People

The fine food industry is full of inspiring professionals with a wealth of experience and expertise under their sleeves – find out what makes them tick and discover their take on the ever-changing market right here

  • “You never know what you’ve got till it’s gone”

    22 May 2017 News
    From its wartime decimation, the unique heritage of UK artisan cheese has slowly clawed its way back to national and international recognition. More than 600 different and culturally diverse types were effectively destroyed to meet the understandable compulsion for national survival post-WWII, indirectly gifting Cheddar a…

  • “Trump slump or May sway?”

    22 May 2017 Expert Eye
    "Here we go round the mulberry bush” one customer said on hearing the news of a General Election in June this year

  • “Flamin’ June”

    22 May 2017 Fine Food
    For anyone interested in cooking and eating, deciding which of the 12 months is best for food and drink is like picking a fantasy football team – it’s perfectly alright in theory but will soon be overwhelmed by events. November has its supporters – think of…

  • “Fragmentation”

    22 May 2017 Speciality Bites
    Back to an old chestnut this week, and one that I believe will become more and more relevant over the next few years. For a number of retailers, suppliers and wholesalers I talk to, the fragmentation of supply to retailers within the speciality food sector remains…

  • “Margin means everything!”

    12 May 2017 Speciality Bites
    Following on from my thoughts last time about the differences between the speciality food world and the convenience sector (and thanks for all the response on that), I want to focus this time on margin. Do bear in mind I have never run a retail outlet…

  • “Five things you would NOT have heard at The Convenience Show last week”

    02 May 2017 Speciality Bites
    In spending some time at both shows last week, it was interesting to compare the two sectors. In my view, it is time for the speciality food sector to stop being an immature teenager and to grow into an adult. There are too many companies, both…

  • “Off to the show”

    24 April 2017 Speciality Bites
    So, many of us will be off to the Farm Shop & Deli/Convenience Show this week. I’m writing this on Sunday and will be off later today to help set up our stand. I thought it might be interesting for a moment to compare the three…

  • “United in leadership?”

    18 April 2017 Speciality Bites
    There was a news story last week, which is still ongoing, that will be used in business courses for years to come. PR companies will use it as a salutary lesson for years to come and undergraduates will be taught “how to devalue a company’s stock…

  • “Trends bubbling under”

    14 April 2017 Fine Food
    Earlier in 2017, when the year was but a pup, Greggs the high street baker announced an impressive rise in several key financial indicators. For investors lucky enough to hold Greggs shares, dividends were up by 8.4%, and all of this despite a background of gloom…

  • The Interview: Craig Sams

    14 April 2017 News
    We catch up with the forward-thinker, innovator and founder of some of the UK’s most respected brands

  • “Avoiding the ‘b’ word”

    14 April 2017 Town Crier
    As a teenager in the early 1970s, prior to my first ‘dinner party’, parental advice didn’t just cover which cutlery to use. I was also briefed to avoid discussion of politics, religion or money. Perhaps that’s why I became a music, and later, a cheese bore.…

  • “Never trust an expert”

    14 April 2017 Expert Eye
    On a recent trip to Scotland I read an old adage that I do not recall hearing before: “A grain of truth does not make a loaf of success”. This reminded me of why it is always a daunting task to either give advice or indeed…
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