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It’s been a month since we opened Poppy’s Farm and I have to say that I am super proud of what we have achieved. Opening Poppy’s Farm has been a unique experience for me - it is quite different from running a garden centre business. I have had to slow down and wait for nature to do its thing, it won’t be rushed, but my goodness, it has been worth the wait!

Nature Trail

Over the past month, the plants have flourished, and the trail is looking stunning with all the beautiful wildflowers. The aim of Poppy’s Farm was to build an ecosystem for wildlife to enjoy, and in the process, help our customers learn about the importance of wildlife and how to attract it to their gardens, so you can imagine how excited we were when we saw what visitors we have had…

We have cameras around the site and in the first two weeks alone we have witnessed a barn owl swoop down from one of the trees to feed on a field mouse. We have also seen a hedgehog scampering along the path – it is wonderful to know that we have created a safe haven for them away from the traffic. We have also seen bees, butterflies, birds and damselflies, so I think it’s safe to say that Poppy’s Farm is a success! We will be uploading a live feed soon. Watch this space!!!

Poppy’s Café

Poppy’s Café has been busy and it’s been great to see people enjoying eating out by the lake, kids playing in the teepees, and customers enjoying the yurt when the weather has been less kind. In response to demand, we have broadened our range of food at Poppy’s Café and have introduced hot lunches including jacket potatoes and paninis. I’m looking forward to launching our vintage afternoon teas and rustic (but luxury!) hampers later in the summer – these will be a real treat and will give customers a unique and memorable dining experience.

Oliver’s Allotment

Oliver’s Allotment is also coming along nicely and is changing every day, I am sure that if I sat up there for an hour I would literally see the vegetable plants grow right in front of my eyes! I shall leave Geoff and Tony to update you on what’s happening up there, look out for their blog coming soon.

Thanks to everyone who has visited so far, we’ve loved hearing your feedback and we hope you continue to enjoy this special space.
Will Blake

P.S. If you’re visiting in the next few days, look out for our new colony of bees taking up residency in our bee hives!

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