Tag Archive: Featured

Owen Taylor & Sons claims top haul in Q Guild of Butchers ‘Star’ Awards

Owen Taylor & Sons Butchers in Leabrooks near Alfreton, Derbyshire, has won two ‘Best of the Best’ Diamond accolades in June’s Q Guild of Butchers 2020 Smithfield ‘Star’ Awards.

The shop bagged double wins with its gluten-free sausage and home-made pastrami in the ‘Fresh from the Deli’ category. Both products also picked up a top-ranked three-star rating.

Judges said Owen Taylor’s gluten-free herby sausage – made with pork sourced from Farm Assured farms – was “well-made with a good bite and texture.”

The shop’s award-winning pastrami is made using home-cured Farm Assured beef, matured for 28 days to give greater depth of flavour. Judges said it was impressive and ticked every box.

Carl Evans, operations manager at Owen Taylor, said: “We’re over the moon to pick up two category-leading Diamond awards in the face of such strong competition from fellow butchers nationwide. I dedicate these successes to our entire team.”

Among several new categories in the Smithfield ‘Star’ Awards this year was the Young Butcher of the Year, open to all aged under 24. Nominees must have developed a retail product and Owen Taylor’s Lennon Callister, aged 20, was shortlisted with his stuffed pheasant with black pudding & shallots.

Carl Evans said: “Lennon is an example to other young butchers wanting to start out in the industry, very knowledgeable and keen to learn every aspect, having already started his Level 3 Advanced Butcher Apprenticeship.”

Owen Taylor received 18 product awards in total – the biggest haul of any entrant this year.

Lishman’s Butchers in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, was crowned overall 2020 Smithfield ‘Star’ Awards Supreme Champion.

‘On some days we’re cooking for more customers than we did pre-lockdown’

VIDEO INTERVIEW: The Hammer & Pincers of Wymeswold – GFC Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year 2020 – reveal how they’ve made a success of lockdown with a positive, flexible approach…

The Hammer & Pincers in Wymeswold, Leicestershire – Great Food Club’s Fine-Dining Restaurant of the Year 2019/20 – has responded to coronavirus with positivity and verve. So much so, that on some days it is serving more customers than it did during busy times pre-lockdown. In this interview by Leisa Pickles of Find Me The Leads, head chef and owner Daniel Jimminson (not Sandra – his wife, as per the Zoom caption!) tells us how he and the team have done it, and what they think the future holds.

Interviewer Leisa Pickles is director of Find Me The Leads.
Interviewee Daniel Jimminson (not Sandra!) owner & head chef at The Hammer & Pincers.

Advertorial: The Fuel Tank at Belvoir Castle’s Engine Yard now offering takeaway

If you’re pining for a restorative trip into the beautiful Vale of Belvoir, you’ll be pleased to know that The Fuel Tank café/restaurant at Belvoir Castle’s Engine Yard is now offering a takeaway service.

The best way to enjoy it is through their pre-ordering system. First, call 01476 247059 to place your order.

The Fuel Tank is strongly encouraging customers to pre-book their takeaway orders. However, a walk-in option is also available. Guests should follow the directions of the restaurant co-ordinator on arrival. The number of customers entering The Fuel Tank will be strictly limited, and payment will be contactless only.

Please note that you can’t eat or drink on the premises. However, there are plenty of scenic spots nearby.

For more information, click here.

The Veg Factor shifts its Michelin Star service to home deliveries

The Veg Factor in Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, began life in 2009, supplying fresh produce to East Midlands pubs and restaurants. Over the past decade, it’s built an enviable client list, delivering everything from Chinese artichokes to Jersey Royals to Michelin-starred restaurants such as John’s House in Mountsorrel and Hambleton Hall of Rutland, and to award-winners including The Olive Branch in Clipsham, The Wheatsheaf in Greetham, Hitchin’s Barn in Oakham, and the pubs belonging to Leicestershire’s Little Britain Pub Company.

However, that all changed on March 20 when the government closed pubs and restaurants. “Overnight we lost 80% of our business,” says The Veg Factor’s sales & marketing director Carl Woolley. “Somehow, we had to rebuild the business, while continuing to fulfil our duty to supply care homes and schools.”

The team immediately refocused to concentrate on consumer sales. “We launched a doorstep delivery service, supplying local homes with restaurant-quality produce,” says Carl.

Every day for the past 11 years, The Veg Factor has visited London’s New Covent Garden Market to source the freshest, best-quality fruit, herbs and vegetables. And that habit is continuing despite the change of focus.

“We’ve always used Covent Garden,” says Carl. “It means we keep the quality and seasonality high. We are usually one of the East Midlands’ first suppliers to get ‘first-of-the-season produce’ such as asparagus and Jersey Royals, which means restaurants – and now households – can get them without delay. We also source from Rungis Market in Paris and from Milan, picking up delicacies such as Monk’s Beard, violet artichokes, Italian winter leaf like Castelfranco and puntarelle. However, of late this has become more difficult due to the crisis.”

Furthermore, The Veg Factor sources from local producers “where the quality is right” – including Colston Basset Dairy, Manor Farm Yogurt, Hambleton Bakery and Vine Farm Dairy. “We are looking to work with other local producers and will pay a fair price,” says Carl.

So, if you’re looking for a supply of Monk’s Beard or just some spuds – plus local milk, bread, pies and more – you can order and choose your delivery slot on The Veg Factor’s website. And if you live outside the delivery zone (enter your postcode on its website to check), a call-and-collect service is available. Call 01509 815815.

Have award-winning Redhill Farm produce delivered to your door

Redhill Farm Free Range Pork of Lincolnshire, two-times Great Food Club Food Producer of the Year, is operating a weekly UK-wide delivery service via courier and local delivery service in person. The service was running pre-covid-19 but has taken on renewed importance during the lockdown. Its two shops – one on the farm near Gainsborough and the other in Lincoln’s Bailgate – are also open, and it is attending some farmers’ markets.

Benjamin, a Great Food Club member, emailed us to recommend Redhill Farm’s delivery service, highlighting the “wonderful, tasty lamb, sausages and pork pies”.

The Lincolnshire farmers are also able to deliver fresh pork, dry-cure bacon and ham, haslet, ham hock black pudding and more.

The award-winning producer is not only a former Great Food Club champion but also a BBC Good Food Top Three Best Sausage Maker and FT Top Five Best Bacon Curer. It supplies pork pies to Lord’s Cricket Ground and Wimbledon, too.

Jane, Terry and the team deliver weekly – orders are despatched on a Thursday for next-day Friday delivery. To order, click here.

The Geese & Fountain morphs into a village shop, takeaway and virtual pub. But it’s not a PR stunt and all is not rosy…

Because of their heartwarming, backs-to-the-wall response to coronavirus, there’s a danger we see pubs and other small food & drink businesses as charities, run for the good of the community. However, we should remember that they are businesses, fighting for their lives…

The Geese & Fountain in Croxton Kerrial, Leicestershire, is working flat-out to serve the local community during lockdown. But like many pubs, it is engaged in an existential struggle.

As this crisis evolves, there’s a danger we start to see pubs and other small food & drink businesses as charities. It’s an easy mistake to make when we hear about chefs cooking for the NHS and about pubs helping vulnerable locals. It feels like they’ve become part of the third sector, run by volunteers. It’s been an inspiring response.

However, as we applaud, like and retweet, there’s a danger that we forget these small businesses are not running PR campaigns. This is no game. Helping the vulnerable is admirable but doesn’t pay the bills. Turning your pub into the village greengrocer makes a nice news story, but often the pub has no choice. Money must be made and bills have to be paid, despite the government assistance.

Nick Holden, landlord at The Geese & Fountain, says: “The lockdown has been difficult and unsettling for pubs, but we’ve found ways to continue to serve our community. We have furloughed or stood down all our staff, but we intend to keep paying them if we possibly can. We want them to come back to their jobs when we re-open. We’re missing our staff badly, they are like a family, and it’s hard not to be able to see them, have a joke, and work together.”

With the help of family and locals, The Geese & Fountain has started offering take-aways and deliveries – pizzas, fish & chips, burgers, curry, Sunday lunches and other classic pub food. It has opened a window at the front of the pub for collections, turning into a village store selling milk, bread, veg boxes, flour, meat and other essentials. “We might continue with this after lockdown,” says Nick, “because our village lost its shop at Christmas.”

Furthermore, the pub is putting on virtual pub nights on Fridays, virtual pub quizzes, online darts, and is also running ‘The Great Croxton Cook-Off’ – “a kind of ‘Ready, Steady, Cook’ event,” says Nick.

But while The Geese & Fountain’s response to coronavirus has been joyful, morale-building and smile-inducing, the future remains unknowable and, from a business perspective, precarious.

Nick says: “We’re worried about the future. We’ve been here nearly five years, and when we moved in, the pub had been empty for a while. We invested a lot of our own money – and borrowed from family and the bank – to repair the building and re-open. But now, just when we should be starting to show a profit and re-pay our debts, we’ve been forced to close.

“We really want to weather this storm and re-open, but we don’t know what the future holds – even though we’re grateful for the government support we’ve received so far.

“Our biggest cost – rent – is still the biggest threat to our survival. The property is owned by Wellington Pub Company, which is owned by Britain’s second-richest family, the Reuben Brothers, and at this point, Wellington says rent still needs to be paid. However, the stark reality is that there is no money to pay with. Until a solution to this stand-off can be found, the risks for pubs like ours remain high. Either landlords need to accept that rent will not be forthcoming, insurance companies need to pay out on business interruption policies that pubs took out in good faith, or the government needs to take action to bring all sides together to work out a way forward.”

So, next time you hear about a pub transforming into a village shop or cooking for vulnerable villagers, don’t brush it off as a PR stunt. Despite the warm glow these initiatives temporarily produce, this is an extremely testing time for pubs like The Geese & Fountain, and for many other independent hospitality businesses.

“We’re desperately worried,” says Nick. “We will need help even after we re-open, otherwise we face the prospect of surviving the lockdown only to go out of business when we re-open. Pubs are an essential part of British society, and in small villages like ours, they are the heart of the community. If pubs cannot re-open profitably after this, those hearts will stop beating. English village life will be changed forever.”

For more information on The Geese & Fountain, visit its Facebook page.

The Hammer & Pincers hits nail on head with sell-out luxurious lockdown takeaways

The Hammer & Pincers in Wymeswold, Leicestershire – Great Food Club’s Fine-Dining Restaurant of the Year 2019/20 – has responded to coronavirus with positivity and verve. So much so that on some days it is serving more customers than it did during busy times pre-lockdown.

On Easter Sunday, for example, owner Danny Jimminson and his team provided contactless takeaway lunches to 150 people. And last weekend, they launched their six-course Saturday Night Grazing Menu in takeaway form – complete with flights of wine. They sold out again, cooking for 90.

“On both Easter Sunday and last weekend, we probably could have served more people,” said Danny. “But we’re still learning what we can do. The skills we’ve honed for our outside-catering business are coming in handy.”

The Hammer & Pincers’ lockdown takeaways – and deliveries via the ‘Hammeroo’ Delivery Bike (Wymeswold village only) – are contactless. Customers book and pay online, then drive into the car park and say their name. A member of staff brings the bagged-up meal out to a table and retires to a safe distance, or pops it into the customer’s boot if they prefer.

Furthermore, the restaurant is conducting daily deep-cleaning of its kitchens, providing anti-viral hand sanitisers for its team and checking the temperatures of all staff, twice daily.

“At first, we offered pies and casseroles, but as we’ve found our feet we’ve been able to make more of the kinds of dishes people expect from the Hammer & Pincers,” says Danny. “As time goes on, more customers are wanting an extra-special treat during lockdown, so that’s what we’re offering.”

The Hammer & Pincers’ takeaway dishes include…

Amberjack, Turbot & Lemongrass Spiced Fish Patties, Coconut & Coriander Curry Sauce, Carrot Salad.

And: Dry-Aged Pork Chop (from Elms Farm, Costock), Pig’s Head & New Potato Croquette, Grilled Hispi Cabbage, Celeriac Puree, Granny Smith Apple.

The Leicestershire restaurant has launched Takeaway Tapas and Takeaway Sunday Lunches, too, receiving a large response to both.

Danny has also responded to lockdown by digging some raised beds in the garden, and he’s planning to build a chicken run and add some beehives.

Meanwhile, the team are planning how to operate when restaurants are finally allowed to reopen. “There are so many unknowns that it’s virtually impossible to plan properly,” said Danny. “But one thing we’ve talked about is putting up curtains or screens between tables. Whether that could work remains to be seen, but we’ll continue to innovate as best we can.”

He concluded: “When we’re open again, I predict we’ll be looking at offering an even more engaging and luxurious dining experience. We think people will see dining out as more of a treat than they did pre-coronavirus, so we’ll be doing everything we can to exceed their expectations.”

Book your Hammer & Pincers takeaway here.

Everards responds to covid-19 and asks for extra government support for pubs

Everards of Leicestershire, which owns more than 175 pubs in the East Midlands, has called for extra government support for the hospitality sector in the light of covid-19.

Stephen Gould, managing director, said: “Government support so far is much valued and appreciated. Through the fine work of the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) and UK Hospitality, the government realised early that the hospitality industry would be severely impacted and responded well.”

However, he continued: “I would expect the same logic to follow in terms of a new, refreshed package of government support for the hospitality sector, as inevitably it will be one of the last sectors to fully come out of lockdown measures.

“In particular, the government needs to act now to support those business owners operating pubs with a Rateable Value above £51,000 who are not receiving grants. This is time-critical. Working with the industry, the government needs to find a solution to this challenge without delay. Otherwise many businesses in this Rateable Value category will fail due to not having enough liquidity. 

Everards’ managing director also hopes the government to extend its hospitality support package beyond lockdown. He said: “The extension of the coronavirus job retention scheme to the end of June has been very welcome. We hope to see further plans laid out to support sector jobs for the length of the pub closures but also once they are open again as increased social-distancing measures would continue to impact business owner’s income.”

Stephen concluded: “The plan to come out of lockdown needs really careful thought. A rushed approach makes no sense for anyone and we support the BBPA’s call for a minimum of three, ideally four, weeks’ notice. If pubs are to be one of the last sectors to come out of lockdown then a new, refreshed package of government financial support for the pub industry needs to be created and communicated by the end of May. In turn, this will give companies, business owners and their communities confidence and belief in a bright future for pubs”. 

Everards’ own covid-19 response

Everards itself has responded to the Covid-19 challenge in three major ways.

It has cancelled (not deferred) the rent payments of its business owners (Everards’ chosen term for its tenants) for both April and May. This will be reviewed again at the end of May.

Everards has also cut directors’ salaries by an average of 30% and cancelled the full-year dividend payment to shareholders while furloughing 70% of employees on full pay (to be reviewed at the end of May).

Furthermore, the Everards Family Foundation has donated £50,000 to Age UK Leicestershire & Rutland.

Stephen Gould concluded: “We have three prime objectives in dealing with this issue. First, to protect and support the health, safety and welfare of employees, Everards’ business owners [tenants], their staff and communities. Second, to retain Everards’ talented business owners and attracting the finest business owners to join us. Third, to ensure that coming out of this pandemic, we as a business remain strong, fit, innovative and well prepared to compete.”

Leicestershire’s March House Farm Shop extends delivery area

March House Farm Shop in Great Dalby, Leicestershire, was a finalist in our Farm Shop of the Year Award 2019/20. It’s a well-loved, friendly and top-quality family-run shop that sells meat raised on March House Farm’s land in Leicestershire. It also offers an excellent range of fruit, vegetables, cakes, BBQ boxes, Sunday lunch boxes, bread, preserves and much more. Provenance, quality and animal welfare are genuinely important here.

The March House team have risen to the challenge of lockdown by quickly launching a slick online shop and delivery service. Their team of butchers, farmers, shop assistants and delivery drivers are working flat out to meet the new demands that have been placed on them. And they are more than up to the challenge.

So much so, that they have now extended their delivery zone beyond the Melton Mowbray area to cover Stamford and surrounds, plus the Vale of Belvoir.

To shop at March House Farm online and to book a delivery, or to click and collect, click here.

The farm shop remains open with social distancing rules, so if you prefer to visit, you can do so.

Local food heroes of lockdown: Wigston Fields News & Deli

Each morning during lockdown, Pratik and Bee Master – owners of Wigston Fields News & Deli – get up at 4am and go to Leicester Market. “If we get there early, we can choose the fruit and veg our customers want,” says Pratik. “Some – especially the older ones – are struggling with the change that coronavirus has brought about. If they get the food and drink they’re used to, it really helps them.”

Pratik and Bee won our Food Hero of the Year Award 2019/20 for transforming their traditional suburban newsagents into a local food and drink hub, stocking products made by around 50 local producers. Their shop not only showcases and supports local producers; it is also the beating heart of the local community. So, it’s no surprise to see Wigston Fields News & Deli (which Bee and Pratik famously christened #notjustacornershop on social media) stepping up to the plate during this pandemic to serve those who rely on it.

Pratik says: “We see ourselves as having two roles in this situation. First, to support our customers and community. Second, to commercially support our suppliers. We’re here to help and we’re working flat out, seven days a week.”

After his daily visit to Leicester Market, by 6am Pratik is unlocking the shop door to get ready for the day ahead. However, at 7.30am, it’s back out onto the road to the wholesaler to stock up with essentials. Then it’s back to the shop again to open up, when a steady stream of socially distanced customers starts to arrive, and the phone begins to constantly ring.

“We’re not only selling food, drink and essentials,” says Pratik, “we’re a place that people enjoy visiting – even if they have to queue up for a while and remain over 2m apart. We’ve always been about community and it’s important for some people’s mental wellbeing that they have a place they trust to visit and rely on.”

After heading back to the wholesaler at 2.30pm yet again for more supplies, it’s time to plan the day’s food deliveries for vulnerable customers who are unable to leave their homes.

When all jobs are done, all customers happy, it’s time to head home to get some sleep before that brutal pre-dawn alarm goes off yet again.

“We’re here to stand up for people who can’t do it themselves,” says Pratik. “And we’re here to help our community.”

Through their dedication, energy and community spirit, Pratik and Bee – who also regularly support Leicester South Foodbank – are ensuring that Wigston Fields News & Deli is a food & drink lifeline during coronavirus. Their shop truly is #notjustacornershop.

Round Corner Brewing rapidly builds 250 customers for milkman-style beer drops

Like many food and drink businesses, Melton Mowbray’s Round Corner Brewing has had to show agility and determination to keep trading during the coronavirus crisis.

The brewery, just over a year old, had relied on pubs and its own taproom for most sales. However, those two revenue streams disappeared overnight. So, it is temporarily focusing on beer delivery (and, more recently, collection from the taproom). Each week the team fill their ‘growlers’ (glass bottles that hold 3.2 pints of beer) and deliver to doorsteps around the region.

On April 19, Round Corner passed 250 customers for its milkman-style beer drops – a fantastic achievement in such a short time.

Co-founder Combie Cryan said: “It started with ten people in Stamford [Lincolnshire] on Friday, March 20, and 14 people in Melton Mowbray [Leicestershire] on Saturday, March 21. Friday 27th was when it really took off and it hasn’t stopped since.”

“We’ve ordered many more growlers from Kansas in the US and are now focusing on new areas such as Grantham and Oakham. We’re also now running socially-distanced weekend collections from our taproom at Melton Mowbray Cattle Market.

“More than just bare numbers, we are thrilled with the reordering rate and satisfaction levels.”

He continued: “We’ve done all of this with a skeleton staff and we’ll have to continue that for the foreseeable as it’s the only way to make this sustainable. All we ever get is support and encouragement to keep going.”

Round Corner’s delivery service currently covers Melton Mowbray and surrounds, plus Stamford and Oakham. However, the team are looking at new areas, so if you are interested but don’t live in those places, drop them a line. Friday is the main delivery day for all locations. For more details and to order your delivery, click here.

Positive Kitchen launches local online supermarket for Leicestershire deliveries

Leicestershire-based food entrepreneurs Aatin and Helen Anadkat have launched an online supermarket delivering local food and essentials to Leicestershire & surrounds.

Positive Kitchen Supermarket is working with local suppliers including Hambleton Bakery, The Leicestershire Handmade Cheese Co, St Martin’s Coffee and Evingtons Wine.

Aatin said: “For us, it’s about helping the local economy and safeguarding local jobs and businesses, and getting food out to as much of Leicestershire as possible.”

Positive Kitchen’s growing range currently includes store-cupboard essentials including flour, toilet roll, fresh fruit and veg, dairy and eggs, bread, snacks and treats and a range of frozen items.

Aatin said: “The list will continue to grow and we will be adding cleaning essentials, drinks and fresh meat to the shop in the coming days.”

Positive Kitchen will deliver to your door and is now signing up 1,000 delivery slots in Leicestershire. Register for your slot here.

Lockdown heroes: The Black Horse in Aylestone

The Black Horse in Aylestone is spreading happiness and keeping its community entertained and supported during this testing time.

Alan Merryweather and Sarah Cunnington, business owners of The Black Horse in Aylestone, Leicestershire were stranded in Tenerife as the coronavirus crisis started to take hold in the UK.

“Being in isolation in our hotel room gave us time to think about how we and our pub could help our community through this when we got back. We could see what was happening in Tenerife and knew it wouldn’t be long before it started happening at home,” says Alan.

When Alan and Sarah finally arrived back, all pubs had been ordered to close.

“We decided we wanted to help people take a little break from all of this and spread a little normality and happiness.”

The Black Horse – Great Food Club’s Classic Pub of the Year 2019/20 – is known for its innovative entertainment programme, including Sunday Bike Ride Club, quiz nights, Cheese Club and comedy nights. So it didn’t surprise regulars when it started putting on virtual events.

“We think it’s important to keep spirits up and bring the community together,” says Alan. “So, we took our pub online.”

Alan and Sarah have organised virtual pub quizzes, comedy shows, jam nights and a book club. And people from all over the country are joining in, as well as their regulars.

“We are learning and improving as we go but we have been overwhelmed by the support. It’s amazing to see so many people getting involved. We miss the pub and this has really helped us, too,” says Sarah.

You can even join Alan and Sarah online every Friday for ‘Lunch with the Landlord’ where they invite you for a good old chat. And on St George’s Day (April 23) they plan to host an online music festival, featuring live performances throughout the day.

“We’d like to thank our loyal customers and community, who have supported us over the nine years we’ve been at the pub,” says Alan. “Aylestone has a great community vibe and we are happy we are able to give a little something back.”

The Black Horse is also supporting its community by sourcing food boxes and hosting a food bank in the garden (with The Emerald Centre) on Wednesdays, 11am-1pm, for people who are struggling to get provisions.

Furthermore, Alan and Sarah help co-ordinate ‘Aylestone Help and Support Network’ – a Facebook group set up to support people in the Aylestone community.

Find out more on The Black Horse’s Facebook page and website.