SF-June-20

it with aplomb. The family-run bakery based on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland specialises in savoury biscuits. “Traditional recipes and time- honoured methods remain at the heart of the business,” explains Daniel Smith, sales and marketing manager, “and with a heritage dating specialityfoodmagazine.com 21 back to 1885, Stag’s team of skilled craft bakers have much experience to draw from. We are proud to represent the Outer Hebrides and provenance is very important to us.” The business’s signature product is the Stornaway Water Biscuit, made using a recipe passed down the generations and a versatile carrier for cheese, meats, fish and pâté, while their Seaweed Water Biscuits are award-winning. “The product pairs Stag’s classic water biscuit recipe with seaweed sourced locally to provide a truly unique flavour that is full of flavour,” explains Daniel, “and they offer a great platform for fantastic snacking combinations. Also in the range are traditional Scottish oatcakes, cocktail-sized and available in four flavours – Traditional, Smoked Butter, Honey & Seed and Seaweed – for those looking for something a little different. Caring for the community In this difficult time, shoppers are leaning on comforting foods – like hot tea and a biscuit – to offer respite. Farmhouse Biscuits is offering further support through the recent launch of its NHS Thank You Biscuit – a redesign of one of the business’s best-selling products, Mild Ginger, to serve as a thank you to the NHS. 10p from the sale of each pack will be donated to the NHS by Farmhouse Biscuits, and the team is hoping to get the packs on-shelf in June through their usual stockists. Louisa Mayor, sales and new product development manager at Farmhouse Biscuits explains that, “As a result of the Stay At Home message we have all come to appreciate the simple things in life: our homes, our families and the security that gives us. Many of us have fallen back in love with cooking and baking as we have had time to spend in the kitchen and have also turned into a family affair.” With this inmind, Farmhouse Biscuits have chosen to go back to basics with their flavours, choosing simple, classic options that have stood the test of time. “For us,” she says, “the core range which the business was founded on over 55 years ago still continues to sell extremely well. Their traditional recipes have remained unchanged for years and are still household favourites, from Oat Flips to Milk Ginger, Honey & Oat and Cottage Crunch.” Of course, it’s important to cater to shoppers and their family members who might have intolerances, too, which is why Farmhouse Biscuits offer a range of six gluten-free biscuits and four sugar-free varieties. “We don’t want anyone to feel that they are missing out on that teatime treat, from oats to fruit to chocolate, and so there’s an option for everyone.” Eco-friendly The majority of us are making efforts to be environmentally-conscious, and this is as true of shoppers as it is the businesses selling to them. There are a number of companies in the fine food sphere catering this demand. Island Bakery, a biscuit producer long respected for its environmental efforts, has recently gone one step further as director Dawn Reade explains: “The Island Bakery range has recently been Mark Kacary, co-owner of The Norfolk Deli WHAT ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS LOOKING FOR WHEN BUYING BISCUITS? Norfolk Deli customers tend to be of an older age range and because we’re in a small town shared with three mid- sized supermarkets people will generally go elsewhere for biscuits. We’ve tried indulgent and healthy brands but sales are so low for these that we end up discounting them in our sale basket. What does sell however are The Norfolk Cookie Company biscuits The recipes are similar to brands like Teoni, but the key difference is that they are made locally which is enough to attract people to buy. HOW IMPORTANT IS PROVENANCE AND A ‘STORY’ WHEN IT COMES TO BISCUITS? For us provenance is the difference between biscuits selling and not selling. WHAT ARE YOUR TOP-SELLING SAVOURY BISCUITS? The range of savoury from The Fine Cheese Company and Peter’s Yard. They both sell well. AND SWEET? Norfolk Cookie Company biscuits. RETAILER INSIGHT STAG SEAWEED WATER BISCUITS Cocktail-sized biscuits evocative of a brisk sea breeze. stagbakeries.co.uk PETER’S YARD SEEDED SOURDOUGH FLATBREADS Made with organic flour, British rapeseed oil, poppy, sunflower, pumpkin and nigella seeds and real sourdough. petersyard.com ISLAND BAKERY BLONDE CHOCACCINOS Coffee and cinnamon biscuits with lashings of white chocolate. islandbakery.scot LITTLE TREATS BAKERY GIANTS SELECTION TIN A tin of giant-sized classic favourites. thelittletreatsbakery.co.uk re-packaged, dispensing with the plastic tray and replacing it with beautifully illustrated paper boats. There are five different boats, each named after small islands lying off Mull’s coast and decorated with drawings of some of the local sea life,” she explains. As well as the aesthetic improvement, this change has allowed the business to reduce their plastic packaging to the absolute minimum required to keep the biscuits fresh. “In keeping with our ethos, where we do our best to have the lowest environmental impact, we did a lot of research into the material options available for sealing our biscuits, including compostable films,” she says. “At the present time, we feel that the huge amount of energy used in producing such films, combined with uneven provision of facilities for collecting and processing compostable plastic across the country, does not make them a viable or honest choice. These films do not break down unless they are properly composted, therefore posing a greater risk to wildlife if they are disposed of inappropriately in the mistaken belief that they will biodegrade. Also, the availability of compostable films that perform adequately in terms of keeping a good airtight seal for the 6+ months shelf life we require, is limited.” Two new biscuit launches accompany this environmental update. The Island Bakery team has created a sister product to its best-selling Lemon Melts: Orange Melts; and produced their interpretation of the coffee biscuit, Blonde Chocaccinos: a combination of coffee and cinnamon in a light all- butter biscuit, half-dipped in organic Belgian white chocolate.