A much-loved grocery store has announced that it will be closing its doors for the final time.

The owners of Food, Glorious Food on Crosby Street in Carlisle announced that they will be 'closing the door' of their shop 'for good' on Saturday.

The main reason for deciding to bring the business to an end after three years was the increase in stress involved in running a small business over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dawn Thompson-Howard, who runs the business alongside her husband, Adam, said: “We were exhausted after all the extra work involved in running a small grocery store during the first lockdown and have never managed to recover properly.”

There is currently no one due to take over the premises.

Food, Glorious Food took to social media to announce – with a mixture of 'sadness and regret' – their decision to close.

They said that the past 18 months had felt like 'constantly wading through treacle' to keep the business going.

The post added: “With our lease due for renewal soon, we had to have some very difficult conversations about whether we wanted to carry on.

“It turned out that neither of us did. Instead, it is time for us to focus on looking after ourselves.”

Despite the poignancy of the moment, Dawn said she had fond memories of running the grocery store alongside Adam that she will carry with her beyond its closure.

She said her fondest memory of Food, Glorious Food was of the opening week.

“We had a VIP launch for friends and family, with catering from Com-For-T, which was amazing and then the girls at The Good Sister provided us with nibbles for customers on our first day properly open,” said Dawn.

“We were overwhelmed with the support we received from people during our first few weeks.

“It was a very good start to life on Crosby Street.”

The couple thanked customers for their support over the years, saying that it 'meant the world' to them.

Dawn added that the response from well-wishers since the announcement of the business’s closure had been 'amazing'.

She added: “[There have been] so many lovely comments both in the shop and on social media from customers.

“It is nice to know just how much we have been appreciated.”

Food, Glorious Food will be open until Saturday, when they will be open from 10am to 2pm.