I completely agree with you Redalways - had a very similar experience, though funnily enough, I found they were more food-ready orientated rather than ingredient based for my taste - more like a traiteur than a deli IMO. However, I think that H&P did a decent business as they were and lots of people appreciated that. They have been a key driver in the renaissance of the parade and they had a strong community focus and will be missed for that too. I think that a deli is a very hard business to deliver well and I applaud them for the effort.

My understanding is that the intention to sell was more to do with change of personal circumstances though they did think that Sainsburys hurt their trade too. I do not know whether a sale has actually occurred - they may have just closed.