From The Farm Gate

Stephanie Mackentyre takes a look at three award-winning farm shops offering you the freshest, local and most delicious products.

- Stephanie Mackentyre

HOWARD BLACKWELL Blackwells Farm Shop

Named Best Farm Shop at the Essex Life Food & Drink Awards in 2014 and 2015 and finalists the following year, Blackwells Farm Shop has always championed its local farmers. With 90% of its produce sourced within a 20-mile radius of the farm, Howard Blackwell doesn’t feel they need to start making sweeping changes.

‘We’ve stuck to our ethos to support local businesses and sell local produce. Now, rather than change anything, it’s just a matter of growing.’

When he and his family first opened the shop, unfortunately a recession was just around the corner.

‘Despite that, we made a good effort of portraying our shop as good value with good local products and it’s built up over the years by word of mouth.’ Howard’s still using some of those very first small producers and farmers he began with, including free range chickens from Saffron Walden, Farmer Browns Rapeseed Oil from Bures, Fairfield Crisps from Wormingford, honey from the bee’s on his own farm, salami and chorizo from Suffolk, and you’ll find Hadley’s ice cream in the shop’s freezers, with local seasonal vegetables from Tolleshunt D’Arcy.

‘We’ve expanded the shop to include local beers from microbreweries such as Coggeshall Beer and Crouch End Brewery. The farm is also home to the Rare Breed Meat Company, which is run from the farm, supplying local beef, lamb and now also goat’s meat to quality butchers, food halls and restaurants in Essex, Hertfordshire, Surrey and London.’

They also have their own on site butchery team and chefs providing homemade sweet and savoury pies, lasagnes plus a full selection of delicious local meats.