Our Story

After just one day of trading, the word was already spreading about these luxurious, yet affordable, sausages that simply had to be tasted to be believed. The people of London embraced Martin and his sausages, with queues forming around the street, leading to the need to install queuing systems and the idea to serve coffee while people waited to sample some of Martin’s delicacies. Sausage shopping had never been such fun!

As menus expanded and demand grew at a whirlwind pace, Martin realised his scrumptious sausages just had to be made available to more and more people. And so, Simply Sausages shops were opened in quick succession across the capital and further afield. Now, the people of Soho, Strutton Ground, Victoria, Charing Cross and Bury St Edmonds could get to see what all this fuss about sausages was really about. Martin’s incredibly successful sausage shops were now shifting over 10 tonnes of sausages per week, with “Simply Sausages” quickly becoming a household name and much-loved favourite of the people of the South East. With this, the media quickly picked up on what was happening, and the gushing reviews started to flood in.

As the love for the “Simply Sausages” range continued to grow and grow, it was time to make them available to the masses. And so, the range was picked up by major retailers so that people across the whole country could get a little slice of sausage heaven.

As the Simply Sausage brand continued to impress, Martin cooked up the idea of opening a specialised sausage café in the heart of Greenwich, where locals could come to watch the sausages being made by hand and feast on delicious freshly-cooked delights such as the signature dish, sausage and mash, and butter pastry sausage rolls. The name of the sausage café you ask? Simply, “Heap’s”.

The opening of Heap’s Sausage Café was incredibly warmly received by the locals who were proud to have such a unique initiative that they could call their own, just around the corner. The café soon became a very popular meeting place, and a license to sell alcohol meant that visitors were able to enjoy a beer or a nice glass of wine with their meal while they chatted with friends and tucked into Martin’s ever-expanding menu. The cosy, relaxing and interactive atmosphere made Heap’s a must-visit spot for both tourists and locals alike.

2012: Along comes Vincenzo – As Martin’s sausage empire and food consultancy business continued to expand, Vincenzo Carbonara, a master chef and fellow sausage enthusiast, came on board to manage the day-to-day running of Heap’s. Vincenzo was soon a recognisable face around Greenwich as he cooked up and served up the gastronomic treats that the locals had become accustomed to.

2020: What a Year – A year most of us would probably like to forget, where after 12 wonderful years as Greenwich’s favourite sausage café, the Covid pandemic that brought so many challenges to the world forced Martin & Vincenzo into making some hard decisions. With the café’s intimate and close-contact setting, it was no longer viable to operate as a sit-in business. But, all was not lost. Martin & Vincenzo identified a need for a local, high-quality deli and farm store where people could come to purchase everything they might need to create their own gastro masterpieces at home. From locally-sourced cheeses and store cupboard essentials, to British wines and, of course, sausages, the Heap’s Deli is now a firm favourite for local shoppers and visitors to the area seeking the very best produce and service.