We are thrilled to announce the opening of our new butchery: Gavin is now ready to serve customers from Thursday to Saturday every week, with local meats from Stansted and neighbouring farms. For tomorrow and the weekend, we have Stansted Saddleback pork, Stansted venison, Southdowns lamb and some 33 day … Read More
We were contacted by Highbury College to see if we could arrange a foraging and cooking course for their Level 3 Professional Cookery Students. At short notice, I took 9 students and two teachers for a foraging walk along the hedgerows to the Stansted orchard and then back through the … Read More
This promises to be a lovely course – a saunter through the Stansted Woods while you chat about general foraging, then a quick gather of sloes round the sloe bushes. Weather permitting, we’ll have a picnic in the woods at a beautiful location before returning to the farm shop where … Read More
THE DEER OF STANSTED FOREST Wild deer are beautiful and fascinating animals and of the five species found in the British countryside two, fallow and roe are resident in Stansted Forest and a third, muntjac is occasionally seen. Roe, along with red deer are native to Britain, fallow were introduced … Read More
Our apple press and scratter have arrived and are ready to make use of all those lovely apples that you have been wondering what to do with. We are hiring them both out for the day. Apple pressing is a hugely enjoyable activity that’s best done with friends and family. … Read More
The summer sun seems to be a distant memory as gales and rain sweep across the sky, but I love the British seasons. I look forward to the autumn colours, but most of all the excited anticipation of wild mushrooms. The excitement stems from the fact that nothing is guarenteed … Read More
We now have our very own Stansted Saddleback pigs that have been brought in to help with forest regeneration. They act out a similar role to that of wild boar, by clearing bracken and bramble which shade out other wild plants. These rare breed pigs mature slowly and because they … Read More
We have some excellent courses lined up for you, including a hedgerow foraging course and a whole hog butchery course. These courses can now be booked online on our new Courses page, or you can contact us to reserve your place. Hedgerow Foraging Course The date for hedgerow foraging will … Read More
We currently have 42 varieties of fruit and veg in the shop at the moment, with the vast majority being grown on local farms. And as they are all in peak season, the prices are low, even compared with the mass produced, air-freighted supermaket fare. On the veg side, we … Read More
A cold glass of beer at the end of a hot summer’s day can give untold pleasure, especially when it tastes fantastic and is brewed in Sussex with local ingredients. The Hepworth Brewery in Horsham has a cracking selection of delicious beers made with local ingredients. While I prefer the … Read More
It is an unusual sight, but at this time of year it is possible to see some of our customers turning up to the farm shop laden with rhubarb, and leaving with a couple of line-caught mackerel, with no money changing hands. We are open to bartering at the shop, … Read More
Some delicious hedgerow jelly and jam arrived this week, courtesy of the Hedgerow Apothecary, alongside marmalade and lovely raspberry vinegar. Christine gathers from many local hedgerows to make her pots of delight – she is based in West Ashling and is planning on running courses for the Stansted Farm Shop … Read More
Roe bucks are currently the only deer in season at the moment which means that we have limited supplies of venison in the shop. While there are plenty of roe deer on the Stansted Estate, the foresters avoid shooting the larger bucks as they have established territories. Considering that the … Read More
The sunshine is bringing out the best in British fruit and veg, and we have a great array of scrummy local produce to choose from. Courgettes, broadbeans, tomatoes and aubergines are all in full flow, and because of the cold spring, the delayed asparagus is still going, although it is … Read More