By Beth Doherty
Twitter:@bethdmedia / @new_valleynews
Instagram: @bethdohertymedia / @newvalleynews
The Courtyard Marketplace could claim to be the answer to every foodie’s dream, stocking a variety of great English products from Bloody Mary chutney to traditional raspberry jam.
Owned by Andrew Payne and his daughter Wendy Ellen, The Courtyard Marketplace, in The Guild, formerly Wilton Shopping Village, is an artisan food and gift shop, featuring handmade cards by Andrew’s other daughter Helen Smith.
After lockdown, the pair decided to move into a bigger unit, inviting Blueberry Den’s to sell their eco range in part of their shop, and investing in more delicious stock.
Brimming with knowledge, shop owner Andrew Payne is passionate about the products he sells. After walking out of his job in the motoring industry, his daughter Wendy roped him into being a chef at her café.
“I loved cooking but I wasn’t sure about cooking for the public. I hated it at first, but after a few weeks, something clicked. I started using Hawkshead Relish Company’s products in the food I was cooking, and fell in love with them,” said Andrew.
After their family café project fell through, Andrew suggested to his daughter Wendy that they take Hawkshead’s products on tour.
“We did a pop-up event here in Wilton and it went so well we decided to stay, so in March 2018, we opened our shop. We have been working with Hawkshead for four years now and we are more than business partners, we are friends.”
Family businesses are flourishing at The Guild, as Ladytree, Sofa Smith, and The Courtyard Marketplace are all parent-child businesses.
“We work well together, she isn’t just my daughter, she is my best friend. For us, the shop is our escape, as my wife Gillian suffers from dementia, so the shop is not just about the money – there is so much more to it than that,” confided Andrew.
Looking forward, Andrew is optimistic about the future, and he hopes to have his popular dog Ernie back to the shop as he is so popular with regulars that he even has his own blog on their website.
“We have some exciting events coming up involving food tasting, music, and lots of sticky toffee. We are really looking forward to the changes at The Guild. The plans look great, but most of all we are happy that our traditional shop is back open where we can talk about our products to customers and have banter with our regulars,” Andrew quipped.
To find out more about the tasty products stocked at The Courtyard Marketplace visit: https://thecourtyardmarketplaceontour.com/ or visit them at Unit 2, The Historical Courtyard, The Guild, SP2 0RS.