Speciality-Food-Magazine-JanuaryFebruary2025

6 @specialityfood independent, family-run businesses at the heart of communities. The sector is an important bridge between field and fork, sourcing fresh and nutritious produce with low foodmiles, frompassionate and knowledgeable retailers. “Congratulations to everyone who is shortlisted and good luck. This is your time to shine, and we are looking forward to celebrating your achievements inMarch at our grand awards ceremony!” The finalists LARGE FARM SHOP OF THE YEAR: Cannon Hall FarmShop, Darts Farm, Welbeck FarmShop SMALL FARM SHOP OF THE YEAR: Ardross FarmShop, Castle Farm, Fordhall FarmShop Some of the very best farm retailers in the UK have been named after being shortlisted for the national FarmRetail Awards, sponsored by Fieldfare. The finalists, who are from Devon, Kent, Lincolnshire, London, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Scotland, Shropshire, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire and Surrey, will now go through to the glittering awards ceremony onWednesday, 12thMarch at The Eastside Rooms in Birmingham. The eight award categories include the Rising Star Award which celebrates business development and newcomers to the industry; the FarmShop Butchery of the Year Award; Large FarmShop of the Year (turnover over £1.5m); Small Farm Shop of the Year (turnover under £1.5m); Farmers’ Market of the Year; FarmCafé/Restaurant of the Year; PYO of the Year and Associate Member of the Year. This has been an exciting year for FRA, which has unveiled a new rebrand as part of ambitious plans to expand the UK-wide membership organization which champions farm shops, PYOs and farmers markets. Chair of the FarmRetail Association, Emma Mosey, said, “It’s wonderful to shine a light and celebrate our farm shops and farmers markets which are often FARM CAFE/RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR: Millets FarmCentre, The FarmTable at Darts Farm, Welbeck FarmShop (Harley Cafe) FARM SHOP BUTCHERY OF THE YEAR: Denstone Hall FarmShop & Cafe, Fordhall FarmShop, Millets Farm Butchers RISING STAR OF THE YEAR: River Cottage Kitchen & Store, The FarmTable at Darts Farm PYO OF THE YEAR: Craigies FarmLtd, Garson Farm, Manor FarmFruits FARMERS’ MARKET OF THE YEAR: Hall Place Bexley Farmers’ Market, operated by MFarmers’ Market, LenhamCountry Market, run by M Farmers’ Market ASSOCIATE MEMBER OF THE YEAR: Cress Co, Cotswold Fayre, Hortifeeds Farm Retail Awards shortlist announced The FRA has revealed its finalists, with the winners to be announced in spring 2025 COMING MARCH 2025 For more information contact: louise.barnes@artichokehq.com 01206 508629 IN THE ISSUE: The Green Report 2025 Sustainable Champions Sustainable Dairy Regenerative Farming Sustainable Retail Insight reveals UK remains committed to EU imports A survey carried out behalf of the European Commission across seven food and drink sectors, showed the majority will continue to import from the EU over the next 12 months. The EU will remain a key resource for the UK food and beverage industry despite the challenges imposed by Brexit, according to new insight fromUK industry supply chain professionals. A European Commission survey interviewed wholesalers, importers, producers and HORECA professionals to gather data on their future plans, with respondents from the wine and dairy sectors saying they were 100% committed to sourcing additional SKUs from the EU in the coming year, while beer and spirits (80%), charcuterie and meat (80%) and bakery (70%) also showed a clear commitment to working with European partners. Quality, pricing, authenticity and tradition were voted the most popular general characteristics those surveyed were considering when adding to their product ranges, while authenticity (79%) and tradition (70%) ranked most highly if they were looking to EU producers. More than two-thirds of respondents agreed the EU’s Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) and organic labels were either ‘very important’ or ‘somewhat important’ when sourcing ingredients. The research was conducted in April 2024 against the backdrop of the UK Government’s Border Trading Operating Model (BTOM) which aims to maintain border security while minimising trade burdens. “These insights demonstrate that despite the challenges and complexities of new cross-border trade agreements, the EU remains a valued partner and important resource for the UK’s food and drink industry and is likely to remain that way”, said Andrew Crumpton, founder of AMC Consulting and advisor to the ‘More Than Only Food & Drink’ campaign. Veryan Bliss, managing director of Food Intelligence, and fresh produce advisor to the EU’s ‘More Than Only Food & Drink’ campaign supports this view. “It is clear that the relationship between the UK and EU is incredibly important. In 2023 the UK was the number one destination for EU agri-food, accounting for 22% of exports and with a value of €51.3 billion.”