Booths tucks in to higher festive orders

LANCASHIRE grocery chain Booths is reporting a surge in pre-Christmas orders, and believes its customers are splashing out on luxury foods after a tough year.

The family-owned business which has 29 stores in the North West and Yorkshire, has seen a 26% increase in pre-orders for Christmas, with high demand for top quality meats, cheese and seafood, as well as turkey.

Chief operating officer, Chris Dee, said: ““People come to Booths for the best, they trust our quality and our commitment to find the very best suppliers that are producing exceptional food.

“We’ve been mindful that budgets have been tight and kept prices affordable without compromising premium quality. We have a canny Northern consumer base they keep us on our toes in terms of service, price and quality.”

Among the most popular pre-order items are Gressingham Free Range Geese, National Trust dry-aged beef, mixed Lakeland Game boxes and the Paul Kelly Bronze turkeys.

Mr Dee added: ““It’s gratifying to see consumers are supporting small scale producers like the Cumbrian based Furness Fish and game, who have seen a 143% increase in orders of their Seafood Starter box, which includes Morecambe Bay Shrimps, salmon terrine and luxury potted crab.”
 
Local hams have been in strong demand with the Yorkshire based Richard Woodhall’s unsmoked gammon topped with chestnut-smoked bacon seeing a 125% rise in orders and the Ribbleton Dry Cured  Gammon a 123%  increase.
 
Booths’ ‘ Champion Cheese Box’, containing Wensleydale Blue, Sandham’s cloth bound Lancashire, a Special reserve Lancashire and Elton Farm Cheshire have seen a rise in demand by 151%.