Bartlett, Sinek and Netherton.

Preamble. Ignore if you don’t care for my thoughts on business

You may have come across Steven Bartlett before, perhaps because you're a Dragons Den fan, He’s obviously successful in the generally accepted meaning of the term (which usually means someone is good at making money, in his case, lots of it)*. He also does a regular podcast (called “Diary of a CEO”) on subjects various . Some of them are about things that we rarely talk about, things that are taboo in our somewhat unbalanced society, and I rather like that!

 

I came across him by chance, purely because a friend sent me a link to his podcast where he is interviewing one of my favourite people, Simon Sinek.. and she thought I might be interested, as indeed I am!

And if you are getting bored with me talking about Mr Sinek and his views on leadership I’ll say this. Le Creuset, Riedel and Demeyere  are all examples of people / companies who know their “Why” (reason for getting out of bed in the morning) have an infinite (long term) approach to what they do and as a result make a real difference in their lives and in ours as well. And that’s simply because their products are better than the norm, sometimes markedly so. For example, if you have indulged in a Demeyere Saucier and discovered how much easier it is to produce sauces that are silky smooth and lump free, or you drink your favourite Pinot Noir from a Riedel Burgundy glass or have presented your guests with a casserole cooked in a Le Creuset shallow casserole, you will know the difference that these (admittedly expensive) products have made to your cooking and your ability to savour taste! This doesn’t come about by accident       

And I think, therefore, that these somewhat “out of the mould” people deserve to be talked about, partly because, in the case of Simon Sinek, he really is trying to change the way we think about business (he says “Infinite Thinking” is long term and necessary for a business to survive) and he believes strongly that people who have a right to enjoy what they do, come to work with a spring in their step, feel stimulated, safe and valued when there, and go home at the end of the day feeling that they have contributed to something greater than the sum of the parts….a Just Cause in fact. And for Le Creuset, Riedel and Demeyere, because they have a cause that is to help us cook better tastier food and or in Riedel’s case to enhance every glass we drink, then that they do this, and do it so well is most definitely worth trying to understand.

Having just reread what I’ve said in the opening paragraphs I’m not entirely sure I’ve been as clear as I might, so if you find you have more questions from what you’ve just read, than answers,  either reply to this email by clicking HERE and ask me, or order a copy of “The Infinite Game” which for me was an inspiring and riveting read.

*--Why do we persist in judging success by the earning capacity of an individual. Should we not take their qualities as a person, and in Steven’s case, qualities as an employer, into account, his generosity in time and thought, his ability to provide safe stimulating work environments where everyone can thrive and develop as individuals, to name just a few of the characteristics that I prize highly in others and aspire to myself.

Netherton Foundry back in stock!

Now, this week, the reason I’m featuring Netherton Foundry cookware is because it is an excellent product and we’ve just had a delivery from them, the first in a long time, which means we have quite reasonable stocks. I’m going to take a short cut now and repeat some of what I told you about this great brand back in September last year, just after we’d received out first delivery. (if you want to know more then you may read my original email by clicking HERE or go to archive emails in the blog HERE

So ,what are they like in use. Well, I've been using their 26cm (10") Frying Pan since May this year (2021) for my Saturday lunch fry up and I love it. I do bacon first, quite hot (no. 7) on our induction hob and I do use a drop of corn oil to stop the bacon sticking if it's the very thinly cut stuff, and then fry the eggs at a touch higher temperature, to give them a lovely golden colour on the underside and a slightly crispy edge....perfection. Some hot buttered toast, freshly ground salt and pepper and a cup of Earl Grey, what more could you want? The pan performs faultlessly, allowing the fried eggs to release almost as if it were a non-stick pan and so much more flavour than when cooked on non-stick. The only other pan that produces this effect is our 28cm Demeyere 7 ply frying pan, but that of course is three or four times the price.

After I've finished with it, if there is no "slave" around to clear up after me, then I wash it up carefully, that's to say I'm reasonably careful to not remove the "Patina" that I'm gradually building up on the surface of the pan which is what makes it so non-stick in use. When it's new don't wash it up, either at all (wipe with a paper towel), or only fairly cursorily to allow the seasoning/patina to really establish itself. If you do get something badly burnt on you can be pretty cavalier in your approach, a metal fish slice will do it, but try not to scrape down to the iron or the food will tend to stick around this area for a while until the seasoning has built up again.

Browse all Netherton Foundry

In my original email, I’d said this about the sort of cook I think these pans are going to attract…

There are probably two or three reasons for this (Netherton Foundry's) success and therefore the long delivery times. Firstly they are riding a wave of interest in cooking generally and secondly they have been greatly helped by the desire of more and more people to "buy once" and that's it, for life. They have also been helped by the desire of those same people to get away from everlasting plastic coated cookware, in other words non-stick coated cookware, partly because it can't last like an uncoated pan, partly for health reasons (although these days there are few, if any, risks associated with modern non sticks). And partly because a non-stick coated pan can never produce the same level of taste that an uncoated one can. Are there hordes of people just clamouring for uncoated "last a lifetime" cookware? I sort of doubt it, I think it's the province of the enthusiastic cook/chef who has a reasonable level of experience and perhaps cooks regularly on uncoated surfaces (e.g. Le Creuset cast iron, or Demeyere Atlantis). So if you are one these then I have a bit of a treat for you. If you are more of a beginner, but willing to make a few mistakes, by which I mean, the odd undercooked or carbonised meal, then ditto.

Browse all Netherton Foundry

No Offer, just a threat…

I don’t have an offer for you this week, but there was a price increase last month which we have yet to implement, so if you buy now, you will be paying pre May 2022 prices! And I know this sounds like sales talk, but please don’t leave it too long because I don’t know when we’ll get our next delivery. And do remember our guarantee. If you try it and don’t get on with it, we can either tell you what to do “to sort it”, a  euphemism for telling you where you’ve gone wrong, or we’ll happily give you a refund.

The choice is yours.

That’s it for this week, I hope you have a lovely Jubilee Weekend despite the weather.

Kind regards
 

Andrew

Andrew Bluett-Duncan

Director