Feedback with Guy Tullberg

Feedback with Guy Tullberg

Meet the man behind preserves company Tracklements.

Specialising in high-quality condiments, including sauces, chutneys, and relishes Tracklements has maintained a strong reputation for producing high quality, artisan products under Guy's wing. He has helped the company expand slowly while staying true to its commitment to sustainability and craftsmanship. 

Here Guy tells us why he likes making one pot recipes, why he is adventurous at trying new foods and lets us in on a surprising Tracklements ingredient that goes with vanilla ice cream!

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What food always reminds you of your childhood?

Marmite on toast, and I guess Marmite fingers and then Marmite fingers and boiled eggs. That's the one!

Do you cook, and if so, what do you like to cook?

I’ve always been able to pick up stuff and go for it, my father ran a restaurant, and I helped him out sometimes in the summer, so I'm never worried about food or ingredients. I'm very much a ‘one pot’ cook, it has little washing up! I love making proper baked beans and anything that I can stick in a big casserole and just leave to cook. I remember watching my father and he always cooked with his hands, he would grab the meat or fish, and he'd pat and push down in the pan using his hands and he was very un-recipe motivated but enjoyed his cooking, so that’s rubbed off on me.

Do you have a current favourite restaurant or type of restaurant?

Yes, I love Quo Vadis in Dean Street in London. I love Jeremy Lee's cooking, and although I think the description of modern British is slightly outdated, I really like that sort of style of food, I think modern British can equally be as good as any French style food.

What food or ingredient couldn't you live without?

Now this this sounds a bit hackneyed but it's going to be whole grain mustard, it’s something I always turn to, it's been in my life since I was a nipper so that's the one ingredient I couldn't do without. I love anchovies too so I couldn’t manage without them either.

At the end of a long day what’s your quick supper who cooks it for you?

This is where the anchovies come in, I will make Puttanesca, I just love those bold flavours. I will happily cook it myself, although my wife is a much better cook than me

Are you a recipe follower?

Rarely. If I cut something out of the paper that I’ve never made before then I will follow it, but the things I know like puttanesca no, I just get on and do it.

Tracklements was awarded B-corp status, what does that mean to you?

We've always talked about the business being a good citizen even before B-corp.  I think that it allows the business an opportunity to live and breathe and have a series of processes and rules by which it must live and breathe. It's not just about the environment, it's about how we look after the people as well as the planet. What's important is that it’s not about me it's about the whole business living and breathing and that's what B-corp means to me. We’re very proud that we're one of the few manufacturing businesses to be so. We’ve recently re-certified, increasing our score by 10 points and I'm really pleased that we can share it with the whole business. So that's what it is about, being a good citizen and making the business be a good citizen in its community

Are you constantly expanding Tracklements?

We call ourselves the slowest expanding business in the UK! My father would always say we can only expand at the speed of our suppliers. For example, we currently buy 40 tons of horseradish from our supplier, all British grown in Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire. If we'd gone to that supplier 35 years ago and said, can we have 40 tons he would have thought we were joking, but he’s grown with us. We didn’t go into a supermarket until 15 years ago, Tracklements was only available farm shops and small delis, they are our absolute bread and butter and our biggest customers. So, we gently expand the business never really getting too carried away and just keep making good stuff and making it a really good place to work.  

Is there a food or dish a Tracklements condiment goes with that would surprise us?

Yes. Chilli jam with vanilla ice cream! You can’t put it with a flavoured ice cream, it must be vanilla. We've also made chilli jam doughnuts.

What’s the most memorable meal you can remember eating?

 I think the most memorable food is always when it’s eaten outside. Mine is sitting on a beach in Cornwall with my family with half a lobster that we grilled and a bag of chips. It’s very happy place for all of us.

Is there something you always keep in the fridge?

Cheese. I love cheese and I love this revolution in British cheeses and that's fantastic. You can do so much with it if you're cooking or just having a little snack.

What would be your last supper if you can have anything and where would you eat it?

Chicken livers, I think they're the food of the gods. I can remember eating them the first time when I was about 9 or 10 and I was in the south of France with my father and saw foie de poulet on the menu and thought well, that’s chicken. My father never said anything he was always about being adventurous in food. So, chicken livers and then it would have to be grilled lobster tail with mayonnaise, then I'd like a cheese trolley, not a cheese board. They used to have them in restaurants, the cheese trolley would get rolled out and you could try all the different cheeses. So, mine would have an assortment of cheeses and strengths. I’d wash my last supper down with a white Burgundy which I love.