Dive into the world of British artisan food

Over the last decade, Britain has quietly become a hub of gastronomic craftsmanship, now home to a thriving artisan food culture that celebrates handcrafted, locally sourced, quality, sustainability, authenticity and the beauty of small-batch production. 

This shift towards artisanal foods reflects a growing appreciation for quality over quantity, as well as a desire to support small-scale producers who prioritise sustainability and traditional techniques. 

British Fine Foods was founded by Pam and Andy Harper 16 years ago, with a determination to support the best of these British artisan producers and share their wonderful food and drinks with friends and family. Whether it’s perfectly matured cheese aged in ancient caves, succulent hand-smoked salmon or sourdough bread with a crust so good it could stop traffic, British foodies are embracing artisanal food with open arms and hungry stomachs and British Fine Foods curate the very best to share with you.

Dive into the world of British artisan food Christmas Hampers

This journey through artisan British food will leave you hungry for more. So grab your fork and join us as we explore the thriving world of traditional British delicacies.


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Buying British: The Importance of Supporting Local and Independent Producers

Supporting tradition

Supporting local and independent producers is vital for preserving culinary traditions and fostering community sustainability. By supporting these artisans, you not only get to enjoy high-quality, unique products but also contribute to the local economy. These producers often use traditional methods passed down through generations, ensuring the authenticity and craftsmanship of their offerings. It also shortens the supply chain and helps ensure the farmers get fair prices.

Sustainability

Choosing local food over imports is also a simple, yet impactful way to reduce our environmental footprint while indulging in fresher, more vibrant flavors. With less distance to travel, local produce comes to us with minimal carbon emissions and far less packaging.

Dive into the world of British artisan food Christmas Hampers

Plus, many local farmers are champions of sustainable practices, meaning your meal supports eco-friendly methods like organic farming and pesticide reduction. It’s a win-win: we savour food at its peak freshness and the planet benefits from a more sustainable, mindful approach to eating.

Tasting the ‘terroir’

Much like the production of single estate fine wines, the regional variations in climate, soil, topography and traditions all contribute to the unique qualities of artisan foods. 

An example of this is Winterdale Shaw cheese, based near Sevenoaks in Kent.

“We start with the freshest milk from our family farm used straight from the cow at body temperature, in this way the original characteristics and flora of our milk are fully retained and importantly the natural heat.

At present, we are milking around 100 Friesian Holstein cows. The cows enjoy a relaxed farming method free roaming the wonderful lush meadows of the chalky North Downs of Kent, this is our unique “terroir” and ultimately the chalky earth of the of our lush meadows imparts many unique characteristics and complexities that are then taken up by the grass, from grass to the cow, cow to milk and finally milk to cheese, a very similar concept to the quality wine producers of Jura in France which rely on the chalky earth to give the grape/wine it’s unique qualities.” Robin Betts

“It has a deep complex flavour, hard and compact yet it melts in the mouth releasing it’s savoury, cheese and onion tang, balanced with the rich creaminess of the milk. VERY MOORISH!”
Juliet Harbutt
Editor of The World Cheese Book and Creator of The British Cheese Awards

This link between land and food can be tasted through so many different foods particularly in the meat and milk which are used to created the beautiful artisan cheeses, hams, pies, pâtés, rillettes and charcuterie, as well as the fruit and vegetables used to produce the chutneys, jams, marmalades and sweet treats.

Discover Unique British Recipes and Rich Regional Traditions

After 16 years of existence, we at British Fine Foods, base our thriving business on meeting the most talented artisan producers.  It is said that success is only achieved by putting heart and soul into what you do, and this is demonstrated in the food the producers make. Each product item is created with  care considering:

  • sustainable farming practices, environmental impact including land and waste management, packaging, food miles, reducing the supply chain
  • respecting the food chain, breeds, welfare and the characteristics of individual foods
  • handmade in small batches
  • driven by getting the most flavour, new flavours and the highest quality in taste and texture
  • a mix of traditional techniques and innovation

The result is award-winning products that British Fine Foods are delighted to support and share. Here are just a few examples of the unique techniques employed by some of our suppliers.

The traditional Alderton Ham

Created in the small village of Alderton by Colonel Dickinson, late of the Royal Ulster Rifles, his unique traditional recipe results in this deliciously moist and succulently sweet ham.

Dive into the world of British artisan food Christmas Hampers

Alderton Ham is made using the highest quality pork, sourced from a local farm within 6 miles that specialises in breeding and rearing traditional pigs outdoors, where they have plenty of space in which to roam, root and wallow.

All the pork is from gilts and has a good layer of fat without it being excessive, so that the meat is always flavoursome. The ham is steamed and then baked with a traditional Marmalade glaze. This results in ham which is succulent and full of flavour just like it used to be in the days of old.

Dive into the world of British artisan food Christmas Hampers

Fish curing committed to sustainability and innovative flavours

Master smokers, Severn & Wye, have been curing fish for more than 30 years, after founder Richard Cook discovered a passion for seafood aged just 19. At the Severn & Wye Smokery, a traditional smoking process is preferred and the grading, cutting, filleting and curing is done by hand.

Severn & Wye chip all of their own oak wood and with unique curing recipes like Beetroot and Dill giving their smoked salmon a totally unique taste that you won’t find elsewhere. Severn & Wye are working towards having a zero-carbon footprint and absolutely no fish waste. Over the past 20 years, they have only felled five oak trees to craft their state-of-the-art smoker, and these have been replaced by 350 British deciduous trees. With Severn & Wye, enjoy responsible seafood with outstanding flavour.

Dive into the world of British artisan food Christmas Hampers

Traditional small batch Welsh baking

Clam’s Bakery is keeping Welsh baking traditions alive. They make all their cakes by hand and there are not many bakeries that still use their techniques and methods. To maintain quality they decided against mass producing cakes, instead they make lots of small batches to order. Their traditional Welsh Bara Brith bread cake is full of juicy tea infused raisins and should be eaten with butter.

Charcuterie innovation combining European traditions with British Produce

Trealy Farm Charcuterie in Monmouthshire, Wales is a good example of a thriving artisan business combining innovation and technology with traditional methods of curing, smoking and air-drying inspired by their training with charcuterie makers across Europe.

Their product range includes many products rarely made in the UK, all made with British meats. All are made to their own distinctive recipes and techniques, derived from their unique blend of the best traditional practices and cutting-edge food science research. They make from British free range pork & beef, PGI* Welsh lamb, Worcestershire free range wild boar, Devon free range duck, ethically sourced British veal and UK wild-sourced venison.

Dive into the world of British artisan food Christmas Hampers

All the products made by Trealy Farm are fully allergen-free with no artificial colourings or flavourings and no nitrates or saltpetre. They are also proud to use Welsh ‘Halen Mon’ Anglesey Sea Salt across their full range of salamis.

* Protected Geographical Indication – or PGI – is a way of recognising a specific geographical area that produces high-quality food and drink.

The iconic Pork Pie

The iconic pork pie is arguably the most English of products. Typically produced and consumed in the eastern half of England, it is rarely found in Scotland, Wales, or even the West Country. The first recorded pork pie recipe appears in the medieval manuscript known as The Forme of Cury, attributed to the royal cooks of the court of Richard II and first published around 1390. 

Pork Pie making using traditional techniques of hot-water pastry shell, baked to a golden brown, crimped and burnished. Its meaty filling is made from coarsely ground pork, heavily seasoned with salt ,pepper, plus the baker’s secret and complex combination of herbs and spices, encased in a layer of wobbly jelly made from a rich stock.

Pie makers take great pride in their recipes, have closely guarded seasoning combinations for meat and jelly including anything from cheese, mace, anchovies and eggs and the jelly can be boiled up with veggies, spices, or even citrus zest to add flavour.

Dive into the world of British artisan food Christmas Hampers

Our favourite Pork Pies

The multi-award winning Pork Pies by The Country Victualler: meticulously handcrafted, adhering to heritage recipes, artisanal butchery methods and using only the finest of ingredients, including Packington FREE RANGE Pork and Red Tractor certified meat. The rich pastry combined with the finest pork and hint of jelly makes for the most delicious Pork Pie for miles around which is probably why their recipe hasn’t changed for 40 years!

Dive into the world of British artisan food Christmas Hampers

Uniquely British Cheeses

British cheese-making dates back over 2000 years and after struggling with the competition from factory cheese in the 20th Century, it has experienced a huge resurgence. New and established cheese makers now produce over 1000 varieties of artisan cheeses in the UK and it is the uniqueness, diversity of flavours and sheer variety that has excited consumers.

Soft mould ripened cheeses such as Brie and Camembert are traditionally regarded as the domain of the French, however with over 700 different varieties, Britain now produces more types of cheese than our Gallic cousins. Soft cheeses such as the outstanding Tunworth develop a white edible rind, and a creamy, gooey middle as they mature.

Dive into the world of British artisan food Christmas Hampers

Lord London by Alsop & Walker

One very special cheese from our lineup is Lord London by Alsop & Walker: a best-selling white bloom cheese, combining traditional Spanish techniques and British bred cow’s milk. It’s made using the moulds of a Spanish cheese called ‘tetilla’, which means nipple but the shape is the only similarity to a Spanish tetilla.

The white bloom exterior is similar to a Brie or Camembert. Inside, it’s a similar texture to a brie, though taste-wise it’s a cross between the two. The milk, a mixture of Friesian and Guernsey, comes predominantly from three local farms in East Sussex and is core to its unique taste.  It was created in honour of the London 2012 Olympics and served at the wedding breakfast of Kate and William.

There are so many more soft cheeses to discover from the legendary Stinking Bishop to the intriguing Baron Bigod brie.

Cheddaring

We can’t finish a blog about British produce without talking Cheddar!

The nation’s most popular cheese, Cheddar cheese accounts for more than half of all cheese sold in Britain. However, not all cheddar is created equal. Our artisan cheddars, Montgomery, Keen’s, Pitchfork and Westcombe are four Artisan Somerset Cheddar cheeses, awarded Protection of Designated Origin (PDO) status. To be called West Country Farmhouse Cheddar the cheeses must:

  • Be made using milk from local herds reared and milked in the counties of Somerset; Dorset; Devon or Cornwall. This ensures that the cheese has a particular texture and flavour.
  • Contain no colouring; no flavouring and no preservatives.
  • Be made in these four counties to traditional methods. These methods include the cheese being made by hand and the unique process known as cheddaring.

Keens at Moorhayes Farm, Somerset have been making Cheddar since 1899.  Now in their fifth generation the family continue to make unpasteurised Cheddar with the help of their grass fed herd of Friesian cows in 500 acres of Somerset countryside.Their cheese is matured for a minimum of 12 months and develops a subtle nutty flavour.  The traditional rounds are aged to develop a strong slightly peppery character and produce another gold medal winner at the World Cheese Awards.

Cheese has been made at Westcombe since the 1890s.  Following a change of direction in the 1990s, the Calvers returned to making traditional unpasteurised rounds with the emphasis firmly on quality.  The final product is a fine cheese that varies subtly with the seasons, capturing something of the flavour of the farm and surrounding fields.

Pitchfork Organic Cheddar

This joins the select band of authentic, Artisan Somerset Cheddars that have been accepted into the Slow Food Presidium, which protects traditional foods that are at risk of extinction. It’s a worthy addition. Their herd is a mix of organically reared pedigree Holstein and Jersey cows and it’s the richness of the Jersey milk that distinguishes Pitchfork Cheddar, contributing to its moist texture quite unlike the more brittle texture of more traditional cheddars.

Dive into the world of British artisan food Christmas Hampers

 

Conclusion: Celebrating the Diversity and Excellence of British Artisan Food

The joy of the world of artisan British food is that it’s a treasure trove of flavours, traditions, and stories waiting to be explored. 

By supporting local and independent producers, delving into the rich history of British cuisine, and savouring the unique flavors of artisanal products, you not only enrich your culinary experience but also contribute to the preservation of heritage and the promotion of sustainability. A simple way to celebrate the diversity and excellence of British artisan food is to let British Fine Foods do what we do best: curate goods from the finest producers, delivered fresh to your door.

Dive into the world of British artisan food Christmas Hampers

We set up British Fine Foods to help support the best British artisan producers, and make their products available to customers across the country. We believe in paying a fair price to these producers, whilst also working very hard to keep the products we sell to you at a competitive price.


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