monday, october 30th, 2007

In 1790, George III established two royal farms at Windsor and over two centuries later, Windsor Farm Shop, located on the periphery of the Home Park of the castle grounds, stocks its shelves with the bounty of the fields, farms and dairies that surround it. While most are drawn to Windsor, Britain's second most touristed site, for the gargantuan castle snaking through the bustling city, the Farm Shop is a must for any food lover. Located a bit out of the way from the epicenter of the tourist honey pot that is Windsor, the farm shop rewards the adventurous with overflowing shelves of organic specialties baked on premises, fruits, grains and vegetables harvested from the surrounding fields and goodies sourced from local farms and the Royal Farms own Ayrshire and Jersey dairy herds.

On the day I visited, teetering edible towers of delicacies included freshly baked pies such as Steak and Guinness and Pork, Pickle and Cheese. Pate lovers will delight in the seemingly infinite variety available including Duck Liver and Apricot, Boar Liver and Brandy and Venison and Cognac. The shop also stocks a wide variety of libations including Scrumpy Jack Cider, Melbourne Brothers Cherry Beer, Whiskey Mead Liqueur, Elderflower Port Liqueur and a varied selection of local wines and Windsor produced Ales. There is a butcher on premises stocking locally grown, free range meat including guinea fowl, pheasant, pigeon, lamb and veal as well as an extensive selection of baked goods including muffins, scones, artisanal breads, sponges and homemade mueslis. In addition, several shelves are devoted to farmhouse pickles, mustards, smoked olives, honey and preserves.

The prices at The Windsor Farm Shop reflect the effort, dedication and high standards required to produce such a wide variety of delicacies but digging a little deeper into the pockets should not induce guilt as it promotes a sustainable system of food production that makes The Windsor Farm Shop a unique and gratifying shopping experience.