May 2021 | Issue 11

The greengrocer can come to you…

April has been a very busy month for us, what with the reopening of the Flower Shops doors and the easing of local restrictions. We look forward to what May has to bring, ever hopeful that we are returning back to some sort of normality.

Rain or shine, Netty is out delivering fresh produce and flowers Tuesday to Saturday and now her journey is made a little smoother with the new addition to the Kingfisher team. Keep reading for more details! Some of you may have noticed that our ever growing online shop has had a few new additions. Look out for fresh fruit and veg…soon available online! We will continue to take orders over the phone and email.

We always encourage customers to check our website before visiting us. We regularly update our COVID-19 page, to keep up with the latest advice.

Finally, we just wanted to say, a big thank you for being patient with us whilst we closed the shop yesterday morning! If you take a look at our Instagram page you’ll see why… and read again next month for the right Royal story.

Here is a quick reminder of our Flower & Farm Shop opening times:

Monday to Saturday 9am - 5pm

Sundays Closed

In marvellous May…

This April was particularly cold, which means that we are waiting with great anticipation for the arrival of local asparagus from Sondes Farm in Dorking. However we do have British grown asparagus at present to keep your taste buds happy. Here’s a list of our favourite British grown fresh produce for May:

• Asparagus

• Cornish Potatoes

• Jersey Royals

• Hispi Cabbage

• Spring Onions

• Strawberries

• Outdoor Rhubarb

• Chard

• Cucumber

May’s beautiful blooms include…

• Scilla

• Peony

• Ranuncula

• Stock

• Blossom

• Lilac

Silent Pool’s latest addition…

Meeting up with friends outdoors is definitely still a novelty… New on the scene in the Surrey Hills and nestled on a cosy patio overlooking the water is Silent Pool’s gin bar.

Opening from Thursday - Sunday and welcoming children and dogs, they are serving a selection of snacks and nibbles to soak up the gin cocktails! We recommend making a booking before your visit to avoid disappointment.

Would you believe that Kingfisher Farm Shop was one of the first stockists of this now world famous gin! Silent Pool gin is of course available to buy from the Farm Shop.

Local, sustainable and…

We are are very proud to source meat from both Hill House Farm and new to our freezer, Provenance Cuts (from Coverwood Farm, Peaslake), both of which are farmers and butchers, a surprisingly rare combination! We consider them both to be ethical meat suppliers but what does this terminology really mean to us?

• Caring for their animals in a very rounded way - Endorsing suckler herd methods, which allows for much less stress for both the mothers and their young.
  

• Pasture or grass fed animals - Avoiding nasty substitute feeds as well as confined living areas. Animals are free to roam the fields and feed at their will.
  

• Low food miles - Butchering on site keeps food miles to a bare minimum, as does working with local retailers such as ourselves.

• Sustainable & regenerative farming methods are used - A conservation and rehabilitation approach to food and farming systems. It focuses is on strengthening the health and vitality of farm soil. Practises include: Recycling as much farm waste as possible, adding composted material from sources outside the farm and of course keeping food waste to a bare minimum.

Our team is made up of vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians and carnivores, so it’s important that we source our meat as responsibly as possible so that the whole team feel confident about the products they are selling to you.

We hope that this gives a little insight into the hard work that Hill House and Provenance Cuts put into the farming that they are so passionate about.

And Electricity!

Our wonderful delivery driver Netty had a bit of a treat for her Birthday this year when our fancy new electric van arrived last week! In fact, the whole team are all feeling very proud of our new addition to the Kingfisher team.

Sadly our old little van didn’t quite make its last day of service, with it conking out on us the day before… perhaps it knew it was about to be sidelined!

We hope to be hope to be able to offer customers a charging point for their own electric vehicles in the not too distant future. In the meantime, look out for Netty and her silent sidekick on our local delivery routes… because you definitely won’t hear her!

What a load of old rubbish!

We all shake our head’s when we see unnecessary rubbish left in our beautiful countryside and hopefully (if we are organised enough to have brought a bag and/or gloves!) we might stop and pick up a piece or two. However, with a little more organisation we can make an even bigger impact!

At the beginning of April 9 of our staff (aka The Kingfisher Wombles!) volunteered their own time to clear Felday Road (between the A25 and Hammerfield Drive) of litter, both new and old and were surprised to come back with 11 full bags of rubbish, one hub cap and a car battery!

If you would like to organise a community litter pick yourself then please take a quick look at the guidance below from Mole Valley Council.

Thank you very much to Michelle, Natasha, Masie, Rory, Reese, Flora, Lois, Felix and Vicky for offering their own time for a great cause.

Meet Flora…

I have been a part of the Kingfisher team for just over two years after having previous careers in everything from marketing at BMW, to a London estate agent, to running the ambulance service control room. Kingfisher is definitely the place I feel most at home, it really is a family!

My proudest moment at Kingfisher has been seeing my T-shirt design worn by the team (as pictured). It was great to be involved in a project not only promoting watercress but sustainable clothing too. The t-shirt was made by Rapanui based on the Isle of Wight renowned for their environmental credentials.

Having been a vegan for 10 years, I get to try all the new vegan products and love experimenting with new recipes. Come and find me if you’d like a vegan tour of the shop or advice on a vegan recipe.

I would recommend the new Kinda co Garlic and herb vegan cheese (Honestly it’s really worth a try!) and the Grays chocolate gelato, my favourite vegan treat.

Photography Credit: @chloe.hardwick