The Somerset Grocer sits on the ground floor of the Somerset Building on Burnett Street, just off Ashburton's main street, and it does exactly what the name promises: it is a gourmet grocer with a cafe at its heart. The family team behind it — Molly, Nicky, Mark and Mickayla — describe the business as family-run with a community spirit, working hard to bring the best cafe experiences to Ashburton. Great food is the common thread, from the shelves to the deli counter to the tables.
The shop takes pride in sourcing the best local and international produce, and the shelves reward a slow browse. You'll encounter new products and tasty delights with each visit — a unique ingredient to bring your next meal to life, or a small indulgence to take home or gift to someone you appreciate. The team is happy to chat about the perfect addition to spice up your weekly shopping basket, with gourmet products selected from throughout New Zealand and beyond.
Alongside the grocery shelves, the cafe deli showcases seasonal pickles, preserves, ferments and condiments, and there's a Spice Trader range for cooks chasing a dash of something exotic. The Somerset Grocer also puts together hampers for gifting and offers functions and catering, making it a one-stop spot for eating well, hosting well and giving well.
On the ground floor of the Somerset Building on Burnett Street, just a step off Ashburton's main street, The Somerset Grocer does exactly what its name promises. Part gourmet grocer, part cafe, and entirely devoted to great food, it has made itself the town's destination for local and international produce, small-batch deli goods and a warm, community-spirited welcome.
The business is family-run through and through. Molly, Nicky, Mark and Mickayla are the faces behind the counter, and their stated aim is simple: to bring the best cafe experiences to Ashburton. That mix of family ownership and community spirit shows up in the way the shop works — browse the shelves at your own pace, ask as many questions as you like, and leave with something you hadn't planned on.
The heart of The Somerset Grocer is its carefully curated stock. The team takes pride in bringing in the best produce from throughout New Zealand and beyond, and the shelves are arranged less like a supermarket aisle and more like a working pantry. You'll find unique ingredients to bring your next meal to life, along with plenty of tasty delights that make easy take-home treats or gifts for the people you appreciate.
Repeat visitors often say the same thing: there's something new with each visit. That is by design. The range shifts with the seasons and with whatever the team has discovered and loved, so even regulars can count on a fresh find. If you're stuck, the friendly staff are happy to chat about the perfect addition to spice up your weekly shopping basket — whether that's a new condiment, an unusual preserve or something from the spice shelf.
The deli is where much of this comes together. Seasonal pickles, preserves, ferments and condiments are showcased in the cafe deli, giving shoppers a rotating cast of small-batch goods to explore. For home cooks, the Spice Trader range offers a dash of something exotic — a low-effort way to bring an existing recipe to life without reinventing it from scratch.
Of course, you don't need to be cooking to enjoy a visit. The cafe side of the business is where the team's hospitality comes to the fore, and it's a comfortable spot to settle in amid the shelves rather than dash through them. It's the kind of place where shopping and lingering blur together pleasantly.
When a visit isn't enough, The Somerset Grocer can wrap the experience up to go. Its hampers bundle gourmet goods into gift-ready form — a ready answer for thank-yous, celebrations and the people in your life who appreciate good food. And for bigger occasions, the Functions & Catering side means the team can help feed your event, from bookings through to catered spreads.
The Somerset Grocer keeps generous hours across the whole week. Monday to Wednesday it opens at 7.30am and closes at 4pm; on Thursdays and Fridays the doors open an hour earlier, at 7am, still closing at 4pm. Saturdays run from 8am to 3pm, and Sundays from 9am to 3pm.
Finding it is straightforward: look for the Somerset Building on Burnett Street, just off the main street of Ashburton, with the shop on the ground floor. If you'd like to arrange a hamper, book a function or ask about catering, the team can be reached on 03 307 5899 or by email at manager@somersetgrocer.co.nz.
Whether you come for a specific ingredient, a casual cafe stop or a gift for a food-loving friend, The Somerset Grocer delivers the same thing: a small, personal shop where great food is taken seriously and the welcome is genuinely local. For a town of Ashburton's size, that's a rare and welcome combination — and one well worth building into your weekly rounds.