Calder’s Kitchen was formed by Andrew Calder in 2015. We started making Piccalilli in our family kitchen after discovering Andrew’s late Granddad, Charlie’s favourite family recipe and deciding to ‘give it a go’. After quickly realising our classic, traditional condiment was vastly different from modern day mainstream piccalilli we developed our Chillililli – piccalilli with a sweet chilli glow – and Sillylilli – Indian spiced hot and spicy Piccalilli and took our small range out to farmer’s markets to test on the North East public!

We now have a range of seven pickles and chutneys and supply independent food and drink retailers, garden centres, farm shops, grocers and food halls, as well as 2kg catering jars for kitchens and events. We would love to find a couple of local businesses in or near MIT to stock our products and/or use in the kitchen!

We are suppliers to Beamish Museum, the recently opened Hopetown Museum in Darlington and earlier this year became members of the Association of Cultural Enterprise where will be exhibiting at their trade show and networking event in March 2025!

In August 2024 we have won a Guild of Fine Food Great Taste 2-Star award for Charlie’s Perfect Piccalilli, a Farmshop & Deli Gold Award for Chillililli earlier in the year and our Beetroot Chutney has recently become a finalist in the Great British Food Awards.

Other notable awards include Great Taste 2-Stars for our Spicy Tomato Chutney in 2022, Farmshop & Deli Silver award for Sillylilli and Great Taste Awards for Chillililli & Sillylilli in 2020.

As well as at the Middleton-in-Teesdale farmer’s market, you can find Andrew and the team out and about at some of County Durham’s biggest festivals and Christmas markets including: Bishop Auckland Food Festival, Seaham Food Festival, Raby Castle summer and Christmas events and the Durham Festive Market.