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-   OUR FOODS  -

Our Foods

Our food philosophy is a very simple one, we find the very best farms and artisan suppliers Kent has to offer and bring their wonderful tasting foods into one place for everyone to enjoy. We deal directly with the farmers, have walked their fields and made sure they grow ethically and to high standards. 

"I think we really should stop asking ourselves why real food is a bit more

expensive and ask why processed and supermarket food is so cheap" 

Andy Austen, Founder of Austen's Eat Local Group

Local Fruit & Vegetables

It's all about the taste...

 

You really can taste the difference between the locally grown and seasonal fruit and vegetables we sell compared to the major supermarket chains. This is because the Kent farms we work with tend to be small and do not grow in bulk or supply in volume. Everything can be checked more thoroughly and grown with care and attention. They tend to use traditional farming methods too which we believe results in produce that tastes as nature intended and as it should. Many of our customers regularly tell us this and often recall how certain foods remind them of their childhood. For us that's what good food is all about. We believe that food should be cooked simply with quality ingredients being the star of the show.

We use in excess of 50 farms in Kent and are always on the look out for more that share our values and grow wonderful produce. We both collect and receive deliveries on a daily basis so it is always fresh and do not buy in bulk. Everything is checked by us by hand on the morning it is delivered and regularly throughout the day. If it isn't up to a high standard we won't sell it, our reputation has been built on quality and outstanding customer service. 

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Family butcher since 1919

Locally Reared Meat

Great tasting too...

 

SW Doughty are our local butcher of choice for a full range of high quality meats with the most popular items available in our farmshop. 

We’ve selected this wonderful butcher to supply us and in turn our customers as their meats and service are absolutely superb. This family run business having been providing top quality meat for 100 years and, like us, they have a strong focus on local and provenance. They are totally in control of their quality standards with their own abattoir all situated in the pretty Kent village of Doddington.

They are not short of an award or two either over the years, please take a look at their awards page: http://swdoughty.co.uk/about/awards. They are currently Kent Butcher of the Year 2018 for the 2nd year running.

                                                                 ·      Bespoke butchery

                                                                 ·      Locally sourced farm assured quality  Beef, Pork and Lamb

                                                                 ·      Delicious award winning sausages in a variety of flavours

                                                                 ·      Free range geese, turkeys, cockerels, chicken and ducks

                                                                 ·      Home cooked ham

                                                                 ·      Venison, wild rabbit and game

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Local Free Range Chicken

Produced the way nature intended...

 

We choose to buy our quality chicken, both whole and in portions, from Laughton's Poultry at Waterham Farm, Hernehill, near Faversham.

The attention to detail at this family run farm is outstanding. When the day old poultry arrive they are put in heated brooders until feathered, the chicks are then opened up so they can have full access to their fields and orchards from dusk till dawn where there is an abundance of insects, grubs and grasses. They are Enclosed at night to keep them warm and away from foxes. Antibiotics are only used where absolutely necessary, as opposed to being put into their feed every day as a matter of course like the big chicken farms that supply the supermarkets do. Once the bird reaches full maturity they are processed on site in Laughton's purpose built facility and chilled ready for us to collect.

Laughton's believe that for the true taste and quality of poultry to shine through they should be produced entirely the way nature intended them, slow growing, free and of course completely drug free.
 

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Local Artisan Breads

Sourdough, real bread...

 

Artisan breads are becoming incredibly popular and sourdough is now becoming more widely available. But you must be careful, only true sourdough is made with just flour, water, salt and lots of time unlike the supermarket versions which contain bakers yeast and tons of additives and preservatives. Mrs Sourdough is our choice of local artisan baker and we have fresh deliveries into our shop daily Tuesdays to Saturday. It regularly sells out and its little wonder, it is truly outstanding bread and also makes the most amazing toast. The fermentation process produces its own natural yeasts and long fermentation techniques ensure that the bread has the best flavours, health benefits and keeping qualities. All the flour used is organic and of the highest quality and it certainly shows in the taste.
Why not come by and pick up a loaf of amazing tasting and much healthier bread.

Local Dairy including Non-Homogenised Milk

Flavoursome, healthy and nutritious...

Hinxden Farm Dairy has been farming since 1930. They originally started with 35 acres and 5 cows. Today they have 200 cows and farm 700 acres. They grow grass and maize which goes into making silage. They also grow wheat and barley to accompany their cereal based concentrates. Their cows are loose housed in the winter months and outdoors in the summer.  They deliver freshly produced milk, cream, yoghurt and creme fraiche to us several times a week from pedigree guernsey and holstein friesian herds in Benenden, you really can tell the difference with the Guernsey whole milk the equivalent of the old fashioned gold top (actually only 5% fat). They pride themselves on the quality and freshness of their products but also produce milk that is non-homogenised which means, unlike supermarket milk, theirs goes fully through the digestive system so you achieve maximum health benefits from your daily milk. Supermarket milk (homogenised) bypasses the digestive system.

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Local Free Range Eggs

Chickens happy to play and happy to lay...

Woodlands Poultry Farm started with just 100 birds in 1990 and now host superb free range birds at their farm in Chartham near Canterbury (plus more on 4 neighbouring farms) producing highly sought after eggs. 

There is no question of treading on eggshells when it comes to the welfare of their birds, roaming free range in acres of space and only given antibiotics where absolutely necessary, they couldn’t be better cared for...resulting in a great tasting egg.

The birds at Woodlands Poultry Farm are always happy to play... and happy to lay. The maximum stocking density is 9.7 birds per square metre and their flock size is only 5,500 birds, compared to 200,000+ on some supermarket farms. 

Local Handmade Artisan Cheeses

Gorgeous local cheeses of distinction...

We truly are blessed with some amazing local cheeses in Kent, of which we stock what are regarded as the very best. We stock Kentish Cheddar, Camembert, Blue and Goats...to name but a few. All coming from well known local producers such as Kingcott Dairy and Cheesemakers of Canterbury who we are currently working in conjunction with to increase our range.

Cheese is all about the taste and, whether it be our best selling Kentish Blue or the divine Winterdale Shaw, you can rest assured that we are always able to cut you a slice of great local cheese.

Local Fruit Juices

Award winning juices...

Owlet juices are pure, fresh and of premium quality. Winners of no less than 45 awards. All Owlet juices use fruit grown and pressed at Owl House Fruit Farm in the Kent village of Lamberhurst. Owlet offer an extensive range of single variety English apple juices together with some highly original blends of English fruits, berries and flowers. Their clean and simple process is designed to keep the “just picked” flavour of the fruit. The juices have no added sugar, artificial sweeteners or preservatives.

We have sold their juices since we first opened and, whilst we have stocked juices from other suppliers, Owlet have proved to be the most popular and are our main brand. It is not difficult to see why, they make yummy tasting juices.

Local Artisan Foods

From local honey producers to jam makers, we stock an impressive range of lovingly prepared artisan products. Below is a selection of some of our suppliers...

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Selected Wholefoods, Herbs & Spices & Pasta Range

To compliment our local ranges we also stock a range of our own branded wholefoods, herbs & spices and a quality pasta range...

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