Rod and Ben’s teams up with Hillside Foods to stir up new flavours

Rod and Ben’s soups has joined forces with Exeter-based Hillside Foods to develop three exciting new organic soups for its summer range.

Hillside brothers Jay and Will Allan, who have won numerous Great Taste awards for their handmade fruit pastes, relishes, chutneys and biscuits, have turned their hand to food of a liquid variety, and have come up with the following flavours - Roast Chicken, Lemon and Thyme; Devon Potato, Creamed Onion and Rocket; and Fresh Summer Carrot and Herb - for a real taste of the Devon countryside.   

Says Rod Hall, owner of Rod and Ben’s organic farm in Kenn, near Exeter: “It has been great having Jay and Will on board for some really creative recipe development, not least because they have a real flair for mixing flavours and bringing out the best in seasonal produce. As a chef Jay has worked at some of the best restaurants in the country, including Chewton Glen, The Castle in Taunton and Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, so it’s been great to know our soups are in the very best hands.”

Jay, who established Hillside Foods with Will in 2009, says: “It’s been a real pleasure working with Rod and his team and using the best quality organic ingredients to create new seasonal soup flavours. From the sweetest carrots pulled straight from the ground, and the freshest rocket and thyme from Rod and Ben’s walled herb garden, wherever possible we aim to source the ingredients down on the farm in Kenn - so from the field straight into the pot, it doesn't get much fresher than that!”