Food supplement

SUPPORTED BY

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Who’scoolFOODin ?

000 Whos Cool in Food Cover August 13:Layout 1 25/07/2013 10:31 9

{Brought to you by

InspireTransforming and growing your business

Paul Dunn is a marketing expert at the forefront of management and marketing action on a global basis.

In this inspiring presentation, Paul will discuss three crucial areas that will literally transform your business,

This presentation follows the Gloucestershire Rugby Business Breakfast Club where Paul Dunn will also

The Insights – just some of what you will gain from this event:

• How to set your business apart in simple ways so that

•

•Enterprise That Inspires

• How to make sure you connect in an entirely different and deeper way with existing and potential customers

• Why generosity makes so much difference and how to

Where and When: Gloucester Rugby Club, Kingsholm Stadium,

Kingsholm Rd, Gloucester GL1 3AX

How Much: Gloucestershire Rugby Business Breakfast Club

Or attend both on a combined ticket of £75

To book: For more information or to reserve your space contact Angela Edwards at [email protected]

We look forward to seeing you there...

accounting for entrepreneurs

Come and join us...

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AUGUST 2013 COTSWOLD STYLE � 21

“Who’s Cool in Food?” takes a closerlook at the unique and inspiring foodand drink suppliers right here inGloucestershire. With a county asglorious and vast as the Cotswolds, itisn’t surprising to know that we have avariety of incredibly skilled andtalented foodies in our midst. Asconsumers, we are increasinglyquestioning where our food comesfrom, with a food revolution graduallytaking place. We are waking up towhat is on our doorstep and movingaway from imposing supermarkets.Provenance is more relevant now thenit has been for a long time and so itshould be. Tom Herbert of TheFabulous Baker Brothers, aptly stated,“Think about what you put in your

pie-hole – you are what you eat!”Well, we can’t argue with that.‘Who’s Cool in Food?’ proudly

celebrates a range of ‘cool’ peoplefrom our county: from Michelinstarred chefs to innovative localsuppliers, farms to restaurants. Onething that’s evident amongst each ofthem, is their passion, creativity andsense of social responsibility.We’d like to especially thank

Tayabali Tomlin, ChelburyMushrooms and Foodworks for theirincredible support in sponsoring us,and to Carol Freeman, for her help inbringing this special supplementtogether.We hope this gets your taste buds

going, it sure did with us!

Researched andcompiled byNatalie Letch

With veryspecial thanks toCarol Freeman

Welcome

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22 � COTSWOLD STYLE AUGUST 2013

We at Tayabali Tomlin are more thanan accounting firm. Yes, we cover theregulatory aspects of compliance work,accounts and tax returns thateverybody expects us to do, but wehave found over the years that clientsdon’t find any exceptional value in that.These things are requirements by lawand our clients need them to be donebut it actually doesn’t give themanything extra and so they are reluctantto pay for that sort of service.With the advancements in

technology over the last 10 years thereis the option for clients to rely on thisto do their tax returns and so I thinkwe are going back to the old style ofaccountancy and what an accountantused to do. An accountant was thereprimarily to act as a business advisor.

That all got lost with the fear of givingpeople advice and risk minimisationand accountants had got away fromthat trusted partner and criticalsounding board type of role. We madea massive concerted effort to changehow we were doing our businessaround 10 years ago.Clients want somebody who is

enthusiastic about their business,somebody who cares, and somebodywho is able to understand them andtheir business first and foremost. Theymay also be looking for insight andsomebody with the experience to beable to provide them with some oftheir own experience, but also to sharetheir experience of similar clientswithin their industry and how they aregetting on and how they grow and how

they may have survived. Also up thereis the opportunity for connectivity tofacilitate networking connections inorder for them to grow their business,including crucial aspects such as accessto funding, expertise, knowledge,mentoring and coaching.For simplicity, we break our services

down into growth and profitimprovement, tax planning andstructuring and business and personalobjectives, which include potential exitplanning. Most businesses are lookingto grow and increase their profits andgiven the current climate it isimportant that we promote growth.The way business is happening at themoment is changing dramatically tooand so we have the global small villageterm being mentioned and the focus ismore on social responsibility. Peopleare looking for a company that issocially responsible and it is importantthat businesses differentiate themselvesand social responsibility is a key areafor this.For profit improvement we have a

clear plan in place for businesses andstart off with simple benchmarking ofour clients against their competitors.We do that using sophisticatedsoftware with full sets of financial dataand I know every business is differentbut often they share some commoncharacteristics and if we see littlethings that they are doing better thenlet’s focus on what they are up to and

Not your averageaccountancy firm....We hear from Aynsley Damery,a Partner at Tayabali Tomlin in Cheltenham…

Feathered Nest

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why they are achieving those results.Once we’ve done the benchmarking wethen plot their results over a five-yearperiod. So we get a trend analysis ofwhere they have been and then we playa ‘what if ’ analysis with the clients andplay and tease the numbers... whathappens if we can increase our saleprice by 5%? What happens if wechange customer retention rates? Weare then able to model the financialdecisions before the clients take themin reality. It’s a great way to look in topossibilities more than anything else.

Then we get on to the questions ofhow we are going to do that. We arelooking primarily for clients who arelooking to grow and our branding andwho we are attracts that kind ofentrepreneurial client and we are quitequirky ourselves. People dip into usand lots of clients may come to usfirstly as their accountants were latewith their accounts or because theyhave had an unexpected tax bill andbecause we are business peopleourselves then it makes a difference aswe are able to talk to them as businesspeople. Often they may not have hadtime to look at the business picture asthey have been tied up with theaccounts and we can go in and findthem some savings from a taxperspective that clients are then able tore-invest into their business.

We see ourselves as a profit centreand not a cost centre. We offer fixedfee packages, which include unlimitedtelephone support and a number ofmeetings per annum. We want our

clients to talk to us and not to befearful of picking up the phone andincurring a charge.

We started in 1979 and now haveoffices in Cheltenham, Moreton-in-Marsh and London. We saw a huge gapin the market here and we are lookingto grow significantly in Cheltenham.We do try to meet our clients face-to-face as often as possible as it isimportant to look people in the eyeand gauge body language sometimes…to see what people are really thinking.

We were keen to support the ‘Who’scool in food’ supplement since we havea strong presence in this industry.Looking through our client list showswe deal with businesses such as: Pubs,restaurants, hotels, branding,marketing, menu design, organicmanufacturers, artisan areas ofchocolates, bakes and cakes, specialistconsultancy for interiors of foodestablishments, specialist recruitmentfor food and drink… we cover a wholehost lots of clients in this industry.Often there are certain elements tobusiness that are the same no matterwhat sector you are in but there will bespecifics to food and drink and it isimportant to deal with somebody whohas the experience, knowledge, clientbase and connections to help with that.Cost analysis is important to an artisanproducer for example as they need togive a very personalised product out ina systemised way with the costscontrolled but make it look unique anddifferent every time… that’s hard!

There has never been a better time

to start a business. With the digitaleconomy, never before have you beenable to create a business and brand itand gain access to a market place 24/7.But it is important that people have thegreat idea. It is an innovative businessidea that will succeed. If you are drivenand passionate about what you aredoing and have a vision then there isno reason why you can’t thrive. Wehelp our clients with customer servicetraining and telephone training and allthe things you probably wouldn’tassociate with an accountancy firm.Clearly we help our clients focus onnumbers and KPIs and budgets butalso run customer advisory boards forour clients so we will get theircustomers in a room without theclients there and then ask what they doand don’t like and what the businesscould do better and that’s a veryinteresting exercise. On the tax side wedo very simple structuring andplanning right up to more complex taxplanning. We also look at helpingpeople with strategic planning and howwe will get there. We find people havegreat ideas but sometimes have troubleimplementing them so that’s what weare here for… and we always ask fornagging rights!

2 Court Mews, London Road,Charlton Kings, CheltenhamGL52 6HSwww.tayabalitomlin.com

Who’scoolFOODin ?

CS

Sophie &Mhencha

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The Angel Bakery

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

The Angel Bakery specialises in producing cakes andcupcakes for events and weddings. Founded in 2008, ownerCatherine Pyne wanted to tap into the cupcake trend butmaintain a food provenance in her products, she says, “Iwanted to create products that were not over-hypedAmerican lookalikes, but cakes that possessed a bit moreBritish finesse, whilst maintaining traditional baking skills”.The Angel Bakery diversifies its products, “I also have arange of other baked goods that I sell throughout farmersmarkets, food festivals and through a twice weekly ‘pop up’shop that operates from the bakery”. Having worked in theArtisan sector for over 20 years, adopting this approach inher business was paramount, “The common denominatorfor all those businesses and what inspired me, is theirunstinting effort to create products with true integrity andquality, using traditional skills – an ethos that I wanted tocarry through to my own business”. Sourcing localingredients is essential, “I’m very fortunate to have awonderful flour supplier, Shipton Mill, and free-range eggproducer, Sherston Eggs. As a stallholder at CirencesterFarmers Market, I get regular access to great seasonalingredients from other local producers”. Catherine loves touse seasonal ingredients in her products, “You can’t beatdelicious local strawberries. The Cotswold Curer producersa fabulous chorizo – great in my savoury tarts. The lemoncurd I produce for my Limoncello layer cake is a particularfavourite. Catherine’s top tip for budding Artisan producers,“Get as much experience as you can andabove all enjoy it. Great food has tocome from the heart”.

Calcot Kitchen of Calcot Manor is firmly establishedas one of the leading outside caterers in the Cotswoldsand surrounding counties that combines “classiccooking blended with bright new culinary ideas anddishes”. We spoke to Calcot to find out more abouttheir fresh approach to catering: “With the ability tocater for up to six bespoke events in one day, CalcotKitchens recently took over the running of therestaurant at Westonbirt Arboretum where wepromote our use of local produce from a 30 mileradius. We also ran a pop-up 100-seater restaurant atthe Cheltenham Jazz Festival, supporting small localproducers”. Supplies are predominantly sourcedlocally, “Our vegetables are grown at the Veg Shedfrom HRH Home Farm Estate; local free-range eggsfrom Sherston Farm; Holy Smoked Single Gloucesterfrom Godsells Cheese; milk and cream comes fromCotteswold Dairy and our butter from NetherendFarm at Lydney. Ice cream at our WestonbirtRestaurant comes from Winstones and Madgetts Farmfor all our free-range poultry”. Calcot are passionateabout the sustainability, location and background oftheir food and is an element that transcendsthroughout the business, “We always support our localproducers, and our chefs take regular time out fromtheir busy schedules to meet their producers. We arealways careful to ensure the best quality ingredientsand building a strong rapport and dealing directly withthe producers does just that – you get to see howmuch love and passion goes into the product. Ourethos wherever possible is to keeping it local!”

Calcot Kitchen

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Who’scoolFOODin ?

‘Artisan’ to Charlie Beldam means “the highest of quality,made in the best way possible and using top qualityingredients” and that is what Cotswold Gold has becomerenowned for. Cotswold Gold is an award winning, NaturalExtra Virgin Rapeseed Oil, which is from Oilseed Rape andis extracted by using traditional cold pressing and is grownoff Charlie’s family farm. The oil has become renowned forits health benefits and is one of the Cotswold’s primeartisan producers. Cotswold Gold has less than half thesaturated fat of olive, is low in cholesterol, a good sourceof Omega 3,6 & 9 and Vitamin E and is 100% British -factors that we are all increasingly searching for. Charlie tellus that he spotted a niche in the market, “In my last year atuniversity, I did a diversification project to use an additionalcrop from the farm and saw the potential in the market anddecided to keep it going”. Cotswold Gold is growing on adaily basis and is even now exporting to Barbados, Jerseyand expanding its established presence in Japan this year.We asked Charlie what his favourite recipe would be whencooking with Cotswold Gold, “I would say, roast potatoes;better than goose fat - delicious!”. Charlie’s advice foranyone embarking on becoming an Artisan Producer is“Enjoy it, be prepared to work hard. It’s a greatenvironment to be in, Artisan is a growing market andpeople are becoming more aware of Artisan produce.

Cotswold Gold

Cheeseworks, based in Cheltenham are a smallindependent family owned cheesemongers. Offering atailor-made service, Cheeseworks supply the highestquality artisan cheeses and accompaniments, offering agreat range of local, national and European finecheeses. Owner, Michelle, states that they promote andsource from local suppliers and continually introducenew lines from producers in Gloucestershire, fromartisan cheeses, to chutneys and breads. Alongside thisthey are expanding the website and Cheese WeddingCake side of the business, promoting the Artisancheeses to wider audiences across the UK. Michellesays, “Having an Artisan Cheese Shop allows us toprovide our customers with the best quality productswe can source. We believe our artisan cheeses offerthat extra special something that you won’t find inmass produced products, this is very important to us”.Cheeseworks are passionate about customer service,“We believe it is very important to be able to letcustomers know exactly what they are buying and toget their feedback on the products we sell”, Michellesays that Artisan products should be “generally hand-made, not mass produced. There should be a storybehind the product and the producer will be extremelypassionate and care about what they do, this can beseen in the quality of what they produce”. Michellesays that to create a successful food business, “Youshould get to know your local producers and suppliers,understand their products and how they make themand be sure that you can tell your customers what theyare getting and where it comes from”.

Cheeseworks



CotswoldOrganic Dairy

Cotswold Pudding Company (CPC) is a smallproducer based near Cirencester, owned by partnersKaren Laggett and Jonathan Harwood. CPC producea range of delicious handmade sticky puddings. Karensays, “It’s just the two of us, I do the baking, run theweekly farmer’s market stall in Stroud and handleadmin and Jon makes the sauces, lids and sleeves forthe puds and makes all the deliveries!”. Initially startedfrom home, CPC grew considerably and now supplyto a range of retailers, recently joining HeartDistribution, who are “a company passionate aboutArtisan producers who can’t always deliver furtherafield. They enable us to supply to many moreindependents in a far larger area”. Artisan produce isimportant to CPC, “I think there is something so off-putting when you see mass-produced products, madeon a vast production line, probably using the mostbasic of ingredients - they seem to have a certainblandness to them”. CPC use local supplies and oralternatively they use fair trade products, maintaining alevel of excellence. When defining, ‘Artisan’, Karensays that it’s all about “Keeping things simple, with nofussiness. We use traditional baking methods - exactlyas you would do at home only on a slightly largerscale! Using the best ingredients you can is also anessential part to artisan baking”. Karen’s advice issimple, “Find something you genuinely enjoy doing. Ifyou have no love for your product then it probablywon’t be very good! Try not to think of it as a‘money-making’ opportunity and more of a lifestylechoice”.

Cotswold PuddingCompany

Based in the parish of Upper Slaughter, Simon Weavermakes award-winning cheeses, renowned for their creamy,fresh and organic tasting qualities. Simon’s family have beenin the farming trade for the past three generations, andfollow a traditional method of organic farming, takingimmense pride in animal welfare and care of their land.For the Weavers, organic farming is a lifestyle; theircommitment to their trade is what keeps their dairybusiness growing each year. The cheese is produced fromSimon’s own herd of organic cows that reside on his farm,“All our cows are Friesian and feed on grass and foragegrown exclusively and organically for them at KirkhamFarm”. Simon says, “When we started, we wanted to find ause for our organic milk and we couldn’t find a buyer at thetime. We also wanted to be close to the consumer and notbe a commodity producer”. Continual development of theircheesemaking skills is fundamental to their success, “We’vesearched this country and abroad to find the right skills andknowledge”. The business has received great acclaim withtheir cheeses, their Cotswold Brie, winning two Taste of theWest awards and have received further success with theirrich tasting Blue Cotswold Brie and their Cotswold HerbBrie – all sound delicious! The popularity of Simon’s dairyis not restricted to the UK, “We still keep to our ‘local andorganic ethos’, but we now export to Germany and Japan,even Barbados! Our cheeseis finding its way to Dubaiand onto Emirates Airlines.”

IN ASSOCIATION WITH



Who’scoolFOODin ?

The Daffodil first opened her doors over 15 years agoafter being loving restored by co-owners MarkStephens and James McAlpine and has been wowingdiners ever since. Our complete food ethos is goodquality ingredients, treated sympathetically and cookedwell. The whole menu boasts a delicious selection ofwell researched, seasonal and signature dishes basedon British classics. The business has grown anddeveloped considerably over the last decade and wehave refined our food style and menu choices, leadingto the excellent reputation we have locally, regionallyand nationally. Our unique Art Deco restaurant lendsitself perfectly to everything from our infamousCheese Club to lively Martini Monday or one of ourspectacular Speakeasy nights, there is something forevery single one of our customers. A local andseasonal approach to food is at the heart of everythingwe do. As a champion of local food, I write a monthlycolumn for Cotswold Style, called Tom’s Travels andin the last few issues alone, I have visited our localstrawberry supplier on their farm in Ross-on-Wye,taken a trip to VW Lane Butchers on Bath Road, ashort walk from The Daffodil and a regular supplier,plus the free range farm on the edge of Gloucesterwhere all our eggs come from! We carefully select oursuppliers and having spent my career with some of theworld’s culinary greats, including Anton Mossiman toname but one, I have a keen eye for the best produce,and always use my network to find out new andemerging suppliers with something different orinnovative to offer. Word of mouth is great forhunting down small scale producers, who share mypassion for food, but of course it all comes down tothe taste!

The Daffodil

Daylesford Organic has been farming organically for over30 years and are known for their “farm to fork” approachto their food. Their foods range from meat and poultry,fruit and vegetables, bread and cheese to milk and yogurts.Winning over 60 national and international awards over thelast three years, Daylesford is now one of the mostsustainable farms in the UK, “our chefs use only thefreshest ingredients, combined with simple techniques tobring out the natural flavours of our seasonal, organicproduce”. Daylesford’s cafe is proving extremely popularand with booking required it’s clear that their appeal isgrowing considerably, “Guests like to wind down at the endof a busy week with a refreshing glass of Château LéoubeRosé, whilst relaxing in the tranquillity of the Cotswoldcountryside”. Open on Friday and Saturday nights,Daylesford offer a special three-course supper menucreated by their chefs, “We use the best of our farm’sseasonal organic produce whilst it is at its very best. Themenu showcases our award-winning meat, cooked beforeyour eyes on the grill or in the wood oven, with seasonalsalads and vegetables picked freshly from their marketgarden and award-winning cheese and bread made by handon the Daylesford farm”. If that sounds tempting,Daylesford even offer a cooking school, whereby guests aretaught by Daylesford’s chef ’s, meaning you can recreate a“farm to fork” ethos in your own home for your family.

Daylesford



The Ebrington ArmsThe Ebrington Arms is run by husband and wife team,Claire and Jim Alexander. Bought just before the 2007crash, together, the pub started off with no trade toreceiving two rosettes for their food and are regularCAMRA North Cotswold Pub of the Year winners. Wespoke to Claire to find out more about The EbringtonArms’ ethos, and how they have become the pub thateveryone wishes they had as their local. “We aim to runpubs that are at the heart of their community and whereeveryone is welcome, whether you’re just in for a pint ofhome-brewed real ale or a special meal out. We lovehomemade food and so do our customers. We grow ourown herbs, make our own sausages, bake our own bread,make our own ice cream… It tastes better. We’resurrounded by farms and fields growing amazing produce -asparagus can be cut in the morning and be on the platethat night sometimes. We’ve just started doing our own barsnacks so homemade pork pies and pickles and they’reproving to be really popular. You can only buy our beer inour pubs and we’re really proud of that because pubs haveto offer something really special these days to compete withcheap supermarket booze, we have to entice people outwith a promise of the whole package - atmosphere is asimportant as the food and drinks”. All supplies are sourcedas locally as possible, something that is at the heart of thebusiness. Claire’s advice to potential pub owners is simple,“Love what you make, adapt with the seasons and havefaith that people will eventually realise that supermarketsare shocking”.

The Fine Oil & Spice Company, is an independent andfamily owned business that was set up in 2004 byhusband and wife team, Lucinda and Tim andbusiness partner, Carol Freeman. Upon a friend’ssuggestion to help at an NSPCC fair, Lucinda and Timfuelled their passion for using infused oils in theircooking and created a range of oils: lemon, truffle,garlic and chilli oils and they all sold out! Initially aone-off idea, has since turned into a successfulbusiness, that’s becoming the ‘go-to’ premiumproduct, adding delicious taste to quality food. Timsays, “we want our oils to be used all of the time, nofuss or frills just good food, simply presented withlayers of flavours”. Provenance is a key element withinFine Oil & Spice, “Our ambition is to champion greatolives and have control over the provenance. We liketo reduce air miles and instead tap into a UK sourceand known ethical suppliers”, Carol adds, “we cansource anywhere in the world for our consumer, that’swhy our label states ‘Our World Is Your Oyster’. Theoils suit a range of palettes and derive from differentcultures and Tim is evidently an expert in his field.Tim relishes any opportunity to educate people aboutthe variety of oils and spices and how they, like finewines, can compliment a variety of dishes, “The spicemarket has changed with their consumer. We exposeour customers to different flavours and in turneducate them, inspiring confidence in trying newfoods”.

The Fine Oil &Spice Company

IN ASSOCIATION WITH



Who’scoolFOODin ?

Gibson’s Organic Liqueurs is a family run business,who produce high quality fruit liqueurs in smallbatches. We spoke to Gibson’s to find out a little bitmore about this unique business. “To the best of ourknowledge we are the only UK based producers whouse only organic fruit we have grown ourselves in ourliqueurs. The high concentration and quality of thefruit used is reflected in the liqueurs, in which theintense taste of fruit predominates. Our fruit ishandpicked on our farm in Westwell. We use twodifferent varieties of autumn fruiting raspberry whichgives us a longer season. Our elderflowers are justcoming into flower and the black, red and whitecurrants will begin to ripen at the end of this month”.Gibson’s have a clear emphasis on high quality andcarefully made products, “The inspiration to go intoorganic farming came from a belief in healthy producegrown in an environmentally friendly, non-industrialway”. Since launching two years ago, Gibson’s havedoubled their sales and won both ‘Soil Association’and ‘Great Taste’ awards and are continuing to expandtheir brand, “We now secure shelf space at many localoutlets including Blenheim Palace, the Burford GardenCompany and the Organic Farm Shop in Cirencester.We also sell through Farmers Markets and increasinglyat Artisan Food and Drink Fairs”. Their success hasmeant they have now created a further range ofliqueurs,“We are expanding our range of liqueurs fromraspberry and blackcurrant to include redcurrant,white currant with elderflower and sloe whisky, all ofwhich we will begin selling this autumn” - they sounddelicious, don’t they?

GibsonsOrganic Liquers

Stroud Brewery, founded in 2006, are a craft brewery,producing premium cask ales and a range of organic andvegan bottled beers using Cotswold grown malt and wholehops. We spoke to owner Greg, who told us all about histhriving business. “We have a concern about our impact onthe planet and we strive in every way to make our businessas sustainable as possible – financially, environmentally andsocially. It’s not just the process of brewing beer –minimising our resource use, using local and organicingredients, recycling our waste (as feedstuff for pigs andcows on local small holdings) and delivering locally - butalso the way we do business. We believe an importantelement of developing long term sustainable communitiesis to strengthen the local economy - to bring money into itand then keep it there!”. Greg states that by adopting thisapproach, they refuse to sell to supermarkets, “We try touse local suppliers and services. We believe our brewery hasa valuable role to play in its contribution towards the qualityof life of Stroud and its surroundings, adding to its wealth,culture and ‘social cohesiveness’”. Having won awards suchas ‘Champion beer of Gloucestershire’, Stroud Brewery isgoing from strength to strength, creating a loyal and regularcustomer base. We asked Greg what advice he would offerto budding food and drink producers, and his work ethicwas clear, “Have integrity! Be clear about your ethos andreally value the quality of your products” - a quality, whichwe cannot deny Stroud Brewery is integral to their brand.

Stroud Brewery



ThymeCookery School

Whatley Manor are not only renowned for theirbeautiful venue but also offer two dining experiences.We spoke to Michelin starred head chef, Martin Burgeto find out more about Whatley Manor, and to us totell us more about the food experience that guestsencounter at Whatley Manor, “ ‘Le Mazot’, ourbrasserie is in the style of a Swiss chalet (our ownersare Swiss) which makes it stand out from therestaurants in the Cotswolds. We offer a few authenticSwiss dishes alongside the brassiere dishes on themenu. ‘The Dining Room’ which boasts very highaccolades takes guests on a gastronomic journey wherethey can choose from the a la carte or tasting menuwith the opening and closing chapters of amuse-bouches, additional courses in between and petit fours.The wine list is executed by our own Sommelier andguests can experience the tasting menu alongsidematching wines. It’s a real food lovers destination”.Describing his cooking, Martin says, “I’m classicallytrained and have an emphasis on depth of flavourwhilst retaining a light touch to every dish. I follow theseasons and make sure we source the finestingredients… recipes are tried and tested first by meand then given to the chefs to follow them to thegram!”. We couldn’t resist asking Martin what hisfavourite ingredient is, “It’s got be chocolate I love iton its own or in desserts”. Martin’s top advice forthose wanting to start out in the Artisan food industry,“Try and be unique in the product you produce. Findyour unique selling point and be clear on your targetaudience. Make sure you’re fully committed to theproduct focusing on the quality rather than just thebottom line”.

Whatley Manor

Thyme at Southrop Manor is a unique, beautifully restoredestate in the Cotswold countryside, centrally located in theheart of England. Founded by Caryn Hibbert (pictured),the estate comprises a Food School, luxury accommodationin Thyme House and five self-catering cottages, astonishingcelebration spaces, unique business meeting facilities and anaward-winning village pub and restaurant, The Swan atSouthrop. The Food School at Thyme at Southrop Manoraims to tell the whole story of food, its journey fromsource to production, through to preparation and finally tothe pleasure of serving, eating and drinking. Bringing thisobjective to life is a team of visiting chefs and experts,working hand in hand with the in-house chefs, as well as thelocal producers, craftspeople, foragers and growers in thevicinity. Thyme at Southrop Manor offers a truly distinctiveculinary programme - driven not only by a love of greatfood but also the land it comes from. At Thyme atSouthrop Manor, there is a real passion for growing thefood that is cooked. Hence here the chefs are gardeners andthe gardeners are chefs. The School’s location in ruralGloucestershire is essential to its existence and animportant part of its story. Ingredients sourced by Thyme’schefs are always fresh, seasonal, often locally distinct andtraditional produce from the estate’s own kitchen gardens,small family farms and artisans. An abundance of wild foodcan be found growing on and surrounding the estate,including wild garlic, elderflower, watercress andmushrooms. The perfect living larder exists at Thyme atSouthrop Manor. Everything we do at Thyme is driven byour love of the land.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

CS



2010 saw the launch ofFoodworks Cookery School,now in its third year. Thevenue runs its own academyeducating the next generationon how to pursue a career inthe food industry, either asa chalet chef, or simplylooking to cook at univeristy.Foodworks are nowaccredited with a Duke ofEdinburgh intensive weeklong course. Harriet Elwes,the mastermind behind theFoodworks Cookery School,saw the potential to runindividual week-long coursesaimed at helping gap yearstudents to build confidenceand all-round cookery skillsto enable them to work inany food environment.Students wishing to completetheir Duke of Edinburghaward can spend a week withthe Foodworks professionalchef tutors working in smallclasses, learning how to cook forthemselves, budgeting and theimportance of cooking withseasonal food.

The one or two-week ResidentialChalet Academy courses are perfect forthose wishing to spend a season in a skiresort. Working in small classes will givethe students an insight into how tooperate in an alpine chalet, includingbudgeting and general housekeepingand then the culinary side will teachstudents how to plan menus and howto cook a wide selection of dishes, withcareful attention paid to various dietsand requirements. At the end of thecourse, students will have a repertoirewhich will include pastries, bread, fruitand deserts, various meats andvegetable dishes plus a recipe pack totake away with them for the season.Foodworks has various contacts

with ski companies for which theyare able to help write CVs and arrangeinterviews.

Cookery has become cool again withtelevision programmes and the rise inhigh profile names and it has to be fun.Harriet says, “I always say to ourstudents that if you learn to cook thenyou will always earn money, whether it isin your gap year or travelling or at a skiresort or holiday homes. It’s all aboutconfidence and if you are going off touniversity then it’s great to be able tocook. We like to teach the studentsabout the seasonal produce and whereto shop and prove that it doesn’t have tobe expensive and to build theirconfidence. It’s been hard work but yougain a vision and I wanted this tobecome a training centre rather thanjust a cookery school and I love the factthat we have the next generation of

talent coming upthrough the ranks.”

Foodworks areworking closely withCheltenham schoolsand recentlyCheltenham Collegespent the week at theschool covering allaspects of cooking andlearning cookery skillsand creating menus fordinner parties. Plus, wehad a bread making dayand very much enjoyed

teaching students about food and winematching. As well as Foodworks nowrunning academy courses, we will alsobe offering daytime courses run byindependent chefs who will hire thevenue and create and develop theirown courses which will be offered onthe Foodworks website.

Foodworks have also offeredcorporate team building events for thelast three years which have proven to beenormously popular, offering breadmaking, pasta making and wine tasting.Foodworks can create a bespoke andcompetitive edge for companies lookingto create real team challenges andinspire staff. The venue is available foranyone to hire for functions such asanniversaries, hen parties or any specialoccasion and we can organise celebritychefs if desired.

Harriet’s passion for her business isconveyed in her attitude and is veryexcited for what is in store for herbusiness looking ahead... as are we.

The Foodworks Cookery SchoolColesbourne Park, Nr. Cheltenham,Glos GL53 9NPTel: 01242 870538www.foodworkscookeryschool.co.uk

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Foodworks –heading in the

right direction

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I hate it when things go wrong. Thereare always a number of factors thatcontribute to a bad day developing.The flat tyre when you’re going out todinner, the TV going ‘pop’ during themen’s Wimbledon final, or having yourbest outfit spattered by the local gulls.It’s all about ‘enablers’.Like the perfect storm it takes a

number of ingredients to turn a decentsituation into a mind - blowingmoment… and those very same

compounding factors can affect thehumble fungi. Unlike the media theydon’t take too kindly to shock and awe.The ancient Pharaohs regarded

mushrooms as ‘nobility only’ food andit’s long been the case that Japaneseculture knew mushrooms could beused as a medicine way before today’sresearch even identified mushrooms asa cancer preventative.At Chelbury Mushrooms, which

nestles in the lee of Cleeve Hill, just

outside Cheltenham they know how toladle on the tender loving care when itcomes to providing their mushroomswith the environment they need toflourish.The farm itself has a clean, almost

clinical appearance which is nicelycontrasted by the locale. It seems toseep out naturally from the side ofCleeve Hill; like a mild, green, warmingmist; more an enhancement to thenatural vista than a disturbance. The

Never mind thePHARAOHS…Eric Barton unearths the organic nature of Chelbury Farm Mushrooms

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low - lying sheds which are dottedabout the property provide the nurserymilieu the mushrooms require. It’s allvery organised, with trucks deliveringorganic growth material and takingwaste away which then gets re - cycled.It’s a non - vicious circle. You canalmost hear the clang of approval asthe organic stamp in Brussels thudsonto the relevant forms. Nature’s theissue these days and how long have weall been banging on about naturalproduce? And you can’t get much morenatural than the humble mushroom.This business is so in tune with itssurroundings I nearly couldn’t find it…and my photographer got lost trying tolocate it.Chelbury Mushroom Farm goes as

far back as 1965 (the year theyintroduced drink driving laws and

Ronnie Biggs the great train robber dida bunk to South America). It was infact started as a hobby and as the yearsunfolded the farm (and themushrooms) grew. A move in 2000saw the business develop over toincreased organic production. In 2011the larger producer G’s FreshMushrooms became involved and thebusiness now has a current investmentof £2.5M to provide expansion andbetter retail penetration. Peter Howardthe farm manager has been in the fungibusiness for over thirty years and said,’we have a unique site here at Chelburyas the farm location is ideally suited toproviding our mushrooms with anenvironment that encourages growth’.He further commented, ‘ the positionof the farm in relation to the hillsprovides a prevailing wind which is oneof the crucial factors in preventing anyair born pests attacking our crops’.The eighty five staff at Chelbury

Mushrooms take a cosseting approachto their work, as constant care isneeded to produce the right ‘enablers’of temperature, humidity, soil qualityand light for the products to grow atthe right rate and quality. They producemushrooms all year round with only afew days off. And they’re all hand –picked.The next three years will see a

controlled level of growth forChelbury Mushroom Farm andBusiness Development Manager,

Denise Stock commented,’ our aim isto have a branded pack launch in thenear future, which will mean that ourproducts should be widely availablethroughout local retailers inGloucestershire and beyond’. Currentlyyou can obtain these stunning littleglobes through Slipstream- Organicswho have a box ordering system.Including fresh mushrooms in everydaymeals is a top - notch way to boostvitamin intake and interestingly addsvirtually no calories, fat or sodium.Tossing some sliced mushrooms intogreen salads, soups, stews, stir-fries,omelettes, as well as pasta and ricedishes is quick and super simple.Chelbury Farm Mushrooms

produces over 2000 tonnes ofmushrooms every year. That’s a lot ofrisotto. In fact we Brits ate our waythrough some £374M worth of theselittle beauties last year, with over £14Mof that spend given over to organicconsumption. Remember, you are whatyou eat!It’s reassuring that a business that

produces such a weight of producedoes actually care about organicproduction, the environment in whichthey operate… and being part of thecommunity.Those Pharaohs were dead wrong.

Mushrooms are for everybody.

For more informationwww.chelburymushrooms.co.uk

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