Sarah Savage

Norfolk brims over with top quality local producers, creating just about everything from jam to gin, from chocolate to cheese, and all things in between. 

One great success story is Sarah Savage and her Essence Foods range. From her base in rural Mid Norfolk, Sarah, who is now joined by sons Edward and Archie, began her foodie company in 2005, producing delicious jams from her own kitchen.

Now, the company HQ is based at The Old Dairy at Stanfield, near Dereham, where there is a very pleasant cafe plus their manufacturing base. They employ five members of staff and Sarah says it is a great leveller to have her two sons work with her. ‘We all speak our minds and they have their areas of responsibility, so I might have what I think is a great idea but they soon put me straight!’ she laughs.

Customers, says Sarah, love to watch the kitchen team at work, through a large picture window, producing both their meals and a range of conserves, marmalades, mustards, chutneys and a rather special chocolate spread. ‘We often do blind taste tests with customers – that’s our market research,’ says Sarah. ‘It is invaluable, really.’

Sarah also uses many of their products in dishes which feature on the menu (think soups, quiches, salads, cakes and more) at the cafe which opens Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 4pm. ‘We do breakfasts, lunches and afternoon teas – we are dog friendly and there’s indoor and outdoor seating,’ she says, adding that she has recently been experimenting with recipes for vegan and dairy free cakes, including using a vegan cream for icing! 

Indeed, a key part of Sarah’s work, and one that brings her the most pleasure, is product development – making new goodies for us to enjoy, and was something she used to do for Marks and Spencer. ‘I’ve lots of plans this year,’ she says. ‘I’m planning new conserves, mamalades, chutneys and a new mustard – it’s the fun part, really, I love being in the kitchen, using seasonal herbs and seeing what I come up with!’

Sarah uses ingredients sourced from Norfolk as much as possible, including herbs from both her own garden and the one at The Old Dairy. ‘There are 36 different herbs in the garden at The Old Dairy and at home I have another 89 – all different so I am spoilt for choice,’ she says.

The range takes in three brands – Montys which is mustards and chutneys, Essence Botanicals which is low sugar, high fruit conserves and marmalades and Beetella which is a healthy chocolate spread. There are almost 50 products across the three brands at present which, with Sarah’s plan for new goodies this year, will increase. ‘We don’t tend to drop products as people do have their favourites,’ she says.

Montys Mustard recently hit the headlines when it was featured in a top TV programme from Channel Four called Aldi’s Next Big Time, with the winner stocked by the supermarket giant.  Sarah said that the judges really liked the versatility of their mustards, especially when used in the quirky sounding mustard ice cream, although the range was not eventually selected for Aldi’s shelves.

She is especially proud of Montys Mustards as it is now Europe’s only single Estate mustard, with the seeds grown on a farm just a mile away from their Stanfield base. ‘It is grown in Norfolk, milled here, and we make it into mustard here,’ she says.

Despite the current cost of living crisis, with many small business owners worried about what the future might hold, Sarah is brimming over with ideas for 2023. First up is developing their food service range. The company won an award at last year’s North Norfolk Food and Drink Festival which has seen them work with Barsby’s Produce who now help them distribute their products to restaurants, hotels and pubs, for chefs to use in their dishes. ‘It’s another great market for us and one we are really excited about,’ says Sarah.

They are also looking at export opportunities, with interest in their products from France, India and the United Arab Emirates. ‘The paperwork is getting easier,’ says Sarah. ‘And we are lucky to receive support from the Department of Trade and Industry – we have an advisor who is really helpful.’

Future plans also include continuing to promote the work of Yana, a charity which offers rural mental health support, and working with non food brands to create specific products, for example, a jam to help a budding, local sportsman. 

Sarah, who also ran a popular deli and sandwich bar in Norwich, says they will continue to attend leading farmers’ markets and food festivals, including the Royal Norfolk Show in June, and the North Norfolk Food and Drink Festival at Holkham,and Aldeburgh Food Festival in Suffolk, both in September. And there are plans to develop a YouTube channel, with recipes, advice, product information and more. 

Finally, while acknowledging economic problems such as price hikes for both glass and cardboard, and soaring energy bills, she does look forward to the new year with enthusiasm. ‘We don’t want to stand still; we had two years with the pandemic when we couldn’t really do much but now, it’s time to get going!’

The Old Dairy, Stanfield, Dereham

www.essencefoods.co.uk