OUR CONTRIBUTORS

The Reed family founded Charnwood Brewery here in Loughborough, Leicestershire in 2014. They are passionate about their brewery, designed to be open and inviting for local people with a shop onsite. They have since opened a cosy, dog-friendly microbrewery 'The Sorrel Fox' in the centre of Mountsorrel, Loughborough.

​

Whatton is a family farm comprising 1800 acres of mixed farmland and 200 acres of woodland on the outskirts of Loughborough.  It has been family farmed for generations and they create quality products including cold pressed rapeseed oil, spelt flour and livestock farming. Their spelt flour is used for bakeries across Rutland and Leicestershire.

​

St Martin's were the first specialty coffee roasters to open in Leicester dedicated to sourcing coffees of the highest quality from producers globally.  Their policy is to buy only the best Arabica coffee from producers who treat their environment and people with respect and fairness. They look for coffees with character, complex flavour profiles and consistency, and roast in small batches to control the development of the coffee during the process enabling the true flavour profile of the coffee to be enjoyed.

Feast and the Furious sell their smoked goodies online and at regular farmers markets and food events across the East Midlands. They love to talk about their products and all things smoked, and are passionate about what they do and how they do it. You name it, they smoke it.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Two Chimps Coffee roast ethically sourced, single origin speciality coffees direct from their roastery in Rutland. Their coffees come from small farms and cooperatives around the world. This makes their coffees extra special because when a coffee runs out, it will be gone for good. Their hot chocolate flakes are sourced from a local, expert chocolatier in England and are vegan friendly too. 

The Rutland Chef are a husband and wife team with an impressive cheffing CV, including five years in 2x AA Rosette 'The Olive Branch' and experience in Rutland's very own Hambleton Hall bakery. They have developed a 'dessert delivery service' - another bombshell idea borne out of unfortunate lockdown times. They have grown from strength to strength and are quickly outgrowing their home kitchen space. 

SOAK are an independent mother and daughter business homegrown in 2020. What started from an idea during the pandemic, has now grown into a business serving the local community and customers nationwide. SOAK uses natural and cruelty free ingredients, handmade in small batches, and focus on simple, biodegradable packaging which is offset with Oblong Trees. 

Zarielle makes wonderful hand crafted, luxury chocolates which look just as amazing as they taste.

Keeping it local, Crafty Chocolates is based in Ratby where Zarielle's intricate flavour, design and packaging comes to life, Willy Wonka style. 

We wouldn't mind a Golden Ticket!

Three friends with decades of combined experience in the food and drink industry founded Braybrooke Beer Co, a specialist lager brewery situated on Braybrooke Farm. Situated just outside of Market Harborough in the heart of the peaceful British countryside, on the edge of the village of Braybrooke.

At their bakery, deep in the English (Leicestershire) countryside, the team at Fiona Cairns do the daily measure, mix, bake, ice, embellish and pack every single cake entirely by hand. Multiple accolades include many cakes made for the Royals, none less than Her Majesty the Queen. If it is good enough for her then we certainly aren't complaining...

Every Seven Scents soy wax candle is blended and poured in Verity's Studio at home in Market Harborough. Seven Scents uses super quality essential oil blends, and soy wax which is derived from soya bean oil and is regarded as one of the most environmentally friendly candle waxes. Enjoy her extra special Christmas scents to get you into the festive spirit.

Burleighs Gin Distillery is situated in the heart of Leicestershire’s beautiful Charnwood Forest. Every single bottle of Burleighs Gin is hand-crafted and distilled on a beautiful copper pot still. It is the design of the still, careful sourcing of ingredients and great skill of the distiller that all contribute to the smooth nature of their products

​

Crafted by hand. Made with heart.
Founded by gin enthusiasts Mark and his partner Lyn, Two Birds Spirits ethos has always been about craft and innovation. Launching the distillery back in 2012, Two Birds has now grown and boasts a collection of over 20 different spirits with more than 40 staff (with over a dozen of different family members) and numerous national and international awards. Entrepreneurship lies at the heart of Two Birds Spirits, it's what drives new products and exciting flavours year after year.

​

Ganders Farm is situated in the Welland Valley, on the Leicestershire / Northamptonshire / Rutland border. Husband and wife team Ian and Lauren bought the farm at auction after growing out of a large allotment that they had been working. Inspired by environmentally friendly, off-grid living, they worked the land and have regenerated the farm. They have a goat herd which makes their award winning goats milk ice cream and skin-friendly soaps, and focus on sustainable packaging for truly guilt-free delicacies. 

Hambleton Bakery was initially set up to serve the Hambleton Hall hotel in Rutland. The success of the project has led to the opening of six shops and delivering to countless local stores locally. Hambleton Bakery is supplied by a network of producers including a significant number from the East Midland region. Any unsold stock goes back to local farms and suppliers.

Based in South Kilworth, Nenette has been making chocolate for ten years after training with Slatterys, Callebaut and award winning chocolatier Aneesh Popat, whose chocolates you will find in Fortnum and Mason.  

Each chocolate is hand made, carefully tempered and combined with fresh and locally sources ingredients where possible. 

In this shop you will find a bunch of unusual and quirky things for you and your home. Everything is packed with happiness, wittiness, masses of motivation and a serious sprinkling of llamas, dinosaurs and cats. All of the artwork is created by serial nap taker and Mother of Cat, Katie Abey. Katie works hard at pouring oodles of fun and imagination into everything she creates and does a new illustration every single day.

Danilo and Alison Trozzi are Italian chefs who have trained and worked in Italy and now live in the UK. They specialize in importing wonderful food from Italy. Some of Italy's very best producers are small-scale and rural - their produce often never makes it to the next village never mind out of the country. The team regularly tour Italy from north to south searching for new and exciting products.

Since 2016, three generations of the Slessor family, led by Head Brewer Stuart Slessor, have been crafting a range of beers at their converted bakery building in Anstey, Leicestershire. 

Jyoti is an enthusiastic connoisseur of the vegan patisserie game. Making delightful macarons guaranteed to delight the senses, her keen eye for bright and fantastical colours and divine flavour combinations mean that you can't be disappointed. 

Kingfishers’ Pool Vineyard lies on a gentle south facing slope on the bank of the Rothley Brook, a tributary of the River Soar. Vines were planted gradually over a few years on a part-time basis, and there are currently about 1100 vines of differing varieties and ages. Liz and the team have an impressive accolade of awards, and deservedly so.

Rosie Made A Thing creates funny, design-led greeting cards featuring quirky characters & cheeky humour. They are inspired by the ridiculous and the slightly inappropriate. And 2 or 3 glasses of wine. 

Rosie and the team have won a Henry award for Best Humorous Range and supply their products to stores across the UK, including John Lewis, Scribbler, Fenwick and Fortnum & Mason.

At Swithland Spring Water, they extract around 300,000 litres every week from the aquifer, filling over 7,500 19-litre water bottles. After rainfall hits the ground, it takes up to 50 years to be filtered through the rocks. This naturally purified water, which may well have fell on Leicestershire soil during a heavy rain shower in the 70's goes into our bottling machine, where it is bottled before being delivered to clients across the country.

​

​

​

​

​

In 2015 Megan Scaddan and Wade Smith made some Doughnuts out of  mums kitchen with just £10 and a wok, after selling them to friends on Facebook Doughnotts went from strength to strength, they opened their first shop within 6 months. 5 years later, they now have 3 stores in Nottingham, Leicester and Lincoln. They attend markets every weekend, have moved into a new Bakery/HQ and have launched Doughnotts Delivered, supplying the whole of the UK. 

​

​

Drivers Pickles is a family run business in Leicestershire. They provide high quality pickles and relishes, and have a deli range named 'Pickle Lovers' delivered direct to your door. High quality, traditionally produced tasty products is what they aim to provide,  they have a condiment for every occasion.

​

​

The dream of two close friends decades in the making, Round Corner Brewing is a labour of love from a place that demands the extraordinary. Located in the end shed of Melton Mowbray Market, they make highly drinkable beers inspired by the character of a thriving local agricultural community and the raw, real flavours of the East Midlands. Each beer we have selected has a story inspired by local life. 

Mary Manners, the wife of our founder Lord John Manners, started making cordials in her kitchen in the Seventies by infusing the elderflowers and pressing the fruit grown on the farm. Since then, Belvoir has carried on the same infusing, pressing and cooking of fresh flowers, fruits and spices, which are then blended with local spring water. Everything that goes into their drinks is natural, with nothing artificial at all.

'The Bee Farmer' attended a bee keeping course in his twenties. Thirty plus years down the line and several bee keeping establishments later (ranging from golf courses, allotments and back gardens), it has become his fill time employment and lifetime passion. He of course sells honey but spents a significant amount of time running bee keeping courses, advocating for bees and educating the general public. 

Tynt Meadow is made at Mount St. Bernard Abbey, and is the only trappist brewery in England. Brewed by monks who rely on income to maintain upkeep of their monastary, the centuries' old history of brewing was revived when they closed the dairy farm in 2013. It was named ‘Tynt Meadow’ to honour the link with the plot of land on which monastic life was refounded in the Midlands almost two centuries ago.

Emma is bringing the goods. Again and again. Dealing in the most delectable (and generously sized) tray bakes, flavour is the main order of the day. Leicestershire based Emma delivers her goods across the city and beyond.