Talking Shop: Discover experiential retail at Apley Farm Shop

Apley Estate is still in the ownership of descendants of the family who purchased it in 1868 and have three generations of the Hamilton family, a board of trustees and a dedicated team of specialist employees who are committed to its continued existence. In 2011, Lord Gavin Hamilton created and opened Apley Farm Shop.

Who’s in the Apley Farm Shop team?

Under the management of Apley Estate director Graeme Manton and Apley farm shop general manager Lydia Arrowsmith, Apley Farm Shop continues to grow, expand, and work with our local suppliers to produce fresh and delicious products for our customers, including award-winning Apley Estate British white beef, free-range pork, Shropshire venison, free range chicken, lamb, turkey, partridge and pheasant directly from Apley Estate, local and tenant farms. We offer carefully created and selected locally sourced fruit and vegetables, to our finest range of prime cut meats, to our own Apley lemon drizzle cake and many sweet delights. Our delicatessen is always stocked full of handmade products, from our award-winning pork pies, pasties, pâtés, quiches, Scotch eggs, and cooked meats and charcuterie items. We truly have something for everyone to enjoy.

When visiting Apley Farm Shop, it is more of an experience than just coming to buy your groceries. Our seasonal events, wide selection of handmade Apley products and concessions on-site set us apart from other farm shops. We encourage taking a personal touch when our customers visit; we like to get to know them, if they’ve been before, what they like the most or what they would like more of. We think customer feedback is essential and we always take it on board. With help from our new shop supervisor Tracy we are excited for bigger and better things as we approach 2022, with a new layout of the farm shop, more local suppliers and a more permanent outside shopping area for a fresh fruit and vegetables. We have recently taken another step towards being net zero carbon with to solar array, making us 100 percent self-sufficient in power from renewable energy.

What sets the business apart from other independent retailers?

It’s not just groceries available at Apley Farm Shop, we offer beautifully presented, bespoke, tailored and delicious gift hampers to delight your colleagues, clients, friends, and family! Whatever the occasion or the reason behind your gift, we hope that nothing will say it better than an Apley hamper along with your personalised message. Our Apley Hampers are designed, selected, and created to convey that all-important message to your chosen recipient. We offer a selection of predesigned hampers that can be purchased and delivered, or collected, and we offer a fully managed service for buying tailor-selected hampers.

However, Apley Farm Shop is so much more than a farm shop, encompassing a Kitchen Café, Playbarn, Skylark Nature Trail, Animal Park, Pottery Painting and Craft Studio, Plant Centre & Garden Nursery, Florist and Giftware shops. Apley has a Dog Park a Children’s Party Venue and Conference Function Rooms. Apley Farm Shop offers a wide range of handmade, unique products and entertainment for the whole family to enjoy.

What are you most proud of at Apley Farm Shop?

The way the staff worked during the pandemic was amazing. New delivery and collection services were created, and staff got involved with the jobs that needed to be done, even if it was not their normal department. That has continued even after the lockdowns; when you come to Apley Farm Shop, you can sense the feeling of teamwork amongst the staff. Not only that, but in the year that we celebrate our 10th anniversary, Apley Farm Shop has recently been listed among the Top 30 Farm Shops nationwide by national newspaper The Times.

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