Welcoming in 2023 at Five Acre Farm!

We have lots of tasty fresh produce from our own farm, Farringtons Organic farm in Somerset and Riverford Organic, for those looking to restore health and balance after the indulgences of the festive season. We also have lots of vegan alternatives and inspiration if you’ve decided to keep going with veganism after veganuary, alongside some great vegan cook books!

We are all about the spice this month with a gorgeous new range of spice tins-Spice Pots and new cookbooks including Spicebox by Grace Regan-100 curry house recipes made vegan. The book is full of vibrant plant-based recipes. Check out our jackfruit biryani recipe too.

New in-store

We are delighted to say we will be adding Psychopomp gin to our range this month along with local beer legends Moor Beer, as well as the new alcohol-free beer Zero Gravity from Good Chemistry and Tomorrow from Wiper and True. Great news for local beer lovers!

We have lots of gardening books. For those who are starting to plan their growing season, or those taking a first plunge into the world of growing there’s lots of useful, practical and coffee table inspiration available in-store, including Charles Dowding’s legendary” No Dig” as well as the practical “Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet” and other titles, alongside vegetable, herb and flower seeds. Now is the time to plan for those lighter, warmer months.

Our brilliant Five Acre Farm production kitchen, which is based in Five acre Farm Shop, have launched a range of humous, all made in house! It’s super tasty and will replace Moist humous. Moist have decided to take a break from supplying to shops for now, but don’t fear they will still be appearing at markets including our own Tobacco Factory Sunday Market so you can still get your fix!

The production kitchen will also be re-opening the matchbox smoothie kiosk at Tobacco Factory Sunday Market for healthy fruit and veg smoothies and some very naughty doughnuts! (well it is all about balance!)

The production kitchen make all the cakes sold in the shop and Tobacco Factory café, as well as the sandwiches, savoury pastries and jarred goods sold in the shop.

They also make the pies on the menu in Tobacco Factory and Grain Barge, they are one busy team!

Supplier stories

Our featured supplier this month is Muti. Muti are based in Bristol and produce amazing hot sauces, kraut and Kimchi. We are big fans at Five Acre Farm Shop.

Fermented hot sauces packed with vibrancy, flavour & gut nourishing nutrients. Made with fresh ingredients from local independent suppliers & preserved naturally with lactic acid produced during fermentation, they are some of the only vinegar-free hot sauces available in the UK.

Heat levels range from feisty to ferocious, but flavour is always at the heart of a Muti hot sauce. Delicious & complex, these hot sauces will tantalise your tastebuds & lift any meal.

Elevate your eggs, toasties, tacos, grills, stir-fries, soups, & pizza to a whole new level of deliciousness.

DOWN ON THE FARM

While we still have some nice salad coming from our polytunnels, as well as kale and gourmet mushrooms, January on the farm is mostly a time for maintenance and planning ahead. We will be going big on squash in 2023, so look forward to some bumper displays in the autumn. New crops we will be growing include huazontle or ‘Aztec Broccoli’, a Mexican plant whose big seedheads have a lovely flavour and texture when sauteed or steamed. Keep an eye out in the shop!

Because of bird flu, all chickens in England currently need to be kept enclosed to keep them away from wild birds. We didn’t want to keep our chooks cooped up inside, so we’ve built a big mobile chicken run with a roof and netted sides, meaning that they still get to explore outside while we keep them safe and follow the rules. It means that we will also be able to move them on to finished vegetable crops, where they can fertilise the soil and keep pests in check. Eggs from our hens can be bought at the Flower Barn on the farm, open Friday-Monday.