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

Sausage & Prune Casserole ~ Jamie Oliver & Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall

Watched Hugh and Jamie prepare this Hearty Sausage & Prune Casserole straight after the Pear & Almond Pudding Cake and thought what a great weekend meal it would make especially in cold old February. The fresh ingredients could be picked up here at the Orchard Farm Shop including the sausages the others  are probably in your store cupboard.

Snowdrops In The Green

Snowdrops are easier to establish if you plant them "in-the-green" rather than as a dry bulb and we have freshly lifted single snowdrops for sale in the farm shop at only £6.00 a bag. Time to get planting!

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

 

Christmas opening times at The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop, Redmoor Lane, Wisbech, Cambs, PE14 0RN

Christmas Eve ~ 8am - 3pm

Christmas Day ~ Closed

Boxing Day ~ Closed

27th December ~ Closed

28th December ~ 8am - 4pm

29th December ~ 9am - 4pm

30th December ~ 8am - 4pm

31st December ~ 8am - 3pm

New Year's day ~ Closed

2nd January ~ 8am - 4pm

Fog on the A47

 Another foggy day here in Fenland and it occurred to me that if you're having to drive in these conditions this sign on the A47 approaching Wisbech would probably be very welcome:

 A chance to take a break, grab a cup of your favourite beverage, maybe even a quick sandwich, a warming bowl of soup or a delicious slice of cake.

 A chance to warm yourself by the wood burning stove and enjoy spectacular views of the orchard swathed in fog.

You might even take the opportunity to stretch your legs with a stroll around the orchard. Certainly if you're travelling with a dog he /she would appreciate a walk around the orchard and dogs are always welcome at The Orchard Tea Room and Farm Shop. So watch out for that sign and take a break you'll find all this, and more at:

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane

Wisbech

PE14 0RN

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

Apple Logs for Christmas

Nothing beats a real fire at Christmas, be it an open fire or a wood burner it makes everything cosy, comfortable and of course warm!

Apple logs smell wonderful whilst burning and they send out a good amount of heat, we have them ready for collection here at the Orchard Farm Shop, Redmoor Lane, Wisbech. PE140RN. Available by the sack or a full bin.

If you're travelling along the A47 between Peterborough and Wisbech / Kings Lynn and Wisbech during the holidays why not stop off and pick up a bag of logs. They make a great gift too!

If you haven't anywhere for a fire you are welcome to come and share ours, the woodburner is lit everyday now keeping the tea room warm and cosy.

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane

Wisbech

PE14 0RN

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

On the 3rd day of Advent the farm shop brings to you - Pears grown in Wisbech

Conference Pears grown in our own Redmoor Lane, Wisbech, orchard. Perfect with Stilton. Available by the kilo or a whole box. A box of pears would make a rather nice Christmas gift.

Here's a Pear Chutney recipe:

1 kilo of peeled, cored chopped pears
100 grams of white sugar
100 grams of soft brown sugar
2 teaspoons of mixed spice
250ml malt vinegar

Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to the boil, simmer for about 30 minutes until the pears are tender, stirring to prevent sticking.

Bottle in sterilised jars.

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.

On the first day of Advent the farm shop brings to you - Holly Wreaths

 

So the Christmas Countdown begins:

Holly Wreaths @ £4.50 each

Available to purchase from our Fenland farm shop:

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane

Wisbech

PE14 0RN

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

Always remember, each vegetable has its' season

Ninjin - The way of the vegetable assassin
An amusing video produced by Green Thing in association with Eat Seasonably.

Russet Apple

Russet apples are named for their russet skins, rougher than the usual smooth skin variety of apples. The Russet pictured is actually a Herefordshire Russet but we also grow the famous Egremont Russet which was developed in Victorian times.

Why not pop by the Orchard Farm Shop, Redmoor Lane, Wisbech, PE14 0RN and see which you prefer. Opening hours currently 8am -4pm Monday to Saturday, 9am - 4pm Sunday.

(By the way, the Hereford Russet includes Cox's Orange Pippin and Idared apples in it's parentage both of which are grown here in our orchard at Redmoor Lane, Wisbech.)

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.

Wet Walnuts a brief seasonal treat

Don't wait until Christmas to sit by the fire cracking nutshells, wet walnuts are now in season, they are a true seasonal delight. The flesh of the walnut itself is still moist, hence "wet", so much tastier than the dry shriveled nut of Christmas.

You can read what Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has to say about them here.

If you're lucky enough to know someone who has a walnut tree do ask if they have any to spare. If not we have some for sale here at the Farm Shop, Redmoor Lane, Wisbech, PE14 0RN but hurry as supplies are limited and they sell rather quickly.

Image:Thesupermat licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

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 Picking

Apple picking is in full swing now, you'll find the following apple varieties for sale in the shop:

Bramleys
Cox
Summer Festival
Summer Red
Worcester
Spartan
Russet
Greensleeves

and there are more to come!

Worcester Pearmain Apples - now picking

We're now picking Worcester Pearmain apples for the shop,

a very popular early season English apple

that some folk say sometimeshas a strawberry like flavour.

Try some at £1.00 a kilo and let us know what you think.

Victorias

Need we say more?

£2.50 a kilo punnet

£6.00 a 3.2 kilo chip (7lbs)

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.