What Is the COVID-19 Update from E. Ashton Fishmongers?

E. Ashton Fishmongers posted a COVID-19 update notice on its website telling customers it was doing its best to help them through the situation, and pointing them to home delivery as the main option. The notice gives one concrete instruction: call 02920 229201 to arrange home delivery, or read more on the site for details. That is the extent of what the notice itself states — it does not list opening hours, order cut-offs, payment methods, or delivery charges.

What the notice actually says

The update appears as a banner on the site under the heading "COVID 19 UPDATE," with this message:

"Here at Ashton's we're trying to to our best to help you through the unique situation we all find ourselves in. Call for home delivery 02920 229201 or read more here..."

Three things follow from that wording:

• Home delivery is the route offered. The notice directs customers to phone rather than visit, which suggests counter service was affected at the time the notice was written.
• The phone number is the action point. 02920 229201 is also the number listed for the Cardiff Central Market shop, so it is the same main line used for general enquiries.
• "Read more" is a pointer, not a promise of detail. The notice itself does not spell out the terms of delivery.

What the site says about delivery generally

Separate from the COVID notice, the delivery page describes the business's normal delivery operation:

This is written around trade customers — hotels, restaurants and caterers — rather than household shoppers. The COVID notice is the part that speaks to home delivery for individual customers, and it does so only by phone.

How to act on the update

1. Call 02920 229201 and ask for home delivery. This is the step the notice itself gives.
2. Say what you want and where you are. The site does not publish a delivery radius, minimum order, or schedule for home delivery, so those questions have to be asked on the call.
3. Check the "read more" link on the site for any fuller statement before or after calling, in case the notice has been updated since.
4. If you are a trade buyer (hotel, restaurant, caterer) in Cardiff, Newport, Swansea or Bristol, the standard delivery arrangements described on the delivery page are the relevant ones — the COVID notice does not change what that page says.

What the update does not tell you

Because the notice is short, several practical questions are left open, and you should not assume an answer:

• Whether the Cardiff Central Market counter was open, closed, or running reduced hours.
• Whether home delivery carried a charge, a minimum order, or a limited delivery area.
• Whether payment was taken over the phone, on delivery, or in person.
• Whether the arrangement applied only during a specific period.

The notice is undated in the text available, so treat it as a snapshot of how the business was responding rather than a current statement of opening arrangements. For anything time-sensitive, the phone call is the reliable step.

Where this fits in the wider picture

Ashton's describes itself as a fishmonger, poulterer and game dealer in Cardiff since 1800, one of the largest fish retail outlets in the UK with around 25 staff, and supplies many major hotels and restaurants across Cardiff, Newport, Swansea and the surrounding areas. The COVID update sits on top of that business: it does not replace the shop's range of flat fish, salmon, shellfish, general fish and quick-and-easy options, nor its recipe section. It simply adds a delivery-by-phone route for customers who could not come in.