We’re proud to say that 25% of our produce is grown, raised or made within 30 miles of the shop. We now have 46 local suppliers and the list continues to grow.
We also supplies from Cottage Loaf in Fordingbridge, Long Crichel bakery near Wimborne and Bakehouse24 in Ringwood.
We have regular meat supplies from Mays of Fordingbridge and Hale Pig & Poultry, and meat pies from Mays of Fordingbridge. When it’s available, we offer Home Park Beef (raised in Hale) and Jack McNulty’s lamb and pork from the pigs and sheep he keeps in the field behind the shop ( How LOCAL is that?). There’s also smoked brown and rainbow trout, along with delicious trout pâté from New Forest Smokery and Trout Farm.
Our milk is local: Pensworth from Southampton and Ivy Farm from Frome (OK, that’s 39 miles away, but still pretty local, eh?). We have local cheese supplies from Lyburn Farm and Crook and Churn, and Rosary Goat’s Cheese, all tasty and of great quality.
Toukie Sheldon keeps us well stocked with her fudge and set, runny, or heather honey all produced less than a mile from the shop (as the bee flies). For chocoholics, we have mint chocolates from Summerdown Mints in Basingstoke and New Forest Chocolate from Hale. Our old favourite, New Forest Ice Cream from Lymington is always available.
Our great range of beers includes long-standing favourites from Ringwood, Downton and Hopback Breweries: all local breweries with excellent reputations. Cider drinkers are not forgotten either, with a good stock of New Forest Cider from Burley.
We also have a wide range of local gifts and crafts: Greeting Cards, View Cards and Notelets by Barry Miles and Pete Gilbert (and don’t forget his book, “A year in the New Forest”). We also stock postcards and notelets depicting the Woodgreen Village Hall murals. There are woodcrafts from Edward Newsham, felt textiles from Sarah Waters and ceramics from Textile Studio at Godshill, and a range of gifts from Dangly Hearts. And lets not forget Seb’s Surf hand made rope work bracelets and key rings
Making Local Food Work…is rooted in the belief that the needs of consumers, producers and the land are interdependent and that community enterprise can strengthen and reconnect these links to the lasting benefit of all.
People buy local food for many reasons: local food is fresher than shipped-in food and so it tastes better and is more nutritious; local food has fewer food miles and is better for the environment; local food helps support the local economy; local food is more easily traced back to its origins.