Family-run deli and cheese shop proud to celebrate 14 years of success in Northampton town centre

Steve and Caroline Ward set up St Giles Cheese back in 2010 following a holiday to France, where they enjoyed all the products they are now accustomed to selling to the community.

Steve had recently been made redundant and the pair decided to try something completely new, which he described as a “really steep learning curve”.

“It’s great,” said Steve, when asked how it feels to reach their latest milestone in the town. “It’s been a challenge from day one and there always seems to be something we need to overcome – but we’re still here and that’s an achievement.”

The small, family-run deli specialises in the finer things in life and the team is committed to finding and creating the best of everything they offer.

Steve told the Chronicle & Echo: “We’ve stuck to our guns. When we opened, we said we’ll just do the good stuff and not get dragged into the fight with supermarkets on price. If people like it, they’ll come along.”

The business has continued to adapt with the times, and that included setting up a website around half a decade ago.

Having spent lots of time and money trying to make the online platform work for St Giles Cheese, they scrapped it after six months following a stark realisation.

“People enjoy the experience of coming in more,” said Steve. “When people shop online, they don’t see all the other things we do. You could have ordered your favourite cheddar online but you’d miss everything else. Feedback from customers is that it’s always a joy to come in.”

The pair’s proudest achievement since setting up St Giles Cheese is surviving the turbulent times they have faced.

“We opened in the depths of a recession and everything in our research told us not to do it, but we stuck at it,” said the co-founder, who also mentioned the impact of the pandemic, Brexit and the cost of living crisis.

When asked what customers like most about the business, Steve spoke proudly of their commitment to personal service and getting to know their visitors over the years.

“We know what they like and point them in the direction of things they might not know about,” said Steve. “Old fashioned shops like ours are sadly disappearing, and the shopping experience can be a bit impersonal.”

With a busy Christmas period getting underway, Steve and Caroline’s focus is stocking up with as much cheese and as many gift hampers as they can. Though they offer hampers all year round, these are considerably more popular during the festive season.

Steve explained that certain cheeses come into their own at this time of year, which comes down to the milk conditions, and Stilton is one that tastes better during these months.

Though there are a number of busy weeks to go until St Giles Cheese can begin to think about what 2025 has in store, Steve said they hope to keep going and fighting as they have for the past 14 years.