A beautiful café and deli on Smithdown Road is offering customers an "authentic" taste of the south of France.
Epicerie Fine opened in the middle of June, the realisation of owner Sarah Marion's lifelong wish to run her own venue. Sarah, originally from Ayrshire, Scotland, has lived in Liverpool for 22 years, with the French elements and experience coming from her husband's family.
Determined to offer the people of Liverpool something truly "authentic" and "unique", Sarah launched the café and deli with produce imported from France and décor inspired by the country. Light, stripped floorboards and white walls are flanked by a large window painted to perfection in Farrow & Ball's 'Cook's Blue' - the only colour Sarah could find that conjured the shade painted on shutters throughout southern France.
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Hanging plants catch the light streaming through the large expanse of glass. There's an array of tables with marble tops, and plenty of stylish wooden chairs to sit at and watch the world go by. Attention to detail has gone into every inch of the space, with jars of French produce like sauces, soups, Provençal pastes and more, as well as packets of butter biscuits, juices and an assortment of other French delicacies.
Speaking to the ECHO, Sarah said: "I always wanted my own place and a lot of French things in the UK are kind of gimmicky, or they try to recreate Paris so I wanted to do something authentic. My husband's family is French so we've spent a lot of time in France, particularly in the south.
"The ceramics are from a pottery in the south of France, Céramique de Lussan. Even the décor has authentic French touches - I looked everywhere for the shade of paint colour that's on all of the shutters in France.
"The produce is from different areas of France [and] most of our wine list is from the south. Our supplier, Boutinot, is Manchester based. The menu is seasonal with an emphasis on the south too, especially because it's summer, so it fits well.
"Everything we sell is authentically French - we thought importing wouldn't be as difficult as it is." Laughing, Sarah continued: "In the UK, there's probably about 200 Italian delis so it's easier to get stock but French people, not so much.
"We do work with a brilliant French company, The French Comté, they're based in London Borough Market but they've had supply issues too. That's where our meat and cheese comes from.
"We didn't do the menu in English but when people come in, it is explained to them. We haven't gone down the route of the patisserie, having all the little cakes, because average French people probably go to a patisserie once a month, it's not something they'd have often.
"It's unique because nowhere else in this area will have this produce. A lot of places you go into all sell the same sort of things, but this is different."
Wherever produce and stock can't be sourced directly from France, Sarah and her team are keen to champion other local and small businesses. The venue stocks pastries from Liverpool micro-bakery, The Butterholic, known and loved for its "proper pastries", as well as coffee by Liverpool favourite Neighbourhood Coffee. Sarah added: "We stock Neighbourhood coffee, they're not French but they could be. They're great."
Despite being open just over a month, Epicerie Fine has proved popular with customers. Sarah continued: "One of the best things is that everyone who's visited has given us great feedback. We've tried our very best to make sure everything is authentically French and we're introducing people to things they might not have tried before. We've also brought back Orangina in a glass bottle - everyone loves that.
"We opened on June 16. It's been quite unpredictable, so far. The two weeks before the students went back, we had a busier breakfast time but it's been hit and miss - though still very good. We've not done any advertising or anything, so just seeing how things go.
"As a business model, it works quite well because everything we sell on the deli counter we use in the menu so it reduces waste. Then it's good for if people like something they're eating, we can tell them they can buy it from our deli counter and take it home with them.
"I think we've gone in quite competitively priced - £2.50 for a coffee is cheap - and our house wine is only £15 a bottle. It's not Brookhouse cheap, but it's reasonable. The reaction has been really positive.
"We're also hoping to start selling gift hampers but we just need to nail down the produce. It's a big thing now to gift people food and drink, isn't it?"
Sarah is determined for Epicerie Fine to make its mark. Laughing, she said: "I've been in hospitality for a long time and I'm doing it all myself because I hate chefs. You know when you have an idea of what kind of food you want to produce? Well, as a new starter, I can't really afford to spend on a chef who might not do it the way I want it."
Of her hopes for the venue's future, Sarah said: "I hope it's successful and that people enjoy spending time here." She paused, laughed and added: "And that they buy everything."
Epicerie Fine is based at 449 Smithdown Road, L15 3JL. For more information, click here.
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