Waitrose opens farm shop at Leckford Estate
Waitrose has opened its own farm shop at its Leckford Estate farm in Hampshire.
Known as ‘The Farm Shop, Leckford Estate’, the 165 square metre shop has created 20 new jobs and will act as a showcase for food grown on the farm.
The shop will sell over 1,000 products with a strong emphasis on quality and locally sourced food. As well as stocking the farm’s own products, the Estate has worked with Taste of the South East and Hampshire Fare to source goods from over 60 suppliers in the local area.
Situated in Leckford, on the River Test, the 4,000 acre Estate is a working farm producing arable crops, including rapeseed for the farm’s own rapeseed oil and bread making wheat which is used to make a range of flour.
Never Miss a Retail Update!The farm also supplies milk, apples, pears, apple juice, cider and chestnut mushrooms as well as Leckford free range chickens which are sold in Waitrose branches.
Iain Dalton, head of Leckford Estate, said: “Waitrose is in a very fortunate position to have its own farm, and the new shop, which is totally unique for Waitrose, can showcase not just the food produced on the Estate, but allow outstanding local and regional food producers to flourish. The shop will sell the highest quality food and if something proves popular, there is the potential for it to be sold more widely.”
The shop, which is housed in a bespoke oak framed building, also has an 80 seat coffee shop serving fresh food and drinks.
