‘Business fell off a cliff’: Village deli owner speaks out after announcing closure for later this year

It has been five years since village delicatessen Hamm Tun Fine Foods opened in Long Buckby’s High Street.

Having decided to focus their efforts on cheesemaking once again, the much-loved deli will shut to the public by September.

The business ceased weekday trading last Friday (July 26) and they will remain open on Saturdays to sell off the remaining stock over the coming month.

Business owner Gary Bradshaw, who is hopeful about his future making and selling Cobblers Nibble cheese, spoke to the Chronicle & Echo about the upcoming closure.

He said: “I didn’t really want to close it but it’s been such a tough year for everybody. Food inflation is still really, really high. Food’s going up and we’ve had to drop quite a few products because people just won’t buy them.

“You’re not getting the big spenders anymore, you’re getting people spending a few pounds here and there. They’re not buying the very expensive cheeses, salamis or balsamic vinegars, they want to budget.

“Unfortunately we can’t compete with supermarkets. It’s that simple basically.”

Gary described last year’s Christmas period as “the best they’ve ever had”. 2024 got off to a quiet start in January and February, before things picked up in March.

“Then it just died,” he continued. “Business literally just fell off a cliff. When all said and done it’s a luxury item really. What are you going to do, pay your mortgage and electricity or buy a big lump of cheese?”

The markets that Gary attends are much the same and from speaking to other business owners, it seems most are in the same boat and experiencing a quiet time.

The business owner expressed he is hopeful about making and selling Cobblers Nibble cheese after the Hamm Tun deli shuts down – and he has plans to make new variations in time for Christmas.

Since speaking to this newspaper, Gary posted on social media to say that a couple of people expressed interest in taking over the business – so watch this space.

It was in October 2021 when Hamm Tun announced it was opening a second deli – incorporating elements of a farm shop, coffee lounge and cafe – at premises within Whittlebury Park.

After the deli in Long Buckby thrived during lockdown, the business owners were keen to expand and had been looking for somewhere for around six months.

However, just 10 months on from the Whittlebury opening, Hamm Tun sadly announced its closure due to a challenging economy at the time.

The Long Buckby branch remained open alongside Gary’s cheesemaking business, Cobblers Nibble.

It is this cheese that has seen Gary and the team make the final of this year’s Weetabix Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards, in the Artisan Local Vegan/Vegetarian Product of the Year category.

Speaking about the positive reception to his shoetown blue cheese at this year’s awards, Gary said it was “an honour” to be recognised.

The awards are judged independently and Gary appreciates the love towards his product from people who do not know the county. An important part of his work is making people realise how much good cheese is available across Northamptonshire.

Gary and the team will now have to wait until October, when their fate in the category will be revealed.