British Summertime has finally arrived, how lovely to see the sunshine and enjoy a few days of warmth. Thankfully in the shop we have air conditioning, which is being generated by our solar panels, making the shop even more green.

Don’t forget our fruit and vegetables are delivered to us daily from Drinkwaters. Our amazing selection are not packaged in lots of plastic, you can buy exactly what you need, plus it helps to reduce food waste which is very important to us all.

Mike Logue and his team of builders are making great progress, helping us extend our community shop and café. They have installed the outside patio area and the floor for the extension is now being laid.

With the better weather you may consider throwing open your windows and do some Spring cleaning. We have everything you need plus a great selection of eco-friendly cleaning products.

Have you seen our fantastic selection of ready-made frozen foods. Lodge Farm, a small family-run business in Herefordshire creates lovingly homemade gourmet frozen ready meals. They carefully source all their ingredients from reputable suppliers who share the same ethos about food and the environment. From casseroles, to pies, they also have a great selection of vegan and vegetarian ready meals. Easy, convenient and totally delicious. Which one will you try first?

A big thank you to those of you who volunteer in the shop. I know that helping in the shop is a great way of giving something back to the village and the local community. We are always looking for new volunteers please do pop into the shop and have a chat. Its lots of fun.

April has brought us countless showers, but as the proverb says, let’s hope it brings us lots of May flowers. Talking of flowers did you know that we have a delivery every Friday morning of the most beautiful, tied bunches from Stow Flowers. They are perfect as a gift or a treat. We can also
arrange bouquets especially for you to pick up.

I am sure you will have all seen that the work on the extension has started. The marquee has been moved to the car park and the fruit and vegetables have moved inside. The double door entrance has been boarded up, entry and exit are by the same door. We intend to keep trading as usual while we grow the shop and café by 30%.

We have lots of new products in store. British Asparagus is back. Enjoy this whilst it is in season. Always best served simply with cracked black pepper and lashings of melted butter or with dollops of hollandaise sauce and a poached egg. New Potatoes have also arrived, characterised by their fluffy texture which are extremely versatile and can be enjoyed in salads, roasted whole or added to stews. All our fresh produce is delivered daily by Drinkwaters based in Ebrington and we can order items specially for you with a few days advanced notice.

Our award-winning bread supplier “Mark’s Bread” are now supplying us Crumpets which are simply huge, plus at the weekend we are selling their delicious Focaccia bread. Why not pop in and see our huge selection of different breads available.

Another new supplier we have is Fir Farm based in Lower Swell. Fir Farm is a mixed farm producing organic and pasture fed meat. They are supplying us with various frozen meats, braising steak, mince and steaks. Come on in and have a look.

Our wonderful volunteers keep the shop running and our success is down to the volunteers and their relentless hard work. They cover so many tasks from stacking shelves to washing aprons, serving coffees and baking cakes. If you have a spare hour or two and would like to become a volunteer, we
will welcome you with open arms.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Sarah

As the days start to brighten and become longer Spring is finally on its way. What a joy it is to see all the gorgeous bulbs and tree blossoms come to life. It means lots of new fruits and vegetables coming into season. We have had, unusually, our first delivery of asparagus which is grown in the Wye Valley and, of course, rhubarb from the famous Yorkshire region. How will you enjoy yours, with custard, ice-cream or both?!

Easter will be here in the coming days. The Easter bunny has visited the shop and has delivered an excellent selection of egg-citing chocolates, cards and treats. We have a daily delivery of the award
winning and delicious “Mark’s Bread” Hot Cross buns. These will be available until Good Friday. Customers have suggested to me they enjoy them toasted with lashings of butter, strawberry jam and even Marmite!!!

If you are hosting a delicious Easter lunch with your friends and family, we have a vast
selection of tasty treats and seasonal trimmings. We can also order in advance, for you, different cuts/joints of lamb for roasting, so please order early.

There is still time to vote for us in the Countryside Alliance Rural Oscar awards. We have been nominated for Best Village Shop/Post Office in the South West Region. Voting closes at midnight 1 April 2024. Thank you to those of you who have already voted.

The shop will be closing early at 4.00pm on Good Friday and Easter Monday and we will be closed all day on Easter Sunday. With the clocks changing too, so will our shop opening times. From Sunday 14 April 2024 the shop and café Sunday opening times will be changing; each Sunday our café will close at 3.00pm and the shop will close at 4.00pm.

If you have visited the shop recently you may have seen some new young faces volunteering. I am thrilled that Henry, Jemima and Katy have all signed up to volunteer as part of their Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. If you know of any young person who would like to complete their work
experience, it’s a fantastic opportunity to gain invaluable experience, develop new skills and make a positive difference to people’s lives. Please do pop into the shop and find out more.

We look forward to seeing you soon

Sarah