The Farm is a family-run shop open to the public which shares a passion for delicious organic food, refreshing shopping concepts and great service. It’s hard not to love everything about this wonderful place in Stratford-upon-Avon.
It was around Easter when I first visited The Farm and can honestly say I thought it was an incredible afternoon. The Farm showcases itself as a ‘unique food destination‘ that markets an abundance of local artisan produce – as well as promoting home grown and sustainable food offerings. It has everything you could want – from fresh meat and cheese counters to pastry stands, a wine merchant (and bar) to its own self-serve frozen food aisle. Not forgetting, The Farm also prides itself on the relaxing, organic food cafe perfect for those wishing to pit stop after a hefty afternoon of food shopping.
Alongside its culinary highlights, The Farm also offers inclusive ‘educational workshops, nutritional seminars and demonstrations with the intention to re-discover skills and traditions, from foraging courses to baking your own sourdough.’ They really have thought of everything.
What’s great about The Farm is that they try to include everybody, even the little kiddiewinkles. Outside is a cute little play area to let your own little animals lose while you grab yourself 5 minutes to eat an ice cream from the van, or grab a burger from the outside vendor. I wish I was small enough to be able to jump into the wooden play pits, because they look bloody great fun.
In the far corner of the farm resides the pig pen, currently occupied by Pamela and her little oinkers. They’re the cutest things and when we arrived, Pamela was taking some time away from her kids (good on ya, mom!) and lay atop a big, muddy puddle. Just like people, pigs love listening to music, and getting massages. What a great way to relax on such a gorgeous spring day. I wish I could have joined her.
THE FARM: CAFE NOURISH
Once we’d mooched around a little, we headed to the inside cafe: Nourish. It’s a 60-seater wholefood court centred at the heart of The Farm. It can usually be found packed full of hungry shoppers needing a tea break. The kitchen was busy and the queue proved stealthy (and kept growing!) while we were there. I managed to find a table opposite the kitchen hatch and watched the chefs and staff members bustling around. Menus are vibrant and provide gluten free options too. I believe the menus are seasonal and the open kitchen has teamed up next to a pizza bar if nothing on the menu takes your fancy. From stalking the website, I found that the chefs prepare dishes using vegetables and herbs picked from the farm kitchen garden (rightly so!) and produce greens from their very own in-house poly tunnels. You know without a doubt all produce you eat at The Farm is cooked from fresh and probably picked that day.
Once hydrated, we headed back to the deli section and stumbled upon the Crombies food counter. We indulged in some lamb shanks and spare ribs to chow down on the following day. They were excellent. After also speaking to Mudwalls who provide local fruit and veg produce, I got talking with the owner and found they are based over several hundred acres in the heart of the Ragley Estate, Warwickshire. They sold me some of the nicest (and biggest) strawberries I’ve eaten in a long time. I’m very grateful for that.
If you’re planning some things to do this summer with the family and are located close to Stratford, I highly recommend visiting The Farm. It’s a wonderful place filled with an array of things to see and do, as well as providing ease for your weekly food shop. I can’t recommend this place enough and will definitely be returning in the near future to grab some more of the ribs. Just you try and stop me.
Kings lane, Snitterfield, Stratford upon Avon CV37 0QA
Please note, I was not asked to write about The Farm but have done so off my own back. I paid for everything and opinions are my own.