All - Fabulous Farm Shops

Make it a Touchy Feely Christmas

28/11/2022 | 0 Comments

November has literally evaporated before my eyes. How can it be December tomorrow? The march of time is relentless and as Christmas approaches once again, amidst the furore of a cost of living crisis and against the backdrop of a planet imploding, are we idiots to actually expect a happy Christmas?

My children are making their lists but even they are aware that their wishes might not be granted this year. Perhaps their stockings won’t be bulging quite so much come December 25th but we will still be surrounded by family and happy to sit down together to celebrate the holidays. We will still be off work, eating good food and playing ridiculous games by the fire.

And, let’s face it, as the years pass, it’s the EXPERIENCE of Christmas that really matters. If you stop for a minute and think about your BEST christmasses in the past, it’s the memories rather than the gifts that stop you in your tracks and make you smile.

My best Christmas memory is not of a massive doll or a shiny bike but a very specific Christmas morning. I must have been about nine and my sister about eleven and on the cusp of questioning the appearance of this old man with a white beard and a passion for mince pies. We had been awake early, felt the delicious weight of a loaded stocking on our feet, run into our parents bedroom and had opened everything pretty quickly. I can’t remember what we got…but I can remember that Dad had got up to make a cuppa and had exclaimed loudly as he looked out of the window.

Wondering what he’d seen, my sister and I both joined him at the glass to see what he was pointing at. On the low angled roof, just below our chimney, were two gift-wrapped boxes jauntily sitting on the roof tiles, exactly as if they had fallen out of a passing sleigh or dropped from a jolly man’s sack as he squeezed down the chimney.

We were aghast, wide-eyed in wonder…ridiculously excited at this second course of presents which enabled us to reinforce the Father Christmas tale and gave us the assurance we needed to believe for at least another year. I have no recollection of what the boxes contained but only the joy I felt as we watched dad climb a long, shiny ladder up to the roof to retrieve the goodies.

Even writing this now, I’m smiling. Smiling at the memory of that morning but also at the love of my dad who had obviously come up with the whole wonderful plan, got up even earlier than we had to put those presents up on that roof. THAT is what Christmas is…

The experience of shopping for Christmas should be the same – not a hellish trip to a shopping centre with a list as long as your arm or a late night on the computer buying discounted goods from faceless companies. The “Christmas shop” should be a delight…a slow, evocative meander among shelves of tempting produce, succulent home-reared meat and local gifts which make you stop and smile as you stroke their packaging and imagine the face of a loved-one light up on opening it.

Here’s hoping the joy of shopping local and spending money with a friendly face on the other side of the counter tempts lots of people out this December… I will certainly be shopping this way, and if there’s a complementary glass of mulled wine on the way in, well, the children’s stockings might actually be fatter than ever by the time I’ve finished.

A Day In The Life Of…
A Farmer

27/11/2022 | 0 Comments

We caught up with Josh Gay of Newton’s Farm Shop in Somerset
to hear just how different his day is to ours….

Were you always going to be a farmer?

I wanted to be a cowboy first (!) but ever since I was 16, I have wanted to be a farmer. Although I would still be a cowboy on the side, if I could!

What does your farm produce and who do you supply?

We started off as a beef and arable farm when we quit milking cattle in 2000. Now we keep over 300 cattle. 70 spring calving cows and 60 autumn calving cows, as well as all the followers from last year’s calves and the finishers. Most cattle finish between 20-24 months. 70{650a267a6dfc0c56292df9f4411de9160c0ac02671db1e1ee03f984da437e88e} is sold through the farm shop.

We started sheep 5 years ago with 90 ewes and now lamb 300 and growing. All lambs finish on the farm and go through the farm shop.
We also farrow 16-18 sows and finish around 200 pigs a year. All the pork is soya free and farrow crate free. The pigs spend as much of their lives outside as possible.
We keep around 200 free-range laying hens that move around the fields in a homemade arch on sleds, dragged by the tractor.

We grow 100,000 pumpkins for a “pick your own” pumpkin patch on the doorstep of Bath.
2 years ago, we started growing veg to sell at our shop. We started with courgettes, butternut squash, sweet corn and peas. This year, we tried our hand at more than 20 different veg with varying success.

We also have 200ha of combinable crops – wheat, triticale, peas, beans, maize and OSR, over 90{650a267a6dfc0c56292df9f4411de9160c0ac02671db1e1ee03f984da437e88e} of which is without any cultivation or tillage. We use multispecies cover crops on spring sown blocks that work to improve the soil. The majority of this is sold into the markets but some of the cereals are fed to the pigs and the maize to the finishing cattle, although they eat grass for 90{650a267a6dfc0c56292df9f4411de9160c0ac02671db1e1ee03f984da437e88e} of their lives.

How many people do you have helping you on the farm?

There are normally 4 of us working on the farm but we have only been a team of 3 since May. We are looking for a 4th employee, someone who will fit in well with our small team and with a similar ethos.

How does your day begin? What does your typical day look like?

Each of my days is slightly different, changing with the seasons. Every day starts with someone feeding the pigs and cattle. Often it involves checking the livestock and rectifying any problems such as broken troughs or pipes. During the summer and autumn months, the days are often filled with driving tractors and doing various field tasks. During the winter months, days are spent moving sheep across arable fields of wheat and triticale, grazing it to remove the disease and shifting the autumn calving cattle and their calves across the cover crops and bale grazing.

Newton Farm Shop and Café

What do you love about your job?

Everything! What’s not to love! The best part of my job is having a goal and working towards it, whether that’s by improving the scanning percentage of the sheep, condensing the calving blocks, eliminating the use of wormers in my livestock or using less chemicals, fuel and fertiliser to produce the same quantity of grain. These goals are often rarely achieved and shift slightly each time you get close but the idea of producing food in this way really excites me and drives me to keep going every day.

What do you hate about your job?

Social media and all media’s perception of farmers. I love what I do and am proud to do it. I am proud to produce British food in a way that not only enhances and promotes the environment but also improves air quality, biodiversity and water quality.

How big a part does the weather play in changing your daily routine?

Extreme weathers can have huge effects on my daily routine, but small changes don’t have huge effects. Heavy rains can cause flooding and delays on cultivated ground but the more years we have under our direct drilling and cover crop belt, the more our ground becomes resilient to it and lets us back out quicker to finish the tasks in hand.

Drought had affected us this summer, but thanks to our mob grazing system and holistic approach, we managed to withstand it and only fed 3 bales of silage or hay during the season. During the winter, heavy rains can affect my outdoor wintering of 50-60 cow calf pairs. This is because the forage loses quality and the cattle utilise less of it, so we must move the cattle more often, sometimes twice a day, or give them a bigger area to run back across to keep them happy and avoid wastage. Regardless of this, I would still prefer to outwinter these cattle because the calves are much healthier and our antibiotic use against pneumonia fell significantly by keeping the calves outside on well ventilated fields.

What are the biggest challenges facing you right now?

Labour supply and rising costs. Two very common issues in the industry.

What gives you the most satisfaction in/about your job?

Things going exactly as planned, heifers calving without assistance, ewe lambs taking straight to their lambs without any help. Calves and lambs straight up to suckle. The simplest satisfactions are the most enjoyable.

What’s the best purchase you ever made to make your job easier?

Auto steer/guidance in the tractor means exact drill widths every time, no triangles to fill in mowing (or cultivating), no overlap and no wasted fuel!

What skills do you need to be a successful farmer?

Grit and a positive attitude. Also, I think you need to be able to take things as they come and not get worked up about small things. For example, I can’t control the weather and it’s one of the biggest influences on how my year can go, so why get worked up about it? I just focus on what I can control instead. This mantra has helped me put into perspective what’s important to me and the business, what can be worked out another time, or what can be ignored.

Do you ever take a break and, if so, what do you do to relax?

I love an activity holiday, like snowboarding. Doing nothing isn’t really my thing!

What’s your favourite time of year?

Spring and autumn! Lots to do and the farm looks most beautiful at these times of year.

What are your hopes for the future of your farm?

I hope to reduce the reliance on inputs and continue improving the health and productivity of my livestock. I really want to make the farm profitable before any subsidy or environmental payments by continuing to trust in the regenerative approach to farming. I hope to continue building a farm that attracts people to keep purchasing our produce, not just because of the taste, but also because of all the extra environmental benefits it brings to our local environment – something they can see when they walk our footpaths and permissive paths.

I hope to create a farm that inspires the next generation of my family to follow in my footsteps, to see farming as a good way of producing a living.

A massive thank you to Josh for taking the time to answer all our questions.

Newton Farm Shop
Newton St Loe
Bath
BA2 9BT
01225 873707
Email
Website
Mon-Sat 9-5, Sun 9-4
Local deliveries & contactless collections available

Product Review – The Good Zest Company

10/11/2022 | 0 Comments

The lovely people from The Good Zest Company up in Staffordshire sent us a fabulous selection of body wash for our review panel to sample. (Either that or they were hinting it was time for us to wash!)

The first impression of the bottles and the gift box itself was unanimously approved of by the team here at Fabulous Farm Shop Headquarters. The bottles are very attractive in their brushed aluminium finish, slightly shiny and beautifully heavy. They are fully recyclable and embody the ethos of the company that makes them – organic and waste free.

The presentation box was attractively decorated (and easy to wrap if you are thinking about presents… 6 weeks until Christmas – just saying!) and nestled inside were five bottles with names to make your mouth water: sweet orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, lime & bergamot – oh and a lovely little hessian wash mitt to make your skin come alive.

First impressions were great and we unscrewed the tops and passed them around for a good sniff. The Good Zest Company regularly mention that smell is the sense that is most conducive to evoking memories and emotions. Taking off the lid of these bottles is a real treat. As you inhale from the bottle, a delicious citrusy perfume reaches your nose and it really is a delight.

This is no overpowering manufactured scent but rather a freshness and lightness which is very appealing. Imagine squeezing a fresh orange and the delicate aroma that comes off your fingers when you have finished.. or chopping a lime up for your cocktail (just me?!) and the waft of citrus freshness that escapes from the knife. These are the smells we got from the bottles even before we got anywhere near a shower or a bath.

The good folk at The Good Zest Company hand-zest all their fruits to extract the oils that go into these body washes. What a wonderful job! We were all looking forward to washing with these products.

In our own bathrooms, we poured the body wash out and made mental notes ready to share on feedback day. The consistency is excellent. A slow, viscose pour which allows you to wash with the right amount and adds to the anticipation as you wait for it to come from the bottle. Also available on the website are the pump action nozzles, if you can’t wait for the pour!

Some preferred the scent of the orange, some preferred the scent of the lime but we all agreed that the lather was perfect. Add a little water and the suds appear but they are light and completely non-greasy. The citrus hint is still there but it is not overpowering and the body wash is delicious to use.

I hate feeling “coated” in a product but this was quite the opposite .. a fresh and fruity experience.. and I didn’t leave the bathroom smelling like a fruit salad. The citrus scent doesn’t linger after you have washed. This was a positive for me. I felt clean and alive , non-greasy and ready for the day…and, another plus, the bath was left clean with no slippery residue.

One reviewer (known for his potent aftershave) wished the citrus scent had lasted throughout the day but others among us felt that it was great to feel invigorated in the shower or bath but leave the perfume in the bathroom. The majority of us felt the lightness of the body wash was attributable to its organic credentials and therefore rejoiced that we were not putting harmful or unnatural products on our skin, in our water and down our plugholes!

Luxury set of 6 plantable christmas crackers

All in all, our review panel gave a hefty THUMBS UP to the team at The Good Zest Company and will be recommending the beautiful products that they offer to their friends and family and to you, our readers.

The Good Zest Company is offering all readers of the FABULOUS FARM SHOPS’ blog the opportunity to get 10{650a267a6dfc0c56292df9f4411de9160c0ac02671db1e1ee03f984da437e88e} off* any order. Just use code ZESTY10 at check out via the website or quote this code in an email when ordering via Rose.
*offer expires 31st January 2023

To buy direct then click here.

Or if you would like to become a stockist of one or all of The Good Zest Company’s products then please contact Rose by email on the link below.

rose@thegoodzestcompany.co.uk
www.thegoodzestcompany.co.uk

The Power is in Our Pocket

1/11/2022 | 0 Comments

We are lucky to live in England, a free country, where we can all choose what to say, what to think and where and how to spend our money but it is good to remember that the very freedom we celebrate comes with great power and therefore great responsibility. As the cost-of-living crisis deepens and begins to affect us all, every pound in our purse takes on a greater significance.

It is easy to think that the priority is to save money and therefore a quick basket shop in the supermarket is the best option but perhaps that is a rather short-term view. To start with, does the food in that basket fill you with joy, make your taste buds flutter, get your juices flowing?

Let your mind wander to a wicker basket full of provisions from your local farm shop, freshly picked strawberries which were sunning themselves on a bed of straw only this morning, a freshly-baked sausage roll straight from the oven made with love from fresh meat, without a plastic wrapper or a best-before date in sight, and perhaps a paper-bag full of slightly wonky courgettes, green and fresh with a small muddy smudge on them rather like a badge of honour proclaiming how local they are. Does this make you happier? Does this make you drool?

Enjoying your food must count in my mind – in this age of fast-food and ready-meal, a truly tasty basket of food is worth its weight in gold. And if we are going to eat meat, then let’s make sure it is well-reared, British homegrown meat that’s had a happy life before it ends up on our plates.

Apart from joy and a moist mouth, what else does buying from a farm shop do for us? It can send a message that we want to support the local economy. Do we want to give our hard-earned cash to a huge multi-national chain of supermarkets, or would we rather support the work of a local farmer, a local producer, and a local community? Putting money back into the community has all sorts of knock-on positives not the least being that it encourages our food to be produced in our country and not imported from across the sea.

The recent shortages that all supermarkets have experienced makes it glaringly obvious that more needs to be done to encourage British farmers to grow food for the home market and we have the power to help that movement. The power is in our purse.

What else? Helping the planet!
Now these are big, weighty issues being blazoned about.
How can buying a bag of earthy spuds from the farm shop down the road help the planet? Well, that bag of spuds is likely to have been harvested from a field next door, down the road or just around the corner. They have been dug out of the ground recently and transported a few miles to the shop. They have not been flown in, trained in or trucked in from very far. They have not been washed, dried and packaged in plastic. They have come from the farm and will be on your fork by the next day. No wasted food miles. The shortest journey from the field to your tummy that is possible with the exception of growing your own and kneeling down and chewing on a spud straight out of your own veg plot!

And by helping the planet, you are helping yourself – helping yourself to eat healthier. The freshness of the locally grown vegetable means the goodness is still present when you put it in the pan to steam or chop it into your salad. It hasn’t wilted, degraded and faded. The broccoli is still green, not yellow, and the raspberries are still the right shape and not slopping around in a pool of their own innards!

And why are they so fresh and beautiful? Because they are in season! Hoorah! buying from the farm shop means you get back in touch with what fruit and vegetable are available at what time of year. Eating seasonally is better for you, costs less, helps reduce imports and makes you happy! You are back in tune with the seasons, back in tune with the planet. Let’s all do a little happy dance, support our local farm shop and celebrate the British farmer.

Next time you open your purse, remember YOU HAVE THE POWER!

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

Stay up to date with our exciting projects on:

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.

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.

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

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?

Farm Shops for Ukraine

30/03/2021 | 0 Comments

Farm shops across the UK are doing what they can to help the people of Ukraine amidst the horror of the Russian invasion.

Here’s what we see you have been doing….

Moorhouse Farm Shop and Coffee Shop in Northumberland have been supporting their local Rotary club collecting for Ukraine with a change bucket in the farm shop. Simple but effective.

Breaston Farm Shop in Derbyshire has been transformed into a donation station for the local community to support the charity ” Veterans in Action” with items collected ready for transporting out to Ukraine to help with the humanitarian aid crisis.

The Nook Farm Shop & Cafe in Cumbria have been running a “Knickers to the Nook” campaign asking customers to donate new packs of underwear for them to send out to Ukraine. Their basket of knickers has been filled several times over. Drop your knickers at the Nook has proved popular!

Treway Farm Shop in Cornwall decided to donate 20% of all their beef sales for a week to the Disasters Emergency Committee. They put the shout out after watching harrowing scenes on the news coming from Ukraine. They raised a fabulous £611.

Let us know what we have missed! Just email theteam@fabulousfarmshops.co.uk

Product Review – Lochs & Fens

26/02/2021 | 0 Comments

I think the only thing the team can say when receiving this package was WOW!
What a lovely range of products to review with high quality & well thought out items.

Lochs & Fens brings you the best of both worlds when it comes to country homeware.

Lochs and Fens inspiration came from not only the beauty of the flora and fauna of Argyll
and Lincolnshire but by mother and daughter wanting to spend more time together.
Their incredible talent is clear to see as their original artwork features across Lochs and
Fens high quality range of tea towels, aprons, toiletries, range-top pads and stationery.

The company isn’t just about a lovely family story but also their commitment and care for the world by ensuring all they can do to be eco-friendly.

Even Lochs and Fens packaging is environmentally friendly, and their special boxes result in 30% saved in co2 emissions. Upon opening our package, we were met with a selection
of beautifully presented products all wrapped in sumptuous, royal blue, acid free tissue
paper.

Starting with Lochs oven gloves… we were all surprised with just how thick they were!

The coarse texture on one side to help grip hot dishes gave us a level of comfort knowing
our hands were, quite literally, in safe hands and with the simple and yet quite beautiful
pheasant design makes this a good looking oven glove, perfect for any kitchen.

One of the team (not mentioning who!) has a clumsy nature and was delighted to see
that when worn, this glove not only covered her hands but past her wrists too,
giving her that extra level of (much needed) protection.

All the team loved the style of the beautifully drawn stag on Lochs and Fens tea towel
So lovely in fact, that we felt this would be used as our ‘best tea towel’, reserved for special
occasions!
Being soft and yet firm to the touch, this high quality tea towel would stand up well in any
busy kitchen and like the oven glove, Lochs tea towels are made from 100% unbleached
cotton.

Lochs and Fens greetings cards are incredibly thick, which certainly gives you the sense of
quality.
Of course, you could send a little note to a friend using this fully recyclable card but
we felt, looking at the fabulous designs and original artwork, this would look even better
framed and hung on our walls… such is the quality!

Now soap in recent times has much more of a meaning than just cleaning your hands and
what with the amount of hand washing happening, it’d be rather nice to give your hands a
bit of a treat!
Lochs and Fens triple-mill their soap for a luxurious smooth lather. With its bluebell aroma scent, this soap is not only moisturising, it lathers in your hands (even using a tiny amount) leaving your hands feeling soft and wonderfully fresh, without that dry, after-feeling.

There’s nothing better than the thought of a relaxing evening and a bubble bath to soak
away your day.
All of the team are rather partial to good quality candles, knowing that scent, design and
longevity are key, so you’ll be pleased to hear that Lochs and Fens candles hit all these areas
with flying colours, with the added environmental bonus that Lochs candles are made in
recycled glass jars and created with 100% soy!
With the simple yet elegant design(s) on the jar and the long lasting aromatic lavender, this will help you along your way to feeling relaxed and well centred.

Here at Fabulous Farm Shops, we’re excited to see this company grow and expand their
gorgeous designs as they continue to gain inspiration from Argyll and Lincolnshire.

Product Review – Hotmax

21/02/2021 | 0 Comments

Considering the freezing weather these past few weeks and the fact we’re stuck indoors during lockdown, receiving some bags of Hotmax‘s natural wood dust fuel logs to review couldn’t have been better timed.

Who is Hotmax?

Hotmax is a 100% natural, high energy fuel log, made by Bedmax Limited, a multi-award
winning (Royal Warrant holder company who actually create horse bedding) and the dust
extracted from these shavings are compressed into high-density, fuel logs.

Hotmax fuel logs are fully traceable and sustainable

Now, I don’t know about you, but my buying decisions are far more considered than ever
before and I believe (or rather hope & pray) we’re all becoming far more environmentally
conscious.
Now, more than ever, it’s crucial that us consumers make the right choice, so it’s important
to point out just how eco-friendly Hotmax are.

The ‘clean to handle’ plastic free and recyclable packaging has been thoughtfully branded using water-based, non-toxic ink making it suitable for organic composting and once burnt the ash residue makes an excellent organic compost to scatter in the garden!
Impressive right?
Is there anything these guys haven’t thought through?

We began our fire with 4 fuel logs. These are all of a convenient size, clean too and these dense, chunky logs were not only very easy to light but they gave off a high heat incredibly quickly.
Hotmax fuel logs are odourless, virtually smokeless and super efficient with none of those ‘tea spilling’ surprising sparks!
We were all very impressed that our simple fire was still steadily burning away and giving off some excellent heat (without any prodding and poking) over an hour later.

100% natural AND 100% British

It’s good to know that Hotmax are Woodsure accredited, meaning their fuel logs contain
very little moisture and immediately ready to burn and by being completely natural, makes
them a cost effective, clean fuel for not only your wood burner or firepit but an ideal
cooking fuel for your summer BBQ too!

Hotmax offer stockists a range of promotional support & farm shops interested in stocking
Hotmax fuel logs should contact orders@hotmax.co.uk

If you have a farm shop product and fancy a review, get in touch with
theteam@fabulousfarmshops.co.uk

Product Review – Purbeck Ice Cream

18/10/2020 | 0 Comments

I’m familiar with Purbeck Ice Cream as I’ve stumbled across this brand on numerous
occasions, be it at the local theatre or offered at my regular seaside haunts. However, I was
unaware that this Dorset based company is actually a husband and wife team and they’ve
built this incredible business on their farm, creating their luxury ice cream in a range of
some seriously fancy flavours!

If you’ve had the pleasure of trying any one of Purbecks real dairy ice creams, you’ll know
that this gourmet ice cream is far from regular tasting premium ice cream and by using
fresh and locally sourced milk and all natural ingredients, Purbeck Ice Cream is suitable for
vegetarians.

Beautiful Flavours to Temp & Tantalise

There’s over 40 flavours including limited editions and sorbets available… from the classics
such as Vanilla Bean, Rum & Raisin and Clotted Cream to Stem Ginger, Salted Caramel,
Chrimbo Pud and the novel Jurrasic range. Yep, there’s something to suit any taste.

As we have a vegan among us, the team decided to review one of Purbeck’s new range of
REAL FRUIT Sorbets and we concurred, Purbeck’s Mango sorbet is quite simply, out of this
world!
Made with fresh Dorset water and natural fruit juices, this vegan sorbet is exceptional.
Scoopable straight from the freezer, this is not only thirst quenching, it’s wonderfully
refreshing, quickly melting in the mouth and clearing the palate with it’s perfectly crisp and
clear taste of fresh Mango. By tweaking their recipe, Purbeck have reduced the sugar in
their high quality Sorbets and in turn this brings the juicy flavour of the fruit to the
forefront.
Once we began scooping, I can assure you that our 500ml tub lasted all of 3 minutes!

Purbecks multi award-winning range of ice cream & sorbet’s are in fully recyclable
packaging and not only offer their fab range in retail, individual tubs, but catering
and scooping tubs too!

If you have a farm shop product and fancy a review, get in touch!
theteam@fabulousfarmshops.co.uk

Product Review-Blackthorn Salt

11/10/2020 | 0 Comments

The humble condiment, salt, is a staple of every kitchen cupboard but Blackthorn Salt is
not only completely natural, it’s totally unique, relying solely on the forces of nature; the
wind, sun and sea.

Just take a look at this magnificent structure!
This incredible Graduation Thorn Tower was built from scratch by Blackthorn Salt using
sustainable and responsible materials on the West Coast of Scotland and is the only salt
tower in the UK and not only that, it’s the only tower in the WORLD to produce salt!
Impressive huh?

This ancient & environmentally friendly process begins with seawater slowly trickling
down through the enormous thorn tower whilst the wind evaporates excess water. The
skill and expertise of Blackthorn’s Salters tease temperature to ensure the sea water
evaporates precisely.

The time and labour that goes into producing this superb artisan salt shows in the slight
tinge derived from the Blackthorn bark. The impressively large flakes gave us the crucial
crunch we were hoping for and the wonderful tangy, sweet and yet mellow sea water
aftertaste is simply divine. When adding these beautiful flakes to our ‘culinary dishes’ we
found them to not only add a perfectly pure smooth saltiness, but also when requiring
them to crumble to a fine smooth salt, they did just that!
When sprinkling on our finished dish, it looked like crystal and you could almost see the
glistening of the sea.
We even caught one of the team eating this NEAT!… that’s a weird one, but she professed
these salt flakes just melted on the tongue.

Blackthorn Salt is truly unique…

…created from 100% sea water & nothing else!

Top chefs have already chosen to experiment with Blackthorn Salt and these wonderful,
moreish flakes come into their own when used as a finishing salt, for bespoke cheeses,
within charcuterie or sprinkled on desserts and cocktails.

Even Blackthorn’s handsome packaging box has been well thought out. Using no plastic
and with a closable lid to keep your salt dust free, this sturdy and attractive box is
perfectly ‘hand sized’ so you can easily dip in and out when you’re cooking.

Discerning farm shops wishing to stock a high quality, 100% natural and sustainable salt should enquire HERE

blackthornsalt.co.uk

If you have a farm shop product and fancy a review, get in touch with
theteam@fabulousfarmshops.co.uk

Product Review – Rosemullion Distillery

14/06/2020 | 0 Comments

Set deep in the heart of the Cornish countryside, you’ll find craft distiller and creator of
artisan Cornish gins and rums, Rosemullion Distillery.

This true artisan distillery, produces small batches using their bespoke hand-built
copper still and with a passion for authenticity, Rosemullion only use local ingredients
and Cornish rainwater to create their traditional recipes.

Rosemullion currently have four gins and two rums and a seasonal Christmas Spirit in their range and are available in 25cl & 75cl sized bottles.

FIRST OFF and before I even begin…I feel it’s very important to note, that for a
relatively new company, Rosemullion Distillery have already been recognised by top
named awards and received international accolades for its gins and rums!

Rosemullion Distillery launched their
first four spirits in 2018 and quite incredibly, all four, Dry Gin, Summer Gin, Spiced Rum and
Gold Rum picked up awards in the internationally-
recognised SIP AWARDS.

At this year’s San Francisco World Spirits
Competition Rosemullion Distillery bagged
themselves an enviable 6 awards for their
Harvest Gin, Gold Rum, Spiced Rum, Summer Gin,
Seafarer’s Gin and Dry Gin.

Rosemullion was the top ranked British made rum at both World Rum 2020 and San Francisco Spirits 2020!

Can’t tell you how excited the Fabulous Farm Shop Team were to receive
Rosemullion’s high quality range of spirits and as the sun was out, we decided to begin
our sampling with Rosemullion’s Summer Gin…

This refreshing gin is pretty darn perfect for a summer’s evening (or afternoon if you’re
that way inclined!) it’s light & crisp with a citrus twang and by adding a light tonic or
perhaps a few fresh raspberries, would make this the perfect summer tipple.

We were keen to try Seafarer’s Gin…
Inspired by the salty air and stormy seas, this intriguing gin is created with a blend
of botanicals found along the Cornish coast and seaweed from the shoreline!
This is a bold and peppery gin, a definite tongue tingler, and we agreed that this high
quality gin would be best served with a simple slice of lemon.

The gorgeous tasting Harvest Gin is created with apples & plums from the distillery’s
orchard. We all loved its strong and fruity flavour and by adding a dash of lemonade
made this a most wonderfully delicate and very distinctive gin. I shall be returning to
this scrumptious bottle…later…in private.

Based on a traditional recipe, Rosemullion’s classic & modern Dry Gin is well rounded
and incredibly flavoursome.
This fine gin is infused with seasonal botanicals such as juniper, orange and coriander
seeds (to name but a few) making this sweet and heady and leaving us with a liquorice
after note.
Sadly and reluctantly, we had to stop after just the one glass as it was time to move
onto Rosemullion’s Rums!

Rosemullions 100% single pot distilled Gold Rum is smooth and mellow.
This beautiful amber rum mixes well (try it in your cocktail creations) and offers us a
moreish, sweet vanilla aroma.

By being bottled in this beautiful, nautical-inspired decanter, pirates are on my mind…I feel I’ve found their treasure!

The Spiced Rum‘s pot is distilled before it’s aged and spiced. This heady, aromatic,
treacle-like rum offers us that perfect balance of sweet & spice.

Rosemullion Distillery‘s gins and rums are outstanding & would make a wonderful gift
and if you’re looking to stock high quality, authentic, traditional AND multi award-
winning spirits…look no further!

Fancy a farm shop prduct review?
Get in touch with theteam@fabulousfarmshops.co.uk

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