Fruit and veg store Pickle & Lime still going strong a year after opening

The demand for fresh produce during the pandemic has been strong and this has made Pickle & Lime on Botley Road a success so far.

“Some people think it’s a pop-up shop but it’s been doing well and I would like to think it’s here to stay,” said Mr Devlin.

Read again: Would you ditch your car for the bus?

His roots as a trader in Botley Road stretch back almost 50 years - his mother launched the Eggs Etcetera delicatessen in 1974 - the shop that has now been turned into Pickle and Lime.

When Waitrose opened its store in Botley Road in 2015 Eggs Etcetera closed due to the competition.

Joe Devlin at Pickle & Lime

Then Mr Devlin opened a new, smaller deli next door called Country Grains, and it is still going, run by his partner Theresa.

While some high street businesses have suffered during the pandemic, farms shops, delis and grocers serving fresh produce have welcomed new trade.

Mr Devlin sources his produce from Covent Garden, Western International market near Heathrow and Millets Farm in Frilford neat Abingdon.

He makes the journeys early in the morning or late at night several times a week to bring the produce back to the Botley Road shop.

Other items including jams and preserves are sourced locally.

Read again: Oxford's economy is growing despite pandemic

Mr Devlin said: “Pickle & Lime has now been trading for about a year.

Joe Devlin at Pickle & Lime

“It has been very successful which has taken me by surprise a little bit.

“But the lockdowns have definitely made people want fresh produce more.

“We try to stay as local as possible when it comes to buying our fruit and veg.

“Q Gardens farm shop at Harwell is another supplier - they have got big orchards - we go to them for apples, peas, soft fruit.”

Helping Mr Devlin to run Pickle and Lime is Ian Palmer.

“Ian has been here since day we opened a year ago and that has been very helpful,” he added.

Deliveries are also made from the store to local pubs and restaurants including The Punter on nearby Osney Island, The Horse and Groom at Upper Heyford and The Fox at Boars Hill.

Raspberries and blackberries usually come from Millets Farm while asparagus is provided by Rectory Farm in Oxford although a cold spell has meant a later start than usual for asparagus.

Customers can order fruit and veg boxes to be delivered to their door but some people still prefer to visit, so they can see the colourful selection of fresh fruit, vegetables, chutneys, dried nuts, pulses and more.

Read more: The Rusty Bicycle reopens with top food hygiene score

Waitrose may be a short distance away on the other side of Botley Road but there is still room for the local greengrocer as not everyone wants a trip to the supermarket.

They also know where Mr Devlin has sourced his fruit and veg - details which are not so easy to establish at the supermarket.

Some shoppers are on foot while others pull in at the layby to pick up their shopping from Pickle & Lime, Country Grains and other businesses.

Joe Devlin at Pickle & Lime in Botley Road Picture: Ed Nix

There has been a suggestion in the past that laybys on the road could be removed as new road layouts are introduced but Mr Devlin said they remained vital to his trade and is hoping they will stay.