New Farm Shop Planning Permission Granted

Today we finally received farm shop planning permission which will give us the opportunity to showcase the best of our local South Downs and Coast produce. The new building will be nearly 4 times the size of our current shop and will have a full service butchery counter, a wood-fired restaurant for delicious brunch, lunch and events and a mighty deli and cheese counter.

This new food hall will give us the space and opportunity to expand our current operation and offer our customers a complete shopping experience. A full time butcher will offer all the cuts of locally reared beef, pork, lamb and game – while also marinating, smoking and curing to give you sausages, charcuterie, pies and sausage rolls for easy cooking.  Gavin will take over the wood-fired kitchen providing fantastic homemade food for the whole family, using seasonal produce from the shop. We will add to our pizzas and flat breads with meat, fish, salads, pies and other baked delicacies, for a year-round menu.  Food will be available for lunch, or to take away at our deli counter.

The oak-beamed hall will showcase our local producers with dedicated space for local beers and wines, seasonal fruit and veg, honeys, jams, sauces and all the rest.  The retail shelving will be mobile so in the evenings we can clear the decks for parties, events, product launches, tastings and demonstrations. We want to create a food hub where you can taste, buy and learn about the food on our doorstep, from the fresh fish being landed in Emsworth by Pete, to the Stansted honey that Gerry brings in (in his bee suit!). It’s about continuing what we have started – but with the space and people to give our food and producers justice.

Our next step is to start raising money to fit out and stock the new shop.  We will be looking at crowd funding options as we want to involve our customers in the next stage of growth.  We will be looking for feedback for what products and services you would like out of your farm shop – whether it is a delivery service or stocking more organic veg – as we are determined to create an environment that inspires you with quality local ingredients at great value.  The more customers we can get on board, the better we can make the shop.

We have waited over 15 months for planning permission, but fortunately have the same size, height and functionallity that we had originally asked for.  It’s going to be a fantastic space and if you are interested in getting involved in any way, then we would love to hear from you.  If you would like any further information, please contact us: fred@stanstedfarmshop.com or sam@stanstedfarmshop.com or call 02392 413 576.