As we see out the last trading day of 2017 it’s time to reflect on the year that’s been. Here in Pangbourne it’s been a year of successes. We are all still so proud to have won the Cheese Counter of the Year and our counter remains, as ever, the focus of our shop. We’ve also launched our new online presence which is going from strength to strength. We haven’t publicised it at all (apart from my witterings online) yet we had several orders to add into the Christmas mayhem. It continues to grow and our cheese selection online is second to none. On a staffing front, Angela celebrated her 10yr anniversary as our shop manager whilst Jo has cut back on her hours. We have a new member of staff, Chris, who has settled in so quickly that it feels as though she’s been here forever. Our Saturday shoppers will get to know her more as the weeks pass. We also had extra help over the festive period with Jan and Jonny coming in to help out, so the whole gang has been involved over the last few weeks.
Ali and I are planning a few trips in January to visit some of our cheesemakers – I’m keen to spend a couple of days in Stilton country so hopefully we can set that up whilst things are a bit quieter. We are also looking to expand our Welsh Cheese selection so a trip over the Severn is called for. We’ve been invited to visit our Gouda suppliers in the Netherlands as well as going to Switzerland to see Le Gruyere being made. It’s going to be a busy few weeks!
On a personal front I’ve pretty much recovered from my ankle surgery. I suffered from quite a bit of swelling over Christmas but I put that down to being on my feet for 20 hour days! I’m back running 🙂 I had set myself the target of running a 10k (albeit on a treadmill) before the end of the year and I nailed that a couple of days ago. I’m loving being back pounding out the kilometres, although I’m doing my best to be ultra careful.
Lastly we would all like to thank you for your support over the last 12 months. Without our customers our shop is redundant so we are eternally grateful that you choose to shop with us. 2018 is going to be an interesting year from a retailing perspective so thank you for continuning to visit local, independent traders.