'Elation' as city's new food hall opens

Saint Paul's Market has opened in a former warehouse in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham

A director of a newly-opened food hall in Birmingham has said he was "elated" following the venue's official launch.

Saint Paul's Market is having its first weekend of trading after opening in the Jewellery Quarter earlier this week.

The seven kitchen venue has been created by Independent Birmingham, Baltic Market and Buddha Belly, with seven food traders based at the site.

Joseph Schuppler, one of the directors of Saint Paul's Market, said the process of creating the food hall had taken "many, many years".

"It's been a dream of mine for six or seven years, somewhat of an obsession," he told BBC Radio WM.

"I've been thinking about food halls every day and talking about food halls every day [during that time]."

He said the team found the warehouse building, in which the market is now based, two years ago and it had taken "a lot of sleepless nights and countless hours of hard work" to set it up.

"I'm elated – really, really happy," he said. "It's super rewarding. The support we've had since we announced earlier this year has been so overwhelming, so wholesome.

"Birmingham has really turned out and supported us. We just want to deliver – we want to be one of the very best food halls in the UK."

Seven traders have opened up at the new Saint Paul's Market

Berni and Phil Walsh, from Cotteridge, were among the customers who attended the market's opening.

Mrs Walsh said: "Its brilliant, it's really lively and there's a great choice of food. It's just great. Its what we needed.

"The Jewellery Quarter is so vibrant now but it just needed something extra and this is it."

Mr Walsh said he was a vegetarian and was pleased he could find something to eat from various places at the venue.

"It's great to see so many local businesses here as well," he added.