DAWLEY – A THRIVING COMMUNITY
Off to a cracking start
£10,000 High street start up grant awardee
Jolly Good Pantry 35 High Street, Dawley TF4 2EX
Q: You started out as Jolly Good Eggs back in 2016 as a home-based business, what attracted you to open on Dawley High Street? A: After expanding to market stalls in Dawley, Newport and Madeley we increased our range of goods to breads, cakes, jams, pickles and pies. We had been looking to open a shop for about a year and felt we could really fill a gap in the market in Dawley, as both the butchers and the fruit & veg shop had closed down several years ago. Because our focus is on locally made and sourced products, we don’t really compete with the local Co-op and we are helping attract more people to shop in Dawley. A crucial factor was the support from Telford & Wrekin Council, in the shape of the £10,000 High Street Business Start-Up Grant – without it we couldn’t have gone ahead. And we have had such support from local people, they are so loyal and now we have customers coming from Oakengates, Wellington, all across Telford. Q: How important is the focus on local products? A: Local quality produce is what we are all about. All our eggs come from local farms and we have supply deals Jolly Good Eggs started out as a fresh egg delivery business, but husband and wife team Brian and Ros Jolly expanded into market stalls and then, aided by a Telford & Wrekin Council Pride in Our High Street business start-up grant, they opened their shop, the Jolly Good Pantry, on Dawley High Street last year.
with popular local producers like Crystal’s Cupcakes, the Shropshire Spice Company, Snowdonia Cheeses, pickles from the Funky Food Factory in Cannock, the Famous Russell’s Pies – originally from Broseley and now based in Madeley – breads and cakes from Catherine’s Bakery as well as local jams and honey. It means we are a little local business supporting lots of other small local businesses, and we can tell our customers where everything comes from. One of the joys of our shop is our relationship with our customers, answering any questions they have and just generally having a chat. Q: How fresh are those eggs? A: All our eggs are freshly laid, within a few days of appearing on our shelves or being delivered. Each one has a use-by date stamped on it and usually they have at least three weeks. Of course, there is always the glass test – put an egg in a glass of water and if it floats, treat it with care! These days people are advised to keep their eggs in the fridge, but I will admit I tend to keep mine at room temperature – I think they cook better. Q: What are the other benefits of shopping locally? A: Apart from the great quality and the convenience, this is an environmentally-friendly way to shop with a low carbon footprint as we
keep things as local as we can so our products have never travelled far and packaging is minimal. It is wonderful to see just how many of our customers bring back their egg boxes each week for re-use.
TOTALLY TELFORD
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