The East India Company Fine Foods

Once elusive, exclusive and exotic ingredients, The East India Company made them familiar, affordable and available, an alchemy of influences, so today they form part of our daily and national cuisines…as if they would have been naturally there forever…

We trade goods that have been carefully crafted by artisans and specialists from around the world. Foods that use ingredients that have been carefully sourced, whose provenance is well known, whose sourcing is ethical.  Tastes that are timeless, inspired by the past, but always with a contemporary twist.  Our recipes fuse together influences from different countries, cultures and crafts to create something truly unique and our range can be seen online at http://www.theeastindiacompanyfinefood.com/

Philosophy

Over three hundred years ago The East India Company traded as importers and exporters of tea, coffee, spices and luxury goods; buying from the East and selling to the West as well as buying from the West and selling to the East.  Based on this heritage of food trading and a well-established worldwide brand recognition, The East India Company Fine Foods is launching a unique collection of luxury foods and gifts.

The East India Company has always been a byword for quality in each and every area in which they trade, it is to this end that we have scoured manufacturers worldwide to develop a range of larder foods unique to the East India Company.

To achieve this, we have gone that extra step in finding foods that are made from the very best available ingredients and have rejected any cost saving or inferior substitutes. We are determined that our lines are made to the highest specifications with the very best ingredients we can find.

This has involved researching historic recipes which we continue to do.  We have then worked with the artisans that are our chosen makers, who have tracked down the original ingredients available to produce the best recipes in the true spirit of The East India Company.  Where this has meant a large labour input we have taken that option.  We are delighted with the results.  Working only with medium sized specialist manufacturers, most of them family owned, the initial range has had rave reviews and is only a taster of things to come.

Our range is constantly growing as we discover, from research, new recipes, old techniques and exiting ideas.

Biscuits

Biscuits are a particular specialty of the British, but unfortunately cost saving and production short cuts have reduced most commercial biscuits to a shadow of their former selves.

The origin of the word means “twice cooked” a process rarely used in Britain today but still popular in Italy. British sweet biscuits were originally made for dunking, in either sweet wine or hot chocolate. This is still done in Italy with Cantuccini and Vin Santo but is now rarely done. Dunking in Britain today is mostly done with tea.

The East India Company has produced a range of biscuits that take the art of biscuit making back to its origins.  Our biscuit range uses the best available ingredients and there are no cheap substitutes.  Made in small batches by artisans in traditional bakeries these biscuits are the best we can find.

We use our own lines in many items, for example the Marmalade biscuits use East India Company Marmalade and the Mustard and Coriander biscuits are made using East India Company Mustard.  The East India Company Shortbread is made with butter and clotted cream.  This shortbread was one of Queen Victoria’s favourites.

Jams and Marmalades

Jams and Marmalades are seen as quintessentially British produce. We have developed a considerable range of special jams and marmalade using the best possible available ingredients. Some are unique to Britain, damsons. plums and whiskey being examples.
 
Marmalade originated in Portugal in the 15th Century and was a quince paste used as a sweetmeat and a spread.  Jelly marmalades originate from the 18th Century. East India Company marmalades include Marmalade with Whiskey, Marmalade with Brandy, Thick Cut Dark and Thick Cut Light Marmalade. 
We have in addition developed two special Company marmalades. Seville Orange Marmalade with edible gold leaf and Grapefruit & Lime Marmalade with edible silver leaf.

East India Company Jams and marmalades are all made by hand in small quantities of less than 100 jars at a time.

Chutneys

Chutneys were encountered early in the Colonial days and were immediately imported into Britain from India where they originate. Made with fruit, spices and herbs, it is a relish eaten as a side dish to add piquancy to plain dishes like rice and dahl. The ingredients vary from region to region in India. Adopted with enthusiasm by the British, chutneys in Britain are usually sweet, spiced fruit and vegetables.

The East India Company Chutneys cover the entire range from sweet to sour and are almost always spicy. All Chutneys are suitable for vegetarians.

Sauces

Sauces are generally a western product. There are few Eastern sauces, fermented fish sauce (ketchup) being the best known.  East India Company Mature Worcestershire Sauce is made to a special recipe and does not contain anchovy making it suitable for vegetarians.

Mustards

East India Company Mustards are a collection of specially blended mustards suitable for every occasion.  The Dijon and Meaux mustards are made in France, of course, all the others are made in Britain.  For our range of 12 different mustards we started by with remaking Mrs Clements mustard.  Mrs Clements, who lived in Durham, was the first person in England to make a smooth English Mustard in 1720.

In The East India Companies initial mustard range is a carefully balanced range of 12 traditional as well as 21st century mustards.

We have made two types of Tewkesbury mustard, a grain and a smooth one. Tewkesbury was famous in 16th century for its mustard mixed with horseradish.  Falstaff in Shakespeare refers to Tewkesbury mustard.

Corporate and Indulgent Gifts

Our corporate gifts will ensure your business partners or colleagues will appreciate and remember your gift which can be a simple fine food gift box, a splendid tea chest for the Boardroom or a fantastic trunk filled with Fine Foods fit for an Emperor!  Naturally one would expect the East India Company to understand the nature of business relationships, and our 400 year history ensures that our Corporate Gifts will be remembered and deliver the correct impression every time.

Whether you are a fine food lover or trying our gourmet selection for the first time we have remarkable gifts, which will continue to delight and excite customers from all around the world.