Speciality-Food-Magazine-JanuaryFebruary2025

10 @specialityfood M ost towns across the UK have their fair share of out-of-town supermarkets (government figures demonstrate that for every 20 jobs they create, 30 are lost locally). The same research shows that good local food is a force for good, with traders and their suppliers more likely to spend their income in the vicinity, resulting in that money having a greater ‘multipling effect’. Other statistics show that well-planned food retailing initiatives can contribute to improvements in the social structure of an area, including greater social cohesion, lower crime rates, enhanced local employment and money flows. The value of retail initiatives, then, seems to be underappreciated when it brings so many benefits. In March 2024, The Times newspaper pronounced Folkestone “the best place to live in southeast England”. It was placed ahead of Hove, Brighton and Winchester. Wow! I remember coming to Folkestone as a DFL (down from London) on camping holidays with my parents in the 70s, which was the start of its long decline into a dilapidated scruffy coastal outpost. Half a century later, I now live near Folkestone and I’m a frequent visitor because of its vibrance and colour. But how did this run-down Kent town become the very model of modern regeneration and stylish living with a booming visitor economy to match? It was once a fashionable resort town where King Edward VII would bring his mistress, Alice Keppel. Golden-age travellers would step off the Orient Express onto a dedicated platform on the Harbour Arm and on to the boat for the Continent. Then the ferries moved to Dover, cheap air travel took over and tumbleweed blew along the old harbour and its station platform, and local shops fell into disrepair. It was a real knight, Sir Roger De Haan of the Saga Group, that eventually came to the rescue. Certainly, the initial money he pumped into restoring the harbour and station, and the funding he set up for public art and social facilities was a key factor. But the power of food to regenerate an area and encourage it to be ‘owned’ by the community has been just as important. We still get DFLs of course, but residents are also very keen to support their own food SUSIE WARREN SMITH MBE PRODUCED IN KENT “How good food can restore rundown communities” producers and outlet owners. The Old High Street, where you’ll find independent traders selling art, crafts and quirky gifts, is cobbled and traffic-free. You can stop off at the Steep Street Coffee House for decadent homemade cake or the fabulous Dr. Legumes on Rendezvous Street. Here Jim and Lee have set up a community interest company that serves imaginative plant-based dishes including nori battered banana blossom, green pea pancakes and butternut squash rendang... and they find time to run educational food projects and cooking lessons with local children. But it’s the rejuvenated Harbour Arm that draws the most visitors during its open season between Easter and October. You’ll find dozens of affordable restaurants, street food outlets, cafés and bars, and all with the backdrop of sea views out to France and the White Cliffs. There is always a buzz of excitement, almost as if the locals can’t quite believe their luck that this is on their doorstep. The epitome of the confidence and joy of food leading the regeneration of a place, and giving us a sense of place, is SheSells SeaShells. They are proud to be a family business and are located in a beautifully preserved train carriage that emphasises the railway link of the harbour arm, where the metal rail tracks can still be seen. The fish and shellfish are sourced from local boats and include moules mariniere, crevettes, crab, and reasonably priced half lobsters cooked in garlic and parsley, all served with Kentish wine and fruit juices from local farms. From their small family business, it’s a short walk up to the end of the arm where you’ll find The Lighthouse Champagne Bar, a renovated and still functioning lighthouse, with its dramatic location and striking architectural setting. It’s a great way to spend the late afternoon, sipping their fine English sparkling wines from the numerous Kentish vineyards with gentle music drifting on the breeze. So, those of us who live in the area are very grateful for the kick start given to us by Sir Roger de Haan, but the key to it being sustainable is the feeling of ownership it has engendered in the local community. Folkestone is probably the best example of food being the thread which runs through the council’s regeneration efforts and all of us who believe in the power of local food should be lobbying our councils and local charities to use this as a model for our own area. Get them to come along to Folkestone and see how it can be done. The Food & Drink Federation (FDF) has issued guidance to help businesses prevent, manage and investigate allergen-related incidents. According to a study by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) around 6% of the UK population (2.4million people) are living with a confirmed food allergy. Awareness of, and planning around, food allergens (primarily the ‘big 14’) is of paramount importance within industry, with clear, robust processes needed at every stage of manufacturing to prevent allergy- causing ingredients finding their way into ‘free-from’ products. In a bid to help primarily smaller producers navigate the practicalities around allergen-containing foods, the Food & Drink Federation (FDF) has just released new guidance in a document, Allergen Recall Prevention. It’s been developed alongside experts from the FDF’s membership, in collaboration with the Food Standards Agency (FSA), and sets out key considerations for businesses to follow in order to stop, manage and New guidelines to help food manufacturers prevent allergen-related recalls investigate food allergy incidents as efficiently and safely as possible. Though each stage of allergen management requires thorough inspection and risk assessments, the new guidance simplifies these steps so they can be integrated into existing procedures, with processes to be followed for each of the four main courses of allergen incidents. These are: Incorrect declaration of ingredients: When an allergen ingredient is not declared or is incorrectly declared (for example during translation between English and another language). Mismatch in product and packaging: When the packaging doesn’t represent the product inside – such as a product in the wrong packaging or with the wrong label. Incorrect ‘free-from’ allergen claims: When a ‘free-from’ product contains an allergen as an ingredient or contaminant. Not declaring unintentional allergen presence: Where ‘may contain’ hasn’t been printed on the label. The power of food to regenerate an area is hugely important