We caught up with our neighbour Varun Sarna to talk about his new spirit brand (we’re flattered, using our ingredients!) Kaveri.
What inspired you to create Kaveri?
Kaveri was actually created in my kitchen in St Johns Wood with fresh ginger, lime leaf and basil from Panzers, so it’s amazing to be stocked with you.
Kaveri was inspired by a desire to create a spirit that is truly natural. What we’ve created is one of a kind and completely unique. Instead of concentrates or processed flavourings, we blend in 100% organic Peruvian ginger juice which we lightly filter, so we look and taste like a fresh ginger shot. Unlike any other spirit, (and every other cold-pressed juice), you have to shake us before you pour. You’ll also see we look really different – more like a juice than a spirit!
Tell us about the magic of cold pressing ginger
The heat created by the blades in normal juicing alters the natural fibres in ginger, which makes for a duller taste profile that loses the freshness and power of our raw Peruvian ginger. We cold-press to protect those fibres and that natural zing.
Your product is truly global – tell us a bit more.
We juice and blend locally (in Kent & St Albans) to keep our carbon footprint low, but we’re global in inspiration. Kaveri is named after a river that flows through India, the country of my heritage. Our ginger is Peruvian, and our supporting ingredients from Ugandan Vanilla to Thai Lime Leaf are sourced from all over the world.
What is your idea recipe for serving?
For ginger lovers, I recommend taking the time to savour the spirit straight. We work amazingly well in a ginger spritz for warmer weather. As we move into autumn and winter, I would recommend trying us with hot water and a dash of honey (or agave for vegans) in a whiskey tumbler. Warming goodness!
What are your favourite bar snacks to serve alongside?
Two vegan suggestions as we’re an all vegan product. The Gordal Olives from Panzers are perfect for every occasion and every drink. I’m not joking! For something else fresh and healthy, bruschetta on rye pairs really well.
Find Kaveri Vodka in our spirits section near the wine racks in store.
Halfway between Modena and Bologna, you’ll find the home of La Cà dal Nôn (The House of the Grandfather) who have produced traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena for generations.
Traditional Modena balsamics can be found in two forms: “younger” aged 12 years or more and “extravecchio” aged 25 years or more. These are not the average vinegars found in your local supermarket. These are artisanal products; the result of generations of refinement. And a little bit goes a long way. “Franco” is a perfect go between the younger and older balsamic, best used whenever you want to give a fruity note to your dishes. Here is a family recipe straight from Modena, also using “SABA” produced from their pure grape must:
Pears & Parmigiano Crostini
4 slices of wholewheat bread
1 pear, skinless and quartered longways
3 tbsp SABA
juice of 1 lemon
60 gr Noto almonds
4 tbsp of Red Cow cheese or Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
extra-virgin olive oil
salt
black pepper
Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena FRANCO
In a bowl, marinade the pear slices with 2 tbsp SABA, 1 tbsp olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Blend the almonds, 4 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp SABA, salt and pepper into a smooth paste, eventually adding a little water. Grill the pear slices on a piping hot griddle pan or bake them for 10 mins in hot oven at 180°C, softening them, but still with a bite.
To prepare the crostini, put a little almond paste on each bread slice, then a grilled pear slice and 1 tbsp of the grated cheese. Grill in the oven for 3 minutes and serve hot with drops of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena “Franco”.
We quite simply adore Brogdale Collections, the Kent based charity that provides heritage fruit sales and public access to the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale Farm.
The National Fruit Collection, one of the largest collections of temperate fruits in the world, has been based at Brogdale since 1952. Set in 150 acres of luscious Kent countryside, they are celebrating their 70th anniversary this year.
The objectives of the Collections are to act as:
A ‘gene bank’ conserving the biodiversity of fruit
A source of plant material for propagation, research, and breeding
A living reference library of ‘heritage’ fruit varieties
From spring blossom to autumn harvest, they welcome thousands of visitors each season to enjoy guided tours, fruit themed family events, school trips, rural courses and of course fruit tastings.
On a guided tour you can learn about ancient and modern growing methods, the history of fruit, it’s cultivation and most importantly the reasons for keeping this living museum. In cherry season, try some 400 varieties, including the beautiful white cherries. You will see the Decio apple that dates to Roman times and sample fruit that Henry VIII enjoyed. By apple season there are over 2000 varieties to taste, including the pineapple flavoured Pitmaston Pine apple or the super ugly but delicious Knobby Russet! We highly encourage a visit or corporate picking event!
Britain’s longest-standing and bestselling guide to dining out is back after a two-year hiatus – and they’ve given Panzer’s their top restaurant recommendations for Kent.
As we celebrate 70 years of the Brogdale Collection, one of our favourite suppliers of cherries, apples and pears, the Good Food Guide’s editor Elizabeth Carter recommends give restaurants within less than half an hour drive of Brogdale to eat after visiting the orchard in the garden of England.
A crop of restaurants to visit in Kent
With the rich Kent countryside home to fantastic places like the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale, and stuffed with artisan growers and producers, it’s obvious that Kent is no longer a place just to pass through on the way to the Channel ports – it is there to be explored. Whether you are booked onto one of Brogdale Collection’s daily tours or short courses, or are just taking a gentle orchard walk, you’ll need feeding afterwards. Fortunately, this part of Kent is a magnate for talented chefs whose top priority is to promote the wealth of fantastic produce on their doorstep.
Suggesting a rare level of reliability and consistency this Kent veteran on Brogdale Collection’s doorstep, has been run for more than four decades by David and Rona Pitchford. It is a country restaurant of inestimable class, with boutique bedrooms cited as further incentive for bookmarking a visit. Staff do their level best from greeting to farewell to make all feel welcome, and the kitchen’s output – a very good-value set lunch and reasonably priced tasting menu – is dependent on seasonal and local supplies (from Stour Valley game to Kentish lamb), as well as produce from its own kitchen garden. Garden beetroot, for example, is served with locally made goat’s cheese, hazelnuts, basil pesto and pickled shallots, while fillet of sea bass is served with confit potato, prawns, spinach, samphire and red pepper sauce. The cheeseboard is British (of course) and soufflés – the raspberry especially – have been highly praised.
It has long been one of the top dining destinations in the country – a remarkable achievement considering its refusal to conform to the dictates of fine dining. Indeed, The Sportsman could hardly be lower key if it tried, evident in the paper napkins and scrubbed wooden tables. While it is well worth the pilgrimage, be warned, a table here does require planning well ahead. Stephen Harris’s vision is delightfully simple, obsessively influenced by the raw materials available on the doorstep. His produce-first approach can be seen in the constantly changing five-course tasting menu (with several choices per course), which integrates local ingredients with some up-to-date flourishes and a good measure of comfort – from crab, with carrots and hollandaise, wild sea bass with lobster and herbs and vegetables from the garden, or pink, succulent roast lamb with artichoke hearts, to elderflower posset or strawberry and custard tart.
If there’s one thing better than a good farmers’ market, then it’s a good farmers’ market that does the cooking for you. This former railway shed next to Canterbury West station is just that – alongside the stalls selling local fruit and veg, meat, cheese, fish and more, there’s a sit-down restaurant with a simple, bare-brick fit-out, amiable service, diners generating a lively buzz, and exactly the right take on seasonality. The result is a blackboard roster of up-to-the-minute dishes that might offer (on a warm summer’s day) a simple dish of tomato, anchovy, basil and croûtons or raw beef with beetroot, green peppercorn and mayonnaise, followed perhaps by hake with tomato, mussels, clams and kalamata olives with aioli, or a roast summer quash with white beans and walnut dressing. To drink there are local ales, ciders, and there’s a selection of Kentish wines on the brief European wine list.
The candyfloss-pink frontage and walls crowded with maritime pictures announce one of Whitstable’s most cherishable assets, a seafood haven since the mid-Victorian era, still serving boat-fresh fish and shellfish to the discerning. A roaring takeaway trade might send you off with a prawn and crab tartlet to treasure, and there are seasonal pre-orderable boxes to furnish the most sumptuous beach picnics – should the weather be co-operating. Mark Stubbs embraces a dazzling range of culinary styles that might bring on a ceviche of brill alight with lime, ginger and chilli, with crab and pickled kohlrabi salad and pink grapefruit granita, just to get started. Among principal dishes, the halibut in mulligatawny with saffron aïoli mash stands out, while a lobster version of lasagne incorporates chanterelles and stem broccoli. The lightest option for finishing could be a passionfruit and orange crumble soufflé with white chocolate ice cream. Unlicensed – but nip into the ‘Offy’ opposite for a bottle of wine.
Whatever the weather, Nikki Billington’s seafront restaurant has a sunny disposition that is matched by the cooking. The bare wooden tables and floor, and light, bright dining room set the tone for fuss-free tapas that are Mediterranean in style but anchored by impeccably sourced ingredients including the freshest fish and seasonal herbs and vegetables, occasionally own-grown. Kicking off with a vegetarian or charcuterie-based sharing platter is a must for most visitors, and mutton and feta koftas and deep-fried calamari – the best in the area – are menu mainstays. There’s plenty of chargrilling, mackerel fillet (with a side salad and seasonal dip) or bavette steak (with sweet potato and horseradish and mustard crème fraîche), but expect to see imaginative tapas getting their moment of glory on the specials board. Do reserve a table (online bookings are taken up to 31 days in advance). The sea and sunset make for a pretty irresistible vista from the dining room or little terrace.
Join The Good Food Guide Club
As a customer of Panzer’s, you can join The Good Food Guide Club for a special price of £29.99 for one year saving £20 (normally £49.99/year) during the whole month of September. Use promo code GFGPZR when signing up to the Club via this link.
Very minimal introduction needed here as their interview says it all… we might have a crush on Charlotte and Angus, the duo behind Sea Sisters and the East London Canning Co.
SeaSisters is a lockdown creation! How did the idea first strike you?
Before having children we set off in a transit van (kitted out with a bed) down the west coast of France to the Basque region of Spain and then through the midi Pyrenees to Italy. As young loves on a shoestring budget we lived off a lot of tinned fish. We loved the Pintxos eateries of San Sebastián and the simplicity of seasonal food. We shopped solely in markets and local delis and dreamed of our own restaurant one day. When the pandemic hit and the hospitality industry was under threat, we decided it was time to shift gears. Our dream of having our own range of British tinned fish started its journey. More than a year of trials and recipe testing and we launched before Christmas in 2021- the only people canning fish in England.
Tell us a bit about canning culture at the time you started
We did a lot of research about canning but essentially we have learned everything we now know ourselves through trial and error. With each new line of tinned fish comes new skills and experience.
The canning industry is quite secret with each cannery having their own methods and trade secrets- just like us. We have been lucky to work with some brilliant food scientists and thermal processing experts to deliver a range of products we are proud of.
Canning fish in Europe is a huge part of its culture and there are many canneries in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and throughout Scandinavia etc.
We hadn’t considered the lack of fish canneries here in the UK or questioned before where our tinned fish came from. But that piece is now very important to us. We want to know that the tinned fish we are eating comes from ethical and responsible sources. Our brand tells the story of tinned fish. We know where all our fish comes from, we only preserve in season and we use methods that have the least impact on the environment. Our queenies of examples are gathered using sail and oar power.
You work closely with other excellent small producers, tell us about a few?
We love to support producers who also believe in sustainable and regenerative methods. The Real Cure in Dorset is an excellent charcuterie producer making some of the best charcuterie the UK has to offer. Including their award winning ‘nduja which we use with our mussels.
The Somerset Cider Brandy Company in Burrow Hill are fantastic traditional cider and oak-aged cider vinegar producers. We’ve been drinking the fruits of their labour for years and are looking forward to buying a pint at Glastonbury festival next week.
A huge amount of work goes into making a quality product. We enjoy working with people who have a love and passion for not only making something delicious but doing it the right way, which is often the harder way.
Favourite recipe using canned fish?
Our cans of pollock and smoked trout are perfect with eggs so we serve them for breakfast a lot.
We have two lines of cuttlefish. These tins are great served warmed up and stirred through steamed rice with a quick aioli and a squeeze of lemon.
Components for a perfect picnic?
All of our tins are perfect for a picnic. Crusty bread or crackers with crudités and pickles make a delicious picnic accompanied with a glass of wine.
SeaSisters itinerary for a great day out in East London
We named our brand after our two young daughters. If you’ve got children like we do east London is great for children. Daubeny Fields is right by our house and has an adventure play, a playground with sandpit and a skate park. It’s right on the canal so you can walk up the water to Hackney Marshes. The Chatsworth Road food markets on Sundays are great for lunch and we head to the Chesham Arms for a pint. You can order Yard Sale Pizza at the pub-which has a beer garden.
Find Sea Sisters inside Panzer’s near our condiment section or order online.
We love how world-renowned chef, wellness guru and social media star Bettina Campolucci Bordi communicates about food. Through her cookbooks, beautiful recipes & videos, retreats and more, her goal is to make eating more sustainably more accessible (and delicious!) for all. We set her loose in Panzer’s one day and she created two stunning recipes from our shelves. The first below. Find loads more @bettinas_kitchen and her website here.
Chocolate Chip and Orange Pancakes Recipe
These fluffy pancakes are such a treat! A showcase of the incredible produce from Panzer’s, along with some great secret ingredients that take them to the next level. Hello, Tahini halva! And the pistachio whip is incredible as a pairing.
Makes 8 medium sized pancakes
Ingredients/
Coconut oil for frying (or butter)
215 grams of self raising flour
265 grams of plant milk
1 tbsp of maple syrup
2 tbsp of sweet halva paste
Orange zest from (1 orange)
Handful of chocolate chips
Whipped Pistachio & Coconut Yogurt/
1/2 packet of coyo vanilla yogurt
3 tbs of pistachio butter
Pine berries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Maple syrup for toppings
Mix all your pancake batter ingredients together (except the chocolate chips) in a big bowl. Add the orange zest and chocolate chips and stir into the batter.
In a non-stick medium sized pan, add butter or coconut oil and ladle in two to three pancakes at a time. Wait until bubbles have formed at the top and then gently flip to the other side and cook for another few minutes. Stack the pancakes up until all the batter has been used.
Quickly ladle the pistachio butter into the coconut yogurt and whip until well combined. Serve the pancakes, top with pistachio whip, maple syrup and berries!
Our team was bowled over when they tried Julienne Bruno’s vegan cheeses. We spoke to founder Axel Katalan to get the inside story behind the newest products in our dairy fridges.
How was the idea for Julienne Bruno born?
Growing up in a Spanish/Turkish household, food was at the heart of every special moment. I wanted products that catered for the foodie palette, and didn’t just create another “ok” product for the sake of it being plant-based. I sought out an idol of mine, Alan Yau and joined his team to learn how a genius of the industry approaches taste, design, branding and everything in between. Fast forward 5 years, we’ve built our first kitchen and a community of early supporters through our collection 01.
Tell us a bit about the team behind the brand – how did you come together?
We are a small team. At the core is myself, and Chi San (our Director of Food) who brings 30 years of gastronomy experience along with our board advisor Alan Yau (Wagamama, Hakkasan and more). We also have a fantastic Head of Product, but their identity will be revealed as a surprise a little further down the road.
Your food is about “seduction, not persuasion…” tell us why
I’ve learned a valuable lesson: If I create a super appetising recipe, that is 100% vegan, and I present it to my friends and family in the light of “here, have a go” – the chances of winning them over and getting them to eat it, even if it’s once a week, are increased. As a brand, I think we can really excel by creating indulgently appetising products/recipes/dishes that inspire even the most carnivorous to go “oh that looks really nice, let me give it a try”. One bite is all it takes; the rest is history.
Its like choosing a favourite child… but your favourite product and how you like to eat it?
Ha! Perfectly said… I love all our products, but if I had to choose one, I’d say our Burrella. We recently placed the creamy Burrella on top of a bed of black olive tapenade along with some rich kalamata olives, and fried fresh oregano. I should make that again today.
Where is one of your favourite places to eat right now?
My Neighbours the Dumplings in Hackney. They have an amazing range of veggie options, the food is always made to order, beautifully designed and good energy overall.
You can find Julienne Bruno’s selection in our dairy fridges in store.
The ideal soup to celebrate the start of tomato season… and its vegan! A perfectly chilled recipe to prepare ahead of time before serving to guests. Make sure you indulge when garnishing.
Rinse all veg with cold running water and chop into 3 cm cubes.
Combine with all liquid ingredients and blitz in a blender until smooth. Pass through a sieve for an even smoother texture.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
Serve chilled and garnish with grated hard-boiled eggs, diced vegetables (cucumbers, tomato, red onion), extra drizzles of olive oil and slices of serrano ham or prosciutto.
Only abundance for the next few months and June features some of our favourites!
Fennel
This funny little herb (an herb that has essentially gained vegetable status) packs a serious punch in the nutrition department, full of fibre and potassium. They are great thinly sliced and tossed in a salad for extra crunch with green apples, good olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and freshly grated parmesan. Also delicious caramelised in a pan alongside a roast chicken.
Its officially British summertime when strawberries come into season. Up until the 16th century, there was only one variety of strawberry in England – the Alpine (and the Tudors were nervous to eat any fruit raw). But now there are loads to try: the early ripening & sweet Rosie, the long & delicate Gariguette, the popular for home gardening Cambridge, the hardy Hapil and appropriately for this year of Jubilee celebrations: the small but aromatic Royal Sovereign. Find them in our online shop here.
Thank you to everyone who came to join us (from near and far!) for our Platinum Jubilee Street Party on June 4th, just as the sun came back out for a magical afternoon. To our amazing chefs and hardworking team, a GIANT thank you for serving up bowls of pesto pasta with fresh cherry tomatoes in a giant Parmesan wheel, loaded hot dogs, mini bagels with smoked salmon & cream cheese, aranchini (3,000 of them!), homemade gaspacho, our famous chicken drumsticks, Pimm’s and so much more. Thank you to the one and only Simply Grey for keeping the crowds boppin’.
We’re so grateful for the Panzer’s community and for all your smiles, laughter and kind words. Thank you for joining us.
Due to the nature of our range, some items can only be delivered within the London area. If your order containers any flowers or fresh fruit then you will need to live locally to be able to have it delivered. Sushi is delivered within a 3 mile radius of our store.
Nationwide Delivery
All other goods can be delivered nationwide (excluding Highlands and Islands) via our partner couriers. There is a slightly larger delivery cost for this service outside of London.
Collection In Store
Everything on the store can be ordered for collection from our store. Orders must be picked up on your chosen collection date, and can be picked up from the store between the hours of 9am – 6pm, seven days a week. If your order was placed online, please bring your order confirmation when collecting.
Certain goods can be sent overseas, please call for more information.
Tell us a bit about canning culture at the time you started 
Chocolate Chip and Orange Pancakes Recipe
