e caught up with Stephen Rothe, Co-Owner of Paul Rothe and Son.

WE WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO TELL OUR READERS ABOUT PAUL ROTHE AND SON?

“Paul Rothe and Son is a family run business that was established in 1900, now in its fourth generation. We were once purely a grocers where people would shop for their daily needs. We now focus on freshly made sandwiches, soups, salads and host of other delicious products. Our shelves are lined with jars of jams, marmalades, honeys, pickles, chutneys and other condiments. We try and specialise in products that can’t easily be found in other shops.

WE HEAR YOU CAN MAKE UP ANY SANDWICH ON REQUEST, CARE TO TELL US YOUR MOST UNUSUAL REQUEST?

Making sandwiches to order is our specialty. The customer decides what bread, whether they want butter, salad, sauce or mayo. We have a large range of fillings to choose from which can often lead to some rather unusual combinations! We’ve made many strange ones. Tuna fish and peanut butter. Mackerel pate with bacon. Coronation chicken with a scotch egg chopped inside of the sandwich.

I suppose the most unusual was a sardine sandwich mixed with pork stuffing, pickled cucumber, onion and farmhouse pickle. After hearing the customer ask for this, I asked them to repeat what they wanted in case I had misheard, but they said the same thing. In fact they came back the next day for the same sandwich!!

WE HEAR YOU’VE HAD MORE THAN A FEW CELEBRITIES DINE IN, WHAT’S THAT BEEN LIKE?

We’ve had our fair share of celebrities in the shop. Being in Marylebone, many live in the area. And we have the Marylebone Music studios down the road from us which attracts many a celeb!

IS THERE ANYTHING NEW WE SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR?

Most of our products remain the same as people come for repeat purchases. We stock the whole range of Tiptree products which are our best sellers. The best selling new product we stock are the Black Bee Honeys. British honey from a single source, unpasteurised and completely natural. The Heather and Autumn are the top sellers!!!

BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN?

Working with the public all day is a real treat. Everyday day is different!! Always being given lots of advice, some good, some not so good, but it’s up to the individual to interpret how to use it.

IF YOU HAD A FREE DAY IN MARYLEBONE VILLAGE TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, NO LIMITS, WHERE WOULD YOU GO?

Marylebone is full of lots of wonderful architecture and history. I love reading about the history of the area. How the River Tyburn used to meander its way through the village. I spend a lot of my spare time trying to research the history of our shop as it dates back to 1780. But it’s difficult to find out things without knowing the right places to look!! I’d love to have the time to trawl through the Westminster archives to see what I could find out about the shop.

To find out more information on Paul Roth and Son visit: www.marylebonevillage.com

Photography by Nyla Sammons