A COUPLE are hoping to bring the community together with the launch of a town's first zero-waste deli.

Laura and Anthony Phoenix have less than two weeks left before their business, Mutiny Deli, on Skinnergate, Darlington, is set to open.

The couple, who live near the town and are expecting their first child, came up with the idea after seeing masses of plastic pollution while travelling in South-East Asia.

Mr and Mrs Phoenix have been vegetarian and vegan for nearly four years and have become heavily involved in reducing waste since their travels.

Mr Phoenix said: “We wanted to combine the two elements and thought it would be great if we offered a zero-waste shop - partly out of our own necessity as well as making it available to others.

"We're both chatty and outgoing so we want to make it somewhere that's open to everybody."

The 27 and 28-year-old have worked in food retail for several years and are looking forward to bringing a new concept to catering.

Mutiny will open its doors on March 11 with a day of freebies and tasters.

The part deli, part food store will feature jars of dried goods, such as beans, pasta, rice and flour, where customers can fill their own containers with Mutiny's products and pay by weight.

Mutiny will also have a deli corner, with table and chairs, selling an array of vegan and vegetarian options such as pasties, sausage rolls, cheese and homemade seitan meats, as well as cakes and brownies, smoothies, tea and coffee.

Mrs Phoenix said: “We’ll offer a beautiful selection of salads – things that people can put in a box and take away with them.

“It’s going to be quite a new concept at first so we will be out on the shop floor helping people."

A percentage of the deli's profits is planned to be donated to Sea Shepherd, an ocean clean-up charity that inspired Mutiny's sea-themed name.

Mrs Phoenix added: “We want to create a really trendy, friendly space.

"We just really want that kind of feeling where you know you can chat to us and we will be able to remember people’s faces."

Munity will be doing a pre-launch appearance on March 4 at Teesside University, at The Happy Pear workshop, where they will be selling some of their zero-waste products and deli foods.