²ÝÁñÉçÇø

A hearty full English breakfast or lunch might be the staple for most when visiting the mart, in fact it might well be the highlight to start or sign off a good market day, so any visit to Auction Eats at Brockholes Arms Auction Mart will not leave you disappointed.

However, nestled in the rural Lancashire heartland just north of Preston, you may well be surprised to find an Italian twist at the purpose-built catering facility. First opening its doors in 2016, the unique blend of traditional British fare and authentic Italian cuisine has seen Auction Eats named the Mart's the Heart Auction Café of the Year 2023.

The story started some seven years ago, as Brockholes Arms Auction Mart advertised locally for experienced caterers to come on board to run and manage its brand-new café, on behalf of the market.

Sabrina Madera, along with her sister Sofia and father Nico, took up that challenge and brought a unique twist to the mart café experience.

She says: "We had been involved in the hospitality industry for many years, and when we saw the opportunity, we felt we were ready for the challenge.

"We have strong connections to the rural community as a local family living and growing up in the area,

"Nico, who is also our chef, is originally from Italy, where the family grew up growing fruit and vegetables and keeping sheep, pigs and other livestock, so there is a farming connection too."

Their input was felt from day one, as the family team set about preparing a menu to serve to the farmers and other customers of the auction mart, during market days. The focus was initially very much on traditional British fare, and today the big breakfasts and hearty lunches are still a welcome treat for many market visitors.

But soon they saw the opportunity to evolve and provide additional services outside of auction days. The first step was to introduce an extremely popular evening take-away service, featuring authentic Italian dishes.

"This was a great success, but we recognised that the venue also offered a great place for the farmers to meet with their friends and family when they had time off. So, with the auction mart's support, alongside huge demand, we opened as an informal dine-in café and restaurant in the evenings and weekends," says Sabrina.

Now open six days a week, serving traditional British café food, breakfast and lunches by the day, Auction Eats transforms into an authentic Italian eatery and take-away in the evening, feeding up to 300 visitors a day.

The mart remains at the heart of everything the family team do, now supported by a team of some 25 full and part-time staff.

"The mart is the reason why we are here, and we are always keen to support it, whether that be by sponsoring categories or offering vouchers to regular customers," says Sabrina.

"We are utterly thrilled to have won this award, and are forever grateful to our customers for their support, and their kind words and congratulations since the win."

Ian Atkinson, market manager and auctioneer at Brockholes Arms Auction Mart comments, "We are proud to have such a wonderful café on site, making our customers feel so welcome and the trip to the auction mart enjoyable."