We've had some feedback from several people on this. What does 'English' mean to you? Should we be seen as an English perspective on a whole world of food? Or should we only be making English products with English ingredients?

For example, we've had a few people express surprise about our Hot Horseradish being packed in Germany. 'What's wrong with English horseradish?' they ask. Some have even accused us of being deceptive! Someone at Provender is going to provide an explanation on this soon.So watch this space.

And here it is. First the general point. Provenance, be it locally or globally interpreted, is a real buzzword for all sorts of reasons. But it is actually very difficult to source ingredients unless you set up with this as your primary ethos. Most larger producers (i.e. those that supply to major retailers) find this a struggle due to availability, seasonality, quality and price. Horseradish is a good example. We could source within England, but we have found a superb producer in Germany, where horseradish is an even bigger part of their food heritage (think pickled herring, sauerkraut, pork dishes etc). You wouldn't believe some of the flavour combinations they supply. I'll do more on this if anyone's interested. They have ready access to top notch horseradish and can pack it fresh, which matters as the hotness declines over time. Why do it yourself when you can source from an expert? Horseradish is a feature of English cuisine, but if we can provide a top notch product by sourcing elsewhere (this is a Taste Award winner after all!!) this is the best of both worlds. For me anyway.