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28 October 2015

Hibiscus Lily's superb spicy, sticky, tangy chutney

Photo: © Hibiscus Lily
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A good dollop of chutney is always an essential companion to cheeses and meats, hot or cold. A piquant tang of sweet and sour will enliven many foods as well as rev up the taste buds.

Read full review


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We are pleased to award Hibiscus Lily our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for their Hot and Spicy Date & Tamarind Chutney.




To find out more about Hibiscus Lily visit their page on The Artisan Food Trail here where you’ll find a link to their website for further information.

14 October 2015

Small business, small budget, no problem

If you’re visiting the Rural Entrepreneur Show at the NEC, Birmingham in November and are interested in getting the best out of your limited marketing budget, we invite you to attend the Small Business Marketing On An Even Smaller Budget seminar.

Graham Childs, co-founder of The Artisan Food Trail will be talking about how getting your name out there should be your first priority.
Surprisingly this part is often forgotten about and barely budgeted for in a new business, so how do you get people beating a path to your door?

The seminar will look at how online marketing and social media can get you seen by your prospective customers and clients, helping to build your brand’s recognition.
Your business can hold its own amongst much bigger businesses with much bigger budgets.
All it takes is a little time and effort, a simple strategy and a want to win.

When The Artisan Food Trail began back in 2011 it was a seed of an idea with a starting budget of less then £50 plus lots of creativity and tenacity!

The seminar takes place on Wednesday 11th November in Seminar Hall 5 at 2.45pm. The seminar is completely free to attend but spaces are limited so arrive early to secure your seat.

Tickets to the Rural Entrepreneur show are FREE just register to attend on the website: www.ruralentrepreneur.co.uk

9 October 2015

Nordic cultural exchange in food

Photo: © childsdesign
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If you love food and are looking to broaden your taste horizons towards northern latitudes, you absolutely must get down to The Icelandic Pantry at Borough Market now for the final two days of their residency, the last day being Saturday 10th October.

The Icelandic Pantry is a collection of 14 artisan producers from all over Iceland who have brought their wares to our own fair capital.
There are lots of opportunities to taste before you buy and really get to know the people that make the products.

Before we go any further we want to reassure you that The Artisan Food Trail is still very much focussed on British food and drink producers. This post is about one of our outings where we have an opportunity to meet new people, spread the word about what we do and hopefully pick up a few useful pointers on the way – a learning experience for all businesses involved.

You may or may not know that we are lovers of Iceland, having been to the country repeatedly since 2001. During that time we have seen the nation’s food culture change radically.
The Icelandic Pantry’s organiser and owner of Búrið in Reykjavík, Eirný Ósk Sigurðardóttir has been following The Artisan Food Trail for some time and we are very flattered to learn that she has found it an inspiration.
As a result, we were invited to the special drinks reception last night and can say that we had a most enjoyable time. It was really good to talk to Eirný and also Áslaug Guðjónsdóttir (project manager, food, fisheries and agriculture of Íslandsstofa – Promote Iceland) about what we do and why we do it. Not only that but also to find out about them too.
We got to speak to many of the producers who are so enthusiastic about what they do, which is always exciting for us.

We were so impressed with the produce on offer that we bought rather a lot! Oops! But we know it is worth every penny.

Photo © childsdesign


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These are the producers:
Hundastapi – Mutton fillet cured in salt, dill and spices
Sólsker – Variety of line-caught fish including smoked trout, ocean perch and mackerel, also cod roe and mackerel pâté
Hvannarlamb (Ytri Fagridalur) – Angelica-seasoned lamb
Íslandus – a beverage made from farm-direct whey, berries and herbs
Móðir Jörð – Pickled and lacto-feremented vegetables
Rabarbía – Handmade rhubarb brittle, jams and jellies
Omnom Chocolate – Handmade bean-to-bar organic fair-trade chocolate
Ósnes – Marinated herring based on an old family recipe
Seglbúðir – The farm’s own fresh lamb, cured mutton, smoked and dried meat.
Sandholt Bakery –real artisan bread, handmade cakes and pastries – try a just-cooked kleina, an Icelandic twisted doughnut, while you’re there!
Bjarteyjarsandur – Double-smoked mutton which is soaked in homemade blueberry syrup and Icelandic mutton sausages.
Saltverk – Flaky Icelandic sea salt available in several varieties such as birch smoked, liquorice, arctic thyme and black lava.
iCan – Arctic foie gras: fresh cod liver smoked over beech wood
Búrið – A cheese shop in Reykjavík but will is showcasing its angelica products; jams, chutneys soup concentrate, seeds and tea. They also have Iceland’s famous dairy product Skyr.

We hope you can make it along – just mention that we sent you!

Photo: © childsdesign

7 October 2015

Come and see us at the Rural Entrepreneur show

We’re looking forward to exhibiting at the Rural Entrepreneur show in November and with just five weeks to go we’re busy preparing everything we need for the two day event on 11th – 12th November at the NEC, Birmingham.

The Rural Entrepreneur is actually a combination of three shows (all in the one place) – Farm Business Innovation, Country House Business Innovation and Holiday Park & Resort Innovation.

The show is aimed at a variety of people primarily in the rural sector
looking to bring in more money, either from their land or property and much more besides.
The Artisan Food Trail sits nicely into this area which is the reason that the show organisers asked us to team up with them and become a media partner.

Not only will there be over 300 suppliers exhibiting but also over 150 free seminars all with your business in mind. Our very own co-founder Graham Childs will be talking on the first day and you can find out more in our article here.

Who should visit The Artisan Food Trail stand?

The Artisan Food Trail promotes and champions small and artisan food and drink producers throughout the United Kingdom. We create awareness of your brand and your produce.
By supporting your businesses with a number of member benefits we can help make running your business easier and more cost effective.

You…


  • have a small artisan food or drink business or are thinking of starting one (you could become a member)
  • are looking for a branding and design service
  • need a website
  • need help with social media
  • need professional photography (food, product and reportage are our speciality)
  • have a farm shop and are looking for suppliers to complement your own products
  • own a restaurant, café etc. and are looking for suppliers of top quality products with provenance
  • run (or thinking of opening) a cookery school (you could also be a member and benefit from promotion as well as help with equipment)

As you can see, we offer a wide range of services and you don’t need to be a member of The Artisan Food Trail to take advantage of them.
Even if you don’t see exactly the thing that fits your description above, you can still come and talk to us. We’ve found out ourselves, that you never know who you’re going to meet at these types of events and often a conversation can lead to positive results.

Visit us on stand 282 to find out how we can help you


The show is completely FREE to attend and all you need to do is register for
your ticket.
Visit the website for the show you are interested in where you’ll find a link
to register.
www.ruralentrepreneur.co.uk
www.farmbusinessshow.co.uk
www.countryhouseinnovation.co.uk
www.holidayparkshow.co.uk