Just in time for the holidays

The news last week was that Swiss giant Emmi, already a contender in coffee and desserts globally, has purchased The English Cheesecake Company. It goes along with the 2024 purchases of Mademoiselle Desserts in France, and Swiss coffee roasting partner Hochstrasser. Emmi also purchased functional dairy Verde Campo in Brazil last year, but one needs this to counteract all the cake and coffee, I guess. The news is that people wish to indulge, and dairy desserts provide that wonderful excuse.

It is just in time for the holidays, it seems. The British Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB) has released the result of its recent survey, which shows that eight out of ten British consumers will eat more cheese over the festive season this year.

People are hosting more folks at their houses, and also eating more cheese. It’s that time of year. I myself find that the cheese board is very much well picked over during this time of year. And who doesn’t like cheesecake? A quality dessert.

Speaking of socialising, I have plans to bring cheese-based canapés to the allotment winter get-together in a few weeks’ time. It is outdoors and usually offers a lot of mulled wine, hot snacks and a lot of garden-type discussions (my over-wintering onions and broad beans are planted, thanks). I plan on buying frozen goods and then cooking them up for the event. Like most of the AHDB respondents, I’m all about convenience cooking for the holidays. That’s part of the fun of this industry. We are all consumers.

This week, the Dairy Industries International team is travelling again. We are heading to Paris for this year’s Food Ingredients Europe, and I’m sure we’ll see a few readers in person at the trade show. Looking forward to it all and seeing you.

• Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
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