Tasting notes

The food and drink industry’s next big things

IN SHAFTESBURY, north Dorset, Rosie Marteau and Charles Grummitt blend small batches of yerba mate (the dried leaves of a South American holly), with elderflower and rosehip for their organic drinks company, Yuyo.

Across the county, on the south coast, Outdoorfood founder John Fisher tinkers with recipes for Firepot, the nutritious dehydrated meals he makes with hungry adventurers in mind. Just add water... to both products, as it happens, whose creators also have something else in common, having both graduated with the top prize from The Seed Academy. A mentoring programme for start-up food and drink businesses, the Academy is run by The Seed Fund, which encourages industry experts to divulge their specialist know-how in branding, sales and distribution. ‘We had no idea of the impact it would have,’ says Fisher, who as 2017’s winner is now producing his backpack-friendly pouches with a full year’s worth of support from the fund.

As for the mentors, some of the country’s most successful food entrepreneurs are on the roster (among them Planet Organic’s Renée Elliott, Tracklements’ Guy Tullberg and baker Tom Herbert) – the kind of people you’d love to ask for their kitchen hacks as well as how to get a fledgling business off the ground. So if you’re brewing in the garage or preserving in the shed, check out this year’s Seed Fund; entries now open. theseedfund.co.uk

2017 finalist Barmies Sophie Wood’s baked snacks made from ‘beer barm’, a byproduct of the brewing process. eatbarmies.co.uk

2017 winner Firepot Made-from-scratch beef stews and risottos, dehydrated for outdoor enthusiasts. outdoorfood.com

2015 winner Yuyo Loose-leaf and bagged herbal blends inspired by Latin America. yuyo.co.uk