Portsmouth’s small businesses are celebrated in the run-up to the national Small Business Saturday with the mission to support and shop local on 3 December. Local independents from Yarty, The South Coast Bagel Company, Fries Love and Nosh Box have all grown their businesses over the last year.
Yarty, based in Southsea, make premium fruit cordials and artisan vinegars supplying top-end events and high-end restaurants. In 2017 they created “B” black garlic vinegar and this year have won 3 national awards: the Best in class for Vinegars and Oils and Best Small Producer Award in the Quality Food Awards 2022, plus Gold at the 2022 Farm Shop & Deli Awards. For Christmas they are selling online “B” in a present box.
The South Coast Bagel Company has been running for 18 months and has grown from market stall to wholesaler of fresh beautiful, crafted bagels for Portsmouth independent businesses such as Southsea Deli and Baffled coffee shops. For Christmas there are festive flavour bagels and Jack, the bagel man, is running bagel-making workshops.
Fries Love started in 2018 with a potato-shaped food trailer and opened their first restaurant in May this year in Portsmouth’s city centre. Inspired by the Belgium chip shops in Amsterdam they make delicious chips with a variety of inspired toppings. Their Christmas menu for shoppers includes Japanese fries and Korean-style corn dogs.
Nosh Box, started up in 2019 as a street food business operating around the South Coast festival scene. In October they took on a new home in the city centre opposite Portsmouth & Southsea rail station and sell fabulous quality brunch burgers. For Christmas they are planning pop-up hog roast nights.
Love Southsea market has long been the birthplace for many of the local makers and businesses in the city. Now in its 14th year and located mainly in Palmerston Road in Southsea, the market attracts a range of local makers from fresh street food, cut flowers, gorgeous gifts, homewares and jewellery. For Christmas, the market will be running every weekend in December.
Cllr Steve Pitt Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Economic Development said “Our small businesses are just brilliant and offer fantastic value and quality. They are vital for our economy and local communities. This winter, like all of us, they are facing mounting economic challenges, so I urge all to support them as much as possible, to help them survive and protect local jobs “.
Over 200 of Portsmouth’s small businesses can be found on the council’s rediscoverportsmouth.co.uk website . Small Business Saturday is part of the council’s Christmas campaign to support Portsmouth’s businesses and to shop local.
For more information rediscoverportsmouth.co.uk.
