Farm shop named as finalist in Farm Shop & Deli Retailer Awards

The panel of judges, led by food and drink broadcaster and champion, Nigel Barden, recognise achievements made by retailers in the independent sector.

Sky Park Farm Shop opened in October 2021. Established as a community hub, the ethos of supporting local is clear; 80% of produce sold in the shop is produced within a 30-mile radius, local employment opportunities have been created and healthy lifestyle options are offered.

Situated on the borders of Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire, the team behind this sustainable and inclusive, modern Farm Shop realised the locality was a centre of leading food and drink producers, as a result the very best culinary produce from the South Downs to the surrounding coast is available to purchase and Sky Park Farm Shop has become a go to for locals.

Shopping at Sky Park Farm Shop is experiential, a team of experts are on hand to guide gourmets and encourage adventurous shopping.

Sky Park’s food offering goes beyond the norm or expected; daily specials can be found in the smoker, a dry-ager ensures the most tender beef cuts, a milk vending machine is environmentally friendly, produce packaging credentials are carefully considered, biltong is produced in house, four of the homemade bacons have been awarded 2 Stars by Great Taste Awards and a range of home-cooked frozen ready meals have been developed for customer ease.

The piece de resistance are Sky Park’s bees, with a glass-fronted central hive feature in the shop – is this the only Farm Shop where you can watch honey production while you shop?

Within the last 12 months Sky Park’s butcher’s counter has tripled in size, the deli counter has doubled and venison produced on site is now only used to supply the shop, reflecting the increase in demand from customers for this ‘zero-miles’, lean meat. The business overcame the significant challenge created by the closure of the A272 following the devastating fire in Midhurst in March 2023 which impacted so many livelihoods.

Judging for the Farm Shop & Deli Awards took place last November. An esteemed panel of judges including industry experts from Paxton & Whitfield and Cannon Hall Farm came together at Fortnum & Mason for a day of deliberations and decisions. From this they created their shortlist of category finalists, whittled down from hundreds of entries, by taking into consideration the achievements retailers have made in the independent sector.

Sky Park Farm Shop is one of seven finalists in the Small Farm Shop category. The winners will be announced on April 29.

Sky Park’s Farm Shop team are delighted by the recent news. Ryan Grant, Operations Director, commented: “This is much deserved recognition for our loyal team who have worked hard since the Farm Shop’s inauguration.

“We strive to sell the best produce, to provide the best service, in the best surroundings and regardless of the final results, as a newcomer this acknowledgement proves we are on track.”