Charlbury Deli

Tue 9 Dec, 18:58

I really enjoyed the fresh sandwiches the deli offered a few years ago. I recall smoked turkey with brie, pastrami with swiss cheese and gherkins amongst others. Similar paninis would also be great, along with crispy jacket potatoes with fresh toppings such as bean chilli. All available to takeaway. And ideally pre-order via the website!

Tue 9 Dec, 17:53 (last edited on Tue 9 Dec, 18:11)

Rod - great news! Looking forward to the next incarnation of the Deli as a community benefit society. 

John - I wonder whether the trustees would feel more empowered to make change if they had the explicit support of the community. At the meeting in September the trustees announced the decisions they had already made to the community. This might be naive, but why not have a meeting to ask the community for guidance on what decisions to make instead?

Janet - great question! I'll get the ball rolling with some ideas, which are not very well thought-through. I think you should be showcasing the fantastic bread you sell: Welsh rarebit, done properly with beer, mustard, Worcester sauce and local cheese like double Gloucester; and maybe something like sautéed mushrooms on toast. Upsell with add -ons like fried eggs or roasted tomatoes.

I'd stop doing microwaved pies or bought-in sandwich fillings (and crisps). And I'd throw away the margarine tub. Those things are not to my taste, speaking personally - others might disagree. I'd be happy to have a chat about the food if you like. Let me know. 

Mon 8 Dec, 20:39

The Deli staff would love to hear your ideas on what else they might offer for lunches and takeaways. The lack of an oven has constrained them to date but plans are afoot to change this and start preparing meals from fresh ingredients. All ideas welcome as the managers look to make changes in the new year.

Mon 8 Dec, 19:29

Well done John............ .the Corner House and other Community Locations need to communicate more with the Community i.e publish minutes?

Mon 8 Dec, 16:35

Nicolette, you're right that space is tight in the Corner House.  But the Trustees can't just "move" people, as you suggest.  We have various long-term tenants, and we feel an obligation to treat each of them fairly.

In fact, earlier this year we tried to have a root-and-branch look with our long-term tenants at who might best use which bit of our premises .. the single building that we think of as three (the "Museum" and the "Corner House", and the rather delapidated "Cottage").  But not all of them were comfortable even to have that conversation, and so we proceeded as best we could accordingly.

There are still possibilities for expansion even as things are.  The Cottage has excellent long-term potential, and could have one of several different uses;  and the paved area outside the current Deli entrance would not be difficult to turn into at least a three-season seating area with a glazed roof, for example.

Listed-building status constrains us -- even when it doesn't make changes impossible it slows them considerably.  Lack of money likewise means that many aspirations remain just that.  But we're working hard within those constraints, and are confident that the Deli can thrive in our building, to our mutual advantage.

Mon 8 Dec, 13:59

The Deli doesn't need a public meeting, it's the Corner House that does!

Mon 8 Dec, 13:39

I have been a share holder of the deli since the start. It has always been popular with the locals and with tourists and workmen working on nearby buildings looking for nonsuper market sandwiches for their lunches to take away or eat on site. The prices have always been reasonable to allow as many people as possible afford to go there. It did not want to have to leave THe Old Bank but when it had to moving to THe Corner House which is in the centre of the town was a good idea. It has used its money to bring the corner House kitchen up to the standard the law requires. However the reason it's is now finding life difficult is that the space the committee of the corner house has allocated to it is too small for it to make the profit for to pay the rent reasonable required by the Corner House. There are many ways the Corner House Committee could find this space for example by moving the Corner Stone to St Mary's Church which owns it. I would like this to happen but my wishes count for nothing  but as a resident of charlbury and therefore by reason of that have an interest in the running of the Corner House I would ask for a public meeting to be held to find out what the residents want to happen to the Deli 

Mon 8 Dec, 13:18 (last edited on Mon 8 Dec, 17:43)

Thank you Martin for such a helpful and constructive move.  You and John have actually beaten me to it! 

The headline news is that we held a shareholders’ meeting last Thursday where it was decided that we should move towards conversion of the present limited company to a Community Benefit…

Long post - click to read full text

Mon 8 Dec, 09:25

I moved to Charlbury six years ago, and as far as I'm aware there's been no opportunity during that time to become a shareholder.  So people like me who wish the deli well, would like to be more involved in its development, and would even put a modest amount of money in their direction, have had little opportunity to do so.

In my opinion it needs (amongst other things) either to issue more shares, so that more of us can have a stake in the business;  or it needs to change its model, now that it's not even ostensibly profit-making, and invite support in other ways -- such as setting up a "Friends of the Deli" group with an annual subscription and occasional meetings.

(I write in a personal capacity, rather than as a Corner House trustee:  we have no official view on how the Deli should constitute itself.)

Mon 8 Dec, 08:29 (last edited on Mon 8 Dec, 10:30)

I want to make a new thread on the deli. Because let's face it, the deli needs our help. It has already been forced to cut its opening hours and it is likely to be further challenged by increasing competition.

In the entire long thread on the new shop, I…

Long post - click to read full text