DELI OF THE MONTH A dedication to hunting down the finest fresh fruit and vegetables, affable customer service, and a raconteur owner are all part of the unique formula at Andreas of Chelsea Green. It's this mix that has marked the shop out as... Interview by Tom Dale
...‘The Chanel of veg’ IT’S THE HOTTEST DAY of the year so far when FFD visits Andreas of Chelsea Green. The shop’s owner Andreas Georghiou is outside the small West London store greeting customers with jovial banter and making the most of the sun before a spell of bad weather is due the following day. This scene, as it turns out, perfectly encapsulates the high-end greengrocer’s approach to running his business in the current unpredictable climate. An absolute dedication to the needs of the customer and prudent preparation while times are good are what has elevated the boy who quit his A-levels to work in his uncle’s Chiswick grocer to selling handpicked French beans to the rich and famous. Nestled in a small square in the affluent area of Chelsea, Andreas’ ornate and well-
VITAL STATISTICS
Location: 4 Cale St, Chelsea Green, London SW3 3QU Average spend (pre-COVID): £32 Average spend (current): £45 Retail floorspace: 14.2 sq m Number of lines: 1,200 Tomato varieties: 18 60
July 2021 | Vol.22 Issue 6
tended displays of fruit and vegetables – which extend out onto the pavement in classic style – immediately speak of the quality of produce Georghiou stocks. “There are no three-for-apound bowls here.” “We are veg-led,” says the owner, “It’s our number one thing, so we only want the best of the best.” And it shows. The selection in his displays is superlative. The finest French cherries, Romanesco courgettes, punnets of fresh berries – which make up as much as 33% of turnover in the summer – and leafy Sicilian lemons are just some of the vast selection of fresh produce that Georghiou and his staff of just 10 have managed to stuff into this tiny 14.2 sq m shop. To complement the fresh produce, there is a carefully selected range of ambient products
– including high-end pasta brand Pastificio dei Campi and Great Taste-winning Maters honey – and a selection of pre-packed cheeses and charcuterie, alongside other chilled lines. This, says the owner, is the result of doing the “hard yards” for nearly 29 years since opening his first greengrocers in Chiswick; travelling to the Continent and developing relationships with growers and suppliers in the search of “the best fruit and veg on the planet”. “When we started, I always knew there was more to fruit and veg than what was available back then,” says Georghiou. “So, we went looking. We started in France and then went to Italy and started making crazy relationships with growers and wholesalers in the markets over there.” And these relationships have borne fruit
