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Byline: JANE HALL
For such a small shop, Tynemouth's Deli Around the Cornerpacks a powerful punch on the food front.
Every inch of space is filled with cheeses, breads, meats, pickles,sauces, confectionary, beverages and store cupboard essentials.
The names on the packets, jars and bottles read like a who'swho of some of the North East's best-known artisan producers, witha healthy smattering of suppliers exclusive to the Deli.
There are Doddington, Northumberland Cheese Company and ParlourMade cheeses in the chiller cabinet; sausages, bacon, plate pies, chopsand steaks from Tr Johnson butchers of Wooler; smoked salts and oilsfrom Boulevard Cuisine of North Shields; sauces and pickles fromDurham's Wildon Grange and Wallsend's Northumbrian Smokehouse;organic flour from Gilchesters at Stamfordham; an array ofmouth-watering breads and patisseries delivered fresh from the ArtisanBakery at Whitley Bay; butter, milk and cream supplied by Acorn Dairynear Darlington; beers from North Shields' Mordue and Three KingsBreweries; Fentimans of Hexham's botanical drinks; NorthumberlandTea; British Beef Jerky of Felton; and Chia4UK of Ashington'sorganic superfoods. Tynemouth Honey produced from hives kept on theallotments beneath the Collingwood Monument is sold exclusively in theDeli, as is Baste and Bray's Northumbrian rapeseed oil, availableby the bottle or decanted into your own container.
A selection of North Chocolates' award-winning bars inflavours like chilli and lime, geranium and orange, ginger and fennel,lavender and lemon sea salt, made by Bev Stephenson at her home inForest Hall, bring a splash of jewel-like colour to a corner of the shopand are one of the Deli's best-selling lines.
Deli-made savouries like sausage rolls, pizzas and quiches, soups,ready meals, hummus, mackerel pate and jams and marmalades add to theabundance of foods.
From further afield there are more cheeses, olives, antipastinibbles, charcuterie, crisps and wines.
And fronting it all is an impressive pavement display of organicfruit and vegetables - much of it, when in season, sourced fromTynemouth's allotment holders.
As the name suggests, The Deli Around the Corner is located as youturn from Front Street into Hotspur Street. It is run by Sue Hooper, 43,and a team of four staff, and this July her 'baby' iscelebrating its 10th birthday.
other babies have come along for her and husband Chad, 39, sincethe first customer walked through the door of what had been abarber's shop. Daughters Tillie and Bella are now seven and fourrespectively.
In the grand scheme of things, a decade in business may not seemvery long. Harrods has been going since 1849, Fenwick, Newcastle, openedin 1882 and Tesco will be celebrating its centenary in 2019.
But a tumultuous 10 years on the economic front have seen famousnames like Woolworths and Comet Turn to Page 52 From Page 51 go underwhile thousands of independent outlets have also fallen by the wayside.
Seemingly against the odds, retailers like the Deli Around theCorner have survived to fly the flag for our beleaguered local food anddrink producers.
Many artisan growers and manufacturers probably would have goneunder too if it weren't for the UK's growing array ofdelicatessens, farm shops and markets.
For years it has been the mass-produced, 'fly it halfwayaround the world and pile it high' multiples that have held sway onthe public's grocery buying habits.
Times are changing, however. Profits at the big supermarkets arebeing badly hit as once-loyal shoppers look elsewhere.
And in many cases it is independent food outlets offering fresh,local and seasonal produce that are reaping the benefits.
Sue is in no doubt why retailers like her are now benefiting."We offer good customer service, we know our product, we take aninterest in our customers, we get to know them and we believe in what wesell.
"You don't get that kind of service in the supermarkets.
"I think the recession has made people more careful with theirmoney and I think they now expect to get more for it, and that includesbetter service and quality.
"Consumers have definitely changed their shopping habits andare now looking for something different, wanting to support smaller,local shops and producers, and are being more savvy about how and whatthey buy.
"There's a growing percentage of people who are turningthe clock back and are now shopping for food on the day rather than forthe whole week so they can get the freshest, seasonal local goods."
This new-found interest in local sourcing is proving something of aheadache for the supermarkets. It undermines their centralised buyingand distribution models.
They still sell around 70% of all the food bought in the UK. Butdelicatessens, high street butchers, grocers, bakers, farm shops andfarmers' markets are becoming increasingly inventive (Sue hasexpanded into cheese wedding cakes) and competitive on price.
That's not to say times haven't been hard for Sue and herilk, though. The Deli Around the Corner had barely got itselfestablished before the recession hit. "It was very difficult,"she says. "We had to really look at what we were offering and hadto get in different cuts of meat and cheeses. "But my philosophywas you just have to keep going, believe in yourself and hope yourcustomers will support you.
"I think people are really loyal up here, though. People arereally friendly and faithful to their roots and that has helped alot."
For those who have survived the credit crunch and are hanging onand even expanding, it could well be the dawn of a new era.
These days Sue is spoilt for choice on the local food front. Adecade ago the North East was seen as a bit of a desert for good food.But since then there has been an explosion of artisan producers handcrafting award-winning foods.
She has noticed a new wave of artisan bakers coming through, peoplemaking unusual relishes, companies catering for food intolerances and arenewed demand for luxury goods like cakes and desserts.
"There was a big dip in spend during the recession," shesays. "People were being more careful about what they were buying,but the wheel has turned full circle and consumers are getting back intobuying what may be deemed as luxury foods."
It is important those consumers continue to support places like theDeli Around the Corner.
"We are vital really. For every PS1 spent locally, as much as70p stays in the local economy," Sue explains. "We also employlocal people. OK, I only have four staffbut that is four people who Ihave employed for nearly 10 years.
"By turn, I buy my goods from local people and I help keepthem in business."
'Local' for Sue means, as far as possible, within a50-mile radius of the Deli. Some foods are still more diffi-cult tosource from close at hand than others, however. She feels the region isstill lagging behind on organic vegetable and dairy - yoghurt, butterand cream being particular issues.
As she moves into her next decade in business, Sue is developingnew sales ideas to keep her ahead of the game. She is looking to launcha cheese club. For a fixed monthly fee members will receive samples ofnew cheeses along with tasting notes.
She is also looking to enhance the Deli's luxury and healthfood offerings, including those targeted at people with intolerances,whether it be dairy, nut or gluten. And hopefully the outside cateringside specialising in buffets, along with hampers and food gifts, willcontinue to expand.
"We've always prided ourselves on being a traditionaldelicatessen," Sue says. "With great local support we havegone from strength to strength in the last decade and we hope tocontinue doing so, both for ourselves and our producers.
"To everyone who has supported us and continues to do so,thank you."
Find The Deli Around the Corner at 61 Hotspur Street, Tynemouth,NE30 4EE. Tel. 0191 259 0086,
Consumers have definitely changed their shopping habits and arelooking for something differentSue Hooper
CAPTION(S):
The Deli Around the Corner owner Sue Hooper insists thatconsumers' shopping habits have changed as they look to buy localproduce Emily Carey
Owner Sue Hooper outside The Deli Around the Corner in Tynemouth,which is celebrating ten years in business.
Some of the produce sold at the The Deli Around the Corner
Owner Sue Hooper, centre, with staffmembers Gill Wilds and MichelleBeattie Emily Carey
Locally-produced sausages are <Bamong the meat products stocked
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