Foodie antidote to the economic downturn
New food business The Northern Dough Co. has tapped into a trend that sees increasing numbers of people looking for fun foodie experiences at home. As household budgets continue to be placed under pressure, consumers are seeking new ways to create restaurant style food in their own homes while not compromising on quality.
Chris and Amy Cheadle, who started the Northern Dough Co. just a few months ago created their company after having friends over for pizza parties as an alternative to dining out. Guests were invited into their kitchen to pick their own toppings and come up with their own take on the 'best pizza' using dough from Chris' family bakery and a recipe 10 years in the making.
"Our friends and relatives enjoyed making and eating their own pizza creations so much, we often used to send them away with bagfuls of dough to take home." Says Northern Dough Co founder Chris. "It was only when we looked for an alternative at the supermarket that we saw a gap in the market for a convenient and great tasting product and decided to package the dough and start to sell it at food festivals."
It seems that they aren't the only ones who have cottoned on that pizza making is a fun experience that can involve the whole family in the kitchen and at the fraction of the price of a restaurant meal. Their Facebook and Twitter pages are filled with comments from happy customers who've tried the dough and had lots of fun coming up with their own ideas. Facebook follower Paul Whelhan says "just made our first pizzas with the dough we bought from you at the Halifax Food Festival. Pizzas were fantastic and our 2 year old daughter loved helping to make them."
The duo have also received acclaim from some of the most influential foodies in the business, with Olive magazine's editor Janine Ratcliffe featuring the fledgling business' pizza dough as its 'buy of the month' in the December issue and mega festival the BBC Good Food Show awarding them a bursary award to appear at the November show at Birmingham's NEC.
The range of pizza dough in Original, Chilli and Rosemary is currently available to purchase at quality farm shops and regional online retailers in the North West, but with the trend for in-home pizza making continuing to grow, national interest is sure to follow.
For more information, visit northerndoughco.com.
