G H Porter Provisions in Newark town centre reopens to the public over a year after it closed

One of Newark’s oldest and best-loved business is back up and running again.

G H Porter Provisions, on the corner of Newark Market Place, has opened its doors again for the first time in over a year bringing quality, locally sourced, and fresh produce back to the town centre

In September of last year it looked as if the shop would be closed for good when the owners at the time made the difficult decision to close, blaming increased costs, changing shopping habits, and a decline in footfall.

But this summer, the business was bought by James Westwood, a trained chef who runs The Reindeer at Long Bennington, ensuring that Porter’s more than 130 year history can continue.

He said: “It took a while to get here, but I feel good and we’re excited to get going.

“We’re going to be the same shop people know and love, but I want to offer something different here too.”

The shop stocks a range of locally sourced and fresh produce, with meat butchered and prepared on site by the highly-skilled staff.

“You just get a better product and I can tell you exactly where all the meat comes from,” said James.

“The beef and the lamb has come from Horncastle, the pork is from Coddington, and it's all butchered right here — the taste is phenomenal.

“The pies have been handmade and are of the quality that I’d serve up in my restaurants.

“There is a lot of expertise that went into what you’re buying and you know it is made with love and care.”

The shop became famous for its smoked bacon and James has already got the smoker back up and running again, but plans to expand the range of smoked meat further and experiment with different rubs and flavours.

The venture is supported by Zest Brewery, based just down the road in Grantham, with hopes that they will be able to sell their beer in the shop.

As well as this they stock a range of cured meats, cheeses, preserves and sauces.

In time, James hopes to start offering a “sausage of the week” which will only be available to buy in the shop but will also be served in his pubs.

As the interview was taking place a member of the public popped their head in the door to say how glad they were to see Porter’s open again and wished them “good luck”.

James said: “We’ve had a lot of that so far — people are very happy to see the windows full and business back in town.

“Businesses like this are important because you know when you buy something you’re not just supporting us, you’re supporting so many other businesses too.

“It’s been a learning curve and there are some teething problems, but we’ve had a fantastic response so far and I’d just like to say thank you to everyone that has showed their support.”

Plans are now being drawn up for the space next door in hopes that Porter’s may be able to offer a cafe space where customers can sit down and enjoy the food they buy.

Porter’s would like to hear from any suppliers from across the region who may be interested in stocking their produce in the shop.