When Dhruv Baker, once MasterChef the conqueror, founded on these Chart of Britain the company sold it nine years ago in a handful of premium retailers such as Harrods and Fortnum & Mason.
He said the British market for coaches has historically been constrained, with most manufacturers struggling to supply scale. “We’ve always known that in order to fulfill the potential of British butchery, we can really make sure we can perform well in the mainstream market,” he said.
Now is that time. The baker is among a number of producers who are meeting growing demand for food to be nurtured and cared for on British soil. He teamed up with another company he founded, Curing Barn, to create his Rare & Pasture brand, and it is now stocked in 230 Tesco locations. “Being the first campaign of this scale in the UK for a British operator, we very much hope this acts as a catalyst to grow the industry,” he said.
There are now more than 200 registered meat producers in the UK. Waitrose is the only supermarket other than Tesco in the UK to introduce salami from a brand called Real Curator in April. A spokeswoman said Waitrose was quick to jump on the emerging trend because their customers “love British support”. They said the product “offers something different and is already proving popular.” “It’s not as if you’d think that British charcuterie doesn’t continue to grow in popularity, similar to how we’ve seen the boom in English wine shine.”
British producer entered chasing the marketdominated by the credentials of noble cured meats from France, Italy and Spain. Their strength, however, lies in the flavor of British pork, which is “typically of a higher quality than the imported product,” Baker said, giving it “a helping of richness.”
Brexit might even lend a hand. “I think we will see fewer smaller manufacturers producing goods in the UK post-Brexit, largely due to the increased cost and time involved in exporting with much tighter controls,” Baker said. While this meant less choice for British consumers, as only the larger European producers could absorb these additional costs, it also provided an opportunity for British producers who were overburdened with paper.
Andrew Shreeve, head of sales at Cobble Lane Curated in London, said: “We have seen a strong increase in demand for British coaches from Covid and also Brexit, which has caused us to open a second, much larger production site in 2023 and we are now looking at a third site.
Will Murgatroyd, who started healing Rebels with fellow chef Rich Judd in Brighton, said that while there is a clear increase in paper producers, “It is difficult to quantify if this is a direct link to Brexit or because of the economy in general and the key business”.
To heal the rebels, the key is to encourage European styles without being limited by them. This means a softer texture in their saucisson, and a healthier cup of coffee. Free from pressure, producers of foods with protected terms, such as Parma ham, can also innovate, as with the Goan Beer Stick. “We took the British love of searching and added ‘snamm’ salami,” Murgatroyd said. “It’s one of our most popular products.”
Post Newsletter promotion
As a macro in macro, CNN is the author of the course. “The price point of British coaches is a retaining factor in the industry,” Baker said. With a significant investment in facilities, the company has introduced efficiencies to the production model, while maintaining artisanal quality. “This means that the lower margin can survive,” he added. “With a higher quality animal and relatively lower production, British charcuterie is still comparatively more expensive than many imported products but not prohibitively so anymore.” A pack of caruncula from their meat menu, which includes fennel salami, smoked ham and seasoned loin, costs Tesco £4.50.
For some, it depends on breaking free from European terminology to create a sounding British industry. Isaac McHale, chef at The Clove Club, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant that has been producing its own charcuterie since it opened in 2013. He said that adopting European names hinders the product’s culinary identity. “Maybe we need British names for things, whatever those names are.”
Baker hopes that, with competition against imports here, British manufacturers can start exporting to get the European coach in their own backyard. “We’ve seen this happen with sparkling wine and cheese and I see no reason why we can’t export our products internationally,” he said.