Delis up and down the UK have signed up to win The Deli of the Year – a brand new competition for 2010 to find a shop with outstanding ‘deli attitude’.
Giles Henschel, of Olives Et Al, the Dorset food company organising the competition, said: “Entries have come in from some great delis as we expected, but we’ve also had entries from farm shops, corner shops and butchers who all feel that they have a touch of the deli attitude about them.
“This is what we had hoped for as some tiny corner shops and village stores have an abundance of deli food on the shelves.
“All the shops will have posters and postcards so that customers can vote, and most importantly, the shops will be offering tasters of some of the food that helps them to stand out from the crowd,” he said.
The Deli of the Year Awards are being launched by Olives Et Al during Purple Love Week which takes place from February 13 to 21.
He said: “We are using our annual Purple Love Week to launch the Award as we feel it’s high time that there was an event that celebrated the Deli Attitude.
“This is easily explained! You know this kind of place immediately when you walk in – it’s likely to smell of spices and roast coffee, of cheeses and garlic, of fresh bread, olives, pickles and pies. The search is on!”
The place that best captures the ‘Deli Attitude’ will be a shop that has lined its shelves and counter with food chosen with great care and almost an obsessive determination to offer customers the very best flavours, variety and quality available.
Plus, the shop will be run with enthusiasm and warmth – a place where people want to return again and again.
“This is not about the best looking or the smartest deli or farm shop – it’s about a real sense of pride in giving customers an experience, one which they will want to repeat, and above all a feeling that the food has been chosen by someone who understands food and has a great attitude to it,” added Henschel.
The competition will run until the end of June and then a panel of respected judges will shortlist and visit the finalists.
The winner’s prize will be an invitation to a stunning olive growing area of Spain to take part in a very special olive harvest and to learn more about olives from the experts on the ground, there will be a feast and an opportunity for the winner to bottle their own ‘first pressing’ olive oil.
To enter the Deli of the Year competition visit www.olivesetal.co.uk or call 01258 474300 to find out more. Entry is free to all and shortlisted finalists and overall winners will be invited to a special event at Speciality & Fine Food Fair in September.
