Small Business Saturday

Support local small businesses and support your community!

Small Business Saturday is a national event showcasing the contribution that small businesses make to the economy.

When you choose to shop locally, buying direct from the producer, not only are you getting a great product but you are helping to support all the jobs involved in that business.  Money spent with small, local, independent traders does not end up with multi-national companies or in pension funds but circulates locally, generating jobs for local people.  These people in turn spend their money on local services keeping others in jobs.  By spending your money at small, local retailers you are helping the whole community!

Support local business this Saturday and every day!

Talking Turkey

Now is the time to order your Christmas poultry from us.  We can supply whole birds or our speciality boned and rolled turkey crowns (which, if desired, can be pre-stuffed with home-made stuffing, covered in our own free-range streaky bacon or both.)

Geese, ducks and capons are also available as are beef ribs and other specials.  Phone now and speak to our butchers who will be pleased to advise you.

Bonfire quiz: the answers!

We had a full house for the sausage and mash festival on bonfire night and what a brainy lot you are!  Several got all the bonfire questions correct and a draw took place to establish a winner.  Congratulations to Keith Ellis who wins a meal for two.

The answers are as follows:

1  The Gunpowder plot was in 1605

2  The monarch was James I of England James VI of Scotland

3  The leader of the conspirators was Robert Catesby

4  The lord who was alerted was Lord Monteagle.


Dont forget to book for the Christmas evening meal on Saturday 19 December, always a lovely event to start the festivities.

Bostin', wor it?

It was a bostin' noight wor it?

The snap was tairsty an' we even ad Aynuck tellin' jokes.

The quiz answers:

1  Lenny Henry
2  Julie Walters
3  Edward Elgar
4  Jasper Carrott.

Three tables got all correct and a draw took place.  Congratulations to Kerry Fitzgerald who wins a table for two at the Sausage festival on the 5th of November.

am yer saft?

Am yer saft?  Yo ay gunner miss the bostin supper am yer?

See yer Thairsdee 

Bostin' Supper

Am yer doin' anythin' next Thairsdee?

Wim 'oldin' a bostin noight with Black Country snap - gray pays, baircon, faggits an' all!

Yo moight even see Aynock if yome lucky.

Cum an' ate a plairtful an' a puddin'.  It's unny £12.95!  Doe ferget to book!

See yo on Thursdee.

Damsons!

This looks like an exceptional year for damsons!  Of all crops they are the most unpredictable and it is great to have such a good crop this year.

If you are a damson fan this is the year to fill your freezer, make jam, damson gin etc.

They are available to pick your own or ready picked and we are open daily except Monday.

Tue-Sat 9-5
Sun       10-5

Last admission to the fields is 4pm

PYO Strawberries ready now!

Our polytunnel  strawberries are ready again and there are plenty to pick today!

Don't delay.  On past form they are likely to be picked out again by  Sunday.

We still have plenty of plums.  Victoria, Jubilee and Reeves are all ready and damsons have just started.

Please note that our Autumn opening hours now apply and we are closed on Mondays.

Farmers' Quz: The Answers

The Farm and Forage night was very well received, especially the rabbit stew!  We hope to see you at the Harvest Supper on Saturday 19 September when you can enjoy a 3 course harvest feast.  See the menu on the website.

Meanwhile, the farmers' quiz was a challenge to most of you.  The questions were all old farming sayings with a degree of truth.  Certainly they are often trotted out in this farming family!

1  As the day lengthens, the cold strengthens.  (Designed to depress you in January!)

2  Red sky at night shepherds delight. (Usually holds true for a dry night at least)

3  Rain before 7 fine by 11 (Not infallible but true more often than not)

4  March dust is worth a guinea an ounce. ( A dry March is invaluable to get the spring sowings done in time before the April showers).


We hope you are now able to astound your friends by wisely dropping out some of the above at appropriate occasions.

Join us for supper!

Join us for our Farm And Forage supper this Thursday when we will be celebrating the feast of the land in early Autumn.

The menu is on the website and offers a good, wholesome, excellent value meal.

Also keep a date in your diary for our annual Harvest Supper: a 3 course meal to celebrate the Essington harvest on Saturday 19 September.

No Strawberries Today!

We had a busy day yesterday and have sold all the ripe strawberries so there are none to pick today.  There are plenty more to ripen and the table-top crop in the polytunnels will be available to pick again in a couple of days.

Meanwhile we still have plenty of lovely, ripe plums to pick or to buy from the shop and don't forget we are open as normal tomorrow for the Bank Holiday.

Strawberries

After a few days rest the strawberries have recovered and are available to pick again.

The PYO polytunnels are open today but please phone before coming to confirm availability in case we get picked out again, especially over weekends.

We still have plenty of juicy plums to pick and the maze is open so there is plenty of reason to visit!

No Strawberries Today. More Soon

Following a very busy week we are temporarily picked out of strawberries so there will be none to pick today. We hope that more will have ripened by next week.  Keep an eye on the website and our facebook page.

However, we still have lots of plums which are ripe, juicy and easy to pick!

Plums Galore!

After a slow, late start to the plum season we suddenly have tons ripe and ready to pick.  They are sweet and juicy and very easy to pick.  Look out for the following varieties in season now:

Early Prolific - small, dark and very sweet
Czar               - slightly larger, sweet and juicy
Sanctus           - dark and full of flavour
Violetta           - new, dark-skinned, sweet variety
Opal                - blush coloured, similar to Victoria
Swan               - Larger, firmer, purple fruit with good flavour.


Victorias are not yet ready.  They will be about the end of the month and into September

BBC Midlands Today

Did you see us last night on BBC Midlands Today?

They were doing a story about how farms have diversified and were visiting us to see how we had done it.

They were interested in our concept of the "one link food chain" taking the whole production and retailing cycle from the farm to the customer all on the site and the benefits to the customer of being able to source local food of known origin direct from the farm.

Maize Maze

At last the maize maze is now open!

Once again it is themed around the Grand Theatre's pantomome which this year is Peter Pan.

Come and find all the characters and enter the quiz for a chance of winning tickets to see the panto.
Admission is £3 each with a party rate of £2 each for parties of 10 or more.  It is open every day.  Last admission is 4pm.

Pudding Quiz: the answers

The pudding club night was a great success with lots of good feedback on the vast array of desserts in small portions so you coukd try as many as you liked.

Here are the quiz answers.

1  Georgie Porgie Pudding and Pie
2  Pudding Lane was the origin of the great fire of London
3  Christmas Pudding
4   Peach Melba.

Raspberries Galore!

I have just been to look at the raspberries and they are suddenly very plentiful.  The quality is superb and the picking is easy!  There will never be a better time to pick to fill your freezer. eat fresh or to make jam.  Strawberries are still easy picking as are blackcurrants so hurry to the fields and take your pick!

PYO in full swing

Pick your own is now well underway.  There are plenty of strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries and lots of vegetables.  Enjoy the taste of freshness; enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.

we are open 9-6 daily, (last admission to the fields 5.00)

Waterloo Quiz: the answers.

Well done to all of you who came to the Waterloo Night dinner last night and entered the quiz.  Many of you got most of them right but the winner was Barbara Leese. 

The correct answers are as follows:

1 Copenhagen was Wellington's horse, Marengo was Napoleon's.  Napoleon was born in Corsica
2.  Wellington is reputed to have said about his troops "I don't know what they do to the enemy but by God they frighten me"
3.  Abba
4.  Agincourt.

We hope to see you all at the Bastille celebration on 2 July when we will be serving Essington food with a French flavour.

Tearoom Special Events This Weekend!

We have 2 geat events this weekend!

Saturday 20 June:
 Waterloo Night
Join us to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the battle of Waterloo with a 3 course menu including Beef Wellington and Pork Napoleon.  The full menu is on the website.

Sunday 21 June:
Fathers' Day
Join us for our traditional carvery lunch served from 12.00 - 2.45.
Book now to be sure of your table!

PYO Strawberries
Our table-top strawberries are plentiful at the moment but it is always wise to check before you set out, especially at weekends.
The outdoor strawberries will be ready by the end of the month followed by raspberries and other crops. 

Essitalian Quiz;: The Answers!

What a lovely evening we had last night for the Essitalian night.  The sun was shining; it was lovely and warm; we could have been in Italy!

The answers to the quiz are as follows:

The politician infamous for his relationships is Berlusconi.
Garibaldi had a biscuit named after him.
Italy won the World Cup in 2006
Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II were not Italian (German and Polish)

Quite a few got 3 correct but there was only 1 fully correct.  Well done to Mary Stallard who wins a table for 2 at the Bastille supper on 2nd July

Pick Your Own Strawberries

The wind has dropped and the rain has stopped and lots more strawberries have ripened.  We have plenty to pick now from our table tops under polytunnels.  We are open every day except Monday.

There are still a few tables available for our Essitalian evening on Thursday and we have started taking bookings for Waterloo night on Saturday 20th June.

Pick Your Own Strawberries

We are sorry but the strawberry polytunnels are closed today.  All the ripe fruit was picked yesterday.

It will only take a few days to ripen up so we will have lots more next week.

Don't forget: now is the time to plant up your pots, baskets and borders.  Come and see our range of perennials and bedding plants, all at good-value prices!

Pick your own strawberries

Demand for our PYO strawberries, grown on table-tops in polytunnels has been brisk this week but the sunshine has helped them ripen and we have had enough for everybody.

We are busy today, Saturday, and there are plenty at the moment.  By the end of the day the ripe ones may have been picked and we may have to close tomorrow for a couple of days to allow more to ripen.

Watch this space for news!

The fields will be open for the outdoor crops in late June.

PYO Strawberries!

We have enough strawberries ripe today to open our polytunnels for pick your own.  While there are plenty ready now they may get picked faster than they can ripen so we cannot guarantee daily availability.  Please phone before setting out.

These strawberries are grown on table-tops so there is no bending and they are under cover!

The fields will be open for other crops at the end of June.

Bank Holiday Opening

The Bank Holiday and half term will soon be here.  We will be open every day during half term week.  ( the shop will be open Sunday and Monday 10-5; other days 9-5.  The tearoom will open 9-3 on Saturday, when we serve breakfasts until 11.00, and 11-3 other days.)

This is the traditional week for planting out bedding plants and perennials to ensure a colourful garden all summer.  We have a huge range of home-grown plants for baskets, borders or tubs and even vegetable plants.  The quality is amazing and the prices competitive so why go anywhere else?

We have started picking strawberries for the shop from our polytunnels but we are not sure whether we will have enough to open for PYO next week.  Watch this space to be kept informed.

Farm Election Poll Beats The Experts!

Well, well, well,  Who'd have thought it!  Our daft little opigion poll was more accurate than the professionals. 

Our poll had the Conservapigs in the lead consistently, showed the dreadful results for the Piggeral Democrats but overestimated UPIG who were clearly taking votes from Laboar.

Oh well, we can put the pigs away until the next election.  Any guesses when that might be?

VE Quiz: the answers

I hope you all enjoyed the VE supper.  It was a lovely meal with a wartime flavour.  The answers to the VE quiz are as follows:

VJ day is in August
Harry Truman was president on VE day (Roosevelt had died in April)
Stalin was Soviet leader
Atlee was UK deputy PM.


We hope you can join us for future themed evenings including:

Folk at the Farm, local food and folk music, Thursday 21st May
Essitalian evening, Essington food in an Italian style, Thursday 4 June
Waterloo night on Saturday 20 June, to celebrate the 200th anniversary.

Follow this blog or look out on the website or subscribe to our enewsletter to find out more details.

Swineometer: the final report!

Exciting finish to swineometer!

Thanks to all who have taken part in our fun opigion poll.

In the early days the fringe parties gained lots of support but as we got nearer to polling day there was a drift to the 2 main parties.  Here, at least, conservapigs are well ahead of laboar but the UPIG vote has been very strong and they are neck and neck with conservapigs.

It is only a bit of fun but our poll shows UPIG taking as many or more votes from laboar, and, of course, we have had no SNpig in our poll!

I will make no rash predictions but the real result could throw up any number of surprises.

Bluebells

Walk through our delightful bluebells this weekend!

Our bluebell wood will be open this Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 10-4 in aid of Motor Neurone Disease.  Feel free to turn up and enjoy this most English of scenes.  Admission is by donation (suggested £2).  The tearoom will be open from 11-3 on Sun and Mon, and 9-3 on Saturday. The shop will be open 9-5 on Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday and Monday.


New event for your diary

We are delighted to present an evening of local food and live folk music on Thursday 21 May.  Bookings for the 2 course meal will be from 6.30-7.00 and local folk group The Flaky Tarts  will be performing after the meal until about 9ish.  The whole event will be £14.95 each.  Look out for the menu on the website.

St. George's Quiz: The Answers!

It was a lovely occasion last night as we celebrated St. George's day with a special menu, thank you to all who attended.  We hope you enjoyed it.

The quiz was a great talking point as one of the questions seems to have 2 possible answers!

Depending on which source you believe St George was born in either what is now Turkey or Syria.  His father was Greek but most authorities believe he was not born in Greece himself.  With the omnipotent power of judge I have decided to allow either Turkey or Syria as correct answers!

The first 4 King Georges belonged to the house of Hanover

George Washington was the first USA president

George, Duke of Clarence, was reputed to have been drowned in a butt of malmsey.

 There were 2 tables which got all 4 correct and a draw took place to select a winner.  Well done to Dom and John Lloyd who win a meal fot two at the Waterloo night on Sat 20 June.

Meanwhile, don't forget we are celebrating VE Day with a wartime menu on Thursday 7 May. 


Bluebell walk
Our bluebell wood looks to be at its best for the May Day bank holiday weekend so please come and enjoy the scene.  Admission is by donation of around £2 which goes to Motor Neurone Disease.  The wood will be open on Sat, Sun and Mon 2-4 May from 10-3.  The shop and tearoom will also be open.

OPIGION POLL LATEST NEWS!

Votes in our opigion poll continue to be cast and show interesting results!

As we get closer to election day we are seeing a drift from the minor parties back to the mainstream ones.  UPIG continue to attract support  but are definitely fading; Conservapigs are gaining support and are currently leading.  Laboar is not making the headway they need to be first to the trough and the Piggeral Democrats are still trailing.  Greeny Pigs are fading after a respectable start but the Too Disgruntled to Vote party is doing well!

Look at the results on our swineometer!

Election fun at the farm!

Forget Yougov and all the other pollsters, the only one that matters is our own NATIONAL OPIGION POLL. 
Whose bacon will you save and who will get the chop? Register your vote for:

Conservapig
Laboar
Piggeral Democrat
UPIG
Greeny Pig
Too Disgruntled to Vote.

Watch the results reflected in our official Swine-ometer.

Voting so far showed an early surge for UPIG with Laboar and Piggeral Democrats doing very badly, Conservapig holding their own and Greeny pigs making a respectable showing.  Latterly UPIG have faded somewhat with the Too Disgruntled party picking up support.

Though only a bit of fun the results at the 2010 election were surprisingly accurate.

Sow hurry on down to the shop; sty long enough not to be boared; don't create any litter or feel gilty or even hog the ballot box; but register your vote and watch the swine-ometer!

Did you see us on TV?

Did you see us on BBC Breakfast Time last Wednesday?  They were here at 4.50am to set up ready to broadcast from 6.00am.  We we featured several times between 6.00 and 9.00 and it was an interesting morning. 

Error correction:  in the last blog with the quiz answers it should, of course, say "a pig will treat you as an equal" not "trear" !

Our next fabulous themed evening will be on Sat 25 April when we will celebrate with a St. George's day feast.  The menu is on the website.

Piggie Quiz: The aswers!

We hope you enjoyed the festival of pork last night.

The quiz answers are as follows:

Tamworth is the Staffordshire town which gives its name to a breed of pig.

The film "Babe" is based on the book "The Sheep Pig"

Tom, Tom the piper's son, stole a pig and away did run

A dog will look up to you, a cat will look down on you but a pig will trear you as an equal.


No-one got all 4 correct but several got 3.  A draw took place and the winner is Les Davies who wins a meal for two at the supper on Thursday 7 May.

Don't forget we are open all Easter, we have vegetable and flowering plants in stock so if you're energetic get gardening, otherwise come and relax over lunch!

April Dining Events

Two lovely evening events in the tearoom occur in April.

On Thursday 2nd April we have our regular sausage-plus night which this month features a festival of pork and celebration of rhubarb.  A great deal at two courses for £12.95.

Later, on Saturday 25th April we have our St. George's night celebration.

Pick up menus for both events from the farm or visit our website.

There will be the usual fun quiz for you to win a table at future meals at each event.  We look forward to seeing you there.

Last bookings for mothers'day!

We still have a few tables for mothers' day though we are nearly full.  Please book now to avoid disappointment!
We are serving lunch from 11.45 - 3.00

Pie Quiz: The answers!

Last night's pie night was a great success and, as usual, everyone had fun with the quiz.  The answers are as follows:

1.   Four and Twenty Blackbirds Baked in a Pie.

2.  So Bye Bye Miss American Pie

3.  Little Jack Horner Sat in a Corner Eating His Pudding and Pie

4.  Simple Simon Met a Pie-man.

No one got all four right but several got 3.  It was American Pie which proved difficult.  Well done to Debbie Brindley, this month's winner who wins a meal for two at the Spring Festival of Pork and Rhubarb on Thursday 2nd April.

Mothering Sunday is fast approaching so please book now for lunch.  We are always full on that day so do not leave it to the last minute!

Book Now for Mothers' Day!

Mothers' day, or, more accurately, Mothering Sunday falls on 15th of March this year.  It is always the busiest lunchtime of the year in the tearoom so prior booking is essential.
We will be serving our traditional carvery menu of our own free-range pork, local beef or turkey (vegetarian option available) from 11.45 - 2.45.
We will have a lovely selection of home-made desserts to tempt the taste-buds so don't delay, book now!

If you are cooking at home our butchers will have the perfect joint for your celebration, all produced here on the farm or from other local farms.

Look out for our special gifts for Mum.  Plants, cakes, jams and wines all make lovely presents

50 shades of grey peas

You've read the book, seen the film, now eat the ingredients!
50 shades of grey peas.  Guaranteed to delight and satisfy!

Pancake Day!

Everybody loves pancakes but not everybody knows how to make them.

We will be selling ready-made pancake batter for you to make your own or even ready-made pancakes which just need warming up.

Be sure to stock up on lemons, honey and all the other bits and pieces you will need.

Pancakes:  flippin' marvellous!

Sausage competition: The results!

We had lots of interest in the "Guess the Sausage" competion for Farmhouse Breakfast Week.  Of all the entries only one got all five correct.

Well done to Simon Gold who wins a free pack of sausage every week for a year!

The five sausages on sample were:
Pork and Red Onion
Pork and Leek
Big Breakfast Sausage
Plain Free Range Sausage
Beef and Sweet Chilli Sausage

Winter Quiz Answers

We hope you all enjoyed Thursday evening. 

The answers to the quiz were as follows:

The Shakespeare play was A Winter's Tale
There was a bit of a split about which stories feature Lady de Winter!  She is the beautiful but sinister character in The Three Musketeers.  There is a Mrs. de Winter in Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca so that was only nearly right!
The winter of 1978/9 was nicknamed the winter of discontent.
"Now is the winter of our discontent" is a quote from Richard the third.

Burns: the answers

What a great evening the Burns dinner was!
We had a record attendance, good food and a lovely atmosphere.

You will be wondering about the answers to the quiz:
The link between Steinbeck and Burns is the mouse.  "Of Mice and Men", the title of one of his best-known novels, is a quote from Burns' famous poem about a mouse.
My love is like....a red, red rose.
Most scots do not cross hands in Auld Lang Syne until the second verse.
Burns' wife was Jean Armour.

Don't forget our next themed evening is our Winter Warmer night this Thursday 5th Feb when we have a menu of sausage and mash or lamb hotpot.  At £12.95 for 2 courses it is a winter warming bargain.  Come and enjoy it, do the quiz for a chance of winning a meal for two at the next evening!
See you there!

For Valentines day we will be offering a special deal on the butchers' counter.  Buy 2 rib-eye steaks and 2 slices of homemade cheesecake and receive a free bottle of wine!  More details shortly!

Tuesday 3rd Feb is the final chance for you to win a year's supply of sausage by correctly identifying 5 of our famous sausages.  Don't delay!!

A Year's Supply of Sausage FREE!

Win a year's supply of sausage free of charge in our special competition for Farmhouse Breakfast Week.

Every day this week from Tuesday 27 January - Sunday 1 February we will have 5 flavours of sausage available to sample.  All you have to do is identify them from the list of flavours and enter them on the competition form.  The one with the most correct will win a free pack worth approximately £2 each week for a year.  In the event of a tie a draw will take place.
There is a second prize of a breakfast hamper.

Join us for breakfast on Saturday and get a free cup of tea with a full cooked breakfast.

What's On In January

Celebrate Farmhouse Breakfast Week and win a year's supply of sausage!

This annual festival is the last week in January and we are holding a Guess The Sausage competition.  Every day from the 27th Jan to 1st Feb we will have 5 of our famous home-made free-range sausage to sample.  All you need to do is to identify them from our list of flavours.  The person with the most correct answers will receive  a free pack of sausage worth approx. £2 every week for a year!  In the event of a tie a draw will take place.  There is a second prize of a breakfast hamper.

Our next Sausage-Plus evening in the tearoom will be on Thursday 5 February when we have a Winter Warmer menu of Sausage and Mash or Lamb Hotpot: great home cooking at affordable prices.  See the menu on this website.

On the butchers from Tuesday 20 January we have our own free-range streaky bacon at 15% off.

On the farm we have plenty to do in the winter.  We are pruning blackberries, currants and gooseberries and even Christmas trees ready for next year!  The pigs and cattle need daily attention and, of course we have the fresh vegetables to harvest, not a popular job in the snow and frost!