New Milton Advertiser 29th Jan 2021

22 · Friday 29th January 2021

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Eateries reinvent as lockdown shops How the pandemic has forced local firms to change their approach

ties get through the latest lock- down. Among those launching re- cently were the White Horse pub’s Village Supplies in Net- ley Marsh and Ray’s Kitchen Larder in Milford. Both offer customers an alternative to the major supermarket chains for their weekly food shop. White Horse proprietor Paul Hingston dreamt up his scheme and brought it to fruition with- in four days after the hostelry in

Ringwood Road was once again forced to shut from Boxing Day. The impact has forced all nine of the family-run busi- ness’s staff to be placed on furlough, with thousands of pounds of beer and food having to be thrown away. But the pub is fighting back with a large outdoor covered patio now boasting stalls of- fering fresh food such as meat, cheeses, jams and pickles, bread and cakes from local sup-

pliers including the New Forest Jam Company, Lyburn Cheese in Landford, and Owton’s butchers in Southampton. Speaking to the A&T, Paul explained the idea was to pro- vide a facility much like the traditional village stores that served the local community in the past. “I hadn’t done anything previously, but this one now is becoming quite a long and dragged out lockdown, with the rumour mill now saying we may not be able to reopen until 3rd May,” he said. “Literally, once I heard the pub could be shut down till May – and obviously I was getting very bored at home – I started thinking of [the produce store]. “The great thing is that it’s outdoors. People are worrying about going to the supermar- kets at the moment, but with this they don’t need to go inside the building.” Although it started off op- erating on Fridays and Satur- days from 9am-1pm, the store’s hours could be extended if de- mand grows. Running it with co-proprie- tor daughter Sophie Hingston, Paul enjoyed a successful first day’s trading with around 50 shoppers within the first couple of hours, plus messages of sup- port from customers, including the pub’s loyal regulars. Covid-secure measures are in place, with a limited number of people allowed at the stall at a time, social distancing, saniti- sation points and face cover- ings required. Paul, who has run the pub for nearly seven years, quickly adapted to his new role of stall- holder and is considering re- taining a small village stores fa-

BY CHRIS MARCH

NEW Forest eateries forced to close by the pandemic have been transforming themselves into local produce stores to help them and their communi-

Sophie and Paul Hingston from the White Horse

cility by the bar once it reopens. “It’s quite easy,” he said. “I sourced local suppliers and had it delivered. I’ve had excellent support from my suppliers.” Meanwhile, on the other side of the New Forest in Milford, Stacey Crouch, who opened Ray’s Italian Kitchen in High Street in December 2018, first thought of the produce store conversion last November be- fore setting it up within a week. Operating as Ray’s Kitch- en Larder, it offers restau- rant-quality ready-made meals for people to reheat at home. Some of these are available in- store, but a wider selection is made to order. A host of locally sourced pro- duce is also available, including fresh meat, fruit and vegeta- bles, cheeses, eggs, homemade sausage rolls, cakes, chutneys,

wine and cider. Stacey told the A&T: “I said to myself that if we have anoth- er lockdown like last March, I need to do something more because I have overheads and there’s also my mental health to think about as I can’t just be doing nothing.” She continued: “Friday was really good. I only announced the launch on the Wednesday, but a lot of people came to see what I was doing. They said it was amazing. Some said they had already done their weekly food shop but they would cer- tainly come back next week.” Ray’s Kitchen Larder’s Cov- id-secure measures include only two customers allowed inside at once, face coverings required, social distancing and hand sanitiser on entry. Stacey said the lockdowns

had been tough for the restau- rant, with staff – most of whom are students – placed on fur- lough. Praising her employees for pulling together to meet the challenges of last summer’s reo- pening, she believed this helped the business survive the next lockdown despite limited take- away orders. Run in collaboration with Christchurch-based procur- er and supplier Meadowbrook Produce, the store is open Tuesday to Friday from 9am- 3pm, and from 9am-1.30pm on Saturdays. Free local deliveries are avail- able on orders of £30 and over on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. “I think it’s exciting,” Stacey concluded. “I think it’s a posi- tive addition to the village.”

Stacey Crouch from Ray’s Kitchen Larder

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