journal

It’s been a few months now since the skilled sushi chefs of restaurants Sushi Atelier and Chisou entered the world of Panzer’s (download MENU here) – and yet every day we drool over their imaginative dishes and delicious flavour combinations.   

Earlier this month, we caught up with Robert – the head sushi chef on–site at Panzer’s – to ask him a few sushi-related questions: 

What do you love about being in store at Panzer’s?   Oh that’s easy to answer!  It’s the quality of the products in the shop which is so fantastic – and the happy, professional staff are a pleasure to work alongside.  

Which items on our Panzer’s x Sushi Atelier menu are most popular?   The salmon set, the salmon avocado roll as well as the spicy tuna roll are the biggest sellers for us. The Panzer’s customers certainly love their salmon! 

Describe this month’s special roll   This is our Sunflower Roll: tuna and cucumber roll with yuzu mayo, wrapped with salmon and then topped with crushed pistachios while served with honey sweet kabayaki sauce.   

Why we should all eating it?   Sushi is as much about texture as it is about flavour and this roll certainly packs a punch on both! 

Which of the sushi platters makes a perfect takeaway dinner – and what would you advise alongside this?   Any of our medium platters (for 3-4 people) should be ordered with some edamame, gyoza and miso soup.   

Do you deliver locally to Panzer’s?   Yes, we do.  Plus, you can always order for collection if you live further afield. 

How does a festive sushi feast look?   The Japanese love sake at Christmas and New Year so I’d recommend celebrating with one of our large platters while adding a bottle of sake (which we now sell from the sushi fridge in store). The Hakuko Red Label is an amazing all-round sake which you can drink cold or hot. It’s Junmai so pairs very well with the sushi. 

The Sushi Atelier team is on site at Panzer’s every day.  Order from our menu, at the sushi bar or online – or pick up a box of sushi from the fridge opposite the Coffee Bar. 

We’re so proud to offer The Estate Dairy’s fabulous milk at Panzer’s. Produced by expertly reared Guernsey cows in the Chew Valley, Somerset. We chose their milk because of its beautifully rich flavour and the wonderful story behind the business. But we wanted to know a little more about them, their farming methods and their passion to only bottle the best… so we caught up with the founder Shaun Young to ask him a few questions:

Why does your milk taste so much better than others?

For us it’s all about great sourcing and processing. We work with small family run dairy farms who predominantly rear Jersey and Guernsey herds. This gives us milk in a lot less volume however the constituents of milk (Fat and Protein) are higher in quality. We then process the milk as little as possible. We gently pasteurise and never homogenise our dairy resulting in a product that’s a close to the farm gate as possible.

How many cows do you currently have?  We work with 3 dairy farms in Somerset which have a total of around 300 milking cows.

Why do you love working with Panzer’s?  It’s great brand alignment for us! To be amongst other great quality producers all under one roof…. what’s not to love?

Had you shopped at Panzer’s before you started supplying us? What have you ever bought from our store?  Yes. Bagels.  Always.

Favourite homecooked meal?  Scrambled eggs on toast with halloumi.  It has to be Cacklebean eggs , our own cultured butter, Snapery sourdough and Kupros Halloumi.

How have consumers and their (food) habits changed this year Lockdown has pushed consumers to shop more locally of which has definitely had an impact for small quality focused producers. We’ve seen a huge lift in our retail lines which has remained consistent to date.

What’s next for Estate Dairy? We’re making some real progress with the dairy where we produce our butter. We’ve got some big aspirations to continuing growing and producing a really good British cultured butter.

Order Estate Dairy milk online or in store at Panzer’s

The Jewish New Year falls this year on Saturday 19^th September, with celebrations beginning the evening before.  It’s customary to eat a deliciously sweet dinner with your family and friends and to gift those you can’t be with.  These feasts often include a round challah bread studded with raisons (never enough sweetness at this time of year!) and apples which are eaten dipped in honey.

A particularly thoughtful gesture – which will certainly be appreciated in these strange Covid times – is a food gift.  Mouth-watering fruit (and vegetable) baskets as well as Panzer’s kosher hampers can be ordered on our website as well as in store.  The fruit baskets can be delivered across London whereas all the Panzer’s Hampers can be sent nationwide.

So, what are the special foods for gifting at Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year)?

Panzer’s Rosh Hashana Hamper

Our delicious kosher hampers are full of delights.

The perfected house-made Panzer’s Honey Cake, Firetree’s Volcanic Chocolate, Panzer’s Honey, a huge selection of apples to choose from, Panzer’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil, kosher wine, dried fruits and so much more.

Panzer’s Honey

Just to remind you, this is no ordinary honey. Panzer’s has collaborated with a family-run Lithuanian farm who only use organic produce with absolutely no pesticides in sight. They’ve won awards for their magnificent honey and once you taste it, you’ll see why – its quality, taste and provenance is really outstanding. You’ll see on our shelves (as well as online) Panzer’s Spring and Summer Honey as well the very popular Buckwheat, Ginger, Cocoa and Vanilla Honey. For those who prefer a fruitier taste – our honey with Blueberries, Cranberries and Cinnamon with Orange and Lemon are all a real treat.

Apples –  again, Panzer’s has all the variety you could wish for…

But English apples are one of the nation’s best loved fruit – and perfectly in season for crunching over the Jewish New Year. Our apples will be carefully selected from some of the most reputable growers in the country, including the famous Brogdale Farm in Kent.

Honey Cake  – Using a secret, four-generations-old recipe, Panzer’s Honey Cake is moist, light, easy to slice and will keep fresh for 5 days. In store from 1st September and also available to buy online for delivery nationwide.

Kosher wine & chocolate – for those who prefer to gift kosher items on a Jewish holiday, we have a huge selection of the best kosher wines and kosher chocolates.

Pomegranate & other exotic fruits are also symbolic of a sweet and healthy new year – and make wonderful additions to any hamper or gift.

Flowers  – do contact the Panzer’s Flower Team to discuss bouquets you may like to send in the London area.  They would also be delighted to create some floral magic for your dining room table.

Wishing all those celebrating – Shana Tova – a happy and healthy new year!

Did you know that the world of plants can actually heal and protect you?  We had heard amazing things about Boku, the superfood company, and so took a trip to LA to meet the family behind the business and hear about their potent powders.

Because – let’s face it – there are lots of superfood powders in the market and we needed to know what makes Boku different?

Well, the Rollé family ARE different.  Their business was initially to build on the very real need to cure their son with plant supplements, rather than prescribed drugs.  Their mission has always been to make the best, most nutritious and genuine superfood blends on the planet, at the lowest possible price.

Boku works with organic and biodynamic farmers from all over the world, travelling to these farms to maintain quality relationships and ensure utter dedication to responsible super chain management. 

So, when for example, you buy the Boku Organic Superfood pouch, you KNOW that every single ingredient in this phytonutrient powder is full of the most incredible antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins, minerals, probiotics and enzymes.

Check out our range in store, talk to our team (they’re SO into these products!) and taste our house-made smoothies we’re making so that you can sample these powders in action.  There’s a recipe book too from Boku so that you can rustle up the most delicious snacks and meals – from pancakes to salads to soups to donuts…. – all easy to prepare and completely enriching.

And until we launched these Boku products in Panzer’s – they had only ever sold their product on their own website.

Eat the very best of the earth, feel great and enjoy the taste every single mouthful.

Did you know that the history of giving your loved one Valentine’s Day flowers comes from an old-fashioned custom of sending floral bouquets to pass on non-verbal messages?  YES – isn’t that brilliant? This custom was introduced back in the 18th century by Charles II of Sweden. Each flower had a specific meaning attached to it, making it possible to have an entire conversation using only flowers.

Of course, today our customers still love sending flowers on special occasions.  Valentine’s Day is a big one when it comes to expressing those sentiments of love and admiration.  So our flower team have designed these 3 stunning bouquets for February-loving.

All our flowers can be delivered in London.  You can order by emailing online@panzers.co.uk or by calling the store 02077228162

Most of our customers are, by now, fully aware that we are celebrating our 75th year of trading as Panzer’s Deli.  Of course, we are now so much more than simply a deli and sell much more than fresh bagels and hand-sliced smoked salmon.  But having a heritage is wonderfully exciting and extremely important as to what our food emporium feels like today.

So – cast your mind back, if you will, to the end of the Second World War.  Mr Panzer was an Austrian refugee who came to London after serving in the military. He went into business with Mr Vogl, a refugee from Czechoslovakia who was, at that time, already running a deli in Cricklewood, NW2.  These two business men (who clearly loved food too) hit it off and the first Panzer’s shops opened in Willesden Green and Golders Green before opening here on Circus Road in 1956.

And so this is how Panzer’s became the original Jewish delicatessen in London and has been world-famous for its hand-sliced smoked salmon, salt beef and bagels since 1944.

Going to someone’s house for dinner, a weekend or just keen to impress a foodie friend?  We think our Cheese Lovers Hamper is a perfect idea for all of the above.  Firstly, your hostess will love you.  And secondly, cheese is the ultimate food indulgence and the gift which keeps on giving.  The food gift can be sent nationwide (next day delivery) and is beautifully prepared and wrapped – you can even include a personal message too.

Or you can choose your own cheese gift – it’s fun and easy to curate.  Pick at least one recognisable cheese for example Cheddar or Manchego.  Your recipient will feel comfortable at once.  Then embrace variety.  We particularly love Tunworth and Innes Brick – but really the choice can be yours with a whole cheese counter to pick out and try before adding to your gift.

Next think about your accoutrements.  Something sweet always pairs well with cheese. Try our Panzer’s Pear and Apple Chutney or Panzer’s Caramelised Onion Marmalade.

Breads and bagels– we have the works here in store with also a huge selection of crackers such as The Fine Cheese Company’s Fine English Cracker Selection.

Lastly, if you’re sending locally (or picking up in store) do include some seasonal grapes and figs to your gift – and DO check out our delicious (and totally preservative-free) Tabletop Grapes from Australia. 

It’s January and we know that we ALL need to eat more fruit and veg.  But turning over a new leaf (get it?) after all those mince pies and Christmas pudding can be hard and, quite frankly, not so appealing.  That is unless – of course – you find a greengrocer who can create a fruit basket and deliver it to you at home.  Hey presto – at Panzer’s we do exactly this.  Here you will find our three sizes which can all be filled with the freshest of market produce by our expert grocers and delivered across London.

A perfectly delicious gift for anyone recuperating, relocating or just a lovely way of saying ‘Happy New Year’.  [And no-one said you couldn’t gift yourself.]