The Fylde is a coastal plain in western Lancashire that encompasses around a 13-mile square-shaped peninsula, bounded by Morecambe Bay to the north, the Ribble estuary to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the Bowland hills to the east: with the sea air and the glorious landscape it can reasonably be described as ‘fresh and fabulous’.
So can the potatoes grown at Colin Bradley’s farm on the Fylde Coast, which supplies the majority of the raw material for a wide range of popular products, from supermarket ready meals through to soups and onto supplying some of Britain’s favourite fish and chip shops. Indeed, as Fylde Fresh and Fabulous, Colin Bradley, in tandem with his co-directors David Linton and Simon Butcher, is committed to providing customers with superior quality and competitive pricing, with every finished product fully traceable back to the field and the specific growing regime.
Established in 2005, Fylde Fresh and Fabulous achieves this in several important ways: its products are under constant quality control, from planting through harvesting, packing and delivery. From field onwards, the products are repeatedly and meticulously inspected for suitability according to individual customers’ criteria. And those customers include some of the biggest and most respected names in the industry. The company’s potatoes end up in Heinz vegetables soups, for instance, as well as Marks & Spencer ready meals.
Naturally, therefore, quality service is its key to success, and this no longer simply means wearing a smile and greeting customers with courtesy. Instead, it relates to providing professional advice and helping customers solve problems; something that Fylde Fresh and Fabulous is rightly renowned for.
The company does not just supply ‘blue-chip’ names though; for serving in excess of 200 fish and chip shops throughout the UK, it is firmly established as the leading supplier of freshly prepared chips, branded as ‘Triple F Chips’. As Alastair Horabin of Seniors, the North-West winner and third in Fish and Chip Shop of the Year 2011, says: “The Triple F Chip has made a significant impact on our business. When taking into consideration, waste, labour, machinery repair and cleaning up, the Triple F Chip is more cost effective than peeling ourselves.”
Mark Petrou, Editor of Chippy Chat Magazine, agrees: “When you take into account labour costs, capital outlay and running water, Triple F Chips start to make even more sense.”
As impressive as all of this is – and it is – Fylde Fresh and Fabulous’s greatest asset is undoubtedly its workforce; a team of people with vast experience in the industry who are genuinely passionate about food. This, and the fact that the company grows the right types of potato for its customers’ various needs and applications, will no doubt fuel further growth in the years ahead.
Demand for Fylde Fresh and Fabulous produce by the food service industry and in the catering sector is extensive; a combination of the good service provided, the quality and the competitive pricing offered. And by understanding customers’ needs, and addressing them in a personalised manner, it is winning new busy on a regular basis – to find out more visit www.fyldefreshandfabulous.com.
