Amazing Artisans: Christmas Special Part 1 - Nila Holden

There's no better time than at Christmas to indulge in a little something sweet, making artisan biscuiteer Nila one very busy lady at this time of year. We caught up with her to find out more about how she copes with extra demand, and her top tips for artisans looking to trade for the first time this Christmas.

Quickfire Questions

Name: Nila Holden

What do you make? Artisan cakes and cookies

Where can we find your products? Via my Etsy & Notonthehighstreet stores, exclusive retailers such as Fortnum & Mason & Houses of Commons, farm shops, delis. We are also stocked in a range of boutiques across Northern France.

Favorite Product from your range? From the Christmas range our biscuit birdhouses or cookie pops.

Food Heaven? I love vegetables - they’re so healthy and versatile. My favs are swiss chard, endives, fennel.

Food Hell? Peas or any food with almond flavouring - marzipan or bakewell tart.

Nila Holden - The story so far

I started baking when I was looking for a cake for my wedding and couldn’t find anything that I liked so thought that try making one myself.

I took a class and became addicted to baking! I’d bake every weekend and take spares into work and soon friends and colleagues started to ask me to make cakes or cookies for birthdays and anniversaries. When I was offered redundancy from job in the public sector it seemed like a good opportunity to try my hand at something new. I set up my business a few months later and here we are two and a bit years later.

My proudest moment as an entrepreneur would have to be this year - we’ve had so many great moments.

We’ve worked with Fortnums & House of Commons and now lots of happy customers in France. We’ve achieved so much in a short space of time.

To me, Artisan means producing a really high quality product that offers customers something a little different - both in terms of look, design and taste. And the service you offer; [it’s] so much more personal and hands on.

Running an artisan food business at Christmas

Personalised gifts are hugely popular at Christmas

We are able to hand stamp a name or sentiment to nearly all our gifts. [This] adds such a personal touch to a gift.

This year we started working on Christmas in May and that has proved to not be early enough!

We start by looking at what sold well last year and then what sort of range we would like to present this year. We don’t really follow trends as such, but there is always so much that inspires me in terms of design. This year has been all about green/red/ivory for us which is a departure from our usual muted pastels. And I’ve been really excited to see the response to the small touches we’ve added to our cookies this year - for example the paper straws we use for our cookie pops.

Achieving a balance between work and home life is hugely challenging at any time of the year, but particularly at Christmas.

In fact, it starts in September with Halloween and then quickly moves onto Christmas as we come into late October/early November as this is when we dispatch most of our trade orders. Because of the nature of our products, we tend to get the majority of our online sales in the first two or three weeks of December, which usually the same time as school nativity plays and Christmas activities.

All in all, the last four months of year are always the busiest. We manage this by preparing as much as possible, such as ordering and assembling packaging, training staff, streamlining processes. I also try to get my own Christmas preparations done as early as possible too. And lots of help from my lovely parents who help out with meals and childcare!

This will be our third Christmas trading, and I still struggle with managing workload at this time of year.

As well as the baking, decorating, packing - there’s all the invoicing, replying to emails, preparing quotes. And then continuing any promotion, social media updates etc. Any tips or advice on how to manage any of these routine admin tasks would be really helpful!

My top tips for small food businesses who are looking to prepare for their Christmas trade?

Make sure you’ve got enough physical space to cope with the rush, you’ll need to store more than usual - ingredients, packaging coming in and products packed up ready to be shipped out. Give some thought your production process and how you will cope with a sudden large order - would you manage? Where are the potential stress points /bottlenecks? Can you put some products out of stock and just concentrate on a few key bestsellers?

But most of all try to enjoy it. It's a stressful, exhausting and manic time, but I'd rather be doing this than anything else and I feel truly blessed to be able to do what I love.

November at Kitchen Table Projects

For many people working in the food and retail industry, November means one thing and one thing only: preparing for Christmas. Artisans and retailers may have spent much of the past month putting together their festive preparations, but there’s been plenty of events going on to keep the Kitchen Table Projects team more than busy.

November saw us welcome a new addition to our team, Clare, who will be helping out at KTP a couple of days a week. She’s just started a Masters in the Anthropology of Food here in London, and will be helping to further build the KTP community.

We had great opportunity to network with lots of different people from the food industry at the Roythornes Food Business Breakfast. Inspirational business stories were swapped over a yummy breakfast spread, followed by a morning of networking with faces familiar and new. If you work in the food industry then look out for the next Roythornes foodie event - they’re a great opportunity to meet like-minded people and pick up some invaluable insider tips and advice.

Although many of the larger trade shows concerning the food industry take place earlier on in the year, November offered us the opportunity to attend Food Matters Live and BBC Good Food Show. With thousands of the public flocking to see hundreds of producers and celebrity chefs, the Good Food Shows are always a firm fixture in any foodies diary. This year we saw some of our Amazing Artisans exhibiting their delicious wares, including Hershil, from Dips’, who had an amazing time meeting our favourite builder baker, Richard, runner up from series 5 of The Great British Bake Off. We have to admit Hershil, we were pretty jealous!

Then there were innovative artisans aplenty at the Escape the City Mini Food Festival. The event, hosted by special guests Georgia and Ben from the Kitchen Cooperative, and Max, a local soon-to-be-cafe owner, was driven by inspirational stories and pitches from innovative new artisan producers. Some of our favourites included Morse Toad (personalised chocolate messages), Sweet Hangovers Bakery (alcohol infused bakes), CELIA Lager (gluten free beer), The Grape Club (subscription-based wine club), Hello Sunshine (flavoured butter, whose business had been thought up only days previous to the event!) MoJu (fresh cold-pressed juices) and Kakawa Tea (Peruvian cocoa tea). The second half of the evening was given over to the artisans, allowing people to try their products, some of which were launching to the public for the very first time. It’s always fantastic to meet innovative new producers and hear their stories...we look forward to hearing more from all the businesses featured very soon.

So what’s in store for December? Things will be a bit quiet in the KTP office from the 19th December until the 5th of January - although we’ll still be twittering away and contactable by email, so feel free to drop us a line if you fancy a chat. In between consuming copious amounts of mulled wine, mince pies and turkey sandwiches, we’ll be around at a couple of events, too, including the Impact Hub Brixton Christmas Market Party on the 11th of December. Until then, we’ll be working towards the launch of our new website, and preparing some awesome things coming your way in 2015.

We’ve had a great year and look forward to all the exciting things that 2015 has in store. From all the team at KTP, we hope you have a fantastic Christmas and New Year!

A London Foodie Christmas - Our guide to the most indulgent month of the year

It's official - the Christmas countdown has begun and there's plenty going on in London this December to fuel a foodie’s festive spirit. Here’s our pick of London events to get you in the mood for Christmas.

NORTH LONDON

Pick up some locally grown treats for your Christmas table at the Queen’s Wood Café’s ‘Christmas Fayre’ on the 14th December. Between 12 and 4 the café will be selling chutneys, jams and honey, all made from garden produce. There will be tours of the community garden and the cafe will be serving up cakes and mulled wine to sip on whilst you browse.

There’s a number of festive workshops happening across London that will help you to cook up plenty of seasonal treats. The Culinary Anthropologist is running a ‘Festive Bread workshop’ on the 6th December. The session will teach you how to make a number of seasonal treats for your family and friends, plus there will be a scrumptious Christmas lunch provided. Book soon to avoid disappointment!

If you’d rather have the treats cooked for you, head to the York and Albany in Camden for cockle-warming cocktails, seasonal snacks and meaty meals at the Winter Cabin Pop-Up. Promising a “bijou mountain lodge for urban carnivores”, the Winter Cabin can be hired for groups between 4 and 12 and will be open until the end of February so you can maintain the Christmas spirit into 2015.

WEST LONDON

To pick up some foodie gifts in West London, check out the ‘Good Food Festival’ in Brunswick Square Gardens on the 18th December. There’s loads of stalls to browse as well as cooking demonstrations and a chocolate tasting session from Ubuntu Chocolate. Not to be missed!

Leith’s cookery school has put on a number of classes especially for Christmas. From ‘Cake Decoration’ to an “Italian Christmas’ you can pick up the essential skills for a perfect Christmas from one of the most respected cookery schools in the world.

SOUTH LONDON

South London is the place to be for festive pop-ups. Check out Jimmy Garcia’s ‘The Lodge’ on Hildreth Street, Balham. The venue has been transformed into an Alpine Lodge, and with a menu which includes cheese fondue, it’s London’s answer to apres-ski (minus the ski). If you’ve already had your ski holiday and are looking to embrace wintery London life, Caiger & Co are running a Christmas pop-up in Borough Market. Using produce from the market this event will provide you with a unique perspective on London’s famous food market.  

South London also offers the perfect solution to the ‘what-do-I-get-them’ question. Brixton Cornercopia have put together a hamper full of foods made in the Village, perfect to stick under the tree for a South London foodie! You can also pick up gifts at the Clarkshaw Brewery’s ‘Christmas Party’ at the Tyrrell Trading Estate on the 7th December. You can build your own Christmas hamper with the artisanal charcuterie, cheese and, of course, beer, which will be available to consume on site and take away. Tours of the brewery will also take place on the day.

If you have your gift-giving sorted and are looking for the perfect decorative touches, why not make them edible? EcoLocal are running an “Xmas Edibles’ decorations class on the 14th December where you can learn to make unique decorations for your home using food.

EAST LONDON

Night Tales returns to Shoreditch until the 20th December, with a long list of guest teams providing the very best in street food. In addition to food, cocktail bars will provide seasonal drinks, so you can get a head-start before heading out to check out the infamous Shoreditch nightlife.

Christmas can be a tough time for vegan foodies. Not to fear! Dinner Exchange East is serving up a 4 course vegan dinner on the 8th December. Not only will the very best in sustainable eating be on offer, but the meal will be accompanied by live jazz provided by Valia Calda.

For those of us counting the calories this Christmas, Made in Hackney is running a ‘Xmas Feast Community Class’. This pay-by-donation class will teach you how to make a delicious and nutritious festive meal, so you can dine ‘guilt-free’ this Christmas.

Get all your shopping done in one place with the Growing Communities’ Stoke Newington Farmers Market, where trees will be available alongside the impeccably sourced meat and veg normally on offer. There will also be a number of organic goodies for sale, so you can pick up a few edible gifts whilst you’re at it. Or, for an East London twist on the Christmas hamper, check out  ‘Hackney Hampers’. They’re packed full of treats from small producers all over Hackney; the perfect gift for the locally-conscious foodie.

We’ll be donning our Christmas jumpers and getting into the festive spirit by attending the Hub Brixton Christmas Market Party on December 11th. For one night only, the Impact Hub Team will be transforming our usual co-working space in a traditional German Christmas market, complete with mince pies, carols and stalls showcasing the wonderful wares of local artisan makers. If you’re in the area, why not pop by and join us for a glass of Glühwein (or two); it’ll be the perfect way to ignite that festive feeling whilst supporting amazing local producers too.

What foodie events will you be attending to get into the festive spirit?

© Photos by Flickr Users Remy Sharp, Me!bourne Mermaid, David Dixon and are reproduced under the creative commons license