Pies, pastries, and community: The history of Lancaster’s new Ukrainian deli

Earlier this year Gastronom, a Ukrainian deli, opened its doors in Lancaster.

The deli is run by Ukrainian couple Dmytro and Oxana Zushchuk, who have a six-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son.

During a discussion with the owners, we were given a brief history of the newly opened deli/bakery.

Inside the old fish and chip shop, there is a wide selection of snacks, tinned food and various teas. Furthermore, it stocks meats, pastries such as doughnuts, sausage rolls and Bulgarian Spiral Filo pies.

The couple met in 2007, in England after both living in Ukraine and now have two children. In 2024, they moved to the Hilltop Bakery on Scotforth road, which they stated: “Unfortunately fell through, and we nearly ended up homeless.”

The couple referred to their current landlord as a “lifesaver” after their tenancy at the Hilltop Bakery fell through.

Last October, they set up the bakery and supermarket.

The deli has a wide range of equipment such as a commercial smoker, which the couple plan to use to introduce smoked fish and meats.

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The supermarket is stacked with pickles, a variety of cheeses, freezers full of dumplings as well as a selection of ice creams.

The Bakery/Supermarket caters especially to Latvian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian and Polish customers, however it has also been a great success amongst local customers.

When asked what they would recommend to students, the owners said: “Definitely the dumplings, they are easy to cook and delicious.”

Dmytro briefly about Ukraine. Dmitri’s brother is employed in the government so luckily cannot be conscripted. Oxana’s parents also still live there. Dmitri says it’s difficult to have hope, because its impossible to know what is going on in the politician’s heads. “It’s been going on for over four years, it needs to stop. There will soon be no men left in Ukraine.”

This is what makes the bakery all the more important. Not only is it a social hub, with many customers coming in just for a chat, but it is also the sharing the culture, and through the universal means of food.

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