Top Ten Low Carbon Swaps Revealed Following UK First Food Footprint Report

Smashed avocado, granola and tofu are staples for the Millennial diet but the true carbon cost of popular foods has been revealed in a world first report by UK food-tech startup, Foodsteps.

The landmark report, The Food Footprint 100, reveals the carbon footprint of Millennial favourites avocado (2.62 kg CO2e per 1kg), granola (2.21 kg CO2e) and tofu (3.39 kg CO2e).

The hidden carbon impact of 100 of the UK's most popular foods have been revealed for the first time ever looking at the entire lifecycle of the food from “cradle to grave”.

 Foodsteps has taken the data and recommended some easy low carbon food swaps based off their report findings:

Chocolate swaps: Swap milk chocolate (4.24 kg CO2e) for dark chocolate (3.03 kg CO2e) with carbon saving of 28.5%. This is due to the carbon intensive milk powder in milk chocolate. 

Seafood swaps: Save a huge 79% in carbon footprint savings by swapping prawns (22.70 kg CO2e) for cod (4.74 kg CO2e)

Dessert swaps: Swap baked vanilla cheesecake (4.15 kg CO2e) for a less carbon heavy alternative lemon sponge cake (2.74 kg CO2e), with a decrease of 34%

Pudding swaps: Swap dairy ice cream (5.46 kg CO2e) for custard (4.29kg CO2e) saving over 20%

Yogurt swaps: Swap dairy yogurt (1.96 kg CO2e) for coconut yogurt (1.63 kg CO2e) saving over 16%

Sausage swaps: Swap pork sausage (9.45 CO2e) vs plant based sausages (2.34 CO2e) a massive saving of 75% less carbon footprint

Meat swaps: Swap pork (10.45 kg CO2e) for chicken (9.24 kg CO2e) for a XX% carbon saving

Fruit swaps: The lowest carbon way to get your 5 a day pulled from the report: orange (0.45 kg CO2e), kiwi (0.99 kg CO2e), banana (0.86 kg CO2e), pineapple (0.55 kg CO2e) and apple (0.47 kg CO2e)

Vegetable swaps: An addition to your low carbon 5 a day pulled from the report: Potatoes (0.66kg CO2e), carrots (0.56 kg CO2e), pumpkins (0.45 kg CO2e), onions (0.6 kg CO2e), cauliflower (0.81 kg CO2e).

Wine swaps: Red wine (2.13 kg CO2e) replaces it's heavier counterpart white wine (3.25 kg CO2e)

Oil swaps: Swap olive oil (4.73 CO2e) for rapeseed oil (3.56 CO2e)

The report was created using data from the Foodsteps database which lists 1,000s of peer-reviewed scientific studies alongside primary research and using foods identified using the annual UK National Dietary and Nutritional Survey (NDNS). 

The 100 foods have been analysed across their full life-cycle; production, subsequent supply chain up to and including the shop, transport to the place of consumption, preparation including home storage, cooking and end-of-life disposal impacts of any food waste at any point.

 According to this report the farm stage, on average, has by far the highest impact on foods, emphasising the importance of looking at the origins and methods of farming behind our food. 

Says Founder and CEO of Foodsteps, Anya Doherty: “Making small changes to our daily diet could make a huge difference to our carbon footprint

“We provide environmental impact assessments for food to turn into climate actions. We urgently need to decarbonise our food choices, and this can't happen without food businesses leading the way and consumers making informed choices.”

Foodsteps uses its innovative platform to offer data and communication solutions for food businesses looking to measure, report, reduce and communicate their food's environmental overall impact. Over the last year, Foodsteps has worked with household names like SKY, Pizza Express, Ask Italian and Wagamama.

For more information about Foodsteps visit https://www.foodsteps.earth. 

 

Craft Gin Club Celebrates Easter With Hot Cross Bun Gin Collaboration

The Craft Gin Club (www.craftginclub.co.uk) is the UK's largest gin subscription club, with over 100,000 gin-loving members trusting its gin experts and connoisseurs to seek out the very best artisan gins from the UK, and around the world, every month. 

This Easter, the expert curators and mixologists at the Craft Gin Club have worked with Cornwall's Tarquin's Gin team to bring gin fans a stunning limited-edition craft gin that's perfect for Easter and beyond, Tarquin's Hot Cross Bun Gin (ABV 42%, £37.00 per 70cl bottle), available exclusively from Craft Gin Club (and no membership needed!).

There's a fantastic symphony of mouth-watering, delicious spice and dried fruit flavours, which you'd normally find in a hot cross bun, it is a beautiful edition that no gin fan will want to miss! 

Warming Easter spices are joined by rich juniper on the nose and some wonderful, sweet fruit notes on the smooth palate. 

And they all last long into the luxurious finish. Ideal served with a premium Indian tonic or a high quality ginger ale and garnish with fresh orange and a sprig of rosemary.

The botanicals included are: juniper, fresh lemon, fresh orange, fresh grapefruit, orris root, green cardamon, bitter almond, coriander seed, cinnamon, angelica root, violets, carrot, mulberries, vanilla pods and dried orange peel and Pedro Ximenez sherry.

What is Tarquin's Cornish Gin?

Tarquin's Cornish Gin is carefully handcrafted on the wild Cornish coast by the maverick Master Distiller Tarquin Leadbetter, using four unique flame-fired copper pot stills. Tarquin is self-taught in distilling and the youngest ever winner of World's Best Gin at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Tarquin's is an independent, family-run company hand crafting award-winning gins in tiny batches the old-fashioned way, every bottle is waxed and stamped by hand, featuring unique batch character tasting notes on every bottle.

Hot Cross Bun Espresso Martini Cocktail Recipe

Ingredients

50ml Tarquin's Hot Cross Bun Gin

30ml Chilled Coffee or Cold Brew (we like Here & Now Nitro Colombian Black Iced Coffee)

15ml Coffee Liqueur (we enjoy a classic Tia Maria)

15ml Simple Syrup

Powdered Cinnamon for dusting (optional)

Get all of the ingredients (in full sized bottles) with the Hot Cross Bun Espresso Martini Cocktail Kit for £69.00 (a saving of over 10%)

Method

Pour each of your ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice

Shake and strain into a cocktail coupe

Place chopsticks at right angles over your coupe and dust with cinnamon

Watch the making of video here:-

Also new to Craft Gin Club for Easter is the Egg Royale Chocolate Liqueur (ABV 15%, £25.00 per 70cl bottle), which has to be the best chocolate Easter egg for grownups for 2023! Nestled in a gorgeous box of gold and teal, discover a chocolate egg shaped glass bottle filled to the brim with creamy chocolate liqueur from the creative minds at Gravity Drinks. 

Made with the finest cocoa, lashings of real cream and mellow touches of vanilla, the chocolate liqueur is wonderful simply served over ice or mixed into cocktails, it also makes for a luxurious ice cream topping and it's a great way to add a boozy kick to chocolate icing for an adults-only celebration cake. 

Wise Bartender Shares List of Muslim-Friendly Mocktails and Alcohol-Free Drinks

With a stunning range of over 450 alcohol-free products in stock, Wise Bartender publishes categories that enable customers to reference specific dietary requirements including gluten-free, vegan, low sugar and has now added Muslim-friendly to its website.

Tom Ward, founder of Wise Bartender said: “We are always responsive to the needs of our customers and noticed that we were starting to get queries asking which of our alcohol-free drinks were Muslim-friendly. 

"Especially, we realised there's a demand for refreshing drinks that are lower in sugar than some of the options traditionally drunk after sunset during Ramadan. We have initially identified 20 suitable products, including a range of mocktails and have set up a separate category to readily identify those drinks that are Muslim-friendly.”

 For anyone who wants to explore alcohol-free drinks but wants to try a variety rather than buying one option in bulk, Wise Bartender differs from most other online retailers by selling individual bottles or cans rather than requiring a multiple unit or case purchase. 

It also offers a Price Promise which matches the price of in-stock products offered on identical terms by other online retailers, reinforcing its competitive pricing and giving customers confidence that if they shop with Wise Bartender they are getting the best deal possible, or they can claim the difference back.

“By classifying drinks as Muslim-friendly, I hope that Wise Bartender can provide a more efficient service for our Muslim customers” added Tom Ward “but if anyone has any questions, we can be contacted by phone (0333 050 1068), email or via our online chat function.”

https://wisebartender.co.uk.

Trewithen Dairy Expands Online Hamper Offering To Nationwide Audience

Family-owned Trewithen Dairy is expanding its online hamper range, so allowing this top Cornish dairy's award-winning products to be enjoyed more widely nationwide. 

Having just launched its new online shop with six hampers to choose from, the premium dairy is set to continue expanding its range with further additions of 'limited edition' offerings. 

The following Trewithen Dairy hampers are now available and can be found at www.trewithendairy.co.uk

Cornish Cream Tea Hamper For Two

Large Cornish Cream Tea Hamper

Prosecco Cornish Cream Tea Hamper For Two 

Cornish Hamper for Two

Large Cornish Hamper

Luxury Cornish Cream Tea for Two

All hampers come carefully packaged and have the option of adding a personalised gift message and a selection of optional extras. 

Francis Clarke, director at Trewithen Dairy, says: “We believe there's no greater pleasure than being treated to a delivery filled with the makings of an authentic Cornish cream tea, including the all-important Cornish clotted cream. 

"Our cream tea hampers are in hot demand during key gifting times, for example Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Christmas. Through expanding our hamper offering, we hope to bring a proper taste of the West Country to a wider community.”  

Trewithen Dairy is owned and run by the Clarke family, who have owned Greymare Farm in the Cornish Glynn Valley since 1976 and started crafting dairy products there in March 1994. Nowadays, they produce 125 million litres of milk each year, which becomes clotted cream, butter and yoghurt. Recognised as a champion food producer of the West Country, having been awarded Gold by the Taste of the West judging panel for 2022 for both their salted butter and traditional Cornish clotted cream, their sought after golden-crusted clotted cream with PDO status completes these gift hampers that bring joy to recipients nationwide.

Trewithen Dairy has appointed Devon Hampers to undertake the fulfilment for Trewithen Dairy's webshop, including supplying, packaging and distributing its hampers. This relationship between two of the West Country's leading businesses is cemented on their shared emphasis on regional provenance, quality execution and enriching experiences and will ensure that even more customers will be able to enjoy Trewithen Dairy's exceptional produce, delivered directly to their doors.

About the partnership, Francis says: “We're delighted to build a strong relationship between Trewithen Dairy and Devon Hampers. In addition to handling logistics, their experience as a retailer with a passion for sourcing local products is admirable.”

Adam Fox-Edwards of Devon Hampers adds: “It's fantastic to welcome Trewithen Dairy as a customer to help enhance their webshop offering, which will undoubtedly boost sales. The quality of Trewithen Dairy's Cornish clotted cream together with our reputation for premium hamper delivery means we're perfect partners. 

"We're so proud to champion both Devon and Cornwall and this shows in our hampers. Nearly all our food and drink is locally sourced from small businesses. We look forward to bringing a taste of the West Country to the rest of the nation.”

Trewithen Dairy was awarded 'Sustainability Champions' in the Food Mag Reader Awards 2022, recognising its commitment to the environment. In terms of its dairy products, Trewithen is a 'champion' food producer of the West Country by the Taste of the West judging panel for 2022, for both their salted butter and traditional Cornish clotted cream. 

Use your loaf! Let's Talk About Food: The New Foodbod Pod

Self-taught sourdough expert and guru, Elaine Boddy has just launched her new podcast which she has called The 'Foodbod Pod'. 

What is it? It's the total celebration of food by food lovers, with inspiration and practical tips for every home cook. Each episode is available from Foodbodpod.com and is also available to watch on the The Foodbod Pod Youtube channel.

In the podcast, Elaine, and her co-presenter David Treadway, talk to home-cooks and bakers, food producers, food writers, recipe developers, food bloggers, professional cooks, and others associated with the food world. 

As they chat with guests, each will be asked for their top three tips in the kitchen, as well as their favourite ways of using leftover foods. 

Elaine explains: “If I read a food magazine or watch a food show, it's always about the tips. Because that's what I find most interesting. I read recipes to learn about the whole dish, but I'm also looking for those tips, the little things people do in their kitchens that they don't even realise they're doing.”

She went on to say: “My other great love is leftovers. To me they are the bomb, they have so much flavour because they've had time for the flavours to develop. There's so much you can create out of leftovers. So tips and leftovers are massive things for us.”

Elaine and David also discuss relevant and current food issues, including such things as the cost of living crisis and how to tweak your cooking accordingly. 

Elaine explains: “Our aim is to talk to chefs and cooks at various levels, ensuring the subject matter we cover is relevant, real and attainable for our listeners who are home-cooks from around the world. 

"We also collect recipes to post on our website, Foodbodpod.com and each episode is also available to watch on the The Foodbod Pod Youtube channel so listeners can actually see the recipes being made.”

Elaine, who already has a massive following online, started her food blog, on a whim, in 2013 to chart her progress when she decided to teach herself how to cook her favourite foods. 

A friend challenged her to try making sourdough. She learned about the process and its many nuances through trial and error and eventually landed on her own simplistic way of making sourdough, removing unnecessary steps, mess or waste.

This simple way of making sourdough appealed to a lot of people and Elaine has become famous for her sourdough skills. She is now keen to share more practical skills across a whole range of recipes through her Foodbod pod.

Matthews Cotswold Flour is the main sponsor of the Foodbod pod. Managing Director, Bertie Matthews explains: “One of our key company objectives is to inspire and educate the nation's artisan and home bakers and this new podcast is designed to do this. 

"Elaine is a great friend of Matthews Cotswold Flour and we love her approach to making cooking so accessible for everyone. We were delighted to be able to support the Foodbod Pod and help Elaine share her love of food with an even wider audience.” 

Elaine “Foodbod” Boddy is a recognised food blogger, author and sourdough guru with an international social media following and her own dedicated channels on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Facebook.

David Treadway is a broadcast and business professional who was a successful radio producer and member of BBC Radio's senior management team and currently chairs the international satellite distribution and broadcast services company, iKO Media Group.

David is the producer and co-host.

How to Listen:

You can listen to all the episodes of Foodbod pod at Foodbod Pod - let's talk about food! And on all major podcast platforms including Spotify and Amazon

 For more information on Matthews Cotswold Flour visit www.cotswoldflour.com or follow @CotswoldFlour on Instagram or Facebook.

Good BBQing is on tap with the Kamado Joe app!

Kamado Joe, the innovator behind industry-leading kamado-style ceramic grills, has announced the addition of the Konnected Joe™ to their product line-up. 

A world first, this digitally connected ceramic grill combines all the benefits of traditional ceramic cooking with modern technology, offering a solution for easy fire-lighting and effortless temperature control. 

The Konnected Joe will be available for pre-order in the UK/EU for £1,999 (2,199 €) at select retailers from 15 April 2023 following a launch party hosted by Kamado Joe's director of culinary inspiration, chef Eric Gephart, at the Paris BBQ Expo 14-16th April. Orders will be fulfilled in June 2023.

The digital controls and convenient app-enabled features help grillers experience the benefits of ceramic grill cooking, while making the whole process a simple matter of pushing a button to ignite the fire and a dial to maintain the desired grill temperature. 

Global marketing manager Ben Forte says, “Kamado Joe has always been totally committed to delivering a superior grilling experience since the very start.

"Today, we're proud to introduce kamado style cooking to grillers of all skill levels with the Konnected Joe, giving them the confidence and flexibility to use digital controls.”

The all-new Konnected Joe offers: 

HASSLE-FREE CHARCOAL IGNITION – The Automatic Fire Starter™ ignition lights the charcoal with the push of a button, so your grill is ready to use in under 15 minutes.

ABILITY TO MAINTAIN CONSISTENT TEMPERATURES – The Kontrol System™ (consisting of the Kontrol Board™ digital display, Kontrol Fan™, and Kontrol Tower™ top vent) maintains total temperature control throughout each cook.

ULTIMATE VERSATILITY – Effortlessly achieve 95°C - 370°C for smoking, grilling, baking, roasting, and searing with the push of a button. Monitor up to three meat probes at once. 

UNMATCHED FLEXIBILITY WITH COOK MODES – The Automatic Cook Mode offers step-by-step instructions on the Kontrol Board™ digital display or use Classic Cook Mode and control your temperature manually for traditional kamado cooking. 

KAMADO JOE APP – Adjust and monitor your grill temperature, meat probes, and cook times from anywhere with the new Kamado Joe app.

STANDARD KAMADO JOE INNOVATION – The Konnected Joe also includes thoughtfully engineered features like a slide-out ash drawer for easy clean-up, Air Lift™ Hinge for reduced dome weight, and 2-Tier Divide & Conquer® for cooking flexibility.

To stay up to date on the latest innovation from Kamado Joe, visit www.kamadojoe.co.uk.

A great Easter treat with St-Rémy Brandy

Spring is here! We're all looking forward to saying goodbye to the winter blues, and whilst we're waiting for warmer days, St-Rémy Brandy can help us celebrate Easter with a series of two deliciously chocolatey Exclusive Easter cocktails that are certain to warm us up and beat any Easter eggs!

Perfect for a Sunday afternoon at home with friends, the St-Rémy White Mocha is a delightfully indulgent cocktail, provided you serve with extra whipped cream of course! Composed of St-Rémy XO, black coffee and chocolate syrup, it's the ultimate Easter treat in a glass!

Recipe:

45ml / 1.5oz St-Rémy XO

60ml / 2oz Black Coffee

30ml / 1oz Chocolate Syrup

30ml / 1oz Whole Milk

Add all ingredients to a mug and stir.

Top with whipped cream and chocolate powder.

Hosting an Easter feast? The St-Rémy French Alexander will provide the perfect post lunch pick me up, with St-Rémy Signature, cacao cream and grated nutmeg.

Recipe:

45ml St-Rémy Signature

20ml thick cream

15ml cacao cream

8ml simple syrup

Shake hard with ice, and fine strain into a coupe glass or glass coffee mug.

Garnish with  nutmeg grated all over the top.

St-Rémy is the world's number one and most renowned French brandy, prized by connoisseurs and critics alike since 1886. Originally from the heart of the French Loire Valley, St-Rémy has garnered international recognition for its peerless savoir-faire and distinctive aromatic identity and style.

Fudge Kitchen Release 2022 Giving Report

Fudge Kitchen have released their 2022/23 Giving Report, detailing their social and environmental impacts over the last year. 

The artisan confectionery producers raised over £15k in donations, the equivalent of over 35,000 impacts for projects around the world.

In 2021 Fudge Kitchen partnered with giving platforms B1G1 and WorkForGood and were able to provide an exceptional positive impact not only to the environment, but to local and community initiatives too.

In 2022 they raised a record-breaking £15,615 for global causes, including B1G1's Clean Earth Projects, The Buddy Bag Foundation and FareShare. 

By creating limited-edition flavours in-store for donations, the confectionery producers also managed to rapidly fundraise for some of the most important causes that the world faced, from the invasion of Ukraine to responding to the catastrophic flooding in Pakistan.

Fudge Kitchen have been partnering with B1G1 for the last few years, a social enterprise encouraging a global business giving movement. Unlike traditional giving models, B1G1 works with businesses to achieve real and measurable social and environmental impacts by dedicating revenue from everyday business operations. Money donated can easily be linked back to micro-impacts that lead to a more sustainable future.

Fudge Kitchens Marketing Manager, Richard Parson, says “Measuring giving by impacts has given us the tools to encourage team and customer engagement in charitable fundraising in ways we've never been able to before. We're able to contextualise the good that we and our customers do and see real value in it.”

In April and July of 2022 Fudge Kitchen launched a special limited-edition fudge, with all proceeds going to Direct Relief , which is– a humanitarian aid organization working on the ground in Ukraine to provide urgent medical care & emergency response. Sales of their Lemon Meringue fudge, coloured yellow and blue in homage to the Ukrainian flag, raised just over £3k in a week.

In June 2022, for National Fudge Day, the artisan confectioners ran fudge making experiences in their shops around the UK, with all proceeds going to the food charity FareShare. Fudge Kitchen waived the normal price of their fudge making experiences (usually from £95), and instead asked customers to pay a price they saw fit. In 4 days, they raised just over £1000 which contributed to over 4000 meals for communities across the UK.

Alongside their monetary contributions Fudge Kitchen also introduced paid volunteering days for every team member across the business; allowing them the freedom to actively support good causes that mean a lot to them. Linsey, their Finance Manager, enrolled with the St. John Emergency Ambulance Crew – responding to casualty calls at events and supporting NHS 999 calls. Whilst Tia, from their shop in Bath, spent time with a local organic farm that specialises in providing learning opportunities for people with special needs, through social and occupational practices.

Looking ahead to 2023 the fudge makers have selected the charities they'll be supporting across three categories – local, community and environmental. The local charity is FareShare, the UKs dedicated food redistribution network, fighting to reduce food-inequality. The Community charity is the Neighbourly Foundation, an initiative that enables vital community projects and initiatives to receive funding. The environmental charity is Rewilding Britain - an innovative charity that promotes rewilding as an effective answer to some of the big environmental issues like climate breakdown and species extinction.

To find out more about Fudge Kitchen's sustainability mission head to: https://www.fudgekitchen.co.uk/pages/sustainability

New Victuallers Special Edition 'Rhubarb & Bergamot Gin'

Delicately sweet, dry and refreshing, Salcombe Distilling Co.'s exceptional new small batch Victuallers Special Edition 'Rhubarb & Bergamot Gin' is a far cry from many of the far too sweet and artificial rhubarb flavoured gins that are available.  

With an elegant soft pink natural colour, this unique release from multi-award winning Salcombe Distilling Co. is available in a 50cl bottle at an RRP of £40, ABV 38% from salcombegin.com and Salcombe Distilling Co.'s Victuallers flagship stores which are in Salcombe and Dartmouth.

Carefully crafted at Salcombe Distilling Co.'s stunning waterside home, one of the world's only distilleries directly accessible by boat, Victuallers Special Edition 'Rhubarb & Bergamot Gin' uses nine botanicals including rhubarb, bergamot and kumquat.  The sweet and sharp flavours are expertly balanced with more traditional gin botanicals including juniper, angelica, cassia bark and lemongrass to create this smooth, refreshing and extremely moreish new release.  

Andy Stafford, who is the distiller at Salcombe Distilling Co., says: “In our Victuallers Special Edition 'Rhubarb & Bergamot Gin', we've used rhubarb in an elegant and sophisticated way which isn't overly sweet or reliant on artificial flavours and colours.  Combining our love of gin with a dryer and zestier finish, we've created something special.  It's got all the layers and complexity you will find in a traditional gin, but with a sharpness from the bergamot that balances beautifully with the bittersweet and tart flavours of rhubarb.”

Andy went on to say: “Unlike many rhubarb gins it's been distilled to the one-shot method and blended to bottling strength with unfiltered pressed rhubarb juice in place of blending water. This gives it a sharp, somewhat earthy freshness and its natural pink hue.”

Taste profile

Nose - Expect a nose full of bright fruity rhubarb 

Palate - Sweet rhubarb with an unexpected earthiness and scented sharp citrus 

Finish - Dry and refreshing

Serving suggestion - Plenty of ice and a premium Indian tonic water is key, Salcombe Gin recommends garnishing with a slice of orange and a piece of fresh ginger.

Victuallers Special Edition 'Rhubarb & Bergamot Gin' joins Salcombe Distilling Co.'s award-winning line-up of Salcombe Gin 'Start Point', Salcombe Gin 'Rosé Sainte Marie', the Voyager Series, Salcombe Rum 'Island Street' and New London Light non-alcoholic spirits and aperitifs. 

For further information about Salcombe Distilling Co. and Salcombe Gin, visit www.salcombedistilling.com, follow SalcombeGin on Instagram and Facebook and Salcombe Distilling Co on Twitter.

Multi-Million-Pound Food and Drink Centre Fast Becoming Innovation Powerhouse

A multi-million-pound food and drink innovation centre is fulfilling ambitions to become a powerhouse of support to the food and drink industry. 

The Food WorksSW is proving itself to be a real game changer for over 130 food and drink brands with established and new businesses all benefiting from the use of outstanding facilities and resources.

The Food and Drink Forum, which operates the facility on behalf of North Somerset Council, is now inviting more people to get in touch if they have a concept that could become the next shooting star of the food and drink industry, saying it can help turn good ideas into viable, scalable propositions.

The only centre of its kind in the south west, The Food WorksSW is based in the heart of the Weston-super-Mare Enterprise Area, less than 30 minutes from Bristol, and is in close proximity to Junction 21 of the M5 motorway. 

It has state-of-the-art facilities including five product development kitchens which are available for flexible short-term contract hire for food and drink businesses of all sizes to test, develop and manufacture their products - prices start from just £96.90 per day (inc VAT).

A team of food industry experts are on hand to help businesses navigate their way through a range of food disciplines – from new product development, and quality assurance hygiene, to food safety and efficiency. The Food WorksSW provides a solution to help transform concepts into saleable and profitable products.

Business support begins with a free one-hour consultation with industry expert Zoe Plant, New Product Development and Innovation Manager, who says: “We encourage everyone to come along and talk to us. We work closely with businesses, tailoring our support to their needs, and making sure their concepts are commercially viable. If you don't get in touch, you'll never know, and you'll always wonder whether your product would have worked.” 

Gelato, salsa, kefir water, vegan cheese, deli items, brownies, chilli sauces, high protein cookies, frozen ready meals and curry dishes are among the products which have been developed at The Food WorksSW. Established brands including Hullabaloos Drinks, Trethowan Brothers, Butcombe Brewery, Hoots Sauce, Sunbird Kitchen and the Field Doctor have all benefited from using the centre's facilities and support. Many chefs also regularly use the venue to develop their menus.

Jasper Prickett, who is the head development chef at Butcombe Brewery and the Liberation Group, said: “I'm a big fan of Food WorksSW - we've used their space to hold central training sessions for our pub chefs and cook-offs where our managers gather so they can sample various dishes.

“We also use The Food WorksSW to develop new dishes. They have all the kit I need to create new ideas without having to do that work in kitchens belonging to our pubs and thus getting in the way of their teams. 

“Having this facility on hand is a major benefit for us, not just as a place for me to create new dishes and be able to work out their cost, I can also have up to 120 people come in. Added to that the location, geographically, works very well for us.”

The Food WorksSW also offers readily accessible meeting spaces, including fully equipped conference rooms, and a business lounge for hire. The business lounge and coffee shop is open to all businesses and offers a free space to utilise for networking, informal meetings or as an alternative workspace, with free secure WiFi and parking.

For more information on how The Food WorksSW can help you and your business, visit foodworks-sw.co.uk or to stay up-to-date follow @foodworks_sw on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.