Waterfront Liverpool food hall and restaurant Delifonseca Dockside says it is one step ahead of the UK logistics crisis and is now fully stocked for Christmas. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool food hall and restaurant Delifonseca Dockside says it is full-stocked ahead of the festive season despite will publicised shortages across the country.

Delifonseca Dockside is based on the waterfront juts south of the city centre. Founder Candice Fonseca says she and her team have made extra efforts to fill its stockroom in the midst of the national logistics crisis.

In the past few weeks there have been a number of warning from major supermarkets and suppliers of possible shortages in the run up to Christmas. A shortage of HGV drivers has put further strain on supply chains.

In light of this, Candice says the business has gained early access to sought-after produce and increased choice for shoppers this year. She add that many customers were already ordering with nine more weeks to go until December 25th.

Delifonseca has alsohas upped its orders of seasonal fruit and veg alongside festive luxuries and culinary gifts such as chocolates, festive teas and coffee and speciality beverages.

“With fears around food shortages over the Christmas period, we’ve worked tirelessly to ensure that our shelves are fully stocked ahead of the festive rush,” said Candice. “We continue to work with some of the best suppliers locally and across the country to provide the quality goods to ensure that we can all get a proper Christmas this year.

“After last year’s restrictions, we believe that families deserve to enjoy the finer things this time around and we’re reassuring our customers that we will make that happen.

“Our in-house butchers, Edge & Son, are already on top of their game when it comes to Christmas turkeys and have gone the extra mile to make sure they have plenty of produce available.

“In fact, they’ve gone an extra 25 miles, travelling a little further to source birds that are ethically farmed and exceptional in taste and quality in the high quantities that we need.”

In addition to Christmas dinner essentials, the establishment is bringing back its much-loved festive hampers available for individual purchase or for corporate gifting across the city, which proved a popular choice last year with a 200% increase in orders in 2020.

For those wanting to enjoy a festive feast, throughout December Delifonseca will be serving up a three-course menu in its restaurant, available for lunch and dinner.

Candice added: “We always like to do Christmas a little differently at Delifonseca and this year, we’re excited to welcome customers back in the restaurant for festive dining and seasonal lunch with our own little twist, of course.

“We are still operating with social distancing in mind, but we have plenty of space to host large groups, corporate parties and family gatherings with a brilliant selection of drinks and cocktails at the bar as the perfect accompaniment.”