Mystery Shopper

Mystery Shopper: SJ Summers Butchers

Published

6 years ago

August 28, 2014

We’ve talked about local businesses upping their game… so here’s The Felixstowe Magazine’s Mystery Shopper testing out the services, standard, quality and friendliness of random businesses across Felixstowe…

Let’s face it, unless we eat takeaway every night, we’re going to have to face the grocery shopping at least once a month. Most of us have very busy lives and it’s understandable why we may head to the supermarket. But maybe it’s worth having a look at the Felixstowe area’s independent shops.

My interest was recently piqued by the short but steady queue that forms out the door of S.J. Summers Butchers in Walton on Saturdays.

I joined that queue one morning and was greeted as I came through the door by a friendly assistant who advised that the meat is locally sourced, and if I didn’t see what I was looking for, including game, just ask and they could get it in for me.

I was tempted by the £5 breakfast offer (nothing says ‘I love you’ to my carnivore husband like the occasional fry-up). This easily fed three greedy adults with the addition of a bag of hashbrowns and included meaty sausages; good, thick bacon rashers; a half dozen large, fresh eggs and a tin of generic tomatoes or beans.

I would have been quite satisfied with the deal without the addition of the beans. I can’t promise to give up the convenience of the supermarket, but I will definitely be returning to S.J. Summers for good value for my money, excellent customer service and really feeling part of the neighbourhood!

Written by your Mystery Shopper

Photo courtesy of Visit Felixstowe

Mystery Shopper

Mystery Shopper: The Little Ice Cream Company

Published

5 years ago

June 9, 2015

The Felixstowe Magazine

It’s winter, Christmas is almost here; time to forge some new traditions that will make you a little warmer in the colder months and create memories that will trail in your child’s memories like elf dust. Here’s my new tradition… ice cream in winter! And I know just the place – The Little Ice Cream Company.

This is a lovely place for grown-ups to sip their espressos whilst watching their children tuck into the most incredible three-scoop sundaes with all the fixings. Who am I kidding? I can’t tackle a big sundae, but an ice cream float ‘floats my boat’. Made with Australian Bundaberg Root Beer and ‘Vanilla Bean’ Vanilla – this makes the most exceptional, grown-up treat! Or you can always pour your espresso over a scoop of your favourite flavour; it’s called affogato, that’s Italian for ‘drowned in coffee’. At The Little Ice Cream Company, there is almost too much choice of flavours, which change seasonally, but I am willing to suffer my indecision to experience ice cream of this high quality; creamy, chewy and not at all sickly. Consider the advantages of eating ice cream in December; you can eat your ice cream cone walking along the prom without fear of it melting. Another possibility – eat ice cream for charity. An ice cream cone eaten on the prom in a gale force wind has got to be a more pleasurable experience than summer’s ‘ice bucket challenge’.

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