and we are feeling fine….Hello 2024!

Wishing you all good health for the New Year ahead. Focusing on the positives, the citrus season now offers juicy blood oranges for a boost of Vitamin C and an abundance of Seville oranges for the very seasonal activity of marmalade making - the perfect excuse for staying indoors and keeping warm! Don’t forget to enter a jar of your best in ‘Fanny’s’ Marmalade competition.

Signs of fresh, green shoots brings moments of joy, as nature works its magic in preparation for spring. Narcissi, snowdrops and dainty muscari will now be available for sale, alongside buckets of British grown spring flowers. They are always so popular at this time of year, such a great tonic for lifting the spirits. On the topic of flowers, may we take this opportunity to remind you that Valentines is not far off! Whether you want to play cupid or send a friend a gorgeous bunch, take a look on our web shop and all can be done at the click of a button.

A really lovely way to bring a smile to your special someone!

As we all focus on boosting our energy levels in the new year, our popular Fruit to the Office service might be a great boost to team moral. We create a delicious fresh fruit box to suit your needs and will deliver locally in our electric van. Please do give us a call if you wish to find out more. What a great way to encourage healthy snacking!

Add sunshine to the plate with seasonal citrus…

Who will be the next Marmalade Champion?

It’s January and that brings us Seville oranges and ‘Fanny’s’ Marmalade competiton!

Our 10th year of hosting this prestigious event.

It is named after Fanny Maiklem, who loved marmalade and created the competition along with her daughter, Nellie at their farm shop. Sadly Fanny passed away 10 years ago. There was such a strong following for the marmalade competition that we thought it would be sad to let it go. Nellie put her full support behind our holding of the event and will hopefully be one of the judges, even if only judging the expressions on our faces!

As with previous years we will be donating £1 per entry to Phyliss Tuckwell Hospice Care in memory of both Fanny Maiklem and our dear Margaret Arminson.

Pick your class; Lady's Seville, Lady's mixed fruit, Gentleman's Seville, Gentleman's mixed fruit, Children's Seville, Children's mixed fruit and Previous Winner open class.

The closing date is Tuesday 20th February.

Judging will take place on Wednesday 21st February from 10.30 am.

Winners will be on display at the Farm Shop from the Saturday 24th February and entries may be collected from Monday 26th February.

Entry forms are available from the Farm Shop or Register Online.

Have fun making your perfect marmalade … all the ingredients, and even jam jars can be found at Kingfisher!

Rhubarb, Rhubarb, Rhubarb…

This time of year there is very little seasonally new to bring to the plate.  Forced rhubarb with it’s beautiful pink stalks is available from now to spring.  Theoretically a vegetable it is very much treated as a fruit and thus found on the dessert list.

You may not appreciate that rhubarb is steeped in history, introduced to English cooking in the 18th Century and gained favour when the forcing process was discovered in Chelsea Physic gardens in 1817.

It is the famous ‘Yorkshire Rhubarb Triangle’ (producers centralised between Leeds, Wakefield and Bradford) that heralded the growing of forced rhubarb. Rhubarb requires 3 things, cold, water and nitrogen.  The ‘Rhubarb Triangle’ is set in a frost pocket providing the cold temperatures for growing, the shadowing Pennines brings a high precipitation and the wool industry of the area provided the source of nitrogen with it’s waste product of ‘shoddy’.  Yorkshire coalfields gave a cheap source of fuel to heat the sheds where the rhubarb is forced.

Rhubarb is far more than a pretty pink stalk, as has excellent health benefits as a source of dietary fibre, protein, vitamin K, calcium, potassium, vitamin C, anti-oxidant and anti inflammatory.  So enjoy, don’t hesitate include Yorkshire rhubarb in your fruit and veg shopping basket.

Valentines Kingfisher style…

The flower girls love creating beautiful bouquets for you. Want to treat that someone special in your life, order sooner rather than later to avoid disappointing them! Other lovely Valentine treats at the Farmshop… Local Bubbly, Hampers and Chocolates.

We can deliver locally or you can collect.

Our electric van will be out on the road delivering all day on Wednesday February 14th.

Please call, email or order online to give your special someone a HUGE smile!

Fortnay Cacao, Orange & Baobab Granola

A super healthy superfood granola, a chocolate lovers dream with health benefits. As soon as you open the packet you are hit by the most incredible sensory explosion of cacao and orange, followed by flavours that do not disappoint!

Packed with almonds, cacao and seeds, to create a delicious wholesome crunch. Dates add a naturally sweet and soft scrumptious chewiness, baked in date and maple syrup to form chunky clusters.

Fen Farms Diary, Skyr Icelandic Style Yogurt

Fen Farms Skyr team travelled to the geothermal farmlands of Iceland to be trained in the art of traditional Skyr making by master Skyr maker, Thorgrimur. The Skyr in this pot is our own interpretation, made here on our Suffolk farm, from the fresh morning milk of our free ranging Montbeliarde herd. Waste-free! It’s made with the freshly skimmed milk which is a by-product of their butter production.

A 400g pot of their handmade farmhouse skyr yoghurt, with a thick layer of delicious England Preserves blackcurrant compote seems very indulgent, but is virtually fat free, made with skimmed milk and naturally loaded with protein to support your body after exercise.

Photography Credit: @chloe.hardwick & henrycatling.com @henry.catling