A FOCUS on using local produce and creating weird and wonderful window displays has helped kick start a new cafe and deli in Old Amersham.

Long time friends Venetia Shinn and Kira Gibson set up V’s Kitchen and Home store in The Broadway just before Christmas, and the new business venture has proved so popular it’s already attracted a crowd of regular customers.

An eye-catching window display – which is due to change with the seasons – has helped grab people’s attention and make the new cafe a talking point.

Mrs Shinn said: "It’s added another appeal to the shop. There’s no other shop that looks like a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in the window. It has nothing to do with the food but we wanted to have some fun with our window."

She set up the new business with her friend after running a popular stall selling cakes at the Amersham Market for six years before deciding to make the step back indoors, having previously run a London restaurant.

She said: "Everything concentrates on local produce. We make ready meals from local produce and we’ve been amazed by the amount that have been bought. We hadn’t realised it could be that popular.

"People are thinking more and more about where their food comes from and they don’t mind spending a bit more if they are getting some extra quality."

Miss Gibson added: "It’s been really positive. We are so different to everything else in the Old Town and people have responded to that."