Don't forget Farmers' Market this Saturday 9.30-1pm- Tell us what you think.....
Love it ;-)
Fresh from the White House Farm, Norwich garden this morning, 50p/globe artichoke. Boil in water for 40 mins, and enjoy in melted butter - yum!
Grab your ready picked strawberries from White House Farm, Norwich before 4pm and settle into a truly British Wimbledon men's final!
Fantastic photo by Ella picking at White House Farm, Norwich Send your photos to us for a chance to win a £20 BBQ pack in the butchery.
Retail units in the making......- Missed White House Farm, Norwich on BBC Radio Norfolk? Catch up listening to Steve the butcher, Anya the baker and all the team. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03y9569#play
Super duper....thanks BBC Radio Norfolk for an excellent show live from the farm!
Naturally everyone gets an interview! BBC Radio Norfolk
Listen in this morning 10-12pm @bbcNorfolk radio live this morning!- http://www.edp24.co.uk/going-out/ten_places_in_norfolk_where_you_can_pick_your_own_fruit_and_veg_1_4604806
If I had to pick a month, I'd say it was July; the month for soft fruit when all the hard earned farmer’s work over the winter months comes into fruition. Before the pickers arrive, in cool mornings, I'll walk the rows of raspberries, currants and table top strawberries contemplating the day ahead, my ear tuned into my favourite White House Farm bird, the yellow hammer. As one wise, silver-haired customer, who has been picking and jam making with us for years, pointed out, if you listen carefully, he enthusiastically sings to the tune of, a ‘'Little bit of bread and no cheese!' It makes me smile every time.
I consider myself incredibly lucky to be joining the family business in Sprowston on the edge of the ever expanding city, but it does come with its challenges. Revolutionising an established business and moving with the trends is no easy feat. Since the 70s when the business was at its prime, a whole heap of socioeconomic changes have occurred, impacting us in different ways.
For example, we’re no longer governed by our chest freezer: we have supermarkets with every fruit you can think of at our disposal year round.
PYO is no longer a necessity but a family day out. Plus the price of labour is vastly greater than it was 30 years ago.
So, in order to survive, we’ve had to change accordingly. We’ve added our café, farmshop and most recently a thriving butchery, but we’ve needed
to think creatively where fruit picking is concerned. We note the tremendous footfall each summer yet find ourselves disheartened by the small amount of fruit picked by customers. So this year, we’ve taken others’ lead and introduced an entry free, a minimum spend (to be deducted from fruit picked) to balance the hungry mouths that pass through.
Like all things on the farm, it’s an experiment and I hope it will deter the time wasters but reassure the core, trusted pickers that we are trying to ensure the PYO experience does not become a thing of the past. After all, you can’t beat it: sunny days, juicy, fresh berries that taste like no other, a spot of jam making - and my friend the ‘cheese bird’ singing in your ear!
- VERY excited to host BBC Radio Norfolk live at the farm 10-12pm tomorrow morning. Tune in, or even come and talk to @Edd_Smith amongst the raspberry canes!
Beautiful from the Feast Norfolk team. Pick up in the shop for free, or read while you have a latte in the sun! Still lots of strawberries is anyone was wondering!
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
