Speciality-Food-June-2025

15 specialityfoodmagazine.com PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NORTH Allison Raper TEESDALE CHEESEMAKERS Keeping things as natural, honest and local as possible is of paramount importance at Teesdale Cheesemakers. Now entering its 10th year of cheese production, and its sixth at its 20 acre smallholding – complete with purpose- build dairy made out of recycled materials – Allison and her husband Jonathan are resolutely keeping things local. The Covid-19 pandemic led to the business swiftly becoming a go-to for the local community, and its reputation for being a hub for locals still rings true. Allison and Jonathan’s dedication to the surrounding region doesn’t end there; they supply only businesses and customers within a tight radius, and only use cows milk sourced from the family farm six miles from the smallholding. By keeping sourcing, production, and its customer base within a carefully limited area, Teesdale Cheesemakers are offering a perfectly distilled taste of County Durham. teesdalecheesemakers.com Annabelle Taylor WASS FARM While its original mission was simply to make its excellent meat more accessible to its local community, the team at Wass Farm soon learned that charcuterie made using its premiummeat was a winning formula. Despite its success in the local area and beyond, Annabelle is still passionate about using only the meat from animals raised on Wass Farm for its range, and has expanded the variety of its livestock to cater for growing demand. Mangalitza pigs, which have gained a fine food reputation in recent years, and Yorkshire- born middle whites play a vital role in the charcuterie range – as does locally-shot venison, particularly delicious served up in Wass Farm’s venison salami. By using pigs raised in nearby woodlands which are fed apple mulch from neigbouring cider-makers, Wass Farm are presenting a deliciously provenance-rich range to a hungry customer base in Yorkshire and beyond. facebook.com/wassfarm Matthew Kennedy JACK & JILL’S A love of the simple things, done well, is behind Jack & Jill’s - a venture founded by Matthew Kennedy as a result of a twist of fate: a stint house sitting at a property with fruit trees and berry bushes galore, which inspired memories of his mother making jams at home when he was young. Although the recipes his mother used were never written down, he has followed their philosophy to a ‘t’ for his 15-strong flavour range – using prime Scottish fruit, sugar, pectin when needed and absolutely nothing else. This classic simplicity has made Matthew a culinary star in the local area, with customers regularly coming back for more, and even some being granted tailored products to suit their audiences. Despite its popularity, Jack & Jill’s is still resolutely a one-man-band – save for Matthew’s wife, who helps out at weekends – and proud to champion and remain within the Scottish borders. facebook.com/people/Jack-Jills-Jam SCOTLAND Pete Mitchell THE FARMER’S SON Black pudding may be a world-famous taste of Scotland, but not all are made equally. Thankfully, Pete Mitchell, AKA The Farmer’s Son, has been inspired by 300 years of rural expertise from his family’s farm to create the ultimate taste of Scotland for breakfast tables everywhere. Bringing together produce from farmers within the local area, including oats from the family farm – now run by his parents – Pete has created a supportive network of farmers which feeds into The Farmer’s Son’s superb range of artisan black pudding, white pudding, haggis and traditional Lorne sausage. The range is handcrafted in small batches every day for optimum freshness, using sustainable practices including no-waste production and fully recyclable packaging on some products, and Pete is proud to be able to bring a century-old family recipe – showcasing the very best Scotch-assured produce – to discerning tables around the UK. thefarmersson.co.uk Marian and Simon Kennedy HIGHLAND BOUNDARY For Marian and Simon, foraging is a way of life borne from the desire to support and celebrate their local environment. Both come from a scientific background, and having bought and rewilded a rural property, and recognised its rich natural bounty, decided to dedicate their knowledge and lives to sharing its joys with the public. The brand’s range of spirits offer a true taste of their local area; ingredients are foraged by hand from the couple’s property and from neighbouring land, and the selection they offer is expanding – recent launches include versatile syrups made from honeysuckle, gorse and Scots pine. Perhaps the most iconic product in Highland Boundary’s range is its Scots Pine Mugolio – a complex, maple syrup-like product made using hand-foraged pine cones – which is unmistakeably Scottish. highlandboundary.com