About the Author

Local firms taste success at Real Food Festival

By JerseyAdmin on Friday, May 15, 2009
Filed Under: Food & Drink, Jersey

Isle News, 15 May 2009 – A group of local companies looking to increase export sales of Jersey produce have reported strong interest from UK buyers and consumers after hosting a joint stand at the 2009 Real Food Festival, held in London from 8th to 10th May.

The seven businesses were brought together and supported by Jersey Enterprise. This is the second year that Jersey Enterprise has helped local firms take part in the Real Food Festival, which acts as a showcase for more than 400 small producers and is a key event for commercial buyers and top restaurants as well as food critics and enthusiastic food lovers.

Wayne Gallichan, Director of International Trade for Jersey Enterprise, said: “The event was a great success for the Jersey team and we are delighted with the response. Taking a Jersey stand to the Real Food Festival is all about generating export opportunities for local companies and raising the profile of Jersey as a producer of world-class food and a food destination.”

Last year, Jersey’s presence at the Festival led directly to a number of new opportunities, one of the most successful of which has been a tie up with top London restaurant, Fifteen. Staff from Fifteen were so impressed with the quality and range of Jersey produce they discovered that they set about forming stronger links with the Island and number of local producers. This work has culminated in a special Jersey based menu being presented to Fifteen customers for the entire month of May. Andrew Parkinson, Executive Head Chef, also gave a cookery demonstration at the event using local scallops, Jersey Sea Bass, Jersey Royal potatoes, Jersey tomatoes, Jersey cream and Jersey asparagus which was very well received.

Another welcome boost for the Jersey representatives came in the run up to this year’s event when Shaun Rankin, head chef at the Michelin starred Bohemia restaurant, attended the Jersey stand on the friday.

One of the companies taking part for the first time was Jersey Brewery, part of the Liberation Group. Their product proved so popular that they had sold out of beer
by the second day and needed to draft in extra supplies from the Fifteen restaurant to see them through to the end of the Festival. Paul Hurley, Head Brewer at Jersey Brewery, said: “The event exceeded all our expectations and we are very pleased with the response to our product, both from food professionals and the general public. We will certainly be looking to build on the contacts that we have made over the three days and hopefully this will lead to new export sales for Jersey Brewery products.”

Another firm that enjoyed significant success was The Fresh Fish Company. Owner Louis Jackson said: “We had tremendous interest, particularly in our lobster and crab. We sold out of lobster by the end of the second day and out of everything else by the end of the festival. I feel that it will only be a short period of time before we pick up some new business from contacts we made at the show.”

The crab meat from the Fresh Fish Company even enjoyed an impromptu star turn when it was selected by Cyrus Todiwala MBE, proprietor and executive chef of the Café Spice Namasté restaurant group, as the main ingredient for a crab curry prepared at the Festival by Mr Todiwala.

Mr Jackson added: “The whole festival was very well organised and everyone involved with the Jersey stand really pulled out the stops to make it a success. I think that coming to events like this can only be a good thing.”

The other firms that took part on the Jersey stand were: La Mare Wine Estate, the Jersey Oyster Company, Jersey Dairy and Jersey Royal Potatoes as a product. All reported strong interest in their products, with La Mare selling out of traditional black butter and apple brandy and the Jersey Oyster company selling over 2,500 oysters over the three days.

NewsShare: