EVENT : Asda supporting Scottish Producers at ENTCS
At the start of this year, Asda launched their Scotland Food and Drink Academy - supplier development platform in partnership with Scotland Food & Drink and supported by The Scottish Government. It is an opportunity for suppliers to get to know more about supermarket trading and growing their business.
Asda’s aim is to support local suppliers in growing their business, no matter how big or small. They want to be able to take a local product and find it a national market. The benefits are multiple: sales increase, customers get better choice and quality, and suppliers get the confidence and scale to make the move from small to medium to large businesses. Invariably that means more local jobs and more investment with local primary producers.
Asda currently works with over 100 Scottish suppliers, and has over 1000 Scottish producers supplying all 60 of Asda’s Scottish stores.
Recently, I headed along to the Edinburgh New Town Cookery School with Asda PR team, Morrow Communications and Food and Drink Scotland, to learn more about these suppliers and to ‘Cook my Supper’ - luckily I didn’t have to sing for it!
Everything on the night (as much as possible) was a Scottish supplier.
We started off with Whisky cocktails, using Speyside and Highland single malts and Gin and Tonics with Young’s Extra Special gin.
Canapes using cheese from Lactalis Mclelland – Extra Special Orkney cheddar and R&W Scott – Extra Special Jams and preserves.
Scottish oatcakes from Paterson Arran (Asda Chosen By You Scottish Oatcakes) and Youngs Juniper & Lemon Smoked Salmon.
Other Scottish suppliers included McGhees Bakers – Extra Special Donuts, Deans of Huntly – Extra Special Shortbread, Lees of Scotland – Extra Special meringues and many many more.
We headed upstairs to the kitchen. Time to cook dinner of Scottish Beef - Sirloin Steak with a Whisky sauce served with rosemary roasted new potatoes and sauteed green beans. We’d be making everything except the potatoes.
A look around the ENTCS kitchen.
We topped and tailed the green beans, popped them in a pan of boiling water for a few minutes to just cook them - we wanted them cooked yet retaining some crunch.
Chopped up the mushrooms and added them to the pan to cook down. Once they were cooked down to my liking, I added some Speyside whisky for the sauce.
Once the whisky has cooked off, I added some cream, mixed it in well and left to reduce.
Aberdeen Angus Sirloin Steaks that are now packed using 100% recyclable cardboard. Hoorah!
Popped it in a hot pan. I like my steak medium rare (more rare) so a few minutes on either side and it was perfect for me.
Dinner is served. I think my sauce was a little on the thin side but it tasted superb!
Dessert was an Eton Mess kinda mash up using Scottish Strawberries and Scottish made meringues from Lees of Scotland.
Soft scrumptious naughty doughnuts were our treat to take home, thanks to McGhees Bakers.
Other well known Scottish brands that you’ll see in your Asda stores across the UK include
Simon Howie Butchers - black pudding, haggis to vegan square sausage.
Nairn Oatcakes from Edinburgh and using oats grown in the Scottish Borders.
Scotty Brand from chips to potatoes.
Scottish craft beer and cider from Thistly Cross and Isle of Skye Brewery.
Malcolm Allan with their steak pies.
Ice Cream & chocolate from Mackies.
Porrelli’s ice cream from Paisley.
Albert Bartlett potatoes
Scotland food and drink is one of the largest industry sectors in Scotland with exports over the last ten years having doubled and the industry is worth £14 billion!. The sales of Scottish brands in UK markets has increased by 40% in this last decade and you’re seeing more and more Scottish produce available on shelves across the UK.
Scotland produce some of the best meat, seafood, salmon, whisky, dairy, ales/ciders/gin, cereals, potatoes and fruit and we should be super proud of that!
Celebrate Scottish produce and buy Scottish where you can!