Interview with Eilir Rogers, Fabulous Female Founder of Grundisburgh Dog Deli, Suffolk
How did Grundisburgh Dog Deli start?
It all started in April 2020 during Lockdown 1.0 when I started an honesty stall at the front of the pub to supply fruit, vegetables, flour and eggs to residents of the village. To begin with, the stall was constructed of two planks of wood, two beer casks and two bar stools then I added a small shed ‘The Deli Shed’ from which I sold dried pasta, pesto, tinned tomatoes, and tonic waters.
I was struggling to keep the sun off the stall so I decided to move everything into the pub and I started to sell cheese which proved very popular and the selection quickly began to grow to the point where I had to buy a big fridge to keep it all in. This meant I could start selling other items requiring refrigeration like meat and fish.
How quickly did you get it up and running?
It happened very quickly! It has gone from strength to strength over the past eleven months and has reached the point where I am having to move it to its own site! It will still be in the village and will still be called The Grundisburgh Dog Delicatessen. As well as being a delicatessen it will be an artisan coffee house serving locally roasted coffee and homemade cakes. In the future, I hope to be able to offer deli platters too.
How do you decide on your brands, and is your focus on local?
I do a lot of research before I chose a brand to stock and I ask for samples where I can. My main focus is quality and luckily we have so many fabulous food producers here in East Anglia so a lot of my stock is local. High animal welfare standards and sustainability are important to me so I am very careful (and picky) about the suppliers and producers I work with.
What were you doing before?
Before I started the deli I was (and still am) running the Grundisburgh Dog pub together with my husband. Since it has been closed we have operated as a takeaway. Charles makes the most amazing pizzas which we offer on Wednesday and Saturday evenings and we do homemade gourmet burgers on Friday evenings. We are both looking forward to the day we can reopen the pub with a brand new head chef onboard and an exciting new menu!
Has Grundisburgh Dog Deli done better than you expected?
So much better. I never dreamed that I would have my own shop and coffee house and it’s all happened within a year from the day I put the vegetable stall out. I have been blessed with amazing support from my local community who have helped me grow the business.
What gets you up in the morning?
Usually a wet dog nose in my face.
An object you would never part with
Two objects: my beautiful engagement and wedding rings. Oh and my phone.
The biggest female influence in your life
There are A LOT of women in my life and it impossible to choose just one who has influenced me the most. I have a wonderful mother, two brilliant sisters and four sisters-in-law who I admire greatly. I also have lots of close female friends and of course my daughter; they all influence me in different ways but recently I have been my own influence! I am incredibly proud of what I have achieved in the past year and I am feeling more driven than I ever have done. I am also influenced by other women who I have met through my new business - there really are a lot of fabulous female founders out there!!
Best Suffolk produce
I love cheese so I would have to say Fen Farm’s Baron Bigod, fresh berries from Newbourne Fresh and samphire harvested from the shores of local rivers.
Where would you like to go next?
Italy.
Favourite Instagram account?
Is it wrong to say my own?! I really like @midweek.kitchen (I think Sarah is hilarious).
The last album I downloaded
I can’t remember!
Favourite Book?
I think that the last time I read was on holiday about three years ago when I read ‘Why Mummy Swears’ followed by ‘Why Mummy Drinks’ by Gill Sims. I related to a lot of it and found myself reading several passages to my husband saying “see it’s not just me”.
Your favourite website
Definitely not my own – it really needs updating but I’m not very ‘computery’ so it has been neglected (it is on my to-do list though). If I was typing this on my phone I would be using the monkey with its hands over its eyes emoji but I don’t know how to do one in Word. I do enjoy having a good explore (nosy) on Google Maps and I love browsing estate agent web pages to look at houses I can’t afford.
A recent “find” or brand
I have several. Stunning flowers by Dianna from Red Lavender Floristry in Creeting St Peter, Honey and Sea Salt Caramels made locally by Anna at B Chocolates, interesting single-origin coffee beans from Butterworth & Son in Bury St Edmunds, Cacklebean Eggs - they aren’t local but they have incredibly high welfare standards which are super important to me and also Bramley Products essential oil hand sanitiser.
In your fridge, you’ll always find
Cheese. And, a bottle of Cremant de Loire because you never know when you might need to celebrate something (I celebrate quite a lot – not just because I like Cremant but because I like to acknowledge my achievements, even the little ones).
The beauty staple you’ll never without
Mascara
Favourite Suffolk restaurant
I definitely have more than one, Suffolk has SO many excellent restaurants! Aside from my own restaurant I love the Ramsholt Arms for its beautiful riverside location (we often sail there), Takayama in Ipswich for the Japanese and Korean food and The Great House in Lavenham for the cheese trolley.
Favourite Suffolk shop
Any food shop.
As soon as lockdown is over you will….
Be very busy in the deli I hope!