FFD October-November 2019

Page 23

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Big winners celebrate at The Golden Forks Dinner (L to R) Guild of Fine Food MD John Farrand, Pat Powell from Swoon Gelato, Alex Pickering (Kenwood), Sarah Ballinger, Ana-Maria Forte, Bruno Forte, Louise Forte, Birgitte Sow and Luisa Fontana from Swoon Gelato and Nigel Barden

It’s much more important to focus on where you’re supplying it, than volumes. So, it needs to be in good independents to start with.

Product photography by Richard Faulks, awards photography by Sam Pelly

joined by pistachio and two vegan varieties: chocolate and raspberry sorbettos. The final two spots are still up for grabs. While packaging and flavours are important elements, there is also a more technical challenge for Forte and his team to overcome before Swoon’s gelato can make it into shops. In its parlours, the gelato is served at -12°C but it will need to be stored at -18°C in retail cabinets. This means that the sugar structures need adjusting in each of the six recipes to be able to cope with the lower temperature. Forte insists that there will be no difference in taste.

Swoon Gelato Nocciola Gelato Sponsored by

There is also the issue of distribution to solve. It does have some freezer vehicles but Swoon currently makes all of its mixes in a central kitchen before they are sent by refrigerated van to its parlours to be churned into the final product there. It’s a system that maintains consistency across its own outlets but it’s obviously not going to work for retail. However Swoon prepares its gelato to travel further, delis and farm shops seem likely to be the first to get their hands on the product. “It’s much more important to focus on where you’re supplying it, than volumes. So, it needs to be in good independents to start with,” says Forte, adding that this route to market will ensure that Swoon keeps control of its brand. Retail will be a new thing for Forte, whose own background is in catering, but he points out that he’s been on a learning curve since he started training in 2014 at the Gelato University in Bologna – run by specialist equipment manufacturer Carpigiani. Inspired by the gelato made by his grandfather, who moved from Italy to England after World War II, Forte has grown the business – together with his sister Patricia Powell – into a serial Great Taste winner in a very short space of time. It opened its first outlet in Bristol in 2016, followed by one in Bath the year after and it opened a third in Oxford this August. A second in Bath that is currently a pop-up might well become permanent and Forte tells FFD he would be happy to see other Swoon-branded gelato counters in other stores or cafés too. It’s a near certainty that this time next year, more people than ever before will be getting a spoonful of Swoon. swoononaspoon.co.uk

Matthew’s Preserves Sponsored by

(L to R) John Farrand (Guild of Fine Food), John Shepherd of Partridges, Matthew and Lisa Slaughter of Matthew’s Preserves and Kitty Shepherd (Partridges)

Artisan Kitchen Sponsored by (L to R) Guild of Fine Food MD John Farrand, Sarah Churchill of Artisan Kitchen and Adrian Boswell from Selfridges

Vol.20 Issue 9 | October-November 2019

23


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