insideKENT Magazine Issue 31 - October 2014 | Page 58

FOOD+DRINK

WHITE STUFF PRESENTS:
TOP OF THE POTS
This autumn, lifestyle retailer, White Stuff, is going potty for preserves. With
the winter season fast approaching, nothing is more enjoyable than sampling
the most delicious seasonal pots of jam, chutney, relish and pickle. To
celebrate the great British tradition of preserving, White Stuff is launching
a Top of the Pots campaign to find the most coveted jars of jams and
chutneys across the UK in order to raise £30,000 for the White Stuff
Foundation.
On 9th October, White Stuff is inviting jam and chutney connoisseurs and
enthusiastic amateurs to concoct their finest creations, and bring them into
their local shop where they will be judged by each shop’s local charity. For
those unable to visit a local White Stuff shop, they can submit their recipes
online at www.whitestuff.com/topofthepots. For every entry received in
store or online, White Stuff will donate £10 to that shop’s local charity. The
winning recipe from each shop and online will be featured in an exclusive
Top of the Pots recipe book sold for charity in the run up to Christmas.
White Stuff has also teamed up with Dorset-based business, Cherry Tree
Preserves, to produce its very own potted delights. From Strawberry Jam
with Marc de Champagne and Blackcurrant Jam with Sloe Gin, to Spicy
Tomato and Caramelised Onion Chutney, all flavours will be available to
purchase from any White Stuff shop or online for £3.95, with all proceeds
going towards the White Stuff Foundation.
So dig out those long lost family recipes, gather a bounty of your finest
ingredients and get your chef’s hat on, because White Stuff wants to sample
your scrumptious preserves.
www.whitestuff.com/topofthepots

KENT’S CROP OF BERRY EXPERTS GROWS

If there was ever proof needed that Kent offers
a great location for experts in the strawberry
industry, Driscoll's Genetics more than doubling
the size of its operations at East Malling Research
is it.

bring its research organisation. Not only is it an
easy gateway for travel to the rest of Europe, but
East Malling Research provides the facilities we
require such as laboratories, offices, glasshouses
and a site for field trials.”

The Kent-based company has doubled its space
from 2,500 square foot to 5,400 square foot on
the 500-acre parkland estate owned by East
Malling Trust, the UK’s largest independent funder
of horticultural research.

The expansion of Driscoll’s Genetics, a Californian
family-owned company, was negotiated by
Smiths Gore, the Kings Hill-based chartered
surveyors and property consultants that manage
East Malling Trust’s property portfolio.

Commenting on the expansion, Dr Carlos Fear,
director of plant breeding and variety development
at Driscoll's Genetics, said: “East Malling has
provided a company like ours an ideal place to

Tim Cathcart, partner at Smiths Gore, said: “With
a reputation for high-level scientific advancements
spanning more than a hundred years, the
buildings at East Malling Research and community

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of scientists on site make it an attractive
proposition for soft fruit and top fruit-related
businesses, such as Driscoll’s Genetics.”
In addition to the scientific work undertaken at
East Malling Research, the estate is also home
to English Apples and Pears, the organisation
which champions UK growers. Other companies
include Evogro, the high-tech plant growing
equipment company; specialist market research
company, OMB Research Ltd; and seismic and
drilling advisers, Zebra Geosciences and Zebra
Data Sciences.
www.eastmallingtrustestate.co.uk