Don’t you just love Spring? Longer daylight hours, the birds full of song and the hedgerows and gardens springing into life! Soon the grass verge beneath the trees in the Valley Road will be full of beautiful bright yellow daffodils for us all to enjoy.

 

And there’s plenty more to enjoy in your local community store. Bunched daffodils are available to purchase from the cart situated outside the shop front. On 1st March, we will support the Marie Curie Great Daffodil Appeal, inviting customers to make a donation and to wear a daffodil as a reminder of the great work Marie Curie do.

No one in the world loves pies more than the British and March 7th to 14th is a celebration of this traditional dish in British Pie week. Sweet or savoury, there’s a pie for every occasion. We have a lovely range of pies in store from two award winning suppliers; East Sussex based fresh Tailormade Pies and Ashford based Kentish Mayde frozen pies. We aim to do a tasting of a selection of ready to eat Tailormade pies during this week, so come in to try something different; perhaps chicken and ham, pork caramelised onion and cheddar or the hand-raised pork pie. For a vegetarian option there’s a roasted root vegetable and halloumi pie. The peppered steak in mushroom sauce and chicken, gammon and leek pies are the two most popular individual pies which can be eaten hot or cold.

 

Kentish Mayde provide a range of larger pies including the popular family sized steak & ale, steak and kidney and chicken & bacon pies as well as the medium sized chicken and asparagus and the small vegetarian spinach and mushroom pie. Spring is not too late to tuck into a tasty warming steak and kidney suet pudding and we have an option from both companies to indulge in!

Mothering Sunday on the 27th March is a special day of celebration to thank our Mums with a gift. We have a good selection of boxed chocolates, something special for every chocoholic Mum. Our range includes the Lindt Swiss Luxury Collection, Guylian Belgian Chocolate pralines, Laica Chocolate Collection Tin and vegan Booja-Booja Selection Truffles along with favourites including Belgid’Or Classic Cocoa Dusted truffles, Cadbury’s Roses and Lindor milk chocolates with that smooth melting filling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 You may have noticed the Post Office flag as you walk or drive along Valley Road. It’s being circulated around the local post offices and is a great reminder of the fantastic services offered inside.

Rural Business Awards 2022 Winners!

For those of you who don’t know, we are the national winners of the Best Rural Social Enterprise, Charity or Community Project in the Rural Business Awards 2022.

What an amazing achievement, and each and every one of us involved with the store should be very proud!
We have the Taste of Kent Awards 2022 coming up in May and we are entering two categories – Kent Food Retailer of the Year and the Kent Community Award.  Wish us luck…