Monday, June 22, 2009

To Fill or Not to Fill

A comment from a customer recently has made me question whether my "efficient" shelf filling is such a good idea. We fill the shelves daily (sometimes more often if I get a chance to go to the stock room). But apparently, it makes it look as though nothing moves! Particularly with really popular lines that I always have a stockpile of. To a customer these never appear to run low. I tried to be more relaxed with my shelf filling, but find gaps on the shelves unappealing. Not sure what the solution is. I would just like to reassure you there is nothing on the shelves that was there when we opened. That jar of honey you saw last year has gone, and a hundred or so very similar looking jars have in turn taken its place.

Sunday, June 07, 2009

Onion Marmalde - available in Eton for 2 years!

It was June 2007 before we started stocking an old favourite of mine: Onion Marmalade. I don't know why it took so long, but seem to remember being in a rush to get my first order as I had run out at home!

Tracklements have been making outstanding products in Wiltshire since 1970 and took their name from the term used to describe condiments other than salt and pepper. They aim to be the best on the market, as good as the very best home-made products and use only natural ingredients and traditional methods.

Their Onion Marmalade is deliciously sweet and sticky. It's quite impossible to have just a small amount. Each jar is just crammed with long thin, slivers of onion, and no matter how small a spoon you intend to take, once you’ve dipped in, it just keeps on coming.

I tend to use Onion Marmalade for "dolloping"; in a sandwich with some farmhouse cheddar, on a crispbread with some chicken liver pate or on the side of a plate of egg and chips (once you've tried it there is no going back to ketchup). The people at Tracklements suggest putting it on sausages for their last 5 minutes in the oven and have now produced a recipe card showing how to turn it into gravy. Mmmmm