Introduction
Salt and Pepper in Monmouth, South Wales is an award-winning Cook shop, Gift shop, Clothes shop and Coffee shop which has been growing from strength to strength in both size and reputation since it’s opening in 2000. We have a passion for quality and service which form the cornerstone of our business and we want to share this with customers who may not be able to visit us directly because of time or distance constraints.
There is so much to see in our shops that you could quite literally spend the whole day discovering fantastic gifts, great kitchen gadgets and fashions to die for, stopping for a refreshment break in the Thyme Out coffee shop to keep you going. While unfortunately you can’t actually drink the coffee with us now, you can share the unique taste of our specially blended coffee which you can buy via this website.
We want you to share in our passion, product knowledge and advice by using our website. If you need to speak to someone during the day we are at the end of the phone. You can make purchases over the phone if you prefer or even set up a Wish List for a special occasion.
Background
Our history in the catering business goes back many years with Brenda Elsmore, the owner and driving force behind Salt and Pepper, starting her career in the family business as a Master Baker and professional cake decorator. Her change of direction into retail led eventually to the shops we now have on the main shopping street in the busy market town of Monmouth, just on the border of England and Wales.
Brenda brings her vast knowledge, experience and enjoyment to this exciting venture, selling an extensive range of products, from teaspoons to Kitchen Aid food mixers and including large selections of Aga, Wüsthof, Sabatier, Gaggia and Bridgewater Pottery ranges and many more. In 2001 the Cookshop won the Excellence in Housewares award for most promising newcomer into the business and we have since won numerous awards for service and style; the latest being Independent Retailer of Wales, so we are deservedly proud of our reputation and recognition within the industry.
In 2000 we expanded into the shop next door where the Gift Shop was created, selling gifts for just about every person for every occasion, from newborn babies to those difficult-to-buy-for men. There is a wide array of jewellery, cards, toiletries, glassware and children’s toys on offer in a treasure chest of a shop, which was awarded the title of Gift Shop of the Year in Wales 2005 and 2007.
In 2006 Brenda’s daughter, Catherine opened The Courtyard Clothes shop developed in an old cider mill adjoining the Cook and Gift shops.
Catherine, who designed the original Salt and Pepper logo seen at the bottom of each of our web pages, left her career as a Graphic Designer and Project Manager for London agencies to join her Mum in this new venture.
For the last 2 years the Clothes Shop has offered customers a varied selection of quality garments over 2 floors including Sandwich, Paige Jeans, Jackpot, Odd Molly, designer jewellery, shoes and accessories and fashions from wonderful designers such as Nicole Farhi, Armani, Ralph Lauren, Save the Queen, Fenn Wright Manson, Paddy Campbell and Betty Jackson.
As The Courtyard was such a success, when 37 Monnow Street, just down from the existing shops, became vacant, Catherine took the opportunity to acquire the property and has been able to expand and vary the clothing range even further to offer more high street brands such as Hobbs, Crew, InWear and Part Two.
No. 37 is now the name of the new shop and has been open since March 2008.
Personal service and attention can be guaranteed in either shop, and our experienced staff can offer help if you a need advise on choosing a stunning outfit for that special occasion.
Service & Expertise
Investment in the training of the staff team over the years has resulted in excellent customer service and we certainly can advise on the tricky details when choosing a set of chef’s knives or a suitable coffee machine or the best equipment to use to slice a bean! We won’t sell an item which firstly we don’t think you need secondly won’t perform the job you want it to. Customers should always know they will receive honest opinions and advice from our sales team because at the end of the day they won’t come back to us if they have been mis-sold a product. Customer satisfaction is the key to our business and its reputation.
Our aim is to provide a superb service for all our customers. This means that the ranges available from our online cookshop include our selection of the best products available from the point of view of value for money or the most suitable for the job. We are not prepared to sell any item we could not recommend or use ourselves. Design and style is also important and we always keep up to date by regular visits to trade shows and suppliers.
Credits
We are members of the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Tourism Association and would like to thank them for their support. We would also like to thank Sterling Work who are responsible for the design and development of our website.