Speciality and Fine Food Fair 2014

We may have had a pretty hectic couple of months, but we’re already gearing up for some pretty exciting events in the Kitchen Table Projects calendar over the next couple of months. This September, we’re really excited to be heading to the Speciality Food Fair - the biggest and most comprehensive fine and speciality food exhibition in the UK. Whilst the show will be a great place to be inspired by all things new in the food world, we’ll predominantly be on the look out for some emerging artisans who are interested in getting involved with Kitchen Table Projects. With talks, cookery demonstrations and business workshops scheduled across the three days, as well as over 700 producers showcasing thousands of new and exciting products, we’ll certainly be busy! If you're interested in attending the show but aren't quite sure what to expect, then have a little look at the video from last year's event:

If you’re an artisan who is exhibiting, or if you’re just popping along to take a peek into the future of the foodie world, then get in touch! We’ll be at the festival over all three days and it would be great to meet some of you who are interested in finding out a little more about what Kitchen Table Projects are up to. Drop us an email at hello@kitchentableprojects.com, or tweet us @KitchTablePro - see you in September!

Amazing Artisans: Stephen, The British Quinoa Company

This week we donned our (metaphorical) wellies and got chatting with quinoa farmer, Stephen, for this weeks Amazing Artisan feature. After hearing about his business, The British Quinoa Company, we were really keen to showcase Stephen at Kitchen Table Projects, giving a slightly different view on the foodie world. In the interview, Stephen sheds some light on the life of a farmer, and talks about how he got his unique business concept off the ground (if you’ll excuse the pun!)

Tell us the story of your business. How did you come up with the idea?

I came up with my business idea in 2006 [whilst] studying for a degree in agriculture. I had read a magazine article about quinoa and its nutritional properties and as a vegetarian I felt that I should try it to see if could increase my protein intake. It turned out that I really liked it and wondered if it would be possible to grow it in the UK. After several years of trialing quinoa production on our family farm, we concluded that we could indeed grow a great crop of quinoa, hence ‘The British Quinoa Company’ was born! It’s not been an easy journey though, we’ve had many successes and failures along the way, but everything started to come together once we found the right variety of quinoa for the British climate.

What was your motivation for starting your own business?

The motivation for starting my own business came from my passion for producing alternative British crops that can both help us to lead a healthier lifestyle and reduce our reliance on imported foods. I really enjoy being able to take an idea from scratch and to develop it over several years to fulfill a specific market. I think that in my decision to start a new business, I tried to play to my strengths and resources, so creating a new product on our family farm made total sense.

What's the most exciting thing about being an entrepreneur?

The most exciting thing about being an entrepreneur is being able to do something unique, where I can make my own decisions and try to push the boundaries of what crops we are able to produce in the UK. Additionally, I really enjoy having great relationships with our customers and consumers who we so often share very similar passions too. I love being able to finally see my product on the shelf and to feel that it was my own hard work that got it there!

What challenges have you come across?

Our biggest challenge has been trying to grow a crop in the UK that has never been grown here before, as there is no established crop agronomy, that is, no basic recipe to follow. We’ve had to learn how to sow the crop, how to fertilise it, how to control weeds, and how to harvest it.... all of which has taken us several years. Along the way we have had to battle against pest damage, extreme weather and machinery breakdowns, but we’re getting there slowly! Our biggest challenge at present is how to scale up our project, so that we are able to plant increasing areas of quinoa each year to allow us to fulfill growing consumer demand.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting their own business?

The advice I would give to anyone wishing to start their own business is to find something that can make your business unique. Being unique can help you stick in the memory of your customer, as well as attracting media attention to help promote your business. It’s a great idea to ensure you have sufficient finance agreements in place before you start your new business so that your cash flow is not stretched to breaking point.

What kind of business support do you want to receive or wished you had received?

I received the best kind of business support...help from my parents! They were great, from offering free manual labour in the field to assess new quinoa varieties, to helping count weeds in our weed control experiments. It would have been great to have received more business support at a local level, such as a mentor who could provide detailed business advice from invoicing to branding...but perhaps that’s being a bit wishful!

What would you like to see in a food hub that showcases new producers?

I would love see communication between new producers and the more experienced existing producers, so that advice and experience can be shared.

What do you think about our big ideas and what we are trying to achieve?

I really love what Kitchen Table Projects is trying to achieve. It’s a great way of getting to know other small producers who would otherwise remain fairly unknown. Good luck and keep going, I’m really pleased to be a part of it!

You can find Stephen tweeting from his Shropshire farm, here @BritishQuinoa.

Industry Insiders: Yasmin, Maida Hill Place

After attending the Maida Hill Foodies event a little earlier this month, it was great to catch up with Yasmin from Maida Hill Place, the hosts of the event. In our Industry Insider feature this week, Yasmin gets chatting about why it’s so important to help small emerging food businesses.

Tell us a bit about yourself! Who are you and what do you do?

Maida Hill is a food hub connecting like-minded entrepreneurs within the industry. We're a small team [who] help budding food entrepreneurs by renting out both our fully equipped kitchen and upstairs event space for pop-ups, talks, product development and whatever else they may need!

What does artisan mean to you?

Either a person with a very specific skill in making or a product made in a specialised way, not mass produced, using high quality ingredients...and just that bit more love than a big machine could ever give!

How can small artisan's stand out?

It definitely helps to have a good story, something that social media and press can grip onto which in turn raises your profile. Talk to as many people as possible but more importantly make lasting connections and even friendships with them. You never know when and who can help to push your business further.

How do you think small artisan food producers should be supported?

There is so much competition out there, particularly in a city like London. Some businesses are in the lucky position where the people involved have enough knowledge to cover all of the most important areas of creating and selling their product: cooking, brand design, sales, marketing, PR, finances etc. Unfortunately, the reality is that most businesses don't have all of this. There need to be more workshops and classes where small producers can learn or simply improve on [their entrepreneurial skills].

What do you think is the next big opportunity for small artisans?

People's mindsets are changing and more of us want to know exactly where our food is coming from; we want to know what all of the ingredients are when we read the labels. There are already great initiatives such as hisbe.co.uk in Brighton that put good food and customer happiness at the forefront of the business [and] profitability comes as a result of this.

What are your words of wisdom for someone starting out?

Connect, connect, connect. Talk to everyone, be friendly. Don't just take, give back where you can, even if it's just by giving words of advice. Make the most of social media and have a good hook to your story.

What do you think of our big ideas and what we’re trying to achieve?

Everyone should have the chance to get on the high street and where there's a will there's a way. We [need to] help businesses start or make their next steps to showcasing their offering and actually start turning a profit. It would be nice for everyone to have a permanent space on the high street, but starting slow and steady isn't always a bad thing. You can learn with less of a distance to fall if things do go wrong.

If you're interested in finding out more about Maida Hill Place and they kind of space they offer, have a look at their website here, or find them tweeting @MaidaHillPlace.

Great Taste Awards 2014

With around 10,000 products tried and tested every year by over 400 specially trained judges, the Great Taste Awards remain a major fixture in any foodie calendar. Every year artisans far and wide bring a huge variety of amazing produce to the judges table in the hope of earning their products the prestigious one, two or three star mark of excellent quality and fantastic taste. In a world where eye-popping packaging drives products off the shelf, the Great Taste Awards judges are keen to bring the focus back to the taste of the products, rewarding and encouraging specialty and fine food producers across the UK. Achieving the award encourages artisans to feel proud of their products, confident that in a tough retail market their product stands above the rest. For retailers and shoppers, The Great Taste mark communicates that the product they are selling or purchasing is of superior quality, showing their support for fantastic British produce. 

So last week, following a grueling four month tasting process, hundreds of artisans around the country waited in anticipation to hear the results of the coveted award. The full list of winners includes a huge variety of produce, ranging from fresh dairy and meat, to store cupboard favourites and sweet treats. What was most exciting for us was seeing some of our Amazing Artisans feature on the winning list - we think they’re fantastic, so it’s to see others recognise that, too! Flying the flag for fresh produce was Woodhouse Farm, who won with their rare breed Tamworth Pork Sausages. In fact, as we found out last week, sausages from Woodhouse are a bit of a speciality! Store cupboard essential Honestly Good won with their Extra Virgin Olive Oil (which works perfectly in a lemon cake), as did the sensational snackers behind Moral Fibre, with their Choco Banananut Bites and Chilli Crunch. BakedIn also walked away with a double win, receiving awards for their Chocolate Brownie and Carrot and Walnut Cake Kits, as did Belinda Clark, who won with her Passionfruit and Rose flavoured Marshmallows. The lovely guys at Tea People were awarded Two Stars for their Choco Mint Rooibos Herbal Tea - a well deserved prize for a lovely startup with a big social heart. We want to say a huge congratulations to all our artisans as well as everyone else who won - it’s a fantastic achievement and great to see all your hard work and passion rewarded.

We’re already exciting to see what new products meet the mark next year… until then, we’ll leave you with this video that the guys at Great Taste UK made last year, explaining all about the tasting process and how they take on the mammoth task that is deciding the Supreme Great Taste Winner each year.

Amazing Artisans: Raw Foodies - Featuring Stefan, Bee Mercy, and Soph, Raw Nibbles

Following a Raw Food diet is not only great for your health, but can be really delicious too. A raw food diet means eating uncooked, unprocessed foods which makes for a healthier diet that is free from toxins, more easily digested and more natural. We caught up with our amazing artisans (and lovers of all things raw) Stefan from Bee Mercy and Soph from Raw Nibbles. They opened our eyes to the world of raw foods, and got chatting about how their launched their products in a market that continues to gain a lot of popularity and publicity. Remember, you can read Soph and Stefan's interviews, along with all our other Amazing Artisans, on our website.

Soph - Raw Nibbles

Soph is one half of the husband and wife team behind the fab raw snack brand Raw Nibbles. They love being in the kitchen creating, experimenting and preparing good-for-you treats that are super-scrumptious and healthy, too. All their treats are gluten, egg, soya, and dairy free, and don't contain beet or cane sugar either. Soph wanted to create a delicious product that could satisfy her sweet tooth, without the guilt of a regular chocolate bar. One raw chocolate making kit later, and both she, and her husband, Ian, were hooked. They couldn't wait to start experimenting with other raw ingredients, and, combining Ian's ten years of professional chef experience with Soph's sweet tooth, Raw Nibbles was born. Soph says that 'working for yourself and answering to yourself' is the best part of being an entrepreneur. She loves that she 'can also take the business in any direction that we want to - it is our decision and ours alone.' She thinks our ideas are awesome, too, which is great to hear - we love supporting artisans and their stories and think Soph's concept is great.

Read the interview in full on our website, here. If you feeling a bit peckish and want to pick up a raw guilt-free treat, then head over to the Raw Nibbles website here, or you can always find them tweeting here, @RawNibbles.

Stefan - Bee Mercy

It was great to chat to Stefan and find out more about his business with a big heart. Bee Mercy Honey started life as a gift to an ill friend in hospital on recommendation that raw honey might help to improve his condition. Surely enough, it worked, and his friend began to get better. Stefan said that the business grew from there. Although he doesn't like to see himself as an entrepreneur, Bee Mercy continues to help people with their illnesses, as well as 'highlighting the plight of the bees, and the co-operation between mankind and nature.' Stefan thinks our ideas are 'very good', and would like to see a food hub that would 'focus on a core message and ethos - not just about taste, [but] more about education and food choices. [We want to see] more education on the hazards of foods we see in the supermarket and the impact on world economies and other lives.'

You can read the interview in full on our website here. If you're interested in finding out about Bee Mercy's fab concept and the work that they're doing, head over to their website, or catch them tweeting @beemercyuk.

Are you an Amazing Artisan who wants to be featured on our blog? We'd love to hear from you- drop us a Tweet @KitchTablePro with the hashtag #AmazingArtisan or send us a message to hello@kitchentableprojects.com

Industry Insiders: Jo Lynn, Director at Jo Lynn Consultancy

After meeting Jo at a recent Joined Up Food event, we were immediately keen to get in touch and pick her brains about her wide and varied experience in the food industry. Having worked for a whole host of different companies across a range of sectors, Jo is now director of her own PR consultancy business dealing mostly with food businesses. It was so great to speak to her and learn more about her fascinating career. Read on for her industry insights, as well as her hints and tips for small startup food businesses.

Tell us a bit about yourself! Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Jo Lynn and I am a public relations consultant with (gasp!) over 35 years of experience working in the media.  I started work on two news desks, so was trained in the hard-hitting end of journalism.  I then worked on a features desk [as well as] for several magazines.  I have a degree in what is called Biological Life Sciences (yup, Home Economics), so I know a lot about Food Science, Cooking and ergonomics in home design.

I was headhunted into PR and as a result my career direction changed. My Fleet Street experience means I have been involved on a lot of Crisis Issues work as well as food and ingredient work.  I obviously have a good grasp of media, traditional and social.  As I progressed through my career, I worked as an Account Director at Ruth Felber (fashion and Tesco’s home and wear), [at] Good Relations, [where] my teams worked on Canderel, WeightWatchers and more; [I became] head of Food and Drink at Lynne Franks, set up a PR division for an ad agency, Director of RPPR running AIR MILES, Columbus Travel, the crisis division, Brandon Bayes, Tony Robinson and more. I then set up Splash Press Agency (with the help of EMR radio) and ran that for 12 years before morphing into Jo Lynn Consultancy.  With my seniority and experience I realised I had actually become more of a consultant and wise person and re-branded to reflect that.

What do you do to help small businesses?

I have represented hundreds of restaurants and food companies from the very small to the very large.  As a result, I help small companies and startups, giving them my knowledge, helping them with copywriting, mentoring them and just providing general encouragement.  For instance: what is the main reason why restaurants fail? How do you increase a customer’s spend? Has your product got legs? Does your packaging work? Who, actually are you? What do you say about yourself? What are your messages?

What does your typical day look like?

I don’t have a typical day.  Clients are varied. I am a Corporate Relations manager for a large Business School Group – so I meet a range of companies every week, from banks to FinTec entrepreneurs; I have consumer clients such as a stylish Marylebone hairdresser; I write copy; I write and give lectures; I train board directors of PR companies and am about to e-tail my training text books, and I [also] act as a consultant for J.U.F (joined up food) providing consultancy to entrepreneurs setting up food businesses and also creating the J.U.F book club.  Phew! This all sounds very busy but it’s not really.  I am wise enough to pace myself, take breaks, walk my dog Tilly.  Frankly, when you have the experience that I have, a lot can be done in an hour! An example of this recently was a one hour consultation with Zest, which included my drafting a press release and instructions. The result? This.

Why do you like working with small food businesses?

I am very keen on Artisan producers.  My first client when I set up Splash Press Agency was a pioneering delicatessen, Mortimer and Bennet in Turnham Green who were very good at sourcing interesting and original suppliers.  I feel very strongly that multiples should pay for these people’s expertise rather than just stealing their idea and suppliers, meanly cutting the cost of Artisan producers products on shelf so that the original sourcers are forced to stop stocking them.  Recently I have acted for a chocolate shop which sources the very best chocolates from around the world.

What do you think is the toughest part of starting a small food business?

There are so many hard parts to starting a small food business.  Companies must understand how important PR is.  I am not just saying that because of what I do but the number of companies who call me in when they are failing makes me cry.  It is so much easier to get coverage when you are new.  The e-tailing side is vital.  Rent and rates are stupidly high.  You have to maximise your returns.  Branding is vital – do it before you launch.  Who are you? What is your culture? What is your emotional selling point? What is your USP? Who is your target market? Which are your six most important media? How much social media do you need to do to have an impact? What are you going to do once you are no longer new?  Who can steal from you and copy your ideas? How do you reach journalists? It’s all so important.

What do you think is the next big opportunity for emerging artisans?

There is so much opportunity for Artisans.  Yes, cheap food is a huge market, but class still counts - the best has a niche.  Chickens that taste the way that they did as a child, chocolates that say to the receiver ‘you are really really special’, Christmas, Easter, special occasions, there is a market for something special, different, unique, the best. On a personal level, as a cook, I spend a lot of my spare time visiting and shopping at Farmers markets and specialist stores.  I love it! Quality food and produce is so important and I get furious if people say it is too expensive (it’s not, if you don’t throw half of it away).

I see so many major mistakes made.  Restaurants that open late and are in debt by the time they open (having missed the Christmas season) because of a bad contract with builders; businesses who foolishly think signing up early with a multiple is a good idea (before they can deal with all the demands a multiple makes and the 90 day payment terms), failure to spend time and money on brand and PR development, the list goes on.

The opportunities are that on line e-tailing provides world-wide custom.  The street food scene is inspiring – what one thing would you offer, if that is all you could do.  Multi-culturalism is shown at its best with food and Britain is brilliant at absorbing new ideas – we think Tandoori is English Food, or even Fish and Chips; we try and buy anything.  What a great place to set up a food business. Plus, the after-hours socialising scene is a huge market.  My French friends are astonished at what happens here.  In France, after work, they go home.  Here, we eat, play, drink. It is such an opportunity.

What are your words of wisdom for someone starting out?

It is very important to network, to share ideas, to give back.  I am a great believer that ‘givers gain’.  Understand the business you are in, read relevant media, visit events, see what others are doing, go to exhibitions, get ideas. Food these days is fashion. Have strong opinions and don’t date!

What do you think about our big ideas and what we are trying to achieve?

I think Kitchen Table Projects is a brilliant idea.  It gives Artisans a focus and consumers a central place to find a collective of artisans.  Our finest producers need all the help and encouragement that we can get.  Cheap food, supermarkets and the policies of food rationing that remained in our system for over half a century had almost killed off our food producers.  Over the past twenty years our cultural heritage is re-emerging and we must do everything we can to nurture it.

You can find out more about Jo and the services she offers on her website, or catch her on Twitter, @pryogi.

Sausage Tasting with Woodhouse Farm, Leicestershire

Before I lived in Midlands, I didn't really know what it was like to enjoy sausages. I just thought they weren't for me. They were big, gristly, tasteless things - often deepfried in pubs - that never excited me much.

That is, until I began wandering around Birmingham Farmer's Market and my partner and his family introduced me to Woodhouse Farm. A longstanding family favourite, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Now, just the thought of a Woodhouse Farm sausage sandwich makes me salivate and once it's entered my mind, nothing else will do. Call me converted; these sausages are the best thing that have ever happened to my mouth.

After taking a look at the extensive list of products Woodhouse Farm had, I jumped at the chance to do an official sausage tasting with Kitchen Table Projects. I knew I loved Woodhouse Farm, but what would everyone else think?

We sampled six different types of sausage, with sparkling water and buttery mash to cleanse the palate (Classy!) Our six independent, discerning taste testers came from a variety of backgrounds, ranging from barbecue fanatic to haematology scientist. Sausages were roasted and given marks out of 10 and we discussed how each one might work best. Here's what we found:

 

Toulouse 3/10

Last in line came the Toulouse sausage, a gluten free, garlicky number. We reckon it was our oven that got things wrong, having hastily squashed them together in the corner of our roasting tin and we really don't think we did them justice. Conclusion: we'll just have to order more...

Wincotts Winter Warmers 6/10

Filled with naga chillies, we armed ourselves with a full glass of iced sparkling water before jumping in. PHWOAR is all we can say! While almost too spicy to have on their own, our tasters thought these Winter Warmers would be a fantastic addition to an all day breakfast sandwich, a fiery stew or - as we later found out - served cold, thinly sliced with a couple of beers. With a smoother texture that held well when cut, we could see these going down a storm as nibbles on an autumn evening with friends. One of our tasters even revised her score from 5/10 to 7/10 after trying them cold, which just goes to show that there are so many factors at play with a good sausage.

 

Suffolk Orchard 7/10

Sweet and robust with a hint of cider, this sausage reminded one of our tasters of Cantonese Lap Cheong, or dry cured smoked sweet sausage. While I'm not sure I completely agree, there was an unmistakable tang that I loved which would have gone perfectly with a crumble of blue cheese on hot sourdough.

Tamworth 7/10

While my tasters might say different, this was definitely my favourite. This sausage comes from the rare Tamworth pig. There's something that happens *only* to Woodhouse Farm sausages when they're roasted, which I like to call 'The Sticky Goodness'. The Tamworth sausage was positively drenched in this syrupy umami layer of gorgeousness, glinting in the light and drawing me in. The Tamworth pig is able to achieve a high body mass without much of a build up of actual fat, which I'm guessing is the driving force behind The Sticky Goodness. My tasters agreed - there was definitely something special going on here, except a few did find it a little too salty for their liking.

Mexican Grill 8/10

One taster described this sausage as 'the juicy, interesting one that made her feel greedy' and I can't agree more. With just the right level of heat, this sausage can be used in a variety of settings, whether simply butterflied and sandwiched between two slices of bread or accompanying huevos rancheros with a dollop of guacamole. Ole!

Pork & Red Onion Marmalade 8.5/10

Call me crazy, but I detected a definite undercurrent of ginger here. None of my tasters did though! Sweet and flavourful, this won the hearts and tums of my tasters with its balanced flavour between meat and marmalade, which can be difficult to get just right. We liked this one so much, there was a little squabble at the end about who had more right to have seconds!

Stay tuned for more tastings as we compile our menu! If you know of something amazing that needs to be shouted about, drop us an email or a tweet and we'll get tasting!

Amazing Artisans: Carola, Founder of Cookie Crumbles

Cooking should always be fun and educational, especially for children. We loved hearing from Carola about the fab ideas coming out of Cookie Crumbles and their journey from kitchen table project to thriving business!

Tell us the story of your business. How did you come up with the idea?

Cookie Crumbles started out in the early nineties offering children’s cooking classes and parties. My belief is that children should be encouraged to develop a better understanding of food and nutrition by actively getting involved in the kitchen. I believe that children can become better eaters, develop their motoric skills and, best of all, have great fun cooking and baking. That’s why I developed baking mixes that are as natural as possible on the principle that they provide great nutrition for the whole family. Our products are bursting with fantastic ingredients like wholegrain, seeds and dried fruit essential to our daily diet.   

What was your motivation for starting your own business?

I was trained as a chef in Paris before trying my hand at Patisserie and then studying journalism in Paris. I landed my first job at a renowned German Food magazine before moving into Woman’s Magazines as a food editor. I soon realised with my own kids that nobody ever encouraged children to have fun in the kitchen and get messy. I started dedicated pages in the magazine with child- friendly recipes before deciding to set up Cookie Crumbles.

What's the most exciting thing about being an entrepreneur?

The most exciting thing is that if you have an idea you can just try and make it happen. There’s no need to go through lengthy meetings and discussions; I just go and try and make my idea into a concept or product.

What challenges have you come across?

Many – financial, conceptual, logistical, staffing, you name it.  As a startup I was covering and exploring areas that I had no expertise in -which in my case seemed to be many. I think one of the main challenges was the tendency to get on with familiar, manageable work stuff and ignore the areas that are unknown. However, as time goes by you become more confident and get more connections- generally speaking other entrepreneurs are happy to share their experiences.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting their own business?

Be realistic and know your own limitations.

What kind of business support do you want to receive or wished you had received?

Entrepreneurship can be quite a lonely existence as you often have to answer your own questions  which can be tough. I would have like to tap into a service where advisers for different areas could give you some feedback.

What would you like to see in a food hub that showcases new producers?

It would be great to be able to share experiences, contacts and stories with other producers.

What do you think about our big ideas and what we are trying to achieve?

I think it’s a wonderful idea and much needed!

If you're interested in Carola’s idea and want to find out a little bit more about these yummy kits, head over to the Cookie Crumble website here, or find them tweeting away @CookieCrumbs_UK.

Are you an Amazing Artisan who wants to be featured on our blog? We'd love to hear from you- drop us a Tweet @KitchTablePro with the hashtag #AmazingArtisan or send us a message to hello@kitchentableprojects.com

Industry Insiders: Sal, Founder of Sal's Kitchen and Blogger

This week's industry insider is food blogger and creative content creator Sal of Sal's Kitchen. Sal thinks that food is an awesome adventure which everyone should have a part in. She dedicates her time to writing about all things food and cooking, as well as running her business creating creative content for small food businesses. We caught up with her to find out what she thought about our big ideas.

Tell us a bit about yourself! Who are you and what do you do?

My company, Sal’s Kitchen, provides creative content for foodie companies. A lot of people don’t realise that even if you have a really great website, it can be surprisingly ineffective if you never update it – so I help foodie companies set up blogs and then provide content on a regular basis, including recipes developed to showcase their products. Recipe development is my favourite bit of the job, but I also write posts on news, events and offers, as well as helping out with newsletters, press releases and social media, especially Pinterest.

How do you help small businesses?

My company is a small one, so I think I’m ideally placed to help other companies the same size. I provide a really personal service and as far as I’m concerned, this isn't just a job – it’s what I’m genuinely passionate about.

What does your typical day look like?

One of the things I love about my work is that it’s really varied! No two days are quite the same as I’m working with fascinating companies who have a wide range of different requirements. However, I tend to work in my office during the morning and then head to the kitchen in the afternoon, notebook in hand, to work on new recipes. If I started out in the kitchen then I’d probably end up spending the whole day there!

What does ‘artisan’ mean to you?

For me, it’s all about the skill that an artisan producer brings to their food. That’s where the great taste comes from – not from a mechanized process or bulk ingredients, but from a small number of people who have worked incredibly hard to create a great product.

How can small artisans stand out?

I think one of the reasons that artisan food companies are increasing in popularity at the moment is that people want to feel more of a connection with where their food comes from – particularly in the wake of certain food scandals. If small artisans make that initial connection, they can build a strong, lasting relationship that will not only make sure the customer keeps coming back, but that they recommend the products to all their friends! There are lots of ways to do this – social media, blogs, and face-to-face events like markets and tastings can all play a part. A big company just can’t compete on this level.

How do you think small artisan food producers should be supported?

When you start your own food business, there’s a lot to do! Artisan producers need to be able to concentrate on the most important bit – making delicious high-quality food – so that’s where companies like mine come in, to help out with the fiddly extra stuff.

What do you think is the toughest part of starting a small business?

When I started, one of the things I found most difficult was that so many people expected me to blog for them for free. When you’re new to the business, you’re flattered just to be asked to contribute some of your hard work, but I soon realised that the person asking me to do it was getting paid plenty just for asking me! You have to be a bit tough and make sure you value yourself, or no one else will. I think that goes for all entrepreneurs.

What do you think is the next big opportunity for small artisans?

The food business moves so quickly that it’s difficult to predict what’s going to be next! Keeping an eye on the global food & drink board on Pinterest is a great way to see what people are enjoying. Street food is huge at the moment, which I love because it pushes chefs to switch it up and get creative with ingredients, method and serving. I’d like to see it combined with another fun foodie trend – updates of traditional comfort food.

What are your words of wisdom for someone starting out?

If you’ve got a great idea, get stuck in. Too many people keep waiting for the circumstances to be ideal and end up never realising their dream. You don’t have to remortgage the house and leave your job straightaway – find a way to start testing it out and learning about the business. The hardest bit is taking that first step.

What do you think about our big ideas and what Kitchen Table Projects is trying to achieve?

I love the sound of a hub for emerging artisan companies. Not only is it great to have some support and encouragement when you’re starting out, but it’s also invaluable to connect with other people who are doing the same – you never know where you’re going to find the next big idea, a new way to promote yourself, or a new partnership.

You can find more about Sal and her creative content services on her blog, Sal's Kitchen, and she also tweets @Sal_Godfrey. Keep your eyes peeled for her new recipe ebook, Cheaper Than Chips, due for release in September - full up with all of Sal's best budgeting tips and delicious recipes.