Deli Dreams
Dishing out delight: an interview with Claire and Simon of The East Street Deli, Wimborne's award-winning culinary destination.
Can you give us an introduction to The East Street Deli?
The East Street Deli is located in the thriving and busy town of Wimborne Minster. We own and operate the deli together alongside a small team. We opened our doors in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic in June 2020 and thanks to a huge amount of hard work and the loyalty and support shown to us by our customers, the business has continued to grow.
We’re a small store, but we always make sure our shelves are always bursting full of a wide range of products. It’s a never-ending job trying to find new products to get in or to keep on top of the current food trends but we love what we do. We have a cheese counter that stocks over 50 cheeses at any one time and a wide range of charcuterie, tapas, sweet treats, coffee beans, alcohol (beers, cider, wine and spirits) and even an eco-friendly refill unit.
Why did you choose Wimborne to be the home for your business?
We got married in Wimborne 8 years ago and have always thought it was a very special place. In 2019 we’d both taken a break from our previous careers and took the opportunity to do a bit of travelling and whilst away we decided that we wanted to have our own business. Simon had spent 15 years in retail and wanted to put the knowledge he’d learnt to the test and knew that Claire’s creative and organisational skills combined with our joint love of food could work well. Wimborne is a great town for supporting independent businesses and we knew that the community feel would suit us and our vision for a delicatessen.
Do you have a favourite product?
Claire: It has to be a tin of Perello Gordal olives. They are Spanish green pitted olives with small pieces of chilli which gives them that little bit of heat. They’re quite simply the best olives I’ve ever tasted. The only trouble is stopping at one tin!
Simon: I spend half of my life behind the cheese counter so I think it’d have to be something from there. I’d probably go for an Isle of Wight Blue or maybe a wedge of Baron Bigod brie!
Congratulations on winning the Best Deli in Dorset, Somerset and Bristol at the Muddy Stilettos Awards! What would you recommend off the shelf for the upcoming festive season?
Cheese, cheese and a bit more cheese! We can help create the perfect Christmas cheese board - whether it’s just for two or a party of ten, our cheese counter will be stacked full of everyone's favourites this December. We’ll have plenty of the classics, from stiltons to cheddars and everything in between but we can also offer that something a little bit different... a truffle brie, an English Pecorino, a super soft Delice de Bourgogne or a goats cheese that’s been bathed in red wine!
We’ve seen an increasing trend over the last few years where people don’t want ‘stuff’ for Christmas but would much rather have something they can eat, drink and enjoy! Our foodie hampers are the perfect gift for family, friends or that one person you never know what to buy for. To make it easy we’ve got a selection of pre-made hampers, but you can also grab a gift box and create your own.
Any plans for the future?
We’ve got a million and one plans for The East Street Deli and can’t wait to put them into action over the coming months and years. We want to continue our growth and make sure the deli is the absolute best it can possibly be. We’re in the process of planning the calendar for 2024 that will include a host of events that will enable us to showcase some of the amazing products we sell and suppliers we work with. Of course, if the right opportunity arose then we’d never rule out opening a second deli in the future, we just need to find that 25th hour in the day!
theeaststreetdeli.co.uk / @theeaststreetdeli
41B East Street
Wimborne BH21 1DX
