A newcomer's guide to the country village

For the uninitiated, the unwritten rules and subtle nuances of rural life can be baffling. Giles Kime offers city dwellers advice on everything from the parish magazine to the village pub

- Giles Kime

The farm shop

The name is something of a misnomer. The uninitiated might think that the farm shop will merely be a source of fresh veg still dewy from the local farmer’s fields, but they tend to be the countryside’s answer to Planet Organic and Whole Foods, too (although without the hemp Parmesan, chia seeds and heart-stopping prices). Everyone wins; you have a brilliant source of fresh, locally sourced meat and veg and local producers don’t have their margins squeezed until their pips squeak by a supermarket.

The community-run store

It was Jack Woolley who saw the writing on the wall; running a village shop was a struggle even before a cavalcade of Ocado vans loomed onto the horizon. In many villages, the community shop has helped to solve the problem, thanks to a combination of volunteers and plenty of local stakeholders ensuring they succeed where the traditional model has often floundered. But, as everyone knows, community stores are about far more than providing a convenient source of groceries—they are the beating heart of the village. Newcomers should note, however, that all village shops need to be patronised throughout the year, rather than only after a particularly heavy snowfall or during a global pandemic.

The parish magazine