of flour and all sorts of goodies. There's a large chiller cabinet full of fresh cheeses, including a huge Emmental, and a range of curious products including dried sausages hanging up that draw the eye and make this a very inviting space. We had a peek at the food counter before leaving and it really was a visual delight. There was a beautiful large bowl of Greek salad and the cross section of the red onion and fennel frittata looked like a 1950s beach towel - all red and green swirls on a yellow background, deliciously light and mouth-watering.

Opposite the food counter, the cosy coffee area has several tables of different sizes, where you can relax on your own with one of the shop's papers, or sit and chat with friends and compare your purchases - the interior design is rustic and full of light, with timber frames against the walls and a high open vaulted timber roof, creating a relaxing barn-style feel that encourages either pastime.

Peeping at the choices of people around us, we could see they were mostly tucking into generously-filled sandwiches, baguettes or rolls. The menu also had lots of salads, flans and quiches, but I was tempted by the specials board, offering curried veg soup, penne pasta with sun dried tomato passata, green beans and French soft cheese or baked tabouleh with chicken and, my choice, lamb tagine with almonds and rice and vegetable pilaf. There was also a selection of salads available. Once we'd chosen, the food came quickly and was excellent, my lamb was perfectly cooked and tender with a good deep flavour, with nutty rice and a lovely salad and dressing, all served in a pretty earthenware bowl - and only £4.95.

There's no table service so you need to queue up to order your food, and if you also want a hot drink then you need to go to a second queue at the coffee counter. Not such a good system when they get busy, and I've often seen long queues - a sign of popularity but also annoying when you're in a hurry. And of course I decided to have a dessert and had to queue again. Luckily my bakewell slice was a delight, moist with delicious raspberry jam, but I also then had to join the second queue for a coffee and wait five minutes for the girl to bring it over. The staff did their best, as they were very busy, but as their success grows - which I'm sure it will - I do think their system will need to be adapted.

The atmosphere is relaxed, informal and slightly buzzy, which felt comfortable and very welcoming, and all the staff were friendly and helpful. Toilets are uni-sex though, which won?t suit everyone - and no mirror in sight!

A meal for two with main courses, desserts and drinks (tomato juice and coffee) came to £27.95. I would recommend this deli as the quality of food is so good, clearly a lot of thought has gone into creating the menu and it works really well. But you will need to allow a very generous hour if you are eating two courses.

A jovial group of customers were already waiting for our table as we left. I wasn't surprised!

Written by Roz Scott