As a person who appreciates purveyors of good food, the news of two of my favourite brands joining forces is a welcome one.
Two of the Midlands most respected, award-winning foodie organisations have joined together to launch a new, handmade range of meats including bacon, sausages, salami and other charcuterie.
The School of Artisan Food and Delilah delicatessens have used their complementary skills in developing, making and selling high quality artisan food to produce eight new products: Bresaola, Coppa, Pancetta, Salt Beef, Pastrami, Sausages, Bacon and Guanciale.
I visit Delilah every month to top up my larder (their olive range is second to none) and The School of Artisan Food is in my opinion, one of the top culinary places in the UK that teaches valuable skills to entrepreneurs and home-cooks alike. It is great to see two good-food appreciators come together to form a valuable behemoth.
It is these food experts at the School of Artisan Food on the Welbeck estate in Sherwood Forest that have developed the products based on customer research by Delilah. Branded as ‘Delilah Artisan Butchery’, the new lines are currently on sale in Delilah’s stores in Nottingham and Leicester.
All of the products come from animals raised locally and are handmade in The School of Artisan Food’s butchery by Nik Tooley from Delilah’s and The School’s butchery teacher, Rich Summers.
“We have some very discerning customers so when we were looking to develop our own high quality, artisan meats The School of Artisan Food at Welbeck was the obvious partner. We knew the provenance of the meat and we knew the expertise of their team because quite a few of our own staff have been on training courses there,” says Nic Tooley.
For both companies the new lines are their first venture into producing their own brand food. Feedback has been very positive with tasters impressed by the quality of the products, the provenance of the meat itself and the artisan nature of its production.
“It’s been very interesting for us to work with Delilah and develop products informed by their customers. We teach our students that it’s not just about the quality of the food they can produce but about how they can make it appealing to customers and at a price they will pay. It’s been good for us to practice what we preach,” said Julie Byrne, Managing Director at The School of Artisan Food.
The School is a not-for-profit organisation and registered charity dedicated to teaching skills in all aspects of sustainable and artisan food production. Based on the ducal Welbeck estate near Worksop, it encourages people of all skill levels to expand their knowledge through a wide range of short courses in baking and patisserie, cheesemaking, butchery and charcuterie, ice cream and chocolate making, preserves, charcuterie and brewing. It also offers an accredited 6-month Advanced Diploma in Artisan Baking and professional business courses for new food start-ups and existing enterprises.
Run by a dedicated team of ‘Foodies’, Delilah is independent and passionate about food and wine. Started in 2005, it sources unique foodstuffs from around the world; selling only the finest, the freshest and the best from its stores in Nottingham and Leicester. Aside from the food in its shops, Delilah also runs a tapas style menu for customers to taste its food and an external catering operation.
Next time I’m in the Nottingham branch, I’ll be sure to check out this new range. If you have tasted it, I would love to know what you think of it.