With the changing season…

…our thoughts are turning to Mothering Sunday and Easter, we have some lovely gift ideas up our sleeve, to help you surprise Mum. We also delve into the Kingfisher archive and experiment with The Newt Cyder. And drumroll please…Fanny’s Marmalade Competition 2022 has drawn to a close. See the full list of winners a little further down.

Throughout March we can look forward to the Spring equinox…when we can well & truly wave Winter off. But for now, make a hot tea, go inwards and read on.

A reminder of what’s to come…

Thoughtful gift ideas for mum…

Sometimes Mothering Sunday can be overwhelming. We are all familiar with that rush to the shops the Saturday before and normally end up with ‘pink gin flavoured something’ that we’ve panic bought at the checkout.

So…we’ve put together a simple gift guide to keep all Mothers happy on Sunday 27th of March . See some of our favourites, including the gift that keeps on giving…Flower subscriptions!

The Results are in…

This year’s Marmalade competition was a resounding success offering up a whole selection of tasty treats; with classic Seville cuts and jazzed up mixed fruit. We were particularly impressed by entries from little Kingfishers in the under 14’s Seville category. We are delighted to announce this year’s winners!

A big thank you to our judging team; Nellie (Fanny’s daughter), Netty (our marmalade mad delivery driver) and Ian (a much loved member of the team) who spent time deliberating on the appearance, texture, taste, and aroma. Through careful selection they narrowed it down to the following finalists:

Making the most of a bottle…

Whether you enjoy a drink with dinner or if you save yourself for special occasions, we thoroughly recommend a drop of this golden cyder. But we want you to make the most of the bottle, by pairing it with the produce on your plate.

Our ‘The Newt’ insider, Andrew Green has kindly shared some of his cyder knowledge. Andrew always does a spot of shopping after dropping off a few cases of cyder. “I always try a new cheese, I usually pick up some fresh veggies or fruit…. and always a sausage roll”. He’s got to have something for the journey home right?!

Delving into the Kingfisher Archive…

We’ve uncovered an article in the ‘Business Guide to Reigate, Redhill & Horley’ dated 1892. The piece focuses on R.Coe, the greengrocers run by Barrie’s Great Grandfather, Richard Coe. R.Coe had to rapidly adapt to growing demand, something we’ve learnt a lot about over the past few years. The article draws many comparisons to the present day and even then, the family pushed for fresh, local produce. Read on for a blast from the past…

Mr Richard Coe, Fruiterer, Greengrocer and Potato Merchant.

“So successful has been the business of Mr. Richard Coe that that gentleman found it necessary a short time ago to alter and enlarge his premises. As finished, the shop is eminently well adapted to the requirements of a fruiterer and greengrocer, and occupies a commanding position in High Street. It presents an imposing frontage, and the interior is fitted up in a very superior manner, admirably appointment and well arranged for the display and storage of a large and varied stock. To meet the extensive requirements of the trade, Mr. Coe has always on hand a plenty supply of English and foreign fruit in season, early vegetables, apples, choice hot-house grapes, peaches, apricots, tomatoes, other fruits, and vegetables of every description.

Meet Emma…

Like many locals at the weekend, the Farm Shop would be my ‘go to’ for fresh bread. I would inevitably get tempted by the fabulous flowers and would often chat to Marion about her beautiful, seasonal blooms…it always felt like a treat. When I took redundancy from my Telecoms role, which I had been in for 8 years, I planned to travel for 6 months. But to avoid tucking into my funds, I was perusing the notice board for temporary work. I chatted with Marion about the potential offerings and she said ‘why don’t you come and work here’? So, initially I worked for just a few months on a short but enjoyable stint in the Farm Shop before heading off to New Zealand, Australia and Canada with my husband Richard. Once my travels were over it was time to get back to work. I had thought about returning to telecoms but no longer wanted to spend my time commuting and working in an office environment.  Marion had told me the door would always be open should I want to come back, so I returned.

At that time the flowers were housed within the Farm Shop but were starting to outgrow the space, especially in the summer months when British flowers were a plenty. So Marion decided to house the flowers in their own setting and we went about seeking a new location. The garage, as it was then was, seemed the obvious choice. It took several months to modify the building and to set up the specialist air conditioning required for the flowers but eventually we opened the Flower Shop as you know it now. Back then it was pretty much Marion and myself, later with the help of Betty. We made simple hand tied posies but over time we were asked to do more elaborate requests. Naturally the people who loved Kingfisher flowers would ask us to do their weddings and so the flower business grew.

I’ve been fortunate enough to take time off to have my children, coming back part time and Marion has always been so flexible and supportive of my needs. It’s wonderful to work with flowers in a creative environment and even after 20 years I still get excited by the new seasons and the fabulous blooms that they bring. If I had to choose one flower I would really struggle as there are so many beauties and all for different reasons; the snakes head fritillary, the hellebore, how could anyone resist an anemone with its dark centre or chocolate cosmos with delicate chocolatey aroma, the dahlia in all its many colours and shapes, aaah the sweet pea…sorry the list just goes on, please just don’t make me choose! I think the most enjoyable part of the job, apart from working with such a great team, has to be when you present someone with a bouquet big or small and you can visibly see the joy it brings. 

Photography Credit: @chloe.hardwick