IN THE PRESS

Each jar of Hampstead Farm's delicious cooking sauces are packed with the finest ingredients and have absolutely no added salt. Available in four varieties - Ginger and Lime, Red Chilli and Ginger and Madras and Arrabiata - every jar is suitable for vegetarians, vegans and coeliacs. The blends of natural seasonings, including herbs, spices and lemon juice mean salt isn't needed to bring out the fantastic flavours.

The sauces can be used in a whole host of recipes: match the tangy Ginger and Lime with grilled tuna steaks and serve up accompanied by a delicious crisp salad to impress dinner guests. Or for a dish that packs more of a punch, combine the Madras with chicken and vegetables to create tasty curry. Each sauce also works well as a marinade, opening up further recipe possibilities.

A new company in the marketplace, Hampstead Farm is championing salt-free food in the UK, with the launch of its first range of unique ambient cooking sauces.

Created using a blend of natural seasonings instead of salt, the new products feature four flagship sauces - Red Chilli and Ginger, Ginger and Lime, Madras and Arrabiata - a different category for chefs using 'free from' ingredients.

"Our sauces offer a great taste with the unique benefit of no added salt" said founder Kevin Stone who has spent two years developing the Hampstead Farm range, and is working with leading UK condiments manufacturer Bennett Opie.

As a country we're very patriotic, championing national days of celebration for everything from our apples to our chips.

But this week we're flying the flag for National Salt Awareness Week (26 March - 1 April) and as 16 million people in the UK have high blood pressure, we should all pay attention - a message that must extend to retailers.

The latest figures show we consume more than 8.6 grams of salt each per day and that 75% of that salt is already contained in the foods bought from supermarkets.

National Salt Awareness Week is a chance to reassess the current offering in the no-salt free-from' grocery category - which is easier said than done.

The fact is that the current offering is non-existent. I know this because after suffering from extremely high blood pressure, I was ordered by consultants to cut salt from my diet. Scouring supermarket shelves I became baffled by the lack of no salt alternatives that would assist me in my bid to cut my salt levels and ultimately reduce my blood pressure.

What are the reasons for this overall lack of salt free options in our supermarkets? The main challenge to the proposition has to be the common perception that no salt ultimately means a lack of flavour and bland food.

At Hampstead Farm we know that all it takes is the careful combination of natural seasonings to create products that are just as flavoursome without any added salt - as demonstrated in our UK market-first completely salt-free range of four cooking sauces.

The pressure is on for supermarkets to respond by increasing their free-from sections and putting their focus on bringing salt-free products into the fold.

Although most supermarkets have undertaken work to reduce salt in their own-label products, we still have a way to go to achieve the ideal benchmark set by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in its 2011 report Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease - which called for the daily adult salt intake to drop to 6g by 2015 and 3 grams by 2025.

As it stands, standard cooking sauces in supermarket can contain up to 4g of salt in a 350g jar - which is extremely close to the total recommended daily intake for adults (at 6g), and the amount is even less for children. The report also states that achieving the stated level of salt reduction would lead to around 14,000 - 20,000 fewer deaths from cardiovascular disease.

The current government salt reduction targets are due to end in 2012 and so far no announcement has been made regarding the agreement of new salt reduction targets beyond 2012, so National Salt Awareness Week couldn't be more timely.

We know our range isn't going to cure the problem, but it certainly helps highlight the issue and will hopefully encourage the supermarkets to grow their 'free from' sections to include no salt products.

And as it's National Salt Awareness Week, take this chance to visit Kick the Pressure (www.kickthepressure.co.uk), a free online monitoring system that helps people control their blood pressure.

Kevin Stone is the Founder of salt free food brand, Hampstead Farm.

HAVE you ever thought about how much salt is in your food?

After a hospital scare, this week's Small Business Hero was told by doctors to sort out his high blood pressure.

So he decided to help other people's blood pressure scores as well, by creating salt-free ready-made sauces.

Name: Kevin Stone, 48, Brighton.

Business: Hampstead Farm is the first ever range of salt-free cooking sauces in the UK. Flavours include Ginger and Lime and Red Chilli and Ginger.

Inspiration: To help the 16million people in the UK who are suffering from high blood pressure, partly due to the high salt levels in the food.

A staggering 75 per cent of the salt we eat is already contained within the foods we buy off supermarket shelves.

How did it start? I was rushed to AandE suffering from extreme high blood pressure and given a stern warning to turn my life around - the first step being a dramatic change in diet.

After scouring supermarket shelves I couldn't find any salt free products to help my recovery, so I decided to create my own - at first using the vegetables in my own back garden.

Progress? Sauces are now outsourced using one of the UK's leading condiments manufacturer. Products are also gluten free, good for vegetarians, vegans and coeliacs.

I spend a lot of time on the road introducing the brand to buyers and consumers. I also manage kickthepressure.co.uk a free online monitoring service for people with high blood pressure.

Future? We have just secured a listing with Waitrose delivery service Ocado, products will be available by the end of this month.

We also have a lot of interest from potential export markets, it appears that concern over salt consumption is not restricted to the UK.

We are already looking at expanding the current range to include salt-free ready meals.

Top tips: Grasp opportunities in whatever form they come. It was certainly a very scary experience being rushed to AandE, but it gave me the opportunity to generate this business idea.

Any other business advice: Keep planning ahead and thinking of the next project. Hampstead Farm is just beginning and I can't wait to see the brand develop over time.

A new company in the grocery market, Hampstead Farm, is looking to champion salt-free foods in the UK, as it launches this month at Food and Drink Expo 2012 with the introduction of its first range of unique salt-free ambient cooking sauces.

Created using a blend of natural seasonings instead of salt, the Hampstead Farm product range features four flagship sauces – Red Chilli and Ginger, Ginger and Lime, Madras and Arrabiata – and is set to establish a completely new category within the supermarket 'free-from' section.

The UK-produced sauces offer a great taste with the unique benefit of no added salt. Other ambient products on the market can contain up to 4g of salt per 350g jar – the maximum recommended salt intake for adults is 6g a day, and less for children.

Founder Kevin Stone has spent the last two years developing the Hampstead Farm range, and will be working with leading UK condiments manufacturer, Bennett Opie, who will be manufacturing the sauce range for the company.

His inspiration for the salt-free sauces came after he was hospitalised with high blood pressure. Kevin said, "One of the main things I had to change about my lifestyle was to cut down my salt intake. When I started to look for salt-free foods in the supermarket, I found none. As a keen cook, I first started cooking the sauces with vegetables from my garden in Hampstead Road, Brighton … and from there the Hampstead Farm brand was born."

Available from the end of January, the Hampstead Farm Madras (RRP andpound;1.79) and Arrabiata (RRP andpound;1.89) sauces are produced in 350g jars, with Red Chilli and Ginger and the Ginger and Lime (RRP andpound;1.59) available in 260g jars. Kevin Stone continues, "The team has invested a lot of time getting the recipes just right, using a range of natural seasonings such as chilli, herbs and lemon juice, so that first and foremost they taste great. We wanted them to appeal to not only to people who have to cut down their salt, but also those who want to try and adopt a healthier way of eating for all of their family."

The company is currently in discussions with a number of leading retailers about listing the range, and is hoping that the products will sit alongside both the current mainstream ambient sauce offerings as well as creating a new salt-free section within the ever-growing 'free-from' category.

Brighton-based firm Hampstead Farm aims to woo health-conscious consumers with a four-strong range of salt-free cooking sauces the firm's founder believes could establish a new sub-category within 'free-from' retail offerings.

Hampstead Farm sauces are designed to appeal to consumers worried about salt intake Founder and director Kevin Stone said he had the inspiration for the products after being hospitalised with high blood pressure. "The doctor said, 'start exercising and cut down on salt consumption'."

However, when Stone began scrutinising restaurant menus and retailers' shelves for low salt products, he found his options were severely limited. This set him on the new product development track. "16M people in the UK have high blood pressure. People deserve to have a choice and they don't have it at the moment."

Natural seasonings

The range, which consists of Red Chilli and Ginger; Ginger and Lime; Madras; and Arrabiata variants, is being manufactured by fine food firm Bennett Opie, which is based in Sittingbourne, Kent. Stone said: "The team has invested a lot of time getting the recipes just right, using a range of natural seasonings such as chilli; herbs and lemon juice. We wanted them to appeal not only to people who have to cut down their salt, but also those who want to try to adopt a healthier way of eating for all of their family."

He wanted to create something that could be appreciated as a tasty, high quality product and preferred by people who had no related health concerns, he said. "Ideally I would like us to be on the shelf next to Lloyd Grossman sauces."

No set salt replacers were used. The company just took pains to include a balance of ingredients to provide a strong, blended flavour. "We started by making lots of different things.

Biggest hurdle

"It wasn't until a few months ago that we got things absolutely right. The biggest hurdle was giving that taste sensation." During taste trials in Brighton, "nobody knew there was no salt in the product", said Stone.

"We are hoping if things go well that we will bring in more products later. There are four sauces in the range at the moment. We will see how we go. If we are successful there are lots of things I would like to look at not just sauces, but it would be at least a year before we do anything else. There are also export possibilities."

Stone is in discussions with major retailers to establish product listings and aims to launch the sauces officially at the Food and Drink Expo trade show at Birmingham National Exhibition Centre. The event is being organised by William Reed Business Media and will take place on March 25–27..

A new company in the grocery market, Hampstead Farm is looking to champion salt-free foods in the UK, as it launches this month at Food and Drink Expo 2012 with the introduction of its first range of unique salt-free ambient cooking sauces.

Created using a blend of natural seasonings instead of salt, the Hampstead Farm product range features four flagship sauces – Red Chilli and Ginger, Ginger and Lime, Madras and Arrabiata - and is set to establish a completely new category within the supermarket 'free-from' section.

The UK-produced sauces offer a great taste with the unique benefit of no added salt. Other ambient products on the market can contain up to 4g of salt per 350g jar – the maximum recommended salt intake for adults is 6g a day, and less for children.

Founder Kevin Stone has spent the last two years developing the Hampstead Farm range, and will be working with leading UK condiments manufacturer, Bennett Opie, who will be manufacturing the sauce range for the company.

His inspiration for the salt-free sauces came after he was hospitalised with high blood pressure. Kevin said: "One of the main things I had to change about my lifestyle was to cut down my salt intake. When I started to look for salt-free foods in the supermarket, I found none. As a keen cook, I first started cooking the sauces with vegetables from my garden in Hampstead Road, Brighton... and from there the Hampstead Farm brand was born."

Available from the end of January, the Hampstead Farm Madras (RRP £1.79) and Arrabiata (RRP £1.89) sauces are produced in 350g jars, with Red Chilli and Ginger and the Ginger and Lime (RRP £1.59) available in 260g jars.

A new company in the grocery market, Hampstead Farm is hoping to champion salt-free foods in the UK, as it launches this month at Food and Drink Expo 2012 with the introduction of its first range of unique salt-free ambient cooking sauces.

Created using a blend of natural seasonings instead of salt, the product range features four flagship sauces - Red Chilli and Ginger, Ginger and Lime, Madras and Arrabiata.

The brand aims to establish a completely new category within the supermarket 'free-from' section.

The UK-produced sauces offer the unique benefit of no added salt.

The sauces offer the unique benefit of no added salt Other ambient products on the market can contain up to 4g of salt per 350g jar - the maximum recommended salt intake for adults is 6g a day, and less for children.

Founder Kevin Stone has spent the last two years developing the Hampstead Farm range, and will be working with leading UK condiments manufacturer, Bennett Opie, who will be manufacturing the sauce range for the company.

His inspiration for the salt-free sauces came after he was hospitalised with high blood pressure.

Kevin said: "One of the main things I had to change about my lifestyle was to cut down my salt intake.

"When I started to look for salt-free foods in the supermarket, I found none. As a keen cook, I first started cooking the sauces with vegetables from my garden in Hampstead Road, Brighton, and from there the Hampstead Farm brand was born."

Available from the end of January, the Hampstead Farm Madras (RRP andpound;1.79) and Arrabiata (RRP andpound;1.89) sauces are produced in 350g jars, with Red Chilli and Ginger and the Ginger and Lime (RRP andpound;1.59) available in 260g jars.

Kevin Stone continued: "The team has invested a lot of time getting the recipes just right, using a range of natural seasonings such as chilli, herbs and lemon juice, so that first and foremost they taste great.

Hampstead Farm has launched its first range of unique salt-free ambient cooking sauces in the UK. The product range includes four flagship sauces - Red Chilli and Ginger, Ginger and Lime, Madras and Arrabiata.

According to the company, the new sauce range was created using using a blend of natural seasonings such as chilli, herbs and lemon juice, instead of salt.

The new range was developed over a period of two years by Hampstead Farm founder Kevin Stone. UK condiments company Bennett Opie will be manufacturing the sauce range, reported Fdin.org.uk.

Kevin Stone said the company is currently in discussions with several retailers about listing the range, and is hoping that the products will be placed alongside both the current mainstream ambient sauce offerings as well as creating a new salt-free section within the ever growing 'free-from' category.

The Hampstead Farm Madras (andpound;1.79) and Arrabiata (andpound;1.89) sauces are produced in 350g jars, while the Red Chilli and Ginger and the Ginger and Lime (andpound;1.59) available in 260g jars.

A start-up business has claimed a UK first with a new range of four salt-free ambient cooking sauces.

Hampstead Farm has launched two stir-fry sauces, in Red Chilli and Ginger and Ginger and Lime flavours (rsp: andpound;1.59/260g), alongside a Madras curry sauce (rsp: andpound;1.79/350g) and an arrabiata pasta sauce (andpound;1.89/350g).

The range, which is produced by UK manufacturer Bennett Opie, is aimed at people with high blood pressure and features a 'Kick the Pressure' logo directing consumers to a website where they can track and manage blood pressure.

It contained "punchy" seasonings instead of salt, said Hampstead Farm founder Kevin Stone, who developed the range after being hospitalised with high blood pressure and struggling to find salt-free foods on supermarket shelves.

"People have got into a habit of expecting salt, so the industry is scared to take it out," he said. "We're starting from a different place."

Stone, who began cooking the sauces with vegetables from his own garden in Hampstead Road in Brighton, is currently discussing listings with retailers and hopes to position the brand alongside mainstream ambient sauces. He is also interested in championing a salt-free section within the free-from category.

"We would like to sit alongside regular sauces as we believe they stand up on taste," he said, adding that Hampstead Farm had the potential to extend into other categories such as ready meals in the future.

New brand Hampstead Farm has unveiled a range of salt-free ambient cooking sauces. The sauces – red chilli and ginger, ginger and lime, madras and arrabiatta – have been created using a blend of herbs, spices and lemon juice.

Founder Kevin Stone said the idea for the range came to him after he was hospitalised with high blood pressure. He said: "We want them [the sauces] to appeal not only to people who have to cut down their salt, but also those who want to adopt a healthier way of eating for all of their family."

A personal brush with high blood pressure led Hampstead Farm founder, Kevin Stone, to drastically alter his diet. Struggling to find low-sodium cooking sauces in the supermarket, Stone set out to make his own. Hampstead Farm now produces four cooking sauces that have no added salt, no preservatives and are gluten free. The range includes a ginger and lime stir-fry sauce, a madras curry base and a spicy arrabiata pasta sauce.

According to the company’s website, when the products were tested on Brighton locals, 99% of those surveyed were happy with the salt levels of the sauces - despite none being added.

View the whole article Reducing salt in processed food

Food allergies and intolerances are affecting a growing number of families in the UK. For example, one in 100 people is estimated to suffer from coeliac disease, a painful and debilitating autoimmune codition triggered by the gluten in wheat, barley and rye. Yet it is not easy to find gluten-free alternatives. Until now.

Our new Free From shop has more than 500 top quality products specially made for people who need to avoid or limit their intake of certain ingredients, such as gluten, lactose, eggs, suger or salt. Here's just a tiny taster of the new range.

If you are worried about the amount of salt in your diet and the affects on your health, you may be interested in an new range of vegan-friendly cooking sauces.

Hampstead Farm have launched the UK's first-ever cooking sauce range with no added salt, inspired after their founder Kevin Stone was hospitalised with high blood pressure. He points out that some cooking sauces can contain as much as 4-5g of salt in a 350g jar - close to the total recommended daily intake for adults which is 6g.

Hampstead Farm's three sauces use a blend of natural seasonings instead of salt and include Red Chilli and Ginger, Ginger and Lime, Madras and Arriabata sauces. They cost from £1.69 to £1.99 for a 260g or 350g jar, depending on the variety, and are available from www.hampsteadfarm.co.uk and Ocado.

A new company in the grocery market, Hampstead Farm is looking to champion salt-free foods in the UK with the introduction of its first range of unique salt-free ambient cooking sauces.

Created using a blend of natural seasonings instead of salt, the Hampstead Farm product range features four flagship sauces - Red Chilli and Ginger, Ginger and Lime, Madras and Arrabiata - and is set to establish a completely new category within the supermarket 'free-from section'.

The UK-produced sauces offer a great taste with the unique benefit of no added salt. Other ambient products on the market can contain up to 4g of salt per 350g jar - the maximum recommended salt intake for adults is 6g a day, and less for children.

Founder Kevin Stone has spent the last two years developing the Hampstead Farm range, and will be working with leading UK condi-ments manufacturer, Bennett Opie, who will be manufacturing the sauce range for the company.

His inspiration for the salt-free sauces came after he was hospitalised with high blood pressure.

Kevin said: "One of the main things I had to change about my lifestyle was to cut down my salt intake. When I started to look for salt-free foods in the supermarket, I found none. As a keen cook, I first started cooking the sauces with vegetables from my garden in Hampstead Road, Brighton ... and from there the Hampstead Farm brand was born."

The Hampstead Farm Madras and Arrabiata sauces are produced in 350g jars, with Red Chilli and Ginger and the Ginger and Lime available in 260g jars.

Kevin Stone continues: "The team has invested a lot of time getting the recipes just right, using a range of natural seasonings such as chilli, herbs and lemon juice, so that first and foremost they taste great. We wanted them to appeal not only to people who have to cut down their salt, but also those who want to try and adopt a healthier way of eating for all of their family."

The company is currently in discussions with a number of leading retailers about listing the range, and is hoping that the products will sit alongside both the current mainstream ambient sauce offerings as well as creating a new salt-free section within the ever growing 'free-from' category.

… With limited shelf space, it's a real quandary. What are retailers supposed to do with the wealth of new products launched in the past year, not to mention the significant number of free-from products already available?

Branded suppliers will be particularly interested in the opportunities surrounding Ocado's new shop in a shop for free-from products, the biggest one-stop shop in the UK. Launched in May, on the back of 40% year-on-year growth in the free-from category, the site hosts in excess of 500 products and features a unique filtering-by-allergy system.

Ocado provides a great route to market for smaller suppliers, at a time when the incursion of both the supermarkets and mainstream suppliers such as Warburtons and Finsbury Foods is altering the make- up of the supply base. Ocado head of grocery retail Lawrence Hene promises: Ocado's webshop will include big brands like Thorntons and Alara as well as niche suppliers like Hampstead Farm and Jealous confectionery, and offers customers everything from essentials to speciality items.

So just how big can the free-from market become? Can free-from products enter the mainstream? With new routes to market and incredible advances in quality, the barriers to entry are slowly but surely being removed. And as we've seen, manufacturers are targeting the free-from market with their regular products...

… To make a ‘reduced salt’ claim, manufacturers have to cut salt levels by 30%, which the FDF said was hard to do if the salt content had already been reduced. “It will be increasingly difficult to produce similar products with such a large difference in salt content,” said FDF director of food safety and science Barbara Gallani.

This sentiment was expressed by suppliers in a government report published last month that revealed many, including United Biscuits and Kraft, were falling behind pledged reductions. UB said it expected to reach 25% of its 2012 salt targets, blaming “significant technical challenges” associated with cutting salt further without compromising taste.

Kevin Stone, MD of Hampstead Farm, which makes sauces with no added salt, said suppliers had become reticent to reduce salt levels, especially having seen reformulations result in lower sales. “Producers have got cold feet about lowering salt content,” he said.

The FDF added that suppliers may also have been put off making claims about salt because of regulatory uncertainty.