A PENRITH takeaway has described the moment as 'too big' to comprehend after being crowned the best in the country. 

Just Greek, on King Street, was presented with the accolade at the grand final of England’s Business Awards in Birmingham. 

The prestigious title follows their earlier triumph at the Cumbria Retail Business Awards 2023 in Carlisle, where they were declared the best in the county.

The family-run Greek eatery, owned by Yannis Papameletis and his fiancée Maria, first emerged onto the scene in 2019.

"We need time to process this, it's too big," Yannis said. 

"I didn't know what was going to happen. We already felt like winners being the best in Cumbria." 

The grand final of England’s Business Awards brought together over 800 businesses, with the takeaway category including 'thousands' of names. 

"When we came to the takeaway category, the presenter said takeaways were in the thousands of thousands.

"He said congrats to everyone, but the most voted came down to two businesses. The first name was in Italian, and the second name was us; it was a shock," he said. 

Yannis described the victory moment as incredibly emotional for both him and Maria. 

"The pleasant thing is I see people pass by the shop to congratulate us now. 

"Yesterday we were in the Lakes, and there was a lady who congratulated us on the win - people we don't even know are saying it. 

"I will be happy if I see people coming into town, not just because of us but to pay us a visit. Someone may be visiting the town, may buy something from us as well as shop around the town - this is an achievement for me," Yannis said. 

As the Just Greek team basks in the glory of their recent achievement, Yannis remains grounded about the future.

"No idea what's next. We will keep doing what we're doing but we have many thoughts and plans," he said. 

To visit Just Greek, visit https://justgreekpenrith.co.uk/