It has been evident this year that Woolworths and The Test Kitchen and the Pot Luck Club Chef and owner Luke Dale-Roberts have a business relationship, which began last Christmas when Chef Luke designed a Christmas food range for the retailer. He has repeated the collaboration this year, and also featured in every issue of Taste, the Woolworths magazine, this year!
We have been told that Chef Luke designed the Christmas range, and that Woolworths’ suppliers prepare it to his specifications. Chef Luke is said to make spot visits to the suppliers, to check on the preparation of the close to 20 products in the range. Anyone who thought that Chef Luke has slaved over the stove for the Woolworths’ range would be disappointed. The packaging is not very clear on the issue, the products carrying the LUKE DALE ROBERTS sub brand, the first name type size being substantially larger that that of his surname. One wonders how many Woolworths shoppers, other than the Taste readers and dare one say ‘foodies’, will know who Chef Luke is. The packaging says: ‘We love bringing you fabulous new taste sensations. We’re thrilled to have enticed (our underlining) celebrated chef Luke Dale-Roberts, owner of The Test Kitchen and Pot Luck Club, to collaborate with us on this special range‘! We are sure that Woolworths made the ‘collaboration’ financially viable, given that Chef Luke is doubling the size of both his restaurants, and that he is considering opening on Long Street too.
What is surprising is the poor quality of the packaging design, the gold type not standing out well on the black packaging. The food titles are long in most cases, which means that the type size has to be smaller to fit everything in. There is no overall branding in the fridge displaying the range, and one could miss the fridge and its contents if one was not looking for it specifically. I had to ask a manager to show me the section in the V&A Waterfront branch, and he volunteered that the range is very expensive, and selling slowly! In winter we found some leftover ice cream from the 2011 Christmas range in the freezer of the Hout Bay Woolworths store. It would have helped if a Christmas menu were to be available at the shelves, to encourage one to buy more items in the range. Even at the shelf it is difficult to get an overview of all the products in the range, given the poor pack design.
The Luke Dale-Roberts Woolworths range is the following (with grateful thanks to the very service-orientated manager at the Kloof Street branch, which only stocks the Brie):
* Truffle, fig and walnut pesto 125g R44.95
* Blueberry, port and ginger relish 100g R29.95
* Beurre Noisette & Merlot relish 100g R29.95
* Root vegetable and microleaf salad with cranberry and sesame dressing 365g R59.99
* Prawn and avocado appetisers 200g R54.99
* Traditional Brie with dried apricots, nuts and maple syrup 650g R139.95
* Rooibos smoked salmon 200g R99.99
* Beetroot & Vanilla Gravlax 200g R99.99
* Chicken liver, port & wild mushroom pâté 210g R49.95 (delicious!)
* Smoked Beef fillet stuffed with porcini mushrooms, chestnuts and Shiraz glaze R259.99 per kg
* Christmas gammon R124.99 per kg
* Peking-style duck with hoisin guava glaze 1,4kg R299
* Prosciutto-wrapped pork fillet with a date, bacon, chestnut and cinnamon stuffing R199.99 per kg
* Lamb shoulder supreme R209.99
* 
Christmas Mess frozen dessert 1 litre R59.95
* Mini chocolate orange fondant dessert for 4 R59.95
* Summer Berry Christmas pudding 450g R169.95
* Vanilla Rooibos mince pies 4 for R39.99
Surprising is that there is no cross-selling or wine pairing suggestions for the Luke Dale-Roberts range, something Woolworths seems to forget regularly, in not thinking of marrying its food and wine ranges for promotions.
The collaboration of Chef Luke Dale-Roberts with Woolworths and its Taste magazine raises ethical issues with Chef Luke being featured once a month, while most other Eat Out Top 10 restaurant chefs only feature once a year at most, if at all. New Media Publishing publishes both Taste and Eat Out magazines, and Abigail Donnelly is the editor of the latter and Food Editor of the former! Makes you think, as Nedbank used to say!
POSTSCRIPT 22/12: I have just returned from the Garden’s Centre Woolworths store, where
the Luke Dale-Roberts Christmas range is branded at the top of the fridge, and has a banner at the side, unlike the V&A Waterfront store. It also has Silwood student Stephen, dressed in his chef’s outfit, advising customers about the range and attracting customers to the shelf. Ironically, he works for La Colombe, and not for any of Chef Luke’s restaurants! He said that the gammon is the hardest sell, as it is so expensive.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage
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Who in their right mind is going to pay R45 for a small jar of pesto…even if its made in a factory from a sort of famous chefs recipe!! And you would need your head checked if you want to pay R125 for a kilo of gammon. One could better food at much better prices from independent butcheries and deli’s than uber-expensive Woolworths. It really boggles the mind that this chain is so popular!!
There is so much wrong with this article. You seem so hell-bent on trying to knock Woolworths and The Luke Dale-Roberts team. When the range was revised and renewed for this year, they decided that obviously there was much to be added. Like Luke’s restaurant, the range is a high-end, luxury one. It is aimed at the customers who follow him and his career.
As for you doubting his involvement in production, Luke was fully dedicated to every step of the process. The recipes are his own, his name is on the packet- he stands to lose much more if a product is not up to restaurant quality. Which is what he is guaranteeing.
As for the products themselves, every one is outstanding and delicious. He has truly delivered a range with a wow factor while taking all the work out of the holiday season. They are also only being launched at 9 top selling stores in the Western Cape- hence why you only found Brie at Kloof Street.
With regards to the promotion, I know for a fact that all 9 stores had promoters. I organized them through Silwood, all of them various graduates. The Gardens Centre promoter, is however a 2nd year student. He has no affiliation to La Colombe or any other establishment other than Silwood.
There was in fact promotion going on at the Waterfront, perhaps the student wasn’t there when you visited the store.
You have so many followers on various media, you should think about the damage that your words do.
Dear Jessica
Thank you for filling in the gaps in your comment – looks like Woolworths failed in providing PR support for the launch of its Luke Dale-Roberts Christmas range, a surprise given that they can use Taste magazine to push and punt their own product ranges!
You neglected to introduce yourself, not telling us who you work for. You sound very defensive, not being open to feedback.
I love Woolworths most of the time, other than the general poor service, so why would I want to knock it and Chef Luke? I will however carry on being critical about Chef Luke’s relationship with Taste and Eat Out – if his restaurant was made number one this year, it is of course excellent for New Media Publishing client Woolworths…!
Stephen repeated twice that he was going to La Colombe to work after his Woolworths shift ended today.
The V&A Woolworths does not have a Luke banner nor one at the top of the shelf, and there was no promoter at the shelf when I went there at 20h00 last night.
I present what I experience. I added the postcript to the blogpost as soon as I came back from the Garden’s Centre store, as well as the photograph, to update my observations.
It is easier to write a complete story if one receives information proactively. I would be delighted to receive Woolworths media statements. I do receive media statements for Luke Dale-Roberts, but there was none about his Woolworths Christmas range.
Chris
I am intrigued about the branding of the product range, the LUKE name being very visible and the surname hardly legible.
I think Chef Luke’s name will appeal to a small niche market, which probably would rather spend R500 – R1000 a head at The Test Kitchen than to eat a Woolworths meal one still has to finish off, even if Chef Luke did design the recipe.
The Pate is fabulous, and paying R49,99 is not expensive. Not sure who would buy Peking Duck to eat for Christmas, at R299. Perhaps the main courses are too complex, and too un-Christmas-sy?
Chris
Not defensive at all, and feel no need to introduce myself as I said before, I organized the promoters. Did Stephen perhaps explain the process of 2nd year at Silwood? He doesn’t work for La Colombe. You can debate as much as you like and tell me what else he “repeated” but I know him personally and know Silwood. I was responsible for placing him at Gardens.
He probably also didn’t mention that the promoters were only there until 2pm, again why there wasn’t someone at the V&A when you visited.
As for the prices, there is no denying that they are expensive- but being a fan of Luke’s food means there is no doubt in my mind about wanting to take a small piece of the Test Kitchen home. And other fans will agree.
I also have to wonder, which other chef in the country could put together a range such as this, in association with Woolworths. To be frank, there aren’t many.
Unfortunately, we’re not going to see eye-to-eye on this subject.
Thank you for responding so swiftly to my comment. I’ve said all I need to on the matter.
Lets clear up a few things.
1. Luke DR would be in jail for slavery in another era- his kitchens are run on slave labour provided by the cooking schools in particular Silwood.
2. Luke DR has obviously sold his soul to the corporates-nothing wrong with that- but he picked the wrong corporate partner as there is a Boycott of Woolworths nationwide due to their hiring policies. His line will get less exposure than anticipated.
3. Luke has always concentrated on fusion – Japanese/Western foods. (it’s all he really knows) His offerings for Woolies are out of character- Jamie Oliver he’s not.
4. This woolies stunt will do irreparable harm to his career. He will lose credibility among the foodies. Just wait til he comes out with a line of bottled sauces and cookware emblazoned with his mugshot. Yep Silwood students will be his door-to-door salesmen.
5. Luke should stick to what he does best- stay in the kitchens of his restuarants and surf the internet for ideas.
Wow Pieter, harsh words. It sounds as if you are an ex-staff member.
I think that Chef Luke may not be the only such restaurant employer. I know that Le Quartier Francais does not pay the students that have to do 6 month internships as part of their qualification there.
I see the next Reuben Riffel in Chef Luke, and it would be a pity if he went that way too, falling off the Top 20 list due to financial greed. There is only so much that Abigail Donnelly can do for him to keep him at the top of the top 10, that is if she survives the Eat Out bias criticism.
I agree that Chef Luke should stick to restaurants, and even here he is emulating Reuben, with a third one to come. At least he is smarter in not naming it after himself.
Chris
Dear Jessica
I did not write that Stephen is full-time employed by La Colombe, but he is certainly working for them, and went to work there after his Woolworths shift. Why are you so sensitive about this? Stephen did not know who I am, and volunteered the information, when I asked him if he works for Chef Luke, which would have been logical.
It was not Stephen’s job to explain what the promoter situation is at the other stores, and I did not ask him.
The product range is no reflection of The Test Kitchen and Pot Luck Club at all. The plating of the food at the restaurants is half the charm of eating there, and this one cannot replicate at home.
Chris
I will be waiting until these go on sale. I recall his previous items were deeply discounted last year, shortly after Christmas.
Strange that they have invested in the range again Lolla, if it did not sell well last year.
Chris
Hi Chris
Sad to say Pieter has no real understanding of the industry any chef worth his salt today either went through an “Internship” or apprenticeship.
You do not get the experiance from a classroom and textbook to become a chef it’s only by working in a real kitchen.
Thanks NIhgel.
I do know about Le Quartier Francais not paying its interns anything. We in accommodation would start with the Minimum Wage for our students, and then increase their remuneration as they progress.
Chris