Limited Edition is a free business skills course which we at Gloucestershire Gateway Trust created in collaboration with Gloucester Services to give aspiring food producers within the communities we work alongside the opportunity to create a product from scratch to be sold in the Farmshops of the motorway services.
Gloucester Academy x Hetty’s Kitchen presents…the Fudgey Crunch Brownie!
Now in it’s fourth year, the 2025 Limited Edition has just hit the Gloucester Services Farmshops and it’s delicious! After the success of working with Gloucester Academy in 2024, this year a new group from Year 9 completed the Limited Edition course and working alongside Gloucester Services customer favourite Hetty’s Kitchen – they created the Fudgey Crunch Brownie!
Hetty, founder of Hetty’s Kitchen said:
“I’ve absolutely loved working with the students on this! II thought it would be quite a challenge to come up with something we’ve not done before given that we’ve got over 200 flavours in our archives, but they did it!I hope the students are very proud of themselves. I have a feeling this will be a best seller!”
Lucy Blick, Associate Assistant Head Teacher at Gloucester Academy said: “I cannot express enough how much of a difference the Limited Edition ‘brownie project’ between Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, Gloucester Services and Hetty’s Kitchen, has made for our students. We’ve seen their confidence bloom week after week through dedicated tuition and inspiring visits. It’s truly heartwarming to witness not only their personal growth but also tangible improvements like increased school attendance. We are incredibly grateful to Gloucestershire Gateway Trust for their invaluable support in making such a transformative difference in our students’ lives.”
As part of our unique partnership, the Limited-Edition course was created by Gloucestershire Gateway Trust and Gloucester Services, to inspire and give opportunities to aspiring food producers of the future, particularly in the communities we work alongside.
The Fudgey Crunch Brownie will be on sale exclusively in the Gloucester Services Farmshops as a Limited Edition product from June 2025. This Limited Edition course was funded by One Gloucestershire with the support of the Gloucestershire Employment and Skills Hub, and delivered with help from The Engine CIC and Fair Shares Community Timebanks.
Smokin’ Beets: Gloucester Academy X Tubby Tom’s
In 2024 our third course saw a brand new sauce launch into the Farmshops, created by a group of Year 9 students from local secondary school Gloucester Academy, working alongside Gloucestershire food entrepreneur Tom Hughes of Tubby Tom’s, together creating Smokin’ Beets!
Described as “deliciously smoky beetroot ketchup that rocks on brunches, lunches and dinners!”, at a recent taste testing a Gloucester Services customer described it as “so good with chips I had to wrestle it off my daughter”.
Lucy Blick, Associate Assistant Head Teacher at Gloucester Academy said:
“The Year 9 pupils involved with the project ranged from a variety of backgrounds, attainment, attendance and friendship groups, but all applied to take part in this opportunity to propel their business skills. The impact is arguably immeasurable, from a shy group of students with seemingly nothing in common to now a supportive team who feel confident articulating their ideas to both peers and adult stakeholders alike. We as a community are so grateful for this opportunity.”
The course may have also sparked some future entrepreneurs, as one student said:
“I’ve always had an idea for running a business, it’s always been at the back of my mind, but this has really encouraged it.”
Jason Dunsford, Head of Neighbourhood Learning and Work at Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, said:
“We’re really proud to have worked closely with Gloucester Academy over a number of years, supporting them with their careers provision and community engagement. It’s the school where many young people from our target communities go, so it is essential that it’s doing well and providing the best start in life for its students.
Of course Smokin’ Beets is an amazing product and I will be stocking up, but what we’re most proud of is the commitment, energy, and innovation we’ve seen from the young people involved. We’re so proud of them and, who knows, perhaps we’ll be stocking products from their own businesses in a few years’ time!”
Smokin’ Beets will be on sale exclusively in the Gloucester Services Farmshops as a Limited Edition product from June 2024. This Limited Edition course was funded by One Gloucestershire with the support of the Gloucestershire Employment and Skills Hub, and delivered with help from The Engine CIC and Fair Shares Community Timebanks.
A unique loaf hits the bread table
Our second Limited Edition course in the summer 2023 saw four local aspiring food producers – two with their own fledgling businesses – create an incredibly unique bread product – the Milk Loaf with Fenugreek.
The team’s inspiration for a milk loaf stemmed from childhood memories of light and fluffy freshly baked bread growing up in Kenya, adding fenugreek for its health benefits and to acknowledge the diversity of Gloucester, and the team themselves.
Once again the participants had the opportunity to learn product development and business skills – from costing, to pitching and launching – skills that they could later use for their own businesses. We teamed up with one of Gloucester Services customer favourites – Hobbs House Bakery – who provided lots of inspiration and advice to the group, and went on to produce the loaf for sale in the Farmshops. Between September and December 2023, the Limited Edition Milk Loaf with Fenugreek sold over 600 loaves.
Originally from the Philippines, Viva O’Flynn moved to the UK in 2018 and started her own business.
Viva said: “I’m grateful for the opportunity to develop my business skills for free, it has been inspiring and life changing. I have been to Gloucester Services many times and imagined what it would be like to have my products sold there. Taking part in the Limited Course has helped me to understand what buyers are looking for and I have learnt so much from the tutor and the other participants. I wish more people could experience this course.”
Now they’re scone
Our first Limited Edition course in 2022 – which was also run in collaboration with Gloucester Services and Hobbs House Bakery – saw participants from the GEM Project create the ‘GEM Scones’, which celebrated local produce with the use of local apples and Double Gloucester cheese in the ingredients.
Participant Rich, a former rugby player and coach who signed up to the GEM Project after he was diagnosed with health problems that affected his mental and physical health.
“When I first started the course, I was very nervous and unsure what to expect. After four solid weeks of tutoring from Charlie Marwood of the Engine on various key business points and strategies I felt both me and the group all developed well in business and our confidence grew enough to produce a tasty item for sale at the services.”
The GEM Scones were on sale as a Limited Edition product in the Gloucester Services Farmshop during November and December 2022 and sold over 600 packs.
Making dreams a reality
Both courses have been possible thanks to a fantastic collaboration with Hobbs House Bakery, who have been an integral part of the participants learning, as well as being part of the judging panel and most importantly, producing the final product.
The courses have been delivered by local social enterprise The Engine CIC who are based in Dursley.
Producers of the future
Are you a Gloucestershire-based aspiring producer – be that food, lifestyle products or other items – and feel you would benefit from improving your business skills and taking part in a future Limited Edition course? You can email us at office@ggtrust.org to register your interest or find out more.
Follow us
Our policies
Get in touch
Copyright Gloucestershire Gateway Trust 2025. Registered charity no. 1140440. Company limited by guarantee number 6857427. VAT registration no. 507 5061 12.
