a true super food

This vibrant green, peppery leaf has been the back bone of our business here in Abinger Hammer since 1854.  A long standing local resident came into the Farm Shop the other day enthusing about his new learning, “I have just read, watercress is a real superfood!  You should shout about it!”  Watercress is a powerhouse vegetable based on its nutrient density, providing the highest amount of vitamins K,C and A per calorie.  A little reminder to add a bunch, that packs a punch, to your shopping basket.

If you would like to visit our watercress beds and find out more about how we farm this mighty green leaf, then book a place on one of our tours as part of our Surrey Day celebrations on Saturday 9 May. We are keeping our fingers crossed for sunshine, as we have lots of our wonderful producers for you to meet.  We feel very fortunate to be part of a rich and vibrant small business community.

Our team here at Kingfisher is very much like a family and it feels bitter sweet when saying our goodbyes.  There is shared excitement in the possibilities for new adventures and sadness to a change in a familiar relationship and a pattern of work.  We said farewell to Vickie in April.  She has been with us for the past 4 years.  Vickie spent her weekends as a teenager with us, falling in love with flowers and pursuing a career in floristry.  We wish Vickie well in her next chapter and thank her for all she has contributed to Kingfisher.

Spring is striding forwards, prolific drifts of bluebells, wild garlic flowering in abundance and the sun warming up the soil at long last.

We’d love you to join us around the pond...

... for our Surrey Day celebration on Saturday 9 May. We’ve invited some of the best local producers to be with us for tastings from 10am - 2pm, so come along to get to know the stories behind some of our wonderful suppliers and take home a few delicious treats.

The doors of the Old Bunching Shed Watercress Museum will be thrown open for you to wander down memory lane as we celebrate the 55th anniversary of our Farm Shop being part of the community.  We will also be running tours of the watercress beds from 11am which take about half an hour - please book via the Surrey Day page on our website.  The whole of the £5.00 ticket price will be donated to RABI, a national charity providing much needed support to the farming community across England and Wales.

As part of our celebration, we are running a Watercress Pesto making competition.  Find the recipe overleaf, pop to the Surrey Day page of our website for the entry form, or pick one up from the Farm Shop on your next visit . There are two classes, one for children, one for adults.  All entries should be named and brought to the Farm Shop for judging on Saturday 9 May before 10.30am in a sealed, clearly labelled container.  Good luck everyone!

…and smell the roses

May is the month when our gardens burst into life with colour, fragrance and activity. Whether you’ve got pots on the patio or acres to tend, it’s time for action.

Our compost selection is piled high and peat free and can be delivered locally, from seed and container compost to Biochar soil improver, there’s even a new selection for houseplants and orchids in our Compost Kiosk.

British-grown summer bedding has arrived along with tempting plant deliveries from Spring Reach Nursery in Ockham and fragrant herbs from Pepperpot Herbs in Alton. After a very successful trial last year, our plastic free seedlings are available to wrap in newspaper and take home.

As the soil warms up, it’s the perfect time to sow direct.  Our Seed Shed is full of flower, salad, herb and vegetable seeds and shiny new garden tools to make the job easier.

In the mad and fast-moving world we live in, we urge you to make the time to stop and smell the roses this summer.

In Celebration of British Flowers

Our Flower Shop moves into the glorious British grown flower season in late spring with deliveries from local growers and an abundance of spring life around us.

We always look forward to celebrating British Flowers Week which falls from the 15 - 21 June this year.  Since its launch in 2013, this annual event has championed the UK cut flower industry, celebrating growers, wholesalers and talented florists who work with British grown blooms.

Here at Kingfisher, our Flower Girls will be hosting a Hand Tie Workshop on Wednesday 17 June from 10.30 - 12.30.  Nothing beats learning the art of creating a seasonal hand tie made with 100% British flowers.  This creative and fun morning will include locally roasted coffee and some of our favourite cakes & treats for you to enjoy, as well as your beautiful bouquet to take home.  To book, please head to our website.

Secretts Farm

As the temperature rises, and we leave the hungry gap behind us, we celebrate as locally grown summer produce makes its appearance in the Farm Shop.

We have welcomed year-round produce from Secretts Farm in Milford for a number of years. As growers, our paths have crossed, both currently and for the past four generations.

The arrival of asparagus in our Farm Shop heralds spring and carries us through to the beginning of the bountiful English growing season.  The taste and flavour of Secretts lettuce fill our salad plates through the summer and makes a mouthwatering display of colour and texture, from the little gem all the way up to the magnificent red and green oakleaf varieties.

It’s a very happy day when the first sweet, juicy Secretts strawberries arrive, followed by raspberries and currants for a vibrant summer pudding.

Sunday 12 July

There will be bunting and balloons galore in Abinger Hammer on Sunday 12 July as we celebrate two very special occasions.

At noon we are holding our party round the pond to celebrate Kingfisher Farmshop’s 55th Birthday.  We’ll be serving watercress picnics alongside complementary tea and cake, and the Watercress Museum will be open for a trip down memory lane.  If you have any photographs or memories of Kingfisher Farm Shop that you would like to share with us, please get in touch as we’d love to see them.

At 3pm Abinger Hammer Village Hall is holding a special Centenary Celebration Concert to mark 100 years of serving the local community as a vibrant venue for gatherings, performances and events.  The concert will honour the hall’s musical heritage with a piece by Ralph Vaughan Williams, played using some of the instruments used at the hall’s opening a century ago.  The programme will feature a variety of performances from talented local musicians and the award-winning Holmbury Choir.  Concert tickets are free and can be booked in advance through our website.

Photography Credit: @chloe.hardwic@k,@henry.catling@stuartovenden