Versatile South African Verjuice Launches Nationwide Submitted By: Food&Drink Towers Thursday, 18 February 2010

Versatile South African Verjuice Launches Nationwide Submitted by: food&drink towers Thursday, 18 February 2010

--UK foodies finally get their hands on the ‘must-have’ restaurant ingredient to enjoy at home—- “Many chefs rate it as their favourite ingredient and it is used in a surprising number of recipes, but until now, Verjuice has been an expensive and tricky product to track down.” Jayson Hunter, Director at Venator Investments importing South African Verjuice into the UK and Ireland The UK launch of the new South African Verjuice range has got passionate home cooks and leading chefs talking – and experimenting – in their kitchens. Fast becoming a staple ingredient for foodies ‘in the know’, the UK is catching on to the popularity of Verjuice in South Africa. Verjuice (also known as ver jus) is featured in the latest recipes by creative chefs such as Nigel Slater and Skye Gyngell, who are always on the look-out for inventive ways to enhance the flavours in their food. Yet, for passionate home cooks, delicious Verjuice has been almost impossible to obtain in the UK – until the introduction of the South African Verjuice range in February 2010 and the launch of http://www.verjuice.co.uk. Peter Sidwell, up and coming celebrity chef and founder of the Simply Good Taste (http://www.simplygoodtaste.co.uk) cookery school and cafe in Keswick (Lake District), has been experimenting with the South African Verjuice range. He said: “It has been really great fun cooking with the South African Verjuice, as it gives a clean finish to a dish when you really want it. Verjuice helps to balance the food. When, as a chef, I’ve tasted the dish and I know it needs something, I’ve been reaching for the Verjuice to help finish that perfect dish”. What is Verjuice? Verjuice is produced from the unfermented juice of unripe wine grapes, pressed from the green-harvested thinnings that are high in acid and low in sugar. It is naturally versatile as a premium flavour enhancer and has many culinary uses. Verjuice can be used as a refreshing alternative to lemon juice, vinegar or wine (if you are trying to avoid cooking with alcohol but still want maximum flavour). Jayson Hunter, Director at Venator Investments Ltd and a South African ‘foodie’ living in London, is steering the revival of this important condiment in the UK by importing and marketing Verjuice from South Africa. The Verjuice is produced in the Cape Town wine lands by food entrepreneur Janice Botha, who owns The Verjuice Co. that produces a Verjuice from red grapes. Botha also works with winemaker, James McKenzie of South African Nabygelen Wine Farm, to produce Green Harvest, a Verjus produced from white grapes. Janice Botha said: “The white and red versions are totally interchangeable; however, chefs prefer to use the white grape Verjus for poaching white fish and meat and for blending into butter and hollandaise sauces, where the red Verjuice might otherwise add a delicate tinge of colour.”

Page 1 After sampling Verjuice during a trip to Cape Town in 2009, and identifying a gap in the UK market for an easily-available and competitively-priced, quality Verjuice, Jayson officially launched the online presence of Verjuice.co.uk (http://www.verjuice.co.uk) in early 2010. The online presence (e.g. Facebook, Twitter and Google searches to the online store) helped enthusiastic, web-savvy foodies locate and pre-order Verjuice before it had even arrived on UK shores – helped by the publication of recipes in the mainstream press and its use in high-end restaurants. It is the aim of Venator Investments Ltd to make Verjuice accessible through a wider distribution and reasonable retail pricing strategy. Jayson Hunter explained: “I’ve already had a large order from a woman who loves cooking with Verjuice at home but hasn’t been able to find it in any local shops. She even went to France in search of a good bottle of Verjuice but came home empty handed. One Google search later she’d placed an order and her month’s supply was delivered the next day.” Providing an original taste profile, Verjuice is not a flash-in-the-pan ‘fad’ ingredient: recipes date back to medieval times. The Romans, however, famous for being gourmands would also have used Verjuice widely in their cooking. It also enjoyed popularity as an ingredient in the 19th century when it became, and still is, the acidulant of choice in traditional Dijon mustard. Verjuice has the advantage of sharing the same acid-base as wine and will not distort the essence of fine wines served with food, unlike vinegar (acetic acid) or citrus juice. Neither will it mask or overpower the flavour of food or wine. Because it only contains fructose and fruit acid (and no sucrose), Verjuice cleanses the palate and opens the taste buds, allowing the subtle flavours of food and wine to dominate. Use generously in your cooking! -Ends- Notes to editors: Available directly for next day delivery at http://www.verjuice.co.uk are three South African Verjuice products: TVC Verjuice (750ml bottle £13.99), Green Harvest Verjus (750ml bottle £13.99) and Caramelised Verjuice Syrup (250ml £7.99). The syrup is used as a versatile sweet-sour syrup for desserts, dressings, cheese and meat dishes, and is a delicious alternative to sweet ingredients such as maple syrup or honey. There is a minimum order policy of six bottles (one case) if you work in the HoReCa trade. Recipes, more product information and Verjuice history can be found at Verjuice.co.uk (http://www.verjuice.co.uk). Media enquiries can be directed to Helen Lewis, PR, [email protected] / +44 (0) 7904 801 669. Samples, recipes and photography are available upon request. Bespoke recipes created for specific publications are also possible. Follow us on Twitter (@VERJUICE) and join us on Facebook (VerjuiceUK) to hear about our launch in the UK, news, developments and recipes. Trade enquiries to: Jayson Hunter, Director, Venator Investments Ltd, [email protected], 0800 567 0128.

Page 2 Recipe ideas: MILLIONAIRE’S DRESSING: IDEAL SERVED ON SALADS AND ROASTED VEGETABLES Recipe by Janice Botha, Cape Town food entrepreneur and owner of The Verjuice Company 75ml Verjuice 75ml walnut oil 75ml olive oil 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 large garlic clove (or to taste), crushed or grated Sea salt and black pepper to taste Shake together all ingredients or blend with hand blender for a thicker, creamier emulsion. Variations: For an everyday dressing, substitute the walnut oil with more olive oil; add your favourite herbs such as parsley, chives, oregano, and basil. Janice said: “You can replace smooth Dijon mustard with whole-grain Dijon mustard for potato salads; reduce oil and add four tablespoons of fromage frais or crème fraiche”. Peter Sidwell, up and coming celebrity chef, founder and chef at the Simply Good Taste (http://www.simplygoodtaste.co.uk) cookery school and cafe in Keswick (Lake District) kindly provided other examples of how he has used Verjuice and Verjus from South Africa: “I had great fun using the Verjuice. I used it to make a grape and chive salsa to serve with some local brie. I used it to make a dressing mixed with a little marmalade for a dish to be served at a charity dinner for the National Marmalade Festival. I have also used it very simply with olive oil and salt and pepper to dress some pasta. Blended with roasted garlic cloves and a little oil, it makes a sweet garlic spread that tasted amazing on warm, toasted sourdough bread.”

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