Furniture Crates – the crating experts

31/10/2022 | 0 Comments

article provided by Furniture Crates 
Furniture Crates are a team of crating experts who develop specialised display solutions for trade fairs. ​From wooden shelf display furniture to kit out the whole stand, to counter top furniture for just a smaller section, we pride ourselves on designing the layout so that display components can be easily removed and loaded at the fair whilst maintaining an adequate protection during transit.
​As well as trade fairs, we supply to a large percentage of the hospitality industry. From counter top displays to planters and grab trolleys.
Our wooden branded crate furniture is an extension of your brand because of its aesthetically pleasing look as well as being functional.

Case Study – Cocoa Canopy

Cocoa Canopy came to us with a design brief for wooden shelf display furniture for the Speciality Fine Food Fair, the UK’s leading showcase of artisanal food and drink in London this year. Cocoa Canopy pride themselves on crafting the ultimate hot chocolate using the finest cocoa beans grown under the canopy of the tropical rainforest. Their brand interlocked perfectly with our branded wooden crate furniture. Their stand was a huge success.

Case Study – Small Batch Coffee

Small Batch Coffee have six gorgeous cafes in and around Brighton, serving not just coffee but eclectic, seasonal and regionally sourced ‘Small Batch Brunch’ as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner. There really is something for everyone. They contacted us with a brief for branded planters.
​
Our planters are the perfect accompaniment to the Small Batch locations offering an aesthetically pleasing and functional addition to their outdoor space. They provide an element of privacy to the diner as well as sectioning off the area just for the Small Batch guests. We were able to match to the specified colour and print the branding from image supplied to create these planters which are in keeping with their brand.
Get in touch with us to discuss your requirements:
Call – 01342 643071
Email – sales@furniturecrates.com
Shop online – www.furniturecrates.com

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The Rise of Halloween

20/10/2022 | 0 Comments

​Halloween wasn’t really a “thing” when I was little. Growing up in the 70s in rural England, we didn’t really know much about trick or treating or pumpkin carving. I seem to remember my mother muttering “American nonsense” under her breath around the end of October and we concentrated whole-heartedly on Bonfire Night and stuffing an old pair of tights with newspaper to make a rather floppy and lumpy Guy Fawkes. But that all changed when a fabulous and theatrical American family moved into the house next door.
​Our lives brightened overnight. To start with, they had four children around the same ages as me and my sister. That, in itself, was joyful enough. Suddenly we had enough people to play a meaningful game of tag, stuck in the mud, sardines and charades. We could put on plays that no one would ever watch but meant we could dress up and wear lipstick and feather boas.  A large hole in the hedge began to appear as they would crawl through to our garden, and we would crawl back to theirs just as often.
​And then it was October and activity next door became feverish. I remember popping over on the hallowed day itself, the 31st, and standing in awe at the porch door. Black paper bats and mini cauldrons swung from the ceiling, four eerie pumpkins glowed through jagged and heinous teeth and witches’ hats sat askew broomsticks in each corner and, beyond all of that, there was our neighbour, the wonderful American mom, dressed herself as a witch and holding the most beautiful basket, lined with red velvet, home to about 30 little cones of sweets. I felt bad for her though… no one had ever knocked on our door and said “trick or treat” in all the eight years that I had been alive. Our lane was too long and dark and our village was too English. I had a sneaky feeling that by the end of the night, we would be ripping open those glorious cones and eating the sweets ourselves …..and I was right.
​Things are rather different now. It can safely be said that the UK has embraced Halloween with about 60{650a267a6dfc0c56292df9f4411de9160c0ac02671db1e1ee03f984da437e88e} of households now actively encouraging trick or treaters.  With children of my own, we have entered into the spirit with freaky costumes, spooky face painting and little sweet-collecting cauldrons. And there is always a pumpkin or two, carved and grinning at my doorstep on the 31st October. My old neighbours would be proud.
​Pumpkin sales have exploded in the UK over the last decade with a predicted spend for 2022 of nearly £29 million! Farm shops have joined in the fun, and many are now offering PYO pumpkins where families are encouraged to take their kids and choose the perfect pumpkin and take a family snapshot amongst the glorious orange fruits. And why not? Let’s see if we can boost sales again this year. We’re still behind our American friends with $804 million expected to be spent on pumpkins for Halloween across the pond. That’s a heck of a lot of pumpkin. Soup anyone?

Product Review -The Ribble Valley Gin Co.

10/10/2022 | 0 Comments

Here, at Fabulous Farm Shops Headquarters, we regularly receive products to taste, try out and review and it’s always a pleasure…but when four beautiful (and I mean really beautiful) bottles of gin arrived on our doorstep, the excitement was palpable.
​Ribble Valley Gin is a small batch gin distillery based in Lancashire in, you’ve guessed it, Ribble Valley. I am sorry to say I have never been there, but the pictures of the valley took my breath away. Somehow, they have managed to capture the essence of their home and incorporate it into the labels that adorn their bottles and again on the gift boxes which can be purchased when gifting these gins.
​First impressions were excellent, and we were looking forward to easing out the cork stoppers and pouring the fragranced liquid into our gin balloons.
​Our tasting department had done its homework. We knew we should keep the gin at room temperature before tasting so as not to distort the flavour. We knew that it’s important to choose the right glass so that the scents could easily reach the nose. We knew that we should be patient and before guzzling, swirl the gin around the glass and inhale the aromas.  We knew that we should try it neat before adding any tonics or other mixers. We knew that it was going to be a good night!
​Helpful too were some tasting notes that I had filed under G for “Gin”, showing the possible range of adjectives describing the profile of each batch. A wonderful graph was waiting to be populated showing how savoury, earthy, spicy, bitter or crisp our first taste would be… and could we detect any citrus, juniper, fruits or herbs. Just let me at it!!
​The first bottle we were drawn to was the Country Market Gin described by Ribble Valley as:
“our vegetable gin, which pays homage to the simple vegetable patch & the traditional country market for a contemporary take on a classic gin”. ​
​We all agreed that we had never tried a “vegetable gin” before but something about the label with its beautifully painted hare, green wellies and allotment-styled basket of freshly picked vegetables had enticed us in…. and our glasses were ready.
​We all agreed there was a definite savoury aroma and a warmth to the flavour that was slightly unexpected but quite comforting. I could definitely detect tomatoes and felt an earthy undertone to the aftertaste.
​Words like “herby” and “woodland” and “brambles” were also whispered, as well as the less than helpful “gin-ny”!  The botanicals used in the making of this small batch gin include beetroot, peppers, basil and wild thyme so we weren’t too far off the mark.
​Warmed and raring to go, we moved on to The Winter’s Night Gin.
​Perhaps I was influenced by the pouring rain outside the window and the howling wind, or the beautiful indigo-blue of the label and the silvery writing, but this one was my favourite.
​The painting of the little cottage under a frosty roof and the wintry juniper berries watched over by the Christmassy robin red breast made me feel all festive and cosy. I can imagine sitting by the fire with my slippered feet up, being offered a glass of Winter’s Night Gin and tonic.
​A definite peppery first impression with a subtle aftertaste of Christmas (think cinnamon and cardamon).
​Suggestions are to serve with a garnish of orange or accompany it with some heated apple juice and cloves for a Ribble Valley take on a mulled gin. I will certainly be trying this with the small amount that is left in the bottle after our tasting session.
​This would also make a perfect Christmas gift for the person who has everything, and Ribble Valley have thought of that. Available on their website are some stunning gift hampers with a selection of smaller (25cl) bottles or the 70cl bottles in their beautiful cardboard boxes. I’d be happy with either poking out of my stocking this Christmas.
​I had to be dragged out of my reverie of chestnuts roasting by an open fire to try the next two gins. It didn’t quite seem fitting to try the Garden Party Gin on such a foul night, but I managed to get myself in the mood somehow. The label helped, with its delicate pastel tones and evocative impressions of a cottage garden, complete with bumble bee and bunting and copper writing flanked by butterflies. I could almost imagine myself barefoot and sinking my toes into the grass at a summer party.
​We agreed that the smell of this gin is really very pleasing. Some caught raspberries drifting up from the bottle, others strawberries, one even mentioned elderflower. Everyone offered “fruity” and “floral” and some shouted “summery” (it was getting a bit loud by this point!)
​The official consensus from the Great Taste Awards feedback of 2021 was:
“This smells like a dry gin with citrus, juniper and lots of botanicals. It is sherbetty yet with a touch of sweetness and the spice complements it beautifully. It is a good well rounded gin made with care, love and affection.”
​And none of us would argue with that. It certainly makes us hanker after the long and heady days of the not-too-distant summer and dream of late sultry evenings without the need for jumpers and socks.
​There was a freshness about this gin that made us sit up and take notice. I had done my homework and realised that it is probably down to the water used in the distillation process. Apparently, it is locally sourced organic spring water from a private estate, as rich in minerals as it is in history when it was discovered by a King over 500 years ago.
​It’s often said I’m a bit of a princess!
​Our final taste was of the original Ribble Valley gin known as Little Lane Gin. Again the label needs a mention as it depicts a gentle, English country scene of hedgerows and meadows painted in a calming hue of greens and purples.
​The scent of the gin itself conjures up heathers and brambles. We detected blackberries and pine leaves. One was certain she could smell lavender and one was jubilant in her discovery of nettles.
​On reading the description, she realised she was right! Nettles were apparently introduced by the Romans, who used this painful plant to rub on their skin to stay warm in Northern Britain. We would certainly rather warm up by drinking this bottled version. It is mellow and soothing and green in flavour.
​The suggestion to float a few blackberries and a wheel of lime in the glass is spot on.
So that’s it… our tasting complete, and a happy group of tasters called it a night and went their separate ways, pleased to have discovered this small batch gin company nestled in the Ribble Valley. 
​Thanks to the lovely Justine and Luke, who converted their stone outhouse (built in 1888 and originally used as a piggery) to a distillery, and launched their first gin in 2019. Four award winning gins later, they have been welcomed into the world of craft gins and have certainly found a spot in the Fabulous Farm Shops HQ drinks cabinet.
To buy direct then click here.

Or if you would like to become a stockist of one or all of The Ribble Valley Gin Company’s products then please contact them by email or call a member of their team on the links below.

hello@ribblevalleygin.co.uk
01772 597791
www.ribblevalleygin.co.uk

The Good Zest Company

1/10/2022 | 0 Comments

A Staffordshire based company, taking advantage of the demand for high quality hair & skincare
products made from organic ingredients  ​www.thegoodzestcompany.co.uk

The Organic Sector booms in the UK

The organic food and drink market is expected to grow by 13{650a267a6dfc0c56292df9f4411de9160c0ac02671db1e1ee03f984da437e88e} from 2022 to 2030 – an amazing projection considering the challenges facing us economically and politically. More impressive still, is the remarkable growth levels of over 15{650a267a6dfc0c56292df9f4411de9160c0ac02671db1e1ee03f984da437e88e} for the organic hair & skincare market in 2021 alone.
The UK’s organic hair & skin care market has reported its 11th consecutive year of growth (UK Soil Association Organic Beauty and Wellbeing Market Report) with the organic hair care segment topping the charts. Like the impressive rise in sales of organic hair & skin care products, farm shops are another ‘feel-good’ UK success story. As the high street has struggled, British farm shops have experienced a resurgence. This is also true for the UK organic hair and skincare industry. 


​Farm shops are a force to be reckoned with

As any business owner knows, to grow and thrive you must be able to identify the motivations of your customers and successfully predict new trends in order to adapt quickly. Never has this been truer than when looking at how farm shops continue to evolve by embracing new product categories whilst maintaining their unique point of difference from the high street – a total focus on supporting British producers, the assurance of better quality produce and broadening the choice of products available from butchery, deli and bakery to gifts, beauty and home.
​Farm shops are uniquely placed to capitalise on the UK increase in sales of organic hair &  skincare because both industries share the same values of ‘quality ingredients’, ‘sustainability’ and ‘natural’ ethos. The Staffordshire based organic & waste-free hair & skincare brand ‘The Good Zest Company’ (www.thegoodzestcompany.co.uk) is leading the way with its award-winning range that has at its heart a staple product available at every self-respecting farm shop….the humble citrus fruit!  All of their zesty hair & skincare products are free from synthetic scents and are, instead, naturally fragranced with the uplifting and zingy aromas of either lemons, limes, grapefruits, oranges or mandarins. 

“We are receiving more enquiries than ever from farm shops wanting to stock our organic, vegan and sustainable hair & skincare. this is fantastic and a natural partnership as we have many shared values around authenticity of ingredients and sustainability” 

Rose Sergeant – Founder of ‘The Good Zest Company’.
The Good Zest Company is offering all readers of the FABULOUS FARM SHOPS’ blog the opportunity to stock its zingy hair & skincare products with the special introductory offer of 10{650a267a6dfc0c56292df9f4411de9160c0ac02671db1e1ee03f984da437e88e} off all orders over £100. Also, to support smaller members, they will waive minimum order quantities for a limited time only. Want to know more? Zest Please!
Contact rose@thegoodzestcompany.co.uk for catalogue and pricing or check out the complete zesty range here www.thegoodzestcompany.co.uk
​

Christmas Wholesale Brochure & Pricing

Article supplied by The Good Zest Company

Furniture Crates – distinctive display designs

30/09/2022 | 0 Comments

article provided by Furniture Crates
​Furniture Crates Ltd is based in the heart of East Sussex and is at the forefront of design and manufacture of beautiful wooden display crates, creating visually appealing and functional displays for your brand or store. From small independents to major retailers, Furniture Crates Ltd can offer unique bespoke solutions as well as a wide variety of displays available on our website.
​​What we can offer;
1. Visual Appeal: Rustic Display Shelving Hits the Mark
​Countless studies have proven the value of visual aesthetics in retail displays. Visual presentation not only gives retailers the opportunity to set their products apart as being different and special in comparison with alternative or similar products but, importantly, can make consumers less sensitive to price. 
​When deciding on the visual aesthetics of your farm shop display, it pays to consider the profile of your customers and the kind of shopping experience they will respond to best. Generally speaking, farm shop customers are environmentally and ethically minded consumers. Words that might define their expectations include ‘natural’, ‘wholesome’ and ‘organic’, so a farm shop environment filled with plastic shelving and crude artificial lighting, for example, would be incongruous. 
​Rustic wooden display units, on the other hand, work extremely well in a farm shop environment. There’s nothing unnatural or pretentious about real wood and its simple style offers the perfect backdrop for showcasing wholesome produce. 
​Furniture Crates offers a range of different-sized units – from tall free-standing shelving units to angled shelf counter-top displays – to create interesting variety within your display and make sure there is a consistent theme across your entire product range. 
2. Brand-building: Use Your Display Furniture to Build Customer Loyalty 
​Farm shop display furniture doesn’t have to be boring. At Furniture Crates we think natural wood looks amazing, or as an alternative we can also colour match to Pantone and RAL references if required painting the inside and the outside of the crate. This creates an eye-catching pop of colour that not only adds to the visual appeal of the display but also makes it totally unique to you and instantly recognisable as your brand. 
​Even better, to really make your farm shop display units work hard for you, we can print your logo and graphics onto selected display panels. Every opportunity you get to promote your brand as part of your customers’ shopping experience is a valuable opportunity to build customer loyalty and trust. 
3. Functionality: Choose Farm Shop Display Furniture That’s Fit for Purpose! 
​Farm shop display furniture, must satisfy many different demands; it has to be strong, durable, easy to clean and easy to move – as well as being aesthetically pleasing. Fortunately, as well as being visually attractive, wooden shelving units tick all the boxes here, too, even more so if free-standing units are fitted with lockable wheels for easy manoeuvrability. Wood is, after all, a beautiful, natural material that’s capable of withstanding a few knocks, won’t show dust and will stand the test of time. 
​We pride ourselves on building farm shop furniture from sustainable, FSC certified wood. 
4. Ease of Assembly: Avoid Expensive Shop Fitting Fees
​Farm shops need the flexibility to rearrange their retail displays to take account of seasonal variations, promotions, and new supplier relationships. So it pays to source free-standing units that either come pre-assembled or can quickly and easily be self-assembled, without the need for a complex array of tools – or an army of shop fitters. 
5. Forward Thinking: Flexibility To Grow Your Business
​It pays to choose farm shop display units that are modular in nature and can easily be re-configured or added to at a later date in order to accommodate growth and/or change. 

​Furniture Crates Display Units
​If you’re looking for farm shop display ideas why not take a look at our Furniture Crates’ range of wooden retail display units, all hand-crafted in East Sussex from sustainable wood. With a wide choice of colourways, including striking two-tone options, and pixel-perfect digital printing options, we create bespoke farm shop displays that are as unique as you are. 
All of our display units are easily assembled and, through the use of optional metal latches, can be joined in many different configurations, making it easy to re-arrange or add to your display. ​
Call – 01342 643071
Email – sales@furniturecrates.com
Shop online – www.furniturecrates.com

Stay up to date with our exciting projects on:

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness*
(oh, and the field mushroom!)

26/09/2022 | 0 Comments

​My dad was a keen and quite ruthless mycophile. As a small child, I would sometimes accompany him on his thrilling, early morning, field mushroom raids and there was an undeniable whiff of prohibition about them. I felt like I had stepped into Dahl’s “Danny, Champion of the World” and it was me and dad against the landed gentry! 
​We would set the alarm early and dress in wellies and old clothes and, with the early morning mist still hanging in the valley, we’d stride out (well, he’d stride, and I’d skip to keep up) across the dewy grass in search of those glorious white globes, clutching a little basket and keeping my voice to a whisper. 
​There were a couple of other ardent foragers in the village and dad was always thrilled if we could make it to the fields before any sighting of Mr H in his grey cloth cap or Mr S in his tweed jacket and I would feel jubilant on his behalf (and mine as I’d have dad all to myself).
​Bending low over my wellies, I would admire the mysterious, smooth protrusions which made him so excited. He taught me what to look for and how to pluck the mushroom from the bottom of its robust stalk, flip it over and inspect the beautiful, fleshy pink underside, sniff it to ensure it had a fresh, earthy perfume and then pop it in my basket. I didn’t seem to worry that most of them were growing out of cowpats, a few days old with a hefty crust on the top covering the wildlife below!
​
​Nowadays, I don’t go mushrooming myself (dad picked a dodgy one once and I witnessed his purple face, shortness of breath and urgent rush to hospital – he was fine after an hour or so but it was pretty frightening for a while there!).

​I prefer to buy a punnet from my local farm shop but as I clean them up, chop them and fry them in butter, I smile to myself as I remember our autumnal field forays and maybe I even whistle a little, just like dad.
*from Ode to Autumn by John Keats

Featured Farm Shop – Devon
Fordmore Farm Shop

20/09/2022 | 0 Comments

​Located on the Honiton Road, just outside Cullompton, Fordmore Farm Shop boasts a fully stocked farm shop, with an in-house butcher, deli and cheese counter, fresh fruit and vegetables and gifts and if you want to make your visit a bit of a longer one, there is also a wonderful café and on-site animals.
​The ethos of Fordmore Farm Shop is to produce as much of their stock as possible on their own farms with the remainder being provided by local suppliers who share the same passion about great quality food. They sell vegetables, fruit, dairy, deli, dry goods, bakery goods, chutneys and jams that are all locally sourced and provide customers with a wonderful array of seasonal goodies.
​The in-house butcher, who works with the finest meat including grass fed long horn beef, reared to 28-30 months, is on site and ready to talk you through any questions you may have. As well as supplying you with the best cuts of meat, they will also be able to help you with advice on the best way to cook it, or the best cuts for the type of cooking you’re interested in. It could be a great way to get some ideas if you’re thinking of trying something new!
​Having converted to organic farming nearly 30 years ago, the Fordmore team firmly believe in organic as they believe it’s best for the animals’ welfare, the environment and for you, the customer. As part of their commitment to high-quality, ethically sourced goods, they will only pass on products to their customers that they believe in and know where they’ve come from.
​They believe all great meals need great ingredients and are best washed down with a fantastic bottle of wine, so they provide a selection of wines chosen specifically for Fordmore Farm Shop from Christopher Piper Wines.
​The onsite café serves breakfast, brunch, lunch, delicious cakes and coffee, and everything in-between. It boasts an award-winning chef who hails from a very prestigious Devon restaurant and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to develop and lead the farm shop café. His ethics are matched with the owners, believing in serving local, seasonal, fresh produce at all times.
​Put this gem on your list next time you’re visiting Cullompton!
Opening times:
Mon – Sat  9am til 5pm
Sun   10am til 4pm
Fordmore Farm Shop
Newlands Park, Honiton Rd
​Cullompton
EX15 1QQ
01884 839742
hello@fordmore.co.uk

SVVL – for Labels, Packaging & Printing

1/09/2022 | 0 Comments

“You Think It. We Label It”

​SVVL specialises in producing and printing bespoke labels for all sectors of the food and drinks industry. With almost 30 years of experience in the label and packaging industry, we have a unique ability to produce high-quality bespoke products. 

​All our products meet our clients’ own specifications. Our in-house team will meet all individual requirements to promote your brand and business.

Picture

​In addition to the above, we offer bespoke boxes and paper bags in all sizes printed to individual requirements. This is an ideal way to promote a company and its products.

For more details,  please get in touch with sales@svvl.co.uk
Visit our website at www.svvl.co.uk
Or call us on 01245 524473

Up Close and Personal
With…
The Yorkshire Pasta Company

16/07/2022 | 0 Comments

We popped on our hairnets, rolled up our sleeves and got up close and personal with Kathryn from The Yorkshire Pasta Company to hear her inspiring story of how she  introduced delicious, proper  pasta to the UK.

Introduce yourself & tell us a little bit about your business.

I am Kathryn. I founded “The Yorkshire Pasta Company” in 2019 after realising that there was a huge gap in the market for a British pasta – pasta made to a high standard, with British ingredients and not imported and packaged in plastic!We launched in May 2020 and our pasta can now be found in over 450 farm shops, delis and independents. You can even find it in Harvey Nichols and Selfridges.

Ultimately we are a small family business comprising three – myself, my sister-in-law, Beth, and our fellow pasta ninja, Gemma. We have a huge passion for artisan pasta, showing the UK the difference between mass manufactured supermarket ‘pasta’ and beautiful, sustainable, superior pasta!

Where are you based?

​We are very lucky to be born and bred in God’s own county, Yorkshire, and are based in Yorkshire’s foodie capital, Malton.

When did it all begin?

Half-way up a mountain in the Lake District! In March 2019, during a walking holiday, I asked my husband “why do you think no one makes pasta in the UK?”That was the moment that it all began. That thought seeded itself in my mind and it began to keep me up at night. I began spending evenings and weekend driving around the UK and searching the internet to see if it was true – there was no British pasta.

I found myself making notes and plans whilst I should have been focussing on work projects. I was much more motivated and inspired by pasta than I had been about anything else for some time!

The next step was to travel to Italy to understand how pasta was created and it was at this point that I realised that the pasta available in the UK wasn’t a patch on that in Italy – what a difference! And that mass manufactured supermarket stuff was not real pasta!
​
I left my job and knew that I needed to give my all to follow this passion. I was going to set up The Yorkshire Pasta Company.

Why did you start making your product & where did your
​inspiration come from?

​As a farmer’s daughter, I have always had a keen interest in food. We were brought up with an understanding of the provenance of food, the importance of quality and respecting ingredients. We prepared meals together and sat around the kitchen table at every mealtime. For this I am truly grateful. I see now that this is where my love of food has come from.The thought that there are now families up and down the UK, sitting around their kitchen table, enjoying a meal with Yorkshire pasta gives me an indescribable feeling!

How did you learn your trade?

My husband and I went over to Italy in 2019 to learn from the artisan producers. We travelled down the length of the country, eating lots of pasta (and drinking lots of wine!).The families over there were so supportive (which, to be honest, I was not expecting) but I guess they liked our passion and wanted to help “a little English girl make proper pasta”! I still have some of them on speed dial now!

Mass-manufactured supermarket pasta is made in two hours. Our authentic methods take two full days. We dry our pasta on wooden racks at low temperatures overnight – for 14 hours. This allows flavour to develop as the dough matures.

Each piece is then “bronze drawn” to give it a rough surface. This is where the magic happens – the rough surface allows sauce to cling to each piece, hugging it and creating a beautiful dish of food.

​We then package in striking paper bags, 100{650a267a6dfc0c56292df9f4411de9160c0ac02671db1e1ee03f984da437e88e} recyclable, and completely plastic free –
a sustainable approach to a classic product. We run Yorkshire Pasta HQ on solar energy, are plastic free and all our products are vegan and vegetarian friendly.

What’s your favourite product and why?

I love all five – they are like my babies! Shells make a cracking pasta bake and tortiglioni is amazing with a bolognese. Fusilli makes a great light salad and penne is my go-to for creamy dishes. And then there is mezze – James Martin’s favourite and the one he used when he had us on the show in January 2021 – he made an amazing ragu dish.

What ingredients do you use? 

Durum wheat (semolina flour) is typically used for pasta but we didn’t want to import anything so we have created our own bespoke blend of wheat flours (now kept as a family secret) all of which milled just down the road. We go and collect it weekly.We can always guarantee that 70-80{650a267a6dfc0c56292df9f4411de9160c0ac02671db1e1ee03f984da437e88e} is directly from farmers in Yorkshire, the remainder coming from farmers a little further afield in Lincolnshire and Humberside. This protects us if there is ever a terrible yield or disastrous harvest, such as the wet harvest of 2010.

When your business is your passion, what do you do in your spare time or to give yourself a break?

​I am extremely competitive and play field hockey – I adore it and it is great for stress relief!

​What’s been the most fun or challenging part of your business?

​Big Challenge Number One:
Durum wheat. In Italy, pasta has always been made using semolina, a product of durum wheat. So it turns out that durum wheat isn’t grown in the UK.  There were a few trial crops over time, but with my father a farmer, he knew very well that our British climate didn’t allow farmers to get a yield from durum wheat to make it a sufficient crop. But I certainly couldn’t import durum wheat from Italy, Germany or the USA and then call my pasta British.My previous job had been working for Nestle Confectionery developing recipes for wafers and biscuits (think Lion Bar, Breakaway, Drifter). So I knew a thing or two about flour and proteins. I was able to research British flours and create a blend of flour to match the important properties of semolina and began trialling pasta dough recipes.

​Big Challenge Number Two:
How to dry the pasta to allow for a shelf life and storage? To lock in flavour and quality?
If pasta is not dried correctly, any ounce of moisture remaining at the centre of the shape, over time (2-5days) will try and even out across the shape. This leads to cracks in your pasta. Within the week you can physically hear the pasta cracking like rice crispies in milk, snap! crackle! pop! – plus the sound of my tears falling onto the floor!
It took months of research and trials, but eventually we mastered the art of drying pasta. Our pasta has a shelf life of 2 years, without the need for preservatives and stabilisers.
​Big Challenge Number Three:
Plastic free… typically pasta is packaged in plastic. I worked with over 40 packaging suppliers before identifying a solution. And then came the question of how to seal them without solvent glues or plastic tabs… I think we came up with a fabulous solution. Our packaging remains 100{650a267a6dfc0c56292df9f4411de9160c0ac02671db1e1ee03f984da437e88e} recyclable and we think it looks pretty special too.

Do you have any particular goals or aspirations for 2022/23?

​To continue growing our stockist base across independent farm shops and delis. We are in just over 450 but there are 1,000’s out there! We are also beginning to work with fabulous chefs in food service and looking to supply more and more high end restaurants.

Featured Farm Shop – Wiltshire
Plank’s Farm Shop

11/07/2022 | 0 Comments

​Four miles southeast of Devizes is the Old Potato Yard, a place with an agricultural past but a creative future. Various retail businesses now fill the old farm buildings, the largest of them being Plank’s Farm Shop which first threw open its doors in 2007 and has earned a reputation for being a friendly and inviting place. 
​It is packed with the usual farm shop essentials of fresh fruit and vegetables and local bread, milk, cheese and eggs but also displays a fabulous range of gourmet treats.  The in-house kitchen with its team of chefs produces ready meals with a difference – quiches, pies, soups, salads, cakes and deserts which you can take home with you to enjoy fine dining every day.
​There is also a mouth-watering butchery run by the lovely Hannah who makes her own sausages, burgers, faggots, marinated kebabs and BBQ packs. She is onsite three days a week to answer any meaty questions!
​Household goods fill another bank of shelves, and a refill section caters to those wanting to reduce their use of unnecessary packaging. Also on offer is an external catering service where delicious food can be provided for any time of gathering from a small drinks party to a seated dinner for 150 people or a work lunch with boxed sandwiches. Plank’s really do seem to do it all!
​A recent addition of an ice cream counter means you can treat yourself to a Marshfield ice cream when you have completed your shop and enjoy a leisurely wander around the rest of the old yard and have a poke in the neighbouring local businesses.

Opening Hours:
Monday to Saturday  8.30am – 5pm
(with extending hours on Fridays to 5.30pm)
Sunday 10am – 4pm

Plank’s Farm Shop
The Old Potato Yard
Lydeway, Devizes
SN10 3PU
01380 848691
Email
Website
Local deliveries & contactless collections available

What’s small and red… and tastes of summer?

30/06/2022 | 0 Comments

I popped round to see a friend last week and her husband was unpacking a few goodies he’d just picked up at his local farm shop. He approached me with a big grin on his face and a small offering in his outstretched palm;
“You have to try this.”
​In his hand was a small but beautifully formed strawberry, glistening slightly under its cap of green leaves.
I did as I was told and bit into it and the taste of summer exploded on my tongue whisking me back to those long, sun-drenched days of my childhood when summer seemed to last forever and all I had to worry about was which tiny hole would I crawl into for the next game of neighbourhood hide and seek. If sunshine could be bottled, I’m sure it would taste of freshly picked strawberries.

​Me, my mum & big sis with our runner bean crop in the 70s! When summer seemed to last forever….
​Is there anything more evocative of a British summer than that taste? And I’m not talking about the all-year-round insipid supermarket strawberries, covered in plastic, tasting of literally NOTHING and flown in from goodness only knows.  I mean those little shiny ruby nuggets of freshness that have spent the day basking on a bed of straw in the sunshine until they were wrestled off the stalk by your own fair hands. Most made it into a punnet to be weighed but a few, less fortunate, disappeared elsewhere and the taste…oh the taste…exquisite! 

Photo from Evergreen Explorers on a trip to Bourne Valley PYO

​Did you ever visit a PYO strawberry farm when you were little? We had one at the end of our road and we would go a couple of times each season. It always seemed to be on a boiling hot day, and we would slap on the sun-cream and a big-brimmed hat and wander down there with our baskets. In my memories, the walk took forever as we stopped to throw sticky weed on each other’s backs or pull the long grass and tease our companions’ ears from behind. We’d arrive sweaty and itchy but the sight of the neat rows of strawberry plants stretching out ahead would revive us and the thought of the juicy fruits waiting to be picked, even more so.

Picture

​Preparing the strawberry rows
​at Strawberry Fields PYO in Morley

​Bent down on our haunches, lifting the fronds and searching for the hidden red treasures was pure joy especially when you found a plant heavily laden where no one else had been before you and you could strip it and fill your container with a layer of fruit before moving, crab-like, onto the next one. In reality, I contributed meagrely to the family collection, adding one or two handfuls to my mother’s bountiful harvest but I don’t think she minded. She was just pleased that she was out in the fresh air, away from the kitchen chores and breathing in the summer vibes. 
​Loading the punnets onto the scales was always a dramatic moment and learning just how many pounds we had managed to gather. We would take them home, happy in the knowledge that pudding was a sure thing that day, and that jam-making would also be on the cards in the very near future.
​I’ve reminisced for too long and all because of that little strawberry. Imagine if you offered one to each customer that came through the door of the farm shop? Maybe you’d have to listen to them wax lyrical about their childhood for a few minutes, but I bet your strawberry sales would go through the roof!

Featured Farm Shop – Cornwall
Trevithick & Trays Farm Shop & Café

13/06/2022 | 0 Comments

​Just over a year ago, a new addition took root in the lovely Pentewan Valley next door to the River Valley Holiday Park, near Saint Austell. This well-stocked farm shop bursts with good quality food and drink from locally reared meats and freshly baked bread to mouth-watering cheeses, local fruit and vegetables and, of course, Cornish pasties – including frozen ones for you to take home and store in your own kitchen for when the pasty need arises!
​Alison and Paddy have tried hard to cover every angle. The shop has a grand array of gluten-free and vegan goodies to help cater to all dietary requirements and shelves full of locally produced artisan ales, cider and wine to small-batch gins, vodka, rum, brandy and whiskey for the thirsty amongst us.
​Once a week, there is a visit from a local fishmonger who sets up outside the shop and brings with him the most incredible variety of freshly caught fish. Feast your eyes on the most recent selection and tell me you can’t smell the sea…

Mussels, scallops, Cornish king crab, haddock, hake, pollock, John dory, lemon sole and squid.

​​Next to the shop is a pretty café in which to enjoy a coffee and a cake (or a Cornish cream tea… jam first obviously!) with an outside seating area which welcomes dogs – and cyclists!
Definitely worth a detour whatever your route…
Opening times:
Mon – Sat  9am til 5.30pm
Sun   10am til 4pm
Trevithick & Trays Farm Shop & Café
Kingswood Business Park
Polgooth, Saint Austell
PL26 7AR
01726 458324
mail@trevithickandtrays.co.uk

Red, White & …..                                                                                Do you have that in Purple, Ma’am?

30/05/2022 | 0 Comments

Last year, my sister gave me some tomato plants for my greenhouse as my seedlings had not enjoyed my watering apathy. Gratefully, I popped them in the ground and paid little attention to their labels. Late summer, when the fruits appeared, I could no longer ignore them, for nestled in the hairy fronds, rather than the glorious, juicy red I was expecting, were some deeply odd-looking tomatoes. 
​Shiny and dark, with purply-black streaks across their bulbous heads, these were tomatoes, but not as I knew them. The label stated “Black Beauty” in my sister’s loopy script and in an odd way they were beautiful, just unexpectedly so!
​
Purple fruit and vegetables are chock full of goodness but often rather forgotten on our plates. Purple/red cabbage springs to mind at Christmas and the odd blueberry thrown on my pancake but my fridge certainly isn’t overflowing with purple.
​We are urged to “eat the rainbow” knowing that green vegetables are loaded with vitamin K and folates, orange and yellow fruits are usually full of vitamin C and red ones full of vitamin A but purple, when you read the facts, are extraordinary! The term “superfood” is applied to more purple fruit and vegetables than any other and now an increasing number of plants are being bioengineered to have this special hue.
​They help keep a healthy heart, lower blood pressure, aid brain health, enhance calmness, boost mood and strengthen the immune system…and they look beautiful. A display of beetroot, aubergines, purple sprouting broccoli, purple cauliflower, figs, grapes and blackberries cannot fail to stop you in your tracks. 
​They bring to mind a wonderful quote from Alice Walker’s book “The Color Purple”:
“I think it [upsets] God if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it. People think pleasing God is all God cares about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back.”
​And why am I so obsessed with purple this month? Well, it’s the official colour of the Platinum Jubilee and we at Fabulous Farm Shops have been decorating our Headquarters with purple fruit and vegetables.
The logo of the Jubilee, designed by 19-year-old Edward Roberts, features a continuous platinum line (representing Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year long reign) on a purple background which is a nod to the rich, velvet Coronation robes worn by the monarch after he/she is crowned. 
​It is a colour that has long been associated with royalty but is also a shade that is universally complimentary… so if you are dark, blond, red-headed, grey or bald – you can wear purple and if you are large, small, old or young, you should be getting it on your plate and in your mouth!
​Let’s raise a glass of blueberry juice and salute the Queen. We hope you had a very Happy Jubilee!

Featured Farm Shop – Dorset
Rawston Farm Butchery & Shop

5/05/2022 | 0 Comments

​With over 5 generations of farming experience, the Cossins family know a thing or two about the countryside. They hand rear Aberdeen Angus, Hereford and Rawstar cows on their family farm in Tarrant Rawston, Dorset which prides itself on lush, mineral-rich grass leading to incredibly tender and flavoursome beef.
The farm is at the heart of all that they do. The meat is sold at the farm shop ensuring the absolute minimum of food miles as the family whole-heartedly believe that shopping local is key to agricultural sustainability. ​
​“Keep your food miles low and your taste experience high” is their mantra. All the meat in the farm shop is fully traceable with the home-produced beef from the farm and chicken, pork and lamb travelling a few miles from local suppliers and seasonal specialities welcomed into the shop at the appropriate time from venison, game, veal and free-range turkeys for that special occasion!
​James and Barbara also own the local pub, The Langton Arms, so the chef there uses the fabulous meats to create pies and dishes which are sold in the farm shop, encouraging the locals to treat themselves to a “ready meal” like no other… they might even find beef wellington available if they are really lucky.
​Always available are take away coffee and cake, home-made sausage rolls, scotch eggs, bacon turnovers and pork pies as well as locally grown seasonal fruit and vegetables, local store cupboard ingredients, herbs and spices, fresh fish and eggs, honey and even flowers and plants.
​Rawston’s is a fabulous one stop shop to create home-cooked meals from breakfast to dinner, safe in the knowledge that everything in your basket has been sourced from within 30 miles of the farm shop.
It was this premise that led Barbara to create a county-wide Love Local Trust Local food label scheme to help consumers understand the provenance of their food and encourage them to support local farmers and growers.
The “welly boot” logo was created in 2018 and is awarded to independent businesses including farmers, fishermen, growers and producers, whose main ingredients are sourced from within 30 miles of their Dorset location.
​
The Love Local Trust Local Food and Drink Awards was launched for the first time in 2020 and continues to thrive. ​
Monday to Friday 8am – 5pm
Saturdays 8am – 2pm
Sundays closed
Rawston Farm Butchery & Farm Shop
Tarrant Rawston
Blandford Forum
DT11 8SF
info@rawstonfarmbutchery.co.uk
www.rawstonfarmbutchery.co.uk
07796 801525

Gentle diversification & Rural Innovation

28/04/2022 | 0 Comments

Here at Fabulous Farm Shop HQ, we love hearing all about the many innovations you Farm Shops are coming up with. Do get in touch if there are additions or changes that you are making and we can shout about them to our followers.
​Many farm shops have been thinking about the planet and have added zero waste refill areas like at Radmore Farm Shop in Cambridgeshire or milk stations like the wonderfully named “Moo Station” at Roves Farm Shop in Wiltshire.
We have even seen one farm shop, recently introduce electric charging points outside in their car park which is a fabulous addition. Loving your work, Three Trees Farm Shop, Wiltshire. Small changes that can make a big difference! These charging points can add over 100 miles of range to your vehicle in 15 minutes – just enough time to fill a basket at the shop! 
And outside the farm shop, we see playgrounds and animal paddocks as at Harvest Barn Shop in Cambridgeshire, maize mazes, pick your own or a #freshfishthursday featured fish man as at Croots Farm Shop in Derbyshire.
Some changes were brought about by the pandemic but have proved so popular that they have been made permanent features and are keeping customers happy and healthy.
The Gog Farm Shop in Cambridgeshire are maintaining their “stay in car” service where customers are encouraged to drive up to the farm shop, pull in to one of the two designated bays, sound their horn and one of the team will come and take their order and bring their shopping to their car.

Jolly Nice Farm Shop in Gloucestershire are investing in a brand new drive-thru service after their takeaway service (built within 8 weeks of the first Covid lockdown)  helped keep customers safe and staff employed. 

And this wonderful addition not only caught our attention but it won Jolly Nice farm shop the title of ‘Best Rural Innovation’ in the Southwest regional finals of the @ruralbusinessawards

Hoorah for gentle diversification, rural innovation and keeping the farm shop fresh!
 

Jewel-like Rhubarb & Ebbulient Asparagus

25/04/2022 | 0 Comments

A note from the Editor
What a glorious time of year!
“Unfurling” is the word that springs to mind every time I set foot outside of the front door. My garden is awash with buds which have decided that now is the right time to push themselves upwards, ready to burst open and display their beauty. 
​Alliums are about to rip open their covers and form mighty balls of purple, my ferns are exquisitely poised to curl open in limey-green fronds …even my toes have unfurled from their winter boots and socks and have dared to exhibit themselves with freshly painted nails on a couple of occasions! (no photos of those, you’ll be relieved to hear!)
​And in the farm shops, the offerings on the shelves are changing. More colour, more juicy rows of farm-fresh vegetables and a riotous rainbow of seasonal produce.
​Red, pink and green rhubarb stalks are glossy and vibrant, promising that shock of delicious tangy fruit flavour when cooked with sugar and topped with crumble (my favourite, can you tell?!).
from ” Farmersgirl Kitchen” click for more rhubarb recipes
​Originally from China, rhubarb was first imported as a medicinal plant and prized as much as rubies, satins and pearls. The name comes from the Latin word “rhababarum” meaning “root of the barbarians”. Jewel-like in appearance, I can see why it was so desired and, if I don’t add quite enough sugar, the children tend to screech like barbarians when served their pudding.
​Another glorious seasonal addition is the bundles of asparagus spears which have worked hard to push themselves up through the soil. 
Asparagus grown and on sale at Groombridge Farm Shop in Kent
​The green shoots are true pioneers and harbingers of early summer. During a sunny day, you can almost hear them growing (sometimes up to 10cm in one day!) Cut them in the morning and they’ll be another one growing by the evening. No wonder the season is short – it must be exhausting to be asparagus. 
But perhaps because the season is so short, it highlights everything that is good about buying and enjoying seasonal veg and needs to be SHOUTED about – 
Get it now!
It’s only here for a few weeks!
Picked this morning!  
Give me an A…give me an S.. give me a P …
​Let’s cheerlead for these short-lived stars of our farm shops. Display them with pride, shout about them on social media and get the shoppers ringing the date on their calendars each year… 

Featured Farm Shop – Gloucestershire
Jolly Nice Farm Shop

21/04/2022 | 0 Comments

It’s hard to say the name of this farm shop without smiling.
​Jolly nice by name and jolly nice by nature. 
​This Gloucestershire farm shop, the brainchild of third generation farmers, Simon and Rebecca, was founded for a more sustainable, happier future. They prioritise the wellbeing of their livestock and their land, championing old fashioned, sustainable rare breed livestock and farming methods.
​And with this ethos at the forefront of everything they do, the shop has thrived. They regularly feature beautiful local produce and succulent meat and publicise its provenance.
​They believe, that with each season, it is important to adapt eating habits to live in tune with nature’s calendar and, if you shop at this fabulous farm shop, this is not hard to do. The fresh and seasonal produce is grown by local farmers and micro producers just a few miles down the road:
​Celeriac and Potatoes are produced by Farmer Fred from Close Farm – 8 miles away.
Kale, Turnips and Winter Salad are produced by Purton House Organics – 18 miles away.
Savoy Cabbage, Leeks and Purple Sprouting Broccoli are produced by Paget’s Produce – 28 miles away.
​But there are plenty of “extras” to fill your basket with. Why not try their award-winning ice cream whilst visiting? Their salted caramel and gooseberry & elderflower have both won the highest accolade in the food world – each gaining 3 Gold Stars at the Great Taste Awards.
​Or perhaps quench your thirst with a shot of Sicilian blood orange juice.
​Another reason to smile is that you can enjoy a lot of what Jolly Nice Farm Shop has to offer without even leaving your car! During the pandemic, they came up with the genius idea of introducing a “drive through”.
​Built within 8 weeks of the first Covid lockdown, it helped keep customers safe and staff employed. On the menu is the beef brisket burger, pulled mushroom burger, triple cheese & caramelised onion sourdough toastie and grass-fed beef & fennel meatball sourdough toastie. Yum…
And this wonderful addition won Jolly Nice farm shop the title of 
‘Best Rural Innovation’ in the Southwest regional finals of the @ruralbusinessawards
This has encouraged the owners to expand the drive-through and work is underway to create a new area with a state-of-the-art production kitchen to ensure they produce food of the highest quality in a few minutes plus the addition of seating in a cosy yurt and unique “Lambing Shed”. This should all be ready soon – mid Spring.
​What a jolly nice idea!
Open every day from 8am to 7pm
Jolly Nice Farm Shop
Cirencester Rd,
Frampton Mansell,
Stroud
GL6 8HZ
​01285 760868
www.jollynicefarmshop.com

Featured Farm Shop – Devon
Stokeley Farm Shop & Café

17/03/2022 | 0 Comments

Words and photographs supplied by Stokeley Farm Shop
Nestled behind the natural beauty of Slapton Ley, serving locals and visitors alike, an unmatched range of fantastic produce, featuring over 70 Devon producers and suppliers, you will find Stokeley…
And as they like to say, “so much more than a Farm Shop!” ‘though you will definitely enjoy all the fantastic fresh and local produce on offer including: artisan cheeses, freshly baked bread, fruit, veg, a wonderful selection of groceries, wines, and other provisions and, not to forget, the award-winning butchery counter.
​Quite simply, a fabulous array of foodie choice and all available to be delivered to your home, if you live in the local area.
​And, if that’s not enough to tempt you to visit, there is a seasonal garden centre, a collection of retail outlets featuring local artists, makers fashion brands and a lifestyle interiors store!
The Café is locally renowned for its wood fired pizza oven and the scrumptious Sunday lunches that are, more than regularly, sold out. And if you are in the mood for something a little stronger than tea and coffee… the South Hams Drinks Tap House is on site, showcasing their award-winning ales, ciders and soft drinks too.
​With regular live events throughout the year and a summer festival that delights in welcoming and entertaining everyone, you know that time spent at Stokeley is time well spent – for all the family.
​You’ll find Stokeley just off the beaten track between Kingsbridge and Torcross – off the A379 near Slapton Ley. And if you would like to get to know more about this beautiful part of the South Hams, you can even hire e-bikes here during the summer season.
​Be sure to pay us a visit this year…
Opening Times:
Monday to Sunday        9am – 5pm
Stokeley Barton Farm
Stokenham
Nr Slapton
Devon
TQ7 2SE
Shop telephone: 01548 581605
Café telephone: 01548 581321
www.stokeleyfarmshop.co.uk

Featured Farm Shop – Northumberland
The Nook Farm Shop & Café

14/03/2022 | 0 Comments

​The Nook is the ideal name for this beautiful farm shop nestled below the Epiacum Roman Fort site, 2 miles north of Alston in Cumbria (just over the Northumberland border). It opened in 2019 and is well supported by the local community as well as the visitors passing through to see the Roman remains.
​The ethos of the shop and café is to serve and promote the local area and with this is mind, The Nook sells fresh and frozen local produce both to take home and to eat on site. There is a well-stocked meat fridge full of locally farmed beef, lamb and pick and mix meat packs, a mouth-watering display of home-made cakes, ploughman’s scones and scotch eggs (they are not bound by border lines at The Nook!) and local honey (which sells out quickly so be warned!)
​The café looks like the ideal spot in which to hunker down after a climb to the ruins of the fort which has been described as “the best-preserved Roman fort in the Empire”. Epiacum is the Roman name for Whitley Castle and the site has been extensively researched by English Heritage and been classified as the “most significant monument in the region“.
​Whether it’s the fort or the scotch eggs that bring you to this spot, you will be guaranteed a warm welcome at The Nook.
Opening hours: 
Every day    9am to 4.30pm
The Nook Farm Shop & Café
Epiacum Roman Fort
Kirkhaugh, Alston
CA9 3BG
07415 029398
www.thenookfarmshop.com

join the food waste movement…

28/02/2022 | 0 Comments

Fabulous Farm Shops are delighted to announce they have partnered up with the sustainability app “Too Good to Go” to help farm shops and producers attract new consumers and fight food waste. 
Every year, UK food businesses waste 100,000 tonnes of surplus food – but there is a way to help combat this…
The concept is simple.
​
The ‘Too Good To Go’ app lets businesses sell surplus food to local customers to save it from going to waste.
The individual business updates the app at the end of the day to show how much surplus food they have to sell.
​It’s as easy as that!

Customers can then search the app for local stores, purchase the food via the app (buying a surprise ‘Magic Bag’ of surplus food), then pick it up at a time set by the store.
​There’s no need for stores to predict what won’t sell; rather than listing individual portions of food, they can simply load Magic Bags with whatever is left over that day, setting a price that is fair for them and the customer.

So far, UK food businesses have sold almost 10 million Magic Bags, recouping costs and meeting new customers at the same time. There are currently 7 million app users and 20,000 food businesses creating Magic Bags out of food that would otherwise be wasted at the end of the day.​
Our farm shop members & ‘A’ list producer members can join this movement and benefit from having their first year’s administration fee of £39 waived.
Just click HERE to get started and Freddie from ‘Too Good To Go’ will help you through the simple steps to get you up and running.
Read on to hear the Too Good To Go story.. 
​Too Good To Go has an ambitious goal: to inspire and empower everyone to fight food waste, while proving that it’s possible for businesses to thrive with social good at their core.

​The problem is simple: too much food is being thrown away. It happens at stores and restaurants everywhere, from fresh sandwiches sitting in rubbish bags behind cafes, to steaming trays of untouched buffet fare being tipped directly into bins. It’s all delicious, made to be enjoyed – but it’s getting wasted instead.
​At the same time, food waste is putting the planet under enormous strain. Entire forests are cleared to grow produce that will never be eaten, and scientists have discovered how food releases harmful greenhouse gases when it’s disposed of unsustainably.
It raises the discussion: if our food is putting the planet under so much strain, why are we throwing so much of it away? That’s the question several entrepreneurs around Europe – from Paris to Copenhagen to Leeds – were asking when, in 2016, they joined forces to create Too Good To Go.                
​It’s a free app that people can use to buy unsold food that would otherwise be wasted. Users get delicious meals at a great price, businesses recover costs, and the planet has less wasted food to deal with – it’s a win-win-win.

​At Too Good To Go, they believe that sustainable options should be easy and fun. They should make the planet a happier place, and they should be accessible to everyone.
​They also believe that, despite how big and complicated it is, food waste is a problem we can solve together. That’s why they’re working with changemakers across society – from politicians to school children – to drive a movement that puts an end to the world’s most senseless problem.
Download the app now

Featured Farm Shop – Cornwall
Bailey’s Country Store & Farm Shop

27/02/2022 | 0 Comments

Nestled in the heart of Cornwall, just off the Penryn River, you will find Bailey’s Country Store and Farm Shop. In 2006, the country store began by supplying animal feed and pet supplies to the people of Penryn but it has now grown and adapted and introduced a farm shop providing locals and visitors with beautiful, tasty, local food.
​An independent family run business, the shop is a welcoming, friendly place to do your shopping and the staff pride themselves on having time to chat and offer their own opinion on the goods that are for sale.
​These include everything from scrumptious freshly baked breads, delicious locally grown seasonal fruit and veg, free range local meats and eggs, through to jams, chutneys and rapeseed oils, Cornish cheeses and local alcohol.
Online sales are also encouraged and the seasonal veg, salad or fruit boxes have proved very popular, helping to make things a little more straight forward when ordering online. The farm shop is lucky to have fantastic local growers who provide delicious seasonal fresh vegetables and fruit daily.
The provenance of the meat counter is also transparent with free-range chicken coming from Keith Wickett (chicken how it used to taste!), free-range pork, sausages and bacon from Bill and Sally of Primrose Herd and a weekly selection of seasonal game – venison, rabbit, pheasant and partridge from Duchy Game.
​Some items on sale might be from a little further afield but the single malt whisky handcrafted on the edge of Dartmoor, just over the border in Devon, was too good not to stock.
​With a huge selection of goods to make your mouth water, make sure you plan a trip to Bailey’s if you are in the Falmouth area…and if your visit happens to coincide with lunch time, then maybe Simon’s home reared free range pulled pork, with apple sauce and stuffing or coleslaw on a delicious ciabatta roll will sort you out. It looks absolutely delicious!
Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday 8am – 5.30pm
Saturday 8am – 5pm
Bailey’s Country Store & Farm Shop
Unit 2, Eastwood Park,
Eastwood Road,
Penryn,
TR10 8LA
01326 379888
online@baileyscountystore.co.uk
www.baileyscountrystore.co.uk

back in the real world – Source Exeter

14/02/2022 | 0 Comments

After nearly two years of online meetings and phone calls, what a joy to be out in the real world at a trade show once again. Packing all the show paraphernalia into the car and booking our hotel caused a certain buzz of expectation but nothing compared to the excitement of being back behind our little stand, ready to face the public.

The
SOURCE TRADE SHOW
was on
​9th and 10th February
at Westpoint, Exeter
​in DEVON
..and it wasn’t just me glad to be out and about again – every face I saw seemed to be smiling. It was wonderful to catch up with familiar contacts and great to meet lots of new producers and farm shop owners all keen to chat and find common ground.

​One of our fab A – list producers was there, Rosemullion Distillery, and we had a good catch up.

​It was great to sample the new flavour from another A lister, Marshfield Farm Ice Cream. Caramelised biscuit, if you’re asking….
Tired but exhilarated, we’re back in the office and following up on all the new contacts we made. Looking forward to doing it all again in June at the next Source Roadshow in Bristol. Will we see you there? 

A note from the editor  –  January 2022

24/01/2022 | 0 Comments

Keep doing what you’re doing

New Year, New You…. Veganuary…. Dry January…. Thank Goodness it’s nearly February and the reformists can leave us alone to carry on living the way we want to live!
​I gave up nothing new in January but continued to stuff as much cardboard and plastic into my recycling bin as I could, eat as many of my five a day as I could manage and not have too many gin-soaked evenings after a hard day of graft. I know I could do more to eat healthily and to reduce my impact on the planet, but I am doing the best that I can. The choices surrounding us are multi-faceted and nothing is a quick, simple fix.​
​Marks & Spencer’s recent advert for a vegan ready- meal made the claim that skipping meat for one day has the same impact on your carbon footprint as not using your car for a week. Really? Where’s the proof… based on what sized car? diesel or electric? doing how many journeys a week? Compared to imported beef from where? Or a chicken from the local farm shop? Marketing propaganda can be a dangerous rabbit hole down which to fall!

Picture

​​You don’t need to read Einstein to know that relativity is important. One article I encountered even had me questioning whether a tomato is an ethical choice… if that tomato is grown in Spain in an unheated greenhouse and then flown over here, is it more sustainable than a UK grown tomato that has blossomed and swelled in a heated greenhouse? STOP already and let me eat my salad!
​Farm shops can be proud to shout about their ethics and maintain their customers’ trust by highlighting where their food has come from whether that is organic meat from animals that are happy and healthy and grazing in the field next door to their shop, or a good old British leek pulled from the mud a few miles down the road.

Picture

​​I still live by the old adage “a little of what you fancy does you good” so meat, veg, chocolate and gin will continue to be a part of my diet. The jargonists can call me a flexitarian or a vegi-vore or whatever new-fangled word it is next month but knowing where my meat comes from and eating seasonal fruit and veg is good enough for me… maybe with the odd imported avocado – on my birthday!

Featured Farm Shop – Merseyside
Forster’s Farm Shop

17/01/2022 | 0 Comments

Words and Photographs supplied by Forster’s Farm Shop
​We are a fifth-generation, family-run, organic farm. Although within our Farm Shop we specialise in our own organic beef and lamb, we have many other delicious foods to offer.
​We pride ourselves on the organic beef and lamb produced here. Our animals graze our organic pastures and you will often see them in the fields as you drive in.
​In 2000, we made a decision to ‘go organic’. Initially it was a business decision, but we have come to realise how beneficial this way of farming is to both the land and our animals and, therefore, the quality of our produce. We are determined to showcase not only our organic beef and lamb but other products we make ourselves including sausages, burgers and dry cured bacon.
​Our policy is ORGANIC whenever possible, then free range and, just as important, local. As a result, we sell from other producers, for example, quality free-range chicken and pork, delicious artisan jams, relishes, chutneys, cheeses, biscuits, puddings…. the list goes on.
​Job satisfaction is a marvellous thing and to us that is why customer experience is very important. For someone to come to the farm and enjoy our produce means the world to us and makes the team here very proud.
​St. Helens is often thought of as an industrial town, but it has much more to offer. You will be surprised and delighted by this gem of a place!
​Our aim is to make your visit to Shoots Delph Farm memorable – by taking away something to enjoy at home – delicious foods with great provenance.
​For 2022, we plan to extend our range of products and to concentrate on suppliers who are artisan producers and who have an eco-mindset ie. their products are environmentally sustainable with recyclable packaging.
​First and foremost, we are farmers but we are proud of the food we produce and our shop is the perfect place to show what we do.
​We look forward to welcoming you to Forster’s Farm Shop.
“From our family to your family- food you can trust.”
Opening Hours:
​​Thursday 9 – 5
Friday 9- 3
Saturday 9- 3
Sunday to Wednesday    CLOSED
Forster’s Farm Shop
Shoots Delph Farm
​Moss Bank, St. Helens
WA11 7NU
07944 664523
organicchris@yahoo.co.uk
www.forstersfarmshop.co.uk

Featured Farm Shop – West Yorkshire
Rhubarb Triangle Farm Shop

10/01/2022 | 0 Comments

​This curiously-named farm shop comes with a wonderful story of evolution, as well as a fabulous selection of delicious local produce.
​The Dobson family have been farming in Carlton since 1815 and in the early years the farm had livestock as well as crops. The farm served the local community with vegetables for over five generations and, as the farm grew in size, it supplied the local markets, the national markets and then the supermarkets. ​
The buildings, which now form the farm shop, were used to house the cows.
​The animals were housed on the ground floor and the straw and hay stored above. John Edward Dobson forced some of the first ever Yorkshire rhubarb in the hay loft above the cows, using the rising heat from the cows to force the rhubarb and bring it to market early.
Fast-forward a couple of hundred years and the buildings were no longer fit for agricultural use so Simon Dobson and his management team felt it was quite fitting that they should be refurbished and used to sell meats and dairy products and, as they played such a major part in the history of Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb, they decided to call it The Rhubarb Triangle Farm Shop.
They take pride in offering great Yorkshire produce. Their suppliers are carefully selected so that they only stock goods they can recommend. Their deli is filled with fresh, locally produced goodies keeping food miles to a real minimum and helping to fulfil their mission statement…
‘Our aim is your satifaction’
They stock free-range eggs from their own hens, fresh breads from Boulby’s of Horbury, cheeses from The Yorkshire Dales Cheese Company, flapjacks and tiffin from Lottie Shaw’s of Halifax, frozen seafood from Chapman’s at Grimsby, Stickey’s local honey produced from bees on their own land and, of course, a huge choice of meat.
Their onsite butchery features fantastic cuts as well as their increasingly popular homemade kebabs, sausages and burgers. Beef is from their own farm and also from Hartshead Moor, and is hung and matured for a minimum of 21 days. Their lamb is from the rolling hills of Yorkshire too. Pork and chicken is also local.
​So it certainly isn’t just about the rhubarb….
Opening Hours:
Monday – Friday                             8.30am – 5.30pm
Saturday                                                  8.30am – 5pm
Sunday & Bank Holiday Mondays          10am – 4pm
The Rhubarb Triangle Farm Shop
Green End Farm
Carlton, Wakefield
​WF3 3QR
0113 288 7034
info@therhubarbtrianglefarmshop.co.uk
​www.therhubarbtrianglefarmshop.co.uk

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