What made you bring hot food sales into your shop?

“I was trying to think of new ideas to get people in. I didn’t want to be a regular convenience store that sold just cold sandwiches. It was a new idea really, and we’re quite friendly with the owners of The Wicked Witch (near-by restaurant). Dameon Clarke, Head Chef, offered to do hot sausage rolls and it just took off from there.”

Has it made a difference to shop sales?

“Definitely. Builders and people working locally come in for their lunch. A number of people came in over December wanting the food for Christmas and their buffets. It’s made a massive difference. We get a lot of returning customers. I’m always looking to add more foods. Tuk Tuk Foods in Ryhall does curry for us. I’d love to expand more along those lines.”

How long has hot food been available in your store?

Was it a logistical nightmare?

“It was a logistical nightmare trying to plan everything, but then we actually had a ram raid three years ago. So we had to replace some units in the shop window as the vehicle had reversed into the building. Smashed the glass and smashed everything in the window. This brought on a refit where we utilised the space differently. We managed to streamline all the units in the shop. This enabled us to fit something in. The ram raid had a silver lining in the end!”

Which foods are most popular?

“Sausage rolls and scotch eggs are the most popular, followed by the cottage pies and lasagne from Lambert Rustic Foods in Ryhall. Cakes, Flapjacks and quiches are also popular. We get ours from the Fine Food Coffee Shop in Stamford .”

Would you recommend selling hot food to other shop owners?

“I’d definitely recommend selling hot food as it improves footfall. Just make sure you get cleared by the council and environmental health. It’s the first thing that we did when we got the deli counter.”

For more information on the Ryhall Post Office, click here.