We're closed today (Mondays), but looking forward to seeing you tomorrow :-)
Charlotte Gurney looks back over the past 50 years at the family farm as the fruit picking season takes hold
AFTER MORE THAN 50 years of accessing the farm from Blue Boar Lane on the north east side of Norwich, this month sees the arrival of an altogether new route. It's all thanks to a new housing development behind Tesco, meaning that we'll now have a smooth new road, almost entirely for our customers, linking us neatly to both the Salhouse and Wroxham Roads.
For the next couple of months, you'll need to come off the Park and Ride roundabout on the Wroxham Road and whizz in over a couple of roundabouts, via a host of official WHF signs. No more bumps, dusty cars, or noisy diggers chewing up the road - hurrah I hear you all say!
It's incredible looking back at old photos of the farm back in the day, images that so many of our customers will remember and relate to. Back in the 70s, PYO was all the rage, with chest freezers being the start of the white goods trend. It was a family activity to grab any vessel and venture down to White House Farm to ensure there would be plenty of frozen berries to fish out once winter arrived, keeping those summer memories alive. But in truth, PYO was a fortunate accident and leap of faith for the Gurney family; after years of commercial fruit growing for the Wroxham Fruit Growers, some of whose boxes prop up our farmshop displays to this day, supply chains changed and the family found themselves with hundreds of blackcurrants and no buyers.
Some quick thinking led to the gates being opened almost over night to the public, with a note 'Pick Your Own' being stuck up on Blue Boar Lane. And so the advocate of PYO came about as hoards of pickers showed their enthusiasm to pick, starting us on the journey that got us to the farmshop destination you see today.
You'll have noticed all the new shops, and this month, we see the latest arrival in the form of a children's nursery. Once Upon a Time, an established Norwich business owned by John and Julie Banbury, open their fourth nursery on the farm. We're delighted to have them with us - another member of the family and they are a firm reminder of how far the farm has come in 50 years.
Evolving with the times has been key to our survival and while PYO has its challenges, we'll still be welcoming pickers once again this summer. White House Farm stages regular monthly farmers’ markets. Over the summer, they are on July 15 & August 19.
Press 6 July 2017
Read the full article here.Press 5 July 2017- So very grateful to the EDP for this great feature in your paper today!News 5 July 2017 | Like/Comment
A big welcome to everyone at Once Upon a Time opening this week! Enjoy the farm!News 4 July 2017 | Like/Comment
Heads up to our beadie eyed FB followers; from tomorrow you can start your strawberry picking! Please note an entry deposit will apply.News 3 July 2017 | Like/Comment
My summer pud #freshberries #readypickedNews 2 July 2017 | Like/Comment
Fool me....fresh and available in the shop!News 1 July 2017 | Like/Comment
Lamb on the BBQ tonight? #diyfood #yourlocalbutcherNews 1 July 2017 | Like/Comment- Wanna see the magic this weekend? Make a visit to White House Farm, Norwich and try our Award Winning Sausages!News 30 June 2017 | Like/Comment
Some of the friends we've met at the show. ;-)News 29 June 2017 | Like/Comment
Thanks Feast Norfolk for hosting today's event at the Royal Norfolk Show. Great teepee, coffee, speakers and flapjacks! ;-)News 28 June 2017 | Like/Comment
Going to the Norfolk Show today? Come and join us at 2pm on stand 261 as we talk about the White House Farm, Norwich journey!News 28 June 2017 | Like/Comment- Relive the hottest June day, even if the sun has gone in!News 27 June 2017 | Like/Comment
- Let's get dancing!!! We now have a dance studio at White House Farm, Norwich.News 26 June 2017 | Like/Comment
- Great photo GroWild....News 25 June 2017 | Like/Comment
Recent reviews
- “Went here to today and had a lovely time. We had a lovely lunch, jacket potatoes filled with tuna with scrummy hot chocolates followed by the most yummy lemon drizzle cake.” Sarah L.
- “Considering it was busy the service was excellent . We had a lovely browse around the shops.
Will definitely be returning.”Lily P. - “Great butcher, fantastic meat, great coffee and cakes!” Jim B.
- “A Hidden Gem, I love this place as it has so much to offer, a lovely coffee shop with a real fire, a butchers with great local meats. The BBQ chicken kebabs are great. There are new businesses outside, Hairdressers, Florists, Nursery (children's) - lots on offer.” Brian G.
- “Lived in Sprowston for 20 years but this was my first visit to White House Farm. Wish we'd gone sooner. Lovely farm shop with great produce. We bought a couple of egg and bacon baps and ate them outside in the sunshine with two very nice coffees. Friendly and prompt service. Recommended.” Jonathan G.
- “The sausage rolls are amazing! Can't leave without one.”Sarah
- “Great place - a wonderful family run this place and are always very welcoming. Coffee, cakes, and GREAT butchers.”Nathan
- “Lovely family run cafe and shop, staff are very friendly and even though they were extremely busy, they still provided excellent service! We had a fabulous lunch with delicious soup and amazing cakes!”Beth
- “Wonderful place! Pleasure to drink coffee here”Aldona
- “Amazing place! The staff are so friendly, the sausage rolls are awesome and the chocolate cake was to die for. Coffee was fab too.”Vanessa
- “Lovely little shop and a very warm welcome. Wish we had more places like this back home.”Becca
- “Went here to today had a lovely time. We had a lovely lunch, jacket potatoes filled with tuna with scrummy hot chocolates followed by the most yummy lemon drizzle cake. Considering it was busy the service was excellent . We had a lovely browse around the shops. Will definitely be returning.”Sarah
- “Love the sausages and meat. Always fresh and tastes so much better than from anywhere else.”Carol
- “Visited today for the farmers market, first visit in a while, and very impressed with all the new additions here. Well worth a visit, keep up the good work.”Gary
- “What a wonderful place! I wish I had visited sooner. Delicious lunch and some fantastic local produce on sale in the shop. Very friendly staff. Will definitely be back!”Leyla
- “A really good work force. Good customer service, and most of all the food is good too.”Mike
- “This is our third year buying our Halloween pumpkins from White House Farm. The children love it and we love picking up a little extra in the Farm Shop. The White House Farm apple juice is divine.”Amy
- “Great cafe and fantastic farm shop. And the bonus of lovely little shops in the new converted barns”Darren
- “You wouldn't believe the city is nearby... Lovely... ”Ctibor
- “Simply a lovely place. PYO Paradise! Friendly and very professional family enterprise. Superb food: even the sausage rolls are in a class of their own! Well worth a visit.”David