Tim Rowcliffe: Making It Work

There are two distinct types of people in this industry: those who see it as a lifestyle choice and an opportunity to kick back and enjoy a gearing down in their lives, and those who ingrain the job into their blood in order to make a really good fist of it. I don’t think anyone could honestly say that you could viably take shortcuts in the fine food business. You have to prove absolute dedication and 24/7 attention to detail, so the former type of professional tends to not get very far. This is extremely rewarding but very hard work – it’s not to be treated as a step away from the hurly burly of the city.

I don’t want anyone working for me who’s not happy and not enjoying themselves. You have to have fun in business; I must be getting that message across pretty well as people seem to stay with me for a long time! I get a huge amount of satisfaction from what I do. One of the biggest kicks I get is when I open up a new account with a deli or cheese shop, and another is when I get to flex my sales muscles. I was having coffee in a local café the other day when the local butcher came in. In the five minutes he was there I managed to sell him Clonakilty black and white pudding – I can’t stop selling!

I’m delighted to say that my youngest daughter has joined the business, and I’m very much looking forward to helping her through the next three or four years, as my father did with me, in the hope that the third generation will continue to have as much fun with the business as I’ve had. Sometimes I wish I was 10 or 15 years younger as the business has so much to offer and is going from strength to strength. The future’s looking very rosy! Rowcliffe’s is a lovely business and I’m lucky to work with a great team of people.

You’ve got to learn to not take it all so seriously. There are going to be times when things go disastrously wrong as food is a very complicated commodity, but you’ve got to roll with the punches. The fine food and drink world has changed a lot since I’ve been in it – these days, everything’s so serious. When something goes wrong, so long as it’s not life threatening and won’t drag your whole business down, accept it and carry on. You learn a lot more when things go wrong than when everything’s going right, so forge ahead with a smile!