I knew Essington Fruit Farm was going to be a good place to visit before I'd even arrived. Last year they won first prize for Tea Room of the Year, NFU Local Food Champion Award, Producer of the Year and Retailer of the Year in the Taste of Staffordshire awards and they were the winner in the Local Food Farmer of the Year award, run by Farmers Weekly. This year they've already won the Own & Local Award from FARMA (The National Farmers’ Retail and Markets’ Association).
It's a family owned business run by Richard and Mary Simkin and their son Will. They talk about food yards here and not food miles!
I always approve of shops that give free samples:
While I was there pies just kept arriving from their bakery and they all tasted great!
They breed their own free range pork and pedigree Hereford beef, and have a good butchery counter:
There's an attractive deli counter:
where they sell sell cooked ham and pork and items like brisket and chawl:
Try their home-made corned beef, it's quite different to the stuff out of tins from Brazil.
They sell their own pork pies:
and I liked how they also did chicken balti pies
and chicken tikka pies!
Their farm grows 35 horticultural crops, like these cabbages:
and they have 10 different varieties of strawberry:
There's also a café and a plant nursery, with a good selection of grow your own vegetables:
and 50 acres of pick your own with around 30 different crops
It's no wonder that 99% of the customers in this busy shop are regulars!
Bognop Road
Essington
Wolverhampton
WV11 2AZ
Tel: 01902 735724
Web: www.essingtonfarm.co.uk
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