The sun shone & everyone wore a smile…

Thank you to everyone who joined with us to celebrate Surrey Day. The old bunching shed, newly christened as our Watercress Museum, was filled with the nostalgia gathered over 170 years of watercress growing in Abinger Hammer. Mary Creswell, Vice Lieutenant of Surrey, cut the ribbon & opened the doors to reveal our watercress memorabilia.

Barrie accompanied Mary around the food stalls introducing her to some of the outstanding small businesses that we are proud to work alongside. There was fun and games, some 65 watercress picnics enjoyed by the pond accompanied by the melodic sounds of live music, and watercress tours that raised £300 for the farming charity RABI.

Competition time! Thank you to our judge, Chef extraordinaire Will who had his tastebuds tantalised by your watercress soup making efforts - he was truly impressed. The overall soup chef champion was Simon Bucknall.

The Kingfisher Kids totally bowled over our judges, local artist Sheilagh Noble, Interior designer Argy of Studio Chord, and Bill & Louise McBurney, art enthusiasts. The overall winner was Emi, aged 7, and we are delighted to say that her design will be printed on a limited edition mug.

Our Watercress Museum received such enthusiastic interest on Surrey Day. We are happy to announce that it will be open again on 7/8/9 June along with The Little Bean coffee van offering delicious cake and Surrey Hills Coffee for you to enjoy as well.

Summer Evenings @ the Watercress Museum have also been added to our calendar. Please head over to our website to book your tickets.

Lets hope the sun shines and smiles are worn again and again.

Fresh green shoots and delicious berries…

Our fabulous Surrey Day in pictures

British Flowers Week

As always we are supporting British Flowers Week, 3-9 June, a campaign founded in 2013 by New Covent Garden Market. Year by year the campaign has gained momentum, with the Garden Museum in London hosting events and floral exhibitions. We share in the passion for seasonal and British grown blooms. This year the flower girls are excited to accept an invitation from Silent Pool distillery to create a flower installation, coinciding with the recent launch of their English Garden gin on World Gin Day, Saturday 8 June. Come and say hello to the flower girls who will be at Silent Pool with a pop up flower stall.

It has been a real joy to collaborate with Silent Pool, not only in the creation of our Kingfisher Watercress Gin, but in partnership with our neighbouring friends on creative floral projects. Recently we have worked together on the Launch of Liberty London’s Fragrance Hall, Charles de Gaulle Paris Silent Pool & the Jo Malone London aroma event held at the distillery.

Our new Rapanui / Teemill T shirts

Here at Kingfisher, finding suppliers with excellent eco credentials is an important part of our ethos. Our new T-shirts, launched at our Surrey Day celebration, were our second collaboration with Isle of Wight based company Rapanui/Teemill.

With a truckload of clothing going to landfill or incinerated every second, Rapanui understand the environmental impact of the clothing industry. Their products are made from organic materials, powered by renewable energy, and designed to be reused and remanufactured when they are worn out. All packaging is plant based or recyclable, no plastic is used.

They are also committed to sharing their technology openly on the internet with other brands via their platform at Teemill.com Creating a working circular supply chain that is a systemic approach to a total redesign of the clothing industry is their mission, and one that we applaud.

Milk - Support Our Farmers

Milk is one of those constants that we take for granted, like water from a tap. UK dairy farming has suffered for a shocking number of years from being undervalued by the dairy industry who have failed to pay the necessary price for milk. Sadly, Aldhurst Farm in Capel, Surrey established as a dairy farm since 1824, ceased trading in May this year. For the last four years, John and Paula Dale, their family, the Aldhurst team, and friends who have been part of their journey have worked tirelessly to provide fresh farm milk, delivered in returnable glass bottles to household doorsteps together with a long list of small businesses. They rode the tidal wave of supply and demand during the pandemic for which Kingfisher, for one, have been truly grateful. It is devastating, to witness dairy farmers being forced to make drastic decisions to sell their herd and the heartache that this entails. Farming is a profession that is more than a job, it’s a way of life, a rural life.

There is a bitter sweet pill. We are very happy to announce that glass pint bottles are back in our chiller. Aldhurst’s dairy farming friends at Plurendon Manor Farm, Kent have stepped in to help, having been the inspiration for John and Paula to set up their own milk venture. The milk round from Aldhurst Farm is again up and running with milk from Plurendon Manor Farm.

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