Thursday 24 November 2011

Cabbage Patch Babies


Although we know every nook and cranny of our plot, sometimes even we are amazed at the delights we find (in the wee small hours), and today was no exception.  Off we went to the cabbage patch to harvest some little beauties for the shop and we found these scrumptious babies bursting out of the ground.  We got a little over excited and had to be told to calm down as we ran up the drive pushing the wheelbarrow laden with giant green goodness, as we might frighten the chickens who were still sleeping soundly.

You will find a selection in the shop but be quick as you have competition.  We discovered the chickens on top of the cabbages eating away at them, so we gave them the onces they started and they chomped them down quicker than you could say 'roast dinner', and no doubt they will be back for more.

Looking forward to welcoming you to Market Day here on November 26th....

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Roll Up, Roll Up, it's Market Day




We are very excited here at Gold Hill, as we will be hosting an Anonymous Travelling Market.  We did the same last November and it was a hugely successful event.  There will be lots of food to eat, gifts to buy, people to see, liquids to drink, exhibitions to stroll around, portraits to consider, and merriment for one and all, and all set in the beautiful setting of our farmyard. 

Jim our meat man will be on hand to talk you through your trotters, pigs cheeks, and pork chops as well as bringing along his mutton.  James's Cheese will also be there to tickle your tastebuds.  The Cake Tin will be on hand to keep you warm with burgers and hot drinks.  The Old Tack shop will be on hand to offer advice on all those accessories needs for your horse or pony, and there will be a selection of stalls offering crafts, soaps and all manner of goodies. Last but by no means least, we will of course be showing off our stunning vegetables, freshly picked and ready to be turned into something wonderful.

Come and enjoy the Market Day in Child Okeford.....

Wednesday 2 November 2011

An Inspector Calls



As with all matters of health and safety, inspectors must arrive without an appointment, totally unannounced and as a full surprise.  Today was our turn, and it is always a scary moment, as although we know we are fully compliant with all high standards, there is often the concern that we might have overlooked something, forgotten to tick a box or two on our long list of daily checks, or the chiller temperature might not be quite as it should be or even the dread of an out of date item lingering at the back of the shelves, or heaven forbid a mouldy turnip.

So as our lovely inspector walked in he must have heard the sharp intake of breath and the sound of someone scurrying out the back to check all was well with our packing area.  He smiled politely and walked around the shop, doing what he must do, inspect, check, look, prod and rummage through our displays of vegetables, flour, teas, pasta and our milk, butter, yoghurt's and cheeses, and we are were delighted, thrilled and relieved that as one would expect we received the thumbs up!!

We are as we should be, and organic farm shop with a little bit of healthy mud and lots of glorious vegetables all gleaming and shining ready for you to eat.

Wednesday 26 October 2011

Squashed

Entrance Lobby of Goldhill Organic Farm Shop


What a day, we got absolutely soaked, it poured and poured, but we couldn't stop as we had to harvest a selection of squashes for the shop.  As winter is now here, many of the people coming into the shop have been asking for our squashes, they want to make soup, casseroles, curries and a mouthwatering selection of culinary delights, and they come from far and wide to delve into the piles of squashes we have on display.

I love the names of squashes they all sound so tantalising, my favourite is Crown Prince, but how about Buttercup, Onion Squash, Harlequin, Kuri, Kabocha, Blue Ballet, Orange Dawn, Hokkaido or a bit of Delicata all roasted with cumin, nutmeg and finally add a squeeze of lime. Perfect on this chilly night.. Keep warm everyone.

Monday 10 October 2011

Apple Day Success




Our Apple Day this Sunday was a huge success and we were delighted to have turned tonnes of apples into delicous juice, and in some cases Cider, which we have been promised a taste of when it is ready to drink!  We also juiced some pears which produced the sweetest juice I have tasted in some time.  We had many visitors and were lucky the weather held for us, and although there were plenty of pesky wasps around they were so drunk on juice not a single one of us was stung.  It was a thoroughly sticky day and in between juicing we ate toffee apples and munched on apple cake, a perfect way to spend an October Sunday. 

The shop is bursting with colour, we have jewel tones of sweet peppers, an array of sweetie coloured cherry tomatoes together with some ruby red giant ones, and our famous mixed salad bags are back in for Autumn.  Must dash, I'm off to check out the squashes.

Sunday 11 September 2011

Up and Running





We finally have our website up and running, there are still a few organic tweaks we need to make, but overall we are pretty happy with out new look.  We have just picked some of our beautiful peppers which our customers have been waiting patiently for, and we have just managed to get everthing tied down in anticipation of the storm that has been forecast.  Hope you all stay safe.