The waiting is over for those impatient to see what is new at Waitrose, following a major refurbishment.

The flagship store off Churchill Way was set to re-open its doors at 8am Friday morning with a beer and wine bar and cookery school among its new features.

Waitrose Salisbury Branch Manager, Chris Blows, said: “Salisbury was the first ever Waitrose Food and Home branch and we have now been part of the community here for over 17 years. We hope that the new services that we have introduced will benefit our customers and create an even better shopping experience.”

Earlier this year, Waitrose announced that Salisbury will house the first cookery school outside of London. The new school will cater for 24 students at a time and offer a new selection of courses for anyone wanting to expand on their cookery skills.

There is a wine and beer bar within the wine department serving tapas and a selection of drinks with the option to try some local beers, including Hop Back Brewery beers and Ringwood Brewery ales.

Fitting rooms will now be available for customers to try on their purchases from the John Lewis Click and Collect service, as well as a new juice and smoothie bar, which will also offer chopped fresh fruit and frozen yoghurt.

It will have the largest ever Waitrose café, providing seating for 150 customers, with indoor and outdoor seating and an expanded hot meal offer.