April 2021 | Issue 10

The Flower Girls prepare to open…

Hurrah… Along with plenty of others, we are preparing to reopen the Flower Shop’s doors on Monday 12th April. It has been incredibly busy behind the scenes…thanks mostly to your online and telephone orders and we are very grateful. It’s amazing to say that Valentines Day and Mothering Sunday were our most successful yet, which was wonderful to see!

The Flower Girls have also been busy window, table and tipi dressing for the openings of some of our favourite local businesses on the 12th, as well as plenty of wedding requests which is always exciting!

Seeing family & friends outdoors is definitely top of the priority list this Easter weekend and what better way to celebrate than cooking them a fabulous outdoor feast! This month we feature inspiration from the fabulous local business Salt Box, who specialize in inspiring us to cook outdoors more, especially with seasonal produce!

And yes… Of course we have the results of Fanny’s Marmalade Competition below and congratulations to our Kingfisher monthly winner… Saffron Power

We are please to say that you have won a fabulous seasonal Greengrocer’s box!

A very Happy Easter to you all.

Pop in & browse our Spring Produce!

We have some very colourful shelves at the moment, what a joy!

• Punterelle

• Wild Garlic

• Purple Sprouting

• Jersey Royal Potatoes

• Beetroot

• Cucumber

• Isle of Wight Tomatoes

The Flower Shop is opening just in time for you to pop in and browse through our seasonal blooms. There is a lot to choose from in April…

• Lilly of the Valley

• Foxgloves

• Stocks

• Tulips

• Ranunculas

• Scilla

• Lilac

• Bloosom

• Hyacinth

Shop for Easter Online…

The Easter bunny is out of isolation and we are excited to spend Easter Sunday with loved ones outdoors.

Celebrate with The Local Breakfast Box, an Easter treat for the family including all the breakfast essentials. There’s a lovely selection of Easter chocolate treats that you can pop in your shopping basket too!

Order today to avoid disappointment or pop into the shop on Saturday for your last minute treats.

To reduce single-use plastic consumption

As we’ve seen, the issue about the use of plastic in UK horticulture has taken a far higher profile over the last 12 months. Melcourt, the UK’s leading supplier of peat free garden compost has taken this issue seriously and are looking to play their part in reducing the amount of single-use plastic, as are we.

For those customers who want to do the same, we have just had our first delivery of bulk buy Sylva Grow Multi Purpose compost as well as Melcourt’s ‘Bag For Life’, which can be brought back to us again and again to be filled with up to 40 litres of peat free compost.

This is definitely an exciting time for those who care about the vast over consumption of single-use plastics, especially within the horticulture industry. With forward thinking companies like Melcourt beginning to offer people a choice, we appear to be making baby steps forward towards a more sustainable future.

… In the great outdoors

This month we thought we would highlight the inspiring work of a fabulous local business, The Salt Box. We have just started stocking their seasonings (see Featured Products) and they have just released a selection of recipes in collaboration with Hill House Farm, so we thought it was about time we shared the love!

The Salt Box are a fantastic small team, who curate unforgettable feasts cooked over an open fire, through our range of dining events and cookery courses. Their events are primarily hosted in the great outdoors or in their cosy barn at the Priory Farm Estate in South Nutfield.

Obviously the last year has been incredibly tough for small businesses like this who rely on events for their main source of income. However like many others, they have been getting incredibly creative and have not only produced some fantastic online cookery courses but also created their first range of seasonings and sauces, which we can vouch for as being delicious and refreshingly different.

Below we share a few of our highlights of theirs over the past year…

Watercress is featured in Bloom Magazine…

We love seeing others get creative with Watercress…Michelin-star chef, James Lowe, has created ‘Two ways with Watercress’. A wonderful Watercress soup & a unique Watercress drink with Apple & Kiwi.

If you’re like us, then you’re always on the look out for inventive ways to introduce under-rated foods like Watercress, into your diet. For more information and other seasonal inspiration, pick up Bloom Magazine (and a bunch of Watercress), both available in the Farm Shop.

Also take a quick look at our latest hamper ‘The Surrey Gardener’ (link below) which features a copy of Bloom magazine alongside an array of green fingered treats!

The Results are in…

This year’s Marmalade competition was a resounding success with over 35 entrants offering up a whole selection of tasty treats; with classic Seville cuts, jazzed up mixed fruit and boozy delights. We are delighted to announce this year’s winners!

A big thank you to our understandably smaller than usual judging team; Sally Welch of Gomshall based Sally Cooks and Charlotte Kinloch, staff member and local food raconteur who spent time deliberating on the appearance, texture, taste, and aroma. Through careful selection they narrowed it down to the following finalists:

Meet Hazel…

Having joined as a Saturday Flower Girl 6 years ago Hazel is now starting a new chapter in her life, pursuing her love of textiles having graduated with a BA Hons in textiles from Loughborough.

Hazel’s artistic eye has shone brightly in the Flower Shop. It’s the events that she loves and has always been keen to be a team member on events flowers for parties and weddings. In the last year the window displays have had Hazel’s share of creativity too.

We are so pleased for Hazel to have the opportunity to enter the professional world of textiles but our hearts are sad to be saying goodbye to a much loved member if the team.

GOOD LUCK HAZEL Xxx

Photography Credit: @chloe.hardwick