Speciality-Food-July/August 2025

credit accounts anymore,” Mark jests, “but we were one of the first shops to accept credit cards as payment.” Payment terms and stock may have changed, but something that Mark would never edit is the character and heritage of the building, which he has kept, as far as possible, in its original state. Through the enormous double- fronted windows, passersby will spy the original counter (filled with artisan cheese and charcuterie) and even the original bacon slicer. “We dog food, clothing, coal and wood. It had a 24-mile paper round seven days a week. And it was all on account! The same people would be at the door a quarter of an hour before we opened, coming in to get their slice of ham, milk and paper, then they’d come down in the afternoon with a hand-written note of everything else they needed.” Emmett’s had (and still does have) a name for itself for selling both daily essentials and specialties, such as its hams – which went out on credit. “We obviously don’t have T nce you’ve become a fan of Emmett’s in Suffolk, it’s for life. Fact. Owner Mark Thomas says he has a band of loyal regulars – some who tell him there’d be war at home if they didn’t order one of the store’s hams for Christmas, and others who pop in, week after week, month after month, spending often hundreds of pounds on their favourite products, many of which genuinely cannot be bought anywhere else. It is, in a nutshell, an epicurean’s dream. A very carefully considered collection of fine things to eat and drink, chosen personally by Mark. Shelves and displays blossomwith vibrant, enticing displays of jewel- like crystallised fruits, candied peel encased in chocolate, curry pastes, chutneys and, of course, the shop’s Royal Warrant-holding hams. This is a place that feels rooted in history. Which it is. Originally called Tunmer, Emmett’s has been part of village life in Peasenhall since at least 1820 when it was a recognised pork shop. It would change hands to become Emmett’s in the late 1800s. Mark still has the contract of sale framed on the wall, reflecting, “one day, when I sell up, my contract can go up there too!” In its past, Emmett’s was a one stop destination. A grocery shop, haberdashery, Post Office and general store rolled into one, handily perched close to an important ancient Roman crossroads. “Going back in time, Dunwich was the biggest port in England,” Mark says. “People had to go past the shop to get to the sea. We’re in a very good position here.” The exuberant shopkeeper has an illustrious background in food and food retail, starting at a tender age, growing lettuces as a child to sell at the top of the road. Mark then worked in Harrods’ food hall, at David Jones’ food hall in Sydney, for a pig farmer in Canada’s Fraser Valley, and later for his father’s business, Culpepers, setting up shops in Japan before landing in 36 @specialityfood Bungay, Suffolk to open his own fine food shop. This was at a time when, remarkably, talking about ‘local’ and ‘provenance’ was a burgeoning thing. Emmett’s was Mark’s first supplier, the second being Suffolk juice producer Maynard House – who he continues to support today. A move to tradition The move to Emmett’s happened in 2000. They really were different times, Mark reflects. “It still sold individual cigarettes, loose flowers, As part of Speciality Food ’s series shining a light on some of the UK’s finest independent food and drink retailers, we chat with Mark Thomas of Emmett’s BRITAIN’S BESTDELIS EMMETT’S, PEASENHALL do have a modern slicer but it’s not as good,” he remarks. “I’m lucky to have premises that are physically bricks and mortar. We have a lot of first-time visitors who spot us, find a parking space, come in and, without prompting say, ‘wow, this is amazing’ or ‘this looks extraordinary’. “The visual display and how we present the shop makes an impact. It’s good-looking... very photogenic. The glass in the windows are original, and the original awning is encased above your head as you