Viva Brighton April 2015 Issue #26

food
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Fin & Farm
Muir Jankowski
What is Fin and Farm? It’s like a veggie box
service, but we also sell a lot more fresh, seasonal,
local produce, such as fruit juices, milk, charcuterie,
cheese, wrapped spices, and meat. All the seasonal
produce is sourced from Sussex, between Chichester
and Hastings.
Where’s your warehouse? We don’t have one! All
our produce is collected and delivered in the same
day in our refrigerated truck, which ensures freshness.
Customers can order online, and there are up
to two deliveries a week.
Where does the ‘fin’ come in? We used to deliver
fish, and we might do again, but we’ve decided to
concentrate on other products.
How many different products do you offer?
Over a thousand any given month; this will increase
in the summer, when there’s more diversity.
Is the vegetable produce really dull in the
winter? We try to avoid that ‘oh no, not another
turnip’ syndrome. We offer peppers all year round
(because one of the farms also has a farm in Spain)
and salad leaves all year round, too. Local producers
are very imaginative and there’s always a wide
variety of vegetables on offer.
Are you an ethical company? As ethical as we can
be. We feel that we are supporting the local economy,
and attempting to limit our carbon footprint
at the same time. We offer a very fair and personal
service to our producers, too, because we see them
twice a week and offer them customer feedback.
Who are your customers? A surprisingly diverse
range of people from young singles to families to
old couples. And a number of restaurants and pubs,
such as Iydea, The Foragers, The Chimney House,
Troll’s Pantry, Chilli Pepper, plus Limetree Kitchen
and The Snowdrop (in Lewes).
What’s your role in the company? My partner
Nick and the third member of the team Jim do all
the collecting, and delivering. They sometimes have
to be up at 4.30 in the morning. My job is the nice
one: administration and customer relations. I visit a
lot of farms, and keep track of what we’re offering
online. I spend most of my time on the internet
looking at pictures of food.
What problems do you encounter in the business?
Usually the weather: droughts, floods or
snow can cause havoc with crops and delivery.
Once, donkeys trampled a field of carrots. We’ve
never failed to make a delivery, though we’ve been
late once or twice when it’s been snowing. On an
early run, in January 2010, during that cold snap,
Nick had to heroically jump out of the van and stop
it sliding down Southover Street. It was a baptism
of fire… or ice maybe.
Give us a top cooking tip… Make a paste of
smoked paprika and smoked salt mixed with maple
syrup and spread this, with a little olive oil, on
grilled slices of aubergine. This makes great fake
bacon, for a creditable BLT. Alex Leith
www.finandfarm.co.uk
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