A DELICATESSEN that has been a fixture on Downend’s high street has closed after 18 years.
Mel and Pete Scragg opened Melanie’s Kitchen in 2007, to provide a permanent outlet for Mel’s cakes, which were popular at WI and farmers’ markets across the Bristol area.
The shop in Downend Road, between the post office and Hazel Holly florist, also boasted what at the time was Downend’s only cafe, and a range of unusual food and drink not available in supermarkets, much of it sourced from small producers in the West Country.
Pete said: “We thought it would be a good idea to transfer our love of food into a delicatessen.”
Mel, who had previously run a chain of women’s clothing shops, and Pete, a former sales rep, say they were ahead of the curve with many products that later became trends, including matcha powdered tea.
Pete said: “You almost couldn’t give it away when we started selling it, then suddenly it appears everywhere!”
Although they closed the cafe part of the shop after the lockdown, Mel and Pete continued to sell daily fresh bread and cheese, along with an ever-changing selection of deli products, as they found many of the lines they sold being picked up by supermarkets.
Pete said: “We’ve sold things from small producers who then start selling everything to supermarkets, so we stop selling them and look for something else – we’re always looking to try to sell the next interesting thing.”
With Pete reaching retirement age, and some family illnesses and bereavements, the couple decided to sell the business as a going concern when they were approached by a potential successor.
However the shop’s London-based landlord decided not to accept a new tenant and instead decided to sell the building, leaving them with “no option but to close”.
Mel and Pete, who live in Downend, will most miss talking to their customers, some of whom have been with them since their farmers’ market days.
Mel has started a new venture as a well-being advisor and naturopathic nutritionist, while Pete is planning to spend more time birdwatching and tackling the household repairs he has been putting off for the last 18 years.