Meet our Rising Stars of 2024

The time has come…to reveal our 25 Rising Stars of 2024. This project was a collaboration between Speciality Food Magazine and Speciality & Fine Food Fair, to celebrate the event’s landmark 25th anniversary.

In May, we reached out to the artisan food and drink industry, asking those working within it to nominate the founders and leaders who they thought stood out from the crowd.

Innovators who’ve carved out their own paths, defining a niche in their sector. Visionaries, who have driven change. And those who are working in a way that’s kinder to people and the planet.

We received nominations for hundreds of candidates – all of them worthy, and with their own merit – but the 25 revealed across the following five pages are the ones whose stories really jumped out at our judging panel. Founders who have followed their hearts, done something different, and deliver great-tasting food and drink to the table.

They will all be honoured during this September’s Speciality & Fine Food Fair at London Olympia. 

“We’re thrilled to finally be able to publish and share the names of our 25 Rising Stars,” says Charlotte Smith-Jarvis of Speciality Food Magazine. “Whittling the entries down to just over two dozen was a mammoth task for our judges, because there were some incredible nominees. The process highlighted several things. Firstly, that the world of artisan food and drink never stands still. Something new, bold and exceptional is always around the corner. The creativity in this industry knows no bounds.

“Secondly, there’s an enormous amount of passion, and incredible amount of work that goes into the sector.

“And, thirdly, ingenuity is everywhere. Some amazing businesses and ideas were generated during the pandemic. Businesses that have gone on not just to survive, but to thrive, injecting excitement and renewed vigour into multiple categories.

“We hope you’ll join us at Speciality & Fine Food Fair this September to congratulate these brilliant food lovers and entrepreneurs.”

“It’s amazing that think that Speciality & Fine Food Fair is celebrating its 25th birthday this year,” says Nicola Woods, event manager at Montgomery Group. “The world of fine food and drink has changed so drastically in that time, with the explosion of innovative and delicious products mirroring the growing consumer appetite for new and diverse food and drink. 

“Over the past quarter century, Speciality & Fine Food Fair has been a platform for passionate entrepreneurs to get their start, network with the industry and grow their brand, and we’re so excited to be celebrating 25 Rising Stars this year in partnership with Speciality Food Magazine. 

“We’ll be recognising these inspiring foodie founders at the fair, and to further celebrate our 25th anniversary we’ll be introducing new features, tasting stations, networking opportunities and chances to hear about the latest industry trends. 

This year’s event will also see the launch of our 25th anniversary documentary, looking back at some of the highlights of the fair with our ambassadors and partners. We can’t wait to welcome you and take a look ahead to the next 25 years of speciality food and drink. See you in September!”

Rising Stars 2024

Fan Yang, Other Foods

A health-conscious foodie and mushroom fanatic, Fan Yang has turned her favourite childhood ingredient into a phenomenal product that encourages people to ‘dare to snack differently’. Fan is on a mission to end unhealthy and boring snacking with real, wholesome fungi and plants.

Officially launched into eight Whole Foods Market stores in 2019, the Other Foods snack range (including a variety of mushroom and artichoke crisps) is now available in more than 800 stores in the UK and exported to 10 countries. As the first company to offer ‘mushrooms on-the-go’ in the UK and Europe, Fan is proud to be able to bring a snack that is minimally processed, great in taste, packed with nutrients, and completely vegan and gluten free to the market.

Other Foods has six lines, with a focus of specialty mushrooms and now additionally supplies Holland & Barrett, Ocado, Planet Organic, Selfridges and many independents across the UK and around the world.

Ryan Moore and Chris Farnworth, Blendsmiths

Growing up, Ryan’s parents loved walking, and his bargaining chip to join them was a visit to a local cafe – a scene which would later become a passion and obsession!

Following many years working in a global brand supply chain, he grew agitated in his quest to pursue something more aligned to his interests, and was given the opportunity to work alongside the renowned team at Square Mile Coffee Roasters.

Unfortunately, after a few years in the coffee industry, Ryan developed Overactive Bladder Syndrome (OAB), significantly reducing his caffeine tolerance. At this point, he researched alternatives he could enjoy daily, and found himself underwhelmed. And so Blendsmiths was born, alongside lifelong friend Chris, who was seeking a new challenge. The duo share an unwavering passion for the pursuit of all things quality-focused, and are on a mission to ‘change the world of drinks’ with their vegan superfood, matcha and hot chocolate blends.

Kier Kemp and Jennifer Dreier, Condimaniac

Condimaniac was an accident. It all started back in 2018 after a few beers at a barbecue - like most good ideas tend to. Kier and Jen had been drunkenly discussing whether Kier should take his obsession with condiments to the next level by posting reviews online. Usually, these things end there. This story doesn’t.

Kier was looking for a palate cleanser after years of being a professional musician, so for fun he did just that: adorning the reviews with beautiful images and outrageously in-depth flavour examinations. Those reviews struck a chord with other Condimaniacs around the world, and before long the two were being sent hundreds of products to review. From hot sauce to kimchi, they tried it all and developed a great idea about what was out there, and also what wasn’t out there…By 2019 they’d incorporated a company with the aim of filling the gaps left behind by more traditional retail, aiming to serve people just like them - the condiment-obsessed.

Since then, Condimaniac has gone on to win numerous awards, featured in a plethora of national press, and been selected by Gordon Ramsay for his TV show Future Food Stars.

Most importantly though, they’ve created a club of like-minded condiment enthusiasts.

Hannah Springham and Andrew Jones - Farmyard Frozen

Farmyard Frozen is the brainchild of the culinary creatives behind Michelin-listed Farmyard in Norwich. It was founded during the pandemic as a way for chef-patron Andrew Jones and managing director (and partner) Hannah Springham, to continue to bring restaurant quality dishes to their customers, for them to enjoy in their own homes. 

Hannah, a founder of award-winning TV production company, Knickerbockerglory, brings her bold, infectious spirit to the brand, while Andrew (who has previously cooked in the kitchens of Claude Bosi and Richard Corrigan) works with his team to celebrate the flavours of Norfolk, in a frozen, easy-to-cook format. Every dish is handcrafted by restaurant chefs, with no added nasties, across a range that includes starters, main courses, sides and desserts, winning multiple Great Taste awards in 2023, in addition to the Innovation Award from the British Frozen Food Federation, for its Farmyard Chocolate Bar.

As well as delivering nationwide, the couple are proud to supply multiple artisan food retailers, and provide luxury Farmyard Frozen desserts to private jet owners via Saxon Air.

Rhian Caffull, Veg Life

Plant-based food pioneer, Rhian, founded Veg Life during the pandemic, with an aim to position delicious, sustainable, artisanal products that challenge perceptions in the fine food space.

Her standout creation, the Scotchee, puts a vegan twist on a picnic and snacking classic, offering the same appearance, texture and taste as its traditional counterpart, with fewer calories and less fat.

Committed to the UN’s sustainable development goals, Rhian’s business not only provides delicious food, but puts the environment first every step of the way. All retail products are served in home compostable packaging, and she is determined to help reduce food waste, using crumbs created by bread slicing at local bakery (which would otherwise be thrown away), and turning any broken ‘eggs’ into sandwich fillings.

Rhian’s background as an expedition leader further underscores Veg Life’s dedication to impactful projects, ensuring it helps community endeavours (such as its Community Fridge in Malvern) through its artisanal offerings.

Bella Acland, Soul Kitchen

Bella founded Soul Kitchen while at university, where the keen foodie found herself frustrated at the lack of nutrition and flavour of cup noodles and instant soups.

By blending high quality, nutrient rich vegetable powders, superfoods, herbs and spices in her kitchen at home, Bella quickly realised that more people needed to try her recipes. Soul Kitchen soups are the perfect convenient solution without any compromise on quality or flavour. The brand is on a mission to disrupt the instant soup category with its range of delicious 100% plant-powered products which are packed with real veggies and only natural flavours. They’re the only vegan, gluten-free and palm oil-free instant soups currently available on the UK market. Having been selected as one the most promising healthy challenger brands for Mission Ventures Good Food Program, Bella’s business has gone from strength to strength following a full rebrand and innovative NPD.

 

Monique Farquharson, The Matcha Yaad

Monique is the visionary behind this brand, which beautifully marries the vibrant flavours of Jamaica with the elegant tradition of Japanese matcha. Monique’s journey began in Jamaica, where she was introduced to matcha at university as an alternative to coffee. After discovering the drink’s health benefits, a passion was ignited which led her to Japan. She spent nearly two years immersing herself in the art of matcha and Japanese tea ceremonies under the guidance of her sensei, affiliated with Urasenke - a renowned institution dedicated to the art of tea.

This immersive experience not only deepened her appreciation for matcha but also sparked the idea of creating a unique fusion of Jamaican and Japanese cultures through innovative beverages. She then ventured to the UK and established The Matcha Yaad, offering products that celebrate authenticity, creativity, and wellness. The Matcha Yaad’s flagship product, the Ginger Refresher, is a testament to Monique’s innovative spirit. This beverage combines the antioxidant-rich properties of Japanese matcha with the bold, spicy notes of Jamaican flavours, creating a unique and invigorating drink. 

Edward van der Lande, More Toddler Meals

More Toddler Meals (MTM) was founded while Edward was deployed to Somalia with the British Army in 2022, leaving behind his working wife and toddler son. He realised there was a gap in the market for genuinely convenient and nutritious meals aimed at growing tots, and the more he researched, the more he realised there was also a big problem in the UK with early years nutrition. Around 15% of children starting primary school, he discovered, were obese, 55% of children aged four and under had two or fewer portions of vegetables per day, and 24% of UK parents to children of this age and under felt guilty about their child’s daily diet.

Edward’s mission with MTM was to craft meals with toddler development in mind to encourage healthy eating from the earliest of years, exciting young imaginations through great taste and colourful packaging. Uniquely, MTM meals are freeze-dried once cooked. They are lightweight and can be taken anywhere. They just need hot water added to prepare them in minutes, making them fantastic for busy parents who need to quickly feed their child when on the go, on holiday, or before a hunger-induced tantrum erupts.

Seji Hong, BOMBOM

Seji’s journey begins with her Wimbledon supper club. Launched in 2019, it led to collaborations and pop-ups with East London restaurants. Soon after, in 2022, she brought independent Korean sauce company BOMBOM to market.

BOMBOM’s sauce recipes are inspired by the dishes most loved by Seji’s guests. She has taken those flavours, and developed them into easy-to-use jars that appeal to everyone, from meat lovers to vegans, allowing them to enjoy authentic Korean food at home.

Since launching, BOMBOM has gained listings at Whole Foods Market, Ocado, Selfridges and Sous Chef, and scooped up two Great Taste Awards.

Her best-loved (and first) product is BOMBOM’s Gochujang -  a spicy, sweet, umami, fermented sauce with an elevated, premium flavour and real versatility, lending itself as a dip, marinade or even a salad dressing.

Matt and Kit Newell, Hive Mind

Brothers Matt and Kit launched Hive Mind in 2018 after Matt’s hobby of beekeeping was overproducing honey. They decided there was no better use for the product than to turn it into mead.

Matt and Kit’s goal is to revolutionise the mead world, and produce meads unlike anyone has ever tasted before. They began with lighter style, sparkling drinks using additions such as Citra hops, designing their drinks in line with the craft beer world, to tempt in beer and cider drinkers – and winning a Great Taste award for their first commercial batch.

Five years on, the brothers now make a range of six sparkling meads in 330ml cans, six styles of traditional mead, melomels (fruit meads), braggots (honey beers) and a honey rum.

One of their proudest moments was winning a Great Taste Golden Fork for Wales in 2023 for their flagship traditional mead, which can now be found in Michelin Star restaurants.

The pair say they love to push the boundaries of what can be done with honey, being careful to showcase its provenance and fantastic flavours.

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Marietta Hickman, Cheeky Nibble

Tourette Syndrome and autism sufferer Marietta founded Cheeky Nibble in 2021. Having found that exercise and baking helped manage her mental health, she brought her two passions together to create the business, which is on a mission to spread joy through truly delicious snacks and cereals which are free from allergens, yet full of flavour.

Cheeky Nibble specialises in vegan, top 14 allergen-free granola, inspired by classic British desserts and drinks, including Cherry Bakewell, Victoria Sponge, Banoffee Pie and Vanilla Latte.

They are all made in a BRCAA bakery, which is a dedicated peanut and tree nut free environment, and formed into clusters which make an indulgent breakfast or snack – the first hybrid granola product in the UK.

The packaging is recyclable, with boxes printed with carbon balancing, allowing customers to make a delicious and ethical choice.

Eva Thorne, The Garden of Eva

Eva Thorne is a native New Yorker, born of an American Southerner mother who loved to cook and preserve. Her mum used the Grand Diplome Cooking Course to teach Eva the basics. Making jams, conserves, and pickles almost year-round was a regular feature of life in the Thorne household.

Passion for food and travel combined to create The Garden of Eva, which brings the pickles, relishes and jams of the American South to the UK and beyond. The company’s upcycled Pickled Watermelon Rind is the recipient of two Great Taste stars. It’s brilliant with cheese and grilled meats, while the brine goes well in cocktails. Honest Burgers used The Garden of Eva’s American Southern relish – Chow Chow -  on a New Orleans-style fried chicken sandwich, which was a monthly special. And Whole Foods Market UK named The Garden of Eva’s Chili-Watermelon Jam as a 2024 Food and Drink Trend for complex heat. 

Eva is currently exploring a farm-to-jar model and leveraging AI to tackle bigger challenges in the food system.

Ella McKay, Fatso

Ella is the co-creator of super chunky, disruptor dark chocolate brand, FATSO. Self-proclaimed as food obsessed, she scrapped the big corp life and leant into her entrepreneurial instincts to take on the saturated world of chocolate, with a truly unserious and uncompromising brand. 

After graduating with a business and marketing degree, Ella bounced into a marketing role with a blue chip employer. Working across leading oral care brands, she quickly learned that a successful marketer can make anything sexy (even dentures). A hop over to a major telco company where her focus was in e-commerce/online marketing, was followed by a jump over the pond to Vancouver where she landed herself in the work-hard-play-hard world of advertising.

After three years hiking mountains, skiing and sunbathing in the same weekend, eating a lot of kale-based smoothies, and meeting ‘the one’, she and her partner returned to London, taking a role at a leading brand strategy and design agency. A great breadth of roles, and yet she couldn’t shake the entrepreneurial itch. So, when Ella and her partners-in-chocolate started to ask the question: “why is dark chocolate so boring, and why does milk chocolate have all the fun?”, she couldn’t resist urge to solve the problem. 

Three years on, and 18 months since launching FATSO, driven by values and integrity, Ella and her team of chocoholics are well on their way to show the world that dark chocolate can have just as much fun as milk, without compromising of taste, quality, ethics or size.

Dan Shearman, The WilderKitchen

Dan is the eco-chef founder of The WilderKitchen, home of Wilderbee Hot Honey – the chilli-infused honey condiment creating a real buzz in the UK.

Dan introduced the UK to the hot honey trend after discovering the sweet and spicy condiment in a New York pizza restaurant. On returning to London, he created a version for his food truck menu using the highest quality, ethically-produced honey infused with sustainably grown chillies. After years of selling in unbranded pots from the hatch of his truck, he ventured into retailers and restaurants, and is now stocked in Marks & Spencer, Co-op, Whole Foods and Harrods, as well as restaurant menus across the UK -  even making the cocktail menu at Tom Kerridge’s Michelin starred Hand & Flowers.

Focused on disrupting the honey category with a fusion of sustainability and spice, The WilderKitchen offers a bee-friendly, organic wildflower honey farmed in the most natural way possible, with respect for our planet’s pollinators, along with chillies that support farmers in Rwanda by paying above living wage, providing free education to employees’ children, and planting crops that promote carbon sequestration - counterbalancing their carbon footprint.

Natalie Wood, Soul Fruit

Coming from a mixed background, with a Singaporean mum and English dad, Natalie has always been exposed to a wide variety of foods. But, having a strong sweet tooth, there was a time when she couldn’t be found without a pack of sweeties in her handbag.

In 2018 she decided to make changes in her life, quitting her corporate marketing job in Hong Kong to train as a Yoga teacher in Bali and learn more about nutrition.

This made her realise how much she needed to cut out artificial sugary snacks.

Living in Asia, Natalie found she had access to lots of delicious tropical fruits, which made her wonder: with so many amazing fruits in the world, why don’t we have more varieties of dried fruit snacks? They are nature’s candy, after all.

She’s particularly addicted to a chew, while her husband favours a crisp crunch. That’s why Soul Fruit dries its fruit in two unique ways, ensuring its snacks don’t just taste great, but they also have the most satisfying textures too.

Natalie is on a mission to make snacking simple again with Soul Fruit, using the whole fruit, and nothing but the fruit.

Tom Palmer, Yep Kitchen

After spending a decade living in the heart of China, eating his way across the country, Tom returned to the UK with a vision to bring the bold, fiery flavours of Chinese cuisine to British consumers, and to ignite excitement in a category that has remained largely unchanged for years.

Tom set out to create condiments that truly represent the essence of China. By sourcing key ingredients directly from the regions where they grow, following traditional processes, and collaborating with Chinese artists to produce artwork that represents the brand’s vision, he has been able to achieve just that. This dedication to authenticity led Tom establish Yep Kitchen’s own manufacturing site in London, ensuring the brand retains full control over production as it scales up. The current range features three umami-packed chilli oils and one fiery ferment, with more exciting products on the horizon.

He is thrilled to be representing a cuisine he holds so dearly. Sharing the authentic flavours of China with the UK, Tom says, has been a dream come true.

Shadia Al Hili, Cuzena

With no food industry experience, but an unwavering desire to introduce an unknown product to the British market, Shadia founded Cuzena to bring the magic of the Middle East to the British fine artisan food scene.

Cuzena (meaning ‘kitchen’ in Moroccan) launched in 2018 with her Ful Madamous fava bean dips, which led to listings with Selfridges, Whole Foods and various independent retailers.
Despite the challenge of introducing new products, and building a brand, Shadia has grown Cuzena into an ambitious team of five, with the business continuing to lead with absolute innovation in bespoke packaging with authentic flavours, from chips and dips, to stir-in sauces, and tofu snack pots, all designed for cross-category appeal.

Cuzena’s products are now available on train lines and ferries, and Shadia’s sights are now firmly set on airlines, and growing the foodservice range. Her vision remains ever clear, in bringing the joy of Middle Eastern food into the mainstream.

She proudly supports Yemaid, which provides life-saving medical supplies, food and water to the people of Yemen, giving back to the heritage and roots from where many of her recipes originate.

Laura Barton, Granola Butter UK

Granola Butter has been a huge success in the US - which sparked Laura’s initial product idea. A lot of trends from the US find their way over to the UK, so she saw this as a huge opportunity, saying she loved the fact granola butter could be made with predominantly British ingredients to minimise food miles and celebrate British farming. 

Laura spent 18 months developing the recipe - tweaking different ingredients to strke the perfect balance of health and indulgence. 

Granola Butter has the texture of peanut butter, but is made from granola instead of nuts. It’s a sweet spread, but contains 70% less sugar than comparable products in the market. The Granola Butter Co’s granola is toasted to perfection, then blended to deliver tasting notes of caramelised biscuits. It’s high fibre and naturally free from nuts, gluten and dairy.

Laura says her customers love the product because it has an accessible flavour that is versatile and adds excitement to meals and snacks throughout the day. She’s continued to innovate with flavours such as Hot Cross Bun, Cookie Dough and Strawberries & Cream - bringing excitement to what she felt was a stagnant category.

Karen Robinson, Three Robins

Driven by her son’s lactose intolerance and a lack of healthy, low-sugar snacks and drinks for children, Karen identified a market gap for a family-oriented oat milk brand. 

Launched in May 2022, Three Robins’ original and chocolate oat milks are barista-standard, low in sugar, and fully fortified, designed for the whole family to enjoy from breakfast to bedtime. Last year saw Three Robins win five product awards, including a prestigious Great Taste Award, and Karen was a finalist in the Women’s Enterprise Scotland awards, securing vital growth funding through Scottish Edge.  

Three Robins products are now available in Selfridges as well as more than 80 independent shops and cafes across the UK. The team is gearing up for a big summer with the recent launch of the brand’s innovative Little Smoothies range for kids, which offer a healthier on-the-go option for nursery and primary school aged children designed to revolutionise the snacking category.

Committed to quality and healthy options for kids, Karen is driving positive change in the food and drink industry. Before Three Robins, she had a successful career in international development. Karen holds a PhD in international relations, and spent 15 years working to support women’s rights in conflict-affected countries on behalf of organisations including the United Nations and the UK government. 

Kirsty Miller and Alex Higham, Exhale

After 20 years together, 15 years of those working in the corporate world, Alex and Kirsty quit their hectic London jobs to launch Exhale in 2020.

Their first hires were Kirsty’s brother, Tom and his girlfriend, Laura (still with them in customer services) followed by their neighbour, Kaspar (now heading up operations).

The brand grew quickly as people followed the crazy journey of this start-up, with up to 250kg of coffee passing across their kitchen table each week. Four years later, with nearly 20,000 subscribers, roasting over 10 tonnes of coffee a month,  Kirsty and Al still have huge ambitions to promote health, sustainability and fairness in the coffee supply chain. Together, they combine their passions and skills to bring the healthiest coffee imaginable, sourced responsibly (Exhale is a B-Corp and Soil Association accredited), with a true love of the craft.

Exhale coffee is some of the purest available in the UK, being lab tested nine times to ensure it’s free of moulds and pesticides, and optimised for antioxidants.

James Santillo and Tara Smyth, Sunday Charcuterie

Founded in 2021, Sunday Charcuterie was born from a desire to create artisanal charcuterie with a focus on provenance and authenticity of flavour. Excellent salami requires an excellent pig, so James and Tara’s dedication begins with sourcing the highest welfare, free-range pork from East Anglian farms and smallholders. Embracing a sustainable nose-to-tail philosophy, James meticulously seam-butchers each pig, creating exceptional small-batch salami and air-dried hams. The range has now also expanded to include delectable fresh terrines and pâtés.

The couple’s commitment to craftsmanship has garnered widespread acclaim, including five prestigious Great Taste Awards to date. With over 120 stockists across England, including renowned retailers like Fortnum & Mason and Daylesford Organic, Sunday Charcuterie is redefining standards for British charcuterie.

Alexa Fernandez, Chili Maven

Alexa founded Chili Maven in December 2021 with a mission to bring a real taste of Mexico to the UK. After much experimentation with flavour combinations, she launched the UK’s first salsa macha. While salsa macha is a staple in Mexico, it’s a brand new concept to most Brits, best described as a chili condiment, but so much more than that in its layers of flavour. What sets Alexa’s products apart is her pursuit of the proper taste of Mexico.

Chili Maven only uses Mexican chilis in its products. They’re grown in Mexico, picked in Mexico, prepared in Mexico, and blended with artisan Mexican techniques. Why is that so important? At the heart of Chili Maven is Alexa’s passion to infuse cultures. Having grown up in the border town of El Paso, Texas, she’s used to the rich diversity of interacting cultures. What better way to share culture than through delicious food? Alexa pours her joy of food and (most of all) flavour into all of Chili Maven products.

Will Fugard, Gusto Organic

After a career in the creative industries Will co-founded Gusto Organic with a desire to improve the UK soft drinks offer – creating a range of soft drinks crafted for an adult palate, which he felt were missing in the chillers of bars and shops.

The brand’s organic and Fairtrade colas are a significant part of the business, crafted using organic essential oils, extract of cola nut, Sicilian lemon juice, Faitrade Madagascan vanilla and agave. And it launched the world’s first organic cherry cola, with 8% organic cherry juice.

With Yuzu Lemonade, Sicilian Blood Orange, and a Fiery Ginger with Jalepeno in its stable, Gusto Organic has brought its premium and ethical lens to popular flavours, supplying fine hotels, restaurants and grocers across Europe, the Middle East and Singapore, with notable launches this June including Jones the Grocer at Heathrow Terminal 2, and The Mandarin Oriental in London.

Angus Cowen and Charlotte Dawe, Sea Sisters

When Angus and Charlotte founded Sea Sisters in 2021, they became the first people to manufacture canned fish in England since the 1940s.

Angus was chef at some of London’s best-loved neighbourhood restaurants (including Trullo) before stepping out of the kitchen and the late nights of hospitality during the pandemic. 

And Charlotte is passionate about people, food and storytelling. She loves how food brings people together, nourishes, and can be responsible for lifelong memories. She has worked with a diverse range of communities, which has been influential in the building of the Sea Sisters brand. Having a young family spurred Charlotte on to build her own family business. She wholeheartedly believes in diversity and inclusion, celebrating women in the fishing industry, as well as interpreting Sea Sisters’ social media content into BSL.

The couple knew from the very beginning Sea Sisters was about supporting the British fishing industry, clear provenance, and innovative ideas. Since launching, Sea Sisters has won many accolades, including Great Taste stars, and Reserve Supreme Champion for its Cuttlefish in Ink at the Taste of the West awards.

Nick Egan, Cornwall Pasta Co

Nick started his journey in professional kitchens aged 13, where food became his life. His relationship with food and where it comes from has always shaped the direction for Cornwall Pasta Co, which Nick founded to (in his own way) deliver real change to part of the food system.

When it launched in 2020, Cornwall Pasta Co was the first organic British pasta company, championing ingredients sourced from his home county of Cornwall.

Nick believes if you start with the absolute best ingredients, you always produce better food.

The pasta is extruded using traditional bronze dies for a coarse surface. Alongside its organic wheat base, this makes for a distinctive taste he says you want find anywhere else. Cornwall Pasta Co products are plastic free, fully compostable, and have been certified by the Soil Association.