What good is the warmth of summer without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.

As I write our seasonal newsletter in mid-October I’m always reminded of how inextricably linked we are to the seasons.

With so much of the food we raise, grow or make here at the shop coming from our farm it’s hard not to be affected by the changes which comes with the movement of time. It doesn’t seem like 2 minutes since we tasted our first asparagus of the year (6 months ago!) or were sending the Christmas tree stands down to storage at the farm (11 months!). Which brings us to winter? This time of year Northumberland is one of the truly special places in Britain. Whether it’s long walks along one of our stunning beaches or hearing the crunch of frost under your feet up in Thrunton woods I really think we are spoilt.

Regular visitors to the shop will have noticed a few changes over the last few months. Since we opened the shop 14 years ago I have always wanted to let customers see first-hand where our produce comes from as well as letting them see some of the people involved in bringing it to us. With this in mind and to tie in with the launch of this new website we teamed up with a local photographer to try and capture the essence of Blagdon. With the benefits, both economic and nutritionally, of eating and shopping locally now well documented its reassuring to be able to see food, in some cases quite literally, coming out of the ground. All the faces you see around the walls of the shop or on the website all work either here or on the farm, and all the food was made by hand by the wonderful girls and boys in our Bakehouse and Craft Butchery. No actors and no-one was paid just passionate, hardworking people devoted to bringing you, our lovely customers, the tastiest and freshest food they possibly can.

In closing, can I wish you and all those who matter to you a wonderful Christmas and thank you for your continued support. Jo.