Nominations for the 2014 Cotswold Life Food and Drink Awards need to be in by 18th April. We won the “Best Farm Shop” category a couple of years ago with the old shop but now we’ve moved maybe we could be in the running again? Just to be shortlisted is great as you get to go to the awards dinner – we could do with a good night out!
Click here to nominate on line.
3 weeks on from the first lambs arriving we are now nearing the end. It has all gone by in a bit of a blur – Simon and I are starting to look a little worse for wear. We can’t burn the candles at both ends any more so Simon stays up late and I do the early shift. I quite enjoy my early mornings out on the farm, the picture below was on one of the rare frosty ones.
It was harder getting up yesterday and today though as it’s dark again at 5.15 and Simon had a shock on Sunday morning as he went out at just gone midnight, spent an hour or so in the lambing shed but then it was 3.00am when he got to bed! The ewes and lambs have been enjoying the sunshine over the weekend, it’s a far cry from last year when we had sheep stashed in avery available nook and cranny to protect them from the cold. It certainly helps milk production to get the ewes out on the grass so the lambs should get off to a good start this year.EASTER WALKS: We’re opening up the Farm Walk over the Easter holidays (during normal shop opening hours 9.30-5.00, Weds 9th-Sat 12th and Weds 16th-Sat 19th) so come along and see how the lambs and crops are doing and why not try a coffee (other drinks are available) in the new outside seating area at the shop (or inside if rainy)!
New arrivals at the farm this week:
1. Spring (for now at least)
2. Lambs
Bang on the due date we had 2 doubles and a single. You’re welcome to come and take a look – instead of having to go through the mud to the lambing pens we’ve cleared out the stable next to the pigs (just opposite the shop) so you can take a look at the latest arrivals next time you come. Toilet and hand wash facilities are available in the shop, please wash hands before eating if you’ve been in the “animal zone”!
We have been busy in the shop over the last few weeks, not necessarily with customers (January is always quiet) but trying to sort out the next phase of our big plan…
You may have noticed a smart new arrival behind the til, she’s called Zoe, she’s from Italy and she makes great coffee!! Yep, we have finally installed the coffee machine and can now offer you an espresso, macchiato, americano, cappuccino, hot chocolate or even a cup of tea – there is space to sit down or we can do you a take away if you’re in a hurry. Our friends from Extract Coffee are looking after us providing not just great coffee but training too so we hopefully know what we’re doing!! They select only 100% Specialty Grade Arabicas from single farms, estates & co-ops, ethically sourced from growers around the globe. Take a look at their website for more info.
Thank you for your patience, I promised to get the Christmas order form out after half term and am running a little behind (as ever). It’s a 2 pager this year – I tried to get everything from turkeys to mince pies in one place but there are spaces too for the things that wouldn’t fit.
Go to our Christmas Order Page to download a copy or pick one up in the shop.
We were really excited to see the trailer (featuring Nigel, Adam and Bonnie) on BBC 1 over the weekend. When filming started back in March it all seemed a bit unreal, I’m not sure we’ll quite beleive it ’til we see it.
The flour and oats grown at the farm for the program are now available to buy from the Farm Shop with all proceeds going to Children in Need.
| Product | £ |
|
Durum 00 grade pasta flour |
£1.50/kg |
|
White Bread Flour |
£1.00/kg |
|
Rolled/Jumbo oats |
£1.50/kg |
|
Jumbo Oats 12.5kg |
£10.00 |
We sold some of the produce at the Farmer’s Market in Chipping Norton and Kitchen Garden from Stroud bought all the bulk bags of rolled oats for their new product: Wolfy’s porridge. The total raised so far is ~£1500, I think we can do better than that don’t you?
Nigel and Adam’s Farm Kitchen will be hitting your screens very soon. (1st Episode BBC1, Weds 20th Nov 8pm)
“In their new BBC One series, Nigel Slater and Adam Henson join forces to show us how to get most value, variety and flavour from the top 50 foods bought in the UK week in and week out at the supermarket. Over 4×60-minute episodes, Nigel and Adam will sow, grow, rear and cook with the country’s favourite fresh ingredients on a working farm in the Cotswolds, run by the Righton family. They’ll put us back in touch with where our favourite foods come from and how they get from farm to fork.” Farm Kitchen Press Release
If you’ve been to the farm over the summer you may have seen some of the filming taking place and apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused. The bits we have seen so far look wonderful, it’s fantastic to see the farm in a whole new way thanks to the amazing camera work. The whole family managed to get in on the act although it’s BB and Bonnie who probably get most of the coverage, I think a lot of our footage is on the cutting room floor. We are now planning to move into the new shop (Nigel’s Kitchen) by Christmas – I know we said that last year but we really mean it this time!
Wow, that went quick! Harvest is just about over, there’s only a few oats left to get in but they’re not quite ready yet. At least Simon will definitely be available for the Moreton Show this Saturday (7th) – I know he always gets there but there’s often a chance he’ll be combining if it needs doing…
Our stand is in the same position as last year, looking at the main arena from the South with the member’s area straight ahead of you, we’re on the bottom right hand corner. Come along and see us, we should have bacon baps and hot dogs ready by 8.00am with burgers and a pig roast from 11.00 ish.
There will be a fresh meat counter with a selection of lamb, beef, pork, sausages and burgers plus Becky’s tasty pork pies, Alan will happily keep your purchases in the fridge ’til home time. We luckily had a sow farrow last week so we’ll bring her along with her piglets too…
As Dorn will be difficult to access due to show traffic and we will be at the show, I’m sorry to say that the FARM SHOP will be CLOSED on Saturday, apologies for any inconvenience. We will be open as usual Wed/Thur/Fri and have a selection of fresh lamb, beef and pork plus discounted show tickets: £13.50 (£16.50) adults, £4.50 (£6.50) children and £35 (£42) family – 2 adults+3 children.
…so that’s what we’re doing this week! After such a bad start to the year it’s a relief to get the barns filled, there seems to be plenty of grass thank goodness.
The first of our spring lambs are ready now and available in the shop and we have fresh beef, pork, sausages and gammons too. There were even a few fillet steaks left last time I looked and plenty of burgers in the freezer. Becky has made a fresh batch of pork pies this week so if you’re planning a picnic over the weekend why not give one a try (or two, there are still a few different flavours left).
We’ve been busy with farm walks over the last couple of weeks and have a few more in the pipeline. It’s great to have an excuse to walk around the farm, especially at the moment, and we get to meet some lovely people who are really interested in what ‘s going on. We will try to organise an evening walk in August so if you’re interested watch this space!
“Discover the story behind your food” is the theme for this year’s event. Do you know how many bags of flour we could make from our wheat fields, how many bowls of porridge from the oats or how many bacon and egg butties from the pigs and hens? (Actually, I’m not sure either off the top of my head but I’ll work it out by Sunday!)
Take a walk around the farm to see what’s new, maps available if you want to go on your own or Simon and I will be guiding a walk from 2pm.
Other attractions (available 11.00-3.00 unless specified):
The Farm shop will be open with fresh and frozen meat available plus:
We hope to see you there.
If you’re going to an Open Farm Sunday event this year, make sure you take your camera for the chance to win £100 worth of Asda vouchers! There is an open theme for this competition, we simply want to see some of the best moments you captured from Open Farm Sunday! Click here for more details…
Old Farm, Dorn: Nr. Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 9NS Telephone: 01608 650394
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This project is part financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development 2007-2013: Europe investing in rural areas.