deli when I walked in recently, but the proprietor Sandy Hellig was nowhere to be seen. When I did spot her, she was tucked behind the preparation table of her open-plan kitchen, pulling a tray of freshly-baked broccoli and Stilton quiches from the oven. They not only smelt delicious, they looked great too.

And so they should. Sandy makes these individual little quiches from local cream and butter from the nearby Upper Norton Cream Company, in Church Hanborough, local broccoli and the very best Stilton in the shop. They are prepared in full view of the customers and completely handmade. No wonder they are one of Sandy’s best-sellers.

I’d called into Cornucopia, in Eynsham, to discuss British food and ask her what customers were looking for these days. Sadly, the news wasn’t good.

Apparently, interest in local and British food is waning at the moment. She said that last year she would have said yes, that local food was all the rage and that her customers were actively seeking it out.

“It was a huge topic last year,” she said. “Now I have to admit that although people are still interested in local food, it’s perceived as the last thing to look for now. I tell them that I have used local produce to make up a particular dish and they say ‘oh that is nice’, but I can tell they are not as interested as they used to be. They are counting their pennies now.

“Basically, the recession has made people very price aware, and of course the supermarkets can often come up with offers at a price less than I pay for them at the wholesaler.”

Sandy pointed out that with big stores offering a £10 deal for two ready meals and a bottle of wine, and coming up with very generous two-for-one deals, it made things very difficult for small suppliers such as her.

Sandy is doing very well with her home-made ready meals, however, but she doesn’t think that’s because they are made from local and British produce, rather that they taste like mother used to make.

She went on to say that flavour is an important factor now and fortunately because her ready meals taste so good, sales remain high.

Getting the portion size right works in her favour, too. A considerable number of customers looking for ready meals are pensioners who don’t have a big appetite, but still enjoy home-cooked food.“I can split a meal in half, which is often just the right size for an older person, then freeze half for them to have later,” said Sandy, who installed a blast chiller and freezer as soon as she opened the deli six years ago. Blast freezers are not only a quick way of preserving food, but they ensure the food is frozen safely and at the correct temperature.

It also works in Sandy’s favour that she can create meals for people who have special diets and have an intolerance to dairy products or gluten. Naturally she needs notice of such orders, as they are cooked fresh, according to customer’s requirements. But a day’s notice is all she needs to create dinners for someone with a wheat allergy, or who have particular preferences.

“Supermarkets can’t do this and that’s where small shops like mine can score. We give a personal service and tailor meals to suit a customer’s needs.” A weekly menu at Cornucopia could include dishes such as mushroom and Gruyère luxury macaroni cheese, beer and ale pie topped with a light thyme shortcrust pastry, spare ribs in a Vietnamese-style sweet and sour sauce served with basmati rice, or Cornucopia fish pie generously stuffed with fresh fish.

Sandy also prepares menus and food for dinner parties and has a library of popular cookery books in the shop from which customers can make their selection. A range of freshly-baked cakes, including gluten-free options are always available too. Sandy had no idea her ready meals would prove so popular when she opened her shop, and is delighted that she is able to offer those who are too frail to cook, a wholesome, flavoursome meal.

But it’s not just the elderly who are snapping up her meals; busy working mothers are taking advantage of her skills and so are people who just want to treat themselves to a tasty meal.

Naturally, Sandy is concerned that the push to buy local British ingredients is not a customer’s priority at the moment, but as her meals follow the seasons and the vegetables and meat are local, she feels that the underlying need for local produce is still there.

If you would like to contact Sandy and discuss a ready meal order you can go to www.cornucopia-deli.co.uk, or call her on 01865 882229.