Discover: The Corbridge Larder

By Becky Hardy

What inspired you to take over the The Corbridge Larder in 2015?

The main reason for buying The Corbridge Larder was to return it to being a destination within Corbridge. When I first moved to the area over 20 years ago, I remember the Larder being full of lovely artisan products; it was a place you wanted to shop, to find something a little bit different. It was always a joy to visit and difficult to leave without spending a bit more than you expected! But in recent years it had an unloved feeling, with little in the way of local produce.

Bob and I love our food. When we first got together, our dinner parties were legendary. We rarely started cooking until our guests arrived and then always involved them in the preparation of something we usually fancied from a cookbook! Those evenings were so much fun, full of laughter and, ultimately, good food. About 10 years ago, Bob was diagnosed with CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease). My way of coping was to make sure our diet got even healthier. I started researching ingredients that are more common now, but back then they weren’t really heard of: kombucha, matcha green tea, xylitol, seaweed, Himalayan salt. I struggled to get hold of these ingredients and kept thinking: ‘I wish there was somewhere I could browse through these things so I didn’t have to bulk buy them’. And so the seed was planted.

What changes have you made to the Larder in the last 5 years?

We have developed the café itself and have turned the whole of upstairs into seating space, as well as installing a new kitchen. The menu was developed based on what I wanted to see served, so it covers the usual suspects such as breakfasts, baked potatoes and sandwiches, as well as some lovely healthy options. Everything is freshly prepared, with local produce used wherever possible and not a microwave in sight! Our chef, Marie, is passionate about her kitchen and what comes out of it, and her scones (especially the chive, bacon and cheese) are renowned!

We are constantly tweaking our range, too. We keep an ear to the ground about food trends, we listen to what our customers want and we attend trade shows (always a highlight of our calendar!). A couple of years ago, we bought out the award-winning Tarset Valley Marmalade from Charlotte Lloyd and Mel – our lovely supervisor who now makes the marmalade on site. We still get excited when new products come in and Christmas, especially, is a time of wonder as gorgeous, must-have produce arrives. Given that we order these around June and July, finally seeing them in the flesh months later is always very exciting.

How has The Corbridge Larder reacted to the recent lockdown restrictions?

Right from the start, we knew that we could source the ingredients and items people wanted, we just needed the customers. When supermarkets struggled to source flour, yeast and toilet rolls, we could still provide them. So we contacted local groups to explain that we could still provide our customers’ weekly needs, deliver them and, most importantly, be a voice at the end of the phone to reassure them that they were not forgotten. This was especially important at the start of the first lockdown, as there were a lot of vulnerable people who weren’t able to get to the shops but still couldn’t obtain a supermarket slot. I’m especially proud of my staff, who continued to work during a very scary period. They kept the Larder alive.

How is the Larder operating at the moment?

Although we’re now in a second lockdown, we are managing to keep the Deli open due to the safety measures we have in place. Unfortunately, though, we’ve had to close our café for now. But we’re offering takeaway drinks, scones, sandwiches and cakes, and they’re proving very popular.

We have our fingers, toes and everything else crossed that lockdown is lifted at the beginning of December. The run-up to Christmas is typically the make-or-break period for us, as it is for a lot of small businesses, so I’m praying we can all be open. So I’d ask anyone reading this to please, please shop local! I think this is always important, but it’s even more so now.

You’re very active in your local community. Could you tell us how you work with other local businesses?

We love sourcing locally. We buy our ham, beef and pork pies from North Acomb farm, all of our raw meat from JD Hall, the independent butcher in Corbridge, and our fruit and veg from Stobbo’s, the greengrocer in the village. One of our hampers – The Good Read – even includes a book from the Corbridge-based (and award-winning) Forum Books, as Northumberland tea and Northumberland Bakehouse biscuits, so you can enjoy a good read with something to dunk into your cuppa.

You’re picking a Corbridge Larder hamper for a loved one’s Christmas present – which one do you go for?

Wow, that is a difficult question. We choose our hampers carefully, based on what customers typically search for, and we love creating hampers that give more than once – ’The Gift that Keeps on Giving’, if you will (thanks Sue for that tagline!). For example, the Afternoon Tea Hamper gives you tea and biscuits straight away, but then you also have the Afternoon Tea in our café to look forward to as well. The Gardener’s Rest Hamper provides you with tea and biscuits to enjoy after a hard day’s labour in the garden, but also gives you seeds to plant and enjoy as the years go on. Personally, I’m so looking forward to getting the Corbridge Gin in store, (hint, hint Bob!).

For opening times, delivery options and all kinds of delightful delicacies, visit:

The Corbridge Larder