Fordmore Farm Shop achieves gold

Fordmore Farm Shop and Cafe, based just outside Cullompton, was awarded a prestigious gold in the Taste of the West awards.

Taste of the West judges visited the Farm Shop at the beginning of July and were impressed by its locally sourced goods, quality produce, and friendly service. 

When awarding the shop its gold result, the judges said: “This is a first-class farm shop. It does what it says on the tin by selling their own, excellent produce, but also has so much more to it. 

“There are ambient goods from jams to drinks, fresh produce from flowers to pies, a large butcher counter, a fish shop (which though not strictly part of the farm shop is part of the whole development), frozen goods, and gifts, including, amongst other things, mugs, tins, rugs, and cards.” 

The report stated: “At a rough guess, we would think that at least 75 per cent of the produce was locally sourced, with much of the offerings from the farm itself. Another 20% was British, with only a very few products coming from abroad.

"There was an extensive butchery counter with all the beef coming from the farm and the rest of the meat from the local area. Much of the produce was not only local but from very close to the farm, if not from the farm itself. The shop even sold local flowers—a rare sight. 

“Everyone we spoke to knew exactly where each product was from and could talk knowledgeably about it, which was fabulous!

Above: Butcher and shop manager Dom and assistant shop manager Jess. Image: Fordmore Farm Shop

“The staff were all welcoming and chatty. They looked smart in their black uniforms, knew where each product was sourced from, and were happy to find out the answer to questions they couldn’t immediately answer. The service was top-notch.

“The whole shop was spotless; the layout was well thought out and made for relaxed browsing, and the produce all showed off attractively. The staff themselves looked presentable and very approachable.

“As they come up to their fifth anniversary, we are sure they will be here for many more years to come.”

Tom Harradine, the owner of Fordmore Farm Shop, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded gold by Taste of the West. We aim to provide high-quality local produce for our customers, and we’re pleased this has been recognised by Taste of the West, along with the recognition for our staff, who are real champions of the amazing food and drink from our area.” 

Taste of the West is the UK's largest independent regional food group, promoting local food and drink from the South West of England. 

Its aim is to champion food and drink producers in the West Country, as well as all the places that serve and sell them.