I¹m not a big fan of traipsing around great big halls to look at new stuff for the pub, but you¹ve got to show willing, I suppose. I quite enjoyed visiting the IFE show at London¹s Excel actually and not just because of the well-dressed young man who helped me pin my badge on, very sensitivehands he had..
Pastrypost.co.uk
The postman already thinks I¹m a bit odd, so heaven knows what he¹ll make of Pastry Post, an ordering service for the Pidy range of gourmet ready-baked pastry cases, direct from Belgium. There are some lovely recipe ideas on the website as well, so it will improve my vol-au-vents, if not my customer rating at the Post Office.
01604 705666 www.pastrypost.co.uk, www.pidygourmet.com
Brazilian Springs
Now, I¹m no tree-hugger, but I¹d have thought taking water out of the rainforest was a bad idea. The bloke on the Brazilian Springs stand told me though, that in fact they¹ve got far too much and the water table is rising, which is a problem for the jaguars, apparently. I shall help out by putting a few bottles in the fridge, and every bottle includes a donation to the Brazilian Rain Forest Foundation.
01284 748 410, www.braziliansprings.org
Cocoa Farm chocolate drops
What a fantastic idea! Raisins soaked in red wine and covered in chocolate. They¹re made in Australia and come in pinot noir and shiraz flavours, and you can also buy blocks of wineflavoured chocolate. I can see these going down exceptionally well with the girls from the hairdressers, who often pop in for a little refreshment. I shall be keeping a few bags back for myself as well.
0870 803 0931 www.cocoafarm.co.uk
Silver Hill Duck
Duck! That never fails to raise a laugh in the saloon bar, because old Reg, who was in the Blitz, always hits the floor. He¹ll be up and down like a yo-yo once we start serving the Silver Hill duck range. Made from Irish ducklings, the products include brasserie-style half-duck, and gourmet duck sausages. I expect Reg will stick to pie and chips, though.
00353 4787124, www.silverhillfoods.com
Porter Foods¹ Fruit Pyramids
Another idea from the Australians they¹ve come on so well, bless them. Fruit Pyramids won a Fresh Ideas Innovation award at IFE. They come in three flavours fig & almond, apricot & pistachio, and pear & hazelnut and are single-serve portions designed to complement a variety of cheeses, including stilton, brie and cheddar.
01279 501711 www.porterfoods.co.uk
Crips
I was tutting over the spelling at this stand but it turns out Crips is the name of the UK¹s first wheat and potato baked snack in red leicester & spring onion and sea salt & black pepper flavours. Crips are lower fat, but the combination of wheat and potato gives them plenty of crunch.
01332 865220, www.otcrips.com
iKi Beer
iKi means life in Japanese, so I¹m told, and iKi Beer combines green tea and the Japanese citrus fruit, yuzu. I¹m not sure the idea of a detox beer is really going to take off with my lager-swilling clientele, but each 33cl bottle of iKi Beer has an antioxidant level more than three times as high as other beers, and more than an average red wine. They reckon it¹s the perfent accompaniment to wasabi peas, although my regulars may decide to stick with dry roasted nuts. You can¹t change everything overnight.
020 8543 3343, www.harro.co.uk