Will Johns took over Anderson & Hill as a charcuterie, fromagerie and epicerie seven years ago. When customers asked him if he could do something with those stunning ingredients, the ex-chef stuck out his feathers and leapt at the opportunity. The result is a multi-faceted food establishment with everything from dry goods and A&H-branded coffee at the corner entrance to a selection of top-notch cured meats, cheeses, delightful Italian baked goods and a full lunch-menu too.
Will spent years in the kitchen and credits the growing awareness and innovation within the Birmingham food-scene to the success of A&H. He partners with some of the finest local restaurants, supplying rare cheeses and cured meats.
“Birmingham has been extremely conservative about food in the past,” says Will. “My vision is to meet the new demands of a new quality-conscious breed of foodies. Supermarkets shouldn’t necessarily set the quality levels for the food we consume.”
Anderson & Hill is a space of many dimensions, with many original Victorian features. The glass shop front opens out into the most picturesque of Birmingham’s arcades, built in 1875. The original interior has the feel of a neighbourhood delicatessen, with nods to the provenance of the food. Set within Great Western Arcade, In the heart of Birmingham’s Colmore Business District the multi-function space seeks to elevate Brummie notions about food retail.
“People are constantly changing their attitudes towards the food they consume, and the groceries they buy,” says Will. “The change is now picking up pace. People are very focused on quality today, and that’s what they get when they come through the doors at A&H.”
