Putting festive preparations in place

With a whizz, bang, pop, here we are in November, gathering around bonfires and gazing up to admire scintillating fireworks illuminating the dark skies. Winter ebbs but you will find cheer in our rainbow of fresh produce, with seasonal gems like Fenland Celery, Scottish wild mushrooms, winter squash and wet walnuts.

We are always excited to seek out new additions to our family of suppliers. Winterfold Candles based locally have a range of beautiful scented candles which you will find on the shelves in our Flower Shop. They make an ideal gift, whether you are perhaps on the hunt for Christmas presents or to simply spoil yourself! Harth Hot Chocolate from Somerset is also new to our shelves. Harth has a unique appeal for those looking to warm up after a day in the elements, lovers of artisanal foods and nature’s wanderers. The distinctive hand tied packaging makes it a lovely foodie gift.

When it comes to Christmas, we are great advocates of the saying, ‘preparation is key’. Our Christmas guide is available on line and in store to help you step by step with your preparations for the festive period. We have all the bases covered with meats and treats for the plate, flowers for the table, local Christmas trees for you to adorn and door wreaths to welcome your guests.

We are extremely grateful for all your support throughout the year. We wish you good health and a very merry Christmas.

Thank you,

The Kingfisher Team

Keeping Cosy...

The Kingfisher team have put their heads together and have come up with some great ideas for keeping warm and cosy this winter.

We all love to make Kingfisher Watercress Soup as it’s not only warming, but nutrient dense as well.  You’ll find the recipe card by our fresh watercress or on our website.   Add Bailey’s Pork and Watercress sausages to a floury bap and that’s lunch sorted.

As we hunker down and get cosy this winter, it’s time to find a decent movie for a Saturday night in front of the fire. We’ve gathered our favourite nibbles into the Snack Attack Hamper that’s available to order online and would make a great Christmas gift for friends to enjoy over the festive holidays.

Or for those that like it really hot, our Hot Stuff Hamper really packs a powerful chilli hit. We’d recommend a hot toddy in a flask to help keep out the cold on crisp winter walks. Our current favourite non-alcoholic combination is Ringden Apple Juice warmed with Selsley Gourmet Mulling Syrup - absolutely delicious and no headache the next morning!

Our favourite time saving winter warmer is our bottles of ready to heat Lyme Bay Mulled Wine.  Just add orange slices and a tot of brandy. 

Cheers!

The Winterfold Candle Company

We’re delighted to welcome The Winterfold Candle Company to our Flower Shop, a truly local producer living and working on the edge of Winterfold Forest. Their candles are thoughtfully created using coconut and rapeseed wax, both crops being sustainable, renewable, GM free and come without the risk of deforestation associated with soy wax, or the overuse of pesticides.

We’ve chosen a selection of beautiful fragrances that embody the changing season, plus a couple of evocative Christmas candles that we all adored.

Our Christmas Trees

This year our Christmas Trees will be supplied by Oxenford Farm in Elstead. This traditional working farm dates back to the 12th century, and has been in the same family for over five generations.  They have been growing Christmas Trees sustainably for more than 50 years, and are members of the British Christmas Tree Growers Federation.

Pop by and choose from the ever popular traditional Nordmann Fir, Norway Spruce with its lovely Christmassy scent, or Blue Spruce for its grey/blue foliage.

Wreaths

There’s something truly special about creating your own Christmas wreath to embrace the festive season.  A few places remain for our workshops in the last week of November, but if you can’t make it, we have DIY Wreath Kits that include instructions in two festive styles available from our online shop.  Order ahead, gather friends and family, and hold your own wreath making party.

If you’re not a maker, there’s a fabulous selection of Christmas wreaths available to order and these can be delivered or collected on the day of your choice.  Our Flower Girls will also have a small selection of wreaths available here at Kingfisher.

If, however, you’d like us to create a bespoke beauty, please contact our talented Flower Girls to discuss your vision.

Please note that the cut off date for Christmas wreath orders is 15th December.

... with Kingfisher

From the tree to the turkey, let us take the strain out of Christmas.

We’ve had years of experience helping customers curate their festive celebrations, and it couldn’t be easier to order ahead. Just hop onto our website, shop online, and select the date that you’d like a delivery or collection, or pick up a paper order form from the Farm Shop.

We’ll be stocked with delicious Christmas delights, mince pies, Christmas puddings, citrus fruits and Brussel sprouts.  We’ve also got some useful time saving goodies to have up your sleeve over the holidays. Get ahead with frozen Yorkshire puddings and individual potato gratins, choose ready to use packets of shelled chestnuts and easy to use stuffing mixes, plus there’s a choice of delicious frozen croissants and pastries to bake for a relaxed late breakfast.

If you’re looking for a thoughtful gift for friends and family, take a look at our fabulous hamper selection on the website.  Should you wish to create a personalised hamper, pop in, choose a selection of items, and we will package the hamper ready for collection or delivery on your chosen date.

Please note that the Kingfisher elves will be working their socks off during December, and they suggest that you pre-order over the festive period to avoid disappointment, even if it’s just a loaf of bread.

The cut off date for Christmas orders is Friday 5th December.  Our online shop will be closed from Monday 15th December until Saturday 3rd Jan.

For more details, please see our Christmas Guide.

Weald Smokery

Wednesday morning brings our weekly delivery from multi-award winning Weald Smokery.

Based in East Sussex, the Smokery team have a reputation as one of the best artisan food producers operating in the UK today winning the Best Artisan Producer Award from Gourmet Britain.

Their story begins 35 years ago when Andrew and Corrine bought the business with an absolute passion for authenticity, taste and perfection.  Their dream was to produce delicious smoked products with pride and care using traditional smoking methods to create specific flavours and textures.

Weald Smokery built its own kilns and burns seasoned Kent and Sussex Oak. Their chief smoker has 20 years experience, and chops kindling and logs himself to make sure they are exactly the right size to maintain an even temperature for hot smoking.  He knows instinctively through years of observation when to shut the fire off and start the smoking stage.  For cold smoking, oak shavings are burnt to remove moisture, preserve food and add flavour by drawing smoke through natural convection.

Now a team of more than 25 staff, Weald Smokery’s commitment to quality and flavour continues to shine with an impressive six products winning Great Taste Awards in 2025 for which we send our heartfelt congratulations.

Quick Christmas Blinis

Cut smoked salmon into strips and place in a bowl.  Add a little lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper.  Stir.  Dollop sour cream on ready-made blinis and top with the smoked salmon.

Photography Credit: @chloe.hardwick & @henrycatling @stuartovendencreative