We’ve been in the national spotlight after being named as one of the reasons why the Meon Valley in Hampshire is a great alternative to the Cotswolds.
We were listed as one of the key features of the Meon Valley and a reason why the area has become a great alternative place to live when compared with the “oversubscribed and overvalued” Cotswolds.
The Sunday Times this week picked out Westlands Farm Shop and our Meon Valley Milk vending machine in the store for particular mention. The article also highlighted The Bakers Arms in Droxford which won the Good Food Award in the 2021 Good Pub Guide.
Hugh Graham, in the Sunday Times article Cotswolds RIP, described the Meon Valley as an idyllic patch of countryside roughy between Petersfield, Winchester, Alton and Portsmouth.
“With clear chalk streams, rolling open countryside, thatched cottages, country pubs, ancient churches, lavender farms, vineyards and wineries, not to mention Hambledon, ‘the cradle of cricket’, this is vintage English countryside,” he wrote.
Our managing director Graham Collett said: “Those of us who have lived and worked here in the Meon Valley for very many years have always known about its natural beauty and charm.
“But to have our farm shop listed with just one other business – the fabulous Bakers Arms at Droxford – in an article about reasons why the Meon Valley is a great place to live is a fantastic accolade.
“We refurbished and relaunched the farm shop during the pandemic and were only able to properly reopen in October of last year, so to have had this sort of impact in such a short space of time is remarkable.
“We know our customers love what we do – they are especially keen on the fresh milk vending machine from Meon Valley Milk and the Fill eco-laundry and household cleaning products that we provide too – but we are always thinking of how else we can develop what we offer for the whole of the community.
“As a farm shop we will always be well-known for the quality of the meat that we sell and the range of fresh vegetables we have available, but we are now pushing the boundaries further to provide what our customers want and need from their community farm shop.”
