Parmigiano

One of the most famous food shops in Soho was simply known as Parmigiano, situated on the corner of Old Compton Street and Frith Street diagonally across from that other lost treasure, Bifulco Stores. As its name indicates, the main purpose of the shop was to sell Parmesan cheese and Parma ham. In its heyday the shop carried the three grades of Parmigiano reggiano, nuovo (less than one year old), vecchio (one to two years old) and stravecchio (over two years old). As for prosciutto, the shop was positively festooned with Parma ham as well as a smaller selection of other Italian hams. The shop shut in the early 1980s, due to difficulties with the landlord and the increased competition from other delicatessens and supermarkets. To my mind there was no competition: no shop in Britain ever came close, and hasn’t since. A recent discussion about the loss of this shop with two Soho bohos in The French elicited the comment: ‘It’s turned into a bloody coffee shop.’ Another friend chipped in: ‘So is the whole of Soho, we are living in one bloody huge cappuccino.’ A little overstated maybe, but indicative of the way the area is being homogenised by the breweries and restaurant giants.