Jenny Clingan with the members of the team at the Cheltenham High Street store
run a thriving coffee shop alongside the deli. The Southgate Street branch is the biggest of the three shops and saw the business evolve again and Mr Clingan senior return to the coffee shop roots that he had first set down in theTop Spot a half-century earlier. With Rob and Jenny now taking over the helm, the business now employs 32 staff across the three sites. The third generation of Clingans form part of that workforce, with 20-year-old Ollie already behind the counter, and Rob’s young sons eagerly waiting in the wings until they are old enough to wear the apron. Mr Clingan added: “All of my children have grown up in the stores. When we first started out, my wife Gwyn and I would bring Sue, our eldest, to the shop because we were both working there. “She would sit in her pram and be entertained by the customers. And all of the kids and now grandchildren have come through the shops. I am very proud of it being a family business.” The family ethos has ensured that, of the 30 or so
staff on the books, around a dozen of them have been with the Clingans and the Farmhouse Deli for more than a decade. CallumMay, the manager of the Cheltenham store met his soon-to-be-wife Ellie while both working behind the counter – and all the Clingan and Farmhouse Deli family will help them celebrate on the big day. And while the family involvement and a lot of the staff have remained constant, the ability to evolve the business has been the key to 50 years – and more – of success in business. Mr Clingan said: “The business from 50 years ago is unrecognisable to the one now. So, we’ve had to change. “We make 15 flavours of sausages, producing more than a tonne of them in a week. We also make our own traditional hams and pies. “Now we make pies for people to put straight in the oven for convenience, we make and prepare sandwiches and sausage rolls for the lunchtime market too. “We’ve adapted to what our customers have needed and wanted from us, and that’s why we have had the success. “For us, the customer has always been number one and we hope that we can be serving them for another 50 years” l For more information on Farmhouse Deli, contact 01452 521784 , email info@farmhousedeli.co.uk visit @FarmhouseDeli on Facebook or @farmhouse_cooked_meats on Instagram
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