FFD May 2013

MARCUS CARTER 43

high spirits 12

cheese challenge 4

‘Risk-free’ dating for buyers and producers

Why the bullish ex boss of Tyrrells is sticking to his winning formula

Mary Quicke calls for a ‘Master of Wine’ equivalent for UK cheese champions May 2013 · Vol 14 Issue 4

family dining The mother-and-son team whetting appetites in up-and-coming Ashburton CHEF’S SELECTION 44 Edible basil seeds, Tahitian vanilla and Suma peanut butter are all in the larder at ‘Michael Wignall at the Latymer’ in Surrey

BEERS, WINES & SPIRITS 25 We meet the new breed of British boutique distillers and give advice on successful in-store tasting sessions

NEWS CHEESEWIRE CHARCUTERIE SWEET & SAVOURY BISCUITS SPECIALITY OILS SHELF TALK DELI OF THE MONTH

4 17 21 33 37 43 48

CE N 0 £5 WA TO O P LL U A G IN ST TA

Receive up to £50 and a full promotion kit and you could be crowned Britain’s Best Cheese Counter 2013 Register for this promotion today and we will send you: 1. A high quality counter-top sampling tray with plates and cocktail sticks 2. Recipe leaflets, product information sheets and other branded POS 3. A cash allowance of £30 or £50 to cover the cost of Le Gruyère AOC cheese for sampling

How does the promotion work?

• S ign-up and commit to doing the promotion for a minimum of two days • Select which Le Gruyère AOC you sample to customers – Classic or Reserve. Order the stock from your normal supplier • Launch and publicise your promotion • Take two photographs of your promotion – a shot of the entire counter and a close up of the promotion kit in use • The Guild of Fine Food will send you a short form to complete and send back with your photographs. This is your chance to sell yourself and your cheese counter to our judges • We will send you a cheque for £30 if you are unable to submit photographs or £50 if you do

How does the Best Cheese Counter competition work?

Sign up for the 2013 self-supervised Le Gruyère AOC in-store cheese promotion and receive a cash payment of up to £50.

You will be automatically entered for Britain’s Best Cheese Counter competition, which will involve a live judging finale at this year’s World Cheese Awards taking place at BBC Good Food Show at the NEC.

• O ur judging panel will short-list entries from the forms and photographs submitted • A judge will visit all short-listed shops and mystery shop to evaluate the counter, knowledge of staff and, of course, the cheese offer • The successful finalists will then be invited to the World Cheese Awards 2013 to present and explain in person their favourite cheeseboard ensuring, of course, that Le Gruyère AOC cheese is at the heart of it • This is your chance to demonstrate that you can design and sell the perfect cheeseboard in front of our panel of judges and a live audience at the BBC Good Food Show at the NEC

How do I apply?

The promotion will take place during May - July 2013.

Contact julie.coates@finefoodworld.co.uk or call her on 01747 825200 to sign up. Not only could you be walking away with the title Britain’s Best Cheese Counter but you will be treated to an all-expenses paid trip to Le Gruyère, Switzerland to enjoy the Swiss cheese-making experience for yourself.

www.gruyere.com

Britain’s Best Cheese Counter Winner 2012: Paxton & Whitfield L-R, Matt Bunch (Paxton & Whitfield), Maurice Johnson (sponsors : Le Gruyère AOC), Ros Windsor (MD, Paxton & Whitfield), John Farrand (Organiser World Cheese Awards).

Cheeses from Switzerland.

Switzerland. Naturally.

www.switzerland-cheese.com

What’s new this month:

Opinion

of completing this simple task inside three months and five visits.

Customer service ranks pretty low on both companies’ list of priorities despite the enormous salaries paid BOB FARRAND to their bosses.

According to Devon cheddar maker Mary Quicke, some of those involved in smaller cheese wholesale Farewell Baroness Thatcher – we’ll and retail businesses are not not see her like again. Depending delivering the service they should be on the direction you lean, that’s (page 4). They certainly don’t earn either a good or a bad thing. The fat salaries but have they kept up Iron Lady was not for turning – their product knowledge to interact unlike the wedge of Caerphilly I profitably with customers? Shoppers bought from Waitrose last week. will pay a premium for informed In common with many, I advice, but not for what Mary spent several hours last month bluntly describes as “blagging”. contemplating her legacy and one The Guild’s NVQ cheese training question remains unanswered. With programme only goes so far and the benefit of hindsight, was her Mary is calling for an advanced iron resolve towards privatisation competency well placed? equivalent to a A free market With the benefit Master of Wine. economy nurtures of hindsight, was She believes private business, and employment Thatcher’s iron resolve retailers won’t in that sector towards privatisation prosper until they justify their higher remains a solitary well placed? prices through ray of hope on a knowledge and quality as well as dismal economic horizon. But have enthusiasm. privatised rail companies, telecoms Most of which were in short and public utilities transformed into supply when buying cheese for hives of efficiency while shuffling our first training day of 2013. off their infamous reputations for Four of the 38 we tasted were incompetence and poor customer seriously over the top, rank with service? ammonia and delivering vicious Recent experience at the new mouth-burn. The Caerphilly and Guild headquarters would suggest Blue Wensleydale were from not. A BT Openreach engineer Waitrose and the Brie de Meaux was unable to locate our building and farmhouse cheddar were from despite satellite navigation and the a local deli and a farm shop. fact that his colleague had already Clearly, those who served me carried out a site survey. It took a knew no better than to sell me month for faceless administrators bad cheese, so I’m leaning towards to rearrange a final connection, Mary. And she’s without question, delaying our move by six weeks. another lady of strong conviction.

Our electricity supply needed upgrading to power the new Great Bob Farrand is publisher of Fine Food Taste kitchens but Scottish and Digest and chairman of the Guild of Southern Energy was incapable Fine Food

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EDITORIAL

GENERAL ENQUIRIES

editorial@finefoodworld.co.uk

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

Editor: Mick Whitworth Assistant editor: Michael Lane News editor: Patrick McGuigan Art director: Mark Windsor Editorial production: Richard Charnley Contributors: Anne Bruce, Graham Holter, Clare Hargreaves, Greg Pitcher

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, Karen Price Accounts: Stephen Guppy, Denise Ballance

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

Printed by: Blackmore, Dorset, UK © Great Taste Publications Ltd and The Guild of Fine Food Ltd 2013. Reproduction of whole or part of this magazine without the publisher’s prior permission is prohibited. The opinions expressed in articles and advertisements are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations.

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Editor’s choice

Selected by Mick Whitworth

Honeybuns cranberry & pecan flapjack www.honeybuns.co.uk

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Ever since Patrick Moore’s Cumbrian brownies topped Great Taste in 2009 we’ve got used to the idea that gluten-free doesn’t have to mean taste-free. Honeybuns, the quirky little Dorset bakery run by the wonderfully named Emma Goss-Custard, has now stripped the last traces of gluten from its entire range. I can’t remember what its cranberry & pecan flapjacks tasted like before, but deglutenising (made-up word alert) sure as hell didn’t do any harm. Moistly sticky with just the right amount of pecan crunch, they tasted freshly made and brought the requisite smile to my face.

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Cover image of Ashburton Delicatessen

by Julian Preston contact@julianpreston.com

Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

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fine food news Top cheese-maker calls for US-style qualification to recognise 'passionate, knowledgeable' people

Quicke seeks certification for cheese professionals

By MICK WHITWORTH

Veteran producer Mary Quicke is in talks with UK trade associations and US-owned retailer Whole Foods Market about establishing a professional level qualification for cheese experts.

The owner of Devon-based Quickes Traditional believes the British Isles need an equivalent to the Certified Cheese Professional scheme recently set up by the American Cheese Society (ACS).

This qualification has been heavily supported by Whole Foods, which has more than 340 premium food stores worldwide, including seven in southern England and Scotland.

Quicke is in early discussions with the UK’s Specialist Cheesemakers Association, the Guild of Fine Food and Whole Foods’ speciality coordinator John David Harmon, about the scope for a similar qualification adapted to EU food law and providing an in-depth understanding of British artisan cheeses and their production.

Quicke told FFD: “The Guild has done a fantastic job with its one-day courses for new counter staff, but after that there’s nowhere else to go.

This [new qualification] would be for people that really want to make a career in cheese.“

Mary Quicke (right) says a qualification would recognise the skills and knowledge of UK cheese experts, like the finalists is last year’s Britain’s Best Cheesemonger competition.

With foodie shoppers wanting to know more about the provenance of speciality cheese, she said, many deli owners were today guilty of “blagging“. “We have had a real explosion in artisan cheese-making, and a rising tide of excitement about artisan food, but we have not really kept up with the knowledge. We need to give those young, passionate people who are coming into the business that body of knowledge.“ “It would be like the Master of Wine,“ she added, referring to the

internationally recognised qualification for the wine experts. “It would give people that vocabulary of flavours and the ability to communicate it.“ The US Certified Cheese Professional course is a home-study programme open to candidates with at least 4,000 hours industry experience – equivalent to around 18 months in a relevant job. It costs in the region of $650 (£430), with discounts for ACS members, and covers business skills such as buying, stock management and legislation

alongside technical and product knowledge – the making process, affinage and so on.

Quicke says she came across the programme at the ACS summer meeting two years ago and “didn't get it, at first“. A year later she met the first cohort of around 120 graduates of the scheme and was converted. “They were completely switched on to what they could provide for their customers, and I thought: ‘Wow, what would that look like in the UK?’“

Smaller shops to see string of High Street promotions

By GREG PITCHER

Independent food stores have been urged to take part in a number of UK-wide initiatives to support small businesses over the coming months.

The National Skills Academy for Retail is holding its third annual Independents’ Day on July 4, encouraging everyone to buy at least one item from a local shop.

Retail consultant and author Clare Rayner is leading Independent Retailer Month UK throughout July, while the Daily Mail is running a Support Your Local High Street campaign during May. Further ahead, Labour shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna has proposed UK Small Business Saturday for December 7.

To capitalise on the Daily Mail’s week-long campaign, FFD publisher the Guild of Fine Food has organised

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May 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 4

Independents’ Day is on July 4

a promotion offering a £3 discount on purchases of £25 or more at participating members’ shops.

Marketing and circulation manager Tortie Farrand said the response from members had been “fantastic“. “They want to get behind it,“ she said. “We’ve had farm shops and delis en masse asking to get involved even though they are not on the high street. The answer is yes – this is all about driving footfall to independent shops.“

Farrand said small food retailers should be looking to use the campaigns this year to show new customers the benefits of shopping with them. “Independents give such a wide choice of products,“ she said.

“They should be looking to up-sell and to build relationships. They provide a much nicer experience for shoppers.“ The National Skills Academy for Retail is encouraging small food retailers to run events on July 4.

Director of marketing Kerry Burgess-Ayala suggested teaming up with other retailers in the local area to promote each other’s activities.

Understanding customer needs was crucial during the campaign, she added. www.nsaforretail.com www.finefoodworld.co.uk www.independentretailermonth.co.uk

SIZE MATTERS: Ludlow Food Centre in Shropshire has opened a larger restaurant to replace its Conservatory Barn Café. Ludlow Kitchen has 140 covers inside and a further 80 in its courtyard garden. It sits in the same building as the old café, which only served 60, but includes two extensions and the new courtyard.

Open seven days a week, it offers evening service up to 9pm, Wednesday to Saturday. Manager Ben Crouch said: “We were having to turn people away from our old café because it only had 60 covers.

This showed us that demand for real local food was on the rise.“ The new unit served 300 covers on Easter Saturday, just two weeks after opening.

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Trade in upbeat mood despite mixed performance at Easter

By ANNE BRUCE & GREG PITCHER

Retailers and wholesalers have told FFD 2013 is shaping up to be a good year, with many seeing strong sales over the Easter period.

Sangita Tryner of Nottingham’s Delilah Fine Foods said business was booming after a move to larger premises last October. She said: “Easter has been amazing. It’s difficult to say year on year, but we are up 1520% week on week.”

Marc Cullender of Cullender's Deli in Surrey, which has shops in Redhill and Reigate, was also upbeat, despite a slight dip in Easter trade compared with last year. “It was quiet due to the weather,“ he said. “Round here they all go away if it’s too cold. But we’re well set up for the year.”

This was echoed by John Wade of Earlsfield Deli, London, who said the year so far had been good despite a “pretty tragic” two weeks after Easter.

Duncan Hider: ‘No sign of business slowing for the rest of this year’

“The year so far has been good.”

Sally Hawkes of Yorkshire’s White Rabbit Chocolate Co said she had seen 10%-plus growth on all the peak trading periods so far this year.

“I introduced £6 Easter eggs this year as I thought people might want to go for something cheaper, but in fact our

£10 and £23 eggs sold really well.”

Distributors Cotswold Fayre and Hider Foods both also reported growth in sales so far this year.

Cotswold Fayre MD Paul Hargreaves said: “There seems to be tremendous buoyancy in the market and retailers I’ve visited or spoken to are very optimistic about the year ahead based on the early months of 2013.” Retail orders had been “much larger” than in early 2012, he added.

Hider Foods joint managing director Duncan Hider said: “Year-onyear turnover is well up, and we’re confident this will show no signs of slowing down for the rest of the calendar year.”

However, Terry Farr, who runs The Cheese and Wine Shop in Darlington, told us: “Easter trading was average.

The year so far is down, with no sign of any sort of recovery, and I expect the rest of the year to be likewise.”

Jury still out on organics after marginal upturn in indie sales

l Somerset butcher and farm shop operator Jon Thorner’s has won two gold medals at an international food awards in Belgium. Its pork pie and steak & ale pie both took gold at Meat Expo 2013 in Kortrijk. It also received silver for its pork loin roast and on-the-bone fillet steak and bronze for its gourmet steak burger.

l Thursday Cottage and Tiptree jam maker Wilkin & Sons looks set to stay in its home village after Colchester councillors gave the green light to its controversial £25m factory development last month. The firm, which also owns the Jules & Sharpie brand, wants to build a 13,000 sq m factory as well as 244 homes to offset the cost of the development at Tiptree village.

l Independent ‘liquid deli’ chain Demijohn has branched out into online retailing with a £50,000 website. The new site, designed by Glasgow-based Indez, will allow consumers to buy its artisan drinks, oils and vinegars in various sizes and shapes of bottle, as they would in-store. MD Angus Ferguson said he saw the website as a fourth shop launch, alongside its outlets in Glasgow, Edinburgh and York. www.demijohn.co.uk

l Cranstons, the Cumbrian butcher and fine food chain, is to open a food hall at Orton Grange near Carlisle this autumn. The business already owns four butchers’ shops, but the new store will build on the success of first food hall, at Penrith, which has become its flagship.

The new unit is part of a dairy farm diversification project by the Martin family at Orton Grange.

By ANNE BRUCE & GREG PITCHER

Speciality food businesses remain sceptical about the future of organic foods, despite a small rise in sales through independent stores.

Following the Soil Association’s latest organic market report, which showed the overall organic food market shrank by 1.5% in value in 2012, many told FFD customers did not seek out organic food. Instead, quality and provenance have moved up the agenda.

Ros Windsor, MD of cheesemonger and wholesaler Paxton & Whitfield told FFD: “We’ve found that whether a cheese is organic or not isn't one of the major sales drivers. Our customers are more interested in what milk is used to make the cheese, its provenance, does it use traditional or vegetarian rennet, is the milk pasteurised or unpasteurised and ultimately how does it taste?“ Mark Farnsworth from William’s Farm Kitchen in East Yorkshire said the business had always struggled with organic and never got a premium in this area.

“We trumpeted it when we first opened two years ago but we don’t push it anymore.“ he said.

And Sangita Tryner of Delilah Fine Foods in Nottingham commented: “I don’t go looking for organic, and customers don’t really ask for organic.

“The small producers which we

IN BRIEF

l Gordon & MacPhail, the malt

Home delivery schemes have seen healthy growth, but overall organic sales are down

source from tend to be precious about the ingredients which we use. Organics just tend to add extra expense for consumers.“ However, Peter Marsh, chief executive at London retailer Planet Organic, said falling sales of organic were mainly due to reduced stocks at supermarkets. “Three grocers make up 70% of the food market, and when they decided to reduce shelf space for organic products, the market declined regardless of demand,“ he said.

Marsh said organic food sales were growing in mainland Europe, the US, China and Australia.

“UK figures will rise,“ he added.

“It’s just a question of when.“ Marsh also suggested the horsemeat scandal might boost sales. “Every time we have a food scare, the organics market strengthens,“ he said. “People look for reassurance, and organic food provides that.“ While the top seven multiple retailers saw organic sales fall 3.8% in 2012, independent outlets saw a 0.7% increase, with sales worth around £480 million. Home-delivery specialists Ocado, Riverford and Abel & Cole increased their combined organic sales by more than 10%.

whisky specialist and drinks wholesaler, has been named the official title sponsor of the 2013 Highlands & Islands Food & Drink Awards.

l London-based William Curley has scooped five golds in the 2013 Academy of Chocolate Awards. The patissier-chocolatier opened its first shop in Richmond in 2004 and now has outlets in Belgravia and Harrods.

l Devon-based delivery firm Riverford has been named best organic retailer at the Natural & Organic Awards 2013. Other winners included Inside Organics, which scooped best new food product for its Rawlicious Raw Kale Chips.

For regular news updates from FFD visit:

www.ffdonline.co.uk Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

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May 2013 路 Vol.14 Issue 4

By ANNE BRUCE

Speciality food producers are reporting strong export sales to Europe and further afield, despite the eurozone crisis, as new data shows mainstream food exports held their own in 2012.

A report from The Food and Drink Federation said UK food and non-alcoholic drink exports remained constant at £12.1 billion last year.

Sales to EU members dipped by 1.4% to £9.2bn as the eurozone’s problems intensified. Many EU economies suffered, while the euro became weaker against the pound.

But non-EU sales grew by 4.6% to £2.9bn as British food exporters adjusted to the changing conditions.

Maria Whitehead of Hawskhead Relish saw exports rise 25% last year

Peverel Manners, MD of Belvoir Cordials, said sales were growing strongly in the US and Canada, where it had a new distributor, as well as in European countries, such as Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands and in South East Asia and the Middle East.

“We had a cracking year last year,” he said. “Exports were up 37% to £1.2m. Export is the fastest growing part of the business.”

Maria Whitehead, director of Cumbria’s Hawkshead Relish Co, said the firm had been focusing more on non-European exports recently, but overall exports in 2012 increased by 25%, with most of this increase being within Europe.

At Montezuma’s Chocolates, cofounder and director Helen Pattinson said the company’s exports were up over 15% year on year. “We’ve seen consistently good sales into Scandinavia for quite a few years now but more recently our customers are from further afield. We have customers in the Middle East and Hong Kong and have a lot of interest from Australia and New Zealand.”

Barbara Moinet, director at Kitchen Garden Foods, said it was sending products further east.

“We’ve noticed increased sales to the Middle East and Hong Kong with a reduction in sales to Europe. The latter is clearly due to the problems with the euro – Sweden continues to be strong.”

By ANNE BRUCE

Montezuma’s Helen Pattinson: building on strong sales to Scandinavia

Top growth markets for UK food and non-alcoholic drink • Saudi Arabia, up 35% in 2012, to £118m • UAE, up 25% to £153m • Sweden, up 17% to £198m Australia, up 13% to £114m • China, up 11% to £110m Source: FDF

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

The squeeze on space has also limited the amount of lines we can have on the shelves and we had to be careful with our selections, which in some ways is good but now we want to look more closely at it.

Paul Dutson Dutsons, Marple Bridge, Cheshire The first 12 months have given us a feel for what we’re selling and what customers would like to see in probably do with an extra 30% My brother Matthew and I had the shop. retail space, and it would be useful always wanted to open something To start with, we were stocking to have more storage. But even if together. I was working as a a number of products from larger we’d know that earlier it wouldn’t store manager for Majestic in wholesalers but we want to move have made us look for a different Twickenham and Matthew was the away from site because restaurant and bar supervisor at the bigger we wanted to The Lowry hotel in Manchester.

We’ve noticed an increase names. This set up in this Opening a deli-café seemed a good in sales of more niche ‘standardised’ area. It has way of putting all that experience products, so we’re looking range performed given us food together. well but we’ve for thought, We opened in March 2012 in at smaller suppliers now noticed an though, as we our home village of Marple Bridge, increase in sales of more niche want this to be the first of a few near Stockport. It was pretty products, so we’re looking at smaller Dutsons deli-cafés. Opening here carefully planned. We did all the suppliers now and buying direct. has opened our eyes to things we fit-out in three weeks and were We wanted to do it that way will need to look for in the next ready to go. The building used to be from the beginning but we also property. a café but we have divided it up into wanted to get open and just get We’re thinking about getting a a 30sq m café space with 26 covers started. There was a point when separate storage unit so we can buy and a four-seat window bar, and a everything had to come off the stock in bulk and take advantage of 16 sq m deli area. paper and into the shop. discounts on larger orders.

Looking at it now, we could

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Buying paper cups?

Keep the invoice…

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Fine food exports strong despite Eurozone crisis

A new EU regulation means food shops and café-restaurants must now hold invoices for any wood-based purchases, from new chairs to cartons to napkins, on file for five years.

The EU Timber Regulation 995/2010, which came into force in March, makes it an offence to place illegally harvested timber and timber products on the EU market.

Disposables supplier Huhtamaki’s UK foodservice sales & marketing director John Young said failure to comply could result in fines or confiscation of illegal products by the authorities.

He explained: “Anyone purchasing a timber-based product, which for delis might mean napkins or furniture or cups, will have to be able to prove that it has been bought in compliance with the regulation, and keep the evidence on file for five years.”

Suppliers should be able to confirm that a product was PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) compliant on the invoice or delivery note, he explained.

The UK’s newly formed National Measurement Office has been assigned to check regulations are followed.

The shop has been busy from the outset but that means it’s difficult to get away and take the time to look for new products.

Over the last year, we’ve almost been employees rather than owners running the business.

It’s only really in the last three or four months we’ve been able to leave the day-to-day running and work on some of the new things, like wine tastings and private dining sessions.

I think we could have made more of the quieter periods. We’ve got 10 part-timers that work various shifts. We’re not looking at bringing in any more staff but we will be analysing when the quiet periods are and managing the timing of their shifts.

I’m pretty sure Dutsons wouldn’t work if it was just a café or just a deli. Some people use the café, some people just use the deli, some use both but we are now looking at ways to get more crossover.

Interview by MICHAEL LANE

Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

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us s! ll ple Ca am rs fo

Pinkify.

What a lovely word.

Folkington’s Juices, The Workshop, Endlewick House, Arlington, East Sussex BN26 6RU 01323 485602 info@folkingtons.com www.folkingtons.com

Vinegars to invigorate summer salads...

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May 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 4

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fine food news Olive oil testing on the up amid fears of fresh scandal

By ANNE BRUCE & GREG PITCHER

Extra virgin olive oil has been highlighted as a potential ‘horsemeat’, with one of the UK’s main product testing bodies reporting an increase in demand for authenticity tests on oil.

"Any food ingredient that has a price premium, and similarlooking ingredients that are cheaper, is potentially vulnerable to adulteration," said Jane Staniforth, food business development manager at Reading Scientific Services (RSSL).

James Tyler of importer Lefktro agreed olive oil was a “prime candidate” for adulteration.

“The incentives to cheat are large,” he said. “This is especially so this year because of the price increases we have seen.”

Tom Mueller, author of Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil said olive oil could be adulterated with cheaper oils such as soybean, sunflower and canola.

He told FFD: “Even in markets such as Spain, where official testing does go on, the official chemical

Rowcliffe’s Steve Smith retires Steve Smith has retired as sales director of Rowcliffe after a quarter of a century with the speciality cheese and chilled foods distributor A familiar face in the fine food world, Smith had an “incredible impact” on the family firm, according to owner Tim Rowcliffe, who described Smith’s dedication to independent retailers as "inspirational”.

Smith met Rowcliffe while running a small deli in West Sussex.

“Tim mentioned he had a vacancy in sales, and I went there intending to stay for six months while I searched for a bigger shop,” Smith told FFD.“I ended up staying 26 years.”

He has since spent much of his time advising shop owners on merchandising and staff training, both through Rowcliffe and through the Guild of Fine Food, where he was a committee member for 20 years.

“I’m happy I’ve been involved in helping other people make a success of their businesses,” Smith said.

The 59-year-old will continue to judge at Great Taste and the World Cheese Awards and didn’t rule out further involvement in the food industry, but told FFD: “I’m going to take a year off, then I’ll see what I want to do.”

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Product analysis body RSSL has seen more demand for testing, but technical specialist Robert Griffiths has seen no evidence of widespread oil contamination

tests recognized by EU law are insufficient to catch a significant portion of the olive oil frauds regularly perpetrated.”

Extra virgin olive oil should pass both chemical tests and

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

organoleptic tests for taste, aroma and visual characteristics.

According to Lefktro’s Tyler, a worrying amount of oil sold as “extra virgin” in the UK would not pass organoleptic tests.

Lefktro regularly sends off samples for analysis and works with trusted suppliers using BRC accredited factories, he added.

Meanwhile, Charles Cary of wholesaler The Oil Merchant said provenance and the family name of estate bottle oils offered some guarantee against adulteration. “All my producers are farmers who I have visited and I have confidence in their oils,” he said.

RSSL has reported increased demand for authenticity tests for products including olive oil, seafood and basmati rice in the wake of the horsemeat scandal.

However, technical specialist Robert Griffiths said it had not yet seen evidence of widespread problems with oil.

“We have had a handful of examples of oils labelled incorrectly,” he said. “If it was an adulteration, it was a fairly obvious one.”

editorial@finefoodworld.co.uk

PORTMAN GROUP’S ‘HYPOCRISY’ OVER LAVERSTOCK BEER LABELS Sir, I read in www.FFDonline.co.uk the Portman Group has advised retailers not to stock Laverstoke Park’s award winning, organic ales as the packaging appeals to children.

I am flabbergasted both at the hypocrisy of the statement and speed of the descent into which this country appears to be hurtling towards the oft-quoted nanny state.

First I would be very interested to see a study that proved Laverstoke’s child-like packaging is more likely to appeal to teenagers than the glossy marketing of

the cheap alcopops and lagers promoted so heavily by the Portman Group’s multi-national producer members (Diageo, AB inBev, Carlsberg etc).

Secondly, in the absence of any such study, the Portman Group would do better to tackle cheap alcohol pricing (instead of repeatedly arguing against minimum price laws) in an effort to defend our high streets and town centres which have been turned into weekend war zones fuelled by their members’ products.

Third, have we sunk to such a nadir in this country that a single complaint about Laverstoke’s label is supported by a High Court judge and that, whilst we drown in an orgy of drink fuelled violence, we take seriously an industry group pointing the finger at a small scale organic producer?

I for one have contacted Laverstoke seeking to stock their product and I suspect it won’t cause too much excitement with the underage drinkers of Steyning.

Nick Hempleman The Sussex Produce Co www.thesussexproducecompany.co.uk

FSA still resisting compulsory ‘scores on the doors’ rule

By GREG PITCHER

The Food Standards Agency is urging the final three councils in England to sign up to the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, but says there are no plans to follow Wales in demanding compulsory display of ‘scores on the doors’ by food businesses.

The FSA is working to encourage Tendring District Council, Rutland County Council and the Royal Borough of Greenwich to join their English counterparts in the scheme.

It comes after public display of hygiene ratings became mandatory in Wales. The Food Hygiene Rating (Wales) Act 2013 was given royal assent in March and is expected to come into force in November.

A consultation has been launched on the finer details of the laws, such as what the rating sticker should look like and where it should be displayed.

Consultation closed in late April on the possibility of introducing parallel legislation in Northern Ireland.

In England, 96% of local authorities issue food hygiene certificates, but while these appear on the FSA website they do not have to be displayed by the rated outlet.

An FSA spokeswoman said the focus was on securing full take-up of the scheme rather than pursuing legislation to enforce display.

“Approximately 96% are running FHRS now and it is anticipated that this will rise to 99% by the summer, but three authorities have not yet agreed to join,” she said.

“The FSA is continuing to work with these three authorities to encourage their commitment.”

Although only 25 of 32 Scottish authorities are using the equivalent Food Hygiene Information Scheme, the others are working towards launching it.

Many English shops proudly display 5-star hygiene stickers but, unlike in Wales, there’s no compulsion to show poor scores on doors Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

9

fine food news new openings

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

Borough Market trader opens Norfolk food hall

At a glance l Other attractions at Creake Abbey

rebelheartphotography.co.uk

include shops selling antiques, outdoor clothing and gifts, as well as a beauty and massage business and an artist’s studio.

There are also regular events such as Plant Lovers’ Day and children’s workshops.

l The ruins of Creake Abbey, a former Augustinian priory founded in 1206, are open to the public and free of charge.

l The food hall is headed by Tom

Mondomulia

Wheeler and features cheese, charcuterie and butchery counters. Key local suppliers include Mrs Temple’s cheese, Ted’s Veg, Marsh Pig charcuterie and fresh meat from the Walsingham Estate.

l Ali Yetman, formally of Yetman’s in Holt and Wiveton Farm Café, has been appointed head cook at the café, which has seating for 50 inside and 50 outside.

The Creake Abbey food hall is the brainchild of Stephen Harrison (right in picture) and will be managed by Tom Wheeler (left)

Silver Yard Café Deli

Flavours of Monmouth Monmouth

This new outlet has been set up in a former workshop in the centre of the village of Orton.

“Many local people and regular visitors associate Orton with great local produce,” says owner Barbara Rumsey. “The new business aims to build on that with a seasonal menu and the best of specialities from the Lakes and Dales.”

Suppliers include Appleby, Ruby’s Relishes and Claire’s Handmade, plus local Aberdeen Angus beef and Gloucester Old Spot pork. www.silveryard.co.uk

Visitors to this new deli are always greeted with a slice of something good from the counter.

The shop, which specialises in British cheese, charcuterie and artisan bread, has been opened by Ann North in Chippenham House, a grade II listed building in the Welsh town.

“The whole ethos of the shop is built on taste,” she said. “Walk in and ask us what’s good today – you’ll be given various tasters by our friendly staff, and then the choice is yours.

Provenance is really important to us.

“We want customers to ask us how something is made and where it’s from. We have hand-picked every item in the store, and are very proud of each and every one.”

Products include Neal’s Yard cheeses, charcuterie from Trealy Farm and Native Breeds and syrups from Forage Fine Foods. www.flavoursdeli.co.uk

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May 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 4

www.creakeabbey.co.uk

The Willows Garden Centre and Café Glentham, Lincolnshire

Local products like Lincolnshire Poacher cheese, Pipers Crisps and Tom Wood Ales are at the heart of this deli at this new garden centre.

The £2m project was created by West Lindsey farmer David Nelstrop and includes five retail units. The second phase of the development will see the construction of a holiday park, 10 log cabins and a fishing lake by the summer of 2015. facebook.com/WillowsGardenCentre

David Bole

Over £500,000 has been invested in the project.

The 2,000 sq ft site will stock a wide range of local and British produce, but will also have a strong focus on European specialities thanks to Harrison’s supplier connections and experience at Borough.

“Local food is important, but local only goes so far – olives from Norfolk aren’t very good!” said Harrison. “We will be importing directly from small producers across Europe and going to Rungis market near Paris once a week. It’s quite a

Orton, Cumbria

food festival at Borough in 1998, which evolved to become London’s famous Borough Market.

As well as Le Marché du Quartier, Harrison also runs three wine bars in the City and has a growing Spanish food business at Borough and Greenwich Market.

Creake Abbey’s monthly farmers’ market attracts over 50 food producers and won the Norfolk Food Awards “Best Farmers’ Market” category in 2010 and 2011.

sophisticated audience in Norfolk with lots of holidaymakers staying in cottages and people with second homes.

“We will stock exclusive products, like Pata Negra ham carved on the bone, but our intention is also to be a one-stop shop for everyday items like bread, milk and good quality meat and veg.”

Harrison’s previous career included stints as a town planner, university lecturer and head of parks operations in central London. He also helped organise a three-day fine

One of the first ever traders at London’s Borough Market is set to open a food hall and café at Creake Abbey in Norfolk, which is already home to an award winning farmers’ market, boutique shops and the ruins of a 13th century abbey.

Stephen Harrison, who runs Continental deli Le Marché du Quartier at Borough Market, will open Creake Abbey Café & Food Hall this month in a restored barn in conjunction with Creake Abbey owners Diana and Anthony Scott.

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

All sales enquiries to OXFORD BLUE CHEESE COMPANY LTD 01844 338055 Vol.14 Issue 4 路 May 2013 www.oxfordfinefood.com

11

fine food news

Not standing still

Interview Famous for making a fortune from the Tyrrells crisp brand, Will Chase has since set up his own distillery making spirits from his own potatoes. MICHAEL LANE finds the multi-millionaire hard at work and hungry to create another category-defining brand.

S

at nav is not much use when you’re driving through the Herefordshire countryside.

Thankfully for FFD, the Chase Distillery building rises like a mirage out of county’s distinctive red soil.

This is largely down to the tower emerging from the roof of the former hop kiln barn that houses a 70ft rectification column. Not only is this copper monolith a vital component in the process that results in Britain’s only potato-based vodka and gin, but it’s also the tallest of its kind in Europe. Given his history of bold statements, would you expect anything less from Will Chase?

The rapid rise of Tyrrells crisps, which he started making on the family potato farm in 2002, is welldocumented. As is his very public bust-up with Tesco in 2006 when it put his crisps on their shelves despite him refusing to sell to the supermarket directly. Offloading his majority share in the business to

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May 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 4

private equity firm Langholm Capital in 2008 for £40m made Chase a very wealthy man, allowed him to settle his protracted divorce and afforded him a few luxuries like cars and mansions. You’d be forgiven for assuming this premium spirit operation is just another one of those luxuries, turning out tipple for Chase to sup while he’s relaxing on his boat.

The reality couldn’t be more different. When I make it through the dusty lanes to Rosemaund Farm and walk into the bar/reception area of the distillery, I inadvertently walk in on a production meeting being led by Chase himself. I’d been warned that he was going to be busy; this was his last day in the office before embarking on a month long sales trip to the Far East.

While I wait, there’s a panoramic view of the fields, where the potatoes and apples for the base spirit are grown, and I get a tour of the complicated distilling

process that results in a variety of flavoured spirits, gins and the World’s Best Vodka (crowned at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition).

The field-to-product concept is very similar to the founding principles of Tyrrells, as is Chase Distillery’s retail customer base. But the spirits, with a retail price of at least £32 for a 70cl bottle, are a rather more premium product.

“If people want a bottle of gin that costs £15 or so they can buy a bottle of Bombay Sapphire or Gordon’s that they know is mass produced,” says Chase.

The volumes from the “laborious process” of distilling are small but, while he doesn’t plan to physically expand the business to Tyrrells’ size, Chase is still eyeing growth.

“The beautiful thing about this business is there’s 10 guys altogether and we can grow to four times the size without taking on another 10,” he tells FFD. “I’m not a

big company person.”

Annual turnover at Chase Distillery is around £2m but its owner prefers the spirit industry’s gauge of 30,000 cases. To be sustainable, he estimates the business needs to double its output.

And he’s seeking this growth the only way he knows how.

“I look at it like a pyramid. If you want to launch a brand and put it on the market, you haven’t got the budget to buy your way into all the big markets. So you have to convince all the people at the top first, then the next people want it, and the next people.”

UK independents are some of his best customers, he says. Fortnum’s stocks seven lines and Chase is well supported by rural retailers like Darts Farm in Devon and Middle Farm in Sussex. You’ll also find Chase spirits in Waitrose, including an own label Earl Grey & lemon gin for the chain’s Heston Blumenthal range. Chase also supplies the on-trade through

independent wine merchants and you might have spotted its screenprinted bottles on the duty-free shelves at airports.

He’s quick to condemn brands that take a different route to market. He says firms like Innocent Drinks lack sincerity and his assessment of Blur bassist and celebrity cheese-maker Alex James’s Asda cheese range is damning, but too blue for printing in FFD. “Building brands is about being humble,” he says. “With this brand it’s genuine, it’s not just something you throw money at. It has to pay for itself. It has to make a profit and it has to work.

“You’ve got all these producers that supply independents, but it still has to sell. They can’t just sell it because they’re cool people and they gave up their job as a banker to become a goat farmer to make goats’ cheese. Stuff has got to have a magic.”

Chase can’t quite pinpoint what the magic was that made Tyrrells a success. At first, he says it was the provenance, then he suggests it was the move into vegetable crisps that really got the brand noticed.

Packaging, he says, is “everything” and he cites the move from clear plastic to metallic packets (following comments from a Waitrose buyer) as another turning point. However, he claims the best thing he ever did was introduce naked Victorian ladies onto his packaging and wait for people to complain. “It’s cheeky PR,” he says.

Even now, he’s got ideas for what he might do if he was still a crisp maker. These include abandoning the packet and using cheaper breakfast cereal-style boxes with inner bags. He also feels the current crop of speciality crisp firms could do more to promote the seasonality of their potatoes. (For the record, Chase still takes an interest in the category he helped to pioneer and believes that Pipers, while he’s not a fan of its new packaging, could take up the mantle once held by Tyrrells.)

Whether it is magic or just plain

Will Chase says ‘packaging is everything’ when creating a brand

other side is marked as “juniperflavoured vodka”. If Chase had gotten his own way, all of the bottles would look like this rather than the slick, screen-printed bottles that his core lines come in. But not every part of the crisp-conquering blueprint could be translated to spirits, not least the Tyrrells name.

“We got into trouble,” he says of the vodka’s original ‘Tyrrells’ branding. “People couldn’t link between snacks and premium vodka. It’s like [premium vodka brand] Grey Goose doing Hula Hoops up the road.”

Of course, the brand’s provenance is also a key message, as Chase Distillery is one of few premium operations in the world to make its own base spirit (he claims most use 30p/litre grain spirit) with its own potatoes and apples. It’s also a British product, and playing this up has driven sales at home and abroad.

I’d love to convert people Already listed to real gin. That’s one of my in Dean & DeLuca missions. I’d like people to and Whole Foods in America, Chase accept the fact that gin is points out that made of vodka. spirits are the ideal export line.

“With chips, you’ve got lorry hard graft, Chase is following the loads of air to send round the world. formula second time round.

It’s a logistical nightmare. But with “The distillery is working but I something like this, you only have want to find that real magic. I’d love to sell a few cases here and a few to convert people to real gin. That’s cases there.” one of my missions. I’d like people Naturally, Chase learned from to accept the fact that gin is made the experience of “running into of vodka.” a lot of brick walls” when selling To tackle this one, he’s applied a his crisps abroad and says the best bit of his “cheeky PR” on recently strategy is to get out there and meet released limited edition bottles of distributors directly. gin. One side is labelled gin, the

That’s exactly what he is doing as FFD goes to print, on a tour that takes in Japan, China, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, and it has already worked in Spain, Italy, France and Greece.

His financial security makes this a lot easier for Chase nowadays. It was the now defunct Food From Britain that helped him get his crisps out of the country and although

he is effusive in his praise for them he also recalls the “disgustingly lax” Government backing and tiny British food stands dwarfed by the French at big trade shows around the world.

As Chase Distillery’s brand grows in prominence, is it possible that we’ll see another Will Chase supermarket standoff?

“I’m not anti big supermarkets because I’m a realist and society’s got to have them. But I’ll only sell it if they’ll respect our price and they’ll buy it for our price,” he says.

“It’s the same issue I had with Tyrrells and Tesco’s. I’ll only sell it to them if they honour us, pay our price, look after us and respect our brand.

“I didn’t de-list them because I don’t like Tesco’s. I think if you’ve got a business and you’re making products, it should be available. If somebody goes to Sainsbury’s and they want to buy a bottle of vodka and yours is not in there, they’ll buy that bottle of Grey Goose instead.”

Chase accepts that he doesn’t have a “divine right” to success a second time (freely admitting that Tyrrells grew during an economic boom) but, for now, he is concentrating on bringing out new limited edition spirits and his own cider.

“This is fun because you’re in control of it. If we want to bring out another flavour, within two or three weeks we can have it. If it was a big corporate it would take two years just to think about it.”

He’s clearly in his element. www.chasedistillery.co.uk

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Chase Distillery’s 70ft-high rectification column is the tallest in Europe Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

13

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May 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 4

www.winterdale.co.uk +44 (0)1732 820021 Winterdale, Platt House Lane, Wrotham, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 7LX

cheesewire Unsung heroes Hidden gems from Britain’s artisan producers

news & views from the cheese counter

Dairy UK and Defra set up exporters’ group

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Cuddy’s Cave In a nutshell: Doddington Dairy in Northumberland is best known for its mature fruity Doddington, which is a cross between a cheddar and a gouda, but its less famous cheese Cuddy’s Cave is also well worth investigating. It is made in three-kilo rounds with raw milk and traditional rennet by Margaret-Ann Maxwell.

Flavour and texture: Aged for between three to five months, Cuddy’s Cave is a semi-hard Dalesstyle cheese with a moist texture. It has a fresh, lactic flavour with hints of lemon and a pretty, light grey rind.

History: The cheese is named after local landmark St Cuthbert’s Cave, where legend has it the 7th Century saint was laid to rest. The milk used to make the cheese comes from the farm’s own 270-strong herd.

Maggie’s brother Neil and his wife Jackie also make ice cream under the Doddington name.

Artisan cheese-makers are being urged to join a new cheese exporters’ group, which has been launched by trade association Dairy UK with support from Defra.

The group, which will meet regularly throughout the year, aims to promote collaboration between cheese-makers, Defra and UKTI to help boost exports.

It was launched at an All Party Parliamentary Cheese Group reception in London attended by group chairman Dan Rogerson MP and Agriculture and Food minister David Heath.

Dairy UK communications director Simon Bates said the new scheme would cover areas such as product development, sharing market intelligence, joint marketing activities and sharing routes to market.

“This should be of particular

Belton’s Red Fox is the latest UK success story abroad

interest to smaller cheese-makers, who don’t have the same resources as the larger manufacturers when it comes to market intelligence, how to work successfully at trade fairs and how to get export licences,” said Bates. “There is great demand for British cheese abroad in European and further afield markets.

Traditionally it’s been centred around

Goat specialist Brock Hall Farm creates Joie de Chèvre

Shelf-life and cheese care: Whole cheeses will keep for at least two months. Store at around 10°C or lower. Cut into large chunks for the counter, which should then be sold within two to three weeks.

Why should I stock it? This cheese is a great-all rounder that is just as at home in a sandwich or melted over potatoes as on a cheese board.

Perfect partners: It’s good grated to make cheese scones and pan haggerty (a local dish made with thin layers of potato, onions and cheese). It also goes well with crisp white wines, such as Chablis or Albariño.

Where to get it: Carron Lodge or email the cheesemaker directly: enquiries@doddingtondairy.co.uk FFD will feature a different ‘unsung hero’ from Specialist Cheesemakers’ Association members each month. To get involved, contact: patrick.mcguigan@finefoodworld.co.uk

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Shropshire-based goats’ cheese producer Brock Hall Farm has expanded its range with a new semihard cheese called Joie de Chèvre.

The raw milk cheese is made by owner Sarah Hampton in 1.5kg rounds and is matured for between eight and 12 weeks. Milk comes from the farm’s own herd of 70 pure Saanen goats.

Hampton said that there was strong demand for the new cheese at farmers’ market. “I’ve sold out at every one I’ve done – if people try it, they always buy some,” she said.

“They really seem to like the balance between sweetness and saltiness and it has a citrus edge, which makes it sing.”

Retailers including Anderson & Hill in Birmingham and Good Taste Food in London are now stocking Joie de Chèvre, while chefs including Will Holland at La Becasse restaurant in Ludlow have also put it on their menu.

“It’s lactic, slightly sweet and there’s good salt with whispers of goat to start and more on the finish,” said Gary Anderson, owner of Anderson & Hill.

Brock Hall Farm’s other cheeses include a washed rind semi-soft cheese called Capra Nouveau, which was awarded three gold stars at the Great Taste Awards 2012 and listed as one of the Top 50 Foods in Great Britain.

Stilton and cheddar, but companies exporting speciality cheeses are finding success. They’re opening up new market places and consumers abroad are realising there is more to British cheese.”

Shropshire-based Belton Cheese secured a listing in the US for its new brand, Belton Farm Red Fox, earlier this year by working with US distributor Anco Fine Cheese. The Red Leicester is now being sold in Publix supermarkets throughout the US. Belton MD Justin Beckett said: “Belton’s export business is growing year on year with a 13% increase in sales to the US alone. The English and Shropshire provenance [is] playing a major role in our success.”

Belton also exports to Australia, Russia and Japan.

To get involved in the group, email Simon Bates. sbates@dairyuk.org

Winterdale delivers carbonneutral cheese Kent-based Winterdale Cheesemakers produced and delivered the first ever carbonneutral cheese to London last month.

The firm, which is run by cheese-maker Robin Betts, has been working towards the goal of using absolutely no energy to make and transport its cheese for more than 12 months.

It finally achieved the feat with a combination of a ground source heat pump and photovoltaic solar panels, which are used to heat the milk. The solar panels also charge a carbon-neutral electric Nissan car, acquired at the end of 2012.

Unlike some cheese-makers, Winterdale doesn’t require any energy for the 10-month maturation of its cheddar-style Winterdale Shaw and its oak-smoked counterpart.

The firm delivers within a 30mile radius of its dairy in Wrotham, near Sevenoaks. www.winterdale.co.uk

www.brockhallfarm.com

Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

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May 2013 路 Vol.14 Issue 4

cheesewire

At the bottom of the garden Interview Seven years ago Ian Wellens set up an online retailing operation in his shed.

PATRICK McGUIGAN finds out how the business has flourished.

G

ive it a few years and Jeremy Clarkson’s road rage will have moved on from caravans and will be focused instead on supermarket delivery vans for clogging up Britain’s highways.

Expect a few to be blown up on Top Gear. That’s because the online grocery market is predicted to double by 2017 with the major multiples and their ubiquitous vans driving much of the growth.

It’s a sobering prospect for independents, who are so busy behind the deli counter that they often struggle to maintain a basic website, let alone get to grips with checkout functionality and search engine optimisation.

But it doesn’t have to be so complicated. One Devon-based business has managed to become a leading online cheese retailer with the help of an unusual secret weapon: a garden shed.

Ian Wellens set up the Cheese Shed in 2006 in a small blue shed converted into an office at the bottom of his garden in Newton Abbot. He originally worked in music and education, but became a cheese enthusiast while tasting his way through the cheese counter at local deli Mann & Son. After “a lightbulb moment”, Wellens approached the deli’s owners, James and Gill Mann, about setting up a website specialising in West Country cheeses.

“It was the link with James Mann that made the business feasible,” he says. “It would have been hard on my own. He has the know-how and the storage when it comes to cheese, but setting up an online business is difficult for retailers. I see a lot of small shops thinking they need a website, but they don’t come to much because they are busy running the shop. It needs someone completely focused on online sales.”

Start-up costs for the business were about £500. Wellens looked after the website and orders from his shed while the deli dealt with packing and despatch. Things moved on quickly from there to the extent that in 2011 the Cheese Shed invested £10,000 in an upgraded

website and was named the Best Independent in the Observer Food Monthly Awards.

Last year, the company saw sales increase by 40%, with nearly 4,000 orders sent out via UK Mail. It also finally outgrew its shed, investing £45,000 in a move to new premises at what was previously an HSBC bank, next door to the deli.

Set over two floors with a purpose-built cold room, packing area and office space, the new site is not open to the public for obvious reasons. “James doesn’t want to reduce sales in the deli just to sell more next door, which is fair enough,” says Wellens. “There is perhaps a possibility to do cheese classes and tastings at the bank, though. It would be nice to connect with the town more.”

Growth has come through recommendations rather than advertising. Doing well in Google searches has also been key. “Getting to the top of Google rankings is incredibly important,” he says. “We tend to be front page, but we haven’t employed any dark arts to get there. Any online business is besieged by people wanting to sell you search engine optimisation packages, but I’ve never taken the bait because it just felt like snake oil.

“We do well on Google because we get lots of visits to the site. That’s to do with giving good service, so that people want to come back, and the quality and content of the site.”

Having a narrow focus on West Country cheeses, with around 100 lines, gives the site a point of difference from other online cheese businesses, as does detailed information on the cheese-makers and clever features such as a ‘wedding cheese cake builder’. This allows browsers to design their own cake online, so they can see what it Getting to the top would look like and of Google rankings is much it would incredibly important, but how cost. we haven’t employed “What drew me any dark arts to get into this business was my enthusiasm there

❛

❜

The newly headquartered Cheese Shed’s website features around 100 West Country cheeses and a ‘wedding cake builder’

for the handmade cheeses of this region. It wasn’t an Apprentice-style exercise to flog anything at the highest possible price,” he says. “I hope that comes over on the site.

We have three types of customers: people buying gifts, people buying for weddings, and people who are cheese enthusiasts.

“You could say our credibility and substance as cheesemongers only really matters to the enthusiasts.

But I suspect that the wedding or gift customer also ‘gets’ that we’re serious about this stuff, and it helps

to give them confidence. I think this issue of credibility is a key part of any success we’ve had.”

From the horsemeat scandal to underpaying farmers and misleading customer promotions, ‘credibility’ is something the supermarkets have a hard time with, which is good news for other independent retailers looking to build an online business.

Perhaps Jeremy Clarkson will also be blowing up a couple of delivery vans from independent delis in a few years’ time. www.thecheeseshed.com

Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

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May 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 4

cut & dried

making more of british & continental charcuterie

Hampshire Hog scheme is lifeline for pig farmers

By MICK WHITWORTH

County food group Hampshire Fare is working with producers to “really drive Hampshire charcuterie forward” after wrapping up a twoyear project to help pig farmers add value to their meat.

The scheme, Preserving the Hampshire Hog, has been run by the food group with grant aid from the Prince’s Countryside Fund.

Its aim was to give farmers the skills to diversify into charcuterie at a time when pig prices are under severe pressure.

The last of a series of practical sessions led by charcuterie consultant Marc-Frederic Berry took place last month, teaching participants how to combine cured meats with pastry in products including Paté de Paques (a French gala pie), pork pies and pig-in-a-poke.

Sarah Mills of Parsonage Farm near Andover said: “It has been a brilliant project. We have been able to meet like-minded producers while learning new skills, and we’re now producing salami in a range of flavours.

“It’s a really important opportunity for us to make our pork viable. There’s little if any money made from selling pigs as pork, but by making it into salami we can add value and extend its shelf life.”

Sarah Mills of Parsonage Farm (second left) is pictured with Emily Acott of Hampshire Fare (left) and budding charcutiers from Tatchbury Manor Farm, Westbury Manor Farm and Greenfield Pork Products

Marc-Frederic Berry said a knock-on benefit had been the chance to train 14 Hampshire EHOs and food scientists in charcuterie.

He would now like to see the Hampshire Hog concept adopted in other counties. “If it could be funded, we could change the future that many farmers are currently facing,” he told FFD. “Some of this group said that learning about charcuterie was a last-chance saloon, and for them it

has been life-changing.”

Hampshire Fare commercial manager Tracy Nash said: “Our local pig farmers are now producing enough charcuterie for us to showcase their products at summer shows including the New Forest Show and the Romsey Show.

“There will soon be a new website with details of who is producing and where you can buy the products.” www.hampshirefare.co.uk charcutieranglais.blogspot.com

Cheese Cellar confirms new dell’ami selection Cheese Cellar has confirmed the initial line-up for its new range of Continental charcuterie under the dell’ami brand.

Flagged in FFD’s Guide to British & Continental Charcuterie in March, the range was finalised in time for London’s IFE exhibition.

Pitched at the “top to midrange” level to suit deli counters and restaurant kitchens, it features a number of core Spanish and Italian cured meats and sausages, including Serrano and Parma hams, coppa, pancetta and morcilla. They are presented in a variety of whole and pre-sliced formats for delis and chefs.

The dell’ami Prosciutto de Parma, for example, is offered in both 7.5kg boneless and 250g sliced versions, while the 18-month Gran Reserva Serrano is available either a deboned quarter ham or in 500g sliced packs.

Other lines include salchichon, fuet and lomo, all made with meat from acorn-fed Iberico pigs, and bresaola Punta d’Anca.

Further classics from Germany and France will be added to the range during 2013.

Cheese Cellar also has exclusive distribution on three Galbani products – two whole salamis, and a Coppa Sationata – and handles the British artisan brands Deli Farm Charcuterie and Oxsprings. www.cheesecellar.co.uk

Deli Farm finds middle way between MAP and vac-packs

By MICK WHITWORTH

Cornwall’s Deli Farm Charcuterie is getting longer shelf-life and better product presentation after introducing oxygen scavenging sachets to its retail packs of sliced hams and salamis.

Co-founder Jean Edwards said packing sliced products had long been a “bit of a bugbear”. “We have to vac-pack them. Then when people try to peel the slices away they tend to break up.”

The ideal solution, she said, would be to switch to modified atmosphere packs (MAPs), as used for mass-market sliced meats.

These are filled with an inert gas mixture and mean packs don’t have to be tightly compressed to exclude oxygen, squashing thin

Oxygen scavengers have enabled Deli Farm to vac-pack less tightly, making slices easier to peel off

slices together. But Edwards said the machinery cost was prohibitive.

“There are several options but they all have lots of noughts attached. So we’ve recently started adding oxygen scavengers. The packs are just loosely vac-packed

and the scavengers absorb any oxygen left in there, so it almost creates its own modified atmosphere.”

She added: “It’s still early days, but we’re now able to give a 12week shelf life on our slices. It was only six weeks before.”

Deli Farm has also introduced a new coppa seasoning, designed to give delis something new while dealing with a wastage issue in production. Edwards explained: “When we slice our coppa hams, you are left with the knob-ends that won’t go through the slicer. So we’ve bought a small dehydrating oven, and now dry the coppa, grind it finely and make it into a savoury seasoning.”

Launched in March, it sells to

Coppa seasoning: helping to move the ‘knob-end mountain’!

the trade at £3.02 for a 30g jar, RRP £4, and there are 100g refills costing £3.84 (trade). “I’ve been using this in my own kitchen for a year now,” said Edwards. “You only need a tincy wincy amount, but hopefully it will get rid of the knob-end mountain.” www.delifarmcharcuterie.co.uk

Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

21

Parma Ham A Food for Everyone Parma Ham is a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product and is 100% natural. The drying process that Parma Ham goes through creates a ham that is very low in fat content, with many mineral salts, vitamins and easily digestible proteins. This means that Parma Ham is truly a food for everyone.

Parma Ham wrapped Cheese Straws Makes 15-20 straws 150g ready-rolled puff pastry 1 egg, beaten 2 tbsp sesame seeds 50g Parmigiano Reggiano 1 tsp black pepper 10 slices Parma Ham, halved Brush strips of pastry with beaten egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, grated Parmigiano Reggiano and black pepper. Chill, twist each strip, and cook for 7-10 minutes until golden

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A promotional feature for the Guild of Fine Food

MAY’S MONEY MAKING PROMOTIONS GROCER’S BROKERS Cheshire-based Grocer’s Brokers supplies a wide range of traditional products under the Minter’s Fine Foods brand or with bespoke own labelling.

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PINK’S It’s over a century since Sir Thomas Pink founded E & T Pink’s, which is said to have grown into one of the largest marmalade businesses in the world. Now his great granddaughter Fiona has revived the brand and given it a modern twist. The Pink’s range features five products: Smoked Tomato Tapenade (RRP £4.50), Empire Chutney, Green Chilli Jelly, Red Chilli Jelly and Oak Smoked Sweet Peppers (all RRP £4). All products come in in trays of 12 jars.

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THE DEAL: Buy 10 of any product and get 2 free. Free shipping for new customers and orders over £200 (excl VAT).

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Bessant & Drury’s Frozen Desserts are a dairy-free alternative to ice-cream.

With less than half the fat of dairy ice-cream, the rich and creamy desserts are made from the finest natural ingredients including highly nutritious coconut milk. It is currently available in four flavours: the Great Taste award-winning lemon, strawberry, chocolate and vanilla. The desserts are also free from soy, gluten, lactose, egg, cholesterol and GM. THE DEAL: Buy 3 cases (6 x 500ml) and get the 4th free AVAILABILITY: For all UK trade orders over £150 CONTACT: Emma Johnson on 07554 995663 or ejohnson@bessantanddrury.com

UNCLE ROY’S Uncle Roy’s Old Fashioned Gravy Salt is now only available to the independent trade. The producer says that previously Waitrose was selling 5,000 jars a year. “Fans all over the country are looking for new stockists so there has never been a better time to get some on display in your store,” says Roy. The recipe is based on the now discontinued Burdall’s Gravy Salt but uses coarse sea salt so itstays friable. Uncle Roy also produces a reduced-sodium version.

THE DEAL: Buy 2 cases of Old Fashioned Gravy Salt and get a free case of Reduced Sodium Gravy Salt (worth £9.95) AVAILABLE: Offer applies to UK CONTACT: Uncle Roy on 01683 221076 or uncleroy@uncleroys.co.uk

LYMN BANK FARM The cheese-maker has created a range of 200g Nibble Nose waxed cheeses. The flavours are: Mature Cheddar, Orange & Whisky, Garlic and Chive, Smoked Cheddar, Caramelised Red Onion, Cranberry and Chilli. Each flavour is waxed in a different colour and the cheeses come presented in their very own display box of 6. All cheeses have a 4-6 month shelf life.

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This firm’s founders, professional chefs Oliver Shute and David Holliday, are both “proud advocates” of British country cooking and set up their business to provide restaurant standard pre-prepared game products to the home cook. As well as a range of soups, the pair has launched two pasta sauces: venison & red wine ragu pasta sauce and wild boar Bolognese.

THE DEAL: 10% discount on all orders of pasta sauce throughout May and June AVAILABILITY: Full cases of 12 units only CONTACT: Oliver Shute on 01235 838644 or info@ davidoliverfoods.co.uk

Real Organic’s owners Jo and David Morgan produce a range of Thai, Indian and Italian cooking sauces, as well as luxury high fruit conserves, including Seville marmalade, and chutneys. All of its products are cooked in small batches to maximise flavour and quality. The Morgans goal is to offer customers authentic, ‘home-made’ freshness as an antidote to bland-tasting supermarket offerings.

THE DEAL: Buy 5 cases from the range and receive 1 additional case free and free delivery AVAILABILITY: Nationwide CONTACT: Jo or David Morgan on 01491 615280 or info@realorganic.co.uk

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

DEAL

TEL

BESSANT & DRURY Buy 3 cases (6 x 500ml) and get the 4th free 07554 995663 DAVID OLIVER FINE FOODS 10% discount on all orders of pasta sauce 01235 838644 GROCER’S BROKERS 20% off first order for new customers 01477 500660 LYMN BANK FARM £15 off first orders (min order 36 cheeses) 01754 880312 PINK’S 15% off, free delivery and free sampling pack 01983 564511 REAL ORGANIC Buy 5 cases from the range and receive 1 additional case free 01491 615280 SUNDOWNER Buy 10 of any product and get 2 free 0772 555 1453 UNCLE ROY’S Buy 2 cases of Old Fashioned Gravy Salt and get a free case 01683 221076 of Reduced Sodium Gravy Salt

EMAIL

ejohnson@bessantanddrury.com info@davidoliverfoods.co.uk farmhouseproducts@live.co.uk nibblenose@outlook.com Fiona@pinksfoods.co.uk info@realorganic.co.uk sales@taste-sundowner.co.uk uncleroy@uncleroys.co.uk

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

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

Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

23

Rannoch Smokery’s fine new range offers the great taste of the established brand, and the finesse of a new dry cured technique technique which locks in the wild flavours in wafer thin portions, to produce some of the finest charcuterie selections in Europe.

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May 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 4

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beers, wines & spirits

Spirited comeback To kick off our feature on all things alcoholic, GRAHAM HOLTER takes a close look at some of the new distilleries reviving the ‘lost art’ across England

T

here was a time, a couple of centuries ago, when the countryside was teeming with artisanal distilleries. We’ve had the technology to make spirits since as far back as the fourth century. Yet until recently, small-scale distilling has seemed like a lost art, at least outside Scotland.

A lot of the damage was done in the early 19th century, when the government took a firm line with small distilleries in the form of punitive taxation. There were mass closures. One of the stills that went out of business was at Dymock in the Forest of Dean, now home of Charles Martell – famed for producing Stinking Bishop cheese.

Martell and his team are now distilling again on the original site, producing a pear-based spirit drink (RRP £40 per 70cl bottle), which was originally christened Owler. “It was a mistake to call it that – now it’s Vintage Pear Spirit,” he points out.

An expert on the native apples and pears of Gloucestershire, Martell is producing the spirit using a variety known as Speart – the local pronunciation of “spirit”.

“It’s particularly suitable for distilling – it’s astringent and juicy,” he explains. How many speart pear trees does he have? “One. But they get huge, like massive oak trees, and can live for 300 years. Our tree is 20 years old and yields about half a tonne of fruit. I planted the tree to save it from becoming extinct.”

Martell has engaged the services of 25-year-old George Lewis to manage the distillation. There are plans for a cider-based spirit called Jack High as well as other variations on the single varietal pear theme.

He’s clearly relishing this new dimension to his business. “It’s absolutely fascinating,” he says.

“We’re very glad to be where we are – it’s in the oldest original still house that exists in Britain. It’s a long, slow job but we’re really glad we did it.

“The Americans are further down the road with distilling than we are – they distil from pine shoots and that sort of thing – while we’re further on with speciality cheese.”

The story is echoed across the country. Stills are springing up in farm buildings and industrial units and producing hand-crafted spirits that offer a genuine alternative to established brands.

Americans ❛areThefurther

down the road with distilling than we are, while we’re further on with speciality cheese Charles Martell

Firms like Warner Edwards (top) and Charles Martell (above) have set up stills on their farms and use their own produce as ingredients

❜

Warner Edwards is a start-up company based in Harrington, Northamptonshire. It produces Harrington Gin (70cl, RRP £33), which co-founder Tom Warner insists offers something different from the myriad gin launches the trade has witnessed in recent years.

Like Martell, he points out that many new gins aren’t quite what they seem: either they’re produced under contract by established distilleries, or they’re made by adding flavouring to bought-in neutral spirit.

“We have a still, and make our gin with spring water from the farm, and we’re managing the whole process of distillation,” says Warner. “We use 11 botanicals, some of which we’re keeping close to our chest. No one else has got our still or our water and no one else has got the exact quantities of each botanical we use. We have elderflower from the farm; juniper and coriander are the big two, plus orange peel, lemon peel, nutmeg, black pepper and cardamom. It’s not completely left of centre but it has a lot of character and the spices give it a warmth that isn’t aggressive.”

As new batches of the botanicals are sourced, and the still beds in, Warner believes there will be subtle fluctuations in flavour.

Unlike mainstream distilleries, which employ biochemists to standardise each batch, Warner wants to celebrate these differences. “That’s the beauty of a craft distillery,” he says.

The copper Holstein still helps give the finished product a “silky” mouthfeel, he adds. There are plans to make damson, sloe and blackberry liqueurs to expand the Harrington range.

Vodka production can seem rather soulless and industrial by comparison, but there’s a twist in west Dorset where dairy farmer Jason Barber has teamed up with business partner Paul Archard to Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

25

beers, wines & spirits

focus on We have a still, ❛and make our

gin with spring water from the farm, and we’re managing the whole process of distillation

❜

Tom Warner

make a spirit from cows’ milk.

Black Cow Vodka (70cl, RRP £29) has found its niche in a saturated market, Archard says, gaining a following in the bars of Shoreditch as well as regional delicatessens. “Vodka has been made from milk for thousands of years, mostly in very cold, arid countries like Mongolia, Siberia and Tibet,” he explains. “If you can’t get hold of vegetable matter, milk is a fantastic source of lovely sugars.

“Our vodka is the first pure milk vodka with nothing added. We’ve been doing it since last May so it’s very early days, and it’s taken a few years to develop the idea and get the necessary permission from government.”

Archard describes the taste as “extremely smooth ... it has

Warner Edwards’ Harrington gin and Charles Martell’s vintage pear spirit are among the new breed of UK spirits

almost a zero mineral content. It has a very long finish, with a soft creaminess to it”. Some enjoy it neat but Archard enjoys the vodka in a “dirty martini”. He says: “I have it with a green olive and brine from the bottle, and a tiny bit of

French vermouth. It’s the saltiness and creaminess ... they complement each other really nicely. We call it a dirty cow.

“It also makes a good bloody mary. Jason makes what he calls farmer’s soup after he comes in

from milking. He likes a shot of our vodka in tomato soup with lemon juice and black pepper, which he finds very fortifying.” www.charlesmartell.com www.warneredwards.com www.blackcow.co.uk

Tried and tested – Experts tell us about their top tipples Beer

Wine Zak Avery, retailer and consultant (www.thebeerboy. co.uk)

The Kernel Table Beer The Kernel Brewery is a modern success story of British brewing. In just short of three years, Evin O’ Riordan has taken his homebrew project to a grand scale (and due to expand further in mid-2013). Emerging fully formed with a deceptively simple blueprint, The Kernel’s pale ales and IPAs are all about hop character.

In fact, the mix of hops makes up the rest of the name of the beer, so you might get Simcoe Citra Ahtanum Pale Ale, or Cascade Chinook Centennial IPA. But their Table Beer, weighing in at around 3%, is a revelation – full bodied, bursting with juicy fruit hop character, full of enough flavour to satisfy with one, and yet modest enough in strength to warrant several.

Oakham Scarlet Macaw Oakham Ales are perhaps unsung pioneers of the current transatlantic trend in British brewing. Put simply, British-style ale made with American hops is where it’s at. All of the forerunners of the current boom in British brewing – Magic Rock, Thornbridge, The Kernel, Buxton, Summer Wine, the list is long – use this formula. But Oakham were the first brewery to use the super-hop Citra, which gives beers a stunning tropical fruit aroma. Indeed, critics say it makes all beers taste sweet, and taste the same – but what a taste! While not a 100% Citra beer, Scarlet Macaw (4.8%) combines an incredibly luscious peachy aroma with a big bitterness in the finish. So while the critics can complain about the ubiquity of Citra, and its almost juvenile sweetness, I’m delighted to find a beer that wraps the sweetness up with a big punch of very grown-up bitterness.

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May 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 4

David Williams, wine journalist for The Observer Stopham Estate Pinot Gris 2011 (Liberty Wines) Generally speaking, English still wines have yet to match the quality of English fizz, and they can be acidic and mean even in all-too-rare warm, dry vintages. But one-time Formula 1 engineer Simon Woodhead has, ahem, steered a different course from his patch of vines in Pulborough West Sussex, crafting a vividly pure and fresh white from a variety not found all that often in the UK that has the bite and tang of a crisp red apple and a subtle floralspicy character.

Cider Louise Smith, owner of The Jug & Bottle, Bubwith, North Yorkshire Rosquijeau A beautiful Breton cider. I was recently introduced to ciders from outside the UK and realised what a following there is for Breton varieties. A real hit at our Easter cider tasting.

Ampleforth Abbey Cider A strong (8.3%), medium/dry Monastic cider.

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www.luscombe.co.uk Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

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focus on

beers, wines & spirits

In the best possible taste There’s no right or wrong way to run a drinks tasting, retailers tell GRAHAM HOLTER, as long as you’re clear about your objectives

I

f you’re a retailer thinking of setting up a tasting event, there’s certainly a wealth of options open to you.

“I think organisers need a clear idea of the format,” says Doug Wregg, director of Les Caves de Pyrene, a supplier specialising in natural, organic and biodynamic wines. “Is it a stand-up tasting, or a sit-down, tutored tasting? You need to know exactly what you intend to achieve from it. Is the objective to sell on the day?”

At a beer tasting at Washingpool Farm, near Bridport, the idea was to let customers sample some local ales and help owners Vicky and Simon Holland decide which ones to list. “After a lot of talking, drinking and general jollity we collated the customer responses,” says Vicky. “Allowing for individual tastes, all of the beers were rated highly by the majority of the scorers – we were especially impressed by the four customers who tried and scored all 20 beers.

It was decided to stock all of the products – now we just need to find some more shelf space.”

At Local Roots in Wycombe, a day of food tastings was bookended by a morning ale session with Chiltern Brewery and a cheese and wine session in the evening.

Owner Vidya Crawley says: “That was the first all-day tasting we’ve done. We’ve done informal ones on Saturdays in the shop, with a local vineyard’s sparkling wine and things like that.

“Tom [from Chiltern Brewery] was pouring the samples. We had a table set up in the centre of the shop. We’re stocking four of their bottled ales and he was talking about the brewing: they’re quite technical about their beer and the process, and different tastes and styles. It was completely informal.

“We put word out by social media. Chiltern Brewery are quite active on Twitter as well so that helped draw people in. We sent an email out to our customer base and put posters around town.

“The evening bit went quite well. For a good hour we were absolutely rammed, between six and seven. We just did that one ourselves. We picked a couple of wines off the shelf and paired them with cheeses. There were three or four cheeses and two wines.”

Crawley opted to use real

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May 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 4

glasses, not plastic tumblers, despite the pressure this put on the dishwasher. The day resulted in the best sales the shop has seen since opening, though a similar event a month later was not quite as successful.

“Maybe we didn’t put as much into it,” says Crawley. “Maybe we just picked the wrong week. We’ll probably just do one big tasting once a year and put everything we can into it to promote it.”

Wregg has experience of wine tastings in delis as well as specialist wine shops and has words of advice

“Try to match one dish to one wine. It’s much easier for consumers to form an image and create associations.”

Although it may seem easier to keep tastings informal, this can actually result in more work and fewer sales. “At more informal tastings, people are coming for a booze-up really, and they very rarely buy any wine. It’s also quite difficult when you’ve got more than two or three people around you because quite often they’re tasting different wines.

“One of the most difficult things

If you’re going to do a food and wine ❛event, I think it’s quite a good idea to not put the food out before the wine, otherwise it becomes a food tasting

Doug Wregg, Les Caves des Pyrenes that also apply to other drinks categories. “If you’re going to do a food and wine event, I think it’s quite a good idea to not put the food out before the wine, otherwise it becomes a food tasting,” he says.

“Food should be the adjunct – don’t let people scoff because they’ll quickly lose interest in the wine.

❜

is people leaning forward with a glass and you can’t remember what you’re pouring to whom – and you don’t really talk to them.”

Wregg believes that “a slightly more structured tasting is a great way of communicating”. He recommends no more than 20 guests, tasting between six and 10

wines (or other drinks) matched with four or five dishes. People are generally happy to pay £10 to £15 for tickets, he adds. “You’ve got a captive audience, and they’re sitting down.”

He recommends creating, or buying, tasting mats – allowing retailers to position glasses in a set order. “People like to compare A with B,” he says. “It also means you can have the wine already prepared.”

Wregg also advises preparing simple tasting sheets, containing the numbers, names and grape varieties of the drinks on taste.

“People don’t remember the name of the wines they try,” he says.

Rather than running such events during the day, Wregg recommends conducting tastings soon after the shop shuts for normal business. “It’s almost like treating people as special customers or members of a little club,” he says.

A final piece of advice: “Keep it rolling. As soon as people start to drink they get jolly and happy, but getting them back into focus is more difficult.”

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From our modern bakery we are proud to bring you small batch baked biscuits in our new packaging from June 2013. We’ve revived traditional recipes with a modern twist offering you a range of flavours to enjoy, simply naked or with the accompaniment of your choice.

Selection Walo DISTRIBUTORS, von Mühlenen AGENTS

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May 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 4

STAG BAKERIES Ltd Tel: 01851 702733 www.stagbakeries.co.uk Email: sales@stagbakeries.co.uk

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As a busy food buyer, you need to spend time wisely.

Invest a day at the North’s biggest fine food trade event and you’ll sample the tastiest local, national and international specialities from hundreds of producers in one easy visit.

Bags of inspiration Harrogate Speciality Food Show is the biggest annual trade event for delis, farm shops, food halls, cafés, restaurants, hotels, tourist shops and independent food stores in the north of England. The 2013 show brings Cracking together over 150 producers and distributors offering a Christmas huge range of regional, national and international specialities • Source new products to refresh your range • Taste rival brands and compare prices • Meet producers face to face and learn more about their products • Benefit from exclusive show offers • Search out Great Taste winners • Gain expert business advice and support • Take part in seminars and tutored tastings in the Great Taste Live theatre • Watch suppliers pitch to big-name buyers in Feed The Dragon sessions • Benefit from easy access and free parking at the Yorkshire Event Centre

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Discover the new biscuit and savoury snack brands from Bespoke Foods For more information, get in touch: Phone: 020 7091 3200 Fax: 020 7091 3300

Email: sales@bespoke-foods.co.uk

For Mary Steele, when it came to home-baked biscuits, good enough simply wouldn’t do. She was a true perfectionist, always trying to make the next

tray of delicious creations more tempting than the last. Enjoy biscuits that turn the finest ingredients into something truly out of the ordinary. Treat yourself or your friends and family to Mary’s Exquisite Biscuit Collection, Splendid Oat Biscuit Selection or her Petit Four Delightful Duet.

www.marysteele.co.uk

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May 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 4

Web: www.bespoke-foods.co.uk

product update

biscuits

Ready to crumble ANNE BRUCE lifts the lid on the latest additions in the biscuit tin Indian-English fusion bakery Pistachio Rose has debuted 50g packs of its miniature romantic Indian shortbread hearts (mukhwas) in Fortnum and Mason. Created by the London-based bakery’s founder Rekha Mehr, the biscuits are flavoured with sweet fennel, aniseed and other spices. These hearts are also available to delis, cafés and farm shops in a number of sizes. www.pistachiorose.co.uk

Orkney-based Stockan’s is working to reduce the amount of salt and sugar in its 11 traditional oatcake products. To date, work has begun on seven out of the 11 recipes. Its bestselling thick oatcake has been reformulated and now contains 20% less salt and 5% sugar.

The firm says that sales data and customer feedback has shown consumers are enjoying the improved product.

l Moordale Foods is introducing three new savoury biscuits to its Cartwright & Butler range.

These will be Gouda cheese twists, 85g, Gouda cheese biscuits 85g and Gouda cheese crumbles 75g. These can be served hot or cold.

The first two retail at approximately £3.49 while the crumbles have an RRP of £1.99.

www.rootsandwingsorganic.com

sons ...at Hender

company Cradoc’s is about to launch three new cocktail biscuits: walnut & Perl Las (a creamy blue cheese from Carmarthenshire), pear & Earl Grey and leek & Caerphilly (All in 80g packs, RRP from £2.29).

www.stockans.com

Organic and natural foods brand Roots & Wings has created three savoury flatbread ‘Brittles’. These come in three flavours: multiseed with mixed herbs, multiseed with cheddar cheese and multiseed with cheddar & cracked black pepper. The slow-baked Brittles are sprinkled with pumpkin, sunflower, golden linseeds, millet and poppy seeds. Each 125g box has an RRP of £2.59.

Top sellers…

l Fledgling Welsh savoury biscuit

h of Edinburg

www.moordalefoods.com

od biscuits Lazy Days Fo cookies Doves Farm oatcakes Hendersons y cookies Island Baker ts Grain biscui Against the ins multigrain th Rude Health

Oatcakes are the latest product line to be launched under the Maw Broon’s Kitchen brand. They come in three flavours: traditional, cracked black pepper and malted. All three are handmade in Perthshire using 100% pure Scottish oats and no artificial ingredients or preservatives. They are available from The Handmade Oatcake Company in cases of 24 x 150g (trade Price £1.50, RRP £2.10 per box). www. thehandmadeoatcakecompany.co.uk

Crosta & Mollica has been rolling out a ‘really Italian’ range of bread snacks.

The range includes Grissini (from £1.75), hand-twisted breadsticks made with extra virgin olive oil in classic, crunchy and black olive. Also on offer are hand stretched flatbreads, called Linguette (from £1.99), and Bruschettine (from £1.99), which are slow-toasted slices focaccia, drizzled with olive oil. The range also includes Tarallini – rings of baked dough, seasoned with fennel seeds – and Crostini with Chilli, which are drizzled with chilliinfused olive oil after baking. Both have RRPs from £1.89. The firm also offers Torinesi (from £0.99), grissini from a bakery near Turin. As well as independents, these products are also stocked in Waitrose, Selfridges, Whole Foods and Booths. www.crostamollica.com

l British organic foods company Organico has added new products to its range of organic grissini.

These are Grissini Torinese (RRP £1.60) – thin restaurantstyle breadsticks – and also a set of three Croccantinis, or mini flatbread crackers. These are ideal for dipping or as a low-fat crisp alternative and come in chilli, rosemary and natural classic (125g, RRP £1.95). www.organico.co.uk

l Fudges has added a Belgium milk chocolate Florentine to its range, following the relaunch of a number of its products. The Florentine, made with added cranberries and hazelnuts, will be rolling into major supermarkets, delis and farm shops from the beginning of April 2013, with an RRP of £2.99 (8 biscuits per pack, 140g). www.fudges. co.uk

Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

33

Dunk!

Enjoy a Doves Farm biscuit with your cuppa

Doves Farm Foods, Hungerford, RG17 0RF 01488 684880 www.dovesfarm.co.uk

Fosters Traditional Foods Ltd, Great Bowden Road, Market Harborough, LE16 7DE Tel: 01858 438000 | www.fosters-foods.co.uk

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May 2013 路 Vol.14 Issue 4

Fosters Rebrand Advert.indd 2

28/03/2013 14:55

product update

biscuits

New speciality brand Mary Steele produces all-butter oat biscuits, after dinner petit four shortbread and biscuit varieties such as lemon meringue and spiced gingers. Manufactured by shortbread and biscuit maker Dean’s, this new range of products is presented in yellow and black Mary Steele branding.

The range includes the Splendid oat biscuit assortment tin (300g, RRP £11.99), Exquisite biscuit collection tins (200g, RRP £6.99), and Petit Four Delightful Duet (200g, RRP £8.99).

Furniss is launching a new range of everyday ginger biscuits alongside its traditional Cornish fairings, shortbread and gifting biscuits. The company says the new Gingers range retains a traditional home-baked taste but also represents a new direction for the brand. Furniss hopes to attract younger consumers with the bold packaging, as well as people looking for an everyday treat. The new bicuists will come in four varieties: original, spiced lemon, blossom honey and dark chocolate. All four are sold in 160g packs at an RRP of £1.49. www.furniss-foods.co.uk

Launched in the run-up to Christmas, online retailer Pong Cheese’s range of savoury biscuits has already gained listings in Harvey Nichols, Corney & Barrow and a number of smaller independents. The biscuits are made by Shropshire Fine Herbs bakery, which uses its own range of fresh herbs.

The poppy seed crackers (150g, RRP £3.49) are designed for soft and washed-rind cheeses while the rosemary & oat biscuits are meant to partner strong blue cheeses (150g, RRP £3.49). You can find both varieties in Pong’s Perfect Biscuits for Cheese (275g, RRP £4.95), which also features caraway & sesame and rye crackers. www.pongcheese.co.uk

www.marysteele.co.uk

Decorated gingerbread specialist Image on Food has a menagerie of animals new to its line-up this year. The new Farmyard friends range includes Tractor Tom, Penny Pony and Clucky Charlie the hen.

Each piece is individually wrapped and packed into a shelf-ready dispenser (12 biscuits per case).

Image on Food has also launched Smokey the Cat and Ginger the Dog. These designs are individually wrapped in a clear cellophane bag, finished with a satin ribbon and come in a case size of 12. All new designs are available to order now with trade prices from £1.27 to £1.48 and RRPs from £1.85 to £2.25. They are available direct or through distributors Cotswold Fayre, Heart Distribution, Hider Foods or The Cress Co.

Cottage Delight has introduced two new artisan biscuits aimed at the growing gifting market. Hand baked in small batches, its English toffee biscuits are full of butter toffee pieces and its stem ginger biscuits contain Australian stem ginger pieces. Both come in trade cases of 8 units (RRP £3.50 each). The Staffordshire-based business has also launched a range of mini oat bites in three flavours: mature cheddar cheese, mature cheddar & chilli and mature cheddar & chive. This new trio is available to order in a trade case of 12 with an RRP of £3.95 per unit. www.cottagedelight.co.uk

www.imageonfood.co.uk

Set up last November, The Fork Bakery is a family owned business based in East Sussex.

Its biscuits are made by hand with natural ingredients and no additives or preservatives.

The range includes original, chocolate, lemon, and ginger Fork biscuits, all featuring a fork imprint, plus Viennese Fingers.

Each bag has a trade price of £1.30 and an RRP of £1.85. The bakery also produces chocolate chip, choc & orange, strawberry & vanilla and cherry & almond Fork biscuits, which it sells to the trade for £1.40 per bag (RRP £1.95). The biscuits are currently stocked in delis and farm shops across Kent and Sussex. www.theforkbakery.com

Importer Bespoke Foods is now carrying a range of products from Swedish crispbread bakery Leksands Knäckebröd. The crispbread is baked with 100% wholegrain rye, which is sourced locally and milled in the bakery into the flour. As Leksands uses both the seed and husk, the end product has an abundance of fibre. These new lines are multigrain and Original triangles (case of 12 x 190g/200g for £13.80), Crispy squares (12x200g £16.44) and mountain crispbread (16x730g, £76). Bespoke is also offering a range of Italian bruschetta-style snacks made by Maretti in a variety of flavours, such as tomato, oregano & olive.

Cases of 14 x 70g packs cost £7.98. www.bespoke-foods.co.uk

Just Crackers recently launched three new crackers in 80g resealable packs: original, salt & pepper and onion & poppy seed.

The large oval-shaped crackers, which are well suited to dipping, are handmade in England with ingredients including wholegrain spelt flour and olive oil. Each pack has a wholesale price of £1.95 and an RRP £2.95. www.just-crackers.co.uk

Top sellers…

tessen, Veldt Delica ...at Hack & est London Chiswick, W

The recently repackaged / Mini tte Sea Salt Holycross chocolate biscuit ) Mini Lingue telli Camisa ra (F cake from The Tipperary osemary Linguette R Kitchen is available in two crispbreads formats: milk chocolate and Peter’s Yard d dark chocolate. hot chilli an se Company ee Ch ne Fi The product, which is made ed crackers by hand with Belgian milk olive flavour chocolate and local Irish as de Aceite Brindisa Tort creamery butter, is similar to lted Caramel uits with Sa the chocolate biscuit cake isc B n isa rt A which was served at the ts Lemon er GF biscui wedding of the Duke and Kent & Fras Duchess of Cambridge. shor tbread The logs, which weigh 270g and provide 10-12 portions, are suitable for ambient display in delis, speciality food shops and the bakery and fresh food areas in retail units. Each log has an RRP of £4.95.

It is currently stocked by Fortnum & Mason in London. www.TheTipperaryKitchen.ie

Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

35

AWARD-WINNING SINGLE-ESTATE EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

Discover La Bandiera Premium Olive Oil

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

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

A recent winner in the 2012 Great Taste Awards, La Bandiera olive oil is available for delivery throughout the UK in sizes ranging from 250ml bottles up to 5 litre cans.

Visit www.labandieraoliveoil.com or call 0207 243 5150

“Very interesting nose – aroma herbs and hay, meadow flowers in abundance, rustic but balanced and the warmth is very good.”

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May 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 4

product update

speciality oils

Liquid perfection Whether it’s Greek olive, Spanish nut or British rapeseed, MICHAEL LANE finds there’s a steady flow of new oils available to the UK’s independents Bespoke Foods is expanding the line-up of products it carries from Italian olive oil producer Muraglia. The oil, which has been made by the Muraglia family in southern Italy for 80 years, now comes in pink, pale pink and orange bottles (trade £12.62 per bottle) as well as silver bottles (£17.69 each).

The distributor also has four flavoured varieties of Muraglia oil: truffle, chilli, lemon and basil (£4.46 each). All of these varieties come in trade cases of six bottles. www.bespoke-foods.co.uk

Among the range of premium olive oils carried by Yorkshirebased Spanish food importer Grey’s Fine Foods is the single variety Fuenroble, which is made with Picual olives. This emerald green oil, which is made within the D.O. area of Sierra de Segura, is described as “sweet, slightly bitter and very harmonious” with tasting notes of tomato, fig, apple, grass and unripenend almond. Fuenroble comes in cases of 18 x 500ml bottles (trade £8.60 each, RRP £12.50) www.greysfinefoods.com

Importer and distributor The Oil Merchant has added two lines from supplier A l’Olivier. The first is a marjoram-infused extra virgin olive oil, available in cases of 6x150ml pink tins (unit price £3.15). It is also now distributing the French firm’s newly re-packaged black truffle oil, made with T. Melanosporum truffles from France.

It comes in cases of 6x250ml bronze tins (unit price £6.75).The Oil Merchant is now carrying Vea ‘Early Harvest’ extra virgin olive oil, made with the first olives from the harvest at a family farm in Catalonia, Spain.

Each 500ml bottle costs £9.25 and they are sold in cases of six.

l New gourmet olive oil 70 Evdominda is tested both chemically and by a panel of tasters to ensure its quality.

Each bottle, which features a wood cork and comes in a black velvet bag, has an RRP of around £14.50. www.evdominda.com.gr

l Expomarketing UK has launched two new extra virgin olive oils from Hacienda Guzman in Andalucia. Family reserve, made with Manzanilla olives, and the producer’s organic oil have RRPs of £29.99 and £37 respectively. www.gourmetoliveoiluk. com

l Spanish producer Sucesores de Hermanos López has launched its La Laguna Selecta branded oil in 500ml bottles (trade price €4.09 each, excl. VAT and shipping). www.gruposhl.com

l German-owned

Seymours of England has expanded the range of flavoured extra virgin olive oils available in its On Tap range. New flavours include Habanero chilli & garlic, oak smoked, basil, garlic and Sicilian lemon. The trade price for 5 litres is £35, with an RRP of £70 (£14/litre).

www.oilmerchant.co.uk

Top sellers…

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n brand Chandos ow ive oil tra virgin ol Seggiano ex l rgin olive oi vara extra vi Pa de s ra Sier rapeseed oil Hillfarm Oils oil virgin olive ndesa extra Molino La Co

www. seymoursofengland. com

organic Greek olive oil firm Mani Bläuel has launched its entire range of products with new branding.

Its organic Koroneiki olive oil comes in 1-litre, 750ml, 500ml, and 250ml bottles as well as 3-litre bag-in-boxes and 5-litre tins. www.blauel.gr

l Greek producer Eleia is seeking a UK distributor for its extra virgin olive oils. It comes in 500ml glass bottles and 1-litre tins (trade £8 and £10 respectively). www.eleia.gr

Greek oil specialist Olio Reddo has added another variety to its portfolio. The new Hestia oil, named after the Greek goddess of home, is produced in Chania on the island of Crete and has a low acidity level of 0.26%. The aroma of the oil, which is recommended for use in cooking, is likened to fresh cut grass and ripe banana. It comes in 250ml (RRP £5.95) and 500ml (£9.95) glass bottles. www.olioreddo.com

Gloucestershirebased The Fine Oil & Spice Co has switched the packaging of its oils, which are all sourced direct, to swing top bottles to show off the quality of the products. www.fineoilandspice. co.uk

Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

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product update

speciality oils

Avlaki is offering the new season’s oil – picked, milled and bottled within weeks – in new 500ml Cillindrica bottles. Both of its single estate oils, produced by two separate groves on the Greek island of Lesvos, come in cases of 6x500ml (trade £12, RRP from £18 per bottle).

Cretan olive oil producer Olive Branch, says it has experienced its best harvest ever. This year’s oil has an acidity level of 0.25%, a very rich green colour and a stronger, fruiter taste than previous years. Given the high yield, the firm has decided to introduce 5-litre tins of 0.4% acidity everyday olive oil, which the firm recommends for farm shops and food halls with dispensing services. Olive Branch has also pledged to freeze its prices across the range this year, despite price rises caused by the poor olive harvest in Spain. www.myolivebranch.co.uk

www.oliveoilavlaki.com

Distributor RH Amar will be carrying new additions from Cooks&Co and Greek brand Gaea. Cooks&Co now produces black truffle infused and white truffle infused extra virgin olive oils (250ml, RRP £6.99) and avocado oil (250ml, £5.79), while Gaea is now offering Kalamata DOP and Sitia Crete DOP extra virgin olive oils in 500ml bottles with an RRP of £5.49.

Mother’s Garden is introducing a new winebox-style dispensing format for its Arbequina extra virgin olive oil that it hopes will boost retailers’ trade and customer loyalty. Having already trialled it in several UK stores, the Cataloniabased producer’s 20 litre bagin-box system (40cm x 24cm x 23cm) is sold to retailers for £150 (£7.50/litre). The producer then recommends selling the oil (and refills) for £7.50 per 500ml www.mothersgarden.org

Stark offers up contrasting oils

Less than a year after starting up, Stark now offers two rapeseed oils made on the west coast www.rhamar.com of Scotland. It says its cold pressed oil made on the Isle of Arran, is a “brilliant yellow colour” and has a subtle grassy flavour that is lighter than other rapeseed oils. The first ry u batch produced last year has sold b ed L o, ol ...at Ceci Pa out but the next batch will arrive this he Oil in olive oil (T autumn in 250ml (RRP £3.90) and 500ml (RRP £6.25) bottles as well as rg vi a tr ex a Ravid 5-litre catering canisters.

Merchant) Meanwhile, Stark’s Ayrshire oil is thicker and darker with a nuttier ive oil tra virgin ol ex o flavour.

It comes in 250ml bottle (RRP £3.50) and 500ml (RRP £5.50) im Pr a Cutrer and 5-litre canisters. o) an (Seggi ty Stark rapeseed oils also feature a unique spring-loaded Pop-Up ive oil (Liber tra virgin ol Drizzler incorporated into the bottles’ screw caps, which allows for Capezzana ex greater control and cleaner use of the product.

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www.starkrapeseedoil.co.uk

Honest Toil, which produces all of its extra virgin oil on a single family farm in Messinia, Greece, is now making 5-litre cans of its most recent harvest.

Each can has a wholesale price of £24.99 (RRP £38.99). The producer is also supplying 50 litre vats (pictured) to retailers who want to offer self-service decanting to customers.

Vats cost £249 each and the producer recommends selling the oil to customers at £8 per litre. Honest Toil also sells 1-litre and 500ml bottles of its oil to the trade. www.honest-toil.co.uk

Domenica Fiore is a new brand of oil looking to break into the UK market. The organic extra virgin olive oil is produced on a 300-acre estate in Orvieto, Italy. The olives are hand-picked and pressed within four hours and packaged in stainless steel bottles, which are each handsigned and dated by producer Cesare Bianchini. Domenica Fiore produces the early, limited release Olio Novello in November (250ml, RRP £12.95) and a blended (DOP) Olio Reserva (500ml, RRP £23) in March. www.domenicafiore.com

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May 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 4

Exquisite

Just Salad Dressings and Infused Oils all contain our Award Winning, Just Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil, farmed, cold pressed and bottled on our farm in Staffordshire.

The smooth, nutty flavour of our highly filtered oil, combined with other high quality ingredients, creates a delicious range of products suitable for marinades or dressings for salads, pasta or other savoury dishes.

Award Winning Arabian Specialities

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Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

39

Our Award winning oil now infused with: Garlic, Basil, Chilli, Lemon, Thyme, Oak Smoked, Porcini, Rosemary & Stir-Fry

RRP £3.95

Flavour Collections

from The Organic Blending Co

Bottles available Direct or from Cotswold Fayre

Encourage customers to refill their bottles

Choose from 5 great collections inspired by great Scottish heroes.

Ideal for Christmas, dinner parties and any other gift occasions.

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www.chilterncoldpressedrapeseedoil.co.uk 01442 828478

from Trade Price £6.99 | Retail Price £9.99 www.organicblending.com

Olio Reddo Estia extra virgin olive oil with a divine taste

“freshly cut grass” “floral” “unripe bananas” well-balanced with extra low acidity w w w . o l i o r e d d o . c o m third floor 207 regent street, W1B 3HH london, info@olioreddo.com

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May 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 4

product update Somerset-based importer Lefktro has launched three of its extra virgin olive oils under its new brand The Black Dog Delicatessen.

The Cretan, Spanish and Sicilian oils all come in 500ml bottles (RRPs from £6.99, £5.99, and £7.99 respectively).

speciality oils Rapeseed update Supernature is now producing two 4x100ml gift packs featuring infused versions of its cold pressed rapeseed oil bottles. The classic pack contains lemon, ginger, garlic and chiili flavoured oils while the herb pack consists of basil, coriander, oregano and garden mint varieties. Both have an RRP of £10.95.

www.lefktro.co.uk

El Olivo has just introduced extra virgin olive oil produced by familyrun Garcia de la Cruz in La Mancha, Spain. It comes in 5-litre plastic containers and 5-litre metal tins. Both will have a trade price of under £20, which the distributor says offers good value in the face of 30% price rises on some products in the market. www.elolivo-olive-oil.com

www.supernature. uk.com

Kentish Oils, made with seed grown on the Quex Park Estate in Birchington, has rebranded its range of natural and blended extra virgin rapeseed oils. The four varieties are available in 250ml (RRP from £3.75) and 500ml (from £4.85) bottles as well as 2.5litre (from £16.20) and 5litre (from £26) pouring tins. www.kentishoils.com

Bath Harvest has created an oak smoked Chipotle infused rapeseed oil using chillis from Bristol-based Upton Cheyney Chilli Company. It recommends using it as a dressing, dip, or marinade, as well as for roasting and stir-fries. Each 250ml bottle has an RRP of £4.95. www.bathharvestoils.co.uk

Farrington’s is now selling its Mellow Yellow cold pressed rapeseed oil in smaller 250ml bottles. These bottles retail for £2.50 each while the 500ml bottles have an RRP of £4.50. www.farrington-oils.co.uk

Shropshire-based Great Ness Oil has developed a selection of flavoured rapeseed oils with the help of two local chefs.

Cardamom, orange zest and lime varieties are available in 100ml and 250ml bottles (RRPs £1.95 and £3.95 respectively) or as a set of three 100ml bottles in the Eastern gift box selection with an RRP of £7.95.

Exotic oils French speciality oil producer Perles De Gascogne is now offering its virgin plum oil in smaller 100ml bottle.

The “fruity, intense” oil is made by pressing plum seeds from the firm’s harvest at its farm in south west France.

Plum oil is said to replicate the taste and flavour of almond oil and can be used as a dressing, marinade or as an ingredient in desserts. www.plumoil.com

Windmill Organics brand Raw Health has launched an organic raw coconut oil, which is ethically sourced from farming cooperatives in the Philippines. The oil is made using fresh coconuts, which are peeled, shredded and dried before being mechanically pressed and filtered.

Given its high concentration of short and medium chain fatty acids, coconut oil is easily digested. It can be used in high temperature cooking as well as an ingredient in raw food recipes or as an alternative spread to butter. The product comes in 200ml and 300ml jars (RRP £3.89 and £5.49 respectively) www.rawhealth.uk.com

Organic Andalus is now carrying a range of roasted virgin nut oils and flavoured olive oils from Tarragona, Spain. The Azada range includes Great Taste three-star and Top 50 winner hazelnut oil as well as walnut, peanut, pumpkin seed and almond. All of these 100% pure nut oils come in 100ml bottles. Azada’s olive oils are flavoured by crushing the ingredients together with the olives during pressing rather than infusing the finished oil. It makes four flavours: garlic, chilli, lemon and basil. The Azada range is available in cases of 6 for £18.60. www.organic-andalus.com

www.greatnessoil.co.uk

Greek olive oil producer Messolongi Fields produces three brands of extra virgin olive oil, which it is marketing to the UK retail and wholesale trades. All three oils are a blend of Koroneiki and Koutsourelia olives, cultivated in its family-owned groves and those of selected local farmers. Its premium Lord Byron brand comes in 500ml bottles and is made predominantly with Koroneiki variety, giving it an “extremely low” acidity. Its “superior category” oil, Philhellene, comes in 250ml, 500ml and 750ml dark green glass bottles as well as 5 litre tins. The firm also produces a certified organic oil, Garden of Heroes, in 500ml glass bottles with handles. www.messolongifields.com

Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

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UNCOMPROMISING ON HEALTH, UNCOMPROMISING ON HEALTH, TASTE AND QUALITY...

TASTE AND QUALITY… Half saturated of Aolive oil LOW INthe SATURATED FAT,fat AND NATURAL SOURCE OMEGA 3.3 and rich OF in Omega

MELLOW YELLOW® cold pressed rapeseed oil is at the heart of all Farrington’s award winning products, produced on our family farm.

Grown in the beautiful county of Yorkshire using traditional ‘chemical free’ farming methods, Wharfe Valley Rapeseed Oils have a delightful flavour and colour.

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May 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 4

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shelftalk

products, promotions & people

‘Risk-free’ food dating service up and running

By MICHAEL LANE

The man behind the Virtual Farmers’ Market has set up a new online “food dating” service to help producers gain more listings – and make money while they do it.

The Artisan Food Club – the brainchild of food consultant Marcus Carter – allows producers to showcase their ranges and offer free introduction packs to retailers browsing his website for new lines.

Rather than giving samples, producers offer a sale-or-return deal as their “first date”. Retailers only have to pay for the stock that they sell from the introduction pack. If the retailer sells these trial items then they will pay for them when they place their first full order.

“If you send 10 introduction boxes out, six retailers will go on to be customers,” said Carter. “Four of those will be good customers and two will become great customers.

“And the four that don’t take it up at least pay for what they do sell in the shop.”

“It’s a market for the producer because they get the stuff on the shelves and for the shop it’s risk-free,” added Carter, who has previously run a wholesaling operation as well as spending 10 years as sales director at his family’s firm Patchwork Foods.

Marcus Carter’s Artisan Food Club has set up 180 trial listings since February

When retailers request a pack, they are also made aware of the “relationship rules”, such as minimum order quantities and payment terms. Carter said that this level of transparency had proved popular with retailers since the scheme’s launch at the beginning of February. So far, 180 ‘dates’ have taken place.

Currently, Carter contacts around 300 retailers by email and phone to let them know about the latest offers on the website, which he updates with three producers every week. He told FFD around 25 producers were waiting to sign up for the service.

Carter said samples are pointless because if retailers do not like them, a producer won’t get any further

Where to click for Lick The more eagle-eyed readers out there may have noticed a slightly racy misprint in the piece about Lick in last month’s ice cream feature. Fine Food Digest would like to state that the correct web address for the company is www.lickyogurt.co.uk.

We’d like to apologise to those who clicked on www. lick.co.uk, which clearly has nothing to do with the Brighton-based frozen yogurt brand, and hope you see the funny side of it. www.lickyogurt.co.uk WILD’S NEW LOOK: West Yorkshire agency FDB Design has created a new ‘gingerbread man’ presentation box for Grandma Wild’s ginger biscuits. The 24cm-high embossed card pack contains 150g of all-natural mini gingerbread men from the fourth-generation family bakery, based at Steeton, near Bradford. John Bateman of Grandma Wild’s, said: “This product builds on the idea of a gingerbread man shaped ceramic jar, which we introduced last year. We wanted to recreate the success of that concept but at a more accessible price point.”

The new line is available in cartons of six boxes in shelf-ready packaging at a unit price of around £2.09 (RRP £2.99). Distributors include Bramble Foods and Hider Foods.

but his system lets the customer decide.

The scheme, which is run through the website of Carter’s consultancy business Food Ventures, is open to both fledgling and more established producers.

In exchange for a percentage of the sales achieved through the club, start-up businesses get their listing and access to the other business mentoring services that Carter offers to firms. Alternatively, for a flat monthly fee, larger producers can just take a listing on the website.

Producers currently listed on The Artisan Food Club include tea supplier Choi Time, Greef’s biltong, Bim’s Kitchen, Rod and Ben’s and The French Dressing Co. www.foodventures.co.uk

Forget the olive, try the leaf A new brand of herbal infusion made with olive tree leaves has been launched to the independent trade.

While it does not claim any health or medical benefits, Somerset-based Oliviva said studies have shown that the tea has antiviral and antibacterial properties.

The naturally tannin- and caffeinefree tea, which can be drunk hot or cold, comes in cases of six packs.

Each pack, containing 20 tea bags, has a trade price of £3.23 and an RRP of £4.58.

French oils seek UK home

By MICK WHITWORTH

A group of artisan olive oil producers based in and around Provence are planning a joint assault on the British fine food market this summer.

While several of the oils have been sold here in small volumes, it will be the first concerted marketing effort behind fine oils from southeastern France.

Philippa Cameron, a UK-based business development consultant working on the project, told FFD: “Provence and the surrounding area has a great many olive varieties, of which many are unique to the region. The specific terroirs and producer know-how allow for a great diversity of tastes, but until now they have been relatively undiscovered outside France.”

Olive varieties grown in the region include Picholine, Aglandau, Lucques, Tanche, Salonenque and Rougette.

Cameron said the full line-up of brands had not yet been agreed, but nine have already committed to a “club of producers” to develop their presence in the UK market.

They are Castelas, Château Virant, Domaine de la Lieutenante, Moulin Jean-Marie Cornille, Vignolis, Codefa, Chateau de Taurenne, Mas Seneguier, and Huiles d’olives du Mouilin d’Augustin.

Distributors Turners Fine Foods and Kings Fine Food are among those in talks with the French group.

“We will be looking for a couple of chefs to champion the oils and will be pitching them at delicatessens, farm shops, independent fine food stores and independent restaurants,” Cameron told FFD. Retailers or distributors interested in learning more about the campaign should email Philippa Cameron. pcameron@eoc-international.com

www.oliviva.com

www.fdbdesign.co.uk www.grandmawilds.co.uk

Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

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shelftalk

CHEF’S SELECTION

Top chefs tell CLARE HARGREAVES their deli essentials

Hawkshead brews up local beer jellies

Michael Wignall Head chef at the two-Michelinstarred ‘Michael Wignall at the Latymer’ restaurant at Pennyhill Park Hotel, Surrey www.thelatymer.co.uk

TRS Edible basil (tukmaria) seeds www.trs.co.uk or www.healthysupplies.co.uk

Indians use basil seeds, which they call tukmaria seeds, in drinks and desserts, and one of our Indian chefs brought some back from India for me to try. Like poppy seeds, they have a mild flavour. Soak them in water for a few hours and they puff up and become gelatinous on the outside. I love their squeaky texture and eye-catching appearance. We use them in sweet and savoury dishes. For our hay-smoked Oxfordshire trout dish, we soak the seeds in a water-and-coriander solution, strain them, then dress with coriander-scented olive oil, which make the seeds look like green caviar.

By PATRICK McGUIGAN

Cumbria-based Hawkshead Relish has developed a new range of beer- and cider-flavoured jellies with local breweries to specifically match different styles of cheese.

The Windemere Pale Ale jelly is designed to complement harder, full-flavoured cheeses, such as a mature cheddar or Lancashire.

Its jelly made with Cumbrian Legendary Ales’ Loweswater Gold is best served with soft or blue cheeses while the cider jelly, made with Ancient Orchard cider from Cowmire Hall, is also good with soft cheeses, especially goats’ cheese.

Each variety comes in trade cases of six 200g jars (RRP £2.95 each) for £12.60.

The preserve-maker said that the range was inspired by similar Italian products, known as gelatina di birra cometa.

“Ales with high levels of hops seem to work particularly well in jellies, giving them a really intense beery flavour,” said co-owner Maria Whitehead. “We already supply a lot of cheese shops with our chutneys but we wanted to make something unique that went beyond quince jellies. We might look at making jellies with stout and perry next.”

The firm has recently relaunched its damson & basil jelly, which was named Best Speciality Product Innovation at the IFE trade show in March. www.hawksheadrelish.com

Honeybuns now totally gluten-free Honeybuns Bakery has achieved its long-term goal of making its entire range of cakes and cookies glutenfree with the introduction of new flapjack recipes.

The Dorset-based firm has replaced the current versions of its plain and cranberry & pecan flapjacks with gluten-free oat-based versions.

Both varieties are made with farmhouse butter, rather than oils, and come individually wrapped in 75g packs, while the cranberry & pecan also comes in a mini 35g size.

Honeybuns said the recipe has altered very little, adding that the change was made possible by a new sustainable source of gluten-free

oats. All of its flapjacks are baked in small batches for 45 minutes, which the firm said gives them a softer, fudge-like consistency with caramelised edges.

The bakery is now planning to revive at least two more of its flapjack recipes that have been out of production, with a launch expected later this year. There were eight flapjacks in the firm’s back catalogue including apple, pear & cinnamon and ‘Get out of bed’ banana.

The gluten-free flapjacks are available to the trade but cannot be purchased from the Honeybuns’ website until later in the year. www.honeybuns.co.uk

Suma crunchy Fairtrade organic peanut butter www.sumawholesale.com

We used to use SunPat but one day our wholesaler sent us this by mistake – a stroke of luck. The peanuts come from two organic agricultural projects in China involving 39 farmers. The nuts are cleaned and shelled by the producers, so there is one less link in the supply chain and more profits go to the farmers themselves. We use the peanut butter in our salted peanut ganache petit fours.

Gallo Venere rice www.risogallo.com

Originally from China (where it was known as the Forbidden Rice, exclusively for the Emperor’s table), this black whole-grain rice is now cultivated in the Po valley in Italy. It’s perfect in a risotto with Hereford snails, which we serve with pigeon. We make a red wine vegetable nage then cook the rice in it. Unlike risotto rice, the Venere rice stays wonderfully nutty and while it’s cooking smells like baked bread. We mix it with pearl barley and pop the snails on top just before serving.

Alain Abel Tahitian vanilla www.tahiti-vanille.com

This vanilla is very different from run-of-the mill varieties. It’s far more floral, and the pods are three times the size, brown and really sticky. Each vanilla flower has to be fertilised by hand. We buy it in 100g bags from Portland Shellfish. Some chefs don’t like this vanilla as they say it’s too perfume-y, but I don’t see the point of a vanilla if you can’t taste it. I make a dessert of Yorkshire rhubarb served with a sphere filled with a Tahitian vanilla crème anglaise.

Valderrama Picudo extra virgin olive oil www.valderrama.es (available from www.kingsfinefood.co.uk )

I discovered this oil when its producers came to visit and we did a tasting. We loved their Picudo, made from Spain’s Picudo olive.

It’s fruity and smooth and has low acidity. Valderrama extracts the oil at 19°C, a far lower temperature than other producers. The company has also reduced the time to just 45 minutes from tree to oil. These factors help preserve the antioxidants and aromas in the olives, and you don’t get the burning in the back of the throat that you get with some other oils. We use the Picudo to make a sponge for our chocolate dessert; the oil is fruity and doesn’t overpower things, so it’s perfect.

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May 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 4

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www.wolfys.co.uk Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

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CRACKING CHRISTMAS Getting it right in December can save your year. Come and learn how you can crack Christmas from two retailers who have done over twenty between them. You too could spend January on the beach.

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NEED TO KNOW Monday June 24 Hall 2 Yorkshire Event Centre, 10.30am-2.00pm £45.00 plus VAT Come along and spend the afternoon at the show What will you learn • What a 2% increase in margin can do to your profitability • How you can extend your Christmas sales into November • How you can play the cash flow game to your advantage CHARLIE • How to create a business plan specifically TURNBULL, for this time of year Turnbulls Deli & Café • How to make sure your food shop is top of your customers Christmas list • How to manage wastage and how to stock season-specific products

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To enrol call 01747 825200 or email tortie.farrand@finefoodworld.co.uk 46

May 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 4

what's new Mexican hot sauce KANKUN

www.kan-kun.com

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This new brand of Mexican chilli sauces, created by UK-based Mexican Rolando Cardenas, has launched with a 100% chipotle sauce in two heat strengths: mild and hot.

Both Kankun sauces come in 150ml bottles with branding that features a lucha libre (Mexican wrestling) mask. Trade cases are available in both12 and 24 units.

Each bottle has an RRP of £3.50 and a wholesale price of £1.99.

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HOPE & GREENWOOD

www.hopeandgreenwood.co.uk

Confectionery specialist Hope & Greenwood has unveiled three new collections of handmade sweets. The new Afternoon Tea Sweets mix features boiled sweets with chewy centres in three flavours inspired by traditional puddings: treacle tart, cherry Bakewell and lemon meringue pie. The producer has also created a Sunshine Festivals collection, which features sherbert-laced mango, passion fruit and watermelon sweets.

Meanwhile, it has united its butter, treacle and chocolate toffees in a new Terrific Toffees selection. These collections are all available in stripy pouches (cases of 24 x 150g cost £34.80) and sharing boxes (6 x 250g, £15.60), which have RRPs of £2.99 and £4.99 respectively.

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CHEESE CELLAR www.cheesecellar.co.uk

The distributor has launched four new olive mixes under its growing dell’ami sub-brand. The Italianstyle Modena mix (trade price £26.95 for 3kg net drained weight) combines Bella de Cerignola and Gaeta olives with an infusion of four-year-old balsamic and hint of basil.

Santorini (£21.95 for 2.5kg) is a tapas blend of Kalamata and Halkidiki olives with diced cheese, red pepper, oregano, thyme and rosemary. The other newcomers are orange-stuffed Queen Greens (Halkidiki) and the Clarissa Pitted, comprising Kalamata olives flavoured with harissa, spices, rose petals and fresh lemon zest.

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Garlic mayonnaise The latest addition to the Farrington’s Mellow Yellow range of cold pressed rapeseed oil products is a garlic mayonnaise. Eli Farrington, whose husband Duncan grows and presses the firm’s rapeseed oil on the family’s Northants farm, developed the new line following demand from customers and based the recipe on her original Omega 3-rich mayonnaise. The gluten- and additive-free product comes in 240g jars with an RRP of £2.60.

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different food-related designs, including ‘I love tarts’ and an ‘I love wine’ bag, which features internal dividers to accommodate six bottles. All of these jute bags (trade £1.99, RRP £4.95-£5.95) have a trade price of £1.99 and come retail ready with a swing tag and barcode. WBC will donate a proportion of every sale to the Prince’s Trust in the UK and the WBC Foundation India, which directly supports the communities that make the range.

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shelftalk

Looking for suppliers accredited by the Guild of Fine Food?

Follow the logo

S U P LI E P

Crisps for dipping JUST CRISPS

Lemon curd ice cream

HANDMADE BY HADLEYS

www.justcrisps.co.uk

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The Staffordshire-based firm has launched a thicker variety of its skin-on crisps, designed for dipping. The sea salt dippers come in 150g bags and are available to the trade in cases of 12 for £12.64 (+VAT). Each bag has an RRP of £1.95. Like all of its crisps, this new variety are cooked in Just’s own cold pressed rapeseed oil.

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five caffeine-free blends: lemongrass & ginger, red berry & flower, peppermint, camomile and organic redbush. As with all of Birchall’s black teas, these new products come in boxes of 20 biodegradable mesh prism tea bags.

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www.handmadebyhadleys.co.uk

THE SMOKE & PICKLE FOOD CO

Seed & Bean

The Shrewsbury-based firm has added four new soups to its range: Cauliflower & Roquefort, Mushroom & Sherry, Spiced Parsnip Soup and London Particular (Pea & Ham Hock). It has also created two new ready meals – Italian sausage & cannellini bean

www.seedandbean.co.uk

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Fruit and herbal infusions

casserole and paprika chicken meatballs – which bring its total number of lines to more than 20.

www.birchalltea.co.uk

New jute bag designs

BIRCHALL TEA

The ethical chocolate producer has been chosen as the official chocolate bar for Glastonbury Festival. Milk chocolate with tropical lime & Cornish sea salt and white raspberry & vanilla are the new additions that will join the producer’s dark chocolate with Sicilian hazelnut bar in the three-strong line-up. The 85g bars (RRP £2.29), which all feature wrappers designed by artist Matt Lyons, will be debuted at the festival (June 26-30) and then launched to independent retailers in September.

WBC

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TV-turned-food producer Sue Aron has launched what she believes is the first savoury blood orange sauce on the market.

Aron, who founded the Tart It Up! brand last year, describes the limited edition product (125ml, RRP £4.95) as “an intense, citrusy sauce with a hint of chilli complemented by a special blend of spices”.

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Handmade by Hadleys has improved the recipe for its Great Taste one-star winning lemon curd ripple ice cream.

Following comment from judges, owner Jane Hadley has upped the sharpness of the ice cream, which is made with fellow Essex producer Thursday Cottage’s lemon curd. She says it now delivers more of a lemon zing with less sweetness. The product is available in 100ml, 500ml and 1-litre tubs. Hadleys and Thursday Cottage will be promoting this product jointly at this month’s Suffolk Show.

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WBC has come up with a set of new eco-friendly reusable shopping bags in five Vol.14 Issue 4 May 2013

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shelftalk

Injection of class Deli of the Month INTERVIEW BY mick whitworth

With a mix of culinary, business and design skills, a mother and son team are turning a quiet, small-town Devon deli into a destination store

A

couple of times over the years I’ve walked into a prospective Deli of the Month and felt my heart sink. Despite what they say, the camera does sometimes lie, and what appears on the shop’s website – images taken on opening day, perhaps, or when shelves were stacked high for Christmas – sometimes bears little resemblance to the dusty, slightly tired, clearly understocked store in front of me.

When I walk into Devon’s Ashburton Deli, I have to tell you, my old heart lifted.

I’ve been visiting this shop, off and on, for about 15 years. Before Mrs W and I moved permanently to the West Country, it was a regular picnic pick-up spot on our way to Dartmoor. I’m not saying it was exciting: I remember a dark, pokey space, and bake-off bread that was almost certainly bog-standard Delice de France. But it was friendly enough, and a better option than the Spar, which was the town’s only general food shop. Ashburton does have its unique Fish Deli, which is great for all things seafood – paella pans, tinned Ortiz tuna, etc – but not for a quick lunch on the hoof.

Last August, when I was on a birthday-treat weekend at the excellent Ashburton Cookery School, I could see things were afoot at the old deli. The shop was shut and there

Sue and Robin Hudson: ahead of target after just eight months trading

were dust sheets and step-ladders everywhere. But I promptly forgot all about it until new co-owner Sue Hudson phoned last month.

August 2012, it transpires, was when Sue and her son Robin took over after nearly three years of onoff negotiations with the previous owner. And I have to tell you, reader, they have transformed the place.

It’s not only light, bright and airy, with a Fired Earth/Farrow & Ball-style pale greens and aubergine colour scheme that just shouts “class”.

They’ve also turned it from a smalltown shop into a destination deli that I’ve already started sending other retailers to visit.

The new ‘foodiness’ hits you immediately. There are tasters lined up all along the top of the main chiller, on wooden boards topped with Ashburton Deli-branded greaseproof and hand-written descriptions: ‘Exmoor paté’, ‘ham hock terrine’, ‘smoked anchovies’, ‘sour cherries’, ‘passionfruit curd’.

Message one from the owners: “We have some interesting stuff, lots of it’s local, and we’d really like you to try it.”

Behind the counter is a wall of herbs and spices in kilner jars (the spices bought “semi-bulk” from Steenberg’s, then repackaged in 25g sachets for ease of sale.) Message two: “We’ve got some serious deli ingredients that would fit with your lifestyle.”

At the back of the shop is a small galley kitchen where a Spanish omelette is gently sizzling in a pan.

Message three: “Like you, we love to cook. And lunch is nearly ready.”

The man with the pan is Robin Hudson. A graphics graduate in his late twenties who shares his mother’s flair for visual merchandising, Hudson opted for a career in food rather than design after spending his gap year at Bell’s Diner in Bristol.

He went on to train at Ireland’s Ballymaloe Cookery School before working first at Michael Caines’

Robin’s own Spanish omelettes, pizzas and salads are high-margin lines that add in-store theatre

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Michelin-starred Gidleigh Park and then, for a couple of years, at the über-casual Riverford Field Kitchen near Totnes.

He didn’t aspire to be a restaurateur, he says, but knew he wanted to be involved with food. “For a chef’s training I would have gone to Leith’s or to catering college,” he says. “Ballymaloe is different. It’s pretty old-school stuff – the classics, back-to-basics puddings – and they’re very keen on locality: they’ll use ingredients from the farm first, then the village, then the rest of Ireland, and only then might they consider other countries.”

Ballymaloe was also “very relaxed”, he says, and from the style of food he’s making for the deli – soups, earthy salads, pizza, hummus, baba gannoush – you sense he was more attuned to Riverford’s style, with its shared platters eaten at shared tables, than the formality of Gidleigh Park. “Everything there was very precise at Gidleigh. It was, ‘You’ve given me 15 diced leeks, not 14!’”

Sue Hudson is a one-time junior manager with Barclays, which explains why she wasn’t bounced into paying the original £495k asking price for North Street shop’s freehold.

On the basis of its then declining sales, the Hudsons were advised not to offer more than £400k, and Sue says firmly they “were not going to pay extra for the potential

products, promotions & people

s

Tastings are important to introduce lesser-known local brands

that we could see but that wasn’t being achieved”. In the end they compromised at £435k plus stock.

With only eight months trading to go by it’s hard to know exactly how they’re performing. But after a storming Christmas that took them by surprise – they did £4k a day on three occasions, says Sue, which was “jolly exciting” – they hadn’t dropped below £4k a week when I visited just after Easter.

“We were aiming for £220,000 a year to make our business plan work for us,” she tells me. “So we’re pleased to be ahead of target in our first year.”

Culinary, business and design skills are a healthy combination for a stylish speciality food store, so it’s interesting to hear the Hudsons talking through their approach to the business – like where to pitch the deli in terms of price and quality.

The previous owner was “catering for the local community”, says Robin, and it has been a “balancing act” to retain a good slice of the former clientele while creating what is effectively a new shop. “I’m keen to avoid coming across as pretentious,” he says. “We wanted a nice atmosphere; a clean, well-lit, nice space to be in. Classy, I suppose, but not expensive. And we’re still trying to work out how high we can go, because we don’t want to go too far.”

He looked at many other delis before opening in Ashburton, and says it was noticeable how many offered endless ambient accompaniments but no real food for them to accompany. “They’d have shelves of amaretti and dried herbs, but you couldn’t go in and buy a

Baklava from London’s Cranberry: a best-seller created from scratch

unsold items for the following day.

But he prices accordingly. “We’re charging a bit of a premium – £3 for a pasty and £2 for a sausage roll – but I’d rather be baking every day.”

He adds: “Every now and again we’ll get a group of builders in town and I can run over the road last-thing and say ‘three pasties for £2!” But you can’t plan for that.”

The overall stocking policy is to carry foods that, while not obscure in themselves, are from “smaller, interesting producers that people may not know”. Robin Hudson says the likes of Tracklements have written themselves out of his reckoning, partly by being so widely available and partly by the size of their minimum orders. “We haven’t have a lot of stuff from Linda. We get meal – or at least, not a reasonably got room here for a minimum of caramelised onion & apricot sausage priced meal.”

12 cases, and the brand has lost its rolls, which I keep telling people are In the old Ashburton Deli, uniqueness, so we’re trying to find the best sausage rolls in the world. people could at least find enough alternative, small producers – as long We get some spicy chickpea sausage supermarket-style food to assemble as it’s nice stuff.” rolls, and also a spinach & ricotta roll a meal; the Hudsons wanted to Must-stock lines include a range that we asked for specially. keep that breadth, but without of patés and terrines from Suzanne “We get quite a few people just selling mainstream brands at Doughty at Ditchett’s of Devon, wanting vegetarian things. Robin’s an uncompetitive price. “We want whose ham hock cider & mustard Spanish omelette is his biggest seller, people to be able to browse for ages, terrine falls into herby, grainy in big slices, without thinking, ‘That’s cheaper in chunks in true home-made Spar’.’ fashion. There is coppa, saucisson So while and Black Strap ham from -STOCKS it’s tempting ST U M ’S LI E D te, et Carolyn Bellinger’s Fine Country el to jump every ASHBURTON om ish ade Span n’s home-m Lifestyle in east Devon, and time an old h us no Robin Hudso ga up and baba so several lines from Cornwall’s Deli , customer asks us m m hu Farm Charcuterie. for something anchovies ed ok sm e iff Rowcl n & apricot io A best-seller is a range of on from the d ise el eli caram baklava from London fruit and Red Earth D shop’s previous sausage roll nut snacks specialist Cranberry. incarnation, es akery browni “That’s a demand we have Robin Hudson Exploding B croissants d totally created,” says Robin. on says: “I have m al se Hobbs Hou “No-one was asking for to keep t ur gh al Riverford yo ic baklava before. Now we’ve got remembering: an ot B i Fiona Sciolt one chap who buys it twice a we’re a es at ol Choc ied dr day when he’s out walking his delicatessen. rai e yl y Lifest Fine Countr dog.”

“We keep coppa Cheeses include Blue being asked for Bay, specially made by coleslaw, and I will terrine ck ho m ha Ditchetts Ticklemore for regional do one. But I know n jam wholesaler Country Cheeses, that what some of und in ro Eat 17 baco (g ee ff co e ry Fair trad bu and normally only available them mean is just od M of s Owen to restaurants. “Gary and cabbage, onion and shop) Elise Jungheim at Country a lot of catering a av kl by Cranberry ba Cheeses have been Hellmans. And I still eese (made s) se ee Blue Bay ch r Country Ch fo tremendously supportive,” e get people asking or m le Tick & says Sue. “They’ve really for the old bake-off terie fennel cu ar Ch rm Deli Fa taken us under their i broccoli & cheese m la sa star anise wing.” slices.

No wonder, because – “But slowly but barring economic disasters beyond and he makes surely we’re getting their control – there‘s no reason platters of salad with beetroot or people coming round to buying Ashburton Deli shouldn’t become butternut squash, that people buy by things that taste good. And yes, a flagship outlet for West Country weight. there are things that are out of the suppliers. In addition to its cookery “Then we have traditional handdaily reach of most people, but the school and Fish Deli, Ashburton raised pork pies from Clarksons near balance is not having too much or already has the much-praised Agaric Honiton. And Robin makes his own too little of those.” restaurant with rooms, and the soups, which have a big following.

The answer to those cheap-andgenuinely artisan Ella’s bakery. It A lot of the local traders come in for cheerful cheese slices, for example, needed a top-class deli to give it real those every day.” was to buy bake-off pasties and credibility as a foodie destination, Robin Hudson says higher-quality other pastries, not from Delice de and in less than a year the Hudsons bake-off products are both a major France but from Red Earth Kitchen have delivered. draw and the biggest single cause of at nearby Kingsbridge, run but Linda wastage, because he refuses to keep Burgess. Sue Hudson tells me: “We www.ashburtondelicatessen.co.uk Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

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May 2013 · Vol.14 Issue 4

Tamper evident & film sealable plastic food packaging Reliable leadtimes and service - sensible minimum order size Sizes available from 30ml to 5000ml Visit www.innavisions.com or call us for a brochure TEL: 01886 832283 EMAIL: nick.wild@innavisions.com

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Vol.14 Issue 4 · May 2013

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May 2013 路 Vol.14 Issue 4