Autumn has arrived and our countryside is ablaze with colour, the trees are slowing shedding their leaves and the nights are slowly drawing in. October in the shop has seen the arrival of lots of new and very tempting products. In our frozen section we have some delicious new fishcakes from salmon, lemon and dill to smoked haddock. We have some very early brussels sprouts and kale in, easy to cook and very tasty with a warming and hearty stew.

I am delighted to announce we have a new local homemade cake supplier, Holli Thomas, who owns Little Sprinkles Cakes. We are delighted to serve her mouth-watering cakes in our caf̩ with lots of amazing choices to enjoy, from Red Velvet to a Vegan Chocolate Cake Рwhich one will you try! Any slice would be a perfect accompaniment with a freshly ground Stow Coffee or hot chocolate served with cream and marshmallows.

Following the generosity of our customers over the last few months our Chairman Graeme handed over a cheque to Wendy Scott, joint editor of Bledington News to help towards the costs.

All of us at Bledington Shop appreciate what a vital role Bledington News magazine plays in the community, keeping us all up to date with the goings on within our community.

Thank you, Sinclair and Wendy, for all your hard work.

As autumn draws in, we are starting to see an amazing new selection of fruit and vegetables, with purple sprouting broccoli and winter squash’s being the first to arrive. With the demand for tasty homemade soups and stews ever increasing we have all the local ingredients you will need.

With the changing economic climate, we are all watching our pennies, so as a local service we are conscious that we need to be competitive and so have been comparing our prices with a well-known large supermarket. I am happy to say that many of our prices are cheaper, plus if you only want to buy one carrot or one potato then you can. We also pride ourselves on using as little and reduced packaging as possible on our vegetables, therefore less food waste, less miles, and shop local.

I am amazed by how many blackberries there are on our hedgerows. Perfect for those yummy apple and blackberry crumbles with a good dollop of double cream and custard! Bramley apples are available to buy too!

We continue to stock the Cacklebean eggs from our local Stow-on-the-Wold farmer Paddy and Steph Bourn. Their rare breed, free range, Arlington White chickens live in traditional chicken houses giving them home comforts and freedom to roam. Cacklebean not only supply us with their traditional eggs, but also delicious quail eggs. Our treasurer Ben made this delicious avocado, sourdough and quail eggs on toast; give them a try…with a crack of black pepper to finish.

Our famous warming Old Orchard Bledington
Sloe Gin is back in stock, however we have a
special favour to ask! If anyone is able to pick any sloes over the next few weeks our supplier would be most grateful. Please drop these off at the shop to be used in the next batch of our Bledington Sloe Gin.

As a nation we have all witnessed a sad yet momentous time in history with the passing of our unforgettable monarch. We can all remember the smiles and laughter Her Majesty gave us when we had the life size cardboard cut out at the shop and then at the Platinum Jubilee Street Party. She was a remarkable lady and a truly amazing Queen. Rest in peace Your Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

As we move forward to darker evenings and cosy nights by the fire, please remember we are open until 5.00pm, so if you need any firelighters or even some hot drinking chocolate you know where we are. Thank you for your continued custom and we look forward to seeing you soon.

What a wonderful August we have had in the shop serving you all, plus many customers who have travelled from further afield. I have had the opportunity to meet lots of amazing people with the furthest coming from Christchurch, New Zealand who told me the temperature there was a chilly 7 degrees, very different to what we have been experiencing!

It was National Cream tea week during the second week of the month and what better reason to promote our first cream tea to be served in the café. We invited four of our very special customers, Alan, Una, Gillian and Sheila (right) to be our taste testers. The scone is served warm with Cornish clotted cream and raspberry jam and thankfully all expressed how delicious it was, even asking for seconds.

We have also been serving iced coffee with either a caramel or vanilla shot, perfect for these warm days.

We would like to congratulate some of our younger volunteers, Georgia, Barney and Daniel on their fantastic achievements with their A-level and AS exam results. Everyone at Bledington Shop would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your hard work volunteering and wish you all the success on your new adventures. If you know a young person who would like to volunteer for their Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, please do get in touch.

Fresh figs, nectarines and peaches are selling fast and with September soon arriving why not buy some delicious cooking apples to go with the arrival of blackberries, arriving on a hedgerow near you soon.

We look forward to welcoming you.