Amazing Artisans: Richard and Fionagh, Founders of Cornish Charcuterie

All of our artisans have their own motivations behind their decision to take the plunge and start their own businesses. For Fionagh and Richard, their decision was driven by their want for a better life for their young family and, after fleeing the home countries in search of a bit of countryside charm, they found themselves a 350 acre farm in the Cornwall. Cornish Charcuterie came about as a culmination of  Fionagh and Richard’s interest in charcuterie, and gradually became a way to make their farm profitable. Continually expanding their range, they now run a thriving business that produces award winning products made with delicious local ingredients. We caught up with Richard to find out a little more about their startup journey, their signature products and why they were attracted to the Cornish food scene. Read the interview in full on our website.

Amazing Artisans: Stuart and Kathryn, Founders of Proper Nutty Peanut Butter

Peanut butter. As far as we're concerned, breakfast doesn't get much better than toast topped with a generous smear of this delicious nutty spread (although we are often guilty of eating it straight from the jar - spoon optional).  It’s always fantastic to see an artisan take something and apply their own artisanal methods to their production, creating a unique, delicious product. Enter this week's Amazing Artisans Stuart and Kathryn, the nutty masterminds behind artisan peanut butter company, Proper Nutty. After returning to the UK, the couple struggled to get hold of the delicious, quality, unprocessed peanut butter they had been used to whilst living abroad. Noticing a gap in the market, Proper Nutty was born. Read the interview in full to find out what made Stuart and Kathryn nutty enough to take the plunge and start their own business.

Celebrating British Food Fortnight

Britain is at the heart of global gastronomy. Year on year we continue to grow delicious produce which quality is hard matched anywhere else in the world. We’re innovative, we’re diverse and we’re passionate about providence; eating is and has always been central to the British way of life. From your mum’s Sunday roast, to juicy strawberries from Kent or the highest quality hand-reared bacon from your local butcher, food continues to remain at the heart of every Briton’s life. The meaning of British food stretches beyond our stomachs; it reflects our love and pride for our produce, for our farmers and producers, for our country. Because of this, it’s never been more important to champion the plethora of produce our country continues to produce every year.

British Food Fortnight was first curated in order to do exactly that. Starting out in 2002, the team set out to organise a celebration of all things food, primarily aiming to highlight the importance of buying quality, fresh, local and seasonal foods and the health benefits of doing so. British Food Fortnight has since firmly established itself as a significant event in the British gastronomic calendar, attracting the attention of food producers, farmers, the press, chefs, the government and the public alike. Today, the team use the two week celebration as a time to  educate people on all the different and exciting ways you can cook, eat, grow and enjoy British Food, encouraging people to understand more about the plot-to-plate provenance of their food.

As you guys know, Kitchen Table Projects are big on providence and love hearing all the fantastic stories behind our Amazing Artisans’ products. So, in celebration of British Food Fortnight, we put together a list of our ten favourite, can’t live without, British exports.

Meat

Wander down any supermarket meat aisle and you’ll be confronted with huge variety of homegrown offerings. Britain is famous for our delicious Beef, Lamb and Pork, but we also produce amazing game and venison, too.

Tea

Need we say more? Black tea, Builders Brew or Milk’ n ’two… Blighty wouldn’t be without a Great British brew. We’re a thirsty bunch, consuming on average 62.2 Billion cups of the stuff every year.

Marmite

The jar that’s always lurking at the back of the cupboard, the spread we love to hate...the KTP team are firmly in the ‘love it’ camp - do you love it or loathe it?

Strawberries

The British summer staple. The sweet snack of choice at Wimbledon, only bettered with a little cream and a dashing of sugar.

Clotted Cream

Dressing our naked scones for, well, forever. And no, we’re not about to get into the ‘cream then jam’ or ‘jam then cream’ debate.

Cheddar

Tall blonde 5 year aged cheese seeking: creamy butter, handsome ham and a toasty machine to tuck him in at night.

Colman's Mustard

Nigella famously carries a tube wherever she goes - we’re not sure we’d go to quite the same lengths, but it certainly is a firm favourite in British cupboards far and wide.

Oxo Cubes

The underdog of the spice world. Your friend when you forget to buy gravy, perfect for jazzing up a Shepherd’s pie. No Brit cupboard is complete without a tin.

HP Sauce

The tangy friend of bacon butties and Sunday fry ups. Simples.

The Yorkshire Pudding

And we’re not talking about Aunt Bessie’s here, either. Step outside Britain and it’s a crispy eggy mess; To all englishmen - the holy grail of roast dinners.

You can support the campaign by going to www.lovebritishfood.co.uk, where you can find out more about the events going on near you and the ways you an help raise the profile of amazing British food.

Tell us - what British foods get your mouth watering? What in your cupboard could you absolutely not live without?

Industry Insiders: Robert Gunn, Tastes of Anglia

It’s always great to meet other like-minded businesses who love independent artisans and great tasting food as much as we do. Kitchen Table Projects first met Robert from Tastes of Anglia at the NPD Conference that we attended in July. We really enjoyed swapping stories, as well as finding out a little more about the fab things Tastes of Anglia are getting up to.

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

Tastes of Anglia is a not for profit, membership owned cooperative formed over 20 years ago to support and promote the food and drink industry of East Anglia.  ToA has members that include some of the largest businesses in the region to one person operations producing food and drink in domestic kitchens, selling their products at local farmers markets then going home and doing it all again. ToA now provides a reference point for anyone interested in the food and drink industry across the region. We support food education and the use of locally grown and created products; we facilitate introductions where members will benefit from working together; we assist in sourcing regional and national grant funding to aid business growth and routes to export and we provide CCA Landskills part funded business courses across England and Wales. We are [also] currently planning partnerships with tourist organisations to promote food tourism to the region and with other regional and national food related organisations to assist in spreading the word about the excellent food and drink producers of East Anglia.

How do you help small businesses?

The four words that sum up our activities are: Communicating, Supporting Advising and Facilitating. Many members come to us seeking assistance in taking their products to market. Having sold our own distribution business last year we are now creating excellent connections with major retailers and distributors across the region and beyond. Our members produce ambient, chilled and frozen products for retail and foodservice. We seek to facilitate partnerships with the right specialists in all areas.

How important is a good business plan?

A properly designed business plan is a requirement for any successful business.

What do you think are the three key things that make a successful food brand?

The three key things for a successful food brand are: brand and market analysis, quality of the product and the presentation, an effective marketing plan.

Do you have any predictions on what will be trending in the foodie world in the next six months?

South African and South American cuisine is starting to make a breakthrough in the UK. Anything that has a USP that appeals to the general public.

How do you think small artisan producers can be supported?

Startup and fledgling artisan producers can be supported in a wide variety of ways through membership of Tastes of Anglia. We welcome members from other parts of the country, not just from East Anglia.

What do you think is the toughest part of starting up your own food business?

The toughest part of starting a food business is letting your business head direct your activities and not just your passion for a product you, your family and friends think is great.

What are your words of wisdom for anyone thinking of starting a new business?

Research, research, research! Analyse, develop and market.

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

Every new small producer will benefit from a chance to test prototype products, new launches etc in a well located venue with a high footfall of foodie lovers. If that is what KTP can provide ToA will support you all the way.​

If you’re interested in finding out more about what Tastes of Anglia do, then head over to their website, www.tastesofanglia.org.uk. You can find them on Twitter, too, @TastesofAnglia.

Main Picture by Flickr User Caroline