Meet Joe Fellows, the Northumberland food producer turning homegrown chillies into award-winning fermented sauces — and preparing to bring an unusual tasting experience to North Shields’ new indoor market.
Imagine walking up to a bar. But instead of ordering a drink, you find yourself talking about flavours, ingredients and how adventurous you’re feeling.
Behind the counter is someone who knows exactly where his ingredients come from, how they’ve been grown and what happens when they’re left to ferment.
Welcome to the world of Farm Fermented Foods.
It’s the creation of Joe Fellows, a former chef from Northumberland who has turned a lifelong love of growing, cooking and preserving food into an independent business.
And now Joe is preparing to bring his distinctive approach to Common Ground, the new indoor market taking shape inside the former Wilko building at the Beacon Centre in North Shields.
His idea? A hot sauce tasting bar where conversation is just as important as what’s in the bottle.
FROM WASHING POTS TO DISCOVERING A PASSION
Joe’s journey into food began at 17, working as a pot washer in a professional kitchen.
It was there that he discovered a fascination with cooking.
Determined to learn, he sought out a chef he admired and moved to the Cotswolds to develop his skills.
What followed was a decade spent working in professional kitchens, learning about fresh ingredients, different cooking techniques and the importance of understanding where food comes from.
During his time in Chipping Norton, Joe became particularly interested in fermentation and preservation.
These traditional techniques, used for generations to preserve ingredients and develop complex flavours, would eventually become central to his own business.
But his interest in growing food had started much earlier.
As a young lad, Joe spent time around allotments, helping older gardeners with odd jobs and developing an appreciation for the land.
Later, as a chef, growing his own produce became another way of understanding the ingredients he was using.
He wanted to know more about the entire process, from the soil to the finished dish.
BACK HOME TO NORTHUMBERLAND
In 2024, Joe returned to Northumberland and established Farm Fermented Foods.
Based around his small growing operation in Blyth, the business brings together his experience as a chef with his interest in cultivation, fermentation and traditional preservation.
Chillies are at the heart of what he produces, transformed into a developing range of fermented hot sauces, alongside flavoured oils, salts and other preserved foods.
His creations include fruit-led combinations such as mango habanero, alongside bolder offerings such as kimchi ketchup and other chilli-based sauces.
For Joe, the appeal lies in the freedom to experiment and create something distinctive.
When asked what he enjoys most about the business, his answer is revealing:
“Easily the creativity, the freedom and the knowledge of knowing exactly what my product is and where it’s from.”
It’s an approach rooted in curiosity, craftsmanship and an understanding that food should be about flavour as much as heat.
AN AWARD-WINNING YOUNG FOOD PRODUCER
Joe’s work has already attracted recognition beyond Northumberland.
In 2025, Farm Fermented Foods received a Highly Commended award in the Grocery category at the National Market Traders Federation’s Young Traders Market national final.
Then, in June 2026, Joe went one better at the North East regional final, held at Newcastle’s Grainger Market, winning the Grocery category.
As a regular trader at Alnwick Market, Joe has developed a reputation for taking the time to talk to customers, explain his ingredients and encourage people to try something unfamiliar.
That personal approach has become an important part of his business.
Rather than expecting customers to arrive knowing exactly what they want, he enjoys helping them discover something new.
And it’s this approach that he hopes to bring to Common Ground.
A HOT SAUCE BAR — BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Forget simply picking a bottle from a shelf.
Joe has a much more interactive idea for his space at Common Ground.
He wants to create something resembling a tasting bar, where people can chat about their preferences, sample different flavours and discover sauces suited to their individual tastes.
Much like a bartender recommending a drink, Joe hopes to guide visitors through the possibilities of fermented foods.
Some people might prefer something fruity and relatively mild. Others may be looking for more adventurous levels of heat.
The idea is to make the experience welcoming, interesting and a little unexpected.
It’s also an opportunity to learn about fermentation, growing ingredients and the possibilities of combining flavours.
And that’s what makes the concept so exciting.
It’s not simply somewhere to buy a product. It’s somewhere to have a conversation, try something different and leave knowing a little more than when you arrived.
WHY COMMON GROUND?
For Joe, the opportunity to become part of Common Ground is about more than having a permanent place to sell his products.
He’s particularly interested in the prospect of working alongside other independent food producers and creative businesses.
The market is being developed around the idea of collaboration, with traders encouraged to bring their individual skills, personalities and experiences into a shared environment.
It’s an approach that suits Joe.
Having built his business through markets, he’s familiar with the value of meeting customers face to face and the relationships that can develop between independent traders.
He’s looking forward to being part of a space where people can discover businesses and individuals they might never otherwise have encountered.
For visitors, that could mean finding an unusual ingredient, learning something about food production or being introduced to an independent maker working just a few miles from home.
For Joe, it means another opportunity to share the knowledge and enthusiasm behind Farm Fermented Foods.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF SHOPPING EXPERIENCE
Farm Fermented Foods is exactly the sort of specialist independent business that Common Ground hopes to bring into the heart of North Shields.
It combines local production, traditional skills, creativity and a genuinely personal approach to retail.
The arrival of Joe and his tasting bar will add another dimension to the growing mix of businesses joining the new market.
And it reflects a wider ambition for Common Ground: to create a place where people don’t simply come to shop, but to meet, learn, discover and connect.
From helping out on allotments as a youngster to becoming an award-winning food producer, Joe’s journey has been shaped by curiosity and a willingness to try something new.
Now he’s inviting North Shields to do the same.
Welcome to Common Ground, Joe. We can’t wait to discover what you’ve been growing!
ABOUT COMMON GROUND
Common Ground is a new indoor market being developed inside the former Wilko premises at the Beacon Centre in North Shields.
Bringing together independent traders, food producers, makers, artists and creative businesses, the project aims to transform a former high-street retail space into a destination for shopping, culture and community.
Trader recruitment and curation are coordinated independently by Simmie Harper on behalf of the Beacon Centre, with I Love North Shields supporting the project as its media partner.
Discover Farm Fermented Foods: farmfermentedfoods.co.uk
Explore more Common Ground traders: Meet the Traders
Location: Common Ground, former Wilko, Beacon Centre, North Shields.
