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 Artisan: Tamsin, Founder of Luponde Tea

Luponde are a great example of a family company who continue to maintain their commitment to their artisan values. It was great to see how passionate founder Tamsin is about the heritage of their tea, and it’s lovely to hear how the Luponde tea estate aims to support small, independent farmers, social welfare projects as well as endeavouring to preserve and improve the natural environment both here in England and in Tanzania. We caught up with Tamsin to find out a little bit more about her company and what makes being an artisan so exciting - read the interview in full here to find out what she said.

Amazing Artisan: Hilary, Co-founder of Choctails

London Cocktail Week sees everyone from budding amateur bartenders through to expert mixologists come together to share their passion for their favourite tipple. So what better time to feature the artisan who brings together two of Kitchen Table Projects’ foodie loves;  innovative cocktails and decadent chocolate? Founded by husband and wife team Simon and Hilary Delamare in 2012, Choctails was borne from Simon’s suggestion of putting cocktail flavours into chocolate.  The result?  Praise from family and friends for her concoctions, giving Hilary the motivation to turn her chocolate-making hobby into a full-time business. Turning her domestic kitchen into a production factory by day and giving up the dining room to become a chocolate store, Choctails was born. Read the interview in full here, where Hilary talks to Kitchen Table Projects about her startup story so far, and explains why running your own business is so awesome.

Speciality Food Fair 2014 - Our Top Picks

Whilst we know that we’re a nation that values tradition, it’s clear to see that us Brits are becoming increasingly less afraid of try new flavours and ingredients. Our supermarkets are now filled with a variety of products from around the globe, the popularity of fusion cuisine has taken off along with pretty much everyone who’s anyone opting for street food over more traditional, fine dining restaurants.

At the beginning of September we visited the Speciality and Fine Food Fair at Olympia and to say that there was a huge variety of products on show would be an understatement. Being a trade-only show and having never visited before, I was expecting something a little more corporate and a little less exciting. With over 700 producers exhibiting it was certainly nothing like that; we were blown away by not only the scale of the fair but the huge diversity of producers, experts and foodies that came far and wide to visit and exhibit at the fair. It was so exciting to meet and chat to so many passionate, innovative food producers, and the fair really affirmed our mission and inspired us to continue working towards something really awesome.

Tempted by the delicious smells that filled Olympia, there was loads to look at and try (okay, there was definitely a lot more trying than looking!) We tried pretty much every kind of food you could imagine, from cured meats to pasta to olive oils and artisan chocolate. It was all delicious, but if we had to whittle down our favourites, these guys from the small producer village had to come top:

The Frozen Fruit Company

As ice cream devotees, it’s usually hard to convince us that something healthy would make a delicious alternative to our usual creamy treat. First taste and we were sold; this super fruity fat-free frozen dessert is just the right amount of sweet. The Strawgo has to be our favourite, and is sure to be our go-to treat when we’re next reaching inside our freezer.

Emily’s Fruit Crisps

Our guilt-free snack of choice in the KTP office. Delicious fruit crisps for when the 4pm snack attack hits, these crisps are free from nasties (and the packaging is gorgeous, too). The pineapple is delicious, but the crunchy apple variety have to be our favourite.

British Cassis

The super-friendly, outgoing guys on the British Cassis stall immediately drew us in; it helped that their drinks were delicious, too! These guys are big on providence and celebrate the traceability of all their British ingredients. We loved their story and look forward to hearing what these guys are up to next!

We Love Jelly

The idea behind this product is awesome! Their cocktail infused jellies come in three flavours and are perfect for a dessert or even an alternative to your usual tipple. Watch out for these cocktail chemists (complete with lab coats)...we predict they're going to be big business in the food world!

Warner Edwards

It doesn’t take a lot to tempt us into trying Gin. Warner Edwards have it down to a tee - great tasting gin, fab branding and interesting flavour combinations. We’re looking forward to seeing a lot more of these guys very soon!

Image from http://bit.ly/1Chx4Wg

Wicked and Wonderful

We’d already met chocolatier Ben when we interviewed him as an Amazing Artisan a couple of months ago. His new chocolate venture, Wicked & Wonderful, was one of our favourite takeaways from the chocolate show; mouth-wateringly good chocolate in decadent packaging that feels as luxurious as it tastes.

Cloudberry Bakery

The thought that entered our minds on trying their Great Taste 3 Gold Star salted caramel sauce? Why haven’t we tried this before!? Deliciously decadent, we think this sauce would be perfect heated over a brownie or drizzled over ice cream (or, if we’re feeling really greedy, straight out of the jar on a spoon!)

Little Dabbas

Another Great Taste three gold star winner, we loved these quirky little pots holding their authentic Gujarati masala shots. With a different pot for vegetables, seafood and meats, Mistry and Co. are on a mission to educate people that Indian food can be delicious and healthy. Oh, and their website is awesome, too!

Proper Beans

Ben and his team are on a mission to recreate everyone’s favourite baked beans by using delicious ingredients and a slow cooking process. With six unique recipes in their range and already stocked in Fortnum and Mason, these guys look ready to make a storm and shake up the world of beans as we know it.

Mrs Middleton’s Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil

With Mrs Middleton’s it was pretty simple; bags of enthusiasm mixed with a premium (not to mention delicious) product from their family farm in Bedfordshire. We loved trying their samples - the oil is just as perfect on it’s own with some freshly baked bread than it is in all types of cooking. Looking forward to seeing more from these guys.

Jaz and Juls

With the nights drawing in and winter firmly on its way, Jaz and Juls hot chocolate is the perfect treat. Amazing variety of flavours and ethically sourced cocoa from Madagascar, Peru, and Granda. Sounds good to us!

We can’t wait until next year!

Were you at the food fair? What was your favourite find?

Amazing Artisans: Kitchen Cupboard Essentials Featuring Granny Tigg's, Honestly Good and Spice Kitchen

Check out our website this week for an artisan bonanza! We caught up with three awesome artisans; Jacob from Granny Tiggs, Sanjay from Spice Kitchen and Evan from Honestly Good Olive Oil. From jazzing up a salad, whipping up a flavourful curry, to decadently moist cakes and a tasty companion to tapas, these guys know all about creating versatile ingredients that are packed full of flavour. What’s more, we love how their products, in their own ways, are steeped in their maker’s heritage. Eating their product means journeying to the far and wide corners of the earth; whether it’s Granny Tigg’s journey from New Zealand, returning to Sanjay’s Indian heritage, or sampling the sunshine of Evan’s Greek olive groves, these artisan’s products pack a flavour punch with a fantastic story, too. But don’t just take our word for it - check out the interviews in full for more startup stories and hints and tips from this week’s Amazing Artisans.

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?

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!

Industry Insiders: Helen Santer,

We love hearing from other Londoners who are keen to champion small businesses, so it was great to catch up with Helen, from Waterloo Quarter to find out about all the amazing things they're up to at the moment. They're mission is to make Waterloo a better place to do business, and are working on loads of cool projects to make sure that happens. Helen shares her thoughts on small businesses, startups, and supporting independents.

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

I’’m Helen Santer. I run Waterloo Quarter, which is a Business Improvement District (BID) that works with 320 businesses next to Waterloo station. Local businesses pay a small annual levy  to Waterloo Quarter, which we use to run projects to improve the area. I am also the Director of Lower Marsh Market. Lower Marsh is a historic street market in Waterloo, which went through a long period of decline, but has recently benefited from significant investment and a growing number of stalls. We run lots of services to support our members – ranging from recycling to events, a promotional website and lobbying the Council on issues that affect them.

What does your typical day look like?

My typical day is very varied – I can be setting budgets with the Directors, meeting new members, commissioning new projects and supporting the team with delivering events – all in the space of a few hours!

What does ‘Artisan’ mean to you?

‘Artisan’ to me means something made with love and attention. It doesn’t need to mean expensive or exclusive, but it does need to mean high quality and made from the heart.

How can small artisans stand out?

Small artisans can stand out by focusing on their unique qualities that make them so different from larger producers and chains. By focusing on the quality of the product and the personality behind it artisans can give themselves a real point of difference.

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

Small artisan food producers deserve our support. At Lower Marsh Market we offer very favourable rates to producers looking to trade and support them with their marketing as they start out on the market. We also work with food producers looking for retail space in the area, putting them in touch with landlords with appropriate space to let.

What are your words of wisdom for starting out?

To anyone starting out as an artisan food producer I would say have faith in the quality of your product and be honest about your sales skills. The most fantastic product in the world will struggle to sell if customers are not tempted in and encouraged to come back. Consider whether you need any support to improve your sales skills or whether it’s worth partnering up with someone who does this better than you.

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

We’re completely sold on Kitchen Table Projects’ model for creating a food hub that supports emerging artisans to access the high street. Street markets in particular present an affordable opportunity for even the newest start-up to access a piece of the high street. From a consumer perspective, this can only be a good thing, as it increases the range, affordability and point of difference to the high street, helping it to stand out from the norm.

We love what Waterloo Quarter are doing and think their ideas are great. To find out more about Waterloo Quarter BID visit www.waterlooquarter.org, and for all the information about Lower Marsh Market visit www.lowermarshmarket.co.uk. For all queries, please email info@waterlooquarter.org

Are you an Industry Insider who wants to be featured on our blog? We'd love to hear all your foodie insider tips and tricks- drop us a Tweet @KitchTablePro with the hashtag #IndustryInsiders or send us a message to hello@kitchentableprojects.com

July at Kitchen Table Projects

Wow...is it August already?! Last month our feet didn’t seem to touch the ground! We were lucky enough to attend a really useful New Product Development conference hosted by Roythornes, wrote about our favourite Independent London Delis, celebrated Independents' Day tested some tasty new products from our Amazing Artisans, and met loads of inspiring people, too. In fact, our Amazing Artisan page on the website  is starting to look pretty busy. It’s home to all the amazing producers that we’ve interviewed and is bursting with loads of great startup stories and foodie adventures.

Alongside our Amazing Artisans feature, we’ve also been speaking to some food industry professionals who have lent us (and you) their thoughts on the ever-changing food world. In our Industry Insiders feature, we talk to people with a wealth of experience in various areas, from branding and marketing to people who have set up their own successful business from scratch. Whatever area they specialise in, we believe that what they’ve got to say is incredibly important and it’s always useful to learn from other people’s experiences.

We've also spent the past month doing lots of research into the shopping habits of the foodie world. We’ve been talking to people about where they like to buy their food, what they like to eat and, most importantly, what they’d like to see on their high streets and what their dream food hub would look like. Last week we started to take a good look at your responses to our questionnaire and discovered some really interesting trends. Contrary to the popular opinion that the high street is dying, you guys interestingly told us that you love the high street and would love to see it filled with more independent retailers. This is great news for us - we love everything independent and would love to see more indies on the high street. But don’t take our word for it, have a look at our results and tell us what you think! Do you agree? Do think that high street retail retail is ready for a revival, or is all your shopping done online? We’d still love to hear all your thoughts - please take a few moments of your time to help a fellow foodie and fill out our online survey.

We’re already looking forward to August and all the exciting things we’ve got planned - watch this space! And as always, you can find us tweeting away @KitchTablePro, or on Facebook, too.

Is the High Street Dead?

It’s been a pretty busy one this month at Kitchen Table Projects. We’ve spent lots of time making  our website awesome, chatting to loads of Amazing Artisans, picking up some hints and tips from the Industry Insiders on our blog, and discovering what fellow foodies love to eat, where they like to buy it, and what they want to see on their high street. We love shopping at independents, so can see why you guys do, too. While the media are readily hailing the ‘death of the high street’, 2 out of every 3 foodies who have taken part in our questionnaire told us they choose to shop at an independent grocer at least once a week. In fact, whilst 60% of you said that you get your weekly shop from a big chain supermarket, 45% said that they visited their local market at least once a month - How great is that?!

And whilst it’s undeniable that the supermarket giants are king for convenience, 75% of you guys told us that you are bored are what you see there and love to discover interesting new products and support independent trade. So is the future of the high street all that cloudy?

With 2.5 billion internet users across the globe, we are constantly driven by what we see, read and who we talk to on the internet. You might be reading this blog on some kind of mobile device, and chances are you Tweet, Facebook your friends, and Instagram all your pictures quicker than you can say ‘Valencia’ (that’s an photo filter - for those of you not so versed in the terms of the insta-world). It’s quick and it’s accessible, and for many retailers, it’s ideal. The power of the ‘click-and-buy’ has made shopping online easier than ever, and it’s predicted that by 2015 90% of music, 70% of books and 40% of electricals will be bought over the internet. 

That sounds like pretty bad news for the high street, right? Well actually, no. 50% of you guys told us that you rarely or never shop online, choosing to pound the pavements and take to the high street to pick up your weekly shop. What’s more, every single one of you guys that took part in our questionnaire told us that they wanted to see more independent retailers on our high streets.

So is the high street really dying, or is it just that our ideas about what we want to see there are radically changing? Despite living our lives on the internet, retail experts have insisted on a continued desire for bricks-and-mortar shops. We are humans after all, not robots (well, for now anyway), and social interaction as well as the opportunity to look at, touch and smell a product remains a huge pull of the physical retail experience. 

Retailers have responded to this by adopting experiential shopping destinations; places that incorporate the virtual social world into the the physical retail shop. These shops are no longer solely focused on the transaction, but instead aim to offer a social experience which is both entertaining and pleasurable for the shopper. Think about the last time you visited your local high street. Was there some kind of interactive experience? Did you tweet about something you saw there? Chances are you didn’t just walk in, make your purchase and leave; shoppers now expect destinations which are both fun and interactive to shop at.

We think this is great. At Kitchen Table Projects we’re all about championing the high street, and think that it’s really important to enhance the retail experience, not only for our customers, but for our artisans, too. We’re creating a space for artisans to share their stories with the people who can’t wait to discover them, and to collaborate with other producers. Experience is at the heart of everything we do, and we believe that everything is better when we work together.

But do you agree with what we’re saying, or do you really think that the high street is on it’s way out? Do you live for online shopping or are you in love with independents? We want to know what you want to see on your high street so we can create a food hub that you love to shop at, buying the food that you love to eat. You can help us do this by sharing your thoughts here, or if you’re just curious to find out some more interesting facts from our foodie research, then head on over here. We want to revolutionise retail, and with your help, we can be one step closer to doing so!