Midcounties Co-op has announced the winner of its inaugural Food Glorious Food competition, handing a £10,000 investment to a Gloucester food producer.
Deborah Flint, maker of Cinderhill Farm’s sausage roll and ‘Foggy’ pasty, has also secured an exclusive product listing in all 52 Midcounties Food stores in Gloucestershire, after winning the society’s inaugural Food Glorious Food competition.
Deborah, from St Briavels in Lydney, impressed judges with Cinderhill Farm’s ‘Sausage Roll of Exceeding Enormity’ and ‘Foggy’ pasty at a Dragons Den-style pitch.
The cash injection and exclusive product listing will see her join Midcounties’ Best of our Counties range. Deborah will also receive business development support and mentoring to ensure the products are a success, as well as a marketing package to help launch them into the stores.
Deborah was one of 10 finalists to pitch to the judging panel. All 10 contenders, including Ella Rauen-Prestes from Fitbakes and Phil Penwarden from the Cheltenham Wine Company, received listings in Midcounties’ stores in the county, as well as a free, one-day business seminar at Hartpury University and Hartpury College.
Deborah said: “We’ve worked so hard to create the perfect sausage roll and can’t believe that our product has been crowned the winner of Food Glorious Food. We’ll be using the £10,000 investment to buy some much-needed additional cold storage and expand our team so that we can bring Cinderhill Farm’s products to more people in our community and beyond.
“The competition has been such an exciting process and it was fantastic to meet all the judges on the panel, who are all incredibly inspiring. We’re proud to be flying the flag for Gloucestershire food and drink producers and proving that farming still has a huge role in the community here.”
The judging panel included former England rugby player and Celebrity Master Chef winner Phil Vickery and farmer and rural TV presenter Adam Henson, along with Paul Williamson from Hillside Brewery and Miss Macaroon’s founder Rosie Ginday MBE.
Midcounties chief executive Phil Ponsonby said: “Our Food Glorious Food competition is all about showcasing what makes Gloucestershire food and drink some of the best in Britain, and we’re proud to be able to support Deborah and Cinderhill Farm to achieve their ambition.
“The standard of entries was incredibly high, and Deborah’s stood out to us as an innovative and delicious product. Her sausage roll and Foggy pasty use the highest quality ingredients sourced from her own farm and other local producers and she is committed to helping her community by employing local people. Deborah and Cinderhill Farm truly represent everything that our Best of our Counties initiative stands for.”
The Food Glorious Food campaign was ran in conjunction with Hartpury University and Hartpury College, Folk2Folk and The Growth Hub.
