It’s the satisfyingly dark roasted flavours that have made the Tahini Grain Granola from Jemima’s Deli a major award-winner – but it was only by happy accident that the company started making the stuff
WORDS: GUILD OF FINE FOOD (LYNDA SEARBY). PHOTOGRAPHS: GUILD OF FINE FOOD (RICHARD FAULKS)
Champion producers.
According to Jemima’s Deli co-founder Ruth Dutson, one of the problems with having a Great Taste three-star product is that no one wants to buy your other lines. After their Perfect Granola, which is low-carb, vegan and gluten-free, won three stars at the Great Taste Awards in 2021, the tahini version was always overlooked – until now.
“In our local store, we used to sell five packs of Perfect Granola for every pack of Tahini Grain Granola. The two sit side by side on the shelf and one had a silver sticker whereas the other didn’t,” she says. Since Tahini Granola scooped the coveted Golden Fork for London, Ruth says the balance shifted a lot. “We still sell more Perfect Granola, but only by two to one now. Tahini Grain has a small but loyal following – people who like it really like it.”
A CHARACTERFUL ROAST
With its dark colour, intense, nutty taste and Middle Eastern undertones, Tahini Grain is the deli’s least conventional granola recipe. “It looks unusual and tastes unusual. It’s sweeter than our other granolas, yet almost savoury, with a slightly salty kick,” says Ruth. The granola’s rich, dark character comes from baking the oats with date molasses and maple syrup.
“The oats become dark very quickly so we have to turn them every five minutes to ensure a uniform bake. This is the most time-consuming part of the granola making process,” says Ruth. At the moment, Ruth and her business partner Annette are operating on a small scale – cooking on demand in Ruth’s home kitchen. This isn’t surprising, considering Annette gave birth to her fourth child last year.
Jemima’s Deli was born out of the business partners’ contrasting tastes – Ruth is diabetic, so she can only indulge in Tahini Grain Granola occasionally, whereas sweet-toothed Annette will happily eat it by the spoonful.
WHEN ONE DOOR CLOSES...
Friends for over 10 years, both women share a love of good qu
