Pink gin, pea crisps and vegan ice cream are just some of the new products and trends that have been on display at this year’s Speciality & Fine Food Fair, which took place at London’s Olympia from 2–4 September.
These, along with this year’s Supreme Champion winner of the Guild of Fine Foods’ Great Taste Awards, Mount Mayon Premium Pili Nuts with Ecuadorian Cacao, feature here in our photo gallery.
Other new product developments on display at this year’s event included a new range of on-the-go cakes from Ridiculously Rich by Alana, beer made with the Japanese citrus fruit Yuzu and a range of gluten-free flours from America.
To find out about all these products and more, click through the images from this year’s fair.
Pink gin, pea crisps and vegan ice cream are just some of the new products and trends that have been on display at this year’s Speciality & Fine Food Fair, taking place at London Olympia from 2-4 September.
These, along with this year’s Supreme Champion winner of the Guild of Fine Foods’ Great Taste Awards, Mount Mayon Premium Pili Nuts with Ecuadorian Cacao, feature here in our photo gallery.
Other new product developments on display at this year’s event included a new range of on-the-go cakes from Ridiculously Rich by Alana, beer made with the Japanese citrus fruit Yuzu and a range of gluten-free flours from America.
To find out about all these products and more, click through the images from this year’s fair.
Riding the waves of the recent popularity of gin, Pinkster was out in full force at this year’s Speciality & Fine Food Fair with its range of sustainable products.
The producer’s pink gin is made by soaking fresh raspberries in the spirit, softening the flavour and making it more palatable to more casual drinkers.
Pinkster then uses the raspberries for a number of other products, including jams, liqueurs and as cooking ingredients. The eye-catching gin was also available in a number of different pack sizes and formats, including a three-litre box.
With a number of pea-based products hitting store shelves across the country, crisp-maker Pipers has joined the crowd with its own offering.
Crispeas are available in three variants, English Mint, Matar Paneer and Salsa Verde. With less than 95kcal per pack, the snacks are also gluten-free, wheat-free and suitable for vegetarians.
What makes the snacks more appealing than some of their contemporaries is their distinct shape – each Crispea is shaped like a pea pod.
Katy Hamblin, marketing manager at Pipers, said the product was designed to be tasty, a key driver for sales of snacks, and offer health benefits, such as being low in calories and high in protein.
The Guild of Fine Foods named Mount Mayon Supreme Champion of its Great Taste Awards for its Premium Pili Nuts with Ecuadorian Cacao.
Mount Mayon received the award on Sunday night (2 September) at a special dinner at London’s Hilton on Park Lane.
Ice cream producer Northern Bloc’s range of vegan ice creams were on full display at this year’s Speciality & Fine Food Fair.
The company showcased three new flavours that were all made with rice milk – Hazelnut & Rose, Peanut Chip and Chocolate & Orange Blossom. The company also produces a vegan Strawberry and Yuzu ice cream, capitalising on the rising popularity of the Japanese citrus fruit.
Northern Bloc’s visit to the fair followed the successful launch of a new crowdfunding campaign on the digital platform Crowdcube, having already raised more than its £400,000 target with 23 days left to go.
The Great British Biscotti Company, winner of last year’s SME Innovation of the Year trophy at the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards, highlighted its wide range of savoury and sweet products at this year’s fair.
More traditional flavours, such as Cheddar & Fennel and Wild Garlic & Rosemary, sat alongside the company’s dessert-inspired creations.
The Chunky Belgian Choc, White Chocolate, Cranberries & Pistachio and Pumpkin Pie variants of the biscotti offered consumers a sweet snack not dissimilar to shortbread.
Baked goods company Ridiculously Rich by Alana, founded by the winner of the 2016 series of the BBC’s The Apprentice TV show Alana Spencer, launched a new range of on-the-go cake bars at the show.
The company is to launch the range with two variants, Millionaire’s Brownie and Peanut Butter Fudge Slice, with plans to add more cakes to the line at a later date.
Ridiculously Rich continues to move from strength to strength, despite being set back by a recall of its products last year.
A labelling error meant seven of the company’s eight products had to be recalled, because they did not correctly declare a list of allergens present in their ingredients.
Manufacturers in the UK could be looking across the pond for inspiration in gluten-free baking, as US producer Glean revealed its range of alternative flours.
Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Flour are both all-natural and gluten-free, providing benefits to both coeliacs and consumers eating a free-from diet, said the company. Also on display was the company’s Beet Powder, which can be used to complement flours and as a natural thickener.
While only available in the US at the time of writing, Glean is currently looking into supplying the UK.
The growing interest in the Japanese citrus fruit yuzu continues to proliferate among manufacturers in the food and drink industry, influencing a new alcoholic offering from brewery Lowlander.
The Dutch brewer has combined the distinctive flavour of yuzu with pink grapefruit and earl grey tea to create a gose beer that is low in alcohol content.
It was part of a duo of Lowlander’s ‘Botanically Brewed Blends’, including Ginger & Kaffir Lime with Darjeeling Tea White Beer.
The brewer also had a range of more traditional beers on offer, each blended with botanic ingredients. These included a white ale, an American pale ale and an IPA.
Slabs hoped to dwarf the competition at this year’s fair with its range of potato snacks that were four times thicker than the standard crisp.
While the snacks can be easily enjoyed on their own, they can also be used in a similar fashion to biscuits for cheese, or used as a base for canapés.
Slabs were available in five different flavours, Slightly Sea Salted, Mature Cheddar & Onion, Salt & Malt Vinegar, Mellow Sweet Chilli and Beef Roast.
