From Chicory to Caribbean Heat: The Standouts of Speciality Fine Food 2025

Welcome to this week's edition of GRATE,

Walking through this year’s Speciality Fine Food Fair was like stepping into the pulse of where food and drink are heading. Beyond catching up with old friends, colleagues and clients, the show was packed with ideas and flavours that spoke to bigger shifts in how we eat, drink and live.

Clean labels were everywhere, with brands stripping back to natural, recognisable ingredients. Snacking has gone sophisticated — from tapioca crisps to black truffle shiitake crisps and cashew nuts that feel more like a restaurant dish than a quick bite. Premium, restaurant-inspired sauces and condiments are making at-home dining both easier and more indulgent, while global influences — Palestinian spice blends, Hong Kong condiments, African heat — show how cross-cultural flavours are becoming part of everyday cooking.

At the same time, there’s a playfulness and purpose running through everything: confectionery that is highly visual yet guilt-free, ferments and functional foods that put gut health and wellbeing centre stage, and a surge in caffeine-free and alcohol-free alternatives, from chicory brews to sparkling teas. Honey was a real hero too — celebrated for its provenance, infused with flavour, and positioned for special moments like desserts.

Zooming out, these shifts echo wider movements in the industry: a stronger demand for provenance and transparency, affordable indulgence that elevates everyday eating, and a focus on texture and sensory engagement — making food not just taste good, but feel exciting. Functional wellness is no longer niche, with adaptogens, vitamin-fortified salts, and gut-friendly brews moving firmly into the mainstream. And underpinning it all is a drive for convenience with creativity — food that’s ready to go, but never ordinary.

Put together, this year’s fair felt like a celebration of food with intention: authentic, health-conscious, globally inspired and a little bit joyful. In this edition, I’ve picked out five favourites that really brought these trends to life — each with a story worth telling.

As always enjoy the read and let me know what delights you found if you visited SFFF this year.

Annie x

CHERICO

Founded by Guillaume Roy, Jacques Ferté, and Doriane Leleu, CHERICO revives chicory — a caffeine-free, gut-friendly, deeply rooted French ingredient — as a modern daily ritual. Not a coffee replacement, but a new sensory journey for a new generation. Created by beer industry veterans turned innovators with branding flair, this drink is functional, stylish, and made for cafés and kitchens seeking something fresh. You may have spotted it on M6’s Qui veut être mon associé?, or in 500+ coffee shops and specialty stores. This brand caught my attention — not just for its rich roasted flavour and plant-based ethics, but for how the founders’ passion and purpose shine through.

THE PICKLE PROJECT

This North-London artisanal pickle brand is on a mission to “up the pickle game in Britain” by crafting clean, crunchy, super-crave-worthy pickles with zero artificial additives. Their party trick? Ultrasonic infusion of herbs and spices into brine — cleverly extracting deep flavour without the floaters. I loved chatting with them about flavour chemistry and watching their jars glow with freshness.

GOOD FERMENTATION

Based in Surrey, this fermentary — founded by Annika and Iñigo — is all about wellness via traditional kimchi and kombucha, made vegan, gluten-free, and allergen-safe. They’re deeply committed to sustainability, with a kombucha bottle-return system and a 5p per bottle donation to the GUTS charity. Their delicious low-sugar, live kombucha—like Lemon & Ginger or Raspberry & Orange—felt like a gut-hug in liquid form. I was inspired by their thoughtful approach to both health and community.

THE SAUCERER PASTA SAUCES

Founded by Tim Hillgarth, who grew up in a French-Italian family kitchen, The Saucerer channels that Mediterranean nostalgia into convenient, ultra-flavourful stir-in pasta sauces. Think wild mushroom & truffle pesto, gochujang arrabbiata, roasted aubergine & spicy harissa — even limited editions like Tom’s Calabrian Hot Honey. All made in small batches, with sustainable ingredients and zero nasty additives. Tasting them felt like a hug from home — simple, bold flavour, elevated.

Mama's Lolly

This family-run, female-led brand brings Caribbean heritage to life through award-winning, handmade Scotch bonnet and habanero sauces and marinades, crafted with natural, vibrant ingredients and no artificial preservatives. Inspired by the founder’s grandmother (“Mama Lolly”), every bottle tells a story. Their “Tropical Green” and “Sunshine Yellow” sauces are bright, bold, and soulful. I loved hearing the founder describe how each flavour is rooted in memory — but vibrant and present.