Reporter Alice brought Swedish parents to a squat farm shop where she had done (Image: Alice Sjoberg)
When my parents told me about their plans to visit me in the UK from Sweden, I wanted to take them to a bit of a squat farm shop. Despite never visiting myself, I knew my dad, a longtime top gear fan, would enjoy the opportunity to explore Jeremy Clarkson's store.
But what surprised me was how much I enjoyed our day. The journey from my home in Worcestershire was a little more stressful than expected due to my mother's concerns about driving on the left side of the road, but it arrived safely and was directed towards the parking lot.
Despite arriving an hour and a half after opening hours, there was ample parking in the nearby field, and only a 1 minute walk from the farm store.
We were certainly not alone in our experience as we joined a long queue of enthusiastic visitors waiting to enter the small store. Each one sighed loudly and we were replaced at the end of the line.
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Alice and her parents waited an hour and six minutes to enter the store (Image: Alice Sjoberg)
The pleasant and sunny weather initially added to our day's fun.
But the sun soon begins to sacrifice, and as a result, my dad and I are looking for the rest of the day despite wearing sunscreen that morning.
One of my main complaints at the farm store was the lack of shade during queuing. Soaking in the sun is fun, but many people find it hard to bear the time they've been waiting for an hour to get inside and the six minutes they can't take shelter.
It is beneficial to wear some form of sunscreen, such as a marquee, especially on very hot days. This will work when it's raining.
The farm store had everything you could expect. (Image: Alice Sjoberg)
Outside the store there was a table loaded with locally grown fruits and vegetables.
To the left of the entrance was a “cow juice” milk vending machine where customers could buy milk directly from local farmers, but it was not working when I visited.
Despite the initial horror of the long queue, it was well worth waiting to enter the store. It was slightly smaller than expected, but provided everything I expected.
There were locally produced meat and dairy products, popular Hawkstone cider, lagers and a bit of squat gin. They also had cupboard staples such as chutney, jam, potato chips, fudge and more.
I could have spent more time around the store easily, but the cue system made me feel a bit rushed to get to Till.
The meat and cheese, especially the sausage rolls, were charming, but for the rest of the day I had to leave them in the shop.
However, I was able to pick up gin for my grandfather's next birthday, an empty Didory squat milk bottle, a jar of picarily pickles, and a magnet in the fridge.
My parents also couldn't resist bringing back some souvenirs. They bought a homemade soap bar with locally roasted coffee and “bee juice” (honey).
Alice said her burger was the best she'd ever had. (Image: Alice Sjoberg)
I initially thought that there would not be much else to offer on the farm, but I was delighted and surprised. After finishing our shopping, lunch rolled over, so we heard good things about their food and decided to try the bar behind the farm.
Initially I was a bit disappointed with the menu. The menu appeared to only serve burgers and brunch items with a variety of eggs and bacon variations. Despite this, I chose the Halloumi burger even though both my parents went to the “big view” burger.
When our meal arrived I was shocked. My Halloumi burger was cooked to perfection, with slices of roasted overgin and harissa mayonnaise, providing the perfect balance of flavors complemented by chili and tomato chutney.
My parents were equally impressed with the burgers. This featured aged beet patties topped with cheddar, homemade burger sauce, caramelized onions and pickles.
It has been more than a week since our visit. And I realized that I still remembered about my burger.
My only complaint was the rather small paper plates they were offered, and they took it somewhat defiantly with wooden cutlery.
That aside, this burger alone is enough to seduce me to make an hour's journey to the farm, especially as their lines were much shorter than the store's lines. I will definitely be back to another person!
