TERESA Carew-Chaston has brought a little bit of dolce vita to Newport by opening a beautiful Italian delicatessen on Clytha Park Road.

'Fingers' was named after Teresa's rather picky eating habits and the fact that everything sold in a delicatessen is eaten with the fingers.

"The emphasis is always going to be on top-of-the-range products sold in pleasant surroundings, but I'm determined to offer value for money at the same time," she said.

With support from her husband Robert, Teresa opened the business just before Christmas.

Her Italian mother Lydia opened the first takeaway restaurant (not counting fish and chips) back in 1967 - Cosmopolitan Cuisine - so Teresa has the work ethic coursing through her veins.

But rather than the typical foodie background that you might expect, Teresa is actually a bio-chemist with over 20 years' experience in the pharmaceutical industry.

"But food has always been a big interest of mine," she said, "and friends were always looking at my menu ideas and the way I prepraed things and suggecting I should do it for a living."

Help was forthcoming from Newport & Gwent Enterprise on issues such as preparing a business plan, costings, market research and prospecting for suppliers.