Latest news with #GreatTasteAwards
Press and Journal
05-05-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Mechanic who created beetroot based sauce business in home kitchen takes next steps with dedicated Elgin factory
Beet This Sauce was born in mechanic Conor Stewart's family home kitchen in Lossiemouth, but is now taking its next steps with a dedicated factory in Elgin. The dad-of-three was first inspired after seeing Levi Roots making his mark with Reggae Reggae sauce on Dragons Den. The condiment made out of spiced beetroot was originally created as a side hustle in 2018 but has since snowballed and rapidly grown. The original sauce is already available in businesses locally and nationally. Meanwhile, people from across the globe have also bought the product. Now he is set to start production in his own factory in Elgin at Chanonry Spur. The factory will have the ability to produce up to 500 bottles a day. It will produce three products – the popular original sauce as well as a hot sauce and a spicy mayo. He believes moving production in-house will help the business thrive. Conor said: 'We started it as a little side hustle, thinking that if we could come up with a recipe, build a brand, and create something cool—but most importantly, something full of flavour—then we'd see where it could go. 'Our goal was to enter the Great Taste Awards, one of the biggest food awards in the world. If we won, we'd pursue it as a serious business. 'Then we won in 2019 and that's where it all began.' Conor chose beetroot as the base for his business to standout from the crowd and make his product unique. It came after he and wife Iona looked around supermarkets for market research. And they spotted a gap in the condiments market, which is dominated by heavy hitters like Heinz and Hellmann's. He added: 'When my wife and I would go shopping, instead of just looking at what was on the shelves to buy, we'd use it as market research to see what wasn't on the shelves. 'We noticed a gap with beetroot which offers far superior nutritional benefits than tomatoes and is a underused ingredient. 'Beetroot is cheap to grow, not overly complicated, and packed with antioxidants. It increases nitrate levels in the blood and has impressive health benefits, some of which haven't even been fully studied yet. 'One of my long-term goals is to invest profits from the business into researching beetroot's medicinal properties. 'My aim was to take beetroot from a niche product to something more mainstream and commercial.' He says opening the Beet This Sauce factory in Elgin is important so they don't need to be overly dependent on outside firms. Conor added: 'From a manufacturing perspective, that's very intentional. 'It makes things agile, cost-effective, and easier when it comes to sourcing ingredients. 'Quality is everything and by doing it ourselves in a factory, we're fully accountable. 'If something goes wrong, there's no-one to blame but us. 'It will now be achievable within a six to seven-hour shift to produce 500 bottles a day in the factory. 'We will start with six cases of six bottles to existing business contacts.' He added: 'Taking this step has been a huge shift for me personally. 'I went from having my hands covered in oil to managing a food production business, something completely different. 'But it's that kind of transformation that shows the spirit behind this venture. 'We're launching through the factory with first the original sauce. 'Then we will release the hot sauce which we previously won an award for and next will be a spicy mayo. 'It is exciting, currently we have businesses from Orkney to all the way down to Milton Keynes who stock our product.' Conor continues to balance running the Beet This Sauce business with running CS Autorepair in Elgin alongside his dad. He says it has been tough juggling both companies, however he has remained determined to keep this dream alive. He said: 'It's been the hardest challenge of my life — balancing a job, building a second business, and supporting a growing family. 'We've had three kids in the last six years — a six-year-old boy, a five-year-old, and an eight-month-old and moved house four times. 'Through this I have managed to keep this dream alive.' Meanwhile, he revealed he faced struggles with alcohol and drugs during lockdown to cope with mental health struggles. However, he believes overcoming this has drove him on. Conor said: 'During Covid, I struggled badly and had issues with alcohol and drugs. 'These became coping mechanisms for deeper mental health problems. 'To see the business I had invested in being threatened by Covid was crushing. 'Then I managed to do a complete reset with the family and overcome it to get my life back on track. 'That struggle gave me the drive, the motivation, and the story that now helps me connect with others.' Conor believes it is important to show youngsters that business success can happen in Moray. Through DYW Moray, he does motivation talks at schools across the region. He said: 'It is important to give back and show youngsters that you can be success in business in Moray. 'Maybe inspire people to go out and set up a business with something you are passionate about. 'I really enjoy doing the work with the schools and I never imagined I would be doing it. 'I also talk about mental health, hard work and second chances.'
Times
25-04-2025
- Health
- Times
Can't be bothered to cook from fresh? Try a posh meal delivery
What's the ultimate luxury when you're time poor? Fast food. Not the unhealthy kind. Signing up to one of these premium meals on wheels is like having your own virtual private chef who uses the best quality ingredients to cook three meals a day — plus snacks — that are tailored to your health goals, whether that's high protein or low carb. They are then packed up and sent straight to your door daily or weekly, so all you need to do is heat them up and grab a fork. Omni Wellness was founded by London's hottest power trio, personal trainer Josh Davies, celebrity Pilates personal trainer Aimee Victoria Long and nutritionist Lucy Raetz-O'Connell. Their premium meal delivery service is for people who want nourishing meals that will support their fitness aims. Starting from £30 a day for two meals and a snack, customers can request bespoke meals (tailored to your own goals, from weight loss to muscle building) which are delivered fresh. And we're not talking about carrot sticks or yoghurt pots. Think hearty salads packed with protein, vegetables and yes, plenty of carbs, as well as chunky protein balls that keep you full and stop you snacking. Field Doctor's nourishing frozen meals are for people who have specific dietary requirements but don't want to miss out on healthy food that actually tastes good — several of the dishes I tried such as the smoky chipotle meatballs, have won Great Taste Awards. With recipes planned by dieticians and experts in health conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome to the menopause, there are options for everyone — for those following a gluten-free diet, for example, or who want IBS-friendly food. Start your order by providing details of health problems, goals or allergies, and choose from the dozens of meals, which are cooked in Field Doctor's Somerset kitchen and delivered on a day of your choice between Tuesday and Saturday. Created by nutritionists, packed with fibre and with each weekly plan containing over 100 plant varieties, Kurami is for wellness warriors. There are three meal plans — or 'meal paths' — to choose from: Nourish (1,400 calories a day), Signature (1,600 calories) and Signature Plus (2,000 calories) though you can also personalise your own meal plan. I went for Nourish, which was delivered fresh each morning. My box contained a mix of light snacks like a beetroot dip and crudites and heartier meals like the tempeh and cous cous bowl. I loved the grilled chicken salad too, although there were some things like the 'golden chai moon mylk' that were a bit too Goop-y for my taste. If you're after cosy comfort food but rarely have the time to actually do any cooking, then FieldGoods's range of award-winning luxury ready meals are good to have in the fridge. I've tried their beef lasagne, aubergine parmigiana, fish pies and ragus which come in portions for one (from £7.50) or two (from £12) and arrive next day delivery via DPD. The team at FieldGoods work with some of Britain's top suppliers to source good quality produce including grass-fed, native breed cattle from small farms in Yorkshire, free-range chicken and pork from the renowned Swaledale butchers (also Yorkshire) and carefully sourced, less ubiquitous species of fish from the North Sea and North Atlantic. Foodhak (the second part stands for healthy Asian kitchen) was founded by the entrepreneur Sakshi Mittal. From Keralan curry to spicy chickpea stew, all of the delicious curry dishes (which start at £7.99 for one portion and arrive in microwavable pouches) are packed with the superfoods that Mittal grew up eating. These help to support immune and gut health, as well as being dairy free, gluten free and vegan. Her healthy chocolate chip cookies are not only irresistible but packed with ashwagandha, a plant that is said to have various health benefits.
