Tucked away in a corner of Appleby, down a narrow alleyway, opposite the library, is a rare find indeed. Tastes of Eden goes back to the old British traditions of the small independent shop, sourcing food from local producers that leaves behind the mass produced food of supermarkets with its plastic packaging and added water bulk but instead provides good high quality food that not only tastes better but also supports local producers and keeps money in the Cumbrian economy.

With a find such as this, the first thought is "ahh, but how much is it going to cost me?" The shop itself is beautiful and fantastically clean. When you combine this with the freshness of the produce it creates an aura of high quality which traditionally goes hand in hand with high cost. This is where the surprise comes … prices are within pennies of supermarket shopping. Cooked beef is priced at £1.10 per kg. A similar (but not always so fresh and tasty) cut of beef at the supermarket is around 99p per kg. Denise Hewitt, who owns the shop, says "we get people coming in here who have looked in the window and carried on because they thought it would be too expensive. When they finally come in they are surprised at the value for money they are getting. We also appeal to people who live alone as we can sell smaller portions because not all the food is pre-packaged. If people are prepared to add just 50p or £1 to their weekly shop, they can buy food that is fresher, tastier and more local than they may otherwise find at the supermarket".

On offer at Tastes of Eden are everything that you could possibly want for the perfect picnic lunch: freshly made sandwiches, hot soup, salad boxes, fruit salads, drinks, cakes and biscuits. The lunchtime trade is proving to be hugely successful and Denise even delivers to Appleby businesses who don't have the time to pop out.

Other products on offer include cheeses from Thornby Moor (Thursby), Jeremy's Soups (Appleby), Farrers coffee and tea (Kendal), bacons and hams from Slacks (Penrith), freshly baked cakes, biscuits from Lakeland Specialities (Keswick), Wildly Fruitful Jams (Wigton), Hawkshead relishes, Claire's home made pickles (Mealsgate) as well as locally produced beers (Tirrel, Coniston, Jennings, Dent) and fruit cordials (Dent and Lancaster). Olives with feta cheese or almonds help give the shop an overall feel of the Mediterranean local shop that we all love to visit when on holiday. We ought to visit them in our daily lives too - fresh, healthy food should be a way of life rather than a luxury. We need to use the resources that we have before they leave to go elsewhere.

Tastes of Eden is open Monday to Saturday 9.30-5.30. You can contact Denise Hewitt on 017683 51999.

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