News

Scottish Pie Maker and Honey Producer Strike Supermarket Deal

4 May 2010

Simple Simon’s pies from Lanarkshire and Heather Hills Honey from Perthshire have become the latest two suppliers to win contracts to supply Waitrose stores in Scotland.

Simple Simon’s pies whose Honeyed Venison pie reached the finals of last year’s Waitrose Made in Britain Awards, and Heather Hills Farm which produces the finest quality heather and blossom honey and luxury preserves, will be available in stores from May 3.

The venison pie combines chunks of wild Scottish venison marinated in a selection of herbs, casseroled and finished with heather honey. Chef Bernard Alessi drew on his Maltese origins by adding orange to the mix, bringing out the flavour of all the ingredients.

The other pies include Chicken with Durham Cow Blue Cheese (with soft green peppercorns and grapes), Butterbean & Brie (with parsley, cream and lemon juice) and The Breakfast pie (bacon, sausage, egg, tomato, beans, cheese and potato).

Heather Hills Farm produce Scottish honeys as well as a range of preserves using the finest fruit grown in local Perthshire along with a range of selected speciality, single flower, honeys imported from around the world.

The three Waitrose stores in Scotland already stock around 250 Scottish lines. Tracey Marshall, Local and Regional sourcing manager for Waitrose, continually hunts for new producers and suppliers from across Scotland.

Tracey said, “These two companies are a prime example of the type of organisations we like working with: their goods are hand-made, using seasonal, locally sourced and natural ingredients and most importantly, the end result is an absolutely delicious product.”

Simple Simon creator Bernard Alessi began his company in 2004 after seeing a gap in the market. As word spread on how lovely Simple Simon’s pies were, the business quickly expanded and new premises were found to meet demand.

“We are delighted that we will be stocked in Scottish branches of Waitrose,” comments Bernard. “The hard work by the team sourcing the best local ingredients and developing the best recipes has all been worthwhile. It’s really exciting that even more people will now be able to enjoy our pies.”

Heather Hills Farm will supply a range of products to Waitrose such as Scottish Heather Honey which is made from amber nectar, their speciality since starting production with one hive in 1945.  Considered by connoisseurs as the 'Champagne' of honeys, its unique flavour provides a memorable taste of the Scottish Highlands.  Another line available in store will be the Scottish Blossom Honey which is a mild tasting, creamy honey with a velvety texture and is produced by Heather Hills own bees from nectars gathered from Perthshire’s flowering fields and farmlands.

With exception of their Scottish Blossom range, Heather Hills Honeys are single flower (mono floral) honeys which use only one type of flower to make, making them truly a product of one country.

The lines of preserves available in store range from strawberry, raspberry and blackcurrant jam, with all fruit being locally sourced from Perthshire. All jams are handmade at the farm with raw cane sugar and fresh fruit.

Mark Noonan who owns Heather Hills Farm with his brother Bernard Noonan commented:

“We are delighted that our products are going to reach Waitrose customers. I’d like to thank the whole team - from the bees themselves to the bee keepers to my farm colleagues who process and package - for all their hard work. It’s really exciting that even more people will now be able to sample the taste of the Heather Hills.”

Products will be available in Waitrose Glasgow (Byers Rd), Edinburgh Morningside and Edinburgh Comely Bank.  The Blossom Honey and Heather Honey will retail at £4.45 and the jams will be £2.99 each.

The Honeyed Venison and Chicken with Durham Cow Blue Cheese are priced at £4.49; The Butterbean & Brie and the Breakfast pie are £3.49 each.

ENDS
For further information please contact Shaheena Abbas at Pagoda PR on 0131 556 0770 or shaheena.abbas@pagodapr.com

Notes to editor:
• Waitrose has 228 branches across the UK, dedicated to offering quality, value and customer service.  The retailer and its sister company, John Lewis, have taken the two top slots in the Which? Magazine Consumer Satisfaction Survey for the last four years and Waitrose has scooped more major wine awards than any other supermarket. 
• Co-owned entirely by the 69,000 'Partners' who work for the John Partnership, Waitrose combines the convenience of a supermarket with the expertise and service of a specialist shop. Waitrose is dedicated to offering quality food that has been responsibly sourced, combined with high standards of customer service. (www.waitrose.com)