Cambridge Cluster

Image via WikipediaDriving back from Cornwall, I called in at the farm shop on the Cambridge Road, just north of Royston.  The prices are not exactly Aldi but the goods are of high quality and the staff welcoming.  The cafe was busy with ladies enjoying afternoon tea and the wrinklies spending their time looking for bargains.

I found mine; a half-price Fudges Christmas Cake (nb the picture on the right is from Zemanta and is not the cake under post) reduced from £15.50 to a price competing with the other fruit cakes on offer.  The cake comes in a lovely box and I enjoyed reading the label about Percy Fudge who opened his first craft bakery in the heart of rural Dorset in 1926.

A couple of hungry friends came round to welcome me back to Cambridge and looked longingly at the cake.  I was surprised when I managed to extract it from the box to find that the icing and almond mix just covered the top leaving a very bare side.  Perhaps they should either finish the side or provide a “skirt” to show off the cake.  It needed a strong arm and a sharp knife to cut through the top layer of icing.  The cake tasted good as do so many products from members of Taste of the West, who Champion the South West’s exceptional food identity.  I wish the PR was as good as the food; what does food identity mean?  Why not The best food from Cornwall, Devon and Dorset.  The Taste of the West needs to take a look at the Huffington Post website and start using video.

At least the Fudges’ website does not have any flash and is clear and informative although aimed at wholesalers.  Of the four directors, three are Fudges and the fourth, Brent Giles.  Did Brent marry a daughter or is he an outsider?  Is he a shareholder?The site says that the company is still owned by the Fudge family and it would be interesting to learn what business plan resource they have used to plan to keep ownership in the family.