The fastest way to uncover a place's local produce is often simply by stepping into a town's food independent deli. Someone else has already done the hunting: found the good baker, tried the local cheese, worked out which vineyard is worth knowing and discovered the producer you would otherwise drive straight past. In Arundel, go to Pallant. Make it your first stop. It sits at the bottom of the High Street in a 17th-century listed building where food and wine have been sold since at least 1870. Katherine Purse bought Pallant in 2024 after a career in insight and strategy; she has also been a Great Taste Awards judge for more than ten years. Several of the team have worked here for over twenty years. Ask them what's local. They know. Then start reading the labels. There are tomatoes from the Griffiths family at Nutbourne Nursery near Pulborough; gingerbread and Sussex Thins from Horsham Gingerbread Bakehouse; bread from small bakeries; local honey when it's available; and Sussex sparkling wine alongside more than 250 wines, with an emphasis on smaller independent producers. The cheese counter can hold more than a hundred British and European cheeses and is replenished several times a week. Around it are the things that turn a deli into a map of an area: bread, fruit and vegetables, eggs, charcuterie, oils, vinegars, preserves, cakes, chocolate and whatever the team has found that deserves some shelf space. There isn't a café. There are sausage rolls, scotch eggs, pies and quiches to take away instead. My suggestion: ask what's good that week, buy a loaf, a wedge of cheese and something made in Sussex, then take it down to the river. That's why I love a genuinely independent deli. If you're new to a place, start here. They've already done a lot of the finding for you.

What do you sell?

Pallant of Arundel is an independent food shop, cheese counter and wine merchant all under one roof. The cheese counter carries more than a hundred British and European cheeses, while the wine shelves hold more than 250 bottles, with an emphasis on smaller independent estates and a growing selection of wines produced in Sussex. The rest of the shop ranges across fresh bread, seasonal fruit and vegetables, eggs, charcuterie, smoked trout, honey, jams and chutneys, pasta, olive oil, pesto, biscuits, cakes and chocolates. There are also sausage rolls, scotch eggs, pies and quiches to take away, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options available. Pallant also makes food and wine hampers throughout the year, including picnic hampers in summer.

Which local producers do you stock?

The shelves change often, which is rather the point of a deli like this, but Sussex producers I spotted on my recent visit include tomatoes from G.C. & J.C. Griffiths at Nutbourne Nursery near Pulborough; Horsham Gingerbread Bakehouse; bread and bakes from small independent bakeries including RÅG Nordic Bakery; and Sussex sparkling wines including Rathfinny and Roebuck Estates. Local honey and honeycomb also appear in season. Beyond Sussex, Pallant brings in cheeses through specialist cheesemongers including Neal's Yard Dairy, The Fine Cheese Co., Jumi Cheese, Une Normande à Londres and Brindisa. Recent shelves have also included Real Patisserie, The Gay Farmer, Honest Toil, Cotswold Orchard Herbs and Poon's. Stock changes regularly, so if you're looking for local food, ask the team what has come in that week.

Opening Hours / Delivery Days

Monday to Saturday, 9am–6pm. Sundays and bank holidays, 10am–5pm.

Awards and Recognition

Owner Katherine Purse has been a judge for the Guild of Fine Food's Great Taste Awards for more than ten years, and a number of the independent producers stocked at Pallant of Arundel make Great Taste award-winning products.

Social Media

Instagram — @pallantofarundel Facebook — Pallant of Arundel

Website

Pallant
of
Arundel

Address Summary

17 High Street, Arundel, West Sussex, BN18 9AD