Speciality-Food-July/August 2025

39 LAST WORDS The final word on fine food BELVOIR PINK GRAPEFRUIT PALOMA MOCKTAIL The hot weather has well and truly hit, and refreshing zesty-ness is the order of the day. We love this Pink Grapefruit Paloma fromBelvoir for its fruity cocktail vibes and vibrant colour, but parties in any season could benefit from this tipple. Belvoir have been extra clever by adding the essence of tequila, so you feel you’re drinking a real cocktail but saving yourself the hangover. belvoirfarm.co.uk CARTRIGHT & BUTLER COCOA DUSTED DARK CHOCOLATE PISTACHIOS It’s needless to say that pistachio products are everywhere right now, but all often they are sickly sweet and overly indulgent – blended with a white chocolate base for a cream, or partnered withmilk chocolate for a treat that’s moreish to begin with but soon becomes toomuch. The fact these are made using dark chocolate, with an extra dusting of bitter cocoa powder, make themmuchmore suited to adult palates – and their subtle crunch keeps us going back for more. cartrightandbutler.co.uk WHITE RABBIT ALMOND BISCOTTI It’s always a pleasure to discover a gluten-free product which is just as delicious as its conventional counterpart as it means that nobody has to miss out, and this is certainly the case withWhite Rabbit’s Almond Biscotti. Hand-rolled and baked in Italy, with chunky almond pieces, these are rich in aromatic almond and don’t have the sandiness you often get with gluten-free bakes. Just sublime with hot coffee. whiterabbitpizza.co.uk PARTNER CONTENT THE INDEPENDENT SHOPPER herbs and products from the finest places in Paris, Italy and across Europe. Their strawberries come from France, along with stunning white asparagus and wild garlic. Their mangoes and limes are imported fromMexico. We use Cacklebean eggs at KAJI which are superior in taste and colour. Their orange egg yolks are our preferred eggs to use on top of our beef tartare. For specialist Japanese ingredients, we use Japan Food Express for condiments, vinegars and soy. We source our sushi rice from them too. When it comes to wines, I use my trusted wine supplier Miles Corish who is a NWmaster of wine and has been supplying wines for me for over two decades. Miles has become a W e source all our fish for KAJI fromMidland Fish in Fleetwood. Giles, my old fishmonger in Clitheroe, who I used for years when I was at Freemasons Wiswell, put me in touch with them when I moved to Manchester to launch KAJI at the end of last year. We buy whole tuna, lobster and crab, langoustine, scallops and Carlingford Loch oysters and all of our sushi fish from them. I still source our smoked salmon from Giles in Clitheroe as I believe he offers the best in the UK. Our A5 Wagyu beef is sourced from Japan from Tajimaya UK. All our other meat comes from R&J Meats of Yorkshire which includes the rest of our beef, pork, chicken, lamb and game. Vegetables come from Ribble Farm Fare. Andy McGregor, one of my previous chefs from Freemasons Wiswell later joined this company. They source specialist vegetables, Steven Smith, chef patron at KAJI Manchester TRIED & TESTED personal friend over the years, and he’s been eating my food for so long that he knows exactly the right wines to pair with it. I trust his wine selections implicitly and I know he will always suggest the best accompaniments to my dishes. THE POWER OF LA FAMIGLIA Family plays a vital role in Italy’s culture, and it’s time to bring that love to UK tables too I f there’s one thingmissing frommealtimes in Britain, genuine family connection is a real contender. We’re a nation of on-the-go snackers, meal deals and breakfast/lunch/dinner with only our laptops for company, and while this is all well and good in the context of a busy day, is it leading to a lack of appreciation and love for what we’re eating? Taking the time to slowdown and relish ameal with family and friends is something Italiansmastered long ago – andwe could all benefit from learning from their approach. They have a saying, ‘a tavola non s’invecchia’, meaning ‘at the table one does not growold’. Time stands still when you gather around a table with loved ones, nomatter how simple or grand the fare. Consider the types of foods that would suit being shared at the table: big serving bowls of pasta, a pan of risotto or a large dish of lasagne ready to be spooned onto plates. Generous salads, and dishes of antipasti to be nibbledwhen the mood strikes. Italian food is perfect for sharing, and it doesn’t take a raft of ingredients and grand budgets to do just that. Perhaps consider displaying a range of large serving dishes alongside your Italian food and drink if space allows, or recipe cards formeals that are ripe to be shared. Snacks alongside Italian drinks – aperitivos are becoming increasingly popular – to inspire shoppers to bring together friends for an impromptu gathering. Pasta and the ingredients for a simple sauce, salads and great olive oil and vinegars, tarralini, bruschetti or crostini, and fabulous Italian wine... All staple items in the fine food shoppers’ culinary arsenal, but rethinking your approach to promoting themcould inspire your customers to relish them like never before – powered by the love of good family and friends. My wine supplier has been supplying wines to me for over two decades specialityfoodmagazine.com