Festive foodies at Norfolk Food Hall. (Image: RNAA)
Norfolk Food Hall, Norwich
This will be the first Christmas since the food hall opened at the Norfolk Showground in May, featuring a 3,500 sq ft farm shop and 220-seater restaurant. As the flagship project of the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association, the £3million food hall showcases food and drink from across the region. It will have plenty of festive goodies on offer, drawn from local suppliers, producers and artisans. In-house butchers Tony Perkins partners with trusted local farms and will have free-range poultry available, as well as premium beef. The food hall also has its own deli, stocked with fresh cuts from nearby farms and local cheeses, including the much-loved Mrs Temple’s.
norfolkfoodhall.co.uk
Christmas displays at Goat Shed in Honingham. (Image: Goat Shed)
Goat Shed, Honingham
This farm shop and kitchen nestled in the countryside will get you into the festive spirit, whether you’re shopping, grazing or saying hello to the goats. The well-known Christmas Shed is back for its fifth year, with over 15 huts brimming with gifts, decorations, tipples, homeware and locally-made treats from some of Norfolk’s best. The butchery is taking festive pre-orders, the bakery is stocked with orange Viennese mince pies, and the kitchen is serving hearty winter dishes, festive grazers and Sunday roasts. The farm shop is always full of local artisan producers and suppliers and, this year, the addition of a new lift makes the Christmas Shed fully accessible.
goat-shed.co.uk.
Algy’s Farm Shop and Cafe in Bintree. (Image: Newsquest)
Algy’s Farm Shop, Bintree, Dereham
This well-known farm shop offers a wide range of seasonal, fresh homegrown produce and other locally sourced goods. You can also pick your own Christmas tree here. Algy’s was a finalist in the farm shop/deli category of this year’s Norfolk & Suffolk magazine Food and Drink Awards. The vegetables available include cauliflower, cabbages, broccoli, kale and of course sprouts. There are daily deliveries of bread, meat, fish and milk throughout the year, and there’s always a good selection of cold meats, pies, tarts, rolls, fruit, preserves, pickles, and soft drinks. Algy’s also has a newly-opened café/restaurant, serving brunches, lunches and more, centred around seasonal and local produce.
algys.co.uk
Some of the food on offer at Jarrolds Letheringsett. (Image: Jarrolds)
Jarrolds, Norwich and Letheringsett
The Jarrolds food hall, within the department store in Norwich, stocks fine local produce and has a new cheese and charcuterie bar, also offering antipasti, butchery, fish, fresh meats and more. Hand-picked gift hampers are available to order for Christmas in-store and online. Jarrolds has also now taken on the much-loved Back to the Garden farm shop and restaurant in Letheringsett, near Holt, which has rebranded under its name. The butchery counter, supplied by the Astley estate, is extremely highly rated, and is stocked with grass-fed organic meats, including aged beef, lamb, and free-range poultry. There’s also a well-known deli, plus artisan homewares and gifts from local makers.
jarrolds.co.uk
Aylsham Garden Centre’s new farm shop. (Image: Newsquest)
Aylsham Garden Centre Farm Shop
You can discover the taste of Norfolk at Aylsham Garden Centre’s new farm shop, which opened in September and proudly champions local producers. Its deli counter will tempt you with local, artisan cheeses, savoury pies, and freshly baked pastries. Quality meats are provided by Coxfords Butchers of Aylsham, and the garden centre’s shop also offers the chance to enjoy breads, cakes, biscuits, ready meals, and desserts, alongside fresh seasonal fruit and veg. And there’s scope to pair your treats with locally crafted wines, beers, and gins. Foodie gifts and hampers are also available, and you can combine your trip with a visit to the centre’s Four Seasons Restaurant.
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The food hall at Bakers and Larners of Holt. (Image: Bakers and Larners)
Bakers and Larners, Holt
Based in historic Holt, the food hall of this iconic department store is a wonderful place to browse in the run-up to Christmas. The store is famed for its luxury hampers, filled with goodies from the food hall and the 16th-century cellar. Bestselling hampers include Norfolk Pantry, the Cheese Connoisseur Selection, Local Luxuries and the Port & Stilton Choice. Bespoke options are also available. The food hall stocks some of Norfolk’s best local produce, together with chocolates and confectionery from local and national brands, condiments and sauces, dried fruits and nuts, all you need for home-baked festive treats, ready meals, savoury snacks and more.
Bakersandlarners.co.uk
Garry and Nichola Hunter at their chocolate shop, Hunters of Holt. (Image: Newsquest)
Hunters of Holt
If you want to find locally-created chocolate gifts with a difference, this small boutique, at 31 Market Square, could be the answer. It’s full of glossy bonbons that look too good to eat. Choose from exclusive handmade chocolates and chocolate bars, truffles, mendiants studded with fruit and nuts and various other chocolate snacks. You’ll also find marzipan from Fratelli Freni Pasticceria Siciliana, Sicilian marmalades and San Giuliano biscuits. Owner Gary Hunter first worked with chocolate more than 30 years ago. He and wife Nichola launched Hunters Chocolate in 2023 before starting their own shop. You can order chocolates online as well as visiting the store.
hunterschocolate.co.uk
Drove Orchards Farm Shop, Thornham
There was plenty of competition for the title of best farm shop/deli at this year’s Norfolk and Suffolk magazine Food & Drink Awards, with Drove Orchards scooping the title. Visit their 350-acre site on the North Norfolk coast to find out why they won. The shop stocks a wide range of quality produce, and is also home to a butchery, deli counter, a full greengrocery and beer and wine from more than a dozen Norfolk producers. Fruit from its surrounding orchards is used to make fruit juices, ciders and spirits, while a production kitchen makes the most of the products in the shop. The site also includes lifestyle shops and restaurants.
facebook.com/DroveOrchards
The Norfolk Cheese Company, Downham Market
Specialist artisan cheesemonger and deli the Norfolk Cheese Company was a runner-up in the best farm shop/deli category at this year’s Norfolk and Suffolk magazine Food & Drink Awards. Located in Downham Market and rooted in the local community, it specialises in sourcing and showcasing award-winning artisan cheeses and accompaniments, and stocks many products made in Norfolk. As well as cheeses, the deli stocks chutneys, jellies and jams, cured meats and wines, beers and spirits. Staff can help you to curate your own cheeseboard or make a gift hamper, ideal for a cheese-loving friend or relation at Christmas. You can also enjoy food and drink in the café during your visit.
thenorfolkcheesecompany.co.uk
The Norfolk Deli in Hunstanton. (Image: The Norfolk Deli)
The Norfolk Deli, Hunstanton
This popular coastal deli was named as the best in the entire country in the Farm Shop & Deli Retailer Awards 2024. It offers an impressive range of hampers, ideal for the festive period. This includes its Norfolk hamper selection, where, as the deli says on its website, ‘every item is made in Norfolk by producers we know and love’. The deli stocks a mouthwatering selection of artisan cheeses and accompaniments, and it’s even possible to order a wedding cheese cake – a celebration tower crafted from layers of Norfolk and British artisan cheeses. A wide choice of local produce is also available. Many products are available to order online.
norfolk-deli.co.uk
The farm shop at Old Hall Farm in Woodton. (Image: Newsquest)
Old Hall Farm, Woodton
If you’re looking for quality meat for Christmas, this award-winning farm shop has its own on-site butchery and restaurant. The butcher’s is stocked with the farm’s own pork and dry aged beef, local lamb and chicken, and local game when in season. Old Hall took the title of Best Norfolk Producer in the Norfolk magazine Food and Drink Awards 2024. The farm is home to a herd of Jersey cows and produces raw milk along with other products like butter, yoghurt, cream, ice cream, ghee and fudge. The delicatessen is filled with local cheeses, the farm’s own and local charcuterie, and homemade cakes and bakes.
oldhallfarm.co.uk
Fresh produce at Walsingham Farm Shop. (Image: Newsquest)
Walsingham Farm Shop
You can order your Christmas food in advance from this well-known farm shop in north Norfolk. It is offering Christmas dinner hampers which can be collected or delivered, plus a wide choice of poultry, bacon, gammon, sausages, ready prepared trimmings, sauces, stocks and gravies, and much more. Vegetable hampers are also available, including sprouts galore, for collection only. The shop always has fresh produce, dairy, artisanal bread and baked goods are all available, along with wine from the county’s vineyards, and beers made locally, using top-quality local malting barley. The shop is housed in a historic former grain store, and products can be ordered online.
Walsingham.co
Fresh local produce at Elveden Farm Shop (Image: Newsquest)
Elveden Farm Shop, near Thetford
Part of a larger retail experience within the Elveden Courtyard, this food hall represents many local artisan producers of fine food and wine. The in-house butchery sources wild venison, rabbits and game from the estate when in season, and there’s also a deli counter offering cooked and cured meats, cheeses and olives. All this, plus baked goods, pickles, jams and chutneys, cakes, biscuits, chocolates and sweets. If you’d like to combine a festive shopping trip with entertaining the youngsters, Santa’s Grotto will be at the Courtyard from December 6 to 14. Book your ticket in advance via the website. The site also includes a restaurant and other shops.
Elvedencourtyard.com.
Hirst’s Farm Shop at Ormesby St Margaret. (Image: Newsquest)
Hirst’s Farm Shop, Ormesby St Margaret, Great Yarmouth
Orders for festive beef, lamb, sausages, bacon and fish are all being taken at Hirst’s farm shop, well ahead of the celebrations. You can also pre-order fresh seafood platters, full of locally sourced shellfish and smoked fish, for parties, family gatherings, or a show-stopping starter on Christmas Day. Veg boxes and hampers are also available, and you can pick your Christmas tree from late November onwards. The shop near Great Yarmouth is known for its homemade sausage rolls and pastries, made with cooked meats sourced from nearby pig farmers. There’s also a fishmonger on the premises, Dabs’n’Crabs, and Hirst’s Farm Café, which serves food seven days a week.
hirstsfarmshopandcafe.co.uk.
Church Farm Shop, Hethersett
Based within a converted grain store, Church Farm Shop has been running since 2008. It started offering a delivery service during the Covid pandemic, a service which soon expanded due to demand, with an online shop and its own delivery van. You can order a bespoke hamper as a special gift, and it will be gift-wrapped ahead of collection or delivery. The shop is known for its homemade cakes, made by the kitchen team, and also offers a large choice of fresh fruit and veg, plus freshly-cooked sausage rolls, barista hot drinks and more. The shop was a Norfolk magazine Food and Drink Awards finalist in 2024.
churchfarmshopltd.
Dining and Cooking