100 YEARS OF HISTORY
Tully’s of Rothbury is a traditional village store, delicatessen and coffee shop set in the heart of Coquetdale in Northumberland.
Formerly owned by third-generation grocer Edwin Tully and his wife Mary, the store was taken over – along with its 100-year heritage – by local residents Rich and Sue Hurst, who are celebrating their 20th anniversary.
“My philosophy on food is very simple: it’s grown to eat. A cabbage is a cabbage, rice is rice. You buy the raw materials and put them in a pan. They don’t need to go through an industrial process and be put into layers of packaging,” says Rich.
“I remember shopping in traditional stores in Blaydon as a child and Newman’s Deli in Newcastle where the smells and colours were in abundance,” adds Rich, who along with Sue, wanted to maintain the tradition of Tully’s with a deli counter, whole foods and a wealth of other groceries tailored to the customers’ needs.
“Dietary considerations are now fundamental to what we stock,” says Sue. While remnants of the past have been retained, the couple have added their own flavours to the store.
“We’re all about artisan produce and local producers and we make it our priority to source and stock as much as we can. There are still people that want these things and recently there has been a proliferation of small producers appearing.
“Small is beautiful and it’s about supporting the local economy – that’s what we believe.”
In Tully’s, there’s everything from fresh bread, fruit and veg to local cheese, meat and poultry. You’ll also find olives, glace fruit, honey, dressings, pasta, flour, biscuits, beer, wines and spirits – and its famous home-made cheese savoury and coleslaw.
“We don’t acknowledge supermarkets any more,” says Rich, “the shop is an extension of our own eating habits and what our customers have shaped it to be. If the customer wants something we can generally order it.
“The independent supply chain is also fantastic now so we can order great products from all over the country and in small quantities,” Sue added.
Top Produce:
BEST BEANS
On the Holy Island of Lindisfarne in Northumberland, the Pilgrims Coffee team love finding the best beans and roast them to perfection in small batches to ensure they taste superb.
HONEY TO THE BEE
The Northumberland Honey Company offers raw and unpasteurised honey from hives in Rothbury – just as the bees intended. Perfect for hayfever sufferers, and can be enjoyed on warm toast or as a natural sweetener.
BAKE IT
Northumbrian Bakehouse at Kirkharle makes the highest quality hand-made products including biscuits, granola, roasted nuts and delicious shortbreads in both classic and modern styles.
