A Cumbrian food hall has celebrated 10 years of trading.
The Orton Grange Food Hall, near Carlisle is run by family firm Cranstons. It opened in 2013 and now serves over 4,000 customers a week.
The Cranstons team enjoyed celebrating the food hall’s birthday with hundreds of customers who were offered a slice of birthday cake, a glass of fizz and Cranstons samples. Suppliers Gretna Bakery and Carlisle Distilling Company were in attendance chatting to customers and handing out samples.
Chris Russell, master butcher and manager has worked at the food hall since it opened.
He said: “It has been lovely to celebrate a successful decade trading with our dedicated team and customers and to thank them for their ongoing hard work and loyal support.
“We received lots of lovely compliments during the day about our friendly and knowledgeable team. It is clear lots of people really value the work we do promoting quality local produce.”
Peter Potts, Cranstons senior retail manager, said: “Cranstons has really enjoyed developing the food hall here at Orton Grange Farm over the last 10 years.
“We have been fortunate to have a passionate team, led by Chris, each of whom I’d like to thank for all their hard work. Since we opened, we have added a fresh milk vending machine selling milk from Orton Grange Farm and fresh fish and seafood from Fyne Fish.
“We opened a hot breakfast and lunch counter serving takeaway butties and meal boxes and most recently fresh scones traybakes and cakes baked at Cranstons bakery facility in Penrith.
“The wider Cumbrian food scene has grown over the last decade too and we are proud to stock significantly more Cumbrian produce than we did 10 years ago with lots of great new companies like Eden Yard Rapeseed oil and Northern Pasta Company emerging. Previously we could not source a Cumbrian pasta or oil.
“We are always looking for new products and services we can add to further enhance our food halls. The whole team are excited for the future.”
Cranstons Orton Grange Food Hall is part of a rural business community at Orton Grange Farm, just off the A595, which links Carlisle with Wigton and West Cumbria. The site is also home to Orton Grange Café and Gifts, The Loft Beauty Rooms, Shearing Shed Hair Salon and Carlisle Swim School for baby and toddler swimmers.
Farmer Richard Martin and his family, who set up the café and gift shop post foot and mouth and subsequently invited other businesses to get involved, said: “We were thrilled to expand our farm business park here at Orton Grange with the building and opening of Cranstons Orton Grange Food Hall in 2013, it has been popular from the first day it opened and compliments the other brilliant independent businesses the farm is home to.”
