Speciality-Food-Magazine-November-December-2024

39 LAST WORDS The final word on fine food COX & CO BLOOD ORANGE CRUNCH BAR Those who knowme well know that a) I love chocolate, b) I love chocolate with crunch, and c) I can’t get enough of blood orange, so when this bar landed in the Speciality Food offices I couldn’t have beenmore excited to sample. The flavour doesn’t disappoint; at once rich and zesty, smooth and crunchy from cocoa nibs, it’s perfectly balanced andmoreish. Not to mention, Cox & Co are proudly sustainability-minded, so chocolate lovers can indulge deliciously while comfortable in the knowledge that their purchase is helping to make a difference. coxandcocacao.com DEVAGIRI CARDAMOMCHAI TEA I’m a huge fan of hot drinks year-round – not a single day goes by without at least one (or three) cups of tea or coffee – but when the cold weather hits I start to crave something evenmore cosy... a touch of spice, perhaps. Devagiri’s CardamomChai Tea is warming inmore ways than one. Firstly, it is perfectly flavoured with aromatic cardamom, my favourite spice which rarely gets the spotlight it deserves. Secondly, the team at Devagiri – a Sri Lankan tea estate – are passionate about revolutionising the tea industry to the benefit of people and planet. Does good and tastes good –what’s not to love? devagiriteas.com RWEENA CHICKPEA GRANOLA Try as I might, I don’t always find healthy foods to be as delicious as conventionally indulgent ones. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always attracted to functionality, health credentials and clean labels, but it takes something really special to tempt my taste buds –which is why I was intrigued by Rweena’ s Vegan Chickpea Granola. High in fibre and grain- free, plus genuinely tasty and in a fun new format, they’re my new go-to snack. The chocolate and coconut flavour is delicious, but the gentle spicing of The Original (almonds, seeds and sultanas) gets my vote. rweena.com PARTNER CONTENT THE INDEPENDENT SHOPPER how we prepare it. For them, the relationship means a consistent source of income and visibility within the Scottish market that so rarely gets to make use of its’ own exports. When we trust a source to provide the best ingredients the day they were harvested, caught, or butchered, it makes life easier knowing that our dishes are going to be up to our full standard and enjoyed by our guests. While we use these relationships to enhance our dishes and guest experience, supporting small, the added benefit is the positive impact these partnerships have on the regional economy. Working with independent producers allows us to reinvest into our community, creating sustainable job opportunities, or even just providing income for a sole artisan – like our honey supplier in Dollar, who produces the honey which we use in desserts within our pub, The Forager. They bring a delicious local flair to our G or almost two decades now, La rowing up in a small fishing town on the coast of Scotland best known for the ‘Arbroath Smokie’ – a traditional fire- smoked haddock – set the scene for my culinary passion from a young age. From the age of 15, the proximity to the sea and its treasures sparked a desire to learn how to get the most from it that brought me to Rick Stein’s flagship, The Seafood Restaurant. Even since then, I’ve carried a strong belief in locality that has followed me throughout my career, and eventually back to Scotland. Exceptional local suppliers are our key to success, providing a standard of freshness and quality that we could not achieve through importing products. The one-to-one relationships we create with producers are extremely important. For us, they allow our suppliers to understand our business and its needs, ensuring the products are perfect for each dish and Dean Banks, chef & restauranteur, owner of Dean Banks Group TRIED & TESTED specialityfoodmagazine.com desserts, and in return we support their hives. With these relationships comes a benefit to the climate as well – not only are we cutting down our carbon footprint by sourcing locally, but we provide our suppliers a steady source of income that means they don’t have to resort to shipping overseas. Using local produce allows us bring our guests on a journey through Scotland with every meal, creating a memorable experience that creates an investment with the land and sea that surrounds our restaurants, and an understanding of the individuals who make what we do possible. For example, the lobster we’re known for within our St Andrews seafood restaurants, Haar and the seafood shack at Dune, comes directly from our own lobsterman, Tommy Yule, a young lad who has taken over his father’s position in the fishing fleet of Arbroath Harbour bringing the family tradition into a new generation. Our commitment to sustainability and local sourcing carries through every aspect of our restaurants, from the building materials to the crockery and the food itself. To build relationships with these suppliers means to build innovation, maintain local identity, and share the best and freshest flavours with all our guests. THE SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY It’s time to be inspired by Italy’s welcoming attitude I f you’ve ever sat at a table with Italians, you’ll know that it’s warmwith the sense of family and generosity. Arms are outstretched, welcoming you into the fold to enjoy the feast – and however simple and rustic the dishes at hand are, this seasoning of comraderymakes anymeal into an occasion. No wonder Italian meals can stretch on for hours at a time; quite unlike the ‘al desko’ lunches Brits are infamous for. The good news is that independent fine food retailers can recreate this sense of togetherness both in their stores and beyond – by selling with a sense of generosity, and inspiring your customers to take that sense of warmhospitality home with them, you canmake a sale into muchmore than a simple transaction. Step one is openness and connection when it comes to creating a sense of famiglia – two things that Speciality Food readers do so well – and while limitedmanpower canmake this a challenge, it doesn’t need to make it impossible to offer customers a comfortable experience. When customers step through the door, an open acknowledgement goes a long way, and having a member of the teamwithin a customer’s eyeline will let themknow that help is available if required. Service with a smile is an old adage, but that’s not to say that it doesn’t have value in the 21st Century; if you’re looking to add Dolce Vita vibes to your business, it’s important to communicate and connect. Step two is adding a sense of generosity to the proceedings, and note: this doesn’t need to come at a large cost. Simple, good value – and high quality – ingredients piled generously will attract and invite customers to partake, in the same way that platters filled withmounds of sauce-slicked pasta, curls of Prosciutto di Parma and bowls of creamy Mozzarella will be relished bymany. Think in-season fruit and vegetables and simple ambient ingredients. We can all learn from the Italian attitude towards hospitality, and in a realmwhere customer service sits so naturally with excellent food, fine food retailers are perfectly positioned to take a seat at the table.