Latest news from the Spice Shelf.

PRODUCTION BREAK

The Spice Shelf is on the move! We are only moving our production a stone's throw away from our current base in West Sussex but because we are a small company please forgive us while we take a mini-break to stack our shelves,polish our pans and make sure everything is spick and span before sending out new orders! We will let everyone know as soon as we have successfully moved the Spice Shelf operation.

Thank you for your patience.

Winter 2010

In November we took part in BBC Masterchef Live where we sold out of our Mini Gift Packs.

On our return, we were very pleased to get a repeat order from Lakeland for our Mini Selection Gift Packs which are selling well. We hope that everyone who bought them is enjoying them , specially the lovely lady who liked them so much that she went back to her local branch and bought some more. Her only complaint was that the jars weren’t big enough so she ordered our large jars directly from us!

We have been busy meeting Christmas deadlines and thankfully have now completed all orders  which,  in spite of the present weather conditions, seem to have reached their destinations.

So now it is time to (temporarily), hang up our aprons and enjoy the festive season. We wish all our customers a very happy Christmas and peaceful New Year.

Autumn 2010

Gift Packs

We are pleased to let you know that our Gift Packs are now available in all Lakeland stores across the country and we have had very positive feedback. We have just heard from a lady who liked the Mini Selection Pack (exclusive to Lakeland Stores) so much that she went back to her local store and purchased two more Packs!

Garlic Pickle returns

Now the good news …. and the not so good news. Our popular Garlic Pickle is back in production. As we had explained to many of our loyal customers, the price of fresh garlic had increased a lot and we felt that we couldn’t justify buying it at such an inflated price. However the price has come down though it is still not at it’s original price. As we have had so many requests for it, specially from Sue (who informed us that she is beginning to have withdrawal symptoms!), it is now available. Which brings us to the not so good news…. Unfortunately we have had to increase the price.

Christmas orders

We are now getting ready for Christmas and so it is back to slicing the garlic and chopping the pears!! We’d like to remind everyone that the last day for placing Christmas orders is Wednesday 15th December 2010.

Summer 2010

Find us at Lakeland

We are proud to announce that top retailer, Lakeland,  has just started stocking our products! The store, a favourite with foodies and cooks, recently came joint first in the consumer magazine Which annual High Street Shops survey.

Lakeland customers in store and online can choose from two luxury gift packs specially produced for the store – the duo selection pack and the five- pack mini selection made exclusively for  the store.

Here is an excerpt from the Lakeland website:
“If variety is the spice of life then our chutney and pickle selections from the award winning Spice Shelf are sure to please.” Read more 

Find your nearest Lakeland store

A busy summer for the Spice Shelf

Our Lakeland launch came at the same time as the busy foodie festival season. A bit of rain didn’t dampen our enthusiasm and, as always, we were delighted to meet our regular and loyal customers at the  South of England Show at Ardingly in June and the Chilli Fiesta at West Dean Gardens in August. Thanks again to everyone who took the time to stop by our stand for a taste and a chat and  for your valuable feedback. We are delighted that you are still enjoying our products.

May News

A big thank you to everyone who visited our stands at The Food & Farming Fair at the Weald & Downland Museum and the Blindly Heath Country Show on 2-3 May. It was great to see our  loyal “spicy” regulars and to meet new converts! A special thank you to young Jamie who waited patiently to buy our Apple Chutney – Jamie, we hope you are enjoying it.

The Real Food Festival at Earls Court was a big success again this year – so our thanks to all who sampled and bought our products. We really appreciate your support.

April News

We are pleased that our award winning Mango Chutney is now available in most Cook stores so do drop in to a branch near you. So far we have had a very positive response and it is proving to be very popular.

We are still extremely busy and are working on a new product  - we shall keep you informed !!

March News

The Spice Shelf coming to a Cook store near you now!

We’re thrilled to be supplying Cook, the high quality, homemade-tasting meal chain, especially as we really rate not only their delicious products but also their business ethos.

As Cook founder Edward says of his stores “we never compromise the quality of what we make in the hope of making a quick buck. We care too much about the people who work here, the principles behind how the food is made, and also the fact that it is excellent fun.”

Our sentiments exactly!

Selected Cook stores will be selling our award winning Mango Chutney over the coming months – watch  out for the upcoming curry promotion.
For more information on Cook or to find out where your nearest store is, check out http://www.cookfood.net

 

January/ February News

January is usually a quiet month but not for us this year. In addition to our regular orders, we were  delighted to have been asked to make up 200 Wedding Favours for Shalini and Barry’s wedding on 1st February in County Antrim. Shalini will be sending us some photos soon so watch  this space!
We wish the bride and groom a long and happy married life.

 

Events for 2010

December 2009 News

  • The Independent has picked our Cranberry & Chilli Chutney as one of "The Ten Best Pickles" and we're delighted - what a great way to end 2009!
  • Our “Fiery and aromatic” Cranberry & Chilli Chutney is mentioned in Food & Travel magazine this month under the heading “Sauce The Best”. It is recommended for “a chilli hit” as it does “spice up leftovers”.
  • Festive Fayre at Ardingly
    We had another good show this month at the South of England showground at Ardinly at this year’s Festive Fayre. Thank you once again to everyone who came, specially the lady who said she had come “just for the rosemary sausages and The Spice Shelf chutneys”!
    We hope you are enjoying them.

November 2009 News

  • Our award winning Garlic Pickle passes the “Tried and Tasted” test in Cook Vegetarian! Magazine. “A savoury explosion with every crunch” is how the panel of tasters at Cook Vegetarian! Magazine described our best selling Garlic Pickle in this month’s issue.
  • BBC Masterchef Live Nov 2009A big “thank you” to everyone who visited our stand at this month’s BBC Masterchef Live at London’s Olympia. It was good to see so many of our regular customers and to meet new “Spice Shelf converts”!
    We had a very enjoyable and successful show and sold out of our Cranberry & Chilli Chutney, Mango Chutney, Pear & Chilli Chutney and of course the ever popular Garlic Pickle. All three varieties of our Gift Packs sold out as well.
  • Our Taste Session at Pallant of Arundel on 21 November was a great success. After that it was back to production, getting elbows deep in cranberries, pears and garlic…….!!

 

Fun at the Chilli Fiesta
August 2009

  • We enjoyed seeing some of our regular clients and meeting some new ones at the Chilli Fiesta in West Dean gardens, Chichester, August 8-9. The sweltering heat didn’t put off our loyal fanbase from trying some of our award-winning hotter varieties such as the Lime and Chilli Pickle and the Garlic Pickle. Many of you also told us how much you enjoyed the delicious mango lassi we trialled at the event to complement our pickles and chutneys!
  • We’d love to hear your feedback on the jars you bought and tasted so send your thoughts to The Spice Shelf by emailing us at mail@thespiceshelf.co.uk

The Spice Shelf needs your vote!
August 2009

  • We’ve been nominated in the Sussex Food Awards again – The Spice Shelf was a runner up in 2007 – so please give us your support!

    Follow the link below and register – it takes only a minute or two – before choosing to vote and selecting The Spice Shelf (in the food producer category) from the drop down menu

    http://www.sussexfoodawards.com/votes.php

    The winners are announced in January 2010.

Spice Shelf hits Gold
July 09

  • Great Taste Gold Award 2009The Spice Shelf is celebrating after winning again in the epicurean equivalent of the Booker prize.

    The Guild of Fine Food's annual Great Taste Awards are not only the UK's largest independent evaluation of fine food and drink, but the industry’s most prestigious benchmark and a sought-after seal of approval.

    Winning the two-star Great Taste Gold for the Mango Chutney, means that out of the company’s 10 varieties, nine are Great Taste winners - the Spice Shelf has notched up a string of the prestigious awards since its launch in 2002. Entries are blind tasted by 300 chefs, food critics and fine food retailers.

    Of the 4873 products entered in this year’s Great Taste awards, only 639 achieved a one-star gold, 308 a two-star and 83 a three-star gold.

Events / Shows for 2009

Fiery Food Festival
19-20 Sept
Victoria Gardens, Brighton

Fiery Food Festival
11-13 April
Hove Lawns, Hove, East Sussex

Food and Farming Fair
3-4 May
Weald & Downland Open Air Museum, Singleton, near Chichester, West Sussex

Real Food Festival
8-10 May
Earls Court, London

South of England Show
11-13 June
South of England Centre, Ardingly, Haywards Heath, West Sussex

Chilli Fiesta
8-9 August
West Dean Gardens, West Dean, Chichester, West Sussex

Speciality and Fine Food Fair (Trade Only)
6-8 Sept
Olympia, London

Glynde Food and Drink Festival
19-20 Sept
Glynde Place, Glynde, East Sussex

MasterChef Live 2009 (formerly known as BBC Good Food Show London).
13-15 Nov 2009
Olympia, London

Festive Food Fayre
5-6 Dec 2009, South of England Showground, Ardingly, West Sussex

Spice Shelf wins TV taste test
June 2008

  • The Spice Shelf’s Lime and Chilli Pickle was voted the best lime pickle in a taste test by TV show Market Kitchen’s live studio audience. The programme, which showcases the best seasonal recipes from the country’s top chefs, was broadcast on UKTV Food Wednesday June 11 and Thursday June 12. Audience members rated it their favourite above three other lime pickles as it had “more curry flavour” and was “zingy and hot”. They also praised it for tasting homemade and said it had “a good balance” of flavours.

    http://uktv.co.uk/food

Sussex Food & Drink Awards 2008/2009
June 2008

  • As a result of your votes in 2007/08 we were one of the finalists in the
    Sussex Food Awards in the "Food Producer" category. We would appreciate your vote again. To vote please visit their website and cast your vote in the
    "Food Producer" category.

    http://www.sussexfoodawards.com

Events / Shows for 2008

Real Food Festival
24 - 27 April 2008
Earls Court, London

South Of England Show
5 - 7 June 2008
Ardingly, West Sussex

Sea Selsey Festival
5 July 2008
East Beach, Selsey, West Sussex

Chilli Fiesta
9 - 10 August 2008
West Dean Gardens, West Dean, Chichester, West Sussex.

Glynde Food & Drink Festival
13 - 14 Sept 2008
Glynde Place, Glynde, near Lewes, East Sussex

We strike Gold again.
August 2007

  • We are delighted to have won again at the Great Taste Awards 2007. Regarded as the industry "Oscars", The Guild of Fine Food's annual awards are the UK's largest independent evaluation of fine food and drink.
    Having won Gold awards for our Pear & Chilli Chutney and Garlic Pickle means that out of our 10 varieties, 9 are Great Taste Awards winners.

Sussex Food & Drink Awards 2007/2008
August 2007

  • As a result of your votes we were one of the finalists in last year's "The Sussex Food Producer of the Year" category. We would appreciate your vote again this year. To vote please visit their website and cast your vote in the "Food Producer" category.

    http://www.sussexfoodawards.com

Events still to come in 2007

Glynde Food & Drink Festival
22-23 Sept 2007
Glynde Place, Glynde , East Sussex BN8 6SX

Speciality & Fine Food Fair (Trade Only)
2-4 Sept 2007
Olympia Exhibition Centre, Kensington, London

Spice Shelf finalist in top regional prize
February 2007

  • The Spice Shelf has been voted one of best food producers in the South.

    We were among just three companies shortlisted for the title of Best Sussex Food Producer 2006 in the inaugural Sussex Food and Drink Awards 2006/07. Hundreds of local businesses were nominated by more than 2,400 members of the public for the regional award.

    Congratulations to fellow foodies Cocoa Loco, who hand make organic chocolates and who won the title – we can vouch for the fact that their products are quite delicious!

    http://www.sussexfoodawards.com

Spice Shelf success at the Spirit of Christmas
November 2006

  • We kicked off the festive season with a hugely successful show at the Spirit of Christmas Fair at London’s Olympia 1-5 November.

    Our special gift packs of mini-taster jars proved especially popular with festive shoppers looking for stocking fillers and seasonal treats. Our customers also told us they were stocking up on our regular-sized jars because they are perfect for Christmas hampers!

    A total of 32,500 people visited the five-day shopping event which is one of the biggest dates in the festive shopping calender and attracts some of the UK’s biggest and finest retailers.

Sussex foodies The Spice Shelf on ITV Meridian
November 2006

  • Award-winning Worthing-based condiment company The Spice Shelf will feature in a television programme about the region’s gastronomic delights.

    The first episode of the five-week series A Taste of the South will be broadcast on Meridian on Tuesday 9th January 2007 at 7.30pm. Each episode will be an essential guide to the best locations producing and serving great food.

    Viewers will get a flavour of how The Spice Shelf creates its range of pickles and chutneys as founder and managing director Meher Salman reveals the philosophy behind her popular products.

    Meher Salman said: “It was great fun taking part in the show and hopefully it’ll give our customers a bit more of an insight into how passionately we feel about what we do. It’s a huge compliment to be included in a show which features the finest the region has to offer lovers of good food.”

Top prize for our Lime and Chilli Pickle
September 2006

  • One of the newest products in The Spice Shelf’s range has won a coveted gourmet food award. Our Lime and Chilli Pickle has been chosen for a Bronze award at this year’s Great Taste Awards.

    The awards, judged by 150 experts including food retailers, buyers, writers, critics and chefs, are organised by the Guild of Fine Food Retailers and recognise outstanding products in the speciality and fine food sector.

    The latest accolade means that since we launched in the summer of 2002, we have won 11 awards from our peers in the gourmet food industry.

    The combination of juicy limes and green chillis mixed with our freshly prepared spice paste makes the flavoursome Lime and Chilli Pickle a must for all curry lovers who like it hot. You can also try it with fish or savoury rice dishes.

Chilli Fiesta
August 2006

  • The Spice Shelf helped generate some heat at Sussex’s annual Chilli Fiesta. Thousands of fiery food lovers visited the two-day event on August 5 and 6 at West Dean Gardens near Chichester. We were inundated with requests to sample our products and were delighted to meet new customers as well as see some familiar faces. Meher Salman especially enjoyed catching up with several of her former Indian cookery students who took the time to taste our range and pick up a few jars! Many thanks to you all for your continued support and interest.

    http://www.westdean.org.uk

Marco Pierre White believes The Spice Shelf is “the best”

  • Marco Pierre White, one of the UK’s top chefs, judged The Spice Shelf’s range of pickles and chutneys as the ‘best product’ at the prestigious Royal Windsor Food and Drink Festival.

    Marco Pierre White tasting the rangeThe renowned restaurateur (pictured right, tasting the range) described the range as “fantastic” as he awarded the company the accolade at the inaugural event held in the private gardens and parkland of Windsor Castle from 11-14 May.

    The Spice Shelf beat off stiff competition to clinch the award - around 70 purveyors of fine food and drink from across the British Isles took part in the festival.

    HM The Queen admiring the Spice Shelf rangeThe top prize is the latest in a string of awards for the Sussex-based company. Since its launch in 2002 The Spice Shelf has won 10 prestigious awards at the “Oscars of the food world”, the Great Taste Awards, run by the Guild of Fine Food Retailers.

Events still to come in 2006

The Spice Shelf will be at the following events:

Chilli Fiesta
5-6 August 2006
West Dean Gardens
West Dean near Chichester
West Sussex
For more information www.westdean.org.uk

Speciality and Fine Food Fair (Trade only)
3-5 September 2006
Olympia Exhibition Centre
London

Spirit of Christmas
1-5 Nov 2006
Olympia Exhibition Centre
London

'New award for Spice Shelf'
May 2006

View this article from the Worthing Herald

Wishing you a spicy Christmas
Nov 2005

  • A big thank you to everyone who visited us at the Spirit of Christmas Fair
    at London's Olympia last week. We had a fantastic show and sold out of at least 3 of our products. Our newly launched Aubergine Pickle was a best seller!

    We were very pleased to meet existing customers, introduce new ones to our range and to listen to all your feedback.

    A very happy Christmas and New Year to everyone from The Spice Shelf.

We win again at the ‘Oscars of the food world’
August 2005

  • Great Taste AwardsThe Spice Shelf has come top once again in one of the UK’s most prestigious food awards. We picked up three accolades this year – Gold awards for our Aubergine and Lemon Pickles and a Silver Award for our Apple Chutney.
    The Great Taste Awards are the most coveted gourmet food awards in the UK, organised by the Guild of Fine Food Retailers, and over the last decade have carved a reputation as the acknowledged accreditation for all speciality producers.

    Each of the 3,878 entries is subjected to rigorous judging by a 200-strong team of experts, which includes food retailers, buyers, writers, critics and chefs.

    We only launched our company in the summer of 2002 but have already notched up a string of titles from our peers in the gourmet food business, winning seven Great Taste Awards in two ¾ years now we’ve got three more to add to the collection!

Dates for your diary
September 2005

  • Come and meet us and try our award-winning range at two of the country’s biggest food shows. The Spice Shelf has a stand at the Speciality and Fine Food Fair at London’s Olympia from 4-6 September. You can sample and buy gourmet products from more than 400 producers from the UK and around the world and pick up tips from celebrity chefs Jean-Christophe Novelli and Aldo Zilli, who will be demonstrating their culinary skills during the three-day event.
  • November 2005
    And The Spice Shelf will once again be at the Spirit of Christmas show from 2-6 November – find us at stand C129 at the Grand Hall in Olympia. The biggest date in the festive shopping calendar returns to London and offers consumers the chance to buy luxury Christmas gifts, sample speciality food and wine and be inspired with ideas for festive entertaining all under one roof. We look forward to seeing some familiar faces again, as well as meeting new customers.

We spice up the Chilli Fiesta
July 2005

  • Thanks to everyone who visited The Spice Shelf and tried our chutneys and pickles at the Chilli Feista in Sussex in August. We enjoyed a tremendous response and sold out of all products on both days of the weekend-long spice fest at West Dean Gardens near Chichester. More than 4,000 visitors visited the gardens in what is the festival’s sixth year.

Festive Spice
October 2004

  • BBC Good Food ShowCome and visit us in December and try our award-winning products at the BBC Festive Good Food Show at Earl’s Court, London.
    The Spice Shelf will be at Stand 29 in the Food Lovers’ Fair section at the capital’s biggest dedicated food and drink consumer show. As well as the chance to sample the flavours of some of the country’s leading producers, you can pick up seasonal gift ideas and get tips on Christmas recipes from top chefs.
    From Friday 10th December to Sunday 12th December.
    http://www.festivebbcgoodfoodshow.co.uk/

'Adding some spice to life'
September 2004

We win again at the “Foodie Oscars”
September 2004

  • Great Taste AwardsFor the second year running – and in what is only the second year of the company’s operation - The Spice Shelf has won three more awards at the Great Taste Awards 2004. We won a Gold Great Taste Award for the Mango Chutney, Silver for the Tomato Chutney and Bronze for the Apple Chutney. The national awards celebrate the crème de la crème of the foodie industry - there were more than 4,000 entries to the awards, but only 300 Gold winners. This means we have stacked up no less than seven prestigious awards in two years!
    Great Taste Awards website

The Spice Trade
September 2004

  • The Spice Shelf was pleased to meet hundreds of new faces as well as our many familiar stockists at the food trade show, the Speciality and Fine Food Fair. Leading retailers and smaller outlets queued up to sample the company’s award-winning range at London’s Olympia exhibition centre. Thanks to everyone who came to see us at the show and supported our products.
    Speciality and Fine Food Fair website

By popular demand – two new flavours at The Spice Shelf
Summer 2004

  • Customer demand has led to the launch of two perennial favourites – Lime Pickle and Mango Chutney. Our Lime is for those who like it hot and spicy and the Mango for those with a sweeter tooth. Both are ideal with curries, but how about trying the Lime with any sort of savory rice and the Mango with chicken, salad or as a dip with poppadoms.

New places to buy The Spice Shelf range
Summer 2004

  • The Spice Shelf is pleased to announce four new stockists. Campbell Lindley’s deli in Harrogate, Old Barn Nurseries restaurant and food shop in Horsham and Nu Dehli delicatessen in Brighton. We hope all our new customers enjoy our range!

The Spice Shelf gets into the Christmas spirit
November 2003

  • We had a great time at the Spirit of Christmas show at London's Olympia. Thank you to everyone who came and tasted our range. It's good to meet customers and make contacts. We love to hear what you want from us and as a direct result of feedback from customers at the show, we are hoping to launch a couple of new additions to the product range... including something for those who like it hot.

'Perfect pickle'
November 2003

Awards make a great birthday present for The Spice Shelf
September 2003

  • What a great way to celebrate our first anniversary – we have won four awards at the prestigious Great Taste Awards run by the Guild of Fine Food Retailers. Our Lemon Pickle scooped a Silver, and our Plum, Tomato and Apple chutneys each picked up a Bronze award. And this is all in the first year of our launch.

'Living to eat'
November 2002

'Cooking up a treat with the spices of life'
August 2002

LemonsTomatoMango