Owner pleased that deli is now ‘big part’ of shopping centre two months on from opening in Northampton

The owner of a deli is pleased that, two months on from opening in Northampton, it is a “big part” of the shopping centre it is located in.

Olive and Baker opened its doors in Weston Favell Shopping Centre in September, hoping to become a “premium grab and go” for customers.

The venue is a mother and son venture for Charlie and Gurjeet Sapal, who offer homemade bread, olives, pastries and meal solutions – with options to visit at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Olive and Baker is open seven days a week and located downstairs in the shopping centre, near the main entrance at the side of Costa, Burger King and Jenny’s Restaurant.

They operate from 8.30am until 7pm from Monday to Friday, 8am until 8pm on Saturday, and 8am until 4pm on Sunday.

Talking to the Chronicle & Echo more than two months on from opening, Gurjeet said: “It’s been really good and we’ve really settled in.

“We hope we’re now a big part of the centre and we get some nice regular customers. It was the vibe we were looking for in terms of people coming in and it feeling local, rather than a big corporate shop.

“There’s still room for improvement and lots of things we’re planning, which is exciting, but it’s a good base.”

The opening went better than expected – particularly as Gurjeet and Charlie had developed an idea they knew they would enjoy and hoped the community would get behind it.

When asked what has worked well, Gurjeet said: “The Indian food side really took off. With our previous experience, people knew us for our samosas and Indian food.

“The pastries, pasties, pies and sausage rolls – we can hardly keep up with them. People come from quite a distance for them. Our cakes too.”

Gurjeet praised the hard work of his mother and their staff in gaining a five star food hygiene rating, which has given customers “confidence” in the business.

One thing the Olive and Baker team would like to push, once they come out the other side of the busy festive period, is their lunchtime offering.

“Amazing coffee, lunchtime sandwiches, breakfast baps. We do them really well but not a lot of people know,” said Gurjeet. “We don’t do as much lunchtime trade as we’d perhaps like.”

Gurjeet wants to see more customers with the “grab and go” mentality at lunchtime, as they always have everything ready and waiting.

He added: “We’re more than happy with where we are and the support we’ve had has been brilliant.

“People have habits and that’s been interesting. Lots of chains are staples, ingrained in life. People know them and what they’re going to get.

“It’s up to us to show that local and handmade are a lot better in quality, which is a challenge for any small business owner.”

When asked what he would say to anyone who is yet to come and visit Olive and Baker, Gurjeet said: “We were going based on what we thought before, but now we’ve got people who come in everyday with great reviews. People absolutely love it.

“We are a real part of the community. We offer a homemade, community feeling and people have missed that.”

With self service becoming increasingly popular, Gurjeet shared that customers have missed seeing a “friendly face”.

“Our staff are terrific and exactly what we were hoping for,” Gurjeet added. “They’re friendly and know our customers by first name. We go out of our way and always do everything we can to help.”

The deli is home to 10 metres of fridges containing food for all meals of the day, and there are stools for customers to use while waiting for their hot food and drinks.

From fresh bread and pastries in the morning and deep filled baguettes at lunchtime, to Indian, Italian, Thai and Chinese deli cuisine in the evenings, Olive and Baker offers something for everyone.

This includes English meal solutions, spanning across traditional meals like shepherd’s pie. They even sell essential items, such as bread, milk and eggs, for customers to pick up during their visit.

Cream cakes and cookies are available in the main fridge, as well as a cake fridge full of sliced treats.

The final addition is a small retail space, which houses Olive and Baker branded marmalades, chutneys, jams and sauces.