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The new farm shop ‘Cobbs at Englefield’ has officially opened in one of our former barns on the A340 near Theale. What was once a derelict cow-shed has been transformed into a beautiful farm shop full of delicious local produce.
The launch event on Saturday, March 9th saw eager customers explore each corner of the foodie paradise, from the delicatessen - packed full of delicious British cheeses, pies and deli treats - to the butchery counter, trading high welfare local meats.
A selection of local producers were there to share samples of their products, their expertise and their stories with customers.
The new on-site café was also packed with customers relaxing with a coffee and sampling the new menu. Like all of the Cobbs Farm Co. sites, the café boasts many of the wonderful local products found on the shelves in the shop.
Many of the original features of the former cow-sheds have been retained in the new 7,000 sq ft farm shop, with antique beams on show and as many materials as possible re-used. The original roof tiles, unique to the Englefield Estate, have been maintained and cow-shed stall timbers finish the detail of the shop and café.
Jemma Bentley, Area Manager for Cobbs Farm Shops, said: “We’d like to say thank you to everyone who visited us for our grand opening, it exceeded all of our expectations. We are very proud of the new farm shop, after years in the making, the opening day showed us it was all worth the wait.
“It was amazing to see so many people visit us and enjoy great local food as much as we do. We’d like to thank our wonderful producers who sampled on the day – we love sharing your passion, stories and products. And to our amazing staff, who worked tirelessly in the build up to our grand opening as well as on the day where they continued to give great service through the business. Thank you!”
A joint retail venture between Englefield Estate and Cobbs Farm Co., the new expanded farm shop has created 25 new jobs.
Edward Crookes, Estates Director for Englefield Estate, said: “It is very exciting to see the plans for Cobbs at Englefield come to fruition and, judging by the numbers attending the opening day, it is going to continue to be extremely popular. It is a huge asset for the community.
“We are pleased to have invested in a farm shop that has brought new jobs to the area and created an outlet for many more local producers too.”
Find out more at www.cobbsfarmshops.co.uk/englefield.
