Kent CT2 8AN

Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

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importers & distributors Heart Distribution Longacre Industrial Estate, Rosehill, Willenhall, WV13 2JP 01902 308996 heartdistribution@afblakemore.com www.afblakemore.com/heart @HeartLocalFood

Heart was set up by distribution giant A F Blakemore and Son to help small regional producers get their food and drink to market, allowing them to concentrate on developing their products rather than deliveries. From Blakemore’s Wolverhampton base, the operation covers Shropshire, Staffordshire,

Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, the West Midlands, Gloucestershire, and peripheral areas in Derbyshire, Cheshire and Oxfordshire.

Heart’s philosophy of “One Order, One Invoice, and One Delivery” allows retailers, predominantly delis and farm shops, to continue supporting their local producers while also reducing food miles.

It currently works with 138 local producers from the region, allowing them to be in full control of their commercials, products and customers while subsidising their administration, order collection and distribution.

Bensons Joosed Recently launced by Bensons, this new range of refreshing soft drinks is made using Cotswold spring water and pure fruit juice. Joosed is available in four flavours, each of which is packed in cases of 24x500ml for £17.40 per case.

The Heart Distribution catalogue covers a broad range of chilled and ambient food and drink, including farmhouse cheese from Bertelin and The Shropshire Cheese Co, soft fruit from the Vale of Evesham, tomatoes from Worcester and Black Country pork pies and sausage rolls.

Brands it carries include: As well as larger producers, such as Tyrrells, Westons and Hobsons, Heart also works with lesser known brands such as Mikes Homemade, The Sauce Queen and Bertelin Farmhouse Cheese.

Coopers Gourmet Sausage Rolls Perfect for consumers who are becoming more interested in provenance, all the meat used in these products is free range and locally bred. Coopers also makes a Veggie sausage roll, Bombay Potato Bomb, and Veggie Blue Cheese Bomb.

hf Chocolates 5 Fitzhamon Court, Wolverton Mill South, Milton Keynes MK12 6LB 01908 315003 sales@hfChocolates.co.uk www.hfChocolates.co.uk

hf Chocolates’ fast growing customer base is primarily small, independently-owned specialist food shops, such as delicatessens, fine food shops and department stores, as well as gift shops, garden centres, farm shops and hamper companies.

Established in 1957, it operates from temperature-controlled premises providing ideal conditions in which to store and pack chocolate.

It re-packages a significant number of lines and supplies own label products to a large number of customers. In addition, it sells personalised confectionery for promotional usage to corporate buyers.

Its range covers fine chocolates and confectionery from countries including Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, USA and the UK. Among its specialities are Piedmont hazelnut chocolates, Norfolk-based Gnaw chocolate bars, Calabrian liquorice and Italian soft nougat as well as Fairtrade, organic and bean-to-bar chocolate.

Dough it Yourself These home baking mixtures come in four varieties, but Heart also supplies mixed startup packs for smaller outlets with three of each flavour. The RRP is £3.99 with a unit cost of £2.55.

Each product has over two months shelf life.

Gastro Nicks 4 Garland Estate, Cadley Road, Collingbourne Ducis, Wiltshire, SN8 3EB 01264 852701 enquiries@gastronicks.co.uk www.gastronicks.co.uk @GastroNicks

Gastro Nicks, founded in 2005, offers a variety of oils, balsamics and wine from Italy, France, and Sicily from small artisan producers.

Run by Nick Spaven, who has over 35 years experience in the food industry, the firm also stocks a range of farmhouse cheese, chutneys and relishes. Every product is personally sourced by Spaven and his partner Jane Kempsey and is imported direct. Gastro Nicks specialises in importing Sicillian

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products including olive oils, salami, pasta, pasta sauces, pestos, olives, oregano and wines. It also supplies a range of olive oils from Italy (both single estate and flavour-infused), dressings and balsamic vinegars

including Modena varieties aged between three and 15 years.

The firm sells both direct to the consumer and to the independent retail trade, to which it can provide sales and marketing advice.

Quaranta soft nougat This Italian soft nougat comes in rectangular and large round cakes, chocolate-coated rolls, 20g and 100g bars. Enhanced with swirls of crème filling, decorative fruits, nuts or chocolate, these products will not dry out when exposed to the air. Display cases of 25x100g bars and 54x20g bars cost £33.50 and £25.38 respectively while cake prices start at £32.36.

Fine, gourmet wholefoods wholesalers with a difference

Surprisingly good

Biscuits & Crisps Jams & Preserves Sauces, Chutneys & Vinegars Soft Drinks & Cordials

Nuts & Seeds Cakes & Confectionery Herbs & Spices Organic Flour & Pasta

Shire Foods specialise in packing and distributing a wide variety of well known heath and whole foods to farm shops, general grocers & retailers, including our own range of delicious nuts, seeds & confectionery.

www.shirefoodsofnorfolk.co.uk

G NO C RE W AL L AT O FO FF R ER S

01366 381250

ck er EE Sto rd FR ng st o 01 r i pl fi FD m ur F Sa yo ote ith qu w –

Our new range of traditional ‘Scrummies’ sweets boasts over 80 flavours in quality packages, including 20 sugar-free varieties suitable for diabetics.

DELIVERING GREAT VALUE PRODUCTS FROM THE EVERYDAY TO THE EXCEPTIONAL w w w. l e f k t r o . c o . u k

E: sales@lef ktro.co.uk T: 01460 242 588

L E F K T R O U K LT D

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July 2012 路 Vol.13 Issue 6

product update

olives

Get into the grove From a purple Peruvian variety to tapenades and candied specialities, LYNDA SEARBY shakes the latest crop of olives out of the tree Greek food brand Mylelia has added smoked green olives to its range. The olives, which retail at £3.33 for a 212ml jar, are pitted and smoked with herbs, before being flavoured with fresh lemon rind and thyme and preserved in virgin olive oil and vinegar.

With snacking olives growing in popularity, distributor Rowcliffe is now stocking a range of 100g ‘pick up’ bags of fresh olives from Castellino. There are six varieties: crushed green, natural pitted black marinated, green olives stuffed with peppers, green olives marinated with garlic, green olives stuffed with almonds and sun dried tomatoes. Trade prices range from £6.34 to £7.54 for 6 x 100g packs. www.rowcliffe.co.uk

Available via Tree of Life, esti kalamata organic olive spread (RRP £2.49 for 100g) from Greek Land Foods combines finely minced kalamata olives, oregano from Mount Taygetos and extra virgin olive oil from the Mani region of Kalamata. It can be spread on bread, crackers or sandwiches, tossed with pasta or used as a glaze for seafood and meats. www.treeoflifeuk.com

www.mylelia.gr

Recognising that when it comes to olives, size matters to consumers, Spanish olive brand Fragata has launched the Fragata Selection (RRP £1.55 for 350g): extra large, green manzanilla olives that are handpicked from the Fragata olive groves in Andalucia, Spain, and stuffed with anchovy purée. Jim Conlin, sales and marketing director for Fragata UK, says: “Our new Fragata Selection range offers consumers a larger stuffed green olive than our smaller standard range but with the very same unique Spanish flavour and juicy bite.” www.fragata.co.uk

Gaea has added two new flavours to its snack pack range.

Pitted green olives with lemon & oregano and pitted green olives with chilli & black pepper are available from RH Amar and, like the rest of the snack pack range, are preservative free, as Gaea ferments them with natural lemon juice rather than citric acid.

The Fresh Olive Company has tracked down a new, large purple olive from Peru, the alfonso, which is said to be like nothing from the Mediterranean.

The importer has also sourced two new Italian green olive varietals: biancolilla from Calabria and giaconda from Sicily. Average trade price is £8 a kilo, including bowls and signage.

www.rhamar.com

www.fresholive.com

Zest Specialties has rebranded its black kalamon tapenade as simply ‘black olive spread’ and changed the recipe. The product is now made from a mixture of amfissa and other black varieties to give a more ‘robust’ flavour. RRP is £2.50 for a 200g jar. www.zestspecialties.co.uk

Retailers can now buy a wide selection of loose olives from Somerset importer Lefktro, including on-trend Middle Eastern and North African flavoured mixes. The range, which previously consisted of kalamata olives, green jumbo olives, mixed pitted olives and garlic-, almond- and pimentostuffed olives, has been expanded to include a further seven lines, all of which come in 2 x 1.5kg pouches. Mixed olives with basil & semi dried tomato, mixed pitted olives with dukkah spices, green pitted olives with Egyptian dukkah spices & orange zest and nocella del belice early harvest Sicilian olives are among the new additions.

Deli owners on the look-out for something different should check out candy olives from German company Jordan Olivenöl. These are kolovi and adramitiani olives grown on the company’s own olive groves on the Greek island of Lesvos, which are debittered in brine, dehydrated and candied in brown sugar. Jordan Olivenöl doesn’t yet have a UK distributor, so interested retailers should get in touch direct. RRP is £5 for a 350g jar. www.jordanolivenoel.de

www.lefktro.co.uk

Classic Greek, Putanesca and El Jadida – the three latest additions to Cheese Cellar’s dell’ami range of loose olives – are packed in oil rather than brine to provide a richer, more luxurious flavour.

In the Classic Greek mix, pitted green halkidiki and purple kalamata olives are marinated in oregano, thyme, rosemary and black pepper. Putanesca is inspired by the

classic Sicilian pasta dish and combines pitted green halkidiki olives, sundried tomatoes, capers, garlic and chilli. El Jadida is a mix of wrinkled natural black beldi olives with semi sundried tomatoes. They come in 3kg (drained weight) bulk packs with an RRP of £1.70 per 100g. www.cheesecellar.co.uk

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July 2012 路 Vol.13 Issue 6

A promotional feature for the Guild of Fine Food

JULY’S MONEY MAKING PROMOTIONS The Guild of Fine Food has developed its Retail Promotion Scheme to help retailers survive recession hit Britain. We are negotiating with our producer members and have handpicked a selection of great products on which we’ve secured big discounts unique to Guild retail members.

CHESHIRE FARM CHIPS

THE FRESH PASTA COMPANY

This family-run potato farm has developed a range of ready-tocook products – hand-cut chips, roast potatoes on goose fat, potato wedges seasoned with Halen Môn sea salt & ground black pepper and Mediterranean style potatoes with cherry tomatoes. These products are all gluten free, have a two week shelf life, and come in mixed cases of 10.

THE DEAL: Buy 1 case, get 1 free AVAILABILITY:Nationwide,freedelivery 30 units (3 cases).

CONTACT: Wendy or Lesley on 01928 722622 or info@cheshirefarmchips.co.uk

DORSET SMOKERY The Dorset Smokery has an awardwinning hand-crafted range of artisan pâtés.

They are produced in small batches to ensure quality and consistency, having a traditional robust flavour and have no artificial colourings or flavourings. All are available in 1kg and 500g pots.

All products are despatched chilled overnight and have 28 days shelf-life on arrival.

THE DEAL: Buy 3, get 4th free.

AVAILABILITY: Nationwide – minimum carriage paid order £40.

CONTACT: Telephone 01202 479977 or email artisanfood@hotmail.co.uk

The Fresh Pasta Company supplies a number of artisan pasta ranges made with “00” flour and the finest ingredients. Its premium and classic ranges of filled pastas have shelf lives of two and three weeks respectively. The firm also makes plain pasta and sauces including Pesto Genovese, Ragu Toscano (beef) and Ragu di Cinghiale (wild boar).

THE DEAL: 15% off price of a mixed case for first time buyers AVAILABILITY: Nationwide CONTACT: Luca Ritucci on 0845 603 7746 or luca@thefreshpastacompany.com

ORIGINAL CANDY COMPANY The firm’s gourmet Chocca Mocca Chocolates include a broad range of real fruits and nuts smothered in chocolate.

Flavours include blueberries in blueberry-flavoured chocolate, strawberries dipped in white chocolate, and chocolate-covered hazelnuts and coffee beans.

THE DEAL: Buy 9 cases for £200 on the 100g core range (21% discount) AVAILABILITY: Nationwide, carriage paid for minimum order of £200 CONTACT: Claudia Alfano on 01628 520927 or calfano@originalcandyco.com

AVLAKI

OGILVY’S Ogilvy’s Honey offers reliable, traceable 100% pure unblended honey from all around the world under one label. It sources honeys from New Zealand, Eastern European, Indian (organically certified), and Zambia – ranging from mild to strong.

THE DEAL: Order 3 or more trays and receive a free sample kit AVAILABILITY: Nationwide CONTACT: Shamus Ogilvy on 01780 450377 or info@ogilvys.com

MINIATURE BAKERY Miniature produces a 175g Chocolate Biscuit Selection pack, which features all butter Viennese, coconut meringues enrobed in white chocolate, chocolate crisps, chocolate snaps coated in milk chocolate and plain chocolate and all butter Viennese in milk chocolate.

THE DEAL: Pre-order now for delivery in September or October and receive a 10% discount.

AVAILABILITY: Nationwide, free delivery on orders of six cases or more.

CONTACT: Tim Little on 07969 345342 tim@theminiaturebakery.com

Avlaki hand picks olives from two groves and mills immediately through December and bottles at the very start of January to produce two single estate extra virgin olive oils. It offers these oils in both 750ml bottles (cases of 12, trade price £12 per bottle) and tasting packs of 2x100ml bottles (Cases of 12, trade price £5 per pack).

THE DEAL: Buy two cases of 750ml and receive a case of tasting packs AVAILABILITY: Nationwide. Free carriage on taster packs.

CONTACT: Natalie Wheen on 07721 410974 or info@oliveoilavlaki.com

UNCLE ROY’S Uncle Roy has blended his mustard seed oils with some of his signature mild mustard, a handful of Moffat Meadows flower petal seasoning, lots of honey and lashings of organic cider vinegar to produce his One & Only Dressing.

His mustard oils come in two varieties – Light & Nutty and Spicy. All three products have won Great Taste Awards.

THE DEAL: Buy two cases of Mustard Seed Oils and get a case of Uncle Roy’s One & Only Dressing (8x250ml worth £17.30) free AVAILABILITY: Nationwide CONTACT Uncle Roy on 01683 221076 or uncleroy@uncleroys.co.uk

GUILD RETAIL PROMOTION SUMMARY (Available to Guild members only)

COMPANY

DEAL

TEL

EMAIL

AVLAKI CHESHIRE FARM CHIPS DORSET SMOKERY THE FRESH PASTA COMPANY MINIATURE BAKERY OGILVY’S ORIGINAL CANDY COMPANY UNCLE ROY’S

Buy 2 cases of 750ml and receive a case of tasting packs Buy 1 case, get 1 free Buy 3 pâtés get 4th free 15% off mixed case for first time buyers 10% discount on pre-orders for delivery in Sept/Oct Order 3 or more trays and receive a free sample kit Buy 9 cases for £200 on the 100g core range Buy 2 cases of mustard seed oils, get free case of dressing

07721 410974 01928 722622 01202 479977 0845 603 7746 07969 345342 01780 450 377 01628 520 927 01683 221076

info@oliveoilavlaki.com info@cheshirefarmchips.co.uk artisanfood@hotmail.co.uk luca@thefreshpastacompany.com tim@theminiaturebakery.com info@ogilvys.com calfano@originalcandyco.com uncleroy@uncleroys.co.uk

RETAIL MEMBERS – To sign up to the retail promotion scheme contact: tortie.farrand@finefoodworld.co.uk or ring her on 01963 824464 to ensure you receive your shelf-barkers to help promote these discounts instore.

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

Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

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blend drizzle smoked marinade enhance aroma infuse The smoked olive Smoked olive oil, Smoked olives, ... info@thesmokedolive.co.uk T. 07852 932066

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July 2012 路 Vol.13 Issue 6

product update

jams & preserves

Thick and fast New products are pouring – or, at least, oozing – out of the sweet preserves market, as MICHAEL LANE discovers

Roots & Wings has launched two gift packs containing 113g jars of its preserves, made in Somerset. The two-pack features its “luscious” strawberry jam and “tantalising” Seville orange marmalade (RRP £6.99) while its larger pack also has a jar of tangy blackcurrant jam (RRP £7.99).

With the addition of Berry Sloe, the Lady Jay’s range now consists of 14 products.

The Norfolk business’s latest creation is made with local blackberries and premium sloe gin. It comes in cases of 20 for £60.

Woodberry Farm has made its blackberry & plum conserve a permanent line after a successful trial. The Norfolk-based firm specialises in reduced sugar products, which are 85% pure fruit.

Each 300g jar has an RRP of £3.50. www.woodberryfarm.co.uk

Following the success of two limited edition jams launched earlier this year, Kitchen Garden has added both to its regular catalogue.

Its pear & elderflower jam, made with locally grown Cotillac pears, and cherry & amaretto jam, formerly know as Ma Cherie Amour, are available in 227g jars with a trade price of £2.30. www.kitchengardenpreserves. co.uk

www.myspecialities.com

www.rootsandwingsorganic.com

Top sellers…

Mrs Bridges has added fig and morello cherry preserves to its extensive range.

Both are supplied in cases of six 340g jars (RRP £2.80 each).

,

Delicatessen … at Pickles t Yorks Baildon, Wes

ith berry jam w edley straw Elizabeth Sm Champagne curd edley lemon Elizabeth Sm orange edley Seville Elizabeth Sm marmalade nfruit curd ttage passio Thursday Co n jam edley damso Elizabeth Sm

www.mrsbridges. co.uk

Stokes Sauces has expanded its range with the launch of lemon curd (445g, RRP £3.98), Seville orange marmalade no. 7 (454g, £3.40) and blackcurrant extra jam with claret (454g, £3.85). It now offers raspberry and strawberry extra jams made with Williametta raspberries and Senga Sangana strawberries.

Both come in 454g jars, RRP £3.85.

Somerset’s Rose Farm has extended its The Bit on the Side preserves brand.

Eight of its lines are now available in smaller 240g jars (trade £1.83-£1.88) and three of its products, including its strawberry jam, come in mini 120g jars (£1.03). www.thebitontheside. co.uk

www.stokessauces.co.uk

Selsley Foods has branched out into jam-making, with five new varieties joining its range of marmalades, chutneys, and condiments. As well as a strawberry and a blackcurrant jam the firm has created strawberry with Champagne, gooseberry & elderflower and raspberry & sloe jams. All are available in 325g jars, RRP £3.75. The Gloucestershire firm is in the process of re-branding and will now offer its range of seven marmalades in jars with the new livery. www.selsleyherbandspice.com

Organic chokeberry (also known as aronia) and organic elderberry are among the flavours of Polish-made preserves offered by specialist importer Morgiel. Its aronia ‘confiture’ is available to the trade in cases of six 350g jars for £10.14 while its elderberry mousse comes in cases of six 300g jars for £9.54.

It has also introduced an organic plum jam in 350g jars (£11.94 for cases of six units). www.morgielfoods.co.uk

Two of Galore’s newest additions were successful at the World’s Original Marmalade Awards.

Its pink grapefruit & star anise marmalade won a silver while its Golden Seville, made with Seville oranges cooked in Tatton Gold Ale, was highly commended. The producer’s improved-recipe Seville & cardamom preserve also took silver.

All three come in 190g jars with a trade price of £1.95.

Alcohol jelly specialist Winejellar has created a Being British range with the summer festivities in mind. Its British Summer Time (made with Pimms), sherry and G & T jellies all come in 5oz (140g) jars with a trade price of £1.75. All of the firm’s products are gelatine-free. www.winejellar.com

www.galorefoods.co.uk

Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

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product update Top sellers…

Glossop, Fine Foods, ze ra P t a …

Derbyshire rdamom orange & ca Galore seville marmalade ttage Thursday Co jam strawberry ttage Thursday Co um pl ia Victor

jams & preserves

Since purchasing Miranda’s Preserves last autumn, Anita and Richard Bellfield have updated the labels of the firm’s entire range, still made in the kitchen at Ivy Cottage near Brecon. Its jams and jellies, which all come in 340g jars (wholesale £2.20) as well as a range of larger sizes, now feature larger, clearer labels. This month the firm is launching a traditional High Dumpsy Dearie Jam – a blend of apples, pears, plums and root ginger, originally from Worcestershire – in 340g jars (wholesale £2.50). www.mirandas-preserves.co.uk

Ouse Valley has developed a Tea Caddy Collection of marmalades infused with fine teas. Its orange & Lapsang Souchong variety (winner of a silver at the World’s Original Marmalade Awards), lime & Earl Grey marmalade with bergamot, and lemon & green tea with ginger marmalades are available individually in 340g jars (trade price £2.75) or together in a gift pack containing three 100g jars (trade £7). www.ousevalleyfoods.com

jam

Windrush Cuisine has created a Caribbean lime marmalade, which is “deceivingly sweet and refreshing” and lighter than a traditional marmalade. The new preserve, which also contains a touch of rum, comes in 175g jars with a wholesale price of £2 (minimum order of 12 jars), while it will also be available in 50g and 300g formats (£2.50).

The Belfast-based firm now offers point-ofsale recipe cards, which are free with orders over £100.

e Staver ton Ew rd lemon cu The Bay Tree lemon curd

www.windrushcuisine.com

Since its launch last November, the four-strong WI Foods’ range of preserves continues to gather momentum. The strawberry, raspberry and blackcurrant jams and the marmalade, which are all made to archived National Federation of Women’s Institutes recipes, have now been listed by Waitrose as well as 19 Notcutts Garden Centres.

The range, which is produced by Mercer’s of Yorkshire, has RRPs of £2.69-£2.95 and is available through Dart Valley Foods.

Cumbria’s Wild & Fruitful has developed an orange & elderflower marmalade with a local farmer and also relaunched its rhubarb, ginger & sweet cicely jam. All its jams and marmalades are available in 227g jars with wholesale prices ranging from £1.35-£1.60 per unit. www.wildandfruitful.co.uk

www.wifoods.co.uk

Sharing family recipes The Dalemain Estate in Cumbria, home of the World’s Original Marmalade Festival and Awards, has launched its own range of marmalades.

The recipes have all been provided by the Hasell McCosh family, which owns the historic mansion.

“Sales of quality artisan marmalades are definitely on the increase and I have decided it would be fun to share our family marmalades with a wider audience,” explains Jane Hasell McCosh.

The first three products to be launched are Jane’s Marmalade

k

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July 2012 · Vol.13 Issue 6

(a three fruit preserve), Bishop’s Marmalade (a red marmalade made with quinces, taken from the family’s 17th century cookbook) and Kitchen Garden Marmalade (a low sugar marmalade of Seville oranges and rhubarb grown on the estate).

The marmalades will be available in both 340g (RRPs £4.99-£5.49) and 227g jars (RRPs £3.80-£4.79).

As the quantities are too great for the estate’s kitchens to make, the preserves will be made by Wild & Fruitful, based in the neighbouring town of Wigton, a former double gold winner at the marmalade awards. www.dalemain.com

FiorDiFrutta fruit spreads are now available in the UK exclusively through specialist Italian importer Exportiamo. These low sugar preserves, made by producer Rigoni di Asiago, are prepared at low temperatures to preserve nutrients and fruit flavour. The spreads come in 10 varieties including Adriatic peaches, Sicilian lemon, Mediterranean pink grapefruit. Each 250g has an RRP of £2.95.

The Artisan Kitchen is launching a range of limited edition lines for summer including tayberry & apple, Gloucestershire apricot & vanilla, quince & lime and summer fruit jams. The Gloucestershire business, set up last year, has a core range of pickles and jams including toffee apple, damson & raspberry, and raspberry & chocolate. All are available in 200g jars with an RRP of £3.50. www.theartisankitchen.co.uk

www.healthyjam.co.uk

After just over a year in business, Wolds Cottage Kitchen has already won a gold and bronze at this year’s World’s Original Marmalade Awards for its handmade pink grapefruit and Satsuma marmalades, which are available in 340g jars (RRP £2.503.00). www.woldscottagekitchen.co.uk

Radnor Preserves has developed a Diamond Jubilee Marmalade (RRP £5), which is flecked with silver leaf.

The Queen was presented with the commemorative preserve on a visit to Mid Wales last month. www.radnorpreserves.com

Simply Seasonal’s latest homemade preserve is a soft rhubarb jam. It is available in 230g (trade £1.95) and 140g (£1.45) jars. All of the Vale of Evesham firm’s products are made with seasonal ingredients. www.simplyseasonal.co.uk

Christine’s Preserves

Marmalades • Conserves • Relishes • Chutneys • Mustards

The Wooden Spoon Preserving Company remains truly artisan – hand-made, no outsourcing in any range (other than honey!).

This year we have developed our hamper preserve range to include 5 227g flavours and also have a wider variety of 113g flavours available.

Free from: Nuts Gluten Preservatives Artificial colourings Artificial flavourings

Suitable for: Coeliacs Vegans Vegetarians

www.christines-preserves.co.uk tel: 01625 432 453 email: christine@christines-preserves.co.uk

As well as being a leader in the bottled fruits market, we produce a delicious range of No Added Sugar high fruit spreads.

Our standard range of products is designed to suit a wide range of clients, but we also offer a bespoke production service available by consultation.

Tel: 01233 812251 Fax: 01233 813326 Email: sales@thewoodenspoon.co.uk Web: www.thewoodenspoon.co.uk

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

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

The next course takes place on October 9-10 2012.

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

Call us to find out more on 01963 824464.

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

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

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

❞

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

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JOIN US for the most glittering evening in the fine food calendar as we discover the foods that struck GOLD at GREAT TASTE 2012 Don’t miss the Great Taste Golden Fork Awards Monday September 3 2012 – Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, London

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oin us in the company of leading chefs, food writers, top retailers and the very best food producers for fine food’s biggest night of the year.

Two golden opportunities in a single evening.

Firstly, after walking the red carpet into the Palace Suite, be part of the pre-dinner reception, enjoy an early evening drink as you taste 3-star Gold award winning products from Great Taste 2012 and meet the people who made them.

Next, join us for a sumptuous four course meal created by Royal Garden Hotel chef, Steve Munkley using Great Taste Award-winning foods and matched with fine wines selected by the Guild of Fine Food to complement the stunning gold-standard ingredients.

In between courses, the story of this year’s Awards will unfold as BBC Radio 2’s Nigel Barden along with Guild director, Bob Farrand announce

the winners of the 2012 Golden Forks and the winner of the Delicatessen of the Year.

Tension will mount as you watch the judging unfold on the big screen, until the moment when members of the supreme jury make their final choice for Great Taste Supreme Champion 2012.

If you are in the business of fine food, this really is the best night of the year.

Book your seat today but hurry, places are limited Please hurry, as only 350 dinner seats are available.

To book your places please email charlie.westcar@finefoodworld.co.uk or call the Guild on 01963 824464.

Ticket prices for the reception and dinner are: £108 per person for Guild of Fine Food members inc ½ bottle of wine and VAT and £120 inc ½ bottle of wine and VAT for non-members Tables seat 10. Dress code – jacket and tie and a dash of gold.

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What could surpass a regal Victoria Sandwich filled with Raspberry and Sloe Jam! Strawberry Jam with Champagne will hit the spot with a right royal plateful of scones, and for a full range add our tangy Blackcurrant, Gooseberry with Elderflower or a classic favourite, simply Strawberry Jam.

New gift jars available in Savoury, Sweet and Whole Fruit ranges.

www.selsleyfoods.com • sales@selsleyfoods.com • 01285 760716

T: 01749 831300 E: sales@thebaytree.co.uk

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The Bay Tree

Lower Westcombe Farm Somerset BA4 6ER

www.thebaytree.co.uk

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

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

Pear and Elderflower Jam made with locally grown Catillac cooking pears and delicately flavoured with elderflower. One of our new range of Speciality Jams Call us for details of this and our full range of more than 80 jams, chutneys, marmalades, condiments and dressings www.kitchengardenpreserves.co.uk + 44(0)1453 759612

Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

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Award Winning Apricot!

“Lovely colour. Chunky, not too sweet, proper apricot flavour. Not just a preserve, although it’s a true jam consistency. You could happily sling some on a cheese board too” GREAT TASTE AWARD JUDGES COMMENTS 2011 Find this and all our other award-winning preserves, marmalades and condiments in our product brochure – call now for a copy.

Butler’s Grove Finest Preserves and Provisions Dart Valley Foods Limited.1 The Calvert Centre, Rownest Wood Lane, Woodmancott, Winchester, Hampshire SO21 3BN

Tel: 01256 397979 Fax: 01256 397127 Email: enquiries@dartvalleyfoods.com

www.dartvalleyfoods.com

Add some zest to your Summer sales...

WE’VE GOT STACKS OF PRODUCTS AND NOW...

SOME ARE AVAILABLE IN TWO OR THREE SIZES. JAMS CHUTNEYS PICKLES SAUCES. A TASTY AFFAIR All pr du cts are maod hand in oe by pans. pen

Tel 01934 712974 www.thebitontheside.co.uk 54

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product update

healthy breakfasts

Just for starters Give your shoppers a wholesome start to the day with LYNDA SEARBY’s pick of the latest cereals, sprinkles and breakfast bars

Bendylegs has created a new ‘supercharged’ granola (RRP £4.99 for 400g), claimed to have a nutritional profile to rival any other on the market. Its secret ingredient is a blended powder called LSA, a fibre, protein, vitamin and Omega 3-rich combination of linseeds, sunflower seeds and almonds the Aussies use to enrich smoothies, cereals, soups and salads. Other key ingredients include local Welsh apple juice and Welsh rapeseed oil.

Sharpham Park says its spelt bran flake cereal, launched in March, is the first of its kind in Britain. The product is higher in fibre, iron and protein than wheat bran flakes and contains only UK-sourced ingredients, including Sharpham Farm’s own organic spelt. The three variants are already in Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason, The Natural Kitchen, Booths and Sainsbury’s, priced at £2.99 for the spelt bran flakes, £3.59 for the spelt bran flakes with dates & walnuts and £3.99 for the spelt bran flakes with berries. www.sharphampark.com

www.lovebendylegs.co.uk

Former Rude Health founder Kate Freestone is busy with a new venture: breakfast cereal business Kate’s Originals.

The first products – classic muesli and fruity porridge – launched in January and are available through Marigold Health Foods.

They will soon be joined by a dried version of a traditional Swiss bircher muesli, which combines British oats with strawberries, almonds, seeds, apricots, dates and apple. Prices for the bircher muesli are not yet confirmed, but the classic muesli retails at £4.70 for 500g or £8.59 for 1kg, and the fruity porridge retails at £4.69 for 500g and £8.39 for a kilo. Stockists so far include Harrods and Whole Foods Market. www.katesoriginals.me

New from Anne’s Kitchen is an apricot & cranberry granola bar made with unsulphured apricots (RRP 85p). The Buckinghamshire producer has also changed the recipe of its original luxury granola (RRP £4.99 for 525g) to include a cholesterol-free blend of sustainably sourced canola and red palm oil. www.annes-kitchen.co.uk

Dartmoor-based Midfields Granola has extended its range to include honey flakes: oat and wheat flakes baked in honey and Somerset rapeseed oil with no added salt or sugar (RRP £2.95 for 500g). Honey flakes also come in a wheat-free version made with jumbo oat flakes.

Scrumshus Granola has been treated to a new look this summer. The product, which contains no fruit juice, added sugar or salt or ‘dust’, has achieved listings in Fortnum & Mason, Planet Organic, The Natural Kitchen and Whole Foods Market since its launch in 2010. It is supplied in PET jars (RRP £5.99). www.scrumshus.co.uk

www.midfieldsgranola.co.uk

As a nod to HRH, Suffolk seed snacks supplier Munchy Seeds has added ‘queen bee’ honey seeds to its eightstrong roasted seed range. The honeyroasted sunflower & pumpkin seeds can be sprinkled on yogurt, fruit or porridge and come in 180g and 420g tubs with an RRP of £4.00 and £8.00 respectively. www.munchyseeds.co.uk

As the name suggests, Pimhill’s ‘no added wheat or nuts’ organic muesli has been created for people who avoid nuts or wheat.

The naturally sweetened muesli contains ingredients like oats, apricots, figs, seeds and barley, some of which are grown by the Mayall family on Pimhill Farm in Shropshire. Launch stockist Riverford is selling the muesli at £4.75 for an 850g pack. www.pimhill.co.uk

After branching out into mueslis a few years ago, flour miller Wessex Mill has expanded its breakfast cereals range to include a granola.

Targeting a relatively low price point (RRP is £4.05 for a 1kg bag), the Miller’s Granola is positioned as a simple base that consumers can add to in order to create their ideal cereal. It contains oat clusters, raisins, sultanas and sunflower seeds. www.wessexmill.co.uk

Moving into a kitchen at Ludlow Food Centre has enabled new start-up The Ludlow Nut Co to launch a granola to complement its porridge and muesli range.

The granola (RRP £4.95 for 500g), using UK-grown oats and sweetened with Canadian maple syrup, is available via the Health Food Store and Heart Distribution. www.ludlownutco.co.uk

According to Elaine Wilson, nutritional therapist and cofounder of Wilson and Richardson Foods, every ingredient in the company’s new ‘bagsofHealth’ range of grain and seed blends is selected on the basis of health benefits demonstrated through clinical trials. Energy Balance, containing oats, quinoa and cinnamon, is designed to assist with blood sugar balance. Easy Tummy, with oats, oat bran and flaxseed, is said to aid digestion.

Both can be added to mueslis, eaten raw with yogurt or cooked up as porridge. www.wilsonandrichardson.co.uk

Retailers wanting to cash in on the hype around the ‘super seed’ chia might be interested in a new range of snack bars introduced to the UK by granoVita. Chia Bia’s organic breakfast bars come in three varieties (RRP £1.99): chocolate, cranberry & coconut, chocolate, apricot & pumpkin and chocolate, nut & seed. www.granovita.co.uk Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

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Scrumshus® Granola Probably the most delicious granola you will ever taste with a fabulous new label!

Baked to perfection using the finest natural ingredients and with no added sugar, salt or preservatives.

Beautifully packaged in an environmentally friendly PET jar (not glass) which is both recyclable and reusable as a lovely storage jar.

• Scottish grown and ground oatmeal, fine, medium, coarse, pinhead, and oat flakes • A wide range of flour for all baking needs • 1 ★ 2010 handmade and hand cut oatcakes, also a selection of sweet biscuits using old family recipes • Scottish handmade preserves, marmalades, jellies and honeys

Scrumshus is a truly luxurious granola made with jumbo oats, honey, coconut, raisins, sunflower seeds, maple syrup, almonds, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, sunflower oil, cashew nuts and hazelnuts.

Delicious served with yogurt and fruit as a healthy start to the day. It is so good it can be eaten on its own as a snack for the whole family.

Scrumshus is served in some of the most exclusive hotels in the world and is now available in many leading independent health and premium food retailers.

500g

disco 10% un your t with fi orderrst

Launched in 2011 Scrumshus Granola has already been awarded a Great Taste Award.

www.scrumshus.co.uk ✉ fay@scrumshus.co.uk ☎ 07967 655632 Made in the UK by Scrumshus Granola Limited

Aberfeldy oAtmeAl, milton HAugH fArm SHop, CArmyllie, ArbroAtH, AnguS, dd11 2QS telepHone 01241 860579 SAndy@AberfeldyoAtmeAl.Co.uk • www.AberfeldyoAtmeAl.Co.uk

anne’s Katy Rodger’s Artisan Dairy range has been hand created to emphasise the natural quality of the milk. There are no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives in any of the chilled product range. Simple fresh fruit compotes are added to provide delicious flavour to the fruit yogurts.

The packaging has been carefully designed to highlight the natural goodness of the product, no gimmicks, just clear, simple and elegant; it looks fantastic on the shelf.

Scottish Artisan Dairy Produce Our pastures, our herd, our milk, our dairy, naturally...

www.knockraich.com 56

July 2012 · Vol.13 Issue 6

• Natural Yogurt, • Fresh Fruit Yogurt • Crème Fraiche • Knockraich Crowdie • Dairy Ice Cream • Frozen Yogurt

kitchen

LUXURY HOMEMADE

GRANOLA

A great tasting breakfast that’s good for you.

Gently baked for a toasted nutty flavour.

A great way to start your day. annes-kitchen.co.uk facebook.com/annes.kitchen1

shelftalk

products, promotions & people

Italian barley coffee hits UK

By MICHAEL LANE EDITE CR

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A new import business is hoping to introduce its S U P LI E P organic barley coffee, a popular substitute in Italy, to the UK through the speciality food trade.

Orzo Coffee, founded in December by Roberta Comunian, has received its first batch of roasted barley from Italy's Veneto region of Italy and is now selling it under its own brand in instant and ground formats.

“It came about because I’ve used barley coffee since I was a kid in Italy,” said Comunian, who is now based in Southampton.

“It’s definitely a speciality product because it’s a niche market,” she told FFD. “It’s for people who appreciate coffee but want something that is naturally caffeine-free.”

“It reminds you of coffee because the roasting and grinding processes are similar but it’s not as bitter and it’s got some naturally occurring sugar in it.”

The caffeine-free beverage is made from a specific variety of

barley, called orzo mondo (hulless or ‘naked’ barley), which is harvested in the summer and slowly roasted at low temperatures to preserve all of its nutritional properties.

While there are other caffeine-free products on the market, Comunian said there are very few that are produced without added chemicals.

Orzo Coffee is available in 200g packs of instant (trade £2.80, RRP £3.75-£3.99) and 400g packs of ground roasted (trade £2.50, RRP £3.25-£3.50) for cafetieres. It also intends to supply pods of the coffee for espresso machines.

CHOCS AWAY: Davenport’s has come up with a Vintage Collection to celebrate British heritage through chocolate. Boxes include coconut marshmallows, lime creams, orange creams, and violet creams as well as rum & raisin and strawberry & champagne truffles. The collection, which has a shelf life of four months, comes in boxes of 12 chocolates (145g, trade £6.87, RRP £11.95) and 24 chocolates (290g, £12.05, RRP £20.95). www.davenportschocolates.co.uk

www.orzocoffee.co.uk

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this El Pesol range is free from artificial colourings and preservatives.

In addition, Brindisa now offers Les Flors del Montseny fruit wheels, a unique cheese accompaniment handmade in the Montseny National Park in Catalunya.

Available in fig & almond or prune & walnut, they are made by soaking whole dried fruits in Muscatel wine and green anise, layering whole nuts and individually pressing each wheel in an old book press. Trade prices are £9.95 for 500g and £35.70 for 2kg. www.brindisa.com

Brindisa's fruit pastes, jellies and wheels pair well with savoury foods

Atkins and Potts adds stocks and dressings

By MICHAEL LANE EDITE CR

Following the success of its gravy range, Atkins and S U P LI E P Potts has added to its array of speciality food products with a lineup of ambient “restaurant quality” stocks.

Its fish, chicken, beef and vegetable stocks are packaged in transparent stand-up pouches (350g, trade £1.58, RRP £2.25) aimed at a variety of retailers including butchers, farm shops, garden centres and delicatessens.

“Consumers can see the product up close before purchase, and this helps them make good buying decisions in store,” said Nicola Young, who owns and runs the firm with her husband Robert.

“All of our products are ambient D

Specialist Spanish importer Brindisa is now carrying a S U P LI E P range of Catalunyan fruit pastes and jellies in a variety of formats. The four El Pesol-branded products, which all pair well with savoury foods, are made by Víctor Trías on a converted farmhouse in the Lleida valley, Catalunya.

The Membrillo, or quince paste, comes in 375g, 1.1kg, and 3kg blocks (trade price £3.95, £9.75, and £24.20 respectively). It is recommend as a companion for cheeses like Manchego given its lemon, citrus and cinnamon flavours.

Meanwhile the tomato jelly is well-matched to young, fresh Spanish cheeses and the pepper jelly is suited to cold meats and patés. Both are sold to the trade at £5.50 for 420g and retail at £2.60/100g.

It is also stocking El Pesol’s fig paste, which comes in 1.2kg blocks with a trade price of £10.95. All of

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so customers don’t have to use up valuable chiller space, but they are also chiller stable so they can be merchandised in the chiller to create a ‘meal deal’, with their own fresh produce.”

Atkins and Potts has also launched three new dressings this summer. Two are classic recipes – herb & garlic and honey & mustard – while the third is a “contemporary” balsamic & purple basil.

Packaged in pourable glass bottles, the dressings are sold in cases of six in units of either 215g or 220g, depending on the product. The herb & garlic and balsamic & purple basil dressings cost £1.95 each (RRP £2.95), while the honey & mustard dressing costs £2.24 per unit (RRP £3.20). www.atkinsandpotts.co.uk

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shelftalk

CHEF’S SELECTION

Top chefs tell CLARE HARGREAVES their deli essentials

Yorkshire baker joins Hider for national push

Will Holland Chef patron La Becasse, Ludlow www.labecasse.co.uk

José Lou pickled chilli peppers www.delicioso.co.uk

My love of pickled chillies stems from my kebab-eating days – you got a whole one on top, giving you a lovely crunch from the chilli then a hit of salty vinegar. Hot and sour. In the restaurant I use them for dishes that need heat but not too much, like the mango salsa with pickled chillis that I serve with pigeon, foie gras and sesame & red wine reduction. I also use them in my crab & pickled papaya dish for kick and texture. Amazing at home in a toasted cheese sandwich too – a bachelor favourite.

Geo Watkins mushroom ketchup www.abworldfoods.com

Since its invention in 1830, this has been the chef’s secret ingredient. Put it with red meats and venison and it brings out their mushroomy earthy richness. I once worked with a chef who made his own mushroom oil and finished meat dishes with it. In a similar way I use this lovely salty fermented ketchup as seasoning for beef instead of salt. At home I drizzle it over steak.

It adds flavour, saltiness and aroma. A bit like with truffle oil, you get a sensory experience before you eat.

Yorkshire craft bakery Lottie Shaw’s has teamed up with distributor Hider Foods as it looks to sell its products into retailers across the UK. The distributor will now introduce the range – including Seriously Good Yorkshire Parkin, Yorkshire Parkin biscuits and pudding, and gingerbread men – to retailers and wholesalers.

The Lottie Shaw’s brand, founded

by Charlotte Shaw, is looking to build on the 25% growth in sales to independents that it posted in the first quarter of 2012.

Charlotte Shaw said: “We chose Hider Foods because they have an unrivalled reputation as a first class national distributor and as a fellow family-run business, we felt they had an understanding and an empathy for our brand and product offer. We are excited to offer our handmade

products nationally.”

Hider buyer Joanne Jesper said: “We offer a superb choice of premium products for independent retailers, manufacturers and multiples alike and we are confident that the Lottie Shaw’s product range will be well received.” www.lottieshaws.co.uk www.hiderfoods.co.uk

Joselito Gran Reserva pata negra www.joselito.com

This Iberian free-range ham is the Rolls Royce of air-dried ham and the ultimate convenience food. One of its biggest fans is Ferran Adrià (ex-chef of Spain’s El Bulli) so it’s got to be pretty special. We use it in a warm salad of scallops, pata negra and Jerusalem artichokes with hazelnut dressing.

People love the fact it’s surf and turf – but with a twist, not just the usual steak and scampi. I love the ham’s deep purple-brown colour, its nutty almost petrolly taste and marbling of fat. Never eat it fridge cold – you want it at optimum temperature so the fat melts in your mouth.

POT LUCK: The premium pot noodle market has a new player in the form of Kent’s Kitchen’s Posh Noodles. The new range includes beef pho, teriyaki, pad Thai, spicy Szechuan and miso style prawn & garlic in 65g pots (RRP £1.75). www.kentskitchen.co.uk

SLOEmotion extends range

Snowdonia Little Black Bomber cheese www.snowdoniacheese.co.uk

SLOEmotion has developed a new drink specifically for the summer outdoor dining season.

Sloemotion No. 7 is a ginspirited blend of hedgerow, orchard and field fruits together with hedgerow blossom and herbs.

The North Yorkshire firm likens the drink to the base of a traditional fruit or summer cup but it can also be consumed as a digestif or warming shot during the colder months. It says No. 7 has a smooth fruity taste with floral and citrus hints and a strong dry finish.

This extra mature cheddar is the little black number every chef should have in his culinary wardrobe. It really packs a punch, it almost bites. I love the flavour which is strong, salty and tangy as a cheddar should be. A bit like a quality Parmesan. We use it in one of our regular breads, our Snowdonia Bomber & fennel seed bread. We also offer a savoury course in lieu of dessert – maybe a croque monsieur or a Welsh rarebit. We make a wonderful cheese tart too. At home I love Snowdonia Bomber on toast.

Mae Ploy Thai green curry paste www.theasiancookshop.co.uk

There are lots of mass-produced curry pastes out there containing bulking agents and stabilisers. But this one, that I discovered in an oriental supermarket, is just ground raw ingredients. Thai cuisine is my favourite so it influences my cooking. I make a sea bass nage, in which I poach the fish in a sauce of this paste, coconut milk and fish stock. The fish and sauce flavour each other creating a wonderfully aromatic dish; you pick up the underlying chilli, ginger etc. but without them blowing your brains out. This is the ultimate chef’s cheat ingredient: life’s too short to make your own curry paste when you can buy one as good as this.

Sponsored by

Found in all good delis Cheeses from Switzerland.

Switzerland. Naturally.

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www.switzerland-cheese.com

www.sloemotion.com

Field Fare launches frozen cookie mix Frozen food specialist Field Fare has launched a range of bake-at-home cookies in three flavours. These dough mixes – for chocolate chip, double chocolate chip and pecan & white chocolate – are supplied as uncooked blocks, which can be baked in the

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oven and ready in 15 minutes.

The firm, which supplies an array of frozen produce and ready-meals to farm shops and garden centres, says the product is well suited to both retail and for use in cafés. www.field-fare.com

100% Pure Coconut Water Hydrate your shelves and stock GoCoCo

James Ellington

London 2012 Olympic hopeful

Fast, natural hydration for sprinter James Ellington.

Unique Flavours.

Exciting UK Drinks Brand with wide appeal.

Natural, healthy alternative to sports drinks.

First UK brand to package in 500ml PET plastic bottles.

High growth category /on-trend product.

0141 959 1059

sales@gococodrinks.com

www.gococodrinks.com

Gococo 141x204 Advert AW2.indd 1

15/06/2012 14:08

Bizerba remain committed to supplying and maintaining slicers in the UK

Offering a complete range of manual, semi-automatic & fully automatic slicers suitable for salami, ham, bacon, smoked, roast & fresh meats, parma - serrano & other speciality hams and cheese

Bizerba Slicers offer greater yield, quicker clean down, better quality slices time after time and give a fantastic return on investment; compared to other models on the market, Bizerba Slicers can offer a payback as quickly as year one. Bizerba’s design & build quality ensures the machines last longer added to which they are safe to operate & sleek in design with less food traps, ensuring the Bizerba Slicer is the most hygienic in the market.

Ceraclean surface finishing Exclusive to Bizerba in the food services industry The Bizerba Food Processing range also includes High-Speed Automatic Slicing to 250 slices/min, with or without integrated checkweighing; Mincers, Tenderisers & Band Saws.

30% increase in abrasion resistance - longer lifespan & hygiene perfection 20% increase in gliding properties - less physical application & effortless work Takes half the time to clean - removable components are dishwasher safe

Scan using your smart phone or go to www.bizerba.com

BIZERBA (UK) Limited, Unit 4 Erica Road, Stacey Bushes, Milton Keynes, MK12 6HS Tel: 01908 682740 Fax: 01908 682777 Email: info@bizerba.co.uk Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

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THE FRESH PASTA CO www.thefreshpastacompany.com

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S U P LI E P

www.grimreaperfoods.com

Grim Reaper has developed three chilli-infused rapeseed oils: Vengeance (chilli) Tempest (chilli & garlic) and Incinerator (oak smoked oil with chilli). The oil, which has a “distinct, nutty taste” is produced in Hertfordshire by farmer Simon Mead and infused by Grim Reaper founder and chef Russell Williams.

Each 250ml glass bottle has a trade price of £3.25 and cases contain six units.

Iced tea re-brand METRO DRINKS

www.metrodrinks.co.uk

Soft cheese with salmon

CONNAGE HIGHLAND DAIRY www.connage.co.uk

The Scottish dairy and cheese-maker has teamed up with Hebridean Smokehouse on the island of North Uist to produce Bradan is Gruth – a blend of its Highland Crowdie soft cheese, peat-smoked salmon, and black pepper.

The product comes in 140g pots with an RRP of £3.95 but larger sizes are available for the wholesale and foodservice markets.

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boost the products’ visibility on the shelf. It has also added a raspberry flavoured green tea to the range, which also features mango green tea, lemon and peach iced teas.

These entirely natural products will now be available in smaller packs of 12x330ml bottles (previously 24x375ml).

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squash & sage and spinach, ricotta & walnut tortelloni.

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Extra jams

COTTAGE DELIGHT www.cottagedelight.co.uk

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The producer has returned to its roots by developing three new jams to add to its extensive range of preserves. Its tropical jam, which is made with mango, papaya, pineapple and passion fruit, can be used as a spread or to make trifle. The firm’s raspberry & lime extra jam is described as “sharp and refreshing” while the new spiced apricot & vanilla jam features a secret spice blend that makes it ideal for eating year round. Trade cases of 12x340g jars cost £22.08 and each jar has an RRP of £2.75. All of Cottage Delight’s jams are still made in the same way they were when the company was founded in the 1970s – in small batches, hand-stirred in open copper pans.

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Findlater’s Fine Foods has launched a range of premium dips in four flavours – wilted spinach & ricotta, black bean, roasted red pepper and coconut satay.

The products are made with a base of roasted nuts by the Scottish company’s chefs in small batches.

The firm, which started life as a restaurant and deli, is already well known to the speciality food trade for its handmade patés.

The range has already secured a nationwide listing with Tescoowned farm shop group Dobbie’s and is now available to independent delicatessens, food stores and farm shops nationally.

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Findlater’s has a dip

Sauce with garlic The Isle of Wight-based firm has launched a range of traditional sauces with a garlic twist in time for the summer barbecue season. Sweet chilli sauce with garlic (280g bottle) and barbecue sauce with garlic (250g) can be used both as condiments and ingredients while the producer has also put its own spin on the classic tomato ketchup (260g). All the sauces have an RRP of £3.40.

Lyme Bay Winery says the initial success of its new Lymelight lower alcohol wines suggests this could now become one its most successful ranges.

The Dorset-based producer expects these wines to be a growth area given consumers’ interest in healthier products and the Government’s introduction of higher duty for wines above 5.5%.

The six-strong Lymelight range features two rosés (strawberry and cherry), two reds (blackberry and elderberry) and two whites (nettle & ginger and gooseberry), all of which come in 750ml bottles (RRP £5.99) and have an ABV of 5.5%.

The Winery is offering a free 75cl sample, to use for in-store tastings, to retailers that order 24 units of any one variety.

EDITE CR

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Filled pasta

Chilli rapeseed oil

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with apricot chutney (£3.80). Its pork rillettes (£2.40) is accompanied by smoked apple chutney (£3.50) while its chicken liver parfait (£2.40) is paired with red onion chutney (£3.50).

Lyme Bay sees more mileage in less alcohol

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S U P LI E P

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This range of potted meats is now available both in single 110g jars and in duo packs with complementary chutneys in 40g jars. The firm’s duck rillettes (trade £2.60) comes EDITE CR

Oil-free, healthy curry mix producer Chilli Papas has expanded its range beyond traditional Indian curries with two new spice blends. Its has developed a Mexican-inspired fajita mix and a 2in1 Mandalay mix, which can be used as a marinade or in a curry recipe. Both mixes contain no chilli so are suitable for children and those who don’t like hot food. They are also gluten-free and suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Packs (wholesale £1.50) can be hung on a retail strip showcasing the product and range. Minimum order size is 50 units, but cases of 75 and 100 units are also available. Each pack contains two sachets, which serve four people each. Chilli Papas range also includes a yellow curry, 2in1 tikka, and two strengths of vindaloo.

EDITE CR

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www.rossandrossfood.co.uk

www.chillipapas.com D

ROSS & ROSS

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Potted meats

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what's new

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shelftalk

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www.organico.co.uk Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

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shelftalk

His and hers Deli of the Month

INTERVIEW BY PATRICK McGUIGAN

When Marc and Joelle Cullender opened their second store they hit the usual problems of armslength management.

Their solution? It’s one shop for her and one shop for him.

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July 2012 · Vol.13 Issue 6

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etting kicked off Masterchef after making a pig’s ear of a crêpe is not the most auspicious beginning to a career in food. But it was a defining moment for former accountant Marc Cullender, who used the experience as motivation to leave corporate life behind and, with wife Joelle, set up Cullender’s, a deli business that now comprises two shops in Surrey.

“I’d always been really into cooking and wanted to work in food, so I went on Masterchef when it was resurrected back in 2005,” he explains. “I fell at the first hurdle.

They said my crêpe was too thick and more like a pancake, and booted me off. I’m still bitter about it and hate John and Gregg with a passion.”

This is all said with a grin and a twinkle in his eye, although it obviously wasn’t a pleasant experience. “I did feel a bit humiliated,” admits Cullender, “but it made me even more determined to work with food.”

It took three years to find the right premises: a refurbished shop in Redhill that had been derelict for 25 years and was close to the couple’s new home. Both Marc and Joelle worked for big advertising agencies in London, he as an accountant and she as a PA. But the move to Surrey allowed them to free up some of the capital from their North London flat to start the business. “Advertising is a really fun industry in your 20s,” he says. “But you get to your mid-30s

and you’re suddenly that bloke from accounts at parties. We knew it was time to do something for ourselves.”

At first glance it’s easy to see why the shop had remained unoccupied for so long. Located opposite a pub in a well-to-do if unremarkable residential area on the outskirts of Redhill, it’s a little over 300 sq ft in size and not exactly overwhelmed with passing trade. On the other hand, the rent is cheap at £6,000 a year and there isn’t much in the way of competition.

“We’re a cross between a corner shop and a deli, so we’ve worked out a nice balance between everyday stuff like eggs and milk, sandwiches at lunchtime and fancier products for

the weekend,” says Joelle. “Things like eggs [£1.70], milk [55p a pint] and bread [£2 a loaf] are all locally sourced and very fairly priced, but we also get people wandering over from the town’s offices at lunchtime for our homemade salads and baguettes, plus we sell a lot of cheese and wine at the weekend.”

Locals were so pleased to see the shop arrive that there were queues stretching down the street on the first three days after opening – something that still happens on a Saturday morning.

Things went so well that within a year the couple had opened a second similar-sized outlet, this time on a more traditional high street location

products, promotions & people Sitting with Marc possibility before the opening in prosperous Reigate, which is tocks s outside the Reigate of Carluccio’s directly opposite, joined at the hip to Redhill. While the t s u m ’ s Cullender shop on a sunny Friday while Cullenders opened a café original Culldenders had been ple juice morning, it’s obvious concession at a local beauty warmly embraced by the local Cawston’s ap ee ff co that the ‘constant treatment centre and crèche in community, it was a different t’s ot Sc litre for Paddy and banter’ is working.

2010, but this didn’t work out matter when the Reigate unit e oil (half a iv ol isa nd ri n’ B ‘Fill your ow A steady stream of because of low footfall. opened in October 2009. £10) customers buy takeaway “What we really need is “We assumed it would be e cheese lu B coffees and treats from a bigger unit with an eat-in a similar if not better experience sh s ti ar en B K s Pudding the deli counter as we area, rather than having four because the new store is in the Montezuma’ loose olives talk, but it’s clear they also or five units and spreading town centre and footfall is much Olives Et Al come to have a chat with myself too thinly,” Marc says. higher,” says Marc, “but this s isp Piper’s Cr Marc, who seems to know “We’ve got some really good place just died. brownies them all by name and staff now and we’re happy “We replicated the Redhill Homemade n exactly what kind of coffee to leave them, but people shop here, but it’s a completely lio al ed m from M Wiltshire ha or sandwich they want. still want to speak to the merlot different demographic. We put d an nc la B d Sauvignon an r ish le an The changes to owner.” things in like milk, eggs and sa Sp le ia ho w Mas cal ttle) from lo the Reigate store have In the meantime, it’s a sausages, which was stupid. We (£6.99 a bo ng ki helped boost sales 35% case of squeezing as much only took £300 on our first day and retailer Vine e based Elit Newhavenin the past year with the from the existing two sites I was nearly crying.” om fr es ch ui Q business turning over close as possible, with a newly Rather than tackle the situation, ployee Foodservice rt-time em to £300,000 across both revamped website offering he admits he “buried his head in made by pa s ve er es pr No 98 outlets. Margins on boughtd monthly cheese and wine the sand” – partly because the el hfi tc (Nut Rebecca Li ed in herbs in retail lines are 40-45%, deliveries and a growing couple’s first daughter had been at co se ee ch at’s Wealden go Cullender says, while those focus on business born around the same time – and ) Knowle Farm on homemade products, catering, targeting the left it in the hands of an employee. “I t bread nu al w & akery fig such as baguettes, flapjacks, nearby head offices of saw that Reigate wasn’t working and Chalk Hills B soup and salads, range from blue chip companies such essentially just ran away to the other 60-80% – or more. A tray of as Canon, Balfour Beatty shop,” he says. brownies, for example, costs and Kimberly-Clark. A basic business “After six months, we were £1.50 to make but will retail for lunch of baguettes and homemade about a week away from closing milk from one of the big coffee shop around £15. brownies starts at £6 a head, the Reigate store. It was dying on its chains.”

While the Redhill shop makes with each shop doing at least one arse, but I was focusing on the other Reigate is home to most of more of its money on traditional deli catering job a day during the week. store.” the big brands, including Costa, products, such as cheese, wine and Cullenders is also due to take part in Marc Cullender finally got to Starbucks and Caffè Nero, as well as olive oil, Reigate is heavily geared a trial with O2 to be part of its Priority grips with the shop’s underlying Morrisons and M&S, who don’t only towards takeaway sales, “particularly Moments scheme, which will offer problems by basing himself at the provide stiff competition on sales.

Paddy & Scott’s mobile phone customers discounts Reigate store Cullender’s recently tried to acquire a coffee,” says with independents. and running it 1,700 sq ft unit in the town centre, We replicated the Redhill Marc Cullender.

“You can’t survive just selling single-handedly, but was pipped to the site by Costa. shop in Reigate, but it’s “Sales of deli olives and olive oil any more,” says while Joelle “We offered to meet the items have Cullender. “There’s more pressure looked after the a completely different £48,000 a year rent, but Costa came stayed pretty from the supermarkets on these kinds original Redhill in and offered another £20,000 a demographic. We only much static since of products, so you have to say yes to store with partyear on top and blew us out of the took £300 on our first day we opened, but everything, within reason. time help. water,” says Cullender. “Everyone and I was nearly crying. in the past year “When we first decided to “I just in the town was against it. The we’ve seen a work with food we decided against plugged away at local press put a campaign together 40% increase in turnover on coffee opening a restaurant because we it and started building relationships backing our bid, but it was ultimately and products we make in the kitchen. didn’t know anything about it. We with local people, working out what fruitless because it was a private “That’s how we make our money didn’t know anything about retail people wanted, which was basically landlord. We did get a lot of people in Reigate. It costs us 18p a cup and either but somehow felt it was a lunches and a coffee from Monday to coming in the shop wishing us well we sell it for £2, which is still quite softer option that would be easier to Friday. I also knocked on companies’ though.” cheap compared to the chains, and get into.” doors to get business lunches going.

Other attempts to expand have it’s a much better cup of coffee. I The reality, he adds, is very Slowly but surely we built a revenue also been obstructed for one reason just can’t understand these people different. base. The constant banter from me or another. One larger unit at the who walk around with a litre of hot has helped. People buy from people.” top of the high street looked like a www.cullenders.com

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Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

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Vol.13 Issue 6 · July 2012

67

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