When Anne-Marie Harries started selling homemade jam over the bar of her family’s pub some years ago, little did she ever think that she would be running her own farm shop one day. Little did any of us know that we would be living in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, but never one to shy away from a challenge, Anne-Marie saw that a progression from a few jars in a jam shed to selling fresh food such as vegetables, dairy and meat could help her local community.
Farmers Food at Home began in Anne-Marie’s kitchen after an unexpected glut of fresh produce inspired her to start preserving the beautiful fruit and veg she had accumulated. This seed of an idea quickly blossomed into a popular hobby as blackberry jam and runner bean chutney flew over the counter and what started as a few jars for local customers swiftly became unique preserves sold at local shops and food fairs. Harnessing the power of the fertile Pembrokeshire soil and all that its fields and hedgerows have to offer, Anne-Marie quickly perfected her jam, chutney and preserves recipes, and it wasn’t long before the delicious simplicity of her creations started to garner attention.
Having moved to custom-built premises on her family’s land with a fully equipped conserve kitchen, Anne-Marie’s success continued, winning the Great Taste Award for her explosive Chilli Jam, followed swiftly by awards for the intoxicating concoction of Summerberry Jam, the tangy Rhubarb and Ginger jam and the perfect accompaniment to a good, strong cheddar, the Courgette and Tomato chutney. Farmers Food at Home had become more than a hobby – it was now a popular preserves brand loved by Anne-Marie’s customers and visitors to Pembrokeshire alike. And with the creation of the e-commerce website, people across the UK could buy the traditional and unusual preserves they loved online.
While Anne-Marie’s business went from strength to strength, the UK became stricken with Coronavirus. Although her online sales continued to be strong, Anne-Marie watched food fairs being cancelled, other local businesses struggle, and her community retreat in fear. With plenty of contacts in the food industry and a fierce determination to help, this entrepreneurial Pembrokeshire woman took matters into her own hands. In November 2020, mere months after the idea came to her, The Paddock Farm Shop was open.
Using the time that we were all unexpectedly afforded due to the lockdown, Anne-Marie and her partner Richard grafted to complete their timber Farm Shop and now welcome customers safely into their COVID secure premises, which is packed with a rainbow array of fresh fruit and vegetables as well as all essential food items; fresh eggs from the chickens clucking in the distance, bread, cheese, packaged meats, food cupboard tins and sauces, pasta, rice…you can even have a takeaway coffee while you’re there. And who can resist a little sweet treat to go with it?
With a pre-assembled ‘Essentials fresh food box’ available or a ‘Pick your own’ for more of a selection, it’s a joy to collect a weekly box of the plumpest fresh produce you will see in North Pembrokeshire. And the shop offers more than just delicious, nutritious food. As a family-run business, it’s an opportunity for a chat and a smile from Anne-Marie or one of her boys who are often helpfully packing veg in readiness for the next customer to arrive. And in these isolating times, a smile, a chat, and a friendly face coupled with food that will keep you and your family healthy is enough to make anyone’s day.
For more information and to order produce available at The Paddock Farm Shop, visit @farmersfoodathome on Facebook or visit www.farmersfoodathome.co.uk today.
