A PAIR of fitness enthusiasts are are due to open a new shop promising tasty and healthy food options.

Dumbbell Dining is aiming to welcome its first customers to the shop in Barrow's Cavendish Street at the start of July.

The project is being brought to life by co-owners David Poulsen and Tom Allonby who share the goal of delivering an establishment that will allow people to easily track macronutrients and calories.

David previously set up a version of Dumbbell Dining in 2018 with his wife when he was working at the offshore wind farm, East Anglia One, and was unable to purchase healthy food.

The initial company was created to help offshore workers access healthier food, allowing them to bulk buy protein-packed, low-calorie meals instead of quick fix, low nutrients options.

The idea ended when the Covid-19 Pandemic forced everyone into lockdown.

Dumbbell Dining was abandoned until a couple of months ago, when a conversation between Dave and Tom reignited the idea.

Together, they have been working with professional nutritionists on a way to provide fresh and healthy, macro-counted breakfast and dinner options on the go.

As a local company, their ethos will include using sustainable, locally sourced meats, produce and packaging, they say.

To maintain a high quality, they will not be using frozen meat, and all meals will show their nutritional values so the data can be easily transferred into a tracking app.

As both David and Tom work offshore, their chef Mandy Chubb will run the shop day to day as general manager.

They are also hoping to introduce ‘Fat Friday Specials’ which will see some more unhealthy treats join the menu for a day.

David said: “There’s nothing more satisfying than a tasty fresh protein packed low calorie cottage pie to look forward to on a grim day. We’ve reignited the spark of Dumbbell Dining and have a fierce passion.

The business partners have upgraded the original business model David set up and are confident of being able to deliver something ‘simple, yet totally different, and needed’ to the takeaway industry.

Tom said: “We want to deliver something that is totally different and unique to what is currently in the town and feel we’ve got every base covered.

“I look forward to getting these doors open and having peace of mind in the fact that Barrow, will have a healthy food establishment, so there are no more excuses of ‘there’s nowhere healthy for dinner’.”