Happy Christmas from Speciality Food

So, 2025 – what a year!

As we sign off for Christmas, we thought it might be nice to reflect upon all the fantastic moments team Speciality Food has shared in the last 12 months.

Charlotte began the year on a high with a research trip to Bologna as part of the EU Fab 6 campaign, where she discovered more about the history and creation of authentic Mortadella di Bologna PGI, Zampone and Cotechino. From a gastro tour of the city and its museum (where a whole section is dedicated to Mortadella), to a fascinating glimpse inside an artisanal Mortadella production site, it was a memorable experience. You can discover more about these special cured meats in the January edition of Speciality Food.

Holly and Sam have been out and about throughout the year on the trail of fantastic European cheese and charcuterie too - most recently that took them to London’s Charing Cross Underground, which was transformed into a runway, as cheese and couture (from emerging UAL designers) collided in the most delicious way.

In spring the entire team spent time in Birmingham at the Farm Shop & Deli Show, and were impressed by the extended farm shop and deli area where they met loads of lovely start-ups and growing speciality businesses, as well as longtime friends and clients. The Malt Shovel at nearby Barston has become a Spec Food favourite haunt for team dinners – do check it out if you’re in this part of the world.

Holly made a whistlestop tour earlier in the year to the Tracklements site, where MD Guy Tullberg showed her around the factory and shop, giving her the opportunity to learn more about the scrummy preserves and sauces made in this corner of Wiltshire, using all-natural ingredients.

And over the summer, Sam was back up in the Midlands, this time attending the ICDAs, mingling with the great and the good of the cheese world.

Sam and Holly loved attending the Bastille Day celebrations at the Ambassador’s London residence as guests of Business France, surrounded by heroes of British and French industry as well as some delicious food and drink hailing from France.

The whole team, once again, travelled down to London for Speciality & Fine Food Fair at Olympia where we celebrated the winners of our Regional Stars project in collaboration with the event. Holly was thrilled to work on this very special feature, which gave many smaller, niche, artisan brands their moment in the spotlight.

We don’t know about you, but we cannot wait to head back in 2026 to see what the new Olympia building looks like. We’ve been checking out the plans, and they look absolutely incredible.

More cheese-based adventures were on the cards later in the year as Sam and Charlotte travelled up to see the lovely team at Clawson Farms (stopping, of course, for pies in Melton Mowbray on the way), where they followed head cheesemaker Richard, learning more about how the dairy’s award-winning Stilton and Rutland Red are made, and visiting one of the farmers in the co-operative. It was an enlightening (and tasty) day out of the office.

The cheese-loving pair also attended a very special showcase of Irish farmhouse varieties in the autumn, hosted in London by Cais, Bord Bia and the Specialist Cheesemakers Association. What an incredible event. They learnt so much about Irish makers, and hope this initiative to bring more of these cheeses to the mainland UK takes off.

Holly and Jess were thrilled to head to Taste Wales in Newport this autumn too, where they met dozens of producers from across the country, learning their stories, and all about the heritage and passion that goes into the Welsh food and drink scene.

Together, Holly and Jess have been working closely over the past few weeks to produce a special supplement – Celebrating Welsh Food & Drink – which will come out in the New Year. It’s a very special guide, paying homage to the brilliance of Welsh makers. We can’t wait to see it in print.

Rounding off a year of being out and about, Charlotte was very happy to fly to Belfast in November for the Invest NI supplier showcase at the Clandeboye Lodge Hotel, where the kitchen team created the most delicious gala dinner the evening before, using ingredients from some of Northern Ireland’s best producers.

The showcase was incredibly well attended (and so popular now it’s moving to a larger venue next year), with a highlight being the innovation floor upstairs, where Charlotte got to meet some of the industry’s rising stars, movers and shakers.

Christmas is calling

We’ll soon be downing tools, getting ready for the feasting days ahead. Look out in early January for a newsletter detailing how you can get involved in March’s Green Issue!

In the meantime, here’s what we’ve got planned for Christmas…

Sam: Is ready to embrace the chaos of his three children bouncing off the walls with excitement, and has his apron ready to cook for a whopping 16 (yes, 16) people on Christmas Day! He says he’s looking forward to coming back into the office in January for a rest. 
Cheese is a big focus in the Reubin household at Christmas and he can’t wait to share some of the wonderful cheeses he’s discovered in 2025 with his friends and family.

Holly: Is intending on spending a lot of time in the kitchen over Christmas, taking solace in the quiet pleasure of stirring, kneading and rolling up goodies for friends and family. She’s also very much looking forward to spending loads of time with her two-year-old son, who is fast competing to be the family’s top foodie, showing a real interest and curiosity in the epicurean delights of life. She may also have mentioned, once or twice, that she’s stocking up on Irish cream liqueur.

Louise: When she’s not out on crisp winter walks with her partner, or at her favourite pub with friends, cradling a glass of mulled wine or boozy hot chocolate, our team bookworm will be cosying up by the fire with a good read. And while she’s looking forward to Christmas Day, Louise says she’s even more excited about her planned trip to Edinburgh afterwards with her partner, where the pair plan to get stuck into several days of food-filled fun.

Jess: Unlimited wine and nibbles are on the cards for Jess, who says one of the highlights of her year has been getting back out and about at trade shows following maternity leave. Jess is secretly hoping Santa brings her lots of sweet things this year – including fancy chocolates, anything caramel, panettone and mince pies. She says Christmas is basically her excuse to survive on a rotation of sugar, snacks and sparkling wine.

Charlotte: Will be glued (by choice) to the kitchen over the holidays, making her ‘famous’ chocolate brownie mince pies, chocolate ‘salami’ and yule log (basically everything chocolate). She’ll also be trying to restrain herself from ignoring her own (and experts’) advice when it comes to the Christmas cheeseboard. Three is enough, and five is plenty – did she really have to buy 12 varieties last year? Well yes, yes she did. And they were all delicious.

From everyone at Speciality Food, we’d like to wish our readers and clients a fantastic foodie Christmas and New Year. We can’t wait to spring into 2026 with you.

Cheers!