The Northern Ingredient is known as Oswaldtwistle Mills’ ‘Gourmet Visitor Experience.’  You could also say this is where you can buy ‘Proper Nosh’ – well, you are in Lancashire! Harking back to simpler times, three family-run enterprises enthusiastically provide locally sourced and specialist food and drink prepared with traditional methods and with the emphasis on taste and quality. 

The Crumbly Cheese Deli, Ye Olde Sausage Shop and Rainhall Drinks Company have created a foodies’ haven: their counters, shelves and tasting tables a vibrant celebration of what’s been dubbed the ‘real food revival.’  

The best-seller at The Crumbly Cheese Deli is, perhaps not surprisingly, Lancashire Crumbly and Creamy.  But have you ever tried smoked Lancashire?  Or the sought-after Blacksticks Blue, made at Butlers Farm in Preston.  Maybe your favourite is Wensleydale with apricot, or with ginger and mango; or maybe it will be, after you’ve had a taste during your visit!  The Deli has a superb range of olives, too; stuffed chilli peppers with feta, sweet African picante peppers and, let’s not forget their hand-raised pork pies, Mrs Bridges chutneys, locally produced honey (made by the bees of Bolton), the very special and versatile Lancashire Sauce (made by Entwistles of Ramsbottom) and a great range of cheese boards and cheese knives.

The proprietors of 'Ye Olde Sausage Shop' have had a busy couple of years. Having already won 8 golds at the North West BPEX sausage competitions in 2007, they won again in 2008 with 9 Golds to their name and were also crowned North West Champions with their Cumberland Beef, horseradish and mustard sausage. In 2008 they were also asked to represent the North west in the UKTV's 'Food Hero' competition and were highly commended by Gary Rhodes. The business is striving forward selling top quality produce sourced from local suppliers. If there is one thing they are not short of it's good ideas and good advice.

Ye Olde Sausage Shop also offer a variety of Slimming World endorsed 'SYN FREE' products which include Syn Free Pork, Sweet Chilli, Garlic, Turkey Seasalt and Beef sausages. Cumberland sausages which are new for 2009 are only 1/2 syn per 100g. Also included in the Syn Free range are beef burgers, turkey burgers and turkey vegetable meatballs. The owner and staff at Ye Olde Sausage Shop are highly skilled and all Slimming World products are prepared to the highest possible standards.

Ye Olde Sausage shop are happy to offer advice on how to cook and prepare all there products, but there is one thing for certain they won't do which is to reveal there secret recipies!

Rainhall Drinks Company is a recent newcomer to the Mills, behind it, husband and wife team Alan and Penny.  This award-winning duo whose off-licence recently beat major supermarkets to become ‘Best Beer Retailer’ are already making quite an impression.  They are at the vanguard of a trend to treat beer like wine – matching beer to food and using specially shaped glasses to enhance the flavour.  You’ll find 200 different types of bottled beers, lagers and cider on their shelves and that, says Alan, is just a starting point.  Local favourites include Copper Dragon, from Skipton, beers from Bolton’s Bank Top Brewery and Lancashire’s own Bowland Brewery’s beers.  All this before we’ve even mentioned the fabulous array of wines, presided over by Penny; the whiskies, ports and sherries and the rather special Gosset champagne, hard to find outside Harrods!  Rainhall Drinks also create gift hampers to order, stock beer made by Trappist monks, Yorkshire crisps in tins...and, of course, run regular samplings!  

Whilst we’re on the food theme, it can’t go unmentioned that the last port of call for many of our visitors, located near the exit, is Tasty Corner.  Run by the Deli, this area is full of ‘sugar and spice and everything nice’.  Here you’ll find Mrs Bridges jams and marmalades, Reedy’s jams, home-made right here in Oswaldtwistle (try the delicious Strawberry, Cointreau and Chocolate Mint Jam), Huntley’s ice-cream, parkin, plum bread, chocolate slab cake and, for what is cake without tea, traditional Lancashire tea.  There is an excellent range of diabetic jams, biscuits and cakes – and gluten-free treats too. 

The Northern Ingredient – real food and real Northern enthusiasm for food!