“No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” Hal Borland

Whilst January continues to give us short winter days, the thought of a whole new year ahead can allow thoughts of reflection and hopefulness in equal measures.  2024 gave us the opportunity at Kingfisher to look back on 170 years in business with a wonderful celebration in May.  There have been plenty of changes along the way.  The advantage of a small business is the abllity to be fluid and change with circumstances and challenges given.  But one thing is for sure, watercress has always been the backbone of our business here at Abinger Hammer.  May we take this opportunity to say a huge thank you for supporting our small business throughout 2024. By shopping with us you are supporting a community of small businesses.  Our focus to seek out and stock wonderful independent producers, growers and makers locally and a little further afield.

This Seasonal edition focuses on the positives. Create a rainbow of nutritrious food for good gut health, read all about  The Artisan Forest, Joanna Lewars makes a range of delicious healthy products and we have a super delicious winter salad recipe too.

We love sharing our most beautiful back door view here in Abinger Hammer on social media and have put together a collage of snapshots for you to enjoy.  We all love to capture this moment while appreciating the view as we arrive for work.  We really are incredibly fortunate and gratetul to be working here in the Surrey Hills.

February, we impatiently will winter to end.  St Valentine cajoles some to play cupid but others may prefer to be coaxed into entering our 11th ‘Fanny’s Marmalade Competition!

Who will be the marmalade champion this year?

We wish you good health and a delicious 2025.

Here’s how!

According to the Government Healthy Eating Guidance, we should all be eating five portions of fruit and vegetables every day.  To some, this target may sound challenging, but if we spread it over fresh, dried, frozen and tinned foods it seems more achievable.

Adding brightly coloured fruits and vegetables to our diet is a simple way to boost overall health through our food.  The beautiful array of colours in natural foods signifies the presence of diverse phytonutrients, each colour food offering unique health benefits.

Eating a diet rich in phytonutrients supports gut health and increases diversity in our microbiome, as well as offering antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune boosting properties.

We’re all going to try to live more colourfully this year.

Who will be 2025’s Marmalade Champion?

January brings Seville oranges, and that can only mean one thing - it’s time to get chopping for our 11th Fanny’s Marmalade Competition!

The competition is named after Fanny Maiklem who loved marmalade and created the competition along with her daughter Nellie at their own Farm Shop.  Sadly Fanny passed away 11 years ago, and as there was such a strong following for her marmalade competition, we thought it would be sad to let it go.  We’re delighted that Fanny’s daughter Nellie gave her full support to us holding the event, and she continues to be one of the judges today.

As with previous years, we will be donating £1 per entry to Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care in memory of both Fanny Maiklem and our dear Margaret Arminson.

Pick your class :    Lady’s Seville and Lady’s Mixed Fruit,

Gentleman’s Seville and Gentleman’s Mixed Fruit

Children’s Seville and Children’s Mixed Fruit

Previous Winner Open Class

Closing date for entries - Tuesday 25 February

Judging will take place on Wednesday 26 February from 10:30am

After a perilous adventure in Peru, Paddington Bear will reappear in the Farm Shop to help celebrate our competition winners.  Entries can be collected from Monday 3 March.

Entry forms are available from the Farm Shop or register online.

Dorking Foodbank 

We are pleased to say that we have been collecting donations for our local

foodbank for the past 4 years.  With your support, we drop off your donated items fortnightly,  whether you buy items from our Farm Shop or at your local supermarket.  We are happy to accept any donation (large or small).

Each week we update our foodbank blackboard with the most needed items.

You can pick up a leafiet showing the preferred items... nobody likes to see a donation wasted.  Contributions could be anything from tinned tomatoes to chocolate bars.

Simply drop off your items in our donation basket situated just inside the Farm Shop entrance.  As always, thank you for your continued support, it’s very much

appreciated and now more important than ever!

If you’d like to get involved in your local community, Dorking Foodbank are always on the lookout for new volunteers.

Bubbles & Blooms this Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday this year, a double cause for celebration.

Our flower girls are poised to create romantic bouquets for collection, and if you can’t make it into the flower shop personally, they can be contacted directly by email flowergirls@kingfisherflowershop.com

If you’d like your love delivered, hop online to choose from our our beautiful

selection of floral gifts, and we’ll despatch Netty in her electric van to play Cupid on your behalf.

If flowers aren’t they way to your lover’s heart, how about a toast to love with a glass of local bubbly?  There are several varieties available for delivery on our website, plus the luxurious Brilliant British Bubbly Hamper if you want to push the boat out.

Perhaps the best course of action is a slow, romantic candlelit supper, and we’ve

definitely got that one covered, even the candles.

25 January - Burns Night

For those in need of an excuse for a gathering on a dark winter night, Burns Night falls on a Saturday this year.

Light the candles, decant the whisky and inflate the bagpipes for a memorable

evening of poetry and song in celebration of the Scottish bard.  Our flower girls can help dress the table with tartan ribbons and thistle arrangements, just give them a few days notice and they’ll help set the scene.

A traditional Burns Night supper involves haggis, neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes) alongside lashings of wine or ale.  To follow, if not a Clootie Dumpling, perhaps Chranachan might be an easier pudding to create using cream, oats,

raspberries and whisky.

The evening should end with a rousing rendition of Auld Lang Syne and a toast to Rabbie Burns with whisky - what else!

The Artisan Forest Kitchen...

After four decades of experience working within the food industry, it seems only fitting that Joanna Lewars use her expertise to start her own business.

She launched The Artisan Forest Kitchen in September 2023, specialising in foods that promote gut health and boost immunity, subject matters close to her heart. Initially selling from a market stall, Joanna’s delicious range is now stocked in health food outlets and farm shops across Sussex and Surrey.  Now there’s a range of organic probiotic krauts and kimchi, artisan vinegars with the mother, organic tasty seeded crackers that contain our watercress, and Elderberry Elixir, a powerful winter tonic to speed recovery from colds and flu.

Organic suppliers and sustainability are key to Joanna’s brand.  All glassware is made from recycled glass, and customers can get 30p discount on any Artisan

Forest Kitchen jar returned to us.

For Veganuary, and to encourage healthy eating choices in the new year.  The  Artisan Forest Kitchen are offering Kingfisher customers 10% off all Krauts sold

before 17 January.