Happy 4th Birthday to us. Can you believe it has been four glorious years since we opened the doors to our amazing community shop and café. We celebrated in style and held a raffle thanks to the donations of our brilliant suppliers. The raffle was in aid of the North Cotswold Foodbank and thanks to the generous support of you our customers we raised over £450.

Congratulations to the Alison Blears, Alan Jarvis, Arthur Morley and many other villagers who won one of our many prizes.

Move over plums and blackberries the new fruits on show are our easy peeler, sweet Satsumas plus we have delicious and yummy Medjool dates which can be eaten on their own or used in a traybake or maybe a sticky toffee pudding. Kale, kalettes (sprout flowers) and cavolo nero. All are incredibly versatile and can be boiled, stir-fried and steamed.

With Christmas only four weeks away the shop will be transforming into Santa’s grotto. We will have everything you need from turkeys to twiglets, brussel sprouts to bubbles. If you haven’t started already why not stock up on your favourite festive treats. Our Christmas food order form is available in the shop. You will be able to order everything you need, turkeys, vegetables, smoked salmon and pork pies to name but a few items. The shop has something for everyone, so let the festive preparations begin.

A Diary date for your diary: we will holding a tasting event in the shop on Saturday 16th December 2023. This will be an opportunity for you to try some of our amazing tasty delights that we sell in the shop. So please come along and try a nibble from local cheeses, pork pies and chocolates. Plus we will be promoting our new Old Orchard Whisky. So why not pop in and try a small dram!!

The warm sunny days are now behind us and all we can think of is the
cooler weather. The trees are slowing losing their autumnal leaves and
we’ve got an array of Autumn fruits and vegetables in the shop.

Our shop shelves are flooded with beautiful colours, orange, purple and
dark reds – squashes, sweet potatoes, and purple sprouting broccoli to
name but a few. With the demand for tasty homemade soups and stews
ever increasing we have all the local ingredients you will need. Not wanting
to slave over a hot stove then come and see our amazing selection of fresh
soups found in the deli fridge from Lentil, Thai chicken and butternut
squash.

We have added to our Bledington Shop gifts line with these beautiful fine bone china
mugs. Designed by the super talented Louise and Amy Jackson and produced by The Crock Shop based in Stow. Why not treat yourself to your very own Bledington Mug or start shopping early for Christmas!

Can you believe it has been nearly four years since Bledington
Community Shop and Café opened its doors with Dame Prue Leith cutting
the ribbon and being our first ever customer. As you know we love a
birthday party at Bledington Shop so once again we will be celebrating with
lots of fun and games. Look forward to celebrating with you all on Saturday
11 November 2023. We will be holding a raffle in aid of the North Cotswold Foodbank based in
Moreton.

As we move forward to darker evenings from Sunday 29 October 2023
not only will we have changed the clocks we will also be closing earlier.
Every Sunday during winter the shop will be closing at 2.00pm. So
please shop early to avoid disappointment.

Finally a big thank you to all the amazing volunteers who live in
Bledington and surrounding villages. Without your support and time that
you very generously give this shop would not be such a success that it is; so
thank you.

Blackberries, figs, apples and pears …. these delicious fruits feel like
Autumn is slowly upon us. Don’t waste a moment to make jams, jellies,
cakes and crumbles all ingredients available from the shop. Not forgetting
lots of creams and ice creams to accompany your favourite pudding or tart.
We are still getting courgettes and British tomatoes and new in are figs,
squashes and purple sprouting broccoli. With the demand now for tasty
homemade soups and stews ever increasing we have all the local
ingredients you will need.

We have some new beers, lagers and ciders in, all from local brewery Hawkstone, based just outside Moreton. Made famous by Jeremy Clarkson and Kaleb Cooper. The Hawkstone Sundowner is a fruity and refreshing lager in a can available for a limited period only.

As we move forward to darker evenings and cosy nights by the fire we will be changing our opening hours from Sunday 29th October 2023. Our opening hours will be Monday-Saturday 9.00am-5.00pm and Sunday 9.00am-2.00pm.

Sadly, I must report that Maura my assistant manger has resigned from
the shop. She has been an asset to our team and will be sadly missed by us
all. I am sure you will want to join me in wishing her all the best. This
means I am looking for a new assistant manager. If you know anyone who
may fit the position please let them know about this vacancy or contact me
on 01608 659977, manager@bledingtonshop.com

Finally I would like to thank all my amazing volunteers who very
generously give up their time to help and support me in the shop. If you
have just recently moved into the local area and would like to help serve our
local community please do pop in for a chat to find out more.