WalsinghamVillage.org | Norfolk, England

Top news is our win in the Aylsham Show food heroes awards, and next is the North Norfolk Food Festival at Holkham this weekend, when we’ll be joining around 60 of Norfolk’s finest food producers to show off the best of our produce.

In season now: new apples include Falstaff from our own trees, we still have plums from Leith Orchards at Burnham Thorpe, with Victorias now in; there are lovely green runner beans, cauliflower, beetroot and courgettes.

With the shooting season starting, there’s partridge and pheasant to look forward to, and plenty of local venison, hare and pigeon to enjoy in the meantime.

Read the full September/October newsletter

Harvesting and holidays are well under way, so mind those combines and caravans on the roads! In season now: the first apples are just in, Discovery, while strawberries are still delicious, is this the longest season ever? Plums from Leith Orchards at Burnham Thorpe are coming through with different varieties through the season; Norfolk grown salads, slim new carrots, new potatoes, fresh peas and broad beans, lovely runner beans; courgettes.

New media! We are on Facebook and Twitter and starting a blog, so you can like us and follow us and all that and we’ll try to keep you posted with topical local foodie related info.

We still enjoy reading your real-life comment cards each month which you can fill out at the shops, and try to act on your suggestions: and it’s the way to enter our monthly draw to win a £20 gift voucher to spend in either of our shops or restaurants. Our gift vouchers come in denominations of £5, £10 and £20, and make a great present.

Read the full July/August newsletter

With the best asparagus and the sweetest earliest strawberries for years still in full flow, brought on by this dry sunny weather, even depressed farmers can enjoy a treat while they’re praying for some decent rain. Water shortage has affected many vegetable crops, but if a bit smaller, the flavour of some, such as the amazing strawberries, and even carrots can be richer and fuller. In season now: still plenty of rhubarb, skinny new carrots, new potatoes, early green peas and broad beans.

We’ve just built a new bigger cold store in the garden of the Walsingham shop to help keep our vegetables fresh through the summer weather. Also just in and while stocks last, we have comb honey from Walsingham Apiaries, Walsingham honey producer Pat Marshall and her family. We enjoy reading your comment cards each month, and try to act on your suggestions: if you fill one in you could win a £20 gift voucher to spend in either of the shops or restaurants.

Read the full May-June 2011 newsletter

With festivities this month from Easter to the Royal Wedding and the early May bank holiday, there are plenty of reasons to enjoy some really delicious local fare – and maybe a bit more time to spend, and actually enjoy, in the kitchen?

There may even be some barbecue weather! In season now: still plenty of purple sprouting broccoli, beautiful pointed spring cabbage and great cauliflowers. All the tomatoes we’re stocking now are English. Fresh wild rabbit is an economical and healthy treat; try roasting, thinly coated with smooth mustard and wrapped in bacon, or casseroled with prunes. Coming in soon: locally grown salad leaves, early asparagus.

Read/download the full April 2011 Newsletter (PDF) here

March brings fresh produce with the slightly warmer temperatures and also National Butcher’s Week, starting on 13th. Time to appreciate the skills of our butchers, who can not only prepare your meat just as you like it, but introduce you to new, or rather old, traditional, and now unfamiliar cuts. In season now: pale pink ‘champagne’ rhubarb, purple sprouting broccoli, Jerusalem artichokes, cauliflowers, cabbage and curly kale. Fresh hare, venison and pigeon are still plentiful. Monthly prize draw: just fill out one of our cards to enter, to win one of our £20 gift vouchers, and also to sign up to get the newsletter by email if you wish.

Read the full March 2011 Newsletter from Walsingham Farm Shops

Spring must be on the way, the birds are singing, snowdrops are in bloom at Walsingham, and fresh new produce is available in the shops. In season now: tender spring greens, pale pink forced rhubarb, Jerusalem artichokes, cauliflowers, cabbage and curly kale. Fresh hare, venison and pigeon are plentiful.

Monthly prize draw: just fill out one of our suggestion cards to enter, to win one of our £20 gift vouchers to spend in the shops or in one of the restaurants, and sign up to receive our newsletter by email if you wish.

Read the full February 2011 Newsletter from Walsingham Farm Shops