A HARVINGTON farm shop and cafe has been shortlisted to win a Countryside Alliance award in the Local Food/Drink category.
Ellenden Farm Shop and Farmhouse Kitchen café is among the names shortlisted for the awards which are an annual celebration of British food and farming, enterprise and heritage through small hard-working businesses.
The awards are now in their 14th year and have become the definitive rural business award to win. They are set apart from other award schemes because they are driven by public nomination, offering customers the chance to organisers why their favourite businesses are worthy of national acclaim.
The awards received more than 17,000 nominations this year so Ellenden Farm Shop has done extremely well to be shortlisted.
The Turner family have been farming at Coughton since 1960; in 2007 they acquired Ellenden Farm, and its farm shop, at Harvington, near Evesham. This enabled them to sell their own beef and lamb, in addition to a wide range of fresh produce from their own farms and other local suppliers.
In 2017 the Farm Shop expanded and the Farmhouse Kitchen café was opened, employing a chef to create home-cooked meals using Ellenden’s and other locally sourced produce.
Sara Turner, who alongside her husband David co-owns and runs Ellenden, said: “We feel very honoured to have been nominated for this award by our local community, and delighted that our ethics in supporting local family businesses is being recognized.
“We are incredibly proud of our team, who work very hard to help grow the farm shop and café.”
Countryside Alliance awards director Sarah Lee said: “We have been overwhelmed by nominations this year. The secret to the Rural Oscars’ popularity is that they honour the people involved in these businesses and not just their produce or services.
“They exist to sing the praises of those who work hard to keep our communities and rural economy ticking, but don’t seek the spotlight.
“These awards provide a cause for celebration in a time of great uncertainty in the countryside. Our local produce is second to none and there are many community heroes and businesses worthy of national recognition,” she added.
Visit www.countryside-alliance.org/campaigns/caawards for more.
