October 2020 | Issue 4

Let’s continue our colourful Autumn …

Settle into the colder weather and shorter days with a little read of our Monthly Post. This month we will be covering our most exciting happenings; British Squash season (and we don’t mean the racquet sport!), Gin tasting & wreath making.

The leaves are turning which means the Farm Shop is preparing for Christmas. Forgive us for pouncing the festivities upon you so early…but we want you all to know that Christmas at Kingfisher is going to be a little different this year. Marion and the team have conjured a plan to keep December simple & easy. See further down for an update!

Also don’t forget to check the end of the Post, to see if you won a place on our Christmas Wreath Making Course.

Thoughtful & Practical!

Our Floral Hand Tie’s and our Veg Boxes are now available to order as a subscription online!

Do you know someone who deserves a stunning bouquet of flowers delivered to their home every month? We think that this is the most wonderful present and we are fairly sure that most of the Kingfisher staff would absolutely love to be given this as a gift!

Prices start from £15 per month, with the choice of subscribing for 3, 6 or 12 months, providing options for most budgets.

Our Greengrocers boxes, containing a wonderful selection of fresh and locally sourced produce, are also now available on weekly subscription. It is possible to add your weekly essentials such as bread, milk and eggs, so do take a look at our Online Shop. We are here to make life a little easier.

Try Something New…

This month there are plenty of the more unusual veg in the Farm Shop… a great excuse to try out some new recipes!

• Brassica’s: Romanesco, Purple Sprouting Brocolli, Kohlrabi & a variety of Cabbages.

• Pumpkins and all of the British Squash varieties (mentioned below).

• A fabulous selection of Wild Mushrooms.

• This month we have huge Sweet Chesnuts ready for you to roast or make into a delicious stuffing.
  

And in the Flower Shop:

• The last of the seasons stunning Hydrangea blooms.

• Lots of striking dried flowers - which look stunning as Autumnal wreaths or displays for the fireplace.

• Don’t forget to buy your Tulip and Daffodil bulbs to plant now for Spring.

  
  

If you’ve only ever tried Butternut Squash….

…Then now is the time to get down to the Farm Shop! It is very much squash and pumpkin season and you may be surprised to hear that we have more than 10 different varieties of organically grown Cambridgeshire squash in stock!

Here are a selection of photos to help you recognise the different varieties as well as a few handy hints and tips to show you how to prepare and cook them. Also take a look at some of Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall’s favourite pumpkin and squash recipes in the link below.

Your NEW Rare Citrus Gin is Delicious!

A fantastic opportunity came about in September, when our favourite local gin distillery Silent Pool, invited a few of the team to the launch of their new Rare Citrus Gin!

Ewa, Netty and Vicky were delighted to be given a guided tour of the distillery and hear from its’ founders about the development of the first permanent addition to the Silent Pool Gin family.

“An innovative and alluring gin using complex flavours from some of the rarest citrus fruits found across the globe. Make no mistake - this is not a flavoured gin. This is a masterfully blended spirit that results in a beautifully aromatic gin with a unique taste. Bright and zesty notes are balanced with subtly sweet, enticingly rich and delicately spiced for a taste experience like no other.”

Silent Pool’s Rare Citrus Gin is now in stock in the Farm Shop… a guaranteed winner on the Christmas list!

Learn a new skill & show it off!

We are really excited to share that we will be running 4 Christmas Wreath Making Workshops in November and December.

Please come and join us, wrap up warm and get into the Christmas spirit with mince pies, mulled wine and lots of pine! We will provide you with all you need to make a stunning Christmas wreath for your front door.

Cost per person is £45.00

Please book by calling the Flower Shop: 01306 730 703 (Option 2)

Or email the Flower Girls at the address below.

DATES:

 Wednesday 25th November 2.00 – 4.00pm      5 Places

 Friday 27th November 10.30 – 12.30pm      5 places

 Wednesday 2nd December 10.30 – 12.30pm      5 Places

 Friday 4th December 2.00 - 4.00pm      5 places

Eeek… It’s on it’s way!!!

Yes, it’s terrifying for us too but Christmas is on it’s way! We’ll keep it short and sweet as it is only the beginning of October, but to help you all plan your festive menu’s and gifts we are producing a Kingfisher Christmas Guide, which we will be available from the middle of this month. It will be both sent out online, as well as available in the shop and will hopefully provide a lot of answers to the types of questions you may have for us at this time of year!

The guide will also give you our full list of Christmas and New Year opening times, as well as a short guide to filling in our Christmas Order Form.

If you are wanting to get organised for Christmas and would like a collection or delivery of groceries between Monday 21st - Thursday 24th December all you have to do is complete one of our Christmas Order Forms. It couldn’t be easier to order all of your fruit, veg, bread, dairy, deli, meats and of course our fabulous Bramble Farm Turkeys… Hopefully a little Christmas bonus!

The order forms will be available to download from our website or pick up in the Farm Shop from Monday 19th October and will need to be returned no later than Wednesday 9th December.

Please note: This is a very busy period for us, so this Christmas Order Forms will be the only way to order any groceries for delivery or collection during the week leading up to Christmas.

Hello… I’m Netty

…The newest member of the Kingfisher team! Back in March with all normal work being put on hold or cancelled I decided that I needed to find something useful to do. I dropped in for a chat with Marion and volunteered my services. The rest is history as they say and I’ve been out delivering to the lovely people of the Surrey Hills ever since!

I’ve met some special people, who in the early days didn’t see anyone else but me and I was often asked ‘how is it out there?’ To see the joy on people’s faces as I dropped off their fresh produce and treats has been a humbling experience.

From day one the amazing Kingfisher team welcomed me into their ‘family’… Everyone of them, even on really tough days, has a smile on their face and a caring heart. I love meeting people and what better way than delivering locally sourced produce and gorgeous bouquets!

A couple of my favourite Kingfisher items are without a doubt Isle of Wight tomatoes and the beautiful Flower Shop flowers.

Photography Credit: @chloe.hardwick