Speciality Food Jan/Feb 2026

28 “When artisan became a luxury and why it never was” A lot of British cheesemongers have not been able to carry many soft French and Italian unpasteurised cheeses due to a ban introduced in May 2025. The measure was brought in to prevent the spread of Lumpy Skin Disease, a viral condition affecting cattle in parts of Europe. Although the disease poses no risk to human health and is not a food safety issue, the restrictions were put in place to protect the UK’s livestock and agricultural industry. Europe is hurting, and I feel it. Across France and Italy, friends in the dairy world tell me what it means for their unpasteurised cheeses to be halted at their own borders. These are small dairies for whom the UK is not a casual market. The flow of cheese has never been equal. The continent sends vast quantities of cheese to Britain, far more than we send to them. Their loss is economically profound. Ours is felt in flavour, theirs is felt in livelihood. We in Britain can still export. They, for now, cannot send many of their unpasteurised cheeses to us. And this imbalance matters. When wheels of Brie de Meaux, Camembert de Normandie or Robiola cannot leave their maturing rooms for the UK, it is not only trade that is paused. It is a fracture in long-standing relationships and a blow to communities shaped by cheese. Yet this difficult moment for Europe also casts a light on our own landscape. British farming is constantly challenged by an industry that demands more from farmers than it ever rewards. It is a job that needs protecting and one that must be paid properly if we wish to have any future in real food. Our distance from artisan production has been widened by decades of cheap, industrial food that works against nature rather than with it. JAMES GRANT NO2 POUND STREET In just four generations, since the arrival of the supermarket, our relationship with food has changed beyond recognition. Most people believe artisan food is too expensive, when the truth is that artisan is simply how all food was once made. It is not luxury. It is food in harmony with land, livestock and season. But supermarkets have reshaped our idea of cost. Today the average shopper spends far less on their weekly shop than previous generations. It feels like progress, yet the hidden price is our health. Much of modern food relies on exhausted soils, synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, pushing ever harder for yields that nature never agreed to give. What appears cheap at the checkout becomes expensive in the surgery. We live in a world where the nutritional value of food has been driven down while the cost to human wellbeing rises quietly and relentlessly. This is a moment to stand up for food sovereignty, to protect farmers, our landscapes and our health. Paying the true value of food is not indulgence. It is restoration. It is honesty. It is fairness for the people who feed us. And so, while Europe struggles with the loss of our market, we must respond with empathy for them and responsibility for ourselves. Britain once held a rich tapestry of farmhouse cheese before industrialisation and the war years stripped much of it away. Now, with European unpasteurised imports restricted, a space opens for our own raw milk revival. A chance to support British cheesemakers and farmers who are rebuilding craft from the soil upward, creating cheeses that speak of their fields, their animals and their patience. If Europe’s struggle teaches us anything, it is that real food needs guardians everywhere. And right now British farmers and cheesemakers need us. They need our understanding, our willingness to pay fairly and our recognition that proper food has a value far deeper than price. This is our opportunity to renew what was lost, protect what remains and choose a future where flavour, health and craft are valued once more. Champignon-Hofmeister’s creamy blue cheese, Grand Noir, is now available in 140g pre-cut portions, making it evenmore accessible for discerning shoppers in grab and go settings. It’s the first time the cheese, traditionally only available in larger wheels at the deli counter, has been presented in a fridge-friendly format, and taps into the rising consumer demand for smaller portions of premiumproducts. Grand Noir is lactose and gluten-free, suitable for vegetarians, and is the ideal next step up from its sister cheeses – the creamy, mild, soft Cambozola and Montagnolo – being aged for around sixmonths, with a more intense, sharp, sweet taste and buttery finish. Dominique Delacour, head of UKmarketing for Tom Walker, which distributes Grand Noir, said, “Cheese buyers are increasingly looking for products that combine premiumquality with ease of enjoyment at home. “The new 140g Grand Noir format delivers exactly that - perfectly portioned for tastings, entertaining, or everyday indulgence during this time of the year. The product’s convenient size and premiumquality give retailers a versatile SKU to drive trial, attract new shoppers, and boost sales in a diverse category.” New format for elegant blue @specialityfood Interest grows for new goats’ cheese brand Philippa Jackson, founder of Flavour Moments, is still on a high, she says, following a recent trip to Doha in theMiddle East, where buyers have shown keen interest in her new ‘disruptor’ brand and its Goats’ Cheese Pearls. Launched in April 2025, withwork ongoing behind the scenes for nearly three years, Flavour Moments was conceived by Philippa followingmany years working for large retailers in the US and UK. “I’d been looking at the category for a while, and it was becoming apparent tome that, for so long, cheese had no innovation or newness in it. If you think about it, when you walk into a supermarket, all the shelves have newproducts all the time, but you never really see that in cheese. The way it’s packaged, consumed and portion controlled has been the same for cheese for a long time. I wanted to create something that could really tell a story on the shelves, stand out, and also look really beautiful,” she said. Flavour Moments are formed of Wiltshire-made goats’ cheese, moulded into ‘pearls’, with different jam-like fillings – currently Fig, Honey or Pear, plus the recent launch of the Truffle Honey Christmas special edition. The response so far has been “phenomenal”, continued Philippa. “People say they’ve seen nothing like them before. I’m thrilled, especially as I made the leap in June to leavemy full-time job to focus on this. It feels quite refreshing to have that affirmation.” New orders are being taken now for the cheeses, which have a shelf life of 28 days. Right nowBritish farmers and cheesemakers need us. They need our understanding, our willingness to pay fairly and our recognition that proper food has a value far deeper than price COMING MARCH 2026 For more information contact: louise.barnes@artichokehq.com 01206 508629 Valuable intel into the sustainable future of food & drink The Green Report 2026 Sustainable Champions S ustainable Drink Trends Innovations in Sustainability Future Proof Farming