Picnic Delights

Manufacturer and Tasting Notes

• Choc-affair

  Choc-affair:

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  Linda Barrie, founder of Choc-affair, is a mum of two daughters who, when younger had a milk intolerance. Traditional hot chocolate drinks were out of the question, and so some innovation was needed. A few bars of dark chocolate, some spoonfuls of unrefined sugar, and lots of soya milk later- the idea of a delicious, natural hot chocolate was born. In a moment of madness, Linda realised that there could be a business here, and Choc-affair was created.

  Choc-affair is a small family firm that makes and packs everything by hand, only ever working with certified Fairtrade chocolate courveture and trying wherever possible to re use everything. Paper is used through both sides on the printer for in house printing, and all scraps of chocolate are eaten, never thrown away!

• Frank's Luxury Biscuits

  Frank's Luxury Biscuits:

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  Frank's Luxury Biscuits are a family run bakery, still using a recipe that is four generations old. The bakery is based in Herefordshire, and provides a nationwide delivery service of biscuits and cakes, and a variety of other products.

   

  The business was first established in December 2002, when Frank took early retirement, began baking biscuits in the home kitchen and sold them in local outlets. Within six months the business had increased to such a degree that Frank and his wife Lesley were forced to begin looking for alternative premises. However, they did not have to spend any time looking as they were offered a share of an industrial kitchen less than half a mile from their home.

   

  With Frank's quality has always come first. That is why everything that they bake is handmade, using no added preservatives, and above all, only the finest natural ingredients.

• Olives Et Al

  Olives Et Al:

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  The inspiration for Olives et Al was a year long, international motorbike adventure by the soon-to-be-founders of the company. Annie and Giles Henschel travelled through the Mediterranean, the Middle East and North Africa, falling in love with food and flavours along the way. Whilst on their travels they made sure they collected as many recipes as they could and, once back in the UK, proceeded to put their findings into practice. The results speak for themselves. Olives et Al source the finest available olives, nuts, seeds and oils to make delicious snacks following instructions which, in some instances, have been handed down through generations.

• The Yorkshire Crisp Company

  The Yorkshire Crisp Company:

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  We all can honestly say that these crisps are truly amazing. Fried in pure sunflower oil and flavoured with completely natural ingredients, the difference in taste is remarkable.  The crisps are light, flavoursome and a great favourite with the staff here!

  They use locally grown vegetables and no artificial flavourings or colourings. Their main motivation to create these wonderful products was so that they could create a range of crisps with natural ingredients that complement a drink without overpowering it. The company has been running since 2005, consists of only four full-time employees and we find their drums of crisps are particularly good for sharing with friends. The drums are re-sealable to ensure that they stay fresh for up to a week, although we don’t think you’ll get the chance to prove this!