A new artisan deli has opened in Carlisle offering the very best food from Cumbria and beyond on the high street.
First We Eat is based on Fisher Street and is the brainchild of retired couple Alan and Karen Senior, who are relishing the chance to bring delicious delicacies to the city.
Many of their products are award-winning and the pair say they’d like to highlight the exceptional food being produced on our doorstep.
Alan said: “The last deli in Carlisle closed some time ago, but there’s still a real demand for these sorts of specialist foods, and we can offer that.
“I used to work in hospitality, so you could say food is in my blood. But we hadn’t always had the chance to try all these Cumbrian foods, so it was great to go round and test them out for ourselves.
“It’s fantastic to be able to support local producers too – they’re doing great work and don’t get as much coverage as they deserve.”
Shoppers can pick up everything from cheeses made by Appleby Creamery, award-winning seafood from Grant’s Seafood in Maryport, and cured meats from the Eden Valley Smokehouse in Penrith.
As well as traditional British products, there’s also a range of Italian items, and although not all of them can be made in Cumbria, the pasta comes from Kendal’s Northern Pasta Company.
“You can’t grow olives in Cumbria unfortunately,” Alan laughed. “But where we can get something locally, that’s what we’ll do.”
And for those with a sweet tooth, First We Eat also stocks small-batch chocolate, Bullion, made in Sheffield and sold in London’s famous Claridge’s.
With neither coming from a retail background, the pair, who live in Wigton, are keen to praise Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce too, who they say have been invaluable in helping them get the deli up and running.
Karen added: “The team at the Chamber have been fantastic with helping us get our tills and weighing scale systems set up and offering advice and support while we’ve been getting going.”
