We tried the newest deli in Darlington town centre

Ran by Boo and Veronika, The Deli House opened on Wednesday, June 11, and we went along to see what it was like.

Veronika, who also owns The Pasta Shop in Darlington, spoke of her excitement before opening on Wednesday.

She said: “I am so happy to finally be opening in Darlington. I think people will be excited to try something different, to try something that they would not be able to get in supermarkets. 

“We aim to bring to Darlington something the town doesn’t have. It’s a small place but it is very different to anything else in Darlington”.

We visited on Wednesday lunchtime, where a group of customers were waiting for their sandwiches and salads to be prepared. I opted for the Madrid, an open sandwich with serrano ham, chorizo, Iberica cheese, sunkissed tomatoes, salad leaves and a black olive tapenade.

My colleague went for the chicken dojo salad, which came with mixed leaf salad, avocado, cucumber, celery, spring onion and a ginger soy dressing.

With a sweet tooth, I thought I would also go for a homemade cheesecake too, which is also sold in The Pasta Shop.

We got back to the office, took some pictures of our food, and tucked in.

The first thing I noticed about my sandwich was just how light the Tuscan Schiacciata bread was. It wasn’t tough, it wasn’t dense, it was perfect. The Tuscan Schiacciata is made fresh by Boo every day.

The actual filling of the sandwich was to die for. The chorizo and serrano ham contrasted well with each other, and the Iberican cheddar on top rounded the sandwich off really well.

The sunkissed tomatoes, salad leaves and particularly the black olive tapenade took the sandwich to another level. It was so well put together, and all the flavours complemented each other so well, that I was telling everyone in the office of their need to go.

And the cheesecake was out of this world. Light, flavoursome, and a generous portion I thought for the price (£4).

My colleague who went for the chicken dojo salad said: “The salad was perfect for lunch. Light and fresh, the ingredients came together to create a symphony of flavours that delighted the tastebuds. 

“The ginger and soy dressing complemented the other ingredients perfectly. The ginger wasn’t overpowering, leaving a slight tingle at the back of the throat. 

“It was seasoned perfectly with plenty of salt and cracked black pepper, cutting through the celery and cucumber. 

“The only complaint was that it didn’t have any avocado on it, which could have been a mistake, or it could have been a result of the very busy day”.

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I also saw first-hand the excellent customer service on offer in The Deli House. It had evidently been a popular and busy first day as lots of items had sold out. 

Myself and my colleague loved our first trip to The Deli House, and will be making more trips in the future.