November 2020 | Issue 5

Remember Remember…


…To order your Turkey in November!

If you would like a delivery or collection of our wonderful Bramble Farm Turkeys or any other groceries for the week of the 21st December, then please pick up your Christmas Order Form in the shop or online. We would like them returned by Wednesday 9th December.

Also available in the shop and online is our Christmas at Kingfisher Guide, our helpful booklet to guide you through all the fresh produce and services that we can offer you over the next couple of months.

This year Bramble Farm have been working with local business Ruth’s Little Kitchen to create some really fabulous recipe ideas for your turkey leftovers! Bramble Farms numbers are limited, due to having to order their chicks two weeks into the first lockdown, so why not go bigger this year and explore these wonderful recipes with your family over the Christmas break.

We would just like to let you know that this newsletter was produced before the 2nd lockdown was announced. The vast majority of the content is still relevant but please forgive us if we have missed something. We hope to be able to ease food shopping stress by offering you deliveries and collections of all your necessary groceries, please see our shop for more details. Of course, the Farm Shop will remain open for those of you who would still like to visit.

Hooray, it’s Time for Comforting Root Veg


Nowadays we can buy root veg throughout the year but how wonderful that right now we have a shop full of British grown root veg for all of our roast dinner requirements! Among many others, we have:

  • Swede

  • Celeriac

  • Parsnips

  • Beetroot

  • Heritage Carrots

We also have shelves full of the following seasonal fruit and veg:

  • Chard

  • Jerusalem Artichokes

  • Autumn & Red Cabbage

  • Girole Mushrooms (as well as other wild mushrooms)

  • Brussels (tops, sprouts & sticks)

  • Sweet Chestnuts

  • Fresh Cranberries

  • Conference & Comice Pears

  • Clementines & Satsumas

  • Ringden Farm Apples

Roasted Heritage Carrot Tart

This deliciously festive and easy-to-make perfectly puffed savoury tart is filled with tangy goats cheese, creamy ricotta, nutrient loaded spinach, fresh herbs and topped with lots of spice roasted carrots. It can be served as an appetizer, side or main dish for brunch, lunch or dinner and perfect for feeding the family. This show stopping tart celebrates food as art as our wonderful photographer Chloe has made very clear!

Fabulous local bespoke party and wedding catering company Two Many Cooks are now providing menus for you to enjoy at home.

 A dinner for a special occasion can be delivered to your door with easy cooking instructions.

They are also providing ready meals, perfect to pop in the oven as Autumn nights draw in.

 For menus check out their Instagram

And their website Twomanycooks.com

MadeByShannon based at The Forge, Abinger Hammer (opposite our entrance) sells beautifully hand crafted paper goods & gifts.

It is now possible for you to buy personalized cards & gifts online and collect from her shop.

Shannon is hoping that her 'Paint a Bauble Workshops’ will start again at the beginning of December… If you are interested then please call or email her to book:

£10 per person (one bauble each)
hello@madebyshannon.co.uk
07833 447 003

The Flower Shop in Lockdown


Sadly the Flower Shop itself will have to close during lockdown, however we want you to know that we will still be offering a full Flower Shop service, both through our website and over the phone. Please call: 01306 730 703 to speak to the Flower Girls.

Wreath Orders & Workshops


It is still possible to place your Wreath Orders with the Flower Shop now! The Flower Girls love this time of year but they can get very busy….order now to enjoy your wreath throughout December.

For those of you who have booked a place on our Christmas Wreath Making Workshops you will receive an email shortly about your options.

Festive Bouquets & Floral Subscriptions


We’ve just released 4 stunning new bouquets online for the festive season, as well as 2 fabulous table displays which include the vases.

It is also worth remembering that a fantastic gift idea is to give the gift of a hand-delivered bouquet every month. You can choose both the size of the bouquet as well as how many months it will be delivered for. Please visit our Flower Shop Subscriptions page in the link below.

By Martha & Hazel… Two of our fabulous flower girls

We arrive every Tuesday and Thursday morning to boxes full of flowers from New Covent Garden Market. Hazel and I were very curious to see what the market world would be like, so we asked Marion if we could join her one morning!

Come Thursday morning at 3am we wrapped up warm and headed to London to meet Marion, who’d been there for a good few hours. Shadowing Marion around the hustle and bustle we entered a whole world going on in the middle of the night. For these people, this is not just a job but a way of life many have know since children, Marion included. 

Every stand we visited Marion was greeted by a familiar welcome, it was instantly clear she was highly regarded. 

To think of the history of this market and the hundreds of years of bartering and trading is pretty incredible and the spirit remains in New Covent Garden market today. Although the location is more modern, the community is the same and people like Marion and the market traders are the ones keeping it alive. 

For us it was an exciting experience selecting our flowers for that week. We were faced by rows and rows of colourful blooms, spoilt for choice. 

Nowadays it has become the norm to have your produce delivered. However, going up to market and choosing our stock twice a week, allows Marion to hand pick not only the flowers but the fruit and veg for the best quality and variety. Building relationships with suppliers is such an important part of the process.

Wrapping up our market journey we headed out to the van. With the sun only just beginning to rise, we felt privileged to have learnt first hand about the process behind the produce. Now time for a (strong) coffee.

Le Petite Pie Co

Harry’s Pies has had a rebrand! This little business is all about simple & understandable ingredients. Each hand-made pie is full of balanced and no fuss fillings. No hidden preservatives or artificial flavours. Salmon & Dill, Leek & Mushroom are our firm favourites…Find them in our freezers.

Inspired Gravies

The perfect finishing touch to a hearty Winter meal and free from preservatives & colourings! Their vegan alternatives go hand in hand with a vegan nut roast. They come ready to heat, no need for extra work!

Meet Rosie…

Joining us as a teenager on the Sunday morning shift, Rosie was soon to be found in the thick of it, helping to organise the customer orders at Christmas. Rosie is our queen of organisation! With travel plans afoot, Rosie was back with us, saving for her adventure…then COVID 19 hit. Rosie has played a key role in the order and collection service that we have been able to provide. Out of the blue we required office staff and Rosie was answering the phone, reassuring customers and helping put procedures in place. With her role, has been the arrival of the ‘Monthly Post’ Newsletter, one of her ideas.

From the Farm Shop, Rosie loves Manomasa Tortillas and the Celebration Bakery Danish Pastries.

And Vicky…

New member of the Kingfisher team in April, Vicky arrived initially to share the weighty role of office duties for all the delivery and collection orders. Being thrown in at the deep end hasn’t put her off! Now firmly settled into the new office space (our original Farm Shop 1971), and procedures firmly in place, Vicky has been able to put her design skills to good use, focusing on our Online Shop, website, recipe cards and helping prepare for Christmas with our ‘Guide to Christmas’.

Vicky is no stranger to the area, having grown up in Gomshall, she made many visits to the Farm Shop as a child. She has a background in textiles and design, experience in food retail and a passion for outdoor pursuits.

Having been introduced to many new products since she joined the team, Vicky highly recommends Horsham Gingerbread and EasyBean Chickpea crisp breads. Coincidentally, they both happen to be gluten free.

October’s WINNER is….

Isabel Frobson

You’ve won a Brilliant British Cheeses Hamper!

Throughout November we would love you to ask your friends and relatives to sign up to our Monthly Post with the chance of winning one of our festive bouquets… Red Velvet or Candy Cane in December!
 

Photography Credit: @chloe.hardwick