Farm Shop Newsletter: Valentine’s Day

With Love From Cowdray

In need of some inspiration for Valentine’s Day? Find out what members of our team would choose whether it’s food, gifts or flowers. With Valentine’s Day falling on a Saturday, instead of cooking you could start the weekend with a relaxing visit to the Café. 

The Farm Shop, Café and Lifestyle are open seven days a week, as is Little Cowdray at Fernleigh, which is based in Chichester.

Martha Ffooks, Farm Shop Manager

Gusbourne Rosé sparkling wine is the perfect way to start off the evening. The fresh, delicate notes of the rosé work wonderfully alongside canapes as well as perhaps a citrus salad of chicory, gorgonzola dolce, and seasonal blood oranges as a starter.

The Farm Shop also sells Gusbourne Brut, Blanc de Blanc, Rose, and Blanc de Noir. Cowdray chocolate truffles is also a refined yet unfussy way to finish the meal.

Steve Page, Head Butcher

You can’t go wrong with delicious fillet of beef from the butchery or perhaps try Cowdray’s Wagyu beef to mark this special occasion? Incredible tender and flavourful, both go well with triple cooked chips, made from fondant potatoes from the Farm Shop, and a salad grown by local supplier Ed’s Veg. 

Cowdray’s Home Farm are proud to produce Wagyu, Aberdeen Angus and dairy beef, all of which are available from the butchery.

Gilly
Deli Assistant 

If you want a delicious cheeseboard to celebrate Valentine’s Day, then talk to the deli team. We all have our favourites, but I would choose Baron Bigod, available in a romantic heart shape for Valentine’s Day, Kirkham’s Lancashire hard cheese, Blue Cloud, a soft, blue, West Sussex artisan cheese, and Brun de Noix, which is washed regularly in a walnut liqueur as it matures. These cheeses go particularly well with damson paste and Fine Cheese Crackers.

Emma Hague
Manager of Cowdray Farm Shop Café

As Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday, start the weekend with a relaxed morning in the Café enjoying coffees, pastries, smoothies, juices or even a full Cowdray cooked breakfast. If I was coming here for lunch on Valentine’s Day with my husband, I would choose a Vitality juice with cucumber, broccoli, spinach, fennel, apple and lime, freshly made in house. And for lunch without a doubt the Cowdray venison sausage and mash is delicious, made from venison sourced from the Estate.

Claire Stammers, Manager of Cowdray Lifestyle

There are so many gifts from Cowdray Lifestyle that I’d like to be given on Valentine’s Day that it’s hard to narrow them down. However, I do love a Cowdray candle – especially the Rose and Peony fragrance – which omits a gorgeous floral smell.

I really like the Biba Spanish leather handbags which are made from premium leather, and the Ortigia bath salts are perfect for an indulgent soak in the bath. Our team are on hand to help you choose bespoke gifts to suit your loved one this Valentine’s Day.

Kate Owens
Verdley Flowers

We have a fabulous collection of flowers at the Farm Shop for Valentine’s Day. This year, I will be using a lot of pink in the bouquets. For a touch of red, I will be including red hypericum berries, red anemones and ranunculus along with lovely textured foliage and highlights like pussy willow and blossomy twigs.

My favourite bunch of flowers consists of Ranunculus, Anemones, Narcissus, Hyacinths and Tulips, which are all coming into season. A bunch of mimosa with paperwhite narcissus is also hard to beat.