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There is much more to British food and drink than the big brands on supermarket shelves, and we think this is something to celebrate. Find out who’s serving up the best street food, where the best game or dairy products can be found, and who is brewing up special ales. No good food and drink resource would be complete without a news feed, so we have that too. Click onto the blog for the latest news from the hospitality industry, and food and drink awards and events throughout the UK. You had better be hungry, because it’s bound to be tasty!
 Get a real taste of West Yorkshire on the 26th June You have been cordially invited by Yorkshire Food Finder on Wednesday 26th June to join them on a fantastic bespoke food trail. This will take you on an amazing journey during which you will discover some of the leading food producers from West Yorkshire.
The trail will begin at The Spiced Pear, the newly launched restaurant near Holmfirth, from Tim Bilton, the award winning chef, and the trip will include visits to several of his artisan producers including Brindon Addy Butchers,Barncliffe Brie, Yummy Yorkshire Ice Cream and the Greedy Little Pig charcuterie, A summer dinner follows, cooked by Tim Bilton back at the Spiced Pear.
Yorkshire is fast becoming the foodie capital of the UK and Yorkshire Food Finder, set up by passionate foodies Sue and Aidan Nelson, offers intimate behind-the-scenes access to some of the county’s top artisan food producers. All culinary trails end with a signature feast cooked by one of Yorkshire’s top chefs.
You can learn charcuterie, cheese and sausage making, or how a country estate is managed, all amid the backdrop of the stunning ‘wrap around’ Yorkshire scenery. So pack your knife and fork – and join us for the ultimate Yorkshire food trail!
A full itinerary will be provided, with the day beginning at 10am and ending by 8pm. Train transport courtesy of East Coast Main Line is available from London To York or Leeds and a minibus will be available to collect/return you to the railway station, if required.
The best baker in Scotland revealed that the secret to his success is actually very simple: love. Back in 1983 Andre Sarafilovic started his bakery career as an apprentice at the family firm Stephens Bakery in Dunfermline.
His boss at the time Al Terris said that he started work promptly at 4am daily and was very dedicated to baking even though he seemed a bit lonely. Terris thought it would be nice for his daughter to take him out for a drink which eventually allowed them to fall in love and eventually they tied the knot.
As a couple they have helped the company increase their sales and last weekend took home the grand honour of being the Scottish Baker of the Year. The family firm was founded in 1873 by William Stephen when the rolls were actually still delivered by a horse to homes.
When Andrew joined the bakery the company only had 70 people and an annual turnover of about £1.25m, but now they have 165 staff members and a very impressive turnover of £7.5m. The company produces about 500,000 products every week out of which 15,000 steak birdies and 170,000 morning rolls are made.
Andre stated that he is very happy that a Stephens’ product is created every second and he has always loved baking. Wife Rona stated that their children are very interested in the company and it is possible that one day they will take it over but they are not going to force them into a love of baking.
The Best Baker award was given to Mich Turner and was hosted by Scottish bakers who promote and support the bakery trade. Over 15,000 customers voted on their favourite bakery and then the thirty best products for each category were given to expert judges in Fife for a final judging.
When an English wine wins an award from true connoisseurs it’s certainly worth a mention, but when a red wine made near Stourbridge in the Midlands wins a Silver Medal in competition with 14,392 other wines from 52 countries, it’s worth a rousing toast.
Halfpenny Greens Vineyards is the site of an unexpected achievement, and luck as well as determination and considerable experience all played their parts in reaching it. Halfpenny Greens has been farmed by three generations of the Vickers family; the first vines were planted in 1983 and the first bottles sold in 1985. Martin Vickers is the overall boss and his son Clive is now the winemaker.
Mr. Vickers Sr. said nobody thought England could produce an outstanding wine with that high an alcohol content (the medal-winner came in at 15%) but his vineyard proved it can be done, given the right circumstances. In this case it was an unusually dry summer and an equally unusual hot September in 2011 that raised the sugar content in the grapes.
The 2011 robust red is robust indeed at that alcohol content, but this is not your average fortified plonk; this wine delighted the palates of 219 wine experts from 27 countries and won a silver medal in the world’s biggest wine competition, the Decanter Wine Awards. The winning wine is called Rondo after the grape that made it, a hybrid developed by a Czech scientist who was looking for a grape that could stand up to frost and damp.
The Vickers have achieved at least one of their goals – to create one of the most northerly vineyards in Europe. Wines with the high alcohol content of the Rondo 2011 usually come from Italy, California or Australia, but the site of Halfpenny Greens Vineyards is quite ideal for the purpose. The grapes are planted on gently sloping hills that are south-facing and made of sandstone soil, which warms up quickly and promotes the sweetness in grapes that turns potent in wine.
UNIQUE, NEW CORNISH WINERY AND RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE
Saturday 25th May to Sunday 2nd June is officially English Wine Week and many people will be taking the opportunity to visit the new Cornish winery.
 New and unique Cornish food and wine experience This is a totally new and unique to Cornwall concept, and in fact is almost unheard of and relatively new to the UK.
In essence Knightor takes a very much ‘New World’ concept used in Australia and New Zealand and cleverly marries the idea of a wine tour and tastings with a first class restaurant experience.
In addition, to celebrate English Wine Week, Knightor is offering a wide range of English wines from other leading producers nationwide, including Camel Valley, Sharpham and Nyetimber, to try. It, therefore, provides a rare opportunity to taste a selection of English wines at one time in one place. The wines are available in tasting measures from a state of the art wine dispenser which serves wine in a perfect condition and at the correct temperature. A number of special food and wine dinners and tours will be taking place during English Wine Week from Thursday to Sunday.
The price of a wine tour and two course lunch is a very reasonable £17.95 and for a tour with dinner it is £22.95. These tours run throughout the growing season. As part of the tour you can learn how to cultivate grapes, prune vines, are introduced to the basics of winemaking and taste a range of Knightor wines. There are also tours with winemaker James Thomas for those looking for greater technical insight into the process.
Set in a venue that has the rustic charm of an historic granite farmstead in the Cornish countryside combined with the finest modern technology for making wine and serving it at the correct temperature and freshness, Knightor is both special and unique. The perfect marriage of ‘new wines, old world’. It is also a fantastic place to simply relax with a cup of coffee in the beautiful courtyard with family or friends or to host a full blown celebration. As a result Knightor is rapidly becoming known as an ideal venue for parties, weddings and corporate events. Further information on this can be found on the website (www.knightor.co.uk).
Situated near St Austell Bay, Knightor has succeeded in successfully combining the winery and restaurant to create a serious destination for both wine aficionados and food lovers. Particular attention has been paid in the restaurant to the use of local Cornish produce with a Mediterranean twist, with dishes of immense flavour due to the freshness of the ingredients. Lunches and dinners are paired with a tour of the winery. It doesn’t matter whether you are a wine novice or hold a Master of Wine, much is still to be gained from a trip to Knightor.
Winemaker James Thomas has the same obsessive passion about wine found in the best of international winemakers. This, coupled with time spent with industry leaders in Australia, allows him to blend his New World approach with classic European methods to produce exciting and fresh but complex wines. He is meticulous about every detail. This extends to the wine list he has created for Knightor’s on-site restaurant where he is realising his aim of having one of the most diverse and exciting lists in the country. The most appealing, interesting international wines are served alongside the Knightor range.
The Knightor wines are made using grapes from Knightor’s own Cornish vineyards at Portscatho and Seaton, as well as some grapes from other English growers who bring additional grape varieties to the table.
The Knightor winery lies on the site of a former ancient manor house on the edge of ‘clay country’. The two vineyards are almost equidistant from the winery and, in total, have approximately 17,000 vines, now six to seven years old. The vineyards benefit from the milder Cornish weather, all be it still wet, which has helped winemaker James to develop a range of distinctively English, elegant, light and immensely drinkable still and sparkling wines – the epitome of refined English character.
The Knightor vineyards are situated on the South coast of Cornwall at Portscatho in the Roseland and Seaton near Looe, so they tend to get less hot and less cold than other vineyards and, therefore, are slightly less susceptible to frost. All vines are on south facing slopes to ensure drainage and the area is also planted with natural windbreaks to add shelter from the coastal Cornish wind. Knightor’s portfolio of wines is also available to buy through the website.
Knightor’s first wines include:
- Madeleine Angevine 2011: A delicate floral wine, with gooseberry and elderflower flavours
- Trevannion 2011: A blend of Siergerrebe, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. A powerful aromatic wine, rich in fruit flavours
- First Vintage Rosé 2010: Produced in a limited 1,000 bottle run, this Provençal style Rosé is elegant, with gentle fruit making it the ideal summer wine to accompany a light lunch
The multi tiered and elaborately decorated fruit cake is the traditional feature of a wedding celebration, and has been for decades. Now, however, those in the industry are reporting a burgeoning trend for an altogether different type of wedding cake, one that is entirely made from cheese.
Hundreds of wedding albums are graces with photos of a happy couple, posing and smiling while cutting into the towering wedding cake covered in rich icing. More couples now than ever are, however, opting for a completely new meaning to the phrase cheese cake by having whole cheeses stacked on top of each other to create a wedding cake with a difference.
This kind of cake is relatively new with the first cheese wedding cakes selling back in 2004 but now, the British Cheese Board have said that there has been a steady and growing demand for a cheesy centrepiece, with many couples opting for the savoury option over the sweet. Cake experts are saying they aren’t surprised by this trend as have pointed out there are several bonuses from having a wedding cake made from cheese.
The British Cheese Board’s secretary, Nigel White, has said that cheese wedding cakes offer a cost effective, novel and delicious alternative to those traditional sponge or fruit cakes which are note everybody’s cup of tea. Even though the cheese centrepiece will cost roughly the same as its fruit counterpart it is cost effective in that if you cut the cake immediately following the wedding breakfast it can then be served up for the cheese course.
The different colours of cheese available means that you can tailor make the cake to fit in with your colour scheme and at the same time add to the décor. Popular choices are the brightly coloured and nutty Red Leicester, the white and green Cornish Yarg that is nettle wrapped, the Blacksticks Blue which is speckles and the perfect choice for a wedding day, Godminster Cheddar which comes in heart shaped red wax.
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It has been announced that the London International Wine Fair is set to return to Kensington Olympia next year, and will come with cheaper rates in a move the organisers hope will attract back the exhibitors who have turned their backs on the event in recent years.
The fair used to be held at Olympia but in 2002 move to the Excel in East London as the increase in the number of exhibitors meant that it was no longer big enough. In recent years, however, many big names have pulled out making various complaints, ranging from the Excel lacking the ‘buzz’ of Olympia and the fact that the fair was failing to put enough focus on the UK wine market.
Brintex, who organise the event, listened to the criticism have renamed the event as the London Wine Fair 2013 in order to highlight how they have repositioned it to be a national wine fair aimed at the UK market. The Kensignton Olympia has also been extended, and Brintex say that they will be taking up more space in 2014 than they will at the Excel this year.
In 2014, the price of a stand will drop by between 20 and 25%, and there will also be new stall restrictions put in place, meaning that there will be no banners, no stands of double height and a maximised floor space.
Ross Carter, the director of the fair, believes that exhibitors will be spending 50-60% less to appear at the fair than they have in recent years. He also said that these changes had been put in place after they held extensive talks with some of the leading exhibitors, both past and present.
Independent exhibitors are also being targeted by the offer of more bursaries. Brintex are to triple their budget for bursaries, with money they will strip from the international advertising, and use it to offer the independents more travel and accommodation bursaries.
The House of Commons has invited Derbyshire’s food and drink producers to celebrate Derbyshire Day. The event, facilitated by Nigel Mills, MP for Amber Valley and Heather Wheeler, Mp for South Derbyshire, will be held on Tuesday, April 16th.
The Commons Speaker John Bercow, Commons Deputy Speaker, Nigel Evans, Food Minister David Heath, and the Chancellor, George Osborne are some of the notable parliamentarians who will grace the event.
According to George Osborne, Derbyshire food is notable, with many businesses taking part in its production, from Chatsworth Farm Shop all the way down to the local farmers. The House of Commons will be pleased to see the county displaying its finest produce.
The Prime Minister, David Cameron, who also joined in the celebrations, said that he was pleased to attend the event, hosted in the Houses of Parliament, as a way of increasing the region’s profile, thereby increasing tourism in the area.
He went on to say that Derbyshire is renowned for popular brands such as Chatsworth and Thornton’s, and also notable producers such as Hartington Creamery and Bluebell Dairy, whose produce he thoroughly enjoyed sampling. He congratulated the local MPs for organizing the auspicious event, and also the producers for showcasing the best of British food and drink products.
Apart from promoting the flourishing food and drink industry in Derbyshire, the event also promoted the delightful tourist attraction in the county. Visit England and the local tourist board were highlighted the places and attractions that made the county a great place to visit.
Hundreds of MPs and parliamentary staff, who visited the event, on a day that was designed to get the legislators to discuss the merits of the county, got a chance to sample some of the wine, chocolate, cheese, pies, and other notable local delicacies made in the county.
There is a campaign to find the best food outlets in Northamptonshire for 2013-14. The Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards have invited the public to submit their nominations. The awards will include best Community Pub, Local Food Hero and Independent Café or Tea Room. The awards, 13 in total, will serve to reward excellence within the restaurants and cafés of the county.
Rachel Mallows, of The Mallows Company, and also the award’s director, said that all restaurants, chefs and pubs are welcome to participate in the event. She is excited by the fact that local foodies will be involved helping the officials in making the final decision on who gets to win.
Anyone who thinks that their favourite pub or restaurant deserves a chance to win an award should put their name forward. People may also nominate their favourite butchers, farm shops, which have given them unsurpassed quality in their products.
Without the support of the public, local businesses in the food industry stand to lose a chance at being recognised for their quality, and also the ensuing success that an award can bring to the business.
Last year’s Community Pub of The Year award winners, The George, Tiffield, Russell, and Jane Proctor were excited about being recognised by the public. According to Russell, the award not only boosted morale for him and Jane, but also encouraged their staff members especially since the industry has not been performing very well over the last few years.
He went on to say that it was great to have their customers support them in the manner that they did. First by putting them up for nomination, and then finally voting for them to win the trophy, which is proudly displayed on the bar, to serve as a reminder of why the staff put in the long hours of hard work. Visit www.northamptonshirefoodanddrink.co.uk to place your nomination.
This September will bring with it a new food festival in Weston Super Mare known as the Weston Super Food Festival. Its organiser has stated that the festival has already grown into a much larger affair then she ever could have imagined when she first started to plan it.
Sally Packer has organized quite a few festivals over the last few decades, and launched her very first food decade about eight years ago in Bristol. Since then she has gained quite a bit of experience with food festivals and is ready to bring a new festival to Weston.
The weekend that is backed by local newspaper The Mercury will have a variety of outdoor and indoor stalls and will offer cookery workshops for the adults and food activities for the children. The Weston Super Food Festival is a non-profit organisation and a social enterprise that aims to help support the local food economy by reaching out to local and small food producers.
Packer explained that she has been tossing around the idea of launching a food festival in Weston for quite awhile because the area has some excellent coffee shops, good restaurants, and some very nice local producers. Her goal is to get more people to purchase more locally source food products and the aim is to help support local producers and local culture.
The official sponsors of the event will be The Mercury by printing previews, holding competitions, and asking readers to send in their best recipes and food photos via the iWitness platform. Packer started organising crafts, art, and design festivals but she explained that she has always loved food and been interested in nutrition which eventually led her towards hosting food festivals and they grew so quickly that she had to focus solely on food festivals.
Amateur alchemists ideas to be put into action by professional brewers to create a brand new beer.
 Best of British Beer Britain’s untapped brewing community Best of British Beer a specialist online retailer, has has got together with Lymestone Brewery who happen to be their neighbours in order to bring together a new and totally original concept that can now offer their customers the opportunity to become ‘virtual brewers’ and though the wonders of modern technology actually take part in the creation of a brand new beer.
For an initial membership investment of just GBP £10, redeemable against the finished beers, all virtual brewers will have the opportunity to decide exactly how the finished product will taste. When the beers are produced, they will be labelled featuring the name of every person who became a member and bought a share, before being sold via the Best of British Beer website.
“There is currently a huge resurgence in the world of micro-brewed beers and the UK boasts over 1000 privately owned breweries – the highest level since World War II,” explained Will Sherwin, Managing Director of Best of British Beer. “There is a trend for people turning their backs on bland, mass-produced imported lagers in favour of more local ales with quality ingredients made in the traditional way. To go one step further and be a part of the brewing process will definitely appeal to the discerning customer.
“Ultimately we want to produce a beer than can be entered into beer festival competitions and hopefully be recognised as an award winner.”
Best of British Beer has come a long way since its inception 18 months ago when husband and wife team Will and Gill Sherwin started working from their garden shed. Their fledgling business is now rapidly expanding, with the website becoming hugely popular with beer aficionados in a very short space of time.
Will is enthused by offering BoB’s customers the chance to become virtual brewers and thinks the company’s loyal customer base and prospective purchasers will be excited by the idea too. “We’ve had the idea of ‘a beer brewed by the people, for the people’ bouncing around inside our heads for a long time now, and as soon as we knew Ian and Viv from Lymestone were keen to get involved, we just had to get cracking,” he added. “We’re giving people the opportunity to choose the beer’s colour, strength, style, flavour and name. Even decisions such as label design will be made weekly via our website.”
Ian Bradford of Lymestone Brewery was just as keen to launch the project. “The brewing process can take up to 6 weeks and there are a number of key decisions to be made along the way to ensure the final product is true to the recipe,” he explained. “We produce a core range of beers and a number of seasonal specials, but the possible variations on a standard glass of beer are almost limitless and this is where we need customer input. Whether it’s a different combination of hops, the use of roasted barley or even the addition of honey and fruit to the brewing process, we need to plan the stages carefully before brewing can commence.”
Already the Pro-Am virtual brewery idea is inspiring new ideas about how beer can be produced and consumed. Some drinkers are even proposing a new model of retail, where they pay a brewer to produce their beer and a pub to ‘host’ the barrels. In this way, some believe that when they visit the pub, they are drinking their own property and could therefore be exempt from taxes.
To find out more about The Virtual Brewery, please click the link below or contact Will Sherwin at Best of British Beer.
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