AN ever-evolving dale business that began as a gift shop to offer work experience for people with learning disabilities is set for another transformation.
Christine Taylour started Andalucia as a small gift shop in Barnard Castle in the early 2000s to give the people who attended her day care group for those with learning disabilities something to do.
Although the day care group came to an end when Durham County Council cut its funding, the business continued to grow.
Mrs Taylour said: “We expanded and bought the fish and chip shop next door. We opened the café four-and-a-half years ago.”
Now the plan is to open a deli in the original gift shop area. She said: “We bought Teesdale Game and Poultry from the Morrells [Stephen and Alison Morrell] and started doing Durham Indoor Market, so it was a natural progression. We thought we had to change because there are so many gift shops in the town now.”
However, the café and deli will still keep gifts that are related to the produce being sold in the shop.
Mrs Taylour said: “We are concentrating a lot on local cheese and then there will be the charcuterie. We are going to be doing, obviously, the game. We will have buffalo, bison, goat, rabbit and venison.”
Other products on sale include honey, jams and chutney. In addition, Andalucia’s café will supply the deli with frozen goods such as pies and a delicious venison casserole with dumplings.
When the deli opens on Friday, it will not be the end of the shop’s transformation.
Mrs Taylour is currently applying for a licence to sell a range of alcohol that go well with some of the other produce, such as wines for the cheeses and game.
Once the licence is secured, another aim is to open a small tapas bar which will be serving up three days a week – from Thursday through to Saturday – from 5.30pm to 8.30pm.
