WHO WILL WIN THE RACE TO BE TOP OF THE SHOPS?
There’s nothing like a bit of healthy competition to up the ante – and that’s certainly the dish of the day in the BBC’s latest foodie offering, Top Of The Shop With Tom Kerridge. GEMMA DUNN finds out more
THERE’S no denying that the artisanal food market is booming. From home brewing and smoking meat to handmade cheeses, chutneys and preserves, Britain is teeming with tasty gourmet fare – but just who are the people behind the goods?
New BBC2 show Top Of The Shop With Tom Kerridge aims to find out, as it unmasks a host of kitchen table producers keen to showcase their delicacies.
Proving it’s not just hipsters, farmers and retiring townies taking part in the foodie revolution, the eight-part series offers 28 amateur food makers – from all walks of life – the opportunity to promote and sell their wares in a real shop in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
But there’s more to it than simply appealing to the taste buds, and wallets, of the local community. For while acclaimed chef and presenter Tom will be cheering from the sidelines (no pressure!), experts Nisha Katona and Alison Swan Parente will be judging whether the creations have what it takes to sustain a profitable business.
The aim: to convince everyone involved that their product deserves a permanent space on the shelves.
It’s a concept Tom, 44, could immediately get on board with.
“To me, people with a massive passion for food or anyone who’s involved in the food industry that has baked produce in a place with history and heritage have the same understanding of it,” he reasons.
“It’s about where it comes from and how it’s looked after,” adds the chef patron at the two-Michelinstarred The Hand & Flowers pub in Marlow.
“These guys have given up their day jobs to join that industry, so I thought this would be a great thing to be a part of: to meet people who are like-minded and to hang out with these two girls.”
“There is a real kind of resurgence about artisan products,” agrees Alison, 69, who is the trustee of the School of Artisan Food.
“I think people have a memory about what food used to be like before industrial food,” she says.
“They have an idea of what their grandma was making, and they certainly have an idea that their family has some sort of heritage in food that may be lost.
“The other thing is that people really do like to learn skills – and it really is about learning skills.”
In the final episode, the shop will be filled with the seven winning products from seven different categories. The judges will then ask the locals to help them one last time to decide which producer and product should take the coveted top of the shop title.
For food writer and restaurateur Nisha, the coveted title should go to those who can take a brilliant product and turn it into a viable business.
“It’s one thing to have an amazing product made in an amazing way that tastes fantastic,” says the 46-year-old.
“But if you can’t sell it then you’re depriving the public of the ability to taste it.”
With the stakes high, does the shop floor make for a competitive playing field?
“It does get quite competitive,” admits Tom, whose career spans the best part of three decades.
“At the start they don’t know each other and it’s the first time they’ve been to the shop, so they’re quite nervous. But by the end of day one they all become quite good friends!” he quips.
■ Top Of The Shop With Tom Kerridge starts on BBC2 on Tuesday at 8pm.