Congratulations to The Pantry Farm Shop for winning the Springvale Foods Hamper Competition. Entrants were required to send in a photo which they believe represents their store the best! Read about our winner below...
We all know the feeling of stumbling across a farm shop, hidden in remote lanes of the country side. Come rain or shine, these country-side food emporiums never fail to deliver. But… not so many of us know the feeling of popping to the farm shop on your local high street!
The Pantry Farm Shop emerged on Sudbury High Street, in Suffolk, when Jonathan and Ashleigh ventured to fulfil their dream of bringing the artisan food experience of a farm shop to the high-street.
Jonathan, who previously worked in the city, and his wife Ashleigh, formerly a teacher, made the decision to move to Sudbury with their two children and start their new venture to do something a bit different, and revive the more traditional way of buying food and drink, something lost in our weekly shop to the big supermarkets.
Being a family venture, since opening in November 2016, Jonathan and Ashleigh have ran The Pantry themselves, with the help of their two children on Saturdays! At the beginning of August, the team expanded. With Judith joining, Jonathan and Ashleigh are very excited to share the responsibilities and excitement of running the Pantry with the new member of the team.
The Pantry prides itself on championing local produce and sharing the very best that East Anglia has to offer. Inside the Pantry you will find 85% of stock is sourced from East Anglia, with well-known brands such as Tiptree making their mark. The Pantry also supports a range of unheard champions such as Taste Collectiv… a range of sauces made in Suffolk that are flying off the shelf!
The Farm Shop's black board maps the distances some of the local produce travels to reach The Pantry!
Behind the till area, a map shows the distances some of the local produce travels to reach The Pantry. To name a few- the meat is sourced from Totham Bangers, a family run butcher based 25 miles in the heart of the Essex countryside. Eggs are sourced 29 miles away, from Havensfield Eggs, based at the top of Suffolk. The jams travel 16 miles from Tiptree… and their salt makes the 22-mile journey from Maldon…. Yes, you guessed the brand- Maldon Sea Salt!
Ashleigh noted that some of their best sellers from Springvale Foods are the Tiptree’s ‘Salted Caramel Spread’ and the Stokes sauces- particularly the ‘Sticky Pickle’, which they sold a whole case of the same morning that the Springvale delivery arrived! It seems no-one can resist the Border Biscuits either- the ‘Lemon Drizzle Melts’ are very popular in the summer! Lots of customers are also favouring the Belvoir Pressé range to invent their own fruity gin and tonics… don’t mind if we do!
The Pantry recently celebrated success in being named a finalist in the East Anglian Daily Times Top 3 ‘Best Independent Retailer’. An award which requires being nominated by their own customers, proves as evidence of the strength of the community that has formed within The Pantry in such a short space of time!
We look forward to watching The Pantry continue to flourish, and are proud to be providing them with the unique brands which set their farm shop apart from the rest!
The Pantry Farm Shop, Sudbury, Suffolk
Inside The Pantry Farm Shop, Sudbury, Suffolk
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