Food Stars

50 Food Stars to celebrate 

the future of UK food and drink

We are very excited to report that the Government, and specifically DEFRA, have launched a new initiative in which we are included.

Fifty of the country’s most promising food and drink entrepreneurs have been recognised as Food Stars for their contribution to the UK’s growing economy. These 50 are proud entrepreneurs and innovators who showcase the best of British foods. You can read more about the initiative and see a list of all the others involved on the DEFRA website.

The official launch is on Thursday 26th February 2015 and we will be there to see the start of this exciting new idea. Do follow developments on social media using #50FoodStars.

This comes at an exciting time for us, as we are just about to launch our new (significantly improved) website and online shop, followed by our whole new range of "fruitier" recipes in Spring. More on this soon, but here is a teaser of our beautiful new bottles. We think all this news is worth celebrating, so here is some Raspberry Vinegar in a glass or two of Prosecco: "honky tonks!"

Festive Food Festivals

28th-30th November, London.

A rare trip to London this weekend where we will be exhibiting at the Foodies Festival in Brick Lane, Shoreditch. And, if you're quick, you can get a ticket offer:

14th December, Abergavenny.

A one day extravaganza in the beautiful town of Abergavenny:

Great Taste Awards

We are seeing stars, GOLD STARS!

Following some very helpful feedback from all of you, we have been spending a lot of time over the past few months adjusting our recipes so that they are all more fruity and less sweet. We have reduced the sugar we add by around a quarter. It was these recipes that we entered into the Great Taste Awards this year with the intention of getting feedback BEFORE going into full production. We hope to have our whole range available in these new recipes before the end of the year so that you can indulge yourself in time for Christmas!

Here is a little video that BBC Radio 2's resident food expert, Nigel Barden, has made about the Golden Raspberry and Apache Chilli Vinegar:

With remarks from the judges such as those below, it seems we are thinking along the right lines!

Golden Raspberry & Apache Chilli Vinegar won Gold***

Top 50 Foods

The Nigel Barden Heritage Award

 Golden Fork Award 

"Crystal clear vinegar aroma of both raspberry and chilli. Good sweetness level. A perfect balance of raspberry and chilli allowing the the vinegar flavour to come through as well."

"This vinegar has a wonderful aroma. You can smell the raspberries and chilli. The vinegar is light in colour. This vinegar has a wonderful flavour. The raspberry is on the front of the palate followed by the warmth of the chilli which is gentle but builds nicely. We loved this product..." 

Raspberry Vinegar won Gold***

"A beautiful coloured vinegar with a lovely clarity. The raspberry aroma is incredible. The raspberry flavour and sweetness come through beautifully at the front of the palate before the acidity of the vinegar kicks in. The balance of this vinegar between sweetness and acidity is just perfect. The judges were all very excited about this product."

Orange & Mace won Gold*

"We like this - good balance of acidity from the vinegar and a freshness from the orange. The mace nips in at the finish in a very pleasant way."

 

September 2014 shows

**STOP PRESS**

Sorry, but due to illness, I am unable to attend the Universal Cookery & Food Festival.

As usual, September is a very busy month....

Following a visit to the always excellent Speciality and Fine Food show in Olympia, London, on Monday and Tuesday 8th and 9th, we will be exhibiting again in the Market Hall at Abergavenny Food Festival on 20th-21st.

The chefs amongst you will be keen to know that we are thrilled to be exhibiting at River Cottage HQ for the Universal Cookery & Food Festival on Wednesday 24th for our first time.

The following weekend, we return for our annual visit to Thame Food Festival on Saturday 27th.

*Advance notice: we will also be exhibiting at the Restaurant Show (TRADE ONLY) at Earls Court, London on 6th-8th October.

Summer Holiday Message

We are on a much needed holiday until 24th August but there are lots of exciting things happening soon: keep a look out for the results of this year's Great Taste Awards on 11th August...

Please send any orders to sales@womersleyfoods.co.uk and they will be fulfilled in the last week of August.

Finally, we will be launching our online shop in September: AT LAST!

Country Life

A rather lovely article about us appeared in Country Life magazine this week, 19th February 2014. If you would like to order from us after reading this article, just give us a call:

Country Life 19.2.2014

We are Moving!

Yes indeed, after four years of being based jointly at Womersley in Yorkshire and the Cotswolds, we will be based solely in Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds from January.
The reasons are set out below:

News from Rupert Parsons - owner of Womersley Fruit & Herb Vinegars

Change of supplier

At the end of August, our production partner suddenly experienced insurmountable problems resulting in the immediate closure of their premises.

I am sure you will understand that the past few weeks have been very stressful for all of us at Womersley as we have strived to find solutions to the inevitable challenges arising. Fortunately we have already found a highly reputable production partner based in the South West of England. They have now started making our special fruit and herb vinegars by hand. We are very fortunate to find a supplier who already produces some of the UK’s leading food brands and has an excellent, longstanding reputation for high quality and reliability. The initial batches already taste better than ever!

Good News: 

our 5 most popular vinegars are back in full production and the remainder of the range will be produced from January.

Business relocation

With the totally unexpected need to move production to the South West, I have made the inevitable decision to manage Womersley from my office in the Cotswolds with effect from 8^th January 2014. Our Yorkshire office will remain open until the close of business for the Christmas/New Year break on Friday 20^th December.

We are looking forward to carrying on the family business from our home in the New Year. We are proud of the work that Wendy and Sue have done to help us build on our Yorkshire heritage and our new location will help us to spread the word about Womersley vinegars outside Yorkshire even more effectively. 

The future is bright

We are determined to turn adversity into advantage for everyone involved with Womersley. We are making further improvements to our already superb quality and consistency standards and we have an exciting new product development programme for 2014. We are also looking forward to providing recipe cards and a much better website to help you get the best from your favourite fruit vinegars.

If you would like to know any more about our plans or have any questions, please use our new contact details, below: 

Womersley Fruit & Herb Vinegars Ltd, 37 Park Road, Chipping Norton OX7 5PA

+44 (0)1608 646445       sales@womersleyfoods.co.uk        

In the meantime, we wish you a very fruity and Happy Christmas.