Bledington Shop and Cafe Cotswolds

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March Update

02.28.2026 by Sarah Newton //

MARCH is a wonderful “in between” month – the last of winter’s comfort foods mingling with the first hopeful signs of spring. Here at Bledington shop our shelves are filling with the very best of seasonal local produce.  Eating seasonally means fresher flavours, better value and supporting British growers. This month we can look forward to purple sprouting broccoli, spring greens and savoy cabbage. We also get a delivery each day of spring daffodils. 

On Tuesday 3rd March representatives from Gigaclear will be joining us in the café for a friendly drop in session. If you would like to find out more about hyper-fast fibre broadband in our village, this is a great opportunity to ask questions and explore your options. Whether you work from home, stream TV or simply want faster and more reliable internet, do pop in for a informal chat and a free drink. No need to book, just drop by and say hello. 

Mother’s Day falls this year on Sunday 15th March 2026. A wonderful reason to show appreciation for mums, grandmothers and all those who care for us. We have lots of goodies in the shop to show your love. Beautiful cards, delicious chocolates and stunning flowers.

Every purchase at Bledington Community Shop helps keep our village vibrant and connected. As a community-owned shop, your support truly makes a difference.  Our wonderful volunteers are at the heart of everything we do. To say thank you and to encourage a few new faces to join the team we are launching a volunteer prize draw. For every shift you complete all volunteers will be entered into a draw to win a £50 voucher to spend in the shop.

Here’s to a dry and sunny March and a wonderful time to celebrate the amazing Mums in our lives. 

Categories // Manager's Updates

February Update

01.26.2026 by Sarah Newton //

AS WE WELCOME a brand new year I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of everyone at Bledington Shop to wish all our customers and neighbours a very Happy New Year.

We are incredibly grateful for the continued support we receive from Bledington and the surrounding villages. Looking to the year ahead, we remain committed to providing you with a welcoming shop and café, quality products and the personal service you expect. We will continue to support local suppliers where possible and do our best to meet the needs of our community.

Congratulations to Ruby who correctly guessed the name “Snowball” in our Elf on the Shelf competition. Thank you to everyone who took part and helped make it such fun.

We are especially proud to announce that thanks to your generosity we raised over 28kg of food items for the North Cotswold Food Bank. This is a fantastic achievement and truly shows the caring spirit of our village.

They’re back! Seville oranges have arrived in the shop. It’s the perfect time of year to make your own marmalade, tart, tangy and packed with flavour. Stock up while they are fresh and in sea- son. We have the ingredients to make award winning marmalade. Talking of “award winning”, we will once again be holding our annual marmalade competition. And for the children we will be holding a “colour Paddington Bear” competition. Your home-made marmalade needs to be delivered to the shop by noon on Saturday 28th February 2026. Please pop into the shop to pick up a entry form for your marmalade or a blank Paddington Bear poster for your child. Jobs for the boys … and girls, of course

We are looking for a friendly and reliable 16+ year old to join our paid team at the weekends. The role will be for 5 hours on either Saturday/Sunday. A great first job opportunity and a chance to learn new skills in retail and cafe work. Shop and barista training will be provided. For more information, please speak to Sarah in the shop or email manager@bledingtonshop.com.

As always, a huge thank you to all the volunteers who very generously give their time to help support our village. Your hard work makes a real difference to Bledington Shop and helps keep our community such a special place. We simply could not do it without you.

Categories // Uncategorised

November Update

10.28.2025 by Sarah Newton //

NOVEMBER IS A MONTH of transitions between the vibrant hues of autumn and the frosty mornings of early winter. The trees are slowly losing their autumnal leaves and the nights are drawing in.

Remember the shop will be closing early on Sundays once the clocks change: from Sunday 26th October the shop will close at 2pm (café at 1pm). Make sure to pop in in time for your Sunday essentials!

With the colder weather approaching, what can be better than a bowl of hot soup? We have a great selection of soups from the The Real Soup Company who recently won a great taste award. They come in handy grab-and-go pots which can be heated up and taken on your travels.

In the age of rising costs and the hassle of trying to get to Stow or Chipping Norton, you might be surprised to learn that many everyday items we sell in the shop are actually cheaper. We check our prices regularly against supermarkets and we focus on buying locally whenever possible. When you add in the cost of fuel and time the case becomes even stronger: shopping locally saves you more than just money! If you haven’t shopped with us, why not challenge us and compare what you’d pay here with your usual supermarket spend.

Looking for a cosy bite to eat without leaving the village? We are now serving up freshly-made toasties, perfect for a quick lunch or a leisurely catch-up over coffee. Eat in or take away.

Every year we ask for feedback from our customers and others in the village by means of a survey. The core questions remain the same year on year, and this helps us measure our performance. We would like feedback from those who don’t use the shop as well as regulars. Please fill in the questionnaire on the facing page, or better still scan the QR code and fill it in online.

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all our fantastic volunteers who give their time, energy and smiles to keep the shop and café running smoothly. Your dedication helps make our village shop more than just a place to buy essentials—you make it a place of warmth, connection and kindness.

We couldn’t do it without you – THANK YOU

Categories // Manager's Updates

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Bledington Shop and Café  |   Church Lane  |  Bledington  |  OX7 6XB
01608 65 99 77  |  office@bledingtonshop.com

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