Local Heroes - Jalito's, Lyme Regis
Above: Behind the counter at Jalito's
Above: An array of goodies...
The wide majestic sweep of Lyme Regis's main street, up the hill towards Devon, guards a number of attractive and interesting shops. The western-most town of Dorset, Lyme Regis, has innate charm, although the steep hills demand a certain fitness! The Town Council has voted against pay-and-display in Broad Street, so it's still possible to stop outside the shops for an hour.
A third of the way up the hill, on the left-hand side, stands Jalito's popular deli and coffee shop. I discovered a gaggle of happy girls gossiping as they shopped - obviously a popular meeting place for a lot of local customers - vital to any local business. Many holidaymakers come year after year, some taking quiches and cakes home with them. One summer visitor is food broadcaster Clarissa Dickson-Wright, whose holiday home is nearby. She really enjoys the pasties.
It was meant to be...
When Gary and Kerry Barnes were looking round for a business five years ago, Lyme Regis was the first prospect they visited. They had never been to the town before. 'The shop just looked right,' remembers Kerry. 'We felt at home - like it was meant to be.' Gary spent 18 years on the ground staff at Gatwick Airport, while Kerry is a trained dental nurse. Living in cosmopolitan Brighton, they had wanted to work for themselves for some time, hopefully in food which Gary always enjoyed. At first they thought of Cornwall, but that would be a long way from eldest daughter Jade, who has returned to Brighton. Devon seemed more realistic and the agents lined-up some businesses to inspect, but the lure of Loders deli - as it was then called - was inescapable. They took over in 2002 and moved house to Hawkchurch, just over the frontier in Devon.
Gary thought of the name Jalito. Taking the first two letters of their three children's names - Jade, Libby and Toby - gave Jalito's, and the name stuck. Loders had been quite meat-oriented and Gary and Kelly aimed at more of a deli feel. 'We wanted to sell products that nobody else in Lyme was selling,' Kerry tells me. 'We're fond of Italian food, so that's a big influence in what we sell.' The jolly staff of three enjoys working at Jalito's. Heather Broome, originally from Somerset, has been here for 15 years, one link with the old Loders shop. Weymouthian Louise Gunnill also likes the varied life, and meeting lots of nice customers. Anna Cook is the Saturday girl.
Iconinc pasties...
Among the array of food on show are Cornish pasties, made regularly in Gary's kitchen. A chance visit by the couple to Padstow led to visiting Choughs, iconic pastie-makers who use pieces of meat, potato and swede. Kerry and Gary explained that they hoped to make pasties. 'Come stay with us; we'll show you how we make our pasties,' offered generous Choughs. Some happy days in Padstow were valuable experience, but when Gary began making the pasties at Jalito's, one of Choughs' lady bakers came to stay with the family for a few weeks. Gary makes all the quiches, shortbreads, brownies, cakes, and apricot and date slices. An unusual line is tiffin, the crunchy nut biscuit with caramel on top.
On Jalito's shelves I spotted Badger's Stinger Ale - one of the best brews to emerge from the Hall & Woodhouse brewery at Blandford St Mary. These days one of the largest brewers in the South of England, they plan a new brewery on part of the current site by 2010. Stinger Ale is made from hand-picked stinging nettles - a really nice flavour leaving an interesting tingle on the tongue. Jalito's' range of Italian wine is tempting, with some being sold by the glass. Normandy cider - somehow much more tasty and appley than most British ciders - is another inspired choice. Brakspear's organic ale, Sheppy's cider, and the noted Dunkerton Black Fox Herefordshire cider are here, too. Amaretto sweet almond liqueur is another fine product.
Keeping it local...
The Lyme Regis honey stocked at Jalito's is very local, being made by Tim Henshaw's bees at nearby Colway Lane. The Devon Rose company at Seaton was established in 1921 and supplies the deli with roast beef, turkey, ham and free-range chicken. A mixture of rare, traditional and modern breeds, Devon Rose animals are bred and reared on outside pasture. Their new gourmet pork chipolatas are a treat. There's roast and smoked salmon which comes from the Dartmouth smokehouse, and jostling in the cheese cabinet are Devon Blue, smoked Applewood and Welsh Black extra mature Cheddar. The Mendip piccalilli, Cheddar pickle, and peach-and-pear jam come from Rose Farm at Wedmore in Somerset. Then there's the distinctive flavours of Forest Products' crisps from Bridport, such as chestnut stuffing, and Gorgonzola and red onion.
At the rear of the pine-walled deli, the small coffee shop has a homely feel. Well worth trying is the 'succulent sizzling sausage sandwich'! Gary and Kerry have expanded the menu to include heavenly Lyme Bay crab salad, scrambled eggs on toast, and bespoke sandwiches like brie and grapes. Gary's cakes are among the most popular. A modern coffee machine makes seven different varieties of coffee - hibiscus, a natural soft drink from infusing tropical flowers, sounds healthy.
In a seaside resort, it's important to grab business while it?s about, so in high summer Gary opens until 10pm seven days a week. Business, says Kerry, was not good last year, the poor weather not helping, and, noticeably, there was less money about. Gary and Kerry look forward to this year's early Easter coming this month, the traditional start to the season. 'There's a very warm feel to Lyme Regis,' says Kerry. 'There are nice shops and cafes, the seafront, gardens, the theatre and the boats. It's a much slower pace of life than in Brighton - and much safer, too. The Dorset-Devon border is a super area to bring up our children.'
Jalito's, at 14 Broad Street, Lyme Regis DT7 3QE, is open from 8.30am to 6pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sunday. Tel: 01297 445008.