September Grand reopening event with celebrity chef Stephanie Moon to be held on 30

£750,000 transformation of Helmsley deli to be celebrated with Grand Opening Event
-Thomas of Helmsley – now a ‘one-stop’ deli, butcher and bakery – fully reopens 15^th September

-Grand reopening event with celebrity chef Stephanie Moon to be held on 30^th September
Following a £750,000 investment in extensive work to both the exterior and interior of its building, renowned deli Thomas of Helmsley is to fully reopen to the public on Friday 15^th September.
The deli will now also incorporate the Thomas the Baker bakery, which was previously based across the Market Place in the picturesque North Yorkshire town of Helmsley. The last day of trading in Thomas the Baker’s current premises will be 14^th September. All of the staff working in both Helmsley stores have remained employed within new shop.
To celebrate the changes, which will allow Thomas of Helmsley to offer a much wider range of products, a Grand Opening will take place in store all day Saturday 30^th September. The event will see demonstrations and samplings from celebrity chef Stephanie Moon. She will be showing people how to use a wide range of products available in the deli, making everything from gourmet sandwiches in freshly baked breads to quick and easy suppers with sausages and stir fries. Stephanie, who is a Yorkshire farmer’s daughter, has worked in kitchens across the world, including The Dorchester, where she cooked for the Queen, and Harrogate’s Rudding Park. She now regularly works with Thomas the Baker to help create and perfect recipes for both the deli and the firm’s chain of 30 bake shops.
She will be assisted by the deli’s team of in-house experts who will be on hand to answer questions and give tips and advice to customers, including Mike the Master Butcher, Steve the Artisan Bread Baker and Trevor the Chef. All three have been involved in developing new ideas for the store, and an exciting new range of freshly prepared meals and products will be available, ‘From Trevor’s Kitchen’.
Visitors should notice a big difference to the Thomas of Helmsley building, the listed part of which dates back to the 1800s. Thomas the Baker has owned the business since 2010.

Following work in 2016 to refurbish a separate outbuilding to create high grade kitchen and butchery preparation areas, major work has taken place over the summer both inside and outside the premises. Along with the securing of walls and foundations, a full internal refit was undertaken, with new deli and butchery counters, several new ovens for the bakery, a rear extension and a new rear roof. The upstairs staff rooms have also been entirely renovated and a fresh new exterior appearance will be revealed.

John Thomas, founder of Thomas the Baker, which is a family business employing three generations of the Thomas family, said: “It’s fantastic to be so close to the finishing line now – the work has taken longer than we expected and, as is always the case when working with such a historic and beautiful building, you always find more things as you go along! But we’re delighted with the end result, which looks great, and is much more practical in terms of what we want to offer. We hope it will be a big hit with both new and loyal customers. The shop, incorporating both the deli and Thomas the Baker, will be up and running from 15^th September, so people can pop in for a look around whenever they like. Not only will there be a difference in terms of appearance, but we’ll also be able to offer a much wider range of products, so it’s a positive for shoppers in the town too.
“We also hope to see lots of members of the local community on 30^th September for our Grand Opening. It should be great fun, and Stephanie and the team will make sure there’s plenty of tasty treats on offer and no doubt pan loads of inspiration! Our new facilities mean we can offer many more ready-to-eat products, so it will be good to let people try them for themselves. During the day we will also be running competitions for younger shoppers to win prizes, so there’s something for all ages.”

Thomas the Baker was established in 1981, with the opening of a Bakery in Malton, quickly followed by Helmsley a year later. It now stands at 30 shops across Yorkshire, along with a head office based in Helmsley. For more information about Thomas the Baker go to www.thomasthebaker.co.uk

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For more media information/images please contact Shona Nutter on 07714953919 or [e-mail]
Notes to editors:

Thomas the Baker was established in 1981 by John Thomas, his wife Valerie and two sons Gareth and Simon, and is still a family business today, with three generations of Thomas’ working within the company. Starting with one shop in Malton, the company now operates 30 across North, West and East Yorkshire, including a café in York and a deli in hometown Helmsley.

The main craft bakery is based on Sawmill Lane in Helmsley, where a state of the art 4.5 acre facility produces everything from the company’s famous Yorkshire Curd Tarts to the two and a half million sausage rolls it sells every year.
Renowned for quality and value, Thomas’ popular mince pies have won 14 independent taste awards and been dubbed the country’s finest on national TV. Only three people within the firm know the secret recipe. Many other Thomas the Baker products have won awards including Pork pies, Christmas Puddings, Bakewell Tarts, Eccles Cakes, Sausage Rolls and many more.
Thomas’ also has a bake at home range, and can provide party platters, which are perfect for catering any business or personal get together.
For more information log on to www.thomasthebaker.co.uk