Gourmet Food in the UK: Artisan Ingredients from Small European Producers

The best-stocked kitchens in the country have one thing in common, and it is not a six-burner hob. It is a shelf of a dozen or so proper ingredients that get used every week: a pesto from Liguria that actually tastes of basil, a chilli blend that has not sat in a factory warehouse for three years, a chutney made with real fruit and not factory-grade glucose syrup, a mustard mixed by someone whose name appears on the label. That shelf is what this collection is built for.

vomFASS UK has spent three decades finding small European producers whose food is genuinely worth the shelf space, and we sell their work directly through our Stamford, Lincolnshire shop and free UK delivery on orders over £150. Everything in the Gourmet Foods collection is hand-selected by taste, not by margin. We stock what we would cook with ourselves.

What You Will Find in This Collection

Thirty-three active products organised into seven categories. Click through to browse each sub-collection, or read on for buying guidance and our top picks.

Spice Blends, Grinders and BBQ Rubs: hand-mixed dry seasonings for grilling, roasting, curries and everyday cooking
Condiments, Chutneys, Mustards and Dips: small-batch jars that do the work of a restaurant finishing touch
Pasta and Pasta Sauces: bronze-die dried pasta and proper slow-cooked Italian pestos and sauces
Fruit Spreads and Preserves: real-fruit jams, chutneys and compotes
Chocolates, Truffles and Sweet Treats: handmade truffles, amaretto balls, whisky balls
Snacks: artisan crisps, parmesan crackers, cheese crispies
BBQ Favourites: our barbecue-season subset of rubs, flavoured oils and balsamic glazes

Spice Blends, Grinders and Rubs: The Shortcut to Better Everyday Cooking

A hand-mixed spice blend is the single fastest way to improve weeknight cooking. You do not need to own fifteen individual spice jars and remember which goes with what. You need three or four blends from people who have done the mixing properly.

Aioli Spice Blend. £6.50. Mix with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon for instant garlic mayonnaise. Already ranking on the first page of Google UK for "aioli blend".
Arrabiata Spice Blend. £6.50. Chilli, garlic, tomato base. Stir a tablespoon into a pan of tinned tomatoes with some olive oil and you have a proper Italian arrabiata sauce in ten minutes.
Classic BBQ Rub. £6.50. Sweet paprika, brown sugar, black pepper, garlic, onion, cumin. The all-purpose rub for pork shoulder, beef ribs, chicken thighs.
Sweet and Spicy BBQ Rub. £5.95. Chipotle-forward, for those who want a darker finish on wings and burnt ends.
BBQ Whisky Rub. £9.95. A British twist: smoky paprika with Scotch whisky notes. For beef ribs, whisky-glazed salmon, or a celebratory steak.
Chili Salt Grinder. £9.85. A refillable grinder of chilli-infused sea salt. Finishes eggs, avocado on toast, roasted potatoes and corn on the cob.
Pasta and Pizza Seasoning. £9.85. The Italian herb and garlic blend you sprinkle on dough before the cheese.

Condiments, Chutneys and Mustards: The Jars That Change a Plate

A good chutney or mustard is the easiest upgrade to a cheese board, a cold-meat sandwich, or a Sunday roast. The products below are small-batch, real-fruit, and made without the cheap filler syrups that dominate supermarket equivalents.

Dijon Mustard. £3.95. Proper French-style Dijon. Sharp, clean, no added sugar. The baseline for vinaigrettes and pan sauces.
Apricot Gin Mustard. £7.65. Sweet apricot balanced with the botanical bite of gin. For a proper British cheese board, a ham sandwich, or glazing a pork belly.
Mango Chili Mustard. £7.25. Tropical fruit and heat. Works with chicken, pork, cold cuts and as a dip for sweet potato chips.
Mango Chutney. £7.75. Real mango and spice. For curries, naan breads, cheese boards, or alongside grilled halloumi.
Pear Saffron Chutney. £7.65. Sweet pear, fragrant saffron, gentle acidity. Exceptional with blue cheese, goat's cheese, game, or cold turkey at Christmas.
Beetroot Ketchup. £9.85. Not red from tomato, red from beetroot. A deeper, earthier ketchup that goes on burgers, goat's cheese tarts, fish cakes, and a roast chicken sandwich.
Chimichurri. £5.95. The South American herb-and-garlic oil for grilled steak, fish, or vegetables. Stir a tablespoon into rice as a quick flavour bomb.
Bruschetta. £8.75. Tomato-basil-garlic topping ready to spoon onto toasted sourdough. Emergency starter, ten-second summer lunch, pasta sauce base.
Oriental Mint Dip. £6.55. Fresh mint, yoghurt-style dip. Goes with lamb, grilled halloumi, flatbreads, and cucumber sticks.
Pesto Ligure. £6.50. Genoa-style green pesto, basil forward. Stir through trofie pasta, dollop on grilled tomatoes, or spread on a sandwich.
Pesto Rosso. £6.50. Sicilian-style red pesto with sun-dried tomatoes. Works with short pasta, chicken, and layered into bruschetta.

Pasta and Pasta Seasonings: Bronze-Die Italian for the British Home Cook

Supermarket dried pasta is mostly Teflon-extruded, which gives it a smooth, slippery surface. Bronze-die pasta is extruded through a rough bronze plate, which gives it a textured surface that holds sauce. The difference on the plate is substantial. Every pasta in this range is bronze-die, slow-dried, and made from durum wheat by small Italian producers.

Linguine Aglio e Basilico. £7.95. Linguine infused with garlic and basil for an instant aglio e olio.
Linguine Limone e Pepe. £8.95. Lemon and black pepper pasta, ready for a Parmesan-and-butter finish.

For the fuller pasta range, browse our pasta and pasta sauces collection.

Fruit Spreads, Snacks and Sweet Treats

Everything on a properly laid British breakfast or cheese board that is not the bread, the cheese or the meat comes from this corner of the collection.

Apricot and Amaretto Spread. £6.95. Fruit preserve with Italian almond liqueur. On crumpets, croissants or alongside aged cheddar.
Braeburn Apple and Calvados Spread. £6.95. British apples, French apple brandy. For pork, pâté, or a cheeseboard autumn special.
Gouda Cheese Crispies. £5.95. A proper cheese-based crisp with onion and garlic. Better than any supermarket cheese snack we have tried.
Parmesan Cheese Crackers. £5.95. Baked parmesan wafers for a cheese board or a cocktail hour.
Creamy Cocoa Amaretto Balls. £10.95. Boozy Italian truffles in crisp cocoa powder. Dessert or after-dinner with coffee.
Dark Chocolate Whisky Balls. £10.95. Rich chocolate truffles with a Scotch whisky centre.
Chocolate Truffle Alcohol-Free Selection. £11.25. A gift-boxed selection for those who prefer their chocolates without the liqueur.
Fantasy Truffles Plain. £10.95. The house chocolate truffle: dark chocolate, soft ganache, cocoa dusted.
Fantasy Truffles Salted Caramel. £10.95. With salted caramel centre.
Lemon Meringue Truffle. £1.25. Single-piece lemon meringue chocolate truffle for building your own selection.
Dark Chocolate Truffle. £1.25. Single-piece classic dark chocolate truffle.

How to Shop This Collection: Three Starting Points

If you cook most nights and want to upgrade everyday dinners

Start with the Arrabiata Spice Blend, a bottle of extra virgin olive oil, Pesto Ligure, Dijon Mustard, Bruschetta and the Aioli Spice Blend. That is six bottles and jars that cover pasta nights, roast dinners, cheese-on-toast, burger sauces and a quick Italian starter.

If you are building a gift or hamper for a home cook

Combine the Fantasy Truffles with a Balsamic Star, a flavoured olive oil, and either the Apricot Gin Mustard or the Pear Saffron Chutney. Or skip the curation and pick from our oil and vinegar gift sets or corporate gifting range.

If you are planning a barbecue or summer entertaining

The Classic BBQ Rub plus BBQ Whisky Rub, Chimichurri, Beetroot Ketchup and one of the Balsamic Stars from our Balsamic Stars collection covers most grilled proteins and sides. Our broader BBQ Favourites collection pulls this together formally.

Why These Producers, and How We Select Them

vomFASS started in Germany in 1994 with a single commercial idea: sell directly from the barrel and cask, no middlemen, and let customers taste before they buy. Three decades later, the Gourmet Foods collection applies the same principle. We visit producers ourselves. We taste before we order. If a product cannot beat its supermarket equivalent in a blind tasting, it does not make the shelf. That is why this collection is deliberately smaller than a typical UK online gourmet retailer's range and why repeat customers are the largest share of our orders.

Our Stamford, Lincolnshire shop stocks most of the range for in-person browsing and refill where applicable. Orders over £150 ship free across the UK. Read more about our sourcing philosophy on the about our products page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes vomFASS gourmet foods different from supermarket versions?

Smaller producers, shorter supply chains, real ingredients rather than flavour concentrates and sugar syrups. Every product is hand-selected by taste by our team before it is added to the range. We source from across Europe, not from a single distributor, so you get a different set of producers from the consolidated brands that dominate UK supermarket shelves.

Where are these products produced?

Mostly small-batch family producers across Italy (pastas, pestos, truffles, bruschetta), France (mustards, Calvados-based spreads), Germany (spice blends, chocolates), the UK (some chutneys, BBQ rubs), and Spain (olives and paprika-based products). Each product page lists the specific producer and origin.

Do the spice blends and rubs contain allergens or gluten?

Most are gluten-free and allergen-light by default, but each product page lists the full ingredient declaration and allergen statement in UK-compliant format. Check the product page before purchase if you have specific dietary needs.

How long do these products keep?

Dry spice blends keep for one to two years if stored cool, dark and tightly sealed. Opened chutneys, mustards and sauces keep refrigerated for roughly three months. Chocolates and truffles are at their best within two to three months of purchase. Every product carries a UK best-before or use-by date.

Can I refill jars or order bulk sizes?

For the wider oil, vinegar and spirit ranges the refill concept applies in our Stamford shop. Most packaged gourmet foods here are sold in their producer's original sealed packaging and are not refillable. For bulk or corporate gifting, see the corporate gifting collection.

Do you deliver these products across the UK?

Yes. Free UK delivery on orders over £150. Standard delivery on smaller orders. We ship to all of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

For oils to pair with these gourmet foods, see the complete All Oils collection.

For cold-pressed nut and seed oils to drizzle on finished dishes, see our Seed and Nut Oils collection.

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