We love ingredients – fresh, seasonal and high quality – and wanted to share the story behind our menus to showcase the farmers, growers and producers we value so much. This month, we caught up with Jessica Honey, Commercial Director at Curd & Cure and heard all about the wholesaler’s inspiring mission to be a sustainability champion in the sector, an ethos that very much aligns with Wilson Vale.
Curd & Cure is a specialist cheese, charcuterie and artisan food wholesaler based in Staplehurst in Kent. Independently owned by Laura Bounds, MBE, Curd & Cure works closely with producers locally and from across the globe. As well as supplying products, they also make a wide range of Curd & Cure products, including retail cuts of cheese, hams, salamis and a range of Deli Tubs.
Jessica reflects on the Curd & Cure team, its mission and their partnership with Wilson Vale:
She said: “The Curd & Cure team are immensely passionate and have over 30 years of experience in the food industry, and pride themselves on carefully selecting every product they sell. We are constantly looking for ways to improve our processes to become more efficient and aim to always consider people and the planet in our decision-making and continue to embed sustainability into our business model. As a food wholesaler, we know that much responsibility lies with us to ensure that our impact on the environment is as minimal as possible. We have implemented our food waste hierarchy, allowing us to divert as much edible food as possible at different stages before it ends up in our food bin for anaerobic digestion. The Rescue Range is a product we developed to tackle food waste within the business actively.
“We also love to champion local and are committed to adding value to our community. A prime example of this is our work with Maidstone Council and the charity Time for The Homeless, who distribute our surplus stock to homeless people living on the streets or in temporary accommodation and voluntary soup kitchens across Medway and Maidstone. One of the latest initiatives we have supported is Kent’s Plan Bee, an action plan to consider pollinators and their conservation across the county.”
Jessica also described the relationship Curd & Cure has with Wilson Vale and its plans for future collaborative growth.
She said: “We thoroughly enjoy supplying products to the Wilson Vale Kentish site and love that they’re very invested in using local products. Some of the popular products we supply to Wilson Vale are Speldhurst Sausages, Moons Green Charcuterie, Ashmore Farmhouse Cheddar, Bowyers Brie & Kentish Blue.“ Wilson Vale’s own Purchasing Manager, Charles Colledge, has a soft-spot for Speldhurst Sausages as many moons ago he was a chef at the George and Dragon pub where the potential of the local Butcher’s sausage was realised. Upon Joe’s (the Butcher) retirement, the George and Dragon pub landlord, Dick Sankey, bought the original recipe to keep this local artisan sausage being produced. Then in 1988 the famous Speldhurst Sausage recipe was passed on and to this day the sausage continues to be made on the outskirts of Tunbridge Wells.
Jessica continued: “Our positive relationship means we can supply Wilson Vale with plenty of British and local products, supporting their reach. We look forward to growing our partnership in the future across the south.”
