‘Seeing is believing’ is the motto at Lifton Strawberry Fields Farm Shop, and it’s certainly true of the bakery, a large open area within the farm shop with all the ovens, equipment and bustle of a full production kitchen, in full view of customers.

The Lifton Farm Shop team collect their award at the FARMA Awards Dinner

Bread production starts at 5am and is continuous through the day when customers will see Rose Head, pastry-chef, and Patti Waugh, in charge of cakes, hard at work supported by Alison Adams, Julie Bassest, Mariusz Wineski, Emma Cann and Gavin, the kitchen porter, and of course the farm shop team.

It’s all come a very long way for Roger and Jo Mounce, who created the farm shop just ten years ago, encouraged by family and friends and the local community who enjoyed buying home-grown fruit and vegetables from a barrow in the lay-by opposite the Arundel Arms pub. Jo has trained the staff personally to professional standards and the resulting farm shop is unique in food and in character.

Everything is made from scratch using real ingredients, home grown and local whenever possible. Bread is made using flour from Bristol and includes Spelt.
Devonshire pasties are a specialty, available hot, cold, uncooked and frozen. Firm favourites include sausage rolls, and meat pies made from Lifton’s own beef,
reared on the 80 acres farm about half a mile from the shop. Barley, maize and grass is grown as feed.

The Bakery at Lifton Farm Shop

In addition to the strawberries for which the farm is famous, a new orchard was planted in 2002, growing traditional varieties of apples (Bramley, Discovery, Worcester, Cox, Russett), plums and pears. Vegetables are also grown to provide a good range of produce for the shop and to become ingredients in a variety of bakery products which also appear on the menu in the café, newly extended last year. Ice cream is also made on-site, using the farm’s own eggs and fruit and next in line is a
juicing facility to make more of the orchard crop.

‘The bakery is always a hive of industry and creates the most amazing spectacle for all to see.’

www.liftonstrawberryfields.co.uk

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