British Asparagus

 

We've been lucky to have British asparagus for sale in the farm shop for a few days now. It's grown locally, in the next village to us, and we go and collect it direct from the farm daily. Just picked, you won't find much fresher unless you grow it yourself and hardly any food miles. It is absolutely delicious.

And of course asparagus is also on the menu in our cafe, The Orchard Tea Room. We're currently serving asparagus soup and asparagus quiche, they are both heavenly.

So whether you want to cook your own or enjoy a dish containing British asparagus you know where to go

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane

Wisbech

Cambs

PE14 0RN

Sagitta Potatoes for Chip Week

So it's Chip Week!

What better time than Chip Week to tell you about the marvelous Sagitta potato that we sell in the farm shop. Sometimes marketed as the "Chippie's Chip Potato" the Sagitta is actually a great all-rounder  but it does make the most wonderful chips and roasties.

For us the Sagitta has overtaken our old all time favourite Maris Piper as we've found it mashes beautifully too.

Grown locally, about 6 miles from us, they are currently available in the farm shop by the sack or 1/2 sack.

Happy New Year to all our customers

Happy New Year everyone

from

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop

We're closed today, January 1st, but open as usual from tomorrow, the 2nd of January 2014. We're expecting deliveries from our local suppliers so there will be lots of just cut veg, straight from the field.

Image: Richard Ansdell (1851) The auld farmer's New Year gift to his auld Mare Maggie

 ~ looks like she is getting fresh swede.

While shepherds watch their flocks

Just a quick reminder on this the 4th Sunday of Advent that we're open until 3pm on Christmas Eve with plenty of fresh fruit and veg for sale. Even if we say so ourselves we think the Orchard Farm Shop is going to be the perfect place to avoid that last minute scrum at the supermarkets.

Now for your amusement something a little bit different

This YouTube video is of " Crazy shepherds fit their sheep with LED vests to create awesome designs on a hill. They recreate a game of Pong, fireworks, and the Mona Lisa." Certainly puts a different slant to

While shepherds watched
Their flocks by night
All seated on the ground
The angel of the Lord came down
And glory shone around
And glory shone around

 

On the 3rd Sunday of Advent our Wisbech farm shop would like to remind you that we are now taking Christmas fruit & veg orders

This Romanesco broccoli or  Romanesque cauliflower (whichever you prefer to call it) does look rather festive in a Christmas tree sort of way don't you think?

Talking of Christmas we're now taking Christmas orders for fruit and veg. Tell us what you want and when you want to collect and your fruit and veg, chutneys and jams, honey and apple juice, bird seeds and sausages will all be ready and waiting for you.

On the 4th day of Advent the farm shop brings to you - Bramblebee Porker Sausages

Bramblebee Porker Sausages from Gloucestershire Old Spots are simply the best. They come in a variety of flavours, our personal favs are Smokey BBQ and Chili but they are all delicious. You'll find them in the freezer at

The Orchard Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane

Wisbech

PE14 0RN

On the 2nd day of Advent the Farm Shop brings to you - Honey (and some cold relief recipes)

Here at the Orchard Farm Shop we stock real Fenland honey ~ Bramblebee Honey. The beekeeper comes from a small village very close to us and his bees are kept all around the area including orchards!

Apart from tasting good honey has many, many health benefits, more on that another time, but with the run up to Christmas, and the first of the seasonal colds going round, today we're offering some cold remedies:

Honey and Cinnamon

Simply mix a quarter of a teaspoon of cinnamon with a teaspoon of honey and add to warm drinks, take straight from the spoon, spread on toast etc but take some every couple of hours. Both honey and cinnamon are anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal.

Lemon and Honey

Mix freshly squeezed lemon juice with honey and warm water.

Ginger Honey and Lemon

Mix grated ginger with lemon and honey and brew a tea with boiling water.

And the proof that honey actually cures colds? Researchers from Jahrom University of Medical Science in Iran found that 2 ounces of honey a day significantly reduced cold symptoms and reduced the length of the common cold by up to 2 days!

So come to our Fenland Farm Shop to stock up with some delicious honey that will help keep those colds at bay during the festive season.

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane

Wisbech

PE14 0RN

Opening hours currently 8am - 4pm Monday to Saturday, 9am - 4pm Sunday.

Cox's Apple

Considered by many to be England's greatest dessert apple Cox's Orange Pippin developed from a chance seedling way back in the 19th Century.

It's a delicious apple with a range of flavours sometimes described as melon, pear, orange juice or even mango. If you've never tried a Cox's apple you are in for a treat.


Grown in our own orchard here at Redmoor Lane just off the A47 at Wisbech.

Available to purchase from our Orchard Farm Shop, Redmoor Lane, Wisbech, PE14 0RN. Opening hours currently 8am -4pm Monday to Saturday, 9am - 4pm Sunday.

Jonagold Apples

The Jonagold apple is a firm favourite with many of our customers, not surprising really considering how good it tastes!

Jonagolds are a nice crisp apple, with sweet white flesh and just the right amount of acidity.

Grown here in our orchard on Redmoor Lane, Wisbech it was actually developed in the USA in the 1940's. Jonagold's parents are an American apple called Jonathan and Golden Delicious.

This is a large apple so it's perfect for sharing.

Available to purchase from our Orchard Farm Shop, Redmoor Lane, Wisbech, PE14 0RN. Opening hours currently 8am -4pm Monday to Saturday, 9am - 4pm Sunday.

Pumpkins

Pumpkins now in, little ones, medium ones, big ones, huge ones...

Pumpkins for cooking or carving...

Prices start at £1.00

and they are grown by us!

Apple Juice

Did we ever tell you that we are now stocking apple juice?

It's absolutely delicious and the juice tastes just like the apple variety

and the best thing of all is that it's the juice from our own apples grown right here at the orchard in Begdale, Elm.

Runner Beans

Most days now we have a few freshly picked runner beans for sale in the shop, come early, grab them while you can cos nothing beats the taste of fresh picked runners.

Plum Time

Hello, we've been so busy here that this blog has been somewhat neglected, forgot to tell you that the plum season has started. We have Tzars, Opals and Golden Gages at the moment. Of course what everyone is waiting for is the Victoria, we'll keep you updated on when picking is about to start.

Strawberries

Yes we know it's still April but this weekend we are delighted to be able to offer you real English strawberries. They are an early variety, Sonata, which taste the way strawberries used to before they were available 52 weeks of the year with the supermarket foriegn imports. They are sweet, juicy and delicious, but don't take our word for it pop by the shop and buy yourself a punnet, you won't regret it.

Seasonal Eating - Easter Weekend

A very happy Easter to you all.

At their best at this time of year:

New potatoes
Broccoli
Rhubarb
Asparagus

Also in season:

Carrots
Cauliflower
Maincrop potatoes
Leeks
Purple Sprouting Broccoli
Onions

They can all be found in the Orchard Farm Shop along with the last of our 2010 crop of apples and pears.

Seasonal Eating - this week

At their best at this time of year:

New potatoes

Broccoli

Rhubarb

Asparagus

Also in season:

Carrots

Cauliflower

Maincrop potatoes

Leeks

Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Onions

They can all be found in the Orchard Farm Shop along with the last of our 2010 crop of apples.

Asparagus

This is a snap of the very first asparagus of 2011 in the farm shop. It's English, grown just a few miles down the road, in the next village to us and it's delicious. We LOVE asparagus and it's arrival is one of the super things about Spring.

Seasonal Eating - this week

At their best at this time of year are:

Broccoli

Rhubarb

Cauliflower

Purple Sprouting Boccoli

Also in season:

Carrots

Leeks

Potatoes (maincrop)

Onions

They can all be found in the Orchard Farm Shop along with the last of our 2010 crop of apples.

Cauliflowers

We had a delivery of really splendid cauliflowers today from a local grower. The ice and snow before Christmas ruined the cauli crops so it's great to see them looking so good again.

Bird Apples

We usually have a number of large nets of apples for sale, they aren't perfect, they might be getting a little soft, have a slight bruise or some other mark. We call them bird apples, the birds absolutely love them, especially blackbirds, and lots of our customers buy them for their garden birds. At £1.00 for a large net they are terrific value.

As you can see from the sign their use isn't limited to the birds, we do have customers who make their own cider and of course they make the perfect treat for horses (and iguananas!)

What will you use yours for?