Freshly grown produce, locally farmed meat and delicious artisan deli treats have put two Nottinghamshire businesses in the running for the UK's retailer of the year in the Farm Shop & Deli awards. Regional shortlists include a 13-strong Midlands contingent.
Amongst them is Delilah Fine Foods, in Victoria Street Nottingham, where owner Sangita Tryner says her aim is to reclaim the word 'delicatessen’ from the plethora of sandwich bars and takeaways that abuse it. The traditional delicatessen is packed, floor to ceiling, with top quality food and drinks - from freshly baked bread to more than 150 cheeses, condiments, chocolate and more than 200 types of wine, including many made in the East Midlands.
Sangita said reaching the final was a surprise. She said: "It’s been a hard few years being a city centre deli, especially over lockdown without the footfall to support us when we stayed open to provide a service to our loyal customers.
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"To get through to the finals of such a prestigious Industry awards, up against such amazing candidates is truly a honour and a credit to our amazing team who have worked so hard to keep us innovative and always strive to achieve higher standards, whilst juggling the plethora of fields Delilah operates in; the physical store, our newly enhanced online presence, events, hampers, pop-up and the rest."
Delilah's products are sourced from small artisan producers both locally and further afield and all have a provenance and a story of quality and origin.
The second Nottinghamshire finalist is Welbeck Farm Shop in the north of the county. It was described as "a gem in the crown of farm shops" when featured in last year's TV documentary Britain's Poshest Farm Shop
Working with the estate’s farmers, the shop sells vegetables, dairy and livestock from the 15,000-acre Welbeck estate. As well as selling what is reared and grown nearby, the shop also features award-winning produce from the estate, which is home Stichelton blue cheese, Welbeck Bakehouse artisan bread, Welbeck Abbey Brewery's real ales and Welbeck Dairy's raw milk.
The farm shop is no stranger to awards. Last year it was crowned the Midlands and East of England Butcher’s Shop of the Year.
The annual Farm Shop & Deli Retailer Awards have 68 finalists across the UK spanning nine regions in categories including baker, butcher, cheesemonger, farm shop, food hall and online businesses. They were whittled down from hundreds of entries by an esteemed panel of judges.
A winner will be selected from each region and one of those will go on to win the crown as the UK's best retailer. The winners will be announced live from the Farm Shop & Deli Show on Tuesday April 25 at the NEC in Birmingham.
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