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Local
Local Heroes
Heroes
Tom East meets the owner of Dorchester’s The Deli
Kitchen, an all-new destination for Dorset’s finest produce
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ave a spot of lunch at Dorchester’s The
Deli Kitchen, and it’s like you’re eating
Dorset’s greatest hits. There’s a charcuterie
platter laden with treats such as Capreolus
Dorset Warmer salami, spiked with urfa
and ancho chillies; air-dried beef from the
Aberdeen Angus cattle raised in Winfrith
Newburgh, and even beech smoked mutton.
You might spot a delicious Dorset Blue
Vinney and leek quiche in the deli counter
alongside quinoa and buckwheat salads,
freshly made with spices from the Dorset
Spice Shed. Even the wooden tables are made
in Ringwood.
“I wanted to keep everything as local
as possible,” owner Liz Meredith tells us.
“Because going to all these food markets you
realise how good local Dorset produce is and
how much tastier it is than the mass produced
stuff that you can buy in Tesco or wherever.”
Following years in the hospitality business,
Liz opened The Deli Kitchen in Brewery
Square at the end of August after realising
that there was nowhere in the local vicinity
selling the sort of fresh, homemade food that
she enjoys. Even before her first customers
had sampled a crumb of her already-legendary
lemon drizzle cake, she had scoured the
region looking for the best produce. “I
have been around loads of different Dorset
producers, I’ve sampled so many different
products, and it’s all just lovely,” she
enthuses.
With the Deli Kitchen now open, Liz isn’t
slowing down the hunt for the finest fresh
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South West produce. Her latest discovery
is the Dorset Salt Company, a brand-new
business which produces its own salt from
Portland. (See page 16). “The flavour is just
incredible. It’s really intense, it’s got a really
strong salt flavour, and it’s nice and crumbly,
too – a bit like Maldon sea salt, but a bit
wetter and it’s got so much more flavour.”
Fresh, local, healthy, yet packed with flavour
– The Deli Kitchen has a clear ethos, and that’s
why they already have regular customers who
are so enamoured with their salads that they
often take them home to eat with a hot meal. The
quinoa salad, for example, is crammed with nuts,
seeds, fresh tomatoes and lots of different herbs,
while there is a vegan platter with homemade
humous, salad and local breads. Try it with a local
fermented green tea, with its healthy credentials,
something that’s become increasingly important
to Liz over the past few years.
That said, Liz recognises that she has to
appeal to a wide audience if she’s to follow
her dream of expanding into other towns
and food markets. So, those who frequent
the local gym can refuel with the homemade
energy bars, while Brewery Square’s residents
might fancy something more traditional – a
bit of chocolate cake or a homemade sausage
roll. Then there will be those who just fancy
buying one of Ajar Of’s chutneys that they’ve
tried in one of the fresh, made-to-order
sandwiches. It’s early days, but with regular
customers already coming back for more, you
wouldn’t be surprised to see The Deli Kitchen
at a Dorset food market or festival soon.
The Deli Kitchen
13 Weymouth Avenue,Brewery Square, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1QT.
www.brewerysquare.com
www.menu-dorset.co.uk
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