Anyone else clocked how Penzance stalwarts keep getting posh Truro outposts? First herbal PZ institution Archie Browns, which is now looking very dapper on Kenwyn Street in Truro. And now Lavenders!

I am a walking advert for Lavender’s, a tiny traditional deli and cafe on Alverton St with solid, old-fashioned service (when I left my filofax – AKA my life – in there the other day, the owner personally delivered it to my door!) and probably the best steak pasties in town. I have several branded Lavender’s bags – one cloth, one hessian! And I even considered the plastic keyring. It’s bustling, it’s purple and it’s impervious to the vagaries of fashion.

In Truro, Lavender’s has toned down the purple and is sporting a chic white background with sans-serif lettering, plus gleaming new deli counters downstairs and a neat little cafe upstairs (with purple napkins of course). Next thing we know, there’ll be a website…;)

Lavender’s, Victoria Square, Truro TR1 2RU (01872 279 394).