SF-June-20

CHEESE UNCUT @specialityfood 24 New retail perspectives from industry experts M inisters from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced a new scheme that aims to help the industry weather the coronavirus storm. The fund will provide vital support to English dairy farmers, who can apply for up to £10,000 in cash payments. Under the new scheme, producers could receive 70% of their income back to allow them to continue operating and sustain their production without impacting animal welfare. However, to access the funding, farmers will have to prove that they’ve lost more than one-quarter of their income in April and May. Shortly after the Government announcement, Wales’ Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths, revealed the same funding for Welsh dairy farmers as part of efforts to “support those farms hardest hit by a situation which is primarily outside of their control”. “This announcement is great news and much needed for dairy farmers who have been left to struggle, in an extremely vulnerable position, because of the impact of COVID-19 on the marketplace,” Richard Corbett, partner with land and estate agent Roger Parry & Partners, said. Updates will be issued in due course. INDUSTRY VOICES The very core of our countryside, from its dry-stone walls to copses of hazel, is shaped by our culture of farming. It is not, however, a glamorous or easy life, especially if you have a dairy herd. And maybe in the last month or so, as we have had time to think of what is important in life, while still enjoying the fruits of the soil, we’ve also realised just how important food producers really are. Juliet Harbutt Farmers still need to farm – you can’t simply ‘mothball a farm’: feed needs to be made for the winter, the land managed, animals looked after and milked. Farm cheese keeps money and jobs in rural communities, and is part of our social history and food culture. During rationing in the 40s and 50s, many farm cheeses completely died out: we went from 146 unpasteurised Wensleydale farmmakers to one; from 202 Lancashire farm cheesemakers to seven… We don’t want to lose that knowledge again! Andy Swinscoe, The Courtyard Dairy We recognise the part we can play in sustaining the cheese industry that we love. It’s vitally important that we support the flow of cheese along the supply chain from farms to cheese lovers. We’re working with a number of local producers who have ripe and delicious cheese that needs to reach customers. Clare Jackson, Slate S peciality cheese company Rowcliffe has relaunched its exclusive private label Clemency Hall with refreshed branding and a newly curated range, including a collection of cheeses, wax truckle cheeses and accompanying antipasti from artisanal cheesemakers and growers. “Clemency Hall has been a Rowcliffe brand for several years, but we have decided to bring it to the fore and further develop it. The label is solely dedicated to the Government launches hardship fund for dairy farms Independent sector, delivering a much-needed point of difference,” says Sunit Mehta, Managing Director. “Clemency Hall has always brought together the artisanal producers with the expertise of the independents. This is still the rationale but with a bolder range with more length and depth.” Clemency Hall’s new range will offer a cheese board concept sourced by the tasting panel from Europe and locally from the UK, including some of Rowcliffe’s own cheeses from Italy, as well as authentic, hand-crafted olives and antipasti from the Mediterranean. The refreshed brand, strapline and logo sit within Rowcliffe’s brand architecture with the dark blue representing quality and understated authoritative expertise. The “earthy, authentic and focused feel” of the new dark blue logo reflects the provenance in the range, while the addition of metallic bronze denotes the premium, hand-selected nature of the products, the company says. Rowcliffe relaunches its exclusive private label artisan cheese brand Clemency Hall I ndependent family-run cheesemaker Belton Farm has announced the first TV appearance of its popular cheese Red Fox, as part of its There’s More To Cheese Than Cheddar campaign. The aged Red Leicester, known for its unique sweet and savoury notes and an ‘cunningly unexpected crunch’, has become an increasingly popular cheese across the UK since its launch three years ago. Sales increased by 28.8% over the last 12 months (Kantar Data), and the Belton Farm team believe that its presence on television will boost sales even further, encouraging consumers to ‘look beyond the obvious’ and try something new on their cheeseboards and within their home cooked recipes. Justin Beckett, managing director at Belton Farm said, “It’s taken years of dedication and skill to achieve the complex blend of sweet and savoury flavours along with cunningly expected crunch that is bespoke to Red Fox. However, what people might not be aware of is its diverse usage. Due to its firm body and unique taste, Red Fox lends itself so nicely to adding that special touch to dishes – to make any occasion that extra bit special. “With this campaign, we wanted to highlight the diversity of our flagship product and we are confident this will drive sales and awareness of Belton Farm and all our award- winning Great British Cheese.” The There’s More To Cheese Than Cheddar campaign airs on Channel 4 on Thursday 4th June and runs for four weeks. Belton Farm’s Red Fox to be showcased on TV The brand’s cheeses are wrapped in biodegradable, compostable, recyclable parchment paper made from sustainable and managed forests with a design of hand-drawn cheeses that creates an urban farmhouse pattern. Sunit added that Clemency Hall “will launch with product support, media support, POS and in-store momentum driven by our product expert sales team. This is exciting for the business, the producers and our stores!”