Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2010/January 2011 | Page 171

food

Island Life - December 2010
Photo: Main, The new serve
over deli counter, one of
the largest on the Island
Inset: Winnie Brown’s shop
as it looked in the 1950’s

the couple more determined to push
ahead with their plans to create
a centre point for the community.
Their international outlook – their
‘yes we can’ approach – was crucial,
for neither had a background in
grocery. They experienced unforeseen
difficulties with staffing and their
determination to build environmentally
sensitively added to the pressure.
But it is clear, as soon as you walk through
the green-stained and glass door that they
achieved their objective. Welcoming and
elegant, its stock is both prosaic – tins
of beans and calor gaz – and luxurious –
preserves and discerning ingredients which
wouldn’t disgrace an upmarket grocer
anywhere in the country. “People walk in
and say ‘wow’, which makes it all worth
while,” smiles Jenny. There are fresh and
frozen foods, and because it is independent
they have the flexibility to cope with seasonal
flux. “Sometimes villagers might bring us a
load of, say, gooseberries they’ve just picked
from their garden, and usually we can use
them and work out a price.”
The deli and café complement the shop
by using much of its produce. But the Kerry
Tyermans are never content to just let things
tick along, and while off-licences have closed
across the Island, Vern is ready to fill the gap,
not just by increasing his stock of interesting
wines but by training his staff so they can
offer advice to customers. Wine tastings
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and dinners for locals mark the difference
between the tourist season and the time for
Islanders.
“We strive to be at the hub of the
community, a meeting place. Our local
community police officer has a regular
surgery here – he sits at a table, and
invites people to drop in and discuss their
concerns.”
Right on queue a man from South Wight
Housing tells Vern he is bringing a team of
environmentalists in for lunch. The building
is an inspiration to many in search of
alternative energy sources: its heat comes
from ground-sourced recovery, it has a
rainwater recovery system for the toilet flush,
and its light is supplemented from light
tunnels in the ceiling. They are even about to
launch an incentive scheme to encourage the
reuse of shopping bags.
Being the essence of village life means
the shop staff must be interested in their
customers, as in villages stores of old. “This
is the site of the very first Post Office in
Chale, and whoever was serving in the shop
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