Hello Friday people! Today’s Place To Go is the fabulous Hartley Farm Shop and Cafe in Wiltshire near Bath. You might remember that I’ve just had a girlie weekend and this was one of the places we visited and couldn’t get enough of. Delicious food, great service, family friendly and top notch local produce. It was a winner on all fronts.

But let me give you a bit of background. The fifth generation family farm is tucked away in the most picturesque countryside in the west of England and is a great day out, especially if you have small children and like your food. Although I wasn’t with my kids I loved the recent addition of ‘Little Hartley’ – a small play area with bouncy toy cows, ride-on tractors as well as rabbits, chickens and ducks to admire close up. All nicely shaded and safely fenced in, it’s a beautifully designed space as is the farm shop and cafe with a light and airy barn extension overlooking the farm, vegetable gardens and fields.

 

The cafe deserves a special mention as not only did they recently win the local Bath Life Award for best cafe but the standard is truly exceptional. My eggs florentine (pictured above) was cooked to perfection, laid by free roaming happy hens who gave me a high five when I walked past.

There is an ever changing blackboard of daily specials on offer with seasonal ingredients, vegetables and meat sourced directly from the farm or as local as possible. No surprise that they’ve also been shortlisted for the ‘Best Environmentally Responsible Venue’ category in the Bath Chronicle Love to Shop awards.

The farm has got a lovely warm atmosphere and also houses a micro brewery, a florist and a resident bee keeper whose honey sells out in the blink of an eye, in addition to rearing cattle, pigs, chickens and sheep. It feels very homely and seems a well-run family business that supports the local community and sets an example of how farmers can diversify if they have the vision and drive to embrace new markets.

If you ever find yourself down that beautiful neck of the woods make sure to pop in for some locally produced groceries, a great meal or even just a descent cup of coffee with a slice of mouth-watering home made brownie – another award winner. I’m definitely coming back for brunch with family in tow and just hope I can persuade the kids to leave the ride on tractors behind when it’s time to leave.

 

ABOVE | Farmer/owner Tom Bowles

 

 
MORE INFORMATION | Hartley Farm Shop and Cafe
PHOTOGRAPHY | Annie Kruse
 
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