Inspiring Business by Sharing Success

Superboost for Lincolnshire food specialists

Superboost for Lincolnshire food specialists

Lincolnshire’s much-loved producers are celebrating news that their foods and drinks have been selected for inclusion in four fabulous gift hampers.

It’s a great boost to know their goods have “made the cut” and have been chosen to feature in the latest collection unveiled by The British Hamper Company, which is based in Lincoln and North Carlton.

Jenny Smith of Jenny’s Jams of Lincoln was thrilled to be told that a selection of her popular preserves are to be included in each of the new hampers and the award-winning cheesemaker Cote Hill Cheese’s Red is going into the special Lincs Cheese & Treats Hamper.

Both businesses are delighted because they say it not only highlights the quality and provenance of their foodstuffs, but it means they will also be taken to a much wider market.

Jenny Smith, who has recently moved into a professional catering unit in the south of Lincoln, currently makes 24 different lines, including jams, marmalades, chutneys and a sauce. Some are supplied to supermarkets and also sold at farmers’ markets around the county.

“Having my preserves chosen by The British Hamper Company, which sells its lines worldwide is fantastic.  Apart from the potential increase in orders, it means that people thousands of miles away will get to enjoy a true taste of Lincolnshire,” said Jenny.

“My raspberry jam is included in the Taste of Lincolnshire hamper; both my strawberry and raspberry jams will feature in the Traditional Lincolnshire Afternoon Tea basket; my raspberry jam, orange marmalade and Faradays chutney are included in the Gourmet Lincolnshire hamper and my Faradays Chutney is also featured in the Lincs Cheese & Treats selection.”

Faradays, which is spiced apple chutney, was originally developed by Jenny’s late mother-in-law.  It passed British Hamper’s taste test and was chosen as the perfect accompaniment to Cote Hill Cheese and Lincolnshire Poacher’s cheeses.

Cote Hill Cheese’s range of award-winning cheeses are attracting a growing following and the Davenport family which makes them recently celebrated scooping two gold awards – for their Cote Hill Blue and Cote Hill Lindum varieties – at this year’s Yorkshire Show.

But it is the Market Rasen-area business’ alpine-style Cote Hill Red which caught the eye – and impressed the taste buds of The British Hamper Company’s Managing Director James Tod – and made it a natural choice for the Lincs Cheese & Treats Hamper.

Cote Hill Cheese is headed by Michael and Mary Davenport and two of their four sons, Ross and Joe, are also part of the busy artisan producer

“We are a family-run business, and we keep a herd of 80 Friesian cows. Our cattle are pasture-fed and we use most of their unpasteurised morning milk for our cheesemaking process,” said Ross.

“We currently produce 22 tonnes of cheese a year and we heavily promote our varieties on social media and people can order them over the internet.  We have five varieties. Some are soft or semi-soft, but our Red is a semi-hard cheese with a fuller flavour and it is ideal for inclusion in a hamper selection.

“It gives the whole family a real buzz when we attract a new customer or, hopefully in this case, potentially new customers.  It makes all the effort and care we put into cheesemaking well worth it,” added Ross.

As well as Jenny’s Jams’ preserves and Cote Hill and Lincolnshire Poacher cheeses, The British Hamper Company’s newest lines include other local products from Lincoln Tea & Coffee, Grantham Gingerbread, Naked Marshmallow, Pipers Crisps (two varieties), Duffys Chocolate and Welbourne’s Plum Bread.

The Lincolnshire Hampers cost from £29.97 to £65.00.

The British Hamper Company is headed by Director James Tod and his parents Mike and Liz

Director Mike Tod said:

“We are thrilled to announce the latest additions to our existing range of more than 80 hampers. As a growing company, based in Lincoln and North Carlton, we are proud to have so many excellent producers in Lincolnshire.

“There are plenty of good reasons to introduce the Lincolnshire lines.  We know that people have become increasingly concerned about the quality and provenance of their favourite food and drink and Lincolnshire producers have some fabulous stories to tell.”

Director Liz Todd said:

“We are also aware that our county, which is often referred to as the “bread basket of the UK”, is attracting rising numbers of overseas visitors. Many enjoy Lincolnshire’s fine foods while they are here and want to take a taste home with them. We are offering them an easy way to order their favourite hamper, which can be delivered to them wherever they are in the world.

“We are introducing our enhanced range in the wake of our expansion to a new unit in Lincoln and as we started to gear-up for the busy festive season.”

The British Hamper Company’s expansion promises to put the business on track to grow by 20 per cent over the next year, to hit a turnover of £1.2 million.

The firm’s customers including those looking for corporate gifts. This sees The British Hamper Company shipping to customers in more than 50 different countries, including America, Australia, Europe and the Far East.


< Back