Opened on Bourne Way in Hayes during February 2020, just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, Salt and Slate faced a series of challenges that have tested its mettle.
Yet, despite the tough circumstances, owner Oliver, who has been working in the shop without a break for five years, has remained committed to serving his community, turning his small operation into a lifeline for locals.
“We turned ourselves into a greengrocer who sold deli meals that people could grab “and go.
“We broke down wholesale boxes of pasta and tins of beans to sell to the community.”
This quick pivot to meet local needs marked the beginning of Salt and Slate’s commitment to being more than just a place to buy food.
“We offered food banks, and we still do, collected lots of clothing for the Ukraine disaster and even opened on Christmas Day.”
Despite his shop’s efforts to support the community, Oliver admits that the small business landscape has become increasingly difficult.
“We’ve been hit with several detrimental situations that have sort of caused the demise of small, independent businesses, especially in hospitality.
“I mean, we’re including everything from Brexit to the war in Ukraine, which is really affecting the price of grain and flour, to the cost of living, cost of energy, and the Ringo parking system that affects the whole of Bromley.”
Now, chef Oliver hosts supper clubs, makes his own individual beef wellingtons and kimchi, and even smokes his own salmon at the back door.
He added: “We’ve really got an eclectic mix of cuisines, and we like to cook things very authentically.
“Like how someone’s relative in Morocco would serve a tagine – that’s exactly how I want to cook it, rather than a perfectly diced one-centimetre potato.
“I left that Michelin-starred precision behind me because the people eating it don’t really care as much as the chefs do.”
With experience working in prestigious places like Buckingham Palace and the House of Commons, and Michelin-starred restaurants, he had a front-row seat to the fine dining world.
However, his passion for food shifted toward something more personal.
“I had enough of cooking starred food and wanted to focus on food that my nan would make for the family table” he told the News Shopper.
He has carried this philosophy into his deli, where every day specials like tandoori chicken wraps sit alongside his famous sausage rolls, homemade pies, and giant lasagnas.
He added: “We encourage people to pop into the deli to have a coffee.
“And if we can, if I can give them any advice or help with cooking troubles, I’ll do that,”
Despite the challenges, including a lack of new foot traffic, Oliver remains optimistic about the future.
The star chef added: “There is such a demise in the High Street, such a demise in people spending because obviously the public have got less money in their pockets.
“Which obviously knocks on to small businesses, because the first things to go are the little luxuries in life—coffees and sandwiches for lunch.”
But Salt and Slate is also a place for stories and connection – like a customer who came for an unexpected bite to eat He explained: “Just today, we had a man come in for lunch who was travelling on every London bus in numerical order.
“He started this in July 10, on his late mum’s 103rd birthday, and the 247 bus brought him to us.”
Salt and Slate has also found innovative ways to reduce food waste, introducing frozen meals that have proven essential for busy families.
“We started to introduce our frozen meals because we weren’t turning over as much as we’d like to, so to generate zero waste and not throw anything away, we began to cook things that are more robust overnight.
“Stuff that we could cook now would go into our freezers, which is fantastic because people can take it to elderly parents and help single parents who need a quick dinner for their kids.”
Through all the highs and lows, Oliver has remained committed to his business and his community.
The name Salt and Slate came from a desire to stand out.
“I originally wanted to call it something like The Chalkboard, but somebody already had that name,” he said, “then I thought, ‘What’s the nearest thing that you used to write on us like a chalkboard?’ Of course, it was slate.
“And what’s the most common ingredient in all food, other than heat? Salt.”
