Speciality-Food-Magazine-September-2024

58 @specialityfood THE START-UP VILLAGE The Start-Up Village is a bustling hub at the heart of the Fair packed with exciting, up-and-coming food & drink businesses. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet with passionate brand owners as they launch innovative new products, pushing the boundaries of great taste and pioneering in the field of sustainability. From artisanal chocolates to craft spirits and niche superfoods, the Start-Up Village also cultivates an atmosphere of collaboration, allowing like-minded entrepreneurs to connect, learn, and grow. Joining the Fair this year are All Dressed Up Dressings, dressings conceived by an ex-private chef and coming in flavours including miso & sesame, tahini & lime, and spicy harissa. Visitors can also meet the team behind JD’s Hot Honey, a new generation of sweet heat sauces designed to drizzle and drench pizza, chicken, BBQ, grilled fish, roast vegetables, ice cream, cocktails and more. Elsewhere in the Start-Up Village are Pasemelo, bringing a bold vegan blend of Mediterranean tapenade-style ingredients, without wheat, gluten or dairy. The umami, sour and salt flavours of the Artichoke & Olive Tapenade, and the sweet, umami, salt and spice of the Tomato & Piquante Pepper Tapenade, gives a wide range of flavour elements to work with. For fans of matcha, The Matcha Yaad is a vibrant culinary venture that celebrates the fusion of Japanese Matcha and Jamaican flavours, offering innovative and refreshing beverage experiences. The company’s Refresher line of beverages delivers exceptional canned matcha drinks, manufactured in the UK. SAMPLEQUALITY FINE FOOD In addition to showcasing countless new producers, the Fair is also proud to have a number of long-standing exhibitors representing the very best of UK and international speciality food and drink. NEWPRODUCTS ATTHE FAIR Visitors to the Fair will be able to enjoy a wide range of exciting new speciality food and drink products. Made on the company’s farm in Herefordshire, drinks fromForeva Farmers use renewable energy in its carbon neutral facility and come in flavours including smoky ginger ale, classic tonic water and elderflower & honey tonic water. Award-winning cheese brand Golden Hooves will be launching a new regenerative Double Gloucester, while authentic Indian cooking sauce brand Aagrah will be showcasing its new Garlic & Coriander Naan. The Fresh Pasta Company will be introducing a new collection of products – Cured & Raw – and the company has recently partnered with Valsana in Italy allowing it to feature an array of Italian artisan- made products, including meat and cheeses. Hames Chocolates will be debuting new flowwrapped Hot Chocolate Stir-Ins, a true indulgence for chocolate lovers, made with recyclable packaging and compostable spoon and available in 15 flavours. Gourmet popcorn brand Popcorn Shed will be launching new Popcorn Nuggets at the Fair, with crunchy caramel smothered in luxurious chocolate, perfect for the festive season. For more than 20 years, Cibosano has been importing high quality Italian charcuterie and supplying a range of quality products including cheeses matured with black truffles, saffron, chilli, crushed vines, fresh Sicilian ricotta and Buffalo Mozzarella to delis, food halls and restaurants around London and the UK. Long-standing partner to the Fair and the UK’s biggest regional food group Taste of the West will also be on hand to showcase a number of quality products fromCornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset andWiltshire John Sheaves, CEO of Taste of the West, comments, “Taste of the West has proudly played a major part in the history of Speciality & Fine Food Fair, which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary. The Fair is an invaluable platform for quality West Country producers to showcase their products to the wider world and we’re verymuch looking forward to this year’s special edition of the event.” Visitors to the Fair can also meet The Fine Cheese Co. Selectors and affineurs of the best British and European cheeses. With a motto of ‘Seek out the best, and, when you’ve found it, keep looking’, The Fine Cheese Co is trusted by buyers to put quality at the heart of everything it does. Also at the Fair this year is La Credenza, an importer and distributor of Italian artisan food products since 2001, based in London with an Italian sourcing office. The company’s product range includes cheese, charcuterie, fruit and vegetables, pasta, biscuits, flours and specialty breads. All are made by artisan producers throughout all Italian regions and expertly selected by the in-house team. Renowned luxury gifting brand Farhi will also be marking a milestone at the Fair, celebrating its 20th anniversary and showcasing its best-selling signature bonbonniere in addition to its bespoke private label offering. Italian brand Be Truffle will be at Speciality & Fine Food Fair showing a wide range of truffle-based products including White Truffle Coarse Salt, Black Truffle Honey, White Truffle Olive Oil and Black Truffle Balsamic Vinegar.